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“You know man, Valentine’s Day is coming up. Are you excited?”
Okuyasu glanced up from the textbook he was trying to read, meeting Josuke’s questioning gaze.
“Uh… not really? Not a huge fan of the holiday,” he replied, brow furrowing as he looked over a particularly tricky conjugation, quietly cursing his stupid English homework for being so hard. “Why? Are you?”
Josuke chuckled, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms behind his head, a stupid smirk already on his face. “Are you kidding? It’s the best time of the year, dude, I love the attention.”
Okuyasu nodded at his friend’s statement, letting out a hum under his breath. It made sense that Josuke would enjoy the holiday. His best friend was pretty good looking, and he already got a crazy amount of attention from girls regularly-- it was only rational to assume that he’d get even more on Valentine’s day.
He was interrupted from his thoughts by Josuke nudging him with his shoulder to get his attention.
“What about you, though? Why don’t you like the big day?”
Okuyasu snorted. “Dude, I’m ugly, you think anyone’s gonna confess to me? Nah, I’m used to gettin’ ignored.” He caught Josuke’s gaze, noticing the hurt look in the other boy’s eyes. “What’s that look for? It’s a holiday for pretty people, not me.”
“Oku, you’re not ugly.” Josuke looked even more upset now, his lower lip stuck out in the beginning of a pout. “You really get ignored?”
He nodded, crossing his arms in front of his chest and smiling sheepishly at Josuke. “Yep. Nobody wants to confess to mister scarface, bro.”
“No gifts?? No flowers?? No chocolate??” With each question, Josuke’s voice grew more and more distressed, his mind seemingly unable to imagine a Valentine’s Day without being showered with adoration.
“Nothin, dude.” Okuyasu shrugged, then reached out, tapping the open textbook in front of Josuke. “C’mon, let’s get back to work, I don’t wanna completely flunk our English test.”
Josuke nodded slowly, eyebrows still scrunched up and looking upset, and Okuyasu turned his mind back to the page in front of him, still trying to make sense of that one equation. He put the thoughts of Valentine’s Day out of his mind, assuming that was the end of it, and became reabsorbed in his work. It was a stupid day, and he’d rather focus on not failing his test.
A few days later, on February 14th, Okuyasu was getting ready for school when he heard banging on his front door. He quickly finished washing his breakfast dishes, shifted Stray’s pot into a brighter patch of sunlight, and went over to the door, peering through the peephole.
“Hello?”
Josuke’s pompadour came into view of the little window, and Okuyasu sighed, swinging open the door.
“Is something wrong? Usually I walk over to your house and-- oh!” He was interrupted by Josuke shoving a bouquet of roses in his face, his face almost as red as the flowers. “Oi, Josuke, some girls already gave you stuff? It’s pretty early, isn’t it??”
Josuke turned his face away, getting even redder, and shook his head slightly, shaking the bouquet in Okuyasu’s face even more.
“Wait, dude….” Okuyasu took in the look on his best friend’s face, the way he tilted his head so his hair was hiding his eyes and red face. “Are these… for me?”
Josuke turned his face towards Okuyasu and met his eyes. Okuyasu’s breath caught in his throat at the look in them, Josuke looked shy and embarrassed and not at all like the cocky, brash teen Okuyasu was used to.
“U-uh… yeah, dude,” he muttered, averting his gaze again, “....these, too.”
He pulled his other hand out from behind his back, revealing a gift basket with a plush bear and a heart-shaped box of chocolates. Okuyasu could feel his face start to heat up, his eyes wide.
“O-oh.”
“I just… you had said that you never get anything, and,” Josuke swallowed nervously, running his tongue over his lips before continuing his sentence. “And… I think…. You’re pretty cool? You deserve to be given stuff for Valentine’s Day. You deserve the attention,” he continued, the words seeming to pour out now that he had started, “and you’re not ugly, you’re really pretty, and I wish you’d stop being so mean to yourself about that. Because I think you’re awesome. And… I like you a lot.”
“Oh,” Okuyasu said again, mind going blank. It felt like a white-hot rush was screaming through his skull, drowning out all his thoughts and leaving him gaping like an idiot in front of his best friend…. Who he was pretty sure just confessed to him.
Josuke’s eyes widened, then he averted his gaze, lowering the arm with the bouquet.
“You… don’t feel the same,” he muttered, “Okay, that’s fine. I get it.”
He turned to leave, but Okuyasu reached out and grabbed Josuke’s shoulder.
“Wait, Josuke, it’s not that,” Okuyasu stammered, desperately trying to gather his thoughts. “Shit, sorry dude, I just freaked out for a second, don’t go.”
Josuke stopped, turning his eyes towards Okuyasu’s again. He looked embarrassed and a little disappointed, and Okuyasu’s heart dropped at the upset look in his best friend’s eyes.
“I just… I didn’t expect that, dude,” he continued. “I’ve never been, uh, confessed to. And I didn’t think you’d ever like me back, so I’m trying to make my brain stop going nuts, too.”
“Like you… back?” Josuke asked, sounding hopeful, “As in, you like me too?”
Okuyasu nodded rapidly, face getting red, and Josuke let out a breathy sigh of relief.
“Oh! Okay,” he said, face breaking out in a smile, “holy shit, you like me back!!”
“Yeah!”, Okuyasu replied, feeling giddy, “Is that okay?”
In response, Josuke laughed; Then, setting the basket and flowers down, he threw his arms around Okuyasu and pulled him into a hug, burying his face in the other boy’s neck.
“Dude,” he murmured happily into his neck, “It’s way more than okay.”
Okuyasu’s arms were shaky with excitement as he wrapped them around Josuke and hugged him back, pulling him closer and closing his eyes.
“So, does this mean, like, that we’re boyfriends now?”
Josuke chuckled into Okuyasu’s neck, the sensation sending shivers through his body, and happily replied “Yeah, I guess so.”
Okuyasu broke into a grin and laughed, butterflies coursing through his stomach. Holy shit. He had a boyfriend! And even better, it was his best friend.
“Josuke?” he asked.
The other boy hummed softly in response, face still buried in Okuyasu’s neck. “Yeah?”
“I think I might like Valentine’s Day now, dude.”
Josuke--HIS BOYFRIEND--chuckled softly in response, and Okuyasu’s heart felt like it was going to burst.
“That’s good to hear, Oku,” he whispered. “If I’m telling the truth, I think this might be my favorite Valentine’s Day yet.”
He slowly unwrapped his arms from Okuyasu’s back, bending down to pick up the basket and the flowers, Okuyasu grumbling because the hug ended.
“You should probably put these in water,” he said quietly. “They’re gonna wilt otherwise.”
Okuyasu nodded and accepted the bouquet from Josuke, the crinkly plastic wrapping rustling as he grabbed it.
“Okay,” he said. “I think I probably have a vase here somewhere, I’ll go put them in one. Will you wait here so we can walk to school together?”
Josuke nodded, dopey smile still on his face, and Okuyasu walked inside, closing the door behind him. He stood still for a second, heart beating a mile a minute, and then pumped his fist in the air, celebrating to himself for a moment. He could hear Josuke start to freak out on the other side of the door, doing the dorky little giggle he always did when he was nervous or excited. Okuyasu dashed to the kitchen and set the flowers on the table, rummaging in the cabinets to find a vase. There was one in the very back behind a pitcher, and he pulled it out, filled it with water, and then stuck the bouquet in.
Setting it on the kitchen table, a grin spread over his face. “Holy shit,” he whispered to himself, “I have a boyfriend!” He took a step back and threw his arms in the air, still grinning. “I HAVE A BOYFRIEND!!!!”
Stray jolted up from her nap, petal ears folding back as she regarded Okuyasu with annoyance. He dashed over to her and picked up her pot, swinging her around in a little circle as he spun.
“Stray, I have a boyfriend!!! It’s Josuke!!!!”
The cat looked nothing but annoyed, and Okuyasu set her down, rushing through the house to find his dad.
“Dad, I have a boyfriend!!!”
The mushy green creature looked up from the puzzle he was working on, babbling something incomprehensible, and patted his son on the arm, leaving a slight layer of goop on the teen’s sleeve.
Still ecstatic, Okuyasu grabbed his school bag and rushed out the door again, where Josuke was waiting with an amused look on his face.
“You spread the news enough, dude? Pretty sure people across town could hear you, that was loooouuuuud.”
“Soooooorryyyyyy,” Okuyasu mimicked, grinning, “it was important!! I had to tell everyone!”
Josuke nodded, smirk still on his face, and reached out, lacing his fingers with Okuyasu’s.
“Okay, but I get to tell Koichi. He didn’t think I had the balls to ask you out.” Josuke chuckled, gesturing to their laced fingers. “I sure showed him though, huh?”
“Yep!” Okuyasu replied, with a sheepish smile on his face. “You sure did.”
The two boys began their walk to school, holding hands under the bright blue sky, and the world seemed just a little happier.