Valentine

Ide stared in confusion at the frilly red heart-shaped piece of construction paper that had been left on his desk. It large silver lettering, it read:

Ide-
Happy Valentines Day
-From your Secret Admirer

It wasn’t like Ide had never received a Valentine before. He had actually been quite popular in High School and College, but had since matured and become much more selective in his romantic affairs. And it didn’t matter that he had barely any eligible female colleagues. He had long ago established that he didn’t have a preference when it came to gender.

No, what struck him about this particular Valentine was the fact that Valentines Day had been nearly two months ago.

“Hey, Ide-san!” Matsuda, Ide’s playful co-worker said cheerily as he entered the room.

“Er…” Ide quickly stashed the Valentine in his desk as Matsu approached. Glancing at the other man, he saw a shadow of a strange emotion pass over his face before fading into his usual grin. “Hi, Matsuda-san.”

“Ooh, what’s that?” Matsu had apparently noticed the Valentine before it was stuffed away.

“Oh, nothing.”

“Oh…”

“Just a memo from the higher-ups, that’s all.”

“A memo?” he asked skeptically. “A frilly red memo?”

“Er…”

Matsuda, never one for strictly following the normal social boundaries of personal space, reached past Ide, opening the drawer and pulling out the Valentine. He scanned the message, grinning. “Secret admirer, huh?”

“Give it back, it’s nothing.” Ide could feel himself blushing a little.

Matsu’s smile vanished for a moment, but Ide blinked and it was back again. The usual joy was gone from his voice, however, when he spoke. “Alright, if it’s nothing.” He handed the paper heart back to Ide, and quietly took his seat at his own desk.

Ide let out a tense breath, not fully registering Matsuda’s disappointed tone.

“So, Ide-san,” Matsuda began after a few moments, unable to keep quiet for long, “You want to go out with me, Aizawa, and Mogi tonight? Ukita was thinking about tagging along, too.”

“No thank you,” Ide said, not looking up from his computer.

“Oh, d-do you have plans?” He sounded put out.

“No, but I’m not really one for the bar-scene.”

His answer seemed to cheer Matsuda. “Oh, c’mon, Ide, come have some fun with us. I feel like we have to get to know each other better, especially since we’ll be working together on that new case. We’ll have a good time, go dancing, meet some nice ladies, it’ll be great!”

“Meeting ladies is hardly a priority high on my list at the moment, Matsuda-san. In case you’ve forgotten, we have a lot of work to do on this new case.”

“Ide, you’ve gotta loosen up! Please come? For me?” He was giving Ide his very best puppy-dog eyes, a notoriously irresistible move.

Ide sighed. “Fine, I’ll go. I’m not one for drinking, though.”

“Yes!” Matsuda punched the air triumphantly in a childish motion. “Don’t worry, it’ll be fun!”

~ ~ ~

Ide sat at the bar awkwardly, sliding his finger around the rim of his drink. The bar was loud around him, and he tried to zone it out to focus on his own thoughts but to no avail. The loud American music blasted on the speakers, making it hard to think.

“Hey Ide!” Matsuda slid into the seat next to him, grinning. Ide gulped when he saw him. He had unbuttoned his shirt a little, and was shining with sweat from all the dancing. He was a little out of breath as he ordered his drink from the girl at the bar.

“So, Ide-san,” he smiled as he waited for his drink, “Who do you think sent you that Valentine, anyway? You gotta have some idea.”

“I don’t know, it was a secret admirer, wasn’t it?”

“Well, yeah, but!” Matsuda made some kind of wild gesture with his hands, giving him a look as though that should make his point clear. Ide blinked.

Matsuda sighed. “Well, Ide, if you don’t know who sent it to you, who do you want to have sent it to you?”

“What?”

“Oh, c’mon, there’s gotta be someone you like!”

“Er…” Ide looked down at his glass. Sure, he had a crush, but he wasn’t head-over-heels, or anything. Besides, how could you tell that to the guy when he was sitting right next to you?

“Ah, youth!” Matsuda smiled, catching sight of a young couple down the bar, seemingly attached by the lips.

“Ugh,” Ide looked at them with a bit of disgust.

“Oh, come on, Ide-san! Haven’t you ever been young and in love?”

“Well…” Ide couldn’t say no. He had certainly done the same thing when he was their age. “I guess when you’re that young it’s okay.”

“ ‘When you’re young’? Oh, c’mon, we’re not old yet, Ide! I’m only twenty-five! And you can’t be much older!”

Ide coughed, blushing. So he was a bit older.

Matsuda smiled, leaning in close. “Hey, Ide-san.”

“Erm, yes?” Ide was a bit startled by the sudden closeness.

“What do you say, you and me, let’s act young like them tonight?”

Ide felt his heartbeat quicken, his blush deepening. Could he really be suggesting such a thing? “Erm, m-maybe…”

“Yeah! Let’s do it, Ide-san!” He was even closer now.

So close!

Yes!

But suddenly Matsuda pulled back, still grinning. “Come on, let’s find a couple of nice girls and have a fun time tonight!”

Ide’s heart fell more quickly than it had risen. So that’s what he meant. Hooking up with random girls at a bar. “Ah. Um, I don’t think so, Matsuda.”

“Oh, come on, you’ll have fun!”

“I’m not into that sort of thing.”

“Ide-san-”

“I’m… not interested. Excuse me.” He got up, headed towards the bathroom, leaving a confused Matsuda sitting at the bar.

He leaned against the wall in the bathroom, letting out a long sigh. He’d almost done something that would have been really embarrassing.

“Ide-san? Are you okay?”

“Huh?” Ide looked around and saw Ukita. “Oh, it’s just you. Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Well you look upset. Is something wrong?”

“I’m fine, really.”

Ukita eyed him with concern, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Ide, do you want to talk about it?”

“There’s nothing to talk about!”

“Yeah, okay.” Ukita eyed him skeptically. “Can I get you a drink? Come on.”

“I probably shouldn’t, I’ve already had a few.”

“Don’t worry, we’ve got Mogi for our designated driver. Live a little!”

“Well,” he sighed, “Alright.”

Ukita led him out of the bathroom and back to the bar. He ordered their drinks while Ide looked around the room, noticing that Matsuda seemed to have left the bar.

“Who’re you looking for?” Ukita asked him, sitting on the stool next to him.

“Huh? Oh, no one,” he said, even while peering around the room.

“Two Long Island Iced Teas?” the waitress asked.

“Yes, those are ours, thank you.” Ukita slid Ide his drink, which he quickly took a long sip from.

“So… you really don’t want to talk about whatever it is?”

“No! Let’s talk about something else.”

“Well, then, how about-”

“Oh, for God’s sake!” Ide groaned, finally spotting Matsuda, who was currently sitting on a sofa, entangled with a young brunette in their own little world.

“Hey, it looks like Matsuda’s getting some action!” Ukita said loudly, waving to their co-worker.

Ide dropped his forehead against the bar.

“Ide! Hey, Ide!” Matsuda called, having pulled away from the girl for a moment. He grinned at him from across the room, waving happily. Ide groaned.

Matsuda turned to whisper something to another girl, pointing at Ide as he talked.

The girl, this one a blonde, giggled and stood up, walking clumsily across the bar to Ide.

“Um, hey there!” she simpered, a bit tipsily. “Are you Ide? Matsuda-san said that I should come and, er, keep you company!”

“Oh, for God’s sake!” Ide muttered, standing up and storming past the girl, past Matsuda and out of the bar.

“Ide-san, what’sa matter?” Matsuda called after him, but he ignored him.

Ide stopped outside of the door, fumbling in his pocket for his cell so he could call a cab and end this mistake of a night.

“Ide!” Ukita was running after him.

“What do you want?”

“Um…” he came to a stop in front of Ide. “Heh, um, I’m really drunk!”

“Is that so? Well-”

“No! I mean…” Ukita was suddenly very close, and somehow his hands had begun to snake around Ide’s neck. “You look so hot tonight, Ide-san.”

“Wha-” Ide was cut short by the pair of lips that was suddenly shoved against his own. He muffled in protest as Ukita’s tongue entered his mouth, and he was pushed against the wall.

Ide struggled, pushing Ukita away by his shoulders.

“Ide-san, what-?” Ide looked around to see Matsuda coming out of the bar, staring at his two co-workers in shock.

Ide groaned. “Matsuda, this is not what it looks like!”

“Y-yeah!” Matsuda blinked. He spoke with laughter in his voice, but his expressions betrayed his unease. “Of course not! And why would- why would that bother me?”

“Matsu~!” the brunette giggled, stumbling out of the bar to clutch to her new acquaintance. “Where’d you go, we were havin’ so much funs!”

“Sorry, Stacie, I just… sorry, come on.” He took her hand, still staring at Ide-san with a sad look as he was lead back into the bar.

“Matsuda, no!” Ide called after him. “For crying out loud, get off me!” He shoved Ukita away as he was going in for another kiss. “You’ve had too much to drink, go find Mogi to take care of you. Matsuda!”

Ide ran into the bar, scanning the room to try and catch sight of his friend. He saw him, being pulled by Stacie into a side lounge. He followed after as quickly as he could in the crowded room.

“Matsuda!” he called as he caught up to the man.

“What!?” he snapped, making Ide freeze in his steps. Matsuda never snapped.

“Matsuda, come with me, please, we need to talk.”

“About what?”

“Just, please, c’mon, I’ll explain somewhere else, alright? Please? We need to talk.”

“Ide, I don’t-”

“Matsu!” Ide looked at him steadily, calmly. “Please.”

He sighed, “Whatever,” and let Ide grab hold of his wrist, and after a quick “Excuse us” to Stacie, lead him through the room and out onto a deck.

“Matsuda,” he began, turning to look at him. “With Ukita… he’s just really drunk right now, he doesn’t know what he’s doing.”

“But you do.”

“He surprised me. And I stopped him.”

“Oh.”

Ide, finding courage perhaps through the tequila, gently grasped Matsuda’s hands in his own.

“Matsuda, I want to…” He didn’t quite know what to say. I want to kiss you? I want to be with you? I love you? “…Matsuda, will… will you be my Valentine?” He winced a little at the cliché.

Matsuda’s mouth dropped open a little. “Ide… do you… how did you-? … yes.”

“Really?”

“Yes!” He grinned, squeezing his hands. “How did you know it was me?”

Ide laughed. “Who else would send a Valentine in April?”

Matsuda blushed, still smiling. Ide leaned in to kiss Matsu gently on the lips.

Matsuda giggled. “Ide, what did I tell you before? Let’s act young tonight!” He claimed his lips in a fierce kiss, making Ide moan and then laugh.

Ah, youth.

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Author's Note: I originally posted this on dA. I hope you like it, please let me know what you think. ^^
btw, the pairing (Matsuda/Ide) was inspired by a friend's comic on deviantART. She's awesome, please check out her stuff there-> http://elicadragon.deviantart.com/