Chapter Text
Satoru was a man on a mission.
Today was December 22nd, which meant there were 2 days until Christmas Eve, the most romantic day of the year, and somehow, in less than 48 hours, he had to come up with a surefire way to make Operation KFC happen.
Satoru, in what he considered a moment of genius, came up with Operation KFC: Kisses for Christmas after hours of brainstorming a way to ask Suguru out. He was very proud of this achievement, and found it physically painful that he could tell no one about it. In a moment of weakness, he’d nearly blurted out his entire plan to Shoko. He’d bit down on the inside of his cheek so hard it bled, then subsequently ran away mid sentence. Shoko hadn’t said a word about it, and for that he was grateful. She could be surprisingly tactful sometimes.
He knew how Suguru would react, he’d affectionately laugh, roll his eyes, then shove Satoru while calling him an idiot or a dumbass. He’d then put an arm around Satoru’s shoulder and pull him in close. Satoru sighed, as he envisioned Suguru’s kind eyes, wicked smile, and sharp tongue. He loved that stupid bastard and his stupid bangs so much, which is why pulling off Operation KFC was absolutely necessary. There was no room for error. It had to be perfect; Suguru deserved nothing less.
Four days ago, Satoru completed the first step of Operation KFC: buying a second phone, which was quite easy. The Gojo clan funds were abundant; none of the elders had noticed that he’d withdrawn any amount of yen. He had never been more grateful to be so rich and privileged than he had in that moment. It paid off to have a very wealthy and emotionally distant family sometimes.
Was it a bit insane to purchase a phone to keep as a secret from one’s best friend? Maybe, but Satoru believed it was justified.
It was temporary, and if everything worked out, it would be more than worth it. He needed this phone to look up questions he had and to write down his plans, all without Suguru finding out.
Suguru knew his phone password and while Suguru had never looked at it without Satoru’s permission, Satoru had never cared. If Suguru asked, he’d hand it to him without a second thought, which is why Satoru was sure that Suguru would become suspicious if Satoru suddenly stopped allowing him to without explanation.
Suguru always respected Satoru’s boundaries, but Satoru knew Suguru would feel hurt or like he had done something wrong. Satoru knew Suguru’s true heart, and despite Suguru’s attempts to portray an unaffected persona, he was a kind soul who felt very deeply. Which is why purchasing a second phone was the only possible choice to ensure Operation KFC was successful.
As soon as he set up his new phone, he immediately sought answers to the following:
Am I gay?
Is it gay to stare into your best friend’s eyes and dream of your future together?
Is it gay to admire your best friend’s ass?
The answer had been overwhelming: yes, he was very, very gay. His sexuality crisis abated, thankfully rather quickly, as his heart and soul had already known he was in love with Suguru, but confirmation from random strangers and wiki-pages on the internet was important; he needed external validation.
He then looked up following:
How do I ask out my possibly straight best friend?
How do I know if my crush likes me back?
Is it normal for my best friend to have a smile that's just for me?
How do I confess my undying love to my best friend?
Romantic first date ideas
Romantic Christmas dates
KFC Christmas tradition
How do I kiss someone?
How to be a good kisser
In a wave of anxiety and subsequent panic, he searched:
What if I’m a horrible kisser?
Does he like me back quiz
What do I do if the quiz results tell me he doesn’t like me back
What if the love of my life thinks I’m ugly?
What do I do if my best friend rejects me and never speaks to me again?
How can I immigrate to and gain citizenship in Laos, Singapore, the United States, Denmark, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Morocco, New Zealand, Kenya, Costa Rica?
He may have gone a bit overboard with his last search, but he was willing to flee almost anywhere if Suguru rejected him. He’d accidentally gone too far down a deep rabbit hole. But now, he had plenty of options for escape if things went south.
After calming down (i.e. throwing his phone across the room), he looked up the nearest KFCs, their ratings, and if they had any other fun activities around them. He settled on the KFC in Shinjuku, which he learned was in the gay district of Tokyo. He had not even known such a place existed, yet felt it was apt.
Today, he would commence with part two of the plan: casually invite Suguru to hang out with him on Christmas Eve.
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Having been raised in cultural isolation, there were many times in which Satoru genuinely did not understand references made or the significance of holidays that Suguru and Shoko talked about. It often made him feel lonely, but today, he was grateful for it, as it would allow his feigned ignorance to be believed. He was confident that Suguru would not doubt him.
So, Satoru went for it, “Uh hey Suguru, so are you free on Christmas Eve? I’ve never celebrated Christmas and I wanna have fun. Please hang out with me,” He whined, and pouted to add extra emphasis, hoping to garner Suguru’s sympathy.
Suguru noticeably stiffened, attempting and failing to hide his grimace. He looked decidedly uncomfortable, though at what Satoru was uncertain. Was Suguru uncomfortable with the implications of the day? With Satoru’s ignorance?
“You don’t already have plans?” Suguru’s words were stitled, as he looked anywhere but at Satoru.
Oh god, Satoru knew it. Suguru was straight and was trying to find a way to let him down gently.
“Um no… should I?” Satoru faltered, losing confidence. He wondered if there was something he had missed when researching the holiday and its customs. He awkwardly rubbed at the back of his head.
“I thought that…. Never mind,” Suguru shook his head, and smiled genuinely at Satoru, “Of course, I’ll hang out with you.”
“Really?!”
“Yes, really.”
“Ok! You don’t have to worry about anything. I’ve got plans for us!”
“What are they?” Suguru laughed, acting like himself once more.
“It’s top secret- so I can’t tell ya.”
“Seriously, Satoru?”
“Duh! If I tell you, it’ll spoil the fun, Suguru!” Internally he was freaking out. What if Suguru hated his plan? What if Suguru never spoke to him again? Maybe this was a bad idea.
“Is it… just going to be the two of us?” Suguru started intently at the floor, his voice unsteady. Satoru genuinely did not know what to make of Suguru right now. He was always confident, and yet, right now, he seemed almost… shy. Satoru did not know how to navigate this side of Suguru.
“Yes, is that okay?” This may be the most awkward conversation he’d ever experienced with Suguru.
Satoru’s immense felt relief, when Suguru warmly said, “That’s perfect, Satoru.”
Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad after all.
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Satoru hummed as he hung off the side of his bed. He was playing Digimon, leaning against Suguru, who was sat beside him. Shoko stood near the window; she’d cracked it open to smoke.
“So, anyone doing anything fun tomorrow?” Satoru immediately directed his attention toward Shoko, assessing her. Something about her tone of voice was off, like she knew something funny but had yet to share it. She was smirking at Suguru.
“Suguru and I are hanging out!” He said enthusiastically; he sat back up, DS forgotten, and perched at the edge of his bed. He grinned at her.
“Oh, are you?” Satoru thought she would turn toward him, but she continued to watch Suguru, which was weird.
“Satoru asked me,” Suguru’s voice was tight. He was clenching his teeth as he glared at Shoko. Satoru wondered if they’d had a fight earlier and decided not to tell Satoru about it. He hoped that wasn’t the case; he hated being left out.
As he took in Shoko’s relaxed posture, he was almost certain that the tension was one-sided, but could not place why. As far as Satoru could tell, there was nothing sinister or malicious about her question.
“How interesting,” Shoko remarked calmly, completely ignoring Suguru’s clear agitation.
“Why is that interesting? Suguru and I hang out all the time!” He titled his head at her, trying to figure out why the room had shifted. Despite his efforts, his six eyes told him nothing. This was not a problem that he could solve through technique alone. Satoru wasn’t very good at reading social cues. He silently cursed the Gojo clan, for the umpteenth time, for not allowing him to spend time with other kids when he was growing up.
“I know, but tomorrow is a very special day,” Shoko remained unphased as Suguru threw a stuffed digimon at her. She effortlessly dodged it.
“Hey! Don’t throw my stuffies, Suguru!” Satoru jumped up, and rushed to grab it off the floor. He gently wiped dust off of it, then turned to glare at Suguru.“This one is rare! I waited in line for over 5 hours for her!” It was a limited edition stuffed shiny Togekiss plush, and she was one of Satoru’s favorites, and Suguru knew that.
“Sorry, Satoru,” Suguru looked genuinely remorseful. Satoru wanted to chastise the other boy, but was caught off guard when just the right amount of light came through the window, causing the purple in Suguru’s eyes to glimmer; Satoru was mesmerized.
“Uh, it’s ok,” Satoru said lamely, his hand hanging loosely at his side, barely grasping the stuffed animal. He forced himself to readjust his grip on it. He didn’t want her to get dirty again.
Shoko laughed, as she put her cigarette out on the windowsill, “I can’t wait to hear how it goes.” She then left before either of them could respond.
“That was a bit weird,” Satoru commented, trying to diffuse the awkward tension suspended between them.
“Shoko’s weird,” Suguru said dismissively, then, with more enthusiasm asked,“What time do you want to meet tomorrow?”
“I wanna spend as much time together as we possibly can. We should train in the morning!”
“Train?” Suguru sounded disappointed.
Embarrassment instantly pulsed through Satoru, he immediately backtracked, “Uh, never mind! It was a stupid idea.”
“No, Satoru, it’s not. We can train.”
“I didn’t mean…not all day, just in the morning. I like feeling strong with you.”
Suguru smiled, “I like it too.”
“Ok cool cool. Then after training, you’ll get your surprise!” Satoru excitedly nudged Suguru’s shoulder. Warmth engulfed him as Suguru leaned into his touch.
“Alright, Satoru, whatever you say,” Suguru’s laughter filled the room.