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Chapter Text

Yoshi and his family are moving to a new neighborhood as they wanted to start anew. He was admittedly nervous but also very excited. New neighborhood means new surroundings, new people, and new friends! 5 year old Yoshi, ever the hyper and bubbly social butterfly that he is, is ecstatic to meet new friends. 

Yoshi and his family arrived rather quickly. He unbuckled his seatbelt like the good boy that he is, opened the door and quickly sprinted out to look around. The place was not that exciting really, the normal suburban neighborhood surrounded by greenery and far from the city, but one thing caught his eye. A little boy playing ball with another boy right beside their house.

‘New friends!’ Yoshi approached his mother, practically vibrating from excitement, to ask if he could go play. 

“Alright, but be nice okay? Come back here before dinner” his mother instructed him.

“Alright mom! Bye!” Yoshi replied and off he goes, running towards the two boys to play and make friends with them.

“Hello! My name is Yoshi, can I play with you?” He called out cheerfully.

“Uhm..” the boy holding the ball curled up on himself and hid behind his playmate. The other boy noticed this and narrowed his eyes at Yoshi.

“Who are you?” he asked 

“Uhm, did you not hear? I’m Yoshi! I just moved into the house over there” He pointed his finger to the direction where people are moving their furniture into his new home.

He stops to think for a while, then he turns to the other boy hiding behind him and begins whispering to him. After a few silent moments, he turns back to Yoshi and smiles bashfully. 

“Nice to meet you Yoshi! I’m Mashiho, and this is Asahi'' he says as he pushes the other boy, Asahi, to stop hiding behind him and to go up front. He gives a shy little wave and something inside Yoshi’s chest flutters. He doesn’t know what it is though.

“Nice to meet you too! Can I play?” Yoshi asked

“Sure!” Mashiho said as Asahi passed the ball to him.

“We just throw the ball at each other and get far away from each other after catching it, you try.” Asahi said softly.

‘This is it! I’m making new friends!’ Yoshi thought as he got ready to throw the ball back at his new playmates. It seems that he’s not aware of the strength that his little 5 year old body possesses because he threw the ball and hit Asahi’s head with so much force that he fell down.

Asahi started crying. Yoshi panicked as Mashiho stood frozen. 

‘Oh no, I messed up, oh no. Think Yoshi, think’ Yoshi is trying to think of something so Asahi would stop crying. ‘Got it! When mom hits me accidentally she says sorry, kisses me on the forehead and says I love you. Maybe that would help.’ and little Yoshi did just that.

He approached the still crying Asahi and kissed his forehead. He slowly started to calm down, it’s working. 

“I’m sorry.” Yoshi said as he caressed the spot where he hit Asahi.

He fully stopped crying now, which is good.

“I love you” He told Asahi. A small, shy smile appeared on Asahi’s lips which caused some weird feeling to bloom in Yoshi’s chest. ‘She’s pretty’ Yoshi thought, and he likes pretty things.

“EW YOU’RE GONNA GET COOTIES” Mashiho screamed at the top of his lungs as he watched the scene unfold before him. That’s where Yoshi’s relationship with Asahi started.

Chapter Text

A few years have passed, and Yoshi and Asahi became closer than ever. Yoshi couldn’t believe that years have passed and he’s still close with his crush best friend. In the years they were together, his feelings towards Asahi grew significantly.

He can confess, he’s confident and has no shame. But that’s the problem. He’s been literally saying he loves Asahi ever since their first meeting but Mashiho just thinks he’s joking because of said confidence and shamelessness. What the fuck fate.

Haruto suggested that he should do something romantic, meaningful, Romeo and Juliet-esque stuff, Yoshi doesn’t like the idea of him and Asahi dying thank you very much, and all that but Yoshi shut him up by saying he has no right in giving love life advice when his own love life failed. Poor guy was too late to confess to his crush, who is now happily in a relationship with a dude from LA named Samuel Kim or something. 

Anyways, he’s starting to consider Haruto’s opinion, the romantic gestures not the Romeo and Juliet recreation. Maybe he should put more effort into being more romantic so Asahi can actually take him seriously.

Yoshi sees Mashiho down the hallway as he is walking towards the cafeteria. He hurriedly approached him and tapped his shoulder.

“Hey, have you seen Asahi?” Yoshi asked, out of breath.

“You know the usual whenever it’s exam season, are you going to him?” Mashiho questioned, eyebrows raised and looking at Yoshi from head to toe, probably judging him.

“Oh! The library?” Yoshi asked as he fixed his uniform.

“Yeah the library, you should probably go and check on him. He hasn’t come out of the library since 8am.” Mashiho stated as he continued his trek to the cafeteria.

‘Since 8am?! That’s like… 4 hours ago!’ Yoshi thought it's very likely the ever so quiet and studious Asahi forgot to eat. He’s been friends with him for more than a decade, he knows all the habits of Asahi. He ran to catch up with Mashiho once again.  

“Hey, Mashi! What’s Sahi craving today? Did he tell you?” Yoshi asked, already pulling out his wallet and looking at all the food options.

“He said he’s craving some cheesecake and banana milk earlier. Eugh a lactose intolerant nightmare.” Mashiho’s face scrunched up with the thought.

Yoshi swiftly ordered the aforementioned food items and paid for it. Carefully putting it in a paper bag for easier transportation (also food is not allowed in the cafeteria but rules are meant to be broken).

“Alright Mashi, thanks! See you later!” Yoshi bid farewell to a barely listening Mashiho, who put a hand up to wave goodbye so he still paid attention to Yoshi, and bolted it to the library.

Once he arrived at the library, he immediately saw Asahi wearing a brightly colored cardigan with his nose stuck inside a book. He gifted that cardigan for Asahi’s birthday. Yoshi noticed that Asahi always hangs out in the library, which is often cold because of the mega air conditioners goddamn, so he gave Asahi the cardigan for extra warmth during his library sessions.

“Hey Sahi, how are you?” Yoshi greeted quietly as he sat beside his friend.

“I’m good.” Asahi replied coldly. Yoshi sighed, he is always like that whenever exams are near. Asahi puts all his focus and energy into studying, often forgetting about himself. Good thing Yoshi is there to remind him to take care of himself, he doesn’t forget. Yoshi never forgets.

“Sahi-yah, rest for a moment.” Yoshi took the book in Asahi’s hands and closed it. Asahi glared at him.

“I know you’re very stressed right now and you need to study, but please rest. Mashi told me you’ve been here since 8am! It’s lunchtime, you haven’t eaten yet.” Yoshi threw his arms up to emphasize what he’s saying.

“I’ll eat once I’m done.” Asahi said as he reached out to get the book back from Yoshi but the other stopped him.

“Sahi take care of yourself please. Here I brought food-”

“You brought food in the library?!” Asahi whisper-shouted.

“Because I know you’re not going to eat unless I make you. Please eat, for me?~” Yoshi handed Asahi the cheesecake and banana milk and showed him puppy dog eyes, even pouting, to convince the others. Asahi glared for another few seconds before succumbing to Yoshi’s antics and started unwrapping the food.

“You didn’t have to…” Asahi mumbled as he ate a piece off of the cheesecake.

“Of course I had to. I care for you. So please care for yourself too.”

“I don’t need to take care of myself.”

“What do you mean?”

“You take care of me so much, I think I got enough pampering to last me a lifetime.” Yoshi was stumped with what Asahi said. Once again, the fluttering feeling in his stomach from childhood up until now appeared.

“I love you.” Yoshi blurted out. ‘Is this what Haruto meant for the romantic gesture?’ Asahi continued eating however and paid no mind to Yoshi’s sudden confession. ‘Damn it, it didn’t work. Was that not romantic enough?!’ Yoshi crossed his arms and jutted out his lips in the most obnoxious pout ever. Asahi just started reading again which made Yoshi sulk  even more.

Chapter Text

It’s almost the end of their senior year and guess what? Asahi still hasn’t accepted Yoshi’s love! Sad cheering noises. Seriously though, Yoshi is starting to lose hope and motivation. He still has a massive crush on Asahi and he loves his best friend to bits but… that’s it. Their relationship stayed as friends. BUT! Yoshi will not accept it. He still has one chance of showing Asahi that he loves him and that he is serious about it, PROM.

“Yosh calm down and choose a fucking box.” Haruto frustratingly grumbled behind Yoshi, who was frantically looking at every box of chocolates on display.

“I can’t calm down Ruto! I need the perfect box of chocolates for Asahi, something special so he can take me seriously- do you think he likes strawberries?” Yoshi cuts himself off as he spotted the rose-shaped chocolates. Haruto smacks his forehead.

“I don’t know! You’ve been with him the longest, you should know.” The younger rolled his eyes as he left the still indecisive Yoshi to browse for more options.

“Juniors and their temper…” Yoshi whispered under his breath. He rolled his eyes and continued his search.

Haruto is right, though. He’s been with Asahi the longest, if anyone would know his tastes the best it would be Yoshi. He rethinks his best friend’s preferences once again. ‘He doesn’t like chocolates that have too sweet of a filling, he doesn’t want it to be too bitter, but he does like dark chocolate. Asahi you’re confusing’ Yoshi scratches his head from the cluelessness. He was about to give up and move on to the next store when he saw the one.

‘This is perfect!’ Yoshi grabs the box and inspects it. It was just a plain box of chocolates with gold accents on the box. The chocolates inside are all dark chocolate in different shapes and forms. He looked at the list of flavors inside and it was a jackpot. No sweet fillings, no weird flavors, not too bitter dark chocolate. Yoshi excitedly purchased it right away.

He walked out of the store to see Haruto sitting on a nearby bench, jamming to music. He walks over and removes the headphones off of the younger’s head.

“Hey I bought a box-”

“FINALLY!” Haruto shouted unexpectedly which made Yoshi jump.

“Stop that! Asshole, we’re in a public place, stop screaming.” Yoshi smacked the arm of a giggling Haruto.

“Alright what’s next on our list.”

“Next up is buying a flower. Flowers and chocolates, very romantic. Add that with your confession, you’ll surely make Asahi swoon and he’ll be your boyfriend in no time.”

“Okay casanova. Any recommendations?” Yoshi put his arm around Haruto as they walked towards the flower shop. 

“Well flowers have a lot of different meanings that correspond to them. For example the generic red rose stands for love and passion but I think that’s too bold for it to be used as a confession flower. You can get a flower with a meaning or you could get a flower that you think resembles him. I don’t know if you’ll get a single flower or a bouquet but it depends on you..”

Yoshi filters out Haruto’s rambling about flowers and their meanings, this kid and his addiction to anything romantic and meaningful. So invested in that but doesn’t get action himself. Anyway, he already knows about the meanings, he looked some up and Yoshi thinks he has a perfect flower in mind. 

A smile bloomed on his face as he imagined how the confrontation would go. He’ll ask Asahi out, the prom being their first date. He would then give Asahi the box of chocolates and flowers. Asahi always gets shy and red when receiving gifts, that’s why Yoshi always goes out of his way to get him some. He likes seeing Asahi’s cute shy smile.

They’re nearing the flower shop now and Yoshi strides on, chin up and confident. Yoshi will say I love you and Asahi will say it back.

It’s the next day now and Yoshi’s confidence from yesterday suddenly disappeared and deteriorated. He’s sweating bullets right now and also kind of hyperventilating. ‘Okay calm down Nori, you can do this! You will show Asahi how much he truly means to you and Asahi will accept it.’ He gave himself a small pep talk. The bell rang, it’s time.

All of the students quickly got up to pack their bags. In the cacophony of chaos and noise, Yoshi hears nothing but the ringing of his ears and the beating of his nervous heart. He sees Mashiho come up to Asahi and whisper to him about something. Asahi looks…normal actually but it’s different, like he’s nervous about something. Mashiho made eye contact with Yoshi before saying something to Asahi one last time and leaving as well. Asahi nodded and started packing up too. Weird, anyways.

Asahi is slow, he would let the other students go out the door first, completely leaving the classroom empty and silent before he goes out as well. Yoshi noticed this way back then so he also waited for his friend. This is perfect because he and Asahi would have privacy, away from the nosy eyes and ears  of his rowdy classmates. The room is empty and silent. Perfect atmosphere for a confession.

“Hey Asahi! Are you going somewhere after class?” Yoshi walked up to Asahi with his bag slung over his shoulder for easy access to the flowers and chocolates.

“Nope. Why?” Asahi asked, raising an eyebrow curiously which made Yoshi get even more nervous.

“Well…I was wondering- uhm- you know how- uhhh- I have something- hm”

“Yoshi spit it out, I don’t understand you.” Asahi crossed his arms as he stared down Yoshi.

‘Calm down Yoshi. It’s time! You two are alone and in a private area. Go ask him out! Seize the moment!’ Yoshi shook his head and took a deep breath. He exhales and looks at Asahi fondly.

“Well?” Asahi asked, confused by the sudden shift of atmosphere.

“Asahi, I have something important to tell you.” Yoshi reaches out and holds both of Asahi’s hands, surprisingly the other didn’t retreat.

“We’ve been friends for more than a decade now. We met back then when me and my family first moved. You were my very first friend in this place, and you’ve been one of my most cherished and bestest friends ever in life. The ball to your head was quite effective, wasn't it?” This garnered a small smile and a snort from Asahi.

“I remember what I did to you back then so you would stop crying.” Yoshi dropped his hands and reached out to Asahi. He touches Asahi’s face so softly and so gently as if he was afraid he’ll break him. He slowly went closer and placed a soft featherlight kiss on Asahi’s forehead, just like what he did back when they were kids.

“I did that, right?” Yoshi asked a blushing Asahi who just nodded shyly.

“And you… said something.” Asahi quietly replied.

“Yes. I told you that I love you. Asahi I’ve been telling you that for years now, it’s practically second nature for me to express my love to you. But you’ve ignored them thinking I was joking. All these years, the meaning didn’t change. Sincerity didn’t change. I loved you then, I love you now, I’ll love you more in the future.” Asahi is now hiding his face now, face a bright red. Yoshi tilts his chin up so they could look at each other.

“Don’t hide your face, I want you to look at me when I say this.”

‘Well, here goes nothing.’ Yoshi pulled out the box of chocolates from his bag and then a combination of red roses, carnations, and tulips in a bouquet. All of these flowers symbolize love. Unconditional and undying love, because that’s how Yoshi feels. His love for Asahi would never change, would never die. It would remain, Yoshi would love Asahi forever.

“Asahi… I want you to know that all the I love you’s I’ve said to you were real. I want you to know that my love for you would never disappear and die, just like how these flowers symbolize unconditional and undying love. I want you to know that my love for you is the perfect amount of sweet, just like these chocolates. I would like to show you that I am serious about you so I’ll do just that. Hamada Asahi, would you let me accompany you to prom as your boyfriend?”

Yoshi looks at Asahi intently. He’s been waiting to do this, to show his love to Asahi. He’s been waiting for the longest time now and at this very moment, he finally did it. He watches as Asahi stood there frozen, cheeks as red as cherries and eyes as sparkly as the night sky. Yoshi waits for his reply.

“I- uhm. Y-Yoshi…” Asahi starts to speak, fiddling his thumbs and looking anywhere but at Yoshi.

“Yes? What do you say?” It’s looking good so far. Yoshi is positive that this will go well.

“Uh- uhm… I’m sorry! Bye-” Asahi runs out of the room, leaving his bag and Yoshi behind.

“W-What…” Yoshi stood there, dumbfounded by the response he got.

He looked down at his feet as the silence rang all throughout the room. ‘Did I just get rejected?’ Yoshi’s thoughts start to spiral downward as he fully realizes what had just happened. Yoshi drops the bouquet and box of chocolates and sits down on a nearby chair, slightly dizzy. ‘Oh god, I just ruined our friendship.’ 

He sat there as the silence, humiliation and heartbreak ate him up and destroyed him from the inside.

Chapter Text

Asahi ran full speed to the empty classroom down the hall. That wasn’t supposed to happen. ’Oh my gosh he confessed.’ He frantically thought as he ran full speed down the hallway. Thankfully there were no other students, teachers, or hall monitors around to deter him. He reached the room and opened it up with such force that the ball bounced back and hit his harm. All the people inside the room stared in silence. 

“What are you doing here, where’s Yoshi-”

“CONGRATULATIO- wait huh where’s Yoshi?” Haruto cut off Mashiho as he screamed on top of his lungs and threw confetti at a startled Asahi.

“Uhh…” Asahi didn’t know what to say, he was still too overwhelmed with all the feelings he’s experiencing right now and the exhaustion from running.

“Asahi what happened?” Mashiho comes down from where he was hanging up streamers. He approached the pale and sweaty guy in the doorway.

“Uh- Y-Yoshi he… confessed.” Asahi rubs his nape and looks down at the floor.

“Well that’s perfect! How did you reply?” Mashiho peers out of the doorway and looks down the hall, possibly looking for the other Japanese guy. 

“I- uhh… I kind of… ran away and left him in the classroom-”

“YOU WHAT?!”

2 WEEKS AGO

Mashiho was just enjoying his day, playing on his phone with his other schoolmates. They were so close to winning, Mashiho being the last man standing. He was about to clutch when suddenly a hand flew out of nowhere and the bitter ear-piercing sound of defeat played on his phone.

“What the fuck?!-” Mashiho was about to snap the person who disturbed him in half when he was cut off by a familiar timid voice.
“H-Hey I need to tell you something. This is very important, can we talk in private?” It was Asahi. Mashiho could’ve still snapped him in half, Asahi is like a paper doll after all, but Mashiho sensed something wrong from the urgency of his cousin’s voice. Hell, he never spoke that much and that quick in one breath. Asahi drags Mashiho away from his friends and they talked underneath the nearby tree of their campus.

“Alright, what is it?” Mashiho asked but got no immediate response. He glanced at his cousin closely and saw the faintest tint of red dusted on Asahi's smooth cheeks.

“I…have made a realization.” Asahi says out slowly and quietly.

“Well what is it? You know you could always tell me anything Asahi. I’m your reliable and responsible cousi-”

“I like Yoshi.”

Mashiho choked on his own spit. Asahi just stood there watching as his cousin dramatically dry heaves from the apparently shocking news he just dropped. Another few seconds of Mashiho dramatics pass by before the other regains his composure. Asahi sighed and repeated himself.

“I like Yoshi.” He said, a determined look on his face.

“FUCKING FINALLY! YOU ACTED UPON YOUR FEELINGS!-”

“Shut the fuck up! The whole fucking school doesn’t need to know about my love life!” Asahi shushed Mashiho by putting a finger against the other’s lips.

“I’m just ecstatic because finally you acknowledge it. You know how fucking painful it is to watch you helplessly shoot goo goo gaga heart eyes at Yoshi for YEARS?” Damn was Asahi that obvious? 

Well to be fair he only does look longingly at his crush best friend while no one else was looking. He has been harboring these emotions towards the soft and sweet Yoshi ever since they met for the very first time. When Yoshi hits him on the forehead and immediately kisses the spot to make it feel better. Tiny Asahi back then felt something but he couldn’t explain it, he felt that weird sensation increase tenfold when Yoshi told him “I love you.”

Years later he still gets that weird sensation, only now he knows what it is and what to name it, he developed a crush on his best friend. It wasn’t easy keeping it in all these years mind you. Yoshi is the type of person who thrives on being sweet and affectionate, he would die if he doesn’t touch his favorite people at least ones, and his words are all so fucking precious and sweet and he is so soft spoken and cute and- Okay enough of the simping.

It didn’t help that Yoshi likes to tell Asahi “I love you.” All. The. Time. Every time he hears those three words something erupts in Asahi’s chest. No it’s not cardiac arrest. It’s like all the flowery words that Yoshi planted in Asahi’s heart bloom all at once because of those three words being the fertilizers. Asahi falls in love even more.

Yoshi’s actions and words would make it really obvious that he also likes Asahi right? Well to Asahi’s brain it just made it even more confusing. Asahi can never tell whether or not Yoshi told him “I love you” jokingly or seriously. He knows the other is the living embodiment of sincere and genuine but you can blame his stupid anxious brain for doubting his feelings.

Asahi feels bad for always rejecting Yoshi, whether it was on purpose or not. If he’s being honest he wants to reply, he wants to shoot that phrase back at Yoshi. He also wants to show how much he loves Yoshi so much. But… he can’t. He’s too much of a coward to do anything about his feelings. He’s scared of the outcome of his confession. Would he ruin their friendship? Would he make it weird between them? Would it just be some kind of joke that Asahi fell for? All of those thoughts ran inside his head for years.

But, he has had enough. Asahi decides it’s now or never. No more deflecting, no more hiding, no more being afraid. Asahi will shoot his shot and he will stick to it. 

“Well what’s your plan?” Mashiho asked, suddenly intrigued with Asahi’s sudden bravery.

“I’ll ask him out to prom.” Mashiho once again screamed in delight which made Asahi smack his forehead from the embarrassment.

For days they prepared for this extravagant occasion. Asahi thought it out well, he made a list of things to do, decorations needed, and other stuff. He’s determined to give back all the love, care, and effort Yoshi has given him all throughout the years. Mashiho was surprised that Asahi would even do such things, he didn’t really take his cousin as a romantic type but he’ll be damned. If his crush did this to him, he’ll marry them right on the spot.

Anyways, today is the day. They asked permission from a teacher to use up an empty classroom to which they complied. Thankfully he and Mashiho had a free schedule before their joint class with Yoshi so they could prepare and set up. Haruto is here also to help, he claims his help is needed because he is a romance expert but Asahi disagrees. Nevertheless they just let their friend do whatever, more hands to help is a good thing anyway.

After 2 hours of shuffling and running around the set up was complete. Asahi stands back and looks on proudly. Golden streamers hang on top of the ceiling. Tiger cutouts and balloons, Yoshi’s favorite, scatter all through the room. Carnations, roses, and tulips along with various sweet chocolates decorate the table. A banner that spells out “Will You Go To Prom With Me?” hangs on top of it. Finally, Asahi’s gift sits right in the middle.

Everything was perfect. He has a feeling that it will all go smoothly.

PRESENT DAY

“Everything is not going smoothly!” Asahi cries out as he crumples to the floor.

“Asahi calm down- you couldn’t have known that he would also confess today. None of us knew-”

“A-Actually… I knew… I accompanied him in buying the flowers and… chocolates hehe… whoops.” Haruto sheepishly interjects.

“Asahi sweetie please compose yourself while I deal with this bitch- COME HERE YOU LANKY TWIG I WILL SNAP YOU IN HALF!” Mashiho charges towards Haruto, while the latter screams on top of his lungs like he was a helpless girl in a horror movie.

“YOU TWO STOP!” Asahi shouts, which effectively makes the cat and mouse chase halt.

“Did I mess up…”

Silence stretches among them.

“You kind of left him hanging.”

“You ran away from him after he confessed.”

“You maybe fucked up?”

“But! It could be salvaged-”

“This wouldn’t have happened if SOMEONE would’ve given us a heads up.”

“Look I didn’t know okay?”

“Bitch you’re on the two sides of the same lovesick hopeless romantic coin how did you not know.”

“Touche”

“Guys stop bickering!” Asahi shouts once again. He slouches and heaves a heavy sigh, clearly disappointed.

“I messed up.” Mashiho and Haruto immediately went to him and started comforting him.

Asahi is upset. Everything was supposed to be perfect. He had it all planned out. He was supposed to show Yoshi how much he means to him, but his cowardice took a hold of him once again. Now it looks like Asahi is an asshole that doesn’t appreciate all the things Yoshi just did, which is the opposite of what he wanted to happen.

“Aww don’t worry Asahi. We could still salvage this situation.” Mashiho stroked and fixed Asahi’s hair gently while talking to him in a hushed tone.

“I don’t know. I think I hurt him.” Asahi sniffed, upset about how he acted.

“You know how Yoshi is. I’m sure he’ll forgive you in no time. He loves you too much to stay angry/hurt towards you. In fact I’m sure he’ll talk to you about this whole situation to clear things up, he’s just that caring.” 

“I know… I was just so overwhelmed with everything. My heart couldn’t handle it. The flowers, the chocolates, his speech. All of those made something erupt in me that I just had to get out.”

“Explosive diarrhea?” Both Asahi and Mashiho turned to Haruto with a disgusted face.

“What? I was joking! Seriously though, I'm sure Yoshi will understand. Tell you what, I have a plan.”

Haruto drags Asahi out of his seat and places him in position, just like how they planned it. He tells them what he’ll do and reassures them that all their efforts won’t go to waste. Asahi nodded and watched as his tall friend walked out the door. He breathed in and out and readied himself.

Yoshi sits inside the classroom eating some of the chocolates he was supposed to give to Asahi and wallowing in his sadness and self pity. He knew that rejection was possible but he hoped, he hoped with all his heart that this time, Asahi would love him back the same way Yoshi loves him. Heartbreak made the chocolates more bitter, Asahi wouldn’t like this taste. Suddenly the door swung open revealing a disheveled and sweaty Haruto.

“You. Out. Now.” Haruto pointed at him and gasped out.\

“H-Huh what do you mean-” Before Yoshi could even react, Haruto grabbed him, the flowers and the box of chocolates. He then proceeded to drag Yoshi across the hallway somewhere.

“Haruto, where are we going?” No response. ‘Come on, I was sulking by myself then this guy interrupts. Where the hell are we going anyway?!’ Yoshi’s questions would soon be answered when Haruto opens a door to reveal something that made his heart swell.

It was a fully decorated room, with Asahi right in the middle. He was smiling from ear to ear. This is the first time Yoshi saw him smile like that. As if he traveled back in time, all of his surroundings blurred and his vision only focused on Asahi. Asahi who is as beautiful as he was back then when they first met. In fact he was even more beautiful, his toothy grin, hsi flushed cheeks, his sparkly eyes. All of them are pretty. Yoshi likes pretty things. He doesn’t even notice the bang of the confetti launcher because all he sees is the most beautiful man in the world walking towards him as multicolored paper flutters down like cherry blossoms.

“W-What’s all this?” Yoshi asks, voice weak.

“A little special something that I prepared for you.”

“Y-You prepared all this?” Asahi nodded. Yoshi looks around astonished. Golden streamers, tiger balloons, flowers, and many more decorations. Asahi prepared all that.., for him?

“First, I would like to apologize for my… behavior earlier. I shouldn’t have left you like that.” Asahi hangs his head down from embarrassment.

“I-It’s fine-” Asahi’s head snapped up suddenly and he gazed into Yoshi’s eyes with a fiery determination that he had never seen before.

“It’s not fine! It was horrible of me to leave you hanging. You’ve done so much for me. You’ve put in so much effort in everything so you could only give the best for me. I acknowledge all of that Yoshi but because of my cowardness I made it look like all of them were insignificant to me.”

Yoshi stood there frozen. His heart was beating like crazy, anticipating to what would Asahi do next. He has an inkling but he doesn’t want to hope for nothing all again. 

“I just shrugged off all your sweet actions and words because I’m scared of falling for you. I was scared that if I ever acknowledged my feelings and acted on it, it would ruin what we had. All this time I was already ruining it by being nonchalant. I acted like your sweet ‘I love you’s didn’t affect me but it did Yoshi. It made me feel so special and happy but I didn’t show you how much I appreciated them because I was too dumb. And you… you still persisted. You still made me feel special which made me fall harder for you.”

“Asahi…”

“This time, however, is different. No more running away, no more shrugging off, no more ignoring what I feel and what you do. This time around, it’s my turn for the sweet gestures and sweet words. This time around, it’s my turn to pamper you, to treat you better, to give you all the love and care that I could give because you deserve it. I want to make you feel like you’re the most special person in the world for me, because it’s true.” 

Asahi held Yoshi’s hand gently. The contact felt like electricity as it shot sparks all throughout Yoshi’s body. His hands feel like it’s burning but in a good way. It was the warmth he craved for so long and now instead of getting it by himself, Asahi is willingly giving it to him.

“Kanemoto Yoshinori. I truly appreciate everything you have done for me throughout the years of our friendship. I am forever grateful, because of you I became someone I didn’t expect to become. You showered me with all the care you could give and now I’m blooming because of your love. All the I love you’s you told me, I would want to respond and tell you that too. So, to shoot your question from earlier back to you… would you let me accompany you to prom as your boyfriend?” 

Yoshi expected his heart to burst out of his chest but strangely, it was beating normally. He realized that he was calm and content. All of his worries are gone now that Asahi reciprocates his love. He was calm because that’s how Asahi shows his love. He was more laidback, more reserved, more subtle, but it’s just as passionate and determined. Yoshi realizes that Asahi loves him just as much as Yoshi loved him. In that moment, two hearts beat at the same rhythm. Two hearts become one.

“Yes I will. I’d be honored.” Cheers from Mashiho and Haruto erupted as another confetti launcher went off. The two lovers however, are not deterred. They stood there holding hands and looking at each other with so much love as the different colored confetti fell down slowly around them. Their love is just as explosive and colorful.

“I have a gift for you…” Asahi mumbles quietly.

“Hm, what is it?” Yoshi asked. Asahi brings out the jar from the table, giving it to Yoshi. He stood there confused.

“Come on, open it.” Asahi insisted and Yoshi complied. He opened the jar up and saw… tiny rolled up pieces of paper? What are these for?

“I can see your confusion. Open it up.” Asahi giggled. Yoshi takes one of the rolled up paper and opens it up. He almost dropped the jar from the shock. He takes another one out, and another, and another. Opening them all and reading the words written on them.

“Are these…”

“I wrote all those. I think I wrote about a thousand I don’t know. If you already noticed, all of them say I love you too. All the missed ‘I love you’s, I wrote them all in that jar as the answers I was too scared to say to you before.” Asahi shyly scratches his neck. Yoshi gently placed down the jar and went to grab Asahi’s face softly.

“C-Can I kiss you?”

“You didn’t have to ask.”

So they kissed. Both of them closed their eyes and poured their hearts out into that one kiss. Both of them holding each other’s faces, afraid that this moment will leave them, afraid of letting go. The moment was so tender, so intimate as if one wrong move would ruin it. All the unsaid feelings, all the bottled up emotions, all the love that they had kept from each other all spill out. They felt relieved as all the years worth of anxiety and waiting finally paid off. Fireworks go off in their hearts as they feel each other's soft lips. It wasn’t that deep of a kiss, it was more of a peck but it was more than enough for them to channel all their love for each other. It was perfect.

They separate and look at each other's eyes once again. Yoshi smiles and speaks.

“I love you.”

Asahi, smiles back.

“I love you too.”