'R' is for Russian
Intro to Russian: room 305.
Toushrio stared at his schedule just to make sure he had the right room. It was almost empty save for two students making out in the back of the room, a kid that looked like he would rather be anywhere in the world but there, and two others napping with their heads on their desks. The lights were even off. Toushiro sighed heavily; he knew that he was the one at fault for choosing such an obscure class. He was surprised that the school even offered it. He shook his head and clutched the thick textbook to his chest and chose a seat near the front of the class, as far away from the couple making out as he could. Wasn't the teacher going to say anything about it? He glanced to the desk at the front of the room; of course, it was empty.
So, he pulled out a notebook and decided that it would be a good of a time as any to start his biology homework. He was in the middle of describing the process of binary fission when a voice disturbed him.
"Is this seat taken?"
He didn't even bother to look up. "There are only six people in the class; do the math."
"Okay then, I'll rephrase; do you mind if I sit here?"
"Do as you please." He went back to his biology.
"So, Intro to Russian, huh? What made you want to take this class?"
"To get my parents off my back."
"You're parents made you take Russian?"
"They like me to challenge myself."
There was a pause. "Is that AP Biology?"
Toushiro sighed and closed his book with a thump. He wasn't going to get much done with this chatter-box beside him. He finally looked at the person next to him and was instantly lost in a pair of large, deep brown eyes. He swallowed and quickly collected himself.
"Why are you here?" he asked curtly.
Brown-eyes grinned sheepishly. "I'm a bit of a language geek."
Toushiro raised an eyebrow. "But Russian?"
He shrugged. "It's interesting."
"You're one of those hipsters aren't you?" Toushiro sniffed, looking at his outfit. He was wearing impossibly tight, purple jeans; a deep cut v-neck, and a denim vest. His hair was too orange to be natural, as well.
Brown-eyes laughed, a deep throaty laugh that almost had Toushiro smiling. "God, no," he chuckled, "Those pretentious assholes are the worst. "
Toushiro nodded in agreement.
"Besides, I don't like putting labels on people's styles."
Tosuhiro perked up in interest. He couldn't count how many times people had called him 'goth' or 'emo' because of his dark wardrobe and band tees. Granted, spiking his white hair didn't do much to help his case. But, if the bastards even bothered to open a book they would have known that his hair was white because of his albinism and not because he bleached it.
He found himself talking easily with Brown-eyes until he noticed that it was twenty minutes into class time and the teacher hadn't showed.
"Maybe he forgot," Brown-eyes suggested.
"I doubt it; if this school is strict about anything it's class and attendance."
"We get a blow-off class then. As much as I would have liked to learn Russian this is cool too."
The teacher didn't show and when the bell rang Toushiro was almost sad to see Brown-eyes go. He regretted not getting his name, at least.
...
On his walk home Toushiro caught himself thinking of Brown-eyes; the way he smirked instead of smiling and how his bangs were long enough that he had to keep on brushing them out of his eyes. He smirked slightly before realising and shook his head to clear his thoughts. No, he was not ready for a new relationship – not so soon after Sojiro Kusaka. How was he to know if Brown-eyes was anything like his ex or not? He didn't even know if he was gay. But, judging by those purple pants...
Speaking of exes, he felt his phone vibrate from his back pocket. He clenched his jaw; only a very select few people had his phone number, and he regretted ever giving it to his ex. He knew it was Sojiro even before he fished his phone out of his pocket and glared at the screen. Sojiro had made it a habit to send very annoying, and often rude, texts ever since they broke up.
-How was ur first day back, slut?-
Toushiro chewed the inside of his cheek and felt his stomach churn in slight discomfort. What would it take to get the bastard off his back? Yes, it had been a very messy breakup, but he thought that Sojiro would be the least bit mature about it. He put his phone back into his pocket and ignored it as it continued to vibrate.
His cousin Rangiku was waiting for him in his bedroom when he got home. As a college student, her class schedule was arbitrary and she often spent her time lounging around his house, since it was closer to the college than her own.
"What are you doing here?" he snarled upon entering his room.
"Ouch, save the fangs. Rough day, I take it?" she grinned and patted the bed nest to her.
He dumped his bag on the floor and chucked his phone at her before going over to his desk chair. "Wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't for this asshole."
"Sojiro?"
"Who else?"
She flipped through the messages. "You really should get a restraining order."
"And get my parents involved? No thanks."
"They're not that bad, I mean a little cold, but you're their son after all."
He glared at her, "Are we talking about the same people? They don't care about me."
"That's a bit harsh..."
"That night Sojiro and I had a fight you know what they said to me? I shouldn't be so rough in PE. PE! It was freaking summer! As long as my grades are fine they don't give a shit. They're only civil to you to keep up appearances."
Rangiku sighed, "If he does anything funny I'll sic Gin on him again."
Toushiro snorted, "Thanks, Rangiku."
"Just call me Momma-bear."
...
Toushiro didn't see Brown-eyes again until their next Russian class two days later. They took the same two seats near the front of the room.
"Do you think the teacher will show up this time?" Brown-eyes asked as they sat down.
Toushiro shrugged. "Who knows?"
He grinned. "I could get used to this arrangement."
"It is nice to have a break once in a while."
"I'll bet; you're taking all AP classes, right?"
Toushiro raised an eyebrow. "Stalker much?"
"I asked around."
"Did I interest you that much?"
"You don't seem like one of the idiots this school is full off. Plus, I didn't even get your name the other day. What else was I supposed to do?"
"Ask me like any normal person would have. So, you're new here?"
"Yup, freshman."
He nodded. "Do I have to play detective or are you gonna tell me your name?"
He grinned. "Ichigo Kurosaki."
...
The longer Toushiro talked to Ichigo the easier it became. It turned out that they had a lot in common, such as a lover to classical literature and were secret comic book junkies. Toushiro began to look forward to Russian class since it seemed to be the only time they could talk. He had seen Ichigo in the cafeteria a few times but he was always with his friends and Toushiro didn't want to disturb. He also tried not to be in the cafeteria a lot.
...
"Hey, a couple of my friends are coming over to my place for a movie night this Friday. You wanna come?" Ichigo asked him.
Toushiro blinked. No one ever asked him to hang out. Even though he had known Ichigo for over a month now they hadn't done anything outside of class.
"Um..."
"Come on; we're watching the Iron Man series. It'll be fun."
He felt himself grin, "Yeah, sure, why not?"
Ichigo beamed like he had just been told that he had won the lottery. "Great! What's your number? I'll text you the details."
...
Toushiro rang the doorbell to Ichigo's house and waited nervously for a few minutes. It looked like a nice house; it was a little smaller than his own but somehow looked warmer than his ever had. A young girl with light brown hair and similar eyes to Ichigo opened the door.
"Are you one of Ichigo's friends?" she asked with a smile.
He nodded and she stepped aside to let him in. "Ichigo your friend is here!" she called over her shoulder.
Toushiro clutched his bag tightly and stumbled inside just as Ichigo appeared. He smiled warmly when he saw Toushiro.
"Hey glad you could make it," he said.
"Are you serious?" Toushiro rolled his eyes, "I texted you right before I came."
He chuckled. "Right everyone's in the living room, come on I'll introduce you."
He led Toushiro to the living room with a hand placed on his shoulder. Toushiro was overly conscious of the heat his hand gave off and noticed how big it was. It almost completely covered his shoulder blade. He tired to focus on everything, anything, other than the fact that Ichigo was touching him. The house was just as nice inside as it was outside. There was a warm colour-scheme and various possessions were scattered around. It wasn't messy and even though Toushiro liked his surroundings to be neat and organised, he preferred this clutter than the cold emptiness of his own home. He briefly glanced at the family pictures hung up on the walls and avoided a few shoes and other belongs scattered along the floor.
The living room was no different to the rest of the house, but five people were scattered about the carpeted floor and couch.
"This is Renji, Rukia, Orihime, Uryu and Chad." Ichigo pointed to each of his friends in turn. "Guys this is Toushiro, from my Russian class."
Renji turned to Ichigo with a scowl. "I can't get over that you get to take a blow-off class. It isn't fair."
"How did that even happen?" Uryuu asked.
Ichigo shrugged.
"Probably a system error or the teacher is a lame asshole," Toushiro suggested.
They laughed and like that he was welcomed whole heartedly into the circle. Ichigo's friends were an odd bunch, but he decided that he liked them. Rukia's commentaries on the movies were hilarious. Orihime was sweet, naive, and quirky in an almost endearing way. Chad was really quiet, but his silence seemed to complement the other's wildness. Renji, Uryu and Ichigo butted heads a lot, but their petty arguments were all in good humour and very amusing to watch.
Toushiro ended up sitting on Ichigo's lap; Rukia had suggested it – more like forced him to, since the couch was full and she had claimed the floor by their feet for her collection of stuffed rabbits. He was glad that the lights were off so no one could see him blush, especially when Ichigo snaked an arm around his waist and pulled him into his chest.
...
Toushiro got a text from Ichigo the next morning.
-Had fun last night. We should do it again ;) –
Toushiro's stomach fluttered. Was that a winky face? Did he really send a winky face? His hands shook as he replied.
-Sure, that'd be great –
-Or maybe we could do something with just the two of us?-
Toushiro did a double take. Was he...
-Are you asking me out... over a text message?-
-Mmmm ur right I'll ask you in class-
Toushiro smiled widely for the first time in months.
...
Toushiro forgot that they didn't have class together until Tuesday. So, his high spirits were somewhat flattened when he realised that he wouldn't see Ichigo until then. However, when he was in the lunch line he felt someone come up behind him and poke him in the sides. He jumped slightly and glanced over his shoulder. Ichigo was grinning down at him.
"What do you want?" he muttered, trying to play off the giddy feeling he had gotten from seeing the redhead.
"Come sit with us, we're at the table near the vending machines."
Toushiro blinked. He hadn't been invited to sit with anyone since middle school. He almost refused, but upon seeing Ichigo's imploring eyes he nodded and followed him to the table.
As soon as he sat down his phone vibrated. Not thinking, he pulled it out and read the new message.
-Hanging out with freshmen now? Let's see how long THAT lasts-
"Everything alright?" Ichigo asked upon seeing the dark expression overtake his face.
"Yeah, probably a wrong number," he answered.
"I hate those," Rukia snarled from across the table. "There's always so random and annoying."
"You could have fun with them, though," Renji grinned, "Just reply and play along."
"But that'd be really mean," Orihime said as she poured ketchup on her tuna sandwich. Toushiro eyed the weird combination.
"Who cares; it's fun," Renji countered.
Ichigo shook his head at his friends banter and shot Toushiro and apologetic look. He answered it with a small smile, but his phone vibrated again and he ground his teeth as he read the new message.
-Ur fucking the redhead, right? Omg you couldn't do better than HIM?-
Toushiro clenched his jaw.
-How long is it gonna take before you come crawling back to me?-
"You think if he glares any harder the phone will burst out in flames?" Rukia asked.
The table erupted in laughter; even Toushiro cracked a smile despite himself.
...
"So as promised; will you go out with me?" Ichigo asked as they entered room 305.
"Like on a date?" Toushiro's brain had stopped working and he cursed his unintelligent response.
"No a business meeting."
Toushiro snorted. "What did you have in mind?"
"I dunno, we could have dinner then catch a movie or something."
"Sounds good."
"Friday at around six then?"
"Sure."
...
They went to a small pizzeria near to the movie cinema. Once Rangiku had got wind that Toushiro was going on a date she had insisted on dressing him. She had been more eager than him to move on from Sojiro and had offered to drive him. So, naturally, he told her that if he even saw her around the cinema or the pizzeria he would lock her out of his house for a month. She still picked out his clothes, though.
Toushiro could not understand why he was so nervous; he had only spoken to Ichigo a thousand times before. Yet, their conversation that night was stilted and awkward.
"So, how are your other classes?" He could have kicked himself for asking such a stupid question.
"They're okay, except for English Lit. I'm not really into the book they're making us read." Ichigo answered while picking an olive off a slice a pizza. Toushiro winced; he looked bored.
"You're doing Tom Sawyer, right?" This had to be the worst conversation they had ever had. He should have just stopped talking but his mouth was on auto pilot. "I wasn't a huge fan either. It was really long winded and the boy was a nut-job."
"I know right," Ichigo grinned and put down the pizza slice. Toushiro let out a relieved breath, somehow that had been a good thing to say.
They went on about how the school should update its curriculum and that moved into recommending their favourite books to one another and, before they knew it, it was almost time for the movie.
Ichigo wrapped his arm around Toushiro's shoulders in the cinema. He seemed nervous, however, and Toushiro thought that his heart was going to fail from how fast it was beating. They kept on sneaking glances at each other during the movie and had caught the other's gaze a few times before they both blushed deeply and looked away. Toushiro berated himself for acting like a child; this wasn't his first boyfriend, he had been through this process before, but there was something about Ichigo's warm eyes that made his stomach do flip-flops. He didn't remember feeling this way around Sojiro.
It was especially adorable when he noticed how nervous Ichigo was when he leaned down to kiss him goodnight. Toushiro had to tiptoe and Ichigo bent down quite a bit, but the kiss was sweet and gentle if not a bit tentative. He still felt Ichigo's lips on his hours later.
His mood came crashing down, however, when he received a text message from Sojiro as he was getting ready for bed.
-Movie date? How boring-
His eyes widened. How the hell did he know? He made sure to keep his distance when they broke up. He avoided him at all costs around school, even going so far as to pick classes he knew he wouldn't be taking. He had only seen him the hallway a few times and had immediately turned around and gotten to his class by some other means.
He had told himself that he wouldn't respond to Sojiro's taunts, but lately his ex had been increasingly annoying.
-What the hell. Are you stalking me, asshole?-
He could just imagine the sick grin that surely covered Sojiro's face and his stomach began to bubble uncomfortably.
-Just keeping tabs on what belongs to me-
-I do not belong to you-
-Really, the past year said differently-
-Shut the hell up. I told you already we're over-
-So why are you still talking to me?-
Toushiro drew in a sharp breath and threw his phone across the room. He ignored it as it continued to vibrate. All Sojiro had now were his words, he told himself; he could not hurt him through a phone. He wrapped his arms around his knees and tried to ignore the buzzing noise. So much for having a good time with Ichigo that night.
...
"Hey, everything alright?" Ichigo was leaning against a locker next to Toushiro's own. He was surprised that he had found him so early in the morning. "You weren't answering my texts."
Toushiro hiked his bag higher up on his shoulders. "Yeah, everything's fine. My phone was acting funny so I turned it off for a bit. What did you text me?"
"Said I had a good time on our date." He blushed slightly and lowered his voice to ask the rest, "and would it be okay if I called you my boyfriend?"
Toushiro stopped walking.
"I mean if you don't wanna that's totally cool too-"
"It's fine," Toushiro felt himself blush.
Ichigo smiled wildly, and in a sudden fit of courage he grabbed Toushiro's hand. "Good 'cause I already told the others."
"You what?"
"Well, they already knew I liked you and they begged me to tell them how the date went."
Toushiro shook his head just as the bell rang.
"I'll see you at lunch."
"Yeah."
Ichigo paused for a short while before he leaned down to peck Toushiro on the lips then scampered off without another word. Toushiro hid a small smile behind a hand and ignored the disgusted or surprised looks from the students who had seen Ichigo kiss him. It was high school; people were going to talk. He was about to head to his class, lest he be late, when someone roughly grabbed his shoulder.
He turned around ready to mouth-off the person who had touched him but his words died in his throat when he saw who it was. Sojiro leered down at him and he instinctively backed up, bumping into the lockers.
"Haven't seen you around in a while, Shiro." He smirked.
The hallways emptied fast and within minutes it was just him and Sojiro. Toushiro's heart thudded heavily in his chest.
"What do you want?" he snapped.
"Congratulations on your new boy-toy."
He narrowed his eyes.
"It's probably not going to last long-"
Toushiro rolled his eyes and pushed past the taller boy. "Shut up, asshole."
He was suddenly shoved hard against the lockers and Sojiro pinned him against the cool metal. Toushiro tried not to appear frightened but his quickened breath betrayed him. He clenched his jaw and glared at his ex.
Sojiro's violet eyes flashed dangerously. "I wonder how long it will take before the redhead finds out what a messed up person you are."
"If I'm messed up it's because of you."
"That's a laugh; you had daddy issues way before I even met you. But it's just a matter of time before he throws you aside and you'll have no choice but to come crawling back to me."
"As if; I will never come back to you. Now let me go; I'm late for class."
Sojiro let him walk past, but called after him before he got too far.
"It's only a matter of time before he'll realise that you're not worth the trouble. Everyone else does."
Like I said, novel. Even had to split it into two parts.
And here we had a highschool romance written by someone who hated every moment of highschool.
Drop off a review please.
-Mymomomo