Work Text:
Blue Lock Academy for Sports and Performing Arts.
Dorm #309.
"So you're straight."
"Mhm."
"Absolutely, totally sure?"
"Mhm."
"But you feel romantic attraction towards a certain guy you won't tell me the name of."
"Mhm."
"Then you're not straight!"
"What?"
"I swear to God, Eita fucking Otoya, you are wearing down my patience." Yukimiya groaned as he slumped back on his chair, a trait rarely seen when it came to the brunette. "Are you mad at me, Yukki?" He shot Otoya an annoyed glare before sitting straight again.
"You're denying your clear homosexuality for this guy and it's driving me mad! Does that answer your question?"
"But I've only ever liked and dated girls." Otoya mumbled, looking down at the floor.
"That doesn't make a difference, you know."
"Maybe if he were a hot chick instead of a hot dude, I would-"
"Don't. Even start. Do you like him or not?"
"Yeah."
"Then you're gay for him. No buts, ands, or what-ifs."
"But-"
"No buts, ands, or what-ifs." Otoya just shut up. Yukimiya really was scary when he was serious and mad at him. No buts, ands, or what-ifs. He would keep that in mind.
"I'm back!" the voice of their energetic roommate, Bachira, rang through the dorm.
"Bachira! It's Karasu's turn to cook tonight, have you seen him?" Yukimiya asked, peeking out from the room he was in with Otoya to greet their roommate. "Nope! He's probably with Hiori. You know those two."
Yukimiya heard a crash behind him, the source being Otoya falling off the bed. Huh. His train of thought was interrupted by a harsh knock at the door, followed by a signature "Can ya open the door, dunces?".
"Coming, Karasu!" Bachira exclaimed, rushing to the door as Otoya used Yukimiya's leg to pull himself up and off the ground (Yukimiya losing balance in the process and both of them ending up on the floor, with a small apologetic chuckle coming from Otoya).
a few minutes before.
"Are ya sure he's straight?"
"If I told ya what makes him straight, you'd know exactly who it is."
Hiori nodded slowly as he turned away from the distressed crow boy.
"Ya know, the worst he can say is no."
"No? The worst?!”
Hearing a soft chuckle, Karasu turned to glare at the cyan-haired boy. "What's so funny?"
"Nothin'." Hiori giggled. "It's just rare to see ya this bothered."
"I'm dumping yer sorry ass in the river next time we go outside of campus."
As Hiori's laughs died down, he spoke again. "Ya could always ask Otoya or Yukimiya."
" No. They'd never let me live if I did!"
"Is that why ya always spend yer time leeching around in my dorm? Yer lucky Chigiri, Kunigami, and Isagi don't mind. If it were someone like Barou or Rin, they'd bite real quick, ya know."
"I know."
Glancing to a clock on the wall, Karasu sighed. "Well, I gotta go. Thanks fer listenin' to this noisy crow."
"No problem. You're the only thing exciting in my life right now. Good luck with your straight boy!" Hiori said as Karasu walked out of the dorms. "... he's totally talking about Otoya."
“Who’s talking about Otoya?” Hiori jumped slightly as Chigiri came up behind him, followed by Kunigami. “Was it Karasu? We passed him on the way here.”
“Well…” Hiori let out a nervous chuckle. “Nothin’ you should know. Yer quite nosy, ya know?”
“It’s normal for us to assume that, but I guess you’re right. Come on, Hyoma, we should get changed first.” Kunigami sighed, dragging Chigiri to their room as the latter kept a questioning gaze fixed onto Hiori.
“You can’t hide the truth from meeeeee!” Chigiri’s voice faded as Kunigami successfully dragged him in their room and closed the door.
“Gosh… Tabito’s in a real big mess, ain’t he?”
“What’s Karasu in now?” Hiori tensed up again as Isagi entered the dorm. “Nothin’. I should stop thinkin’ out loud.”
Eita Otoya knew he was screwed ever since that day. He hadn’t noticed the raven-haired boy at all until auditions for the band happened. A single pluck of a guitar string. A lousy (yet attractive, he admitted) accent and a pretty face. He was hooked.
He didn’t exactly know why, but his mind began to search for him every day on campus. Looking for any reminder of the face he saw. And maybe when he could find him alone, he’d ask for his name. Drop a pick-up line. Get his number. Be his friend. Buy him a snack.
He’d never been such a loser, and for a boy too, but there was something about him that just… clicked with the green haired boy. Color him surprised when he gets assigned a room with him. And he finally learns his name. Tabito Karasu.
The name itself rolled pleasantly off the tongue. Pair that with a lethal face card, a great personality, and a drop-dead smirk, and he’d basically taken Otoya’s title of “womanizer” and made it his without even knowing it. And it wasn’t even limited to women (but Otoya was not gonna dwell on that cause in his book, being gay is weird as hell).
He didn’t know how to describe it. He didn’t know how to deal with it. So he started treating Karasu like he would treat a girl. The only difference was that this was a guy. So his witty remarks, flirtatious demeanor, and touches were all just brushed off as part of his personality.
It kind of pissed him off.
He wanted more of a reaction than just a simple “Yer being dumb again.” or a light chuckle as he got pulled off the other. He wanted… what did he want? To get the same response as a lovestruck chick? That’s stupid.
In short, Otoya was lost.
"Are ya gonna keep goofin' around or take this seriously?" Karasu snapped as Otoya plucked the electric guitar's strings absentmindedly. "Sorry. Got a lot on my mind." Otoya mumbled in response, putting the instrument down.
"Didn't know ya had a mind." Karasu chuckled as Otoya blushed in embarrassment and began punching the other lightly. "Shut up!" They toppled off their chairs and began grabbing each other to get on top of the other. Their laughs filled the empty Music Room 3, as they rolled around on the floor, dirt getting on their clothes as Otoya struggled and finally pinned Karasu down.
“Gotcha.” he snickered, but Karasu just smirked and grabbed Otoya’s hips, flipping the tables on the boy. “Well, that’s funny, ain’t it? Gotcha.” he whispered in the same condescending tone the other had used on him just a few seconds ago.
None of them said anything as muffled pants echoed through the room. "Well, you got me." Otoya resigned, attempting to scooch away from the other boy's grip. He made the fatal mistake of looking up and locked eyes with him, green and blue orbs meeting.
Suddenly, nothing in the world mattered. Karasu's eyes drifted down to Otoya's lips. Both of them weren't even breathing.
Their faces were so close-
A loud slam of the door made them turn around to Nanase being pinned to the wall by Rin. Both of them blushed profusely, immediately grabbing each other's hands and scrambling out, leaving Karasu and Otoya on the floor, reminding themselves they had to breathe as they let out a deep sigh. Otoya didn’t know why he was so disappointed inside.
Damn.
"Does Sae know his brother is gay?" Otoya blurted out in the suffocating silence, cursing fate that they were interrupted.
Karasu didn't say anything, just stood up and didn't face him. "...Can we forget this happened?"
"Huh? What do you mean, Tabi-" Otoya started, but he was quickly cut off. "I'm sorry if I weirded ya out. We oughta clean up."
No. No. "Hey, wait!" Otoya exclaimed, reaching out to grab the other's arm but he was shuffling around the room, fumbling to return the instruments. "You really have nothing to say? Like- nothing at all?”
He didn't even know why he was pushing it. He wanted answers. Otoya wasn’t dumb. And if he had the slightest bit of stupid hope of clinging onto a delusion then he would take it.
"What is there to say, Eita?" Karasu said firmly. Otoya froze. That was the first time Karasu had called him by name. He had always insisted he call him that but he didn't want the first time to be like this.
As Otoya was left speechless, Karasu turned around again as he pulled a cloth over the drums. "Exactly, ya moron." Finally, he gingerly picked up Otoya's electric guitar and placed it in the case, handing it to him, still not facing him. Why?
He couldn’t tell what the other boy was thinking. Otoya had never been as good at reading people as Karasu had. That was one of the things that made him so goddamn attractive , for fuck's sake.
"Wait." Otoya's voice came out small. Timid, even. "I…"
"You…?" Karasu questioned.
What was he doing?! His brain and body were going on autopilot. Whether it was from the moment they just shared, or the will to seek answers, or even just pure delusion running him, he blurted out the words.
"I like you."
It was like time froze. Otoya was shaking internally, but physically he was unshakeable, looking Karasu in the eye.
"Is this another one of yer jokes?" Karasu replied, eyes brimming with amusement like he didn't just hear a love confession. Like it was a joke.
Smirk plastered, confident stride, intuitive eyes. The usual Karasu was back. And Otoya played along.
Otoya chuckled nervously, the sound nearly catching in his throat. He felt sick. "Yeah… you got me! You know I'm into girls."
"I thought so, c'mon, ya dummy. It's Yukki's turn to cook dinner tonight." Karasu chuckled, walking out of the room. "Ya comin'?"
"Yup, in a minute." Otoya couldn't breathe. He was drowning. Why? Why him? Those were his thoughts. But Otoya couldn't stop his hands from shaking or stop his heart from beating so fast. He had gotten outright rejected. And Karasu thought it was a joke.
He never hated jokes more in his life. Guys really can’t love other guys properly, can’t they?
“You know, you haven’t been well since you came back from practicing with Karasu.”
Otoya just shrugged at Yukimiya’s remark, writing down some notes. “Is it that obvious?” he mumbled. Yukimiya’s eyes narrowed. “Look, you can tell me, or not, but I’ve never failed to worm the truth out, so you can tell me now.” he stated, eyeing Otoya carefully as he waited for a response.
The silence persisted for a bit until Otoya finally moved his chair next to Yukimiya’s bed and sighed. “I confessed to Karasu.” Yukimiya’s eyes widened. He didn’t think that was what had happened. “So it was him you liked.” Otoya gave Yukimiya a sharp glare, but he ignored it. “And what happened next? What did he say?” he continued as Otoya’s glare fizzled into something more soft and vulnerable.
“He asked me if I was joking again and brushed it off.”
Yukimiya, who had closed his eyes to listen to the boy, expecting a longer chat, immediately opened them again and turned to Otoya in shock. “He what.” Otoya laughed quietly, but it wasn’t his usual laugh filled with whimsy and joy. It was tainted with a hint of disdain.
“I’m going to kill that fucker.” Yukimiya gritted as he stood up and walked towards the door. “Yukki, just… don’t.” The brunette turned back, visibly upset for the boy. “Don’t? Are you sure?” Otoya just gestured for him to come back and sit down. “I don’t want this to affect our friendship. I told you before I’m just confused. Soon enough, another chick will pass and I won’t have to think of this again.” Otoya muttered, seeming unconfident of his words.
“‘Toya, has anyone ever told you that not everything is solved by overwriting it?” Yukimiya said sternly, sitting down next to him. “You’re sad. You’ve never been rejected. And you’ve only ever liked girls. Live in the moment. Even these kinds of firsts are things we can’t just forget.”
Otoya looked up at the model, who gave him a small smile. “Misunderstandings clear up, people fall in love, hearts get broken. But whatever happens, I’ll be here. As your roommate and as your friend.”
“Thanks, Yukki. I owe you one.”
Yo Hiori had never been more stressed in his life. He paced around his room, constantly glaring at Karasu before continuing. “So, uh. I fucked up.” Karasu spoke sheepishly. “Ya fucked up? Fucked up is an understatement! I thought you were good at readin’ people, ya stupid idiot crow!” Hiori smacked Karasu on the head a few times, messing his hair up before continuing his pacing.
“Hey! I spent a lot of time this mornin’-” Karasu complained but Hiori cut him off with another glare. “You have the right to remain silent until I can gather the words to express how badly I want to slam ya into the wall in hopes ya get a concussion and start makin’ the right decisions, but not directly.”
“Rude.” Karasu grunted as he tried to salvage his hair but it just ended up looking like a bird nest. “Yer annoyin’, ya know that?” Hiori muttered under his breath as he finally stopped pacing and stood in front of Karasu. For someone younger than him, the cyan boy was very serious in being Karasu’s matchmaker.
“Let me clear this up. So the person you were talking about, is, in fact Otoya, as I’ve been suspecting, and yesterday, he told you he liked you, and you panicked inside, asked him if it was a joke and he said yes but looked visibly uncomfortable while you were smirking like a goddamn idiot?!” Hiori exclaimed, catching the other boy off guard as he nodded slowly, afraid of what Hiori might do next.
After nodding, he got a pillow to the face as Hiori finally calmed down. “Okay, I’m fine. But your chances of ever getting with Otoya have dropped from 20% to 5% and there’s nothing I can do unless you clear it up yourself before he finds another girl to date.”
“And the time frame for that is…?” Karasu asked hesitantly. “Give or take, 2 days.” Hiori replied bluntly. “Good luck.” Karasu pursed his lips as Hiori looked at him as if he was saying “What are you gonna do now?” .
“I just… think Otoya’s out of my reach, ya know? He’s too good.” Hiori’s gaze softened. Here he went again. “I ain’t toleratin’ another chat about how ‘mediocre’ ya are. When is someone gonna beat the sense into you that yer worth it?”
Karasu clenched his teeth. He was about to stand up when Yukimiya barged in. “Hio, you gotta beat the shit out of Kara… oh, he’s here.” Hiori waved at him. “What did ya need, Yukimiya?”
“Just Karasu.” Yukimiya walked over and gave him a slap. Hiori gasped as Yukimiya stepped back and walked out. “That’s for Otoya.” Yukimiya spoke as Karasu sat stunned watching Yukimiya walk away, Hiori giggling. “Oh, you’re in trouble.”
Karasu didn’t even acknowledge him, just chased after Yukimiya who was heading back to their dorms. As he heard Karasu’s footsteps behind him, he turned around. “Bachira’s in choir. I’m heading to practice for our new stage play. If you don’t say what you want, I’m punching you next time.” he stated.
Karasu was taken aback. He immediately rushed to their dorms and closed the door behind him. He could hear music coming from the room Otoya and Yukimiya shared. Turning the knob and opening the door, he saw Otoya on his phone at their shared desk, looking up as he saw Karasu at the doorway.
“Karasu? What are you-” He didn’t get to finish his sentence before Karasu grabbed his arm and looked into his eyes. “I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for what? I don’t-”
“Did you mean what ya said yesterday? Answer me.”
Otoya tensed up as he pulled away his arm. “And what? What are you gonna say now?” Otoya whispered, avoiding his gaze. “Forget it. What did Yukimiya tell you?”
“I thought you were straight. Everyone does. That’s why I thought you were joking. ‘Toya, I dream of bein’ with ya. I still do.” Karasu voiced, catching Otoya off guard.
“...no jokes this time?”
“I promise. No jokes. Please…”
Otoya didn’t say anything, but he didn’t object as Karasu took his hand.
“I thought I was stupid for finding you attractive. I thought I was stupid for falling for a guy. I thought I had proven it all yesterday.”
Karasu’s heart was beating uncontrollably.
“Say you like me. Then I’ll believe you.”
“I like ya, Eita Otoya.” Karasu said, without a moment of hesitation.
“...again.”
“I like ya.”
“...you really do?”
“If ya feel the same, then I’m not takin’ it back.”
Otoya’s eyes were sparkling with life again as a small smile creeped its way onto his face.
“I like you too, Tabito Karasu.”