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Kurona isn’t the most attentive to his surroundings, when he’s in the zone he can pick up more than just a thing or two but staying focused is a different story. His assigned seat doesn’t help him with that, the table furthest back and he has the window seat. It’s not ideal too with the fact that his seatmate is rarely present, whenever Kurona stares out the window during class it’s not hard to overlook the seatmate in question hanging out near the vending machine.
The teacher had the idea to put them next to each other in the hope that the boys to fix each other’s bad habits but it’s a bit challenging with the raven more and more infrequently joining the class, Kurona sighs.
Isagi's gaze narrowed as he noticed the deep frown etched across Kurona's face. "Kurona, what’s wrong?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.
Kurona's eyes remained fixed on a distant figure in the hallway. "That guy..."
Curious, the two companions flanking Kurona followed his line of sight. "Ah, you mean Kiyora? What’s up with him?" Chigiri queried.
Kurona sighed, rubbing the back of his neck with a troubled expression. "The teacher paired us at the same table, but he rarely shows up to class. It's starting to feel pretty lonely, lonely."
That was part of it, another reason is that the teacher would give him extra credit if he got Kiyora to be in class more often,
Chigiri chuckled a hint of mischief in his voice. "He can be quite a handful, huh? Be careful around him. He tends to jump to conclusions and can get a bit aggressive. Want me to drag him to class tomorrow?"
Before Kurona could respond, Chigiri dashed over to Kiyora.
"Why were you with them?" Kiyora asked bluntly, unfazed by Chigiri's sudden approach.
"I was waiting for you. Did Otoya send the location details?" replied Chigiri. Chigiri has his hands behind his back, tilting his head in an attempt to make eye contact. As the two walked away, their voices gradually faded into an indistinct murmur.
"Hey, hey," Kurona whispered to his seatmate, his chin propped up on his hand.
"Hm?" Kiyora paused his pen-spinning to glance at Kurona, the pair have long abandoned any pretence of taking notes.
"How are you so smart when you're hardly ever in class?" Kurona's tone was a mix of curiosity and admiration.
Kiyora shrugged nonchalantly. "I predict the questions."
"That’s stupid, that’s stupid." Kurona's hand slipped from his cheek to rest on the table, his gaze fixed on Kiyora, who reciprocated the stare.
"Can't you tutor me sometime?" Kurona's request was almost pleading.
Kiyora continued spinning his pen, his eyes focused on the rhythmic motion of his fingers. "Why would I? I'd rather do something important."
Kurona's lips curled into a pout. "A sharkie told me you’re always hanging out at that abandoned building, getting into fights. Pleaseee, just one session, I promise."
"How do you even know about that?" Kiyora's tone carried a hint of guarded surprise.
Kurona chuckled softly, idly playing with his braid between his fingers, leaving Kiyora's question unanswered.
“Fine.”
The two sit at the school library after school, the place is uncrowded, it’s practically just the two of them there with supposedly the librarian who’s nowhere to be seen. “Let me see your notes,” Kiyora asks, he doesn’t wait for Kurona’s answer and takes the notebook.
The book… was barely text, it was filled with scribbles and doodles. Granted he wrote everything on the whiteboard but what should’ve taken one page takes five pages. The pages were scarcely written in black ink, glitter gel pens dominated with doodles of sharks, rocks, and weird creatures.
“Do you even realize your problem?” Kiyora stops flipping through the pages to face the owner of the notebook.
Kurona takes the time to think, “Nope, I wrote everything on the whiteboard like I’m supposed to.”
Kiyora lifts the notebook, “Then what’s with the doodles?”
“TikTok said to doodle on your notes so you don’t get bored in class.”
“Oi.” Kiyora’s voice sounded irritated, the ‘Oi’ was directed as a question to ask Kurona if he was serious or not. “Do you even understand what you wrote?”
Kurona shakes his head, “No, but it’s pretty.”
“That doesn’t even make sense-” The sentence Kiyora was making gets cut off by the one asking for the tutor.
“Speaking of pretty things,” Kurona takes his bag and shuffles through it, before looking back up “Look at this cool rock I found.” He lifts up a black rock with several white layers and puts it on the table near Kiyora. “It’s for you, it’s for you.”
Kiyora looks down at the rock then to Kurona, then to the rock again. “I don’t need that.”
“It’s my thanks for tutoring me.”
“Keep the rock.” Kiyora stops looking at the rock and goes back to the notebook, he starts explaining why the red-head could never understand any materials, and he circles some bits in the notebook with a pencil going on about what it feels like forever for the red-head. Kiyora finally looks at Kurona who’s folded his arms on the table, head rests on his arms.
Kiyora puts down the pencil, “Were you even listening?”
“No, the rock was cool.”
“Look, we’re starting a new chapter for biology. Why don’t you tune down the doodling and only draw things related to the material?”
Kurona nods and starts to pack up his things. Kiyora, who doesn’t have much to pack starts standing up, before he can take a step the boy sitting down asks him something, “Want to go home together?”
“Why would I?”
“Let’s get a meat bun on the way back.” Kurona doesn’t take in Kiyora’s question and just leads the way, all Kiyora can do is sigh and follow the guy.
Outside was cold, the kind of cold that seeped through layers of clothing and settled into bones. Winter had wrapped its icy fingers around the world, shrouding everything in a dusky cloak. The usual golden hues of sunset were nowhere to be seen; instead, the ashen clouds drew a blanket of ice.
Kurona hides his face in his scarf, he makes a make-shift baklava with it. “I hate winter.”
“You really are like a shark,” The other boy says, he’s only wearing a coat over his uniform, quite contrary to Kurona.
Kurona looks back at Kiyora, walking backwards. “What’s that supposed to mean, mean?”
“Sharks prefer warm water.”
Kurona giggles at the answer, his breath forming smoke.
You got a boyfriend? Kiyora reads the text his senior sends him, he had just stepped out of the shower and his hair was wet.
“I don’t know who you’re talking about.” He sends a reply back.
The boy you were walking with today, I didn’t know you even had a friend.
Kiyora sits down on his bed reading it, he lets Otoya continue his messages, knowing the senior prefers several short messages. While waiting Kiyora decides to clean out his bag.
Didn’t know your type was the weird bunch. Actually thinking about it you’re kinda weird.
The boy receiving the texts scrunches his nose, ‘what’s that supposed to mean?’ he thinks. Kiyora finally writes a reply, “He’s not my friend, I’m just tutoring him. He dragged me to the convenience store after that.”
After pressing send on his phone he receives another text, this time from someone else.
Do you like the rock?
He reads the message, from the profile picture he could tell it was the devil himself. Who couldn’t guess it with the profile picture of the shark plushie from Ikea, blåhaj was it?
“How did you get my number?”
I put the rock in your bag, bag.
Kiyora looked inside his bag and sure enough, the rock was sitting in there. He must’ve sneaked in his bag when he wasn’t looking. He’s got some set of skills, that’s for sure.
Despite Kiyora's insistence that they weren't friends, their interactions told a different story. More and more, Kurona seemed to be a constant presence in Kiyora's life. Each day brought a new surprise from him—a rock, a leaf, or an origami creation fashioned from a sticky note—secretly tucked into Kiyora's bag without fail.
Though Kiyora had initially agreed to tutor Kurona just once, he found himself unexpectedly drawn to his academic stagnation. His notes and test scores never failed to provoke him, despite his attempts to remain aloof.
Their school days often extended beyond the final bell, with the pair lingering in the classroom to review notes together. Kurona would slyly slip in bits of conversation amidst their study sessions. Afterwards, they would stroll home side by side, occasionally stopping at the convenience store or pausing to admire something intriguing Kurona had discovered along the way.
The meetings would usually take place after school, but lately, Kiyora found himself being in class more often. Despite maintaining his quiet demeanour and abstaining from taking notes, he’s now surprised his classmates and teachers. This subtle shift in behaviour did not go unnoticed, raising eyebrows among those who had grown accustomed to his presence not even being in the room.
Kurona, too, observed this change with a mixture of curiosity and pride. He couldn't help but wonder if their time together was leaving a lasting impression on Kiyora, gradually drawing him out of his shell.
“I don’t how you do it, but I’m proud of you.” Hiori fists Kurona’s shoulder. Kurona tilts his head in confusion, “Do what?”
“Get him in class, silly. I’ve seen him hang out with Karasu and Otoya a lot and he’s a troublesome one, I’ve probably patched him up more than those two.” Hiori looks out the window of the hallway, noticing the seniors he was talking about walking together.
Isagi wraps his arm around Hiori’s neck, “Sounds like you guys are close!”
Hiori lets out a laugh, “I’ve known Karasu since elementary.”
"You're also his ex," Chigiri interjected, strolling over to the group with a carton of strawberry milk in hand, having overheard their conversation.
Isagi released Hiori, his eyes widening. "You dated one of the most popular guys in our school?!"
“Not too loud! Plus, it was in middle school. We’re both over it.” Hiori replied with a hint of amusement.
Kurona pokes at Hiori, “Oi, oi. If you’re close with Karasu who’s close with Otoya, who’s close with Kiyora, tell me about him.”
“That’s Karasu Senpai to you.” A voice appeared from behind Kurona, it was well indeed Karasu. Otoya walks behind him with a phone in his hand, it is a bit of a mystery how he could walk without even looking at his surroundings, then again, it’s clear why he’s walking behind Karasu, to use the taller as a marker.
“Yo,” Otoya peeks over, “Ah, the princess is here.” He looks down at Chigiri.
Chigiri laughs, “Call me that again and I’ll break your nose.”
“’bito, I’m going on ahead.” Otoya gives a heads-up to Karasu who replies with a nod, the two-coloured senior walks away from the scene with Chigiri walking by his side.
Karasu looks down and leans close to Kurona, “So you’re the guy Kiyora’s been obsessing over.” Hiori kicks the crow’s legs, “You’re intimidating him.”
Karasu retracts his body and laughs, “Sorry, sorry. Didn’t wanna come off as mean, yeah, it's Karasu-kun to you though. Are you getting bullied by Kiyora?”
“Huh?” Kurona’s confused about what’s going on right now.
“I don’t know… People ask about him when he's caused some mischief." Karasu remarked casually, slipping his hands into his pockets. Kurona stood there, I mean, nothing happened rather it’d be more accurate to say the one who was being bothered here was Kiyora.
Before Kurona could answer anything a flying book hit the back of Karasu’s head, “Karasu, how far do I have to walk to look for you?”
Karasu looks over to the man who threw the book, “Yukki, what the hell? That hurts, dumbass!”
Hiori folds his arms and repeatedly kicks Karasu’s legs, “Yukki, take him. Take him back to the 3rd class building, I can’t deal with him any more.”
After greeting the second-years, Yukimiya drags Karasu with him, their arguments becoming muffled as they inch away.
“Ki… yo.. ra” Kurona sing-songs the boy’s name, the boy was marking Kurona’s answers, he doesn’t take his eyes off the book, “Midterms are next week, stop getting sidetracked.”
"I'm not, I'm not. I have a deal," Kurona said with a mischievous smile, watching Kiyora's exasperated expression.
Kiyora sighed, knowing he was about to hear another one of Kurona's unconventional propositions. He waited for Kurona to continue, already bracing himself for whatever was to come.
"If I don't get any remedial classes, I'll let you braid my hair, my hair." Kurona declared with a playful glint in his eyes.
Kiyora blinked in disbelief. "Isn't that your job? You're the one I'm tutoring."
Kurona chuckled. "Exactly, which is why braiding my hair should be your reward."
Kiyora frowned, unimpressed by Kurona's logic. "Why is my prize for tutoring you braiding your hair? Sounds like I'm getting more work out of that."
Kurona grinned cheekily. "Because I see the way you look at it," he teased.
Kiyora rolled his eyes, unable to resist a small smile tugging at his lips despite himself. Dealing with Kurona's antics was always an adventure, to say the least.
The grind for midterms starts, and due to the exam season nearing in, the school library becomes more and more crowded, not only that, but their classroom too has started being used by other students who have nowhere to go to study. Leaving no other options, Kiyora offers his house.
Their study sessions followed a routine: Kurona diligently tackled practice sheets and exercises, while Kiyora crafted summaries and explanations to aid Kurona's understanding.
Despite Kiyora's unstable class attendance, his grasp of the material was pretty thorough with how he could interpret complex topics into manageable concepts for Kurona.
One evening, as Kurona glanced over at Kiyora engrossed in summarizing a chapter, he couldn't help but voice a question that had been nagging at him.
"Aren't you going to study too?" Kurona asked.
Kiyora glanced up briefly. "I'll study after this. Midterms are easy."
Kurona raised an eyebrow, teasingly. "Show-off, show-off," he quipped.
When midterm week finally approaches Kiyora decides to put a stop to their studying sessions, going to his house every day would be tiring for the poor boy trying to tackle exams after all. Kurona was worried at first but decided to go through with the decision after Kiyora reassured him his phone would be on for questions.
Midterm week came and Kurona was able to go through it just fine; with the occasional confusion for each questions. Kurona held on to the colourful flashcards that Kiyora had prepared for him as if it was his good luck amulet.
Finally, it was the last day of midterms, the final bell rang indicating the end of exam week and the redhead put down his pencil, he breathed heavily as if he ran a marathon. He runs out of his exam room and Kiyora is there already waiting for him, leaning on the wall of the hallway.
“How was it?” He asks, with the usual blank expression.
“I got stuck on question 14 but it was good, good.” Kurona smiles, “I think you’ll get your reward.”
Kiyora scoffs, “Don’t want it.”
They’ll be getting their results on the following Monday, on their weekend Kurona found himself quite worried on the results. Unlike Kiyora, who stayed as cool as ice in times of stress. Kurona couldn't shake off the nagging questions that lingers in his mind. Will he pass? Did he study hard enough? Would his efforts prove to be futile?
Kurona was not typically prone to overthinking, but the impending release of the midterm scores left him with no choice but to dwell on the possibilities. He sought solace in distractions—a movie, a video game, conversations with friends—but the weight of uncertainty persisted.
On the day of the results, Kiyora was nowhere to be seen. Kurona didn’t think much of it, Kiyora was probably uninterested in the results as he was already confident he’d pass. Kurona waded through the sea of students until he finally caught sight of the posted results. As he scanned the list, his eyes widened in disbelief and joy. There, among the names in his class's top 20, was Kurona's own. It was a small yet unexpected achievement, considering his class was made up of 24 students.
A smile beamed on his face and he ran to his classroom, before he could open the door, he heard his name called, “Kurona!”
Kurona locates the source of the sound to see Hiori running at him, “No time to explain, they got into a fight.” Hiori blurted out, his voice tense with urgency. Before Kurona could even process the words, Hiori seized his wrist with a vice-like grip and yanked him forward.
It wasn’t hard for Kurona to connect the dots, it probably had something to do with Kiyora. Without letting go, Hiori pulled Kurona down the school building, rushing amidst the sea of students, when they reached outside Hiori finally let go. The two hopped over the school gates, the security guard shouted at them but they were too fast for the guard to identify.
Hiori and Kurona made it to the creek they were supposed to be hiding out, and sure then, they were right there under the bridge. Chigiri was ranting about how they got his face with a mirror in his hand to Otoya who was also trying to fix his bangs.
Niko was sitting on the ground with Karasu squatting in front of him trying to make sure he was alright, Kurona ran closer and the sight revealed Kiyora sitting on a bunch of empty crates. His face was all bruised up.
“What the fuck did you guys do this time?” Hiori was pissed, clearly. Knowing Karasu since elementary than Otoya too during his first year probably numbed Hiori, he wasn’t worried any more, just, angry.
Karasu looked up at Hiori, he barely managed to get the name ‘Niko’ before getting cut off.
“I don’t want to hear it from you. I’ve called Yukimiya for you two, Kunigami too.” Hiori said, facing Chigiri with the last name, at the sound of the name Chigiri raised his voice. “You did not-”
It has been months since Kunigami and Chigiri broke up, it was caused by the sudden personality change in Kunigami. They’ve been on bad terms since then, especially Chigiri. Hiori brushed Chigiri off and gave the first year, Niko, a hand.
“Take Kiyora with you,” Hiori instructs Kurona, he does so, with no room for argument.
Kurona and Kiyora sit on top of Kurona’s bed. His room was filled with sharks, starting from the posters of sharks, an abundance of shark plushies in different sizes or the shark figurines stringed from the ceiling, it’s quite clear he likes sharks… maybe a bit too much. Kurona takes a swab of alcohol and pats it on Kiyora’s bleeding face, “So what happened?”
“Someone called Niko a wimp, things happened, and teachers came,” Kiyora answered, straight to the point. What a Kiyora-thing to do.
Abandoning the silence, Kurona couldn’t help but laugh. The beaten-up boy felt confused.
“Why are you laughing?” the boy asked, his expression a mix of curiosity and discomfort.
Kurona grinned, shaking his head slightly, “I didn’t take you as a person to care about your friends, friends.”
A flicker of annoyance crossed the boy's bruised face. "I don't. I just needed an excuse to start a fight, so I took it," he retorted bluntly.
“Something tells me you wouldn’t take a fight you’ll lose, even after provoked.” Kurona knew there was something more to it, either the person called Niko something more than just a wimp or Kiyora was just that sensitive. His gut tells him it's both.
The boy's gaze hardened his demeanour defensively. "I didn't lose," he shot back defiantly. "The teacher showed up, and we all made a run for it.”
Silence fell between the two as Kurona continued to patch Kiyora up. Kiyora paid attention to the one taking care of him, he was focused, during their time together Kiyora noticed Kurona’s habit of sticking his tongue out when facing a difficult challenge.
“You suck at this,” Kiyora points out at the loosely wrapped bandage.
“I do, I do.” Kurona stopped what he was doing and looked at his job, he had no choice but to agree. Kurona had finished disinfecting all of Kiyora’s wounds, the floor was trashed with cotton swabs.
Out of the blue, Kiyora’s hand reaches for Kurona’s braid and slowly pulls the hair tie out. “What did you do that for?”
“You passed your midterms, right?”
The sound of the rain trickles down the window of the room. Kurona’s lying soundly in Kiyora’s lap, cradled in his gentle presence, he clutched his beloved oversized blåhaj plush, finding solace in its familiar softness.
“Have you ever skipped school?” Kiyora asks, his full focus on the braid he’s fixing, wrapped around his fingers. Kurona shakes his head at the question, he knows where this conversation’s going.
“It’ll be fun.” Kiyora skips over the question of not going to school tomorrow, he knows Kurona would turn it down.
After a few exchanges going back and forth convincing Kurona to skip the next day, the shark boy finally gives in. Kiyora had finished braiding Kurona’s hair hours ago but they sat there, for what felt like minutes was hours. Kurona had fallen asleep in Kiyora’s lap a moment ago, he looked at the time on his cell phone, it read 8:13. How long had he been there? The raven slips out of Kurona’s touch and walks back home.
Kurona woke up with a blanket draped over his body, the warmth he fell asleep in was no longer there, the light of dawn filtered through the curtains, casting a soft glow into the room. Yesterday, the room was filled with comfortable silence, the type of silence that was able to speak volumes but that silence was no longer there, the room was still, too still. It felt like an altered reality.
Kurona vacantly stares at his ceiling, the sound of his phone notification interrupts the silence. He reaches for the phone to see a text message from the boy he was with yesterday. It was two texts, a location share of a train station and a time that reads 10:15. His eyes moved to the corner of his screen to look at the time; 9:30.
He rips off the covers from his body, “Shit, I’m late, late.”
Kurona reaches the train station in time, he’s panting from dashing straight from his house to the location. He looks around the station in search of Kiyora but he’s nowhere to be seen. The station is empty, well, it’s business hours after all.
A cold bottle surprises his cheek, the condensation from it soaks his face. He jumped from the cold, it was Kiyora. “I knew you’d be late and run all the way here.”
Kurona smiles, “So where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.”
The surprise unrolls itself, they hop on the train and they enjoy the ride itself. It was different than it usually is; packed with crowds and crowds of people so overstimulating you just want to go home and throw yourself on your bed. This time, it’s just them, the train travels through the city.
At the announcement of a stop, Kiyora signals Kurona to get off. Their stop for the day? The aquarium. Kurona’s eyes lit up at the sight, of the blue building with sea creatures on top. The last time he went there was a kid, he’s been meaning to go back but the weekends are usually so crowded.
Kiyora walks in front, “What are you staring for?”
“Can’t you let me take it in?” he frowns.
Kiyora laughed, a melodic sound that echoed through the air, “Come on, dumbass.”
They enter the aquarium together, Kurona's excitement infectious as they wander through the underwater world. From the vibrant coral reefs to the captivating shark tanks, every moment was filled with awe and wonder. They spent hours learning about different aquatic creatures, their habitats, and their behaviours.
Each exhibit brought a new wave of excitement. The ethereal beauty of the jellyfish mesmerised them, the playful antics of the sea otters made them laugh, and the majestic sight of the beluga whales left them in awe.
Kurona was particularly captivated by the shark tank. The graceful animals swam around him, their powerful bodies flowing through the water with ease. He felt a sense of connection with these misunderstood creatures, their reputation as fearsome predators standing in stark contrast to their serene demeanour.
As they made their way through the aquarium, Kiyora couldn’t help but notice the gleam in Kurona's eyes. It was a look of pure joy and wonder, a side of him that Kiyora hadn't seen before. It made Kiyora's heart flutter in a way he wasn't used to. Despite their bickering and Kurona's occasional annoyances, he found himself growing fond of the redhead.
They stand there, Kurona continues to admire the shark his smile affecting his bright pink eyes, Kiyora could just see the shark’s reflection in Kurona’s eyes with how wide open they are. The whole day, Kiyora listened to the younger boy’s rambles about the sea creatures in the aquarium, they’ve been in the shark room for ages now. Kurona’s incoherent chatter dies down, he’s been staring at the deep blue tank for probably an hour now, maybe longer.
Kurona at last looked over to Kiyora who’s been long staring at the redhead. Kurona lets out a soft chuckle, “Your eyes are kinda like the tank.”
Kiyora looks away and averts his gaze to the tank, “Stop spouting nonsense.” He kept his calm demeanour but couldn’t help pinching himself in his pockets. Kurona could only smile and continue looking at the shark, they returned to the comfortable silence.
It didn’t last long, it was broken off by Kiyora’s voice, and his eyes were still on the tank. “Kurona.”
The person he called looked over at him, but Kiyora glued his eyes to the movement of the fish. “Let’s date.” Kiyora finishes his sentence.
Kurona’s eyes spark, it was like the sunrays painted the surface of the colourful coral. The coral that brought life to the creatures around it, the centre of the ocean ecosystem. His lips curl into a smile, the biggest smile of the day. “Ranze.”
Kiyora eyes let go of the tank and meets the pink hues of Kurona’s eyes, he hums. His face drew confusion.
“We’re dating, so that’s Ranze to you. Ranze, Ranze.” Kurona takes Kiyora’s hands and their gazes swam in each other’s eyes.
Kurona hugs the plush shark in his arms, he reads the paper tag on it once again. It reads; Jin.