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This program was going to be the death of him.
Consider him dead, done and buried. Cause of death: his conducting final.
Honestly, Kakyoin should have quit while he was ahead. He already had a bachelor's degree under his belt in vocal performance; he really didn't need to go back and get his master's in conducting. But no, he decided that teaching was his passion, and he just had to go back to school. Even if he had to go for another two years after this, it would be a piece of cake, right?
Not when his offers for a solo had been turned down more times than he could count now. Not when he was probably the only one who could sing through this program.
And especially not when some student he'd never seen before walked up to him and told him he was flat.
“Excuse me?” He asked, turning toward the student. He'd never seen this man before in his life. Clearly, the other student wasn't a music major. Especially not to approach Kakyoin in his private place, in between the music and engineering buildings, and tell him he was flat. He'd never been flat in his life.
“When you do that...when you go from low to high really quick. It's not high enough. It doesn't sound right.” The student responded easily, as if it should have been obvious. As if he was the person with over twenty years of vocal music under his belt. He very well could have been, but Kakyoin was already frustrated as he pulled out his phone.
“That's impossible. I'm always on pitch.” He sang the line again while he opened his tuning app. He was being petty and he knew it, but anything to prove to this man that he was absolutely, definitely not---
His phone's screen turned red. He was flat. It was just the tiniest bit under, but the other student was right. He held his hands over his face and exhaled, trying to calm himself down. The last thing he needed to was blow up on a stranger. Besides, if he could tell there was something wrong with Kakyoin's pitch, he was probably a singer, wasn't he?
“...Ah.” He said instead, sliding his phone into his back pocket and trying to offer the student an amicable smile. “Are you a music major? I don't think I've seen you around the department before...”
“I'm not. Marine biology major,” the student answered, his voice still cool and even.
“Oh. Do you have any interest in music in particular?” Kakyoin tried, desperation leaking into his voice.
“Not in particular,” the student responded, and Kakyoin wanted to curl up into a ball and cry.
“You're telling me that you have perfect pitch and you don't want anything to do with music?” Kakyoin asked in disbelief. “Because if you could sing this part, if this was in your range, I would love to have you sing this. It's a difficult piece, but I'm sure you could pull it off.”
“I never said I wanted nothing to do with music,” the student responded, and Kakyoin felt a glimmering light of hope break through his chest. “But I don't want to sing.” Whatever hope was there died in an instant. If anything, he was more upset with himself for getting himself excited.
“Have you ever tried?” He asked, before offering the student his sheet music. The marine biologist stared down at the papers and stared back up at Kakyoin again, causing the redhead to break out in a cold sweat.
“Not interested.”
“I'll buy you dinner,” Kakyoin offered, and the student paused for a moment before letting out a sigh.
“No, thank you. Really, I don't sing. But good luck with...this. You sound good.” Kakyoin's eyes widened, and the student pulled his hat down a bit. “...I mean it.”
Before Kakyoin could respond, the student hurried off to his class in the engineering building, leaving him with his music in hand. He let out a sigh and tried to work out his melisma again.
Every day for the rest of the week, Kakyoin was out in his regular spot, trying to work out the intricacies of his program. His hands moved along as he imagined conducting the accompanying orchestra, the small choir, and he gestured to his would-be soloist before taking on the solo himself. Every day, he tried to fix the problem spot that marine biology major pointed out, trying everything he could to make sure it was in tune. Even if he wasn't supposed to perform it himself, how was he supposed to teach it to somebody else if he didn't know it like the back of his hand?
On Friday, he ran through the entire solo again. When he finished the last note, he heard a slow clap echoing behind him. He turned around to see the student from earlier standing there, a hint of a smile on his face.
“You're really good,” the student said. Kakyoin felt a bit of pride swelling his chest, even if most of what he felt was embarrassment.
“I thought you didn't have any interest in this,” he responded, and the student tugged down on the brim of his cap.
“...When you're here singing every day, it's hard not to listen. I didn't think what I said would bother you that much.”
“It didn't really bother me, but I did want to fix it. I want to make sure my final's the best it can be.”
The student looked over at the music in Kakyoin's hand, and the folders sitting in the grass. “...Do you need help putting this thing together? You're really kind of...” He leaned down and picked up a folder, sending a mess of papers raining down on the ground. “...disorganized.”
Kakyoin almost wanted to take offense, but as he looked down at the mess, he realized the student had a point. “Oh, like organizing my papers and the program itself? And I'll need to keep track of how many hours I'm putting into this project as well...oh, and...” He started off, counting on his fingers before glancing at the student. “...well. If you're offering, then I won't stop you. Here are all of the papers, and copies of the music for each of the different parts.” He pulled out his phone after piling the student's hands up with folders, scrolling down to his contacts. “Could I get your name and number?”
“Jotaro Kujo,” the student responded, tucking the folders down under his chin. “My name is Jotaro.” Kakyoin typed down Jotaro's name and number before sandwiching a piece of paper in a stack of folders.
“Noriaki Kakyoin,” he responded, smiling up at Jotaro. “Nice to meet you. Can you meet me in the music building tomorrow?”
After shifting the pile to one hand, Jotaro reached out and shook Kakyoin's hand firmly. Once their hands came apart, a wind picked up, sending a flurry of papers scattering out across the grass. Kakyoin hurried after them, and Jotaro did his best to follow suit.
The next day, Jotaro walked into the music building, following Kakyoin's text instructions to the choir room. He found Kakyoin sitting at the piano, glasses sitting on his nose while he flipped through a book of music. After knocking on the door, Kakyoin stood and opened up the door to let him in. Jotaro set his bag down on a long table toward the front of the room, opening it up and pulling out a few binders.
“Everything inside of them is organized. Folders for your instrumentalists, your singers...and one for the soloist and conductor. I labeled all of them too.” He looked up at Kakyoin, though he was a bit taken aback. The redhead looked like he was about to cry.
“Thank you so much, Jotaro! This is such a great help, and it saves me so much of a headache.” He almost reached out to give Jotaro a hug before he decided against it and placed his hands on his hips instead. “I really do owe you for all of this. I'll take you out to dinner, I insist.”
“No, that's okay,” Jotaro responded, before picking up the soloist folder. “But I did have a question.”
Kakyoin grinned, picking up his conductor's folder. “I still have a vacancy, if you want to sing in the program--”
Jotaro held up a hand. “I'm not promising anything. I just want to hear it. Can you play it all through?”
Without hesitation, Kakyoin sat back down at the piano and played through the solo. He sang through all of it, gesturing for Jotaro to follow along. Jotaro's eyes stayed glued to the sheets of music while Kakyoin's hands danced across the piano, his voice surrounding the two of them. When he finished, his vibrato tapered off and rang throughout the room. He looked over at Jotaro, who set the music down and pulled down on his hat.
“...I can't read music,” he said, before Kakyoin shrugged.
“That's alright. Do you remember the first line of the song?”
Jotaro paused, before he sang it back to Kakyoin. There wasn't any sort of power or volume, no real breath support behind it, but all of the notes were right. Despite the difficulty of the piece, Jotaro sang it back to him flawlessly.
Kakyoin stood up and grinned from ear to ear, nodding and looking over Jotaro's body. “Good! That's actually...incredible. You don't have a lot of technique, but that can all be learned. Can you stand up straight?” Jotaro stood tall, towering a full head above the redhead. Kakyoin felt his heart skip a beat, but he took in a deep breath and adjusted himself to show Jotaro proper posture.
“Before you can sing, you need to learn to stand and how to breathe.”
Kakyoin spent most of the day showing Jotaro the difference between good and bad posture, breathing, and how to sing so he didn't strain himself. Surprisingly, Jotaro wasn't getting frustrated, and he followed along Kakyoin's instructions.
“Now, can you sing the first line of the song again?” Kakyoin asked and Jotaro took in a deep, low breath. He sang the line as requested, and Kakyoin's face lit up as he followed along in the sheet music. When Jotaro finished, Kakyoin played his ending note on the piano.
“Jotaro,” he breathed, before clapping his hands together. “That's it. That's it! That was...just about as perfect as it could be. I can teach you more about proper technique, if you could come back here.”
“...I can't every day,” Jotaro said, trying to turn his gaze away from Kakyoin. A hint of red was starting to stain his cheeks, and Kakyoin couldn't help but smile. “I have class every day.”
“Every Saturday, then. Please, this song's perfect for your range. Even I have to force it a bit, especially in the higher range, but you're more of a natural tenor than I expected. All it'll take is a bit of polish. You don't have stage fright, do you?”
“...I don't know. I've never performed in front of anybody before. I suppose I'll figure it out.”
“Does that mean you'll do it? Because I'll put you in the program if you want to do it, that's not a problem...” Kakyoin was trying to keep himself calm, but he felt like he was going to scream with glee. If Jotaro said yes, that meant he'd have everything for his program together, and he might actually have a chance of passing his final.
“I'll give it a try,” Jotaro responded, and Kakyoin clenched his fist and punched the air.
Even if he couldn't be there every day, Jotaro showed up every Saturday like he said he would, and popped in at least once or twice during the week too. Kakyoin had his own classes to worry about and figured Jotaro's workload would be heavier with his major, but he still made it a point to learn how to sing, even if it was just for an hour at most.
Jotaro was an such incredible student, Kakyoin couldn't help but be upset that his first real student was so attentive and willing to learn. There was no way he could ever have a student like this ever again. If he didn't love the idea of sharing and performing music so much, he'd be content to just give Jotaro private voice lessons for the rest of his life.
Of course, there were other reasons for that. It didn't help that Jotaro was the living embodiment of tall, dark and handsome. Every time he placed a hand on Jotaro's stomach and felt his abs, he felt like he could die a happy man, diploma be damned. The few times he talked, usually when Kakyoin prompted him, it always left Kakyoin wanting to hear more.
“My father is a jazz musician,” Jotaro mentioned one day. “He used to have me help tune his instruments from time to time. I think I've always been able to tell when things sound out of sorts.”
“Really? Most kids whose parents are musicians end up picking up music themselves,” Kakyoin pointed out. “Did you just not like it because your dad did it professionally?”
“Not at all.” Jotaro responded easily, flipping through the sheet music again. “I just like what I like, and I never liked the idea of being told what to sing. I'll sing along to the music I listen to, but usually only to myself.”
Kakyoin couldn't stop himself from asking, “So what made you want to sing for me? I'm essentially telling you what to sing, aren't I?”
“No. I wanted to sing it, I think.” He paused for a second, looking away from Kakyoin to hide the flush in his cheeks. “I liked the song when you sang it. Hearing it in your voice made me want to sing it. That's all.”
Kakyoin's entire face went bright red, and he couldn't look at Jotaro. He hid his face in his hands instead, scrambling to find the words to say. “I'm glad that I could inspire you,” he squeaked out, peeking up at Jotaro through his hands.
Jotaro still wasn't looking at him, his body facing away from Kakyoin while he tugged the brim of his hat down about as far as it could go. “...Do you still want to go get dinner?”
Normally, Kakyoin's idea of dinner was shitty takeout. He would have had no qualms about feeding some undergrad music major takeout, and they likely would have been grateful to have interacted with such a prolific member of the school's music department.
However, this was Jotaro. Jotaro, for one, wasn't an undergrad. He wasn't a music major, he had no idea how big of a deal Kakyoin was going to make himself in the music department, and most importantly, Kakyoin was crushing hard on him. For even just the last thing, Kakyoin would have taken him out for something a little nicer than shitty takeout, but for all of those combined?
Jotaro got the diner. Not the school's cafeteria, but the nicest diner in town. He got Kakyoin dressed in his best business casual, pressed pants and all. Kakyoin had even put on contacts for this. He dug out his awful, terrible contacts so he didn't have to squint at the menu or deal with them fogging over any time he moved to a different location.
Kakyoin found out that Jotaro dressed nicer on campus than he did when he went out anywhere, but that was refreshing in its own way. Seeing Jotaro in jeans wasn't just nice because they clung (wonderfully, gorgeously) to his backside, but it was like he was learning something new about Jotaro.
When they took their seat at the diner and ordered their drinks, Jotaro leaned forward a bit, though he kept his gaze down toward the table while he spoke. “...Kakyoin. Thanks. For working with me.”
"It’s been my pleasure! It’s been like a dream for me, teaching someone the fundamentals of music from scratch. Especially since you’re such a good learner."
Jotaro paused for a moment, before he cracked a small smile. "I...didn’t think I’d be able to sing the piece this well. I thought my voice would be too high."
Kakyoin seemed a bit puzzled, before he shook his head. "Not at all! If anything, I thought it might have been too high for you. Your speaking voice is so low, after all."
Jotaro turned away from Kakyoin, right as their drinks came to their table. He was hiding a flush on his cheeks, his voice soft as he muttered, "...thank you."
As midterms approached, dinner became as regular as their practices. Kakyoin always insisted on paying, since dinner was his offer to begin with, but Jotaro eventually stopped him in the middle of an invitation.
"You’re always bending over backwards to make things easier for me. Let me do something for you. I’ll text you my address. Come to my apartment for dinner."
Kakyoin came up to the apartment later that night, finding Jotaro in his kitchen, dressed in a hoodie and sweatpants while he shifted something around in a frying pan.
"I didn’t realize you were so close to campus," Kakyoin asked, shedding his coat. He felt a little overdressed in his stiff dress shirt and slacks, even if it was the same thing he wore every day.
"Makes things easier," Jotaro said as he walked around the kitchen. "Especially around this time. It’s nice to be close when you’re in the library until 3 in the morning."
Kakyoin sighed dreamily, placing his chin in his hand. "Man, that sounds nice. Usually I end up falling asleep in a practice room. You’ve really got it together, you know that?"
Jotaro dished up their dinner and brought it out to the table, placing a plate down in front of Kakyoin before setting the other in his own place. Despite this, he didn’t move from Kakyoin’s side.
"...You can stay here if you need to," he said softly, and Kakyoin felt his face turn red.
"Seriously? Even if I come stumbling in at an ungodly hour of the night?"
"I don’t see a problem. I don’t have any roommates, so if you feel like you can’t make it home, you can just crash on the couch. If you don’t want to, it’s fine, but--"
"No, that would be great! Thank you, Jotaro." Kakyoin grinned, leaning forward a bit. "I don’t know what I’d do without you."
Jotaro pointed to the plate down in front of Kakyoin. "Be down a free dinner, probably. Fried rice is my specialty. You’d really be missing out."
Kakyoin laughed as Jotaro took his seat. "And I’d be down a tenor. One wonderful, irreplaceable tenor."
Midterms came and went, and Kakyoin found himself taking up on Jotaro’s offer. Usually, he’d come to the apartment in the wee hours of the morning, and all but flop onto the couch. And usually, in front of him on the coffee table, there would be a plastic container full of food, labeled with his name.
By the time Kakyoin woke up in the morning, Jotaro was usually gone, but he made sure to thank him for the meal the next time he saw him.
"You know, you really don’t have to do this for me every time. I appreciate it, but I don’t want to make trouble for you." Kakyoin sat at the piano on a Saturday, while Jotaro stood with his music stand in front of him.
"...I don’t want you to work yourself to death," Jotaro responded. "Putting together an easy meal is the least I can do. Besides, I always make too much anyway."
Even after midterms, Jotaro popped his head in to Kakyoin’s practice room outside of their regular meeting time, just to make sure he hadn’t fallen asleep there. Kakyoin caught him peeking through the window once on his way out of a class, and Jotaro went off to the engineering building before he could say anything.
The next time Jotaro invited him over for dinner, Kakyoin brought over a small bag. He placed it down on the table and started to rummage through it while Jotaro cooked.
"What are you doing?" Jotaro called from the kitchen, and Kakyoin pulled out a handful of DVDs.
"I thought we could add a movie to dinner. You know, as a celebration for us making it through our midterms alive."
Jotaro walked over to the table and picked up one case after another. "...they’re all operas," he stated, before Kakyoin felt his face turn red.
"If you have a movie you’d rather watch, you can go ahead and pick one out. I grabbed all my favorites, but I didn’t even consider what you would like--"
"That’s okay. I want to watch one." Jotaro looked at the backs again, reading through them. "...are there any that you’ve performed?"
Kakyoin’s eyes lit up. "Oh, yes! I was in this one for my performance final." He handed a case to Jotaro, who took it and held it up.
"Then I want to watch this one. Show me which part was yours when it comes up."
Jotaro and Kakyoin ended up with plates in their laps together on Jotaro’s tiny couch after they switched on the opera. It took a while, but Kakyoin eventually pointed to a young man on the screen.
"That’s it, that was my role. I think I still remember this movement, even if it’s been a couple of years." He looked up at Jotaro, who met him with an expectant glance. Though he was a bit embarrassed and he had to get a drink before he could, he started to sing along to the part. His rendition was different from the video, and was filled with more embellishments and other tricks to highlight the complexity of the piece and his voice.
When he finished, he looked up at Jotaro, but his face went red when he saw the other man’s expression.
"Kakyoin," Jotaro murmured softly, and placed his arm around Kakyoin’s shoulder. The redhead leaned up against Jotaro and took hold of his face, closing his eyes slowly. He felt Jotaro’s voice against his lips.
"...Can I kiss you?" Kakyoin’s eyes opened, and he couldn’t help but laugh as he pulled off his glasses.
"So you’ve got me in your arms, ready to kiss you, and you stop to ask?" He teased, before he shook his head. "You really are one of a kind. Yes, Jotaro. You can kiss me."
As soon as he said it, Jotaro’s lips found his, a strong broad hand cupping the sides of Kakyoin’s face while the other clung to his shoulders, pulling him tighter. Kakyoin tried to get up as close as he could to Jotaro, pushing him down onto his back on the couch.
It was almost comical the way Jotaro’s legs sprawled out past the arms of the couch, ready to hit the lamp next to him. Kakyoin was thankful their plates were empty and on the coffee table next to the couch, or they’d have to stop in the middle of this to clean an unfortunate mess.
Kakyoin didn’t think he’d be able to stop kissing Jotaro even if they weren’t finished with dinner. Jotaro’s mouth tasted like steamed vegetables and a hint of mint, but Kakyoin still couldn’t get enough. After all, he didn’t even want to think about what he probably tasted like, and Jotaro still had his tongue halfway down his throat.
He reached down to place his hands on Jotaro’s chest, and felt Jotaro stiffen underneath him. They broke apart from the kiss just as Kakyoin moved his hands back up to his shoulders and opened his eyes.
Jotaro looked as if he wanted to say something. Kakyoin didn’t think he’d ever looked this uncomfortable.
"I’m sorry," Kakyoin said. "I wasn’t thinking before I started to touch you."
"That’s okay," Jotaro responded. "You didn’t know. I don’t mind touching. I just might not... be what you expect."
Kakyoin shook his head, but before he could speak, Jotaro held a hand over Kakyoin's mouth while he tried to find the words to speak. It seemed like he was having a hard time with it.
"I’m transgender," Jotaro said after taking in a deep breath. He stared at Kakyoin, as if he was forcing himself to keep eye contact.
"Okay. Thank you for telling me." Kakyoin smiled, before he took hold of Jotaro’s hands. Just with that, Jotaro relaxed with a small sigh. "That doesn’t change how I feel about you. I’d like to keep kissing you, if you’ll let me."
Jotaro let out a low hum, taking Kakyoin’s hands back in his own. "It depends. How exactly do you feel about me?"
"W-Well…" Kakyoin started, feeling his entire face burn red. He hoped he could keep it under control, and not just start gushing. "I think you’re really handsome, smart and kind, and I’ve been trying to tell you that I care about you for a while. Outside of us just being student and mentor, I mean."
"What stopped you?" Jotaro asked, despite Kakyoin mentally kicking himself for carrying on the way he did.
"I wasn’t sure if you liked me back. It just seemed too good to be true to have someone who was exactly my type care about me like that."
"And why wouldn’t I? Don’t discredit yourself. You’re an even harder worker than I am. You’re smart too, though I thought you would have caught on when I asked you to dinner the first time."
"...I’m sorry?" Kakyoin asked as Jotaro smiled. His heart was going to climb out of his chest and burst, and Kakyoin thought he really might die right there. Seeing Jotaro’s smile would be the one thing to kill him, but at least he would die happy.
"You didn’t realize? I’ve been trying to ask you out for a long time."
Jotaro barely finished his sentence before Kakyoin was kissing him again, the opera forgotten.
The end of the semester was closer than Kakyoin would have liked to admit, but he’d thankfully gotten plenty of time working with the other members of the performance group. Of course, he didn’t look forward to that half as much as his sessions with Jotaro, who had improved remarkably from his first run-through. He didn’t even need the music anymore, despite the length of the piece, and Kakyoin was more than happy to reward his hard work with plenty of praise and the occasional kiss.
"What are you doing over break?" Jotaro asked as Kakyoin gathered his materials after practice one day.
"Nothing in particular," he responded. "The holiday itself I’ll spend with my family, but the rest of the time, I’ll probably be here."
"You know you can stop by any time," Jotaro said, and Kakyoin nodded with a grin on his lips.
"I know. I will before break’s over, if it’s not too much trouble. I’ve had my head buried in this program for a bit too long. I think some time with you is just what I’ll need."
After the holiday, Kakyoin made his way back to Jotaro’s apartment, an enormous bag slung over his shoulder. He looked about ready to keel over as Jotaro let him through the door, and Jotaro took the bag before walking him to the bedroom and tucking him in.
Kakyoin woke up to find Jotaro looking over a notebook, the bag down at his side. "I thought you said you weren’t going to fuss about the program," he said, and Kakyoin looked over at the time. He’d either been asleep for a couple of hours, or for an entire day. From the way his stomach was growling, it was likely an entire day.
"I said I’d put it aside when I was with you," Kakyoin pointed out, before brushing back his hair. "I do need a break. A real break, because I’m...well, my whole degree is resting on this. So I want to make sure it’s absolutely perfect. This whole piece is one that means a lot to me, and I’ve always dreamed of conducting it. Having this be the piece that gets me my master’s is probably my biggest dream."
"...I understand," Jotaro responded. "I can tell how much this song means to you. Not just my part, but...the fact that you’re losing sleep over this...I hope everything’s going okay."
"Oh, everything’s just perfect! Better than I expected! Which is why I keep running through everything, trying to convince myself that something will go wrong. It just doesn’t seem possible that it won’t, and I want to be prepared."
Jotaro moved over to sit on the bed next to Kakyoin, his brow furrowed a bit. "You’re really dedicated to this, aren’t you?"
"Well, yes, it’s--"
"I thought you said you were going to take a break," Jotaro said. "You’re really fussing about this again. If everything’s fine, let yourself have some time to relax. Okay?"
"O-Okay," Kakyoin said, and Jotaro gave him a kiss in return. While he intended to just give him a peck, Kakyoin wrapped his arms around Jotaro and pulled him down on top of him, hurriedly deepening their kiss.
"I’m not going anywhere," Jotaro breathed in between kisses, and Kakyoinlaughed nervously against his lips.
“No, I know you're not. But I want you to know how much I want you here. And I want to stay here with you.” Kakyoin took Jotaro's hand and placed it on his chest, letting him feel his heart racing.
“...For the rest of the weekend?” Jotaro asked. Kakyoin couldn't help but laugh again before he shrugged, feeling Jotaro's thick fingers slide from his heart up to his collar.
“I meant after I finish my final. And after we get our degrees. Until you decide you don't want to be together anymore, I want to stay with you.”
“...Why would I not want to be with you? I love you.” Jotaro said this simply, as if it was obvious. Really, it should have been, but it didn't stop Kakyoin from being surprised anyway. He pulled Jotaro down for another kiss, nodding a bit as he rocked his hips up against the other man.
“I love you too,” he said, grasping onto the sides of Jotaro's face. Jotaro shifted so he was straddling Kakyoin's legs, rocking himself in time with Kakyoin's motions.
“...Kakyoin, do you want to keep going?” Jotaro asked before hurriedly unbuttoning Kakyoin's shirt as the redhead nodded underneath him. He kissed down Kakyoin's body as slim fingers tangled in his hair, urging him to continue.
Jotaro tugged off his sweatpants and boxers in one quick motion, sliding back up to sit himself down at Kakyoin's waist. He reached underneath the pillow while he fumbled with Kakyoin's pants, working to unbutton them with his other hand.
“Don't wear so much next time,” he mumbled as he pulled out a box of condoms, plucking one out and dropping the rest on the ground. He tore it open carefully and rolled it down onto Kakyoin's cock once he yanked down the slacks he always wore. He took a moment to work himself open with his fingers, his head tipped down and turned away from Kakyoin.
Kakyoin pulled Jotaro's hand away and replaced it with his own, sliding two fingers up inside of him and watching Jotaro's expression for any discomfort. As Jotaro tried to steady his breathing, his brow furrowing a bit as color streaked his cheeks, Kakyoin took hold of his wrist and pulled Jotaro's wet fingers into his mouth.
Though he was much calmer than Kakyoin about it, Jotaro wanted this just as much as he did. He pulled back from Kakyoin's fingers and lowered himself onto the redhead, holding onto Kakyoin's face before bending down for a kiss.
Kakyoin wrapped his arms around Jotaro and moved with him, reveling in his quiet moans and his gasping breath. “Jotaro,” he said, his voice muffled by the other's lips. “Jotaro, I love you...”
“Mmmh...y-yeah...me too. I love you too.” Jotaro buried his face into Kakyoin's chest, trying to hide his warm face. Kakyoin stroked his hair, listening to his muffled cries and the sound of his name on his lips.
“N-Noriaki,” Jotaro gasped, and Kakyoin felt like his heart had stopped beating entirely. “Noriaki, I'm close. I'm close...”
“Don't hide from me, Jotaro,” Kakyoin said, and Jotaro lifted his head. It was no wonder he'd ducked his head away, with his blown pupils and flushed cheeks, his lips plump and wet. His long lashes fluttered closed, and he bit down on his lip to choke back his moan. “Jotaro,” Kakyoin said, before repeating himself. “Don't hide from me.”
Jotaro cried out as he gripped onto Kakyoin's chest, his entire body tensing before he relaxed a bit and pulled himself off of Kakyoin. He reached down and stroked him quickly, kissing his chin as he came and standing to pull up his pants.
Kakyoin didn't think he was going to be able to move for a while, especially not after that. It didn't help that Jotaro was a bit heavy, but he wasn't going to say anything about that. When Jotaro came back into the room with some heated leftovers and a glass of water, Kakyoin was still laying in bed, his pants halfway down his hips and his shirt open.
“Noriaki,” Jotaro said before covering Kakyoin's lower half with a blanket. “You're going to catch a cold if you lay there with your dick out. Eat. You were asleep all day.”
At first, Kakyoin was about to say that he didn't need to, but his stomach started to growl again. Yes, apparently. He really did need to.
“...Thank you,” he said, digging in as Jotaro grabbed his notebook off of the desk and crawled into bed next to him. While Jotaro wrapped an arm around him, they ate dinner in relative silence, simply enjoying each other's company.
Sooner than he would have liked, their break was over, and Kakyoin had to go back to class and make sure everything was ready for the final performance. He had less than a month to make sure everything would fall perfectly into place. Thankfully, everyone else had been practicing over break, so Kakyoin didn't have to worry quite so much.
Jotaro seemed a little distant after break, but he assured Kakyoin that it had nothing to do with him. He was always quick to tell Kakyoin how much he loved him, but based on some of the notes Kakyoin had seen, it was no wonder Jotaro was getting busier by the day. It wasn't as if Kakyoin could lend him a hand with any of his other classes either, but Jotaro didn't seem to mind. He still came to rehearsal on Saturdays and did his best, and he'd invite Kakyoin over after class, even if they only went over notes while they held hands.
Two weeks before finals, they had their first rehearsal all together on the stage. The small choir did their part and the orchestra was right in time with them, even though they'd never worked together before. Kakyoin hated to toot his own horn, but it was because of his own vigilance and fussiness that things were turning out so well.
Once it was time for Jotaro's solo, he cued for him to stand and walk forward. He could see Jotaro stand at his side, his shoulders rigid and his stance tense. Already, he'd forgotten his posture, and his breath was shallow. He'd never made that mistake since Kakyoin taught him otherwise.
As Jotaro started to sing, his voice trembled a bit, and he was quieter than he normally had been, even in the practice room. He sounded like he did the first time around, holding his voice back nervously. Halfway through the song, Kakyoin stopped and turned toward Jotaro, lowering his hands.
“Is there something the matter?” He asked softly, as Jotaro's lips pressed together in a thin line. “Is it the location? Or singing in front of people? Help me so I can help you.”
“...It's...” Jotaro started, before he let out a heavy sigh and tugged down on his cap. “...I don't know why you want me to sing this. Everyone else here has done music basically their whole life, and they're a perfect fit for the program. I've never done any kind of singing before, and I'm really not that good. I'm nothing compared to you. And your degree is riding on this, right? That's what you said. I don't know why you'd leave that kind of thing to me. I'm not suited for this.”
Kakyoin reached for Jotaro's shoulders and kept them there, even after he flinched a bit. “Jotaro, you've been working as hard for this as I have. You didn't have to give me your time for this, to help me succeed, but you did. This program would be nothing without you. Everyone here is important, but your solo is the centerpiece of the narrative. Helping you work through this song, getting to know you, coming to love you...that's more important to me than any piece of paper could ever be. You sound amazing, Jotaro. You've come so far in this semester, even with everything else you've had on your plate. I'm so proud of you!” He leaned in and gave Jotaro a hug, holding him close and rubbing his back a bit. “Even if you get scared on stage or if you end up choking a bit, don't worry about it. Because all of the work you've put in will still be obvious. Even this is another obstacle to overcome, right?”
Jotaro hadn't said anything, but he held onto Kakyoin's back and leaned down into his embrace. “...Yeah. You're right.” He squeezed Kakyoin tightly, pulling back a bit to kiss his forehead. “...I'm sorry. I'm getting caught up in everything else. If you want me to stay as your soloist, I'll do what I can to make sure your program succeeds.”
“Jotaro...this isn't just mine anymore. You helped organize this, and you're my lead tenor. This is for you and I now, okay?” Kakyoin whispered into Jotaro's ear before giving him a kiss on the cheek and letting him go. “Do you want to give it another try?”
Jotaro took his place at Kakyoin's side, shifting into a proper stance. He took in a deep breath, sang at his cue, and it was perfect. Jotaro was perfect.
The night of the performance, Jotaro was dressed in a tuxedo borrowed from the music department while Kakyoin fixed the bow tie on his collar. Kakyoin tried to pick his pair of glasses with the least amount of glare, his messy hair tied back about as well as he could tame it.
“It's okay to be nervous,” Kakyoin said, like his own heart wasn't racing at a mile a minute. “If you have any friends or family coming, just try to focus on them. Remember that I'm right at your side too, okay?” He grinned and leaned up to kiss Jotaro quickly, but Jotaro held onto him a bit longer and kept him locked in the kiss.
He pulled back and kissed Kakyoin's cheek next, giving him a huge smile. “Yeah. I know. I love you, Noriaki. Break a leg.”
Jotaro pointed out Kakyoin's script before he took his place on stage as well. Kakyoin opened up his folder and read over his script once, twice, before he took in a deep breath and went out to the stage.
The crowd was...well. It was a little better than he expected. All of his professors, a few music department students, and a few non-students were all dispersed throughout the audience. He hadn't even expected any other music majors to show up, but this was nothing compared to crowds he'd performed in front of before.
As he walked on stage, he gave a bow to the admittedly scattered crowd and walked up to the microphone to introduce himself and his program. As he spoke a bit about its history, he felt his throat start to tighten, his hands shaking a bit. He really hoped it wasn't too noticeable, especially not as he took hold of his baton and readied the choir to perform.
While they sang to his guidance and the band played, he was too caught up in the motions to see how Jotaro was doing. When it was time, however, he gestured for Jotaro to stand and take his place. Jotaro stood, his posture exactly how Kakyoin had shown him, and he began to sing.
Whatever trouble spots they'd gone over before were no more. He'd aced it in their dress rehearsals since that one slip-up, and he was going beyond what was printed on the sheet of paper. Jotaro was really, truly making the piece his own, just like Kakyoin had before. Kakyoin couldn't help but tear up by the end of it, looking over at Jotaro and offering him a wide grin as he raised his baton to ready the next piece.
At the end of the program, he gestured for all members of the program to stand and bow, though he reached out to take Jotaro's hand as they bowed their heads together. One woman in the front was on her feet cheering for Jotaro in particular, and Kakyoin could see the smile on his lover's face, even as they were bent almost entirely in half.
On their way outside, the older woman came up to Jotaro, throwing her arms around him while Kakyoin heard her squeal with delight.
“Jotaro! That was incredible! Oh, I recorded everything, I'll send it to your father! He'll be so happy to see it! You did so well!” She squeezed onto him tightly while rocking from side to side. “Your grandparents will love it too! I'm so glad you told me about this, it was a lovely performance!”
“...Glad to see you too, Mom,” Jotaro mumbled, before patting her back and trying to get her to step to the side. “This is Noriaki. The one I was telling you about.”
“Oh! You must be his boyfriend,” Jotaro's mother pointed out, reaching out her hand to shake. Kakyoin took hold and shook it delicately, even though he knew he was blushing. “Don't be embarrassed! He told me all about you, right from the beginning! About how there was this handsome boy with pretty red hair always singing between classes, and how he couldn't get the nerve to talk to him....”
“Mom,” Jotaro started, his face just about as red as Kakyoin's.
“Oh, I'm just teasing, dear! It's awfully romantic, and I'm glad to see you got together. He did an awful lot of pining, you know...”
“Mom.”
The semester ended on a high note, and Jotaro and Kakyoin stayed together throughout the rest of spring semester. Kakyoin spent more time at Jotaro's apartment than anywhere else, on a fast track to graduation. Since he had more spare time than Jotaro this time around, he ended up as Jotaro's field companion, carrying his notebooks and swim gear out to the beach while he practiced conducting or music theory. Whenever Jotaro surfaced, Kakyoin was ready to scribble down whatever he had to say. It was the least he could do, especially after Jotaro put as much time as he did in to help him the previous semester. Besides, he wasn't going to complain about going out to the beach on a weekly basis.
The two of them graduated right as spring turned to summer, Jotaro's grandfather commemorating the event by snapping a picture of the two posing with their diplomas. As they went in for a second one, Jotaro grabbed onto Kakyoin and dipped him down before leaning in for a kiss. In the first picture, Kakyoin looked surprised, but in the second, he'd closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around Jotaro. In the third, he winked at the camera and raised up his leg, and was promptly dropped in the fourth.
All four pictures were framed up in the apartment they bought together as they pursued their doctorates, as a memento of the beginning of their lives together.