#kuraryou

to:@transkurootetsurou

from:@veenadaiya

notes: I had tons of fun writing this fic for you! It was a blast and I hope you enjoy!

    Sawamura wasn’t stupid. Of course, he was a little more dense than most and didn’t always catch inside jokes right away but… he knew when there was… tension in the air. Or possibly a so called ‘elephant in the room’ if he wanted to speak that way. Whenever the team practiced (never at games), there always seemed to be one but Sawamura could never put his finger on where it came from. He had his suspicions of a few players, but to confirm them, he would need to consult someone else.

    “Hey, Miyuki!” Sawamura called out, seeing the familiar catcher walking to class one day. Miyuki was eating a granola bar when he heard the exuberant pitcher behind him. Rolling his eyes, he turned.

    “What could you possibly want this early, Baka~mura!” the catcher groaned, dropping his shoulders.

    “I had a question,” Sawamura said, mumbling the last few words as he got closer to his teammate. “But if I’m wrong, you can’t say anything because I’ll get killed!” Sawamura furrowed his brows, wanting reassurance.

    “Yeah, whatever, I really don’t care. What is it?” the catcher waved his hand in slight disinterest, wanting to get to class early just so he could fall asleep. All the late nights Katoaka made him catch during was surely taking a toll on him.

    Sawamura gulped, trying to find the proper words. If he says anything he says wrong, it will be twisted and changed with the catcher’s mischievous mind. “I-Is…Kuramochi…gay?”

    His suspicions did hold substantial evidence behind them. The pitcher, who was on the mound many times for situation practice, noticed the way that his fellow shortstop and second baseman acted. Their actions, though consistent and good, never held the same amount of imph behind them. It was as if something different was on their minds everyday. One practice Kuramochi would be loud and inviting as he could be, teasing his upperclassman partner, but then another day he’d be quiet and focused only on receiving the ball.

    Sawamura picked up on the behavior and started to focus more on it for about week. Noticing the way Kuramochi would stare at Ryou-san during dinner when they weren’t conversing or how he always was around him. It was more than being partners on the field, more personal than that and the usual dense pitcher picked up on it. He even saw how the shortstop stuttered every once in awhile when Ryou-san asked him a complex question. It was the little things that truly counted.

    Miyuki stared blankly at the pitcher before breaking into a laugh, holding his stomach. “Took you this long to figure it out? You’re pitiful, Sawamura!” The catcher continued to laugh as Sawamura clenched his fists and cheeks grew a bright shade of pink. “He’s more bisexual than gay, Sawamura. Everyone knows about it so no one bothers talking about it. But still don’t mention it around him, he’s defensive about it.”

    Sawamura sighed in relief but then another question rose. “Wait, then is Ryou-san, too?”

    “Dunno! But you really are dense, aren’t you!” Miyuki teased, finally walking away. Kuramochi would love to hear about this, Miyuki was well aware. He left Sawamura standing in the middle of the sidewalk to thumb about the things he had just “uncovered.”

    Walking through the large school of Seidou, he continued to snicker. Miyuki knew all about his friend and the troubles he had with Ryousuke and felt a sense of relief that someone else had finally picked up on it.
    “I just had a very interesting conversation with our future ace,” Miyuki stated, walking into class a few minutes earlier than usual. The shortstop who sat in front of the catcher ears perked and he turned around so he was facing his friend.

    “Yeah? And that was?”

    “He caught on to your little secret, Youchi,” Miyuki taunted with a grin. The shortstops reaction to his words were beyond priceless, causing him to grin.

    “You’re kidding right? How do you know?” the shortstop demanded, leaning forward.

    “Right when I was walking into school he asked about you.”

    “And what did you tell him?” Kuramochi asked again eagerly.

    “The truth. That you’re bisexual and that everyone knows and doesn’t care.”

    “But that’s not the truth.”

    “So? It’s the only thing I could’ve said without him blabbing to someone else about. This way he won’t blab. Your secret is safe with me,” Miyuki reassured before adding, “and the dumbass.”

    “It better be, Kazuya or I’m gonna kill you. And him,” the shortstop replied before turning back around for the start of class. But the second year’s mind was not able to focus on today’s lesson (hyperbolas? Like he’d ever figure that one out anyway) at all. His mind wandered to where Sawamura was sitting in class, imagining all the possible things he could be telling about his senpai. If any rumors started in their school, he swore he was going to— he stopped himself from thinking too darkly.

    His attraction to Ryou-san started early in his second year. While not joining the first string right away, the fellow second baseman often gave him pointers (not in the politest way, of course). Kuramochi began to admire Ryousuke and started copying everything he did. Eventually he joined the first string team and was thrown into situations, quickly becoming close to his partner on the field. The two shared many inside jokes and confided in each other with a lot of things, giving Kuramochi comfort. They were comfortable together. Kuramochi tried to always keep his feelings for Ryousuke a secret from the team and Ryousuke himself in order to keep things on the field less complicated. But trying to remain only teammates proved to be a little difficult. Even for him.

    Now that the first year fool, Sawamura, knew about his crush on Ryousuke-senpai, things were definitely going to get more complicated.

    It gave him a headache.

~~~~~~

    The next day during practice, Kuramochi did everything in his power to avoid Ryousuke in a… non-teammate sense. He strictly focused on throwing and catching the ball along with hitting it without unnecessary confrontation. Still, even with the focus, he messed up receiving the ball countless times that he wouldn’t have been surprised if Katoaka pulled him out of situations.

    Kuramochi’s actions immensely pissed Ryousuke off. The two have been partners on the field for quite some time and now all of a sudden he was acting closed off? On what possible grounds? Keeping his composure, he continued the long day of practice. He said a few words to Jun and Yu about hitting and afterwards, he walked straight up to the shortstop.

    “What the hell’s with you? You sucked at practice today. Cat got your tongue?” Ryousuke teased with a grin. Kuramochi continued stacking the buckets full of baseball and packing his own bag. Annoyed, Ryou kicked the bag, disrupting the shortstops course of action.

    “What do you want?” Kuramochi asked with an aggressive tone that surprised the upperclassman.

    “Jeez, getting enough sleep there? No need to be so snappy.”

    “I’m just,” Kuramochi sighed, “I’m just tired, Ryou-san. I’m going to my room now. See ya tomorrow,” Kuramochi said, deadpan. He waved a low goodbye before slugging his bag over his shoulder. But then, without thinking, Ryousuke grabbed the younger boys wrist. The sudden touch made Kuramochi’s heart skip.

    “Don’t you wanna hit more? Me and Harucchi might-”

    “I’m good. Goodnight,” Kuramochi said once again, jerking his hand free from his partners grasp. Ryousuke watched as the young teammate walked towards the familiar dorms, back turned and closed off. Something like this had not happened in quite awhile. Ryousuke wracked his brain for what could possibly be up with his fielding partner and felt saddened that whatever it was, Kuramochi didn’t deem him acceptable to talk about it with.

    Arriving back to his dorm room, Kuramochi dropped his things and face planted onto the floor. He groaned into the stained carpet and kicked his legs on the floor like a two year old. He did not realize the first year pitcher also sat quietly on his bed reading manga. Not until said first year coughed.

    “Baka! What are you doing here!” he screamed, sitting upwards.

    “Uh… reading? Miyuki-senpai refused to catch and said I shouldn’t overwork anyway.” Kuramochi groaned in frustration and stared downwards at his hands.

    “Is something wrong?” Sawamura asked smoothly. The shortstop was silent for a few moments that Sawamura was going to give up asking and return to his book until the shortstop spoke up.

    “Miyuki told me that you-”

    “That bastard senpai! He said he wouldn’t-”

    “Whatever, it doesn’t matter. God, I can’t believe I’m talking about this to you,” Kuramochi said to himself. Was he really going to open up to this underclassmen that couldn’t even understand basic algebra? Yeah…he was.

     “I think I’m really into…” his breathing hitched, “…Ryou-san.” He mumbled the last few words but Sawamura still was able to understand.

    “Why do you say that?” Sawamura asked, almost on instinct. In all honesty, he didn’t really hear what his roommate said.

    “I dunno. I mean— I guess whenever– ugh, I don’t know how to explain it. I guess sometimes when I’m around him I’m able to play fine but other times I just can’t. It’s weird,” Kuramochi explained to the pitcher who was more interested in his manga than his roommate. “Oy! Are you listening!”

    Sawamura spazzed and stared blankly at Kuramochi. “Y-Yes!” he stuttered. “Have you ever tried talking to Ryou-san about it?”

    “What? Of course not. He’d think I was dumb and then call me dumb, too. You don’t understand how he is,” Kuramochi said with a saddened expression. Which was the truth. He knew the second baseman better than anybody (maybe even his brother) and Ryousuke was not the type of person to calmly accept another’s feelings and then go about the year like it never happened. He’d never let him live it down, teasing him forever and ever.

    Unless he felt the same way– No. That was impossible. Not in a million years.

    “Just saying, Kuramochi-senpai. You don’t know anything until you ask!” Sawamura exclaimed before immersing himself back into his manga. God, Kuramochi hated Sawamura for this exact reason. The pitcher was capable of giving great advice but only in rare circumstances. Like a light switch only being turned on once a week to save energy.

    “Whatever, Baka~mura. Go to sleep. We have early practice tomorrow starting at nine.” The younger boy groaned and threw his manga onto the ground. Kuramochi took the liberty of shutting the lights off and leaving the door unlocked for when Masuoko would return from his extra batting practice.

    His bed comforted his weight as he lay there, swimming in his own cloud of misery. His hands clung to a pillow, longing it to be the second baseman he loved but never to admit it. What could he possibly do or say to the third year that he wouldn’t be teased for? He lied there for minutes trying to think of something but eventually, he drifted off to sleep.

    Why was baseball so complicated?

~~~

    In annoyance, the third year swung his bat furiously. He imagined every emotion he had as the baseball and swung with all his might but because of his anger, he was sloppy.

    “Kominato! You’re done for the day! Go shower and get to bed!” the teams coach instructed. Not obliging right away, the batter stood there staring at his fingers that were wrapped tightly around the bat. Was he really doing that poorly just because of some teammate issues? He wasn’t a child on a little league team. He played for Seidou and this was not how a high school baseball player played. Ashamed, he ignored his brothers calls and walked back to his dorm, bat in hand. His teammates started at him as he walked in surprise as Ryousuke never gets scolded by the coach.

    This is all because of that damn bastard Youchi, the second baseman thought to himself. He clenched his fists several times over in annoyance. If only the shortstop hadn’t acted so weird only an hour ago would he be hitting much better. What did he do wrong? Did he tease him too much? Throw a ball obnoxiously? Kuramochi wasn’t that soft that he’d be annoyed by such a thing. But being treated like nothing was what was truly frustrating. But where was all of this frustration coming from? They were only teammates and one of them was just having a rough day, so why should Ryousuke care?

    But they weren’t only teammates and Ryousuke was well aware of that fact. In his head, he denied how he felt for the shortstop. Like a brick wall built up in his brain that filtered those thoughts from entering the main portion of his brain. The reason Kuramochi’s actions and attitude irked him so much was because they were much closer than most teammates and he was worried for him. Kuramochi’s actions were too out of place, and he hated it. Ryousuke knew nothing would come of it by worrying about it so late at night. He decided he’d hold off until the morning because who knows, maybe it was just a fluke thing of Youchi? Jumping into the shower, he washed off all the dirt and sweat from his body, ignoring the pain in his heart.

~~~~~~

    The next day at practice wasn’t much better. The two worked together to stop the ball from getting past the infield, doing their usual job but no extra words were said. Miyuki and Sawamura watched the two in awe and slight disappointment.

    “They really are hopeless, aren’t they?” Miyuki mumbled to himself. He stood at the plate and watched as Kuramochi and Ryousuke walked back to their normal positions on the field. Now it was just getting to be hysterical; the way the two were acting. Miyuki saw Sawamura who stood at the mound also watching the two players.

    “I wanna try something,” Miyuki started, running up the pitcher, “I’ll give you ten dollars if you catcall Ryousuke and pretend you didn’t. I wanna see if Kuramochi gets annoyed.”

    “I dunno, Miyuki-senpai…”

    “Ten and I’ll catch more than usual for you after practice.”
    “Deal!” the exuberant pitcher exclaimed with a smile. Putting his fingers to his lips, he blew out the loudest catcall he thought he had ever done. He had to say, he was quite impressed with himself. Quickly, Sawamura turned away to hide that he was the original whistler as Miyuki watched Ryousuke panic and Kuramochi raise his eyebrows.

    “Was that you!” Kuramochi yelled, pointing accusingly at Ryou-san.

    “No! Like I’d whistle at you!”

    “You don’t need to be rude! It was just a question!”

    MIyuki cackled from behind the plate with Sawamura next to him. “I’m sorry Sawamura but that was hilarious!” It wasn’t the exact outcome he had hoped for but it gave him a little something to snicker about.

    “If you’re not focused, we don’t need you. Get off the field if you’re going to be distracted,” Ryousuke spoke after a moment of silence. What was he saying? He never thought this. About Kuramochi, at least. So why was he saying it? Kuramochi looked back at him in obvious surprise.

    “Excuse me?” Kuramochi asked, his feelings hurt. But Ryousuke didn’t say anything more, running over to the batting cages for his turn to hit. Kuramochi stood in his position, feeling the many pairs of eyes on him. He made eye contact with Miyuki and Sawamura before walking to the benches. Taking a drink of water, he closed his eyes and inhaled the summer smell of the baseball field.

    There was not a question about it. The reason Ryousuke was acting so cold was because he started it, when he declined the offer for extra batting. He had to admit, he was rather rude at the time. Why couldn’t he just forget about the whole thing? Kuramochi thought. He wanted them to be friends again. Groaning, he opened his eyes slightly to see if anyone was around him and of course, the first year hovered above him.

    “Go away, Sawamura,” he groaned on,  now with his eyes fully open…

    “Have you talked to Ryou-san yet?”

    “No, and I’m not going to. It’s pointless. He’s not being very kind anyway but it’s not like I wasn’t either.”

    “Hmmm, well you don’t know until you try, like I said. Maybe he’s feeling the exact way you are. Ever think of that?” Sawamura inquired, picking at his fingernails. Kuramochi raised an eyebrow at the pitcher, never really having the thought officially occur to him that Ryousuke could be feeling the same way. The shortstop was going to speak up but a whistle prevented him from it. “Sorry! Miyuki-senpai wants me to pitch now!” The first year saluted before running back to the bullpen.

    Kuramochi exhaled deeply before standing up. He was starting to feel nostalgic, wasn’t he? The feeling in his chest as he looked out towards the field, specifically at the infield positions him and his partner played. He was feeling nostalgic to the practices months ago where they talked to each other nonstop and hung out everywhere. It was the time that Kuramochi ignored his feelings for the second baseman, subconsciously not wanting to ruin the flow of their gameplay. Not like Kuramochi knew, but Ryousuke had been doing the same exact thing. Every feeling Kuramochi felt, every moment of eye contact, was all intentional and mutual. It was not that their feelings were not mutual, it was that neither believed the other felt the same way. And both were much too afraid to come forward about it, not wanting to risk the team.

    Before long, practice ended and the team all went back to their dorms and some went to practice batting in the indoor area. (Of course, this also included Miyuki with his promise of extra catching for Sawamura (Furuya also asked but Miyuki promptly said no, saying he was being forced)). Ryousuke was asked by his brother to help him bat which he not-so-politely declined and headed straight to his room, leaving his brother and the rest in the team in awe. It wasn’t like the third year to decline extra batting practice, considering it was one of his biggest strengths.

    Returning to his room, he pulled his dirt ridden baseball pants off and pulled a pair of sweats on while grabbing a milk drink from the mini fridge that sit next to his desk. Drinking it in one go, he sprawled out on his bed and shut his eyes, processing the events that occurred that day. The only thing that continued to wrack his brain was Kuramochi’s attitude towards him. Why do I care so much? We’re just teammates and he’s having a bad week, Ryousuke told himself. But he knew fairly well it was a lie. He knew that they weren’t just teammates and he knew it wasn’t just Kuramochi having a bad week. It was more than that and with a sneaking suspicion of what it could be, he jolted up from his bed. Throwing a sweatshirt on over his head and shoes on his feet, he walked to the door.

    Ryousuke gripped the doorknob and with one twist, he opened its door wide only to have another’s body collapse on top of him. With a few grunts and groans because of various body parts being poked and prodded, Ryousuke was finally able to see who was now laying on top of him.

    “Nice to see you this evening, Youchi-kun,” Ryousuke said with a hint of priss behind his voice. Kuramochi’s cheeks were bright red and his eyes wide as he leaned on top of the third year.

    “Y-Yeah! Were you going somewhere?” Kuramochi asked him after rolling over so he was not laying on top of his friend. His knees were propped up along with his arms behind him, face staring downwards, not wanting to make eye contact.

    Ryousuke was not sure how to answer Kuramochi’s obvious ‘I have nothing to say in this awkward moment’ question. Was he going to say, “Yes, I was coming to talk to you about my feel-”?  just the thought made Ryousuke cringe. “Nowhere in particular. Did you need something then?”

    Kuramochi did not answer right away in a loss of words. Why did he come here? Did he come here to confess his love for his teammate? Did he come here to embarass himself and do the exact thing he’s been afraid to do for a whole year? “N-Not really…I guess…”

    “If you need batting help, I-”

    “N-No, not that,” the second year interrupted. Ryousuke had now gotten up and shut his door for privacy while the younger boy continue to sit on the ground. “Why have you been so cold? Like today, what was that about?”

    “I could ask you the same thing, Youchi-kun. Why have you been so cold?” Ryousuke asked smoothly and calmly with his cheeky smirk. That exact smirk is why Kuramochi had fallen head over heels for the player but it was not going to make him talk. Kuramochi scowled, the same way he always did when he became frustrated. And that was the exact reason Ryousuke had fallen head over heels for him. His undying amount of frustration.

    “Because,” his breathing wavered before speaking again, “…I think I’m in lo..wi..you,” he mumbled.

    “What? I can’t understand you when you’re mumbling, Youchi-kun.”

    “Will you shut up for just a minute!” Kuramochi yelled, now very frustrated. “I’m..in love with you…Ryou-san.”

    Ryousuke stared blankly at the player. He definitely did not expect that to come out of his teammates mouth. A sense of relief washed over him initially but it soon turned to panic.

    “Bu-But before you say anything-!” Kuramochi blurted, “just know that-”

    “Kiss me then,” the third year taunted. Wait. What was he saying? Kuramochi blinked, trying to register.

    “What?”

    “You heard me. Kiss me.” Ryousuke was a mischievous teen but Kuramochi never thought of him to be this cruel. He walked over and sat down in front of Kuramochi and leaned forward. “If you wanna know my secret, Youchi-kun, kiss me. Then I’ll tell you.” That got the younger boy intrigued.

    Kuramochi was definitely nervous, glancing around the room as if someone had a camera or simply that someone else was in the room with them. “There’s nobody here, Youchi.”

    When was the last time Kuramochi kissed anyone? Three years ago? What was her name again? Tomori, maybe? Was he even good at it then? Would he be able to remember it if he was? His thoughts were now beginning to overwhelm him but he calmed down when Ryousuke’s hand touched his neck, resting there. His fingertips brushed the bottom of his ear, making his cheeks glow an even brighter shade of pink. Now it was his heart that was becoming overwhelmed. The hand was almost persuading him. Kiss me kiss me, it said. This was an awful position to put Kuramochi in and he hated every minute of it. Well, besides the opportunity to kiss the boy he’s been in love with for so long.

    Taking one last look at the smirk on Ryousuke’s face, Kuramochi darted his face forward and pressed his lips to the others. The warmth that Ryousuke’s lips held surprised Kuramochi more than anything else. The shortstop leaned into the other while the two kissed, both just as hungry for it as the other. Their mouths clashed as their hands traveled along each others necks and faces, not wanting to part from the kiss.

    After the two pulled away, they stared at one another. Neither wanted to be the first to speak. With one swoop, Kuramochi sprung up from his seat on the floor.

    “B-Bye, Ryou-san! See you tomorrow!” Kuramochi screeched with a laugh before sprinting back to his dorm. His heart was a flutter as he ran, trying not to think about what had just occurred. He didn’t want to believe it. Did he really just kiss Ryou-san?

    Walking into his apartment, he was startled to see Sawamura and Haruichi sitting on the floor playing some fantasy themed game. (Did he buy that? He didn’t remember.) “Leave, Haruichi!” Kuramochi ordered, pointing towards the door. Haurichi looked very confused for a moment, taking a look at his friend who didn’t say anything.

    “See ya at practice, Haurichi!” is all the first year said. Kuramochi held the door open for the player, not making any eye contact. He just kissed the boys brother, after all.

    “I blame you! for my problems, Baka~mura! Anything that goes wrong is always your fault!” Kuramochi shouted while pointing accusingly at the pitcher.

    “Well, well, well that’s definitely not the first time someone has said that!” Sawamura exclaimed with a smile, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

    But Kuramochi left it at that, not explaining himself to his roommate and the latter didn’t ask. He changed, brushed his teeth and tucked himself into bed. Just as he was about yell at Sawamura to go to bed, his phone lit up with a sharp ding.

@ryou_second : I never got to tell you my secret ;P

@cheetah_hyena : Do i wanna know ?

Kuramochi wondered how Ryou-san was able to carry on a conversation so quickly.

@ryou_second : I think you do…

    Kuramochi could almost sense the amount of humor and teasing through the text messages.

@cheetah_hyena : are you gonna tell me or not then?

@ryou_second : not over text, silly! cum outside ;)))

@cheetah_hyena : you’re disgusting

    Ryousuke was very pleased with how the night had turned out so far. He had gotten much more than he bargained for when he opened his dorm room’s door. He did not expect his friend to be on the other side, wanting to talk to him about the same thing he also desired. Ryousuke also did not expect Kuramochi to confess his feelings first, so, he decided to take advantage of that. Of course, asking the poor boy to blatantly kiss him was probably a little too cruel. But in the end, he was impressed with how he went through with it. Kuramochi was a good kisser (not like Ryousuke had kissed enough people to determine so).

    Ignoring his roommates questions as of where he was going, he slipped a pair of slippers on and opened the door, only to see the grinning face of a pink haired bastard standing right outside. Kuramochi’s heart once again skipped at the sight of him, remembering the events not a half hour earlier. He was surprised his legs had not given out from under him. Looking down at his feet, he waited for Ryousuke to speak.

“Youchi-kun…”

“Yeah?” Kuramochi replied, a little to eager.

“Did you think I wouldn’t kiss you back?” Ryou-san asked. His hands were stuffed deep into his pockets, fists clenched. Kuramochi thought for a moment, wanting to answer as honestly as he could.

“No.”

“No? Why is that?” Ryou-san fished for answers.

“B-Because why would you? Why would you like such an asshole of an underclassmen like me?”

Ryousuke listened to his friends words, wanting to say a million things but not quite sure of how to put them. He could see how Kuramochi truly felt and almost everything about him, in this one moment.

“Why wouldn’t I?” Ryou replied. His voice did not sound teasing nor fun. It sounded annoyed and frustrated.

“What?”

“My secret, Youchi-kun,” the third year took a step back, “is that I like you, too.”

All at once, it felt like a brand new door opened for Kuramochi. Wind was blowing him backwards into the wall as the truth that he subconsciously knew all along was said out in front of him. The two were silent for a moment, neither of them sure of what to say.

But before Ryousuke knew it, he was grabbing the other in his arms and embracing him. The latter returned the gesture with even wider and stronger arms.

“Who said I liked you?” Kuramochi teased into the others arms. He could feel the smile of the pink haired boy on his shoulder. Almost immediately both of their moods were lifted as they hugged.

“A little birdy.”

“Uh huh.”

“Are you guys done making out yet? Because I gotta go shower!” Sawamura whined behind the closed door.

“We’re not-!” Kuramochi began but Ryousuke’s hands on his cheeks stopped him as he was pulled in for another kiss. Well now we are, Kuramochi thought devilishly. Maybe baseball would be a little more fun.

~~~~~~

The next few days at Seidou were bliss for Kuramochi and Ryousuke. Their fielding was better than anyone -including the coach- had ever seen. Everyone was impressed with the two and only a few others knew the true reason why. Those people being Miyuki, Sawamura, Haruichi, and Furuya. Well, Furuya only suspected.

When Haruichi first found out, he was a bit more surprised than Sawamura would have guessed. In spurts of “whats?!”s and “you’re lying!”s, he finally settled down and became overjoyed for his brother. Sawamura was also happy for them, but mainly Kuramochi because now the second year wouldn’t be underperforming or moody in the evenings. There wasn’t much to complain about. For anyone.

“Ya’ know…this only kind of happened because of Bakamura over there,” Miyuki nudged Kuramochi’s hip as they stood in line for their dinner. He motioned to the table with the three first years all talking spastically.

Kuramochi snorted, “yeah? Humor me. How did he-”

“Remember when I told you how Sawamura figured out your little secret? And then you got freaked and started to avoid-”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah I don’t need to hear anymore,” Kuramochi waved his hand as he smiled sheepishly. He didn’t want to admit the joke of an “ace” was the reason him and Ryousuke were now dating. It would really ruin his ego. But this happiness didn’t come out of nowhere.

“Youchi,” a voice came over the two second years. Ryousuke walked up behind Kuramochi and touched his back gently.

“No PDA in the dining room, please, Ryou-san!” Miyuki begged in a teasing tone. Kuramochi sent daggers towards the catcher. But the catchers words almost sent a trigger off in Ryou’s mind. Like it was a dare. He wasn’t sure if Kuramochi was thinking the same thing; but in one motion, he stood on his top toes, reached up for his face and kissed him dead on the lips. The room immediately fell silent as people stared. Kuramochi’s cheeks blushed in embarrassment, Ryousuke grinned as wide as humanly possible, Haurichi grimaced, and the rest…well…they all smiled. Not soon after, the cheering began and the dinner carried on to what it was earlier. Or even what it was days before. Everything was normal and that made Kuramochi smile in itself.

“If you ever do that again-”

“Oh shut up, Youchi-kun.”

To@paladiknightleorio (nice url btw nice aa) I hope u like it!
Tags: Pokemon, Crime, maybe a bit of violence?

Kuramochi isn’t very attached to the team he belongs too. Sure, they want to expand land and erase ocean, but that idea alone is dumb. He’s only with them to be able to commit crimes here and there.

Crime is a loose term to him; he steals Pokemon from abusive trainers. Stealing is a crime, so he figured he might as well do it under a name, in an uniform no one will recognize him in. The protection he gets by being part of a criminal group is a huge bonus. He does his thing amongst minor jobs assigned by the team’s boss. That’s how Kuramochi lives life and he’s quite pleased with how things go.

Except that he, as a Magma grunt, is always targeted by Aqua thugs. He has nothing against them, personally, but they can be a huge pain to deal with at times. Expanding land is equally as crazy as expanding ocean, he thinks. Earth has been created the way it was for a reason.

That’s his truth. But even so, he doesn’t ever stray from being a Magma official. He steals poor, uncared for, Pokemon and deals them out to trainers, that seem worthy. Or kids who have no Pokemon yet – those seem most worthy, harbouring pure hearts and an utmost love for Pokemon.

But being a thug has its downsides, too. That’s why he’s here, at a shabby shed that has no real signs of being inhabited. A Skitty sits on top of the stairs leading to its door. It’s been staring at him ever since he arrived here, eyes not even once leaving him. It wags it’s tail like a slow metronome, back and forth in a steady rhythm. It’s quite cute, one of Kuramochi’s favourite Pokemon really, but…

If it’s not gonna move, he’ll have to, like, fight it. He needs shelter from the night; it’s gonna rain soon and it’s unpleasantly chilly. There’s no other place to go. At least nothing as good as this shed.

God damn– “Cmon, Skitty, Skitty, be a good girl and leave…”

He really doesn’t wanna fight a Pokemon as fragile and weak as this one. This is gonna be a pain…

It meows and Kuramochi grits his teeth, grabbing for a Pokeball in his bag. Maybe he can just… catch it? Yeah… it doesn’t seem strong, he’ll just catch it and pass it on to a kid with eyes set on adventure. It’s gonna be in good hands there.

He throws an empty Pokeball at it; just that should be enough. But it evades gracefully, never leaving the steps. Kuramochi throws another and one more ball, but the Pokemon avoids all of them while staying right in front of the shed’s door.

Is it guarding this place? He can’t help but wonder. He feels a pang of guilt, of sadness. How long has this Pokemon be there? Has the shed’s owner passed away? Is it still waiting, looking after this place? Surely that can’t be, can it..?

“Alea, come back inside, I’m tired of waiting.”

The door slowly opens, followed by a pleasant voice calling for the Skitty. It turns its head away from Kuramochi and he releases a breath he didn’t know he’s been holding. Alea, huh? As in the rare, poisonous flower? Interesting nickname.

Kuramochi looks up, a raindrop hitting his cheek. Well, there goes his shelter for the night. No wonder he couldn’t catch the Skitty. No wonder it’s been sitting there, guarding this shed. And now it’s gonna pour in a matter of minutes with berry fields being the only shelter for miles.

Should he chase whoever lives here out? No, wait, shouldn’t he actually hide before they see him? If someone reports a magma grunt, they’ll send police and that’s always a pain.

Not that he’s scared or anything, no. They won’t capture him, not ever.

Something blue enters his vision. Light blue, like the sky on a clear morning.

The shed’s inhabitant has emerged. It’s an Aqua member. Pink hair and eyes that look just like their Skitty’s… sure, people often resemble their Pokemon but isn’t this too much?

No… wait… why is an Aqua grunt – or is it a higher up? – in a shed in the middle of nowhere. Maybe to conceal themself. Maybe to hide. Maybe it’s a secret base? But aren’t all their bases close to the ocean?

“Oho?” the Aqua member lays eyes on Kuramochi with a smile. Smiles should be easy, happy, sometimes fake or sad… they shouldn’t be able to be terrifying like theirs. He fights to stay where he is instead of taking a step back and getting into a defensive position. He can fight; even without Pokemon. And he will, if he has to.

“Oh nice, it’s raining.” The Skitty lookalike singsongs, stepping out of the shed. They look at the night sky, then straight at Kuramochi. “Guess that’s why you hate water so much?”

Their smile widens just a fraction. Kuramochi slowly reaches for one of his Pokeballs. If he can knock this person unconscious, both of them will sleep well tonight…

But he’s tied up before he knows it. Sticky threads bind his hands and feet. An Ariados sits in front of him, intimidating like its owner. He tries to move and falls on his butt. Thankfully the soil is still mostly dry instead of muddy.

“So, tell me this.” The Aqua member descends the stairs and crouches down in front of Kuramochi. “And don’t lie.” They make direct eye contact with him. “How did you find this place?”

Kuramochi shrugs. “Got lost.”

It’s the truth, not believable but he feels they’re gonna see straight through any lies he comes up with. It’s not worth thinking up some fake explanation.

They just hum, straighten up and proceed to call another Pokemon, Hydreigon, to transport him inside. Ariados binds his wrists and feet one more time. He’s set in some corner of the shed and promptly ignored. Well, at least it’s cozy in here. Warm. Dry.

Skitty sits close to Kuramochi while it’s owner busies themself preparing food. Actually, it reeks of spices and tamato berries in here. Kuramochi wrinkles his nose. He distracts himself by looking around the shed more. There’s an electric stove, a separate area – maybe a bathroom? – some decorations here and there. A TV, a couch…

It seems so domestic in here, Kuramochi is reminded of his old home. If he was more emotionally inclined, he’d cry right now. But all he emits is a low sigh. Skitty tilts his head at him, meowing in confusion. Despite its best efforts and the similarities, the Pokemon is cute in contrast to its trainer. If Kuramochi wasn’t tied up, he’d pat the adorable creature.

Seems like it senses his goodwill, because it comes closer, rests it front paws and head on his thigh and purrs. It’s warm and Kuramochi closes his eyes. Who knows what the Aqua fellow intends to do with him now that he’s here… but whatever it is, he can’t do much about it. Not like this. He can’t reach his Pokeballs, he can’t move, it’s warm and he’s tired. He’ll just sleep for now…

–

He wakes up when sunlight hits his face. His back aches, his body is stiff and sore… he’s hungry, thirsty and really, he has a couple more basic human needs to take care of. Skitty is curled up in his lap and an Espeon watches over him with unmoving eyes. It’s pretty; a shiny one, even.

“Peon.” it sings in a low tone. No one else seems awake, the Hydreigon is curled up with its owner in a far corner, Ariados is nowhere to be seen…

“Whatcha need?” Kuramochi asks the Espeon, calmly. Quietly. It seems a little distressed. It turns its head to look at its owner. Then back at him. It gently bumps its head into Kuramochi’s shoulder, then goes back to staring at him.

He gets the general idea. Pokemon mean a lot to him and he’s sure he can understand them better than the average human. Heck, most of the time they make more sense than any human he’s ever met.

This Espeon… it’s worried. About its trainer. Why? Kuramochi doesn’t know. Are they lonely? Are they an Aqua escapee? Is anything else the matter?

“Peon?” It asks and he manages a reassuring smile.

“Don’t worry, I’ll never turn down a Pokemon.” he breathes. It nods, then gets up, stretching it’s front paws. Next second, Kuramochi’s hands are free. The Pokemon cut them without any hesitation. It even lets itself be patted. He relishes in the feeling of Espeon’s long, soft ears. Reminds him of his Flareon in a way. Just less hot and smoother.

At some point Skitty wakes and demands attention, so Kuramochi pets the smaller Pokemon instead. Espeon gracefully walks over to its trainer, waking them. Once it accomplished its mission, it returns to him. Kuramochi doesn’t look, but he hears some shuffling in the far corner of the shed. A couple yawns, a door opening and closing.

And he’s reminded of his own bathroom needs. His stomach rumbles. His mouth is dry.

“Alea, was it?” he lowly asks the Skitty. It meows in confirmation. “Can you get my feet untied? Please?”

It bounces off his lap and gets to work instantly. A few scratches and bites later, he’s entirely free. He considers making a run for it, but shakes his head right away. He won’t let this Espeon down. Besides, this aqua person has taken him in, albeit tied up. Nevertheless, it was shelter from the storm and the cold.

“Oh, you’re up.” they speak as they return from the bathroom. They walk over to him and now that he gets a better look at them…

He corrects himself. They’re just as cute and pretty as their Skitty.

“And free, too. You’ve been naughty again, haven’t you, Alea?” they chuckle. “Well, not like I wanted to keep him tied up.”

Kuramochi evaluates his opinion of the Aqua member. They seem to be very gentle to their Pokemon, are loved by them and while unpredictable, they were sort of nice to him, too. 

After all, they could have left him out there in the rain, could have attacked him or whatever else. 

“So, tell me, simple grunt.” they smile at him; that unsettling, slightly terrifying smile from last night. “Why did you join one of the teams?”

“For the Pokemon.” he says, holding their gaze. 

They chuckle. “Not bad. Even Moccella likes you.”

The Espeon yips in agreement, wagging it’s tail. It looks a lot happier than before. Why?

“C’mon, don’t just sit there.” They say and turn towards the back end of the barn. “I’m making breakfast. If you don’t come, well, my Pokemon eat a lot in the morning. Not my problem if you have to starve.” 

Kuramochi grins, accepting the challenge.

—

Kuramochi saves a Pikipek from a particularly nasty Pokemon coordinator about one year after first ending up at the barn. It’s got a broken wing and ruffled feathers. When Kuramochi takes it to a Pokemon center, it pecks and screeches at the nurses. Horrible…

He gathers his fingers into a fist and grits his teeth. 

“You saved it, Youichi.” his partner says, almost scoldingly. His hand is taken and he lets himself be pulled to the seats in the pmc waiting area. “Don’t beat yourself up over it.”

Ryousuke’s presence and voice alone makes Kuramochi feel comfortable. He’s right; of course. He always is. 

He’s so, so glad that they’re partners.

“I know.” Kuramochi says and shakes his head, freeing it from bad thoughts. “How about we give it to your little brother?”

“That’s a good idea.” Ryousuke smiles and nods. Kuramochi can rarely tell what his partner is thinking but in moments like these, he knows he’s appreciated as much as he appreciates.

To:@simplylilyyy
From:@mahokoyuki
Rating:Teen
Tags: canon divergent, hanahaki au, Kuramochi’s POV
Hope you enjoy! I love hanahaki au but this is my first time writing it ^_^

Ryousuke had always been special.

When Kuramochi first arrived at Seidou he had a chip on his shoulder. He half assed practice, still sore from the betrayal of his “friends” in junior high. Ryousuke pushed his buttons, the right ones, and he was able to get his head back in the game. Then it turned out once he put the work in that he and Ryousuke worked damn well together. Kuramochi admired him, how much he pushed himself, how quick he was to adapt, to meet him in the middle on their plays. Outside the field Ryousuke was his senpai, but on the field he felt treated as an equal once he earned his partner’s respect.

Admiration. Respect. That’s all it was at first, he knows it. Kuramochi was a simple guy. He had real friends now, a team he could trust, and a partner who pushed him to be his best. He was happy, content-

So it made no sense that after their devastating loss to Inashiro Kuramochi was coughing up flowers on the floor of Seidou’s locker room.

He’d had a nagging feeling in his throat though most of the game, but Kuramochi blamed nerves. His partner was injured and still wanted to play. The game was important, especially to the third years and, well, Ryousuke was a third year so obviously important to him. The short stop coughed a few times after backing Ryousuke up, “saving him” his partner had said.

But as Kuramochi stared down at the damp pink petals littering the floor at his feet he realized it was more than admiration and respect. More than friendship that he wanted. He was in love with Kominato Ryousuke and he was doomed.

—

A week passed since the game and with it came a lot of changes. The third years moved dorms and the team’s dynamics shifted as players were moved to fill in the holes their senpai left. Gaps that Kuramochi was sure would never be filled the same. It was no surprise that Haruichi was moved into Ryousuke’s place and even less f a surprise he was good. Kuramochi saw his potential but they didn’t mesh as well as he and-

“Kuramochi-senpai?” Haruichi started to reach for him but Kuramochi raised his hand, head shaking, his other hand covering his mouth as he coughed but tried to hold back what he knew was trying to come up.

“I’m fine, Kominato.” Kominato. Ryousuke. Pink. Kuramochi swallowed thickly, felt gagged as the petals went down and he shuddered.

“He was coughing super bad this morning!” Sawamura chimed in and it made Kuramochi remember to dispose of the petals he hid under his pillow after his earlier fit. “Are you getting sick, Kuramochi-senpai?” Sawamura made his way over with a hand out, presumably to check his temperature but Kuramochi swatted it away and stepped back.

“I told you I’m fine! Get back to swinging. You should worry more about you’re batting right now, idiot!” Kuramochi growled out and decided to call it a day, shouldering his bat and fighting off the nausea. At least Sawamura made a good distraction. He’d need it if he was to see Haruichi. Ryousuke’s younger brother. Pink hair. Pink petals. He spent just as much time thinking of Ryousuke even though he wasn’t there. They haven’t spoken in weeks and Kuramochi has only caught glimpses of him around campus.

He was busy. All the third years were.

That’s what he told himself since he didn’t want to face the fact that outside of baseball…they weren’t really even friends.

Kuramochi steadied himself inside the locker room, hand on the wall while he took a few deep breaths, air not coming to him easily. His chest felt tight. There was a burning sensation around his sternum and the nausea increased.

It was getting worse, the Hanahaki disease. Something so rare and only strikes those who love someone who doesn’t feel the same in return. Of course with his luck he’d contract it. If he didn’t do something soon it could kill him. Surgery was out. Too long of a recovery and too many risks. Medicine would be doable, something to suppress his feelings until he fell out of love but he’d have to have his mom come with him to the appointment since he was only 17.

Kuramochi groaned, a few coughs escaping him and he doubled over in pain, something stuck in his throat. His stomach clenched as he choked, dry heaving. The bat fell from his grasp and his hand slid down the wall as he dropped to his knees, the impact not even registering as he focused on getting some air. Kuramochi reached into his mouth, trying his best to squeeze the petals out at the same time. His fingers felt something and he pulled, dislodging the obstruction and he gasped for breath, shaking all over.

It wasn’t just petals this time. Almost a whole rose with a small stem, red spots tainting it in places.

Damn, he was more screwed than he thought.

—

Msg from Ryou-san: Meet me after dinner tonight.

Kuramochi read the text over and over. He nearly tripped over his feet when he first saw it walking into the classroom. He sat there, the familiar queasiness hitting him again as he thought of a response. Weeks of nothing and now he wanted to see him?

Msg to Ryou-san: Gotta swing after dinner. Meet up before?

Msg from Ryou-san: Can’t. And you’ve been skipping out early anyway. You better not be slacking now that I’m not there to keep you in line. Class about to start, see you tonight.

How did he even know-? Oh. Haruichi. Of course. But did Haruichi just volunteer this information or was Ryousuke asking about him?

Why was this making him hopeful?

Kuramochi sighed and let his head fall, a nice thud once it made contact with the desk. And, as expected, he could feel his chest constrict. Ryousuke wanting to see him should make him happy, regardless of the reason. Maybe this meant they were more than just the Iron Wall, that Ryousuke considered him a friend.

Just a friend.

A cough came unbidden and Kuramochi brought his hands up, cupping his mouth. This one was easier than the one in the locker room, no stem attached but his throat still felt just as sore, if not more. He clenched his fist to hide the flower and looked around. Good, no one seemed to notice-

Miyuki. Miyuki was staring at him, that calculating gaze fixed on him as if solving a puzzle. Kuramochi frowned at him despite his face getting hot. If he didn’t know any better he’d think Miyuki looked a bit…concerned.

Shit.

—

Sure enough that damn catcher dragged him out of the room as soon as lunch started and didn’t let go until they reached the roof. Kuramochi didn’t even bother to fight. He definitely didn’t want to bring attention this this and maybe Miyuki didn’t even see the flower. Perhaps Sawamura told him that Kuramochi had been coughing for awhile and his teammate was trying his hand at caring.

Kuramochi should have known his luck wasn’t that good.

“Was that…did you…?” Miyuki rounded on him, eyes wide and boy did he look uncomfortable. This conversation would really go beyond whatever weird friendship/rivalry thing they had going. “A flower. You literally coughed up a flower. But it’s not possible. Hanahaki is so rare-“

“And yet, here I am hacking this shit up.” Kuramochi crossed his arms, lip curled in a sneer. “Look, Miyuki, I’m having a bit of crisis right now, I don’t need you making fun-“

“Making fun? Kuramochi, this is serious! This could…have you seen the nurse?” Kuramochi shook his head. He’s yet to even talk to his mom from the fear of what this disease could do to him and that she’d badger him to tell her who it was. And coming out to his mom on top of all this? Well, his mom was pretty chill with most things but this was bit much all at once. “Who is it?”

Damn nosy catcher. “None of your business.”

“Is it me?” Miyuki looked absolutely terrified.

Kuramochi snorted. “The hell? No!”

Miyuki visibly relaxed, the tension releasing from him palpable. “Good. That would’ve been awkward.” He scratched his neck and met Kuramochi’s gaze again. “Have you tried telling them? I’ve heard that assuming the feelings are unrequited can still trigger…you know.” He moved his hand in front of his mouth.

“No, I haven’t.” Kuramochi responded, trying to remain calm, taking deep breaths as he already could tell just talking about this would send him into a coughing fit. “There’s been nothing to suggest he’d-“ shit, Kuramochi already gave too much away. Fuck it. “He’d feel that way about me.”

“So you’ll just give up? And let this…?”

“I can’t ruin whatever sort of relationship I have with Ryou-san now! So, I’ll get some damn pills and wait it out. I’m not gonna die. Quit being so damn dramatic.” Kuramochi wanted to sound threatening, wanted to make it sound like Miyuki was making it a bigger deal than it was, but the shake in his voice revealed he was just as worried.

Kuramochi jumped when a hand landed on his shoulder, Miyuki trying (and failing) to give him a reassuring smile. “Just…don’t do anything stupid. Might be hard for you.” Great, now he was trying to lighten the mood. “And if you’re still…with the flowers next week I’ll go to Rei-chan and let her handle it.”

“You’re a terrible friend.” He didn’t mean it.

“I know.” Miyuki knew he didn’t either.

“But…thanks.” Maybe Miyuki Kazuya wasn’t all bad.

—

Despite his lunch conversation with the most socially awkward person ever, Kuramochi was able to feel better for a little while. He had a plan. He’d get over this disease. He even had a chance to talk about it and something about having it in the open made him feel lighter, made his chest open up some.

That all cane crashing down at dinner. The closer the time came to meet with Ryousuke the more nervous Kuramochi got. Three bowls of rice wouldn’t be happening so he took advantage of the sick card that Sawamura had been suggesting for a few days now and put his left overs on Miyuki’s tray.

Kuramochi coughed up three flowers just from the time it took to get from the dining hall to Ryousuke’s dorm on the other side of campus and when the object of his affection opened the doors smelling like he just came from the bath, hair still damp on the ends, and looking soft in a too big shirt and sweats, Kuramochi thought he’d dredge up a whole fucking rose bush.

This wasn’t fair. Why couldn’t he had a normal hopeless love that left him listening to sad music and possibly a few viewings of shit romance movies? No, he just had to contract a rare and possibly fatal disease.

Fuck you, universe.

“Hey, Ryou-san.” Kuramochi winced as he walked in. His voices sounded raspy and weak. His former partner merely raised a brow and gestured to a chair while he took a seat in the bed.

“You look awful. Can you truly not take care of yourself while I’m away?” The corners of Ryousuke’s mouth lifted, teasing.

Kuramochi tried to laugh it off, rubbing the back of his head while trying not to gag. This was a bad idea. “Just a cold, I guess. How’ve you been?”

Ryousuke tilted his head and sighed. “Busy. Adjusting took some time.”

“But no calls? No letters?”

Ryousuke gave an amused huff that madr Kuramochi’s heart rate pick up. “I thought it would be best to give you space, You-chan.” Space? For what? He couldn’t have known… “Let you get accustomed to working with Haruichi without either of you relying on me for help. You have to make your own bond.” Ryousuke continued to explain, somewhat…sadly?

“Ah. That makes sense.” Kuramochi took a deep breath and leaned over. Just a little longer. He had to keep them down at least a few more minutes. “He’s got potential. He he tries too hard to be you. And he’s not.”

“Good luck getting that through his stubborn head.” Ryousuke smirked.

“Haha-ah” No, no, no. Kuramochi covered his mouth and swallowed but it hurt. His throat was already raw and whatever was trying to come up was big.

“You-chan?” Ryousuke straightened up, eyes widening some.

“S-sorry. Might be sicker than I-I thought.” He coughed a few times into his hand, alarmed when he saw red. “I gotta go.” When he stood it just got worse, his whole body caught up in expelling the flowers.

Ryousuke was beside him in an instant, a hand on his back. “Youichi?” He sounded scared but Kuramochi couldn’t speak, couldn’t do anything to convince him he was okay that he shouldn’t worry.

He didn’t want Ryousuke to feel guilty. It’s not his fault Kuramochi fell in love with him.

With tears in his eyes and sheer will Kuramochi coughed, petals flying out, pink and red, but it wasn’t enough. There was more still in there, lodged in his throat and chest and he was helpless. He couldn’t breathe.

He was further gone than he thought and now he…he…

—

Kuramochi felt a pressure against his lips. Something soft and warm. He didn’t want to open his eyes. This peace…this was the best he’s felt since the Inashiro loss. But suddenly his lips were cold and all he could feel was air.

Air. He could breathe.

“Youichi!” Ryousuke sounded winded, scared. That made him open his eyes.

He and Ryousuke were on the floor, petals around them and Kuramochi was held up, the other’s hands on his shoulders steadying him. It took a few moments for his brain to catch up. The hanahaki, the flowers, the tightness-it was gone.

And Ryousuke sat in front of him, cheeks as pink as his hair. Then his face was close again as their lips met again.

Again.

Ryousuke had kissed him and now he was-

Kuramochi pulled back in surprise. “Ryou-san? Ow!”

Ryousuke frowned as he put down the hand that chopped him. “You’re an idiot. Waiting this long.” He didn’t give Kuramochi a chance to answer as he kissed him again.

Kuramochi couldn’t help but wonder if he meant waiting to get treatment or to tell him his feelings. As he wrapped his arms around Ryousuke though he figured it didn’t matter.

It all worked out in the end and Kuramochi felt that he and the universe were even after he stayed the night in Ryousuke’s dorm.

to:@mahokoyuki

-4 years.

He hasn’t been to a pro-league game in forever. The last time he was sitting on bleachers, it wasn’t even about baseball; it had been for Summer Sonic back at home in Marine Stadium. It had been a sweaty, exhilarating series of sets, and Youichi had unlocked the door to his mom’s apartment at three in the morning after trying the wrong key three times, beer and exhaustion clouding his sight. Coming home to Chiba always means the familiar embrace of his hometown, with stores opening and closing on the same streets, people coming and going.

Maybe this year they’ll make it. But the odds are that this year’s P-League champs will be (again) the Hawks, and Youichi’s not exactly looking forward to that black-and-yellow shit in Jingu Stadium. Youichi tries not to think about that too much; he’s an optimist by habit and a punkass by nature. This could be it. This could be their year.

+1 year.

“Did you know?” Youichi’s waving his old phone in Ryousuke’s face, the screen a blur while Youichi nearly puts it in Ryousuke’s nose. “Have you seen this?”

“I haven’t seen that thing in years,” Ryousuke replies, leaning backwards away from the phone before taking it from Youichi’s hands. “What am I looking at?”

“A picture,” Youichi clarifies, and Ryousuke resists the urge to roll his eyes.

“What am I supposed to be looking at?” He studies it, but it’s not a familiar scene: it’s just a shot of a sports stadium, and Ryousuke’s been in almost every one in Japan. “It’s a baseball game.”

“Chiba Marine Stadium.” Youichi moves closer to him, forehead almost bumping up against Ryousuke’s as he taps the phone screen, and it clumsily zooms in. The photo quality isn’t great. Ryousuke doesn’t move away. “Look familiar?”

Ryousuke might have been in town for a Pacific League game. He’s not sure. “I don’t know,” Ryousuke admits.

“Oh.” Youichi visibly deflates. He puts his old phone in his pocket and shrugs, but the nonchalance is a little faked. Ryousuke can tell. “Well, okay then.”

-3 years.

Ryousuke watches the game, and also watches his brother. Jingu Stadium at this time of the year is a riot of sounds and sights; this year’s Big6 is, as always, hotly contested.

Who knows? Some time next year (or the year after that) he could be back, and his brother could be wearing a Swallows jersey. Haruichi is a conspicuous presence on the field, pink hair glinting sunlight on second base. Ryousuke takes a picture of him, a pink-headed blur as Haruichi catches and tags the runner on the shoulder. It’s almost as if he did it himself: the satisfying weight of the ball smacking against his palm, the stinging comfort of a brief, hard-earned success cupped in his hands. But Ryousuke’s body hasn’t had that feeling in years, and his breathing is remarkably even, as stable as Haruichi’s isn’t.

Ryousuke doesn’t retain that much information about Haruichi’s team. He follows college baseball casually, he says when his coworkers ask if he has any hobbies. He doesn’t mention his little brother, and nobody brings it up–not the shared family name or their similar faces. Haruichi’s shot up in height in the last few years, and Ryousuke tries not to be too vindictive about it, even if Haruichi does accidentally “get that down for you, aniki,” when he’s home.

When it’s time to come in and Haruichi’s batting helmet is on, Ryousuke doesn’t take his eyes off the number four on Haruichi’s back. It’s funny, how the material things could feel so real and unreal at the same time.

+2 years.

When he moves out of his old place, Ryousuke goes through his old portfolio and tries not to crease up the newsprint too badly. He can’t believe he used to write this way; he’s not sure what his old editors must had thought of his work at the time. Tanba would have (very gently) had his head for writing like that.

He much prefers how it is now, with his words published online first with the paper printing out a weekly article, his name still a black-ink byline. Back then, the scale of his assignments grew with his beat: high school games, college baseball, and Central League coverage with the summer sun beating down on the press seats’ in Meiji Jingu Stadium. Ryousuke’s heard that it’s kind of a holy place, since it’s owned by a shrine, but the luck that runs there is a different kind of religion. He’s seen Haruichi’s games play out there more than once there through providence or cruel fate.

His hand brushes over the photos, printed in four-color and some of them crisp profiles of players, others candids snapped of the packed bleachers. He’s not sentimental, but Ryousuke thinks there’s something Youichi-like about the faces in the pictures, keen-eyed and smiling.

-2 years.

Youichi notices That Guy when he gets a new phone. His old phone’s been through some great times with him, and he still wants to get those rock concert photos on a computer, but it’s time for an upgrade. He scrolls through pictures of good days and shitty, weird situations, including the time he got a new pair of kicks and immediately got them muddy. (Or rather, Eijun got them muddy and had, after half an hour of wrestling, whined and apologized.)

He’s not always there in every picture. Oftentimes he’s just someone in the background, a blurry face every dozen shots, with a gentle smirk on his face as if he knows the punchline to a joke Youichi missed. He’s on the skinny side, with cropped pink hair and thin eyes. Youichi’s not sure if he’s ever seen anyone like that before.

+3 years.

Eijun gets along with Haruichi famously. “You have a nice dog,” he laughs, and Ryousuke wants to bang his head against his own front door. Haruichi sits on the living room floor with Eijun’s head on his knees, Youichi’s dog staring up adoringly at Haruichi’s face.

“He’s dumb,” Youichi says, but Ryousuke can hear the fondness in his voice. “Dumb, but good.”

“Good dog,” Haruichi agrees, scratching Eijun’s ears. The dog’s leaving a prodigious amount of drool on Haruichi’s pants and on the couch cushions, but nobody seems to mind. Briefly–while he’s retrieving a towel to put under Eijun’s jaw–he regrets this, the whole idea of a weekend with him, his superstar little brother, and Youichi’s dog. Eijun tends to like everyone, and they’re used to this enough to keep old towels under the bathroom sink, but it’s still mildly annoying because, to put it kindly, Eijun is enthusiastic at best and at worst a public nuisance.

Ryousuke’s only three paces away from rejoining them in the living room, faded blue towel in his hands, when he hears soft voices. “I just wanted to tell you,” Haruichi says, and there’s something about the tone of his voice that makes Ryousuke stop. “Thank you.”

“For nothing,” Youichi dismisses, and the forced, casual tone makes Ryousuke twist the towel in his fingers. Youichi always sees more than he lets on.

“For taking care of him,” Haruichi insists. “It’s nice to see someone doing that, for once. The other way around.” His voice is so gentle, Ryousuke strains to hear it. “It can’t be easy.”

“Not easy,” Youichi agrees, as if he’s talking about the weather. Ryousuke would have been angry if he’d denied it. “But I’m not that kind of guy. I don’t want easy.” Eijun makes a small, snuffling noise, as if half-asleep. “Love doesn’t come cheap, you know?”

When Ryousuke comes back in, handing Youichi Eijun’s towel, he should have guessed that Haruichi had known he was standing there.

-1 year.

Ryousuke works right up to the deadline. It gets his editor into such a fuss, but Tanba’s always been like that. Ryousuke uses every second he can to get it all right: the writing, the facts, and it’s always funny when Tanba gets that twitching nerve at his temple, made all the more obvious by his baldness.

“Is it done?” Tanba is a pencil-shaped man, even when he crosses his arms. He looms over Ryousuke’s shoulder like a nervous ghost, a habit he hasn’t broken despite years of Ryousuke poking him in the chin–and on several memorable occasions, the eye–with a pen.

Ryousuke doesn’t stop typing. “Almost, mother hen.” Ryousuke saves the final (most final of final) draft and sends a copy to print. “Yes.” Tanba will see it on their shared network drive if he ever stops hovering, and Ryousuke puts his computer to sleep. He turns to see his editor still standing there, as if waiting for some other shoe to drop, but Ryousuke’s only done the whole ‘oh no, the computers crashed and we have nothing to publish’ joke once.

“Seriously.” Ryousuke puts up his hands in surrender, smile still playing on his face. The captions will be written by someone else, and he’s already asked for the raw photos of Haruichi in Jingu Stadium this year from their Central League photographer. “I’m done.”

+4 years.

Ryousuke puts the photos together on a late night. He’s drunk too much coffee this close to the wire, and Youichi sleeps like he’s dead. At two in the morning, he shouldn’t be up either, but it’s been a relief to hand it all in and know Tanba isn’t getting any sleep himself.

He really had been there in Chiba. Ryousuke had taken an early train and hoped to get there a few hours early to interview and get the feel of the place. He’d never watched a Pacific League game before, not live, and Ryousuke’s editor had cut a good quarter of his writing and given him a terrible headline before print.

Ryousuke appears in the background of Youichi’s photos with an odd, eerie regularity. They’d crossed paths over the years, meeting mostly in Tokyo, never knowing they might share a future. Ryousuke pulls up his work laptop and tries not to squint too hard at the bright screen, searching for his old articles and their accompanying pictures.

He stays up until dawn, finding the same face in photos that sleeps in his bed, and feels a little unsettled, if not fascinated, by fate.

0 years. Now.

“Sit! Eijun, no! Sit!”

Youichi nearly runs someone over with his dog one winter afternoon, Eijun’s leash slipping out of his gloved hands while his dog bolts down the street. He chases Eijun for a block, breath puffing white while he tries not to slip on any ice, and sees Eijun collide with someone holding hot coffee like a scene straight out of a social nightmare. “Bad dog!” Youichi fumbles with the sodden leash while glaring at Eijun’s unrepentant face. “Bad,” Youichi grumbles, and Eijun gives him the Sad Eyes before turning to nose at the stranger. “Jesus.”

The stranger, bundled up in a coat and hat with a scowl across his face, fixes a glare on Eijun, then Youichi. There’s a huge coffee stain growing on his chest. He looks like he’s about to bitch him out, which is kind of uncalled for since Eijun hasn’t done anything to him on purpose, precisely. Eijun strains at his leash. “Sorry,” Youichi blurts out, and Eijun makes the appropriate noises to follow. “He’s, I know, I’m sorry, he’s really young and dumb and I’m still training him.”

“Did you start today?” The stranger’s voice is like acid.

“Sorry,” Youichi repeats, and finds he means it a little less. “I’m really sorry. I’ll, I can try to make it up to you? Get you a new coffee?” He’s hoping his dog looks guilty.

The stranger (Jesus, is that pink hair?) stares at him and sighs. Youichi feels a little more defensive at the stranger’s total silence; it’s not every day he asks some random person out for drinks, even if it’s “Sorry My Dog Nearly Tried To Kill You” apology coffee. “Two coffees?” Youichi tries, and he swears there’s the ghost of a smile threatening the stranger’s face.

“Fine.” He doesn’t unzip the jacket, just ignores the stain and walks away, his strides pretty quick for a guy who’s that short. Youichi jogs a little to catch up, just to hear him say, “And keep up with your dog.”

for@meitaskaista

from@daiyadreamer

Kuramochi Youichi is born into a world that is unforgiving to those born in poverty. But not all stories start with tragedy, and Youichi’s grandfather will make sure that his is one of them.

So it starts like this:

Kuramochi Youichi makes an ally in Death not ten minutes after he is born. His path will be a long one, and one witch can change the course of his life in the form of a golden-eyed boy who wasn’t born that way.

(A Godfather Death AU) My gift for meitaskaista on tumblr.

Link.

To: @askalltheballers

From: @kominato-official

I hope you enjoy this ! I was interested in most of what you had preferences for and figured I’d try and craft a short little thing here. Single dads is a fave :3c

Ryousuke always expects his call first thing in the morning. It’s nothing but habit, he knows, that from the moment Kuramochi wakes up and situates himself with the world, that he’ll pick up his cell phone and dial his number. It’s actually rather sweet of him that he’s so dedicated with keeping to routine these days.

Such a worrywart, Ryousuke thinks. He’s been just fine these past few months. Kuramochi is just a little cocky over having three years of experience on a subject for once.

And without a single beat missed, there it is. At precisely five minutes to ten, Ryousuke’s phone goes off with the familiar ringtone that he’s assigned to Kuramochi’s number. He almost considers letting the cell phone ring and he’ll call back later, but that feels a little… mean. As a smirk curls on his lips, Ryousuke picks up his phone from the counter.

He answers with only a simple hum, one that he’s sure Kuramochi will never get sick of. It doesn’t take long for his voice to break through the speaker. “Ryou-san! It’s good to hear your voice. Um, well sort of. You should say ‘hey’ at least…” Rather eager of him to say, but Ryousuke humors him, at least.

“Hey.”

Kuramochi snorts. “Thanks, thanks… Seriously, how’s your day starting out? Did you get anything done?” Before Ryousuke knows it, Kuramochi switches right into his doting mode, that tone of his voice is clear; the upward inflection in it is so obviously his baby voice that Ryousuke finds himself wanting to scoff before Kuramochi even finishes his sentence.

At the most, Kuramochi spends more than ten minutes reminding Ryousuke about the exact same things that he always reminds him about. Ryousuke just hums in affirmation every now and then, at least pretending to listen to him go on and on about how a baby has a set schedule that he has to adhere to. That he knows best because of his experience with Mieko and he continues to drone on and on until Ryousuke responds with a simple: “Sure, Dad.”

Ryousuke only lucks out on that parent-tier lecture by reminding Kuramochi that he’s doting over his kid like he’s practically his father… Which, Ryousuke supposes, is probably the loosest thing he can call Kuramochi, if not an uncle or something. They’re close friends, so he wouldn’t be against letting Kuramochi take care of his son for a little bit. It is rather funny, though. Kuramochi still dresses and acts like the rough around the edges guy he is. To think that he fusses over anything that’s less than an adult is just what Ryousuke would expect after knowing him for this long.

“You’d do some good getting some fresh air today.” Ryousuke speaks plainly after a beat of a genuinely comfortable silence. It’s a simple topic that pops up in his head, moments after patting around one of the higher cabinets in his kitchen for that new can of baby formula he’d bought a few days back with Kuramochi. That idea seems to turn the wheels in Kuramochi’s head; Ryousuke can hear some distinct rustling on his side as if he were turning to lie back onto his bed.

An easygoing sigh comes from Kuramochi’s lips. “That’d be nice. Maybe I can head over to your place again today. If you’re up to doing anything, I can leave Mieko with my mom.” There’s a smile in Kuramochi’s voice. It’s so obvious.

Of course, Ryousuke isn’t against playing into his hands. It’s been a while. He’s absently preparing the bottle for his son, the measuring of the powder down to the warming of the water has easily become a habit that Ryousuke can do blindfolded. “Oh? Maybe I’ll be free…” he pauses, breathing out a chuckle at the groan that seems to have lodged itself into Kuramochi’s throat. “You can come over. Stay here a while. Just don’t take another one of your ‘naps’ and stay here after dark.”

As usual, Kuramochi laughs. A bright, full sound that leaves Ryousuke can barely ignoring how it makes his chest tighten.

They make their ‘plans’ easily. It’s all things they’ve done for the time Ryousuke has been single, of course. Three months worth of back and forths from his apartment to Kuramochi’s house, spending time with each other’s kids in between the usual ‘Hey, let’s have sex because we have nothing else planned for today’.

It’s funny. This habit has been built up so easily that anything else seems so foreign. Ryousuke wouldn’t know how to accept a drastic change because this is all he’s accustomed to now. That is a thought he continues to to linger on, all while giving Kuramochi the usual song and dance about tending to his son until Kuramochi gets here. It’s met with little resistance, even if Kuramochi takes a little longer to hang up today.

That’s all said and done. Kuramochi should be here in a few hours or so. Now that he knows he won’t be too pressed for time, Ryousuke paces himself with his morning to-do list, taking his sweet time with checking if the liquid in the bottle is warm enough in between wandering around the area between the living room and the kitchen. It isn’t a big distance by far, considering how small his apartment is to begin with, but mindlessly pacing his apartment is a habit he only picked up from Kuramochi.

There’s plenty of little habits he’s picking up. It’s not exactly bothersome, but it’s rather telling of how much time they’ve been spending together. Now, more than ever, they’re simply by each other’s side day by day. Funny, when all there is in their relationship now after nearly a decade is sleeping with one another every now and then.

Ryousuke catches himself on being too sappy, just in time for him to nearly step on one of Ryouta’s rattles and promptly kick it out of the way. He really should tidy the place up a little before Kuramochi gets here, but that thought evaporates the moment he’s striding into the former ‘guest room’ of his little apartment.

“Morning,” Ryousuke begins once he flicks the lightswitch on. Seems that Ryouta is already awake, judging by the sweet noise he makes once Ryousuke is in his line of sight. “Sorry I kept you waiting. Looks like I’ll have to wake up earlier for you, huh?”

The same routine he’s had for these past months comes to him easily now. Even if he’s become utterly used to it, living this life with only himself and Ryouta isn’t something he’d give up so easily. Ryousuke is starting to love it, these months of calm right after a rather grating relationship that only fell apart because of the little one.

But thinking about that is more than enough. Not that it bothers Ryousuke that much, but he’d rather not sit and brood over that while his son is clearly asking for his attention—attention that should be given to him before he grows fussy that he hasn’t had his breakfast yet.

For now, Ryouta just seems happy to see Ryousuke again. With only a softened grin, Ryousuke places the bottle on the small nightstand before taking Ryouta into his arms.

Just as a routine would go, Ryousuke goes about the next few hours on auto-pilot. In no way is it mindlessly like cleaning his apartment or going to a late night convenience store run would be. He pays close attention to everything he does, from playing with Ryouta to making note of what he’ll want for dinner today. All the while, Ryousuke tries to think nothing about how his eyes dart back and forth to the small clock hanging on his wall.

Kuramochi arrives just in time. Only moments after putting Ryouta down for a nap, Ryousuke heard the smooth knocks on his door. Ryousuke snorts, unlocking the door with a tease on his lips. “Didn’t I tell you where I keep the spare key?”

To that, Kuramochi widens his already present grin.

“You seemed eager to come over today,” Ryousuke begins, effectively breaking a lingering beat of silence. “I wonder why that is.” Glancing over to him, Ryousuke brings his hand over to brush back a few loose strands of hair from Kuramochi’s forehead. There’s no longer any trace of sweat slicking his skin, but the red that’s dusting his cheeks and creeping down to his chest hasn’t faded away. Rather charming that it takes this long for Kuramochi to come down from his high.

Soon, Kuramochi hums in acknowledgement with his gaze affixed to the ceiling. A smile graces his face even before he says anything. “It’s nothing. You said I should get some fresh air, so naturally, I’d come and fuck around with you.”

The lilt in his voice suggests otherwise, though Ryousuke isn’t too bothered by it to press him on what the truth really could be. Ryousuke can feel a twinge deep in his chest, as if he were reliving any piece of memories from when they were both back in their high school baseball team. God, but that was years ago. “That’s fair. Here I thought you just wanted to see me…” An easy chuckle passes his lips; the splay of his fingers in Kuramochi’s hair seems to add to this unwarranted giddiness of his.

“Huh? Wait—No, I wanted to see you, too,” Kuramochi speaks hurriedly, as if Ryousuke was seconds away from throwing him out of his apartment with nothing but the hair on his head. “Like—Why wouldn’t I? Come on…!”

Ryousuke doesn’t hold back his laugh. “Don’t be so loud, Youichi. If you wake him up, you’ll be on duty to get him back to napping.” Against his better judgement, Ryousuke snakes his free hand down to the warmth of Kuramochi’s chest, turning his body close enough for them to face each other almost directly. Of course, he adheres to a natural unspoken rule, the distance between their lips has never gotten closer throughout all the years they’ve done this.

In fact, Ryousuke finds the idea of their lips meeting after so long to be unfamiliar territory at this rate. Funny that, considering that they’ve done their fair share of kissing back in high school. But he doesn’t know. Things can change at this rate. So much has changed for Ryousuke in the past three months, he can’t say he isn’t exactly against more change.

“Ryou-san,” Kuramochi’s voice brings Ryousuke back to Earth. It’s almost unbecoming of Kuramochi to reach his hand up to cup the back of Ryousuke’s head. “It’s not like he doesn’t like me. I’d probably be able to put him back to sleep.”

“He’d probably get excited once he saw you. Or just wake up hungry. You’d want to deal with him while he’s like that?” Ryousuke finishes off his sentence with a snort, sliding out of Kuramochi’s hold and resting flat on his back. Thinking about it, maybe it would be a good idea to wake Ryouta up from his nap. Of course, it’ll run a little short than his usual naps, but Ryousuke knows he will sit around with Kuramochi for hours on end if he doesn’t tend to his son now.

Just as Ryousuke shifts in bed to sit up, Kuramochi’s voice rings in the silence of the room.

“Have you met anyone new?”

The question comes so far out of the left field that Ryousuke is genuinely stricken with silence.

There isn’t an accusatory bone in that sentence, and yet Ryousuke’s heart thrums in his chest as if Kuramochi laid all of his sins bare before him. An overreaction, sure, but this is the first time the question has been asked ever since his ex-girlfriend walked out of the picture.

Well, he isn’t sure what to say. Except for the truth, he guesses. “Not really. I mean, I’m not even looking in the first place,” he pauses. “What about you?” Ryousuke glances over his shoulder, gaze down at Kuramochi. His rather unreadable expression brings a smile to Ryousuke’s lips.

“Nah… Just me and Mieko for now.”

As another beat of silence passes between them, Ryousuke waits no longer to stand from the bed. It takes him a bit longer than he would have liked to find each piece of his clothes from where they’re strewn about on the floor, and by the time he’s finally got half a mind to slip on his sweatpants, he hears Kuramochi snicker.

“I can’t get over it.” Kuramochi says.

Ryousuke turns to face him, just in time to catch Kuramochi swinging his legs over the bed. “Over what?” Kuramochi’s intent to leave the room along with him clear is clear in his actions.

“You and Ryouta…” Is how Kuramochi starts, standing at the same time Ryousuke does. As he picks up his jeans from the floor and slips them on, he continues easily. “Your names, they’re matching. I know you didn’t really choose the name, but I can’t stop thinking about how cute your names are together.”

Noted. And ignored.

Without another word, Ryousuke snorts and steps out of the room. Of course, he expects Kuramochi to follow him like an obedient dog, and follow him he did. While Ryousuke adamantly ignored Kuramochi’s comment, it didn’t stop him from keeping up to his side and meddling into his business.

But meddling just seems like too mean a word, now that Ryousuke thinks about it. Kuramochi is just being his normal self, albeit a bit too doting. If he really was meddling, Ryousuke would find him offering to feed Ryouta annoying, his few words of advice on a baby’s daily schedule spoken with the clear experience that he has. But it’s not annoying. Ryousuke finds himself wanting Kuramochi to give him more advice on shit he already knows, just to hear him drone on and on about it.

It doesn’t take much time between the two of them to fix up a bottle for Ryouta. Most of the time spent in the kitchen was taken up mostly by Ryousuke and Kuramochi’s mutual chattering, some of the topic staying mainly on what they’ll have for lunch and dinner before straying far off into today’s weather. Being smack dab in the middle of April really has no real bearing on what’s going on outside. Nothing too wild today, only the sun breaking through a few clouds.

That’s good weather, admittedly. Maybe he should go out for a walk today. Maybe Kuramochi could come with, too.

At that thought, Ryousuke shakes it off quickly. No, he shouldn’t cling to Kuramochi so much today. There really is nothing wrong with hanging out with him every other day, especially when they spend good time together, but… There really isn’t a ‘but’. There should be no reason to hesitate with the idea of being together with him again, if it’s something he supposes he wants.

Thinking about it, the only real ‘but’ here is wondering if Kuramochi had ever thought of there being a ‘them’ again. Ryousuke has never thought of being with Kuramochi again, personally, even if it’s been so long. What he had asked earlier still crawls in his mind. It wouldn’t be out of place to wonder if Ryousuke had met anyone else, but to think that Kuramochi would ask it minutes after having sex was rather laughable, even more so how Ryousuke’s heart was racing a million miles per hour at the mere thought of dating anyone else.

That’s something to put away until later. It was silly to push the thought of clinging to Kuramochi away in the first place.

A surprisingly comfortable silence envelopes the two as they take those few steps to Ryouta’s room. Nothing to be said that needs to be said, Ryousuke supposes, but even he can see the smile that Kuramochi has on his lips. ‘Why so happy?’ he almost wants to ask. There’s no need to say anything, now that Kuramochi has roused Ryouta awake.

Ryouta has already gone to deciding that Kuramochi is one of the people he likes the most. It’s been a while since he’s already begun to smile, and he’ll definitely smile at Kuramochi more than he’ll do it for any other regular that visits him often.

It’s a little cute to think of it that way, though Ryousuke has little to no intention of speaking it outloud. He merely leans on the doorframe with his arms crossed, watching Kuramochi take his son into his arms with an ease that makes him seem like such a natural at it.

Giving him praise for that is a bit on the nose there, so Ryousuke can only bring up a little something that’s been lingering on his mind for the past few hours.

“When will you bring Mieko back to visit?” Ryousuke only speaks up after Kuramochi has already gotten Ryouta settled and eating. “Watching you two here makes me remember when you would make me do some of your work when she was his age.”

Kuramochi hums in response, cocking his head to the side. “We can do it later. Even tomorrow. She wouldn’t mind either of those days. She likes you, just, way more than me.”

Ryousuke chuckles, pushing himself off the doorframe with the intention of stepping up to the two of them. “She takes after you so much that she’d rather spend time with me than with you. I can’t put it past her.” He ends off that sentence with a rub to Kuramochi’s shoulder and leans in closer to Ryouta.

He can’t help but to shake the feeling of the four of them meeting up. It’s happened so often that it’s nothing new, but there still is a definite comfort in it. There’s little way of telling how Kuramochi feels about it, even that dumb smile of his is so unreadable because Ryousuke can’t tell if it’s directed towards Ryouta or something else. If only Ryousuke could reach up to Kuramochi’s chest and feel the beat of his heart to see if it’s racing like his is.

It’s all come so suddenly. Ryousuke has no reason to think about such things: Being together with Kuramochi again or even the significance of them spending time with one another when the most intimate they’re supposed to be is during sex. It’s come so quickly out of the blue that he’s left wandering between whether he should accept such odd feelings or reject them completely.

He swallows.

“Can we come tomorrow?” Kuramochi reiterates, a murmur muddling his voice. Even he seems unsure.

But, Ryousuke pushes his words out, the tone coloring them is void of any possible strain. “Come whenever. We’ll be here.”

‘Whenever’ to Kuramochi, meant ‘come everyday’. Ryousuke wishes he could say that it was annoying or a legitimate lack of privacy or any of the sort, but he can’t bring himself to even pretend to push away Kuramochi’s company. Each day for the past few weeks that he’s been here with Mieko hasn’t been quiet at all. The best part of it is the two of them have been a good help with Ryouta in the end. He can’t complain.

“You two live in a house by yourselves,” Ryousuke begins, moments after he’s let Kuramochi and Mieko inside. He’s already gotten dinner started, and by ‘dinner’, he means some day old leftovers. “But you like being here, in a tiny apartment. That’s not what I expect from a family like yours.”

Kuramochi barely answers, set on sitting on the couch before anything else, but Mieko talks plenty of that for him. She’s only three, but already asserting herself as her dad’s official spokesman. Or, more accurately, the one person in Kuramochi’s life that just can’t hold a secret.

“Daddy likes it here lots.”

That’s all Mieko has to say before Kuramochi is gawking at her, as if she had done something far worse than just casually mention that he likes being in Ryousuke’s small apartment. The truth itself isn’t that big of a deal, but in context, Ryousuke can safely say it leaves his face feeling a touch hot.

Not bringing attention to it, he chuckles, facing any direction but behind him. “Sounds like the truth.”

From there on, Ryousuke says nothing else. For lack of anything better to say, he simply stands there. It won’t be a bad thing if he heads back over to the two of them, though something says that he’ll be forced to answer the questions that a three year old has rattling in their minds, and he’s certain that he’s got quite a bit of time before he’s officially subjected to that.

So, he pulls his cell phone out of his pocket, glancing at the time and finally over his shoulder. “Youichi, you want to feed Ryouta this time? It’s time to get him up,” he pauses, continuing from the mental checklist he’s had memorized now for a good few weeks. “Play with him a little, too. I’ll take on the rest from there, but I think you should—”

“I wanna hold him! Can I?!”

This isn’t the first time and most certainly won’t be the last that Mieko will interrupt both him mid-sentence. But this is the first time Ryousuke has heard this little request from her mouth.

It’s quite obviously Ryousuke’s decision on that, but he swings around to face Kuramochi as if he has a say on whether or not Mieko can hold his son. Judging by Kuramochi’s furrowed brow and upturn of his lips, he must think the same.

“I mean. Can she? It’s on you.”

Ryousuke glances to the floor before answering. “Yes. Sure. Go and get him.”

Kuramochi easily does as told, though not before telling Mieko to stay put. She does as told, and Kuramochi returns with Ryouta in his arms. Just as anticipated, Ryouta is as happy as he could be; his soft little coos are all he can manage out as Kuramochi speaks to him. It’s nothing but baby talk to be sure, but no doubt that Ryouta could care less.

There’s an exchange of gazes before Kuramochi sits down on the couch, carefully adjusting Ryouta in his arms. His voice is low enough as he begins to speak to his daughter. Ryousuke can’t hear it all too well, and only makes out a few simple words that don’t mean much to him out of a full sentence. He steps back into the kitchen, set on getting drinks for Kuramochi and Mieko than to finish heating up his dinner for tonight.

In doing so, there’s a dull buzz in his head. Along with the heat of his face, Ryousuke feels as if he’s catching a cold. That isn’t the case. He knows it isn’t. There’s no telling why his feelings are erupting once more, for the first time in years. He has to keep reiterating it for himself to believe it, as if the reality of falling for Kuramochi again since high school seems impossible. As if having Kuramochi by his side now that they’re grown adults rather than standing together strong on the field has any difference to what it means for his own heart.

There is no difference. That’s clear. But why now? He can’t get a grasp on it. As if the meaningless years he’s had with his ex only happened to put a baby in his life and a means to waltz right back into Kuramochi’s arms. And that goes for Kuramochi himself. Five years he’s been with that girl and that was finished within the first year of Mieko’s life, and here he is again.

Of course, it could mean that Kuramochi is interested in him as well. It wouldn’t be crazy to assume that something new has sprouted between the two of them solely from sleeping with each other as a means to get rid of pent up energy or stress. But even then, they’ve always been such close friends. Ryousuke could be reaching.

It’s confusing, in the end. Something about how indecisiveness tugs at Ryousuke’s heart leaves him unable to do anything but smile. As the ice cubes clink in a glass he’s got in his hand, he can only smile at how genuinely confused he is. It’s been a while since he’s not known what to do.

It’s a little exciting.

“See, that’s good…! Careful, now…”

Kuramochi’s faint whispers break into Ryousuke’s thoughts, making him nearly lose track of all that’s been building up until now. With his smile still present, he peeks around the kitchen’s corner to look at the three of them. Seeing Kuramochi look so pointedly proud of himself for helping Mieko hold Ryouta so properly in his arms is… something else. If Ryousuke had a choice for himself, he really would love to see this everyday. They all really look like a family.

Taking in a soft breath, Ryousuke makes his way up to them, offering the glass in his hand to Kuramochi. It’s easy to replace his warm grin with a sharper smile, even as his eyes linger on the little ones for the briefest second. “Good job, you two. He’s sure looking happy, huh?” Unable to help himself, Ryousuke brushes his fingers over Ryouta’s cheek, smile wide on his face as he visibly reacts to the touch.

“It’s nothing. Mieko was eager to hold him for a while. Thanks for letting her do that.”

‘No problem’, Ryousuke wants to say. It doesn’t come from his lips at all, for no reason other than that meeting Kuramochi’s gaze seemed to be enough for the ‘you’re welcome’. They hold gazes for what seems like far longer than Ryousuke ever intended to before he straightens his posture, forcing his eyes to be somewhere else with a clear of his throat.

“Should play with him for a bit. I’ll get one of his little rattles for us.”

Likewise, Kuramochi averts his gaze down to Ryouta, nodding. “Y-Yeah, yeah. ‘Course.” He ends off his sentence with a breath of a laugh and his attention is no longer on Ryousuke. From there, the two of them stray off into silence for as long as it takes Ryousuke to step out of the room and look for one of Ryouta’s toys himself. Ryousuke wouldn’t exactly say that he purposefully spends a little longer inside of Ryouta’s room, but there’s a reason why he takes his time with looking for the ‘right’ toy.

Wow, he feels like a teenager again! This bashful, flustered attitude was a way he remember acting before he and Kuramochi hooked up. It’s hard to tell if it’s a good or bad thing that Kuramochi is making him feel young, but considering that he’s pretty much accepted that he’s having feelings for Kuramochi once again, there’s no telling. Watching him sit in his apartment, playing with his son, it’s enough to bring about the same smile that would happen all those years back when they would stand strong on the field together.

Running his fingers through his hair, Ryousuke wanders off into the kitchen once more with the intention of standing there and staring off into space while sneaking spoonfuls of his dinner in his mouth.

It really is no surprise that Kuramochi spent the rest of the evening here, nor is it a surprise that he seems rather hesitant to leave. That’s been a regular occurrence of late: Mieko falls asleep in Kuramochi’s lap, Ryousuke puts Ryouta to bed, and they’re officially left ‘alone’ together. That always calls for several minutes of silence before Kuramochi trudges on home with the promise to be back the next day.

For now, before Kuramochi up and leaves, he’s doing nothing but sitting there with his hand loosely resting on Mieko’s shoulder. Safe to say, the silence between them is comfortable; Ryousuke can always bet that basking in the silence of another good day with his company will be rather therapeutic in the end.

Ryousuke takes those few steps over to the couch, carefully sitting down by Kuramochi’s side. Without missing a beat, they manage to meet each other’s gaze once more. “One day, you’re both going to take the extra step and stay the night,” Ryousuke says. “You like being in here, I really don’t know why.”

To that, Kuramochi snickers. He rests his head back on the couch, a bright grin on his face. “I dunno. Just nice to be in here, I guess… A house with only the two of is feels a little too big.” And that’s that. Kuramochi says nothing else, words trailing off into nothing. He never does stop holding Ryousuke’s gaze, even as it seems clear that he has nothing to say, either.

Ryousuke takes in a breath. He doesn’t stop his fingers from finding their way to Kuramochi’s hair, threading through the locks as he’s always done. Kuramochi doesn’t mind the touch at all; he almost seems to lean into it… And lean further. Without realizing, they find themselves within the same distance as they always seem to naturally close themselves in whenever they’re in bed together.

It’s different this time, because it isn’t preceded by heavy breathing and blank minds. Right now, they’re both just sitting here after the kids fell asleep. Thinking about it that way leaves butterflies in Ryousuke’s stomach—no doubt that Kuramochi has to feel the same. His lips simply twitch, as if he’s noticed that their lips are simply centimeters apart.

“… Are you going to kiss me, Youichi?”

Without a moment’s pause, Kuramochi laughs. His warm breaths ghost on Ryousuke’s lips; it’s been six years too long since Ryousuke has focused so much on each breath Kuramochi has taken. It’s been overdue.

“I—Ah. I don’t know,” Kuramochi says. He swallows audibly, chuckles once more, waits far too long before continuing. “Is it really okay that we’re letting this happen again? We shouldn’t go too fast, Ryou-san.”

I don’t know, the same answer Kuramochi gave to him is what mirrors in Ryousuke’s head now. He doesn’t know what’s ‘okay’ right off the bat in the first place. After all, they are about to break an unspoken rule of theirs. All that he can do is to follow what the racing of his heart wants, and what is wants is Kuramochi. Plain and simple. He didn’t fight himself too much to come to that conclusion. It’s just question and answer at this point.

So, Ryousuke widens his grin, sliding his hand down from Kuramochi’s hair to his jawline. “Anything is fine with me, Youichi. It’s all happened before. This is just picking up where we left off, if you think about it.”

Kuramochi snorts, amused. As his free hand snakes up to Ryousuke’s chin, he tilts his head closer to him. Their foreheads touch seconds before their lips do; the warmth of Kuramochi’s lips is near to overwhelming, as if that heat was making up for the years that they’ve spent apart. From this simple kiss, Ryousuke is left wanting more, even as they mutually part from each other’s lips.

And, just as he used to do, Kuramochi brushes back Ryousuke’s bangs, waiting for him to speak up. That hidden away habit having only been born from each and every kiss they would both share. From kissing each other in their dorm rooms to sneaking one off near the vending machines, Ryousuke has to say that he’s missed them. Each and every one of them.

“I should get going…” Kuramochi finally manages those few words out. He speaks them in a near whisper, as if speaking any louder would change the meaning of his words.

But it’s silly to say that. Ryousuke wouldn’t stop him from going home. He’d be back tomorrow, regardless. Without any slick remark, Ryousuke nods and drops his hand from Kuramochi’s face. “Mhm. I’m sure she wouldn’t be too comfortable sleeping here for long.” Ryousuke breathes out a laugh once Kuramochi nods in understanding, as if he’d just remembered that his daughter was taking up space on his lap.

“She wouldn’t mind that. Sleeping here, at your place, I mean. She told you she liked it here.”

More like she said that both Kuramochi and her liked it here. Ryousuke keeps that part under wraps, but he grins nonetheless, glancing down at Mieko and bringing his hand to her dark hair without a second thought. The orange, bear shaped clip in her hair is one that Ryousuke had given to her on her birthday. It’s a cute touch that solidifies her fondness for him. “Definitely because she likes me plenty…” It doesn’t take Ryousuke much longer to continue.

“You should invite me back to your place sometime. I haven’t been there in weeks since you two have taken to coming here everyday. Ryouta would like getting out someplace that wouldn’t have me dropping him off at my parents or Haruichi’s place.”

Kuramochi stiffens up for a moment, as if he’d been taken by surprise from the offer. But he relaxes easily, a dumb smile creeping up on his face. “We’d like to have you both over. Maybe tomorrow, if you want,” as he speaks, he stands easily. Mieko is lucky enough that he can still carry her without a hitch, though it’s rather surprising that she hasn’t woken up at the movement. “If you want, we’d still be able to… you know.”

And Ryousuke hums pleasantly. He holds his tongue as he trails after Kuramochi, making their way to the front door without much ceremony. There’s been nothing but sex in their relationship for quite some time, it’s no stretch to assume that it’ll stay like that for a while, even if the prospect of this changing drastically is very odd to think about. There’s no telling if them kissing tonight would change anything for the better or for the worse, but Ryousuke should take any change head on.

As Ryousuke unlocks and opens the door, he meets Kuramochi’s gaze with a near silent laugh. “You know, usually fuck-buddies don’t kiss and talk about plans with their families. Looks like we’re doing this all wrong now.”

The mention of that causes Kuramochi to let out a quick laugh, barked out as if in surprise. Ryousuke follows up on that with a lingering laugh of his own, barely audible. It’s as if they both aren’t aware of how to do things any differently than how it’s handed to them. That seems right… Just par for the course for the two of them.

“I guess we’ll… figure it out, Ryou-san. Maybe I’ll just be happy with kissing you whenever I want. That’s good for a start, right?”

That kick starts Ryousuke’s heart once again. It thuds against his chest as if it were trying to break out. Ryousuke doesn’t stop himself from resting his hand on his chest, nor does he tear his gaze from Kuramochi’s eyes. “I’ll be happy with that, too.” He doesn’t usually allow himself to be so openly infatuated with someone, but he’s already dated Kuramochi once. Being a little sappy can be excused now, for the most part. “Right. So you can kiss me again right now. And… You can drop the ‘Ryou-san’, too.”

With only a breath of hesitation and the slight widening of his eyes, Kuramochi does just as Ryousuke suggests, carefully leaning in close enough for their lips to brush together. They go no further than that, and Ryousuke can safely say that there is nothing better than a soft, chaste kiss so late into the night.

“Night, Youichi.” Ryousuke speaks up after Kuramochi has slipped his shoes on and stepped out of the door. Kuramochi only has one free hand, so he offers him a tiny wave in response.

His huge smile seems loaded with relief, a significant lilt in his voice that shows Kuramochi can’t hold back whenever he’s happy and wants to jump and scream out how he really feels. But with the little girl sleeping in his arms, he can only utter four words, each word spoken quickly, clearly. “Goodnight, Ryousuke. See you.”

With that, he’s turned his back and began making his way off. Ryousuke watches Kuramochi until he makes it far enough to where he’s descending the stairs down to the ground floor of the apartments before he’s closing the door and heading back to his room until he’ll have to tend to Ryouta once more for the night.

He’ll be expecting Kuramochi’s call first thing in the morning.

This is a gift for the lovely @wamuura! I hope you enjoy it. 

Also on ao3

Ryou stared at his phone. This was an inconvenience. A major inconvenience. But maybe…

Also…

An opportunity.

But if he was going to take advantage of it, he was going to need Kuramochi. If he was quick, he could catch Kuramochi just as he left his last class for the day.

A green head of hair coming out of the art building told him he was, in fact, quick enough. It was easy enough to get Kuramochi’s attention, and the goofy grin that split his face was gratifying enough that Ryou wasn’t even annoyed by having to sprint across campus.

“Hey, Ryou-san!” Kuramochi greeted him easily, just the barest hint of a blush on his face. “Why are you over here? I thought you had class in the math building before now?”

“Maybe I came to see you,” Ryou suggested silkily. It was true, but he could still make it sound suggestive just to watch that faint blush bloom pink across Kuramochi’s cheeks. “Can I buy you a coffee? I have a business proposal for you.”

“A business proposal?” Kuramochi asked. “And isn’t it a little late for coffee? Wouldn’t you rather get dinner?”

“Are you offering to take me out to dinner, Youichi?” Ryou asked. If he was a better person, he’d feel bad about the way Kuramochi spluttered. But he wasn’t a better person, and it just amused him.

“I don’t…I mean…you weren’t…” Kuramochi was turning steadily redder, and Ryou finally took pity on him.

“I’m buying if you want dinner,” he said. “I actually do have a proposal for you. A favor to ask, if I’m honest.”

“The world is definitely ending if you’re asking me for a favor,” Kuramochi said, the worst of his fluster fading out. “You know I’m gonna say yes. As long as it’s not illegal. Well, too illegal.”

“I’ll explain when we get there,” Ryou said, turning to walk by Kuramochi’s side. “What do you want to eat?”

They walked side by side, close enough to touch, nearly touching…but not quite.

And that was the opportunity. Ryou had been interested in Kuramochi since their time at Seidou, and he knew Kuramochi had been interested back almost – at least? – as long. Kuramochi’s reaction just now was proof enough that the interest hadn’t gone anywhere.

What Ryou couldn’t figure out was why Kuramochi wouldn’t respond to a single hint he dropped. For almost five years now, Ryou had been trying to subtly – and then not so subtly – get Kuramochi to realize what was going on, and all he’d gotten for his trouble was a whole lot of blushing and a whole lot of nothing.

And sure, he could’ve just asked Kuramochi out himself, but at this point, where was the funin that? He’d come this far, he might as well see it through.

At first, he’d thought maybe Kuramochi was in the closet – kind of ridiculous, in hindsight. Kuramochi had never been shy about who he was, and this was no different. He flirted with boys as much as girls, and flirted badly, but in a way Ryou found disgustingly endearing. He even called himself bisexual if asked.

Then, for a rough couple of months, Ryou had considered the possibility that maybe Kuramochi wasn’t interested back. But Kuramochi had done a pretty good job of convincing him otherwise. No one else made him fluster like that, and Ryou took a special pride in that blush that was specific to him.

The idea that maybe Kuramochi was scared his parents wouldn’t approve was out, too. Ryou was fairly certain Kuramochi’s mother was one certificate away from adopting him as her own.

So all Ryou was left with was one thing. Kuramochi, amazingly, hadn’t realized Ryou’s interest. This had led to an escalating war of attrition that Ryou knew nothing about but that Miyuki did, and was amused by until Ryou sweetly reminded him of his own failures with a certain loudmouthed pitcher.

Ryou had gotten less and less subtle in his hint dropping and flirtation, and it earned him expressions he’d never known Kuramochi’s face could make, but so far, no date.

They sat across from each other at a family restaurant, a favorite at their university for the cheap food and staff that didn’t mind college kids looking all kinds of exhausted as they powered through finals.

“So what’s this favor?” Kuramochi finally asked after they placed their order. In answer, Ryou slid his phone across the table. Kuramochi picked it up and scanned over it quickly. “You’re presenting at the Symposium?”

Ryou had known for a while that he was going to have to present all the research he’d done for his undergraduate math degree at some point. He was even looking forward to it a little. He’d had to comb through a lot of data to get to this point, and he was pretty proud of how far he’d taken it.

But he’d expected to present it to his senior seminar, not at the university’s most prestigious research expo. It was unusual for undergraduates to even be invited, and most of the projects had titles like “The Effect of Military Clothing on Popular Fashion” (a more interesting presentation than he’d expected going in) and “Lesbians in Japanese History and the Failure of Modern Queer Scholarship” (a presentation that had made most of the faculty uncomfortable, which meant it was Ryou’s favorite to date).

As an undergraduate math student, he’d never expected to be invited.

“Ryou-san, that’s incredible!” Kuramochi said, signature grin lighting up his face. “Isn’t this supposed to be good for networking? Especially if you want to go to grad school?”

“It is, but that’s not the favor,” Ryou said. He pointed to the bottom of the email. “See that?”

Plus One was written right next to RSVP.

“You want me to help you find a date?” Kuramochi asked, eyebrows furrowing. “I’m pretty sure you’d have an easier job than me.”

“Not quite,” Ryou said. “I want you to be my date.”

Kuramochi was silent for so long that Ryou was legitimately concerned he’d broken him.

“Youichi?”

“Me?” Kuramochi asked. “You want to bring me as your date?”

“Yes.”

“Isn’t this a really big night?”

“Black tie, yes.”

Kuramochi mouthed the words black tie, looking a little awed, before he continued.

“Are you sure you want to…make a statement like that?” he asked nervously.

“Yes,” Ryou said emphatically. “You remember my advisor?”

“The one who made your life a living hell all year?”

Kuramochi had definitely heard Ryou complain about his advisor enough. He’d liked her enough when he’d taken her introductory statistics class, had liked her even more when she’d taught them probability by staging a class-wide blackjack tournament. He’d won, and she’d taken a liking to him.

Or so he’d thought.

Two years later when he’d come back to ask her about undergraduate research, she’d offered him a project starting his senior year that would comb through data on gambling, of all things, organizing it and analyzing trends. He’d thought it was perfect for him.

And it was, but she wasn’t.

At first, he’d just thought her demands that he constantly revise his thesis were just trying to improve his project. If he was charitable, he could even say that as a woman in the math field, she probably knew what it was like to need impeccable work to be taken seriously.

After a year, he wasn’t feeling charitable anymore, and even other math professors had agreed that his work was fine as-is before.

But the final straw had been the homophobic comments. Not aimed at him, of course – he doubted she would have said a word if she thought he was interested in men. But a fair amount of the data she’d given him included sexuality data, and he’d focused in on it, just finding the topic interesting. That was when she’d started mocking it.

“So you want to bring me as your date to annoy her?” Kuramochi asked. “Isn’t that a little too much for a networking event like this?”

“I don’t care about the networking,” Ryou said. “It’s the end of senior year, I’ve already done my job hunting. I want to do this.”

“I’m not gonna say no,” Kuramochi said. “It’s not even illegal this time.”

If Ryou was the eye rolling type, he would’ve rolled his eyes.

“If you haven’t gotten your suit tailored yet, get it tailored before the Symposium,” Ryou said. When Kuramochi made a face, Ryou went on. “Don’t make me drag you, Youichi. I will.”

“Yeah, yeah, fine,” Kuramochi said, making a grab for the check the waitress had brought them. Ryou slapped his hand away.

“I told you I was buying you dinner. I got it,” he said. “You just have to make sure you look as handsome as possible so you look good while we’re making an old homophobe uncomfortable.”

“Is that all?” Kuramochi asked.

“It shouldn’t be hard for you,”Ryou said, putting a special emphasis on the last word to watch Kuramochi blush again.

***

Ryou straightened his bowtie, fixing his already fixed hair in the mirror, and then made a face at himself when he realized he was primping. He felt…

Notnervous,exactly. He already knew Kuramochi liked him. The trick was getting Kuramochi to realize the feeling was mutual. He was pulling out the stops tonight.

Which meant primping, apparently.

He had to go eventually – mostly shoved out the door by Haruichi with a “you look great Aniki!” – to make sure he had time to meet Kuramochi before he had to be at the Symposium. They were just meeting in front of the event center and walking in together, but Ryou still didn’t want to be late.

Seeing Kuramochi for the first time, he was reallyglad he hadn’t been late.

Kuramochi had obviously followed Ryou’s instructions to get his suit tailored, because it hugged the lines of his body perfectly. He was facing away from Ryou still, giving Ryou a perfect view of the way his pants showed off his butt, and…

That was it. If Ryou couldn’t get Kuramochi to ask him out by the end of the night, he’d do it himself. He wanted to get his hands on that butt, and he wasn’t going to treat Kuramochi like a one night stand.

Maybe Kuramochi could feel him looking, because he turned and grinned, only looking a little uncomfortable in the fancy suit.

“Ryou-san!” he greeted, smile slowly sliding off as he took Ryou in. Ryou tried not to obviously preen under the attention as he felt Kuramochi’s eyes trace over his body. He looked good, and he knew it, and he was pleased that Kuramochi obviously knew it too.

“Shall we go in?” he asked, offering Kuramochi his arm. Kuramochi tucked his hand into Ryou’s elbow, letting him escort them both inside. “You’re not going to be too bored, are you?”

“You’re asking now?” Kuramochi asked. At Ryou’s sideways look, he continued. “No, I like listening to you talk about all this. I don’t understand it much, but you’re interesting to listen to.”

Ryou had no idea why that was making Kuramochi blush, but he decided to roll with it.

They followed one of the many volunteers to the room Ryou would be using to present. The first two hours of the Symposium was just researchers presenting their projects in the classrooms throughout the building, and the last hour was in the ballroom where everyone sucked up to the rich and powerful who came to see the best and brightest the university had to offer.

Kuramochi settled himself off to the side as Ryou got his PowerPoint set up. It was mostly just graphs he could reference during his speech.

It wasn’t long before other people started to filter in. The Symposium had begun.

Ryou explained his research in the simplest terms he could, outlining the methods he’d used to organize and analyze his data, taking the audience through his conclusions and finishing up with recommendations for future studies and rounding it off with the website he’d created to store all his conclusions. Everyone clapped politely when he was done talking, as people did at academic events.

He’d done well, and he knew it.

He answered a few follow up questions, and then he was done. He found Kuramochi waiting for him by the door.

“You did great,” Kuramochi congratulated him. “You really explained all that math stuff.”

“You didn’t understand a word I said, did you?”

“I did,” Kuramochi said defensively. At Ryou’s raised eyebrow, he sighed. “I understood what you were looking for, and what you found. Just not so much how you got there.”

“You’re better than most freshman statistics students, then,” Ryou said. “Barely, but better.”

Kuramochi cackled.

“So what now?”

“The other half of the presenters still have to go before they break out the champagne,” Ryou said. “Want to go watch one?”

“I don’t know…oh!” Kuramochi exclaimed, flipping through the program. “There’s a graduate student presenting on restoration techniques of Azuchi-Momoyama paintings!”

Ryou must have looked blank, because Kuramochi’s face fell a little.

“Or…something else?” he suggested. “That might be a little boring for you.”

“You just listened to me talk about math for an hour,” Ryou said. “I’ll go with you if you want to see this.”

“We don’t have to.”

“You got excited. We’re going.”

Ryou understood the presentation about as well as he thought Kuramochi had understood his, although it was a lot more scientific than he’d expected. It was worth it, though, for the way Kuramochi’s face lit up the entire time. Even if Ryou was a little lost, Kuramochi was fascinated.

“You weren’t too bored?” Kuramochi asked when they walked out.

“It was interesting,” Ryou said. “I didn’t know so much went into keeping folding screens from disintegrating. Besides, I was mostly watching you.”

“Me?”

“You’re cute when you’re interested.”

It was hardly the least subtle hint he’d ever dropped – one time he’d blatantly said he wanted to get into Kuramochi’s pants – but it still got a blush out of Kuramochi.

“Ready to go get some fancy food?” Ryou asked. “And ruin my advisor’s evening?”

“We should probably get into the champagne first,” Kuramochi suggested.

“I knew I liked you for a reason.”

They’d made it through a few plates of fancy food and two glasses each of champagne before Ryou saw his advisor.

“Showtime,” he said, picking up Kuramochi’s hand and tucking it back into his elbow as he made a beeline for his advisor. “Sensei.”

The moment her eyes met his, he could see her running through every single homophobic comment she’d ever made in front of him, and he basked in the panic he could see for a brief moment before she masked it.

“Kominato-kun,” she said, with only an admirably low amount of strain. “Is this one of your friends?”

“This is my date,” he said smoothly. “Kuramochi Youichi, this is my advisor.”

“A pleasure,” Kuramochi said, charming in the worst way. Ryou wanted to bite that delinquent smile.

“Your…date,” she said slowly. She was running through every comment again, this time with the fear that he’d bring up some report on her. He wouldn’t – he was almost graduated, so it wasn’t worth the trouble – but giving her the idea that he might was thrilling. He could barely keep the smirk off his face.

“My date,” he confirmed. “A cutie, isn’t he? I knew he’d be perfect on my arm.”

“Are you sure that’s…appropriate?” she asked delicately.

“Why wouldn’t it be?” he asked with the kind of innocence that only developed from having a sibling and lying straight faced to their parents. He could feel the tremors in Kuramochi’s arm as he suppressed his laughter.

She glossed over his question, clearly trying to shake it off.

“Your presentation was excellent,” she said. “You’ve done good work this year. I wish you luck in your future endeavors.”

“Thank you for everything you’ve done for me, Sensei,” he said. Time to lay the finishing blow. “I’ll fondly remember everything you’ve said to me.”

Her face went white.

“Well…you enjoy the rest of your evening with your datenow,” she said, turning quickly to make her escape. Kuramochi instantly collapsed into laughter, muffling it into Ryou’s shoulder. A few people gave them looks, but Ryou didn’t care.

“That was the best,”Kuramochi said through his cackles. “Did you see her face?”

“Burned it into my memory,” Ryou told him. “Do you have any desire to stay and rub elbows with the wealthy elite any longer?”

“No,” Kuramochi said firmly. “Wanna get out of here?”

Ryou waited for the blush to appear, for Kuramochi to realize what he’d said. But it never did. Because Kuramochi had meant it the way he’d said it.

He meant it.

Ryou let Kuramochi lead him out of the ballroom. They made it all the way into the night air before Kuramochi turned. Before Ryou could process what was happening, lips were pressed to his.

“Wait, crap.” Kuramochi jerked back. “I’m supposed to ask you first.”

“The answer is yes,” Ryou said, yanking Kuramochi back in because he was not done kissing yet. Kuramochi’s gasp of surprise was enough room for Ryou to slip his tongue in. Kuramochi responded after his moment of shock, and then it was good.

“You were flirting with me,” Kuramochi said. “All night.”

“Yes.”

“You’ve been flirting with me for a while.”

“Have been for the last five years. Thanks for noticing.”

Kuramochi mouthed five years to himself.

“So…what do you want to do now?” Kuramochi asked.

“Well,” Ryou said silkily, except his voice was a little rough from kissing. “I can text Haruichi to clear out and stay with Sawamura, and I can take you home and…”

He trailed off, watching Kuramochi’s blush deepen as the implication set in.

“Or we can watch a movie,” Ryou said. “Whatever you want.”

“The first one,” Kuramochi said. “Definitely the first one.”

Ryou fished his phone out of his jacket pocket, sending off a quick text to Haruichi.

“Then let me take you home, Youichi.”

tags: side mention of miyusawa, miyuki kazuya, sawamura eijun, kominato haruichi, basically himym AU

to:rachel
from:dani
notes: hi, i don’t know if this would do good for you. i have been trying so hard to write this since i’ve had the prompt for a long time while having the headcanon already published to my (now defunct) old blog, so yeah, here we go.

.

(this is supposed to be) how i met your dad (but it turned out real bad)

[Kids, I’m gonna tell you an incredible story—the story of how I made myself a complete idiot in front of your dad when I met him for the first time.]

.

Kids, I’m gonna tell you an incredible story—the story of how I made myself a complete idiot in front of your dad when I met him for the first time.

Before I proceed, I just want to say that this is not a decade long story of my love life until I met your dad. I promise you, it would just take one story and that’s all you need to know.

And no, this is not a punishment—I’m just feeling quite nostalgic and I just feel like telling you before I forgot the whole thing even after I wrote it in my journal.

(Yes, it’s a journal, not a diary. Reason being that is because its cover is made up of genuine leather and because I’m a grown man, not a preteen.)

In case you want me to tell the rest of our history together, it would be my pleasure but it would take years. I could even write a whole book for that, and maybe it would become a TV show one day that lasts for nearly ten seasons.

… Oh, wait, there was already a show like that.

Anyways, there were two things that I had learned from my first time meeting your dad.

.

It was all started twenty years ago, when I had this whole other life before I became a father.

I was 27, trying to make it big as a civil engineer. I was living with your Uncle Miyuki and Uncle Sawamura—they were still dating at that time. They had been together for about six years and I was there to witness the stories of all of their firsts together.

It was a classic story—Uncle Miyuki and I met in Economics 201 and we were forced to become study partners and Uncle Sawamura became my new roommate in college dorms a year later. One day, all three of us gathered in my room and we became inseparable ever since.

(Technically, yes, I was their official third wheel, but at least they wouldn’t have been together if it weren’t for me.)

It was all perfect for us… until Uncle Miyuki decided to propose and made me questioning my own love life.

“Ever since college, it had been Sawamura and Miyuki and me,” I said. “Now it’s gonna be Sawamura and Miyuki… and me. They’ll get married, start a family. Before long, I’m that weird, middle aged bachelor their kids call ‘Uncle Kuramochi’.”

In dire times when I couldn’t talk of things that couples couldn’t relate to, I’d usually seek advice to your Uncle Haruichi. Oddly enough, we met a tuxedo rental—I happened to look around casually just in case I could find a good one as I pictured myself wearing it at my future wedding when Uncle Haruichi was there and assisted me for a quick stroll inside the place.

“You-san, you don’t have to rush yourself into these things,” Haruichi appeased. “I mean, I have no plans at all in getting married. Who knows, maybe I’ll marry way after you.”

(He was wrong. Within the next three years, Uncle Haruichi got married. I was at one of the lowest points of my life and I still hadn’t married your dad. I’ll get to that later.)

“Look…”

He sighed, curling his lips inwards. “I get that. I mean, I see all these grooms come and go from the rental, their happy expressions when they found the perfect tux to go with their big day ahead of them. I can see it from their eyes, just like when I saw you staring at…”

“… Peak Lapel White No. 75. I know.”

I was kind of desperate at that moment. I was so sure that if my friends were able to find one, that applied to me as well. I said to myself that I was ready, hoping the universe would give me a sign that my future spouse was somewhere near me, waiting for me to make a move.

“Wait, is that…?”

Suddenly, Uncle Haruichi sounded off when he looked over to the entrance. I glanced, following the direction of his eyes—

“… Haruichi.”

—and there he was.

It was like something from an old movie, where the sailor sees the girl, she catches him from afar and smiles. He waves back at her and tells his buddy, “See that girl? I’m gonna marry her someday.”

When I saw your dad for the first time, I was starstruck.

In an instant, I could picture our wedding day in a series of montages. I imagined myself wearing Peak Lapel White No. 75 in a garden where white and red roses bloom, watching your dad walk towards the altar. We state our vows before we kiss underneath a big tree, serenaded by Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon” in a violin.

I had never felt so optimistic about my love life than before.

“Haruichi, I think I may have found my future husband.”

He stared at me with his eyebrows furrowed. “You-san, that’s my brother.”

.

.

.

Well, I guess, I was slow on the intake.

No wonder they have the same pink hair. I should have noticed it earlier.

It didn’t take long for him to stride past the tables and walked to ours. Your Uncle Haruichi was somehow not-so happy seeing his brother around—his look at that time was translated as ‘God, why do I have to be here?’ while I took his presence as a blessing.

“Hey.”

“… Hello, Aniki.”

He hesitantly stood up and shook hands with him. I wondered what was going on in his mind.

“So… how’s the tux rental business going? How many lucky men did you get within the last month?”

Haruichi reluctantly replied as he lowered his gaze, “ah, well… not so much.”

“Well, you should work something about that, shouldn’t you?”

Of course, by that time, I just figured that your dad had the meanest, most sarcastic streak I could ever find in one person. Your Uncle Haruichi wasn’t delighted about it at that time—it wasn’t a good time for him.

“And this gentleman right here is…?”

I immediately extended my hand to him. “Kuramochi. Kuramochi Youichi.” I cleared my throat, added, “Haruichi and I, uh… we met at the rental.”

“Oh? So, who’s the lucky lady?”

“Well… none at the moment. I just happened to look by—you know… window shopping.”

Your dad then gave me a sympathizing look. “Aw. If only there was someone out there who loved you.”

For the rest of the night, we had a decent conversation. Uncle Haruichi was kept composed, even though I could sense him wishing to get away as soon as possible since he didn’t feel like opening up about his insecurities. Your dad continued to make slightly captious remarks of everything that happened, including the surroundings.

And me?

I was just there, being somewhat offended by words coming out of his sharp tongue, but I didn’t care. It was a high stake, living with someone who would outright demean you for the rest of your life. Then again, it could have its own worth.

All I needed to do at that time was to secure a date with your dad.

“Ryou-san.”

“Yes?”

“Do you, uhm… do you happen to be available on Saturday night?”

Both your dad and Uncle Haruichi was startled when I popped out the question.

Maybe Uncle Haruichi has ever said this to you, but at that time, he thought that I was the first person who had the nerve to ask his brother to go out with him after all the casualties. Sure, he knew that I swung both ways and it was a bold move considering I had not known whether your dad was into guys or not. I was prepared to make it into a casual outing until your dad answered,

“My, my, did you just try to ask me out?”

He smiled, kind of menacing for a still moment there. “Thank you for the kind offer. I don’t know about that, though. I had to go for work on Sunday morning and I should be at bed quickly for an early rise. Can you believe that?”

I couldn’t hide my disappointment. Just when I thought that I blew my chance to see him again, he approached me closely and slid his business card into my pants pocket.

“Call me later, okay?”

Your Uncle Haruichi couldn’t be more shocked in one night.

After your dad left us, he was still trying to process what happened. He had a feeling that the next events would not be delightful for me.

“I can’t believe you’re about to go out with my brother.”

“Haruichi, it’s gonna be fine,” I reassured him. “Who knows, he could be the one that I have been looking for. Besides, you and I are going to be in laws, isn’t that great?”

“I’m not sure if I could look forward to a recipe for disaster, You-san.”

He was not particularly wrong about that.

.

“Hey, Ryou-san.”

“Hello, Kuramochi. How are you doing?”

I had been enjoying the past three days of communicating with your dad from the last time we met.

We never had the chance to meet after that. He was quite busy with his work, travelling to various places to cover news reports. It consumed a lot of his time that it was hard for him to get a date—for “the last few years,” as he last spoke on our call the day before. He had broken up with his last significant other years back and it took a while for him to recover.

The more I got to know your dad, the more I got intrigued about him. I still couldn’t get over my imaginary wedding montages on my head that Uncle Miyuki was displeased every time I mentioned a sequence and Uncle Sawamura could recall every part of it.

“We get it, we get it—no band, no DJ, just a violin player to the tune of Frank Sinatra. You’re wearing Peak Lapel White No. 75, blah blah blah, what else? Three-layered cake with white icing, ribbons, and vanilla cream amidst the layers?”

Your Uncle Sawamura was already riled up each time I mentioned your dad and our future marriage procession. “Look, Eijun, you need to be easy on him,” Miyuki placated him. “Don’t you think he’d feel the same now that we’re preparing for our own wedding?”

“Yeah, but still—”

“Pupupu~ You just wanted the wedding spotlight to remain in our stead, didn’t you?”

“IT’S NOT LIKE THAT!”

Meanwhile, I was still busy conversing with your dad, wondering what I could do to be able to meet him before he went off for work on Sunday morning.

“Are those your roommates?” he asked. “I feel bad for you—can you still sleep at night and wake up in peace with them after all these six years?”

“Yeah… at times I could, but a lot of times, not so much.”

“Ah, well, my place is rather quiet and peaceful here. I could probably use some company over...”

I smirked. “I could come over… if you wanted to. You know, so you wouldn’t have to waste energy by going outside and you could immediately go straight to bed.”

He chuckled from the other side of the phone, and I loved how it sounded every time he did that.

“I would love that.”

Not long before we ended our call before our second meeting, I got reminded by an important thing that would convince me whether he was the one or not.

“Oh, and, uh… do you like grapes? I happen to like them.”

“No. I hate them. And I have a bowl of grapes sitting right in my home.”

It couldn’t be more perfect for me.

“Alright, I’ll see you tonight, Ryou-san.”

“Sure. I will be waiting.”

.

Before we move on, kids, I’d have to explain why grapes are an important part in determining the perfect balance between you and the love of your life.

Hailing from the case of Uncle Miyuki and Uncle Sawamura, I came up with something called “The Grape Theory”, in which what makes a perfect balance between a couple is when one loves grapes, one hates them. A lot of the times I had been with someone, they just happened to like grapes as much as I do (I even had to fight for the last piece of grape with one of my exes back then).

I didn’t know why, but I managed to rent out a white tux from Haruichi’s rental place for the night (and no, it was not the Peak Lapel White No. 75). I brought over flowers and a box of chocolates, and I was prepared for the first date with the man of my dreams.

As I was about to knock the door, your dad appeared right before me in an enchanting, sultry silk robe.

“Uh… h-hi.”

He chuckled again, making me blush and all kinds of nervous. “You look enthusiastic for tonight, huh? Mind you that this is a date night in, not a wedding reception.”

“Haha, yeah. I know.” I chimed, attempting to conceal my inner feelings. “I wanted to make it special, even though if tonight only consists of you looking at me eating your grapes.”

His chuckle turned into a laugh. I liked where it was going.

At that night, I felt like after giving me a sign, the universe had set me up for the perfect encounter that I could ever imagine. It was almost like a dream turning into reality. Your dad enjoyed our time together with me as well, and that was all I could ever ask for.

“So… what’s the plan for tonight?”

“Well… I’m still thinking about the grapes. And you could eat this chocolate if you want to, just in case,” I explained. “And while at that, we could have a glass of champagne—oh, Goddamnit, I forgot that one. Ah, I’m sorry, I should have brought that one too…”

Halfway before I managed to finish explaining my date plan, your dad had already put on a slow jazz tune from his stereo. He brought a bottle of champagne from his fridge and a couple of glasses, all set up as I watched him popping the cork and pouring the drinks before I took a glass from his hand.

“Let’s get right down to tonight, shall we?”

.

It was a remarkable date night in for me and your dad.

We mentioned a lot of things that happened to the course of events in our lives—of my roommates and my job, of his impending workload and future potential news covers, of our mutual affiliation to Haruichi, and of The Grape Theory as well.

Soon, we found ourselves in the middle of the room with dimmed lights. We slow danced—him in my arms, my gaze fixated at him like he was the most captivating person I ever had in such a close proximity.

It was all too perfect, even for me.

“I think I like your Grape Theory.”

“I think I like your skull collection.”

“I think I like your hair.”

“I think I’m in love with you.”

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

“What?”

And just like that, the time halted. The universe’s effect no longer worked on me.

He steeled away from me and turned on the lights again. I sat at one end of the couch, flushed and reeled with embarrassment. He didn’t even bother to look me in the eye anymore.

A long silence stretched between us for a while until he questioned,

“So… you love me?”

It took me several seconds before I could answer him.

“You may not believe me, but I guess so.”

I held my breath, mustering up my courage to tell him how I had been feeling all this time.

“I know I should have never said that on the first date, but it was more than just the grapes. Maybe it was just me, that I am done being single because my best friends are getting married while I still don’t have my future planned out well, but… maybe it was not a mistake either.”

As your dad remained in silence, I continued, “Ryou-san… when I saw you and got the chance to know you, I knew that I could find a lot of ways to make you happy. Hell, I’d probably try to make you the happiest man alive, and I could see how much we have things in sync, common or not. Even though we still have a long way to go, I think—no, I am positively sure that we will be able to make it.”

My persistency that was shown through my own words almost turned me speechless as well. I could say that I was still overwhelmed—I thought I’d have to wait for quite a bit until we could see each other again after that night.

Soon, it was time for me to put an end to our date night in. He walked me until I reached the front door out from his apartment building.

“Kuramochi… thank you for tonight. It was a pleasure.”

“Yeah, thanks for letting me go in your place. Hope you could work well tomorrow.”

“I will do my best.”

As we were about to shake hands, the sign from the universe miraculously arrived in time again, giving me the second chance to have a beautiful kiss to end our day together. It was at the moment when our hands touch and our faces were near to each other.

We were so close, I could hear his warm hitch of breath when my fingers caught in between his hands. My chance was only one pull of less than an inch away until our lips meet and it would only take me seconds to close away the gap separating us.

I decided not take that chance, and I left away without having to say anything.

.

“You-san… really? ‘I love you’ on a first date?”

“You should have kissed him.”

“Why are doing this to yourself, Kuramochi-senpai?!”

Of course, everyone was frustrated enough to hear the ending of my first date not long after.

Uncle Haruichi happened to be there after I recommended him to Uncle Miyuki and Uncle Sawamura to look for rentable wedding tuxedos. I just needed to barge in after they had their meeting.

“That was obviouslythe sign, you should have gone for it.” Miyuki rolled his eyes in exasperation. “You were lucky enough that he didn’t insult you right in the face when you slipped that one out of the bag—it’d be a different story if it were me and Eijun if that happened in our first date.”

“I can confirm that,” Sawamura concurred. “I’d be sure to respond that with a hard slap on your face if you told me that you loved me on our first date. I honestly don’t know if we could ever see each other again after that.”

“I’m not even sure that my brother would like to meet you again after that happened,” Haruichi added in a wary tone.

That could have been the worst-case scenario—I also thought that I would never see your dad again after all that happened on our first date together. But that’s the funny thing about destiny, it happens whether you plan it or not. It turns out, I was just too close to the puzzle to see the picture that was forming.

And that is why, kids, you should never say “I love you” on a first date and you should have kissed your date if you both felt right.

Another thing that you need to know that if your date agreed to keep seeing you even after you made those two fatal mistakes, then they might be the one for you.

fin.

.

To:@daiyadreamer
From: @mangacomicgirl
Notes: Ok so, I might have screamed a little when I got your name sent as my giftee? Quinn, I’m not sure if you remember little old me, but I absolutely adore your blog, and have requested headcannons from you a few times. Your blog is one of my favourites and god, I was so extremely nervous to write for you. Sadly because of school, I couldn’t write a story as long as I desired (or that you deserve), so I had to settle for something a little smaller. Regardless, I hope you enjoy this, and I wish you all the best

Troublesome Paws
When Kominato Ryousuke agreed to move out with his younger brother, he knew they would have their difference in opinions. Haruichi was a sentimental person, who wanted to make their new house in Tokyo into a home. Ryousuke had no issues with what his brother wanted to do with their house, as to him, it was a building he would merely be living in, the decor was but a minor nuisance which Ryousuke had no problem letting Haruichi handle. And so, he had let Haruichi have his way with buying furniture and painting walls. But what Ryousuke didn’t expect was this.

“So, tell me why we are here Haruichi.” Ryousuke’s tone was inquisitive, but held a displeased timbre.

Haruichi was looking at his older brother, and Ryousuke could only assume Haruichi had predicted this outcome. “Well Aniki, I thought we could have a look at some of the animals.”

Ryousuke continued to stare at the building, facial expression never once wavering. “And why would we need to look at such things?”

The other pinkette sighed. “Because, if we find one we like, we can consider adopting one.”

Humming, Ryousuke finally turned to Haruichi, a frown on his face. “And you didn’t tell me this is why you wanted me to come shopping with you because?”

“I knew you wouldn’t come if I told you I wanted to adopt a pet.” Haruichi stated simply, giving his older brother an imploring look. “So, I brought you here the only way I knew would work.” There was silence for a few moments and Haruichi sighed when Ryousuke didn’t so much as twitch. “Aniki, please humour me. You know how much I’ve always wanted to have a pet at home.”

“You had a bird.”

“Which you refused to interact with because it always attacked you.”

A deadly smile made its way onto Ryousuke’s face. “We do not speak of that Haruichi.”

Sighing, Haruichi frowned deeply. “I was young, I don’t even remember the birds name. It got out of its cage and disappeared remember, Aniki?”

“Yes, what a shame.” Ryousuke said, showing no remorse.

“Just, can we please have a look?” Haruichi asked, his pleading sunset pink eyes trained on Ryousuke. “You never know, you might fall in love with just one look.”

Ryousuke clicked his tongue. “I highly doubt it.” He pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling sharply. “We will look for no more than twenty minutes. I don’t want to waste any more time here than necessary.”

The smile that came over Haruichi’s face made Ryousuke shake his head at how excited his younger brother was. Maybe Ryousuke was finally going soft, not reaching Koshien with Haruichi during his final year of high school last year had made Ryousuke realise that it was about time he stopped being a rival and started being a brother. Perhaps that’s why he agreed to move into a house with him.

“Thank you Aniki.”

“Don’t expect to come out with an animal.”

Haruichi’s smile didn’t waver. “I’ll try not to think about it.”

They walked through the doors to the animal shelter and Haruichi led the way to a desk in the middle of the floor. Ryousuke looked around at the strange building, the walls bright blue and grey, green furniture placed around. There were windows everywhere and it had a very open feel to it. From Ryousuke’s spot, he could see a section dedicated to the adoption of rabbits and guinea pigs. On the left there was a giant glass door leading to the cat adoption section, and off the the right was the exact same door but for dogs. People were wandering around with dogs on leashes and Ryousuke couldn’t help but give this woman a look as she mimicked the yapping sound her Chihuahua was making.

Deciding he would rather die than hear that everyday for the next few years of his life, Ryousuke returned back to the conversation Haruichi was having the the desk clerk. “Did you have any preference as to what animals you would like to view?”

Before Haruichi could open his mouth, Ryousuke cut him off, tone sickeningly sweet. “Something that doesn’t make my ears bleed.”

“Uh.” Haruichi looked at the clerk sheepishly. “What would you recommend?”

The woman smiled, not put off in the slightest. “Perhaps a brief look in the cat section would be best.”

Haruichi smiled, the prospect of seeing some four legged creatures exciting him. “That sounds like a good idea.”

They received a keycard that would open the door to the cat section and proceeded to the large glass door. Ryousuke could already see people were cooing over the animals beyond the glass and he managed to keep his irritation from showing. The thought of being stuck in the walkways with people, all of them trying to get the cats to pay them even the smallest bit of attention, being less than pleasing to him. Haruichi swiped the card, and the automatic door slid open into a smaller room, they walked in before it closed shut behind them and the next door opened into the corridor of the cat viewing area.

Stepping into the room, Haruichi was immediately taken to the different animals all playing behind the glass to their right. “Look Aniki, that one is pretty cute.” Haruichi ducked down to the cats height, lightly touching the glass as the cat strolled past.

“If you insist Haruichi.” Ryousuke commented idly, watching his brother for a moment before looking into the room.

An employee wearing an ugly bright blue apron was currently sitting in the middle of the floor, a cat cuddled into his lap as he bounced a fish on some string for another. The employee looked up and Ryousuke watched as Sawamura Eijun’s face lit up like a child in a candy store. “Oniisan! Harucchi!” He yelled, the cats around him scattering as he spooked them. Sawamura’s voice was easy to hear, even through the glass. Haruichi had the decency to wave, Ryousuke merely stood as Sawamura scrambled to meet them at the glass. “Harucchi! You managed to get Oniisan to get a cat!”

Haruichi laughed awkwardly. “N-not exactly, Eijun-kun.”

“What!?” Sawamura replied loudly. “Harucchi! I can’t hear you!”

“So, this was Sawamura’s idea, was it now?” Ryousuke ignored the idiot pressing his ear into the glass in favour of looking down at his brother, who was looking back at him with a frown.

“Eijun-kun gave me the idea, yes.” He admitted. “But he isn’t forcing me to get a pet, I want one to make our house feel a bit more like a home.”

All of a sudden, the door next to Haruichi was unlocked and opened a bit, a smiling Sawamura on the other side. “Harucchi! Oniisan! Come in, it’s much easier to bond with an animal while touching it, rather than looking through the glass!”

“I’ll pass,” Ryousuke turned down the offer immediately, “Haruichi, you can go if you want.”

Standing up, Haruichi quickly dusted off his knees. “Aniki, while I’m with Eijun-kun you should really have a look around, you never know what you might find here.” The pinkette sent Ryousuke one last stubborn frown before quickly entering the cat play room with Sawamura, leaving Ryousuke with a child and his mother who started complaining about not being able to go into the cat play room with the pink boy.

Already growing annoyed of listening to the kids voice, Ryousuke strolled leisurely down the hallway, looking into the cat play rooms on his right and the isolated rooms to his left. It seemed the majority of the cats were playing around in the bigger spaces on the right, windows along the play rooms walls allowing in sunshine. There were cats everywhere, lazing around on cat scratchers, playing with toys of all shapes and sizes, or chasing one another around. On the windows there were names and a photo of each cat, stating their temperament and personality.

On the left were hallways, symmetrical rows of spacious cages going down each side. Some of the cages were empty, while others housed a cat or a few kittens. Ryousuke continued to walk until he was more than halfway down the walkway before turning to the left into a corridor, where less people were flocking about. The further along he got, the more empty cages appeared, and Ryousuke was happy to finally be rid of the felines. He’d almost reached the end of the cages when he heard the distinct hissing of an obviously unhappy cat.

“This fucking cat is going to be the death of me.” A voice closer to Ryousuke said, and the pinkette stopped in his tracks to listen as a cat made a low almost growling sort of sound. “Yeah, yeah, I’m getting there.”

Intrigued, Ryousuke reached the end of the corridor. Small, door sized rooms were separated by glass along the wall, and as far as Ryousuke could see, there weren’t a lot of cats in this part of the viewing area. Or any humans for that matter.

A loud growl came from his left, and Ryousuke made his way towards it.

“Look, if you weren’t such an asshole I wouldn’t have to put you in a carrier every time I clean your cage.” The voice continued on, followed by another hiss. “Oi! Don’t swipe at me you little-”

Ryousuke stopped at the trolley in the middle of the walkway. It had a wastes bin, along with cleaning tools of all sorts, disposable rubbish bag dispensers and different types of sprays. When he turned to inspect the small room behind it, he found a peculiar sight. Squeezed into the small room was a man, dressed in the same ugly blue apron Sawamura had been wearing, currently kneeling on the ground and getting scratched by a cat in a small carrier. The cat was stretching its arm through the metal cage, swiping at the employee who was cleaning its litter.

The employee tied up a blue plastic bag, before turning to the locked up cat. “C’mon, it’s not that bad. Stop being so dramatic.” The cat made an awful broken up hiss. “I’m going to let you out now, so don’t be a dick ok?”

Ryousuke came to stand in front of the glass, an amused smile forming on his features as the employee went to unlatch the door. “Should I assume this cat isn’t very fond of you?”

The employee yelped, falling on his ass while the door to the cat carrier opened a smidge. “Dude, what the f-” He looked up and fell silent, jaw going slack.

Smiling wickedly, Ryousuke looked down at the other male, enjoying the height difference. Ryousuke wasn’t expecting to see such a roguishly handsome man gaping back, honey brown eyes staring in shock and wild green hair gelled back in a cowlick hairstyle. The other man was spluttering, ears turning red along with the rest of his face.

How unfairly cute, Ryousuke couldn’t help but think, smile still sharp.

“Uh, sorry. Didn’t realise there was a customer down this end.” The other apologised, quickly getting to his feet. Ryousuke didn’t know if he should appreciate the fact this man was now taller than him.

“Do you always use that kind of language at work?” Ryousuke asked, smile turning dangerous as the man looked at him apologetically.

“Not usually.” He laughed, it sounding like the cackle of a hyena. “Guess you could say this cat is the exception.” Giving a low hum, Ryousuke was in the perfect viewing spot as a big thing launched out of the cat carrier. The employee cried out as the animal began climbing up his jeans. “That hurts you little-” the man stopped mid-sentence as the cat made it’s way up his chest and went to go over his shoulder. “Oi! Watch it!” He yelled, grabbing the cat by the scruff of the neck and quickly putting it on the cat scratcher, the fluffy feline hissing as he did so.

With his eyes trained carefully on the man, Ryousuke merely watched as he struggled to keep the cat at bay and kick out the cat carrier at the same time. It took some awkward stretching, but he got there in the end. The man kicked the carrier outside the now open glass door and in one fluid move, let go of the cat and dashed out of the cage, closing the glass door and locking it with a bout of incredulous laughter.

“My, my.” Ryousuke commented idly, the employee turning to look at him. “You really suck at your job don’t you?”

“Eh?” He blinked once, twice. “O-oi, I’m just a volunteer here!”

“Oh?” Ryousuke approached the cage, back to the stranger as he observed the feline inside. “Just a volunteer? You willingly dedicate your time to help vicious cats?”

“Hey, he’s not vicious.” That answer surprised Ryousuke, who turned around to see the green haired man was frowning. “Look, I know that he might come across that way, but he’s a genuinely good cat. He just needs to find the right person.”

Quirking a brow, the shorter tilted his head to the side. “Is that so.”

“Yes.” He answered firmly. “Sometimes you just need the right person to give you a shove in the right direction,” the employee moved to put the plastic bag full of faeces into the wastes bin “everyone goes through rough times, why can’t animals too?” The man sighed. “Too bad no one wants to give strays a chance.”

“Fair enough.” Ryousuke returned his gaze to the cat, the fluffy mass staring at him eerily through the glass, tail swishing too and fro. It almost seemed like he was glaring right at him. “I guess there’s no other choice then.” He sent a smirk over his shoulder. “Guess I will take a chance on this stray of yours.”

The man dropped the hand sanitiser he had been using. “Wait- are you for real?” He asked, beautiful honey eyes locked on Ryousuke. “You’re shitting me.”

“I shit you not,” he responded simply. “I’ll take your word-” Ryousuke noticed a name tag on the man’s chest “Kuramochi-kun.”

Kuramochi seemed flabbergasted, before a wide grin broke out over his lips and he threw his head back, his loud distinct laugh ringing throughout the halls. “Oh man!” He wiped tears from his eyes as he returned his attention back to Ryousuke. “I promise you, you won’t regret this.”

“I better not, or I’ll be coming for you, Kuramochi-kun.” He sent said man a sinister smile. “I’m not particularly fond of anything that will constantly be a nuisance. And if I find out this cat is just that, I’ll be certain to make you hear about it.”

“Don’t worry, this guy won’t bother you,” Kuramochi was still grinning fiercely, as if Ryousuke’s threat fell on deaf ears. “He’s more of a loner type than the mischievous. He never makes a mess of his food or water, and he hasn’t destroyed any cat toys or furniture since arriving a little over a year ago. I’d know, I’m the only one he’ll let into his enclosure without clawing the sh- uh, heck out of.”

“Interesting.” Ryousuke said, intrigued by something other than the cat he’d just agreed to take home.

Haruichi’s words floated into Ryousuke’s mind. “You never know, you might fall in love with just one look.”

Love was best left for fairytales and shoujo manga. Ryousuke didn’t believe in something as trivial as love at first sight. But he most certainly knew there was more to this animal shelter volunteer than a sailor mouth and insane cackle. While Ryousuke didn’t fall in love, he was most definitely intrigued and maybe a little bit amused. Perhaps he could have some fun with this Kuramochi.

“I can take you to the front desk, they can set you up with the adoption papers and have someone bring the cat to your house once everything is finalised.” Kuramochi said, breaking Ryousuke out of his thoughts.

He gave a low hum. “That won’t be necessary Kuramochi-kun. I wouldn’t want to keep you from finishing your work.”

Kuramochi’s cheeks flushed. “Uh, right. I forgot about that for a moment.”

Ryousuke sent him an entertained look. “Don’t worry, I’m certain this won’t be the last time we see each other Kuramochi-kun.” Ryousuke began to walk off. “I’ll make sure of that.” He added as he was a foot away from Kuramochi, who’s ears turned bright red.

“I-uh, wait!” Kuramochi spluttered as Ryousuke slowly came to a halt, turning around only slightly. “What’s your name?”

Hands still clasped behind his back, Ryousuke’s lips tilted upward with pleasure.

“Ryousuke.”

★彡

The sound of the window being scratched was what woke up Ryousuke, along with persistent growling. Opting to ignore the feline trying to gain his attention, he merely rolled over, determined to be lulled back to sleep thanks to the comforting warmth of his bed. The feral sounds continued and as much as Ryousuke had come to not loathe Nyarlathotep’s presence since arriving in his and Haruichi’s apartment over seven months ago, he still did not appreciate being woken up at who knows what time in the morning, simply because the cat had decided he no longer wanted to be outside.

A grunt sounded beside him, the other human in the bed rolling over and groaning, his toned arm landing over Ryousuke’s waist. “What time is it?” The person grumbled.

“Do I look like an alarm clock, Youichi?”

A small smile pulled onto his partner’s lips, a hyena like cackle leaving his mouth, still sounding somewhat disoriented. “Sorry Ryou-san.” Kuramochi let out a grunt before heaving himself up, and Ryousuke grabbed onto Kuramochi’s hand.

“Come back to bed.” The pinkette said, voice holding no room for Kuramochi to say no.

On everyone else, that authoritative tone would’ve commanded fear and total obedience. To Kuramochi however, Ryousuke had learned it held absolutely no effect on the younger, and just like every other time the pinkette used this voice on his boyfriend, Kuramochi simply grinned. “I’m just letting Nyarlathotep in, Ryou-san. I’ll be back.”

Ryousuke huffed, dropping his arm to the bed as Kuramochi wandered to the window, opening it up enough for the old ragdoll to squeeze inside. “Didn’t realise you loved Nya-chan more than your own boyfriend, Youichi.”

“Well, despite everything I did for him back at the shelter, he still growls at me.” Kuramochi opened the window, and the old ragdoll creeped inside, letting out a low growl, just as Kuramochi predicted. Ryousuke let out a soft chuckle, Nyarlathotep coming up on top of the covers and sitting down at the foot of the bed, just like the king of the castle. “How Haruichi managed to get him to warm up to him, I’ll never have any clue.” He added, shutting the window and walking back to bed, slipping under the blankets despite Nyarlathotep’s less than pleased meow.

“Haruichi just has the uncanny ability to befriend the strangest of people, and animals too I suppose.” Ryousuke narrowed his eyes at Kuramochi as his cold skin touched him. “Do you mind?” He asked, his expression matching that of his unhappy cat.

“But I’m cold, Ryou-san.” Kuramochi’s lips pulled ever so slightly into a pout, his amber gaze glowing in the dark and sending sparks of electricity through Ryousuke’s veins.

His boyfriends cute expressions may have caused Ryousuke problems in the past, but he was feeling a little bit more mean today. “Should have thought of that before you left the bed.” He stated simply, giving Kuramochi a chop on the head and causing him to cry out. Nyarlathotep ignored them, curling up in a ball and falling fast asleep. “You really don’t make the best decisions, Youichi.”

“Well, I must’ve done something right, since we’re together.” Kuramochi grinned, his teeth pure white.

“Perhaps.” Ryousuke couldn’t help the way his lips quirked upward, or how his chest warmed with affection for the man beside him.

Giving a low hum, Kuramochi nuzzled into Ryousuke side, slightly warmer arm wrapping around the smaller waist. “I got another college letter in the mail yesterday.”

That was news to Ryousuke. “Oh?” He looked up at his boyfriend, surprised he hadn’t mentioned it sooner. “But didn’t you already receive letters from the colleges you applied for?”

“I did, but I decided to apply for this one last minute, after speaking about it with Coach Kataoka.”

Frowning at being kept in the dark, Ryousuke took in the excited sparkle in Kuramochi’s eyes and the way his fingers were twitching ever so slightly on the exposed skin of Ryousuke’s hip. “So, which college was it that you decided to apply for, at last minute no less?”

“I decided to apply for Hosei.”

Ryousuke quirked a brow in surprise, when in reality his heart had lurched in his chest. “Hosei, hmmm?” He replied, calm and collected. “And were you accepted?”

“I sure as hell was.” Kuramochi’s grin was infectious.

“And what do you plan to do at Hosei?”

Kuramochi did pout this time, obviously expecting a better reaction from his boyfriend. “I’m going to be your partner, that’s what I plan on doing.” There was a fire in his eyes, determined and powerful. “We’ll be known as the best, nobody is going to stop us from winning the Big 6.”

“That’s some awfully big words, coming from someone who hasn’t even made the starting roster, or is even a student yet.” Ryousuke teased, making Kuramochi splutter. “I suppose we better get you into top shape over the winter. You may be good enough to be one of Seidou’s regulars, but you’re far away from meeting my standards.”

“Of course, Ryou-san.” He agreed, hiding a smile into the pillows.

“You seem way too happy for someone who was just told they are going to experience hell on Earth.” The shorter commented.

Kuramochi chuckled. “How could I not be? I get to play baseball with you, Ryou-san.”

“Hopeless.” Ryousuke shook his head.

“Hopelessly in love more like it.” Kuramochi amended, smile full of unbridled affection.

Ryousuke let a soft laugh fall from his lips, before grabbing the back of Kuramochi’s neck and pulling him in for a kiss.

From his spot on the bed, Nyarlathotep merely stood up, faced away from the overly sappy display of affection, and continued on with his peaceful slumber.

Tags: kuramochi’s first year, ryousuke’s second year, secret admirer, maids at one point, team bonding, minor angst, fluff and humor

to: @daiya-myu​

from: @askalltheballers

notes: I was really really excited to write this for you especially after you’d followed me around the time the exchange went up. I know it’s not really close to most of your prompts, but I’ve had this idea in the back of my mind for a while because of a friend and it’s grown into my longest fic to date. Hope you enjoy!

link to ao3, which will post on reveal day

For @melibobelli!

*

The thing about Ryousuke, Kuramochi has found, is that he can tell him to do anything and Kuramochi will. But even with that, he’s finding it a little hard to keep his feet moving where Ryousuke wants them to go. Because the other thing about Ryousuke, Kuramochi has found, is that he always tells him to do things he’s not exactly comfortable with.

Kuramochi shoves his hands deeper into his pockets, scowls a little harder. “I’m telling you, this stuff ain’t real.”

Ryousuke smiles, and Kuramochi knows he’s stuck following him to the ends of the Earth, no matter what. “I’ll suck you off, later,” he says, like he’s commenting on the weather.

Heat rises to his ears, and he mumbles something like “y'don’t have to” but doesn’t precisely contain words.

The house they arrive at feels different to what Kuramochi expected. The styling is modern, for one thing, and in the small front garden behind the ostentatious fencing, there’s signs that someone who lives here is a pitcher, with a basket of baseballs and a three by three grid attached to a stand.

“Maybe we can ask to play catch.” Ryousuke is teasing him — dick knows he’d rather be fooling around practicing with some kid than what he’s being dragged into.

Ryousuke rings the doorbell, and Kuramochi tries not to look like a delinquent as he stands next to him. He should have left his leather jacket at home, he thinks, and fiddles with the soft lining inside one pocket.

A minute passes, and Ryousuke frowns. Kuramochi fights the urge to tell him to call the whole thing off as Ryousuke tries the doorbell again.

As he’s about to do so, the door swings open. Kuramochi swallows at the sight of the woman at the door. She’s perfectly smooth, her jacket flowing down into her pencil skirt and her hair pulled back into a ponytail. Ryousuke chuckles beside him, and he breaks his gaze away. “Shut up.”

“My butt is cuter,” Ryousuke comments, as the two of them are lead inside.

Kuramochi laughs. “Are you sure?” he replies, though they both know it’s no contest.

They’re settled down in front of a table in short order, set up for the main event all too soon in Kuramochi’s opinion.

“Would you like tea?” she asks.

Kuramochi begins to say “no” just as Ryousuke speaks over him with “yes, please.”

She nods, amused, and Kuramochi hunches into himself. He’d have let Ryousuke speak for him, but the thing is, he’s nervous. He grew up knowing that you just don’t mess with these things. If you leave them alone, they leave you alone — that’s how it works. But if Ryousuke wants to get up to his neck in it all, then like hell is Kuramochi staying behind. So if Ryousuke is heading down this road then Kuramochi is coming, too.

As she pours the tea, she watches the both of them. “He doesn’t believe in fortunes?” she asks, the question directed at Ryousuke. She fills their small round cups perfectly to where the ceramic curves off.

Ryousuke takes one of the cups, and snickers into the tea. “No, he believes in them too much.”

“Like hell I do,” Kuramochi snaps, face heating up once again. It’s one of those days.

She raises an eyebrow.

“’S just…” he begins, when she doesn’t prompt him further. “If I don’t mess with it, it won’t mess with me,” he blurts in a rush.

She nods, and the lights in the room turn the lenses of her glasses white for an instant. “You could be right,” she comments, mildly. “But then you wouldn’t be fully in control of your own fate.”

Kuramochi wants to say that he doesn’t <em>need</em> to be in charge of his own fate. This is why he likes having a boyfriend like Ryousuke, who loves taking charge and pushing Kuramochi as far as he can go. But this woman — who, he realizes, hasn’t even given her name — doesn’t need to know that. Doesn’t even need to know that’s how it is between him and Ryousuke, though she could have overheard his comment earlier.

His expression must say something to her, though, because she says, “A short reading, in that case,” and puts down her cup of tea and takes the lid off a small box, filled with large cards, which she begins to separate into two piles.

“Lots of swords, today,” Ryousuke comments.

She chuckles. “On the surface,” she says, “but they’re all here.” She continues separating the cards until they’re all in the piles, and then picks up the smaller pile, containing more ornate cards with pictures on them, and hands them to Kuramochi.

He takes them. The urge to throw them on the ground and storm out of the house passes over him, but it’s gone quickly enough to hear her give him instructions. She tells him to shuffle, and then draw three cards and place them down.

He does, despite his misgivings. He lays them down in a line.

The cards from this pile have roman lettering on them, and he frowns as he tries to pick what the words could mean, based on the pictures. There’s an angel pouring water into a cup, then a man hanging upside down, which he’d initially gone to turn around as he placed it on the table, and then lastly a tall building on fire.

He drops the rest of the cards messily next to the line of three. “Happy now?” He’s not sure whether he’s asking the woman or Ryousuke, but she responds with a small smile, and Ryousuke leans in and grins like Kuramochi has done something right.

“Very,” he replies.

Kuramochi tosses the last of his tea down his throat and stands up. “‘Kay, then I’m out,” he says, and practically runs from the house. Something about it makes him feel like he needs to crawl out of his skin.

Ryousuke doesn’t follow him for ten minutes, but Kuramochi figures he’s stayed to hear whatever the woman had to say about her fake magic. When he does return, Kuramochi has found the bat that goes with the rest of the baseball gear, and has taken off his jacket to practise his swing. He catches Ryousuke watching appreciatively before he speaks.

“Rei-san was very impressed,” he says. “She thinks you should come back again.”

“Not likely,” Kuramochi grunts in between swings.

Ryousuke hums, but doesn’t reply.

Kuramochi knows that means they’ll be back again. He almost wishes he actually minds.

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