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❤️❤️
Subaru found himself at a burger place. No, really, he was already in line and ready to order.
One might ask why Takaya Subaru, the legendary idol from XlamV, the winner of Reisen’s prestigious VS AMBIVALENZ audition, would choose a burger of all things as his lunch. Past Subaru would also be asking the same question; hell he’d be ready to give his present self a throwdown just to smack some sense into his stupid head. Thankfully, though, he had a reasonable explanation for this.
It was because Taiyo wanted burgers for lunch.
…Okay, that wasn’t very reasonable; quite frankly it made him out to be even more pathetic than usual. But who could blame him, though? One look at Taiyo and those puppy dog eyes of his was enough to tug at Subaru’s heartstrings, all the discipline and rationality he’d been trying to live up to for years completely out of the window just to indulge a dumb guy he had as a boyfriend. And as if that wasn’t enough, said boyfriend then tackled him into a hug and peppered his already flushed face with kisses all over. It was a miracle that he didn’t just combust right then and there, the hammering of his heart loud enough to block out any and all surrounding noises inside the restaurant.
Past Subaru would’ve hated how much weaker he’d gotten over the years, to the point of caring for his rival in ways above what was considered professional. But that guy was a jerk to Taiyo so it wasn’t like his opinion mattered anyway.
“I’ll get the double cheeseburger combo with french fries. No pickles.” Taiyo giddily placed his order before turning to his boyfriend. “What are you getting?”
“Eh?” The sudden attention snapped Subaru out of his thoughts, his mind going blank for a moment before realizing what was happening. “Um… can I get the chicken burger?”
“Perfect. And that’s everything?” The cashier asked without looking up, still catching Taiyo’s enthusiastic nod somehow. “How would you like to pay?”
“Cash, please!” The redhead immediately reached for his wallet, but not before stopping his boyfriend from doing the same. “It’s okay! I’ll pay for both of us!”
“Taiyo…”
“You don’t like burgers but you agreed to eat here with me, so I have to treat you in return!”
Subaru wanted to protest, he really wanted to. There was no way he should be treated so generously for doing the bare minimum, especially when compared with everything Taiyo had done for him over the course of their relationship. And yet, one look at the redhead’s radiant smile was enough to render him speechless, his heart still skipping a beat even after the many, many times he got to behold his beloved’s pure beauty. As he was busy being lovestruck for the millionth time, Taiyo swiftly paid for both of their meals, smiling cheekily at his dumbfounded boyfriend as a way to declare victory over their polite fight. The guy sure knew to weaponize his cuteness, and yet Subaru fell for it every single time.
The couple soon found themselves at a table by the window, where Taiyo continued to ramble about his daily life. Even in the middle of a crowded restaurant, surrounded by loud conversations and blaring music, Subaru’s attention never once left his partner. There was something so captivating about the way he told his stories, how excited he was over the smallest details that at times derailed the point he was trying to make.
“And then Futaba said-” A sudden presence interrupted his 5th story of the day. “Ah, the food is here!”
“They call it ‘fast food’ for a reason.” Subaru watched as a waitress laid down his order: a small soda, a packet of fries, and of course the greasy burger wrapped inside some kind of wax paper. The sheer sight would be enough to trigger his gag reflex if he weren’t distracted by the look on Taiyo’s face, eyes glowing and mouth hanging agape as if he was being served treasure right in front of his eyes.
“I’m so hungry already!” The redhead quickly unwrapped the burger, sauce already sticking to his hands. “Thanks for coming here with me!”
“No worries.” Subaru let out a small smile. That was it, he’d gladly take fast food again if it meant witnessing such pure joy radiating out of his boyfriend.
“Thanks for the meal!”
Both of them took a bite out of their respective burgers. Subaru felt an assortment of textures in his mouth, from the crispy chicken breading to the soft burger buns, occasionally interrupted by the sudden coolness of the single lettuce leaf. Grease was the predominant taste of this abomination he was eating, so by all accounts it shouldn’t be a pleasant experience.
But… why does it taste so good-
“Do you like it??” Taiyo beamed, still stuffed with food. “I told you, this is the best burger place I’ve ever-”
The redhead suddenly jolted, his eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. Swallowing the remaining content in his mouth, he lifted up the burger bun to have a peek inside, his surprised expression turning into mild disappointment in an instant.
“What’s wrong?”
“Ah, they still put pickles in my burger.” Taiyo chuckled awkwardly. “It’s fine, though, I can just-”
“Did you ask them to remove pickles?”
“Well, yes, but-”
“Then your burger shouldn’t have pickles.” Subaru’s tone was serious, much to his boyfriend’s surprise. “This is unacceptable.”
“Eh? It’s not a big deal-”
“Excuse me!” Subaru stood up as he waved to the nearby waitress, and that was when panic settled in the redhead’s mind.
“Subaru, you don’t have to-”
“May I help you?” The waitress smiled, which might or might not have been forced. Subaru didn’t let that deter him, though, for Taiyo’s enjoyment was important above all else.
“My boyfriend asked for no pickles, but there are still some in his burger.”
“Um, it’s okay, though!” Taiyo chimed in. “The food was great! You don’t have to-”
“You shouldn’t be fulfilling orders in such a haphazard manner.” Subaru continued, ignoring how colors instantly disappeared from Taiyo’s face. “It is unprofessional to forget such a simple request from your customer. I would like you to properly remake his order-”
“It’s okay, Subaru! I can just pick them out!!” Taiyo yelled, gaining attention from the other restaurant goers. He then turned to the waitress while the black-haired remained stunned by the sudden interruption, guilt exuding from his bright blue eyes. “I’m so sorry to bother you, miss! You and your team did a great job, and you don’t have to redo anything for me!”
“But, Taiyo-”
“It’s fine! It’s not a big deal!” He laughed, the red in his face now matching his own hair. “Thank you so much for the meal! I really appreciate your effort!”
The waitress bowed with a smile, likely forced this time around, before leaving the couple alone. As Subaru turned to watch her leave, he could already sense eyes on him from all over the restaurant, possibly filled with judgment and annoyance. Taiyo, however, didn’t seem to care any less about it; the guy just went back to taking the pickles out of his burger like nothing had happened.
“There! All good!” The redhead set all the pickles aside, eyes gleaming in excitement. “Thanks for the meal!”
“Taiyo.”
“Hm?”
“Why didn’t you stand up for yourself?”
“…Why do I have to?” Taiyo cocked his head to the side, genuinely confused.
“They ruined your order.”
“It’s not a big deal!”
“You requested and paid for it. That means they should be doing it right.”
“It’s just food, Subaru. It’s fine!” The redhead chuckled, no sign of frustration in his voice. “It’s not like I’m allergic to pickles, it’s just not my preference and I can always take it out!”
“Well… you have a point.” Subaru sighed. Embarrassment began to creep up on him as his mind cleared up, making him realize just how irrational he was earlier.
“See, everything’s alright! No need to get all worked up!”
“Right…”
Sensing the sullenness in his boyfriend’s voice, Taiyo immediately reached out to hold his hand; after wiping off the grease, obviously. “Hey, I’m not mad at you. I know you’re just looking out for me and I really appreciate it.”
Subaru looked away, red creeping up on his face. “It’s just not fair for you, you know… You had to ask me permission to be here, and even then you treated me as if I earned it. I just want to do something in return…”
“Aww, you’re so sweet!” Taiyo let out a wide grin, brighter than the midday sun shining from the window. “You don’t have to try so hard for me, Subaru. Having you by my side is enough to make my day!”
Subaru felt his heart skip a beat, the red on his face turning deeper as they went all the way up to his ears. Any argument he could’ve thought of was blown away by the radiant sunshine sitting opposite him, his mind now filled with nothing but pure love for the boy he’d gladly called his significant other. Oh how he adored Taiyo, how he wished he could repay his beloved’s infinite generosity that was so freely given to him since the day they met.
And as if the redhead couldn’t get any more perfect, he seemed to have read Subaru’s mind.
“I’ll tell you what: I’ll let you pay for my stuff when we go out for dessert. Will that be okay?”
The black-haired could no longer contain a smile, his heart warmed so much by his boyfriend’s considerate nature. “Alright.”
“Great! Hope we won’t be in a pickle when it comes to dessert, hehe!”
“...”
“...”
“...”
“...I’ll continue eating now.”
💚💚
“Ready, Marumegane?”
“Hang on.” Cion took one last look at himself in the mirror, fixing a strand of hair that kept falling on his forehead. Brushing off the nonexistent dust on his blazer one last time, his eyes darted up and down at his own reflection, checking if his formal attire was ready for, as Jintaro called it, a ‘super duper fancy Valentine’s date extravaganza’. The name still sounded dumb no matter how many times he thought about it, but if fancy was what his boyfriend wanted, then fancy he should be.
But why would Jintaro want something fancy? Jintaro, the same guy who sat with his legs open and ate snack crumbs that fell on his shirt; Jintaro whose vocabulary was less advanced than that of an elementary school student. Cion thought he’d misheard when the guy first suggested fine dining for Valentine’s Day, and knowing his boyfriend he just threw in a “sure, why not?” as a half-measured response.
Perhaps he should’ve known from the start that Jintaro was practically sarcasm blind, or at least before the guy showed up at his door in a fancy suit with a bouquet of green dahlias in hand.
And now here he was, preparing for whatever fancy plan Jintaro had in mind. The neon-haired reassured that they wouldn’t be late for dinner at this hour, giving him time to store the flowers and actually make himself look good. It was funny how Cion became the underprepared one between the two, and in hindsight he wished he’d taken his boyfriend more seriously. As silly as he was, Jintaro had always been sincere and committed, always striving to do what was right no matter how hard it would be.
And to think that Cion, or rather Haru from all those years ago, was the one who inspired that aspect of him…
He’d lie if he said he didn’t get flustered by that notion time and time again.
“Oiii, are you done?”
“Coming!” Cion exited as he placed a small dahlia in his front pocket, arriving at the living room to see his boyfriend strolling about impatiently. The guy immediately gawked at his presence, letting out a big gasp as though he’d found a chest full of diamonds.
“OH MY GOD!! You look so handsome!!!” The neon-haired ran towards his boyfriend, gazing him up and down in absolute awe. Cion could already feel heat rising to his face at the compliment, not even bothering to correct the loudmouth’s volume at this point.
“Thanks,” he replied shyly, eyes darting toward his front pocket, “for the flowers, too.”
“Glad you like it! Do you know how hard is it to find green flowers? Why are leaves green but flowers aren’t?? That just makes no sense!!”
“I think that’s because-” A honk outside the door interrupted Cion’s answer and startled him slightly. “What was that?”
“Oh, that’s our ride!” Replied Jintaro quickly, as if he’d almost forgotten about the date. “Let’s go, Marumegane!!”
The duo quickly made their way towards the transportation, with Jintaro running ahead to open the door for him. Befitting the fancy nature of their date, their ride was a slick black car driven by someone he didn’t recognize.
“After you, my gentleman.” The neon-haired bowed, not unlike a valet.
“Is that… a personal driver?”
“It’s just a taxi.”
“Oh.”
Even then, the ride was relatively smooth, to the point where all he could pay attention to were his conversations with Jintaro. The guy sure knew how to keep one going regardless of topic, whether it be from his own interest in the subject matter or just from asking more questions with varying degrees of stupidity.
“So you’re saying bees are colorblind?”
“No. And that’s not how color blindness works.” Cion fixed his glasses, getting into his exposition mode. “Bees can’t see green flowers because they blend into green leaves.”
“But flowers don’t look the same as leaves. Does that mean bees are stupid?”
“No they’re not-” Cion held in a sigh. “Flowers will blend into leaves if they have the same color. It’s like how chameleons change color, they don’t have to look like the background object to blend in.”
“Chameleons don’t change color! They turn invisible!!”
“Jintaro-”
“Ah, turn left, Mr. Driver!” The neon-haired swiftly turned his attention to the driver, who followed his direction accordingly. Cion wondered if his boyfriend even knew where they were going since this was the same guy who thought chameleons had superpowers. Not helped by the fact that this part of the city didn’t seem familiar to him.
“Where… exactly are we?” Cion looked out the window, attempting to gauge his location by observing the stores he passed by.
“You remember that one fancy restaurant Rey took me to? The one with tiny sandwiches and cakes??”
“Every fancy restaurant has those, Jintaro.”
“They do?? Whatever! That one was so good I need to take you there!” His eyes gleamed in excitement. “You’re so gonna love the stuff they have!”
“Sounds exciting.” Cion let out an exhale, a soft smile forming on his face. He’d hate to break Jintaro’s enthusiasm with the knowledge that illuvista had already dined there once, and plus it was nice to know that his boyfriend still thought of him even while enjoying a new experience.
“Oh, it’s right there!” Jintaro excitedly pointed ahead, and the driver parked accordingly in front of a vintage looking place. Cion slowly began to recognize the area once he exited the taxi, memories from that dinner pouring back one by one as he took in his surroundings.
“Have a good evening, lads!” The driver took off as Jintaro said his last thanks. The neon-haired then turned to his boyfriend and reached out his hand, his lips curled into a smirk not unlike that of the male leads in the romance books he read.
“Ready, Marumegane?”
Cion smiled back as he took in the grasp. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
And just like that, the couple walked hand in hand inside, about to enjoy the greatest date of their lives-
“Do you have reservations here, sir?”
“Eh?” Jintaro seemed confused by the question. “I thought we could just walk in?”
“No, you need to reserve a table for this restaurant.”
“EHH??? But I just walked in with Rey the last time!!”
“Maybe Rey made the reservations for you beforehand…” Cion added, concern evident in his voice.
“Then, uhhhh… do you have any open seats for us?”
“I’m sorry, we’re fully booked for tonight.”
“OH COME ON!!!” Jintaro screamed, probably loud enough for even the chefs to hear. “WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU’RE FULLY BOOKED???”
“Be quiet, Jintaro…”
“THERE! There’s an empty table over there! Can we get that one please???”
“That one’s also reserved, unfortunately…”
“But those people aren’t here yet!”
“Jintaro, calm down!” Cion interjected, himself coming between his agitated boyfriend and the confused waitress. He then turned to the poor woman, who was already in position to call security. “Thank you for informing us about the reservations. This is only a misunderstanding and we apologize for our indecency. We’ll be leaving now.”
“But, Marumegane-”
“Let’s go, Jintaro.”
He then grabbed his boyfriend’s arm and quickly exited, making sure to get quite a distance away from the restaurant before stopping. As though that debacle earlier wasn’t bad enough, Jintaro was quiet throughout the whole walk. One could probably tell it was bad when the resident loudmouth failed to even say a word.
Awkward as it was, Cion figured to just say something, anything to alleviate this tension between them.
“Hey…”
“This is unfair.” The guy finally spoke, his voice shaking. “This is so unfair.”
“Jintaro…”
“Damn it, I ruined it!” The neon-haired wiped his tears away, face red in both anger and embarrassment. “I’m so sorry, Marumegane! I’m sorry I can’t even give you a fancy dinner for our date!”
“Hey, hey, it’s okay.” Cion held his boyfriend’s shoulder, grounding him to reality. “We can just eat somewhere else.”
“But where?? I know nothing about this area!!”
“Then I can search it up.” Cion pulled out his phone and went immediately to the map. His heart broke at the sight of Jintaro’s distress, and yes, he was mildly disappointed that their date didn’t go according to plan. But he knew to keep calm and stay rational, lest he’d just make this night worse for the both of them.
“There’s a pizza place down the street. We can go there.”
“Eh?” Jintaro looked up once he finished rubbing his eyes, utterly confused. “But that’s not fancy.”
“I don’t need to eat fancy.”
“But I thought you wanted it?!”
“I agreed to it. Well, I agreed ’cause I thought you were joking, but that’s not what matters right now.” He then cupped Jintaro’s face in his hands, his thumb wiping away the last of his boyfriend’s tears. “I love that you care enough to try and give me the best Valentine’s date ever. And yeah, it sucks when plans don’t go your way, but there are plenty of other things we can do together. Fancy or not, it’ll always be romantic when I’m with you.”
Jintaro gasped, his eyes glistening with tears once again. “Marumeganeeeeeeee!” He immediately went in for a hug, bawling his eyes out while his calm boyfriend rubbed his back in a soothing motion.
“There, there.” Cion whispered, smiling softly. He really meant it when he said he didn’t need anything fancy; in fact, getting to experience intimate moments like this together was already more than enough.
“Thanks, Marumegane.” Jintaro rubbed the tears with the back of his hand, his smile returning even with a small sniffle. “Woo! I’m hungry already! I’ll race you to that pizza place!”
“Wait, you don’t even know the address!”
Now Cion found himself chasing after his boyfriend, trying to hold back his laughter along the way. That was when he knew it would be a night to remember.
🤍💛
Kazu stirred. He’d normally fall back to sleep if not for the inexplicably empty spot next to him.
Huh? Where’s Cuc?
They were having a sleepover that night, a cozy night in for the two’s first ever Valentine’s Day together. After a day full of adventure at the amusement park, filled with carnival foods, wild rides, and game competitions, the boys decided to end the night with something a bit more mellow. Who could blame them, though, for they’d already spent all their energy on running around a huge park and, in Kazu’s case, holding everything inside their stomachs after back-to-back rollercoaster rides.
Maybe he’s having a midnight snack. Kazu thought to himself, chuckling at the mental image of Cuc sneaking through his fridge even after stuffing himself full with deep-fried food. His boyfriend was silly in the best way possible, always managing to bring a smile to his face even with the dumbest stunt imaginable. His ice-cold heart was melted away by the pure radiance that was Cuc, and from then he found himself yearning for more of that joyful energy in his life.
Since he’d already giggled himself awake, what would be a better thing to do than catching his boyfriend in the act? Making his way out of the bed, Kazu stumbled outside of his bedroom, his groggy eyes squinting to get used to even the dim lights outside. Speaking of, the living room was strangely dark save for a single lamp in the corner, making him wonder how his boyfriend could even navigate an unfamiliar space without bumping into things and waking him up.
As he got near the couch, he expected to see Cuc munching on some leftovers.
But no, his boyfriend was curling up on the couch and crying.
“Cuc…?”
“Ah!” Cuc jumped at the call of his name, frantically wiping his tears as he turned around. “Kazu! Sorry!”
“Is everything okay??”
“Yep! Cuc’s fine!” Yet his voice shook. “Did Cuc wake Kazu? Sorry!”
“What’s going on?” Kazu asked again, concern washed over his face.
“Nothing! Nothing at all!” The blonde sniffled, forcing a smile on his reddened face. “Sorry! Cuc go back to bed now!”
“No, stay there.” Kazu raised his hand towards his boyfriend, who could only stare in confusion. “I’ll be right back.”
With that, he dashed to his bedroom as fast as he could, the hallway now fully lit so he wouldn’t trip on anything along the way. Good thing he still had the incentive to do so, for he got so worried he couldn’t even maintain a normal running pace. Why was Cuc, his ever so jovial and carefree boyfriend, suddenly crying in the middle of the night? How much sadness had he gone through for the past couple of days that went unnoticed, especially by the one person he’d so fondly called his one true love? Whatever it was, the guilt could be left for later; it wasn’t about him at the moment.
Mentally apologizing for disturbing his older brother, he quickly grabbed his blanket and headed downstairs, where he found Cuc thankfully still by the couch and not running off somewhere.
“Kazu?”
“Here, sit down.” Kazu gestured to the blonde, his arms still trying to lift the blanket off the ground. Uneasy as he was, Cuc slowly made his way to the couch by the white-haired’s side, whereupon the blanket was draped over him in the gentlest way possible.
“Huh?”
“Is this comfortable?”
“What’s going on?”
“I… know you’re sad about something.” Kazu started, his voice small. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, it’s totally fine. I just don’t want you to suppress it and try to put on a happy front. It’s okay to let it out, and I’ll always be here for you if you need me.”
Cuc stared at him with wide eyes, those emerald green that were once sparkly and now red and puffy. His lips curled into a frown as all his sorrows seemingly came crashing down on him, and one by one tears began to run down his cheeks and land on the fabric of his sleepwear. Hiding his face behind the thick yellow blanket, he let all his emotions consume him, his sobs and hiccups muffled by the darkness enclosing his small, vulnerable body.
Kazu could only stare with sad eyes. He didn’t know whether to initiate contact, to try comforting the blonde, or to even say anything at all. His heart broke at the sight of his beloved’s distress, wanting nothing more than to just take all that pain away and bury it somewhere neither of them can trace back. But since it wasn’t possible, he didn’t know what he should do at all.
Maybe he should just leave Cuc to his own devices, give him time to collect himself and let out his sorrows.
But a voice in his mind forced him to stay, to at least try to make things easier.
“May I… give you a hug?” He struggled to get the words out, yet his partner didn’t even look up from the blanket. Thinking it was his cue to leave, Kazu prepared himself accordingly, only for Cuc to suddenly lean onto him without saying a word.
“Cuc…?”
The blonde nuzzled his messy bedhead into Kazu’s neck, breaking the boy out of his shock and giving him the wits to read his cue. And being an understanding boyfriend he was, Kazu wrapped his arms around Cuc’s body, taking in the warmth of his breath and rocking him back and forth as gently as he could.
They stayed like this for a while, quiet and serene as the weeping slowly died down. Kazu didn’t dare move a muscle, his arms steadily still like he was holding a porcelain doll; and only when Cuc stirred in his grasp did he begin to loosen up.
“You good?” He asked, only to be met with wide-eyes staring at him without a word. He remained patient still, his voice soft and low. “Whenever you’re ready, Cuc.”
“...Cuc misses Nguyen.”
“Eh?” The response startled Kazu, then he realized what had happened. “Oh, I didn’t mean you have to tell me what’s going on! I meant-”
“It’s okay.” Cuc looked down. “Cuc wants to let it out.”
Kazu nodded silently. He did say that Cuc should let it out, after all.
“Okay…” Cuc continued, taking a deep, shaky breath. “Cuc saw Nguyen in dream. Nguyen was happy, Cuc was happy too. Then Cuc wakes up to reality. Nguyen is still gone.”
“Oh…” It was the only thing Kazu could mutter. He had no idea what else to say without sounding insensitive, the most he could think of was an all too common apology. “I’m… so sorry to hear that.”
“Don’t say sorry. Not Kazu’s fault.” The blonde sniffled, wiping his face with the back of his hand. “Kazu did nothing wrong. Kazu made Cuc happy. Very happy on Valentine’s Day. Cuc… was the one being sad. Cuc sorry.”
“Hey, it’s okay. There’s nothing wrong with missing your loved ones, even if you were having a great day earlier. I guess sometimes it just… happens.” Kazu winced internally, hating the way he was talking about grief like he was some kind of expert. He’d had the fortune of not having to experience any kind of loss in his life, so there was no reason for him to touch on this topic as if he knew any better.
Still, the blonde looked at him attentively, giving him more confidence that he was saying something right after all.
“And… I don’t think being sad is a bad thing either.” The white-haired continued. “If you’re sad when you miss Nguyen, it really shows how much he means to you. In a way, you’re keeping him alive in your memories, and I think it’s a really beautiful way to honor him.”
Then he stopped, a million questions running in his mind at once. He wondered if he’d said the right thing or if he’d been acting like a know-it-all, even worse if he’d accidentally offended both Cuc and Nguyen during that attempt of a comfort talk earlier. All that anxiety soon disappeared when Cuc leaned onto him once again, this time with open arms that enclosed him into a hug.
“Thank you, Kazu.” The blonde choked. “Thank you so much.”
Rubbing a hand against his back, Kazu smiled. “It’s alright. I’ll always be here for you.”
He knew he could never take Cuc pain away, his heart ached to know how long grief can persist throughout one’s life. Even then, he’d do anything to at least try to alleviate that pain, to help his beloved find peace within the sadness he’d be stuck with for the rest of his life. From the way Cuc was holding onto him, the way his body relaxed and his breath steadied, it seemed like he’d at least done a decent job.
He hoped he could take care of Cuc just like the way Nguyen would’ve wanted.
“Alright, it’s getting late. Wanna go back to bed?”
“...Cuc can’t sleep.”
“That’s okay. Wanna watch a movie instead?”
“Van!” Cuc’s eyes lit up, a huge grin formed on his face. It prompted a smile out of Kazu, too; his heart warmed seeing how much he was able to brighten up his boyfriend and get him back to his usual happy self. Maybe someday he’d get Cuc to open up about Nguyen, to immortalize his best friend through his cherished memories and fun stories, but that could wait until the blonde was ready to do so.
Right now, a comedy was the only thing on their minds. They had all the time in the world to sleep in on a Saturday, so might as well spend the night away.
💜💜
“Here, is this what you need?”
“...You know there’s a difference between baking powder and baking soda, right?”
Rey groaned, looking more like a sulking toddler than the heir to a huge corporation. “Why would there be a difference if they serve the same purpose?”
“They’re made up of different things and cannot be substituted for each other.”
“Ho? How so?”
Sakuya sighed. This whole thing was giving him flashbacks of his little brothers bombarding him with questions, most of which much too specialized for him to comprehend. Not that he found the rich guy’s curiosity annoying, though; it was rather cute when he was clueless about the more mundane things in life.
“I’ll explain later.” He brushed off the question, using the classic excuse learned from his mother. “Just put this back and get baking soda.”
“Who are you to order me around, Charao?” Rey huffed, yet he did what he was told anyway. Sakuya watched over his dumb boyfriend like a hawk, half-hoping that the guy had enough common sense in him to just read the label.
“Is it this one? It says ‘baking soda’ here.”
“Thank you!” The magenta-haired exclaimed, placing the packet inside his shopping cart. “And here I thought you forgot how to read.”
“Don’t you dare underestimate my skills, Charao!”
“How the hell do you mistake baking powder and baking soda, Bocchan?”
“Well it is not my fault they were named so similarly, Charao!”
“Okay, okay, we’ll settle this later!” Sakuya waved his hand over his face, already embarrassed by questioning looks from the other shoppers. “Let’s just move on, shall we?”
“Hmph. I did not know you are the type to back down from an argument in such a cowardly manner.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” He rolled his eyes. Really, one must wonder what had given him the idea to bring a sheltered rich guy to a regular supermarket, an experience which quite frankly had given him more culture shock than travelling to a foreign country. At the same time, though, it was entertaining to witness his partner wrap his mind around the various concepts that he had been so used to in his daily life; he just found that confusion so adorable for some reason.
Plus, it was the rich guy’s idea to tag along. If the young master had pompously claimed to have ‘wanted to expand his knowledge on the working class of their economy’, then so be it.
“Right, now we need some sugar,” said Sakuya as he read through his shopping list, “so we go this way.”
“Ho? How come you manage to navigate this supermarket so well?”
“I’ve been here all the time, Bocchan. And there are signs everywhere.”
“Oh…”
“Heh. You’d probably get lost in a supermarket without me.”
“This place is like a labyrinth, Charao! All that I see are identical-looking shelves and packages!” Rey put a hand on his chest dramatically, then his attention was diverted by an item catching his eyes. “Oh, the sugar is here.”
The purple-haired then grabbed a packet and put it inside the shopping cart. This proactiveness was not rewarded with any praise, however, for his partner only looked between the package in the cart and the one he was holding in visible confusion.
“What did you put in here?” He picked it up, then his eyes darted to the price tag. “Bocchan, this one’s too expensive.”
“It is not that big of a difference.”
“It really is.” Sakuya put the two packages side by side. “It’s only more expensive by a few hundred yen but it’s so much smaller. That means we’ll be charged more for buying less. Shouldn’t you know that it’s not worth it?”
“If it is more expensive, it is of better quality, no?”
“Clothing? Yes. But definitely not sugar. They probably taste the same anyways, so why waste more money?”
The magenta-haired then put the smaller package back to where it belonged, sensing his rival’s eyes on him even during his brief walk to the shelf. Those silver eyes gleamed in fascination, causing an involuntary chuckle to escape his mouth.
“What is so amusing, Charao?”
“I’m sorry…” Sakuya didn’t bother holding in his laughter anymore. “You look like a toddler going shopping for the first time right now.”
“Excuse me???”
———
“Okay, now what we need is spinach.” Sakuya looked to the vegetable aisle, scanning carefully for which package to take. Rey, meanwhile, didn’t seem to think twice before putting one in the shopping cart.
“What the-” His partner picked up the package again. “We can’t have this.”
“Why not? That is the cheapest package and it has a lot of spinach.”
“No, look here.” The magenta-haired pointed at a leaf, thankfully visible through the clear plastic. “The leaves are all withered. We have to pay attention to that as well.”
“Wait…” This revelation threw Rey into a loop. “So we go for the more expensive one now?”
“No, we go for the freshest option. Same rule goes to any kind of raw meat and vegetables.”
“But what about sugar?”
“Those are already processed. In that case the quality is pretty much uniform.” Sakuya explained calmly, though one look at his rival had him mildly frustrated. “…You still don’t understand what I’m saying right now, do you?”
“I am beyond confused.”
Sakuya sighed. “Well, it’s not like you’re going back here on your own anytime soon… But you get to learn something new, I guess.”
“I must admit that I admire your analytical skill.” Rey started, seemingly out of nowhere in his partner’s perspective. “You know how to put your thought in everything you are willing to expense, and that is a valuable asset to remain financially stable.”
“Hehe, thanks.” Sakuya coily played with his hair. “I just happen to go shopping a lot with my mom, so-”
“You are not as much of a cheapskate as I thought, after all.”
“Oi!!”
———
“Finish the list for me, Bocchan.”
“What-”
“There’s a beef sale going on over there.” Sakuya eyed the aisle intently. He could see similar looks from the corner of his eye, looks of absolute bloodthirst over this precious grocery item.
“What is going on?”
“I’ll try to get steak for our dinner. In the meantime go through the rest of the list for me.” The flashy guy then turned to his partner with a smirk. “I trust that you remember my lessons, no?”
Clutching the notepad in his hand, Rey returned the gaze with much determination. “I will not let you down, Charao.”
“That’s the spirit!”
It was the last thing he heard before Sakuya dashed towards the meat aisle, disappearing alongside equally desperate shoppers. Rey took that as his cue to quickly exit the scene, not wanting to face the brunt of their wrath any time soon.
Saying that the purple-haired was still confused by the endless guidelines on grocery shopping would be a massive understatement. Never in his life had he felt so indecisive, constantly second-guessing himself any time he stumbled upon different variations of the same product he (more like Sakuya) needed to buy. He’d had finance education in youth, obviously; it was vital knowledge to manage a large company under his name after all. But he’d never imagined having to use it for a purpose as mundane as buying food, let alone doing so for every single day.
So why did he even bother to buy groceries himself, one may ask? Well, the day was Valentine’s Day and the charlatan had the brilliant idea of making their own fancy dinner. Surely Rey had enough money to just book an entire restaurant and call it a day, but somehow that wouldn’t be intimate enough by his partner’s standard. Cooking together had always been, in Sakuya’s words, a good way to strengthen any relationships, and admittedly he’d agreed to the plan just as a way to test that claim.
And boy was the flashy guy correct. Even when they hadn’t even gotten to the cooking part yet, Rey got to witness how much care his partner put into each and every element of their dinner, feeling as if he was falling in love with his kind and considerate nature over again. Despite all that banter they had earlier, Sakuya had nothing but patience towards his clueless partner, even having enough trust in him to complete this grocery list without his assistance. And Rey himself was nothing but reliable, putting that trust to heart and finishing his mission as best as he could.
He managed to gather everything from the list much faster than he’d thought, but not without one too many instances of self-doubt and second-guessing. But a finished list was better than nothing at all, and with nothing left to find he went over the items one last time.
Hm. Everything looks good-
“Hey…”
Rey nearly jumped at the voice, not helped by a sensation of touch on his shoulder. Thankfully it was just Sakuya, but the way he looked like he came straight out of a war zone did not make it any less concerning.
“Wha- What happened???”
“I got the goods…” Sakuya tried to catch his breath, a triumphant smile forming on his face as he raised a packet of fresh red meat. “We’re eating good steak tonight.”
“Charao-”
“Ah, you got everything already!” The magenta-haired scanned through the items in the shopping cart, completely ignoring his partner’s concern. “Looks good, Bocchan! Let’s check out now!”
Then he happily pushed the cart forward, leaving a dumbfounded Rey with no choice but to set the subject aside. Still, the purple-haired was amazed by how dedicated Sakuya had always been when it comes to cooking, his passion for the craft must’ve rivaled that of his idol career or perhaps even more.
Either way, he couldn’t wait to get to work in the kitchen.
💙🤍
“The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?”
“...What?”
Lion cringed internally, not helped by the questioning look coming from Issei. He could’ve just stayed silent for their entire walk, either taking in the scenery or letting his boyfriend talk his ear off, but instead he chose to be an idiot and threw in an uncharacteristically cheesy line. All because an annoying brat told him he wasn’t interesting enough in his relationship.
“You have to be more intimate!” Auguri said. “Watch some romance!” He said.
But why did he even care? Why would Lion, the so-called charismatic white tiger, even bother thinking about a minor remark from some brat who didn’t know any better? As much as he hated it, that comment actually hurt. It just made him rethink about the nature of his relationship with Issei, especially when it comes to being proactive and expressing affections. He had never been the type to do such things, having been through a fair share of life experience that drained the emotions out of him, but that didn’t excuse how unfairly their relationship is skewing to his favor. For a guy who loved annoying him at any chance he got, Issei was surprisingly patient, staying by his side all the way from childhood to adulthood even no matter how many times he’d selfishly tried to push the guy away.
Lion thought he needed to do better, to give back everything he’d so freely received from his childhood-friend-turned-partner. And for that he’d dressed up, bought flowers, taken Issei to a fancy restaurant and then to a stroll along a quiet, moonlit park.
Which brought them here, to the very moment Lion tried and failed to do a pickup line.
“I said, the moon was beauti-”
“No, no. I heard yer the first time.” Issei pointed. “I’m questionin’ why yer throwin’ this line at me?”
“You don’t like it?”
“I don’t mind. A bit clichéd, but there was an attempt.” The navy-haired shrugged, but soon turned to his boyfriend with a smirk. “What’s with the red face? Did the wine get into yer system or are ya finally lovestruck by how perfect I am?”
Lion rolled his eyes. If pickup lines couldn’t even stop the teasing from his annoying boyfriend, then he didn’t know what else could. Left with nothing else to say, he mentally cursed himself for blocking his own path like that.
“Yer strange today.”
“Huh?”
“Since when did ya initiate a date? Even with flowers and everythin’.” Issei toyed with the item in question, a bouquet of blue roses deep as the color of his eyes. “I thought the only time yer get excited in our relationship is in the bed-”
“Shut up. I’m not that kind of person.” Lion clicked his tongue, though he felt that remark stung for some reason. “What’s wrong with wanting something special for our first Valentine’s?”
“Nothin’. I just never thought ya’d care for that sort of stuff.”
Lion went quiet. He didn’t like how awkward their conversation had turned out, not helped by the additional guilt forming from Issei’s words. He tried to brush off the feeling, however, internally blaming the alcohol for making him such a mess all of a sudden.
Luckily Issei was able to notice his distress; the guy did call himself a “perfect human” for a reason.
“I like everything yer did, though.” He started, snapping Lion out of his downward spiral. “The food is nice, the park is quiet, and I quite like the flowers. I just wish yer let me leave them at home ’coz my hands are freezing!”
“Shouldn’t you be wearing gloves in this weather?”
“I forgot, okay?”
“Hmph. Didn’t know a perfect human can forget something so simple.”
“Shut up!” Issei gave his boyfriend a light smack, causing a small chuckle to escape his mouth. At the same time, though, Lion saw how the navy-haired had to switch his bouquet-holding hand every now and then, frantically putting the free one into his coat pocket whenever he did so. Logically, he could choose to give up his own gloves or offer to hold the flowers, but something in him (probably the alcohol) had a different plan entirely.
Lion waited until a bench was within reach, and once there he abruptly stopped. He took away the flowers and placed them down before Issei even got to question what was happening, his gloved hands immediately reaching for his boyfriend’s now free ones. The navy-haired could only let out a breath as he stared intently into Lion’s eyes, no word dared to escape his mouth in fear of ruining this confusing yet strangely intimate moment.
This is it. Lion thought to himself. There’s no turning back now.
Slowly raising the cold, bare hands of his boyfriend near his face, Lion exhaled a long breath. He could feel the way Issei trembled at the touch, as though the heat was enough to send a tingling sensation from the tips of his fingers to the rest of his body. He didn’t have time to wonder if that was warm enough before the navy-haired retracted his hands, using those to instead cover his increasingly red face.
“Wha- What was that for????”
“Your hands are cold.”
“Then give me yer gloves or somethin’!” Issei turned away, his face now even more flushed than it had been from a few glasses of wine.
“Oh…” Damn it, I should’ve done that.
Their eyes met each other again, all that teasing and confident energy in them was quickly replaced by shyness. Lion knew that the move was sudden, that he should’ve gone with what the rational side of him had said just to avoid all this trouble; but damn was Issei cute when he got flustered. Part of him enjoyed the sight more than he should have, and realizing that was enough to snap him back to his senses.
“Here, have these.” He handed out his gloves. “Take them now or my hands are gonna freeze too.”
Issei did accordingly, slipping on the pair a few sizes too big while his eyes remained averted from his boyfriend’s. At this point Lion could no longer tell if Issei liked what he did or not, his stomach twisting at the thought of potentially ruining their date. And it was just not any date, it was one that was on Valentine’s Day. Great.
Perhaps he should just end this pathetic attempt at romance right now.
“We should get going.”
“Yer okay?”
“Like I said, it’s cold.” Lion replied, clearly trying to maintain his composure. “Let’s go back to the car.”
“Now that yer said it, it is cold.” Issei rubbed his hands together, letting out a breath that turned white upon contact with this February weather. “Oh man, I’m freezin’ right now.”
“Then we should be quick.”
“Nnnngh, so cold…” He held onto his shaking body, though the movement seemed… exaggerated, for some reason. His lips even curled together into a pout, not unlike that of a toddler demanding attention.
Lion blinked, once, twice, then let out an exhale. He wordlessly made his way behind his boyfriend and opened his coat jacket, enclosing his arms alongside the extra layer around the navy-haired’s smaller, shivering frame. “There. Happy?”
“That’s better.” Issei smirked, earning himself an eye roll from Lion. “Yer can read my cues already.”
“You’re wasting time.”
“Why? What’s wrong with bein’ close with my lovely boyfriend for a lil longer?”
Lion’s heart skipped a beat, an involuntary gasp escaped his mouth. If that wasn’t bad enough, his boyfriend squirmed in his grasp and turned around, now face to face with him in his increasingly flustered state.
“Like what yer see?”
“Huh-”
“I like what I see right now.” The navy-haired put on a smug tone. “The charismatic idol Yukitora Lion bein’ embarrassed like a highschool girl. Now that’s a rare sight.”
“Oi.”
“But ya know what’s rarer? Getting yer to pull that soap opera trick on me. And I didn’t even ask for it!” He laughed as his hand found its way to poke at Lion’s cheek, much to the latter’s chagrin. “Since when did yer get so cheesy?”
Lion clicked his tongue, avoiding his boyfriend’s gaze entirely. “I just want to try something special for Valentine’s Day. What’s wrong with that?” He mumbled.
“So rushin’ in to breathe on my cold hands was part of the plan too?”
“...”
“Yer adorable.” Issei smiled, his hand now directing Lion’s gaze back to him. “It’s cute how yer tried to be romantic. Well, maybe a bit too hard, but yer tried nonetheless.”
“Do you not like it?”
“Of course I do! It got yer embarrassed and all!” The navy-haired chuckled. He still had the reflex to hold onto his boyfriend’s face, though, even before the guy got to turn away to sulk again. “But that doesn’t mean I need it all the time, and especially not if ya have to force yerself to it. That would just defeat the purpose of romance, wouldn’t it?
“I know this line’s been overdone already, but I love yer just the way ya are.” His thumb traced over Lion’s face, its movement soothing. “Isn’t that why I stayed by yer side for so long? I wouldn’t have been here if I’d asked for more.”
Lion looked down, pale eyes locking with sapphire ones. Nothing else seemed to exist other than him and Issei; no more and certainly no less. He knew he had a long way to go in terms of his emotional issues, but the much-needed reassurance that he was enough had already given him hope for the better. Strange of him to feel that way, really, but the thought was enough to warm him to his core.
Or maybe that was just Issei rubbing his face on his chest.
“What are you doing?”
“My face is freezin’.”
“Go to the car then.”
“Mmmm, yer chest is warmer.”