Library - Volume 2

Summer started to bloom as the warm month of May passed by. The smell of freshly cut grass and the sound of birdsong filled the air, signaling the start of a new season.

Students from neighboring high schools and adult colleges enjoyed the sun's rays and gentle breeze during lunch break, but Natsuo preferred to sit at the corner table of the library. His dedication to his studies was unwavering as he quietly read through the pages of the books that surrounded him.

Maximum peace and fresh coffee allowed him to complete his physics assignments with ease, his eyes following the text effortlessly and his pen scribbling notes swiftly. He was listening to a relaxing beat through his earbuds, which drowned out the background noise perfectly.

He was about to take a sip of his coffee, when a person in dark clothing jumped on the bench next to him.

"Mmh!"

His startle caused the hot liquid to spill on his chest.

"I didn't realize you were listening to music," Jiro explained, scratching the back of his neck as Natsuo yanked both of the earbuds out and set the splattered cup on the table.

"You didn't answer the phone," Jiro said as he tried in vain to wipe brown spots from his white cotton shirt with the sleeve of his leather jacket.

"I'm sorry," he added, looking apologetic as he looked at the mess.

"It's fine..."

Jiro had chosen to eat with their classmates at a ramen restaurant nearby. Natsuo was uncomfortable around his fellow students, and he wanted to avoid the potential embarrassment of having to make stilted conversation while slurping hot soup. He felt more comfortable being alone and focusing on his studies while munching on convenient snacks from the vending machine.

The candy-pink-colored gift bag Jiro had discreetly placed on the floor caught Natsuo's attention. He knew instantly that it wasn't for him.

“Really?”

Jiro glanced at the present and rubbed his neck again.

"Don't worry about it."

A few teenage girls from the opposite high school had begun to pay attention to Jiro, whose silver hair always blew aesthetically in the wind while he wore a leather jacket and aviator glasses. The girls in school uniforms had begun gathering at the gates, first shyly peering at Jiro, but lately leaving small gifts for him as they walked by every morning. Jiro had quickly become the center of attention, and his newfound popularity amused him, but he was not sure what to do with it.

When Natsuo picked up the bag, he saw that it was full of bakery chocolates tied with a red satin ribbon.

"How about tomorrow I kiss you in front of them? That might cool them down a bit," he proposed with a sparkling gaze, but Natsuo wasn't convinced. Although they walked hand in hand every morning, the girls' whispers only intensified and their cheeks turned redder.

"If it bothers you, I will throw it away," he swore.

Natsuo didn't reply as he was lost in contemplating what had happened to him when a girl fell madly and obsessively in love with Jiro. He felt his heart sink as he realized that this was the last thing he needed - another person who would be vying for Jiro's attention.

After seeing his blank stare, Jiro lifted him onto the pine table to sit on top of his textbooks and notebooks.

"What are you doing?" Natsuo asked.

His playful expression made it clear that he had a more salacious intent than just a friendly conversation.

"Maybe I'll give you some choices for tomorrow," Jiro offered and kissed the brunet's coffee-flavored lips lightly. The two remained locked in their gaze as their lips parted.

"Or like this..."

The lemon-tasting tongue greedily slid between his boyfriend's teeth and explored every corner of Natsuo's mouth as his hands gripped his hair. His exploration was both passionate and desperate, hungry for the taste of his lover.

The corner of the room was filled with muffled music emanating from the earbuds and lips smacking as the pair sealed each other in wet kisses. When Jiro nipped Natsuo's lower lip and their bodies were pressed together in an intimate embrace, Natsuo's cheeks glowed with a rosy blush.

His blue eyes were hazy and his breathing was unsteady as he leaned in for a second time. Jiro's hands moved up and down Natsuo's back as the kiss deepened. He let out a slight sigh of pleasure as Jiro broke away from their hug and gazed at him.

"So? Which one is it?” Jiro pondered.

"Surprise me," Natsuo replied with a shy smile.

"Speaking about tomorrow. A couple of classmates and I decided to go to the city tomorrow to celebrate Friday," Jiro explained as he withdrew himself, observing Natsuo's dismissive expression and continued:

"I know you don't want to go. But you - ”

"Still no," Natsuo interrupted.

"You deserve to have fun with friends sometimes. You should give it a try," Jiro concluded.

"I think you actually convinced me," Natsuo said with a snort and added:

"And they are not my friends. Do you remember what eventually happened to your former friends when you introduced me to them?"

Images of Kikiyo's club, crude language, getting high, losing oneself in euphoria and liberation.

He no longer felt butterflies in his stomach after their heart-fluttering kissing session. His soul was gnawed by emptiness as he remembered all the memories from the past.

"I will explain that we have other plans," Jiro said and tried to smile again, but Natsuo could tell that it wasn't genuine.

Natsuo was the reason Jiro didn't have friends or company in elementary school. He had no one his age to talk to during recess, to sit next to in class, or to turn to during times of need. Other pupils hesitated to approach him for fear they would be targeted by Natsuo's mischievous gang and suffer the same fate.

"You go.”

Jiro regarded Natsuo's encouraging expression with uncertainty. His brown bangs touched his silver hair before he pulled him into a gentle hug and wrapped his arms under his leather jacket.

“Go have some fun. And you don't have to throw that thing away..." Natsuo replied, receiving a long kiss on the neck and hearing a whisper of acceptance from him.

Jiro sat in another chair leisurely with his legs spread, pulling out the glossy chocolate from the tiny bag.

"I have almost one hour to kill, so I thought I would spend it with my boyfriend," Jiro said and his eyes fixed on the half-eaten protein bar next to the stack of books.

"Was that your lunch?"

"Half-lunch," Natsuo replied.

“Uh, no. Let's go, I am taking you to eat," Jiro announced, biting into a chocolate and wincing at the rich raspberry filling.

"But my shirt - "

"We will buy you a new one on the way. Do you think we are poor or what?” Jiro laughed and began packing books into Natsuo's canvas backpack, brows furrowing as he wondered why he carried the entire archive with him.

Natsuo couldn't conceal his smile as Jiro picked up the bag and took him under his arm as they passed the cluttered shelves.

"But didn't you just eat?"

"And? I can just drink coffee if you mean that I need to watch my weight," Jiro said smirking as he petted his trained abs.

"No, I didn't mean that," Natsuo corrected himself.

"How can you carry this sack all day?" Jiro asked as he held Natsuo close, adjusting the bag to fit better on his shoulder.

"And how much do you lift now?"

"You will be lifted soon as well," he warned and ruffled his brown hair.

A pair of pitch-black eyes noticed them as they walked out of the building and the corner of his lips curved into a weak sneer...