p class="MsoNormal"Disclaimer: I do not own in whole or in part any characters or any aspects of Persona 5./p
p class="MsoNormal"emThis is my attempt to get a multi-chapter story started. This piece is just the prologue. Let me know what you think!/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"stronguTwenty-four hour boyfriend/u/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal"Yet another school week finished, a certain black-haired teenager mused to himself as he passed down the now crowded hallway. The final bell rang, signaling the end of the school week. The halls bustled with other teens excited to start their weekend plans./p
p class="MsoNormal"The girls were alight with glee, prattling on about going to Shibuya to shop for the latest summer. And the guys, they were excited to get to Akihabara to play the latest games./p
p class="MsoNormal"But as for Akira, just hearing about the seemingly mundane joys of his peers was enough to bring a smile to his face. After all the trouble he and the Phantom Thieves had gone through in the last few weeks through Mementos, starting to bring balance and good sense back to the hearts and minds of the people, a casual weekend was something he could fully enjoy now./p
p class="MsoNormal"The black-haired leader didn't make it far outside his last classroom before Yusuke waved him down./p
p class="MsoNormal""Hey leader." the artist swooned in his now famous overly enthusiastic tone/p
p class="MsoNormal""Hey Yusuke." Joker smiled back/p
p class="MsoNormal"The two comrades shared the walk back to the second-floor lockers. As the steps between them counted higher, the two shared the obligatory laughter and musings between friends, a stray comment made here and there about how tough their battles were, and how nice the pedestrian lifestyle would be for awhile./p
p class="MsoNormal"Which led to the stray, inquiring question from Fox./p
p class="MsoNormal""So what plans do you have this weekend…?" the slick artisan started. And as the pair turned the last corner leading to Akira's locker, his eyes caught that flash of sunflower yellow hair just down the hall. "…as if I need to ask." The bluenette smirked./p
p class="MsoNormal"Akira blinked at his friend, at first confused by the insinuation. Yusuke did not meet his friend's stare, his eyes locked firmly forward. And when Akira didn't get an explanation, his gaze turned straight ahead./p
p class="MsoNormal"And there, standing with his back to the nearest locker behind him, stood the self-proclaimed troublemaker of the Phantom Thieves: Ryuji Sakamoto. His chin was near touching his chest, like his head had grown too heavy with thought to bring it to attention. The box-dye blonde didn't register that his friends were walking toward him./p
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p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: wave windowtext 3.0pt; padding: 0in; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;"Then, with a growing sense of dread, the memories of that same morning came flooding back./p
/div
p class="MsoNormal"That whole morning, from the moment the blonde came to wait for Akira outside Leblanc so the two could walk to school together, he had been silent. Never uttering a word, barely even offering his usual devilish smile to the other. His eyes fell to the ground, and there they stayed./p
p class="MsoNormal"Not until the two actually made it to the Academy and were about to walk through the entrance, did he pull on his partner's sleeve./p
p class="MsoNormal""H-Hey…" was the first exchange the two had all morning. Ryuji's grip over Akira's sleeve tightened, almost as if he were afraid he would run. He pulled his black-haired stud to the side, out of view from everyone. When he was sure that the two had their privacy, he cracked./p
p class="MsoNormal""So, yeah…I've…uh…got somethin' to tell you." Ryuji stammered, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly./p
p class="MsoNormal""Yeah? You wanna talk to me now?" The taller teen chuckled, trying to tease his friend, easing the obvious tension he had./p
p class="MsoNormal"As if coaxed by the balmy breeze that swept up his back, the blonde loosed the words from his control./p
p class="MsoNormal""…Listen…I, think…I think I like you." Before the final syllable left his lips, that now familiar tightness threatened to squeeze his throat shut./p
p class="MsoNormal"A breath or two passed between the teens before either had the bravery to speak. Almost as if it were a dare, to see who would speak first./p
p class="MsoNormal""You…like me?" Akira repeated. "Well, I like you too Ryuji. You're my partner!" he placed his fist in front of his chest, asking for the obligatory bump./p
p class="MsoNormal""That's not what I meant, and you know it!" the red on his cheeks was noticeable, even to the black-haired teen./p
p class="MsoNormal"Another spring gust picked up behind the blonde, locking his brown eyes onto his forbidden secret./p
p class="MsoNormal"Almost instinctively, after the silence had been growing between the pair, the blonde slowly extended his arm back to the loose sleeve he had pulled before./p
p class="MsoNormal""Yeah, man. Look…I'm no good at these things. I just can't…deal with it anymore. Every night." He started to trail off./p
p class="MsoNormal""Ryuji..? I…what am I…" the thought could not complete itself. Before the words could form, they melted into the wind, and the morning bell rang./p
p class="MsoNormal"The intrusive screech yanked the two teens out from their stupor. And then the full gravity of the horror that just happened fell on Ryuji. He stiffened, his pupils shrunk, and immediately regretted what he had said./p
p class="MsoNormal""I'm sorry….RenRen…I mean Akira. I…didn't mean it…I just…need to get to class. I'll see ya after school."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The blonde ran past his friend, a shade of red kissed his cheeks, and swallowed his ears. And with no further explanation, he ran away from his companion, and sought shelter in the Academy./p
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p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: wave windowtext 3.0pt; padding: 0in; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;"Akira just stood there, for the briefest of moments trying to piece together everything that was said and the immediate rush that he was still feeling. And of all the things that happened to him in the last month, this by far made the least sense./p
/div
p class="MsoNormal"The haze of the memory was broken when Akira felt a jolt on his left shoulder./p
p class="MsoNormal""Yeah, have you noticed that Ryuji's been acting weird? He seems really upset about something. I caught up with him at lunch today. My guess is he is sick. He didn't eat anything. He just sat there, staring at his lunch." The bluenette proffered./p
p class="MsoNormal""Did he happen to tell you anything?" Akira was wondering if his blonde had confided in any other of the team about what he had said to him./p
p class="MsoNormal""No. I asked him why he seemed so down. He didn't give me much of a response. Rather, a cryptic one."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Akira was intrigued./p
p class="MsoNormal""He said he felt like a piece of him was missing. Like he was missing something that hadn't been taken yet. Kind of poetic really."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Well, I'm sure all he needs is a weekend with his best friend." Yusuke jested after slapping his leader on the shoulder. He dismissed himself with his best wishes, leaving Joker to face the dilemma in front of him./p
p class="MsoNormal"As if on cue, Ryuji pulled his stare from his shoes up to greet his partner just down the hall. Immediately the boy jumped off the locker, and composed himself. He flashed his leader a quick smile, albeit a fake one./p
p class="MsoNormal""Hey RenRen. You ready to go home?" that fake grin belied a hurt that he wasn't ready to show to his companion./p
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p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; padding: 0in; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;""Sure, Ryuji." A quick smile and the two started on their journey home./p
/div
p class="MsoNormal"The spring had been very generous that day. The final petals of the cherry blossoms were falling, creating a seasonal blizzard of discarded beauty across the grounds of the Academy./p
p class="MsoNormal"'How am I supposed to fix this?' the blonde thought about it as he fumbled in his shoe cubby at the entrance. He was taunted by that same question practically from the second he confessed. And he spent the whole day thinking about it. Part of him entertained the impossibility that Akira would just pretend that he never said it. Just pretend he didn't look at him dead square in the eye and told him he had feelings for him./p
p class="MsoNormal"Akira patiently waited, as he always did any other day, just outside as Ryuji gathered the last of his belongings before setting off campus./p
p class="MsoNormal"'I wonder if he was serious.' Joker entertained internally. 'Maybe I heard him wrong.' Another of a seemingly impossible number of probabilities that could put this whole thing into perspective./p
p class="MsoNormal"He didn't have much time to pick which of the options sounded the most realistic. Ryuji gamboled down the steps and joined his friend with his usual pep./p
p class="MsoNormal""Okay. Ready?" a nervous smile spread itself over his face./p
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p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; padding: 0in; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;"A simple nod and the two made their way out of the Academy grounds and into the hustling crowds all eager to go home and start the weekend./p
/div
p class="MsoNormal"The pair had only walked the first fifteen minutes in the waning hours of the afternoon, and not a single word was spoken between them. Ryuji found security in the ground again, his stare only daring to wander to grab a selfish snapshot of his hero when he thought he wasn't paying attention./p
p class="MsoNormal"'Maybe he forgot all about it.' The teen dared to think. Just a quick thought before the next one turned to how handsome his friend looked in the fading sunlight./p
p class="MsoNormal"The duo reached the first crosswalk at the busy intersection of Aoyama./p
p class="MsoNormal"Ryuji's gaze got too overzealous. Before he knew it, Akira had caught him in a stare, commanding a new layer of pink embarrassment to grace his cheeks./p
p class="MsoNormal""Okay Ryuji. We need to talk." The black-haired leader finally broke the silence between them./p
p class="MsoNormal""Talk? About what?" the blonde started to feign laughter./p
p class="MsoNormal""About this morning."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Oh, about that." His eyes refused to meet his partner's./p
p class="MsoNormal""What did you mean when you said that you liked me?" Akira inquired./p
p class="MsoNormal"The blonde grit his teeth. Having to explain it was going to take more finesse than he could ever hope to have./p
p class="MsoNormal""Not here." Ryuji motioned for Akira to follow him. There wasn't much privacy in and among the late day crowds in Aoyama. But the teen was determined to find someplace they could go to talk./p
p class="MsoNormal"Swerving in and out of the crowd, Ryuji found a small open park down on Ichi Namiki Avenue./p
p class="MsoNormal"The now fully clothed spring trees provided a canopy of shade under which the teens could be undisturbed by the masses. Once satisfied with his choice, Ryuji let his backpack slip off his shoulder and fall carelessly to the ground./p
p class="MsoNormal""Okay Ryuji. Can we talk now..?" Before the breath behind his words could exit his lips, the force of Ryuji's body slammed against him./p
p class="MsoNormal"Without hesitation, the blonde teen threw himself at his partner, slinking his arms around him and pulling him close./p
p class="MsoNormal"There was a very distinct ringing in Akira's ears, and it grew louder as he felt his friend push more into him. And Ryuji was no better. His throat was tightening, close to choking. It seemed to get worse the more he wanted this./p
p class="MsoNormal""I can't talk. You know I suck at words." His chin nested itself over his friend's left shoulder. When the black-haired teen didn't respond, the blonde kept the conversation moving./p
p class="MsoNormal""Ya know, I wasn't sure about today. About any of this." Another heavy breath drew itself into the boy before he continued./p
p class="MsoNormal""Every minute today, I thought about…this. How I was supposed to explain what I said. And….I got nothin'. I can't explain it. This is all I could think of." The teen buried his face in his friend's blazer, hiding the first stray tear that tried to escape./p
p class="MsoNormal"Akira froze. At first the whole scene didn't register. All he was expecting was a simple explanation but instead now found himself pressed into his friend. Any sense he could possibly gather was quickly circumvented by the heaving of his partner./p
p class="MsoNormal"As quickly as it all seemed to happen, the blonde ended it. He pulled away from his companion, creating enough distance between them so that he could easily grab him again if he tried to run./p
p class="MsoNormal"The red of Ryuji's eyes started to return, now more pronounced even in the shade./p
p class="MsoNormal""Dude…say something." He almost begged. "Please."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Ryuji? I…why did you do that?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""I guess…because I like you." The teen retorted sheepishly. It felt both terrifying and relieving to hear himself say it out loud./p
p class="MsoNormal""You, like me?" Akira repeated./p
p class="MsoNormal""Yeah, dude. I mean that's what I think it is."/p
p class="MsoNormal""What does that mean?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Ryuji struggled to make it any clearer. This was not at all going the way he had planned./p
p class="MsoNormal""I mean, we're friends right?" Akira nodded assuredly./p
p class="MsoNormal""Okay, well…I like being friends. I mean I like seeing you every day. No matter what I'm feeling, I just feel so much better when I'm around you." The teen started to blush again./p
p class="MsoNormal""I don't feel the same way around anyone else. Like I can just be me. And when…" he started to waiver, feeling his confidence ebb. "…when I see other couples, I want what they have. But I can't think of anyone else…" it was at that moment Ryuji caught his partner's stare, and he couldn't muster any more courage./p
p class="MsoNormal"Akira ushered his friend over to the nearest bench. Both of them needed its support, both in their own way analyzing what was happening./p
p class="MsoNormal"Akira gathered himself and settled next to Ryuji. The spent blonde didn't even bother looking over at this companion. He just buried everything he had wished he could say to the back of his mind./p
p class="MsoNormal"The million questions trying to each force their way out of the black-haired leader didn't make it to his lips. He opted instead to lay a comforting arm around his friend. He cautiously wrapped his right arm from shoulder to shoulder. The blonde, now staring down at the ground, winced at the touch./p
p class="MsoNormal""God! I can't believe I'm saying any of this." Ryuji cursed./p
p class="MsoNormal"The chill of the first hour of the evening was starting to settle in. Almost instinctively Ryuji leaned closer for the warmth he sought from his friend./p
p class="MsoNormal""Ryuji. I want…to help. I can't stand to see you like this."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Ryuji turned his head towards his companion, the pale light of the street lanterns catching the smallest glint off the tears he was holding back./p
p class="MsoNormal""Do…do you like me?" he asked hopefully./p
p class="MsoNormal"Akira, though he couldn't ascribe it to gut instinct or just second nature, uttered his response immediately./p
p class="MsoNormal""Of course I do. You're my best friend." He had always been close to Ryuji, in fact closer to him than any of the other Phantom Thieves. It was easy to confess at least that much to him./p
p class="MsoNormal""Then…will you go out with me?" The words clung in the air, and they seem to hit Ryuji as hard as Akira. Neither could believe what they had heard./p
p class="MsoNormal""Huh?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Go out with me." The blonde repeated, slightly less confident. He knew he was gambling a lot on this chance./p
p class="MsoNormal""You want me…and you…?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Y-Yeah. I mean it makes sense right?" the teen started to rub his arm in embarrassment for even suggesting it./p
p class="MsoNormal""Wait. You want us to be a…couple?" the leader stammered. Again Ryuji blushed at the suggestion. He knew he couldn't ask for too much of a commitment yet./p
p class="MsoNormal""No, not exactly. Just, call it an experiment. You and me. One day. Twenty-four hours as a couple."/p
p class="MsoNormal""A c-couple?" the concept was still forming in the leader's mind./p
p class="MsoNormal""Just for a day. We'd do what couples do. And at the end of the day, we can go back to being friends…" The sheer implausibility of the plan was pretty apparent even to the simple blonde. Even still, Akira couldn't help but see the hope in the blonde's eyes. For the first time that day he saw the old Ryuji shine through./p
p class="MsoNormal""…So what do ya say? Would you go out with me?" Ryuji turned entirely to face his friend, waiting with bated breath./p
p class="MsoNormal"He didn't know what possessed him to say it, whether it was seeing Ryuji happy, or maybe intrigue, the black-haired leader relented./p
p class="MsoNormal""O-Okay." He flashed a small grin towards his companion./p
p class="MsoNormal""You will?!" Ryuji jumped from his seat./p
p class="MsoNormal""Y-Yes." Akira started to chuckle./p
p class="MsoNormal""WAHOOO!" the blonde sprung with new life. He did catch a few stares from passersby, concerned someone was being assaulted./p
p class="MsoNormal"Ryuji gathered his backpack, and turned to face his would-be boyfriend./p
p class="MsoNormal""I can't wait! I'll come pick you up at 9:00 tomorrow morning."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Akira nodded his consent, feeling a deeper sense of elation to see his friend back to normal./p
p class="MsoNormal""One for the road." Ryuji jumped in for a quick embrace, which his leader returned with a pleasant laugh./p
p class="MsoNormal"Once the two separated, Ryuji waved his companion goodbye and raced back home from the park, leaving his newly minted bf alone with his thoughts./p
p class="MsoNormal"Once the warmth that Ryuji left with Akira had settled, Akira too gathered his belongings and made his way back home./p
p class="MsoNormal"Among the lights and sounds of the day's end, the teen caught glimpses of the other couples that Ryuji had said existed. And he wondered to himself how all of this was going to end. He saw how happy the couples were when they hugged each other and spared a quick kiss here and there. And somewhere, even deeper than he would admit, Akira saw himself in such a relationship, with only one other person…./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"emOk. That was a prologue. Been awhile since I caught a yaoi couple I could make a good story abut but these two seemed it. Letspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanme know your thoughts as I prepare the next chapter. /ememspan style="font-family: 'Segoe UI Emoji',sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol-ext; mso-symbol-font-family: 'Segoe UI Emoji';"😉/span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"emThis is my attempt to get a multi-chapter story started. This piece is just the prologue. Let me know what you think!/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"stronguTwenty-four hour boyfriend/u/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal"Yet another school week finished, a certain black-haired teenager mused to himself as he passed down the now crowded hallway. The final bell rang, signaling the end of the school week. The halls bustled with other teens excited to start their weekend plans./p
p class="MsoNormal"The girls were alight with glee, prattling on about going to Shibuya to shop for the latest summer. And the guys, they were excited to get to Akihabara to play the latest games./p
p class="MsoNormal"But as for Akira, just hearing about the seemingly mundane joys of his peers was enough to bring a smile to his face. After all the trouble he and the Phantom Thieves had gone through in the last few weeks through Mementos, starting to bring balance and good sense back to the hearts and minds of the people, a casual weekend was something he could fully enjoy now./p
p class="MsoNormal"The black-haired leader didn't make it far outside his last classroom before Yusuke waved him down./p
p class="MsoNormal""Hey leader." the artist swooned in his now famous overly enthusiastic tone/p
p class="MsoNormal""Hey Yusuke." Joker smiled back/p
p class="MsoNormal"The two comrades shared the walk back to the second-floor lockers. As the steps between them counted higher, the two shared the obligatory laughter and musings between friends, a stray comment made here and there about how tough their battles were, and how nice the pedestrian lifestyle would be for awhile./p
p class="MsoNormal"Which led to the stray, inquiring question from Fox./p
p class="MsoNormal""So what plans do you have this weekend…?" the slick artisan started. And as the pair turned the last corner leading to Akira's locker, his eyes caught that flash of sunflower yellow hair just down the hall. "…as if I need to ask." The bluenette smirked./p
p class="MsoNormal"Akira blinked at his friend, at first confused by the insinuation. Yusuke did not meet his friend's stare, his eyes locked firmly forward. And when Akira didn't get an explanation, his gaze turned straight ahead./p
p class="MsoNormal"And there, standing with his back to the nearest locker behind him, stood the self-proclaimed troublemaker of the Phantom Thieves: Ryuji Sakamoto. His chin was near touching his chest, like his head had grown too heavy with thought to bring it to attention. The box-dye blonde didn't register that his friends were walking toward him./p
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p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: wave windowtext 3.0pt; padding: 0in; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;"Then, with a growing sense of dread, the memories of that same morning came flooding back./p
/div
p class="MsoNormal"That whole morning, from the moment the blonde came to wait for Akira outside Leblanc so the two could walk to school together, he had been silent. Never uttering a word, barely even offering his usual devilish smile to the other. His eyes fell to the ground, and there they stayed./p
p class="MsoNormal"Not until the two actually made it to the Academy and were about to walk through the entrance, did he pull on his partner's sleeve./p
p class="MsoNormal""H-Hey…" was the first exchange the two had all morning. Ryuji's grip over Akira's sleeve tightened, almost as if he were afraid he would run. He pulled his black-haired stud to the side, out of view from everyone. When he was sure that the two had their privacy, he cracked./p
p class="MsoNormal""So, yeah…I've…uh…got somethin' to tell you." Ryuji stammered, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly./p
p class="MsoNormal""Yeah? You wanna talk to me now?" The taller teen chuckled, trying to tease his friend, easing the obvious tension he had./p
p class="MsoNormal"As if coaxed by the balmy breeze that swept up his back, the blonde loosed the words from his control./p
p class="MsoNormal""…Listen…I, think…I think I like you." Before the final syllable left his lips, that now familiar tightness threatened to squeeze his throat shut./p
p class="MsoNormal"A breath or two passed between the teens before either had the bravery to speak. Almost as if it were a dare, to see who would speak first./p
p class="MsoNormal""You…like me?" Akira repeated. "Well, I like you too Ryuji. You're my partner!" he placed his fist in front of his chest, asking for the obligatory bump./p
p class="MsoNormal""That's not what I meant, and you know it!" the red on his cheeks was noticeable, even to the black-haired teen./p
p class="MsoNormal"Another spring gust picked up behind the blonde, locking his brown eyes onto his forbidden secret./p
p class="MsoNormal"Almost instinctively, after the silence had been growing between the pair, the blonde slowly extended his arm back to the loose sleeve he had pulled before./p
p class="MsoNormal""Yeah, man. Look…I'm no good at these things. I just can't…deal with it anymore. Every night." He started to trail off./p
p class="MsoNormal""Ryuji..? I…what am I…" the thought could not complete itself. Before the words could form, they melted into the wind, and the morning bell rang./p
p class="MsoNormal"The intrusive screech yanked the two teens out from their stupor. And then the full gravity of the horror that just happened fell on Ryuji. He stiffened, his pupils shrunk, and immediately regretted what he had said./p
p class="MsoNormal""I'm sorry….RenRen…I mean Akira. I…didn't mean it…I just…need to get to class. I'll see ya after school."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The blonde ran past his friend, a shade of red kissed his cheeks, and swallowed his ears. And with no further explanation, he ran away from his companion, and sought shelter in the Academy./p
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p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: wave windowtext 3.0pt; padding: 0in; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;"Akira just stood there, for the briefest of moments trying to piece together everything that was said and the immediate rush that he was still feeling. And of all the things that happened to him in the last month, this by far made the least sense./p
/div
p class="MsoNormal"The haze of the memory was broken when Akira felt a jolt on his left shoulder./p
p class="MsoNormal""Yeah, have you noticed that Ryuji's been acting weird? He seems really upset about something. I caught up with him at lunch today. My guess is he is sick. He didn't eat anything. He just sat there, staring at his lunch." The bluenette proffered./p
p class="MsoNormal""Did he happen to tell you anything?" Akira was wondering if his blonde had confided in any other of the team about what he had said to him./p
p class="MsoNormal""No. I asked him why he seemed so down. He didn't give me much of a response. Rather, a cryptic one."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Akira was intrigued./p
p class="MsoNormal""He said he felt like a piece of him was missing. Like he was missing something that hadn't been taken yet. Kind of poetic really."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Well, I'm sure all he needs is a weekend with his best friend." Yusuke jested after slapping his leader on the shoulder. He dismissed himself with his best wishes, leaving Joker to face the dilemma in front of him./p
p class="MsoNormal"As if on cue, Ryuji pulled his stare from his shoes up to greet his partner just down the hall. Immediately the boy jumped off the locker, and composed himself. He flashed his leader a quick smile, albeit a fake one./p
p class="MsoNormal""Hey RenRen. You ready to go home?" that fake grin belied a hurt that he wasn't ready to show to his companion./p
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p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; padding: 0in; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;""Sure, Ryuji." A quick smile and the two started on their journey home./p
/div
p class="MsoNormal"The spring had been very generous that day. The final petals of the cherry blossoms were falling, creating a seasonal blizzard of discarded beauty across the grounds of the Academy./p
p class="MsoNormal"'How am I supposed to fix this?' the blonde thought about it as he fumbled in his shoe cubby at the entrance. He was taunted by that same question practically from the second he confessed. And he spent the whole day thinking about it. Part of him entertained the impossibility that Akira would just pretend that he never said it. Just pretend he didn't look at him dead square in the eye and told him he had feelings for him./p
p class="MsoNormal"Akira patiently waited, as he always did any other day, just outside as Ryuji gathered the last of his belongings before setting off campus./p
p class="MsoNormal"'I wonder if he was serious.' Joker entertained internally. 'Maybe I heard him wrong.' Another of a seemingly impossible number of probabilities that could put this whole thing into perspective./p
p class="MsoNormal"He didn't have much time to pick which of the options sounded the most realistic. Ryuji gamboled down the steps and joined his friend with his usual pep./p
p class="MsoNormal""Okay. Ready?" a nervous smile spread itself over his face./p
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p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; padding: 0in; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;"A simple nod and the two made their way out of the Academy grounds and into the hustling crowds all eager to go home and start the weekend./p
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p class="MsoNormal"The pair had only walked the first fifteen minutes in the waning hours of the afternoon, and not a single word was spoken between them. Ryuji found security in the ground again, his stare only daring to wander to grab a selfish snapshot of his hero when he thought he wasn't paying attention./p
p class="MsoNormal"'Maybe he forgot all about it.' The teen dared to think. Just a quick thought before the next one turned to how handsome his friend looked in the fading sunlight./p
p class="MsoNormal"The duo reached the first crosswalk at the busy intersection of Aoyama./p
p class="MsoNormal"Ryuji's gaze got too overzealous. Before he knew it, Akira had caught him in a stare, commanding a new layer of pink embarrassment to grace his cheeks./p
p class="MsoNormal""Okay Ryuji. We need to talk." The black-haired leader finally broke the silence between them./p
p class="MsoNormal""Talk? About what?" the blonde started to feign laughter./p
p class="MsoNormal""About this morning."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Oh, about that." His eyes refused to meet his partner's./p
p class="MsoNormal""What did you mean when you said that you liked me?" Akira inquired./p
p class="MsoNormal"The blonde grit his teeth. Having to explain it was going to take more finesse than he could ever hope to have./p
p class="MsoNormal""Not here." Ryuji motioned for Akira to follow him. There wasn't much privacy in and among the late day crowds in Aoyama. But the teen was determined to find someplace they could go to talk./p
p class="MsoNormal"Swerving in and out of the crowd, Ryuji found a small open park down on Ichi Namiki Avenue./p
p class="MsoNormal"The now fully clothed spring trees provided a canopy of shade under which the teens could be undisturbed by the masses. Once satisfied with his choice, Ryuji let his backpack slip off his shoulder and fall carelessly to the ground./p
p class="MsoNormal""Okay Ryuji. Can we talk now..?" Before the breath behind his words could exit his lips, the force of Ryuji's body slammed against him./p
p class="MsoNormal"Without hesitation, the blonde teen threw himself at his partner, slinking his arms around him and pulling him close./p
p class="MsoNormal"There was a very distinct ringing in Akira's ears, and it grew louder as he felt his friend push more into him. And Ryuji was no better. His throat was tightening, close to choking. It seemed to get worse the more he wanted this./p
p class="MsoNormal""I can't talk. You know I suck at words." His chin nested itself over his friend's left shoulder. When the black-haired teen didn't respond, the blonde kept the conversation moving./p
p class="MsoNormal""Ya know, I wasn't sure about today. About any of this." Another heavy breath drew itself into the boy before he continued./p
p class="MsoNormal""Every minute today, I thought about…this. How I was supposed to explain what I said. And….I got nothin'. I can't explain it. This is all I could think of." The teen buried his face in his friend's blazer, hiding the first stray tear that tried to escape./p
p class="MsoNormal"Akira froze. At first the whole scene didn't register. All he was expecting was a simple explanation but instead now found himself pressed into his friend. Any sense he could possibly gather was quickly circumvented by the heaving of his partner./p
p class="MsoNormal"As quickly as it all seemed to happen, the blonde ended it. He pulled away from his companion, creating enough distance between them so that he could easily grab him again if he tried to run./p
p class="MsoNormal"The red of Ryuji's eyes started to return, now more pronounced even in the shade./p
p class="MsoNormal""Dude…say something." He almost begged. "Please."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Ryuji? I…why did you do that?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""I guess…because I like you." The teen retorted sheepishly. It felt both terrifying and relieving to hear himself say it out loud./p
p class="MsoNormal""You, like me?" Akira repeated./p
p class="MsoNormal""Yeah, dude. I mean that's what I think it is."/p
p class="MsoNormal""What does that mean?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Ryuji struggled to make it any clearer. This was not at all going the way he had planned./p
p class="MsoNormal""I mean, we're friends right?" Akira nodded assuredly./p
p class="MsoNormal""Okay, well…I like being friends. I mean I like seeing you every day. No matter what I'm feeling, I just feel so much better when I'm around you." The teen started to blush again./p
p class="MsoNormal""I don't feel the same way around anyone else. Like I can just be me. And when…" he started to waiver, feeling his confidence ebb. "…when I see other couples, I want what they have. But I can't think of anyone else…" it was at that moment Ryuji caught his partner's stare, and he couldn't muster any more courage./p
p class="MsoNormal"Akira ushered his friend over to the nearest bench. Both of them needed its support, both in their own way analyzing what was happening./p
p class="MsoNormal"Akira gathered himself and settled next to Ryuji. The spent blonde didn't even bother looking over at this companion. He just buried everything he had wished he could say to the back of his mind./p
p class="MsoNormal"The million questions trying to each force their way out of the black-haired leader didn't make it to his lips. He opted instead to lay a comforting arm around his friend. He cautiously wrapped his right arm from shoulder to shoulder. The blonde, now staring down at the ground, winced at the touch./p
p class="MsoNormal""God! I can't believe I'm saying any of this." Ryuji cursed./p
p class="MsoNormal"The chill of the first hour of the evening was starting to settle in. Almost instinctively Ryuji leaned closer for the warmth he sought from his friend./p
p class="MsoNormal""Ryuji. I want…to help. I can't stand to see you like this."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Ryuji turned his head towards his companion, the pale light of the street lanterns catching the smallest glint off the tears he was holding back./p
p class="MsoNormal""Do…do you like me?" he asked hopefully./p
p class="MsoNormal"Akira, though he couldn't ascribe it to gut instinct or just second nature, uttered his response immediately./p
p class="MsoNormal""Of course I do. You're my best friend." He had always been close to Ryuji, in fact closer to him than any of the other Phantom Thieves. It was easy to confess at least that much to him./p
p class="MsoNormal""Then…will you go out with me?" The words clung in the air, and they seem to hit Ryuji as hard as Akira. Neither could believe what they had heard./p
p class="MsoNormal""Huh?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Go out with me." The blonde repeated, slightly less confident. He knew he was gambling a lot on this chance./p
p class="MsoNormal""You want me…and you…?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Y-Yeah. I mean it makes sense right?" the teen started to rub his arm in embarrassment for even suggesting it./p
p class="MsoNormal""Wait. You want us to be a…couple?" the leader stammered. Again Ryuji blushed at the suggestion. He knew he couldn't ask for too much of a commitment yet./p
p class="MsoNormal""No, not exactly. Just, call it an experiment. You and me. One day. Twenty-four hours as a couple."/p
p class="MsoNormal""A c-couple?" the concept was still forming in the leader's mind./p
p class="MsoNormal""Just for a day. We'd do what couples do. And at the end of the day, we can go back to being friends…" The sheer implausibility of the plan was pretty apparent even to the simple blonde. Even still, Akira couldn't help but see the hope in the blonde's eyes. For the first time that day he saw the old Ryuji shine through./p
p class="MsoNormal""…So what do ya say? Would you go out with me?" Ryuji turned entirely to face his friend, waiting with bated breath./p
p class="MsoNormal"He didn't know what possessed him to say it, whether it was seeing Ryuji happy, or maybe intrigue, the black-haired leader relented./p
p class="MsoNormal""O-Okay." He flashed a small grin towards his companion./p
p class="MsoNormal""You will?!" Ryuji jumped from his seat./p
p class="MsoNormal""Y-Yes." Akira started to chuckle./p
p class="MsoNormal""WAHOOO!" the blonde sprung with new life. He did catch a few stares from passersby, concerned someone was being assaulted./p
p class="MsoNormal"Ryuji gathered his backpack, and turned to face his would-be boyfriend./p
p class="MsoNormal""I can't wait! I'll come pick you up at 9:00 tomorrow morning."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Akira nodded his consent, feeling a deeper sense of elation to see his friend back to normal./p
p class="MsoNormal""One for the road." Ryuji jumped in for a quick embrace, which his leader returned with a pleasant laugh./p
p class="MsoNormal"Once the two separated, Ryuji waved his companion goodbye and raced back home from the park, leaving his newly minted bf alone with his thoughts./p
p class="MsoNormal"Once the warmth that Ryuji left with Akira had settled, Akira too gathered his belongings and made his way back home./p
p class="MsoNormal"Among the lights and sounds of the day's end, the teen caught glimpses of the other couples that Ryuji had said existed. And he wondered to himself how all of this was going to end. He saw how happy the couples were when they hugged each other and spared a quick kiss here and there. And somewhere, even deeper than he would admit, Akira saw himself in such a relationship, with only one other person…./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"emOk. That was a prologue. Been awhile since I caught a yaoi couple I could make a good story abut but these two seemed it. Letspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanme know your thoughts as I prepare the next chapter. /ememspan style="font-family: 'Segoe UI Emoji',sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol-ext; mso-symbol-font-family: 'Segoe UI Emoji';"😉/span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p