Chapter Text
Someone's coming.
Yasuda usually wasn't one to be afraid of walking home alone. Despite her petite figure, she knew one thing or two about basic fighting moves, courtesy of her judo athlete slash little brother.
However, the news about creepy stalkers who targeted school girls these last days, got her extra alerted.
She had picked the trafficked road to avoid being left alone and helpless, and so far she had done a great job.
She was just one alley away from her home when she felt someone had been following her.
Yasuda was pretty sharp about this sort of thing.
She was just contemplating between rerouting or just straight up running away, when she felt a hand grab her shoulder.
Yasuda shrieked, and without thinking, she swung her lunch bag to the creepy stalker.
Only when the creepy stalker yelped in pain, Yasuda recognized the voice pretty well.
Blood drained from her face at the sight of someone falling on his butt at the impact of the lunch bag attack.
"Oh my God, Draken-kun!"
Even though Draken had waved her apologies and instead, went to apologize on his own for scaring her, Yasuda couldn't help of feeling guilty at the band-aid she put on Draken's forehead.
She had taken Draken home, insisting that she would take care of the wound, even if Draken had refused and told her, he didn't want to impose.
"This is on me, Yasuda-san, I shouldn't follow you like that," Draken gave her a reassuring smile.
"I'm very sorry, Draken-kun, if I had known, I wouldn't hit you."
Draken laughed. "It's cool, now I know why Peh is scared of you, you're one mighty girl, Yasuda-san."
After making sure Draken was truly fine, she went to serve a glass of iced tea and some strawberry mochi from today's club practice. She had made a lot for her brother's sake, but she could always make another batch for later. For now, she would make sure that she could be a good host for Draken.
"Why did you even follow me, Draken-kun?" Yasuda settled on her sitting pillow. "Are you fighting with Prez and want my help?"
Draken scratched the back of his neck, and for a moment, Yasuda felt like one of the characters from cheesy romance manga that Mari Shimura loved to read a lot, when she noticed that Draken was blushing.
"Eh, about that—" Draken coughed, attempting to act normal, but Yasuda had already seen the pink gracing on his cheeks. "It's about Mitsuya and, yes, I want to ask for your help. But no, I'm not fighting with him."
Having known him for years and priding herself as the one who was the most familiar with Takashi Mitsuya, her Club President, Yasuda could almost guess where this was going.
She couldn't help to tease.
"Ah, is that so?"
Draken didn't beat around the bush, especially because Yasuda clearly could read his mind.
"Yeah, it's for his upcoming birthday. Can I ask you a favor?"
Everyone had been staring.
And, honestly, Yasuda couldn't blame them.
To make the whole plan work, Yasuda couldn't just do it on her own. She needed a team, and she needed a team that she could fully trust.
"Er, did you say, you want to try embroidery?" Mari's tone might sound condescending, but her gesture suggested that she was more surprised, rather than in disbelief.
"Yes, Shimura-san," Draken slid a piece of paper on the table. "This is the pattern I want to try."
Mari picked up the paper, and the other went to take a peek over her shoulder. Yasuda could almost make out what conclusion they had drawn from the picture alone.
"It's Prez's very first design, the dragon," Yasuda didn't even bother to hide her pride in her voice.
She was lucky to be one of the few people who knew about this. When Draken proposed the idea to her, he had to fumble with his explanation about, "I know, what you're thinking, Yasuda-san, but this is not about me. It's Mitsuya's dragon, he drew this when we were kids and he traded it with Karubidon. I am Draken because of his dragon. I swear, this is the truth and I'm not just being a narcissistic asshole at all—" that got Yasuda laughing and prompted her to add very quickly, that she had known about the Twin Dragons from Mitsuya himself.
"He told you?" Draken looked more surprised than Yasuda had initially anticipated.
"Eh, more like by accident," Yasuda grinned. "I think, it was not long after you two went official."
Even if it was to his Prez's boyfriend, Yasuda wouldn't wanna spoil the secret. Draken did seem like he wanted to know more, but he didn't pester Yasuda further, fully knowing that her loyalty laid on her Club's President.
"We all know how much Prez appreciates hand-made gifts, and Draken-kun had proposed the idea of making something for Prez's birthday," Yasuda spoke.
"But embroidery is pretty hard!" One of the girls, Ayase commented. "Are you sure you can handle it, Draken-kun?"
Even if he appeared rather bashful, there was no mistaking the genuine determination in his voice when he answered, "Well, I'm willing to try."
So it began, a secret session led by Yasuda and several members of the Home Ecs Club Members to assist Draken in making a birthday gift for Mitsuya.
The Home Ecs Club had a bi-weekly schedule, on Tuesday and Thursday. Draken still had to attend regular Toman Meetings every Friday, so they squeezed the whole Helping Draken-kun Session in every day that fitted.
Each member volunteered their time to teach Draken whenever they had the free time.
But, Draken practiced most at Yasuda's house. Occasionally, Mari and Ayase joined her, and they even had started their own project in solidarity with him.
The hardest thing was to keep the secret from Mitsuya.
The Home Ecs Club Members had made an oath to keep silent about the whole thing, but Yasuda knew, that Mitsuya was always so perceptive. He knew he wanted to ask more when he noticed the scarf that Mari had been moaning about starting weeks ago, suddenly halfway done. He also praised Ayase for doing so much better in doing various stitches when she did her embroidery handkerchief.
However, it was also Mitsuya's nature to not pester other people further when they appeared they didn't want to talk.
Though Yasuda certainly could tell, he had been building up his theory and the curiosity really got him on the edge.
"What is it with everyone suddenly trying to do animal patterns?" Mitsuya asked casually, as he peered over Yasuda's shoulder.
She had been trying her hand to stitch some pattern to guide Draken and his dragon. She tried with a rabbit, then a monkey, and then a dog. Apparently, the others had thought that doing the animal pattern would help them in helping Draken learn.
And it did in some way! So, a win-win!
"Eh, it's trendy, you know, Prez," Yasuda blurted out without thinking. "Look, it's a cute puppy."
Mitsuya smiled, patting her back. "It is a cute puppy, Yasuda-san. Keep up the good work."
Yasuda saluted him, and she was about to return her focus on her work when she suddenly heard Mitsuya chuckle as Mari showed him her work.
"Come again, Shimura-san?"
Mari lifted her chin proudly. "It's a bull, Mitsuya-kun!"
Yasuda had to admit that when Draken had set his eyes on something, he would do his hardest to make it happen.
He and Mitsuya were similar in that way.
Even if it could be very frustrating, Draken had never once given up. He grumbled and sometimes got fed up with his own work, but he had never complained. Not even once.
He never said anything remotely close to regretting his decision to make a handmade gift for Mitsuya.
And it was pretty admiring, considering that Draken could do a million other things, and yet, he picked the task he had never done before.
The result had never betrayed the hard work.
Yasuda felt like a proud mama hen when she noticed that Draken was actually getting better at doing embroidery. He made fewer mistakes, and he was more patient in following the pattern.
Looking at his progress, Yasuda was almost, very nearly, so close to telling Mitsuya, what a great boyfriend he had.
Well, the clock was ticking, and it was just a matter of time before Mitsuya found out about that on his own.