It was a pretty slow Saturday at the Lucky Cat Cafe. Rainy season was in full swing, and between the wet and the cold most people were staying safely at home unless they absolutely had to be out braving the weather. A few customers came in just to warm up and try to wait out the rain, but for the most part they didn't stay long before heading out to do battle with the city having what Aunt Cass poetically called it's once a year period. Not exactly a very pleasant mental image, but it was pretty accurate for describing the nasty weather they were having.
Tadashi was working the front counter, grateful that his job was right below the apartment where he lived in with his aunt so he didn't have to go out and battle with the rain either on his way to or back from work. As it was, his shift was almost over and he was looking forward to being able to head upstairs and settle in with a good book for the rest of the afternoon and evening-there was nothing quite as peaceful as being warm under the covers with a good story while raindrops pattering on the window provided a soothing almost music-like sound in the background. Just another ten minutes and he'd finally be free!
His replacement (a nice girl from school named Aiko) had just arrived and was putting her apron on in the back when suddenly a customer walks in the door and Tadashi freezes halfway through taking off his own apron. Even drenched from the rain, there was no mistaking the newcomer. I was Fred, a.k.a. the cute nerd he'd been crushing on since September of junior year. Tadashi had sat behind him in pre-Cal all last year and never actually gotten up the courage to talk to him, despite the fact that the other teen's nerdy t-shirts, pin-covered backpack, and the countless superhero doodles in the margins of his notebooks should have given them plenty of things to talk about. The closest he'd ever come to actually talking to him was to squeak out some sort of greeting whenever Fred had passed papers back to him-wow, that had been pathetic. This year he thought he'd be smart and try sitting next to the guy when by some miracle they'd managed to end up in the same math class again. But even though it would have been so easy to talk to him when the teen was literally less than three feet away from him, Tadashi's ridiculous amount of shyness had left him as tongue tied as the previous year, forcing him to just spend his seventh period sneaking longing looks across the row of desks at the guy he wanted more than anything to talk to. So much for his dreams of asking him to senior prom-he'd be lucky if he actually spoke a full sentence to him before graduation!
And yet, in spite of all of that, here was his crush standing inside his aunt's cafe for some inexplicable reason! Poor Tadashi was almost sure he was having a heart attack-was this supposed to be fate or something? As much as he wanted to go over and talk to him though, he found himself freezing up all over again. Gah, why was this crippling fear of rejection so, well… crippling?
He was about to slink back up into the main house like the coward he was and spend the next few hours moodily reading through trashy fanfic while beating himself up for being such a loser when suddenly he notices that the fanboy was pulling what looked like comics out of the bag that he was holding and looking down at them in dismay, probably because the rain had managed to get to them. If it had just been for the sake of his crush, Tadashi probably never would have managed it. But there were comics on the line here! Unexpected determination filling him, he makes his way across the cafe, not sure exactly what was going to happen but hoping for the best.
"How bad are they?" he asks, coming up next to the other man.
"What?" Fred looks over at him surprised, obviously not having expected someone to suddenly start talking to him. Tadashi almost retreated right then and there, but he had come this far, he wasn't going to give up now.
"T-The comics-are they badly damaged?" he asks, gesturing to the volumes lying on the table.
"Oh!" Fred looks even more surprised by his concern over the books, but instead of treating Tadashi like he had completely lost his mind, he just answers, "Hopefully nothing too bad since they were wrapped in plastic, but I got caught in the splash of a semi truck-it wasn't pretty."
"That's horrible!" Tadashi gasps.
"It just isn't my day, I guess…" Fred sighs, shaking his head slightly.
Something about the way he said it indicated that there was more to it than just getting drenched on the street, and seeing one of the happiest, most cheerful people he had ever met looking so broken down sent a dagger right through Tadashi's heart. Somehow a determined, protective fire was lit in the teen's chest, and, to both his and Fred's great surprise, he suddenly firmly grasps the fanboy's hand and says, "Follow me."
"W-Where are we going?" Fred asks, seeming completely caught off guard but allowing himself to be dragged along anyways.
"Up to the house-my aunt has a hair dryer we could probably use on those comics and we can get you some new clothes until yours have a chance to dry," Tadashi answers, doing his best not to think about what he was doing and just let whatever force had taken over him keep doing its thing.
"You live above a cafe?" Fred asks with open curiosity as Tadashi leads him through the door leading to the stairs up into the main house. "That's pretty cool!"
"My aunt owns this place, it kind of works out really well for us," Tadashi answers with a smile, glad that the other man approved.
"It sounds like it! You don't even have to go out in this rain to get to work-how awesome is that?"
"Very awesome!" Tadashi chuckles, feeling a happy spark in his chest when Fred laughs too. Oh man, he had it so bad…
"Wait here," he says when they finally reach the top of the second set of stairs that led into his attic bedroom. "I'll find some dry clothes for you and then you can change in the bathroom, okay?"
"Wow, you don't actually have to-!" Fred starts to protest, but Tadashi quickly cuts him off.
"I want to," he says with a warm smile that he hoped didn't border on creepy because his intentions right now were actually totally pure.
"Okay," Fred agrees, nodding and gingerly sitting down on the end of the bed while Tadashi heads into the closet to find him a change of clothes. The young man was doing his best not to hyperventilate at the fact that his crush was actually in his bedroom and about to be wearing his clothes. Oh gosh, this was like something from a cheesy anime, only he didn't know if this was the happy type or the type where things just got super awkward. Somewhat blindly, Tadashi hurries to find a t-shirt and some pants that he hoped would actually fit the other guy-they were different body types, but hopefully they were close enough that this would work.
He was just walking out of the closet, a set of dry clothes in his hand, when Fred suddenly says, "Tadashi, right?"
"W-What?" Tadashi stammers, slightly caught off guard by the sound of the other man actually saying his name.
"You're Tadashi, right?" Fred repeats, a small smile on his face. "We have Calculus together-you sit right across from me!"
"R-Right!" Tadashi agrees, surprised but not at all displeased to find out that his crush at least knew his name.
"I thought you looked familiar!" Fred chuckles. "Usually I'd be a bit more wary about going into a stranger's house, but I could have sworn that I knew you from somewhere, and now I know where!"
"Y-Yeah," Tadashi agrees, giving him a shy smile. "I mean, we are classmates-it didn't seem right to have you standing there dripping in the cafe when I could help you out, y'know?"
"Not a lot of people might share the same sentiment, but I seriously appreciate it," Fred tells him with a grateful grin.
Tadashi knew that he was probably blushing bright pink, but he couldn't really bring himself to care as he grins back at him, Finally, realizing that he was probably looking like a complete and total lovesick idiot (which he was), he quickly shoves the dry clothes into the other man's arms and says, "U-Um, you can change in the bathroom! I-I'll be downstairs trying to dry the comics, okay?"
"Okay, thank y-" Fred starts to say, but Tadashi was already hurrying down the stairs before he could make even more of an idiot of himself than he already was.
About ten minutes later, the comics were in an at least better state than they had been when Fred had entered the cafe-there was a bit of water damage, which was unavoidable, but for the most part it was almost impossible to notice. Tadashi shuts off the hairdryer that he'd plugged into the outlet by the stove (the kitchen table seemed like the most reasonable place to dry them), satisfied with his work. He could only hope that the other man would be as pleased with the results-
"Hey."
Tadashi's head snaps up when he hears the fanboy's voice-apparently the whine of the hair dryer had blocked out the sound of his footsteps on the stairs-and he's seriously afraid that he is going to completely lose it right there on the spot. Fred was a bit shorter than him and a lot more on the gangly side, so Tadashi's clothes were adorably too-big on him-the neck of the t-shirt (shit, why had he given him a v-neck?!) even dipped down to expose the upper part of his chest.
"You okay?" Fred asks when Tadashi fails to actually respond to him (the poor guy was doing his best to think of bloated dead worms floating in puddles and anything else as disgusting that might help him hold it together.) "Let me guess, I look like a total dork right now, right?"
"N-No!" Tadashi finally manages to get out. "Y-You look fine!"
"Not sure that you're not lying just to spare my feelings, but thanks," Fred chuckles, shuffling across the kitchen in the too-long sweatpants he was wearing to join the other man at the table.
"Whoa, you did an awesome job!" he cries, grinning when he sees the comics. "You can barely tell they got wet!"
"Thanks!" Tadashi flashes him a relieved smile, glad that the fanboy was upset about the tiny bit of wrinkling that had come as a result of getting damp. "I think they probably need to air dry a bit more, but they should be fine in a little bit!"
"Epic!" Fred grins back at him before admitting, "I only hope the rest of my backpack is as lucky…"
"Oh, we could try to dry that too," Tadashi offers, wanting to be helpful.
"Nah, it's nothing major," Fred answers, waving aside his concern. "It probably just needs to air dry too."
"All right, if you're sure…"
"I'm sure."
Tadashi has to do his best not to melt under that ridiculously adorable smile, and they pretty much spend the next minute somewhat awkwardly smiling at each other, not really sure what to say, until Fred asks, "So, um… What do you want to do now? I mean, if you have plans, I don't want to impose!"
"Oh, no, I don't have any plans!" Tadashi quickly tells him, only to realize what a dork he must sound like with no plans on a Saturday night-then again, Fred was a nerd too, so maybe he understood?
"Cool." The fanboy flashes him an easy smile. "Me neither. Do you just want to hang out until the rain stops?"
"Sure!" Tadashi agrees, knowing that he was probably sounding way too eager but not able to help himself. "I mean, I could put on a movie or a show or something…?"
"That sounds great," Fred agrees with a grin. "You have anything in mind?"
"Well…" Tadashi considers this before asking, "You feel up to a Harry Potter marathon?"
"Always!" Fred answers eagerly.
"Nice reference," Tadashi chuckles.
"...I did not plan that, but nice catch!" Fred laughs before adding, "This is perfect weather for a HP movie watching party-I mean, when's a better time for visiting Hogwarts than when it's all dark and rainy and mysterious outside?"
"Right?" Tadashi agrees, so happy to have someone outside of his aunt who actually understood.
"C'mon, what are we waiting for?" Fred asks with a grin, heading for the living room.
"Nothing!" Tadashi replies, happily following after him and going to put the first movie in the disc player.
Once the movie is in, he isn't quite sure if he should sit, but when Fred invitingly pats the cushion on the couch next to him, Tadashi decides to go for it-when would he get another chance like this? All of this was so outside of what he'd usually be doing, but something about the fanboy just made him feel… Comfortable. Like they'd been best friends their whole lives even though this was the first time they'd ever really talked to each other. Even if nothing romantic ever came out of this, if they could at least be friends that would be good enough for him.
The first movie was a lot of fun, trading quips and fan theories about different characters while totally fanboying over how adorably tiny all of the main characters were this early on in the series.
"If I could choose a little bro or sis, I would totally pick one of these guys!" Fred chuckles as they watch the main three battling the troll.
"Are you an only child?" Tadashi asks curiously-he didn't know that much about the other man's family, but he wasn't averse to learning about them.
"Yep," Fred agrees with a wry smile, leaning his head against the back of the couch. "Definitely an only child. No one's ever told me to my face, but I'm pretty sure my parents weren't even planning on having me-that I was an accident. If my parents did actually want a kid, they were probably hoping for someone who lived up to their expectations a lot better than I do."
"Fred, I'm so sorry," Tadashi says softly, his heart breaking for him-how could anyone not want their own child?
"Eh, I deal with it," Fred answers with a tiny shrug, his tone making it evident that he really didn't want to talk about it. "How 'bout you? What's your family like?"
"Um… Dead, mostly," Tadashi replies with a crooked smile.
"Oh, shit, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-!" Fred cries, looking slightly horrified.
"No, it's fine," Tadashi hurries to reassure him. "Sorry, that came out wrong. I just… Pretty much no extended family, and my parents died in a car crash when I was eight. I have a little brother, Hiro, but he's lost somewhere in the foster care system-my aunt and I have been trying to find him for years now, and it's like he just… disappeared. I can only hope that he's happy wherever he is and not actually, y'know…" Tadashi swallows thickly, feeling hot tears beginning to prick the back of his eyes-idiot, why was he bringing all of this up with a virtual stranger?
But then, to his great surprise, Fred was suddenly wrapping his arms around him in a tight hug, whispering in his ear, "Tadashi, I'm so sorry, I can't even imagine what that must be like… I must sound like a total jerk, complaining about my family when at least I still have mine…"
"We've both got some pretty fucked up family situations," Tadashi answers with a wry smile, gratefully returning the hug. "I don't think it's right to try to make one of them better or worse than the other."
"I guess…" Fred agrees uncertainly before finally gently pulling away. Tadashi's whole body starts to protest, wanting the comforting contact back, until he sees a look in the other man's eyes that absolutely takes his breath away.
"Look, I may not be able to do much, but my dad's got some friends in some pretty high places," the fanboy says, his voice soft and tinged with something the other man couldn't quite identify. "I can talk to him, see if maybe he could help with finding your little brother. I mean, if anyone can find something out, it's him."
"Y-You would do that?" Tadashi gasps, staring at him in amazement.
"Of course," Fred answers, reaching over to gently squeeze his hands in his own. "No one deserves to be without their family if they can help it."
Tadashi didn't even think about what he was doing or what the consequences might be until it was too late-his whole body was already practically humming with barely suppressed hormones, and with this sudden surge of gratitude and hope rushing through veins, before he knew what he was doing he was leaning across the couch and kissing Fred. It was only on the cheek and it only lasted for a few seconds. But the moment he realizes what he's just done, all of his relief in his body is quickly turned to horror-shit, shit, shit, shit, he had just royally fucked up!
"O-Oh my gosh, I-I'm so sorry!" he gasps, cheeks flushing bright red, sure that he had just royally ruined any chances he had of ever even being friends with the other guy.
But then, to his great amazement, Fred grins-actually grins!-before answering, "I'm not!"
"W-What?" Tadashi stammers, sure he had misheard him.
"Dude, I've been totally wanting to kiss you all afternoon," Fred laughs, fondly reaching over to tuck a loose strand of hair behind the other man's ear. "I mean, you are majorly hot and I was totally getting a gay vibe off of you, but I didn't want to say or do anything until I knew you were okay with this sort of thing."
"I-I… R-Really?" Tadashi finally manages to squeak out.
"Totally!" Fred chuckles before adding with a playful smile, "You look super cute when you blush, you know that?"
"N-No…" Tadashi answers, feeling slightly light headed-was this actually happening?
But then the other man was pulling him closer, whispering so that his warm breath tickled his ear, "You want to try a real kiss this time?"
"M-Maybe…" Tadashi stammers, swallowing thickly.
"It's okay if you don't," Fred answers gently, noticing just how freaked out he was acting.
"I-I… I've just never actually kissed someone before," Tadashi quietly admits.
"Someone as gorgeous as you? How is that even possible?" Fred asks. "It's like a crime against nature or something!"
"Just… Never found the right guy, I guess," Tadashi answers, blushing even brighter red.
"And am I lucky enough to be the right guy?" Fred gently prompts him.
"Yes," Tadashi breathes before pulling him into a real kiss. Fireworks instantly go off in his head as the fanboy's lips meet his own, moving ever so gently together like they were in dance that had been choreographed just for them. It was everything a first kiss was supposed to be and more.
"W-Wow…" he gasps when they finally break apart for air, eyelids fluttering. "That was…"
"Amazing?" Fred supplies, practically beaming at him.
"Totally," Tadashi agrees, grinning back at him.
"Glad we can agree on that," Fred chuckles warmly, his arms moving to gently wrap around the other man's waist, and Tadashi makes no effort to break away from him.
"So, um… What exactly does this mean?" he finally asks after a few minutes of just contentedly basking in the afterglow of their first kiss. "For us, I mean."
"It can mean anything you want it to," Fred answers gently. "I'm pretty much open to anything."
"I, um… I honestly never thought I'd get this far," Tadashi admits, flushing and feeling the back of his neck growing warm. "I don't even know what's supposed to happen after something like this unless real life is anything like the cheesy fanfics I read…"
"It can be," Fred tells him with a playful smile.
"Well, um… You want to try being boyfriends?" Tadashi asks, some of his earlier shyness returning to him at the use of the word he never thought he'd be lucky enough to use to describe his relationship with someone else.
"I definitely wouldn't be opposed to that!" Fred answers, grinning at him.
"Awesome!" Tadashi knows that he's probably grinning back at him like a total idiot, but he can't bring himself to care.
After that the two don't say much for the rest of the movie, both having said everything that they needed to say for the moment. Tadashi certainly doesn't mind it, though, when Fred gently adjusts their positions so that they could snuggle while watching. Right before the end of the movie, though, the fanboy suddenly says in a soft voice, "Hey, Dashi?"
"Y-Yeah?" Tadashi answers, flushing at the use of the nickname that only his family had ever used for him before but liking the way it sounded coming from the lips of the guy he was by some miracle actually dating!
"Can I make a confession?"
"S-Sure," Tadashi replies, not really sure where this was going but hoping that it wasn't something that was going to make things weird or awkward between them.
"Well… You know how I kind of acted like I didn't really recognize you until we were up in your room?"
"Yeah, what about it?"
"The truth is… I totally recognized you the minute I walked in here. I swear I wasn't trying to stalk you or anything, I seriously had no idea this was your aunt's cafe! But when I saw you in here, I wasn't sure how I was supposed to let you know that I knew who you are since we've never really talked before without letting on that I've had a major crush on you since junior year…"
"Y-You've had a crush on me?" Tadashi gasps.
"Guilty as charged," Fred answers with a nervous smile.
"I-I've had a crush on you since then too!"
"No way-seriously?"
"Yeah, why do you think I moved so that I was sitting across from you this year?!"
"Oh my gosh…" Fred looks momentarily stunned before suddenly laughing. "We are such nerds, aren't we?"
"Just a little bit," Tadashi agrees, grinning up at him from his extremely comfortable position with his head against the fanboy's chest.
"I guess fate was just finally had enough of quietly shipping us from the background and decided to finally give us a much needed shove in the right direction," Fred chuckles, grinning back at him.
"I guess so!" Tadashi answers, contentedly nuzzling up against him. "I'm super glad that it did…"
"Me too, Dashi," Fred answers, smiling down at him as he gently cuddles him closer. "Me too."
0o0
"Okay, no way. No way that corny story is how you actually got together!" Hiro cries.
"It's the complete and total truth, I swear on Baymax's hard drive," Tadashi answers, playfully putting one hand in the air like a scout.
"I can definitely corroborate it, given I was there for the whole thing," Fred agrees, gently squeezing his boyfriend's free hand.
"I think it's sweet!" Ezra declares.
"You would," Hiro answers, rolling his eyes but smiling slightly all the same.
"So, now you've heard our story," Fred says, one knee bouncing up and down with anticipation. "Now it's time for you to tell us yours!"
"That was the deal!" Tadashi agrees with a grin.
"All right, fine, we'll tell you a story," Hiro answers with a dramatic sigh. "But not how we got together, that's between me and Ez!"
"Not fair!" Tadashi protests. "We just told you all the embarrassing details of our story!"
"How about a better story?" Ezra quickly cuts in to prevent a fight from starting. "The story of the night we ran away?"
"That could be good!" Fred agrees with an eager grin.
"I have been wonderging about that," Tadashi admits.
"Okay then, that's the story we're going with!" Hiro happily latches onto his easy out.
"Want me to start?" Ezra offers.
"If you want to, go for it!" Hiro replies.
"As long as we get to hear the story, I really don't care who tells it!" Fred chuckles.
"All right." Ezra settles onto the stool he was sitting on, trying to go back to the exact events of the day. "It was actually the day before Hiro's birthday…"
