Title: Part of the Trio: The Wonderings of Aragaki
Authoress: Seer M. Anno
Disclaimer: The characters belong to the incredible Sakuraga Mei. I own nothing but the story.
Rating: PG
Pairing: Kuon Aikawa/Nanao Shirahane
Summary: Aragaki wonders about many things, especially ones concerning his friends.
Genre: AU.
Warning: Slash, possible OOCness
A/N: Aragaki's POV which strikes me in the middle of the night. FYI, Aragaki is one of Kuon's friends, the megane one. I got emotionally frenzy after seeing the new cover for MnK ('an emotional last chapter' and I'll just roll on the floor). This is a treat for the upcoming MnK, and was inspired by Dog Style by Motoni Modoru. Unbeta'd, sorry again. Hope you enjoy!
Part of the Trio: The Wonderings of Aragaki
Seer M. Anno
Being the 'part of the trio' was surely much easier when the trio was still a trio. Since high school, Aragaki had been glued to the hip with his friends, and he had to admit that he enjoyed every second of it. He, Izumi, and Aikawa.
Izumi was the class clown, and it made him wonder why he wanted to be their friends. He and Aikawa were two school studs, too serious about everything academic. Their relationship at first was like this: every time Izumi cracked a joke to their classmates, he'd just stay seated next to Aikawa, thinking about the next lesson.
It was the 'Gakki' nickname that got Izumi closer to them. He wondered where on earth Izumi got such a nickname for him, and it still irked him. But Izumi had latched himself on him and Aikawa afterwards; probably triumphant after getting a reaction out of him (even though it was anger, but nobody could be really angry at Izumi). Izumi actually didn't have his own clique, everybody clicked on him, but he actually chose him and Aikawa.
After months of persisting (read: following to the library, joining their lunch, including them in his jokes, et cetera et cetera), Izumi was 'accepted'. Aikawa didn't care much, and Aragaki didn't mind him anymore as he sat together with them on their first lunch in second year. He even thought the 'Gakki' part as nothing more than a joking nickname.
He was lucky he'd 'accepted' Izumi, for a girl confessed to Aikawa just a week later. Even though Aragaki had secretly known about this from the start, Aikawa didn't introduce her properly to them until a while later. Izumi treated her as if she were made of glass, but Aragaki could see that Aikawa didn't mind, or simply didn't care. It was still difficult for him to differentiate his lack of facial expressions back then.
However, she was such a cute kouhai, with that poofy chestnut curls and big eyes, and many of his classmates fell for her. Aikawa, just like any other sane guys, accepted her. Aragaki could see that she was his first girlfriend. That made him wonder since a guy like Aikawa in his neighbourhood surely would be swarmed by girls much prettier than this Kae.
"My brother doesn't like me dating." That was Aikawa's reason when Aragaki asked him. "He panics easily, and I don't want to worry him."
It seemed either Aikawa's brother didn't know about his little brother's relationship, or he approved it. Aikawa didn't say anything about that, and Aragaki didn't ask. He came to his house frequently, usually for study sessions which Izumi detested, but he seldom met Aikawa's brothers. He really wanted to, though, for Aikawa spoke highly about them.
And things changed. Sometimes Aikawa would be too busy with her, and Aragaki didn't like it. He was used to the times when the three of them were together, watching films or just hanging out in places a high schoolers like them could afford. He knew Izumi didn't like it as much as he did, but he always supported their relationship.
Blind. Blind Izumi.
Aragaki could see something else within their relationship, unlike the happy-go-lucky Izumi who mostly saw the bright side like a sun. Aikawa rarely talked about her, and even though he usually talked less, he talked even lesser about their dates together. Izumi—The Nosiest of Them All—did the pestering and nosing around, which sometimes worked on Aikawa, but even he couldn't do much.
This was a bad thought, but he couldn't help but to question Aikawa's care towards that girl. Did he really care for her? Every guy he knew usually spoke—boasted—about their girlfriends, including Izumi and (sometimes) Aragaki himself. Everyone, but not Aikawa.
Speaking about dating, Izumi finally dated their classmate, and once a girl confessed to Aragaki. He couldn't find a reason to reject her, so he went with the flow. She was lovely, but he put a stop in their relationship because he didn't love her, even though they'd dated for months.
Not long after Aragaki regained his single status, Aikawa broke up with Kae. As if on cue, Izumi stopped dating the girl as well. Aikawa didn't want to talk about it, just like everything about his relationship. Izumi stopped pestering and they fell back into the friendship trio which Aragaki always liked.
When senior year ended, and the graduation ceremony came, Aragaki saw Aikawa's brothers attacking him with hugs and chatters. The youngest one, Towa, laughed all the time as he played with Aikawa's certificate of graduation. The oldest, Nagahisa (finally Aragaki remembered his name!), was wiping his tears and hugged him before repeating the two motions once in a while. It was the fifth time he saw his brothers. Izumi was busy with his parents, and while Aragaki chatted with his own, he couldn't help but to wonder where the Aikawas' were.
That was the first time he realized that he knew so little about Aikawa. He didn't even know his brothers more than their names.
On the other hand, he knew much about Izumi. He was an easy task. He was like an open book, one that could be seen by anyone from miles away. Aragaki and Aikawa had met his family. They even had met his grandparents. But Izumi wasn't naive, even though he was mostly absent-minded, and this part of him was easily underestimated by people who first knew him. Izumi was a strong and smart person, in his own cheerful way. He was someone people could depend to make their days sunnier.
And as much as Aragaki knew, Aikawa was a different story.
No, not the strong part. Aragaki could see the strength inside him since the first time he saw him in the orientation of high school, along with the qualified brain inside his head despite the four piercings on his ears. He was stoic and cold, and too serious for a guy his age, and most probably it became the reason why he was so attractive to girls. But he was also naive and oblivious to flirting, which was the complete opposite of Izumi.
Sometimes Aragaki wondered if Aikawa's seriousness had got himself into a trouble with Kae. Thanks to his silence about his former relationship, Izumi had jumped into conclusion and told everyone Aikawa and Kae had got themselves 'fizzled out'. It was the most reasonable conclusion, and the two of them were content with that.
*.*.*
What happened in high school stays in high school.
That was a good thing to say, because they had taken a same university test together. It was surely destiny for the three of them to have the same interest in Economics. This interest was most apparent on Aikawa, now an Accounting student, whose family was an economically working-class one. Thanks to Izumi's constant pestering, Aragaki knew that Nagahisa-san was an auditor of a small company, and his parents were accountants or something.
Aragaki himself was going to take over his family's business, thus Management was his cup of tea. Izumi, despite of his second choice being on English Literature, gained a chance to get a Business degree.
So... the trio ended up in the same university, and the same faculty. They met often, as in really often. Other than one or two classes, they were always been in the same ones.
But this wasn't the end.
Izumi got involved with a girl from another faculty, most probably Biology. He really liked her, but they still had their 'trio time' together. Aragaki himself dated a girl from his class and she also had her own friends so they didn't disrupt their own friendly times with their relationship.
This time, Aragaki was worried over Aikawa. He could tell Izumi was as well, but that guy always so cheery in front of Aikawa, being his normal self, so this wasn't so obvious, especially to stoic but unaware guys like Aikawa. He knew Aikawa wasn't dating anyone, because he told them he'd got a job as a waiter and it took most of his free time.
But Aragaki knew there was something else to it.
*.*.*
After some time, that 'something else' formed into a person. A dark-haired one with glasses and a thick seductive air around him like a cloak.
Nanao Shirahane, Aikawa's senpai.
A guy. A weird, friendless one, in Aragaki's opinion. What he'd heard about him was about 'Nanao Shirahane will sleep with everybody', which was strange. Aragaki had never seen him making a move towards other students, but what made it weirder was that Aikawa seemed so bothered with that kind of rumour. Aragaki knew he was a very serious type, but the emotion he showed to Shirahane-san was bordered to... hatred?
He remembered the time when the three of them met Shirahane-san for the first time. Well, more like bumping on Shirahane-san for the first time. That was when Aragaki knew that Shirahane-san's younger brother knew Aikawa's.
"Hey, Aikawa!" Izumi had called out. "Aikawa...ey! What happened just now?" Since Aikawa hadn't given him any answer, he continued. "If I'm not mistaken... he's the third-year student... Shirahane-senpai."
Aragaki hadn't missed the surprise look on Aikawa's face when he looked at Shirahane-san, even though it was changed into the usual detestation as quickly as it appeared. Izumi could feel the look too, because then he scratched his hair, frowning. Only Aragaki who was able to see it, since Aikawa had walked five steps ahead from them, literally.
"The atmosphere you know... suddenly turned tense."
"Yeah," Aragaki had replied, and Aikawa was still silent.
"It's only that..." Aikawa'd finally muttered; his eyes were still dark. "Our younger brothers are acquaintances."
"Really? What a strange fate," Aragaki had responded, even though he didn't believe it one bit. Why is an aniki seething over his younger brother's friend?
Except if they're more than that, his mind had answered his own question. But instead of asking, he stayed silent. Izumi had done the talking instead, telling Aikawa and him the rumour that had been flying around their dear faculty, even though both of them had known about it.
"Anyway...he is 'the guy', right? The guy from that rumour...that he can seduce any man." Izumi's face had been so serious, and Aragaki wondered if the word 'any man' reminded of his own older brother.
"Yeah, I've heard about this too... ne?" Aragaki'd asked Aikawa's back as they kept walking. They finally were able to catch up with him. Aikawa's expression had been unreadable, but one could feel the dark aura from him.
"Before even talking about what kind of guy he is... that type of guy... is the one I detest most."
Izumi, the forever cheery class clown, had decided to brighten the situation. "Ah, I know!" he'd declared, glomping Aikawa. He was the only one who could do that and survived. "You're the kind that if betrayed by your lover you'll become the 'I-will-kill-you-before-killing-myself' type, right? Go on and deny it. Hey! Say something!"
Aragaki had doubted that Aikawa was going to, but like what was told, nobody could really resist Izumi. "I don't deny..." Aikawa had muttered as a reply.
"What?!" Izumi's joke had turned serious and it shocked him. Before he could say more, Aragaki'd decided to cut in, telling them what he thought.
"However, I've never seen that person making a move on any students in school before."
"That's right." Aragaki remembered Izumi scratching his head in realization. "I've never noticed this too. Think about it..."
Aragaki had noticed that Aikawa's eyes hardened but pretended not to. "So..." he'd said instead. "Who in the world... started this rumour?"
Aikawa hadn't answered, and their walk to the next class had been filled with total silence. It was really weird to see Aikawa acting like that, especially towards his own senior. Even though he was cold and stoic, he was so polite towards others ("My brother taught me," he'd said). That kicked Aragaki's curiosity, and he wouldn't stop until he could find an answer. This time, he wouldn't be content with just 'fizzled out'.
Once, when Aragaki had done his class with Satonaka-sensei, he saw Shirahane-san waiting outside and the two walked away together. It made him frown, even though he didn't attempt to follow them.
What is he doing with Sensei?
Tons of bad thoughts came over him, including one that involved the two of them on a bed inside a love hotel, which made Aragaki sick. But it wouldn't go away how much he'd tried.
*.*.*
That uneasiness didn't go away indeed, especially when he saw how Aikawa looked at Shirahane-san one day, and it continued until some time later. It could burn people with its intensity, and even Izumi noticed that.
But Aragaki saw...passion beneath that hatred, and it confused him. What's happening between them?
Time passed, because it was supposed to be. All stayed the same but Aikawa. Aragaki understood about his job, especially after Aikawa told them he'd taken an extra shift, but nowadays it became even worse. He even cancelled their lunch or their biweekly movie-watching together so he could go 'somewhere', and that made him wonder.
"Aikawa." He'd called one day, when they were sitting together on the grass, eating lunch. As usual, Aikawa got his own bento, made by his oldest brother. It was adorable, Aragaki had to admit.
"Oh. Hello, Aragaki. Where's Izumi?"
"Still in class. Can I ask you something?"
Aikawa merely hummed. That meant yes.
"What happened to you? I know you're working, but you're distancing yourself."
Aikawa merely hummed again and didn't answer. He continued to look ahead, as if the students who were walking on the open corridor in front of them could answer Aragaki's question for him. Aragaki himself kept staring at his best friend's expression, until it shifted into something as intense as every time he saw Shirahane-san.
Aragaki also looked at the corridor, and Shirahane-san was indeed there, walking alone with that usual aloof look on his face. He looked back at Aikawa, and noticed his eyes had changed. Much softer, but still held that same intensity.
And Aragaki could put two and two together.
"It's weird, isn't it?" he asked, determined to find an answer.
Aikawa turned his head at him. "What is?"
"Him." Aragaki motioned towards the walking away Shirahane-san with his chin. He didn't continue until Shirahane-san disappeared, as if not wanting him to eavesdrop despite of their far proximity. "He looks really fragile, doesn't he? And sometimes I wonder if he does that on purpose."
Aragaki didn't know what wrong he'd said, but Aikawa's expression shifted and changed to a fearsome one. "What?" he asked, taken aback by that look from his best friend. He hoped to whatever gods that Izumi were here. He was the master of ice breaking. "I didn't say anything wrong, did I?"
There was a long silence, and when Aikawa broke it, he didn't answer his question. "Maybe he really does that on purpose," he finally admitted, that terrifying expression was still there. "He looks dangerously fragile, sometimes."
Aragaki saw that expression changed once again, and it was the first time he saw him changing expression this much. This time, it softened, and it made him silently sag in relief. He surely didn't like the dark look earlier. Anyway, it made him wonder why Aikawa looked so... dreamy right now. It was odd and unsuitable on him.
And Aragaki put two and two together, again.
But before he could ask more, suddenly Aikawa stood. He even left his lunch unfinished as he closed his lunchbox. "Gotta go," he said at his dumbfounded friend. "I'll see you later."
Aragaki didn't want to sound like a desperate girlfriend whose lover had been suspected of cheating, but he really wanted to be one, since he felt he was losing Aikawa. "Hey!"
Aikawa stopped, his broad back facing Aragaki.
"If there's something wrong, tell us. Me and Izumi. We'll hear you out."
Aikawa looked back at him, and a rare small smile crossed his face. "I will. Thanks."
Aragaki didn't press further as he stared at his friend who was walking away.
*.*.*
It was around two or three weeks later that his theory of wondering was partially confirmed. Two things happened, one in each week. The first one wasn't actually connected to Shirahane-san. Izumi had called Aikawa, asking him to hang out because the statistic class he and Aragaki attended was cancelled.
"Statistic class is cancelled for this week," Aragaki had heard Izumi said. "So I thought we should go catch a movie or something."
Aikawa has cancelled their movie day last week, Aragaki knew that, so maybe...
Aragaki hadn't been able to hear what Aikawa had said at the other end of the phone, but Izumi had looked irritated at his words. "Ah, it can't be. You think we were skipping class? How rude."
There had been a long silence, too long for someone as silent as Aikawa to talk, and Aragaki had wondered what he was talking about. But then Izumi had called out, "Hello? Heey, Aikawa? Are you listening?"
Izumi had cursed when the line was cut off. "The hell's with him, Gakki?" he'd complained. Aragaki remembered himself shrugging at his words and walked to the announcement board. There was also a list of Statistic class student this semester.
Unsurprisingly, Nanao Shirahane's name was there, along with almost every third-year students. Aragaki didn't give it much thought, but the second incident made him do.
It was when he came to Aikawa's house to borrow some books, and it was his oldest brother who welcomed him.
"Hi, Aragaki-kun!" He looked confused for a moment. Sometimes Aragaki wondered if this airheaded guy was really Aikawa's oldest brother. Or maybe he should've wondered if Aikawa really belonged to this family, since the rumours said that Towa Aikawa was just as airheaded as Nagahisa-san. "You're Aragaki, right? Kuon's friend?"
"Yeah. Is he home?"
"Kuon?" he asked back, scratching his neck. He looked as if he didn't know what to answer. "He's out with Nanao-san, studying. But I think he's told me to give you books... where are they? I wonder where I put them... I hope I didn't lose it or something..."
Nanao-san?
Aragaki wondered if Shirahane-san was that close to Aikawa's family. And not to mention the increasing absences from Aikawa in their usual hang out times. Izumi became more and more uncomfortable, and thanks to that, his jokes weren't as funny anymore. Aragaki himself finally decided to spend more time with his girlfriend, just to get rid of that uneasiness.
She was the one who pointed it out, in one of their dates. He'd spilled it out unintentionally, actually ruining the mood, but she didn't mind.
"Your friend is also dating, I guess."
"Are you sure?"
She smiled. "I said 'I guess'. But you know how much my guesses works, dear."
It wasn't a new thought to Aragaki, and someone pointing out loud that Aikawa was 'going out' with Shirahane-san only solidified it. But that must've been chronic if his girlfriend, someone who'd never met Aikawa by person, could see that.
He wondered why it took Aikawa so long to properly introduce Shirahane-san to him and Izumi. It wasn't like they disapproved about both of them being males. Izumi's older brother also dated another guy from his workplace, and nobody minded.
Judging from Nagahisa-san's expression, Aragaki knew he didn't know anything. Maybe Aikawa wanted his family to know first? Aragaki had no idea. Aikawa wasn't a type of guy who would expose things as personal as this one.
It made him wonder how long this kind of friendship could last.
*.*.*
"Aragaki, do you see Nanao-san?"
Time passed even more, and Aragaki noticed many new things. One of them was the more 'Nanao-san' in Aikawa's topic of conversation. Izumi looked like he was going to burst, most probably from irritation and curiosity, but gratefully he held himself back. Aragaki himself didn't want to say anything, and carefully waltzing on 'safe' topics of conversation.
Once they met Shirahane-san and Satonaka-sensei—Aragaki was still suspecting them both, Shirahane-san wouldn't survive if he dared hurting his friend—and he found him even weirder. Aragaki was surprised that he knew that Aikawa had left earlier, and decided to be frank.
"That reminds me... he's brought your name up from time to time recently. Do you two speak often?"
"Ah, only... just a little."
Izumi might've failed to see Shirahane-san's crumpled expression, for he was busy praising Satonaka-sensei for the good lecture earlier, but Aragaki didn't. He immediately realized that nobody knew about their relationship.
"Oh right!" Izumi suddenly complained, and Aragaki knew it was because he couldn't help it anymore. If he were as carefree as Izumi, he would've complained about Aikawa right there, towards the source of problem like what Izumi was doing. "Have you heard anything, Shirahane-san? Aikawa's been a pain in the ass to try and hang out with lately!"
'Lately' was a serious understatement, but Aragaki stayed silent. His attention was taken by how Shirahane-san hugged himself. He noticed his shaking arms and wondered what worried him so much. He looked like he was going to speak when Satonaka-sensei interrupted.
"Maybe he got himself a lover?"
Well, that escalated quickly.
Satonaka-sensei's adding salt to the wound, Aragaki was sure of that. And how Shirahane-san coughed as if he were choking only strengthened Aragaki's assumption about a certain Aikawa/Shirahane relationship. Izumi, apparently, was in his airheaded mode, or he just too irritated, because then he gaped in shock.
"Th-that must be it!"
Aragaki decided to neutralize the situation. He glanced at Shirahane-san, who was still hugging himself. Maybe he isn't ready. "Geez, you," he said to Izumi. "Aikawa already told us he'd be busy for a while with his job."
At first Aragaki thought Izumi had let it go, but he suddenly dropped the bomb. This time, Aragaki wished he weren't friends with this annoying class clown.
"True—but you never know! You remember how in high school he found himself a girlfriend without anyone realizing?"
The moment Izumi finished speaking, Shirahane-san looked crestfallen, and Aragaki didn't have a choice but to go with the flow. "But at least he introduced her to us later."
"True!" Izumi laughed and Aragaki wondered if he still wanted to take revenge for Aikawa's frequent absence to Shirahane-san. He wondered if Izumi had the same idea as he was, for he knew both of them wanted it so badly. "That Kae-chan was a cutie!"
"What was she like?"
Aragaki, who was attempting to pull Izumi away from their senior and teacher, was stopped by Shirahane-san's quiet question.
"Huh?" Izumi asked, looking at him.
"Oh no, just..." Shirahane-san looked even more anguished than before. "Ah... Aikawa's a pretty serious guy, right? I was wondering what kind of girls he went for... I can't really imagine it..."
Now, Izumi had the decency to look uncomfortable, but Aragaki knew he also didn't have the choice but to answer. "She was a real cutie, one year our junior. She had this poofy chestnut curls and always called him 'Aikawa-senpai' even... right?"
He was looking at Aragaki, who finally nodded. "Yeah. I forgot... why did they break up?" He actually didn't forget. He'd never forget things like this. He just didn't want to be the one saying it.
Izumi let out their last conclusion, which had been in their heads since Aikawa broke up with Kae. "Dunno—maybe it just fizzled out, I guess...?"
Shirahane-san's crumpling expression got a bit too much, and Aragaki pulled Izumi away after briefly saying their farewell to the two.
"Gakki."
"Don't call me Gakki," Aragaki said with a sigh when they were far enough. "What?"
"What... do you think happen to Aikawa? Are we waiting for another Kae-chan? I'm still wondering why Aikawa brings Shirahane-san's name a bit too much recently."
Aragaki wanted to hit him so badly. Izumi was indeed in his absent-minded mode.
*.*.*
"Pfft! Yikes! What a sour face!"
"Come on, Izumi, Aikawa's doing his best here."
There were some times when Izumi (or Aragaki) wanted to eat at Aikawa's workplace. It was a famous cafe for college students, especially girls who wanted to ogle beautiful waiters. Aikawa was one of them, but he didn't seem to care. The real reason why Aragaki and Izumi didn't really want to go there was because they wanted to give Aikawa his personal space.
But sometimes, it wasn't wrong to pay a visit, especially after that kind of conversation. After Izumi had done his class, they went to the cafe, and Aragaki silently requested to be served by Aikawa. From his face, Aragaki knew Izumi would bring that topic up to him.
That was certainly what he wanted to do, Aragaki was sure. But (un)surprisingly, Aikawa was the one who brought him up, right after he finished taking out their orders.
"Shut up. Don't make the same comments as Nanao-san."
"Hm?" Aragaki couldn't help but to hum in surprise at the adoration hidden beneath his tone.
"Ooh!" Izumi spoke up. "I actually had a conversation with Shirahane-san today!"
"What did you discuss?"
Aragaki didn't miss the alerted look on Aikawa's face, and so did Izumi (most probably), even though they didn't say anything about it. "Well, it was more of a conversation with Satonaka-sensei," Izumi replied. "You remember we sat in on one of his lectures? Oh right, right! And then Shirahane-san was standing beside him. Just that!"
The terrifying look Kuon threw at them was shocking for Izumi, who was visibly shivering under that intense gaze. But then Aikawa blinked and the look was gone, replaced by a thoughtful one. Aragaki was going to speak when someone called for Aikawa, telling him to take his orders.
"I'll see you later," Aikawa hurriedly said before leaving.
They planned to wait for Aikawa so they could go home together, but Izumi's brother told him to go home and Aragaki didn't want to tell Aikawa about the conversation earlier by himself. So he followed Izumi home, both of them walked in silence.
"Gakki," suddenly Izumi called. His tone was so serious Aragaki forgot about his usual 'don't call me Gakki' comeback.
Knowing that he'd got Aragaki's attention, Izumi continued. "Aikawa once told me… he wants to earn some travel funds."
"And?" Aragaki had thought…wondering about many things, but this time he couldn't see the relevance between Aikawa and travel funds.
"Maybe that's why he takes this shift? Y'know… my friend worked there too, she said you don't have to take two or more shifts if you don't want to."
That stopped Aragaki's legs from walking. Travel funds… hey, Aikawa had mentioned it once to him as well. But it was a long time ago—he wasn't sure if Aikawa had known Shirahane-san back then—he merely remembered hearing the words 'travel funds' and 'my brothers' in a same sentence so he only looked at his friend with uncertainty. "He told me about that too. I don't remember much."
"You, Gakki, don't remember? Are you sure?" Izumi teased his sudden lack of memory. Between the three of them, Aragaki was the smartest, Aikawa the most diligent, and Izumi the cheeriest. So forgetfulness was certainly not Aragaki's cup of tea.
"Yeah," Aragaki admitted. "I only remember him saying he wanted to take his brothers travelling. I can be wrong." Or maybe Aikawa just didn't tell me the truth.
The last thought made him wonder what kind of friend Aikawa was to them. He hurriedly shoved the wondering to the back of his mind—for Aikawa was the most honest guy he'd ever met—and looked back at Izumi.
Izumi looked unconvinced, but he shrugged. "Lemme tell you something, Gakki," he said, resuming his walking, Aragaki followed. "Aikawa's hiding something, I'm sure of that."
"I guess so too."
"See? Even The Smart-ass Gakki-sama agreed with me!"
Aragaki glared at him. "Shut up." He wanted to correct the '-sama' part by stating the fact that he was even younger than Izumi—who was the oldest of them all, surprise surprise—but he was just too tired for more banter, even a joking one. Wondering about what was going on between Aikawa and Shirahane-san was exhausting enough.
Izumi laughed out loud. He was an endless ball of energy, and most of the times either Aikawa or Aragaki was grateful of that. "Oh, c'mon, Gakki! You know he's hiding something!"
Aragaki hummed, which made him feel like Aikawa. Hearing that, Izumi slipped back to seriousness.
"Should we ask him?" he suddenly asked. "I mean… it's bothering me that he always cancels and runs off without us knowing. I don't want him to… well, y'know, Gakki…fade away or something. C'mon, Gakki, you're the smart one. Think of something."
Aragaki sighed. "I don't know, okay?" he admitted truthfully. "I also want to ask him, but do you remember him and Kae? The more you pester him, the more he shuts up."
"You're right." Izumi pursed his lips in annoyance. They arrived on a T-junction which separated their ways. "Well, see you later, Gakki."
Aragaki merely nodded and they went separate ways. It was so rare seeing Izumi with that thoughtful expression.
*.*.*
The topic about Shirahane-san didn't come out until days later. Izumi got rather complicated assignments which took his attention completely from everything, including his girlfriend. This was also a reason why he became a ghost in the university library as well, much to Aragaki's glee. Aikawa also noticed this, and how his lips quirked every time Izumi complained about the teacher or the assignments showed Aragaki that he was just as amused.
But today something was different. When Aragaki met Aikawa in a class they shared together, he could see fatigue in his face and faint purple bags under his eyes. He was going to ask when the teacher walked in and started the lesson.
"Let's go to the library," Aikawa offered after the class was over. "Izumi needs some help."
They silently walked there; the only sound was their feet shuffling against the bright marble floor. Aragaki was used to this kind of silence, but that didn't mean he could help the slight awkwardness. He rarely talked with Aikawa if Izumi wasn't there to break the ice.
Izumi was being his cheery self when he saw them. He waved and laughed and chattered as Aikawa and Aragaki helped him with his tasks. Aragaki was reading a passage to help Izumi to answer when suddenly Aikawa spoke.
"What did you tell Nanao-san when you met him and Satonaka-sensei?"
It didn't sound blaming, Aragaki knew that. Aikawa was merely curious about that. He realized that he hadn't had the chance to ask them yet.
Izumi exchanged glances with Aragaki before telling Aikawa the truth. "It's about you getting a lover—then I mentioned about Kae-chan… and things just continued from there."
Aikawa's immediate reaction was priceless, and if the situation weren't that serious, Aragaki was sure Izumi would've joked about filming that gaping face.
"What? You told Nanao-san about Kae?"
He sounded genuinely shocked, and Aragaki was worried that he'd bash them or something. "Yeah—but only a little!" he defended. "Like how she had brown hair… how cute she was…"
Izumi looked up from the book he was writing on and threw an apologetic gaze at his stoic friend. "Oh—I might've said that it fizzled out, sorry!"
Aikawa still stared at them with his usual hard stare, but they were used to it so neither cared. The look he'd given in the café was much more terrifying.
"But—" Izumi carried on, "The guy looked like… he wanted to know."
The hard stare changed into Aikawa's usual pensive one, and Aragaki was going to say that Aikawa could tell them everything when he suddenly stood. "Hey—where are you going, Aikawa?" he asked in surprise.
"Something came up. I'm heading out."
Without further adieu, he was gone, leaving an astonished Aragaki and a gaping Izumi.
"Eh?! But we're going for lunch later!" Izumi finally found his voice again as he shouted to thin air. He turned to Aragaki.
"The hell's going on, Gakki?" he asked, and Aragaki pretended not to hear as he continued to immerse in the book he'd been reading.
*.*.*
It happened so fast.
It was only a day later that Aragaki got a confirmation of his theory. Or an 'inkling', like what he'd told Izumi. He shared a morning class with Izumi but not with Aikawa, so they didn't see him until midday.
The first one who saw him was Aragaki, who was walking and listening to Izumi's joke from his girlfriend. He'd recognize that fluffy-trimmed jacket everywhere. "Huh? Aikawa?"
"Whoa!" As if he were electrocuted, Izumi stopped laughing. He started waving instead. "It's him! HEY!"
Aikawa stopped walking and stared at them as if he'd never seen them before. Why is he in such a hurry?, Aragaki asked himself. He doesn't have any more class, and his working shift starts three hours from now. But his worried face felt like a slap for Aragaki.
He's looking for...
"Izumi! Aragaki! Have you seen Nanao-san?"
...Shirahane-san?
"Huh?" Izumi was baffled, but Aragaki was sure he thought the same thing. "Oh, Shirahane-san...? No..."
"What're you so worked up for?" Aragaki asked, because he just didn't really want Shirahane-san to fill Aikawa's top priority. Probably he was too late.
"Y'know, you've been acting really weird lately!" Izumi added. From his expression, Aragaki thought he was going to ask about Shirahane-san's connection to him, but he surprisingly didn't. "You're hiding something, aren't you?"
So Izumi's playing dumb. An old technique for nosing around, but it always works.
Aragaki decided to repeat the words he'd said to Aikawa, back then when he saw Shirahane-san walking on that open corridor. "If there's something wrong, tell us... we'll hear you out."
That fully stopped Aikawa on his tracks. He really stood there, staring at them in silence. His expression softened, and Aragaki could see the yesterday's exhaustion in his face. He wondered what was running in Aikawa's mind, until he replied.
"Thanks."
It sounded loud and clear, much clearer than the 'thanks' Aikawa'd said to Aragaki back then. But Aikawa wasn't finished, because he suddenly smiled. "I'll...tell you two soon."
Then he turned back and was gone. Izumi was a bit too annoyed to be left behind again, and he shouted, "You'd better!"
Aragaki himself didn't have the time to feel annoyed, because Aikawa's expression when he said Shirahane-san's name made him understand.
"Hm... I think I've got the inkling now..."
Izumi looked back at him. "Huh?! How? What is it?"
"You aren't as oblivious as Aikawa, Izumi." Aragaki gave a small smile and shook his head. "You know what I mean."
Izumi flushed and coughed. "Alright, alright, you got me!" But then he resumed his serious demeanour. "Do you think we should wait?"
Aragaki repositioned his bag as he walked away, Izumi followed. "Izumi. Aikawa's the most honest guy I've ever known."
"Me too!"
"Then when he said he'll tell us soon, he'll tell us soon."
"Right. Besides, it'll just ruin the story of them both." Izumi let out a laugh. "Let's just go home, c'mon, Gakki!"
That was exactly what they did. And this time, Aragaki didn't wonder too much anymore.
FIN.
A/N: Speaking about Izumi being 'naïve' and 'absent-minded' at the same time, he's actually more like Nagahisa. I always believe that Nagahisa, despite his absent-minded behaviour, isn't as naïve as Towa because he mostly understands about Towa's relationship (and that red mark on his body).
To me, he just doesn't want to come to terms that Mikado is dating Towa; he just wants to keep Towa 'pure, clean, and adorable little brother' forever. Besides, 'naïve' and 'absent-minded' aren't two words with a same meaning.
I don't put a scene where Kuon introduces Nanao 'properly' to his two friends because I'm not sure how it'll come out. I hope it'll exist in canon, tho. Hope you enjoyed your read!