Work Text:
Typically, after school, the library was barren.
It was reasonable that no students would want to linger on the school’s grounds after school was finally let out, aside from club activities. However, Toya was more than happy to stay in the library, if it meant avoiding home.
The first day was a day like any other. Toya had been assigned after-school library duty, and so he had been organizing shelves, even though there wasn’t much to do. There was no one there for a while, but eventually, the library door opened with a great squeal, and someone sat down. Toya peeked out from behind a bookshelf, and noticed one of his seniors had entered the library: it was Rui.
Rui pulled out a chair by one of the tables and sat down, rifling through his backpack for a moment before pulling out a thin book. On that first day, Rui was reading a book with an English title. Toya recognized the book— it was a play written by Shakespeare, though it was the original English text, rather than the translated version.
Rui must have noticed him eyeing the book from behind a shelf, because he closed it partially and purposefully caught Toya’s eye. Etiquette forced him to shuffle up to his upperclassman and nervously pull out a chair to sit next to him.
Surprisingly, Toya is the first to break the awkward silence. “What’re you reading?”
“Oh, this?” Rui regards the book he holds. “I’m reading Shakespeare. A Midsummer Night’s Dream, to be precise. Have you ever read Shakespeare?”
“A few times. But I’ve only ever read the translations, not the original version.” Toya sheepishly pulled at the stiff collar of his shirt. “I’ve read Hamlet and Macbeth.”
“Good choices,” Rui says with a nod. “Macbeth is a favorite of mine. But I have to say, I quite enjoy his romantic stories.”
“I haven’t read too many romance novels,” Toya mumbled.
“Picture this: your heart has been broken by a beautiful girl, so you attend a party hosted by a family your family hates. There, you see an absolute vision of loveliness, but the problem is, your family hates her! However, your love for her is too deep to abandon the connection, so you pursue her at the risk of shame from your family! That is the story of Romeo and Juliet.” He smiled with unfiltered joy. “The tension! The love! The betrayal! It’s an amazing tragedy, really.”
Toya smiled sidewardly. Hearing his senior talk about his interests was nice, but he was never a big fan of romantic stories. They were fine, but they never captured his interest in particular. “Maybe I’ll give it a read. We have a translated copy, but it’s being rented out by someone at the moment.”
“It’s a shame you won’t be able to read the original.” Rui sighed sadly. “But, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it nonetheless.”
“Speaking of that, it’s quite fascinating how you can read the original text,” Toya pointed out. “Are you fluent in English?”
His upperclassman smiled. “I wouldn’t say I’m fluent, but I have a good understanding of the language.”
“Interesting… You probably hear this a lot, but could you… say something in English?” Toya asked, somewhat sheepishly. Rui considers it, then nods. He says something that Toya doesn’t understand, a satisfied smile on his face.
“Eh… um, what does that mean?”
“It was a Shakespeare quote: All the world’s a stage / And all the men and women merely players. It’s from one of my favorite Shakespeare works, As You Like It, and one of his most iconic quotes.” Rui informed him sagely. Toya nodded, furrowing his eyebrows in thought.
“Here–” Rui twisted in his chair, heaving his backpack onto the table, tugging open the zipper and grabbing a notepad and pen. He wrote in long, slanted strokes, using a line to separate the two phrases.
“Shakespeare was quite the genius, born in the era of art and literature. The European Renaissance helped him gain popularity as a writer, and after he died, his works spread all over the world.” Rui wrote down a few more quotes on the lined paper.
Toya watched with wide, curious eyes as he continued to write more phrases in English.
“Hmm,” Rui hummed, pressing the top of his pen to his chin. Then, he extended his arm, slowly wrapping his fingers around Toya’s wrist. “May I?”
It took Toya a moment to process the physical contact. He had no idea what Rui was intending to do, but he trusted his upperclassman, so he nodded. Rui gently rolled up the sleeve of Toya’s blazer, writing across his wrist and hand. The pen tickled his skin, leaving dark marks in the shape of letters he didn’t recognize.
“Ah… what does that one say?” He asked, marveling at the writing as Rui tucked away his pen. Rui smiled cryptically, resting his chin on his hand.
“That one says, I do desire we may be better strangers. Shakespeare was famous for his insults.”
“I see.” Toya smiled, admiring the writing as if it were something amazing. “Could you tell me some more quotes?”
“Of course, Aoyagi!” Rui seemed to beam as he opened his book, pointing to quotes and sentences and reading them out loud to Toya.
He didn’t even realize he was technically off library duty for another half hour. When he left the library, bookbag in hand, he continued to admire the writing on his wrist, despite the fact he couldn’t read it.
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? / Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
—
After that first day, meeting with Rui in the library after school became somewhat routine. At least weekly, the stars would align, and Toya would be on library duty while Rui happened to be in the library.
They would discuss Shakespeare and other Renaissance playwrites, mostly Rui telling Toya about how their works inspired the plot in his own shows. He told Toya about his own take on Romeo and Juliet– the play that Tsukasa had starred in, featuring multiple clones of Romeo.
Whenever Rui noticed Toya in the library, he invited him over to talk. However, on this particular day, Rui had a goal in mind. As usual, Toya shuffled around the library, organizing shelves and checking in overdue books, though he didn’t have much to do. He got his work done quickly, and he spotted Rui at his usual seat, reading another book with an English title.
Rui noticed his stare, and he closed his book, setting it off to the side. “Aoyagi! It must be fate we met here. Come, I have a few things I’d like to talk about.”
Toya pulled out a chair next to his upperclassman, waving politely to him and smiling. “Good afternoon, Kamishiro. What are you reading today?”
“Why, I’m reading Othello. Are you enjoying Romeo and Juliet so far?”
“Yes, I am.” Toya nods. “I’ve never been very keen on romance stories, though.”
“Oh, Romeo and Juliet is no romance! It’s a story of tragedy, emotion, and betrayal.” Rui waved his arms as he spoke, pantomiming dramatic acting. “I personally believe that my rendition truly captures the drama of the original, but with more… flair.”
“It certainly had flair,” Toya agreed, smiling sidewardly.
“Speaking of romance…” Rui smiled, turning to his backpack. “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other word would smell just as sweet…” He recited, reaching into his bag. He pulled out a bouquet of red roses and slid out of his chair to kneel before Toya, presenting the flowers with a flourish.
For a moment, Toya stared at the roses, completely speechless. What in the world would have constituted something like this? He had never received flowers before, not even on Valentine’s Day. And the quote he recited– it was from the famous balcony scene, from Romeo and Juliet. Maybe it was normal, and Rui was just a romantic.
Rui patiently held the bouquet out to Toya, showing no visible signs of anxiety.
Uneasily, Toya extended his hand to take the flowers, blushing down to the tips of his ears. “... Ah… thank you, Kamishiro. That’s–” he stuttered– “very kind of you.”
Rui tried for another laid-back smile, bowing to Toya as he rose to sit in his seat. “My thanks for your insight,” he said, reaching forward and plucking a rose from the bouquet. He leaned in, brushing a few strands of hair aside to tuck the stem behind Toya’s ear.
He could surely feel the heat of Toya’s flushed skin, with his hands so close to his cheeks. But Rui just smiled and sat back in his seat like nothing happened.
It suddenly hit Toya that he didn’t know where to put these. These were fresh, alive flowers, and Toya had never taken care of plants in his life. From what he knew, he just had to put them in a vase and set them out by the sun, but did he even have a flower vase at home? Speaking of that, what would his family think?
Toya’s hand came up to the flower behind his ear. He nervously fidgeted with the petals. “R– really… there was no need to go out of your way and do all this… I, um, I might kill them. I’ve never taken care of plants before.”
As Toya studied Rui’s face, he realized he could see a drop of nervous sweat on his neck. The thought that Rui was anxious about this made Toya chuckle without thinking.
“Oh, they’re quite easy to care for. I made sure they were cut and trimmed, so all you have to do is make sure they’re in a vase or jar by the sunlight with lots of water,” he advised. “I have a few in a mason jar at my house. I could show you sometime?”
“That would be appreciated,” Toya said amiably. Rui’s slick attempt at flirting flies straight over his head. “I’m free tomorrow after school, but I have practice today… Oh, speaking of, what time is it?”
Toya glances towards the clock. It’s currently an hour and a half past school dismissal time, which meant practice would be starting… soon. Very soon. He gasped, quickly grabbing his backpack and standing up from his seat.
As he turned to leave, he bowed his head to Rui, waving goodbye. “I’m so sorry, I lost track of time. Thank you for the flowers. I’ll see you tomorrow.” And with that, he was gone.
Rui stares at the chair Toya had been in just a minute before. He groans quietly, leaning forward and pressing his burning cheek to the cold surface of the table.
Why, oh why, did Toya have to be so beautiful, yet so dense?
—
An slumped into an empty booth at WEEKEND GARAGE, staring up at the ceiling and listening to the quiet chatter of patrons.
Vivid BAD SQUAD should have been there any moment. Every time the bell attached to the door rang, she shot up in her seat, hoping it was one of her teammates. Every time it wasn’t, she fell back down onto the booth, the harsh fluorescent lights blinding her.
After an agonizing period of waiting, Akito showed up. He walked into the establishment, as usual, wearing his offensively ugly orange-and-black jacket over some band T-shirt. Despite how hard he was on the eyes, An shoots up from her seat like a bullet, nearly running him through when she gets to him.
“Jesus! Calm down,” he grumbled, putting his hands up. An punched him in the arm, a customary greeting for the two.
“What took you so long? I was dying of boredom.” She huffed, crossing her arms and following Akito to a barstool. She sat down next to him, kicking her feet and resisting the urge to spin on the stool. Her father had expressly forbidden spinning on the chairs, something about loosening the screws, but she usually couldn’t care less.
“What’re you talkin’ about? I’m early.” He casts his attention away from An, staring at the waitstaff behind the counter. “Where’s Ken?”
“He’s off doing something,” An answers vaguely. He’s buying something or other– An was too busy panicking over math homework to fully tune into what he was saying. From the corner of his eye, Akito glares at her, but doesn’t say anything else.
“Anyways, it’s weird seeing you without Toya. Where is he?” She asked, kicking at the legs of the stool. Akito takes a moment to think about it.
“He’s got library duty. Usually he’s here before me when he’s on duty, but…”
The bell rang again. Akito and An’s heads both turned at the exact same time. Kohane entered the shop in a hurry, carrying a few plastic grocery bags in the crook of her arm. “Sorry for being late! I saw some energy drinks we could all try, so I stopped by and got one for all of us.”
“Kohaneee! You’re so considerate! Thank you so much!” An immediately sprang from her chair, rushing forward to wrap her arms around her partner’s shoulders. “Here, I’ll take this.”
An took one of the grocery bags from Kohane, skipping up to the counter and setting it down. The cans inside clinked against each other as she did so. Kohane followed, having to boost herself up to sit on the comparatively tall stool, which An found a little endearing.
“Ah, where’s Aoyagi? He’s usually here with you, Shinonome,” Kohane points out. Akito shrugs.
“I’m not his keeper,” he complained. “I have no clue where he is. He might’ve just gotten held up at the library.”
“Probably,” An said, looking through the flavors of energy drinks. “Ooh, could I have the cotton-candy one?”
“I don’t give a shit,” Akito grumbled, using his hand to prop up his head on the counter. Kohane nodded, grabbing the peach-flavored drink for herself. Since they couldn’t practice without Toya, they all awkwardly stared at the ceiling, asking each other if their missing teammate responded to their texts.
An had finished over half of her cotton-candy energy drink before Toya finally decided to show up. He arrives at WEEKEND GARAGE twenty minutes after the arranged time, still in his school uniform, his tie askew, holding… a bouquet of flowers?
Akito and Kohane’s eyes widened in shock. An smiles, putting her fingers to her mouth and giving him a loud wolf-whistle. “Glad you could make it, princess!” She hollered, beckoning him over to the counter.
“I’m really sorry I was late,” Toya says, somewhat flustered. He sits down next to Akito, setting the bouquet of flowers onto the counter and dropping his backpack next to the stool.
“What’re the flowers for?” Akito asked, furrowing his eyebrows. An leaned forward to look at Toya as he began to speak.
“Kamishiro gave them to me,” he said. “I’ve been talking with him when I’m on library duty and I have free time. He recommended a book to me… ah, and he knows a lot of English, so he wrote this on my arm.” Toya smiles as he rolls up his sleeve, showing Akito the writing on the back of his hand and wrist.
“Huh…” Akito mumbled lowly, squinting at the writing on Toya’s skin. Of course, he couldn’t read it, so there was no use. “What does it say?”
“I would challenge you to a battle of wits, but I see you are unarmed. It’s a Shakespeare quote. Kamishiro loves Shakespeare, so he’s been giving me English lessons.”
An could barely hold back her snicker at the scowl that graced Akito’s face. Toya was way too dense to pick up on it, but it was pretty clear that Akito was a little jealous that his partner had been getting cuddly with some guy he hated. To be fair, An was also a little suspicious– she doubted that the writing on Toya’s arm meant what he thought it meant– but Akito’s poorly-masked envy was a lot funnier.
“Really? I have an English test coming up soon. Maybe you could help me study for that,” Kohane comments innocently. An is a little grateful for her interjection, because Akito used the distraction to put a lid on his anger, scoffing like it was no big deal.
“...Cool. Anyways, are we gonna practice, or not?”
After rehearsal, An made a beeline for Toya, who was leaning against the fencing of the park they usually practiced at.
She pulled herself on top of the fencing, sitting down and unscrewing the cap of her water bottle. An always preferred to boost herself up somehow when talking to Toya– it felt nice to be as tall as him. “‘Sup?”
Toya turned to acknowledge her with a nod of his head. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, taking a sip of the energy drink Kohane had bought for him earlier. “Nothing much, I guess.”
She nodded. Toya was never a man of many words, so it was up to An to get their conversations started. So, An started to chatter, kicking her legs as she spoke. “Do you care if I take a picture of your arm? I wanted to put it in a translator or something, just ‘cause I’m curious.”
Toya considered it. Then, he shrugged, holding out his arm. The letters were a little faded, but it should still work with the app she has installed on her phone— or rather, the app that came with literally everyone’s phones that An was too lazy to delete.
An pulled her phone out of her pocket, scanning his arm and waiting for the translation. To tell the truth, she’s about 90 percent sure that Rui wasn’t actually writing Shakespearean insults on Toya’s arm, and Toya was just too dense to realize it, as he was with most things. The bouquet of roses that Rui gifted him peeked from his open bag, already wilting from the lack of sunlight and water.
The translation appeared on the screen. An stared at her phone as if it were an alien artifact.
“What does it say?” Toya asked, peeking over her shoulder.
O, take the sense, sweet, of my innocence; Love takes the meaning in love’s conference. I mean that my heart unto yours is knit; So that but one heart we can make of it.
“That… is not an insult,” An comments, once she’s shaken herself out of her stupor.
Toya was silent. An couldn’t see his face, but she would have bet real money that his expression was priceless.
“Oh, my God. Weirdo One is trying to hit on you, Toya.”
“…Hit on me..?” Toya frowned, grabbing An’s phone out of her hands. “This translation must not be right. Online translators aren’t reliable.”
“Do you want me to use a different app?” An asks sarcastically. Toya nodded.
For the next ten minutes, An and Toya scrolled through different translator apps. Each of them gave the same translation, with slight variations here and there. None of them were even remotely close to what Rui said the translation was.
Toya rubbed his temples, his face red. “There has to be some explanation—“
“The explanation is that Kamishiro has a big, fat crush on you!” An said jovially, clapping Toya on the back.
“I don’t think—“
“Toya and Kamishiro, sittin’ in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!”
“Shiraishi, please!” Toya blushed up to the roots of his hair. From across the park, Akito and Kohane had definitely noticed the noise, but neither one of them had come over to investigate. They probably just wanted to go home, and An wouldn’t blame them, considering the sun was in the process of setting.
“Okay, okay!” An threw her hands up in surrender, barely masking her grin. “Whatever you wanna believe, that’s fine. But why else would he be writing romantic Shakespeare quotes on your arm and giving you flowers?”
Toya averted his gaze sheepishly. “Well… he said he likes romantic stories…”
“And so he uses a quote from one of those romantic stories and gives you flowers. Wait, what did you even say to him after he gave you the flowers?”
Toya recounts the interaction. An can feel her brain cells Kamikaze-diving out of her head with every word he speaks.
“…Okay.” She rubs the bridge of her nose. “That’s that. Toya, I’m gonna get you with your man, okay? So just let me do this,” An commands, pounding her fist into her open palm.
“…My man?”
“Do you like him?” An asks, almost too nonchalantly.
Toya looks mortified. He glances towards his open backpack, where the bouquet of roses Rui gifted him sticks out. Finally, after a long silence, he answers.
“Well… he’s kind and smart. He’s a genius director, too. He puts everything he has into making his visions come true. He’s selfless and determined. And…” Toya averts his gaze bashfully. “He’s quite handsome, too.”
“You totally like him,” An said, in mild disbelief. “You like Weirdo One.”
“Don’t call him that,” Toya complained. “You saw how determined he was during the wedding show. Kamishiro is a kind person who wants the best for others. But I don’t think he would like me like that…”
“How many times do we have to go over this?!” An wailed, shaking his shoulders. “He wrote a romantic Shakespeare quote on your arm in English and gave you flowers while reciting a line from Romeo and Juliet!”
“That could mean anything!”
“He’s gonna kiss you next, and you’re still gonna deny it, huh?”
“Shiraishi–”
—
“So, Aoyagi, how are those roses?”
Rui had his usual catty smile as he spoke. He ran his thumb along the veins on the back of Toya’s hand, smudging the still-wet ink a little. Toya gulped. Responding to him felt like typing out an MLA-format essay while music blasted in his ears, outside in the rain. He couldn’t decide whether to try and make eye contact with him or stare at his hand.
He was finally able to respond after a few seconds. “They look okay,” he said. “I bought a new vase for them the other day, and they’re in my room now.”
“Good to hear,” Rui said, his eyes still focused on Toya’s hand. “Did you finish Romeo and Juliet?”
“Yes, I did.” Toya nodded, starkly aware of the limpness of his hand in Rui’s. “I enjoyed it, but I wish I could have seen it as a play. I’m not sure if it would be appropriate for the Wonder Stage, though.”
“You’d be right about that,” Rui chuckles quietly. “Ah, I’ve had an idea for a new play for a while. Mind hearing me out?”
“Of course. I’d be happy to,” Toya answers.
“Right… Ah, just a moment.” Rui withdrew his hand from Toya’s, which strangely disappointed him a little. He turned, reaching into his open backpack, pulling out his weathered notepad and a pen. He flipped a few pages before coming to a page, a quick synopsis written of the plot in unintelligible handwriting.
“The story follows a young alchemist who has been outcast from the kingdom,” Rui explains. “The alchemist is known for his dangerous shows. As a result of these shows, he was avoided by most in the kingdom. However, when he stumbles into the palace garden, he finds the beautiful prince among the roses… and immediately falls in love.”
Rui takes Toya’s hand in his own again. “He meets the prince, and the two spend their days together, the alchemist sharing the shows he was so fond of with the prince. The prince never judged him, only listened to him.
“I’m not sure how the story ends yet,” he said. “Could you help me think of an ending?”
Toya stared down at the writing on the back of his hand. “I… I’m not sure. I’m not good with that kind of thing,” he stutters out.
Rui hums. “Maybe…”
He brings the back of Toya’s hand to his lips, kissing his knuckles softly. Toya felt him smile against his hand. “The alchemist and the prince swear their love for each other, get married, and live happily ever after.”
Toya completely froze. Was An some kind of prophet?
It took him a moment for the embarrassment to kick in. After a few seconds of silence, Toya’s cheeks flushed deep crimson, and he sputtered, trying to form a coherent sentence. “I… uh– the–”
“Or maybe, the alchemist gets into a tragic accident, breaking every bone in his body! The prince weeps over his body, holding his mangled hand and begging him to stay awake for a few moments longer…” Rui squeezed Toya’s hand, gently shaking it back and forth for emphasis. He leans in, his smile as smug as usual.
“Then, with the final breath of air in his lungs, the alchemist whispers: I– love– you.” With every word, he taps Toya’s knuckle with his thumb.
Toya can feel his fingertips buzzing with heat. He’s pretty sure his head is about to explode. The library they’re sitting in seems to disappear. The boy in front of him had his entire, undivided attention.
Electricity jumps from pore to pore on his face. His throat is dry, but he tries to speak. “I… I think I like the first one better.”
“Really?” Rui sits up straight again. Toya almost misses his warm breath on his ear. “The second is more dramatic, but I can see why you’d like the first one better. Hmm… I suppose I’ll have to consult Tsukasa about it.”
All of the air seems to be punched out of Toya’s lungs. He’s finally able to think straight again. The library comes back into perspective, and he nearly gasps for air.
Toya averts his gaze, hyper-aware of the way his chest rises and falls. “Yeah… I think you should, too.”
“Well, thank you for your input, treasured Aoyagi. I appreciate it.” Rui draws his hand back, winking at Toya as he picks up his pen and scribbles a few things onto his notepad.
Toya watches him write in a daze. His handwriting was what people would call doctor’s handwriting– people say it’s the mark of a true genius, and though Toya agreed that Rui was one of the smartest people he’d ever met, he had no idea how he even read his own handwriting. The only time his writing was somewhat neat was when he was writing on Toya’s hand in English.
Speaking of that– Toya looks down at his hand. The ink is smudged a little from Rui’s kiss, but the penmanship is neat. As usual, he has no clue what it means, but he’s pretty sure it doesn’t say what Rui claims it does.
The line is short enough to fit on the back of his hand. He wants to pull out his phone and send a picture of the writing to An to translate, but that would be uncouth. Rui puts his notepad back into his backpack and zips it up.
“You don’t have anything to do on library duty, right? Why don’t you take a walk with me?”
“Huh?” Rui’s words shook Toya out of his thoughts. He considered it for a moment, then nodded, albeit somewhat uneasily.
Rui leads Toya outside, book in hand, pushing open the double-doors and curtsying to him as he holds them open. The breeze outside is nippy, but not unpleasant. The trees had sprouted green buds, some of which have matured into small pink flowers. The wind blows petals across the empty courtyard, littering the ground with color.
“It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?” Rui hums, strolling along the paved walkway leading away from the school. Toya follows him, trying not to be left behind from Rui’s long strides.
“Yeah, it is,” Toya comments, staring up at the sky. It was still brightly blue, dotted with a few fluffy white clouds. If he concentrated hard enough, he could faintly see the ghostly outline of distant planets. The sunlight bled through the dense branches of the cherry blossom trees like spotlights, illuminating Rui’s path.
“It’s better out here than it is in that stuffy library.” Rui breathes in, enjoying the fresh air and sunlight. For a moment, Toya is in awe– of his beauty, of his carefree nature, of his suave and easy personality. He doesn’t even realize he’s stopped in his tracks, staring at Rui like he’s the prettiest thing he’d ever seen.
Rui turns back to look at him, smiling brightly. “Is something wrong?” He asks, as if he doesn’t know exactly what was wrong.
Toya looks away sheepishly. “N— nothing… it’s just a little cold.”
“Ah! Alright, then, just a moment.” Rui tossed his book onto the nearest bench and unbuttoned his gray cardigan, slipping it off and stepping forward to drape it over Toya’s shoulders. “Is that better?”
Toya stared down at the sweater wrapped around his shoulders. He nods silently, slipping his arms into the sleeves. It wasn’t too big on him, considering he and Rui were around the same size, but it was enough to allow him to slip it on easily. Truthfully, he wasn’t that cold, but he didn’t want to take Rui’s cardigan off, still warm from his body heat.
He followed Rui through the courtyard until they found a tree that would provide sufficient shade. His senior beckons him under the branches, and they sit down together cross-legged, their shoulders touching.
Rui thumbs through the pages of the book he brought outside, the one he was reading when Toya found him in the library for the first time, looking for interesting quotes. Every time he found one, he pointed it out, reciting it to Toya in an exaggerated English accent.
Like usual, the two fell into an easy conversation about Shakespearean language and literature. Toya pushed the fact that Rui was probably trying to make a move on him to the back of his mind. Without thinking, he links his arm with Rui’s, and leans on him. Every time Rui reads out a funny quote, he laughs, bright and clear, like a wind chime clinking on a spring day. Suddenly, Toya had the overwhelming feeling that they ought to kiss, under the drooping cherry tree, under the sunlight in the courtyard of the school that had cast Rui out. But now, he was here; Rui was his alchemist, and he was his prince.
And maybe Toya would have worked up the courage to kiss him, lean forward until it was necessary to tilt his face so as to not bump noses with him, and he would have felt the electricity of Rui’s lips against his. Maybe he would have. But Rui snapped out of it.
“No,” he said, and Toya couldn’t tell at first whether he was reading his kiss-obsessed brain or responding to himself out loud. He turned away from Toya, and softly, maybe to himself, said, “Ah, what an unsatisfactory ending.”
Toya caught his breath, dizzy from the close contact. “Uh… y— yeah.”
Rui turns his attention back to the open book, flipping the pages again to read out more quotes. Toya has the thought that he doesn’t understand Rui, and he probably never will, but that was okay for now.
—
“Recount that for me one more time?”
Toya rubbed his temples, staring down at the counter miserably. “I think I told you all of it.”
“No, no, tell me again. I must have heard you wrong.” An pushed aside her half-full cup of tea, slamming her hands on the counter for dramatic effect. It was currently thirty minutes before practice actually started, so Toya and An were alone in WEEKEND GARAGE, aside from the few patrons quietly chatting in the background.
The boy next to her clasped his hands on the counter, staring into his reflection in his untouched cup of coffee morosely. Reluctantly, he tells An about what happened the previous day, staring down at the smudged writing on his hand.
An blinks. “And do you still think he’s not into you?”
“I— I don’t know. What if he’s not and I embarrass myself?”
“What does that writing on your hand say?”
The two go on another deep-dive through countless translation apps. Every time, it registered a similar quote:
But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?
“Why don’t you just ask him out already?” The girl says blankly, staring at her phone.
It seems like the obvious solution. She’s nearly at a loss for words at the way Toya stumbles over every excuse possible as to why Rui actually likes him platonically and doesn’t want to kiss him on the mouth. In all of the time they’ve spent together, An continues to forget just how dense Toya is.
“The worst that can happen is he says no,” An supplies.
Toya stares down at his coffee. This is probably the most emotion he’s ever outwardly expressed when he wasn’t singing. An figured she should be a little easier on him, but… god damn was it hard.
“Okay, look—“ She leans back as if she were sitting in a chair, almost falling off of the stool. An scrambles to hook her legs onto the seat and grab the counter, her eyes wide in surprise. “Uh. That didn’t just happen.”
“I’m supposed to be taking advice from someone who almost fell off a stool?” Toya asks dryly.
“Shut up! Listen, I’m gonna talk to Kamishiro, but I’m gonna do it… like, subtly, so I don’t ruin anything. Is that okay?” An gesticulated loosely as she spoke, a distracting habit that Toya wasn’t too fond of, considering he instinctively directed his attention towards her hands rather than her face.
“Talk to him about what?”
“I’m just gonna go up to him and say something like… ‘Hey, are you trying to make a move on my friend?’ And then we’ll finally get an answer, and you can get a boyfriend.” An crosses her arms, suddenly looking a little sincere. “I’m doing this to make you feel better.”
Her teammate averts his gaze, his face red. “I don’t know, Shiraishi. I don’t want to jump to conclusions about everything. Maybe it’d just be better if things continued like they are.”
“Toya… just let me do this. I’m gonna prove to you I’m the best wingman in the history of relationships.” An extended her arm, clenching her hand into a fist.
He hesitantly raised his arm, fist-bumping her gently. “…Okay.”
—
Considering Rui was nearly six feet tall, it wasn’t hard to spot him in the hallway. It was just before lunch, which was the perfect time for An to talk to Rui about her emotionally-constipated, hopelessly pining friend. She made a beeline for the shock of bright purple hair in the second-year hallway, muscling past students in a hurry. Luckily, most of them cleared out of her way when they saw how purposefully she was walking.
Rui didn’t even notice her until she marched up to him and reached up to swat him on the shoulder. He was too busy tinkering with a tiny device that looked vaguely like a panda, but when he saw An, he quickly shoved it in his pocket. “What a pleasant surprise! What brings you over here, Shiraishi?”
An furrowed her eyebrows. “I’ve gotta talk to you.”
“And we are talking. What can I do for you?”
The hall monitor leaned on the wall, staring a hole into the classroom opposite of the two. She crossed her arms, trying to figure out how to drop a hint that was subtle, but not too subtle.
“By the way, if it’s about the fireworks last week, then I believe I was completely justified in setting them off, since Tsukasa got a good grade on his math test and was very excited about it.”
“No, this isn’t about— Wait, what?”
Rui covered his mouth smugly. “Oops…”
“Stop messing around!” An put her hands on her hips, shifting to stand in front of him. “I’m here to ask you… are you trying to make a move on my friend?”
Rui still has that stupid, catty grin. “Hm? What do you mean?”
“You know what I mean! The cute guy on library duty every other day, Toya— you know him. Are you into him? I’m just curious. I won’t tell him if you are.”
“What brought this along?” He tilted his head slightly, like a curious dog. An has the strange desire to punch him, but she holds herself back.
“Didn’t you give him roses? And—“ She stiffened, trying to sort through the accounts of Rui and Toya’s relationship. An had no idea what Toya wanted her to leave out, so she played it safe. “You, like, recited a quote from Romeo and Juliet while you did it.”
He smiled sidewardly. “Did he tell you that?”
An hesitated, then spoke again. “Yeah? So, can you tell me if you’re trying to flirt? Toya is dense and he doesn’t get it, if you are.”
Rui leaned against the wall casually, hooking his thumbs in the pockets of his cardigan. “I find it hard to believe he’s that dense. Aoyagi is a bright individual. When did you last talk to him about this?”
“Literally yesterday.”
“Ah.” Rui seemed to die a little on the inside. “I trust you’ll keep this between us, then? Everything is going to work out just fine, so there’s no need for further intervention. I greatly appreciate it, Shiraishi.”
“Wait, so, that’s a yes? You are trying to get with my friend?”
He hummed leisurely. “You could call it that.”
“Oh, my…” Toya, I’m gonna kill you, she thinks distantly, hunching over and massaging her temples. “Okay. Good to know. I’ll keep it a secret.”
“Now that that’s over with, would you mind excusing me? I might have five minutes to eat my lunch, if I’m lucky.”
“Oh, shit. Yeah. Sorry.”
—
Toya stared up at the clear sky. It was a cloudless, sunny day, the temperature fair, the breeze balmy and refreshing. Despite the pleasant weather, Toya’s stomach was twisted in knots, as if he was about to go onstage for a performance he wasn’t fully confident in.
An had been strangely evasive about her conversation with Rui a few days ago, which did nothing to quell his anxiety. Toya hadn’t seen Rui since the day he lent him his jacket, but he was called here today by him— Tsukasa texted him and told him that Rui wanted to see him for something important.
Should he have gotten a gift for Rui? Toya patted his pockets, which were woefully empty. His senior should be there any minute, so there was no time to run to the store to buy… flowers?
He checked his phone nervously, staring at the clock. Two minutes after the arranged time. Three minutes. Four minutes…
Six minutes after they planned to meet, Rui appears around the fork in the sidewalk, looking mildly flustered, his cardigan tied around his waist and his hair pulled out of his face in a half-ponytail. He waves to Toya, a massive smile on his face, and rushes over to him.
“Aoyagi! Thank you for meeting with me.” Rui’s grin is bright enough to illuminate the depths of the ocean. “Apologies for my tardiness, I was making some last-minute adjustments. Come, walk with me!”
He took Toya’s hand and led him through the courtyard with long, purposeful strides. Rui’s hand was rough and callused and a little clammy, and it felt strange against Toya’s soft skin.
“…Is there a reason you called me here?”
“You’ll see.” Rui decided not to elaborate beyond that.
The sunlight peeks through the thick canopy of cherry trees, painting Rui’s face in warm light. Once again, Toya is struck by how beautiful he is— his hair is messy and disheveled, and there’s a streak of black oil on his cheek that he apparently wasn’t aware of, but he was able to pull off that messy charm.
Rui leads him inside the school. The hallway is eerily quiet: it’s completely empty, filled with only the sound of their shoes clicking against the tiled floor. Every question Toya asks is answered with, You’ll see.
They ascend the stairwell, going up and up until they reach the double-doors of the school rooftop. Rui pushes the doors open, gesturing for Toya to go ahead.
Toya steps onto the rooftop. He’s only been up there a few times, and from what he can recall, it was exactly how it usually was. Plants in gardening boxes lined a few of the fenced areas, tended to by the gardening committee after school. He could see the sky clearly, unobstructed by tree branches.
Rui appeared from behind him. “It’s a gorgeous day, isn’t it? Thou art wise as thou art beautiful… O beauty, till now I never knew thee.”
He beckoned Toya forward, taking his hand and tilting his head up. “Any minute, now.”
Toya opened his mouth to ask a question, but he was interrupted by a loud BOOM! Suddenly, rose petals rained down from the sky, fluttering in the breeze and mixing with the pale pink cherry blossoms. There were loud sounds of cheering behind him, but nothing could have been more trivial to Toya at that moment.
He stared up into the sky tinged with red until Rui spun him around gently, taking both of his hands and intertwining their fingers. “It’s a perfect day for romance, yes? By the roses of the spring, by maidhood, honor, truth, and everything, I love thee so.”
Toya’s eyes widened. Rui held his hands tightly, a smile on his face, awaiting a response. After a few seconds that felt like an eternity, Toya steeled his nerves, letting go of Rui’s hands. For once, he surprised Rui, throwing his arms around his shoulders, tilting his head and kissing him.
Toya felt the shock of Rui’s soft, slightly chapped lips against his own, and it was simultaneously nothing like how he imagined and exactly like how he imagined. Electricity crackled in the air between them, and a million thoughts ran through Toya’s head, but they were all silenced by the rhythm of Rui’s lips on his and the taste of his cherry-flavored chapstick.
Just as quickly as it started, it ended. They separated, their chests rising and falling heavily, having forgotten they were supposed to be breathing during the kiss. Rui looked shocked for once, his eyes wide and his mouth gaping open in an awkward smile.
The sight made Toya chuckle. “I love you too, dummy.”
Their little moment was interrupted by a loud cheer from the direction of the door. To Toya’s surprise, his teammates stood by the stairwell, some of them more excited than others. Kohane, An and Akito each held remotes, likely triggers for the cannons that launched the rose petals. An was practically jumping up and down, while Kohane was smiling and clapping. Akito had averted his eyes in embarrassment, but he was grinning, too.
“Ah…” Suddenly, Toya felt a little embarrassed. He separated from Rui, putting his hands behind his back nervously. “Y— you guys— you were in on… it?”
“Hell yeah we were! Kamishiro asked us for help a couple days ago. I had to get him out of trouble with the disciplinary committee, so you’d better be grateful, lover boy!” An grinned madly, skipping forward to swat Toya on the shoulder. Kohane and Akito followed behind her, unable to match her enthusiasm, but looking happy nonetheless.
Akito ran a hand through his scruffy ginger hair, a mischievous smirk on his face. “Yep. And, there’s somebody who should be here any minute… he’d like to say hi to you.”
“Somebody..?”
The door to the stairwell opened with a great squeal, and Toya barely registered a flash of blonde hair barrel towards him before he was hugged aggressively around the waist, being hoisted up into the air by Tsukasa.
“Toya!” He shouted, tears in his eyes. “Toya, my dear little brother!! You’ve finally become a man! I’m… so happy for you!” He hugged him like they were little kids, the days when Tsukasa was taller than him and loved to flaunt it.
“Tsukasa..! Can’t breathe!”
“Right!” Tsukasa set him down, giving him one final bear hug before Rui patted his shoulder gently, an exasperated expression on his face. He backed up reluctantly, wiping his tears and sniffling dramatically.
“I’m happy for you, Aoyagi!” Kohane smiled, clapping her hands gently and stepping forward. “I heard everything from An.”
“Yep!” An smiled, wrapping her arm around Kohane’s shoulders. “We were just so moved by Kamishiro’s declaration of love towards you, so we had no choice but to help him with his big stunt.”
Rui chuckled bashfully, rubbing the nape of his neck. “Yes, thank you for all of your help. I couldn’t have done it without you all.”
“You’re quite the romantic,” Toya noted, staring at the few rose petals left fluttering in the wind. “You know, you could have just confessed to me normally.”
“Oh, but that’s not my style,” Rui said, wrapping an arm around Toya’s shoulders. “Don’t you agree?”
He brushed a lock of hair out of his face, and with a chuckle, he nodded. “You’re right.” For a moment, Toya imagined that he was a prince and Rui was an alchemist, standing in the grand spectacle of the alchemist's imagination, surrounded by friends and a happy ending.