Gift Fic for mrs_koki
To: mrs_koki
From: courtney_bubble
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Title: All Things Unexpected
Pairing/Group: KAT-TUN - Nakamaru/Ueda
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Notes: I hope you like it (｡´∀｀)ﾉ
Summary: Nakamaru wasn’t expecting Ueda to show up at his house on his birthday.
Nakamaru wasn’t really expecting Ueda to show up at his house on his birthday.
He was home alone with Choco when he heard the short knock on the door, furrowing his eyebrows as he made his way to answer it. Surprise graced his features after seeing who it was.
“Tat-chan,” he said, stepping aside to let the younger member in, who seemed to be holding something behind his back.
“Hey Yuichi,” he replied with a bright smile, entering the main room, Nakamaru closing the door behind them.
“What are you doing here?” He asked, lifting his eyebrow slightly.
“Well,” he drew out the word, grinning. Nakamaru stared at him silently, waiting for a response. “Eh, am I not allowed to visit my best friend on his birthday?”
“Oh right,” Nakamaru laughed, stepping over Choco, who was sleeping on the floor. Ueda did the same, wandering over to the living room and sitting down on the couch.
“Can I get you anything at least?” He asked. Ueda shook his head and patted the couch next to him.
“I’m fine, thanks.” Nakamaru nodded slowly and went to perch on the sofa beside Ueda.
“What’s that?” Nakamaru finally asked, pointing the small box that Ueda had behind his back.
“A little something,” Ueda responded, pushing his lips out slightly and taking the box out. “It’s for your birthday.”
“Eh Tat-chan you didn’t have to,” Nakamaru said, smiling and taking the small box.
“Isn’t it KAT-TUN tradition though?” He asked quickly with a grin. Nakamaru decided to ignore the speed of that response, and the fact that when they did do that, it was in a meet up as a group.
That was around the point that everybody would deem Nakamaru’s gifts useless. Ueda watched as he tore the wrapping paper, biting his lip. Somehow he almost looked nervous, which struck Nakamaru as odd, but he decided not to comment on it. Once he got the wrapping paper off, he turned the small box over in his hand. The room was silent for a few moments before Ueda sighed.
“Just open it!” Nakamaru glanced up at him for a brief moment before finishing tearing the wrapping off the box. What he found inside was a small dark blue box, which he then opened to reveal a watch. He raised his eyebrow and looked over at Ueda.
“Tat-chan this looks expensive.” Ueda gave him a blank stare.
“That’s all you can say?” Nakamaru looked at the watch then back at Ueda.
“Ah no, well,” he shook his head. “I’m just surprised is all, it’s lovely.” Ueda let out a sigh of what sounded like relief.
“So you like it?”
“I do,” Nakamaru smiled. “I love it!” Ueda grinned and practically tackled him into a hug. Nakamaru chuckled awkwardly and hugged him back, relishing in the moment before Ueda pulled away.
“I’m glad you like it, it took me a while to pick out,” he admitted. “Now, let me treat you to dinner or something! It’s not every day that the old man of the group turns thirty,” he grinned, taking on a bit of a teasing tone. Nakamaru glared lightly before nodding and laughing.
“Sure, I’d love to.”
~*~
After that day the air between them at practices and group meetings was different, at least on Nakamaru’s part. He wouldn’t say it was different in a bad way though. In fact, he kind of liked how Ueda was treating him a bit differently. There were a lot more subtle glances, smiles, and even a bit clingier when it came to touching when they were together. That was more when they were in private though; Ueda was almost always by his side. It was confusing to Nakamaru, but at the same time, he liked all of the extra attention from his younger group mate. In fact, he enjoyed it quite a lot. But no matter how much Nakamaru enjoyed it, he did consider that it wasn’t exactly normal behaviour for Ueda. He couldn’t help but wonder what had brought this on.
They were best friends, but Nakamaru honestly had never seen Ueda act like this towards anybody, at least to a certain extent. Sometimes he would if he had high tension on stage or during meetings and such, but he wasn’t one for showing member love so easily; especially in private. So needless to say, it also troubled Nakamaru in the slightest bit.
“Ne Tat-chan,” Nakamaru started one day they were alone again, playing video games at his house.
“Yeah?” He responded, only half paying attention to him since the other half of it was focused on beating him. Nakamaru wasn’t sure how to bring up the topic he wanted to talk about. Chances were, Ueda would wind up getting defensive or claim that he wasn’t acting any different than usual.
“Yuichi?” Nakamaru blinked a few times as he came out of his thoughts, noticing that Ueda had paused the game and was giving him a confused look.
“Ah sorry,” Nakamaru scratched the back of his head, smiling a bit sheepishly.
“It’s okay, but is everything alright?”
“Yes,” Nakamaru nodded, avoiding his gaze. He felt a nudge against his arm, and he turned to look. Ueda’s look of confusion had turned to one of concern. Ueda knew of Nakamaru’s tendencies to worry and think a lot, so he could see why the former might be worried.
“No, I swear its fine,” Nakamaru gave a short laugh. “I was just thinking.”
“About what?” Ueda inquired, sitting back against the couch and setting his controller down.
“You,” Nakamaru replied bluntly. Ueda’s face turned red fairly quickly.
“Wh-what about me?” He stuttered, looking away to avoid Nakamaru’s gaze.
“You’re acting strange lately,” Nakamaru explained slowly, almost cautiously, eyebrows furrowed. What was with this reaction?
“Eh, what do you mean?” He asked. The nervous tint in his voice set Nakamaru off. There was definitely something up with Ueda. He wondered if he was just too dense to realize it…
“Yuichi?” He was literally shaken out of his thoughts when Ueda nudged him. “You’re freaking me out here.”
“Ah no I’m sorry,” Nakamaru looked up for a moment, trying to figure out how to put his thoughts into words. “I mean this in a good way, but you’ve been…a lot touchier lately and I was just wondering what was up with that.” Ueda turned a brighter red - if possible - and averted his gaze again.
“I- I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Nakamaru sighed silently and leant back, not taking his eyes off the other.
“You know, this just proves my point.” He pointed out, sitting back a bit more, leaning his head against the back of the couch. Ueda stayed silent for a few moments before turning his head to look at Nakamaru, staying in silence for a while as he chewed on his lip, looking down.
“Ne Yuichi, can I tell you something?” He asked quietly, now looking up at the older. Nakamaru hesitantly looked up and met his gaze, nodding once.
“Of course you can.” Ueda looked down again, seemingly in thought.
“Um,” he started, fidgeting with his hands a bit, before falling silent again. “Ah, never mind.” Nakamaru gave an exasperated sigh.
“No, you are going to tell me what you wanted to tell me,” Nakamaru stated, taking hold of Ueda’s wrist when the latter tried to get up. Nakamaru did almost have a hunch as to what he was getting at, but he wasn’t sure if he believed it to be true. Did Ueda…like him? That thought caused something to click within Nakamaru’s brain. He couldn’t process that thought though. They were bandmates. Even if that was true, would it really be okay to do anything about it? Ueda was looking at his hand, and Nakamaru loosened his grip a bit after coming out of his thoughts.
“Sit down,” he prompted softly. Ueda nodded silently and sat back down next to him, eyes not leaving the ground.
“I,” Ueda began, taking a deep breath. Nakamaru sat back and urged him to continue, eyes not leaving the younger man.
“You,” Nakamaru prompted quietly. Ueda mumbled something under his breath along the lines of “screw it” and lifted his head to meet Nakamaru’s gaze.
“I like you, Yuichi.” He stated, blushing a bit brighter yet but not avoiding his gaze. Nakamaru could feel his heart hammering in his chest as he nodded, grasping for something to say. It came as a shock to him to say the least, even if he had considered it.
“I-I expected that much,” Nakamaru said before cringing at the others look of surprise. “I mean, how you’ve been acting, and today too…” he trailed off, looking down. He could feel his face heating up, and he inwardly cursed himself for losing his composure like that.
“Sorry…” He heard the small mumble and his head shot up, and he started waving his hands.
“E-eh? No, don’t apologize for that.” Ueda didn’t say anything. He just stood up and bowed his head before leaving. Nakamaru sank against the back of the couch, cursing under his breath and running a hand through his hair. What was he going to do?
~*~
Nakamaru had a lot of thinking to do, and he had plenty of time to do it before he showed up at Ueda’s house on his birthday. They hadn’t really hung out much since that incident, and Nakamaru found himself really missing their time together, and worrying about him often. He was used to seeing Ueda basically every day, and now Nakamaru had no way of knowing he was doing other than through work and he didn’t like it.
His hand paused on the door before knocking, looking at the neatly wrapped package in his other hand. Nakamaru took a deep breath and opted for ringing the doorbell instead, holding the box behind his back. It took a few minutes, but finally Ueda opened the door, holding one of his dogs back and looking at Nakamaru in surprise.
“Yuichi, what are you doing here?”
“Can’t I visit my best friend on his birthday?” He asked softly, smiling. Ueda returned the smile slightly, pulling his dog back and stepped aside so Nakamaru could come in. He stepped past, petting the dog on the head lightly before going to the living room and sitting down.
“Can I get you anything?” Ueda asked, fidgeting a bit. Nakamaru felt a strong sense of deja-vu from the month before. He shook his head as Ueda’s sight moved to his hand, which was still held behind his back.
“You didn’t have to get me anything.” Ueda told him quietly, sitting down beside him.
“I know I didn’t have to, but don’t be silly.” He chuckled and took the box from behind his back and handed it to Ueda, who took it with a small nod and moved to start opening it.
“Wait,” Nakamaru said, resting his hand on Ueda’s arm. Ueda stiffened a bit and hesitantly looked up to him, cheeks tinged slightly red. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking.”
“Um, about what?” Ueda asked nervously, swallowing.
“You, how I’ve missed our time together,” Nakamaru said slowly, looking down. “I, um…” He trailed off with a soft sigh. Ueda stayed quiet again, looking at the still wrapped box in his hands.
“I think I like you too.” He said in a rush, feeling his face heating up quickly, heart thudding in his chest. He heard a sharp intake of breath from Ueda as he felt the latter’s eyes on him again.
“You-you’re serious?”
“I wouldn’t joke about something like this…” Nakamaru took a deep breath and nodded again. Ueda stared at him quietly for a while.
“You like me…” Ueda said slowly. “Why do I find that hard to believe?” Nakamaru looked up at him finally, and he was quite red as well. Nakamaru gave a short laugh.
“I don’t know, but you should believe it.” Nakamaru wasn’t expecting the younger man to then practically tackle him into a hug, burying his face against his chest.
“I’ve missed our time together too.” He mumbled, and Nakamaru could feel him shaking.
“Tat-chan?” He questioned quietly, hugging him and rubbing his back gently.
“I don’t know, I just…can’t believe it.” Ueda mumbled. Nakamaru stayed silent as Ueda sniffled, clinging onto his shirt.
“How about you open your gift now?” He suggested softly, smiling.
“Just a bit longer,” Ueda mumbled into his chest.
“I’m alright with that,” Nakamaru nodded, feeling the heat in his cheeks intensify. He kept one hand on Ueda’s back, using the other to fan his face a bit, pouting to himself. So much for keeping himself composed. What Nakamaru realized was that he felt completely content being that way with Ueda. It didn’t feel weird or awkward at all. He found that kind of odd, but at that moment he couldn’t really care less. Nakamaru tightened the hug a bit, resting his chin on Ueda’s head as the latter clung onto his shirt.
“I like you,” Nakamaru repeated again, almost in a whisper. Ueda continued to shake a bit, holding onto him.
“Tat-chan…are you crying?” Ueda gave a brief shake of his head.
“No,” he mumbled, but Nakamaru could hear the crack in his voice. The older male smiled softly and continued to rub Ueda’s back slowly.
Nakamaru wasn’t sure how long they were like that, but it was comfortable. Finally Ueda pulled away, looking at him with a wide grin. Nakamaru could feel his heart rate increase as he stared, grinning back.
“Ah-um, can I…?” Ueda averted his gaze down a bit, and Nakamaru flushed brighter, noting that Ueda was looking at his lips. Wasn’t it a bit soon, kissing right after his revelation? His heart pounded a bit harder as he sat in silence, admiring Ueda’s features like he really hadn’t before. They had known each other forever; why was he just noticing how attractive the younger was now?
They continued to stare into each other’s eyes for a moment, and before he knew it they were both leaning in. The meet of their lips was soft and tentative to begin with before pulling back.
“Y-you have nice lips,” Ueda stammered. “I don’t know why I didn’t notice it before.” Nakamaru blush deepened and he looked away.
“A-um, you do too,” he replied in a quiet voice. Ueda blushed as well, ducking his head a bit.
“So, what now?” Ueda asked in a quiet voice after a moment of silence. Nakamaru placed a hand on his cheek and shrugged.
“I’m not really sure myself…” He trailed off. Ueda looked at him and gave a shy smile, causing Nakamaru’s heart to beat a little bit faster.
“Well, we could continue going with how things are now…except more?” He suggested softly.
“More?”
“Like…Kissing, maybe other things,” he cleared his throat. The blush on his face caused Nakamaru to catch what he meant immediately. He looked away, flushing as well.
“And you know dates and such… I’m sorry I’m not sure how to do this.” Nakamaru looked up at Ueda again and gave him a smile.
“Don’t apologize, Tat-chan. I’m not sure either, but what you said sounds like a good start to me.” Ueda leant back against the couch, relaxing and letting out a sigh.
“I’m really glad, you have no idea how glad I am, Yuichi.” Nakamaru smiled wide and nodded.
“I’m glad as well; thank you, for telling me when you did.”
“You’re lucky that I did,” Ueda told him, a slight playful tone to his voice. “I mean…That was terrifying you know,” he added, voice a bit softer. “I didn’t want to ruin our friendship.”
“That was brave of you,” Nakamaru said softly, after a moment’s silence. “I wouldn’t have been able to do that.” There were a few more moments of silence, only filled by the ticking of the clock on the wall. Nakamaru would have said it was awkward if he didn’t know any better.
“Do you maybe want to grab dinner?” Ueda checked his watch and looked up, giving him a cheeky smile.
“If by dinner you mean lunch, then sure, I’d love to.” Nakamaru felt his face heat up again as he shook his head with a grin.
“I wasn’t sure of the time, but let’s go for lunch then.” Ueda nodded and stood up, straightening his clothes out and rubbing at his face.
“Wait, what about your gift?”
“I can open it later,” Ueda replied happily, nodding and offering Nakamaru his hand. The older man looked up at him with a smile and took his hand and Ueda pulled him up, lingering there for a moment before letting go.
“Let’s go then.”
“Okay, let’s go~”
From: courtney_bubble
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Title: All Things Unexpected
Pairing/Group: KAT-TUN - Nakamaru/Ueda
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Notes: I hope you like it (｡´∀｀)ﾉ
Summary: Nakamaru wasn’t expecting Ueda to show up at his house on his birthday.
Nakamaru wasn’t really expecting Ueda to show up at his house on his birthday.
He was home alone with Choco when he heard the short knock on the door, furrowing his eyebrows as he made his way to answer it. Surprise graced his features after seeing who it was.
“Tat-chan,” he said, stepping aside to let the younger member in, who seemed to be holding something behind his back.
“Hey Yuichi,” he replied with a bright smile, entering the main room, Nakamaru closing the door behind them.
“What are you doing here?” He asked, lifting his eyebrow slightly.
“Well,” he drew out the word, grinning. Nakamaru stared at him silently, waiting for a response. “Eh, am I not allowed to visit my best friend on his birthday?”
“Oh right,” Nakamaru laughed, stepping over Choco, who was sleeping on the floor. Ueda did the same, wandering over to the living room and sitting down on the couch.
“Can I get you anything at least?” He asked. Ueda shook his head and patted the couch next to him.
“I’m fine, thanks.” Nakamaru nodded slowly and went to perch on the sofa beside Ueda.
“What’s that?” Nakamaru finally asked, pointing the small box that Ueda had behind his back.
“A little something,” Ueda responded, pushing his lips out slightly and taking the box out. “It’s for your birthday.”
“Eh Tat-chan you didn’t have to,” Nakamaru said, smiling and taking the small box.
“Isn’t it KAT-TUN tradition though?” He asked quickly with a grin. Nakamaru decided to ignore the speed of that response, and the fact that when they did do that, it was in a meet up as a group.
That was around the point that everybody would deem Nakamaru’s gifts useless. Ueda watched as he tore the wrapping paper, biting his lip. Somehow he almost looked nervous, which struck Nakamaru as odd, but he decided not to comment on it. Once he got the wrapping paper off, he turned the small box over in his hand. The room was silent for a few moments before Ueda sighed.
“Just open it!” Nakamaru glanced up at him for a brief moment before finishing tearing the wrapping off the box. What he found inside was a small dark blue box, which he then opened to reveal a watch. He raised his eyebrow and looked over at Ueda.
“Tat-chan this looks expensive.” Ueda gave him a blank stare.
“That’s all you can say?” Nakamaru looked at the watch then back at Ueda.
“Ah no, well,” he shook his head. “I’m just surprised is all, it’s lovely.” Ueda let out a sigh of what sounded like relief.
“So you like it?”
“I do,” Nakamaru smiled. “I love it!” Ueda grinned and practically tackled him into a hug. Nakamaru chuckled awkwardly and hugged him back, relishing in the moment before Ueda pulled away.
“I’m glad you like it, it took me a while to pick out,” he admitted. “Now, let me treat you to dinner or something! It’s not every day that the old man of the group turns thirty,” he grinned, taking on a bit of a teasing tone. Nakamaru glared lightly before nodding and laughing.
“Sure, I’d love to.”
~*~
After that day the air between them at practices and group meetings was different, at least on Nakamaru’s part. He wouldn’t say it was different in a bad way though. In fact, he kind of liked how Ueda was treating him a bit differently. There were a lot more subtle glances, smiles, and even a bit clingier when it came to touching when they were together. That was more when they were in private though; Ueda was almost always by his side. It was confusing to Nakamaru, but at the same time, he liked all of the extra attention from his younger group mate. In fact, he enjoyed it quite a lot. But no matter how much Nakamaru enjoyed it, he did consider that it wasn’t exactly normal behaviour for Ueda. He couldn’t help but wonder what had brought this on.
They were best friends, but Nakamaru honestly had never seen Ueda act like this towards anybody, at least to a certain extent. Sometimes he would if he had high tension on stage or during meetings and such, but he wasn’t one for showing member love so easily; especially in private. So needless to say, it also troubled Nakamaru in the slightest bit.
“Ne Tat-chan,” Nakamaru started one day they were alone again, playing video games at his house.
“Yeah?” He responded, only half paying attention to him since the other half of it was focused on beating him. Nakamaru wasn’t sure how to bring up the topic he wanted to talk about. Chances were, Ueda would wind up getting defensive or claim that he wasn’t acting any different than usual.
“Yuichi?” Nakamaru blinked a few times as he came out of his thoughts, noticing that Ueda had paused the game and was giving him a confused look.
“Ah sorry,” Nakamaru scratched the back of his head, smiling a bit sheepishly.
“It’s okay, but is everything alright?”
“Yes,” Nakamaru nodded, avoiding his gaze. He felt a nudge against his arm, and he turned to look. Ueda’s look of confusion had turned to one of concern. Ueda knew of Nakamaru’s tendencies to worry and think a lot, so he could see why the former might be worried.
“No, I swear its fine,” Nakamaru gave a short laugh. “I was just thinking.”
“About what?” Ueda inquired, sitting back against the couch and setting his controller down.
“You,” Nakamaru replied bluntly. Ueda’s face turned red fairly quickly.
“Wh-what about me?” He stuttered, looking away to avoid Nakamaru’s gaze.
“You’re acting strange lately,” Nakamaru explained slowly, almost cautiously, eyebrows furrowed. What was with this reaction?
“Eh, what do you mean?” He asked. The nervous tint in his voice set Nakamaru off. There was definitely something up with Ueda. He wondered if he was just too dense to realize it…
“Yuichi?” He was literally shaken out of his thoughts when Ueda nudged him. “You’re freaking me out here.”
“Ah no I’m sorry,” Nakamaru looked up for a moment, trying to figure out how to put his thoughts into words. “I mean this in a good way, but you’ve been…a lot touchier lately and I was just wondering what was up with that.” Ueda turned a brighter red - if possible - and averted his gaze again.
“I- I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Nakamaru sighed silently and leant back, not taking his eyes off the other.
“You know, this just proves my point.” He pointed out, sitting back a bit more, leaning his head against the back of the couch. Ueda stayed silent for a few moments before turning his head to look at Nakamaru, staying in silence for a while as he chewed on his lip, looking down.
“Ne Yuichi, can I tell you something?” He asked quietly, now looking up at the older. Nakamaru hesitantly looked up and met his gaze, nodding once.
“Of course you can.” Ueda looked down again, seemingly in thought.
“Um,” he started, fidgeting with his hands a bit, before falling silent again. “Ah, never mind.” Nakamaru gave an exasperated sigh.
“No, you are going to tell me what you wanted to tell me,” Nakamaru stated, taking hold of Ueda’s wrist when the latter tried to get up. Nakamaru did almost have a hunch as to what he was getting at, but he wasn’t sure if he believed it to be true. Did Ueda…like him? That thought caused something to click within Nakamaru’s brain. He couldn’t process that thought though. They were bandmates. Even if that was true, would it really be okay to do anything about it? Ueda was looking at his hand, and Nakamaru loosened his grip a bit after coming out of his thoughts.
“Sit down,” he prompted softly. Ueda nodded silently and sat back down next to him, eyes not leaving the ground.
“I,” Ueda began, taking a deep breath. Nakamaru sat back and urged him to continue, eyes not leaving the younger man.
“You,” Nakamaru prompted quietly. Ueda mumbled something under his breath along the lines of “screw it” and lifted his head to meet Nakamaru’s gaze.
“I like you, Yuichi.” He stated, blushing a bit brighter yet but not avoiding his gaze. Nakamaru could feel his heart hammering in his chest as he nodded, grasping for something to say. It came as a shock to him to say the least, even if he had considered it.
“I-I expected that much,” Nakamaru said before cringing at the others look of surprise. “I mean, how you’ve been acting, and today too…” he trailed off, looking down. He could feel his face heating up, and he inwardly cursed himself for losing his composure like that.
“Sorry…” He heard the small mumble and his head shot up, and he started waving his hands.
“E-eh? No, don’t apologize for that.” Ueda didn’t say anything. He just stood up and bowed his head before leaving. Nakamaru sank against the back of the couch, cursing under his breath and running a hand through his hair. What was he going to do?
~*~
Nakamaru had a lot of thinking to do, and he had plenty of time to do it before he showed up at Ueda’s house on his birthday. They hadn’t really hung out much since that incident, and Nakamaru found himself really missing their time together, and worrying about him often. He was used to seeing Ueda basically every day, and now Nakamaru had no way of knowing he was doing other than through work and he didn’t like it.
His hand paused on the door before knocking, looking at the neatly wrapped package in his other hand. Nakamaru took a deep breath and opted for ringing the doorbell instead, holding the box behind his back. It took a few minutes, but finally Ueda opened the door, holding one of his dogs back and looking at Nakamaru in surprise.
“Yuichi, what are you doing here?”
“Can’t I visit my best friend on his birthday?” He asked softly, smiling. Ueda returned the smile slightly, pulling his dog back and stepped aside so Nakamaru could come in. He stepped past, petting the dog on the head lightly before going to the living room and sitting down.
“Can I get you anything?” Ueda asked, fidgeting a bit. Nakamaru felt a strong sense of deja-vu from the month before. He shook his head as Ueda’s sight moved to his hand, which was still held behind his back.
“You didn’t have to get me anything.” Ueda told him quietly, sitting down beside him.
“I know I didn’t have to, but don’t be silly.” He chuckled and took the box from behind his back and handed it to Ueda, who took it with a small nod and moved to start opening it.
“Wait,” Nakamaru said, resting his hand on Ueda’s arm. Ueda stiffened a bit and hesitantly looked up to him, cheeks tinged slightly red. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking.”
“Um, about what?” Ueda asked nervously, swallowing.
“You, how I’ve missed our time together,” Nakamaru said slowly, looking down. “I, um…” He trailed off with a soft sigh. Ueda stayed quiet again, looking at the still wrapped box in his hands.
“I think I like you too.” He said in a rush, feeling his face heating up quickly, heart thudding in his chest. He heard a sharp intake of breath from Ueda as he felt the latter’s eyes on him again.
“You-you’re serious?”
“I wouldn’t joke about something like this…” Nakamaru took a deep breath and nodded again. Ueda stared at him quietly for a while.
“You like me…” Ueda said slowly. “Why do I find that hard to believe?” Nakamaru looked up at him finally, and he was quite red as well. Nakamaru gave a short laugh.
“I don’t know, but you should believe it.” Nakamaru wasn’t expecting the younger man to then practically tackle him into a hug, burying his face against his chest.
“I’ve missed our time together too.” He mumbled, and Nakamaru could feel him shaking.
“Tat-chan?” He questioned quietly, hugging him and rubbing his back gently.
“I don’t know, I just…can’t believe it.” Ueda mumbled. Nakamaru stayed silent as Ueda sniffled, clinging onto his shirt.
“How about you open your gift now?” He suggested softly, smiling.
“Just a bit longer,” Ueda mumbled into his chest.
“I’m alright with that,” Nakamaru nodded, feeling the heat in his cheeks intensify. He kept one hand on Ueda’s back, using the other to fan his face a bit, pouting to himself. So much for keeping himself composed. What Nakamaru realized was that he felt completely content being that way with Ueda. It didn’t feel weird or awkward at all. He found that kind of odd, but at that moment he couldn’t really care less. Nakamaru tightened the hug a bit, resting his chin on Ueda’s head as the latter clung onto his shirt.
“I like you,” Nakamaru repeated again, almost in a whisper. Ueda continued to shake a bit, holding onto him.
“Tat-chan…are you crying?” Ueda gave a brief shake of his head.
“No,” he mumbled, but Nakamaru could hear the crack in his voice. The older male smiled softly and continued to rub Ueda’s back slowly.
Nakamaru wasn’t sure how long they were like that, but it was comfortable. Finally Ueda pulled away, looking at him with a wide grin. Nakamaru could feel his heart rate increase as he stared, grinning back.
“Ah-um, can I…?” Ueda averted his gaze down a bit, and Nakamaru flushed brighter, noting that Ueda was looking at his lips. Wasn’t it a bit soon, kissing right after his revelation? His heart pounded a bit harder as he sat in silence, admiring Ueda’s features like he really hadn’t before. They had known each other forever; why was he just noticing how attractive the younger was now?
They continued to stare into each other’s eyes for a moment, and before he knew it they were both leaning in. The meet of their lips was soft and tentative to begin with before pulling back.
“Y-you have nice lips,” Ueda stammered. “I don’t know why I didn’t notice it before.” Nakamaru blush deepened and he looked away.
“A-um, you do too,” he replied in a quiet voice. Ueda blushed as well, ducking his head a bit.
“So, what now?” Ueda asked in a quiet voice after a moment of silence. Nakamaru placed a hand on his cheek and shrugged.
“I’m not really sure myself…” He trailed off. Ueda looked at him and gave a shy smile, causing Nakamaru’s heart to beat a little bit faster.
“Well, we could continue going with how things are now…except more?” He suggested softly.
“More?”
“Like…Kissing, maybe other things,” he cleared his throat. The blush on his face caused Nakamaru to catch what he meant immediately. He looked away, flushing as well.
“And you know dates and such… I’m sorry I’m not sure how to do this.” Nakamaru looked up at Ueda again and gave him a smile.
“Don’t apologize, Tat-chan. I’m not sure either, but what you said sounds like a good start to me.” Ueda leant back against the couch, relaxing and letting out a sigh.
“I’m really glad, you have no idea how glad I am, Yuichi.” Nakamaru smiled wide and nodded.
“I’m glad as well; thank you, for telling me when you did.”
“You’re lucky that I did,” Ueda told him, a slight playful tone to his voice. “I mean…That was terrifying you know,” he added, voice a bit softer. “I didn’t want to ruin our friendship.”
“That was brave of you,” Nakamaru said softly, after a moment’s silence. “I wouldn’t have been able to do that.” There were a few more moments of silence, only filled by the ticking of the clock on the wall. Nakamaru would have said it was awkward if he didn’t know any better.
“Do you maybe want to grab dinner?” Ueda checked his watch and looked up, giving him a cheeky smile.
“If by dinner you mean lunch, then sure, I’d love to.” Nakamaru felt his face heat up again as he shook his head with a grin.
“I wasn’t sure of the time, but let’s go for lunch then.” Ueda nodded and stood up, straightening his clothes out and rubbing at his face.
“Wait, what about your gift?”
“I can open it later,” Ueda replied happily, nodding and offering Nakamaru his hand. The older man looked up at him with a smile and took his hand and Ueda pulled him up, lingering there for a moment before letting go.
“Let’s go then.”
“Okay, let’s go~”