Waiting for a Surprise: Chapter 1

"So the bubbles are permanent?" Mario questions as he lights a cigarette against the wall of the back of the school building. He watched as Kenken popped the assorted bubbles of many sizes coming out of Atsushi's wand.

"It's a better alternative." He says dipping the wand into the pink, translucent tube with a scowl on his face.

"You know Aachan, you really have been making a face all morning, you feeling alright?" Kenken said with a worried expression.

"Don't be stupid Kenken, Aachan is feeling better than ever!" Mario stated confidentially, failing to realize his friend's foul mood all morning.

"Then why is he chain-blowing tubes of bubbles then?" The blonde said panic growing in his voice. Mario looked to the ground to see two empty bubble containers next to thered hat wearing youngster.

Atsushi had been feeling rather annoyed lately. He was grateful that Sakamoto had shown a much healthier habit to follow, and was also in debt of his kindness from getting him out of trouble a few weeks back. Given how much good Sakamoto has done for the boy, he couldn't help but feel annoyed with him. He just does everything so right, does he ever take a break? What was his life at home? Sakamoto was such an odd fella that manages to right every wrong. How can a character like that not be frustrating?

"It's fine; bubbles aren't going to kill me… right?" he said a bit sheepishly finally giving the wand a rest after noticing his excessiveness.

"You want to talk about it?" Mario said crouching down next to his troubled friend. "Is it Sakamoto?" The fiery blonde chimed crouching down on the opposite side of Atsushi. Just hearing the glasses-kun name brought warmth to his tan cheeks.

"There's nothing to say! Let's just head to class…" Flustered, the boy raised himself and begun to head towards the entrance. "Come on, we don't want to be late." He said scratching the back of his head. Kenken and Mario looked at each other with a slight grin. Aachan is usually never on time.

Classroom

"Sakamoto, will you please read the passage from page 342 aloud for the classroom?" Sensei stated has he fanned himself with the attendance chart. All of the girls turned in anticipation toward the raven haired man making origami in his seat.

"Of course." He stood up in his chair next to an open window. The air was rich with the smell of the mourning's dew and you could hear bird-san chirping just outside the frame.

Her heart is an origami,
a secret rose garden of crimps and creases,
a sentient paper crane whose petals
make head and tail of complex emotion.

Atsushi was transfixed. It was like the words were falling out of his mouth like freshly pulled silk and his he could see the poet's eyelashes from the angle of him reading from the text. They were longer than what he expected. But given the fact that he was seated in the back row and Sakamoto was in the front, how did he even notice in the first place?

She ripples at my touch like gentle rain
unfolding into a geometry of diamonds
and ripples again from the reverse side
like a fish nibbling at the water's surface
answering the query of the rain drops
with the deeper question of hunger.

A breeze flown in through the window, making the origami flowers flourish across the classroom floor like it was meant to happen. It was like a mystical moment in a drama. It was as if cherry blossoms where in full bloom and shedding its petals in that very moment. Atsushi was entranced, more so than his classmates.

"Thank you Sakamoto, astounding." The old pervert said with glazed eyes like the girls on the ground scrambling to collect as many paper flowers as they could muster.

"No fair Aina-chan! You have like the speed of cheetah for Christ sake." Kana whined alongside the other girls who barely got a flower intact.

"Lessons of love my dear, lessons of love!" She said confidentially as she pranced around with an arm full of Sakamoto's sculptors.

"That was beautiful Sakamoto." Kubota whispered over the man's shoulder from his seat. Atsushi couldn't help but feel his teeth grit together ever so slightly. It wasn't like he was jealous no. NO. It just seemed like Nerd-san gets to chat so freely with the eccentric man.

"I don't deserve such praise." He said coolly as he placed a paper crane in the window sill that looked very similar to bird-san. Atsushi begin to notice the little things about Sakamoto. He was certain that he held infatuation with animals and bugs alike. He also always adjust his glasses prior to reciting text, and he also he keeps the protractor on the left side of his desk.

"ATSUSHI!" He jumped at the sound of his named called for the fourth time, unbeknownst to him.

"Yes!" He said nervously staring at the professor who looks slightly irritated. Many of the girls giggled at his expense, a few rolling their eyes and a couple who didn't care. He begin to swat at his giggling pair of friends sitting on the opposite sides of him.

"You, Kenken, Mario and … Sakamoto are needed in the office. You got me?" He said with flipping through some text on his desk. "Something regarding last week's incident."

"R-right." He said gathering his things quickly and heading towards the door. His buddies where following close behind gossiping about whatever. Once out of the classroom, Atsushi bumps into Sakamoto; not paying much attention to where he is walking.

"Oi! Oh… It's just you." He said scratching the back of his head. The slender man turned around with his usual blank face.

"Yes, it is I, Sakamoto." He said with a small grin. "I must be in your way?" he said swiftly posting up against the wall.

"Err not really, we are heading the same way?" He said unsure of himself.

"Correct. We've been chosen to help clean out the storage room for the new equipment. How unlucky." He said with a small sigh adjusting his glasses up the bridge of his perfect nose. Atsushi just stared at the pale and delicate face.

"Atsushi…here's your chance to say something meaningful!" Kenken whispered excitedly into the red hat clad lad. Mario nodded his head in agreement. Atsushi wouldn't even know what to say! He then realized his two delinquent friends disappeared into thin air.

"We should be on our way Atsushi." He said beginning to walk down the hall with his usual swagger. Atsushi's eyes couldn't help but trail down the man's body in front of him. Sakamoto had a solid build, slender yet fit. He had great legs and an incredible ass-never mind that! He shook his head, feeling the warmth creeping up his neck. What was he even thinking about? Sakamoto's ass? Really?

Storage Room

"Since you so graciously almost burned the joint last week, I figure you two…HEY where is the other two? Kakuta-sensei said looking frantically around.

"Oh my." Sakamoto said already having a crate of supplies in his hands. Kakuta-sensei stared Atsushi down making the young man nervous and sweat slightly.

"I'm not sure?" He said honestly.

"Never mind that, you two need to get this done by the end of this period. Bring those empty crates down to the office when you're finished." The box cut wearing man said walking away already fed up with the day.

The silence of the room begun to weigh down on Atsushi and the situation he was currently in. He was with Sakamoto… in a closet, alone. Yet he can't bring himself to even say a word? He felt kind of stupid at his annoyance toward the other, he'd be more annoyed with himself.

"Atsushi, could you pass me the dust pan?" His voice piercing through the silence.

"Yes, yes! Here you go." Passing it hasty towards the person in question.

"Gracias." He said in perfect pronunciation. Atsushi was very impressed. I mean, how many languages did this guy know? He's positive he heard him speaking Latin or something last week… Atsushi found himself just standing next to him as he swept a dust pile with ease into the pan.

"Er Um… Sakamoto?" He wasn't even sure what he wanted to ask. Sakamoto turned his gaze towards the nervous lad making his eyes advert to the side.

"Well. Um, yeah… Do you like Kubota-san!?' He blurted out randomly. He wasn't even sure where he was going with this idiotic question.

"He's my friend. I suppose I do." He said placing the cleaning tools against the counter. "Do you like Kubota-san?" He asked back cheekily.

"Not really he's a nerd!" Atsushi replied with a nervous laugh.

"Ne, such an odd question, yes?" He said with his full attention now on Atsushi. He could feel his face getting hot now. Sakamoto was giving him his undivided attention. He could be saying anything right now but he brought up nerd-kun instead!

"I guess it was. I'm sorry."

"Pardon me, Dewey Decimal is calling these books on the shelf..." He said unscathed returning back towards the duties. Atsushi could feel his heart pounding in his throat, his fingers where tingling. His legs where moving on it's on, taking small steps towards the other. He found himself right behind, reaching out towards the shoulder in front of him. Just before he could reach, Sakamoto suddenly turned around flashing a light right into the Atsushi eyes making his eyes squeeze shut.

"My my, Atsushi looks like he's about to commit a crime." He said in a sing-song manner. After his eyes recovering, he realized he was toe-to-toe with the man whose been haunting his mind. He could see how smooth his pale skin was and the cool grey his eyes where. His eyes was flickering towards the delicate lips that fell right below the handsome nose. Atsushi was in trouble. How can he be so calm with someone this close to his face? Am I just that ugly? Not cool enough? Not intimidating enough?

Atsushi against his better judgment. With a slight lean forward; his lips where pressed against Sakamoto's. Time seemed as if it wasn't a thing, and he almost forgot where he was for a beat. His heart was literally already beating somewhere on the ground as he pulled back slowly, mortified at what just occurred. Will Sakamoto think badly of him?

After years of silence and staring and the wooden floor; Atsushi braved his eyes to look back up towards the guy he just potentially harassed.

Wait, what?

Sakamoto…

Sakamoto was gone in a blink of an eye.

Atsushi slid down the counter with his body feeling very heavy all of the sudden. Astonished at what he just witness before his eyes. Sakamoto face was completely flushed, and Atsushi knew that was the officially the cutest thing he'd have ever seen in his life. YET he feels like he just ruined any chances of ever getting close.