DesuNote has signed in to the GAYTOKYO: IKEBUKURO YOUTH chatroom.
Baccano!Boy has signed into the GAYTOKYO: IKEBUKURO YOUTH chatroom.

Baccano!Boy: hello, who is this?

DesuNote: Hi, I'm a gay teen in Ikebukuro.

Baccano!Boy: So am I!

DesuNote: Ah, what a coincidence ^w^ I see you like anime too?

Baccano!Boy: Um…just Baccano.

DesuNote: Yeah, it was a pretty good series.

Baccano!Boy: Yes! I enjoyed the fight scenes.

DesuNote: They were good, but I liked the characters even more. I think it was really interesting how none were really the main; it was all from different points of view.

Baccano!Boy: Definitely.

Baccano!Boy: …Are you in high school?

DesuNote: Yup! Second year.

Baccano!Boy: So am I! Maybe we know each other…

DesuNote: Maybe…

Masaomi looked up from the computer as someone knocked on the door. He lowered the laptop lid. "Come in!"

Shizuo poked his head in, as he always did whenever he opened doors at home, just in case Masaomi needed his privacy. He never really had before; usually he would just be reading manga at home. "I found my old uniform. There's a little blood stain under the lapel, but I think it's fine."

"Ah! Thank you!" Masaomi jumped up and wrapped his arms tightly around Shizuo's large frame, inhaling the scent of cigarettes and detergent fondly.

"It's not a big deal," Shizuo said humbly, blushing a little at the praise. "Just don't be late for school today. I'm heading out."

"Okay!" Masaomi nodded quickly, then waited until he heard the click of the front door closing before opening the computer lid back up.

DesuNote: Sorry, I have to go. School is starting.

Baccano!Boy: Me too. Let's meet on a private chat at 4:00.

Masaomi blushed a little. It was kind of like a date…he found a sliver of anxiety welling up in his stomach, but quelled it. He could use this chat to become more confident for Mikado!

DesuNote: Sure! I'll see you then~! (w)

The response to Masaomi's makeover was instant the moment he walked in the doors, students who were casually conversing in the hallway suddenly bursting into whispers.

"Who is that?" Masaomi heard as he walked past a group of girls, heading towards the stairs to the second floor where his shoe locker was. The constant buzz of conversation followed him as he slipped off his shiny heeled boots and stuck them inside the small locker, replacing them with a pair of yellow high-tops.

He carried his bag with him, the only outward hint of his otaku disposition being a small Kaonashi pin right above the zipper. Walker had given it to him for luck before the van gang dropped him off.

Masaomi stopped in front of the classroom door, heart pounding in his chest. This must be what Ed felt like before trying to bring his mother back from the dead. Steeling his shoulders, Masaomi took a deep breath, gave himself an inner courage fist bump, and slid the door open to step inside.

All conversation instantly halted.

Masaomi looked around, checking his blazer. Everything fit right. Sure, there was a blood stain, but you couldn't see it. He thought he looked pretty good when he left for school today!

Oh god. They were still staring. It must've been his smell. He probably smelled like an otaku! And what did an otaku smell like anyways? Pocky and action figure plastic?

"…Kida-kun?" Mikado broke the silence as he stood from the desk he was sitting on and took a step forward.

Masaomi paused for a moment. Be awesome. Be cool. Just like the games taught you.

"Yup! It's me! I bet I surprised you all with my stylishness~! I even surprised myself when I looked in the mirror this morning!" Masaomi beamed, hiding his unease behind a full set of pearly whites.

The conversation started all at once. "Wow, it's really him!" "I can't believe it!" "He's so cool now!" "Who the hell is Kida-kun?" "Don't you remember? That loner kid who always sat at the back reading manga!" "HIM? No way!"

Only Mikado continued to stare silently at Masaomi, eyebrows tilted downwards at the outer tips. Before the blonde could open his mouth and ask what was wrong, the teacher walked in. Everyone scurried to their seats and bowed, wishing her a good morning before sitting. Masaomi watched as the surrounding teens took furtive glances at him, trying to be inconspicuous, which was difficult since Masaomi had a seat at the back. There was especially heavier note-passing traffic.

Masaomi smiled as a note was passed to him from a girl a few chairs over.

You're so cute! Wanna go out on a date? ^ㅂ^

Masaomi scribbled back his reply.

Sorry, I'm already taken! Tee hee! d(*⌒*)b

He passed it back to the girl, who pouted prettily but shrugged and passed a note to the next girl, no doubt spreading the news.

Masaomi smiled as the note passed all around the class.

I guess I can consider this makeover a success!

Sadly, the outward transformation did nothing to help his clumsiness.

He still tripped on thin air in the hallways, tumbled down the stairs, and slipped on newly-waxed floors. The only difference this time was that now people thought it was cute and funny instead of just stupid. People who used to mock him were now giggling as he popped back up from the floor brightly, chirping his silly excuses and continuing on his way.

Masaomi didn't really care what others thought too much, anyways. What he really had his eye on was Mikado, who seemed to be less talkative today. He supposed it was because he wasn't used to Masaomi's new look and act– it was all so new, after all! And he didn't have much of a chance to speak when a whole crowd of classmates followed the blonde everywhere, asking him all about his life.

The only quiet moment he had was lunch time, where he slipped away fast enough to find his secluded spot on the rooftop. He looked out at the breezy clouds, turning his mp3 player all the way up as he closed his eyes and concentrated on the Death Note OST.

The music blocked out the conversation of a nervous Mikado a few feet away as he sat with his friends.

"I…he's so different now," Mikado said, grimacing.

"Awww, poor Mika-chan!" Psyche patted the boy's head with a cross between a smile and a pout. "And you were going to confess to him today too~!"

Tsugaru pulled Psyche down into his lap, effectively shutting him up. "Don't rub it in."

"I don't see why you're so in love with that peasant," Hibiya spat, "He's has fake blonde hair. Disgusting!"

"But…he's always so nice to people, and I thought…but then this…nevermind." Mikado sighed, taking a bite from his sandwich.

"Now that he's popular, you are insecure about your chances with him," Tsugaru said with the kind of peaceful wisdom that was rare in teens his age, allowing him to understand anyone as if reading their minds.

"Awww, Tsugaru is so smart~!" Psyche cheered, flinging his arms around the blonde's neck.

"Real smart," Delic rolled his eyes, finally speaking up. "Don't sweat it, Mikado. There are thousands of fish in the sea." He leaned back casually, as Hibiya's cheeks puffed in annoyance behind him.

"But I don't want another fish." His downcast expression had even Psyche shocked into silence. It was odd seeing such a sunny person so discouraged. His addictive cheerful quality is what pulled everyone to him. Without it was like the forest without trees. The sky without birds.

Erika without yaoi!

Tsugaru reached out to pat Mikado comfortingly on the head, his calm easily diffusing the tension. "We'll all support you."

Mikado broke out into his boyish grin, the one that had made Masaomi fall for him in the first place.

"Thank you!"

He had first seen Kida Masaomi on the second day of school.

He was walking past towards the classroom when the brunette took a wild tumble down the stairs, so loud and dramatic that it was almost comical. He instantly ran to the boy's aid, kneeling beside him as he tried to sit up on the landing, a grimace on his face and a red patch on his cheekbone that would surely become a bruise.

"Are you alright?" Mikado asked feverishly, as this strange boy in too-large clothing started to pat around the ground in search of his glasses.

"Ah…yes. I'm just very clumsy." He looked up at Mikado just as his fingertips brushed his lenses.

Mikado was instantly struck.

Even after the glasses were back on, Mikado couldn't stop staring at the boy's bright eyes, an amber brown that was almost translucent in the morning light, rimmed in delicate feathery lashes. The kind of eyes you could stare into all day and never be tired of.

"Thank you. I-I'm Kida Masaomi," the brunette said quietly, somewhat avoiding the blue-eyed gaze as he stood and bowed. Mikado shook the dumbstruck expression from his face and replaced it with his usual boyish grin.

"I'm Ryuugamine Mikado." The brunette's eyes widened a fraction, and said a quick goodbye before scurrying away.

He didn't even have the chance to ask his grade.

DesuNote: Have you ever had a relationship with someone?

DesuNote: Like…with another boy.

Baccano!Boy: …No. I'm in love with a boy right now though.

Baccano!Boy: But I'm sure he hardly knows who I am. I'm popular but…he doesn't seem very concerned with popularity, to be honest.

DesuNote: How arrogant, haha! Σ(ﾟДﾟ)

Baccano!Boy: Sorry! How about you?

DesuNote: I am in love with a boy too.

DesuNote: He's in my class. And I think most people are in love with him.

DesuNote: But he doesn't know who I am either TTATT

Baccano!Boy: (´Д)ﾉ(´･ω･`) ﾅﾃﾞﾅﾃﾞ

Baccano!Boy: We both have the same problem. Maybe we should ask for some help?

DesuNote: I am actually being tutored by a good friend! (￣ー￣)

DesuNote: Do you have anyone to help you?

Mikado stared at the screen, one hand propping his chin as the other was poised over the mouse. He stared at the simple question, frowning a little. And as if sensing his discontent, Izaya burst in the room.

"Mikado~!" He stepped in unannounced onto the threshold of his younger brother's bedroom. "I thought I heard your dulcet tones!"

"I didn't say anything," Mikado replied, brow raised. "What do you want?"

"Ah, so cold, Mikado-chan!" Izaya said fancifully while a devilish grin still stuck to his face. "I just wanted to talk about your life…your friends…your problems."

Mikado glanced at the chat screen that was still open, glad that Izaya's red-eyed gaze wasn't sharp enough to read the lettering from the door as he shut the window.

But not before he glanced at the message again.

Do you have anyone to help you?

He looked back up at Izaya, who was grinning expectantly in the doorway.

"Actually, Iza-nii…"

"Have you been playing the games I gave you?" Erika glomped Masaomi the moment she saw him sitting at the park fountain. Used to her flying hugs, Masaomi gripped the fountain lip to keep himself grounded.

"Yeah," Masaomi blushed grudgingly. "They were okay."

"How did you like Togainu no Chi? It's one of my favourites!" Erika swooned to sit beside her pupil.

"It was okay," Masaomi said quickly as he looked away, unwilling to share how embarrassed he was over the…explicit portions of the game. "But I don't think learning how to win the heart of the strongest man in Igra is going to help me!"

"So you ended up with Shiki?" Erika bounced, the sparkles in her eyes practically sending out ceros. "He's my favourite! After Keisuke, of course. So protective!" She sighed.

Masaomi waited in silence for her to finish her fantasies, her yaoi tangents being a typical occurrence.

3…2…1…

"Anyways!" Erika broke the silence exactly one minute later, as always. "How did everyone react? Has Mikado fallen head over heels yet?"

Masaomi frowned a little uncomfortably. "No…he didn't even say hello to me yesterday and…it's kind of hectic."

Erika tilted her head, frowning a little. "What do you mean?"

"People always follow me around like they're Gokudera or something, and the only time I can be alone is at lunch." Masaomi shuddered. "Some guy even followed me into the bathroom!"

Erika placed a finger to her chin in thought. "…I suppose you're too popular now…"

"Well how do I fix this?" Masaomi cried. "None of this is working the way we'd planned!"

"Calm down, Kida-pon!" Erika put both hands on his shoulders. "It's alright. He's probably just shocked! All you need to do is talk to him and try to start a friendship! Then when you both get to know each other better, he'll have to fall in love with your magnificent wit and charm~!"

Masaomi looked up at Erika's confident smile, his eyebrows still curved downwards in worry. "If Erika-tan says so…"

"Of course I do! I'm the Space-Time Witch to your Sakura! The Ero-sennin to your Naruto! The Ancient Rome to your Italia!" Erika patted him on the head.

Later he realized, as he flipped through the new volume of -man. Erika had lent him, that none of those teachers had ended up very well.

"Walking through the halls was like travelling through tall grass. He was a trainer, trying to get to the class that was Cobalt City while numerous Bidoof girls halted him every few metres with confessions of love or small, cutesy envelopes. Here came another one now!

"Ano…Kida-kun, please accept this bento from me."

Run or fight? Masaomi's mind switched between the two in the form of a game interface. Run or fight, run or fight, run or fight?

Her hopeful eyes drove him to a conclusion.

Run. Definitely run.

As he dashed down the hallway towards the class, bypassing any more girls who vied for his attention, he thought: I need to buy a Super Repel!

He skidded around the hallway corner, nearly bowling over a group of girls that he sent a quick apology too as he slid to a stop before classroom door. He'd forgotten his notebook there, the one that Erika had graffitied and thus forced him to carry everywhere. If anyone saw what she had written he would probably feed himself to a Hollow.

I really should toss out those pages soon.

He slid the classroom door open, eyes instantly flicking to his desk where his notebook should've been lying. Instead, there was a blank slate of wood. Shocked and a little panicked, Masaomi quickly strode to his desk and ducked down to peer inside. Everything was there as it should be.

Except his notebook.

No no no no no! He immediately started to think back to everyone he'd passed in the hallway. Had any of them taken it? Were they giggling over it now, flipping through the many pages of Erika's doodles hidden between English work? Maybe someone had already handed it off to Mikado, and he was reading it this moment and mocking his naiveté!

Someone cleared their throat.

Masaomi whipped around.

He was torn between a relieved sigh and a horrified gasp.

Silence won over instead.

Sitting at the front of the room on the lip of the teacher's desk was Mikado, a small smile on his face and the sticker-plastered notebook pinched in his hand, hanging teasingly in the air. Masaomi took a step closer, watching the object of his affections warily.

"Don't worry, it's not like it's a Death Note!" Mikado broke the tension, an easy grin on his face. Masaomi relaxed as it was tossed to him, and he only just managed to catch it after a few flails (good thing too – he didn't need to look any more stupid in front of Mikado).

"You…know Death Note?" He asked hesitantly as he held the notebook to his chest.

Mikado shrugged sheepishly. "Everyone does."

Actually, Mikado had only watched it a few days ago at the advice of Izaya. Now he was glad he did, if a bit guilty for the lie.

Masaomi watched the black-haired boy with awe. No one had ever referenced a manga in front of him aside from Erika and Walker. Even if Death Note was pretty popular and well-known.

"I…thank you very much!" Masaomi bowed quickly, forgetting his popular persona altogether. "Bye!"

He dashed out the door, using the notebook to shield his blush as Mikado watched him leave with a bemused smile.

Can anyone guess who DesuNote and Baccano!Boy are? XD

There are 15 references/mentions in this chapter! Two of the references are two-in-one, if anyone can catch them. But some references are used more than once, so if the ref used more than once is part of a two-in-one, it counts as a separate ref... if that makes sense :S (ex. hetalia, hetalia/death note, hetalia/reborn)

I've gotten terrible at updating lately! If I ever neglect my fics for over two weeks (excluding side-projects and fics on hold), someone feel free to PM me and order me to get my shit together! D: