Just Maybe...

It was no secret how much Mitsu liked sweets. Particularly, his mother’s apple pie. The crispy and flaky crust encasing the sweet yet tangy apple filling. Every mouthful was bound to put a smile on your face, put you in a good mood if you were in a bad one or just enjoyable as a casual treat. Apple pie was also something Mitsu hadn’t eaten for a while. So, what brought on this sudden thought? Akio’s proclamation to cook something sweet for ‘Hana’. Sat with the pen dangling in his mouth, Mitsu stared blankly at the board in front of him as the teacher began to write today’s objectives on it. He couldn’t care less about the lesson today, more interested in knowing if Akio was going to allow him, no ‘Hana’, to chose what type of dessert he would bake. “Apple pie would be nice,” He mumbled, the pen clacking in between his teeth.

“Apple pie?” Akio questioned, taking a seat beside Mitsu. The pen fell from his lips, rolling off the desk and to the floor, much like how he nearly fell to the floor when Akio so casually just took the seat Tomo would usually occupy. “Where’s Tomo today?”

Mitsu coughed, trying to compose himself. He jiggled in his seat, sitting up straight. “She’s not feeling too good,” He advised, trying to remember, today he’s Mitsu around Akio and not ‘Hana’.

“Alright,” Akio said, getting his books out ready to take notes.

Mitsu turned back around, not really paying any mind to Akio or the lesson. As much as he didn’t like the idea of his love rival sitting so close to him (close enough to potentially realise he is also ‘Hana’), he knew that this was the most logical place he would sit. With the loss of his pen and lack of interest in the lesson, Mitsu just sat tapping at the table, staring but not really looking at the lesson taking place in front of him. He wasn’t sure how far the class had gotten when Akio had passed him an open notebook. He looked to Akio and then to the book, eyes widening at the number of notes that had already been taken, with a post-it note on it saying ‘This will be on the test.’ Panicked, Mitsu started to scramble for a pen, only for Akio, once again, come to his rescue and handed him the instrument in which he needed to write the notes. Fortunately, he already had his notebook out so he could go straight into the note coping process, desperately trying to play catch up. He went to turn the next page, only for Akio’s hand to slam hard against the page, keeping the next page out of reach.

Mitsu jumped back in shock. Akio coughing as he took his book back, closing the cover and putting it away. Now Mitsu really was unable to concentrate. What was so secretively that Akio would slam the book shut so aggressively? The usual calm and collected Akio lost his composure because of something in the book.

The class continued on, Mitsu’s pen hovering over the page, no ink being used and his mind just blank. Before he realised it, class was over. He could make out the faint noises of people gathering their belongings and the footsteps that led to the door. “You really need to learn to pay attention,” Akio commented, bringing Mitsu back to reality. He looked down to his paper, groaning as he realised, his body’s auto function had stopped working. Akio coughed, a slight pink tint across his cheeks. “I can loan you the reminder of my notes.”

Mitsu groaned, looking to the floor, trying to find a way he could avoid close contact with Akio while still getting the notes. Who knows what Akio could be thinking the more he looked at Mitsu? He might start to see behind the disguise on his next date with ‘Hana’. But truth, he needed the notes. He nodded, Akio letting out a sigh of relief, he hadn’t scared Mitsu off with his off-character behaviour. “How about we go to the coffee shop?” Mitsu gulped, looking back to Akio who had a big smile on his face. He nodded. He needed the notes, there was nothing he could do about it and it seemed that just maybe….

Akio is a nice guy.