Hello again!
Sorry this chapter took a bit longer to get out than the others so far; the past two weeks have been filled with plans I've made with my friends, including a beach day and going to New York City for Pride over the weekend and having a blast there. Hooray for same-sex marriage being legal in all 50 states now! XD
...Also this chapter was just hard to write for some reason... and it's longer than usual and I'm still not really happy with it but I just want to move onto the next one already. I hope you guys still find it enjoyable though.
From the second Ibushi saw his parents' reaction when he and Akoya met back up with them, he knew that the ride home was going to be a long one. When the two of them had come back to where the car was to be pulled up, the Arimas immediately noticed Akoya's lipstick adorning their son's cheek. Ibushi could have sworn he saw his mother smirk and his father nod as if he was approving of the development. All the while, Akoya just clung onto his arm a smiled like nothing was wrong, still covered up by his date's blazer. Maybe it was his imagination, but Ibushi could have sworn Akoya was even being a bit bubblier than before they went into the garden. Perhaps it was just Akoya's character reacting to the "kiss" or something.
After a minute or so of that silence, the car pulled up to the front of Onsen and the four of them piled into the back of the limo. The party was silent, apart from the driver asking where Akoya was to be dropped off. When this date was planned, the two of them settled on parting ways at the train station a few blocks from Binan. The location was neutral to both of them, so it wouldn't bring Ibushi's parents to question Akoya's true identity. Though the younger boy originally complained about spending time at a place as "disgusting" as the public train station, they both decided that it was good for one other thing: convenience.
In the quiet ride to the station, Ibushi managed to calm the nerves that had been stirred earlier that night. But that was easy to do now that his parents had stopped talking and he was doing nothing more than leaving his hand on top of Akoya's for the ride. Conversation only picked up again once the car had come to a stop near the station.
Akoya was the first to speak "Thank you for dinner."
"You're welcome, dear." Mrs. Arima replied "It was lovely meeting you."
Akoya grinned "It was nice meeting you too." The chauffeur opened up the door and Akoya's eyes widened, mouth forming a small "O" shape "Oh!" He shrugged Ibushi's jacket off of his shoulders and held it out to the older boy "Sorry Ibu-chan, I forgot I had it."
"It's okay; I don't mind." Ibushi smiled back at him and started putting it back on "Do you want me to wait with you for your ride?"
"If that won't hold all of you up."
"We don't mind waiting a little while." Mr. Arima claimed "Ibushi could wait with you."
"Okay." Ibushi slid out of the limo first, hand still linked with Akoya's "I'll be back soon."
"Alright, honey." His mother responded before the chauffeur closed the door and went back to his place in the driver's seat.
The pair had a small walk to the station because of a problem finding a place to park. Akoya shouldn't need to be walked such a short distance by someone else, right? But the younger teen had insisted that, for the sake of the ruse, he should always be accompanied while waiting for a ride home. Neither one of them said a word until they had distanced themselves from the car.
"You have a driver coming to get you right?" Ibushi questioned.
"Yes." Akoya replied "They should be here any minute to pick me up."
"Alright." They walked for a few more steps, hand in hand, before Ibushi released his grip in favor of just walking side by side. His hand was starting to get clammy for some reason, probably some leftover excitement from the kiss he'd gotten earlier that night.
They fell into a silence after that and continued their walk to the train station, not bothering to walk side by side again because now it was right there. Everything was fine, just walking a few steps behind Akoya, until Ibushi heard a whistle from somewhere up ahead of them.
"How's it goin' hot stuff?" A masculine voice called out. Ibushi glanced around to try to find whoever said that and, in the process, noticed Akoya already had eyes on someone. It must have been that guy, leaning against one of the stone walls of the station.
Akoya stopped walking and held the man's gaze for a few seconds, facial expression hardening and showing light disgust "Why don't ya ditch that twig next to you and come be with a real man?" The stranger went on, crossing his arms over his chest with a cocky grin.
Instantly, Akoya latched onto Ibushi's arm, never taking his gaze off of the man "Come on Ibu-chan, let's go."
It felt like Ibushi's stomach had tied itself into a knot after he heard those comments aimed at Akoya, but he obeyed and they resumed their walk.
"Aw, come on, I don't even get a smile? You'd look so much prettier if you did." The tone the guy used right then was nothing short of sickening.
Ibushi clenched his fist. His jaw set and he stopped to set his gaze on the guy. He felt rage beginning to burn inside of him because how dare someone talk to Akoya like that! How dare someone talk to anyone like that! Ibushi may have teased Akoya occasionally, poked some fun at him out of boredom, but at least he had the respect to avoid anything that sounded so… disgusting!
He was ready to break his peacekeeping nature to intervene, but then Akoya detached himself from his side. He pivoted back to face the man, hands folded in front of him, and the sweetest looking smile that he could force on his face. Akoya's eyes slipped closed and he tilted his head ever so slightly to the side before he chirped "Do you know what I think would be pretty?" Akoya put a foot forward "Your blood on the sidewalk."
Ibushi froze once he processed what Akoya had just said. And, clearly, the man that sentence was aimed at did the same thing. He even took a step back.
Akoya continued, tone never wavering "And I'd love to do that myself but," he stepped closer to the man "you see," another step "it would be such a shame to get my dress dirty, especially in front of my boyfriend. Don't you agree?"
The stranger's confidence visibly deflated. He was now backed up against the wall, eyes wide and shifting as if to find a way out. Without another word, Akoya backed off and held onto Ibushi again. In seconds, his façade came down and he led Ibushi away, saying nothing more than "Come on, Ibu-chan."
Ibushi found himself following Akoya's command without protest, focus suddenly turning from the shaken creep to Akoya. His face was stern looking, like he was ready to do something as un-beautiful as that again if he needed to. They heard from behind them the stranger had come back to his senses and shouted at them "You crazy bitch!"
Surprisingly, Akoya did nothing but roll his eyes and kept walking.
If Ibushi wasn't so shocked by what had just happened, he probably would have given Akoya a round of applause for how he handled that situation. Ibushi felt proud for Akoya until one thought crossed his mind: he must have practiced that a lot to be so good at it. And that thought brought the sickness and anger back to the front of his mind. This must be something Akoya faced regularly, at least at some point.
He kept quiet and followed the other's lead until they were inside the station, where Akoya found a bench for them to sit on. And the minute they were both seated, Akoya's phone was out of his purse and in his hands.
Ibushi wanted to say something, he really did, but where could he even begin? How does one respond to seeing somebody else get verbally harassed on the street? He'd never seen anything like that before, never thought a person would be so bold and vulgar towards someone they'd never met before. This actually happened to people? Was he really that sheltered? But… Akoya came from wealth too. How come he could perform so well against that guy while Ibushi just stood there not knowing how to act?
Thankfully, Akoya spoke up first. "Disgusting pig." He grumbled under his breath. "Filthy swine. He's one of the things I want to purge from this world."
"… Has that happened to you a lot?" Ibushi wondered.
"Almost every time I go out alone in my girlier clothes." Akoya spat "Especially at night."
"But, why-"
"Because they think I'm a girl." Akoya interrupted, anger clear in his voice "And they think girls like that kind of attention but no one does."
Ibushi was quiet for another minute, mulling over what Akoya had said until something hit him "But you dress the way you like when we're out with Kinshiro. How come it never happened then?"
Akoya stopped tapping at his phone's screen. "When I'm with you or Kusatsu-san, usually no one says anything like that because they make assumptions in their head. I guess this one wanted to try his luck anyway. Or he was intoxicated or something."
Ibushi thought he felt his heart sinking. "But I was-"
"Right next to me." Akoya finished for him "Yeah, I know. He didn't care." There was a pause. "You know…" Akoya looked up from his phone to meet Ibushi's eyes "the good thing about looking like a girl is nobody questions what section of the store I'm shopping in. But being mistaken for a girl also means running into filth like him." His phone made a pinging noise and he looked back down at the screen. "My driver's here." Akoya stated as he stood up.
Upon hearing that, Ibushi suddenly felt protective "I'm walking you to your car." He declared, standing himself up.
"I'll be okay, go back to your parents." Akoya assured him. "My car's right outside."
"No, let me." Ibushi insisted. "You…" He glanced away quickly before meeting Akoya's gaze again "it'll make me feel better."
A soft smile graced Akoya's lips "Okay."
They went back outside and made their way towards Akoya's ride home. Ibushi kept close to the younger teen, checking to see if that guy was still on the sidewalk. Thankfully, he wasn't in sight and that made them both feel a little better. But Ibushi still brought Akoya to his car and only walked away once he was safely inside the vehicle.
On his way back to his own car, Ibushi undid the top button of his shirt and loosened his tie a smidgeon. His next and final task of the night was surviving the ride home with no pink filter keeping Mom and Dad from throwing out even more embarrassing questions.
After getting home from their dinner date, the weekend flew by for Akoya. Maybe it was because on Saturday he treated himself to a spa day, or because on Sunday the maids had cleaned out the forgotten things in his closet, resulting in an afternoon shopping spree. He had to say, one of the things he loved most about coming from a family as wealthy as his was the fact that just saying his name could illicit just about anything. The best masseur on duty, the highest quality mud masks, complimentary services… it was always the best for him, especially when he was trying to forget about something.
It was strange, though, what Akoya's mind wandered to as the days progressed. He caught himself wondering if Arima-san would notice the effect that the mud had on his skin, if he'd comment on Akoya's brand new, shiny manicure (which looked damn good by the way; he'd have to have that woman do his nails every time he went there). And Sunday night, while he was overseeing the new pieces of his wardrobe going into his closet, he found himself smiling at the thought of wearing some of his new outfits on "dates" with Ibushi. He'd caught the older teen staring at him more than a few times already, clearly in some kind of admiration or awe. Based off of those events, Akoya could guess what would get a similar reaction out of the third year… and may or may not have bought a few articles just to see said reaction.
Then he came back to reality, just in time for the maids to finish stowing away his clothes and taking their leave. He waited until the door clicked closed after them before flopping down on his back, staring up at the salmon-colored canopy above his bed. He really was starting to take this whole thing too seriously, wasn't he? It wasn't like this fake girlfriend role that he played was a new identity or anything. It was just a performance he was putting on, like in dancing or gymnastics. It was nothing more than that, Akoya was very aware of that fact. And yet… that's where his thoughts took him until he decided to focus on the homework he'd yet to complete.
He'd managed to forget about everything that was troubling him over the weekend, until Monday morning came and he had to go to school. School meant catching Kinshiro up on their endeavors, which would be nothing more than a mild annoyance, and he could handle his weird "thinking of Ibushi" moments at a later date. What Akoya dreaded the most was running into Kinugawa, especially since he couldn't come up with a… better reason for being spotted coming out of the women's bathroom wearing a poofy, lacy dress.
Unfortunately, that issue became important after the morning run-down of date night with the Council President.
"So you really kissed Arima?" Kinshiro asked after it was brought up for the third time that morning.
"On the cheek!" Akoya protested. "I thought if they saw my lipstick on Arima-san they'd let up a bit." He looked to the third year in question. "I know you told me they're persistent people, but at least my parents know when to back off and just let things happen."
"I'm sorry!" Was Arima's only reply.
"Well, did it get them to stop forcing you two together?" Kinshiro asked.
"While Akoya was in the car…" Ibushi mumbled. "After he was dropped off at the train station, their attention was on his lipstick."
Akoya giggled. "Sorry, Ibu-chan." He was feigning a cutesy voice again "At least the color looked good on you."
Arima put his head in his hands "My dad wouldn't stop praising me until we got home…"
"I suppose getting Mister 'If-You-Touch-My-Hair-I'll-Cut-You' to kiss you is an accomplishment." Kinshiro reasoned.
"Kusatsu-san!" Akoya screeched.
"Whose side are you on?!" Arima yelled at the same time as the second year.
"It was just an observation." The president took a sip of his tea before looking back at Akoya "Now, back to that incident at the station you mentioned."
Ugh, he thought talking about the kiss would throw Kinshiro off that topic! Akoya paled "It wasn't that bad, President."
"Did something happen?" Kinshiro pressed.
"Nothing I couldn't handle." The youngest council member reassured.
"What does that mean?" Kinshiro implored.
"All you need to know is what I told you." Akoya insisted. "I talked to Ibu-chan-" He blushed a bit when he caught the nickname coming out of his mouth "Arima-san afterwards. He escorted me to my car. End of story."
"But…" The president and secretary both eyed the vice-president when he spoke up, sounding the same way he did when he was trying to stop the other two from bickering "you seemed really bothered before you left. You were angry."
"Hmph." Akoya looked away from him and tilted his chin up, arms crossing "I think I had every right to be after what that pig said to me."
Kinshiro sighed and muttered something about "getting nowhere" before changing the subject to their latest plans regarding their next move as Caerula Adamas.
After that discussion, their morning meeting came to an early close. Kinshiro excused Akoya and Arima at that point, as they had nothing more required of them to do until after classes ended. The white-haired teen claimed to have one more thing to finish up and would "prefer to do it in peace and quiet." But that now left the vice president and secretary with a half hour to kill before homeroom began and neither one knew what to do. They were usually in the council room until the five minute warning bell rang; what were they supposed to do with themselves?
The pair wound up standing outside the club room for a few minutes, straining their ears to figure out what Kinshiro was doing by himself in there. It wasn't long before they heard him speaking and, shortly afterwards, Lord Zundar's voice joining him. Figures, the guy was always with Zundar.
"What do they talk about without us there, I wonder?" Akoya thought aloud.
"Maybe different strategies?" Ibushi suggested. "Or our progress?
"Or nothing related to that at all." Akoya shrugged. "By the way, when's our next date?"
Ibushi seemed a little flustered when Akoya looked back at him, like he'd been caught off-guard somehow. "How about Saturday?" The taller teen suggested. "It's getting warmer out; maybe you and Kinshiro can come use my pool?"
Akoya smirked at him. "You just wanna see me in a girls' swimsuit, don't you?"
Ibushi deadpanned. "Akoya, I already have."
"Oh, right." The second year mused, recalling some of his wardrobe choices during the club's beach trips. He looked at the door before turning to walk down the hall. "Might as well leave them to it." He looked up at the third year. "What are you going to do now?"
"I was thinking about going to the library to look around." Ibushi informed him. "Do you want to come with me?"
"No, I'll leave you to your gardening magazines. I'm sure I can find something to do around here."
"Okay. See you this afternoon then." Akoya could have sworn he saw a small frown, but Ibushi turned towards the stairs and made his way down regardless.
Hold on. Did Ibushi want him to tag along? Did he still want company before everyone went to their respective classes for the next six hours? He thought about following Ibushi when he heard two sets of footsteps coming up the stairs.
"Oh, Gero." Akoya froze upon hearing Kinugawa's voice and looked up to see the third year approaching him from the stairs. Oh, and perfect, he had Yufuin with him as usual.
"Yes?" He gripped the straps of his school bag a little tighter.
"You haven't seen Ryuu around this morning have you?" Atsushi wondered. "We've been looking for him to discuss a Defense Club matter."
Akoya wanted to scowl when he heard Zaou's name, but he didn't. He had to stay civil. "No, I haven't." That didn't mean he couldn't make the answer short and sweet.
"Okay. Thanks, though." Yufuin went to go back in the other direction until his companion spoke up again. "Oh, and how did you like Onsen last week? You seemed kind of on-edge when we spoke there; was everything okay?"
"Huh?" Yufuin piped, deciding to lay his chin on the other senior's shoulder.
"I went out to eat with my family last week and saw Gero at the restaurant." Atsushi summarized.
"Ah." Yufuin blandly replied. "I think you told me about that."
"Oh, um…" Akoya's fingers flew into his hair, grabbing the first bit they found "It was excellent; I had a good time."
"I'm glad." Kinugawa grinned. "My family knows a lot of the people who work there, so we go there to eat a lot."
"I see." Please stop talking to me.
"Atsushi." En called. "Let's keep looking. I want this meeting over with."
The blue-haired teen smiled at the head on his shoulder. "Alright, En-chan." Yufuin removed himself and turned back towards the stairs. "We'll see you around, Gero." Atsushi rushed follow his friend down the stairs until he caught up and they walked on side by side.
Akoya waited a minute before heading down the stairs himself, making his way towards his homeroom as if on autopilot. But halfway there, he stopped and found himself considering meeting Ibushi in the library again. He thought about it for a minute before deciding on just going to his homeroom. There were probably only ten minutes until it started now anyway; it wouldn't be worth it to track his senior down only to spend a little more time together.
I'll see him in the afternoon anyway. Akoya reasoned as he took his seat in the back of the classroom and slipped his phone out of a pocket on his bag. Maybe Kinshiro put something else up on Snap Chat…