Seven Weeks: A Seven Days Fanfiction

WEEK SEVEN: Friday (Touji)

I was in the middle of sweeping up my homeroom after the last class of the day, when Yuzuru appeared at my classroom door. Giggles and whispers swept the room as my classmates caught sight of him. I thrust the broom at Sato and went trotting over to the doorway.

"Hey."

He blinked at me through long golden lashes. "I'm headed to cram school," he said. "Just wanted to say bye. And... you'll meet me there later, right?"

"Nine," I confirmed. I leaned against the door jamb in the hopes of concealing the jitters I felt. We were finally going to get some time alone. We needed this. It had taken me the better part of the morning to recover from his reckless, fiery kisses in the locker room, and even now his physical proximity was enough to take my breath away. Only a few more hours to go.

I reached out and straightened his tie. "Study hard, okay? We'll see each other tonight."

"What are you gonna do?"

God, he was really asking me that right in front of my entire class? My jaw dropped a little before I realized that once again, my mind was in the gutter while his question was entirely innocent. He means while he's in cram school. "I think I'm going to go to the dojo," I managed to stammer. "I should practice more if I'm going to be in the city tournament."

He nodded, looking pleased with that answer.

"And then I have dinner with my family. After that I'll come meet you."

"Bring food?" he asked hopefully.

Umeki would love to pack dinner for him, I was sure. I nodded. "You bet."

He broke into a grin. "Cool. Then... later." His arm came up in a wave, and he backed a couple steps into the hall before stuffing that hand in a pocket and turning for the exit. As he walked off, I got to admire the well-formed lines of his shoulders and back—and found myself feverishly recalling what they looked like when they weren't covered by his uniform.

My body was starting to ache again.

"Ooh, you guys have a date?" Sato asked from my elbow.

I jumped and did my best to compose my face, hoping I wasn't visibly drooling. "We're just, uh, hanging out later."

"Ah," she said, with a sly nod that suggested she knew what we'd actually be getting up to. It was all the more embarrassing because whatever she was imagining might very well be right.

"We done?" I asked, indicating the broom in her hand. "I want to get to club practice."

She gave me a somewhat exasperated look. "I finished your sweeping, if that's what you're asking."

"Great! I'll owe you one, okay?" I moved past her to grab my stuff out of the classroom, then gave her a little bow on the way back out. "Seriously, I'll cover one of your chores next week, all right? Thanks! Bye!"

She didn't seem placated, but I hurried off down the hall anyway. I needed to keep my mind occupied with something other than Yuzuru or I was never going to make it through the next few hours.

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Unfortunately, archery wasn't a helpful distraction at all. It was rather the opposite, in fact. My brain now associated the smells, the sensations, the entire atmosphere of the dojo with Yuzuru. I did my best to kneel quietly among the first years and center my mind, but couldn't stop seeing his elegant hakama-clad silhouette every time I closed my eyes. Every shooter at the line morphed into a different version of him, proud and strong and hypnotically stoic. And when it was my turn,  it was like I could feel him watching me as I shuffled to the line. I drew my first arrow and felt his hands at my waist, steadying me. His voice spoke softly in my ear.