Chapter Text
If you told Harua that three of his friends had a crush on his crush, he would laugh. Then he would ask for each of their names so that he knew who his competitors were.
Here's how it all begins.
Harua is in the library attempting to study.
Well, key word is "attempt." Harua's attention span has already reached max capacity. The numbers on his calculus assignment are starting to blend together to form the numbers equivalent of alphabet soup in his mind, and he is pretty sure he wants to cry.
Harua is joined by Yuma today. The older has been furiously typing on his laptop for the past half hour doing peer evaluations, leaving Harua to entertain himself. He loathes that Yuma makes both the best and worst study buddy ever. Best because he always does his work when they study together, worst because he refuses to serve as nothing other than an academic weapon.
They've been at the library long enough where Harua's head starts to hurt from the prolonged concentration. He finds himself also feeling a little parched which is as good as a sign as ever that he should drink water.
Harua reaches for his water bottle and takes a sip.
"Taki is going to give out chocolate on Valentine's day," Yuma chooses to say in that exact moment.
Harua chokes. Apparently he had chosen the worse time to take a sip of water. Harua coughs a couple of times while slapping his thigh.
"Taki?" Harua manages to ask once his coughing subdues. "Where did you learn that from?"
"Saw him at the supermarket yesterday," Yuma replies, not looking up from his laptop at all. "He was buying the same ingredients as the girls next to him. Basket looked exactly like theirs, chocolate and all."
"Oh," Harua says. This is news to him. He lives with Taki but he did not see any chocolate ingredients in their kitchen last time he checked. Not that he's in the kitchen all that often, but now his curiosity is piqued. "Do you know who he is going to give chocolate to?"
Yuma shrugs. "I don't know, he wouldn't tell me when I asked."
Harua can imagine it: Yuma walking up to Taki with a smirk on his face, poking the boy's cheek as he teased, and Taki whining while trying to fend himself from one Nakakita Yuma.
"Interesting," Harua mumbles to himself. Just to make sure, he leans across the table closer to Yuma and asks, "Are you sure he's going to give chocolate to someone?"
Yuma finally pauses in his typing ministrations to look Harua in the eyes. "He didn't deny it when I asked him. You know how he is."
Harua knows. Taki is an honest boy; he can't lie to save his life. That's why he loves to tease the boy any chance he gets.
Still, something doesn't sit right with Harua about this whole thing. Yuma is usually all up in their friend's business about romantic endeavors. He treats matchmaking like it's a full-time job with benefits, so it's odd that he's not trying to figure out who Taki's mysterious chocolate recipient is going to be. It's almost like he's acting nonchalant to hide something.
(Not that Harua is keen on finding out Taki's chocolate recipient either. The thought of Taki confessing to someone makes him want to throw up.)
Before he can ask any further questions, someone takes a seat next to Harua.
"What are you guys talking about?" Maki asks as he sits down, sliding off his backpack and setting it on his lap.
"Did you just get out of class?" Harua asks instead, ignoring Maki's question.
Maki nods his head as he takes out his laptop, seemingly ready to join the study session. "Yeah. So what's the hot gossip?"
"Taki is going to give out chocolate on Valentine's day," Yuma says, not even sparing a glance at Maki. He's returned to furiously typing on his laptop but with more rigor this time. Harua fears for whichever peer is being evaluated this time.
"Taki?" Maki squeaks, dropping his laptop on the table and wincing when it makes a loud thud sound. "Like, our Taki? Takayama Riki? You're lying, right?" he asks in rapid succession, eyebrows shooting higher up with each question. He quickly looks over both shoulders to make sure no one is eavesdropping on their conversation, then leans in across the table towards Yuma and whispers, "Do you know who he's giving chocolate to-"
"No," Yuma scowls, cutting Maki off.
Maki pouts. Then he turns to face Harua and tries asking again. "Do you know who Taki is giving chocolates to?"
Harua shakes his head. "I only know as much as you do. Yuma just told me this a minute ago."
Maki pouts harder and crosses his arms. He's clearly not happy with that answer. "Fine, don't tell me."
"What is Yuma not telling you?" A fourth voice chimes in. Harua looks up and sees Jo standing beside their table, hands shoved in his jacket pockets. He looks like he just got out of class as well.
"Taki is going to give out chocolate on Valentine's day. No, I don't know who he's giving it to yet, and neither do they," Yuma huffs as he gives his spiel for the third time today.
Jo's eyes widen in surprise. "Oh. That's...a lot to take in."
Harua and Maki solemnly nod in agreement.
The topic drops as Jo eventually takes the remaining empty seat next to Yuma, pulling out his laptop and assignments to work on. Harua picks up his pencil and tries to focus on his calculus assignments once again. The four of them work in a comfortable silence for a couple of minutes before Maki finally breaks the silence.
"So...who do you guys think Taki is going to give chocolate to?" Maki asks.
Harua scratches his head and racks his brain for an answer. It's still a number-alphabet soup in his brain, but a couple of letters have snuck in to form a potential candidate. Although it's a hopeful one if he's being honest.
"I don't know but I have a guess," Yuma shrugs.
"I also have a guess but I don't think it's right," Jo sheepishly replies, scratching his head.
"So we all have a person in mind?" Maki asks, glancing at everyone in the table. He looks at Harua, who gives a slight nod in response. "I wonder if we're all thinking of the same person. Why don't we all say who we think it is on the count of three or something?"
Everyone exchanges glances with each other and nods. What's the worst that could happen?
"One."
"Two."
"Three."
"Me," all four of them say in unison.