Author Notes: Here's the Valentine's Day fic I promised y'all. Thank you for being so patient.
This is set during Act I's off-season. It's set a little before Valentine's Day and on the day of Valentine's Day.
This is part of my Summer Sky series, but you don't need to read the other parts to read this part.
I hope y'all enjoy it!
That Special Winter Sky
Kazuya held a hand over his mouth, trying not to laugh out loud.
He had come to the cafeteria to grab some ice for his water bottle.
Only to discover a disaster waiting to happen.
Sawamura was in the kitchen, attempting to make something.
He couldn't see what Sawamura was making from where he was, but he could smell something sweet.
Which caused him to make a disgusted expression.
Feeling curious despite himself, he entered the kitchen as quietly as he could, watching Sawamura stir something in a bowl.
Sawamura cursed at something, setting the bowl onto the counter before turning to look at some type of cookbook.
This was his chance.
He crept forward, standing a couple of meters away. "Am I seeing what I think I'm seeing?"
Sawamura jumped violently, almost jumping a few centimeters into the air, letting out a startled yell.
He laughed at his reaction, not missing the way Sawamura turned to look at him, shooting him a dirty look.
"What do you think you're doing, Cap?" Sawamura gestured to the bowl. "What if I was holding that?"
He almost laughed again, shrugging. "Then you would've had to start over. It's no big deal."
"It is a big deal!" Sawamura burst out, looking annoyed, causing him to blink. "You don't understand! I…" He huffed, and to his surprise, Sawamura turned back to look at the bowl and the cookbook.
Now that was interesting.
Kazuya stepped closer to look over his shoulder. "What are you making anyway? Do you even realize what time it is?" He smirked, taking satisfaction in the way Sawamura turned his head to shoot him another dirty look. He looked at what was inside the bowl, furrowing his eyebrows. "Chocolate?"
Why was Sawamura making chocolate this late at night?
(Didn't he know that the chocolate would keep him up at night? Well, Sawamura was an idiot. So he probably didn't know.)
"… That's right. I'm making chocolate." Sawamura huffed, picking up the bowl again and starting to stir. "Not that it's any of your business."
He blinked a few times. "Why are you making chocolate this late at night?" He smirked. "You do know that if you eat all that, you'll have trouble sleeping."
"Shut up! The chocolate isn't for me! It's for—" Sawamura gasped, eyes widening, as if belatedly realizing what he was saying.
… Ah.
That's right.
Valentine's Day was almost here.
(Despite his popularity with the girls (and some guys), he never looked forward to Valentine's. Especially when everyone didn't seem to understand that he didn't like sweet things.)
And if this were normal, he would tease him about it.
But knowing what he did…
"That chocolate…" Sawamura narrowed his eyes. "It's for Narumiya… Isn't it?"
For some reason, Kazuya couldn't help but feel annoyed at how Sawamura flushed. "That guy's so annoying lately!" Sawamura huffed. "He keeps calling me to tell me what his favorite chocolate is and how he's looking forward to my chocolate."
It was ridiculous, considering he didn't even like sweets, but he felt… jealous.
He hated that Mei would be receiving Sawamura's chocolate.
And that he wouldn't.
(Which was confusing. Why would he want Sawamura's chocolate? He didn't even like chocolate.)
He grabbed the bowl from his hands, narrowing his eyes as Sawamura protested, immediately reaching out to grab it back. "You don't have to listen to him, you know. If you don't want to make it, just tell him."
"Give that back, Cap! I was in the middle of stirring it!"
He tightened his grip on the bowl, noticing the familiar color of white chocolate, tempted to make a face.
Of all chocolate Mei could've liked, he chose the one that was the sweetest?
(Although he couldn't help but notice that the color was different than the normal white chocolate he was used to. He was used to seeing white chocolate as pure white, but this white chocolate looked… pale yellow. It looked like the color of cocoa butter.)
"Give that back, Cap!"
He stepped away as Sawamura tried to reach for the bowl again. "Did you hear what I said?"
"Did you hear what I said?" Sawamura glared, stepping closer and reaching for the bowl.
He stepped away again, holding the bowl above his head. "I'm serious, Sawamura. If you don't want to make it, just tell him."
"And I'm serious, too! Give that back!"
And before he could put any more distance between him and Sawamura, Sawamura pounced, tackling him into the nearest counter, causing him to yelp as his back slammed against it.
He couldn't help but glare at Sawamura. "That hurt! What do you think you're doing?"
To his surprise, Sawamura looked almost… guilty. "… Sorry. I wasn't trying to hurt you." He grabbed the bowl out of his lax hands. "I was just trying to get this back."
Kazuya was about to scold him for being reckless.
(Because Sawamura could've easily hurt either of them by doing what he just did).
But his breath caught in his throat as he realized how close Sawamura was to him.
Sawamura was so close that he could reach out and touch him, their chests touching. He could smell Sawamura's shampoo from this close.
And for some reason, his heart was racing.
(Maybe because Sawamura did something reckless?)
He didn't know why, but he felt tempted to wrap his arms around him and never let go.
(Which was strange. Why would he want to hug him? He did hit his head on one of the cabinets when Sawamura knocked him against the counter, so maybe that was why?)
To his irritation, Sawamura… wasn't even looking at him. He was looking down at the chocolate, a disgustingly soft smile on his face.
For some reason, his heart clenched at knowing that look was for someone else.
(Stupid headache.)
Sawamura turned away, walking over to the microwave and placing the bowl inside. He was still looking at the bowl of chocolate, smiling that soft smile of his.
It was as if… Kazuya weren't there.
Like Sawamura had… forgotten he was there.
And for some reason, that only made him angrier.
"Oi, Sawamura." Sawamura jumped violently, his heart clenching again at the thought of Sawamura thinking about someone else, looking over at him, startled. "If you really don't want to make chocolate for that guy, you don't have to."
But even as he said that, he knew he was fighting a losing battle.
Sawamura pursed his lips, but the microwave beeping caught his attention, causing him to open it. "It's not like that, and you know it, Cap."
… Of course he did.
He remembered vividly how he had found out about Sawamura's relationship with Mei.
And how much Sawamura liked him.
And although he tried to ignore it and not think about it, as it wasn't affecting baseball, his mind… kept thinking about it.
It was so annoying.
(Sure, there was a part of him that cared about Sawamura and wanted to look out for him, as he knew what kind of guy Mei was.
But that didn't explain those random thoughts of wanting to hug Sawamura and never let him go.
Or having thoughts of kissing him and wanting to see what he'll taste like.
He didn't even like Sawamura like that!)
"What, so you're saying you want to make chocolate for that guy?"
Sawamura huffed, eyes on the melted chocolate. "And if I do? It's none of your business." He stirred the chocolate for about a minute before placing it back into the microwave.
"It is my business!"
Sawamura jumped at the volume of his voice, finally looking at him. "Eh?"
Shit.
That… wasn't what he had been planning to say.
Why did he say that?
Sawamura frowned, stepping closer. "What do you mean by that?"
What was he supposed to say?
He frowned, trying to think of something.
Anything that would convince him.
"Your sleep!"
Sawamura blinked a few times, baffled. "My… sleep?"
Of all possible explanations, he had to go with that one?
He nodded, giving him a serious look. "As your captain, I don't want this to affect your sleep. I'm looking out for you."
To his irritation, Sawamura rolled his eyes, turning around to walk back to the microwave. "I'll be fine, Cap! As soon as I make these, I'll go straight to bed!"
… But that wasn't good enough.
He wished he could come up with an explanation why Sawamura shouldn't make chocolate for Mei.
Sawamura would listen to him if he had a good explanation.
(… Right?)
But no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't come up with anything that would work.
Letting out a huff of his own, he leaned back against the counter, glaring at the bowl of chocolate. "… Fine. Then I'm staying here until you finish."
Sawamura gave him such an offended look that it almost made his lips twitch. "You don't need to stay here to supervise me, Cap! I'm not a child!"
"But what if you need help, Sawamura?"
Sawamura gave him an incredulous look. "I'm making chocolate, Cap. It's not that hard."
He shrugged, giving him a smirk. "Says the guy who was cursing at something when I came in." Sawamura flushed (much to his amusement). "Did you mess up something so easy?"
But to his surprise, instead of arguing with him, Sawamura let out a loud huff, grumbling under his breath as he went back to what he was doing before.
He wanted to tease him or antagonize him somehow.
(Anything to keep Sawamura's attention on him.)
But his breath caught in his throat.
Sawamura had his eyebrows furrowed as he looked at the chocolate. His eyes were a striking gold color under the soft light of the kitchen light. Those golden eyes, that he normally saw on the mound, lit up. Sawamura's bright smile came onto his face.
Sawamura nodded eagerly, looking so excited and happy it made his heart clench.
He watched as Sawamura got out some baseball shaped molds.
(Of course Sawamura chose the baseball ones. He was such a baseball idiot.)
Sawamura bit his lower lip, causing him to look at it and wonder despite himself what would happen if he were to lean in and nibble it, eyebrows furrowing again as he carefully poured the chocolate into each mold.
Once he poured the chocolate, Sawamura set aside the bowl, grabbing a small shaker of what looked like salt.
He raised his eyebrows.
White chocolate with salt?
Now that was a combination he had never tasted (or had hardly seen for that matter).
And Sawamura was planning to give these to Mei?
(Was he trying to get Mei to break up with him? He wanted to hate that he liked that idea.)
Sawamura bent close, eyebrows furrowing as he gently shook the shaker over each chocolate mold, only adding a sprinkle of salt to each one. He breathed a sigh of relief once he finished, placing the shaker onto the counter next to him before grabbing the molds and placing them carefully into the refrigerator.
Kazuya couldn't help but step closer, curious despite himself.
And as he got close enough, he could see that Sawamura hadn't chosen just any salt.
He had chosen sea salt.
White chocolate with sea salt.
He didn't like sweets, but even he was curious what Sawamura's chocolates would taste like.
… And Mei would hate it if he had a taste of Sawamura's chocolate before him.
He smirked, eyes gleaming mischievously.
Now he had to taste Sawamura's chocolate.
Sawamura looked over at him, narrowing his eyes. "What are you up to?"
"Oh, nothing." He almost laughed as Sawamura gave him a suspicious look. "I hope your chocolates turn out well."
Sawamura blinked a few times before furrowing his eyebrows. "Thank you?"
He snickered.
To his delight, they didn't have to wait long for the chocolates to harden, Sawamura pulling out the molds thirty minutes later.
And he thought he would have to try and sneak a bite on Valentine's Day itself.
But apparently Sawamura was just as eager as him, wanting to see how they turned out.
He could feel his heart clenching at the thought of Sawamura putting in all this effort.
And it was for someone else.
(After all this thought and effort Sawamura was putting into the chocolate he planned to give to Mei, Mei better appreciate it. Or he'll have to answer to him.)
Sawamura pulled out the baseball white chocolates from their molds, placing them onto a plate. Each of the chocolates were the size of a small bouncy ball.
"I don't think I have to warn you, as I know you don't like sweet things, Cap." Sawamura set aside the molds and grabbed the plate. "But I will just in case. Don't eat—"
But Kazuya had already stopped listening, grabbing a chocolate and taking a bite of it.
"I said don't eat that!"
He hummed, looking at the chocolate in his hand.
It was actually… a lot better than he thought it would be.
Usually, all the white chocolate he tasted was too sweet. And it would always overpower anything else he tasted.
But this white chocolate…
He didn't know what Sawamura did to it, but it… didn't taste too sweet.
It tasted like fresh and clean milk, but he could also taste the floral and aromatic cocoa butter that was sometimes associated with white chocolate. And the sea salt…
The sea salt Sawamura sprinkled into it added a contrasting taste to the normally way too sweet chocolate.
Sawamura had added the perfect amount of sea salt, as he could still taste the white chocolate, but he could also taste the sea salt itself.
He still disliked sweet things, but if Sawamura wanted to give these to him, he would accept them.
He looked over at Sawamura, almost smirking at his suspicious look. "Not bad, Sawamura."
But Sawamura kept giving him a suspicious look, seemingly not even hearing his compliment. "Why did you do that? You don't even like sweet things."
"I just felt like it." Sawamura glowered at him. "Give me some more."
Sawamura quickly moved the plate away from him. "No! This chocolate isn't for you!"
… Ah.
That's right.
This chocolate wasn't for him.
They were for…
He huffed, easily reaching out and grabbing another piece.
"Stop it! That isn't yours!"
Ignoring him, he ate the piece, amused as Sawamura let out a loud huff.
He disliked sweet things, but suddenly, he found himself wanting to eat all the chocolate Sawamura made.
He stepped closer, trying to grab another piece. "One more, Sawamura."
"No! I keep telling you… This isn't yours!" Sawamura stepped away from him.
He glowered, grabbing Sawamura's arms and tugging them closer to him. "What's the big deal? You can just make some more."
Sawamura struggled to pull his arms back toward him, glowering at him. "That's not the point, and you know it! This is Mei's chocolate! Not yours!"
If he wasn't angry before, he was definitely angry now that Sawamura mentioned Mei's name.
"I don't care if it's his chocolate." He could've sworn he saw Sawamura flinch at his icy voice. But that was probably just his imagination. "Give me one more."
Much to his annoyance, Sawamura immediately shook his head, glowering at him again. "I said no! What part of that do you not understand?" He tried pulling his arms back toward him again. "Now let go!"
Despite knowing Sawamura liked Mei, he still found himself surprised by how deep his feelings ran for him, letting go despite himself.
But Sawamura, who had been trying to get him to let go and pull his arms back toward himself, didn't seem to realize that he had let go, violently pulling his now free arms back toward himself.
And they could only watch in horror as the force of the action shook the remaining pieces of chocolate, the chocolates rolling toward the edge and falling off the plate.
And to the floor.
Sawamura gasped, quickly setting aside the plate and kneeling next to the now ruined chocolates.
Kazuya winced, rubbing the side of his head.
Sawamura probably wouldn't believe him, but that had been an accident.
"What did you do?"
He froze, looking away from the counter he had been staring at to look down at Sawamura.
"I worked so hard on these!" Sawamura looked up, his intense and angry golden eyes almost making him shiver. His voice was dangerously low, a huge contrast to his normally booming voice. "What's your problem?"
He felt tempted to clear his throat for some reason. "Sawamura, I—"
But Sawamura apparently didn't want to listen to him, glowering at the floor and slamming his fists. But before he could scold him for being reckless with his left hand, Sawamura let out a wail.
His heart clenched at how pained it sounded.
A part of him wanted to shush Sawamura and remind him that everyone else was sleeping.
But a larger part of him wanted to comfort him somehow.
(Where did that thought come from?)
Before he could do anything or even attempt to say anything else, though, Sawamura quickly stood up, glowering at him, his heart clenching at the hurt in those golden eyes. "Are you happy? You ruined my chocolate for Mei!"
Kazuya clenched his fists at Mei's name, turning around with a huff and walking away.
"Wait! Where do you think you're going?"
He paused by the exit, looking back at him. "It's late. You should get to bed. I don't want to have to hear about you falling asleep in class again."
Sawamura let out a frustrated yell, gesturing to his ingredients. "Who cares about that right now? It's your fault I have to make more!"
"Just do it tomorrow."
Sawamura clenched his fists, glowering at him. "Tomorrow'sValentine's Day! I won't have any time to make it tomorrow!"
He clicked his tongue, hating that Sawamura felt so strongly about this. And about Mei. "Fine. Make the stupid chocolate and get in trouble for falling asleep in class. I don't care."
And then he walked away, ignoring Sawamura's protests and cursing.
As soon as he exited the cafeteria, he huffed, holding his now cool water bottle to his forehead.
But not even the cool temperature of the water bottle could cool down the hot anger coursing through his veins.
What was Sawamura's problem?
Couldn't he tell what happened had been an accident?
(It was an accident. Something that wasn't his fault. He wasn't apologizing.)
But while he could still feel the anger, he couldn't help but remember Sawamura's wail, his heart clenching again for some reason.
That had been his first time hearing Sawamura wail with so much pain in his voice.
Sawamura had cried a lot before.
And he had even wailed before.
But he had never looked at him with that much hurt in his eyes.
(He couldn't help but wonder if Sawamura had looked at Mei with that much hurt in his eyes when Mei had hurt him.)
And although his heart begged him to walk back inside and reconcile with Sawamura, he walked away, not looking behind him even once.
Knowing that he wouldn't be able to fall asleep anytime soon.
ZZZ
Eijun sighed as he stared at the blue medium sized gift bag in his hands.
He had somehow finished his chocolate for Mei on time.
(No thanks to Cap. Seriously, what was wrong with him? He didn't even apologize.)
But he didn't have as much chocolate as he wanted.
Or planned on giving.
He knew Mei would understand, but…
"What's wrong?"
He jumped, quickly tightening his grip on the gift bag so that it didn't fall off his lap.
(And onto the floor again.)
Hearing a familiar laugh, he shot Mei a dirty look, Mei laughing even as he sat down in the armchair opposite him. "What was that for?"
Mei snickered, reaching out and grabbing one of his hands, squeezing it gently. "I'm sorry. I didn't think I would startle you that badly."
"You don't sound sorry," Eijun grumbled, giving his hand a squeeze back.
Mei furrowed his eyebrows, giving him a concerned look. "What's wrong?"
And while he could be slow and a bit of an idiot at times, even he knew what Mei was asking. But that didn't mean he felt ready to tell him what happened. Especially when he knew how Mei felt about Cap. "… It's nothing," he muttered.
"Like I believe that. Tell me." Mei looked at the gift bag in his hands, eyes lighting up. "Is that my chocolate? You did remember to make my favorite kind, right?"
He huffed. "Of course I did! How could I forget after you kept calling to remind me?"
Mei shrugged. "I just wanted to make sure. I know how forgetful you can be." He grinned at his dirty look. Eijun was about to argue, but anything he could've said died in his throat as Mei gave him a serious look. "Now tell me what happened."
"… I'll tell you later." Eijun looked away briefly, flushing despite himself. He tried giving him his normal devilish grin, knowing Mei would see straight through it. "We don't want the chocolate to spoil your appetite, now do we?"
Mei huffed, picking up his menu. "You're lucky I'm hungry."
Eijun breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that Mei would drop it for now.
He still wasn't looking forward to telling him about what happened, though.
"Ah… That's right."
He furrowed his eyebrows as Mei looked up from his menu.
But instead of saying anything, Mei pulled him closer, giving him such a soft and gentle kiss that it made him smile.
He pulled away several moments later, the soft smile on Mei's face taking his breath away.
"It's good to see you again." Mei squeezed his hand gently.
He cleared his throat, finding it hard to speak under those soft blue eyes. "Y-Yeah. It's good to see you again, too." He gave his hand a squeeze back.
Normally, he would roll his eyes good-naturedly and tell him that it had only been a few days since they last saw each other.
But he felt so… happy to see him.
After what happened with Cap and watching everyone at school celebrate Valentine's Day, especially all the obvious couples, he had wanted to see Mei.
Badly.
And although he didn't let it distract him from school (where he didn't fall asleep during class contrary to what Cap thought might happen) or practice, it was still there in the back of his mind.
His fingers kept twitching the whole time (even when he wasn't pitching).
When Boss dismissed them for the day, he had excused himself, telling everyone that he didn't need dinner and almost sprinted toward the dorms, eager to see Mei again.
And now that Mei was here in front of him…
A soft touch on his forehead brought him out of his thoughts, causing him to blink a few times.
Mei pulled away, giving him such a concerned look that it made his heart clench, not wanting to worry him. "Are you sure you're alright?" He gestured to the café around them. "If you're not feeling well, we can skip—"
"No!"
Mei blinked a few times. "Eh?"
Eijun cleared his throat again. "That's not… I'm alright."
Mei frowned. "But you're acting weird."
"I promise that I'm alright." Mei gave him a skeptical look. "Really, I am. I just…" Eijun closed his eyes briefly, letting out a tired sigh. "I wanted to see you again."
He wasn't going to let what happened with Cap ruin their date.
Mei narrowed his eyes, studying him carefully, as if he were trying to see if he were lying. "And you really are alright?"
"I'm not letting anything ruin our date." Eijun gave him a serious look.
Mei studied him some more before sighing. "Well, if you're really alright, then I guess it's alright." He gave him a fond look. "I know how stubborn you can be."
Eijun chuckled. "You can be just as stubborn as me, and you know it." He gave him a small smile.
"Don't you just love how we have so much in common?" Mei batted his eyelashes.
Eijun laughed, unable to help it at the sight of Mei fluttering his eyelashes. "I think most people would think that we couldn't be together because of that."
"Well, we're not like other people, now are we?"
Eijun's eyes softened. "No, we're not. And I'm grateful every day we're making this relationship work."
Mei felt relieved, wanting to cheer at seeing Eijun's normal soft smile on his face. "I know, right?" He grinned cheekily. "You're so lucky to be dating the prince."
Eijun rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "It's too bad that the prince has a massive ego."
"What do you mean by 'too bad'?" Mei gave him an offended look. "You like how confident I am."
Eijun's lips twitched. "Having an ego is not the same thing as being confident."
"But you like that part of me!" Mei whined.
Eijun resisted the urge to laugh, lifting their joined hands so that he could kiss his hand. "Sometimes."
Mei gave him such a betrayed look that he couldn't help but laugh again, missing the way Mei's eyes softened.
They talked and joked with each other, telling anecdotes on what had been going on lately.
Mei felt relieved that Eijun was smiling again.
(And he felt smug he could make him smile even though it was obvious Eijun was upset about something.)
What happened?
Contrary to what Eijun thought, he wasn't that conceited to think that whatever happened was because of him.
(… Okay, maybe a little. But it wasn't his fault. He had walked over to where Eijun was sitting, and Eijun… hadn't noticed him approaching, his eyes on the gift bag as he let out a sigh. Wasn't that because Eijun wanted to see him?)
But he had… an intuition or gut instinct that whatever made Eijun upset, it had something to do with him.
His heart clenched at the thought.
He never wanted to upset Eijun.
Always hated it whenever Eijun cried. Or looked like he was in pain.
He hated the thought of Eijun looking that upset again, but he knew they had to talk about what happened.
And judging by the way Eijun kept glancing at his gift bag, it had something to do with his chocolate.
But that was later.
Now, all he wanted was for Eijun to smile and tell him anecdotes about something that happened.
It wasn't until they were halfway through dinner that he realized something strange.
Eijun… wasn't talking about Kazuya that much.
And at first, he thought that Eijun was trying to be considerate of him, as Eijun knew how he felt about Kazuya.
But Eijun always talked about Kazuya.
Sure, Eijun never talked about him that long.
But it was weird Eijun wasn't talking about him.
He gasped, eyes widening as he thought of something, missing Eijun's confused look.
Was it possible…?
… No.
But maybe it really was that simple?
He hated the thought of it, but he had to know.
"Is something wrong?"
Eijun's voice caused him to look up from his plate, lips twitching at seeing his furrowed eyebrows. "It's nothing." Eijun gave him a skeptical look, clearly not believing him. And while normally that was enough for him to start arguing with him, he had more important things to worry about. "So… How's Kazuya doing?"
And Eijun… didn't disappoint. He immediately winced, his heart clenching at how much hurt was in those expressive eyes of his. But a couple of moments later, Eijun tilted his head, furrowing his eyebrows. "He's alright. Why?"
If he were anyone else, he might've believed Eijun's act.
Would've thought that Eijun's initial reaction was just his imagination.
But he could see through him.
Could see the way Eijun's hands twitched. The way those eyes glanced at his gift bag.
He almost clenched his fists.
So it was what he had thought.
Kazuya had upset Eijun somehow.
(Stupid Kazuya. He hated that Kazuya was upsetting Eijun when they were supposed to be on a date.)
He shrugged, picking up another bite of his food. "I was just wondering. Especially since today's Valentine's and all." He kept his voice casual, acting as if he didn't care that they were talking about Kazuya.
"You're right." Eijun tapped his chin. "I'm sure he got a lot of chocolate. As usual."
He almost snickered, knowing how much Kazuya adored sweets. Especially chocolate. "Yeah, I'm sure he did. Probably not as much as me, though."
It wasn't until Eijun narrowed his eyes that he belatedly realized what he said. And how it could be taken.
"You…" Eijun tightened his grip around his fork. "You got a lot of chocolate today?"
Shit.
He ate the bite of food, shrugging and trying to ignore his racing heart. "Yeah, I always get a lot on Valentine's Day." When Eijun glowered at his food, he picked up another bite of food, holding it out to him. "I didn't accept any of them, though."
"Well, you are popular," Eijun grumbled, stabbing a piece of chicken so violently that it tore in half. He blinked a few times, as if realizing what he had said. He looked at him, his jaw dropping. "Wait… What?"
He almost snickered, gesturing to the bite of food he held out. "I said that I didn't accept any of their chocolate."
Eijun frowned, leaning in and opening his mouth. He pulled away, chewing on the food, eyes lighting up briefly at the taste. "But…" He frowned deeply. "Didn't you say you got a lot of chocolate today?"
"Yeah, I did." He picked up another bite of food. "I received a huge amount of chocolate in my shoe locker this morning. It was something you'd see out of a shoujo manga."
Eijun smiled at that, causing him to feel smug. "Really? Just the shoe locker?"
"That was just the start!" He huffed, rubbing the top of his head. "People lined up in front of my desk during our breaks and even started throwing their chocolates when I walked through the hallway." Eijun raised his eyebrows. "They all had horrible aim. One even hit me on the top of my head."
Eijun frowned deeply again. "And you… didn't accept any of them?"
"Of course I didn't!" He huffed again, almost unable to believe that Eijun asked him that. "I'm only going to accept chocolate from my boyfriend!"
Eijun's eyes lit up, gleaming mischievously. "He must mean a lot to you then. Especially if you're going to reject your adoring fans and their chocolate for him."
"Well, he does drive me crazy a lot of the time. And he can be a bit of an idiot at times." He grinned cheekily as Eijun glared at him. "But…" His eyes softened. "He really understands me. And likes me for who I am." He reached out, squeezing his right hand gently. "I really like him."
Eijun flushed, but he gave him a bright smile, almost blinding him. "Well, I'm sure your boyfriend feels the same about you." His smile turned softer as he gave him his smile.
Mei cleared his throat, furrowing his eyebrows. "Wait… You're not even going to say something different?"
"Why?" Eijun grinned devilishly at him. "It's all true."
He glared at him, snatching a piece of his chicken, causing Eijun to cry out. "Who's the jerk now?"
"Still you," Eijun said, glaring at him. He pouted as Mei ate his piece of chicken. "Jerk."
Mei snickered, holding out another bite of food as a peace offering.
Predictably, Eijun gave him a bright smile, leaning in and opening his mouth eagerly. He pulled away, chewing on the food, eyes brightening (if it were possible) at the taste.
"So… you really didn't accept any of their chocolate?" Eijun frowned deeply, causing him to blink. His voice was so soft and unsure that it made his heart clench. "Not even the obligation chocolate?"
Mei nodded, giving him a serious look. "I told everyone that I wasn't going to accept any chocolate this year." He gave him a soft look, squeezing his hand gently. "Besides, the only chocolate I really want is yours."
Eijun blinked a few times, his eyes shining, probably trying not to cry. "Mei…"
"And…" He smirked, causing Eijun to give him a confused look. "You should feel honored. I made you some chocolate."
Eijun's jaw dropped, causing him to snicker. "You did? You made it?"
"Amazing, right?" he bragged, puffing his chest out. "I thought it wouldn't be fair if you were the only one giving chocolate. So I decided to make you some."
Eijun's whole face, even his ears, turned red, almost making him snicker again. "You made me some chocolate," he repeated, looking as if he couldn't believe it.
He grinned, reaching to the side of his chair and lifting the gold medium sized gift bag for Eijun to see. "See? I've got it right here."
Eijun's eyes widened, giving the gift bag a wide-eyed look. But thankfully, it didn't take long for his eyes to light up, happiness and wonder in those expressive eyes of his. He gave the gift bag a soft smile before looking at him and directing that smile toward him, reaching out to grab his hand and squeezing gently.
The way Eijun was looking at him now…
And how he knew Eijun would only look at him that way…
It made him so happy.
(And smug. He almost smirked at remembering his teammates' dumbfounded expressions when they found him working on Eijun's chocolate the night before.)
He knew putting in the effort to make the chocolate would make Eijun happy.
He couldn't wait for Eijun to taste it.
Eijun leaned in closer, tugging at his hand to pull him closer and smiling once their lips met.
It was a much shorter kiss than normal (mainly because they were in public).
But Eijun still managed to pour all his feelings for him into that soft and gentle kiss, causing him to smile despite himself.
Eijun pulled away a few moments later, beaming at him before returning to his dinner.
He shook his head, giving him a soft smile.
They finished dinner a few minutes later, Eijun even offering him the last piece of chicken.
(Something he eagerly took him up on. He loved it when Eijun fed him.)
For once, neither ordered dessert, giving each other eager grins when the waitress brought it up.
Once the waitress walked away, Mei looked down at the gold gift bag, frowning.
If he really wanted Eijun to enjoy his chocolate, he would have to talk to him about what happened with Kazuya first.
To his surprise, Eijun brought up the topic himself, frowning deeply at the blue gift bag. "Hey… About your chocolate…"
"Will you finally tell me what's wrong?" He squeezed his hand gently.
Eijun pursed his lips before looking at him and nodding. "You see, I—"
"Mei-kun!"
They couldn't help but jump at the cheerful voice calling out Mei's name, looking around for the owner of the voice.
Mei's eyes darkened at seeing a familiar brunette classmate of his waving at him. He clicked his tongue as she startedwalking over to their table. "Oh, great," he muttered.
Eijun gave him a confused look, looking between the two of them and furrowing his eyebrows.
Did something happen between them?
The girl had long curly brown hair tied into a ponytail that stopped a few centimeters past her shoulders. She looked around his age (or maybe she was Mei's age). She wore a green long-sleeved dress that stopped at her knees and a red scarf around her neck. The dress had small white flowers on it. He didn't know flowers that well, but they looked like daffodils.
Her most striking feature was her eyes.
Her eyes were green, although they weren't the bright green eyes he was used to seeing.
Maybe it was because of the light, but her eyes looked a dark green.
Maybe even an olive green?
And when those eyes looked at him, he almost shivered.
Something about being on the receiving end of those eyes made him feel like she was… judging him.
Or looking at him as if he were prey.
"Mei-kun, I didn't think I'd see you outside of school," she said, giving Mei a smile once she was close enough.
Eijun didn't know her, but even he could tell that her smile wasn't genuine.
Mei gave her a stiff smile. "Amamiya. I'm surprised to see you alone. Where's your boyfriend?"
Amamiya-san's eyes lit up, giving him a smug look. She pointed at the cash register where a tall, good-looking, black haired guy was paying for something. "He's right over there. We were just on our way back from a romantic dinner." Mei narrowed his eyes at her pointed look. "But it really is too cold to walk outside. Even if it is Valentine's Day. So I suggested that we stop here for some hot chocolate."
"I see. And was there a reason you decided to come over?" Mei gestured to Eijun. "I am on a date, you know."
She blinked, looking at Eijun and widening her eyes, as if she hadn't noticed he was there. "I'm so sorry. I was being so rude. Please forgive me." Eijun still felt on edge, but he nodded. But before he could say anything, she tossed her ponytail over her shoulder and batted her eyelashes at Mei, causing him to glower. "Mei-kun, why don't you introduce us?"
Mei gave him an apologetic look, which helped a little with the anger and uncomfortable feeling in his stomach, gesturing to her. "This is Amamiya. She's one of my classmates."
"Now, now. You shouldn't hide things from your date," she scolded, poking his right shoulder.
Was it just Eijun's imagination, or did she look… smug?
Mei pursed his lips, closing his eyes briefly before frowning deeply. "She's also… one of my exes."
… Ah.
So that was why there was this tension between them.
Clearly things didn't end well between them.
"Amamiya Yui. It's nice to meet you," she said, bowing her head to him.
What surprised him was that she only bowed her head to him for a few seconds.
Mei's frown remained on his face as he gestured to him. "And this is Sawamura Eijun. My boyfriend."
Deciding to be polite, he stood up, bowing to her. "I'm pleased to meet you. My name is Sawamura Eijun. It's nice to meet you." Once he straightened, he gave her a polite smile before sitting back down.
Mei wanted to protest that Eijun didn't need to be so polite to her when she was being rude to him.
But Eijun gave him a slight warning look, as if he had read his mind.
He knew what Eijun was doing.
Knew that Eijun was deciding to be polite even though he could obviously sense the tension between him and Amamiya.
… And as much as he hated to admit it, it was probably a good thing Eijun was being so polite to her.
Amamiya could be a real pain when things didn't go her way.
All he wanted was to end this conversation as quickly as possible.
So that he could get back to his date with Eijun.
He almost glared at her when he saw Amamiya looking Eijun up and down, as if she were silently judging him. He cleared his throat, relieved when she immediately looked away from Eijun. "You never answered my question." She gave him an apologetic smile. If it were anyone else, he might've believed that she really was sorry. And maybe even thought it was cute. "Was there a reason you decided to come over?"
Amamiya shrugged, gesturing to Eijun. "Maybe I wanted to meet the boyfriend you're always bragging about."
"You what?" Eijun flushed, eyes widening as he looked between him and her.
He almost huffed. "Normally, I would accept that reason. But I know you well enough to know that's not the reason you came over."
She pouted, giving him a fake hurt look. "Mei-kun, how could you say that after everything we went through together?"
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Eijun clenching his fists, tempted to reach out and unclench them. "It's the truth, isn't it?"
"The truth…" She sighed, resting her elbow on Eijun's left shoulder, causing Mei to glower at her. "You're always so honest, Mei-kun. Well, I guess I don't mind that too much, as that's one of the reasons I decided to go out with you."
He wanted to shove her elbow off Eijun's shoulder.
Eijun was trying not to let it show on his face, but he knew Eijun was feeling uncomfortable. Especially with her elbow on his pitching shoulder.
He clenched his own fists under the table. "Will you get to the point?"
Her eyes lit up, a triumphant gleam in her eyes. "That's right. You were always so impatient." She finally removed her arm from Eijun's shoulder, poking it instead. "I'm surprised he's stayed with you this long."
Eijun glowered at her, looking as if he were about to say something.
But he caught his eye, subtly shaking his head.
Eijun glared at him, but to his relief, he finally nodded a few moments later.
He really didn't want Eijun involved more than he already was.
He would protect him for as long as possible.
Besides, he really didn't care that Amamiya was insulting him.
He was used to his exes insulting him.
This was nothing new.
(His chest did feel warm at the thought of Eijun wanting to protect him, though.)
"So… How's your boyfriend doing?" He hoped bringing up her boyfriend would remind her what she was doing at the café in the first place.
To his confusion, that triumphant gleam from earlier was still in her eyes. "He's doing well. We like each other very much."
Something about that statement seemed… off to him.
If she really liked her boyfriend, why was she trying to flirt with him?
Deciding to be polite even though he still felt suspicious, he gave her a polite smile. "I'm glad to hear that."
She nodded, tapping her chin. "He really likes me and treats me well. But that's what a normal boyfriend who cares about someone should do." She brought a hand close to her mouth, blowing on her sharp fingernails. He was about to reply, but before she could, she smirked at him, causing him to furrow his eyebrows. "Oh, and he's very loyal to me. Unlike you."
… Now he understood what was going on.
She had come over to flaunt her relationship in front of him, hoping to make him jealous enough to want her back.
And she was trying to drive a wedge between him and Eijun.
Unfortunately for her, it wasn't going to work.
Eijun would never let someone like her drive a wedge between them.
"What do you mean by that?"
Eijun's confused voice brought him out of his thoughts, causing him to curse himself.
What was he doing?
He was supposed to be protecting Eijun.
Not getting lost in his thoughts.
"Oh? Mei-kun never told you?" She looked over at Eijun, still smirking. Eijun shook his head, furrowing his eyebrows. She looked back at him, giving him a disapproving look. "You didn't tell your boyfriend that you cheated on me?"
Eijun's eyes widened.
He huffed. "I never cheated on you, and you know it."
"That's not what my best friend told me." She glowered at him. "She told me that you two started dating while we were still dating. And that you only broke up with me so that you two could become official."
He wanted to snarl at her.
It was bad enough she and her best friend had spread a false rumor like that around school.
But now she was trying to use that false rumor to make Eijun distrust him.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Eijun clenching his fists, tempted to reach out and unclench them. And reassure him that he would never cheat on him or anyone else.
Amamiya didn't know Eijun as well as he did.
Eijun would never believe what she was saying.
He glowered at her. "You know as well as I do that I never cheated on you. You and your best friend spread that false rumor all around school."
She scoffed. "And you know as well as I do that you never cared about me. Or my best friend. Why should I believe your words over what my best friend says?" And before he could retort, she leaned closer to Eijun, looking at him. "Mei-kun's horrible, don't you think? You should dump him before he cheats on you with your best friend."
Eijun clenched his fists even tighter, causing him to worry about his left hand.
"I know what you're thinking." She patted Eijun's shoulder, as if she were trying to comfort him. Mei really wanted to rip that arm out of its socket. "Mei-kun is really handsome. And cool. But the way he treats people…" She sighed, shaking her head. "All I can say is that I regret having dated him."
"Shut up."
She patted his shoulder again, Mei digging his fingernails into his hands so that he didn't reach out and do something he might regret. "I know. You don't want to hear it, do you?" She patted his shoulder one more time before stepping away from him. "But it's the truth."
"Shut up!"
His eyes widened as Eijun jumped to his feet, glowering at her.
"I won't allow you to bad-mouth Mei any longer." Eijun clenched his fists at his sides. "Mei's not the kind of guy who would cheat on someone."
Mei almost smirked.
He knew Eijun would never believe her.
She gasped, narrowing her eyes at him. "Are you saying that I'm a liar? I'm older than you, you know."
"I don't know what happened between you and Mei, but I know Mei." Eijun glowered at her, his furious golden eyes causing his breath to catch. He had almost never seen Eijun this angry before. And knowing that it was for him… It was a good look for him. "He would never cheat on someone. And if you can't see that, then you didn't deserve him."
Mei smirked, snickering at her shocked and offended look.
His chest felt so warm and… grateful.
He could take care of himself, but it was really nice whenever Eijun defended him.
He almost snickered again.
Eijun wouldn't agree, but he really was acting like a knight.
She stepped closer, causing his eyes to narrow, glowering at Eijun. "How dare you say that to me! You don't even know what I went through because of him!"
"And I don't care. Mei's not dating you anymore. He's dating me." Eijun pointed at her boyfriend who was waiting to pick up their drinks. "And you're dating him. Instead of spreading rumors about Mei behind his back, why don't you just enjoy your relationship with him?"
She stepped closer, causing Mei to stand up, ready to step in if she were about to hurt Eijun. "You impertinent brat! I don't even know what Mei-kun sees in you." She scoffed. "There's nothing special about you. If you ask me, you're the one who doesn't deserve him."
Neither of them noticed as Mei stepped closer to them, glowering at her.
"I don't care what you think of me." Eijun's voice was so cold that it almost made him shiver. "I know Mei really hurt you, but that's no reason to go this far. Leave him alone." He gestured to her boyfriend again. "If you keep being so bitter, he might leave you. Is that what you want?"
She stepped closer, her eyes gleaming dangerously.
Eijun could feel the anger coursing through his veins, his heart racing as he glowered at her.
He knew he was being really rude, especially to someone he just met.
But he didn't care.
Not when she continued to bad-mouth Mei.
And then she had the nerve to accuse him of cheating on her!
(He didn't know how badly Mei treated her while they were still dating, but he knew Mei never cheated on her. Mei was self-centered and an arrogant jerk, but he was very loyal.)
He didn't even care that she looked as if she were about to slap him.
To his surprise, Mei seemingly teleported in front of him before she could, grabbing her wrist before her hand hit his face.
He blinked a few times, looking back at Mei's empty armchair to where Mei was standing in front of him.
How did Mei do that?
(Was he an alien?)
"That's enough." Eijun almost shivered at Mei's icy voice. "You can insult me all you want. But…" Mei tightened his grip on her wrist, causing her to wince. "You're not allowed to insult Eijun let alone hurt him." He let go of her wrist, gesturing toward himself. "If you want to slap someone, slap me. Everything's my fault, isn't it?"
And for several moments as she glowered at Mei, Eijun thought she might take him up on that offer and slap him instead.
(He would like to see her try. Despite what Mei thought, he didn't think Mei deserved to be slapped no matter how badly he treated his exes. If she tried to slap him, he would stop her.)
But her boyfriend chose that moment to walk up to her. "I got the hot chocolate, Amamiya." He glowered at Mei. "Narumiya. Stop upsetting my girlfriend."
Eijun wanted to argue that she was the one picking fights and upsetting them.
But before he could, Mei threw his arm backward, elbowing him in the stomach, causing him to wince and glare at the back of his head.
(He wanted to hate how Mei knew him so well.)
Mei raised an eyebrow. "Then what are you still doing here? From what I hear, you have a romantic walk to get to." He gestured toward himself. "And that's something I would never understand, right?"
… That wasn't true.
Mei could be really romantic when he wanted to be.
(But then again, Mei probably wasn't very romantic with his exes. He felt like smiling goofily at knowing that Mei was romantic with only him.)
"You're right." Amamiya's boyfriend gestured to him. "Let's go, Amamiya. Forget about Narumiya. He can't get to you now that I'm here."
She gave them one last glower before huffing and storming away, her boyfriend glowering at Mei before quickly following her.
Eijun watched them leave the café, breathing a sigh of relief despite himself before looking back at Mei.
Mei turned around to face him, eyes softening. "Are you alright? She didn't hurt you, did she?" His eyes scanned his face and body, as if he were looking for some unseen injuries.
He immediately shook his head, giving him a soft smile. "I'm alright. Thanks to you."
Mei narrowed his eyes. "How dare she try to hurt you in front of me!"
"Mei, I…"
He really didn't want what happened to ruin his date with Mei.
And he knew it was childish and probably selfish, but…
Before he had a chance to explain, though, Mei frowned deeply, nodding. "You're right. I don't want to stay here any longer."
His jaw dropped.
Seriously, how did Mei do that?
(Did he really know him that well?)
Mei met their waitress' eyes, which wasn't difficult as everyone in the café was looking at them, beckoning her over.
Once she came over, Mei requested the bill, surprised when she immediately gave it to him.
After taking care of the bill, they got ready, Mei frowning deeply before bowing briefly to everyone still watching.
Eijun smiled at seeing that, giving everyone a deeper bow before following Mei out of the café.
Mei pulled him close so that there was almost no space left between them, giving him a small smile when he squeezed his hand gently.
It didn't take long for them to reach the Inashiro gates, Mei slowly relaxing with each step they took.
(They walked past the larger common room on the way to Mei's room, Mei glowering at his teammates, daring them to stop them. But they didn't speak, giving Eijun a smile and protesting when Eijun bowed his head, apologizing for the intrusion.)
It wasn't until they reached Mei's dorm room that Mei fully relaxed, Mei locking the door behind him before pulling him close and wrapping his arms around him, burying his face into his shoulder.
Eijun wrapped his arms around him, closing his eyes briefly as he breathed in Mei's comforting scent.
Maybe it was childish and selfish, but he immediately felt better now that they were away from Mei's ex.
He felt himself relaxing in Mei's embrace, as this was something he had been looking forward to all day.
And after everything that happened, he knew he wasn't the only one who needed this.
Mei nuzzled into his neck, causing him to smile before pulling away several moments later.
Instead of saying something, though, Mei led them over to his bed, gently pushing him so that he sat on the edge.
To his surprise, Mei didn't join him, giving him an unrecognizable look as he remained standing.
"Mei?"
Mei reached out, tugging at the bottom of his sweater. "Take this off. Now."
"Eh?" He blinked a few times. "Why?"
Mei huffed, tugging at it again. "Just do it. Or I'll do it for you."
Not sure what was going through his mind, although he knew one thing that wasn't going through his mind (for once), he took off the sweater, shivering as he felt the cool air of the air conditioner.
To his confusion, Mei stared at his left shoulder for some reason.
And although he felt tempted to ask or say something, he watched silently as Mei gave his left shoulder a scrutinizing look before looking at it from different angles, as if hoping to find something.
When Mei continued inspecting his shoulder a minute later, even touching it gently, he huffed, glaring at him. "What's wrong with you?"
"Are you alright?" Eijun felt his breath catch at the concerned look in those soft blue eyes. Mei's voice was so soft that he was almost whispering. "She didn't hurt you, did she?"
… Oh.
He felt like an idiot.
Of course Mei would want to check on his left shoulder after what happened.
(To be fair, she hadn't touched his left shoulder that much. Or even hurt it for that matter. But he knew Mei wouldn't feel satisfied until he made sure.)
Mei was so protective sometimes.
Not that he disliked it.
It was annoying sometimes (because contrary to what Mei thought, he could take care of himself), but Mei's care for him mainly made his chest grow warm.
It made him want to smile.
And it made him want to hug him and never let go.
He cleared his throat, finding it hard to speak. "I'm alright. She didn't hurt my shoulder."
"Are you sure?" Mei pressed, grabbing his hands and giving him a serious look. "She really didn't hurt your shoulder?"
He nodded, tempted to clear his throat again. "My shoulder is alright."
Mei breathed a sigh of relief, leaning in and kissing his left shoulder a few times.
He shivered, although this time, he wasn't sure whether it was because of the air conditioner or Mei's tender kisses.
"I hated how she was touching you. Touching your left shoulder." Mei gave his shoulder another kiss before pulling away. "And then she had the nerve to insult you."
Eijun rolled his eyes good-naturedly, tugging at his hands. "Well, I don't care what she thinks of me." He shrugged. "And I would've been alright if she kept insulting me." Once Mei was close enough, he pulled him closer, leaning up to kiss his forehead. "Especially if it meant she was no longer insulting you."
Mei gave him a cheeky grin, sitting beside him on his bed. "What a knight in shining armor." He laughed as Eijun squawked, glaring at him. "It's true. You looked like one when you were defending me from her."
"I told you to stop calling me that!"
Mei laughed again. "But it's the perfect nickname for you."
"I'm going to hit you."
Mei snickered, leaning in to kiss his cheek. Eijun blinked a few times as Mei pulled away, giving him another serious look. "I am really sorry. About her." Mei sighed, giving him a frustrated look. "I really didn't want her to ruin our date, but after everything that happened…" He shrugged.
"I understand."
Mei furrowed his eyebrows. "You do?"
Eijun nodded, moving closer to him. "Back at the café, I was going to ask if we could leave." He gave him a soft smile. "As soon as we got here, I felt better."
"… Then I'm glad." Mei gave him an almost hesitant look. "And she… really didn't hurt you?"
He huffed, letting go of one of his hands to place a hand over the spot where his heart was. "Are you kidding? I was angry almost the whole time. I hated how she was talking about you."
Mei shrugged, looking away from him. "After what I did, I deserve it."
"No, you didn't!"
Mei jumped, giving him a wide-eyed look. "Eh?"
He moved closer, almost sitting in Mei's lap. "It doesn't matter how badly you treated her. You didn't deserve any of that."
"But…"
He kissed the spot where his heart was. "I'm not changing my mind." He gave him a devilish grin. "You know how stubborn I can be."
Mei snorted, giving him a fond look. "That's true. You're always such a pain when we argue."
"Well, you're always such a pain anyway, so we're even."
To his amusement, Mei squawked, giving him an offended look. "I'm not that bad!"
Eijun gave him an amused grin. "Keep telling yourself that." His grin remained on his face as Mei huffed, glaring at him. But a few moments later, he frowned deeply, causing Mei to give him a confused look.
"Is something wrong?"
Eijun shrugged, letting their shoulders touch. "I just… Can I ask what happened between you two?"
"What do you want to know?"
And although he was surprised Mei wasn't trying to dodge the subject, he also felt happy. "Why is she so bitter? Did you really treat her that badly?"
Mei looked down at their hands, rubbing circles into his left hand. "I didn't date her that long. I think we lasted… a week?" He furrowed his eyebrows. "Or was it five days? Maybe it was only three days?" He huffed. "I did treat her badly, but she's not entirely blameless."
"What do you mean?"
Mei huffed again. "She was so annoying. She kept flaunting our relationship in everyone's faces, acting as if dating me meant she could be as arrogant as she wanted." He shook his head. "Not that I was one to talk. I was just as arrogant as her. But at least, I had good reason to be arrogant. I am the ace after all."
Eijun rolled his eyes good-naturedly.
Mei looked up at him, frowning deeply. "But I didn't care. About her. Or how she was acting. All I cared was that we were in a relationship so that I could rub it in my teammates' faces."
Eijun resisted the urge to roll his eyes again, squeezing his hand gently.
That didn't surprise him at all.
Mei looked back down at their hands, giving his hand a squeeze back. "I can't remember why I broke up with her. I think it was because she was trying to get me to take her out somewhere." He rolled his eyes. "She didn't seem to understand that I didn't care about her. And that I wasn't going to let her get in the way of baseball."
"And that's it?" Eijun furrowed his eyebrows. "Why did she say that you cheated on her with her best friend?"
Mei looked back up, glowering at him, almost making him flinch. "I never cheated on her!"
"Of course you didn't, you idiot." Eijun nudged his shoulder. "I know you. You would never do something like that. Even if you didn't care for her that much."
Mei pursed his lips before giving him an apologetic look, causing him to shake his head. "While I didn't cheat on her, I did date her best friend." Eijun furrowed his eyebrows. "Her best friend confessed to me a couple of days after we broke up, and since I was single again, I agreed to date her."
Eijun's jaw dropped.
Mei wasn't kidding.
He really didn't care about people's feelings back then.
What kind of person agreed to date someone's best friend after breaking up with them?
And so soon, too.
To be fair, it wasn't all Mei's fault.
That girl could've waited to confess to Mei, but she didn't.
(Mei probably wouldn't like it if he voiced it out loud, but this reminded him of a scene in a shoujo manga.)
"And…" he frowned, trying to remember what was said. "They didn't like that you broke up with them, so they decided to spread a false rumor about you behind your back?"
Mei rolled his eyes. "I didn't even realize they had been spreading that rumor at first. I had to hear about it from some of my teammates." He grinned cheekily. "Not that anyone seemed to believe the rumor, as people kept confessing to me and trying to flirt with me."
He huffed, tightening his grip on Mei's hand. "Good for you."
"You don't need to be so jealous." Mei's grin widened as he glowered at him. He nudged his shoulder. "I'm with you now."
To his amusement, Eijun let out a louder huff. "I can't believe after everything she did, she still tried to flirt with you in front of me. And she has a boyfriend!"
Mei snickered, kissing his cheek. "Your jealousy is so cute."
"Shut up!"
Mei laughed, giving him a quick kiss. "Will you relax? I'm not going to leave you for her." His eyes softened. "Or for anyone else." He raised their joined hands, kissing the back of his hand, almost grinning when Eijun flushed. "I'm not going anywhere."
Eijun's eyes widened at the familiar words. He squeezed his hand gently, giving him his smile.
And Mei… couldn't help but lean back in, giving him another kiss, almost smirking as Eijun immediately responded.
He pulled him closer, Eijun letting out a protesting sound as he forced him to sit in his lap. He smirked as Eijun pulled away from the kiss, glaring at him.
But instead of protesting again or trying to move away, Eijun moved so that he was sitting comfortably in his lap, almost straddling him, causing his smirk to widen.
Eijun rolled his eyes, leaning in to kiss him again, golden eyes lighting up as he met him halfway.
After what happened in the café with Amamiya and the annoying day he had, it was nice to have some privacy with Eijun.
(And kiss him for as long as he wanted, not having to worry about anyone disturbing them.)
Everyone at school (mainly just the girls) had kept falling over themselves, trying to get him to accept their chocolate.
No matter how many times he told them that he wasn't accepting any chocolate this year, they refused to listen.
He hadn't told Eijun yet, but he actually had to leave his classroom and eat lunch on the roof with his teammates.
His teammates weren't that sympathetic, complaining about how he was so lucky. And how they were so jealous.
Things only got worse once he saw all the obvious couples around school.
As their presence only reminded him that he had to wait to see his boyfriend.
(He found himself wishing not for the first time that Eijun was an Inashiro student, tempted to ask him to transfer.)
His teammates didn't seem to understand that he didn't care nor want all the attention he had received today.
He wanted Eijun's attention.
And his chocolate.
And only his.
He pulled away from the kiss several moments later, almost smirking again at his whine. "So…" Eijun blinked. He let go of him with one hand to hold it out in front of him. "Where's my chocolate?"
Eijun flushed, looking around him, furrowing his eyebrows when he couldn't find it. He let out a cute triumphant sound a few moments later, picking up the blue gift bag from its spot on the floor before holding it out to him.
His eyes lit up as he grabbed the bag, eager to see what Eijun had made for him.
But before he could dig through the bag, Eijun's frown caught his attention, causing him to give him a confused look.
"Is something wrong?"
Eijun pursed his lips before shaking his head. "It's nothing."
He scoffed. "Like I believe that. Tell me."
Eijun sighed, his heart clenching at how sad and tired it sounded, gesturing to the gift bag. "I…" He shook his head. "Never mind. Just… open it. I'll tell you after."
Mei gave him a suspicious look before digging through the bag, eyebrows furrowing as he pulled out a nicely wrapped medium sized gift box.
The wrapping paper was mostly white with blue waves on every inch of it, reminding him of the beach.
He was a little surprised Eijun didn't choose a more romantic wrapping paper.
(Or one with baseballs on it.)
But instead of questioning him, he unwrapped the box, aware of Eijun's eyes watching him.
He almost laughed when he opened the box and saw six chocolate pale yellow baseballs.
(There were the baseballs.)
But more importantly…
His eyes lit up, noticing the color of the chocolates.
Eijun had remembered his favorite kind of chocolate.
He couldn't wait to taste them.
But…
He set the chocolates aside, giving him a serious look.
Eijun came first.
"What's wrong?"
Eijun sighed again, gesturing to the box of chocolates. "To tell the truth, I meant to give you more chocolate than that." He closed his eyes briefly, looking pained, causing his heart to clench. "But they fell onto the ground. And I didn't have enough time to make more."
He furrowed his eyebrows.
He was about to tell him that it was alright.
But then he remembered what happened earlier when he mentioned Kazuya's name.
"But that's not the only reason, right?" he pressed, not wanting to say Kazuya's name.
Eijun pursed his lips, clenching his fists. "I… Cap… He… He got really angry when he learned that I was making chocolate for you."
He wasn't surprised.
It was obvious Kazuya liked Eijun.
He found himself wanting not for the first time to punch Kazuya.
He huffed. "What did Kazuya do now?" He wrapped his arms around him, pulling him closer.
Eijun gave him a small smile at his touch, but to his annoyance, it quickly disappeared, Eijun's eyes darkening a couple of moments later. "He refused to listen when I told him the chocolate was only for you. He even ate a few of them. Even though he doesn't like sweets."
Mei gave the box of chocolates a glower, hating that Kazuya tasted Eijun's chocolate before he did. He looked back at Eijun, gesturing to the box. "He didn't eat any of those, did he?"
"No, he only ate some from the first batch I made." Mei almost breathed a sigh of relief. "We… We got into an argument over you. And that's when it happened."
He almost gasped, heart clenching at how much hurt was in those eyes.
"He wouldn't let go of the plate. So I had to force him to let go." Eijun closed his eyes briefly, letting out a loud huff. "It's his fault the chocolates fell onto the ground." He blinked a few times, his eyes shining, as if he were about to start crying. "But he didn't even apologize." His voice cracked, causing his heart to clench even more.
He cursed Kazuya, immediately pulling Eijun closer, Eijun wrapping his arms around him and burying his face into his shoulder.
What was Kazuya's problem?
Didn't he like Eijun?
Why did he keep hurting him?
He almost growled as Eijun tightened his grip around him, tempted to let go and march to Seidou instead.
If there was some way he could protect Eijun from that asshole, he would do it in a heartbeat.
Because he hated it whenever Eijun was upset.
He let go with one hand to run his fingers through his hair, kissing the top of his head.
Eijun pulled away several minutes later, giving him a small smile.
To his relief, he couldn't see any evidence of tears anywhere on Eijun's face.
(Good. Eijun shouldn't cry over Kazuya anyway.)
He kissed his forehead. "I'll get back at him for you. Just give me the word."
Eijun furrowed his eyebrows. "Through baseball, right?"
No.
He nodded, giving him an innocent grin. "Yeah, through baseball."
Eijun gave him a suspicious look, almost causing him to smirk. "I'm serious. I don't want you to hurt him."
"Just one punch?" he pouted, leaning in closer to give him the full effect of it.
But much to his disappointment (and irritation), Eijun shook his head, frowning deeply. "I don't want you to get in trouble."
… Honestly?
He didn't care about getting in trouble.
(And he supposed he should feel surprised that he didn't care, as it would mean that he wouldn't be able to pitch anytime soon if he got caught. But…)
Getting back at Kazuya was more important.
He huffed, almost letting go to cross his arms in front of his chest. "But he deserves it!"
Eijun rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "If you have to get back at him, do it through baseball." Mei huffed again, about to protest. "Please, Mei."
"… Fine," Mei grumbled, glowering at the box of chocolates, wanting to hate the way he gave in at Eijun pleading with him. "I'll do it through baseball."
(He could probably get away with hitting Kazuya with one of his pitches. And if anyone asked, he could say that it was an accident.)
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Eijun giving him his smile, kissing his cheek. "Good. I would hate it if you couldn't pitch because of me."
"It wouldn't be your fault if I got caught." Mei frowned at him, his chest feeling warm at Eijun's concern. "It would be Kazuya's."
Eijun frowned deeply. "But…"
"No buts. We're not talking about this anymore," he said softly but firmly.
Eijun scowled at him, but to his relief, he nodded a few moments later, gesturing to the box of chocolates. "Then taste my chocolate. I've been waiting all day for you to taste it."
He smirked, giving him a quick gentle kiss. "That makes two of us." He grabbed the box of chocolates, easily picking up one of the small baseball chocolates.
He almost moaned at the taste.
Eijun's chocolate was so good.
The creamy and smooth taste reminded him of his favorite ice cream.
Eijun had used good white chocolate, as it didn't taste too sweet. It tasted like fresh milk, but he could also taste the floral and aromatic cocoa butter qualities of the white chocolate.
(Only a sophisticated tongue like his could taste those subtle flavors. It was a really good thing that he had reminded Eijun so many times to buy the good white chocolate, as the other white chocolate paled in comparison to the good ones.)
And to his surprise, Eijun had added some sea salt into the chocolates.
It was such a nice topping, as the sea salt added some crunch and more flavor to the chocolate.
Eijun had added the perfect amount, as the sea salt only enhanced the sweet flavor without taking anything away from the other unique flavors of the white chocolate.
"So? How is it?" Eijun gave him an expectant look.
Mei bit his lower lip to stop the smirk from coming onto his face.
Eijun looked so… expectant.
So eager.
He wanted to tease him.
He gestured to the chocolates with his eyes. "Have you tasted these yet?"
Eijun furrowed his eyebrows. "I asked you first."
"Just answer the question."
Eijun huffed, not sure why Mei wasn't being honest with him. "No, you jerk. Those were made specially for you. Now tell me what you thought of it."
But to his irritation, Mei held out one of the chocolates to him. "You should try it."
"Were you even listening to me? Those are for you."
Mei raised an eyebrow. "So you won't eat them even if I want you to?"
He felt his breath catch in his throat at seeing those serious blue eyes, unable to speak for some reason.
Mei nodded, the sight of his smirk causing him to narrow his eyes.
But before he could say or do anything, Mei placed the chocolate into his mouth, reaching out and pulling him closer.
He gasped as Mei kissed him, letting out a moan despite himself when Mei pressed harder, those demanding lips demanding that he respond.
He quickly forgot about what he wanted to ask him, responding to the kiss enthusiastically.
All he could focus on was Mei's lips on his.
When Mei's tongue darted out, licking his lower lip, he parted his lips, allowing that tongue inside his mouth. He moaned when Mei's tongue touched his own, almost moaning again as Mei gave him the melting chocolate.
The chocolate tasted so good.
(He felt really relieved that his chocolate turned out well. Stupid Mei. Why did he have to tease him like that?)
When Mei's tongue pulled away, he whined, not wanting the kiss to end so soon.
But it seemed Mei was thinking the same thing as him (or read his mind), as Mei's tongue encouraged him to follow, Mei opening his mouth.
He eagerly darted forward into his mouth, moaning when he tasted the white chocolate lingering in his mouth.
Mei let out a moan of his own as he moved his tongue around his mouth, touching different parts before touching his tongue.
He pulled away several moments later, almost grinning when Mei whined.
To his relief (and satisfaction), Mei was breathing just as heavily as him, his cheeks pink. When he got his breath back, Mei smirked a smug smirk, causing him to glare at him.
"You…! Don't tease me like that!" When Mei gave him a confused look, he slapped his right shoulder. "You had me worried about the taste!"
Mei's smirk returned to his face. "Oh, that. It tastes good."
"It's too late for that, you jerk!" he scowled at him.
Mei laughed, shrugging. "I was letting you taste the chocolate. I thought that would be the best way to do it." When he spluttered and didn't say anything intelligent, Mei nodded, kissing his cheek. "You're welcome."
"I wasn't thanking you!"
Mei laughed again, kissing his other cheek. "Alright, alright. I'm sorry." His eyes softened, giving him such a soft look that it made his anger melt and took his breath away. "I really like the chocolate. Thank you for making it."
Eijun wanted to hate how Mei easily left him speechless at times, unable to do anything but nod.
Unfortunately, it didn't take long for Mei's cheeky grin to come onto his face. "I'm surprised you put this much effort into it. I don't think I've ever tasted white chocolate with sea salt before."
And while Eijun felt happy and proud he managed to come up with something Mei had never tasted before, he couldn't help but huff. "What do you mean you're surprised?" His eyes softened. "Of course I would put in that much effort. It's your chocolate after all."
To his amusement (and satisfaction), Mei flushed, clearing his throat. "Well… Thank you. I really like it." When he beamed at him, Mei looked away briefly, letting go of him to pick up something on the floor.
His eyes lit up at seeing the gold gift bag.
"It's your turn now." Mei's voice was low. "Prepare to be amazed by the taste of my chocolate."
He rolled his eyes good-naturedly, resisting the urge to point out that it was just chocolate, accepting the gift bag before digging through it and pulling out a nicely wrapped medium sized gift box.
The wrapping paper was as gold as the gift bag. It had beautiful gold foil swirls on every inch of it. And when he touched the wrapping paper, it was very soft, as if it were made of velvet.
(Somehow, he wasn't surprised Mei had chosen a fancy looking wrapping paper. Was this really the same guy who had worried about telling him that he was rich?)
He looked up, raising an eyebrow.
But Mei just shrugged, giving him an innocent grin.
He shook his head fondly, unwrapping the box carefully, aware of Mei's amused eyes watching him.
He almost laughed when he opened the box and saw ten chocolate baseballs.
"Great minds think alike, huh?" he grinned devilishly.
Mei snorted, gesturing at the chocolate. "I'm pretty sure I'm the one who came up with this idea first."
He laughed softly, deciding not to argue (for once) and try his chocolate.
Each of the chocolates were the size of a small bouncy ball.
He furrowed his eyebrows at seeing the green spots in the dark brown chocolates.
How did Mei manage to make it green?
(Mei didn't make a mistake, right?)
But when he looked at Mei, Mei only gave him a confident grin, giving him an expectant, almost eager look.
Feeling a little nervous, he picked up one of the chocolates, glancing at Mei one last time.
But when he ate the chocolate, he moaned despite himself at the taste, causing Mei to smirk.
It was so good.
It tasted like mint chocolate chip ice cream. Those green spots in the chocolates were mint chocolate chips that Mei mixed in. The rich dark chocolate added some bitterness and went well with the mint flavor.
Mei had added the perfect amount of mint chocolate chips, as he could easily taste the rich dark chocolate and the mint chocolate chips at the same time, neither flavor overpowering the other.
(These would be good to eat when he had to stay up late for something.)
"So? How is it?" Mei gave him another expectant look. "They're good, right?"
He grinned devilishly. "I'm surprised. These taste really good."
"What do you mean you're surprised?" Mei frowned. "It's not that hard to make chocolate."
He laughed, kissing his cheek. "I'm just kidding." He picked up another chocolate. "But I wasn't kidding about the taste." His eyes softened. "These taste really good." He grabbed one of Mei's hands with his free hand, kissing the top of it and giving him the soft smile he reserved for him. "I really like them. Thank you for making them."
Mei flushed, giving him a soft smile. "I'm glad you like them." Eijun blinked as his cheeky grin came onto his face. "You know, I generously allowed you to taste your chocolate." Eijun snorted. "You should do the same for me."
"'Generously' isn't the word I would use," Eijun muttered, almost grinning when Mei glared at him. He held out the chocolate in his hand. "But… Alright, fine. Here."
But Mei shook his head, giving him a disapproving look. "You know me better than that, Eijun." He smirked as he watched him shiver.
Eijun rolled his eyes good-naturedly.
He knew what Mei wanted him to do, and normally, he would argue or try to tease him, as that would serve him right after the way Mei teased him.
But maybe because it was Valentine's Day…
Or maybe it was because he was still incredibly happy to see him…
But he held up the chocolate so that Mei could see it before placing into his mouth, unsurprised and almost chuckling as Mei pulled him closer, kissing him.
He kissed him for a little bit, almost grinning when Mei's tongue darted out and licked his lower lip. He waited a few moments, grinning into the kiss when Mei whined before parting his lips, allowing his tongue inside his mouth.
Mei's tongue eagerly darted forward, immediately exploring his mouth before grabbing the melting chocolate on his tongue.
Mei let out a pleased sound as he tasted the chocolate, almost making him shiver, as he suddenly imagined him making that sound under different circumstances.
Not one to back down, though, he followed his tongue when it left his mouth, both moaning when their tongues touched inside Mei's mouth.
Mei pulled away several moments later, almost making him whine. His smirk returned to his face. "See? That wasn't too hard, now was it?"
Instead of hitting him (like he wanted to), he leaned back in, giving him another kiss.
This time, it was a very gentle and soft kiss.
But he made sure to pour all his feelings for him into that kiss, Mei smiling softly when he pulled away.
They smiled at each other for several moments before Mei let go of him to grab his sweater, giving him an amused grin when his eyes widened.
(He had completely forgotten about his sweater.)
He quickly put on his sweater, almost sighing at the warmth and giving Mei a bright smile when Mei gave him a concerned look.
Mei reached out for his box of chocolates, grinning cheekily. "You know… While I like chocolate, I don't know if I'll be able to finish all of these by myself." He winked. "Help me finish them?"
Eijun gave him a devilish grin. "Only if you help me finish mine."
"That's fair." Mei snickered. His eyes softened. "You're staying the night, right?" He closed his eyes briefly, almost looking pained. "I don't know if I…"
Eijun immediately nodded, giving him another soft and gentle kiss. "Of course." He gave him a soft smile, causing Mei's eyes to light up. "I don't want to leave yet either. And after everything that happened…" He shrugged. "I want to spend as much time with you as possible."
Mei's eyes widened before giving him a soft look. "Good. Because I don't plan on letting you go anytime soon."
Eijun let out an approving sound before pulling him back in to kiss him again.
Mei had said that he didn't want what happened with his ex to ruin their date.
But that wasn't true.
He had enjoyed every moment while he was with Mei.
Even hanging out like this in his dorm room made him incredibly happy.
They didn't need to go out on a date.
Or even give each other chocolate.
All he wanted was some time with him.
And as Mei pulled away to give him another soft look, he felt confident Mei felt the same as him.
Today was supposed to be a special day.
Sure, they didn't have the best day (or date for that matter).
But he thought they still managed to make it special.
And he hoped that next year's Valentine's Day would be just as special.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Author Notes: I hope y'all enjoyed this fic.
Reviews/favorites/follows are appreciated.
So y'all got to meet one of Mei's exes. This might be bad to say, but I really enjoyed writing her. Just something about her personality and how Eijun and Mei kept reacting to what she said and did… I had a lot of fun. When I was thinking about this plot bunny, I knew I wanted to include her. I don't know if I'll ever bring her back, though. Or write about any of Mei's other exes. Maybe if there was a good reason for it?
To no one's surprise, Miyuki's still a jealous idiot. Unfortunately for Eijun (and for us), he's going to stay that way for a while. As I have a lot more fics to work on first. I'll still include Miyuki in some of my future fics, though, as I enjoy writing him.
Speaking of future fics… I already know what my next fic will be about. I've already talked to a few people about this, but we all know how much Chris means to Eijun. And I feel like Eijun would tell Chris about his relationship with Mei after he told his family. So my next fic will be about Chris spending a whole day with Eijun and Mei. Because he wants to make sure that Mei actually likes Eijun. I'm looking forward to writing it.
See y'all next time!