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No one exactly knew how their rivalry really started. There were a bunch of different claims on the origins of their unconventional relationship. MV Prefecture Senior High School students liked to talk amongst themselves about how it came to be. Chi, a third year and a close friend of Moca’s, claimed Bobo started it, that Moca only retaliated after Bobo “purposefully” slammed the classroom door on his fingers and responded with a shrug and smirk after being confronted. Draper, another third year student, said Moca was the one to provoke Bobo first after leaving a passive-aggressive note in his getabako. So, really, there wasn’t much evidence on either of them, and it wasn’t like the two were going to admit anything (nothing truthful, at least).
It was a rainy Wednesday, and students were just flowing into the building with their wet umbrellas and shoes. The sounds of squeaky shoes filled the entrance as students began to change out their outdoor shoes for their inside ones. Moca was one of them, shaking his umbrella at the open entrance and putting it with the rest of the growing pile.
Contrary to popular belief, Moca liked the rain. He wasn’t sure where the odd (and ultimately harmless) rumor came from, or how it even made sense, but he had a suspicion it was Bobo’s fault. It always was.
Moca slipped on his indoor shoes and went into the hallway, just in time to see Chi and Tsuki talking to each other outside their classroom.
“Hey, Moca,” Tsuki said, his eyes lighting up at the sight of him. Chi turned her head.
“Moca!” Chi said, smiling. Although, he could see the smirk beginning to form. “Thought we’d never see you again after yesterday.”
Moca sighed, groaning dramatically into his hands. He didn’t need to be reminded.
Just the other day, Moca had been minding his own business during their lunch time, talking with Chi and Tsuki while shoveling cabbage in his mouth. It was an abnormally relaxed day; he and Chi managed to have a civil conversation, and Tsuki wasn't busy like he normally was. It had been a while since they've all had a complete lunch together, so it was nice getting back into it. He should have never let his guard down.
Just as he was about to reach for another cabbage-wrapped piece of fish, his lunch was suddenly launched onto the ground, the metal container clanging on the ground. His piece of fish laid on the classroom floor while the rest of his meal scattered. And, while his food was mostly safely guarded inside plastic containers, he whipped his head around angrily to get a good look at the perpetrator.
His eyes met with mocking brown ones, and he immediately knew who did it before his brain could perceive the likes of him. Bobo.
"What the heck?” Chi said, glaring at Bobo. She was notorious for teasing Moca, starting back in primary school, but she wasn't one to let one of her friends get poked at. "What was that for?”
Bobo shrugged, his scowl never leaving his face. "That's for Friday, Moca."
Moca growled. He knew what had happened on Friday. It was his doing after all.
Last Friday, Moca had taken Bobo’s shoes from his getabako and hid them in one of the closets, leaving Bobo with just his outside shoes. He had gotten a scolding from both their homeroom teacher and the class president.
Not that it was atypical behavior between the both of them; they were both known for getting each other in trouble. Teachers have tried multiple seating arrangements to get the two away from each other, but it never seemed to work. Changing classes seemed like a bit much, but Moca was sure that the principal was close to it.
Although, after a long talk with Mori, Moca was trying to engage less. Besides, his grandmother was old, and she didn’t deserve to go to the school just to be told that her grandson was fooling around again. He ultimately decided that he was going to put off fighting with Bobo to let Mori have some rest. Her old bones weren’t made for constant commuting.
Moca felt an unkept rage bubble inside him, threatening to escape through his mouth and form into a shouting match, but decided against it. Instead, he sighed, his scowl smoothing into a tightly pressed line.
“Right. Sorry about that,” Moca said, making a point to keep his eyes looking dead. He could see Chi and Tsuki whip their heads to stare at him in his peripheral vision. Unlike Tsuki, who had the decency to close his jaw, Chi’s mouth was agape like a codfish.
Bobo’s eyes widened before his face quickly formed into an angry frown. “Don’t pull that sort of crap.”
“What crap?” Moca said, still suppressing the urge to bite back. He didn’t look to see what Bobo’s expression was, crouching down to pick up his lunch containers. The fish was still intact, thankfully, because he didn’t know what he would do if he found out his lunch was ruined. “Don’t you have somewhere to be?”
Looking up, Moca was surprised to see the expression plastered on Bobo’s face. It wasn’t the familiar annoyed and irritated face that he was used to, but unreadable and conflicted. He didn’t say anything, though, and went back to eating his lunch with his confused friends.
Bobo stared at Moca for a second longer before huffing and leaving the classroom to go do whatever he does during the lunch period. From now on, Moca thought, Bobo should be turned off enough to leave him alone and bother somebody else.
It was for the best after all. Everyone benefits; Moca and Bobo would be able to have a peaceful school year, their classmates could finally stop being caught in their crossfire, and Chi and Tsuki would get to hang out with Moca more without the threat of more interruptions.
At least, that’s what he thought was going to happen.
It seemed like, as weeks passed by since Moca’s cold shoulder, Bobo was trying to get on his nerves more and more. From being shoved in the hallways to finding his things being tampered with, Bobo was apparently keen on bothering him more often.
Moca dragged his hands over his face, Chi and Tsuki listening to his new story about how Bobo managed to get him again.
“You know, I’m starting to think he actually cares about your rivalry,” Chi said, not bothering to look up as she dug her finger into her ear. “This guy is persistent, I’ll give him that.”
“A little too persistent," Tsuki said, his face scrunched. “I don’t know. He’s been acting way too aggressive lately for someone who should be happy that you’re leaving him alone.”
“Yeahh, he enjoys your presence a little too much,” Chi said, suppressing a laugh.
Moca groaned. “You’re right. I should’ve just punched him in the face.”
Chi laughed while Tsuki made a face at the idea.
“Maybe he’s doing it because he knows you won’t fight back!” Tsuki said suddenly, almost jumping out of his seat at the revelation.
“You have a point,” Chi said, fiddling with the straw of her juicebox. Moca winced at the implication that Bobo may continue with this for the rest of their school year. “Maybe he misses you.”
“Miss me? What in the world would he miss me for? I’m sure that if I disappeared, he would be jumping for joy or something,” Moca said.
“I don’t know!” Chi threw her hands up in exasperation. “He might be one of those guys who like to pull pigtails.”
“Pull… pigtails?”
“Yeah! You know, like teasing the girls he likes. Maybe he has a crush on you!”
Tsuki and Moca grimaced in unison, their noses scrunching up and mouths forming a tight line.
“That sounds-”
“Horrifying!” Moca exclaimed, holding his head in his hands in mock terror. “In what world would Bobo like me, let alone want to date me?”
Tsuki nodded in agreement. “Yeah… I don’t think Bobo’s the type to do that anyway.”
“He hates me, but treats everyone else decently. Besides, I doubt that he’s even into guys. Have you seen him with Hana? Kimori? They’re basically smitten with him.”
“I guess…” Chi said, leaning back in her chair in surrender.
Moca closed his finished bento and stuffed it into his school bag. “I’m sure that Bobo will back off in a few days. He’ll realize that I'm not fooling him and finally leave me alone.”
That was not the case.
Someone must have hired Bobo to torment him for the rest of the school year because his classmate was beginning to get unbearable. Purposefully bumping into him in the hallways, taking his shoes, stealing his supplies. Just being an overall inconvenience and a massive pain in the ass.
The next week became almost a psychological warzone for Moca. He found him constantly alert of people’s presences and who was too close to him in the hallways. He feels hyperaware of his belongings all of a sudden and keeping his eyes off his things feels like a risk not worth taking. His newfound anxiety does not go unnoticed.
“Maybe you should tell Hashimoto-sensei,” Tsuki said.
“I don’t want to worry Mori anymore than I already do,” Moca said. “I’m sure this is just a temporary thing, anyway. Just wait.”
“That’s what you said last week, dude,” Chi said. She wasn’t teasing him anymore, which could only mean that she was serious. “He’s basically harassing you.”
“I would know if someone was harassing me, guys. I’ve done the same things to Bobo in the past and you guys never said anything, so why are you two so concerned now?”
Tsuki stared at him blankly. “We did tell you.”
Chi shook her head in disbelief. Moca inwardly winced but persisted.
“That’s… besides the point. The point is that I’m not being harassed. Just leave it be. It’s not that big of a deal.”
“We’re just saying, Moca. You haven't been acting normal lately. We’re worried about you, man,” Chi said, her expression dim.
Moca’s expression softened. “...Right. Thanks. I know you guys care, but you don’t need to worry. I have this under control.”
Chi and Tsuki looked at each other with expressions that said that they did not have any trust in his words, but accepted nonetheless.
It was now Thursday and Bobo hadn’t stopped his shenanigans. He’s toned down, yes, but still persistent.
Moca slipped off his outside shoes to his inside ones before walking down the hallway. Typically, he would be more paranoid of bumping into Bobo this early in the morning. But he hadn’t heard any sign of him (the guy was quite loud). The coast was clear.
Moca walked past a few of the classrooms, past the bathrooms, and past the nurse’s office, almost reaching his classroom when he saw a small closet open.
Inside was a broom, bucket, and a few other miscellaneous cleaning supplies. It wasn’t out of the blue, really. Just odd to see the door open. Was someone cleaning up a mess? This early in the morning, too?
Moca didn’t have any more time to ponder when he felt himself get shoved, practically bodyslammed, into the closet. He felt the wind get knocked out of him and he gripped his chest in order to catch his breath. His eyes were squeezed shut in pain as he coughed, making him unable to immediately see the culprit. Not that he needed to.
“Are you kidding me… Bobo?” Moca asked, his eyes still squeezed shut. He slid down onto the closet floor and leaned on the wall to recover.
There wasn’t an immediate answer, so Moca blinked one eye open to see what was happening. Not that he was able to see anything because it was almost pitch dark. The closet was closed.
‘No way…’ Moca thought to himself. Was the door locked? Moca forced himself to not panic and reached for the door handle when he felt himself fall into someone. “What-”
“Watch it,” a voice hissed. Moca could recognize it from anywhere.
“Bobo?!” Moca whispered. “What the hell are you doing, dumbass?!”
“Just- ugh.” Bobo wiggled the door handle, which Moca could vaguely see through the dark as his eyes began to adjust. The handle jiggled, but the door didn’t open.
“It’s locked.”
“Come on. This isn’t funny,” Moca said seriously. He was already over this whole ordeal and just wanted to go to class. Plus, the closet was starting to feel a little tight, even if they were able to move comfortably as two people.
“I’m not joking. It’s seriously locked,” Bobo said, the usual mocking inflection in his voice gone and replaced with something more sincere. “Try it yourself."
Moca resisted groaning as he stood up from where he was crouching on the ground and jiggled the door handle. Nothing. It really was locked.
“You’re kidding.” Moca didn’t try to stop the groan that escaped his throat this time and buried his head into his hands. “This is all your fucking fault. How did you even manage this?”
“Oh, I’m so sorry that the busy hallway pushed me in with you. It’s not like I want to be stuck here with you of all people,” Bobo said defensively.
Moca sank back down onto the floor and curled up so that his forehead was resting on his knees. This had gotten out of hand. The rivalry had been funny and cathartic at first, but after backing out, it soon became slightly anxiety-inducing and truly just blown out of proportions.
The closet was suffocating; both space and noise wise.
Another little known fact about him; he was claustrophobic. Tsuki, Chi, and Mori were the only ones who knew about his fear of tight, enclosed spaces. If Moca was in this closet for any longer, Bobo would be added to the list. He did not need Bobo of all people to know about his claustrophobia. If anything, that guy would somehow find a way to use it against him.
Moca felt his head pound. The dark walls felt like they were closing in on themselves and Moca was ready to get out of there. Curling himself up into a ball, he took deep breaths. Inhale, exhale. Inhale exhale. Inhale-
“What’s wrong with you?” Bobo said. His voice was mocking, but his face said otherwise. His expression was filled with clear frustration, but there was an undertone of concern and slight alarm. Something that Moca was not used to being directed at him.
Moca didn’t immediately retort, which he would have done if not for an overbearing feeling engulfing him and his thoughts.
“Moca?” Bobo asked, his voice now stripped of its mocking tone and replaced with genuine worry. “‘You okay?”
Moca grunted in confirmation, despite the obvious evidence that he wasn’t. Bobo caught it, too apparently, because he looked at him with a mix of exasperation and disbelief.
“Look…” Bobo ran his fingers through his hair, looking away. Moca didn’t need to look up to know that Bobo’s ears were red in embarrassment. “I, uh, I’m sorry that I got us in this situation. And,” he paused. “For these past few weeks.”
Moca nodded slowly, not fully processing everything that his classmate said. The action finally fully tipped Bobo to realize that something wasn’t right.
“Moca..” Bobo started. He squinted through the dark to get a good look at Moca’s state. He was curled up into a ball, making him look smaller than he was. Moca was short compared to their other classmates, but his loud, aggressive personality made up for it. Moca never really seemed that small. But, at this moment, Bobo felt like just touching him would break him. He hated that.
“What do you need?” he finally said. It was quiet for a moment, but after a few seconds, Moca looked up from where he was ducked.
“I don’t need your help,” Moca said sternly, his eyes narrowing. Even in the dark, Bobo could clearly see the irritation on Moca’s face.
Bobo glared back. “Don’t act like you don’t need it. You’re shaking.”
Moca looked down at his hands and they were indeed shaking. He felt blood rush to his already warm cheeks. It was humiliating to not only be stuck with possibly the worst person in any scenario, but to also be consoled by him? He’d rather be absorbed into the ground.
Bobo let out a loud sigh before grabbing Moca’s hands and squeezing them in his own. The dark closet was quiet, the only sound being the almost silent breaths they were taking. Moca tried to pull away, but Bobo’s grip was too strong (which made sense for the baseball jock).
They sat there for what felt like hours, holding hands. Bobo had taken to massaging the lines on his hands, pressing down at pressure points and redirecting Moca’s fear to whatever in the living hell was going on.
If someone went up to Moca a few days ago to tell him that Bobo would be holding his hand in an effort to comfort him while locked in a dark closet, he would have grimaced and told them to screw off.
But with context in mind, Moca narrowly decided that it was a good idea to let him do so while they were both being civil. Besides, it actually was somewhat helping.
The feeling of Bobo’s large hands in his, how his calluses felt against his skin. He was slowly getting addicted to his touch, how even if they’ve been at this for a few minutes already, sparks and tingles still rushed through his veins.
Moca wasn’t used to such intimacy; he barely hugged his friends and was only used to the gentle, subtle touches from Mori. He never thought himself to be a touchy, touch-starved person. He was known for being reserved and snappy, someone who you couldn’t warm up to easily. It became a part of his reputation, and he didn’t do anything to prove anybody wrong. Even Chi and Tsuki were hesitant with casual touching. It was nice that they were conscious and wanted him to be comfortable, but now that he was with Bobo, his brain and body seemed to change their minds.
Moca squeezed his eyes shut in hopes that his raging blush would go down, even if it was dark. He prayed that Bobo wouldn't be able to feel his drum of a heart beating loudly through his fingers.
Bobo caressed each of his fingers, pulling on them gently. It felt as if he was trying to pull his sanity out of his fingertips. It was working.
“You’re not shaking anymore,” Bobo said, looking down at his hand. They haven’t let go of each other. “Do you.. want to talk about it?”
Moca resisted the urge to ask if Bobo could continue his hand massage, opting to shake his head instead. No way was he going to talk about his problems with Bobo. Even if he could try and coax an answer out of him with his skillful hands, he wasn’t going to lay his heart out for the enemy.
“That’s alright,” Bobo said with an uncharacteristically gentle voice. “You, uh, don’t need to if you don’t want to.”
Moca hummed. He was still trying to get used to the enclosed space, craving a distraction more than anything. He silently wished that Bobo would put his hands back on his palm to take his mind off the cramped room.
“You’re still distant,” Bobo said to no one in particular, merely making an observation.
Moca watched as Bobo lifted his hand again, and for a second he thought that the hand caressing would continue (not that he would've minded). But his hand merely grazed his for a moment before going to his jaw.
If Moca had any more energy, he would’ve snapped, but he didn’t. Instead, his mouth slightly dropped open in surprise.
The weight of Bobo’s stare began to weigh down on him, and the air felt like it was getting heavier. Moca swallowed, trying to avoid eye contact but failing.
Bobo thumbed over his bottom lip, barely shivering when he felt Moca’s breath on his fingertips.
He toyed with his lip a little longer before moving onto his cheek, smoothing it out. Moca felt like putty in his hands, reveling in the new touches and using the rest of his sanity to keep himself from saying anything.
Moca shivered when Bobo’s gaze landed on his lips, practically boring a hole in them with how hard he was staring.
“Take a picture. It’ll last longer,” Moca said sarcastically, internally cursing himself for ruining the comfortable silence that had formed around them.
But Bobo only rolled his eyes and, honest to God, smirked.
The closet was silent once again before Bobo’s voice cut through.
“May I?”
Moca’s breath hitched. Shit. Shit.
“Yeah.”
Moca wasn’t a romantic by any means. That was Chi’s thing. But Moca had his share of romance knowledge that he learned from the internet and whatnot.
Kissing Bobo did not feel like fireworks, like Mori’s B-grade romance books described. Instead, it felt like rain. Like rain pattering on a steel roof at night, being the only thing to drift him to sleep. It was comforting, like the solution that he didn’t know he needed. It was warm and soothing, just like a rainy summer evening.
He couldn’t find it in himself to hate it. No matter where he turned to, Moca found himself on the path that led back to this.
This. This was exhilarating. Like a lightning storm amidst thunder.
Moca chased it. He chased the addicting warmth of Bobo’s mouth. He wasn’t an experienced kisser. In fact, this was his first kiss.
(In the back of his mind, he was screaming that Bobo of all people was his first kiss. Screaming not out of rage, like he thought it would be, but out of being emotionally overwhelmed.)
Their teeth clashed, and their mouths weren’t very coordinated. They fumbled against each other’s bodies, fighting to take the lead. Moca was a weakling, though, and Bobo’s strength easily overpowered him.
Suddenly Moca was on his back and Bobo was towering over him, panting like a starved man who just ate a feast. He moved to Moca’s exposed collarbone (due to his disheveled uniform) and kissed it.
Moca had guessed he would be a biter, but that could be further from the truth. Bobo was a gentle kisser, kissing a spot before licking softly, looking up at him to make sure he wasn’t hurting. Actions that Moca would’ve never guessed to come out of his resident bother.
Bobo moved so that his arm was supporting Moca’s head. Moca thought it was incredibly considerate, and subtly nuzzled the back of his head into Bobo’s arm in appreciation. The action didn’t go unnoticed, because Moca felt the way Bobo’s mouth paused on his shoulder and formed into a small smile.
Moca lifted his arm to make Bobo face him and touched their foreheads together, listening to their breathing as they came down from the high.
As if on que, there was a loud knock on the closet door. Both of them flinched at the noise, and Moca, out of instinct, gripped Bobo’s arm like a lifeline. Bobo quietly hissed, but didn’t say anything.
“Lin-san? Andou-san? Are you in there?” they heard their homeroom teacher call out from outside.
Bobo stumbled as he hastily sat up. “Ah- Yes, Hashimoto-sensei!”
“Oh, thank goodness…” Hashimoto-sensei said with obvious relief.
One of the teachers was able to unlock the door from the outside and the two of them got a long scolding from both their teacher and the principal. Bobo would have to have his parents come in to discuss the situation, but thankfully, since Moca had no part in the incident, Mori didn’t have to be called.
Hashimoto-sensei looked between the two of them suspiciously, observing how his students stared down at the ground in shame. Their uniforms were messy, no doubt from fighting inside the closet for such a long duration of time.
But what he really wanted to know was how no one heard either of them. The two of them were incredibly loud students. Even if Moca was cold to many of his peers and didn’t open up easily, he was still a loud-mouthed teen. And if Moca was loud, Bobo was a megaphone. His inside voice could be equated to fireworks. The two of them together was like lighting dynamite next to gasoline.
So how could those two have gotten away with being together for over an hour?
Hashimoto stared at the two for a moment longer before noticing the way Moca looked at Bobo while principal Yori scolded him. His eyes slightly widened as he took in the sight of Moca looking at Bobo with an almost endearing expression.
Now it made sense. Their red cheeks, messy clothing, quiet voices, and barely noticeable touches.
Hashimoto softly smiled before leaving the teacher’s office to head back to his class. He had a feeling that his class would be a tad bit quieter for the rest of the year.