Chapter Text
Sounds of the alarm went off at the time it was set on a phone. It was turned off by a hand sticking out from the futon. Groaning, he sat up, his already shaggy hair even messier with a few strands sticking out. He rubbed his eyes, if he wanted to be honest it wasn’t a very good night sleep.
Ever since the day Takiishi Chika came by for a visit with the Shishitoren along with his little brother Sakura Haruka. While drinking ramune up on the abandoned theater base. Togame Jo was asked a question that has stuck to him ever since.
“Does that mean you are in love with Tomiyama Choji?”
Chika’s questions rang over and over again in his head. He hasn't even thought of that possibility. Even after asking the stars in the night sky, all he was met with was his own thoughts. No matter how hard he had tried to act normal around his best friend, things just weren't the same anymore.
He shook his head, slapping himself on both of his cheek, quickly he got up to get to do his morning routine. Brushing his teeth, washing himself, changing out his pajamas, having breakfast, talking to his grandpa all of it. Finally he donned on the rakujan jacket of Shishitoren.
While on his way there, those thoughts came back to him, questions he had been avoiding asking himself about. He paused as he stared at the ground with his hands in his pocket. Mouth moving on their own, his mind winning over him.
“Am I really in love with Choji?”
Heart beating, hammering faster and faster as Tomiyama Choji’s face flashes in his mind. All of which had a sparkly effect along with his soft happy voice, his happiness intensifying the sparkles even more.
“Kame-chan! Kame-chan come on! Hehehe.”
Before he knew it, his face had gone beet red. This time he punched himself square on the face. His body fell on the closed store door with a loud dense bang, as the echo of the shaking roller door silenced, there was nothing else to distract him. Hurriedly he pushed himself off and made his way to the base.
Walking with his steps all wobbly, stumbling around. As soon as he got onto familiar grounds, immediately he pulled himself together, casually walking towards the door of the base. Sounds of the creaking old doors rang out, there were already a few of the members there waiting inside the stage area.
“Good morning, Togame.” One of the members greeted.
“Yes, good morning.” Jo greeted back.
He looked around, trying to find Choji somewhere. Sighing, he slumped down on one of the chairs. Jo actually felt relief to not see Choji, at least right now as he was still not ready to face him yet, needing more time to prepare himself.
All he could do was think of something else in his mind entirely. The sound of the door banging open, those familiar happy steps approaching, jumping around. That familiar voice.
“Good afternoon everyone! Sorry I am late hehehe.” Choji exclaimed.
Everyone greeted their beloved leader, all except for Jo, who was still staring into space. Blissfully unaware of the reasons his mind was in a muddle. Choji stepped right in front of Jo with both of his hands on his hips, smiling with a puff.
“Good afternoon Kame-chan!”
There was no response, curiously he kneeled down to look up at his closest friend. His eyes widened as he noticed the wounds on Jo’s cheek. He stood back up, grabbed Jo by the shoulder shaking him a little bit.
“Kame-chan! What is with that wound? Did you get into a fight with someone strong? Get a hold of yourself, Kame-chan!” His voice was frantic, questioning.
That was enough to snap Jo out of his trance, he flashes his iconic smile at his closest friend, holding himself together as well as he could. He waved both of his hands.
“Oh Choji, sorry, my mind was off somewhere, it was fine I err… Just a mosquito landed on my cheek and I punched it hahahaha”
“What the hell was that? Why did I say that? Now I sounded even more suspicious!” Jo scolded himself as he coughed.
“I mean, I err.”
“Kame-chan…” Choji’s eyebrow furrowed.
For some reason, or perhaps Jo already knew the reason, Choji looked way cuter than he was before, with how close their faces were, Jo’s face turned red again as he hurriedly looked to the side, pushing his head down with one of his hands.
“It was nothing… really, I was just being dumb and hurt myself, don’t worry about it, Choji.”
His heart was beating like crazy again, he stood up and turned his back on Choji, rubbing his head while inhaling and exhaling slowly. Choji was staring at Jo’s back while pouting. He knew that his friend was not his usual self, but at the same time there was this feeling he couldn’t describe, that he shouldn’t be asking too many questions, at least not right now.
Choji sighed, patting Jo on the back with his sunshine smile.
“Kame-chan, if there is something on your mind, just say it out to me, or anyone here in Shishitoren. Or even Sakura-chan or Taki-chan, just don’t keep it in ya if it gets too much, okay?”
“Yeah, thanks, Choji, I will be careful.”
The rest of the day went well, for the most part. Some training sessions were done to train the new members. Going off on patrol around their turfs to keep troublemakers out. Though wherever Jo followed his leader around, he caught himself just staring at him, whenever Choji turned anywhere his way, he quickly snapped back into his second in command self.
When it was finally over, he walked Choji back home, waving at each other goodbye, Jo stood watch as Choji turned and went back into his house. After the echoes of the door closing, Jo turned around to go back home, at least that was what he was planning. He decided to take a detour instead.
Orange dusk as night approached coloured the whole town beautifully like a painting, crows cawing, stores slowly opening around the bar area, employees sweeping the streets in preparations. Before he knew it, he was at the point where Shishitoren and Bofurin turfs meet, the train underpass.
“What am I doing here? Gosh… Maybe I wanted to talk to Sakura about this… I better call grandpa and tell him I will be home late.”
A call was made to Jo’s grandpa. After he was done, he scrolled until he saw the name he was looking for ‘Sakura Haruka’. He took a deep breath, shut his eyes tight and pressed the call button. Jo put his phone to his ears, each ringing made his throat tighter, he hadn't thought about how he would even ask questions about his feelings for Choji. Jo was about to cancel the call but it was too late as a click with the sound of Haruka’s voice coming out from the other end.
“Hello? Togame, do you need anything?”
“Ah err hey, Sakura, sorry but is now a bad time?”
“No, I am with nii-san right now. You sounded a bit weird, you okay? Is something happening with Shishitoren?” Haruka’s voice deepens.
Memories of what Chika asked him on the rooftop made his heart start thumping like jackhammer again. Jo pinched himself, the pain and stinging on his cheek made him have enough courage to say something, to maybe, finally face these complicated feelings he was having about his leader.
“No no, everything is fine, really, actually perfect timing, can we meet up? How about the park? Takiishi can tag along, there was something I needed to ask about.”
“Right, see you there.”
Beep.
And that was it, Jo was left with only his silence once again. He looked up at the moon in the sky, with those stars shining like they were talking with the moon. Quietly he made his way to the park with both hands in his jacket. Sound of his geta shoe clip clopping in the night with only crickets ringing out. When he arrived at the park, the brothers were nowhere to be found, he sat on the swing, softly swinging himself despite being a bit too big for the swing. It softly squeaked as Jo looked down to the ground lost in his own thoughts.
“Togame.” A familiar voice called out to him.
Quickly he looked up, it was Haruka and Chika approaching him. But he didn’t get up from the swing, he looked back at the ground before looking back up again with his usual smile, at least as good as he can get it.
“Hey, Sakura, Takiishi, thank you for coming, oya? Takiishi, you cut your hair?”
“They were extensions, I have Endo take them off. I wanted to try and grow my hair out naturally this time.” Chika answered with his usual neutral voice and face. Haruka sighed.
“And we are not here to just talk about nii-san’s hair right? You looked awful, what is going on?”
“What is going on huh?” Jo’s voice was soft, closing his eyes he took a breath. All he wanted to do was just talk to Haruka and Chika about the feelings he was having for Choji. The brothers gave him a moment.
When he reopened his eyes, he rubbed the back of his head with a weak giggle.
“Ehehe well, I am not even too sure to be honest. The last time me and Takiishi talked on the rooftop of our base. He asked me a question, which made my mind being in a muddle ever since.”
“Huh?!” Haruka turned to give his brother a little glare “Nii-san! What did you say to him?”
Chika tilted his head a little to the side. “Have I said anything? I don’t remember.”
“Seriously? Try and remember what you said to someone sometimes, at least.”
“If it is important, I will try in the future.”
“Sa-Sakura,” Jo waved both of his hands gently, trying to calm his friend down. “It was nothing bad, just that erm…”
It was a few more moments of silence, as Jo looked to the side, hiding his red face, biting his lips. Haruka noticed how red Jo’s ears had become.
“Oi, are you sick or something? Why are your ears so red?”
Jo turned back to face Haruka, his face still flushed, coughing a little bit before continuing “Nothing, just trying to say what Takiishi said to me… Here I go. He asked me if I am Choji’s Endo Yamato, and well I answered that yeah, maybe I am then he asked me… That if I was… Erm… In love… With…Choji…”
“Huh?!”
Haruka’s face went beet red, Chika slightly opened his mouth as if he had a little recollection of the event.
“Oh… I think I remember now. It was because Togame Jo did all of that for Tomiyama Choji. Won’t that mean he was in love with him? Endo did whatever I asked for and he loves me.”
“Don’t compare you guys’ situation to normal people’s! Though yeah, I guess Togame did enable Tomiyama’s spiral BUT THAT IS BESIDE THE POINT!”
Haruka pointed at Jo, his pointing hands shaking as his ahoge crinkled.
“Oi! Togame, are you sure about your feelings for Tomiyama?”
“Ahh, even I don’t know, which is why I was asking you two! Especially you, Sakura since you and Umeimya are dating right?”
“That was our relationship! Doesn’t mean that I could give great advice! We are still figuring things out ya know!”
Hearing that, Jo covered his cheeks with both hands, he rested on his thigh.
“You are right… Sorry… I just don’t know if I truly am in love, or was I just overthinking this whole thing? But, Choji have been on my mind a lot lately, what made it worse is that… He was sparkling so much more, my heart wanted to jump out of my mouth every time he looked in my direction…”
“If it was like that, wasn’t the answer obvious that you are in love with Tomiyama Choji?”
“Takiishi?” Jo looked right at Chika, slowly he put his hands on his own chest, to feel the pounding of his heart. “So I wasn’t overthinking this whole thing? I really am in love with Choji?”
After calming himself down, Haruka looked to the side as he rubbed the back of his head, lips pouting.
“Well, that is for you to decide. If it was me, maybe you are, I guess.”
“Sakura… Yeah, thanks it was nice being able to air it all out, you too Takiishi, your bluntness really helps sometimes. It was getting late, I shouldn’t keep you two for longer, bye bye, see you tomorrow.”
“Right, see you tomorrow. Whatever it is, just reach out again.” Haruka turned to leave with Chika after bidding Jo goodbye.
When he arrived back home, his grandpa was waiting for him with the food, it was reheated for him. Jo finished everything and went to bed after bathing and brushing his teeth. He laid on the futon looking up at the ceiling.
“So I wasn’t overthinking it? My feelings for Choji really is love? What would he think? Should I confess? Oh no… should I? What if I scared him away as a result?”
Images of Jo confessing his feelings to Choji played out, after screaming out his love for him. Choji’s face turned purple as he slowly turned and ran away, after which Jo found himself being kicked out of Shishitoren with Choji not able to look at him at all.
He shook his head, pulled up the blanket over himself and curled into a ball under it.
“No no no, why would he kick me out just because I confessed my feelings? Wait, if he doesn’t feel the same way, it will be all over. Our relationship would never be the same again. I need to be more careful, maybe see if he even feels a bit of the same way.”
Closing his eyes, he tried to go to sleep, with a rushing mind on how to even start the journey to a confession.
“Now… How should I start?”