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Gakushuu’s face still burned and his cheek stung, even though that conversation had occurred an hour ago now. He shouldn’t have been surprised at how badly it went, his father had never been exactly warm and loving, especially since his mom left; this was just a new low.
He didn’t know what exactly compelled him to say it; perhaps just the fact that he knew he wouldn’t be staying in that house much longer in any case. Maybe it was the wine his father had given him with dinner to celebrate his 18th birthday. Gakushuu wracked his brain to remember why he thought it would be a good idea to tell his father that he was gay. In any case, his father didn’t take it well at all. At first, he tried to brush it off as a joke, saying that this was never their forte. When it sank in that Gakushuu wasn’t joking, he seemed to try to convince his son that this was a phase or that one day a woman would come along who could “fix” this; when Gakushuu told him that this wasn’t a phase, that he’d known years before saying anything, that was when Gakuhou got mad. Gakushuu’s memory became blurry at that point; he could barely remember what was said beyond the word “disgrace”. Before the strawberry blond knew it, his father had slapped him.
Gakuhou rarely resorted to physical violence if he could help it. Gakushuu could now name two occasions on which his father had slapped him; he knew that after this, his father would likely cut him off. After getting slapped, there were no words to be said; the act said it all. Gakushuu didn’t bother packing up any of his possessions; all he took with him on that chilly January evening was his cell phone and wallet. To stay in that house any longer would have been trespassing; he knew by his father’s expression. Gakushuu didn’t have anywhere to go after that, but it didn’t matter. Even the freezing weather would be preferable to his father’s wrath.
Gakushuu looked around; he’d been walking for so long he could no longer recognize where he was. Some neighborhood; the houses looked nice enough. He wrapped his arms around himself, the wind blowing through his body. He glanced around, trying to find some sort of shelter, however meager. Finally, he found a bus station where he could sit. He walked over and plopped himself down before scrolling through his contacts, trying to find someone who cared more for him than for his father. Finally, he came upon someone who didn’t care much for his father at all. Karma Akabane. Gakushuu’s boyfriend of 4 years. Gakushuu sighed, deliberating with himself whether this would be a good idea, seeing how the two were fighting at the moment.
After reaching the conclusion that he had no other choice, he hit the call button. After several rings, Karma answered, “Hello?”
“Karma,” Gakushuu said in greeting.
“Shuu? To what do I owe this pleasure?” Gakushuu could practically hear the smirk in Karma’s voice; for them, being the first to call after a fight meant admitting defeat.
“To keep things brief, I need a place to stay. If there’s anything I can do-”
“Why would you need a place to stay? Can’t Daddy help?” Gakushuu groaned. Would Karma never stop teasing him about his father being their former principal?
“Look, it’s freezing, I need a place to go, and my father is no longer an option. May I stay with you or not?” Karma seemed to think this over.
“Oh, alright. Just don’t go causing any trouble, you party animal.” Gakushuu rolled his eyes.
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll be right over.”
After getting his bearings, Gakushuu made his way to the Akabane household and knocked on the door. Karma opened the door not long after. “Well, well, what’s a guy like you doing out at this hour?” the redhead asked as Asano made his way inside, reveling in the warm air of the house.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Hey, is that any way to treat someone who let you into their house at this hour?” Karma asked as he closed the door while Gakushuu toed his shoes off. The strawberry blond turned to look at the redhead, who saw in his eyes that there was something seriously wrong. “Hey…did something happen?”
“Yeah. I’d rather not talk about it right now.” Gakushuu explained. Karma nodded; this was hardly the first time one of them couldn’t tell the other what was wrong, and it certainly wasn’t going to be the last.
“Did you have dinner?” Gakushuu nodded. The two settled on watching a movie together on the couch until they felt tired enough to go to bed. Karma wrapped his arm around his boyfriend, knowing how comforting Gakushuu finds it (even if he won’t say it out loud). By the time the movie ended, the two had started to doze off, leaning on each other for support. Eventually, a text on Gakushuu’s phone snapped them both back to wakefulness.
Gakushuu yawned as he read through the message. It was from his father;
Starting tomorrow, you have three days to take whatever possessions you still wish to keep from the house. After that, I’m disposing of whatever remains by any means necessary. This should go without saying, but do not contact me ever again. Goodbye, Asano Gakushuu.
Gakushuu didn’t know why the tears started to fall. It’s not like he was surprised by the message; it was exactly what he was expecting from the man who he used to call his father. Maybe it was just the tiniest sliver of hope that maybe his father would settle down after thinking it over and maybe come to live with it; that tiny drop of hope dashed right before his eyes. Soft sobs and hiccups began to erupt from his throat and soon he was full-on bawling while Karma wrapped his arms around him and did everything he could to soothe his wailing boyfriend.
Finally, after a lot of crying and whispered reassurances, Gakushuu’s sobs began to die down. Karma led him to his bedroom, knowing full well that Gakushuu wouldn’t want to sleep alone after this. Once the two had changed into pajamas (well, Karma changed into pajamas; Gakushuu simply took off his jeans) they got into bed, Gakushuu’s face snuggled into Karma’s chest.
“Wanna talk about it now?” Karma whispered. Gakushuu gave a tight nod. “We don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
“No, I-I want to.” Gakushuu took a deep breath. “So, I made the stupid decision to come out to my fa…Gakuhou. H-he didn’t take it well; he h-hit me and kicked me out of the house. He said I have three days to take my belongings from his house before he gets rid of them himself.” Gakushuu began to tremble, hot tears streaming down his face again. He sniffled and gulped, finding comfort in Karma’s scent.
“Oh, god…I’m so sorry, Shuu.” Karma whispered, petting his boyfriend’s hair. He tried to imagine what would have happened had his own coming out gone so wrong and couldn’t stand it. The fact that his boyfriend had to go through it made it feel that much worse. Karma kissed over his boyfriend’s flushed face, ignoring the salty tears.
“I-it’s my fault.” Gakushuu hiccupped as Karma kissed over his tear-soaked cheeks, “I-I shouldn’t have t-told him, I-I knew he wouldn’t accept it.”
“Shuu, this is not your fault. That absolute bastard of a father should’ve loved you regardless.” Before Gakushuu could argue, Karma’s lips were up against his and he lost any desire to fight his boyfriend. By the time the redhead released the strawberry blond, they were both panting, a thin strand of saliva connecting their bottom lips. Karma smiled softly, and Gakushuu could see all the love he could ever need in those golden eyes. “You’re so beautiful, Gakushuu. I love you so much. Give me a smile?” Gakushuu gave a small smile. He was certain his face was a blotchy, snotty, tear-streaked mess, but judging by the look on his boyfriend’s face he didn’t care in the slightest. “There’s that gorgeous smile.” Gakushuu huffed out a small laugh.
“Karma, I’m a fucking mess.” Karma smirked.
“You’re my mess.” He whispered before pressing another soft kiss to Gakushuu’s lips. The two smiled at each other, fingers intertwining, sleep gradually creeping up on them.
When Gakushuu woke up the next morning, he felt much better. Like a weight had been lifted off his chest. He snuggled closer to Karma, sighing through his nose, knowing, somehow, that everything would be okay.