Chapter Text
“Happy birthday, Fuuta!” You beamed, gesturing a box towards Fuuta’s direction- The red haired boy blinked, staring at the item in your hands.
This.. This Was different. Fuuta was never one to receive gifts during his birthday- Hell, he never celebrated his birthday at all. But, seeing the small gift in your hands.. It warmed his heart.
“Oh- Well, you didn’t need to get me a gift.” Fuuta grunted lowly, yet, he reached forward anyways, quietly taking the gift- It was so… Uncanny. He couldn’t help but feel his cheeks heat up at the thought of his gift; The thought about you going out of your way to get something for him.. it was.. Sweet.
“Go on; Open it!” You beamed, scooting towards Fuuta on the bench- Months ago, you would’ve poked fun at his silence and red face, but, now, it was a regular occurrence to see him so flustered.
All you did was smile at him, leaning closer to his warmth. Fuuta rolled his eyes at your not-so subtle movements, grabbing one end of the red ribbon that was wrapped around the small box.
It was a tiny keychain that resembled somewhat like a salamander- Nothing too expensive, since you were both broke college students, yet, the sentiment was still there.
You were all smiles, proud to have given something to Fuuta. The red haired boy looked in awe, staring at the small plastic reptile in his grasp.
“..Is it, um- Is it okay? Do you like it?” You began slowly, tilting his head to try and gauge his reaction- He was mostly expressionless, which made you sort of nervous, although, you knew that he was probably just trying to take all of this in.
You cleared your throat to cover up the silence, trying to get a response out of Fuuta. “You- You spoke a lot about lizards and reptiles and stuff, and I- I just thought it would be a good gift to get you- I know it’s not much, but..-”
You don’t understand why you’re trying to defend yourself- You just got nervous.. You’re not usually like this, but- Fuuta made you nervous, so, it wasn’t uncommon to slip up and fumble over your words when referring to your red haired lover.
Fuuta snapped out of his thoughts, glancing over to you with an uncharacteristically soft expression- His eyes flitted to meet yours for a split second, before snapping downwards to the keychain once more. He couldn’t help himself- his lips tugged upward as a goofy smile spread across his face.
Sure, it was probably something Fuuta could’ve gotten for himself- Something that Fuuta would find online in mere moments, yet.. When you handed it to him, it became priceless.
“No- No, wait, I like it.” He muttered, unable to tear his eyes away from the keychain- It was so… Cute. It was such a you gift, and that made it all better. Fuuta was never good at his words, so hearing him reassure your worries made you laugh lightly.
He never smiled a lot, so, being able to see his happy expression despite him looking away from you made you so proud. It made your cheeks burn- It was hard to ever take Fuuta seriously with his baby face- It was even more difficult with how he smiled at the gift- Butterflies erupted in your stomach.
You’re practically thanking the Gods and the entire sky for this moment; To see Fuuta’s lips tug in a genuine, lighthearted smile- He was so, so pretty. Thank God he didn’t wear his mask anymore- Your incessant whining and begging finally paid off. You clipped the keychain around Fuuta’s phone, proudly showing off the lightweight salamander towards Fuuta.
“....ank you.” Fuuta gritted his teeth, unable to hide his smile as he muttered underneath his breath. But it was clear it wasn’t working, not in the slightest- you tilted your head- His happiness was just so.. Contagious. You playfully elbow his side with a grin, ignoring the squawk of retaliation from Fuuta.
“Hmm? What was that? Did I hear something?” You asked, giggling as Fuuta huffed; You knew teasing Fuuta wasn’t in your best interest, and yet, you couldn’t help yourself.
Fuuta rolled his eyes at your poking and prodding- He could never stay mad at you, though. Fuuta grunted, unable to say those same words, all his confidence sizzling out.
“I- I said-” Fuuta scoffed, glancing down with a huff- he didn’t know how to articulate his thoughts. On the inside, he was practically brimming with joy and excitement- He felt childish being so energetic over a gift that you gave him.
If this were given to him a year prior, Fuuta wouldn’t have even touched the gift at all; Hell, he wouldn’t even be near you at all.
And yet, here he is.
“I- I– The gift is cool, I guess.” Fuuta mumbled, his hands running over the silvery keychain, feeling all the bumps and groove of the silver keychain- his words were slightly mumbled, and yet, you couldn’t help but feel proud of yourself.
“Oh, and better yet?” You can’t hide your giggles as you dig your hand into your pocket, fishing around to locate the other small surprise.
Fuuta tilted his head in curiosity, watching as you pulled out a duplicate of Fuuta’s own keychain– how cute. Fuuta blinked, staring at the two reptilian keychains in awe.
“I got us matching ones! It was a buy one, get one for half off deal, so I thought it was most appropriate.” You boasted, clearly proud about your intelligence to save money– You got to buy something cheaper and match with your boyfriend? What a win-win situation!
Fuuta was so.. Silent. He was silent as he watched you clip the keychain onto your phone as well– you presented him the two keychains, the silver salamanders hanging side by side.
Fuuta was soaking up all of this attention and energy that you were putting into him– What did he do to deserve you? You were so… Persistent; maybe if you had a little less willpower, both of you wouldn’t be where you were today. Fuuta tilted his head up to stare at you- You did so, so much for him.
“How can I repay you?” Fuuta muttered, his cheeks heating up as he held eye contact with you- An incredibly difficult fear, he’d come to realize. Your face contorted in confusion for a split second, before an amused expression painted over your face.
“Fuuta– It’s your birthday.” You stressed out, setting down the keychain that was in your hands– Fuuta was so clueless- He was staring at you as if he were a puppy wanting affection from his owner. The red haired boy grunted out, rolling his eyes.
“Well, maybe–” Fuuta inhaled, steeling his nerves as he spoke out. “Maybe I don’t like being in debt to someone.”
“You could always pay me back with a kiss.” You offered, and Fuuta immediately pushed your face away with the palm of his hand, his face flushing red as you giggled at his reaction.
Fuuta was always so open with his feelings, despite his best attempts not to be. You teasingly nudged Fuuta’s side, eliciting a groan from Fuuta.
“Nevermind– I’d rather be in debt.” He spoke as he crossed his arms. You sigh dramatically- This guy could never be honest with you, could he? Well, that was something that intrigued you, anyways.
You were practically pouting at Fuuta’s harsh rejection– Fuuta’s stance stiffened, and that’s when you knew you already won.
“...”
“Tch- Don’t give me that fucking look.” He barked out, yet, there was no bite to his words; You have him hooked, wrapped around your finger– He’s practically head over heels for you.
And yet, Fuuta was just too stubborn to ever say it- To tell you how he truly felt; It was just so, so difficult. Fuuta furrowed his brows, turning his body to face you. “Stop pouting like that- You– God.”
“Come oonnnn.. Not even just a little kiss?” You insisted, your pout slowly fading away as you watched Fuuta fight his thoughts- His brows almost permanently furrowed as he tried to resist your words– Fuck, he definitely lost. “You’re turning red, Fuuta– C’mon, the birthday boy needs his birthday kiss!”
“Shut up– You’re so corny!” Fuuta’s face contorted at your words- You really had no shame, did you? Fuuta rolled his eyes– He can’t really say no to you forever.. Fuuta thought about how he managed to end up in such an interesting relationship. “F- Fine!— Just, ugh, okay!”
You silently cheered as Fuuta succumbed to your very expressive pouting– You watched as he nervously glanced around the area to see if any prying eyes were staring at you both. The red headed boy took in a big gulp of air, steadying his breathing as he pressed a clammy hand against your cheek, bringing you in.
The kiss was quick and soft; it was so, so gentle, like he was scared to harm you in any way– His hand caressed your face as if you were glass, holding onto you like the most valuable thing in the world.
“Th- There! Is– is that enough for you?”
“Mmn.. Not really.” You sigh blissfully, taking in Fuuta’s flushed cheeks. The kiss ended shortly after it began, and yet, it felt so right. it felt so.. Fuuta-like.
The tips of Fuuta’s ear were bright red, but you made no attempt to comment on his reddening face; It’s much more familiar nowadays. Fuuta exhaled sharply, stumbling over his words.
“Do- Don’t stare at me like that.” Fuuta murmured- He’ll never be able to get used to your lovey dovey stares– You beam down at Fuuta, scooting over towards the red haired boy, your knees bumping as you sit side by side. Fuuta spluttered, trying to run away from the affection. “Wh- Hey! Don’t come any closer–!”
You couldn’t help but lean forward to capture Fuuta’s lips once more, cupping his face as you pulled him back into a warm embrace. Despite his words of protest, Fuuta almost immediately melted right back in; It was always ten times better when you took the lead.
Fuuta was so, so soft– And you loved that about him.
You pulled away, gently cupping his cheeks as you watched the red haired boy squirm from the overwhelming amount of attention. Fuuta grunted in irritation, yet, his face told it all. “You- You can’t just surprise someone like that.”
“Ah, I’m sorry- I just had to.” You chuckle softly, reaching down to clasp your hand with Fuuta’s own, your fingers intertwining as you squeezed his palm. “One kiss isn’t enough, no?”
Fuuta playfully rolled his eyes, but he kept his hand wrapped around yours, not wanting to let go of you just yet. His hands were long and slender, although the pads of his fingers were calloused from countless hours of gaming and playing goalkeeper– Either way, Fuuta was beautiful, both inside and out.
“Happy birthday, Fuuta.” You spoke once more, using this opportunity to move closer to Fuuta, using bodies practically flushed together as your shoulders bump- You lean into Fuuta’s warmth that radiates throughout his body, your hands still clasped around his own.
“You’ve said that already.”
“Can’t I show more of my love?”
“Don’t even start.”
A laugh slips past your lips as you hold onto your boyfriend. He’s your boyfriend. Your lover, your partner, you- Your everything. Sure, it took a while, but it was worth it. Everything you’ve been through was worth it all, and, god, if you went back in time, you wouldn’t have changed a single thing.
The tips of Fuuta’s ears were bright red as he glanced down, staring at the two keychains that were side by side together- Never, in a million years, did he expect to end up with such an eccentric being– yet, here he was.
Fuuta’s heart pounded, his head foggy as he gazed up at you; You’ve done so much for him, it’s only right for him to repay you back tenfold. He opens his mouth, but you beat him to the chase.
“I love you, Fuuta.” You murmur.
Fuuta gasped quietly, and it felt like his throat was constricting around him— He doesn’t know how to respond, all of his words die on his tongue. But, he truly cares for you, he’s so lucky, and grateful, and he loves you back. it was just.. Hard to put into words.
Both of you stay silent.. But, Fuuta desperately wanted to reply— he wanted to express all of his feelings for you, to tell you how much you meant to him, and yet, he stayed quiet..
“Fuuta? What’s wrong? If you frown so much, you’ll get wrinkles!” You joke around, oblivious to the mental warfare Fuuta was going through– he had to do something– He had to tell you how he felt.
“Fuuta?”
He inhaled sharply, reaching over to pull you into another kiss- If he couldn’t tell you how much he loved you, he could certainly show you.
Fuuta didn’t usually enjoy his birthday- Well, Fuuta didn’t really see a purpose to celebrate it. But, now? …Maybe it would be different now that you’re by his side.
He holds you close, shielding you from the world— it’s just you and him, and he wouldn't have it any other way.
Sometimes, he wonders how he ended up with such a troublesome person like you.