Chapter Text
Loud footsteps echoed in the empty halls. Mitsuba ran with his notebooks and folders close to his chest, and his camera hanging around his neck.
He was running late. Again.
He fumbled with the door, finally opening it and panty hardly. He leaned against the doorway, his cheeks flushed and body exhausted.
Suddenly he was knocked over, on his butt, and a body wrapped around him. The boy that tackled him grinned, his canine teeth shining, “Mitsuba-senpai!”
“Tsukasa-kun?” Mitsuba groaned, pushing Tsukasa off of him. The younger boy tapped the floor excitedly, his energy bouncing off of him. “You’re in this class?”
“Eh, wittle old me? Nah,” He said. He got up and looked down at Mitsuba, “Anyways. You should take a look at your desk.”
Mitsuba frowned when Tsukasa chuckled. He didn’t like it when he chucked. There was never anything good after that chuckle.
He pushed himself up and wobbled over to his desk. He noticed that a bunch of people was crowding his desk, murmuring. He looked around, trying to find golden-orange hair. He frowned and looked over at Tsukasa, “Where’s Kou-kun?”
“Your boyfriend? He’s sick apparently,” Tsukasa said, dismissing the topic. Mitsuba yelped, pushing Tsukasa over and grumbling.
He pushed through the commotion around his desk quite rudely, shoving people into one another. His face immediately turned red amongst seeing what was on his desk. Mitsuba turned around and bumped into the nearest classmate that was a part of the crowd.
He fell onto his knees, covering his face embarrassedly. Yokoo lent a hand, helping Mitsuba gain his balance, “Mitsuba-kun! Isn’t this great?”
“Great?!” Mitsuba yelled, clutching onto the bottom of his sweater, “There’s nothing great about this! This is stupid! Who gave me this? I don’t want it!”
“Aww c’mon Mitsuba-kun! It’s really cute, just admire it. Also, free lunch,” Yokoo giggled. He grabbed the yellow notecard on the desk, “Plus look at the sweet note they wrote you!”
Mitsuba whined, taking the note timidly. He looked back over at his desk. There was a bento box on his desk, wrapped neatly with a yellow cloth. Sunflower petals surrounded the box with two sunflowers lying next to the box as well.
He read the yellow note in his hand out loud.
“Good morning Mitsuba-chan! This honestly may be a bit stupid but I hope you’ll like it. Today I’ll gift you sunflowers. They stand for adoration and loyalty, did you know that?
I adore you Mitsuba-chan, I really do. I have for quite some time now. So I hope this sappy attempt of trying to win your affection works!
Also, you may not notice it. I have no idea. But you’re so loyal. I’ve never seen you give up on someone because you’re really stubborn. You refuse to give up on people even if you don’t show it directly. I’ve noticed it, and I adore it about you.
~Your secret admirer. ♡”
A couple of coos came from the crowd. Mitsuba turned around and yelled at them to go away. Tsukasa smiled, “Aww, Mitsuba-senpai, you’re finally getting puss?”
Mitsuba hit Tsukasa on the back of the head again and the younger boy fell. Mitsuba ignored Tsukasa and began to ramble out loud, “This is so fucking dumb! I wish Kou-kun was here. He’d love something sappy like this.”
“You complain so much,” Tsukasa said, smiling. He took the note and read it again to himself before looking up at Mitsuba, “You do realize this means someone likes you, right Mitsuba-kun? Someone thinks you’re attractive! It’s kinda funny.”
Mitsuba groaned, looking at the bento box, “The lunch probably tastes like shit. Why couldn’t this be for someone else?”
“If you don’t want it I’ll take it,” Satou said. He was absently scrolling on his phone, not paying attention. Mitsuba frowned.
“No, it’s mine,” He huffed, “You can’t have it. Someone has a crush on me, not you.”
Yokoo looked away.
“Eh, whatever,” Satou said, leaving the classroom to go wherever. Whilst he was leaving he accidentally bumped into the teacher in the doorway, and she dropped her papers. Satou blushed embarrassedly, “I’m sorry sensei!”
The teacher waved him off and started picking up her papers. She walked into the classroom and immediately noticed someone who shouldn’t be there, “Yugi-kun? Aren’t you in second year? Go to your homeroom!”
“Huh? My name isn’t Yugi! You gotta guess then I’ll go back!” Tsukasa smiled.
“Amane-kun isn’t the type to get himself into trouble. Go to class, Tsukasa-kun,” The teacher sighed. Tsukasa ran off giggling, mumbling something about Amane.
She walked to the front of the class, looking over at the commotion near Mitsuba’s desk, “I don’t know when Sousuke-kun became so popular, but you all need to return to your seats.”
Mitsuba whined and put his head down, trying to forget about his “secret admirer”.
***
“So you got a girlfriend or something?” Natsuhiko asked Mitsuba upon hearing the news. The brunette smiled, looking over at Sakura, “Would you like it if I did something like this for you, My Lady?”
The doll-like girl sighed. She was reading a book with her legs crossed on her chair, clearly focused on something and then interrupted by Natsuhiko. She put down her book and looked over at the boy, “It wouldn’t be that secret then, would it?”
“Oh, I guess you’re right,” Natsuhiko said, disappointedly. Sakura went back to reading her book and Mitsuba pouted.
“You guys are no help!” He huffed, clutching the bento box in his arms, “What am I supposed to do about this?”
“Just appreciate it,” Sakura said, bluntly. She took another sip of her tea, “You don’t have to like them back. But you can just appreciate the gifts as they last.”
Mitsuba whined, looking down at the gifts in his hands. He sighed, “Thanks Sakura-san. I forgot to bring lunch anyways, I guess I’ll leave a thank you note on my desk or something.”
Sakura didn’t respond. She kept reading her book. Mitsuba just blinked then left.
***
Mitsuba made his way downstairs to the garden in the back of the school. There was a small bench near a fountain with flowers blooming everywhere. The bench was also underneath a beautiful, tall, bright tree. The leaves were green as ever and created shade for Mitsuba when the sun was too hot.
Sometimes he sat there with Kou, but usually, Kou ate with Yokoo and Satou in homeroom. Either that or he sat with Nene, Amane, and Tsukasa. It doesn’t matter, but Mitsuba either liked to sit alone or with Kou.
Mitsuba didn’t like to sit with anyone but Kou. He couldn’t sit with Yokoo and Satou. It was too awful to watch Yokoo’s obvious flirting go right over Satou’s head. He couldn’t sit with Amane, Tsukasa, Nene, and Aoi either. He didn’t wanna listen to Nene and Aoi’s girl-talk or whatever, and Tsukasa creeped him out sometimes. He wasn’t that close with Amane either.
Everyone else just wasn’t cool enough to hang out with the one and the only Mitsuba Sousuke.
Except for Kou.
Mitsuba placed a hand on his cheek and noticed that it was warm. He shrieked and shook his head, trying to not think of Kou. His best friend. Friend, friend, friend, friend, only friend.
He untied the cover and placed the cloth on his lap. Taking off the lid of the box, steam raised in the air indicating the meal was still hot. There was fresh rice in the box with teriyaki chicken on top of the rice with some seasoning on top. On the side were some chopped carrots, and two cat-shaped cookies. One was chocolate frosted with vanilla, and the other was vanilla frosted with chocolate. It was really cute honestly.
Mitsuba’s mouth watered and his stomach growled upon seeing the delicious food sitting in the box. He took the chopsticks that were supplied with the lunch and ate slowly, savoring the flavors. He felt the food melt in his mouth and no matter how long he thought about it, he couldn’t fathom how the food stays fresh the entire time.
After he finished eating he felt extremely tired and stuffed. Mitsuba started giggling like a madman, “Oh my God. I am definitely taking Sakura’s advice and appreciating these lunches! I think I found a better cook than Kou!”
He looked at the empty bento box, blinking, “Do I throw this out or keep it?” He wondered out loud.
He decided to keep the box. Yawning, he looked at the beautiful sunflowers that came with the bento box. He took a flower and placed it in his hair, smiling. The sunflower in his hair made a beautiful contrast with his all-pink outfit. The flower also matched his yellow scarf.
He picked up his bag and walked back to school.
***
Mitsuba was not expecting Kou’s little sister to answer the door. Her stubby, little five-year-old hands opened the door, and she smiled happily, “Are you Mitsuba-chan!?”
“Um, yes?” Mitsuba answered. He wasn’t quite sure why Kou’s sister looked so fascinated to see him. He cleared his throat awkwardly, “Is Kou-kun here?”
“Yeah!” She shouted. Mitsuba had never met someone so full of life and energetic as Kou before. Teru was calmer than Kou was, so Mitsuba had assumed the same for Kou’s sister. The younger girl sighed, her tone sounding more serious, “Though, onii-chan is sick. I don’t know if you should visit him.”
“Oh, really? I’ll just come back another time-“
“Though!” She said, cutting off Mitsuba. She smiled, looking up at him, “You’re Mitsuba-chan! So take off your shoes and come in! You can visit.”
Mitsuba was a bit confused by what she meant, but he complied with her words. He took off his shoes and followed the girl into the large house.
He had just noticed what the girl was wearing. She had on a white blazer, a white skirt, and a white tank top underneath her blazer. Plus a nurse apron and hat on, with a plastic stethoscope around her neck. Mitsuba cleared his throat, “What’s up with the doctor stuff?”
The girl turned around, frowning, “Are you stupid or something?” She asked, “I’m Minamoto Tiara! I’m Minamoto Kou’s doctor for today!”
She gave a huge smile and pride filled her eyes, and Mitsuba almost started laughing in her face. If Tiara were any older he would’ve started laughing in her face. The resemblance between Kou and Tiara was just too much for Mitsuba.
“Oh, alright,” Mitsuba simply said. They reached Kou’s door and Mitsuba gently knocked. After a few moments the door creaked open, and Kou’s smiling face was there.
“Oh hey, Mitsuba-kun! Hi Tiara!” Kou greeted them. His usually bright blue eyes seemed duller, and his nose was red and stuffy. Even though it just looked like the common cold, Mitsuba was still surprised that Kou was actually sick.
“Dude, you look. So sick. Holy shit,” Mitsuba gasped quietly. Kou laughed awkwardly, sneezing afterward. Mitsuba stepped back, a look of disgust appearing on his face. Kou blinked and looked alarmed.
“I’m sorry! Did I get it on you?” Kou panicked, Mitsuba wiped off his shirt dramatically, shuddering. He patted himself down.
“No. You didn’t,” He frowned, “But sneeze into your arm next time!”
Kou spat out a bunch of apologies, and shoved Mitsuba away from him, “I’m sick! What are you doing here?”
“I just wanted to make sure you weren’t dying or anything, so I came to stop by. Also, I need to tell you about something!” Mitsuba chirped, smiling excitedly. He took out the cheesy love note that he stuffed in his pocket and unfolded it.
Kou’s eyes skimmed over the note and his cheeks turned a shade of red, and he gave the note back to Mitsuba. He rubbed his neck awkwardly, not making eye contact with Mitsuba, “Aww! That’s cute, so someone likes you?”
Mitsuba nodded his head happily, a clear smile on his face. Kou’s eyes seemed to light up, “Do you think they’ll reveal themself? Do you think you’ll like them back?”
Mitsuba hummed, pausing, “I don’t know actually,” he admitted truthfully. He giggled, “I’m assuming it’s a girl, so probably not.”
“What if it wasn’t?”
Mitsuba paused again at Kou’s question. He shrugged, “Maybe. I don’t really like anyone right now, so maybe they’d convince me. I need a boyfriend anyways.”
“Yeah you single bastard,” Kou teased, smiling awkwardly. Mitsuba punched him on the shoulder gently, which caused Kou to sneeze again.
Kou gasped lightly, “Oh I just realized!” He said, “My family is going to have to get takeout today or something. I can’t cook, I’ll get them all sick.”
“Takeout is hella good though, is there a problem?” Mitsuba asked, tilting his head. Kou sighed, giving Mitsuba a weak smile.
“Teru-nii says he prefers home-cooked food and Tiara refuses to eat takeout. They’re so used to my cooking, it’s a bit cute,” Kou chucked.
“Well, I can help cook. I’m not as good as you but-“
“Please,” Kou begged, grabbing Mitsuba’s hand and pulling him closer. Their noses almost touched and Mitsuba felt like he could see every detail of Kou’s face. Pretty blue eyes that always seemed full of life. His face started to heat up the longer he stared at Kou and his pleading eyes.
The moment was ruined by Kou sneezing on Mitsuba.
Mitsuba had to take off his pink sweater because of all of the gross snot on it. He wouldn’t stop whining and complaining about Kou sneezing and getting all his germs on him. He even made Kou get on his knees and apologize and beg for forgiveness.
Both boys had aprons on. Mitsuba said his specialty was sushi, and Kou got out the ingredients to make something small. Some seaweed, rice, fish, and cucumbers to chop up. Mitsuba hissed, shaking his hand in pain, “Fuck, my hand is cramping up. Why does this always happen when I cook?”
“Well, I noticed earlier but I didn’t say anything,” Kou started. He walked over to Mitsuba and stood behind him, leaning in to get a better view of the food being chopped. Mitsuba could feel Kou’s breathing on his ear and neck, and usually, he would complain and call Kou a pervert for getting so close to him, but this time he didn't mind. Kou continued speaking, using his hands to gently guide Mitsuba’s hands, “You’re holding the knife in an awkward position. It’s hurting your wrist. Hold it like this, alright?”
Mitsuba listened, continuing to chop the vegetable like how Kou instructed him to. He had expected Kou to move now, but he didn’t. He stayed behind Mitsuba, his face close to his neck and his hands on Mitsuba’s sides. Mitsuba could feel himself start to sweat the longer Kou stayed behind him. He cleared his throat, “Kou-kun…? Are you just going to stand behind me like a perv?”
“Shit- Sorry! I have a bad habit of doing that when I cook with other people,” Kou squeaked apologetically, backing away from Mitsuba. He turned away with a light blush on his cheeks and went back to handling his portion of the food. Suddenly, it kicked in, “Hey! I’m not a perv!”
“Yes, you are.”
“No, I am not!”
“Pervert Kou-kun! That’s a fitting name!”
“No, it’s not!”
“Then why’d you have your hands on my hips and breathing into my ear?”
“I only did that becau-”
“Kou…?”
Both boys turned around to see a confused Teru standing in the doorway. Their faces turned red as Kou quickly scrambled for an excuse, “W-We were just joking around and I know it sounds back but uh, food is ready! How about you go get Tiara and we all sit and eat? My friend Mitsuba-kun made something really nice. We should appreciate it!”
Teru blinked, looking tired. After a few seconds, he processed what Kou had said, “Oh! Is that Mitsuba-chan? Kou tells me a lot about you. You do have nice eye-”
“L-Let’s eat!” Kou yelped, his cheeks burning even redder.
The places were set on the table and the kids sat around. Tiara quickly started coughing down her food, but Teru reminded her to slow down. Teru cleared his throat and started up a conversation, “How long have you two been together?”
“Excuse me?” Mitsuba questioned, immediately looking up at Teru. He had stopped eating in shock. He looked over at Kou for an explanation, but the blonde’s head was turned away. Mitsuba looked back over at Teru, “What do you mean?”
“Oh, sorry. Forget I said anything. Didn’t know you two weren’t together yet,” Teru apologized with a smile. Mitsiba smiled back awkwardly. He quickly finished up his food and stood up, putting his dishes in the sink and washing them quickly.
He turned over to the Minamoto family, “I’m terribly sorry but it’s running late and I have to go. Goodnight!”
“Come back soon!” Tiara giggled and waved goodbye. She kicked her feet happily, “Thank you for the good food Mitsuba-chan!”
Teru and Kou wished him a safe trip home, and Mitsuba grabbed his bags and slipped on his shoes, and left.
His head was clouded with thoughts. He was glad he was able to take this late-night walk, he really needed some time to himself. He could feel his cheeks still warm from everything that had happened. The note, Kou, Teru’s question. Mitsuba was still thinking about the girl who had a crush on him and wrote him a cheesy letter.
Mitsuba figured he’d talk to Aoi about it tomorrow. She was popular, she knew a bunch of girls. But she probably knew a bunch of high school girls, not middle school girls. It ticked him off a bit that this stupid secret admirer was a secret, and didn’t have the balls to just confess her love to Mitsuba upfront.
God, he just needed a nice shower.
***
The shower water ran as Mitsuba stuck his hand in the water, waiting for the water to turn warm. Finally, it did and he stepped in, letting down his hair and grabbing soap. As he began to scrub himself down, something Teru said had still been bothering him.
“Didn’t know you two weren’t together yet.”
Yet.