Work Text:
February, ~8 months since moving to Japan:
“So, tell me how Valentine’s Day works here? From what I understand, it’s a bit more than just a corporate shill,” Mae joked, finally being able to put her language exercise book away.
“What do you mean, ‘corporate shill’?!” Kakyoin chuckled, “You make it sound so unpleasant for a holiday all about giving chocolates to the people you care about.”
“I mean, it’s super commercialized, don’t you think?”
Kakyoin looked up from his own schoolwork, put his pen down, and sat up with a raised eyebrow, “Aren’t you supposed to be the romantic between the two of us?”
Mae rolled her eyes and huffed, a sarcastic smirk following suit, “That’s a tad sexist.”
“Is it sexist if it’s true?!”
She laughed, enjoying getting a rise out of her boyfriend, “I mean, I guess? I would tend to disagree with you, but I asked you a question first.”
“I’ll explain, but,” he pointed a finger at her, “we’re coming back to that.”
She shook her head, “Sure, whatever.“
Kakyoin sighed, “So, what specifically do you wanna know? You’ve got Valentine’s Day in the states, isn’t it all about giving chocolates to the people in your life?”
“Kinda?”
He thought for a second, and as Mae was opening her mouth to elaborate, he was hit by realization, “Oh my god, it’s a way bigger deal over there, isn’t it?”
She let out a nervous laugh, “It can be, but it really depends,” she shifted in her chair, “I’ve never really had a romantic Valentine’s Day before, so, what I know is similar to how you’ve described it.”
“But there’s flowers and giant teddy bears and stuff, right? The fat baby Cupid with his bow and arrow?”
She smiled, “That’s the commercial crap I’m used to. From what I know, the day is all about the other person. It’s all about spoiling your significant other, so, you’re supposed to buy red roses, chocolates in those silly heart shaped boxes, and yes, they do make big teddy bears specifically for Valentine’s Day. I know dad would always come home with flowers and the heart box for mom, and a bottle of fancy wine.”
“Mm. That does sound like a lot.”
Mae put her hands on the table, bent her elbows, and pushed herself back on her chair; her arms exploding outward to their full span, “It is!” Her arms fell to her side as she swung her chin upward and groaned. Kakyoin chuckled at her exaggerated movements, being caught by surprise as she snapped back to attention, scooting herself and her chair back into place, “And then there’s the stuff at school! Man, I can’t even begin to tell you how many boxes of valentines people buy for their classmates and teachers!! And it’s gotten even more involved since I was a kid!!! I remember these ridiculous mailboxes that Greg and Lila had to have for the other kids to put their valentines in, and Greg already had like 2 or 3, but NO, he needed a new one and-”
Kakyoin rested his elbow on the table, one hand supporting his head and the other reaching out to boop Mae’s nose, “You’re rambling.”
She startled at the sudden touch, a small blush starting to show as she saw him smiling at her, “Sorry.” She shrank a little in her seat as she apologized.
His hand carefully fell to cover hers on the table, giving it a gentle, reassuring squeeze, “It’s cute when you ramble.”
The blush grew more evident as she mirrored his pose, turning her face away, “‘M not cute.”
“Mae, you’re literally rattling on about Valentine’s Day, a love-centric holiday. You’re also absolutely dunking on it for it being a ‘commercial shill’ ..” He moved closer, kissing her cheek, “it’s adorable.” Her back straightened and she moved her hand out from under his, pointing at him with accusatory intent. Kakyoin was still smiling at her, chuckling as he sat back down, “What? Am I not allowed to kiss you or something?”
“You- … you call me the romantic? Okay,” she scoffed.
“What?! I’m sorry! You were being cute and I-”
“You’ve been avoid my question, sir!” Mae joked, exaggeratedly smacking the table with an open palm. Her finger pointed back in his face, “Valentine’s Day. In Japan. Differences. Go!”
“I- I uh ..” he let out a nervous laugh, mirroring her uncertainty, “I mean, what do you already know?”
“Really?! I’ve done enough talking, it’s your turn.”
“You know I’m not much of a talker.”
“Excuses!”
“But I’m being serious! Valentine’s Day has rules and it’s weird.”
“More rules?!” Mae groaned, “Why is Japanese culture so full of rules, I don’t understand!!”
Kakyoin couldn’t help but take some offense to that, “You sound like Mr. Joestar.”
She sighed, realizing how poor her word choice was, “I’m sorry.”
“It’s polite culture, I guess?”
“I’m plenty polite,” she retorted. “Nori, you’ve been able to travel the world and experience so many different cultures, even you have to admit some of these rules are ridiculous.”
“True as that may be, I’ve also done my best to respect those cultures and follow their rules, even if they didn’t seem to make sense to me.”
Mae hesitated as she began to rethink her response. She sat up, took in a deep breath and exhaled, “I’m sorry, again. Truly. I feel … really frustrated and confused. I have looked into this, as I know Valentine’s Day is like, my responsibility here?”
Kakyoin relaxed his shoulders, calmly returning to his previous pose, head propped up on one hand, “What do you mean by that? How is it your ‘responsibility’?”
“Valentine’s Day in the states is marketed as the guy’s responsibility, shouldered onto the boyfriend or husband or whoever equates to that role in the relationship,” she elaborated, “White Day doesn’t exist there.”
“Okay, so, you’re already familiar with White Day, that’s a good start.”
“So like, it’s my job to spoil you?”
He smiled, snickering at her phrasing, “That is certainly one way of viewing it, I suppose.”
“Okay, cool, glad I’ve got that part right.”
“What’re you so worried about then? You’re already pretty good at spoiling me.”
She hesitated again, the pink in her cheeks darkening once again in embarrassment, “I- it’s the chocolates thing, mostly.”
“What exactly about the chocolates?“
“I get that there’s the three different kinds, right?”
“Which are?”
Mae raised an eyebrow at him, “You really going to tutor-mode me right now?”
“Yep!” Kakyoin smirked, “Mostly so I can correct your pronunciation.”
“Ha ha, you’re a riot.”
“I am, thank you for noticing.”
“Anyway, there’s ‘giri-’, ‘tomo-’, and ‘honmei choco,’ and each one has their respective group of people I’d give them to. Giri choco are like the little valentines cards I told you about before, I would give those out to … I guess general people in my life? Those I’m not super close with. They can be store-bought chocolates and I don’t have to put too much thought into it.”
“Literally translates to, ‘obligation chocolates,’ and very good! I don’t see where you’re confused.”
“Allow me to continue?”
“Of course, of course.”
“Tomo choco I’d give to friends. I don’t really have those here, outside of maybe Jojo? Even then, I still feel like ‘friend’ is a generous way to describe my relationship to him.”
That hurt to hear, but was unfortunately not far from the truth, “He’s not a very … uh … outwardly affectionate person, Mae-chan, I don’t know what you want.”
“Maybe to know what kind of flavors he likes?”
“Have you not asked Ms. Holly?”
She froze, “How did I not think to do that sooner, oh my god …”
Kakyoin couldn’t help but laugh at her reaction, “Jotaro is a hard read, so, I’ll give you that. Don’t mistake his reservation around you to be anything … negative. He’s a bit clueless when it comes to the opposite sex, but he does more than tolerate you now! He actually acknowledges your existence and will respond to you when spoken to!”
“In the shortest, rudest way possible,” Mae muttered.
“He’s trying, I assure you, he really is.”
“I know, I know. … Babe, what if I gave him chocolates in front of his flock of fangirls?!”
“Don’t- don’t do that, please?” Kakyoin asked, unable to stop himself from chuckling a bit at the idea, “I think they’ve figured out we’re the ones who are actually dating at this point, and I don’t want to antagonize them.”
“Okay, okay, but you have to admit, it would be kinda funny.”
“For you, maybe. He has to deal with them all day afterward, and so do I by extension!”
“Yeah, but just imagine for a second, please? They all got so mad at me just holding his hand!”
“That was months ago, and let it go? They’re not all that bad, just … obsessive. That aside, I’m still not seeing where you’re confused. You’ve gotten two-thirds of the chocolates right so far.”
Mae shrank, fidgeting with the previously abandoned pen on the table now that the conversation was back on track, “And this is where I think I’m stuck. Honmei choco, which is reserved specifically for crushes and significant others and such. Meaning you,” she pointed the pen at the redhead, “I know your preferences pretty well at this point, I think. Cherry is your favorite, but you’re not too picky when it comes to fruit flavors overall. You prefer milk to dark chocolate, and I’ve certainly been an enabler to that sweet tooth I know you have.”
“All of those are correct,” he smiled.
“But like, I’m a cook, Nori. I fancy myself a baker, but I’m no chocolatier! Chocolate isn’t always as easy as melt into a mold and then it’s done! There’s a lot of steps with candy making and I’d rather not get those wrong.”
“Mae-chan, you’re over-”
“And what if they look good and then taste like crap?! Or what if they taste great and end up looking like turds?! Chocolate can be so difficult and candy is already so fickle, if I try and do something nice and fancy, am I gonna ruin it?!”
“Woah, slow down-”
“And there’s so much weight in this! So much significance!! At least based on what I found online!” She hid her face in her hands and groaned, the pen flipping out between her fingers and spinning as it clattered back to the table, “I know it’s a silly holiday, but I still don’t wanna mess this up, y’know?” She sat up and looked at Kakyoin, arms folded in front of her on the table, “Buying stuff is something anyone can do, so I’m hung up on making you these chocolates. I know it’s ridiculous, but like, it feels like if I don’t get these stupid, fancy, high quality chocolates right it’s like I don’t love you enough! And that’s-”
“What did you just say?”
“What?”
Mae froze, her eyes locked with his, doing her best to recall exactly what she’d just blurted out in her anxious spiral. What did she say? Her mind was frantically scrambling to locate the memory of what the exact words were.
Then it hit like a ton of bricks.
She’d said it.
By accident.
Like an idiot.
She gasped, hands covering her mouth, face growing warmer and the blush becoming deeper by the second.
“Mae?” Kakyoin asked, waving a hand in front of her face, “Earth to Mae? Hello?” He couldn’t help but laugh as she swatted his hand away, expression changing from one of complete fear to amused annoyance, “Would you care to repeat yourself, Miss Harrison?”
“Not really ..” she muttered, hiding her face in her hands.
“No no! You don’t get to turtle your way out of this. What did you say?”
“It was a slip! I- I didn’t mean it like that, I just- …” she stammered, feeling as if her entire face was being set ablaze by the awful mix of emotions that were flooding her being.
“You didn’t mean what you just said?”
“Yes! No! Not like that! I don’t know! I just- …” she took a sharp inhale and paused, face now red out to her ears, anger and embarrassment and honesty weighing on her, “Can we continue this conversation somewhere else?”
He hesitated before continuing to poke and prod. He knew exactly what he’d heard, surprised and wildly unprepared to hear her say that, but she was acting as if he’d be mad. He was far from it, but he could see the that tone would be lost on her at the moment; probing would be taken the wrong way.
“Please?” he heard her ask, aware that his parents were never too far away.
Kakyoin’s parents were nothing but respectful of the teens’ privacy, but Mae’s own family gave her hesitation to speak too openly or loudly about anything personal. Her siblings were relentlessly nosy, and they inherited that bad habit from their father, who had mastered a degree of stealth that even caught the stand user off guard. The little ones reported to him whenever they saw, heard, or found anything suspect (mostly because he was the first parent to get home from work). Mrs. Harrison had actively thwarted the childrens’ efforts on multiple occasions, often acting as the only actual adult in the household, and respecting her oldest child’s right to privacy and happiness. This is exactly why Kakyoin was seldom seen in the Harrison household when Mae’s parents were home; that and it was too prime of an opportunity for Mae to escape.
He nodded, agreeing to her request, but his own eagerness to hear her say those words again was starting to override his patience. He slid out of his chair, offering her his hand and a soft smile. She thanked him, quickly being whisked away to his bedroom. She did not expect the speed at which they were moving, and that did nothing to calm her already frenzied nerves.
The two entered, the door quickly being closed behind them, Mae sitting on the edge of the bed and fidgeting with a loose thread on her sleeve. Kakyoin took his spot next to her, “So, care to tell me what you said now?”
“No … still no. I- … I was going to wait on this, I … when do you … when do people normally say this stuff?!”
“I’m not mad or anything, y’know?” he tried to be reassuring, despite teasing her a bit, “I’m just trying to confirm my suspicion.”
“I- … what do you think I said?”
He rolled his eyes and groaned, “You’re killing me, Harrison!”
“You don’t think I’m not dying here too?!” she chuckled, contradicting her body language. She brought her legs up to her chest, her arms hugging them as she tried to hide herself.
Kakyoin took notice of the change in position and placed a hand on her shoulder, “I- I’m sorry, okay, but,” he placed his other hand on her knee and gently applied pressure, encouraging her to uncurl herself, “I told you before, you’re not turtling your way out of this.”
“Okay, okay, that’s fair,” she said with a smile, still unable to quite keep herself still, nervous energy on display.
“I have no idea when this stuff normally happens or whatever, you should know I’m one of the worst people to ask.”
“That … is also entirely fair.”
“But, uh, since you asked, I’m pretty sure you said that you love me? And then immediately said that you didn’t mean it? Maybe? Kinda got lost with that last part.”
He could see the mix of emotions behind her eyes, tears starting to form and highlight them. The fear, the anxiety, the embarrassment which had caused her face to become as red as it was, “I- it’s not that I don’t mean it, it was an accident! I didn’t mean to say it now, is all, and I-”
“And you’re worried about some stupid day defining the quality of that feeling? Which yes, is ridiculous,” he smiled, playfully shoving her shoulder, “You think some dumb holiday is going to change my feelings toward you? Really?”
“I- I dunno! I thought there was a lot riding on this kinda stuff. The rules are weird and-” she could see the look on his face, a familiar, dumb smile he got whenever he was going to swing her around in his arms, “hey, no, NO! I have been freaking out about this for the last several minutes, you do not get to- Nori!” His arms were around her, knocking her back onto the pillows and he was … laughing? “I’m trying to tell you that I-”
He immediately shot upright, supporting himself on his hands, hovering above her, “That you what, hmm?”
She was stunned into silence, it was not very often he put her in such a position, literally being pinned underneath him. She normally had to take the lead for much beyond hand holding or cuddling, “That I- uh …” she brought her arms up around him, bringing him back down, doing her best to hide her face again, “that I really don’t wanna fuck this up, okay?”
“Fuck what up?!” Kakyoin insisted, still chuckling as he pried Mae off of him and fell to his side. He repositioned himself so their foreheads were resting against each other, his hand behind her head, “Look, no dumb candy or holiday is going to change how I feel about you,” he carefully rocked his fingers forward, the gentle pressure causing her to let out a small sigh as their lips came together, “You could make me the nastiest, worst chocolates on this planet and I’d still love you, okay?”
She stared at him, a deer caught in the headlights, his words ringing in her ears. He couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed by the somewhat roundabout admission, but he was doing his best to try and be cool about this, because Mae was clearly a mess at the moment.
She could feel the palpitations in her chest and ears, “I- you- uh …” she let out another nervous laugh, arms wrapping around him again, “I love you, too.”
Being cuddled up like this meant Kakyoin could definitely feel her heart pounding and she was sure she was shaking like a leaf, but it didn’t matter. He said it back. That’s all she needed to hear, for the time being. His arms around her again were a welcome, comforting pressure, and the kiss on the forehead was a bonus.