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"I've been watching you for a long time!"
It hadn't been Masaki's intention to listen in. He had been on his way to the school's kyudo hall, unaware that Minato would be standing in front of the entrance — Minato and a girl.
"The way you shoot the bow—" The girl's eyes sparkled as she looked at Minato in awe, the soft spring breeze playing with her long, dark hair. "It's mesmerizing!" She pressed her hands against her chest, one cupping the other. She was trembling. Her quivering lips parted several times before she managed to speak up again, her cheeks red. "Please go out with me!" She bowed deeply, her eyes squeezed shut as she waited for a reply without getting back up.
Minato blushed. Awkwardly, he rubbed the back of his neck. He was flustered. Masaki could see it even from a distance. He could feel it.
"I'm sorry."
The girl flinched and looked up in shock after hearing Minato's reply. "It doesn't have to be anything serious from the start!" she back-paddled, waving her hands in front of her as she suddenly stood ramrod straight again. "We can take some time to get to know each other better and—"
"I'm sorry," Minato repeated.
Her shoulders slumped at the same time as her expression fell. She turned around with tears in her eyes and ran off, almost bumping into Masaki if he hadn't stepped to the side at the last second.
"Masa-san." Minato sounded surprised to see him.
"Ah." Awkwardly, Masaki cleared his throat. Minato looked at him with big, shimmering eyes. Masaki always felt drawn to these beautiful green eyes. It was dangerous. Masaki knew that he couldn't give in to his desire. "What are you doing out here, breaking hearts?" he teased.
"You're one to talk," Minato mumbled, averting his eyes, his cheeks slightly flushed. Was it because of the sun? Or was it because of Masaki? Masaki swallowed the lump in his throat. He should get his hopes up — he couldn't.
"What about school?"
"Matsuoka-sensei asked me to get a book from the library."
Blinking, Masaki looked at Minato. Raising an eyebrow, he put a hand on his hip, shifting his weight to his right leg.
"What are you doing in front of the kyudo hall then?"
Minato turned around, and his lips parted as if he only now took in his surroundings. "Oh."
Masaki laughed loudly. "I know you love kyudo and naturally get drawn to it, but try not to space out too much." He chuckled. "Fetch that book and return to class before you miss practice because Matsuoka-sensei gives you detention."
The threat was enough to get Minato moving. Yelping, he ran off without another word, panic written all over his face. It was cute. Everything about Minato was way too cute. Sighing, Masaki raked a hand through his hair. He had it bad.
That day, something about Minato was off during practice. His form was slacking, and he fell back into old habits, firing the arrow too soon and missing the target. It wasn't target panic, his body just lacked its usual tension. It almost looked as if he didn't have enough strength to draw an arrow, and he seemed to pay more attention to Masaki than the target, peeking at him all the time.
Minato sighed when his fourth arrow in a row missed its aim. Kaito frowned and was about to start yelling, but Nanao managed to distract him. Ryohei and the girls looked worried, and Seiya took one glimpse at Minato before glaring at Masaki. Defensively, Masaki raised his hands and took a step back. He hadn't even done anything. Tomioka-sensei only smiled peacefully, rubbing his chin. Sometimes, Masaki wished he had the same level of tranquility as him.
"I'll go and retrieve the arrows," Minato said, even though it wasn't his turn. But no one stopped him.
Minato hadn't shot many more arrows during practice, and the few that had hit felt more like lucky shots than actual achievements. The others didn't seem to notice, but Minato looked really depressed about it and immediately hurried off after practice was officially over, using the excuse that he needed to buy ingredients and cook dinner before his father returned home.
From the vibes he gave off, he just needed some time on his own. Masaki wasn't sure what had thrown him off so much, but he knew that Minato cared more about kyudo than anything else. He always took it to heart when he wasn't at his best. If he needed some time to dwell on the reason, it was best to leave him be.
Therefore, Masaki was surprised when he suddenly felt someone's gaze on him while shooting some arrows at the Yata shrine's kyudo hall in the late evening. He didn't need to look to know that it was Minato. He felt it. Taking a deep breath, he kept his eyes on the target and calmed his racing heart. On the exhale, he let his arrow fly, watching how it hit the target right in the middle. Fuu —sitting on the branch of a nearby tree— hooted twice as if celebrating Masaki's shot.
The thought was ridiculous enough to break Masaki's concentration, and he turned his attention towards Minato.
"Accidentally wandering off again?" Masaki asked teasingly.
Minato pushed his bottom lip forward, his cheeks taking on a rosy color as he pouted. "I'm here on purpose."
"Oh?" Smirking, Masaki slipped his arm back into his hakama sleeve. He felt Minato's eyes on him — these big, clear green eyes watching his every movement. They lingered on Masaki's naked skin until he had properly adjusted his clothes, the shimmer that was reflected in them not innocent at all. Masaki swallowed. Sometimes, he wondered if Minato had any idea how he looked at him. It felt like he wanted to undress him with his eyes. Masaki sucked in a sharp breath and averted his face. What was he thinking? Minato was eight years younger than him. He wasn't an adult. Masaki shouldn't—
"Masa-san."
"Yes?" Blinking, Masaki returned his attention to Minato.
Minato had called out his name with conviction in his voice, but now he was fumbling with his fingers, nervously avoiding his eyes. It made Masaki nervous, too.
Before the situation could get awkward, Masaki followed his routine, putting his bow and the remaining arrows away while giving Minato some time and space. As he was about to take off his glove, Minato suddenly stepped up to him.
"Let me help."
"Huh? You don't have to—" Too perplexed to refuse, Masaki watched how Minato carefully loosened the strap around his wrist. Minato's slender fingers were graceful as they tentatively touched Masaki's glove, treating the item with as much respect as was right and proper.
The early night air felt cool against Masaki's hand as the glove slipped off, but his palm suddenly seemed to burn as Minato brushed his fingertips over it. It hadn't been an accidental touch. Minato had caressed his palm from his fingers downwards, drawing a circle on the ball of his thumb before coming to a rest on his wrist.
"Can you wait for me?" Minato asked, his eyes glued to his fingertips still lingering on Masaki's skin.
"What?" Masaki asked, his voice hoarse as his mind was swirling. What was going on here?
"Until I'm old enough," Minato whispered. "Can you wait for me until then?"
Silence filled the kyudo hall as Masaki tried to catch up with the situation. Minato had lowered his head, avoiding Masaki's eyes, but his fingers hadn't moved. Masaki inhaled sharply as he finally realized that he couldn't have misunderstood.
Agitated, he slammed his fist against the wall, the sound too loud for a shrine's sacred kyudo hall. Minato flinched, clinging to Masaki's glove with trembling hands as he was trapped between Masaki and the wall.
"Do you have any idea what you're asking for?" Masaki asked, forcing himself to sound threatening as he leaned closer, his lower arm pressed against the wall. Minato had nothing but nonsense in his head. He couldn't know what he was in for. He was too young to understand.
"Y-yes." After taking a deep breath, Minato raised his head and met Masaki's gaze. His eyes were full of determination. "Yes," he repeated, his voice filled with conviction. Stubbornly, he raised himself on his toes. His face was so close that Masaki could feel his breath on his skin. It was dangerous. Subconsciously, Masaki licked his lips, and Minato's eyes flicked to his tongue, his cheeks burning up as he looked back up again. "Yes," he confirmed for the third time, his voice nothing but a pleading whisper.
Masaki exhaled loudly as his resolve wavered. His hand slipped from the wall until his arm hung down loosely, his forehead coming to rest on Minato's shoulder.
"M-Masa-san?"
Closing his eyes, Masaki took a deep breath, inhaling Minato's scent. He smelled like a morning breeze — fresh and full of hope. Masaki swallowed. He knew that he shouldn't give in, but his heart was beating faster than ever. What was he doing, accepting advances from one of his students? What was he doing, letting him take the first step? What was he doing, not refusing him from the beginning?
A traditional archer shouldn't do this.
A trustworthy teacher shouldn't do this.
A responsible adult shouldn't do this.
But Masaki was only human.
"Alright." The word had fallen from his lips before his brain had caught up with it.
"Really?" Minato asked, sounding just as surprised as Masaki felt.
Steeling his resolve, Masaki stood up and took a small step back. "Really." He smiled softly, feeling his cheeks glowing, although they couldn't compete with the dark red color of Minato's whole face.
"Thank you," Minato whispered, averting his gaze as his nerves finally seemed to get the better of him. His eyes darted towards Masaki's face and away again several times. Just as Masaki wanted to ask what was wrong, Minato suddenly leaned in and pressed his lips against Masaki's cheek.
Perplexed, Masaki parted his lips.
"See you tomorrow!" Minato exclaimed. He pushed Masaki's gloves against his chest —who reflexively caught it— and ran off.
Dumbfounded, Masaki touched his cheek, tracing the spot where Minato's soft lips had touched his skin. It took a moment until the realization set in, but once it did, he crouched down and groaned, burying his face in his knees as a spark of arousal shot through him.
His self-restraint would be put to the test for the next months — years.
It wouldn't be easy.
But it would be worth it — for Minato.