Your Protector

Chapter 16

It was finally Monday, which meant it was time for Budo to finally face Taro Yamada, the love of his life, after their heated argument last Friday.

Despite every fiber in his being wanting to search for Taro and beg on his knees for forgiveness all weekend, Budo had managed to stay away and give his darling some space. In a way, it was rather therapeutic for him. Last week had been chaos after chaos for both him and Taro—they needed time to regather themselves, especially him.

He regretted every harsh thing he said to Taro last Friday. He could not blame the boy for being scared of telling anyone that he was trans, especially when his parents are practically counting down the days until he leaves the house for university.

Budo had thought... what if Taro moved in with him? Leave the abusive life in his parents' house and come live with Budo's family where they would welcome him with open arms. Yes, it was a nice idea, but that could only become a reality if he successfully wins the heart of his dear Taro.

Which he was determined to, and he was going to have that boy, but how long would it take? Now that their secrets have been revealed, Budo hoped it would be soon.

Now that it was Monday, Budo could finally freely interact with Taro. However, he was not going to push his luck. He would let the boy come to him at his own pace. It was the best way he could show his love and appreciation for him at this time after all.

Budo left his house and walked to school. He soon reached Taro's house and stopped in front of it, staring longingly at Taro's window. Normally, when Budo would reach his house, Taro would come out the door, and they would walk to school together. Today, however, that didn't seem to be the case. Either Taro slept in, which was by no means out of the realms of possibility, or he already left his house, which hurt Budo's heart. Still, he reminded himself, things can not bounce back to the way they were right away. This will take time, he just needs to be patient.

He got to school, and after he changed his shoes, to his delight, he spotted Taro. He was in the courtyard, talking to Osana. If Budo didn't have control of his feet, he would've ran to the boy he loved so much and beg like a puppy. But that would be pathetic and sad, and the last thing he wanted was to look desperate in front of Taro, or anyone for that matter.

As much as it hurt him to simply long for the love of his crush, he had to be meticulous on how he was going to go about this. Over the weekend, he had been brainstorming all the possible ways he could impress Taro and get him to love him back. Budo did come up with something, something very romantic and perhaps over the top, but he wanted to make it special for his special someone.

All he needed was to get the Delinquents a part of the plan. He needed the extra hands if it was going to turn out perfectly.

Budo had to wait until lunch to tell the Delinquents, as he still had club leader duties to attend to, but when that bell rang, he was practically already out of his seat. Taro had noticed his strange behavior in class, particularly how his knee wouldn't stop bouncing like a paddle ball, and watched him with furrowed brows as he raced out of the classroom. The boy shook his head and sighed, grabbing his bento and going up to the rooftop.

Casually, Budo walked through the hallways, hoping to not be seen walking to the Delinquents' territory. He kept glancing all around him to see if anyone was around. He got to the incinerator area and checked to see that he was in the clear. Perfect.

He turned the corner where the five blonds were all having a smoke on the benches. A part of Budo was ready to reprimand the young men for smoking on school property, but then he remembered that there were more important things on his list than policing bad habits.