Chapter Text
The day certainly hadn't gone the way Matsumura imagined.
He had planned to get a Christmas present for Hirose, knowing the boy wanted that shirt from his favourite band. Everyone who was remotely interested in Hirose knew about this, so, of course, his newly emerged rival did as well.
After a passionate fight over the special merch, they ended up with no shirt in their possession but at least were able to put a feather in their cap with a good deed.
To be honest, Matsumura didn't think Nakamura would be this attentive and caring. Seeing the reserved boy go up to that lost child and struggling had tugged at something in Matsumura. Obviously, he had to pause their competition to step in and help.
When Nakamura interacted with the child in Matsumura's arms and gave them that little candy cane, which he saw being distributed at the entrance of the mall, that something in him pulled even stronger.
At the end they both had to admit their loss, all shirts being sold out and out of their grasp. Matsumura knew when to give up and it wasn't like the day was a complete waste, it was certainly an eventful one and he could still find another present.
When Nakamura stopped him for a moment to say thank you, that something in him stilled for a second, only to grow double its size and make itself irreversibly known. Nakamura's face was oddly cute, saying thank you in that reluctant manner, the something in him noticed.
Before that something could go any further Matsumura bid his goodbye and made his way into another shop, determined to get a Christmas present for Hirose and chase that something far away. It was an anomaly, one born from seeing something unexpected. It will pass. Matsumura was sure of it.
-
A day later Matsumura laid in his bed, the photo Nakamura gave him a little while ago clutched in his hands, arms stretched out above him. Said photo was folded in half, only the side Hirose was on facing towards the boy in the bed.
Low chuckles escaped him, admiring Hirose's cuteness. That naturally lighter hair, looking like it would be incredibly soft to the touch. Those usually big, bright eyes closed in an even brighter smile. His small hand, held up in a peace sign.
Matsumura could stare at it for hours, had been staring at it many nights before this one.
However, this night was slightly different. His thoughts, which usually stayed on his one subject of adoration, started to stray, memories of the previous day resurfacing.
Memories of a boy who only recently invaded Hirose's life and dared to challenge him.
Memories of a boy who was annoying and persistent, getting in his way of buying Hirose's christmas present.
Memories of a boy who turned out to be kind and compassionate, abandoning their competition in favour of helping a lost kid.
Memories of a boy who could rival Hirose's cuteness when you took the time to look closer, charming you in a quiet way.
Matsumura quickly shook his head, chasing those intrusive thoughts away. What was he even thinking? No one could come close to Hirose.
Still, some of those thoughts wouldn't leave, however much he tried to let only Hirose swarm his senses. That something in him awoke again, and that something was what drove him, when the boy hesitantly turned the photo over, revealing a boy who was nothing like Hirose.
A boy with dark, straight hair, long bangs obscuring part of his face. A boy with small, slim eyes, nothing particularly noticeable about them. A boy with a shy, reserved smile and slender fingers, matching the peace sign of Hirose.
A boy so utterly different from his object of adoration that he never should have noticed him. Not like this at least. Not with his heart growing warmer the longer he thought about him, the longer he stared at the forgotten side of this photo.
His eyes flitted over the image of this boy. Questioning why he couldn't tear his eyes off of it and where this sudden pull came from. The something in him whispered, that he knew why.
With a groan Matsumura put his right arm over his eyes, his left landing on the bed's covers with a thump, photo in hand.
This shouldn't be happening. He knew who he liked. No one else should have been able to come close to Hirose. And yet...
Matsumura glanced from under his arm towards the photo, now laying next to him on the bed. The image of Nakamura stared back at him, Hirose's side had landed on the bottom.
Another boy started to inhabit his mind from that day on, slowly shoving Hirose to the side, until every crevice was filled by that dark boy.
The nights that followed, he would always start out staring at the bright boy's side, while at the end of the night the photo would end up with that other boy on top.
Until one night, Hirose never even graced his eyes, the photo instantly flipped to the other side.
Nakamura Okuto became the prominent side of that photo, while Hirose Aiki's side became the forgotten one.
Matsumura Kousei had to acknowledge the something inside him. But could he really accept this? No, not yet. It could still all be a trick created by his own mind. He hadn’t seen either of the boys for a while. His mind was simply spinning and didn’t know what it wanted anymore because he wasn’t able to see Hirose.
With that thought determination filled Matsumura. He would go to their school today and confirm his affections. Seeing that gloomy boy next to the bright sun would set things into perspective again.
A confident huff escaped his lips when he got out of his bed and made himself ready for the day ahead. Right after his school ended, he would go over to theirs and his mind would remember Hirose’s unbeatable charm. That something in him will have to notice how wrong it was and vanish again.
Things would go back to normal after today, Matsumura was sure of it.