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There were many things Tamaki Amajiki did not like.
Crowds. People. Social interaction. Being the center of attention. Essentially, anything to do with other human beings.
He also hated talking about his feelings.
And now, thanks to Mirio Togata, he was standing on Nejire Hado’s doorstep with a box of chocolates and a goal that was way out of his comfort zone.
It was all Mirio’s fault. The two of them had been at a little cafe for some much needed catching up. It had only been noon, and the space was quiet, populated mostly by students studying at the tables. They had ordered the cafe’s speciality, fruit sandwiches and coffee jelly with sweet bottles of ramune. Food was one of the few things Tamaki did like. It was also one of the only ways to get him out in public, outside of hero work.
They chatted about work, their recent cases, the ins and outs of life. Mirio was one of the few people Tamaki didn’t mind talking to. Him and Nejire. Thinking of her made his face grow hot. Of course Mirio noticed.
“Why are you blushing, Amajiki? Was it something I said?” he remarked with a sly grin.
This only made Tamaki’s face burn hotter. He frantically waved his hands, wishing he could disappear. “It’s nothing! Really!”
Mirio cocked his head to the side, his inquisitive eyes piercing Tamaki’s soul. “Really?”
Tamaki sighed. “It’s nothing.” Because it was nothing. Him and Nejire were nothing but friends. Good friends. A friend who he felt safe around, who he thought was smart, and kind, and beautiful-
Nothing. It was nothing.
But Mirio wouldn’t take that for an answer. He leaned in conspiratorially and whispered, “So… Do you like someone, Amajiki?”
“No, no no!”
“Yes, yes, yes! Who is it? I bet I could guess…”
Tamaki shook his head furiously. “No. No guessing. No-”
“I bet she has blue eyes-”
“No.”
“And blue hair-”
“Mirio!”
“And-”
“Gahh! Would you stop already?”
Mirio laughed at him good heartedly. “You should tell her, Suneater. Really.”
Tamaki shook his head. He hated talking about his feelings- especially people he had feelings for. Because, while he may try to deny it, he did like Nejire. He liked how she was always smiling, a bright smile that could light up any room. A smile like stars in the sky. He liked her delicate, tinkling laugh. Her soft snickers. Her reassuring pats whenever Tamaki grew shy. But they were just friends, he reminded himself. Just friends.
Mirio groaned. “This is pathetic. Come on, finish your food. We have places to be.”
Tamaki frowned. “Where?” He shoved the last few bites of his sandwich in his mouth and downed his remaining ramune.
Mirio hopped up to his feet, dragging Tamaki with him. “I’m going to help you.”
Tamaki sighed. “Help me how?”
Mirio led them out of the cafe, a bounce in his step that wasn’t there earlier. “We’re going to Chokorēto Tengoku.”
A chocolate shop? What was Mirio planning?
The shop wasn’t far, only about a fifteen minute walk through Japan’s sunny streets. All the while Tamaki attempted to simultaneously pester the truth out of Mirio, who remained tight-lipped, and also stay hidden from any leering gazes.
“Seriously, why are we getting chocolate?”
“You’ll see.”
The shop smelled delicious. The aroma of the chocolates, fruits, and nuts was just heavenly. There was such a dazzling array of treats, Tamaki found himself almost drooling.
There were bars with flecks of gold and red stripes, little orange spheres dusted with sugar; small pink hearts and creamy squares. There were barrels of caramelised nuts and little garlands of dried oranges and cranberries hung from the rafters. Golden sunlight filtered in through the wide front window.
But all of Tamaki’s joy slipped from him the moment Mirio said, “Now, what would Nejire like?”
Tamaki gawked. “What?”
Rolling his eyes, Mirio said, “Surely you put together why we came here.”
No. Well. Maybe, deep down, Tamaki suspected. But he refused to believe Mirio would do this to him.
The shopkeeper gave a wave, smiling and introducing himself, and Tamaki turned to face the wall. Then, deciding that facing the wall wasn’t enough, he left.
“Amajiki! Get back here!” Mirio shouted, chasing after him. Tamaki continued to walk. Nope. This was not going to happen.
Mirio caught up to him, grabbing his arm and forcing him to stop. “You pining over Nejire is frankly quite sad. As your friend, I demand you stop being so sad and tell her how you feel.”
Tamaki wanted to fall through the floor. If only he had Mirio’s quirk, he would. He often wondered about how much better his life would be with his friend’s permeation quirk. He could disappear, whenever he wanted, and go somewhere quiet where he was alone. It was Tamaki’s dream.
“Please, Suneater.”
Tamaki ignored him. He tried. For a little bit. But then all his hesitation fled when Mirio dragged him back into the shop. The chocolate smelled really good. It would probably taste good, too. And such good chocolate shouldn’t be enjoyed alone. Nejire should enjoy it. Maybe she would enjoy it with Tamaki. Maybe Tamaki was making the biggest mistake of his life. Or maybe he wasn’t.
Which was how he came to be standing on Nejire Hado’s doorstep with a box of chocolates and a goal that was way out of his comfort zone.
Mirio had knocked on the door and ran away, wishing Tamaki good luck and demanding an update later.
What the hell was Tamaki doing?
His face was hot. His hands were clammy. His heart thumped angrily in his chest. This was a bad idea. Really bad. Stupid. He should leave. He should-
The door opened and Nejire poked her head out, her hair bouncing behind her. “Hi hi hi Amajiki! What are you doing here?” She noticed the chocolates and gasped. “Chocolates? Those look good! Are they for me? Oooh, tell me they’re for me! You should come in. We can have them together!”
Before Tamaki could get a word in, Nejire dragged him inside, bringing him to the kitchen where she grabbed the chocolates and set them down on the table.
Deep breaths, Tamaki reminded himself. Just breathe.
“The chocolates are for me, right?” Nejire asked, tilting her head to the side in that way of hers.
Tamaki gulped. “Y-yes.”
“Yay! Let’s try some!”
She untied the red velvet bow securing the box, and gasped when she opened it. “These look amazing!”
Despite his embarrassment, Tamaki found himself smiling. “There’s- uh- a few different flavours.” There was milk chocolate with a jasmine tea cream filling, white chocolate with matcha filling, and a variety of other flavours like sakura and yuzu.
Nejire pointed to each one. “What’re the flavours? They smell amazing! Where are they from? Ooh, this one's shaped like a heart!”
Tamaki stumbled through his words, explaining all the flavours. Nejire tried each one, and each time she let out a little muffled sound that made Tamaki blush so hard he thought his face would catch fire.
When Nejire was finished, she had a little smear of chocolate at the corner of her lip, and Tamaki wanted to tell her, but she started talking again. “That was delicious. Thank you thank you! Is this the only reason you came? You should stay a little longer! I haven’t seen you in forever.”
“I- well- I just came to give you the chocolates- but… I can stay… Ya…” Why was he so awkward? Tamaki just wanted to go home.
“Come on! I want to show you something.”
Nejire brought Tamaki to her room- her room- and began to bounce about while Tamaki tried not to flee. He’d been in her room before, but always with Mirio. Never alone. Never just the two of them. He sat awkwardly on the corner of her bed.
“Tamaki!” She sang his name, her voice honey sweet. “Look at this!”
She held out a piece of paper to his face. It was a colourful, messy sketch, and it took him a minute to figure out what he was looking at. Then he saw- it was the two of them, in their hero costumes… holding hands?
“Isn’t it adorable? A little kid gave it to me the other day. Oh, and check this out!”
She proceeded to show him a makeup palette in her signature colours, explaining her favourite brand made it for her.
She then showed him her new pillowcases, which were dark indigo. And a new pen she got, that had a little grey kitten on the end. More things given to her by her adoring fans.
And for the first time all day, Tamaki found himself relaxed.
If he was going to tell Nejire the truth, he had to do it now. But he didn’t want to. It scared him. What if he told her, and everything changed? What if they lost their easy rhythm, this comfortable back and forth? He couldn’t risk that. He was OK like this, like friends, and if one day they became… more… naturally, then, well, that was just how things would go. He wouldn’t tell her today.
“Tamaki, I’m glad you came today. There was something I wanted to tell you, but I’ll admit, I’m a little nervous.”
Tamaki gawked. “You’re nervous about something?”
Nejire laughed, soft and melodic. “Yes. I know, it’s shocking.” She took a deep breath. “I don’t usually get nervous. But this is something really important.”
She sat down next to him and took his hand, like in the little kid’s drawing, and shut her eyes tight. She blurted out, “Do you want to go get dinner with me someday?”
Tamki’s eyes went wide. He held his breath. Had… had Nejire just said the exact thing he was ruminating over? Or did he imagine it? He must have imagined it. It couldn’t be this easy-
Nejire popped one eye open, peering at him. “Say something!”
“Ahh! Right.” Gah. Dinner. Food. Tamaki liked food. And he liked Nejire. This could be a good place to start. A way for them to maybe grow as… more. And all he’d have to do is eat dinner (yum) and talk to Nejire (which didn’t scare him too much). So, “As long as it’s a quiet restaurant. Without many people.”
Nejire giggled, and squeezed his hand tighter. “Of course. We’ll find somewhere small, and quiet, and romantic.”
Tamaki coughed. “Romantic?”
“Yes, romantic!”
So this was like a date. A real date. With Nejire Hado.
The thought should terrify him. But it didn’t. If anything, he felt a little excited. “OK. I’d like that.”
Nejire smiled. “I’d like that too.”