It was vaguely worrying how gullible Akira was.

After a minute of silence, Daichi frowned at the trunk beneath him. “What’s wrong? I know you haven’t gone anywhere.”

A muffled huff came from inside. “Do you watch basketball?”

“What’s that got to do with anything? Whether I was an avid fan or not, I’ve still locked you up in a trunk.” He gave the lid a light pat. “Lessons have been learnt today, hm? About trusting strangers.”

“Yeah, this is the last time I climb into one of these,” Akira agreed.

“That’s definitely one of the lessons,” he said. “Care to explain how you first ended up here?”

A long silence followed before Akira muttered, “I’m already in the trunk, so I don’t think so.”

He rolled his eyes. “You wouldn’t tell me now even if you were free.”

“That can’t be why you trapped me, can it? Are you mad at me?”

He sighed, exasperated. “You realise normal people don’t pull this kind of stunt, right?”

“Obviously.” Akira tapped the roof of his little prison. “So, is Nugget your son?”

Daichi choked on a laugh, caught completely off-guard.

“What? What’s funny?”

He debated not answering, but inevitably gave in. “Nugget’s the son of my best friend. I’m more like his uncle.” His expression softened fractionally, since no one was watching. “He’s really taken a liking to you.”

“I’m totally going to tattle on you to him. What kind of role model does this?”

“I’m your senior,” Daichi grinned. “Desperate measures and all that.”

There was a soft sound of amusement before Akira groaned. “Come on, please let me out of the box. It’s cramped.”

“What happened to your phone? Can’t you call someone for help?”

“I don’t have one.”

Daichi paused. “Someone to call?”

“No, a phone,” Akira clarified slowly, like he knew he should be offended. “Are you waiting for someone to walk in and see you bullying me? You’ll get into trouble.”

“Oh, so you do know you’re being bullied.” He drummed his nails against the trunk, rocking backwards with a low hum. “Why are you being picked on, hm? Did you say something you shouldn’t have?”

There was another long pause before an uncertain: “You really don’t know?”

“Mn, I really don’t.”

Akira sounded like he was close to laughing. “You don’t watch much basketball, do you?” Then he did laugh, and Daichi worried that he wasn’t getting enough oxygen in there.

“Maybe I am waiting for someone to walk in and see us like this,” Daichi said, and drew upon someone he knew Akira had spoken to earlier today. “Surya would find this hilarious.”

“…Really?”

Daichi heard the shift in his tone and almost couldn’t believe it. “Is that interest I detect?” he teased.

“No.”

“So you don’t like him?”

“I didn’t say that.”

This was surprisingly cute. Did his crush develop after their conversation earlier today? If he’d been smitten with Surya all along, he would’ve stayed awake during his lectures, but that wasn’t the case.

He probably had no clue how difficult Surya could be in reality, with his sharp tongue and impatience, though Daichi couldn’t fault him for being attracted to Surya.

Surya had the kind of beauty that drew every eye. Hell, even Daichi had fallen for him. So Akira was far from the first to get fooled by those looks, and he certainly wouldn’t be the last.

“If you tell me the truth about liking him, I’ll let you out,” Daichi promised with a savage, wide grin.

There was no response.

“You’re my cute little junior, and I’m potentially your mentor-to-be, so why don’t you tell me?” Daichi almost wanted to throw open the trunk to see what expression Akira was making, but Akira might bolt. Since he wouldn’t risk losing him, he sat on his hands. “What do you say, hm? I promise I’ll free you, give you all my ribbons, and I’ll take whatever you say to the grave. We can pretend you didn’t say anything at all.”

“Then why do I have to say anything?” Akira mumbled. “You’re unreasonably intrigued.”

“And you’re suspiciously tight-lipped,” Daichi grinned.

“That’s because you do know why I’m being bullied. I’m not about to be tricked again. If you’re recording this or you’re planning on-”

The lid snapped open and Daichi showed a bewildered Akira his hands. “No phone, see?” Then before Akira could react, he shut the lid again and sat on it. “There’s just you and me, having a confidential conversation. Shooting the breeze, as they say.”

“You’re lucky I can’t feel my legs,” Akira muttered.

“I’m friends with Surya, so I’m interested to hear about your interest, but I promise it’ll be a secret between us. So, come on, do you like him?”

After another long pause, the trunk jostled slightly as Akira shifted his weight. “I w-went to the same high school as Surya. We never really talked, but I may – I may have had a small crush on him.”

Daichi’s heart went out to him. “That’s why the team’s harassing you?”

“Kind of, but they don’t know anything about Surya, and they definitely don’t need to worry,” he quickly said. “I don’t feel attracted to most people.”

“Do you still like him?”

“I don’t think so.” Akira tried to heave Daichi off the lid.

“That doesn’t sound like a no,” Daichi hummed, understanding now why Akira kept blushing earlier like crazy. “What do you like about him? The little things? The little moments with him?”

Akira quietly told him, “They aren’t so little to me.”

They aren’t so little to me.

At those words, he felt something hot flood his veins, stealing his breath, and couldn’t think around it. It took Akira tapping the trunk’s roof to have him on his feet. He lifted the lid, offering a hand to help Akira out.

Akira was flushed pink from the heat and his own embarrassment. He was actually very, very cute. Not just in his flustered mannerisms. He released Daichi’s hand and stepped a little away from him. Then he turned in a circle, just like a puppy, and started stretching on the floor.

Well, turns out he was unexpectedly flexible. Daichi watched his muscles flexing too long and too intensely before catching himself and fixing his eyes on the ceiling. He shouldn’t be lusting after his junior, even if that junior had an incredibly seductive body. One that could apparently bend very well.

“I can’t believe you actually shared that with me,” Daichi said, handing Akira one of his ribbons, which was a rare concession.

Akira wilted. “Am I going to regret it?”

“Not because of me, you won’t,” he assured. “I’ll tell you a secret to even the playing field, shall I? I still have a little crush on Nugget’s dad.”

Stunned, Akira gazed up at him with wide eyes before mumbling, “He must have great sex appeal.”

“You’ve got that right,” Daichi grinned, liking that response. “I wouldn’t fall for just anybody.”

Akira matched his grin, and oh boy, he might be in trouble. He felt this innate pull toward him, like Akira had plucked a heartstring of his and tugged.