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Today was the oddest of days, after all. Yes, the oddest. It seemed that Teru didn’t show up to school today.
Akane wasn’t… too concerned to say the least. Maybe he caught a cold? Has to take care of his “princess?” (His little sister.)
But it was still very odd without Teru around. Teru always showed up, and it’s rumored that he hasn’t missed a day of school ever since he stepped foot into a school. Well, that rumor was spread by Kou who could be exaggerating things due to his fondness of his brother… but this is one of the things that Kou said that actually seemed believable.
And plus, the student body thinks that Kou has gone crazy. Talking to nobody in the girl’s bathroom on the third floor and mirrors scattered around the school…
After school, in the student council room, golden light filtered through the windows. It was a calming atmosphere, but it still felt empty. Empty without Teru being annoying and a few seconds later being the most serious man alive. Empty without Teru threatening to tie Akane up to the ceiling with his exorcist charm bracelet, with a scheming smile.
Damn, Akane really did miss Teru after all.
But that couldn’t be possible, right? Akane is in love with Aoi. Not... Teru. Plus, if he did have romantic feelings, it’s just a little crush. Aoi is the love of his life!
Akane sighs and gazes at his haniwa figure, given by his once precious Aoi.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Even though final exams aren’t even close, Akane still wants to study for them. If Teru decides to make that same bet next year, (in which if Teru scored higher than Akane then Teru would get him to do anything he asked, same goes for Akane) then he won’t have it!
He can’t let Teru get close to confessing to Aoi again. His jealousy for Aoi would make him rage!
Wait..? Jealousy for Aoi? Wouldn’t he mean Teru?
Akane sighs and rubs his eyes. Stress is probably messing with his head.
Then suddenly he flinches when he hears the loud and annoying chime of the doorbell ring.
One annoying doorbell sound. Two annoying doorbell sounds. Three. Four. Five. Six. All in a rapid fire motion, like an impatient mailman just wanting to get the work day done.
Akane groans and yells “I’m coming!” in an obviously irritated voice. He stumbles down the stairs and opens the door.
But to his surprise, before his eyes was the one and only Teru Minamoto he was stressing about all day.
A bit of Teru’s school uniform’s sleeves and pants was ripped and stained with dark red blood. His eyelids were drooping and he looked absolutely exhausted. He had scratches and gashes everywhere his skin was exposed. Even his golden hair which looked like expensive silk all the time was matted and dirty. Akane’s heart shattered at the sight.
His arm was leaning against the small wall next to the door frame and he chuckled weakly. “Hey, Aoi-kun.”
Akane’s eyes widen and he lets out a small sound akin to a shriek. “W-what happened to you?! What? Come inside!” He quickly pulled Teru into his house, closed and locked the door, and hurriedly sat Teru into the living room couch. Akane practically flew up the stairs to get gauze, antibacterial spray, and bandages.
He comes dashing down the stairs to treat Teru. Akane doesn’t know why he’s acting so panicked to see Teru in this state. Of course most people would be concerned for Teru if they saw him in this state, but Akane was so scared that he was sweating.
Akane really did have these types of reactions when the smallest scratch got onto a loved one’s arm though.
“You’re lucky my parents aren’t home often.” he mutters.
“Yeah, that’s why I rang the doorbell. I didn’t see any cars in the driveway.” Teru mutters back.
“Mhm. Take off your shirt.” Akane commands.
“Hm? Alright.” Teru takes off his shirt. He has a little bit of trouble because his shirt is sticky with blood. When he takes off his shirt, Akane winces at the sight.
It’s probably not as bad as previous times Teru has gotten hurt, but there are scratches literally everywhere.
“What the… that must hurt, doesn’t it?” Akane instinctively reaches out to touch Teru, but quickly pulls his hand back.
Teru chuckles. “There were a lot of them. They looked like little bats or birds flying everywhere. It was a pain to get rid of them,” He rolls his shoulder back to unstiffen his back. “They’re not that deep. It’s just a stinging sensation all over my body.” Teru reaches out to grab the disinfectant spray and bandages.
Akane swats Teru’s hand away and talks in a tone similar to an annoyed mom. “What do you think you’re doing? You can’t patch up your cuts all by yourself.”
“I’ve done it before, Aoi-kun. I’ll be fine.”
“No! President, you don’t have to do everything by yourself. It’s completely fine and normal to get help. Please just trust me.” Akane says sternly but softly at the same time.
Teru blinks owlishly at Akane a few times before offering up his arm to Akane to help patch him up. “Well, alright…”
Akane firmly grips Teru’s wrist so it stays still and sprays the disinfectant spray all over his arm before lightly patting it with cotton. Then he puts on ointment and bandages over the small cuts.
“Ah, thank you Aoi-kun…”
“You smell bad.”
“Not even a ‘you’re welcome?’” Teru chuckles softly. “Expected from our vice president, I guess. You can be so mean sometimes…”
Akane grabs Teru’s arm and pulls him up. “You can take a bath or a shower in my bathroom. Whatever you choose.” He guides Teru to the bathroom. Akane doesn’t even notice he’s still holding Teru’s hand.
“I’ll take a bath.” Teru plops down onto the floor and watches as Akane fills up the bathtub with warm water.
“The bath is filled up, so you can get in.” Akane stands up to leave the bathroom, but Teru pulls him back.
“Wait! You forgot to add bubbles!”
Akane looks at him with an exasperated expression. “What? Are you five?!”
“Hey, you’re supposed to be taking care of me now. Don’t be so mean.”
“Ugh. Fine.” Akane takes out a bubble bath bottle and squirts the bubble mixture into the warm water. Teru cheers like a little kid when he sees this.
“You have bubbles? I wasn’t expecting that,” Teru smirks. “Aoi-kun, do you take bubble baths?”
“No! I shower. And my mom takes bubble baths. So that’s why I have bubbles. I’ll be leaving now, so have fun in my bath, I guess.”
“Aoi-kun!” Teru frowns. “You really expect an injured person like me to bathe myself?”
“...You can’t be implying what I think you are implying, right..?”
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Akane scowled as he was massaging the shampoo into the blonde’s hair. Teru looked perfectly content, though a thought itches at the back of the exorcist’s head- nobody has done this to him ever since his mother died. It was a bit sad to think about.
“I was hoping you’d get into the bath with me, you know.” Teru sighed.
“Of course not, because you’re dirty. I would get more dirty, rather than getting clean.” Akane said, frowning at the murky bath water and bubbles.
“Your expression is so mean today, Aoi.”
“Thank you.” Akane said listlessly, filling up a bucket with clean bath water and pouring it all over Teru’s head. When he was about to do it for the third time, he heard the front door open. Akane froze.
“Hm? Is somebody home?” Teru asked, his head turning towards the door of the bathroom.
“I think my mom…” Akane said, his voice hushed. “Be quiet. The walls are thin. I’ll go say hi to her.” He stood up, wiped his arms with a towel and exited the bathroom, closing the door behind him.
Akane helped his mom take off her jacket and set her work bag on the couch near the living room. “Hi mom.”
Akane’s mom smiled at him. “How are you doing, Akane-kun? I thought I heard you talking to someone in the bathroom.”
“Uh, that was probably my phone… I was in the bathroom.”
“Is that so? Well I need to take a shower then, so I’ll be right back then get dinner started.”
Akane’s heart dropped in his chest. The bathroom Teru was using was the only bathroom in the house that had a shower and a bathtub. “Wait, mom, I was planning to take a shower first.”
“Don’t you take showers right before bed?” Akane’s mom said, frowning slightly.
“Well… I wanted to do it earlier today so I could study more.”
“You could’ve done it when I wasn’t home though… You know I always take showers after work. Well, that’s fine then. Just be quick, okay?”
“I mean, why do you even need to take a shower after work? Can’t you just skip today?” Akane said, immediately wanting to take back his words. His mom would know that he was hiding something in the bathroom.
“Uh, why do you not want me to take a shower so badly today?”
“You know what, I’m just going to take a shower. You can take one after me.” Akane went up the staircase, going back to the bathroom.
Akane entered the bathroom, an apparent scowl on his face. “President, we have a problem.”
“I heard a bit of the conversation. Your mom is going to take a shower right after ‘you do,’ right?”
“Yeah. Just get out of the bath right now and I’ll bring clothes for you to-”
Then Akane was cut off by the knocking of his mother on the bathroom door.
“Akane-kun, why isn’t the shower on? If you aren’t showering, can I come in?” Akane’s mom called out, the doorhandle turning.
“Wait, I was just about to turn the shower on-”
Akane’s mom, already suspecting something, opened the door to the sight of Akane kneeling on the floor next to the bathtub, and in the bathtub was an unfamiliar boy. The door was quickly closed along with the footsteps of Akane’s mom walking away.
Akane was frozen in place, his heart rate slowing down. Teru was silent as well, not being able to process what just happened. Then Teru started laughing hysterically, the bathwater splashing all over Akane’s face.
“Agh! Hey, gross! Stop that. Stop laughing, it wasn’t funny! I was scared for my life, you know!”
“Ah, Aoi-kun, don’t stress too much. Your mom probably thinks we’re just friends… or does she…”
“Yes. And we are just friends.” Akane stood up and left the bathroom.
“Hey! Where are you going??!!” Teru yelled after him.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Around fifteen minutes later, Teru was sitting on Akane’s bed, wearing his clothes.
“Does it fit well.” Akane asked, though his voice didn’t sound like a question.
“It’s a bit tight, but it's manageable.” Teru smiled at him, kicking his feet like a kid slightly.
The sound of the front door opening was heard again. This time, it was presumably Akane’s dad.
“My dad’s here… so dinner should be ready soon.”
“By the way, Aoi-kun,” Teru said, his hand slightly reaching out towards Akane’s. “Thank you for everything today.”
“Oh, you’re welcome. It was a bit draining… but you’re good.” Akane said, offering a slight smile.
Teru smiled back. Akane’s heart rate picked up a little. How could someone even be this handsome? It’s not even subjective either, it’s a fact. Akane sat down next to Teru on the bed, their shoulders flush against each other.
Teru’s breath hitched a little bit, but then Akane’s mom called out to ruin the moment. Akane cleared his throat and stood up and gestured for Teru to go down to eat dinner.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The two sat beside each other at the dinner table. Akane’s dad gave Teru a little questioning look and looked at his wife, then at his son. “Akane, is this a friend of yours?”
“Ah, yes. He’s a friend. He’s the president of the student council. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you and mom that he would be coming over, it was on a bit of a short notice.”
Akane’s dad nods. “And what is your name?”
Teru smiles. “My name is Minamoto Teru.”
Akane’s mom places a bowl of rice in front of Teru, Akane, his dad, and her seat. “Well, Minamoto-kun, it’s getting a bit late and there isn’t school tomorrow. Would you like to stay the night?”
“If it’s not too much trouble, I would like to stay the night.”
“Then after dinner, Akane-kun can set up a futon for you or you can share the bed.”
Akane shook his head. “I’ll set up a futon…” he said, trying to give his mom the idea that they were just friends.
Teru pouted at him and then realized his dad was staring at him as he pouted. Maybe that reaction/expression for a sentence wasn’t a good look in front of a Japanese parent…
“Since a friend is over, I cooked Akane-kun’s favorite food. I hope you enjoy curry katsu as much as Akane-kun does.” Akane’s mom smiled and patted Teru on the cheek.
During dinner, Akane’s mom decided to comment. “Minamoto-kun eats so well. Akane-kun, you’re really thin you know. Maybe try to eat as well as him.”
Akane just sighed. “I’m just not as enthusiastic with food as Minamoto is.”
Akane’s dad stared Teru down, like a grandma who doesn’t approve of her daughter’s husband. “So, Minamoto-kun, are your parents okay with you staying here?”
“Oh, my dad usually isn’t home, and when he is, it’s usually at night. I don’t think he would really notice if I was gone.”
“Really? How about your mom?”
“Oh, she’d… I should tell her later. And my younger siblings” Teru said simply, nodding.
“You have younger siblings? How many?”
“I have two, one brother and one sister. My brother is 14 and my sister is 5.”
“I see.” Akane’s dad, resuming back to eating his food.
Akane’s mom beamed a little bit. “Aw, you have a sister that young? And how old are you? 17?”
Teru smiled. “That’s right, I am 17.”
“Ah, so you’re a second year! Akane-kun, why don’t you address him with more respect instead of simply calling him Minamoto.”
“Mom, I usually call him President. And sometimes I feel like I’m the older one.”
“Is that so…”
The rest of dinner was filled with questions from Akane’s dad that were like “So what colleges do you want to go to, what do you plan on being when you grow up, what place are you in school, how often do you study.” It seemed like Akane’s dad didn’t approve of poor Teru for whatever reason, contrary to Akane’s mom who makes comments on how handsome and studious Teru appeared to be.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After dinner, they went back to Akane’s room. Akane was already opening the closet to take out and set up a futon. Teru pouted like he did before at the dinner table, and put a hand on Akane’s shoulder.
“You really are setting up a futon? I thought you just said that to please your dad…”
“Of course I am. I can’t betray Ao-chan… wait, that’s right! Ao-chan!” Akane quickly went to his phone, and of course there were a lot of notifications from his (former) beloved Aoi.
For some reason, Akane seemed to be less excited to open Aoi’s messages. He ignored them for now, then he found that what he was doing was wrong, so he held his phone again. Then a weird feeling settled in his stomach, like he really didn’t care about Aoi’s messages, but then he picked up his phone again, feeling guilty. Teru watched the spectacle in front of him, feeling overwhelmingly satisfied that Akane was becoming less attached to Aoi.
“What’s wrong, Aoi?”
“Agh, it’s nothing. You know what, I’m tired from putting up with your shit today, so I won’t be setting up a futon.” Akane said, half-lying. Maybe he did want to sleep with Teru. Just this once though… it wouldn’t hurt, right?
“Oh, yay! Sleepover!!!”
“It would still be a sleepover even if I put a futon out…”
And of course, a bit later after brushing their teeth and washing their faces, was Teru and Akane in the same bed.
“Are you awake?” Teru asked. There was no response from Akane.
“Are you awake?” Teru asked again.
“What do you want.”
“It’s scary.”
“GO TO SLEEP.” Akane commanded, a short whimper coming from Teru followed.
A few moments later. “Are you awake?”
Akane turned on his side to face Teru, a very annoyed expression drawn all over his face.
“Yay!” Teru exclaimed. “It’s cold.”
“Just wait a few more minutes for it to warm up.”
“Hmph…” Teru pouted. It was obvious he wanted something from Akane.
“Ugh, just tell me what you want?”
“...”
“???”
“...”
“>:( >:( >:(“
“Can we…” Teru started….
“What?”
Teru shuffled a bit closer to Akane. Akane, surprisingly, didn’t feel the need to back away or protest.
“I hope you know that this exorcist work is really hard for me…” Teru sighed. Akane could see how exhausted Teru was up close.
“It must be…” Akane said, subconsciously moving his hand to cup Teru’s cheek.
Teru closed his eyes and smiled, his hand coming to rest on top of Akane’s. “I’m glad you understand.”
Akane blushed profusely and almost withdrew his hand back but didn’t. Teru looked too peaceful- he looked like a Japanese crown prince with his already handsome face and the moonlight gracing his features. Akane didn’t want to ruin this peace they had.
Should Akane move closer to Teru, maybe even embrace each other? It was certainly hard to come to a decision…
Good thing Akane didn’t have to make this decision by himself, however. Teru already pulled him in. Teru’s embrace was warm, like the sun. Like barley tea. Like the light filtering through windows in the student council room after school. When the sun was slightly set so the sky blue was darker than usual, very different and strangely melancholic than the sky at an absolute noon. How much time has passed since Teru first looked at that same light hitting Akane’s auburn hair and freckles and fell in love?
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“I hope you enjoyed your stay here. Akane-kun can be a mean thing, but he was a good host, right Minamoto-kun?” Akane’s mom said at the time of Teru’s dismissal.
“Don’t worry, Akane-kun took good care of me.” Teru smiled at Akane.
“Of course I’m a good host, with the amount of times Ao-chan has been at our house.” Akane scoffed, crossing his arms.
“Bye, Minamoto-kun. Come back soon, okay? Our home is your home too, alright?” Akane’s mom put a hand on Teru’s back.
“Thank you, Aoi-san. Bye, Akane.”
Akane’s mom closed the door shortly after Teru’s leaving. “Ah, what a handsome boy he is, isn’t he?” Akane’s mom looked at her son knowingly.
“Well of course. He’s the star student of Kamome Academy after all…”
“Uh huh.”
“Mom, why are you looking at me like that…?”
“You still haven't explained the bathtub incident from yesterday.”
Akane looked slightly alarmed at that. “T-that was nothing! He just got hurt from something yesterday and he was… you know, pretty dirty. So he took a bath.”
“Why were you in the bathroom with him though-”
Akane looked at his mom with a deadpanned expression, obviously getting tired of his mom’s relentless questioning.
“Alright, alright. But what about Aoi-chan?”
“Mom…”