"Hayato." Yamamoto's voice was low and soothing, just like his fingers that danced gently across the skin between his shoulders. Gokudera grumbled in response and buried deeper into the covers. He felt Yamamoto's chest vibrate with a satisfied hum as his face nuzzled against the nape of Gokudera's neck, lips brushing along the line of his hair before pressing a kiss to the bare skin just behind his ear. A shiver ran through Gokudera's neck and shoulders, muscles flexing as his head tipped backwards. He tensed under Yamamoto's touch, heart beating wildly in his chest.
The faint trail of a laugh ghosted against his ear.
His whole body jerked at the gentle touch, heat spreading across his face and down his chest. A flustered squawk left his lips as Yamamoto's face pressed closer, warm hands wrapping around his torso and laughter ringing in his ear. Fingers dug softly into his sides and strong arms pulled him close, Yamamoto's chest pressing against his back. Then Yamamoto rolled over, letting them fall back against the mattress.
"Bastard." Gokudera growled out and made a weak attempt to wriggle free. There was no bite in his voice, however, and the word sounded more like an endearment. He relaxed into Yamamoto's hold, half turning to bury his face in the crook of his neck.
"Good morning to you too, Hayato." Yamamoto murmured against his shoulder, hands dipping lower and fingers tracing lazy circles against the curve of his hip. Gokudera felt his consciousness drifting to the steady heartbeat thrumming in his ear.
The next time he woke he could hear Yamamoto moving around in the kitchen. There was the telltale clinking of cups against the counter and the faint churning of the coffee machine. Yawning, Gokudera stretched out in bed and let his eyes follow the reflections dancing across the ceiling. When his mind had started to clear he stumbled out of bed, slipping on a random shirt hanging from his drawer and padded out to the kitchen area.
"Morning." Gokudera greeted, arms circling Yamamoto's waist as he pressed his face against the skin of his back. He felt Yamamoto's chest vibrate in silent mirth.
"Coffee?" The question was laced with amusement. Grunting, Gokudera turned his head to see a hand holding out a cup for him.
"Coffee." He agreed and reluctantly detached himself from Yamamoto's back.
As they left the apartment, Gokudera felt the familiar weight of Yamamoto's arm around his shoulders. The baseball player gave him an almost sheepish glance, as if he did not do this every morning while they were still in the neighborhood.
"Silly." He muttered, bumping his head against Yamamoto's shoulder. The smooth fabric of the other's shirt brushed against his cheek as he turned to look at Yamamoto. He did not know what kind of expression he had made, but the other youth's eyes crinkled and the small curve of his lips grew into a full, dazzling grin. Breath stuttering in his chest, Gokudera slowed down and grabbed the front of Yamamoto's shirt. He pulled him close, pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth before he started walking again. "Let's go."
Yamamoto's arm lingered as they passed the convenience store, up the hill, past the other students, until they hesitantly parted, heading towards different parts of the campus. Gokudera voiced no complaints, despite the curious glances that increased as they approached the school grounds and the way it made their shirts stick to their skin, damp and prickling in the morning heat.
Fumbling with the lighter in his pocket, Gokudera watched Yamamoto until he disappeared behind the corner of one of the buildings. A fond smile tugged at his lips as Gokudera watched the slight spring in his steps.
This is what it should feel like.
This is what he wanted to see every day of his life.
Yamamoto with a silly little spring in his steps and an even sillier grin with crinkles at the corners of his eyes.
Today, he knew, would be different. Things had changed the day before, starting with that moment in the cafeteria, and the ripples left in its wake would not have stilled overnight.
Inside the classroom of his first class, a couple of the girls stood together, conversing in increasingly agitated voices. At first he was tempted to ignore them, but the increasing tension had most of the class turning to watch them. He looked on with a strange sense of fascination as they grew more animated in their dispute. Drawing out his chair, Gokudera sat down, but his attention remained focused on the heated conversation. Despite not being able to discern any words, he had a foreboding sensation settling in his stomach. Eventually, one of them seemed to grow tired of the bickering and slammed her palms against one of the tables.
"Stop it! It's their business!" She spat out. "If you're so eager to know, just ask him." She gestured animatedly in his direction, upon which they all spun around to look at him as if they had not realized he was there. The outburst earned him a few curious glances from the other students as well. Gokudera gave them a defiant glare in return, determined not to back down.
Just as it seemed as if one of them had mustered enough courage to approach him, the professor arrived and efficiently brought all discourse to an end. Gokudera deflated, momentarily sagging in his seat. This could not be good for his heart.
The moment class ended a handful of the girls walked towards his desk. Seeing the way one of them was trying to get a look at his hand, Gokudera made a movement as if to scratch his leg, casually picking his pen up with his other hand and continued writing down the last notes from the blackboard. The girls stopped a few desks from his and started whispering. Focusing on his notes, he tried ignoring the way his pulse sped up under their curious glances. None of them turned to speak to him, so Gokudera proceeded to collect his things and rise from his seat. To his surprise they had left when he looked up. Or rather, all but one, who lingered by the door.
"Don't mind them." She suddenly spoke. Her gaze was fixed on something outside, but it was clear that the words were aimed at him. When she got no response, she continued. "I know it doesn't excuse them, but those girls…" She paused and gave him a serious look. "Both Yoko and Wakana have been rejected by Yamamoto recently and while Tomiko has been too scared to actually do it, she's wanted to ask you out."
"So?" Gokudera questioned as he swept back his hair, trying to play it casual and pretend like he knew who those names belonged to. She did not look convinced. He saw her throw a glance towards the hand buried in his silver strands, but her expression remained unchanged.
"I don't care what kind of relationship you have with Yamamoto, but please try to understand why they are upset."
He could not help the way he stiffened at her words, because she knew. There was no way that she did not. Despite her display of disinterest, the tone of her voice and the way her eyes flickered towards his hand as she spoke made it clear what she believed.
"Relax, I just said that I don't care." She snorted as if she believed him to be acting silly. Maybe he was. "Despite what those girls made it seem like, it's not like that many people actually care enough to be gossiping about you." Somewhat offended, Gokudera opened his mouth to give her a snarky reply, but she waved him off with an irritated look. "Geeze, don't give me that angry stare thing you do. I was just trying to be nice since you seemed so stressed." With that she turned on her heel and left. Gokudera stood alone in the classroom, staring at the spot she had occupied.
Maybe she was right.
What if he was reading too much into everything?
With that in mind, the second period proved to be much calmer. There were a few glances being thrown his way as took a seat in the back of the room, but it felt different somehow, like the air had shifted. He still received an occasional look here and there or heard the hushed syllables of his name, but there was no silent judgment in their eyes, no harshness to their voices.
For the first time in days, he found himself relaxing, with the words on the board blurring until they became indistinguishable and the sounds of his fellow classmates merging into a faint background buzz.
The sound of the bell brought him back to consciousness during a moment of confusion he watched as the other students strolled out of the room. He looked down at his empty notebook and then back up at the equally empty board. Letting his head drop against the table, Gokudera groaned to himself.
After having caught up with the professor in the hallway and confirming what kind of assignment they had for next week, Gokudera decided that he needed to eat his lunch in peace. Maybe he could take a small nap afterwards. He preferred not missing any more lectures this week.
Apparently he arrived to the study room just as Yamamoto's group had settled down, because he had barely taken a seat and opened his lunchbox before the air outside grew tense. He gave the window a wary look and started eating. Someone awkwardly cleared their throat.
For a moment Gokudera thought that it was going to stay like that, an awkward silence hanging in the air. He tried to ignore it, focusing more on the bento that Yamamoto had prepared for him. Then one of them spoke up.
"So, Yamamoto, don't take this the wrong way." he started, pausing to seemingly gauge Yamamoto's reaction. Gokudera's hand froze with the chopsticks halfway into his mouth as his focus zoomed in on the conversation outside. "Are you perhaps gay?" he practically inhaled his rice, hacking as it went down his windpipe. As he fumbled with his bottled water, he almost missed the reply.
"No." Yamamoto's voice was so firm that it left no room for questioning. Gokudera almost dropped the bottle, spilling water all over his face, but he paid no notice. WHAT?! He had been expecting the answer, but not with such sincerity. That one syllable filled him with a sense of betrayal unlike anything he had experienced before. It was like a physical blow, sending tremors down his body and he had to grab onto the table edge to steady himself. He felt sick.
Knuckles whitening from his grip, he gritted his teeth in order not to curse out loud. After all of this, that was what he was telling his friends? Oh, he was going to-
"More like bi I guess? I'm mostly attracted to women, but there are some guys too…" A somewhat flustered laugh rang through the air and Gokudera slumped back against the backrest, hands covering his face in exasperation. He let out a low groan, cursing himself for not anticipating the answer. It was so typically Yamamoto and to make things worse, it did make sense. Hell, he knew that Yamamoto was not attracted solely to males. Why did he keep on doing this to himself?
There was an uncomfortable silence before one of the others spoke up, a thoughtful "I see" cutting through the quietness.
"Does that mean that you're dating a guy?" one of them asked, probably eyeing Yamamoto carefully before he continued. "There's this whole thing with Gokudera…" he trailed off, but one of the others quickly interjected.
"Stop skirting around it. It's not like they were being discrete yesterday and from what I've heard Gokudera pretty much confirmed it already."
"Like hell I did!" the words were out before he had the chance to stop himself. Oh crap. He briefly wondered whether it was too late to get the hell out of there.
"Dera?" Yamamoto was standing outside the window, forehead against the glass and hands shielding away the sunlight as he tried to look inside. "You in there?" silently reprimanding himself Gokudera marched over to the window, unhinging it and slamming it open. The pained groan that Yamamoto let out as the window smacked him in the face was extremely satisfying.
"Yes, I'm fucking in here." He sent a glare in Yamamoto's direction and rested his elbows against the window seal, resting his chin against one hand. "Now can you stop gossiping like damn schoolgirls?" he tried ignoring the fact that it was evident that he had been listening in on them, but his cheeks were heating up and he knew he was not fooling anyone. Yamamoto's friends were staring at him, baffled looks on their faces.
"Uh, is it true then?" one of them spoke up and Gokudera averted his gaze, feeling their prying eyes on him. He dared a glance at Yamamoto, who was watching him intently, and sighed.
"Oh, what the hell…" he knew he would regret this later, but with all that had happened, it did not seem like they would believe him anyway if he denied it. "Yes, it's true. Now will you sto-" hands were on his cheeks and he was being pulled up, lips pressed against his own. He felt his eyes go wide in surprise and he firmly pushed Yamamoto away from him. "Oi!" he spluttered, keeping the other male at an arm's length. "There's no need to get so touchy!" Yamamoto did not seem to mind his harsh words, in fact he was practically beaming down at him with a grin wider than he had seen before. Gokudera sank back down, burying his face in his hands. "Stop looking so goddamn happy. Idiot." If he was not red before he sure was now. It felt as if someone had lit his cheeks on fire and he wished he could just crawl back into the room, close the window and pretend like this had never happened.
"Ah, well, there you have it." Yamamoto let out another awkward laugh and rubbed the back of his neck. Gokudera refused to look at the others, not wanting to see the disgust that they were bound to be feeling right now.
"Pfft." His eyes shot up at the unexpected sound, only to see that Yamamoto's friends were looking more amused than anything. "Oh, please you guys, I'm getting embarrassed just looking at you." The one that had spoken chuckled cheerfully and the others soon joined him. Gokudera watched them incredulously as they then turned their attention back to their lunches.
"Are you joining?" One of them asked, grabbing his lunchbox as if he was ready to scoot to the side.
"Yes?" Gokudera surprised himself with the question, but all of a sudden the prospect of retreating back into the small room and spending the rest of his meal in solitude did not look as tempting as before.
"Of course!" Yamamoto laughed, wholeheartedly this time, and Gokudera could not help the way his lips curved upwards as he went to grab his lunch.
"So, are you coming to watch us practice after class?" Takeuchi asked him curiously and Gokudera could see the others throwing less than inconspicuous grins towards Yamamoto.
"Got work." Gokudera replied as he shoved more rice into his mouth. Maybe he should ditch, go there to make sure. Make sure that things were still the same as before, that the admiration had not turned to disgust, that the team would not turn their backs on Yamamoto, that he still belonged there.
Almost as if he had voiced his thoughts out loud, hands squeezed his shoulders along with the words "We'll have his back". He must have been relaxing more than he thought if it had showed on his face.
Looking up at their determined faces, Gokudera let himself believe.
Maybe it was going to be alright.
"Hey, Takecchi said Nonaka will come and cheer for us on Sunday!" one of them called out and cheers erupted around the table. Takeuchi looked suitably flustered, but despite his attempts at hiding it, the corners of his mouth curled upwards in a pleased smile. So that was what she was called. Maybe it was time to should stop calling her 'crazy chic' in his head now. After all, she had seemed more reasonable the last time he had seen her.
"Ah, the bliss of having a girlfriend…" the youth beside him sighed wistfully, bringing him out of his musings. "Are you coming too?" He asked as he turned to Gokudera. He was going to say no, he really was, but then his eyes flickered over to Yamamoto and he felt his heart stutter at the way his features brightened with hope.
"Yes." The word tumbled over his lips and he stared at his lunch, unable to look at Yamamoto. He did not, however, pull away from the foot that nudged his under the table.
Gokudera smiled, brightly, lightheartedly. When Yamamoto switched seats and sat down next to him, Gokudera leant into his side and he found himself engaging in their conversations, laughing unreservedly at their jokes.
As the lunch break neared its end and the group of friends prepared to head to their respective classes, Yamamoto lingered behind, waiting as Gokudera crawled back through the window to retrieve his bag
"I'll wait for you when your shift ends?" he asked, leaning forward to press their foreheads together and giving Gokudera a fond smile.
"Yeah." He breathed, dismissing the small voice that told him that Fujioka was going to have a fieldtrip, in favor of reaching out to brush his fingers against Yamamoto's.
Maybe, Gokudera though as Yamamoto pressed his lips against the corner of his mouth and waved cheerfully as he ran to catch up with his friends, this had not been such a bad idea after all.
It's finally done!
This chapter changed quite a bit from how it was originally, but I think the current tone fits this story better.
I'd like to thank everyone who took their time to read this story!