Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Of course you wouldn’t know how to do something as simple as that, you stupid traffic safety earring boy!” Mitsuba sneered, watching in sadistic joy as the blond struggled with the science experiment.

“Shut up, idiot, I totally can. You’re just saying that cause you haven’t done it yet.”

“Oh, please, dumbass, look here, I’ve got it totally cov-”

The test tube that the pink-haired boy is holding explodes, fragments of glass flying everywhere, leaving his hand in cuts. The students go into a mild panic, voices getting louder as smoke erupts from the chemicals spilt on the floor. Their friends, Yokoo and Satou, start to head over to Mitsuba, eyes full of worry. But before they can get to him, Kou rushes over to his side, holding up his hand to inspect the wound. Thankfully, the cuts aren’t that deep.

“Hey, are you okay-” Kou stops himself when he sees the look in the smaller boy’s eyes.

His eyes widen in realization. Taking a step back, he releases his hold on Mitsuba’s wrist, and crosses his arms mockingly.

“Y-you buffoon! Who was saying he’s got it covered huh?”

“I was just infected by your stupidity that’s why. It’s all your fault my hand’s injured, asshole!” Mitsuba snaps in response, his previous pained expression now replaced with an annoyed one.

“The only reason you got injured is because of that big head of yours!” Kou retorts, brows furrowed in an indignant frown, “Go get yourself fixed up already, you’re being a huge nuisance to everyone!”

And with that, he lets Yokoo and Satou take over, stomping back to his seat. He occupies himself with the worksheet that’s to be filled for today’s experiment, stealing brief glances every now and then at Mitsuba. He finally de-tenses when he sees Satou bringing Mitsuba out of the classroom and presumably to the nurse’s office.

“Y’know,” Yokoo hops into the seat next to his, head cradled in his right hand as he observes his best friend, “That was a little harsh don’t you think?”

“It’s his fault for being a jerk like always,” Kou remarks, not missing a beat.

“Why do you hate him so much anyway? You two used to get along so well.”

“I…” he stops himself, hands unknowingly forming into fists, “It’s cause he’s just a horrible person in general.”

This is for the better… right?

===

The bell rings, and with that, classes are finally over. The moment their teacher steps out of the classroom, the class bursts into conversation - some making plans, some saying goodbye for the day, some leaving for clubs. 

“Well, I’ve soccer practice so I’m heading off~” Yokoo announces, rushing out of class with a final wave.

“Ugh, I’m tired, gonna head home now,” Satou stretches his arms upwards as he lifts himself off his seat, “How about you two?”

They look at each other.

Mitsuba starts, “I, for one, don’t wanna be stuck here with lameass traffic safety earring boy, so I’ll walk with you! I’ve- uh- photography today.”

And Kou doesn’t miss his cue, “I don’t wanna stay here with you either, dumbass. I’m meeting up with Yashiro-senpai anyway.”

They part ways, Kou remaining in the classroom as the other two walk away. He whips out his phone, leaving it on standby on top of his desk. A couple of minutes go by, and Kou is still waiting, feet tapping on the floor impatiently. When his phone vibrates with a text notification on screen, he jumps off his seat in a flurry. He doesn’t need to read it to know what it says.

‘I’m here. Come up.’

He climbs up the stairs, two steps at a time, and when he finally reaches the rooftop, he pulls the door open to find Mitsuba standing against the fence, looking out at the soccer field where Yokoo and his team members are practising. 

At the sound of the door opening, he turns around, welcoming Kou with a shy smile.

“You’re here.”

Kou rushes forward, engulfing the pink-haired boy in a warm embrace.

“I’m so sorry about just now!” he exclaims, then unravels his arms to inspect Mitsuba’s now bandaged right hand, “Are you okay? Does it still hurt? Should we go to the hospital?”

It’s clear to Mitsuba just how worried Kou is, seeing as how he’s being bombarded with questions. So he slides his other hand up the side of Kou’s neck and gently smooths his thumb over the ridge of his jaw. It’s been a while since he’s had the chance to touch his boyfriend this way, and when he feels Kou unclenching under his fingers and a hand pulling him closer at the waist, he knows that they’re both thinking the same.

“It’s okay, I’m okay...” he whispers reassuringly as Kou sinks into his touch, pressing a chaste kiss to his wrapped fingers, “I’m sorry about earlier too.”

“I’ve missed you,” Mitsuba can feel him heave a sigh through the bandages.

“Yeah, me too.”

And it’s weird to say that since they’ve seen each other in school all day, but it’s different when they’re hiding their true feelings behind a facade of hate. It’s been eight months since they’ve started dating and three since they’ve started this whole charade. No one knows about their relationship, neither their friends nor their family. And it wasn’t easy to secure some private time for themselves. Kou has to send his sister to school in the morning and Mitsuba’s mom is way too overprotective to let him stay out till late. So the only time they can have to themselves is after school. A few short hours till the sun sets… and then they separate till the next day.

It hadn’t always been like this. It was good while it lasted. Mitsuba remembers the subtle touches, the teasing jokes and the secret kisses. But they got too comfortable, much too comfortable. Before long, they found themselves unconsciously touching each other as they got closer in their relationship. It could be something as simple as a hand on the shoulder, then around the waist, and the next thing he knows, he’s seated on Kou’s lap. It was only when one of their classmates pointed it out to them that they realised things had gotten a little out of hand.

“Are you guys dating or something? You’re like, always all over each other,” she had commented aloud, and their other classmates had joined in, filling the classroom with laughter.

“No way!” 

“She’s right though!”

“Are you??”

And they’d resolve to never touch each other in public again. It was much too risky. They couldn’t avoid each other in class, but they tried to keep their distance. So when Kou accidentally fell on top of Mitsuba in front of everyone during gym class, Mitsuba bursted out in anger as a cover up, and everything just started from there.

It’s only on the rooftop where they’d indulge in their relationship. They’d catch up on the day’s events, sharing what they felt and what was funny or boring. They’d talk about anything under the sun and be as affectionate as they wanted to be. No one could see them, condemn them or make fun of them. On the rooftop, it felt like only the two of them existed in the world.

Time passed by much too quickly, and the sky’s already turning orange. Kou’s now lying on Mitsuba’s lap, a gentle hand stroking his hair and making him feel sleepier by the second. Eyes hazy, he looks up at his boyfriend’s face, chuckling softly to himself when their eyes meet. At that, Mitsuba leans down to meet his lips for a kiss.

“Minamoto-kun,” he calls, hand travelling down to caress the blond’s cheek.

“Yeah?” Kou tilts his head slightly, nuzzling the slender fingers.

“It’s nothing, I just felt like saying your name. It’s always ‘idiot’ or ‘dumbass’ or-”

“Lameass traffic safety earring boy,” they say in unison, laughing at the nickname.

Mitsuba sighs, “I wish time would just stop right now, so we won’t have to separate.”

Kou feels the same. And he knows how lonely Mitsuba gets. He hates that he’s the reason why. To think he had promised Mitsuba, when they first started dating, that he’d never make him feel lonely again. In reality, he’s been doing nothing but that.

“Mitsuba,” he steels his resolve and lifts himself off his boyfriend’s lap.

“Hm? Just wanted to call my name?”

“That, and,” Kou shifts his position, sitting face-to-face with the pink-haired boy, “I wanted to ask.”

“I talked with Teru-nii about college the other day,” he watches Mitsuba nervously, “After we graduate… do you, maybe, want to live together?”

“Live… together?”

They’re interrupted by the loud vibration of Mitsuba’s phone. Darting an apologetic look at Kou, he fishes his phone out of his pocket, the screen lighting up once it’s unlocked.

‘When are you going home? ’ flashes on the screen.

“Sorry, it’s my mom-” Mitsuba’s flustered, after all they had just been in the middle of an important conversation.

But Kou looks away, mustering a smile as he grabs his bag, “It’s cool, it’s getting late. Let’s head out.”

The door to the roof closes, and they’re back to their roles again. Mitsuba’s certain the atmosphere feels different somehow. Kou’s still standing right in front of him, but he feels... distant. He doesn’t look Mitsuba in the eye.

“I’ll go off first? If that’s okay with you,” and with that, the blond rushes down the stairs, leaving his boyfriend at the stairway.  

===

He messed up, didn’t he? Kou could see the reluctance in Mitsuba’s eyes when he raised the proposition. They haven’t dated for very long, their families don’t even know that they’re dating and Kou isn’t exactly best boyfriend material. Of course he wouldn’t be keen on living together. But Kou couldn’t stop himself from feeling disappointed, so he’d chosen to leave before he made things awkward for the both of them. 

Shoulders slumped, he exhales tiredly. Kou makes his way to his shoe locker and sluggishly changes to his sneakers. He should’ve waited until their relationship was a lot more stable before he brought up that idea. As he gets ready to leave, he makes the decision to call Mitsuba on the phone later that night to apologise.

“Kou!” right when he's about to step away from the lockers, he hears a familiar voice calling out to him.

Wait, did Mitsuba just call him by his first name?

Before he can turn around to face his pink-haired lover, his whole body lurches forward as Mitsuba jumps to hug him from behind.

“Mitsuba, people might-”

“No one’s around,” Mitsuba takes a moment to catch his breath, having ran down all six flights of stairs to catch Kou in time.

“I do,” he huffs, arms embracing the blond tightly as he leans his forehead on the square of his boyfriend’s back, “I love you, so I do want to live with you, and I’ll discuss it with my mom too. It just came out of nowhere so I was a little surprised, that’s all!”

“That-” Kou’s in shock, but Mitsuba’s too embarrassed to let him speak.

So he stands on his tiptoes, gives the taller boy a peck on the cheek and then sprints out of the school entrance, not before yelling,

“I’ll see you tomorrow after school, lameass traffic safety earring boy!”

Kou’s left standing dazed next to the lockers, a hand holding his cheek where Mitsuba’s lips once were. His pulse’s racing and his face feels like it’s burning, but more than that, he feels his heart bursting and he has to crouch down because it’s all so overwhelming. Don’t get him wrong, being able to spend his time with Mitsuba after school is amazing, and he’ll miss being able to watch the sunset with Mitsuba each time. But Kou can’t wait for the day he’ll wake up with his favourite boy in his arms, and they’ll finally get to see the sunrise together.  

===

Today's recipe is banana-cinnamon muffins. Nothing makes Satou happier than when he's baking, so he makes sure to indulge in his hobby whenever he has the time. He's about to whisk his ingredients for the muffins he’s making when he feels his phone vibrating in his pocket. With his free hand, he pulls his phone out, unlocks it and reads the text he’s received from Yokoo,

‘Saw the 2 lovebirds at it again near the shoelockers (￣ω￣)’

He sniggers. He’d seen the way they were acting in school earlier, and how worried Kou looked when Mitsuba hurt himself during science class. After typing out his response, he sets the phone aside on the counter top and averts his focus back to the mixing bowl.

‘When do u think they’ll finaly tell us? The entire class pretty much knows alr lol’

From the corner of his eyes, he sees his phone light up after just a few seconds of replying - Yokoo's always been a speedy texter - but he’s in the middle of something important, so he’ll read it later.

‘Don’t wna force them to out themselves, bt we should probably tell them soon (´• ω •`)’