He should have known better.
The way he saw it, whatever life decided to throw at him from this point on, (Go Clubs, school work, college exams) would be relatively smooth sailing in comparison to his turbulent, though nonetheless enjoyable days at Haze Middle School. But it was about the time that he was walking home from his first day of high school, contemplating taking another shot at starting a Go Club (since there was none to be found there), that it occurred to him that he probably needed a drastic change of priorities in his life. He could play Go until he was half dead and senile once he retired, but until then, something like a job might be useful. So from then on, he imagined really buckling down on his studies, acquainting himself more thoroughly with his peers, and maybe, should time and luck permit it, finding a respectable, pleasant girl to go steady with.
Within the space of a few months, he managed to obtain passably above average grades(though by no means the best in the class), a small group of well-meaning, somewhat eccentric, and only slightly socially reclusive friends(one of which was casually learning Go from him when they had free time), and a tentative girlfriend(that he had a date with just yesterday).
It was a soothingly predictable, if only slightly boring, kind of life, that he figured he'd cling to for as long as he possibly could.
He really should have known better though, because neither fate nor Tetsuo Kaga had ever been that kind to him.
"Yo Tsutsui! How'd your date go?"
"Kaga, what are you doing in my room?"
"Well, as you can see, I'm smoking."
"…Of course, how silly of me."
Tsutsui sighed only slightly as he set his school bag on his desk and seated himself on his bed, opposite of Kaga, who was seated near the open window.
"So," He began as civilly as he could manage. "Is there any particular reason that my room makes for such a fantastic smoking spot?"
"Well you see this sill right here is very nice to rest your arm on, and there's this great cross breeze—"
"Kaga," Tsutsui interrupted patiently. "I haven't seen hide or hair of you since middle school graduation and all of a sudden you're smoking in my room like you own it. What the hell do you want?"
Kaga smoked in spiteful silence for a few moments.
"You never answered my question, Tsutsui. How'd your date go?"
"Fine," He said biting back a How the hell do you even know about that!? "Just fine."
Kaga leered at him in a way that in any other context he might be tempted to classify as lecherous. "Oh? So when's the next date?"
"She said she'd call." He said tersely, but regretted it as soon as Kaga sent him a sympathetic look. "What?"
"You do know that that's more or less code for 'Not Interested', right?"
Tsutsui opened his mouth to protest but was quickly cut off.
"You probably did something to put her off, like… I dunno… that blatantly obvious dating guide book you had open?"
Tsutsui blushed darkly. "I wasn't actually looking at it! I just helps me feel less nervous!"
Kaga sighed long-sufferingly. "Oh like I haven't heard that before! I swear this is like a chronic illness or something! I mean what, are you going to have a sex guide book open on the bed while you fuck, too?"
"KAGA!!" It wasn't as though he couldn't see where he was coming from with this, but saying something like that…
Kaga kindly allowed Tsutsui to simmer in mortified silence for a few moments.
"In any case," Tsutsui said before Kaga could start again. "I don't see how my dating habits qualify as any of your business anyways."
"Now 'Tsui, we're buddies, right?" Tsutsui sent him a disbelieving look. "Right. And buddies help each other out. So being the thoughtful, infinitely selfless kind of person I am I've decided to provide you with some much needed assistance!"
"In other words you're bored and there's no one fun to torment at your new school."
"Partially."
"In that case, I must politely decline." Tsutsui said flatly.
"Aw, but Asumi-chan will be so disappointed."
He blinked. "Asumi-chan?"
"Yeah, this girl I've been hanging out with has a friend who plays Go and never has any luck getting a boyfriend. So when she heard I used to play she insisted that I set her up with someone."
"So you volunteered me?"
"Yep."
"Putting aside completely the fact that you immediately assume I'm available, you agreed on my behalf before even informing me of this?"
"Precisely."
Tsutsui glared in offended silence for a few moments, but seeing as this was Kaga and there was little point in trying to berate him further, he reluctantly weighed his options.
Well he did already tell them yes…
And now that I think about it I guess I probably won't be hearing from last night's date.
…and she does play Go…
"Fine…" He sighed in half-defeat. "When is it?"
"Thirty minutes."
Tsutsui deadpanned at Kaga. "You're joking."
"Do you see me laughing?"
He almost opened his mouth to protest, but once again reminded himself that this was Kaga, and he would only be wasting what little time he had to get ready.
"Whatever you say Kaga." Tsutsui said half-heartedly. "Now unless you're looking for a show, I suggest you get out, seeing as I need to change."
"Oh?" Kaga said mockingly. "So then no objections if I stay, right?"
Tsutsui seemed unamused as he plucked the cigarette from Kaga's hand, only returning after he had shoved the other boy out of his room, and promptly shut the door in his face.
Kaga blinked dumbly a few times.
"Che, spoilsport."
Had anyone ever bothered to ask his type, and given that Kaga was feeling generous enough to answer seriously, he would have admitted that he had always had a bit of a thing for nerds.
When he thought about it, it might have gone back to that one girl in the 3rd grade with thick rimmed glasses and long braids who read entirely too much and always turned spectrums of red whenever he tried to talk to her. Part of it was no doubt the amusement factor, but the other half was because he had always sworn that if she'd just lose the glasses and let down her hair for even a second, she'd probably be pretty good looking. (Incidentally, the last time he'd heard of her, she'd gotten contacts and lost the braids, and was widely regarded as one of the prettier girls in their grade.)
Then again, maybe it had more to do with the fact that if he were honest, he really was a nerd at heart (but that was something he scarcely admitted to himself). He had spent the majority of his childhood playing Go and Shougi, had grades he had no business having considering how little he studied, had a bigger collection of manga than all his friends combined, and a few MMOs that he still played with moderate frequency. But it also just so happened that he had a long standing interest in motor vehicles, a glare that could silence small children, more "friends" than he could count, a gym membership that he actually used, and at least three girls who would call themselves his girlfriend.
Or maybe it was just Tsutsui. But he was biased in that sense, because he was always inclined to think it was just Tsutsui. It was always fun to mess with him and it hardly took anything to get him riled up, so he had been a favorite victim back in middle school. Plus, he had always found it slightly admirable that Tsutsui never hesitated to use what little wit and strength he had against him. The fact ensured that it was always amusing to screw with him, though somewhere along the line, he had started wanting to just drop the with and just screw him.
He had never been able to properly discern when or how it had happened, but he didn't worry about it because denial was never his thing. Maybe there was some merit to all that stuff about fighting and unresolved sexual tension. Either way, he was secure enough in his masculinity to know that he could fuck as many guys as he pleased and still be able to glare down the majority of his peers and beat the rest into grudging respect, if not submission.
However, it was ultimately unimportant, seeing as most guys didn't really do anything for him and Tsutsui was fucking asexual or something. So the general habit became that he would bug Tsutsui twice as much as anyone else and Tsutsui would call him—
"—an insufferable jerk, you know that Kaga?"
"Yeah, yeah, I love you too, 'Tsui."
Tsutsui went silent for a moment from where he was seated behind Kaga on his scooter.
"…What's with that nickname?"
"What? We've known each other for years now and I don't even rate nickname? You wound me Kimihiro."
"…I think I prefer the former."
"I figured you would."
"Anyways, we left my house with about five minutes left, where are we going exactly?"
"Just the mall."
"…Kaga, the mall is at least ten minutes from my house."
"Not if I speed—"
"DON'T."
"But—"
"Blame it on me if you must, but just DON'T."
"Suit yourself."
"Thank you."
"Just be glad I haven't gotten a motorcycle yet."
"I'll rue the day, I assure you."
AN: Wow, I definitely wrote this forever ago, but I was on a bit of a Kaga/Tsutsui binge when I wrote it. Funny how it turned into more of a bromance with a side of UST. orz Either way I'm not sure if this is going to be on indefinite haitus or what, but, as I always say, don't hold your breath.