Chapter Text
Izumi Iori, a sixteen year old boy in his second year of high school, was walking through the hallways of his school with a frown on his face. People tended to avoid him under normal circumstances, so his slightly angry and irritable expression wasn’t making him more approachable. He couldn’t help it though. He had been in a bad mood ever since this morning. In fact, he got even more irritated thinking back on it now, as he made his way through the school.
That morning...
“Iori! Come on! You know I’m just trying to help you!” Mitsuki, Iori’s older brother, called out as Iori was just about to head out the door.
“But it’s none of your business how I treat others!” Iori retorted.
Mitsuki sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I know, but would it hurt to be a little bit nicer to people? That way you might actually make some friends,” the older Izumi pointed out, making Iori roll his eyes.
“I do have friends,” he replied.
“You have ONE friend! And don’t get me wrong, Tamaki is a great guy and I really like him, but he is literally the only one outside of our family who seems to be willing to put up with you! I know you’ve never really felt the need to surround yourself with others, but you’re going to regret it in the future if you don’t at least try to make some friends,” Mitsuki argued.
Iori sighed as he bent down to put on his shoes. “It’s really not that big of a deal. Have I ever complained about being lonely? No, because I don’t need others to be there at my every beck and call. Besides, everyone around me are just wasting their time playing around and I’d rather not be roped into that,” Iori said as he finished getting ready.
“And yet, your only friend is basically the definition of someone who just plays around,” Mitsuki pointed out.
“Yotsuba-san is different. He never puts any pressure on me to join his childish games. Besides, when it comes down to it, he does what he needs to do,” Iori said.
“Yeah, because you practically force him! It’s a wonder he still likes to be around you!” Mitsuki exclaimed.
Iori stood up and grabbed his bag, then he gave his brother one last look before he grabbed the door handle. “Are you finished criticizing the way I live my life now? Because I need to get to school. See you tonight,” he said as he opened the door and left his older brother behind.
Deep down, Iori knew that Mitsuki was only worried about him, but was it really necessary to go that far? He himself didn’t mind his lack of friends, so why should it bother others? He was perfectly aware that he wasn’t very good at interacting with other people. He knew he tended to come off as cold and calculating. People would sometimes approach him because he was fairly smart, wanting to take advantage of that. Iori had, throughout the years, gotten pretty good at telling those people apart from people who simply approached him because they wanted his company. So far, the only one his age who had done that was Yotsuba Tamaki.
Iori sighed. Why was he letting his older brother’s words get to him like that? He had already established that he didn’t need, nor particularly want more friends. But it was precisely because Mitsuki’s words had bothered him so much that he now started second guessing himself.
Iori needed a distraction and he needed it badly. Normally, he would go to Tamaki for that; the other could offer some pretty good distractions, whether they were wanted or not. However, his taller, blue haired friend was absent today. He had apparently caught a cold. What timing.
Because of this, Iori was now standing outside of the school’s library, hoping to find something to read in order to take his minds off of the things that bothered him. The library at Iori’s high school was normally empty. It was pretty old and a lot bigger than what was actually necessary for a normal high school. Iori liked it though. He thought the atmosphere was nice and it was a good place where he could go to be alone, since no one except for him seemed to appreciate it.
Iori slid the door open and was just about to take a step inside the room when he stopped in his tracks, his eyes widening. A light humming sound could be heard from inside the library.
Iori frowned, he had never met anyone other than the librarian in there before and even she was barely ever there. Also, the voice he heard was undoubtedly not that of the school’s librarian.
Iori still stepped inside, then he closed the door softly, trying his best not to make a noise. He made his way through the rows of bookshelves to where he thought the sound came from. Once he found it, he peeked out from behind one of the bookshelves so that he could try and see who else had decided to pay the library a visit for once.
Now, Iori didn’t think of himself as a sappy person, but the moment his eyes landed on the othdr person in the library, it was as if is entire world slowed down and erupted into color. He had never experienced anything like it before and he honestly thought he never would. But here he was, in awe at the sight before him.
Sat at one of the tables near the windows was a boy Iori had never seen before. Judging from the color of his necktie, he was a third year. The boy had bright red hair that framed his face beautifully, slightly tanned skin and a slim figure. His eyes were big and crimson with long eyelashes and he had a very content smile on his face, as if he had everything he could ever want in his life. The sunlight illuminating the room from the window seemed to give the young boy an almost angelic glow, but that could have just been Iori’s imagination.
On the table in front of said boy there lay a thick book, Iori had no idea what it was, but it seemed like kind of heavy reading. The boy had headphones in, meaning he was probably humming along to whatever song he was currently listening to.
Iori gulped and forced himself to look away. He crouched down on the floor behind the bookshelf, successfully hiding from the other boy. Iori felt his heart beating fast and loud in his chest, the same way it did after he had been running or performing some other form of exercise. Only, Iori hadn’t done any exercise that day, so his current state was extremely confusing to him.
Iori then considered his options. He could try and leave the library as quietly as possible so that the other boy wouldn’t notice his presence, thus making it so that they would probably never meet again and Iori could just forget all about what had just happened. Or he could do what he first came here to do, which would be grab a book and sit and read. Maybe the other boy would notice him or maybe he wouldn’t, but if he did they’d exchange greetings at best and that would be that. Or, he could go up to the unknown boy and actually try and do what his brother had been telling him to do - make new friends.
At first, Iori thought the first two options sounded awfully tempting, but there was something inside him that didn’t agree. Some part of him felt almost sad at the thought of not forming some sort of connection to the boy he had just seen. However, as it turns out, Iori didn’t get a chance to make the choice himself.
“Are you looking for something?” a voice came from behind him.
Iori froze and slowly turned around. Sure enough, behind him stood the unknown boy, smiling brightly. Iori’s mouth hung open and he was at a loss for words, he had never felt this out of control when it came to his own body before, and it honestly scared him.
“Uhm… Y-yeah, uh, I was just looking for something to read, I guess…” Iori managed to get out at last.
The boy crouched down beside him and looked at the bookshelf in front of them, presumably to see what type of books Iori was looking for.
“Something to read for fun? Or is it for school?” the boy asked.
Iori gulped. He hadn’t actually been looking at the books, but he supposed his lie came out somewhat natural if the other boy believed him just like that.
“For fun,” Iori answered, which earned him a weird look in return.
“You read books about gardening for fun? You don't seem like the type who'd be into that stuff,” the boy stated with a smile.
Iori panicked and looked at the books in front of him and found that they were all about gardening. “What? No! I-I just-” Iori started but was interrupted when the other boy started laughing. Iori would be damned if that wasn’t the most beautiful thing he had ever heard.
The red haired boy wiped some tears that had formed from the laughter away from his eyes. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to judge you! It just seemed like a unique hobby,” he said, still smiling brightly.
Iori blushed, though he wasn’t sure what caused it, the embarrassment from the situation or the pretty smile he had just witnessed.
“I-I’m not really into gardening. I guess I’m just not sure what I wanted to read…” Iori answered.
The other boy’s eyes lit up at that. “Well, if you wouldn’t mind, I could-” he started excitedly, but was interrupted by Iori’s phone going off.
Iori apologized and pulled it out, only to see a text from Tamaki saying how he was cold and wanted pudding. Iori saw it as a perfect opportunity to escape the awkward situation.
“I’m sorry, but it seems I have to go,” Iori said and stood up.
He started walking away but before he exited the room he turned around. Bad decision. He could still see the other boy looking at him, his expression seemed to be slightly disappointed. Iori smiled awkwardly at him and waved goodbye before he promptly left the room. He didn’t get far however, as he leaned against the wall in the corridor and buried his face in his hands so that no passersby would be able to spot the blush that covered his face.
Iori had no idea what had just happened and he wasn’t sure he wanted to know. Part of him was glad it was over, that he had managed to get away before he made a complete fool of himself. But there was also a part of him that was sad to leave, a part that wanted to know more about the mysterious boy he had just met.
In the end, Iori decided to let it go. He texted Tamaki that he would come by to give him some notes from today’s classes and that he might pick up some pudding on the way.
A week passed since the encounter Iori had in the school’s library and he had since been avoiding going there in fear of meeting the other boy again. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him once he got home that day and to Iori that was absolutely terrifying. However, even though it had now been a week, thoughts of bright red hair, a bright smile and soft humming still lingered.
Thus, Iori once again found himself standing outside the library. He had finally had enough and thought that if he could see the boy again, maybe he could get him out of his mind. He pushed the door to the library open and this time he didn’t bother hiding his arrival.
At first, Iori thought that maybe the other wasn’t there. The room was awfully silent after all. But as he walked through the room, he found who he had been looking for sitting in the same chair he had been in the last time, reading a different book.
The boy looked up at Iori, he must have heard his footsteps, and immediately smiled brightly at him. “Oh, it’s you! The gardener!” he exclaimed cheerfully.
Iori frowned but walked up to the table and sat down opposite of the boy. “I thought I told you that I’m not into gardening, so would you please not call me that?” he said, sounding a bit irritated. This didn’t seem to bother the other however, as he just kept smiling.
“Sorry, but I don’t know your name, so...” he said sheepishly.
Iori sighed and turned his head to the side. “Iori,” he said quietly.
“Hm?” the boy questioned.
Iori turned to face him this time. “My name is Iori, Izumi Iori. I’m a second year,” he said.
The red haired boy’s face lit up and he nodded. “It’s nice to meet you then, Iori! I’m Nanase Riku, a third year!” the boy, Riku, introduced himself happily.
Iori wasn’t sure what else to say. He hadn’t really planned this far ahead. “I’ve never seen anyone other than the librarian here before, so I was a bit shocked when I saw you last time. Do you come here often?” Iori asked, not being able to think of something better to say.
Riku chuckled. “Is that why you seemed so flustered? Because you didn’t expect to see anyone else here?” he asked smugly.
Iori flushed and looked away. “I wasn’t really flustered…” he said.
“Fine,” Riku answered with a knowing smiled. “But to answer your question, yes, I tend to come here quite often. I was actually pretty shocked to see you, since I’ve also never seen anyone other than the librarian here before. We must have missed each other in the past,” Riku said.
Iori nodded before he pulled out some notebooks, making it look like he came to the library to study and not to look for Riku. He sat down at the same table, even though there were other tables available.
For a few minutes they just sat there in silence, but then Riku spoke. “You know, you’re a lot different than I thought you would be,” he said.
Iori looked up at Riku, confusion written all over his face. “What do you mean? Did you already know of me?” he asked.
Riku rubbed the back of his head and smiled shyly. “Well, you’ve got a bit of a reputation… I didn’t realize it was you until I learned your name though,” he explained.
Iori looked even more confused at that. “I have a reputation? Why would I have a reputation?” he asked.
“You don’t know?” Riku asked.
Iori shook his head.
“Well, I’ve heard the girls in my class talk a lot about you. They say there’s this really handsome underclassman, but that he’s sadly very cold towards others, so he’s hard to approach. They said how they liked the cool and mysterious air around you… You’re quite popular, you know? I bet there are lots of girls who would love to go out with you, they’re just scared to get close to you,” he explained.
Iori’s eyes widened. “You’re lying,” he said skeptically.
“No, I’m not! I swear!” Riku replied.
“I literally have like one person I talk to in the entire school. I am not popular,” Iori stated.
Riku hummed and looked down in his books for a while before answering. “I think you’re the kind of person people are secretly interested in, but your presence might be a bit overwhelming, so they just end up watching you from afar. After all, you’re super pretty but you can have a scary expression from time to time,” he said.
Iori frowned. “You speak as if you’ve been watching me,” he said.
Riku’s face flushed brightly at the implication and Iori found that he really enjoyed seeing the other like that. “I-I haven’t! I was just kind of curious who they were talking about but I only had a name and grade, that’s really all!” he exclaimed.
Iori chuckled at the other’s flustered state, making the older boy pout in a way that really shouldn’t look that enticing to Iori. In fact, before he could stop himself, Iori noticed how his mind screamed ‘ADORABLE’ at the sight.
“It’s really alright, Nanase-senpai. You don’t have to freak out about it,” Iori said calmly.
“A-Anyway, my point is that you’re very different from the rumors. They say you’re supposed to be cold and unapproachable, but you actually seem really kind and easy to talk to!” Riku said then. Iori’s eyes widened a bit hearing that.
“That is… Uhm, thank you. I’m often told I’m unapproachable, but I don’t particularly try to come off like that. I know I can be serious and I’m a bit awkward when it comes to interacting with other people, but it was never my intention to scare others away. Though I know I can have that effect on people,” Iori explained.
Riku smiled up at him. “Then, will you let me be your friend?” he asked.
“Huh?” Iori asked, quite shocked at Riku’s suggestion.
“Well, you seem like a good guy, so can I be your friend? I don’t really have that many friends myself, so I’d love to be yours!” Riku said.
Iori blushed but nodded. “I guess it’s fine?” he answered, though it sounded more like a question than an answer.
“That’s great! I’m really happy!” Riku exclaimed, making Iori’s stomach feel funny. Was this really how making new friends was supposed to feel? He had only really made one before, Tamaki, but he couldn’t remember it feeling like this.
Iori didn’t think too much about it, instead he was just happy he had made a second friend. He had believed he wouldn’t need one, but now that he had Riku, he couldn’t be happier. Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing to be making friends after all.
The weeks went by and Iori and Riku had somehow made it a habit to meet up in the library almost every day after school. They had exchanged numbers and had since grown a lot closer. However, one day about two months after they first met, Riku didn’t show up. Iori didn’t think too much about it at first, but when the older boy was nowhere to be seen for the rest of the week, Iori started feeling a bit worried.
For the first time in his entire life, Iori experienced what it felt like to be lonely. In the past, he had never really been bothered by being alone. In fact he had kind of preferred it. Then he befriended Tamaki, but even then, he hadn’t minded being on his own. But since he met Riku, he suddenly started craving his company. It wasn’t the kind of lonely that made him want to be around other people, it was the kind of lonely that made him want to be around one specific person. That person being Riku.
Another week passed and Iori was actually really worried at this point. Not only had the other not come to school for a long time, he hadn’t even picked up his phone.
But then, Thursday of the second week of Riku’s absence, Iori ran into him again. This time, however, it wasn’t in the library as usual, but in the infirmary. Iori had a bit of a headache, so he had gone to the nurse’s office in order to ask for some pain killers, but when he got there, he found that the room was empty, except for one of the beds which seemed to be occupied. Upon closer inspection, Iori could see a mop of red hair stick up from underneath the blankets and he immediately recognized it as Riku’s.
Iori had never been that happy and relieved to see anyone before in his entire life. He forgot all about his headache and headed straight for the bed that Riku was sleeping in. He then sat down on a chair by his bedside and decided to wait for the other to wake up.
About twenty minutes later, Iori noticed Riku starting to move around, then he slowly opened his eyes. Iori didn’t say anything, worried that he would startle the other.
Riku rubbed his eyes and sat up slowly. His eyes widened when he saw just who had decided to join him. “Iori?” he asked in confusion.
Iori took a deep breath and looked Riku in the eyes, his expression showing just how worried he had been these past two weeks. “Where have you been? Are you okay? Why didn’t you pick up my calls? Did I do anything wrong?” Iori asked, not really sure what he wanted to get out of this.
Riku gave him an apologetic smile. “I’m really sorry. You didn’t do anything wrong, I promise!” he exclaimed. “I just haven’t been feeling so well, so I had to go to the hospital for a while… I didn’t want to worry you, which is why I didn’t tell you, but I guess that’s exactly what I ended up doing…” he said sadly.
“You went to the hospital? What for?” Iori asked, curious about just what was going on with Riku.
Riku looked down at his own hands as he fiddled with the bedsheets, trying to gather his thoughts so that he could explain his situation to Iori in a good way. “I’ve got asthma, always have. It’s pretty bad, so I can’t do any heavy exercise. I have trouble being around animals or dusty places, sometimes even the temperature or simple stress can give me attacks… I’ve always had to spend quite a lot of time in the hospital, ever since I was a child. That’s mostly why I don’t have that many friends, everyone always ended up getting super close while I was away…” he explained.
Iori felt bad for Riku, listening to his explanation. He had no idea the other had been dealing with things like that. “I’m sorry… Is there any way I could help you?” he asked.
Riku just looked at him with a bright smile. “But you already help a lot! I feel really happy when I’m around you, it always manages to calm me down! All I want is for you to stay my friend, to be yourself and to stay by my side,” Riku said, making Iori’s stomach do weird flips.
Iori vowed then and there that he would do anything in his power to protect this boy. He would never let anyone or anything hurt him again. He would do his best to make sure that he never felt sad or lonely. He would never leave him alone. After all, how could he? He had already fallen head over heels in love with him.
Iori looked around. There were way too many people around for his liking and yet he had no plans to leave anytime soon. It was the end of the school year and thus the graduation ceremony for the third years. It was the graduation ceremony for Riku. Iori had tried to ignore it for the longest time but he knew that Riku would have to leave eventually. Luckily, he told Iori that he was going to a local university; he was going to study medicine there.
He had also promised that they would stay in touch, which Iori didn’t doubt. But it still unsettled him. He had grown used to seeing Riku almost every day but from now on he might not even be able to see him every week.
A while back, Iori had made up his mind. He had long since figured out how he felt about the other and now that he was leaving, Iori wanted something more. He wanted something that would bind them together more than just being friends would. He was going to confess.
Honestly, he was terrified and every other minute he managed to convince himself to not go through with it. Then he thought of sending Riku off to university alone, he thought of all the new people he would surely meet and the possibility of him finding someone new to care about. Iori wanted an excuse to monopolize the other, even if it was only for a little bit. He wanted to be able to call him his, to give his everything to him and to just be with him.
That was why he was now walking around the schoolyard looking for Riku, which proved to be extremely hard amongst all these people. Iori sighed, but just as he did, he spotted a familiar head of red hair amongst the people over by the parking lot. He picked up his speed and made his way through the crowd as quickly as possible so that he wouldn’t lose sight of the other.
“Nanase-senpai!” he called out and then he watched as Riku turned around and smiled brightly as he saw Iori headed his way.
“Iori! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” he exclaimed, relieved.
“Me too,” Iori said, smiling at Riku.
Riku looked up at him and smiled sheepishly.
“Uh, do you think you could come with me for a minute? I’d like to go somewhere with less people around,” Iori suggested.
Riku tilted his head to the side and looked up at Iori with big, questioning eyes that just made Iori’s heart melt. “Sure,” the redhead said happily.
Iori nodded and reached for the other’s wrist, holding onto it tightly as he made his way through the crowd again, making sure that they wouldn’t get separated.
They walked for about five minutes until they were at the back of the school by the sheds in which the sports clubs kept all of their equipment. With the graduation going on, everyone was gathered in the front, so they could be alone here.
“Did you want something, Iori?” Riku asked innocently.
Iori gulped and took a deep breath of air to try and calm down his nerves. This was it. What Iori was about to do next could either advance their relationship, or it could make it extremely awkward, possibly ruining it forever. Wow, suddenly this didn’t seem like such a good idea after all. Still, he had come too far to back down now.
“Nanase-senpai,” Iori started. “I’m sorry if this makes you uncomfortable, but I just… I wanted you to know this before you left for university,” he said, looking seriously into Riku’s eyes.
Riku nodded, still unsure what this was all about.
Iori took another deep breath but it did nothing to calm his nerves. “I really like you! I have for a while and I know this may make things complicated between us but will you be my boyfriend?” he asked as he closed his eyes, not wanting to see Riku’s reaction.
Riku was silent for a bit too long, making Iori curious. He opened his eyes and looked up, only to see Riku with a bright blush and tears running down his cheeks.
“Nanase-senpai?” Iori quietly asked.
Riku reached up to wipe his own tears away as he let out a chuckle. “Haha, what’s with the tears? I’m so pathetic…” he said in a low voice, as if he didn’t want Iori to hear him.
Iori carefully took a step forward. “What are you saying? You’re not pathetic at all… In fact, you’re probably one of the strongest people I know, that’s one of the things I really like about you,” Iori said.
Once again it was silent for a while, but then Riku spoke up. “What more is there?” he asked.
“Huh?” Iori made a questioning noise.
“What more do you like about me?” Riku asked.
Iori gulped but took another step closer to the still crying redhead before he spoke calmly. “I really like that excited gleam you get in your eyes whenever you talk about something you really like. I like how you always try to see the good in people despite how they may have treated you. I like how you always put your everything into all you do, how you do everything you can to make sure that something is going to turn out good. I like how you never give up and keep fighting, even when it’s hard. I like your smile and your eyes and your voice. I just really like all of you,” he explained.
Iori took a third and final step as he finished his confession. He was now standing right before Riku but he made no move to touch the other, afraid that it would make him uncomfortable. Riku must have sensed his presence, because he removed his hands that had been furiously wiping at his eyes and looked up at Iori. His eyes were swollen from the crying and the rubbing he had done, but he wore the brightest smile Iori had ever seen as he gave his reply.
“I really like you too, Iori! I would love to be your boyfriend!”
Iori learned pretty quickly that high school without Riku was very different, or maybe he had just gotten too accustomed the other’s constant company. Still, it was bearable. They still met up almost every weekend to either go on dates or to just spend some time together. They really tried to makethe most of their time together.
About a month into the first term, Riku had surprised Iori when he met up with him on his way to school.
“Nanase-senpai? What are you doing here?” Iori asked.
Riku pouted as he walked up to him. “Iori!” he whined, making Iori raise an eyebrow in question. “Will you stop calling me that already? I don’t go to this school anymore. Besides, we’re dating! You really don’t have to be so formal,” Riku said.
Iori blushed and looked away. He wasn’t used to using informal language with people outside of his family, even if the person who asked for it was Riku. Still, he was willing to try for him. “Then…” he started. “Nanase-san?”
Riku sighed but still gave Iori an amused smile. “That’s better, but you could just call me ’Riku’ you know? I really wouldn’t mind," he said.
Iori rubbed the back of his head and looked down on the ground. “I’m sorry, that might take some getting used to… Is it okay if I stick with Nanase-san for now?” he asked.
Riku smiled softly at him and reached out to take a hold of his hand, making Iori’s face flush pink. “It’s fine! I don’t want you to push yourself, after all. But just so you know, the moment you feel ready to start using ‘Riku’, just do it! I’d be really happy if you did,” Riku said.
Iori nodded and gripped Riku’s hand tighter in his as they kept walking.
Soon, Iori realized that he still hadn’t gotten an explanation as to what Riku was doing there. “Nanase-san, why are you here? Not that I’m not enjoying your company, but your university is in the opposite direction,” Iori said.
Riku smiled sheepishly at him. “I don’t have any classes until the afternoon on Wednesdays, so I thought maybe I could start walking you to school on that day from now on! That way we can still make sure we see each other every week, even if we’re busy over the weekend!” he said with a bright smile and a slight blush.
Iori almost fainted after hearing his boyfriend’s reasoning. What had he done to deserve the angel that was Nanase Riku? Seriously, the older boy was just too cute for his own good sometimes.
Iori smiled in return and sported a blush much like Riku’s own. “I’d love that, as long as it’s not too much trouble for you. You shouldn’t push yourself too hard, after all,” Iori said.
Riku grinned up at him. “I promise I won’t push myself! But will you wait for me in that crossing where we met today then? Every Wednesday?” he asked, looking up at Iori with big eyes.
Iori nodded. “As long as you don’t tell me otherwise, I’ll wait for you,” He said with a gentle smile. “However,” he then added, making Riku tense up. “I won’t wait if it’ll make me late for school, so if you oversleep and I’m not waiting for you, that’s entirely your own fault!” Iori exclaimed.
Riku pouted. “I barely ever oversleep! I’ve only been late thrice due to oversleeping in my entire life!” he told him.
Iori smirked. “That’s three more times than the ideal,” he said, intensifying Riku’s pout. He would never admit it out loud, but he loved teasing Riku, since the expressions he got tended to be extremely adorable. Although, Iori had a feeling Riku already knew this.
“Hmph, meany!” Riku exclaimed. Iori just chuckled and squeezed Riku’s hand harder in his own.
“Oh,” Riku then exclaimed as he came to a halt.
Iori looked at him quizzically.
“We’re already here, I thought the walk to school was longer… It’s crazy how much you forget after only having been away for a little over a month,” Riku said.
Iori looked behind him and found that they really had reached the school. He agreed with Riku that it really had felt as if the walk there had been shorter than usual.
“Well,” Iori started as he turned to look at Riku. “Thank you for walking me to school. I’ll see you this weekend,” he said with a smile as he turned to walk away.
Iori didn’t get very far however, as he heard Riku call out to him. “Wait!”
Iori turned around, but before he could even open his mouth to ask what the other wanted, Riku had thrown himself into Iori’s arms and pressed his lips against Iori’s own. Iori completely froze at the contact, as if he completely forgot what he was supposed to do in that situation.
Riku soon pulled away and looked at Iori, a blush covering his cheeks. “Have a good day at school today!” he said as he backed away from Iori, whose face had erupted into a deeper red than Riku’s hair. He looked like a mix between horrified and excited.
Riku smirked, feeling pleased with himself. “See you later!” he said as he turned around and left.
Iori regained his composure somewhat just as Riku left. “Y-you can’t just do that! We were in public!” he yelled after him but got no reply. Iori crouched down by the fence separating the street from the schoolyard, trying to collect himself after everything that had happened that morning.
After that, Riku ended up walking Iori to school every Wednesday, just like they had agreed to. And every week he would leave Iori with a kiss, always making the younger boy just as flustered as the week before.
It was mid-June by now, and it was getting warmer and warmer for every day that passed. Iori was sat in the classroom, trying his best to pay attention to his English teacher, but the heat was making it kind of difficult. It was the last class in a long day and Iori wanted nothing more than to just go home and cool down. Maybe he would actually let Tamaki talk him into buying ice cream on the way home, like he had been trying to do for the past three weeks.
Iori turned to look out the window for a split second and his eyes caught sight of something he had not expected to see. Down by the gates leading into the school there was a person and not just any person. Iori would recognize that red hair and suntanned skin anywhere. It was Riku.
Iori hadn’t been expecting to see him today, in fact, he hadn’t expected to see him all week since he was supposed to go on a trip with his family. And yet, there he was. Iori felt his face flush, so he leaned down to rest on the desk, simultaneously hiding his red face. He prayed that no one had seen him.
It worked. Until the teacher thought he was sleeping during her lesson and called out his name for the entire class to hear. Iori flinched and looked up, his face felt hot, meaning the blush was probably far from gone and he cursed his luck. Why did Nanase Riku always tend to have such an effect on him?
“Iorin?” Tamaki called out as the two were walking home from school a few days later.
Iori turned to look at his friend. “What is it?” he asked.
“What’s going on between you and Rikkun? He’s been visiting you a lot and you always get super happy when he comes! You’ll turn really red as well,” Tamaki pointed out, making Iori blush again.
“See! It’s happening again! Do you plan on pursuing a career as a tomato? I bet you’d be totally good at it!” he joked.
Iori felt a bit irritated, but he wasn’t actually angry with the other. The things he endured for his friend. “W-well, nothing special is going on between us. I’m sure it’s just your imagination,” he said.
“Hmm...” Tamaki hummed as he seemed to be deep in thought after hearing Iori’s answer. “Are you dating?” he then asked out of nowhere.
Iori was so shocked, that if he had been drinking at the time, he would have surely spat it all out. “W-what are you talking about?! Dating?! Nanase-san and I?” he asked.
Tamaki nodded and looked at his shorter friend seriously.
Iori would have normally denied it but looking at Tamaki’s serious expression made him feel bad about the very thought of lying to him. So, he told him the truth. “We are…” he said quietly.
What Iori hadn’t expected was for Tamaki to pull him into a bone-crushing hug. “Really? Congratulations! You and Rikkun are really cute together!” he exclaimed.
“T-thanks, but Yotsuba-san… I-I can’t… breath…” Iori wheezed out.
Tamaki let go of Iori and smiled down at him apologetically. It was all water under the bridge though. Iori was just relieved that telling Tamaki had gone so well.
The summer vacation was over and everyone had returned back to school. Today was another Wednesday, which meant that Iori and Riku were walking to school together. Just like all the other times when they walked together, the walk seemed to be way too short for their liking and soon they could see Iori’s high school in the distance.
They reached the gate and instead of turning around to head inside like he usually did, Iori kept his grip on Riku’s hand and called out to him.
“Nanase-san?” he said.
Riku looked up at him with big eyes. “Hm?” he hummed in question.
Iori smiled softly at the slightly shorter boy in front of him as he leaned down and placed a tender kiss on the redhead’s lips. Riku just stood there, frozen while Iori kissed him, unable to find it in him to respond.
Iori pulled away sooner than he would have liked and leaned in to whisper in Riku’s ear. “Thank you for walking me to school. Have a good day, Riku," he said before he turned around and practically ran into the school.
Riku’s face was flushed brighter than it had ever been before. Normally, he would be the one who embarrassed Iori, but it seemed the other had finally learned to do the same to Riku.
“Iori! You can’t just leave after that!” Riku called out after the other in both embarrassment and delight at both being kissed and having been called by his first name for the first time.
“Payback!” was all Iori yelled in reply before Riku saw him disappear into the school building.
Riku turned to walk away, a big smile on his lips the entire walk home.
The day for Iori to graduate had finally come. Neither Riku nor Iori could believe just how fast the past year had gone by. They had both initially thought it would pass much slower, them not being able to be around each other all that much being a big contributor to that. Turns out the moments when they had been together had made the year go by much faster than they had expected it to.
This time, however, their roles were reversed. Riku was the one stuck in the sea of people, looking furiously for his boyfriend. Soon, he was able to spot Tamaki, since he was so tall, and assumed Iori might be around there. He was right, once he got closer to Tamaki, Riku could finally see the one he’d been looking for.
“Iori!” Riku called out cheerfully.
Iori turned around at the sound of the familiar voice and smiled brightly. Riku almost started crying at the sight of his boyfriend, his heart full of pride and love for this man that had become such a vital part of his life in such a short amount of time. They both walked up to each other, and the moment they were within reach they threw their arms around each other and embraced.
“Congratulations on your graduation, I’m so proud of you!” Riku exclaimed.
Iori pulled away and looked at Riku's face, smiling fondly and wiping away the tears that threatened to spill from the other’s eyes any second now. “Thank you, Riku,” he said happily.
Riku’s face erupted into a bright smile. “You said it again! I love it when you say my name like that!” Riku exclaimed.
After that first time Iori had gone back to calling him Nanase-san. However, he would occasionally refer to him as just ‘Riku’, which made the redhead unbelievably happy. He knew Iori didn’t usually refer to people like that, so it made him feel special.
The two looked at each other with matching smiles and blushes, then Riku took a deep breath and prepared himself for what he was planning to say next.
“I love you, Iori,” he said quietly, so much so that if Iori had been any further away from him, he might not have heard it. But now he did, and his entire face turned into a deep scarlet, however, for once he didn’t mind it. Why would he? He had everything he could ever wish for in the world, and that was Nanase Riku.
So, without further ado, he pulled the boy who was undoubtedly the love of his life into a passionate kiss, not caring at all about the people that could be watching them. Riku gladly returned the kiss, wrapping his arms securely around Iori’s neck.
Iori soon pulled away, but stayed close, locking eyes with his boyfriend before giving him a proper reply. “I love you too, Riku.”