Kousuke, Shuuya and Caffeine
Seto Kousuke and Kano Shuuya being bros

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I immediately sent the message to her, telling her how I am going to meet a friend before going home. She replied almost a minute after, saying how she cooked stew for dinner, just enough for the both of us. I smiled, at how much she has matured since we first met, at how her antics are just as amusing as always, at the zero regrets I have when I chose her.

As the bus slowly moved to a halt, I zipped up my coat and stood up. I exit the bus and strolled towards a small coffee shop around the corner.

Small bells rung softly when I opened the front door as a petite waitress greeted me with a half-hearted smile. That was expected though; greeting people from day to noon must be really tiring. I smiled back at her as I turned my head to observe the room. I let my eyes search slowly as it finally landed on a small man waving his hand at me. I waved back as I maneuvered towards a vacant seat in front of him.

"Hey, you're here early," I greeted, slightly amused. The man chuckled, his cat-like eyes beaming with joy.

"Yeah, I guess. My job ended a bit early today, boss let me through quickly for a change."

Still amused, I raised my eyebrow slightly. "That's new. Have you told her yet?"

A waiter comes to our table and fishes out a menu. I happily took it and quickly ordered a cup of cappuccino for company. The waiter left and my friend coughed. "Of course I did. Tsubomi would explode if I didn't," he answered in his usual relaxed manner. "Well then, how about you?"

At his question, I cleared my un-sick throat. "I told her I'm meeting you now, but she already made dinner so-"

"Wow, Mary can cook now? That's quite the progress," he interrupts me, quick enough to annoy me. Instead of scolding him, I ended up grinning widely. The mention of her name always brings happiness inside my body.

"Yeah, and it's delicious too. Even I'm surprised," I brush off with a laugh. Shuuya smiled, amused, I bet even he's glad to hear that. My drink arrives and I thank the waiter. I sipped the caffeine drink as I let the liquid warm my body, this café has the best cappuccino I've ever tasted.

"It tastes great, huh? They have the best cappuccino here," Shuuya interjects happily. I silently agree as I notice how he ordered a cup for himself. We have similar tastes, I remember Tsubomi once said, especially when it came to food and beverages. I guess that's how she managed to cook us delicious meals all this time.

Which reminds me…?

"Shuuya," I call out to him. "When are you going to, you know, pop the question?"

Shuuya chokes on his drink, raising an eyebrow at me, his pupils wide. He's nervous all right, I laugh at the thought. He coughs a few times before finally looking straight to my eyes. After a few minutes, he finally sighed, his gaze locked on the floor.

"I don't know," he answers, unsure. "I mean, we've been going smoothly so far and I don't want to break that. I'm sure Tsubomi does as well, but we both get that feeling of wanting something more."

"Why don't you do it then? Girls like Tsubomi usually can't wait for stuff like that."

"Hey, don't act like a know-it-all. The only girl you've ever dated was Mary and now you're tied to her," he replies with a smug grin.

I glared at him, "You're missing the point here, Shuuya. Tsubomi and Mary are different. Don't you dare compare them with one another."

He waves a dismissal hand at me and raises them up in defeat, "Chill, lover boy. There's still three days left till your wedding."

My wedding… that's it!

I slammed the table, just loud enough to fully meet Shuuya's attention. He jerked backwards, glaring back at me for surprising him. I grinned jokingly, brushing it off slightly as I hardened my gaze and pointed my right index finger to his chest.

"You," I start, pressing my index finger firmly. "Shuuya, could propose to her then and there, at my wedding. It'll be a great surprise for both her and the guests."

The cat-eyed man smiled. He looks at me and grabs my right hand, then shakes it firmly with his.

"Deal," he started to grin. "Best man gets the bridesmaid. I like how that sounds."

I gripped his hand tighter, supporting him mentally with a man's courage. If I could propose the girl I love, why couldn't he do it too? The both of us relaxed back to our seat as we felt several eyes set on us. They must be wondering at how odd we were. No matter, we're used to those kinds of stares since long ago. I sipped the hot beverage slowly, before Shuuya calls out my name to say,

"Have you heard?"

"What?"

"Shintaro's having a kid."

(This sure is going to be a long conversation.)

A/N: No, this is not Kano's birthday gift, but I hope you like it.