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It had been a slip of the tongue, really. An honest mistake.
“Souma?” Yukihira repeated, eyes widening in surprise and Takumi wanted the ground to swallow him whole. He hadn’t meant to call him that. Normally this would’ve never happened, but thanks to his weird dream last night which he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about – get a grip, Takumi! - it had just…slipped out.
This whole situation was bad enough on its own, but of course his dear brother had to be standing next to Yukihira, wearing a sly, knowing smile. Perfect, just perfect. Of course there had to be a witness. A witness who was well aware that Takumi had had a crush on Yukihira for months now.
His cheeks felt hot and Takumi cursed himself for not being able to keep his cool around Yukihira. “I-I didn’t mean to say that,” he told him, trying to regain his composure but utterly failing, judging by his brother’s silent laughter. Thank god Yukihira wasn’t paying any attention to him or he would immediately know Takumi’s deepest and darkest secret. Alright, maybe it wasn’t dark.
“I sometimes forget about Japanese customs. I’m sorry.” Yes, that was a good excuse. His Italian heritage would save him. It wasn’t even that big of a lie. When he had first visited Japan it had taken him some time to get used to the various differences of their cultures.
Yukihira shrugged. “It’s fine. I was just surprised that you said it. Although, you’ve never slipped up before. Kind of odd if you ask me,” he teased him and Takumi was starting to panic.
What if he knows? Does he know? Am I that obvious? Great, he probably knows and is totally disgusted by my-
“Sheesh, stop worrying.” Yukihira laughed and smiled at him, making Takumi’s cheeks feel even hotter. Even in such a precarious situation he wasn’t able to look away from his crush’s brilliant smile. “I’ve been calling you by your first name, anyway. I don’t know what took you so long.”
He doesn’t mind?!
“W-well, I’m your rival! It’s only appropriate to use your surname!” Takumi crossed his arms, glancing at his brother who looked like he was having the time of his life. Yes, it was just like his brother to laugh at his misery.
Yukihira tilted his head. “Really? I thought before we were rivals we were friends.” He let out a drawn out sigh and looked at the ground. “I guess I was wrong.”
“Of course you’re not wrong!” Takumi quickly replied, heart beating faster than it had any right to. He had been wanting to be friends with him for so long, had wondered if Yukihira thought they were. Now he could finally be sure that they were. “We are friends! I mean, yeah, we’re friends.” Oh god, why couldn’t the ground just swallow him? Why couldn’t he talk like a normal human being around him?
Yukihira’s posture instantly changed when Takumi finished talking. He perked up, smile on his face again and leaned slightly forward. “Glad I’m not wrong. You can keep calling me Souma. Besides, it must be easier for you that way, Takumi.” He grinned, effectively making Takumi’s heart beat even faster and he was surprised Yukihira couldn’t hear it pounding in his chest.
“Well, if you insist I might be willing to do that,” he muttered, averting his gaze and willing the blush away he was sure was present on his face. Could he be any more obvious? He was trying so hard not to let anyone suspect he had a thing for Yukihira, but most of the time when he talked to him he turned into a stuttering mess, yelling some nonsense at him to keep him from figuring out his true feelings. It was pathetic, really.
Before Yukihira could respond his attention was drawn away by Mito Ikumi who was yelling at him to hurry up. Takumi couldn’t help but feel some resentment toward her when Yukihira smiled at her. Everyone knew she had a crush on him, well, except for Yukihira. She tried to act like she didn’t of course, but it was pretty obvious. They were pretty similar in that regard… As far as Takumi knew she didn’t know he was also crushing on him.
The resentment he felt when he looked at her wasn’t her fault. It was just…if Yukihira knew about both of their feelings for him it was obvious who he would choose. It was ridiculous, thinking that he had a chance against her. Takumi wasn’t as good friends with Yukihira as she was. He didn’t have boobs. Because that was really the problem. Takumi wasn’t a girl, he was a guy.
“I have to leave before she tears my head off. I’ll see you around,” Yukihira said and winked at him before he swiftly walked away to catch up with Mito. He had winked at him. Takumi was sure his heart was close to exploding in his chest and he tried to get a grip on himself. He was just teasing him, they were friends after all. Friends. It should make him happy, and it did, but it also left a bitter feeling in his mouth. That was all they would ever be. He should just give up on this stupid crush.
“Nii-chan, are you alright? You’ve been staring into the pot for a while now.”
Takumi let the spoon he had forgotten he was holding fall into the pot and cursed himself for spacing out. “Yes, sorry,” he said and turned the stove off. His brother and him had been testing out new recipes, but the truth was that Takumi had no interest in cooking right now. Normally cooking with his brother always cheered him up. It wasn’t working today, however.
Isami stopped cutting vegetables and walked over to him, lips set in a thin line. “What’s wrong? You’ve been distracted by something all day long.” Takumi didn’t want to talk about it. It was stupid to be upset about something like that. Ever since talking with Yukihira- with Souma yesterday he had had this heavy feeling in his stomach. Knowing that Yukihira thought he was his friend should make him happy, but all it had done was make him more miserable.
“Nothing,” he replied, knowing he didn’t sound very convincing. He had never been able to lie to his brother. Isami always saw right through him.
“It’s because of Yukihira, isn’t it?”
It was kind of annoying how well Isami knew him, though. Takumi huffed and walked over to the sink. “I shouldn’t even be upset,” he grumbled and started washing their already used pots and plates. “It’s stupid.”
“What are you upset about? Did something happen?” Isami asked confused and Takumi bit the inside of his cheek in frustration. Nothing had really happened. It was just him being an idiot as always.
“No.”
“Then what is it? You know you can tell me. I would never tell anyone else about it,” he assured him and he walked over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. “So what is it?”
Takumi scrubbed harder, glaring at the dirty plate. “It’s futile.”
“What is?”
“Yukihira will never like me that way,” he murmured, heart aching at the thought. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw his brother frown. “How can you be so sure?”
“Just look at me.”
“Uhm… I’m not sure I’m following you.”
“I’m not as gorgeous as Mito. I’m not cute like Tadokoro,” Takumi said, feeling his eyes starting to sting as he cleaned the cutlery.
Isami squeezed his shoulder. “Don’t sell yourself short, nii-chan. I’m sure-”
“I’m a guy!” he yelled, frustrated and angry at his wretchedness. The cutlery slipped from his fingers when he cut himself on a knife and his brother quickly walked over to the cupboard to get a plaster. “It’s not deep, is it?” he asked worried and Takumi shook his head, blinking quickly to keep the tears from spilling. He was so pathetic.
Isami took care of his wound while Takumi stood there in misery. “You’ve got to be more careful...”
“It was an accident,” he replied and his brother frowned. “Takumi…?”
He felt a tear rolling down his cheek and he wiped it away with his sleeve, wishing he could just turn his emotions off. “I hate this,” he said quietly. “I don’t want- There’s no way Yukihira could ever like me like that.”
“You don’t know that!” Isami told him.
“How could he? He isn’t like that,” Takumi replied bitterly. “I knew that from the start and I still-”
“But you don’t know for sure, do you? You have no idea if Yukihira only likes girls, or if he even likes girls at all.
What his brother was saying was true. He didn’t know for sure, but what were the chances of him actually liking guys? And even if he did swing that way, what were the chances of Souma liking him of all people?
“I know that you… Back in Italy you didn’t have the best experiences,” Isami said and Takumi crossed his arms, looking at the ground. That was an understatement. People didn’t have the greatest opinion of people like him there. He had overheard some conversations back at their restaurant and had quickly sworn to himself to never tell anyone that he was attracted to other guys.
“But you don’t know how people feel about that here at Tōtsuki. You don’t know how Yukihira feels about it,” his brother continued and smiled at him. “So don’t throw in the towel. You still have a chance! Besides, Yukihira is always flirting with you.”
Takumi rolled his eyes, his face heating up. “He’s not. He’s just making fun of me,” he murmured, feeling better already. His brother always knew how to cheer him up.
“You know what they say. Teasing is a sign of affection,” Isami laughed and Takumi glared at him, softly punching him on the shoulder. “Shut up. You’re cleaning this all up,” he punished him, making his brother only laugh harder. “Okay, nii-chan.”
Takumi ended up helping him anyway.
“Why are you glaring at me like that?”
Takumi blinked, snapping out of his thoughts and noticed that he was indeed staring at Souma. “I was glaring at you?” he asked and he nodded. “Yeah, pretty intensely, too. Did I do something?”
“No, nothing. I was just lost in thought,” Takumi said and looked away from him, glad that no one else had seemed to notice his staring. They were currently at the Polar Star Dormitory in Marui’s room – god knows why they were always in his room anyway, but Takumi wasn’t going to question them – and eating Tadokoro’s newest cooking experiment. When Souma had invited his brother and him to hang out with them Takumi, of course, had been thrilled. Even if him actually getting together with his crush was very unlikely, he still liked spending time with him. Besides, his brother would be with him if things turned out bad.
Well, his brother, being the jerk that he was, had politely declined, saying something about being busy – which Takumi knew he wasn’t – and left him alone. That wasn’t good.
“Ah, that was really good!” Yoshino complimented Tadokoro’s cooking who smiled shyly. “I’m glad you liked it! I wasn’t sure if it would turn out great… I’ve been experimenting more lately.”
Yukihira suddenly stood up and grinned down at Takumi. “That reminds me! I’ve also made something new! Want to try?”
The chatter from the others suddenly died down and they all turned to look at him, expressions ranging from horrified to amused. What was up with that? Why did some of them look so worried? Takumi knew Souma’s cooking was excellent. Why weren’t they all jumping at the chance to taste it?
“Sure,” Takumi replied and saw Tadokoro shake her head, staring at him with wide eyes. What was she mouthing? ‘No’? Why shouldn’t he test it? Souma’s grin widened at his answer and he was off to get whatever he had concocted.
“...what?” he asked them all when they still didn’t stop staring at him.
“Wh-”
“Nothing!” Yoshino cut Tadokoro off and smiled at him. “It’s nothing.”
Takumi raised an eyebrow at her reaction. “Sure...” Why was he suddenly getting a bad feeling about all this? When Souma returned he was carrying a bowl and two chopsticks with him.
“You have to close your eyes,” he told him and now Takumi was really getting scared. “W-why?” he asked alarmed. Everyone was looking their way.
“Just do it, Takumi. Don’t you trust me?”
“Not really…”
“Come on! Are you scared? Is that it?” Souma said and Takumi glared up at him, offended at his accusation. “I’m not scared! Fine, I’ll close my eyes!” he huffed and did just that.
He heard people trying not to laugh and his face grew hot again. He didn’t like this at all. Where was Isami when you needed him? With his brother here he would’ve never agreed to such a stupid thing! But Souma’s cooking was good, right? There was no need to worry. But everyone had looked at him in such a strange way…
“You have to open your mouth.” Takumi jerked when Souma whispered those words in his ear, heart beating fast in his chest. This really hadn’t been a good idea. Souma had never been this close to him before. He could feel his body heat. His imagination was starting to run wild with the possibilities of what his crush could do right now.
Slowly he opened his mouth, ignoring the stifled laughter in the background and wondered what Souma had cooked. Knowing him it could be a variety of things. The guy was always experimenting, trying to improve his already amazing cooking skills. The anticipation was slowly but surely killing him. He had had his mouth open for a while now and he was still not tasting anything. And why was everyone laughing?
Just before he was about to complain he felt something touch his lips. It was soft and warm, barely touching him at all and Takumi was on the verge of opening his eyes when suddenly something was pushed into his mouth.
Oh god. OH GOD WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?
Takumi snapped his eyes open, face scrunching up in disgust and he looked at Souma who was laughing at his misery. Whatever it was that he had in his mouth, it was absolutely rancid. Utterly disgusting. But he couldn’t just spit it out. Accepting his fate Takumi bit down, shuddering when the taste of the squid became even more pungent. The contrast between the squid and the too sweet zabaione – and Takumi was sure it was zabaione, he had made it a thousand times – was stomach churning and he was starting to feel ill.
“He’s looking pretty pale...” he heard someone mutter and he put his hand over his mouth, firmly shutting his eyes and trying his hardest not to get sick. How could someone create something this horrible? How could a chef as brilliant as Souma make this?!
“I swear if he vomits in my room you’re cleaning that up, Yukihira!”
“He’s not going to! …at least I think so,” Souma replied and Takumi felt a hand on his shoulder. He opened his eyes, looking up to see Souma staring at him concerned. “Are you going to be okay?” he asked. In all honesty Takumi didn’t know if he was. Combining his beloved zabaione with squid not only was vomit-inducing, but also hurt him deeply as an Italian.
Using all of his willpower he somehow managed to swallow the rancid creation and shuddered. “Oh god,” he muttered, wishing he had a glass of water to wash the lingering taste down.
“That looked like it was pretty terrible,” Souma laughed. He had the audacity to laugh! Takumi stood up and glared at him. “What the hell? What did you do that for?” he demanded to know.
Souma shrugged. “You said you wanted to try it.”
“I didn’t know you were going to feed me something like-like this! Why would you do that?” he yelled.
“I wanted to know if it was as disgusting as I thought it was going to be.” What kind of answer was that?! Was Souma making fun of him? His cheeks were hot as he was embarrassed beyond belief.
“You’re such- You- Ugh! Vaffanculo!” Takumi yelled at him, his Japanese failing him and he stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. It had been a while since he had last been so angry at someone. Of course Souma had only invited him to make fun of him in front of all his friends. Of course. He had had it all planned, hadn’t he? He had made zabaione to mock him even further. Friends, sure. This only meant that Sō- no, Yukihira didn’t really think he was his friend.
“I’m such an idiot,” he whispered to himself. He had been right after all. The realisation hurt more than it should. There was no way Yukihira could ever like him. There was no way his feelings would ever be reciprocated.
He was halfway out the front door when he heard someone shout his name and he turned around, expression darkening when he saw who it was.
“Wait! Takumi!” Yukihira caught up to him, but Takumi didn’t want to wait. He just wanted to get as far away from him as possible right now. “Why are you leaving?” he asked, seeming to be actually confused by Takumi’s actions.
“Why? Oh, I don’t know, maybe because you only invited me to embarrass me in front of everyone!” Takumi replied angrily.
Yukihira frowned. “What? That’s not true.”
“Oh really? Because I can’t explain why you’d do such a thing otherwise.”
“You’ve got it all wrong. I do that all the time.”
Now it was Takumi’s turn to be confused. “What? You…feed people disgusting food?”
“Yeah!” Yukihira smiled and laughed. “My dad and I are always trying to make the worst tasting dishes ever. Judging from your reaction it was pretty terrible. I think that one was worse than the one with peanut butter.”
What the hell was he talking about? Well, it didn’t matter. This didn’t change anything. “You still intentionally embarrassed me and made fun of me! I’m sick of you doing that!” he voiced his anger.
“I didn’t mean to embarrass you. Besides, don’t you think you’re overreacting a bit?” Yukihira remarked. “It was all in good fun.”
“You- Ugh. Forget it!” Takumi turned around and started to walk away, only to be held back by Yukihira who was holding his wrist. “Come on! I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t know you’d react like that. I thought you’d think it was funny,” he apologised and the Italian tried not to think too much about how Yukihira was touching him.
“I didn’t think it was particularly funny, Yukihira,” he replied.
“I’m back to Yukihira?” he asked and Takumi saw his usually cheerful expression fall. “Why? I said I was sorry.”
He had, hadn’t he? If he was being honest he wasn’t even that angry anymore. Maybe he had overreacted a little bit… Isami often told him that he had a short fuse… “Fine, I accept your apology,” he said and saw Souma smile again, but he sadly let go of his wrist.
“I promise I’ll never do that again.” He put his hand over his heart and Takumi rolled his eyes. “Good. But seriously, it was really disgusting. I’m amazed you even managed to make something so rancid.”
“It was? Let me have a taste.”
“Wh-”
Takumi was sure his heart stopped beating for a second. His eyes were wide open in shock as Souma’s lips met his own. Was this actually happening? Was he kissing Souma?! His lips felt soft and warm against his own. It felt even better than he had imagined it being. After the initial shock wore off he slowly started to kiss him back and closed his eyes. He still wasn’t sure if this was actually happening or if Souma’s strange concoction had caused him to hallucinate. But even if this was just a hallucination, he was willing to go along with it.
It was his first kiss and Takumi didn’t really know what to do with his hands. Was he allowed to touch him? And if he was, where should he put his hands? What if he was a really bad kisser and Souma would never do this again? Suddenly he felt Souma licking his lower lip and he opened his mouth in surprise, heart beating faster than it had ever had before. He deepened the kiss and all of a sudden Souma drew back, grimacing.
“That really is disgusting,” he complained and stuck out his tongue.
That’s it!
“You’re unbelievable!” Takumi yelled, knowing he was red all over from embarrassment, excitement and anger. “How can you say that after this? You- You’re such a jerk!” He quickly walked away, heart pounding in his chest and he heard laughter behind him.
“Takumi! I-I didn’t mean the kiss! That was great! I-Takumi!” he yelled, voice cracking from trying not to laugh. “I’m sorry!”
He only continued walking, too embarrassed to face him again right now. Souma had kissed him. It had been an actual kiss. Oh my god. He had kissed him!
“Please, I’m sorry! I want to kiss you again!” he heard him shout. “Takumi! ...well, fine! We can do that later! After you wash your mouth!”
He was such an idiot! Did he even know how ridiculous he was being? Probably not. This was Souma after all. That guy had no shame.
“I’ll call you later, alright?”
A few minutes later, when Souma’s shouting had long since died down, did Takumi let himself smile. He had kissed him. Yukihira Souma had actually kissed him. If he thought back to it he could still feel his lips against his own. Eating that disgusting experiment had been worth it after all.
Later, when Takumi was getting ready to go to bed his phone vibrated and he looked at the screen. Souma had sent him a text.
Souma...<3: So, what does vaffanculo mean?
Takumi turned off his phone and went to bed.