highschool au

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their homework laid discarded between them, their pages creaked as wind landed on the table from the gap in the window. afternoon was nearly reaching its end. the silence was brief, but for the only two people in the classroom, it stretched beyond measure.

"...i'm sorry?" the girl muttered, still shocked and confused. her mechanical pencil hung in the air, just moments ago it danced on her book, leaving marks in the shape of enigmatic equations.

her companion, a boy, kept his gaze fixed on her face. his chair that was balanced on its rear legs landed with a soft thump. "a student from another class confessed to you this morning."

she lowered her hand, saying nothing to his revelation.

"i heard you refused him," he continued, "because of me."

her lips parted and closed.

"so be my girlfriend."

her book was closed with a thud. "i... madara, he made that assumption." her gaze was fixed on the book cover, unable to look ahead.

"tell me if he's wrong, hashirama."

she took a deep breath, and glanced up. "may i... may i ask why do you confess now?"

madara leaned forward, his elbows stopping the pages from turning. "he's not the first boy you rejected. i know what people been saying about us."

she slipped her hair behind her ear. "i don't know how do i say this..."

"if you're saying no-"

hashirama frantically shook her head, and the words flowed out from her mouth. "it's-it's just... i like having you as a friend, despite what people always say about us. i like what we have now. i like that i can be myself around you. i like that you can be so open with me. i don't want to change that. i don't want to change anything-" her voice turned into a sob.

madara's hand fidgeted, torn between reaching and remaining. he stopped halfway the table, slowly pulling back before she realized he had crossed the space between their homework.

"everyone i rejected stopped being my friend," she said, her eyes glimmering with tears. "i don't want to lose you too. not when we only have one last term in high school."

they both knew what that means. graduation. separation. fully walking into adulthood. for hashirama, it means she'd pursue a seat in an urban university. for madara, it means working in their rural hometown.

"i understand. friends grow apart." madara nodded. "even lovers too."

the silence returned.

"love, huh..." hashirama looked into his eyes. "is that how you feel about me?"

"i realized it, yes. that's the reason why i gave all the valentine chocolate i got to izuna except yours. that's why i never felt jealous when a boy asked you out-because i know what your answer would be, and that afterwards you'd rant about him to me."

hashirama blinked. her hands slowly reaching to cover her mouth.

"that's the reason why you're the first i call when my mother passed away. your presence always comforts me. like home-"

this time, it was hashirama's hand that crossed the table to grab his.

"you feel like home to me too."

his smile broke into a chuckle. "well, at least that's mutual."

"being girlfriend and boyfriend sounds weird." she squeezed his hand gently. "maybe... maybe we can continue being a home for each other?"

he placed his free hand atop hers. "until graduation?"

"until as long as time let us be," hashirama assured. "in the meantime, if you want to do boyfriend girlfriend things, i'm willing to try."

"like what, watching a movie together? we've been hanging out together since we were twelve."

"i mean holding hands. like this. as long as we're happy with it."

"and what else?" he asked, teasing.

she laughed. "you're the one who confessed, you think of it yourself!"

instead of offering another suggestion, madara leaned further forward to kiss her forehead.

"how about this?"

hashirama's cheeks turned redder. "...i like that."

that day, madara wished he could fold distances to go home to her every day.