Chapter Text
Yui can barely believe her luck. The hottest guy in class - no, wait, scratch that - the hottest guy in her whole school, just asked if he could kiss her. Her! Of course, she didn’t consider herself to particularly hard to look at, you could maybe even call her pretty in an understated kind of way. But does the fact that she's a little pretty really justify Kauro, whose face looks as if all angels in heaven came together and had spent centuries carving it out of marble, asking her to kiss him? Apparently, in this universe it does. Fuck yeah! She smiles through her flushed cheeks, beside herself. She, also, tries very hard to not break into a giddy chuckle and kick her feet. She kind of pushes the rest of what happened to the back of her mind: the fact that this is apparently for some kind of dare, or whatever, with his best friend, that they are trying to determine who the better kisser is, and that, in turn, she will also have to kiss said best friend. The last part is, admittedly, kind of a bummer. But, oh well, who cares about that, when she, Yui, is going to kiss Kauro!
And now he is standing in front of her, one hand planted on her desk, smiling like this is a completely normal thing to ask a classmate on a Friday afternoon, while the sunlight falling through the classroom windows makes his pink hair look even more ethereal than usual.
His friend - at least, that was the word they used for each other - stood behind him. Though, thankfully, Yui had never experienced a friendship that regularly involved screaming matches, murderous glares exchanged across classrooms, and full-on fistfights in the middle of the school day. Anyway, Kaoru’s “friend,” Kojiro, stood a few steps behind him with his arms crossed, shooting angry looks at the back of Kaoru’s head. “This is fucking stupid, Kaoru,” he groaned.
Without taking his eyes off Yui, Kauro retorts, raising his voice, “You are fucking stupid! This is serious. You cannot claim to be obviously better then me at making out and then expect me to just take that!” Then, words directed at Yui again, he says, “Well? What do you say? Will you help us in our pursuit of the truth?”
Yui stops herself from blurting out a very loud YES PLEASE!. She knows she’s probably blushing all over right now, and maybe she shouldn’t appear too desperate for this. Instead, she leans back in her chair, trying to maintain an air of cool indifference. Checking her fingernails in a ray of sun, she says, aiming for the perfect amount of bored. It’s a delicate performance: looking not so bored that they think she is disinterested, but bored enough that she doesn’t look like she is about to explode from excitement. “Okay boys, I’ll do it. But…” a dramatic pause, “What’s in it for me?”
Clearly, neither of the two boys expected this answer. For a moment, no one says anything. Eventually, Kojiro breaks the silence “Uhm… Do you want… money? Kauro has…” Before Kojiro can finish, Kauro smacks him in the face with a book. “What? No!” Kauro and Yui yell at the same time. Kojiro staggers back a step, one hand pressed to his nose. Angrily, he snaps at Kauro, “Yeah, yeah, be mad at me, the only one who actually suggested something!”
A short silence follows. Kauro looks thoughtful. Kojiro looks irritated, still. Yui looks between them and feels a cold rush of horror. Oh no. They are thinking too much. They are thinking to much and they are going to realize they have nothing to offer her, pull the whole thing back, and she is going to spend the rest of her life knowing she could have kissed Kauro if only she had not tried to negotiate like some kind of idiot. Oh no. Oh no, oh no. She has to fix this. “Ahm, nevermind. Maybe we can just…” She clears her throat, trying very hard not to sound afraid of fumbling the greatest opportunity life has yet to present her in all eighteen of her years on this earth, “Let’s just… say I get one favor from each of you?”
Kauro brightens immediately. “Sounds good.” Kojiro turns to him. “Sounds good? What? That could mean anything!”
“Not anything,” Yui says quickly. “Like, within reason, of course.”
“Come oooon,” Kauro says, drawing out the last word as he turns to Kojiro. “She won’t ask us to commit a crime. She’s nice. Look at her!” “I am very nice, actually,” Yui adds proudly and, maybe, unnecessarily.
“But… but what if she asks us to… I don’t know… shave our heads?!” Kojiro says, desperate now. Kauro stares at him, both hands up in his own pink hair, horrified, “She won’t.” Yui, who has absolutely no intention of asking either of them to shave their heads, nods solemnly.
Then, at once, Kauro’s eyes narrow. Slowly, a smile appears on his face. He takes a step towards his “friend”, one finger pointing at his chest. “Kojiro,” he says, drawing out the last syllable of the name. “Are you scared?”
“Of course I’m not fucking scared,” Kojiro snaps, eyebrows furrowing.
Kaoru tilts his head, his smile widening into something quieter, more teasing. “Scared ape.”
Kojiro’s hands curl into fists. For a second, Yui thinks he might actually hit him. Which, honestly, would not be that far-fetched. But to her surprise, and probably Kaoru’s too, Kojiro only grabs Kaoru’s wrist, the one with the finger still pointed accusingly at his chest, and shoves it away. “Fine,” he says. “Whatever. One favor. Within reason.” Kaoru shakes out his wrist, not letting go of Kojiro’s eyes. Eventually, he turns back to Yui, smiling., “Then it’s a deal.”
“Great,” Yui says, trying very hard not to sound like this is, in fact, the greatest day of her life, nay in all of human history. “So. Who goes first?” she asks, propping up her head in one of her hands, as nonchalantly as possible.
“Me,” Kojiro says immediately.
Kauro turns around so fast one of his earrings flashes in the sun. “You?”
“Yes, me.”
“You can’t go first.”
Kojiro raises his eyebrows. “Why the hell not?”
“Because this was my idea, you moron.”
Kojiro stares at him, unimpressed. “That’s seriously all you’ve got? This being your idea doesn’t mean you get to go first, stupid.”
Kaoru’s eyes narrow, “It does.” He says it maybe a tad less convinced then just a second ago.
“It doesn’t.” Kojiro steps closer, his voice rising. “What happened, princess? Did you hit your head skating last night or something? Seriously, you can’t even come up with a decent argument anymore.”
Kaoru takes one sharp step toward him. “Say that again.”
Kojiro takes another step closer, looming over Kaoru until their faces are only inches apart. “What?” he yells. “So you’re stupid and deaf now? Pick your damage!”
“Ohhh, you’re really proud of that one, huh?” Kaoru’s lip curls. “Took the whole walk over here to think of it? I’m amazed your monkey brain could manage.”
“Oh you want to fucking go?”
Kaoru steps in until their foreheads press together, hard. “I want you to get out of my face, asshole!” Then, he shoves Kojiro.
Kojiro barely moves. His eyes go sharp and Yui thinks that this time he’s going to swing at him surely. But he doesn’t, instead Kojiro just shoves him back, harder. “Make me, cinnamon stick boy!” Kaoru stumbles back half a step, then immediately closes the distance again, furious.
If any two other people on the planet acted like this, Yui would be concerned. Very concerned. But with these two, this concern felt misplaced. Because yeah, they looked furious. They were close enough to bite each other and in this moment they looked like they wanted to do exactly that. But even as they mangled each other with their glares, both of them were smiling. Yui sighed and let her forehead drop against her desk. Freaky. Yui might have found this less tolerable if Kaoru had not looked so pretty. She was, apparently, willing to put up with a hell of a lot for pretty.
“You are so fucking annoying, you know that?” Kaoru snarls.
“Oh, I think you’ve mentioned that, like, once or twice before,” Kojiro says, voice furious.
“Uhm, actually, I don’t mind who goes first,” Yui chimes in, trying to deescalate the situation.
Both boys’ eyes flick to her as if they had forgotten she was even there. Then, almost at the same time, they take a step back. Kojiro shrugs. “There. Our judge doesn’t mind.”
Kauro narrows his eyes. “Fine. Go first. Embarrass yourself.”
“You wish.”
Kojiro steps in front of Yui’s desk. For all his arguing about going first, Kojiro suddenly looks much less sure of himself up close. He clears his throat, then leans on the desk like Kauro had done earlier, except a little less graceful maybe. The late sun cuts across his face, turning the green in his hair almost gold at the edges, and, Yui suddenly thinks that maybe, kissing Kojiro is not exactly a punishment either.
Yui tilts her face up.
Kojiro glances at Kauro.
Kauro is watching with his arms crossed, mouth pressed into a thin line. He’s looking so sour that Yui imagines biting into him would make her whole face pucker. Hmmm. Biting into Kauro… Wait. Yui, head back in the game. Do not trail off now.
“Stop staring, Kauro,” Kojiro says.
“Don’t flatter yourself, monkey.”
Kojiro’s jaw tightens. Then, he looks back at Yui, and his expression shifts into something almost apologetic. “Sorry,” he mumbles. That surprises her. But before she can say anything, he kisses her. It is not what she expects. She expects something rougher, maybe. Something more…. competitive, because everything about him and Kauro seems very competitive. But his mouth is careful at first, like he is trying very hard not to make this weird and… it kind of works? It’s actually not awkward at all. Huh. Then his right hand lifts, hesitating for half a second before settling lightly at the side of her jaw. Yui closes her eyes.
Oh.
This is good.
So good, actually. It feels like he is listening. With his mouth. This, Yui immediately realizes is an utterly ridiculous thought and probably proof that she shouldn’t be allowed to narrate her own life right now. But oh well, here we are.
When Kojiro pulls back, he does it quickly, like he has suddenly remembered Kauro is standing right there and watching them. His face is a little flushed, and he steps away immediately, looking at the window, the floor, the blackboard, anywhere but Kauro. Yui blinks, a bit starstruck by the kiss.
Kauro claps twice, slow and mocking, “Wow. Fascinating. I’ve only ever seen monkeys do that in nature documentaries during mating season.”
Kojiro’s eyes snap to him. “Why so pissy, pinky? Are you jealous?”
“Jealous? Did you already forget I’m next anyway? Jerk.”
“Kauro?” Yui interjects before Kojiro can answer, because she is technically supposed to be judging and also because she would still very much like to kiss Kauro before they decide to actually murder each other in front of her desk. Kaoru turns to her instantly, his expression changing so fast it makes her heart jump a little. His irritation smooths into something bright and confident. The pink hair, the piercings, the lazy curve of his mouth…
“Right,” he says. “My turn. Try not to cry too much when I inevitably win, ape.”
He steps in front of Yui.
This time, when he puts one hand on her desk, he is closer than before. Close enough that she can really study his face. This is Kauro. Kauro, who she has wanted to kiss since at least the beginning of the term. And Yui’s heart is being very embarrassing about this.
Kauro tilts his head. “Ready?”
She nods.
Kauro kisses her and…
Kojiros heart sinks.
No.
No no no.
Kiss me.
What?
Kiss me.
What the fuck?
Please.
Fuck.
Kiss me kiss me kiss me kiss me.
Shit.
Kiss me.
Please, fuck, kiss me.
Heat rushes to Kojiro's neck so fast it makes him dizzy. His fingers dig into the sleeves of his shirt. His eyes are glued to Kauro. As they always are. Kauro’s hand under Yui’s chin. Kauro’s piercings glistening in the afternoon light. Kauro’s pink hair falling forward, soft around his face. His thin eyebrows, drawn together in concentration. His lashes lowered. The little ring in Kauro's lip moving when his mouth touches Yui’s and oh how much he wants to know how it feels like.
Kiss me.
The classroom is quiet. Just the three of them, and the soft hum of the air conditioner from the hallway. Yui’s breathing out through her nose. The gentle shift of Kauro leaning closer. The tiniest noises Kauro makes against her mouth. Kojiro’s throat tightens.
He hated the idea from the beginning. Figure out who’s the better kisser, Kauro said. Like it was funny. Like it was nothing. Like asking Yui to judge them was not the stupidest thing Kauro had ever suggested. He hated it because it was childish. Because it was embarrassing and stupid and why would Kauro even want to do something like that and… What?
Yeah. He hated the idea because it was fucking stupid. But then Kauro’s started kissing Yui, and Kojiro felt the reason come apart in his hands. Stupid things don’t hurt like this. The truth claws up Kojiro’s throat. Hot and sharp and desperate to be known.
He likes having Kauro’s attention.
He likes when Kauro says his name. Embarrassingly, he almost likes it more when Kauro calls him names. He likes that Kauro turns everything into a challenge, because Kojiro does too. He likes skating with him. He likes it most when it is just them. He likes being the person Kauro turns to. Because they are friends. They always have been, best friends. Since kindergarten. Since scraped knees. Kauro, who fits into Kojiro’s life so naturally that Kojiro has never had to think about what would happen if that changed.
And Kojiro does not want it to change. He cannot let this ugly, needy thing crawl out of him and get between them. The thought alone sends a sharp and suffocating panic through his chest. He cannot become strange around Kauro and risk ruin the easiest part of his life just because his heart has suddenly decided to betray him. Well. If he is being honest, maybe the betrayal did not happen quite so suddenly. Deep down he knows his heart has been trying to tell him this for years. Up until now, Kojiro has simply decided to call it friendship. But calling a tsunami a small wave does not make it one.
The lip ring catches the light again.
Kauro smiles against Yui’s mouth.
Kojiro wants to hit him.
Kojiro wants to grab him.
Kojiro wants…
Kiss me.
Kiss me.
Fuck.
It is good. The kiss feels good. But, alas, as Yui waits for her brain to explode, it does not. Hm. Strange.
It is still Kauro. His mouth is still on hers, his hand still careful under her chin. She still likes it. But some tiny part of her thinks Kojiro’s kiss felt more real, in a way. A little bit less like being kissed by someone who wanted to win.
She feels Kauro smile against her mouth and she opens her eyes, just a little. On the right, Koji stands leaning against the blackboard. And Kojiro is staring. Not at her, though. At Kauro.
Kojiro’s eyebrows are deeply furrowed. He is also blushing hard. Harder than when he kissed her, actually, which makes absolutely no sense to Yui. Why is this the part that embarrasses him? He also, which confuses Yui even more, looks like he wants to grab Kauro and… shake him? Unclear. But to Yui, Kojiro definitely has the look of someone who wants to grab Kauro and do something. Possibly shake him. Actually, she is not quite sure.
Kauro pulls back. His hand is still under her chin when his eyes narrow, “Hey. Yui. Why are you looking at him?”
Yui blinks. “Ah. I’m… just thinking.”
“About?”
Tilting her head and squinting at Kojiro, she says: “I think he wants to grab you. Possibly.”
“I do not,” Kojiro chokes out.
Kauro looks delighted. “You want to grab me?”
“And shake you. Possibly.” Yui adds.
“What?! What the fuck, Yui?” Kojiro yells, visibly confused and angry now.
“Oh?” Kauro considers this. “And shake me too?” Then he adds, with a vicious smile “Obsessed much?”
Yui realizes, a little late, that she has made the situation worse by just saying what’s on her mind yet again. “Okay, okay, guys,” she says, raising both hands and hoping to stop whatever this is. “Sorry. Never mind. Forget the shaking.”
Kauro and Kojiro stare daggers at each other. Well, almost. Kojiro stares daggers. Kauro, on the other hand, looks like he is having the time of his life being stabbed by them. Then, Kauro turns to Yui, hands planted on his hips. “Well, anyway. Objective truth, please, Mrs. Judge. Who won?”
“She’s thinking of how to politely tell you that you lost, douche,” Kojiro hisses.
“Oh, you wish!” Kauro scoffs.
“Okay,” Yui says, loud, before the boys can start butting heads again. “My verdict.”
Both boys look at her, expectantly.
“Well,” she says, shrugging, “Kojiro was better.”
Kauro makes a sound like he’s a puppy and someone has just kicked him. “What?”
Yui smiles. “Kojiro wins.”
Kojiro beams.
Kauro stares at Yui. “No.”
“Yes,” Yui says, doubling down.
“No. Impossible.”
“The law is a cruel thing,” Yui says with great seriousness. “But that’s my verdict as Mrs. Judge.”
“No. You’re messing with us. In what world is Kojiro the better kisser?” Kauro gestures at Kojiro, looking wildly offended.
Kojiro’s smile vanishes. “Excuse me?”
“You don’t even know where your hands go!” Kauro says, pointing at Kojiro, voice sharp.
Kojiro’s eyebrows furrow, his voice just as sharp. “At least I don’t smile during it like a fucking creep.”
Kaoru’s face changes. “Oh, fuck you.” Before Yui can even think about intervening, Kaoru grabs Kojiro by the front of his uniform and yanks him down. Kojiro catches his wrist immediately, but he does not pull away. If anything, he leans in, making their foreheads knock together hard.
Yui sighs. Of course they are arguing again. But then, what else is new? At this point, Kaoru and Kojiro bickering is usually just classroom background noise. But this is the second time today they have started fighting directly in front of her, and Yui is beginning to feel less like a judge and more like the designated witness to whatever weird thing they have going on. So, naturally, she does what she assumes a good witness would do in this situation and studies them a little more closely. And she sees something new. Something twitches bright underneath Kaoru’s outrage, like he is enjoying this more than he wants anyone to notice. Or maybe this is not new. Maybe it was always there. Or maybe she is just imagining things again. Either way, Kojiro is flushed and that’s a fact. Also, another fact: his eyes keep flicking toward Kauro’s mouth.
Yui glances between them. Neither of them seems to notice what they are doing. Which is impressive, considering they appear to be each others main pastime. She leans back in her chair, looking up at the ceiling. She had wanted to kiss Kauro for quite a long time. Now, she had kissed Kauro. And it is starting to make more and more sense to her why the kiss had not felt like the revelation she had hoped for.
An idea begins to form in hear head. Maybe this will make them realize how ridiculous they are being. Maybe this will shut them up for once. And maybe, just maybe, Yui has not imagined the way Kojiro keeps looking at Kaoru’s mouth, or the way Kaoru’s anger seems to brighten every time Kojiro steps closer. Yui’s sure that what she’s going to make happen next is going to be much better then kissing Kauro. “Guys. I’ve decided on a favour!” she starts.
Kaoru is still gripping Kojiro’s uniform hard enough to wrinkle the fabric. His forehead is still pressed to Kojiro’s, neither of them backing down. Without looking at Yui, he says, “Sure. Shoot.”
Then she smiles. “You two kiss each other.”
For a second, neither of them moves. Then Yui sees it: the exact moment they both seem to realize how close they are. Kojiro’s eyes search Kaoru’s face like he is looking for an answer. A sign. Anything. Kaoru only stares back. Then, for the barest fraction of a second, Kojiro’s gaze drops to Kaoru’s lips.
Kaoru’s breath catches. “No,” he says, quieter than anything else he has said so far. It is unclear whether the no was meant for Yui, Kojiro, or for himself. His grip loosens, and he stumbles back a few steps. Then Kaoru laughs once, too loud, “What?”
“You heard me.” Yui retorts.
“I heard you,” Kaoru says. His voice is stronger now, though there is still the slightest shake underneath it. “The answer is no.”
Yui tilts her head. “Well, it is within reason.”
“That is not within reason, Yui,” Kojiro says. He has backed himself against the blackboard by now, his shoulders tense and his eyes fixed very stubbornly on the floor.
“It’s very within reason,” Yui says. “Considering you both asked me to kiss you just now, it very much is.”
“That was different,” Kauro says.
“How?”
“Because…” Kauro stops.
Kojiro, still staring at the floor, says, “Because kissing you was normal.”
Kaoru’s head whips toward him. “Normal?”
“You know what I mean.”
“No, actually, I don’t, you thick skulled idiot”
Kojiro’s jaw tightens. “Let’s not. We agree, okay? No kissing.”
“One kiss,” Yui says with a finality that makes it clear she won’t budge. “That’s it.”
“No,” Kaoru says, just as Kojiro says, “Absolutely not.” They look at each other and for one second and Yui thinks Wow, are they actually going to agree on something for once? But then, Kaoru’s eyes narrow. “What do you mean, absolutely not?”
Kojiro looks up from the floor. “What do you mean, what do I mean?”
“You said no very quickly.”
“So did you, princess.” The challenge is back in Kojiro’s voice.
“Yeah, because I have standards.”
Kojiro’s eyebrows shoot up, “Huh? Since when?”
“Since always. I just lower them when I talk to you.”
Kojiro snorts. “Please. Your bar is in hell. Don’t start pretending that I’m beneath it now.”
Kaoru crosses his arms. “I’m just saying, I understand why you would be nervous.”
“I’m not nervous. I’m disgusted.”
By now, they have somehow drifted back into each other’s space, faces only inches apart. Here we go again, Yui thinks, without even having to look up properly.
“Fine. No kiss then.” Kaoru says, quieter, meaner. He continues, in a mocking tone, “I mean, if you’re that scared…”
“I’m not fucking scared, you idiot.”
“Then prove it, moron.”
Kojiro stares at him. Kaoru stares back, chin lifted, smiling like he has won something, except his fingers are curled a bit too tightly at his sides.
Yui, who is very nice and also extremely helpful, says nothing.
Finally, Kojiro exhales through his nose. “Fine,” he says. “One kiss. Whatever.” To Yui, it does not seem like whatever to Kojiro, but she deliberately does not point that out. Whatever.
Kaoru’s smile flickers for a second. Then it comes back twice as bright. “Easy.” Kauro steps closer to Kojiro. Then Kauro reaches up, and, quite frankly, yanks Kojiro down by the front of his uniform shirt, and gives him the quickest, stupidest peck on the mouth Yui has ever seen. It probably lasted less than a second. Yui is so surprised that one loud, sharp laugh escapes her before she can stop it. That was what they argued about? She stares at both of them. “Guys,” she says. “That was not a kiss.”
Kauro whips around. “Yes, it was.”
“No,” Yui says. “I meant a real kiss.”
Kauro stares at her for one long second. Then he turns back to Kojiro. Kojiro is still pressed against the blackboard, flushed and very silent now. His eyes daring Kaoru to kiss him again and begging him not to at the same time. Then Kaoru’s fingers close around the front of Kojiro’s uniform shirt for - what, the third time in the last ten minutes? But not yanking this time, just holding. Kojiro’s eyes drop to Kaoru’s hand, then back to his face. Kaoru’s jaw tightens. “Fine,” he mutters. He slowly draws Kojiro down. He doesn’t pull away. Then Kauro kisses Kojiro. Not a peck this time. A real kiss, as per demand. Sharp and certain, fingers twisted in Kojiro’s shirt, mouth pressing against his with too much confidence and not enough thought. Like this is another argument. Like if he does it hard enough, fast enough, then he wins.
Yui’s eyes go wide.
Kojiro freezes so completely that for half a second she thinks he might actually shove Kauro away. But he does not. His hands hover uselessly at his sides, fingers twitching. Kauro is still holding his shirt. Still kissing him. And then, Kojiro kisses back. I’s barely anything at first. Just the smallest shift, his lips softening under Kauro’s instead of staying stiff against them.
For a moment, Kauro falters. Then, Kojiro’s hands lift, careful and uncertain, settling around Kauro’s upper arms, one hand on each side. Just holding, lightly, as if Kauro might disappear if he moves too suddenly. Kojiro kisses him gently. Maybe a little too gently for something that started as a stupid competition about who kisses better. His thumbs press once, uncertainly, against Kauro’s sleeves.
Kauro makes a tiny sound. It sounds… startled, maybe. Annoyed, maybe. Or… maybe like something else entirely? But this is, again, just Yui making guesses in the dark.
Kauro leans into the kiss even more and the classroom changes around the boys. Yui does not know how else to describe it. The sunlight is still there, the blackboard is still half-erased, the chairs are still crooked from everyone leaving after class, but suddenly the room feels too full. This is not like when they kissed her. They kiss each other like they are trying to start a fight and end one at the same time. And all of a sudden, this feels too intimate. Like Yui is intruding on some kind of private event. She clears her throat. “Guys,” she says, voice a little shaky. “Okay. Favor done. Thanks.”
The boys separate at once. Kauro lets go of Kojiro’s shirt. Kojiro’s hands stay on Kauro’s arms for a second longer before he seems to realize and drops them.
They stare at each other, both of them red-faced. Kauro’s mouth still slightly open.
For once, neither of them says anything. To Yui’s delight. Well. This technique for shutting them up worked. Who would have guessed?
“There,” Kauro says, voice too loud, not directly looking at Yui, “Happy?”
Yui opens her mouth.
Before she can make a sound, Kojiro lets out a short, humorless laugh, like he can make this normal if he makes it sound stupid fast enough.
“What the hell was that, Kauro?”
Kauro turns on him immediately. “A kiss, you brain-damaged monkey. She asked for a kiss.”
“Yeah, but you just…” Kojiro gestures vaguely between them, face hot. “You didn’t have to do it like that.”
Kaoru’s eyebrows lift. “Like what?”
Kojiro’s mouth opens, but he’s lost for words. Kaoru’s grin returns slowly, mean and delighted. “Oh my god. Don’t tell me you liked it.”
Kojiro’s eyes flash. “No. Why would you say that?” He sounds furious.
Kauro’s mouth curls, too pleased now that Kojiro is flustered. He has found a weak spot and, because its what they do, he immediately pokes at it.
“Sure,” Kauro says, bright and sharp. “Horny ape.”
Kojiro goes completely still. “What?” Kauro asks, grin widening now. “Too accurate?”
Kojiro’s hands curl into fists. “Say that again.”
“Hor-ny,” Kauro says slowly, like he is teaching a small child a new word. “Ape.”
“I’m going to throw you out the window.”
“Because you want to touch me again?”
“No!” Kojiro says, with the raw panic of a wounded animal. A wounded animal who is eighteen, tall, and unfortunately a man, but nonetheless. His eyes flick to Yui, desperate for any kind of help.
Yui sighs, once again, because apparently that is the only reaction dealing with Kauro and Kojiro warrants. Then, she claps her hands together once, getting both boys’ attention. She picks up her bag before they can circle back into another ten-minute argument about which one of them is more stupid or whatever and says, “Anyway. That was one favor.”
Kauro turns to her, “What?”
“One favor,” Yui repeats.
Kojiro blinks. “No. That was the favor.”
“That was Kauro’s favor,” Yui says.
Kauro’s mouth drops open. “How was that my favor?”
“You kissed him first.”
“I…” Kauro stops, realizing that, technically, she is correct.
Yui smiles sweetly. “You both agreed to one favor each. I used Kauro’s. I’ll collect yours later, Kojiro.”
Kojiro stares at her. “You’re evil,” he says.
“Nah. You see, I’m very nice, actually,” Yui says, nodding with complete confidence in the accuracy of that statement.
Yui decides this is the perfect time to leave. Behind her, before she even reaches the classroom door, the argument starts up again, louder than before.
“You imagined that.” Kojiro yells.
“I imagined your hands tenderly caressing my arms?” Kauro says, in the most dramatic, fake-hurt voice he can muster.
Kojiro glares at him. “Shut up, pinky.”
Kauro grins. “Make me, gorilla.”
“I’m never kissing you again!” Kojiro groans.
Yui, halfway through the door, wonders if that is meant to be a threat or a promise.
Behind her, Kauro says, “Good. I wouldn’t want you to!” Then, he adds: “You kiss like you skate.”
“Yeah? And how’s that?” Kojiro yells.
“Like a total beginner,” Kauro yells back.
“I’m going to kill you,” Kojiro says, and it sounds less like a threat than a simple statement of fact.
The door slides shut behind Yui.
She stands in the hallway for a second, grinning to herself.
If someone had told her this morning that she would kiss Kauro, she would have called them crazy. If someone had told her she would kiss Kauro and that somehow that would not even be the best part of her day, she would have declared them clinically insane. But oh well. Apparently, things happen.