Haru fiddles with the pencil in hand. He sits staring ahead at the wall. Choosing to watch the eggshell white paint age then start on any actual first day homework assignments. Bringing the pencil to his lips, he grimaces realizing what he's doing. He holds the pencil out in front of him, twirling the disgustingly bright pink utensil between his fingers.

Bubblegum.

Everything about that guy was bubblegum. Pink and cute and a hassle.

Haru drops the pencil. It isn't worth the time he's giving it. Haru digs through his own pencil box full of markers dried out of ink and worn down crayons. He pulls out a broken blue crayon and starts drawing.

He's about halfway done with his Crayola doodle when Rin gets back from work with Ai following behind him. "Honey, I'm home!" Rin calls out even though Haru is sitting right there in front of him.

"Welcome back," Haru doesn't bother to look up from his spot on the floor.

Rin places a bag of takeout food next to Haru and sits down. He watches Haru color as he eats. Almost choking on his takeout noodles once he catches a glimpse of the drawing.

Ai leans over Haru's shoulder and lets out a soft, "Wow."

"You drew that with crayons?" Rin sputters out.

Ai reaches his hand out to trace the lines of blue and pink.

Haru's stomach growls at the smell of dinner. He puts his notebook down, food more important than his doodle that was only a distraction from his real work.

Rin and Ai still stare at the picture. Haru watches them share a glance before they turn their eyes onto Haru. Smiles wide on their faces and eyes bright. Haru knows he's about to regret this drawing. It's so obvious now that he's gotten the chance to actually look at it. Like really look at it. The picture is of Mr. Bubblegum-Pencil's profile, gum in an exaggeratingly large bubble.

He rips out the page, only half actually tears out, and crumples it.

"Aw, c'mon, Haru!" Rin tries to pry the already ruined art out of Haru's hands. "Who's that supposed to be?"

Haru turns his head away. The part of the page that didn't tear out taunts him from its place on the floor.

"He's really cute," Ai giggles, trying to break the tension between Rin and Haru.

It works. Rin frowns, "Hey," he says with no real seriousness.

"You can be cute sometimes," Ai teases.

Haru finds himself getting front row seats to Rin and Ai's shameless display of flirting. They're staring a little too intimately at one another for Haru's liking. He coughs to interrupt them.

Rin pulls away with a red face. He gives Haru a look that Haru can't read and goes back to eating.

Haru tells himself there is nothing to be nervous for when he enters his art history class. Again, he's there a good twenty minutes early. It gives him enough time to open up his lunch and enjoy the much needed down time.

It doesn't last long.

In walks Mr. Bubblegum who spots Haru before he even has time to slink down in his seat. He runs up the steps and slides in the spot next to Haru. Haru tries to ignore him, he really tries. But he's got the smell of vanilla and kiwi assaulting his nose. It's like this guy is wearing the perfume middle school girls like. And he's popping bubble gum every thirty seconds.

"So," Oh no. He's talking to Haru, scoots in closer even, "Haru, was it?"

Haru grunts, mouth full of fish.

"Oh, yum! I haven't had a home-cooked meal since I left home." He eyes Haru's lunch with a little too much hope.

He starts laughing, "You don't have to look at me like that! I'm not asking for your food, just missing home."

Haru turns to look at him. Kis-something was his name. Mr. Bubblegum looks at the whiteboard, head resting on his hand. He has this look on his face, eyes glassy, a small smile. Haru is taken by surprise when turns to face him. Pink, wavy hair brushing against his arm. Slim, fox-like face looking back up at him.

"Are you from here?"

Haru closes his bento to pull out his notebook, "Iwatobi."

Bubblegum's face lights up, "Country boy? Wow!"

Haru doesn't know what he means by that

"I'm from here but my family just moved to Sendai. I miss them so much! I feel like I'm going to miss my little brother grow up and get taller than me." Haru realizes this guy has a voice that can't be ignored. He wants to listen.

"You have a brother?" Haru asks, picking at the cover of his notebook.

smiles brightly, "He's in middle school. Super cute and so popular with the ladies already! He's so shy I don't know if he can handle all the attention," He laughs.

Haru nods. He looks to the door and then the clock to see he still has ten minutes. He turns back to his notebook and flips through the pages. The guy is going on about something about his family when Haru interrupts, "What's your name?"

"Kisumi," He laughs. "You're really cute. We should be friends."

Haru has no interest in being friends.

"So something about that face tells me you got to see that guy again," Makoto smirks behind the textbook he's reading.

Kisumi caves. It's only Makoto, after all, probably the nicest guy he's ever met. "We sit together in Art History."

"Do you know his major?" always with the sensible questions.

If Kisumi had to guess, he'd think Art, just because he seems so nonchalant and kinda hippy-ish, but then there's such an unpredictable edge to him that he doesn't really want to assume, so he just shrugs instead.

"Is he joining any clubs, any teams?"

"Well, we've not really managed to talk… or I have. He hasn't. I think he's kinda… introverted?" because he's definitely not shy. Quiet, yes, but it seems a little more complex than that.

"Probably doesn't know what to do with you! So how are the rest of your classes? Or is Art History your new favourite?"

"Maaaaaybe," Kisumi finally joins Makoto on the couch and flops his head into his lap. "But they're alright. No Haru in those though.

"Oh Haru, is it?" Kisumi really needs to learn to resist Makoto's charms. He's relentless with the teasing. "Go on, what does he look like?"

"You're like an embarrassing parent, Makoto," Kisumi whines.

"No, go on, tell me. He must have something about him that's got you so giddy."

Haru is… pretty, striking, in a certain sort of way. He's so small and seems so delicate, but he's almost intimidating with how blank his face is. Kisumi hasn't seen one little hint of a smile and he's barely twitched into a scowl, and Kisumi keeps exaggerating his own expressions as if to make up for it. They're so… opposite, so maybe it's that old "opposites attract" thing coming into play, but…

"I'm not really sure he's all that into me, anyway," Kisumi mutters. In fact, Haru's probably nothing but annoyed with him, no matter how hard he's trying.

Makoto laughs. "Well, you're an acquired taste. Give him some time to get used to you. You can be a bit…"

"Full on?"

Makoto nods.

"Yeah… Do you think toning it down would help? Like, I could get all serious and studious and see if he's more into that type of guy."

"What, and give him whiplash when he uncovers the real you again? Just be yourself."

Right. Be himself. Just slide into the seat next to Haru and grin at him like he's not sort of suffocating on this school boy crush of his.

He marches into the room with good intentions. Maybe he'll offer Haru one of the cookies in his bag? Everyone bonds over food, right? He's in before Haru and sets up all his equipment, obsessively arranging and straightening his alignment of pens – it's a habit – and finally sees Haru plod into the room and look over.

He seems to deflate, which can't bode well, but sits next to him anyway.

"Hey, how's your day been?"

Haru just nods.

"Tired? Yeah… kinda sucks that we have this class in the afternoon. Is your schedule still as higgldy-piggldy as mine? Somehow I'm supposed to cram basketball tryouts in after this too!"

"What's your major?" Haru asks. It's always so sudden and unexpected when he talks, it takes Kisumi a second to find his answer.

"Architecture… so I'm doing some physics and maths classes too."

"Sounds stressful."

"What's yours?"

"Art."

Well look at that, he was right. Maybe he can read this guy better than he expected.

"Cookie?" Kisumi offers.

"Uh… sure. Thanks."

Dax: BOOP. These boys are too cute. So if you wanted a split, it's mostly me doing Kisumi's POV and my bae here doing Haru's, and for what a slut I am for Kisumi, I've never really written from him like this? AND I AM LOVING IT!

witchy_alien: wassup! I'm happy if you love and enjoy this like we are :)