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The month of December has always been rocky for Chifuyu since he actually started to care about romantic relationships. His birthday is always fun, Christmas, New Years Eve— all great excuses to hang with his friends and loved ones. However, all of the celebrations also make it painfully obvious to him that he is single.
Especially the older they get, it seems like almost everyone in their friend group is either paired up, or at least finding their own little niche hobby or talent that will be developed into their career. Chifuyu can’t be a pilot— not for lack of trying, past injuries are one hell of a career killer— and the only choice that has seemed to stick with him is tagging along with Baji’s career aspirations.
Business school, hopefully opening his own shop that Baji can operate a private practice out of. There is potentially a lot to look forward to in his future endeavors, but he’s starting to fully believe that he’s going to be permanently single.
There are some pluses that come with that, of course. He can have a roommate that doesn’t require any extra attention or effort, any big choices don’t have to be run by anyone else, and he can do whatever or whoever he might want to while at university.
Mostly, he’s still single because he’s just never met anyone who actually meets his standards. Really, that’s the only reason. Nothing else at all.
Even though he clearly has a stellar personality, and isn’t even the least bit annoying or rude, Chifuyu is still a fresh 18-year-old who has never kissed anyone before.
The most exciting thing to happen to him lately when it comes to personal relationships, romantic or otherwise, is Shuji Hanma somehow managing to weasel himself into Chifuyu’s inner circle over the past couple years.
It started in the stupidest way possible. Chifuyu was grocery shopping, horrified to find that he couldn’t reach a can on the top shelf that he needed. After checking that the aisle was empty, he tried twice to get it, balancing on his tiptoes and stretching as far as he could, but only ever came close enough to brush his fingers against the can, actually managing to push it further back.
He was about to give up when Shuji materialized out of fucking nowhere and grabbed the can off of the shelf with some condescending comment about Chifuyu’s height.
After that, Shuji was just everywhere. Walking the same path home after school even after he graduated, inside Chifuyu’s favorite ramen place around the corner, at the convenience store buying yakisoba, bringing Chifuyu cookies on his birthday.
The fucker claims that it’s because his parents moved into the same area that Chifuyu’s apartment is in, but he still hasn’t invited Chifuyu over, so as far as he knows, even Shuji’s parents could be fake.
But, if it is a lie, it worked. Shuji is lounging on his couch now, legs kicked up over the arm on one side, petting Peke J, who is perched on his chest like a traitor, purring. Chifuyu’s mom is in the kitchen cooking what will be Shuji’s third dinner with them this week, happily chatting about gossip from her most recent work event, and Chifuyu’s on the floor at the table, trying desperately to finish up his last homework assignment before break.
“So,” she starts as she turns off the stove, the rice cooker beeping. “Are your friends having any holiday parties this year? I feel like I used to ground you all of the time for being out past curfew, and I just haven’t had to do that this year.”
“I will take credit for that.” Shuji scratches behind Peke’s ears. “I’ve been such a great influence on him since we started hanging out that he’s totally not a delinquent anymore.” He turns his head to the side to look at Chifuyu, irritating grin lighting up his features.
Chifuyu rolls his eyes, gripping his pen so hard to fight the overwhelming urge to throw it at Shuji’s disgustingly smug face, he’s actually scared it’s going to break.
Humming skeptically, Chifuyu’s mom walks into the room, placing a few dishes on the table before turning to return to the kitchen to retrieve the rest of the food. “I don’t know about that, but I will give you the credit for my rising grocery bills.”
“Ooo, ouch, that one actually hurt.” Shuji acts wounded, sliding a hand under the fat black cat to grab at his heart before laughing along with the joke.
It’s endearing, watching Shuji and his mother laughing together, effortlessly comfortable in the situation. Warm, familiar, and Chifuyu feels a twinge of something way deep in his chest. The same twinge that happens lately whenever Shuji does anything remotely domestic or thoughtful.
Also, she’s not wrong. This year, he’s mostly just stayed in contact with his inner circle— Baji, Kazutora, Takemichi and Hina, and Shuji, who he actually spends the most amount of time with.
Like, a stupid amount of time. Chifuyu is aware.
Some months ago, while trying soju for the first time and watching stupid comedies with Shuji, he realized that he went and developed the most ridiculous crush of his entire life.
It might have been how everything around them started getting hazy the more they drank, his tunnel vision slowly narrowing to just a steady view of Shuji, but it also may have been the way Shuji talked about being a much better boyfriend than the MC’s love interest. Whatever it was, that was the first night he realized that his thoughts about his best friend had wandered pretty far away from ‘just friends’ territory.
But, a crush is a crush, and once you realize it’s there, it only gets worse.
Crushes also make you delusional, because he swears that Shuji maybe, hopefully, reciprocates.
There’s the too-long glances in the dark while they’re watching movies alone when he thinks Chifuyu can’t see, touches that seem to linger, a growing stack of burned CDs with cheesy titles scribbled in sharpie on the front. Most notably, how frequent his night time visits have become, sneaking into the window after Chifuyu has locked himself in his room.
It’s almost nightly now, to the detriment of Chifuyu’s sleep schedule, but he welcomes it.
“In a couple weeks,” Chifuyu says to his mother’s question after the laughter settles. “When school lets out. Shinichiro is letting Mikey host there again this year.”
Shuji snorts, startling the cat off of his chest. “You say ‘letting Mikey’ like Shinichiro isn’t going to have just as good of a time as us at the party.”
“Well, either way, that’s good.” His mother walks back out of the kitchen and motions for Chifuyu to put up his homework. “I was starting to worry you both became socially inept.”
It’s Chifuyu’s turn to feign offence, but he’s quickly distracted as Shuji slides up to the table across from him, purposely knocking their legs together as he tries to cross them under the table.
When Chifuyu looks up to spit an insult about watching where he puts his freakishly long, gross spider legs, Shuji grins and winks at him before extending one of his legs again, resting a foot against Chifuyu’s ankle.
It could totally be nothing, just Shuji being a jerk, but Chifuyu’s face still heats up, and he looks down quickly, pretending to be super interested in the bowl of rice his mother just slid over.
“Don’t worry.” Shuji graciously takes the bowl his mother offers. “I make sure he practices his social skills.”
“Oh, is that what you two are doing at night when you sneak back in through the window?”
She grins at the silence, snickering when Chifuyu and Shuji exchange a shocked glance.
“I— Uh.” Chifuyu grasps for some valid excuse, but he knows there isn’t one, and he can’t openly tell his mom he’s just crushing really hard on Shuji while he sits across from them. He settles on a sheepish glance at his mother, trying to gauge if she’s actually angry about the rule breaking. “Oh, you know about that?”
“Yes.” Her eyebrows are knit together, and she has the same look she always wears when she’s about to scold Chifuyu, but then she smiles softly at them both. “I’m not mad about it, I’d rather you hang out here than go out and be hoodlums at night. But—”
“Hoodlums, Mom? Really?” Chifuyu’s heart slows, the slight panic that always comes with getting in trouble subsiding.
“Do not interrupt me!” She points her finger menacingly at Chifuyu. “But! You are so close to graduating, Chifuyu, and if your grades start to slip because you are seriously fucking up your sleep schedule, I will put bars on your window. Deal?”
Chifuyu looks at Shuji, who looks like he’s trying to sink as far into the floor as possible to avoid detection, and finds that he really, really doesn’t want his night time visits to stop.
“Deal. I can make sure Shuji helps me study next semester.”
His mother seems to consider this before shaking her head. “I don’t actually know if that would help, but okay.”
“Oh, my god.” Shuji finally speaks up, sitting fully upright again. “I am really feeling the love in this house today.”
“Good.” She reaches over and places a few more pieces of meat into Shuji’s bowl. “Now, both of you shut up and eat, please.”
-
School ends uneventfully.
Shuji’s after-hours visits slowed considerably after being called out, because he’s scared of your mother, Chifuyu!
Chifuyu, on the other hand, did the stupidest thing ever while alone and awake at 2 AM one night, and texted him that he missed whispering in the dark together, and Shuji immediately started coming back the next night.
The night before Mikey’s party, they fall asleep leaning against each other on the floor sometime in the early hours of the morning, propped up next to Chifuyu’s bed to watch a DVD on Shuji’s shitty laptop.
He chose something scary, vehemently denying picking it just so that Chifuyu would have to seek shelter from the monsters in his big, strong arms, but the pleased, stupid smirk he wears when Chifuyu does inevitably scooch closer gives him away.
Morning sun is what ends up waking Chifuyu up as it cuts in through the blinds straight onto his face. He groans, overly aware of the pulsating crick in his neck and how badly his ass hurts from sitting flat on the floor, aching after sleeping on Shuji’s bony shoulder for a few hours.
Chifuyu keeps his eyes shut for a second, though, groggily enjoying the way that heat seeps in through his clothes everywhere he’s pressed against Shuji. His knees are pulled up and leaning almost fully over Shuji’s legs, and he’s turned inward, moving at some point in his sleep to lay on his arm that he can barely feel.
The hand that he has not managed to trap beneath himself is resting on Shuji’s chest, held there gently by Shuji’s own hand. His tired brain decides in that moment to catch up to what the rest of his body is experiencing, and he’s suddenly nauseous. Or, maybe nervous? Mostly like he’s standing on a super tall ledge about to fall off with nothing to hold on to.
Stomach swooping, he sits up, a tad dumbfounded, massaging his dead arm while blinking hard a few times before finally braving a glance up.
Shuji is still passed out, looking very uncomfortable with Chifuyu’s pillow crammed between his head and the bed, barely providing any sort of support or comfort. He still somehow looks so beautiful through Chifuyu’s rose-colored glasses.
Briefly, he lets his mind wander to what it might feel like waking up to Shuji in the bed with him, getting to see him like this, but with his hair messy around him, the pillows making his sharp features look soft.
It is the first time Chifuyu’s had the chance to see Shuji like this— quiet, relaxed, his lips slightly parted, the morning sun starting to spill across his neck. It takes every ounce of Chifuyu’s willpower to not reach out and tuck a strand of loose hair behind his ear.
His hands are clenched, perched on top of his knees, his finger nails digging into his palms. It feels like all of the times he’s had to stop himself from punching someone talking bad about Baji, except the enemy here is his own gay tendencies.
Shuji’s been growing his hair out, probably just to spite Chifuyu and his heart, and has taken to wearing it in a half-up, half-down style that makes Chifuyu’s soul do some wild acrobatics every time he sees him.
He’s handsome in a way that Chifuyu never considered when they first met back in middle school, his mature features somehow even sharper, more defined, especially now with how his longer hair delicately frames his face. Radiating confidence even when he shouldn’t— which is, frankly, most of the time— but still vulnerable and open in the quiet hours of the night.
Seemingly moving on its own volition, Chifuyu’s hand inches toward Shuji’s hair, almost making it close enough to brush the strands away before he realizes what he’s about to do. He yanks his hand back, cradling it against his chest as if he burned himself.
Chifuyu has had crushes before in the past, sure, but it always felt little, nothing like the books ever describe. With Shuji, he feels physically ill when he thinks about him. An unfortunate side effect no one really warns about.
When they first met, if someone would have told him that his first kiss would be Hanma, he probably would have fought whoever it was for saying something so insulting, and for insinuating that Chifuyu would ever, ever, even remotely stoop that low.
But now? He can’t stop looking at Shuji’s lips, wondering what they would feel like against his own. Not that he has anything to compare it to, but he even had a loser-boy dream about kissing him at midnight on New Years Eve, which is one he will take to his grave.
Losing his internal struggle, he reaches out to tuck the strand of loose hair behind Shuji’s ear, pausing for a second to decide how bold he’s feeling.
Bold? More like fucking idiotic, but he does it anyway.
He slides the back of his hand down Shuji’s defined cheek bone, then forward along his jaw, stopping briefly to brush a thumb against his bottom lip, staring unapologetically as the pad of his finger strokes his pink lip gently.
Freak, Chifuyu thinks to himself, about himself, but he still can’t help it.
The sound Shuji makes when he wakes up, somewhere between a snore and a surprised gurgle, startles Chifuyu, and he pulls his hand back quickly, hoping Shuji doesn’t notice the way he was just touching him. He’s breathing a bit too heavily, both because he was holding his breath while he touched Shuji like a creep, and because he’s genuinely taken off guard by the noise Shuji made.
Trying to school the way his heart feels like it’s about to burst out of his chest, he breathes in and begins to pick at the hem of his shirt, hoping he looks a lot more nonchalant than he feels.
“I— Uh.” Dissorientated, Shuji looks at the window, and then grabs his dead phone, groaning. “What time is it?”
“The morning, I guess. I also just woke up.” Chifuyu debates on fake yawning, but settles for stretching some more.
Shuji sighs, his head falling back against the bed. He stays there, his eyes closed, and Chifuyu starts to think that he may have fallen asleep again, but he begins to roll his shoulders, lifting a hand to rub at his neck.
“I should get going. Your mom is probably awake already.”
Chifuyu shrugs, and then remembers that Shuji has his eyes closed. “Honestly, I was just about to ask if you wanted to move up to my bed.”
His cheeks erupt with warmth, and he feels like he’s lost control of his mental faculties, because that was not what he was going to suggest a few seconds ago. He was just going to tell Shuji that they could go out into the living room to make some breakfast because today is an early work day for his mother, not just offer up an open invitation to his sheets.
Not that he totally wasn’t thinking about being in bed with him a few minutes ago, but Shuji doesn’t need to know that.
“Oh, so you want me in your bed?” Rolling his head to look at Chifuyu, Shuji winks, smirking.
“No! I— You just—” Chifuyu can feel how wide his eyes have become, and his hands fly up, frantically waving away the implication. “You look so uncomfortable sitting like that!”
Shuji smiles wide, his sleepy grin somehow more charming, so Chifuyu moves to make more space between them, suddenly not trusting his self control.
“Yeah, my everything kind of hurts,” he admits, wincing as he stands to stretch. “But you just looked so cute after you fell asleep, and I was enjoying the cuddling, honestly.”
It’s a good thing Shuji’s back is turned to Chifuyu when he says this because Chifuyu knows how he must look. Staring up at Shuji, eyes wide, cheeks on fire because they definitely were cuddling, and Chifuyu enjoyed it, too.
He coughs, turning around as he stands in an attempt to hide his face. “You could have woken me up to leave.”
“And miss a chance to stay the night with you?” There’s a sudden warmth against his back as Shuji steps up behind him, slinging both arms around Chifuyu’s shoulders, resting his chin on top of his head.
Chifuyu stiffens even though Shuji has hugged him like this a million times before. Though, mostly when they’re hanging around with their friends, waiting somewhere. Being alone makes it feel different, more affectionate, and Chifuyu knows he’s either about to scream or just self combust on the spot.
Holy fucking shit.
First, Chifuyu wakes up this morning, practically groping Shuji’s chest, and now this? If he didn’t already know he was absolutely doomed in the spiral of this crush before, he does now.
Just like before with the sudden urge to move Shuji’s hair, it is taking everything in Chifuyu not to turn around and stand up on his tiptoes to kiss him. Wrap his arms around his shoulders, maybe one of his feet would pop up just like in all of the romcoms when the love interests finally kiss for the first time.
Instead, he tries not to hyperventilate, raising a hand to squeeze Shuji’s forearm.
They stand like that for an excruciatingly long moment, and Chifuyu feels like he’s going to crawl out of his skin. What if this is it? Finally getting his first kiss and a confirmation that Shuji likes him back, all at once.
The anticipation sits in every nook and cranny of his body, pulsating every time he breathes in. He clears his throat, intending only to break out of his freeze and attempt some terrible flirting, but Shuji’s grip slackens.
“I, uh.” Shuji lets go completely, and when Chifuyu wheels around, he’s already taking a step back. There’s the ghost of a blush high on his cheeks, which Chifuyu determines is not a trick of the light after blinking several times. “Need to get going. I have to do a few things before the party tonight.”
As Shuji reaches for his phone on the bedside table, Chifuyu notices his hand is shaking just a bit, and he smiles to himself.
“Mom’s already gone to work, so you can leave out of the front door this time.” He opens the bedroom door, gesturing for Shuji to leave the room.
“Oh what, not embarrassed by me anymore? Want to show me off to your neighbors, hmm?” He reaches up to muss Chifuyu’s hair, ignoring the swipes he tries to land on Shuji as he walks by. “I’ll see you at Shin’s later.”
Chifuyu glares at him as he fixes his hair, immediately pulled out of whatever daze the hug left him in. “Yeah, well, maybe I won’t go now, just for that.”
Shuji walks to the door to slide on his shoes, pouting up at Chifuyu as he walks over.
“But I got you something really cool for Christmas, and the party would be super boring without you to bother.” He switches his pout to a grin as he stands. “Come to kiss your wife goodbye before I go out into this cold, harsh world alone?”
“Get out, I hate you.” He places his hands on the small of Shuji’s back, his heart jumping into his throat momentarily from the close contact, pushing him toward the front door. “Leave, you freak. I was coming over to lock the door behind you so that you can never come back in ever again.”
Laughing, Shuji opens the door, turning around one last time. His smile is soft, and Chifuyu can easily recognize the affection in his eyes. “So, eight?”
“Yeah, eight.” He smiles back, wishing again that he was brave enough to lean in and steal a kiss.
Shuji lingers in the doorway, his eyes leaving Chifuyu’s for just a second to look lower. Chifuyu reaches up to brush away anything that might have caught Shuji’s attention, but finds nothing.
It’s Shuji’s turn to clear his throat, and he taps the door frame a few times before turning around to walk away.
“See ya.” He holds a hand up to wave over his shoulder, pulling a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket.
As he watches Shuji walk away, he touches his lips again, trying to disprove the frantic thoughts racing through his head that Shuji may have been looking at his lips because he was also thinking about kissing him.
There’s still nothing there, and as soon as the door is closed and locked, he rushes for his cellphone, desperate to run the entire interaction past Hina and Takemichi just to verify that he isn’t clinically insane for thinking this basically confirms that Shuji does have feelings for him.
It takes a few hours to fully iron out the diagnosis— Chifuyu is not clinically insane, at least not for imagining that Shuji was looking at his lips, but he is so so undeniably stupid and naive to not take the ten million chances he had to kiss him, per Hina.
Unfortunately, that now means Chifuyu gets to spend the whole rest of the night thinking about the fact that Shuji was looking at his lips, and everything under the sun that it implies. It’s going to be hours until they may have a chance to be alone again to talk, or maybe not talk, and he is certain that he will probably just perish before then.
In a rare moment of alone time, Chifuyu found a decent Christmas present in his budget— a coffee mug that looks like a surprisingly real camera lens— and managed to wrap it before the Christmas party without Shuji finding out, all things that he never thought would pull off.
Chifuyu takes a train to get as close to Shinichiro’s shop as he can before walking in the cold the rest of the way. His mom made both him and Shuji swear that neither of them would bring their bikes after she found out there would be alcohol at the party. Thankfully, Shuji offered not to drink so they could both have a quick ride home after the party— an offer Chifuyu was more than happy to accept.
He’ll be leaving with his mother tomorrow to visit his grandparents in another city for Christmas and they will not be getting back until the morning of New Years Eve, so any chance that presents itself to get alone time with Shuji is one that he’s going to jump on immediately.
For now, though, he arrives at the shop on foot, Shuji’s gift tucked neatly into the small backpack he’s carrying. The store’s windows shine brightly in the dark road, some simple christmas decor taped to the glass, and he takes a second to watch the people inside.
All of his friends are there, a group playing a card game around a table set up around the bikes while others mill around, several different groups scattered throughout the shop chatting. There’s plenty of drinks and food along the counter in the back of the room, and some kind of festive music is playing, too muffled for Chifuyu to make out.
He sees Kazutora and Baji, Takemichi, Hina and Emma, but he just can’t seem to find—
Shuji. When his eyes land on him, his mouth goes dry. Chifuyu’s feelings somehow managed to quadruple in the few hours since they were together, mostly thanks to Takemichi going on and on about how great it is to be with someone that you genuinely like, and he suddenly feels a little nervous about going inside.
There’s still a chance that Chifuyu could fuck this up in some idiotic way, but the way Shuji looks right now makes his knees a little weak, and he would love the chance to get to tell him as much. Mental preparedness was not always his strong suit, but at this rate, he won’t even be able to get an intelligible word out.
Shuji is wearing a form fitting white turtle neck with black skinny jeans, his hair halfway up in a loose bun, the rest starting to brush the tops of his shoulders. His earring shines in the light, and Chifuyu still occasionally misses when Shuji’s hair was short, just because he really enjoys how that earring looks on him.
Everything would be far too much if it wasn’t for the headband with plush fake antlers and Christmas lights someone probably had to threaten him into wearing.
Chifuyu is in the middle of trying to decide if the antlers are cuter than they are hilarious when Shuji happens to look up from his conversation, glancing over at the windows just in time to spot him standing there, staring again like an idiot.
He waves, grinning brightly before excusing himself from what is probably a riveting conversation between Koko and Kisaki, walking toward the front doors to meet Chifuyu just inside.
“Hey.” Shuji lowers his voice so that only Chifuyu can hear, and it makes him feel like they’re sharing some special secret. “Missed you today. I apparently have no sense of direction anymore and got hopelessly lost for a bit. Used to you doing everything with you picking where we go.”
“We were only away from each other for like, less than half a day. It's incredibly impressive that you managed to do all of that.” Chifuyu hangs his coat and backpack with everyone else’s. “Your Christmas gift is in there, don’t let me forget to give it to you before we leave.”
“Half a day is far too long.” Shuji takes a step toward him, reaching out to rest a hand on his back to pull him in even closer. He ducks his head to speak against Chifuyu’s ear. “You didn’t have to get me anything. Thank you.”
He presses a kiss to Chifuyu’s cheek, and the world freezes around them, blocking everything and everyone out. It’s soft, more of a peck than a kiss, but Chifuyu still has difficulty breathing. Butterflies have taken up residency in his chest and stomach, fluttering around and smothering every last bit of oxygen he is managing to choke down.
“Least I can do, Shu,” he whispers, swallowing back the urge to just grab Shuji’s face and kiss him real nasty in front of everyone they know for the first time.
Shuji straightens up to look down at Chifuyu, a small smile on both of their lips. There’s more space between them now, but Shuji leaves his hand in place. “I really like when you call me that, you know.”
“I do.” Chifuyu’s smile widens. “And I really like the antlers you seemed to grow while you were lost.”
Reaching up to mess with the headband, he giggles, despite himself.
“Yeah?” Shuji’s crooked grin just adds to the swirling whirlpool that is Chifuyu’s cognitive thoughts. “We should really get you some then.”
Chifuyu is opening his mouth to compliment everything else Shuji has going on when there is an excited shout to their right.
Kazutora is walking up, his arms extended toward Chifuyu already, gesturing for a big hug. “You made it!”
Shuji’s expression changes for half a second, an emotion flashing across his face that Chifuyu can’t quite put his finger on, but it’s gone before he has a chance to figure it out.
“I made it!”
Kazutora sweeps him up, squeezing him almost too tight. “I thought you were going to bail.” He hooks his arm around Chifuyu’s, forcibly dragging him in the direction of the three couches where another group is sitting. “I’m glad you’re here. Come over to the couch with us.”
“I— Sure, yeah, can I get a drink first?” Chifuyu doesn’t break eye contact with Shuji while saying everything until Kazutora gives a harder jerk.
“I’ll get it for you and meet you over there.” Shuji’s smile doesn’t meet his eyes, but he turns to go over to the makeshift bar anyway.
Chifuyu’s attention is pulled away when Kazutora parades him up to everyone, announcing his arrival like they weren’t all in the same room this entire time.
“We’re just talking about Inupi’s new bike.” Kazutora practically pushes him down on the couch next to Baji, who says hello like a normal human being, before cramming in next to him, sandwiching him between them.
Inupi is sitting on the couch directly across from theirs, alone, with plenty of room next to him. He smirks, saying hello before diving back into a conversation with Draken and Shin about the engine on his bike.
Like this, he’s pressed tight up against both of their sides, and the warmth takes him back to this morning, curled up next to Shuji, how his hand completely covered his own.
Clearly, now is not the time to be thinking about that, but even when he looks up, he finds Shuji across the room immediately, chatting with Benkei as he prepares Chifuyu’s drink.
Chifuyu watches the way his lips form words, how his face lights up as he laughs at one of Benkei’s jokes, and he finds himself smiling along even though he can’t hear. In his peripherals, he barely registers Inupi looking at him before turning around on the couch to see what Chifuyu might be smiling at.
“Chicken.” Chifuyu doesn’t pick up what he says until Kazutora asks Inpui to repeat himself. “I called Chifuyu a chicken.”
“What?” Chifuyu comes back into the conversation, furrowing his brows and shaking his head in disbelief. “How did I even get brought into this?”
“You are so into Hanma, it’s pathetic,” Inupi deadpans. “We all see it.”
Baji and Kazutora laugh next to him as he splutters, glaring daggers at Inupi that he really wishes were real. He is not ready to have this conversation with Inupi, let alone in front of a mixed audience.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He tilts his chin up, hoping he takes the hint to shut the fuck up.
“He’s right, though. What’re you waiting for? I think you should just go for it. He obviously likes you back,” Kazutora chimes in, and Chifuyu reaches over to pinch his thigh, enjoying the squeak of pain he gets in return.
“Oh, wait, what are we talking about?” Shinichiro leans in, placing his beer can on the table in front of them.
“Chifuyu has a crush on Hanma, who also has a crush on him, and neither of them are talking about it,” Draken offers, and Shinichiro hums as if he understands.
“That’s just dumb.” He shakes his head disapprovingly. “You two are old enough to stop playing games now at this point.”
“Thanks, Dad, I know.” Chifuyu gives him a tight lipped smile, wishing he could be anywhere but smushed on the couch, talking about his pitiful crush.
Looking around, he’s hoping that Shuji is still on the other side of the room with the drinks and far from hearing the current conversation. Instead, he’s on his way over to the couches with two drinks in hand. “Okay, can we shut the fuck up about it now?”
Shinichiro holds his hands up defensively, and Inupi sucks the spit back from his teeth. “Fine, but I just think you’re really stupid.”
Just then, Shuji arrives, squinting down at the Chifuyu sandwich in front of him. “Why is Chifuyu really stupid? Besides the obvious, of course.”
“Woah, what the fuck?” Chifuyu scowls up at him, betrayed. “You can't hang over here if I’m just going to be bullied.”
Shuji winks at him, passing him his drink. “They only had vodka, so that’s basically… just vodka and some soda, sorry. This is water, I still plan on being your ride home.”
When Chifuyu grabs his cup, he purposely lets his fingers linger, and the corner of Shuji’s mouth twitches.
“Now,” Shuji sits on the couch next to Inpui, crossing one of his long legs over the other. Skinny jeans had absolutely no right looking that attractive on someone. “Why is Chifuyu really stupid?”
It’s like everyone around them is holding their breath, staring at Inupi, waiting to hear what he was going to tell Shuji.
Chifuyu makes eye contact with him, pleading silently, hoping his expression communicates how much he wants Inpui to lie.
“Oh, you know.” He starts coolly, taking a drink from his cup to obviously prolong Chifuyu’s suffering. “I was just saying how idiotic I think it is that he’s basing his entire career path on following dumb and dumber into the pet shop business. Maybe he’s still in love with Baji.” Inupi shrugs, unbothered by the protests that ring out around him.
Both Baji and Chifuyu speak up at the same time, and Shuji’s face pulls into an expression that looks like he just shoved an entire lemon into his mouth.
Their ’hey, how did I manage to get dragged into it?’ and ‘wow, no offense Baji, but I definitely am not in love with him’, almost drown each other out, but somehow Chifuyu’s protest is the first and only one that gets answered.
“Then who is it you are in love with, Chifuyu?” Draken is grinning as he leans forward, propping his elbows on his knees.
“Why do I have to be in love with someone all of a sudden?” Chifuyu throws his hands up as much as he can, most definitely hitting his friends in the process, but it’s still Kazutora that finally comes to his aid.
“Okay, okay, we can question Chifuyu’s poor life choices later. Let’s get back to talking about what card game we were about to play.”
Chifuyu sighs in relief, temporarily forgetting about Kazutora’s own comments seconds earlier, and takes a giant sip of his drink, trying his very best to not look up to meet the stare he can feel boring into him from across the table. Thankful, mostly, that everyone else seemed to move back to previous discussions without any hesitation, because if and when he chooses to bounce the idea of his feelings off of Shuji, he’d prefer to do it in private.
Is he staring Chifuyu down because he’s anxious to hear if he’d admit to liking someone else? Or, is he confident in Chifuyu’s emotions because of how absolutely fucking dumb he’s been around him lately, so he was just waiting to see if he would say anything in front of their friends?
He finally raises his eyes, finding Shuji’s immediately, curious about the expression on his face, but Shuji looks away quickly, as if scared of being caught. Maybe Shuji isn’t as confident in their feelings for each other as Chifuyu is at this point, but how?
Every second of every day for the last few months has just consisted of Chifuyu doing one incredibly down bad thing after another, so there’s just no way—
It never once crossed his mind that Shuji may not think that Chifuyu likes him back. He always just kind of figured that since Chifuyu picked up on some of Shuji’s changes that he would have done the same. Chifuyu knows he has been truly extra pathetic as of late, so Shuji would just have to be so dense. Which, now that he’s thinking about it that hard, Shuji is the densest person he knows.
Either way, he’s going to take the next opportunity he has alone with him to sort it out, even though he wishes he could just reach across the table right now and pull Shuji into a kiss, their friends be damned.
He could always ask Shuji to join him outside, but he has already been dealt into the game, chatting excitedly with Inupi about a previous time they played.
Chifuyu waves off the cards when offered, content to just sit back and watch, enjoying getting to unabashedly watch Shuji interact with their friends.
Apparently, the cat’s out of the bag with his friends group, so he doesn’t mind getting caught looking. Shit, he kind of hopes Shuji catches him looking if there’s even a slight chance that he’s questioning Chifuyu’s emotions.
Several rounds in, Chifuyu and Kazutora are both leaning against the back of the couch, facing each other. Chifuyu’s head rests on his hand, elbow propped on the backrest to hold him up.
“So, he’s taking you home tonight, huh?” Kazutora says in a low murmur, probably only loud enough for him and maybe Baji to hear. “You going to invite him in for nightcaps and smooch him on the couch like in your favorite movies?”
Because of the size of the couch, they’re sitting rather close to each other, and Chifuyu’s entire back is pressed against Baji. This is a position he’s found himself in regularly for years since meeting the two of them in middle school, on this couch specifically quite often, and it’s just something he’s grown used to.
He feels Baji’s chuckle against his back more than he can hear it, and he throws an elbow behind him, managing to clip Baji somewhere in the ribs.
“No,” Chifuyu almost hisses back, rolling his eyes as he returns to his sitting position. “I have to leave early tomorrow morning, it’s just a ride back home.”
Baji leans his head to the side, speaking over Chifuyu’s shoulder. “You expect us to believe you won’t just sneak him in as soon as you get inside? Since when do you care about getting sleep?”
Chifuyu pushes back to jostle Baji off of him, and as he turns to speak directly to Baji, catches a glance of Shuji’s face. He’s staring at Baji, annoyance clear in his expression, his jaw slightly clenched. It takes a second too long to dawn on Chifuyu why Shuji might be looking at Baji like that, but something warm erupts in his stomach when he realizes that Shuji might be jealous.
Yellow eyes dart to his next, and Chifuyu raises his eyebrows. He can’t help the small smirk on his lips. It shouldn’t drive Chifuyu as crazy as it does, Shuji being jealous over him, but just the idea alone makes Chifuyu want to scream and kick his legs.
At the same time, it makes him feel powerful, in control for the first time in months. Usually, it feels like he’s the one that’s terribly hiding his jealousy when it comes to Shuji spending time with Kisaki. Now he’s not the one being an embarrassment to himself.
Jealousy is really enduring on Shuji, and it totally has nothing to do with the fact that it is Chifuyu that Shuji is being a little territorial over.
Perfectly timed, Shinischiro plays whatever was needed to end their hand, and Shuji stands almost immediately, throwing his cards on the table.
“Alright, boys. I am tired of getting my ass kicked by an old man, I’m going to step outside to grab a smoke.” Shuji doesn’t take his eyes off of Chifuyu until he turns his back to him, stretching on his way to the front door.
Kazutora is saying something, but Chifuyu is too lost in watching Shuji take the antlers off before shouldering on a knee-length black overcoat that he has certainly never seen in the span of their inseparable friendship.
With the white turtleneck and black skinny jeans, Shuji looks gorgeous. If Chifuyu at any point was still questioning how gay he is, this would seal the deal. He’s never seen anything or anyone this beautiful before, even though he’s said that a million and one times, and almost all of those times have been about Shuji doing the most mundane things.
He hoists himself up off the couch, cutting Kazutora off with a halfhearted apology before excusing himself, planning to follow Shuji outside. The gift he bought Shuji is still in his backpack, and he grabs it after putting on his own jacket.
Shuji is around the corner by the alleyway, just out of sight from the massive glowing windows that add a nice golden hue to everything, meaning also out of sight from all of their friends. He beams the second he sees Chifuyu, his grin almost brighter than everything else around them.
“Surprised you came to join.” A clear lie since he can see that Shuji has Chifuyu’s christmas gift outside with him, resting on the ground against the wall. “You just seemed so comfortable in there.”
“Oh yeah?” Chifuyu smirks, and then, feeling a little brave, adds, “jealous?”
Shuji cuts sharp eyes at him, then laughs. “Maybe, just a little. But it’s okay, I got one on one time snuggling you this morning, which is obviously way better than whatever Baji and Kazutora’s attempt to absorb you into their bodies is.”
“Speaking of whatever, what are you wearing, by the way?” He’s trying to sound nonchalant, not like he’s accusing Shuji of dressing the way he is now to specifically make Chifuyu’s night significantly harder than it already is.
“I told you I was going to buy some nicer new clothes now that I landed that job.” Shuji takes one last drag of his cigarette before tossing it to the ground, using the toe of his sneaker to crush it. “Figured I would take one for a test drive, see how you feel about it.”
Chifuyu is standing in front of him now, holding his gift out. “I feel, uh.” He looks anywhere but at Shuji’s arrogant face. “I feel positively about the outfit.”
It’s all he can manage without both word vomiting and regular vomiting everywhere. So much for feeling brave.
“I’m very happy to hear you feel positively about my ability to put together an outfit. You should also feel positively about my ability to take off an outfit.” He nods down at the gift bag on the ground as if he didn’t just tell Chifuyu he’d be really good at getting them naked. “I brought yours out, too. It’s the errand I had to run alone today before the party. I special ordered it and it got delayed so many times, I almost cancelled the order. Figured my death would be a more suitable gift at that point.”
“You are correct.” Chifuyu nods, shoving his hands in his pockets once Shuji takes his gift, desperately trying to dispel the new image in his brain of Shuji naked down to his briefs, hanging out on his bed. “That would have been an acceptable gift, though a step down from whatever that is, obviously.”
“Oh, obviously. There’s a timeline out there where your Christmas just got a lot shittier.” His smile softens when he takes the tissue paper out of the bag, seeing the mug for the first time. He gently wiggles it out and holds it in both hands, turning it over to look at every side.
“For work, you know? When you start going into the studio next week.” Chifuyu suddenly feels like he picked a super cheesy gift compared to something that Shuji had enough consideration and forethought about to be able to special order. He moves to lean against the wall next to Shuji, trying to keep the embarrassment that is probably written on his face hidden.
“This is so cool.” To Shuji’s credit, he sounds genuine, his eyes catching the ambient light as he looks down at the mug. “I can’t wait to use this.”
Chifuyu smiles then, happy that Shuji at least seems to like it a lot, no matter how cheesy. “It’s collapsable, too.”
Shuji collapses it a few times, murmuring about how fun it is, before leaning in casually, stooping down to kiss Chifuyu on the top of his head. “Thank you so much for the gift, Fuyu. It’s very thoughtful.”
At this rate, the entirety of Chifuyu’s body will be kissed by Shuji long before his mouth will be, and, as nice as that sounds, he really just wants a regular kiss. One that sets his entire world on fire.
He leaves the cup collapsed as he shoves it and the tissue paper back into the bag, swapping it out with Chifuyu’s gift. “Your turn. I’m so excited to watch you open this.”
The bag is barely big enough to fit this box, and Chifuyu can almost make out what the box says through the single piece of loose tissue paper draped over the top, but it’s still sweet that Shuji went to some sort of lengths to wrap it.
“That’s such an intimidating thing to say, what if I hate it?” Chifuyu frowns, knowing he isn’t going to hate it.
“Just— Oh, my god. You’re not going to hate it.” Shuji shifts to where he’s almost fully standing in front of him now, crowding him against the wall.
“Okay, okay, fine. But if I cry, you have to promise to look away or I’ll have to murder you myself.” He rips away the tissue paper and gapes down at the bag.
Inside is one of the incredibly expensive collector’s edition airplane models that Chifuyu gabbed about continuously over the summer whenever they would walk past any collector stores while shopping. It isn’t sold in Japan, and, because of its limited release, they are typically pretty difficult to find unassembled.
The one inside the bag isn’t even opened yet.
“Shuji, how—” He’s breathless, and he has to wait a few beats before he can move again, finally taking the box out. “What?”
Full sentences aren’t coming to him, and that’s fine because he doesn’t even know what to say. It is an insane gift, even for Shuji’s standards.
“I have my ways. Do you like it?” Shuji props his hand against the wall, stepping closer to lean over Chifuyu.
“Yeah, yes. This is so wild.” Chifuyu’s too busy reading trying to figure out every word on the front of the box to really notice their proximity to each other just yet. He’s going to have to wait to get back from his grandparents’ house before working on the model, which just adds insult to an already terrible injury.
The injury being not getting to see Shuji for like, a week.
Clutching the box to his chest, he looks up at Shuji, finally taking in the closing gap between them. He squeezes the box tighter, holding it in front of his heart like some kind of shield, keeping his heart from hammering straight out of his chest.
“I knew you would. You can now praise me for how good of a listener and a gift giver I am.” He closes his eyes and holds his head up expectantly, like he’s waiting to be pet.
Chifuyu can hear Hina’s voice in the back of his head screaming at him that this is one of those moments, he just needs a little courage somehow, something to just tip himself over the edge.
Taking a deep breath, he centers himself, trying to hear the world around him over the deafening sound of his own blood rushing through his body. His heart is beating in his throat, and he almost feels like he’s choking on it. He focuses on how sturdy his feet feel planted to the ground like this, how much support the wall behind him gives, the smell of the wet cement, anything tangible for him to grab onto.
Steeling himself, he looks back up, finally confident in what to say.
“Shu.” Shuji looks back down at him, clearly still expecting a compliment. “I know you like me.”
Nothing magnifies stupidity like confidence does, and that was clearly not the smartest choice of words.
Shuji’s eyes widen, and his look flashes from shocked to confused to something that Chifuyu can’t figure out. Maybe embarrassment? At least that’s what he gathers from the quickening flush spreading across Shuji’s face.
Pushing himself off of the wall, Shuji goes to take a step back, but Chifuyu reaches out, grabbing his coat quickly before he gets too far.
“And I like you, too!” Chifuyu hurries to complete his thought, hoping that he didn’t just royally fuck up the one chance he has to do this. “And I think we would have continued to never talk about how much we like each other, but I am really, really tired of being bullied by all of our friends about not saying anything.”
Everything comes out on one breath, the fastest sentence he has ever spoken, and he says it looking directly into Shuji’s chest, too scared that if he looks at Shuji’s face, at the way he knows he’s looking at him right now, he’s just going to continue fucking this up.
The silence settles in around them, not quite uncomfortable, but Chifuyu still feels like it takes a million excruciating years for Shuji to say anything back.
“So.” Finally, he comes back in closer, his forearm now resting above Chifuyu’s head, allowing him to lean in however far he wants. He bows his head enough that Chifuyu can feel his breath on his neck when he speaks.“You’re so confident that I like you, huh?”
Chifuyu does look up then. They’re almost nose to nose, close enough that he can count all of the flecks of gold in Shuji’s irises.
“Actually, I am, mister ‘I got one-on-one time snuggling with you’.” Words are getting harder and harder to form as Shuji bumps their noses together, his eyes half lidded and laser focused on Chifuyu’s. “Normal people don’t say things like that about their friends.”
Shuji gives a noncommittal hum, seemingly unbothered by Chifuyu’s dig as he brushes their lips together. “And, you like me, too?”
Closing his eyes, Chifuyu tilts his head back against the wall, trying not to hold his breath or start hyperventilating.
“Yeah.” He sounds stupidly breathless but Shuji is pressing into him with his whole body, almost like he’s trying to fully cover Chifuyu up. The one arm not wedged between them is now wrapped around Shuji, his fist balled into the back of the thick jacket, holding him there. “I really like you, too, Shu.”
A strangled noise comes from somewhere deep inside Shuji’s chest when he says that, something that feels a little primal and involuntary, and it settles itself in Chifuyu’s lungs, making it nearly impossible to breathe.
“Is it okay if I kiss you, then?” Shuji’s hand that was desperately grasping Chifuyu’s hip migrates up to his cheek, his thumb brushing against his bottom lip, much like Chifuyu did to him earlier in the morning.
Chifuyu opens his mouth to answer but nothing comes, so he presses up on to his toes, bringing their lips together instead. Shuji inhales sharply, but quickly melts back into him, his fingernails scratching Chifuyu’s cheek lightly as his fingers curl to grip his jaw tighter.
The kiss feels just like Chifuyu assumed it would. Like they’ve kissed a thousand times before and will kiss a thousand times again.
It feels like they stay like this for an eternity, not moving, but when they break apart, he realizes that however long it really was, it wasn’t even remotely long enough. Chifuyu reaches up and curls his fingers around the nape of Shuji's neck instead, pulling him back down for another kiss.
While it might be Chifuyu’s first kiss, he’s still spent an insufferable amount of time thinking about kissing Shuji, making out with him, anything that the mind of an eighteen-year-old can come up with, and yet, it still feels nothing like he could have ever imagined.
Their mouths move together, Shuji no longer leaning against the wall, both hands on Chifuyu’s face, kissing him like they need each other’s oxygen to breathe. He wishes desperately that he put the model back into the bag before they started kissing because Shuji has now switched to kissing him slowly, deeply, greedily licking into his mouth the second Chifuyu groans against his lips, and he would really love to wrap both arms around Shuji’s shoulders, holding on to Shuji so tight that they wouldn’t even be able to separate to breathe.
“Chifuyu,” Shuji does manage to pull back, and Chifuyu’s eyes swim as he tries to open them, still lost between the real world and whatever out of body experience he just floated off into. Finally focusing on Shuji’s spit-shined lips, he’s pleased that they look a little redder and maybe a tad puffier than usual. “Chifuyu, look at me, please.”
It’s a feat that Chifuyu doesn’t try to just pull Shuji down into a kiss again, certain that he’d give in and start to kiss him the way he was a second ago, but since he asked so nicely…
Shuji’s eyes are flitting all over his face when he looks up, seemingly looking for something, but all Chifuyu can imagine he’s finding is how woefully infatuated he is, and how desperately he wants to be kissed.
Trying his best to remember how to use his big puppy dog eyes, Chifuyu pouts. And when begging doesn’t work, he whines, fucking whines. “Shu, please.”
He’s still studying Chifuyu’s face when he smiles absently, as if he doesn’t even realize he’s doing it, and he shushes Chifuyu sweetly before kissing him softly.
“Just checking.” He kisses him again. “That you’re okay.” And again. “And that we’re not moving too fast.” And, again.
Each kiss feels like a zap of lightning ripping through his body, exposing his raw nerves and vulnerabilities. It’s Shuji kissing him like this, allowing him to open up, to blossom and be defenseless in a safe space.
“All good,” Chifuyu tries to reassure him, but it’s lost to the night as Shuji begins to breathe into him again.
They’re out there long enough for the chill from the wall to start seeping through Chifuyu’s jacket, switching between lazily kissing and making fun of themselves for the stupid shit they both were doing for the last few months. “We should head out soon. Continue this back at my place. Maybe I can sneak you in?”
“Weren’t you just telling Kazutora that it was just a ride home, and that you weren’t going to invite me inside?” Shuji smirks, and kisses him again.
“I’m a bad liar,” Chifuyu concedes. “One for the road, then?”
Shuji happily obliges, chuckling still as he allows himself to be dragged in before someone standing at the mouth of the alley clears their throat. They both tear apart so quick that Chifuyu manages to bang his elbow hard against the brick wall, and he’s pretty sure he also tore a hole through the back of Shuji’s coat from pulling him back so hard.
He wraps both arms around the box again, wheezing, thankful that he didn’t drop the kit, at least. “Holy shit, what the fuck.”
Slightly panting next to him, Shuji is glaring at whichever one of their friends interrupted like he wants to murder them, which Chifuyu would personally endorse.
“Sorry, guys.” It’s Draken, who does, at least, have the decency to look actually apologetic. “Hanma, we need some help with Kisaki.” He points around the corner to the front door. “He’s too drunk to drive, and Takemichi and Hina are the only other people who actually know where he lives.”
“Then get one of them to drive him? They’re more than capable.” Shuji’s arms are folded over his chest, looking at Draken like he’s an idiot who never considered this clearly superior plan.
“Who do you think he got too drunk with?” Draken sighs and runs a hand down his face. “Listen, I wouldn’t be interrupting what we all figured was going on out here unless I had no other choice. Shin said we can roll your bike inside and just leave it here overnight if you’re okay with that.”
Chifuyu slides the model back into the bag and grabs the other gift off of the ground, knocking his hip into Shuji, gesturing for Draken to lead the way back inside.
“Come on, it’s totally fine, I’ll just ride with you, and you can drop me off after.” He smiles up at Shuji once they’re back in the light, enjoying the way his features visibility relax when he looks at Chifuyu.
“Uhm, actually.” Hina’s standing right next to where they came in, smiling remorsefully. “Tetta was supposed to be our ride home, if you wouldn’t mind taking us back, too.”
Shuji’s brows furrow, clearly weighing his options. “But then I wouldn’t be able to take you back home.” He turns back to Chifuyu, who feels a swell in his chest knowing that Shuji’s main concern is still him. “Kisaki’s car is already cramped with two people in the backseat.”
Everything in Chifuyu wants to scream about how unfair it is that he doesn’t just get to hoard Shuji for himself, that even though they have done nothing but eat each other’s faces for the last hour or so, everyone around them is still ruining his first kiss.
But, at the same time, he is actually starting to feel tired himself, and if he’s going to have to take the train, he should probably start walking to the station before he misses one of the last trains back home.
“It’s fine, I’ll just take the train back home.” He smiles widely at Shuji to show that he is genuinely okay with it, but he just narrows his eyes back.
“I am not having you walk back to the train station alone this late.” Chifuyu rolls his eyes, amused at the sudden problem Shuji has with him walking around alone at night. “It’s not safe outside.”
“Stop being all disgusting and protective, Hanma. It’s gross. He was just out the other night doing dumb shit things with me and Kazutora, and walked home perfectly fine by himself then.” Baji is grabbing his helmet and jacket as well, gearing up to leave. Chifuyu ignores the daggers Shuji turns toward him. “Just use the helmet he brought you, and I’ll take you home. Much quicker.”
“See?” And Chifuyu swallows down whatever self dignity he has left before leaning in, kissing Shuji gently in front of all their friends, enjoying the starry look in his eyes when he pulls back. “I’ll just ride home with Baji.”
Shuji sighs, exasperated, before smiling apologetically. “Thank you, Baji. Chifuyu, I’m so sorry.”
Chifuyu waves it off. “People getting home safe is way more important. Let’s get everyone in the car."
Lingering outside of the car, Chifuyu waits for Baji to grab his bike as Shuji turns the car on, getting everyone situated before stepping back out. He shuts the door, leaning up against it.
“I can still come over after dropping them off, letting me borrow his car is the literal least Kisaki can do for how majorly he is fucking things up for me right now.” He reaches out for Chifuyu, who happily lets himself get pulled in, snuggling up warm against Shuji’s chest.
“No, it’s okay.” He looks straight up, straining his neck while pursing his lips, amused at how far Shuji has to stoop to kiss him. “I should probably get some sleep anyway. Mom’s going to expect me to drag all of the luggage around.”
Groaning, Shuji hugs him, resting his chin on the top of Chifuyu’s head. “But then that means I won’t get to see you until you get back.”
“Even better.” Chifuyu pulls away when he hears Baji’s bike chugging around the corner. “We can pretend like none of this ever happened, go back to being just friends who kissed once.”
“Great plan,” Shuji agrees, standing up fully. “Have a safe trip then?”
Chifuyu’s calves strain as he rises to his tip toes for what feels like the thousandth time, placing a hand on the nape of Shuji’s neck to pull him in for a last kiss. “I will text you every day that I am there.” He punctuates every word with a kiss, just like Shuji had earlier.
“You better.” Shuji pinches his chin after one of the quick kisses, and holds him there, kissing him deeper. “See you New Years?”
“It’s a date.” Chifuyu beams.
As Chifuyu mounts the back of Baji’s bike, Shuji pulls away, both of them waving at each other like idiots.
Baji says as much. “You look like he’s going away to war or something. It’s ridiculous."
“I might as well be getting shipped off, never to see my poor wife again. He’ll be left alone, wondering what happened to me in my last moments,” Chifuyu says dramatically, slipping his arms around Baji’s waist.
“You’re a freak.” Baji shakes his head, his words muffled by his helmet. “I’m glad you found someone who can match it, though.”
Chifuyu decides to take that as a compliment. “Me, too.”
And he really is.
Sure, a week away is the longest he and Shuji have been apart since they started hanging out, but luckily, now Chifuyu can just kiss him to show Shuji how much he missed him when he gets back.
And that is something he’s really looking forward to.