Sarazanmai belongs to Kunihiko Ikuhara

(1) This is a fictional work, elements of the original work can be altered for better compatibility with this story.

(2) This story contains yaoi / shounen-ai. If you don't like it, press (x) at the top of the page to exit.

(3) English is not my first language.

I hope you enjoy!

Kuji Tooi was leaning on the counter, waiting for the end of the day, the minutes passed slowly and tediously. The convenience store was empty and he stared at the door every now and then, there was a small anxiety inside him that he tried to suppress.

"Waiting for your boyfriend?" The manager provoked.

"He's not my boyfriend," Kuji replied irritably.

"Are you sure? You guys make such a cute couple," he smiled mischievously.

"We are two boys."

"And? The world is so modern nowadays. I remember when I met my wife. We came home from school together every day and the first time I held her hand, she blushed and then, during our first kiss…" the man commented nostalgically.

"I don't care about your story, old man," he growled. The man laughed.

Minutes later, the door opened and Yasaka Kazuki entered. He was wrapped in a thick scarf and his hair was messed up by the strong wind.

"Good evening, sir." He greeted the manager politely. "Kuji, can we?"

"You can go, I'll close the store" the manager signaled.

Kuji changed his uniform, picked up his backpack and said goodbye to the old man. It was already very dark when the boys headed home. Yasaka talked excitedly about soccer practice and the time he spent studying in the school library.

"I even made notes for you to study for Math and English exams" Kazuki concluded with a smile.

"You don't need to waste your time on this."

"It's the least I can do to help you, you've been trying so hard."

Kuji's life had never been easy and it wasn't now. After three years in reformatory, he still had difficulty reintegrating into society. He lived with his aunt and uncle, but he didn't want to be dependent on them, so he divided his time between school, soccer team practice and his part-time job at the convenience store.

"Furthermore, if you don't do well in the tests, you won't be able to play in the next championship," Kazuki resumed. "And we promised to play together, remember?"

"But you could spend that time doing other things."

"For example?"

"I don't know, training with Enta?"

"I already spent enough time with Enta."

"Haruka?"

"He's in that rebellious phase of wanting to have his own friends."

"With a girlfriend?" Kazuki blushed and stared at the ground. "Oh, so is there anyone?" Kuji teased. It was no surprise, Kazuki was very attractive and quite popular because of the soccer team. "If you have a girlfriend, you should spend your time with her."

Despite Kuji's suggestion, the idea of Kazuki spending time with a girl didn't make him happy. Kuji loved all the attention Kazuki gave him, it made him feel special and important to someone. Having to share that attention with some random girl made him feel a little…

"I like spending my time with you," Kazuki replied shyly.

"But spending time with someone you like is much better, right?" He didn't really know why he insisted on it, fear of losing his friend's affection? Jealousy? Maybe if Kazuki walked away now, it would be less painful than in the future, when he would get more attached.

"That's exactly why I want to spend my time with you," Kazuki said softly. Maybe it was the indecipherable gleam in Yasaka's eyes, or the way he had said those words. Kuji closed the distance between them, and kissed Kazuki.

For a second, when he felt warm and delicate lips on his, Kuji felt triumphant, but he realized that the smaller boy remained motionless. Shit, he had messed things up and now their friendship was ruined.

=8=

Kuji Tooi was leaning on the counter, waiting for the end of the day, the minutes passed slowly and tediously. The convenience store was empty and he stared at the door every now and then, without any hope. Not after what had happened the day before.

Work hours are over. The boy changed his uniform and picked up his backpack. The manager had already turned off half of the store's lights when the door opened.

"Tooi, sorry, I'm late." Kazuki was out of breath, as if he had run a marathon.

"I thought you wouldn't come today, Mr. Boyfriend," the manager teased and received an embarrassed look from the newcomer, while Kuji glared at him.

They walked next to each other, in complete silence. Kuji thought about how to start a conversation, but nothing came to mind. Mainly due to the fact that Kazuki had been avoiding him all day. Sure enough, he was furious.

"I'm sorry about yesterday," Tooi asked in a rush, before the microscopic flash of courage disappeared.

"Why are you apologizing?"

"I kissed you." Kuji felt his face turn red.

"Yes,"Kazuki agreed simply.

"Kazuki, this is wrong. And I abused the friendship you entrusted to me."

"I don't care," the same indecipherable gleam in Yasaka's eyes that made Tooi anxious.

"You avoided me at school," he commented, uncertainly. How could he say he didn't care if they had barely seen each other all day?

"I didn't avoid you, I'm on the school festival committee. I really wanted to talk to you, but the school didn't seem like a good place for that kind of conversation…" Yasaka replied awkwardly.

"Still, you weren't comfortable yesterday."

"I was surprised and stopped, but it's not like I didn't want to," and Tooi could see the boy's cheeks blush.

"Really?"

"Of course, you think I wouldn't want to kiss the person I like most?" And his face blushed even more.

Kuji was very intelligent, the smartest of the three, but his brain seemed to work very slowly at that moment. What do you mean, Kazuki liked the person who had kissed him, so that meant...

"I told you that I like spending time with you, that's because I love you, Tooi. Is it clear enough now?" Despite his completely flushed face, the look on his face was so serious and determined that it left no doubt. "I didn't intend to declare myself. Not yet. I didn't know if you felt anything for me and I was afraid of your reaction. But I didn't want to feel guilty about liking you. And after what happened, I don't think it made sense to say anything anymore."

The two stared at each other, Kazuki's eyes sparkled with expectation. Tooi felt his face heat up and tried to process every word he had heard. No one had ever been so sweet and kind. "Right."

"Right?"

"You don't expect me to respond with some romantic and cliché phrase. It's not my style," Kuji replied with a crooked smile, the desire to say what he felt was there, pounding in his heart, but he wasn't good at exposing his feelings. "Well, is it okay if I want to kiss you again?"

"Yes."

"Even if it is now?"

"Even if it's now."

The approach was slow, the fingers intertwined and the lips touched almost naively. Tooi felt Kazuki shudder at the contact and couldn't help but smile. The kiss became more intense, the hands squeezed tighter and Kazuki gave a slight moan that made Tooi's legs soften.

"You don't need to ask me," Kazuki said, and Tooi looked at him without understanding. "When you want to kiss me, you don't need to ask" he smiled sideways and Kuji felt his face blush.

=8=

Kuji Tooi was leaning on the counter, waiting for the end of the day, the minutes passed slowly and tediously. The convenience store was empty, but it had been busy and he was exhausted. He stared at the door every now and then, there was a huge anxiety inside him that he didn't make a point of hiding. "

Waiting for your boyfriend?" The manager approached the teenager.

"Yes!" And he tried to suppress the smile from ear to ear, without much success.

"Oh… yes?" The manager widened his eyes.

"Wasn't you who said we made a cute couple?! I decided to follow your advice."

"What emotion", the man dried the false tears of emotion. "Invite me to the party when you get married."

"Aren't you being a bit hasty?"

"I married my high school sweetheart. You had to see the look on her face when I asked her to marry me, on the beach, with a beautiful sunset."

"I already told you I'm not interested in your stories, old man." The man grimaced but laughed.

Minutes later, the door opened and Yasaka entered.

"Good evening, sir." The boy greeted the manager politely.

"Good evening, Mr. Boyfriend", the man replied with a chuckle.

"No, it's just…" Kazuki's face blushed absurdly. "Kuji, can we?"

Kuji changed his uniform, picked up his backpack and said goodbye to the old man.

"I've been thinking about telling Enta…"Kazuki said and Tooi looked at him uncertainly "you know, about us."

"Do you think it's a good idea?"

"He is jealous of you. But we can't hide this from him forever."

"Forever?"

"Oh, I'm just a casual date", Kazuki teased, falsely indignant.

"No, of course not. I'm serious about this…" Kuji felt his hands sweat, the manager's conversation was still going around in his head. The old man had married his high school girlfriend, so it wasn't impossible for him and Kazuki to be together forever. He liked that thought.

"When are you thinking about telling?"

"I don't know yet, but soon. I want to tell my family too, but it might take longer," Kazuki had a huge, bright smile on his face, as if he wasn't able to contain the happiness he felt. "I love you, you know."

"I lov… I'm glad we were finally able to connect." Tooi reformulated. He loved Kazuki, but he couldn't put his feelings into words, not yet.

Thank you for reading.

If you like, please comment!