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It had not been a good day for Mondo Owada. He had woken up late (even later than he usually did), ran out of hairspray which forced him to tie his hair into a bun, and had forgotten to eat breakfast. Naturally, the combination of these factors meant he wasn’t in the best mood, but little did he know it was about to get a whole lot worse.
He groggily trudged into homeroom, slumping into his chair and resting his head on his desk, trying to sleep through class. He had heard the teacher announcing something, but wasn’t paying much attention since he was more focused on mentally drowning out the noise.
Suddenly, a paper was slammed down onto Mondo’s desk, startling him awake. He looked up to see his close friend, Leon Kuwata, with his own paper in his hands.
“Jesus fuckin’ christ, man! The fuck is yer problem?” Mondo hissed, agitated at the interruption of his nap.
“Dude, did you not hear anything the teacher said? About tutoring and stuff?” Leon questioned, trying to gauge if Mondo was even listening to their teacher. Mondo shrugged, picking up the paper Leon handed him and reading over it as his friend began ranting to him.
“You’re lucky I’m such a good friend and got your paper for you,” Leon taunted, his face switching from a shit-eating grin to an agitated expression. “This whole tutoring partner thing is total bullshit, man. Just because we’re failing doesn’t mean we need help from our classmates, especially if-“
“Wait, partners?” Mondo felt his stomach drop at the mention of having a classmate try to help him get his grade up.
The baseball star groaned dramatically, pointing at the paper. “Did you even read it, man? It says we have to be tutored by a randomly assigned partner until we get our grade up so we’re passing,” Leon explained, his eyes skimming over the page in his hand. “At least I got Chihiro, he’s pretty nice. Who’d you get?” the redhead asked, suddenly noticing Mondo had gone quiet as his grip on his paper tightened.
“Uh, Mondo? Hello? Why are-“
“I got fucking Ishimaru.” Mondo mumbled through gritted teeth, clearly aggravated by his assigned partner.
“Oh shit, the hall monitor?” Leon said, suddenly chuckling to himself as he took in the sight of Mondo’s visible anger. “Don’t you hate that guy?”
“Yeah, no shit. He’s a fuckin’ goody two shoes who’s always suckin’ up to the teachers and goes out his way to be a pain in my fuckin’ ass,” Mondo spoke, irritation laced in his tone as he stood up at the sound of the bell ringing.
Leon grabbed his bag, teasing Mondo a bit on his way out. “Good luck with that, man. Try not to get a referral! I doubt you’ll make it that far into the session before you do, though,” Leon said, walking away fast enough to where Mondo couldn’t smack him on the head.
Eventually, the last bell had rung, which usually meant Mondo could finally retreat to the comfort of his dorm, but now, meant it was time for his daily tutoring with Ishimaru. As he walked to the library with his disorganized backpack slung over his shoulder, he continued to think about the hall monitor, and more so, about how annoying he found the other boy.
He reached the library, and groaned when he saw the prefect sitting at a table with diagrams and worksheets organized for their tutoring session. He didn’t greet the shorter boy, simply sitting by him and slouching in his seat.
“Hello, Owada,” Kiyotaka muttered, still sorting a few things on the table.
Mondo scoffed, narrowing his eyes at both Kiyotaka and the neatly arranged setup. “Ya know ya don’t gotta try this hard for a fuckin’ tutorin’ session, right? Especially since it’s…y’know, me.”
This seemed to agitate Kiyotaka, whose brows furrowed as he turned to the biker. “Even if we do not enjoy being in each other's presence, I still strive for perfection when it comes to anything regarding education.”
Mondo sucked his teeth, rolling his eyes at the other boy as he ran a hand through his hair. “Whatever, man. Let’s just get this shit over with.”
Taka mumbled something about Mondo watching his language before presenting the first worksheet to Mondo. “Okay, what would you say you struggle most with in physics?”
Mondo blinked, realizing he had never actually thought about what made it so difficult for him. “Uh, I don’t really understand anythin’ about it,” Mondo admitted, embarrassment tinting his face a soft red.
Taka simply smiled and pulled a textbook out of his bag. “Well, we can just start with the basics, and then take small steps! Is that okay with you?” Kiyotaka asked, genuinely wanting to make sure Mondo was comfortable with the approach they’d take to helping the biker learn.
“Yeah, sounds good,” Mondo mumbled, glancing at the textbook nervously.
An hour and a half had passed, and the two boys had made solid progress in that time. Mondo understood the basics, and didn’t feel like he was listening to complete gibberish when Kiyotaka reiterated the basic concepts.
It was weird. Mondo didn’t know why, despite them hating each other's guts. Even worse, Mondo actually felt…appreciative? He had never been any good when it came to learning, but when it was Kiyotaka teaching him, he felt like he could actually grasp the material. Probably just some side effect of being the Ultimate Moral Compass, he figured.
Eventually, Mondo’s thoughts slipped past his mind and right out of his mouth. “Why are ya helping me?” the biker muttered, rubbing a calloused hand on the back of his neck.
This caught Kiyotaka’s attention, his red eyes darting up from the worksheet to the biker. “What do you mean?” he asked, curiosity evident in his expression.
“I mean, you coulda just been on yer phone the whole time, or just not shown up at all. The teachers don’t actually check the library, so…why? Ya hate me, don’t ya?” Mondo asked, genuinely puzzled.
“I do not hate you, Owada. I simply feel as if you could make better decisions regarding your education and morals,” Kiyotaka stated matter-of-factly as he began to pack up his belongings. “Other than that, you have many admirable traits.”
Now this really caught Mondo’s attention. He never even thought that the hall monitor of all people would find parts of him admirable. He decided he wanted more specifics, asking the smaller boy, “Whaddya find admirable ‘bout me?”
“For one, your confidence is rather inspiring, even if it can be a bit overwhelming to most,” the prefect explained, continuing to make little notes on Mondo’s now completed worksheet.
“What else?” Mondo asked, resting his head on his hand.
“Are you simply looking for an ego boost?” Kiyotaka asked, his tone becoming more serious.
“I don’t need a fuckin’ ego boost!” Mondo yelled, his voice raising in volume out of nervousness, a bad habit that had caused him to not have much luck when it came to romantic ventures.
The raise in volume made Kiyotaka flinch a bit, but the stern expression on his face remained unwavering as he remained unconvinced.
“I jus’ didn’t know that ya found me admirable. Like, at all…” Mondo muttered, lowering his voice as he realized other students in the library were staring. Kiyotaka hummed in acknowledgement, not knowing where to take the conversation from here.
“There’s some shit that I admire about you, ya know,” Mondo mumbled, fiddling with the hem of his sleeve as Kiyotaka perked up again.
“Really? I thought you hated me,” Kiyotaka said dryly, flipping through the textbook.
“Ya get in my fuckin’ nerves, and yer a major pain in my ass, but I don’t hate ya. Yer just way too stuck up. I also admire some things about ya,” the gang leader stated as he read the page that Kiyotaka had flipped to.
“You…you admire certain aspects of me?” Kiyotaka asked, seeming genuinely surprised that Mondo didn’t absolutely hate his guts.
“I mean, yer obviously a great student an’ shit, but ya also try to be helpful to everyone around ya. Hell, even to me,” Mondo said, his voice sincere despite his eyes avoiding contact with Kiyotaka’s fiery red ones.
Kiyotaka seemed taken aback, surprised at the admiration he had unknowingly received. “Well, it seems we both admire each other to an extent. This must be the longest we’ve spoken to each other without yelling,” Kiyotaka admitted sheepishly, fiddling with the pen in his hands.
After a pause of silence, spoke up, declaring, “Well, now that we know we do not hate each other, I say we call a truce! I feel as if it would be beneficial for us as both study partners and classmates!”
This elicited a deep chuckle out of Mondo, causing him to shrug and agree with the hall monitor. “Hey, as long as we’re not yellin’ at each other every damn second then I’m cool with it.”
Kiyotaka beamed, seeming pleased with himself for finding common ground with the delinquent. They continued their study session, eventually packing up and saying their goodbyes as the bell rang.
On his way back to his mess of a dorm, Mondo crossed paths with Leon which led to the redhead immediately questioning him about the study session.
“How’d tutoring go with the hall monitor? Did you guys get into another fight over nothing?” Leon asked, pressing for as many details as possible.
“It actually…wasn’t too bad. We’re on okay terms now, which is better than wantin’ to smack the shit outta each other every time we make eye contact,” Mondo spoke, his voice low and tired from the extensive studying he did. “And I’m actually startin’ to understand some shit about physics, thanks to ‘im. He’s actually not a bad teacher…”
“Ugh, what happened to you? One second you’re trying to punch him every time you get near him, and the next you’re gushing about how great of a tutor he is?” Leon lamented, rolling his eyes as he eventually parted ways with the biker to head to his own dorm.
The next day, Mondo headed to the library at the same time as yesterday for more tutoring, though he was dreading this session significantly less than the last one. He saw Kiyotaka sitting at the same table, with that same dorky setup he said would maximize Mondo’s ‘educational experience’.
“Sup, Ishimaru,” the biker greeted, sliding into his seat next to the prefect.
“Hello, Owada! Are you ready for another bout of pursuing your education?” the shorter boy asked, seemingly beaming at the idea of helping Mondo get his grades up, earning a chuckle out of the delinquent.
“What’s so funny?” he questioned, confused on why Mondo was grinning to himself.
“‘ts nothin’ man, yer just funny,” Mondo muttered, resting his head on his hand as he stared at Kiyotaka for a bit longer than he realized.
“So what are we doin’ today? I can already feel myself becomin’ a genius, so I’m tryin’ ta keep the ball rollin’, ya know?” Mondo said, trying to seem excited about physics to please the other boy.
Kiyotaka froze, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the pencil he was using to jot down notes.
“Don’t call me that,” he mumbled, seemingly holding back tears.
“What? Ya mean genius? I wasn’t bein’ sarcastic, ‘m just callin’ ya smart.” Mondo explained, his tone softening at the sight of the hall monitor upset.
“I appreciate the sentiment, but please do not refer to me as a genius. Genius’ do not put effort into the things they are gifted at, while I have worked for where I am now, especially given my circumstances.” Kiyotaka said, his tone stern yet solemn.
“Whaddya mean yer ‘circumstances’?” Mondo questioned, putting his feet down from the table where they were previously resting.
“Are you really unaware of my family’s political past?” Kiyotaka asked, seeming shocked at Mondo being oblivious to the hall monitor’s past.
“I don’t really pay attention ta politics,” the biker explained, more focused on the conversation than before.
“My grandfather was Toranosuke Ishimaru, the disgraced prime minister of Japan,” Kiyotaka explained rather shamefully. “Ever since he was caught up in a big scandal, my family lost everything, and I’ve had to work harder than most to restore the honor of the Ishimaru name”.
“But…why do ya have to make up for yer grandfather’s mistakes? Doesn’t seem fair ta me,”
Mondo said, rightfully confused on why Kiyotaka would have to restore honor to his family after a scandal that had nothing to do with him.
“I…I don’t know, I just do,” muttered Kiyotaka. “I grew up lonely, so education was the only thing I could really focus on being good at”.
Despite only recently being on good terms with him, Mondo felt his heart pang at the thought of a younger Kiyotaka growing up with no friends, excluded by everyone else.
“I mean, at least ya got friends now, right?” Mondo tried to reason, only to be met with a resigned look from Kiyotaka.
“I’m not sure anybody in our class would consider me a friend…” Kiyotaka mumbled, fiddling with the pencil he had previously nearly snapped.
“Well, we're on good terms now, and we’re tutoring buddies, so we’re pretty much friends, right?” Mondo reasoned, shrugging a bit as Kiyotaka’s eyes lit up.
“You…you’d consider me a friend?” Kiyotaka asked, his eyes becoming teary, causing Mondo to panic and raise his voice.
“Yeah, ‘course man, just don’t cry or nothin’!” Mondo said, trying to calm the shorter boy down. “I mean, ya said you’ve been lonely yer whole life, right? Havin’ a friend is good an’ all, but ya need something more, like a brother…”
“What do you mean?” Kiyotaka questioned, raising a thick brow at the comment the biker made.
“No pressure or nothin’, but we could be…soul brothers? I just- nevermind, ‘ts stupid, ya wouldn’t-“
“I would be honored to be your soul brother, kyoudai,” Kiyotaka proudly said, his eyes becoming teary. Mondo figured he was just a naturally sensitive guy.
“Shit, really? Alright then, if yer into the idea, then hell yeah. Soul brothers it is,” Mondo huffed, slapping a hand on Kiyotaka's tensed shoulder, causing him to stumble over his next words.
“T-Thank you, kyoudai! I will cherish this moment forever!” he shouted, catching the attention of a few other students in the library.
Mondo flushed at the word. ‘Kyoudai’. It was so personal, so trusting. He didn’t mind it at all, though. Before he could make another comment, the bell rang, and the two boys said their goodbyes with a new sense of closeness in their words.
Same as yesterday, Leon crossed paths with Mondo, and pressed him for details.
“How’d it go today? You guys finally get into one of your stupid arguments?” the baseball star asked, curiosity laced in his voice.
“Nah, but we got closer. Like, pretty damn close for two days of tutoring. We became soul brothers,” Mondo explained, rubbing the back of his neck. The biker felt his face heat up and anger flood his voice when the redhead laughed.
“The fuck’s so funny? We just talked and he’s actually a cool guy when ya get ta know ‘im!” Mondo yelled, his booming voice echoing throughout the vast halls.
“Nothing, man, it’s just funny seeing you warm up to him so quickly,” Leon said, raising his hands in mock surrender as he left for his dorm.
Mondo huffed, rolling his eyes at the implication behind Leon’s words. He was just trying to make things weird between Mondo and a new friend, that’s all. Maybe they had become close abnormally fast, but that was just a sign of how strong their bond has become over the last few days!
Yeah, definitely that.
The days passed and the tutoring sessions continued, with each day strengthening the bond between the boys until they considered themselves “best bros.”
However, there had been little things Mondo had noticed during their last few study sessions. Not anything related to physics, but rather related to Kiyotaka, who he had given the nickname ‘Taka’.
He noticed how his thick brows furrowed whenever he was focused on a particularly hard problem, or the way his eyes would shimmer whenever talking about something passionately. It was the little things he began to notice, and they only made Mondo want to become closer to him.
Not in a weird way, though. Just as a bro. Nothing more.
Definitely.