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Kagiura Akira was anything but an avid reader. He hardly ever managed when he needed to go through textbooks, but picking up anything that isn’t some shounen manga or a basketball magazine? Hard pass.
For this reason only was it so rare to see him in a bookstore, dragging Hirano along on a “book-shopping date” in order to both fulfill the shopping needed for Hirano’s college studies and both of their desires to see each other. That, and the two major underlying causes of this trip in the first place.
Reason 1. Hirano had his eyes on a huge book with details of popular airports worldwide.
“It’s got all the details, Kagi-kun!” Hirano said through the phone. “Terminals, nearby hangars, and even some special information on different base terminals for airlines!”
It was clear that he was passionate about this with the way his voice carried through the speaker, joy and excitement laced within. Kagiura would’ve killed to see the smile on his face as he talked right now.
“Main problem is, it’s pretty expensive online, and I haven’t found it at the bookstores nearby.” He huffed. Lightbulbs were turning on in Kagiura’s head, ideas sprouting in succession, each contributing to the next.
So, his main concern was finding this big airport book and somehow buying it and slipping it into his bookbag without Hirano noticing.
Reason 2. Niibashi mentioned a new basketball manga that he had read a few days back, recommending it to Kagiura during their lunch period.
“The main character is scarily similar to you.” Niibashi groaned, popping a piece of karaage into his mouth. “But the manga itself is pretty good. Moving stuff, and the art style is really neat.”
Kagiura, who was halfway through stuffing a rice ball into his mouth, responded with a tilt of his head. “What’s the name? Maybe I’ll give it a read!” He replied, taking another huge bite. Niibashi stalled, looking off to the side with an unreadable expression.
“What, you don’t want me reading it?” Kagiura’s eyes narrowed and he reached out to poke the other’s arm. “It’s not like it’s some super explicit manga, right?”
He basically choked on his food at the accusation. “No— No, it’s not that—” Niibashi refuted, setting down his chopsticks and coughing.
“Then what? You can’t just drop the words ‘Basketball Manga’ and expect me to ignore it!”
Niibashi glared at him. With this attitude and the horrifyingly out of character assumption of his preferences in manga, he decided that Kagiura could, in the nicest way possible, ‘go fuck himself’.
“Jeez! Fine! I’ll tell you the name, alright.”
Which brought him here, tugging Hirano by the cuff of his sleeve through the shelves as he looked through all the mangas.
“I couldn’t find it in the sports section, and the directory said it would be somewhere in this area...” Kagiura muttered, ducking his head low to scan the books.
Hirano was wary, increasingly aware that they were rapidly approaching the area where the ever-so-popular Boys Love mangas were kept.
“Hey, Kagi-kun...”
Kagiura paused his scan and turned to Hirano, a smile on his face. “Yeah?”
“...You haven’t talked to anyone in Class 3-B, right?”
“Other than Shirahama, nope. Why?”
Hirano looked off to the side, the back of his hand covering his face. “No reason why... Just making sure of something.”
He was still doubtful as Kagiura dragged him to the next shelf, his ears catching up on the chatter of girls around them mumbling about “ukes” and “semes” which were reminiscent of the conversations he’d been dragged in for the past 3 years.
His senses weren’t wrong to be so on edge, for a mere three shelves away were a couple that Hirano absolutely did not want to run into...
At first, Miyano’s bookstore visits were tranquil. He’d sneak off to his favourite manga section, skulk through the titles, and pick out everything that tickled his fancy. It was a guilty pleasure, something that gave him a break from the stress of the real world.
Then, for a while during second-year, it turned tense. The contributing factor? Sasaki Shuumei, his upperclassman, friend, and begrudgingly, his company. He didn’t hate hanging out with him, but he wouldn’t let him come along on his bookstore runs unless he agreed to stay 2 shelves away at minimum. After all, being seen next to another guy in the BL aisle of manga? That’s basically a fujoshi’s daydream waiting to happen.
Now, things were back to normal. If anything, they’re better. He sifted through the titles, nudging the older man next to him with his suggestions and input on various mangas that he spotted.
“This one is pretty good,” Miyano remarked, pulling out a book with a blue spine. The cover had two boys standing there, a blue-haired delinquent with big doe eyes and a soft smile looming over a more testy and studious mint-haired boy.
Sasaki hummed from beside him. “Ooh, looks interesting.” He leaned over the other’s shoulder to peek at the cover.
The corners of his own mouth curled up as he looked back at him. “The premise is so good— An uke who’s prickly yet well-versed in romance and subjects alike,” He pointed at the green-haired boy first, and then his finger travelled to the other character. “And a seme who, despite his delinquency, is actually naive and innocent, unknown to the bounds of love!” His voice was rising in volume gradually, a telltale sign that he was getting carried away.
From over his shoulder, he could feel Sasaki’s breath faintly on his cheek as he chuckled. “Pfft— It’s cute how you’re so passionate about this.” He smiled, moving his hand up to tousle his hair.
Miyano’s face turned red as he visibly choked on the other’s very astute observation. He rushed to clear his throat and tugged on the collar of his uniform shirt. Even after dating for almost a year, Miyano found himself stumbling over syllables at Sasaki’s offhanded statements and flirting in public, especially putting aside the fact that the two were basically all over each other. Sasaki, with one hand resting on Miyano’s hip and the other in his hair, resting his forehead on his shoulder as he giggled. While they were a little covered in the narrow space between shelves, Miyano concluded that Sasaki truly did not care about a couple glances from strangers, and with him, Miyano couldn't care less either.
He slipped the book back into the shelf. “Remind me to let you read that manga later, okay?” Miyano hummed, feeling a lightness on his shoulder as Sasaki lifted his head to nod.
“Roger that, Yoshikazu!” He said between laughs, ruffling his hair once more before letting his hand fall.
Miyano took a small step to the side to rifle through the next round of books, slipping a couple into his arms and vocalizing his interpretations of the mangas’ covers. Sasaki moved with him, remaining stationed at his left side to leer over his shoulder and peek at each book which he’d hold. He’d get some questions on which he found the most appealing, or whether he remembered reading previous volumes of a manga (with the answer always being a truthful yes).
Another side step, and Miyano had reached the end of the shelf. Normally, he’d move to the next, ready to peruse through the next titles with eagerness and joy. However, he was presented with a rare sighting in the distance.
In front of a table with several BL mangas laid out was a boy holding a school bag and wearing a school uniform. With the way he seemed to be cruising through the titles, it was clear that he was a pro! A fellow kindred spirit, perhaps? Another fudanshi in this largely fujoshi-populated community of all who love BL?
Normally, he’d just make the observation and go about his day, but after seeing another boy beside him tugging gently on his sleeve, something in his mind snapped.
“Shuumei-san, look!” Miyano whisper-shouted, pointing a finger discreetly in the direction of the two other boys. “Remember how I said that it’s suspicious for two boys to look at BL together? It’s happening right there! Right now!!”
Sasaki’s head whipped up. “Oh shoot— You’re right!” He replied, keeping his own voice down. “You think we look like that when we come here?” He giggled into his ear.
Miyano huffed, pulling the strap of his bag back up onto his shoulder. “I mean— Probably... It’s not a big deal now, though!” He chirped, though there was a gentle pink dusting his cheeks now. “That’s besides the point, though! That boy,” He points at the one who is fully in view— He’s taller than Miyano by miles and has a school blazer that's identical to his own. “Is from our school. I need to see this guy... Another fudanshi in our school... Possibly in the same year, too, with his height! Maybe we could be friends!”
Sasaki’s nose crumpled at the thought— Miyano and this mysterious giant of a boy, hanging out during their breaks and talking about BL. He wanted that all to himself, Sasaki wasn’t a guy who liked sharing anyway. But, he wasn't going to say that, because Miyano was clearly overjoyed about this prospect, and Miyano’s happiness was his happiness.
Slowly, the two moved up shelf by shelf, until Miyano decided to head over to the table himself. Sasaki, moving to join him, was instantly brought to the typical irritation of his phone ringing during his prime time with Miyano.
He glanced at the screen, a bit of shock arriving as he read the name.
“Hirano...?” He muttered. Miyano turned around.
“You coming?”
“Ah— I needa take this call quickly. I’ll be right there!” He smiles, “Go on without me.”
Suspicious, Miyano nods, but he starts walking anyway. Sasaki takes the opportunity to hide further between the shelves before picking up the phone.
“Yo.”
“Sasaki, what the HELL are you guys doing?” Hirano’s voice was hushed, almost panicked.
Sasaki was confused, if anything. “Uh. I’m... At the bookstore?” He tried to keep his own voice down, so as to not disturb anyone who was shopping peacefully. “What’s it to you? I’m tryna have a nice date, here.”
“I know you’re in the bookstore, you idiot! Look at the shelf in front of you!”
He slowly peeked out from the side of the bookshelf, only to see a very frantic and frazzled Hirano glaring daggers at him. He gestured in the direction of Miyano, who was currently inching closer and closer to the mysterious tall boy.
“Hold up.” He murmured. Tall, Fujisawa South uniform, black hair, accompanied by Hirano...
The realization— albeit slightly incorrect— hit him like a truck.
“Roommate-kun’s a fudanshi!?”
“Pssht— Keep your voice down! No! God no! I got enough of that from Miyano! I’d kill Kagi-kun if he became a fudanshi!” Hirano yelled into the phone, still trying to keep his voice down. From Sasaki’s view, he was even more on edge than before
“Listen, I need you to get Miyano AWAY from him. Please.”
Now, Sasaki was a good friend. A great friend, even. But, he was feeling a little mischievous today.
“Uh huh.” He said. “What’s in it for me?”
“What’s in it for— You—” He sputtered. “I don’t know! I’ll buy you some sweets later!”
Luckily, Sasaki was also easily tempted. “Neat. It’s a deal, then.”
And with that, he immediately cut the call and started walking towards Miyano, who had already initiated conversation with the oh-so-elusive Roommate-kun.
“...So, you’re in class 3-A?” Miyano asked as he picked up a few books. His eyes were narrowed, he was clearly trying to study this guy.
Beside him, Kagiura was beaming. It was as if he could light up the entire room, and it was starting to hurt Sasaki’s eyes. “Yep! Though, I’m also on the basketball team, if you’ve seen us play!” He chirped, smiling widely. “I’m actually looking for a basketball manga here...” He turned to the table.
Miyano nodded. “What’s the manga about? Maybe I can help!” He smiled back, masking his inner voice thirsting for more information on the other man.
“Hmm... It’s about this guy who plays high school level basketball... The cover has a tall guy and I thiiink a delinquent standing with him?”
Almost immediately, a glint was sparkling in Miyano’s eyes. “Oh! I know that one!” He quickly perused through the titles on the table before pulling out the exact manga. “It’s a really great title... A delinquent uke, a puppyboy seme... It’s...” Miyano trailed off. Something about this guy was oddly reminiscent of a senpai. More specifically...
“Yo~ shi~ ka~ zu~!” Sasaki immediately plopped his hands onto Miyano’s shoulders, a huge grin on his face. “I found a really interesting BL over there, maybe we should check it out!” He urged, trying to get Miyano away from this situation before Hirano had a reason to beat the absolute shit out of him. However, he wouldn’t budge, smile fading and eyebrows furling as he connected the dots in his mind.
Delinquent uke... Hirano-senpai... Basketball roommate... Puppy-like demeanour...
“C— Could it be...?”
Poor Kagiura was staring at him with a dumbfounded smile, head tilting before Miyano jumped back with an accusatory point.
“You’re— You’re—!!!” He grumbled, unable to put his excitement into words as he basically vibrated on the spot.
All of a sudden, Hirano strided toward them from a nearby shelf, grabbing Kagiura’s arm and starting to tug him. “Okay. That’s enough! We’re leaving, Kagi-kun!” He scowled, but the taller one wouldn't budge.
“I’m.. I’m Kagiura Akira...?”
“Yes!! You’re the roommate! The lover!!” Miyano cried. He looked so happy, he could probably die. Sasaki was trying to calm his boyfriend down, patting his shoulders, but Miyano was too happy.
“Kagi-kun, let’s go.” Hirano gritted through his teeth, but Kagiura wouldn’t budge.
“The... Lover...?” His brain loaded before he suddenly felt his jaw go slack, the shock obvious on his face. “How did you know—?!”
Hirano pressed his face into his own palm. He couldn’t believe this was happening to him.
Miyano, meanwhile, was about to launch into the stratosphere from pure joy. “I WAS RIGHT??” He exclaimed, bouncing off his heels with his eyes wide open.
Sasaki patted his shoulders again. “Yoshikazu...” He chided, moving a hand to soothingly rub his back and calm him down.
Thankfully, he took the hint this time, his levels of energy decreasing. Before even five seconds passed, Miyano was already bowing apologetically.
“Sorry, Hirano-senpai!!” He exclaimed, bowing his head even lower as Hirano huffed. “I got carried away!”
“Damn right you did.” Hirano growled, tugging on Kagiura’s arm again. “Let’s go, Kagi-kun.”
Kagiura shook his head, frowning. He still needed to buy Hirano the airport book, and he didn’t want to leave without it!
“Wait here, Hirano-san” He wrestled out of his grip and skipped away quickly, leaving Hirano with Sasaki and Miyano.
Sasaki was stifling a laugh behind his fist and Miyano was standing straight again, eyes still glistening.
“I knew it, Hirano-senpai...!” He exclaimed, keeping a mostly calm demeanour as he gushed. “I knew that you were an uke...” Miyano whispered, eyes narrowing with a judgement that made Hirano downright uncomfortable.
He shifted awkwardly in his stance. “Control him, please.” He growled at Sasaki, who stuck his tongue out in response but complied anyway out of pure interest of not getting a sucker punch to the face.
“Yoshikazu...” He hummed, grabbing Miyano’s hand. “Let’s go to a cafe and leave Hirano and Roommate-kun alone on their date.” He gave the blonde a smug expression, his voice clearly leaning to tease him.
Miyano sighed, nodding. “Alright... But let me first—” He leaned over towards Hirano with another grin. “Can you give Kagiura-san my number? Pleaaaaase?” His eyes went big with a glimmer within. Hirano avoided eye contact with him and nodded after a very long pause.
“...Fine. But— But don’t you dare give him ideas, otherwise I swear I will—”
“Aaand that’s our cue to go! Let’s go check out the books, Yoshikazu!” Sasaki hurriedly pushed Miyano away, giving Hirano a brief glance that had “you owe me one” scrawled all over it.
Hirano breathed a sigh of relief, a tightness in his chest unraveling. This felt as bad as when he was waiting for college acceptances— No, it was probably worse. He stood at the table alone, eyes drifting between titles. Boys Love wasn’t his cup of tea, especially with how much he heard about it during high school, so it felt awkward to stand there staring at the books on display.
Kagiura hurried back to Hirano fairly quickly, adjusting his bag with a huff.
“I’m back, Hirano-san!” He smiled. “I’m ready to leave once you are!”
Hirano felt a warmth tugging at his chest, spreading to his face as he smiled back, nodding. “Mmh. Let’s leave and go somewhere else then.” He patted Kagiura’s shoulder.
The two walked out of the store, shoulders bumping into each other as they talked about nonsense on the way to wherever the day would take them. Kagiura’s hand settled in the crook of the other’s elbow, holding onto him as he felt an anticipation bubble in his chest to give him the gift as soon as possible.
[18:35] Hirano-senpai
Here’s his LINE.
Hirano-senpai sent 1 attachment.
[18:36] You
THANK YOU SO SO SO SO SO MUCH OH MY GOD OH MY GOD
One question though :3c
How’d u guys meet? plsplsplsplsplsplsplsplsplsplsplspls
hirano-senpai pls i need this
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