Work Text:
Roses were a classic gift for Valentine’s Day but Kei wasn’t going to give Tadashi a washed-up, cookie-cutter confession. He had been harboring a crush on his best friend for 5 years - he was going to make this confession excellent.
Kei was armed with red tulips (which represented a declaration of love), a box of assorted chocolate (because Tadashi had a varied taste), and a voucher for dinner at their favorite restaurant. All Kei had to do now was confess which was easier said than done.
He had been pacing in front of the campus library for 15 minutes now and he was getting weird stares from students walking around the quad. He paid no mind to them, he’d like to see them try and ask out their crushes. He had to admit though, it was surprisingly hard to work up the courage to walk in there and ask to speak to Tadashi.
Tadashi had been working at the campus library since their freshman year. He seemed to enjoy it and had picked up reading as a hobby in the time being. He would often recommend books ranging from nonfiction to poetry and it always gave him butterflies when Tadashi pressed a book into his hands and said, “I think you’ll like this one, Tsukki!”
He shook the memories out of his head. He needed to focus right now.
Kei knew work at the library was relatively mundane and usually slow. Still, it wasn't really his intention to corner Tadashi at work but he had been in classes earlier today and later he would be busy at volleyball practice and even later Tadashi would probably be studying with one of his many friends like he usually did on weeknights. It was now or never really.
Drawing in a final breath of fresh air, he steeled his nerves and walked into the library.
The security guard greeted him with a small nod (Kei was here way too often to see Tadashi) and he made his way up to the front desk. The woman at the desk was very friendly. She was a grad student in the English department and recognized Kei just as easily as the security guard had. She pointed Kei to the back room without fuss but he noticed the way she eyed the gifts in his arms.
Kei took small steps to the backroom in order to give himself time to collect his thoughts and slow down his heart rate. The back room was where sorting returned books happened but for the staff, it was an unofficial break room. Kei had spent hours doing homework in there while Tadashi idly chatted as he sorted the books. Sometimes, Tadashi would take his lunch break while he was there and they would sit cross legged in front of each other while they ate.
Today would not be as routine as the past few visits and the thought made his palms sweaty. He wouldn’t chicken out though, not after spending the past couple of weeks working towards this confession.
The door was cracked open which made Kei’s life easier since his arms were full. He toed the door but before he could call out for Tadashi, he heard soft voices talking.
He peaked past the parted door and spotted Tadashi holding a box of chocolates with a blushing face. In front of him stood a young woman who Kei recognized from Tadashi’s study groups. She was wearing a white dress with pink hearts and her hands were clasped behind her back. Most noteworthy though was that her face was just as flushed as Tadashi’s.
Kei’s head spun at the sight and he jerked his head back.
Abort mission. Abort mission. Abort mission. Abort mission.
Thankfully, as his brain shut down, his feet seemed to work on their own and he found himself back outside the library, leaning against the brick wall and panting heavily.
This was not how the confession was supposed to go. As far as a rejection went, Tadashi would most likely have been sweet and tender, a warm palm pressed to his shoulder as he was let down. At worst, Kei thought he would hole himself up in his apartment crying if Tadashi rejected him then he would be able to pick up the pieces of his broken heart slowly but surely.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this. In no scenario had Kei planned for Tadashi to be confessed to by another person. Now, Tadashi was going to go out on Valentine’s Day with that nameless woman. They were going to hold hands over dinner and probably kiss. Then, Tadashi would start dating her and they would be the best couple because that's the kind of person Tadashi was. He was a good man who would make his partner smile and plan all their dates and bring her flowers to work just like Kei had tried to do and she would kiss him and gladly accept the gift. They’d probably get married and have kids and Kei would fall into the background, no longer Tadashi’s best friend or his anything and-
Oh no. Kei was going to be sick.
He desperately tried to cling to logic instead of letting his thoughts spiral as he staggered through campus back to his apartment. Surely, Tadashi wouldn’t push Kei away that easily. But maybe Kei would be the one to retreat - he’d have to preserve what was left of his heart.
He shook his head.
No. He was overthinking this. Tadashi hadn’t even gone on the first date. There was no reason for him to go down this rabbit hole.
And yet all he could picture was Tadashi in a suit and his bride next to him in a white dress, his freckles shimmering on his cheeks and his twin dimples tugging at his lips as he smiled widely.
Kei’s hand shook as he took the key from his pocket and tried to center it into the doorknob. It took him a few tries before he could get it into the hole.
He kicked off his shoes and made his way through his home. The late afternoon light created long shadows in his apartment. It made for an eerie and quiet ambiance perfect for his mood. He realized then that he was still carrying the flowers and chocolates. He half heartedly tossed them on his dining table before making his way into the living room and flopped onto his couch.
He felt almost silly as he tugged his blanket from across the couch and laid it over himself. He had been rejected without even having a chance to share how he actually felt. Tadashi would never know that he liked him because he would grow to love another person instead. He buried his face into a pillow and cried.
☾✩☾✩☾✩☾✩☾
Tadashi was in a very awkward situation. His coworker turned study buddy was presenting him with a box of chocolates and she was talking to him, moving her arms around in small motions. She clearly seemed flustered and Tadashi had an idea what she was saying but he couldn’t really hear her. It was like he was stuck in a vat of honey, time was slowed to the point he felt frozen and her words were muffled like he couldn't hear.
She had stopped talking and seemed to be waiting for a response. Fuck.
“Ah, thank you, Himari-san,” he said. Her face fell. Okay, the san had probably been too much, they had been kind of friends for the past two months now. “I, uh, don’t really think I can accept these,” he said sheepishly. He held out the chocolates to her.
“Oh.” Her gaze fell to the floor. She reached out and took the box from him.
Oh god, was she shaking? Was she going to cry?
He hurriedly tried to amend his rejection. “It’s nothing about you, Hamari-san,” well he had to commit to it now, “It’s just that I kind of have someone else I like and it wouldn’t be fair to you if I-”
“I understand!” She cut him off, waving her hands in front of her face. “I have to go.” And that was that. She ran off.
Study nights were definitely going to be awkward now.
Tadashi couldn’t help letting out a sigh of relief though. Things could have gone worse, he reasoned.
Anyway, tonight he was going over to Kei’s house for their annual Valentine’s Day movie binge watch while they ate a bunch of takeout. It would be comfortable and nice and he could even pretend they were cuddled up on the couch romantically like an actual Valentine’s date.
The rest of his shift passed by slowly. He’d tried to text Kei to keep himself occupied or perhaps get him to drop by after practice so they could walk back to his apartment together but Kei wasn’t answering. It was fine, he was a busy man after all. He couldn’t help but worry though when Kei hadn’t responded after his practice normally ended at 7 pm.
It still wasn’t too much of a problem, Kei was probably tired.
After he clocked out, Tadashi made his way to their favorite fried chicken place to pick up their food and stopped by McDonald’s to get fries for himself and a strawberry parfait for Kei. He hoped a small treat would make Kei’s day just a little brighter after his tiring day of classes and practice.
When he got to Kei’s apartment, he knocked on the door before letting himself in. Kei had given him a key and told him to just come by whenever but he still felt a little awkward coming and going just like that so he knocked as a courtesy to Kei before coming in.
When he opened the door, he found the apartment bathed in darkness with just a bit of light from the moon. It was strange, there seemed to be no one home but he spotted Kei’s shoes in the genkan. Kei usually would have the lights turned on as he studied or cooked or just went about his evening.
“Tsukki, I’m here,” Tadashi called. He took off his shoes and flipped on the light before making his way to the kitchen. He set the food down on the kitchen counter. “Tsukki?” He tried again as he approached the joined dining room and living room area.
He turned on the lights and found Kei slumped on the couch. The lights had apparently awoken him because he groaned and began rubbing his eyes.
“Ah, sorry, Tsukki. I brought us food for tonight,” Tadashi said. “I guess it’s good you’re up now or else you won’t be able to sleep later.”
Kei let out another groan and nodded into the pillow. “Thanks.”
Tadashi smiled. Kei was always a little grumpy when he was woken up. He had a thing about waking up naturally and finishing his REM cycle or something like that. He was a huge nerd and it made Tadashi very happy.
After a few more groans, Kei finally sat up.
His eyes were red and the skin underneath was a little puffy. Kei hardly cried unless a new dinosaur fact came out or he watched a particularly moving documentary.
“What did-”
Kei tried to speak but Tadashi cut him off.
“Have you been crying?”
Kei looked confused for a second before his eyes widened in alarm. “I, uh...”
From the corner of his eye, Tadashi spotted a glint of plastic from the dining table.
Were those? “Tsukki are those flowers and chocolate? Did you get rejected?”
Kei’s face scrunched up. “Yeah, I guess I did.” Oh no, was he going to cry like Himari-san?
Kei sighed and brought his legs up to his chest. “It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.”
Tadashi’s heart just about broke at the sound of Kei's voice. He hated whoever had done this to Kei.
He took a seat on the couch next to him. “It’s okay to be sad about that, you know?” He looked over to Kei who nodded softly against his knee. “I know it’s over said but I know you’ll find someone way more amazing than whoever rejected you.”
Kei let out a bitter laugh. “I highly doubt that.”
Tadashi frowned. “No, you will. Whoever rejected you just doesn’t know how great you are.”
Kei sighed.
“If you want, I will fight them for you. You know I’ve been into martial arts now that I’m not playing volleyball.”
At that, Kei’s lip quirked up. A success. “I’ll let you know,” he said. Then he stood up from the couch, letting his joints stretch out with satisfying pops. “Let’s eat.”
“Good idea, Tsukki!” Tadashi smiled at him. He was determined to make this night good for him so he wouldn't think about getting rejected. He hadn’t been kidding, he really would fight this person for breaking Kei’s heart.
☾✩☾✩☾✩☾✩☾
Kei felt like the biggest idiot after Tadashi walked in on his post-crying nap but now they had eaten and were huddled on the couch watching Kei’s favorite dinosaur evolution documentary so all in all it wasn’t too bad.
There was a nagging thought in his head that Tadashi should be on a date right now with that girl from the library but maybe she had been busy today so they were going out tomorrow. Either way, it shouldn’t bother him - Tadashi was here with him right now. Still, he couldn’t help but feel like he was on borrowed time
A professor from an American university was discussing the skeletal system of avian dinosaurs when Tadashi broke their peaceful atmosphere and Kei’s anxious thoughts.
“Who did you confess to?”
Just like that, Kei’s carefully constructed farce had come to an end. Fuck, what was he supposed to say? His mind scrambled to think of a reply. He hadn’t technically confessed to anyone but he was already this far deep into this. He could just pretend Tadashi had never spoken but he didn’t like ignoring him. He could ask him to drop it, Tadashi would probably leave him alone, but they shared basically everything with each other so that would be weird.
Kei’s breath caught. They shared everything with each other . Just like that, his mindset shifted. He should tell Tadashi how he feels. He couldn’t keep hiding it. Even if it went poorly and hurt their friendship it would only be temporary and it smooth itself over, it always did. He needed to do it.
Kei turned his body to look at him. “Tadashi I-”
“Actually, it's okay, you don’t have to tell me. I was just curious. Or, uh, I guess I was more... nevermind.” Tadashi slumped into the couch.
“Tadashi.” Kei took the remote control and paused the TV. “What do you mean?”
Tadashi’s cheeks were very red now. He looked just like a strawberry all red faced, his freckles acting as seeds and his hair just the subtlest of greens like the stem on top. Kei loved him.
Tadashi took a shaky breath. “I think I’m jealous,” he said, barely above a whisper.
Oh.
“Tadashi do you,” Kei squeezed his hands together “do you like me?”
Tadashi nodded. “Yeah, I like you.” Then, “I’m sorry.”
“Why are you sorry?” Kei’s hands were itching to grab Tadashi’s but he stayed still, unsure of where this was going. Tadashi had been confessed to today so maybe he was confused about his feelings.
“I’m sorry for dumping this on you. I know you just got rejected and you’re sad and I just added my own feelings to it. So, I’m sorry for that.”
Kei shook his head and finally took Tadashi’s hands in his. He found his gaze and held it as he said, “No, no. Tadashi you’re the one I was trying to confess to, but then I stopped by the library and you were with that girl and I thought you two were going to get together.”
Tadashi’s eyes widened. “You saw that?”
Kei looked away, “Ah, yeah I did.”
“Aw, Kei,” Tadashi gave Kei’s hand a small squeeze prompting Kei to look back at him. “I rejected her.”
“You did?”
“Yup. I gave her the chocolates right back and I told her I liked someone already,” Tadashi smiled softly at him.
“And it’s me. You like me, right?”
“Yes, you dummy. I already told you.” Tadashi laughed a little.
“I like you too, Tadashi. Actually, I think I love you,” he said, breathing a sigh of relief.
Tadashi leaned in then, letting go of Kei’s hand and instead cupping Kei’s jaw. Their first kiss was soft. It was all lips and Tadashi’s minty lip balm and soft hands on each other.
When they pulled away, Kei wore a dopey smile.
“I love you too, Kei,” Tadashi whispered, leaning back in for another kiss.
This was it, they could finally be together and kiss and date and get married and have kids and oh yeah the flowers!
“Hold on.” Kei sprang up from the couch before Tadashi could complete the kiss. Tadashi only laughed as Kei walked around the couch and grabbed the flowers and chocolates before returning.
“Tadashi, will you be my valentine?” he asked.
“Yes, of course, Kei,” he said.
Kei handed him the tulips and the chocolate.
Tadashi smelled the flowers. “These represent a love confession right?”
Kei nodded.
Tadashi’s smile widened, revealing his dimples. “Thank you, I love them.”
He set them down beside him on the couch and leaned back in, ready to actually kiss Kei again this time.
That night they placed the tulips in a vase and polished off the box of chocolates together before falling asleep cuddled in Kei’s bed.