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It's the evening of February 13th when Yoshinaga Atsumu found himself at his home's kitchen, enthusiastically melting chocolate bars and carefully cutting orange slices, in an attempt at creating sweet but also citric treats that fit the taste of the boy he has been head over heels for in the past year.
Atsumu always thought that Momoya was strikingly good-looking, and even if he always kept himself at a distance from other people, he couldn't help admiring him while sitting behind him during class and wishing that one day he would be able to get close to the other boy. But, it was when Momoya bought new nails for himself, just for Atsumu to be able to keep his grandfather's memory alive, that Atsumu thought it could finally be possible for him to slowly crack the walls that Momoya built around himself.
Since then, Atsumu feels like their relationship has been improving, with him finally being able to tell Momoya how much he hated when he never opened up about his feelings and just laughed them off; even when he was clearly affected by them, and Momoya cheering him up in their shared room after the rehearsal for the nationals, ranting right to his face about how amazing he thought he was, and, for the very first time, letting out a real and spontaneous laugh in front of him.
With them getting closer each day, it was impossible for Atsumu's feelings for Momoya to not grow from a simple crush to actual and serious romantic feelings. So, when Atsumu saw that him and Momoya would be in the same class again for the second year of high school, he couldn't wait until Valentine's Day, when he would finally have a chance to tell Momoya how much he cherished him and all of the moments they spent together.
After trying the recipe a few times during the last month to make sure his chocolate dipped orange slices – which were an idea he had for Momoya's Valentine's Day gift when he casually mentioned being a fan of citric fruits while they were having lunch at school – were good enough for him, the process has become way easier and he soon finished preparing the treats, storing them in the fridge until tomorrow's morning, when he will wrap each slice in tinfoil and carefully place them in a heart-shaped box he bought along with a cute card where he will write a little note to express his feelings for Momoya.
When he's done cleaning up the kitchen, his mother shows up in the room, already having a suspicion of what her son was up to – it was impossible for her not notice how he always becomes very giddy while talking about his supposed 'closest friend' – but not mentioning it to him, she preferred to wait until he felt comfortable enough with telling her himself.
After excusing himself to his room, Atsumu grabbed the Valentine's Day themed card he bought and tried to think of what he could write on it, since no words would ever be enough to express everything he feels for Momoya, but at least he could try, right?
》》》
Writing a love note ended up being harder than Atsumu ever thought it would be – especially when you suck at literature and other subjects that are writing focused – but he thinks it's good enough, because he poured all of his love for Momoya in the text and making his feelings clear is all that matters for him; and honestly, it's better if he doesn't keep looking at it and end up finding mistakes that would make him regret writing it, so he just decides to go with what he has written already. He decided to not to sign the note for now, since he planned on delivering the sweets right to his face, but if he eventually chickens out and decided to just leave it on his desk, he could just write his name on it quickly.
While he was wondering how he was going to execute his plan on the next day, his mom calls him for dinner, which he is very grateful for, because he finally has a reason to get his mind off what's going to happen tomorrow, but while he heads to the kitchen, he can't help feeling the anxiety weighing in his chest.
》》》
On Valentine's Day morning, Atsumu woke up way earlier than usual, with a plan in his mind: he would go to his class before the club practice, leave the box with the note inside it under Momoya's desk – making sure nobody is going to notice – and go to the club room like nothing happened, it's the perfect plan! (of course, having to act naturally around Momoya when he's extremely anxious to see his reaction to his gift will be hard, but he will do his best to hide his emotions!)
Atsumu changed his mind about delivering the gift right to Momoya's face while he was on his bed before drifting off to sleep. He started to visualize all of the possible reactions Momoya could have and he almost started crying while imagining Momoya's face contorted in disgust after another boy just gave him a Valentine's Day gift. Atsumu doesn't even know if Momoya likes boys, and even if he did, would he ever like someone like him, of all people?
He only realized that the whole thing was actually a terrible idea when it was way too late, so that's why he decided to change his plans. He still wants to give the sweets to Momoya though, even if it's anonymously, because he finally wants to give him something in return, after all Momoya has given to him – the possibility to keep his grandfather's memory alive, the reassurance that he was actually good enough to play with the rest of the club, the feeling of having a close friend, who he can share the things he likes with – even if Momoya doesn't love him back.
So, he heads to school, with the cute box inside his bag and his stomach churning in anxiety.
》》》
When Atsumu arrives at his classroom, he looks around for any possible signs of Momoya's presence, but luckily, he's nowhere to be found. Then he goes straight to his desk, making sure nobody around him is paying attention to what he's doing and internally thanking all of the gods that Oka-kun is not around, because if he was, he would surely make a comment about Atsumu sneakily trying to put a heart-shaped box under Momoya's desk to him later.
Atsumu carefully puts the box under Momoya's desk, checking his surroundings one more time before leaving and heading to the koto club's room.
》》》
When Atsumu arrives at his club's door, he can't help but stop on his tracks and remember all of the precious memories he has formed with the club on the previous year. Even after Kurata-senpai and Kurusu-senpai had graduated, all of the other members stayed, deciding to keep the club's legacy alive until their own graduations; and with the victory on the nationals, multiple people came by to join the club, which would make it last way longer then they all thought it would. But it was undeniably weird to be on the senior position now, when it feels like it was just yesterday when he joined the club, extremely shy and almost unable to form a full sentence without stuttering.
His thoughts were interrupted by someone unexpectedly calling his name and touching his shoulder:
"Yoshinaga?"
It was Momoya. Atsumu honestly doesn't know if he was the first or the last person he wanted to see at that moment.
"G-good morning, Momoya-kun." Atsumu stuttered, getting caught off guard by his classmate.
"Good morning Yoshinaga, aren't you going to get in?" Momoya asks him.
"Yeah, of course, let's go together, Momoya-kun!" Atsumu says, opening the door and entering the room, without waiting for the younger to reply.
When both of the second year's get into the room, they greet the members that were already there, but a scene happening in the corner caught Atsumu's attention: Houtsuki-senpai blushing furiously while giving Kudou-senpai a bar of strawberry chocolate, while the latter is also extremely red in the face.
Atsumu thinks they are a very cute couple, and he couldn't feel happier for them, but he also feels an ugly jealousy; he wishes he could be open about his feelings for Momoya the same way, without having to annonymously confess to him.
Momoya seems to notice that something was off about Atsumu's behavior, but, before he could say anything about it, the other members decide to start organizing the room for the morning practice.
♡
Today was supposed to be one of the worst days of the year for Momoya Natsu.
Natsu never understood the appeal of Valentine's Day, which is something that wouldn't make sense for a lot of people, since he always recieved a whole bunch of homemade chocolates from girls at his school. But he hated those chocolates, not because of their taste, but because the people who give them to him barely know him – and if they did, they would surely end up disappointed due to their expectations about him not being met.
Well, at the end of the day, he'll still accept them all with a smile that doesn't reach his eyes, just to keep whatever image they have of him intact.
But, this year, things are different.
Natsu, for the first time in his life, decided to give the holiday a chance, and that's all because of a classmate who somehow swept him off his feet.
If he was to name when he started feeling this way about Yoshinaga, it would be on the day where he accidentally snapped at the other boy, showing him his ugly and true face; but, instead of leaving, Yoshinaga grabbed his hand and admitted how much he hated when Natsu laughed his true feelings off. At that moment, Natsu realized that maybe, he could be himself around someone for once and that they wouldn't leave him because of the unpleasant truth behind the facade he kept up.
Eventually, he started opening up to Yoshinaga, started physical contact with him, let him sleep over his shoulder (more than once!), calmed him down when he was having a panic attack before the rehearsal for the nationals and even told him how amazing he was after it was over. Those are things which Natsu never thought he would do for someone, but he did, and he doesn't regret it, because he loves Yoshinaga; the one who saw him for who he truly was, and pulled himself closer instead of giving up on him.
Due to this, while he was leaving his job on the previous day, he passed by a chocolaterie and saw a box filled with bear-shaped chocolates on the store's window, which made him immediatly think of Yoshinaga – and the thought alone was enough to make him get into the store and wait for what was at least half an hour in a line to pay for the box. But in the end, it surely would be worth it.
But after seeing Yoshinaga acting so off during the club's meeting, he started to feel worried about him, wondering what could possibly have happened for him to be acting this way. Though, Natsu decided on leaving the questions for later and focus on the koto practice for now.
》》》
"Let's go to class together, Yoshinaga." Momoya told his classmate after the morning practice was over and the other members of the club were leaving the room, even though he only did that as a way to check Yoshinaga's behavior and make sure he was okay, since they already had the habit of walking to class together after practicing.
"Yeah, let's go, Momoya-kun." Yoshinaga replied. Again, seemingly anxious and nervous about something.
But, before Natsu could even say anything, a group of girls holding multiple bags and boxes of chocolates came their way, calling his name. Natsu internally sighed, already being used to the same scenario every year; so he puts up a convincing smile and talks to them, accepting their gifts in kindest way he could.
》》》
After what felt like an eternity for Natsu, he was finally able to keep walking to class with Yoshinaga, with his bag full of different colored boxes and bags. Then, he finally decided to ask Yoshinaga what was bothering him.
"So, is everything okay with you, Yoshinaga? You seem kind of off today." Natsu asks him with concern in his voice.
"Y-yes, Momoya-kun! Of course everything is alright! I just haven't slept properly last night, so I'm feeling a little tired!" Yoshinaga replies, but before Natsu could confront him about him clearly not telling him the truth, they arrived at the classroom shortly before the teacher, who's already very eager to start the lesson.
Natsu was still feeling bothered by Yoshinaga's behavior, but he couldn't do much while they were in class, so he settles with talking to him during lunch break. And maybe, he could give him the gift he bought last night and finally confess his feelings to the other boy.
While he dozes off, thinking about how to confess, he notices a heart-shaped box under his desk.
"I bet it is another chocolate made by one of the girls from here" Natsu disinterestedly thinks while pulling the box from under the desk.
But, when he looks inside the box out of curiosity, he sees a bunch of sweets wrapped up in tinfoil, and when he unwraps one of them, he's sees a orange slice dipped in chocolate.
What?
Oranges are his favorite fruits, but he wasn't aware this fact was public knowledge; so he searches for a possible sign of the person who left the box under his desk, feeling a little scared by the thought of having a creepy stalker, then he finds a card stuck with a piece of tape on the underside of the box lid. Bingo!
He unsticks the card and when he opens it, he sees a text, written in a very familiar handwriting:
"Natsu,
I made you this sweets not to just show you my gratitude for everything you have done for me, like making me realize that it is possible to express myself without fear of judgement, but also, to show you how much I love you and always will."
The note wasn't signed, but he knew exactly who wrote it; he still remembers the day where Yoshinaga was excitedly showing him the notes he took from the koto club meetings, with the same handwriting present on the small, but meaningful card that now lies on his hands.
But there was a chance his mind was playing tricks on him, and that in reality, he was just projecting his own feelings and expectations onto this gift. So he needed confirmation.
"Yoshinaga, can you lend me your notes about the koto club?" Natsu asks the boy, slightly turning his body towards him on the chair. He knows Yoshinaga still has that notebook, even if he's now a senior at the club.
Yoshinaga seems to be caught off guard after hearing his request, but he still lends him the notebook. After comparing the handwritings, Natsu reached the conclusion that he was right, Yoshinaga was the one who made him these sweet treats and wrote him the heartfelt note.
Natsu couldn't be happier about the new information he just discovered. And actually, when he comes to think of it, that might be the reason Yoshinaga was feeling so off with him today.
So, he decided to talk to Yoshinaga after club hours this afternoon, when most people are already gone and they can have the classroom only for themselves. Then, Natsu will give his own chocolates to Yoshinaga and confess his feelings properly.
He returns the notebook to his friend and grabs one of the orange slices that were on the box, unwrapping it and tasting all of the love that was poured onto it.
♡
When Atsumu heard Momoya asking him for his club notes, he froze. Momoya never asked him for his notes; did he realize that he was the one who wrote on the card? What will he do now?
Atsumu took a deep breath to calm himself down and stopped to think properly. To not raise any more suspicions, he thought it would be better to just give him the notebook and internally pray for his relationship with Momoya not be completely ruined by now.
》》》
It was finally time for the afternoon practice. After being bombarded with questions from Momoya about his well-being, Atsumu is relieved he will have an excuse to not talk to him for a while – his heart can't take the pressure of hiding his feelings for him any longer.
While he was adjusting his koto, he couldn't help remembering the day him and Momoya played together for the first time after Momoya changed his nails, and how happy he was to finally belong somewhere, thanks to Momoya and the other members of the club. The thought was capable of reassuring him that he doesn't have to worry, because even if his feelings for Momoya aren't reciprocated, he'll still have him by his side as a friend – that is, if he ever wants to look at his face again after finding out about his feelings – and clubmate.
》》》
After practice was over, him and Momoya walked to class together to grab their bags and head home. Atsumu was feeling considerably calmer in comparison to earlier, but he was still curious if Momoya actually realized that he was the one who made those sweets or if he was just being paranoid – even though he won't be the one mentioning it to Momoya first.
When they got into their empty classroom, Momoya was the first to break the silence:
"Yoshinaga, were you the one who left the box under my desk this morning?" Momoya straightforwardly questioned him, as if reading his mind and knowing exactly what he was thinking about at that moment.
There was no reason to lie anymore, it would be better to accept the rejection as soon as possible, so he replied:
"Yes, it was me"
Atsumu stood there, with his eyes closed, preparing himself for every kind of harsh word that could come out of the other boy's mouth, but instead, he heard a sound; when he opened his eyes, he found Momoya handing out a brown paper bag in his direction, adverting the gaze from his face.
...Huh?
♡
Natsu never thought he would end up in a situation like this, but now it's too late to go back. He's standing right in front of the guy he has been in love with for a while now, handing out the chocolates he bought for him and thinking of the right words to say next.
"Yoshinaga... I... have been in love with you for a while, since the day you grabbed my hand after I snapped at you, because you saw me for who I truly was for a moment, but you did not leave me. And you don't know how thankful I am for that." Natsu confessed, feeling relieved for finally getting this off his chest. "I saw these at a store, and they reminded me of you." He said, giving the bag to Yoshinaga, who opened it and saw the box that has his favorite animal's shape.
He stood there after finishing speaking, letting the Yoshinaga process everything he said, but he was caught off guard when he felt Yoshinaga suddenly coming for a hug – which he returned immediately – the warm sensation quickly creeping up his whole body.
"I'm so happy, Momoya-kun... I can't believe this is real." Yoshinaga tells him, with his face buried in the crook of Natsu's neck. Natsu feels the other's teary eyes and can't hold back the next words that are coming out of his mouth:
"Can I kiss you?"
Yoshinaga looks at Natsu's face and whispers softly: "Of course."
The kiss was simple and chaste – since both of them were at a very public spot at school, where anybody could show up at any given moment – but the two boys could feel all of the built-up feelings they have for each other on it, and they would not have it any other way.
♡
Now, two second-year boys leave the gates of Tokise High School, sharing both chocolates and new feelings between one another.