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Alone. On a Valentine’s Day.
Yuu sighs, swirling his latte in his café’s signature styrofoam cup, the tan image of a bird staring up at him. Mocking him. He turns his head to stare out the window as if he’d escape its imagined gaze. Something brings him to check the time on his watch again.
10:56; there’s no doubt at this point that he’s been stood up.
He swallows a sip of cold latte. It doesn’t taste as it did an hour ago. It had been warm. Inviting. Hopeful, even. Now he’s sitting alone in shame at this café on the side of town he isn't familiar with, wasting away the last of his pride.
Yuu had told the waitress he was waiting on someone when he first arrived, and for the past half-hour she’s been giving him pitying looks. He tries to ignore them, but each time he still sees them, and he still feels a sharp jolt of pain through his heart.
10:59. Another cutesy couple strolls through the door. He has his arm around her, and they’re grinning and laughing about something unimportant, something worlds away. From the corner of the café Yuu eyes them with envy.
He checks his phone. A text.
sorry. something unexpected came up i have to cancel. let’s meet again soon.
When, he types back. A moment later, there’s a reply.
next week maybe
Yuu doesn’t bother anymore; he just tosses his phone to the side and continues staring out the window. He brings the cold latte back to his lips, but he doesn’t intend to drink it. Perhaps it’s just to hide his face from the eyes of the sweet waitress or the jubilant couple. Or the other people who are staring at him. He doesn't have to look up to know it.
It’s too sunny , he thinks. It’s too bright and too cheerful and too happy for me.
He’s about to go home and cry for the rest of the day when someone slides in the seat opposite him.
“Sorry I’m late,” he says loud enough for the waitress to hear. Yuu doesn’t recognize his sandy-brown hair or his short stature. In a hushed voice he adds, “were you stood up?”
Yuu nods, faking a quick smile to disperse any remaining worries from the waitress, who immediately heads back into the kitchen with a small spring in her step. “I, uh… I’ve been here for an hour.”
“On Valentine’s Day? ” the guy whispers. Yuu nods again. “Shit, man. I guess you didn’t need them in your life anyway.”
Yuu forces out a cold laugh. Cold as his latte. “I guess.” then he says, “I’m Nishinoya Yuu.”
“Yaku Morisuke.”
Yaku Morisuke. Yuu will have to remember that one.
“So…” Yuu says, “do you do this often? Pretend to be people’s dates?” He messes with his latte again. Maybe he should order another. And add one for Yaku.
“It’s not an everyday thing,” he dismisses, avoiding eye contact. “You just looked kind of lonely over here, that’s all.”
Yuu smiles. “Thanks,” he mumbles, though there’s so much more he could say.
Yaku picks the conversation back up. “So, what do you do?”
“Huh?”
“Do you work around here?”
Yuu shrugs. “I’m a student.”
“Which university? I go to the one right by here, sometimes I even frequent here with friends for study sessions...”
“No way,” Yuu laughs, “you go to my university? And I’ve never seen you before?”
“I guess,” says Yaku. “I’m going to order a drink, do you want anything?”
Yuu’s taken aback by the gesture- “A latte,” he manages. When Yaku leaves the table, Yuu buries his face in his arms.
He’s so nice and so cute and what the hell- he thinks, and pulls up his phone. The previous text is there, but he ignores it and instead sends something unintelligible to Ryuu.
dude my date stood me up bUT this cute guy sat dwon across from me and pretended to be my date and ryuu i think im in love hes bUYING ME DRINKS
Ryuu replies a moment later. whoa deep breaths, noya
Then, are you serious you just met him you probably havent even had a full conversation yet
we’re talking, Yuu replies quickly, then shoves his phone away and greets Yaku again with a grin when he slides back into his chair. Yuu takes the warm latte and bring it to his lips- it’s sweet and tastes better than the one he had an hour ago. He hears birds singing outside over the café’s crowd; the day’s not so gloomy anymore.
“Do you want to do something after this?” Yaku suggests after a minute of content silence.
“What do you have in mind?”
“Well, get to know you better, first,” he laughs, and Yuu feels it tug at his heartstrings (he’s so cute ). “A walk in the park down the street, shopping, arcade…”
“The park,” says Yuu, “th-that sounds nice.” If Yaku had caught his stutter of anxiety, he didn’t mention it.
Yaku stands. His coffee is still unfinished, held in his hands. “Let’s go.”
Yuu follows.
Ten minutes later they’re surrounded by green foliage and rambunctious children. Five minutes after that they discard their empty café cups. Yuu finds himself a little hesitant to do so- it’s one of his first memories of Yaku, after all- but he does. Who needs memories when he has Yaku by his side?
They spend an hour on the swingset, telling each other their lives- where they went to high school, about their families, hobbies, passions, dreams, they even exchange numbers- and so on until all they have left to do is stare at the sky, which happens around three p.m.
“You’re cool,” Yaku says suddenly. “I’m glad I met you.”
It makes butterflies swim in Yuu’s stomach. He chokes out a reply.
“Yeah. Me too.”
Neither of them wish to leave each other’s presence, so they burn more time together by heading to a small, family-owned restaurant for lunch; Yuu immediately feels relaxed by just entering. They settle into a corner, a kind waiter takes their orders, and they’re left alone again. Only the two of them. Yuu should be used to it by now, but Yaku still makes his head spin.
“The date that stood you up this morning,” Yaku brings up; it certainly grabs Yuu’s attention. “What were they like?”
Yuu pauses. Then he says, “My roommate set me up with him a month ago. From the start I could guess he wasn’t the best, and then… this confirmed it, I guess.” He shrugs. “Like you said, I don’t need him.”
“You don’t,” Yaku agrees.
“Besides,” it takes Yuu a moment to say it; he feels the words in his throat, but it’s as if they’re stuck there, “I have you now.”
Yaku blushes, his cheeks a profound pink, but he doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t need to, because Yuu knows he feels the same way.
After lunch they window shop around for a few hours- Yuu’s only recently moved to the quaint town with the start of his freshman semester of university, so Yaku opts to show him around.
The sun’s setting in brilliant hues, washing the town in evening light. Yuu should be heading back to his dorm and Yaku to his apartment, yet they stay lingering in front of the very café in which they had met just this morning. Yuu feels like it’s been a year since then.
“So,” says Yaku.
“So,” echoes Yuu.
“I had fun, we should do this again,” they propose in unison. Yuu laughs.
“Thank you, Morisuke-kun.”
“Morisuke-kun?” Yaku repeats, astonished by the nickname. Yuu feels felicity bubble in his chest.
“Too soon?”
“No, I just-” He buries his face in his hands. “That’s so… affectionate of you-” Yuu reaches forward and links their hands together with only slight hesitation and he feels Yaku stiffen more.
“Thank you for sitting with me today.”
“It’s… no problem.”
Yaku retreats from behind the safety of his hands, and they both stand still for a moment, still unsure of what to do. Then, Yuu leans in and presses a quick, chaste kiss to Yaku’s lips, causing both of their faces to break out in swirls of pink.
Yuu drops Yaku’s hand; he better be going, or else he might not ever leave. “Text me soon, Morisuke-kun! And happy Valentine’s!” He yells back with a wave as he walks away from a flustered Yaku left behind to reel in his own thoughts. Though Yuu admits to himself that he’s still reeling in his own. He doesn’t look behind him again; it’ll make him long to go back.
When he gets a text from an unknown number later he briskly saves the contact under Morisuke-kun.
Happy Valentine’s, Yuu-kun, it says.