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Baji had been pacing up and down the aisles of the book store they were in, flipping through random titles here and there. He knew he would be here for a while. Chifuyu was somewhere deep in the manga section insisting on finishing a new volume of his favorite series.
Baji didn't understand why . He always offers to buy the copies for Chifuyu so he wouldn't have to discreetly read them in the store, but Chifuyu hated receiving gifts.
“Besides, I always remember everything I read up here,” he would say in response, tapping the side of his head. Chifuyu’s impeccable memory was something Baji couldn't downplay, so he went along with this weird little quirk of his. As if moving between the same two aisles on a perfect two minute schedule to avoid the store manager catching him could be considered a quirk . No, Chifuyu was just weird like that.
He wouldn't let Baji stand near him either, claiming that he took up too much space and would get them caught. Thus, Baji found himself in the history section of the store, which he swore he could recite the titles of all the books shelved due to the fact that he’d been in this exact situation a million times before: Chifuyu shooing him away so he can catch up on manga, but insisting Baji not actually leave the store.
Yes, Chifuyu was weird, but Baji adored him nonetheless.
After about twenty minutes, Chifuyu rounded the corner, jutting his chin towards the door to signal he was ready to leave. Baji bit back a smile, it was almost ridiculous how Chifuyu took this as seriously as one of their gang missions.
The overhead bell jingled and just like that, they were off on the streets. It was pretty late into the evening and their only destination was home. Chifuyu had that look on his face where it seemed like he was doing a heavy mental analysis of whatever he just read.
“So how were the new chapters?”
Chifuyu perked up, “oh, I was reading a different story. I saw some forums on the internet talking about it and wanted to check it out so…”
“Ah, what was it about?”
Chifuyu became quiet. Baji was always half interested in the manga Chifuyu read, and he only really asked just to see that animated look on Chifuyu’s face. Suddenly not wanting to talk about it though was odd.
“...”
“What, was it romance? I already know you read that stuff,” Baji said, ruffling Chifuyu’s hair mostly to get him to perk up again.
“Yeah I guess you could say that.”
Baji hummed, “Whaddya mean?”
“It was romance, just not between a guy and a girl,” Chifuyu muttered.
“Then what was it between?,” Baji laughed, genuinely confused.
Chifuyu flicked his eyes to him. “A boy and another boy- guy. Two guys.”
Their pace stuttered for a second.
“Oh,” Baji said.
That's all he said.
There was an awkward beat of silence before Chifuyu spoke up again.
“It's not gross or anything ‘kay,” Chifuyu scowled at him. “They have some pretty cool characters sometimes.”
Baji didn't like how defensive Chifuyu’s tone was, and he immediately realized how his ‘ oh ’ might've been misinterpreted.
“No-no yea, I agree. I didn't mean anything bad by it. I guess I didn't really know that was a thing.”
“What? The genre?”
Baji pouted, not knowing how to articulate how foreign he felt speaking his thoughts aloud. “Sort of. But also just the idea in general...not a boy and a girl I mean.”
It was Chifuyu’s turn to say “ oh ” now.
“I actually ended up buying it.”
“Eh?,” Baji’s eyebrows rose, “that’s a first.”
Chifuyu smiled back at him, “I know.”
The conversation lulled to an almost-end as they turned the corner onto their street. Baji was still thinking about what Chifuyu said, and both of their reactions to it. It’s not like Baji didn't understand that a girl and a girl could be in a relationship, or a guy and a guy for that matter. He just...never really thought to conceptualize it as something most people were able to do. Romance wasn't a feeling he thought he could describe from his own vessel of emotions, but Chifuyu seemed to know a lot. Baji also trusted Chifuyu so it's what prompted him to ask again.
“So, the guy and the guy thing. Was it good?”
Chifuyu turned to him again, a little surprised he brought up the topic once more. Baji watched his face turn red as he shoved his fists into his pockets.
“Yea.”
Baji stopped walking. Chifuyu noticed half a step later, pausing as well.
“Can I borrow it?”
“...the hell?”
Baji frowned. “What?”
“What do you mean what ? Stop making fun of me.”
Baji grabbed Chifuyu’s wrist before he could turn away fully. He didn't know whether to be offended that Chifuyu would assume that or upset that he’d find it embarrassing.
“You lend me covers all the time, what’s the problem?”
Chifuyu sputtered, “t-this isn't the same dumbass. You know most guys don't like this sort of thing.”
“I. don't. care,” Baji said, tugging Chifuyu closer with each word. “I’ll give it back to you tomorrow ‘kay?”
Chifuyu pulled the book out of his jacket, still looking a little hesitant. Baji zeroed in on the cover as Chifuyu handed it over in the most dramatic slow motion possible.
Baji gave him an unimpressed look before snatching it away. As his eyes scanned the book, the title made him pause.
“It's set in highschool?”
“Yea,” Chifuyu muttered, skeptical to the very core.
Baji flipped to the back cover to read the brief summary. “The same grade as us, that's pretty cool huh?”
Chifuyu blinked at him. “Ah- yea it is.”
Baji zipped the manga up behind his jacket the same way Chifuyu did, and that was that.
---
Chifuyu didn't understand why he was so nervous about Baji asking to read the manga. He never asked to read any of Chifuyu’s romance picks. Now Chifuyu regretted even mentioning the subject to him at all.
It's not as though Baji reacted badly. Chifuyu’s been seen reading similar things before by others who reacted way differently. Of course Chifuyu would just beat them up, but in Baji’s case he actually cared about what his friend thought of him. Because he liked Baji.
Baji, who's blank face carried nothing but innocent curiosity as he asked to borrow the story. Chifuyu regretted acting so defensively too, since that was definitely lame of him in comparison to how normal Baji acted about it.
Maybe Baji just wanted to try it out, nothing more nothing less. This was the conclusion Chifuyu came to later that night as he tossed and turned in bed. He’d been so caught up in the fact that Baji asked to see the manga that Chifuyu forgot what the actual story included.
The realization hit him like a bullet. There was a sex scene in there. Sure it’s a sweet one, and it's towards the end of the story after seven chapters of plot heavy content, but it still existed.
Maybe Baji wouldn't get that far. Chifuyu was silently praying he would drop the story a chapter in. There was no real rhyme or reason as to why he was so nervous. Baji wasn't like other guys. If he didn't like the story, the fault would be in the plot and not something as shallow as the genre being BL. Chifuyu still felt exposed though, it was like opening up a secret he had been trying to keep. What if Baji started thinking about why Chifuyu enjoyed the story?
He couldn't pass it off as a casual read, not when he stupidly confessed to buying the volume, which is something he never did.
Chifuyu flopped under his covers, trying to shrink in on himself. He’d get the answers to all his questions tomorrow.
--
The leg Chifuyu had been bouncing up and down as he waited for Baji on the park bench grew numb. He was anxious , visibly so. Eventually he heard one of Baji’s loud yawns as he made his way over to where Chifuyu sat. The park was relatively empty today.
“You look tired,” Chifuyu greeted. Baji tsk-ed before popping a piece of gum into his mouth.
“Slept pretty late, good thing my mom didn't catch me.”
Chifuyu snickered, remembering the last time Baji’s mother reprimanded him for his sleep schedule. He swore the whole apartment complex could hear her nagging.
They sat in silence for a bit like they usually did, just enjoying each other's company. Baji was in the middle of cracking his knuckles when Chifuyu finally blurted out the question.
“How’d you like the story?”
Baji pouted, not looking at Chifuyu directly as he continued cracking his knuckles. Chifuyu was trying his best not to hyper analyze his every move.
“It was kind of sad at the end. It felt complete but I couldn't help but think about what could have been, y’know.”
That was definitely not the answer Chifuyu expected. Chifuyu didn't think he'd ever heard such a succinct, outright opinion on a piece of fiction from Baji ever.
Baji was right though.
Chifuyu sat up fully, clutching Baji’s shoulder. “Right?! I almost wish we got a cliché ending, just so they'd be happy.”
Baji hummed thoughtfully, drumming his hands on his knees. “I don't think the two of them parting ways was a definite end though. It's sort of like pressing pause until they're able to work on themselves.”
“I see what you mean.”
They went back and forth like that for a while. Sharing their thoughts on the story as if it were like any other manga.
That's what Chifuyu loved the most about Baji. It didn't matter the circumstance, one way or another he’d always find a way to make Chifuyu feel normal.
Love. Chifuyu was an expert in dismissing his feelings. Afterall, love was just too unrealistic for someone like him.
--
Baji looked down at his broken glasses, lenses shattered and frames bent at odd angles. It was unusual for him to actually get a scratch in a fight, not since he was in middle school and Toman was still a thing. Every so often though, he does get confronted by rowdy delinquents wanting to challenge an ex-Toman founder. Baji wasn't one to turn down a fight, good natured ones with the guys or confrontational ones either.
Baji bent down to pick up what remained of his glasses. The idiot who's face he just beat scurried away not too long ago, but Baji was half tempted to hunt him down again just for the trouble he caused. Holding the largest piece of the lense up to the setting sun, Baji looked at the dozen or so scratches on the glass. He sighed, eventually picking up all the broken pieces in his hands.
He wasn't sure what was up with him lately. For the past two weeks, Baji would catch himself spacing out with his mind wandering off onto…other things. One being Chifuyu for that matter. It wasn't unusual or anything. Baji thought of his friend about a hundred times a day. But now, Chifuyu seemed to be a constant background process in his mind, and it was definitely distracting him. Kazutora even caught him doing it once, and that was mortifying.
The other day, Chifuyu came over while Baji was exercising. Despite his claims that he hates muscle training, Chifuyu eventually relented to Baji coaxing him into a flexibility workout.
This wasn't unusual either. Nothing about their dynamic was ever unusual but something about Baji's brain was making every one of their interactions seem heightened. They’d gotten through ten stretches together fine, but as Baji was leaning over Chifuyu, using his weight to help the other boy stretch his arms out till his forehead touched the floor...Baji suddenly found himself staring at the nape of Chifuyu’s neck. A neck he’s seen a million times, but didn't ever consider that the option to appreciate it was allowed.
And Baji was staring for a while. He got so quiet that Chifuyu sat back up to catch his expression in the T.V reflection.
“Huh? Is there a bug on me?”
Chifuyu turned around then, scratching his neck. Baji looked like a deer in headlights.
“No?”
“No?”
“Ah- I mean it's nothing.”
Chifuyu gave him an amused look, mouth quirking up into a grin. Baji's eyes followed that too before he moved them onto their next stretch. He was well aware how red his face was.
Baji couldn't find a reason for this slow change in how he was seeing things. If he had to guess, it might have started that day he asked to borrow that manga from Chifuyu. His initial curiosity may have sprouted from some inner pull, but he actually enjoyed the story. A lot.
Relationships were something Baji never considered he’d indulge in. Sure there were some girls he thought were good looking, but not in the ‘ I want to date them ’ way, or the ‘ they're hot ’ way for that matter. It didn't help that one of the love interests in the story he read was similar to Baji in that way...never having an interest in romance until the possibility presented itself in the form of someone.
For the character, that was in the form of their best friend. As for Baji, it was-
He stopped himself in his tracks, mind shooting itself back to the present. The pieces of glass in his palm drew blood as Baji suddenly fisted his hands.
Dancing around the thought for two weeks ...and his mind wanted to present it now.
Dating Chifuyu...being his boyfriend. The idea made Baji's heart literally skip a beat. He might've gotten punched a bit too hard earlier. Throwing the glass away in a nearby trash can, Baji stared at the blood on his palm. Chifuyu’s hands were the same size, but his fingers were a bit more slender, more well kept.
Baji groaned. He was daydreaming in the middle of the street, thinking about holding Chifuyu’s hand.
Romance didn't seem all that cool to Baji. Despite his friend reading tons of shoujo manga, none of the appeal rubbed off on him.
This must be what a crush feels lik e, Baji thought to himself, rubbing his hands on his dirtied uniform.
A crush. Or something more. He didn't know. If there was one thing about Baji though, it's that he's practical to a fault. He didn't like boys , and he wasn't all too crazy about girls either. But Baji likes Chifuyu, so that must mean something.
--
“What’s this?” Chifuyu asked.
Baji had been ruffling his backpack for a minute now. On the weekends, the two of them usually met up in the evenings at the skatepark nearby. It started raining not too long ago, so the two of them sat under the playground, watching puddles ripple all around them and other people start to clear out.
“I got you something.”
Chifuyu wiggled his brows, “Oh?” Baji hummed in response. Chifuyu watched him purse his lips, looking at whatever he was about to give Chifuyu.
This was something Chifuyu had been noticing for a while now. Baji hadn't been acting out of the norm all too much, but when it was just the two of them like this, it was almost as if Baji got... shy sometimes. And that was definitely out of the norm. It was usually Chifuyu who got shy, weird, flustered- you name it- in response to the other.
Chifuyu knew his reason for getting shy was that Baji was a menace to him most days but he was also extremely kind at times, constantly fueling Chifuyu’s feelings for him. Baji's reason? That was a mystery.
“Here,” Baji handed him something. Chifuyu’s curiosity won out over his speculations as he picked up the piece of cloth he was handed. It was a shirt. A black one with a single white cat on it.
A smaller cloth fell onto his lap as he held the shirt up. It was another shirt, only much smaller and made of yarn.
Chifuyu laughed, “What's all this?”
“Well, I made the smaller one for Peke J, I just threw in an old shirt of mine so you two could match,” Baji said, resting his chin on his palm. Chifuyu couldn't help the smile that came to him then, especially when Baji had an impish look in his eyes.
“Peke would never let me put this on him!”
“He’d let me though. He likes me better.”
“Oi,” Chifuyu smacked him with the tinier shirt.
“How are you a cat dad if your cat doesn't love you most?” Baji teased.
“He does -,” Chifuyu’s voice cracked on the last word, making him pause.
Baji started losing it, and because his laughter was always infectious, Chifuyu tried his best not to join in.
“You're walking back alone dumbass,” he yelled over his shoulder as he stomped away.
Baji's laugh followed him all the way home.
Chifuyu had stuffed both the items in his own bag to protect them from the rain, only remembering them later that night. As he went over to pull them out, he realized the shirt was too big on him as he held it up once more. Baji was a bit taller and broader in the shoulders, so it made some sense. Peke J was sleeping somewhere under Chifuyu’s bed, so he ignored the main intention of the Baji's gift in favor of slipping the shirt on.
It stopped just above his thighs, slightly dwarfing his frame. The cat printed on it was too cute though, so he didn't want to take it off so soon. Chifuyu held the neckline up to his nose.
Oh.
It smells like Baji , he thought.
Chifuyu tried not to bite back a smile. He flopped back onto his bed. Sue him for wanting to indulge a bit. He lied there for longer than he expected, burying his head under the shirt and letting his mind wander off.
The all too familiar sound of a pebble hitting his window porch got his attention. Speak of the devil.
Whenever Baji wanted to talk to him at night, he’d drop a rock or two down onto the terrace outside their respective rooms, a perk to living directly above one another.
Not really thinking straight, Chifuyu slid open the small door, leaning over the terrace to look up. Sure enough, Baji was waving at him three floors up, light from his bedroom illuminating him.
“It’s way too late for this,” Chifuyu yelled, craning his neck up. They were lucky their neighbors had night shifts.
Baji looked like he was about to say something before he froze. Chifuyu raised a brow at him, ready to go back into his room before he realized what Baji was looking at.
He was still wearing Baji’s shirt. Only his shirt. Sure he had boxers on but that wasn't clear from Baji’s angle.
Chifuyu gripped the metal fencing under his hands. Baji’s face melted into...something extremely soft, which Chifuyu definitely wasn't expecting. It was his turn to freeze now, he already felt himself blushing too.
“I’m...glad you liked the shirt,” Baji said, looking down at him with crinkled eyes. Chifuyu felt like he was turning into putty.
“Yeah I do,” Chifuyu said, almost half whispering. He was surprised Baji could even hear him. “It smells like you too, so-”
Baji made a poker face.
“I mean ,” Chifuyu choked, “not in a weird way it’s-”
There was no way he was getting out of this one. Chifuyu was ready to run into his room for real this time.
“I wouldn't mind if it was in a weird way, Chifuyu,” Baji said, tone completely neutral.
Oh.
Baji leaned forward just a bit, making his hair fall over his shoulders. His face was shrouded in slight darkness but the light in his eyes was unmistakable. “In fact, I wouldn't mind at all.”
Chifuyu wasn't stupid.
Maybe he was actually, just a bit. But he knew what Baji was doing. He was flirting with him. Completely serious or not, Chifuyu had no idea how to process any of it. All he could think of were the numerous times this week where Baji had been acting shy, looking at Chifuyu a bit differently.
A million questions swarmed in his mind, but all Chifuyu was capable of was squeaking out an “ oh”.
Baji was watching Chifuyu in a fond sort of amusement, looking away to chuckle. “I...forgot what I called you out here for.”
Chifuyu scowled at him, fisting the end of the shirt in his hands. “Asshole.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Baji tsk-ed, running a hand through his hair. “Then, goodnight Chifuyu.”
Baji gave him one last smile, his eyes crinkling, before he went back into his room. Chifuyu stood there for a few minutes afterwards, mind completely blank.
The chilly air sucked him back into reality. Chifuyu slammed the door shut, yanking off the damned shirt before jumping into bed.
Not before screaming his frustrations out into his pillow though. Baji uncharacteristically didn't tease Chifuyu about it even after they saw each other again.
It's not like Chifuyu was expecting to be teased, at least not in a rude way. Still, like all things about their recent interactions, it was different. In a weird.
Chifuyu didn't mind it at all either.