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Aira and Hiiro had been together for about a year, and besides the couple themselves, probably nobody was happier about this than Aira's best friend, Kohaku.
He'd been there for Aira through everything, every stage of realizing his feelings for Hiiro—denial, bargaining, anger, depression, and acceptance—and had been the one to help Aira make the chocolates he'd finally used to confess once and for all.
Which is why he would really appreciate it if his own stupid feelings would stop trying to fuck up all his hard work.
In Kohaku's defense, Aira's feelings towards Hiiro had been so painfully obvious at the time, his own feelings seemed small in comparison, easily just the normal affection one would expect towards a close friend.
So why only now, that it was too late to do anything about it, were they suddenly so much worse!?
It didn't help that Aira was already a naturally affectionate person in the first place (what else would you expect from ALKALOID's "heart"?) so their relationship was not that far off from dates already. (Though neither had realized that what they were doing was any different from normal hangouts, both inexperienced with friendship as they were.)
Before, it was normal for them to split a smoothie, huddled up close watching a video on one of their phones together, practically glued at the hip. It was still normal for them, of course, but now it was practically torture for Kohaku. It was so easy to forget they weren't the ones dating sometimes… and then something would always happen to ruin it.
"You wouldn't believe what that idiot Hiro-kun did on our last date—he's lucky he's cute!" With that, Kohaku would be pulled back into reality—the reality of you aren't his—and he would be immediately flooded with guilt.
He has a boyfriend. He loves Hiiro. Not you. Kohaku would repeat to himself, as he laid awake at night. You worked so hard for this. You should be happy for them. He's happy.
As long as he's happy, I'm happy.
Aira was in a dilemma.
See, he loved his boyfriend (as much as he hated to admit it sometimes), and couldn't be more grateful towards his best friend for helping them get together.
Which was why he felt so guilty about the fact that he'd really like to date said best friend, too.
To be clear, he would never cheat on Hiiro! For multiple reasons, actually:
- Hiiro was a sweet, innocent boy, who trusted him wholeheartedly. Violating that trust would be a crime Aira could never forgive himself for.
- Rinne would probably kill him.
- Kohaku went to all that work to get them together!
Kohaku. Graceful, cute, cool… Aira could get lost just thinking about that warm, caring gaze from those beautiful violet eyes… He's so pretty…
No, stop that! He clapped his hands against his cheeks, snapping himself out of it. Stop it!
"Aira, is everything alright?" Hiiro asked, tilting his head at him from the other side of the table. "I don't like to see you hurting yourself."
You're on a date with your boyfriend, for crying out loud! Aira shook his head, before frantically trying to reassure the other. "I'm fine! Just a bit tired, that's all!"
"Umu, I see…" Hiiro thought to himself, before getting up to walk around to the other side of the booth, so he could sit next to Aira instead. "You may rest against me, Aira!"
"Wh—Hiro-kun!" Aira shouted in protest, as he was squished up against his boyfriend's side. "There's enough room to fit normally, why are you squishing up against me!"
"Hm? I just want Aira to be comfortable." Hiiro tilted his head again, doing horrible things to Aira's heart. "I thought sharing my body heat would help."
You… "Ugh, fine, just—switch places with me, okay? At least if I squish you, you'll survive!"
Hiiro beamed, as if he'd just won. Aira rolled his eyes as he slid out a bit to let Hiiro slide up against the wall, before he was quickly grabbed in a side hug. He knew Hiiro just liked the comforting pressure, and would take any excuse he could get to seek it out. Aira decided to indulge him for a moment, snuggling into his side, where he felt a happy sigh through Hiiro's chest, where his head was currently resting.
He tried not to think about the size of the muscular chest functioning as his pillow, or the large bicep pressed into the other side of his face. Listen, I'm dating him for more than just that! (It was just a nice bonus. That was all.)
Hiiro didn't seem to notice Aira's internal struggle, instead happily turning back to his omurice. Aira closed his eyes, and tried to sleep.
Sleep in the arms of his boyfriend, who he loved, and definitely not anyone else, especially not anybody with beautiful pink hair or violet eyes.
Hiiro finished eating before looking back down at Aira fondly. His heart squeezed at the sight of the smaller boy tucked under his arm protectively, soft little snores escaping from his lips. So cute…
He sat there for a while, basking in the comforting presence beside him. Sometimes he wondered why Aira chose him, despite everything. He really wasn't all that special.
Particularly since he knew he wasn't the only person Aira had feelings for.
Of course, he'd suspected for a while that Aira'd had feelings for Kohaku, even before they had started dating. Aira kept talking about how great he was, how he was so talented and dreamy and even though Kohaku was often nearly as clueless about the city as Hiiro was sometimes, Aira never scolded him for being an idiot.
For a while (although it made him a tad embarrassed, looking back on it), he'd been rather jealous of the pink-haired boy. It was why he often let Aira and Kohaku go out on their outings as a pair, since whenever he tagged along, he'd always end up being possessive over the silliest things—really, Aira had just wanted to let Kohaku try a bit of his dessert, but the sight of Aira holding out his ice-cream-filled spoon to the other…
Well. No matter what Aira said, Hiiro still didn't think he was pouting. That was an exaggeration, surely.
Still, Hiiro knew that his own feelings didn't matter, Aira's did. He'd resolved to accept that Aira's heart belonged to another, and support his budding relationship with Kohaku.
Then, one Valentine's Day, Aira had presented a large box of homemade chocolates to Hiiro.
"Um, Hiro-kun, I like you, so, um! Please go out with me!"
"Hm? I like you too, Aira, we're friends, aren't we? We go out together all the time—mmph!?"
Hiiro was then cut off by a frustrated Aira dragging him down for a kiss, and quickly realized he was living out a dream far more wonderful than anything he could have ever imagined.
His heart still fluttered at the memory, even now, nearly a year later. I really am lucky, Hiiro thought to himself, looking back down at the beautiful young man he had the privilege of calling his boyfriend. (He was even able to use that word to refer to Aira correctly now!)
He looked around briefly, to check nobody was watching. The café was nearly empty at that point, only a few minutes until closing, so he took the opportunity to press a quick kiss to the top of Aira's head. He knew he wasn't supposed to do stuff like that in public, but… his boyfriend was just too cute… he couldn't resist!
Luckily, it seemed Aira was too sleepy to care. "Mmn? Hiro-kun…?" He blearily cracked open an eye to look at him, before burying his face back into Hiiro's chest to sleep, mumbling as he drifted back to sleep. "Five more minutes…"
Well, Hiiro couldn't argue with that. He got up, hoisted Aira into his arms bridal-style, and began carrying him back to his dorm.
On the way back, he passed by the other subject of his thoughts that day, who appeared to be rather alarmed at the sight of his best friend unconscious and limp in his partner's arms.
"Rabu-han!" Kohaku rushed over, panicking. "Is he okay?! Wh—"
"He's fine," Hiiro quickly reassured him. "I just wanted to let him sleep a bit longer."
As if to confirm, Aira grumbled at the noise, snuggling deeper into Hiiro's chest. Hiiro couldn't help but watch, utterly smitten at the sight.
When he looked up, he saw he wasn't the only one.
Hiiro had known for a while that Kohaku loved Aira, it was obvious to anyone who saw them interact. Of course, before they had gotten together, Hiiro had seen him as a rival for the other's affections, before later conceding the other's victory when it seemed like Kohaku had won.
Which was why he had been so confused at the other's apparent act of self-sabotage.
"You know, Kohakucchi helped me make these," Aira had mentioned back then, when Hiiro had been raving about how delicious the chocolates were. "He's the one who insisted I confess with them, in the first place."
Why did you do that? Hiiro wondered, staring at Kohaku now, as he gazed lovingly down at the boy in his arms, eyes tinged with sadness. Why would you hurt yourself like this?
Hiiro had been taught that the "correct" answer was to win, by any means necessary.
Hiiro had been willing to lose, if it meant Aira was happy.
If Kohaku truly cared about Aira the same way Hiiro did…
"Would you like to exchange numbers?" Hiiro spoke unthinkingly.
Kohaku blinked up at him, snapped out of reverie. "Eh?"
"I can text you once I've safely returned him to his dorm, so you don't have to worry."
"Ah, I was just—I didn't—I mean—!" Kohaku stammered a moment before stopping himself. He smiled sheepishly up at Hiiro, before holding out his phone gratefully. "Thanks."
5:38 PM - Conversation with Kohaku Oukawa
Hiiro: Aira is safely back in his dorm. He said he was embarrassed about acting like "a big grumpy baby" earlier, and wanted to apologize.
Hiiro: Aira has asked that I not relay to you the comment about him being a "big grumpy baby"
Kohaku: lol thx
Kohaku: glad to know hes okay
Hiiro: Umu! Of course, I understand completely.
Hiiro: We both care about him, after all.
[Read 5:42 PM]
8:14 PM - Conversation with Kohaku Oukawa
Hiiro: Would it be possible for you to meet me at the Sky Garden in around 10 minutes?
Hiiro: I'd like to speak to you about something.
[Read 8:15 PM]
Hiiro waited on the balcony of the Sky Garden, staring out over the view. It was one he both loved and feared.
He loved it, because he was able to look out over the entrance to Ensemble Square, past the courtyard, all the way to where the city was on the mainland. It was incredible, looking out over at all the people walking by at seemingly all hours, staff, producers, and fans alike.
He feared it, because it was while staring at this view he'd nearly given up on it entirely.
Aira was the one who saved him, that time. Aira saved him, even before that. Aira was his first friend in the city, the first person who promised to stay by his side, to help him, protect him…
He would never fully be able to express his gratitude for that, but he continued to try, every day, and vowed to do so for the rest of his life.
And, it seemed, Hiiro was not the only one who felt this way.
"So… what'd you wanna talk about, Hiiro-han?" Kohaku asked, silently coming up behind him.
Impressive. Hiiro barely noticed his presence. It was saying something, when he was always able to tell when Mayoi was in the vents above him, but Kohaku barely registered from only about a couple feet away. "You're very skilled at the art of stealth."
"Eh? Thanks, I guess," Kohaku replied. "You didn't just call me out to compliment me, did'ja?"
"No, I did not." Hiiro shook his head. Time to cut to the chase. "You love Aira, correct?"
The reaction was instantaneous. Kohaku immediately went bright red, waving his arms frantically in denial. "What—? No—I would never—between you and Rabu-han—!"
As he blustered, Hiiro just waited silently, his impassive, piercing blue gaze fixed on the other, as if staring into his soul. Kohaku could feel his resolve crumbling under the weight.
"… Fine, maybe I have just a small, tiny crush on him." Kohaku finally admitted, begrudgingly. "Seriously though, you don't have to worry about me gettin' between you two. I ain't about to act on it anytime soon, I just want Rabu-han to be happy. That's all."
Hiiro considered this for a moment. "I think you make Aira happy."
"Eh—?!"
"I may still be an idiot, but over the last year, I like to think I've begun to understand Aira a bit more," Hiiro began, as Kohaku listened, dumbfounded. "Aira has a particular way he shows different kinds of love, I noticed. He may treat us differently in a lot of ways, but his feelings for both of us seem to be the same."
Kohaku just stared, blankly. What is he saying…?
"Aira says he loves me. If that's the case, then it seems to me that he loves you, too."
"… Well, I can tell ya one thing—Rabu-han definitely loves you, that's for sure. I didn't sit through all that pining for nothing." Kohaku conceded. "He never shuts up about ya, y'know? If that's not love, I dunno what is."
"Umu…" Hiiro blushed a bit. "He talks about me?"
Kohaku smirked. "Yeah."
"Thank you, that makes me really happy." Hiiro beamed. "Because when he's with me, he keeps talking about you."
Kohaku's heart skipped a beat. "You're kidding."
Hiiro just tilted his head. "It's not a joke, though? He always talks about how you're so cool, and smart, and pretty, and—"
"Seriously?!" Kohaku's hands went to tug at his hair unthinkingly. "He's always sayin' those same things about you! "
Hiiro just smiled again, a love-struck expression creeping onto his face as he made a weak attempt to hide it behind his hands. Kohaku couldn't help but think he looked like a blushing maiden.
It was kinda pissing him off, actually. "Hiiro-han, what the fuck are you trying to say right now?"
"Ah," Hiiro seemed to snap out of it, and quickly tried to regain his composure. "What I mean to say is—We both love Aira, and want him to be happy, right?"
"Right." As long as Aira was happy, neither Hiiro nor Kohaku cared about much else.
"Aira loves me, and he loves you, and above all, he loves love. " Hiiro continued. "By that logic, more love would just make him more happy, right?"
"Eh? Um, well—"
"I think Aira deserves all the happiness in the world," Hiiro barreled onwards. "He's very lovely, is he not?"
"Ah—er—I mean…" Kohaku considered Hiiro's words. They didn't quite sound right, but he didn't know enough about relationships to dispute it. "I guess, when you put it that way…"
Hiiro flashed an award-winning smile. "Great!" He then proceeded to grab Kohaku's arm, dragging him away. "Let's go tell Aira the good news!"
"Eh—What?! "
That night, Kohaku was dragged back to Aira's dorm where a long, awkward conversation ensued, followed by an even more awkward attempt to comfortably fit three teenage boys onto one single bed. (Even though there were two perfectly fine beds available due to the fact his roommates were out, because Hiiro wanted to cuddle, and while neither wanted to admit it, so did Aira and Kohaku.)
The three of them huddled close in the dark room, Hiiro on one side, Kohaku on the other, Aira squished in the middle. Hiiro had one arm draped over both of them, his hand just resting on the back of Kohaku, who had quickly given up his embarrassed attempt at maintaining personal space, now clinging tightly to Aira's torso as if he was some kind of koala bear. Aira had both his arms pinned down, each functioning as a pillow for the partner there, and he wouldn't be surprised if they were both completely numb by morning.
It was undoubtedly uncomfortable, but even so… he was happy.
They all were.