!Highschool Omake!
Smiles and Glances
Movies always talk about love and romance and that sweet feeling one feels when in love but rarely do they depict what happens after that.
Especially how the new couple acts after the confession.
Because currently, unlike how usually depicted, Miyasha was feeling very anxious and jittery and more than just awkward.
She still couldn't believe what happened that night a week ago and she was somewhat glad for the exams she had for the past week that kind of helped her keep her mind off it. Barely even that.
Because now that her mind finally was free enough to think about the confession and the kissing incident, she was extremely anxious and shy. Especially since she would have to go back to the Academy and meet him, too.
And it's not like she didn't have any conversations with him at all for the past week either; there were occasional messages of encouragement and enquiries about her exams and health but that was much different from hearing his voice or meeting him again after sharing such a hot moment together.
Miyasha covered her face again before letting out a deep sigh.
Lord, she couldn't believe how pathetic she was acting.
For a passing moment she wondered what Tomioka, no, Giyuu would think about her thinking like this before she shook her head and avoided thinking about that.
She bet he would find her strange and give her a look.
She shook her head again before jumping in surprise as the doorbell startled her.
"Miya! Can you open the door, please? I'm in the bathroom!" Hitoshi yelled from the bathroom as Miyasha glared while leaving her room.
"When aren't you in the bathroom, huh?" She yelled back as she went downstairs, "It sometimes makes me wonder if the bathroom is your second room or what!"
"It's his jerking-off space!" Hiroshi added from the kitchen, making Miyasha stumble as she snorted loudly and started laughing. Her laugh only increased in intensity when Shigeno smacked Hiroshi over his head for his crude comment.
It wasn't until Miyasha opened the door that her laughing ceased as her bluish-violet eyes met the very familiar blue ones.
"Good morning, Miyasha," she shivered as he called her name tenderly with a soft look in his eyes, "Ready to leave?"
Miyasha blushed as she silently nodded, "Le-Let me take my bag once!" She rushed inside to do just that while trying her best to suppress her blush somehow.
Even when she somehow did manage to do so, Giyuu smiling at her and kissing her forehead in greeting made her face light up bright red once again as they started walking towards the academy.
"I'm glad to see you again, Miyasha." He waited for her to step beside him before he slowed down his speed for her, "I really missed you."
"I, I," Miyasha cleared her throat before starting again, "I... missed you too, senpai." She admitted honestly, before looking away, "I really, really missed you but I didn't expect you to come so early to pick me up — even earlier than usual, actually."
"Ah," it was adorable watching him blush as he brushed his hand through his unruly hair, "I'm sorry. I was too excited to meet you."
Giyuu wouldn't admit it out loud but he was so excited for the past few days that he couldn't even sleep much either, especially last night. This nervous excitement caused him to just rush over here this early in the morning.
Meanwhile, Miyasha closed her eyes and looked away in an attempt to suppress her blush and her smile, neither of which worked.
That's why she just decided to be hell with it and covered her face with her hands and just took a deep breath to somewhat calm herself. Unfortunately, that didn't work either as Giyuu gently pried her hands off and asked what happened.
"You," Miyasha blurted out without thinking, "You happened! I just, you have no idea how I can't even get you out of my head, do you?" Words came out of her mouth that she never thought she'll admit out loud, "Even during the exams you always stayed at the back of my mind, waiting for any chance to pop in! And now that you are in front of me, I just can't help but feel anxious and awkward and—!"
Giyuu interrupted her as he cupped her face in his hands and smiled at her blushing figure, "I'm sorry."
"What? It's not your—"
"I know it's not my fault," Giyuu couldn't help but chuckle once he noticed how she removed his hands from her cheeks but still held them in her naturally cold hands, "I'm sorry because I didn't notice it before. I am... I feel anxious too, Miyasha. I am worried too and I almost thought what happened last week was a dream."
Miyasha's wide-eyed expression warmed his heart as he continued, "I know it's ridiculous but I am not good at these things and just..."
"It's not ridiculous!" Miyasha instantly reassured as she squeezed his hands gently, "It's completely valid to feel this way!"
Giyuu chuckled again, noticing in the back of his mind how laughing came easily to him when he was with her, "I know, I know, it's just, I dream and think about you a lot so I got confused."
Miyasha blushed again, once she realised the meaning behind his words, "We, we should talk about this somewhere more private! Let's go to the ac-academy and talk in our — my office!"
Giyuu nodded as he silently led them towards the academy again, their hands interwoven together as they walked beside each other in comfortable yet anticipating silence.
And while Miyasha almost started regretting every single thing she said out loud today, the worst part of it was how she somehow still couldn't stop blushing — how was she even still blushing? Wasn't there any other part of her body that could use the blood?
God, how did allosexual people handle all this? She barely managed to keep weird thoughts about him out of her head when he wasn't there with her and now that he was, she couldn't think of anything except his large warm hands and how those hands were on her neck and waist the week prior.
Why the fuck was she so aware of him so suddenly?! She's been walking around with him for months! It's not fair!
"Miyasha?"
"Y-Yes!" Miyasha blushed anew once she noticed they were already at the academy and approaching her office quite rapidly, "Ah, um, yes, Giyuu?"
"...you don't have to talk if you don't want to," Giyuu squeezed her hand in his grip as he looked ahead and avoided eye contact with her, "I don't want to force you. I, I don't mind if nothing happens and you want to leave. Just... please let me stay as a friend, at least. I—"
"No!" She interrupted him instantly before shaking her head and continuing, "I mean, it's not that! I already told you right, that I can't stop thinking about you? So, stop doubting that I'm not interested in you because I am."
Miyasha couldn't help but blush again and look around before ushering Giyuu into her office instantly.
"Finally, some privacy!" she smiled at her partner as she locked the door behind her and leaned against it, blushing heavily, "I, I mean, to talk. I won't do anything that you don't like!"
"There isn't much that I won't like you doing to me." Giyuu looked down at his hands as he continued, "Just... please tell me. Talk to me. I'm not, I'm not good at these things. At relationship."
"Is this your first relationship, senpai?" She softly asked him as she approached him, her hands gently touching his as she smiled at him.
"Yes," it was funny how even her slightest touch made him feel so reassured, "I don't know how to do it."
Miyasha couldn't help but chuckle as she leaned against him slightly before standing on her tiptoe to pat her tall partner's head, "Ah, it's completely understandable. To be fair, I've never exactly been in a relationship either, so I guess we both are new, eh? How about we explore it together, yes?"
Giyuu gently brought her hand that was holding his to his lips and kissed it, making her blush again as he nodded for an answer to her previous question.
"I'm afraid," he confessed honestly as he nuzzled into her soft, slender hand, "I'm afraid I'll act like my father. I... I don't want to be like him. I don't want to see you cry. I just want to love you but I don't know how."
The way his words made her heart skip and break at the same time made Miyasha smile wistfully. Even the way he honestly admitted his wish to love her made her feel wistful and shy at the same time.
Miyasha smiled and cupped his cheek to make him look her in the eyes before pecking him on the lips, "I promise you that you won't be like him. Ever. You are not the same as your father, alright?" She lightly kissed him again before continuing, "I promise we'll figure it out together, yes? Since it's our first relationship, we both will learn together, alright?"
Giyuu's eyes kept staring at her lips as he nodded almost absent-mindedly, "Yes, please teach me, Miyasha."
"Of course, I will," Miyasha couldn't help but smile as she noticed how fixed he was on her lips, "But first, tell me this — why are you looking at me like this, hm~?"
"I want to kiss you," Giyuu admitted bluntly as he squeezed her hands in his grip, "Can I kiss you?"
That question made her face light up in another blush; she couldn't even answer back properly without stuttering as she just nodded to relay her answer instead.
And while she cussed his bold bluntness and her stupid shyness in her mind, Giyuu simply smiled at her tenderly and shifted his hands to her waist and neck before pulling her body to his and kissing her.
In the integrated middle and high school of Kimetsu Academy, there was hardly anything that could be classified as ordinary; however, despite all the extraordinariness, there was still an ordinary sense to it as everyone got used to the unusualness.
Well, that was until the infamously strict and expressionless Tomioka-sensei suddenly started smiling.
It started out as a rumour, just like those ghost stories — some had seen it but couldn't believe it and those who heard about it questioned its validity. But when pictures started circulating as proofs, students started whispering and making theories.
To the students, Tomioka was one of those teachers that they didn't particularly like or dislike. Yes, he made a stink about the rules but even that was toned down now because of the Counsellor Sarota.
However, that didn't mean most (if not all) didn't acknowledge that he was one of the really good-looking teachers of the academy — something, that even the seniors acknowledged secretly. Thus, when the pictures of him smiling started circulating, his unofficial fangirls went absolutely ballistic.
Even the students who didn't like him kept staring at his pics as well as at him given the chance; the three major reactions to his smile were mostly students blushing or being surprised and a very minority of the students (mostly male) feeling creeped out.
Aside from all the gushing about his beautiful and rare-as-a-comet smile, theories were started around the reason behind why he was suddenly smiling.
And while most of the theories were made in satire, a few serious ones did start popping up as Tomioka started smiling more and more in the upcoming days; his smiles almost always directed at random things during random intervals.
This led to the speculation of many that he was smiling at his own thoughts than something or someone particularly — what thought though, no one could guess or have the courage to ask about directly.
There were many people who did joke about Tomioka-sensei falling in love; a thought that was quite funny to many as they couldn't imagine him acting as a proper boyfriend at all, with how emotionless he looked.
However, when they were met with a smiling and calm Tomioka-sensei on the following Monday, every student started wondering if that joke really was true.
And if it was, then with whom?
Funnily enough, there was almost no student who even thought about the possibility of Counsellor Sarota being the one on Tomioka's mind all day, despite how it was the day that she returned that Tomioka smiled all day long at everyone.
'Dating' was a term Giyuu never thought he'll be using for himself.
And with how his life had been, could anyone blame him?
But now that he himself was dating, he couldn't stop thinking and using that term — it was almost as if that term hypnotised him. In fact, the term love made him feel almost the same, if not more intensely, as his mind kept reminding him again and again how much he and his current life had changed.
It was almost ridiculous how obsessively these thoughts kept popping into his mind and making him feel absolutely giddy.
Even worse was when he thought about his partner, Miyasha; God, was he still not used to the thought of her being his girlfriend. But damn him if he didn't love every second of it.
He still couldn't believe that she liked him back — that she was his girlfriend and thought the same about him just as he did for her.
Giyuu shook his head as he tried to concentrate on the students again; trying his best to suppress the smile playing on his lips as he directed the kids to run another lap around the playing field.
His mind, however, kept going back to his partner as the memories of them walking back home yesterday and coming to school today kept replaying.
It already had been a week since they started dating and yet, he still couldn't keep his mind off her thoughts.
After resisting for a while, he let himself indulge in her thoughts as he missed her presence dearly even though it had barely been three hours since he last talked to her; she was like a ray of sunlight in the dark, completely barred room of his.
She was warm, kind and happy — everything he wasn't and more often than not, he felt like he didn't deserve her.
He didn't deserve the time she chose to spend with him or even the smiles and words of encouragement she gave to him. He knew he didn't deserve any of it but he was selfish; he wanted to take what he could from her even if he knew he didn't deserve it.
Her presence made him want to be selfish and confident — even when he did nothing to earn her respect and friendship, and now love, she still gave it so easily, so freely to him. It made him feel like he was worth it.
Like he was worth the work it would take to piece him back together.
Giyuu shook his head again at his line thought; it didn't matter if he was worth the work or not. Miyasha deserved better and yet, she still chose him. So, he will become the better that she deserves.
Not to mention, Miyasha would be really disappointed if she knew about the way he thought of himself. She really wanted him to be confident and get better at trusting himself. And for her, he'll try his best.
That was the thought that helped him go through his day and weeks with a new, positive attitude — making him feel like he was changing for the best.
"Tomioka, my man!" Giyuu felt Rengoku's hand on his back as the history teacher greeted him with his usual enthusiasm while they stood in the queue for food, "How are you, my friend? It's been a while since I've seen you in the cafeteria!"
Giyuu smiled at his fellow teacher, making Rengoku double-take while the P.E. teacher replied obliviously, "I'm good, I'm happy. Are you, um, how are you, Rengoku?"
Rengoku stared at him for a few seconds before laughing out loud suddenly and patting his back, making Giyuu feel very confused about his actions.
Did he do something strange to be laughed at...?
"I'm good, my friend!" Rengoku gave him the brightest smile Giyuu had ever seen him give, "And I'm glad to see you are doing well! I'm really happy to see you improving your social skills too, my man!"
"Thanks?" Giyuu genuinely didn't know how to reply to the sudden praise. Though, he was glad there wasn't anything wrong with his previous reply.
"You're welcome!" Rengoku replied before he leaned away to grab both of them a plate and handed him one as they finally got to the front of the queue, "Here! Let's get our food and eat together!"
Giyuu almost rejected his request before pausing and agreeing to it without any hesitation; Miyasha was out of the campus currently either way and had explicitly told him that she won't be back until the second last period of the day. And while he really wanted to wait for her to eat with, he knew that if he did, she'll scold him to no end.
"Can we," Giyuu hesitated before he continued anyway, "Is there a way to pack some food to eat later?" He looked directly at the woman with a ponytail, waiting for her to answer as she smiled and nodded to him, "Ah, then, uh, can you please pack—"
He rattled things off the menu he knew Miyasha would like, planning to pack and bring those with him when he goes to meet her later in her office.
Knowing Miyasha, she most likely would have skipped eating while doing whatever she needed off-campus and since the trip was planned ahead, he knew she must have either brought tiffin or didn't.
And with how careless she was about her own well-being, he leaned more towards the latter.
He shook his head in exasperation at his partner's antics, a smile soon spreading on his lips as he imagined her plausible reaction to his actions.
Maybe he should message her again and see what she's up to now.
"Who did you pack that food for, Tomioka?" Rengoku asked curiously as he guided Giyuu to an empty but long table in the cafeteria, "Are you gonna eat it later?"
He shook his head before simply replying, "Miyasha."
Giyuu didn't notice that his lips curved into a smile involuntarily when he replied, but Rengoku did.
And he was very curious too when he noticed it.
The thing is, the rumours about Giyuu smiling had been going around for quite a while — so much so that even the teachers had heard about it and became curious.
However, unlike the students, most of the teachers didn't go beyond looking at Giyuu once or twice before denouncing the rumours.
But now that Rengoku saw him smile, he couldn't help but agree with them; the P.E. teacher really did look good when he smiled. That, however, also raised his curiosity about what exactly brought this sudden change in him.
Was it really... love, as the rumours suggest?
"Tomioka!" Rengoku looked directly at his fellow teacher sitting in front of him, "You seem quite happy for the past few weeks! Has something good happened to you recently?"
Giyuu didn't exactly understand what Rengoku was asking of him as he tilted his head, making Rengoku chuckle at the adorably confused expression he was given.
He could see why many students liked Giyuu despite being as strict as he was.
"You've been smiling a lot for the past few days!" Rengoku relayed, smiling when he noticed Giyuu's startled expression, "It's not a bad thing! It just made people wonder what made you so happy! It's the first time we saw you smile this much! I'm glad to see you happy, even!"
Giyuu sat there speechless for a few moments, wondering if that was really true — was he really smiling so much that people noticed?
"I," He thought about what to answer, "Yes, I am happy." He replied simply, not knowing what else to say. While his relationship with Miyasha was not a secret per se, it wasn't something public either — Giyuu wasn't quite sure if he should declare it to their colleagues without consulting Miyasha once.
He didn't mind others knowing but that might not be the case for Miyasha. After all, she was still in her internship period here and was yet to finish her degree and join as the official Counsellor.
Rengoku blinked at him owlishly, most likely not expecting his dodgy answer; however, before he could ask him anything any further, they were interrupted by a few more plates joining their table, surprising them both.
"Hello there, nerds!" Uzui greeted them cheekily as he sat down beside Rengoku, "It's surprising to see you both in the cafeteria today — I thought you were the tiffin-guys; what happened, huh? Forgot to pack stuff today?"
"Hello, Rengoku-san, Tomioka-san!" Another voice greeted them as Giyuu turned to look at two chairs being pulled beside him; one by Kocho Kanae, which was directly beside him, and the other by Shinazugawa Sanemi, who sat beside Kanae.
However, unlike the other two, Sanemi didn't bother with a greeting as he directed a look with contempt at Giyuu before looking away.
His look reminded Giyuu exactly why he never ate in the cafeteria or with others; after all, people didn't like him and felt uncomfortable with his presence.
Before he could say anything and move away though, Rengoku immediately interrupted; stirring the conversation away to a completely random but interesting topic as he had already noticed Giyuu becoming dim at the sudden arrival of others.
And while Rengoku didn't know much about why Giyuu became so disheartened, he did know that he preferred his fellow teacher smiling more than anything.
Thankfully, the change of topic worked in his favour as an amiable atmosphere was created, making everyone feel comfortable as they discussed everything and nothing at the same time.
Rengoku talked about the cavalry battle he performed today in his class to explain the concept of war, which was creative enough to make students in his class very active. The idea itself made Uzui and Kanae laugh as they added their own input, with Uzui suggesting the use of fireworks for more realism and Kanae telling them to play it safe instead.
Giyuu listened to them silently as he ate, remembering how Miyasha once pointed out that a good teacher isn't one who only teaches well but one who understands the students and teaches them accordingly. And Rengoku seemed like a good teacher since he went above and beyond to understand others and make things interesting for them.
"Your classes sound very fun," Giyuu suddenly said out loud, making everyone turn to him in surprise, "You are a really good teacher, Rengoku."
His sudden praise surprised everyone since he wasn't one to dish out compliments at all.
However, unlike what everyone thought, Giyuu did think positively about others; he just didn't say it to them since wasn't that apt at social interactions. But, after practising with Miyasha, he felt more comfortable now saying such things.
"I agree with Tomioka-san," Kanae smiled at the initiative Giyuu took, "You are a good teacher, Rengoku-san. I wish I could attend your classes, too."
"Same, me too!" Uzui added as he leaned in to steal a tempura from Rengoku's plate, "I'll love to fight with you in a cavalry. Call me up if you ever need a flamboyant opponent!"
"The whole school will be blown away then," Sanemi joked, making everyone on the table chuckle or smile.
"Thank you, my friends!" Rengoku beamed at the praise, feeling really glad for some reason, "I'll love to invite you sometime in my class if you wish to!"
"Maybe," Giyuu started softly as he looked down at his plate, "We can do a play to explain the historical events. You are good with leading students, so it'll be easy for you."
Giyuu's suggestion ignited the imagination in the teachers' minds as they started discussing the said idea, liking his suggestion very much while they discussed how they would conduct the hypothetical play. The whole concept of it made the table buzz with creative thoughts and jokes as they idly talked about it in fun.
It was Giyuu who was done with his food first; however, he didn't get up and decided to wait for others to finish as he kept listening to them converse, adding his own inputs here and there.
He was glad that his comments and inputs were well received by everyone, making him feel reassured and encouraged as he kept talking with them for the whole lunch period for the first time since joining.
However, what Giyuu wasn't aware of was that everyone noticed his change and little initiatives, feeling quite proud/curious as they included him in the conversation readily. It was the first time the antisocial P.E. teacher came to them willingly and they weren't going to let him leave just because.
Especially Uzui, who was the most surprised when he noticed Giyuu smiling casually at them and he knew he wasn't the only one — even Sanemi paused in his bite when he noticed Giyuu smiling and talking with them, which only confirmed Uzui's belief that Giyuu was behaving very oddly.
Or rather, more humanly than in years.
"Oi, Tomioka," he decided to poke around as they were leaving the cafeteria after finishing their food, "You look quite happy, nowadays; that smile of yours sure makes you look good." Uzui half-jokingly teased him, wondering how the previously stoic teacher would reply.
However, unlike his expectations, Giyuu started chuckling at Uzui's words, making everyone around him pause as they looked at his bright expression in a daze.
Or horror, in the case of Sanemi.
"Thank you," Giyuu gave Uzui a dazzling smile, making the art teacher feel very strange and unsettled for the first time in his life, "You, um, you look very good with your headband, too."
"That he does!" Rengoku replied as he started laughing when he noticed his best friend freeze at the unexpected compliment; looks like today had been a lot of firsts for Uzui to handle, "Let us go to the staff room then! It's already quite crowded here!"
That broke the stupor his fellow teachers had found themselves in, making everyone usher out of the hallway and into the staffroom as Kanae attempted to make small talk with others to avoid any awkwardness creeping in.
Rengoku and (against all the odds) Giyuu replied positively back to her attempts, making everyone wonder once again how much had this stoic man changed.
It felt almost uncanny and strange to some of them with how much Giyuu had seemed to change. However, none of them could say it was a bad change either — even Sanemi felt that it was for the better.
That didn't mean he liked it either since he hated how much he kept talking with Kanae now.
Uzui, on the other hand, was half-creeped out and half-sure that he had changed this much because of Miyasha, with whom he had spent the past few months talking continuously.
What he wasn't sure of was whether this change was because of her counselling or was it something more romantic than that.
The answer to that, however, wasn't disclosed until much later when they shared another meal with Giyuu — this time, outside the academy.
Miyasha smacked Giyuu as he gave her a cheeky grin, her own smile widening with each second as they kept bantering on the most ridiculous topics while they walked around the park.
It was a free Sunday that Miyasha and Giyuu had decided to meet on — the meeting soon turning into a date when Giyuu suggested also watching an animated movie that was released just a few days earlier.
And while Miyasha tried her best to keep her cool about it, she couldn't help but keep waiting for the day to arrive; she could spend every waking moment with him and still wish to spend a little more each time.
It got even worse when the day did arrive; Miyasha felt jittery as she kept pacing around her room, changing her clothes for the third time as she twirled around to check if the skirt looked as good as she expected it to.
It was the first time she had put this much effort into her clothing and God, she wished she had learned more about these things as she felt like a fool while staring at herself in the mirror.
Funnily enough, Giyuu faced the same predicament as he stared at himself in the mirror for the past fifteen minutes, trying to decide if he should go with a t-shirt or just stick to a shirt.
In the end, he just went with a blue shirt and black dress pants, deciding that it was better to go with what he knew than experiment with something new that he wasn't sure about.
Not to mention, Miyasha did say she preferred him in shirts over anything else.
That fact was proven once more as Giyuu met with her in front of the cinema hall; their eyes roaming to check the other's body as they noticed their outfit.
Miyasha blushed when she noticed the obviously nice shirt he was wearing, loving the view it gave of his muscles underneath with every movement. Meanwhile, Giyuu loved her midnight blue top that she wore with her knee-high skirt and stalkings, the whole outfit making him slightly blush as it hugged her figure very intimately.
It made her look absolutely beautiful and he couldn't keep his eyes off her.
It wasn't until later that Miyasha disclosed that she wasn't exactly wearing stalkings but rather thigh-high socks, making Giyuu extremely shy as he tried his best to keep his head off the dirty end.
Miyasha, however, enjoyed his misery as she kept teasing him once she noticed how much she affected him with her declaration.
That teasing soon turned two-sided when Giyuu noticed Miyasha staring at his arms when he rolled his sleeves up, her face flushing into a slight blush that made Giyuu feel oddly smug.
And that was how they ended up bantering about it once the movie was over and they decided to take a walk at the nearby park while having some ice-cream.
"I don't have an arm fetish, please," Miyasha poked Giyuu's sides, making the said man chuckle as he grabbed her poking hand and intertwined their fingers together, "It's a girl thing, I swear. We just, we love when guys roll their sleeves up and show their forearms."
"But why?"
"I don't know!" She looked at him with annoyance, "Stop looking at me with that grin of yours! If I have an arm fetish then you have a socks fetish, you hear me?"
That made Giyuu laugh as Miyasha tried her best to frown at him but failed miserably to maintain it as such with how both couldn't stop smiling at each other.
It was such a fun and unexpectedly calm day for them as they watched a movie in the morning, following which they walked around the park the whole afternoon while eating ice cream and chatting about this and that.
Even though it was a very impromptu date, both enjoyed it to the fullest as they talked for hours in the end — even Giyuu talked more than he usually did as he slowly got used to coming out of his shell.
It was oddly comforting, the company of one another; it was warm, like a blanket, instead of being fluttery like butterflies. And while there were bounds of jitters here and there, it was mostly of anticipation and excitement, more than anything else.
Miyasha squeezed Giyuu's hands as they finally decided to sit down after walking for so long, their feet genuinely aching as they lost track of time while talking continuously. And by the time they did notice, they were already tired from walking for two hours straight.
"I'm so sorry, I should've noticed!" Miyasha apologised profusely as they sat down at a nearby bench, "I didn't know we were walking for that long as I kept blabbering about nonsense."
"It wasn't nonsense," Giyuu reassured as he kissed her fingers through their still-intertwined hands, "I like when you talk."
Miyasha couldn't help but smile softly at how tenderly he treated her, "Oh please, don't be that lenient on me. If you keep being like that then I'll just talk your ear off soon. In fact, I don't even let you speak much either! Just keep talking on my own, I swear—"
Giyuu interrupted her rant by tracing her lips with his thumb, his actions making Miyasha look at him in a daze while he leaned closer to her.
"Can I kiss you?" His question made her blush.
"Of course, silly," she breathily answered as she leaned in and kissed him; their kiss lasting for a good few minutes as their lips came back to each other again and again.
By the end of their sweet kisses, Giyuu nuzzled the side of her face affectionately, making Miyasha giggle before she gave him one last peck on the lips.
"You don't have to ask for my permission every time you want to kiss me," Miyasha relayed softly, even though she quite liked the way he asked her each and every time before they kissed. It made her feel like he valued her consent above everything else.
However, while it was a really good and sweet habit of his, she wanted him to be confident and free in his actions too; especially when they were together.
That and she felt kinda bad that he asked her every time and yet didn't mind when she kissed him without asking at all.
"I know but," Giyuu shook his head as he continued, "I don't want to do anything against your will."
His blunt words stunned Miyasha as she wondered for a moment what she ever did to get so lucky to find someone like him. Maybe she saved a country or something in her past life; only that would explain it.
"I can't believe someone like you exists, y'know?" She admitted as she leaned her head on his shoulder, "That was such a beautiful and lovely answer, I swear. Thank you so much for always considering my opinion and asking for consent. And sorry I don't do that back for you — maybe I should do it too, asking before I kiss, I mean."
It surprised her when Giyuu suddenly started shaking his head.
"Huh?"
"You don't have to," Giyuu strongly denied, "I, I don't think there's any moment where I won't like to be kissed by you. I... you don't have to ask me. There's nothing I don't like you doing to me."
Miyasha felt herself flush to her neck as his words made her think the dirtiest of things; God, was this man driving her crazy!
"Giyuu! Don't say things like that!" He only smiled as even his name sounded sweetly addicting when she called him out so lovingly, "What if I do it in public? Then?"
That made him pause as he genuinely wondered about it.
"I don't think you like public display much," he frowned as he thought back to their interactions, "I don't too, but if you did then I'll just bring us to a private place and continue—"
"Okay, enough! Enough!" Miyasha covered his lips with her hands, her face redder than it had ever been before as she glared at her very obliviously dangerous partner, "You know what? Let's talk about this some other time. Currently, I don't have enough blood that isn't in my cheeks to handle this much of your torture, I swear!"
Her adorable reaction only resulted in making Giyuu laugh heartily while Miyasha covered her blushing face in embarrassment.
Thankfully enough, they were sitting in a more remote area of the park where there weren't many people.
That made her wonder how far ahead had Giyuu planned for all this to happen.
However, when she pointed it out to him, he simply tilted his head and looked at her, "Isn't this how couples should do it?"
"I... what? Who taught you this?"
"I just read it in a few novels," Giyuu admitted honestly, "The couples in romance novels always meet in a place away from the public eye...?"
Miyasha closed her eyes as she leaned on his shoulder, trying her best to suppress her smile and her squeal at the adorableness of this oblivious man.
God, how can anyone be this adorable and dangerous at the same time?
"Did I do it wrong?"
"No, sweetheart, you didn't. I promise."
.
.
...
It wasn't until late into the evening that the couple decided to end their date by maybe eating at a restaurant or a cafe.
It was a decision they came to quite a few hours prior but couldn't exactly work on, with how much they didn't want to part away.
"I know it's ridiculous since we will meet tomorrow morning either way but I just I don't want to leave you," Miyasha admitted, her following chuckles covering her shyness somewhat, "I mean, I'm that far gone, you see?"
"It's not ridiculous," Giyuu repeated her own words at her as he couldn't keep his eyes off of her, "Because I feel the same way. I don't, I don't want to leave you, too. If this feeling is ridiculous, then we can be ridiculous together."
That honestly made Miyasha laugh as they walked down the pavement, their hands woven together while they checked around any place to eat.
They were in their own little world as they went around the city before they heard their names being called behind them.
"Miyasha! Tomioka!" Uzui grinned as he waved at them with one hand and leisurely wrapped his other around Rengoku, "What a surprise to see you here! And here I thought you both never left your houses!"
"I don't remember telling you about that," Miyasha immediately fired back with a smirk of her own, "Have you been so much in love with us to fall back to stalking us, hm, senpai~?"
A peel of laughter from multiple voices made her finally realize that it wasn't just Rengoku and Uzui who found them. It was also Sanemi and Kanae, who were following behind the two and almost got covered due to the taller figures of Uzui and Rengoku, respectively.
"Hello there, Kanae-chan, Shinazugawa-san," she greeted them amiably, feeling a bit resentful for their timing, "It's surprising to see you four together. Going out somewhere?"
"Nothing much, just a general outing!" Rengoku answered with his signature grin, "We do one every month! Maybe you both can join us from today onwards?"
"Yes!" Uzui exclaimed excitedly, "Join us, Miyasha, Tomioka! We are planning to go to a Karaoke today!"
Miyasha blinked in surprise before she remembered Rengoku telling her about something like this previously. Unfortunately, she didn't remember much about it until now.
However, before she could say anything, Giyuu nodded in agreement — surprising everyone since most of them expected Miyasha to agree and then convince Tomioka to come along instead.
Meanwhile, Miyasha could only chuckle and agree to the invitation since it would be awkward if she didn't, not to mention she didn't want to leave Giyuu yet.
To be honest, she kinda didn't want to leave with them since she wanted to have some more alone time with Giyuu. Alas, what could she do.
However, it did make her wonder when Giyuu became this socially active.
Ironically enough, on the other hand, Giyuu smiled at her as he thought he did well by accepting the invitation since he assumed Miyasha would like to mingle with them.
It was a miscommunication that neither of the two realized at the time but would find absolutely hilarious while retelling the incident in the future.
"I will be honest, I've never actually been to a Karaoke," Miyasha admitted as she followed beside Kanae, who immediately attached herself to her as the only other girl in the group, "So, I hope you take care of me, senpai."
"Of course, we will!"
"Wait, really? Will you sing badly too, then? Should I be ready to record?"
Miyasha only shook her head at Uzui's antics while Giyuu and Kanae looked at her curiously, "I... sing well enough, I guess. You won't be bleeding by your ears, that's all I can guarantee."
"I'll keep my mobile ready then." Giyuu stared at Uzui as he joked, making him raise his hands in surrender, "Hey, what's your issue?"
"...send me the videos, too."
There was a stunned silence before everyone bursted out laughing at Giyuu's unexpected request, making Miyasha lean back to smack Giyuu, who was walking behind her and beside Sanemi.
"Hey!" Miyasha protested, albeit jokingly, "As if y'all are bloody idols. Just you wait, I'll record every single one of you too and snitch on your ass to the whole academy."
It was surprising how friendly and in-sync the atmosphere was, despite Miyasha being quite new to their friend circle and Giyuu being, well, Giyuu.
That showed how much the dynamics had actually changed around the couple and Uzui didn't fail to notice that.
"Tomioka," Uzui started once they sat down in the Karaoke room, "What were you and Miyasha doing before you met us?"
That question made everyone in the room silent as they focused on his answer since it was something everyone was curious about.
"We... were out," Giyuu answered vaguely making everyone frown.
Miyasha raised an eyebrow at him while he gave her a very confused yet sad look. She observed Giyuu as she wondered if he was doing it for her.
The look he gave her told her he did that for her, but why—
"Date," Miyasha blurted out as she finally realised that Giyuu most likely thought she was not comfortable sharing about their relationship publicly, which was complete bullshit, "We were out on a date. Almost done with it actually, but yeah."
Uzui almost choked on the beer bottle he had been drinking from, "Wait a sec—" He coughed again before continuing, "You are dating?!"
"Yes," It was Giyuu who answered this time, his face slightly flushed from shyness while his expression still showcased his surprise.
"Since when?!"
"A mon—"
"I didn't know you were that interested in our love life, Ten-senpai," Miyasha cut off Giyuu intentionally to avoid stepping into a loop of interrogation, smiling when she noticed Uzui give her an odd look, "Why, feeling left out?"
She watched in satisfaction as Uzui spluttered at her reply, making Rengoku laugh as he finally sat down after setting up the Karaoke system.
"Ah, that's why Tomioka has been smiling so much for the past few weeks!" Rengoku concluded jokingly, making Miyasha turn to Giyuu in question while he turned away embarrassed, "Congratulations, Miyasha and Giyuu, on your new relationship!"
"Wait, what's about this 'smiling' part?" Miyasha asked in a mixture of confusion and amusement, watching silently as Kanae and Sanemi turned to each other with mischievous smiles before looking at Rengoku shared the same smile, "Guys?"
"This man," Uzui pointed at Giyuu, "Has been smiling like crazy for the past few weeks — at random things, too. It made most of the students think he went mad."
Miyasha chuckled when she heard Uzui half-jokingly complain before devolving into full-belly laughter when Rengoku and Kanae joined in to add more details.
"They spread those photos around like some paranormal shit," Sanemi commented, making everyone burst out laughing as they teased Giyuu mercilessly, who took it with stride while blushing quite a bit.
Kanae couldn't help but smile as she recollected how social Giyuu had become now and how even the students started liking him a lot. Rengoku agreed pretty readily to this while Sanemi grunted that he was now way better than before when he stared at the sky with a poker face.
Uzui added his own comments too, while quietly observing Rengoku to make sure he was fine with this development — after all, he knew his best friend was kinda interested in Miyasha but couldn't act on it much due to conflicting schedules.
Then again, he wouldn't blame Rengoku either since Miyasha herself was out and about even on the weekends to actually spend some quality time.
This was why her relationship with Giyuu surprised him so much — when did they even get the time to get that close? Those lunch periods? Or maybe when they came in early?
Then again, Uzui mused as he glanced at Giyuu, the way he was blushing and laughing, he was completely whipped. No question about that.
"I can't believe you didn't tell us before," Uzui decided to pipe in, "That's like, number one betrayal. And here I thought we were best of friends. Even your brothers didn't tell us shit."
Miyasha gave him a nervous smile, making Rengoku and Uzui look at her in surprise as they realized the same thing together — they were most probably the first ones to know about their relationship.
"Wait a second, wait," Uzui sat up straight as he looked at the official couple, "Don't tell us you haven't told the twins about your relationship yet."
"Well..." Miyasha gave them a sheepish smile, "I mean, not yet...?"
Sanemi laughed loudly as he took a sip from his drink, "Oh, the twins are going to smoke Tomioka."
Kanae elbowed him gently to shut him up but that only led to him shrugging nonchalantly since he knew what he said was right.
"What about Oyakata-sama?" Uzui wondered out loud, "He's alright with your relationship?"
"I mean, why would he mind?" Miyasha questioned back, "It's not like relationships among the staff members are prohibited or something in the academy, right?"
"It isn't," Sanemi stated firmly, "Also, I don't wanna hear that question from your mouth, Uzui. You are in a polyamorous relationship with three women who also work in our academy at our cafeteria and that stationary shop and yet you have the audacity to ask this."
Miyasha snorted as Uzui looked offended yet agreeable to his comment, "I mean, I won't lie, but the best thing about Ten-senpai is his girls."
"Hey, you got a boyfriend now, so stay away from my girls!"
"I mean, while I do have a boyfriend now, I still have a space open for a girlfriend or two."
"I don't think Oyakata-sama meant this kind of diversity when he took you in," Sanemi interjected in between, making both the parties laugh while the others either shook their head or looked shyly away, "Now, are we gonna sing or were we here to waste our fucking money?"
"I can't believe you can sing that beautifully and yet no one knew!" Miyasha poked Giyuu's sides, making the said man shy away from her touch before grabbing her hand and intertwining it with his own.
Giyuu couldn't help but smile when Miyasha giggled at his actions; his heart feeling warm and fuzzy as they walked along the pavement in the light of the street lamps.
It was only a few minutes ago that they left the Karaoke; the time played more of a role in their departure than actual want as both enjoyed the chaotic evening they had with their colleagues.
Or maybe he should call them friends, now?
"But seriously," Miyasha continued as they continued their way home through the busy downtown, "I can't believe you have such an amazing voice yet never tried singing."
Honestly, Miyasha wasn't even exaggerating as she praised Giyuu openly; his voice had a baritone that only became heavier when he sang, especially when singing slow music.
And that was exactly what happened this evening when Giyuu was pushed into singing.
Everyone expected him to be bad at singing (or at least average), with how quiet he usually was but were very pleasantly surprised when he sang softly to the song Kanade by shounenT.
Miyasha sat mesmerised as Giyuu slowly sang through the whole calming song; only missing beats a few times while still maintaining the essence of the song.
It was needless to say how impressed everyone was.
"I," Giyuu paused before restarting, "I listen to music a lot but don't sing."
"Eh? Why so?"
"I don't think my voice sounds good."
"My foot," Miyasha snorted, shaking her head as she disagreed, "You have a very sweet voice and I assure you that people will die to hear your voice every day. It's especially beautiful when you sing or whisper — it becomes a little raspier and so... intimate. I mean, that's how I feel, at least."
She turned to look at Giyuu, who was looking at her with the most tender look she had ever seen on anyone.
Miyasha felt shy as she immediately looked away; she wasn't used to him looking at her tenderly like this and it honestly made her feel like her heart was gonna explode.
However, that didn't mean she didn't like it and she made sure he understood that as she gently squeezed his hand to relay that.
Giyuu squeezed her hand back, feeling content with her shy reaction as he understood her squeezing gesture as something positive. Or maybe assuring?
Giyuu was still learning but he tried his best to understand the social etiquette and body language of others.
He was becoming much better with the latter, due to his partner being as expressive as she was, but still struggled with the former occasionally.
Giyuu's lips stretched into another involuntary smile as he felt giddy upon calling Miyasha his partner in his mind.
"I see now how you must have started those smiling rumours," Miyasha's teasing voice snatched his attention back to reality, "You must have made many students faint with that gorgeous smile, I bet."
Giyuu chuckled at her teasing, making her grin widely as she leaned further towards him before asking him what he was thinking about.
"You," he simply answered, watching in satisfaction as Miyasha blushed at his admission, "I was happy to think about you as my partner."
"...you are such a smooth bastard, I swear," Miyasha mumbled shyly, making him chuckle again as she continued, "I can't believe how I even got you, y'know?"
Her words reminded him of a question he wanted to ask.
"Miyasha?" Giyuu softly called her name, making her look up to him as she hummed, "Can I, is it fine if I tell others we are dating?"
"Of course!" Miyasha immediately jumped at the topic, "Of course, you can — why would you even think you can't?! I like you and I would absolutely love you to announce it to the world; so, don't you dare think I am ashamed of our relationship or anything!"
Giyuu felt his heart skip a few beats as her words registered; his smile turning softer as he squeezed her small hands in his larger ones.
"Thank you," he quietly thanked her as they finally entered Miyasha's neighbourhood, "I, I thought you won't like telling others about it because you are still in the internship period in the academy."
"Oh," Miyasha honestly didn't think about that, "I mean, that's a fair assumption, I guess. Though I did announce it to Oyakata-sama, so I didn't particularly think there'll be any issues whether or not I let others in the academy know. I mean, if Oyakata-sama has no problem then it should be fine, right?"
Giyuu nodded in reply before being jerked back by Miyasha as he almost turned to the street towards her house.
"Wait!" Miyasha whispered as she pushed him against the wall unintentionally, "Oh! I'm so sorry! Are you alright?!"
"I'm alright," Giyuu blinked in surprise before giving her a questioning look as she immediately apologised again.
"I, um," Miyasha's face was completely flushed as she leaned against his chest, almost as if trying her hide her face, "I didn't want to leave yet and I just... I'm sorry."
Giyuu couldn't help but chuckle as he felt his heart skip several beats at her cute behaviour; his heart felt full as he thought how most likely no one except him knew this side of her.
And God, did he love it.
Giyuu gently cupped her face in his hand and made her look up at him before leaning in to peck her, making her eyes widen before she instantly wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a proper kiss.
They shared a few kisses under the night sky in the empty street before Giyuu finally broke away and kissed Miyasha lightly on her nose as she chuckled at his adorable gesture.
"I'm sorry for kissing you without asking first."
"Oh, hush," she chuckled again and kissed his cheek before leaning in to whisper in his ear, "You think I minded that? Trust me when I say I'll let you do much worse things to me than just that little kiss, Gi-yuu-kun~"
Giyuu shivered upon hearing her provoking whisper, making Miyasha giggle in satisfaction before she removed her hands from around his neck.
"You shouldn't say things like that, Miyasha," Giyuu brushed his face with his hands as he felt his cheeks warming up, "I, It's, an-anyway, you should go home now, it's already past nine in the evening."
"I know, I know," Miyasha replied mischievously before spreading her arms as if asking for a hug, "I just, I had such a good day today. Thank you so much for taking me out today and for being such a sweet, patient man. I'm really lucky to have you."
Giyuu smiled softly as he pulled her into his arms, causing her to squeak before wrapping her arms around him tightly too.
The warmth of her hug made him feel warm and fuzzy in turn; as if he was soaking up her warmth and softness and love inside himself. And honestly? He loved it. He loved feeling this safe and loved as she rubbed soft circles on his back before nuzzling on his shoulder.
He loved how he was when he was with her.
"I am more so than you," he decided to softly admit as he closed his eyes and hugged her tighter, "Thank you for being with me, Miyasha. Thank you."
"Always," came her sweet reply, "Since you deserve every part of it."
He didn't know how or when they broke away from that hug and when she left for her home.
All he knew was her soft smile and even softer goodbye as she promised to meet him again tomorrow before getting into her home while he watched her go inside.
Even after he reached his home and his sister gave him a cheeky smile, he couldn't help but smile back in a daze as his mind kept rewinding back the day in a daze.
Giyuu knew this was definitely one of the best days of his life.
And that thought didn't change even after years of them spending together and creating even more beautiful memories together.
Heya!
And here we go! Another AU chapter and another step towards a new arc.
Sorry for any grammatical errors and all you may find in the chapter — it's no longer being beta-read since I'm tired of begging my sister to do it for me, so oh well. I might edit it again in the future but let's see.
I'll be uploading the next chapter by tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, so I hope you stay tuned!
