Chapter Text
A quiet, cold afternoon was spent under the covers and keeping each other warm—they had only meant to lay down and watch some TV, but soon had drifted into half-sleep together, taking turns waking up and trying to stir the other before they slept away the rest of the day.
Yuchi tapped Kyo's cheek, holding it there when he smiled and slowly opened his eyes. His lids fluttered with sleepiness, and when Yuchi’s hand stroked slowly over his skin, he started to fall back asleep.
“Kyo… We really should get up… We've got to get ready and be at Tomo and her girlfriend’s by five.” Yuchi softly pinched his cheeks.
Kyo nuzzled into his hand. “Just a few more minutes… Hold me until then…” He turned around and backed up into Yuchi’s body, softly humming when Yuchi wrapped his arms over him and squeezed.
It was probably the hundredth time they had done this, and yet it always felt like the first. As Yuchi held Kyo close to his body, he felt his heart beat faster and his face start to burn, and Kyo coyly nudged his ass flush against Yuchi's hips, trying to spur Yuchi's lower half awake.
Yuchi groaned slightly. “You know we don't have time…”
“I know… Just thought it would be fun to torture you a little.”
Yuchi softly pressed his lips against the nape of Kyo’s neck, thinking to return the torture. He felt the short hairs start to rise against his kisses, and he squeezed Kyo closer.
Kyo took Yuchi’s hand in his and brought it to his mouth, kissing his knuckles softly with each graze of Yuchi’s lips on his skin. They laid there a while, exchanging tiny pecks until one had the good sense to call it quits.
“Alright,” Kyo propped himself up on his elbow, turning around to face Yuchi, “I’m getting up. We have to get ready.” He leaned over Yuchi to kiss his lips, pausing there to feel his breath and see his eyes flutter closed. When he felt a small sigh hit his skin, Kyo smiled and peppered his face with tiny, closed mouth kisses, finding the urge to stay there with him more enticing by the second. Finally, with a small grunt and a slap on Yuchi's ass, Kyo stood from bed and stretched.
Yuchi stood with a yawn, going to Kyo's closet that now had a small collection of his clothes pushed to the edge. They hadn't yet made the official jump towards moving in together, but Yuchi had slowly noticed more and more of his life drifting into every corner of Kyo's.
He didn't have to think too much about what to wear—it was just Tomo, after all, so the more casual the better. He pulled that month's favorite sweater on, stretching out the neck a little as he struggled to pop his head through. With a gasp, he managed to fit it, and he threaded his arms into the bulky sleeves. He took his comfy, loose pants and tentatively slid them over his legs, wobbling when he stood on one foot.
He turned to see Kyo watching him. He was hunched over, sitting on the bed in his boxers, and he held a smirk on his face as his eyes wandered over Yuchi’s form, going up and down a few times with a burning gaze before meeting his eyes. Kyo tried to stop smiling but couldn’t, and he only pursed his lips and sighed through his nose. That look told Yuchi everything, but Kyo said it anyway: “You look cute.”
It was probably the thousandth time he had heard this. Yuchi bunched up his sleeves as a heat throughout his body smothered him, and he touched his hair before saying softly, “Thanks.”
It was so odd how every day spent together did nothing to dampen their feelings for each other. Yuchi kept waiting for the spark to piddle out or the honeymoon phase to fade, feeling an ache in his heart as he anxiously anticipated the slow demise of what they had. He thought there might be a sudden realization that none of this was right, and Kyo would leave Yuchi, and he would spend all of his nights alone again. However, whenever he saw how Kyo looked at him, he knew none of that would happen.
Once Kyo had his fill of staring longingly, he riffled through his closet, beginning the dreaded ritual of trying on half of his collection before settling on the same thing he wore yesterday. Pulling out a T-shirt, he said to Yuchi, “I don't know if I can wait for dinner. Could you get me a little something to munch on before then?”
Yuchi frowned. “Ehh… You really can't hold out?”
Putting the shirt back, Kyo mumbled, “Super hungry. I might die, actually.”
Yuchi got up with a sigh. It was a curse that he only took a few minutes to get ready compared to Kyo's intense dressing marathons: it meant he was in charge of the finishing line snacks and iced coffee breaks to keep Kyo's strength up.
His mind elsewhere, Yuchi merely popped a piece of bread into the toaster, knowing Kyo would complain about his choice. He waited, arms crossed, and wondered how the night would go. He hadn't ever had to do this before—introducing a partner to his ex-wife. It was about as terrifying of a prospect as he could imagine, perhaps second only to introducing Kyo to his parents.
A deep shiver ran through him: he hadn't thought of that until now.
It had been nearly eight years since he and Tomo sat them down and told them their marriage was over, speaking vaguely and revealing little. The less said the better—what they don't know can't hurt them, he thought. Yuchi could have sworn he saw a moment of realization in his mother's eyes as her parental intuition overwhelmed their attempts to bullshit her, and from then on he thought she knew how he was. It was never spoken in words since then, but whenever his father lectured him on getting older and finding the right woman, she and Yuchi would always meet eyes, and she would only smile at him consolingly before distracting her husband with another cup of tea.
It would be impossible to hide anything now. He started to panic, his initial anxieties about Tomo completely shoved aside for now as he realized the gravity of it all.
He jolted when the toast sprang from the toaster, holding his chest in shock and sighing before he plucked it from the top and buttered it, still hot in his palm.
Yuchi was surprised to see that Kyo had actually settled on an outfit by the time he had finished and was anxiously awaiting him in the genkan with a pair of freshly washed and shiny sneakers in his hand.
“We're gonna be late.” Kyo said, leaning down to shove his foot into the left sneaker.
At this rate, they'd be twenty minutes early. “I got your snack.”
“Hm… Toast?” Kyo peered up at him, cocking a brow. “Not something tastier?”
As Kyo tied his shoelaces, Yuchi stuffed the toast in his mouth. “It's just to tide you over. Eat it.”
Kyo held it in his mouth and grumbled as he finished tying his shoes, then stood and motioned with his head for Yuchi to take the bread from between his teeth. Yuchi complied, and Kyo spat, “Eughh, I don't want to eat after touching my shoes.” He stared at Yuchi petulantly. “Feed me.”
Yuchi sighed heavily and held the toast in front of Kyo's mouth for him to nibble on. “Sometimes I wonder why I put up with you.”
Kyo chewed. “Because I'm cute.”
The dogs, who had been watching the two get ready, were well aware that their people would be going out, and the two of them pathetically watched from the back of the room. Tiff cried to herself, and Pun gave her a reassuring nibble on the side of her face.
Yuchi turned towards them, still holding the toast up for Kyo. “You'll be okay. Keep each other company.”
As Kyo got to the end of the toast, he nipped down on Yuchi's thumb that held the very last bit.
With a tiny yelp, Yuchi retracted his hand and stared Kyo down with a grimace. “Oh my God, you're like an animal.” He ate the last crumb of bread in retaliation, and he swiped up the keys and swung them in his hand, ushering Kyo out and locking the door behind them.
##
Yuchi knocked on the apartment door and heard nothing at first, trying again with a harder pounding of his fist. He thought he heard some soft bickering from Tomo and her girlfriend, only partly discernable: “I told you they'd be early—go grab—no, not that—get the door!”
As they waited, Yuchi grabbed Kyo’s hand. “I’d like to remind you,” he spoke in a whisper, “that this was your idea.”
“Mmhmm.”
“And so anything that happens in there is your fault.”
Kyo smiled. “Mm. Understood.”
Tomo’s girlfriend was the one to answer, already smiling before she saw them.
Yuchi adjusted his bag. “Hi, Haruko.”
Haruko pulled Yuchi into a hug, rubbing her face affectionately into his shoulder. “We missed you. Come in, Tomo is making dinner.”
Yuchi shrugged out of his jacket. “Oh, no.”
“Oh, no, indeed.”
“I like the hair.” Yuchi frizzed up his own, then pointed to Haruko’s bright pink mop atop her head. “Did you do it yourself?”
She smiled wide and tipped back on her feet. “Always.” Haruko peered around Yuchi where Kyo was hovering closely behind him. “And I'm guessing this is Kyo?”
At the sound of his name, Kyo stepped partly into view. “Hi. Uh, Kyo. That's right.”
Yuchi took Kyo's coat from his shoulders, saying, “He's a little nervous, don't mind him.”
Kyo shot him a sideways glance. “It's not that, I'm happy to be here—”
“It's okay.” Haruko hung their coats on two hooks on the wall, smoothing them out with her palm. “I was nervous as fuck to meet Tadaharu—uh, Yuchi. It's been a bit weird. But it's all cool now, right?”
Yuchi nodded fervently. “Yeah. Of course. Even if Tomo is… “
“Tomo. Even if she's being very ‘Tomo’ today you have nothing to worry about.”
Kyo was picking at the fabric on his sleeves, but he eased a bit as he saw the two being so casual. He didn’t think he was so nervous until they arrived at their doorstep, and suddenly he found himself absolutely terrified. He had heard too much about Yuchi's ex-wife not to be.
They took their time getting comfortable, greeting Tomo and Haruko’s cat with under the chin scratches and head pets until she abruptly turned her spotted bottom to them and walked away, keen to observe them from the highest rung of her cat tree for the time being.
Tomo was at the stove, scratching her high and tight hair with one hand and stirring an unknown mixture with the other. As she heard the two of them approach, she dropped the wooden spoon and spun around, arms already held wide to catch Yuchi in a big hug.
Yuchi only had to walk into her arms, and she snatched him up and squeezed hard, twisting him side to side. “Ohhh, I missed you.”
Yuchi wrapped himself around her, nuzzling deeply into her neck. “Sorry. It’s been a while.” It had been nearly a year since he last visited. Before being with Kyo, Tomo and Haruko’s partnered bliss was too much for him to take in the bitter loneliness he had resigned himself to, and as he felt the warmth of her embrace and her smile against his skin, he knew he had been so stupid to avoid her.
They separated, looking at each other for a moment before Tomo was alerted by the sound of someone scuffling in the doorway. “Ooh… “ Tomo's mouth curled, and Yuchi immediately tapped her shoulder to get her to reconsider whatever was coming to her mouth. “You're even smaller than I expected you'd be.”
Yuchi collapsed against her, pleadingly asking her to behave herself.
Kyo only smiled, offering his most polite introduction.
Tomo approached him, coming closer, closer, far too close, as she looked down on him and inspected him. “Wow.” She grunted when Yuchi took her by the wrist and yanked her away like she was a child gawking too long at a zoo exhibit. “Hey, I’m only looking. It feels weird to see you in person.”
Kyo stared up at her with just as much curiosity. “Are you a fan or something?”
Scratching her head, Tomo said, “Not really.”
“Oh, thank God.”
“But I've heard a lot. A lot.” She turned back to her cooking, which was now smoking and smelling suspicious. “I'm glad you two finally got together.”
Kyo barely had time to ponder what she meant by this as Yuchi peered over her shoulder and asked, “Does the smoke mean it's done?”
“Tch.” Tomo turned off the burner, threw bowls from the cabinet onto the counter, and slopped four servings into them, all while Haruko was there to clean up the spills in Tomo’s chaotic wake. “You won't be making fun of me when you taste it.” She scooped gigantic balls of rice and dumped them in, wiping the edge of her bowl with her thumb and sucking it with a scowl at Yuchi.
As Haruko walked by to place their dinner at the table with a smile and a bow of the head towards him, Kyo hazarded a guess that their meal would be some kind of curry. It was hard to tell what the mush was at first, but the smell was surprisingly nice—strangely familiar, actually.
Yuchi sat with a groan, motioning for Kyo to sit beside him. “Since when do you cook?”
Haruko tried to get her attention so they could have a proper start to their meal, but it was useless. With a mumbled and rushed itadakimasu, Tomo had barely sat her bottom in her chair before she had shoved her spoon into her mouth. She glared at Yuchi. “Since forever.”
Stirring his, Yuchi returned with, “I didn't expect it, is all.”
“What? Isn't this what real adults do? Have stupid dinner parties with their ex husband and his weird little boyfriend?”
Kyo ate a large helping, watching the two.
Yuchi followed, tasting it hesitantly by only putting half the spoon in his mouth. His nose wrinkled. “It's sweet. It's really sweet! Isn't this curry?”
Tomo was steadfast as she barked back, “It has chocolate! Chocolate goes in curry!”
Haruko paused, mixing hers more with the rice to delay eating it. “Did you use the baker's chocolate, or…”
“The what? The fuck is that? I used a bunch of Tirol.”
Haruko teemed with annoyance. “I didn't buy those for your weird experiments in the kitchen.”
As Haruko, Tomo, and Yuchi bickered back and forth, Kyo slowly heaped another large portion onto his spoon and mindfully popped it in his mouth. “It's really good.”
His voice cut through their arguing, and all three stared as Kyo methodically chewed with a smile. Tomo then threw her hands towards Kyo. “He likes it!”
Haruko brought to the table some things to try to cut the sweetness—pepper, salt, soy sauce, chili oil—as Kyo continued to eat without complaint. Tomo basked in his praises and threw Yuchi a victorious smile when Kyo asked if they could have the recipe.
Haruko threw a dash of spice to her curry and tested it, and then asked with a joyful lilt in her voice, “So… How did you two end up together? I love hearing how people met.”
Kyo stopped chewing and looked to Yuchi, who was choking down a bite as he tried to think of what to say. They stared at each other for a moment as they realized it would have been best if they had invented a wholesome first date story beforehand.
Tomo slapped her hand. “Don't ask that, Haruko. It was obviously some kind of gross backstage thing. You know how these bandmen are.”
Yuchi manicly stuffed his face to avoid answering.
Kyo swallowed, then spoke without shame, “Obviously we were always close, and we had feelings for a long time, but it took a while for one of us to finally make a move. In the end, it was me who did it.” He didn’t need to elaborate on how exactly that happened—it was a gross backstage thing, after all.
With a slight smirk, Tomo just had to prod him for details. “Wait, wait—When did you catch feelings for Tada?”
“Um… five years ago, probably.”
Yuchi accidentally bit hard against his spoon. “What?”
The three pairs of eyes were on him now. Kyo was the first to ask, “You didn't realize?” A long pause. “I didn't think I was subtle.”
Yuchi let the spoon slip from his mouth, slowly setting it back into his bowl. “Uh… I had no idea, actually.”
Kyo blinked thrice. He was too stunned to be embarrassed as he said, “Doing your hair?” A hesitant pause. “All the gifts and special attention? The nicknames? The times I showed you ‘proper form’ for lifting weights?”
Yuchi flicked his lip with his finger. “Hm… I kinda thought you were just being nice.” There were a few moments here and there that he thought Kyo was flirting with him, but he had pushed it from his mind and told himself he was delusional. Turns out he had many opportunities over the years to make a move but was too stupid to do it.
Tomo pointed at Yuchi with a mean-spirited gyah-ha-ha of a laugh. “Oh, that's great! That's just like you: oblivious as ever.” Even with Haruko’s slaps on her arm, Tomo wouldn't stop. “No, no, you don't get it—I had to listen to this guy obsess over Kyo for years, and you're telling me it would have been that easy? To just flirt back?”
Kyo's eyes widened. “Uh, wait… Years? How many years?”
Yuchi was now the one leaned over the table and smacking her, but she was undeterred. “Uh, like… what's that really gay sukekiyo song?” There was silence as no one answered, the obvious question being Which one? “Well, he found you out then—that was 2016. I'd say it's been just a bit longer than that.”
Kyo's mouth curled into a smile. “That long? Obsessed, you said?”
Tomo took another large helping of curry into her mouth, chewing openly as she said, “Oh yeah! Real perverted stuff, too!”
His face now as pink as Haruko’s hair, Yuchi was too mortified to form words as he wondered how far she would go.
Tomo grunted as Haruko gave her a final, swift punch on the shoulder. “Really sweet stuff, too. Like, beyond having a crush. I think he was legitimately in love with you.”
The pink in Yuchi’s face rapidly turned red, then purple as he held his breath in agony. It took Kyo’s consoling touch to make him unclench and shakily sigh, “Tomo… Please…”
Kyo wanted to hear more, but seeing how Yuchi was close to expiring, he decided to put an end to it. “It’s okay, Yuchi. I think you better give him a break before he keels over, Tomo.” He said this while catching her eye, signaling to her You can tell me more later on.
Tomo merely shrugged, saying, “He’s so easy to rile up. I’ll be nice, I promise...” Seeing that Yuchi had returned to his normal color, she added, “Sorry, Tada.”
They all finished their curry with varying levels of enthusiasm, with Yuchi and Haruko struggling to swallow down the last few bites, and Kyo asking Yuchi if he could scrape his bowl of the remaining grains of rice and streaks of sauce.
As Tomo helped herself to a few more spoonfuls straight out of the pot on the stove, Kyo's eyes flicked towards the kitchen, and he chewed his lip. With big eyes, he peered at Yuchi for a moment and twiddled his thumbs.
Haruko’s eyes glinted as she observed Kyo. “Did you want something else?”
“Um…” Another yearning wandering of his gaze around the kitchen. “Tomo said she used Tirol in the curry…”
Tomo asked, “Want some?”
When Kyo only nodded with a wide smile, Yuchi answered for him, “If you don't mind.”
“Coming right up.” She took four, unwrapping one before coming up behind Yuchi, holding his head and stuffing one into his mouth. She closed his jaw tightly when he tried to protest, and then docilely presented the remaining in her palm for Kyo to choose from. He picked the plain milk chocolate, patting Yuchi on the back as he choked.
They moved to the main room, trying to work up the appetite to try the dessert Tomo had made, which was lying in wait in the fridge: a solid mass of something in an old plastic container.
As Haruko and Kyo chatted about hair at the opposite corner of the room—or, at least, Yuchi assumed that’s what they were talking about as they made scissoring motions and touched the tips of each other's hair—Yuchi and Tomo sat on the couch to catch up.
“How are you?” Tomo asked, and not in the phoney way everyone did and would flinch if given anything other than a tepid “I’m fine”, but in the way where she would be disappointed if he did anything but spill his guts to her.
“I’ve been…” He caught himself smiling wide, and he closed his mouth before nodding. “Good. Happy.”
“Being treated well?”
“Of course.”
She nodded soberly at this. “I'm happy for you.” Tomo was unusually serious, her eyes steadfast on him. “I really am. I know it's been hard.”
Yuchi tightened his mouth and reached for her hand, recognizing when she needed to be touched. “I know. I'm okay now, though. Sometimes I wish I could have had this earlier. If I had figured it out sooner, I could have had this a long time ago, maybe. But I can’t think like that.”
She cradled his head in the crook of her arm, pulling him in for a kiss to the side of his face. “I’m glad.”
Yuchi bunched his face up against her kiss. “Besides… If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have married you. I would've missed out knowing the best person I've ever met.”
“Oh, jeez.” Letting him free, Tomo ran a hand over her hair as she tried to keep herself from tearing up. “Shut the fuck up. You know I hate when you're all sentimental and sweet like that. Asshole.”
Watching her grow redder by the second, Yuchi smiled. “I know.”
“Don't disappear again.” Tomo chewed her lip. “I really missed you.” She said nothing for a long time, the flush on her face rapidly traveling down her neck. She choked out, “I really love you, you know.” Her chest became dappled in splotches, and the longer he waited to say anything, the deeper the color became. Finally she barked, “Don't just say nothing! I'm really trying!”
He rubbed her arm until she eased. “I love you, too.”
They were interrupted by Haruko beckoning to Yuchi, waving her hand at him. “Tadaharu! What kind of bleach do you use? Your hair looks really nice!”
Yuchi looked at Tomo, giving her a squeeze of the hand before standing up and going to Haruko. “Uhh, I dunno, I just go to a stylist…”
Tomo set her sight on Kyo as they babbled, her eyes narrowing as he accidentally caught her staring. He blinked, smiled slightly, and tried to join Yuchi and Haruko’s conversation, but was unable to get a word in. Seeing in his peripheral that Tomo hadn't stopped eyeing him, he glanced over again, only to see her raise her hand towards him.
“Hey, you.” Tomo snapped her fingers at Kyo, pointing to the chair in front of her. “I want to talk to you. Come here.”
Kyo looked around, as if there were someone else in the room she could be speaking to. With slightly weak knees, he came to where she pointed and sat across from her, feeling like a teenage boy about to be accosted by a girlfriend's stern father.
Tomo, hands planted on her knees, leaned forward threateningly. “He’s been good?” When Kyo nodded, she went on. “He’s been happy?”
“I can't speak for him, but… I think so.”
“It’s been a really long road for him,” Tomo stared hard at Kyo, “and I love him to death, and I swear to God I will smash you to a pulp if you make him sad.”
Kyo shifted in his seat. “I believe that.”
“So, just keep making him happy. Please. We couldn’t make each other happy, and I need to know that he’s going to be okay. Because I can't sleep at night until I know he is.”
Kyo lowered his voice to a reassuring tone, “All I can do is try my best. The only thing in the world I want is for him to be happy.”
Tomo gave a nod and a grunt of approval, keeping her mouth tight as she clearly tried to fight off tears. Sniffing, she turned her head away and watched Yuchi, who was now alone sitting on the floor and teasing the cat, laughing when she swiped at his dancing fingers. Yuchi felt their stares and turned to look, his gaze catching Kyo's first and his face immediately softening with a smile. As Yuchi was caught unaware, the cat took her chance and snapped her open claws against his arm, catching his skin and sprinting away when he shrieked loudly.
At the sight, Kyo bolted from his seat, quickly making his way to crouch near Yuchi, who was on the ground clutching himself. He held Yuchi's injured arm tightly and inspected the small, red lines over his skin. “You okay?”
Yuchi nodded, still stunned by the cat's sudden decision to be a turncoat after how much fun they were having. “Stings a bit.”
When Kyo squeezed, the wounds bubbled slightly with blood. Kyo stood up, holding Yuchi's hand to the bathroom where he brought him to the sink.
Tomo followed, offering an apology. “Sorry, I forgot to mention that she's insane.” She stood in the doorway as Kyo furiously rubbed Yuchi's arm with soap and water, his hairless brows furrowed tightly with concern.
“It's okay, not your fault.” Kyo must have cleaned Yuchi’s scratches five times over before he was satisfied, and he asked Tomo for a few bandaids if she had them.
“Yeah, lemme look…” Going through some drawers, she found some Doraemon bandages she would normally give her little niece during her visits, and handed them to Kyo. She watched with a smirk as he meticulously dressed Yuchi's wounds despite Yuchi assuring him over and over that he was fine. By the end, Yuchi's arm was plastered with ten Doraemon stickies to cover the tiny marks left by the beast, and one would think he had been in a knife fight by the state of him.
Tomo suppressed a laugh. “Are you sure that's enough?”
Kyo paused, pursing his lips to his nose. “You're right. Do you have any gauze?”
Yuchi grabbed Kyo's arm and held onto him tightly. “It's really alright! It doesn't even hurt anymore!” He jostled Kyo. “No more!”
Haruko, who had been in the kitchen cleaning up, came to see what the noise was about, peering into the bathroom. “Oh, jeez. What happened to you?”
Tomo patted Haruko on the shoulder as she brushed past her. “Wild animal attack.”
Drying her hands on her shirt, Haruko tutted, “Oh, poor thing.” She rushed to the kitchen and came back with more Tirol chocolate, handing it to Yuchi with a reassuring smile. “Here.” She unwrapped another one in her other hand and gave it to Kyo. “You too.”
His arm covered in Doraemon’s smiling face, his hands obscured by bunched up sleeves and holding the small chocolate as he solemnly munched on it, Yuchi looked so cute that both Kyo and Tomo couldn't help but take notice. They both became flustered and turned away from the sight, catching each other's eyes as they had to look away from the unbearable moe of the scene before they imploded from it. Holding a hand over her mouth, she looked at Kyo and smiled, her squinted eyes giving away the hidden grin.
Seeing how Kyo looked at him that entire night, she felt reassured that Yuchi was loved. She was never sure if anyone out there could love him as much as she did, and she often doubted there was anyone deserving of him, but maybe Kyo was that person.
Kyo smiled back at her, biting down on his chocolate. He took Yuchi's hand and brought him back to the main room where the cat was waiting, tail swishing, and tried to arrange a truce between them.
Tomo followed, leaning against the wall with a sigh. Yes, as the two of them sat on the floor together, completely immersed in each other and stupidly in love, Tomo thought that Yuchi had finally found his person.