Of bratty demons and mushroom heads

CHAPTER 8

Hiyoshi had been uneasy since Valentine’s Day. As much as he would have liked to blame it on the holiday and everything that went along with it, he honestly had no idea why he felt so bothered. Valentine’s Day had actually gone over fairly well, in the beginning. Akaya and An-san had made plans to go watch the fireworks show being put on by Gakuto and had insisted on dragging him along. An-san had proven to be one of the few females whose company he genuinely enjoyed, and the fireworks were very well done, as expected from Gakuto. Watching Akaya enjoy them had been equally amusing. No, things had not gone downhill till later.

After the fireworks, the three of them had gone to a bar. Past incidents had already proven that this was not an intelligent choice of location for Hiyoshi to go, but he had idiotically chosen to accompany them anyway. He had been dragged out on to the dance floor by both An-san and Akaya, and then, by both at the same time. He still couldn’t think back on it without groaning in embarrassment. He’d been literally sandwiched between the two at one point. However, he’d thought that other than the usual annoyances that came with going to a bar, things were going well. Nonetheless, by the time they left, both An-san and Akaya and had manages to become upset. And in turn, Hiyoshi had become upset, for reasons he wasn’t sure he fully understood.

So now, here he was. In front of Akaya’s room, deciding whether or not to just get this over with and knock on the door. Akaya was his friend, he reminded himself. If this were Choutarou, he would have no problem confronting him if something was bothering him. Steeling himself, Hiyoshi glared at the opposing door and knocked.

Akaya sat on the floor in front of his TV, button mashing rapidly and trying to get a K.O. as the men on the screen yelled and shot fireballs at each other. "Come on, come on, come on! You can do it Vegeta! Crush him! You can do it!! YES!!!! FINAL FLASH!!! HAHA---" His joy was cut short however by the sound of knocking behind him. "Eh?" He glanced back at the door then called, "Come in!" The fight wasn't over yet and he wasn't about to put the controller down anytime soon. He'd been in a horrible mood and had decided that there was no better way to put him in a good mood than spend some time beating the crap out of people. That damn Kakkarot, and all his little friends to be precise.

Hearing Akaya’s reply, Hiyoshi automatically rolled his eyes. He quietly opened the door, stepped inside and closed it behind him, hoping he wasn’t intruding on anything. There he was on the floor, the brat, yelling at the TV screen, obviously over indulging in some game again. His previous plan of seriously confronting him over what had been bothering him for the last few days flew right out of his head. With a smirk, he went over and sat down next to him to see what he was focusing on so intently. After a glance at the screen he raised an eyebrow in question. “Dragon Ball?”

Akaya wasn't sure who it was until he spoke, the fight having got so intense he couldn't look away, a problem he frequently had when playing on expert. For a moment he forgot why he hadn't wanted to see Hiyoshi and smiled at the screen. "Dragon Ball Z, the Z is important, it means Vegeta is in it." He liked Vegeta the best. Not only was he powerful, but he was straight to the point. He didn't let feelings (except anger) get in the way of his missions and he could completely decimate the competition. He couldn't stand Goku’s laid back happy-go-lucky attitude. This was a battle after all.

The smirk widened out into a grin. “My apologies. Dragon Ball Z.” Hiyoshi stressed the “Z” with no little amount of sarcasm in his voice. He hadn’t watched Dragon Ball or any of the spinoff continuing series since he was very young. Vegeta, huh? How ironic. The demon brat’s favorite character was the bratty prince. “I preferred Piccolo.” He admitted, not usually one to confess he’d watched such shows. As a child, he had wanted to be the kid that had been taken away from his nagging mother and then trained to be one the strongest fighters in the world. The kid had been a wuss anyway, Hiyoshi would have been much better. Piccolo was calm and focused; an essential part of the team, if under appreciated.

Akaya twitched and jumped a little as he tapped a button repeatedly, his concentration solely on the match in front of him. "Piccolo is annoying," he mumbled and growled at the screen as Goku went super saiyan. "And green."

Hiyoshi glared. “At least he wasn’t a bratty prince. Vegeta was pathetic. Piccolo had respect.” He looked back at the screen just in time to see Vegeta get hit by a special move by super saiyan Goku.

Akaya cursed and glared at the screen. "Shut up." He growled and pushed a series of buttons, sending Vegeta into super saiyan mode as well. "Time to die Kakarot!!" With a few quick motions he unleashed another super and Goku faded out of super saiyan and fell to the groun. "YES!" He dropped the controller with a big grin and fell back on the floor. "I won!"

The sight Akaya was making, getting so excited over a 2-D video game, and a Dragaon Ball Z one at that… When Hiyoshi heard him call out the saiyan name and then proclaim his victory only a few moments later, he couldn’t help himself. Laughter ripped from him involuntarily and he rolled onto his back and then to the side, only covering his mouth a moment later after he could breathe again. Still trying to stifle the remaining snickers, he asked, “Are you trying to kill me?”

"Maybe." Akaya grinned and laughed with Hiyoshi, rolling onto his side to face him. "Am I doing a good job?" It felt good to hear the other boy laugh, even if it was at his expense. Hiyoshi needed to laugh more.

“Yes.” Hiyoshi glared at him, but didn’t manage to keep the mirth from showing through on his face. “I wouldn’t be surprised if one of these days you actually managed it.” He took in the other boy’s devious smile and the way his insane seaweed hair was flung everywhere. For a moment, he could pretend that this was completely normal, and that he wasn’t fighting a losing battle with himself over his growing feelings towards the other boy.

"I do my best." Akaya laughed, but it slowly faded as he noticed the now serious look in Hiyoshi’s eyes that he wasn't even sure the other was aware of. Then the memories of Valentines Day and the reason he had locked himself in his room flooded his mind. He frowned. ‘Oh... that's right...’ He sat up and scratched the back of his head before picking up his controller and saving the game.

Hiyoshi broke out of his trance once their eye contact broke and Akaya moved away from him. Feeling self-conscious and embarrassed for being so easily distracted, he quickly got up off the floor and adjusted himself. He wasn’t good with words, never being able to find the best way to explain himself or even start a conversation. He brought his gaze back up to Akaya’s hoping the proper terminology would come to him. “Do you have any plans for this evening?” The words slipped out. He hoped he didn’t sound too anxious.

"No. That was the last fight I needed to win," Akaya mumbled. That wasn't what he'd been expecting to hear, but it was better than what he'd expected.

“Good. There’s somewhere I would like to take you.” Now that Hiyoshi had said it, he hoped he wouldn’t regret it.

That had Akaya’s attention. "Somewhere you wanna take me? Where?" He crossed his legs and turned to face Hiyoshi with a curious expression.

Hiyoshi smirked, he knew that Akaya was curious by nature, and he would use that to his advantage. “If you want to find out, I guess you’ll have to come with me.” He got up and went to the door. “It may be cold, so you might want to bring a jacket.”

"A jacket..? Okay..." Akaya walked over to his closet and dug around in a pile of clothes on the floor of it. He pulled out a sweatshirt and tugged it over his head. Then he dug around for another minute and pulled out a pair of tennis shoes and slipped them on. "Okay, I'm ready. Let’s go!" He grinned from ear to ear and bounced on the balls of his feet by the door. He wanted to know where Hiyoshi was taking him.

Hiyoshi was glad that Akaya’s mood seemed to have brightened. It, in turn, served to brighten his mood. Opening the door, he walked out into the hallway and waited for his friend to join him. He then led them out of the dorm and off campus.

The walk was a pleasant one, filled with Akaya’s amusing attempts to get him to admit where he was taking him. It wasn’t too far to where they were going; but farther than he usually went to eat. The area around the campus was filled with many different types of restaurants to choose from, but he hardly ever felt the need to explore it. The night air was cold and nippy on his skin, and even though he had worn a warm jacket, he was relieved when they finally made it to their destination.

Richoen was a very small family owned restaurant that could only seat about ten people at the max. Yet, despite its small size, it served high quality yakiniku at reasonable prices. They were also somewhat well known in the area for their cold noodles. Hiyoshi had found it on accident one day while going on an early morning jog. It was warm and homey, the old couple that owned it had been very kind and he’d promised to come back and visit again. It seemed like the perfect place to bring Akaya that was away from everything, where he could relax.

“We’re here.” Hiyoshi held open the cloth curtain that was the entrance, and gestured for Akaya to go in.

As he ducked under the curtain, Akaya’s face lit up. The little tables with grills on them gave away what the restaurant served immediately. "Awesome!" he said excitedly and glomped onto Hiyoshi as soon as he walked through the curtain.

Hiyoshi let out a small sigh of relief. Any doubt that this was a bad idea was quickly wiped away with Akaya’s cheerful exuberance. Seeing Fujiwara-san, he gave a polite bow before putting a hand on the small of Akaya’s back, gently guiding him the rest of the way into the restaurant and sat them both down at the end table. “I hope you like Yakiniku.” He said with a small smile on his lips.

Akaya happily allowed himself to be led to a table, too excited to even notice Hiyoshi’s interaction with the worker. As soon as they sat down the boy practically bounced in place. This was a lot better than playing through a game again. "I love yakiniku! It's my favorite!" He said happily, looking like a kid who'd gotten a hold of the sugar.

Hiyoshi smiled secretly into the small handwritten menu he’d just picked up. The information he’d gotten from Sanada had been correct. “Good. I found this place not too long ago and thought you might like it.” He wondered curiously what else he could get out of his new training partner before looking down at the menu in his hands. “Do you want beef or pork? I’m sure we can get them to bring samples of the different sauces they have if you like.”

"Beef!" Akaya said happily and glanced over the menu. "And... how about these sauces?" he leaned over the table, mindful of the grill, and pointed on Hiyoshi’s menu. "I don't need a sample, unless you want one?"

Hiyoshi gave a pleased nod to Akaya’s choices. “Whatever you want is fine. Everything here is good, and I prefer the beef as well.” Fujiwara-san came up to them carrying a tray with water and edamame. With a sweet motherly smile on her face, she bowed politely then distributed the contents of her tray while Hiyoshi exchanged a few pleasantries with her. Hiyoshi then proceeded to order what Akaya had pointed out, along with a couple of beers.

Akaya watched intently as Hiyoshi spoke with the worker and smiled whenever she looked at him. He knew how to be polite when he needed to; Sanada had beaten that into him long ago. When she left, he turned to Hiyoshi and started bouncing in place again before popping an edamame into his mouth. "She seems really nice."

“I only found this place two weeks ago. Fujiwara-san and his wife own the place. I like the food, so I go out of my way to come here every once in a while.” The atmosphere of the restaurant was already doing wonders to Hiyoshi’s stressed out mind, and he was glad that Akaya had decided to join him. Taking a few edamame, he peered up at Akaya uncertainly. “Thank you. For coming with me, I mean.”

Akaya responded with a big ear to ear grin. "Thanks for coming and getting me, even though you did make me lose the bonus for the final battle." He laughed, showing he wasn't upset about it at all. He was just happy that Hiyoshi didn't seem to be mad at him still. "Besides, you're paying right?" He smirked mischievously.

Hiyoshi rolled his eyes. “Sure, brat, but I’m not going to treat you all the time. So don’t make it a habit.” They both had already made it a habit. Hiyoshi didn’t actually mind paying for him, he had the money. It just wouldn’t be good if Akaya started to assume it of him.

Akaya’s face lit up again and he looked around the room, checking to see if anyone was looking before leaning over and stealing a quick feather light kiss. As soon as he sat back he sipped at his water and played with the stuff on the table, then turned his attention to the art on the walls.

Hiyoshi blushed at the unexpected action, but didn’t try to chastise him for it. He should have been mad, but he wasn’t. Although still not socially acceptable, Akaya had checked the surroundings first, which was at least an improvement.

Looking down at the table, Hiyoshi determined this might be the best time to bring up the real reason he had brought Akaya out here. It would also be good to do so before the food came. That way, if things went sour, they could distract themselves with good food. Figuring honesty was the best policy in this situation; he decided to just let Akaya know what was on his mind. “I wasn’t sure if you would want to come here with me tonight. I got the impression after we parted last that you were… upset with me. It… bothered me.”

Now that had Akaya’s attention. "You thought I was mad at you?" He blinked a couple times in surprise, then after another moment, started laughing. He couldn't help it. He'd spent all that time locked in his room, trying to avoid Hiyoshi because he thought the other was mad at him. He would have never guessed Hiyoshi felt the exact same way.

Hiyoshi was more than a little confused and a bit offended when Akaya abruptly started laughing. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at him. “What the hell else was I supposed to think, brat? You had been all over me practically the entire day, and then suddenly you were yelling at me to get off you!” He grumbled a few choice words under his breath when he realized he had said that a little louder than intended. He continued in a more controlled voice. “You got upset when I got us a cab and haven’t come near me ever since.” He knew that An-san had something to do with it as well, but it had been the first time that Akaya hadn’t wanted him to touch him… and that had hurt.

Akaya’s laughter subsided and he just smiled at Hiyoshi as he explained himself. "I thought you were mad at me," he said once the other boy had finished. "I told you to let go because I was pissed off that I got put into another hold that I didn't know how to get out of." He folded his arms on the table and rested his head on them, "and I was frustrated because you wouldn't let me pay for the cab."

“What gave you the idea I was mad at you?” Hiyoshi asked him incredulously. “I was never mad…” He waited a minute to take in what Akaya had just told him. He had calmed down a bit after he heard Akaya’s explanation, but now had a few questions. “You never seemed to mind the uh... holds before. I thought you were joking with me again.” He felt a bit ashamed now since obviously they made the other boy uncomfortable. “I won’t do it anymore, if it’s a problem…” At least he had a valid reason for the second issue. “I got the cab myself because it was faster that way. An-san wasn’t feeling well, and my family has an arrangement with a private taxi service to be put on the top of the list when called.”

"It's not that I mind them, I just hate that I don't know how to get out of them." Akaya said looking a bit embarrassed. He hated admitting that he couldn't do something. The cab thing made sense though so he let it go. "You kept treating me different... and you--just left when I said I was going to take An-chan back... I wanted to talk to you more... but I didn't get the chance..."

Slowly but surely, Hiyoshi was starting to feel comfortable again. “It’s actually not that hard to get out of most of them,” he smirked, “you just don’t know how to use your legs properly.” He hesitated for a moment. “I guess I could show you, some… if you want that is.” He wasn’t sure if that was really a wise idea, but he would ponder that later. He sighed and went on to the more reluctant topic. “Since I thought you were upset with me, I figured when you said you were going to take An-san home, you didn’t want me around anymore. Also… I thought you might want to spend some time alone with her. I didn’t want to get in the way in case… something happened.” He turned his face away, not really wanting to know if something did happen. He knew Akaya, and had no intention of trying to change him, but that didn’t mean he wanted to hear the details.

"In case something happened?" Akaya blinked for a moment, trying to figure out what Hiyoshi was talking about, then frowned when he realized what he meant. "Hell no, nothing happened. I don't take advantage of drunk girls, or guys," he added as an afterthought, "But that's besides the point. Will you really teach me how to get outta them? And can you even get people who are bigger than you in them?"

Hiyoshi was saved from having to answer him by Fujiwara-san arriving just in time. She placed their beers down before firing up the grill and placing the different plates of Rōsu and Karubi in front of them along with a few assorted vegetables and sauces.

Thanking her for the food, Hiyoshi brought his chopsticks up and said a grateful “itadakimasu” before placing his food in an organized manner on the grill.

Doing the same, Akaya forgot all about his question. The only thing on his mind was food, and not just any food, but his favorite food. Grilled beef awesomeness. As soon as the meat was cooked enough, he plucked it off the grill, dipped it, and popped it into his mouth, not caring even a little that it was burning hot.

Hiyoshi winced a bit when he saw Akaya put almost literally burning meat in his mouth. “It’s dead. It’s not going anywhere.” He joked as he went to eat his own food. How did Akaya manage to be so excited over such small things? He sometimes reminded him a lot of Jiroh-sempai when he was acting like a five year old on his birthday, except he wasn’t a narcoleptic, and was a much bigger pain when he wanted to be. He chuckled to himself at the comparison.

Looking over to see what Akaya was concocting on his side of the grill, Hiyoshi suddenly felt a bit playful. He brought his chopsticks up and swiftly stole a bit of meat from Akaya’s side of the grill and ate it. “Hmm… tastes good, brat, could use a bit more tare though.” He smirked at him.

Akaya’s jaw dropped as his meat was stolen. "Hey!" He said, sounding rather taken aback that Hiyoshi would dare steal from him. This meant war. Just as swiftly, he stole a piece of Hiyoshi’s and popped it into his mouth with a content smirk.

Schooling his face into a mock glare, Hiyoshi raised his chopsticks in preparation before diving in to grab another piece of meat from the other side of the grill.

Another piece gone! Akaya growled quietly and stole another piece from Hiyoshi’s side, with an irritated glare. No one stole from him and walked away unpunished.

Hiyoshi couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle when he saw Akaya’s glare. It looked less like a glare and more like a child’s angry pout at his favorite toy being stolen. Holding his hands up in mock surrender he gave up on stealing the other’s food… for now, and enjoyed his own. He took a moment to look around and noticed they were the only customers still there. It must have been getting late, and he hoped they weren’t being an inconvenience. He would make sure to bring Akaya back some time and thank Fujiwara-san and his wife.

Looking at the plate of raw meat, Hiyoshi noticed there was only one piece left. He could see out of the corner of his eye that Akaya was about to go for it. With a devious grin, he went to pick it up for himself, cutting Akaya off on his way.

Akaya let out a little yelp as his chopsticks grasped nothing but air. "Hey! That was mine," he pouted and sipped at his beer instead.

Hiyoshi felt the need to roll his eyes, but contained himself. If Akaya was trying to win by using the ‘I’m cute, give me what I want’ method, he would have to try a lot harder than that. “Who says it’s yours, brat? If you want it, you have to fight for it.” He put it on his side of the grill to let it cook, but kept a close eye on his friend across the table.

Akaya’s pout turned into a determined frown and he watched the meat cook. He'd need to use all of his speed training to get it from the other boy. Too bad his split step wouldn't do him any good here.

As soon as the meat finished enough, the bratty demon made his move.

Hiyoshi could see the determined look on Akaya’s face and grinned. He knew that the other boy was probably faster than him, but that didn’t mean he would win. Stealthily, Hiyoshi brought his right leg up under the table till it was resting on a leg of Akaya’s chair. The moment he saw Akaya go for the meat, he swiftly pushed Akaya’s chair back, making it so the meat was no longer in his reach.

With another yelp, Akaya reached out for the meat but his chair was too far back and he once again grasped only air. "Damn it!" He whined and scooted his chair closer again a big frown on his face.

“See, I told you, you need to pay more attention to your legs.” Hiyoshi said with a smug look on his face as he started to pick up the meat with his own chopsticks.

"Shut up," Akaya mumbled and tried to keep from smiling as he picked up his beer again. Stupid Hiyoshi and his stupid 'gay-ko-kujo'. That thought made him snicker to himself as he reached over to pluck the piece of meat from Hiyoshi’s chopsticks and shove it in his mouth before it could be stolen back.

Hiyoshi stopped his movements when he realized that the meat had been stolen right off his chopsticks and was already in the little brat’s mouth. “Demon brat…” he grumbled, a bit miffed, but more amused than anything. He glared at him before standing up and went over to pay for their food at the counter. He exchanged a few more words of thanks with Fujisawa-san, bowing respectfully to her husband whom he could see through a small opening that led to the kitchen.

Crossing his arms over his chest and turning back towards their table, Hiyoshi raised an eyebrow. “Ready to go, brat?”

Akaya sat back in his chair, looking rather pleased with himself as Hiyoshi paid for the bill. While he waited, he finished off his beer. As the other boy came over, he stood. "Yeah. We going back to the dorms?" He asked curiously, not that he wanted to go back, but he didn't know if this was all his friend had planned or not.

They walked outside into the cold air, and back onto the small narrow street. It was dark out, most of the store lights having been turned off for the night. There were only a few street lights on, and he couldn’t see anyone else nearby.

Hiyoshi knew it was late, but he was having a good time and didn’t want to go back to the dorms yet. Still, he didn’t want to make Akaya feel like he had to stay out with him either. “There’s somewhere else I thought we could go, but if you want to go back now, that’s fine.”

"Really? Where you wanna go?" Akaya asked curiously, shoving his hands in his pockets as he walked close to Hiyoshi, their arms brushing with every step. He watched the other boy curiously, his hair getting even more messed up from the light wind that picked up. He didn't recognize the area they were in, but it seemed like Hiyoshi knew so he figured it was ok. The other wouldn't let him get lost.

It didn’t seem like Akaya was in any hurry to go, so taking that as encouragement, Hiyoshi led him through a few more narrow side streets towards their next destination. He began to get annoyed though by Akaya walking so close to him and constantly bumping into him. Finally, he hesitantly extracted one of Akaya’s hands from his pocket and grasped it in his own without looking at him. “This way” he grumbled out, trying to hide the embarrassment in his voice as he pulled him along. “It’s not far.” He was glad no one else was around and it was so dark outside so as to hide the obvious blush covering his face.

Akaya blinked in surprise as his hand was pulled out into the cold air, but a look of realization and a smile found its way to his face as Hiyoshi took his hand in his own. He laced his fingers with the other mans and smiled as he was led around. He let himself relax and look around again, trying to figure out where they were going. "So, where we going anyway?"

“There.” Hiyoshi pointed a finger towards the end of the street they were currently on, where the buildings ended. It was another spot he had found during one of his morning jogs. It was a tiny park, probably for the families with small children in the mostly residential area. The park had a small playground with a set of swings, an old wooden teeter-totter, and a newer looking play set with a chain spider net and slide.

Akaya squinted into the darkness. When the park finally came into focus, his eyes lit up and he ran ahead, pulling Hiyoshi along after him. "Cool! Come on the swings with me!!" He commanded excitedly and as they neared the aforementioned equipment. He flopped down onto one of the seats and started swinging back and forth, using his legs to propel him higher and faster.

‘I knew the brat would like it here,’ Hiyoshi thought, satisfied. Not having much of a choice, he was pulled over to the swings and sat down on the one next to where Akaya already looked like he was trying to drive himself up into the night sky. Calmly swaying back and forth on his own swing, he looked up and enjoyed the beautiful view of the stars, hearing and feeling Akaya’s laughter as he whooshed by him repeatedly.

Once Akaya reached the highest point, he jumped off. As he hit the ground, he rolled to keep from injuring himself, just like he had when he was little. He stood up laughing and picked a woodchip out of his hair. Part of him wondered why Hiyoshi brought him out tonight to two places he loved, but the other part told him to shut up and enjoy it. Hiyoshi wasn't mad at him and that was all that mattered.

“Don’t break anything!” Hiyoshi called out to him, slightly paranoid. “The last thing I need is for your sempai to blame me for another broken bone.” He was already on his toes enough as it was. Sanada-san had already hinted on more than one occasion that should bad things happen to his precious kohai, bad things would happen to him. He really didn’t want to find out what that entailed.

Akaya grinned. "I won't break anything from that." He laughed and ran over to the slide. "Besides," he called out as he slid down with a little childish giggle, "your nose isn't a bone." And his senpai’s said he didn't pay attention in class. He'd show them.

Hiyoshi rolled his eyes. “All the same, I would prefer it if you would make an effort not to cause any bodily harm to yourself so that no harm will come to me.” Standing up from the swing he made his way over to the spider net. The platform on top was connected to the slide, and now that he could see it, there was a pole to slide down on the opposite side. He started to climb up the net, intending to stand on the platform so he could watch Akaya from above at a safe distance.

Akaya watched Hiyoshi carefully from his seat on the end of the slide then, deciding he wanted to copy him, got up and followed the other man up. "How would you end up getting hurt if I get hurt?" he asked curiously.

Hiyoshi, still with his feet on the net, stopped to look down at Akaya as if he was crazy. “If you don’t already know the answer to that question by now, then there is nothing I can do for you.” Shaking his head, he climbed the rest of the way onto the platform and then turned to hold a hand out for Akaya to take.

Smiling, Akaya took the hand and hopped onto the platform. "The senpai-tachi won't hurt you if I get hurt, you're just being paranoid." His senpai weren't that protective of him, the idea was just silly. The only one who would get irritated was probably Sanada and that was just because it would affect his tennis.

Yes, in fact, both Hiyoshi’s physical and mental health was in danger, depending entirely on Akaya’s well being. However, it wasn’t worth debating over at the moment.

Seeing Akaya now safely on the platform, an idea crossed the martial artist’s mind. Using the firm grip he had on Akaya’s hand from helping him up, he quickly took the opportunity to force him face down onto the platform using a basic Aikido hold. None of his body was touching him except that his hand was holding the others arm in such a way that if he had chosen to, he could easily break it. Getting in closer, without relinquishing his hold or putting any more pressure on him, he softly said with obvious amusement in his voice. “First Lesson.” He then loosened his hold on Akaya’s arm, but did not let go, making it so it would be easy for him to escape, should he want to.

Akaya blinked in surprise as he suddenly found himself face to face with the platform. "O-Oi!" he yelped, then paused when he realized the grip wasn't tight. "First lesson..." he repeated quietly, "Then sensei what do I do?"

Hiyoshi let out a small chuckle before adopting a more serious attitude. Trying to demonstrate with actions instead of words, he slowly gripped Akaya’s arm again so he could see and feel exactly how he was holding him. “If I wanted to, I could break it. Your natural instinct is to move away from me, but doing so would only either result in more pain or a broken arm.” With his free hand, he lightly touched the small of Akaya’s back. “Instead, try to move towards me, using my own hold and weight against me.” With gentle nudges from the hand located on his back, he directed Akaya to roll into him. On the platform, there was just enough room for Hiyoshi to slowly let himself be rolled onto his back, his grip on Akaya’s arm naturally turning against him. Akaya was now straddling him, with his once pinned armed now holding Hiyoshi’s in a similar fashion against his chest, while the other was being held above his head. “The basic concept is to use momentum and agility to overpower strength.”

As he followed Hiyoshi’s instructions, Akaya grinned widely. He definitely needed to take martial arts classes. This was fun. "This is awesome! So you're really good at all this stuff right?" He leaned down and kissed him quickly then laughed, "You gotta teach me everything, ok?"

Hiyoshi couldn’t help but smile at Akaya’s enthusiasm. This was, after all, what he wanted to do with his life. “Hmm… we’ll see, brat.” He couldn’t actually teach him much without proper training, which would require a lot of time and patience he was sure Akaya only held for tennis. It wouldn’t hurt though to have some fun teaching him some basic Aikido holds, they were mostly only used for defensive purposes and balance. But for now, he was done playing sensei. “You going to let me go now, or am I going to have to throw you off me?” He asked amusedly from his position below Akaya, hands still held in his grip. He could have effortlessly reversed their positions again, but it was dark and there wasn’t much space. It would be too easy for an accident to happen.

"But you're comfy," Akaya pouted and leaned down to kiss him again slowly. "Don't throw me off. It's a long way down, and fukubuchou would never forgive you if you broke my leg or arm or something." He smiled again and finally crawled off of Hiyoshi, careful of the ledge.

Hiyoshi didn’t move from his position on his back, even after Akaya had moved off of him. Or maybe it was better to say he couldn’t. His whole body was tense. The way Akaya had looked at him, the way he had kissed him. He was always doing that. It was so hard…

“Akaya…” With a low growl as the brat’s only warning. Hiyoshi quickly crawled down after him on the metal net till they were both safely on the ground. He then turned Akaya around and shoved him backwards against the net before claiming his lips for the first time in a harsh kiss. It only lasted for a moment. Hiyoshi ended it almost as quickly as he had started it. “Stop teasing me, brat,” he bit out harshly. “You’re driving me crazy.” Letting go of him, he turned around and went to sit down on the swing again, burying his face in his hands and massaging his temples.

As his back hit the metal net, Akaya couldn't repress the moan that Hiyoshi drew from him. It wasn't like he'd never been dominated before, he had, plenty of times, but this was different. It was Wakashi, his Wakashi. Even though the kiss was quick, it left him breathing harder and his heart was racing.

Swallowing the lump in his throat at the other man’s words, Akaya walked over and crouched down in front of the swing. "I... Wakashi, I'm sorry," he said softly and tugged at his arms, making the other look at him. "I didn't know you felt like that... I--I'll stop okay? Just don't be mad at me."

Hiyoshi didn’t know how to respond. Truthfully, he didn’t want him to stop, but he couldn’t let this continue either. Either way, it was wrong of him to put Akaya in this position. It wasn’t like the brat was frustrating the hell out of him on purpose, right? Forcing himself to calm down, Hiyoshi tried to give Akaya a reassuring look. “I’m not mad… It’s not your fault. I’m just… damn it.” His brat was kneeling in front of him, looking as if he was afraid he’d never speak to him again. “Sorry. Forget I said anything. We should get going.” He stood back up, bringing Akaya with him. “We can come back again sometime if you’d like.” Taking his hand as he’d done earlier, he waited for Akaya’s signal that he was ready to leave.

With Hiyoshi’s hand in his, Akaya gave it a light squeeze before letting go. Slowly, so he could move away if he wanted, he wrapped his arms around the other man in a tight hug. After a moment, he kissed him as well, but this time he didn't move away immediately. He lingered, and gave Hiyoshi the control. It was a chance ball and in his court, what he would do with it was up to him.

At first, when Akaya had pulled away from him, Hiyoshi felt like something was about to break inside him. When Akaya went to hold him and then softly kiss him, he felt his heart stop all together. He closed his eyes and, without thinking, immediately began to carefully kiss him back. Tentatively, he brought him even closer and tangled a hand in his very windblown hair. He knew that Akaya was much more experienced in this field, and was wary of making a mistake, but Akaya’s body felt warm against his and Hiyoshi couldn’t help but let out a soft moan against the other’s pliant lips.

How long had it been since just a kiss and a moan could make him shiver with want like that? Akaya wanted Hiyoshi, but it wasn't in the way he normally wanted someone. He could hear his heart beat loud and clear, 'doki-doki-doki' it was deafening. At that moment, all he wanted was this. This made him forget about all the homework he had, or the levels he still had to beat on his games, even the laps fukubuchou gave him. This was enough.

It was all too easy to forget his surroundings and become lost in the in the soft and tender kiss. The blood was pounding in Hiyoshi’s ears and he wanted nothing more than to continue feeling Akaya’s lips move heatedly against his own. However, he could feel his knees starting to have trouble supporting him and he knew he needed to stop this before it got too out of hand. Gently pulling away from him, he left one last chaste kiss on the other’s lips and whispered, “Let’s go.”

Akaya felt Hiyoshi get wobbly in his arms so he didn't get upset or pout when the other pulled away. "Yeah." He laced his fingers with Hiyoshi’s and started off in the direction of the college. He was emotionally confused and very tired, but he didn't care. This was nice, and he was glad he decided not to spend the whole evening with Vegeta and a controller.

A comfortable silence fell over them as they walked back to the campus. Hiyoshi, for once, didn’t even think to watch if anyone saw them, his mind too occupied by the one who was currently at his side.

When they arrived back on campus, Hiyoshi automatically started walking towards his own dorm. He squeezed their joined hands lightly to indicate it was time to separate, and whispered a small “thank you” to him. He wasn’t quite sure what exactly he was thanking him for, but it seemed appropriate.

Before Akaya even realized it, they were standing in front of Hiyoshi’s door and he felt his hand being released. He wasn't sure what the other man was thanking him for, but it made him smile. "I should be thanking you. That was fun. We totally gotta do it again, ok?"

Automatically returning his smile with a small one of his own, Hiyoshi shyly but unflinchingly replied, “I had a good time. We can go back any time you want.” He brought his hand up to ruffle Akaya’s crazy curls one more time before murmuring a small “see you later” and disappearing into his room.

Akaya just stood there for a minute, staring at the closed door with a smile on his face before slowly turning and heading back to his dorm. He was confused and had a lot to think about, but he'd do it later. Hiyoshi wasn't going anywhere, so he still had a while to sort out his feelings and figure out what everything meant.