Archive of Our Own

Katsura Kotaro was a man of discipline. He woke up at the same time every day, ate rice balls for breakfast, fed his pet duck, rode his bicycle to school and reached the classroom ten minutes before the first lecture to set an example to the rest of the classmates as the School Council president. He never forgot to bring his textbooks, always had three sharpened pencils in his box and at least two spare pens.

The day he got acquainted with him started off like every other day. Acquainted was probably not the right word. He was obviously acquainted with him—he’s his classmate after all. No, the word probably was more acquainted than he would like.

He was riding his bike to school as usual, his long hair flowing around in the wind. It’s a hassle to comb out all the knots, but he couldn’t bear the sensation of a rubber band around his hair so he always kept it untied. He was okay with clips and ribbons but that was hardly an appropriate attire for school.

The weather was perfect, cold enough for him to not sweat but not chilly to the point of freezing. It would have been a near perfect day for him.

When he first felt the weight on the backside of his bicycle, he was frightened. This had never happened to him before! Who in their right mind would want to hijack his rickety bike? The stranger put his palm on his shoulder.

"Ride as fast as you can."

"I don't have money with me! I keep it all in a safe in my bank."

"I don't want your money! Zura, come on, just help a classmate out."

That's when Katsura realized that it wasn't a random guy sitting on his bike. No, it was the infamous delinquent, Takasugi Shinsuke.

"Don't call me Zura! It's Katsura."

"Gintoki calls you Zura all the time."

Katsura ignored the comment. He didn't want to argue with Takasugi so early in the morning. He didn't want to argue with Takasugi ever.

"Please get off my bike."

Takasugi clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"You know, I have a knife with me. Just co-operate with me and no one needs to get hurt. " He pulled out a pocket knife, holding the blade just a few centimeters from Katsura's face.

Katsura had heard rumors from his classmates about Takasugi. He was a cookie cutter troublemaker, always fighting with delinquents from other schools, always violent. The teachers didn't know what to make of him so they usually left him alone.

But despite it all, it felt like it would hurt his pride to meekly comply to whatever he demanded. So instead, he turned back and looked straight in the eye of Takasugi Shinsuke. A fleeting curiosity passed through his mind, he wondered how Takasugi might have hurt his eye for it to be bandaged in such a way. He could also see hints of an open wound on his forehead, almost hidden under his hair, the blood around it drying.

He channeled all the anger he could in his stare. He needed Takasugi to know that he wasn't the type to be easily intimidated.

The dark haired boy looked at him in surprise.

"I didn't think you'd be so stubborn."

"Please get off my bike." Katsura repeated, trying not to show the relief he felt on his face.

"Look, I have a few people people following me and I've already gotten into a fight. I don't want to create any more trouble."

It's weird, Zura would have thought that Takasugi was the type to crave trouble, the type to always chase after an adrenaline rush. Fighting a large group of people all alone was exactly the type of thing he was famous for.

"You're thinking about how I usually would have just fought them."

"No."

"I can see it in your eyes."

Katsura wasn't sure how to reply to him.

"I promised Bansai to not get into trouble after my last suspension." Takasugi rolled his eyes. " Come on, just help me out this once. You're the student council president, aren't you? Do you really want to leave a troubled student on the street like this?"

On one hand Katsura wanted to tell him to leave him alone but on the other, Takasugi's words stuck with him.

"You're the student council president, aren't you?"

Its true, he couldn't just leave a fellow classmate on the street like this, after being asked for help. It would reflect poorly on his values.

"Fine. I'll drop you off to school. This will be a one time thing, so don't expect any more favors from me in the future."

"Not school! Matako and Bansai would fret too much over my wound. "

"I'm not skipping school."

"Yes, I'm not asking you to- just the first period. You can leave me under the bridge by the river and go back to class."

"Absolutely not."

"You'll not reach on time anyways."

Katsura thought it over once. It was probably best to get rid of Takasugi as fast as he could.

He wordlessly began peddling, pretending to not notice Takasugi's smile of victory.

The river was desolate when they reached, unsurprisingly. After all there weren't many people free enough to be here at 10am on a weekday. Takasugi hopped off his bike immediately .

"Thanks."

"Wait." Katsura opened his bag and pulled out his little first aid kit.

"Ugh, there's no need for that." Takasugi rolled his eyes. " I've already mentioned it before, haven't I? I hate being fussed over."

"I'm simply doing my duty as the student council president. I can't let a fellow classmate walk around with an open wound."

"You're a proper stick in the mud, aren't you?" The short haired boy grumbled but allowed Katsura to clean his wound.

They stood in silence as Katsura cleaned up all the dried blood from his forehead. The wound was pretty superficial, thankfully, it didn't take him very long to bandage him up.

"For someone who is such a stickler for rules, I'm surprised that you keep your hair so long." Takasugi took a few strands of hair in his hands. "Oh, they're pretty soft too."

"It's not against the rules to have long hair. Many girls in our class have longer hair than mine."

"I guess you're right."

Silence befell them again. Katsura had no idea what he could talk about with Takasugi and even if he did, it wasn't like he was interested in making small talk with him. Besides, it was almost time for their second class.

"Will you be skipping the rest of the day?"

"Yeah. I don't feel like going."

"Alright. I'll take my leave then."

Katsura put all of his stuff in his bag and sat on his bike again. Before leaving, he turned to Takasugi one more time.

"Try not to skip any more of your classes. I hardly see you at school. You don't want to be held back, do you?"

Two things changed ever since that day. Firstly, Takasugi was a lot more present in school. He could hear the confused gossip amongst the teachers, the ones who never expected much from Takasugi. Some of them were happy to see him turn over a new leaf while the others were still expecting him to drop out soon. If Takasugi did hear those rumors, he paid no heed to them.

Secondly, he'd come and talk to Katsura a lot more than usual. He had a lot of questions for him and was the persistent type, the type who wouldn't leave unless he was satisfied by the conversation.

"What shampoo do you use for your hair for it to be so soft?" " What perfume do you wear,? You always smell so good." "Why do you reach ten minutes before the class starts?" "Is it fun to be the student council president?" " Can you fight?" "How many hours do you study?" "Don't you feel like education institutes are like a scam?"

He had already gotten summoned to the teacher's office where his homeroom teacher asked him if he was being bullied by Takasugi. On denying the fact, he was asked to maintain a distance from the good for nothing delinquent.

He didn't understand why Takasugi kept approaching him. Most of all, he couldn't understand why he wasn't pushing him away. When Gintoki asked him how he ended up being friends with Takasugi, he really couldn't answer. Were they friends now? He wasn't sure. He didn't think Takasugi was the type to talk about it.

So instead he asked questions of his own.

"How did you hurt your right scapular region?" "What the fuck is that?" "How did you hurt the back of your right shoulder?" "Oh, I fell from my bed." "Why do you drink so many probiotics?" "Yakult is more than just a probiotic." "Did you just steal a plus four card from the deck when you thought I wasn't looking?" "No…" "Do you have your clan logo tattooed on your back?" "Umm…I'm not the Yakuza."

It was surprisingly easy to talk to Takasugi. He was smart where it mattered and was unexpectedly easy to annoy.

Of course, things did not go as smoothly as Katsura had thought it would.

He knew Takasugi's reputation, he knew there were too many people waiting for a chance to hurt him and just because he had stopped fighting recently didn't mean that his past grudges would automatically disappear.

He never thought that he would ever be involved in a scuffle like this. He was the model student, after all, he worked hard to keep up his good appearances so as to not trouble his old grandma who was his only guardian.

He wondered if grandma would scold him when he returned home today.

The five boys surrounding him looked unfamiliar, he was sure that they weren't from his school.

"You're the one who helped Takasugi escape on that day, aren't you?" The tallest guy in the group spoke out. He looked older than the rest.

"I'm not sure what you're talking about."

"Don't try and play it cool. One of our guys saw you pick him up on your bicycle."

This was so troublesome. He wanted to go home already.

"Is he sure it was me? It could have been anyone. Surely, I have plausible deniability?"

The guy scowled. "I hate smart asses like you."

He came closer to Katsura and gestured his lackeys to do the same, essentially blocking out any way for him to run.

"So how do you know Takasugi?"

"I don't."

Katsura registered the pain on his cheek before he could even see the fist flying towards him. He could taste the coppery tang of the blood on his tongue. The inside of his cheek felt sore. So this was how it felt to get punched.

"Look here, I don't want any more trouble. Just tell us where that punk is and we'll let you go. Stop lying to us to protect that bastard."

"I really don't know where he is."

The guy sighed. "You're really asking for a beating up, aren't you?"

Katsura stayed silent, defiant.

"Fine. Whatever. We'll beat you up nice and good and maybe Takasugi will finally stop hiding like a coward."

Despite everything, Katsura had a weird urge to defend Takasugi. To tell the no namers that he wasn't a coward at all and that he was just honoring the promise he made with his friend.

Instead he closed his eyes and braced himself for the hit. He wondered what Takasugi would feel about this situation. He'd probably blame himself, wouldn't he? Katsura wished that he wouldn't.

Weren't the delinquents taking up too much time? Why weren't they beating him up already?

He opened his eyes slowly only to see the guy who was talking to him on the ground. Over him stood a very familiar boy with deep purple hair and a patch over his eye.

"It's Takasugi! Takasugi's here, finally!"

There was a slight commotion as the guys scrambled around, half of them trying to help the guy who was currently on the ground and the other half trying to hit Takasugi.

For the first time, Katsura felt as if the rumors surrounding Takasugi were underselling him.

The way he fought was brutal, all fists and punches with no care about his own self. He was like a wild animal, a lynx with sharp teeth and claws who aimed to hurt. There was a crazed expression on his face which made him look like he was enjoying it, the violence and the pain.

Katsura doesn't think he had seen anything so beautiful. It was weird, he should feel scared, the way Takasugi was absolutely annihilating the five burly boys, all taller than him, but no, all he felt was awe.

He never knew that his heart could beat so fast just by seeing someone fight. It didn't take long for the defeated to scurry away, shouting empty threats and grievances.

Takasugi approached him, the look of guilt clear as day on his face.

"Does it hurt?" Takasugi softly caressed his cheek, over the wound, his touch as light as a feather.

Katsura wanted to tell him to take care of himself first, he could now see how bruised and bloody Takasugi's knuckles were, but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to say anything. So instead he just shook his head.

Takasugi rummaged his pockets, and pulled out a small white pouch.

"I've got some bandage here."

"You always carry those with you?"

"Well. Yes. They've always been great help for me."

"You get into fights often, don't you?"

Takasugi giggled softly at that. "What do you think?"

Katsura couldn't answer, not because he didn't know what to reply to that but because Takasugi had forced his thumb into his mouth.

"You've cut the inside of your cheek, haven't you? You need to press this on there to stop the bleeding."

Only now did Katsura register the soggy bandage against his wound. His main focus was on the warmth of Takasugi's finger, the sensation of the pad of his tongue massaging his gash through the bandage, the taste of blood being overridden by the taste of the other boy's skin.

"Bite down."

He bit down.

"Oww…fuck, I didn't mean my thumb. Bite down on the bandage so that it stays in place. "

Well, this was mortifying.

"Fhank Oo."

"Are you thanking me? There's no need for that. You got hurt because of me."

"Won't Banzai be mad at you? You broke his promise." Katsura tried his best to pronounce his words properly.

"You don't have to worry about that. " Takasugi smiled, a vastly different one from what he was sporting a few minutes ago. "He'll understand."

"I see."

"Ugh, you probably regret saving me that day now, don't you."

"No."

It was the truth. Despite everything, Katsura was glad he picked up Takasugi on his bike and got to know him better. Even if Takasugi hadn't come on time to save him today and he was beaten up into a pulp, he'd still not regret it.

Takasugi seemed to be surprised by his answer.

"Oh. You…don't? I see…you don't. That's good,"

He couldn't tell if it really was good or not. Not when it felt like there were a thousand ants running around on his skin. Not when he could still feel the sensation and warmth of Takasugi's thumb inside his mouth.

Takasugi Shinsuke was a man of chaos. He almost always woke up late, skipped breakfast, skipped the first class, heck, skipped the whole day at school if he couldn't be bothered to leave. His parents had practically given up on him and were satisfied if he went to school at least two days a week.

It wasn't as if he had planned on being a delinquent, he just found fighting to be a good distraction from how bored he felt all the time. Although lately, fighting had become boring to him as well. There weren't many who could put up a good fight against him and every brawl had become robotic, where he was going through the motions just to end the fight.

He couldn't help but think that maybe he was destined to live a life like this— boring, mediocre and listless.

The day everything changed for him started off like any other day— he woke up at noon. got five missed calls from Banzai telling him to come to school lest he wanted to drop out, dressed into his uniform haphazardly and made his way to school where he got ambushed by some guys from guys from the neighboring who harbored a grudge against him. It's not like he recognized them, he hardly paid attention to the underwhelming delinquents that he fought, but he couldn't back down from a fight.

The day would have been unmemorable for him, had his eyes not drifted towards the window of the library building.

He was still in the midst of the fight, the guys trying their best to land a hit, but they were simply too slow for him. He decided to have a little fun with them, dodging their attacks while simultaneously goading them to hit him. That's when he saw him, looking out the library window.

The guy had long hair, dark as ebony and some strands of it flew gently in the wind. He held a serene, wistful expression on his face. He held a book in his hands but he was clearly a bit distracted. Takasugi wondered what was going on in his head.

Beautiful. The boy was so, so beautiful, his heart ached. He had never felt like this before.

He recognized the boy too- Katsura Kotaro, his classmate who was also the student council president. Before today, he had never really cared to notice, but after seeing him now, it felt like it would be difficult for him to take his eyes off the guy.

He got punched- not surprising considering how distracted he was, but the loud cheers from the delinquents made Katsura look towards them.

Takasugi had the urge to run away and hide. How embarrassing that Katsura just saw him get punched by some low level delinquent. He had to end the fight immediately.

Ever since that day, he began to notice Katsura more. The guy always got five extra pens with him. He never forgot his textbook. His lunch usually has one egg roll, except on Fridays, when he eats Soba noodles from the canteen. He ties his long hair into a side ponytail during gym class. He sometimes talks to himself. He's close to the silver guy, Gintoki who calls him by a nickname.

On that day, he didn't really need Katsura's help to escape. He didn't need to escape at all. Bansai wouldn't have cared if he decked the people who started the fight. But he couldn't help himself.

He wanted to get closer to him. And surprising his planned had worked.

Initially it felt like Katsura was just tolerating him, but recently he couldn't help but feel like he genuinely liked him. Perhaps not in the way Takasugi liked him, but it was clear that Katsura didn't hate him. Nor was he just tolerating him for the sake of appearances. He had heard that the homeroom teacher had told Katsura to stay away from him but he didn't take that advice. That had to mean something, right? Takasugi hoped against hope that it did.

Katsura was different around him lately. He would often avert his eyes from Takasugi, always seemed to be lost in thought and sometimes when he thought Takasugi wasn't looking, he'd stare at him with those clear eyes of his.

Takasugi wasn't sure what to make of this new development. It wasn't like things were that different…they'd still hang out during lunch and talk a lot. Sometimes, Katsura would walk with him after school, they'd roam around aimlessly and eat a croquet from a roadside stall. The fight from earlier hadn't made Katsura avoid him like he thought it would. In fact, the guy treated him more or less the same outside of the aforementioned changes.

Takasugi had unfortunately started attending classes more than usual. Its not like Katsura had said anything about his habit of cutting lectures to his face but still, he felt like he couldn't bear the disapproving look on his face whenever he arrived at the last period after missing the whole day.

The teacher was droning on and on about integration and derivation, his monotonous voice almost lulling him to sleep. His eyes flitted over to Katsura, and not for the first time, he wondered how the Student Council President managed to concentrate so well in class, his eyes intently looking at the scribbles on the board, his expression so focused, as if hanging on to every single boring word that was coming out of the lecturer's mouth. And if that wasn't weirdly fascinating to him, Katsura also seemed to be writing notes. Seriously, who would be interested enough to not only listen to what the teacher had to say but also to write it down?

To be fair, its not like Takasugi could criticize Katsura. After all, he too used to be the type to be top of class, although even during his glory days he didn't really focus on classroom lectures. He was the type to study everything in his own later on in the comfort of his house.

He was so desperate to please his parents, to be the golden child they could brag about, to be the glue that held his parents together. Instead, the simply used his achievements to put themselves up on a pedestal, each trying to claim that Takasugi was a genius because of them and fighting more and more.

It sickened him to be reminded of his parents. Sometimes he still relished the memory of heir expressions of fear and disgust when they first saw his beat up face. It was the first fight he had ever gotten into, his anger taking control of him as he punched a senior who had made a passing remark on his hair.

Katsura really was nothing like him. He genuinely loved to study. He was a proper class topper, not a phony like Takasugi used to be.

Suddenly the guy he was staring at turned back, looking surprised at the fact that their eyes met. Takasugi couldn't help but look away.

He couldn't wait for the bell to ring already.

"So, what do you plan to do about the upcoming tests?" Katsura was drinking banana milk that he got from the vending machine. No matter how hard Takasugi tried, the guy just wouldn't get into yakult.

"What tests?"

"The ones that the professor mentioned at the end of class."

"…"

"Our math professor."

"Oh. I wasn't listening at all."

"That's not very nice. He tries so hard to get the concepts across too."

"What tests were you talking about?" Takasugi brought back the original topic of conversation in haste.

"End of the semester papers. According to Sensei, they will make up ten percent of our final grades."

"Oh."

"It looks like you don't care."

"That's because I don't."

"You don't have any plans for college?"

"Not really."

Katsura sighed. "Even though you're so smart?"

Takasugi raised his eyebrows. "Why would you think that?"

"You're always winning at UNO."

"Uh, how is that relevant?"

"Of course it'd relevant! No one who plays UNO that good can be stupid. You're definitely smart, I know that."

"For an honors student, you say the dumbest shit sometimes."

"What I'm saying is that you shouldn't give up so easily. I'm sure you'll do well."

Takasugi wasn't sure how to explain that he knows that he'll do well if he seriously studies, he just didn't want to. He didn't really want to open up about his parents, especially to Katsura. He didn't want to fall in the other boy's eyes any more than he already has.

Before he could formulate a response, Katsura spoke up again.

"I'll even tutor you after school if you want."

So that's how Takasugi ended up in Katsura room, watching the boy scrunched over his bed table, scribbling furiously. He didn't care much for the books sprawled in front of him, but the long haired boy was so cute when he was concentrating, there was no way he could pass up this opportunity.

"Did you manage to solve the fifth question?" Katsura caught him staring again.

"No, I haven't started yet."

"Takasugi-kun, you can't just slack off here. What's the point of coming to my house every day after school if you're not even going to try to study?"

The point, dear Katsura-kun was to see your pretty eyes so up close. Of course Takasugi couldn't say that. So instead he decided to play dumb.

"It's just too complicated."

"That's only because you missed so many classes. Once you read the text, it shouldn't be that difficult. Here let me show you how to do it once."

Katsura inched closer to him, pulling his textbooks towards himself.

"You see, in case of this problem, you need to keep all the variables on one side and the numbers to the other. So we need to bring x from this side to here…"

A few strands of hair fell on Katsura's face as he bent a little so that he could write on the notebook. Takasugi fought the urge to tuck it behind his ear.

"Did you get it?"

Of course he didn't, but he nodded his head. He'll read up the solution later.

"Good. Now solve all the problems from this chapter and if you're stuck, you can ask me."

They sat in silence after that, the sound of their pens scribbling the only thing making any noise. Takasugi figured that he might as well study now that he's here lest Katsura think of him as a waste of time to tutor.

He didn't want this to be their last class together.

It soon became a routine- They'd walk together to Katsura's house after school and study for an hour or two after which, Katsura's grandmother would offer them snacks. They talked as they ate and if Katsura was happy with the progress they made, they'd play a round of UNO.

Banzai and Matako kept asking him why he wasd always missing after school, but he couldn't get himself to tell them, He wanted this time to only belong to him and Katsura, the world they had created was peaceful and fun and Takasugi felt more and more like himself. Not the rebellious persona he had donned, not the goody two shoes that he was before, just an average seventeen year old. He didn't want anyone to enroach upon this new world he had made for himself.

Katsura as usual sat next to him, blissfully unaware of the storm brewing in Takasugi's mind, reading their Japanese history textbook.

"This is so boring." Takasugi complained.

"And this is the third time you're saying that." Katsura didn't even look up from his textbook.

"Can't we make this exciting somehow?"

"What do you mean?"

Takasugi sat up straight and shifted closer to Katsura.

"Lets quiz each other on the topic and for every correct answer, the other needs to say something about themselves."

"What do you mean by 'something'"?

"It could be anything! Favourite color, favourite food, whatever."

"But you already know my favourite color and favourite food." Katsura looked at him in confusion.

"Those were just examples!"

"Fine, if that's what will make you study, then lets do it."

"Okay, then I'll ask the first question." Takasugi skimmed through the page he was reading.

"Who was the first Tokugawa Shogun?"

"Tokugawa Ieyasu." Katsura replied immediately.

"Correct!" Takasugi smiled. "The first friend I made at school was Banzai. We met near the vending machine and he lent me change so that I could buy a soda."

"I see, that's how this works."

"Yep. Easy enough, isn't it?"

"Fine your turn." Katsura flipped through the pages of his book. "What is the Jomon period known for?"

"Cord marked pottery."

"That's right." The long haired boy paused for a while. "My grandma makes soba for me every Friday."

"Oh that's cute." Takasugi was ready with his next question. "Wet rice farming were brought to feudal era-"

"Yayoi."

"Wow I didn't even finish the question. Okay, I used to be obsessed with samurai shows when I was younger but had to stop watching them because my parents thought it was making me stupid."

"What? That's ridiculous."

Takasugi laughed without humor. "Yeah, well, my parents are a bit ridiculous."

Katsura looked at him with an unreadable expression.

"Significant social reform during Meiji restoration?"

"Abolishment of the Feudal System."

"Right. Okay." Katsura seemed to hesitate a bit. "My parents died in an accident when I was six. I've been living with my grandmother ever since then. It's one of the reasons why I take studying so seriously. My parents didn't leave behind much money and there's no way grandma can afford to send me to college, so I need to bag a scholarship somehow."

He seemed breathless after saying that but his expression also conveyed relief. It felt like he really wanted someone to know about him.

Takasugi wasn't sure how to reply to that. Any words of sympathy would fall flat.

"I didn't tell you this to see you look at me like that."

"I'm sorry." Takasugi looked away for a bit.

"Your 'something' needs to be on the same degree as mine." Katsura didn't seem to mind him at all.

"What?"

"Yeah, that's the law of equivalent exchange. To gain something, something of an equivalent value must be given."

"Uh? Is this really the time to be making Full Metal Alchemist references?"

"What I mean is, that I told you about me so now you should tell me about you."

What a roundabout way of getting Takasugi to talk about himself. He almost giggled at the absurdity of it. He closed his book. He doesn't think Katsura was interested in studying anymore.

So he talked. He talked about his reputation obsessed parents, their fights and the divorce. He talked about his days as the golden child and his growing distaste for his parents. He talked about how he never wanted to be used as a pawn by them again.

Katsura was a good listener. He was patient and his eyes held no judgement.

"Takasugi."

"What?"

"Lets study together and ace the exams."

"Huh?"

"You said that you don't want to study and put efforts into school anymore because of your parents, right?"

"Yes." Did Katsura think that the reason was too silly? Takasugi wondered if it was too late to regret pouring his heart out to him. Of course, any sane person would find him stupid for throwing away his life for such a petty reason.

"Then do it for me."

"What?"

"Lets work hard and go to the same college. We could also room together. You'd be far away from your parents and my grandmother would be relieved about the fact that I'll be living with a friend."

It felt as if the world had slowed down for a bit.

"You…want to live together?"

"Well." Katsura looked unusually flustered. Takasugi doesn't think he had seen that expression before. "If you don't mind."

"I don't." He replied a little too fast.

"Okay then. You need to make sure that you get into the same college as me."

"I'll do it." Takasugi meant it. For the first time in his life he had something to look forward too. With Katsura by his side, maybe things wouldn't be so boring. He won't have to pursue cheap, short lived measures for excitement anymore. When Katsura was beside him, the world seemed a whole lot kinder.

Getting back into studying after ignoring it for so, so long wasn't easy at all. He had forgotten how exactly he got by before. Thankfully, Katsura was always helping him out, explaining the things that he didn't understand in simple terms.

In order to motivate himself, Takasugi made a huge decision.

If he did well in his exams, he'll confess to Katsura.

Sure, things might get a bit awkward when he gets turned down, but Katsura is not the type to break promises. They'll still live together and go to the same college and within a few months, Takasugi was positive that all the awkwardness would be forgotten and they'll return to being good friends.

He didn't dare to dream what would happen if his confession gets accepted.

Of course, that would never happen. Why would someone as bright and kind as Katsura ever fall for him?

Still, the prospect of seeing Katsura's expression when he confessed kept him going. Would he be shocked? Surprised? Or maybe he already knew? Takasugi couldn't help but think about it all the time.

On the first day ofthe exam, he drank three bottles of Yakult for luck and for once, took his pencil box filled with four pens to school. When he saw the question paper, he could feel a sense of calm overtake the anxious feeling he was having since morning. Studying with Katsura was really fruitful, he had solve most of the problems before. The scratching sounds of his pens helped him focus.

Now all he had to do was ace them. From the corner of his eye, he could see Katsura hunched over his desk, writing furiously. For the hundredth time, he hoped that they would make it in the same college.

His scarf was bulky but it did a good job of protecting him from the fast winds. He rubbed his hands together, trying to produce some body heat. He was fifteen minutes early, both anxiety and excitement getting better of him.

They received their exam results yesterday. He still remembered the look on his teacher's face when he gave him back his answer sheet. In the afternoon, he was called into the staff room where he was accused of cheating in his exams but in the end they let him go. Katsura was extremely pissed off on his behalf and while Takasugi only thought of the whole thing as mildly annoyed, it made him happy to see someone so worked up for him. Without thinking too much about it, he asked Katsura to meet up with him behind the maple tree at the park.

He was going to do it. Now that the exams were over and the results were out, with him scoring enough to be considered for the college Katsura was applying to, he no longer had the reason to delay the inevitable.

His stomach hurt, his nervousness finally taking over the excitement that he was feeling. He could make out Katsura's silhouette across the park. The long flowing hair, the long legs and his hand clutching the strap of his bag. He could recognise him even in his sleep.

"Zura!" He waved his hand, trying to catch the attention of the boy.

"It's not Zura, it's Katsura." He scowled but there wasn't any genuine anger in his voice.

"You look cold." Takasugi ignored his usual quip.

"Well, it is the middle of winter. According to the news, it's six degrees Celsius."

"Yes. Right." Was he stupid? Why would he even think of a stupid thing like confessing.

Takasugi wasn't made for romance. He was made for street brawls and fast punches and swift kicks. Why did he think that would change?

"So, why have you called me here in this icy weather?"

Katsura's nose was red and his eyes were the little watery. He looked extremely cute.

"No reason." Lying came easy to Takasugi.

Katsura sighed. "You're really going to chicken out at the last moment?"

"W-what?"

"Tell me what you initially wanted to tell me."

"You know?"

"I think I've gotten very good at reading you. Don't think I didn't notice you looking over at me instead of studying during our study sessions."

Takasugi couldn't believe his ears. Was Katsura always this perceptive?

"So you…do you…?" He doesn't think his voice was ever this small before.

"If you want an answer from me, you need to say it properly first."

He could dare to hope, right? The smile on Katsura's face was encouraging and not pity, right? It wasn't like him to doubt himself so much.

"Zura…"

"Katsura."

"Katsura…I..think I like you."

"You think?"

"No, I like you. A lot."

Katsura blushed, his smile growing wider.

"Good."

"You're not going to give me a response?"

The long haired boy stepped closer to him, his hands gently holding Takasugi's cheeks. His lips were icy cold on his but Takasugi couldn't find it in himself to care. He held Katsura's waist and pulled him closer.

"Is the response satisfactory enough?"

"You're going to be this formal even in this situation?"

The other boy didn't reply, just raised his eyebrows.

"Hmm, no it wasn't satisfactory enough. We might have to do it again so that I can get a clearer picture."

Katsura rolled his eyes before leaning in again.

Although the air was cold and the leaves had all fallen off the branches and the winds made him shiver ever so slightly, the warmth blooming in his chest spread to the whole of his body- his limbs, his cheeks and even the back of his neck.

Takasugi figured that maybe he wasn't destined for a boring mediocre life after all.