Chapter Text
Mitsuya took a sip from his morning coffee as he watched Yasuda enter the cafe where they had planned to meet. The two of them had kept contact since middle school, and still collaborated even though their school years have passed. Mitsuya had agreed to come out to brunch with Yasuda to catch up with each other, and to trade tips for their next projects. He has a very ambitious project planned, but he needed her advice.
“You need a model?” Yasuda asked inquisitively. Mitsuya took another sip of his coffee, feeling the foamy top layer getting caught on his top lip. Dabbing it off with a napkin, he cleared his throat.
“It’s not quite that simple.” He sighs. “I need a model I can center a show around. I need to be able to capture her in all of the designs, and make the show feel like an homage to her, but finding a model that I can get that intimacy from, she might as well be imaginary.” Yasuda listened intently, taking a bite from her muffin. As she chewed, she asked a question.
“Have you considered a male model?” Yasuda looked up from her muffin to see her friend staring at her. Clearly, he had not. “You always use female models for your work, but all of your inspiration seems to come from the guys you hang around. So, why not use a male model?” Mitsuya paused mid sip. He lowered the mug and studied the rim, tracing over it with his lilac eyes. After thinking for a moment, he let out a short chuckle.
“Honestly Yasuda, I guess I just went with the default.” Mitsuya leaned back in his chair, and pushed his bangs out of the way. His hair was starting to get shaggy, and his chunky purple highlights were starting to show black roots. Leaning back forward, Mitsuya spoke again. “Well, do you know any male models I could get along with?” Looking back up from her muffin, Yasuda gave a knowing look.
“Only one.” She gave a little smirk, but was only met with a cocked eyebrow. The other one furrowed down as Mitsuya sat back up, starting to take another sip from his cup.
“Who?”
“... Uh, your boyfriend?”
Mitsuya choked on his coffee. This was news to him. “W-what the hell are you talking about?” He yelled, barely getting the words out through coughs. His face was getting red and he could feel the stares of the other people in the cafe. His reaction was a bit louder than either of the two had expected.
Yasuda leaned in close and started in a hushed tone, “Aren’t you two dating? I mean, I kinda just assumed, but I thought y’all just didn’t want to make it a big deal and tell everyone.”
At this point, Mitsuya was as bright as a tomato.
“I have no clue who you’re talking about.” He whispered, inches away from Yasuda’s face. She could feel the heat coming off of him, so she decided it was time to go.
“Takashi, let’s talk somewhere else, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to cause a scene.” The two got up from their table, and started heading towards the door. Mitsuya covered his face as they walked, feeling the other patron’s eyes following them as they left.
After that disaster of a brunch, Mitsuya and Yasuda found themselves back at the older boy’s apartment. Yasuda plopped down on the couch and watched as Mitsuya passed in silence. She didn’t know what to say. They had walked back here in silence the entire way. Yasuda leaned back and waited for her friend to calm down enough so they could talk. She knew he wasn’t angry or anything, but he was so visibly flustered; she knew it would be a minute.
After a very awkward few minutes, Mitsuya sat down on a kitchen stool and let out a sigh.
“Who?”
“Shiba.”
“HAKKAI?” Mitsuya was glad he was seated, because otherwise he would have fallen square on his ass.
“Why do you sound so shocked? All us girls thought y’all had a little thing going on. Did you seriously never pick up on how he feels about you?” Mitsuya just stared at her awestruck. As she continued talking about all the little things that the home ec girls picked up on, she noticed Mitsuya wasn’t listening. He was probably reliving the past 18 years of his life, thinking about all of his interactions with Hakkai. Were all those smiles something more? Did the constant leaning and resting on him have a deeper meaning? Were all the little glances more than accidental- His thoughts were interrupted with a loud clearing of the throat.
Yasuda stood up from the couch. “Look Takashi,” she said, “Clearly you have stuff that you need to think about, and you’ve been tuning me out for the past several minutes.” She sighed as she started heading towards the door. “I didn’t mean anything by it, but maybe you should think about if you do have feelings for Shiba. I’ll catch up with you later, tell your sisters I said hi.” And with that, Yasuda left the apartment, leaving its owner sitting on the kitchen stool.
At this point it was night. Mitsuya was lying on his bed, curled under his silken sheets. His mind hasn’t stopped racing since his conversation earlier. What did Yasuda mean by everyone thinking they’re a couple? Did everyone think they were together? But the question really wracking Mitsuya’s brain was, would he like it if people thought that?
He turned over to get more comfortable. Sure, Mitsuya noticed the small things about Hakkai, but surely no more than in a friend way. It wasn’t uncommon to lean in to a friend while watching a movie. Sometimes Hakkai would grab his waist a little extra tight while out biking, but maybe he was just going a little faster than normal. Anyone would notice how his best friend’s smile caused the scar on his lips to curve outward.
Anyone would notice those lips. They were always so soft and pink. They always had a slight shine to them. Mitsuya knew this was from Hakkai’s chapstick obsession, although the younger man would never admit to it. Those lips. They were plush, and the scar created more visual interest. Who wouldn’t think about kissing th-
Bring bring
Mitsuya shoots up. Where the hell did those thoughts come from? After his heartbeat calmed a bit, he went to find the source of that continued ringing noise. Mitsuya picked up his phone and checked the Caller ID.
Shit.
It was Hakkai. Of course he would call now. That man always seemed to know the worst times to call, but he also knew that Mitsuya would always answer.
“Hey Hakkai, what’s up?”
“Taka-chan!” The voice was loud, and Mitsuya had to pull the phone a little bit from his ear. This was pretty standard for a Hakkai call. “I’ve got the best news!” The man on the other end was simply beaming with excitement.
“Oh.” Mitsuya smiled at the way Hakkai said Taka-chan. A childish nickname, but still sincere and cute. He was always doing cute things like that. Hakkai was so- Mitsuya had to refocus on the conversation he was having with the real Hakkai. “What news is it this time?”
“I’m coming back tomorrow!”
“Shit.”