Work Text:
Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt.
Tsukasa’s phone kept vibrating as he sat hunched over at his desk, and despite the many times his parents had drilled into him that he should focus on schoolwork in the evening, his hand kept drifting over to check the screen, his fingers flying over the keyboard in response. A small smile crept over his lips as he scanned the past few messages.
Yuta: aniki just stole one of my takoyaki balls wtf
Tsukasa: Are they not spicy?
Yuta: yeah lmao aniki popped the entire thing into his mouth and then screamed
Yuta: he’s just dramatic it’s not even that spicy and he can handle spicy food anyway
Tsukasa: Well, Yuta-kun, you did convince me to try the curry at the Café, saying that it was not that spicy… and I had to drink several glasses of water afterwards.
Yuta: OK BUT IT REALLY WASNT THAT SPICY!!!!!!! it’s not spicy enough until it makes me start to cry
Tsukasa: I cannot handle spice at all, Yuta-kun!!! I much prefer sweets!
Tsukasa sighed--a sigh filled with part exasperation, part fondness, part longing --and placed down his phone to try and finish the last algebra problem that was giving him some trouble. His phone screen lit up again, and he glanced over. He’d reply in a bit.
Yuta: idk i still think hot wings are the best
Let’s see, if he multiplied the exponent on both sides…
Another buzz.
Yuta: but… sweet things are sometimes pretty good
Tsukasa paused. Usually Yuta complained endlessly if he ate anything with sugar. Perhaps he had found a sweet that was more to his tastes? He would have to ask in a bit--he just needed to divide to solve for x…
Bzzt.
Yuta: i think you’re the sweetest, after all, and i like you
The pencil clattered onto the desk.
Tsukasa grabbed for his phone so quickly he fumbled and almost dropped it, opened his keyboard and just… stared at it. Stared at the message. He started to type, and stopped. All he could think was…
Tsukasa: BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
Okay, not the most eloquent reply, but he had pressed enter on accident.
Yuta: kasa????
Yuta: sorry was that too much? uh we can just. forget about it
Tsukasa’s fingers suddenly moved on their own, not giving him time to proofread or fix typos.
Tsukasa: NO it’sfine Idont mind
Tsukasa: In … in what way douou mean you “like me”?
Algebra homework forgotten, he waited with baited breath, watching as the bubble that indicated Yuta was typing popped up, disappeared, and popped up again. The minutes ticked by with no reply, and Tsukasa thought maybe perhaps he was reading too much into it, that he had ruined something, that Yuta would be weirded out that he would even insinuate that perhaps their friendship full of silly banter and laughter would grow into something more. His thoughts swirled around and around, his chest tightened, his vision started to blur--
Bzzt.
Yuta: i really like you kasa. i was planning on telling you in person after class but it just… slipped out i guess. sorry, i’m not as good at reading people as my brother, i thought you might reciprocate but it’s okay if you don’t. we can just forget this ever happened
Tsukasa: Yuta-kun.
Yuta: huh??
Tsukasa: You are so Stupid.
Yuta: huh???????
Tsukasa: I have thought of you… like that, for some time now. The only reason I was holding back was because I was not sure that you felt the same…
Yuta: kasa…
Yuta: you’re also stupid i’ve been openly flirting with you for literally the past six months
Tsukasa felt his face overheat. His mind, so full of thoughts before, now went completely blank. His only thought was.. was…
8:25PM.
Jesus Christ.
Tsukasa: Yuta-kun I must go
Yuta: what?? what?? did i say something wrong?
Tsukasa: No! My bedtime is at 9, and I must turn off all electronics at 8:30.
Yuta: …
Yuta: there’s a lot to unpack there but let’s just throw away the whole suitcase
Yuta: okay, first of all, i thought you were joking about the bedtime before, you actually have a bedtime??? second of all, you actually turn off your electronics 30 minutes before you go to bed?? third of all, we JUST CONFESSED and you’re going to LEAVE??????????!!!!!
Tsukasa: It is not my rule!! It is my parents’. It is also beneficial if I have morning Practice. I do not have a choice!
Yuta: if you turn your phone off at 8:30 i will literally come over there and climb through your window
Tsukasa: Please, do not even joke about such things!! We will talk more about this tomorrow!
He sighed and powered off his phone, placing it face down next to his desk. He would have to gather his schoolwork in the morning.
Perhaps if he’d have had his phone open for just a minute more, he would have seen that final message.
Yuta: you think i’m joking?
Yuta: ok that’s it
---
Tsukasa stepped carefully out of his suite’s bathroom, nightgown-clad and freshly clean, tossing his fluffy towel into the laundry basket on his way out. He hummed one of Knights’ songs quietly, a warm glow spreading through his body as he thought about the texts, over and over and over. Perhaps it would have been better in person--more romantic, most certainly--but perhaps they could re-do it, or at least… talk about it more tomorrow. He would get to class extra-early in order to make sure they would have time before school… if he had to sit through the entire day before talking to Yuta, he would probably explode.
The guard dogs started barking at something in the distance--probably a late-night jogger going by as usual--as he gently picked up a book to read, as he had quite a few more spare minutes before a maid would come to check that his lights were out. Silk brushed against his legs as he padded across the room to his bed, pillows perfectly fluffed and bedsheets freshly washed, as usual. He slipped under the duvet, cracking open the book… though, the barking was getting louder. And louder.
And closer. And… it sounded like something was scrabbling up the wall.
Tsukasa jumped out of bed, heart pounding, blood roaring in his ears as he stared in fear at the windowed balcony next to his bed, trying to tell himself it was all in his head, that nobody would dare break into the Suou estate, especially not the heir’s room--
Until a face popped up over the balcony railing.
Tsukasa opened his mouth to scream, but it died in his throat as the figure scrambled over the railing, almost falling face first but somehow landing on his feet against all odds. And started to yell through the window.
“Kasa-kun!!!! Kasa-kun!!!!! Please open the door, please, I almost died--”
Tsukasa’s feet moved on their own, running across the room to unlatch the door with shaking fingers, and Yuta burst into the room, panting and shaking from running for his life. Tsukasa just stared at him. Yuta’s hair was frazzled and a mess, his cheeks were flushed, his mouth hanging slightly open, his clothes torn from running from the bushes (and there were a couple bitemarks on the bottom of his jeans).
Tsukasa had never wanted to kiss the other boy more.
Yuta took a minute to catch his breath, chest heaving as both of their heartbeats calmed down from that… unique experience. Finally, the ginger straightened up, fixed the pins in his hair, and glanced Tsukasa up and down, giving a small grin.
“You look… absolutely ravishing in that nightgown.”
“ Yuta-kun!!! ”
Tsukasa’s sudden yelp made Yuta jump, looking slightly sheepish.
“Yuta-kun, you--that--that was extremely reckless!! You could have been caught, or--or killed!! You are an idiot!! I might have expected your brother to do something this reckless, but not you!!!”
Yuta just smiled.
“Love makes you do stupid things, my knight.”
Tsukasa felt his face heat up even more, a crimson blush spreading all the way to his ears. He opened his mouth to say something, but the words wouldn’t leave his lips. He finally just let out an exasperated sigh and crossed his arms.
“I-I didn’t think you were actually serious…”
Yuta shrugged, subtly sliding just a bit closer to Tsukasa. “Don’t you think it’s a bit romantic? Like Romeo and Juliet. I’m the poor little commoner climbing up to the heir’s window, just for a chance to be with his love…”
Tsukasa felt his heart jump, glancing to the side--he felt if he stared at Yuta any longer, his heart would burst out of his chest--and mumbled something quietly, causing Yuta to tilt his head and lean forward.
“Sorry, what was that? I didn’t hear--”
“I-I said if anyone would be the prince, I think it would be you… and I would be your humble knight serving you.”
Tsukasa took some satisfaction in seeing Yuta’s cheeks flush deeply, the ginger boy looking away and covering his mouth with his hand in embarrassment. “K-Kasa-kun… I’m nowhere near a prince…”
Tsukasa gathered every last ounce of his courage, stepping forward to close the gap and gently taking Yuta’s hand away from his mouth and squeezing it in his own hand. “I think you are. I think you are the most radiant prince in the world. You are my prince, Yuta-kun… and you deserve to be treated like one.”
Their eyes met, each of them searching for a sign--a sign that it was okay to go forward, searching for approval, for love, for acceptance. Perhaps, indeed, that extended out of that moment. Two lost souls, striving to be unique, to prove themselves to those around them, to show the world that they were strong enough to take on anything, even through all the adversity, through the voices both real and unreal telling them that they couldn’t make it. And they stood by each other, telling themselves and each other that those voices were wrong, that they could do it, that they were strong, that they were able to do whatever they set their mind to. If they couldn’t do it alone, they could do it while standing side by side.
Their lips met, and the universe burst open, sending stars flying and swirling around in their heads, sparks tingling at their fingertips as Tsukasa reached up to hold Yuta’s face gently in his hands, as if holding him too tightly would make him shatter, yet pulling him closer, wanting to be as close as possible.
The two eventually had to pull away, hearts pounding and lips tingling, eyes widened and shining with love. The silence was heavy, but comfortable, weighing on them like a blanket wrapped around them, and Yuta suddenly pulled Tsukasa into a tight hug. Yuta’s hands ran through Tsukasa’s hair, sending tingles through the heir’s entire body.
“I love you, Tsukasa Suou.”
“I love you too, Yuta Aoi… my prince.”
Soft giggles bubbled in the air, leaving the two boys feeling giddy and light, as if they could just hold onto each other and fly away into the night. Until…
“Yuta-kun?”
“Huh?”
“How will you hide from the maid?”