Romantic Killer But I Made It Gay

Junta Route Part 11

The day passes with surprisingly few disasters, and before I know it we're walking home from work together. As usual, I'm sandwiched between the two boys, but I can tell Tsukasa is giving me my distance and Junta is nervously walking closer.

"Tsukasa," I blurt, "can we...talk...when we get home?"

He winces, not unnoticeably. "Yeah. Sure."

We continue walking in silence. Awkward silence.

"So...You seem pretty close with Hoshino," I comment nervously. "You even ate lunch with her."

"She's a lot like you," he replies, eyes straight ahead. "More than you realize. Besides, she mixed up our lunches, then her friend invited me to eat with them. It would be rude to refuse. Besides, if I can't..."

"Can't?" Junta questions.

"Nothing. Ignore it."

"Ah, okay."

The lights of our house appear around the corner and we all breathe a sigh of relief, then glance at each other.

"Living room?" Tsukasa questions.

I nod and we enter the house. The tension in the air is so thick I can barely breathe, and I can tell the other two are just as worried. Junta and I sit on the couch, while Tsukasa takes the chair.

And we sit in silence.

And sit.

And sit.

Junta raises his hand nervously and I give him a stressed chuckle.

"You can speak."

"T-Thanks. Listen, we—"

"Wait." Tsukasa puts up a hand to stop him. "We really don't have to do this. I already know. I've known for a while." His hand shakes and he pulls it back, running it down his face, sighing, "God, why'd it have to turn it this way?"

"I just...feel like it has to be said," I try quietly. "Just so there's no miscommunication."

"Fine. You two..." He purses his lips, then groans. "Are dating. Or you at least like each other. And you probably know I like you, and now you know I know you don't like me back. This whole situation is fucked up, isn't it?"

"Yep, that sounds about right," I mutter. "Any...feelings about that?"

"How the hell do you think I feel?" he grumbles into his hand. "But at the same time I want what you want. And if you want to be with your childhood friend, then I-I won't stop you."

"Thank you," I whisper softly. "If you'll accept it, I still want to be your friend. But if not—"

"Of course I want that." He forces a pained smile. "If you'll accept me."

"M-Me too!" Junta adds awkwardly. "I really hope this doesn't hurt our friendship."

"You're good, man," he sighs, dropping his hand to his lap. "This is none of our faults." His eyes meet mine and he repeats, "It's none of our faults. You can't control your feelings, so stop blaming yourself. I know you are."

I laugh awkwardly. "You've got me there."

"But I can't just keep living here," he worries quietly. "I'm sure none of us want that."

I want to protest, but I know he's right. Living with a couple is bound to be awkward, especially when the third wheel likes one of the partners. But we can't exactly kick him out. He's our friend, not to mention it's just morally wrong.

But wait...hasn't the solution already been given? Why else would they introduce a live interest for Tsukasa other than to let him move in with her? But still, I can't just give that girl one of my friends and say, "Here! This is your new housemate!" That's also morally wrong.

"What if I moved in with Hoshino?" Tsukasa suggests and I blink in surprise.

"What?" Junta gasps, staring at him. "You barely know her!"

"With Haru, that's the way our relationship progressed, and quickly too. I bet if I don't, my room will be destroyed, and I don't want to cause any more trouble for him."

"Gh, how did you know my plan?" a squeaky voice grumbles, and Riri appears in a poof in the air.

"If you're anything like Haru's wizard, you're easy to predict," he informs the creature. "So, you support my plan?"

"I absolutely do!" It spins around happily in the air, grinning at him. "I'll arrange everything! Just leave it to me!"

With that it disappears with another poof. Tsukasa gets to his feet and nods to me. "We should get to bed. Unless you want to watch that new show...?"

"I...think we should just get some rest," I decide quietly. He nods and quickly exits the room, not looking back. When the door closes, I scoot closer to Junta and he smiles sadly down at me.

"How do you feel?"

"I don't know. I can tell he's hurting, though. I thought he was better at showing his feelings now, but...I guess he thinks it's better this way."

"I don't know. I'm sorry." He takes a deep breath, then whispers, "Can I...give you a hug?"

"Oh," I chuckle absentmindedly, "of course. Thanks for asking."

He puts an arm around my shoulders and nervously pulls me closer. Realizing he's not going to get anywhere with this, I lean up and wrap my arms around his chest. I can feel his heart pound through his chest as he slowly pulls me in, resting his head on top of mine.

"We'll get through this," he quietly assures me, and I can feel the words vibrating through his neck.

"I know." The past hits me and I amend, "I'm sorry I kissed you so suddenly last night. I should've asked."

"I-It's fine!" he assures me quickly. "I don't mind. I'm just happy. Really, really happy. Wait, I'm repeating myself, right? Sorry."

I laugh lightly. "You're good." When he's quiet I realize, "We should probably get to bed. It's kinda late."

"Y-Yeah."