Work Text:
I.
It started with a rose.
Yuu sold all kinds of things in his general store: spices, fabric, tools, seeds occasionally, but never flowers. There was a florist’s shop down the road where most people went for their botanical needs. He couldn’t even keep the tiny cactus Asahi had given him alive; he had no right to be selling anyone anything green.
It was a scarlet red rose lying on his check-out counter. It clearly wasn’t a random wildflower as it had a pink ribbon tied around it. The store had been busy earlier and Sweetheart’s Day was coming up, so maybe someone had forgotten it in their haste. If they didn’t come back by the end of the day to pick it up, Yuu would throw it away.
“What makes you think someone forgot it?” Asahi asked when he came by to pick up supplies. They had a good thing going where he traded his bakery’s leftover goods for whatever he needed. Yuu was looking forward to the sticky buns he’d brought over in exchange for flour.
“They intended it for a sweetheart,” Yuu called down from the top of his ladder. His spices had been ransacked today and he was pulling more down from the top shelf to restock.
“No, yeah I got that—”
“Did you want some more nutmeg? You said you were getting low yesterday.”
Asahi let out a deep sigh. “Yes please.”
Yuu had to make a couple trips to bring all of the inventory down. Where was a magician when you needed one? He’d give anything just to be able to do a levitation spell.
By the end of the day, no one had been back for the flower, so Yuu took it up to the loft above his shop, intending to throw it out the window into the compost. Except… it was too pretty to just throw away. Instead, he filled a mug with water and placed the makeshift vase on his nightstand. He went to bed resolving to think no more about it.
He definitely didn’t stare at the wall trying way too hard not to think about who he would gift a rose to if he weren’t, as Ryuu put it, a “slovenly coward.” And his dreams definitely weren’t tinted red like rose petals or ruby eyes.
II.
Yuu wasn’t stupid. When another rose appeared, he knew something was up. This one was dark pink.
“Yachi,” he said, staring down at it, hands planted (hehe, get it?) on his hips. “Do you have a secret admirer?”
“Eh?” She turned around so quickly she upset the dustpan she’d just spent the last ten minutes sweeping detritus into. “Why would you say that?”
“Well, the rose has to be for someone.”
“Rose?” She came up next to him and peered at the counter with him. Gingerly, she poked it with the handle of her broom. If she expected something to happen, she was greatly disappointed.
“I didn’t even see it there.”
Yuu sighed. “So, you wouldn’t know who left it?”
She shook her head. “There were a few people in here while you were out haggling with the cloth traders… the butcher, the witch, a couple farmers…”
“No one who would secretly be leaving you gifts?”
“Tadashi’s hardly a secret, Noya-san,” she said blushing. “And he never gives me roses. I always prick my fingers.”
“Well—” Yuu snatched up the rose and belatedly realized that there were thorns lining its stem. Not a single one had pierced him. Interesting. “At least we can find out where it came from. Watch the shop for me.”
Karasuno was a tiny little town in the middle of farmland. There was a forest on one side that everyone aside from the town witch avoided at all costs. The decent folk stayed east of the river where the spirits dared not cross.
Yuu didn’t know if he believed in spirits. He did know that Bouncing Bulb was a short jaunt from his store and the name sounded like it should be on the cover of a cheap and trashy novel of a certain genre in Ennoshita’s bookshop. The florist’s shop was a repurposed little cottage with a forest of potted shrubbery spilling out of its door. Behind it was a glass and steel greenhouse. Yuu was a mature and responsible adult, so he definitely didn’t snicker every time he saw the sign.
A concoction of flowery perfumes punched him in the face as he stepped inside. There were several people pondering over the various floral arrangements, no doubt musing about which one would be best to give to their respective partners. Yuu had to elbow his way through them to get to the counter and narrowly avoided knocking a vase off of a display. In spite of the crowd of people, there wasn’t a line at the moment. He smacked the rose down on the counter right in front of the pudding-headed florist.
“How’s my favorite flower man?”
Kenma looked back at him with a dead-eyed stare. “I thought I banned you.”
“Can’t have, I’m right here. Anyway—”
“You released crows into my greenhouse and they ate all of my sunflower seeds.”
“Water under the bridge. As I was saying—”
“I’m calling the police.”
“Brilliant, I’ve been meaning to talk to Daichi.” Yuu was, in fact, actively avoiding Daichi. The incident with the statue in the town fountain was… not entirely his fault.
He put his elbows on the counter and leaned over into Kenma’s space. Kenma instinctively leaned away from him.
“Kenma. Kyanma. My main flower man. Best florist in all the world.”
“Please stop.”
“Just tell me who bought this rose from you, and I’ll leave your shop. I swear.”
“I don’t trust you.”
“You don’t need to.”
Kenma lowered his gaze to the rose and brought it back up to Yuu. “Are you fucking with me?”
Normally, the answer would be yes. Sadly, Yuu wasn’t quite sure what he was referring to in this instance.
“No? Someone left it at my store. I don’t know who.”
“Whoever it was, they couldn’t have bought it here. That type of rose isn’t in season.”
“What?” Yuu squinted at the flower in question. It was pristine, clearly freshly picked not brought out of someone’s ice box. That was a thing, right? People froze flowers to keep them fresh? Or was that just vegetables? Yuu pretty much survived on leftover baked goods and the occasional apple if he could snag one from a farmer’s cart. So… he wasn’t sure where this train of thought was going.
If anything, the rose was maybe a little too perfect now that Yuu was really looking at it. The glossy fuchsia petals didn’t have a single tear or brown spot. He trailed his finger over the stem. Once again, the thorns didn’t catch his skin.
“Someone probably made it with magic,” Kenma said at the same moment that it clicked in Yuu’s own head. “Can you get out of my shop now?”
“Absolutely,” Yuu said without budging. On principle he stayed right where he was matching Kenma’s unimpressed glare with an unbothered smile until Kenma picked up a stone of farspeech.
And then he ran before Kenma could actually call the police.
…
“Tendou’s flirting with you.”
Yachi squawked in surprise and dropped the stack of cans she was carrying. Yuu winced at the loud clatter as they hit the ground and rolled in every direction.
“Eh?” She said. “T-Tendou? The witch?”
Yuu scooped up a can of peaches and tossed it to her. She fumbled it and it landed on the floor again.
“Yup,” he said, tossing the rose to her as well. “He sent you that.”
Yachi shrieked and dodged the rose as if it was diseased. “Noya-san! The thorns!”
“It’s enchanted! It won’t hurt you!”
“Oh…” Very gingerly she picked it up by one of its leaves. “Why do you think he was giving it to me?”
Yuu sighed heavily. He loved Yachi deeply, and he didn’t find her anxiety to be a character flaw—maybe because he was a little too fond of messing with people and it was just so easy to rile her up. But sometimes, he wished he could just shake some self-esteem into her.
“Yachi, there’s a million reasons someone would want to date you! You’re cute and you’re kind! You brighten up a room just by walking into it!” If her boyfriend wasn’t telling her these things, it was Yuu’s solemn duty to punch him in the face.
“No, I—that’s very kind, Noya-san. But I meant, why would Tendou give a rose to me and not someone else?” Her voice got weirdly strained on the last word.
Yuu spied another can under one of the displays and crouched to pick it up. Catnip? He didn’t even remember ordering this. For a moment he entertained the idea of keeping it for (ahem) personal use. It would be so easy… The lock on Kenma’s greenhouse was a joke…
No. He made himself very firmly hand it back to Yachi. Kenma would suspect him, and he didn’t need Daichi sniffing around his place and finding his illegal stash of fireworks. He had plans for those.
“I don’t know,” he said, heading back behind the counter. “Like you said, Yamaguchi’s not exactly a secret, and there are plenty of eligible—” He gasped and slammed his hand on the counter as it came to him. “This is one of those boss things, isn’t it?”
Yachi looked even more confused. “What things?”
“Boss things!” He darted to her and seized her by the shoulders. “Yachi, as your employer, it’s my sworn duty to protect you and this scheming witch is trying to break up your perfect relationship!”
“That’s—I don’t think—”
“I can’t let my employee be harassed by this tempting harlot! Yachi, as your Guardian Deity—”
“My what?”
“—I swear I will not let this witch bother you anymore. He’s officially banned. I’ll fight him myself next time I see him.”
Yuu released her and walked into the back room, feeling very pleased with himself.
“This is definitely not a boss thing,” he heard Yachi mutter as the door swung shut behind him.
III.
The third rose arrived the next day, carried by an eagle who swooped in through the open door as Ryuu was entering. The choice of courier only confirmed Yuu’s suspicions of who was sending the roses.
“What the fuck?” Ryuu said, rubbing his head where the bird’s talon had clocked him.
“That damn witch,” Yuu said cheerfully. The bird had landed on his counter and was trying to push the rose into his hand. Yuu ignored it and grabbed a piece of parchment and quill. It was an eagle feather quill. Was that offensive? Oh well. He scribbled out a note:
Yachi says “fuck off.” She’s flattered, but in a very happy relationship. Stop sending flowers to my employees!
--Noya
By the time he’d finished, Ryuu had approached the counter and was reading the note upside down.
“Who’s sending Yachi flowers?”
“Tendou.” Yuu rolled up the parchment and held it out to the eagle. It eyed him reproachfully, dropped the rose, and snapped up the note, nearly taking Yuu’s fingers with it. Yuu circled around the counter to the door and held it open for the eagle to fly out.
“Tendou’s flirting with Yachi?” Ryuu said.
“Mm-hmm. I told her I’d put a stop to it.”
Ryuu gave him a long look. They’d been friends long enough that Yuu knew when something was up.
“What?”
“He didn’t send any kind of note with the rose saying who it was for?”
“Why would he? It was obvious.”
Ryuu stared at him for a moment before bursting into laughter. Yuu’s grin quickly faded as he realized that his friend was laughing at him.
“What?” he said again.
Ryuu just clapped him on the shoulder (which hurt more than Yuu would admit—how unfair for his blacksmith friend to have muscles) and shook his head.
“If you can’t figure that one out, I can’t help you.”
“Help me with what? Oi!” Yuu made a grab for him that Ryuu easily ducked as he headed for the door without buying anything.
“Just think about it,” he said cheerfully, then slammed Yuu’s own door in his face.
“What’s there to think about, asshole?” Yuu shouted. If Ryuu heard him through the wood, he gave no indication. Yuu groaned and let his forehead fall against the door. There was a lot to think about, actually. Like how the sight of each new rose had his stomach getting that swoopy feeling. Jealousy? He couldn’t be jealous of Yachi. She was just too sweet and it wasn’t her fault anyway. Maybe just the fact that someone noticed her and cared enough to woo her? She wasn’t some delinquent who stirred up trouble and fucked with people because it distracted her from the looming storm of negative thoughts always threatening to break loose in her head.
She’s not me, Yuu thought bitterly. That’s why Tendou likes her.
And that right there was enough introspection for one day. Yuu pushed off from the door and marched into the totally respectable and definitely-not-sketchy-because-it’s-run-by-the-town-shyster general store, intent on burying himself in work. He was pretty sure there would be some cobwebs in the corner he needed to get rid of if he looked hard enough.
Somewhere in the very back of his brain, a voice was quickly smothered in saying that he wasn’t jealous about Yachi getting attention, but because of who she was getting it from.
…
The eagle returned sometime later. Yuu wasn’t sure exactly when because he got lost in reorganizing his stockroom and only resurfaced long after the sun had set. The bird was waiting for him on the sill of his bedroom window, impatiently tapping its talons.
It wasn’t carrying a rose this time, which was about the only thing that Yuu had the brain capacity to notice. As he dropped onto his bed exhausted, he was buffeted by the flapping of feathers near his face. A roll of paper pattered against his forehead, slid down his nose and landed in his lap. Like a feathery streak of lightning, the eagle was gone, out the window he’d forgotten to close this morning.
He unrolled the note. It took several seconds of blinking for his eyes to focus enough for him to read what was on the paper.
Noted. I will not send flowers to your employees.
He was out like a light after barely having read the last word and had no time to process what that meant.
IV.
Yuu woke still in his clothes from the day before, feeling like he’d been asleep for a hundred years. And there was a piece of paper on his chest. He vaguely remembered what that was about. Something about sending employees to get flowers? No, wait—
Just as he picked up the paper to reread the message, there was a rustle at the window he’d still forgotten to close. The eagle entered his room once again, perching on the windowsill. Another rose was clamped in its beak.
Yuu got up and crossed the room. He held out his hand so that the witch’s familiar could drop the rose into it. Once again, there was no pain from the thorns that should have scratched him. The stem and leaves were a glossy black, and the flower itself was a luminous orange. Something about it stirred a memory in Yuu’s brain.
It was a great night for vandalism. There were clouds covering the stars and a light drizzle chilled the air. No one in their right mind would be outside on a night like this.
Some would say that Yuu was never in his right mind. He definitely looked a little deranged right now, standing ankle deep in water clenching a hammer in his teeth and a chisel in the crook of his elbow while he tried to tug a giant piece of fabric off of the statue in the middle of the fountain. Was it stuck on there with magic or something? With a final heave, he managed to wrench the thing off. His feet slipped and he landed on his ass in the fountain’s basin. The statue’s covering flopped over him like a poor imitation of a child’s Halloween ghost costume.
Yuu managed to wrestle himself out of the fabric and stood up, gathering the tools that had fallen in the scuffle. Ready to set to his task, he looked up at his target. His face fell.
“Shit.”
Somehow, in all of his careful planning, he hadn’t accounted for the statue being made of metal. The base of the fountain was stone. Who put a metal statue in a stone fountain?
“Aww, you’ve ruined the surprise.”
Yuu whirled around and narrowly avoided wiping out again. A cloaked figure with a basket in hand stood several feet away. They lowered their hood to reveal a shock of red hair, eyes like chips of garnet, and a grin that never quite seemed honest.
“No one was supposed to see the statue until tomorrow,” Tendou said.
“That’s why I had to do the dirty deed tonight,” Yuu said. “But uh… I guess I’m not actually doing that. You wouldn’t tell Daichi, would you?” Tendou didn’t seem like the type to snitch, but Yuu didn’t actually know him that well. This was officially the longest conversation they’d ever had. He didn’t avoid the witch on purpose—he didn’t really believe the nastier rumors about witches drinking blood or making pacts with demons. It was really only a select few who peddled those whispers and most people paid them no mind, happy to have someone who could brew a healing potion living nearby.
Tendou tilted his head. “What exactly… ah, is this about what you said at the town meeting?”
“You were there?” Yuu hadn’t thought of Tendou as someone who would go to that kind of thing. He seemed, above all other things, just to be someone who kept to himself. Yuu rarely saw him with groups of people, even when he could be spotted around town.
Tendou grinned at him. Yuu could have sworn that the edges of his silhouette blurred into the backdrop of the night. “People don’t notice me if I don’t want them to.” A shiver went down Yuu’s spine. Not fear, but excitement. He didn’t know much about magic or Tendou, but maybe he wanted to.
Tendou stepped up to the edge of the fountain. “What was it you said to Mayor Ukai? ‘If the governor ever comes to this town, I’ll knock his wig off?’”
The first thing about Nishinoya Yuu was that if he had an opinion, he voiced it. It wasn’t his fault that the governor was a buffoon with shitty politics. The second thing about Nishinoya Yuu was that when he said he would do something, he followed through. Always. So, with a brand new statue of the governor just waiting to be unveiled, he’d prepared to stay true to his word, only to stumble at the finish line. He shrugged at Tendou with his tools in hand.
“You see my problem.”
“Mm-hmm. Quite the predicament.”
A wind blew through the square, alerting Yuu to the fact that he was freezing. He clambered out of the fountain and sat on the lip around its edge. He’d taken his socks and shoes off, but the rest of his clothes were wet from tumbling in. He tried to keep his teeth from chattering, for some reason not wanting Tendou to see the result of his dumbassery.
“What are you doing out here at night anyway?” He asked as he pulled a sock over his wet foot and quickly realized he hated the sensation.
Tendou tipped his basket to show Yuu the contents. Inside were sprigs of white star-shaped flowers. Yuu noticed more growing in the cracks between the pavement at their feet.
“Starblossom flowers,” Tendou said. “They’re best if they’re picked at night when they’re in bloom.”
“For potions?”
“That, and they’re my favorite flower.” Tendou leaned down and plucked one then sat beside Yuu on the edge of the fountain. “I just think there’s something about things that shine brightest in the darkness. And since they’re closed during the day, people hardly ever notice them thinking that they’re just another weed. But they’re not. They’re very useful in healing potions, but you would only find them if you knew to look.”
“Like you,” Yuu said.
“Like me,” Tendou agreed.
“You wanted me to notice you?”
“It’s quite hard to have a conversation if someone doesn’t see you.”
“I’ll see you,” Yuu said without thinking. “Now I’ll always be looking for you.”
There was a moment where their eyes connected. Yuu could see every facet of red and brown in Tendou’s irises and the same energy from earlier zipped down his spine and through the rest of his limbs. Tendou’s hand, holding the flower, was drifting so close it could brush his cheek—
And then a full body shiver came over him and his teeth clacked together so hard that he felt the impact in the back of his skull.
Beside him, Tendou let out a soft laugh and spoke a word that Yuu didn’t recognize. A warm breeze rushed over him, and suddenly his clothes were dry. He didn’t even feel the rain that was still misting down.
“I should have done that earlier,” Tendou said.
Yuu shook his head. “Thanks.”
Tendou stood and looked thoughtfully up at the statue. “You know… there may still be a way we can keep your promise.” He pondered for a moment before snapping his fingers and uttering another spell. “That should do the trick.”
Yuu craned his neck to look and laughed aloud. “Yeah, I think that’ll work.”
“Then we should get out of here.” Tendou flicked his wrist. The covering rose into the air and settled itself back on top of the statue.
Yuu finished pulling on his shoes and socks. Tendou walked with him until they parted ways at his store. The atmosphere was quiet, but not uncomfortable. Yuu was too busy chuckling to himself as he envisioned Daichi’s reaction to really think about how close together they were walking or the shared glances out of the corners of their eyes.
“Thanks again,” he said just before he went inside.
Tendou looked at him like he was waiting for something. After a long moment, he just shrugged and smiled.
“Anytime.”
He pulled up the hood of his cloak and disappeared as if he had never been there at all. Yuu stood dumbly for a moment, reaching for whatever it was he was supposed to say before giving up and turning in.
(Daichi’s reaction when a completely bald statue of the governor was revealed the next morning was better than anything Yuu could have imagined himself.)
Yuu resurfaced from the memory at a sharp peck on his hand from the witch’s familiar.
“Ow!” He glared at the bird which glared unapologetically back. It bobbed its head like it was nodding between the rose and him.
Yuu looked at the rose, at the orange petals and black stem. He was a dumbass sometimes, but he wasn’t an idiot. Surprisingly, for all his suave demeanor might have someone think otherwise, he didn’t have much, really any, experience with romance. With attraction, he had plenty. Somewhere along the way, he’d gotten a brain and realized that chasing girls around like a guard dog wasn’t charming—it was creepy. Honestly, it was a miracle Kiyoko-san still acknowledged him with a wave when they crossed in the square. It was maybe more than he deserved.
He hadn’t lied to himself about his feelings after that night with the fountain. The consistent dreams of garnet eyes and slender hands that never quite touched his face before he woke up were hard to ignore, and Yuu was never ashamed to admit to himself when he liked someone. He just never planned to do anything about it because he’d fuck it up somehow. He always fucked up, and it wasn’t worth it when it was bound to hurt someone else. It was a long shot to think anyone would even want to get involved with him because they all knew he was the town miscreant. When he inevitably went too far, he’d drag them down with him, and who would stick around for that? He’d expected this crush to be like all the others—that he would pine in silence until it fizzled out and then he could move on.
Looking at the rose, he thought about shining brightest in the darkness and shared glances from the corners of eyes. About secret laughter over a stupid prank and choosing to be noticed. About thorns that didn’t scratch and the word “employees” underlined. His mouth fell open in realization and he let out a very soft “Oh.”
Yuu was downstairs in less than a minute and upstairs just as quickly when he realized he should probably put on some clean clothes. He stuffed the rose into the vase beside the other one (still as fresh as the day it arrived) and dashed back downstairs.
“Yachi, cover the store for me!” He yelled as he passed her on her way into work.
“What? Where are you going?” She called after him.
He turned around and ran backwards as he yelled, “I have to give someone a flower!”
He was a little to far away to hear what Yachi said in response, but it kind of sounded like she said, “finally.”
…
The sun had not fully risen yet, and the flower shop was definitely not open. Yuu kicked open the door of the greenhouse anyway.
“Kenma!”
“No. Get out.” Kenma brandished his pruning shears like a knife. “Customers aren’t allowed in here, and neither are you.”
“I am a customer,” Yuu said.
“You have never once bought anything from me.”
“Well, that changes today. What kind of flower do I give to someone who’s been secretly leaving me roses? Also someone who can magically create roses that have no imperfections. Someone who won’t be impressed by any old flower. Also someone who knows magic and can probably create anything out of nothing. Tendou. It’s Tendou. What kind of flowers do I get for Tendou?”
Kenma trimmed a dead branch off of a camelia plant more harshly than was necessary. “Figured that one out, did you? No idea what he sees in you.”
“Me neither, but I’ll shoot my shot,” Yuu said brightly.
For the first time he could ever remember, Kenma looked at him with something other than apprehension and disgust. His expression softened slightly. It was almost like he could see Yuu’s self-deprecating humor stemmed from real insecurities and was taking pity on him.
That wouldn’t stand, so Yuu purposefully grabbed a potted plant by its stem and dangled it in the air so that the roots were clutching the soil for dear life.
“How about this one?”
Kenma’s eyes narrowed. Back to business as usual.
“Put Gerard down right now.”
“You name your plants?”
Kenma swiped at him, pluming shears still in hand. Yuu nearly avoided getting stabbed and grabbed for the shears, barely managing to twist them out of Kenma’s grasp while keeping a hold on Gerard. He danced away and held the shears against Gerard’s stem.
“Tell me what flowers to give Tendou or Gerard gets it.”
Kenma picked up an empty pot and held it poised to throw. “Don’t you dare.”
“Tell me or else I’ll—” His gaze drifted to Kenma’s shoulder and landed on some white flowers behind him. They weren’t small enough, and not quite the right shape, but they still put him in mind of star-shaped flowers growing in the cracks between the pavement. He really was a dumbass, wasn’t he?
“Are starblossoms still in season?”
Kenma’s expression changed from anger to bewilderment. “Why?”
Yuu opened the shears and slid Gerard’s stem between their blades. “Answer the question.”
“Fine! Yes! I don’t have any here! They’re a weed!”
Yuu set Gerard down and patted its capitulum in condolence for using it as a hostage. “Thanks, Kenma. You’ve been very helpful.” He darted for the door.
Kenma let out a string of expletives. “You know what, I hope Tendou curses you. Changes you into a frog or something.”
Just before leaving, Yuu poked his head back inside. “The name of your shop sounds like a euphemism.”
He closed the door quickly and heard the crash of pottery shattering against the other side.
+1
Yuu had had plenty of bad ideas during his lifetime. Knocking on the door of his potential boyfriend in the middle of the night was probably one of them, but Tendou had said that starblossoms were best picked at night and Yuu was way too jittery to wait until morning. He’d also belatedly realized that today was Sweetheart’s Day, so it kind of felt like he was on a deadline. Plus, though Yuu didn’t know much about witchcraft, he was pretty sure the witching hour was sometime between dusk and dawn, so practicing magic probably involved being a night owl.
Tendou’s house sat just at the edge of the creepy forest. In the daytime, it was a quaint little cottage with a thatched roof and multicolored smoke pouring out of its chimney. At nighttime, it was a dark shape resembling a tombstone. A wolf howled somewhere in the distance. Either Yuu was about to have his skin stolen by demons or he would find sanctuary in the witch’s arms.
Yuu knocked on the door. No answer. He waited a few minutes and then knocked again.
“It’s not much use knocking on the door of an empty house.”
With a yelp, Yuu whirled around, nearly dropping the sprig of flowers in his hand. Tendou looked back at him amused and apparently not at all questioning why Yuu had come to visit him at O’ dark-thirty.
“Starblossoms,” he noted. There was a lantern in his hand, the candle inside lit with a purple flame that cast weird shadows on his face. Yuu kind of really liked how the violet light played with the red of his eyes.
Usually, Yuu was rarely at a loss for words, so he hadn’t actually planned out how this would go, figuring he could wing it. Now, of course, the cat just had to find his tongue and tangle it into a ball of yarn. He stuck the starblossoms out toward Tendou, hoping he didn’t look as awkward as he felt.
“For me? I wasn’t expecting any additions to my potion supply.”
“They’re your favorite flower!” Yuu blurted out. “They’re not as good as magical roses, but you said they were your favorite, so I thought you’d like them. And Kenma might actually kill me if I ever set foot in his store again. Also, I didn’t realize the roses were for me because I’m a dumbass, and I’m kind of realizing that I might have some self-esteem issues to work through—don’t worry about that. And you should probably know by now that I’m a complete fuck-up and I’ve got absolutely zero impulse control, so I do a lot of stupid and reckless shit, so I kind of never expected anyone to like me, but you seem to kind of be on board with shenanigans, and I really really like you, so if you want to give it a shot I’m game…. And I hope you like the flowers.”
Tendou took the starblossoms gently. Electricity tingled Yuu’s fingers where they touched, and Tendou didn’t let go of his hand.
“I love them. Thank you.” For once, his smile seemed completely sincere. “I think I made it pretty clear that I like you too.”
“I mean, you could have sent a note or something,” Yuu said. “I probably would have figured it out sooner. Poor Yachi probably still thinks you were flirting with her.”
“Mm.”
“But yeah, I—thank you for the flowers.”
Tendou took a step closer, and for a hopeful second, Yuu thought he was about to get kissed. Instead, sadly, Tendou moved past him to open the door, tugging him along by their joined hands.
“I know it’s late, but do you want to come in for a cup of tea?”
“Hell yeah!” Now that they were actually having this conversation, the last thing Yuu wanted to do was leave Tendou’s presence.
“What were you doing out this late anyway?” he couldn’t help but ask as Tendou opened the door to be washed in light that somehow didn’t shine through the windows. “It’s gotta be midnight by now.”
“Oh, that’s just when the lost, innocent souls of the world wander the earth, perfect for reaping.”
“Uh…” Yuu blinked, suddenly realizing that if he was going to court a witch, he might have to figure out where he stood in terms of morality when it came to magic. “Really?”
“No.” Tendou’s smile had its familiar mischievous curl to it. “I couldn’t sleep and strolling through the forest at night calms me. You’re going to have to get used to some strange habits if you’re going to date a witch.”
Yuu followed Tendou into the cozy cottage filled with wonky stacks of books, spicy aromas he couldn’t place, and a fire crackling in the hearth. He watched Tendou set his lantern down, grab a tiny glass vial from a shelf, conjure water out of nowhere, put the starblossoms in it and set it reverently on the windowsill. The eagle watched them both from his perch in the corner then pointedly turned himself around as if to give them privacy. When Tendou came close to him again, Yuu pulled him in and guided his hands around his waist, looping his own around Tendou’s neck.
“If you can deal with my dumbfuckery, I can deal with a few strange habits.”
“I like your dumbfuckery. You’re the most interesting person in this town.”
Yuu snorted. “Says the witch. Something tells me I’ll like your habits too.”
Tendou kissed him then, and Yuu knew that whatever dumbfuckery or strangeness may come, it would absolutely all be worth it.