Archive of Our Own ^beta

Hello everyone, 

This work is the first humble contribution for one of my favorite Tokyo Revengers ships: Ryusei Satou and Chifuyu Matsuno for RyuFuyu Week! 

The prompt I selected for today was the SFW Prompt #1: First Time. It's kind of a long and hectic journey where I take the boys through troubles and all, hope you enjoy!

How did they get here? Chifuyu isn’t sure how they were able to make so much progress. Ryusei couldn’t recall how he all the sudden seized the moment. Yet they had made it this far without interference as of yet.

XXX

“Say Fuyu… would you like to go on a date with me?” It was a straight-forward question and right to the point, there was no way Chifuyu could misconstrue it.

“HUH?!” Instead, Chifuyu almost lost his balance and his cheeks started to feel extremely warm. He wondered if this was Ryusei’s way of messing with him for the day but was even more alarmed when Ryusei’s facial expression remained unchanged.

“A-Are you messing with me?!” Chifuyu now crossed his arms against himself, quirked an eyebrow as he looked judgmentally at the one man he definitely did not enjoy spending time with.

“Now, now, what would make you think that~♡” Ryusei asked another question instead of answering Chifuyu.

“Quit messing around, you idiot…” Chifuyu stuck his tongue out at Ryusei playfully as he shook his head.

“Hey… Fuyu, not to pressure you or anything but… the suspense is kinda killing me! I am still waiting for your answer…” Ryusei attempts to play it off cool but quite clearly, waiting too long is making his blood freeze and he feels like he’s on the precipice of an anxiety attack.

“W-wait… you were serious about that?” The blonde looks back at him, confused once more as he examines the tanned man in front of him.

“No duh! What makes you think this would be a joke?” He feels the goosebumps on his skin, maybe he should have thought this whole thing out. What if Chifuyu says ‘no’?

“Gee, I don’t know… maybe the fact that you always like to mess around with me, dumbass.” Still, no clear-cut answer from the blonde who shook his head.

Was that a ‘no’?

Was he really rejected?

He pictured the life he would have fifty years from now, somehow so vividly.

People would see him, point to him, laugh at his presence, and explain to their children that they didn’t wanna grow up to be like Ryusei Satou. A failure of a man who lives by himself forever rejected by societal masses due to a fifty-year rejection from a man called Chifuyu Matsuno, who cruelly turned him down. Now he's the laughingstock. The clown in the circus if you will.

Okay, maybe he is being dramatic. Maybe just a little bit, his palms are sweaty as he feels the sting that comes from the undoubted rejection.

“So… okay… I respect your decision.” Ryusei tried to answer as best as he could to seem unaffected.

“What answer? I haven’t even said anything…” Now those river-colored eyes roll in annoyance as he sees him.

“Oh… well I suppose that is better than nothing–” He is interrupted by the blonde.

“Well, are you gonna let me talk or are you interested in doing all the talking?” He looked irritated as he exhaled, however there was something different about him now.

“The floor is yours~♡” Ryusei winked for good measure, and he thought he imagined the way Chifuyu’s cheeks looked a little more pink.

“Okay… well, first… I don’t know what to say. I am shocked to be honest. I didn’t expect that from you. However, if you want to go on a date with me, I am not going to reject you… Just know this is my first ever date and so I expect you to wow me. Or else I won’t ever look your way again, Ryusei.” The way he speaks sounds firm and kind of threatening. It makes Ryusei feel even more complicated little things for the blonde man.

So Chifuyu Matsuno had never ever gone on a date.

And yet he knows so fully well what he wants.

Such a paradox that Ryusei is even more intrigued in him now.

“You got it. Allow me to make you feel as if you were the only person in this world. No one, and I mean no one has the knack of making people feel truly amazing on a date. I am the date expert. I know exactly how to woo anyone. Trust me, you will be amazed and want to spend every single second by my side~♡” Ryusei throws in, he knows he is rambling. If anything, anybody that seems secure and confident in themselves are always able to impress anyone, and that’s his aim.

“Good… then I expect you to not let me regret this, Ryusei. Until later. Text me the details.” He leaves so elegantly, leaving behind ardor and desire within Ryusei. He doesn't know how Chifuyu Matsuno awakens such feelings in him. How he is able to exit as if he was the king of all universes. He hoped Chifuyu and him would meet in every single alternative world.

Now… to work on this date… Truth be told, he had been fancying Chifuyu Matsuno for a very long time. However, he just went with what he wanted and stupidly blurted out like an idiot asking for a date.

Part of him thought he would be rejected, there is no regret in giving it his shot and being turned down. He would hopefully be able to move on even easier if he would be rejected, however the maybes are the ones you end up regretting, the chances you don’t take. So here he is, having taken a shot and possibly scoring! His luck is out of this world.

He rids himself of his pretentiousness. Truth be told, Ryusei Satou is a liar. A liar with good luck but a liar nevertheless… For he had shown confidence in a bold manner, confidence he couldn’t back up with experience. You see, he had never gone on a date either. He was clueless about love and romance, only taking an avid interest in the topic after meeting Chifuyu. Back then, he dismissed it and scoffed at his classmates for suggesting he find ‘love’, what utter bullshit that was. It didn’t exist.

Ryusei was convinced love was something out of his reach because it was nonexistent.

It did not exist for fifteen years.

Until Chifuyu Matsuno appeared before his very eyes.

Love was real and it was quickly consuming all of him.

Like equivalent exchange, his interest in gang fights started to lower and his interest in love started to exponentially rise. Everyone was confused.

He had multiple admirers at school; however, his attention was already turned somewhere else, with someone else.

Now he regrets boasting about being the love expert on dates and whatever half of the bullshit he spewed out to convince Chifuyu – should have been honest from the start but where does honesty ever get anyone? Aside from Disney Movies’ blatant lies about happily ever after, the truth was the easiest way to an unhonorable death. Chifuyu wanted the best and so he will deliver nothing short of that… he had a mission.

Operation become the perfect lover to make this the perfect date!

XXX

“Wait, what?!” Both Baji and Kazutora invaded Chifuyu’s personal bubble immediately. They were cornering him as if he was a spy for another rival gang.

“Hold on…” He tries to compose himself, after seeing his closest friends very interested in what he had to share, enough to invade his bubble room.

“Go on!” They seemed possessed by a single brain cell that both men shared.

“W-well… Ryusei asked me on a date, and I said yes… but w-well… I don’t know how to… I’ve never been on a date before! S-so what should I do? How should I act? Why… is this so hard?!” Both Kazutora and Baji share conspiratory glances and Kazutora stands up, shouting.

“You’ve never been on a date before?! I got you… first, act cool, super chill, guys love that. Second, dress to impress but not overly so because then you seem desperate. Also, make sure you never make the first move… guys like Ryusei love taking the initiative and hate when their partners beat ‘em to it.” The tiger looks so amazed with his own advice while Baji rolls his eyes.

“Look! You’re overthinkin’ everything… just be yourself.” The vampire-looking man added, he raised a thumbs up to Chifuyu.

“W-wait… first, do you actually like Ryusei? Cause if you don’t, I can give you tips to scare him away!” The tiger beamed, proud that his oh so sagacious advice was being requested.

“Y-yes… I think I really do like him… so I don’t wanna mess this up…” The blonde is tilting his face away because it was an embarrassing admission.

“I figured. It was kind of obvious, in fact… I was wondering when he was gonna truly pursue you.” Baji answers simply and Kazutora scoffs at him as he rolls his golden eyes. Chifuyu is feeling surprised and betrayed by his captain, for not telling him any sooner. No time for that, however…

“Chifuyu, are you sure you’re not ill?” Kazutora makes a show to feel for Chifuyu’s temperature.

“I thought you said you hated that man? That he would be the last person in this world that you would ever consider being with… that even though he was the last person in this world, you wouldn’t even–” And it doesn’t take long for Baji to silence Kazutora.

“That’s not the point, let’s not get distracted. We need to help him… not remind him of his made believe hatred for the guy he actually likes…” Between the two, Chifuyu finds his captain way more helpful. He wants to object, swear he does hate him, yet this date proves otherwise, he sighs defeatedly.

“Listen up, Chifuyu. After today, you will be an expert at being on dates. You will be so impressive he will literally bow down to you and kiss your feet. You will have him wrapped around your finger, hell your entire persona.” The way Kazutora’s eyes glinted made Chifuyu feel as if he awakened a dangerous tiger he shouldn’t have woken in the first place.

Piles and piles of magazines lay scattered there, news articles as well, romantic shows, movies, even shoujou manga and animes (some of his weaknesses), soap operas and yes, even a “How to be a good partner on a first date” book but what took him out was the “Dating for Dummies” hardcover book.

Kazutora and Baji had told him to read as much as he could in preparation for his upcoming date.

“Do not worry, Kazutora and I will act as Ryusei for you to practice on when you have reviewed some of the materials.” When his captain started acting like a teacher was unknown to him. Kind of ironic since he was failing math and science.

‘Relationshipology’ as Kazutora put it, was a whole other beast, and could be more complex than even math! Now that was scary!

It was clear more now than ever before that Chifuyu had no idea what he had gotten himself into.

XXX

After skimming through some easy tutorial guides (sigh, yes even the Dating for Dummies self-help book), Chifuyu started to feel a little more ready. He rehearsed some cheesy lines that made him wanna cringe and never want to eat cheese ever again.

He groaned for the millionth time and cursed his inexperience as he started to skim some magazines with love and relationship advice. He popped in one of his favorite romance animes and tuned out the whole world afterwards. He knew Baji and Kazutora meant well, however this started to become exhausting and way too tedious, almost like a chore or homework.

Would this even help him with Ryusei?! All of the sudden, his blood pressure spiked, imagining Ryusei’s dark eyes looking into his so intimately, him getting so close and… even daring to steal a kiss from him. He is so damn crimson, and his cheeks feel so hot… he can’t erase the mental picture out of his head.

He is down bad for a man he pretends to hate… he can’t stop imagining Ryusei and him as the leads of this shojou anime, his heartbeat racing as his thoughts swirl… He knows he is a firsthand fool. He is a terrible liar. Because no matter how bad this first date goes, he will always want to… hold Ryusei’s hand, feel him close and maybe kiss him and he almost wants to faint…

He wasn’t sure he was ready!

XXX

He is rolling his eyes maybe for the millionth time, he wants to ignore his best friend and tune him out… yet, he is still here, in front of the long blonde-haired man with the green highlights. Said man cannot stop laughing in front of his face and it is laughter directed right at him. He is cackling like a mad man, finger pointed to Ryusei as he cannot bring himself to stop.

“Oh, how the mighty have fallen!” Kojiro Hishi spits out and Ryusei knows he means to criticize him and point out what a hypocrite Ryusei had become. He doesn’t even know why he came to ask his best friend for any sound advice.

Does it look like Kojiro Hishi knows anything about love? Or romance? Or dating?

Man, he was really desperate, he belatedly realized. Desperate enough to ask the Kojiro Hishi for help.

“H-hey… I know… I know man… that I am actin’ real pathetic right now but… I need your help! You’re my best friend and I’ve never been on a date, like ever!” He ignored the continued judgmental look his bestie gave him.

“Hahaha! And what makes you think I’m the person to talk to about this sappy love shit?! I have never been on a date either… oh, wait… I got an idea!” He smirks pointedly and Ryusei dares to be hopeful— Kojiro only smiles that way when he is coming up with a brilliant idea or tactic.

“What is it? Tell me!” He knows he sounds more desperate than ever; well, it was because he was.

“Why don’t you invite him to a katana wielding date and spar with him… show him how superior you are with your skills and woo him~ and if that doesn’t work, then cut him up if he doesn’t want ya!” So much for the ‘sound idea’, this was anything but sane. He sighed and rolled his eyes; he didn’t know why he expected anything different from Kojiro.

“No wonder you’re single.” Ryusei scoffs directly at his so far unhelpful best friend who continues laughing at him.

“Nothing more romantic than murder!~” Kojiro whistles and he’s almost sure he’s being honest, which makes him shake in some trepidation and also sigh in annoyance.

“Ugh! Is there anyone in the world that has had a successful date?!” The groan was heard by his best friend who shrugs proudly and only snickers.

“If there is anyone, it’s clear it’s not you or me!” He laughs some more for good measure and Ryusei has had it up to here. He doesn’t know why he wasted his time with Kojiro. Kojiro Hishi should come with a warning label.

“Forget it, if I wanted to be mercilessly laughed at, I would have just gone to Comedy Central. Thanks for the help.” he says, with venom and sarcasm that if Kojiro caught, he didn’t even bother to retort as he bids farewell to him with a satisfying “you’re welcome~” sometimes he wishes he had ordinary friends…

He does the next best thing and scrolls through Google; he is serious about being desperate. And this is how desperate he is. He wastes some time, sighing for the billionth time. Cliché, boring, totally done by everyone. He needed a plan that would make him stand out.

Oh… wait… he had an idea!

Ryusei Satou might just warm up Chifuyu Matsuno’s heart tomorrow night. The other part of him dreaded failing at his one and only shot. Damnit all, he was risking everything for it, but he will transform into the perfect lover… even if it kills him by the end of tomorrow night!

XXX

Unfortunately, yet fortunately at the same time, the date night was getting closer and closer. Ryusei wishes frustratedly that he could accelerate time right to the date and make it perfect, sadly though, the world was not JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, and he most definitely did not have Enrico Pucci’s Stand Power: Made in Heaven. He sighs and shakes his head.

In a paradoxical manner, time flies by too quickly and the sun sets into a cream-orange color and a light blue fading into it as well. It reminded him of their favorite colors, maybe this was a good sign? With how fast the time went by, maybe he does have Made in Heaven, he smirks triumphantly.

He rehearses the lines that he wrote down nervously, still not enunciating with a hundred percent confidence but he was trying.

“Greetings, Chifuyu, how do you do this fine evening?” He feels it all coming together.

“God, why do you flirt like jigsaw?” He nearly lost his step and almost tripped as he had company he did not expect.

“Kojiro… What the hell are you doing here?! The date is in like half an hour!” The squeak comes out bouncy and his bestie simply shrugs.

“You should thank your lucky stars I am here and not letting you make a damn fool of yourself, haha! Don’t greet Chifuyu as if we were living in the damned 18th century with worries about poverty and cholera. You fool, I advise you to play it off cool but not too cool cause he will think you don’t want him.” For once, his friend is giving him a pep talk that is advantageous for him. He deserves to know that Ryusei will heed his words.

“...Thanks, Kojiro.. That- that actually really helped.” His smile is sincere and Kojiro pats him in the shoulder.

“Not to worry, I will be here for you!” It was surprising to see that his best friend was actually being helpful and supportive. His eyes glinted with hope as he nodded.

“Great, thanks! How do I look by the way?” This time the tanned man came before his friend and showed his outfit. A white button up shirt with cat designs imprinted, black jeans and black and white converse. He had a hat on and a cat necklace that Kojiro scoffed at. He quickly removed the black hat and scoffed at the necklace because he was overdoing the cat style.

“Hey, what are you doing?!” The man with the peach-pink curls looked offended by the actions of his best friend.

“I am saving you! You already have cats on your shirt” He pointed to the cat designs on his shirt.

“You are trying too hard for Matsuno to notice you like cats and it's just tacky. Your hat is hideous… It ruins your fluffy hair, which is a great feature of yours.” The boy responds simply, Ryusei is more annoyed by not having a proper counterargument, so he is forced to endure Kojiro’s ruling. He was right and that irritated him more.

“Good boy.” Kojiro says simply as he fixes up the fluffy curls and man, he was right. Ryusei looked like a tacky seven but now he looks like he can actually score.

“Thanks, Kojiro for all your help. I’ll see you later, yeah? And don't worry, you’ll be the first person to know what happens.” The taller man promises as he sing-songs, but his best friend quirks an eyebrow at him and gives him a too suspicious look that makes him feel uneasy.

“Uh, except I’m not leaving…” That’s the punchline he was expecting, now he sighs and feels tired.

“Kojiro, what are you talking about?” The green-eyed boy has the nerve to appear unphased by the question.

“It’s simple, I am tagging along with you two! You obviously need my help, and I got you covered.” In his own mind, he really believed he deserved the friend of the year award. How much character development has he had to the point of assisting Ryusei in his date and not mention knifing someone or using a blade to silence Matsuno forever.

Ryusei’s under eyes look pronounced and Kojiro has to fight off the urge to ask if he has been sleeping well. He knows how much Ryusei dislikes when Kojiro gets in his business, still he can’t help caring about this idiot with so little self-preservation skills. He doesn’t have that many people he cares about, so the people he did care about, he gave a fuck about them all the damn time; like a mother would. Except he’s not his mom. Never that. 

“No, ‘Jiro… I am going by myself. I can handle it on my own.” Ryusei calls him by the nickname he had for him since childhood. His voice is firm, and he hopes this won’t lead to another argument between them.

“Except you will make a total fool of yourself without me. Admit it, you need me. Look, you won’t even notice that I am there, come on.” The protest of his best friend was a strong one, but Ryusei wanted this to be authentic. He doesn’t, no, he won’t accept any further help. He’s got this in the bag.

A bag that might be failing at the straps and about to open up, with items falling out. He still has it in that bag.

“No, ‘Jiro. I will not accept your help. Do not dare take this away from me. I want this to be… me all of me.” His green-eyed best friend rolls his eyes way more than he should have.

“Do you hear yourself? I am trying to help you! Fuck’s sake… if I didn’t give a fuck about you, I would tell you to go and make a damn circus out of your stupid ass face!” This time, Ryusei gulps in, knowing Kojiro is volatile like kerosene. Any word he said now could make Kojiro explode.

“Please… let me do this on my own. I wanna conquer Chifuyu my way. Don’t take offense, yeah? Thanks for your help anyway.” That smile greets the irritated boy with the green eyes.

“Piss off. Whatever. Don’t cry to me when your ‘perfect little date’ goes to shit.” The blonde-haired man with the green highlights walks out, as Ryusei says “Goodbye, ‘Jiro.” Kindly, Kojiro flicks him off with that middle finger he uses so often.

Well… at least Ryusei managed to convince him to stay out of it.

Or so he thought…

He sighed as he shook his head. He checked the time on his watch and his heart almost leaped out of his chest as he ran to his bike immediately. His nerves were overpowering him as he was frantic. In less than twenty minutes, he would be seeing Chifuyu Matsuno at the Spring Renewal Festival. He ignited the bike and sped way past the speed limit as he was racing against time.

Kojiro Hishi smirked as he felt coerced to do this. There was no way around this, he couldn’t let Ryusei embarrass him by association. He was riding his own bike, following him in a discrete manner. He grinned as he realized that he really was the best friend anyone could ask for.

XXX

There was no way he could fake that he was okay or even ready. He said he was fine for the umpteenth time to Keisuke Baji and Kazutora Hanemiya, but it wasn’t true. They arrived a little earlier to give him a very helpful pep talk and check his outfit. They were both comforting and like soothing balm for him. He felt like this was killing him slowly.

His two friends had ‘vibe checked’ him as Kazutora suggested. The light orange long-sleeve shirt with the cream-colored fluffy vest was approved. The light blue jeans passed the inspection as well as his white vans. He had a kitten bag and was ready to go. Kazutora, the self-proclaimed fashionista (Baji doesn’t understand why he calls himself that when half of what he owns has cheetah print and the other half is tiger print) made Chifuyu turn around twice fully. He whistled rather daredevilish.

“Damn, well, if he fumbles the bag, you know where to find me~” Kazutora adds a wink so that the blonde-haired male wouldn’t misunderstand his flirting and that earns him a hard elbow to the rib, courtesy of Baji who shook his head at him.

“Behave yourself.” You know you are acting pretty bad if Keisuke Baji has to tell you to behave. The same Baji who strips people naked and beats them, punches strangers that annoy him for no reason and lights cars up on fire.

“What? I can’t help it; I have eyes you know? But fine, fine… it was a joke.” The tiger coughed a few times to whisper “unless… haha.” to an unamused long-haired male.

“Last I checked, jokes are supposed to be funny.” Baji spat and that made Chifuyu giggle, his captain always ready to flame everyone. He was the best when coming up with impromptu sick roasts. His forte was coming up with devastating comebacks, no one wanted to experience those.

“Shut up, Baji.” The tiger rolled his eyes in annoyance, showing Baji had been the victor for that round.

“Guys, c’mon, we have more important things to worry about.” The blonde was just about ready to return to their awkward reality, well more like his.

“Hey, you laughed at me too. As if I didn’t help you all these past days.” The tiger stuck out his tongue while the raven-haired man rolled his eyes.

“Cut it out. Back to the Ryusei and Chifuyu date.” The long-haired man went back to the heart of their union and the reason why Chifuyu was shaking like crazy, wasn’t it damn cold? Yes, he was sure that was it.

The three of them were walking out of the apartment with less than twenty minutes left for the start of their date. Luckily, the festival was nearby. The boy with the chocolate brown eyes smiled at Chifuyu, hoping to transfer his warmth to the green-eyed boy.

“Well, this is it. Don’t worry, you will do amazing! We believe in you.” Kazutora scoffed, remembering the practice session Chifuyu had with them yesterday. Chifuyu’s looks really save him because he didn’t find anything romantic about “So, how was the weather like yesterday? It was nice right, not too hot nor too cold, huh?”

He spent the other session with Baji talking about nothing but cats for over fifteen minutes (don’t ask him why he counted the time.) He never face-palmed himself so hard in his life. Chifuyu had one chance to impress Ryusei and it’s doubtful anyone wants to talk about cats for over fifteen minutes… well anyone that wasn’t Baji. He’s always a weird exception to the rule.

“No! Please don’t… don’t leave me…” Chifuyu seems uncharacteristically childish and small. His eyes are holding in the tears that are welling up against his will. He looks like a child who might cry, abandoned by his peers.

“Chifuyu, it’s show time and you need to go get him! Don’t worry too much! You will do fine!” Thank goodness Baji was here and so encouraging because Kazutora would have rolled his eyes so hard they might have fallen off his face and told Chifuyu up front that he had no chance tonight. He didn't mean to be cruel, just factual. In Ben Shapiro’s words, “facts don’t care about your feelings,” Kazutora hated Shapiro and more when he was right.

“No, please… don’t leave me all alone. I can’t do this without you guys!” All at once, Chifuyu almost fainted, Baji grabbing his body quickly as the blonde man suffered through a panic attack.

“Breathe in, breathe out, it’s okay…” The timing was not okay. Chifuyu had less than ten minutes to meet Ryusei in the fountain well to welcome Spring. Kazutora groaned, wanting to say something but didn’t want to be unnecessarily cruel when his friend was going through this ordeal. He will let Baji take care of him.

A few minutes of Chifuyu listening to Baji’s advice stabilized his breathing and his fears were (sorta) diminished. Kazutora urged them to hurry because time was on their trail.

“Listen, Chifuyu. We will go and help you. We will be behind you guys secretly. If you need our help, text or call us, you won’t even be able to tell we are there. We won’t let you go alone. That’s not the First Division’s way. We got your back!” The blonde immediately hugged him and kept thanking him. Kazutora smiled happily to witness that friendship.

“Um guys, not to be rude but hurry up! The event starts in five!” The two disentangled from their warm embrace and listened to Kazutora as the three sprinted quickly.

 It was a funny sight to behold. It was way too cramped for all the boys with one boy driving and two other boys behind him on the bike. Baji was driving fast as hell, speeding and bypassing red lights like no tomorrow and they finally made it there. Baji and Kazutora quickly got out of the bike, Baji with a thumbs up and a smile. Kazutora kissed his cheek “For good luck!” He winked as Chifuyu felt his nerves rise up.

It all came down to this moment. His heart was thumping loudly in his ribcage. He took a look around the beautiful garden that was within the event. The festival to welcome Spring started with the turning on of the fountains. He had seen these fountains for almost all his life, and they still managed to amaze him.

He waited, nervously unable to turn around, he didn’t want to see someone approaching him. What would he even say, how should he even look at him, why is he here?! He grumbled internally.

“What should I even say to him?” Chifuyu texted his best friends on the “Operation Ryusei x Chifuyu” Group Chat. (Thanks for such a creative title, Kazutora).

As always, Baji was typing quickly.

“Say hi casually and say something nice to him!” It was easy enough now and yet his nerves got the best of him.

And if Kazutora started to delete his composed message of “make out with him <3 ;)” No one had to know.

He was not sure what was worse: Ryusei coming soon and not knowing what to do OR Ryusei not showing up at all.

Imagine all the perfect ways he practiced romance, hours and hours invested only to let it waste away on a despicable man that did not even show up to the first date.

Chifuyu started to worry after ten minutes had passed, fifteen and even twenty. Of course, he had been stood up. It was too good to be true. His heart was faltering too quickly, he felt so stupid and naive. He hopes Ryusei enjoys this piece of knowledge. That he destroyed Chifuyu in all the ways a man could hope to be destroyed. To think that he would be an utter fool to believe him when he said he meant to impress him on this so-called date.

Now Chifuyu Matsuno was ditched and even more pathetic was the fact that his best friends would be witnesses to this humiliation. Not even the fountains have been started, they were dry like his hopes. Why was today so… horrible?

He had expected to receive a text message any moment now from Ryusei saying “Oh, yeah, about the date. I kinda lied about that to mess with you LOL! Pretty funny, am I right?” As if anyone wanted to date him. There was no privilege of dating an inexperienced man like him, so green and stupid.

Without meaning to, the salty tears started to well down his face after reading Kazutora’s text of “Hasn’t it almost been half an hour? You think he forgot?” He knew that was impossible, Ryusei was just irresponsible and deplorable, and he shouldn’t have ever fallen into his stupid game.

He started sniffling when he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, and he turned around quickly to face the hand. He had thought it would be Baji or Kazutora trying to soothe his pain away but in front of his face was none other than the man he started cursing out.

A smile was framed on that face that he had (sneakily) looked at way too many times in English class. Chifuyu didn’t know if he wanted to hug him in relief or punch him in his frustration of waiting for more than half an hour, storm out and never look at him ever again (this was way too impossible for him as he stood now).

“Sorry, Chifuyu… I am very late. I apologize. It was not my intention. This is not the way a perfect date-guru would ever start a successful date. Sorry.” And he does look apologetic enough, there was still a lot unknown but now Baji and Kazutora didn’t look annoyed at Chifuyu all by himself, they looked at them invested from a nearby and yet far enough tree.

“I thought you wouldn’t show…” The fragile feeling persisted inside of his core; he couldn’t even conceal his pain. The teardrops were still falling unceremoniously, and he couldn’t hold back any longer, Ryusei tenderly hugged him. Chifuyu couldn’t help but break down, letting his festering emotions explode all over and around him as his date soothed his back in gentle motions.

“I would never dream of doing such a shitty thing to you. I… was late because there was a huge accident on my way here. Four cars got totally demolished, making it hard to go to the flower shop and get you these.” He wasn’t sure what his date meant when he said ‘these’ but seeing a bouquet of intricate and different flowers did surprise him, in a positive light.

Chifuyu’s eyes sparkled as his date handed him the bouquet. His breath was taken from him, and he couldn’t help the sentimentality of it. He quickly identified the red roses and blushed, knowing full well the meaning behind them. He also knew about peonies but was not sure what they meant. There was also Lily of the Valleys and Daisies, Chamomile, Lilies, Asters, Delilah’s, Orchids, Pink Hydrangeas and one Sunflower. He saw two intertwined flowers in the middle of the bouquet: an orange carnation with a light blue violet. He made the connection right away and he couldn’t help the jitters in his body.

“I hope you like them.” The way he can’t even speak, no one had ever given him a more romantic gesture. He tried to speak multiple times, but the silence was stronger.

“Thank you, Ryu. I really love them.” He smiles in a way that is able to knock Ryusei off his feet and remind him that he is so infatuated with this beautiful boy.

“I’m glad. I’m really glad.” This time, the tan boy walked next to him and brought him close to where the fountains had yet to turn on. They were waiting and Chifuyu’s curiosity kept poking at him until he turned to Ryusei and looked into his dark eyes.

“So… what do these flowers mean?” Not even those river green eyes would make him divulge the secrets from the freshly picked bouquet. He had help arranging them by a professional and she explained the meaning of the flowers to him.

“Uh uh… that’s for me to know and for you to find out~♡ I’ll give you a hint, red roses mean deep passion and true love.” Leave it to Ryusei Satou to explain the obvious.

“Thanks for that, Captain Obvious.” He looked a little annoyed now that Ryusei was gatekeeping the meaning of the flowers.

“Think about it this way, you’ll have homework when you get home.” His date winked for good measure and Chifuyu shook his head now.

“You’re insufferable. As if I’m gonna waste my time researching the meaning on Google.” He couldn’t believe that the grand gesture was being reduced to this.

“Aw, c’mon, don’t be like that, Fuyu. Don’t you care at least a little bit? Aren’t you a tiny bit curious?~♡” The headache that he always developed after spending more than ten minutes next to Ryusei knocked, just in time.

“Of course, I care, idiot. That's why I thought you would tell me instead of letting me waste my time on Google. It’s more… romantic with my date…” His cheeks are flushed, he has no idea why he even said the word ‘romantic’; he cringed remembering. He couldn’t believe how  odd he sounded; Ryusei would definitely not let him live this one down.

“Awww~♡ Romantic? You want this moment to be romantic, fine~ I’ll tell you.” The dark irises of the man he claimed he hated (he didn’t) kept looking intensely at a deep and profound river. He couldn’t help but nod and blush a little more.

“These pink peonies…” He pointed to them “symbolize affection, prosperity, and happiness.” He skillfully avoids adding in the meaning of “happy marriage”, he couldn’t leap there just yet. Little steps will take him to who he wants to be with.

“These ones are called Lily of the Valley” They are the tiny little white flowers that came sprouting along the bouquet. “And they represent purity, joy, sincerity, luck, and love.” He says it so casually, as if the blonde wouldn’t just faint right then and there.

“Daisies are purity, innocence, new beginnings, and cheerfulness.” He is proud of his selection as he continues “Chamomile looks almost the same but tinier. However, they mean that I want all your dreams and wishes to be fulfilled.” At this, he notices the blonde look at him in a different way.

“Lilies are supposed to be purity, innocence, and rebirth.” The green-eyed boy couldn’t help the way he enjoyed hearing his date’s voice, so soft and honeyed as he explained. “Asters are love, wisdom and faith.” At this, Chifuyu interrupted him with a soft chuckle.

“Pardon me? Wisdom? How do you pick out a flower that represents ‘wisdom’, something you don’t have?” His eyes are mischievous as Ryusei shakes his head.

“Perhaps my wisdom is gone because I gave it all to you, thief!” Both of them laugh with mirth and there’s so many more words that are left unsaid, for now.

“Looks like you didn’t have a lot of it before you gave it to me, because I still struggle with math.” The blonde kept laughing out loud and Ryusei enjoys that laughter, it's like a guilty pleasure indulging in it.

“Even geniuses would struggle with math. Only a robot wouldn't… Anyways, don’t you wanna hear the rest of the flowers’ meanings?” At this, Chifuyu realized how out of topic they had gotten, a typical activity they engaged in. He nodded.

“Delilah's mean beauty, commitment and kindness. And yes, I am kind before you start.” This time both can't help but share another chuckle together, the blonde shaking his head not in disagreement but in finding it funny.

“Orchids are associated with love, beauty, refinement and thoughtfulness. Also especially meant for men.” He also avoided once more to expand on the fact that it meant to have a lot of children… for obvious reasons.

“Pink hydrangeas are for deep emotions such as admiration, honesty, and sincere love.” He adds to a boy that is hearing his every word but can’t help feeling flustered. “The sunflower symbolizes fidelity, sincerity, purity and they represent a long life and happiness.” The smile he is awarded feels worth every struggle he took on this endeavor.

“What about these two? The flowers in the middle?” Of course, nothing escapes the green-eyed attentive boy.

“Ah~ these two are the most important, that’s why they are in the middle. Since I so kindly answered the rest of them, I will leave those two for you to research as homework. When we have our second date, you can tell me what you have uncovered.” He winks at the blonde who stutters briefly before he gives him a fixed look.

“So confident about a second date?” He asks as he scans those dark eyes.

“Why, of course. I said I would woo you and I feel like I am already…” On cue, before he is even able to form a reply, the fountains light up and start up. The waters splash so beautifully, and it still is a beautiful sight for Chifuyu to behold.

“So beautiful…” Chifuyu isn’t able to filter out his inner thoughts. He then catches on to the suspicious color palette of the fountain’s lights. Orange and light blue.

“Not as beautiful as you…” The taller man doesn’t lose a beat as he gets closer to the blonde. Hands somewhat shaky but he musters the courage to continue. They are right in front of the fountain and Chifuyu is mesmerized by the sight of it all, meanwhile Ryusei is lost in his very presence. Chifuyu finds the fountain amazing, and Ryusei finds Chifuyu a sight to behold.

“Huh? You say something?” The blonde asks as he looks over at his date.

“N-nothing…” He loses the courage as he finds himself immobile.

From the corner of another tree that is close but at a safe distance, Ryusei’s best friend sighs very loudly and is tired. How could his best friend lose that perfect opportunity?

He had to intervene… or else. Ryusei would never make a move. Like a coward.

“Anyway, wanna go to the rides and games now?” The tan boy asks as he looks at how breath-taking his date looks. Those eyes are sparkling with joy as they turn to look at him, he nods.

Ryusei Satou has lived through dozens of uncomfortable and embarrassing situations in his life. He was friends with Kojiro Hishi and Keisuke Baji after all. Nothing could quite capture what it was like walking right next to the boy he had crushed on since he met him and walking so close to him he could almost feel the boy’s hand. He still didn’t have the guts to touch it, much less hold it.

The Beatles’ song “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” kept playing on repeat in his mind over and over as if to tease him or torture him maybe both. He never knew the utter loss of having something you want in such close proximity and not being able to take it. What would happen if he took the hand and Chifuyu gave him a judgmental look saying he’s moving too fast.

Moving too fast, he was breathing so much, in and out, nervous. He had been harboring these deep-seated feelings for way too long without making a single movement other than banter, laugh, and joke around with Chifuyu and sprinkling the occasional flirting that Chifuyu was much too dense to know that it was not teasing or taking jabs at him but literal flirting. He couldn’t wait any longer and yet he was exactly what his best friend had said. A coward.

Following them both from a safe distance, Kojiro Hishi was extremely disappointed by the total lack of progress his friend made. Moments like these, he despised the way Ryusei was a walking and talking contradiction. He embodied the essence of courage and full confidence on the outside but on the inside, Kojiro knew well he needed that extra push, and this is why he was here. He wanted nothing more than a smoke, but he couldn't afford a break yet lest he lose them.

He had to intervene, and he knew he had to do it quickly to save the failed two who walked next to each other both hands lightly grazing one another, the suspense was ending him. If Kojiro Hishi had to hear about Ryusei’s secret crush and his pathetic pining once more, he was going to seriously stab something or someone.

Eventually, he got even closer to the couple. He was thankful for the long brown-haired wig he had stolen from one of his lackeys for his disguise, but he didn’t even care if his cover was blown at this point, this was just too horrible to keep watching any longer, he was in agony. He was trailing carefully behind them and subtly took Ryusei’s hand right into Chifuyu’s quickly. It was so fast that Ryusei had no idea there was extra help outside, he thought Chifuyu took his hand in his.

Everything in his insides churns at an obnoxious pace, he’s very self-aware right now, knows his palms are sweating and he feels like this is taken straight out of a romance movie. His dark eyes looked into those rivers green, loving the richness of those greens. He could always look at him and never get bored. Now they were hand in hand walking to the games and the rides, his heart was jittering (sigh, yes, he knows it's such a corny word but it’s what he feels, no judgment from the readers, please). His nerves made his palm sweat some more and he worried Chifuyu would find it gross. Maybe he would pull away in disgust?

Ryusei couldn’t handle the more than likely rejection he would surely get and coughed awkwardly as he moved his hand out of Chifuyu’s.

“I’m sorry… I am sweating a lot.” He explains to a boy who is now pouting.

“Oh my God!” Kazutora whines as he exhales, annoyed by the way Ryusei kept taking one step forward, three steps backwards on this date.

“M-maybe he will take his hand again…” Baji says hopeful, but he knows he is only kidding himself.

“For fuck’s sake!” Kojiro removed the damn itchy wig and face-palmed himself once more. He was more than likely going to have a migraine.

“No… It’s okay.” The blonde boy took the boy with the peach-pink curls' hand and smiled lightly again his way.

“A-are you sure? It’s fine if you don’t–” He is interrupted by Chifuyu tightening his hold on his hand as they kept walking towards some of the stands.

“Thank you, Chifuyu! You saved it all!” Kazutora beamed as he was now thankful for his friend’s bravery.

“Wow, yeah. Good going Chifuyu.” This time, Baji sighed in relief.

“Dumbass Ryusei, even his little boyfriend has more guts than him.” Kojiro mumbled, accidentally exposing his cover to Chifuyu’s two friends who also followed the pair.

“Huh?! Who are you?” The honey eyes of Kazutora scanned up towards the blonde-haired man with the green highlights. The man spoken to tsked loud enough for them to hear and scowled at them.

“What the hell? You can’t just ask me who I am, moron. I am Ryusei’s best friend.” His face still had a disagreeable expression and Baji came closer, waiting to exhume the potential flames that could have started as a result (ironic that this time he had to turn off the fires as he normally ignited them).

“Listen here, you asshole! I am not a moron and–” Before Kazutora could add way more expletives, the long-haired man with the apologetic brown eyes came before him and looked at the intrusive blonde man with the green highlights.

“I am sorry, what he means is that he is intensely happy to make your acquaintance. I didn’t quite get your name?” This is the tamest he has ever behaved himself, yet he felt he had no other choice since he didn’t wanna spoil Chifuyu and Ryusei’s special day. The tiger beside him gave him a stupefied expression, he was offended by Baji portraying him as being so passive and unlike him.

“HUH?!” It works wonders that neither Baji nor the still scowling man before them paid him any mind. Good, let him irritate on his own.

“My name is Kojiro… and I just wanted to help my friend. I have the best of intentions and the most noble heart.” The blonde-green haired man smiles now, and his one visible eye crinkles impossibly so. Once opening it and finding it to be shining like a green apple, Keisuke Baji is rendered speechless.

He has had a history of being speechless only scarcely a few times. One, when his mother is angry. He would be a different kind of stupid to speak when she is exploding. Second, when his math or science teacher asks him for the answer to the question on the board. He supposes he can add this one time now onto his very limited list.

Removed from everything, he doesn’t know what kind of spell has befallen him as he isn’t normally interested in people (he’s more of a cat enthusiast), and yet this stranger had completely taken his attention. The soft smile, his long blonde hair with exquisite greens, his matching green eyes that resemble apples. His now cheery disposition and Keisuke cannot help but admire that he was only trying to help Ryusei… help him with what?!

Oh, right! He was so unfocused he had nearly forgotten the sole motive of Kazutora and his presence here. At the festival, his palms are also beginning to sweat, he sucks in a breath. It’s really to his disadvantage to have such an unfriendly face and difficulty conversing with strangers.

“How nice of you to… to do your best for your friend. That’s very cool.” The way Kazutora cringes lets Baji know he had to have sounded very vomit-inducing.

“Of course, I am the paragon of cool.” The way his melodious voice sounded very nonchalant only intrigued the dark-haired boy more.

“Yes, you are the paradox of cool.” He agrees simply and the green-eyed boy, who said his name was Kojiro, gave him a very quizzical look as Kazutora coughed loudly and awkwardly. Of course, Baji didn’t know that the word paragon was not paradox...

“Anyways, we need to go, Kei…” By retreating, Kazutora had hoped to live and save the First Division of Toman’s Captain’s honor.

“W-wait…” This time, he had been nervously debating pursuing this silly little thing. He couldn’t be afraid either and as much as he tried to persuade himself to not make a fool of himself, he had nothing to lose, he was already an utter fool. He would be more foolish to walk away.

Ryusei had chased his person so what made him so much more different than the fearless Captain of the First Division of Toman?

Kazutora’s eyebrow was raised, questioning just what the hell Keisuke was thinking when they were needed nearby Chifuyu’s space as moral support and for possible reinforcement. However, Baji couldn’t shake off the already known fact that Chifuyu did not need them anymore. He would do fine now, he had taken Ryusei’s hand and seemed more confident. Besides, he knew Chifuyu like no one else, a proud member of the First Division, Chifuyu was brave beyond belief. They would only get in the way now.

All while this madness was happening inside of his brain, he had turned his complete attention towards those rich green eyes that captivated his attention and cleared his throat uneasily as the boy questioned him with his gestures by his sudden movement.

“W-would you like to… to come with me and enjoy the Spring Renewal Festival?” This time, Kazutora awards him with a gasp and a mouth so wide. He can’t even fathom what Keisuke is even thinking of?

“Huh? To me? A literal stranger?” Kojiro wouldn’t admit it to his face, but he was rather absorbed in the bold way he approached him and pursued his attention. He wasn’t fond of the boring or conventional type of people, not his cup of tea.

“Yes! Do you have a problem with that? We could get to know each other if that’s fine with you.” Contrary to his casual expression, his insides felt like they were fracturing. All of the sudden, he understood Chifuyu’s panic attack and nervous breakdown to the point of collapsing.

“No, it’s just… Stranger danger and all that.” The blonde with green streaks shrugged simply as he answered in a roundabout way and Kazutora looked on incredulously. How could his best friend be asking this crazy looking man to hang at the festival? Was he the only one who cares about Toman’s reputation? He sighed once more.

“Hah?! Stranger danger? Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you. Quite the opposite of what I wanna do, actually. I know I look intimidating but I’m not as bad as I seem.” At this very moment, Kazutora only wished to be swallowed up by the very ground. That or to disappear like the winds.

“I’m not saying stranger danger because of you… but because of me.” At this, he sports an intimidating and wicked smile. “If you are still interested by all means, let’s go. Don’t say I didn’t warn you, though.” The green-eyed boy has Keisuke Baji, the once proud captain of Toman, in shambles and Kazutora couldn’t bear to look any further at how he was wrapped around a man they had just met. Finding instead relief as he sees both men smile conspiratorially on what seems to be a secret he’s not on, probably for the best.

“Heh, fine by me. Oh, also, how rude of me not to introduce myself sooner… My name is Keisuke Baji.” The captain of Toman looks delighted as Kojiro nods and walks in close proximity next to him.

“Keisuke Baji huh? I like it, it sounds nice.” The blonde-green haired boy whispered. Since when did Baji Keisuke become a gentleman? Kazutora’s not so sure. Today has had an overall twisting and perplexing set of events he wonders if he woke up as Alice in Wonderland.

Now that Keisuke left happily with the literal stranger they had just encountered and Chifuyu and Ryusei were lost to his eyes, he figured he might as well ditch this stupid ass festival, since the chances of him finding them were slim to none, he would rather just leave this madness. And they called him the crazy one.

XXX

All he wanted was to go back home, where everything made sense (when his parents weren’t there). He shook his head, still taking a long time to process all this insanity. He was almost on his way out when he felt someone tap the back of his shoulder, he jumped immediately and on cue turned around to face the person… 

“M-Mikey?!...” There were no other words because he was too stunned to see his friend and the Leader of Toman.

“Yes, Kazutora. What are you doing here, you don’t normally like these big festivals.” He laughs for good measure and Kazutora also laughs, it’s forced and more for go-with-the-flow purposes.

“Ah, you know how the boys are… they insisted on us coming here.” It’s a blatant lie, one Mikey probably would believe.

“I see, where are Keisuke and Chifuyu?” He scans his eyes in a futile attempt to look for them, not detecting signs of either.

“They are… busy. Doing stupid things with other people.” He almost wants to punch something because of his frustration due to them going with other people and leaving him behind. What kind of friends were they? They were supposed to be the set of three, never to be separated.

“Oh, that makes sense.” Mikey doesn’t ask further, sensing his inner turmoil.

“And what about you? Where are your brothers and sister? And Draken?” The tiger asks as he never sees one without the either, finding that bizarre as well.

“Ken-chin left without me! He left with Emma and Shin-nii covered for them! He made me so mad. Izana didn’t come with us, as usual he came to the festival with his perfect-looking-model boyfriend.” That made Kazutora burst into laughter and Mikey looked at him confused.

“That suck, man.” Kazutora offered his two cents his way after the howling laughter ended, he also felt like he resembled Mikey in that way. Both tossed aside for romantic exploits.

“It’s okay now, cause I found you!” He was trying to escape earlier but finding Mikey was the storm to his plans.

“A-actually… I… I was just on my way to leave, since like you said, it is not my type of thing.” The tattooed man feels like he shouldn’t have said that when his leader gives him a very dejected look. And he claims to care about Toman’s wellbeing. He sighs yet again, nice to know he came to this place just to sigh and to see that his help wasn’t even necessary.

“Aw, come on, don’t be a party pooper! Let’s celebrate Spring coming, come!” He feels Mikey take his hand with his own hand in an extremely bold move. Finally, his resolution is staring him far far away as he lets Mikey drag him to a nearby stand.

They eat comfortably, he is surprised that Mikey buys the food and gets much too close to him. He’s always been plenty affectionate; everyone knows it’s a classic Mikey move but this time he sits right next to him and brushes his hand way too close to his. The first time was acceptable but the next ten times makes it a very not so accident.

“Kazutora, you have some dango sauce on you.” He gets closer to wipe it away, but Kazutora doesn’t feel any sticky residue on his cheek, his close friends face is right on his as he smiles.

“Guess I need to clean it up for you.” His lips are curved upwards, his eyes glint with a light that had hidden the secret Kazutora had suspected of a while but didn’t allow himself to hallucinate in, after all, who could ever want anyone as broken as him? Being with him would be a pity date and a laughable ordeal.

He knew since a very young child with a broken family, a dad that hated them and a mom that resented him. No one could ever love him and yet… Mikey was getting closer, eyes closed as he inclined further, hugging him in his warmth and his hand raising Kazutora’s chin… this answered his question, even for someone like him, there was love… He closed his eyes and moved closer, allowing himself to feel this… all of this love.

XXX

The rides had been very fun, the games that they played were also entertaining and even the food was pretty decent. Chifuyu had eaten his corn dog next to Ryusei who devoured his in one go. The blonde wanted to share food… but they were literally eating the same thing and Ryusei liked his corn dog with ketchup and mayo. He didn’t think mayo was very tasty but made sure to wipe away the excess mayo off the corner on Ryusei’s lips. 

Meanwhile Ryusei felt like any special attention given to him by his date could incinerate him, yet he welcomed his touch even more. He would take anything Chifuyu would be willing to give him. Now he felt his careful date wipe the corner of his lips and he felt somewhat sheepish since had eaten like a pig. He hadn’t been mindful of his manners and now he was self-conscious of the fact and was about to say something, but his date shook his head.

“It’s okay, don’t worry.” That bright smile had been a constant of this date. It gave him hope, even though the date started pretty awful, they were doing so much better.

“Okay, if you say so, Fuyu.” The way that he smiled coquettishly to the blonde made the shorter man give him a pointed look.

“Do you want to finish my corn dog? I’m pretty full.” The shorter boy touched his belly to emphasize his point and handed his date the rest of his corn dog and if Ryusei chowed it down once again with the same mannerism (or lack of), that is his business.

“Thank you.” He said as he threw both of their trash away and offered his hand to an unsuspecting blonde who took it as he blushed slightly.

“Where are we going?” Those green emeralds looked at him, wondering what the surprise was. One he couldn’t spoil yet as he took Chifuyu with his hand on his hand, feeling warm and appropriate, like this is how they belonged.

The sight of the ferris wheel in front of them excited but also startled Chifuyu who still had his flower bouquet, not once separating from it. Ryusei at times became a little bit envious of the flowers but then calmed down when he realized it was him who gifted them and hence why it mattered so much to him. Chifuyu was sappy and the type of guy to really value those kinds of things.

“Oh, Ryusei, I am awfully terrified of heights.” The taller man could see that he wasn’t kidding with the way the smaller man trembled slightly as he looked at the very tall structure. To be fair, it wasn’t as tall as others since it was one assembled for a three-day festival.

“Don’t worry, I am here with you. I won’t ever let anything happen to you.” The tan boy is squeezing his date’s hand in an affirmative manner, hoping to reassure him. Those green eyes look into his eyes and seem troubled as the line for the Ferris wheel keeps diminishing. Until finally it’s them two and other people behind them.

The blonde is shaking slightly as Ryusei keeps holding onto his hand with strength. “I will protect you; I swear to you. Even If this shit collapses and falls to shambles, I will make sure you land safely even if I have to break every bone in my body.” He says it so confidently but even more strongly is the way he knows fully well that only Ryusei would say a stupidity like that and back it up with action.

“Stop that, you’ll only scare me imagining my inevitable fall and death if this damn thing gets destroyed.” They walk towards their section and get inside. It’s a pink color and it pretty much suits their occasion.

“Don’t think about that, there’s no way this contraption is that crappy.” They both share a laugh as Chifuyu settles to sit in front of Ryusei, and being able to look at him is so rewarding.

“Besides, in the worst-case scenario, I wouldn’t have any regrets. Nothing would be more romantic than sharing my last day with you, my last breath, my last minute; I wouldn’t mind dying next to you. It would be a consolation and a final parting gift bestowed upon me by God. There would be no more romantic ending allowed to me, I think.” At that moment, Chifuyu is silenced as he ponders what to make of that declaration.

He considers his words and wonders if it’s really Ryusei spouting such romantic words and not actually William Shakespeare himself, but no, it IS Ryusei and that moves him. Ryusei really thinks it’s an honor to die by his side.

The damn thing finally starts moving and Chifuyu still considers what to say. How did he get on this date and then the topic becoming such a heavy one?

“Why are we even talking about death?” He half-chuckles awkwardly, not knowing well what to say. Well, what do you even tell a person that has admitted that they would be okay dying if it’s next to you? Are there even proper words? He doesn’t think so.

“Y-yeah, sorry about that. A first date should never have such grim topics. Instead, let’s change the topic, yeah? Look at the outside view.” Ryusei encourages his date.

“I am looking at it.” Is all he can say. Those damned words he didn’t even bother to answer still linger on his mind.

“It’s beautiful isn’t it?” The taller man says, even as he looks only at his date.

“Yes…” The blonde answers simply. There’s tension between them they both do not need to address because it’s felt heavily so.

“Please forgive me, I shouldn’t have said anything. It was way out of line. Damnit, I made things awkward and weird by being way too intense on the first date.” He says so as he shakes his head in disapproval for his hasty words.

“Ryusei, look at me. Relax, okay? It’s fine… Here…” It’s a pleasant surprise to feel Chifuyu’s hand on his. Now that he feels it, he notices the little tremors and the sweat in it. Chifuyu was still nervous about the height of this thing and Ryusei was being so lousy. Ugh, he sucked at all of this.

“Chifuyu, I’m sorry.” He says painfully as he looks out the window of their unit.

“I swear to God if you say sorry one more time, Ryu. All you’ve been saying to me this afternoon is ‘sorry’ and it’s enough.” The green eyes are looking at him intensely, but he still has his eyes at the scene in front of them.

“And I also talked about death…boy, I am so messed up.” He chuckles with no amusement in his tone. Chifuyu looks at him intensely as he says “Ryusei, look at me.” Almost as if by magic, he is compelled to look into those rich and green gems.

“Ryusei, I don’t care that you talked about death. Yes, I would also be less happy if I passed away not next to you. Does that answer your question? I would be more content having you next to me, I would be less afraid and ready to follow you into our next adventure. But please stop apologizing for everything you say or do. I want you to be you, unapologetically you, the authentic you that I know and not this one you are putting up for show. You might not realize it but the real you, not the invented one, is the one I am in awe of, the one that truly fascinates me and awakens millions of many complex emotions within me. That is the Ryusei I want, not the one that plays it off cool and is too afraid to fail to be himself. The Ryusei I cherish fails and fails yet he gets up and is still himself regardless, ready to succeed until he does so. That’s who I need.”

Ryusei’s heart is stammering, he realizes belatedly that he was approaching everything with extreme caution, in an ironic manner, that the same overly practiced caution would cost him everything he had ever set his heart and mind to…

“...” There was nothing but a nagging feeling within to say something – anything, but right as he opened his mouth, he closed it once again. Why was it so damn easy to talk to Chifuyu when he wasn’t on a date with him before and now it’s like mission impossible? He internally rages at his inability to compose a sound reply.

“Ryusei… I want you to trust me. Tell me your biggest and darkest, deepest secret.” His voice is caramel like, and his eyes are the gentle waves of the river, leading him to a safe shore.

“... I … didn’t pursue you earlier because I thought you liked Keisuke-kun…” Ryusei cringes instantly, doesn’t even know why he says it but now he cannot halt his words. “I… always think I am… not good enough for my friends and believe I will lose them all down the road.” He decides to steer the conversation to another route to detract Chifuyu from his earlier mess of jumbled up words and assumptions.

“I also thought you were the most beautiful person when we first met…” His mind is a narrow way where Chifuyu is the center and focus of, going back to him.

“...I… I don’t know what to say…” It was every bit of perplexing and awkward, the tension around them much too tall, like the mountains that were very far away from view.

Ryusei’s closed mouth with no attempt to assuage the situation only nodded and it was even more cumbrous. He made no effort to remove the oddity of it all. He didn’t comprehend why he would say that. It only brought them together on this ferris wheel that was much too cramped with them two and little air to breathe through this mixed moment. Ryusei found he had probably ruined the night for them two, frustration welling in his guts. He alone was responsible for such a doomed and flamed disaster that he could no longer piece back together without means of hurting himself OR worse yet Chifuyu.

He could already see the anger flaring in those intense pairs of emerald-green eyes.

“HAHAHAHAHA!” and yet, he stumbles back, half-astonished and half-terrified at what he hears come out so suddenly from the blonde in front of him. He sighs in relief and looks up to see a laughing Chifuyu, with little silly tears in his eyes. He feels like he’s lost a chunk of vital information because how is Chifuyu laughing and not pissed very much off? What did he miss?

“What’s so funny?” It takes him a while to ask, it might have been a minute, but it feels like an eternity in Ryusei’s time. He doesn’t like being the butt of the joke, enjoying much more making Chifuyu the center of his amusement.

“I can’t believe you thought I liked Baji-san! Hahaha…” The blonde keeps laughing and Ryusei feels how the blood returns to his body.

“Why does everyone think that? Doesn’t help half of Toman thought we were boyfriends…” He laughs even more, in an incredibly rich way, he looks like he was finding this way too amusing, before Ryusei is about to respond with ‘Gee, I don’t know, Fuyu… Not like you follow him like a puppy to its master.’ He is interrupted once more.

“You are more than enough, Ryusei. You have a kind heart and… you will not lose your friends who care about you so much.” Chifuyu’s words are serious and fill him with a welcoming warmth, Chifuyu takes Ryusei’s shaky hand. He can’t recall when he started fidgeting but he is rewarded by the most beautiful sight he's ever seen.

“You’re not the only one who thought that… when I first saw you, my heart somersaulted to my stomach. I pretended to hate you and be annoyed by you. In truth, I did want Baji-san’s admiration and recognition… That's why I was irritated by you. Then, I realized that you did horrible things to me too… like make my palms sweaty, feel anxious to know if you were coming to the Toman meetings, make my head feel hazy, m-my heartbeat madly! That’s when I realized…”

Silence is constant between the two men, sitting in front of one another and wanting to do so much more than contemplate each other’s presence. Ryusei agonized because although he presented himself as overly cocky and self-assured in a manner that everyone bought, here he was… so close and yet thousands of miles away from the man he liked… loved.

Curse his lack of tact, curse his inner securities, love looked so easy on television, but the real-life thing was very multifaceted he’d come to discover. He was so-not-the-date-expert, not the love guru. He was not an expert at this, not a genius at love nor does he think he can ever be with the ever-cumbersome fear that morphs into him, consumes him and encases him.

“I do love nothing in the world so well as you– is not that strange?” Finally, Chifuyu breaks the silence between them as he still holds and squeezes Ryusei’s hand affectionately. Those words steal his breath away and yet they sound so familiar…

Of course, English class. Shakespeare. That book they were reading…What was it called again?

“Much Ado About Nothing.” As if reading his mind, Ryusei has his answer. If he paid any attention to it instead of sleeping in class, he would have been able to answer in a more according manner. He spins the limited brain cells left in his brain and magically remembers his favorite play’s line…

“I would not wish any companion in the world but you.” He says as he winks at his date, who had just admitted loving him. The flowers are still there in his other hand, and they fit so well with the occasion.

“The Tempest!” Of course, Chifuyu would figure that out rather quickly, English and Art were his favorite subjects and he enjoyed Shakespeare way too much, but of course he did… Shakespeare dealt with romance and was pretty corny, Chifuyu’s genre through and through.

“I kiss thee with a most constant heart.” Chifuyu says in a sugary tone and Ryusei struggles to match which play it was until suddenly he was being diverted from that unto– Chifuyu’s eyes zoning in on him and not just his eyes, they trailed lower, to his– He was not imagining things, he felt as Chifuyu got closer and closer, closed his eyes and Ryusei could have died just right then and there because he had wanted nothing more. This was happening, they were gonna… kiss… His cheeks felt hot, and his body was trembling with want, his mind spinning and his soul lingering on only Chifuyu. He closed his eyes and felt both hearts race against each other as Chifuyu leaned even closer… making a bold move to kiss—

“Alright, time’s up boys.” Both of the aforementioned boys jumped backwards, Chifuyu was startled and looked away, Ryusei sighed in disappointment as they were so close to kissing… instead they didn't notice the stupid ride had finished and was now on ground level for them to get out, which they wasted no time to bolt out of there, both embarrassed.

“I’m sorry for that… I let myself get carried away.” Now his sugary toned voice sounded cold and rather detached. Ryusei just didn’t get it, what was the problem when they both wanted it?

“Thought you said you didn’t wanna hear ‘sorry’ anymore and now you are saying them.” Obviously it's not his intention to appear like he is mocking his date.

“Just forget it, okay? It was stupid…” The green-eyed boy looks down as he fidgets with his hands, he looks anywhere but at his partner (and date) for the festival. Chifuyu doesn’t notice they are at the heart and center of the festival, in the garden with three fountains nearby, shining with light blue and orange lights. He was much too invested in this… failed moment between them.

“Oh, thank you for telling me how you really feel… thank you for clarifying for me that it was a stupid idea to kiss me! I’ll forget it just as you want…” All the sudden, the tan-toned man feels sick, he spews out anything he can think of… his pride being hurt, and he was made a mockery by the man he had thought incapable of hurting him.

“N-no… that’s not fair! You know that’s not what I meant!” The blonde makes an effort to tug on Ryusei’s arm, his voice exasperated as he pleads with his eyes.

“It’s okay, don’t bother. We both know the truth now, don’t we? I… suck… t-the truth is that I don’t fucking know anything a-about going on dates. I’m not the love expert nor am I the date guru… I’ve never gone on a date in my whole life… which is why I am trying my best. Look, I know I am not cupid nor am I Adonis much less Aphrodite… At best I am an Athena or Apollo.”

He can't believe he is rambling right now, even when the sun is setting very quickly, and the dew of the moonlight starts to illuminate and accentuate every part of Chifuyu’s face. He wants to kiss him so badly, but he contains himself regardless. It is the right thing to do.

“I have been talking about death. Half of my conversations contain the word “sorry” and the other half is trying so hard to convince me that what is happening today is not a figment of my imagination. You have spoken your truth and so have I… Let’s just…Chifuyu, end my agony and let’s forget today ever happened, okay? We can still go back and be the cool friends we were.”

His voice is hoarse, and he is struggling to find the right words to salvage this amazing relationship– friendship he dared ruin today with this scandalous date idea. Why did they even need to take this friendship to the next level? They were fine the way they were, weren’t they?

 (‘Liar’ his heart soared, ‘nice try’ his mind supplied, ‘I will live in thy heart, die in thy lap, and be buried in thy eyes’ His soul screams out… Not Shakespeare again!).

Suddenly, those emerald, green eyes are looking at him with nothing short of ache.

“H-how could you do this to me… when I… when you gave me false hope and led me on? H-how could you make me hope to believe you’d feel the same thing and all along you were laughing at me… toying with me for your own amusement!” Chifuyu’s eyes are tearing, yet he looks absolutely feral, he comes closer and shoves Ryusei’s body hard. “You… made me believe you loved me… like I did you!” The sobbing was gut-wrenching and something Ryusei did not want to witness and yet he directly caused it. He wanted to hug him and mend everything that ever afflicted him, even if it was himself.

Abandoning his own reason, he encased Chifuyu in those strong and sculpted arms, the latter tried to shove him away in his wails and his torment. Ryusei tried to soothe him by caressing his blonde locks.

“Don’t touch me! Let go of me… I don’t need your pity!” He is so headstrong and consumed by his emotions and so is Ryusei.

“Forgive me for hurting you, even when I promised myself I would never. It wasn’t done with intention…” His petite date still resisted against his hold and Ryusei kissed his forehead, which tranquilized him somewhat.

“...I thought you had really believed that kissing me was a stupid thing to do… but now I see, you laid your feelings bare so I will do the same.” He breathes in and recalls the earlier Shakespeare (ridiculous quote) knowing Chifuyu would have a soft spot for that.

“I will live in thy heart, die in thy lap, and be buried in thy soul…” He whispers as he is still holding a now still and shocked Chifuyu.

“I do pay attention in class, see?” He's so proud of his English memorization skills.

There’s a rich laugh that comes from the blonde as he feels Ryusei wipe his tears gently.

“You pay… some attention… you messed up the last part! It’s ‘and be buried in thy eyes.” Leave it to the blonde to correct him in his confession and make him feel like a total idiot.

“S-so? I think I made it better! More romantic~♡” The taller man feels like he saved the romantic atmosphere as Chifuyu gasped in shock.

“No one can beat Shakespeare in romance!” They both share a laugh as now Chifuyu also wraps his arms around the taller man. All the sudden, it feels much too hot and Chifuyu’s eyes look at him with so much want. He doesn’t look away either as he holds the man he had been wanting since he met him, the moonlight captures his beauty so breathlessly well, he is enamored beyond saving.

He sees his date approach him boldly, so close he can feel the warmth of his breath mingling with his and can smell the scent of what must be a Vanilla perfume. He expects it fully now, closing his eyes to be (hopefully welcomed into a sweet and gentle kiss). Instead, he is shocked when Chifuyu yanks his shirt and pulls him down to his height and kisses him. He kisses him so passionately and not at all like he imagined it in his mind — it’s infinitesimally so many more times better in real time. Soft plump lips against his own, fitting so correctly.

He thinks the kiss will have to end after three minutes pass by, but his blonde and beautiful date (boyfriend maybe?) is kissing him with such intensity Ryusei wasn’t prepared to follow but he follows along because it’s Chifuyu and he would give him anything… anything he wanted.

It wasn’t the lack of oxygen that made them stop kissing, instead it was a very bright light that landed on them as they were still kissing. It didn’t seem like the orange and light blue lights around the scenery, this one was shining very light and disturbing. They moved away from the kiss, trying to find the source of the light and lo and behold!

“Kojiro?! Keisuke-kun?” Ryusei doesn’t know what to even think about now that he sees them both, Kojiro more than clearly taking a video of them two kissing with his phone’s camera.

“I told you to record without flash, dumbass.” The dark-haired boy sighs as he looks at the blonde boy with the green highlights, instead he zooms on Chifuyu’s face.

“So, how was your first kiss?” He asks uncaringly and Ryusei is shocked to see Chifuyu’s eyes downcast in that little nervous way he knows oh so well by now and his cheeks are tinted with pink.

“Smile for the camera, Ryusei!” He says as he now shifts to his best friend before Ryusei whacks the phone off of him and Chifuyu.

“I thought I told you not to follow me!” Now, the taller man was crossed as he looked at his friend with palpable anger.

“Please~ When has that stopped me before? You forget I am in control of my actions. Needless to say, congrats ‘Sei~ I am proud that you became a man despite how cringe-worthy you started.” For good measure, Kojiro barks in laughter as he takes out what looks like a sake bottle, he doesn’t want to know where he even got that from.

“B-Baji-san…” Chifuyu looks at his captain and hopes he won’t say the reason he was here. He feels more self-conscious and smaller in the presence of both of Ryusei's friend? And his captain.

“What are you doing here, Keisuke-kun? Didn’t expect to see you at one of these places?” Ryusei quirked an eyebrow, finding something amiss.

“He’s here with me, got a problem?” Kojiro sounds defensive as he winks at Ryusei and his date. Now, he notices way too late the fact that both his best friend and captain were holding hands. That made way too much sense and he felt like a romantic union between them would decrease his lifespan by at least 20 years.

Both too chaotic and too headstrong, maybe they are friends, his hopes are shattered at seeing them kiss so shamelessly in front of them two. Chifuyu simply chooses to shrug, he IS happy for Baji-san… but that guy reeks of trouble.

“Don’t worry, Fuyu~ even though we are barely meeting today, I know so much of you already! All thanks to Ryusei! I thought he was gonna drive me crazy with his secret pining for you! Finally, I am happy for you two, you have my blessing! I think we will be great friends and I can tell you so many embarrassing things about Ryusei.” Kojiro addressed the smaller blonde who nodded mischievously.

“I’d really like that… in return, I know a lot of funny stories and things about Baji-san!” Chifuyu giggled and Baji shot him a betrayed look. Why did Chifuyu even involve him? He minded his business (mostly).

“Sorry, Baji-san.” That was better, Baji sighed, not wanting to be “exposed” nor mocked.

“Oh, you must tell me now!” Chifuyu heard the man holding his captain’s hand insist. He decided maybe in secrecy he could, after all, a little secret funny thing wouldn’t hurt anyone (maybe).

The man was persistent and a very colorful character, he would fit in perfectly well with their group. Chifuyu motioned him with a secret glance saying with his eyes “Okay, but secretly not here” to which the other man nodded viciously. Why did Baji feel as if he was walking into his funeral? he had no idea…

Just when Ryusei didn’t think it could get any worse, fate has other plans as they spot Kazutora and Mikey walking nearby, both pointedly holding hands. Baji sighed in relief as he exclaimed.

“Fucking finally!” And Mikey shushed him. Kazutora wanted so badly to laugh at all of them, but Mikey next to him put him at a disadvantage.

“Shut up.” He quickly said to all of them before they started to laugh at him, but Chifuyu just smiled.

“I think you guys look amazing together!” The blonde was so happy for his friends and their happiness, it was only to be expected.

“T-thank you…” Kazutora rolled his eyes when he noticed Baji’s devious smirk.

“Don’t you start. You’re dating Barbie over there by the way!” He laughs satisfied, like a mischievous tiger only could.

“What the hell! I am NOT Barbie, are you kidding me?! If anything, I am Raquelle, you idiot!” Both Kojiro and Kazutora started to get into another almost kerosene-like argument, if it was not for Baji taking Kojiro in his arms and expertly removing him.

Likewise, Mikey kisses Kazutora’s tattoo in his embrace, which makes Kazutora blush in a scarlet red. Ryusei and Chifuyu exchange looks and laughter as they walk with their best friends, holding hands.

“I am so lucky to have your love, Tora!” Mikey makes a grand gesture as he kisses him clearly on the lips but not before gifting him a tiger plush he had won in one of the stalls. Mikey was the strongest after all. Kazutora blushes and he is surprised that the embarrassment does not give him third-degree burns, he only says “Awwww, Mikey~” and takes the plush as he kisses him back. If he was a little happier, well it was only Mikey’s fault that he was so.

“Keisuke, what the fuck… You haven’t done anything romantic for me… you’re the only one!” Kojiro pretends to look offended as he points to Kazutora’s tiger plush and Chifuyu’s assorted bouquet.

Baji shrugs awkwardly as he coughs three times saying “I ain’t good at that lovey dovey shit. Nor am I good at the games in the stalls.” He was so mad remembering how everyone beat him in shooting games, basketball games, and throwing hoops into the target area games. Man, he really was not good at this.

Suddenly, a group of boys came and tried to mess with Kojiro and mocked him calling him “pretty” and they tried to touch him. Keyword is tried as they did see the light of day because Baji Keisuke pummeled them to the point of having his knuckles filled with their blood.

“Are you okay?” The man with the brown eyes looks into apple green ones as he nods. “That was the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me~” Kojiro grabs Baji, sealing their lips together in one go and Kazutora rolls his eyes, Mikey laughs, understanding some losers sometimes need to get their ass beat.

Chifuyu is sweating nervously, and Ryusei simply rolls his eyes “typical ‘Jiro.” He says, not phased one bit by it all. Once you are used to Kojiro you are immune to everything else.

The three couples walk together and Chifuyu can’t help but sing in happiness. All of his close friends and him are finally in a relationship, he is very much overjoyed. He isn’t even bothered by the fact that they are all here and if anyone else is, they don’t comment on it.

“Let’s take a selfie!” He says and they all align. They must take more than fifty selfies, some with silly little faces and others just being serious. Ryusei keeps teasing Chifuyu for being “so short he can barely fit in the pictures'' and Chifuyu responds by calling Ryusei “A giant that’s also not going to fit.” Their bickering continues as per usual. Even still, his heart is swelling up with so much happiness he could cry, but he won’t… doesn’t want to destroy the perfect day nor the vibes.

In the garden, the welcoming of spring is celebrated in grandeur with music, dancing and lots and lots of food. The couples are pleasantly engaging in most of the activities. Mikey really is not the best at dancing, but Kazutora doesn’t want to hurt his feelings. Baji is so overjoyed as he sings with his new beau who sings way too beautifully, he didn’t think he could fall anymore and here he is. Kojiro warned him that he was a red flag to which Keisuke Baji answered that red just so happened to be his favorite color.

XXX

Ryusei and Chifuyu were slow dancing to the music. Ryusei realizes he could be like this, be like this always. He only wishes to get even closer, luckily for him Chifuyu has that same idea.

 “Today was amazing! I don’t think you were telling the truth when you said you were not a love expert nor a dating guru…” The taller man is unsure if Chifuyu is only saying that to make him feel better or if he meant it. This beautiful boy was just that kind.

“Careful there, Fuyu~♡ You might be falling for me.” He winks at him with his dark eye, Chifuyu is holding in his laughter as he rolls his eyes.

 “Really? What could ever make you think that?” The blonde attempts to hold his facial expression and look serious as he asks that, although Ryusei can catch his sarcasm anytime anyway. Still, he decides to entertain him, his heart is always satisfied when he can mess around with him and be next to him, just him– everything about him.

“Gee, I don’t know, could be the way you are looking at me right now, or perhaps the fact that we are dancing so closely I can feel your heart betray you, no – I think it’s the fact that you wanna kiss me so badly~♡” He doesn’t seem to realize there was truth to his words as Chifuyu once more took a leap of faith and pulled him closer, mouthing “Is that so?” before he savors Ryusei once more, soft and tender lips as Chifuyu kisses him more gently, soft and pliant. Ryusei was losing his very mind and his forethought. Obviously he had no choice but to relent in weakness, until…

Orange and light blue fireworks were lighting the sky, an enormous banner was flown over the sky with the letters “I love you, Chifuyu Matsuno. Second date?” There were a million little scattered emotions and thoughts in the blonde’s mind. His eyes were watering against his wishes, he was completely overtaken by his… love’s bold gesture. The happiness poured out of him as it was too much for him to contain.

“Y-yes!” Finally, it all clicked and made sense. Ryusei had arranged for this, all of it. The special orange flowers everywhere and the light blue. The orange and light blue lights, the banners and now this… how had he not caught it before?

“It’s no Shakespeare but it’s all for you!” Ryusei smiled proudly and he felt like finally, the maze was clear. Chifuyu nodded in so much joy that he transmitted it to the man that loves him most endearingly.

“Ryusei… “ He can’t contain his cheerful disposition as he chuckled with glee and delight.

“I don’t need you to be Shakespeare… you are fine the way you are! This is the Ryusei I know… my Ryusei.” This time, the world he was in was transformed, Chifuyu was the magnet that Ryusei couldn’t help but be helplessly attracted to.

It is now Ryusei that takes him slowly in his arms, gently and demonstrates his passion as he now initiates their kiss. Ryusei can’t help but notice the extreme adoration he has for the blonde increase; he captures him in that passionate kiss and wishes to let him know the whole compass of his heart when it was him with the blonde.

Baji and Kojiro were jovial together.

Kazutora and Mikey as well.

He was most fortunate to declare the same with Chifuyu.

They were created for one another and bound to find each other.

If two souls were predestined to meet, then surely it was them.

Against all odds, the tension, the misunderstandings.

Chifuyu kissed him back with the same desire.

The first date was a success and now they would go on to the next date and the next until they reached eternity together.

Their first… almost everything happened today.

First date. First time holding hands, first kiss… and what awaited them in the future.

He realized he didn’t need to be perfect. Just be who he was. He had been so foolish.

He didn’t need to be a genius in love, Chifuyu didn’t expect him to be.

Just be himself. And now he was, he was freely being himself, holding onto his date and dancing extravagantly as they couldn’t help but giggle and laugh in mirth.

Love was such a simple thing he had complicated, and he turned it into a mess multiple times. Now next to his love, he felt he was complete. Chifuyu also felt whole. They were both content in the now and the relationship was perfectly imperfect but authentically theirs this way.

Their unique relationship was theirs anyways.

A blue flower kept blooming in the middle of the bouquet.

Entangled with

An orange flower that was in awe next to the blue flower.

Their unique ever-growing paradise.

END!

Hope my readers enjoyed this long and chaotic ferris wheel journey! Until the next prompt!