Work Text:
Lio looked so distinguished in his new black high school uniform. It fit him perfectly, unlike Galo’s dark green uniform, which was a little too big for him. Galo’s mother had said that Galo would grow into it soon. Nonetheless, Galo felt like Lio’s tag-along little brother today, even though they were the same age.
“Don’t forget your gym clothes, Galo,” Galo’s mother told him as Lio waited patiently in the foyer for Galo to get his shit together. “And your lunch!” his mother called as Galo pounded up the stairs to his room.
When Galo returned to the foyer with his gym clothes and lunch packed in his bag, his mother was smoothing down Lio’s mess of blond hair while telling the student, “Make sure he gets to school on time, okay?”
“Okay, Mrs. Thymos,” Lio said. “Ready, Galo?”
“Ready,” Galo replied.
“Have a good first day, boys.” Galo’s mother waved goodbye to them as Galo followed Lio out the door.
Lio’s stride was confident as he walked along the garden path to the sidewalk. Galo lengthened his stride to catch up.
“There’s no need to hurry,” he said. “We’re early anyway.”
Lio slowed his pace and adjusted the sit of his backpack on his shoulders. Galo fell into step beside him.
“I can’t believe we’re going to different high schools,” Galo grumbled.
“They’re close, at least,” Lio pointed out. “We can still walk almost the entire way together.”
Lio and Galo had been walking to school together for years. Their relationship had gotten off to a rocky start, but once they’d become friends, they were inseparable. Some of their classmates had started referring to them as ‘Gallio’, as if they were the same person because if you found one of them, then the other wouldn’t be far away.
“That’s true,” Galo agreed, yet he felt depressed, despite the sunny nature of the day and the cherry blossom trees in bloom around them. There was something weighing on Galo’s mind, but he wasn’t quite ready to discuss it with Lio yet.
Over the school break, Galo had come to a realisation, one that he wasn’t sure if Lio was ready to hear.
As they were approaching the train station, Galo paused next to the mouth of an alley. On one side was the train station, and on the other was a quaint little cafe/bookstore where they sometimes stopped at on the way home from school.
“This was where we first met, right?” Galo asked.
“Definitely was.” Lio directed a scowl down into the dimness of the alley. “I kicked your ass.”
“You did.” Once, Galo might have felt bitter about that, but he and Lio were well and truly over any hurt feelings. That hadn’t been the only time Lio and Galo had gotten into a fight. It used to occur on an almost daily basis.
“Your mother always made the best sandwiches,” Lio reminisced.
Galo elbowed him in the ribs. “Now you don’t have to kick my ass to get them,” he said.
“Sure don’t.” Lio continued on toward the entrance of the train station.
They squeezed onto their train, packed in with all the other students who were headed to school as well. Along with the students were salary men and women dressed in prim business suits. Lio and Galo both held the same pole, Galo’s hand gripping it above Lio’s head. Despite being shorter than most of the people around him, Lio stood straight, his eyes fixed ahead of him. Galo sensed his impatience, but Lio gave no outward sign of it.
Galo, truthfully, liked these train rides. He could stand close enough to Lio to feel Lio’s hair tickling his chin without needing to explain himself.
“Remember when you got hassled by those other kids at the station?” Galo inquired.
“How could I forget?”
“I can’t believe no one else did anything to stop them. You were bleeding.” Galo’s hand moved to Lio’s waist. Lio didn’t brush him off, so Galo left his hand there.
“I was a smart-ass,” Lio told him. “My mouth was bound to get me in trouble sooner or later.”
“Yeah, but you didn’t deserve that…”
Lio gave Galo a narrow-eyed look. “At that point, we weren’t friends, so I’m not sure why you bothered to try defending me. You ended up in a worse state than I did.”
“It was totally worth it.” Galo couldn’t really explain why he’d intervened to Lio. The truth was that despite everything Lio had done to Galo over the months of their acquaintance, Galo had come to realise that Lio was actually very lonely. Galo couldn’t bring himself to hate someone who looked so haunted, no matter how rude or violent that person was.
Lio had been just a kid at the time, after all. No older than Galo himself. A kid who never had any lunch of his own, who didn’t have any friends, whose manner put other students off. And a kid who copped more than his fair share of shit from the older bullies.
“You’re weird,” Lio muttered. “What’s with this trip down Memory Lane, anyway?”
Galo didn’t answer him. They piled off the train and walked out of the station and into open, cherry blossom-laden air. Lio checked his watch, then looked up at the trees as the wind ruffled his hair.
Ever since Galo had tried to stand up for Lio, and they had become friends, Lio had been doing much better at school. So much so that he’d gotten a scholarship to a prestigious academy. Galo was happy for him, but disappointed that they’d no longer be going to the same school.
“Lio…”
Lio turned on his heel to face Galo, who had paused in the middle of the sidewalk. The entrance to Galo’s new high school was barely ten meters down the street. If Galo was going to say anything, now was the time. They’d have to part ways very soon.
“Don’t tell me you forgot something,” Lio said dryly. “We’re not running back for it, whatever it is.”
Galo swallowed. “I didn’t forget anything,” he said. “Actually, there was something I wanted to ask you…”
Lio took a step closer, his expression perplexed. “What?” he asked. His eyes really were coloured like the cherry blossom petals,. Spring was definitely Lio’s season. Galo thought that winter suited himself, personally. Galo’s blood ran hotter than Lio’s, and Lio had made a habit of using Galo as a substitute space heater. Galo didn’t mind in the slightest. He’d happily warm Lio’s hands or feet anytime.
The realisation Galo had come to over the school break was that he was hopelessly, desperately in love with Lio. And now he wouldn’t be able to spend every day with Lio. Lio would go to a different school, take different classes, and make new friends. And Galo might well soon lose Lio if he didn’t speak up now.
“Um…would you…would you be my boyfriend?” Galo stammered out. He felt like such a fool for just coming out and asking on the street, with other students passing by them, but this really was his last chance. He wouldn’t see Lio again until school finished. Having to go through his first day of high school alone, without this matter being settled one way or the other, would be agony for Galo.
Lio’s eyebrows shot up. His head cocked to the side. “…I thought I already was,” he said quietly.
Galo was dumbfounded. “You did?” he asked.
“Yeah? I have dinner at your house four nights out of seven. I do my homework at your house. We walk to and from school together.” Lio looked down at his shiny black shoes. “Was I wrong?”
“No, not at all!” Galo laughed, relieved.
“Good.” Lio raised his face to Galo’s, a small smile blooming on his fine-boned features. “Then come on. I don’t want to be late on our first day.”
Lio turned and walked toward the entrance gate of Galo’s school, a black bird among the green parrots around him. Galo followed, his steps as light as the cherry blossoms falling around them.