Chapter Text
“Oi, Hagiwara―” Rei said, opening the door to his friend’s dorm room. The sight that greeted him froze him in his tracks. “Oh, s-sorry,” he stuttered, blushing.
Matsuda and Hagiwara were sitting on the bed together, both their uniform shirts carelessly discarded. Upon the interruption, Hagi pulled back to look at the newcomer. To Rei’s surprise, he smiled.
“Furuya-chan! Come in, come in. Wanna join us?” he said. Matsuda smacked a pillow in his face.
“No, he does not,” he said annoyed and turned around to look at Rei as well who was already slowly retreating. “Now come on in already, Furuya, just close the door behind you, will ya,” he said.
“Huh?” Furuya said, puzzled, but did as he was asked to.
“You wanted something, didn’t ya?” Matsuda elaborated. “Just spit it out and we can all get on with our days.”
Get on with our days, Rei thought, is that what we’re calling it? But instead, he faced Hagiwara who got up from the bed, and said, “Right, uh, you mentioned a book earlier that you said I could borrow?”
“Ah! I remember, the one on automobile engine anatomy, wasn’t it?” his comrade said, still smiling, and turned towards the bookshelf. His fly stood open, Rei noticed now, and he was pretty sure it wasn’t a mishap. Matsuda was still lounging on the bed, his trousers slipped slightly down from his hips, revealing black boxers. Handing the promised book to his friend, Hagiwara said conspiratorially behind one hand, “I meant it, by the way, you can join. I know Jinpei-chan wouldn’t mind, he’s just being a tsundere.” He winked. Matsuda’s trousers hit him in the back of the head.
“Oi, who’re you calling tsundere?!” In nothing but his boxers now, he was still sprawled out over the bed, unashamed. “And Zero, stay or leave, but make up your mind.” Now, a blush did creep up his face and he turned away a little.
“Thanks, but I think I’ll decline for today,” Rei said. With one hand on the door handle, he added, “Am I guessing correctly that you’d rather this stays between us?” He gestured toward the dorm room and his half undressed friends.
“It’s not really like we’re trying to keep it a secret…” Hagiwara began.
“But there’s no need to broadcast it either, y’know?” Matsuda added. Rei nodded.
“Well then, thanks for the book. Later!”
As he closed the door behind him, the last thing Rei overheard was, “Oi, Hagi, come back to bed!”
Maybe he wasn't yet as good a detective as he’d thought. He never suspected that these two were any more than childhood friends. Childhood friends, just like him and Hiro. Hiro and him certainly never… they wouldn’t… they weren’t… What was that warm feeling building up inside him? The smile that the thought of his friend always brought to his face?
Perhaps Hagiwara and Matsuda weren’t the only thing he had overlooked.