Work Text:
Giving gifts was never a trait Jouno possessed, let alone birthday gifts to be exact. It never truly crossed his mind that his dear comrade, Tecchou, soon-to-be birthday would come up.
Birthday celebrations were always an acquainted idea for the blonde in the first place. Despite his cruel and cunning personality, Jouno knew what the other's likes and dislikes were due to his sharp senses. Though, even with his enhanced ability, he wasn’t sure what crossed the brunette’s mind on a daily basis.
In his self-defense, he wasn’t the one at fault here. Tecchou’s morales and what he considered ethnic were not something Jouno would pry on. He describes his partner to be witless, idiotic — brain-dead even. But in all qualms, he does admit that his partner can provide some foundations for them as a solid team.
The strategies of their missions were always the same; Jouno pre-plans an idea — Tecchou carries it out. Except in this case, he did not evaluate in time what gift to get for the latter.
It wasn’t like he was ever in a position where he had to give someone a gift. Well… until now.
With an already groggy mind to start the morning, the sound of an ear-piercing alarm snaps him awake. The noise earns a groan out of him, having a few unsuccessful attempts at smacking the button to the alarm before mustering up the energy to fully reach over.
In the process, he almost falls off his bed, narrowly catching onto the dresser at the last moment.
Ignoring how he almost got a concussion first thing in the morning, he gets up from bed, rubbing his eyelids and stretching until he feels the stinging feeling of his bones popping.
When he finally gets into the shower (after spending about ten minutes meticulously changing the temperature until it was perfect), he starts applying the shampoo to his hair, making sure to coat each individual strand thoroughly.
If Jouno was already up this early in the morning — and that’s because he requires at least half an hour to shower, plus another hour to get ready — would Tecchou be up too?
If he were, he’d probably be taking a shower just as Jouno was doing right now. Would he use a 3-in-1 shampoo mix? Would he be the type of person to shower in freezing cold water, just because it has several health benefits?
The thought makes Jouno’s stomach churn. It does sound plausible, considering it’s Tecchou he’s talking about. How can he proclaim himself to be the strongest Hunting Dog when he probably doesn’t even clean his ears? Just how exactly is someone this foolish the strongest Hunting Dog—
His hands freeze while lathering his shampoo, uneasiness settling into his body.
Last time he checked, which was as soon as he woke up today, it was still March 14. But then, why does he feel like he’s forgetting something—
Holy shit. There’s no way.
When Jouno finishes showering, he immediately runs to his room.
“Hey, Google — What’s today’s date?!”
“It’s Friday, March 15, 2024.”
The moment those monotonous words register in his head, his mind goes blank.
It’s Tecchou’s birthday today.
—
When Jouno arrives at the Hunting Dog Headquarters, he’s out of breath, pants exhaling from his mouth as he feels his pulse fluctuating from random places.
He’s screwed — so, so , screwed. His heart races with thoughts while making it towards the entrance of his office. What if Tecchou was already here and he was expecting Jouno to greet him with a gift? How would he react if he realized his long-time partner got him nothing for his birthday?
“Jouno!”
He instantly snaps his head to the noise, dread filling his veins at the possibility of it being Tecchou calling his name. It disappears the second he listens carefully to their heartbeat — it wasn’t slow and repetitive as Tecchou’s was, instead having a rhythm that was way too lively and energetic for someone up in the morning.
“Here already?”
The sound of clacking heels approaching tightens his jaw. If he hadn’t already recognized who it was from their heartbeat, their high-pitched voice told him everything he needed to know: it was Teruko.
“Usually, you’re here early, but I didn’t expect you to arrive so soon, Jouno.” Something about Teruko’s voice in the early mornings makes his skin crawl.
“You really think that I wanted to spend my precious time getting here as early as possible?”
“Yes—“
“Rhetorical question,” he cuts her off, eyebrows furrowing in frustration as he’s still figuring out what to get for the other.
The last time he and Tecchou spoke was a few days ago when they were on a mission together. The brunette had commented on how he sometimes saw others carrying items with sentimental value to them.
What was something that Tecchou held high importance to? His brain thought of the idea of justice, but shut it down quickly as it wasn’t possible to gift a conceptual idea that was already drilled in his head.
If Jouno recalls correctly, back then, he was inspecting the criminal, searching for anything that could be of use to their case. He felt how Tecchou’s eyes had traced the criminal’s collarbones, catching an immediate shift of pulse from them as his partner leaned closer.
When Jouno checked the criminal’s neck, ensuring that he hadn’t missed a spot, he realized what Tecchou was staring at: a necklace. As Jouno ziplocked it into a bag, Tecchou said something that he memorized:
“What do you think it would be like to carry a reminisce of an item?”
Jouno wasn’t sure himself, the only item that he carried with nostalgia is his earring.
But he would never admit that.
Do sentimental items hold a place in Tecchou’s heart, something that he could carry as a permanent reminder every day? Jouno could buy something similar like a necklace if that were the case.
Would Tecchou actually like that as a gift though?
Teruko waves her hand in front of Jouno’s face, light air fanning him and causing his thoughts to become disjointed. “So, why are you here so early then?”
“Listen—“ He tucks a loose strand of hair behind his ear, a habit he picked up over the years. “Hypothetically speaking, if you had a close partner and you forgot about their birthday until the day it actually was their birthday, how would you go about getting a gift for them?”
Teruko pauses for a second to take in his words, a gasp emitted when she realizes. “Jouno, don’t tell me you’re talking about who I think you’re thinking of…”
“I said hypothetically speaking.”
“It’s not a hypothetical situation if it’s occurring as we speak,” Teruko points out.
A heaved sigh escapes his lips. He’s wasting time if he continues engaging in this pointless conversation — there’s only a limited amount of time to get Tecchou a gift before he arrives at the Headquarters.
What if Tecchou is about to walk in right now?
The thought makes him bite his cheek, mind short circuiting until he recognizes the current dilemma at hand. “Are you actually willing to help me or what?” He groans.
A smile tugs on Teruko’s lips at his remark. “I never thought I’d be hearing you asking for my help.” She combs the strands of her ponytail before whipping it over her shoulder. “Unfortunately for you, I have a mission to catch up on as of right now.”
With another piercing glare, Teruko turns her back and struts away, leaving Jouno all alone with his thoughts.
Just what exactly is he going to give Tecchou?
—
As the day progresses, Jouno heads to the canteen area, fatigue wearing down his awareness of his surroundings. He tunes out the incessant noises of plates clattering, people chattering, shrieking forks scratching onto dishes, quickly taking his order of coffee before preparing to leave.
The taste of his coffee is a bit blander than usual, the bitter flavor only further souring his mood with how badly his mission went today. He was lucky enough to not have any interventions with the brunette so far, but that wasn’t exactly enough relief to stop the feeling of guilt still coursing over him.
He stops midway to the exit of the canteen when he hears light footsteps approaching him, a quickening heartbeat accompanying them with a uniform that is doused in musky scent.
It’s Tachihara.
“Hey, Jouno.” The cologne from him makes his nose scrunch. “Mind if I join you for lunch in your office today?”
Jouno smacks his lips. He knew that if he refused Tachihara’s offer, he was going to self-invite himself anyways. He forces a smile onto his lips. “Yeah, sure.”
Tachihara raises an eyebrow, flattened words contradictory to his facial expression, but doesn’t question it.
With his response, they head towards his space, entering the doors. From what he had heard from others, his office was consistent with monochromatic colors of white as if it were taken out of a black and white film.
The sound of screeching comes from the opposite side of Jouno’s desk before a thud is heard against the table.
Tecchou wouldn’t make that mistake.
“How was the mission they assigned you this morning?” Tachihara asks while settling down in his chair.
“Horrible,” Jouno responds, his voice completely monotone. “The so-called ‘detectives’ had no idea what they were doing, so I had to do everything myself because they lacked the common sense to make even the slightest connections to each piece of information.”
“Oh.”
Silence prevails for a few seconds, awkwardness floating in the atmosphere before Tachihara breaks the silence with a cough. Jouno resists the urge to transform into hundreds of particles from the sheer amount of uneasiness swallowing him.
“Well, look on the bright side,” Tachihara says, trying to salvage the remnants of the conversation. “You don’t have to worry about being assigned that case again in the future since you already solved it.”
“Yeah, no shit.”
“No need to be such an asshole,” Tachihara retorts. “What, Tecchou didn’t like your birthday gift? Is that why you’re in such a bad mood?”
“No, that’s not why…” Jouno sighs, rubbing his forehead. “I didn’t get Tecchou a gift.”
His deadpan words make Tachihara look up. “What? Even that’s low for someone like you.”
“I didn’t do it on purpose, okay! I just… I don’t know what to get him.”
“Oh, really?”
By the way Tachihara doesn’t utter a single word or make any noise, Jouno can tell he’s definitely plotting something. After all, Tecchou does the same thing — not saying a single word or even breathing whenever he’s thinking. He can hear the cogs turning in Tachihara’s head, the same way Tecchou’s does when he’s in the process of inventing those vile food combin—
“Why don’t I help you pick out a gift for Tecchou then?”
What? He wasn’t anticipating that response at all.
“A gift?” he repeats, voice trailing off at the end.
“Yeah,” Tachihara says. “You said you didn’t get him a gift yet.”
“Well, yeah, that might be true and all but do you seriously think that I need your help with choosing a gift?” Before Tachihara has a chance to respond, Jouno continues, “No, I don’t.”
“I mean, it sounds like you do considering it’s already the afternoon and you haven’t even decided yet what you’re gonna give Tecchou.”
“Okay, so what? I’ll figure it out.”
“Oh, wait, is that Tecchou I see coming to walk by—“
Jouno immediately buries his head under his desk, covering his head with his arms and holding his breath. He still hasn’t talked to Tecchou at all today and if Tecchou sees him, he’d definitely approach Jouno. And that wouldn’t lead to any good.
“You did know that I was kidding, right?”
Silence.
Tachihara racks a sigh. “Come on, hurry up and finish your coffee so we can go find Tecchou a gift together.”
Jouno exhales. He really is doomed.
—
“What do you think about this?”
Tachihara places an object into Jouno’s hands, letting him feel it. As he caresses it, he feels soft bunch-up fur in his palm, squeezing it to hear a song begin playing that resembles one of those nursery rhymes.
“No, Tachihara.” He exhales. “I am not giving Tecchou a stuffed animal for his birthday.”
“But it’s an ant stuffed animal. I think he’d really like it.”
“I said I’m not giving him a stuffed animal,” he repeats.
Tachihara lets out a defeated sigh, placing the plushie back onto the shelves.
“Did we seriously have to go to a toy store out of all places?” Jouno could feel his energy diminishing by the second.
“And what’s wrong with that, huh? I got Teruko a gift from here before and she liked it.” Tachihara opens the door for them to leave, instantly being greeted by the cool air kissing their skin.
“Okay, but that’s Teruko we’re talking about. Of course she’d like it, she’s the embodiment of a kid.”
“If you don’t like the place, then what are you gonna get Tecchou?”
“Something,” he replies instantly. “I’ll find him something.”
“You know,” Tachihara pauses, “I didn’t think you’d actually put this much effort into getting Tecchou a birthday gift. For someone who wants him dead, you sure do care about him a lot.”
“I do want him dead,” Jouno corrects. “And I’m only doing this because he’s my partner.”
“So if you don’t care, then let’s go buy the ant—“
“We’re not buying the ant plushie!”
It’s only been 30 minutes into their trip, and Jouno can feel himself falling into the pits of despair. Really, how is he going to find Tecchou a gift in time?
“I heard there’s a store that opened nearby that specializes in keychains,” Tachihara says. “You wanna check it out?”
“Well, it’s not like we have any other choice.”
—
The sound of bells chime as they enter through the door. Jouno notes the sweet scent of saccharine vanilla filling his senses.
“Hello!” a worker greets them, their cheerful disposition a notable contrast in comparison to Jouno’s gloomy frown. “What brings you here today?”
“We’re looking for a birthday gift to give to our co-worker,” Tachihara replies with a smile. “It’s his birthday today.”
“Well, we have many keychains that work perfectly as a birthday gift,” the worker remarks. “What does your co-worker like?”
“Let me think…” Tachihara scratches his head, giving an awkward smile. “I guess ants?”
“Ah, well, in that case, we have plenty of ant keychains in the—“
“Please excuse what he’s saying,” Jouno interrupts, voice coated in excessive sugar and sweetness. “He hasn’t been in the best mindset recently because he got dumped by his—“
“That’s not true in the slightest!” Tachihara shouts, quickly turning to the worker with an apologetic look. “Ignore what he’s saying. He woke up on the wrong side of the bed today.”
“Um…” The worker slowly backs away from them, offering a small smile to somehow ease the conversation. “I’ll give you two some time. Let me know if you need any more help.”
Before either of them can respond, the worker hurries away, leaving the two of them alone.
Tachihara turns to Jouno, speaking in an accusatory tone. “Why are you like this?”
“Why are you like this?”
He sighs, not bothering to fuel any further disputes between them. “Let’s just go and look around the store.” He motions them to a random section.
Jouno nods before following the other’s footsteps closely behind. With a clear disadvantage in interpreting the choices of keychains, he’ll have to solely trust Tachihara’s judgment. Someone who he doesn’t exactly trust.
A jingle emits from one of the keychains before Jouno feels an object in his hands.
“Thoughts on this?” Tachihara says, Jouno taking that as a cue to inspect the item.
He feels the cold metal seep through his gloves. A shape of a pointed end on one side while the other is blunt. “A sword?” he questions.
“I mean, yeah, isn’t that something Tecchou finds valuable?”
“True,” Jouno thinks, “though I feel like this doesn’t particularly stand out much since all of us carry swords.”
Tachihara gives him a certain look that he can’t quite decipher, giving a shrug before putting the keychain back onto the shelf. The more they discern each of the keychains, the more the conversation between them dies down as they continue searching for a gift.
Jouno’s fingers dwell on certain shapes, a heart being one that his fingers quiver over.
Tecchou had mentioned to him how there were heart shaped petals under his eyes. A noticeable feature that he wasn’t aware of.
The pad of his thumb caresses the outline of the heart, retracing it to imagine what it would be like to touch inked skin.
It’s strange how often Tecchou seems to linger on his mind even when he’s absent. How his body is still able to grasp memories of short lived moments with the other.
Does Tecchou think about him often too?
A weary thought taunts him before he puts the trinket back.
He can’t help himself from running his hand through the assortment of keychains, noting the features that came along with them. They vary from small items that are coated with delicate layers of paint to objects with several indentations in them that most likely held people’s names.
As he continues mindlessly searching the shelf, he comes across a keychain that wasn’t as forgettable and boring as the other keychains were. It had five sides, an indent curving inwards with smooth humps discerning each side from each other. There was also a long, narrow back piece that only broke off into more sections as Jouno inspected the object, being smooth in some places whilst sharp in other areas as if it were a branch.
A plum blossom?
“Are you gonna get that for Tecchou?” Tachihara suddenly says, snapping Jouno from his trance.
“Should I?”
The latter takes a minute to feel the keychain itself, a hum to denote his thinking. “I think he’d like it.”
“You always say that yet you never offer actual advice.”
“I’m being serious this time. I think he’d really like it.”
Jouno licks his lips. “Like genuinely like it, or out of pity like it?”
“Genuinely,” Tachihara responds, voice oddly soft. “I mean, if someone went out of their way to get me a keychain of something that I loved, I’d fall in love with them in a heartbeat.”
Jouno follows the other’s footsteps to the register. “How about you take that as an answer for your own relationship, Tachihara.”
His response earns a groan from him.
The keychain rattles when it's placed on the countertop, a cue for Jouno to get his wallet out and make out the bills by indented tactiles.
“Is that all for today?” the worker asks, scanning the keychain’s barcode.
Jouno nods.
“We’re actually having a buy one get one free promotion,” the worker informs. “You can choose out another keychain in the back.”
“Really? Thanks for enlightening me. I’ll be right back then.”
When Jouno makes it to the back of the store, he begins searching through the keychains, not wanting to waste the worker’s time.
He comes across a keychain that dangles in his hands, having small blobs that are rounded and smooth which he assumed were supposed to resemble a teardrop. Each teardrop had a light chain that allowed it to sway with movement, rocking back and forth with every miniscule motion. Oddly enough, it reminds him of his Ability, Priceless Tears, though it’s probably a sheer coincidence.
Hold on. What if he got matching keychains with Tecchou?
The thought of that warms his heart. He’s sure that Tecchou would like the idea of matching trinkets when they go out on missions, or even when Jouno’s presence is absent. Or maybe he’s reading far too much into this, because he knows how braindead Tecchou is and how utterly stupid he is.
Would he even notice such a tiny detail?
He sighs, arriving back at the counter while holding the keychain he chose in his hands, paying for the item.
The cashier places the receipt and keychain into a bag before giving the bag to them, passing a smile as they leave. “Thank you for visiting!”
Jouno is the first one to get out the door with the other trailing behind. He feels the cool wind swaying his hair in the gust of the breeze, bag swinging back and forth in his hand. From the sudden brought up weather change, he best knows they’ve been shopping for some time. Long enough to know that the day is almost over — and he still hasn’t run into Tecchou. Thankfully.
“Did you purposely choose that keychain to match with his Ability?” Tachihara questions.
A tint of flush dusted his cheek, purposefully turning his head in hopes of Tachihara not noticing it. “I did.”
“I guess that’s one way to confess to Tecchou,” Tachihara blurts out.
“Shut up.”
—
Maybe Jouno wasn’t so doomed after all.
Even though it took him half the day to choose a gift for Tecchou and by the time he finished, the sun was already setting, it didn’t matter to him. More importantly, he had found a gift for Tecchou, something that actually holds sentimental value to him.
Or at least, he hopes it does.
If Tecchou doesn’t like the gift, what would he do? Would he apologize and return the keychain? What if he was wrong, and Tecchou never liked plum blossoms in the first place?
He’s overthinking this. It might be hard for him to understand Tecchou’s overly dumb nature, but even he knows that Tecchou isn’t a jerk and that he’d probably thank Jouno for the gift, and that would be it.
He’d be lying though if he said he didn’t wish that something would come out of the situation, something new and hopeful. It could be the beginning of a blooming relationship, set alight by both of their hearts and their lo—
Fuck. What the hell is he thinking?
As Jouno walks back towards his office, holding the keychain in his hands after deeming the bag unnecessary, he notices how badly the hallways smelt. It was as if Tecchou had just been there, probably just finished doing his dumb exercises that always made the place smell horrid and—
Is Tecchou here right now?
When Jouno turns the corner, the smell of sweat grows more pungent. Getting the better of his curiosity, he follows the stench, pinching his nose until the smell is so unbearable that he physically cannot breathe.
“Jouno?”
Jouno freezes in the middle of his tracks. He turns his head in the direction of the noise, his heart stopping when he realizes whose heartbeat that was: Tecchou’s.
“What are you doing here?”
“I…” He shoves the keychain into the pockets of his pants, hoping that Tecchou didn’t see it earlier. “I just returned from my mission.”
“Really? I thought they only assigned you one mission today. Did it take you that long?”
“Yeah.” He presses his lips together. “It was a pain in the ass to solve.”
“I’m glad you’re back now though,” Tecchou responds. “I wanted to see you, you know.”
“You did?”
“Yeah. For my birthday, remember?”
He sucks in a breath. “Of course I remembered, why wouldn’t I?” A deliberate gulp is heard when he grabs the keychain from his pocket, showing it to Tecchou. “Here.”
The second he places the item into his partner’s palm, that small fraction of their hands touching felt as if fireworks bloomed underneath his skin.
Silence envelopes the atmosphere. An insufferable amount of nervousness washes over Jouno as Tecchou inspects the gift.
“Do you not like it…?”
Tecchou shakes his head. “I never had someone give me something like…” He pauses, and Jouno just knows that he’s thinking about how this has to be the worst gift he’s ever received. “Like this before…”
Those mere words forcefully made him suck down the lump in his throat. How could he be so stupid? Of course Tecchou wouldn’t have liked it. If he did like it, he wouldn’t have hesitated. He wouldn’t have had to lie in front of Jouno about how he liked the gift, how he never had someone who was this dumb to gift him something so unbelievably stupid.
“I knew I shouldn’t have gotten you something,” he says before Tecchou can lie to his face any further.
“Wait, that isn’t what I was saying—“
“It’s whatever, Tecchou,” he cuts him off mid-sentence. He ignores those unbearable, fabricated lies leaving Tecchou’s mouth, turning his back towards him and beginning to walk away.
He knew he shouldn’t have done this. He knew that this was all just one big mistake and that Tecchou wouldn’t like it. His chest decompresses on him, guilt gnawing his stomach. What was he thinking? What is he going to do now? Will he just ignore him all day? But what would he do when he inevitably runs into Tecchou? He can’t just ignore him every second of the—
A hand stops him in his tracks. They’re warm, and even with his gloves on, he can feel the calloused indents of Tecchou’s hand.
“What’s gotten into you?” Tecchou says, a pressured squeeze to his palm that makes him fully turn to him. “Did I do something wrong? Did I piss you off without knowing I did?”
“No, you didn’t do anything—” A frustrated sigh escapes his lips. “I’m just stupid, okay? That’s it. There’s nothing else I have to say to you.”
Tecchou lets go of his hand the instant he says that, keychain dangling onto his other. Jouno's hands feel exceedingly empty, fingers twitching for his partner to intertwine them again.
It was that small gesture that Jouno already missed.
“What do you mean?” His voice is desperate to the point that Jouno’s heart aches, nearly reaching out to Tecchou before he abruptly stops himself. “Why are you saying this?”
“Because it’s the truth.” Jouno’s words tinged with animosity. “That I’m stupid for even getting you a gift when I knew you wouldn’t have ever liked it.”
Jouno picks up the rhythm of Tecchou’s heartbeat going strangely calm, recognizing that his partner is thinking. But about what exactly? Is he trying to make up another excuse for his poor choice of a gift? He fights back any acrimony swelling on his tongue as time slowly passes for Tecchou’s response.
“Maybe you’re right,” Tecchou says, breaking the suffocating silence. “Maybe you are stupid for even thinking that I hated the gift.”
His partner’s eyes take another glimpse of the keychain, his heart stuttering once again. Jouno isn’t exactly sure how he should react; Tecchou’s stoic nature is hard to interpret.
“You…” He takes a sharp inhale. “You don’t? I thought you—”
“Whatever you’re thinking right now, it’s wrong,” Tecchou interrupts. “Because I don’t hate the gift, in fact, as cliché as it sounds, I love it.”
If Jouno could use one word to describe what he was feeling right now, as much as he hates how corny it sounds, it would be happiness. But even then, no words could ever begin to describe how relieved he felt at that moment.
“You don’t have to lie, you know,” Jouno says, voice hitching. “I’m capable of handling the truth.”
“If you really are capable of handling the truth, you’d know I’m not lying then from my heartbeat,” Tecchou says. “Have you ever considered that you might be wrong for once?”
“Well, no, I haven’t because I’m never wrong.”
“We both know you’re lying right now.”
Jouno exhales a breath he was holding. “Congratulations, you caught me in the act. Now what? Are you going to arrest me now for such a despicable crime?”
“No, but I think you should owe up to your actions.”
The sly innuendo almost causes his voice to crack. “And how exactly should I go about doing that?” he whispers.
Jouno tries his best to calm his racing heart as he hears footsteps slowly approaching, though it’s fruitless in the presence of Tecchou. It’s insufferable how his heart threatens to jump out of his chest, and it’s sickening, utterly revolting how he wishes that Tecchou would close the distance faster.
It’s all the more unbearable when Tecchou finally approaches Jouno, his breath hitching when he realizes that Tecchou is so close to him that he can feel his breath.
“You’re bolder than I initially thought, Tecchou.” He breathes out. “In the middle of work, of all places?”
“Like you’d care,” Tecchou murmurs, and Jouno curses how his mind betrays him when Tecchou comes ever closer to him.
The soft thrum of Tecchou’s heart quickens, a pleasant sound Jouno doesn’t hear often. If he hasn't felt the warmth of his hands enough, the intensity of it is truly felt when palms come to cup his sides in gentle force.
His breathing rags, tight proximity sucking all the air out of him. He feels how the brunette’s eyes trace his facial features. From his flutter-shut lids to the soft contours of his face. Then his lips.
“Can I?” A hot breath fans onto his cupid’s bow.
Time seems to freeze, the world coming to a halt. A long pause that felt forever — but a quietness that welcomed him.
Jouno doesn’t bother to properly answer before his lips press onto the other without a second thought. His silent response makes Tecchou grasp onto him harder, hard enough that he can imagine the burning marks of handprints under his uniform when he shifts them to his hips.
His lips ached in the feeling of being kissed, a tingling sensation that only endeavored him for more. His knees began to buckle against the wall, realizing that Tecchou had caged him.
The air in between them was suffocating, gasps of breath begging for oxygen as lips pulled him further in. Tecchou kissed him roughly, yet so tentatively that he swore his body melted when a finger tapped his chin so he could push deeper.
Heavy pants escape from him as he tries to catch his breath. “Tecchou—“
“Thank you,” he cuts him off, holding onto Jouno before he has the opportunity to say something. “Thank you for the gift. Truly.” His words almost sounded like a plea, a desperate attempt to completely stop him from saying anything else. It was that last sentence that made Jouno suck up a breath.
Before he can say anything back, a pair of lips kisses him again. This time it was sweet, soft, gentle where a thumb caressed his hips up and down in silent appreciation.
His heart threatened to burst out of its rib cage, knowing that Tecchou liked his gift. Not liked — loved . With the little space between them, he could pick up the harsh rhythm of their heartbeats together, dissonant yet melodic to his ears, the missing puzzle piece to his jigsaw of a heart.
Jouno's thoughts render out when he feels the latter’s lips pull back.
Though he will never know what Tecchou’s facial expression is, all he does know for sure is that a smile tugged on his lips.
“By the way,” Jouno says, catching his breath for a moment, “I also got matching keychains with you.” He fishes out the other item, holding it up to Tecchou’s hands to compare the two.
He immediately felt rough hands caressing the smooth materials of his trinket. “You did? Why?”
“Because I thought you’d appreciate something that could act as a reminder of me.” Jouno can feel blush starting to bloom on his cheeks again. “Was I wrong?”
Tecchou shakes his head. “Yes, you’d be even more wrong for thinking I would ever forget about you.”
Jouno frowns. “I hope you’re well aware of how horrible you are at flirting.”
“Only with you.”
—
Teruko restrains herself to not gag watching the two.
“Stop it.” Tachihara pushes her aside to get a better view of them behind the corridor. “I think we’re witnessing true romance here,” he whispers.
“Yeah, maybe not in the hallway, though?” She points out, “Also, pay up for the saké that you’re going to be paying tonight.”
A sigh of defeat emits from the other. “Yeah, yeah I know…"