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Ko-Chan: Hey, Hirose! Can you be at your school early tomorrow? I got you a Christmas present, but I didn't get the chance to give it to you before school started
Sure I can be thee half and hour earlyis that okay
Ko-Chan: That's perfect. I'll see you tomorrow morning!
Aiki slipped his phone back into his pocket. Ko hadn't sent any updates or anything, so he set out (half an hour early, ugh) into the unseasonably mild January morning. It was still cold enough that he was happy for his uniform jacket, but not so cold that he was desperate to get inside.
Enjoying the sunrise as he walked was a nice change of pace from blearily squinting at the ground while he tried to make his brain boot up. He'd taken a page from Nakamura's book and chugged a cup of coffee (with lots of sugar, chocolate, and grimacing) to make sure he was awake, and it was nice to be at least sort of functional in the morning.
Not that he intended to make a habit of it.
Ko was waiting in front of Hoshimi high, flawless as usual in his fancy uniform, with a bag clutched in his hands.
"Ko-Chan!" Aiki called out. Ko suddenly stood ramrod straight. Aiki broke into a jog, and he was in front of Ko in no time, grinning at his friend. "I didn't think you were going to get me anything. If you'd told me earlier, I would have got something for you, too."
Ko smiled that smile he did when he was trying to look kind and indulgent, the one that didn't quite fully hide the intensity of what was going on behind his eyes. "You never have to get me anything. I just enjoy treating you."
"Haha, yeah, you're always giving me things." Aiki did not mention the time he'd spotted Ko's little baggie of his discarded eraser pets while he was looking for a pencil to lend him. Ko was never entirely honest about not wanting anything from him.
Ko held out the bag. Aiki took it and pulled out some crumply tissue paper in bright colors, and there, underneath it all, was bright orange fabric and a CD in a jewel case.
Aquapet's new album and the limited edition tee shirt that came with it. Aiki pulled the CD out.
"I know you like them," Ko said. "So I thought I should get you this."
"Wow," Aiki said, which was honest. "Thanks, Ko."
"You deserve the best," Ko said. There was a faint blush creeping up his cheeks. "Listen, Hirose, I..." Ko swallowed, obviously nervous.
Hmm.
"I mean, you're one of the, or, you're actually probably, I mean definitely, the nicest-"
It was funny, it almost seemed like Ko was about to...
Oh.
Oh.
"I know, Ko, you're such a good friend, I'm lucky to be your friend, so thank you. Um. I'm gonna, uh... Thanks."
Aiki did not run away, in that he walked at a normal speed to the door of the school building. He also did not look back to see what Ko was doing. He just... took off his outside shoes and stuffed the tee shirt and CD into his bag.
In retrospect, it made sense. Ko texted him constantly. He was always going out of his way to be nice to him, he flat out refused to disagree with him, there was the eraser pets incident... Of course Ko had a crush on him. It made total sense.
He just didn't feel that way at all about Ko.
(That may not have been entirely true: he'd have to be blind to miss how attractive Ko was, after all, but attraction didn't make up for fundamental incompatibility, and as much as Ko was a dreamboat physically, he was kind of exhausting because he was always on.)
Aiki leaned back against the shelves. Today had certainly gotten off to a weird start.
After he wasn't sure how long (although realistically, it couldn't have been more than a few minutes), the door to outside opened up and a plume of cool air made him look up. Nakamura froze in the doorway for a moment, then came in. "H-hi, Hirose."
"Hi, Nakamura," Aiki said. "How are you?"
Nakamura blushed harder than Ko had, which was just... very, very Nakamura. He didn't have Ko's looks, but he was sweet and earnest and wore his heart on his sleeve. "I'm okay," Nakamura squeaked. He looked around, left and right, and then swung his backpack off of his shoulder and zipped it open. "Actually, I got you something." The sudden enthusiasm dissolved into his usual shyness as he added "I mean, if that's okay."
Huh. Today was a day for gifts, apparently. Aiki smiled. "Yeah. Of course."
Nakamura pulled a floppy wrapped package out of his bag and handed it to Aiki, blushing so hard Aiki thought his head might explode. He took it and pulled red and green paper open to reveal...
Orange fabric and a CD in a jewel case.
He stared at it.
Ko had gotten him the same thing. Ko paid attention, but so did Nakamura. Ko liked him. Liked him, liked him.
And Nakamura...
Nakamura was a blushy, shy, awkward mess around him half the time. He'd given him a crab keychain in Yokohama and asked to be his friend with such intense nervousness that Aiki had halfway thought he was about to... He'd halfway thought Nakamura was about to do exactly what Ko had just tried to do.
It was easy to recall his racing heart, his nervous anticipation of something that only seemed like it could happen. It was easy, too, to recall Nakamura's hand around his wrist, the concern in his eyes when he told him not to do something he didn't want to do.
It was easy to recall the look on Nakamura's face when he teased him about his bangs.
"Do you... not like it?" Nakamura asked.
Aiki blinked. He looked up at Nakamura, and his heart was racing again, not anticipation, but realization.
"I love it," he said, "but, um, you're gonna laugh." He opened up his jacket and button up shirt, and Nakamura's eyes got very wide when he saw the Aquapet shirt. "I pre-ordered. And. Um." He started to go for the shirt Ko had gotten him, and then he stopped.
Why? Why bother showing him?
"I think this one is better, though," Aiki said, "because it's from you."
Nakamura almost seemed to vibrate at that. "Really?"
Today wasn't just a day for gifts, Aiki decided. It was a day for revelations. Ko liked him. Nakamura liked him. And he...
Nakamura was sweet. He was earnest. He'd bothered to learn Aiki's likes and dislikes. He supported him and he gave him space when he needed it. He was strong and he was quiet and he was passionate underneath it all and all at once Aiki was drowning in the realization that he'd been falling head over heels in love since this awkward, hapless boy stepped on his handkerchief.
He wanted to cry. He wanted to laugh. He wanted to run outside and leap into the air. He wanted run away. He wanted to kiss Nakamura. He wanted to scream. He wanted to fall over. He wanted to turn cartwheels. He wanted to fly. He wanted to fling his shirt off and put on this new, identical shirt.
"Nakamura, do you... I think I already know, but do you like anyone?"
Nakamura got pale just as much as he had blushed. He stumbled over the start of a word several times.
"Don't lie. Tell me the truth, Nakamura."
Nakamura didn't make a sound, but he nodded.
"Is it me?"
Another nod, this time with his eyes turned away.
"Good."
There was an interminable stretch between the word and the moment it filtered into Nakamura's brain, when Aiki was stuck there, watching someone he hadn't even realized he loved wallowing in the certainty that he was about to be rejected. That endless time broke when Nakamura turned to look at him. Their eyes met.
"Good?" Nakamura said.
Aiki nodded. "If it wasn't me, I'd be pretty sad, because I like you a whole lot."
They stared at each other for a few seconds, or possibly for a few months. Aiki had never before thought about Nakamura's lips, or his hands, or how his nose was cute or how his hair looked soft and shiny, but he knew he was never going to be able to stop thinking about it now.
Aiki clutched the shirt and the CD in one hand and caught Nakamura's left hand in his right. He pulled himself close and he looked up at Nakamura and for once he didn't really resent being short because actually, this was amazing, this feeling of safety and of being vulnerable with someone he liked in a way he'd never even realized. When their lips met, it was natural and easy even if they were clumsy and totally inexperienced. He closed his eyes, and the world dissolved into soft, warm darkness and soft, warm lips and Nakamura's hand on his back and how much he was absolutely giddy over what he hadn't even known he wanted.
He had three identical shirts and three identical CDs, but he was going to treasure the ones in his hand like nothing he'd ever had before in his life.
And then Takeuchi said "Whoah, holy shit," from the door and he and Nakamura sprang apart and found no less than four of their classmates staring at them.
"Yes! Go for it, Nakamura-Kun!" Kawamura cheered. Next to her, Mukai pushed past Takeuchi.
"Happy for you guys, but don't let a teacher catch you doing that," Mukai said.
Aiki leaned his forehead against Nakamura's chest.
Today had started weird, sure, but it was a good weird.