Chapter Text
Not even the overwhelming smell of sweets could cut through the scent of love and desperation that lingered through the halls of PK Academy. It wafted through the vents, infecting virtually every student in its wake with its chemical warfare. Teens, already driven mad by hormones, were becoming even bigger blubbering messes as the school’s newest and most anticipated event of the year draws near: the red and white ball, AKA, the Valentine’s Day dance.
After watching an ungodly amount of American teen romcoms and fantasizing about the American high school experience they’d never have, Teruhashi and Yumehara proposed throwing a Valentine’s Day ball at the school.
Now, if a normal student had suggested the idea, it would’ve been met with a cacophony of groans and a wave of apathy. It was already like pulling teeth getting students to participate in the PK Festival, a mandatory event; there was no way anyone was going to volunteer to plan an entire dance in two weeks.
But, as anyone who’s ever laid eyes on Teruhashi knows, the girl gets what she wants. She and Yumehara had barely finished their speech before the boys were jumping up and down and left and right to help make their (Teruhashi’s) dreams a reality. By the end of homeroom, Valentine’s Day dance committees had been decided, and a formal proposal was written up and sent to the principal’s office.
And, this is how Kuboyasu found himself in the home economics room surrounded by a gregarious amount of chocolates, fruits, and other various sweet treats, as well as a growing mountain of dirty dishes. The food committee was small and consisted of him, Nendou, Aiura, and previously Mera before she was forcibly removed.
As it turns out, planning food and drinks for a class of 181 students was difficult when only four people had any iota of culinary skills. No amount of peer pressure or Teruhashi angel tears could convince him to do this ever again. Thankfully, tonight was the night of the dance and the soon-to-be end of his suffering.
“God damn it. Nendou, are you done with the microwave?” Kuboyasu calls over his shoulder as he gives his half-harden chocolate a mix.
“I’ve still got two boxes of popcorn to pop.” Nendou replies, keeping his eyes glued to the spinning tray.
“Keep staring at it long enough, and you might scare the popcorn into popping faster.” Aiura laughs as she shimmies her way past him with a hot tray of chocolate chip cookies.
“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?!”
“Couldn’t you do that on the stove?” Kuboyasu interrupts. The three of them had too much to get finished and no time for useless banter.
“Just melt the chocolates on the stove, Kubonnu.” Aiura bumps him with her hips. He shoots her a look before sliding over to give her room to place the cookies on the cooling rack.
“I don’t have time for a double boiler.” Kuboyasu sighs. “And stop with that nickname.”
“Ugh, why? It’s cute!” Aiura pouts. She steps closer to him, batting her eyelashes and enjoying the look of discomfort on his face.
“Stop.” He picks a discarded wooden spoon, holding it to his sternum, and pointing it at her like a knife in an attempt to fend her off.
“Mmh… if you agree to be my date tonight, I might.” She places her pointer finger on the spoon and lowers it, her eyes trailing down his body as she does so. Kuboyasu can feel his ears, and eventually, his whole face, heat up with embarrassment.
“What part of “no” do you not understand?” Kuboyasu runs to the other side of the table, hoping to create some distance between the two of them. To his relief, Aiura stays put.
“When you finally get the balls to ask—” A strawberry with a deadly aim is launched at her. Not to be bested, she catches it with her teeth, making sure to make direct eye contact with Kuboyasu as she bites down. The latter gulps.
“—STOP!”
It was a not-so-secret secret that Aiura’s real target was Saiki, but it didn’t take a psychic medium to know that her chances of going to the dance with him were somewhere between zero and zero percent, so she moved to her second-best option: Kuboyasu. Even though his outer persona didn’t display it, his aura screamed “bad boy” in big neon lights, and she found that extremely attractive.
What she didn’t find extremely attractive was getting another rejection, even more so when said rejection came with some lame, half-hearted excuse of wanting to go alone. Even a moron like Nendou would be able to see through a lie that transparent.
Since Kuboyasu wasn’t going to give her an answer, she decided to do a reading on him right then and there. The vision that appeared in her crystal ball was so clear she had to make sure she wasn’t staring into reality itself. Proudly, and not so quietly, she had announced: “You’re trying to go with K.S. aren’t you?”
For the past week, she had been holding this newfound revelation over his head, going out her way to drop not-so-subtle hints when he was around Kaidou. Kuboyasu wasn’t sure which was more impressive: the fact that Kaidou hadn’t caught on, or the fact that he hadn’t strangled Aiura yet.
“So, you gonna ask him?” Aiura says, mouth full of strawberry. She takes another slow and sultry bite, making sure to maintain eye contact with Kuboyasu as she does so.
“Ask who?” Nendou appears next to her, bags of popcorn in hand.
Kuboyasu snatches one of the bags, tops off a bowl, and beelines for the door. “I—I’m gonna take this to the gym.”
He nearly trips over his feet with how fast he’s trying to escape. It was already bad enough that one person had figured out his crush on Kaidou, but he’d rather take a knife to the shoulder than have Nendou find out. (And he knew from firsthand experience that it hurt like hell; that’s how much he wanted to keep this a secret.) It wouldn’t just be a matter of transferring schools; he’d simply leave the prefecture.
Kuboyasu had been in his fair share of fights, seen blood, broken bones, and even been arrested, but none of that compared to the thought of asking Kaidou out. He’d never had a friendship that was as close and as important as the one he had with him.
Their friendship developed deep and fast after the shakedown incident, and they spent virtually all their free time together. If they weren’t getting ramen with Nendou and Saiki, they were out riding motorcycles, adding to the secret hideout, or simply enjoying each other’s company. His infatuation was intense, and he imagined this is how the Kokomins must feel when in the presence of their goddess.
So desperately did he want to confess to Kaidou and turn nothing into something, but he feared turning something into nothing. He had no idea how Kaidou would react, if he felt the same way, or if he even swung that way.
He thought about asking him to the dance (under the guise of going platonically of course), but even that was frightening. There’d been several times throughout the week when he had almost plucked up the courage, but each time, when Kaidou would stare at him with those big brown eyes, patiently waiting, he’d deflate like a balloon, stuttering and stumbling over his words.
In a daze, Kuboyasu enters the gym, which is practically unrecognizable. Red and white curtains are hung all around, effectively blocking the view of the bleachers. Heart-shaped balloons are scattered throughout, with some even freely floating up to the ceiling. Confetti and glitter litter the floor, and Kuboyasu’s grateful he’s not assigned to the clean-up crew.
Carefully, he steps over the pile of balloons surrounding the food table and sets the popcorn bowl down. Their display is coming along nicely, and he's truly amazed by how much he, Nendou, and Aiura had accomplished over the past week.
“Are you sure this is safe, Kaidou-kun?”
“Of course. I built it myself.”
That statement has the opposite effect of what Kaidou’s going for, and already, alarm bells are going off in Kuboyasu’s head. He turns to see Kaidou climbing a not-so-secure tower of milk crates with a handful of string lights while waving Teruhashi off.
The milk crates wobble more as Kaidou makes his ascent, and Kuboyasu’s already on the move. Without hesitation, he rushes over to Kaidou just as one of the crates slips. With cat-like reflexes, he manages to hook his arms underneath his, preventing him from slamming his back into the unforgiving wooden floor.
“You okay?” Kuboyasu asks, slightly out of breath, as he hoists Kaidou back up to his feet. He can feel just how fast his friend’s heart is beating while his hands are still locked around his chest.
“Aren?!” Kaidou’s brain is lagging. “I think I just saw my entire life flash before my eyes.” He crocks out, face almost as white as the curtains.
He takes a minute to steady himself, and while he does, Kuboyasu keeps his arms wrapped around him. Slowly Kaidou’s breathing evens out, and Kuboyasu syncs his breath to Kaidou’s.
“I— thanks.”
His voice pulls him back to reality, and Kuboyasu quickly pulls away from Kaidou as if burned. He brushes himself off, trying to act casual.
“What the hell were you thinking?” Kuboyasu scolds.
“I wanted to be useful, okay!” Kaidou spins around to face him. “Everyone else has been moving shit and all I’ve been doing for the past hour is blowing up balloons. With a helium tank. I’m doing a monkey’s job.”
As if emphasizing his point, Hairo sprints past them carrying a large stone pillar on his back. If it weren’t for the pool of sweat he was leaking, it almost looked effortless.
“Hey, Kuboyasu!” Hairo greets, enthusiastic as ever. “Wanna bunny hop these with me?”
“I can help move those!” Kaidou steps forward as a reminder to Hairo that he’s on the decorations committee.
“Oh, Kaidou. Didn’t see you there.” Hairo readjusts his grip. “Uh, actually, why don’t you get some help moving the balloon arch.”
“Get some hel—are you kidding me?!” Kaidou shouts at Hairo as he runs away with an unprecedented amount of speed. “See what I mean?” He whines.
“Well, for what it’s worth, none of them know how strong you really are.” Kuboyasu gives him a soft smile, and Kaidou mirrors it.
“True.” He says picking at his bandages. “It’s a shame I have to keep my powers sealed away; they could really come in handy.”
“I think you’ve done a great job.” Kuboyasu praises, and a genuine smile quips at Kaidou’s lips. “The gym seriously looks amazing.”
“Yeah?”
“Absolutely!”
Kaidou’s imagination is boundless, which is why the decorations committee had been the perfect job for him. With his direction, Teruhashi and Yumehara’s vision, and Saiko’s credit card, the school gym had been transformed into something straight out of one of Yumehara and Teruhashi’s American movies.
“You flatter me.” Kaidou rubs the back of his neck, a light dusting of pink on his cheeks. “I just wish I could help bring my vision to life.”
“I think you’ve done your part. You should let set-up handle the rest.” Kuboyasu reassures.
“Perhaps. Hey, you think you’ll still be ready to go at 5:30?”
“God, I hope so.” Kuboyasu rolls his eyes. “It’s a circus in there.”
“Well, whether you’re ready or not, I’m dragging you out of there at 5:30.” Kaidou crosses his arms. “You’ve stayed the latest each night; you deserve to leave early this time.”
“It would’ve been worse if you hadn’t stayed with me.” Kuboyasu shrugs. “Although, I guess if that’s the case, I should head back.”
He says this, yet he lingers, hoping Kaidou will ask him to stay just a bit longer. The other seemingly hesitates, but ultimately agrees.
“Yes. Right. Of course.”
Both of them stand there awkwardly like a couple arguing over who should hang up first. Finally, Kaidou makes a move, pulling Kuboyasu into an almost comedically quick embrace.
“Thanks for saving me again.”
Despite the brief contact, Kuboyasu feels like his skin has been ignited from where Kaidou’s touch lingers. This boy was going to absolutely kill him.
“Right time, right place. No need for thanks.” Kuboyasu rocks on the balls of his feet, suddenly anxious. “I, uh… see you in an hour?”
Kaidou nods, and Kuboyasu waves him goodbye.
Once out of the gym, he leans against the door and slides down. He lets out the breath he didn’t even realize he was holding and smacks his head into his hands.
“Idiot…” He mumbles to himself.
“You know, I’m beginning to think you like torturing yourself.”
Aiura is crouched in front of him, barely ten centimeters from his face. He jolts, hitting his head on the door in surprise. A sharp pain runs through his neck, and he winces as he massages the back of his head.
“Jesus, don’t sneak up on me like that!” He hisses.
“You must be off your game. Normally no one catches you off guard. Cupcake?” Aiura dangles a mini chocolate cupcake with pink buttercream icing in front of him before slamming it in his face.
He spits out the little bit that actually made it into his mouth and wipes his lips with the back of his hand. Maybe it was because of the colored lights seeping out from underneath the door, but he was seeing red.
Kuboyasu stands, ready to finally give Aiura a piece of his mind, but she’s agile and easily dodges his attack, even while carrying a plate of cupcakes.
“Now, now, Kubonnu, we wouldn’t want to drop two hours’ worth of work, would we?” She wags a finger, and Kuboyasu can feel his blood pressure going up. “Oh, by the way, Takahashi dropped something off for you.”
“Takahashi?”
“Yeah. Said he was told to give it to you.”
“By who?”
“I don’t know; probably the same person who’s been leaving notes and shit in your locker all week.” Aiura muses. “Oh, is that why you haven’t asked Kaidou to the dance yet?”
“You are so lucky you’re carrying food right now.” Kuboyasu growls.
“Insurance policy.” She flips her hair over her shoulder and winks. “But seriously, is that why? Trying to keep your options open?”
“Wha—no! I’m not—no!” He was playing into her hand; he knew it, but he couldn’t just let her run her mouth and spew baseless accusations.
“So what then? You afraid of getting rejected? Cause I don’t blame you; it sucks.” She gives him a pointed glare, and he chuckles nervously. “Not that I think you should worry. He’d definitely say yes.”
“R-really?!” Okay, now he was definitely playing into her hand.
“Mmh… I haven’t checked, but as close as you two are, I’m ninety-five percent sure.”
“Wait, what’s the other five percent?” Kuboyasu bites the inside of his cheek, more distressed than he should be.
“Insurance policy.”
He kinda wants to laugh at that one, but for the sake of being mad, he keeps a straight face.
“My offer still stands if you want me to give you a definitive answer.”
Tempting as it may be, Kuboyasu shakes his head. Once Aiura had figured out it was Kaidou he liked, she’d offered a full and proper reading. He could find the answers to all his questions and be given his odds of success or failure, but there was something about it that didn’t sit right with him. If he was going to make a move, he wanted it to be genuine, not prompted by statistics.
“Well, if my instincts are right, and they normally are, there’s a nine percent chance that you’ll pussy up and ask him to the dance before seven, but, since I know that’s probably not going to happen, you should at least ask him to dance.”
“What?”
Aiura sighs. “I mean it doesn’t have to be during a slow song, but ask him to swing dance with you. Something. Anything. Please, I’m begging you. For as much as you two dance around each other, you might as well dance together.”
Kuboyasu’s about to rebuttal, but the door swings open, and out steps Yumehara with an outlandishly ostentatious bouquet of brilliant baby pink roses. She jumps when she sees Kuboyasu and Aiura standing there.
“Oh, Kuboyasu, I was just on my way to find you.” She smiles and hands him the roses. “These are for you.”
He blushes and hesitates to take the flowers. Aiura raises an eyebrow and glances at Yumehara. In a matter of microseconds, the two girls seemingly have a whole conversation with just their eyes with Yumehara becoming progressively more rattled.
She quickly turns to Kuboyasu, beet red. “These aren’t from me! I—I was told to give them to you.”
“By who?” Aiura leans in close and squints, attempting to read Yumehara like she’s her crystal ball.
“I—I can’t say!” She hides her face. “B-but those are Juliet’s roses. They um… and I… yeah! Gotta go back to decorating! See you tonight, Kuboyasu!”
Yumehara sprints back into the gym, still covering her face.
“Chiyopipi!” Aiura passes the cupcakes to Kuboyasu and chases after her.
With a defeated sigh and a roll of his eyes, he finishes the delivery that should’ve been made five minutes ago.
“Back so soon?”
Kaidou stands behind. He smiles, sour mood gradually dissipating.
“Cupcake delivery.”
“You get hungry on the thirty-second walk over?” Kaidou laughs pointing to the corner of his mouth.
Kuboyasu swipes at his face, irritated. “Aiura slammed a cupcake in my face. Is it gone?”
Kaidou shakes his head. “Other side.”
It’s one of those dances, similar to running into someone and both parties keep going the same way. Kuboyasu keeps barely missing the cupcake remnants.
“Here, let me…” Kaidou licks his thumb and rubs it along the side of his mouth.
“Stop! Who are you? My mother?” Kuboyasu bats his hand away, and Kaidou giggles.
“You’re welcome.” He says, wiping the icing on his uniform pants. His eyes drift to the table behind Kuboyasu. “Those yours?” He points to the flowers.
Kuboyasu glances behind him, confirming the object in question. He grimaces. “Yumehara gave them to me. Or delivered rather.”
“You think it’s from the same person?”
“For the sake of my sanity, I hope so. I don’t think I could handle having multiple suitors.” Kuboyasu laments. “And apparently Takahashi also dropped something off.”
Counting the flowers and whatever nonsense Takahashi had left him, Kuboyasu had received a total of six gifts on the days leading up to Valentine’s Day. There had been chocolates, a keychain, fancy colored pencils, and a leather-bound notebook. Each gift accompanied a note that was progressively sappier than the last.
It was embarrassing to say the least, and Kuboyasu had made it a point to toss the presents in his junk pile at home.
“So, what I’m hearing is all of class three has a crush on you.” Kaidou jokes.
“Then where’s my gift from you?” It feels like one of cupid’s arrows has shot through an adrenaline pack placed directly on his heart and a wave of warmth radiates from his core, making him lightheaded. That came across as way flirtier than he meant.
Kaidou doesn’t immediately respond, instead growing flustered. “Well, I— and you— we— yeah.”
“What?”
Kaidou fidgets, pursing his lips and pushing the pads of his index fingers together. “What if… what if my gift to you was…” Kuboyasu watches him intensely as Kaidou struggles to keep eye contact with him. “Would you… maybe… wanna… I don’t know… go—”
“—We gotta go. Now.” Aiura grabs Kuboyasu’s wrist and begins dragging him away, leaving a dumbfound Kaidou.
“Aiura, what the hell?!” He yanks his wrist out of her hand, but she just grabs him again.
“Chisapoyo's in the home ec room.”
“Fuck.”