Chapter Six

The week droned on, every class period painstakingly dripping by like watching paint dry. Even though Chihiro sat towards the front of the class with three desks separating him from Mondo, just feeling his presence within the room made the young boy mentally exhausted. They hadn't spoken a word to one another since their talk within the biker's room, and despite that the programmer had been accepted by Mondo and the risk of his secret getting out had evaporated, he felt scared. Scared that his entire life may end up this way. He wouldn't have the courage to tell people the truth, inevitable deceiving them and winding up alone.

Even the girls had left him alone as he had often spent most free time retreating to his room, delving into his computer programs and games to free his mind from thinking about telling everyone his darkest secret. With only a few more years of high school to go, he didn't want to continue lying to anyone. What happens when another one of the boys turned their attention to him? Surely he couldn't make the same mistake twice, and not everyone was going to be as faithful as Mondo was in keeping the secret. Chihiro never even asked, and he already knew worlds of supposedly private information about many people within the academy simply because of Sayaka and Junko's loose lips.

But telling everyone meant being looked at completely different. He liked to think they were all close enough friends that confiding in them with such a dark story would result in praise and support. But he knew that would be the case for everyone. Some of the girls would feel betrayed, especially since Chihiro has been inside the girl's changing room when they dressed out for gym. Not that he ever dressed out in front of them. He always hid behind lockers, or within bathroom stalls, or just simply changed in his room. But he had seen some of the girls naked, a level they felt comfortable getting to in front of the other girls. To find out a boy had secretly seen them…

Chihiro sighed loudly as he heaved his laundry basket into his arms, nudging his bedroom door open with his foot. Class had ended a few hours ago, and with all his studies and homework completed, it was time to get down to his weekly cleaning schedule. He wandered down the hallway with his basket held at his stomach, thankful the laundry room was just at the end of the hall. He had meant to do his laundry earlier in the week, but because of his reluctance to leave his room and his brain scattered in all different directions, he had forgotten.

Using his back to sweep open the laundry room door, he scattered inside, letting his basket hit the floor with a loud thud. The room was empty, as were all the machines, meaning he would be alone for the evening. At least for now. This was perfectly fine with him. He quickly got to work, sorting his clothes between the machines, throwing in detergent, and starting them up before taking a seat at the table in the center of the room. At his feet were his now empty laundry basket and his laptop bag, which he immediately yanked the device from. Setting it against the table, he flipped it open and stared blankly at the screen.

Since the incident, Chihiro had calculated several plans about how he would go about telling his fellow students. He considered sitting them down one by one, little by little, and letting them know. Starting with the more easy going, understanding people, such as Naegi or Sakura, would be fine initially as he expected they would be kind enough to keep the secret. But once he got to people such as Hagakure or Leon, he knew the secret would slip to others, and it wouldn't be shared in such a delicate light.

Telling them all at once had passed his mind a few times. Maybe telling them all during lunch and then quickly retreating to his room to let the news settle amongst them. But then there would be Junko incessantly beating against his door for answers, most likely trailed by others. And having to see their faces of shock, curiosity, and possible disgust… He was sure he would die from shame.

Not to mention, then Junko and the other girls would probably press the issue on Mondo, as they had been caught sneaking around together. They would ask if he knew, which he didn't. So the word would come around that Chihiro had essentially lied and lured him in. Chihiro groaned loudly, leaning forward and pressing his head against the keyboard of his laptop. The device let out a few beeping alarms as the same keys continued to be pressed until the programmer finally picked his head up. This was frustrating. "Why couldn't you just be normal?" he thought to himself, just about to slam his laptop shut when the door to the laundry room swung open. In swept Mondo, dragging a bag and a basket of dirty clothes behind him. He glanced briefly towards the programmer before immediately looking away without so much of a grunt. They used to "accidentally" do laundry together on the same day all the time. Chihiro began to wonder if it were really an accident at all, or if that was some sort of way the biker was initially trying to prove his crush on him. Not that there was ever any conversation. It was always silent between them, as Mondo took the time during the wash cycles to take a nap, and Chihiro indulged in his laptop. Now it was filled with silence and a heavy weight in the young boy's heart.

Chihiro usually did his laundry on Monday, however. It seemed coincidental that Mondo happened to be late on his laundry as well. The blonde said nothing, though, clicking on one of the programs to keep himself busy and quiet. He watched the program start up, occasionally switching his attention from the screen towards the biker, who was absently dumping his laundry in the machine with no rhyme or reason. Colors with whites, darks with lights, everything together in one massive clump. Chihiro had considered many times before helping him sort his laundry, as he usually had color mishaps between shirts and the like, but he was too timid to offer a hand. The blonde regretted never speaking to him during their time together. It could have been a great opportunity to confide in the man much sooner, instead of letting the mistake happen.

Mondo sat down heavily in the chair on the very opposite end on the table. He leaned back, immediately propping his feet up against the table, a couple of the magazines dropping to the floor. He looked at them, but didn't bother to pick them up. Instead, he crossed his hands behind his head and closed his eyes, leaning back fully in his chair with the intention of taking a nap like he always did in this warm little room. Knowing he wasn't looking, Chihiro snuck another glance. He looked tired, like he hadn't slept all week. It was only a couple days ago that Chihiro had finally released enough in his mind to get a good enough night's sleep. He hoped Mondo wasn't sharing the same stress anymore.

The front legs of Mondo's chair hit hard against the tile floor, startling the young programmer into accidentally tapping in the wrong command on his computer. Groaning loudly, the taller of the two pressed his hand against his forehead, rubbing furiously at his temples. He got like this during class most days when he either didn't understand the material, or hadn't slept the night before. Seeing as they were learning nothing, Chihiro knew he hadn't slept. And trying to take a nap here wasn't going to happen. Swallowing hard, the blonde cleared his throat and stared intently at his computer before muttering, "You look tired."

He didn't look up, but he could feel Mondo's violet eyed glance dart in his direction. "If you want to take a nap in your room, I can come get you when your laundry has finished," he then continued politely, his voice no louder than the water sloshing around in the machine. When his offer went unanswered, the smaller of the two finally looked away from the screen, seeing that Mondo had now rested his forehead against his folded arms on the table. It was the first thing either of them had said to one another since the talk. A kind offer, but Chihiro should have known it would be unrequited.

Mondo quietly shook his head against his arms before sitting up. He was anxious, nervously fidgeting in his chair. Chihiro had never seen him this way before. When he was angry, he would stand incredibly still, with the exception of a shaking fist or two, as if he were bracing himself for an inevitable fist fight. But Chihiro had never actually seen him nervous, shifting his weight from one side of the chair to the other. Resting his elbow against the table, but then immediately removing it. Occasionally stealing a glance only to find something more interesting in the room to look at. Mondo didn't come here just to do laundry. He came at this time on purpose. "When you gonna tell everyone?" he questioned with a grunt, but keeping his voice down in case any passing students were lingering.

Chihiro took in a long, shaking breath before reaching up to gently close his laptop. He wasn't doing anything, anyway. Just pretending to mess around with programs to keep from intense conversations or awkward silence. "I don't know," he murmured softly with his head low, his wispy bangs hanging over his hazel eyes. He stared at his knees, which were nervously shaking as he bounced his foot against the ground. "I… don't know. I have been… thinking about how to do it all week."

"Haven't seen you outside of class all week," Mondo then stated, sitting up firmly in his chair. It was the first time since entering the room that he had been so still. But even the foot he propped up against the table was twitching just a bit. "You sick? Girls said you were sick during gym…"

Chihiro raised his eyebrows briefly. He noticed? He asked the girls during class? Mondo was concerned about it? It was probably Junko offering up useless information because she was now keen on sticking the two together. Although the rumors had dissipated the day after hang over recovery day, she continued to press the issue, teasing Chihiro through some classes. "I lied," the blonde admitted. It was a common occurrence that he would get "too sick" to participate in gym. "I didn't want to change out that day… so I say I'm sick to get out of it."

Nodding, Mondo let his attention fall to one of the running machines. He brought his mouth open, as if he had something else to say, but remained silent before taking in a heavy breath. Chihiro stared at him, unsure if this conversation was over. There wasn't much else to say. Telling Mondo all of his plans to tell the others was useless until he was actually sure about how he was going to do it. And at the moment… he had ideas, but his most prevalent one seemed to be to continue to hold his tongue until they graduated. Then he could run so far away, never speak to any of them ever again, and keep to himself where it was safer. Less hurt feelings and deception that way.

Another fifteen minutes of quiet passed them by as they awkwardly sat across from one another, Mondo leaning back far in his chair and tapping his foot, Chihiro fiddling with the edge of his sleeve. One of the machines clicked off and the young blonde immediately jolted out of his seat at the chance to appear busy. He yanked open the lid on the machine, tossing his wet clothes from the first load into his basket, using his feet to kicking it a few feet to the right towards the dryer.

Mondo watched the boy intently, his small movements so feminine and delicate. It really was like watching another one of the girls that even now, after knowing the truth, it was still hard to envision the boy as actually being male. He grumbled to himself, pressing his hand against his forehead before looking away, staring at the magazines he had kicked to the floor earlier. "You usually…" Chihiro suddenly piped up over the rinse cycle on another load of laundry. "Do your laundry on Monday."

The biker averted his attention back towards his fellow classmate, watching the young boy tap away at the buttons on the dryer. The boy shut the machine door and then tip-toed back towards the washer where his second load had just finished a rinse cycle. The entire time, the young blonde kept his attention focused on the machines, not once letting a shy glance linger on Mondo. "I do?" he mumbled, sitting up slightly in his chair. He carefully let his feet come to rest against the floor, the front legs of his chair clinking against the ground. "I just do my laundry when I need to."

"I do my laundry every Monday," Chihiro muttered as he shifted his clothing from the washer to the dryer. "I have every Monday since we started coming to the academy…" He smiled to himself briefly, keeping his head turned away from the taller classmate. It was wishful thinking, assuming Mondo had "accidentally" come to do his laundry the same day as Chihiro with a purpose. Before their mishap, it was probably to get a quiet chance alone together. Maybe Mondo had come every Monday with the intention of chatting up the boy, and getting to know him better, but simply became too nervous to speak. So they always sat in a warm silence, exchanging occasional awkward glances, and a smile or two. That was before. That was when Mondo had a crush on him. Certainly wasn't the case now. "And then you started to show up on the same day… around the same time… to do yours."

The small blonde glanced over his shoulder with a tiny smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He briefly locked eyes with the biker before turning his head in the other direction, feeling like a complete idiot. Who was he kidding? Today, of all days, probably was a real accident. Mondo didn't like him anymore, and now couldn't trust him. "I'm sorry, I'm just being stupid," he admitted quietly, a long sigh fleeing his lips. A few machines down, Mondo's laundry cycle ended, the washer buzzing loudly before coming to a stop. Chihiro awkwardly lingered in front of the dryer as he heard his fellow classmate get up from his chair to retrieve his clothing.

Like always, the silence filled the room, the tension between them deafening now that there weren't as many machines going. Chihiro could feel the blush burning in his cheeks at his absurd assumption that Mondo had come here intentionally today to see him. Like the programmer thought, getting over what happened was going to be incredibly difficult at first, but he would get over it. His heart was still in tangles, wanting more caresses and kisses from a man he couldn't help but be attracted to. His brain knew better that anything of that nature was nowhere in his foreseeable future, especially from Mondo. As the weeks lingered on, eventually Junko would stop pestering, and the idea of having a relationship would dwindle. He would get over it. He would shove it down, forget about it, and let it burn up inside of him until it was just another horrible memory of his past.

"Telling everyone is gonna to cause a problem," Mondo suddenly muttered as he slammed his full basket of wet laundry on the floor between their feet. He cocked his hands on his hips, his head hung low as he just stared at his clothes, not even making the effort to start loading them into the dryer. Chihiro slowly nodded his head in agreement. It was what he feared the most. That more people would hate him after the news than support him, which would make life here at the academy hell until he graduated.

"I know…" the programmer hummed with his hand pressed against his chin. He welcomed the brief warmth that came from standing so close to his once fling, inching his way briefly to the right. When their elbows accidentally touched, the blonde withdrew, his cheeks blazing like fire. "Stop flirting," he thought to himself, not even sure why he was trying. Nothing was going to happen. It was a lost cause. "Not everyone is going to… react the way you did." He paused, frowning briefly. "Or well, maybe they will react exactly the way you did when I first told you."

"I mean it's gonna cause a problem for me," Mondo interrupted, not wanting to be reminded of his irrational outburst that nearly caused him to punch a hole in Chihiro's wall. The smaller of the two narrowed his eyes, slightly offended by the man's comment. It was somewhat selfish of him to say, as after Chihiro let his secret out to the crowd, it was Chihiro who would be ridiculed. With the exception of a childish joke from his male companions, Mondo would be fine.

Inhaling loudly, Chihiro huffed out his breath and pressed, "Why for you?" He said it quite stubbornly before realizing he was acting out again. After secluding himself in his room all week to think about his plan of action, it was disheartening to hear someone else finding his personal demons to be a burden. But that was also selfish of him, as he had lied to Mondo pretty badly. "You can simply tell everyone you didn't know… because you didn't know. It would be the truth…"

"I told the other guys to stay away from you," Mondo then stated, still with his head lowered towards the floor. Chihiro noticed him shift his weight awkwardly to the left, nearly closing what little space was between them. The biker nudged his laundry basket with his foot, intently staring at the wet laundry inside. Sucking in a sharp breath, the programmer immediately felt his heart sink into his stomach. He told them what? Why would he tell them that? That means he went back on his promise and told them… His heart began to flutter, rapidly beating within his small ribcage. People knew. The boys already knew. That's why they had been so awkward, so eager to avoid him when he walked down the hallways this week.

Dropping his hands to his sides, the boy's tiny fists balled up and shook violently as hot tears began to form. "You told them to stay away?" he choked out slowly, the tears brimming on his eyelids before he fluttered them away with a flick of his lashes. "You… you told me you wouldn't tell them… you promised me you-"

"I never told them you were a boy," Mondo grunted in a harsh whisper, turning towards the boy and roughly grabbing him by the shoulders. He accidentally shook the smaller of the two, staring at him intently with a heated blush and a look of anxiety in his eyes. Chihiro released a series of shaking breaths, feeling his small body tremble in panic. Was he going to hurt him? Was he going to yell? The blonde attempted to sneak out of the grasp, but Mondo was holding him tightly in place.

"Then why would you tell them to stay away?!" Chihiro whimpered, shaking his head defiantly as terrified tears streamed down his lightly freckled, blushing cheeks. He wanted to run, run so fast back to his room. Back to the safety of his bed, his belongings, drowning in his secrets that he wished had never been shared. This all could have been avoided had he never drank in the first place. He could have kept quiet as he always did. He wanted to run. "You wouldn't tell them to leave me alone unless you told them-"

Before the rest of the words could flood through his trembling lips, Mondo leaned in and stole them away with the slip of his tongue, just like the piece of candy on that drunken night. Chihiro squeaked, but immediately melted into the lip lock, as he had been craving this sort of touch since their night together in his room. Despite his consistent attempts to push the desire from his head, Chihiro couldn't help but think about how inviting their passionate moment had been. How desirable and needed he felt. How safe and welcomed he was. It was the hardest thing to forget every night he laid down for sleep, especially when he could still smell the other man against his pillows.

Mondo's grip loosened on the smaller one's shoulders, and much like the night in the kitchen, he broke the kiss and rested his forehead against the smaller boy's. There was no intrusion from a group of chatty girls, no pain from the bruise that once rested there from his collision with the counter. Just soft, warm breaths exchanged between them as Chihiro opened his eyes in a hazy gaze. He stared at his classmate, pressing his hands against his own burning, wet cheeks, and he couldn't help the smile creeping onto his lips. Apparently Chihiro wasn't the only one with a secret.

Author's Note: I'm sorry this chapter took so long. This is not going to be the last chapter, as that's a pretty awkward place to leave it, but I think the next one will for sure be. I have been super busy recently, as Valentine's Day is one of our busiest times at work. Plus I have been working on cosplays for upcoming conventions (Going at Chihiro one day, Junko on another). I came down sick over the weekend and had to call off work today as I was sure I was going to pass out. So I used my down time to get another chapter out. I apologize in advanced if the final chapter doesn't come out for a while. I'll try to be better about the next one. Thanks for the reviews, favorites, and follows. You guys are awesome.