[Fanfic] Studying Sucks (Part 1)
Title: Studying Sucks
Pairing/Group: Mukai Koji x Hirano Sho (Kin Kan)
Rating: PG-13
Length: 10,000
Summary: AU. Koji’s hobby and first love is photography, and he gets a new tutoring job to support it.
A/N: I’ve never shared fic before...
1
The college campus is busier than usual, with all the clubs looking for new members. The freshmen wander around wide-eyed as flyers are forced into their hands. Amidst the chaos, a young man dressed in a batman hoodie and jeans catches the eyes of girls and boys alike that pass by, giving each person a warm smile and a slight bow. He doesn’t have an overwhelming presence, but each person seems drawn to him and obliged to take a flyer from his hands.
“Koji, that’s so unfair! How have you already given away your entire stack?!”
“The stack isn’t what’s important. It’s the hay. Okay, I gotta go so the rest is up to you, Toma.” Koji gives the pale boy next to him a pat on the back and grabs his shoulder bag before running off. He leaves behind him the usual silence caused by his supposed jokes. It’s one of his only flaws.
“That guy never stops, does he?” Another boy, slender and with feminine features, rests his shoulder on Toma’s shoulder and sighs. His name is Junya, but everyone calls him Nee-san.
“He’s probably off to his part-time job. He’s saving up for new lens.”
“He’s always saving up for something. I don’t know how Mika can stand it.”
“Speaking of which---”
[Excuse me. Could you tell me how to get to the International Office?] Their conversation is interrupted by a tall foreigner looking very lost. He’s looking straight at Toma.
[Etto….follow me.] Toma replies in English and leads the foreigner in the direction of the International Office. “Man, where is Koji when you need him?” He might not speak English, and he’s certainly not half, but he gets this enough to know how to deal with it. He also hands his new friend a flyer. On it is is a picture of the sky, right before a storm, with the clouds ominous and heavy. Below it, the words “By Koji Mukai” are written in small print. The boys are part of the university’s photography club. It’s a relatively new club, started two years ago by Koji in his freshmen year.
It’s hours later when Toma sees Koji again, on his bike heading home. He sticks his head out the window and shouts, “Koji! We got three new sign-ups for the club. Also, can I come over for dinner?”
“You’re such a neighborhood disturbance! And sure, I’m sure Mom will be okay with it.”
“I’ll be down in a second! Wait for me!” Toma rushes down the stairs. His parents aren’t home tonight, and Koji’s mom’s cooking is ten times better than what he can get from the 7-11. As he locks the door behind him, Koji is putting away his bike. The porch light lights up Koji’s profile at an angle, and Toma sighs because for a split second he can see why Koji is secretly the most sought after boy on campus. He doesn’t know why he was cursed with him as a childhood best friend. On top of that, since the girls tend to leave him alone, knowing he has a girlfriend, so Koji himself has no idea. Such a sin.
“So who are the new recruits?” Koji inquires as he opens the door. “I’m home! Toma’s here too!”
“There’s two girls who said they did photography in high school. Then we have...a male foreigner,” Toma replies as Koji’s family welcomes them back. His house is always warm and smells pleasantly of spices.
“Huh. That’s a first,” Toma expects Koji to ask how that happened, but his friend is distracted when they get to the dining room. “Pepper steak tonight? Awesome!” There’s nothing he loves more than his mom’s cooking.
As the family (plus Toma) sits down for dinner, the subject of Koji’s part-time job comes up.
“Ii, you’re always so busy. You’re never home! Can’t you cut hours?” his mom asks, worried about how late Koji always arrives home.
“But I want that new lens I showed you at the store the other day. I’ll never save up enough to get it if I decrease my hours.”
“Koji, how about another job? I saw an ad on the bulletin board for tutoring. All the new third years in HS are scrambling to get a head-start on exam practice. I’m sure it pays more than the convenience stores,” Tatsuro suggests.
“I think that’s a great idea. Then you’ll have more time for the photography club, too,” Toma jumps in. “You’re smart enough to teach those brats. You should probably look for a male student though, you don’t want some high schooler falling for you.”
“I am super cool, aren’t I?” Koji jokes in response, not realizing that it’s actually true. “Okay, I’ll take a look tomorrow.”
2
It turns out that there are plenty of people looking for a university tutor. They’re all willing to pay about the same amount, and his brother is right. The pay is much better than what he gets at his local Lawson. Following Toma’s advice, Koji rules out all the female students. It’s not that he thinks they’re actually going to fall for him, it’s just that girls are complicated anyway. Among the remaining choices, there’s one that catches his eye. Along with the information about the job, there’s a description of the student.
Male, 17, short.
Energetic, but dumb. Needs serious help and motivation. Not a bad kid, just dumb.
Likes cats and marshmallows. Will bite.
Worst subject: English, Best subject: None
It obviously wasn’t written by the boy in question, so his parents must have a good sense of humor. Koji appreciates that, and jots down the number in his notebook. Plus, English is his best subject.
After class, he dials the number.
“Hello?” he hears a female voice and assumes it’s the boy’s mother.
“Good Morning, Ms. Hirano. My name is Koji Mukai. I saw the job posting you left on the university bulletin board regarding your son. I’m wondering if he still needs a tutor?”
“Oh, yes! You’re the first person to call about that. He needs some serious help. When can you start?”
“I can start next week. Would it be alright if I met your son first so I could see what we should be working on?”
Yes, of course. Could you come by today?”
“I’m afraid I have to go to my part-time job in the afternoon, so I would only be able to stop by in the evening.”
“That’s fine. Let me send you the address.”
3
It’s a small house near the station so it’s easy for Koji to get there. He feels a little nervous ringing the doorbell, but he’s greeted by a beautiful middle-aged lady with a wide smile.
“Welcome! Please come in and I’ll let Sho know you’re here.” She turns around and shouts for her son up the stairs.
There’s a small cat, grey and white, that walks over to Koji’s feet and brushes up against him. He bends down to pick it up. It’s super soft and cute and he falls in love with it immediately. Which is weird, because he’s usually scared of animals.
“Her name is Nene. Isn’t she cute?”
Koji didn’t even notice the appearance of his new student, too busy admiring the feline. He looks up to find a young man with carefully styled black hair and a mischievous smile. He’s about a head shorter than Koji, but it isn’t difficult for him to imagine the kid walking around a college campus.
“You must be Sho. I’m Koji and I’ll be tutoring you starting next week.”
“Do we have to study?” Sho looks a bit forlorn.
“Yes…?”
“Okay! But first, I want to show you my shoe collection!” Sho drags Koji by the arm upstairs and into his room. He opens his closet and starts taking out a bunch of shoes, leaving Koji a little bit at a loss as to how to react. He sits down next to Sho.
“I’m Sho. I like cats, marshmallows, dance practice, and dance. I hate studying but I don’t hate you. Actually, I think you’re gorgeous. My cats are named Hana and Nene. I have a younger brother. My best friend’s name is Genki but we don’t go to the same high school so I don’t get to see him that often. In my free time, I like to play video games, especially the ones that let me shoot things. Also, I like dance. My friends and I are starting a dance unit, but my mom won’t let me go to practice unless I start studying.”
Koji thinks Sho is a little odd and must really like dancing, but overall he seems like a good kid. Obedient enough to work with, but not so boring that it’ll be a drag.
“I guess I should introduce myself too. My name’s Koji and I have an older brother named Tatsuro. My favorite food is my mother’s cooking. By the way, I’m half-Thai. My hobby is photography and I like to take pictures of scenery. My favorite subject is English and my least favorite is Japanese. My best friend’s name is Toma and my girlfriend’s name is Mika.”
Even though he’s younger than him, Koji doesn’t have a problem accepting Sho as a friend. They talk for a bit and Koji looks through Sho’s notes and tests. He walks away knowing that they have a lot to work on and it’s going to be a struggle, but he’s looking forward to it. He’s only known him for an hour but he knows they’re going to get along well.
4
“No, no, no! It’s C-A-T not C-T-A!” Koji hits the younger boy on the head with his notebook. He’s in his second week of tutoring Sho, and while it has freed up a lot more time for family and photography, it can be frustrating sometimes. He comes every day for just two hours, and overall it’s a lot shorter than his shifts at the convenience store. It’s also a lot more fun.
Ms. Hirano is a single mother, so usually when he comes over, it’s just him and Sho. Sho’s actually a pretty good host, preparing snacks and tea and showing him out when he leaves. He can tell that the boy tries his best to concentrate and understand when they’re studying. Unfortunately, he really is just dumb.
Sometimes Koji stays an extra half an hour just to hang out with Sho. He’s an interesting kid and has grown really quickly on him. He likes to listen to Sho talk about dance. His eyes sparkle and the ends of his mouth rise and Koji can see his leg twitching to do some steps.
“I have practice this weekend, can you come?”
“What time? I might drop by for a bit,” Koji wants to see what this kid is always going on about, and he’s sure that Sho shines when he dances.
“4pm at the park around the corner!”
“I’ll try to be there, okay? I have to get going now.” Koji starts packing his things into his messenger bag, and Sho sulks in his seat. Over the past two weeks, the boy seems to have gotten very attached to him.
As the taller boy grabs his bag and heads out the door, Sho suddenly hugs him from the back, hands circling around his waist.
“Don’t go yet. Please?” Koji turns around to see puppy eyes and he can’t bring himself to resist. Without letting go, Sho directs them so they flop onto his bed.
“Let’s take a nap,” Sho demands and Koji turns around so he can curl into his chest. He can feel Sho fall asleep almost immediately. He fishes his phone out of his pocket and sets an alarm for 30 minutes before resting his head on Sho’s and closing his eyes as well.
When he wakes up, he feels groggy and they’ve somehow shifted so that Sho is laying on top of him. He’s shorter, but he definitely weighs more than Koji and his weight is kind of crushing the poor boy. He gently shifts Sho to the side, and takes out his phone again. 8:00pm. 3 texts. 2 missed calls.
“SHIT!” Koji jumps out of the bed, forgetting about his cute little student, and runs out the door, trying to fix his bed head. Mika’s going to kill him.
5
Koji shows up at the park an hour after practice starts, on the way back from a photography date with the club. Usually they would all go to Koji’s house to sort through pictures, but he excused himself early, earning him funny looks from all the members.
As he gets closer, he can hear the beats of the music and can gradually make out a group of boys all dressed in t-shirts and jerseys. They all have cool sneakers, though. He spots Sho in the center of the formation. He makes his way over to the group and sits down on a bench across from where they’re practicing. Just observing.
Within ten seconds of sitting there, Koji sees nothing but Sho. Nothing but Sho and the way he moves, the focused look in his eyes and the sweat dripping from his hair. For the first time since he bought his own SLR, Koji pulls out his camera and directs it towards a person for a candid picture. He finds himself looking for the perfect angle to capture Sho, somehow his photos don’t seem to do him justice. Engrossed in his viewfinder, he doesn’t realize how close he’s gotten to the group, almost invading their formation.
The song ends and the group members get together to discuss changes in choreography. His eye’s meet Sho’s for a split second and Koji smiles but the younger boy quickly looks away, turning back towards his friends. He can also feel the wary gaze of a few of the other boys. He feels unwelcome and is almost ready to go home, but he hasn’t gotten the shot he wants. If he leaves now, he’ll be thinking about taking photos of the boy dancing the entire night. He fiddles with the settings on his camera.
The music starts again and this time, Koji knows what he wants to capture. He wants Sho’s passion and fluid movements. He wants the serious expression on his face. He wants the feeling that Sho gives off of knowing nothing but the beat of the music, as if the movement just comes naturally as a result.
Once again, as the song ends, his eyes meet Sho’s. He brings his hand up to wave, but the boy scowls and turns away, announcing to his friends that he thinks they should go find a vending machine.
When Koji gets home, the first thing he does is to run up to his room and turn on his computer. He plugs in his SLR, sifting through the photos. He wants, no, he needs to take more photos.
“Who’s that?”
Koji jumps in his chair and turns around to find Toma leaning against the door, watching him.
“Sho,” Koji replies before turning back to his photos. He can feel Toma come up behind him and rest his arms on Koji’s shoulders.
“Your little student, huh? He’s cute.”
“Hmm”
“When did you start taking pictures of people? He’s not even looking at the camera.”
“...I just felt like I had to.”
“...right. Your mom says to come down for dinner.”
“I’ll be there in a moment.”
6
Monday rolls around quicker than Koji would like. He heads over to Sho’s house as usual, but when he rings the doorbell, it’s not a wide-smiled Sho that answers the door, but his mother.
“Sho says he’s not feeling well today. I’m sorry. I would have called to let you know, but I just got home.”
“It’s okay. I’ll come back tomorrow.”
Sho’s mother apologizes again and Koji can’t help but think that something is wrong. Sho is definitely avoiding him.
“Actually, can I see him for a bit? Just to tell him to get better.”
“Of course!” he steps into the house and makes his way up the stairs, knocking lightly on Sho’s door.
“Sho, can I come in?”
“No.”
Koji shakes his head and turns the doorknob anyway. He spots Sho sitting on the floor by the bed, leaning against it with his English textbook in his lap.
“Leave me alone, I’m studying.”
“...your textbook is upside-down.” Koji sits down next to him and touches Sho’s arm. Sho jerks his arm away and scoots away from him.
“Are you mad at me?”
“You left me.”
“...”
“You left me, and then you came late. And then you weren’t even watching me.”
“I told you I had to be somewhere. I was actually really late to meet someone important, and I got in a lot of trouble, you know? I’m sorry for not letting you know before I left.”
Sho just looks down.
“And what do you mean I wasn’t watching you?” Koji pulls out an envelope and hands it so Sho. He opens it slowly and pulls out a stack of photos of himself.
“Are these all of me?!”
“Yeah, so don’t say I wasn’t watching you.”
“...I’m sorry,” Sho curls up into Koji’s lap, flipping through the photos.
“Can I come watch again?”
“Yes!!!!!” Sho suddenly sits up, his head hitting Koji’s chin full force. They both curl up in pain before looking at each other and laughing.
“...are you ready to study?”
“...fine.”
7
The day after mid-terms, Koji is greeted at the door by a huge hug from Sho.
“I got a 30 on my test!” He’s almost jumping up and down and while 30 sounds like a failing grade to Koji, it’s almost a miracle for Sho.
“Congratulations!”
“Can we take a break today? Please, please, please?” Sho pleads.
“I don’t know how your mother would feel about that.”
“She said it would be okay. Let’s go!” Sho drags Koji out the door, slamming it behind them.
They somehow end up at a family restaurant, Sho ordering just about everything on the menu. Koji settles for the drink bar and some fries, and watches Sho from across the table eat for about three people.
“Koji, have you ever thought about doing dance?”
“...nah. I just like watching.”
“You should try it.”
Whenever Sho gets stuck on something, he’s super persistent about it and Koji knows already that he’s going to be showing up at the park in t-shirts and sweats next weekend. He might as well try it to get Sho off his back. Plus, he’s actually quite good at sports despite his nerdy hobby. It doesn’t mean that he’s going let Sho think he’s easy though. If he does, Sho is just going to get more and more demanding.
“I’m too busy for that.”
“But you come to watch anyway!”
“It’s not that easy. You’ll understand when you’re older,” Koji needs to pull the senpai card on this kid before he gets to defiant.
“Whatever, Jiko. You--” Sho stops and looks up behind Koji.
“Going on a date without me?” a familiar voice jokes behind him. The owner rests her arm on Koji’s shoulder as he turns to look up at her. She’s wearing a green hoodie and skinny jeans with black sneakers. Her hair is long and black, tied into a side ponytail with a simple scrunchie. Somehow, she feels like what Koji would be like if he was Kojiko.
“Oh! Mika! What are you doing here?”
“Came with some of the girls from the photography club. Just to hang out.”
“Are you Jiko’s sister?” Sho asks, tilting his head to the side. He continues to eat his marshmallow parfait.
“Jiko…? Yes, I am. My name is Mika Mukai and I’m his younger sister,” Mika jokes with a straight face.
“Man, don’t mess with him. He’ll take it seriously,” Koji elbows Mika in the stomach and pulls her down to sit in the seat next to him. “This is my girlfriend.”
“Wait...isn’t that wrong? I thought we weren’t supposed to date siblings,” the boy across from them asks very concerned. Koji face lands in his hands and sighs deeply.
“I told you!” He hisses to Mika before turning back to Sho, looking him straight in the eyes. “Mika is not my sister. She’s my girlfriend but we’re not related.”
“Related?”
“We don’t have the same parents.”
“So you’re cousins?”
“No. We do not have the same parents or parents’ parents or parents’ parents’ parents’. She was just kidding.”
“Ohhhhhh. I see!” Sho reverts back to his normal self and gives Mika a big smile. “Nice to meet you! I’m Hirano Sho. No, I mean Sho Hirano. Wait…”
Mika bursts out laughing. “Sorry for lying earlier. I’m Mika Sato. Nice to meet you.” She gets up from her seat and puts her hand on Koji’s shoulder. “I should get back to my friends. You two continue your little date.”
“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow for lunch?”
Mika nods and waves to them before heading back to her friends.
“I like her,” Sho states as she walks away.
“Excuse me?”
“I like her.”
“...” Koji can’t help but give him an incredulous look. “You do realize I just introduced her to you as my girlfriend.”
“I like her because she reminds me of you.”
“Okay, cool. I guess…”
“So you’re coming to dance practice this weekend to dance, right?”
Koji rolls his eyes and stands up, grabbing his cup. He notices Sho’s is empty too and he decides to take it with him. He’s totally going to fill Sho’s cup with a mix of orange juice, coke, melon soda, and tea. Hot cocoa sounds good too.
8
The photography club has started going on their photo-taking expeditions on Sundays just so that their president can go to dance practice the day before. They know he’s taking photos, so it’s understandable.
Moving photography club activities to Sundays also means that he and Mika no longer have time for weekend dates (photography club doesn’t count), so she’s hanging out at the Mukai house early Saturday afternoon.
“Did you know? He’s totally in love with you,” Mika says as she clicks through the Sho folder on Koji’s computer.
“Right.”
“It’s true! He’s like a little puppy that follows you around.”
It’s almost time to go so Koji starts gathering his things. Oh right. I should change into practice clothes. He pulls out a jersey he used to wear to practice for tennis club in high school. He starts stripping on the spot. When he finishes he turns around to find Mika raising an eyebrow at him.
“Seriously?”
“What? Also, don’t watch me change!”
“You wear white underwear? God, how old are you?”
Koji pouts, “They’re comfortable!”
“Uhuh. It’s okay. You’re still hot,” Mika looks up at the clock, it’s past 3:30. “You should probably get going.”
He gives her a quick hug before sprinting out the door. The last time he was late, he had a very sulky Sho on his hands. He makes it to the park just on time. The boys in the club, despite the wary looks they gave him when he first started showing up, have accepted him as one of their own. It’s great for asking for help, but it also means lots of sweaty hugs and invasion of personal space.
Sho’s kind of a Spartan and when the song ends and he finally calls break time, Koji collapses on the floor, breathing heavily. He wipes the sweat from his forehead with his towel and grabs his sports drink. He can feel two other members of Black and White plop down next to him.
“So are you and Sho dating?” a boy with really curly hair and dimples asks as he casually puts his arm around Koji’s shoulder.
“Yukito, that’s a dumb question. They have to be!” the other adds. He’s a little short with light brown hair and a unique nose. “It’s so obvious that it’s almost disgusting.”
“We’re not.”
Both of the boys turn to stare at him. “Are you both masochists or something? Enjoying the thrill of the chase? The UST?”
“I have a girlfriend.”
He’s pretty used to this kind of teasing, having grown up with Toma as his best friend. It’s at that moment that Sho chooses to show up, plastering himself to Koji’s back and wrapping his arm around his waist. It takes a few seconds for Koji to feel the pain shooting through his neck from Sho’s teeth.
“Owwwww,” despite his complaining, Koji doesn’t pull away.
“Definitely dating,” the two boys nod to each other.
Koji opens his mouth to deny it but Sho beats him to it.
“Oh! Speaking of dates, can I come over to your house sometime?” Sho suddenly asks Koji. “I want to see Jiko’s room!” His face is barely an inch away from Koji’s, his eyes sparkling and hopeful, and Koji of course agrees.
Yukito and Matori give each other knowing looks and leave to find a vending machine.
Koji, for reasons he doesn’t understand, is slightly nervous to bring Sho over to his house. It’s not that he has a problem with him. It’s just that, recently, he’s been feeling like Sho has taken over his life. The dancer’s presence lingers in every aspect of his life and it’s kind of creepy. At home and at school are the only two places that Sho hasn’t officially set foot in. He can’t deny that puppy dog look anything. At this point, if Sho asked him to jump off a cliff, he might just do so.
9
Despite starting his tutoring job so he could have more free time, Koji feels that he’s been more busy lately. Things have fallen into a pattern. Every day after school, he heads over to Sho’s and tries to teach him. Then he stays an extra hour or two because Sho inevitably whines when he packs up to leave. Quite often, he ends up doing his university coursework with Sho taking a nap in his lap. It’s kind of like having a pet cat. Then there’s dance practice and the photography club and dates with Mika and he basically has no free time left.
Sometimes during dance practice, he joins in with the group, it’s good exercise and fun. Most of the time, he spends his time behind the camera. The big difference now is that Sho is no longer his only subject. There’s also Yukito’s gracefulness paired with Matori’s sass. And Jou’s sharp movements paired with Kazu’s natural talent.
“Hey Jiko,” Sho interrupts his stream of thought, propping himself up in his lap.
“Hmm?”
“If Black and White wins the contest next month…” he drifts off, looking down.
Koji cocks his head to the side, looking down at the boy in his lap. He doesn’t usually see Sho so unsure.
He takes a deep breath before continuing. “If we win, I have something to tell you.”
“You can’t tell me now?” Koji prods him in the stomach.
“I pinky promised myself that I would wait. It’ll be my compensation.”
Koji stares at Sho in shock. He just used a complicated word. He didn’t use it correctly...but he still used it! He’s so thrown off by it that he forgets what Sho was trying to tell him.
“So, we’re really going to try to win this competition. We’re going to have practice every day for the next two weeks. You’ll come watch right?”
“Of course, when I can.”
“You’ll come to the competition right?” Sho is up in his face and his nose is just two cms away. It makes Koji laugh, he wouldn’t be surprised if Sho suddenly licked his face and barked.
“Wouldn’t miss it.”
Sho gives him a huge hug before settling back in his lap, with his arms still wrapped around the skinny boy’s waist. He falls asleep again, looking very peaceful and Koji goes back to his English textbook.
Part 2