Beauty and the Geek (ch. 1)
Title: Beauty and the Geek
Chapter: 1/?
Author: socialriotbitch
Pairing: ReitaxRuki
Genre: AU, High school, humor, basically it's a huge cliché consider yourself warned
Rating: PG-13 (for now, though will be NC-17 in later chapters)
Warnings: MxM kissing, homophobia, loads of swearing (for now)
Summary: Everyone thought Suzuki Akira was the luckiest guy in the world.
Except Akira himself.
Disclaimer: If I did own them then my titles would be more creative because Ruki could help me. Sadly no.
Comment: See, this is why I shouldn't write chaptered stuff. I get inspiration for new things all the time without finishing the other things. BUT I have been working on chapter 3 of His as well, it should be out next week as promised.
Also, this is possibly one of the most clichéd things I've ever written. Ah well. This is so short it could be considered a prologue, actually.
PS: I suck majorly at titles ignore them just please do.
Suzuki Akira was the most popular kid in school. Everyone loved him. Especially the girls. He was constantly invited to parties, social gatherings and whatnot. He had kissed almost every girl within a radius of ten miles, and fucked over half of them. Everyone thought he was the luckiest guy in the world.
Except Akira himself.
The thing was, in the midst of all the partying, hanging out and otherwise taking care of his reputation, there was little time for homework. He could keep up with most subjects, but there was one tiny little thing that he just couldn't seem to do. Maths.
No matter how hard he tried, he didn't understand a shit. There were too many numbers, too many symbols, too many complicated words that Akira just couldn't wrap his head around. Thus, Akira got an F in maths.
Naturally, his parents weren't too happy about this. At all. One day, when they were casually eating their dinner, his father decided to drop the bomb on him.
“Akira, you're 18. It's your last year of high school. If you can't get at least a D in maths by the end of this year, you are no longer our son.”
Akira dropped his chopsticks and just stared open-mouthed at his parents. Were they serious? Would they actually disown him?
“Mother, do you agree with this?”
Akira's mum looked extremely uncomfortable, but when her husband glared at her, she quickly answered “I support your father's decisions no matter what.”
“Is that so?” Akira abruptly stood up, knocking his chair over. “I'll show you!”
Without as much as a bow, he ran out the front door and all the way to the nearest park, where he sat down on a bench and hid his face in his hands. Shit. Without his parents' financial support, there was no way he'd be able to afford food, much less an apartment. He'd be doomed.
Akira had to pass. End of story.
~
Flipping through his books, the realization was slowly dawning on Akira that there was no way he was going to pass maths on his own. The numbers simply didn't compute in his head. He didn't understand a shit of anything, and he wasn't going to either, unless he could get someone to help him.
The problem was, who?
The teachers didn't have time, and frankly, Akira didn't think they would even care. If he asked any of his friends, he could seriously damage his reputation. If anyone at school found out he was spending his free time studying mathematics, he would be stamped as 'geek' for the rest of his life. He couldn't risk that.
Just as he was about to leave the library and stomp his way home to google 'how to do maths', Akira heard the creaking of the door being opened and then closed. Shit. If anyone found him in the library-
Akira didn't have time to panic, however, as he saw who had just entered. A short boy with messy brown hair, thick-rimmed glasses and a bookbag slung over his shoulder. Akira knew who it was despite never having talked to him before.
Matsumoto Takanori was Akira's exact opposite. Nobody liked him, he was bullied by almost everyone and had never even kissed a girl. Rumours had it that the reason was that he was gay. He was basically the school's biggest loser.
But right now, he might be Akira's saviour. The kid was a genius. He aced every subject he had, including maths. If this was a manga, there would be a lightbulb above Akira's head right now, because he had the most brilliant idea he'd had in a long time.
Takanori was perfect. He was the last person in the world Akira expected to tell his friends that he was studying maths. All he had to do was offer Takanori a good deal, maybe pay for his glasses or tidy his room, and he would help him pass.
Akira had no idea how wrong he was.
Stuffing the book back into his bag, Akira walked over to where Takanori was sitting and reading. He grabbed a chair and sat down opposite Takanori, looking at him with the gentlest smile he could muster and clearing his throat. “Hi.”
Takanori raised his head from his book, and the pure loathing etched on his face caught Akira off-guard, and the smile fell from his face. “What the fuck do you want?”
Okay, that was totally unexpected. “Dude, what have I ever done to you?”
“You mean except stood by and watched as I've been beat up by countless of your friends, helped them throw my books in the container and laughed at me and called me stupid names several times?”
Akira flinched and looked away. For a second, he actually regretted doing all that. “Yeah, I'm sorry about that.”
Takanori raised and eyebrow at him and leaned his head on his hand. After several seconds had passed, during which Takanori was still glaring at him and Akira was starting to feel very uncomfortable, Akira realized that he hadn't answered Takanori's first question yet. “I was wondering if you could help me with something...”
At first, Takanori's jaw dropped and he just stared incredulously at him. Then he threw his head back and roared with laughter. “You, Suzuki Akira, the hottest, most popular guy in school, needs help from me, Matsumoto Takanori, the school's biggest loser?” Takanori continued laughing, and Akira knitted his eyebrows together in frustration.
“You don't have to be rude, I'm trying to be nice here-”
“Cut the crap. A guy like you doesn't just ask a guy like me for help unless it's something serious. Let me guess, your parents are pissed 'cause you can't pass some subject or something and you need my help so you don't get thrown out on your ass?” Damn. The guy really was smart.
“So what if I do?”
Takanori stopped laughing, watching Akira cautiously as if he expected him to jump at him any minute. “And what the fuck makes you think I would do that for you?”
Akira started fiddling with his belt. Clearly, he hadn't thought this through. He hadn't exactly given Takanori a lot of reasons to be nice to him in the past. “I could do you a favour in return? Walk your dog, do the dishes, something like that?”
Takanori started laughing again, and it was starting to irritate Akira. He huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at Takanori while he roared like a hyena. “Oh, this is just too good! The way I see it, if you don't pass, you'll be thrown out on your sorry ass, right?”
Akira nodded in confirmation.
“And you can't ask anyone else because that would damage your reputation, right?”
Akira nodded again, not liking where this was going.
“So you want, no, you need me to help you improve your grades without telling anyone about it, am I right?”
“Well, yes, but I don't quite see your poi-”
“All right, Suzuki. I'll help you pass.”
Akira's face lit up in an instant. “Really? Thank you so much!”
Takanori held up one finger in the air, and Akira stared at it while he waited in suspense.
“On one condition.”
“Anything.”
“You're going to be my boyfriend.”
Shrieking in horror, Akira knocked over the chair and fell back with a pained grunt. “WHADDAFUCK?!”
“You might have heard the rumours before, Suzuki, and I'll confirm them for you. I'm gay. I'm a faggot. I like fashion, I like guys and I like dicks. Simple as that. You're in desperate need of a tutor. I'm in desperate need of a boyfriend. It's only fair game.”
“But I'm not gay!” Akira started defending himself, only realizing after he had said it how stupid it sounded.
“I know. Which is why this will be the perfect payback for how you and your friends have made my life in high school a living hell so far. You're going to do all the clichéd romantic things. Hold my hand in public, take me out on dates, make out with me in the parking lot-”
“No way. No fucking way!” Akira had managed to get back on his feet, and he was now staring in horror at Takanori, who was smirking up at him. Akira really didn't like that smirk.
“Do you really have a choice, Suzuki? You can either say bye-bye to your parents' money, or you can be my boyfriend. It's as simple as that.”
“Why do you even want to do this to me?”
“I already told you; it's the perfect revenge. With you as my big, strong boyfriend, I doubt anyone would dare lay a hand on me any more. I'd be safe from bullies, at least until you graduate. And besides, face it Suzuki, you're the hottest guy in school. I certainly wouldn't mind making out with you.” Takanori licked his lips to finish off his sentence, and Akira was starting to believe that Takanori was the devil himself sent to punish him for being such a lazy asshole.
“I'd rather have my friends think I'm a geek. I think I'll just ask them in stead.”
“Go ahead, Suzuki, but do you really think any of those meatheads would be able to teach you a thing? Or willing, for that matter?”
Takanori had a point. None of Akira's friends passed mathematics, and none of the people who did would want to spend their free time tutoring him.
“Is there really nothing else I can do? I can get people to stop bullying you in some other way. I can find you a boyfriend from nearby. Anything but... that.”
“Sorry, pretty boy, but I don't think so. I have you right where I want you.”
A few long, difficult minutes followed, during which Akira weighed all his options in his head. In the end, he came to the conclusion that if he was going to pass maths, he would have to agree to Takanori's terms.
Just the thought of it made Akira's gut churn. He wasn't gay. He'd been brought up to think that gays were infectious fairies who would rape you if you went anywhere near them. So far, he'd been going to the same school as Takanori for almost two years, and he had neither been raped nor 'turned', as they said. Thus, he was forced to believe that gays weren't exactly like his parents had told him. Besides, Takanori didn't quite fit into the gay stereotype. He didn't wear high heels, or sequined pink outfits, or huge feather boas. All that prompted Akira to believe that maybe, just maybe, gays weren't as bad as he'd thought them out to be.
And he had no idea why or how, but in the end, Akira decided that this was his only option. “Deal.”
“Really? You sure?” Takanori obviously wasn't going to just let this pass without teasing him for it, and honestly, Akira didn't blame him.
“Absolutely.”
“You'll have to act all lovey-dovey and infatuated around me.”
“I understand.”
“You'll have to touch me. A guy.”
“I know.”
“You're going to have to kiss a guy. In front of all your homophobic friends.”
“I get it already!” Akira snapped, and Takanori chuckled to himself, beckoning for Akira to sit down again.
“Fine. So, to start off, what subject is it you need my help with, and what parts of it do you understand?”
Sighing in defeat, Akira fell down on the chair and dug his book out, opening it on page one. He might as well get this over with....
~
Akira really didn't want to go to school today, he realized as he sat on the bus, listening to his iPod and gazing out of the window. Going to school meant seeing Takanori, seeing Takanori meant he had to act... gay. To start with, Akira didn't know the first thing about being gay. All the stereotypes he'd been told about homosexuality were clearly wrong, as Takanori fit into none of them. Secondly, Akira was piss scared that his friends would find out. At the very least, they'd stop being his friends. Worst case scenario, they'd start bullying him as well.
When the bus pulled up to the school, Akira wanted nothing more to just chain himself to the seat and stay right where he was until they reached the end station, which was at the other end of the city. But he knew that if he did, his deal with Takanori was off, he'd fail maths, and he'd be thrown out on his ass before he could even come up with a decent excuse.
It didn't help in the least that Takanori was already waiting in the parking lot, waving at him when he stepped out of the bus. Akira pulled his hood over his face. Maybe this way, nobody would recognize him...
His plan crumbled to dust as Takanori walked right up to him and pulled his hood off, kissing his cheek and grabbing hold of his hand. Akira froze on the spot, his hand tightening around Takanori's so hard it must have hurt. If it did, Takanori didn't let it show, and he leaned up to whisper in Akira's ear.
“Act natural. Pretend I'm just one of your girl flings.”
As simple as that sounded, Akira found it incredibly hard to act as if nothing was wrong while Takanori was still holding his fucking hand like that. It was innocent, it was cute, it was just like what any girl would with their boyfriend, but somehow, it made Akira feel uncomfortable and vulnerable, and he wanted nothing more than to punch Takanori in the gut.
A couple students had seen Akira and Takanori standing in the parking lot, holding hands like a couple, and they stuck their heads together and started whispering. Akira noticed and yanked on Takanori's hand, pulling him behind the nearest bush and nearly hissing at him.
“What the fuck, Takanori?!”
“Calm your straight feelings down, Suzuki. It's just hand-holding. Even friends do that.”
“Girlfriends, yes! Not dudes!”
“Well, you better get fucking used to it. This is nothing compared to how normal couples act in public. And believe it or not, Suzuki, until you get a D in maths, we are a normal couple. In every sense of the word.”
“Except we're both guys!” Akira whined, and Takanori narrowed his eyes at him.
“Yeah, that's how homosexuality works. You're just going to have to suck it up or find yourself another tutor.”
Akira pulled at his hair in frustration, but Takanori shut him up before he could even say anything.
“I get how uncomfortable this makes you, even if I think you have no reason to be, but the thing is, Suzuki, we're a couple now whether you like it or not, and unless you start fucking pretending, then I'm going to have to call the deal off.”
It took all of Akira's willpower to not punch Takanori right then and there. In stead, he took a deep breath, grabbed Takanori's hand, and started walking towards the school. “Fine. You're absolutely evil, you know that?”
“Yep,” Takanori replied, lacing his fingers with Akira's and stroking his thumb over Akira's hand absent-mindedly.
Akira could feel the stares boring into his back as he walked to the entrance, hand in hand with Takanori. He followed him all the way to his classroom, where Takanori kissed his cheek again and left Akira standing there like an idiot, trying to convince himself that he wouldn't burst into flames.
After a long while of just standing there, Akira managed to shake it off and start walking towards his own classroom. Even though all rational thought told Akira he had the right to be, Takanori was still being an asshole. He was making Akira uncomfortable on purpose as some sort of petty revenge, and Akira didn't like it in the least. He was acting like a total dick just to see Akira squirm.
Akira was grateful that his bus was one of the earliest. There was a slight chance that none of his classmates had noticed him with Takanori earlier. Even if they did, Akira decided that it didn't matter. He was still the goddamn king of this school, and nobody could take that away from him. If they tried, Akira would just beat them up and prove to everyone that he was still the same badass Akira as he had always been, the only difference being that now he had a boyfriend.
Class was a nightmare for Akira. He was feeling horribly self-conscious, and he thought he felt people staring at him all the time. Whenever someone started whispering, he'd sharpen his ears and try to make out what they were talking about. He was on eggshells the entire class, scared shitless that anyone had seen him with Takanori.
However, when class was over and Akira could draw a proper breath again, his friends came up and greeted him like usual, and apparently they didn't know anything. Yet.
“Hey Aki, you came to school after all? I though you were gonna ditch today?” Akira's best friend, Shiroyama Yuu, had just plopped down on Akira's desk as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
“Nah, I wanted to see you guys in stead,” Akira lied, smiling at his friend.
“Something wrong, Aki?” Another friend of Akira's, Takashima Kouyou, slung his arm around Yuu's shoulders and quirked an eyebrow at him. “You looked kinda stressed the entire period.”
“Just tired, I guess.” Shit shit shit. They hadn't noticed anything, had they? Could you tell just by looking at them that people were gay? Calm down, Akira, just calm down. You're not gay. They haven't noticed anything.
“We're gonna go beat up some juniors for lunch money, wanna join?” Kouyou was looking at him expectantly, grinning like a cat, and all it did was make Akira more uncomfortable.
“Actually, I've got some stuff to do, so you'll have to have fun without me.”
Yuu and Kouyou stared at him disbelief, before Yuu decided to speak up “You must be really tired. Go take a nap or something, baby.”
Realizing it was meant as a joke, Akira laughed and punched Yuu in the shoulder. “Shut up, asshole!”
Waiting until his friends were long gone, Akira sneaked out of the classroom, hoping he could find a place to hide before-
“There you are, sweetheart!” Takanori seemed to just magically appear behind him, and Akira almost jumped into the air in sheer surprise.
“Fuck! Don't scare me like that!”
“I missed you~” Takanori said in a voice that was so sugary sweet Akira was about to throw up.
“What do you want?” Akira snapped, glaring at Takanori.
“Is that any way to talk to your boyfriend?” Takanori leaned against Akira's chest, and with the height difference, his hair tickled Akira's nose.
Right. Boyfriend. Right. Takanori had a point, that really was no way to talk to the guy you were supposedly in love with, and Akira swallowed thickly, wrapping his arms around Takanori's waist and trying to remain calm. Reminding himself that if he blew this he would be disowned by his parents and practically doomed, Akira tried to pretend Takanori was a girl. The image that popped into his head was even more creepy than the way Takanori was acting, and Akira quickly discarded it.
“How was class?” Takanori asked, still leaning against Akira in a way that would be considered cute if he had been a girl.
“I don't know. Wasn't paying attention.”
“Tsk tsk, Suzuki, what will happen to your grades if you don't pay attention in class?”
Akira glared at Takanori, not missing the teasing tone in his voice. He was, however, distracted by the sound of gasping not far away. Turning his head to the side, Akira went wide-eyed in horror as he saw that several of his classmates were staring incredulously at him and Takanori, and panic washed over him.
“It seems we've gathered an audience, darling,” Takanori chuckled, clearly amused by Akira's distress. Instinctively, Akira tried pushing Takanori away from him, but Takanori was surprisingly strong. He grabbed hold of Akira's shirt, dragging him down and pressed his lips to Akira's.
No matter how hard Akira tried to push away, the fucking midget was stronger than him, and he was moving his lips against Akira's sensually. When Takanori finally let go of him, Akira turned to look at his classmates, who just stood with their mouths wide open, none of them saying as much as a word. Takanori managed to snake an arm around Akira's waist, waving at the students at the other end of the hallway with a bright smile. “Hi.”
As if on cue, Akira's classmates hurried around the corner, trying to get as far away as possible. Akira didn't blame them. What irritated him the most was that Takanori seemed to find it hilarious, and was now laughing so hard Akira thought he would burst.
“Oh my, Suzuki. You stole my first kiss and probably ruined your entire reputation in a matter of seconds.”
“That was your first kiss?”
Takanori only laughed even more. “If that's what concerns you the most, then maybe you really are gay.”
Akira slammed Takanori into the wall, staring at him with a murderous look. “Shut the fuck up.”
“Touchy~ Relax, I believe you when you say you're straight. However, I don't think your classmates will any more.”
Shit. He was right, wasn't he? It was only a matter of minutes before the whole fucking school knew. Akira had just kissed a guy. In front of several of his classmates. Could it get any fucking worse?
Just then, the bell rang, signalling the start of next period, and Takanori hurried off to class. Akira had no desire to stay in school any more, and he swooped in through his classroom, grabbed his bag and ran off to the toilets, shutting himself in there until he no longer heard any sound from the hallways. Peeking around every corner on his way out, he left the school building as fast as he could, not even bothering to wait for the next bus but in stead just running all the way home.
Akira had barely even unlocked the front door when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He kicked off his shoes and fished it out, finding a text from Yuu.
“What the FUCK, man?!” Akira winced, but forced himself to keep reading. “They're saying you fucking kissed that fag-kid, Takanori or something. You gay dude???!!!”
Akira didn't even want to reply. He stuffed his phone back into his pocket, but only minutes later it vibrated again, and he was too curious not to look. This time it was from Kouyou.
“You've gotta be fucking kidding me. You were the last fucking person I expected in the world to be a faggot, Aki. Please tell me they're just making stuff up.”
Another message rolled in, from Yuu again. “I know you saw that text, you've got your phone on vibration in your pants. Fucking text me back, dude! I can't believe you'd betray me like this!”
Somehow, anger boiled up in Akira's chest, and he shut his phone off completely, stomping up the stairs and into his bedroom. Betray him? Akira hadn't fucking betrayed anyone. He'd admit it, he wasn't all a-okay with gays either, but Yuu was an idiot if he thought he had the right to tell Akira who he could and couldn't kiss. It wasn't like it was Yuu's business anyway. So Akira had kissed a guy. A gay guy. The biggest loser in the entire school. That didn't mean Akira had betrayed anyone.
Plopping down on his bed, Akira decided he didn't have the energy to deal with this right now. He could sleep, and then maybe transfer to another school tomorrow. Yes, that sounded like a wonderful plan. Hopefully, a school where nobody had ever heard about him before and there was a female maths teacher he could fuck to pass. With that thought in mind, Akira fell into a deep sleep.
Chapter: 1/?
Author: socialriotbitch
Pairing: ReitaxRuki
Genre: AU, High school, humor, basically it's a huge cliché consider yourself warned
Rating: PG-13 (for now, though will be NC-17 in later chapters)
Warnings: MxM kissing, homophobia, loads of swearing (for now)
Summary: Everyone thought Suzuki Akira was the luckiest guy in the world.
Except Akira himself.
Disclaimer: If I did own them then my titles would be more creative because Ruki could help me. Sadly no.
Comment: See, this is why I shouldn't write chaptered stuff. I get inspiration for new things all the time without finishing the other things. BUT I have been working on chapter 3 of His as well, it should be out next week as promised.
Also, this is possibly one of the most clichéd things I've ever written. Ah well. This is so short it could be considered a prologue, actually.
PS: I suck majorly at titles ignore them just please do.
Suzuki Akira was the most popular kid in school. Everyone loved him. Especially the girls. He was constantly invited to parties, social gatherings and whatnot. He had kissed almost every girl within a radius of ten miles, and fucked over half of them. Everyone thought he was the luckiest guy in the world.
Except Akira himself.
The thing was, in the midst of all the partying, hanging out and otherwise taking care of his reputation, there was little time for homework. He could keep up with most subjects, but there was one tiny little thing that he just couldn't seem to do. Maths.
No matter how hard he tried, he didn't understand a shit. There were too many numbers, too many symbols, too many complicated words that Akira just couldn't wrap his head around. Thus, Akira got an F in maths.
Naturally, his parents weren't too happy about this. At all. One day, when they were casually eating their dinner, his father decided to drop the bomb on him.
“Akira, you're 18. It's your last year of high school. If you can't get at least a D in maths by the end of this year, you are no longer our son.”
Akira dropped his chopsticks and just stared open-mouthed at his parents. Were they serious? Would they actually disown him?
“Mother, do you agree with this?”
Akira's mum looked extremely uncomfortable, but when her husband glared at her, she quickly answered “I support your father's decisions no matter what.”
“Is that so?” Akira abruptly stood up, knocking his chair over. “I'll show you!”
Without as much as a bow, he ran out the front door and all the way to the nearest park, where he sat down on a bench and hid his face in his hands. Shit. Without his parents' financial support, there was no way he'd be able to afford food, much less an apartment. He'd be doomed.
Akira had to pass. End of story.
~
Flipping through his books, the realization was slowly dawning on Akira that there was no way he was going to pass maths on his own. The numbers simply didn't compute in his head. He didn't understand a shit of anything, and he wasn't going to either, unless he could get someone to help him.
The problem was, who?
The teachers didn't have time, and frankly, Akira didn't think they would even care. If he asked any of his friends, he could seriously damage his reputation. If anyone at school found out he was spending his free time studying mathematics, he would be stamped as 'geek' for the rest of his life. He couldn't risk that.
Just as he was about to leave the library and stomp his way home to google 'how to do maths', Akira heard the creaking of the door being opened and then closed. Shit. If anyone found him in the library-
Akira didn't have time to panic, however, as he saw who had just entered. A short boy with messy brown hair, thick-rimmed glasses and a bookbag slung over his shoulder. Akira knew who it was despite never having talked to him before.
Matsumoto Takanori was Akira's exact opposite. Nobody liked him, he was bullied by almost everyone and had never even kissed a girl. Rumours had it that the reason was that he was gay. He was basically the school's biggest loser.
But right now, he might be Akira's saviour. The kid was a genius. He aced every subject he had, including maths. If this was a manga, there would be a lightbulb above Akira's head right now, because he had the most brilliant idea he'd had in a long time.
Takanori was perfect. He was the last person in the world Akira expected to tell his friends that he was studying maths. All he had to do was offer Takanori a good deal, maybe pay for his glasses or tidy his room, and he would help him pass.
Akira had no idea how wrong he was.
Stuffing the book back into his bag, Akira walked over to where Takanori was sitting and reading. He grabbed a chair and sat down opposite Takanori, looking at him with the gentlest smile he could muster and clearing his throat. “Hi.”
Takanori raised his head from his book, and the pure loathing etched on his face caught Akira off-guard, and the smile fell from his face. “What the fuck do you want?”
Okay, that was totally unexpected. “Dude, what have I ever done to you?”
“You mean except stood by and watched as I've been beat up by countless of your friends, helped them throw my books in the container and laughed at me and called me stupid names several times?”
Akira flinched and looked away. For a second, he actually regretted doing all that. “Yeah, I'm sorry about that.”
Takanori raised and eyebrow at him and leaned his head on his hand. After several seconds had passed, during which Takanori was still glaring at him and Akira was starting to feel very uncomfortable, Akira realized that he hadn't answered Takanori's first question yet. “I was wondering if you could help me with something...”
At first, Takanori's jaw dropped and he just stared incredulously at him. Then he threw his head back and roared with laughter. “You, Suzuki Akira, the hottest, most popular guy in school, needs help from me, Matsumoto Takanori, the school's biggest loser?” Takanori continued laughing, and Akira knitted his eyebrows together in frustration.
“You don't have to be rude, I'm trying to be nice here-”
“Cut the crap. A guy like you doesn't just ask a guy like me for help unless it's something serious. Let me guess, your parents are pissed 'cause you can't pass some subject or something and you need my help so you don't get thrown out on your ass?” Damn. The guy really was smart.
“So what if I do?”
Takanori stopped laughing, watching Akira cautiously as if he expected him to jump at him any minute. “And what the fuck makes you think I would do that for you?”
Akira started fiddling with his belt. Clearly, he hadn't thought this through. He hadn't exactly given Takanori a lot of reasons to be nice to him in the past. “I could do you a favour in return? Walk your dog, do the dishes, something like that?”
Takanori started laughing again, and it was starting to irritate Akira. He huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at Takanori while he roared like a hyena. “Oh, this is just too good! The way I see it, if you don't pass, you'll be thrown out on your sorry ass, right?”
Akira nodded in confirmation.
“And you can't ask anyone else because that would damage your reputation, right?”
Akira nodded again, not liking where this was going.
“So you want, no, you need me to help you improve your grades without telling anyone about it, am I right?”
“Well, yes, but I don't quite see your poi-”
“All right, Suzuki. I'll help you pass.”
Akira's face lit up in an instant. “Really? Thank you so much!”
Takanori held up one finger in the air, and Akira stared at it while he waited in suspense.
“On one condition.”
“Anything.”
“You're going to be my boyfriend.”
Shrieking in horror, Akira knocked over the chair and fell back with a pained grunt. “WHADDAFUCK?!”
“You might have heard the rumours before, Suzuki, and I'll confirm them for you. I'm gay. I'm a faggot. I like fashion, I like guys and I like dicks. Simple as that. You're in desperate need of a tutor. I'm in desperate need of a boyfriend. It's only fair game.”
“But I'm not gay!” Akira started defending himself, only realizing after he had said it how stupid it sounded.
“I know. Which is why this will be the perfect payback for how you and your friends have made my life in high school a living hell so far. You're going to do all the clichéd romantic things. Hold my hand in public, take me out on dates, make out with me in the parking lot-”
“No way. No fucking way!” Akira had managed to get back on his feet, and he was now staring in horror at Takanori, who was smirking up at him. Akira really didn't like that smirk.
“Do you really have a choice, Suzuki? You can either say bye-bye to your parents' money, or you can be my boyfriend. It's as simple as that.”
“Why do you even want to do this to me?”
“I already told you; it's the perfect revenge. With you as my big, strong boyfriend, I doubt anyone would dare lay a hand on me any more. I'd be safe from bullies, at least until you graduate. And besides, face it Suzuki, you're the hottest guy in school. I certainly wouldn't mind making out with you.” Takanori licked his lips to finish off his sentence, and Akira was starting to believe that Takanori was the devil himself sent to punish him for being such a lazy asshole.
“I'd rather have my friends think I'm a geek. I think I'll just ask them in stead.”
“Go ahead, Suzuki, but do you really think any of those meatheads would be able to teach you a thing? Or willing, for that matter?”
Takanori had a point. None of Akira's friends passed mathematics, and none of the people who did would want to spend their free time tutoring him.
“Is there really nothing else I can do? I can get people to stop bullying you in some other way. I can find you a boyfriend from nearby. Anything but... that.”
“Sorry, pretty boy, but I don't think so. I have you right where I want you.”
A few long, difficult minutes followed, during which Akira weighed all his options in his head. In the end, he came to the conclusion that if he was going to pass maths, he would have to agree to Takanori's terms.
Just the thought of it made Akira's gut churn. He wasn't gay. He'd been brought up to think that gays were infectious fairies who would rape you if you went anywhere near them. So far, he'd been going to the same school as Takanori for almost two years, and he had neither been raped nor 'turned', as they said. Thus, he was forced to believe that gays weren't exactly like his parents had told him. Besides, Takanori didn't quite fit into the gay stereotype. He didn't wear high heels, or sequined pink outfits, or huge feather boas. All that prompted Akira to believe that maybe, just maybe, gays weren't as bad as he'd thought them out to be.
And he had no idea why or how, but in the end, Akira decided that this was his only option. “Deal.”
“Really? You sure?” Takanori obviously wasn't going to just let this pass without teasing him for it, and honestly, Akira didn't blame him.
“Absolutely.”
“You'll have to act all lovey-dovey and infatuated around me.”
“I understand.”
“You'll have to touch me. A guy.”
“I know.”
“You're going to have to kiss a guy. In front of all your homophobic friends.”
“I get it already!” Akira snapped, and Takanori chuckled to himself, beckoning for Akira to sit down again.
“Fine. So, to start off, what subject is it you need my help with, and what parts of it do you understand?”
Sighing in defeat, Akira fell down on the chair and dug his book out, opening it on page one. He might as well get this over with....
~
Akira really didn't want to go to school today, he realized as he sat on the bus, listening to his iPod and gazing out of the window. Going to school meant seeing Takanori, seeing Takanori meant he had to act... gay. To start with, Akira didn't know the first thing about being gay. All the stereotypes he'd been told about homosexuality were clearly wrong, as Takanori fit into none of them. Secondly, Akira was piss scared that his friends would find out. At the very least, they'd stop being his friends. Worst case scenario, they'd start bullying him as well.
When the bus pulled up to the school, Akira wanted nothing more to just chain himself to the seat and stay right where he was until they reached the end station, which was at the other end of the city. But he knew that if he did, his deal with Takanori was off, he'd fail maths, and he'd be thrown out on his ass before he could even come up with a decent excuse.
It didn't help in the least that Takanori was already waiting in the parking lot, waving at him when he stepped out of the bus. Akira pulled his hood over his face. Maybe this way, nobody would recognize him...
His plan crumbled to dust as Takanori walked right up to him and pulled his hood off, kissing his cheek and grabbing hold of his hand. Akira froze on the spot, his hand tightening around Takanori's so hard it must have hurt. If it did, Takanori didn't let it show, and he leaned up to whisper in Akira's ear.
“Act natural. Pretend I'm just one of your girl flings.”
As simple as that sounded, Akira found it incredibly hard to act as if nothing was wrong while Takanori was still holding his fucking hand like that. It was innocent, it was cute, it was just like what any girl would with their boyfriend, but somehow, it made Akira feel uncomfortable and vulnerable, and he wanted nothing more than to punch Takanori in the gut.
A couple students had seen Akira and Takanori standing in the parking lot, holding hands like a couple, and they stuck their heads together and started whispering. Akira noticed and yanked on Takanori's hand, pulling him behind the nearest bush and nearly hissing at him.
“What the fuck, Takanori?!”
“Calm your straight feelings down, Suzuki. It's just hand-holding. Even friends do that.”
“Girlfriends, yes! Not dudes!”
“Well, you better get fucking used to it. This is nothing compared to how normal couples act in public. And believe it or not, Suzuki, until you get a D in maths, we are a normal couple. In every sense of the word.”
“Except we're both guys!” Akira whined, and Takanori narrowed his eyes at him.
“Yeah, that's how homosexuality works. You're just going to have to suck it up or find yourself another tutor.”
Akira pulled at his hair in frustration, but Takanori shut him up before he could even say anything.
“I get how uncomfortable this makes you, even if I think you have no reason to be, but the thing is, Suzuki, we're a couple now whether you like it or not, and unless you start fucking pretending, then I'm going to have to call the deal off.”
It took all of Akira's willpower to not punch Takanori right then and there. In stead, he took a deep breath, grabbed Takanori's hand, and started walking towards the school. “Fine. You're absolutely evil, you know that?”
“Yep,” Takanori replied, lacing his fingers with Akira's and stroking his thumb over Akira's hand absent-mindedly.
Akira could feel the stares boring into his back as he walked to the entrance, hand in hand with Takanori. He followed him all the way to his classroom, where Takanori kissed his cheek again and left Akira standing there like an idiot, trying to convince himself that he wouldn't burst into flames.
After a long while of just standing there, Akira managed to shake it off and start walking towards his own classroom. Even though all rational thought told Akira he had the right to be, Takanori was still being an asshole. He was making Akira uncomfortable on purpose as some sort of petty revenge, and Akira didn't like it in the least. He was acting like a total dick just to see Akira squirm.
Akira was grateful that his bus was one of the earliest. There was a slight chance that none of his classmates had noticed him with Takanori earlier. Even if they did, Akira decided that it didn't matter. He was still the goddamn king of this school, and nobody could take that away from him. If they tried, Akira would just beat them up and prove to everyone that he was still the same badass Akira as he had always been, the only difference being that now he had a boyfriend.
Class was a nightmare for Akira. He was feeling horribly self-conscious, and he thought he felt people staring at him all the time. Whenever someone started whispering, he'd sharpen his ears and try to make out what they were talking about. He was on eggshells the entire class, scared shitless that anyone had seen him with Takanori.
However, when class was over and Akira could draw a proper breath again, his friends came up and greeted him like usual, and apparently they didn't know anything. Yet.
“Hey Aki, you came to school after all? I though you were gonna ditch today?” Akira's best friend, Shiroyama Yuu, had just plopped down on Akira's desk as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
“Nah, I wanted to see you guys in stead,” Akira lied, smiling at his friend.
“Something wrong, Aki?” Another friend of Akira's, Takashima Kouyou, slung his arm around Yuu's shoulders and quirked an eyebrow at him. “You looked kinda stressed the entire period.”
“Just tired, I guess.” Shit shit shit. They hadn't noticed anything, had they? Could you tell just by looking at them that people were gay? Calm down, Akira, just calm down. You're not gay. They haven't noticed anything.
“We're gonna go beat up some juniors for lunch money, wanna join?” Kouyou was looking at him expectantly, grinning like a cat, and all it did was make Akira more uncomfortable.
“Actually, I've got some stuff to do, so you'll have to have fun without me.”
Yuu and Kouyou stared at him disbelief, before Yuu decided to speak up “You must be really tired. Go take a nap or something, baby.”
Realizing it was meant as a joke, Akira laughed and punched Yuu in the shoulder. “Shut up, asshole!”
Waiting until his friends were long gone, Akira sneaked out of the classroom, hoping he could find a place to hide before-
“There you are, sweetheart!” Takanori seemed to just magically appear behind him, and Akira almost jumped into the air in sheer surprise.
“Fuck! Don't scare me like that!”
“I missed you~” Takanori said in a voice that was so sugary sweet Akira was about to throw up.
“What do you want?” Akira snapped, glaring at Takanori.
“Is that any way to talk to your boyfriend?” Takanori leaned against Akira's chest, and with the height difference, his hair tickled Akira's nose.
Right. Boyfriend. Right. Takanori had a point, that really was no way to talk to the guy you were supposedly in love with, and Akira swallowed thickly, wrapping his arms around Takanori's waist and trying to remain calm. Reminding himself that if he blew this he would be disowned by his parents and practically doomed, Akira tried to pretend Takanori was a girl. The image that popped into his head was even more creepy than the way Takanori was acting, and Akira quickly discarded it.
“How was class?” Takanori asked, still leaning against Akira in a way that would be considered cute if he had been a girl.
“I don't know. Wasn't paying attention.”
“Tsk tsk, Suzuki, what will happen to your grades if you don't pay attention in class?”
Akira glared at Takanori, not missing the teasing tone in his voice. He was, however, distracted by the sound of gasping not far away. Turning his head to the side, Akira went wide-eyed in horror as he saw that several of his classmates were staring incredulously at him and Takanori, and panic washed over him.
“It seems we've gathered an audience, darling,” Takanori chuckled, clearly amused by Akira's distress. Instinctively, Akira tried pushing Takanori away from him, but Takanori was surprisingly strong. He grabbed hold of Akira's shirt, dragging him down and pressed his lips to Akira's.
No matter how hard Akira tried to push away, the fucking midget was stronger than him, and he was moving his lips against Akira's sensually. When Takanori finally let go of him, Akira turned to look at his classmates, who just stood with their mouths wide open, none of them saying as much as a word. Takanori managed to snake an arm around Akira's waist, waving at the students at the other end of the hallway with a bright smile. “Hi.”
As if on cue, Akira's classmates hurried around the corner, trying to get as far away as possible. Akira didn't blame them. What irritated him the most was that Takanori seemed to find it hilarious, and was now laughing so hard Akira thought he would burst.
“Oh my, Suzuki. You stole my first kiss and probably ruined your entire reputation in a matter of seconds.”
“That was your first kiss?”
Takanori only laughed even more. “If that's what concerns you the most, then maybe you really are gay.”
Akira slammed Takanori into the wall, staring at him with a murderous look. “Shut the fuck up.”
“Touchy~ Relax, I believe you when you say you're straight. However, I don't think your classmates will any more.”
Shit. He was right, wasn't he? It was only a matter of minutes before the whole fucking school knew. Akira had just kissed a guy. In front of several of his classmates. Could it get any fucking worse?
Just then, the bell rang, signalling the start of next period, and Takanori hurried off to class. Akira had no desire to stay in school any more, and he swooped in through his classroom, grabbed his bag and ran off to the toilets, shutting himself in there until he no longer heard any sound from the hallways. Peeking around every corner on his way out, he left the school building as fast as he could, not even bothering to wait for the next bus but in stead just running all the way home.
Akira had barely even unlocked the front door when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He kicked off his shoes and fished it out, finding a text from Yuu.
“What the FUCK, man?!” Akira winced, but forced himself to keep reading. “They're saying you fucking kissed that fag-kid, Takanori or something. You gay dude???!!!”
Akira didn't even want to reply. He stuffed his phone back into his pocket, but only minutes later it vibrated again, and he was too curious not to look. This time it was from Kouyou.
“You've gotta be fucking kidding me. You were the last fucking person I expected in the world to be a faggot, Aki. Please tell me they're just making stuff up.”
Another message rolled in, from Yuu again. “I know you saw that text, you've got your phone on vibration in your pants. Fucking text me back, dude! I can't believe you'd betray me like this!”
Somehow, anger boiled up in Akira's chest, and he shut his phone off completely, stomping up the stairs and into his bedroom. Betray him? Akira hadn't fucking betrayed anyone. He'd admit it, he wasn't all a-okay with gays either, but Yuu was an idiot if he thought he had the right to tell Akira who he could and couldn't kiss. It wasn't like it was Yuu's business anyway. So Akira had kissed a guy. A gay guy. The biggest loser in the entire school. That didn't mean Akira had betrayed anyone.
Plopping down on his bed, Akira decided he didn't have the energy to deal with this right now. He could sleep, and then maybe transfer to another school tomorrow. Yes, that sounded like a wonderful plan. Hopefully, a school where nobody had ever heard about him before and there was a female maths teacher he could fuck to pass. With that thought in mind, Akira fell into a deep sleep.