Chapter Text
“Here, take my coat.” You always hoped that he would say this to you, but you knew it’s never the case. His coat was saved for his older sister, Sayaka, a lovely young lady indeed, and you couldn’t help but feel jealous for how close they were. But in what name could you say that? As a friend? No, that definitely crossed the line, and you better close your mouth on this or you would lose both friends forever, and so it would be better if you keep your distance from both when you three were in the same room. Your heart was pumping with pain as if someone left a needle in your atrium, it hurt secretly. Maybe you should move away a little farther… you could even smell the scent of his cologne and cigarettes at this distance, or maybe that was just your imagination. You knew he smokes quite a lot especially when he is at work, those pressures on his shoulders could drive any man or woman at his age crazy easily, and yet he as the young master kept going on with it without developing an addiction to something, not even the cigarettes. Smoking might have become a habit of his, but he doesn’t seem to struggle if can’t reach it, at least you haven’t seen him draw it out a time today.
WAIT, how could you smell that at this distance?!
Looking around, you found no one except Retsudo around, and it was his coat on you that brought in the scents you just smelled. Where is everyone? You turned to your dear friend (and crush), wishing for an answer and hopefully it’s not you who missed something that made him wait for you to catch up.
“Retsudo, what happened…”
“What happened was that I told you to take my coat because you wore, uhm, too little to keep you warm.” Retsudo looked calm as usual, probably even a little frustrated. Was it because he didn’t get the chance to give the coat to Sayaka? Thinking about that possibility made you feel even worse, for you then realized that you were envying your friend for having a close relationship with her younger brother. Sharp yet slow, the pain pinning on your heart constantly reminded you of what you were supposed to be: a friend who had no right to interrupt… “Ahem! (Y/N), are you listening?” Retsudo’s voice dragged you back to reality again, “We can go and join the others, if you want to.”
“Oh, sure, sorry for keeping you here with me, let’s go and find Sayaka… Retsudo?” His face was blushing, this is quite rare to see when Sayaka isn’t around, “Are you alright?”
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Retsudo didn’t expect his sister to read his mind and figure out what he wanted by herself, as he thought he had hid it up in the closet: He liked (Y/N), and he hoped that he could get closer to them so he could at least be immersed in the scent from them, if not going any further for direct physical contacts. Sure he would prefer kisses and hugs rather than just sniffing like a pervert next to them, but they were friends, and probably would be friends only for the foreseeable future.
And then Sayaka decided to step in by leaving him and (Y/N) behind together “by accident”. Retsudo could imagine how she believed in an invisible and possibly nonexistent bond between her younger brother and that mutual friend, (Y/N), maybe simply because it’s adorable. He couldn’t blame her for thinking like that, especially when he himself wished to have such a relationship. As such, Sayaka found an excuse and left Retsudo to take care of (Y/N), who did not notice a thing because they were seemingly thinking about something else.
Retsudo could hardly say he wasn’t jealous of whatever thing that was in their mind. What is more, he worried for (Y/N), as they definitely didn’t wear enough clothes to keep warm (and prevent others’ sights, which were annoying and uncomfortable by Retsudo’s standard).
So he tried his best to get their attention, and shield them from those who wanted to approach, using his coat. The (maybe not) problem is, they looked even more attractive when looking closer, and Retsudo had to fight with himself to stay in control.
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It was at that moment, you looked up to him in his eyes and asked him what happened. Feeling like being caught on site when conducting misdemeanor, plus it was so close he could actually smell you, Retsudo couldn’t stop blushing.
And how could you not blush for him with that look?
You couldn’t.
For one moment, you two stood in silence, looking at each other, blushing. Unpretentious state made it difficult for finding valid options to erase the weird tension, or maybe it was you who didn’t want to let it go easily.
In the end it was Retsudo who broke the ice and took your hand, guided you out of the room as if that was naturally how it was supposed to be. His face was red, you could feel it when you touched his cheek. It would be a waste if you didn’t give it a kiss.
And so you did.
You panicked after that and tried to bail yourself out with flimsy excuses like if it was an accident, but the result was anything other than your expectation: Retsudo looked surprised but not annoyed, leaned forward and kissed you back, on your cheek.
“Now we are even,” you heard him whispering, “I’m sorry (Y/N),” you felt your heart sinking to the bottom, “but I want more.”
Retsudo kissed you on the lips. You could smell the scents of the cologne and cigarettes on his shirt when you taste his lips in his arms, with your heart racing for joy in your chest.
The secret confession remained a secret until you two returned to the ballroom with holding hands. You were greeted by a cheering crowd led by Sayaka, who seemed proud of her intervention.
The pain no longer exists, as long as he and his scent are close at reach to you.