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The Valentine’s Day school day was finally over. Yuma leaned back in his desk in his chair and tipped his head to get in Jo’s way behind him like he always did, and Jo huffed a gentle laugh before tapping Yuma on the crown of his head–his subtle way of telling Yuma to get out of his space. Yuma sat back up with a laugh and turned around in his chair to face him. On Jo’s desk was a rectangular box with a clearly hand tied ribbon; Yuma realized it didn't look too dissimilar to the box Taki gave him that morning on their walk to school. The one he got was cuter, though. He always made Yuma's box blue with a yellow ribbon even though those aren't the traditional Valentine's Day colors, but they were their colors. They had been ever since they became friends in primary school. Though Yuma now thought it was odd that Taki only personalized his.
“You get that from Taki today?” Yuma laughed, moving to pick it up but getting swatted away by Jo.
“No? Fujioka-san gave this to me,” Jo told him. Fujioka Himiko. Their class president. Yuma of course knew who she was, but didn't know her well personally. She seemed like the exact type of girl that would like Jo. She had stick-straight black hair that hung almost to her waist that she'd sometimes tie up with a ribbon, and round, gentle eyes. If you put her and Jo next to each other, they'd be the ideal couple.
Jo continued, “I don't know what you're on about, Riki-kun gave me the same convenience store bar he always gives us.” Jo had permission to call Taki by the nickname Yuma gave him as kids, but he never chose to. Yuma was still the only one who called him that.
However, that statement confused Yuma. What did he mean by convenience store chocolate? Taki had never given Yuma something like that, not in all their years of friendship. Yuma pulled the chocolate Taki gave him out of his bag to show Jo, the yellow ribbon crushed a bit from being in his school bag all day. “Taki didn't give you something like this?”
Jo’s eyebrows raised and he reached out to gingerly touch the box and ribbon tying it. The light reflecting off the golden ribbon bent and shimmered as he manipulated it. Jo brought his hand back and coughed into it before he said, “No…nothing like that. Yuma, I know you and Riki-kun are very close, but are you sure this isn’t…a confession?”
Yuma stilled. His stomach twisted uncomfortably at the very idea that Taki could be confessing to him. Not because he was grossed out or put off, but just because it's Taki. His Taki. The Taki he's known since they were kids, his first friend, his best friend. He'd been giving Yuma chocolate like this since the first Valentine's Day that they knew each other…did that mean Taki had been confessing to him every year since he was 7? There was no way that could be true, but Yuma had to know for sure.
“I'll see you tomorrow, Jo,” Yuma said as he quickly shoved the box back into his bag. In his hurry to leave the classroom he ended up leaving his bag at his desk, but he didn't care. He knew Taki had activities after school today and wouldn't be walking home with him, so he needed to catch him before he left his classroom for the day.
Yuma went up the stairs skipping one step at a time, he had to get to Taki and straighten this out immediately. He didn't even have to look for his class number, 2D, because he knew how to get to this classroom by heart by now. When he peaked in through the open door, Taki was sitting blissfully alone at his desk. He sat near the window and the sunny February day made him glow, the crisp white school shirt stark and bright against his sunlit skin. Yuma swallowed the nerves that suddenly sprung up in him like tulips in the courtyard, why was he so anxious? It was only Taki.
He placed his hand on Taki's desk next to his notebook to get his attention. He'd thought about startling him, but that felt cruel in this moment. Something about this softened Yuma. "Ya, Takayama-"
They'd been friends for years, but Yuma reverted to using his surname for some inexplicable reason. Taki met his eyes with confusion and amusement, his brows knitted together but a wry smile playing on his lips. "Yuma-kun, what's up? I already gave you your chocolate."
"Yeah, that's exactly why I'm here," Yuma said as he leaned over Taki. Taki just gazed at him placidly, completely unbothered by their proximity. "Why do you always give me handmade chocolate? Don't you know that's for girls?"
Taki finally broke into an impish smile and leaned forward just slightly so they were almost nose to nose. He was completely unheeding of the other students still milling around his classroom, Yuma always found his boldness at once enviable and also terrifying and this moment was no different. His voice was just above a whisper when he said, "Because I like you, Yuma-kun."
Yuma's eyes widened in surprise but their gazes did not falter. Taki was so close he could almost see his reflection in the dark expanse of his eyes and it suddenly made Yuma feel very small. Then, Taki leaned back in his chair and folded his arms behind his head, still staring at Yuma. The smile on his lips got even bigger as a boisterous laugh bubbled out of him. Yuma could guess at what he was laughing about. He could feel how hot his face and neck was, he could only guess at the color. He stood up and finally broke Taki's intense and challenging gaze on him, pretending to adjust his tie and sweater.
"I see....well, that's good to know. Happy Valentine's Day, Takayama," he said in a huff before hurriedly meandering through the desks to make it back to his classroom for his things.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Yuu-kun.”