Chapter Text
For the first time Tamaki was starting to feel a sick sense of unease around Kirishima.
It took awhile for Tamaki to notice exactly what had caused the sudden negative change in his emotions.
At work Kirishima appeared to be his usual sociable self, quick to laugh or to throw a supportive arm around Tamaki’s shoulders whenever his confidence dipped.
It wasn’t until eating ramen alone for the third evening in a row that Tamaki realised his boisterous friend (hopefully one day boyfriend) hadn’t mentioned going out again. Tamaki was starting to think that maybe the way he’d left their last date had given Kirishima the mistaken impression he wasn’t interested. Gestures of physical affection had always been difficult for him and romantic encounters only further amped up his anxiety. The idea that Kirishima had most likely misinterpreted his nervousness about his first kiss as discomfort or disinterest towards dating him suddenly seemed so obvious. How had he missed this?
The mere thought of the communication required to rectify this mistake was overwhelming. It took almost a week until Tamaki gathered the courage to stutter through a heartfelt apology. Even then, it was only Kirishima’s understanding gaze and sincere assurances that they could move at whatever pace Tamaki liked, that allowed him to end his apology with an invitation to take Kirishima out to dinner next Tuesday.
The younger man's reaction made the discomfort Tamaki felt while choking out the words more than worth it. The hope in Kirishima’s eyes was infectious. For the first time in so many days Tamaki felt the way he usually did around Kirishima - like his anxiety was muted and his heart was bubbling with fondness and joy.
Finally, things were going well once again.