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Valentine’s Day. That was Kaiser’s current dilemma. He strode through the bustling hallways of his high school, classes almost over and yet he still hadn’t accomplished his main objective of the day.
Give Valentine’s chocolates to Isagi.
Kaiser was not the type of person to get easily flustered. Usually it was him who destroyed other people’s composures, and he took every opportunity available to tease Isagi whenever he saw him. Mussing up his hair, stealing stationery from his desk and refusing to give it back until Isagi nearly sent the two of them to the principal’s office from chasing him around in class. One time Isagi had catapulted over a table, sending papers and water bottles flying through the air as he nearly succeeded in grabbing Kaiser’s collar, who had been standing three rows away, mockingly waving Isagi’s notebook above his head. That little stunt had earned them a harsh scolding from their teacher, and both were sent home with scathing letters to their parents.
As expected, Isagi did not appreciate Kaiser’s antics, and he made that very clear with the looks he shot Kaiser whenever they crossed paths. It was rare for him to cuss people out, given his normally kindhearted disposition, but Kaiser truly tested his patience.
When Kaiser initially transferred to this school, Isagi had sought him out, cheerfully inviting him to join his friends at lunch. He didn’t even let Isagi finish before he’d flat-out refused, pointedly walking away in the opposite direction and leaving Isagi dumbfounded.
That was two months ago. After that encounter, Isagi simply wouldn’t leave his mind, no matter what Kaiser did. It was odd, so very odd. Did he feel guilty for shutting Isagi down so suddenly? No. Guilt and remorse were not emotions that Kaiser plagued himself with, so those two were off the board. That night, he’d stared at the ceiling, tossing and turning in bed as his heart did flips and twists in his chest the more he thought about Isagi.
When he eventually fell asleep and woke up the next morning, he’d seen Isagi on his way to school. Kaiser’s breathing had spiked so abruptly he might have been hyperventilating. He’d gritted his teeth and looked the other way when Isagi waved at him tentatively, ignoring the way his stomach dropped as Isagi put his hand back down.
For weeks, Kaiser refused to acknowledge his feelings for Isagi. He convinced himself that this was not a crush, and that Isagi was simply another person he enjoyed messing with. That his constant teasing was only to see how many reactions he could provoke out of Isagi.
But last Friday, when he’d overheard his peers in class excitedly discussing who they’d give Valentine’s chocolates to, Isagi’s name had popped up. And Kaiser had realized he hated the idea of someone else giving sweets to Isagi. Anyone that wasn’t himself. It was unthinkable, but he couldn’t exactly stop other students from crowding over Isagi throughout the day, practically swarming him with gifts and handmade trinkets.
He would also rather jump off the face of the Earth than confess to Isagi, so he’d decided to leave chocolates at his locker instead of handing them to him directly.
Which is how he found himself in the school lobby right now, staring at locker 11 with no one else around it. The bell was about to ring for their last class, and Kaiser was cutting it extremely close, but he’d rather be late than have anyone see what he was about to do.
Just tie the ribbon through the lock and go, Kaiser told himself, lifting the carefully packaged pouch of sweets from his bag. It was a mixture of milk and dark chocolates, wrapped in a royal blue fabric that was velvety soft against his skin. One, two, three steps, and he was standing in front of Isagi’s locker, his pulse climbing high enough that he could hear the blood surging through his ears.
His fingers had just threaded the ribbon through the lock when he heard swift footsteps behind him. Kaiser immediately yanked it back out, whirling around as he hid the chocolates behind his back, glaring at whoever had interrupted him and ready to tell them off.
Isagi, wearing an equally displeased expression on his face, stared right back at him. “What are you doing at my locker?”
Out of all the people Kaiser had anticipated, Isagi was the absolute worst case scenario. The bell rang insistently, disrupting his train of thought, and the words fell off his tongue, his throat suddenly dry.
There was no contingency plan for this situation, given that Isagi was supposed to be in class right now, and Kaiser panicked. Caught off guard for the first time in his life, with no way out and a stupidly pretty boy analyzing his every move, Kaiser felt himself go rigid as Isagi’s eyes narrowed, noticing the way he held his arms behind his back.
“Show me what’s in your hands.”
Kaiser laughed, a breathy, strained chuckle that was barely recognizable to his own ears. Yoichi is going to be the death of me, he thought. Isagi turned him into such a mess and there was absolutely nothing he wanted to do about it.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” His brain froze as Isagi suddenly reached forward, intending to reveal whatever he was holding. Kaiser’s body moved on its own, and he spun back to face the lockers, still hiding the sweets in his grasp.
Instead of tucking the bag of chocolates into his pockets, or slipping them up his sleeve like any logical person would do, Kaiser shoved them down his pants.
Lovely. Now it looked like he had a raging boner.
Isagi’s hands landed on his shoulders, warmer than what should have been humanly possible, and he turned Kaiser back around, a scowl on his face. His gaze immediately dropped to the tent in Kaiser's pants, and he raised an eyebrow in pure confusion. After a moment of complete silence, an exasperated sigh left Isagi’s lips and he waved Kaiser off, a slight pink burning on the tips of his ears.
“Forget it. I don’t think I even want to know at this point.” He elbowed Kaiser out of the way and opened his locker, not even giving him a second glance as he removed a textbook, locking it once more and walking back to class.
For a few seconds, Kaiser hovered in the empty space, blinking in shock at what had just occurred. There was no way he could leave the chocolates here anymore. Isagi would deduce they were from him in an instant, and that would be the end of him.
🌹
Isagi’s day had started out calm enough. He’d walked into class and someone had given him a Valentine’s gift; a piece of candy with a note expressing how much they appreciated his calming presence. That single gesture had put him on cloud nine, and Isagi had floated through the rest of the morning with a blissful smile on his face, rereading the handwritten praise and showing it to all of his friends.
If that was all he’d get this Valentine’s Day, Isagi would have been more than happy. The most he thought he’d receive was maybe three or four. Certainly not as many as Rin, who despite his cold personality, had more than a handful of peers swooning over his looks at any given time. The number of people he rejected only grew each year, and his patience for such matters was virtually nonexistent at this point.
When the first break in between classes had rolled around, Isagi was not expecting a horde of people to swarm his desk. It had been chaos. In between accepting gifts and thanking his peers, Isagi had looked to the side and spotted a blonde head of hair peeking through his classroom door.
Kaiser had stood there, observing his classmates with an expression that Isagi couldn’t quite place. It wasn’t a look he’d ever seen on Kaiser before. If he didn’t know any better, he’d have thought Kaiser was jealous.
The whole situation confused him. There were a lot of things Isagi didn’t understand about Kaiser, from his infuriating taunts and dip-dyed hairstyle that violated just about every dress code rule they had at school. The way Kaiser’s muscles flexed every time he ran on the field during soccer practice was definitely not one of those things. Or the way his shorts hiked up his thighs whenever they did hamstring stretches.
No, Isagi would never admit to anyone that he found Kaiser attractive. He hid his feelings behind the glares he threw Kaiser’s way, and did his best to ignore how his heart skipped a beat every time Kaiser tousled his hair.
In the class he was in now, the last subject of the day, Isagi realized he’d forgotten his textbook in his locker. He made his way to the ground floor, Kaiser’s face and the expression he’d been wearing still stuck on his mind.
It didn’t make any sense. Why would Kaiser be jealous, of all things? There was a missing puzzle piece just out of Isagi’s reach, and he was so lost in thought he almost walked right into the person standing at his locker.
Isagi stopped just in time, the scent of rosy amber permeating his senses, and he looked up to find Kaiser’s piercing gaze trapping him in place. Kaiser had put his hair up, a few front pieces curving loosely around his jaw, and Isagi felt something curl in his gut at the thought of tucking them back for him.
He immediately shoved away the idea and reminded himself what he came here for. Of course, Kaiser had planted himself right where Isagi needed to access. Bastard. He was close enough that Isagi could hear Kaiser shift in place, and the sound of something crinkling filtered through his ears.
That was when he realized Kaiser was concealing something from him. If Isagi was being honest with himself, it had sounded like a collection of wrapped chocolates, but why would Kaiser be here with a bunch of sweets in hand? Suspicion flared within him, and it only grew when Kaiser refused to give a straightforward answer. If there was an international competition for “World’s Worst Liar,” Kaiser would have won in a heartbeat.
Textbook momentarily forgotten, Isagi tried to reach for whatever Kaiser was hiding. He realized there was no point in interrogating Kaiser when he flipped him around and saw that in his pants. For fuck’s sake.
A blush almost immediately crept across Isagi’s face, and he needed to get out of there fast. In record time, he unlocked his locker and retrieved his textbook, slamming it shut and escaping up the stairs back to class.
From where he sat, staring at his notes as his teacher continued talking, Isagi found it frustratingly difficult to remain focused. It seemed like his day was only getting more and more confusing. First Kaiser at the classroom door, and now at his locker.
He tried not to think about how Kaiser had seemed oddly nervous, or how his gaze had instantly softened once he’d realized it was Isagi who’d appeared in front of him.
A fleeting hope bloomed in his chest, and Isagi allowed himself to entertain the idea that perhaps Kaiser was trying to sneak a Valentine’s gift into his locker. His heart almost stopped at the thought, and Isagi buried his face into his desk.
He really needed to do something about his crush on Kaiser. At least he was finally admitting it to himself.
🌹
The next morning, Isagi spotted Kaiser from across the street on his way to school, holding a small box on top of his usual schoolbag. He didn’t think much of it, especially when he had an English test right at the start of classes occupying his mind.
When lunch break began, Isagi stayed behind to help his teacher rearrange the desks, laughing as he waved off his friends’ offers to help and telling them he’d only be a few minutes. After he finished, he made his way down the hallway, about to step into the cafeteria when someone tapped his shoulder.
“Yoichi.”
Isagi froze, slowly turning on his heel and coming face-to-face with Kaiser. In his hand was a chocolate cupcake, frosted with a rich vanilla buttercream and topped with blue sprinkles. Before Isagi could react, Kaiser offered it to him, the nerves in his stomach on fire and his heart in his throat.
“I made extra in home economics this morning. Take it.”
That was a lie. Kaiser had spent all night making them, bemoaning the fact that he hadn’t been able to give Isagi those Valentine’s chocolates. He’d baked extra too, just in case Isagi’s sweet tooth craved more. The remaining cupcakes were tucked into a container safely resting in his locker, the one that he’d carefully carried all the way to school today.
Isagi cautiously accepted Kaiser’s gift, feeling fire spark across his skin as their fingers brushed against each other’s. “Thank you.” He wasn’t sure what else to say. Kaiser’s face was uncharacteristically red as Isagi licked a small bit of icing off, his eyes tracking every movement of Isagi’s tongue.
Kaiser watched Isagi swallow, impure thoughts suddenly flooding his mind, and he turned to leave. He meant to say goodbye, maybe tease Isagi and ruffle his hair like he usually did. To distract himself from how his stomach was somersaulting all over the place. Ever since he’d acknowledged his feelings for Isagi, he’d become acutely aware of how any space seemed to glow wherever Isagi stood.
Isagi burned brighter than any star in the sky, and as the sunlight caught his skin and set his eyes alight, Kaiser finally understood how hopeless his situation was. He yearned to close the distance between the two of them, the ache in his heart only growing as Isagi glanced over his shoulder, to the table where his friends were calling out to him. Kaiser couldn’t bring himself to do anything but stare, becoming lost in Isagi’s presence as he memorized every inch and detail of his face. There was a stray sprinkle stuck to the edge of Isagi’s mouth, and if there was no one else around to see, he would have brushed it off for him.
After a few moments, Kaiser stepped away from Isagi, realizing he’d been looking for far too long. He was about to disappear down the hallway when a gentle hand grasped his arm.
Isagi was peering up at him, a slight pout on his face and his gaze thoughtful. “Walk to the park with me after school. I have something I want to ask you.”
Kaiser’s voice had stopped working the instant Isagi’s fingers wrapped around him. All he could do was nod, and Isagi let go, the beginnings of a smile curling at the edges of his lips.
“See you then.” Isagi slipped into the cafeteria, cupcake in hand, and he beamed at his friends as they waved him down. He’d learned something new about Kaiser today.
Kaiser had claimed he’d baked cupcakes in home economics today, but what he didn’t know was that Isagi had walked past both of his classrooms during first and second period this morning. Math and English, neither of which involved any type of cooking.
Which meant that he’d made those sweets on his own time, and most likely last night given how fresh the one in Isagi’s hand tasted. And Kaiser had gone out of his way to give it to him.
Isagi set his lunchbox on the table, sliding into the seat next to Bachira and taking another bite of his cupcake. Bachira’s eyes zeroed in on the treat, and he tried to swipe it from Isagi’s grasp, peppering him with questions as Isagi dodged every single one of his attempts. “Where did you get that? Did someone give it to you?”
Isagi swatted his hand away, and he bit back a laugh as Bachira pouted, finally giving up on the cupcake.
“That’s a secret.”
🌹
When Isagi saw Kaiser waiting at his locker after school, he was reminded of yesterday’s encounter. The difference was that today, he knew why Kaiser was here.
Kaiser, not realizing Isagi had arrived, was glaring at his phone, in the midst of an infuriating conversation with Sae.
His thumbs shifted to type out another text, and it was at that moment Isagi cleared his throat in front of him, startling Kaiser so badly that he snapped his head up, slamming into the lockers and promptly releasing every curse known to man.
He groaned, rubbing the back of his head as he blinked the ensuing dizziness away. “Yoichi, don’t sneak up on me like that.”
Isagi raised an eyebrow at him as he tucked his phone away, having caught a glimpse of the conversation before he’d made his presence known. He knew Kaiser and Sae were friends, so seeing them text each other didn’t strike him as odd. What did surprise him was that his own name had popped up in their messages.
Kaiser had mentioned him to Sae. That had to count for something, right?
Isagi’s heart beat a little faster in his chest, and he carefully studied the expression Kaiser was wearing as he tilted his head, looking expectantly at Isagi.
“Are we walking or what?”
Kaiser was making every effort to keep his face neutral as a smirk spread across Isagi’s face, and he tensed ever so slightly as Isagi stepped forward, close enough for him to see the flecks of silver in his eyes.
Isagi said nothing in response, his grin turning amused as he observed the faintest hint of pink bloom under Kaiser’s skin.
Kaiser never blushed in front of anyone. Isagi tried to think back to a time where he’d seen Kaiser flustered, and only two instances came to mind. Yesterday when Isagi had caught him at his locker, and today when he’d given him a cupcake.
That was all the confirmation he needed. To know that his feelings weren’t one-sided, and that Kaiser talking to Sae about him did mean something.
Michael Kaiser had a crush on someone. On him.
Emboldened by the sudden wave of giddiness that washed over him, Isagi reached forward and looped his arm with Kaiser’s, tugging both of them towards the exit. It was the first time he’d ever initiated physical contact between the two of them. In the past, Kaiser was always the one draping himself over his shoulders and driving him mad.
Gripped by shock, he simply stared at Isagi in bewilderment. “Yoichi. What are you doing?”
Isagi was going to send him into cardiac arrest at this rate. His warmth enveloped Kaiser’s senses, pressing directly into his side, and it was all he could focus on. They reached an intersection, and Isagi remained quiet as he continued to lead the way to the park, protectively pulling Kaiser closer to him as they crossed the street.
“Yoichi,” he tried again, poking Isagi’s cheek with his finger. “At least tell me what you wanted to talk about.”
They finally reached a shaded spot by the trees, and Isagi turned to face him, a coy gleam in his eyes. “I think you’d understand better if I just showed you.”
Kaiser frowned, shaking his head in confusion. Isagi wasn’t making any sense. He was about to tell him as much when Isagi suddenly yanked him down by the collar, grabbed his face with both hands, and kissed him.
The scent of spring water lilies blossomed into his lungs, and Kaiser short-circuited for the third time that week. He stilled in surprise, wondering if he was dreaming, until Isagi’s tongue glided across the seam of his lips and all he could think about was how soft Isagi’s skin was against his own.
Isagi tasted salty sweet, as if he’d been eating mitarashi dango earlier and the traces of syrup were all that lingered. His fingers shifted to cradle the back of Kaiser’s head, smoothing over his hair as he drew even closer, not an inch of space between them, and Kaiser melted into his hold.
He felt Isagi shift downwards, igniting a thread of fire across Kaiser’s throat as he teased the sensitive skin between his teeth. Kaiser’s breathing hitched, and his entire body flared with heat, every one of his cells pooling with flames as Isagi pressed a searing kiss onto his rose tattoo. Slowly, he brought a hand upwards, tracing his fingers along the curve of Isagi’s jaw. The rapid, steady pace of Isagi’s heartbeat bloomed beneath his fingertips, and through the veil of desire swirling over his mind, he finally understood what Isagi had wanted to talk to him about.
Isagi liked him back.
That revelation alone sent exhilaration flooding through his veins. His eyes swept over Isagi’s appearance, mesmerized by the pretty pink that suffused his cheeks, the way his dark eyelashes scattered the sunlight every time he blinked at him. “Yoichi, you’re supposed to take me out to dinner first.”
Isagi only smirked, watching how Kaiser’s gaze, hazy with lust, dropped back down to his lips. He knew they had to be blush-red and swollen from what the two of them had just done. Isagi took half a step backwards, trailing his fingers teasingly down Kaiser’s throat, and Kaiser subconsciously leaned forward, chasing his presence.
Desire surged through Isagi, and he observed how Kaiser was fixated on his every move, something possessive surfacing within him. “The only person I’d go on a date with is my boyfriend.”
Kaiser’s eyes flickered back up to his, glinting with amusement as he tugged Isagi back to him, resting his forehead against his. “And who would that be?”
He watched as Isagi reached forward, settling a warm hand onto his waist. Isagi peered up at him through his lashes, slipping his fingers underneath the hem of Kaiser’s shirt and tracing a slow, teasing path across his skin, making his breath catch in his throat.
When Isagi spoke, the edges of his voice were laced with what almost sounded like a challenge, daring Kaiser to back down. “You already know the answer to that.”
Kaiser smirked, hooking a finger under Isagi’s chin, and he drew him in for another kiss.