Work Text:
March 22, 2013
Miyuki Kazuya will admit that he’s a bit of a hermit. He doesn’t really go out and do things outside of work very often. It’s typically Chris who convinces him to go out to their small gatherings with their coworkers every so often, even when he really doesn’t want to. Chris really has that kind of power over him, not because he is his boss but because he’s just that charming and knows how to use his charm to get Miyuki to do something. Miyuki would do just about anything for Chris, despite their rocky past.
So when Chris invites him to a work party that’s happening after closing hours at the food court in their mall, Miyuki couldn’t say no even if he wanted to. He really did not want to go. Today had been a rough day and all he wanted was to go back to his apartment and watch the recorded Giants game he missed a couple of innings of due to clients coming in.
It’s not that Miyuki doesn’t appreciate his clients, he just has a low social battery and could barely make do as it was without the extra stuff. There were few people in his life that he could leave himself vulnerable to recharge his social battery around, and one of those people would be at the gathering tonight.
As Miyuki grabbed his backpack and closed the door behind him, he looked around before locking the doors to The Catcher’s Corner. He noticed how eerie the quiet of the mall was when it was void of shoppers. Chris had gone ahead of him to help set up for the party an hour prior, so it was just Miyuki closing up for the day.
Just as he started making his way down the long concourse towards the food court, he checked his phone for any new messages when he felt something else vibrate in his pocket. He quickly put his phone away and grabbed the buzzing device out of his other pocket. It was his Dexcom receiver that was making all that racket. How inconvenient.
As soon as the device was in his hands, he quickly realized what the issue was. His blood sugar had dropped without him really noticing it, let alone handling it. It wasn’t anything urgent at the moment, so he let it be for the time being. If it went any lower, he would take the appropriate measures to ensure his well-being. He slid his receiver back into his pocket as he entered the food court.
“Miyuki Kazuya! Glad you could make it to the mall party!” Sawamura Eijun, one of the employees that worked at the mall’s GameStop greeted him as he said a quick ‘hello’ and made his way through the decorated food court, trying to find Chris. He could feel a headache coming on as the obnoxiously loud pop music was blaring through an old boombox that the employees of the mall’s GameStop kept on hand. It was a miracle that the old piece of junk still worked with the way it looked, scratched up and clearly well-loved.
Miyuki rubbed his temples as he weaved through the small crowd, looking for Chris when he bumped into something solid. Whatever Miyuki just bumped into made an oof sound, having just had the wind slightly knocked out of them. It was then that Miyuki looked up and saw a very familiar face he thought he would never see again.
“Kuramochi? What are you doing here?” Miyuki asked as he shook his head, trying to make the illusion of his previous client disappear. When that didn’t work, he looked back up at the green-haired male who looked at him with a puzzled look on his face.
“Miyuki, right?”
“That’s my name, don’t wear it out.” Miyuki tried to grin cheekily through the dull throbbing pain he was feeling in his head.
“It’s good to see you again.” Kuramochi tried to strike up a conversation with the brunette male.
“Yeah, you too. But what are you doing here? The mall’s closed.” Miyuki asked with a slight tilt to his head.
“I work here.” Kuramochi sneered defensively, feeling somewhat offended that the cute guy who works in the same mall as himself didn’t realize he worked in the mall as well.
“What do you mean you work here?” Miyuki asked as his confusion only seemed to fuel the fire in the green-haired male’s eyes. Some of that confusion may have been due to the lack of sugar currently in his body.
“I work at Creative Expressions. The art supply store. I'm surprised you haven’t seen me around before.” Kuramochi’s gaze softens with something akin to hurt, making Miyuki’s heart have a strange heaviness and the urge to make the hurt on this man’s face go away. He would think about why that is at a later time.
“I don’t really go anywhere besides home and work so that’s probably why.” Miyuki sighed as he wiped the sweat off his forehead, looking at the back of his hand in confusion.
Why am I sweating?
“You good?” Kuramochi asked with a hand on Miyuki’s shoulder, concern etched on his admittedly beautiful face.
“I’m fine.” Was Miyuki’s clipped response. It was getting harder to keep up with everything going on around him. He really needed to find Chris and see about getting him to drive him home. Miyuki would leave his truck at the mall for the night and have Chris drive him to work the next morning. He could get his truck then. It wouldn’t be the first time Miyuki’s had to do that.
“Dude, you’re literally swaying on your feet. I think you should sit down.” Kuramochi tried to get the brunette to sit down at the nearest table, to which Miyuki weakly pushed him away.
“Have to find… Chris…” Miyuki mumbled as his vision started blurring despite the fact that he was wearing his glasses. He knew what was happening, but he’d rather just have Chris take him home at this point. He tried to keep himself standing, but as he turned his head to start looking for Chris once more, his body decided that enough was enough.
There was a loud thud as Miyuki collapsed and everyone turned to the direction of the sound. Kuramochi stood there helplessly, not sure what just happened. As he knelt down to check to see if the guy even had a pulse, someone came running towards them.
This guy had to be at least six feet tall, with broad shoulders and tattoos running up his left arm. He pushed his way through the small crowd forming around the unconscious man, falling to his knees and immediately pulling something out of the man’s pocket. It looked like an older phone model, but what confused Kuramochi was the fact that this man could’ve easily called for emergency services on his own device. The man had turned on the device and a flashing display apparently told him everything he needed to know.
“Grab his backpack and hand it to me.” The man said as Kuramochi did as he was asked, handing the backpack to the man.
“Shouldn’t somebody be calling for emergency services?” Kuramochi asked, his shaking hands reaching for his own phone that was in his pocket.
“No need to. Miyuki will fight the paramedics off until they leave him alone.” The man explained as he opened the zipper on the backpack and pulled out a juice box.
“Wait, you know his name?” Kuramochi asked with wide eyes as he carefully studied the man. He couldn’t have been much older than himself.
“Of course I do. I’m his boss.” The man answered as he gently shook Miyuki’s shoulder.
At the insistent shaking, Miyuki groaned as he tried to sit himself up, only for him to fall back to which Kuramochi was able to catch him from behind.
“Miyuki, it’s Chris. How are you feeling?” Chris said as he busied himself with poking the straw into the juice box.
“Wanna go home.” Miyuki slurred as Kuramochi adjusted his position to sit behind the brunette so he could lean his weight into him if needed.
“I’m sure you do, but you need to drink this first. It’ll help.” Chris smiled softly as he held the juice box straw to the younger brunette’s lips. Reluctantly, Miyuki took a small sip of the offered beverage and immediately gagged at how sweet it was.
“You know better than to taint me with sweet and sugary stuff.” Miyuki muttered as he glared daggers at Chris.
“Just drink it, Miyuki.” Chris glared back with equal fervor.
Miyuki sighed as he resigned himself to drinking the rest of the juice box, not entirely pleased by the turn of events. He sucked on the straw until it was making an obnoxious noise, indicating its emptiness. Chris ignored the childish display in favor of checking the phone-like device again.
“What just happened?” Kuramochi looked to Chris for answers and watched his every move.
“He’s… His blood sugar dropped really low. He was with a client at lunch and never ate.” Chris quietly tried to explain what was going on to the green-haired male without disclosing more than was necessary, especially since they had an audience.
“Is Miyuki-san okay?” Haruno asked as she and the other tattoo artist, Isashiki, were watching with great concern in their eyes.
“He’s gonna be okay. I think he just needs to eat something and head home for the night.” Chris said as he stood up and looked at Kuramochi.
“Not that I mind being a backrest, but I think it’ll be for the best if we can get him into a chair.” Kuramochi piped up as the crowd that had formed started to chat amongst themselves, beginning to go back to their own conversations from before Miyuki’s fall, assuming that the man would be taken care of.
“Ready? One, two, three.” Chris grunted as he pulled the younger brunette to his feet, with Kuramochi standing up behind him in case he fell. Together, the two of them managed to get Miyuki seated in the nearest chair. Once Miyuki was situated, Chris beelined for the next table where most of the food was being served.
“You didn’t tell me you were stupid .” Was the first thing to fly out of Kuramochi’s mouth.
“You didn’t tell me you worked here.” Was the response fired back by Miyuki.
“Didn’t think I had to tell you that.” The shorter male responded as he gave the brunette a once-over. “So I guess we’re both idiots by assuming shit about each other.” Kuramochi snorted, causing Miyuki to let out a snort of his own.
This turned into full-blown laughter from both men as Chris came back with a bowl of noodles from the food table where The Noodle Hut was serving food. Their staff had volunteered to cater for this party, so Chris figured it was better than letting his employee starve to death. When he set the bowl down in front of Miyuki, the younger immediately sighed.
“Why must you make me suffer? You should know by now that The Noodle Hut doesn’t have any proper spices or flavor in their noodles. Why do you think I bring my own food from home?”
“God, you’re a pretentious asshole. Your boss brings you food so you don’t die of starvation and this is the thanks he gets?” Kuramochi grunted, wanting to smack the guy for being an asshole.
“It’s fine, uhh… I don’t believe I caught your name.” Chris spoke as he sat down on the other side of Miyuki.
“Kuramochi Youichi. I work at Creative Expressions and bother the staff at GameStop when I have the energy.” Kuramochi said tiredly as he reached a hand across the round table, holding out a hand for Chris to shake.
“Nice to meet you, Kuramochi. My name’s Chris and I work with Miyuki at The Catcher’s Corner .” Chris extended his hand and shook the green-haired male’s hand.
“What the actual fuck is happening?” Miyuki asked with a mouthful of plain noodles, wanting to gag at the two social butterflies.
“A thanks for saving my life would be nice right about now, dude.” Kuramochi deadpanned, looking Miyuki straight in the eyes. The green-haired male immediately regretted this decision as he saw the pretty shades of brown in his eyes, and a blush dusted his cheeks. If Kuramochi wasn’t mistaken, he could’ve sworn he saw the same blush on Miyuki’s face as well.
Chris realized how the two younger males got really quiet and sighed loud enough to hopefully break the spell that had been seemingly cast upon them. He figured they were about to start a fight in the middle of the food court simply because they didn’t seem like the type to get along.
Oh , how they would come to prove him wrong.
He attempted to break the silence once more by asking Miyuki if he needed a ride home. This attempt was successful.
“I think I’m okay to drive. Besides, don’t you have to clean up after the party in a few hours? I would hate for you to have to make so many trips.” Miyuki reasoned.
“Asshole! You’re clearly not okay to drive! If you’re that worried about Chris-san having to come back, then at least let me take you home.” Kuramochi blurted in a moment of weakness, even though he hardly knew this man. He had only hooked up with him once and had him do his tattoo, but the very least he could do was help him in his time of need.
“Fine, but I don’t know what you drive so we’re taking my truck.” Miyuki relented, deciding that by saying yes, he might get lucky and get the guy’s number. He had been thinking about this man since he first saw him two weeks ago in the shop and couldn’t stop thinking about him. All of his thoughts revolved around this man and Miyuki Kazuya was powerless to stop it.
“You’re lucky that I keep one of my motorcycle ramps in the storage room at my store ‘cause I’m not leaving my bike here.” Kuramochi grumbled as he watched Miyuki finish up the bowl of noodles Chris had brought earlier.
“Thank you for offering to take him home. I’m sorry about that, it feels like I’m dumping him on you.” Chris apologized as he put a hand on the green-haired male’s shoulder. “You don’t have to do it if you’re not comfortable with it.”
“It’s fine. Seriously. I’m more worried about him getting home than whether or not it inconveniences me. Besides, I don’t have anywhere I need to be so it all works out.” Kuramochi explained as Miyuki set the bowl to the side, signaling that he was finished.
“If that’s the case, do you mind staying with him at his place until I’m done here? It shouldn’t be more than a few hours, midnight at the latest, I just don’t want him to be left alone especially since his blood sugar dropped so low so quickly. I’m afraid it might happen again if no one’s there to watch him and check his monitor.” Chris tried to get his point across without being too pushy.
Kuramochi had a guess as to what caused his fainting spell, but he would wait until he got Miyuki alone to start investigating.
“Yeah, I can stay with him until you get there. Do you have his address?”
“I sure do. Here, give me your number and I’ll text it to you.”
Kuramochi had grabbed his motorcycle ramp from the storage room of Creative Expressions and made his way to the parking lot to meet up with Chris and Miyuki. He found them close to the employee entrance of the mall, leaning against a blue 1997 Ford F-250 parked in the lot.
“Hey, I’m gonna set my ramp up and then I’ll pull around. Is that cool?” Kuramochi asked as he got closer to the pair.
“Yeah, that’s fine. Just don’t scratch up my truck.” Miyuki remarked as he watched the green-haired male pull down the tailgate and set up his ramp. He could see the exact moment when Kuramochi realized the state of Miyuki’s truck.
“You’re telling me to be careful, yet the paint is literally peeling off!” Kuramochi retorted as he finished setting the ramp up and grabbed his keys out of his pocket. He twirled them around his finger before heading a few rows down from where Miyuki had parked, finding his bike and starting the engine.
After a few moments of silence, the motorcycle rumbled loudly as a flash of red and two beams of headlights came flying down the lane of the parking lot, slowing down to a complete stop once at the edge of the ramp. Miyuki and Chris watched as the green-haired male carefully drove the bike up the ramp and into the back of the pickup truck with practiced ease, never once faltering.
Once in the back of the pickup, Kuramochi killed the engine and took off the black helmet that had various designs airbrushed onto the surface in many colors. The most notable design was the cartoon cheetah on the left side cheek of the helmet. Kuramochi looked down just in time to catch the blush on Miyuki’s cheeks, clearly impressed with his driving skills.
“Is that a 2003 Ducati 999R?” Chris asked in what seemed to be disbelief as if he had never seen anything like it.
“It sure is! You know your way around motorcycles?” Kuramochi grinned as he jumped down off the back of the pickup, lifting the ramp into the bed of the truck and sliding it in until he could close the tailgate.
“Not really, but my father is a huge motorcycle guy. He was always fascinated by that kind of stuff.” Chris explained as Kuramochi made his way to where the two brunettes had been standing in the empty parking space next to Miyuki’s truck.
“Ahh… Understandable. I tinker with various vehicles as a side project when I’m not working.” Kuramochi said as he held out his hand, waiting for Miyuki to hand over the keys to the truck.
“If you insist.” Miyuki said cheekily as he took the keys out of his pocket and handed them to Kuramochi.
“Well, I better get this doofus home so he can rest up.” Kuramochi said as he unlocked the truck and escorted Miyuki to the passenger side of the truck, opening the door for him like a gentleman. His mama didn’t raise him to be rude.
“Sounds good. I’ll be over there as soon as things finish up here. Thank you again for doing this. I owe you big time.” Chris said as he watched the green-haired male close the passenger door and walk around the truck to get in on the driver's side.
“Sure. No problem.” Kuramochi said as he set his helmet down on the seat in between them, getting in and making sure they were both buckled before he started the truck.
Chris stood and watched as they drove off until the blue truck with the peeling paint with the one working tail light was no longer visible in the dim lights of the parking lot.
He could only hope that this was a good idea.
The trip to Miyuki’s apartment was an uneventful one for the most part. The small talk they made was just that and Miyuki couldn’t be more grateful for that after what happened at the party. At least he was until Kuramochi opened his mouth once more.
“So, what happened back at the party? Why did you pass out?” Kuramochi had asked, eyes never leaving the road ahead of them.
“I… I don’t tell a lot of people about this simply because it complicates things and–”
“Just spit it out. Whatever it is won’t change the way I see you.” Kuramochi cut off the brunette, not wanting him to spiral.
“The last hookup I told freaked out and left because he thought it was something contagious.”
“Trust me. My mom’s a nurse so I think I can handle whatever it is you’re gonna say.” Kuramochi briefly looked over at Miyuki, seeing the small glimmer of hope in the brunette’s eyes before averting his gaze back to the road.
“I’m… I’m diabetic.” Miyuki tried to keep his gaze from wandering to Kuramochi’s side profile so he wouldn’t be disappointed by whatever he saw, but failed miserably. He looked to see Kuramochi’s neutral face, as if he hadn't just told him he was diabetic. Miyuki wasn’t sure what to think of the look on the green-haired male’s face.
“Type one or two?” Kuramochi asked out of curiosity.
“One. I was diagnosed when I was about six. It was devastating to my father, seeing as my mother passed away a couple of years prior to my diagnosis.” Miyuki explained as he felt the vulnerability of indulging this man sink into his being. He wasn’t sure how to feel about being so open to someone he only met once before. He wasn’t sure why he was being so open in the first place.
That was part of the reason he lost Chris was because of his lack of honesty. He shouldn’t think about that now. It’s been a year since they broke up.
“I know I shouldn’t ask but…” Kuramochi trailed off, hoping Miyuki understood what he was trying to ask.
“My mom, she died from complications with her diabetes. She ended up going into a diabetic coma and died three weeks later right around my fourth birthday.” Miyuki looked down at the stained floorboard of his truck. Huh , he hadn’t remembered that particular stain being there. Then again, he doesn’t usually sit in the passenger seat of his truck very often.
“I’m sorry. That must’ve been hard for you and your father.” Was all Kuramochi was able to offer.
“Yeah, It was hard on him up until he died.”
At this, Kuramochi nearly swerved out of the lane at the revelation. He quickly corrected the vehicle before he caused an accident.
“You good? Sure you don’t need me to drive?” Miyuki asked, feeling bad that he had broached such a horrific topic while Kuramochi was driving.
“Yeah, I’m good. You just surprised me with what you said, is all.”
“I’m really sorry. I don’t know why I’m being so open. You probably don’t even really care about any of what I just said.”
“No, it’s fine. I really don’t mind. What…” Kuramochi started and almost immediately regretted opening his mouth with what almost came out of it.
“You were about to ask what happened to my dad, weren’t you?” Miyuki smirked as he looked over to the green-haired male who had turned onto another street.
“I was, but you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.” Kuramochi said as he checked the GPS map, ensuring he was going the right way to Miyuki’s place.
“My dad got into a really bad car accident back in ‘03. He didn’t survive.” Miyuki looked over to Kuramochi who had a solemn look on his face. The green-haired male knew firsthand how it felt to lose a parent, but losing both? That was something he hoped wouldn’t happen to him for a long time.
“Shit, man. I’m sorry.”
The silence began to stretch as Kuramochi checked the GPS map on his phone once more and turned into the parking lot of the apartment complex where Miyuki lives. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it wasn’t as run down as some of the other buildings in this part of town. He pulled into a parking space and shut off the engine, handing the keys over to Miyuki.
“We’re here.” Kuramochi broke the silence as he unbuckled his seatbelt and started to get out when a rough hand grabbed his slender wrist.
The green-haired male froze, shock written on his face as Miyuki leaned across the seats and his slightly chapped lips brushing his own. He kissed the brunette back, his fingers getting tangled in the male’s hair. Miyuki groaned as he felt the fingers run across his scalp, immediately feeling his headache start to go away.
When they pulled apart, faces red and panting, Kuramochi moved his hands to hold Miyuki’s face in his hands and said male tried to avert his gaze.
“Hey, look at me please?” Kuramochi asked softly, stroking the brunette’s cheek with his thumbs.
Reluctantly, Miyuki looked up at Kuramochi only to see a hopeful gleam in the green-haired male’s eyes. He was surprised to say the least.
“I’m looking.” Miyuki whispered just as quietly, trying to keep that stupid smile off his face.
“Smartass.” Kuramochi snorted as he leaned in to give the brunette a quick kiss on the cheek. He quickly pulled back when he realized what he had done.
“Sorry, I–” The green-haired male started, but was cut off by Miyuki.
“Don't be sorry unless you regret what you did… You don’t regret kissing me, do you?”
“I don’t. I just–”
“You just what?” Miyuki said with hope in his voice that he couldn’t quite hide.
“I… I like you and I want to be more than just a random person you fucked one time in a tattoo shop.” Kuramochi blurted out, his face beet red and his heart out on the line. He figured Miyuki had to feel the tension between them, that electrifying feeling that kept them gravitating toward one another.
“I’m sure there could’ve been better ways to phrase that, but I get what you mean.” Miyuki chuckled softly as Kuramochi snorted.
“You try confessing to a hot guy who you wanna get to know better.”
They both laughed at that.
“So, you think I’m hot?” Miyuki raised his eyebrows, genuine surprise shown on his face.
“Hell yeah, but that’s not the only thing I like about you. It’s more than that. I can’t describe it, but give me a chance and I’ll try to find a way to describe it. I’ll be good to you.” Kuramochi put everything on the line, praying that the brunette felt the same way about him. They were inches away from one another, their breaths mingling in the chilled spring air. It was the end of March, but it still was a little chilly at night.
“I’d like that.” Miyuki softly spoke, breaking their silence and bringing his hand to Kuramochi’s cheek.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“So, just to clarify, we are officially dating, right?” Kuramochi asked, his head tilted slightly to the side. Miyuki thought this little tell of Kuramochi’s was especially cute, even in the faint light of the parking lot.
“I would say so.” Miyuki said as a chilled wind blew into the truck, causing him to shiver.
“Let’s go inside where it’s warmer.” Kuramochi said as he removed himself from the truck, closing the door and walking around to the other side to open the door for his now boyfriend.
Miyuki wordlessly got out of the truck with his bag and locked up the truck for the night. Together, they made their way inside the lobby of the complex and got into the elevator. Miyuki pressed the button for the second floor and stared at his own shoes. He needed to get a new pair soon, this pair was falling apart.
Once the elevator dinged and the doors opened to the second floor, Kuramochi stood in the hallway looking lost because he wasn’t sure which direction would take them to Miyuki’s apartment. The brunette must have noticed the lost look on Kuramochi’s face, seeing as he had never been here before. Miyuki grabbed the green-haired male’s wrist and pulled him in the direction his apartment was located.
Kuramochi let himself be dragged down the hall, stopping in front of a door that had a nameplate with Miyuki’s name on it and a number .
Miyuki Kazuya - 202
The brunette unlocked the door with his key and opened it, holding it open for Kuramochi to enter. As soon as he stepped into the dwelling, he immediately noticed a lack of personal artifacts from where he was standing. He toed off his shoes just as Miyuki closed and locked the door behind them. Miyuki proceeded to take off his own shoes as Kuramochi waited for him. He didn’t wish to intrude.
“You don’t have to just stand there. I’ll make some tea for us.” Miyuki tried to break the silence between them as he made his way towards the kitchen to make some tea for himself and his guest.
Kuramochi followed the brunette silently into the kitchen, taking a seat at one of the barstools placed by the island counter. He watched as Miyuki prepared the tea, watching how his hands carefully handled the mugs that looked way too nice for the brunette to have bought them himself. They didn’t seem like his taste. They must’ve been given to him as a gift.
The green-haired male fixated on the mugs as Miyuki put the tea bags in to steep. He pushed them down gently with a spoon and proceeded to bring the mugs to the island counter. As the mugs were set down, the brunette pushed a mug towards Kuramochi.
“Thanks.” Kuramochi said as he took a small sip of the tea, immediately recognizing the flavor as black tea.
“Sorry you’re stuck having to babysit me. Chris-senpai is just overprotective is all.” Miyuki spoke into the mug as he drank his tea.
“Chris-senpai? So he’s the one you trained under, right?” The green-haired male asked, feeling as if he had connected the dots.
“Yeah, he’s the one I trained under before I started taking my own clients. I knew him in high school so when I graduated, he offered me a position at his shop as his gift to me.” Miyuki explained.
“That was nice of him.”
“It was more than that. It was a lifeline in a sense.” Miyuki said as he brought the overpriced mug to his lips.
“A lifeline?” The green-haired male asked quietly, trying to figure out what that could mean.
“If Chris-senpai hadn’t offered me the apprenticeship, I likely would’ve been out on the street and jobless.” The brunette sighed softly. Again, he really wasn’t sure why he was getting into this with his one-time hookup-now-boyfriend. As with a lot of things he’s shared tonight, Miyuki’s not really sure why he feels the urge to be honest with someone he hardly knows. Maybe Chris’s advice had finally taken root somewhere deep inside him.
Kuramochi thought about this new information and his mind drifted back to the framed photo sitting at Miyuki’s workstation. After a long silence, he finally decided to bring this up.
“So, back when I asked you about that photo that was at your workstation… When you said that person in the photo with you was your mom… Don’t take this the wrong way, but how…” Kuramochi started, but didn’t know how to phrase his question. He hoped Miyuki would understand what he was trying to get at.
“How is that my mom? Is that what you’re trying to ask?”
Kuramochi nodded his head, too afraid to say anything that might ruin the moment they were having.
“The woman in that photo was my foster mom.” Miyuki admitted as he tried to understand what was happening to him. Why was he being so open about his life? Maybe going to therapy was helping after all. He would have to thank Chris for that later.
“Is she…?” Kuramochi trailed off, leaving Miyuki to fill the rest in.
“No, she’s still alive.” Miyuki said as he finished off his tea.
Kuramochi downed the warm beverage rather quickly, trying to catch up to Miyuki since the brunette had already finished his drink. Once finished, Miyuki headed over to the kitchen sink with both mugs and set them in it to be washed at a later time.
“So, are you gonna stay with me tonight? I know this might be so soon but–” Miyuki cut himself off with a yawn as he tried to stay awake while waiting for Kuramochi’s answer.
“I’ll just take the couch–”
“Nonsense. I wasn’t gonna let you sleep on the couch in the first place.” Miyuki replied as he took Kuramochi’s hand and they made their way to what Kuramochi assumed was Miyuki’s room.
When they stepped into Miyuki’s bedroom, Kuramochi couldn’t help but notice the lack of personal artifacts in the room, just as devoid as the rest of the apartment. He wondered why Miyuki had a personal photo at his workspace but not in his own home. He figured that question could wait for another time.
“If you insist.” Kuramochi sighed as he inspected more of the room, seeing that Miyuki was heading towards the dresser and the implications of that made him avert his gaze. The green-haired male didn’t want to stare at the brunette and make him uncomfortable. It was as he saw Miyuki change out of his clothes from the corner of his eye that the green-haired male realized he didn’t have anything to sleep in besides what he had worn to work this morning.
Oh well, he’d manage for one night.
While waiting for Miyuki to finish changing, Kuramochi pulled out his phone to text Chris to let him know that they made it back to Miyuki’s apartment in one piece. Just as the message to Chris sent, a cold finger tapped on his shoulder. When Kuramochi turned around, he saw that Miyuki had changed into a warm gray t-shirt and a pair of ugly plaid pajama bottoms.
“Really? Those pants?” Kuramochi asked, on the verge of laughing at Miyuki’s pants. Clearly this man did not know fashion.
“Here.” Miyuki said quietly as he handed the small folded stack of clothes to the green-haired male.
“What’s this?” Kuramochi asked in mild confusion.
“I figured you would want something comfortable to sleep in. I think we're about the same size so they should fit for now. You can change in the bathroom if you want.” Miyuki explained as he watched the green-haired male’s face for his reaction.
“Thanks.” Was all Kuramochi said as he turned around and began to strip off his jeans and t-shirt, putting on the offered clothes.
As the two males crawled into bed, Kuramochi wondered how this night together was going to turn out.
“The light?” Miyuki asked as he had already turned his lamp off on his side.
“Oh, right. Sorry.” Kuramochi says as he turns off the last light, plunging the two males into darkness.
Later that night when Chris knocked on the door of Miyuki’s apartment, he was surprised when the door opened to reveal messy green hair. The male looked like he had been asleep before Chris had knocked.
“The party’s over already?” Kuramochi asked, his voice thick with sleep as he rubbed his eyes.
“Yeah, it’s past midnight.” Chris replied smoothly.
“Is it really?”
“Yeah, it really is. I apologize for waking you both up, but I did say that I would stop by to check up on Miyuki on my way home. Speaking of, where is Miyuki?” Chris spoke softly, not wanting to disturb the neighbors.
“He’s asleep. Just checked his blood sugar a few minutes ago.”
“That explains why you’re up.” Chris sighed as he ran a hand over the top of his slick hair, smoothing out any strays that might’ve been sticking out of place.
The two males stood in the doorway awkwardly for a few moments before Kuramochi yawned, stretching his arms up above his head.
“I should let you go back to sleep, unless you plan on driving home?” Chris watched Kuramochi’s expressions carefully, looking for something he wasn’t sure he would find in the green-haired male’s sleepy eyes.
“Nah, it’s fine. Miyuki already said I could crash here for the night.” Kuramochi stifled another yawn.
“That’s surprising. He never lets anyone stay over.” Chris said thoughtfully, trying to keep the small smile off his face. He knew Miyuki wasn’t one for having just anyone over at his apartment, so this must mean something significant.
“I guess he’s just out of it or something. Letting someone he barely knows stay at his place for the night.” Kuramochi tried to look anywhere but at Chris’s face.
“Say, how did you two meet in the first place?” Chris asked, curiosity nibbling away at him. The immediate blush on Kuramochi’s face said more than he probably needed to know.
“Funny story, actually. I was recommended to your shop by a friend of mine and Miyuki was the only one working that day.” Kuramochi explained as he rubbed the back of his neck, the ends of his hair tickling his fingers.
“Was your friend that recommended the shop to you Kominato Ryousuke by any chance?”
“Yeah, actually. How did you know?”
“He talks about you sometimes during his sessions with me.” Chris smiled softly, shifting to lean against the doorframe.
At this, Kuramochi paled.
“W-what has he said about me?” Kuramochi asked, internally panicking.
“Nothing bad. Just that you’re quite the character.” Chris shrugged, making Kuramochi visibly relax.
“Okay. That’s… never mind. You probably need to get home, don’t you?” Kuramochi yawned once more as Chris adjusted his weight from the doorframe.
“Yes, I should head home. It’s been quite a day. If either of you need something, feel free to call me or send a message.” Chris sighed as he started to turn to head down the hall, but stopped in his tracks.
“Kuramochi?”
“Yeah? What’s up?”
“Take care of him for me, will you? I know I wasn’t there for him when he needed me most, but I have a feeling things might be different now with you around.” Chris said as he turned and started down the hall.
Kuramochi was left in the doorway of Miyuki's apartment, stunned by what Chris has asked of him.
“Yeah, I can do that.” Kuramochi whispered, fearing that if he didn’t promise himself aloud that he wouldn’t try to fulfill the request.
As the green-haired male closed the door to the apartment, he wondered what life would have in store for him and this budding whatever-this-is with Miyuki.
He hoped that it would be something special.