Tanaka knew that he had been interested in girls from a very young age - that much was obvious. In spite of his interest and various pursuits, he had only gone on one date, which was more like a blind group date, rather than an actual date. So when the gorgeous Nakagawa Hayami asks him out one day after class, Tanaka doesn’t hesitate to say yes. He also doesn’t hesitate to boast about his latest victory to Noya as soon as he runs into him in the corridor that very afternoon.

“Hayami, hey? The small, cute one?” Noya muses as they walk out of the school together. Tanaka deflates a little when he notices the lack of excitement in Noya’s voice. Shouldn’t his best friend be happy for him now that he had finally managed to score a date with one of the most beautiful girls in the school?

“Yeah!” Tanaka practically shouts, gesticulating wildly as though that would somehow pump Noya up a little more. “She’s super cute, Noya-san!”

With what seems like a fair bit of effort, Noya lifts up his head and smiles his usual, blinding grin up at Tanaka and he is back to his usual bubbly self - for a moment.

“That’s awesome, dude!” Noya slaps him on the back - perhaps a little more forcefully than necessary - and lets his hand fall quickly down again as they continue walking towards the corner store.

A sudden thought occurs to Tanaka when Noya stares hard at the ground instead of back up at him. Of course; how could he have been so blind to it?! Noya was jealous - jealous that he, Tanaka Ryuunosuke, managed to get a date with a super-cute girl before Noya did! That made sense, but it still didn’t justify Noya’s cold attitude towards him.

To Tanaka, Noya had it all - he was cute, charming, a kick-ass volleyball player, and had an incredible personality. He had the ability to draw out the best in absolutely everybody around him and made them feel so good about themselves, and Tanaka always wondered why Noya wasn’t asked out more often. So when Noya fails to react to Tanaka’s latest feat, he can't hide his annoyance at this less-than-enthusiastic response. He grabs Noya’s arm and forces him to look at him. The two stand, staring at each other; Tanaka notices Noya’s eyes darken with something he had not seen before in his best friend.

“Dude, what’s wrong? Listen,” Tanaka emphasises, not giving Noya a chance to actually tell him what’s bothering him. “A girl’s interested in me, for the first time ever, Noya-san! I’m not gonna just ignore that, ya know?” Tanaka laughs heartily, trying to diffuse the tension between the two of them.

“I-I know that, mate!” Noya also chuckles in response, but even he knows that it sounds way too forced. “I … I want you …” Noya starts hesitantly, trailing off as Tanaka’s eyes widen and and focus on something just above Noya’s shoulder.

“You want me to what? Hayami-chan! I’ll see you tonight!” Tanaka waves to the girl standing behind Noya.

“Bye!” Hayami calls out, blushing amongst her friends. The group of girls giggle as they walk past them and Tanaka looks as though he’s just been hit over the head with a frying pan; a dazed expression crosses his face and he scratches the back of his head, a small habit that he does only when he’s nervous. Noya picked up on it a while ago, but chose not to say anything because he thought it was so damn cute.

“Uh …” Noya stammers, unsure of how to respond.

“Forgot what you were gonna say, huh? Happens to me all the time, you know!” Tanaka laughs again as they resume walking, although Noya notices that there is a new spring in his step after seeing Hayami. “Anyway, I hope we’re cool, dude. You know I love you,” Tanaka says suddenly.

Noya freezes in his tracks, causing Tanaka to stop and turn to face him. It’s too much for Noya - he can’t take it anymore. He can’t keep faking his enthusiasm and he can’t stand seeing Tanaka looking so darn giddy over a person that isn’t him, which Noya knows is petty and immature as hell. Fuck it, Noya thinks before going in for the kill.

“I love you too,” Noya gushes, unable to help himself. He steps forward, his face mere inches away from Tanaka. It was now or never. “I want you, Ryuu,” Noya repeats himself, this time making sure that his message is clear. Before Tanaka can say or do anything (and ensuring that Hayami is well out of sight), Noya stands on his toes and kisses him. He pulls back almost as soon as their lips touch, regretting it instantly. Hadn’t Tanaka just flipped out about how excited he was about Hayami?! Wasn’t it obvious that he was straight? How tactless can I be? Noya wonders despairingly, so caught up in his own thoughts that he doesn’t even notice Tanaka reach out to him.

“R-Ryuu …” murmurs Noya, aware that their faces are now mere inches apart.

“Shh,” Tanaka seals Noya’s lips with another kiss - another kiss, Noya almost yells in delight, thrusting his fist in the air, not caring how lame he must have looked.

When they pull apart this time, Tanaka is the one to step back. He stares at Noya as though he is looking - truly looking - at him for the first time. Suddenly, as soon as the moment comes, the moment is over and Tanaka whips out his phone. Heart sinking, Noya bites his lip as he watches Tanaka make a call. Is that how little their moment meant to him?

Noya’s mood is not improved when he figures out who Tanaka is calling. “Hey, Hayami-chan!”

Well, it was fun while it lasted, Noya thinks darkly.

“Yeah, I’m sorry but I have to cancel tonight! I’m really sorry, but I’ll explain it to you tomorrow if that’s okay?” Silence. Noya dares to get his hopes up as Tanaka continues talking, never once taking his eyes off him. “Great! Cool, thanks for being so understanding!” As simple as that, Tanaka hangs up the phone and wraps his arms around Noya.

“Well, that’s a win-win,” Noya grins, kissing his best friend for the third time that evening. He doesn’t think he’ll ever tire of doing that.