Archive of Our Own

When the class representatives of Kamiyama High announced they would be holding yet another festival, the flashbacks Akito got to the previous one where he wound up being Tsukasa’s ‘Red Hare’ were almost enough to make him drop dead in the classroom right then and there. At that moment, he realized that maybe Mizuki was ahead of their time; Of course, he was referring to them skipping school. He heavily considered it, and he went home that day with a sour taste in his mouth.

Akito was aware of the activities the school would be hosting, and while they sounded fun, he knew he would end up on Tsukasa’s team, have him as a partner, or just be associated with him in some way shape or form. It’s not that he still disliked his senior, actually quite the opposite, which is why he doesn’t want to end up having to carry him on his back again, or see his blindingly bright and adorable smile if he ends up winning something. Tsukasa isn’t good for his heart. He makes it beat entirely too fast, and frankly, it concerns Akito. 

He always thought Tsukasa was attractive, which is normal, everyone that has eyes can see he’s conventionally attractive, but now that they had formed a friendship and hung out during school quite frequently, Akito was starting to be attracted to him. Those two things are very different, with the former being okay, and the latter not. It wasn’t like Akito wasn’t aware he was attracted to men, he didn’t have a problem with getting crushes on guys, it was just the fact it was Tsukasa that bothered him. Truthfully, he believed Tsukasa was too good for him, and Akito had no hope that his silly feelings would ever be reciprocated. They were both busy with chasing their dreams anyways, they didn’t have time for love. 

So, managing his attraction and keeping his crush on Tsukasa to a minimum was relatively easy when they just hung out at lunch occasionally, but to be paired up with him at another festival was going to be rough. And that’s why Akito wanted to skip; he needed to keep his heart in check. 

Fate didn’t seem to be on his side, however. Or, more like his sister didn’t seem to be on his side. 

Akito pushed the door to his house open, the jingle of his keys and the shuffling of his feet breaking through the silence of the almost empty house. He shut the door, making sure it didn’t slam, and lazily took off his shoes. Glancing up from his feet to the kitchen only a handful of yards away from him, he was only mildly surprised to see Ena there and not in her room. She seemed to be cooking something in their microwave and scrolling on her phone, and Akito ignored her in favor of going up to his room, hoping to avoid talking to her in case she asks him to go run errands again.

“Wait, Akito! Come here for a second!” Ena slightly shouted before her brother could reach the first step, and she ignored how he groaned in annoyance, dragging his feet as he turned to walk closer to her.

“What? – And don’t ask me to go get your shit for you.” 

Ena waved him off, rolling her eyes, before she shoved her phone in his direction. He squinted for a moment, before leaning in to see what she was showing him.

“Look, an email from Kamiyama High about a festival! The night students are invited,” Akito groaned once more at this, and Ena scoffed at him before continuing, “And I am so not missing it. The girls shorts for the color run are adorable, and I need to get my hands on them no matter what!” 

She scrolled a bit, an image of the uniforms they would be getting for the color run specifically coming into view. Akito raised an eyebrow, already seeing all of the information she’s showing him.

“Uh, yeah, I saw at school, why are you telling me?” He had a bored infliction in his voice, and Ena huffed at him.

“Because you’re coming with me! There is no way you’re skipping. Actually, you’re going to do me a favor!” Ena smirked, a glint in her eyes as she pocketed her phone, and Akito scoffed in disbelief.

“Oh really? What makes you think I’m doing that?” He crossed his arms, giving her a look, but she didn’t falter.

“Money!” She giggled, smirking more, “And cheesecake.”

Akito didn’t seem that impressed.

“First of all, I’m gonna need more than that, and second of all, how much money?” Ena rolled her eyes at his first comment. She thought in her head for a moment, before she seemed to get an idea.

“Fine, I won’t ask you to run my errands for me for two months. And I won’t make you pose for my pictures,” Ena pointed her finger at him, and his eyebrows raised slightly, “And it’s 10,000 yen.” 

That seemed like enough.

“Deal”, Akito smirked, thinking about how much he’s going to enjoy those two months, “What do you need me to do?”

The microwave beeped a couple times, and Ena went to pull out whatever she had cooking in there. When it was in her hands, she blew on it a couple times before shutting the microwave and turning back to Akito.

“Volunteer for the clean up crew,” Akito furrowed his eyebrows at this, “And get me a spare pair of the girls shorts from wherever they keep them. Mine will probably become trashed during the color run, so I need one of the spares.” 

Akito thought it over for a moment, before he shrugged. It should be easy enough, and getting into the clean up crew shouldn’t be too difficult, it’s not like people are dying to join it. As for finding the shorts, that might be more difficult, but he figures he could just explain his situation to one of the teachers that arranged the festival. He shrugged in response to her demands, and told her a quick ‘okay’, before he finally retreated to his room. 

Only once inside did he remember Tsukasa, and his entire plan to take the day off in order to save his sanity. He sagged his shoulders at the memory of his plan, and flopped face first onto his bed, groaning into his pillow. Now that he had to go to the festival and actually participate, he had no way of avoiding his problems. His only hope would be that the people who had to clean up might be given special treatment and have the opportunity to back out of anything, but he doubted it. On the bright side however, maybe he could use the excuse of having to clean up after the last event to avoid Tsukasa.

Akito rolled over after letting out his emotions into his pillow, and stared at the ceiling, knowing his cheeks were probably dusted with a pink tinge. He pointedly ignored the flutter of his heart as he remembered the previous festival; How Tsukasa felt on his back, how he hugged him after they won, and how he gave Akito the brightest smile he had ever seen. Akito lifted a hand and ran it down his face, anxiety in his stomach both from thinking of Tsukasa and from anticipation for the festival.

…

When the day of the festival finally arrived, Akito walked to school with his sister next to him, both not having put much effort into their outfits as they were just going to change when they got to school anyways. When their homeroom teachers finally allowed them to look at the list of which students were on which teams, Akito could nearly cry tears of happiness. He had to restrain from cheering when he found out who was on what team, and that Tsukasa and him were on opposite teams.

He almost fell to his knees in front of the bulletin board when he saw his name listed under the blue team, and Tsukasa’s under the red team, but he was painfully aware of how people were pressed up against him, also wanting to see which team they were on. It was likely an odd sight to see how much Akito was staring at the third year section compared to how the rest of his classmates were staring at the second year’s, but he didn’t give it very much thought. 

It was a shame that Toya was on the green team, but he figured he could live, as he and An were both on the red team, and one of the few times they came together and agreed was when they were competing against someone. Besides, Akito had caught a glimpse of the smile that spread across Toya’s face when he saw his friend, that girl Nene Kusanagi, was also on the green team, and he couldn’t be that disappointed. He was happy they would get to spend time together, and when Toya mentioned to him the news, he had patted him on the back. 

Akito was pulled out of the memory, hearing the horn that indicated the game was officially over, and blinked a couple times to regain composure. There were multiple events before the color run, as it was the last one due to being so messy, and Akito so far had been extremely lucky. He only spoke to Tsukasa a handful of times, and it was similar to their moments when they spent their lunches together. Tsukasa was busy with Rui and Mizuki, and Akito was busy with An and his sister.

Speaking of Ena, that was the only place where he had been unlucky throughout the day. She was on his team, which meant she had to be relatively near him, which means he had to be victim to her pictures and selfies. The time Ena tried to take a selfie with him, it caught him slightly off guard.

“Eh-? Don’t take pictures of me, Ena!” Akito leaned away from her on the bench they were sitting on, giving her a look, and she returned that look tenfold.

“Oh c’mon, have some fun!” She knocked her shoulders against his, and he scoffed, “Besides, you have to, because Mom told us she wanted at least one picture of us together.” 

Akito raised an eyebrow at her, and Ena huffed at him.

“I’m not kidding!” 

Akito rolled his eyes, but leaned closer to her anyways. She held up her phone above their heads once more, winking and smiling at the camera, and Akito held up a peace sign, giving a small smile as well. The shutter of the camera was hardly heard above the chatter of the students around them, and once it was in her camera roll, Akito leaned away from her.

“See? Wasn’t so hard!” Akito scoffed once more, and finally An decided to come back from talking with Mizuki on the other side of the field. 

She was panting slightly when she approached them, but had a big smile on her face when she reached them. 

“The Blue team is behind us by twenty points!” She jumped a little on her feet as she said this, “We're kicking their asses!” 

Both Ena and Akito cheered at this, sharing the trait of being competitive people. Akito stood up to stretch a bit before the next event, which was to start soon, but was put on pause by Ena again. 

“Wait! Akito, take a picture of me on this bench. The greenery behind me would make for a really good background.” She leaned forward, holding her phone out with an outstretched arm. Akito furrowed his eyebrows at her.

“It’s just a bunch of bushes and trees.” Ena gave him a deadpanned look.

“Yeah, well trimmed bushes and trees. They look nice!” Akito stood up straight, putting his weight on one leg as he looked at her, “Just take the picture! …Please?”

She batted her eyelashes at him and he scowled at the sight. That might be cute to her friends and the creepy guys that follow her on social media, but it wasn’t to him. It was unsettling. He heard An walk away, shouting over her shoulder to hurry up since they were starting in a minute, and he scowled even deeper.

He did end up taking the picture. When he handed back the phone and Ena gasped, he felt his stomach sink. That meant it was good, and that meant she’d be asking for more. 

That seemed to be the end of his good luck streak, and the start of the bad luck one. The game they played after that incident, they ended up losing to, to both An and Akito’s dismay. It was a test of strength, so how two very athletic people on a team full of other pretty athletic people lost against the opposing team seemed incredulous. Akito narrowed his eyes at the other team, specifically Rui, Mizuki, and Tsukasa. Tsukasa and Rui were pretty built, so it makes sense that they did good, but Akito didn’t care. He lost. 

“I bet Rui made some sort of potion to make everyone stronger, or somethin’...” He whispered to An, who giggled, but slapped him on the shoulder and told him that was unlikely. He grinned back at her. 

“Is it really?” 

She rolled her eyes fondly, but didn’t respond. She didn’t need to, as the sound of a booming laugh could be heard near them, and they both looked to see the trio Akito was previously eyeing down standing before them.

“Hahaha! I think you underestimated our strength, my dear juniors!” Tsukasa spoke first, and he struck a pose as he finished his sentence, “But you put up a good fight, I’ll give you that!”

An laughed quietly at the sight before her, and Akito narrowed his eyes playfully at the blonde in front of him, ignoring how his chest fluttered at the sight of him disheveled and sweating. 

“Yeah yeah, whatever,” Akito waved him off, “If it was just us against each other, I’d beat your ass. Your team carried you.” 

Tsukasa gasped, seeming offended, but Akito knew it was all for show. He put a hand to his chest, looking Akito up and down, and Akito smirked at him. 

“Not true!”

“Is too.”

They stared each other down, before Tsukasa let out a ‘hmph’, and crossed his arms.

“Fine then, I’m targeting you in the color run, and then we’ll see who’s better!” 

Akito huffed, copying Tsukasa’s pose subconsciously.

“Fine then! – Wait, how does the color run work?” Akito turned to An, who was watching them with amusement. She stood up straighter when the group looked to her to explain, as she helped set up the events, and likely knew how it worked.

“Oh, they’ll be judging based off of which color is shown most on people and which color ended up on the ground the least,” She thought back to the meeting where her and her classmates decided how to run it, “Each person gets two bags of powder to throw at others based on the color of their team. So if out of all four colors, green was on the ground the least and on people’s clothes the most, green would win. If it’s generally a tie between two teams, they’ll go another round and decide based on that.”

The group nodded at her in understanding, some letting out quiet ‘oh’s as she explained. When she was finished Akito turned back to Tsukasa and leaned closer to him.

“I’m gonna jump your ass.” Tsukasa narrowed his eyes at Akito, a competitive glint in them.

“Not if I do it first!”

This is where An decided to interject, despite thinking their argument was amusing.

“Hey, play fairly!” Then she leaned into Akito’s side, whispering loud enough so that the other’s could hear, “Play dirty, Akito.” 

She grinned mischievously at him, and he copied her expression. The other three laughed at An’s joke, and an air horn was blown to signify the start of the next, and last event; The Color Run. Tsukasa and Akito shared one last look before they retreated to the place where their teams were set to start, buckets full of bags of power with their respective colors in each area.

Akito held one of the bags in his hand, stuffing the other under his armpit. The bags were a little bigger than his hand, and he wondered what exactly the powder was made from when he was handed a pair of glasses. He pulled a face when he realized it was probably going to be hard to see when powder inevitably covered the glasses, and he glanced around at his teammates. Everyone was a little tired after the last three games, but they all had an air of excitement around them. 

Admittedly, Akito thought this game was going to be the most fun as well, but then he realized it was nearing the end of the festival. He frowned slightly when he remembered the favor he was supposed to do for Ena, but pushed it down. He had to focus on the game in front of him. He wasn’t aware of what the scores were, only An did, but judging by her energy, he assumed they were either winning or very close to winning.

When the air horn blew once more, signaling the start of the game, and the field soon became a mess of students and colors. Akito watched in fascination as the power created colorful clouds above the swarm of his classmates, some of it ending up on the ground and painting the grass an array of different shades as they mixed together. 

Akito ran through the crowd of kids, chucking half-handfuls of red powder at people who had on a different color bandana than him. He got hit multiple times, but his small cheerful smile never once left his face. Occasionally, he’d swiftly turn around after feeling himself get hit in the back, and hit the person who threw their powder at him in the face. He felt guilty when he saw them spitting it out, but he laughed to himself as he ran away, looking for another person to hit. 

In the back of his mind, he knew he was only looking for one person. A few times he spotted Rui, covered in red, green, and yellow, his hair and goggles even more covered every time he saw him, but he never saw the blonde next to him. He slowed himself to a slight jog, scanning the crowds once more, and biting his lip in frustration. He looked around him wildly, making sure that Tsukasa wasn’t sneaking up on him, and when he finally spotted the boy running out from the middle, his hair no longer yellow, Akito’s face started to hurt with how much he was grinning. 

Akito ran around multiple people, ignoring the familiar taps on his torso and legs of powder hitting him as he opened his second bag, dropping the empty one. It blended in with the other bags covering the floor, and he only slightly grimaced at the thought that he would have to clean those up later. 

He pressed his lips together into a thin smile as he slowed to a walk, coming up behind the unsuspecting blonde- or rather, green haired boy in front of him. He grabbed a handful, pelting it as hard as he could at the place between his shoulder blades, and he watched in amusement as Tsukasa slightly stumbled forward. 

Akito flashed him a grin when he turned around, and Tsukasa hardly had time to lift his bag of blue powder before he got a handful of red to the face. Akito cackled when Tsukasa spluttered, trying to get it away from his mouth, and blindly threw blue powder at Akito. Tsukasa quickly regained his composure, and grabbed a huge handful of his powder, hitting Akito in the face as well. Akito threw his head back, spitting blue from his mouth, and he rushed at Tsukasa.

Akito decided his hands weren’t enough, and he tackled Tsukasa to the ground. He heard Tsukasa let out a yell, and as he fell onto Tsukasa, he felt a cool sensation on his back. Only when Akito tipped his bag over, covering Tsukasa’s neck and chest in red, did he realize that Tsukasa had dumped his bag all over Akito’s back. 

The two laughed in each other’s faces, and Akito grabbed the mounds of red powder on Tsukasa’s chest with his hands, and then grabbed Tsukasa’s cheeks. Akito laughed loudly when Tsukasa started trashing beneath him, trying to get Akito off, but Akito kept his ground. He started rubbing the red into his face, and Tsukasa started making loud noises of annoyance. Akito was reveling in his victory, until he felt Tsukasa’s hands on his back move to his front, and suddenly, it was Akito whose face was being grabbed.

He could hear Tsukasa’s loud laugh beneath him as he tried to push himself off of Tsukasa, his vision blocked since the glasses had fallen off and his eyes screwed shut, but Tsukasa had wrapped his legs around Akito’s lower half. 

“Eugh-! Tsukasa–” Akito was cut off when he felt Tsukasa’s thumb enter his mouth, and he promptly bit down on the digit. He heard Tsukasa let out a cry of pain beneath him, and then felt the hands move from his face to his hair. He finally opened his eyes, and saw Tsukasa’s – quite literally – red face beneath him. 

Only then did he realize the position they were in and the places they had touched each other just moments before. Akito’s eyes grew wide as he stared at Tsukasa’s red cheeks, his eyes gleaming with happiness and excitement. Akito felt himself freeze, Tsukasa’s hands still running through his hair, probably trying to turn it blue, and he could feel his heart start to race.

Tsukasa was looking at Akito with that look. The one that Akito was trying to avoid. He was giving Akito the biggest smile, the apples of his cheeks pushing out, and he could see beneath the powder that his face had a pink tinge. Or maybe that was Akito’s imagination. He wanted to believe it was. 

Tsukasa was still giggling excitedly, and Akito seemed to snap out of the short trance he was put into. He could feel his stomach churning, his heart skipping a beat as he subconsciously admired Tsukasa. He shook his head, making Tsukasa’s hands fall from his hair, and he gently shoved at Tsukasa’s face.

“Let go of me, you fuckin-!..” Akito himself off, not knowing where he was going with his own sentence, grinning widely and panting slightly as he leaned back against the restraint of Tsukasa’s legs. Tsukasa laughed once more, but untangled his legs from Akito’s back. 

Akito sat back on his heels, his knees digging into the blue and red dirt below him. Tsukasa was catching his breath, looking Akito up and down as he did so, and Akito felt like his heart might burst from his chest. 

“You- You’re so blue, Akito, you look like cotton candy ice cream!” Tsukasa giggled once more, his breathing evening out, and Akito looked down at himself.

His arms were mainly red from his fingertips to his forearms, but his upper arms were a mix of green and blue. His torso was a mix of all four colors, and if he crossed his eyes, he could see that his nose was completely blue. He stuck out his tongue, and from the corner of his eye, he could see that it was a shade of blue as well. He didn’t have to look in a mirror to know he probably had the same color of hair as the tips of An’s. Akito looked up after he observed himself, and raised an eyebrow at Tsukasa.

“Well look at you, Senpai!”

Tsukasa followed where Akito’s eyes were, and he saw that he was red from head to toe. There was hardly any other color on him other than red, since Akito had dumped almost his entire bag onto him, and it overpowered any other time he got hit that afternoon. 

“Yeah, you really got me,” Tsukasa chuckled as he looked at his arms and chest, and then he looked back at Akito. The two stared at each other for a couple moments, identical grins of happiness on their faces, but unaware of the identical internal feelings they were both having. 

Finally, Tsukasa let out a loud sigh of content, and he stood up, clouds of red falling off him as he did so. He extended a hand towards Akito, who was still sitting on the floor.

“Come on, let's go find someplace to sit, we haven’t had much of a chance to talk all day!” Akito blushed at his words, and took his hand, “My whole day will be off if I don’t get my daily lunch time conversation with my cute junior!” 

Akito let out a slight noise of surprise at his words, his eyes going wide as Tsukasa dragged him by his hand to a separate area with a ledge they could sit on. He didn’t reply, his mind going blank, with the only thing in there being Tsukasa’s words. He felt his chest get tight, and he gulped as the butterflies in his stomach got more prevalent. He was glad that his face was covered in blue at the moment.

When they reached a place where they could sit and watch the end of the color run, Tsukasa flopped down onto the concrete ledge, finally letting go of Akito’s hand. Akito sat down next to him, slouching over as he tried to brush the powder from his hair. He heard Tsukasa chuckle next to him, a hint of guilt in his voice.

“Sorry about that, but it should come off in the wash,” Tsukasa ran a hand through his own hair, and Akito sat up, “But do not try to wash the powder off your body in the shower.” Akito furrowed his eyebrows at this, tilting his head in confusion.

“My class representative told us that it will stain if you try to wet it, but it should come off just fine with towels,” Tsukasa explained, taking his goggles off and wiping some of the powder underneath his eyes, “Also, it’s edible, so you shouldn’t get sick from eating it!” 

Akito hummed, the tip of his tongue darting out to lick his lips clean from the blue that covered them. He noticed Tsukasa’s eyes go slightly wide, but he didn’t comment on it. 

“What’s this stuff made out of, anyways?” Akito looked down at his arms, brushing as much powder as he could from them. Tsukasa hummed, thinking for a moment.

“I’m not sure, but if it’s edible and it’s able to stain when combined with water, it reminds me of that one drink where you pour the powder into water and it turns into a juice.”

Akito let out an ‘oh’ at his words, recognizing what Tsukasa was talking about.

“Oh, yeah, I know what you’re saying. It’s probably not that, though, ‘cause that would be expensive.” Tsukasa nodded in agreement, his eyes flickering from Akito’s face to his chest. Akito felt himself blush from it, but decided to ignore it anyways. 

Eventually, the two got to talking normally, the moment almost feeling like their typical lunch periods again. Tsukasa talked about how Rui had technically cheated, as he hid one of the bags of powder somewhere and asked for another, and Akito scoffed at him. ‘If you guys win, I’m mentioning that!’ Akito had said, offended at Rui’s poor sportsmanship. Thankfully, Tsukasa agreed it was unfair. Akito then made the mistake of mentioning his sister was there, which Tsukasa jumped on.

“What?! You have a sister ?!” he had yelled, and Akito flinched both at the volume and at the fact he just revealed to the man who notoriously has a soft spot for his own sister, that Akito has a sister. 

“Yeah,” Akito groaned, regretting his choice of words from earlier, “But she’s a bitch, trust me, you don’t want to meet her.” 

Tsukasa seemed taken aback at his words, and scolded him for speaking so negatively about his sibling.

“It’s true! She’s definitely nothing like your sister, so don’t go assuming she is.” Tsukasa nodded vigorously.

“Oh of course not! Saki is one of a kind, nobody could compare to her!” 

Tsukasa’s fond smile made Akito’s heart stutter, and he marveled at how much Tsukasa genuinely liked his sister. He knew it was possible for siblings to like each other, but Akito had never seen it with his own eyes before. 

Eventually, the conversation drifted onto other topics, and after a minute or so, the two sat in a comfortable silence as they watched the last of the students tackle each other. It was funny watching teachers scold them for doing so, when Akito and Tsukasa were probably the first to do it, and likely were the ones to set the trend. 

Then, Akito made a connection in his brain. He looked between his own blue covered shirt, to Tsukasa’s red covered shirt, and he smirked at the jokes his mind automatically thought of. The possibilities were endless, and he couldn’t help but indulge in the thoughts. Unfortunately, Akito never did have much of a filter, and he seemed to forget who exactly he was sitting next to. He let out a chuckle, and Tsukasa looked over at him.

“Hey, your face is red, mine is blue.”

 Akito looked up at Tsukasa, who was slightly confused. Tsukasa nodded, wondering where Akito was going with this.

“Wanna make purple?” 

Akito’s mouth was faster than his brain, and only after Tsukasa’s eyes slightly widened did he realize what he said. Akito’s own eyes widened after a heartbeat, and he opened his mouth again to defend himself when Tsukasa shrugged.

“Sure!” 

Now it was Akito’s turn to be surprised, and he felt his heart nearly stop when Tsukasa shuffled closer to him. His mouth was still open, and his jaw only dropped even more when Tsukasa’s fingers grabbed his chin. Akito’s mind was running a million miles an hour, and his heart was going at an unnatural speed. He closed his mouth, gulping as Tsukasa’s face got closer to his. He was frozen in his spot, not knowing what to do except close his eyes, and so he did.

Then, he felt Tsukasa’s cheek against his own, and he started rubbing his own face against Akito’s. Akito opened his eyes, slightly confused at what Tsukasa was doing, until he connected the dots. 

Tsukasa didn’t know what Akito meant. 

Akito felt both immense disappointment, as well as relief. He ignored the fact the disappointment was significantly stronger. Regardless, he still had Tsukasa’s cheek against his own, and the thin layer of powder separating them felt like grains of sand in between their cheeks. When Tsukasa pulled back, he was smiling slightly. Akito couldn’t say his expression was anywhere similar. 

“Aw, it didn’t work,” Tsukasa pouted slightly, looking at Akito’s cheek in disappointment. Then he noticed the look on Akito’s face, and furrowed his eyebrows.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Tsukasa rubbed his own cheek that had previously been against Akito’s, and then inspected his hand afterwards. Still no purple. He heard Akito awkwardly chuckle, his eyes darting everywhere except for Tsukasa now. Tsukasa watched in confusion as Akito seemed to fidget in his seat, swallowing nervously before he glanced back at Tsukasa.

“Er… that’s not what I meant…” 

Akito’s voice was quieter than usual, a twinge of awkwardness in it as well. Tsukasa leaned his head forward, his eyes clouded with confusion, silently urging Akito to continue. Akito glanced back at him again, sighing deeply as he turned his head away slightly.

“I meant like…” Akito’s hands clenched into fists as he turned to Tsukasa, his eyes moving to look at Tsukasa’s lips. His gaze lingered for a moment before it returned to Tsukasa’s bright yellow and pink eyes, where he watched the realization happen right in front of him. Tsukasa’s eyes widened, his eyebrows going up slightly as well. His own gaze darted to Akito’s lips for a split second, before returning back to his eyes. Tsukasa’s mouth opened slightly, the tips of his front teeth visible, and Akito couldn’t help but look back down at his mouth again.

Judging by Tsukasa's reaction, it didn’t seem like his joke landed very well. Tough crowd. 

He forced himself to look away from Tsukasa’s mouth, turning his entire body forward to look at the field that was now full of calmer students. The event was over, and the winners were likely going to be decided soon. Neither Akito nor Tsukasa made any move to leave. 

The silence was already uncomfortable the second Tsukasa realized what Akito was referring to, but now that it dragged on for multiple seconds, it was starting to become unbearable. Akito felt like his throat was tightening up, and the butterflies in his stomach turned to centipedes. Ironic.

“It was a.. – A joke.” Akito cleared his throat awkwardly, refusing to look at Tsukasa, who had hardly moved except for turning his head to look back at the field as well. “...Like, get it, because if we kissed our mouths would like…”

They fell into a silence again when Akito’s words died on his tongue, and he felt like he had just made the situation even worse for both of them when Tsukasa cleared his throat as well.

“No yeah, I understand,” His voice was uncharacteristically quiet and Akito flinched at his words. The sounds of students laughing and talking filled the space between them, and Akito felt like he needed to run as far away as possible. This is precisely why he wanted to skip school today. 

Tsukasa mumbled something, and Akito slowly turned his head to see him staring down at his lap. He seemed curled in on himself, and he refused to look up at Akito, despite the fact he knew he was staring now. Akito felt more uncomfortable by the second, but he forced himself to stay put, as things would only get worse if he were to run now.

“What was that?” Akito nearly whispered, his voice was so low. He saw Tsukasa take a deep breath in, his chest falling as he let it out. 

“I said… I don’t mind.” 

Tsukasa finally looked up from his lap, his eyes almost scared as he looked into Akito’s. He watched as Akito’s face contorted, and he just barely caught the deep red on Akito’s ears beneath the thin layer of blue powder. It gave him a surge of hope that he put aside as he waited for Akito’s response.

“What.” 

There wasn’t any confusion in his voice, which surprised both Akito and Tsukasa. Akito blinked a couple of times, his heart beating faster and faster, his hands trembling slightly. He watched Tsukasa sit up straighter and glance around nervously as his mouth broke into an awkward smile. He gave an awkward chuckle as well.

“Well, I mean– It’s only a kiss!” Tsukasa let out a forced laugh, his hands coming up to help animate whatever was coming out his mouth, “I mean, we’ve both had those before, it’s not like– It’s not like a big deal, haha!” Tsukasa gulped nervously, watching as Akito’s eyes widened even more.

Akito’s mouth fell open slightly after realizing what Tsukasa was suggesting. He was seriously okay with kissing Akito? Akito didn’t know whether to celebrate or cry. On one hand, he could possibly get to kiss his crush he’s had for over a year, and on the other hand, it wouldn’t mean anything. He didn’t know if the want to kiss Tsukasa was stronger than the want to keep his emotional stability in check.

Akito realized he had been silent for too long when Tsukasa started to fidget with his fingers, and he snapped out of the trance he was in.

“I haven’t…”

Tsukasa stopped fidgeting at that, freezing as he stared at Akito. He had shock written on his face, but he quickly shook his head, wiping the expression from his face.

“Wait, what? You haven’t had your first kiss?” Tsukasa leaned his head forward, and Akito slowly shook his head. Tsukasa raised his eyebrows, and Akito looked off to the side, his mouth curling into an awkward smile.

“Well, uh, unless you count that time in kindergarten where I gave this girl a tiny peck on the lips. But I don’t, so…” Akito cringed when he looked back at Tsukasa, who was still looking at him surprised. Finally, Tsukasa seemed to snap out of it, and he straightened up a little more, his eyebrows furrowed.

“But… you’re attractive?”

Akito swallowed and then proceeded to slightly choke on his own spit, doubling over slightly at Tsukasa’s words. His eyes were as wide as saucers as he stared at Tsukasa, whose demeanor hadn’t faltered. 

“Sorry for being so blunt, but it’s true!” He scooted forward slightly, using his hands once more to exaggerate his point, “You’re really attractive, there has to be at least five girls that are interested in you right now. You could probably walk up to anybody and ask them out and they would agree immediately.” 

Tsukasa nodded his head as he said this, and Akito’s blush only got even deeper. Akito’s jaw dropped with every word, coughing a little as he still recovered from having liquid in his lungs. Once he caught his composure, he swallowed and took in a deep breath, glancing away from Tsukasa for a moment.

“... Seriously?”

Tsukasa scoffed, throwing his hands up.

“Yes! Ask anybody!” 

Finally, Akito regained enough consciousness so he could reply with more than a couple words.

“I doubt anybody is true. Besides, you can’t blame me for being surprised,” Akito turned his head towards Tsukasa, making eye contact with him again, “When a good looking person tells you that you’re attractive, you don’t particularly believe them.” 

Tsukasa spluttered for a moment, twisting his face at Akito’s words.

“What are you implying?!” 

Now it was Akito’s turn to scoff and throw his hands in the air.

“That you’re fuckin’ hot?” This seemed to shut Tsukasa up, and Akito continued, “At least in my opinion. I’ve thought so since, like, my first year, and ‘m sure everybody else has too.” 

Akito looked at Tsukasa like he was stupid, and Tsukasa stared back with a dumb expression on his face. Akito put his hand behind him, leaning back on it and breaking eye contact with Tsukasa. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Tsukasa fidgeted again, turning towards the field once more. They were starting to announce the winners. Still, neither of them moved. Tsukasa cleared his throat quietly.

“Well… thank you. That’s nice of you.”

Akito hummed in response, not knowing what to say. Once more, they fell into silence, listening as the principal called out through the microphone that the red team won. Tsukasa turned towards Akito, a smile on his face, and Akito had no reaction. He no longer cared about which team won or lost, all he could think about was Tsukasa’s words from minutes ago, before all the compliments. He sighed slightly, biting his lip as he desperately thought of how to bring the subject back.

“... Were you serious earlier?” 

Tsukasa turned his head, his expression blank. He blinked a couple times, feigning confusion. He knew exactly what Akito was talking about, and sighed quietly as his gaze moved back down to Akito’s lips. He swallowed down anything that wasn’t confidence.

“Yes,” Tsukasa paused, waiting for Akito to look at him, “... I was.” 

The two stared into each other’s eyes, the cheering of the students filling their silence. They both switched from looking at each other’s lips to each other’s eyes, and the tension was unbearable for both of them. Akito glanced away to the space next to Tsukasa’s head, the corner of his lip curling ever so slightly. 

“I probably wouldn’t be that good of a kisser.” 

Akito let out a small huff as a forced laugh, and Tsukasa shrugged a little bit. He continued to observe Akito’s flustered face, and despite how silly he looked covered in blue, Tsukasa still felt butterflies looking at him. He gulped silently, looking Akito up and down before he scooted towards him slightly. Akito noticed, his gaze flickering towards Tsukasa’s lap for a split second before returning to where it was. Tsukasa saw his chest rise and fall just a little bit quicker, and he knew he was doing the same.

“I can teach you…?” 

Tsukasa’s voice was a whisper, and Akito dragged his eyes away from the bush to Tsukasa’s hopeful eyes. Their knees were touching, and he blinked in surprise when Tsukasa’s hand moved to cover his own that was resting in the space between them. His mouth fell open slightly, his chapped and blue lips parting ever so slightly, and Tsukasa couldn’t help but look back down at them once more. Tsukasa could feel Akito’s hand beneath his own start to shake a little, and he saw the arm that was supporting him shake as well. 

A tiny nod was all Akito was able to manage. He would have done or said more, but the pair was interrupted.

“Akito!! Akito, we won!!” 

They immediately separated, almost jumping away from each other when they heard An’s yell. In sync, they turned their heads, watching An run up to them, covered in all different colors, but definitely faring better than Akito and Tsukasa. 

Tsukasa stared as Akito’s face changed, and he watched as the boy in front of him feigned surprise. He smiled, seeing right through him, as he was an actor himself, but it seemed like Akito’s acting was enough to fool An. Akito shot up from his seat, meeting An halfway with a smile on his face.

“Seriously?!” 

They hugged each other tightly for a couple moments, Akito swinging An around as she squealed in excitement. Mizuki wasn’t far behind her, but they were panting like a dog by the time they caught up to the trio. Akito let An go, and they grinned at each other happily, their competitiveness and hard work paying off. Akito finally let himself be happy about their victory.

“I mean, of course we did! Why wouldn’t we?” Akito put a hand on his hip, looking smugly at Mizuki, who was doubled over and breathing heavily, “Take that, blue team! You can suck my dick!” 

He flipped off Mizuki, who had recovered enough to hear him and glared at him, and then he turned to Tsukasa, who was watching them with an amused smile. Immediately, it vanished, and he frowned both at Akito’s actions and his words. He stood up from his seat, crossing his arms.

“Hey! No need to be a sore winner, Akito! And watch your language…” Tsukasa scrunched his face in disgust, and An laughed at him. Akito just rolled his eyes fondly. 

Tsukasa walked over to Mizuki, slinging an arm around them, and they leaned into Tsukasa’s embrace. 

“We’re still the better team!” 

Mizuki didn’t seem to mind the loud yell in their ear and enthusiastically agreed with Tsukasa, nodding and smirking. Akito and An looked at them, unamused. 

“We’re definitely the cuter team, that’s for sure!” Mizuki giggled, covering their mouth, “Sorry, An, but having Akito on your team automatically makes you lose cuteness points..”

“The fuck?” 

Akito scoffed at them, glaring and crossing his arms. Tsukasa laughed alongside An and Mizuki, but when he recovered, he gave Akito an apologetic smile. He had a glint of something unknown in his eyes, but based on their earlier conversation, Akito had a pretty clear idea of what Tsukasa was trying to convey to him. 

“Hey, where’s the third member of our cute trio?” Mizuki looked at Tsukasa with a confused face, who copied it when he realized who they were referring to. Akito and An also scanned the crowd behind them, but they didn’t have to search very long. Almost comically on point, an explosion was heard, and Mizuki and Tsukasa immediately whipped around to stare.

There was a huge puff of blue powder in the air, and from their point of view, they could see a figure running out from behind the stage where the principal was standing. Based on the height and the color of the hair, it was pretty obvious who it was to the four of them standing and watching. 

At this, Mizuki doubled over laughing, whereas Akito and Tsukasa stared in amazement. So that’s what he did with the extra bag. 

An stomped her foot next to Akito, a noise of frustration coming from her. Akito glanced at her, an amused smile on his face; She definitely didn’t like that, as a hall monitor and all. They watched as the figure they knew was Rui disappeared into the shrubbery and vegetation, the boy definitely knowing secret ways out of the school, and two teachers following as best they could in his footsteps. 

The group of four finally started walking back to the crowd, and Akito felt a vibration in his pocket. He pulled out his phone and ignored the multiple notifications he had gotten during the event, instead focusing on the text he got from his sister.

Friday, 2:31 PM

the first spawn:   going home, better see u later tonight w those shorts in hand!

Akito groaned in annoyance, letting his arm drop to his side immediately. Tsukasa looked back at him, questioning him on his sudden change in demeanor. 

“Ugh, just Ena. She reminded me I have to stay after and clean up.” Akito rolled his eyes, disappointment clear in his voice. Tsukasa chuckled, but then seemed to perk up.

“You’re part of the clean up crew too?”

Akito’s eyes darted to Tsukasa instantly. Did he say ‘too’?

“Did you say ‘too’?”

Tsukasa nodded enthusiastically, a smile growing on his face, which Akito blushed at. Akito raised his eyebrows slightly, but truthfully, he wasn’t all that surprised that Tsukasa volunteered. Actually, he should have expected it, he doesn’t know why he didn’t. He let out a huff of fake annoyance, letting his face twist into one as well. Tsukasa gave him a deadpan look when he saw this, rolling his eyes fondly. 

“It’ll be fun, cleaning with your favorite senpai!” Tsukasa smiled once more, nudging Akito with his elbow. Akito feigned confusion.

“Favorite? Ehh…” Akito squinted, looking at Tsukasa with an ‘I don’t think so’ look on his face. Tsukasa scoffed loudly, crossing his arms and turning away. Akito chuckled at his reaction, but if he had to be honest, he was glad Tsukasa also had to stay back with him. While working alone would have been fine, since it’s what he expected, he wouldn’t mind working with Tsukasa. 

In their silence filled with Mizuki and An’s conversation, they both felt the same thing. They both hoped for one thing to happen. 

…

Their hopes were slightly crushed. They got assigned different places to work on, and each time they finished, they got assigned a different place, and their luck stayed bad for each turn. Akito was disappointed, as he wasn’t even assigned places anywhere near Tsukasa, so he didn’t have any eye candy as he worked. Though, it was peaceful, and he contentedly listened to music as he picked up trash and washed the powder from some of the school items. 

Once he was finished with his last task, he realized he was never assigned to sort the clothes, and he remembered the reason why he was forced to clean up in the first place. So, throwing the last small garbage bag into the bigger one, he made his way over to the person chaperoning the small group of teens. He huffed slightly, annoyed for multiple reasons, but put on his ‘polite face’ as he approached the teacher in charge. 

“Oh, Shinonome, you’re done for the day, you can go home and rest now!” The teacher smiled at him gratefully, and he nodded in acknowledgement.

“Actually, I have a small favor to ask,” He smiled a little more and the teacher hummed, asking him to continue, “So, my sister, Ena, wanted a pair of the girls shorts, since the pair she wore got ruined. I was wondering if I could take one of the spares for her?” 

The teacher raised her eyebrows slightly at his request, but smiled after he was done explaining.

“Of course, we have plenty. They’re in the storage closet you were in earlier, I’m sure they will be easy to find.” Akito smiled gratefully, thanking her before retreating to the building where he was earlier.

It was almost comical how fast his smile fell when his back was turned from the teacher; He really hated Ena for this. That was incredibly embarrassing to ask for. 

Regardless, he wanted the money, cheesecake, and peace, so he dragged himself through the entrance of the building and through the halls. It was strange walking through it when there was nobody else in the building, and he could almost hear the typical loud chatter of students walking to their next class as he strolled through the halls and up the stairs. He hummed a song he had stuck in his head to himself, wanting nothing more than to get home and get the powder off of him, and he dreaded seeing how much of it was stained to his skin due to his sweat. 

Akito huffed, not even bothering to try and wipe it off of his skin anymore, and when he finally reached the floor where the closet was supposed to be, he quickened his pace. He thought of the warm shower waiting for him at home, the feeling of there finally not being a layer of dust on his skin, and he longed for it. When he finally saw the door with the words ‘Storage Closet’ on it in a deep black lettering, he almost sagged with relief. He was a little confused to see it open, but he figured the last person in there just forgot to close it. He was one of the last people here, anyways.

The door creaked open, and Akito’s eyes widened when he saw a familiar person in there. Said person immediately turned around when the sound of the door rang through the air, and for a couple seconds, they just stared at each other.

“Ah, Akito! Nice to see you finally,” Tsukasa chuckled, placing the box he was holding down, and kicking it gently to be behind him. Tsukasa smiled, his hands on his hips as he stared at Akito, who now seemed very nervous.

“Yeah, funny how we didn’t get placed in the same sections,” Akito glanced around the room, fully stepping into the illuminated place, thanks to the light bulb right above them. He subconsciously pushed the door shut, a habit he’s made regardless of what house or room he was in, and he flinched slightly when he heard it click shut. 

Suddenly, the air in the room felt different. Akito breathed in deeply, looking back at Tsukasa, who had a different look in his eye now. 

“Mhmm..” Tsukasa shifted on his feet a little, his hands falling from his hips, “So, what are you in here for?”

Akito blinked. Oh yeah, he had to get the shorts.

“Oh, um, do you know where the uniforms are?” 

Tsukasa lifted his head, looking around him for a moment before he fixated on one spot.

“Ah, yes, over there,” He returned his gaze to Akito and pointed at the almost empty boxes stacked on top of each other. They had written in sharpie ‘boys uniform’ and ‘girls uniform’. Akito nodded, glancing over at them.

“Oh, thanks,” Akito said lowly, still looking at the boxes, but not making an effort to move. When Tsukasa dropped his arm, he looked back at him, and he almost flinched again at the dark look in Tsukasa’s eyes. It wasn’t anything Akito had seen in him before, and it sent a shiver down his spine. Whether it was from fear or excitement, Akito didn’t know.

Finally, he gave Tsukasa a short nod, and he turned to walk over to the half empty boxes, but didn’t make it more than two steps before Tsukasa’s voice stopped him.

“Akito…” Tsukasa’s voice was low and quiet, and Akito paused in his steps. However, he didn’t turn around. He moved his head to the side, signaling for Tsukasa to finish, “... Was what you said really a joke?”

Akito didn't need to ask what he meant, even if he wanted to just to stall time. He was a nervous wreck, his heart and thoughts going a million miles an hour. It felt warmer in the room, and even though Akito was wearing short sleeves and shorts, he still felt too hot. He waited another moment before he finally turned, almost gasping at the hopeful and desperate look in Tsukasa’s eyes. The yellow from the light above them illuminated Tsukasa’s features perfectly, even if he was still smudged in red from the cheeks down. Akito still thought he was beautiful.

“Only if you want it to be.” Akito finally whispered. Tsukasa breathed in deeply, before letting it out slowly, his body relaxing as he did so. A small smile started to grow on his face, and Akito had to hold back from one of his own doing so as well. 

“If I’m reading the room wrong, then sorry,” Tsukasa chuckled quietly, his smile getting bigger, “But no… I don’t.” 

Finally, the corners of Akito’s lips started to curl, and he stepped closer to Tsukasa, him doing the same.

“No, you’re not,” Finally, they were only a couple inches away from each other, “But you’ll still have to teach me..”

Akito’s voice was shy and quiet, his words less than a whisper, and Tsukasa gave him an adorable smile. His hand reached up, cupping Akito’s cheek, and he brought them closer together slowly.

“Just.. follow me for now,” Tsukasa’s voice was just as quiet, and when they felt their breath on each other’s faces, they closed their eyes.

At last, when their lips touched, Akito felt his hands and knees start to wobble slightly. He reached his hands out, grabbing Tsukasa’s waist for support as he tried his best to imitate what Tsukasa was doing. 

When he felt Tsukasa part his lips slightly, he did so as well, and he let the blonde slot their lips together. He heard Tsukasa sigh quietly into the kiss, his other hand coming up to rest against Akito’s jawline. A quiet sound could be heard when their lips disconnected for a split second, and Tsukasa pulled back less than a centimeter before returning, pushing even more onto Akito’s lips. Akito copied his moves, tilting his head to press into Tsukasa further. 

He shivered when Tsukasa’s hands made their way into Akito’s slightly tangled hair, brushing out any immediate tangles. The sound from before repeated once more when their lips separated again, and Akito pulled Tsukasa in closer by his waist when he caught onto the rhythm Tsukasa had set. Akito sped up the movement of his lips slightly, and Tsukasa followed in his footsteps, the room soon being filled with the sounds of the two boys making out. 

Akito moved his hands up Tsukasa’s back, relishing in how he shivered against his touch. Tsukasa hummed into the kiss, and Akito drank up the sound greedily. When Akito felt something push up against his bottom lip, he immediately recognized it as Tsukasa’s tongue, and he flinched slightly. Tsukasa slowly pulled back from the kiss, Akito chasing his lips as he did so. Tsukasa giggled at the action, but pushed back on Akito’s cheek, making sure he didn't kiss him again.

“Do you want to try adding tongue?” Tsukasa’s voice was a whisper, not wanting to disturb the quiet peace that had settled in the room. Akito’s pupils dilated at Tsukasa’s words, and Tsukasa relished in the tiny reactions Akito subconsciously gave him. When Akito nodded, Tsukasa gave him a reassuring smile. 

“Okay, to initiate it, just run the tip of your tongue on the lip that’s in between yours,” Tsukasa moved his thumb to rub Akito’s bottom lip that had previously been pressed in between his, “Then open your mouth slightly, and slowly ease it in. Don’t be overbearing, and don’t shove the entire thing in. Just let it touch the other person’s, and you’ll catch on to what they like.” 

Akito listened to him attentively, nodding every couple seconds, and he flashed a small smile at Tsukasa when he was finished. Tsukasa brought them closer slowly, teasing Akito slightly.

“You’re doing great so far, Akito,” Tsukasa whispered before he connected their lips once more, and he felt Akito smile slightly into the kiss. 

This time, Akito was more sure of his movements, and the sounds from earlier had returned more frequently and louder. Tsukasa returned his hands to Akito’s hair, and Akito ran his hands up and down the sides of Tsukasa’s waist. Tsukasa shifted on his feet, the sound hardly audible, and his chest pressed up against Akito’s harder. Akito could feel Tsukasa’s upper thighs touching his own, and he tilted his head once more, his grip on Tsukasa’s waist going firm. Akito furrowed his eyebrows slightly, pushing more onto Tsukasa’s lips, and the blonde doing the same. 

The wet pressure against his bottom lip wasn’t unwelcomed this time, and Akito softened his grip, being more gentle on Tsukasa’s lips in order to focus on doing everything perfectly. He separated his lips ever so slightly, and the pressure on his bottom lip had vanished for a moment before making contact again, venturing further into his mouth, but still pressed against his bottom lip. He pushed his own tongue forward, and inhaled sharply when his met Tsukasa’s. Tsukasa let out a quiet breathy laugh, his tongue retreating to kiss Akito properly again, before his actions from before repeated.

They quickly fell into a rhythm, their tongues dancing against each other, neither of them fighting to be dominant. Soon, their lips were stained purple, and as they both got more confident, their kisses got sloppy. There was saliva coating their bottom lips, making its way further down their chins, and their jaws were starting to get slightly tired. However, neither made any move to put a pause in their actions, only trying to get closer than they already were to each other.

Akito heard Tsukasa let out a shaky breath through his nose, the rise and fall of his chest stuttering slightly as Akito massaged his thumbs into his sides, their chins and upper lips now covered in saliva as well. Akito felt a spike of adrenaline and confidence at Tsukasa’s noises, his heart racing the more his hands explored Tsukasa’s torso. They switched positions in a way, Tsukasa’s bottom lip between Akito’s now, and he took the opportunity to bite down on it gently for a moment when their tongues weren’t in the way. Akito felt the grip in his hair tighten, and Tsukasa took in a sharp breath through his nose, his face getting hotter than it already was. Akito sucked on Tsukasa’s lip slightly to relieve it of any pain Akito had caused, although that was unlikely.

When Tsukasa finally breathed out, it came out as a quiet whine, and his hand slowly traveled down from Akito’s hair to his neck. Akito raised his eyebrows slightly at the noise, his heart skipping a beat, and he blushed as his mind started putting it on replay. Akito felt disappointed when Tsukasa started pulling back from their kiss, but he stayed close enough to where their noses touched. 

Akito slowly peeked open his eyes, being met with a sight he never wanted to forget. Tsukasa was staring at him, his eyes half-lidded and clouded with something unidentifiable, his mouth slightly open and his lips swollen. He knew he had a similar look on his face, and he wouldn’t be surprised if his eyes were completely black with how big his pupils were. Akito’s gaze traveled down, his mouth slightly curling when he saw how drenched Tsukasa’s chin was, and he reached his hand up to rub his thumb against the saliva coating it.

“S…Sorry,” Tsukasa’s voice was hardly audible, the word coming out as a whisper and laced with embarrassment as well as desperation, and Akito could feel it on his lips. 

Akito returned his stare to Tsukasa’s eyes, seeing them slightly wider, his eyebrows furrowed and the inner corners pointed upwards. Akito’s breath caught in his throat, his lips parting the more he observed Tsukasa’s wrecked face. His hand moved from Tsukasa’s chin to his cheek, stroking his thumb against it and feeling the grain of the powder beneath his fingers. Akito shook his head slightly, finally registering what Tsukasa had said.

“Don’t be,” Akito’s eyes flickered behind Tsukasa for a split second, being met with the bare gray wall, before looking back at Tsukasa, who had a tiny look of surprise in his eyes. 

Akito moved his other hand to the front of Tsukasa’s waist, pushing on it slightly and shuffling his feet forward. Tsukasa had a flicker of confusion on his face for a moment, taking a tiny step backwards, before Akito pushed on him even more. He quickly caught on when he took two more steps backwards, his back pressing against the wall Akito had looked at earlier. Tsukasa let out a small gasp, his eyebrows raising ever so slightly, and Akito leaned his body weight on Tsukasa, his forearm coming up to rest against Tsukasa’s head. 

“I don’t mind,” Akito’s voice was low and gravely, and he saw Tsukasa gulp as he leaned forward, “Be as loud as you want, ‘Kasa.”

Akito was surprised at his own words, his mouth working faster than his mind, but he reveled in the way Tsukasa’s eyes widened, his mouth falling open in another gasp. Akito didn’t have to close their gap, as Tsukasa quickly caught his composure, his hand coming up to push Akito’s head closer. Their teeth clashed together for a moment, and Akito let out a noise of surprise at the roughness Tsukasa was displaying. His hand curled in Akito’s hair once more, pulling on it ever so slightly, and his lips slotted between Akito’s quickly. Tsukasa’s other hand went around Akito’s back, making a fist as he clasped Akito’s shirt, and pulled him in impossibly closer. 

This time, Akito let out a quiet whine, every inch of their bodies touching each other, and Tsukasa couldn’t get enough of it. Their thighs were slotted between each other, their hips touching, and their ankles tangled in the others. Neither of them could tell where one started and the other ended, and it seemed as though their minds were becoming one.

Tsukasa didn’t bother with asking Akito for permission, as he shoved his tongue in without warning, and Akito gladly met him halfway. There was a desperation in their movements, their hands clawing at each other, and their tongues curling and shoving as hard as they could. Their lips were certainly bruised by now, but neither of them had it in them to notice, too focused on the other person. 

When Tsukasa let out another breathy whine, Akito pushed him back further, his strength proving to be better than Tsukasa’s. The back of Tsukasa’s head met the wall, and he fell limp against Akito’s body, realizing he didn’t even need to put any weight on his feet in order to be held up, as Akito was doing it anyways. Their hips bones dug into each other, but Akito didn’t move back, his mind clouded with the noises coming from the sound of their lips connecting and disconnecting, as well as Tsukasa’s mouth. Akito bit down on Tsukasa’s bottom lip once more, not as gentle this time, and Tsukasa gasped into his mouth. Tsukasa’s hands fell limp, falling onto Akito’s shoulders as he sucked on his lip once more, a direct repeat of last time.

Tsukasa tried to reciprocate Akito’s desperation and enthusiasm, but Akito was determined to have him sit there and let him do as he pleases. He wanted Tsukasa to enjoy himself as much as possible, and thankfully, he let him please him. Akito moved his hands down Tsukasa’s body, resting them against his chest, and tracing them backwards until they were between his back and the wall. He relished in the small noises Tsukasa was making, but he wanted more. Akito was becoming addicted to Tsukasa’s voice, despite how much he hated hearing it just a couple months ago; He figured this was much different — and much better — than his yelling though.

Akito moved his hands back to the front of Tsukasa’s chest, his hands replacing the pressure his own chest had, and his front felt colder now that it wasn’t pressed up against Tsukasa. Tsukasa’s hands replicated what Akito’s were doing, and he moved them to Akito’s chest as well. He was amazed at how toned Akito felt beneath his fingers and a layer of clothing, and he had to mentally slap himself to stop his mind from wandering. 

All efforts were thrown out of the window however, as Akito bit down on his lip once more, the tips of his thumbs pressing down on his chest rougher than they had before as he moved them to spread out his fingers. Tsukasa tensed up at the sensation on his chest and mouth, his eyes screwing shut as he let out a breathy moan on accident. He quickly realized what he did, and he stopped moving all together, his eyes immediately shooting open. He watched as Akito’s face twisted, his eyes still closed, but he pulled back when he felt Tsukasa stop reciprocating. Tsukasa gulped, embarrassment flooding through him, and he felt his face heat up more than it had the entire day when Akito opened his eyes.

Akito’s eyes widened slightly, clearly not expecting the noise, and his pupils took up more space than his irises. Tsukasa felt his stomach drop, and he opened his mouth to apologize.

“I-I’m so- mmnfph!” Tsukasa was cut off, Akito’s hand coming up to clasp over his mouth. Akito blinked a couple of times, his breathing heavy and his chest heaving a little. He seemed to regain his composure quickly, but his mouth was still open slightly as he stared at Tsukasa for another moment. Then, he leaned in until he was against Tsukasa’s ear.

“I told you, I don’t mind,” Tsukasa felt Akito shake his head as he ended his sentence, and he inhaled sharply at his words. Akito felt Tsukasa’s mouth try to open against his hand, but he didn’t make any move to say anything. Akito lighty kissed below Tsukasa’s ear, slowly letting his hand fall from his mouth onto his collarbone, and he heard Tsukasa’s breath coming in pants. 

He tilted his head down, kissing further down on his neck, and he was grateful when Tsukasa moved his head to the side, making more room for Akito. 

Akito’s kisses remained gentle, a stark contrast to his previous actions, and he made sure to avoid Tsukasa’s chest as his hands continued roaming Tsukasa’s body. He felt Tsukasa go limp against him, a sigh escaping his mouth as his hands went up to grasp his shoulders. Akito stuck his tongue out as his lips were pressed against Tsukasa’s neck, licking a strip up it before going back down to leave more wet and sloppy kisses against him. He opened his eyes slightly, seeing how his lips and tongue had made darker red spots on Tsukasa’s neck due to the powder getting damp. He smirked, and he felt all thoughts escaping his head as he continued peppering him with kisses, watching as more marks were made on his neck. 

Akito felt himself getting lost in the moment, and he gently started sucking on a spot next to Tsukasa’s Adam’s Apple. However, he didn’t get very far, as he heard Tsukasa take in a sharp breath and his hands gently push on his shoulders.

“Don’t leave marks, Akito…!” His voice had a slight whine to it, as he was obviously enjoying the attention he was getting, but he still had enough mind to not want to be marked up. 

Akito froze, realizing what he was doing, and his lips made a popping noise against Tsukasa’s neck when he pulled back.

“Oops…” Akito cringed slightly, and he heard Tsukasa let out a groan, “It’s not that bad…!” He observed his neck, looking at the many dark red patches on his neck, and he felt a twinge of guilt as he stared at the bigger one on the spot he was just working on. 

Tsukasa moved his head, looking at Akito with hazy eyes, but he raised an eyebrow.

“Actually though, it isn’t,” Akito defended himself. Tsukasa narrowed his eyes at him for a moment, but eventually he relented, letting his head rest against the wall as his arms came up to wrap around Akito’s neck.

He pulled Akito in for a hug, and Akito gladly hugged him back, his arms wrapping around Tsukasa’s waist. He rested his head on Tsukasa’s shoulder, letting his eyes fall shut contentedly, noticing how his legs felt like jelly and how his heart was going a million miles a second. At that moment, everything finally clicked in his mind, and his previously closed eyes shot open. He jolted ever so slightly in Tsukasa’s grasp, his breath catching in his throat.

Akito stared at the space between the wall and Tsukasa’s neck, his mind — and heart — trying to process everything, and failing horribly. He just made out with someone. He just made out with Tsukasa. He’s not just ‘someone’. 

“You okay, Akito?” Tsukasa’s gentle voice rang through the silence, his hand going to rub his back, and Akito just stiffened even more. His voice had a twinge of concern in it, and if Akito could see him, he’d see his confused facial expression.

Akito leaned back a little, taking a deep breath when he made eye contact with Tsukasa. They were still extremely close to each other, their faces only a couple inches away, and Akito was finally in a state of mind where he could see every little detail. His attention was drawn to Tsukasa’s purple lips and red and purple chin, and he gulped before he looked back up into Tsukasa’s eyes.

“I just.. Made out with you.” 

Tsukasa blinked once, and then once again, almost trying to predict where Akito was going with this. He flashed him a smile, nodding slowly, excitement and happiness clear on his face. Akito swore he could see something else in his eyes, but he didn’t want to get any wrong ideas.

“Yes. You did. We agreed on that earlier, no?” Tsukasa let out a chuckle, joy clear in his voice, and he watched as Akito’s face didn’t move a muscle. His smile faltered, and Tsukasa felt a pit of anxiety in his stomach. Was he reading the room wrong? Did they not both enjoy that equally? Tsukasa’s eyebrows furrowed a little, hoping to see any kind of change in Akito’s face, and when he didn’t, he felt a pang of hurt and disappointment in his heart. He didn’t know what he was expecting, however, he knew there wasn’t a chance where Akito could like him romantically.

“Ah.. I’m sorry you didn’t like it, we don’t have to do it again,” Tsukasa took his hands off Akito’s shoulders, breaking eye contact with him, “We don’t have to talk about this ever again, if you don’t want to. Let’s just forget–”

“No!!” 

Tsukasa jumped at the noise, not expecting to be cut off nor to hear Akito be so loud. He looked back at Akito, surprise written on his face, and he saw that Akito had an identical look on his face. It seems like he wasn’t expecting that to come out either, and he cleared his throat, grabbing onto Tsukasa’s arms.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to be that loud..” Tsukasa hummed, and Akito looked around the room, “It’s not that I didn’t like it, ‘cause I did… A lot.” Akito twisted his face, and let out a short chuckle. Tsukasa let his smile from earlier grow on his face, happy that he was right in his assumptions. 

“Then what’s wrong?” Tsukasa tilted his head a little bit, looking at every inch of Akito’s face as he waited for an answer. Akito let out a quiet sigh, opening his mouth, but not looking at Tsukasa.

“I don’t know, I just can’t believe that I just made out with someone. With you of all people.” Akito raised his eyebrows as he accentuated the word, and Tsukasa made a face at him. Finally, Akito looked back at Tsukasa, and snorted when he saw the face he was making.

“Not in a mean way, promise, I meant it like…” Akito fell silent, looking at every place on Tsukasa’s face that wasn’t his eyes. He felt anxiety grow in him, and his face started feeling warmer. The entire room felt warmer, and the fact he was holding Tsukasa didn’t help at all for more than one reason. He bit the inside of his cheek, debating if he should speak his mind, when he finally looked back at Tsukasa.

Tsukasa was waiting for him patiently, his eyes not leaving Akito’s face, giving him his full attention. His eyes were shining, and Akito swore he could see hope in them. He thought back on the past, well, he didn’t know how many minutes, but it was likely a lot, and he remembered every tiny reaction Tsukasa gave. Every touch, every noise, every movement. Akito remembered it all with crystal clear memory. He felt as though he always would. 

It was only a couple seconds he was lost in his thoughts, but to both of them, it felt like hours. When Akito finally came back to the present, he was met with Tsukasa’s blushing face, and he made up his mind. 

“I meant it as in I… I like you. And it’s just, well, surprising that I got to kiss the person that I like,” Akito clamped his mouth shut when he was finished, clenching his teeth against each other, and fear on his face as he watched Tsukasa’s reaction. He blinked a couple of times, seemingly not understanding what Akito was trying to tell him. Akito saw the tips of his ears go red, and he watched as his eyes grew wide — wider than Akito had ever seen on him. 

“ Hah?!” 

Tsukasa’s hands slapped against the wall behind him, trying to grab onto it for support, and Akito winced at the volume. His normal voice was back, it seems. Akito sighed, looking at Tsukasa with exasperation on his face.

“Don’t make me say it again, it was already hard enough the first time…” Akito attempted to joke with him, but it seems it didn’t land. Once again. Tough crowd. 

He waited for Tsukasa’s brian to catch up with the present, and he watched as he went through about fifty different emotions, his face contorting and twitching in some way, shape, or form for all of them. It would be amusing typically, but Akito felt like his heart might go into cardiac arrest if he had to wait any longer for a response.

“Please say someth–”

“I like you too!!” Tsukasa jumped off the wall, grabbing onto Akito’s shoulders once again, making him stumble backwards a bit. He breathed heavily, his eyes wide, and his ears redder than before. 

Akito had a similar look on his face. This time, it was his turn to be speechless, and Tsukasa’s words hung in the air, settling on both of them and feeling like an intense weight. Their breathing was the only thing heard for a couple more moments before Akito was able to choke out something. 

“... Seriously?”

Akito grabbed onto his forearms, looking at him with crazy eyes, his face hopeful and desperate. Tsukasa’s eyes started to water as he nodded, and Akito reached his hand up to wipe away any that dared to fall.

“Yes! A million times, yes!” Tsukasa shouted, and Akito winced again, and he lowered his voice apologetically, “I have since I was first introduced to you! That’s why I always sought you out during lunch and was so persistent with getting you to be my friend, even though it was obvious you didn’t like me at the time..” Tsukasa looked away sheepishly, and Akito gave him a sad smile.

It quickly vanished though, replaced by a much more cheerful smile, and he brought Tsukasa in for a rib crushing hug. Tsukasa quickly reciprocated with an equal amount of enthusiasm, joyful giggled escaping his mouth. Then, Akito chuckled as well.

“That’s a little funny,” Akito sighed as he thought back on his first year, “Because I also started liking you when we were first introduced. That’s why I avoided you. Because I didn’t want to focus on love and get caught up in feelings..” 

Really, it wasn’t that funny. Actually, it was astonishing. At least to Tsukasa.

“ What?! ” 

He yelled directly into Akito’s ear, and Akito let out a noise of discomfort at it. Tsukasa pushed him back, keeping him at arms distance as he gaped at him in pure shock. Akito looked back at him, sheepishly smiling and chuckling awkwardly at Tsukasa’s shocked silence.

“I know, I know, it was stupid,” Tsukasa yelled out a quick ‘yeah’ that Akito waved off, “But I was a first year student! I was stupid! You can’t blame me for that when I clearly changed as I matured.”

Tsukasa’s face didn’t change for a couple moments, before it crumbled to disappointment, and he let out a groan, covering his face with his hands.

“We could have been dating this entire time!!” He whined into his hands, and Akito scratched the back of his neck.

“I didn’t know you liked me! You treated me like all your other friends, and I honestly thought you like Kamishiro…” Akito got quieter the more he spoke, waiting for an outburst as he spoke the last couple words. And an outburst he got.

Tsukasa looked up from his hands, letting out a horrified scream, and Akito closed his eyes, holding up his hand as he did so. When Tsukasa stopped, he peeked his eyes open to see a terrified and dumbfounded expression on his face

“Rui?!” Tsukasa curled in on himself, looking off to the side with a distant look in his eyes, seemingly imagining the scenario. His face twisted when he did so, and he shook his head to get rid of the thoughts, “No! We’re strictly platonic! Rui likes someone else, so even if I did , there is absolutely no way I’d act on it!” 

Akito nodded, seeming to get the hint, and he waited for Tsukasa to stop yelling.

“Mhm, yeah I get i– Wait, Kamishiro likes someone?” Akito’s interest peaked at that, and he tilted his head in interest. He watched as Tsukasa rolled his eyes, giving him a deadpan look.

“I’m not telling you. Not after putting me through a year of torture!” Tsukasa scoffed, crossing his arms, and Akito copied him, giving him an incredulous look.

“Us. Putting us through a year of torture.” Akito corrected him, and Tsukasa narrowed his eyes. Once again, his joke didn’t land. How many times can he say tough crowd before it gets annoying?

Akito groaned, letting his neck roll before he looked back at Tsukasa, who was still unimpressed.

“... I’ll make it up to you?” Akito’s voice got high pitched at the end, and Tsukasa raised an eyebrow, still unimpressed. 

“You can try.” 

Akito took that as a challenge, and he thought for a moment, before a thought popped in his head that he definitely hasn’t thought of before an uncountable amount of times. He held out his hands, and Tsukasa looked at them for a second before grabbing them. Akito pulled him forwards a little, bringing them closer. Tsukasa looked up at him, the couple inch difference in their height being more apparent when they were closer. 

“I’ll take you on a date tomorrow, if you’ll give me the honor,” Akito’s voice was soft, and Tsukasa’s face quickly changed from unimpressed to flustered, “And if you’re free.” Akito added, chuckling a little. 

Tsukasa lowered his head a little, trying to hide a smile on his face that he couldn’t help, but there was no use. His happiness showed enough through his voice anyways.

“I mean… I guess that’s a start..” Tsukasa shrugged, lifted his head, but not looking at Akito. Akito didn’t need him to, he could see the excitement in his eyes and in his wide smile. He gave Tsukasa his own smile, too.

“Perfect.”

Akito leaned forward, unclasping one of their hands to grab his face and turn it towards him. When they finally met eyes, Akito left him with a quick, but tender, kiss. When they separated, Tsukasa tried to chase his lips, and Akito chuckled once more. He moved his hands so they were around Tsukasa’s waist, and he looked at him with a dopey smile on his face. Tsukasa gave him an identical one. 

“Anyways,” Akito sighed in disappointment, “I need to get back home. Ena’s waiting for me, and I can’t stand the feeling of this powder on me anymore..” Akito cringed as he said the last sentence, and Tsukasa laughed, nodding in agreement. 

Finally, Akito did what he came into the storage closet for in the first place, but he felt a little creepy looking through the bin for Ena’s size. Tsukasa watched his disgust in amusement, but silently admired him while he still had the chance to that day. When Akito finally got the right size, he stood up with a sigh, curling the shorts into a ball in his hand. When he turned around, Tsukasa pointed at him.

“Remember, towels, not water! Only water on your hair.” 

Akito nodded, and then made a face as he wiped his chin with the back of his hand. He seemed to remember their sloppiness from before, and he felt a sinking feeling when he realized he didn’t feel any powder on his chin. Tsukasa had a similar look on his face when he realized what Akito was doing, and he brought his hands up to his own chin as well.

“Oh no!” Tsukasa cried, trying to wipe it off of his face, despite knowing it wouldn’t work. Akito groaned, looking at the muted purple color on Tsukasa’s face, and he felt a sense of deja vu as he remembered the first comment that got them into this situation in the first place. Well, he’s not complaining in the slightest, that’s for sure, it’s just amusing.

“Hey, we finally made purple,” Akito flashed him an amused grin, and Tsukasa narrowed his eyes at him in annoyance. His smile was wiped away, and he sagged his shoulders in defeat. This is probably the last time he’d be able to say tough crowd. 

“Ugh.. It’s fine. I don’t regret it,” Tsukasa’s face changed from anamused to soft, and Akito held back a smile at the cute sight, “Besides, I’ll just say I spilled water when I was drinking or something. No big deal!”

Akito nodded in agreement, thinking how he’s gonna use that excuse for himself, and he held out his free hand in front of him. Tsukasa quickly took it, interlacing their fingers and giving him a smile.

“That’s a good idea, I’m using that,” Akito pressed a quick kiss to the side of Tsukasa’s head, making him let out a short giggle, “Anyways, let's go. We’re probably the last people here, and we’re lucky if we’re not locked in..” 

Akito looked at him with a look of horror on his face, and Tsukasa would’ve laughed at it if he wasn’t also worried about that fact. Tsukasa shivered at the thought, and he quickly opened the door, leading them both out and down the halls of the empty highschool. They had a slight jog in their pace, both eager to get out of the building and off of school property. 

…

Tsukasa let out a mixture of a sigh and a groan when he finally opened the door to his house. He lazily took his colorful shoes off, figuring he’ll put them in the wash later, and he dragged himself through the hall into the living room where his mother sat, typing on her laptop. Tsukasa was exhausted, and all he wanted was a shower and a nap after the eventful day, so he gave his mother a lazy wave.

“Hi, mom, I’m back from school!” He flashed a small grin when she looked up at him.

“Hello, honey–” She cut herself off, her mouth falling open ever so slightly as her eyebrows raised. She stopped typing on her laptop, sitting up straighter and blinking a couple times as she took in the state of her son. Tsukasa gave a chuckle, nodding at her reaction.

“I know, I’m dirty, but we had this thing called a Color Run. We basically got to throw colored powder at each other, and I clearly,” He looked down, gesturing to himself, “Got a lot of it!” He chuckled again. 

His mother turned and put her laptop on the coffee table in front of the couch before turning back to look at him, standing up as she did so. She put a hand to her mouth, trying to hold back a laugh as she stared at one particular spot on his body. Tsukasa followed her eyes and had an idea of what she was looking at, and he let out another sigh. He brought a hand to his chin, feeling the area he knew was stained purple.

“I spilled water on myself, but it should go away in a couple days, so it should be fine. It’s not toxic, if that’s what you’re worried about!” He quickly reassured her, and she pressed her lips together tightly. She remained silent for a couple more seconds, before letting out a couple giggles, covering her mouth even more. 

Now, Tsukasa was confused and he let his hand fall to his side, watching as his mother tried to keep her composure.

“Well! Fufu~ I think you should tell your ‘water’,” She held up a hand to make air quotations, still laughing a bit, “To stop giving you hickeys!” 

Tsukasa's jaw dropped, his eyes going wide as his hands flung up to cover his neck, making a loud slapping sound. The sudden noise made his mother start laughing again, and he stood there, watching her in disbelief. He could feel his rapidly accelerating pulse against his fingers, which were tightly curling around his neck now, and he felt his stomach drop to his feet. 

Then, he felt a sense of anger. He was so going to kill Akito. He was going to end the Shinonome bloodline the next time he saw the idiotic ginger. He continued covering his neck even after his mother stopped kneeling over in laughter, watching as she wiped tears from her eyes, and he felt his own eye twitch. 

“Um… Mom. It’s not..” His words died on his tongue, and he didn’t know why he started talking in the first place. He had absolutely no excuse, and he hated how his mom looked at him expectantly, amusement still on her face. 

He let out a loud groan, moving his hands to cover his face and letting his head fall. He fell into a crouch, moving his hands to grasp his hair tightly, and he fell back onto the floor onto his back dramatically. He heard his mom let out a snort of laughter as he laid there, eyes closed tight and hands nearly pulling out his no longer blonde hair. He stopped groaning out of despair, and he felt the floor creak below him as his mom went to crouch next to him. 

He felt her hands on his own, and he opened his eyes, giving her an apologetic and guilty look. He was surprised to see compassion in her gaze, and she gave him a sympathetic and knowing smile.

“I’m not mad, Tsukasa,” She removed his hands from his hair, watching as his face continued to be self-pitying and guilty, “I understand. You’re a teenage boy, you’re going through–”

“Don’t, please,” Tsukasa whined, and she laughed at his words, ignoring how he cut her off in favor of making this already excruciating experience more easy to bear. 

“Okay, I won’t go on that rant… Yet.” She narrowed his eyes at him, and he knew he wasn’t completely off the hook, to his dismay, “But I won’t punish you. I don’t blame you for hiding a relationship from me, lord knows I did the same thing at your age..” She looked off to the side, a guilty smile on her face as she remembered her own teenage years, before she looked back at her son with a firm look on her face.

“You’re going to introduce me to the person that did this though. That’s the only thing I’m asking of you.” Tsukasa nodded wildly as best as he could, considering he was laying down on hardwood flooring, and she gave him a reassuring smile. 

She stood up, helping Tsukasa up as well, taking another look at the marks on his neck before pointedly ignoring them. He gave his mom a grateful smile.

“I’m sorry… But in my defense, I didn’t hide any relationship from you!” His mom raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. He sighed, scratching the back of his neck, “... We only confessed today..” 

Her eyes widened, and she looked at him with an incredulous look on her face. This silence was a million times worse than the last one, and he let his hands fall in front of him, guiltily looking her in the eye. He felt like he shouldn’t have said anything. 

“You two aren’t even dating and they’re already giving you hickeys?!” She uncrossed her arms, unable to stop herself from glancing back down at the red on her son's neck, and he huffed, looking away from her and nodding. 

She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly. She thought over her options in her head, still shaken from the fact her son was already doing… risque things before dating. She opened her eyes, giving Tsukasa a serious look.

“I will be getting you protection and day after–”

“ Mom!! ”

Tsukasa covered his face with his hands again, his heart beating with embarrassment and his face heating up. He quickly turned on his heel, unable to bear the situation any longer as he ran in the direction of the bathroom. He heard his mother yell at him from behind him about something that he probably should have heard, but he ignored it. He had a long day, he didn’t need to hear that talk. Or any talk for that matter. All he needed was to erase the evidence with makeup before – god forbid – his father sees it!