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"Nejire texted me saying you had a class with the first years today. How did it go?" she asked, running her fingers through his hair slowly.
"...No good. I tried imagining them as potatoes and I couldn't... I turned away in the end," Tamaki muttered, nervously looking around at anything but her.
"But you stood there in front of them next to Mirio, right?" She combed through the tangled bits gently. "And you stayed for the latter portion at the gym. You didn't run away, how is that no good?"
He shook his head and made a noise of discomfort in the back of his throat. Having grown up with him and Mirio she'd learned to distinguish the meaning and emotion behind his little sounds.
"How's your school?" he mumbled, very, very aware of her threading digits.
"Hmm... I guess it's all right. I'm hoping it'll be enough to get me into my number one university." She shrugged. "We'll see."
Tamaki glanced at her and averted his eyes right after. Maintaining eye contact was hard, even with his two childhood friends. Especially her.
"You're still number one in your school, right? Of course you'll get in," he said. She heard the cute little pout she adored in his voice, but didn't look at him. She tried not to overdo it when they were alone - it made him nervous.
"Yes. When I see you and Mirio working hard it makes me want to do the same. I can't allow myself to fall behind just because I'm quirkless!" The girl grinned, the hand in his hair stilling for a moment as she made a fist with the other and raised it, determined. Tamaki made another noise, this time one of approval, and she went back to weaving thought his unruly locks. He stole another glance at her face from his spot - head on the sofa pillow placed on her lap - and redirected his eyes bashfully once more.
She was quirkless, but very hard working. Of all the people he knew she was among the most diligent, second only to their third musketeer - Mirio. She was also a safe haven to Tamaki. Patient and understanding, supportive but never one to put pressure on him - in fact often one to take the pressure away with her soft, compassionate words - she was a rare person he could be relaxed around. Although he still couldn't meet her pretty eyes without getting flustered, after more than a decade of knowing each other they'd come to a point where he could rest his head on a pillow on her lap and let her mess with his hair - which she insisted was incredibly soft and silky - and feel comfortable talking about his day throughout.
In Tamaki's world, which could often feel suffocating and dark, she was a warm flame. Possibly the only person who'd never - intentionally or not - made him feel forced to do or be something or feel a certain way. Though they hadn't talked about it - the consequence of her being considerate of his anxieties - he, too, was aware that their alone time was the closest either had gotten to being in a romantic relationship. Mirio would tease them about it from time to time, in that light, good-natured way of his - so as not to give Tamaki a heart attack or a mental breakdown - and she would always respond the same way, smiling with rosy cheeks, eventually hiding her face behind a hand and using the other to gently push their blond friend's shoulder in a little act of rebellion or revenge for the way those teasing words made Tamaki feel.
They made him sweat, made his knees weak and the tips of his ears burn. They made him turn his back and hide from the two the way he did from strangers. Having whined to the taller hero about it, she would call Tamaki's name with that soft, spellbinding voice which always drew him in - the voice he couldn't resist of the woman he couldn't deny - and he would turn towards them again. He didn't ask Mirio why he did it. As far as Tamaki could deduce, it was Mirio's unique way of training his nerves so that he could actually confess to her one day.
He wanted to, he really did, badly. Years went by and she bloomed. She grew not only taller but also more mature, more hard-working and even more beautiful. She was the embodiment of perfection in his eyes. With all her flaws and imperfections, she was still the one. He was sure of it. And that was the problem. Right before he'd realised it, Tamaki had been getting along with her as well and as easily as with Mirio. At that point she was only a friend. Suddenly he saw her as more and his nerves put up a wall between them. He couldn't meet her eyes anymore, couldn't handle the warmth of her touch even if it was an accidental brush of fingertips, couldn't form a sentence properly around her. Because of that, near the end of middle school they began growing distant. Mirio had noticed but never commented on it.
She knew him so well it was embarrassing. The way she'd snuck into his heart and made it impossible to let her go, that was cruel, but she - she was so loving and so very understanding. She was the one who didn't let the space between them grow as they went to different high schools. Patiently, she waited for him to open up to her again, gently she accepted the vulnerable, very awkward, very flawed teenager he was, with soft words she offered guidance and support, with a sweet grin she welcomed his victories and with unwavering faith she had his back through the failures. She'd guided him out of his shell for the second time and this time Tamaki was determined to stay.
Even when her enthusiasm made him flustered and the faith she had in him as a hero overwhelmed him, rather than shutting down under the weight of her praise he turned it into strength. Although he averted his eyes, he held her hand and squeezed back despite his quickening pulse. Although he stuttered, he made sure to let her know he was thankful for the things she did and said in support of his and Mirio's dreams. He remembered dates which were important to her, remembered to text her good luck before exams and to get her favourite vanilla cake every year when the three of them celebrated her birthday. She'd told them that a cake was enough - whether because she liked cake or because she'd wanted to save Tamaki from the pre-birthday anxiety of trying to find a suitable present, he had yet to figure out. Knowing her, the latter was more likely to be the case.
Her fingers halted, pulling him out of his pondering.
"You will officially be pro heroes soon." She sighed softly. "I am so proud of you two, y'know..." The digits moved again, just as gently, but the action felt more affectionate this time as he listened to her speak. "I'll do my best to support you both, though I can't be a hero, so don't forget me when you get even more famous." She chuckled warmly and he looked up at her. She didn't look down, aware of his gaze, but deliberately focusing hers on something out in the yard.
In a rare display of impulsiveness, Tamaki found himself reaching for the hand in his hair, plucking it away and giving a light squeeze.
"You are going to be a hero," he protested in a voice which wasn't loud, but coming from Tamaki in a little room with the person he was addressing sitting so close - was equal to a shout. It shocked his friend so much she momentarily forgot herself and glanced at the boy on her lap. Immediately he looked away, bashful, but she managed to stop the retreat of his hand with a gentle tug.
"I-I mean...not a pro hero kind of hero but...you'll be a hero to people - patients and colleagues - you'll be the best doctor... I know it." He turned his head to the side - knowing that she was looking at him made the bloodrush to his face worsen. Tamaki felt her deep affection when she laced their fingers.
"Tamaki..." When she called his name so fondly, he truly wasn't sure if his heart would be able to take it. "Thank you. That was very sweet." He felt the tickling warmth of her exhale on his forehead a second before the touch of her soft lips.
His brain must've short-circuited in that moment - it took him a while to register that she'd kissed his temple. If his blood hadn't already been boiling, it sure was now. Tamaki imagined his face was tomato red, cardiovascular system having gone into overdrive.
"Ah, I'm sorry. Was that too much?" She retreated, a bit of color blooming in her cheeks, wondering if she'd overstepped in her excitement. In the previous years, Tamaki had gotten more relaxed and comfortable around her again, she sometimes lost sight of the boundaries and overwhelmed him with her familiarity.
"N-No...just unexpected," he whispered, mustering up the courage to turn his head towards her. When he dared to look up she was looking away, also blushing. Their fingers remained entwined as they surveyed the room, silently avoiding each other's eyes and, had he not felt so shy, he would've sighed.
Tamaki wanted to kiss her. Three years it took for them to get here - baby steps - but he wanted to tell her he liked her already. Of course, she knew. Being the only one to hold his hand, play with his hair, occasionally caress his face; the only one he held and whispered secrets to. She knew. But she deserved an actual confession, she deserved all the grand gestures and the little signs of adoration. He wanted to ask her out properly and take her on a date. She'd never been to a planetarium, but had always wanted to go. It was a good place for him too - dark and even when crowded, directing all the attention to the celestial bodies above. He wanted to watch the stars with her, then walk her home and hold her hand, then maybe, just maybe kiss her goodnight. He wanted to, but he was still too fretful, too cowardly.
Looking up at her as she stared at a house plant in the corner, determined not to gawk at him again, Tamaki made up his mind and steeled himself. He wanted to kiss her, but for now this would do.
Reaching up with the hand which wasn't entwined with hers, he moved it to the back of her head, tilting it down as he lifted his torso and met her halfway. Craning his neck, he kissed her forehead, albeit his kiss was not as gentle as hers - the nerves combined with the strain on his abdominal muscles had made him a little shaky, so he'd bumped her forehead with his lips, rather than kissed it properly. Still, if the way her eyes widened as they took in his approaching face was anything to go by - she was surprised. Positively. He took a bit of pleasure in seeing her so demure. Blinking rapidly, she caught herself and looked away, sighing his name longingly.
"Tamaki..." His eyes remained focused on her face as his hand retreated and allowed her to lift her head. "I-I...that was... really nice." Her honeyed voice was bewitching. She drew a breath and looked at him. Her enamored gaze along with those rosy cheeks and full lips which were distracting - he couldn't take it. Tamaki was the one to look away that time. It made her giggle.
"S-Sorry I-"
"Don't apologize, I'm very happy." She was smiling as she said it, Tamaki could tell. "I appreciate you and the effort you make to be attentive and assertive with me. When you...when you do things like this I get so happy. I know that one day, you'll really look at me. And just so you know, I'll be grinning about it for weeks." She ran her thumb over the skin on the back of his hand.
"It's not because I'm hard to look at, right?" She'd said it jokingly to lighten the mood, but Tamaki found himself wanting to reveal the truth.
"It's because you're...every time I look at you you're..." He almost bit his tongue, trying to squeeze it out while he still had courage left. It was unusual, but she could tell Tamaki was doing his best so she waited and offered reassurance in the form of a squeeze of his hand.
"... prettier..."
That simple word affected her greatly. Tamaki was first to compliment her diligence, work ethic, to comment on how organized or punctual she was, but never one to get more personal with praise.
Every time I look at you you're prettier.
Her heartbeat drummed in her ears, pulse wild on the sides of her neck. As soon as he'd said it he'd turned his head, but she was still staring at his handsome face, side profile just as stunning as the rest of him. She let her free hand travel towards his. Capturing it, she brought it to her lips, feeling his body tense, then relax as she placed their entwined hands on his chest and leaned back more so she was sitting comfortably.
She lifted her chin, tilting her head back as she exhaled deeply, willing her heart to stop beating so rapidly, childishly afraid he would hear, just as Tamaki lifted their hands to his own lips, and kissed the back of hers before letting them rest on his chest again. They stayed still in comfortable silence, save for their thumbs - each drawing meaningless patterns into the other's skin.
Hope you liked it, thank you for reading! ,
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