Work Text:
When you’d first met Ikki - tall, white-haired, and apparently a charmer - Kent had introduced him as a “no-good friend.” And yet, despite that insult - which Ikki had promptly laughed off, with that sly, playful sort of smile that you would come to realise was almost his default expression - it had become quickly evident that this was not a heartfelt jab at his character. In fact, it’s quite the reverse - borne of a comfortable, close friendship that tends to border on the overdramatic; you still can remember the time you first saw them quarrel over a maths question like it was a life or death situation. And you know that most people would see their friendship as strange, or unequal; that Ikki, as the social butterfly, is the one putting in more effort - that Kent, with all his awkward mannerisms and cool exterior is simply tolerating him; you know from the gossip you overhear from Ikki’s fans, at least, that they think Kent takes all of that attention for granted, should be grateful that he spends so much time with him.
Except - this isn’t the case at all; you might have thought something similar - albeit lacking in the same fanaticism that Ikki seems to inspire in others on a regular basis, when you’d first become reacquainted with Kent during the whole ordeal with Orion; but now, you can see that none of this is abruptness is designed to be deliberate or thoughtless, is simply a product of over- thinking, no less. Because Kent is prone to that; frequently tries to process any emotion he might experience like data into a some kind of internal computer, like feeling is just as objective as pure mathematics, pores over every single detail, as if it will somehow spit the appropriate results at him with all the efficiency of a printer. He’s moved past that a little since you’ve started dating seriously - is still growing from it, but childhood habits are hard to shake - you know that from personal experience. It’s just the way he is, and in a sense - there’s such a depth of thoughtful sincerity and effort that he places in it, it’s staggering in its own right.
Even if some of the results are mixed - he’s still prone to going through the motions of date ideas, without understanding why exactly. You’ve caught him scribbling down various lists when he thinks you aren’t looking, when you’re both in the cafe; when you’ve asked to use his phone, and nearly all of his recent search history has come up with both questions about dates, and questions about the meaning behind them, have even been on a few of them, before he remembers that the key part of a successful date is that you’re supposed to have fun, that going to the park - or walking around aimlessly is an option, not a mandate.
But - there you know that he’s trying - from the small details that he now adds to his texts to you - more frequent, even if they are still like clockwork, every hour - Good morning. The forecast said it would be sunny today, so you won’t need a raincoat; have a good day . When you’re on the verge of falling asleep on the couch, you’ll always feel two large, warm hands slide under your knees and shoulders and carry you to your bed, the careful way he handles animals - not that he’d ever realise, but you secretly think that every cat in the neighbourhood has laid claim to him as their pet human. And for every large gesture that makes him seem aloof; there are the small, intrinsically human moments you’ve witnessed now - the way his hair is always a mess in the mornings, the way he fumbles for his glasses on the bedside table and nearly knocks them to the floor, the pure joy that sparks in his eyes, when Ikki hands him a maths equation - no matter how facile he claims it is - and sometimes, the quiet smile he directs at you when you glance up from your work, when he thinks you aren’t looking. It’s not only you, who’s noticed this - Ikki has as well; ever observant, despite the carefree attitude he likes to adopt when he’s around the two of you, has even commented on it - if only because he isn’t above finding new ways to fluster his best friend - and you.
But beyond that - you can tell that he appreciates the effort Kent is making too - never makes fun of him too much, when he accepts some of his advice at face value. It’s not an uncommon occurrence that the three of you end up hanging out with each other after class, or work; settling into an easy, comfortable dynamic that feels as if it has always existed. In fact; it had been during one of those instances, when you had both been waiting on Kent to emerge from a talk with one of his professors to get crepes, that he’d told you - gravely serious - that he’d never seen Kent so happy, since the two of you had started dating.
Granted, he’d promptly followed that up with a headpat that may have been directly linked to the fact that Kent had just emerged from the building and had been looking in your direction, and sparked a round of bickering that involved you as a rather ineffectual mediator - but the sentiment had been there; a rare flash of seriousness from an otherwise seemingly laidback individual, had caused you to revise your opinion of him almost immediately; to note the obvious care and affection he has for his friend. You don’t know a lot about Ikki’s past - Kent’s mentioned that it’s not his place to mention it; and despite your inquisitive nature, you know when not to pry, but you get the impression that up until the two had met - Ikki had always been isolated to some extent; popular in the way that had only created distance between himself and his peers.
- except, of course, it’s easy for you to forget that Ikki, with all that goodwill - also has the remarkable propensity for being an absolute shit- stirrer sometimes, despite his thoughtfulness. Experts at emotional obfuscation, the both of them; except at least with Kent, you know it’s unintentional.
The only thing which is keeping you - and Kent, you assume, judging from the way in which his eye is twitching irritably - is the fact it’s Christmas. Well. That, and the - hm. Festive spirits which have been imbibed in moderation, because you are, of course, all Responsible Adults ™, and are not - tipsy at all. That being said; you’re fairly sure Ikki is getting there, as he slides down the couch, Santa hat lopsided on his head, and falling over one eye as he eyes the freshly opened presents you and Kent have just given each other. His own gifts from the both of you remain unwrapped; there’d been an inexplicably strange, wistful smile on his lips, when he’d refused to open them instantly - had said that he’d wanted to absorb the luck of having not just one, but two presents gifted to him this year.
“You know,” he says, with that sly grin that portends nothing good will come of what he says next, as he leans forwards - hands steepled together, chin propped on top of them. “The gifts you’ve got for each other are awfully boring. I mean - look at them - it almost looks as if you know nothing about each other at all. I mean - Kent, why did you think a hat shaped like a penguin was an exciting present? If anything, it just shows off your own interests, rather than anything else? And you, ” he says - turning towards you; eyes sharp, despite his partly intoxicated state. “A notebook? That’s not exactly a very specific present to get someone you’re dating, is it? Both of those things are so easy to buy, too.”
“Considering this was an exchange concerning my partner and myself,” Kent says - and despite the irritation you might feel towards Ikki, it’s rather more difficult to maintain it, when his teasing prompts his face to flush an unusual pink; although it’s coupled, you think, with an underlying desire to be the cause of it - rather than some stupid comment. “I don’t think that you’re in any position to be judging anyone else’s presents but your own, Ikki - which you still haven’t opened. And in actual fact - if you must know - I…didn’t buy it. Not technically. Maybe the wool but - ”
“...you knitted this,” you say - immediately; suddenly remember all the times when you’d heard faint clicking during the night from your bed, whenever Kent had stayed over, had only assumed that it was the tapping of the keyboard as he’d worked into the early hours of the morning. “ Kent. ” Affection swells within your chest as you turn your attention back to your present; feel the soft wool under your fingertips, the fleece lined inside, the slightly lopsided eyes that stare back at you from what is ostensibly an effort to recreate a macaroni penguin, complete with a yellow feathered design around the crown of the head. In fact, it’s kind of perfect; there barely seems to be a stitch out of place, and it’s only natural to draw it over your head, hand rising to pat at the soft material in wonder. “ Kent. I didn’t even know you knew how to - ”
“I didn’t,” your partner interjects - pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, cheeks still stained pink. “But - through trial and error, I persevered. I mean, you were talking about how cold it got during your part-time job, when you had to stand around for ages, and I was thinking about what I could do to help - or what you could wear that wouldn’t go against the uniform policy, but would suit you and - ”
This is just like Kent, you think fondly - this present encapsulates it all; the finely balanced marriage in his head, of the practical, and the romantic - and you can’t help but wonder what happened to all the other prototypes he’d probably tried, before he’d managed to achieve this; how many would almost have been right, if you’d been the one creating these, but had failed to meet his perfectionist tendencies.
“Alright,” Ikki drawls, cutting him short - watching the interplay between the two of you as if it’s a moderately entertaining volley. “Well, I suppose I stand corrected on that front, but what about the present for you, Kent? What’s the point of a notebook, when I see you scribble in those every time, during class? I mean, what does that mean about how your partner views you? If someone gave me that - I’d be wondering if they really bothered to know me. After all, even I would have at least - come up with something better.”
It’s a cutting opinion; yet despite this, there’s an almost half-laugh in his voice. And it’s absurd, you think - because you know he’s not being serious, really, Kent knows he’s not being serious - and Ikki knows that neither of you know that he’s being serious; and yet, you can’t help but feel on the defensive, when it comes to your choice of present, hackles rising at the insinuation that either of you haven’t thought about what you might give each other. It’s just a stupid joke, you know - and yet -
“Actually,” you say hotly, “It wasn’t just an off-hand present either - I noticed Kent looking at it once, months ago.”
“It’s not just any journal either,” Kent hums, as he turns each page - gaze thoughtful. “In fact, I’d say it’s very inventive, and you've added plenty of things to it. Ah, you’ve written a mathematical problem on each day for me to solve - and a - ” he stops halfway through, fingers resting on one page, mid-turn; smooths it out again as he glances at the table you’d added. For a moment, you can see him mouth the words on the top of the page, “Oh, is this - ” he breaks off, casts a glance towards Ikki, going silent; but now, you can see the way the flush on his cheeks seems to be intent on spreading even further. He snaps the book shut. “...this is…really thoughtful. Thank you.”
“Oh, you can’t leave it at that,” Ikki complains, running one hand down his face as he slumps backwards. “I was on tenterhooks!”
“ - would you mind not treating us like we’re your sole entertainment for the evening?” Kent says waspishly in response - but there’s still that fondness for his friend that underlies his tone of voice.
“If you really want something occupy yourself,” you say dryly, “There’s a television you can watch instead.”
“Oof,” Ikki says, laughing. “Harsh - but what can I expect, coming from someone who won’t fall, just from looking into my eyes?”
“...It’s just,” and you don’t know why you feel the need to qualify yourself - if it were not for the fact that you still feel like you’re being judged, although not in a mean-spirited way. “...I know that you’re always scribbling down new things you find you like and don’t like, whether or not it’s a new experience, or one of our dates on napkins, whenever you arrive at the cafe before me - and I just wanted you to have something concrete to keep of a record of it all in one place, so you can go back and consult what you do know, and draw a logical conclusion, and think through why you felt that way, instead of keeping it all pent up inside your head - I can tell when you’re overthinking, you know, and it shows.”
“...and writing it out will help me to come to - ”
“A logical conclusion,” you both chorus knowingly - perfectly synchronised - as you glance at each other, and you can't restrain your chuckle - before Kent flushes again, looks away with a cough.
“Well,” he says, “I think that rather satisfies the hypothesis you posed about us not knowing each other very well, Ikki - now are you satisfied? I never doubted anything for a moment.”
“...I suppose so,” Ikki says with a sigh, before levering himself off the couch with an unsteady wobble. “Ugh, the two of you are so sweet together. I don’t think I’ve seen either of you get so flustered before. And we’re out of food - ”
“ - you mean you’ve eaten it all,” you say, catch the quietly amused upwards twitch of Kent’s lips. He’s still looking at you with an irrepressible sort of fondness in his gaze, and you can already feel warmth filling your own cheeks. The thing about your relationship is this - as a partner, Kent has never been overtly demonstrative in the way other boyfriends might be; but over time, you’ve gradually grown to realise his verbal tics, the nuances in his expressions that convey far more than you think any words could.
“Lies and aspersions,” Ikki says with a huff, “But I’m heading out to the store for a bit, seeing as we’re out of food. Don’t lock me out,” he says, raising a finger in mock-reprimand. “After all, what would happen if all my fans saw me alone, half-frozen to death in the cold outside your door? They’d turn on both of you, and we can’t have that, can we?”
“I’m sure,” Kent says dryly, “That your fans would be more than happy to accommodate you in a bid to rescue you from starvation and hypothermia, especially considering a large percentage of the population consider the Christmas season to be an incredibly romantic time of the year.”
“You know,” Ikki ripostes almost immediately, “I don’t think it’s fair that you can be so mean to me. After all, you’re practically mandated by society to be nice, at this time of year - don’t you agree?” He turns to you, eyes comically wide - it’s difficult not to smile; but some small, mean part of you, who quite likes seeing him on the back foot, rather enjoys the growing despondence that occurs when you manage to force the muscles in your face to remain neutral. “Come on, surely you adhere to that policy too, don’t you?”
“If we’re talking about goodwill,” you respond, “Then surely you should be practicing it by actually going to buy all those snacks you ate from our fridge - which we offered you.” And that only elicits another sigh - albeit an amused one - as Ikki strides to the door with a roll of his eyes.
“...Ugh, you can tell you’ve been spending too much time together,” he says, as a parting shot. “I don’t remember you being this mean when you and Kent started dating.” For a moment, you and Kent watch the closed door in silence; hear his footsteps ring out against the metal stairs, as he makes his way down your apartment block.
“...well,” Kent says eventually. “It was his own fault for trying to play us against each other. Besides - it isn’t that cold; snow’s not due for another two days. Although,” he muses - glint appearing in his eye. “Now that I think about it, I do wonder - clearly we do know each other well, but - no,” he shakes his head; snapping out of whatever reverie he’s clearly been lost in. “No, that’s ridiculous, and clearly caving to his ludicrous whims. He’s not even in the room.”
“No,” you say, curiosity piqued. “No - you should tell me what you’re thinking. After all, I’m always interested in what you think, Kent - ”
“Even if I think too much about things?” he says, a faint smile appearing at the corners of his mouth. “Or at least, spend hours obsessing over what I think is an objective answer to an emotional instance?” He pats the space next to him on the couch you're both sitting on - a clear invitation to move closer towards him, now that there isn’t an audience, drapes an arm over your shoulders as you nestle closer to him, head against his chest - can hear the steady beat of his heart, the warmth of his body, if you listen closely enough. You remember the first time this had happened, and his hand had ended up jabbing into; he’s far less awkward about expressing himself physically now. “I know that I tend to be a bit…overzealous in that respect.”
“That doesn’t mean I don’t love that about you,” you say, nudging him in the ribs playfully; tilt your head to look up at him. “It really does mean you care - like the fact you actually practiced several times before knitting this hat. Which really leads me to ask - what happened to all the prototypes? And more importantly, what were you going to suggest?”
“...I may have handed them out to various undergrads who I’ve been assigned to teach in my faculty,” Kent says, after a long stretch of silence. “Who were somewhat bemused to received them - but they seemed to appreciate it nevertheless.” And that’s an image that causes you to laugh; you can just imagine it now - some unsuspecting peer of his making their way to the next lecture, only to be suddenly accosted by Kent; hiding behind a lamp-post or inside a hedge, or simply casually dropping it on their notepad as he walks by. “...and - well, some of the neighbourhood cats were clearly need of a new toy. As for what I was going to suggest - well, it was mostly a little challenge - Ikki got me thinking. After all, we both have confidence in each other’s thought, when it comes to presents - but actually, who, out of the two of us, knows more about the other? This doesn’t come from any insecurity,” he says promptly, before you can rebut his statement. “But - more curiosity. It’d be interesting to see what details we retain about each other.”
“ Well, ” you say emphatically. “That sounds almost like a competition, Kent - is this a life or death scenario, too? Because I can assure you - I’ll be the one who wins in this, and you’ll have to forfeit instantly - because I’m sure I probably know you better than you know me. ”
“Mm,” he replies. “ Debatable, considering I actually asked you about your personal details on our first date - and recorded them - which you rather correctly told me was weird, considering my friends were telling me that it was important to remember things like that from the start, unless the person I was seeing would get upset that I’d forgotten to mention anything. For example - I know that you prefer strawberry shortcake to parfait, when you’re at a cafe - that you like hot drinks over warm; that your birthday is - ”
“And I know,” you rebut, “That little face you make, when you’re about to ask to do something, like hold my hand, or walk me back at night - because you’re worried you might be overstepping my boundaries, regardless of the fact we’ve been dating for nearly a year. Or the fact you think that the rabbits are the cutest when we go to the neighbourhood pet store, and you’ve already got names for each one of them - and don’t lie, I know you were moping around when one of them was adopted - ”
“ - I was not moping around - ”
“ - Kent, you hand wrote a three page letter detailing the habits of rabbits and the best way to look after them to the owner, which you left at the pet store, the next time we visited. I should know. You asked if you could borrow my notepaper for it. You said it was the logical thing to do, so the new owner gave it the best treatment they could.”
“... fine, ” Kent says, “But remember - the same goes for me, as well - I might have been bad at it, at first - but I think I’ve become pretty good at telling what all your tics are. Like the fact you’re prone to worrying about things too, because you actually rose to Ikki’s bait - ”
“ - well, so did you, ” you counter instantly. “If you’d really weren’t worried that I would have thought you hadn’t put any thought into the present you would give me, then you wouldn’t have bothered trying to justify it so much - ”
“ - well neither should you, because you have that little crease that appears between your eyebrows, when you start to worry, you know,” Kent says quietly, reaches out - presses his thumb gently against the very same space - as if that might make it smooth away. And - it’s all too easy to relax in his hold; this subtle intimacy that you both have grown accustomed to sharing, to huddle closer to him. This close, you think, as you meet his gaze - his eyes are incredibly green eyes. “And regardless of whatever your present was, I would have loved it - regardless of whatever Ikki was trying to start there, just because he was bored. In fact - I believe that most people I’ve consulted in the past for advice would simply attribute that behaviour to annoyance that he felt as if he was third-wheeling, in that instance.”
“Mm,” you say thoughtfully. “I suppose so. And I suppose there’s a tendency for us to be very coupley around him. But - I feel less sorry for him, considering he was trying to stir things between us, this evening,” You reach up, winding your fingers in his soft brown hair, tugging him downwards until you’re nose to nose. “But as far as couples go, I think we’re pretty considerate of other people, when they’re around - in fact, you’re more than considerate, considering the effort you went to for my present,” And - at that, Kent glances away again, coughs; pink reappearing across his face. Interesting. “And was there something else you wanted to tell me about this particular present?”
You’re fairly sure you can hear Kent mumbling. He almost sounds - embarrassed. “I’m sorry,” you add sweetly - playfully. “I didn’t quite catch that. Come on, don’t be such a mystery!”
“...well, I thought - the design was objectively, aesthetically appealing to most - otherwise it wouldn’t have been such a popular pattern,” he confesses slowly, awkwardly. “But - I also chose it, because - when I was looking at them, the first thing I thought was about you wearing them, and I thought…it would be cute on you.” And you really can’t stop the explosion of warmth that suffuses your entire body, the way your heart feels as if it might be too big for your chest - find yourself taking his face in your hands.
“Well,” you say, as you pull him down - smiling as you kiss him; when you draw back, his eyes are bright, searching; entirely focused upon you - breathing a little shallow. “I’d say you were pretty cute yourself .”