Assignment 1,

Part 4

"...There are better places to fall asleep than on the ground, y'know." Kazuichi groggily opened his eyes, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and looking up. Through his clouded vision, he saw the outline of a familiar, white-haired boy.

"...Nagito? What're you doing here…?" Kazuichi put his hand on the cold floor and pushed himself up. He stumbled around, regained his balance and patted his pockets. Nagito was a friend, sure but there was no telling what that guy would do.

"I just walked in here, I got a feeling I suppose. I saw you on the ground and decided to wake you up." Nagito had his arms folded, and looked vacant. Kazuichi wondered why.

"Wait… wasn't that door locked?" Kazuichi gestured towards the workshop door.

"Was it? I guess I didn't notice."

"...The lock's broke."

"I just pushed it open, it opened like any other door."

"It was your luck, wasn't it?"

"Guess so."

"This guy…" Kazuichi knew Nagtio's luck put him into some weird situations. But breaking a lock by pushing open a door? What if he could do that at any time? Even at night? Man, that would be almost as bad or awkward as the truck incident. Or the motorbike incident. Or the bubonic plague incident.

"Well, I'm off. See you." Nagito quickly ran out of the room. Why was he so eager? Why'd he come into the workshop, to begin with? Man had this whole project thing been weird. Stolen wrenches, frying bacon with pliers, cross-dressers… two days. That was all in two days. He looked at the time. It was 11:20 am. He grabbed the bots, packed them into boxes, and hoisted one into his arms. He'd have to take two trips to Chihiro's room to get these both there.

Chihiro had woken up about three hours ago. He'd washed, gotten changed and eaten a cereal bar with raisins he'd gotten from the canteen. The robot – which he had taken from Kazuichi's room (he left a note with a smiley face at the end, so it should be okay) had begun to clean the room and make the bed. He had finished tweaking the A.I more, allowing it to act within a group as Kazuichi specified. It would be controlled by a central unit, a role which could switch between units in case one should run out of power, and was the one at the base of the robot stack. He smiled, happy to finish his work. 9 CPUs and motherboards lay stacked on his desk, ready for the rest of the units. There was a knock on his door and he bounded over to get it.

"Kazuichi!"

"No hugs, please!"

"Awww… eheheheh…" And there it was again. That cute little giggle. God, if only he weren't a guy… No, Kazuichi had Miss Sonia. And he was a dude. And… blech. He just needed to stop thinking about it.

"I dropped by with the first bot before," Kazuichi said, gesturing with his head to the box just next to him. "Here's the second one," Kazuichi nodded to the box in his arms. Chihiro grabbed the box next to him, which was clearly heavier than he expected. He nearly tripped lifting it and walked into his room. "C-come in!" he said, sweat beginning to form, his mouth becoming wavy. The added weight was the cool revised legs Kazuichi added, based off a certain cyborg ninja affiliated with lightning.

Chihiro lightly put down the cardboard box and sighed. They both unpacked the robots, and Chihiro grabbed the motherboards and began to get to work. "We're making 7 more of these?" Kazuichi asked.

"Well… ten is a nice round number…" Chihiro was knelt down and wiring the motherboard to the robot.

"I suppose." Kazuichi was pensive in thought and decided to press on something he'd been meaning to ask. "So, what made you… ya know… cross-dress?" Even from his crouched stance, the blush on Chihiro's cheeks was clear to see.

"Uhhhh… it… it was bullies. They were relentless. 'Be a man,' 'You're so weak even though you're a guy…' that kind of stuff… I know it sounds stupid… but it hurt back then…"

"...Sounds familiar." Kazuichi had noticed the small tears once again forming at the corners of Chihiro's eyes. Kazuichi sighed and squatted down. "I mean, if it makes you feel any better, sounds like you took it better than me. At least you're not stuck with shark teeth." Tentatively he reached out a hand and ruffled Chihiro's hair. It was soft and fluffy, and it seemed to comfort Chihiro slightly. He cracked a faint smile and his tears dried up. He leaned back from his crouch and rested his head on Kazuichi's chest.

Kazuichi grumbled, but he told himself he was only comforting a friend. Then he prayed Chihiro couldn't hear how heavy his heart was beating. I mean… he's a guy for God's sake! Kazuichi told himself. Surely he couldn't… feel something? No. He couldn't, that would be a betrayal of Miss Sonia's trust! But… Miss Sonia liked Gundham. He hated it, but even he (Miss Sonia's biggest fan and soon-to-be lover… well, not so much now…) had to admit it. Ugh, and there was this cute guy who had just kinda inserted himself into his life. He had made Kazuichi trust him in, what, two days? God, Kazuichi felt a wreck. What person apart from Miss Sonia had made him feel this range of emotions in two days? And, he reasoned, was why he let Chihiro lie there. At least for a while. And for all that while, the image Miss Sonia always in his mind faded ever further away.

Chihiro hoisted himself off of Kazuichi's chest. He had gone fully red. But he was fine with that. He continued to work on the robots quickly and was done within five minutes. Kazuichi remained silent, clearly in thought, and Chihiro knew that was about him. Once again, he felt like a problem. Kazuichi got up without another word and left, closing the door behind him. Chihiro knew why he had leaned on Kazuichi, and he'd known why since the first night of the workshop. Despite only knowing each other for a short amount of time Chihiro had feelings for Kazuichi. Kazuichi was everything he wanted to be. Masculine, passionate, technologically literate and yet still emotional. Warm. Human. And perhaps it was seeing a perfect reflection of a person who had most of his problems yet chose to deal with them differently was what fueled his desire. He found himself wanting to lie on Kazuichi's chest again. But God knows what Kazuichi would've thought about him.

The first thing Kazuichi did when he arrived back in his room was splash water on his face and tell himself he wasn't falling for a guy he'd hardly known for a few days. He couldn't – shouldn't. Especially with Miss Sonia – she needed him! But… he had also promised Chihiro his help in becoming stronger. But he loved Miss Sonia because she had something he didn't – riches and elegance. But… Chihiro had a shared passion for tech and had the cuteness he was missing. Kazuichi clutched his head in his hands. A guy? Really? Was that how low his standards had slipped? He decided to once again channel this energy into something productive. He ran to the workshop and got to work. Perhaps he should try being frustrated about his sexuality more often. He began to once again create another bot. Something he had gotten used to. His proficiency in building these tin cans allowed him to make another three in about two and a half hours. But his mind wasn't really there. It wandered. Wandered to old times with his classmates, watching Halloween movies with everyone, getting hit by a truck, first walking into the hall with Class 78, the project, Miss Sonia and Gundham and Chihiro. The more he mused on the situation, the more many things happened. He missed those times with his classmates, he really, really wanted to watch some movies with some good friends; Chiaki, Hajime, Komaeda, Fuyuhiko… hell, even the oddballs like Nekomaru or Gundham. His legs hurt. He was hit with a wave of nostalgia for three days ago. His attitude towards Gundham – for reasons he couldn't explain – softened. And… well, he didn't look like a guy, right? If he was to… admit it… his dignity would be intact because no-one knew. Bar Mondo. But…he seemed nice enough, right? He slapped himself. He needed to snap out of it. He started to put the finishing touches on bot three.

Chihiro had spent the last few minutes knocking on Kazuichi's room. Suddenly, two slim, athletic figures walked up the hallway beside him. A think layer of sweat hung over their tanned complexion and they had towels slung over their shoulders. "Ah, Chihiro!" Aoi was wearing that similar cheery smile she always had on and the girl next to her seemed to be thinking about something while rubbing her stomach. The girl piped in "What're you doing knocking on that perv's door, kid?"

"Akane!" Aoi gave her an angry look.

"It's uh… do you know where Kazuichi is?"

"I think you can find him in his sex shack. I mean 'workshop'." The girl called Akane said.

"Seriously, you really need to eat something. You're extra grouchy today. And Chihiro, he probably is where Akane said he was." Aoi patted his head, grabbed Akane by the hand and led her away – presumably to the cafeteria. He collected his thoughts, psyched himself up and made his way to the workshop.

Kazuichi heard the door to the workshop open. "Go away." He couldn't afford to say much more than that. He had thought way too hard about the upsides and downsides about liking a dude in a skirt and was exhausted. He was just scratching the table in front of him because it was something he could do. "Uh… are you okay Kazuichi?" The pencil beneath him snapped as he felt his brow furrow and teeth grit. His anger channeled into his arm and the wood and graphite gave way beneath it. "Are you fucking deaf? Go away!" Kazuichi had a whole lot of built-up emotions inside of him and he just let himself vomit them all out. He didn't regret it. He found himself blaming Chihiro for everything. If he had just grown a pair and shut the bullies out, not taken the dumbest possible course of action and acted like a respectable human being, Kazuichi wouldn't find himself feeling like he did now. If he had decided to dress like a boy simply because he was a boy he wouldn't feel like his heart was being fiddled with. This whole project was stupid. And if Chihiro actually liked him, why? He already had a muscular guardian who watched over him like a father. He had people like Celeste, or Makoto, or Aoi, or anyone else in his class who would be a better choice. Kazuichi was a bad choice all around.

Even though Kazuichi heard his sobs, he didn't respond. Why? Chihiro really liked Kazuichi, and he thought Kazuichi felt the same. So why was he so angry to see him? "Did you not hear me? Get out!" Chihiro really hated this. Why was he being shouted at? What did he do wrong? And then something hard hit his forehead. Had Kazuichi… thrown something at him. A spanner lay at his feet. He had. Chihiro let out a shrill howl. It was a worse display of fragility than anything he had done before. It was full of cold sadness, disbelief and self-loathing. A knot of despair formed in his throat. He was on the floor and had assumed the fetal position. Ugly dribble flowed from his mouth, still gasping through wretched breaths. His eyes stung and from them flowed forth a vast ocean of tears hotter than fire, wetting the dismal floor beneath them. His bony fingers were interlocked, petrified, unable to tear themselves away from each other, like a group of lovers caught in Medusa's gaze. His pathetic legs were numb and weightless, unable to move as if shackled to the ground. His weak stomach spasmed and cried with the rest of his spineless body. And Kazuichi came to his senses.

What the fuck have I done? Kazuichi thought. He wanted to kick himself. Do more than that, even. He looked at his handiwork, sickened. He had been better at breaking things than putting them back together. And this proved it, he said to his mind. He screamed and sunk to his knees. It was a ghastly scream, one befitting someone as brimming with despair as himself. He felt like a criminal, a murderer. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm…" was all he found himself saying, like some sort of broken machine. Actions spoke louder than words, however. In one hand he took Chihiro's hand. It was soft, delicate. Like the world's most fine-tuned machine. He cupped the back of Chihiro's head in his other hand. Kazuichi noted again how soft and fluffy his hair was, like a cloud. He let go of Chihiro's hand, watching it fall limply by his side as Kazuichi propped him against his shoulder. He allowed his fingers a brief touch of Chihiro's cheek, as sweet and smooth as the rest of his body. Kazuichi ran his fingers through Chihiro's hair, ruffling it a bit. Eventually, Chihiro stopped sobbing.

He looked into Kazuichi's eyes. Kazuichi noticed how mesmerizing those eyes were. They were light brown, matching his hair. They reminded him of an autumn day, a rustic apartment, a moving city. They danced with intelligence and innocence. Chihiro sat up, his crying now isolated choking sobs and allowed their foreheads to touch. Kazuichi had gone stark red, but so had Chihiro, so it didn't matter. Chihiro wrapped his arms around Kazuichi's neck, his cold thumb pressing slightly against his nape. Their breathing became labored, and Kazuichi could hear how hard their hearts were beating. And then Chihiro pulled him close, and he felt his heart nearly explode. Their lips locked, the kiss salty from Chihiro's tears. But it was also amazing. Chihiro's lips were subtle and fragile, soft and comfy. They were charged with electricity and Kazuichi found himself pulling closer into the kiss. He grabbed the back of Chihiro's head and their noses touched, the bridges cold from the room's air, but skin burning from the passion the two felt for one another.

Kazuichi felt their tongues connect, and they kept entangled, moving around one another in a moment of passionate frenzy. It was supple and beautiful, yet full of lust. Kazuichi felt his heart hammering at a million miles per hour. He pushed a hand onto Chihiro's shoulder and put Chihiro into another position, slightly lewd. He pulled away for a slight second and saw Chihiro put his mouth into a small 'O.' Kazuichi pulled him back into another kiss. When it was over they both gasped for breath. They restrained each other from another kiss and instead hugged each other, feeling their heartbeats through their clothes. "Man, that was..."

"Amazing."

"Yeah."

"How long have you been holding that in?"

"Night one."

"...could we keep doing this, kid?"

"Y-yeah. Yeah." They both stood up and brushed themselves off. Kazuichi pointed to the robots. "Hey, could you get those done?"
"Um, yeah…" Chihiro hadn't stopped blushing.

Kazuichi pushed him against the desk and kissed him again, thinking that was a better farewell than a simple "goodbye."

Chihiro's heart hadn't stopped beating. Ecstasy flowed through his veins. Adrenaline surged through his nerves. God, he loved Kazuichi and what he did to him. No doubt Kazuichi was feeling and thinking the same thing. He looked at the robots and began to find his way back to his room. He couldn't stop feeling giddy and thinking, I have a boyfriend now. It didn't fail to make himself blush every time he thought about it and the days of the project ahead.