Work Text:
Neito first met Hitoshi in the library. He had stumbled in, having been removed from his dorm once again for ‘causing too much disturbance’ and finding no other alternative but the space that didn’t appreciate him standing on tables and shouting out the terms he was studying. Neito would never understand why people didn’t respect his need for vocalizing his course content, it was his learning style and the louder he was, the more he was able to remember.
Regardless, with nothing else available, Neito found a spot in the center of the library. He wouldn’t accept anything less than being the center of attention, even if the attention was lacking. Without his usual freedom to yell, Neito busied himself by eyeing up his competition. He wanted to know the people that were sharing this space with him.
It was a pretty forgettable group. A taller woman with long, dark hair tied neatly out of her face sat a few seats to his left, and to his right there was a plain looking blond dude fidgeting in his seat as he stared at a textbook. However, off to the side, tucked away so neatly in the corner of the room he almost missed him, was the man that finally caught Neito’s attention.
He couldn’t make out every little detail about the guy, but his vibrant purple hair and sullen look had Neito’s heart fluttering. There was nothing Neito adored more than a proper bad boy, and this guy fit his personal fantasy flawlessly. It was written all over him, as the guy turned the pages of his book with a casual indifference, completely disinterested in everything around him. Neito was swooning, obsessed with the way he threaded a pencil gracefully through his fingers with a practiced elegance. He screamed ‘leave me alone’, which made Neito desperate to disrupt that peace with his own magnificent presence.
With not a single thing more important to him at that moment, Neito got up and started making his way over to where the other man sat. His glorious plan was to reach out and grab a book off the shelf right above the guy, so he could look down and smirk in the most suave way possible.
That plan went to shit when that handsome man looked up from the desk and made direct eye contact with Neito.
Much closer than he had been previously, Neito saw everything. He saw the bridge and lip piercing, the dozens of different delicate earrings adorning each of the guy’s ears, his purple hair haphazardly ruffled but clearly cared for, and his steady purple eyes. He watched in awe at how that gaze narrowed at the direct eye contact with his own, how a hand with beautiful black nail polish instinctively reached towards a nearby pair of headphones in an attempt to signal disinterest.
Neito did the only reasonable thing he could after witnessing the most gorgeous man he had ever encountered in his entire life. He fainted, the world dropping out from under him into a vortex of darkness.
It felt like barely a second since everything slipped away, but Neito was pulled back into consciousness by his new position and the feeling of ice cold hands on his face and neck. He reached out and grabbed the wrist of whoever dared try to freeze his face, too bleary to quite figure out what had happened, before he pried his eyes open and once more made eye contact with the very same unforgettable purple eyes that had sent him tumbling down in the first place.
‟Are those contacts?”
The man with icicle hands looked taken aback. He took a moment to scan Neito’s face, not bothering to answer his extremely poignant question, before finally offering a disappointing response.
‟You hit your head when you fell. Do you feel tired? Dizzy?”
‟Your eyes are so loud…” For once in his life, Neito didn’t want to talk about himself. He pulled at the guy’s wrist, forcing him to lean in closer to his face.
He got slight resistance, but that didn’t deter Neito from continuing, ‟Do you want to make out?”
The guy sighed. It wasn’t even a lovelorn sigh. ‟Not especially.”
‟Rude.” Neito huffed and closed his eyes, not wanting to grace the gorgeous man above him with any more attention.
‟Hey. Hey! I need you to keep your eyes open, you can’t risk falling asleep.”
Neito scoffed. ‟I’ll open my eyes if you kiss me.”
‟That’s not how this works.”
‟I’ll be your princess, if you grant me true love’s kiss I’ll wake up and we can live happily ever-‟ Neito was shut up by a freezing cold finger being pressed against his lips. He snapped his eyes open, tightening his grip on the guy’s other wrist and glaring at the horrible man who decided to torture him with his icicle hand. He had the audacity to look amused.
‟There you are. Now stay with me, alright? At least for thirty minutes.”
Neito relented. He couldn’t turn down an offer like that, even if that cold hand was still pressed against his face. Squinting up at the dude, they held awkward eye contact for at least another fifteen seconds before Neito blurted out his next thought.
‟At least tell me your name?”
The guy looked taken aback again, an unsure expression flashing over his features for a brief moment.
‟It’s, er, Hitoshi.”
‟What’s with the look? Have we met before? Are you secretly my husband faced with the implications of my amnesia?”
‟Please stop assuming this is some elaborate romantic moment.” Hitoshi paused for a second, before adding, ‟And we’ve never talked before, if that’s what you’re asking.”
Neito really wished this guy would stop stealing his thunder and play along more. ‟I enjoy assuming. Sure I can’t get a kiss?’
‟I don’t usually kiss people I’m not dating.”
‟Are you dating anyone?” Neito fired back.
‟…No.” Hitoshi said, after a moment’s hesitation.
‟Then clearly, obviously, we should date.”
‟You’re not going to let this go, are you.” Hitoshi looked exhausted, suddenly. He removed his hand from Neito’s face to check the time on his phone, and sighed. It had barely been ten minutes. Neito knew Hitoshi was stuck with him for at least another twenty.
‟I’ll drop it if you go out with me.”
‟That’s… how would you drop it, when us dating would simply continue this topic?”
‟I can promise to be very non-romantic during our date.”
‟I doubt it.”
‟You have no faith. For all you know, I’ll be the least romantic person you’ve ever dated in your life. It’s rude to make assumptions like that.”
‟Fine. Prove me wrong.”
Neito’s eyes widened. There was no way, did he really just score a date with this guy? He clearly was the most incredible person in the whole world. No one else could’ve done what he just did.
‟Great. Should we start now?”
‟Start?”
‟Yeah, start dating. I’m down if you are.”
‟I never-‟ Hitoshi froze as he seemed to connect the dots on their previous conversation. “Ugh. Sure, we can start. And then in twenty minutes, I fully plan to never speak of this again.”
Neito just smirked at him. He adjusted his grip around Hitoshi’s wrist, keeping them close. Not too close, just close enough where he could truly admire his appearance and contemplate leaning in for a kiss.
A whole agonizing minute passed, the best minute of Neito’s life, before Hitoshi cleared his throat.
‟Are you going to say anything? This was your idea.”
‟Are those contacts?”
Hitoshi groaned. ‟Seriously? That’s what you ask, again?”
‟It’s a pertinent question.”
‟How?”
‟I’ve been waiting on an answer since I woke up, and I’m getting impatient.”
‟Then keep waiting.”
‟I will.” Neito said, continuing to stare at Hitoshi’s eyes. In response the guy shifted uncomfortably and looked away, and Neito caught a small blush on his cheek. Oh, he could work with that.
If this date was going to go absolutely perfectly, he was determined to get a kiss at the end of it. Which gave him only a few more minutes to see if he could get Hitoshi down.
‟So, I’m guessing you’re interested in men?”
‟Now you’re making your own assumptions.” Hitoshi said, glancing back at him.
‟You agreed to go on a date with me.” Neito said.
‟Against my better judgment.”
‟What does that mean?”
‟It means you hit your head quite hard, and I’m going absurdly overboard in making sure you’re okay.”
‟Aw, if you’re still up for going more overboard we could make out. Nothing would make me more okay than the embrace of a gorgeous man like yourself.
‟Ah-ha! You said you wouldn’t be a romantic date, you failed.”
Neito let out a long, melodramatic sigh. ‟I know, I simply can’t help myself. You’re too pretty, I couldn’t resist flirting with you if I tried. But I need to know if you swing my way, it’d be such a shame for my phenomenal lines to be wasted on a straight person.”
This time, Hitoshi actually blushed. “If you must know, I am interested in men.”
‟I’m a man. Let’s make out.”
Hitoshi responded by burying his face in Neito’s shirt with a groan. He mumbled something into the fabric, which sounded vaguely like ‟I can’t stand you.”
‟Did you just agree to an excessive make out session?”
Hitoshi looked back up at him. ‟No.”
‟Alright. A brief one, then?”
‟Why are you so insistent about this? I don’t know what you’re hoping to get from asking the same thing excessively.”
‟Well, for one, I am hoping to get to kiss you. And you don’t seem completely put off by this, so I’m placing my bets on you finding my presence enjoyable. Or possibly tolerable, but either way I would really, sincerely like to put my lips on yours.”
Hitoshi shook his head. ‟Are you sure this isn’t a response to being hit on the head?”
Neito laughed. ‟I doubt it, I came over here in the first place because of how handsome you were.”
That didn’t seem to be the right thing to say. Hitoshi shifted uncomfortably, glancing back at Neito. ‟So that’s it? You’re doing this just because you find me attractive?”
‟Yeah?”
Hitoshi finally pulled his wrist out of Neito’s grasp. His hands may have been cold, but the sudden lack of contact felt freezing.
‟You don’t even know me.”
Neito’s response was instantaneous, obvious, and he meant it so intensely it scared him a little. ‟But I want to.”
Miraculously, that seemed to be exactly what he needed to say. Before Neito could expand on that, or ask once more for a kiss, smooth lips were being pressed against his own. He gasped against the other man’s mouth, and then shoved his hand into Hitoshi’s hair and deepened the kiss enthusiastically.
Hitoshi wasn’t an intense kisser. It was a refreshing change, Neito had gotten used to kissing dudes who immediately went for full tongue heavy make out sessions. Instead he was careful, gentle, kissed in a manner unlike any of Neito’s past hookups.
Hitoshi seemed intently focused on making sure every time their lips collided it was the best collision possible, shifting Neito’s face in his hands to ensure the angle was incredible every time he leaned back in the minuscule amount between their mouths.
They continued exactly like that for who knows how long, until a loud voice broke through the incredible moment Neito was experiencing.
‟Hey kids, library’s for studying books, not each other- Hitoshi!?”
Hitoshi had broke away from Neito and turned around the instant the voice had started speaking, and was staring intensely at the floor of the library. Neito looked up towards the voice to glare at the librarian dressed in a fancy leather jacket, with bright yellow hair tied up into a ridiculous hairdo. This guy was infamous for breaking the library’s own quiet rule to shush students, especially Neito, but he’d never seen the guy look so tremendously smug before.
‟What’s your problem?”
‟Oh, me? Nothing! Nothing at all, actually. The library’s a total snog zone now, I’ll just leave you to it!‟ Before Neito could clarify, ask if this was permission to continue making out with Hitoshi in a public space whenever he wanted, the librarian had sped off.
‟Ohhh my god,” Hitoshi said, burying his face in his hands.
‟Do you know that guy?”
Hitoshi shot him a flat look. ‟That guy is my dad.”
‟Meeting the parents already? Guess we are serious.”
Hitoshi climbed off of Neito, sighing and pushing a hand through his very ruffled hair. ‟I didn’t want that to happen.”
Neito eyed him from where he still lay on the floor. ‟The making out part, or the dad part?”
Hitoshi took a deep breath and didn’t respond for a second, to the point where Neito had started to stand up to try to smooth things over and make sure he hadn’t completely ruined his chances.
‟The dad part. Making out with you was fine.”
At that declaration, Neito was on his feet in seconds, crowding Hitoshi’s space. Hitoshi didn’t retreat from it, didn’t shift away as Neito reached out and slowly traced his cheek and neck with his fingers.
‟Only fine? I’m disappointed you aren’t thinking more highly of yourself. That was the best kiss I’ve ever had.”
That made Hitoshi chuckle, which had Neito’s face heating up in turn. He was so cute like that, being sweet while visually so utterly bad boy, it was completely unfair and all Neito wanted to do was make out with him again.
‟So, since it did seem like your dad gave us permission to keep kissing here, can we?”
Hitoshi gave him a look. I’d prefer we find a spot outside of the library.”
‟Oh, a secondary location? You are serious about this date, aren’t you?”
‟Don’t put this on me. You’re… persuasive. That’s all.”
Neito leaned in close enough to Hitoshi that their lips were a hair’s length apart, and whispered, ‟Well, how about a little more persuasiveness, my treat.”
He waited for Hitoshi to mumble ‟why not,” before removing the remaining distance between them with a kiss.
Once more, Neito fell too deeply into the feeling of kissing the gorgeous man. He wrapped an arm around Hitoshi’s waist, holding the other guy as close to him as he could as Neito savored every brush of their lips.
Somewhere in between their languid kissing, Neito forgot to breathe. It was easy, because kissing Hitoshi was like submerging himself underwater, he felt consumed by every touch the man offered and completely overwhelmed by them. Part of it didn’t feel real, like Neito was conjuring up the whole thing as some elaborate, absurd fantasy, which only compelled him to fall deeper into the abyss. One of purple hair and piercings and an adorable, deep laugh he already couldn’t get enough of. There was no way he could let this feeling go, let this absurdly perfect man go, so his best response was to drag Hitoshi down into the rampaging waves of his desire.
That’s when Hitoshi pulled back, placed a gentle hand on the arm wrapped around his waist, and offered Neito a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
Neito wasn’t really breathing normally yet, breaths coming in heavy waves, but he pulled his arm away from Hitoshi and gave him a bit of space as he chased after air. The gesture seemed to relax something in the other man’s eyes, and the smile crept back up into them.
Neito could only find it in himself to say, ‟You don’t even know my name.”
Hitoshi snorted. Neito leaned in to briefly brush their lips again, air be damned. ‟You can tell me on our second date.”
‟Second… date?” Neito barely believed the words, less so after repeating them.
‟I’ve decided that I wouldn’t mind doing this again. I promise you it’s against my better judgment, so don’t get any ideas.”
‟I wouldn’t dream of it.” Neito said. He was, actually, hoping to dream of it. But the saying fit, and he did mean that.
Hitoshi pulled out his phone and handed it to Neito, who stared at the rectangular screen for a good ten seconds before realizing he was supposed to input his contact information. He typed it out quickly, naming himself ‘amazing kisser’ with a smug emoji. Neito passed the phone back, and watched for Hitoshi’s reaction.
It took Hitoshi a moment to read and process his contact name, but Neito took his quiet scoff as a win. There was an awkward pause between them, as the two tried to figure out if there was any casual way to exit such an impromptu date.
‟So, your head feels alright?”
‟Pretty sure, yeah.” Neito grinned. His head was more than alright—he’d never felt better in his life.
‟Good. If anything changes, just make sure to get checked up.” Hitoshi said.
Neito nodded, and watched as Hitoshi haphazardly tried to gather up most of the stuff that he’d spent the last thirty or so minutes ignoring. It didn’t take long for Hitoshi to collect everything up and shove it awkwardly into his bag. Just like that, they were saying their first goodbyes.
‟Everyone knows the best way to end a first date is with a kiss,” Neito blurted out.
Hitoshi raised an eyebrow and shrugged, ‟Of course.” He approached Neito with his bag swung over one shoulder and pressed the lightest of kisses against the side of Neito’s mouth. His eyes closed as he accepted the gesture, and when Neito opened them back up Hitoshi was already halfway across the room. He watched the guy leave, and right before Hitoshi walked out the door he turned and offered Neito a small, sheepish wave.
It was the most awkward gesture Neito had ever seen and he adored it.
He tried returning to his own homework and gave it a good thirty second attempt before Neito realized there was no way he was going to get anything done.
The only thing he could do was wait in eager anticipation for their next date.
Hitoshi didn’t text him for a couple of days. Neito realized belatedly that having not sent a confirmation text meant that he couldn’t contact Hitoshi first. It would have been easy for Hitoshi to just vanish out of Neito’s life, and just when he was preparing to accept that reality, he finally got the message.
It was as brief and to the point as possible, but that didn’t matter. Neito had been let in and he planned to stay there. He quickly figured out that Hitoshi wasn’t one to text much, especially during the first half of the day, and he preferred to react to things than actually type a full response. Neito had yet to see Hitoshi respond with only the letter k, but he was convinced it would eventually show up.
Still, for the first week of back and forth, it was mostly Neito talking about his day. And when Neito talked about his day, it always meant complaining endlessly about his rival and arch enemy, the most horrible classmate he’d ever shared a class with.
Neito was a morning person. That’s why most of his classes were early, real early, and usually he flourished in them. All but his 8 AM science class, where this absolute asshole dared to do better than him. He’d slink into class every morning, wearing a hoodie pulled down to obscure most of his face from the rest of the class, would lay his head against the table and nap, yet consistently scored the best among them.
It was infuriating. What only made matters worse was their teacher, who seemed to love picking on the sleeping lump to his right. At first Neito thought that was hilarious, proving a point to the guy who treated class as nap time, but every question thrown at the student was always returned. Correctly. Some of the concepts were ones Neito didn’t quite get himself, and whenever he failed to answer, the teacher would always turn to the other guy.
It was obvious why this absolute disgusting example of humankind had become Neito’s sworn enemy.
Maybe Neito felt slightly bad that roughly a third of the messages he’d been sending to Hitoshi were related to that pretentious know-it-all, but Hitoshi seemed to tolerate the constant complaints. He even had started replying a bit more, asking for his thoughts on the guy and the classwork or, even better, how Neito’s day was.
Two weeks into their solid back and forth, Hitoshi asked if Neito wanted to get dinner sometime. The answer was, obviously, an immediate and enthusiastic ‘yes’ from Neito, he’d been trying to build up the nerve to ask that very same question himself.
It was planned as a study date, since both of them were decently busy with schoolwork and Neito refused to start slacking, especially with that absolute butt head always one upping him in class. They met up at the local coffee shop, and when Neito arrived Hitoshi was already in the farthest seat with all of his work out, despite Neito coming in exactly at their agreed upon time. He was sure of this, he had a countdown set to ensure the moment the timer hit zero he would push in the door for the most dramatic possible effect.
Neito had even ordered his drink in advance, a caffè vanilla frappuccino with oat milk and two pumps of cinnamon dolce syrup, prepared to swoop over and grab it right on time before settling down at their spot. Still, despite the disappointment of a slightly less impeccable grand entrance, Neito was quick to grab his order and rush over to seat himself across from his date.
And being in person with Hitoshi again? Amazing. It did seem like the past two weeks hadn’t been great for Hitoshi’s sleep, the bags under his eyes were far more pronounced then they were at their first meeting. But he was still as ridiculously beautiful as he was that day in the library, and Neito barely could concentrate on his own studies, too busy looking at his magnificent date. One hand was relaxed around a triple shot white mocha, something Neito would never dare touch at any hour, and the other tapped idly against the page of a dense looking textbook.
Neito found himself admiring Hitoshi’s nails, then trailing his eyes up from his hands towards his face once more, leaning heavily into one hand as he gazed in awe at his super smart boyfriend. Wait. Were they boyfriends yet? Hitoshi should be, by all accounts, be Neito’s boyfriend. This was their second date, boyfriends date. He wanted to be Hitoshi’s boyfriend.
‟Hitoshi, are we boyfriends yet?”
The other guy glanced up from his book. ‟Isn’t that more of a date three conversation?”
‟Well, we already kind of skipped date one. Maybe this can be date three! We could even go all the way to third base, if you want.” Neito winked as obnoxiously as humanly possible. His moves were usually irresistible.
‟If that’s the case, let’s stick to date two. Forever.”
Neito pouted, and slid onto the table to get closer to Hitoshi. ‟Can being boyfriends be moved up to date two, then? At least? Forever’s a looong time.”
‟I can agree to that, but you’re going to have to earn it.” Hitoshi languidly picked up his cup and proceeded to inhale the contents. It was a frightening sight. Neito was totally into it, especially watching Hitoshi’s neck bob with every swallow.
‟A challenge? Good thing you’re on your second date with the most incredible catch in the world, at this rate I’ve already secured your hand in marriage.” Neito said.
Hitoshi nodded. ‟Aren’t we a little young for such things? I wasn’t going to get married until at least my thirties, myself.”
‟That’s boring, what’s marriage if not the perfect excuse to promise your life away to someone on the merits of love and impulse alone?”
‟I’d fear someone would take this seriously, if you weren’t fully splayed out across our table at this moment.” Hitoshi replied.
Which, fine. Maybe Neito had gotten comfortable lying down on the table, ensuring his face was staring longingly up at his almost-boyfriend. But it was effective, he could see the red coloring Hitoshi’s cheeks and he knew his moves were having their intended response.
‟If you’re willing to offer a kiss, I’m sure I’d be persuaded to sit like a boring square like you again.”
That made Hitoshi chuckle. ‟Really? A square? Have you seen me?”
‟I’m looking at you now. Or more specifically, I’m getting a great view of your chin.”
That prompted Hitoshi to look down and make direct eye contact with Neito, who may have preened at the additional attention.
‟Your jawline’s sharp enough to cut me open, but I must say I do prefer gazing into your eyes, darling.”
At that, purple eyes snapped away from him and fixed above his ogling gaze. He definitely was blushing, even if Hitoshi seemed to have conjured up a slight frown on his face.
‟Darling’s also third date material. Not really the type.”
Pet names may not have been Hitoshi’s thing, but Neito was too busy swooning at his own name in his mouth to care much at all. He smiled up at Hitoshi instead, hoping his almost-boyfriend would take the hint and grant him a motivational peck.
‟Hitoshi,” he said, waiting to regain the other guy’s attention.
‟What?” He still wasn’t looking at him.
‟Will you give me a kiss?”
‟You love kissing, huh?”
‟How can I not?” Neito reached out and traced a finger across Hitoshi’s hand, the one that was lightly grasping a pencil. ‟Especially when you’re so good at it.”
Hitoshi snorted. ‟I guess.”
‟Do you not believe me? I can’t believe you have such a lack of trust in your future boyfriend, that’s so cruel! I’m the best judge of kissing around,” Neito said, moving his hand from Hitoshi’s hand to his face, ‟and I promise you I’ve never been kissed so good in my life.”
Hitoshi sighed, leaning into Neito’s hand. ‟Have you not kissed very much?”
‟Not at all! Just the opposite, I’ve been hooking up with guys relentlessly the past couple of years, and most never concern themselves with that. There’s always kissing, it’s just never anything to truly savor.”
‟Is that why you want me? A hookup you can savor?”
Neito straightened up at that, his hand still hovering near Hitoshi’s face but no longer cradling it. ‟That wasn’t my intent, no. But if that’s what you want…?” He trailed off, hoping that he hadn’t misread the scenario that poorly already.
‟I don’t want to hook up.”
Thank goodness. ‟So, boyfriends? Is that a confirmation?”
‟I’m not ready to decide that yet. Can we talk a bit more first, circle back to that?”
Neito tentatively removed the distance between his hand and Hitoshi’s face, running a couple fingers across his jaw. ‟I’d adore talking with you. Is this okay?” He asked, referring to his wandering hand.
Hitoshi reached out and threaded their hands together, leaving Neito’s pressed against his face. It would’ve been a lot more sweet if Neito wasn’t still laying on top of the table, but sweetness was in the mouth of the beholder, or something. What was important was Hitoshi, and Neito wouldn’t stop unless Hitoshi asked him to stop.
‟I don’t mind. What do you want to talk about?”
‟Uh,” Neito offered eloquently. ‟Interests?”
‟Sure. I love cats. It’s not much of an interest, but any time I’m not doing schoolwork, I’m usually spending time with them.”
‟You have cats?”
‟Yeah, two. Technically, they’re living at my parent’s, but they’re mine.” He tugged his phone out of his pocket and unlocked it, taking a second to find something before holding it up to Neito’s face. The picture had two cats in it, one cuddled up in a neat ball with the other flopped over it. Neito cooed over the two kitties, trying hard not to imagine himself cuddling Hitoshi like that.
‟They get along so well, that’s adorable!”
Hitoshi chuckled and Neito wanted to devour the noise. ‟Barely. This is one of the rare instances when they do, most times they can’t stand each other. But when it comes to sleep, having added warmth is always a plus, I suppose.”
‟Hey, if you ever want to cuddle, I’d be more than happy to offer myself.”
‟You are so incredibly forward, do you realize that?”
Neito shrugged, ‟I’m not oblivious to my instant charm, no.”
‟I still don’t know why I’ve been going along with this.”
‟Because I’m so hot?”
Hitoshi stared at him for a second, and Neito wasn’t sure if the lack of answer was a good or bad thing. A guy speechless from his beauty wasn’t something he was unfamiliar with, but this wasn’t the usual expression that came with it.
‟You know, I didn’t plan on texting you back.”
Neito tugged their joined hands to his chest, pressing them against his heart. ‟You wound me with that, my fragile ego can’t handle such possibilities.”
‟I really wasn’t sure there was anything between us besides your relentlessness, but. I suppose I took the risk anyways, and I haven’t regretted it yet. Now, though, I’m not sure what to talk about.”
‟You could tell me more about your cats?”
Hitoshi shook his head. ‟I could tell anyone more about my cats. If this is going to work, we have to have some kind of foundation. I think that’s a reasonable request.”
Neito grumbled softly, his brain racing to figure out how to impress Hitoshi, to prove to him that he was more than a kiss starved disaster. Because, well, that was most definitely the case, but he really wanted to do things right. He wanted to prove to Hitoshi he was worth his time, he wanted to form a genuine and compelling connection that would lead to more tender kisses and more time spent together. The first step he took was to detach himself from the table, settling down across from Hitoshi to stop getting so absorbed in his pretty eyes and beautiful face. Their hands were still intertwined together, and Neito stared at them as he tried to figure out something, anything, to start talking about.
It seemed like Hitoshi could sense his hesitation, or decided to take some pity on him, because he was the one who spoke up first.
By casually bringing up the asshole in Neito’s class.
Neito hadn’t expected that to be where the conversation went, he knew that was a bulk of their text, but he assumed Hitoshi would want something new, not the thing they’d already established between them.
But when it came to that class, there was so much to say. All at once. Neito could convey bits of his angst against this frustrating human through written texts, but when he was able to speak it out everything flowed so much faster. His insults were plenty more creative too, he called that Shinso guy all sorts of names. The meaner the better, and the longer he ranted the more elaborate they got.
In a way, it was inevitable it’d all come tumbling out as soon as Neito was prompted. The only thing he had control over was his volume, and he was doing his damnedest to avoid yelling near Hitoshi’s face.
‟I’ve been studying twice as hard because of this asshole, and I never do that! Believe me! But he knows everything, he knows stuff I’m sure we haven’t learned yet. I’ve never been so ahead in a class’s course load before, and it’s all in the hope that I can give that sleepy, stuck up, stupid asshole a taste of his own medicine!”
‟It only makes things worse that he’s distracting you out of class more, too.”
That caught Neito off guard. There was something in the very back of his mind, something faint and sharp, trying to get his attention but he wasn’t going to ignore his date.
‟Yeah, I suppose you’re right? But it’s good, I’m letting my anger motivate me, along with a very vivid image of finally getting to see his stupid face and laugh at how ugly and pathetic he looks.”
Hitoshi tilted his head, taking a second to ponder something. ‟You’ve never seen him before?”
‟No? His hoodie’s always obscuring his face. Don’t see why I’d want to, though. Bet he’s hideous.”
At his future boyfriend’s peculiar expression, the distant warning bells became a little louder. Neito couldn’t see anything wrong with what he was saying, so he pushed on anyway.
‟He’d probably cry at the sight of you, seeing someone who’s so gorgeous? Make his worthless nerd brain explode. What are all those hyper specific facts going to help him with in the future? Trivia nights?”
Hitoshi sort of laughed, but there was a weird tone to it. ‟Just to refresh my memory, which class is this?”
‟It’s chemistry with Professor Aizawa. Have you taken it?”
‟I’m in the class.”
Neito snorted. ‟Suuure, like I wouldn’t have known you were in it! Your face is unforgettable, the only way I wouldn’t have noticed is if-‟
And that’s when it hit him.
It felt like a punch to the gut. No, worse than that. It felt like Hitoshi, the beautiful, handsome man of his dreams that he’d scored a date with had gotten up, pushed his chair away from the table, and kicked him squarely in the gut so hard he went flying across the room.
Because, how could he recover from that? He’d been insulting the man of his dreams. Is there any recovery? He’d been so sure, so utterly convinced that he’d nailed getting to the boyfriend stage of their relationship. Now it felt like everything was crumbling around, and for one of the first times in his life, Neito almost felt something like regret.
‟That was, you were? Part of the class? You? Stupid hoodie guy?” He didn’t seem to be able to articulate anything besides shock, with his face heating up in shame.
Hitoshi nodded.
‟I thought all your texts about the class were some kind of banter. That you’d remembered me after the library, and had been going back and forth about the work in the class. I didn’t realize you didn’t know we were the same, but. Well, I didn’t mind the insults. If that’s what you’re worried about.”
‟What, so you have no self worth?” Neito snapped without thinking. What a great way to find his voice again!
Hitoshi blushed, and Neito realized he’d insulted his date again. No way they were going to go steady after this, let alone see each other again. He’d never screwed something up so badly, this was supposed to be the thing Neito was good at!
‟Hey. Say how you feel to my face this time.”
‟What? No way, I’m not going to do that!‟
‟If there’s anything I’ve learned about you, it's that once you get an idea in your head, it’s not something you’re likely to drop. This doesn’t magically make your issues with ‘Shinso’ go away,” he spoke with added air quotes, ‟so you should get ahead of it and tell me how you genuinely feel about my contributions in class.”
‟I,” Neito tried, ‟I really like you?”
‟Come on, can you really not think of a single insult anymore?”
Well. Neito was all for being a kind and polite date, but he did have a line. That line was anyone assuming he couldn’t do whatever he set his mind to, which was completely absurd. Neito was phenomenal at insults, and he wouldn’t stand for such horrid assumptions. Without even realizing, he stood up from his seat, pent up words ready to start tumbling out of his mouth.
‟Fine. Yeah, I can’t stand you! Always getting by with the absolute bare minimum? Not ever doing a bit of work in class? It’s pathetic! You don’t deserve to have the top grade in the class! I do, because I’m actually conscious during it! JUST FOR ONCE IN YOUR STUPID LIFE, WHY DON’T YOU SKIP CLASS TO SLEEP IN LIKE A NORMAL PERSON?”
He clapped a hand over his mouth before he could say any more, slightly rattled that he’d just yelled at his date. Neito was a proud asshole, but even assholes have boundaries.
A hand grabbed his wrist, and he tensed slightly, not sure what the touch entailed. Shinso was standing in front of him, no clear expression in his eyes. Neito couldn’t exactly speak, half because of the new pressure around his wrist and half at the shock of it all.
Hitoshi then proceeded to tug his hand away, but before he could find his voice, a pair of lips were being sealed against his own. Neito made a strangled noise in response, and Hitoshi pulled back. It was then Neito got a good look at his date.
Hitoshi’s face was more flushed than Neito had ever seen it, with wide eyes and an open mouth. He was breathing heavily, looking at Neito with an expression he’d been dreaming of. An expression that was longing for more kisses, for a reason that had just clicked into Neito’s mind.
‟Do you want me to insult you?”
Hitoshi scoffed, catching his breath to respond. ‟Did I not make that clear?”
Neito was trying his absolute hardest to keep his expression in check, because internally his jaw had dropped completely to the floor, and was clattering around down there in a state of shock. He’d encountered a lot of stuff in the past, he was usually open to most, but he’d never been so excited by a prospect. Excited, and conflicted.
Insults were his default pastime. If he wasn’t insulting someone, something was very wrong. But the idea of insulting Hitoshi still made his stomach twist uncomfortably. Even with everything he just learned, especially because of it, actually, a part of him wanted to retreat into the bathroom and insult himself in the mirror instead of directing any more of it at the beautiful man in front of him.
But Hitoshi was really, really handsome, and wanted Neito to kiss him more. And Neito was incredibly, hopelessly, gay for the guy in front of him. So there was obviously no way he could do anything else. It was worth it, because in returning his lips towards their desired position against Hitoshi’s own, Neito was reminded of exactly how much he adored kissing him.
It was the focus entirely on kissing, and nothing else. It was the way Hitoshi’s hands explored his face, traced his jawline, had him caught up entirely in the moment, it was captivating in a way no other kiss had been for quite some time. Their noses still brushed awkwardly a couple of times, Hitoshi seemed unsure of his own actions, but was determined to keep kissing him.
Of course, Neito’s brain had to catch up to him and remind him where exactly they were. As much as he didn’t ever want to stop, Hitoshi seemed really put off the last time someone had interrupted them, and he knew if they kept making out in a cafe of all places, it would happen again. He leaned back and took the opportunity to poke at Hitoshi’s face, enjoying the pouty expression he made.
‟We should finish our drinks.” Neito said.
‟What, you don’t want to kiss anymore?”
‟Of course I do. The sooner we finish our drinks, the sooner we can get out of here.” Neito paused. ‟I don’t want to presume, though, if it is a third date thing.”
‟Feels like it should be.” Hitoshi shook his head and returned to his own seat, leading Neito to follow suit. He still made sure to grab Hitoshi’s hand as soon as they both had settled in.
‟Sure, but you have to at least appreciate my attempt at restraint.”
‟You know, bringing it up makes it a lot less appreciable.”
‟Does it? I still feel pretty appreciated. All things considered.” Neito smirked at Hitoshi, leaning in close and making the most obnoxious kissing face he could, with added sound effects. Hitoshi rolled his eyes and made no move to return the kiss, so Neito eventually pulled back with an equally dramatic pout.
‟Hey, do you even know my name?”
‟Of course I do, I was the one aware we shared a class, it’s-‟ Hitoshi paused, and the previous relaxed flush on his face was quickly replaced by a tense, strained expression. Neito snickered, reaching over and poking at Hitoshi’s face periodically while he waited for any further response.
‟Didn’t you say you’d tell me on our second date, anyway?”
‟You’re making out with someone you don’t even know the name of. That’s kind of impressive, Hitoshi.”
Hitoshi’s only response was to give him a slightly pitiful, slightly peeved look.
‟Of course you wouldn’t know, you were probably asleep when we all introduced ourselves! Typical, thinking you’re above the rest of us. I can’t believe we’ve been unrequited rivals this whole time!”
Hitoshi responded with a kiss, finally, which Neito was more than okay with. ‟Not so unrequited, I’d say.”
‟No, no, we still definitely are! Think about it, the feelings are requited but you haven’t even tried to duel with my profound intellect!”
‟Well, maybe it’s all the respect I have for it, that’s why.”
‟Nope. You’d be awake in class, in awe of how majestic I always am if that really was the case.”
‟As majestic as you may be, I will always value sleep more than you. I need to put that out there now, so you don’t get your hopes up. My first love is sleep. Cats, and sleep.”
‟Well, yeah, it’s hard for me to be even an option for your love when you don’t even know my name.”
‟At this point, it’s your fault for not just telling me already.”
‟Yeah, but I’d rather tease you more. You said you liked that, didn’t you?”
Hitoshi grimaced. ‟This is a gross misinterpretation of my words.”
‟Well, you better stop me, then.”
Neito closed his eyes and waited, hoping to steal yet another kiss from Hitoshi, and his wish was granted. It was brief and chaste, but managed to leave him almost breathless all the same.
‟Neito. My name’s Neito.”
Hitoshi tilted his head. ‟That wasn’t so hard, was it?” He then proceeded to wipe away any sappy grin that appeared on Neito’s face by kissing him one more time, with a lot more intensity.
‟I’ve given it some thought and I think I have my answer. I want to be your boyfriend, Neito.”
He did all he could to resist loudly cheering. It was marginally effective, though nothing could stop Neito from kicking at the air below the table like some excited kid. He’d never been more thrilled, it was a completely reasonable reaction. ‟Does this mean I can come home with you tonight?”
‟Sure. But nothing’s gonna happen. If you’re okay with that, I’m okay with you in my bed.”
‟Not even more kissing?”
‟I may be amicable to a little more kissing.”
Neito grinned and grabbed his drink, chugging the remainder. It had turned into a lukewarm slosh by that point, but it tasted like success and that was all he cared about. Hitoshi was carefully collecting all of his papers, most of which had once again laid untouched for the duration of their meeting. He caught Neito looking at them, and shook his head.
‟I don’t think you make a particularly good study partner.”
Neito shrugged, still unable to stop grinning at his boyfriend. His boyfriend! He really was the best at this sort of thing, no one else could seduce a man as well as he had.
‟I can live with that, dating partner.”
‟Those words have never been combined like that before, and there’s been good reason. Why are you like this?”
‟Again, I thought you were the one who’s supposed to receive insults. Not hand them out!”
‟It’s not my fault my boyfriend is so easy to insult.” Hitoshi pushed the last of his books into his bag, then grabbed Neito’s hand. ‟Come on, let's get out of here.”
Neito followed him out obediently, eager to get plenty of kisses and more time in his boyfriend’s presence.
It wasn’t a long walk from the cafe to Hitoshi’s dorm, a nice single covered in more purple than Neito had ever seen in one place. His walls were purple, his bed had purple sheets and blankets, and he even had a giant purple Gengar plushie on his bed, just as obnoxiously purple. The only thing that stood out from the all encompassing shade of plum was a small string of lights that stretched around his entire room, giving it a bright and warm feel.
Neito loved it.
Hitoshi got to work meticulously removing all the stuff he’d brought with him to the cafe and putting it away neatly on his desk, which left Neito to wander around the room a bit. There wasn’t a lot of space, it was a dorm room, but it felt so much nicer than any he’d seen before.
Probably because it was Hitoshi’s room, his boyfriend’s room, and there was no way anything else could compare. Not in Neito’s heart.
He walked over to the desk and wrapped his arms around Hitoshi’s waist. His boyfriend leaned back into him, taking a moment to finish placing the last couple of things on his desk in their correct locations before placing his hands over Neito’s.
“We should get ready for bed. There’s a spare toothbrush, if you need it.”
“Aw, you sure you don’t want to mess around?” Neito asked, tightening his grip around his boyfriend slightly, leaning up to rest his head on Hitoshi’s shoulder.
“Outside of more kissing, not really. No.”
Neito wondered if it would be possible to physically climb onto his boyfriend to get a better look at his face from behind. Probably not, but it was a nice thought. He managed by standing up on his tip toes, and was able to make out a pensive expression.
“We can save that for later, then. No big deal.” Reluctantly, Neito removed his arms from his boyfriend. Hitoshi didn’t move, and Neito was halfway out the door to go hunt for that spare toothbrush when he realized.
“You coming?” There was no response. Neito tried again, “I don’t want to take the wrong toothbrush, that’d be gross.”
“Neito.”
“Well, it wouldn’t be that gross, but I don’t want to risk it, you know? Being a good house guest and all.”
“Can we talk?”
Neito blinked. It took him a second to process they were both on completely different topics, but that was fine. He liked talking. He was great at talking. Neito slid over to the desk, sitting down on it to get a better look at his boyfriend. Try to, at least, because Hitoshi was staring down at the floor.
“I’m always willing to talk. It’s my favorite thing, seriously, the idea of doing anything that isn’t talking is such a bore to think about. Thinking is a bore, too, actually because then you’re more focused on that than talking. It’s why I’m so good in my classes, I always ask questions. Because it’s so much easier than thinking about them, you know? Just going right out there and asking. People don’t seem to appreciate it, might be a thing about volume but I’ve already told them that if it’s such an issue they can just bring earplugs to class! It’s not hard! But I was told to modify my behavior instead, which is absolutely ridiculous all things considered because I was just trying to participate. That’s what people want, so I don’t see why people were telling me to stop! Additionally,”
Neito didn’t get to finish his thought, because Hitoshi was kissing him. Oh, right. That’s what he liked more than talking.
“I’m so glad I tolerate kissing. It seems to be the only way to shut you up.”
Neito sighed, leaning back into his boyfriend. “Yeah,” was all he could manage to say.
“But you’re right. I'd rather just say it than dwell on it any longer.”
Neito nodded, still more focused on the remnant feeling of Hitoshi’s lips against his. He hoped whatever his boyfriend was going to say involved more kissing.
“I’m asexual.”
Neito looked up, “but you’re comfortable with kissing, right?”
“Yeah?” Hitoshi said.
“Alright, good.” Neito grabbed Hitoshi’s hand, and tugged him away from the desk towards the door. “The sooner we get those toothbrushes, the sooner we can kiss some more.”
They were all the way in the dorm’s bathroom when Neito realized his boyfriend was eyeing him with a look of disbelief.
“What? Do you not trust me with your toothbrushes?”
“I just thought this would be more of an issue.”
“Oh? Is it?”
“I think we’re going to need to talk, set some boundaries. At least.”
Neito was always fine with more talking. “That makes sense. Are you still fine with me sleeping over?”
“I think so. As long as we talk a bit more in the morning.”
Neito made the most dramatic sigh noise he could. “I think I can survive without any more making out until then, as long as there’s cuddling involved with sleeping over.”
“With the size of the beds here? It’s practically necessary.”
“You’re begging to be the little spoon, aren’t you?”
Hitoshi raised his eyebrow. “You think I’m the little spoon?”
Neito leaned in closer and smirked. “Absolutely. I bet you love it when someone wraps around you like a human blanket and never lets you go.”
“I can’t believe I let you into my room.”
“You’re deflecting. Am I right? Have you secretly been dreaming of my arms around you in every single day of class we’ve shared? Is that why you kissed me at the library, because you saw an opportunity to bring me to your room and be cuddled all night long?”
Neito watched as Hitoshi’s face heated up with embarrassment, eyes wide. “No. Not at all.”
He’d never heard anyone lie that badly before. And considering he had been talking complete nonsense to rile up his boyfriend, he was also left momentary lost for words.
“Wait. Wait, really?”
Hitoshi’s expression could probably best be described as the face someone who wasn’t Neito would make after being told they needed to speak in front of a crowd of over a thousand people. He’d explained his personal fantasy to people before, and that was usually the expression he got in response. This time, having not even brought up the scenario, it must mean something else was the issue.
Neito stared at Hitoshi for a good minute before his boyfriend removed the space between them and kissed him, short and intense. He stepped back and gave him a very sheepish smile. “It’s not quite how you’re describing it, but I had been aware of you for a little. Let’s just say it helped make our library encounter plausible.”
“I knew I was phenomenal, but it’s rare to actually hear it confirmed by someone as handsome as you. I’m immensely flattered right now, obviously.”
“You’re definitely a unique specimen.”
“No, take that back! It didn’t sound nearly as good.”
“Ha. That’s all you’re getting out of me tonight.” Hitoshi reached into a cabinet and pulled out a sealed toothbrush, presenting it to Neito.
“Alright, I’ll fish for compliments in the morning. I suppose.” Neito huffed and grabbed the brush, opening it up and stealing the toothpaste from Hitoshi before he could grab it. His boyfriend gave him a look, but stepped aside and let him go first.
Once Neito was done he went back to Hitoshi’s room, taking off his shirt and making sure he was sprawled out on the bed in the most obnoxious possible position he could. He ended up resembling a sexy starfish, in his own words. It got the intended reaction from Hitoshi when he returned, who was fighting back a smile as he rolled his eyes. Hitoshi stood in the center of his room with his arms crossed, and remained there until Neito got out of his upside down position and off the bed to let Hitoshi actually get comfortable.
He waited for Hitoshi to formally invite him to clamber under the covers, and when he did Neito had his arms wrapped around his boyfriend in seconds.
“How’s this?”
“Not something I’m exactly used to.” Hitoshi replied.
“But it’s okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Good, I’d hate to be an inadequate cuddler.”
“Well, I don’t have a ton of experience in cuddles. I could always cuddle around and let you know how you rank, if you’re worried about it.”
“If you did, I’m sure no one would compare. You’d drive yourself completely mad trying to find anyone who could ever hope to live up to my cuddling skills.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah. If my cuddles weren’t good enough for you, it would’ve been a tragedy. Because there wouldn’t be anyone who’d do a better job.” Neito snuggled closer to Hitoshi, closing his eyes.
“I’ll keep my good fortune in mind.”
“Mmm,” Neito murmured into his boyfriend’s neck.
It didn’t take long for Neito to crash, though it took Hitoshi a bit longer. It’d been a long time since he’d shared a bed with anyone, and this was definitely the first time he’d done so when it wasn’t strictly platonic. Overall, it was nice. Neito was nice, even if his ego was pointlessly huge, and he didn’t hate spending time with him. Somehow.
Plus, while he’d never say it, Hitoshi did believe that Neito was the best cuddler he’d ever met. He wasn’t holding on so tight to make him uncomfortable or keep Hitoshi from moving, and he didn’t react at all to Hitoshi readjusting where he lay in the bed. Most importantly, he was willing to cuddle in the first place. Hitoshi had tried not to hope, but in the end he didn’t need to. Because Neito understood what he wanted.
It made it easy to drift off in Neito’s arms.
—
Hitoshi rolled over and into the warm, bare chest of the guy he had decided to let share a bed with him. He never woke up without an alarm, let alone with someone else next to him. It was a strange feeling, but one that he was determined to ignore. There were more important reasons to be awake.
‟We need to get up, it’s time for our class.”
Neito cracked an eye open and shook his head. ‟Already missed it.”
‟What?”
‟I woke up earlier and turned off the alarms, you slept completely through them. Decided I didn’t want to go either, not with my favorite rival already in my arms.”
‟Why are you so ridiculously sappy already?”
‟Because we’re boyfriends, and you let me sleep in your bed.” Neito said.
‟It’s too early to discuss the horrible decisions I made last night.”
‟Well, they were the best moments of my life.”
‟You’re absurd.”
‟I’m phenomenal. And you know it.” Neito leaned over and kissed his cheek, getting a tired groan in response. Hitoshi’s extremely kissable cheek was then cruelly confiscated by the pillow, as he shifted his face away from Neito to reach out and blearily grab his phone from where it lay on the side of his bed. He clicked it on, winced at the light and time displayed, and threw the offending object back where it came from.
‟My dad’ll be so pissed.”
‟It’s just one class, it’s not that big of a deal,” Neito said.
‟Yeah, but he’s going to take my absence personally. He’ll think I don't want to be there.”
‟Wait, how will he know?”
‟My dad is Professor Aizawa.”
Neito sat up, staring down at his boyfriend. ‟Holy shit. No way.”
‟Yeah. It’s why I know so much, I practically grew up with that stupid class.”
‟So you really are just a big cheater!!”
Hitoshi let out a sleepy chuckle. ‟Yep. You’ve caught me. Now, if we are going to skip class, we might as well make the most of it.”
‟What do you propose?”
Hitoshi shifted closer to Neito, wrapping his arms tightly around the other boy’s waist and pulling him down. ‟Cuddling. And sleeping. And cuddling while sleeping.”
‟You are so coherent at this hour, huh,” Neito said, a massive grin on his face.
‟Shush. No more talking.” Hitoshi buried his face into Neito’s shoulder.
He obliged, settling next to his boyfriend and quietly browsing his phone for the next hour. Neito had a lot of fantasies about Hitoshi initially with little expectation, but laying next to the other guy, wrapped snugly in his arms, he didn’t find the arrangement half bad. It was definitely something he could get used to.
Plus, he’d finally defeated his rival. It may have required taking the fall with him, but it meant both their perfect attendance streaks had been destroyed. In Neito’s mind, that was a flawless victory. He had triumphed, and gotten a boyfriend along with it.