#type fic

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.”

To: @whythehandbasket

From: Sal

Notes: So this is my first time writing actual fan fiction and it might not be that good, but I tried my best! I really hope you’ll enjoy reading it

Summary: In which a local traditional Japanese sweets shop owner falls in love with the brother of one of his regular customers.

Words:  6837

The act of pounding, kneading, molding－they have become a second nature for Kuramochi, almost therapeutic even. He has been doing this since he was only 9 years-old, after all. Making wagashi with his mother had been a weekly routine for them in the past. He is forever thankful for that, since the fact that now he can make a living on his own is because of said routine. He now owns a fairly successful wagashi shop, named simply after his mother’s surname, which he also uses, The Kuramochi Sweets.

As a child, Kuramochi had always thought of wagashi as a luxury. His mother would only buy the fancy store-made ones on special occasions. Learning to make wagashi was his mother’s idea, back when they had so little they could no longer afford to buy some from the store.

They didn’t come from a very wealthy family, you see. After his father left him, his mother and grandfather back when he was just a little 5 years-old boy, they had went through so many hardships. Life wasn’t easy then, it still isn’t easy now, but he wouldn’t ask for a different life if he had the chance.

Kuramochi can hear his mother’s voice instructing him as he goes through all the steps he remembers by heart. This is one of the many things he loves about this part of his work. He feels so much closer to his mother this way.

After her death a little over a year ago, Kuramochi had a break down that caused him to close down his shop for a whole month. He couldn’t bear to step into his own shop and make anything. Everything reminded him too much of his mother and it hurt. Now though, he is thankful he has his work to remind him of only the best memories about his mother.

————————————————————

The jingling sound of the bell attached to the front door makes Kuramochi pause from his work. He knows instantly who that might be. Only one person would be here this early. Must be Miyuki, but this is too early even for him. Kuramochi thinks to himself and continues his work. He can hear the shuffling sound of feet and Miyuki humming in an obnoxiously cheery tone for such an early morning. Something good must’ve happened to him yesterday.

Miyuki Kazuya is a friend Kuramochi met in high school and shared a class with for all those 3 years. Miyuki works as the front-of-house waiter in Kuramochi’s shop. He’s the one in charge of taking orders from the customers.

They weren’t friends at first, it was more like they hated each other even, but they learned to tolerate each other eventually. They are actually quite close, but neither will ever admit it if people ask. Although they do fight a lot, mostly because of stupid things. Miyuki is the type of person who likes to tease others and Kuramochi has little patience for that, but that only makes it even more fun to tease him, or so Miyuki said.

“Good morning, Kuramochi~” Miyuki pops his head into the kitchen before stepping inside. “How’s preparation going?” Yeah, this is way too cheerful to be normal.

“As you can see, I’m almost done,” Kuramochi says without looking up from his work. He’s finishing his last batch of daifuku. “Something good happened? You sound way more annoying than usual this early in the morning. The fuck are you doing here so early anyway?”

“Well, if you must know~” Miyuki wiggles his eyebrows, Kuramochi rolls his eyes. “I ran into Sunshine Boy at the combini last night~” he says, grinning. “Turns out, he lives in my neighborhood.”

“You mean… Sawamura, right? Haruichi’s friend?” Kuramochi asks and Miyuki nods at the question, confirming. He just sighs at the response and continues his work.

Haruichi is one of his regular since after he had that breakdown. That boy usually comes with his two best friends, Sawamura and Furuya. And Sawamura the “Sunshine Boy” is the subject of Miyuki’s latest conquest for the last few months now. He’s convinced the boy also has a crush on his coworker. Sad thing is, Sawamura is too much of an idiot to realize it’s real and Miyuki is too proud to admit it, much to Kuramochi’s suffering.

“That still didn’t answer my question about what you’re doing here so early though.” Kuramochi side-eyes Miyuki, hand still working on finishing today’s preparation.

“Oh, that? No reason~ I simply woke up a little earlier than usual, so here I am!” Miyuki spreads out his arms as if he’s presenting himself. Kuramochi just rolls his eyes again at his friend’s antic.

The preparation goes on as smoothly as usual. Everything is going as planned, a little quicker now that Kuramochi has Miyuki’s help. Then just before they finally finish with the preparation, another person comes in.

There’s only one other person working there besides Kuramochi and Miyuki, his name is Maezono Kenta, or Zono for short. He’s also a high school friend of the two. He’s in charge of the drinks they serve, which is a selection of many different kinds of tea. Since it’s only a small shop, it doesn’t need that many employees, so it’s just the three of them for now.

Kuramochi instructs Miyuki to go to the front and open up the shop while he cleans up the kitchen. Hygiene is a value he holds high, especially in the shop since he’s dealing with food, so he always keeps everything around the shop clean. He may look like a punk, but he cares a lot about tiny details.

“Mochi-kun~ I already flipped the sign so don’t take too long,” Miyuki chirps, calling out to Kuramochi from his station at the counter.

“I told you to stop calling me that, you bastard,” Kuramochi grumbles, walking out of the kitchen while hanging his apron on the hanger beside the door connecting the kitchen and the space behind the counter in the process.

Miyuki snickers. “But it’s a cute nickname, don’t you think? It suits your work,” he says matter-of-factly. Not that he’s wrong, but Kuramochi hates it anyway.

————————————————————

Noon is usually the time when the shop is most deserted, since people obviously don’t eat sweets for lunch. That doesn’t mean Kuramochi doesn’t get any customer though. Sometimes people visit because noon is the only free time they have, especially some certain college students. Kuramochi just finished his lunch break when all of the sudden he wonders if Haruichi and his friends will come today. It has been a while since they last showed up.

As if on cue, the front door’s bell jingles and three males walk into the shop. A mop of pink hair Kuramochi has grown quite accustomed to is leading their way. Funny, he was just thinking about those three and now.. Here they are.

“Good afternoon, You-san!” Haruichi greets Kuramochi who’s currently stocking up the counter. He’s heading straight to his－well, since he’s with company today, so their－usual table near the counter. “How’s business today?” He asks politely, something Kuramochi always admires about the younger male.

“Yo, Haruichi! Still playing mother hen for those two eh?” Kuramochi asks jokingly, accompanied with his signature laugh. Haruichi, despite being the smaller one among the three, is definitely the more mature one. Hence, the joke. “You’ve come at the perfect time. I thought I was going to die from boredom, y’know?”

Haruichi simply smiles, taking his seat and the other two follow. “Yeah, a friend of mine seems to be missing one of your employees, You-san,” he says, the once smile has turned into a smirk. “As for me, I always miss your sweets,” he adds, making Kuramochi grin.

Before Kuramochi can respond, Miyuki beats him to it. “Well hello, Haruichi, Furuya－” Miyuki leans over the counter. “Sawamura~” the bespectacled male says the last bit in a deep and sultry voice. Kuramochi wants to gag. Can’t the two just date and end this game of chase already?

“Geh! Miyuki Kazuya!” Sawamura yelps, face red with embarrassment. “Don’t say my name like that, you damn tanuki!” He grumbles while taking his seat, sinking into the chair, lips curling down in a frown.

“Oh c’mon, Sawamura. You know you love me~” Miyuki’s teasing is relentless. He enjoys seeing people suffer after all. Sawamura can only blush deeper, unable to utter a single word. Miyuki takes so much satisfaction in causing the younger male to be in that state.

Haruichi erupts into a fit of giggles watching Sawamura’s reaction while Furuya remains silent, his body swaying as if he can fall asleep any second. Well, he actually might. He can fall asleep no matter when or where it must be a miracle.

“Oi, lovebirds. Cut that shit out, will ya?” Kuramochi barks while setting down 3 sets of plates filled with various assortments of wagashi. He doesn’t wait for the three of them to order, it’s always the same after the first few times they visited the shop. Haruichi always asks for what Kuramochi recommends for the day, Furuya asks for the least sweet ones, and Sawamura the opposite.

Right after Kuramochi is done serving the wagashi, Maezono immediately serves the guests some tea. They always work like that, serving everything one-by-one seamlessly, careful not to disturb whatever is going on around the customer’s table. They make sure when is the right time to serve the tea and ask if the customer wants refill. Everything is calculated, mostly with the help of Miyuki. He’s always been good at reading the atmosphere for some reason.

“I know you guys usually have evening practice right after classes end, so I gave you tea infused with ginseng. I hope it helps.” Maezono smiles throughout his explanation. At first glance, he looks like a big scary guy who bullies the weak. But really, he’s actually a big softie who would never dare to purposely hurt anyone or anything.

“Uwoooh!! Thank you, Zono-san!” Sawamura shouts, Haruichi smiles sweetly, and Furuya nods. All of them showing their gratitude. They take a sip of the tea before enjoying their wagashi and fall into a conversation of their own.

Kuramochi is fast, perceptive, and has a very good hearing. He’s quick to pick up interesting stuff from conversations happening even more than a meter away. He never intends to eavesdrop, people are just too loud, okay?

This time, the trio’s conversation catches Kuramochi’s interest. He can hear Sawamura mentioning about the fact that Haruichi’s birthday is coming up and that they should definitely celebrate it together have a small party just the three of them. He can hear Furuya mumbling something about that he’d rather stay home because it will be right after their next game. He can hear Haruichi getting embarrassed saying he doesn’t want the two of them to overdo it since he’s going to spend his birthday with his brother anyway.

Sawamura is now practically begging to be allowed to join the celebration, as long as it’s not some private family event he’s not supposed to be joining in. Not like Sawamura ever cares much about common courtesy. He is a good kid, sure, but he lacks subtlety.

Kuramochi hides a smile that’s threatening to bloom on his face, a little excited after acquiring the new knowledge. Haruichi is more than just a customer, he’s already like a brother to Kuramochi, so there’s no way in hell that he’s doing nothing after knowing the fact. He’s definitely going to prepare something for the little pinkette.

————————————————————

March 1st, that is the day of Haruichi’s birthday. Kuramochi managed to find out after raking out some information from Sawamura, whose number he has stolen from Miyuki’s phone. His action costs him an unfortunate price though. Because now Miyuki is thinking that Kuramochi has a crush on Haruichi.

On a slightly brighter note though, the pinkette’s birthday has the most perfect timing. Because March means springtime and springtime means Kuramochi can show off one of his wagashi creation he’s most proud of; the sakuramochi. He already has a picture in mind, and he is so sure that this idea of his is one of the best he has ever come up with.

The D-day is approaching. Kuramochi has been texting Sawamura, asking for the younger’s help regarding delivering his present, since apparently he and Fuyura will me joining Haruichi’s family to celebrate the birthday boy. Kuramochi doesn’t understand how that happened, but it makes things easier for him, so he pays it no mind.

And then that’s it, the day has come. He has entrusted Sawamura with the bento box filled with his creation to be taken to Haruichi. He has slipped a card under the box’s lid, scribbled a birthday wish and a message to let him know what the birthday boy thinks about the present. So now, he waits.

It’s not until a little after the sun has set for the day that he receives a message from an unknown number. He has a guess on who it is from though, but he can’t be sure until he checks. He opens the the message, and sure enough, it’s none other than Haruichi.

From: xx-xxxx-xxxx

You-san.. I don’t know how to thank you! You really didn’t have to… (19:43)

To: xx-xxxx-xxxx

Sooo is it safe to assume that this is your number Haruichi? (19:45)

From: xx-xxxx-xxxx

Oh god, I’m so sorry, I completely forgot to let you know. Yes, this is Haruichi, I got your number from Eijun-kun. I still can’t believe you made me sakuramochi shaped like MY HEAD. I almost couldn’t eat it. (19:46)

To: Haruichi

Hyahaha! I take it you like? (19:50)

From: Haruichi

I love them! They’re all gone now though.. (19:57)

To: Haruichi

If you ever want more next time just text me aight? You’ll have to pay tho (20:01)

From: Haruichi

Will do! Again, thank you so much, You-san.. (20:04)

To: Haruichi

No prob (20:06)

Kuramochi smiles triumphantly, feeling proud of himself for being able to impress the birthday boy. He would be lying if he said he doesn’t enjoy compliments, especially when it comes to the things he’s proud of. That night, he closes up the shop feeling like a winner.

————————————————————

At the same time in the living room of Kominato’s residence, Ryousuke is most definitely most definitely not glaring at how Haruichi is smiling at the phone the younger is holding. Okay, well, he is. It looks much too suspicious to him and he feels obligated to know who his brother is currently texting to have caused such expression to appear on his little brother’s face.

“Haruichi,” Ryousuke whispers from behind Haruichi, lips dangerously close to the other’s ear, voice serene like the calm before the storm. “Who are you texting?”

“Huh? Oh, it’s the person who gave me the mochi gift,” Haruichi answers easily while locking his phone. He’s not surprised by the gesture one bit.

“For you to immediately text him after, you must be close, huh?” Ryousuke asks as he’s stepping aside, creating a little more space between them. “How come I’ve never met him?”

“Aniki…“ Haruichi looks at him suspiciously. “Don’t tell me you’re assuming that he’s interested in me.” He states exasperatedly.

It’s always been like that between them. Ryousuke has always been sort of overprotective towards Haruichi. At first it was all because Haruichi got bullied a lot as a child, but as they grew older, Ryousuke also starts getting protective over who can approach his younger brother romantically. After that, Ryousuke has been very sceptical about the people who are close to Haruichi.

“It’s possible, you know that.” Ryousuke states calmly, taking a seat on the couch and fiddling with the remote, absentmindedly switching through different channels. Haruichi just sighs while taking a seat next to him.

“What are they like anyway?” Ryousuke asks after a while of sitting side-by-side in silence while staring at the TV, eyes still glued to the moving pictures in front of them.

“I can just take you with me the next time I visit his shop, probably this Sunday?” Haruichi proposes. It might be easier to let them meet immediately. It’s his brother, after all. He knows all too well that it’s pointless to keep anything from the older.

“Okay. I’ll pick you up after your morning practice then” Ryousuke says, holding back a smile. He expected as much from Haruichi. Now he can see with his own eyes what kind of person is trying to woo his younger brother. Maybe he can also drive them away if he’s lucky.

————————————————————

The shop has been unexpectedly busy this weekend. It’s as what Kuramochi expected though, since spring has finally arrived and people are hyped for a lot of the seasonal wagashi his shop has to offer. Kuramochi sighs in relief as the crowd finally starts dying down. He thought he’d at least get a 10 minutes break before there’s another customer, but that’s clearly not the case.

The jingle of the doorbell followed with a pair of pink haired males cancels Kuramochi’s hope for a short break. He recognises one being Haruichi, but the other one is definitely someone he has never met before. If he should guess, he’d say it’s probably Haruichi’s older brother whom he’s only heard about so far. Until today, at least.

Damn, he cleans up nicely, is the first thing that comes to mind when Kuramochi first laid eyes on the older pinkette. Ryousuke walks in after Haruichi, wearing a suit and walking in a very confident manner. Kuramochi would be lying if he said he didn’t find the older Kominato attractive.

“Heh. Look who’s here.” Kuramochi teases, or tries to. Ryousuke’s piercing gaze is making it hard for him to remain cheeky. “So is this your infamous Aniki I’ve heard about?”

“Ah, yes. You-san, this is my brother, Ryousuke. Aniki, this is Kuramochi Youichi, the shop owner.” Haruichi introduces them to each other. A little nervously, if one dares to say.

Ryousuke takes a step forward, now standing in front of Haruichi. Kuramochi is a little surprised by their difference in height. Ryousuke is at least a head shorter than him and he gets a feeling that it’d be dangerous if he ever mentioned it. So he keeps all those thoughts to himself and reaches out a hand for the other to shake. Ryousuke not-so-subtly eyes at the hand for a for moment before finally reaching out his own and takes the offered hand in a firm handshake, then lets go.

“Hmph, so you’re the one who gave my brother that very thoughtful gift the other day?” Ryousuke asks straight to the point, eyes glued to Kuramochi’s. “May I ask what your intention might be?”

“Aniki!” Haruichi hisses from behind Ryousuke, cheeks tinted pink－the same colour of their hair－in embarrassment.

Kuramochi is taken aback by the question, blinking in confusion before coming up with an answer. “Uh, yeah? Haruichi’s been a regular for almost a year and I thought I’d show some appreciation for his patronage,” he answers.

“Hmm…” Ryousuke hums as a response while studying Kuramochi’s face. Haruichi is visibly blushing at this point, squirming behind the older pinkette, possibly embarrassed beyond belief by his brother’s bluntness.

“Alright, that’s all I need to know for now,” Ryousuke says as he turns around, heading for the exit. “I’ll be waiting in the car. Be quick if you want to buy anything.” He’s already at the door when saying that and quickly slips out.

Haruichi slumps his shoulders, sighing in relief as they watch Ryousuke walk away. Only when his brother is out of sight then he turns his attention back to Kuramochi.

“I’m sorry about that..” Haruichi mumbles weakly. “I know he can be a little.. intense.. sometimes. He’s just really overprotective when it’s about me and—” He sighs once again. “I’m really sorry.”

Kuramochi cackles at Haruichi’s awkwardness. “Nah, it’s cool. No need to apologize. I kinda get it, with you being pretty and looking meek like that.” He offers the younger male a kind, reassuring smile.

Haruichi makes a face after that statement, making a pouting face that’s clearly in a joking manner. He then smiles back at Kuramochi, bows slightly in gratitude, then heads outside to catch up to his brother.

————————————————————

Ever since that day the Kominato brothers visited the shop together, Kuramochi has been seeing Ryousuke tagging along with Haruichi whenever he can. It’s a little weird for Kuramochi because Ryousuke never seems to buy anything for himself, but after their first meeting, he can kind of understand the reason.

During the days Haruichi has visited the shop in the span of a month after that day, Ryousuke has come with him in at least half of those days. Which is extremely odd considering they were all weekdays and Kuramochi has guessed that Ryousuke is some kind of office worker because he’s always seen him wearing a suit (and he’s not going to lie, Ryousuke looks damn good every time).

On a Sunday morning, the Kominato brothers come in pair again for the god knows how many times now. They usually don’t spend much time around, mostly ordering things for on-the-go. Even if they stay, it’s never longer than an hour or so (not that Kuramochi keeps count though, he definitely doesn’t). When they do though, Ryousuke doesn’t seem to order anything except for tea, a different one each time. Kuramochi asked why once and was told that Ryousuke doesn’t like sweet things, to which he almost wanted to retort saying something along the lines of “then why the hell are you even here in the first place?!”, but he didn’t.

The shop is pretty deserted since it’s only two hours after opening time. There are only three other customers inside. The Kominato brothers have already been served, so Kuramochi decided to join them on their table for a little bit. He does this a lot to some of his regular customers, especially Haruichi and the gang.

“Well look who’s here. Will you guys be staying a little longer today?” Kuramochi says as he drags a chair to the Kominato’s table and taking a seat.

“I sure hope so. The sweets are as good as ever by the way.” Haruichi smiles politely at Kuramochi while Ryousuke takes a sip of his tea. Kuramochi looks at the older male expectantly, waiting for some kind of acknowledgement of his presence since the younger has already done so. Ryousuke just reminds silent, but he does look at Kuramochi’s direction once he puts down his cup.

“Thanks. And y’know, I’m definitely going to convince your brother here to try one of my creations someday.” Kuramochi declares. He has said it several times now ever since the first time Ryousuke came to his shop with Haruichi and he’s very determined on delivering it.

“Mhm. And as I have told you many times before, I don’t like sweet things. I prefer spicy food. So good luck with that.” Ryousuke answers the way he always does, challengingly, his eyes taunting.

Haruichi glances back and forth between his brother and Kuramochi, then brings his tea cup to the his lips in order to hide the smile that’s threatening to bloom on his face. He can see Kuramochi grinning at Ryousuke’s response and it makes him want to laugh. He has noticed how Kuramochi seems to be so fascinated by his older brother. He didn’t expect this to happen, but he sure is glad it’s happening. He has high hopes that Kuramochi will be able to make his beloved brother happy. If he manages to woo the guy, that is.

They continue talking a little more before Kuramochi has to go back to work. As usual, the brothers don’t stay too long. It disappoints Kuramochi a little bit, if he’s being honest. He never really cares this much before though, only ever since Ryousuke started coming he’s feeling this way. He’s aware that he might be having a little crush on his regular’s older brother. Nah, this is nothing, it’ll be fine. He thinks. It’s not that big a deal, this is harmless. He tries to convince himself.

————————————————————

For some reason, Kuramochi hasn’t been seeing Haruichi in his shop for almost a week after that last visit, which means there’s basically no chance of him seeing Ryousuke. Miyuki is also starting do feel a little dejected at the absence of Sawamura, since the Sunshine Boy usually tags along with Haruichi too. Both Kuramochi and Miyuki is starting to feel worried. They thought about calling, but decided it’d be wiser to just wait a little bit more.

Miraculously on one Wednesday afternoon, an unexpected customer arrives a few days later. It’s Ryousuke, alone, walking in listlessly straight to the counter which Kuramochi is manning since it’s Miyuki’s break time. Ryousuke looks exhausted, a little paler and dark circles decorating the bottom of his eyes, nothing like he usually is. Kuramochi almost couldn’t recognize him.

“Whoa you look like shit, Ryou-san. What happened? Why are you not with Haruichi? Where have you guys been?” Kuramochi attacks Ryousuke with a string of questions out of worry even though he knows he shouldn’t, but he can’t help it.

Ryousuke clicks his tongue and rubs his eyes. “Shut up. Just give me Haruichi’s usual,” he mumbles. His voice small and sounds extremely tired that it baffles Kuramochi.

“Uh-huh. When was the last time you slept?” Kuramochi eyes Ryousuke suspiciously. He knows it’s impolite to pry, but he’s honestly too worried to care.

“I don’t know. Two days ago? Three? Why does it matter? Just hurry up so I can get going,” Ryousuke grumbles. He’s incredibly snappy when he’s tired, it seems. And he looks like he’s on the verge of passing out.

“No, that won’t do,” Kuramochi mutters. “Yo, Miyuki! I’m going upstairs for a while so get your ass here!” He shouts to the direction of the kitchen where Miyuki is taking his break and walks to the other side of the counter where Ryousuke is.

“What do you think you’re doing? I need to hurry so you should just pack my orders!” Ryousuke says in a threatening voice, or try to. He sounds a lot less threatening in that state of his.

Kuramochi doesn’t say anything and immediately drags Ryousuke with him upstairs to his place. Ryousuke keeps trying to struggle against his grip, but it’s futile. In that tired state, there’s only so much the pinkette can do.

“I’m taking you to my room and forcing you to rest. I know you have a lot of free time today since you seem to come with Haruichi often on Wednesdays. You don’t have a chance against me when you’re like… this. So don’t struggle or you’re just gonna tire yourself even more.” Kuramochi explains as they’re climbing the stairs. Ryousuke wants to argue, but he’s sadly too tired to do so.

Once they get to Kuramochi’s place and take off their shoes, Kuramochi directs them to his room instantly. He gently pushes Ryousuke down by the shoulders to his futon so the pinkette is sitting on it. He takes a seat in front of the other, hands squeezing Ryousuke’s shoulders lightly, keeping him down.

“Now rest. I swear I won’t do anything. Just… please.” Kuramochi’s voice is low and pleading. He looks at Ryousuke in the eyes, hoping to be able to convey his sincerity.

Ryousuke’s whole body is stiff, on guard, but he can see the concern swimming in Kuramochi’s eyes. His posture slowly relaxes and he gives in with a sigh. He’s usually a very stubborn person, but for some reason, he really can’t say no at that moment.

“Fine. But if you do anything weird, I’m ending your life.” Ryousuke brushes Kuramochi’s hands away. He takes off his suit jacket, then positions himself on the futon and letting the cover warms him up. He turns his body so his back is facing Kuramochi, closes his eyes, and quickly drifts off to sleep.

Kuramochi smiles while looking at the figure laying across his futon. He’s tempted to crawl under the cover and wraps his arms around Ryousuke’s slender figure, but he knows better. Besides, he doesn’t want to do anything Ryousuke doesn’t like. So for the time being, he’ll settle with simply watching the other sleep.

Once Ryousuke’s breathing slowly becomes more even, Kuramochi smiles. He’s glad the pinkette gets to finally rest. He doesn’t know what happened, but it must be serious enough to be able to practically turn Ryousuke into a zombie. He makes his way slowly to the other side of the futon so he can take a look at the Ryousuke’s sleeping face. The man in front of him still manages to look incredibly beautiful despite being exhausted. Ryousuke’s relaxed expression is so endearing and it makes something inside Kuramochi’s chest tighten.

It’s only been a little over a week since the last time they saw each other, and yet, in those several days, Kuramochi felt a lot more restless than usual. He didn’t want to admit it, but not being able to see Ryousuke is a very unpleasant experience. He didn’t want to admit it, but his feelings for the pinkette might be a little more serious than a simple crush.

Kuramochi reaches out a hand to tuck the hair covering Ryousuke’s cheek behind the ear, then moves his hand so his thumb is ghosting above one of the dark circles under Ryousuke’s eyes. His heart aches a little. He hates how extremely sappy everything feels to him, but good god, Ryousuke looks ethreal and he really really wants to kiss him.

All of the sudden, Ryousuke shifted his body and Kuramochi instantly retracts his hand. His heart is beating out of his ribcage, worried about being caught doing such a thing. He sighs in relief when Ryousuke settles down again, still sleeping. He runs his hands across his face and sighs once again, deciding it might be better if he gets out of the room and cook something for when Ryousuke wakes up instead.

————————————————————

Ryousuke wakes up to an unfamilliar view. This is not my room, so where am I? He asks to himself. He looks around, remembering what happened before he fell sleep. He remembers going to the shop, getting dragged upstairs. Right, Kuramochi. He remembers now.

The feeling of sleeping on a bed and futon are two very different things. Ryousuke is used to using bed ever since he was a child, so now his body is aching a little. He uncovers himself, stretches his body, and heads outside the room to look for Kuramochi.

Kuramochi is alone at the table, he has almost finished eating. Once Ryousuke is in his line of sight, he immediately looks up. There’s another set of food on the space across from him. Ryousuke assumes it’s for him, but he decides he should ask beforehand. He wouldn’t want to make a fool of himself.

“Is that for me?” Ryousuke asks, his voice sounds hoarse from the sleep. He almost cringes at the sound if it.

“Ah—” Kuramochi stops eating and quickly gets up to get a glass of water, then setting it down on Ryousuke’s side of the table. “Yeah, it is. Figured you haven’t had lunch yet,” He says as he sits back down and resumes his eating.

“Thanks,” Ryousuke mumbles in response. He takes a sip of the water first to relieve his throat before quietly starts eating.

None of them say anything for the first few minutes of their meals. Ryousuke doesn’t feel the need to, not yet. On the other hand, Kuramochi is concentrating on trying to not stare at Ryousuke too much, but is also dying to ask questions. Once they finished their meals and the dishes are put away, Kuramochi finally feels like he can ask something.

“So, what’s the story? What happened?” Kuramochi asks, this time with more patience, taking it slow. He doesn’t want to be rude to Ryousuke and they have a little bit of time anyway.

“I’ve been going back and forth between work and hospital. Haruichi injured himself during his last game.” Ryousuke explains, then sighs. “That idiot. Why would he make the same mistake I did years ago?” It’s a question, but it doesn’t need to be answered.

“Holy shit, is he okay? What’s his condition?” Kuramochi can feel his worry seeping out of him. If even he is feeling like this, he has no idea how Ryousuke must be feeling. “So that’s why neither of you have been around lately..” He whispers that last part to himself.

“The doctor said that it’ll heal by the next week or two, but it was bad enough that he had to be hospitalized for a whole week first. He’s getting discharged tonight.” Ryousuke checks his watch for the time. He was sleep for at least two hours from the time displayed. “I was thinking of bringing some sweets as a gift for being discharged, that’s why I came as soon as I finished everything at work.”

“You should at least take better care of yourself too. What good comes from the both of you getting hospitalized? Honestly. You looked like you were about to pass out any moment before I dragged you here.” Kuramochi nags, Ryousuke just shrugs in return.

“You’re a surprisingly good cook. I once thought you probably can only make sweets.” Ryousuke comments out of the blue.

“Heh, of course. Did it impress you?” Kuramochi can’t help the smile from creeping on his face.

“Hardly. I still wouldn’t give you Haruichi even if you did though.” Ryousuke retorts.

Kuramochi groans in annoyence. Up to this very moment, Ryousuke still thinks that he has some kind of crush on Haruichi despite having denied it for so long. It’s a little frustrating since the person he actually has a crush on is literally in front of him.

“I told you, I don’t like Haruichi that way. He’s only like a little brother to me.” Kuramochi ends his argument with a sigh. If only there’s a way to really convince Ryousuke…

“Hm, sure,” Ryousuke says mockingly, remaining unconvinced. “Anyway, I better hurry to the hospital since I need to pick up Haruichi in an hour.”

“Oh, yeah, sure. I’ll head down first to pack up your orders then. Take your time getting ready,” Kuramochi says as he gets up and makes his way downstairs.

Ryousuke tidies himself up quickly, brushing his hair and putting his suit jacket back on. He arrives downstairs to see Kuramochi already has his orders ready.

“Send my regards to Haruichi,” Kuramochi says to Ryousuke before the latter leaves.

That night, Kuramochi decides that he’s going to tell Ryousuke how he feels. At first, he wasn’t quite sure how, but then he was struck with an idea after reading a book on Western style confectionery about combining chili in chocolates.

————————————————————

The days pass uneventfully after that. Haruichi finally recovers after one and a half weeks and comes to the shop as usual again, but Ryousuke rarely joins him after that. Kuramochi doesn’t want to admit it out loud, but he misses having Ryousuke come every so often.

“You look gloomy these days. I wonder why, hm?” Miyuki teases him one Friday night when they’re closing up the shop. Kuramochi throws the bespectacled man an offended look.

“I am not!” Kuramochi barks in response, a little to defensively for Miyuki to not notice. Miyuki smirks at him, but doesn’t say anything. Miyuki has always been perceptive, so he has a guess on what—or rather—who is causing Kuramochi to feel gloomy.

There’s a pause in the conversation and they each continue their part of cleaning up. Zono has finished up earlier, so it’s only the two of them. Miyuki notices that Kuramochi has been trying out on making a new creation lately, and he’s guessing that it has something to do with the reason for Kuramochi’s foul mood.

“So, still no luck on the new recipe?” Miyuki asks Kuramochi after that few minutes of silence.

Kuramochi groans at the question while finishing up on his end. “Not yet. Almost.” he grudgingly admits. There’s progress alright, but it’s not there yet. It’s frustrating him how close he is to his goal and yet it feels so faraway, like that time he was struck with the urge to kiss Ryousuke.

Miyuki hums in acknowledgement and finally finishes his part. “Good luck then. I’ll be going first, but don’t force yourself, okay?” He says as he heads outside.

“Yeah, yeah. G’night.” Kuramochi responds before locking the door after Miyuki leaves.

Kuramochi immediately immerses himself in trying out the new recipe again. He really needs to perfect it tonight if he wants to have time for some trial run. He has been talking with Haruichi about this and the latter said that he the only time will be able to bring his brother to the shop is on Sunday. There’s no guarantee that they’ll be able to meet again any time soon, so that has to be the moment.

————————————————————

Amazingly enough, he pulls it off. He stayed up all night to finish the recipe and now he’s making a trial batch before making the final product. He has closed up the shop that day, so he has a whole day to spare. He’s giving his all for the sake of this one creation, wanting to convey his feelings properly.

When Sunday finally arrives, Kuramochi is a mess. He wakes up later than he should so he frantically gets ready for the day and doesn’t have time to gel his hair. God bless Maezono Kenta though, because by the time he’s downstairs, Zono has already started on preparation for the front of the shop. Now he only needs to hurry with the kitchen preparation without having to worry about anything else besides that… and Ryousuke’s arrival.

Around afternoon when he’s throwing out the trash, Kuramochi notices a pair of pink haired males heading towards his shop. He hurriedly makes his way inside and cleans himself up before heading to the front. When he gets out, he can see the Kominato brothers already in their usual table with Zono taking their orders.

“Good luck, man!” Miyuki whispers to Kuramochi with his obnoxious knowing smirk plastered across his face.

“How the fuck did you even know?” Kuramochi hisses.

“I’ve known you for years, of course I’d know.” Miyuki’s teases in a sing-song voice. “Also because Sawamura accidentally found out from Haruichi.”

“You little shit.” Kuramochi punches Miyuki’s shoulder while the latter just laughs at him.

Kuramochi takes a deep breath to calm down. Once he musters up enough courage, he makes his way to the Kominato brothers’ table to greet them and make some small talk before executing his mission.

“Uh, Ryou-san, can I talk to you for a bit? In private,” Kuramochi asks hesitatingly. Ryousuke shoots him a questioning look, and then to Haruichi, to which the younger pinkette makes a shooing motion.

“Okay,” Ryousuke replies and gets off his seat. “Don’t touch my tea.” He warns Haruichi before following Kuramochi to the kitchen.

When they’re inside the kitchen, Kuramochi takes out a plate of mochis from the fridge and sets it down on the counter in front of Ryousuke. Ryousuke looks between him and the plate, confused.

“I told you I don’t like sweet things,” Ryousuke states. He’s looking at Kuramochi with his eyebrows raised, questioning the whole situation.

“I know, just try it.” Kuramochi has his eyes fixed on Ryousuke. Anyone can see the determination there.

Ryousuke has never seen Kuramochi looks at him like this and it peaks his curiosity. So he takes one of the mochis to his mouth and the sensation once he bites down on it surprises him.

“It’s chocolate, but… spicy?” Ryousuke says in delight. It’s an odd thing to have a spicy wagashi. This is a new experience to him.

“Yeah, I made it especially for you.” This time, Kuramochi looks away while rubbing the back of his neck.

“Why?” Ryousuke asks sweetly, but his eyes are gleaming with mischieve. He knows why. He has known for a while after that time Kuramochi made him rest in his room, from how Kuramochi acts when he’s around and how his brother behaves lately. He just wants to hear it straight from Kuramochi’s mouth.

“Because…” Kuramochi trails off, exhales, then speaks again. “Because I like you, Ryou-san. I like you a lot. I figured I need some way to prove it, and this is it.”

“Hmph. Took you long enough.” Ryousuke says before pulling Kuramochi by the shirt and crashes their lips together.

The kiss tastes sweet and spicy, much like Ryousuke as a person, and Kuramochi wouldn’t want to have it any other way.

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.

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(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.]

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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.

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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.”

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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.

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“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.”

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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.”

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“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.

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“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.

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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

A KuraRyou exchange gift for @musicprincess655from @bubblysage

Summary:

Les Retrouvailles (n.) French The joy of reuniting with someone after a long separation. Meeting again, especially after spending a long time apart.

La vie c’est des étapes… La plus douce c’est l’amour… La plus dure c’est la séparation… La plus pénible c’est les adieux… La plus belle c’est les retrouvailles.

-Anonyme

Life is made up of stages… the most pleasant one is love, the hardest one is separation, the most difficult one is saying goodbye, [and] the loveliest one is meeting up with others again after spending time apart.

-Anonymous

aka The story of a series of meetings and separations between Mochi and Ryou.

Words: 30,323 

Chapters: 5/5

Tags: KuraRyou, KuraRyou Exchange 2018, College AU

Click here to read in AO3

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.