Work Text:
surrendering everything I am to you (don't stop loving me)
Heart pounding violently against his rib cage, Taichi held his breath, plastering himself against the wall, clutching his bag strap tighter. He spent a solid two weeks pouring over online recipes for homemade chocolates, before having Futaba over every day after school to teach him how to make them. (After this whole thing, regardless how it goes, he needs to send her flowers- or better yet, pick up that book about gardening she's been eyeing- because it couldn't have been easy trying to help him and make chocolates for Masumi.) Peeking around the corner, his panic shoots up- baseball practice finally ends, Touma walking his way, surrounded by people (his smile like sunshine, sweat highlighting his jaw and chin, towering over everyone else and-)
“Hey, Tai!”
“Wahhh!”
Jumping into the air, Taichi snaps his head up, suddenly coming face to chest with his best friend (at least he hopes they are still best friends, because, really, who would ever want to be friends with him of all people, especially after what Touma will find out about him?). “Tou-uma! You scared me!”
The other boy laughed, grinning from ear to ear, throwing an arm around Taichi's shoulder. “You're so easy to scare, Tai!” Pouting, Taichi childishly stuck his tongue out. “So what's up?”
“I thought maybe we could go out or something,” Taichi muttered, his face on fire (thinking about the double meaning of 'going out'), “just the two of us.”
There was a quick beat of silence (as though a rejection was getting ready to quietly gfollow), before Touma excitingly exclaimed, “Of course! Let me get changed real quick!” Receiving a quick side arm hug (his blush darkening), Taichi watched as the boy ran into the changing room, a goofy grin spreading across his face at Touma's excitement (the butterflies in his belly once again flying madly, his heart skipping beats at the reality that Touma is excited to spend time with him). Pulling out his phone, Taichi sent a quick thumbs up message to Futaba, knowing that she's about to be in the same boat as him.
(Once upon a time a few months ago, the two of them thought that they “liked liked” each other, foolishly believing that the other could replace the unnamed feelings they each h eld for their respective best friend. In a secluded corner of a park, they came so close to kissing, close enough to taste lunch off of each other's breath.
And then they pulled back, their minds violently rejecting the notion of sharing a kiss wi t h someone t hat wasn't the person they have pinned for for years , their hearts never knowing what it was like to be in love with anyone else.
They cried, sobbing like children, relief for realizing what everything meant, dread for knowing that their loved ones would never love them like a lover.)
“Taichi.”
The senior looked up, curiosity (because Touma hasn't used his full name since they first met) morphing violently into horror, his eyes locking on the letter clutched in Touma's hand. The handwritten letter, oh god, why didn't he get rid of that one once he was finished typing the one he meant to put in Touma's locker with the chocolate, damn it, of course Touma would recognize his handwriting-
“Tai?”
He took a step back as Touma took a step forward, slowly shaking his head, his blush engulfing his whole face, tears building up in his eyes, turning on his heel and running away (like a coward). “Tai!!” Taichi didn't turn around, no matter how much he wanted to, running faster, heedless of startled complaints from bystanders, cursing himself for messing up everything- he had a plan and he blew it because he didn't throw away his love letter rough draft and who the Hell writes a rough draft of a love letter?!
Stopping, desperately gasping for air, Taichi looked up, the sound of the Metro rattling his ear drums. Gripping his bag even tighter, he shoved his way into the tightly packed machine, glad that this was one of the instants where his statue (or lack of) came in handy. The doors slid shut and then the subway was moving, the world around him starting to blur and fade, the tears in his eyes starting to slid down his cheeks.
He fucked up. His plan that he kept having to work courage up for, ever since he and Futaba came up with the idea that it was better to confess anonymously so they could get peace than let the feelings boil underneath their skins any longer, and he accidentally threw it completely out the window.
The subway gave a harsh shudder, tossing the startled boy to the side, his hand reaching for something to grab on. A hand- big and broad and warm- grabbed his hand, pulling him against an equally warm, broad body, an arm quickly wrapping around him, trapping him. Taichi looked up, his blush returning because of course his savior (once again) had to be Touma, his chest heaving and his face flushed. Touma's grip tightened, pressing Taichi closer to his chest. “Got you, Tai.”
Taichi gulped, words lodged in his throat, so he said nothing, burying his face in Touma's chest, trying to ignore how good he smelled (like sweat and spice and something entirely Touma). The Metro gave one last lunge before coming to a complete stop, the doors sliding open. “Come on,” Touma said, his hold on Taichi sliding to gently grip his wrist, pulling him out of the car. Keeping his head bowed, ears burning, Taichi meekly followed, letting Touma take him wherever he wanted.
He slightly lifted his head when Touma pulled them into a cafe, going straight to an empty booth tucked away in the corner. His blush darkened as Touma pushed him into a seat (the one against the wall, leaving him trapped), with a “stay” before he dropped his bag into the opposite seat and went to the counter to order. Taichi took a deep breath, keeping his eyes locked on the edge of the table, gulping, his throat suddenly feeling dry, his hands resting in tight fists on the wood surface. He gave a small jump when the chair moved back, scrapping against the floor, a shadow slightly casting over him, but still kept his head bowed.
“Did you mean it? The letter?”
Taichi nodded, “every word.”
“Then why did you run?”
“It was supposed to be typed, so you wouldn't know who it was from, because who knows if you were interested in boys, let alone interested in me since I'm not your type at all physical, let alone any other way,” Taichi could feel himself starting to spiral down into the black hole in his mind but he couldn't stop rambling, “because you're so amazing and kind and strong and smart. And I'm not any of those things, so why would you want to date me, actually why do you want to be friends with someone as lame as me when there are so many better people for you. And-”
“Tai!”
He jumped, large hands forcing his fists open, interlocking their fingers together. “Could you look at me, Tai? Please?” Licking his lips, Taichi slowly looked up, his breath becoming clogged in his throat. Eyes warm with love and adoration smiling at him, large fingers brushing against his knuckles sweetly, cheeks a faint shade of pink. “I love you.”
“Wa-ait,” crocked Taichi. Their order (a parfait, a shared favorite since they were kids) came just then, Touma smiling at the waitress, their hands still locked together. The woman walked away, leaving them alone again. Face on fire, Taichi asked, “What did you just say?”
“I love you, I have since we were kids.” Large hands (engulfing Taichi's completely, consuming everything) gently squeezed his hands. “That thing about what my type was? The only part of it that was true was black hair. If I had any idea how you felt, or if I was more confident in myself, I would have simply said 'you'. Because I have never met anyone who makes me feel as happy as you do.”
A dying whine escaped Taichi's mouth before he could stop it, (regrettably) snatching his hands back so he could bury his face on them. “You're so embarrassing!” Touma (the filthy, beautiful traitor) laughed, his cheeks and ears burning red now.
“But it's all true though! And you're embarrassing too.” Whipping out the damn letter like it was a trophy, grin spreading even wider as he began to read, “You make my heart beat-”
Lunging across the table, careful of the treat in between them, Taichi fisted the front of Touma's uniform, using his momentum to pull the startled boy to him, locking lips to shut him up. Noses bumping against each other, foreheads colliding, but their lips touched each other, oh god!!
Pulling back, blinking, they laughed, tears pooling in the corners of their eyes. Swiping some whip cream off the parfait, Taichi dotted it on Touma's nose, giggling when the boy's eyes crossed to playfully glare at it. Touma stuck out his tongue, grinning like a (lovesick) fool, wiping off the cream, licking it off his thumb. “Come on, let's eat before it melts.”
Still smiling, Taichi nodded, eagerly digging into the sweet treat, lacing his fingers with Touma's again, looking up at him through his lashes, watching as dark pink spread across his best friend's cheeks and ears, down his neck. “What?”
Instead of answering, Touma leaned across the table, tilting his head slightly, intention clear. Gulping, Taichi leaned in, tilting his head, lips meeting softly, smiles touching. “I love you, Tai”
“Love you too, Touma.”