Work Text:
Gorou sighs at the half written essay in front of him. Words fly through his head, but none make it onto the digital page. Some are not good enough and some aren’t relevant to the topic.
Writing usually isn’t too difficult for Gorou. In fact, he’s told he’s pretty good at it by peers and professors alike. He’s quick to think of responses to prompts and his words flow well. His writing structure is excellent and well organized. His arguments are always very persuasive and thought provoking.
But he is absolutely exhausted this week. His professors have really piled the work up on him with one reasearch paper and one reflective essay due at the end of the week. He also has an exam to study for by next week, and all of this is on top of his regular schoolwork. And it’s not just school Gorou has to worry about either. There’s the debate club he joined with Kokomi and the archery club he joined on his own. Plus, the bills don’t pay themselves. Gorou has to work a job to get the mora he needs to pay his apartment’s rent.
Gorou’s glad all of his friends understand. Kokomi has offered to help him study for his exam when he’s done with his essays. Aether, Lumine, and Paimon have been helping him clean up the equipment after archery practice. Kazuha says he’ll proofread Gorou’s work so that he doesn’t have to do it himself.
And then there’s Itto, his boyfriend. Usually Itto is extremely clingy, which Gorou (secretly) doesn’t mind. But Gorou told Itto he wouldn’t be able to talk for a bit. Itto had sulked a tiny bit, but ultimately, he took it well. He wished Gorou luck and told him to text him when he was available again.
To be quite frank, Gorou hadn’t been expecting Itto to be able to leave him alone for this long. It’s been a couple days and Itto hasn’t called or texted him at all. Without his knowing, Gorou pouts as he recalls the last time he’d had contact with his boyfriend.
If Gorou was being honest, he was getting a little loney without Itto’s loud presence in his home. It wasn’t like Gorou didn’t see other people. He had a couple classes with Kokomi, for example. But Itto didn’t go to school, so Gorou actually didn’t get to see him during busy weeks. Ironically, the white haired man is someone Gorou never really saw himself growing attatched to before. But once he had, he’d realized just how home-y it felt to be around Itto.
In the midst if Gorou’s silent lamentation, his phone starts to buzz erratically beside his laptop. He sits up straight and alert before glancing down at his phone. As if ordained by fate, he sees name of the very same man he’d been thinking of flash across his screen. Itto actually called him.
With speed that Gorou will be embarrassed about later, he scoops up his phone and accepts the call. As soon as it goes through, he hears his boyfriend’s voice.
“Seriously Kuki? Whaddya mean we ain’t got enough? I’m pretty sure I bought some more yesterday… Yeah! At the-“
“Itto?” Gorou calls out first, because it seems like the other man is otherwise occupied. Gorou starts to wonder if Itto called him by mistake. He deflates at the notion.
“Wait, wha- Babe, you actually picked up! I- I didn’t think you would…,” Itto clumsily blurts out.
“Of course I did. I have time for a small break,” Gorou says. Contrary to what he claims, his eyes drift to the unfinished paper that’d been troubling him before. But, well, he wasn’t going to get any inspiration by staring at it. He may as well take a break. “Did you need something?”
“No, not really. Just kinda missed hearing your voice. And seeing you. But you’re busy right now! So I didn’t wanna come over, in case I distracted you. But it’s alright to quickly check-in with you, right?” Itto asks. Gorou can tell that he is genuinely worried about having disrupted Gorou’s work. He wonders then why Itto decided to call in the end, but he figures that the other man just couldn’t control himself. Itto is a lot more impulsive than others.
“That’s fine. I don’t mind if you contact me, Itto. Actually, I…” Gorou trails off. His cheeks heat up vehemently at the next words he wants to say.
“Yeah? What’s up?” Itto asks when he thinks Gorou isn’t going to continue.
Gorou lets out a deep breath. He can’t hold back. Itto deserves to know how Gorou thinks of him. “I just wanted to say I miss you too,” Gorou mumbles out.
“Oh yeah? Well, soon as you’re done with all your work you gotta do, just say the word. I promise I’ll be at your place right away,” Itto declares. Gorou can’t see Itto through the phone, since their call is just a standard one. But he can imagine Itto pulling some sort of silly pose that he probably found cool at the promise.
On his own part, Gorou can’t help a fond smile at the knowledge that Itto isn’t lying at all. He really would drop everything he’s doing just to see Gorou. His chest stirs with all his feelings, enough for him to feel brave enough to call for his lover’s attention. “Itto.”
“What’s up?”
“I love you,” Gorou says softly.
There is a pause. Gorou starts to worry that maybe he’d done something wrong, when Itto speaks up again. “This is the first time you’ve told me that,” Itto notes with a voice steeped in reverence. Then the oni is giggling happily. Gorou’s cheeks flush hotter, but he smiles. “It’s always me saying it to you, you know?”
Gorou does know, actually. He’s wanted to say it, but he always clams up in embarrassment before he can. “Sorry.”
“Hey, no, it’s okay. I know you just weren’t ready yet. But still… it’s so good to hear.”
“Really? That good?”
“Yeah… You gotta promise me somethin’ okay? Promise me you’ll tell me in person too, yeah? Please!”
“H-Hey! It’s not something I can do on command,” Gorou complains. As much as he would love to promise this to Itto, he doesn’t know if he can. Talking about his emotions so rawly is always a little nerve wrecking.
“Man… Alright, I get ya. I’ll wait for you, puppy. You know I will.”
“I know. And I’ll do my best for you, too.”
Itto hums in acknowledgment and agreement. A silence settles into the call. But it’s not the awkward kind one would expect from two people that have run out of things to say. Instead, it’s comfortable. Gorou is just happy it’s Itto on the other end of the line, and Itto feels the same.
Only a couple seconds pass before Itto starts to talk again. “Well, I’m sure I’ve taken up enough of your time. Plus, Kuki says we ran outta flour, so I gotta run to the store while she makes dinner. It was good to hear from you,” Itto says.
“Yeah. It was good to hear from you, too,” Gorou agrees.
“Mm. Bye, now. Make sure you sleep and all. Even though you gotta do work, you gotta stay healthy too.”
“Of course.”
“Oh, and also, I love ya, too, Gorou. Can’t wait to see ya again.”
A beep signifies the end of the call. When Gorou pulls his phone away from his ear, he sees his lockscreen looking back at him. He sets his phone back down and faces the laptop once more.
“Just gotta get this stuff done, and then I can go see him. Right. I can do this,” Gorou mumbles to himself. He stretches his muscles, sore from sitting too long. Once he’s satisfied, he gets back to work. And with a little more purpose, the promise of getting to reunite with his boyfriend, the essay page slowly but surely starts to fill out.