Chapter Nine

The party began without a hitch. The group gathered in the cafeteria, sharing drinks and fun stories they never had a chance to tell during academy life. Parties were the only time they got to be themselves and relax, for the most part. For some of them, it took a little liquid courage, but for most of them, it just took nice company and the evening off. Sitting in a quiet corner of the cafeteria, Chihiro tucked his heels beneath his chair and stared at his fellow classmates. Mondo sat in a chair beside him, thumbing the edge of his almost empty cup. "Are you having fun?" Chihiro questioned, noticing his boyfriend's cheery red cheeks. After the drinking game he endured with some of the other guys, Mondo was quite drunk. Chihiro sat this one out, especially with their announcement bubbling within his mind.

"Yeah, I am," Mondo grinned, nuzzling his chin against Chihiro's shoulder. He brushed his lips against the smaller boy's blushing cheek, letting a laugh escape against his skin. "You?"

"Yes," Chihiro giggled himself, bunching up his shoulders because his boyfriend's breath tickled. They had been residing in the cafeteria for a while now and soon here, Chihiro was going to need sleep for his bus ride tomorrow. Although he was enjoying the company and the fact that his boyfriend was having fun, he wanted to get this secret off his shoulders. He had been harboring it for much too long and wanted everyone to know. And everyone seemed happy, meaning there was a possibility they would be less inclined to pick on him. Able to accept the secret easier. Things were going to be okay. He just kept telling himself that. "You think we should... tell everyone now?"

"Right now?" Mondo slurred and narrowed his eyes. His once charming, but goofy smile diminished and he set his cup on the table. "But we got... like hours. It can wait."

"But it's getting kind of late and you know I need to be up early," Chihiro explained, turning his face to meet his partner's. Mondo jerked his head up, startled when his chair shifted. He had been lifting the front legs off the ground since his feet were of course propped on the table. Slamming both the legs of his chair and his own feet on the ground, he sat up straight in his chair. "You said you wouldn't back out..."

There was a long pause of silence as Mondo seemed to gaze over the entire cafeteria. He studied their fellow classmates, his eyelids drooped in a drunken demeanor. Everyone was having a awesome time, and despite her sparked interest earlier, Junko had left them be the rest of the night. She was currently across the way, squishing into some selfies with Leon and Sayaka in attempts to bring them closer. She was the unofficial resident match maker, except she wasn't that great at it. Chihiro narrowed his eyes. She would be the harshest on the two. She looked for reasons to pick on everyone, so the couple handing her one was going to be free fuel. But Chihiro accustomed to her incessant nonsense. It was the dirty looks and whispered words from others that he feared the most. But that wouldn't happen. Everything would be fine.

Reaching beneath the table, Chihiro squeezed his boyfriend's hand. He leaned his head to the left, resting his warm cheek against Mondo's shoulder. "I know," the biker groaned, lowering his head just a bit. His body shivered for a moment as he stared into the bottom of his now empty up, watching the way the few last drops slipped along the base. He took in a huge breath and looked around. For a second it look as though he was searching for the quickest way out of the cafeteria. "I... won't..." His voice was hesitant. His fingers tightened around Chihiro's beneath the table and he just stared. Stared at all their classmates while they chatted with one another, laughing and smiling. Preparing to enjoy the holiday ahead of them.

"Just think of how much easier this will be..." Chihiro offered, squeezing his boy's hand. They did show affection in front of the others, but Mondo was still always so hesitant. Chihiro could not understand if Mondo was nervous to show his love in front of the classmates because it embarrassed him. Or because he didn't want to lead on to their secret. He was affectionate behind closed doors to the point where they had almost... well, kind of like the first night they hit it off. But around the group, he was antsy and would duck behind corners just to steal a kiss. Despite being the first to say it, he would just bumble to himself when Chihiro would say "I love you" around others.

Feeling the weight of his boy's head against his shoulder, Mondo swung his attention towards his partner. His eyes followed all the way down Chihiro's arm where their hands tangled beneath the table. They hid, their hands a secret from the rest of the crowd. Although anyone looking over was smart enough to notice the hand hold, he still felt more comfortable with it at their side. Although... "That would be nice..." he stated and Chihiro sighed through a smile.

"Then let's tell everyone right now," the smaller boy stated, his voice as firm as his grip around Mondo's hand. He noticed a quick shift in the mass of students. Junko had propelled herself from the photo taking, shouting something across cafeteria. With the music and other chatter it was a little difficult to hear her, though. It seems as though she had come up with some fabulous idea, but it seemed it was only interesting to her. A few of the other students laughed and hollered along side her before she headed their way. An ecstatic Asahina trailed behind her.

"We're going to go swimming!" Asahina yelped, slamming her hands down against the table, causing Mondo to jerk in his chair. He had drank far too much.

Chihiro sniffled through his nose, the word bringing a shiver up his spine. Back to this again. He stared at Junko, who crossed her arms beneath her bosom with a sense of pride. She came up with this idea and she gave a look to Chihiro like she knew. She knew he didn't like dressing out, and she knew he didn't like swimming. "Have fun," the boy giggled anyway, feeling Mondo's hand retreat from their hold. His boyfriend perched his elbows against the table top, staring down towards his lap as if he were going to be sick. But Mondo wasn't doing it because he was ill. He didn't want to look at Junko.

"Have fun? You're coming with us! Both of you," Junko purred, sliding her finger across the table towards Mondo. Chihiro watched her tap at the top of his hand until the biker glanced up, immediately adverting his attention across the room. When ignored, she instead reached out and raked her fingers through his hair. "Don't want to get your pretty hair messed up?" she laughed and Chihiro stiffened in his chair. She was doing it on purpose. "Although it would look good all wet since you let it down..." Chihiro huffed. Only he could tell Mondo his hair looked nice down. Only he could run his fingers through Mondo's hair. He clenched his now abandoned fingers beneath the table, resting his shaking fist against his thigh. Asahina just laughed, her cheeks rosy with alcohol. She also tried to reach out to touch his hair, but Mondo leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest. A tick of annoyance fled his lips, but he didn't say anything. He didn't react with yelling like he did against most people. He didn't spout any profanity or threaten to punch her. He just sat quiet, squirming in his chair while trying to find something else to look at. He didn't even look at Chihiro.

The boy's blood began to boil. What was she getting at? "I think you've had too much to drink. It may be dangerous for you to go swimming," Chihiro offered with a sweet, but bitter sneer. He was biting his tongue from making a snide comment about her chest saving her life in case of drowning. He thought it was a witty comeback, but couldn't force his lips to say it. Plus, he didn't want to insult Asahina in the process. So he thought of the next best thing. "Besides, last time you woke up under the bleachers..."

"We're going swimming! Get your suits on! Come on!" Junko exclaimed, shoving her hand towards Chihiro's face. Whipping around on her heel, she grabbed Asahina by the hand and the two began to zip towards the door. No! Chihiro jolted up his chair, grabbing the attention of his partner. He watched their fellow classmates begin to assemble towards the doors as well. Most of them just seemed curious where Junko and Asahina were dashing off to in a hurry, but this was horrible. If they all made it to that pool, it was going to be impossible to bring them back to tell them.

Chihiro jolted upward, his chair sliding from behind him and crashing heavy against the ground. The sound echoed throughout the cafeteria and a few of the students stopped, glancing back at him now. "Chi..." Mondo murmured, a hint of fear gathered in his throat.

"Everyone..." Chihiro mumbled at first, raising his hand with hesitance as if he were in class.

"Chi..." Mondo warned again. He leaned forward in his chair, bracing himself for the words that were about to erupt from his boy's mouth.

"Excuse me! Everyone!" the smaller of the two then shouted as he noticed a few of them slipping out of the cafeteria door. Naegi stopped, tugging Sayaka by her sleeve for her to come to a halt. Leon ducked back into the cafeteria, startled by the rise in Chihiro's voice. Little by little, just his simple yell drew in the collective attention of their classmates. Junko wandered back inside, pushing herself to the front of the crowd with a look of cocky amusement slapped on her face.

Taking in a few hard breaths, Mondo warned one final time, "Chihiro..."

But the boy ignored it, having waited too long and keeping this secret buried down his whole life. He wanted them to know. They were his friends, after all. How long could he continue lying? "I hope that... everyone's having a great time," he began, hesitating to glance back at his partner. If he saw even an inch of pain in Mondo's face, he would give up. Deep down, he knew it was best for the both of them and Mondo had promised he wouldn't run. Chihiro, exhausted from preparing to tell everyone, couldn't start back at page one. He wanted to go back to his father with a clear head so he could tell him everything and feel proud of who he was and the person he chose to be with. "And I know we're... all about to leave for holiday. Some of us will stay, but we're not all going to be together for the next couple of weeks... So there's something I want to tell everyone."

The group stepped in closer, a few of them gathered right before the cafeteria table. Chihiro could hear Mondo shift in his chair behind him, but didn't notice him running off. That was good. He wasn't fleeing just yet. "Over the past couple of years, we have gotten to know each other well," the boy began, folding his shaking hands over his heart. It was beating like crazy, threatening to jump out of his rib cage. And his fingers were trembling. The closer his fellow students got, the more light headed he felt. And he hadn't even drank like the rest of them. Staring at their faces, some of them with a rosy glow from their inebriation, he reminded himself that this was the best time. It had to happen now or it would be months down the line before he could ever gather the courage to say it again. "But..."

Chihiro hesitated, watching Junko narrow her eyes with that knowing smile. She cocked her head back as she if she knew exactly what he was about to say. After all, she knew Mondo well enough to realize the reason he dumped her was because he had feelings for Chihiro. Or that was what Chihiro gathered from it. How often did they still talk? Did Mondo still confide in her? Would he tell her, of all people, such a dark secret about not only Chihiro, but himself. He took in a strong breath and let his hands drop to his side. "I'm afraid I haven't been completely honest with you all."

There was another squeak from Mondo's chair and for a second, he caught himself glancing backwards. But before he could even look his boyfriend in the eyes, he turned towards the group. Mondo wasn't running. He was keeping to his promise, at least for now. "When I was... little..." he began, his chest beginning to tighten. The words were flooding through his head. Although he had been trying to enjoy himself, he spent most of the evening rehearsing exactly how he would tell everyone. So far so good. "A lot of people bullied me because I wasn't strong." He could never run fast. He would never dare bring a fist to anyone's face. And he didn't have the guts to spout off his anger. So he got bullied. "So I did the only thing I could think to do. I hid..."

Another thick breath from behind him. He could feel Mondo growing uncomfortable in his chair. They couldn't hide forever. "I figured hiding who I was is much better than getting picked on by people I wanted to call friends. And a lot of you might get mad at me. And I can understand if you never want to talk to me again, but I have to tell you guys. Because it's not fair to lie to your friends." And then it happened. The words just kept coming like they did in the laundry room the time he spouted his heart off to Mondo. He couldn't stop. Everything he had been storing up inside since he was a child. "I just want you all to accept me for who I am and know what I've been hiding so I can stop sitting here everyday, thinking that you're judging me. Or judging me as someone I'm not. I just need you all to know..."

His chest tightened. His voice caught in his throat. His entire body grew warm and he thought he may collapse. But he couldn't stop now. Even if he wanted to run away, he had spoken too much and his classmates would pester him until he spoke the truth. He had to say it now. And even though he knew that after he let the truth leave his lips that his heart would feel lighter, it would still hurt for a few days. "I... am..." he huffed, lowing his head. His attention darted towards the floor at the glossy surface of his flats. Things began to go out of focus and he thought for a second that he may pass out. Placing a hand on the table before him, he mustered every last bit of strength in his body and admitted with his tiny voice, "I'm not a girl."

There was silence. A few students shifted in their place. Chihiro shut his eyes, terrified to look at them. Were any of them smiling? Were most of them disgusted? Did they even hear him? "I started... dressing like a girl because... I thought it would cover up my weakness," he then continued, his other hand grasped around the collar of his blouse. "But now I look around at you strong girls and realized... how horrible of an assumption I've had."

Chihiro finally perked his attention from the floor, gazing over the gathering of students. Junko remained at the front of the pack, that confident smile perched on her face. Everyone else held a look of shock, some with confusion, but no one looked offended. Maybe this was going to be easier than he thought. Of course, he hadn't looked at Mondo yet. "I can't go the rest of our school lives lying to you... and I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. But please understand that it's been difficult living like this. But I just want to... be honest."

The screech of wood against tile erupted throughout the cafeteria from behind him. He whipped his head towards his partner, who was now standing with his head hung low between his shoulders. This wasn't good. He didn't seem happy, but he also wasn't lashing out in front of the crowd. He was solemn, which was never a good state for Mondo. "Hey," Chihiro offered as the weight lifted from his heart. They all knew and no one was freaking out. But now there was Mondo's situation to address. In telling them that he was a boy, then that meant Mondo... Reaching out, he grabbed his lover's hand for protection and intended to stand beside him. But before he could even take a step backwards, Mondo jerked his grip away. His fist rested at his side, clenched and shaking. Oh no. He was going to back down. "Mondo, please..."

Mondo said nothing, storming away from the table. He shoved through a couple of their classmates, stopping a direct pathway towards the door. Things weren't supposed to happen this way. "Mondo, wait!" Chihiro yelped, clamoring from behind the table and almost stumbling in the process. But before he could make it past his fellow students, a particular blonde stood in his path.

"Did you not tell him?" Junko scoffed and the other students attention fled to the boy.

Chihiro was too shaken to respond. The backlash of the model's words zoomed in on him and he felt the eyes of every classmate focus in his direction. Of course he told Mondo. Maybe not immediately, but he told him. Mondo knew the entire time. "I..." he breathed, his chest beginning to shrink. He felt his pulse quicken and it felt as though someone had cut off the air conditioning. "Just tell them," he thought to himself, his hazel eyes darting to everyone. His face wrapped in confusion, Ishimaru began to inch towards the door, more than likely wanting to aid his biker friend. "Be honest. Tell them Mondo knew." But he couldn't say it, because then that would make Mondo look bad.

So instead of telling them the truth about the relationship, he also pushed himself for the exit of the cafeteria. He was intent on finding his boyfriend to make it all right again. Who knows where Mondo had even ran off to, but Chihiro hoped that he was in his room. A few of the classmates called out his name, but his little feet ran so fast that they were bounds away from him now. Standing in front of the second room on the left in the dorm hallway was Ishimaru, his finger rapid against the call button on the door. He called out to Mondo, even slamming his fist against the door, but there was no answer. Chihiro's paced slowed and he approached the boy, swallowing hard with his fists balled against his chest. "Fujisaki-san..." Ishimaru breathed, his face flushed red with embarrassment of the discovery. He looked as though he wished to say more, his eyes hurt, but more concerned than anything. Mondo was a dear friend of his, as was Chihiro, so more than likely, he just wanted to make things right.

Stepping out of the way, he bowed his head, knowing that Chihiro wanted to speak with his boyfriend. And he was right. Chihiro was furious. Upset, angry, and ready for this nightmare to end. Mondo promised he wouldn't back down, and he ran the second he got an opportunity. The young boy smacked his hand against the call button beside the door. "Mondo!" he yelled into it, his eyes already bubbling over with warm tears. His voice began to scratch as he just continued to call his name over and over. He hoped that somewhere in there, his boyfriend would hear how desperate he was. "Please open the door! I just want to talk to you!" His voice grew higher and frantic, his fingers clawing at the call button. Certainly the noise buzzing out in his dorm would be enough to irritate Mondo into opening the door. "Please!"

The patter of footsteps resonated throughout the hallway as the horde of students gathered around him. He felt his heartbeat quicken, sure he was going to have a heart attack right here. He knew there would be some repercussions, but he never imagined it would be from his boyfriend backing out. Chihiro would never out Mondo without his consent. That was why he was extra cautious when Mondo told him just hours ago that he was finally ready. He should have went with his gut instinct and just denied his boyfriend right then. He was right in assuming that Mondo wasn't ready. But there was no taking it back now. They all knew. It was either rat Mondo out and let everyone knew that he knew Chihiro was a boy from the beginning of their relationship. Or pretend that he was in the wrong and lied to Mondo. "Open the door!" the programmer yelled, now beating his fist against it.

The tears burned his eyes and his cheeks tingled from the warmth of crying. This was not how he wanted the holiday break to happen. He wanted to head home and tell wonderful things to his father. Not spend his entire holiday angry. And that's when he realized that he was more enraged about all this instead of upset. Things like this would leave him heartbroken and he would throw himself into a pit of despair and worthless tears. But this time, it was all anger. Anger that Mondo had backed out on him. Anger that Junko had to stick her nose in it. He hoped no one was thinking Chihiro didn't tell Mondo before she opened her big mouth. "He won't open the door," Chihiro heard the conniving blonde behind him utter. And without even looking at her, he knew that she had a self absorbed grin smacked across her face.

Why did she have to butt in? "I can't believe you wouldn't say something to him," she murmured, a softness to her voice. It may have been soft, but Chihiro could hear straight through it. She was just trying to deceive the rest of their classmates. The tightness in Chihiro's chest caused him to let out a shaken exhale and he tapped the button beside the door once more. Who were they hurting by being together? "Your boyfriend, of all people, should know first."

"Junko," Sayaka muttered, noticing the programmer's body shaking. He faced away from the other students. He wasn't even scared to look at them any longer. He was afraid of what he may do to Junko if he were to turn around. Rubbing his sleeve against his cheek, he soaked up just a small patch of the tears dripping from his skin. Embarrassed, patches of red spreading over his cheeks like wildfire. It burned, his skin itched. He just wanted Junko to shut up because she didn't have a single understanding of their situation. How could she? She was never criticized for anything in her life, aside from her rude mouth. But even then, she didn't care.

Unable to head the songbirds warning, Junko continued. "Were you going to hide it from him for the whole relationship?"

"Junko, that is enough," Sakura's strong voice bellowed. Chihiro shrunk down, reminded of his mistake for assuming he could hide his weakness behind being a girl. He was still being weak, standing among them all, unable to defend himself. He was just letting Junko trash talk him in front of everyone. It wasn't her business if he wanted to tell Mondo or not. If he wanted to keep it a secret, that was his decision. Wrong or not... it was his decision.

"Enough? You're okay with this little brat lying to us like that? And really, I don't care if he lied to me," Junko retorted, her voice loud throughout the hallway. Chihiro stopped pressing the button, knowing Mondo wouldn't be coming out anytime soon. Not if he knew everyone was on the other side. "He lied to Mondo. They've been together for like... half a year now!" It wasn't any of her business. Their relationship was none of their business. She knew nothing about them. What they had discovered about one another. The connection they had formed. The promises they made to help one another grow stronger during their time together. And now all her ranting was going to ruin everything.

"What were you going to do after you got out of high school? What if he wanted to get married? Have kids?" Some of the students shuffled and Chihiro cocked his attention over his shoulder, seeing the look of worry on many of their faces. Some of them seemed troubled by Junko's words, and he couldn't tell if they were preparing to side with her or Chihiro. All he knew was that if she didn't quiet soon, he would do something he would regret. His fist beat against the door before he let his fist slide along the shiny surface. Mondo wasn't coming out. It was hopeless at this point. All that he could do now was face his fellow students and make up more lies to protect him. Because Mondo wasn't going to come out to the class himself.

Junko was already giving out enough to fuel the lies. Did she care about Mondo that much? "It's selfish. And I understand you want to keep your secret, but if you cared about him, you would have told him." That was it. She had made one horrible assumption. Yes, he covered up his secret for years because he didn't find himself strong enough to let them know. And yes, at first, he didn't tell Mondo the truth. But it was because he cared about him that he blurted out the truth. He could have just as easily told Mondo he wasn't comfortable with him being in his room that night. He could have asked him to leave because he wasn't interested in him. But it was because he liked Mondo and because he cared for him that he instead told him he was a boy. It made matters more difficult, but worked out in the end. "I would be pretty upset, too, if I found out that-"

And then it happened. The anger took over. Chihiro found himself doing something he could never see himself doing to another person in all his lifetime. He pushed away from the door and puffed out his chest. Chihiro came face to face with the vile woman spouting lies about something she would never understand. He could feel his hand trembling at his side and in a blind rage much like Mondo's, he drew it back and smacked her clear across the cheek. The sound reverberated throughout the hallway. Some of the students gasped, surprised that such a small person was capable of such a hard hit. His palm ached and before he could run away himself, another classmate swept him back. "You bitch!" Junko yelped, her hand pressed against her already reddening cheek. She lunged out, intent on getting her hand around Chihiro's neck. But Sakura intervened, keeping the two apart.

Chihiro immediately felt guilty. He had never hit anyone or anything in his entire life. Had he had the bravery to fight anyone, he could have hit those bullies as a child and this wouldn't even be happening now. The tingle in his palm reminded him that for the first time in a long while, he had let his temper fly. And it wasn't on a pillow, or a stuffed animal. It was on a person. Someone who deserved it, but this wasn't like Chihiro. Squirming out of Ishimaru's grasp, his feet hit the floor and he ran. He ran faster than he did from the cafeteria. He wasn't sure where he was going to hide because now he was fleeing away from his room. Just somewhere to stay away from Junko. To stay away from his classmates. To go back into hiding, like he had his entire life. Because even though it wasn't a comfortable place to be, hiding always felt safer. He should have known better than to tell all his classmates.