Chapter Text
It was a really nice Monday, which was kinda weird because Mondays were never really pleasant. It was sunny, but not too hot, just nice. And with three members of the student council in the group, they weren’t gonna miss the chance to have a little “picnic” on the rooftop, a place that usually was off-limits because it was considered too dangerous for students to hang around.
After swiping a few blankets (also from the student council) to lay on the ground and keep their uniforms clean, the ones who brought their own lunch or convinced someone else to grab something for them went up right away, while the rest split between the cafeteria and the school convenience store to get their food.
So Otoya, Yukimiya, Hiori, Nagi, and Sae were having their usual casual chat while waiting for Karasu, Reo, and Shidou to come back with the rest of the food.
The guy with white hair and the green streak wasn’t really paying attention to the conversation. He was lying on the blanket with his eyes closed, enjoying the gentle warmth of the sun, until a question aimed at him caught his attention, making him open his eyes and look in the direction of the person who had just spoken.
— So you finally went out and got dumped by every non-lesbian girl in the school? — Sae asked, already knowing the answer. He’d been friends with Otoya for three years, so he was used to his friend’s weird ways with women.
— Huh? Wait, all of them? I didn’t even know, I wasn’t keeping track — Otoya replied, mildly surprised by his own achievement.
— You really hooked up with almost every girl in the school and couldn’t stay faithful to any of them? — Yukimiya asked this time. Unlike the redhead, he still wasn’t quite used to how casual Otoya was about relationships.
— I don’t really know why I do it. I just get bored of them, and instead of breaking up with them, I let them figure it out for themselves that I’ve already moved on to the next one — the white-haired guy said indifferently. That’s just how he’d always been, and he didn’t see any reason to change.
— And you never felt… I don’t know, bad for them? — the guy with glasses asked again.
Otoya paused for a second, closing his eyes while he thought about his answer, letting out a small hmm.
— Nah, not really — he answered in the same tone as before.
— Damn, maybe you just don’t like girls — Nagi said out of nowhere, still looking at his phone while playing some shooting game. Hiori, who hadn’t said anything about the topic until now, let out a little laugh.
Before Otoya could say anything back, the rooftop door opened again, and the other three came in with the rest of the lunches.
Shidou basically jumped to sit next to Sae as soon as he walked in, and Reo didn’t waste any time taking his usual spot next to Nagi.
— Ya owe me lunch — Karasu said, grinning as he sat next to his best friend, handing him some onigiris from the convenience store and a bottle of iced tea.
— Ugh, I don’t have any money right now. How about I pay you with a kiss? — Otoya said, joking around casually.
Ah, bromance. It used to be pretty normal between guy groups, but these two idiots took it to the next level. Karasu was about to respond in the same playful way, but was interrupted by someone else’s voice.
— Ya didn’t just say that after we talk ‘bout that — Hiori said, looking at him with a little smile on his lips.
— What were you talking about? Were you guys having fun without us? You’re breaking my heart, pretty boy — Shidou said, looking at the redhead. But it wasn’t him who answered, it was Nagi instead.
— Otoya already tried with all the girls in the school. Now I guess it’s time for him to try with the guys — the albino guy said, still focused on his game, making the rest of the group laugh.
— Huh? Ya really gonna try with guys, ninja? — Karasu asked, still chuckling a little.
— In your dreams, crow —Otoya replied childishly, sticking his tongue out.
— What a shame — Karasu replied, looking him straight in the eyes.
After that, the conversation flowed normally in the group, talking about their upcoming exams, how tough the training was getting, some rumors going around the school, and other stuff. Otoya didn’t seem to be paying much attention again, though he chimed in whenever someone asked for his opinion.
No one could have guessed what was really going on in the mind of the green-eyed guy at that moment. Even he was surprised by it, but that last exchange with his best friend left him thinking. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary for them—they’d flirted way more openly before—but there was something in Karasu’s eyes this time that he just couldn’t explain.
When the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch, everyone headed down from the rooftop. After returning the blankets to the student council room, they all went back to their classrooms.
Classes after lunch were always the hardest for Otoya. He seemed even sleepier than in the morning classes, and sitting at the back, far from the teacher’s sight, he knew he could sneak in a little nap. A quick nap doesn’t hurt anyone, right? He’d just get Karasu’s notes later.
…
The next thing the white-haired guy felt was a slight nudge on his shoulder and a familiar voice calling his name.
— … Eita, Eita, class is over. Ego’s gonna kill us if we’re late ta practice, — It was Karasu, of course. He was the only one in the group who called him that, just sometimes.
Otoya slowly opened his eyes, looking at his best friend for a few seconds before burying his face back in his arms. He was still sleepy.
— Ain’t as nice as Reo ta carry ya piggyback ta the field. Get up before I leave ya here — Karasu said, laughing softly, making the sleepy guy groan quietly before finally getting up from his desk.
The green-eyed guy started throwing his stuff into his bag in a very messy way, not really caring. Before putting his phone into one of his pockets, he stopped to check the time. Twenty minutes had passed since the class ended.
— You really let me sleep twenty more minutes, Tabito? I think this is the most subtle way anyone’s shown me love.
— Idiot — Karasu laughed again.
— Aren’t we twenty minutes late for practice? — Otoya asked, confused, as they both started heading out of the classroom.
— It got delayed by half an hour. Ya’d know that if ya weren’t snoozin’ through the whole class.
— Well... I guess I can’t argue with that.
They didn’t take long to get to the locker rooms, quickly changing into their sports uniforms and heading to the field with the rest of the club, just in time.
The practice went on as usual, as normal as it could be with Ego being the coach. But after three years in the club, Otoya was pretty used to his eccentric teaching style.
Afterward, they quickly went to the showers to change back into their school uniforms so they wouldn’t leave drenched in sweat.
Otoya and Karasu spent a lot of time together. They shared classes, friends, and even neighborhoods. All that had definitely helped make their friendship stronger since their first year of high school.
Now they were walking home together, slightly exhausted, like every afternoon after practice.
— Whatcha gonna do now? — the blue-eyed guy asked suddenly.
— What do you mean? — Otoya asked, looking confused.
— Ya already date every girl in the school. What's next?
— Oh, that? I dunno, maybe girls from other schools, I guess — Otoya answered casually.
The conversation paused for a moment as they passed through a park, the sound of kids running and playing distracting them a little.
— How ‘bout a lil experiment? — Karasu said, looking at him with his usual grin.
Otoya stopped and looked at his best friend with a confused expression. Karasu stopped in front of him.
— Get to the point, crow. I wanna go home.
— Date a guy for a month. If it ends the same way as with the girls and you cheat, yer the problem. If not, then the girls were always the problem. — Out of all the things Karasu could’ve said, that wasn’t one of them, but Otoya knew him well enough to know he wasn’t joking.
— Huh? And what do I get out of it? — Otoya asked, still confused.
— What d’ya want?
— A week of lunch — he replied without thinking too much.
— A week of lunch it is.
Otoya stared at him incredulously for a few seconds. He was straight, pretty sure of it—if he weren’t, he wouldn’t have gone out with so many girls over the years. Maybe he’d cheated on all of them, but he definitely liked them, at least a little. He’d never felt that way about any guy. He sighed.
— Who would I even date, though? — A week of free lunch, and he could practically end the experiment at any time if he hooked up with a girl during the relationship. It didn’t sound too bad.
— Me, obviously — Karasu said casually, flashing his damn smirk. — So, ya in or nah?