Youji on the Shore

He had, at least, come to terms with the second one. It happened after the incident, once everyone but Jun, Miyo and Teddy treated Youji like a feral animal. On a day like any other, as he opened his locker after school, a note fluttered out of it. There was a smudge of of ink at its corner, and it had a heart. 

...a trap, right? I had to be one.

It was; it wasn't. Following the letter's instructions, Youji headed to the back of the school, alone, late enough for most other students to have left. It couldn't get any more obvious. They might as well have told him, 'There's ten of us and you're either unarmed and going back to juvie. Thank you for your sacrifice.'

A lone boy waited below a golden tree. Youji didn't recall seeing him around. They'd probably blackmailed him into doing this. "How many?" Asked Youji upon reaching him.

The boy kept staring at the floor. His hair poured over his skull like a mop; it covered most of his face. "Um. I'm... sorry?"

"How many of them are there?"

"How many what?"

"Where are they hiding? Hurry up. I don't have time for this."

"Wait—no, no, you got it all wrong. There, um. There's no one else. Just us."

Yeah, like he hadn't heard that one before. Youji kept his hands on his pockets, shoulders tense, for it was matter of when, not if. 

"Natsume-san... please go out with me!" The boy bowed. 

Youji's expression didn't change. "How much did they pay you to do this?" He asked.

"Nothing!"

"Yeah, no. Go bother someone else." Youji didn't hold back the sigh as he turned on his heels. If not a trap, then... a bet? Something like that. He started to walk. 

Because  it wasn't enough for him yet, the boy continued: "I've liked you since the first time I saw you! I've been..." He cleared his throat. "...looking at you all this time! I-I know that you did what you did because you wanted to protect—"

"If you go on, I'll break your neck."

"Please do!"

Youji couldn't help but look back at him. Still, the boy bowed. Drying, early autumn leaves sang above, the breeze short, mild. "Fine," he said, turning back. "I will."

The boy did not budge, not once, even as Youji loomed above him. Experimentally, Youji placed a hand above the boy's head, which did made him jump.

"Well?"

"I-I... y... will you please go out with me?" 

"Even if I break your neck?"

"Uh, preferably not..."

"Fine. Then I have one condition."

There was a pause before he spoke again. "Yes?"

"Kiss me," Youji told him. He let the boy go after that. 

It was hard to tell due to the colors of the leaves, but the sun had begun to set. 

The boy stood up, properly now. He barely reached Youji's chin. Still, he stepped forward, until his fingers curled on Youji's upper arms, until he stood on his tiptoes, and until their lips brushed together. As the kiss deepened, the boy's hands traveled down Youji's side, settling on his hips.

This would do. That's what he'd thought at the time. If nothing else, it'd help him forget about Touma. 

Too bad this was the same guy to tell him that he felt safe dating Youji since no one else would go for him. Moreover, he'd find out, later, that the boy was straight. He'd just needed someone to weaponize against a group of upperclassmen picking on him. (And it worked.)

It worked until one day the boy pushed Youji away as they felt each other up inside an empty classroom. "Can't," he said. "Can't. I'm sorry. I tried."

The same applied to Youji, really. "That's fine," he replied. "I know you're using me anyway." (Though if he'd known the boy was straight at the time, he would've never accepted.)

"I'm... I don't... just... beat me up if you want. I don't care."

"Nah. I was using you too."

And then they never spoke again, until Youji heard the pack of bullies had resumed their harassment, wherein he beat them all senseless, and the boy said thank you a week later or so. 

And that was that.

And then his next kiss was Isao. 

In that sense, Jun had been wrong when he told Youji that he didn't do things 'just because'. How else could he explain that event under the golden tree? At the time, he'd still been... unstable, to put it lightly... so neither Miyo nor Jun or Teddy ever brought it up. They knew, though. 

Had he 'gotten over it', 'lived his life', dared to connect with those outside of his circle beyond the very basic, and perhaps he would've known what to do for this scenario in particular. For days now, to call things awkward between Isao and him would've been an understatement.

"H-hi."

"Yo."

They met at the workers' entrance by coincidence, walked inside FRIED TACO SUSHI (GUITARS!!!) by choice, stood together before the counter out of necessity. On Youji's end, psychological. On Isao's end, probably financial. 

They would have to 'talk things through' at some point, for sure. Still, once Rima showed up, Youji fled to the kitchen. Isao barely spoke to her, for he barely spoke to anyone. It got so bad, in fact, that she showed up to say, "Natsume-san, could you PLEASE go and help Kiryuuin at the counter? I'm not in the mood for this today. I'm begging."

He wasn't, either, but Rima looked about to cry. Besides, she could handle the kitchen well. The only disasters they'd endured so far was when Isao approached it. Speaking of which, Youji approached him. 

"Youji."

"Isao."

"I got you something."

After a quick visit to the table behind them, where Isao often left his backpack (instead of at the locker, since... who cared?), he came back with a leaf. It was a nice leaf. Orange and stuff. 

"Here."

Youji took it, careful not to let the... bewilderment...? Show. He'd never expected to get something like this from anyone above the age of seven. "Uh. Thank you. I think."

"You're welcome. It's from my second favorite plant, since the first one doesn't have leaves."

"Ginkgoes? That's... that's nice."

"If there's anything wrong, you can tell me," Isao said. "I'm not good at giving advice, but I can listen. I think. Um. You, um. You seem kind of sad lately."

"Where did you even get this from?"

Isao waved him off. "Long story. just don't lose it, please. I broke an arm because of it."

Well, fuck. "I'll be right back. I'll go put it away."

He did. 

Was Isao really that unaware? 

Bless him, honestly. By the time he returned, the usual group of girls from Rima's school showed up, which meant he had to go and take their order. This time, the leader of the pack requested: "Could you please draw a heart on my coffee?"

"And mine," said one of the minions. If left unchecked, they'd grow up to become mini-Miyos. The next generation was doomed. 

"So that's why Ootsuki Rima went to the kitchen," Isao noted, as Youji returned. Again, bless him. "Hey. Youji. I'll take care of their orders."

"Why's that?"

"I'll protect you."

"Uh."

But his will was ironclad: not only did Isao prepare all the drinks; against nigh unsurmountable opposition, he served them. They complained and complained and complained, until they could do so no more. Isao came back, triumphant. "See?"

"I saw, yeah."

"Told you I'd protect you."

"From a group of schoolgirls? Sure."

From the way Isao grinned, Youji couldn't even get snarky about it. Experimentally, he put his hand on the back of Isao's head. Nobody flinched this time. "You're welcome," said Isao.

"...wait, that's not—"

"Don't worry. I get it."

"I really don't think you do."

Isao patted Youji's head in... return? This was surreal. "Even if I don't," he replied, "I want to. Eventually."

Even more experimentally, Youji took Isao's hand. He held it behind the counter. Nobody flinched, nobody jumped. 

Slowly, Isao intertwined their fingers. 

He waited, in vain, for something bad to happen.

Isao sighed. Oh, there it was. He said, "I thought you were mad."

"Me? Why?"

"Many things. I'm glad you accepted the peace offering."

...the leaf... "I'm also glad," Youji replied. 

Nothing bad happened, and maybe nothing bad would, for a change.