somebody pinch me

May 5, 18:01

"Stop smiling at me like that, it's annoying."

"Aw, but you really don't think that, do you?" Kouya says, entangling his fingers with Seijun's as they make their way down the empty hallway. "'Cuz you love me and all."

"Yes, heaven help me, I do, but it changes nothing about the fact that I still think your smile is annoying as hell." Seijun replies, not even batting an eyelash. Kouya could only wish he could say something like that half as coolly as Seijun does, he thinks as he squeezes Seijun's hand in his. "Stop doing that."

"But why would I stop smiling? I mean, today's been a good day. My classmates got me cake. Washiho-sensei even had them sing me the birthday song. Mitsutsuka-kun was so good at leading them. Enjouji-kun even got so into it, I guess that was because we all split the cake and he really seems to like chocolate, though. Mitsuki-senpai said that he has some new stories lined up for us if ever we needed new news topics. And then there's you."

"Me?"

"You're here," By god, Kouya is so hyperaware of the fact that he sounds like a cliché shoujo manga character. "And normally I'd be happy with just that, but..."

Kouya looks at Seijun, the same way he'd seen Seijun look his way, before. Seijun gulps.

"Today, I think I'll be making an exception."

...

...

Later that afternoon:

"Oh!" Kouya blurts out, his eyes growing even brighter, if that was even possible.

"So you do have ears!"

"Of course I have ears, Kouya, why wouldn't I have them?" Seijun says, or at least that's what he's trying to say, under all his muffled laughter.

(Turns out Seijun grows out his hair so no one would ever have to know that his ears are extremely ticklish. Well, who would've known? No one else, ever, if Kouya has anything to say about it.)

"That's cute, Seijun. Like, super-duper cute. I thought you were cute before, what with all the little habits and the Marume-senpai fanboying tendencies, but aghh, seeing you laugh like this is so cute, it's unfair –!"

"Shut up, Kouya," Seijun protests, half-heartedly, still coming down from the aftermath of all the damned tickling, as Kouya's forehead rests against his. "Just – can you please, for once in your life, just shut up –"

"I like you, Seijun." There it is, now he's said it. "A lot, really. I'd use the other word but I think I'll be saving it for August, so at least I'll be able to type out one thing that I hadn't told you already. I know we're young and all but I also know that wherever I'll go I'll always choose a place which has more than enough room for you and your obsessively organized record collection. I know I'll always go out to eat ramen with you every Sunday, if only so you'll be able to finally figure out which one of those is your forever favorite."

"And – and I'm totally game for staying side-by-side with you, smiling and laughing together with you, all of that, as your friend and more-than-friend and anything else in between, and you'll never have to think about sad stuff like never seeing me again 'cuz I'll always be there, that is, um, if you want me to." Kouya takes a deep breath, looks up at Seijun's eyes, just a shade or two darker than Kouya's hair. Just like how Kouya's eyes were a shade darker than Seijun's hair, in turn. Sometime when he first met Seijun, Kouya had found himself thinking if this was a sign from the heavens that they were meant to be paired off somehow. "That is what you meant, right? When you said –"

"Oh, for the love of god, just stop talking," Seijun says, leans forward, and despite his tone of voice, Kouya could feel his smile brush against Kouya's cheek.

"And, by the way,"

"Huh?"

"My record collection is not 'obsessively organized'," Seijun says, making air quotes with his fingers. "Stop making me sound like Ichijodani-senpai."

"It is, though? I mean, as far as those are concerned, you could totally be a part of the Beautification Club, y'know."

"Come to think of it, maybe I should." Seijun says, the corner of his lips barely quirking upward. "Let's see how you'll handle being a one-man Broadcasting Club then, Kouya."

Realization finally strikes Kouya, hard, like a battering ram or something else as painful, because suddenly he's lunging for Seijun and somehow ends up flailing with his arms around the other man's shoulders. "What the – Seijun I already said you weren't allowed to leave me behind!!"

Kouya's wailing and the high pitch of his voice is seriously doing a number on Seijun's eardrums, but he's here and he's warm and hell, he's the guy Seijun fell for, the guy who'd said all that sap in response and actually did mean it, and, well.

Well. Seijun doesn't think he'll ever exchange this for anything else in the entire world.

"Yeah, I think I caught that, thanks for reminding me." Seijun says, chuckling a bit as he ruffles Kouya's hair. Kouya, on the other hand, is still clinging on to him, and seems to have progressed to doing dying elephant noises.

Seijun should hate himself for still thinking he sounds cute like that.

"Happy birthday, you damned brat."