Spring is almost over as the air around them is getting more humid. Chihiro discarded his chocolate blazer for the last two days but still maintained the long sleeve, Oxford button-down pale beige shirt.
He sure wish he had more guts like Mondo and Leon who showed up in class wearing nothing but plain t-shirts. They look a little bit too comfortable allowing their skin to breathe by the window as Ishimaru Kiyotaka is forcing the uniforms he got from lost and found box onto them.
Sayaka is busy, after her group trip to Singapore she had a quick break before they heavily focusing on their next album which made Sayaka missed the classes by a lot. But some people said that she's just trying to run away from facing both Makoto and Leon. It works just fine for them because they wouldn't know how to act around her anyway.
The first tri-mester results came around, Chihiro gets 8th place in their year despite barely studying. He guess it's inevitable where the students are extremely concerned with other matters, these tests are merely requirements of Hope's Peak Academy compliance to state education. Yet Chihiro, Byakuya and Ishimaru seemed to be a part of the minorities who cares, since they've declared their plans to a higher education.
It didn't matter much to the others, not when right after the test results came they all needed to prepare for the sports festival. All students must participate, despite the ultimate athletes of any kind will also be competing and eventually won their respective areas of specialty.
The school's attempt to balance encouraging unconventionalities and the state's basic standards of what a school should be always seemed off to Chihiro, but he guess he'll miss it anyway. This year's sports festival is going to be their last one yet, and for a brief moment of time in an especially humid, bright afternoon Chihiro likes to think the 78th-B class collectively forgot about the simulation as they're all painting the silly banner.
For a while it didn't matter who were accusing who when they're jokingly yelling at each other on the dirty innuendo typos, chasing after the other when a paint gets onto their uniform rolled sleeves. That Enoshima-san is simply working abroad at the time, not being held somewhere for mental recovery and they all kind of wish she's laughing with them now. She always had the best ideas when it comes to these crafting things, Chihiro reminisce fondly.
He wish Sayaka-chan and Fukawa-san are here too, he wish they don't blame themselves so much while taking their leaves.
They spent each after school hours in class now, preparing banners, class ribbon, flags and the additional training. Asahina will surely won the swimming match, Sakura-san is guaranteed to win the wrestling game and Leon will be a huge advantage at the bean-bag throwing but they still needed to prepare for the track field, volley match and decorations the school assigned for each classes.
Needless to say the past two weeks have been exhausting for everyone involved, they all complained about how there's literally no time to do everything on the list yet they all stayed even after dark. Chihiro love that the festival forcibly melts them together again, Byakuya ordered them hearty take out dinner every night and they would have nonsensical talks the way high school students do. Sometimes they fell into a comfortable, melancholic silence mid-painting and eating where he felt like everyone still can't believe this is their very last time.
Two days approaching the festival, the
class decided that they're all set and that they would take the next day off for rest. Leon already mumbling about skipping the whole school day to sleep after helping the class with match practices. They walk back together as a group for the past two weeks, sometimes they get to greet the other classes preparing, or simply heading back to the dorm as well and saw similar views of cheerful nonsense. But the senior classes like them had a different, somewhat gloomy and restraint laugh where they're all walking on eggshells with each other.
Senior year separation should feel melancholic and a little bit depressing, Chihiro suppose it's a rather universal experience for high schoolers anywhere. But it's so complex now, he had new judgements against each and everyone of them based on their decisions and word per word claims.
"Oy, Chihiro."
Chihiro glanced to his side, Byakuya ditched his blazer and rolled his long sleeved shirt hours ago, he looked rather agitated that Chihiro didn't respond to him immediately. They stood awkwardly by their room entrance and he wondered why Byakuya didn't unlock the door right away despite having the keys visible on his left hand.
The hallway is empty, there were some summer crickets and the lights are a little too white for Chihiro's taste, Byakuya held his gaze on him.
Nothing out of the ordinary except that he hasn't touched him since the last time Chihiro drooled in their couch. He prepared himself for Byakuya ever since, reciting his given name in whispers, cleaned himself back there, mentally ground himself not to get jumpy if Byakuya ever decided to slither in his bed but he never did.
But even now Byakuya merely shook his head on his previous unacknowledged account, unlock the door and gestured Chihiro to came in first.
Byakuya locked the door behind them after Chihiro finished tidying his shoes, dropped his bag on the floor and loosen his school tie.
"I'm showering first." He declared. Chihiro simply nodded, he has a pre-shower skin-care routine he needs to comply to anyways.
Once he cleansed his face and had a half-dried clay mask he's going to wash off in the shower, he heard Byakuya stepped out and rush to prepared his own pajamas. It feels good knowing that at least tomorrow the physically taxing activities will dwindle down, even though the day after tomorrow is the one they've been preparing for the last two weeks, Chihiro knows by experience that it wouldn't be the most exhausting one compared to the preparations. Plus, the day after that will be a Sunday and it wouldn't be long before their long awaited summer vacation.
So he decided to reward himself with a rather expensive line of lavender products. When he got out of the shower his skin felt so smooth he can't wait to be drunken by the calming scent in his sleep.
While he's blow drying his hair, Chihiro heard a series of knocks, and the wooden walls separating his and Byakuya's room slides without awaiting for his respond.
Byakuya's room is dark already, safe for a low-light bedside lamp. He wore a silk, deep black pair of pajamas, his glasses are off and he just stood by the wooden framing. Chihiro continues to dry his hair but maintained eye contacts, if he wanted to say something, Chihiro will not force it out of him.
"Will you be willing to sleep in my bed tonight?"
Chihiro's lips separated involuntarily at the notion. He gulped and pretended to continue mending his hair while he contemplates and then nod.
Byakuya didn't miss the faint gesture as he walk back and left the sliding door open. Chihiro steadied his breathing as quiet as he could, brushing his hair one final time and slides the wooden wall behind him.
It was very dark, the low yellow light does very little but it helps Chihiro place the room so he won't stumble upon anything. He saw Byakuya's form, already tucked in bed with his hands fold behind his head. Chihiro thought Byakuya was staring at the ceiling, but then noticed he was looking at him from his side eyes, waiting.
He climbed the queen sized carefully, as if he never touched a bed before. How oddly intimate is another person's bed he never understood it until now, even though it is identical to the one Chihiro slept in every night next door, only in a different sheet sets and duvet. His sheet smelled like a very faint kind of detergent, the rest of his room is tidy and Chihiro wondered if he will ever see Byakuya do some cleaning chores.
He dared himself to turn his face onto Byakuya's stare, and saw his hands unfolded, felt one of his cold hands snake into Chihiro's night dress. The hand tugged his hips closer to his own too easily. Chihiro almost yelped when he realized how his eyes are only 2 inches away from Byakuya's nose.
Byakuya drown his face in Chihiro's exposed neck, a sigh of relief? Or exasperation? Chihiro couldn't really tell the difference with a man's grunt. Especially the dishonest types like Byakuya. The quiet, obviously lonely yet unnecessarily sassy whenever he feels like it.
Chihiro breathes to Byakuya's chest, trying to relax his muscles but then Byakuya went on top of him. They're so close, inside the duvet, so close and it's too embarrassing. Chihiro tried to stare at the pillow Byakuya had left by his side but his chin was caught by another hand, equally cold as the one settling on his hip, and pulled to a kiss upwards. The hand on his hip went to support his bare back, so that Chihiro's neck doesn't felt too strained, but Chihiro's hands are still looking for stability so he settled on Byakuya's pajamas collar. The kiss, went from steady, long rhythm to a series of panting, wet licking sounds. Chihiro's brain tried so hard to think of numbers and rations whenever Byakuya nibble his bottom lip. He will not embarrassed himself by producing precum just from Byakuya's tongue on his, Chihiro decided.
When Chihiro is a ragged, drooling mess under him once again Byakuya stopped. He stares for a while, inspecting his work. Then he flops himself onto the bed murmuring to Chihiro's neck, "No, not tonight."
Chihiro is almost too frustrated. Almost. When he's sure Byakuya fell asleep on the back of his neck, he considers, heavily, to sneak out of his embrace and put on his own little plug while giving himself some nice strokes. The thought of doing it standing up, sticking his tongue out like a dog to Byakuya made him excited.
At the same time the spiking interest he himself felt scared by it, so much so that Chihiro's frustration were resolved and he went fast asleep. He did had a very exhausting week and still smelled like calming Lavender.
When morning barely comes, Chihiro crawls out and changed to his uniform. He don't really want to face Byakuya at the time so he went straight to the cafeteria and came first to their empty class.
The cold, cloudy friday morning felt like a mockery to the two weeks worth of heat and exhaustion they had endured. And then it rained quite heavily for the first three periods, but by noon the sun came out and it offers a refreshing air of humidity. The class were excited nonetheless, the lessons are completely ignored as everyone's elated and at the same time relief that they've done everything on the list.
The Ultimate Athletes always said that rest is one of the upmost important part of physical performance so they did as told and today everyone can go back to the dorm on time.
But when the dismissal bell rang, none of the 78th-B class got out. They all stayed to chat, argue about this and that, eventually Byakuya called in food take out again when the boys are starting to brawl over the tiny bag of candy Hifumi-kun brought with him.
Chihiro and Sakura-san were unpacking the take out meal for everyone when they heard the class's door slides open, hesitantly. Sayaka was peeking inside, she's a brave, outstandingly ambitious singer but now she's just a nervous little girl, pleading quietly through her eyes.
Her hands fisted on her sides, and she's about to recite a scripted apology but Makoto yelled "Sayaka, come in Togami-kun ordered a fancy gohan!"
Sayaka's lips separated for two seconds, and as Taka scoot over a chair for her, Chihiro handing her a box of meal with the chopsticks and everyone resumes the chattering, she accepted the sincerity by chewing in quietly. Eventually a light chuckle was heard from her and that's when Asahina break the news on Sayaka's position in the track fields, in which she gave a firm affirmation to give her all.
man this one is especially hard to write, senior year melancholic experience is universal i guess which makes it even harder to make it sound personal yet able to resonate the way i want it to. i hope you're enjoying this tho :)