#bluxboi
OK, OK, OK. SO…this is a gift to Sal, @bluxboi (I’m sorry, Tumblr isn’t letting me @ you for some reason??), for the @kuraryouexchange. (Thank you to the mods for putting up with me) I meant to write a couple 1000 words, but this fic somehow became 8k….I hope you enjoy!!
T+ rating for language and suggestive content; minor miyusawa/misawa
Also available on AO3.
“Ah, crap.”
“Yes! You’re buying me lunch today!”
Kuramochi would’ve glared at his friend Miyuki for bragging, but his eyes were preoccupied with his midterm instead. He stared down at paper, a mixture of disappointment and frustration as the big red, circled ‘60’ stared back at him. He had high hopes for this one, even looked it over multiple times before handing it in. But apparently that still wasn’t good enough.
“You shouldn’t stress out so much,” his friend Miyuki replied. “The upperclassmen even told us that your marks often drop in the first couple of years.” He gave Kuramochi a gentle pat on the shoulder.
“That’s not really convincing coming from someone who is doing just fine in this class,” Kuramochi retorted. “And don’t try to console me. That’s weird and uncomfortable coming from you,” he said as he shook off Miyuki’s hand.
From: Sal
Notes: So this is my first time writing actual fan fiction and it might not be that good, but I tried my best! I really hope you’ll enjoy reading it
Summary: In which a local traditional Japanese sweets shop owner falls in love with the brother of one of his regular customers.
Words: 6837
The act of pounding, kneading, molding－they have become a second nature for Kuramochi, almost therapeutic even. He has been doing this since he was only 9 years-old, after all. Making wagashi with his mother had been a weekly routine for them in the past. He is forever thankful for that, since the fact that now he can make a living on his own is because of said routine. He now owns a fairly successful wagashi shop, named simply after his mother’s surname, which he also uses, The Kuramochi Sweets.
As a child, Kuramochi had always thought of wagashi as a luxury. His mother would only buy the fancy store-made ones on special occasions. Learning to make wagashi was his mother’s idea, back when they had so little they could no longer afford to buy some from the store.
They didn’t come from a very wealthy family, you see. After his father left him, his mother and grandfather back when he was just a little 5 years-old boy, they had went through so many hardships. Life wasn’t easy then, it still isn’t easy now, but he wouldn’t ask for a different life if he had the chance.
Kuramochi can hear his mother’s voice instructing him as he goes through all the steps he remembers by heart. This is one of the many things he loves about this part of his work. He feels so much closer to his mother this way.
After her death a little over a year ago, Kuramochi had a break down that caused him to close down his shop for a whole month. He couldn’t bear to step into his own shop and make anything. Everything reminded him too much of his mother and it hurt. Now though, he is thankful he has his work to remind him of only the best memories about his mother.
————————————————————
The jingling sound of the bell attached to the front door makes Kuramochi pause from his work. He knows instantly who that might be. Only one person would be here this early. Must be Miyuki, but this is too early even for him. Kuramochi thinks to himself and continues his work. He can hear the shuffling sound of feet and Miyuki humming in an obnoxiously cheery tone for such an early morning. Something good must’ve happened to him yesterday.
Miyuki Kazuya is a friend Kuramochi met in high school and shared a class with for all those 3 years. Miyuki works as the front-of-house waiter in Kuramochi’s shop. He’s the one in charge of taking orders from the customers.
They weren’t friends at first, it was more like they hated each other even, but they learned to tolerate each other eventually. They are actually quite close, but neither will ever admit it if people ask. Although they do fight a lot, mostly because of stupid things. Miyuki is the type of person who likes to tease others and Kuramochi has little patience for that, but that only makes it even more fun to tease him, or so Miyuki said.
“Good morning, Kuramochi~” Miyuki pops his head into the kitchen before stepping inside. “How’s preparation going?” Yeah, this is way too cheerful to be normal.
“As you can see, I’m almost done,” Kuramochi says without looking up from his work. He’s finishing his last batch of daifuku. “Something good happened? You sound way more annoying than usual this early in the morning. The fuck are you doing here so early anyway?”
“Well, if you must know~” Miyuki wiggles his eyebrows, Kuramochi rolls his eyes. “I ran into Sunshine Boy at the combini last night~” he says, grinning. “Turns out, he lives in my neighborhood.”
“You mean… Sawamura, right? Haruichi’s friend?” Kuramochi asks and Miyuki nods at the question, confirming. He just sighs at the response and continues his work.
Haruichi is one of his regular since after he had that breakdown. That boy usually comes with his two best friends, Sawamura and Furuya. And Sawamura the “Sunshine Boy” is the subject of Miyuki’s latest conquest for the last few months now. He’s convinced the boy also has a crush on his coworker. Sad thing is, Sawamura is too much of an idiot to realize it’s real and Miyuki is too proud to admit it, much to Kuramochi’s suffering.
“That still didn’t answer my question about what you’re doing here so early though.” Kuramochi side-eyes Miyuki, hand still working on finishing today’s preparation.
“Oh, that? No reason~ I simply woke up a little earlier than usual, so here I am!” Miyuki spreads out his arms as if he’s presenting himself. Kuramochi just rolls his eyes again at his friend’s antic.
The preparation goes on as smoothly as usual. Everything is going as planned, a little quicker now that Kuramochi has Miyuki’s help. Then just before they finally finish with the preparation, another person comes in.
There’s only one other person working there besides Kuramochi and Miyuki, his name is Maezono Kenta, or Zono for short. He’s also a high school friend of the two. He’s in charge of the drinks they serve, which is a selection of many different kinds of tea. Since it’s only a small shop, it doesn’t need that many employees, so it’s just the three of them for now.
Kuramochi instructs Miyuki to go to the front and open up the shop while he cleans up the kitchen. Hygiene is a value he holds high, especially in the shop since he’s dealing with food, so he always keeps everything around the shop clean. He may look like a punk, but he cares a lot about tiny details.
“Mochi-kun~ I already flipped the sign so don’t take too long,” Miyuki chirps, calling out to Kuramochi from his station at the counter.
“I told you to stop calling me that, you bastard,” Kuramochi grumbles, walking out of the kitchen while hanging his apron on the hanger beside the door connecting the kitchen and the space behind the counter in the process.
Miyuki snickers. “But it’s a cute nickname, don’t you think? It suits your work,” he says matter-of-factly. Not that he’s wrong, but Kuramochi hates it anyway.
————————————————————
Noon is usually the time when the shop is most deserted, since people obviously don’t eat sweets for lunch. That doesn’t mean Kuramochi doesn’t get any customer though. Sometimes people visit because noon is the only free time they have, especially some certain college students. Kuramochi just finished his lunch break when all of the sudden he wonders if Haruichi and his friends will come today. It has been a while since they last showed up.
As if on cue, the front door’s bell jingles and three males walk into the shop. A mop of pink hair Kuramochi has grown quite accustomed to is leading their way. Funny, he was just thinking about those three and now.. Here they are.
“Good afternoon, You-san!” Haruichi greets Kuramochi who’s currently stocking up the counter. He’s heading straight to his－well, since he’s with company today, so their－usual table near the counter. “How’s business today?” He asks politely, something Kuramochi always admires about the younger male.
“Yo, Haruichi! Still playing mother hen for those two eh?” Kuramochi asks jokingly, accompanied with his signature laugh. Haruichi, despite being the smaller one among the three, is definitely the more mature one. Hence, the joke. “You’ve come at the perfect time. I thought I was going to die from boredom, y’know?”
Haruichi simply smiles, taking his seat and the other two follow. “Yeah, a friend of mine seems to be missing one of your employees, You-san,” he says, the once smile has turned into a smirk. “As for me, I always miss your sweets,” he adds, making Kuramochi grin.
Before Kuramochi can respond, Miyuki beats him to it. “Well hello, Haruichi, Furuya－” Miyuki leans over the counter. “Sawamura~” the bespectacled male says the last bit in a deep and sultry voice. Kuramochi wants to gag. Can’t the two just date and end this game of chase already?
“Geh! Miyuki Kazuya!” Sawamura yelps, face red with embarrassment. “Don’t say my name like that, you damn tanuki!” He grumbles while taking his seat, sinking into the chair, lips curling down in a frown.
“Oh c’mon, Sawamura. You know you love me~” Miyuki’s teasing is relentless. He enjoys seeing people suffer after all. Sawamura can only blush deeper, unable to utter a single word. Miyuki takes so much satisfaction in causing the younger male to be in that state.
Haruichi erupts into a fit of giggles watching Sawamura’s reaction while Furuya remains silent, his body swaying as if he can fall asleep any second. Well, he actually might. He can fall asleep no matter when or where it must be a miracle.
“Oi, lovebirds. Cut that shit out, will ya?” Kuramochi barks while setting down 3 sets of plates filled with various assortments of wagashi. He doesn’t wait for the three of them to order, it’s always the same after the first few times they visited the shop. Haruichi always asks for what Kuramochi recommends for the day, Furuya asks for the least sweet ones, and Sawamura the opposite.
Right after Kuramochi is done serving the wagashi, Maezono immediately serves the guests some tea. They always work like that, serving everything one-by-one seamlessly, careful not to disturb whatever is going on around the customer’s table. They make sure when is the right time to serve the tea and ask if the customer wants refill. Everything is calculated, mostly with the help of Miyuki. He’s always been good at reading the atmosphere for some reason.
“I know you guys usually have evening practice right after classes end, so I gave you tea infused with ginseng. I hope it helps.” Maezono smiles throughout his explanation. At first glance, he looks like a big scary guy who bullies the weak. But really, he’s actually a big softie who would never dare to purposely hurt anyone or anything.
“Uwoooh!! Thank you, Zono-san!” Sawamura shouts, Haruichi smiles sweetly, and Furuya nods. All of them showing their gratitude. They take a sip of the tea before enjoying their wagashi and fall into a conversation of their own.
Kuramochi is fast, perceptive, and has a very good hearing. He’s quick to pick up interesting stuff from conversations happening even more than a meter away. He never intends to eavesdrop, people are just too loud, okay?
This time, the trio’s conversation catches Kuramochi’s interest. He can hear Sawamura mentioning about the fact that Haruichi’s birthday is coming up and that they should definitely celebrate it together have a small party just the three of them. He can hear Furuya mumbling something about that he’d rather stay home because it will be right after their next game. He can hear Haruichi getting embarrassed saying he doesn’t want the two of them to overdo it since he’s going to spend his birthday with his brother anyway.
Sawamura is now practically begging to be allowed to join the celebration, as long as it’s not some private family event he’s not supposed to be joining in. Not like Sawamura ever cares much about common courtesy. He is a good kid, sure, but he lacks subtlety.
Kuramochi hides a smile that’s threatening to bloom on his face, a little excited after acquiring the new knowledge. Haruichi is more than just a customer, he’s already like a brother to Kuramochi, so there’s no way in hell that he’s doing nothing after knowing the fact. He’s definitely going to prepare something for the little pinkette.
————————————————————
March 1st, that is the day of Haruichi’s birthday. Kuramochi managed to find out after raking out some information from Sawamura, whose number he has stolen from Miyuki’s phone. His action costs him an unfortunate price though. Because now Miyuki is thinking that Kuramochi has a crush on Haruichi.
On a slightly brighter note though, the pinkette’s birthday has the most perfect timing. Because March means springtime and springtime means Kuramochi can show off one of his wagashi creation he’s most proud of; the sakuramochi. He already has a picture in mind, and he is so sure that this idea of his is one of the best he has ever come up with.
The D-day is approaching. Kuramochi has been texting Sawamura, asking for the younger’s help regarding delivering his present, since apparently he and Fuyura will me joining Haruichi’s family to celebrate the birthday boy. Kuramochi doesn’t understand how that happened, but it makes things easier for him, so he pays it no mind.
And then that’s it, the day has come. He has entrusted Sawamura with the bento box filled with his creation to be taken to Haruichi. He has slipped a card under the box’s lid, scribbled a birthday wish and a message to let him know what the birthday boy thinks about the present. So now, he waits.
It’s not until a little after the sun has set for the day that he receives a message from an unknown number. He has a guess on who it is from though, but he can’t be sure until he checks. He opens the the message, and sure enough, it’s none other than Haruichi.
From: xx-xxxx-xxxx
You-san.. I don’t know how to thank you! You really didn’t have to… (19:43)
To: xx-xxxx-xxxx
Sooo is it safe to assume that this is your number Haruichi? (19:45)
From: xx-xxxx-xxxx
Oh god, I’m so sorry, I completely forgot to let you know. Yes, this is Haruichi, I got your number from Eijun-kun. I still can’t believe you made me sakuramochi shaped like MY HEAD. I almost couldn’t eat it. (19:46)
To: Haruichi
Hyahaha! I take it you like? (19:50)
From: Haruichi
I love them! They’re all gone now though.. (19:57)
To: Haruichi
If you ever want more next time just text me aight? You’ll have to pay tho (20:01)
From: Haruichi
Will do! Again, thank you so much, You-san.. (20:04)
To: Haruichi
No prob (20:06)
Kuramochi smiles triumphantly, feeling proud of himself for being able to impress the birthday boy. He would be lying if he said he doesn’t enjoy compliments, especially when it comes to the things he’s proud of. That night, he closes up the shop feeling like a winner.
————————————————————
At the same time in the living room of Kominato’s residence, Ryousuke is most definitely most definitely not glaring at how Haruichi is smiling at the phone the younger is holding. Okay, well, he is. It looks much too suspicious to him and he feels obligated to know who his brother is currently texting to have caused such expression to appear on his little brother’s face.
“Haruichi,” Ryousuke whispers from behind Haruichi, lips dangerously close to the other’s ear, voice serene like the calm before the storm. “Who are you texting?”
“Huh? Oh, it’s the person who gave me the mochi gift,” Haruichi answers easily while locking his phone. He’s not surprised by the gesture one bit.
“For you to immediately text him after, you must be close, huh?” Ryousuke asks as he’s stepping aside, creating a little more space between them. “How come I’ve never met him?”
“Aniki…“ Haruichi looks at him suspiciously. “Don’t tell me you’re assuming that he’s interested in me.” He states exasperatedly.
It’s always been like that between them. Ryousuke has always been sort of overprotective towards Haruichi. At first it was all because Haruichi got bullied a lot as a child, but as they grew older, Ryousuke also starts getting protective over who can approach his younger brother romantically. After that, Ryousuke has been very sceptical about the people who are close to Haruichi.
“It’s possible, you know that.” Ryousuke states calmly, taking a seat on the couch and fiddling with the remote, absentmindedly switching through different channels. Haruichi just sighs while taking a seat next to him.
“What are they like anyway?” Ryousuke asks after a while of sitting side-by-side in silence while staring at the TV, eyes still glued to the moving pictures in front of them.
“I can just take you with me the next time I visit his shop, probably this Sunday?” Haruichi proposes. It might be easier to let them meet immediately. It’s his brother, after all. He knows all too well that it’s pointless to keep anything from the older.
“Okay. I’ll pick you up after your morning practice then” Ryousuke says, holding back a smile. He expected as much from Haruichi. Now he can see with his own eyes what kind of person is trying to woo his younger brother. Maybe he can also drive them away if he’s lucky.
————————————————————
The shop has been unexpectedly busy this weekend. It’s as what Kuramochi expected though, since spring has finally arrived and people are hyped for a lot of the seasonal wagashi his shop has to offer. Kuramochi sighs in relief as the crowd finally starts dying down. He thought he’d at least get a 10 minutes break before there’s another customer, but that’s clearly not the case.
The jingle of the doorbell followed with a pair of pink haired males cancels Kuramochi’s hope for a short break. He recognises one being Haruichi, but the other one is definitely someone he has never met before. If he should guess, he’d say it’s probably Haruichi’s older brother whom he’s only heard about so far. Until today, at least.
Damn, he cleans up nicely, is the first thing that comes to mind when Kuramochi first laid eyes on the older pinkette. Ryousuke walks in after Haruichi, wearing a suit and walking in a very confident manner. Kuramochi would be lying if he said he didn’t find the older Kominato attractive.
“Heh. Look who’s here.” Kuramochi teases, or tries to. Ryousuke’s piercing gaze is making it hard for him to remain cheeky. “So is this your infamous Aniki I’ve heard about?”
“Ah, yes. You-san, this is my brother, Ryousuke. Aniki, this is Kuramochi Youichi, the shop owner.” Haruichi introduces them to each other. A little nervously, if one dares to say.
Ryousuke takes a step forward, now standing in front of Haruichi. Kuramochi is a little surprised by their difference in height. Ryousuke is at least a head shorter than him and he gets a feeling that it’d be dangerous if he ever mentioned it. So he keeps all those thoughts to himself and reaches out a hand for the other to shake. Ryousuke not-so-subtly eyes at the hand for a for moment before finally reaching out his own and takes the offered hand in a firm handshake, then lets go.
“Hmph, so you’re the one who gave my brother that very thoughtful gift the other day?” Ryousuke asks straight to the point, eyes glued to Kuramochi’s. “May I ask what your intention might be?”
“Aniki!” Haruichi hisses from behind Ryousuke, cheeks tinted pink－the same colour of their hair－in embarrassment.
Kuramochi is taken aback by the question, blinking in confusion before coming up with an answer. “Uh, yeah? Haruichi’s been a regular for almost a year and I thought I’d show some appreciation for his patronage,” he answers.
“Hmm…” Ryousuke hums as a response while studying Kuramochi’s face. Haruichi is visibly blushing at this point, squirming behind the older pinkette, possibly embarrassed beyond belief by his brother’s bluntness.
“Alright, that’s all I need to know for now,” Ryousuke says as he turns around, heading for the exit. “I’ll be waiting in the car. Be quick if you want to buy anything.” He’s already at the door when saying that and quickly slips out.
Haruichi slumps his shoulders, sighing in relief as they watch Ryousuke walk away. Only when his brother is out of sight then he turns his attention back to Kuramochi.
“I’m sorry about that..” Haruichi mumbles weakly. “I know he can be a little.. intense.. sometimes. He’s just really overprotective when it’s about me and—” He sighs once again. “I’m really sorry.”
Kuramochi cackles at Haruichi’s awkwardness. “Nah, it’s cool. No need to apologize. I kinda get it, with you being pretty and looking meek like that.” He offers the younger male a kind, reassuring smile.
Haruichi makes a face after that statement, making a pouting face that’s clearly in a joking manner. He then smiles back at Kuramochi, bows slightly in gratitude, then heads outside to catch up to his brother.
————————————————————
Ever since that day the Kominato brothers visited the shop together, Kuramochi has been seeing Ryousuke tagging along with Haruichi whenever he can. It’s a little weird for Kuramochi because Ryousuke never seems to buy anything for himself, but after their first meeting, he can kind of understand the reason.
During the days Haruichi has visited the shop in the span of a month after that day, Ryousuke has come with him in at least half of those days. Which is extremely odd considering they were all weekdays and Kuramochi has guessed that Ryousuke is some kind of office worker because he’s always seen him wearing a suit (and he’s not going to lie, Ryousuke looks damn good every time).
On a Sunday morning, the Kominato brothers come in pair again for the god knows how many times now. They usually don’t spend much time around, mostly ordering things for on-the-go. Even if they stay, it’s never longer than an hour or so (not that Kuramochi keeps count though, he definitely doesn’t). When they do though, Ryousuke doesn’t seem to order anything except for tea, a different one each time. Kuramochi asked why once and was told that Ryousuke doesn’t like sweet things, to which he almost wanted to retort saying something along the lines of “then why the hell are you even here in the first place?!”, but he didn’t.
The shop is pretty deserted since it’s only two hours after opening time. There are only three other customers inside. The Kominato brothers have already been served, so Kuramochi decided to join them on their table for a little bit. He does this a lot to some of his regular customers, especially Haruichi and the gang.
“Well look who’s here. Will you guys be staying a little longer today?” Kuramochi says as he drags a chair to the Kominato’s table and taking a seat.
“I sure hope so. The sweets are as good as ever by the way.” Haruichi smiles politely at Kuramochi while Ryousuke takes a sip of his tea. Kuramochi looks at the older male expectantly, waiting for some kind of acknowledgement of his presence since the younger has already done so. Ryousuke just reminds silent, but he does look at Kuramochi’s direction once he puts down his cup.
“Thanks. And y’know, I’m definitely going to convince your brother here to try one of my creations someday.” Kuramochi declares. He has said it several times now ever since the first time Ryousuke came to his shop with Haruichi and he’s very determined on delivering it.
“Mhm. And as I have told you many times before, I don’t like sweet things. I prefer spicy food. So good luck with that.” Ryousuke answers the way he always does, challengingly, his eyes taunting.
Haruichi glances back and forth between his brother and Kuramochi, then brings his tea cup to the his lips in order to hide the smile that’s threatening to bloom on his face. He can see Kuramochi grinning at Ryousuke’s response and it makes him want to laugh. He has noticed how Kuramochi seems to be so fascinated by his older brother. He didn’t expect this to happen, but he sure is glad it’s happening. He has high hopes that Kuramochi will be able to make his beloved brother happy. If he manages to woo the guy, that is.
They continue talking a little more before Kuramochi has to go back to work. As usual, the brothers don’t stay too long. It disappoints Kuramochi a little bit, if he’s being honest. He never really cares this much before though, only ever since Ryousuke started coming he’s feeling this way. He’s aware that he might be having a little crush on his regular’s older brother. Nah, this is nothing, it’ll be fine. He thinks. It’s not that big a deal, this is harmless. He tries to convince himself.
————————————————————
For some reason, Kuramochi hasn’t been seeing Haruichi in his shop for almost a week after that last visit, which means there’s basically no chance of him seeing Ryousuke. Miyuki is also starting do feel a little dejected at the absence of Sawamura, since the Sunshine Boy usually tags along with Haruichi too. Both Kuramochi and Miyuki is starting to feel worried. They thought about calling, but decided it’d be wiser to just wait a little bit more.
Miraculously on one Wednesday afternoon, an unexpected customer arrives a few days later. It’s Ryousuke, alone, walking in listlessly straight to the counter which Kuramochi is manning since it’s Miyuki’s break time. Ryousuke looks exhausted, a little paler and dark circles decorating the bottom of his eyes, nothing like he usually is. Kuramochi almost couldn’t recognize him.
“Whoa you look like shit, Ryou-san. What happened? Why are you not with Haruichi? Where have you guys been?” Kuramochi attacks Ryousuke with a string of questions out of worry even though he knows he shouldn’t, but he can’t help it.
Ryousuke clicks his tongue and rubs his eyes. “Shut up. Just give me Haruichi’s usual,” he mumbles. His voice small and sounds extremely tired that it baffles Kuramochi.
“Uh-huh. When was the last time you slept?” Kuramochi eyes Ryousuke suspiciously. He knows it’s impolite to pry, but he’s honestly too worried to care.
“I don’t know. Two days ago? Three? Why does it matter? Just hurry up so I can get going,” Ryousuke grumbles. He’s incredibly snappy when he’s tired, it seems. And he looks like he’s on the verge of passing out.
“No, that won’t do,” Kuramochi mutters. “Yo, Miyuki! I’m going upstairs for a while so get your ass here!” He shouts to the direction of the kitchen where Miyuki is taking his break and walks to the other side of the counter where Ryousuke is.
“What do you think you’re doing? I need to hurry so you should just pack my orders!” Ryousuke says in a threatening voice, or try to. He sounds a lot less threatening in that state of his.
Kuramochi doesn’t say anything and immediately drags Ryousuke with him upstairs to his place. Ryousuke keeps trying to struggle against his grip, but it’s futile. In that tired state, there’s only so much the pinkette can do.
“I’m taking you to my room and forcing you to rest. I know you have a lot of free time today since you seem to come with Haruichi often on Wednesdays. You don’t have a chance against me when you’re like… this. So don’t struggle or you’re just gonna tire yourself even more.” Kuramochi explains as they’re climbing the stairs. Ryousuke wants to argue, but he’s sadly too tired to do so.
Once they get to Kuramochi’s place and take off their shoes, Kuramochi directs them to his room instantly. He gently pushes Ryousuke down by the shoulders to his futon so the pinkette is sitting on it. He takes a seat in front of the other, hands squeezing Ryousuke’s shoulders lightly, keeping him down.
“Now rest. I swear I won’t do anything. Just… please.” Kuramochi’s voice is low and pleading. He looks at Ryousuke in the eyes, hoping to be able to convey his sincerity.
Ryousuke’s whole body is stiff, on guard, but he can see the concern swimming in Kuramochi’s eyes. His posture slowly relaxes and he gives in with a sigh. He’s usually a very stubborn person, but for some reason, he really can’t say no at that moment.
“Fine. But if you do anything weird, I’m ending your life.” Ryousuke brushes Kuramochi’s hands away. He takes off his suit jacket, then positions himself on the futon and letting the cover warms him up. He turns his body so his back is facing Kuramochi, closes his eyes, and quickly drifts off to sleep.
Kuramochi smiles while looking at the figure laying across his futon. He’s tempted to crawl under the cover and wraps his arms around Ryousuke’s slender figure, but he knows better. Besides, he doesn’t want to do anything Ryousuke doesn’t like. So for the time being, he’ll settle with simply watching the other sleep.
Once Ryousuke’s breathing slowly becomes more even, Kuramochi smiles. He’s glad the pinkette gets to finally rest. He doesn’t know what happened, but it must be serious enough to be able to practically turn Ryousuke into a zombie. He makes his way slowly to the other side of the futon so he can take a look at the Ryousuke’s sleeping face. The man in front of him still manages to look incredibly beautiful despite being exhausted. Ryousuke’s relaxed expression is so endearing and it makes something inside Kuramochi’s chest tighten.
It’s only been a little over a week since the last time they saw each other, and yet, in those several days, Kuramochi felt a lot more restless than usual. He didn’t want to admit it, but not being able to see Ryousuke is a very unpleasant experience. He didn’t want to admit it, but his feelings for the pinkette might be a little more serious than a simple crush.
Kuramochi reaches out a hand to tuck the hair covering Ryousuke’s cheek behind the ear, then moves his hand so his thumb is ghosting above one of the dark circles under Ryousuke’s eyes. His heart aches a little. He hates how extremely sappy everything feels to him, but good god, Ryousuke looks ethreal and he really really wants to kiss him.
All of the sudden, Ryousuke shifted his body and Kuramochi instantly retracts his hand. His heart is beating out of his ribcage, worried about being caught doing such a thing. He sighs in relief when Ryousuke settles down again, still sleeping. He runs his hands across his face and sighs once again, deciding it might be better if he gets out of the room and cook something for when Ryousuke wakes up instead.
————————————————————
Ryousuke wakes up to an unfamilliar view. This is not my room, so where am I? He asks to himself. He looks around, remembering what happened before he fell sleep. He remembers going to the shop, getting dragged upstairs. Right, Kuramochi. He remembers now.
The feeling of sleeping on a bed and futon are two very different things. Ryousuke is used to using bed ever since he was a child, so now his body is aching a little. He uncovers himself, stretches his body, and heads outside the room to look for Kuramochi.
Kuramochi is alone at the table, he has almost finished eating. Once Ryousuke is in his line of sight, he immediately looks up. There’s another set of food on the space across from him. Ryousuke assumes it’s for him, but he decides he should ask beforehand. He wouldn’t want to make a fool of himself.
“Is that for me?” Ryousuke asks, his voice sounds hoarse from the sleep. He almost cringes at the sound if it.
“Ah—” Kuramochi stops eating and quickly gets up to get a glass of water, then setting it down on Ryousuke’s side of the table. “Yeah, it is. Figured you haven’t had lunch yet,” He says as he sits back down and resumes his eating.
“Thanks,” Ryousuke mumbles in response. He takes a sip of the water first to relieve his throat before quietly starts eating.
None of them say anything for the first few minutes of their meals. Ryousuke doesn’t feel the need to, not yet. On the other hand, Kuramochi is concentrating on trying to not stare at Ryousuke too much, but is also dying to ask questions. Once they finished their meals and the dishes are put away, Kuramochi finally feels like he can ask something.
“So, what’s the story? What happened?” Kuramochi asks, this time with more patience, taking it slow. He doesn’t want to be rude to Ryousuke and they have a little bit of time anyway.
“I’ve been going back and forth between work and hospital. Haruichi injured himself during his last game.” Ryousuke explains, then sighs. “That idiot. Why would he make the same mistake I did years ago?” It’s a question, but it doesn’t need to be answered.
“Holy shit, is he okay? What’s his condition?” Kuramochi can feel his worry seeping out of him. If even he is feeling like this, he has no idea how Ryousuke must be feeling. “So that’s why neither of you have been around lately..” He whispers that last part to himself.
“The doctor said that it’ll heal by the next week or two, but it was bad enough that he had to be hospitalized for a whole week first. He’s getting discharged tonight.” Ryousuke checks his watch for the time. He was sleep for at least two hours from the time displayed. “I was thinking of bringing some sweets as a gift for being discharged, that’s why I came as soon as I finished everything at work.”
“You should at least take better care of yourself too. What good comes from the both of you getting hospitalized? Honestly. You looked like you were about to pass out any moment before I dragged you here.” Kuramochi nags, Ryousuke just shrugs in return.
“You’re a surprisingly good cook. I once thought you probably can only make sweets.” Ryousuke comments out of the blue.
“Heh, of course. Did it impress you?” Kuramochi can’t help the smile from creeping on his face.
“Hardly. I still wouldn’t give you Haruichi even if you did though.” Ryousuke retorts.
Kuramochi groans in annoyence. Up to this very moment, Ryousuke still thinks that he has some kind of crush on Haruichi despite having denied it for so long. It’s a little frustrating since the person he actually has a crush on is literally in front of him.
“I told you, I don’t like Haruichi that way. He’s only like a little brother to me.” Kuramochi ends his argument with a sigh. If only there’s a way to really convince Ryousuke…
“Hm, sure,” Ryousuke says mockingly, remaining unconvinced. “Anyway, I better hurry to the hospital since I need to pick up Haruichi in an hour.”
“Oh, yeah, sure. I’ll head down first to pack up your orders then. Take your time getting ready,” Kuramochi says as he gets up and makes his way downstairs.
Ryousuke tidies himself up quickly, brushing his hair and putting his suit jacket back on. He arrives downstairs to see Kuramochi already has his orders ready.
“Send my regards to Haruichi,” Kuramochi says to Ryousuke before the latter leaves.
That night, Kuramochi decides that he’s going to tell Ryousuke how he feels. At first, he wasn’t quite sure how, but then he was struck with an idea after reading a book on Western style confectionery about combining chili in chocolates.
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The days pass uneventfully after that. Haruichi finally recovers after one and a half weeks and comes to the shop as usual again, but Ryousuke rarely joins him after that. Kuramochi doesn’t want to admit it out loud, but he misses having Ryousuke come every so often.
“You look gloomy these days. I wonder why, hm?” Miyuki teases him one Friday night when they’re closing up the shop. Kuramochi throws the bespectacled man an offended look.
“I am not!” Kuramochi barks in response, a little to defensively for Miyuki to not notice. Miyuki smirks at him, but doesn’t say anything. Miyuki has always been perceptive, so he has a guess on what—or rather—who is causing Kuramochi to feel gloomy.
There’s a pause in the conversation and they each continue their part of cleaning up. Zono has finished up earlier, so it’s only the two of them. Miyuki notices that Kuramochi has been trying out on making a new creation lately, and he’s guessing that it has something to do with the reason for Kuramochi’s foul mood.
“So, still no luck on the new recipe?” Miyuki asks Kuramochi after that few minutes of silence.
Kuramochi groans at the question while finishing up on his end. “Not yet. Almost.” he grudgingly admits. There’s progress alright, but it’s not there yet. It’s frustrating him how close he is to his goal and yet it feels so faraway, like that time he was struck with the urge to kiss Ryousuke.
Miyuki hums in acknowledgement and finally finishes his part. “Good luck then. I’ll be going first, but don’t force yourself, okay?” He says as he heads outside.
“Yeah, yeah. G’night.” Kuramochi responds before locking the door after Miyuki leaves.
Kuramochi immediately immerses himself in trying out the new recipe again. He really needs to perfect it tonight if he wants to have time for some trial run. He has been talking with Haruichi about this and the latter said that he the only time will be able to bring his brother to the shop is on Sunday. There’s no guarantee that they’ll be able to meet again any time soon, so that has to be the moment.
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Amazingly enough, he pulls it off. He stayed up all night to finish the recipe and now he’s making a trial batch before making the final product. He has closed up the shop that day, so he has a whole day to spare. He’s giving his all for the sake of this one creation, wanting to convey his feelings properly.
When Sunday finally arrives, Kuramochi is a mess. He wakes up later than he should so he frantically gets ready for the day and doesn’t have time to gel his hair. God bless Maezono Kenta though, because by the time he’s downstairs, Zono has already started on preparation for the front of the shop. Now he only needs to hurry with the kitchen preparation without having to worry about anything else besides that… and Ryousuke’s arrival.
Around afternoon when he’s throwing out the trash, Kuramochi notices a pair of pink haired males heading towards his shop. He hurriedly makes his way inside and cleans himself up before heading to the front. When he gets out, he can see the Kominato brothers already in their usual table with Zono taking their orders.
“Good luck, man!” Miyuki whispers to Kuramochi with his obnoxious knowing smirk plastered across his face.
“How the fuck did you even know?” Kuramochi hisses.
“I’ve known you for years, of course I’d know.” Miyuki’s teases in a sing-song voice. “Also because Sawamura accidentally found out from Haruichi.”
“You little shit.” Kuramochi punches Miyuki’s shoulder while the latter just laughs at him.
Kuramochi takes a deep breath to calm down. Once he musters up enough courage, he makes his way to the Kominato brothers’ table to greet them and make some small talk before executing his mission.
“Uh, Ryou-san, can I talk to you for a bit? In private,” Kuramochi asks hesitatingly. Ryousuke shoots him a questioning look, and then to Haruichi, to which the younger pinkette makes a shooing motion.
“Okay,” Ryousuke replies and gets off his seat. “Don’t touch my tea.” He warns Haruichi before following Kuramochi to the kitchen.
When they’re inside the kitchen, Kuramochi takes out a plate of mochis from the fridge and sets it down on the counter in front of Ryousuke. Ryousuke looks between him and the plate, confused.
“I told you I don’t like sweet things,” Ryousuke states. He’s looking at Kuramochi with his eyebrows raised, questioning the whole situation.
“I know, just try it.” Kuramochi has his eyes fixed on Ryousuke. Anyone can see the determination there.
Ryousuke has never seen Kuramochi looks at him like this and it peaks his curiosity. So he takes one of the mochis to his mouth and the sensation once he bites down on it surprises him.
“It’s chocolate, but… spicy?” Ryousuke says in delight. It’s an odd thing to have a spicy wagashi. This is a new experience to him.
“Yeah, I made it especially for you.” This time, Kuramochi looks away while rubbing the back of his neck.
“Why?” Ryousuke asks sweetly, but his eyes are gleaming with mischieve. He knows why. He has known for a while after that time Kuramochi made him rest in his room, from how Kuramochi acts when he’s around and how his brother behaves lately. He just wants to hear it straight from Kuramochi’s mouth.
“Because…” Kuramochi trails off, exhales, then speaks again. “Because I like you, Ryou-san. I like you a lot. I figured I need some way to prove it, and this is it.”
“Hmph. Took you long enough.” Ryousuke says before pulling Kuramochi by the shirt and crashes their lips together.
The kiss tastes sweet and spicy, much like Ryousuke as a person, and Kuramochi wouldn’t want to have it any other way.
