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It was a day of practice like any other. Volleyballs flew and smacked into the ground at incredible speeds, nearly denting the floor itself with their force. Samson blew the whistle and everyone rushed to get everything cleared up, wanting to get home.
Shoyo and Kotaro walked toward the lockers. “Bokuto-san, one of these days, you and I should hang out after practice. We could take Akaashi-san with us too and make a day of it.”
“Ah, man, I’d love to do that! Akaashi is super busy with work stuff, but the two of us could totally go out and wreak some havoc.” He giggled to himself. “I’ve got a crazy idea that you should totally hear.”
Shoyo grinned. “Go for it.”
“Okay, so, you know how Japan recently began legally recognizing gay marriage?”
“Yeah?” Shoyo said apprehensively. “I’m not sure where—”
“Let me finish, let me finish!” Kotaro said quickly. “The two of us should go to one of the local bakeries and pretend to be engaged so that we can try cake samples.”
Shoyo snorted. “Bokuto-san, that’s a terrible idea. It’s incredibly deceitful.”
“Yes, but when will the next opportunity come up to try some really good cake?”
Shoyo opened his mouth to respond, but closed it again. He frowned. “Okay, you’re right. I guess that could be fun now that I think about it.” He ruffled his own hair. “You’re on. Let’s do that this weekend on our day off.”
“Yes!” Kotaro cheered. “This is gonna be wild, just you wait, Sho-chan.”
Days passed and the two now sat at the table at Shoyo’s place. Shoyo’s laptop was open and he scrolled through an online map.
“I say we go there,” Kotaro said, pointing at the map. “I’ve heard their buttercream is, like, made by gods or something.”
“You sure? I’ve heard this other place has the best fillings. They’ve got a million different options.”
Kotaro nodded. “Yeah, let’s go with yours. I wanna see what kind of weird choices they have. I might even order myself something weird, who knows?” He chuckled.
Shoyo smiled and picked up his phone. He dialed the bakery’s number. “Hi, yes my name is Shoyo Hinata and I’d like to make an appointment for a cake tasting? When is the soonest available time? Yes, that will be fine, I don't mind. We can do it later today at six? Yes, that would be perfect. Yep, the name is Shoyo Hinata. Thank you so much.” He hung up.
“Guess we’ve got to kill some time, huh?”
Shoyo held his chin in thought. “Getting there will take about twenty minutes, and we’ve got about an hour, so it’s up to you.”
“How long would it take to walk there? We could work up an appetite.”
Shoyo laughed and shut his laptop. “It will probably take around forty-five minutes, so that would work. Anyway, where are the rings?”
“The rings?” Kotaro asked, head tilted.
“Yeah? People who are engaged typically wear engagement rings, Bokuto-san. It’s less convincing without them.”
Kotaro blushed. “Oh—I didn’t think about that. Um, we could just lie and say they’re being fitted?”
“Both of them? So you’re saying you’d buy yourself the wrong size?”
Kotaro grimaced. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Come on, I know where we can get some rings from.”
The two left the house and headed to the subway.
“Where exactly are we going?”
“You’ll see, don’t worry.”
About thirty minutes later, the two walked up the stairs in front of a small apartment building. They stopped at one of the doors and Shoyo peeked at the nameplate by the door. “Akaashi? I thought Akaashi-san was busy?”
Kotaro inserted a key into the lock, turning the knob and opening the door. “He is! He gave me a key.”
“Isn’t something like that only supposed to be used for emergencies?”
“Nah, Akaashi doesn’t care about that,” he said with a wave as they entered. He kicked off his shoes. “He told me I could use it whenever I felt like as long as I didn't eat any of his food while he’s gone.”
“That’s an oddly specific request.” Shoyo removed his shoes as well and they walked further into the apartment.
Kotaro turned into a bedroom. “He’s protective of his food. That’s all. I swear I’m not the cause of that rule.”
Shoyo shrugged, satisfied with his answer.
Kotaro opened a small jewelry box and looked over its contents. “These two should fit us.” He held up two gold bands, both very simple.
“Convincing enough,” Shoyo said with a nod. “Sometimes simple is best, right?” He slid one of the bands over his left ring finger, looking it over and nodding to himself. “Fits good, how about yours?”
“Yep, this one is perfect too!” He held his hand up triumphantly, showing off the shiny ring. “We really do look like a couple, huh? Now, off we go!” He gripped Shoyo’s hand and dragged him back out of the apartment. He locked the door on his way out.
WIth the detour, they were able to take the subway there and made it just in time. They entered the first bakery, a small shop with little cupcakes on the logo. They stood in the entrance with hands interlocked.
“Hello, how can I help you?” an employee asked.
“Yes, I’m Shoyo Hinata. We’re here for the cake tasting.”
“Oh!” the employee said, glancing down at their hands for a moment. “Come on in and I’ll get you rung up.”
“You got it,” Kotaro said, stepping forward and bringing Shoyo with him. He handed the woman his own card, receiving an odd look from her.
She finished the transaction and handed Kotaro the receipt. “Alright, you two can sit down at any table you’d like. I’ll be out with some basic cake flavors for you.”
“Thank you,” they both said. They sat down at a small booth by the window.
“This feels so wrong,” Shoyo mumbled.
Kotaro snickered. “Don’t chicken out now, Sho-chan, we still have to try out some cake! Just think of it like a lunch date.”
Shoyo groaned, but put on a fake smile as the employee came back out.
“Alright. This is our basic cake tasting, so the actual cake flavors are limited. I hope that’s alright.”
“It’s perfect,” Shoyo siad. “I’m sorry for making the appointment so last minute.”
“It’s no problem. These are cuts from our display cakes that we sell by the slice, so it’s no inconvenience for us. Alright, the flavors are chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, lemon, and speckled, which is just vanilla with sprinkles baked in.” She set down a tray with thin slices of cake onto the table. “They’re all frosted with whatever the flavor is most commonly paired with. Of course, you’ll be able to customise that if you order your cake here.”
“These look delicious, don’t they, darling?” Kotaro asked Shoyo, giving him his best heart eyes and scooting closer to him.
Shoyo blushed and chuckled nervously. “Yes, honey. They look really good.”
“I’ll leave you two to try those while I grab some filling options,” the employee said before hurrying off once more.
“She seems uncomfortable,” Kotaro snickered. “I almost feel bad now, but it’s also kind of funny.”
Shoyo sighed. “I don’t know how you’re so cool with this. Lying to people makes me feel itchy.” He squirmed in his seat.
“Don’t worry about it and just try this cake,” Kotaro said. He grabbed a fork and cut a small piece, offering it to Shoyo. “Come on, my love, I’m sure it’s amazing,” he said softly.
Shoyo gulped and leaned forward, unable to look Kotaro in the eye as he ate the bit of cake. His eyes widened. “Oh, wow that is really good.”
Kotaro stroked his knuckles over Shoyo’s cheek. “Is it? Care to feed me a bite?” He batted his eyelashes.
Shoyo pursed his lips, blush deepening. “Of course, my—uh—my dear.” He picked up his own fork, cutting a bite-sized portion, and offered it to Kotaro.
Kotaro took the bite, making eye contact as he pulled away from the fork. He melted in his seat, humming quietly. “Yep, I’m definitely ordering a cake from here before we leave, wedding or no wedding.”
Shoyo laughed softly. “Yeah, I’ll probably get my mom’s birthday cake from here since it’s coming up soon.”
“Really?”
Shoyo nodded.
“Nice!”
The employee returned once again, now holding a tray covered with plastic cups, each containing different fruits or other various filling options. “Here you are, sirs. We’ve got almost every fruit under the sun as well as an array of jams and jellies, and most importantly, our world famous chocolate ganache.”
Shoyo’s eyes lit up. “Chocolate ganache?”
“Yep!” the employee said. She set the tray down beside the one holding the cakes. “I’ll leave you two alone to try everything. If you have any questions, feel free to flag us down and once you’re finished, we can get everything cleaned up.”
“Thank you so much,” Shoyo said.
The woman rushed back to aid the front counter as the number of customers picked up.
“Here, try the chocolate cake,” Kotaro said, holding the fork out again. “It sounds like you’re a fan of chocolate.”
Shoyo took the bite, savoring the taste and texture. “What can I say? Chocolate is good. Here.” He held up a piece of the strawberry cake.
Kotaro grabbed Shoyo’s hand, holding it gently as he wrapped his lips around the fork. He pulled back, maintaining eye contact just like before, leaving Shoyo’s heart beating louder in his chest. He swallowed and licked his lips. “Delicious!” he declared. He leaned forward and kissed the knuckles on Shoyo’s hand one by one. “Care to give me another, my love?”
Chest tightening, Shoyo nodded. “Sure—um—here, have the speckled one.” His hands shook slightly.
The two continued going back and forth feeding each other the various cakes and fillings. With each bite, Shoyo became more red and more panicked. He wasn't sure why he was feeling so frazzled while Kotaro remained just as calm as he was at the start. They finished tasting everything and Kotaro waved to the employee from before.
“We’ve tried all the samples you provided, and I was wondering if we’d be able to order a cake while we’re here?”
“Absolutely!” she said. “My coworker, Ami, can take care of your order at the register and I’ll get everything cleaned up.”
“Thank you so much, you’ve been amazing,” Kotaro said with a bright smile.
The woman blushed softly with a nod. “Of course, sir. Thank you for your business!”
The two walked to the counter, hand-in-hand. “Yes, I’d like to order a cake,” Kotaro said. “You see, we’re getting married soon and I wanted to order the perfect cake to celebrate!”
“Would you like to order a wedding cake as well?” the woman, Ami, asked.
“Not quite yet, we’ll still have to think over our choices,” he said with a chuckle, “but I appreciate you asking. I’d like to get a lemon cake with your chocolate ganache filling and strawberry frosting.”
“That’s quite the combo, sir,” she said with a giggle.
Kotaro snickered. “They were our favorites of the samples we tried today. I’m just curious to see if they’ll work well together.” He paid for the cake, joking a bit more with Ami.
“Alright, darling, let’s head home, shall we?” Kotaro asked. He leaned down and placed a kiss on Shoyo’s forehead.
Shoyo’s jaw dropped and he dragged Kotaro out of the bakery, making a beeline for his apartment. They got on the subway in silence.
Kotaro looked at Shoyo, worry etching his brow. “Shoyo—”
“Not until we get back to my place,” he stated.
Kotaro nodded. He stared down where their hands were still connected and chewed on his lip.
They enter the apartment and as soon as the door is shut, Shoyo speaks. “Okay, Bokuto-san, pardon my language, but what the hell was that?”
“Well, I just wanted to make sure we were convincing,” he defended.
“We were plenty convincing from the start!” Shoyo sat down on his couch with his head in his hands.
Kotaro’s chest tightened painfully. He sat on his knees in front of where Shoyo sat and placed a hand on his knee. “Look, Shoyo, I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I was just messing around. It won't happen again.”
Shoyo groaned. “No, Bokuto-san, I’m sorry. I just—I got overwhelmed. I didn’t mean to yell at you.” He lifted his head to give him an apologetic glance.
Kotaro smiled softly. “I’m just that good, huh? I got you all flustered, Sho-chan.”
Shoyo pursed his lips, his voice hushed. “Is it—is it weird if I liked the attention?”
Kotaro shook his head with a laugh. “Sho-chan, we were pretending to be an engaged gay couple. You actually being a bit gay yourself really isn’t that weird.” He cupped his cheek, stroking it with his thumb. “Could I try something really quick?”
Shoyo gave a small nod.
“Close your eyes.” When Shoyo closed his eyes, Kotaro leaned up and kissed him, moving to pull away right after.
Before Kotaro had the chance, Shoyo pulled him in closer by the collar, deepening the kiss.
After a few moments, Kotaro pulled back with a chuckle. “Well, I’m glad that’s been confirmed for me. I’d noticed you giving multiple different guys some looks and I kinda took this as an opportunity to flirt with you.”
Shoyo groaned. “You jerk.” He punched him in the shoulder. “You could’ve been more up front about it.”
“Sho-chan, you literally, like, just fully realised that you even like guys, right?”
“Yes, but that’s not the point. Whatever.” Shoyo averted his gaze, staring at the wall.
Kotaro laughed and kissed him again. The two smiled and giggled as they made out like teenagers for the rest of the night.