Bloom – Resasuke x Manumaru

"I can't believe it didn't work out, she was head over heels for you, man! How did you manage to screw it up?"

It was already Manumaru's fourth beer in less than an hour, and all that alcohol was starting to take its toll on his tired mind. The big cat had since a long time loosened in tie and unbuttonned the top half of his white shirt partially stained with beer and sweat.

Their usual bar wasn't exactly full that night, anyway.

Not like the red panda sitting in front of him had noticed any of this.

"I don't know."

"What do you mean, 'you don't know'? I had placed all of my hopes in this singles' night thing, you airhead! Why do you think I spent so much time helping you out? I really hoped you guys would hit it off and be happy together."

"Sorry."

Resasuke didn't look particularly concerned, but his apologize sounded sincere – at least, to Maru's ears. The little guy was on his third canned coffee on his end, or rather his fifteenth that day.

"What a waste of time", sighed Manumaru. "I hope you're not too depressed, at least. I'm the one who tried to set you two idiots together in the first place."

"I'm not."

"You don't have to hide your true feelings. If you're disappointed or angry, ya should just be a man and say so! It's not good to bottle it up."

"I'm fine."

Resasuke calmly grabbed his canned coffee and finished it in one sip.

"If you say so...", whispered Manu before doing the same with his beer.

"Ya sure you're not gonna get lost again?"

"I never get lost. I just miss my stops sometimes."

"As if it's any better", groaned Manumaru.

The train station was almost empty at this hour of the night, at least, by Tokyo standards – which meant that the little red panda wouldn't get squished like he usually does.

"Head straight home and don't talk to strangers."

"Okay."

Manumaru rubbed his face for a second, only now realizing that he felt a bit upset on top of simply tired. But why...?

Maybe he was simply mad at himself for worrying so much about such a space cadet.

Resasuke's train finally arrived and the little guy got on without a word.

"See ya, buddy."

"Manu."

The big cat flinched and stared at Resasuke.

"Thanks for hanging out with me", said the red panda after a short silence.

Manu nodded but didn't have the time to answer anything: the doors of the train shut right in front of him and he could only wave goodbye to his odd little friend.

The drunk cat stood still for a while.

"This idiot is a lost cause", he muttered to himself.

But his heart was whispering something else – something confusing, annoying, and to be perfectly honest, too scrambled by the alcohol for him to fully get it.

Regardless, that odd feeling prompted him to grab his phone.

"You sure you'll be okay?"

"Don't worry. I won't miss my stop this time."

"Damn, he answered pretty fast", Manu thought to himself.

"I wasn't talking about that, you idiot! I meant with Retsuko."

"Oh. It's okay, really."

"You sure? You do realize you're gonna run into her at the office, right?"

"It's fine. I'm not sad. I only went out with her because you wanted me to."

Manu stared at the screen of his phone for a while.

"Dammit..."

"Sorry about that. I was only trying to set you up with her because I thought you would like it."

"It's alright. I just don't think I understand what love is."

"Love, huh...? That's a tough question, dude."

"Do you know the answer?"

"Huh... well... love is when you put someone else's needs before yours. You gotta... take care of them, you know? It's when you meet someone and you want to make them happy no matter what. Even if it means you won't be happy on your end."

"I see."

"It's kind of like... when you take care of your plants, or whatever. Right? You want them... to grow, to be healthy and strong. Being in love is like that. I think..."

Manu sighed and rubbed his tired face once more. Maybe he just wasn't in the best state of mind to answer a question that complex.

"I think I understand it better. Thank you."

"You're welcome, dude."

"I never know what to say during a date. Maybe that's why it didn't work out."

"You gotta train for that kind of stuff, man! First dates are always, like, super awkward. It's perfectly normal. Maybe we could... maybe we could go on a fake one together! It didn't work out with her because you lacked experience. But if I train you personally, we'll find you find a cute girlfriend in no time."

"A fake date? What's that?"

"Well... like... like a date, I don't know! But only between friends, just so you get used to it. I'm sorry, I guess it was a stupid idea."

"Let's do it."

"Huh? Really? I mean... sure thing, dude! I'm gonna teach you everything I know."

"Thank you."

The big cat was red like a tomato by that point. What on Earth did he agree to?

Despite his embarrassment, however, something deep inside of Manumaru was roaring with pride.

"Canned coffee, again? You sure? There's so many other options here."

"I'm sure."

"Look, I'm the one that's paying. I told you, already. We're on a da-... a fake date. So I'm treating you this time. Just get something fancier!"

"I just want canned coffee."

Manumaru sighed, closed the menu he was holding between his hands and handed it back to the waitress.

"Alright... a canned coffee for him and a macchiato for me, please."

Much to his surprise, however, the waitress stared at him and gave him a knowing smile.

"Picky boyfriends, amirite?"

"Huh?! Just bring us our order!"

The waitress scurried off, leaving an embarrassed Manu and a distracted Resasuke face to face.

"Sorry about that", mumbled the cat.

"Sorry about what?"

"Hrm... nothing."

The cafe he had found while searching for the perfect place for their date was located in Shibuya, and for some reason, the space cadet had insisted that they sat outside in the sun.

Manu was already drenched in sweat by that point, but he had thankfully picked more casual clothes than the ones he usually wore for work.

"It sure is damn sunny today."

"It is. I like it."

Manu stared at Resasuke's round face for a bit and smiled.

"It's a bit hot by my standards but I'll power through it."

"Sunlight is good for you."

"Not if I get a heat stroke!"

"I'd call 911", said calmly Resasuke.

Manumaru chuckled and stayed quiet for a while, just staring at the red panda.

His fur kept slowly moving with the wind but he didn't seem to mind – or maybe he just couldn't even notice it. His head was always in the clouds, after all...

The waitress finally came back with their order.

"There you go, lovebirds."

Manu slipped a couple hundreds of yens in her hands, his cheeks so hot you could cook an egg on them. Somehow, he managed to avoid staring right into the woman's eyes while doing so.

"Just leave already!", he grunted between his teeth.

"Have a nice day!"

Resasuke seemed far from this entire situation, as usual, so all in all it didn't even matter.

"She drew a leaf with the cream...", he whispered, incredulous.

"Looks good, doesn't it? I love that kind of fancy stuff every once in a while. Wanna give it a try?"

"I do."

Manu carefully scooped up some of the cream and carried it right into Resasuke's open mouth.

Somehow, the little guy still managed to get half of his face covered with it.

"You really are a messy eater, bud."

Resasuke swallowed the cream and smiled distractedly.

"Sorry. Can I have some more?"

It only then occurred to Manumaru that he was madly falling in love with the space cadet.

The entire afternoon had gone by like a fleeting dream – and Manu, still shaken by his realization from earlier, was almost as silent and as distracted as Resasuke usually was.

Him, in love with that airhead?

Despite how crazy it sounded, it helped him understand his feelings from the last couple of weeks – why he was always worrying for him, why he wanted him so badly to be happy.

Manumaru suddenly noticed that Resasuke had led him to the nearby park.

"Wanna sit here for a while, buddy?"

"Yes. Next to that fountain."

The big sweaty cat nodded and followed him closely.

Much to his surprise, however, Resasuke decided to take off his shoes.

"W-What are you doing, dude? Wait!"

Too late: the little guy just jumped in there and started walking around in the cold water.

"Y-You can't just do that, you moron! It has to be against some sort of law or something... Is there even any fountain-related law? Or maybe a park-related one? This is a mess."

Manumaru leaned above the fountain and held out his arms to the space cadet.

"Come here, you idiot! You're gonna get soaken wet at this rate."

Resasuke scooped up some water and turned around.

"Don't you d-"

But before he could finish his sentence, the red panda poured all the water he was holding between his hands on top of Manu's head.

"YOU LITTLE-!", he groaned before jumping away from the fountain.

It was already too late: his head and shirt were soaken wet, and the cold water almost gave him what felt like a heart attack.

"There you go", simply said Resasuke while staring at his friend.

"What is WRONG with you? Are you trying to kill me?"

"But you said..."

"Is this your idea of 'having fun'? I'm soaken wet now, and my shirt is sticking to my body! Did you agree to come on this date just to make fun of me?"

"You said it was like..."

"I DON'T CARE WHAT I SAID! You're a lost cause, alright? I give up!"

And, without leaving any chance to Resasuke to justify his actions, Manumaru turned around and left.

"I'm such a goddamn idiot", mumbled Manu for what was roughly the sixth or seventh time.

Alone in the darkness of his quiet living room, the big fluffy cat had immediately taken off his shirt and thrown it on the ground. He felt so stupid for tricking himself into thinking about Resasuke that way; so stupid for overreacting, too, of course.

No matter how hard he was thinking about all of this, however, Manu just couldn't convince himself that he had made it all up.

It was real. His feelings for that idiot...

They had been right here all along.

"I'm nothing but a hopeless loser", he sadly chuckled to himself.

Manumaru cracked open another beer but stopped right before he could take a sip out of it.

His bell had just rung.

"Can't I just catch a break...?"

But the big cat got up and headed to the entrance of his small appartment.

Much to his surprise, the person standing in front of his door was no other than the one responsible for his heavy heart.

"What are you doing here?"

"You smell like beer."

"What about it?! I know you don't like alcohol, but I never asked you to come here in the first place, especially this late!"

"I got lost."

"Of course you did, you airhead! I told you to be more careful when you wander around."

"Sorry."

Manumaru sighed.

"Come on, get inside. You must be thirsty as hell if you've been running around downtown for all this time. I'll go get you a glass of water, at least."

"Thanks."

Resasuke squeezed past Manumaru's big belly that took most of the frame of the door.

"Ya could've waited for me to move back", said Manu after rolling his eyes. "Lemme turn on the lights so you don't trip and fall on your face."

"Thanks."

Manu fumbled a bit in the dark but managed to find the light switch. When he finally turned on the lights, Resasuke was standing front of him with a strange little bag in his hands.

"Huh? What exactly is that thing?"

"I brought it for you, but you left too quickly and I couldn't give it to you."

"That doesn't tell me what it is."

"Fertilizer."

Manumaru blinked and grabbed the bag to take a closer look.

The little guy was right... it was some fertilizer. Judging by the size of the bag, it was clearly some sort of sample.

"W-What... what am I supposed to do with this? I don't even own any plant."

"It's for you."

Manumaru stared at Resasuke for a while, still struggling to connect the dots.

The red panda joined his hands against his chest.

"Plants need a lot of sun... some water, too. And some fertilizer. They need a lot of care to grow strong and stay healthy."

The real meaning of their afternoon together hit Manumaru like a truck and made him drop the bag on the floor.

"Is that really why you did all of this?"

"You told me that love was like-"

"I-It was a metaphor, you idiot! You're not really supposed to treat the person that you love like a plant – let alone me!"

"But I want you to be strong and healthy like my plants."

Resasuke bent over and picked up the fertilizer.

"I tried dating Retsuko because it seemed like it'd make you happy."

"I never wanted to force you to do anything that made you unconfortable, mumbled a very embarrassed Manumaru.

"I didn't care as long as it made you smile. I want you to be happy. That's what you said love was like, right?"

"You goddamn idiot..."

Manumaru leaned closer and placed his hands against Resasuke's cheeks.

His own face was so hot he felt like it was gonna explode.

"Did I do everything wrong again?", the red panda asked very seriously.

"No... I did. You shouldn't have to change a single thing – not for Retsuko, nor for me. The Resasuke that you are is perfect the way he is."

"I'm glad, then."

Resasuke smiled and softly rubbed his snout against Manumaru's.

The cat's eyes got a bit wider and his breath shorter; and, unable to resist the urge any longer, Manu leaned even closer to kiss the lips of his very own space cadet.

Resasuke dropped the fertilizer to press his hands against Manu's fuzzy chest, who in return tied his arms around his waist to lift him up.

Overwhelmed by the feelings spiralling deep inside of his chest, Manumaru slipped the tip of his tongue against Resasuke's lips; and, much to his surprise, the red panda opened his mouth and let it slide in, gently pressing his own against Manu's. The little guy wasn't half bad at this, thought Manu; or maybe his body was just acting on his own.

The two clumsy idiots kissed for a while before pulling away.

Somehow, in all of this, their hands had found each other – and they now refused to let go.

"You're pretty good at this", chuckled Manumaru.

"Not yet. If you don't mind, could you please teach me some more?"

Manu's face turned bright red.

"What do you want me to teach you?"

"Everything there is to know about love."

Manumaru gulped but nodded slowly.

"O-Of course. But I'm not that good either, you know. You might have to teach me some things as well."

"We could grow some plants together."

"R-Right... plants. Plants. T-That's definitely what I was talking about."

"And maybe we can have sex too."

"D-DON'T SAY IT LIKE THAT!"

Resasuke smiled peacefully and buried his face into Manumaru's chest fur.

Despite his trouble, the big cat grinned and pressed his chin against the top of his head.

"It's already dark, outside. You'll never catch the last train in time. Why don't you stay here tonight?"

"Alright."