Work Text:
from the very start, kenjirou knew that things wouldn't be going as planned.
this had gotten much bigger than he intended it to. if anything, this started as a meaningless idea gone went rogue. what was about to go down was a confession scene in a shoujo manga. one where the main character gracefully professes their undying love to their crush. what was completely different from that scenario to reality was that kenjirou had no idea what he was getting himself into. because standing here—delicately wrapped stuffed bear in hand, in a perfectly fitted suit—made him realize that this was no longer a "meaningless idea." this was a mistake. a mistake he couldn't back down from.
most of the time, the boy was unable to sit still, but more so now. a million thoughts were running through his head and he wasn't sure which one to focus on: the bad ending, the good ending, or the neutral one? a million thoughts called for a million different outcomes, after all.
okay, so he wasn't positively sure that guang hong would turn him down. if anything, this confession could go rather smoothly and then! maybe! they could even start dating each other. kenjirou minami. dating. dating his crush—no, dating guang hong ji, the charming, kind-hearted, adorable chinese skater with a fancy for crime boss films. that same boy he couldn't get out of his head for what felt like an eternity. that boy he seemed to love just as much as skating itself. he didn't plan for what happens after the confession's over but oh god. imagining that made him even antsier.
❝minami!❞
kanako was calling out to him, which snapped him right out of that train of thought. frantically shaking his head, he peeped up to look at her. kanako's fast waving in her direction signaled for him to come to her, which he did, fiddling with the pesky collar of his shirt along the way. as an encouraging mom would do to her child, she was fixing his crooked tie with positive words to boost his confidence . . . the confidence he seemed to be lacking.
❝what if he doesn't show?❞ was his current concern.
didn't break her smile at all. she persisted with her upbeat nature. ❝we can always try again another day.❞ it also wasn't a clear answer to whether she thought he would show or not, but it was comforting enough. he let out an exhale, a little too sharp of an exhale.
as an expressive kid, his worry was written all over his face: big pout, a repeating shaking head motion, and hands ruffling through his dirty blonde hair. even if his hair was a little messy, at least he still looked nice. what he sported was a cherry-colored waistcoat, a white button-up (with a bothersome collar), and a silky black tie. on the right side of the waistcoat, dangled a set of gold chains from the square pocket. the buttons on the waistcoat made it feel especially fancy; golden, inscribed with small patterns that seemed to resemble a flower of some kind. the color scheme perfectly danced in unison with the colors of his hair. this was intentional. everything about his physical appearance was delicately and deliberately planned out. except for a few things. initially, he was supposed to wear a black blazer on top, but he decided that would be a little too much. and the button-up made him feel stuffy. his sleeves were rolled up, to combat the heat. who knew it’d be so hot in the earliest days of february?
he'd have to thank kanako for all her help. she was a great coach, but she was also a great older role model for him when his parents were not present. she talked him up to do this. and now, she was trying to reassure him from melting into a pile of golden putty.
❝all you have to do is give him the present and speak from the heart. just like we practiced. you've got this!❞ she brushed away his red bangs from his eyes, making sure the boy could see the world around him. ❝just no spacing out.❞
kenjirou anxiously shimmied in place. that was a problem of his: spacing out, staring at people. never did he intend to make others uncomfortable, but he couldn't help but marvel at the people he was drawn to. what if he just gazed into guang hong's eyes for two minutes instead of confessing?
straightening his posture and inhaling rather loudly, he returned the energy. ❝i got this.❞ repeating her words back did not alter the pounding in his chest. if anything, it didn't even change what he was thinking, which was everything but excitement. lying to yourself when you feel like calling the whole thing off; just when you consider giving the teddy bear to him for a birthday present and birthday present only . . . does not help, demonstrated by a beat of silence before he let out a strange noise—
❝haaaaauuuuuuuugh! kanakoooooo!!❞ he whined, chestnut-colored eyes getting big and watery. ❝i can't do this!!!❞
kanako placed a hand on her cheek, looking back at him in pity. poor kid. all this began when he came to her with the sure belief that he was ready to get things off his chest. she was stunned by the declaration, clearly extending a hand of support to him. was this really the same kenjirou from two days ago? would he even be able to look him in the eyes? let alone, give a whole love confession to him?
his hands flattened down at his hair, which immediately poofed back up to its original state. she had to hold back a tiny snort at that.
she extended an offer, ❝do you wanna try again tomorrow?❞
❝no!!❞ the eager yelp almost cut her off. if they were inside a building, his shouting would've echoed off of walls. his eyes were welling with tears, but not sad tears. ❝i have to do this! i gotta! i don't know how! but i need to try!!❞
ah. so he did want to do it after all. under all of that dread and doubt that surfaced on the outside, there was a stubbornness within him. kenjirou seemed to be dead set on, at the very least, trying. maybe he was still the same boy after all. nervous or not, the passion to get his feelings across seemed to remain. kanako could see the fire burning in his eyes. with enough deep breathing and determination to let out bottled feelings, he could actually do it. he could confess if he really wanted to. all he needed was for her to be there if things went wrong.
❝alright then.❞ she placed her fate in him. of course she'd be there. and anyways, that offer beforehand seemed enough to reinspire him.
outside, though, guang hong ji was blind to anything else but his own plans.
leo was wearing something very simple in comparison to his best friend: shorts, a gray tank top, and dark hair tied up into a ponytail. putting both of them together made them look like two cartoonishly different characters, both who just came out of two drastically different stories. while leo was casually dressed in casualwear, the other boy was dressed—as leo would put it—"to the nines."
❝okay!❞ a determined guang hong nodded. ❝try me.❞
❝bag?❞
❝check.❞
❝flowers?❞
❝check!❞
❝tailor-made, super cool, ultra fancy suit gifted to you by yours truly?!❞
❝check!!❞
❝awesome, man! you're all set!❞ the dark-haired boy offered him one thumb up, as the other hand rested on the steering wheel. guang hong did not have a license, but his older friend certainly did. kindly, he decided that he'd help out the teenager by driving him to meet up with minami today. that offer, along with the suit, and the constant positive input, really highlighted the reasons why he trusted the other so much. don't be mistaken. none of this was leo's idea—(he had terrible love advice, even if he meant well)—but his contributions made the whole thing worth it. ❝you sure you're ready to do this?❞
guang hong, as uneasy as he was, agreed. ❝yes! i think so!❞
think so. that didn't seem like he was too sure of himself. leo waved off the passing thought. guang hong looked as ready as he possibly could be. even he didn't have the guts to try and confess to someone he liked, especially not in this way. anyone in his shoes would be nervous. now was the time to echo words like his coach does before he gets on the ice. ❝go get him then!!❞
the freckled boy tugged at the door handle and hopped out of leo's car once it was open. glimpsing over his shoulder, he grinned at leo through the rolled-down window. ❝thanks, leo!❞
and off he went, with leo shouting ❝good luck!❞ from behind him and then driving away.
guang hong wouldn't do this if his head was entirely clear, but he turned on his headphones and started blasting loud music. anything. anything at all that could distract him from what he was about to do would help. he wasn't as composed as he tried to make it seem—even yelping once he realized that his sprinting could've probably damaged those flowers, which he picked out at a flower shop that leo had recommended. how leo knew about all these wildly different things and all these wildly different people . . . who knows. his friend was a mystery. he knew, like, everyone in town.
what was also a mystery was what kenjirou would think. was this outfit too much? did it give it away before he even opened his mouth? or would he instead admire the suit? was this enough to gain his approval? did it make him look cool? leo commented that it made him look like a superstar, to his delight. but he was also considerate of the fact that leo could've said what he wanted to hear. that could be a lie. if he didn't look cool to minami, what was the point?
baby blue blazer. blending perfectly with the button-up, an even lighter shade of blue. another decision of his was to not wear a waistcoat, as he knew the sticky weather would interfere with those plans. what he did was keep the first few buttons open and wear a white undershirt. this also prevented having to wear a tie, which he refused to wear for the feeling of that being "too extra" for this. you could see the amethyst necklace he wore around his neck, a token of good luck given to him by his grandmother. there was also a flower clipped onto the blazer. a nice, delicate touch. he chose not to do anything with his hair except for combing it before he left the house. but hey, the blazer matched the pants! so at least that made up for it? maybe? hopefully.
he was listening to a lofi song that he hadn't listened to in a while. putting his liked songs was a good idea as he didn't have to deal with the tediousness of selecting a song. it had a nice beat to it. the melody was rather calming. picking this song with a clear head was unlikely, but it was helping just as much as leo's help did. everything was as perfect as it could possibly be.
now all that was left was to confess.
leo got him to write out all his feelings on a blank card since he knows damn well that he'll lose all of them in the moment. his anxiety would overtake him, causing him to stumble and fail at getting to the confession part. he'd do anything to save screwing up in front of his crush. guang hong didn't even like calling kenjirou his "crush"—it made him feel like a schoolboy. this felt deeper than just a crush. he was never expecting to get the fanged, hyperactive boy to run around in his mind the way he did.
kenjirou was the one to make the natural blush across his face grow darker. kenjirou was the one who made his hands all gross and clammy. and kenjirou, only kenjirou could get him to do silly things he'd never do for other people . . . like listening to him rant about yuuri katsuki for a total of four hours and thirty minutes. on call. the day before a competition.
listening to kenjirou talk, seeing his face, and watching him on the ice were the highlights of his day. it wasn't humanly possible, in his opinion, to not smile at the thought of him. he had a love for specifically his voice. cheesy as it was, guang hong wanted to hear that voice every single day of his life. forever. forever and even more than that—romantic and cliche, but that's similar to a line he wrote on the card. those expressions were accompanied by different memories they shared and how he wanted to share more time with him. that he . . . loved him.
words were not his strong suit. he couldn't come up with anything as enthusiastic and upbeat like minami probably could. but jumbled words or not, the card would help him get the feelings across. his faith was stored into a card; to that, he can drop his shoulders.
once he arrived at a point where he could stop, he texted the blonde that he was right around the corner. strangely sentimental, that's how he felt. if kenjirou was waiting at the spot they planned to meet at for a long time now, the first thing he'd do upon seeing him is burst into tears. hopefully, he hadn't been waiting there for too long. it didn't seem like it, as the other sent him a digital smiley-face sticker with a thumbs-up. guang hong liked the message and eagerly resumed running to him. as long as he had that card, the confession will go smoothly. he was ready.
kanako followed kenjirou's plan of staying at a cafe nearby so that the two could have their privacy. she was only a phone call away if things went wrong. but he was now encouraged that things won't be. an SNS sticker couldn't come close to showing the adrenaline felt—just standing around and waiting was one of the most difficult things to do right now. he's never been more impatient in his life. any moment now, he'd be standing face-to-face with his crush with a cheesy confession he'd make up on the spot. he was ready too.
kenjirou loved guang hong. guang hong loved kenjirou. two ice skaters aiming for the same prize: the other's heart. it just so happened that two assumed rivals became friends . . . and each other's crush. this inseparable duo burned brighter around each other. every quality—strength or flaw—was one that the other cherished. today's confession could either make or break what they've built on. no matter what the outcome would be, they were ready to get these feelings out there.
but they weren't ready to find out they both just planned a confession. at the exact. same. time.
there were a few things that happened simultaneously once guang hong turned the corner to come face to face with kenjirou. everything went by fast. too fast to account without individually breaking down each action. so, three things:
firstly. together, both scanned the other up and down. once their eyes met, they shared a wide-eyed look and felt their faces grow hot. formal wear. they'd obviously seen each other in formal wear before—but that didn't matter. neither kenjirou or guang hong expected to see each other in suits today. not for a walk in the park. according to both of their plans, they wanted to astonish the other with the out-of-the-blue seriousness . . . that and they wanted to surprise the other with dashing good looks. they shared a mutual shade of pink on their faces, but at least the idea worked. but it was too damn early to see your crush all glammed up like this. he was as captivating as the warm breeze that flew past them.
secondly. then they started to question why. why was the other person wearing a suit? in the middle of a park? on a spring day? in this weather? it's not like they were getting interviewed by a reporter or going somewhere special. this was a park. if they walked up the hill (and they were going to), they'd pass the kid's play structure and the adult tennis court. a public park. why, in any situation, would you need to be wearing that? something so . . . charming? why was the other all dolled up to spend time at a park they've always hung out at?
thirdly and also finally. right after they realized what they were both wearing, they saw each other holding gifts. kenjirou’s wrapped in colorful wrapping paper and bows, guang hong’s being a jumble of multicolored flowers. so much for that part being a surprise . . .
three was also the magical number of seconds it took for either one of them to react. or move. or breathe. kenjirou was the first to do something—hide the already-seen present behind his back, with no subtly or grace to it. wasn't like this made anything less suspicious or get rid of the reality that the gift was already seen. he was caught—no, both of them were caught off guard. anyone caught off guard would make such an impulsive. but if guang hong was only two seconds off, kenjirou would've had the chance to hide the gift.
pointing at whatever he just hid behind his back, guang hong shouted, without hiding his own gift. ❝wh— . . . what is that?❞ he asked, knowing damn well it was for him.
crap. ❝n—NOTHING!!❞ kenjirou lied through his teeth. faltering, fumbling a string of "ums" and "uhs", and then regaining his composure—❝well, not "nothing.” something! what i mean is that—that i have something really important to tell you!❞ so this was really about to take that classic shoujo manga confession route, huh?
❝oh.❞ realizing, he shuffled the obvious bouquet behind his own back. ❝so do i.❞
flowers? the curious blonde tried peeping behind his back, trying to catch a proper glimpse at the gift. he knew what was being hidden, but he didn’t pay attention to colors, the type of flowers, or the wrapping that held it together. receiving a bouquet could mean anything. didn’t mean anything romantic, right? right?
ji’s freckled cheeks flushed a deeper shade of pink, tensing up at the other’s curious eyes. he was so precious. brown was kenjirou's favorite color. whether that was his favorite color because of guang hong could be left up to the imagination. his eyes were the prettiest shade of brown he had ever seen. and the boy had no idea what effect he had on him.
okay, now they were just admiring each other’s features again. wasn’t this what they were trying not to do? did they forget this was supposed to be a confession?
❝should we just—❞ guang hong scratched at the back of his neck. ❝—say it at the same time, or?❞
blink. this is getting more and more cliché by the minute. ❝yeah! that’s a good idea!❞ kenjirou forced out. he would’ve ended up pushing guang hong to speak first anyway. all while trying not to interrupt him by screaming out an “i love you.”
guang hong rubbed his thumb against the wrapping of the bouquet. ❝okay. um. on the count of three?❞
kenjirou nodded his head, way too enthusiastically for his own good.
❝. . . o—one.❞ two pairs of eyes dodged each other; faces heating each other up more than the spring sky. three has always been an important number for these two. when they met, it was the third day of the month. kenjirou’s favorite number was three. now it all came back to that number. on the count of three, two people, two confessions, and only one fated outcome.
❝two . . .❞ god, this was already taking forever. could this speed up a bit? as both of them locked eyes again, they shared a mutual look. impatience. both parties found this excessively painful. jumping at the silence that followed, getting it out there would be a relief. guang hong didn’t leave a huge gap between his counting, but it felt like an eternity.
and then that magical number, a bliss to each person’s ear. nothing could prepare either for what comes after this. rejection. confirmation. a lost friendship. a new relationship. but either way, time went too slow and too fast. now was the time to get it out there, no looking back. ❝three.❞
in sync, guang hong and kenjirou screamed their love confessions at each other.
❝I—I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU!❞ ❝KENJIROU, I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU!❞
and then a small beat of silence, as both shook off the relief of finally getting the words out there. but then realizing what the other person just confessed.
both of them, simultaneously, let a yelp escape from their lips. kenjirou shouted out a coherent ❝WHAAT?!❞ while guang hong settled with a high-pitched ❝HUUH?!❞
❝waitwaitwaitwaitwaitwAITWAIT—WAIT!!❞ waving one hand through the air, kenjirou’s face matched the color of his tie. no more hiding the present, it was out in the open now. ❝YOU?! LOVE ME?!?!❞
guang hong, on the other hand, was too distracted by the other’s confession to realize he wasn’t hiding the bouquet anymore. ❝YEAH?!❞—wait, that wasn’t supposed to sound like a question—❝I MEAN!! yeah. yeah, i do . . . !!❞
as the freckled boy lowered his voice, kenjirou followed. slowly but surely, he soaked in the information that guang hong felt the same about him. he wasn’t even supposed to blurt out a confession—with kanako, he expressed the idea of a speech then confession. panic caused those ideas to be ruined.
❝kenjirou . . .❞
❝hm?❞
❝are you sure?❞
❝what?❞
❝are you sure you feel that way about me?❞ guang hong’s shoulders dropped, face darkening with insecurity. ❝am i really cool enough for you?❞
kenjirou jumped at his crush’s words. did he really just say that? ❝WHAT DO YOU MEAN “COOL ENOUGH”?! YOU’RE PERFECT!!! JUST THE WAY YOU ARE!! WHICH IS THE COOLEST PERSON I’VE EVER MET!!!❞ not really noticing he turned the volume dial back up, his rant continued. ❝AND I’M ONE HUNDRED—NO, ONE BILLION PERCENT SURE! HOW COULD I NOT LOVE YOU, SOMEONE SO NICE?! AND! AMAZING!! AND PRETTY! AND!! AND!!! . . . and . . . .❞
momentarily, he was distracted by the one he was shouting compliments. no longer was he wearing a grim expression, but ji’s eyes were shining a golden color beneath the rays of the sun. for a moment, kenjirou could’ve believed that he was the sun: bright, glowing, shimmering before him. and before he knew it, his lack of detailed planning backfired, because he ran out of words to use.
❝i should’ve written a confession.❞ he admitted.
yeah, guang hong was glowing—glowing a bright shade of red. kenjirou just went on one of his fanboy rants, but not about a celebrity he looked up to, about him. written confession or not, he said everything the other needed to hear.
❝i wrote one. but, uh, there’s no point in reading it anymore.❞ the blonde knew guang hong wasn’t the best at finding his words sometimes, so he understood. ji continued, ❝thank you. you’re pretty too. i could listen to you talk forever . . .❞ he also had a suspicion that kenjirou was self-conscious about his own rambling.
those words had the same reaction as his own rambling did. he squeaked as a tiny mouse would. leaving behind a blushing, awkward boy, kenjirou wasn’t used to being on the receiving end of a compliment. he did so much better at giving nice words, as everyone could tell.
“forever”?
two shimmering pairs of brown eyes locked once more. truthfully? guang hong was getting a little bolder now that he saw his crush’s reaction. he’s only ever seen the skater get that shy around his idol, yuuri katsuki. did that mean that he was just as important to him as his favorite skater? or maybe, could guang hong possibly take that spot in his heart? or has he already done so?
❝y—yep!❞ kenjirou managed to creak, unable to feel his face. not the smoothest response, but who's gonna hold that over his head? ji? with a glance at the wrapped gift in his hand, he searched for another topic. ❝i hope it’s not too late to give you this . . . ❞
❝suddenly i regret getting you flowers instead of a real gift.❞ ah, so he finally acknowledges those.
❝but i like the flowers!❞ he pouted, immediately pushing forward the present. ❝mine isn’t even special! just something i saw at the mall and thought you’d like!❞
❝i’m sure it’s amazing . . .❞
guang hong stared down at the gift: shiny red plastic—(that reflected the rays of the sun so intensely, it hurt to stare at for too long)—tied at the very top with a big white bow. in hindsight, he probably should’ve guessed that there was a teddy bear inside. admittedly, he had no guesses.
both of them swapped presents. kenjirou now had the chance to closely observe the bouquet. it wasn’t like he specialized in gardening or plant life enough to know the flower types. he was able to identify orange lilies and yellow roses neatly tucked in the red wrapping. you didn’t need to know about flowers to call them pretty. the fact that guang hong was gifting this to him made it the most precious thing in the world.
meanwhile, the other skater was fumbling with undoing his gift’s bow. if leo was here, he’d ask him for help on opening this. too bad he’s probably chilling at home by now.
okay, but guang hong was still making an effort to look cool in front of kenjirou. and it was painfully obvious, despite now trying to tear at it. whoever tied this probably didn’t consider the weak-handed gift receiver trying to untie it. without scissors, this was impossible to open.
. . . kenjirou was the one who tied it.
it wasn’t his fault he tied it so tight! kanako made sure to lecture him about making sure it wasn’t tied loosely. ensuring there wouldn’t be a disaster was the most important thing! the idea of the bow accidentally unraveling was an idea he didn’t want to imagine any further. so he tied the hell out of that thing. twice. no—it was knotted four times.
but honestly? he was too busy thinking about other sappy things to care. he had a million questions he wanted to ask guang hong, but he instead stared back up at kenjirou.
❝i—❞ he gasped in between shallow breaths. ❝—i don’t think i can open this.❞ now it was ji’s turn to feel sheepish. there goes looking cool . . .
the unknowing party dropped his shoulders for a brief moment. they rose once more, kenjirou grinning ear-to-ear. ❝it’s okay! it doesn’t really matter anyway.❞
❝are you sure? maybe we can stop by the corner store to buy some scissors. or maybe i can get it open if i—❞
❝—no!! i promise!! it’s not that important right now!!❞
❝but i wanna know what’s inside!❞
❝it’s just a valentines day teddy bear, no big deal! we can try getting it open later!❞
ji’s eyes widened like kenjirou just said the craziest thing in the world. glancing back at the (perfectly intact, almost untouched-looking) condition of the bow, he frantically went back at trying to open it. knowing what was inside made him even more determined to get that damn gift open. curse that stupid bow.
❝guang hongggg . . . ❞ kenjirou whined. ❝just forget about itttt . . .❞
it was a teddy bear, for pete’s sake! perfect for his ongoing collection! how would you react if someone you love gifted you one of your favorite things in the world? as embarrassing as this was, he had always wanted to be gifted a teddy bear on valentines day. how could he just “forget” about opening the best gift he’s ever received?
❝can’t.❞ he said, distracted enough to not put attention to his words.
kenjirou’s eyes lit back up as he spotted a familiar picnic table nearby. the wooden table was empty at this time of day, so he was free to put down the beautiful bouquet he was given. giving it one last admiring stare, he walked back over to the boy—the sudden realization of mutual love washing over him.
did that really just happen? did guang hong really just return his feelings? from the very beginning, he expressed his feelings to kanako; that the skater caught his eye with his good looks and softhearted nature. as they continued to spend time together, the blonde was spellbinded. handsome, attentive, dedicated, and he loved watching him skate. but never in a million years did he ever think that he had any chance of feelings being reciprocal.
❝soooo . . . ❞ clapping his hands together in his best attempts to distract the other (because honestly, there was no way he’d get it open), he continued. ❝how long have you liked me anyway?❞
it worked, that’s for sure. ❝it’s kind of embarrassing when you say it out loud.❞ he cowered over, stopping momentarily. ❝ever since i . . . we met . . . ❞ as he finished that sentence, the volume of his voice continued to decrease. he felt like shrinking into a ball. his hands went back at it, trying to distract himself again.
❝WHAAAT?!❞ kenjirou almost choked on his spit—causing the other to almost toss the gift twenty feet in the air from the loud noise. ❝YOU’VE LIKED ME EVER SINCE THE BEGINNING TOO?!?!❞
❝UM, YE—?! wait, ‘too’?❞
guang hong blinked back at the new information. first the confession, then the very startling scream, and then on top of that, the second confession that kenjirou has liked him back all along. him! him, of all the other people in the world that he surrounded himself with! and to think he was feeling so self-conscious about loving him for so long!
❝uh-huh . . . ❞ the blonde admitted, shying away from his own confession. he was still in shock at the fact that guang hong could’ve liked him in general—now he was trying to process the fact that liked him from the very first moment he laid eyes on him? seriously? ❝but back to you! you seriously liked me for that long?!?!❞
at this point, guang hong completely forgot about his goal in opening the gift. ❝well, yeah . . . ❞ he trailed his thumb against the silky ribbon. ❝every time you looked at me in the rink, i got really nervous. i didn’t think you’d ever wanna talk to me.❞
the boy continued, ❝but then, you did and—i knew that you were special. you had this sparkle in your eyes i’ve never seen in anyone else before . . . and you have such a nice voice . . . that’s when i realized that it will always be you. you’ll always be the one i think about.❞
if guang hong was shining as bright as the sun, kenjirou was the one glowing from under it.
never has he ever felt so special in his life. ji was never the type to be overly sappy (sometimes, it flustered him when he revealed his mushy thoughts). managing to hit every weak spot—doubt, insecurity—he almost passed out right then and there from joy.
ji blushed as kenjirou began to visibly malfunction—❝AH! i’m so sorry!! was that too much?!?!❞
yes. the sound he was making resembled a kid’s squeaky toy you could find at that corner shop brought up earlier. yes, but it was “too much” in a good way. and now kenjirou wasn’t shying away from what had been on his mind earlier. it was a jumbled mess of romantic thoughts, formed together by a question that he managed to croak out.
❝can i hold your hand?❞
brown eyes flickered between him and the present he abandoned. ❝um.❞ the present was irrelevant at this point, as was the bouquet lying on the picnic table. ❝my hands are probably really sweaty.❞ but yes, of course, he could hold his hand. that question was so cutely posed, minami could feel his heart pounding like a booming drum.
okay? that wouldn’t gross out the other boy, who made it a point to ask before grabbing his hand. ❝that doesn’t bother me!❞
clammy hands only continued to warm up against the gift wrap as guang hong’s mind went wild—images of them holding hands flashing through his mind made him feel lightheaded. in a good way, though!
❝give me a sec.❞ he whispered, sprinting over as fast as he could to that damn picnic table. he couldn’t find it in him to actually sprint. like the jelly in those fruit-jelly cups, his legs felt wobbly. in his mind, he was running as fast as he could, throwing that gift on the table, then returning. things happened much slower in reality though.
once he was back, ji stood as stiffly as a statue. how was this supposed to go? was he supposed to stand a certain way? was this okay?
kenjirou demonstrated, noticing the cute awkwardness of the other. ❝put your hands up like this.❞ both his hands were now at shoulder height. guang hong followed the instructions, to which kenjirou pressed both his palms against his. all done delicately as he could.
their fingers intertwined; locking, becoming one with the other.
now they had the chance to stare into each other’s eyes. with no distractions, gift exchanges, or cliché confessions, all they did was admire one another. finally. both boys could see an expression they’d never seen before. this was a look of satisfaction and well-earned joy.
❝you’re beautiful.❞ guang hong whispered, admiring his features at a closeness he never imagined he’d see him in. from what he observed, kenjirou’s lip quivered softly. it looked like he was starting to tear up. adorable. ❝my plans were ruined because of you, but you made them. you make everything better.❞
kenjirou didn’t need a wide grin to express how sunny he felt on the inside. ❝you’re beautiful.❞ he repeated, echoing his own words to make sure that he knew that fact. guang hong was the prettiest person he had ever laid eyes on. he heard the other’s small, overjoyed gasp at the repeat. ❝i don’t know what else to say, but you make me very, very happy. and speechless too.❞
both fell silent. a soft, yet powerful smile rested on each other’s faces. no more words needed to be exchanged anyway. there was a silent exchange of a thought, a phrase even—one so cheesy if they thought about it for too long. sweet enough to rot a tooth but soothe the soul:
“you are everything i’ve ever wanted.”
this time, it was guang hong who mustered up the courage to ask a question of kenjirou.
❝kenjirou.❞
❝mhm?❞
❝can i kiss you now?❞
his breath was almost taken away. somehow he returned the courage shown by his future boyfriend and whispered out a ❝yes.❞
interlocked hands did not move as guang hong leaned in. before they could kiss, both of their foreheads tapped one another. there was a small chuckle shared between them before guang hong softly pressed his lips against kenjirou’s. the blonde could almost hear the angels sing right then and there, not being able to hold in his excitement as he immediately went in for a hug after they kissed. guang hong wrapped his arms around the other, so tightly. a moment preserved as a memory in a long tale of romance.
it took only one kiss to fully see the world they lived in. this was reality, no longer a daydream experienced from a distance. the truth was that they had been destined to each other from the very beginning.
both inexperienced teenagers; both too caught up in their own individual stories to discover the joined story they shared. little did they know before was now in the past. this was a new world outside of the one the two had been living in. this time, together, things would be so much better.
a world outside of something as polished as kenjirou and kanako had planned.
a world outside of the perfectly crafted confession speech guang hong had come up with.
a world where even if things didn’t go as planned, that didn’t always mean that things would go wrong.
and oh, this was a perfect ending (and beginning) to something incredibly new.