A/N: This chapter contains onesided MinatoxAkihiko, in case you want to avoid that!
He probably would've seen it sooner, if he hadn't been so set on having Akihiko for himself. For weeks, Minato couldn't seem to keep his eyes off of the older boxer, and he could've sworn that Akihiko returned the majority of his sultry glances, though usually while looking confused and covered with a bright red blush.
In hindsight, it was probably unfair of Minato to assume that the blush meant his senpai was interested. Certainly it could've meant discomfort, and really, that option was plenty more likely than any sort of arousal. At the time of Minato's rejection though, he was still high off the feeling that there were so many people who liked him already: Kenji, Hidetoshi, Bebe … Even that little girl who always hung out at the shrine, Maiko. How could Akihiko—the one person whose eye Minato was trying to catch—resist his advances?
He did so with a shove to the chest and a punch to the jaw, though thankfully not with the bulk of his strength, or Minato may have been dealing with a concussion in addition to a bruise.
"Why did you kiss me, Minato?" And Minato never thought that such a calm whisper would terrify him more than a shriek of hatred.
"You like me, right? You blush every time I look at you, so I figured I'd give you what you want and kiss you," Minato deadpanned. After all, Akihiko had proven with this reaction that he had no talent with decoding subtle hints.
The boxer deflated at this statement, slumping against the wall he had been, just moments earlier, pushed up against.
"If I misinterpreted your sexuality, I apologize profusely. I had no intention of making you uncomfortable, and I will not come onto you again."
"It's not … Minato …" Minato merely nodded, turning on his heel to let himself out of Akihiko's bedroom.
"You weren't wrong." Minato paused at this, but did not turn to face the speaker. "You aren't wrong, but I can't. It would be a betrayal, and even if he's not here, I can't give up on him." A choked sob. Minato hadn't realized how truly difficult this would be for his senpai.
Making no indication that he had heard Akihiko's confession, Minato continued to the door, shutting it behind him with a distinct air of finality.
And that was how Minato knew.
A/N2: For the record, I don't even really ship MinatoxAkihiko, but I do agree that the ship itself makes sense, and it definitely worked well in the context of this story, hence why it was included.