Archive of Our Own

"Alright," Arashi began, "how about this, then? We print ourselves out on Valentine's Day cards, write cute love puns on them, and then we sign them all. That would be sure to get our fans' attention, no?" Her voice was coated in bitter frustration, long manicured nails tapping impatiently into the wooden surface of the practice room's kotatsu. 

"Mmm, no, how about we..." Ritsu's voice trailed off, "...ah, never mind. I forgot what I was gonna say."

"My, my, Ritsu-chan, you're not helping one bit."

Tsukasa tapped his pen against the sheet of paper laid flat on the table's surface. On it was a bullet pointed list of ideas that'd been haphazardly crossed out with a few lines of black ink, and each line was drawn with notably more vigor than the last as the list of discarded proposals grew. "We have to decide on something soon. 'Valentine's Day' is imminent, and we need to allow ourselves plenty of time to prepare for the event. Who knows what will happen to the reputation of 'Knights' if we don't do something special for our fans?"

Izumi scoffed.

"Can't we just make Valentine's chocolates like the other units? You all are so indecisive, and it's soooo annoying!" He crossed his arms, an eyebrow cocked upward in vexation. "We'll never get anywhere at this rate. As a matter of fact, we'd be better off just not doing anything! At least that'd be better than sitting here bickering."

Arashi slumped her shoulders, planting her cheek defeatedly on the table. "You all are no fun! No fun at all! Valentine's Day is a golden opportunity for fanservice, and it only comes around once a year. This is our chance to prove what Knights is capable of outside of our performances, so you all need to take this more seriously~!"

Ritsu sighed softly.

"Wish Tsukippi wasn't busy right now... Maybe he'd be able to think of something..."

A few beats of silence passed. The tension was becoming unbearable. It wasn't uncommon for Knights to quarrel like this, but that fact didn't take away the uneasy feeling that would always permeate the room when these disagreements would occur. It's not that they wanted to fight, but since they all stemmed from such vastly different walks of life, their two cents always looked different.

Another moment of silence, coupled only by the sound of the lights buzzing overhead.

"Wait..."

Arashi's eyes widened, their violet shade glimmering with an epiphany.

"I've got it!"

---------------

"You're still in here, Isara?"

Keito entered the room with a stack of thin books tucked in his arm. He slid thin glasses up the bridge of his nose with help of his middle finger. 

"Ah, Hasumi-senpai..." Mao let out a yawn, readjusting his grip on the pen that had grown limp in his hand as he succumbed to his tiredness. "Yeah, sorry, uh... I was just going through all the last minute applications for Valentine's Day activities. I was about to call Anzu over to help approve some ideas so that we can move on to planning the events."

"Well, everyone's gone home already, even Miss Producer. Make sure you take your leave soon as well."

"Oh, that so? Huh... I guess time flies when you're busy..."

"Yes, that's true. You shouldn't be afraid to ask for help, you know. That's what the other Student Council members are for."

"Ah, yeah, you're right..." Reddish hair tousled under Mao's fingers as he scratched the back of his head. "Uhm, since you mentioned it, would it be okay if I asked for help real quick? There's just one thing I need your opinion on..."

"Hm?"

Mao began shuffling through a stack of papers, murmuring a frivolous, "Where did I put it?" followed by a quiet, "I think it's in here..."

A few moments of foraging later, he pulled out a thin stack of papers bound together with a paperclip. "Right here, could you take a look at this for me? Just tell me what you think."

The younger boy held out the documents towards Keito, who responded by grabbing them and turning them over in his hand.

"Hmm..." After scanning the page's contents, he started to reaffirm its information out loud. "A love advice style phone-in broadcast arranged by Knights. Viewers of the broadcast will be given a phone number to call, where they can anonymously ask the members of Knights about anything and everything related to love...?"

The pitch of Keito's voice raised at his sentence's end, as if he were phrasing it like a question.

"Well, it's a unique idea, I'll give it that." Keito handed the papers back to Mao. "We do have to consider the setup for this kind of thing, however."

"That's what I was thinking. It'd be interesting to do something like this, though, since it's such a unique idea. Plus, Knights already did a lot of the planning in this paperwork."

"That's true, the paperwork seemed quite thorough... The members of Knights must have really put a lot into their planning. But, considering our budget..."

"What if we fundraise? I'm sure that'd cover the costs of getting a temporary phone line, maybe even some decorations?"

"I'm not sure if we have enough time to fundraise. Additionally, this is the kind of event that performs better as a surprise, don't you think? It's first-come-first-serve, so it's better to not give the fans time to prepare, or else they might get ten phones ready and call the line all at once."

Mao chewed on the skin of his cheek.

Keito continued, "How about this: I'll propose the idea to Eichi tonight, and I'll let you know what he decides tomorrow morning. Then you and Anzu can begin your planning with Knights. I'm sure you've already gone through the other applications as well, so I'll leave the activity arrangements to you."

"Really? Thanks a bunch, Hasumi-senpai! I'll get everything figured out, I promise."

"Very well." Keito nodded. "It's refreshing to see someone with this much diligence. Good work, Isara."

"Aww, haha... It's nothing, really. I guess I just like holiday prep."

A faint smile tugged at Keito's lips. "I see. Speaking of, what will Trickstar being doing for Valentine's Day?"

"Oh, us? Well, it took a lot of brainpower to actually come up with something... We were going through ideas for a couple hours the other day."

Mao put his pen down and lifted his arms over his head in a stretch. He drew in a breath, a short grunt following.

"We decided on something easier, so we're just gonna do autographs like normal, but we're gonna write them on themed cards. Subaru and Hokuto said they'd get the printing done."

Mao started to level a messy stack of papers against the surface of his desk.

"I planned on scheduling the signing for some time before the Knights event so that Makoto could help set up the broadcast. I asked him about it earlier, and he agreed to do it if this whole thing gets accepted, so that's the plan."

"Well, best of luck, then. I'm sure everything will go smoothly." Keito's attention returned to the books in his arm, which was the reason he entered student council room in the first place. "Ah, I only stopped by to drop off these books, so I'll be on my way now. Make sure to pack up soon."

"Alright. Thanks again for the help."

---------------

"Why do I have to be one of the hosts...?"

Ritsu's arms were crossed, bottom lip protruding from his face in a pout, and Arashi swore she wouldn't have been able to distinguish the difference between this and babysitting a toddler.

"Ritsu-chan, quit sulking and put on your costume. The broadcast is starting soon."

"I'm so tired... I can barely keep my eyes open. I want to sleep."

"You can sleep all you want once we're done, okay?"

"Ugh," the boy groaned, resting his chin on the surface of the dressing room table. Saying he didn't want to do this was an understatement. He really didn't want to do this. He dreaded the idea of having to sit still for hours, answering the calls of desperate fangirls and fanboys on an equally desperate holiday.

For as long as he could remember, Ritsu Sakuma spent Valentine's Day alone.

He'd constantly remark that celebrating it was cheesy--the sending and receiving of chocolates, love notes, all that stuff--and never really had a desire to partake in Valentine's related anything. Why limit the affection you show someone to someone you love to just one day? If you really loved them, Ritsu would argue, then you'd do these kinds of lovey-dovey things for them all the time.

This, along with the grossly enormous surge in PDA, never ceased to make Ritsu feel lonelier than ever, too. He'd click his tongue and keep walking and pretend that the prominent vein protruding from beneath the skin of his forehead wasn't there because he felt indignant.

Stupid show-offs, he'd remark, get a room, he'd remark.

But, of course, it wasn't like he was jealous or anything. No, no, he'd never be jealous over something so trivial. That would be idiotic. He'd especially never be envious of a stranger--that would be even more idiotic.

Or well, at least, that's what he convinced himself.

In all truth, there was a real reason Ritsu neglected to celebrate Valentine's Day. It was a reason in which he hadn't yet come to terms with, maybe for save of his own embarrassment. Either that, or he set aside the notion so that he simply wouldn't have to think about it, since thinking about it was... painful, in a way. Not physically painful, but rather a kind of pulsating ache in his heart. He didn't like that feeling. He pushed it aside.

As much as he hated to admit, the reason had bright moss green eyes, wore clipped back bangs, and was the student council president of Yumenosaki Academy.

It's just that, despite Ritsu's attempts to drop subtle (and not-so-subtle) hints, Mao just wouldn't get the memo.

Words like, "Good job, Maa-kun, you always work so hard," and, "I love you, Maa-kun, more than anyone else," and, "Let's get married someday, Maa-kun," just weren't enough. His feelings were swept under the rug.

Ritsu had come to accept it, though; the Maa-kun he held so dearly to his heart was always busy, and he wouldn't have time for something like love--especially not for stupid holidays like Valentine's Day.

It wasn't Mao's fault. But that didn't make it hurt any less.

All this made him hate lovey-dovey everything.

Ritsu sighed at the thought.

All he wanted was to rest peacefully under the warmth of a kotatsu, snacking on mikans, doing nothing, thinking about nothing, and you know, actually trying to gain energy instead of expending what little of it he had on tasks like these, tasks that he ultimately deemed unworthy of his attention.

The next few minutes following Ritsu's whines were filled with idle chatter from the members of Knights as they applied makeup and had their costumes' tailoring adjusted slightly by Kuro and Shu's intricate eye for detail. Anzu made conversation with Tsukasa about future plans within the unit (a conversation that somehow also included the mention of various sweets that Tsukasa enjoyed, followed by a quick apology for bringing it up, and an attempt to change the subject before it would be somehow be brought up again anyway).

This moderate tranquility was, however, interrupted by the sound of the door flying open on its hinges.

"I've arrived!"

Leo Tsukinaga, with a voice just barely louder than his flashy appearance, stood excited in the doorframe.

"I'm not late, right?" He scratched the back of his neck, his other hand planted firmly on his hip.

"No, do not worry, Ou-sama. If you get ready swiftly, we should be just fine," Tsukasa reassured.

Kuro led the redhead to his costume, which he cheerfully grabbed and dressed into with an equal amount of vigor.

Ritsu watched this whole ordeal transpire through tired, half-lidded eyes. A tingling formed in the back of his throat and the tip of his nose, a feeling that could only be satisfied by a deep yawn. He wanted to fight it, since his head was starting to ache from how much he'd been yawning, but the desire to stretch his jaw won the battle.

A series of small pokes bothered the side of Ritsu's arm. He sluggishly turned his head to face its source.

"Ritsu-chan," Arashi spoke quietly, leaning in towards him, "are you okay? If you really don't want to do this, that's okay. You don't have to push your limits."

"No, it's fine..." Ritsu leaned his head onto her shoulder, sleepiness tugging at his eyelids as if they were being weighed down by anvils. "I guess I just really don't like this holiday."

"Mmm," Arashi hummed, "well, that's alright. It isn't for everyone, I suppose."

"What are you talking about, Kuma-kun? How could you not like Valentine's Day?" Izumi chimed in, examining his own face in a compact mirror. He snapped it closed. "This is one of the few days of the year that people are given the opportunity to let their relationships flourish. Giving someone you love handmade chocolate is the most romantic thing you could ever do! That's why I went ahead and gave my beloved Yuu-kun a box of the finest French chocolates! An assortment of noir e lait, encased in an expensive red velvet box, decorated with a series of white bows to symbolize the purity of my love..."

Arashi chuckled lightly. "Oh my, I saw a box just like that in the trash can earlier."

"W-What?!"

"Secchan," Ritsu interjected, "someone like you just wouldn't get it. You're always caught up in your feelings about that Yuu-kun... It's bothersome... I don't care about love. I could care less. Relationships, dating, love, I just don't care about any of it." Ritsu dipped his head down, a soft shadow forming over the concave of his eyes. "Valentine's Day is stupid, all of this, it's all so stupid that it makes me want to throw up."

Ritsu stood up, his words accompanied by the sound of chair legs squeaking against tiled floors. With both hands stuffed firmly into the pockets of his pants, Ritsu made his way towards the door. Arashi and Izumi followed him with their gazes.

"Ritsu-chan-" Arashi barely managed to say, interrupted by the door slamming closed.

"What was that?" Izumi half-scoffed, feathering strands of hair out of his eyes. "Is he suffering from unrequited love or something? That was sad to watch."

"Yes, yes. You would know all about that, wouldn't you?"

"What the hell?"

---------------

"Oi, Makoto. How are things looking?"

Makoto craned his neck, taking a quick glance at the figure in the doorway through blue-rimmed glasses.

"Ah, Isara-kun! Good timing. Everything's almost ready, I'm just doing a few final preparations. I wasn't sure which music mix to go with, but I think I'll go with the more mellow one, since it kinda adds to the romantic vibes."

"Yeah, I agree. Are those the records that Anzu and Shinobu helped you pick out?"

"Yep! We ended up going with a few different options, though, so that's where I was having trouble. I think if the broadcast is long enough, I'll try playing one of these other mixes."

"Sounds good to me." Mao looked down at his watch, hesitant to admit that he was nervous for some reason. "Hey, Makoto, do you need anything? I can get you something to drink from the vending machine maybe? I'm just... I'm really glad you agreed to help with this broadcast even though you knew we had autographs to do right before, but I'm not sure how to repay you."

"Ahh, no, don't worry about me. I want to become someone my friends can rely on, so I don't mind working hard like this. Plus, I would've just gone home and played video games after the signing, anyway, so this is a better use of my time."

"Well, alright... If you say so..."

Mao lingered in the room for a little bit longer, leaning his weight against the broadcasting room walls as his thumb swiped away through comments under the new post about this event on the official Knights social media.

SO EXCITEDDDD !!!!

i hope arashi or ritsu answer my call T_T

if i call and izumi answers i will die and go to heaven

Love advice from Knights sounds interesting !

Why was his heart beating so fast?

It was probably the fact that this was all so new, and Mao was anxious to know how everything would play out.

Yeah, that's it.

"Okay," Makoto clapped his hands, rubbing them together, a slight grin painting his features. "Looks like the phone line's all set up now. I just need to adjust this asset's placement a little, and... Alright! Everything's just about done, then. All we have to do is wait for the say-so and we're live."

Mao's gaze lifted from his phone and he turned his attention to the live preview on the screen in front of Makoto.

The members of Knights were sat at a table decorated with a pink tablecloth, varying sizes of heart-shaped confetti, presumably empty boxes of chocolate, and cute stuffed teddy bears holding hearts. Each member had a bubblegum pink or cherry red rotary phone propped up in front of them. They were only for show, since the call would be playing from speakers in the room for everyone to hear, but they were a cute detail nonetheless.

For some reason, Mao couldn't take his eyes off of Ritsu.

From the way his red-painted fingernails tapped against the tablecloth in wait, to the pink heart shaped pins decorating his contrastingly black hair, the Valentine-y pink and maroon colored costume he adorned... and, was he crazy, or was he seeing red eyeshadow? He just looked... so damn cute.

Oh, God.

Mao's breath caught in his throat.

"Isara-kun, are you feeling alright? You look really red all of the sudden--is it a fever?"

"W-What? No, I'm okay. I'm fine."

Makoto's phone dinged in his pocket. He took it out and glared at the screen.

"Ah, that's Anzu. She said everything's ready to go live." The blonde smiled. "This is exciting! We've never done anything like this before. I hope there aren't any complications."

"Makoto, wait," Mao interrupted. "Uh..."

"Hm?"

Mao was starting to get flustered now. The way Ritsu looked paired with the nerves of the situation already biting at him, everything, it was just too much.

Mao wasn't sure why he wanted to stop Makoto from pressing that 'go live' button so bad. Actually, he wasn't sure of any of the foreign emotions that were pervading him at that moment.

That's why his heart started to do all the thinking; not his brain.

"What if I want to call?"

"...Huh?"

Mao's face grew impossibly red. "I-I meant, uh," he stuttered, "just, like, hypothetically. I don't want to call, like, it's not that I would, but if I were to, then..."

Makoto raised an eyebrow. "Uhh, well..."

Mao gulped, watching in sheer embarrassment as Makoto searched for the right response.

"I mean, if you want to call, it's not like you can't... You'll just have to get lucky and see if your call is the one that gets answered. I, uh, don't know if I'd recommend it, though..." Makoto scratched the back of his neck. "You have a pretty recognizable voice, even over the phone. You could get into trouble if anyone found out you called, since you helped organize the broadcast. They might accuse you of cheating the system or something."

"Oh... Yeah, you're right. I don't really know what I was thinking. Sorry."

Makoto paused for a moment, exchanging glances between the screen and Mao. "Isara-kun, if you want," he started, "I can install a voice modulator for you. If you really wanted to make a call, that is. I won't tell anyone it's you."

"Wait, what? You can do that? You would do that?"

"Yeah, of course! I had a feeling you might be worried about Ritsu-kun, after all~"

"W-What are you talking about? I'm not worried, I just wanted to try calling, just to... I dunno, try it out..."

"Right, right. Whatever you say."

---------------

"Welcome one, welcome all, beloved fans of 'Knights'! We are ecstatic to see you all tuning into Yumenosaki's first broadcast of Valentine Hotline."

Tsukasa's voice was chipper. He was sat in the middle of the table, and the other members of Knights were sat on either side of him.

"The rules are simple. Very soon, we will display a phone number on the screen. In a first-come-first-serve style race, any viewer is permitted to dial the number for a chance to be the first on the phone with us."

Tsukasa gestured to his left, where Arashi was sitting, and passed the floor onto her.

"Yes, yes, exciting, isn't it~? If any lucky viewer lands a call, they are free to ask anything love-related at their discretion. Additionally, this viewer can also choose which member they'd prefer to answer. Fufu~ I'm excited just thinking about it."

Izumi cleared his throat.

"All we ask is that every caller is mature, and let it be known that every phone call is closely monitored to avoid spam or inappropriate behavior. Please be on your best behavior, since we have no problem ending the broadcast at any time, which would ruin the fun for everyone else."

"Hahaha! Intimidating as ever, Sena! ☆" Leo put a hand on Izumi's shoulder, shaking him around playfully. Izumi's face scrunched up in irritation.

"Get your hand off of me, idiot! You're so annoying!" 

"I'm sure your love advice is gonna be great! Someone call for Sena so he can show you how to be a cute tsundere~!"

"Ugh, shut up!"

"Now, now," Arashi interjected, "there's no need to fight. The broadcast has barely started and you both are already at one another's throats! Seriously, what am I gonna do with you two..."

The first thing Mao noticed in the first few minutes of the livestream was how quiet Ritsu was.

It wasn't that it was particularly uncharacteristic of the boy to be quiet, but Mao knew him better than anyone. He knew that the way his shoulders were slumped and the way he chewed on the skin of his lip meant something was wrong. Something was bothering him.

All of Knights were talking, laughing, but there sat Ritsu, his eyes downturned almost dejectedly. Mao's expression mirrored his the longer he wore that melancholic mien.

Mao wanted to reach through the screen and hold him,

tell him everything would be okay,

and that whatever was getting him down,

he could talk to him about it,

and Mao could help him,

and, oh. He didn't realize he was saying all that out loud.

Luckily he wasn't in the same room as Makoto anymore. Once they double, triple, and quadruple checked that the voice modulator was working fine, Mao found his way into an empty clubroom for 'privacy', aka, to save his ass from Makoto's potentially judgmental glare.

Mao tuned his attention back into the livestream. His fingers were interlaced and rested tensely on his leg, which was actively attempting to expel his nerves by shaking rapidly.

"We're about to display the number! I hope you all are ready, because I sure am~! I can't wait to see what kind of questions you all have."

Arashi clasped her hands together, her voice sing-songy and brimming with a notable excitement.

Mao braced himself. His phone was ready in his hand, opened up to the number keypad.

He felt like an idiot. This is how stans act, he thought, cringing, not an already well-established idol.

Whatever. No one will know.

"Five," Tsukasa started to count, "Four..."

Izumi continued the countdown.

"Three..."

Then Leo.

"Two..."

And, for the first time in the livestream, Ritsu spoke up.

"One."

Mao's hand-eye coordination had never worked with him so vigorously. He typed with near superhuman speed as the phone number faded into view.

He thumbed the green dial icon shakily and held the phone up to his ear.

It ringed once, twice, another time...

His eyes were glued to the laptop screen in front of him that displayed the broadcast.

"Our first caller! Welcome, welcome! Please introduce yourself!"

"H-Hello? Hello?! Oh my God, oh my God! My name's Aya, it's an honor!"

Mao sighed outwardly, a loud, "damn it!" following suit. 

He wasn't sure how he thought he'd beat the odds, and felt a little weird getting upset over it.

His thumb hesitated over the 'end call' button.

"If your call wasn't answered, stay on the line! We'll be answering calls in the order they were dialed."

Izumi inspected his own fingernails. "Maybe we should've clarified that in the beginning."

The chat box that suddenly started picking up speed, displaying a multitude of angry responses, seemed to agree.

"So, Aya-chan," Arashi started, "what would you like to ask?"

"U-Uhm, I'd like to ask you, Arashi... There's this boy I like in my class, but I'm too nervous to tell him. We've been good friends for a really long time, so I don't want to ruin our friendship. What should I do?"

Arashi raised a hand to her chin in thought.

"Mmm, I see, I see. There's only three outcomes: you could say nothing and remain friends, you could tell him how you feel and him feel the same and you start dating, or you could tell him how you feel and he rejects you. In the worst case scenario, you lose him as a friend, but that's not always the case, you see. You have to think, 'how much do I cherish this friendship in comparison to a potential relationship? How much would I lose if we stopped being friends?' I think after a bit of reflection there, you might come to find your answer."

"W-Wow, you're right! Thank you so much, Arashi! I love you!"

"I love you right back, Aya-chan! Now, who's our next caller?"

Mao was still tense as ever. 

His phone lay flat on the desk with the speaker on in case, by some kind of miracle, he was the next caller.

He knew it wouldn't happen, but he still clung onto that little thread of hope.

"Hello?"

"Hello, lucky caller!"

"Oh, wow, I didn't expect to actually get on here, haha."

"Well, here you are. What's your question?"

"I wanted to ask..."

Three or four calls later, Mao had stopped paying attention, was when the hope was really starting to dwindle.

The reality of the situation was making him unnecessarily embarrassed.

He didn't know why he was still watching.

He didn't know why he refused to hang up the phone.

All he wanted was to let Ritsu know how he felt. He figured confessing indirectly would be much easier, too.

How did he really feel, though? It was so difficult to put into words. This was all just too much.

"Ughhh," Mao groaned, throwing his head into his hands. "This is idiotic. I'm just gonna hang up."

"Next caller!"

Mao flinched.

The sound didn't come from his computer this time.

It came from his phone.

His eyes widened.

"Hello? Next caller?"

"U-Uhm?! Y-Yes, hello!"

Mao couldn't believe his eyes... ears? Both? He couldn't believe any of his senses--they all seemed to be fooling him, as if nothing were real.

Everything went completely numb, a feeling akin to floating as his heart pumped blood throughout every vein in his body at 200 bpm.

"Oh, wow," Izumi scoffed, "that's quite the heavy voice modifier you've got there. Don't tell me you're gonna try saying something weird. Just a reminder that these calls are monitored, and no, that's not just a threat."

"No, no, I-I'm, uhm..." Mao readjusted himself in his chair, back stiffening. "I-I'm just... insecure about my voice..." he lied.

Mao didn't know why he was hesitating. This was what he was waiting for, wasn't it?

Why was it so hard to formulate the words?

"Please let me ask, uhm... Ritsu... a question."

Ritsu's head perked up.

He nodded lightly. "Right, right... Go ahead..."

"Uhm, so..."

Mao inhaled a deep breath and shut his eyes tight.

"There's... this person in my life... We've been friends since we were children, and, uh... I noticed recently that, whenever I look at this person, or when I think about them, or when I'm with them... My heart starts to beat a lot, and my face gets really red..."

Keep going.

He had to remind himself that this was all really happening despite how hard it was to believe.

"They've always been my best friend... We grew up together, and we take care of each other a lot, so... It feels weird to admit it, but..."

Deep breath in.

Deep breath out.

Just say it.

"How do I tell this person that I'm in love with them?"

Ritsu's eyes widened. 

The way the caller said that last sentence made his heart throb for a reason unbeknownst to him.

"Oh, that's a lot..."

He wasn't entirely sure what to say.

'What would I do,' Ritsu thought, 'if I was in this situation? What would I say?'

That's when he realized that, oh yeah, he kinda is in that situation.

So, what would he do?

"I'd say... You can't run away from your feelings forever. It's difficult, and you might hate it, and you might try to do things to just distract you, or you might try to push it all away and pretend it doesn't exist..."

He straightened out his previously slumped posture and pounded the table lightly with his fist.

"...But you can't do that. You have to face your feelings head on if you want to grow. You've known each other since you were kids, right? So, I bet you're close, close enough that they would understand if you told them how you felt. Maybe they won't reciprocate, maybe they will. At the very least, they'll understand."

He was looking into the camera now.

Mao stared back.

Somehow, strangely, it felt like eye contact.

"If they're a good friend, they won't stop being there for you after you tell them your true feelings. A good friend would give you space to heal but still be there for you in the end. They won't push you away--you're too valuable for them to let you go just like that. So don't be afraid. Just tell them what you think."

A tear gathered at the corner of Mao's eye.

Out of all the feelings he was unsure of or confused about, this one took the cake.

Ritsu didn't know who he was speaking to. Mao reminded himself of that fact. Ritsu had no idea. It was just some random fan to him.

So why did it feel so direct? So genuine?

"Ritsu-chan," Arashi began, staring down at him with a slightly satirical pout. "That was so beautiful."

"I agree," Leo added. "Didn't know you had such a way with words, Rittsu... I could cry."

Ritsu's gazed lingered in the camera lens for a moment longer.

"Oh... I dunno... I just said what was on my mind, I guess."

---------------

Ritsu opened the door to his dorm room only to be greeted by darkness. It looked like Mika wasn't home yet, which he understood, since it was still relatively early in the evening. The sun had just barely started to set, casting an orange glow on the series of Ensemble Square buildings as Ritsu approached them.

He pulled his black coat off of his arms and tossed it lazily onto the end of his bed. Ahh, his bed... Just looking at it made him tired. He wanted nothing more than to just curl up under its covers and sleep away all the stress. Once he did that, it'd no longer be Valentine's Day, and he could just forget everything that happened and continue life as normal for a whole nother year.

Ritsu grabbed at his covers and pulled them down, but stopped in his tracks.

The other responsibilities he had to tend to were calling his name. For a moment, he let his judgement and reason battle for dominance in his brain.

Ultimately, though, his excuses of, "it'll be pointless to try and get work done if I'm tired and can't think straight," and, "maybe I'll just rest my eyes for a bit and do it when I wake up," won the war.

He needed to unwind first, though, so he grabbed his phone out and checked on the comments under the livestream from today.

It was just something brainless that Ritsu could indulge in to take his mind off of things, and if nothing else, it was a good time passer.

Knights was so cute today! Loved the stream ♡ Otsu!

TSUKASAAAAQKKSJFJWQKE  SO   CUTE QVFBBBRBG;;BBGBG/ I NEED TO PROTECT HIM

izumi and leo fighting is so cute. they're like a married couple, i ship it

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The comments weren't too far off from how they usually were. Just the normal crowd of Knights fans, with the scarce, occasional creepy die-hard fan or, oppositely, the even more scarce genuine hate comment.

There was one comment in particular that made Ritsu falter for a moment, though.

is it just me being a trickstar lover or did that caller at [0:21:17] kinda sound like mao? just me? idk

Ritsu's heart picked up speed. No, it felt like it was about to leap out of his chest and onto the bedsheets.

The clicked the timestamp and listened to the caller's voice again.

The intonations, the pauses, everything...

He couldn't believe it. There's no way that Mao Isara, Ritsu's childhood friend for who knows how long, the only person he's ever held romantic feelings for, was saying things like this.

To Ritsu.

What.

Ritsu replayed the caller's words over and over and over and nothing felt real anymore.

"He was talking about me. He was definitely talking about me."

The sudden sound of rapping at his door aggressively pulled Ritsu out of his thoughts. His knees were weak with utter shock, a feeling of "what the hell do I do with this information now?" grueling in his brain with its herculean grasp.

He squandered off of his bed and over to the door. Not before checking the peephole, though, only to see,

"Maa-kun?!"

He didn't mean to blurt it out so loudly, but everything felt too perfect to be real. He convinced himself it was only a matter of time before he'd wake up and this all would just have been some absurd dream. 

The door flew open as a result of Ritsu's fervor.

Mao stood unsuspectingly outside the dorm room, one hand shoved in the pocket of his jeans, the other tucked behind his back.

Ritsu couldn't help but notice how his eyes dazzled in the light of the setting sun, inset beautifully above rose red cheeks.

The black-haired boy figured that his own cheeks didn't look much different.

Mao let out a short-winded laugh. "So... Riccha-"

"It was you, wasn't it?" Ritsu interrupted.

"W-What?"

"The caller from earlier... It was you, wasn't it?"

Mao grinned sheepishly.

"Guess that saves me some explaining. Was I that obvious?"

Ritsu lunged forward, wrapping his arms around Mao with a strength he didn't know he had. He buried his head into the boy's chest, tears derived from an emotion he couldn't put words to gathering at his waterlines.

Mao stumbled backwards a bit, but not without a lighthearted chuckle resounding from his throat.

Ritsu was so close he could hear the other's heart beating. It was beating just as, if not faster, than his own. He pulled Mao closer.

The shorter of the two reached up and started to stroke through soft locks of black hair with the tips of his fingers.

'Don't do that,' Ritsu thought to himself, 'or I might cry for real...'

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, Ricchan. I couldn't find the words."

Ritsu grumbled, the sound muffled by Mao's shirt. "Idiot... You should've just confessed in person... You could've gotten in trouble for calling like that, you know..." He angled his head into the crevice of Mao's neck, who shuddered at the feeling of his breath against his skin. "It's a fans-only broadcast."

"But, Ricchan, I'm your biggest fan!"

"You organized the livestream," Ritsu replied snidely, "You don't count."

"Okay, fine."

The two remained in that embrace for what felt like hours. Neither of them wanted to be the one to let go first.

There was something Ritsu couldn't get off his mind, though.

"Hey, Maa-kun, what's in your hand?"

"Oh, right, these," Mao recalled.

It was a box of store bought chocolates. The packaging was a mix of pink and red shades, a vibrant rose printed on its front side.

"They're not handmade or anything, but I didn't want to show up with nothing..."

"Ohh, chocolates, huh? Are they for me?" Ritsu smiled, eyes half-lidded, gesturing to the box with his chin.

"What? No," Mao teased, "they're for Mika."

"Hmm? You're so rude, Maa-kun~..."

"Hahaha, I'm kidding, I'm kidding. They're for you."

"How about we share them?"

Mao smiled, pressing a series of featherlight kisses onto Ritsu's forehead.

"I'd love that."

At the end of the day, only one thought remained prominent in Ritsu's mind.

Maybe Valentine's Day isn't so bad.