Chapter Text
High school was a challenge for most people. Academically, it wasn’t that difficult for Karma or Gakushuu. It wasn’t sports or any other extra curricular that caused them difficulties either. It was the gossip that followed them.
Asano was the son of a disgraced principal, who the media liked to report, was an alcoholic. He’d lost one of his original students since he hadn’t kept a close enough eye on him. He’d lost his job as a principal and board chairman at the school’s he’d created with his own money, his own knowledge, his own hands. He let a monster hold a class of children hostage; said children were the punching bag of the entire school, all under Asano’s father’s orders.
There wasn’t a lot he could say or do about it. Some people pitied him (Kevin had contacted him, offering condolences and someone to talk to, which he was grateful for), but a lot of people didn’t want anything to do with him. The only way he could worm his way back into society’s good graces was to prove his own worth. It was the same way he always had, with excellent grades, an attitude that could charm anyone and the ability to outmanoeuvre anyone, making sure he got what he wanted and hit his goals every time.
Akabane was the same. He was the E Class reject who was now lording it over some of his former bullies all the way from A Class. He was the delinquent who could throw sharp words as fast as he could throw a knife. The student who was bullied by the entire school, the student who’s own parents barely spoke to him, who was taught by a monster, who wanted to lead the country.
Akabane took it in his stride. He’d made some of the issues himself. Sure, they were challenging and a pain in his side, but the redhead had made his bed, now he needed to lie in it. He did the same as Asano, proving himself through his actions and ignoring all of those who just wanted to get some juicy gossip out of him.
—
It was third year before they told anyone they were dating. Well, before the media did. There was an uproar at school and at the ministry (Asano Gakuhou had thought the whole thing was hilarious - the genius duo were essentially both students of monsters, after all; perhaps it wasn’t a match made in heaven, but it was one of the most interesting matches he’d ever seen amongst his students).
Karasuma had told him to be careful while Irina offered extra lessons (which Karasuma quickly made her retract; “it was illegal when you were their teacher and the weight of the world was on their shoulders; it’s beyond illegal now!”). Some of the class had been fine with it (Okuda especially; they’d always stayed on good terms, and Rio was looking forward to getting some embarrassing material on the devilish duo).
But some hadn’t been so happy. Karma had thought a block head like Terasaka might be against gays (he was bi, but honestly, people filled with hatred didn’t care about the distinction), but it turns out that he really just hated Asano. Sure, the class was grateful with how the Big Five had helped them at graduation, but that was years ago; one small act of kindness didn’t change more than a year’s worth of vicious bullying.
Most of the class felt the same way. “He’s up to something, Karma.” “We don’t want you to get hurt.” “You could do so much better than that guy!”
Eventually, Karma had threatened not to talk to them anymore. He was happy and Gakushuu had never hurt him, physically, emotionally or anything else. The worse fight they’d had was over how to solve a math equation for crying out loud! 3-E wasn’t happy, but they’d rather be unhappy with their friend rather than unhappy and worried about him.
On the other side, the Big Five weren’t impressed. Asano hadn’t let them start ranting before he shut them down. “I’m happy with Karma. We’ve been together close to three years. I may be able to find someone who is less of a brat than he is, but I wouldn’t be happy with them. Karma is smart, strong and interesting - he’s the only one who could possibly be my match. You either accept that and we move on, or you don’t and we part ways now.”
They’d given in. The couple was glad that the battle was over, but neither felt as though they’d won. Many nights were simply spent holding each other, whispering that things would ‘get better soon’, ‘they’ll come around’, ‘things will change eventually’. Perhaps it wasn’t a lie, but it definitely didn’t feel like the truth either.
—
Gakushuu would get frustrated with Karma on occasion. The redhead was a devil, even Satan had nothing on the brat. He didn’t ask a whole lot of the redhead (nor was he asked for much in return). He loved Karma, truly, he did, but sometimes he wishes the other was just a little bit more tame.
Wasabi in his coffee wasn’t pleasant. Having to apologise for the redhead’s insults to his friends was a pain. Getting the older boy to stop teasing their classmates or pulling pranks when he knew better was not what he was in this relationship for.
At the same time, he knew he was hoping for the impossible. The moon would go back to being whole, the sun would stop shining, and the stars would fall from the heavens before Karma ever truly was tamed. He might pretend, every now and again, but he’d always be wild and conniving and Karma.
(Gakushuu couldn’t always help himself from not finding the devilish part of him endearing, not that he’d ever tell the other that.)
—
Sometimes, Karma wished Gakushuu was a little bit more like him. It was challenging, being with someone who put so much effort into appearances. All he wanted was for the other to be a bit more wild, a bit more fun, a bit more spontaneous.
He hated how Gakushuu put on airs at school, or around anyone who thought they were important. He hated how Gakushuu made him wear his uniform properly. Gakushuu tried to teach him proper etiquette, the type when you go to a formal dinner where there a forty different types of spoons - he hadn’t stuck around until the end of the lesson.
Karma just wanted him to be a bit more free. He wasn’t here to be caged and didn’t want the other to be caged either. At the same time, he knew Gakushuu didn’t mind the rules, the rigmarole, the farce of polite society - it was an act he knew how to play, one he could play perfectly at that. It was a safety net, something nobody could find fault in.
(Karma wouldn’t admit it, but sometimes he truly did admire Gakushuu for all those things and sometimes his breath would catch at how flawless Gakushuu made himself appear.)
—
Work was difficult. They were both busy, with Gakushuu becoming an extremely successful entrepreneur, Karma had passed all of his government exams. They both worked long hours, sometimes it was days before they actually got to talk to each other. Gakushuu often went to work late, with Karma leaving long before he woke up, while Karma stayed later into the night as well (sometimes just sleeping at the office). It wasn’t that one worked any harder than the other; their roles were very different.
Asano already ran his own businesses (yes, plural), able to make his own rules and regulations, whereas Karma was still just a grunt in the grand scheme of things. They had far different expectations and job targets to work towards. Even then, on the days Gakushuu stayed late at work, working on some new idea (which had to be finished now) he made sure he stayed in a different room to the redhead when he came home, since the other was a notoriously light sleeper.
Weekends were the best for that reason. If they wanted to make a quick trip somewhere, they made the most of it, cramming in as much as possible with Karma taking an obnoxious amount of pictures. If they wanted to stay at home, they’d try to whittle their to do lists to nothing so they would have the time just to enjoy each other.
Things were tough and they were tired, but they were satisfied, following their dreams and happy. In the long run, it’d be worth it. They’d find ways to make things easier. They were the genius duo, after all, there wasn’t much the could phase them when they were junior high schoolers, let alone now. It wasn’t just that they’d gotten smarter, stronger, richer and better at making connections and blackmailing people.
Challenges were easy to beat now simply because they were together.