Chapter Text
“You don’t mind if I change in front of you, do you?”
Mondo’s face flushed at the thought of the words Kiyotaka told him days ago. Ever since the sauna challenge, the two of them had been practically attached at the hip, spending every hour of every day together. They brought out the best in each other, with Taka helping Mondo get his grades up, and Mondo helping Taka learn to live a little. Everything had been going great, until they decided to have a sleepover.
It wasn’t unusual at first, just watching movies while eating snacks and bantering with each other. But when the time came for them to head to sleep, Kiyotaka realized he hadn’t brought a pair of pajamas to sleep in.
“My sincerest apologies, kyoudai! I seem to have forgotten a pair of clothes to sleep in!” Taka stated, bowing in embarrassment at the realization.
“It’s fine, man, y’know ya can just borrow some of my shit.” Mondo said as he strode over to his dresser and rummaged through his mess of clothes before pulling out the smallest pajamas he had.
“Here, they might be a bit big on ya, but it’s better than nothin’.”
“Thank you, Mondo! These are perfect.”
And then, Kiyotaka started taking his shirt off. Mondo’s face went crimson as he felt heat rushing up his neck.
“W-What are ya doin’, man?!”
“Oh, my apologies! You don’t mind if I change in front of you, do you?”
Taka paused, hands resting on one of the buttons of his pristine white uniform as he politely asked. Mondo knew, even when he and Kiyotaka were sworn enemies, that the guy wasn’t exactly the best when it came to social cues. Mondo didn’t know how to process this.
“I-I mean, go for it, man…”
Mondo was well aware that he could’ve just told Kiyotaka that there was a restroom for him to change in, yet for some reason, part of him wanted to see him change. He didn’t know why he was thinking such a weird, fucked up thought like that, especially about his best bro, but he couldn’t help it.
With a soft smile, Kiyotaka continued to unbutton his uniform, eventually undoing his belt and tugging down his pants, being left in only his white underwear. Mondo was well aware of the fact that Taka was muscular. Before the sauna challenge, he figured he was just some scrawny little hall monitor that could be blown away by the wind, but was surprised when he saw that Taka was absolutely jacked. He liked that about Taka, that he was hiding so much muscle under that fancy uniform.
Mondo (reluctantly) turned away, feeling like it’d be crossing a line if he continued to stare. After about a minute, he looked back to see Taka fully clothed again, now in Mondo’s pajamas. Despite them being the smallest size he owned, they were still a size too big on Taka. Mondo snickered, earning a grunt from Taka.
“What is so funny? I am simply wearing the clothes you provided to me!”
Mondo stifled another laugh, patting Taka’s shoulder as he did.
“Nothin’, man, you just look adorable.”
Taka felt a warm feeling stir in his gut at Mondo’s words, his face flushing scarlet at the compliment. His kyoudai thought he was adorable? Maybe he was just being friendly, like best bros do. Yeah, that’s it.
“Ah, thank you, Mondo! You look quite handsome yourself!”
Kiyotaka beamed as Mondo went silent, biting his inner lip at his friend’s words. They were close enough to where they often complimented each other like this, but Mondo couldn’t help but feel his stomach flutter every time he heard Taka openly admire him. Nothing weird about that, just a guy appreciating another guy’s compliment. That’s it.
“Thanks man, that, uh…means a lot…” Mondo mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. Before things could get too awkward, he quickly changed the subject, grabbing the remote from his nightstand.
“So, are ya ready ta watch the scariest fuckin’ movie you’ve ever seen?” Mondo asked with mock fear in his voice.
Tana’s brow furrowed. “Language, Mondo! But yes, I am rather excited to watch it with you!” he boomed, taking a seat on the couch as Mondo grabbed the snacks and started the movie with a press of the remote.
The movie wasn’t great, wasn’t even good, honestly. Shitty acting and bad effects made it fun to laugh at, though. Mondo had his arm wrapped around the side of Taka, like he usually did whenever they watched a movie. Nothing wrong with cuddling your bro.
Occasionally, a jumpscare would catch Taka off guard, and he’d grip Mondo’s hand that was snaked around his waist extra tight. Mondo took pride in that, knowing he made Kiyotaka feel more safe. He didn’t quite know why, but he did.
Eventually, the movie ended, and a back and forth argument erupted over who should get the bed.
“It’s your room, I am the guest! I insist, sleep on the bed!”
“Yeah, yer the fuckin’ guest, so take the bed!”
After a few more minutes of heated bickering, they decided to just share the bed. Despite the movie’s poor quality, it had managed to spook Kiyotaka a bit, causing him to cuddle up extra close to Mondo as they drifted to sleep.
“Good night, Mondo.”
“G’night, Taka.”
The following morning was normal, at least, as normal as their friendship was. Taka collected his things as he exclaimed to Mondo about how
much he enjoyed the previous night.
“I had an amazing time, kyoudai! We should do this again soon!”
“Hell yeah, man. I’m free whenever.”
“Well, goodbye, Mondo! See you in class!”
Taka gave Mondo a quick hug before walking off, catching Mondo by surprise. He quickly reciprocated the hug before Taka left, and he watched him walk down the hall, all the way to his own dorm room to collect his bag for class, and that was it. That should’ve been it.
But that wasn’t it. That was the furthest thing from it. Now, a few days later, as Mondo stares up at his ceiling, that same fluttering feeling comes back, and stronger than ever, and little does he know that it won’t go away anytime soon, if ever.