Mukahi Gakuto sat on the rocky beach. His muscled legs were pulled up against his chest. His boney arms were wrapped lazily around his calves. One hand held the other wrist in a relaxed manner. Gakuto's maroon hair swung in the sea breeze. His deep navy blue eyes blinked as they stared out towards the rolling waves. Tiny granules of sand clung to the plead pants of his school uniform and his white, button down shirt. His tie, which was maroon like his hair, flipped haphazardly in the light wind.
"Hello Gakuto."
A deep, cool voice sounded from somewhere high above the fourteen year old's head. Gakuto didn't even have to look up. He knew who that voice belonged to.
"Hey Yuushi."
A pair of identical plead pants bent at the knees as Yuushi situated himself beside Gakuto. It was almost the end of their final year in junior high. Yuushi would be going to some high brown music school and Gakuto would be attending a high school focused on sports. Neither of the two boys had thought about this much really. They had always assumed that they would always be going to the same school. They had always played doubles together on the tennis team as Hyotei Gakuen. Gakuto's chest hurt, but he didn't understand why. Sure, Oshitari Yuushi was his best friend, but this ache was different.
"What is bothering you Gakuto. It is unnatural for you to be this pensive."
"Save the fancy words Yuushi…"
Gakuto huffed, slightly annoyed. He tilted his maroon head to look into his doubles partner's face. Yuushi's legs were stretched out and his back was pressed up against a rock. He always seemed so perfect as though he was always in his element. Yuushi's narrow violet eyes scanned the horizon. It was sunset. Something about the scene was so beautiful. Yuushi with his blue hair dancing around his neck and the orange and pink sun set. It was a pity this wouldn't last. It was just like their years of junior high together. It was wrong for it to end. Gakuto wrinkled his nose and his face went red from a mix of frustration and longing. He realized when Yuushi met his eyes and when his heart leapt, that Yuushi wasn't just a best friend to him.
"Yuushi…"
"Yes?"
"Remember that one time when we were freshman and you helped me to the nurse cuz' I was all beaten up?"
"Of course. That was our first formal introduction. What about it?"
*Two years ago*
"I told you! I don't care what you bastards think!"
Mukahi, Gakuto, a first year at Hyotei Academy shouted at the top of his lungs. An older, and much larger, boy had him pinned against the lockers in the hall way. Several other second years were crowded around, encouraging the bully.
"You should. You're a freak. Freaks should listen to older wiser people who are NORMAl. Got it girly-boy?"
"No!"
Gakuto aimed a kick at his abuser, landing his foot square in the second year's chest. His flexibily seemed to startle the gaggle of thirteen year olds for a moment as the ring leader stumbled backwards.
"Get that sissy! Get him!"
Shouted the ringleader. A tall, blonde boy broke away from the group. Gakuto was fast, but not fast enough. The older boy had him. His arm was pressed up against Gakuto's neck, making it difficult to breath. Now that Gakuto was pinned down, the gang of henches rounded on him. The first year screamed as fist and foot came in contact to his gut and chest. Nobody stopped to try and help. Bullying the freshman just sort of happened and people generally ignored it. Gakuto had not realized how painful it would be.
"Now, let's see how cocky you are now punk! Do you respect your Senpais, or will we have to keep teaching you?!"
Gakuto was now doubled over. His teeth gritted in agony.
"I-I could-could n-never learn to r-respect you…"
There was no need to pin him down now. He was too weak from the beatings. Gakuto slid to the ground. He would not be so easily taken. He would not so easily submit. A final kick to his face made Gakuto shudder one last time before the second years ran off, laughing their heads off. Gakuto attempted to pull himself to his feet, but it hurt so much that he could not. All he could physically do was stem his bloody nose. He knew he should probably have waited until second year to come out of the closet, but it had just sort of slipped out. He guessed other boys felt threatened or some weird shit like that.
"Need a hand?"
A cool voice sounded from somewhere above him. Someone stood before the small redhead with an outstretched hand.
"I guess…"
Painfully, with help from the unknown boy, Gakuto painfully stood up straight. Slowly, he raised his head to see who it was.
"You look like you need the nurse. "
The boy was taller than he was. His violet eyes were framed with large glasses and his hair fell, sapphire blue, around his ears. He had seen this boy before, but his mind was in a haze and he couldn't figure out from where.
"Nah… I don't need a nurse… I-"
Gakuto spotted a trash can and sprinted, painfully toward it. A sickening retching and splashing filled the deserted halls.
"I would have to conclude that you do. You are simply too rustled up to go to class anyway. Come, I shall escort you… When you are done…"
The blue haired boy, though sarcastic, was kind enough to hold Gakuto's hair back for him and help him walk to the nurse's office. The pair of first year boys stopped just outside of the door.
"Can I ask you something"
"No. "
Gakuto blinked. The bespectacled boy rolled his eyes.
"It was a joke… Go ahead…"
He almost sighed. Gakuto, not appreciating the sarcasm, huffed angrily.
"I was gonna ask you where I know you from. You aren't in any of my classes… Wait… Let me think…"
Gakuto screwed up his face in concentration. The taller first hear laughed softly.
"Don't hurt yourself."
"SHUT UP!"
There was a long pause.
"Tennis?"
"Yes."
The taller of the two shook out his blue hair and sighed heavily.
"I had something to ask you…"
"What?"
"Today at practice, I was going to ask you how you felt about playing doubles with me."
Gakuto blinked his good eye. The other had blackened and swelled so that he couldn't move it.
"I don't mind doubles, but I've gotta warn you,"
Gakuto held up a finger.
"You have to keep up with me!"
"I don't know how hard that will be,"
Gakuto's new doubles partner chuckled.
"Seeing how you couldn't get out of this mess, it should be easy enough."
Gakuto scrunched up his face, making it look even more deformed.
"Well I'll see you on the courts!"
"Oi!"
"Yes?"
"We'll be playing doubles and I don't even know who the hell you are! What's your name?"
A smirk twisted the blue haired boy's lips.
"Oshitari, Yuushi,"
Yuushi bowed.
"Mukahi, Gakuto, seeya partner!"
*Present day*
Gakuto turned away from his doubles partner, pink in the face.
"We're gonna be leaving for high school soon, so I just thought… You know… I came out of the closet earlier that week. Then I met you! Yuushi, I liked you since freshman year, but I was scared you know?! What if you like blew up and then we'd stop being doubles partners and-"
"Shut up Gakuto…"
Gakuto's cheeks went the same color as his hair. A smile, not a smirk, was playing around Yuushi's thin lips.
"I know."
"WHAT?!"
Gakuto blinked
"WHAT?!"
He repeated, flabbergasted.
"I just thought I'd give you time. You needed to choose the time and place. This was it."
"Do you mean-?"
Yuushi closed his purple eyes and nodded without a word. Gakuto threw his arms around Yuushi, nearly knocking him over.
"Yes, yes, yeeeeeeeees!"
Yuushi chuckled and draped an arm around the smaller boy. He was just glad Gakuto had finally worked up the nerve to speak from his heart. His heart skipped a beat as his doubles partners' cheek pressed against his chest. Yes, he had harbored affections for the red head as well. He, however, didn't think it appropriate for them to have a relationship while they were still playing doubles together. Now that they were graduating, the relationship was free to start.
Mukahi, Gakuto sat on the rocky beach. His muscled legs were pulled up against his chest. His boney arms were wrapped lazily his doubles partner, who was now much more than that. One hand held the other wrist in a relaxed manner. Gakuto's maroon hair swung in the sea breeze, as did Yuushi's. Yuushi bent down and his lips brushed the top of Gakuto's dark read head. Gakuto's cheeks flushed. He could hear Yuushi's heart pounding in his ears. The beat mirrored his own. A sudden idea gripped Gakuto, and he fought the urge to snicker to himself. Prizing himself from Yuushi's chest, Gakuto sat on his boney knees and pulled Yuushi in by the hair. It was a good thing he had always been pretty bold, otherwise they wouldn't have had their first kiss there, on the beach, just before the sun set. It really would have been a pity. Good thing he had spoken from the heart.