LATE NIGHT BICKERING. . .

— COLLEGE AU!
— WARNING! LANGUAGE!
— don't be like Tsuchigomori and Yako please. Don't smoke >:(

Tsuchigomori was known to be a man of many secrets.

He's a facade, layers and layers of fake smiles, but beneath that is a cold and sarcastic personality, snarling words that can cut open a heart, one you could never tear apart even with bare hands. His secrets lie deep on his heart, never seen by mere bypassers nor even mortals and immortals. But beneath all of those, lies a young man that drowns in loneliness and craves for affection, what he'd show during late, late nights filled with 3 AM thoughts. Tsuchigomori is a man of many secrets.

Yet, there was one secret he couldn't keep, and that was his pining; helpless puppy love over a young woman named Yako. Tsuchigomori thought his feelings — as they usually are — for her are fleeting, gone away after a few weeks of learning who that beauty really is deep down. But no. Instead, Tsuchigomori fell harder, an endless cycle, he's been pushed over to the edge of the cliff too many times around her, it was only time he realized just how hard he has fallen.

Because Yako is like him.

They both have stupid facades that portray a cutesy, wholesome person, when in reality they have a brash personality, one that faint-hearts wouldn't be able to handle. Then again, they're both playing faint-hearted, too. Yako is actually all high and mighty, chin raised, smothered by her own pride (as Tsuchigomori is with his ego), different from the Yako everyone knows, with a bright smile and sparkling eyes, also hiding away the same girl that Tsuchigomori accidentally caught a glimpse of, 12 AM by the town's park, tears rolling down, a boy (who Tsuchigomori could only recognize as Yako's boyfriend, or, now ex) walking away as she screams in heartbreak. It was a sight to see, definitely.

He's seen her despaired face too many times, and it keeps going.

Yako, dare he say, is a bitch. It was a blasphemous sentence, sure, because not everyone knows that Yako keeps herself high and doesn't care about anyone else, she wore a crown ruthlessly woven for a strict queen, roses that still had thorns, pricking her head, and yet she's still gorgeous. Yako, with soft, silky hair carefully tied into a bun, glossed lips, twinkling eyes, always stood out from the crowd. Yako is smart, the reason why boys and girls fall on their knees whenever she's around is for her brains and beauty (oblivious of her rudeness), and yet she's dumb enough to never learn.

Yako is known to be a woman who everyone thinks they know by heart.

"Hey," Tsuchigomori said, voice low and husky from staying up too late. He watched as Yako sniffles and turns to him with a snap, eyes burning with rage, but there was also sadness, because her tears didn't lie. He's seen this face before, more than he can count. Doesn't Yako ever get tired of this? Her heart breaking again and again. "This is the 3rd time this month, aren't you getting bored?" He didn't even count the last few months.

"Shut the hell up," Yako hissed, wiping her tears away. There. That's the real Yako Tsuchigomori is fond of. She avoided eye contact, most likely embarrassed for getting caught crying and then snapping at him. Right, Yako had a reputation to keep up. No one should see her look like a broken mess, because she's Yako, this sweet girl with soft touches, definitely not the strong-minded, carefree girl with a sharp tongue.

But of course, Tsuchigomori is there to tear down her walls. The male is a silver-tongued devil that can easily get to a person's nerves — even if they're the most collected being in the world, no one can compete with Tsuchigomori's witty words. Tsuchigomori hummed and leaned on a wall, watching Yako with slight interest. "Aren't you even going to ask how I know that?"

Yako rolled her eyes, crossing her arms on her chest, stray tears still going non-stop, staining her flushed cheeks, no matter how hard she tried to blink it away. "I don't need to ask. I'm not stupid." Tsuchigomori was about to retort and say, yes, yes you are stupid for allowing another boy to break your heart again. You're stupid enough to let down your guard again. You're stupid enough to be too prideful to learn. "I see you hanging around here like a creep."

"I'm not a creep," Tsuchigomori grumbled defensively, glaring at Yako for even saying such statement. "This is a public place for citizens like me to visit every now and then, not a place for you your boyfriends to break up with you. Why do they all choose the same place anyway? You like clones or something?"

Yako wrinkled her nose in distaste, and said, "I'm the one who chooses this place. I know the time when they're getting tired of me." Tired was an understatement, they all want to scurry away from Yako once they realize that she was harsher more than she is prettier before they even get to see the real side of Yako. "I don't care anyway. I'm not hurt." Lies. Tsuchigomori can see through all her lies.

It was no lie that Yako was probably not affected with her the whole relationship thing, but clearly there's something she's hiding, like a knife on your sides, bleeding out profusely but you're too afraid to say anything about it.

"Boys are all the same."

Tsuchigomori shrugged.

Yako jabbed a finger in his direction, her tears effectively stopping at their conversations. Dried tears glistened under the soft moonlight and street lamps. "How about you, huh? Why do you always choose this place. I don't peg you as a type to be a nosy brat."

"Maybe I am," Tsuchigomori sighed out. "A nosy brat, I mean." He fumbled with his pocket a bit before revealing a cigarette, a lighter already in hand. The purple-eyed man knew Yako was watching him closely, as if in a trance. It's not like a college student smoking is anything new, in fact, it's the norm amongst stressed out students. "I was always curious of you."

Yako clicked her tongue, enticed by the the smoke that left Tsuchigomori's dry lips, tempted to grab the cigarette on his mouth and use it for herself. "So you started stalking me for that?" She held out a palm and stared at Tsuchigomori, unwavering and bold, exactly what Tsuchigomori liked to see: people unafraid to speak their mind. "Give me some," she demanded fiercely, a quality that the male wouldn't mind seeing more.

Tsuchigomori huffed a chuckle and gave her a cigarette and a lighter, surprised to see her skillfully light it up in one try and carelessly throw the lighter back to Tsuchigomori, as if she's confident that Tsuchigomori would catch it — and of course, Tsuchigomori isn't one to disappoint.

"I wouldn't exactly say stalking," the male said, taking in another puff of his cig, watching Yako as she mimicked his actions. Yako, unaware of his piercing stare, continued to gaze at the stars above, sprinkled on the midnight sky like a painting. Yako knows she's pretty, but she doesn't how breathtakingly beautiful she is both inside and out. "I'd say I was just curiously observing from a good distance."

Yako's eyes snapped to his for a second, before turning again. "That's exactly what stalking is, dimwit. For someone who's a top of the class, you really like to play dumb, huh?" Ah, so Yako knows about Tsuchigomori. That would make things much easier, seeing as how Yako was already aware of his  presence. They're both teacher's pets, anyway, goody-two-shoes to everyone but themselves.

"See? This is what I like, a bitch who has a tongue of a knife, not some cheerleader, pastel doll. You shouldn't hide this part of you, Yako, because they end up running away." Tsuchigomori's words rolled off his tongue as if he's rehearsed this, ready to pour some wisdom to Yako.

"Wow, thanks for sugar-coating it." Yako blew out a smoke, watching as it covered the bright stars for a bit, their light only peeking through in her view. "You're not one to talk, asshole. Who knew that the nerd smokes cigarette and stalks girls on some nights?"

Tsuchigomori snickered, making Yako giggle along, too. Ah, maybe Yako really is the same girl whose hair smells like roses, and the girl whose glare can bury you six feet under. At least her facade is broken. Yako showed this fallen angel who was glowing under the dark sky, wings torn apart, and yet her halo is still lit up. Tsuchigomori likes this side of Yako, the one that didn't hold any more secrets.

"See you around, emo spider," Yako said, "I need to go now. You better not avoid me when I approach you in school or I'll rip your throat," she sweetly threatened, cigarette now crushed under her foot.

"See you around, echinococcus," Tsuchigomori hollered. Just the thought of witnessing a fierce side of Yako excited him, and he's definitely falling harder.

- - -

Requested by: haihainoob

Hello! Here's an au, I hope you don't mind! Thank you for requesting and sorry that it was too much hananene 👉👈❤️

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