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Initial position
There are a few things that Tetsuro considered dealbreakers and the guy in front of him embodied all of them. It was like the universe decided to create a human being specially to cater to all of his dislikes. To make matters worse it decided to arrange a date between the two, torturing Tetsuro with every minute he had to spend in that restaurant with him.
When his friends persuaded him to go on the date he still had hope. After all, he got enough confirmation from everybody on how they were suited perfectly for each other and how they couldn’t see it not working out. Tetsuro thought he needed better friends because clearly they didn’t know him at all.
The guy in front of him poked around in his food and lazily ate one or to bites. Like he did for the rest of the evening already, he still didn’t try to start or even keep a conversation. Or showed any other signs of interest for that matter. Tetsuro sighed. This was going to be a long evening. He thought back on how he arrived.
Dealbreaker 1: no eye-contact
Tetsuro had arrived at the restaurant a bit out of breath and apologized at least a thousand times. The train was running late which left him hurrying the long way from the station to the restaurant.
As it turned out, the only redeeming quality about the guy was his own punctuality. Plus, he didn’t really care about Tetsuro being late. A closer look after the quick one-over of the guy confirmed Tetsuro‘s suspicions that he was indeed very good looking.
Black hair, which was previously bleached but left untouched for a seemingly long time, covered most of his face. Under strands of hair Tetsuro could make out a fine nose, catlike and observing eyes in a light brown, almost yellow. Judging only by looks this guy was exactly his type.
There is always a downside. So it didn’t surprise Tetsuro much when he discovered a huge red flag right from the start.
While the man in front of him didn’t care much about Tetsuro being late, he also didn’t care about anything else about him. So much so that he didn’t even make eye contact.
No matter what Tetsuro tried, he didn’t manage to see right into the eyes he previously admired. It was like the boy in front of him had a personal vendetta against him and denied him the right to make eye contact.
After trying very hard for a long time, Tetsuro gave up. Maybe the guy had some issues with his eyes and didn’t make eye contact as a rule. But the waiters were denied eye contact as well, so Tetsuro had to ditch that theory. He already had enough of the date. As he was saying, not looking each other in the eyes while talking was an absolute dealbreaker for him.
Tetsuro enjoyed a fairly good upbringing and had pretty good manners, generally speaking. He did like to rile people up and be a bit rude from time to time but that was usually not in the context of a first date. Usually, Tetsuro knew when it was reasonable to be on his best behavior and when he was allowed to act up a bit.
That’s why he didn’t get up and leave right then and there. He did promise his friends to go on this blind date and he had to admit that the guy looked way too good to not give him a second chance.
So, Tetsuro stayed.
Dealbreaker 2: can’t keep up a conversation
It’s possible to have a conversation without having eye contact. Or it should be physically possible. It wasn’t with this dude. No matter how hard Tetsuro tried, no conversation lasted longer than a simple answer. Not a single conversation was engaging.
While he did answer all of Tetsuro’s questions, although with very short answers, he never asked questions himself. Now, Tetsuro was a patient man but there was just no way he could subject himself to a whole meal without a functioning conversation. Eating in silence was a terror he didn’t want to live through.
Unfortunately, the waiter already showed up and took their orders. Tetsuro couldn’t leave now. Hating himself for not leaving immediately after the first dealbreaker, he tried desperately to ask more question and maybe find a topic they both found at least a little interesting so they could talk about it.
Patiently Tetsuro asked question after question, revealed interesting facts about himself and joked around. The mood didn’t change, and it was awkward at best, horrific at worst.
He did find out that his date was a year younger than him and was currently taking a few courses in college. The guy apparently studied business and game design. Which was a weird combination if Tetsuro thought more about it. He didn’t mention that and asked on.
By the time dinner arrived, Tetsuro knew that his date liked cats more than dogs. Another red flag, he thought to himself. Everybody who preferred cats over dogs was clearly a psychopath. He knew because of Yaku. He chuckled to himself which earned him a judging stare from the guy.
‘Judge all you want’, Tetsuro thought to himself and smirked at his companion. The smaller man rolled his eyes (still not looking into Tetsuro’s) and concentrated on his food again.
Dealbreaker 3: shows no interest
As Tetsuro suspected, the guy had no interest in anything Tetsuro was talking about. He simply didn’t care. The only reaction he gave to confirm he was even listening was either a nod or shake of his head. Occasionally he graced Tetsuro with some random phrases like “nice”, “cool” or “that’s stupid”.
The before mentioned lack of eye contact and his failure to talk about anything Tetsuro tried to bring up just confirmed to him that the guy next to him had no interest in being here. Maybe he didn’t want to go on that blind date. Or maybe he did, just not with Tetsuro.
Tetsuro ignored the slight pain in his heart when he imagined the guy not having the least bit attraction to him, emotional or physical. Just because you like his looks doesn’t mean he has to like yours too. As for the emotional connection: clearly the dislike and disinterest were mutual.
The complete lack of interest was his third dealbreaker. It should be for everyone in Tetsuro’s humble opinion. His takeaway from this date was that you should run away as soon as the first red flag appears. Even when your friends set the date up. Even when they promised you that you would like the person. Even when your date is gorgeous.
Deep in his thoughts, he almost missed it. His date finally spoke up for the first time.
“Kuro, let’s ask for the bill.”
Of course. Why did he even hope that the guy would redeem himself. Firstly, he only spoke to him because he wanted to go. He probably wanted Tetsuro to pay as well. They always do. Maybe Tetsuro shouldn’t show up in an expensive suit for his dates. But that’s besides the point.
The second point was the clear mispronunciation of his name. The guy didn’t even pay enough attention to say it right and completely ditched any form of honorifics. The lack of manners stunned Tetsuro into silence.
Now, this really hurt Tetsuro’s pride. He could admit to not being the most good-looking guy or at least to not being the guy’s type. And his personality certainly wasn’t for everyone. Some even say he could be a bit pretentious. But he wasn’t THAT uninteresting. He wasn’t at least worth simple honorifics.
When the bill came, Tetsuro took out his credit card only to see the other guy already paying. Color him surprised. He was almost ready to give the man another chance because for some reason Tetsuro doesn’t learn from his mistakes when it concerns pretty boys. But like already said. He almost did it. Almost. Too many dealbreakers.
Dealbreaker 4: Always on the phone
As soon as they got up and left the restaurant the guy took out his phone and furiously typed away, forgetting his surroundings including Tetsuro. It was like Tetsuro didn’t exist anymore.
Tetsuro was on his phone fairly often. He worked a lot and his phone helped him keep everything under control. And he liked being in contact with his friends.
But even he knew when it wasn’t the time to be on the phone. A perfect example for a situation where it wasn’t a good idea is a date.
This rule didn’t seem to matter to his date as he continued scrolling. Tetsuro let out a sigh and looked around for the bus stop. Any minute longer on this date shortened his will to live considerably.
“Let’s go to the bus.”, he simply stated and walked away. The guy nodded and followed him. It was a bit awkward going into the same direction but whatever. He would never see this guy again.
Normally, he would propose to go to the cinema or something but that was something for dates he actually enjoyed and not for whatever this was.
Silently they walked to the stop. His date didn’t lift his eyes from his phone. A wonder he didn’t walk into poles. Or other people. Maybe he had a sensor inside him. It seemed like the guy walked a lot with the phone in front of his face because he was very skilled at it.
Tetsuro considered taking out his phone as well but decided against it. He wouldn’t sink to that level. He would show how it’s done right.
He studied the guy while they walked towards the bus stop. It really was a shame that his personality sucked. He was quite a bit shorter than Tetsuro, just how he liked it. The longer hair complimented his features and once again Tetsuro was reminded on how pretty the guy was.
Soon enough they reached the bus stop and Tetsuro studied the announcement board to find out when the next bus would arrive. They had to wait around ten minutes. Would he survive? Tetsuro decided that he was a fighter and he couldn’t give up this close to the end. He would finish this date and complain about it to his friends.
He lasted five minutes without talking. He just wasn’t a guy to keep silent, even when his input wasn’t wished for.
Dealbreaker 5: No ambition?
Out of desperation Tetsuro asked his date one last question. He didn’t know why and he didn’t expect an answer. It wouldn’t matter in the end. There were so many dealbreakers already. This was a terrible blind date. He never went on a worse one. He couldn’t believe his own ears when the question left his mouth.
“So, what are your goals for the future?” Tetsuro was sure that the guy wouldn’t have any goals, he didn’t seem like the ambitious type. But you never know.
The guy looked up from his phone, confusion visible on his face. Clearly, he didn’t expect another question, especially not one like this. For the first time this evening he looked directly into Tetsuro’s eyes.
Tetsuro should have been glad that the guy didn’t do that sooner because, god, those eyes were beautiful. A spark alighted inside those eyes as his date, finally, gave an answer that was longer than three words and consisted of two sentences.
“If we’re talking short-term goals I guess I would like to hit five million subs on YouTube.”
Five million? That was a big goal. Nearly unreachable for normal people like them. Especially as a short-term goal. But as it was the first time his date showed any sign of passion for anything Tetsuro kept up the conversation, trying to keep out the skepticism from his voice.
“That’s a lot. Probably will take you a longer time. Are you sure that‘s your short-term goal?“
The guy shrugged and averted his eyes again. Tetsuro had to stop himself from screaming. Even if the eye contact lasted for such a short time he had been entranced. He was devastated going back to no eye contact. But instead of getting to see the pretty eyes, he got rewarded with another answer. Which was fine too, he guessed.
“I have only a few thousand left.”
“I’m sorry, what?”
“I only need a few thousand subscribers to reach the goal. I guess my next goal is ten million?”
“You’re shitting me, right?”
“Why should I?”
“Nearly five million?”
“You can look it up. The channel name is Kodzuken.”
No way in hell. Never before had Tetsuro taken out his phone this fast. He opened the YouTube app and wrote ‘Kodzuken’ into the search bar. The first channel that popped up indeed showed that it had nearly five million subscribers. He clicked on the channel and low and behold. The profile pic showed his date in a low man bun, wearing cat headphones and grinning into the camera.
“That’s you?”, a stunned Tetsuro asked again even though the answer was clear as day.
“Obviously”
“Oh my god, that’s crazy. That means you’re famous. No wonder you didn’t have any interest in me.”, Tetsuro murmured to himself.
“What do you mean?” Big eyes looked up to him in confusion.
Tetsuro shifted his focus towards the guy and repeated what he said before. The confusion didn’t leave the face of the smaller guy.
“But that’s not true?” A blush appeared on the guy’s face and he looked embarrassed. His eyes focused on his shoes, clearly uncomfortable by the situation.
“How in the world is that not true?”, Tetsuro questioned further. He tried hard not to react to the blush on the face of his date. He shouldn’t find it this cute. He really shouldn’t.
“You never made eye contact, you didn’t want to hold a conversation and showed no interest in me. As soon as we left the restaurant you took out your phone and ignored me.”
For the first time the guy showed a hint of emotions. He almost sounded angry when he responded to Tetsuro’s accusations: “I didn’t mean to!”
Why the hell was he getting angry at Tetsuro? “Excuse me? How the hell didn’t you mean that? The signs were clear. Who wouldn’t assume that you have no interest? How would you even interpret that differently?”
The guy’s eyes glanced around and he sighed in frustration. How daring. If anything, Tetsuro could sigh in frustration.
“I’m shy. I don’t like other people. They make me anxious. That’s why my friends told me to go on a blind date. They said this guy would be perfect for me. That’s you by the way.”
“I figured.”, Tetsuro replied but already turned the answer he just got around in his head. The guy was shy and anxious?
“Anyways, I thought this would be just a shitty blind date so I was pretty stunned when you showed up. It’s like they looked into my head and recreated the man of my dreams in 3D. You’re way too handsome.”
Was Tetsuro hearing right? Did he just got blessed with a compliment? He tried hard not to freak out and concentrated on the rest of the guy’s explanation.
“That didn’t help with my shyness and I had a hard time talking. I didn’t use my phone because it’s not a good thing during a date. I resisted, even though I desperately wanted to ask my friends for advice. When we left the restaurant, you seemed pretty put off by me, so I thought it didn’t really matter anymore.
I asked them for advice on the way here but in the end, I was too shy to act on it because you didn’t seem the least bit interested in me anymore.”
The guy concentrated on the sign that announced the arrival of the next bus. Tetsuro was too stunned to speak.
Evaluation
“How in the world was I supposed to gather that?”, Tetsuro finally stated when he regained the ability to speak.
A tortured expression appeared on the guy’s face and he shrugged his shoulders. It looked cute. Damn him. Tetsuro shouldn’t be swayed by looks but he was tempted, once again, to give this guy another chance just because of physical attraction.
“If it means anything, I’m really sorry about everything. I can assure you that you did nothing wrong and I was really interested in you. Or still am, actually. I just never thought you would even think about my interest in you when you’re clearly not interested in me.”
“Now hold up!”, Tetsuro disrupted the guy and caught the way he took in a breath. Then he repeated what he heard before out of the mouth of his date: “What do you mean?”
The guy frowned and repeated his last few sentences in an unsure and questioning way: “I said I was sorry about everything. And that I was too shy to act because I was interested in you.”
The bus arrived and the door opened. The guy’s eyes quickly flickered towards it but ended up focusing on Tetsuro in the end. One second passed. Two seconds passed. After another few seconds the doors closed and the bus drove away. If the guy was irritated by that, he didn’t let on.
Tetsuro had needed the time to reach a conclusion. Which he did. He didn’t know if it was the wrong one but, in the end, it could only go better from here. He might have to reevaluate the whole date.
“Do you want to watch a movie with me?”
“Do I… want to watch a movie with you?”
“That’s what I said.”
The eyes of his date widened as he understood the underlying message behind the question. A shy smile appeared on his face and Tetsuro had to stop himself from staring too much. It wasn’t fair how good the guy looked with a genuine smile on his face.
Tetsuro smiled back and scratched the back of his head.
“Yeah, let’s do it. Let’s watch a movie together.”, the guy accepted the invitation with conviction. Tetsuro grinned happily.
“I’m Kuroo Tetsuro by the way. You said my name wrong before. And honorifics aren’t in your vocabulary apparently. You have to look out, someone might think you’re rude.” Tetsuro didn’t hide behind good manners anymore, he just let his thoughts out. They were past niceties anyway after everything that happened.
A faint blush appeared on the guy’s cheeks and he looked away. “Sorry for pronouncing your name wrong. It sounds cute though, right? As for the honorifics: I just hate the system of respecting everyone older than you simply because they’re older. Honorifics should be something you have to earn. You can just use my first name.”
His mispronounced name sounded what? But Tetsuro had to grin. Slowly, he could see why his friends set him up with this guy. Maybe they were a good fit after all.
“Well, then let’s start anew. My name is Kuro. Nice to meet you.”
His date grinned now too, catching what Tetsuro tried to do.
“Nice to meet you, Kuro. I’m Kenma.”