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There was a plushie of a dog holding a crochet heart in the middle of the hallway. A classic couple's anniversary gift, but very used for confessions too, Teru would know, he has gotten at least ten of those over the years of being worshiped.
Akane adjusted the documents in his arms to pick up the plushie, making an unimpressed face at its heart-shaped button eyes and the bright “I love you, I adore you, I’ll only look at you, my darling~” stitched on its crochet heart.
“Do we leave it at the lost and found?” Akane asked, having a staring contest with the thing with increasing disgust “The more I look at it, the uglier it gets.”
“I think it’s cute.” Teru said just to annoy him, slightly amused. “You’ve given Akane-san worse gifts.”
“I have not.” Akane frowned, “Ao-chan likes bugs, I got six points for the caterpillar. It was the perfect gift!” He blushed a little, voice getting higher pitched “Her smile was so cute, she deserves all the caterpillars in the world~”
'That's not the present I was judging you for' Teru thought, too used to his mushy behavior to be bothered by it. It's a shame really, the way he lights up is cute, he would even call it charming if his love didn’ cost him his common sense, too blinded by someone else's presence to notice how disgusting he can get.
(But Teru let him be, trying to ignore it, since it doesn't seem to bother Aoi: He know the pretty girl have never given Akane a single zero point, always wary and uncomfortable when boys flirted but blushing even at the corniest and creepiest of confessions when it comes from Akane.
Truly, childhood friends are strange.)
“I will give her a ladybug next!” Akane declared, holding on tight to the plushie with determination, and blinking when the plushie made a 'doki doki' sound.
Before they could judge this design choice, its button eyes started glowing, and a pink beam hit Akane straight in the chest. His vice president yelped, throwing the plushie away.
“What the fuck.” Akane groaned, rubbing his eyes furiously and skewing his glasses, the documents in his hold scattering all over the floor “Why is everything so sparkly??”
“Sparkly?” Teru mindlessly saved one of Akane's papers from joining its fallen companions, as intrigued as he was wary. He didn’t sense anything powerful in the plushie, definitively not something that may put Akane’s life at risk, but he wasn’t sure what its power is, only able to gauge from the design that it was related to love.
(That's not good, not for Akane, who is already far too extreme about his crush without supernatural intervention)
Akane groaned, looking up and immediately freezing, staring at Teru like he had never seen him before and flinching violently. Akane shook his head and looked at Teru again, blinking slowly, acting just as dazed as a concussed victim.
“Aoi?”
Akane frowned, taking an unstable step back “President…? No... No!” He sounded disgusted, almost scared.
That’s not good, Akane isn’t easy to scare.
“How do you feel?”
Akane didn’t reply, shaking his head and glaring at him, breathing too fast.
Teru took his glasses off in hopes it would bring him back to normal but Akane froze, his cheeks growing pink at the close distance, the hint of blue in his eyes liquified when Teru's hand brushed his cheek, turning into the shape of hearts.
Ah.
Teru made a quiet sound of surprise, understanding what the curse was.
(That may be a problem.)
Teru picked up the supernatural plushie, giving it a proper analysis. He can’t give an exact deadline before the enchantment dies out but he estimates it will only last a day. Teru slapped a seal on the plushie's forehead and looked back at his friend, who has a clear headache "Do you feel better?"
Akane rubbed his forehead, still freaking out. “No?” His eyes were wide, but it no longer had hearts in them, so Teru will take it as a success “There is something wrong with me. I-" He winced "What do I do??"
“There is nothing to do, Aoi. It will pass on its own in around 24 hours."
"Okay…" Akane said, sinking his fingers deep into his forehead. "Just a day, that’s…” He looked at Teru, clenching his fists and making a visible effort to drag his eyes away, mumbling “Just think about Ao-chan, you’ll be fine…”
“Get your documents, we still have work to do,” Teru said, walking ahead and leaving Akane to clean up his mess.
.
Akane felt like a rubber band ready to snap, his calm professionalism slowly replaced by an unspoken sense of panic: he was writing with enough force to rip paper, shuffling documents as if unable to focus, and cursing even the smallest of inconveniences.
“Is the astronomy club budget too hard for you?” Teru teased, faking ignorance.
Akane froze at his voice, breaking his pencil tip.
Teru wordlessly passed him a pencil sharpener but Akane didn’t take it with a ‘thanks’ as it was custom, just staring at him. Teru didn’t mind, also staring at his vice president, trying to read his strange expression.
Akane shook his head, accepting Teru’s sharpener and gasping when their fingers touched, immediately throwing it on the other side of the room.
Teru stared.
Akane stared back, a bit ashamed.
“That’s rude.” Teru pointed out.
“Fuck off.” Akane clenched his jaw, getting up to grab the pencil sharpener lying on the other side of the student council room, acting overly gentle when he got to use it.
“Stop staring at me.”
Teru smiled at his snappy tone, still staring “Sure.”
“Not. A. Word.”
“Okay~”
Akane glared, his hands clenched into tight fists, but he didn’t try to strangle him, forcing his attention back to the documents and mumbling to himself like a madman “It’s only for 24 hours, you can do it” and “Think about Ao-chan, do it for her. You got this. Everything is fine.”
It’s amusing.
They got back to the documents. He could hear Akane breaking more pencil tips, and feel him sneaking glances his way, most times he just glared, but sometimes he had a weird look in his eyes.
…It’s distracting, but at least, the mumbling decreased.
Once Teru finished sorting out the request to let a student bring their lawn mower to school, just for one day to clean up the soccer field, he checked on Akane again, surprised to see his vice already staring at him.
When their eyes met Akane startled, holding his chest as if having a heart attack.
Teru couldn’t help it, he snorted. “I don’t think fighting the curse is working, just tell me if there are any new side effects-"
Akane abruptly got up, his chair scraping on the floor "I need to go to the bathroom."
"Aoi-"
But he already dashed away.
Teru shook his head with a knowing smile, fully expecting Akane to have a breakdown and then a pep talk with himself before coming back with a newfound determination to kill his fake feelings and bury them six feet under, but to Teru’s surprise, his vice president got back not even 1 minute later, looking at him with blue hearts in his eyes.
"Did you miss me?" Teru teased, his smile growing more cruel at the way Akane blushed.
"Yes.” He cursed, his eyes switching from hearts to normal constantly, like an old TV with a bad connection.
Teru raised a brow at his accusatory tone, resting his hand on his chin. “I’m not going anywhere, you can look as much as you want.”
“...You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
Teru smiled sweetly, loving how Akane clenched his jaw but still blushed all the way to his ears.
“I hate you, you’re such a sadistic asshole.”
“That’s the spirit!” Teru cheered “Keep fighting it, I’m sure you’ll fall out of love in no time!”
Akane screamed in frustration, seemingly on the verge of slamming his head against the wall. The sight made Teru smile more easily, his cheeks growing rosy.
(Akane really is adorable sometimes.)
.
After nearly one hour Akane calmed down, dutifuly doing his job, as usual, Teru would have considered the curse to have been successfully destroyed by his friend's stubbornness if he hadn’t caught Akane staring at him at times, the heart in his eyes stable now.
…He even felt a hint of warmth when he gave Akane a teasing smirk and received a small smirk back instead of Akane’s usual annoyance.
This curse isn’t so bad.
.
The next time he noticed Akane looking at him, his big copper eyes were filled with love, his glasses tucked on his vest.
It caught Teru a little off guard, staring back at him with intrigue.
“Something the matter, president?”
“Just curious why you aren’t wearing your glasses.” He focused on that, refusing to break eye contact no matter how strange this fond expression looked directed his way.
"Seeing supernaturals can be very stressful." Akane admitted with a small blush, gently caressing the glasses frame, careful not to dirty the lenses “I appreciate your gift, but I don’t want you to be alone when seeing them."
Oh.
Teru doesn’t know how to reply to that.
…He is used to being the only one to see the Far Shore creatures, and even if this isn’t truly Akane’s feelings, it still made his body warm up.
“Heh...” Akane cracked a lazy smirk, a hint of pink on his cheeks “You’re so cute when you’re surprised, president~”
He sounded a little too fond for Teru to mistake it as one of his usual mockeries.
Teru felt his cheeks go red, not liking this curse as much anymore.
Akane chuckled at his reaction, so Teru wrapped him in beads to teach him a lesson, letting him hang from the ceiling, and savoring his surprised yelp.
Teru shook him a bit, frowning at the lack of curses thrown his way once Akane's surprise passed.
That's weird.
Akane wasn’t complaining no matter how much he tightened the rope either, seemingly at peace hanging from the ceiling. The cute and fun screams that brightened his day were nowhere to be seen, all he did was watch Teru with a strange spark in his eyes.
This is boring.
“Why aren't you smiling?” Akane asked, this soft brand of worry unnatural when directed at Teru.
“You aren’t screaming,” Teru admitted, shaking him up and feeling a hint of satisfaction at the way Akane's eyes widened.
“Your fun comes from my screams??”
“And when you complain!” Teru's smile was angelic. “You’re funny when you are in pain.”
Akane made a puzzled face, but he was blushing “I can complain for yo-”
Teru immediately let go of the rope, watching him fall face first on the floor and pouting at his lame curses. Compared to his genuine frustration, it really lacked that passion he loves “...It’s no fun if you’re faking it Aoi.”
"Right..." Akane sighed, dusting off his pants. “You’re so high maintenance.”
“High maintenance? I haven’t heard this one before.”
“Do you remember all of my complaints?” Akane asked, what would usually be accompanied by a sneer now sounding like genuine interest, Teru stared a little too long at the way his eyes lit up.
“...No.” Teru lied, not liking how it made Akane's eyes crinkle with amusement. “Get back to work.”
“Yes Minamoto-senpai!” Akane chirped, the sight uncanny, like his fans, “Do you want me to do yours?”
“Don't call me that,” Teru frowned. “And don't bother, I am faster.”
“I know,” Akane had to stop using this fond tone, it was… Weird. “But I wouldn’t mind doing it for you.” He paused, hesitating for just a second before adding “Pres.”
Pres.
That’s a nickname he can imagine his Akane saying. It’s nice.
“Finish your tasks before offering to do mine,” Teru said calmly, trying to ignore the feeling of Akane’s bright eyes on him.
“You don’t have to tell me twice.” He said without a hint of annoyance.
‘It’s only for 24 hours.’ Teru reassured himself. ‘This is fine. I can tolerate this behavior until tomorrow.’
.
When their work was over, and Teru finished packing his pencil case, he heard Akane take a deep breath, scratching his chair on the ground.
Teru spared him a glance, feeling his body tingle when he was faced with Akane already staring at him again, but Teru did not visibly react, calmly taking in his vice president's determined face and rosy cheeks, the blue hearts in his eyes now shining a pastel pink.
“Pres.”
“Yes?” He asked, smiling a tad at the nickname.
Akane blush grew stronger, his flustered attitude out of the ordinary, yet oddly familiar.
Too familiar.
Teru's eyes widened a fraction, remembering many of his fans acting exactly how Akane was acting right now.
Is this a confessi-
“I love you,” Akane blurted out, red all the way to his ears, eyes shining with open love and nervous hope, “Please go out with me!”
Teru froze in place, trying to ignore the way his heart started beating far too fast, his lungs no longer catching air.
This isn't real.
None of this is real.
Right. This isn’t a confession.
“You don’t.” Teru forced himself to sound calm, staring at the hearts in his eyes and suddenly breathing easily, taking the role of the knowledgable guide in a world of supernaturals again. “You’re under a love curse.”
Akane frowned, a bit hurt but mostly offended to be dismissed so casually. He got closer, likely going to cup his cheek but was stopped by Teru snatching his wrist.
Akane's hand twitched but he didn’t mention it, keeping his eyes on Teru’s face.
“I do love you, Pres.” His gaze was too heavy, the warm way he said his nickname making Teru’s heart skip a beat. But it was impossible to take him seriously, his behavior only highlighting how all of this isn’t real. "The plushie just helped me realize my feelings.”
False.
Akane is an emotional boy who gives hate and love freely, a few hours under a love curse and he is already eager to confess! There is no way there has ever been any natural romance in his heart. Teru has a sharp eye after all, and Akane isn’t good at bottling up his affection, much less on a glass so thick he can pretend the feeling doesn’t exist.
(He is nothing like Teru. It’s what he loves about the boy.)
“Such passion.” Teru mocked with a small smile, finding amusement in this situation.
If only Akane could see himself now, it would be funny to watch him wriggle in mortification and disgust every time he remembers confessing to Teru of all people.
“I like it.” Teru let go of his wrist, smiling sweetly at his wary yet hopeful look, recognizing the start of a battle where his victory was locked in place “So tell me Aoi. What do you love about me?”
This is a curse that affects Akane's emotions, a drug if you will, it isn’t strong enough to create fake memories, or give Akane any real reason to fall in love.
“You’re so self-centered.” Akane shook his head with a sigh, but he sounded fond “Is getting a list of praises the first thing you think about after being confessed to?” He leaned closer, smirking almost like a challenge. “You’re lucky I have wanted to tell you these for so long.”
Teru narrowed his eyes at his wording, interest peaked.
“You’re beautiful, I’ve never seen someone so stunning.”
Ha! Right.
He should have guessed his appearance is more than enough to make others fall in love. Even a lucid Akane has admitted he looks good.
He is simply too beautiful.
“You're elegant and confident in yourself, your smile is so sweet, it can put anyone at ease, and your eyes,” He blushed, not breaking eye contact “They are mesmerizing, truly mesmerizing.”
Teru blushed a little at his tone, feeling satisfaction in his belly. He supposes just because he expected it doesn’t mean he isn't affected by it.
(It feels so much nicer to be complimented when it's Akane who does it)
“You’re so hard working, you never leave me to work alone.” Akane’s face softened “Even outside work, you always listen to anything I have to say, it’s amazing to be heard by someone so intelligent. You are level-headed, even on the worst days, it makes the paperwork look easy. I always know you’ll be there if I make any mistake." He laughed, making Teru’s heart skip another traitorous beat "You can be so mean to me, but that only makes all the respect you've given me feel more special.”
'Does Akane really think this?'
No. Teru narrowed his eyes, resting his hands on his lap. Akane has always been observant, this is just how he behaves when he gets infatuated, romance twisting his views.
“Being nice isn’t easy for you, I would know.” Akane playful tone caught his full attention again, copper eyes crinkled, as if getting bullied every day was an inside joke he was fond of, not something his Akane kept complaining about “But you’re always so quick to choose to be kind, you try so hard to reject others without hurting them, to be a good person, you are always looking after your siblings, after your classmates. You’re so sweet.” Akane sounded confident, his words making Teru’s eyes widen, “The way you look down on others but can’t carry a conversation without struggling is so cute.” Stop, stop talking! “Truly adorable! You care so much, you would do anything for your siblings, and I know you would protect m-”
“Enough.” Teru cut him off, his voice more defensive than planned, hands clammy with nerves.
Akane stopped talking, but he didn’t give him a break, acting as if he could see right through him and hesitantly holding his hand. Teru stared at his loose hold, not sure what to do with that-
“I love you,” Akane said with that same gentle determination, squeezing his hand “Please believe me.”
Teru felt sweat on his neck, failing not to blush but able to stand his ground. He needed to say 'No you don’t, you're a fool.' but the words were caught in his throat, helplessly looking at his soft eyes and buying his claims.
Even if for a moment.
Akane leaned closer, keeping eye contact as he kissed Teru’s hand. The exorcist froze, his reaction making Akane's eyes sharpen “You like me too.” He guided Teru’s hand to rest on his waist “Don’t you?”
‘No!’ he needed to say.
“That’s a bold assumption,” He said instead, smiling as pleasantly as he could under this bubbling sense of panic, unable to take his hand off Akane’s waist.
He wants to take advantage of him, of this.
It's not a new feeling, Teru had used his vice president for his own gains many times: He isn’t a naturally good person, doubt he ever will be, always glad to make Akane happy, but seeking to be happy himself more.
“Let’s go on a date,” Akane suggested, his blush even stronger, and Teru absently realized he was probably nervous too.
Teru may have imagined holding Akane’s hand and kissing him at times, but he never experienced anything even close in his life, Akane's constant gushings of Aoi making him keep his hands to himself.
This is new. Too new. Dangerous.
“I’ll show you a new way to relieve stress.”
“Oh?” Teru’s face got hot at his flirty tone, knowing him well enough to recognize it as a tease but still overwhelmed. He felt a familiar urge to poke Akane's lips. To hold his neck. Touch what he shouldn’t.
It made his heart race, body light. Does he want this? Even if it’s fake?
(Yes. Yes, he does.
He will never get an opportunity like this again.)
Teru squeezed his waist with a despair he couldn't fully hide, allowing himself to push him closer and feeling a hint of alarm and giggliness when Akane took it as an invitation to sit on his lap, not wasting time to hold the back of his neck and kiss him.
Teru shivered, his body feeling like it was on fire. It took far too much self-control for Teru to get a hold of himself, able to only look a little flustered instead of the mess of delight and nervousness he actually felt, overwhelmed by so much physical contact. Teru let himself finally do whatever he wants, wrapping his arms around Akane’s back and blushing a little at the way he could smell him. They are so close. They have never been this close.
“You’re amazing.” Akane said, looking at him with stars in his eyes, and gently moving a hand to his chin, sweet and careful as if Teru was his whole world.
As if he was Ao-chan.
Teru froze at the intrusive thought.
One second Akane was leaning on his shoulder, trying to steal another kiss and the next he was lying on the ground. Teru stared at him, taking a moment to process that he was the one that shoved him, always quick to resort to violence.
Teru couldn’t help it, he laughed.
(So it does matter that it’s all fake.
Shit shit shit)
He tried to ignore the lack of weight in his lap, resisting the urge to scratch his lips. The lips Akane kissed.
Teru blushed, feeling bewildered this really happened. He actually kissed Akane. An Akane that has been cursed but still Akane.
…He also threw him on the ground.
Oopsie.
Teru looked down at Akane, his complicated feelings not getting better at the worry in his eyes.
'This is wrong'
Akane doesn’t care, it’s what made him so relaxing to talk to. It doesn’t matter if he doesn’t understand Teru and all that being an exorcist entails, it doesn’t matter if Teru makes fun of his failures or makes his life harder for his own amusement, none of it sticks with his vice president: Akane doesn’t make him feel hurt. He doesn’t get hurt either. He is invincible.
He’ll get offended, baffled, tired, angry, even furious, but never ever hurt or -
“Pres…?”
Worried.
Akane put a hand on his shoulder, the touch making him jump out of his chair.
“Are you okay, Pres?” Akane asked, not touching him again.
Was he? Yes, he is more than okay, he feels amazing! It’s easy to smile when Akane is paying so much attention to him.
So why did his throat feel itchy? Why was he still overwhelmed? Teru covered his eyes with his arm on the off chance he got misty eyed. That would be humiliating.
What is he so frustrated about anyways? Not being loved by the boy who was never in the market in the first place? For being loved and liking it despite pretending he is above the charms of a cheap curse? For not feeling any less weird after getting his first kiss?
Ah…
“That was my first kiss.” Teru mumbled with some surprise, buzzing with adrenaline. He wishes there was a supernatural he could slay right now.
He took his arm off his eyes, peeking at Akane, and whispering “...It was yours too, wasn’t it?”
Akane blushed, licking his lips a bit shyly but oozing pride “Yes.” The confirmation made Teru unreasonably happy, and Akane definitely noticed, very slowly, very tentatively, holding Teru’s chin, his whole demeanor softening when Teru blushed, liking how precious it made him feel “You can steal as many kisses as you want from me, Pres.”
“Ha!” Teru laughed in surprise, feeling oddly jumpy under his coy tone, too used to ignoring any desire he had involving Akane to just… Do what he wants. But unable to look away from this tempting invitation.
He tentatively pet Akane's hair, feeling a spark at the way he melted under his palm and freezing in place when Akane's thumb gently brushed his lips, the intimate action making his already high adrenaline levels skyrocket.
Teru freaked out, biting his finger. Akane yelled, taking his hand away and staring blankly at the blood where his fangs had pierced skin.
That wasn't very smooth of him. Dare he say, it was mortifying.
Akane didn't seem to mind, mindlessly cleaning the blood, more amused than anything “Kinky.” He tilted his head at Teru’s blush, more confident now. Too confident even. “Take me on a date first, Pres.”
“Aoi, are you sur-”
“Akane,” He said, “You can call me Akane.”
Ah.
That just made him more awkward, and jumpy. This is amazing wrong.
Akane's eyes crinkled with love and Teru resisted the urge to bite him again.
"Cute." He teased, unaffected by Terus's glare “Do you want to eat ice cream with me? There is a nice shop nearby.”
Teru wasn’t very good at social cues, being an exorcist tended to distort the lines of what is common sense, but even he could tell he was being invited to a date.
It would be wiser to say no.
(But it would be way more fun to say yes.)
Teru clenched his fists, ignoring the way he felt like a ticking bomb under Akane’s gentle gaze “...Lead the way, Aoi.”
“A-ka-ne. Come on Pres, are you shy?” Akane smirked, lightly elbowing his side “That’s so cute-”
Teru tripped him, satisfied to see Akane fall face first on the ground.
“You’re so clumsy Aoi,” Teru said as innocently as possible, a sharp edge to his smile “That’s so cute~”
Akane blushed all the way to his ears.
.
In the hall, Akane held his hand.
Teru stared at him like an idiot, hating how his surprise seemed to make Akane more fond.
Teru squeezed his hand tight, amused by the way Akane winced, his whole body just as expressive as his face, but losing his sense of victory when Akane smiled back, squeezed his hand in a far lighter way.
He blushed the slightest bit, light headed like an idiot but not a fan of Akane’s amusement. If Akane is going to be flirty, Teru will just play his game, make sure he doesn’t mistake Teru’s joy, inexperience, weird feeling in his throat, nervousness, confusion for weakness. He intertwined their fingers, cherishing how Akane eyes widened, flustered but happy.
.
Aoi was at the school gate, looking as serene and beautiful as always. She turned towards them, likely well familiar with her childhood friend’s voice, and froze, taking in the way Akane smiled softly at Teru and held his hand. The light immediately left her eyes, sparing Teru a smile that was too tense to fool anyone when they made eye contact and running away, as if being in their presence was too painful.
He heard that Aoi had cried in the middle of class when Akane dated Lemon. Maybe she is crying again now, the fear born from the confession tree rumors being nurtured by this new love curse.
Teru can’t relate, he never cried when he saw the two together.
(but he guesses it isn’t fair to compare their situations, Aoi has a lifelong love to lose. Teru can’t mourn the loss of something he never had, only now getting a taste of his love this softer brand of affection.)
Teru looked at Akane, wondering if his ‘one true love’ would break the spell, but he only had eyes for Teru, not noticing anyone else.
Oh.
'This is wrong.’
Teru narrowed his eyes at Akane’s soft gaze, his sappy attitude not unwelcome but still making Teru feel jumpy.
“Don’t you usually walk back with Akane-san?”
“We are neighbors so it’s the same path. Easy company.” He said, “And it's always nice to spend time with her, I love h-” He frowned, the heart in his eyes briefly turning a pretty cyan blue before going back to this cursed pastel pink. Akane chuckled, shaking his head “What was I talking about? Oh right, Ao-chan! I am sure she doesn’t mind, Ao-chan may not like to be lonely but she loves alone time.”
'This is wrong.'
“Are you jealous, Pres?” Akane teased, bumping his shoulders “I can follow you home too, don't worry about our paths matching.”
Teru narrowed his eyes, trying not to focus on the pretty blush he was given. He felt conflicted, aware everything was wrong, but really happy with the way they held hands and Akane smirked playfully when he swung their arms.
'You should go after her.' He wanted to say, 'You won't forgive yourself if you hurt Akane-san.’
A part of him was tempted to go after Aoi himself, genuinely liking her, and not sure he wanted to be near Akane right now.
(But he won't leave. He likes holding his hand too much to let go, and he didn't know what he would do if he found Aoi crying, sure his presence would just make it worse for her.)
It was stressful.
So he kicked Akane.
The boy yelped in surprise, he would have fallen, but their linked hands forced him to stay at Teru’s pace, stumbling as he did so, and making a very confused face. It was adorable. He is adorable. Teru felt a tiny smidge better, swinging their hands again.
Akane slight glare disappeared at Teru’s smile, playfully kicking his leg back. “You’re a menace.”
Teru smirked “So you’ve told me.”
.
When they were two blocks away from school, very near their delicious destination, Teru's phone rang.
“Ah,” He pouted at the shrine number “I got patrol now.”
(A tiny part of him, that kept calling himself stupid, was oddly relieved)
Akane nodded, visibly disappointed “Right, I’ll see you tomorrow Pres.”
“See you tomorro-”
Akane grabbed his tie, dragging him closer and kissing his cheek. He blushed, smirking “Good luck, Pres. Don't get hurt on the job!”
Teru stared at him like an idiot, touching his cheek and feeling warm.
.
Patrol was a relief, the itch he had felt when Akane flirted with him was replaced by the familiar pain and exhaustion of discharging too much spiritual energy.
.
Teru rubbed his eyes, startled by the sound of his pocket ringing.
He cleaned the blood off his hand and grabbed his phone, expecting to be greeted by the Shrine number again but met with Akane’s instead.
Oh.
Teru checked the time again, the bright 1 am supposed to be his only company tonight.
A part of him was wary, but he accepted the call anyway, the night too silent for his taste, still far from over.
“Aoi?”
“Pres!” He sounded delighted, but sleepy “Sorry for calling you so late, are you on patrol?” his voice got painfully gentle, making Teru’s heart ache “I hope I didn’t wake you up.”
“I’m on patrol.” Teru smiled a little, able to picture his fond expression from his tone “Do you need anything?"
“Not really. Just wanted to hear you." He yawned, sounding very casual. Like it’s a normal thing.
Teru ignored the way his heart skipped a beat, that jumpy feeling coming back "Is this enough?"
“Very.” Akane laughed “How are you?”
“Well, not too many pests tonight,” Teru said, keeping his eyes on the streets, ready to strike at any sight of supernaturals, but no longer feeling angry.
They talked about anything and nothing until Akane fell asleep. Teru heard him breathe peacefully for a moment, half wanting to yell into the phone and startle him awake, half craving to keep hearing him be so calm.
It made him feel... Weird... So he ended the call, staring at the empty streets ahead.
.
Teru woke up to his phone ringing.
He blinked slowly, tempted to ignore it, but after nearly a minute he dragged himself to the edge of the mattress and checked the caller, feeling weird at the sight of Akane’s icon.
He accepted the call anyways.
“Pres!” He chirped, in a good mood “ It's a wonderful day, do you want to get a coffee with me before class?”
Teru laughed, the sound sleepy and weak “I won’t exchange Kou’s cooking for over-” He yawned “Overpriced coffee.”
“I can pay,” Akane offered, not hiding how much he wanted to spend time together. It’s overwhelming, how can Aoi deal with him every day?
“Don’t wanna get up.” Teru smiled, lazily kicking his feet with joy, “Can you bring me strawberries with chocolate?”
‘No, what kind of coffee shop even has that?? ’ is what Akane would usually say, but the boy laughed, the sound very pleasant directly in his ear.
“Anything for you!” Akane chirped, that stupid voice making him picture Akane blushing, with little hearts around him.
.
Akane greeted him with a warm smile and a bag of strawberries with chocolate, his enchanted glasses were tucked on his vest, hanging by his heart, and there was a band-aid on his bitten thumb.
Teru smiled once he put the treat on his hands, kissing Akane's forehead and smirking at his wide eyes. He looked so cute dumb. Teru ignored how his own cheeks grew hot and flickered his forehead "Payback for yesterday."
Akane swooned, it was somewhat charming when he was the one responsible for it.
Teru munched on his snack, aware Akane was watching him and feeling giggly, he didn’t share any of his tasty strawberries, well aware Akane doesn’t like sweets as much as him.
.
Teru is selfish, but he isn’t an idiot, so he felt a hint of dread as the clock ticked, sure this will end soon.
“Aoi,” He called his vice’s attention, blushing at the casual way Akane leaned closer, making their arms touch, and considering his options.
...He could do damage control now, make sure Akane doesn’t remember any of this, or he could enjoy this curse while it lasted.
(He could say “I love you” while Akane would still welcome it)
“Akane.” He said instead, testing the name.
It reminds him of Aoi, of Akane-san.
The way Akane lit up at the name was as endearing as it was ironic. Teru could almost believe they were thinking about the same Akane.
.
“Hey,” Akane said after they finished a few of the documents, his big eyes full of worry “What’s wrong Pres?”
“Nothing, just thirsty” He lied, “Can you buy me a soda?”
Akane stared at him, seemingly able to tell he was lying (Teru has only ever been a good liar by omission) but indulging him “Okay.”
.
Akane was gone for far longer than a trip to the vending machine should require, coming back empty handed, his eyes a pretty copper and cyan, no hearts to be seen. He was wearing his glasses.
Ah…
“I see you’re back to normal.” Teru commented, not sure if he was amused or relieved.
(or disappointed)
Akane clenched his fists, pacing the room with loud steps "You!" He sounded hysteric, almost in physical pain “You should have tied me up when I tried to kiss you!”
“You succeeded in kissing me.” Teru corrected with a calm that he wasn’t feeling, his hold on the pencil too tight.
Akane snarled, but swallowed any angry retort at the sight of an empty strawberry chocolate package on the table, glancing at his bandaged thumb and sweating, his anger slowly dying as he thought more about the situation.
Teru resisted the urge to lick his lips, looking down at his papers, feeling his chest ache, too tight yet oddly empty.
The room was drowned in silence.
Akane hesitantly sat by his side, grabbing his pencil but not writing anything, letting the silence stretch out.
It felt uncomfortable, somehow. Teru wanted to break it, but he only has things he shouldn't say on his tongue.
“You liked it, didn’t you? You wouldn’t have let me…” Akane made a distraught face, vaguely moving his hand as he tried to think of the right word “...Be all over you otherwise.” Akane sounded unsure, uneasy even, but he still asked "...Do you love me, president?"
Ah
(Smart boy. He loves that about him.)
Teru smirked, the expression sharp, borderline unkind, and refused to answer.
Akane was uncomfortable, no doubt overthinking his motives, but he must be unwilling to reminisce about his time cursed, for despite every damning clue that Teru loves him being exposed yesterday, Akane still looked unsure.
"Well," Akane said, still wary "...I don't like you. So drop it."
He knows.
(It does hurt though, more than usual)
"That's mean Aoi, you need to be nice if you'll break someone's heart."
His mockery of the rejection made Akane calm down.
“...Ha. Your sense of humor is rotten, president." Akane frowned, giving him a judgemental look he had kind of missed, "Let’s just pretend nothing happened.”
Right. Just get back to normal.
(As if Teru could keep pretending he doesn’t crave his love now that he got a taste of it)
“You can’t just take my first kiss and say that Aoi.” Teru denied, feeling satisfaction at the way Akane tensed up.
(He isn’t kind enough not to drag Akane down with him)