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Shu and Shoto were just normal friends to the eyes of the public… until one hot morning assembly, that is.
It’s nearing summer, and so the heat had started to become more unbearable than refreshing, the breeze less revitalizing and instead carrying with it an uncomfortable, humid air that urged everybody to stay inside and bask in their air conditioner units instead. In this kind of hot weather, students continue on with their studies, forced to endure until the summer break comes. This includes X High School and its inhabitants, and by inhabitants—of course, it includes the beloved student council of the school, too.
Currently talking on the stage and in front of the school masses is the student council president, Vox Akuma, briefing everybody about the upcoming summer event before summer vacation. Behind him, sat on lined up chairs, are his fellow student council members, trying to stay composed but ultimately failing. Luca Kaneshiro, the bubbliest amongst all of them, is missing his smile, a frown marring his features instead as he fanned himself incessantly with a notebook he obtained from god-knows-where. Mysta Rias isn’t even talking at all right now, when usually he’s the one causing a ruckus amongst everybody, non-professional or professional setting be damned. Ike Eveland looks even more serious than usual, one hand crossed above his chest and one fiddling with the necklace of his glasses. Beside him, Shu Yamino, the calmest of all, is staring at a distance, seemingly spaced out.
Seeing that even the student council they look up the most to is struggling against the heat, the students felt even more irritable, especially with the sweat dripping along their foreheads and backs. It’s obvious little to no one’s listening to the announcement by now, judging by the growing murmurs and distracted countenance all around the announcement hall. The fact that the teachers aren’t shushing the students yet just even more proves the grueling effects of the heat—usually, they’re fast to glare at the students making noise.
And—perhaps it should have been expected, all along. The heat claws against your skin and lungs, so much so that it brings up the flush of even the people that usually don’t blush at all, and everybody has been standing and stewing in this heat for the past hour or so, so it should have been expected, all along inevitable, that… well, that someone might, without a warning, keel over in the middle of it all.
Collective gasps fill the hall when someone in the middle of the crowd suddenly falls backwards, pale cheeks and even paler lips. He’s saved from barreling right onto the ground by the students behind him that caught him by surprise, but he remains a dead weight to them, skin cold to the touch and brows furrowed in the most agonized of frowns. Those around the boy crowd around him, panicked murmurs among themselves, whilst those farther away tip-toe to try to get a glance, gossip ready on their tongues.
“Wait,” Someone whispers, “Isn’t that Shoto-kun? Shu-senpai’s friend?”
“Huh?” Someone answers, confused. The group of friends stay silent for a few seconds as they try to gauge the truth of the statement, and then—“Wait, you’re right! It is Shoto-kun!”
Shoto-kun, that one second year that just seems like good friends with the whole student council, for some reason, but especially with Shu, who he’s seen spending much time during breaks with as well as before and after school. Shoto-kun is an enigma, but he’s an enigma everybody just naturally loves, with his pretty smile and kind eyes and lovable attitude.
And now, Shoto-kun just fainted in the middle of the whole school.
The realization makes the whispers rise in volume, sounds of concern and curiosity arising from all sides of the hall—and yet, before everybody even manages to ruminate on the newfound knowledge, someone perks up again, pointing excitedly at the stage.
“Wait, look—look! Shu-senpai is—“
Hushed and surprised silence takes over the entire hall, so much so that if a pin dropped, it might probably be heard. All eyes are glued to the lone guy sprinting away from the stage and into the crowd, so obviously hurried and yet so composed, still—although the small crease by his brows betrays his worry. He doesn’t have to squeeze into the mass of people because they automatically part to give him way, shocked as they are. Left on the stage are his fellow student council members, the president’s one arm raised as though to stop Shu from going. They look like they have no idea what is going on aside from Shu just suddenly hopping off the stage and dashing to wherever.
“Shu-senpai is coming here!”
“Quick, quick give him way—“
Shu stops right in the middle of the hall, right beside Shoto, who’s still being held up by his panicking and confused classmates. Shu releases a breath, closing his eyes as though to calm himself down. When he opens them again, he finally manages a smile towards the guy holding Shoto up.
“Thank you for taking care of him,” Shu says, stepping forward and placing a hand on Shoto’s arm, “You can let go now, I’ll bring him to the clinic.”
Starstruck and speechless, Shoto’s classmates can only nod and step back, letting Shu handle most of Shoto’s weight. They watch as Shu carefully observed Shoto’s face as if to gauge his condition before carefully maneuvering him so that he could be hoisted up, one of Shu’s arm behind his knees and one across his back. Shu sighs again, gently shifting until Shoto’s head is resting on his shoulder. Only then does he nod silently at the teacher everybody didn’t even notice walking towards them before turning around and passing through the crowd again, right towards the exit of the hall.
Everybody continues to stew in the silence for a few more seconds until someone releases a small squeak, effectively breaking the unlikely spell that seemingly blanketed all. The crowd promptly explodes into a bustling noise, louder than ever.
Shu sighs once the nurse finally leaves him and Shoto alone, deeming Shoto’s condition good enough to not need professional supervision. Shoto hasn’t woken up yet, but according to the nurse, the reason why the boy fainted was, of course, ultimately because of the heat, but also because he probably did not eat breakfast before leaving for school. Shu knows that he shouldn’t blame himself for any of this especially because Shoto wouldn’t ever want him to, but he was the one who picked Shoto up from his house, after all. He should have at least made sure that he’d eaten something. He’d always made sure before, but for some reason, he’d completely forgotten the reminder today…
Shaking his head to rid himself of his thoughts, he fixes the blanket draped over Shoto so that it covers his whole torso instead. He can’t help but zoom in on the pale of Shoto’s lips, when usually, it would be as red as cherries. Feeling his heart twinge a little, he reaches out to brush Shoto’s fringe off his forehead and plants a soft kiss on the white skin there, worry clawing at his gut even with the nurse’s assurance at the back of his mind.
“Eh-hem.”
“Wha—“ Shu turned around so fast he thinks he might have broken his neck, heart beating fast in horror. He takes in the mischievous smile that greeted him, the cerulean eyes that sparkled only with playful malice, and sighs exasperatedly when he registers who it is, “…hello, Mysta.”
“Hey, Shu,” Mysta says, voice too gleeful for a hot Monday morning. He leisurely walks into the curtains that separate Shoto from the rest of the clinic. Shu watches in resignation, crossing his arms above his chest as he waits for Mysta to finally stop beside Shoto on the infirmary bed. Mysta only takes a glance at Shoto before looking back up at Shu, eyebrows drawn up into a foxy grin, “So.”
“So,” Shu echoes, already knowing what’s coming. Now that Shoto is kind of stabilized already, he can kind of step back and realize just how much of a scene he made a while ago out of panic. The whole school must be dying of curiosity by now, but Shu also knows that even if that’s the case, still, no one can ever be as curious as his friends…
And it just so happens that one of them is right in front of him, smile so full of hidden questions Shu is already dreading to answer.
“Shoto,” Mysta continues, tilting his head to Shoto’s direction and raising a tentative brow.
Shu sighs and resigns himself to his fate, “Before I explain, let me buy food for Shoto first. I think he might have not eaten before going to school, so…”
However, before he could even turn to the curtain and step out of it, it’s being drawn already. Ike comes in and throws Shu a look before nodding in acknowledgement, raising a bag full of what could only be food to show to Shu, the latter staring at him in shock. Just then the whole of his friends start filing into the small space of Shoto’s clinic division, Luca and Vox squeezing into the space by Ike’s side, and Shu can do nothing but just stand by the side frozen in place, looking straight at them. He was only starting to internally hope that they wouldn’t give him a hard time of interrogation and instead just leave him alone, at least until Shoto is awake and well, but then they all turn to look at him, gazes inquisitive.
Shu can already feel cold sweat forming on his forehead. He tries to think of ways to twist himself out of the situation but his mind ultimately comes into a blank, all possible exits blocked. He truly acted too rashly in the morning assembly when usually and rationally he should be the one of the calmest one out of all of them, plus, Mysta saw him kissing Shoto’s forehead just a few minutes ago. No matter what possible excuse he thinks about, they all sound lame to him, something entirely made up… which it is, but the others shouldn’t know that if it really is a good excuse, should they?
In the middle of his internal turmoil, a movement at his peripheral catches his mind. Immediately, making up excuses is the last thing on his mind as he’s met with the sight of Shoto slowly stirring awake. His heart gives a surprised jump in his chest and he fully turns back to him, unable to stop himself from cupping his cheek in both worry and relief.
Shoto groans, finally opening his eyes.
Shoto’s head is spinning. He has to take a few moments to breathe before he’s able to crack one eye open, recoiling at the bright light that greeted him and closing it again. Not much later, though, the feeling of light disappears completely from his eyelids, and so he risks opening them again. This time, when he focuses all he can see is Shu looming over him to block the light, looking the most worried Shoto has ever seen him before. Shoto can’t help but smile even amidst the ache in his head and his confusion, leaning into the hand that’s cupping his cheek gently.
“Mhm,” he hums, “Hello…”
Shu breathes out a sigh of relief, brushing Shoto’s stray hairs and fringe out of his face to give him more comfort. Shoto lets him, basking in the attention and taking in his boyfriend’s features so close to his. He reaches out a finger to place in between Shu’s brows, making the other freeze in his movements. Shoto hums, massaging the spot until Shu’s frown goes away. Only then does he draw his hand back, letting out a soft chuckle.
Shoto was about to ask Shu about why he looks so worried when a deep, deep voice clears his throat from not far away from them, making Shoto turn to look in shock, eyes meeting Vox’s. Beside him, Shu freezes once more, and Shoto furrows his eyebrows in confusion. He only then registers where he is and who he’s with, looking at the four other men observing him and Shu quietly. He has to take a few moments to process what’s happening until he remembers and he perks up, gasping, “Ooooh…”
“Yeah, ‘oh’,” Mysta rolls his eyes, “You dumbass. You got us worried for a hot second there.”
“Yes,” Ike says, walking beside Mysta and looking at Shoto with a sigh, “Didn’t you eat breakfast?”
Shoto shrinks into his blankets and chuckles sheepishly, “Ah… I woke up late. I didn’t eat… but I was bringing a sandwich! I just…”
“You forgot,” Luca says, though it’s lighthearted, “Anything else that might have led to this?”
“Well,” Shoto purses his lips, looking around all of them who’ve already gathered around his bed before dropping his gaze to Shu, smiling apologetically at him upon seeing the still-worried set of his lips, “I. Kind of neglected sleep for the past few weeks because I’ve been trying to perfect this program I’m working on… I think that’s why. Oh, and the heat! It was so hot a while ago I felt like I was dying, so… I normally wouldn’t pass out like that.”
“We know, that’s why we were very worried,” Vox says, a small frown marring his features.
“Weeeell,” Mysta says, drawling his voice enough that everybody turned to look at him. Shoto blinks up at him and Mysta blinks back, almost looking innocent, but there’s just… something. Shoto narrows his eyes suspiciously at his friend, zeroing in on the smile that only shows up when he’s up to no good.
“What,” He asks in deadpan, untrusting. Mysta’s smile grows wider, and Shoto hates the small, foreboding chill that traveled the length of his spine in response.
“Well,” Mysta repeats, a high and teasing lilt to his voice, “Someone sure was a lot more worried than the rest of us, though.”
“Huh?” Shoto furrows his brows in confusion, staring at Mysta and waiting for an explanation. When after a few seconds he still gets no answer, he turns to the others, only to find them looking at one single direction with wide, seemingly innocent eyes. Following their stares, Shoto finds himself looking back at Shu again, who’s biting the inside of his cheek and looking at Shoto… guiltily. Shoto tilts his head to the side, “Shu?”
Shu stares at him for a few more seconds before deflating, shoulders dropping in resignation, “…I panicked. I’m sorry, Shou.”
“What? Hey,” Shoto tugs at the hem of Shu’s uniform, worry slowly clawing at his chest, “What happened?”
“I…” Shu lowers his voice, “I was looking at you most of the time during the morning assembly, so I immediately saw when you fainted and I… panicked. And. Uhm,” Shu lets out a breath, voice lowering further, “Kinda made a fuss. I… was the one that carried you to the clinic, and everybody saw. And, you see, that would have been fine, but a while ago, Mysta saw me—you were just so pale, and I was worried, and I kissed you on the forehead, and Mysta saw, and—well—“
Shu is rambling, which he tends to do when he gets nervous, if he doesn’t just completely fall silent. All the information is making Shoto kind of dizzy, too, but he grabs onto Shu’s hand instead, squeezing it and interrupting his tirade. Shu stops talking, as though gauging Shoto’s reaction, and sighs for the nth time that day, squeezing Shoto’s hand back.
“I know you didn’t want others to know about us, but… now our friends do, and the whole school probably has an inkling—“
“Wait, wait, stop right there,” Shoto holds up his free hand, blinking up at Shu, brows drawn together, “What?”
“…” Shu purses his lips, “Our friends know about us now.”
“Not that,” Shoto says slowly, taking a deep breath to calm himself down. His heart is beating so fast inside his chest he thinks it might jump out any minute now, but he holds his ground, ears more hyperaware than ever, “The first part.”
“Huh?” It’s Shu’s turn to sound and look confused now, “…the, uh… you didn’t want others to know about us…?”
Shoto nods, and as realization slowly starts to settle in on him, he can only grab onto Shu’s hand for dear life, holding it tightly, “…I never said that.”
“Said what?”
“I never said I didn’t want others to know, Shu… I… where did you even get that idea?”
Shu stares at him for a few moments before seemingly realizing things, too, as his grip on Shoto’s hand similarly tightens and his eyes slowly start to widen, “I—wait. I always thought you didn’t want others to know, because, well, you’ve been—you’d always avoid affection on public, and I get that that could be normal, but not for you. You’re very clingy in private, and… and before we became boyfriends you’d always cling to me on public, too, so when you stopped altogether when we got into a relationship and didn’t mention anything to our friends at all, I thought you just weren’t ready to let them know yet, and I fully understood.”
Shoto is acutely aware of the four other sets of eyes going back and forth on him and Shu, but really, he could care no less. What do you mean Shu thinks he was the one that didn’t want to let others know? What do you mean Shoto actually didn’t need to hide at all for Shu’s sake? It’s all too much Shoto is getting even dizzier.
“Shu,” He says, sounding defeated, “I think we need to work on our communication skills.”
He lets go of Shu’s hand in favor of wrapping tired arms around his waist and hugging him close, burying his face in his stomach. He feels Shu stiffen in his hold in surprise for only a millisecond before he’s melting into the embrace, placing one hand on Shoto’s shoulder and one on his hair, carding through it with his fingers soothingly. Shoto closes his eyes against the dizziness and focuses on the sensation of Shu’s cool hands in his hair, letting out a breath.
“I was trying to act discrete for you.” Shoto starts, voice muffled inside the hug, “You’re… part of the student council, and you’ve got lots of people rooting for you. You’re like, the most hands-on and helpful member of the student council, and you top the school rankings all the time. You have so many fans. Now that I know you never actually wanted to hide our relationship, I feel stupid, but I’ve always just thought of… protecting your reputation, or something. I don’t know. I just… didn’t want to make you uncomfortable with our relationship being so blatantly shown to the public when you’re quite literally one of the pillars of this school.”
Shu goes silent, hand going still on Shoto’s hair. Shoto knows he’s processing the overload of information. Honestly, Shoto doesn’t think he’ll be able to fully take in all the information dumped onto him today, too, at least not until he manages to get a few hours of sleep to regain his energy and stop feeling sick every few minutes or so. Imagine—they have been together for a whole year, and Shoto’s been holding back although he’d been dying to tell everybody about it this whole time… and now he’s finding out that he never had to hold back at all? That at the end of the day, he was just being a dumbass and making Shu overthink as well?
What the actual…
Amidst his raging thoughts, he feels a soft push by his shoulders. He goes along with the force and pulls back just enough to look up at Shu. Immediately, he notices the lack of people in his peripheral vision. He throws the now-drawn curtains a look before looking back at Shu and tilting his head to the side in question. When did Shu even ask them to leave? Shoto didn’t notice at all.
Shu breathes out a long, long sigh, cupping Shoto’s cheeks with both his hands and leaning down to rest their foreheads together.
“We really should work on our communication skills, baby,” Shu whispers, closing his eyes and rubbing his thumbs on Shoto’s cheekbones, “Look how long we…”
Shu trails off, seemingly contemplating the incredulity of the situation again. Shoto leans into Shu’s touch and closes his eyes as well, letting Shu’s words echo inside his head. The longer he thinks about it, the longer it all just seems so absurd and stupid. He cannot help the little snort that comes out of his mouth, followed by a little giggle of disbelief.
“We’re stupid,” Shoto says, “Let’s never do this again.”
Now, it’s Shu’s turn to chuckle. He pulls away slightly so that they could look at each other without going cross-eyed, looking at the mimicking amusement in each other’s eyes. Soon, the both of them are giggling again, forms shaking against one another in laughter. Shoto snuggles his face into Shu’s neck, bodily feeling the other’s uncontrollable chuckles.
You know, when you think about it closely, it’s truly amusing in and of itself.
They’re really such idiots, the two of them.
Shoto immediately got better within the day, with Shu coming back to check on him as much as he can. However, due to the ruckus that was the morning assembly, a handful of students wishing to see more drama and have more gossip to share paid close attention to the infirmary and thus saw Shu coming back more times than he really should, with either a snack or a beverage or… just himself, really. Word spread from person to person and from classes to classes, and by the end of the day, so many people were trying to subtly look at the clinic that they really don’t look subtle anymore.
All of them really didn’t know what they’re expecting, camping outside of the clinic. On one hand, they’re just really curious as to how their Shu-senpai would act after all the fuss he made during the morning assembly, and on the other hand, they wanted to see Shoto-kun’s reaction to that. Would they both be embarrassed? Awkward?
Nobody really knows, so when during dismissal Shu and Shoto walked out of the infirmary with their hands linked and intertwined together for all too see, no one could really step up to try and give their regards. Speechless not for the first time that day, all of them could only watch the two walk leisurely away, right towards the main entrance and exit of the school and all the way to the gates, until they all but disappeared completely.
…
“Holy shit,” Someone whispers, breaking the trance everyone is in.
Chaos ensues.