Street Exchange

He said it.

Oh god, he said it.

Oh hell. Oh shit. He's really done it now.

Idiot. How could he be so stupid? And after all the trouble he'd gone through to make sure that he wouldn't… But then he went and did it anyway. And now what?

God, he is so fucking stupid.

With a loud groan, Birthday leans forward to press his forehead against the metal handrail of the boardwalk. He can't even enjoy the warm ocean breeze or the orange haze of twilight. Not with his thoughts running wild like this.

He's broken the Bro Code. Really, truly broken it this time. He'd always straddled the line, but… that was just for fun, right? After all, bros don't spend nearly every waking moment with their bro. Bros don't follow their bro around like a shadow. Bros don't think of their bro when a girl is throwing herself at them. And bros definitely don't… fall for their bro.

But even if they do, they don't admit to it. They don't make it awkward.

Awkward couldn't even begin to describe it. That silence… he was sure Murasaki and Nice had even stopped breathing, and the look on Ratio's face... It twisted in Birthday's chest. His brain completely stopped. He couldn't think of anything to say, some way to laugh it off as a joke, or anything like that. So he ran. He ran like a little bitch. If Ratio ever thought of him having dignity, it was gone now.

He swears at himself and knocks his head on the rail, fingers tightening around it.

Idiot. He can't even imagine facing Ratio now. Not to mention the hell that Hamatora was certain to put him through. Then again, out of those two, maybe he could count on Murasaki to be respectful, at least.

A harsh laugh comes from his chest at the thought of it. He can't lie to himself like that. Murasaki would cut into him without so much as glancing up from his newspaper. Then Nice would poke holes through him with mature words and a childish tone, as if he doesn't actually know what he's talking about. Birthday expects all of that.

But as for Ratio… he's at a loss.

Birthday releases a heavy sigh. He liked their relationship the way it was before: Borderline platonic. He could be as open as he wanted, but still be able to pass it off as teasing. A joke. Ratio wouldn't think that he was actually serious. Hell, not even Birthday could tell if he was serious or not most days. But it doesn't matter now that he's screwed everything up. Completely, entirely screwed.

The funniest part, though, is how none of that detracts from how absolutely desperately he wants Ratio to be there by his side. He always said that he couldn't leave Ratio alone until he was okay without him. Truthfully, he likes to think that neither of them would ever be okay—that they'd always need each other. No matter how silly and childish that sounds. Maybe that's a bit delusional on his part.

The sound of a slamming car door snatches Birthday's attention. He doesn't have to look to know who it is. With a deep breath, he lifts his head from the railing and stares out over the glittering water. Here goes everything. The approaching footsteps halt next to him. For a moment, there's nothing but the sound of wind in his ears.

Ratio takes in the evening view alongside him. "I had a feeling you'd be here."

Birthday wants to scoff at that—to click his tongue in spite—but he can't bring himself to do it. He can't think of anything to say, either.

No, that's a lie. There are a million things he wants to say, but the timing is wrong for most and he doesn't have the courage for the rest. Instead, he keeps his teeth clenched tightly together and says nothing at all.

Ratio senses his reluctance and gives a patient breath. "Look, Birthday, there's something I need to say to you."

Birthday shakes his head. "Ratio, please-"

"- I'm sorry."

"I—what?" He turns towards Ratio, his face contorted with something more than confusion.

Ratio bows his head. "What you were struggling with, what you were trying to tell me… I didn't see any of it. I'm sorry."

Birthday holds up his hands. "Wait—but—No, I wasn't trying to tell you anything! It just sort-of… slipped out."

Ratio lifts a brow. "Is that what you think?"

Birthday scoffs. "Are you telling me I'm wrong?"

"I'm telling you that you're really bad at hiding big secrets, and I'm even worse for not noticing those poorly-concealed secrets." Birthday scowls at that. "I should've noticed a long time ago. I'm sorry for being so useless, Birthday."

"Stop apologizing," he mutters. "It doesn't feel right." Ratio says quiet, and Birthday crosses his arms across his chest. "What would you have done if you'd found out earlier, anyway? Call me out on it?" His eyes clamp shut, "No, wait—don't answer that."

"Birthday—"

"I'm serious. Let's just… forget about it, okay? I don't want to throw a wrench into anything—"

"Birthday."

"—and the last thing I want is awkward tension. So, do you think Nice and Murasaki would—"

"Birthday!" Ratio shouts, and Birthday's mouth clicks shut. His face is serious as he raises his gloved hand up, and presses his finger lightly onto the space between Birthday's eyes. "If you keep such a serious expression, you'll develop wrinkles."

Birthday's face immediately untwists itself. "Ratio…"

"I'm… not well-versed in these sorts of things, so you'll have to forgive my bumbling," he admits. "But, strangely, I'm glad."

"What?"

"What I mean is…" Ratio looks to be fighting within himself. Eventually, he forces a sigh. "Honestly, Birthday, I'm so confused I don't know what to do with myself. But I know you must feel a thousand times worse, so here I am." Birthday bites the inside of his cheek. "There's nothing negative about it. The whole thing… Really, it's okay."

Birthday can hardly believe what he's hearing. "Okay? You mean—"

"Yes."

"You're," he stammers, "you're sure?"

Ratio lets out a breathy laugh to spite himself. "It's the only thing I am sure of at this point."

"It's not awkward?"

"Not at all."

Then Birthday suddenly steps forward, his voice cracking with a desperation he didn't know he had. "Even if I say that I'd rather fall asleep on your uncomfortable couch watching shitty TV dramas with you than go to dinner with one hundred sexy ladies?"

The blank expression that falls over Ratio's face causes Birthday's chest to tighten. "That… might be a little awkward." Birthday lowers his eyes. "I like that couch."

That grabs him by surprise. He stares widely at Ratio, and his gaping mouth slowly morphs into a smile. "Are you kidding?" he laughs, "It's like sitting on a park bench."

Ratio only huffs. "That's because you don't sit in it properly. You try to lounge on it so lavishly…"

"Isn't that what couches are for?"

"Not the way you do it."

"Well then, you should consider getting a new one."

There's a short pause. Ratio smirks. "I'll be sure to do that."

"Good. I'm a delicate flower, after all." Ratio laughs, and Birthday feels his chest ablaze. He places his hands behind his head and glances back over the water. "In the meantime, I'm kind of missing that couch. Uncomfortable or not."

A grin creases Ratio's face. "Oh?" he chuckles and checks the time on his phone. "In that case, why don't we grab some food and pay it one last visit?" He turns to walk towards his car and motions for Birthday to follow, who does after a moment's hesitation. "I think I saw a trailer for some horrible new crime drama at the office yesterday."

Finally, Birthday's usual smile breaks across his face. He lifts his fist high into the evening air. "Sounds terrible. Let's do it!"

Ratio watches him from over the top of the car, laughing through his nose.

Birthday returns his gaze for the shortest while. "Ratio?"

"Hm?"

He slips into the car first, speaking without looking directly at him. "Thank you."

Ratio chuckles again to himself and gets in the car. "Of course." As he drives away, he can't wipe the smirk from his face. Birthday is the last person he ever expected to be bashful about anything. It's surreal. However, if he had to put a word on it, it would be… cute, probably.

Birthday covers the sudden silence by stretching his arms out in front of him. "Now let's go buy some booze so I can get you drunk and have my way with you."

Ratio almost careens off of the road.

xx

Author's Notes—These two, I swear. They're just too damn cute.

I honestly didn't plan on writing/posting this, since it's mostly ship-indulging fluff, but what the heck? Fluff isn't really my forte in the first place, so I hope this came across as adorable as it did in my headspace. Like Ratio, I too am bumbling when it comes to these things… despite being a bit of a hopeless romantic of sorts (maybe). This is also fairly rough, so please excuse any mistakes or other bizarre things you may come across.

In other news: these damn Hamatora oneshots. And there's more, I'm sure. They're clogging up my brain…

And maybe half of them are any good,

-Destiny