Work Text:
It was nearing the day of the annual PK festival. Class three still needed to decide what their event would be. “We should do a play!” Someone suggested. Uncertain murmurs resounded across the room. “That sounds like a wonderful idea!” The moment Teruhashi clapped her hands together and flashed her angelic smile, Saiki knew things could only fall downhill from here. And apparently not just for him either. Of course, everyone immediately sucked up to Teruhashi, who wouldn't? But Saiki saw her ulterior motives were far too attention grabbing for him to be part of. Being in a play, with Teruhashi as the love interest most definitely, was bound to bring some unwanted attention towards him. Unfortunately, he couldn’t see any ways to worm his way out of it yet. But he did however, have a plan.
***
“So Saiki-kun, what play do you think we should try out?” She asked sweetly. So far, Teruhashi’s plan has been running perfectly. She and Saiki were in the library together, alone! She had even made a team name for them; The K’s. This was bound to bring some bonding moments for the two of them, she had thought. Who in their right mind would turn down alone time with the most perfect girl in the universe?
“Saiki!” Apparently Saiki was not in his right mind. The library doors burst open to reveal Kaidou, Nendou and Kuboyasu. Kaidou looked particularly excited, though he is usually bursting with odd energy.
“Hello, Kaidou!” Teruhashi greeted him politely. Why would you invite all your friends to ruin our private time!?
“I thought it might help having more people looking with us.”
She heard Saiki explain. She couldn’t tell if she was just imagining it or if he did look a bit smug. The five of them sat down at the table, as Teruhashi started naming plays and dramas. “We could do Shakespeare or a Grimm’s fairy tale, I think that would be most easiest.” She said.
Then we could have a scene with Saiki as Romeo, me as Juliet, he’ll have no choice but to whisper ‘Oh!’!
Kuboyasu spoke up. “I heard that another class is doing ‘The Wizard of Oz.’” He informed them. There were actually quite a few classes doing plays, which was the main reason everyone was reluctant to do one until Teruhashi innocently bribed them. Kaidou’s eyes were scrunched up as though he was thinking really hard. And, to his credit, there were about fifteen different plays montaging through his mind. Suddenly, he slammed his hands down on the table, although it didn’t make much noise due to his extreme lack of strength. “What if we remake a messed up play!? Like ‘The Old Man who made the Dead Trees Blossom’, or ‘The Old Man who lost his Lump!’” Kaidou suggested excitedly.
“Hell yeah Shun! That’s such a good idea!” Kuboyasu praised. He always liked Kaidou’s ideas, so his opinion didn’t really matter. To Saiki’s surprise, Teruhashi also made a delighted sound.
“Yes! Kuboyasu’s right, that’s a really creative idea!” Kaidou immediately turned beet red at both of their compliments, and something that sounded like ‘Pleeshe ascept mya grwetest gratituedea-’ spilled from his mouth. The group started brainstorming different strange and messed up plays from their childhoods, and Nendou may have added in something about a giant peach. Kaidou suddenly had another holy revelation. Wow, he’s on a roll today, it’s almost like he’s some guy's favourite character.
“What about the tale of Urashima Tarō? I always found that story real confusing. I mean Urashima literally goes out of his way to help a turtle, I mean, it’s not like he had to do that, he was just being a good guy! And then, when you think he’s being rewarded for his good deed, y’know going to an underwater palace and meeting a pretty princess who he definitely fell in lov—”
“Shun—” Kuboyasu tried interrupting him. Once Kaidou got going it was hard to get him to stop.
“—with, only to go back to his own world to find out that centuries have passed!? What kind of gift is that!? And then, of course he’s going to open the treasure box, I mean who wouldn’t! And then he gets turned into an old man! Seriously, what on earth type of lesson is tha—” He rambled on about some theory that the princess was secretly part of an evil underwater organisation that wanted to take over the human world. “Um, Kaidou, I think that’s quite a lovely theory and all, but I love the idea of doing a fixed up version of Urashima Tarō! It’s so original, I would’ve never thought of that!” Again, Teruhashi showed her winning smile. Saiki half contemplated just going invisible and sneaking out of the library, but unfortunately Teruhashi turned to ask him a question. “What do you think Saiki-kun, sounds like a great plan right?” She turned up her charms. Saiki sighed. It’d look suspicious if he declined. He nodded his head. The group switched their eyes to Nendou, whose finger was disgustingly close to his nose. Kaidou’s face was once again squished up unflatteringly. The tall boy gave them a double thumbs up and swivelled around to stare intently at the bookshelf behind him.
“Well I guess that sorts that out..! Now we need actors, stage crew, costumes, sets, script writers…” Teruhashi listed the things one by one on her fingers. Kaidou was clearly becoming increasingly nervous. “I think you should be the director Kaidou! Seeing as a lot of this was your idea.” She offered generously. Maybe this way he’ll cast Saiki as Urashima! Teruhashi had no doubt that she wasn’t going to be the princess. I mean, look at her, anyone who didn’t pick her to play a princess role would be an absolute buffoon. “Ah uh um really!? Yo-you think so?” Kaidou stammered. Kuboyasu slung an arm around his shoulders.
“Shun, you should totally go for it. I think you’d make an awesome director.” I mean, you’re always coming up with that Dark Reunion stuff, so anything you think up will definitely be interesting. He thought.
Kaidou was fidgeting with his fingers. “Thanks Aren… And you too Teruhashi-san! I’ll do my best as a director!” He promised. He is definitely taking this too seriously. Kaidou whipped out a black notebook with a few scratched stickers on the cover and grabbed a pencil from Nendou’s pocket. The end is all chewed up… Gross, Nendou! Saiki heard Shun’s thoughts. He silently handed Kaidou a tissue which he accepted gratefully. Now holding the pencil with the tissue, he began jotting down names, roles, script ideas and numbers. Probably costs. The group, well Kuboyasu and Teruhashi, chattered excitedly about potential concepts which Kaidou wrote down fast. Saiki zoned out; it’s not like he was actually interested in doing this. He thought up an excuse quickly. He pretended to check his phone and then announced to the group, “Sorry. I have to go help my mom with something.” He bowed slightly and then speed walked away around the corner, before teleporting to his room. Flopping onto his bed, Saiki let out a contented sigh. He’ll deal with the play tomorrow.
“Kusuo!!! Can you help me move this shelf!?”
No.
***
A lot of things had happened while he was gone, apparently. As he headed down the hall to class, there was a bunch of posters plastered up on the walls and pinned poorly on the bulletin boards with thumbtacks and tape. The posters featured Kuboyasu and Saiko dressed up as the Urashimas and a black shadowy outline of the princess that was probably Teruhashi. The posters read, ‘Who will kiss the princess?’ Well, that definitely wasn’t in the original.
He saw a couple groups of students standing in front of some of the posters, talking amongst themselves. “Woah, I wonder who the princess is?”
“It’s class three’s play right? It’s probably Teruhashi.”
Right on the money, probably.
“I wonder which one of them will win her heart! I’m such a sucker for romance!!”
“Same!”
Saiki walked into the classroom that morning, completely ready for subpar play preparations. It seems that was not the case. The room was bustling with noise, students scattered around talking, reading lines and trying on costumes. Speaking of costumes, they looked very high quality. Yumehara and Aiura were dressed up as mermaids, whose outfits were slightly inappropriate for a school environment, but oh well. Hairo was scampering around the classroom in a turtle costume at disturbingly fast speeds for a turtle.
“Where did you get the budget for all this?” He asked Kaidou, who was currently explaining some lines to a background character.
“Oh hey Saiki! You’re just on time, your role is seaweed number four!” Kaidou gestured to the green suit behind him. Oh, alright. He’s glad that Kaidou gave him an unimportant role. As Kaidou processed Saiki’s initial question, he visibly deflated. Inhaling deeply, he continued saying,
“Well you see, Saiko offered, well demanded, to pay for the sets and costumes if I made hi—” Kuboyasu walked into the room. He was dressed as a traditional Japanese fisherman and had some of his hair tied up in a short ponytail at the back. He actually looked good. Maybe this play may have some potential after all. But then he heard Kaidou’s frenzied thoughts.
Wow, Aren looks so handsome. I mean nice! Nice yeah, Aren looks really nice and handsome. I can say that right? I mean what type of person doesn’t think their best friend is handsome? It’s not my fault he’s pretty, Aren is just subjectively hot and attractive! I can think that platonically! He should take off his glasses more often…
Oh great, Kaidou is turning homosexual.
“Hey Aren!! That costume looks good on you.” He complimented, somehow without stuttering despite his frazzled brain. He barely ever felt embarrassed around Aren. Kuboyasu looked happy at Kaidou’s genuine comment. “Thanks Shun, I’m actually surprised that rich boy cared enough to get the right size.” He remarked, inspecting down at his sleeves. “What were you saying about Saiko earlier?” Saiki did not feel like listening to Kaidou’s gay panic. Kaidou stopped looking dazed and snapped his attention back to reality. “Oh right. He said—” Kaidou was interrupted yet again as loud trumpet fanfare sounded loudly in the room. Saiko appeared, wearing his own elaborate costume. He didn’t look like any of the characters in the story.
“Greetings, plebeians. I have arrived for my grand lines.” He announced dramatically. He pointed his finger directly at Kaidou. “You! Midget director plebe. Has my script been readied?” Kaidou tried not to look offended at the term ‘midget’ and flicked through his chunky clipboard. He shuffled out a poly pocket that had pristine crisp white sheets of paper inside, that were adorned with swirly golden details. It screamed Saiko. He handed it over to the boy. “We-we didn’t really know how to get pure gold designs on paper thin, well uh, paper, so we got the 11th-grade art students to do something instead.” He explained hastily, not wanting to be cut off aga—
“Psh. I didn’t expect anything more from you plebeian. You better all be grateful I’m participating in this play!” Saiko shouted the last sentence loudly. Kuboyasu looked ready to punch his face in. Saiko turned back to Kaidou with a mischievous glint in his eye. “Speaking of the play, I’ve come to say that I want a change made to the script.” Kaidou looked terrified, and Saiko noticed. He waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t worry peasant, I’m not asking you to rewrite the whole damn thing, even if the whole idea sucks by the way.” Why are you even funding it then!? “What I want, is to have the romantic plot between Princess Otohime and Urashima switched to the Princess and The Other Urashima. And the kiss.”
The Other Urashima? Who the hell was that?
Hah, all according to plan, and these commoners didn’t even notice a thing. Saiko thought. Did chihuahua plebe really think I’d spend money on their pathetic play if I didn’t get something out of it? Fools! Now I’ll get to kiss Teruhashi and I’ll just pay them off if they try to argue. My ingenuity should be studied one day. His brow furrowed. The only real problems are middle-part, midget plebe, stupid plebe and the pink haired one. For whatever reason, they just seem to not be able to be bought off. Whatever. It’s not like I care. So Saiko was ‘The Other Urashima’. Saiki supposes that makes sense. It’s not like Saiko has a big role or something, all he does is kiss Teruhashi. And while Saiki thought it’d make more sense for the actual Urashima to kiss the princess, it works out for both Kaidou’s and Kuboyasu’s sakes. Saiki briefly glanced over Kaidou’s shoulder to see the script. ‘The Other Urashima.’ Huh. He supposes it makes sense that the title is the main difference between the original and the new rendition. His purple eyes skim through the text to realise that Other Urashima has a bit too many lines.
“Kaidou, who is the main character in this exactly?” He asked, though he had a feeling he already knew the answer. Kaidou silently sighed. “It’s—”
“It’s me of course!” Saiko said proudly, flourishing his velvety cape. Kuboyasu pinched his nose. “Yeah. This idiot forced Shun into making him the main character jus’ so he could try and miserably fail to romance Teruhashi.” He deadpanned. Saiko gasped, reaching to clutch his imaginary pearls. “How dare you!? Silence, middle-part plebe.” The pair started arguing with each other, Kaidou desperately trying to calm Kuboyasu down. When Kaidou starts talking he can’t stop. When Kuboyasu gets riled up, he can’t cool down. Unless it’s Kaidou.
Miraculously, a bright golden glow emanated from the doorway, causing the boys to stop fighting. There stood Teruhashi, dressed in a majestic fairy pink júnihitoe. It was almost as though there were angels singing around her, bringing peace and prosperity to all those who encountered her. She struck a shy pose.
“WOW TERUHASHI-SAN YOU LOOK AMAZING!”
“YOU’RE SO PRETTY!”
“YOU LOOK EVEN MORE GODDESS-LIKE THAN USUAL SOMEHOW!?”
Some poor student had fainted by her mere beauty, but everyone was too focused on Teruhashi to notice. Everyone started crowding around her, entranced by her presence. A student with large square-framed glasses got particularly close to Teruhashi.
“Oh wow Teruhashi-san! You look so—” He cut himself off with a loud sneeze, followed by a hazardous sequence of coughs. Everyone gasped, some shouting at the boy in outrage. “Dude, you just coughed on Teruhashi!” A class boy screamed. The guy with glasses flushed brightly and pathetically tried to explain himself and apologise. Some girls were helping Teruhashi clean the invisible germs off her dress. “T—Teruhashi I am so sorry!” He bowed hastily, impressively almost bending his body in half like Kaidou could. “It’s, y’know, flu season! Hahahaha… I’m so sorry, please forgive me!” To everyone’s complete surprise, Teruhashi simply smiled at him.
“It’s alright Hayashi-kun! Everyone gets sick, so don’t worry about it.” Except me. God would never allow me to become ill! Good grief.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a pack of tissue. She delicately slipped one out and handed it to him. “Here, for your nose!” Hayashi blushed and hesitantly accepted the tissue. “T-thank you! Teruhashi-san! I’ll be sure to get better soon!” He thanked her, his nose still running. I’m never gonna use this tissue ever! It’s getting framed!
The class praised Teruhashi for her kindness, once again clustering around her. “Woah woah woah! Stay back everyone!” Kaidou exclaimed, pushing back the crowd with his arms spread out in front of Teruhashi. “We can’t let one of our leads get sick! Especially the princess!” Everyone murmured an agreement and separated. “Whew.” Kaidou wheezed, wiping imaginary sweat from his forehead. “Anyways, as you can see Saiki, my subconscious told me to choose Teruhashi as the princess, and it seems like my artistic prowess has once again prevailed!” His Jet Black Wings persona was taking over, as it seemed to do when he was nervous.
“Ok. Well, is this all you needed to tell me?” Saiki asked. Kaidou’s face looked puzzled, but nonetheless he replied, “Well, yeah I guess so. We do still need to run over the play and people’s lines and stuff but other than that I think we’re set!” “Alright, I’ll be taking my leave then.” Saiki replied, and then walked out the door. “Saiki— wait!” Kaidou and Teruhashi called out simultaneously. They looked at each other awkwardly. Kaidou rubbed his neck while she broke the awkward silence quickly with a question. “So, Kaidou, shall we start rehearsals?” She asked. Kaidou clicked his fingers and grinned sheepishly. “Right!” He exclaimed. “Attention everyone!” Ignored. Shun’s face dimmed. Kuboyasu noticed and gently handed him his megaphone. Kaidou smiled gratefully at him.
“EVERYONE LISTEN UP!”
***
Saiki had been skipping school for a couple days now, mainly because all they were doing were play rehearsals. He had been quite enjoying the past few days actually. Wake up, ignore his dad’s whining, read, go to the local café to have coffee jelly, watch his favourite TV shows, sleep, repeat. It had been heaven to go without hearing his friend’s voices for a couple of hours. They’d be fine doing rehearsals without him, Saiki was only seaweed number four, and although that had been his lifelong dream, there wasn’t much acting involved.
He had also gotten to ignore Kuboyasu and Kaidou’s ‘Will they, will they not?’ relationship that had developed recently. Actually, it wasn’t recent, just more obvious. It was like watching those Rom-coms his mom loved in real time. Kuboyasu could be quite bold sometimes, but unfortunately Kaidou is just as oblivious. Not to say he hasn’t been doing some subconscious pining himself, just very blind about it.
Saiki stopped by the convenience store to grab some pre-made coffee jelly before he headed into school. Today was the day of the play, and he had to mentally prepare himself to be around a bunch of bumbling idiots. He stooped down to take a look at the coffee jellies, wondering if he should get the 100¥ one or the 550¥ six-pack. From the corner of his eye, he spotted a familiar head of dark brown hair. Mera Chisato, the hungry one. Just as Saiki was about to quickly turn the corner, Mera saw him. “Oh hi Saiki! Heading to school?” She greeted him professionally. He nodded. “I thought you worked at Café Mami?” Saiki queried. Mera closed her eyes and scratched the back of her head. “Well, my hours got changed!” She answered. They may or may not have put me on the evening shift so that there’d be less food for me to eat… Saiki quirked an eyebrow up slightly but said nothing. Mera glanced at the store clock, her eyes widening. She grabbed Saiki by the shoulders and shook him.
“Saiki, we need to get to the pre-show rehearsals!” She shouted, grabbing him and started sprinting surprisingly fast for someone who’s always starved. Right, Mera appears in the first scene as one of the bullies. With Mera’s speed, they quickly arrive at the school, Mera still in her work apron. The class hadn’t started yet.
The school auditorium was big, dark and far too grand for their school’s budget. Rows of fake velvet seats and a large wooden stage filled the room. Mera and Saiki headed backstage, their footsteps echoing through the hall. Some of the girls were still applying their makeup, as well as Saiko. Kuboyasu and Kaidou were chatting quietly, Kuboyasu fully dressed in his costume. Kaidou turned his head around and waved them over excitedly. “You made it! Your costumes are hanging over there on the rack. There’s still an hour ‘till showtime, so we’ll do a final rehearsal in a few minutes!” He told them, and then continued to rattle on about something to Kuboyasu. Kuboyasu’s eyes watched him softly. I like when you talk, Shun.
Saiki walked over to where his costume was. It looked pretty ugly compared to the other costumes, but whatever. He started to slip the green shirt over his head when he heard a voice behind him.
“Hey Pal!” Saiki got startled. Gosh, Nendou really was like a bug.
“What is it, Nendou?” Saiki asked, exasperated.
“Well, don’t you think that little buddy and glasses look at each other kinda funny?” He whispered conspiratorially.
Funny? You mean how Kaidou looks at Kuboyasu with the most love, affection and admiration I’ve ever seen in a guy, or how Kuboyasu looks at Kaidou so softly as though he’s the most precious thing in the world?
“No.” Nendou made a weird face. He gasped. “What if they secretly hate each other?”
Does that look like a gaze of hatred to you!?
Completely done with this conversation, Saiki walked away. It’s better not to let Nendou know that Kaidou had a little crush. God knows he’d tease Kaidou to the ends of the earth. Plus, the rehearsal was beginning, if the dimmed lights and hushing were anything to go by. “One day, Urashima was returning from his usual fishing trip,” Akechi's voice boomed through the microphone. Of course he was narrating. Kuboyasu appeared on stage, fully prepared as Urashima. On the outside he looked quite confident, but here’s his inner thoughts;
What am I doing? Wait, what are my lines!? Come on Aren, you didn’t spend hours rehearsing your lines for Shun for nothing!
“— When he saw a commotion happening on the beach.” The curtains opened to reveal Hairo laying on the ground in his turtle costume, with Mera and Takahashi insulting and pretending to kick him. Saiki didn’t think Takahashi was pretending. “That poor turtle…” Urashima muttered. Suddenly, the Other Urashima appeared behind him. “Hey, just leave it alone, you’re not going to get a single cent out of helping it.” He whispered eerily into his ear.
Saiki thought this ‘Other Urashima’ was creepy and not appealing at all, especially being played by Saiko. Kuboyasu looked genuinely perturbed as well. “Hey, stop right there!” Urashima called out, ignoring Other Urashima’s voice. The bullies stood their ground. Other Urashima pushed his original aside and walked towards Takahashi. “Begone, peasant.” He said coolly. Takahashi made an offended face. “Hey, peasant isn’t in the scr—” Saiko held his hand up and suddenly Takahashi was abruptly pushed back by an invisible force. And no, it wasn’t from Saiki.
“What the fuck was that!?” Takahashi cried out. Saiko huffed with an air of smugness. “Well, I planted a small explosive inside your costume.” He explained nonchalantly. The green haired boy looked at him, terrified. “Are you even allowed to do that!?” Saiko silenced him. Defeated, the two bullies walked offstage.
“Thank you for saving me! As a reward, I will now bring you to the Palace of the Dragon!” Hairo exclaimed. The two Urashimas sat on his shell as they traveled to the palace. Really only Hairo could manage to pull off this role. The curtains closed and adjusted again to reveal the grand set of the Palace of the Dragon. Aiura and Yumehara posed elegantly in their respective costumes. As Saiko and Kuboyasu went further into the palace, they were greeted by an ethereal sight.
Prismatic beams of light radiated from Princess Otohime as everything around her shone, temporarily blinding the two boys. Saiki stood a few steps behind her in his position of seaweed number four, along with a couple others, which unfortunately included Nendou, the coral. “Let me welcome you to the palace, for I am Princess Otohime.” Why do I feel…off? She greeted them with a serene smile. Nobody, with the exception of Saiki, noticed that her words were ever so slightly taut, or that her breathing was ever so barely uneven.
What everyone did notice however, was when Teruhashi began to fall to the floor. Fortunately, Saiki caught her, though she was faint in his arms. “Teruhashi-san! Are you okay!?” Kaidou exclaimed, springing out from his director’s chair and climbing onto the stage with great effort. Everyone was crowding around Saiki and Teruhashi, worried and concerned whispers breaking out amongst them. Saiki picked Teruhashi up and led her backstage without a single word, Kaidou and Kuboyasu in suite.
Saiki laid her down on a bed in her dressing room that Saiko had specifically curated for her. It was big, bigger than his own bedroom. There was a vanity with a variety of make up products that she definitely didn’t need, a wardrobe and rack full of clothes she’d never have time to wear, and a large chandelier hung from the ceiling, its crystals glimmering. Her eyes were still closed and she was burning up. Aiura and Yumehara quickly filed into the room as well, worry written all over their faces. Yumehara had brought a hot water bottle with her. It was fluffy and pink and plastered in chibi pudding cups. She handed it to Saiki, who tucked it under Teruhashi’s arm. It was unusual to see the perfect pretty girl in this state.
“Damn, Kusuo is she ok?” Aiura asked.
Saiki shook his head. “Not sure. I think she might have a fever.” And what do you know, Hayashi was out sick today. Yumehara gasped, tears threatening to spill as though he had just said Teruhashi was on the brink of death. Kaidou was pacing anxiously around the room, muttering things to himself.
“Ok, ok! Nothing to worry about, just that our main female lead is down, the main advertising for the play is gone, and everyone’s morale is probably down too! What if no one even wants to do it anymore!? Arghh, this has to be the Dark Reunion’s doing!” He rambled. Kuboyasu watched him, concerned. He put a comforting hand on Kaidou’s shoulder.
“Hey dude, calm down. Maybe we can get someone to replace Teruhashi? We never explicitly said who the princess was after all. As long as, ugh, Saiko is still doing the play, we still have a shot!” Kaidou looked ready to tear up. “Nobody knows Princess Otohime’s lines Aren!!? There’s only half an hour until the play starts, that’s nowhere near enough time! And where would we find someone that would willingly let Saiko kiss them on the cheek” Kaidou cried.
Kuboyasu had to physically stop himself from laughing at Kaidou’s last remark, but nonetheless kept his composure. “Um, Kaidou, wouldn’t you know all of Teruhashi’s lines? I mean, you are the scriptwriter and the director.” Aiura reminded. Saiki got a hint of what she was implying.
What are you doing. Saiki communicated with her telepathically. She smirked at him, being careful not to let the others see that they were having an invisible conversation.
Giving these bitches a little push that’s all. She replied.
Kaidou scratched his chin thoughtfully. “I guess I do, but what are you suggesting? That I talk to someone through a headset and give them the lines?” Aiura grinned evilly. She started to assess Kaidou with her eyes, looking him up and down.
“Y’know chipmunk-aura, for a guy, you got a pretty cute build and face. Your hair is blue too… I bet if we brush it down and style it a little…” She sized him up with her fingers, almost as if she were taking a picture. Kuboyasu glared protectively at her. Both Yumehara and Kaidou looked thoroughly confused. Saiki focused on Teruhashi’s temperature, not wanting to be involved in her shenanigans. She put her hands up in defence. “Look, all I’m saying is Kaidou-kun, you’d pass pretty good as a girl.” Kaidou shrieked.
At that exact moment, Saiko decided to march right into the room. “If Teruhashi is sick, then I’m not doing the play either! Good riddance.” He declared, dropping his costume on the ground dramatically. Kaidou looked like he was about to be joining Teruhashi on the bed.
He glanced at Saiko’s outfit in the ground, then at Teruhashi who was passed out on the bed, then at Aiura who was smirking at him, and then at Kuboyasu, who was gazing at him worriedly. Kaidou sighed. “… F-fine. But who’s going to be Other Urashima?” Silence. Saiki sighed, exasperated. Things could really never go his way.
“I’ll do it. On one condition, I am not kissing you on the cheek Kaidou. And I also want less lines.” Saiki had all the lines memorised, but he’d do anything to not be in the spotlight. Kaidou’s eyes glittered with gratitude, which was then quickly met by panic. Aiura feigned a gasp.
“But then who will kiss our princess!?” She cried out dramatically, pretending to faint. Saiki was met with a flurry of ‘Shut up, shut up!’ In Kaidou’s head. An awkward quietness fell upon the group. Saiki was suddenly flooded by images coming from Yumehara’s head, most of which consisted of her kissing Princess Kaidou on the lips as a knight in shining armour.
“Um, I don’t mind doing it— I mean, ah, it’s only a kiss on the cheek right!?” Kuboyasu offered, quietly at first but quickly explaining himself, trying not to appear that flustered. Kaidou himself was quite literally beet-red, and Saiki wasn’t even exaggerating for once.
Told ya it would work. Aiura thought smugly in her head. She gave Saiki a cheeky wink to which he rolled his eyes.
“Oh—um, yeah! T-that’s fine! Totally splendid! I mean uh, we are best friends after all!” Kaidou spluttered out. Oof, friend-zoned Kuboyasu. The two friends looked at the floor, refusing to look at each other, because their shoes were just that much more interesting for sure. However, Kuboyasu’s sneaky, somewhat hopeful, glances back at Kaidou didn’t go unnoticed by Saiki.
Saiki quickly went to change into his new role, even if he disliked how flamboyant the costume was, it was for the sake of Kaidou’s remaining sanity, nothing else. The clothes felt off on him. They felt too big, and not in the way of size. It was well made though, he would give Saiko that. The maroon material was plush on his skin, and the golden accents shimmered. When he came back from the bathroom, the tension had eased ever so slightly. Yumehara was sitting on a velvety pink chair at the end of Teruhashi’s bed, chatting to a now weakly conscious Teruhashi about a new romance anime Yumehara was currently watching. It went by the name ‘Banana Fish’ or something like that. Yumehara hasn’t finished it yet, but so far she said it’s really cute. Maybe Saiki should recommend it to his mom.
Kuboyasu was sitting near the vanity, drawing (not doodling!) on his hand absentmindedly. The pen he was using was cracked and severely chewed at the end, and with the way he was holding it, it was bound to explode blue ink all over his hand any minute. Aiura and Kaidou were nowhere to be found. “Kuboyasu.” Kuboyasu jumped, and then looked at Saiki with an unimpressed expression. “Where are Kaidou and Aiura?” He asked. Kuboyasu pointed his finger behind Saiki vaguely. “In the bathroom,” Kuboyasu answered. There’s two bathrooms in here???
“She’s helping Shun get ready.” I wish it was me helping him though, too bad I know shit about dresses.
“Ok.” Saiki said, pretending not to have heard Kuboyasu’s thoughts. An agitating voice shouted through the door. “Hey! The show is starting!” Takahashi’s voice sounded. Kuboyasu groaned and got up. “C’mon Saiki, that’s us.” He grumbled. Saiki glanced down at his hand. It was full of silly looking doodl— he means drawings, of a particular Dark Reunion fighter. Anyone sitting too close to the front of the stage would definitely see it.
Before the pair left the room, Teruhashi called out;
“Good luck Saiki-kun and Kuboyasu!” She was shushed by Aiura, who was apparently back from getting Kaidou ready.
“Terukoko, in theatre you never say good luck! Break a leg guys!” She shouted the last part through the door. Saiki rolled his eyes again.
***
Even if Saiko had abandoned the play, he luckily left all his stuff behind. How convenient. The play wasn’t completely doomed if they still had the fancy sets and props, nevermind the average actors. The lights began to dim as he heard people hushing and whispering.
“Class three will now be performing ‘The Other Urashima Tarou’.” A lady’s voice sounded over the intercom. Saiki took a deep breath as he stared out into the sea of faces in the audience. Most of the students looked bored. For a second he thought he saw Saiko watching with a forced uninterested look on his face too. The curtains drew open.
“Long, long ago, there lived a young fisherman by the name of Urashima Tarou.” Akechi’s voice boomed over the speakers. Kuboyasu walked out on stage, a fishing rod mounted on his back. Takahashi and Mera were onstage too, abusing Hairo the turtle.
“One day, Urashima was returning from his usual fishing trip, when he saw a commotion on the beach. Upon closer inspection, he found two children harassing a turtle.” Kuboyasu walked forward, ready to shout out, when Saiki magically appeared behind him. “Just leave it alone, it is just a worthless turtle.” Saiki said. Maybe he was changing the lines a little bit, but that didn’t really matter.
“That is The Other Urashima, a voice in Urashima’s head.” Akechi continued. Urashima ignored Other Urashima and called out to the kids. “Hey, you children better leave that turtle alone!” He shouted. Well, so far this was going quite well. Mera and Takahashi ran off set. Hairo looked up thankfully at them.
“Thank you for rescuing me!” He half shouted, even if he had a mic near his mouth. “As a reward, I will now bring you to the Palace of the Dragon!” Saiki and Kuboyasu sat on Hairo’s back as he crawled his way off the stage. The lights dimmed as the stage crew changed the set and props quickly. Soon enough, the stage brightened again, showing off the grand Palace of the Dragon. The audience gasped excitedly. “Wow…” Urashima muttered. “Upon reaching the Palace of the Dragon, they were greeted by the flounder and the sea bream.” Aiura and Yumehara struck glamorous poses, Yumehara’s scaly coral-coloured wrap dress sparkled, and Aiura’s sleek black and cream gown was alluring. Saiki heard some people in the audience ‘ooooh’. “As they walked further into the Palace of the Dragon, the pair were greeted by Princess Otohime.” Akechi narrated.
Suddenly a light glow shone through the gateway of the set. Not nearly as bright as Teruhashi’s, but a glow nonetheless. There stood Kaidou, dressed as Princess Otohime. Drag, some would call it. Aiura did his makeup pretty well. Gone were the edgy, tiny bits of light smudged eyeliner, and instead was replaced with a soft blush-coloured powder. His cheeks and nose were highlighted and shimmery. Kaidou’s hair was brushed down to frame his face, and a small portion was tied back in a bun. A majestic headpiece sat on his head like a crown. The baby pink júnihitoe was wrapped around him, and the trimmings of green complemented his eyes. Saiki honestly couldn’t tell the difference between him and a biological woman. The audience was awed again. Saiki heard the murmurs that resounded through the crowd.
“Woah, who’s that chick?”
“I know right, she looks cute as fuck!”
“Is that a new student? I didn’t know class three got a new one.”
“Did class three hire some girl off the street?”
“I honestly thought Teruhashi-san would be the princess…”
“Same! Urgh, now I owe money to that weird Hasegawa kid.”
“That girl's so pretty, how come I’ve never seen her around?”
Little do they know, Saiki thought. It was actually quite amusing seeing kids react like this to Kaidou of all people, the oddball who everyone avoided like the plague.
“L-l-let…me-me…” Kaidou stuttered nervously. Oh god, oh god why is this happening!? I know the lines, why won’t they come out!? I’m so scared— I mean nervous… Agh! I wish everyone… would just turn into a potato! Except… Aren.
Saiki almost decided to make Kaidou’s wish come true, after all he wouldn’t let some stage fright ruin the play, but he decided to hold back. Kaidou’s demeanour had changed a little, into something more calm. The audience couldn’t see it, but Saiki could. Kuboyasu’s eyes had softened, and stared directly at Kaidou, silently willing him to go on. He had a small smile on his face, the type that at a glance looked slight and subtle, but to those who understood it, it screamed love and encouragement. The smile seemed to physically relax Kaidou, his shoulders loosening. He cleared his throat and began to say his lines again, still nervous—though that was a good thing, it made his voice sound more high pitched— his words were more collected.
“L-let me welcome you to the palace. I am Otohime.” Kuboyasu grinned proudly at him. He would have given Kaidou a thumbs up, but then thought that might look a bit weird to everyone else. “Urashima was so taken back by Otohime’s beauty, that an,” Akechi continued. “Oh.” Kuboyasu breathed out. That line was definitely put in for Teruhashi, but you do you, Kuboyasu.
“Urashima fell in love with Otohime at first sight.” More like Kuboyasu fell in love with Kaidou at first thug encounter.
- - -
The play dragged on for what seemed like forever. A lot of boring insignificant stuff happened in Saiki’s opinion, like Toritsuka crashing down from the ceiling into the audience, Akechi’s microphone becoming white noise for two minutes, and Hairo falling off stage (don’t worry though, a gaggle of freshmen caught him before his bottom could be exposed). Yeah, nothing too important, at least to this episo— story. However, now the play was getting into the romance side.
Just to let Saiki recap, the Other Urashima was now dead after opening the box, so he was currently watching peacefully from the sidelines. Urashima and Princess Otohime were getting married. The wedding set was beautifully decorated with lavender flowers and green and pink carnations, as well as silk banners, bows and ribbons. Akechi was now standing visibly on set, as the marriage celebrant. There were a couple wedding guests as well. The bullies, the turtle, the sea bream and the flounder, as well as all the seaweeds and the… coral. Kuboyasu and Kaidou were facing each other, both of them sweating like crazy. Kaidou looked more flustered and embarrassed, while Kuboyasu looked uptight and nervous, angry even. If you didn’t know him, you’d think he was about to take a swing at Kaidou’s head.
However, if you ever talked with him once about Kaidou, you’d realise that it’s actually his anxious and lovesick expression. Saiki supposed you could never really drop the habits of a delinquent. “And do you, Princess Otohime, take Urashima Tarou as your lawfully wedded mortal husband?” Kaidou gulped. He was quite literally shaking with nerves. “I do.”
“Alright. You may now kiss the bride, Urashima Tarou.” A beat. And then another. There was tension in the air between those two. Saiki could almost see it with his own two eyes. Kuboyasu’s thoughts were going into overdrive, which was weird to hear, usually it was Kaidou's mind overspilling. Kaidou had honestly stopped thinking at this point. He stared at Kuboyasu, waiting.
Do I kiss him now? I think I’m meant to kiss him. Why did I do this to myself!? Stupid Kuboyasu, stupid! You’ve literally gotten shot, stabbed, electrocuted, strangled, drowned, and killed other people, so why is it so hard for you to kiss this guy!? So what if he’s your first best friend who offered moral support and guidance and care into your life for the first time!? That doesn’t matter! Just kiss him on the cheek, no biggie. Just kiss him on the cheek, just kiss him on the cheek, kiss him on the chee—
Kuboyasu leaned in and pressed a kiss right on Kaidou’s lips. Kaidou, who had originally scrunched his eyes closed when Kuboyasu began to lean in, suddenly shot his eyes open wide. Kuboyasu’s eyes were still closed. The crowd cheered as the curtains drew closed.
“And they lived happily ever after, the end.” Akechi finished off. The room burst into an uproar of applause, not knowing that their two main leads had just burst into embarrassing red flames.
***
This was not good. Kuboyasu hadn’t shown up to school for three days straight, and Kaidou’s anxiousness was radiating off of him. Gosh, where is Aren!? I hope he isn’t missing school on purpose. What if he’s contracted a viscous disease!? Or what if he’s decided that I suck and converted back to a delinquent and he’s killing people right now!? No, Aren wouldn’t do that… It has to be the Dark Reunion! Or… maybe it’s from the play night…
Only Saiki would know why Kaidou abruptly stopped daydreaming and looked flushed looking down at his desk. Class was about to begin in around ten minutes, which means there was still enough time for Nendou to do what he does best and nag Kaidou. “Hey Chibi! The play went so good last time right?” He laughed, clapping Kaidou on the back. Kaidou nodded, trying not to let his wince show. Nendou scratched his chin thoughtfully. “I wonder who that chick that played the princess was? She was pretty hot. Did you ask your sister to volunteer or something, runt? Can I get her number?” Kaidou looked furious. He swatted Nendou’s hand away as harshly as he could and exclaimed,
“No! It wasn’t my sister, and even if it was I would not be giving her number to you, y-you buffoon!”
Nendou shrugged, completely forgetting about the matter, and turned to Saiki. “Hey Pal, do you want to get ramen after school?”
“No.” Saiki said, knowing that it didn’t really matter. He wasn’t sure why Nendou even asked if he was just going to drag everyone along anyway. He didn’t even switch up what type of ramen he got, it was always that stereotypical, only looks good because it’s rendered in an anime art style, type of ramen. At least shake it up once in a while, and then Saiki might even come willingly. (He takes that last sentence back, he would not go anywhere willingly with Nendou, Kaidou maybe, not Nendou.)
“Also, stop annoying Kaidou. He’s sad enough Teruhashi fell ill, like the rest of the class is.” It was true, even if it wasn’t the reason Kaidou was upset. Everyone was in a mundane mood despite the ecstatic behaviour they exhibited during the play. Since Teruhashi was sick, everyone now smelled of death. Aiura could come up to him right now and say everyone had a death mark on their face, and he’d believe her.
“Hey Kusuo,” Aiura whispered, leaning back on her chair, legs scraping harshly against the ground. “That guy over there? He’s got a death mark. Guy might commit suicide or somethin’ if the Psychic Kids don’t step in…”
“Let him then.” Saiki deadpanned back. Aiura did not look surprised, rather huffing disappointedly and sitting back properly. Or as properly as she would sit. Saiki looked at Kaidou, who was still wallowing, now doodling creatures too. Class had yet to begin in a few minutes. Saiki almost used clairvoyance, just to make sure Kaidou’s worries proved some truth, but he stopped. Why would he do that again? He had already checked yesterday, when Kuboyasu had missed two days of school.
Well he was missing school on purpose, that’s for certain. Kuboyasu’s just lucky enough that his parents don’t care much about his attendance. Kuboyasu was also wallowing right now, the only difference was that his wallowing included beating a punching bag and muttering to himself while cooking random foods. Some desserts, Saiki noticed. He’d have to take advantage of Kuboyasu in the future. Then was not the time.
When he decided to give in and use clairvoyance anyway, he was greeted with an unexpected sighting. Kuboyasu, sprinting down the path to school. He looked determined, a face that looked scary on him. Actually, Saiki noticed that any strong emotion looked terrifying on Kuboyasu’s face, he wasn’t sure how he and Shun were friends, potentially something more. Saiki stopped crossing his eyes before someone got suspicious. Not everyone was as dense as Nendou. Well, at least he won’t have to hear Kaidou’s thoughts ricocheting around his brain anymore.
With a minute to spare, Kuboyasu burst into the classroom. No one paid him much mind. Kaidou got startled though, nearly jumping out of his skin when the door slammed off the wall. Kuboyasu breathed a sigh of relief and leaned slightly on the doorframe. Thank god Shun is here. It would have been really fucking awkward if he wasn’t.
Yeah, Saiki thought. That would have been awkward. Do you not know the concept of planning ahead? Clearly not, because as Kuboyasu began to walk to his seat, the teacher appeared behind him, fuming. “Kuboyasu! Principal’s office, now!” Ms. Shima shouted at him. Kuboyasu sighed and tramped back out the door, grumbling. Damn it, Saiki didn’t even get to hear what he was thinking about. It was unlike Kuboyasu to miss school, after all he tried hard to upkeep a good reputation even if it had a couple cracks in it. Saiki knew he was extremely anxious about what Kaidou’s reaction to that kiss was, and he didn’t want to find out yet for fear of breaking off their friendship. What Saiki was wondering was why he suddenly wanted to show up today. Whatever, Kuboyasu could be quite sporadic sometimes. Saiki just wanted to go home already.
***
He couldn’t believe this. Detention, for what? Slamming a door!? Ridiculous, Kuboyasu thought. Okay, maybe it was only fifteen minutes after school, but it was still bad. Kuboyasu hated injustice. It was one of the many reasons why he stopped being a delinquent. Another reason was Shun. The reason he came to school today. Yeah, he was still worried about the kiss thing. Shun probably felt a bit grossed out, the guy finds hand holding intense after all. Even if Kuboyasu found that cute about him. It had flitted across his mind when Shun first talked about crushes and dating and whatnot. Kuboyasu’s never had a girlfriend, or a boyfriend. Hell, he’d never even had a fling before, even though most of his gang members had probably lost their virginity and then some. Kuboyasu was traditional, just like his dad was. Perhaps that Urashima role fit him more than he thought. Shun seemed to know him better than himself sometimes. Oh right, the reason he came to school. He stuck his hand into his bag, making sure it was still there. His fingers brushed against the cold handle of the umbrella. Yep, still there.
See, there was a massive storm today. His dad had said it would be absolutely abysmal, lashing rain everywhere. Shun usually kept an umbrella in his bag —thanks to his mom— so usually he would have no problem. Except, last week Shun had left the umbrella at Kuboyasu’s house by mistake when he left it out to dry. He had meant to give it back three days ago, but what do you know, shit happened. He couldn’t have just left Shun to fend for himself in the rain, so Kuboyasu just came to give him his umbrella. Kuboyasu groaned silently to himself and put his head on the table, which was covered in Dragon Ball Z doodles and random anime characters. It was basically his own table at this point, no one else dared to sit there despite his totally goody-two shoes and nerdy looks.
Anyway, he was bullshitting himself. He knew it. He just wanted to see Shun at school, and he doesn’t even know why he tried denying himself in the first place. Kuboyasu stared at the clock. Oh crap, he’d been here five minutes longer than necessary. He quickly packed up the work that he was supposed to have been doing, and took the umbrella out of his bag. It had a little red cord loop attached to the handle, while the umbrella was jet-black. Kuboyasu smirked slightly. Fitting. He shook his head and ran to the exit doors. Mostly everyone was gone, except for one blue head of hair waiting by the shoe lockers. When Kuboyasu looked outside, he understood why. It was pouring rain.
Forget cats and dogs, it was tigers and wolves out there. Kaidou was sitting on one of the benches, tying his shoelaces.
“Hey.”
Kuboyasu said from behind him. Kaidou jumped again. Gee, he’s really on edge lately, is he getting enough sleep? “Ah! Oh, Aren! It’s… just you!” Kaidou replied nervously. Aren scratched his neck awkwardly. He took out the umbrella and opened it. Kaidou quickly jumped up and tried (and failed) to close the umbrella.
“Aren! You can’t open umbrellas inside!” He hissed, though it wasn’t very threatening when his shoe was half on and Aren could see his striped blue sock. He grinned, waving around the umbrella away from Shun’s reach. He had fallen back into their banter faster than he meant to.
“Oh yeah? Why’s that?” Shun crossed his arms very seriously, and stared him straight in the eyes. Aren would have gotten distracted if it wasn’t for the next thing Shun said. “It’s bad luck. You’re gonna bring evil spirits to this school!”
Kuboyasu couldn’t help but start laughing. He almost forgot how much Shun liked voodoo shit as much as he enjoyed Dark Reunion. “Hey—stop laughing, you dimwit!” He pouted, but he was laughing too. But just as quickly as it started, the moment stopped as the two looked at the rain still down pouring outside. Aren cleared his throat. “Oh right, I have your umbrella. You left it over last week.” He said dumbly, handing it to him.
“Oh thanks!… Do you have an umbrella though, Aren?” Shun asked. Kuboyasu froze. Shoot, he forgot an umbrella for himself! Well, that was embarrassing. Shun seemed to have sensed Aren’s answer already, and smiled reassuringly at him. “Don’t worry, we can share mine. It’s definitely big enough, buuut you have to hold it because you’re… taller.” Kuboyasu sighed thankfully, he’s been saved a lot lately. “Thanks Shun, I owe ya. I don’t mind holding it, don’t worry your short little head ‘bout it!” He teased, ruffling Shun’s hair, even if it basically did nothing to his already messy hair. Shun glared lightheartedly at him and finished putting on his shoe. He perkily stood up and peered at Aren. “Ready to go?”
“Yep.”
- - -
It was an absolute hurricane outside. Thank the gods Aren was holding the umbrella, because Kaidou’s sure that if it was him the umbrella would have hit him in the face at least ten times by now. Aren was struggling though. The umbrella was practically useless at this point, both of them were soaked through, but Shun thought it was sweet that Aren was still trying.
Yeah, Kaidou had come to terms with it. He was definitely in love with Aren. It was scary at first, but he thought about it, and then some more, and then a little bit more. He’d lost a couple hours of sleep, but so what? He noticed he loved everything Aren did, whether it was on purpose or not.
He loved it when Aren made him snacks. He loved it when Aren talked about motorcycles. He loved when Aren let him spiel on about the Dark Reunion. He loved it when they watched movies and Aren would point out the stereotypes. He loved it when Aren worked out while he studied, and he loved that Aren didn’t notice the sneak peeks he took. He loved trying out Aren’s new recipe he made because it tasted good no matter what. He loved when they read manga together. He loved when Aren saved up for all the books Shun’s reading just so they could be on the same page literally. He loved Aren.
He just wondered if he loved him back.
Their journey home was silent despite the roaring wind and rain around them. The awkwardness had settled in again after they left the school building. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind knocked the umbrella from Aren’s hands and nearly toppled them over too. “Ah fuck!” Kuboyasu shouted through the rain, watching as the umbrella blew away in a strangely coordinated line. They were officially soaked through and through. Aren turned to him.
“Do you want my coat…?” He offered weakly, but both of them knew that the school coat basically provided zero protection, no matter how big Aren’s coat was compared to Shun. All their clothes were full of water, and it was beginning to make Kaidou very uncomfortable. They tramped through the rain, Aren’s frame shielding him ever so slightly. The pair were still silent though. Kaidou honestly couldn’t take it anymore. He stopped abruptly, and Aren had walked a few steps ahead before he realised Shun had stopped walking.
“Shun?” He called out. Aren was squinting behind his glasses due to the rain whipping against his face. “Why did you stop? Come on, you’re gonna get sick!” He worried, walking back towards Shun.
“Why aren’t you talking to me?” Shun blurted out, looking up at Aren. He never noticed how tall he was at his full height; he usually bent down a little for Shun. Aren looked guilty, and the rain on his face only added to the expression. “I… I’m sorry, Shun. I honestly believed you wouldn’t want to talk to me.” He admitted, somewhat sadly. “Why would you think that!?” Kaidou shouted over the wind incredulously, flailing his arms.
“I thought it would have been awkward for the Jet Black Wings if his best comrade had just kissed him!” He shouted back. Shun could tell he was getting a bit upset, but he needed to know. They were close to each other, figuratively and literally speaking. Aren’s face was inches away from his own. Kaidou decided he needed to pry a little more, just to be sure. “And… why would it have been awkward?” He said slowly. This might be a bit much. What if he’s gotten the wrong idea and Aren actually hates him!? Aren froze at his question, and Shun couldn’t decide whether that was a good or bad thing. Kuboyasu ran his fingers through his wet hair nervously for a few moments. Then he seemed to make up his mind.
“Shun, listen, I…fuck… I think I’m in love with you.”
Now Kaidou froze. Kuboyasu saw his expression and quickly began to backtrack, gesturing with his hands. “I—That was a joke! A joke! Haha, yeah you know I love you bro! Platonically! Friendly! As friends, that’s what I meant—”
“I—I think I love you too.” Shun interrupted him, his expression neutral.
The sound of the rain sloshing against the pavement subbed in the silence. Aren looked at him in disbelief, and a few seconds later, he started to laugh. Slowly at first, but then it broke out into full on laughter. Shun tried stifling his giggles, but Aren’s laugh was so contagious, he started laughing too. Maybe they did look weird, two random highschool kids just laughing in a storm, but who cared. Shun didn’t, not at this moment. Maybe he would look back on it and be embarrassed, but that was a problem for future him. Right now, he cared about how close Aren was to his face.
“You know,” Aren spoke softly, but he was so close that Shun could hear him perfectly over the noise around them. “I think I owed you a favour earlier.” His eyes flicked down at Shun’s lips, just for a millisecond, but suddenly Shun was bright red. “O—oh, really?” He cursed himself for stuttering, this was supposed to be his cool and romantic moment!
“Yeah… for lending me your umbrella, which was kinda wasted but I still owe you.”
Aren tacked on the last bit hastily, but he had this look in his eyes that made Shun all warm and fuzzy inside despite the raindrops whipping against his cheeks. His hands had made their way to Shun’s face and he melted to the touch. Aren’s hands were big and warm and calloused and felt nice, even if they were wet.
“And… what are you going to do to make up for it?” Shun whispered, his eyes fluttering close.
“This, maybe?” They both leaned in and met halfway. Shun found it funny how he almost had to stand on his tippy toes to kiss Aren. He didn’t mind though. Aren kissed gently, fondly, and Kaidou forgot that he ever had thought kisses were disgusting and for adults. He wanted to do it a lot more. It probably wasn’t perfect, Shun was the least qualified person to judge kissing methods, but it was the best thing that’s happened to him so far. Maybe their teeth clacked together a couple times, maybe their noses bumped when they leaned in, and maybe they giggled too much in between, but to him… to him it was so them. It’s so Aren. They pulled apart a little bit, giving each other time to examine the other's face.
“You’re very pretty.” Aren noted. Shun looked away bashfully, grinning like crazy. “Pretty as Teruhashi.” Aren added on.
Shun snapped his head back at him and put a finger to his lips. “Don’t say that! That’s like wishing a curse on me! Teruhashi is the Aphrodite of this world!” Kaidou lectured him very seriously.
Aren seemed a little taken aback, but he chuckled at Shun’s antics. “Okaaaay then… as pretty as Princess Otohime.” He supplied instead. Shun ducked his head again. “Didn’t know you’d be such a romantic…” He mumbled. Aren scoffed.
“Shun, I’ll have you know I have never kissed or romanced anyone in my life by choice. I’ve been waiting for this moment.”
“And I did all that without choice, so who’s really better?” Shun said smugly. Aren crossed his arms in faux defeat. “Ok fine. You win this time, Jet-Black Wings,” He admitted. Kaidou puffed out his chest proudly.
“But we really need to get out of this rain.” Shun looked up. “Oh, right. It still takes forever to get to my house.” Shun groaned. Kuboyasu just shrugged. “We’ll just have to run.”
“Aren, you know I hate running!” Shun complained. Aren shot him a toothy grin. In one swift motion, he swept up Shun in his arms — bridal style. Shun let out a small yelp. “AREN! Oh my god…” He covered his face in embarrassment as a nearby couple looked at them weirdly from under their umbrella. Aren smirked at him and started walking. “What? Not feeling like a pretty princess?” Shun glared back. “I hate you.”
“Do you really though?” Aren teased. Shun stayed silent for moment before grumbling, “This is so unfair… you’re going to laughing about this forever now.” Aren shrugged again. “Well I missed three days of school because of this so you better make it up to me.”
“I’ll tutor you for free.”
“Deal bro.” Shun stared at him. “Don’t call me ‘bro’ after all this trouble!” He berated Aren. “I lost sleep over this!” Kuboyasu suddenly looked very serious. “You lost sleep?” Suddenly he looked like he got an idea. “I know, our first date can be a sleepover study date! Study for me, sleep for you, sounds good?”
“Yeah, sure. Just to let you know, the Jet-Black Wings doesn’t need slee—” He was inconveniently interrupted by a yawn. Aren gave him a look. “Ok, maybe that does sound good. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
***
Good grief.