Christmas dates Chapter 1 Dec 24, 2020
“How was your date?” Touya asked as Yukito opened the door.
It was Christmas, and Touya had had a very long day of work at the amusement park.
But the day was over, and he’d stopped at home to change before coming to pick up Yukito so they could grab dinner together, somewhere casual, hopefully away from all the couples on official Christmas dates. His excuse had been that he didn’t want Yukito to be alone on his birthday. The truth was that he had no interest in being with anyone but Yukito tonight, officially or not.
Yukito laughed and touched Touya’s cheek briefly. “It was fine.”
Yukito had been at the amusement park with Sakura and some of her friends (including that kid who obviously liked Sakura; Touya did not like him). Or to be more specific, Sakura had asked Yukito to go to the amusement park, obviously as a date. And because for some reason Yukito had never treated Sakura like his best friend’s nuisance little sister, like most guys his age would have, he’d said yes.
At least, Touya knew he didn’t have to worry about her when she was with Yukito. He watched out for her as much as Touya himself, and she was unusually well-behaved around him. Still…
“I really wish you wouldn’t encourage her.”
“It’s harmless, To-ya, and it makes her happy”
Touya looked away, hoping Yukito wouldn’t see the brief scowl on his face. It wasn’t his friends’s fault, after all.
He didn’t know how to articulate it. Sure, it made her happy now, but what about later? Touya knew that eventually either she’d outgrow her crush, or Yukito would have to break her heart. He wished he could spare her that second path, but knew it wasn’t really up to either of them.
“Does it really bother you?” Yukito asked as he shrugged his coat on. He’d changed out of the smart suit he’d worn that afternoon into a fuzzy, cream-colored sweater. It was, Touya knew, incredibly soft. He looked much more casual and relaxed than in the suit. Touya wouldn’t have had it any other way, however nice it had been to look at him the afternoon, he’d much rather have him like this, completely at ease with him. With them. With what they were, even though, if he was honest, Touya no longer knew exactly what that was. More than friends. But not quite something else, not yet.
“To-ya?” Yukito prompted him gently.
“What? Sorry, I spaced out for a moment.”
“Does it bother you that I’m nice to Sakura? If it really bothers you…”
Touya let out a long sigh. What was the alternative? Having the first guy she ever liked ignore her or treat her like a little kid? He had to admit, there were worse people than Tsukishiro Yukito for Sakura to have as her first crush. He could think of one off the top of his head.
“I guess not. It’s just…” He shrugged. He had never been comfortable letting on how much he cared about Sakura. Yukito knew him better than anyone, and even with him it made him tetchy.
Yukito looked at him thoughtfully a moment, then his eyes sparkled mischievously.
Oh no, Touya thought. What’s he going to say now?
“Are you jealous of your little sister, To-ya?” Yukito asked, his smile rapidly becoming a full-on shit-eating grin.
“Shut up. Of course I’m not. Don’t be stupid.” All the same, he could feel the blood flow rushing to his fate.
Yukito laughed in delight. He stepped closer and patted Touya’s cheek. “I promise to be as careful with her feelings as I possibly can, To-ya. I want to do what little I can to make her happy right now, for you.”
“Good. Thank you,” his voice sounded gruff to his own ears.
“Can we go on our date now?”
Touya did not bother claiming that it wasn’t a date. He wouldn’t have fooled anyone, if he had.