It all started with laughter, and everything became more.. noticeable around him.
It was almost scary. Akane had stopped talking to Teru ever since he started these feelings. Out of his fear of love, he thought he knew what it meant, but he was clearly mistaken when it happened to him.
All this time spent on the couch, Akane fumbled with a pillow kicking his legs as that smile... that smile... was still on his mind.
Why was he feeling this? Was he that lonely?
Akane was using everything to hold back, talking to him less, seeing him less— yet any interaction made was enough to make him send his heart to the moon.
If Teru would just let Akane read him... The pleasure would be his; he always felt like he knew at least a part of Teru that nobody else knew. But then the severance happened. His trust for Teru started back again from square one, growing more aware of the silence that kept him.
———————-
Akane walked into school; nothing unordinary happened as he went to his locker. He noticed a few students wave to him, so he waved back. Suddenly, the sounds around him faded into a gray fuzz, just background noise. Nothing else mattered as Teru entered the hallway— was he beaming?
No, he was most definitely not. Akane shook his head as those strange thoughts started to grow once again. He simply closed his locker, glared at the president; who was a foot away from him, and walked to his class. There was no way that 𝘩𝘦
would stoop down to that level, especially when there were already so many people on the line for the exorcist.
𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘰𝘢𝘭, Akane thought. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘎𝘗𝘈 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘺. 𝘚𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥... 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺'𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘣𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦?
—————————-
Akane lightly tapped his fingers on the desk, going back and forth between reading through his notes and looking at the screen. He noticed someone had been watching him the whole time, the boy... 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦 made his heart skip a beat.
"What's on your mind?"
The exorcist said, in the student council room, which was lit with the afternoon sun. It seemed those two were staying late again trying to complete their workload. Akane looked at Teru as he asked that question while holding an empathic face. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 didn't usually happen.
When did he try to understand how he felt? And why was he doing it?
"I'm fine. Let's not get distracted."
"But it seems like 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 distracted."
Darn! Why did he have to be so infuriating with that god dammed smile?
"Well, I'm not! Just focus on the work, President."
Teru left it at that, and he continued his work. Akane felt his heart urging him to tell him there and then. He didn't know how long he could pretend when he just wanted to kiss him.
Suddenly, Teru made an abrupt movement. Akane saw him leaning closer to him. Was he trying to kiss him out of the blue? The gap between them closed in and their surroundings felt smaller. Everything was happening so fast. Akane quickly pressed his lips on Teru's and looked away with his cheeks flushed.
Only to see that Teru was now, eyes widened, looking at Akane.
"W— What?"
The slight stutter in Teru's tone of voice left Akane nervous as he started to fidget with his hands.
"I— I... Thought you were going to kiss me. Pardon my emotions... I probably should've kept it all to myself."
Akane got up from his desk and started to pack his things while the other boy snapped out of the trance that had caused him to stay so still.
Teru walked towards Akane and stopped him, placing his hand on top of the other's. Akane looked up at him, trying to read the emotion on his face. Pity? Shame? But all he could see was gentleness.
"Wait for me outside. I want to tell you something."
Akane nodded slightly, still in shock at how this was still going on and how he didn't run away, an embarrassed mess.
Akane started walking outside, opening the school gates and closing them. He then noticed the rust that started to grow on the bars; how old was this school? It must've looked so youthful from the outside to the supernaturals that lurked within. Going out of this gate meant he was still alive.
Akane sat himself down on a bench nearby, under a great oak.
Great oak.. those meant longevity, strength, and honesty.
Would Akane receive great honesty? Or would the other tell him lies, sugarcoating a mountain in his mouth?
The gate opened once again. This time it was the exorcist; he walked down with his eyes fixated on the ground beneath him. Akane's posture stiffened as Teru sat beside him, hanging his head to look above them.
"Oh... An oak tree."
"Do you know what they represent?"
"Longevity, honesty, many things. It's mostly taken as something that can change."
Akane's head tilted at the exorcist's knowledge; how could he sound so content even when his expression said the opposite?
Silence followed after that. The wind played with this as it blew harshly and knocked some of the leaves off of the tree, floating and landing down on the bench. The note of silence was clear, the wind only making it more noticeable that one of them would have to start speaking and pour their love out for the other soon.
"I've never done this before."
Thumping in the heart began. Neither had Akane.
"So.. kinda weird. That the school Prince Charming doesn't know how to make a confession? Oh, how foolish that sounds."
With a tone of ice, Teru lowered his head to look at the leaves floating down toward him. He couldn't meet eyes with the person he'd invited to have this talk with, yet Akane was in adoration of his honesty.
"I don't mind it."
Akane said as he came close to Teru. Lifting his head to look towards him. Teru's eyes...
Had such a beautiful ocean tint to them, different shades of blue.
Freedom, intuition, serenity.
That was what it meant, at that moment it seemed like all had faded away, just like it had before. It was just the two of them, meeting eyes with each other.
Teru's hands then met with Akane's. He leaned in closer, observing Akane's face. He tilted Akane's head before gently placing a kiss on his lips. Akane was left stunned.
The taste of his lips felt like sugar with vanilla. Perhaps the chapstick he put on that day. Either way, he felt it. Teru then pulled away, looking like a red mess.
"That's my answer."
Akane simply smiled— A genuine one. That was enough for Teru's heart to flutter as he attempted to smile softly back at him, his fangs peaking out.
They both sat there for a while, Akane's hand placed on the bench. A brush of warmth touched it when Akane noticed Teru placing his hand on top. Akane turned into a blushing mess; the slightest from Teru could make his heart leap. Akane took a deep breath before shifting closer to Teru. His head rested on top of his shoulder. Teru froze up at this for a moment. Before realizing he actually enjoyed this... Warmth beside him.
The two became weary from the lack of sleep they'd grown used to. Akane's eyes became heavy as they fluttered shut, at which Teru slightly smiled. Teru felt safe for once in his life, with no constant fear of failure or pressure to uphold, it was just him and the redhead.
Everything became quiet as Teru's eyes shut to a close. No sound of cars racing by, no sound of the wind, no sound of himself.
It was silent at last.