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Akito is no stranger to magic, after all it was part of his requirements for becoming a knight. Even if it seemed ridiculous that in order to be part of the royal guard he had to learn how to brew a potion, magic lessons were still a must.
As one would have expected he ended up sharing classes with wealthy people, and what he learned is that being enrolled on the same school doesn't make you one of them. He doesn't think mixing two groups is a good idea, but–
"Akito, look! It's changing colors...!"
–he also thinks the wealthy boy that sits besides him is pretty.
He met Toya around a year ago when he entered the Sekai Academy through an admission exam for the knight course, when he opened the door of what would be his room for the next three years the boy was already there. They greeted each other and he thought Toya was nice at first glance, nothing too serious. It took one sparing class for him to realize he was not just a random rich boy but the younger prince of the country.
Akito isn't someone who gets along with these kind of people, believe him, he despises wealthy people. He hates how they look at humble people like if they were animals with rabies, he can't stand them and their fancy clothes. But despite his deep hate, Toya was a charming one to say the least. It was the way he spoke in a kind tone unlike his other peers, how he always prioritized the others before himself; such a curious and passionate person that put everything in his studies to one day be the leader his people needed.
Toya changed drastically Akito's reason for becoming a knight since they met.
"I honestly think we should date, Kohane–"
"An...!?" Was the last thing Akito heard before a lukewarm liquid fell onto his head, running down his neck and through his uniform.
His sight goes behind him, to the upper seat row of the university-like classroom, looking with his only clean eye at a very panicked Kohane apologizing over and over to him and a kind of confused An stare at the situation.
He is about to open his mouth until he feels a piece of cloth gently wiping his face, "It would be bad if it got into your eyes or mouth, so stay still."
Akito isn't sure if the unfinished potion is making an effect on him or if it's just his pathetic and touch starved self that he feels his face heat up like the sun and his heart beat so loud it could count as an instrument. It's when Toya finishes cleaning his face that he asssures himself that the already lost assignment of today's class didn't try to kill him by giving him tachycardia, it was just him and his stupid yearning.
At this moment, totally defeated Kohane speaks facing the desk and her arms around her head, "I will give you the dorm pass later. I would appreciate if you could go with Shinonome so he can change his uniform and clean his hair, Aoyagi... I need a moment..."
On his way to the dorm Akito thinks how he felt bad for Kohane even though she was the one that spilled (by accident) that liquid over him.
The day goes as normal as it can be when the two of them come back from the dorm. Usual magic antics happen here and there but nothing crazy, like Minori loosing her class' fire jackalope, Rui flooding the cafeteria, Miss Luka floating asleep during recess; you know the usual.
When nightime arrives Akito doesn't think too much about the incident of today. The potion didn't cause any side effects on him during the day so maybe he didn't have to worry about it really.
Funny, because the next morning he takes all of it back as soon as he looks into the mirror. He stares at the reflection and the fluffy ears poking out of his head greeting him good morning like they've always been there. In the middle of his haze Toya knocks on the bathroom door.
"Is everything okay? You've been there for a while..." He sounds worried but also very sleepy. Cute.
This is definitely not the time to think about how cute the prince is, oh my God. "Ah, well you see..." Akito starts, opening the door revealing the issue.
Instantly Toya brings his hand to his face in order to hide his smile. Seems that he is more awake now.
"What are you laughing at!? This is serious, Toya!" Akito grabs his roommate by the shoulders and shakes him lightly, their eyes don't meet. "I can't show up to class like this!"
"It's fine, we can find a reverse spell on the library. It's still open during the weekend." Of course it's fine for him, he is not the one who has ears and a tail!
"Ugh, I guess we could do that." Akito sighs sitting on the bed. "Man, I'm so glad that happened on a friday. I don't have much absences to spare anymore."
Toya falls silent, which is weird because these type of comments tend to send him on a whole 'be more responsible with your studies' speech. Akito realizes what's going on when he sees Toya slowly raising his hand to the back of one of his ears, scratching lightly the softness. Akito shudders at the action but doesn't comply, he just looks at Toya confused.
"I didn't thought you would let me pet you." He smiles, "Good boy."
Akito's tail wags at the compliment, though it doesn't last too long before its owner grabs it to make it stop.
In some kind of way, he is thankful to Kohane for dropping that onto him—or more accurately he is thankful to An for freaking Kohane out with her flirting skills. Of course having ears and a tail is a little bit of an issue, because for one all the aura and image he has tried to build last year does decrease significantly with those; and for two, he does not like dogs or any creature that resembles canines. (Not that he would ever admit it out loud, that could potentially ruin his image and aura too.) But there is something about being in a quiet place with Toya while the last rays of sun of the day filter through the window near them that makes Akito feel better about this ridiculous situation.
They go through a variety of books, from centuries old animal encyclopedias to newer and modern guides about potions, but none of them really get into how to revert what Akito had exacly. Since the potion wasn't finished yet, the effects weren't fully developed either; yes he had those cute additions and had an itch here and there but he wasn't fully a werewolf.
Toya glances the dark hues outside and sighs, "I don't think we'll find something here in time." He looks down at the already closed book with sadness. "I'm sorry."
Akito stands up from his chair as soon as he recognizes Toya's expression and starts collecting the remaining books on the table. "It's fine, don't be sorry!" He reassures with a grin, "I'm kinda getting used to it, my nose is amazing actually!"
Toya tilts his head curiously, to which Akito demostrates by sniffing the air around them. "We are having hamburg steak for dinner. I can smell it from here."
The other laughs at the sudden comment, making him feel like a bunch of butterflies had been freed in his stomach. Akito doesn't want this to change, he wants this dynamic between the two to last forever even if it means he doesn't get to keep Toya at the end. He is a prince and he is a knight, there is no place for a romance between the two of them and Akito has already come to terms with this. It's for the better that way.
They chat some more and at some point Akito even forgets what they were doing prior. Exiting the library they ended up at the grass land behind the dorms, in which they techically weren't allowed but the time of not paying attention about rules was now that he hasn't been bounded to knighthood yet.
The pair lied close to each other on the grass, looking at the sky as the stars and the moon become more and more visible. Toya talks about constellations and astronomy in general, naming every single fact he has been holding in hope to share it with someone else. Akito just nods and comments from time to time about the boy's talk, taking advantage of his listener role to also engrave Toya's voice and side profile into his memory, his heart.
Toya then suddenly changes the topic once he rans out of facts. "Perhaps we should tell a higher up about this." He suggests looking for any sort of approbation from Akito. "They are more experienced than us, so maybe..."
"I didn't want to reach that conclussion but," Akito stares at the vast nightsky waiting for it to give him an alternative. "Guess there's no other options. I don't want them to blame Kohane, though."
"Oh, don't worry about that. There won't be any consequences for you two if I'm there, I'll make sure of it."
Akito scoffs, "Oh wow, I didn't knew my prince could be capable of playing favorites."
Toya's eyes widen for a moment as if grasping something before him. At the same time as he smiles, the words that just left Akito's mouth echo in his mind. It takes two seconds to identify the issue with it and along with the realization he lets out a weird sound he is not very proud of.
My prince, not 'the' but 'his'.
Once again heat spreads through Akito's face and neck, a worse feeling than the time Toya cleaned his face with a tissue and an even more embarrassing situation than the tail one that will probably haunt him until his last day on earth.
"Wait! That wasn't–" Akito is interrupted by his own saliva going through the wrong pipe. He sits up trying to make the coughing stop. "I just– fuck– Forget about what I said, please."
Toya is still smiling amused by the words, but Akito refuses to look his way. He sits up trying to get a look of the other boy's face, resting his face on his knees.
"Well, it's hard to not pick favorites when my knight is involved."
This only makes Akito grip the grass beneath him tight. His heart is beating so beautifully fast but his brain is just screaming him to stop doing this to him. He has already make up his mind about him and Toya, the prince needs someone of his level—what could he even offer to him, to the kingdom? How would even be the reaction of the public if they ever knew the prince is in a relationship with a lower class knight, and let alone a man. He can't give him lands nor a heir for the throne, there's nothing good about him. But tell him why, even though he already gave up on the prince, his chest feels like it's going to explode in any given moment; why does he wants more than just memories of Toya in his future?
"Am I–" Akito breathes heavily, "Am I getting things wrong? Do you like me like that?"
Toya's cheeks flush slightly, a rare but also appreciated sight. "...is that a bad thing if I do?"
"No, no it's not." He says quietly.
The sound of the wind fills their awkward silence, Toya still hasn't stopped looking at Akito's face, well more like neck; he still couldn't find the courage to face the prince.
It's the rapid motion of getting pinned to the ground that finally makes Akito meet Toya's gaze. It didn't matter whether was the moonlight or the yellowish lamp of their desk back in their room that illuminated Toya's features, still Akito found him breathtaking. He never could never get tired of him, of his beauty; his beloved gray and shiny eyes full of affection akin to tonight's full moon.
"Do all the knights in your class do things half-assed too?"
Akito stares at him in awe, "What?" He doesn't think he ever heard Toya say something like that. Should he be worried about liking this side of him too?
"We just confirmed liking each other, we are supposed to kiss." Toya explains. "Or are you going to leave it there? Do things right, Sir Shinonome."
He doesn't think he is normal about Toya in any way anymore. How does just him saying his name make his brain go crazy, really.
Akito manages to rest his hand on Toya's nape, intertwining his fingers with his hair, slowly closing the gap between their mouths as if time itself has stopped just for the two of them. Toya's hands find Akito's face and caress it lovingly, feeling each other's hearbeat go in synchrony like they were made for each other.
It's when Toya open his eyes that he lets his mouth hang a little bit trying to say something, Akito waits expectantly.
"Your ears are gone...!" Not what he wanted to hear after their first kiss but he was glad regardless.
In the end they never told anyone about the little predicament Akito had that day nor the... rest of it. They promised to keep it a secret until both sort out how exactly they will be together without Akito being executed for 'courting' the prince or Toya being exiled. (Toya didn't mind that last one at all but Akito refused to force him to stay away from his family and friends.) Neither of them knew how the ears and tail disappeared. Perhaps it could be due to the potion not having the enough ingredients to last long enough, though Toya has mentioned about having to do with the full moon and the kiss, Akito still isn't sure if he was joking or he actually believed in that fairy tale nonsense.
They definitely had to make the girls know they are grateful for everything later.