Chapter Text
the minute Tadashi left keis house he whipped his phone out and phoned just the person to help him plan out how tomorrow would go.
Hitoka, women slayer, Yachi.
“Yachi helo help help!” He whispered into the phone.
“What do you want… are you okay?! Do I actually have to bail you out of jail!?!” When she at first sounded groggy, obviously having woken up, but then quickly turned to panic.
“What?! No!” Tadashi said, speeding up on his way to his house. “I told tsukki I like him.”
“You like him???” The sound of her blankets ruffling as she jumped out of her bed, the sleepiness that still coated her words immediately fading away.
“Yes! I just told you that?” His voice cracked
“Hold on I’m home give me a sec-” he said unlocking the door to his house.
“Kay” she hummed.
“Okay. So I was at tsukkis house.” He started off as he jumped onto his own bed.
“Right right right.”
“We- I don’t know how it even happened. Yachi I’m blanking.” His panicking reached though the phone call and into hitokas soul.
“What do you mean you don’t know???” She squeaked in confusion
“I don’t know! I just said that!” he threw his phone over and brought his hands to his face and dragged them along it.
“Okay. So… what did he say?” She asked.
“Uhm- we kissed?” He blurted out.
“What!”
“Like… three times?” His unsure tone stressing his friend out even more.
“Oh my god? So you’re saying?”
“No! I thought that would be it too! But no, I have to ask him out.” His voice continued to crack as he was just as suprised as her retelling the story of tonight.
“Right and so, did you?”
“I did, but I sucked total ass at it.” He mumbled with his hand over his mouth.
“Well what did you say?” Her tone curious
“Uhhhhh, wanna go on a date?”
“Okay what the fuck?” The stress melted into disappointment, the change in demeanor not helping Tadashi's own stress.
“I don’t know! I was nervous? I wasn’t even planning on asking him out.” Tasha sighed, getting up from his bed to change into sleepwear.
“To be honest…”
“Here we go.” Hitoka sighed
“I didn’t even really know I liked him? If that makes sense?” He heard a groan from the other line which made him awkwardly chuckle.
“I’m so hanging up on you.”
“Okay whatever! What happened isn’t important!” He says as he continues to relay the moments they shared in his head over and over again.
“What IS important, is the strat.” he said with full confidence
“Ew why are you talking like that you sound like Tanaka…”
“I wanted to try it out- okay off topic! What is important is how I ask out tsukki!”
“He’s your best friend? You know what he likes. Ask him to hangout and then… see where that goes!” She cheerfully suggested.
Tadashi thought about it, simple. It sounded simple enough. As the gears turned in his head hitoka continued to suggest ideas.
“How about-!” There were soft sounds of pages flipping.
“Are you looking through romance manga? It’s okay, I think I got it.” He sat back down “I’ll do what you just said, ask to hangout and see where it goes.” He smiled
“Great! Let me know how it goes! Okay I’m going back to bed.” Immediately hitoka hung up and Tadashi chuckled. He felt his heart racing, the pounding spread all the way to a pit in his stomach.
He decided to just go to bed instead of thinking more about the next day, he thought if he didn’t he'd throw up right there.
That morning once he woke up, he flipped over to face his nightstand, ripping his phone off the charger and impulsively texting Kei.
Tadashi: Hi tsukki let’s go to the park ok bye.
Smooth, so so smooth, he smiled to himself and set the phone back down and rolled back over covering his face with his covers.
He heard his phone ring about 7 minutes later, his heart racing, his whole world felt like it was about to crumble and crush him.
Slowly, he reached a hand from under his blanket and felt around for his phone. His fingers brushed the cold metal and swiped it under his covers, wincing at the bright screen.
Kei: okay
Kei: What time?
Tadashi gripped his hair, he didn’t think it through that far?
Tadashi: 5?
Kei: I’ll see you there
Tadashi: coolness
Tadashi: cool
Tadashi: great
If the way Tadashi was beating himself up mentally was in fact physical, they’d not only have him locked up for being a danger to himself, but to society as a whole.
Throughout the day, he spent the hours going through many possible situations, what he’d say in all of them. Continuously finding himself infront of the mirror, laying his hair flat, but that fucking cowlick didnt want to sit.
He groaned, he had 20 minutes until he was to walk out that door, and down the street to the park where he'd meet up with kei.
Anticipation boiled in his stomach, he simply sat on the kitchen counter, as the minutes began to count down he checked his pockets time after time.
Wallet.
Keys.
Phone.
That's all he would need right?
Wallet.
Keys.
Phone.
Continually grabbing each pocket checking for the items, if he didn’t have his wallet how could he buy them snacks? If he didn’t have a key how could he get back inside his home? If he didn’t have a phone, how could he tell tsukki he was on his way.
4:50, it was time to get out the door. Tadashi jumped off the counter and for the millionth time checked to make sure he had all his belongings.
There was a subtle skip in his step as he locked the door and went off ready to see his best friend.
It would be perfect, he knew it would be, he thought through it too many times for it to not be.
His heart fluttered, carrying him over to the park.
There he was.
Kei stood looking down at his phone, the warm gentle breeze and sunlight seemingly working in his favor.
He looked so at peace, so beautiful.
It caught Tadashi by surprise, but was not at all a new sensation.
So he smiled and ran over to Kei, stopping directly in front of him and looking up at his face.
“Hey” Kei smirked, “I haven’t eaten yet, so wanna get something?” He asked
“Yeah! Yes we should, that's what I was thinking too, what- what do you wanna get?” He spoke quickly and stumbled a few times, evoking a chuckle from his best friend.
“Come on, I know where I wanna go.” He softly grabbed Tadashi's wrist and tugged him along.
He gasped and his eyes widened at the sudden contact.
“Where to?” He asked, darting his eyes from where keis hand met his arm to the back of the other's head.
“A sandwich, I’ve been in the mood for one forever.” Kei thought to himself and let go of tadashi's arm. “So we can go to the subway by the corner store.”
Tadashi, slightly disappointed in the loss of keis cold hands around his wrist. “Okay yeah! Sounds good.”
They walked side by side, like they always would. Normally conversation would flow, or even comfortable silence.
But Tadashi couldn’t stand it.
The anticipation ate away at him, he already knew Kei liked him so what was there to be so nervous about?
“Tadashi, still spacing out?” Kei noticed
“Uh yeah… just you know, I want this to go well…” fuck why would I say that
“I think, Tadashi, you think too much.” He put bluntly
“What?”
“Yeah, like you’re too caught up in the idea of this being a date.”
Wow.
That’s all Tadashi could think. Kei saw right through him, and he should’ve expected it because what else to expect from your best friend who you tell everything to.
“This is a date.” He blabbed out, not thinking of his words
“Don’t play dumb-“ Kei chuckled and lightly hit Tadashi shoulder, the spot stayed numb with keis touch for a lingering second. “
“Sorry tsukki…” He scratched at the rough patches of skin on his cheeks until kei turned around to face him head on.
They were directly outside the subway and Kei reached for Tadashi's hand. Though, he managed to maneuver and grab the glass door handle, allowing Kei to step into the subway.
Keis face twisted in surprise then smiled, and walked into the subway, where he once again reached for Tadashi's hand.
And this time he succeeded.
Hand in hand they stumbled to the sandwich counter and got their orders, shooting each other subtle looks.
“A footlong and a six inch.” The lady at the counter said, “anything else?”
Kei looked at Tadashi “anything else?” And Tadashi thought for a second and looked up at the menu.
“A footlong cookie please!” The women nodded and walked into the back to grab one.
“You’re so childish.”
“Yeah well I’m paying for it and you’ll eat it too” Tadashi huffed and kei laughed. He took his wallet out of his pocket and layed his card in the counter.
“I got this by the way.”
Kei was taken aback, “you sure?”
“Yeah I promise.”
“Okay, footlong, six inch, and a footlong cookie that will be 25 dollars.” The women came back out with Tadashi's footlong cookie and gave the two boys a warm smile. Tadashi handed over his Card and squeezed keis hand.
So now kei in one hand and their sandwiches in the other, tadashi's nerves eased.
They walked back to the park, the sun began to lower and the temperature noticeably dropped.
They sat facing each other on a nearby park bench, eating their sandwiches.
“Tsukki.” Tadashi intersected the silence, he knew he had to do it now. Well he wanted to.
Kei looked up from his food, a tiny smile creeping onto his smug face.
“I really like you, I’d like to be your boyfriend.” Tadashi stared into keis golden brown eyes, so much so Kei had to look away first.
He chuckled, looking at the ground. His fingers fidgeted underneath the table, after a good second he looked back up, Tadashi hadn’t moved an inch. His face trying to stay serious.
“I really like you too Tadashi, I’d like you to be my boyfriend.” He teased a bit, but Tadashi was too happy to care. He jumped up from the hard park bench to caress Keis face and bring him close enough.
“Hey! I just ate, my breath smells like lunch meat!” Kei pulled away flustered.
“Oh so what” Tadashi kept his hands on keis, stroking a finger across his smooth pale skin. Kei sank into the other's touch.
“You’re so beautiful.” Tadashi breathed out.
The compliment made Kei jump back.
“What gives?” He asked, blush spread across his face.
“Sorry-!” Tadashi snapped out of the trance kei put him under, realizing what he was doing. He picked up half of his sandwich and took a big bite, shutting himself up.
“It’s fine, sorry you caught me off guard…” Kei brushed off his face and straighten his glasses.”
“Smo cman im smay imt amgain?” Tadashi mumbled with food in his mouth.
“What?”
“So can I say it again?” He repeated swallowing the bite. Keis face warmed up and he nodded, pink began to pepper his cheeks once again knowing what was coming.
“You’re beautiful.”