Work Text:
Len had been standing in the same spot for over fifteen minutes now.
He shook his left feet, then his right one, trying to warm them up from the cold. He took his phone out, and huffed when he saw the time was still the same as when he’d last checked–3:57 pm. He hoped Kaito would be right on time, thus leaving only three more minutes for him to wait, but he knew it was unlikely. Knowing him, he’d be a little late, and a little apologetic about it. Still, Len had chosen to show up twenty minutes early to their meeting spot. Just in case.
He tended to be punctual, but this was probably too much, even for him. The truth was, he’d finished getting ready, and had decided to leave the house immediately, unable to take staying home and stewing in his own anxiety. It had seemed like the smart thing to do at the time, but in the end, he wound up feeling just as anxious all while freezing his ass off.
He regretted not having Rin around to dump all of his thoughts on. She’d helped him get ready and had only made fun of him a little bit when he began to spiral, convinced he was marching to his doom, but she had her own plans with Karin that day, so she eventually had to go, leaving him with an encouraging grin and a thumbs up.
Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice call out his name, and he felt his stomach drop all the way to the ground as he turned around and saw Kaito, waving at him as he crossed the street to join him.
“Hey, Len! Sorry I’m a bit late, I couldn’t find my scarf, and–”
“Watch out!”
He only had the time to yell those two words, before Kaito jumped back, a car speeding past where he’d been just a second prior. The driver pulled down his car window to flip him off, screaming out a “Watch where you’re fucking going, dumbass!” before disappearing down the road.
All prior anxieties forgotten, Len looked both ways before crossing the street, grabbing Kaito by his coat, and dragging him over to the safety of the sidewalk.
“Geez, that guy was really–” Kaito tried to say, before Len interrupted him.
“Idiot! You could have gotten killed! Don’t scare me like that again, okay?” he spat out, frowning up at Kaito.
Kaito looked to the side, his cheeks reddening slightly from embarrassment.
“Sorry… I just got really excited when I saw you, and I forgot to watch out for cars…” He gave Len a sheepish smile.
Len tried not feel too affected by Kaito’s words, but it was hard to stay mad at him. He crossed his arms, and sighed.
“Well, whatever. We should just go. I can barely feel my fingers anymore from the cold.”
Kaito tilted his head questioningly. “Oh? How long have you been waiting?”
“N-Not that long! It’s just cold, y’know…” Len sputtered. If he told Kaito how long he’d been there, he would either be teased or Kaito would feel guilty, neither of which he wanted to happen.
“Well, if it’s just that…” Kaito said, getting closer. He reached into Len’s pocket, finding his hand, and began to hold it. “Here we go. Now we can head to the market!”
He smiled and started walking, taking Len along with him, who didn’t answer. He simply walked alongside Kaito, feeling his fingers slowly warming up.
—
When they got to the Christmas market, Len felt relieved to see that while a lot of people were in attendance, it wasn’t overly crowded to the point of ruining their outing. He turned to Kaito, trying to gauge his reaction, and felt even better seeing the amazed smile on his face.
The two of them had only been dating for three weeks at this point, and while Len had been harboring a crush for an embarrassing amount of time, he’d still felt worried that he wouldn’t know Kaito’s tastes well enough to take him on a good first proper date. He did know that winter was Kaito’s favorite season, though, and figured that the Christmas market happening in town for the holidays was the best place to go. He himself preferred spring and more moderate temperatures, but he couldn’t deny the appeal of the Christmas season. It was also pretty romantic. It was obviously too soon for them to go on an actual Christmas date, but this was close enough without Len feeling like he would be coming on too strong.
Kaito tugged on his sleeve, pointing at one of the stalls.
“Look! They have pretzels!” he said excitedly.
“Do you wanna buy some?” Len asked, and Kaito nodded, dragging him over to the stall.
They ordered and payed, then found a spot to eat without being in anyone’s way. Len had to admit the pretzels were pretty good. He turned to Kaito, who seemed to be savoring each bite as if it was a rare delicacy.
“You like it that much?” he asked, munching on his own pretzel.
“It’s really good, I’d never had one before,” Kaito answered simply. Len looked at him a bit longer, smiling, then went to throw his paper towel in the trash. Kaito’s love of food was very endearing to him. When he got back, Kaito was done eating.
“What do you wanna do now?” Kaito asked him, wiping his hands before shoving his paper towel in his pocket. “They have lots of cool stalls, so I was thinking we could walk around for a bit, but I don’t know if you had anything else in mind?”
“Nah, let’s take a look around,” Len agreed, then felt slightly disappointed when Kaito didn’t take his hand again as they headed to the closest stall. If he wanted to hold Kaito’s hand, he would unfortunately have to work up the courage to do it himself, it seemed.
—
After a thorough look at every single stall, Len’s hand was still tragically empty. Every time it seemed like he was about to take Kaito’s hand, he’d move away, or someone would bump into him, and he’d have to build his confidence back up to try again.
In the meantime, Kaito had bought quite a few things, easily tempted by the colorful Christmas decor and kind vendors. He was wearing a new scarf, covered in typical Christmas-themed patterns–snowflakes, reindeers, the works–and sporting a Santa hat with built-in lights. In a bag, he had a snowglobe, gingerbread men, and hand-knitted socks. Len himself had only bought artisanal nougat, and some candles for his mom. Rin had asked if he could bring back a snack for her, and he figured he could share the nougat.
“Hmm…” he heard Kaito say, taking him out of his thoughts. “Is that Miku over there?”
Len looked at where Kaito was pointing, and sure enough, there Miku was. It was a stall they’d passed by earlier, but Miku hadn’t been there at the time. She noticed them staring and waved them over.
“Hey Miku! Merry Christmas!” Kaito said cheerfully to greet her. Len repeated the sentiment in a quieter voice, smiling at the girl.
“Merry Christmas you two!” she replied, grinning. “Looks like you guys are enjoying the festivities, huh?”
She was pointing at Kaito’s bag of goods, and he laughed.
“Well, when else am I gonna find stuff like this?” he defended himself good-naturedly.
The two began having a lively discussion about the various products sold at the market as Miku served the people in line. The stall was simple, offering different drinks to thirsty visitors. Most people got themselves some hot cider, and Miku offered some to Len and Kaito once the crowd had subsided.
“No drinks on the house,” said a dry voice from behind Len as he was about to accept, making him jump. He turned around and a tired looking woman was there, glaring at Miku.
“Aw, come on Teto, these two are my friends from school!” Miku protested, and Len felt somewhat touched to be included. He’d only come to know Miku through Kaito when they very recently started dating, but the girl was so nice and welcoming that it felt like they’d been friends for way longer.
“I’ll take it out of your pay,” the woman–Teto–grumbled as she got on the vendor side of the stall. “You can go take a break, by the way.”
Miku pouted. “Sorry guys. Teto is so stingy!”
“Ah, it’s fine, we’ll just pay!” Len told her awkwardly, handing her the money.
Teto nodded approvingly, and gave Len a smile that bordered on a grimace. “You’re a good kid. Now take Miku with you before she gives away all of my goods to the next person that walks over.”
Miku stuck her tongue out at her, then took her apron off and joined the two of them on the other side of the stall.
“Well, I’d love to hang out, but I feel like I’d be intruding, so I’ll leave you guys to it!” she said, patting Len on the shoulder. “I’ll stay around here and keep an eye on the Grinch.”
She gave Teto a wry smile, which Teto simply answered with a raised eyebrow, as if to say, “Really?”
“Oh, by the way, have you guys been to the ice rink yet? They installed a temporary one all the way over there,” she pointed out a path on the other side of the market, “I was there earlier and it was a ton of fun!”
Kaito’s eyes sparkled. “There’s an ice rink?” He then turned to Len, looking determined. “We have to go.”
Len gulped. He’d never ice skated before. The closest he’d come to doing something like it was when he’d borrowed Rin’s roller skates in middle school outof curiosity, and that had gone badly. Still, he smiled at Kaito, hoping it wasn’t too wobbly. “Yeah, sure, let’s go.”
They waved Miku goodbye and followed the path she’d showed them, Len’s worry growing with each step they took.
—
“And here’s your ice skates. Enjoy.”
Kaito thanked the employee and handed Len his pair while he sat down to put his on. “Ooh, I’m so excited! I love ice skating!”
Len hummed affirmatively, panicking on the inside. He was almost guaranteed to fall flat on his ass as soon as they would step foot on the ice, and he dreaded making a fool of himself like that in front of Kaito. The only way out of this would be to make up an excuse not to do it, but that was guaranteed to disappoint Kaito, which would be even worse. He took a deep breath, then began to put his skates on, desperately trying to shake off his fear. When he was done, he slowly stood up, and walked awkwardly to where Kaito was waiting for him, right at the entryway to the ice rink.
“Ready?” Kaito asked, beaming. Len smiled, feeling slightly better at the sight.
“Y-Yeah,” he answered, and then followed Kaito onto the rink.
He immediately began to panic as the ground became slippery and he held onto the barrier, staring at his feet. He held his breath, carefully moving his legs to avoid falling, and felt a spark of hope when it seemed to work. He gathered the courage to look back up, but Kaito had mysteriously disappeared while he’d been so focused.
“Woah!”
He snapped his head to his side at the sound, and stared mouth agape as he saw Kaito, his legs wobbling, coming right towards him. They crashed together and fell to the ice, Len barely understanding what was happening. When he got his bearings back, he sat up, and pointed an accusatory finger at Kaito.
“What–What the hell was that?!”
“Ow, ow,” Kaito whined, rubbing his lower back. “That was quite the tumble.”
“You said you loved ice skating?” Len asked incredulously. “So what was that?”
“Huh? Oh, I suck at it,” Kaito said, shrugging. “But it feels so magical, you know? I always get bruises everywhere by the end, though, haha.”
Len stared, and stared, Kaito looking at him with a confused expression. Then, he burst out laughing.
“Oh, oh man, I’m so stupid. Of course. I should have guessed!” He kept laughing as he stood back up against the barrier. “You would love something you’re bad at.” He held his hand out to Kaito, who took it, a blush spreading on his face.
“Well, there’s nothing wrong with that, right?” he asked timidly, and Len’s laughter died down.
“Nah,” he said, feeling content. “Nothing wrong with that at all.”
They began to go around the ice rink at a snail’s pace, Kaito turning out to be much, much worse at ice skating than Len could ever dream to be. It felt strange to be the one in control of their pace, as he himself wasn’t confident in his abilities at all, but Kaito’s sheer enjoyment despite the numerous times he fell, taking Len down with him more often than not, was enough to make him feel braver.
—
After a particularly spectacular tumble, they heard a loud cackle ring out, and Len looked around to see Teto, laughing at them from outside the rink, probably on break once again.
Len hadn’t even realized how long they’d been at it, because he’d stopped worrying and was simply having fun. He helped Kaito up, grinning at him.
“She really got a kick out of that one,” he said, nodding towards Teto, who was smoking calmly, seemingly waiting for their next fall.
“She’s a weird lady, but she’s not so bad. I think she used to babysit Miku or something,” Kaito answered conversationally. “S’how she got the Christmas market gig. Teto probably doesn’t need help, but she’s secretly a nice person, so she’s paying Miku for it anyways.”
As he spoke, he waved at Teto, who pretended not to notice. She stomped out her cigarette, then left, a bored look on her face. Len struggled to imagine her watching over a child version of Miku.
The two of them decided Kaito was bruised enough, and left the ice rink, putting their shoes back on before going on one last tour of the market. It wasn’t that late, but night came early in these cold months, so they were able to take in the lights around the stalls in a completely different way.
“Hey.” Kaito suddenly said, stopping them in a little corner away from the bustling crowd.
“Hm?”
“I’m having a lot of fun. Thanks for taking me here today. I love stuff like this, but I get kinda nervous at the idea of going alone... Miku was busy working, so if you hadn’t invited me, I probably would have just stayed home doing nothing all day.”
Len blinked, taking in everything Kaito had just said. Kaito was a pretty carefree guy, so it felt strangely rewarding to hear him be so serious. Still, Len felt himself flush all over. He wasn’t sure how to even respond to such an honest admittance.
“Oh, uh, it’s nothing. I thought it would be nice for our first date to be, um, something like this. If anything, I’m the one who was nervous, haha. I was scared to even try to hold your hand.”
Kaito made a strange face, and Len worried he’d said something wrong, but Kaito eventually gave him a small smile.
“You really don’t give yourself enough credit. I mean, you’re the one who asked me on a date while I just waited for something to happen like an idiot. And, you’re the reason we’re even together to begin with,” he said softly, squeezing Len’s hand in his. “So I think you’re fine.”
What Kaito said was true. Len had eventually worked up the nerve to confess, with a lot of help and encouragement from Rin and her girlfriend–Karin had even teasingly suggested that they could go on some “totally bomb double dates!” if he were to succeed. He’d waited until both he and Kaito were on class clean-up duty, and he’d blurted it out, barely audible, in the empty silence of the classroom. Kaito had looked shocked, but he’d accepted his feelings with a pleased smile, announcing that he’d also had a crush on him for some time.
It had been difficult for Len to believe that Kaito would take interest in him that way. For a while, he’d even wondered if Kaito and Miku were an item. He and Kaito had never really talked until that day. He would just admire him from afar, for how handsome he looked, and how kind and sociable he was. It had seemed to Len that, compared to Kaito, he didn’t have much to offer, so it had been important to him that their first date was memorable and made him look good in Kaito’s eyes. And it looked like he’d succeeded.
—
They walked home at a slow pace, enjoying the last of their time together before they would have to go their separate ways. Kaito lived a bit further away and had to take the bus, so Len decided to walk him to his stop before turning back and going his own way home.
When they got there, night was well and truly there, the streetlights shining an orange glow on their surroundings. No one else was at the bus stop.
Despite how comfortable he’d been feeling up to that point, Len was suddenly back to feeling antsy, not sure when to leave, and if he should do something before he did. Even though they’d been dating for a few weeks, they still hadn’t kissed, and Len had no idea how to bring up the subject without coming off as needy or weird. He wasn’t sure how experienced Kaito was with relationships, but he himself had never kissed or dated anyone.
He heard Kaito exhale deeply from where he was sitting next to him on the bus bench, and turned to ask what was on his mind. He couldn’t help but let his gaze be drawn to his lips, from which white puffs of air were escaping.
“I think,” Kaito began saying, shifting in his seat, “that the best way to end this date would be if we kissed each other.”
He said it really fast, like he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to get it all out otherwise, and Len was once again struck with the realization that Kaito was probably just as nervous as he was. He took a deep breath.
“Yeah. I agree.”
They both stayed silent for a bit, mulling the idea over, until Len bit the bullet and put his hand on Kaito’s shoulder.
“Okay, I’m ready. Let’s do it.”
Kaito nodded, and they both faced each other, their faces gradually getting closer. His thoughts going a mile a minute, Len wondered when he was supposed to close his eyes, if he should pucker his lips more or less, if Kaito was going to try to put his tongue in his mouth-oh God, what if he did that? How should he react? But Kaito closed his eyes, and Len simply followed suit, and then they were kissing.
Len had never kissed anyone, so he didn’t have much of a frame of reference, but he felt like the kiss was good. Nothing big, just pressing their lips together softly, going at their own pace. It didn’t last very long, and yet the moment seemed to stretch into infinity in Len’s mind.
They separated, and when he opened his eyes again, he was greeted with the sight of Kaito, his cheeks red, and a beautiful smile on the lips he was just kissing him with. He smiled in return, and suddenly felt compelled to take Kaito in his arms, bringing him into a hug. Kaito laughed, accepting the embrace and patting Len’s back.
“That was nice,” Kaito said, burying his nose in Len’s hair. “Really nice.”
“I like you so much,” Len couldn’t help replying, feeling bolder with his face out of Kaito’s sight. Kaito didn’t answer immediately, but he felt his arms squeeze him tighter, proof of the effect his words had had on him.
“Mhmm,” Kaito mumbled, before kissing the top of his head. “I like you too. Thanks for being my boyfriend.”
Len shivered at that last word, still not completely used to viewing them in that light. He was about to say something else, but was interrupted by the arrival of the bus. They broke apart, and Kaito sat up, gathering his things with a peaceful smile on his face. Len watched as the door of the bus opened, and Kaito walked up to it, before turning around to face him one last time.
“Bye, Len!” he exclaimed happily. “Next time, I’m choosing what we do on our date, okay?”
Len chuckled, and waved his hand lazily. “Looking forward to it. Bye, Kaito.”
Then, Kaito walked onto the bus, and the door closed behind him. Len watched him walk to an unoccupied seat, and the bus began to drive away, leaving him alone at the stop. As soon as it was out of his sight, he sagged into his seat, breathing out a deep sigh of relief. He could feel his face burning, his mind replaying every single moment of their date. It had gone well, exceptionally so. He and Kaito even kissed. He felt giddy, and let out a small giggle, unable to control himself.
He got up and began to walk his way home. It was even colder outside than it had been when he’d been waiting for Kaito to show up, and yet, he felt warm.