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Hiiro and Aira have been dating for a few weeks. Neither of them are good at… being in a relationship, really. They haven't kissed, they're too scared to initiate something. Whenever Hiiro accidentally (or not) flirts with Aira, he always talks back, because of how flustered he gets. Hiiro finds it “cute”, as he calls it, but Aira doesn't enjoy it very much, from what he knows.
Nobody except for them knows about this yet though. Hiiro didn't tell anyone, and he's scared of his older brother somehow finding out. He probably wouldn't get mad, but he would keep teasing both him and Aira, and he wanted to keep Aira out of it.
But, somehow, they got to this point.
…
“Hiro-kun? What's up?” Aira was sitting next to Hiiro on his bed. Hiiro invited him over, since both Shiina and Hinata were out. They were just scrolling through their phones, sitting next to each other. It was a simple but nice way of spending time together.
“Hm?” Hiiro didn't seem to know what Aira meant.
“Oh, you just looked very focused on something.” Aira added, still curious.
“Umu, I was… looking for something for couples to do!”
Aira's face instantly got red, looking like he was about to slap Hiiro in the face, yet he didn't. He put his phone down and looked at Hiiro.
“E- Eh?! Huh?! Hiro-kun?! Why are you looking for that?!” Aira answered in panic. “Is it because it's Valentine's day soon?” He quietly added.
“... Because… we're a couple. No? I think that's what it's called?” Hiiro looked confused because of Aira's reaction. He didn't seem to answer Aira's second question.
“I- I mean, yes, but-!” Aira covered Hiiro's mouth with his hand. “It's embarrassing!”
“What is? Us dating?” Hiiro kept on asking, as he took Aira’s hand off of his mouth.
“No! Searching that upp!” Aira covered Hiiro's mouth again, this time pressing harder.
“...?” Hiiro hummed out through Aira's hand.
“Ugh, basically… Why were you looking for it? We can come up with something, no?” Aira spoke up, still pretty embarrassed. He took his hand from Hiiro's mouth, letting him speak.
“Because… I feel like I need to know more? We haven't done much yet.” Hiiro spoke up. “Do you have any ideas on what we should do?”
Aira got flustered again.
“M- Maybe… Like… A date? Or something?”
“... Date? … Umu, okay!” Hiiro agreed, even though he didn't know what the hell that meant.
“R- Really?! Okay, I'll try to come up with something… We have a day off on Saturday, yeah? How about we do it then?”
“Umu! Okay!”
…
So now, Hiiro was sitting on his bed, on a Friday evening, staring at a wall. He didn't know what a date meant. Was he supposed to ask his roommates? Would they know anything?
But at the same time, he didn't want everyone to know he has a boyfriend. He didn't know if Aira told anyone, but if he didn't, he wanted them to say it together. When they will be ready for it.
“Hiiro-kun? You good?” Niki spoke up, noticing Hiiro spacing out.
“Ah! Yeah, I'm okay. Um… Can I ask something? It might be weird.” Hiiro started.
“Yeah, what's up!” Hinata joined the conversation.
“What is… a date?”
The room, for a reason unknown to Hiiro, went quiet. He wasn't sure what to say. He couldn't tell if it was an awkward atmosphere, or if his friends were enjoying this.
“A date, huh? Did Hiiro-kun find himself a girlfriend~?” Hinata teased, approaching Hiiro closer. “Where did that come from, hmm?” He plopped down on Hiiro's bed, next to the boy.
“Hm? No, I just… Heard the word somewhere before, and wanted to ask.”
“Waitt, are you going on a date tomorrow? It's Valentine's day, no?” Niki added, remembering about the occasion.
“Valentine's day…?” Hiiro seemed confused. All of the vocabulary was new to him.
“Wait wait, you're going on a date, on Valentine's day, and you don't know what either of those things mean?” Hinata seemed like he was holding back laughter.
“Umu…” Hiiro answered shyly.
“Listen, Hiiro-kun. A date is… basically two lovers hanging out together, alright? It's like two friends going out somewhere, except. Well… it's not friends, but two people in love.” Hinata pointed at Hiiro as he was speaking. “And Valentine's day is, like, Valentine's day, you know? Have you not seen any Valentine's decorations or stuff yet?”
“... Not really?” Hiiro seemed to note down in his head whatever Hinata was saying.
“Okay… So it's like, also a day for lovers! You invite your partner somewhere, but it seems like we've got that checked off…? And you give them a gift! Or take them somewhere nice, or both!” Hinata explained.
“Oh, I see!” Hiiro nodded. “Thank you!”
“Wait… Do you have any gift for your lover or whoever though?” Niki pointed out.
Hiiro just realized.
“A- Ah… No… And Aira probably knows what Valentine's day is, right…”
Oh, crap.
Hinata and Niki went silent, their eyes wide.
“I mean-” Hiiro was interrupted by Hinata scooting closer to him.
“Hehe, Aira-kun?” Hinata nudged Hiiro. “You should've said sooner!”
“Yeah, yeah! I won't tell Rinne-kun, don't worry! Congrats to you two, though!” Niki added, smiling from further away.
“T- Thank you… I wasn't supposed to say it, I think… Don't tell Aira, alright?” Hiiro got nervous.
“Yeah! Of course! We've got our mouths zipped!” Hinata added. “Wait, we still have to figure out that present, though! Also yes, Aira-kun definitely knows what Valentine's day is.”
“What about homemade chocos? It might be a bit late, but we can pull it off, probably. It's not like the kitchen is closed.” Niki pointed out. “I can help you out, Otouto-san!”
“Yeah! Alright! I'll help too!” Hinata joined in.
“Oh! Okay!”
“Heeelloo, is anyone here?” Niki spoke out loud, while lighting up the kitchen. He heard someone squeak.
“H- Hiiiiieh! W- Why are y- you guys here?” Mayoi was standing on the other side of the room, holding a box of grapes, and a glass of milk.
“Mayoi-senpai? Why are you here, though?” Hiiro asked.
“I- I was having a snack…”
“In the dark?” Hinata asked, confused.
“Y- Yes… Anyways… Y- You still haven't answered me…” Mayoi reminded.
“Oh! Otouto-san is going on a date tomorrow, and since it's Valentine's day, we need to help him make handmade chocolates!” Niki smiled. “Wanna help out, Mayo-chan?”
“E- Eh? A… date? W- With who? I- If I can ask! Also homemade chocolates are a lovely present…” Mayoi seemed surprised.
“Wouldn't you usually be the first one to know though?” Niki asked, knowing about Mayoi’s little habits of eavesdropping on people.
“H- Hiiih! I- I just… asked out of politeness…” Mayoi got embarrassed. “I- I'm sorry! I- I know it's with Aira-san! A- And I support you two!”
“Ngaaah… What's with the noise?” Mika yawned, going inside the kitchen, looking at everyone.
“Kagehira-senpai! Good evening!” Hinata greeted Mika. “Why are you here at this time? You seem tired…?”
“I wanned a candy…” Mika looked around, confused. “Why r so many people here?”
“We're helping Hiiro-kun make chocolates for Aira-kun! His date tomorrow!” Hinata spilled out, making Hiiro react.
“Hinata-kun!” Hiiro interrupted. “You weren't supposed to say it…”
“A- Ah, sorry! Slipped out!” Hinata scratched his head, embarrassed.
“N’ahh..? Shiratori-kun? Can I join y’guys? I wanna look… An’ I want somethin’ sweet, too…” Mika answered, excited.
“Of course!” Hiiro replied. “So? What do we do, Shiina-san?”
“So… Take this chocolate, over there. We'll melt it. And then… What filling do you wanna do, Otouto-san?”
“Strawberries…? I'm not sure what he likes except for chocolate.” Hiiro replied.
“H- He does seem like he'd like strawberries… He's as cute as one…” Mayoi replied, smiling to himself. He sat down by the nearby table, next to Mika.
“Ngah?” Mika got confused. “Strawberries will b’nice! I’m plannin’ on givin’ Oshi-san homemade croissants…” He smiled to himself.
“O- Oh right, he's back in Japan, right…?”
“Yeah! Hehe…” Mika got shy.
“I- I want to give T- Tatsumi-san something, too… B- But I didn't prepare anything…” Mayoi got nervous as he realized.
“Maybe we can make a few more chocolates then? So you can give something to Tatsumi-san too!” Hiiro added.
“R- Really? T- Thank you…” Mayoi smiled. “I- I should help out too, then…” He approached the kitchen.
“So… Heat this up, Otouto-san. Mayo-chan, you can prepare the forms and spread them, and Hinata-san… You can just, wait?” Niki sighed. “We don't need that many people to make chocolates, really…”
“N’ahh… I want somethin’ too…” Mika laid his head down on the table, pouting. Hinata sat next to him, as he apparently had nothing to do as well, according to Niki.
“Let's just wait until they finish, I guess…” Hinata also pouted.
“It should go into a fridge for a while…” Niki yawned. It was getting close to midnight, and most of them had a tiring day already today.
“Do we need to do something after it comes out of the fridge…?” Hiiro asked.
“If you want to decorate them, then yeah…” Niki answered. “Also…”
Niki pointed at the table. Mayoi, who stopped working on the chocolates a while ago due to being tired, Hinata and Mika were all asleep next to each other. Mika seemed to be drooling on Mayoi’s shoulder, as Mayoi was leaning forward on his chair. Hinata was resting his head on his arms on top of the table.
“Should we wake them up…?” Niki sighed. “It's gotten really late, I haven't even realized…”
“Umu, I suppose so…” Hiiro laughed nervously. “Maybe I can finish decorating in the morning…”
“When's your date, by the way? Like, what time?” Niki looked at Hiiro.
“Umm… 5 PM tomorrow.” Hiiro checked his messages history with Aira.
“Okay then, I'll help you out with decorating tomorrow, alright? Now, let's wake these guys up…”
…
In the morning, Hiiro woke up feeling tired, but motivated, somehow. He was also nervous, really nervous.
“Good mornin!” Hinata answered. “I've heard from Shiina-senpai about your plans, so I'm gonna join in! Also, everyone else who was there yesterday seemed like they will be coming to help out more today, too. I made a groupchat, hehe~” Hinata giggled.
“Oh… Thank you! I appreciate it a lot!”
“Of course, of course! Shiina-senpai and Kagehira-senpai are a little busy now, so we have to do it in a few hours… But we'll manage, we'll manage! Wanna have breakfast, though? I have a day off today~”
“Mm, sure! Thank you!”
“Good morning, Hinata-kun, Hiiro-kun!” Shino exclaimed, standing by the kitchen counter, cooking something that seemed like breakfast.
“Ah! Shino-kun, good morning!” Hiiro exclaimed, walking into the kitchen with Hinata.
“Morning, morning! Are you cooking something? Is there enough for us all, maybe~?” Hinata approached Shino, looking over his shoulder.
“I'm just making miso soup… If you want some, there should be enough for all of us?” Shino exclaimed, preparing the soup into bowls.
“Yes, please! I'm grateful!” Hiiro approached.
They all sat down by the table, enjoying breakfast together.
“Are you guys maybe aware of why the kitchen smelled like chocolate when I walked in…?” Shino pointed out.
“Hehe, do you wanna explain, Hiiro-kun? Or do you wanna keep on hiding it?” Hinata poked Hiiro.
“Hm?” Shino seemed confused but interested.
Hiiro explained everything to Shino. About his date, who his date is, and about the chocolate smell.
“Oh? Congratulations, Hiiro-kun!” Shino smiled, finishing his soup. “I wish I could join you all later on, but I'm pretty sure I'll be busy… Keep me updated though, okay?” He got up, picking up Hiiro’s and Hinata’s empty bowls as well.
“Thank you, Shino-kun!” Hiiro smiled.
“Hehe, I'll add you to the secret groupchat, Hajime-kun…” Hinata pulled out his phone, scrolling on it, and started typing something. “There!”
“Hm?” Shino checked his phone. “Oh! That's fun!” He chuckled, hiding his phone again. “I'll wait for the updates then, thank you! I've gotta go now, see you!” He left the kitchen.
Hinata and Hiiro got back to their dorm.
“Oh, Aira is awake…” Hiiro suddenly spoke up, looking at his phone with a smile, and a slight fluster. It made Hinata happy, and not in a teasing way.
“Did he text you or something?” Hinata asked.
“He said good morning, and that he's excited for our date today… A- And also he reminded me that I still have yet to choose where we want to go.” Hiiro nervously added.
“Huh?! You still haven't decided?” Hinata added, surprised. “Come on, Hiiro-kun…”
“Yeah… Um, do you have any ideas?” Hiiro asked.
“Hmm… A cafe is a safe choice… But also an amusement park, a cinema, or maybe you can go shopping, to an aquarium, or just a picnic, take a walk… Something along those lines! Or just do multiple of those, you know?” Hinata started counting on his fingers, deep in thought.
“Oh… Alright! I'll text him-”
“No, keep it a surprise~” Hinata grinned. “Just tell him you figured it out where do you want to go!”
Hiiro typed out his response, and sent it to Aira.
“Umu, sent it! Now what…?” Hiiro seemed stuck again. As if he was missing something.
“... Do you have outfit ideas? Or something? You gotta look nice, you know?” Hinata pointed out.
“Not really, no…”
Hiiro started going through his closet. He didn't have too many clothes, and most of them were actually bought together with Aira, where he started complaining about him having nothing to wear.
“How about this?” Hinata noticed a nice looking sweater. It was black and simple, but looked cozy.
“... Mm, alright.” Hiiro took it out of the closet. He put the sweater against himself, and waited for Hinata’s opinion.
“Yeah! I like it! Do you have any jeans to go with it, maybe?” Hinata looked at Hiiro. “And some accessories?”
“I have a simple pair of jeans…. I think. And, um… Accessories, I have a necklace? Aira gave it to me before…”
“Oh, Aira-kun did? You have to wear it, then!” Hinata pointed out.
“Yeah, this will be nice!” Hinata looked at the clothes that he assembled with Hiiro. “Don't wear it yet though, put it on before going out with Aira-kun~ You might get it dirty at some point.”
“Umu, I get it!”
To kill time, Hinata and Hiiro have been talking for a few hours. Took a stroll together, and chatted about random topics. They also went to a store, and bought a nice, decorated box for chocolates.
“We should go to the kitchen now, I think everyone should be there already~” Hinata took Hiiro by the arm, and led him towards the kitchen.
“Um?! Ah, okay!” Hiiro let himself be dragged by Hinata.
“Hehe, day two of making these, hm?” Niki waved to Hinata and Hiiro as they entered the kitchen.
“Good afternoon!” Mika greeted them, with Mayoi sitting next to him, waving to the two as well.
“So all we have to do is… decorate now, yes? We haven't even tried the chocolates yet though, so I hope they're good?” Hiiro asked.
“Oh, that's true!” Niki agreed, and took the chocolates out of the fridge. They all seemed nice, maybe a little deformed, but it was handmade after all. It didn't need to be perfect. “Here, Otouto-san, try one first.” Niki picked one that seemed the least pretty.
Hiiro took the chocolate from Niki, and ate it. He seemed in awe, because of how good it was, probably.
“It's delicious…! I'm sure Aira will be happy! Oh! And Tatsumi-san too! We have a lot of these chocolates, actually…”
“Mm, mm! Can I hav a try?” Mika approached the counter.
“I- I wish to try, too…” Mayoi also got up from his chair, going for the chocolates.
“So, we have the decorations, I guess? There's some dry raspberries, dry strawberries, we have caramel, and some other drizzles.” Niki looked at what they've prepared. “Since we have a lot of chocolates, all of us can take some, so all of us should decorate a few, alright? Just, keep the most for Otouto-san.” Niki pointed out.
“Hehe, of course! Do we have chilli powder? I should give them to Yuuta-kun…” Hinata looked around the kitchen.
“M- Maybe I should give mine a black t- tea flavor…” Mayoi sighed. “H- How would I do that, though…”
“Maybe just sprinkle them with bitter chocolate, or something?” Niki answered. “It might be a bit too late to start playing around with the actual flavor…”
“A- Ah, I see… I- I'll do that, then…” Mayoi started rummaging through the cupboards, looking for dark chocolate.
“Ngah... I can't hav croissant flavored chocos, ya…?” Mika pouted, looking at the chocolates.
“... Probably not.”
“Oh, yours are pretty, Hiiro-kun!” Hinata looked at Hiiro’s chocolates. Some of them had hearts drizzled with caramel, some had dry strawberries, some were just simply covered in other drizzles.
“Mine just look like a death wish.” Hinata looked at his chocolates, laughing nervously. They were fully covered in red powder, which was probably chili.
“D’ya like mine?” Mika looked at his own chocolates.
“Oh yeah! They're cute!” Hinata smiled. Mika's chocolates mostly had small doodles with drizzles on them, for example a candy, Shu's name, or a heart.
“A- Are mine cute…?” Mayoi pointed at his box.
“Mhm! They're simple but nice, Mayoi-senpai!” Hiiro complimented. They just had dark chocolate crushed on top of them.
“You haven't made anything, Shiina-senpai?” Hinata noticed that Niki didn't have any chocolates.
“Nah. No way I'm giving Rinne-kun anything. Especially not food.” Niki answered, his tone slightly upset.
Hiiro lined up his chocolates nicely in the decorative box he purchased with Hinata. They were in small wraps, so if they melted in any way, they wouldn't stick to each other.
“I'm sure he'll like it…!” Hiiro boosted his own morale.
“Yeah, of course! Isn't your date kinda soon, though? In 30 minutes or so? You should go and prepare!” Niki pointed out.
“Mm, ya, ya! Y’can’t be late!” Mika pointed out, eating one of the leftover chocolates that didn't get to have an owner.
“O- Oh, right! Sorry! I'll… see you guys when I get back, then!” He clutched the box of chocolates in his hands, and ran to his room.
He changed into the outfit Hinata told him to wear, and stood in front of the mirror. Hiiro smiled at his own reflection, with a big blush over his face. He couldn’t deny, he was nervous. Going out for the first time, with someone that he admired for a long time, was a big thing. Of course, he and Aira went out before. Going shopping, maybe to buy clothes, or maybe Aira was dragging Hiiro around different idol stores. But it was different, since they weren’t dating back then.
Even when they did start dating, they didn’t call any of those hangouts a “date”. Especially on an occasion like Valentine’s day. Hiiro wondered, did Aira do this on purpose? Choosing this date. He probably knew Hiiro wasn’t aware of what Valentine’s day is, so maybe it was just a coincidence? But Aira seemed like the type to care about events like this one. Hiiro just had to go and see, probably.
He took a deep breath, with a wide smile on his face, and left. He took a bag with himself, in case they needed to carry something. For now, he put the chocolates for Aira into it.
Hiiro told Aira to meet up in front of the subway station, which wasn’t too far away from their dorms. He didn’t explain where they will go though. He wanted to keep it a secret, as Hinata told him to.
As he got closer, around 15 minutes later, he spotted a familiar silhouette in the distance. It was Aira, sitting down on a bench, next to the subway entrance. His hands seemed occupied, as he was holding something, fiddling with it.
“Aira! Sorry you had to wait…!” Hiiro ran up closer, seeing Aira flinch. His eyes shot up to look at Hiiro, and he hid the thing he was holding behind his back, seemingly embarrassed.
“Hiro-kun! Not so loud!” Aira scolded him, but his voice didn’t sound angry. “G- Good afternoon, though…”
“Mm! Good afternoon, Aira! You look…”
Hiiro just now noticed how Aira looked. He had a nice, silver necklace with a pink heart charm, small, sunflower-shaped yellow earrings, which Hiiro had never seen before. He was wearing a pastel blue jacket, which was reaching above his knees, and his usual pair of jeans. His hair had a singular, short braid, going behind his left ear.
Hiiro just couldn’t look away.
“... really cute.” Hiiro felt his face get slightly warmer.
“Wh- ?! T- Thanks…” Aira got embarrassed. “Y- You look, um… Cute, too…” He added quietly. “A- Anyways! H- Happy Valentine’s Day, Hiro-kun… If you know what that is…” Aira stood up and took something from behind his back, handing it over to Hiiro.
It was a white teddy bear plushie, with a ribbon around its neck, and it was holding a red heart. It was slightly bigger than Hiiro’s hands.
“Is this for me…? Thank you…!” Hiiro seemed very happy with the gift, as he took it into his hands, and stared at it for a while.
“Mm… Can we go wherever you want to go now?” Aira’s face was still bright red. He seemed like this entire thing was embarrassing him.
“Umu, but wait, I have something for you too!” Hiiro hid the teddy bear in his bag, and started reaching for his own gift.
“E- Eh? You do?” Aira seemed surprised.
“Umu! Of course!” Hiiro took out the chocolates. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Aira! I think that’s what you should say? I made them with my senpai’s! They’re very tasty! I hope they didn’t melt, though…?” Hiiro handed them over to Aira.
“H- Handmade chocolates…?” Aira seemed in awe, as his eyes looked like they were glowing. “For me? You made them?” He looked up at Hiiro, with a bright smile. “Wait, is that why the kitchen smelled like chocolate in the morning?”
“You’re the second person to ask, Aira… And yes!” Hiiro nodded. “Do you want to try one of them now?”
“Only one…” Aira nodded, seeming like he couldn’t wait to try it.
He unwrapped the decorative box, which was tied with a ribbon, and opened it. There were many chocolates, all of them in shiny foils, so they wouldn’t stick together. They didn’t seem like they melted, which Hiiro was grateful for. Aira picked a chocolate with caramel drizzle on it, and carefully took it out of the foil. Hiiro held the box for him, so it wouldn’t slip out of his hands.
“Do you like it…?” Hiiro impatiently waited for Aira’s reaction. Instead, he noticed Aira’s eyes getting glossy, which immediately sent an alarm into his head.
“A- Aira? Are they bad? You can spit it out if-”
“No… No, they’re delicious…” Aira’s tears spilled, as he kept chewing on the chocolate.
“Then why…?” Hiiro put down the box of chocolates on the bench, closing the lid.
“I just… didn’t think you’d gift me anything like this, Hiro-kun…” Aira smiled. “Thank you…” He threw himself at Hiiro into a big hug, kissing his cheek.
Hiiro’s smile also grew wider, as he hugged Aira back.
“Of course, Aira…”
Aira pulled away about a minute later, once again visibly embarrassed.
“A- Anyways… We can go now, I think… Unless you have more business here…” He cleared his throat, regaining his composure.
“Um… No, I don’t think so!” Hiiro thought for a while. “We can go now, before it gets too late.”
They got into a train and sat down next to each other. It was a busy hour, but they managed to find empty seats. The line they were taking wasn’t usually too occupied either, since it went to rather niche or rural locations.
“I wonder where you are taking me…” Aira sighed, looking out of the window on the opposite side.
“You’ll like it, I hope! It… should be relaxing? Nothing too much!” Hiiro was taking Aira to an aquarium. He’d heard from some senpais before that it’s a nice place to visit, and since he’d never been to one, he decided to go there for the first time with his boyfriend.
“I see… I wish I came up with something myself, so it’s not just you surprising me…” Aira sighed.
“Hm? Oh, no, it’s fine! I like surprising you, Aira.” Hiiro smiled.
“... Speaking of surprises. I didn’t think you’d know about Valentine’s Day. Did you look it up or something?” Aira questioned.
“Um, no… My senpais told me.”
“What? Why would they tell you about it…?” Aira got slightly suspicious.
“Oh, um… I told them I’m going on a date. And they brought up Valentine’s day. That’s how we all ended up making chocolates.” Hiiro nodded.
“H- Huh?! You told them?!” Aira panicked. “You didn’t tell them who you’re taking on a date, right?!”
“... Um, sorry… It slipped out. A few people know… But their reactions were positive to it!” Hiiro reassured Aira.
“... Who knows?” Aira sighed in defeat.
“Mayoi-senpai apparently listened in, Hinata-kun, Kagehira-senpai, Shino-kun and Shiina-san, who promised not to tell my brother… They all said they won’t tell anyone, actually, but Hinata-kun was the one who made Kagehira-senpai aware.”
“I… see. Well, as long as they don’t spread it around…”
“Why don’t you want the others to know, Aira?” Hiiro asked. He was kinda curious, since he didn’t really mind telling his senpais. A lot of them were dating already, like even Tatsumi and Mayoi. Niki was dating his older brother, Mika was dating Shu. There were most likely also other couples that Hiiro was just unaware of.
“... It’s kinda embarrassing. Also, what if the fans notice we’re dating? What then?” Aira looked away. “That’s why idols usually shouldn’t date…” He seemed guilty.
“... Aira. I don’t really care about the opinions of others. Our senpais will support us, I know it. About our fans… we can just keep it down around people, I suppose. But… if they find out, then… that shouldn’t be a big deal.”
“It is a big deal, though… Our fans might start fighting each other, or try to break us apart. Or stop supporting us. And it’ll all be our fault if Alkaloid goes down in flames… Or even the entire STARPRO. Or…” Aira seemed to start freaking out. He shuffled away slightly from Hiiro, to have a distance between them. But Hiiro didn’t want to back away.
Hiiro once again got closer to Aira on his seat.
“It’s fine, Aira. Nothing like this will happen. I’ll protect you, I’ll protect us. Okay?” Hiiro reassured.
“... It’s all your fault if something does happen, then.”
“Umu! Alright!” He smiled, which didn’t please Aira.
“... Please don’t look so happy about this.”
“This is our stop?” Aira looked around, as both of them left the subway.
“Umu! Apparently the place we’re going to isn’t very far from here…” Hiiro looked at his phone. He had maps opened and followed the route together with Aira.
“Mm… I wonder where Hiro-kun is taking me…~” Aira hummed to himself, walking next to Hiiro.
“I won’t tell you, Aira. It’ll be less fun that way.” Hiiro answered. “But we’re pretty close to our destination.”
“Yeah… I know, I know.” Aira looked around as they were walking. “This area is pretty empty… We’re like, in the middle of nowhere, kinda.” He admitted. “But I like it.”
“I’m glad you do! It’s nice to get away from busy places sometimes.” Hiiro agreed. He couldn’t look around as much though, or they’d get lost.
“It’s true…”
It was getting close to sunset. Aira had to choose a late time to meet up, since he was busy earlier during the day. Hiiro didn’t mind, but he also didn’t want Aira to get back home at midnight or something.
“Hey, Hiro-kun, look, look!” Aira nudged Hiiro to get him to raise his head. As he did, Aira pointed somewhere away in the distance.
Between two slightly old buildings was the sun, setting down. The sky was in pretty orange and purple colors, as it was gorgeous to look at. It was a cloudless day, so everything seemed even more magical.
Aira tugged on Hiiro’s sleeve, not looking away from the pretty view. Hiiro didn’t look away, but guided by Aira’s hand, he took Aira’s hand into his, and intertwined their fingers. Hiiro’s grip was gentle, and so was Aira’s.
“It’s so pretty…” Aira quietly spoke up. “It’s hard to see it in the dorms… There are always buildings covering the sunset.”
Hiiro turned towards Aira, to take a look at his face.
Aira’s hair, including his braid, was gently swaying from the wind, as the sun was reflecting in his pretty eyes. He was smiling gently, not looking away, as if the sun was drawing him in.
Truly, Aira was more fascinating to Hiiro than the sun.
“A- Ah, sorry, I got distracted…” Aira spoke up after a bit. He seemed like he didn’t even realize he was holding Hiiro’s hand, since he tried to pull it back to gesture with it, but he noticed Hiiro’s fingers were holding it in place. “E- Eh-”
“Um… Are you okay with us holding hands…?” Hiiro asked, slightly late to the question.
“W- Well, of course, but-” Aira got shy again. “N- Nevermind. Let’s just, go.”
He didn’t let go of the hand.
“We’re here, Aira.” They stopped in front of the entrance to the aquarium. “I hope you like the surprise…?” Hiiro looked at Aira, waiting for a response.
“Oh! An aquarium? I’ve never been to one… I always wanted to go, though.” Aira seemed happy about Hiiro’s choice. “Won’t it be crowded?”
“We’ll see, I guess? But don’t let the crowd take away your happiness.”
“We’ve got past the gates, but wow it’s kinda crowded…” Aira pointed out, seeing people getting squished.
“It’s okay. It’s Valentine’s Day after all, I guess. So this might be a popular place to visit today.” Hiiro added, taking Aira’s hand into his once again. “Let’s try not to get lost!”
“U- Um, okay…” Aira nodded.
Hiiro dragged Aira through the crowd, to get him closer to the glass.
“W- Wah! Hiro-kun! Wait-!” Aira tried to protest, but it was for nothing. He kept apologizing to everyone for bumping into them, as Hiiro pushed him through. “I said wait-!”
“There.” Hiiro secured a spot in the very front of the glass. They stood in front of it, observing the animals.
“I’m thankful, but don’t push me like that again, stupid…” Aira pouted. “I bumped into so many people…”
“Umu, sorry…” Hiiro laughed nervously. “Oh! Look, this one is nice!” Hiiro pointed at a big, red fish. It was swimming close to the glass, looking like it was making eye contact with Hiiro.
“Yeah, it kinda looks like you… Red, like ketchup. And big eyes. You two are twins, or something?” Aira laughed. “Well, it is cute, though.” Aira observed the fish as well.
“Oh, I feel bad for that one… It kinda looks like me, though.” Aira pointed at a corner of the aquarium. There was a single, small fish there. “It seems lonely.”
“Hm? Are you lonely too, Aira?” Hiiro asked.
“Where did that come from? I just said it looks like me… But, I don’t think I am? Not anymore, at least. It would feel wrong to call myself lonely when you’re standing next to me.” He admitted. “I’ve got the rest of Alkaloid, too. And some other friends that I’ve made since I became an idol.”
Hiiro nodded, without saying anything. He wasn’t sure how to read Aira’s current mood or emotions behind that sentence.
“So… I guess I’m happy with what I have?” Aira added, looking at Hiiro. “Don’t worry about me so much.” He went back to looking at the fish.
They were standing by the glass for a few minutes, before moving on to a different one.
“This one is cute, too… It looks like it’s smiling!” Aira chuckled, pointing at a big, yellow fish. It was swimming around with other fish, and they all looked like one, big family.
“Umu, you’re right…” Hiiro looked around, before looking back at Aira. “Aira, I’ll be right back in a second, okay? I wanna use the bathroom.”
“H- Huh?! Wait- Hiro-kun?!-”
Hiiro left Aira’s side, heading to the toilet. It was in a different room, next to the one they were in. He didn’t want to take Aira away from the fish, so he decided to just leave him there. Not a big deal, yeah?
After standing in line for around 3 minutes, since it was quite busy, Hiiro finished what he had to do shortly after, and went back to where Aira was. … Except Aira wasn’t there.
The crowd was so big that it was hard to spot anything. It was mostly either families or couples, most likely enjoying Valentine’s Day, just like Hiiro and Aira. But among all of those people, spotting Aira was difficult. He was slightly on the shorter side among everyone here, so it was hard to point him out.
“Aira…? Airaa!” Hiiro called out, hoping he would hear his voice. But he couldn’t see or hear Aira. “Airaaa…!”
After a moment, he spotted someone sitting in a corner of the room.
“Oh! Aira! There you are!” He rushed towards him, as Aira jerked his head up.
“H- Hiro-kuuuuuun! Why did you leave me?!” Aira pouted, but Hiiro did notice that he seemed genuinely upset.
“Sorry, Aira… I just went to the bathroom, and there was a long line there.” Hiiro apologized, kneeling down in front of Aira.
“You made me look like a lost child! Apology not accepted…” Aira stood up, Hiiro following him. “I thought you weren’t coming back, or something…” His usual cheerful voice was gone, replaced by a sad tone.
“Huh…? Why, though? I wouldn’t have left you here, Aira…” Hiiro questioned.
“How would I know that…” Aira turned his head away. “I mean… I’m glad you came back, I suppose.” He sighed in defeat.
“...? I’m sorry if I made you sad, Aira…”
“It’s… Whatever, it’s fine, I can’t be upset with you anyway.” Aira took Hiiro’s hand, and dragged him to a different room in the aquarium. “Just, don’t do that again.”
“Umu, alright.”
“Ahh, that was fun!” Aira stretched while leaving through the exit door. “A little crowded, but it got less packed over time…”
“Umu! I agree! I’m glad you liked it, though!” Hiiro took Aira’s hand into his again.
“We’re going home now?” Aira asked. It was slightly before 7 PM.
“Hm? I’ve had more plans, though…” Hiiro asked, surprised. “Are you tired?”
“Eh?! You’ve planned more?! Really?!” Aira squeezed Hiiro’s hand in surprise. “I mean, sure! I just… wasn’t expecting you to have more for us for today? Can I know where we’re headed next?”
“Umu! I wanted to take you to a cafeteria, there’s one pretty close by here!” Hiiro smiled. “Do you want to come?”
“Oh… Of course!” Aira nodded, letting himself get dragged around by Hiiro again.
“I hope we’ll get back home safely, though… It’s kinda dark.” Aira looked around. Some lanterns were brightening up their path, but it wasn’t much. They had a bit of a ride to get home, too. “I hope your phone has a lot of battery? So we don’t get lost.”
“Umu! We’ll be fine, Aira! I have a lot of battery, and we’ll be safe, I promise! Don’t worry!” Hiiro kept walking, holding Aira closely to himself. “It’s getting kinda cold, though…”
“Yeah… I’m kinda freezing.” Aira chuckled nervously.
“Mm? You are?”
“Uh… Yeah, slightly. I forgot to take something warm, and my jacket isn’t very thick.”
“...” Hiiro seemed to think for a while, before pulling Aira closer to himself, putting both of their hands into Hiiro’s pocket. “At least one of your hands can stay warm this way!”
“E- Eh?!” Aira was flustered, but didn’t pull back. “Thanks…” He muttered.
“Hm? What did you say?”
“N- Nothing! Let’s just… get to the place we’re going to.”
“Ohh, it’s nice and warm insidee~” Aira and Hiiro walked into the cafeteria. There were multiple empty seats, with only a few people being in the cafe. Most likely because it was quite late already.
“Mm… Let’s check and see what they have, alright?” Hiiro walked over to the counter, together with Aira.
“Ohhh… This cake seems yummy…” Aira pointed at something behind the glass. It was a chocolate cake, with layers of strawberry jam. At the top, it had decorations made with whipped cream, and some citrusy sprinkles. “I’ll get this one! And um… Maybe hot cocoa to drink.”
“Umu! Okay, I’ll get um… This.” Hiiro pointed at a lemon-flavored macaron. “I’m not sure what it is, but it says lemon flavor, so I’ll take it! And um, maybe hot cocoa as well.” Hiiro looked at the cashier, and ordered their snacks.
“Woahh, this looks so good… Thank you for paying, by the way…” Aira’s eyes seemed to be sparkling, as he looked at the cake in front of him. The hot cocoa was warming up his hands, with the warm steam heating up his face as well. The two of them were sitting next to a window, enjoying their snacks. “I kinda feel bad, though… You’re taking me everywhere, but the only thing I got for you was the teddy bear…” Aira added, slightly shy.
“It’s fine, though! I love the plushie from you! And I like treating you!” Hiiro smiled, taking a sip of his hot cocoa.
“If you say so… But next year I’m taking you somewhere myself, alright?”
“Next year…? You’re planning that far already?”
“Uh… I mean… It’s not like I’m planning on going anywhere…? Unless… you are?” Aira asked, somewhat surprised.
“No, no! I want to stay with Aira for as long as I can!” Hiiro quickly added. “But, I’m going to have to wait for a while, then.”
“Yeah, I guess… I’ll take you somewhere on your birthday as well. Oh- But that’s a while away, too…”
Hiiro laughed. “It’s okay, I’ll wait!”
“Woah… This macaron thing is so good!” Hiiro took a small bite from it. “It’s so… crunchy but soft? It’s so good! Do you wanna try, Aira?” Hiiro looked over at his boyfriend.
“What do you mean…? I think one macaron is too small to share with others, you know…” Aira sighed, but suddenly, a macaron was shoved in front of his mouth. “!? You startled me!”
“Hehe, just take a bite!” Hiiro held the macaron in front of Aira’s face.
“T- Thank you…?” Aira attempted to take the macaron from Hiiro, but Hiiro held onto it. “...?”
“Just take a bite! I’m holding it.” Hiiro seemed very innocent about this, meanwhile Aira’s face seemed to be getting more and more red.
“H- Huh?! Wait, you’re trying to feed me…?!” Aira accidentally raised his voice. He looked around to see if nobody was staring at them.
“Hm? Is there anything bad about it?”
“N- No, it’s just… Ugh, whatever!” Aira leaned in closer, taking a small bite from the macaron, chewing it slowly. “M- Mhm, it’s good…” He leaned back, covering his cheeks with his long jacket sleeves. “Um, thanks.”
“You’ve thanked me already… Don’t need to thank me twice, Aira! And you don’t need to cover your face, either…?” Hiiro pointed out, but Aira didn’t answer, simply turning his face to the mirror.
After a bit of silence, Aira spoke up.
“Here.” Aira took a bit of his own cake on the fork, and brought it to Hiiro’s mouth. “Now, you try…” He was still covering his face with his other sleeve. Hiiro could just slightly notice the redness on his cheeks, as Aira didn’t hide it properly.
“U- Umu, thank you…!” Hiiro leaned in, taking the cake piece into his mouth, as Aira pulled back the fork. “Ohh, it’s good, too! Aira has a good taste!” Hiiro smiled, chewing the cake. “Thank you for sharing!”
“O- Of course… If you shared yours, I wanted you to try mine, too…” Aira nodded, as he took the rest of his hot cocoa, which wasn’t so hot anymore, and drank it.
“Mmm… It’s kinda like an indirect kiss, no? Aniki taught me about it before-” Aira choked on his drink as Hiiro kept on talking. “E- Eh?! Aira?!”
“H- Huuuhh?! D- Don’t- Don’t say these things so nonchalantly?!” Aira coughed, his heart racing. “W- Wait, wait, wait, what do you mean Rinne-senpai told you this before?! Why were you two talking about stuff like that?! I don’t understand?!” Aira was panicking.
“Hm? I mean, we were just chatting about random topics, and that one was suddenly brought up. It was a few weeks ago!” Hiiro nodded. “Are you okay, though?”
“Y- Yeah?! I’m… I’m fine, but?! I… I don’t get youuu, Hiiro-kun! How can you be so…?!” Aira stuttered through the sentence, not finishing it properly.
“How can I be so…?” Hiiro thought to himself. “Um. I don’t know?”
“... Ugh… Whatever…” Aira cried out.
Aira and Hiiro left the cafeteria shortly after. Aira yawned, but the cold from the outside seemed to wake him up.
“Are you tired, Aira? There was one more place I wanted us to go to…” Hiiro checked the time on his phone. It was half past 7 PM.
“Mm… Is it far away?” Aira asked, seemingly quite tired after running around for hours now.
“It’s kinda on the way home? It’s a slight detour, but it’s closer to the subway than from here, I’m pretty sure!”
“Oh… Alright, then…” Aira nodded, but he seemed to be slowly shutting down by now. “I think that hot cocoa made me sleepy… It was so sweet and warm…”
“Mm, I get it. I promise it’ll be fun, and require no energy too, okay?”
“Okay…” Aira let himself get dragged around once again.
They walked for a bit over 20 minutes. They would’ve gotten to the destination faster, but Aira was walking slower than usually, slightly leaning over on Hiiro’s shoulder and arm too, which was making both of their paces unrushed.
“Mm, we’re here, Aira.”
It was a grassy field, in front of a lake. Many people were sitting around, from what Hiiro could tell they were probably mostly couples, or groups of friends.
“Hm…? Why are we here? It’s pretty but… why are there so many people?” Aira looked around, holding onto Hiiro’s arm, his head leaning on it. He seemed to be more cuddly when tired.
“You’ll see. Let’s just find a place to sit for now, okay?” Hiiro took Aira to an empty spot. He checked the time again, it was 3 minutes until 8 PM.
“It’s nice here… The fresh breeze is nice, even though kinda cold.” Aira pointed out.
They were sitting on the grass. Aira’s head was leaning onto Hiiro, the top of his head nuzzled into the crook of Hiiro’s neck. His hands were wrapped around Hiiro’s arm, as if he was a koala clinging to bamboo.
“Don’t fall asleep just yet…” Hiiro spoke quietly, not wanting to startle Aira.
“Mm… I know…” Aira stopped for a bit, looking up at the sky. “There’s so many stars here… This place is not as polluted with light, so they’re more visible…” Aira smiled. “I like this view.”
“Umu… And the moon… It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Hiiro pointed out, looking at Aira, instead of at the moon.
“...” Aira didn’t say anything, but his face was covered with a blush once again. “Sometimes you really don’t know what you’re saying, huh…? Unless it’s one of those things Rinne taught you again.”
“Hm? Did I say something wrong?” Hiiro asked.
“... No. Don’t mind me…” Aira smiled to himself again.
“Oh, Aira, look!”
Hiiro pointed at the sky. Now, instead of the stars, it was getting lit up by fireworks. They were sparkling brightly, bursting in the sky. Most of them were in pink and red colors, some of them making shapes, which looked like hearts. The bright light from the fireworks was reflecting in the lake, too.
“Do you like it? Ai-” Hiiro stopped talking, when he saw Aira’s eyes wide open, mesmerized by the fireworks. They were also reflecting in his slightly glossy eyes, they must have gotten watery from Aira’s yawning. Hiiro cherished this moment, staring into his boyfriend’s eyes, instead of the fireworks. A big, soft smile was on his face.
Whenever Aira appreciated something, whether it was the sunset, or the fireworks, Hiiro seemed to get lost in Aira’s beauty instead. He had seen the sunset many times, as well as the fireworks. But it was truly Aira who made him the happiest, not anything else.
The fireworks show ended a few minutes later, with people around cheering and talking amongst each other.
“Aira, should we go?” Hiiro spoke up.
“...” He was met with no answer. As he looked over at Aira again, he noticed his eyelids were closed, and his breathing was calm and even. Hiiro smiled to himself, sighing. “Good night, Aira.”
He picked up Aira, carrying him on his back to the subway, then to their dorms.