Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis nor do I own Nine Days or their music.
"it's alright if you can't stop smiling, 'cause i know just how you feel. you're the one thing in this world worth fighting for. i need you more than you know."
– Worth Fighting For – Nine Days –
Hiyoshi stared at the balloon and who was holding it. The balloon was enormous. An elephant would feel small next to it; well, probably not, but maybe a dwarf elephant would. And it was pink. Very pink. Not rosy pink or dark pink. Neon pink. And it was a heart. A freakin' heart. Oh, and a boy was giving it to him – his boyfriend. In the middle of a park. At night. A week after Valentine's Day.
Hiyoshi sighed. "Gakuto, are you insane?"
"The tests are inconclusive," Mukahi said, holding the balloon out to Hiyoshi. "Happy Valentine's Day!"
"It was last week. Ten days ago, actually. I made you cookies, remember?"
He had made cookies. Little heart shaped sugar cookies with red icing. He had to make them four different times because he forgot the sugar the first time, burned them the second time, the third time he did not want to mention unless it was in therapy, and the fourth time he just gave up and decided they were good enough. He was rather happy when Mukahi hadn't developed a violent stomach bug after woofing them down all at once.
"I know, I forgot, I'm a jerk. That's why I got the balloon." Mukahi waved the balloon back and forth, as if to reinforce his point. "Here, take it."
Hiyoshi sighed, taking the balloon, just to make Mukahi smile. Hiyoshi was glad they were alone, or else he would have died of embarrassment. He might die anyway so he didn't have to explain a neon pink heart balloon to his mother.
Hiyoshi stared at Mukahi, waiting. Waiting for him to do something, to say something. He never did.
"Now what?" Hiyoshi asked.
Mukahi grabbed Hiyoshi's other hand, the one that wasn't hold his neon pink heart balloon, and began dragging him somewhere else.
"Are we staying or something?"
Mukahi nodded. "Yeah, there's more. I asked Atobe for some help…"
Hiyoshi resisted the urge to groan. The last time Atobe tried to help, he took the tennis regulars on a boat all because Ohtori accidently hit Shishido with one of his serves. Hiyoshi did not want to imagine what Atobe was capable of doing for Valentine's Day. However, it seemed like he didn't have a choice, because Hiyoshi decided a long time ago that Mukahi was the one person he would do anything for.
Suddenly, Mukahi stopped. Hiyoshi nearly tripped, but managed to catch his footing.
"Close your eyes," Mukahi said, letting go of Hiyoshi's hand. Mukahi waited for Hiyoshi's signature kill-me-now sigh, and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small one-button remote, hit the red button with his thumb, and then slipped it back into his pocket.
"Open your eyes."
Hiyoshi opened his eyes, half expecting to see a giant blimp in the sky with a marriage proposal or something equally outrageous. Instead, he saw lights. Dozens of white Christmas lights like stars strung in the trees, around the swings sets and monkey bars, and around the gazebo.
"Atobe said he'd rented the park for the night for us," Mukahi said with a bit of a chuckle. "He said there's sleeping bags and food in the gazebo, and that he made some excuse up to our parents."
"He thinks of everything," Hiyoshi mumbled.
"Not everything," Mukahi said as he grabbed Hiyoshi's hand again, walking them towards the gazebo. "He didn't think of falling in love with you."
"And you did?"
"Only fools fall in love. But I'd be a fool for you any day."
Hiyoshi wanted to tug on Mukahi's hand to make him stop, to pulling him into his arms and thank him, but they were at the gazebo, and if there was one thing Hiyoshi didn't like about his boyfriend, it was that he was easily distracted. Mukahi's jaw dropped when he saw sparkling cider and chocolate strawberries between two (silk) sleeping bags. Mukahi plopped onto one sleeping bag, laughing when he slid an inch or two.
"Wakashi, look at this! I'm sorry, but I might just dump you for Atobe," Mukahi said, grabbing a strawberry and putting it into his mouth. He practically melted on the spot. "I want to have epic sex with these strawberries."
Hiyoshi tied his balloon to a post of the gazebo before sitting on the other sleeping back. The second he sat down, Mukahi got on his knees, leaning over to his boyfriend. He put a strawberry against Hiyoshi's lips, grinning. "Say 'ahhh.'"
Hiyoshi opened his mouth, biting off the tip, cursing Atobe. Those strawberries were amazing. Hiyoshi shrugged as he swallowed. "They're okay…"
Mukahi laughed at Hiyoshi's obvious lie, finishing off the strawberry. He fell back onto his sleeping back, staring up at the ceiling.
"I only made you cookies. I feel like a jerk," Hiyoshi said, lying down.
"I only did this to make you smile," Mukahi said, turning his head, "and you haven't stopped since you saw that balloon. I guess plan make-my-boyfriend-happy was a success."
Mukahi was right; he had been smiling since his eyes landed on that neon pink heart balloon, and his smile was getting bigger and bigger each minute. Mukahi just did that to him.
"Well," Hiyoshi said, feeling blood rush to his cheeks, "you're smiling, too."
"Because I'm happy. See?" Mukahi grinned from ear-to-ear. "I like it when you smile."
"Really?"
Mukahi sat up and crawled around so he was kneeling at the top of Hiyoshi's head. He leaned down, cupping Hiyoshi's face in his hands. Hiyoshi's face was upside down because of how he was sitting, Mukahi didn't care – in that moment Hiyoshi's smile could have made the sun melt.
"I love it when you smile," Mukahi whispered. "Your smile makes me feel happier than a bird with a French-fry."
Mukahi would have smiled if he wasn't already when Hiyoshi laughed softly. So, instead, Mukahi leaned down, gently kissing Hiyoshi. He felt cheesy doing an upside down kiss, like a hero does in a film, but it didn't matter. Cheesy was good, cheesy made Hiyoshi smile, and Hiyoshi's smile made him feel like he was floating.
Mukahi pulled back, crawling and turning and moving, until he was lying on the sleeping bag next to Hiyoshi. It turns out Atobe thought to think about something else: it was cold in February. But Hiyoshi didn't care, because he put an arm around Mukahi, pulling him closer, warmth settling in his stomach.
"I love you," Hiyoshi said softly.
"I love you, too," Mukahi mumbled, resting his head against Hiyoshi's chest, listening to the soft thump-thump, thump-thump of his heart. "I love you more than you'll ever understand."
Hiyoshi managed to smile even more. He thought he had a pretty good understanding of what Mukahi meant – the feeling was mutual, after all.
A/N: Because I never made a V-Day fic this year, and I love this pair.