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"Fuyu..."
"Hm?"
"Can you help me write a love letter?"
Fuyuhiko planted his phone on the pillow and squinted suspiciously at Kazuichi, who was currently lying on his stomach on the former's dorm room floor, anxiously chewing the end of a pencil and staring down at an open notebook.
The question took Fuyuhiko completely by surprise. Just a few weeks prior, Kazuichi had come out to him as gay, admitting that his two year long crush on Sonia had been nothing but a cover up. Being openly and proudly bisexual himself, Fuyuhiko didn't entirely understand why Kazuichi had gone to all that trouble just to hide that he liked men, but he supported his best friend regardless, holding him safely that night while he sobbed uncontrollably against his shoulder. When he'd eventually calmed down, Fuyuhiko had made him promise to drop the Sonia act and finally leave her alone - she'd already dealt with enough of his nonsense to last a life time, it wasn't fair to drag her any further into this when he didn't even like her.
"If it's for Sonia, then no," Fuyuhiko grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose, "You swore you'd leave her alone, and I'm not letting you go back on that. It's not right to keep harassing h-"
"I-it's not for Sonia! It's for... a guy in our class. Th-that I have a crush on. I just wanted some genuine advice, that's all," Kazuichi explained, propping himself up into a sitting position and crossing his legs. He took the pencil out of his mouth, nervously twiddling it between his fingers before resting it on top of the notebook and shyly glancing up at his friend. "If you don't wanna help, you can just say, you don't have to be so mean about it..."
Fuyuhiko eyed him cautiously for a couple of seconds, soon deciding that his innocent expression probably meant he was telling the truth. "As long as she's not involved, then of course I'll help," he replied, clambering off of the bed and kneeling next to Kazuichi on the carpet, "Not that I have much experience with this kinda stuff, but I'll try."
"Really? Thanks man, you're the best!" Kazuichi slid his notebook along until it was in front of his friend, then turned to grin at him expectantly.
Fuyuhiko frowned, sliding it back immediately. "I said I'd help, not write it for you, idiot. It has to at least be in your handwriting." Ignoring Kazuichi's protests, he shoved the pencil into the other boy's hand and tapped the paper, signalling him to begin. "Start with his name, so he knows it's for him, and it hasn't been sent to the wrong guy or anything. Then uh, what direction do you wanna take it? You could just confess, or you could list what you like about him, or..."
He paused for a moment, furrowing his eyebrows in thought. "Hang on, you never said, who's it for?"
Kazuichi's eyes widened slightly, staring at Fuyuhiko in bewilderment for a second before darting away to glare at his lap. "I-I can't tell you," he squeaked, dropping his pencil and tugging his beanie down over his ears.
"Why not? It's not... me, is it? If it is, then I'm sorry but-"
"No! Obviously," Kazuichi scoffed, glancing back up and folding his arms, "It's just... embarrassing. If you find out you'll laugh at me, s-so c'mon, don't worry about who it's for and just get on with it!"
"I won't laugh," Fuyuhiko replied, giving Kazuichi a smile he hoped was reassuring. "If you want help writing this thing, you're gonna have to tell me. We've gotta make it personal so he knows it's genuine."
"Besides," he continued with a shrug, "I doubt your crush is that bad. It's not as if it's someone weird, like... I don't know, Gundham or something, right?" He punctuated his sentence with a chuckle - Kazuichi liking Gundham would be absolutely absurd - but after a couple of seconds, he noticed Kazuichi wasn't laughing.
"Uh... Kaz?" Fuyuhiko nudged him with his elbow, the pieces clicking into place in his brain as Kazuichi's cheeks grew redder and redder, "Is it seriously Gundham?"
Hugging his legs tightly to his chest and curling into a ball, Kazuichi gave him the tiniest nod humanly possible.
Fuyuhiko burst into laughter, doubling over and slapping his thigh. "That is hilarious," he wheezed, barely able to catch his breath.
"Told you you'd laugh," Kazuichi murmured, burying his scorching hot face in the thin fabric of his jumpsuit.
After a few more minutes of cackling, Fuyuhiko eventually managed to calm himself down, the guilt of his friend's embarrassment finally catching up to him. "Sorry," he mumbled, awkwardly trying to correct himself, "I'm just... surprised, that's all. I thought you hated him, I mean, you've spent all this time following him and Sonia everywhere, constantly starting random fights with him, shouting about how you don't want him to date her, and... huh. The more I think about it, the more sense it's starting to make."
"I swear I won't laugh again, for real this time. I'm sure Gundham's a likeable guy when you've spent as much time with him as you have." He gave Kazuichi's shoulder a light squeeze in an attempt to comfort him. "Anyway, this love letter ain't gonna write itself, so should we get started?"
Kazuichi lifted his head and straightened his legs, giving Fuyuhiko a weak smile. "Yeah," he answered, his face still flushed a vibrant scarlet, "Thanks man."
Fuyuhiko held out his hand in an offering for a fist bump, causing Kazuichi to smirk and accept, softly tapping Fuyuhiko's knuckles against his own before picking up both his notebook and pencil.
"Actually, wait," Fuyuhiko said, swatting the pencil out of Kazuichi's grip. "Gundham's a fancy guy, you gotta use something a bit more impressive than that." He dug around in his pocket for a moment, then pulled out an elegant ink pen, the black barrel finely engraved with a gold Kuzuryu Clan crest. He took off the lid and stuffed it back into his pocket, passing the pen to Kazuichi.
"So, let's start with 'Dear Gundham', yeah?"
Gundham sighed quietly to himself, doing his best to pay attention to Sonia's hyperactive chattering. They were spending the evening together in Gundham's dorm room as they often did, sitting on his bed as they discussed their day and whatever else came to mind. A few hours prior, Sonia had successfully asked their fellow classmate Chiaki on a date, the girl she'd had a crush on for about a month, and she was absolutely ecstatic. She couldn't stop talking about the gamer, about how wonderful their date was going to be, about how pretty and sweet and kind she was...
He was happy for Sonia, but he was painfully jealous, and the longer she rambled the worse he felt. It wasn't fair that she could so easily get the girl she'd only liked for a matter of weeks, whereas he was stuck uselessly pining for the same boy ever since first joining the academy, his feelings only growing stronger with each passing day.
He'd never have a chance with Kazuichi. He clearly had no interest in Gundham, not even platonic, made glaringly obvious by the way he constantly bombarded him with insults.
Well, the way he used to bombard him with insults. For some reason, over the past half a month or so, Kazuichi had stopped trailing after him and Sonia as he previously did, instead avoiding them both like the plague. Nowadays, Kazuichi didn't talk to him at all, the only trace of their former rivalry being the countless unreadable glares Kazuichi shot him from the other side of the classroom, something he'd done ever since first declaring them enemies nearly two years ago.
The only logical explanation Gundham could come up with for his change in behaviour was that the mechanic simply wasn't interested in Sonia any more - it was perfectly normal for crushes to fade over time, even if Gundham's own refused to.
The reason as to why Kazuichi kept up his staring habit, on the other hand, was impossible to decipher.
"I can't wait," Sonia hummed, absentmindedly twirling a strand of hair around her finger. She beamed fondly down at her phone for a moment before tilting it towards Gundham. "I can't remember, have I shown you this one yet?"
Gundham didn't need to check to know that yes, he'd seen the photo at least ten times by now. Sonia only had a few selfies of her and Chiaki together, with a new image being added to her collection that afternoon, and she couldn't stop showing it to him. He knew she had good intentions, she just wanted to share her excitement with her best friend, but it hurt. Seeing the picture again and again was practically torture at this point, flooding him with a mixture of jealousy for not having any romantic photos of his own to show off, and guilt for not feeling able to celebrate Sonia's luck with Chiaki fully.
"Gundham? Am I boring you?"
His train of thought broken, Gundham's head snapped up to see Sonia worriedly looking across at him, her hands neatly folded in her lap and her phone discarded on the blanket. "I could never tire of your conversation, Dark Lady," he murmured sheepishly, "My apologies for giving you that impression. I am merely... cursed with envy, that is all."
After mentally processing his words, Sonia nodded in understanding. She leaned forward to give him an air-hug, making sure to leave at least an inch between her arms and his torso in order to avoid physical contact, then returned to her original position with a tender smile.
"There's no need to fret," she said cheerfully, doing her best to console him, "Your Prince Charming will come to his senses some day soon, I'm sure of it!"
"I admire your confidence," Gundham laughed softly, trying not to let his pessimism show. Sonia was a hopeless romantic, and she was certain that Kazuichi would eventually fall for Gundham, despite all of the signs that pointed otherwise.
Before either of them had a chance to continue the conversation, the doorbell suddenly rang, causing Gundham to jump and Sonia to gasp.
"How wonderful!" She beamed brightly across at a rather perplexed Gundham, her eyes practically sparkling. "There's no other explanation, it has to be Kazuichi! He must've telepathically sensed our conversation and come to confess his love!"
"Your recent dealings with Cupid have left you particularly delusional," Gundham chuckled, rising to his feet and making his way across the room. No matter how foolish and farfetched Sonia's conclusion was, he couldn't help but revel in the idea, letting himself daydream briefly before opening the door.
To his surprise, he saw that his visitor was... nobody. Whoever rung the doorbell must've run away immediately, leaving the dimly lit corridor seemingly empty.
"See?" He turned to face Sonia, masking his disappointment that her outlandish prediction was wrong. "I appreciate your encouragement, but alas, Kazuichi doesn't care for me. Regardless, he wouldn't dare to enter my realm, especially not after evading our presence for-"
"Wait," Sonia chirped, "Look!" She hopped off of the bed and scampered over to join Gundham at the doorway, pointing down at the ground. As his gaze followed her outstretched arm, he noticed a lined piece of paper on the floor, neatly folded in half to shield its contents. "Maybe it's a love letter," Sonia giggled, clapping her hands in delight.
Resisting the urge to roll his eyes at her relentless positivity, Gundham bent down to pick up the note, then swiftly nudged the door shut and shuffled over to his bed. Curiously, he unfolded the sheet of paper, revealing rows upon rows of scruffy ink, every line crammed with as many words as possible.
He recognised the handwriting in an instant.
'Dear Gundham,
Hey! I know this is totally out of nowhere, but I have something important to say. I'm way too scared to tell you in person, like genuinely terrified, but if I hide it for any longer I'll probably go crazy so I'm writing a letter instead.
So, here we go. I like you!!! In a crush way! I know this probably sounds weird and stupid and fake but I promise I'm being serious, this isn't a prank or anything. And I know it's crazy for me to like the guy I've pretended to hate for so long, but anyway. The reason I'm telling you this is because I thought that maybe there could be a tiny little chance you don't really hate me either? And if that's true, then maybe you might actually have a crush on me too, and then maybe if I told you how I felt you might maybe let me be your boyfriend! Maybe?
This is so dumb. I don't even know if you like guys, and if you do there's probably only a 0.0001% chance you like me back. But if I'm insanely lucky and somehow you do, then come and meet me out by the fountain as soon as you've finished reading this!!! And we can kiss talk about it or whatever!
From Kazuichi (Soda) (Just in case you know another Kazuichi)
P.S. If you don't feel the same, please don't meet me outside or anything. Just pretend this letter never existed and throw it in the trash.'
"Your face is very red," Sonia whispered, taking a step closer to the bed as Gundham glanced up at her, signalling he'd finished reading. "Was my guess correct?"
With a timid nod, he handed her the note, letting her see it for herself. After promptly scanning through the confession, she passed it back to Gundham, gently setting it in his quivering hands.
"This is spectacular," she cheered, whirling childishly around the room, "I told you it would be a love letter, and I told you Kazuichi would fall in love with you! This is just like a fairy tale!" She abruptly stopped spinning, bracing her arm against the wall to prevent herself from toppling over. "You have to go to the fountain right away, there's no time to waste!"
"I... I can't," Gundham croaked, his throat growing incredibly tight, "I wish to, b-but I lack the courage..."
Still slightly dizzy, Sonia stumbled over to the bed and perched on the edge of the mattress. "Gundham," she pleaded, "You've been yearning for him for so long, you have to! You love him, do you not?"
"O-of course. Very much so."
"Precisely! This is such a perfect opportunity, I'm not letting you throw it away over some nerves. Besides, Kazuichi is the biggest coward we know, he won't mind if you're afraid. If anything he'll find it endearing!" Giving Gundham the most encouraging grin possible, she stood up again and beckoned him to join her. "He wants to be your boyfriend Gundham, your boyfriend, it'll be worth the stress, I promise. You'll regret it if you don't go, so come on!"
Taking one last glimpse at the note, Gundham nodded, hesitantly clambering off of the bed. "I shall find him as s-soon as I can," he declared, giving Sonia the strongest smile he could muster before stumbling out into the corridor, love letter in hand.
Kazuichi sprinted down the hallway, anxiety and adrenaline pulsing through his veins. This was a stupid idea, Fuyuhiko was right to laugh at him. He shouldn't have written Gundham a letter, he shouldn't have rung the doorbell, and he definitely shouldn't be making his way to the fountain, but he was.
He swiveled around the top of the staircase and hurtled down the steps two at a time, knowing that if he paused for even a moment he'd retreat to his room like a coward. The squeak of his palm dragging down the handrail echoed in his ears, as did the rapid thudding of both his heartbeat and his sneakers, but before he knew it he'd reached the building's external door and was catapulting himself outside.
The cool evening air hit him like a truck, washing over his burning skin in an instant and slightly easing his panic. Feeling a little more confident in his ability to not flee, he let his pace slow to a jog, and in under a minute he'd reached his destination.
He slumped to the ground, leaning back against the fountain's smooth brickwork and taking a moment to gather his thoughts. What was the worst that could happen? Sure, Gundham probably didn't like him back, but Kazuichi had told him to ignore his confession if that was the case, and Gundham was a good guy - he wouldn't show up just to make fun of his feelings, right?
Kazuichi let out a shaky breath, closing his eyes and trying to remain as hopeful as possible. If Gundham did happen to share his crush, this would be the best day of his life, he could finally live out his dreams and call him his boyfriend.
Feeling a lot calmer than a few minutes prior, he reclined his head against the top of the fountain's wall, unintentionally slipping his beanie into the water. With a groan, he blindly reached over his shoulder to retrieve it, but after several seconds with no luck, he turned at the waist and opened his eyes to scoop the hat out properly.
Upon twisting back around, his jaw dropped. Despite all of Kazuichi's earlier doubts, Gundham was currently approaching him, tightly gripping his love letter with both hands. His face was a bright scarlet, but as he noticed Kazuichi staring it somehow grew even brighter, causing him to slip the letter into his jacket and pull his scarf up over his nose.
Kazuichi scrambled to his feet and charged towards him with all the elegance of a newborn giraffe, flailing his soggy beanie behind him. He met Gundham about half way between the fountain and the academy building, skidding to a halt and narrowly avoiding tripping over.
"Hey man," he panted, wringing out his hat onto the path, "A-are you being for real? You're not here as a joke or anythin'?"
Gundham shook his head, and after a moment of consideration he lowered his scarf, offering Kazuichi a shy smile.
"Cool! Th-that's awesome!" Kazuichi beamed back at him and stuffed his beanie into his pocket, deciding it was still too damp to wear. "I don't really know what to say, I uh, wow, I really didn't expect you to come... D-did you know about my feelings before this, or...?"
Gundham shook his head again, clearing his throat and breaking eye contact. "Not in the slightest," he replied, his voice wavering slightly, "Given your infatuation with the Dark Lady and... hatred of myself, I deemed it impossible."
"Oh, s-sorry," Kazuichi chuckled, nervously scratching the side of his face, "I... guess I should explain? I never actually liked Miss Sonia, I don't like girls at all, I just pretended to like her so nobody would find out I was gay. And after hanging out with you guys so much, I eventually started to get a crush on you, 'cause I mean, why wouldn't I? You're smart, you're cool, you're really good with your animals, and obviously you're super handsome..."
"B-but anyway, the easiest way to hide how I felt was to be your rival, it just made sense with the whole Sonia thing, right? At this point though, it's gotten way too hard to hide, so I figured I'd tell you the truth. I really like you dude, like, r-really really. And I'm sorry for being mean to you for all this time, and... Uh, are you okay?"
"I-indeed," Gundham stuttered, unaware of just how violently he was trembling, "I am merely... taken aback, I have been enraptured by your charms for so long, so to hear you harbour the same affections, this is..." His gaze flitted skittishly between Kazuichi's face and hands for a second, then settled on the latter. "M-may I?"
"What, hold my hands? They're kinda sweaty, but sure!" Kazuichi quickly wiped his palms on his jumpsuit, then stretched them out to Gundham in offering. "I didn't wanna force ya, 'c-cause I know you can be a bit weird about touchin' people, but if you're alright with it then so am I!"
Casting a silent protection spell to shelter Kazuichi from his deathly poison, Gundham tentatively took the other boy's hands in his own, making a mental note to research a more permanent solution for the future.
They remained silent for a while, the only sound the shuffling of Kazuichi's shoes as he gradually inched closer and closer, only stopping when his chest was practically grazing Gundham's. "So," he eventually murmured, "D'you wanna, uh, d-do you wanna be my boyfr-"
"Yes," Gundham blurted, untangling their fingers and immediately squeezing Kazuichi in a tight embrace, "It would be an absolute honour to consider you my consort, i-if I may call you that..."
"Never heard of that word in my life," Kazuichi giggled, his ear uncomfortably squashed against Gundham's scarf, "But as long as it means boyfriend, then sure. Call me whatever ya want."
Kazuichi wriggled his arms free from their vice tight grip and looped them around Gundham's neck, raising himself onto his tiptoes. Feigning as much confidence as possible, he took a deep breath and positioned his face directly in front of his boyfriend's, flicking his gaze between his eyes and lips in a wordless request for consent, and after receiving an urgent nod in response, he finally closed in and kissed him.
It was awkward at first, but it was perfect. Soon realising that Gundham somehow had even less experience than he did, Kazuichi took the lead, tilting his head to the side when their noses bumped against each other and lightly combing his fingers through Gundham's hair.
As the seconds ticked past, they inevitably ran out of air, and reluctantly separated to catch their breath. "Woah," Kazuichi mumbled giddily, his cheeks flushed to an embarrassing degree, "That was, wow, I uh... Wait, are you crying? What's wrong, w-was I really that bad of a kisser?"
"Of course not," Gundham replied, swiping the tears from his equally vibrant cheeks with the heel of his palm, "I am simply overjoyed, th-this is phenomenal. I've longed for this moment for what feels like an eternity."
Kazuichi let out a quiet sigh of relief, pressing another kiss to Gundham's lips then grinning up at him. "Me too."
Fuyuhiko rolled his eyes. At Kazuichi's insistence, he'd agreed to keep watch over the fountain via his window, both to ensure that Kazuichi didn't chicken out and run away, and if Gundham did turn up, that everything went smoothly.
What he hadn't agreed to however, was having to watch Kazuichi and Gundham make out for what was now coming up to five minutes.
"Gross," he muttered to nobody in particular, closing the curtains and flopping onto his bed to resume his endless social media scrolling.