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Tamaki sighed in disdain. He knew Mirio said not to wait up for him, but he couldn’t help it. He didn’t want to walk home alone, without Mirio’s constant chatter to fill what would otherwise be an uncomfortable silence, but he didn’t know how long it would Mirio to finish what he was doing. He could ask Nejire or Luna to come with him instead, he knew they’d likely agree, but neither of them lived near him and Luna had after school activities to deal with, so they were out of the question.
Tamaki, slowly realizing that he would have to suck it up and walk alone, groaned and pressed his face against the wall. Eventually, he pulled away and started on the journey home, despite how much he really didn’t want to.
If there was any good part of this predicament, it would be that Tamaki had the chance to think about his feelings for his blond friend in peace. He normally tries not to dwell on it, but now that he was alone, he couldn’t stop his thoughts from going there.
He already knew that he cared deeply about Mirio. He also knew that his feeling could be romantic, if the daydreams about marriage from middle school meant anything. At first these feelings scared him and he tried his best to ignore them, but how could he now that Mirio looks like that? Mirio had started working out freshman year, and it seriously paid off. Tamaki would never admit it, but there had been many times when he had lost himself in his fantasies as he stared at Mirio’s muscles. He was blushing just thinking about it.
Tamaki was very abruptly brought out of his thoughts when someone barreled into him, nearly knocking him to the ground. He managed to catch himself, though.
“I’m so sorry!“ The boy looked and sounded fairly young, probably still in middle school, maybe a freshman. He had dark hair and red eyes with a small scar on his right eye. “Are you alright?”
“I-I’m fine. Just be careful next time,” Tamaki responded in a rush, quickly walking away. The other boy tried to say something, but Tamaki wasn’t going to stick around to hear it.
When he was sure he was far enough away, and that the boy wasn’t following him, he slowed down to catch his breath. That was embarrassing. He had been too focused on his crush on Mirio to notice someone coming at him. He’s pretty sure he also made an unflattering noise when fell, too. Tamaki buried his face in his hands and groaned loudly. He’d made such a fool of himself. He’s glad Mirio wasn’t here to see it.
When he composed himself again, he felt his phone buzz. It was a text from Mirio.
Hope you’re doing alright without me. Sorry I couldn’t be there today!
Tamaki smiled as he read the text. He could always count on Mirio to make sure he’s alright. He sent Mirio a quick text in response, telling him he was fine and not to worry.
As he continued walking, he started thinking about his feelings again. At this point, he was almost certain that this was more than just a crush. He didn’t want to say he was in love with his best friend, just the thought of it made his anxiety act up, but there really wasn’t any other way to put it. Tamaki was in love with Mirio.
By the time Tamaki finally arrived home, the shock of his revelation hadn’t quite worn off. He dropped his stuff at the door and nearly ran to his room. He dived onto his bed, shoved his face into his pillows, and started screaming into them. He knew he was probably overreacting and that he should’ve realized this sooner, but he didn’t care. If he wanted to act like a teenager with a crush from one of those lame romcoms Mirio liked to watch, then he sure as hell would. He would deal with his feeling however he wanted.
God, he was a mess.