Work Text:
7:20 am, the sound of students entering classrooms, walking around, and talking with friends filled the hallways of the school.
Isamu walked in with a few of his classmates, talking about last night's homework and discussing if they got the right answers. Isamu stayed walking close to them as they reached the busy hallway of students. One of them muttered a curse word before going in to squeeze through the crowd. Isamu did the same thing too, politely asking for people to step aside and making sure not to accidentally bump into someone.
When he reached the set of stairs that led to the uper floors, Isamu adjust the his jacket and bag, walking up the stairs and past more students going about their day. Reaching the second floor, he continued walking down the hallway towards his classroom. As he walked, he heard someone running, but Isamu immediately recognized the sound and whipped his head back to look.
"Isamu! Wait up!"
Yelled out Yasu, catching up to Isamu and resting his head against hid shoulder for support. "I was gonna catch up to you earlier, but the hallway was filled with students..." Yasu complained, adjusting his position. Isamu simply let out a quiet, amused huff. "You were running down the hall extra loud, I'm surprised no one has complained about you yet." Isamu chuckled softly, but Yasu reacted by pinching Isamu on his cheek.
"Ow— hey! Don't go on pinching me like that in the hallway!"
"That's what you get, dummy." Yasu said smugly, he pulled away from Isamu and took his hand in his, leading him to their room. "Don't just stand there, let's go!" Isamu stumbled a bit completely off guard when Yasu suddenly dragged him, but he managed to stable himself and match Yasu's pace. "Warn me when you decide to start dragging me randomly." Isamu said, but he didn't let go of Yasu's hand. It fit perfectly in his, and it was warm compared to Isamu's.
"Your hands are cold as hell." Yasu commented, squeezing it in his. Yasu didn't say anything further, and neither did Isamu. They walked together hand in hand as they reached their classroom. When they opened the door, a few students greeted both of them with a smile, and Isamu responded by smiling back at them warmly. Yasu simply nodded at his classmates, then went on over to sit down in his seat next to Isamu, all while still not letting go of his hand.
"Still not letting go?" Isamu teased, absentmindedly playing with Yasu's fingers. "I'm doing you a favor by warming them up, no biggie." Yasu replied, glancing at Isamu playing with his fingers, but paid no mind to it. "How'd they get this cold anyway? What the hell were you holding?" Isamu rolled his eyes, "It's cold outside, that's probably the reason why." Yasu nodded, even if he didn't really believe Isamu, he pretended to anyway.
Isamu noticed and immediately gripped his hand in Yasu's tightly, "I can tell from your face you don't believe me."
"I do!"
"Liar."
Yasu pouted, giving Isamu a fake mask of hurt. "Oh isamu... How cruel can you be? I'm just trying to help a friend..." Isamu sat there staring at Yasu, unamused. Yasu sighed, placing their linked hands on his lap, softly caressing isamu's hand in his. Isamu felt his face heat up slightly, and he immediately pulled his hand away from Yasu. "... Don't do that." Isamu warmed, trying to calm his face back down.
Yasu giggled, but ultimately stopped. He folded his arms on his desk and rested his head on them, closing his eyes as he waited for the teacher to arrive. Isamu stared at Yasu after finally calming down, he could still feel Yasu's warm hands on his, even after they had let go. Isamu pulled out his phone and earbuds, putting them on each ear as he opened his Spotify to pick a song. As he scrolled, he noticed movement from the corner of his eye. Yasu was looking at him, his chin resting on the back of his hand. Isamu pretended to not notice though, going through his playlist until he decided to choose the song "You are the right one" By sports.
Isamu placed his phone underneath his desk, closing his eyes as he listened. Suddenly, he felt someone take the other earbud from his left ear, Isamu immediately looked up to see who it was, only to find Yasu grinning from ear to ear. "Can I listen with you?" He asked, already putting on the earbud. "Next time, you should really ask me... You almost scared me."
Yasu nodded, "Alright, alright." Yasu replied, closing his eyes as he listened to the addicting tune of the song. Isamu continued staring at Yasu for a few seconds, before leaning against his chair and closed his eyes once again.
After some time, their teacher finally arrived. Yasu have the earbud to Isamu as he placed them back in their case, pausing the song as the class all said "Good morning, Sensei." In unison. Their teacher acknowledged their greeting, asking them to sit back down. "Today, we'll have a partner activity. Please choose a partner and answer this in a whole sheet of paper. Get one for each partner, and don't get too loud." The moment the teacher finished speaking, Yasu was already grabbing his wrist, pulling him close to his desk. "You're my partner, okay?" Yasu didn't wait for Isamu to agree, because he already knows he'll always agree to them being partners shen it comes to activities like these.
Isamu nodded, scooting his chair closer to Yasu's desk until their thighs were touching. One of their classmates handed them the sheet of paper to answer, just some math problems they had to do. "I'll solve them, and you write them down, okay?" Isamu suggested, to which Yasu agreed. Yasu reached into his bag to grab a whole sheet of paper, giving a few to Isamu as he started solving the problems. While Isamu did the problems, Yasu busied himself with writing down their names and wait for Isamu to finish.
"Here's the answers for 1 to 7. I'm still doing 8 to 10, but it's better if you write just in case I accidentally spend too much time solving, and we run out of time before we could even write anything km the paper.", Yasu nodded, grabbing the paper Isamu had given him and copied the the solutions Isamu did, but properly arranging them to make it seem neat and clean.
Isamu would eventually finish answering the questions, and gave the solutions to Yasu. While Yasu copied down what he wrote on their work paper, Isamu stood up to hand in the activity paper to the teacher, where he was given a nod of approval.
Returning back to his seat next to Yasu, he leaned in to watch Yasu transferring the answers and solutions he wrote. His writing was surprisingly neat, unlike his slightly messy hand writing. "Okay, im done!" Yasu glanced at Isamu, standing up and handing their work back to the teacher along with other students who finished with the activity.
Isamu looked at the clock, a few minutes left before their 2nd period teacher comes in. He pulls out his phone and earbuds once again, replaying the song "you are the right one", closing his eyes again while he waited for time to pass. Yasu comes back after passing their paper, he notices that Isamu was listening to music again. He sits next to Isamu and taps him in the shoulder, "heyy.... Let me listen too!" Isamu opened one eye to glance at Yasu, before taking out one of his earbuds and handing it over to him. He leans his head against Isamu's shoulder as they shared earbuds.
As they sit together without speaking for a solid fee minutes, the teacher finally gets up to dismiss the class before 2nd period started, but Isamu didn't really pay much attention to it. His thoughts were more on the fact how Yasu looked so comfortable resting on his shoulder, it made him not want to move a single muscle. Their classmates around them glanced at them, but Isamu just brushed them off. He paid no mind to them looking, as long as Yasu was comfortable, he didn't mind.
Though, their quiet moment was cut short when the teacher entered the classroom. Isamu nudged Yasu to stand up, and took their earbuds to place them back in their case. Yasu slowly pulled his head away from Isamu's shoulder, standing up straight to greet their teacher. When the teacher greeted them back, Isamu grabbed his chair to place it back near his desk and sat down. The entire lesson went on smoothly, except for the teacher asking questions, with Isamu always stepping up to answer.
Whenever he'd stand up, he would notice Yasu's gaze on him, and that would somehow make him feel a bit nervous. But why? That was on his mind for most of the first half of class. Why does he feel nervous when Yasu looks at him? Is he scared that'll he'll embarrass himself In front of Yasu? Or... Something else? Whatever it was, Isamu shook his head to get the thoughts off his mind for now.
After a few more torturing moments of on going discussion, the bell finally ran— signalling the end of class. As soon as the teacher left the classroom, Yasu was immediately by his side, grabbing his hand and intertwining it with his warm one. Isamu spun his head around Yasu, who was already pulling him up to head to the cafeteria.
"Alright, alright. Let me get my wallet first!" Isamu chuckled a bit at Yasu's enthusiasm. But when he reached in to grab his wallet, he felt his hand being squeezed, maybe a bit too much. "Ow! Yasu, don't squeeze my hand too hard!" Isamu shot him a glare, though there was no real anger in them. Yasu grinned and apologized in a sarcastic tone, leaving Isamu to sigh heavily at his joking matter.
"Come on, are you building your wallet from scratch?" Yasu groaned, tugging at Isamu's hand. Isamu finally grabbed his wallet and walked with Yasu as they headed for the cafeteria, him leaning against his shoulder once again as they walked. Yasu was talking about some game he wanted to play together after school, and Isamu just nodded absentmindedly. When they finally reached the cafeteria, Yasu dragged isamu towards the vending machines.
"Seriously? You're not gonna buy whatever the cooks are selling?" Isamu questioned, watching as Yasu approached one of the machines, pulling out his wallet to insert in a coin. "So what? It's better than standing in line waiting." He reasoned back, which got Isamu to shut up. When Yasu got a few drinks and chips for both of them, he gestured for Isamu to follow him up the stairs and to the rooftop where they usually hung out during breaks or lunch.
Isamu went to their usual spot in the corner, sitting down on the floor with Yasu as they opened up the chips. Yasu continued talking about the game he wanted to play later with him, insisting it was worth their time. "It's really good! I've heard from a few classmates that it was worth the shot, so that's why I wanna play it with you!" Yasu exclaimed, stuffing his mouth with chips. It took a while for him to swallow, then continued, "Plus, we can call to communicate better... But I should probably lower my voice when we do, or else my mom would kill me for being too loud.."
Isamu let out a soft chuckle, shaking his head at Yasu’s sudden dramatic shift in worry. "Relax, I won't cause too much noise," he said, miming a zipper sliding across his lips to seal the promise. "My lips are sealed."
As Yasu immediately cheered up and went right back to stuffing his face with chips, Isamu couldn't take his eyes off him. Watching the way Yasu's cheeks puffed out, completely unbothered by manners, a sudden thought brushed through Isamu's mind—he's actually really cute like this.
Isamu froze, the chuckle dying in his throat. His heart gave a strange, heavy thud against his ribs. He quickly looked down at his own lap, his face suddenly feeling incredibly warm. Wait, what am I even thinking? he scolded himself, desperately trying to force the thought away before his expression gave him away.
Yasu noticed Isamu looking away from him, and he raised a confused brow. He moved closer to Isamu and inspected his face, "You alright?" He asked, Isamu immediately snapped out of his thoughts and looked back at Yasu, reassuring him that he was okay.
"I'm fine, just thought of something weird." He smiled awkwardly, hoping that was enough for Yasu to believe him. Yasu stared at Isamu for a few moments, knowing he was hiding something but didn't really question it. He want back to the chips and ate, Isamu sitting near him with his head back down on his lap.
After a while, Yasu finished eating and let out a satisfied huff. "Man... That was good." He patted his belly happily, leaning against Isamu. "You're acting like you just ate a 5 star meal." Isamu said sarcastically, which earned a laugh from Yasu. "Maybe It was a 5 star meal, chips are good. Hella good."
Isamu smiled, "Maybe for you, probably. Though I'm not surprised." Isamu muttered, Knowing Yasu definitely heard that when the boy let out a pout. "What's that supposed to mean?" He poked Isamu's side, The boy raised his hand and denied everything. "What do you mean? I didn't say anything."
Yasu gave him an annoyed glare, but it was quickly replaced with a smile right after. "Fine, whatever."
...
Walking down the hall together, hand in hand, it earned a few stares from a few students and friends, but as always— Yasu was busy talking about games he planned to play with him to notice. Isamu didn't tell him though, who cares? It's just them holding hands, a sign of their close bond.
As they reached their classroom and sat in their seats, their classmates called them over. "Isamu! Yasu! Wanna play truth or dare with us? Sensei told is he's either gonna be late or won't come to class because of some meeting... I promise it'll be fun!" One of their female classmates flashed them a smile. Before Isamu could even reply, Yasu was already tugging him near the group to play.
As they joined the group, they formed a few desks and made them into a circle, sitting on each seat and chattering about who's first. "I'll go first!" Yasu's friend, a boy named Jaiden, volunteered. "Already, Jai... Truth, or dare?" Their female classmate, Kian, asked. Jaiden took a few moments, before settling with a dare.
"I dare you... To do the most ugliest face you can think of!", Yasu eagerly agreed, and so did the others. Jaiden, nodded, determined to make the absolute weirdest face he possibly could, he didn't even hesitate. He took a deep, dramatic breath, closed his eyes for a second to prepare, and then unleashed it.
He sucked his top lip completely over his teeth, ballooned his cheeks out until they looked like two overinflated basketballs, and crossed his eyes so hard it looked painful. To top it all off, he flared his nostrils to maximum width and used his fingers to pull his ears forward like a cartoon monkey. He held the position flawlessly, completely frozen, staring dead into Isamu's soul with unblinking, crossed eyes.
Yasu let out a loud, breathless laugh. The boy clutched his stomach, leaning against the chair as he howled with laughter. Isamu tried desperately to play it cool, burying his face in his hands to hide his shaking shoulders, but his muffled, breathless chuckles gave him away completely. The others joined in on their laughter. After a while, the group finally calmed down, Jaiden clearing his throat.
"Alright, alright. Who's next?"
"Me!" Another classmate, Michael, chimed in. "Alright, truth or dare?" Asked Jaiden, the others fell silent as they waited for Michael to pick. "I... Uhh... Truth?" He said, "Alright, tell us something embarrassing that happened this week!" The others agreed, and Michael paused for a second, trying to think of an embarrassing moment.
"Well... Yesterday was my grandpa's birthday. While we were singing him a happy birthday song, I was so caught up in the moment that I may have sang a bit too much.. like hitting tha high note or something. Then when I opened my eyes, everyone was staring at me in silence!" Michael recalled the memory, hiding his face in his hands as the group chuckled.
"Talk about being extra..." Isamu commented, which made Michael look at him and flip him off. Yasu and the others laughed at Michaels reaction, then focused back on the game.
"Alright, no more waiting for someone to volunteer. This time, I'll be picking!" said Kian, looking at the others before landing her gaze onto Isamu. "Isamu, truth or dare?" She asked, giving Isamu a mischievous look.
Isamu paused to think, glancing at Yasu and the others, who were eagerly waiting for his choice. "I pick... Truth." Kian nodded, thinking for a second.
"Isamu, be honest. Are you..." She paused, glancing between Isamu, and then Yasu, who was sitting next to Isamu with their hands still intertwined.
"...Are you and Yasu dating?" She asked, which made the whole group fall silent. Isamu froze, his hands that were currently in Yasu's had pulled away abruptly. His face immediately turned a bright shade of red. He wanted to deny it, but he was unable to utter a single word. Why was he struggling to speak? He didn't see Yasu as nothing more but a best friend, right?
"No way! Who the heck told you we were dating?!" Yasu questioned, his eyes narrowing at Kian.
"Well, we heard of rumors. And considering how close and clingy the two of you are... It was hard to tell if it was true or not." Kian defended herself, her gaze shifting from Yasu to Isamu. "And why is Isamu all red?"
Yasu paused, turning his head to look at Isamu. The boy immediately looked down to stare at his lap, embarrassed. "He's probably just shocked from the outrageous rumor," Yasu scoffed, "me and Isamu are best friends. And that's final."
Silence. No one dared to speak, Isamu still looking down at his lap. Best friend. That's him and Yasu's relationship, but why did the title make his chest ache? Why was he suddenly upset? Did it really bother him that much? Was he hoping for something other than 'just a friend'?
...
"Well... This is awkward." Jaiden spoke first, glancing at the group, then at the duo. "Maybe we should... Stop here, for now." Jaiden suggested. "Yeah, maybe we should." And with that, Yasu stood up and left the classroom. Isamu stayed seated with the group, his face still flushed red. This is so embarrassing... To react like that when questioned if him and his best friend were dating... Wouldn't that be weird?
He slowly stood up and went to his own seat, laying his head down and closing his eyes. How he wished he could just disappear from the world forever and never think of this moment ever again.
...
As the bell rang, their teacher checked his watch and looked back up his students. "Alright class, that'll be all for today. If you have time, make sure to study in advance about our topic of today." They all nodded, and their teacher left the room. Isamu packed his things, stuffing them into his back. He just wanted to go home and lay in his bed all day.
As he stood up and prepared to leave, Yasu stopped him. "Isamu, wait up!" The boy yelled, catching up to him. "We're you really gonna leave me behind?" Yasu didn't wait for a response, grabbing his hand and walking with him out of school.
"Well... I thought after the truth and dare, you wouldn't wanna talk to me..."
"Seriously? Its just some dumb rumor, it's not true at all." Yasu reassured, "Don't get your head up in the clouds."
Isamu paused, then gave Yasu a smile. "Yeah, just some dumb rumor." He repeated, though his chest still ached. As they walked home hand in hand, Yasu would occasionally caress his fingers gently, which caused Isamu's face to flush, just a little.
When they reached Isamu's house, Yasu gave him a goodbye hug and smiled. "Don't forget to play that game with me tonight, okay? I'll call you as soon as I get home."
"Sure, I'll be waiting." Isamu replied, waving a goodbye to Yasu as his figured began to fade in the distance. He turned around and went inside his home, shutting the door behind him. "Welcome home, isamu." His elder brother greeted, already setting up the table to prepare dinner.
Isamu took of his shoes and glanced at his elder brother, approaching the kitchen. "Whatcha cooking, senzai?" He said, looking at the pot. "It's just some soup, today's pretty cold out. So I decided to cook some hot soup for us and father."
"Speaking of father..." Isamu paused, "Is he still pressuring you to go into law?" He asked, glancing up at Senzai's face. "Well, you know how father is." Senzai started, stirring the big spoon. "He's already making me study in advance for when he finds a good law school I can pass the entrance exam on."
"I see..." Isamu frowned, he's known for a long time how pressured Senzai is. Since he's entering college soon, their father was already searching for schools in advance. "But, are you sure that's what you want? I've seen your room, Senzai. I see the drawings, the hidden paintings. Are you really gonna abandond it?" Isamu spoke in a soft voice, he didn't want Senzai to give up his love for arts just to please their father.
Senzai paused, turning his head to look at Isamu with a soft smile. "It's okay, just because I'm going to college doesn't mean I'll stop doing what I love. I'll make sure of that." Senzai patted his head, smiling. "Thanks for being worried though, you really are the best." Senzai chuckled, giving Isamu a loving hug.
Isamu hugged Senzai back, both not saying anything to break the peaceful moment of the two brothers. Eventually, Senzai pulled away and turned back to the soup he was cooking. "Go take change, dinner will be ready in a few minutes."
Isamu nodded, heading up the stairs and into his bedroom. When he took of his shirt to change, he heard a notification from his phone. He quickly changed into some comfortable clothes and opened his phone to check. It was Yasu.
[Yasu]
-"You done eating? Wanna play?"
[Isamu]
-"In a bit, 'kay? I still have to eat."
[Yasu]
-"sure! Just call me when you're done."
[Isamu]
-"👍🏻"
Isamu shut his phone off and placed it on his bed, heading downstairs to eat dinner. Senzai and their father were already sitting on the table, both eating in silence. Isamu took a seat next to Senzai and grabbed his bowl, filling it up with the soup Senzai had cooked. Nothing really happened much, except for their father discussing about entrance exams with Senzai.
Shortly after, Isamu finished eating and placed his bowl in the sink, heading upstairs to his room. He grabbed his phone from the bed and called Yasu, waiting a few seconds before he finally answered.
"Isamu! Man, I thought you ditched me..." Yasu said through the phone, "Have you downloaded the game already? If you did, add me! My user is kattanana_725."
Isamu nodded, opening his play store to download the app. When it finally finished, Isamu quickly made an account and added Yasu.
For a few hours, they spent it on playing with each other. Laughing, screaming, and worked together to beat the game.
Eventually though, Yasu's mom called from the living room that it was already late, and that he should go to bed. Yasu gave a downcast look and glanced back at Isamu.
"We'll continue this tomorrow, okay? My mom's gonna kill me."
"It's fine, we can continue tomorrow. Goodnight, Yasu."
"Goodnight Isamu, dream well." And with that, Yasu ended the call. Isamu placed his phone on his nightstand, laying down in his bed and pulled the blanket up to his chin. His mind wandered back to the truth and dare game, when he was asked if they were together... Him getting embarrassed... Isamu felt his face heat up again, and he groaned. Why was he thinking about that moment again? Like Yasu said, him and Isamu were just best friends. Nothing more.
Nothing more.
...
Isamu took a deep breath, closing his eyes tightly as he began to drift off to sleep.
...
The next day at school, Isamu waited by his desk for Yasu. While he waited, Kian had approached him with a gloomy expression. "Isamu..." Kian started, sitting down on Yasu's seat and looked back up his face. "about yesterday's game... I shouldn't have asked you that, I'm so sorry!" Kian apologized over and over, even offering him snacks.
"Woah, woah! It's fine, really. It was just a game after all, no need to apologize." He reassured Kian, patting her on the shoulder. Kian looked up at himz checking to see if he was actually being serious. "Really..?" She said in a low voice, Isamu gave her a thumbs up and nodded. "Yeah, it's okay."
After talking for a bit and calming down, Kian stood up and left to go back to her seat. Just then, Yasu arrived carrying his bag. When he noticed Isamu already sitting in his seat, he immediately smiled and sat down next to him.
He talked nonstop about last night, laughing and giggling together. After a while, the teacher finally entered the room with activity sheets for them to answer.
Time passed, and it was already lunch time. As usual, they both walked to the rooftop together, hand in hand, carrying their lunch bags. When they found their usual corner and sat down, Isamu pulled out his lunch— rice with already peeked shrimp, cooked pork, and fried rice. Isamu grabbed his spoon and ate, glancing at Yasu.
Yasu was also busy eating his own lunch, but when he noticed Isamu's shrimp, he paused. The boy looked up at Isamu, then his lunch, then Isamu again. "Isamu..." He trailed off, looking at Isamu with pleading eyes. "No Yasu this is my lunch." Isamu warned, but Yasu only scooted closer to Isamu's side, whining. "Please...?"
"No Yasu it's my lunch!" Isamu retorted back, moving his lunch away from him. Yasu's lower lip began to quiver, as if he were on the verge of tears. "Isamuuuu!! Please? Pretty pretty please?" He pestered as he clung on to Isamu's arm.
The sudden, firm weight of Yasu pressing against his side caught Isamu completely off guard. He froze, his spoon halting halfway to his mouth as a rush of heat surged straight to his face, making his cheeks flush a dark crimson. Beneath his ribs, his heart began to hammer a frantic, erratic rhythm.
He looked down, his gaze locking onto Yasu. Up close, the sheer absurdity of Yasu's dramatic, begging face was entirely eclipsed by just how cute he looked. Isamu found himself utterly transfixed by the wide, shining eyes looking up at him, the soft quiver of his lower lip, and the effortless way Yasu could throw him into a total panic without even trying.
"Get a grip, Isamu." He scolded himself, suddenly snapping out of his daze. Moving his gaze away, he slightly turned his upper body to hide his burning face, letting out a sharp, defeated sigh. He had completely lost this battle.
"Fine! Just—let go of me first," he mumbled, his voice a little rougher than intended as he caved in to Yasu's begging. Reaching into his lunch with his spoon, he scooped up a few pieces of shrimp and dropped them onto Yasu's own lunch. Instantly, Yasu let go, letting out a victorious hum as he happily dug into his prize. He practically preened with satisfaction, nudging his shoulder against Isamu's in a grateful, snug gesture that left Isamu's face warmer than before.
"Thanks Isamu, you're the best!" Yase said happily, the shrimps were absolutely delicious! Maybe he should try to ask Isamu for more shrimps..
Meanwhile, Isamu was still looking away from Yasu. There it was again, that... That feeling. His face going red, his heart beating fast. God, what was wrong with him? Why does he always react like this? "You can have the shrimp... I'm not that hungry anyway." Isamu offered, scooping all of his shrimp and dumping it onto Yasu's lunch.
Hearing his words, Yasu was instantly overjoyed, hd suddenly threw his arms completely around Isamu’s neck, pulling him into a fiercely tight hug. "You are literally the best person alive, I swear!" Yasu cheered against his shoulder.
A hug. From Yasu. Normally, he wouldn't really feel anything— they've hugged multiple times before, in fact. But after what happened just now? It felt... Different. Dangerous.
Isamu's brain immediately short-circuited, his arms resting awkwardly in his side. He could feel the solid warmth of Yasu's chested pressed against his, his hair brushing against his cheek. His heart was beating even more than earlier, terrified Yasu might feel it vibrating through his uniform.
In that exact moment, Isamu was stuck. He wanted to wrap his arms would Yasu like he usually would, maybe even let out an awkward laugh. But at the same time, he was confused. Confused of what he was feeling. Yasu was his best friend, why can't he just stop this annoying reactions to simple hugs and affection from a friend?
When Yasu pulled, he immediately shifted his focus back onto his meal, enjoying the taste of shrimp in his mouth. Isamu didn't say anything, he just simply say next to Yasu, watching him eat happily.
When they finished eating, they both tucked their lunch boxes away into their lunch bag, standing up and walking together back to their classroom. The walk back was silent— Yasu was too full to speak, and Isamu was still thinking of the moment when Yasu hugged him.
Entering the classroom, Isamu noticed Jaiden looking at them with a suspicious face. He ignored that, he knows Jaiden had noticed his still slightly red face. He sat down next to Yasu, but not directly looking at him at all.
....
After class, Yasu had left early for some family dinner he had. Isamu was still at school, cleaning the classroom with the others. Suddenly, Jaiden walked up to him and nudged him on the shoulder. "Isamu, you sure you and Yasu got nothing to hide? We promise to support you, wen won't judge." Jaiden said, trying to be helpful.
"I already told you, me and Yasu are nothing but friends." He insisted, though the words didn't seem right. Jaiden sighed heavily, "You two act like a couple. Holding hands, hugging, wanting to always stay near each other... I've seen you blushing from Yasu's affection, Isamu."
Isamu paused, his eyes widening a bit as he stared down at the floor. If Yasu was here, he would've denied them again, or maybe laughed at the mention of the rumour. But Isamu wouldn't, because right now... He was starting to think that maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't mind at all.
Jaiden... He was right, wasn't he? All the moments he brushed off, they weren't just him being silly— it was him actively trying to push away feelings he didn't want to acknowledge.
There was no denying it now. After a moment of silence, Isamu finally came to the conclusion:
He was, indeed, in love with Yasu.
At the thought of the word "love", his face flushed yet again. Well, now that he was finally realizing his feelings... How the hell is he supposed to tell Yasu? How would he react even? Would he stop being friends? Numerous possibilities of what might happened crossed Isamu's mind, it was not until Jaiden shook him back to reality where he finally snapped out of it.
"Look, I don't mean to mind in your business, but I just wanted to ask... Anyway, you can leave early. I'll take care of floor duty today." Jaiden smiled, ushering Isamu out of the classroom. Isamu thanked Jaiden, and left school in silence.
Now that he was alone, he finally went back to what he was thinking earlier— how would Yasu react if he knew? Or if he even felt the same way? Dangit, this was hard...
Once he arrived reached near his house, he approached the front door and opened it, stepping inside and taking his shoes off. "Senzai, I'm ho—" he paused, staring at who was sitting on the dinner table talking with his elder brother.
It was Yasu. In his house. Talking with Senzai. When Senzai noticed his little brother's arrival, he immediately waved at him and gestured for him to come over. "Welcome back, Isamu. I ran into Yasu after I went grocery shopping, and I invited him over for dinner."
Yasu smiled, standing up to walk towards Isamu. "What... What are you doing here? I thought you had some family dinner?"
"Yeah... About that.. my relatives weren't able to come, so they decided to reschedule it to next Saturday." He replied, "And I happened to stumble upon Senzai while I was out for a walk. I already told my parents I was gonna stay over here to eat, and they agreed."
Dangit, just when Isamu just realized his feelings for the boy he loved, he was staying over for dinner. He calmed himself down, act normal. Isamu excused himself and went upstairs to change into something comfortable, coming back downstairs right after. His father was already seated on the table, Yasu standing near Senzai as he helped cooked dinner.
"You're really good at cooking, huh?" Senzai complimented, Yasu blushed, embarrassed. "Nah... I wouldn't say I'm a pro, but I know my way around the kitchen." Yasu answered, glancing towards the stairs where he spotted Isamu. "Isamu! You didn't tell me your brother was the one who cooked the shrimp you gave me... You should really let me come over often and learn from Senzai."
"Ahh... yeah, I will." Isamu replied , heading towards the table to sit down and the two prepared dinner together. Once the plates were set and the food was placed on the table, Yasu was the first to fill his plate with delicious food that him and Senzai cooked together.
The four of them ate together at the dinner table, Yasu talking about his day to Senzai while he nodded and listened. Eventually, his father finished eating and left to go to his room to work. "Wow, you're father's not really a talker. " Yasu commented, eating a spoonful of food.
"Yeah, he's just like that. He's always busy with work, so I mostly am closer to Senzai than him." Isamu said, finishing up and taking his dishes to the sink, Yasu and Senzai following along. "I'll wash the dishes, consider it as thanks for having me over."
"No, I'll do it."
"I insist." Yasu said, already rolling up his sleeves and turning on the sink. Senzai sighed and but accepted it, walking over and sitting down on the couch, taking the time to relax. Isamu glanced back at Yasu, watching him washing the dishes. He smiled softly, a noticeable blush appearing on his cheeks. Yasu was a kind guy.
Isamu followed Senzai onto the couch, sitting beside him, that stupid smile stick plastered all over his face. Senzai noticed, then sneered. "What's with that smile on your face?" He laughed. Isamu's face immediately went red and glared at Senzai. "Shut up, that's none of your business to ask."
The two brothers bickered with each other, not noticing how Yasu was already secretly approaching Isamu from behind the couch.
Suddenly, two arms lunged forward, wrapping securely around Isamu’s neck from behind. “Gotcha!” a loud, cheerful voice boomed right against his ear.
Isamu let out a sharp, undignified gasp as his heart violently jumped up his throat. In a fraction of a second, a fiery, burning crimson rushed from Isamu's neck all the way to the tips of his ears.“Y-Yasu! Let go!” Isamu choked out, his voice cracking slightly from the sheer shock.
He immediately grabbed Yasu’s forearms, trying desperately to pry them off or wiggle his way out of Yasu's hold. But his attempts to pull away were completely futile. Yasu threw his head back, laughing loudly, he tightened his grip, leaning his chin heavily on Isamu’s shoulder. The vibrations of Yasu’s laughter rumbled right against Isamu's back, sending a wave of electric, dizzying panic straight through him.
"Seriously Yasu, let go!" He yelled, but Yasu didn't even listen. Next to him on the couch, Senzai noticed the way Isamu's face was basically like a red hot tomato. He grew suspicious, but decided not to question Isamu further.
After a few minutes of Isamu trying so desperately to escape Yasu's arms wrapped around, Yasu finally let go. Plopping beside Isamu on the couch. "Heh... I got you, didn't I?" Yasu said proudly, but Isamu gave him a glare despite his face still flushed red. "... Whatever."
Around 10 pm, Isamu offered to walk Yasu home, which he accepted, a soft blush appearing on his cheeks. Their houses were only a few jogs apart, and it was the least he could do after he had helped Senzai with the cooking and cleaning the dishes.
"Thanks for having me over, I really enjoyed it tonight." Yasu said, breaking the silence between them. Isamu turned his head to look at him, giving him a small nod of acknowledgement. "It's no problem, you're free to come over anytime."
The two of them walked together until they reached Yasu's front gate, he turned to look at Isamu one last time. "I guess this is goodbye for now, I'll see you at school tomorrow?"
"Of course."
Yasu let out a relieved huff, pulling Isamu in for a hug. Isamu froze at first, his face once again turning a dark crimson, his arms resting awkwardly at his sides. But he eventually returned the hug, closing his eyes as he felt the warm embrace of Yasu's hug. He felt him tightening the embrace, and he smiled against Yasu's chest. When they pulled away, Isamu noticed Yasu was looking directly at his face, then at his lips...
Isamu suddenly forgot how to breathe, was Yasu...?
Before he could open his mouth to ask, Yasu leaned in— their faces inches apart.
"Isamu..." Yasu started, his hands now resting on Isamu's cheeks. He was looking directly at his eyes, not saying anything for a moment, then—
"The rumours..." He spoke again, Isamu immediately caught up, looking at him with his face still flushed from the earlier hug and moment at his house.
"What about them?" He asked.
"About us dating..." Yasu paused, "at first, I thought they were stupid. That they were just spreading gossip, but now that I think of it..."
"But after that game of truth or dare..."
"Isamu... I know I haven't really expressed them properly, but... I really dont think I want the whole situation of us dating to just be a rumor."
"Are you implying...?"
"Yes, Isamu."
Silence. Everything around them seemed to fade, they forgot they were standing right Infront of Yasu's front gate, that they were still standing on the street. But that didn't matter— not to them.
"Yasu..." Isamu finally spoke, intertwining his hands in Yasu's. Yash noticed, he pulled away from Isamu's face for now— looking at him properly.
Isamu took a slow, trembling breath, his eyes never leaving Yasu’s. "You have no idea how long I've been thinking of the exact same thing." Yasu blinked, his eyes widening slightly in soft surprise before a warm, incredibly tender smile broke across his face. He squeezed Isamu’s hands in return.
"Really?"
"Really," Isamu breathed, a soft laugh escaping him. "I was losing my mind, Yasu. Every time you leaned on me, every time someone mentioned the rumors... I was terrified. I didn't want it to be a rumor either. Not for a long time. But I was also scared that if I told you, you'd stop being friends." Yasu’s smile softened even further, his cheeks tinged with a faint, genuine blush of his own. He stepped just a fraction closer, eliminating the last bit of distance between them.
"Why would I stop? You're the best thing that happened to me." Yasu murmured, his voice dropping to that gentle, private register Isamu loved so much. Standing right there in front of the gate, with the rest of the world completely melted away, Isamu smiled back. For the first time in weeks, his racing heart didn't feel like panic—it just felt like coming home. "Then I won't deny my feelings of you, too."
And with one final look, Yasu closed the distance between them, tilting his head just enough so their lips could meet in a soft, tentative brush that sent a wave of pure warmth straight to Isamu's chest.
The kiss lasted longer than Isamu had expected, but he didn't pull away, not wanting to break the moment. When they finally pulled away, however, they just stared at each other in silence, not uttering another word.
Suddenly, they heard the front gate open— and Yasu's mother, keiko, looked up at the both of them. "Am I... Interrupting something?" His mother asked, though already knowing the answer based on their flushed faces.
"Mom! Not cool!" He whined, to which his mother just giggled. "Relax, I'll leave you two alone. Just don't forget to come back inside, Yasu. It's almost 11 pm.
And with that, his mother went back inside the house, leaving the both of them alone once again. Yasu turned his head back towards Isamu, laughing awkwardly.
"Well... It looks like I gotta go back inside." Yasu said, giving Isamu one final kiss on his forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow."
Yasu pulled away and went inside his house, closing the door behind him. Isamu walked back to his house in silence, there was no denying their feelings anymore. Isamu smiled, remember the kiss they shared. "I'll see you tomorrow..." He repeated softly, reaching his home and entering with a smile.
....
The next day at school, Isamu waited for Yasu outside their classroom, his hands in his pockets listening to music on his earbuds.
When he felt someone's hear rest on his shoulder, he immediately turned to look, though he already knew who it was.
"Good morning, Isamu." Yasu greeted, flashing him a soft smile. Isamu immediately tucked his earbuds away and smiled back. "I thought I wad going to have to wait forever for you."
"I didn't take that long to arrive, don't be dramatic." Said Isamu, taking his hand in his as they opened the classroom door. When they stepped in, Jaiden was the first to notice how they stared at each other, like an actual couple. He smirked, walking over to them. "I can tell from your looks something happened... Spill."
Michael and Kian overheard Jaiden, approaching Yasu and Isamu curiously. Isamu sighed, but Yasu nodded. They say down on one of the nearby desks, spilling everything. After a moment, Jaiden laughed, "I knew you guys were more than platonic." He looked at Yasu and isamu both of them with the same smirk.
"So no wonder you were all red last time..." Kian commented, "I thought you were just embarrassed." Michael nodded, agreeing. "Me too, even though I've heard of the rumours, I didn't really expect for it to actually become true." Michael adjusted his position on his seat, glancing at both of them
Yasu giggled, "well, it is true now." Yasu replied, squeezing his hand in Isamu's gently.