you were always just "tsukki's girlfriend," the one who tadashi pretended to not pay much mind to. but in reality, he was always watching you. he always had his eyes on you. discreetly, that is. kei would suspect something with how observant he is if he saw his best friend looking at his girlfriend so much.

tadashi didn't mean to fall with you, not with the way you looked at kei like he hung the stars. but love doesn't ask for permission, no. it crept into his heart quietly, somewhere between the shared lunches and little conversations during walks to class or when you two talked while kei was just on his phone.

he knew it was wrong, he really did. but no amount of guilt could make him stop. nobody could ever force his yearning to an end even if they tried. your laugh haunted him in the best way. the way you moved your hands when you talked. all the things he shouldn't notice, all the things he should forget, he noticed and remembered.

he tried to be the funny friend, the one who did the most mundane things to keep you entertained. his jokes that were so dumb that they were funny. he brings extra snacks for you and attempts to make you laugh. and you, unknowingly, kept on fueling him with hope without realizing he was already dying from it.

tadashi works at a ramen place, just a little side-hustle as a high schooler who was saving up, and that place just happens to be a popular date spot choice for you and kei. a shame, tadashi has to see the two of you lovey-dovey during his shifts multiple times a month.

you wave at him, soft and warm like you do always. he serves you your meals and takes them away so normally, as if he wasn't glancing at you two—actually just you—throughout your whole time there.

this time, kei was in the bathroom by the time your plates came around. now's the time for a conversation, he guesses? "um, you liked your noodles with extra broth, i heard." he says as he places your meal carefully down in front of you.