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Miyano grumbled determinedly as he stuck a measuring cup into his home-brought bag of sugar, digging it deeply into the white granules and making sure it was filled thoroughly before yanking it back out, eyes squeezed shut in anticipation. He internally cursed to himself when he heard the sound of said granules spilling crudely onto the counter. Eyes immediately flying open, he rushed to place the measuring cup on the remaining clean surface of the counter, fumbling to clean his mess before it somehow escalated even more.
Clearly, Miyano…
…wasn't the most reliable in the kitchen. The raven-haired boy sighed exasperatingly as he drew the spilled sugar into a tiny pile, proceeding to scoop it up with cupped hands and dropping it back into the paper bag clownishly. Once he felt somewhat satisfied with his work, he moved towards his initial cup of sugar again, intending to finally get started when a delicate, scrunchie-adorning hand tapped his arm. “What are you planning to use that for?”
Miyano turned to meet a pair of fuchsia irises scrutinizing him skeptically, and he quickly recognized him as Niibashi from class 3-A. He'd been around last year as well, Miyano recalled, serving as the teacher's assistant for the White day preparational baking class. He figured that was the case this time as well (except the teacher likely got impatient and made it a Valentines event instead). The guy was rather small and slender, styled fuchsia hair matching his eyes perfectly, but despite his feminine features, he had quite an assertive presence; Miyano deemed him to be dependable.
The pinkette raised an eyebrow, beckoning towards the cup of sugar Miyano held securely in his hands. The latter broke out of his train of thought and promptly spoke, suddenly feeling ashamed. “Ah, this is for the icing,” he replied, bowing his head sheepishly.
“You can't use that, then,” Niibashi stated, moving to grab the cup out of Miyano’s hands. “You need powdered sugar to make icing; granulated sugar won’t get you anywhere.”
Miyano, now feeling extremely humiliated, opened his mouth to ask how he could possibly compensate, but Niibashi moved faster. The shorter boy reached for a blender on the other side of the counter and proceeded to pour the cup of sugar into the transparent blender jar. He turned to look at a deflated Miyano with a reassuring expression. “It’s okay, we could always make some. Would you mind getting me a tablespoon of cornstarch?” - Miyano quickly obliged, because somehow, Niibashi had gained a halo and wings and Miyano felt entitled to follow his orders.
As the two worked on the icing, the other participating students gradually ceased from the room. Soon, only three remained (excluding the teacher), all bathing under the warm strawberry-like hue of the approaching sunset. Miyano, who’d finally started decorating his cookies, Niibashi; the instructor, and a tall, whiny boy with dark midnight green-brown hair that Miyano wasn’t too familiar with, only really recognizing him as one of Shirahama’s fellow teammates. The two were bickering enthusiastically in a corner, the taller of the two fussing how each cookie had to be decorated to absolute perfection. Miyano observed silently as he worked, concealing a giggle as he noticed an exasperated crease appear between Niibashi’s eyebrows. They must be close, he mused.
Unfortunately, said musings must’ve been a significant distraction from his task. His head whipped back down to his piping bag, where cherry red icing was spilling out on both sides, coating both the back of his hand and accumulating on his last cookie. He yelped and scrambled to wipe his skin, catching the attention of the bickering duo. Niibashi, alarmed, immediately sprinted over.
“Is everything alright?” His mouth took the form of an “o” as he spotted the flooded cookie, and he leaned down to take a closer look. “Hmm, this is already setting, so we won’t be able to just scrape it off and reuse it…”
“I’m so sorry for the trouble, Niibashi-san…” replied Miyano, feeling sheepish under the weight of the pinkette’s assertive aura once again. Niibashi simply shook his head in understanding, waving his apology off. “Don’t fret. We’ll just scrape the excess off and prepare some more icing—”
“No!” Miyano interrupted, silencing the former. “I-it’s okay, really. Sasaki-se—I mean—the person I’m giving the cookies to has a sweet tooth. I’m sure they’ll enjoy it either way.” He cleared his throat, trying to keep the blush from creeping into his cheeks. He really didn’t want to bother Niibashi any more, especially after his slip-up earlier.
An awkward silence filled the room as Niibashi seemingly thought about a reply, but before he could respond, a curious voice sounded from the other side of the room.
“…Sasaki-san?”
Both heads snapped towards the source of the voice, and they found the tall, midnight green-haired boy staring between them. When he met Miyano’s gaze, he tilted his head cutely in a manner that in no way matched his height. Come to think of it, something about him felt oddly familiar…
“Eh, you know him?” - “Ah, yeah. He’s pretty close to Hirano-san if I recall correctly.” Well, that was certainly a familiar name. “Wait, this Hirano-san… does he have blonde hair?”
The tall guy instantly lit up, and Miyano immediately caught onto the puppydog vibe. “You know him?” the boy practically beamed.
“Yeah, he was my senpai in the disciplinary committee.” A pregnant pause. “Wait, how do you know hi—”
Miyano scanned his features. Tall, with a fresh aura surrounding him, personality resembling that of a puppy, on the basketball team—so an athletic guy. All qualities check the boxes of a puppydog seme. On top of that, he knows Hirano-senpai…
…!
Suddenly the distant familiarity made sense. Miyano gasped as he recollected his memories and eagerly exclaimed; “You’re his roommate!” He could literally feel the stars in his own eyes.
Kagiura, on the other hand, looked like a question mark. If Hirano’s disciplinary committee kouhai knew about him, did that mean he’d brought him up before? The thought made him feel stupidly giddy, and he’d gladly indulge himself further if it weren’t for the raven-haired boy suddenly appearing right in front of him.
“What’s your name?” he squealed, eyes sparkling so brightly it could’ve blinded just about anyone. Still, Kagiura remained unfazed, only tilting his head to the side with wide, questioning eyes. “It’s Kagiura…-”
“Kagiura-san! Please exchange numbers with me!” The shorter of the two bowed deeply as he bimanually held his phone up to the taller, screen already displaying the “contacts” app. “S-sure?!” Kagiura, though confused, took the device and filled in his contact info. When he finally got around to returning it, a cough sounded from behind. The teacher in charge was watching their exchange with a stern and impatient expression, and the glare alone spoke for itself. Please finish up quickly so I can go home soon.
The boys nodded apologetically, and Miyano thanked Kagiura briskly before returning to his spot. The previously forgotten Niibashi stood at a distance, observing the two as they split. One looked like he’d just made the encounter of a lifetime, and the other looked dumbfounded, but happy nonetheless.
The pinkette felt puzzled.
…What was that all about?
Later that night, Kagiura received a message.
Unknown sender 20:22
Hello. Is this Kagiura-san?
You 20:22
Yes thats right!
Who is this? 😊
Unknown sender 20:23
Ah, I’m glad!
I’m Miyano from today’s baking session.
Sorry for not introducing myself sooner,
I got a bit excited…
Oh, so his name was Miyano. Kagiura filled in the contact name before replying.
You 20:25
I remember! 😁😁
Nice to meet u Miyano! ✨🤝
Miyano 20:25
Nice to meet you, too!
You reacted with 😁.
Miyano… seemed like a nice guy. Not that that was a surprising fact considering he was on the disciplinary committee, though usually, Kagiura’d feel uneasy knowing Hirano had other kouhais he was close with (because Kagiura was attached to his hip and wanted him all to himself). However, something about Miyano being the one to recognize him as “the roommate” first felt reassuring to him. If anything, he actually kind of looked forward to getting to know him better. Maybe he could even get some insight on Hirano’s time in the committee.
He plopped onto his bed lazily, letting out a big sigh as the mattress dipped comfortably below him. All this Hirano-san-thinking was filling him with longing for his former roommate-made-lover. He pouted into his pillow—knowing that if Hirano were there—he’d trudge over and give his hair a nice little ruffle before scolding him for slacking off. Kagiura would argue back, and the two would bicker till one eventually couldn’t conceal a giggle, and then they’d both laugh it off and throw lighthearted insults at each other until Hanzawa knocked on the door, telling them to be quiet for the night.
As for the mornings; oh, the mornings…
God, how he yearned to feel those sunlit strands between his fingers and the warmth their source would breathe into the room. Every new start of the day felt incomplete without the azure sky enticing him out of his little blanket cave, because even if he could look out of the window and view an endless sea of serene blue, it wasn’t nearly as bright and familiar when the newly awakened sun wasn’t there to accommodate it. It was too peaceful—too quiet—and made the air far too chilly to feel welcoming.
Kagiura whined, letting his pillow absorb the sound. He felt like an abandoned puppy who’d lost his owner to the feat of higher education, and he couldn’t complain, because just like himself, Hirano had ambitions and Kagiura would give everything just to support him in his passions. Still, he decided he’d allow himself some reprieve and picked up his phone. It immediately opened to display his previous conversation with Miyano, and he silently noted that he should make conversation with him about Hirano sometime, before proceeding to open the aforementioned’s contact and tapping the call button. The phone merely rang thrice before he heard a familiar hum on the other end of the line. A smile crossed his face. “Hirano-san!”
Their next encounter was in no way planned nor expected.
Miyano was heading towards the drink machines for a little lunch juice when he heard a familiar voice call him from behind. When he turned to look, he found Kagiura peeking at him through 3-A’s classroom door, his round and rather youthful cheeks being elevated by a bright smile. He jogged over, not too unlike how a puppy would with a bounce in his step, approaching the shorter boy, whose hand was raised in a polite wave. Kagiura’s smile must’ve been far too contagious, because Miyano suddenly found himself smiling too, even though looking up to meet his gaze was starting to seriously strain his neck. For a second, he considered asking what he ate to get to that height, but perhaps that was impolite, so he decided to save the question for a later time. The cute puppy dog demeanor really contrasted that towering height of his, though—goodness. He’s even taller than Sasaki-senpai…!
“Hi, Miyano!!” he exclaimed, full of whimsy. “Are you headed to the drink machines, too?” - “I am! Would you like to go together?” Kagiura seemed more than content with the offer, nodding enthusiastically before moving his long legs, this time by Miyano’s side.
The two wandered down the school corridor in comfortable silence. It wasn’t awkward, surprisingly enough; Miyano assumed it was that invisible wagging shiba tail of his companion that made the air feel so light. Every window they passed radiated oblique beams of cool-toned luster onto the sliding doors, corkboards, walls and floor, painting them in a tranquil glow. He silently observed how the taller seemed to admire each and every little ray with conspicuous adoration—how his eyes darted between the big blue outside and the polychromatic streaks that reflected on the inside, as if they were a romanticistic art exhibition telling a story only fathomable by himself.
Miyano—though curious—didn’t speak a word, not wanting to disrupt Kagiura in his reverie. After all, he seemed particularly fond of the bright hues—sporting a soft smile and everything—to the point that just watching him from this close felt like he was intruding into something personal, so he averted his gaze shyly.
Sooner than later, Kagiura’s head snapped up as if he’d remembered something important. Smile shifting to a more eager one, he directed his sparkling midnight green gaze at the shorter boy instead. “Ah, Miyano! What was Hirano-san like in the committee?”
Miyano thoughtfully brought a hand up to his chin. “He was a reliable senpai,” he started, Kagiura humming and nodding along enthusiastically. “Like—the really diligent type. He never slacked off, and was always working hard.” - “That’s just like him!” Kagiura beamed, earning a giggle from Miyano.
“A few of the members seemed kind of intimidated by him, but he always jumped to our aid if we were struggling with something. Whenever he noticed something was off, he didn’t hold off on asking about it.” He recalled the time Hirano’d pulled him aside to talk in his first year, and how kindly he’d confronted him, openly accepting his fudanshi mindset even without being properly educated on the subject. “He was really kind and open-minded—ah—though he did lash out on me sometimes for…reasons…” A sheepish grimace crossed his face, but he didn’t elaborate. Kagiura didn’t need to hear about his gay porn obsession yet.
The aforementioned let out a fond, exasperated laugh as he shook his head. “Geez, you, Hirano-san,” he mumbled with a smile, mostly to himself, but loud enough to be heard by Miyano, who didn’t miss the warmth in his voice. God, how he could feel his BL senses tingling. It reminded him of how Sasaki had sounded when he’d finally returned his feelings; soft and awfully tender.
Either way—back on track. “For someone on the disciplinary committee, his looks really didn’t match at all. I think he looked really cool, though! Like…-”
…Like a delinquent uke.
He cleared his throat. “Y-you know… A bad boy. With bleached blonde hair… and you can’t forget the statement blue earrings.” Kagiura grinned proudly. “Ehehe, I know, right? Don’t they suit him so well?!” Miyano responded with an enthusiastic nod.
“I gave him those, actually,” Kagiura gleefully added, causing Miyano’s heart rate to spike for a split second. That’s… rather intimate, he thought, trying to curb his growing hope whilst a myriad of BL scenarios mercilessly piled up in his head.
“Wow. You must be really close,” he managed to croak out, earning him a thoughtful hum from the taller in response. “I guess we are.”
He seemed to think about it for a moment before turning to the shorter, tilting his head. “Say, are you and Sasaki-san close?” Miyano, startled by the sudden change of topic, answered “yes,” feeling his face warm up. Kagiura scrutinized his face, not intensely, but Miyano still felt the need to avert his gaze as the heat spread to his ears. Did he say something off?
On the other end, Kagiura was lost in thought. He recalled that Miyano had let Sasaki’s name slip during the valentines baking class, so if the cookies were for him, maybe they were close like that? Like—a couple? He voiced this line of thought, eliciting a cough out of the ravenhead.
Woah, so straight-forward…! “Yeah, that’s… just about right,” Miyano exhaled, raising a hand to hide his flustered face. Kagiura only responded with a hum.
They turned the corner to the machines in silence, but this time it felt borderline awkward. Miyano busied himself with easing up as he went ahead and paid for his juice. Once it dropped into the pickup slot and was secured in his grip, he moved aside to allow Kagiura to buy his own. He nodded politely to the taller, gesturing towards the machine before leaning on the neighboring wall leniently as he waited.
The machine rattled loudly as yet another drink hit the metal floor of the pickup slot, and Miyano watched as Kagiura crouched down to grab a carton of strawberry milk. The boy seemed to stare at the carton for a few seconds before speaking, a thoughtful tone in his voice. “I guess Hirano-san and I are something akin to that as well.”
??!??!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!
Miyano felt like exploding. So he was right all along? Hirano-senpai was… Hirano-senpai was…!
“Wait, what class are you in?” Both pairs of eyes snapped to each other, the honey pair practically on the verge of bursting into sunshine and rainbows, and the midnight green pair looking contrastingly appalled. Miyano had so many questions, but the expression meeting him told him this wasn’t the right time to gush, so he clenched his fists and pushed any unsavory fantasies to the back of his head. “I’m in class 3-B. Why do you ask?” - “Ah, well. Um. That’s… awkward,” Kagiura said sheepishly. “Hirano-san told me specifically not to talk to anyone in class 3-B about us…”
(At this statement, a part of Miyano had the audacity to snicker internally. The other part of him felt guilty that Hirano was so guarded when it came to his fudanshi kouhai figuring out his love affairs, but a win was a win, he decided. He’d just have to tread carefully.)
“...But you seem safe to me! I mean; we both have boyfriends after all.” Kagiura grinned innocently, cutely unaware of his little blunder. Miyano’s ever-so-malicious intent was to let it stay that way. He giggled nervously as the two started to head back the way they came from.
“Still, I wonder what his deal with your class is. Hirano-san’s the kindest and sweetest ever, so your classmates must be big jerks or something,” Kagiura concluded, emphasizing the B in “big” with a puzzled expression. - “Mmm, I wonder,” came the nonchalant reply.
They made small talk ’till they eventually parted ways to their respective classrooms. The moment Miyano slid the door shut, he fell to a fetal position on the floor, hyperventilating as BLood™ rushed ruthlessly through his veins. He had to pinch himself several times to confirm that his recent encounter was real, and when that didn’t convince him, he got up and stomped over to where his friends were eating. “Kuresawa, punch me square in the face, right now. Please and thank you.” - “No thanks, my girlfriend will get mad.” This girlfriend-haver…
“What’s the scoop?” Tashiro asked with a bread-stuffed cheek. Miyano whined with delight. “I just gathered the most life altering BL information ever…! I-I need to sit down.” And sit down he did. Kuresawa hummed soberly.
Kagiura and Niibashi had just concluded the latter’s haberdashery raid when they stumbled across Miyano, Shirahama, Tashiro, and a guy with glasses that neither Kagiura nor Niibashi were familiar with. Shirahama seemed to be the first to recognize Kagiura (his own teammate) as he was the one who stopped to greet him and his companion. “Kagiura, yo.”
“Shirahama! Miyano and Tashiro, too! Good afternoon,” Kagiura chirped happily. He turned to smile at the glasses-guy, who introduced himself as Kuresawa from 3-D. Niibashi simply nodded politely to the guys in lieu of greeting, only introducing himself to those he was unfamiliar with. Kagiura waited until the pinkette finished with his formalities before speaking again. “What are you guys up to?”
“Well, it’s Miyano’s birthday today, and we’ve all been studying hard for our college entrance exams, so since studying at home is stuffy and lonely and boring, we thought it’d be a good time to take a break!” Tashiro rambled cheerfully. “You just want an excuse to slack off,” Kuresawa retorted.
Kagiura’s eyes widened in realization. “Wait—Miyano—it’s your birthday? Congrats!!” - “Thank you very much,” the shorter boy replied bashfully. “We’re on our way to grab desserts to celebrate—would you like to come with? Of course, you’re free to tag along as well, Niibashi-san.” - “Really?! What do you think, Niibashi?” Kagiura beamed.
“As much as I appreciate the invitation, my business here is already done for today,” Niibashi declined politely. “But do join them if you’d like, Kagiura.”
“Are you sure?” The aforementioned gestured towards the bags of sewing supplies he was carrying for the pinkette, whose arms were completely swamped with fabric rolls. “Isn’t this too much for you to carry alone?” Niibashi sighed exasperatingly. “I’ll manage just fine, thank you very much. Just go get those desserts,” he deadpanned, stretching out what he could of his wrists as a signal for Kagiura to hand him the bags and scram. The latter wanted to spare his friend a bit of concern, but Niibashi was so insistent with his little grabby hands that Kagiura couldn’t find it in him to protest. He fixed the thankfully not too heavy bags around his slender wrists before thanking him, and the boys all bid him farewell before moving on.
Their destination, an all-you-can-eat desserts café, was about a five minute walk from where they came together. The place was decently sized and was in no way secluded, even with such modest and natural exterior; the perfect arena for hangouts—or, well—dates. There were plenty of couples occupying the twotops inside, which naturally freed space around the bigger tables. A big win for the high school boys.
They all planted themselves around a cozy rattan coffee table with cushioned birch stools and a singular mini-sofa carrying light pink and green fuzzy pillows (that Tashiro was quick to dive into and claim as his fort). A white flower-shaped lamp cast a comfortably bright light over the table, and the smell of sweets that normally would've felt sickening (to some) was countered by a pleasant scent of coffee lingering in the air. It was a pretty nice place, the boys immediately decided. The light, natural color scheme really contributed to their enthusiasm.
Kagiura, Shirahama and Tashiro—the bigbacks—paid for the all-you-can-eat deal, whilst Miyano and Kuresawa only bought a singular parfait each, because Miyano wasn't too keen on sweets and Kuresawa had spent too much money on gifts for Valentines day and suffered from financial debt. They all decided to split the bill on Miyano's parfait since it was his special day (to Miyano's chagrin).
The dessert buffet was so big and the selection so wide, Kagiura didn't know where to start. Tashiro, however, was already going crazy with his poor little platter. Was he going to be able to finish that? Shirahama feigned disinterest, but hauled the bite-sized sweets with fervor that didn't fool anyone. In the end, Kagiura settled on a creamy strawberry shortcake slice and returned to the table. Everyone else was already seated, and the moment Kagiura joined them again, Miyano and Kuresawa's parfaits arrived as well.
“This… is awesome! I'm digging in!” Tashiro announced, practically drooling as he attacked his plate. Shirahama joined him, stuffing a pink macaron in his mouth, his attempted stoicism melting away at the sweetness. Miyano giggled fondly at the two's eagerness before chipping away at his own parfait, sighing from relief when he figured it wasn't too sweet. Right beside him, Kuresawa was busy snapping pictures of his dessert, and Kagiura observed how he attached the best shots to a message—one for his girlfriend, perhaps? Huh. Maybe I'll do that too.
He fished his phone out of his pocket, opening his messages with Hirano and taking a quick shot of his shortcake.
You 14:03
[Photo]
Met up with some friends and got desserts! 😁
Taiga san! ❤️🐉 14:04
Looks tasty. Have fun.
Such a quick response! Kagiura was ecstatic.
You 14:04
Thank u!!!!! 😁😊✨
We should come here together sometime Hirano san!!
Its a nice place
We can make it a date!!! ❤️💓💕
Taiga san! ❤️🐉 14:06
Sure, that would be nice. 🐶
Kagiura immediately shot up from his seat, startling the others around him. “Hirano-san, he–!!” And as if he’d pushed some button, Miyano, too, arose and leaned over the table with big, sparkly eyes. His enthusiasm was almost over the roof from the mention of his former upperclassman. “What?! What about Hirano-senpai?!” - “He…! (Hic) He used emoji…!” Kagiura whined blissfully, covering his face with his hands as he descended, propping his elbows on the table. Miyano was over the moon. Best birthday present ever…!
“God, I just wanna freaking marry him already…!” At this, a horrified expression crossed Shirahama's face. “Oh, come on! Not you too, Kagiura!” he gawked, completely aghast. “When's it gonna be my fucking turn??” Tashiro laughed, giving the distraught silver-haired boy a consoling pat on the shoulder. Miyano gushed fervently about some BL nonsense that only seemed to pass over everyone's heads. Kuresawa was typing furiously on his phone.
They hung out at the café for a while, occasionally going back for seconds. Eventually, Miyano had to leave for an afternoon date with Sasaki, and they all parted ways from there, stomachs pleased and full.
You 14:09
I love u soooo much 🥺🥺
Taiga san! ❤️🐉 reacted with ❤️.
It was only an afternoon in the beginning of March when Hirano and Kagiura’s schedules finally matched up. The latter had finally finished his long and excruciating exam period and had proposed a date as his reward, and who would Hirano be to deny him that?
Although spring had just begun, it was still rather chilly out. The blonde snuggled the lining of his faux leather jacket closer as he walked towards the big, colorful gate marking the opening to Takeshita street, grimacing at the sight of so many people. Initially, Hirano’d been against the idea of hanging out there—the prices were exaggerated and the place too crowded—but Kagiura specifically wanted big sweets and insisted it’d be the perfect arena to find plenty in a single spot. Plus, quote; “It’ll be romantic!!” Hirano had eventually caved in, because it was getting late and their bickering wasn’t getting them anywhere (though he truthfully enjoyed riling up his boyfriend.)
He stopped across the road and fished his phone out of his pocket to check the time. 04:11PM. Kagi-kun should be arriving anytime within the next 20 minutes, then. Texting him about his whereabouts would probably be a good idea.
You 04:12
I’m waiting across the road from the big gate.
Akira 🐶 04:13
Im on my way!!!!!! 😊
See u soon! ❤️❤️
He tsked fondly when the reply popped up almost instantly, assuming Kagiura’d be another few minutes. Hirano put his phone away; he had arrived early either way, so waiting wasn’t really an issue to him. ※ As if Kagiura hadn’t been extremely patient with him before. Just reminiscing about it made his cheeks flush—which he, at the realization of—buried the lower half of his face into his scarf.
They were dating. The word still felt somewhat incongruous on his tongue, but after months of trial and failure, he’d come to a conclusion.
Kagiura loved him; a known fact. He wasn’t exactly shy of his affection—or his wants, for that matter—and that was one of the qualities Hirano was especially fond of. His boundless honestly. He always appreciated how easy it was to just… talk to him about things. Even if Hirano was the type to keep his thoughts to himself. Even if they felt weird and personal and totally unfathomable, they’d always find a solution together.
Together.
Hirano wanted to be together. Because he trusted Kagiura, and also because he loved him. Even if the concept of dating was still sort of an enigma to him, it seemed to appeal to the younger, whom Hirano wanted to understand better. Exploring new concepts wasn’t that big of a bother to him after all the experimenting they’d already done, so why would it be now? Sure, he’d try dating, even if it didn’t make sense to him at the moment. They loved each other, so putting a name on it didn’t matter too much to Hirano, but god forbid a man wants to make his first love happy.
It was simply a new approach to what they already had, and someday, Hirano hoped he’d be able to understand it, too.
“Hiiiiirano-san!”
The aforementioned flinched when a pair of big arms snaked their way around his torso from behind. “Fuck, shit!” He didn’t need to ask to know that the dead weight clinging to him was Kagiura.
“Idiot, you scared me!” The taller only giggled in response, tightening his grip. Hirano rolled his eyes. “Come on, let go. You can walk on your own.”
“Ehhh, but I don’t wannaaa,” Kagiura whined. “I missed your warmth. Aaaaand you smell good, hehe.” People were starting to stare—some even squealed—but Kagiura was too busy sniffing his boyfriend like some dog to notice.
Hirano, who was starting to grow overly conscious, started: “Kagi-kun, let go, seriously. People are staring.” And just like commanded, the big puppy let go, not without putting on a little pout. The blonde, as weak to him as ever, raised his hand to ruffle his hair with an exasperated sigh.
“Geez, you. You haven’t even greeted me yet.” - “Hi, Hirano-san!” Kagiura immediately beamed, and Hirano couldn’t hold in his giggle. “Pfft, hi to you, too. Silly.”
Kagiura’s cheeks immediately took on a tinge of red, and he murmured something along the lines of “so unfair.” At this point, Hirano had heard the same line spoken so many times, he knew not to bother with asking. Whatever answer he'd receive wouldn't be intelligible; it'd only confuse him further. “Let’s go,” he said, already heading towards the gate.
“Ah, wait!” Kagiura sprinted to catch up with him, which of course didn’t take him more than a second or two. Athletes. “Meanie,” he said, eliciting a laugh from Hirano before he grabbed the blonde’s hand and intertwined their fingers. “I want potatoes.”
This earned him a lighthearted glare in return. “Brat,” said the elder, but he didn’t protest. “Sure, why not.”
They bought rotato potatoes (after an inconvenient 11 minute wait in line), and once their batteries were charged and tummies happy, they started moving around the little neighborhood, exploring the different shops it had to offer. It was fun, and their bickering and laughs alike reverberated through the place, blending right in with the urban noise surrounding them. A spontaneous little adventure; all with never once letting go of each others’ hands.
They were heading towards a corner crêpe shop when Hirano suddenly stopped and jerked Kagiura back, effectively pinning him against a wall whilst glancing around, totally unaware of what he was doing to the poor boy's heart. He groaned with displeasure. Fucking seriously?
Because right down the road stood a pleased Sasaki, chomping away at a crêpe of his own. The sight normally wouldn’t be an issue since they were former classmates, but that wasn’t what ticked Hirano off. Rather, the problem was the shorter raven-haired boy by his side, whom the box dyed ginger mindlessly fed fruits to with a stupid lovesick grin on his face.
This was bad. If Miyano saw him loitering around with Kagiura post-graduation, there was no doubt he’d pester him about it relentlessly. Not that Miyano knew Kagiura personally—thankfully so—but that guy was so persistent when it came to his BL nonsense. Hirano wouldn’t be surprised if he still remembered his face after the few times he’d seen them hang out as roommates. Better to stay safe and avoid having the two meet altogether.
In a moment of desperation, he glanced around for a way to get out of sight, muffling the taller’s confused complaints with his palm. Their position was compromising, but Hirano was too focused to notice Kagiura’s near-explosive state of heart. “Hi-Hiwano-shan—?!”
When he realized the blonde wasn’t listening, he stuck his tongue out and lapped against the skin covering his mouth. Hirano startled, expression shifting to one of disgust. “Kagi-kun, did you seriously just lick me??” - “Hmmmph.”
Hirano’s nose was scrunched up so cutely; Kagiura wanted to bite it off.
“You weren’t listening to me!”
“And your solution was to lick me??”
“It got your attention, didn’t it?”
Hirano sighed. “Kagi-kun, I need to take care of something really important before the world goes under.” - “Surely it can’t be that bad? I’d still have you, and you’re my world,” Kagiura retorted earnestly, and Hirano’s face burst into flames.
“Dumbass, we’re in public!” - “You’re the one unchastely pinning me to a wall!” At this, the elder flushed harder and immediately let go. “That’s not what I was getting at, and you know that!”
The blonde scanned his surroundings again, and to his dismay, he locked eyes with Sasaki in the distance. With a scowl, Hirano tried to wave him off, but that only earned him a raise of eyebrows and a questioning look. Then the ginger seemed to realize that Kagiura was there too, grey eyes widening accordingly, but right as he prepared to open his mouth, Miyano turned to look as well. Hirano ducked. Sasaki covered Miyano’s eyes with his hands.
Concern immediately washed over Kagiura upon seeing his beloved crouching on the ground so suddenly. Hirano looked so small in his current position, and as much as Kagiura wanted to pick him up and hold him close, curiosity was a stronger foe. Hirano-san’s… hiding, right? But from what? Midnight green eyes darted around ‘till they landed on a familiar set of honey ones. He lit up. “Miyanoooooooo!”
Hirano bounced to his feet, but Kagiura was already sprinting over to his friend. Hirano was left gaping, not knowing what to do with himself. He had so many questions, but most importantly; this wasn’t supposed to happen?? A headache threatened to surface, and he rubbed the space between his eyes in an attempt to withdraw it.
Fuck it. Cat’s out of the bag. Might as well just monitor Kagiura now that the damage was already done—make sure he didn’t say anything weird.
He dragged his feet over to the spot Kagiura’d run off to; the absolute heaviest steps of his life, if he’d say so himself. For his greeting, he raised his hand in a perfunctory wave, not bothering to wipe the sharp scowl off his face. Miyano instantly beamed upon his arrival, and Hirano’s head throbbed. Headache? Headache.
“Hirano-senpai! Long time, no see.” The fudanshi’s tone was giddy; Hirano’s frown only deepened. “Hi. So when did you two get all friendly with each other, huh?”
“Straight for the throat, huh.” Sasaki commented. Hirano glared daggers at him. “Shut your trap, Sasaki. This is important.”
“There was a baking event at school,” Kagiura started. “You know, the one for valentines?” The frustrated blonde grunted. “And you both attended.” - “Yeah!”
He rubbed his face up and down with a big groan, Kagiura tilting his head with a puzzled expression, as if silently asking “are you okay?” Hirano wasn’t about to let his guard down, so he gave the taller a reassuring nod before turning to Miyano. “Alright. How much do you know?”
A huge grin was plastered across Miyano’s face. It was creepy—horrifying—even, but Hirano would rather die than let Miyano win this. He had to assert dominance; show the little creep where he stood. (Affectionately, to a degree. Generally, he had nothing against Miyano and his niche little hobbies. He just preferred to not be involved in whatever BL fantasies the fudanshi reveled in all day; this “moe” and “uke” stuff was way out of his field of knowledge, and he was more than just content with letting it stay that way. Unfortunately, he suspected that was exactly what he had coming for himself. Better to treat it as a showdown instead of succumbing to his embarrassment.)
“I just had my suspicions confirmed, is all!” Hirano’s lips tightened, and Miyano mindlessly continued. “Though, I can’t believe you lied to me… Anyone could tell you two have something going on at first glance.” - “Like hell they could! You just have a twisted view of this world! I bet you could imagine literally any normal fucking pair of friends in some crazy BL scenario of yours; you were just lucky to guess right this time. Kagi-kun and I are totally normal.”
At being called out, Miyano shrank sheepishly into himself. 1-0 to Hirano Taiga. Boyfriend down? Sasaki Shuumei to the rescue.
“You call sucking face in the school hallways normal?”
“Fuck off, Sasaki. We fucking did not!”
The two seniors bickered between each other, Hirano getting more and more riled up with each word. Sasaki only responded with an infuriating calmness. Amidst the storm, Miyano slinked closer to Kagiura’s side, still a bit bashful but all the more starstruck.
“He calls you by a nickname?”
“Yeah! Apparently my full name was kind of a mouthful, and it sort of just stuck after that.”
So precious… Miyano inhaled sharply. “You know he never does that with anyone, right? First of all, he barely ever uses honorifics, but on top of that, he even shortened your name. It’s so cute! So intimate! As expected of a motherly delinquent uke! A total antithesis from his usual bad boy facade! That’s gap moe, Kagiura-san! Gap moe!!!”
He spoke the final “gap moe” in staccato, further emphasizing his excitement. Kagiura echoed him with a confused tilt of his head. “Gap moe?”
He let the term marinate for a second, but he couldn’t wrap his head around the definition. Miyano looked more ready to explode than to explain, so he dismissed it. “What do you and Sasaki-san call each other?”
The blissful fudanshi was resuscitated, now a bit self-conscious. His cheeks took on a red tint as he mumbled: “He either calls me by my first name… or, well, ‘Myaa-chan’.” His voice grew quieter at the mention of the nickname. Kagiura didn’t miss it. “Ah, that’s cute.”
(To be completely honest, Kagiura felt kind of grossed out by Sasaki having such a sweet side to him; it just didn’t suit him as well as it did Hirano.)
“As for him, it’s either ‘Sasaki-senpai’ or…” he cleared his throat. “…‘Shuumei-san’.” - “Yoshikazu?” Sasaki replied instantly, interrupting Hirano in the middle of a retort. His voice was disgustingly honeyed and mellifluous, and this seemed to provoke the blonde further.
Face warming up with a mix of vexation and discomfort from being in the vicinity of the couple’s mush, he pinched Kagiura’s sleeve and pulled, preparing to stomp away. “Kagi-kun, we’re leaving.” The taller didn’t budge, instead maneuvering their hands closer and lacing their fingers together. “Oi, Kagi-kun!”
A giggle from Kagiura. A squeal from Miyano. Hirano attempted to wiggle his way out of Kagiura’s grip, but he was far too strong, and so he begrudgingly followed the raven-haired boy’s gaze down to where it stopped at their interlocked hands, combusting internally.
Hirano knew exactly where Miyano was looking, and he tried to twist his hand out of view, but to no avail. His former kouhai’s honey eyes were wide and fully roused. He lost. It was over. The defense he'd so carefully crafted around his love over the past few years would finally meet its downfall, dragging all of Hirano’s dignity and pride down with it.
Because what Miyano’s eyes had landed on, was the silver band adorning his left ring finger.
“Hirano-senpa–” - “Nope! Not today.” The blonde averted his gaze and tugged on Kagiura's hand. Miyano's eyes were starting to well up with tears of delight. Hirano desperately needed to bail ASAP, but Kagiura's feet stayed glued to the dry asphalt.
To make things worse, the fudanshi shifted his attention from Hirano to Kagiura.
“The…! The ring! You're…!” Midnight green eyes lit up. Hirano tugged harder. “Kagi-kun, let's go.”
“It's a promise ring!” Tug. “Since it's too early to get engaged,” Kagiura gushed, his smile dopey and honest. Miyano's response was an ugly sob, and Sasaki, now feeling remorse, could only offer an apologetic nod. Teasing Hirano was one thing, but knowing how bad Hirano was with this stuff, he could tell the situation was causing him some deep inner turmoil.
The ginger placed his hand on Miyano's back, silently asking him to take it down a notch. The latter tensed up for a second, but upon meeting Sasaki's gaze, he seemed to get the message. He bowed contritely, guilt immediately washing over him. “Sorry, Hirano-senpai. I took it too far.”
Even post-graduation, Hirano still seemed to have a soft spot for his kouhais. He rubbed his face with his free hand and let out an exasperated sigh; he couldn't stay mad for too long. “Just—don't worry about it. Thanks.” Tug. “Kagi-kun, heel.”
Miyano's brain took a screenshot. Was that a dog command? He squeezed his eyes shut, pretending not to notice whilst freaking out internally. Dog x Owner. Athlete x Delinquent. Sunshine x Grumpy. Et cetera. A treasure trove of BL tropes.
Kagiura pouted, still unaware of the storm that just passed. “Ehhh? But I wanna talk for a bit longer!-”
“Akira.”
Now it was Kagiura's turn to blush. His jaw immediately clenched as he finally obeyed. Not the birth name card… That's just unfair, Taiga-san.
“It was nice seeing you two again,” Hirano concluded with a fatigued wave before turning around to leave. Kagiura followed his lead, not without a little parting nod.
“Byeee,” cooed Sasaki with a reciprocal wave. Miyano spoke up as well. “Bye, Hirano-senpai. I'll see you at school, Kagiura-san.”
“...Hirano-san.” - “Hm?”
The two walked down the road, hand in hand, both Sasaki and Miyano left far behind. Kagiura had a thoughtful look on his face. “Is me gushing about you like this… something you dislike? You didn't seem especially happy about me talking to Miyano.”
Hirano's eyes widened, and he squeezed Kagiura's hand, opting to keep his gaze on the ground. “No, that's not it. I'm just… embarrassed, I guess.”
“You're… embarrassed to be with me?”
“No, that's not it at all!”
Hirano snapped his gaze to his boyfriend, who had a wounded look on his face. Fuck. He raised his hand to ruffle Kagiura's hair affectionately.
“You know it's not like that, Kagi-kun. Dammit. I'm just not used to talking about this stuff. And Miyano has always been eager when it comes to asking about you, so I guess I've been deliberately trying to keep you two from meeting.”
“Eh, you have? But why?” Kagiura tilted his head, expression devoid of his previous hurt, to be replaced with confusion. Hirano brought their step to a halt, wracking his brain for a way to explain without going into detail.
“It's just…” A sharp exhale. “He likes these romance books and tended to project them onto me back in high school. I don't mind him having hobbies, but I'd rather not be involved in his raunchy fantasies, I guess. Made things a bit extra confusing before, when I was trying to figure things out… with you.”
Kagiura gave an understanding hum and took a hold of both of Hirano's hands. Midnight green irises met azure ones, and lingered. “I see. Thank you for letting me know, Hirano-san. Sorry for being ignorant. Would you prefer it if I cut contact with him, then?”
At this, Hirano chuckled. “No need. The damage is already done, and it's not like he's problematic or anything. He's kind and a step above supportive, so I guess part of me is glad you two are getting along well. Just…” He frowned. “...please don't let him give you any weird ideas.”
Kagiura saluted. “Aye-aye, sir!” Hirano couldn't help the fond giggle that escaped his lips. “Silly.” - “Your silly.”
The blonde raised an eyebrow before stuffing his hands in his pockets. His attempt at indifference failed with the red tinting his ears, but he played it off. “Don't you go all smooth on me, now.”
“You're one to speak, Hirano-san. You used my first name earlier. That was lethal and uncalled for.”
“Not my fault you were being insufferable.”
“Taiga-san.”
“Akira.”
.
Their play-hostile stare-down only lasted a few seconds before they both doubled over laughing. They felt like children where they stood, careless and free, and Hirano found himself too distracted by the brilliant smile of his lover to care about the people around. Likewise, Kagiura seemed to be basking in the shine of his beloved, like a dog under a constant, permanent solstice. They warmed each other unconditionally, despite the blatant chill in the air.
Hirano wasn't sure when he'd get used to this whole “lovers”-ordeal, but he knew one thing;
Oh, how he loved being in love.
You 19:05
Sorry for interrupting your date earlier today. I didn't know you two were acquainted. Don't teach him anything weird, or you will be hearing from me. Keep the fawning to a limit. Thanks.
Miyano Yoshikazu 19:05
ASFSFSGSFDDJS
I'm so sorry as well!!!!
I got too excited…
You're both so precious!
Um
So when did you two start dating??????
(Left on read. 19:06)