Work Text:
It was a rainy Tuesday when Kouyou was running on the sidewalk. He'd taken the train but it had been delayed. Now he was late. The water seeped through his shoes and into his socks with every step, but despite how uncomfortable it was, he didn't want to disappoint his best friend. They'd finally found the time to see each other again, just the two of them, and he didn't want to be any more late than he already was.
Kouyou came to a sudden stop. What was that just now? He took a few steps back and looked to his right at the colorful window. A florist's shop. Should he just...? But how would Takanori react if he got flowers from his best friend? Kouyou just felt like something small would be a thoughtful gesture. He decided it has to be done. Those plants were too pretty to ignore!
He looked around for a second before stepping into the shop. The small place smelled really nice. The lighting was warm and made all the flowers look even brighter. There weren't even that many people around, which was perfect. Kouyou knew he still had to hurry. For a second he thought about taking some roses, but that would've been too weird, so he quickly picked out a small bouquet of blue flowers and checked out.
"Aah! Kou!" Takanori basically ran towards Kouyou when he saw him. They met up outside a café, but that's not where they were going; there was a mall nearby, and Takanori had wanted to go shopping.
"You're late."
"Sorry, I know. My train got delayed."
"Mm, that happens." Takanori didn't seem that bothered. He took Kou's arm and they started walking. He glanced at his friend who was drenched from head to toe. "Didn't you take an umbrella?"
"I forgot."
"Of course you did."
Takanori opened his own and held it over the both of them as they made their way to the mall. It turned out to be harder than he'd thought, Kouyou was so much taller...
"I'll take the umbrella, but then you have to carry my bag."
Takanori didn't object. He handed him the umbrella and took Kouyou's... What was that? A paper bag? "Why are you carrying this in the rain? What do you have in here? It's really light."
Kouyou didn't tell him. He wouldn't. His friend did not have to know yet. "Nothing much. Uh, actually, I can carry it myself."
The mall was crowded on such a day when not many people wanted to spend time outside. Kouyou held Taka's hand tightly to not lose him when the latter ran around, wanting to visit a bunch of stores Kouyou had never even heard of.
They entered another clothing store. Kou had to admit that the clothes were all really cool and would definitely suit his best friend, but he still wasn't even thinking about getting anything for himself.
Takanori dragged him to a display of jeans, but they were no ordinary ones. "You should try these on? Perfect for you."
Kouyou took one look at the bottoms Taka was suggesting and rejected the idea. "No way! I am never wearing that."
"What? Why not? I think they'd look pretty on you." He held up the pants and looked at them thoughtfully. They were jeans with a flared bottom but with a tighter part on the thighs. Kouyou though they would suit Taka better than anyone.
As if reading his mind, Takanori spoke up. "Then I'll try them."
"Yeah, good. Remember to take ones a few sizes smaller," Kouyou said with a smirk.
"Shut the hell up."
"Just saying."
Taka looked at him with his nose scrunched. That was a thing of his that Kouyou adored. Maybe that's why the other liked annoying him so much?
"I didn't miss your bullying at all, you know."
Around an hour later, they were in a mall café with huge cups of smoothie in front of them. Kouyou had paid for those, since he'd been watching Takanori waste money on clothes all day while he himself had gotten nothing. Now as they sat facing each other, he stared at the pile of shopping bags next to Taka's chair...
"Are you sure you need all that?"
Takanori looked at him with a content smile. "Of course. All those clothes look fabulous on me."
"They do, but you really don't ne-"
"Why didn't you get anything? All you have is that paper bag you've been carrying the whole time. What do you have there?"
Kouyou suddenly remembered that. The bag was next to his chair on the floor, still soggy from the rain. It was a miracle it hadn't broken yet.
He'd been nervous to give the flowers to Taka even though he knew the guy would probably like them. He just hadn't been able to shake the thought that it would be dumb and weird to do so, so he'd decided to not give them at all. "I told you, there's nothing in there."
Taka seemed suspicious. "Yes, there is! Why would you carry an empty bag?"
Kouyou didn't have time to come up with any excuses. When he looked up from his smoothie, his best friend was already squatting down next to his chair and looking into the bag.
"Hey! You damn..."
A gleeful grin appeared on Takanori's face as he pulled out the small bouquet. "Huh. Forget-me-nots? You're going on a date after this or what?"
Kouyou sighed in annoyance. He should've been more careful! "No, I'm not. I'm not even seeing anyone."
Takanori didn't seem to believe him. "Come on, Kou! Who's the lucky woman, hmm?" He giggled as he gently touched the small flowers. "Aren't these a symbol for true love? So romantic!"
"What? I chose them because of the color."
"Sure, sure. Can't you just tell me her name? It's not like you bought these for me."
Kouyou went silent very quickly at that. He avoided eye contact and drank about half of his smoothie in one go, just to not have to talk. He was such a bad liar that he was caught before even saying anything.
Taka raised a brow as he looked up at his friend. Something was not adding up. "...You didn't, right?"
Kouyou ran his hand through his hair and wondered if he'd survive this at all. "I just thought you'd like them..."
The shorter man's face lit up. He was surprised... in a good way. He was also kind of speechless.
Kouyou watched Takanori slowly stand up from the floor and then sit on his chair. Kou felt so embarrassed. Had he been completely wrong? "...Just say if you hate them."
It took a moment for Takanori to say anything. When he did, his voice was quieter than usual. "No, they're really pretty. I love them. Uh..." Another quiet moment before he finished what he was saying. "Thank you."
Kouyou was pretty sure he was lying, but that was before he finally looked up and saw his friend blushing. He'd never seen that before and it made his heart thump a million times faster. He began to feel his own face heating up...What was going on?