Yuuto's introduction with Arakita had been a disaster.
He heard him first before he had seen him – a slam of the door, and a string of complaints about the day's weather peppered with a few choice curse words. His older brother's voice had sounded impartial in comparison, accustomed to the other boy's colourful language and accepting of the day's terrible weather. He could hear it clearly from the living room, and Yuuto rose from the sofa he was sitting on, making his way to the front entrance of his home – slippers softly pattering against the hardwood floor – curious about the guest his brother had brought along.
"Two whole days," Arakita grumbled, "it's been raining for two whole days! Fucking incredible, this shitty weather."
"Yeah, it is quite bad," Shinkai responded, shaking the droplets off from his umbrella.
"And the stupid forecast lady said it wasn't gonna stop!"
"Mm. I heard it'll continue throughout the weekend." Shinkai began taking off his shoes.
"I hope she's wrong – I can't stand another day with wind and rain."
"It does get a little chilly."
"You joking? I know you don't like the cold either, but I'm fucking shivering out there!"
Arakita continued to complain as he untied his shoelaces, head ducked down, unable to notice Yuuto standing in front of them. He pointed to the bottom of his pants, showing Shinkai how wet the hem had gotten when he accidentally walked into a puddle – his socks were probably soggy, too. And he didn't like walking on the streets either, remembering how he had to dodge the splash from a car that almost got him soaked from head to toe.
"And the bus – I can't believe the bus was that late! It would've been faster to just bike here!"
"This weather is bad for your bike, though."
"What?" Arakita said, looking up.
"This weather," Yuuto restated, unwrapping the chocolate bar in his hands, "it's bad for your bike."
There was a brief stretch of silence as Arakita quickly turned to Shinkai, then at Yuuto and back again. Confusion was written across his face with a hint of surprise.
"Shinkai," he said. "Who's that?"
"Yuuto. And this," Shinkai motioned to the boy standing beside himself, "is my friend and teammate, Arakita Yasutomo."
"Hullo." Yuuto raised his hand in greeting, and then turned his attention to his brother. "I didn't know you'd be coming home."
"Sorry," Shinkai replied, "I told Mom and Dad but forgot to let you know."
Yuuto took a bite from his chocolate bar. "It's okay, welcome ba–"
"Hah?" Arakita cut him off. "You have a sibling?"
"Yeah, he's my little bro."
"Bro? More like your sister," Arakita laughed, looking at the clip holding the fringe of Yuuto's hair back from his face; there was a little bow with polka-dots. It reminded him of what his own sisters sometimes wore – putting pigs in lipstick, he said to them once, earning a smack to the back of his head.
Shinkai shrugged. "He likes it, and it makes him happy so I don't complain."
"But don't you get embarrassed?" he asked, referring to either brother.
"Arakita-san, you're quite rude aren't you," Yuuto stated, unperturbed by the insult. Instead, he took another bite from his chocolate bar and licked the corner of his mouth.
"Listen kid, I'm honest. And I'm speaking truth when I say that thing on your head is ugly."
"I think it's quite cute. But you seem to be getting awful worked up about it – do you secretly want to try it on? I don't mind." He began tugging the clip out from his hair and Arakita looked affronted.
"Like hell I'd ever want to wear something like that! Shinkai," he said, turning to him. "I'm gonna leave you with this weirdo alone." Then he pushed passed Yuuto, almost knocking their shoulders together if Yuuto hadn't shifted out of the way and watched as Arakita disappeared up the stairs.
"Your friend has quite the attitude, Hayato-kun."
"Yasutomo is difficult in the beginning," Shinkai began, walking down the hallway and patting his brother on the shoulder. "He's a little rough, but once you get to know him he's reliable."
"Reliable you say, but not nice?"
"Here and there. He can be."
Yuuto nodded. "I see."
"By the way, where are Mom and Dad?"
"Out for the weekend."
"Hey, Shinkai!" Arakita suddenly yelled, voice cutting through their conversation. "Which one is your room?"
"I'll be there in a moment," Shinkai replied.
"Nah, go ahead," Yuuto said. "We'll catch up later."
"Ah, alright. I'm here all weekend anyway. And thanks."
"Thanks for wha– whoa, hey!" Before he could stop him, Shinkai took a hold of Yuuto's hand and pulled it toward his mouth, stealing a bite of his chocolate bar before running up the stairs.
OOO
Yuuto found out that his older brother would be staying home for the weekend to study for a big test coming up soon. When he asked why he couldn't do it at the dorms, Shinkai replied that he sometimes he got a little homesick and liked to come back even it was just for a bit, and that he wanted to get his friend to actually concentrate and study so he wouldn't get kicked off the team; if Yasutomo was anywhere near a bike, he'd get restless and use practice as an excuse to ditch the desk in favour of the road.
"He's also going to stay the weekend over at our house, if you don't mind."
"Too late to complain," Yuuto laughed.
He had also come to realize that his older brother had been right – Arakita wasn't as bad as he seemed. He still swore enough to make a grandmother blush, but he didn't appear to hold any grudges against their initial meeting, passive insults and remarks forgotten the next day as he walked into their kitchen and mumbled a sleepy greeting at him.
"It's the afternoon, Arakita-san."
"So what? You say good morning when you first wake up – that's just tradition. Doesn't matter the time of day." Then he scratched his back and yawned, complaining loudly and more to himself than to Yuuto about how long Shinkai kept him up all night studying.
Though Yuuto was only half-listening he kept his gaze on Arakita, feigning interest to be polite, slowly eating some of last night's take-out dinner while making a mental tally of how many times Arakita could say fuck – his choice swear word – before his older brother would enter the kitchen. He would be lying to himself if he didn't find it amusing, especially the way Arakita's mouth would open wide when he got too absorbed in his speech, speaking faster and mashing words together unintelligibly unless he made a conscious effort to pick them apart. His eyes too, small and sharp, gained fervour instead of the usual indifferent or sometimes disdainful look he seemed to give things. Yuuto considered how strange – even ugly – his mannerisms were, and there was a little twinge of something in Yuuto's gut. But of what he didn't know; he didn't have time to consider it before Shinkai made his entrance into the kitchen.
When he heard him Arakita said, "About goddamn time – how long do you need in the washroom, anyway!"
"I like taking my time in the bath. Besides, you refused to get up from bed so I went first."
"Whatever, I'm starving. What do you got for food?"
"You didn't check the fridge?"
"Of course not!" Arakita looked down at the floor, a little quiet as he said, "that'd be rude."
"It's fine. Just treat it like your own home," Yuuto said.
"No way, I don't wanna be a Shinkai. I already got enough annoying siblings."
Shinkai grinned. "Well, washroom's free now if you need it. I'll make us something quick and give Yuuto a break from all your grumbling."
"Heh, this kid is better than you," Arakita replied, getting up from his chair. "He doesn't bitch back."
OOO
The weather lady had been wrong. There was a small break in the clouds, and for the first time in almost three days the sun touched the ground. It was a good day to go cycling, Arakita tried to convince Shinkai, especially after the week's terrible weather. He groaned about being stuck inside, shackled to his textbook and notes, studying until he began feeling cross-eyed. They had moved locations to the living room when their scattered papers became too much for the small bedroom floor to handle. Yuuto was lounging around, watching the television on the sofa, his own homework sitting at the base of his feet almost completed if not for the small break he was currently taking.
"Seriously, we could practice a bit, with the Inter-High coming up and all."
"Yasutomo, you don't even have your bike."
"I could just borrow yours, we're practically the same height! I wouldn't have to mess with your seat or anything."
"I left mine at school, too."
"Damn it!" he turned to Yuuto, who was flitting through the channels. "Hey, kid. Could I borrow your bike? Your brother here told me you ride too."
"You should do your homework," he said, not looking away from the screen.
"Brat." Arakita mumbled before focusing back to his work, defeated. At least it was worth a shot to ask. He pushed at the tip of his pencil but nothing came out. "Shit. Shinkai, I'm outta lead. Lend me a pencil?"
"Sorry, this is the only one I have," he replied.
"Useless."
"Here," Yuuto dug through his pencil case and held one out to Arakita. "Use mine."
"Thanks," he said, reaching out and taking it into his hand. He paused a moment to look at the topper before continuing to write.
"Do you think that's ugly, too?" Yuuto asked, remembering what he said the first time they met. He gave his pencil the same look he had given his hairclip.
"No," Arakita said, becoming engrossed in his work. "I like cats."
Yuuto had prepared a witty comeback to the insult he was positive was bound to have been said, but instead he was taken aback by the frank answer. Arakita didn't seem to have noticed how absently he had admitted the fact, too caught in his work to realize how embarrassing it might have sounded, especially since he seemed – according to Yuuto – to dislike anything relatively girlish in nature. He wanted to laugh, but instead he dug through his pencil case again and found another pencil, deciding to finish his own homework, distracting himself from that twist inside his gut that seemed to have wound tighter and making its way near his chest.
OOO
In the evening Arakita and Shinkai had agreed to take a break from their homework and to leave the studying for the next day. With a little debate over what to eat for dinner, all three had come to a decision to have delivery pizza. They had moved from eating at the kitchen table to the living room when they began discussing movies, and Arakita had mentioned he hadn't seen this one thriller flick both the brothers enjoyed.
"Yasutomo, I think you'll like it too," Shinkai said, putting the disc into the player.
Arakita rolled his eyes. "Of course you'd like a film that involves a mysterious murder. But your kid brother here? I'm surprised."
"How so?" Yuuto asked.
Arakita shrugged. "You seem more like a drama kinda guy."
"Those aren't bad," he replied, "but it isn't my preferred genre."
"Then what is?"
"I don't really have one." Yuuto reached over to the table and took another slice of pizza. "If something's good then it interests me."
"So then," Arakita took a bite of his own slice and said over a mouthful, "why do you like this movie?"
"It has just the right amount of action to make it interesting, but also a unique enough story to prevent it from being just another thriller."
"And a good twist," Shinkai added.
"Yes, and a good twist," Yuuto agreed.
Arakita had shifted in his spot on the sofa to make room for Shinkai after he had pressed play and turned off the lights, wedging himself between the brothers with Yuuto on his left and Shinkai on his right. They both enjoyed leaning against the armrest and Arakita didn't care where he sat, just as long as he had enough wiggle room and it was easy for him to get up and out if he needed to use the washroom.
At first Arakita was quite underwhelmed by the beginning scenes, stating once that it was boring. He was hushed by Yuuto while Shinkai quickly explained that without the initial information the rest of the movie would be hard to follow. So he patiently waited for the pace to pick up, and when it happened Arakita couldn't stop yelling guesses, pushing either brother by the shoulder when he wanted them to confirm if he was right or wrong, only to be met with a knowing smirk and composed silence. Sometimes he would make a guess, only to quickly retract his statement by telling them not to give him the answer when it looked like someone was about to open their mouth.
"I called it! I fucking called it!" Arakita announced as the credits began to roll. "I told you the movie was the events leading up to the beginning of the film."
"No you didn't," Yuuto said. "You found out just a few moments before the actual reveal, I wouldn't get too cocky."
"You wanna fight?" Arakita said half-heartedly, not really meaning his threat and more interested in opening his second bottle of Bepsi.
"You're quite touchy aren't you, Arakita-san." Yuuto smirked.
"Listen, I found out before the actual reveal, so I have every right to say I fucking called it."
"So I guess that means you enjoyed the movie?" Shinkai asked.
"It wasn't too bad, I guess."
"Hey, Hayato-kun." Yuuto leapt off the sofa and began looking through the shelf of movies. "Let's watch this one next; I haven't seen it in a long time."
Shinkai got up from his seat and grabbed the package from him, looking at the cover, his mouth turning upwards in a slight smile. "Oh yeah, this one was good too. Yasutomo, you don't mind watching another movie, do you?"
He took a gulp of his drink before replying, "We ain't got anything else to do, and it's a hell of a lot better than doing any more homework."
"Great," Shinkai said.
They sat on the sofa watching movies all night, Arakita still sitting in the middle. Initially Yuuto could feel him leaning away, pressing closer toward Shinkai's side on the cushions, careful not to let their legs touch. He acknowledged Yuuto's presence, responding to him when spoken to, but never starting the chatter himself unless it was with his older brother. Yuuto could understand – Arakita wasn't here to meet the family, he was here to study and do well on his test so he could continue to participate in the cycling club. Shinkai just happened to get along well with his brother so he was included in their activities. But slowly Arakita seemed to relax, no longer shoving himself closer toward his friend, body easing more naturally in position, allowing the side of his leg to meet against Yuuto's. He even began speaking to him, though it caught him by surprise.
During a comedy, after laughing for a minute and red in the face Arakita said, "I can picture you doing that to someone." Yuuto tried to imagine his older brother replacing the actor in the scene, and he laughed again at the image.
"No, he'd be the victim," Shinkai stated.
"What?" Yuuto turned away from the movie and faced Arakita, who was smirking down at him, one arm slung around the back of the sofa. He took a quick glance at his brother, who had his eyes still stuck to the screen. "You meant me?"
"Who else?" was all Arakita said before focusing again on the movie.
Around the early morning, when the sky was still dark, Yuuto felt his eyelids becoming heavy. He tried to keep his eyes open but his vision was blurry, his head starting to droop down and body leaning to the side. There was a gunfight on the screen, and the room flashed in a bright light as an explosion happened, but none of it registered in Yuuto's mind, not even the fact that it should have been exciting if he could just keep awake. His brother had already fallen asleep, his elbow resting against the armrest and his head in his hand. Arakita seemed to be the only one with some energy left in him; he didn't look tired but he was silently watching the screen with a neutral expression, eyelids just a little downcast.
Yuuto wanted to be awake, he wanted to finish the rest of the movie but he couldn't. His head bobbed up and down a few times as he tried to fight the temptation of sleep. There were still a few slices of pizza left in one of the three boxes they had ordered and he wanted to reach out and take one, use the motion of eating as a means to keep alert, but his limbs felt too heavy to move.
"Just go to sleep."
And that was it. Like a spell, the phrase gave Yuuto's body permission to relax and he began to lean to his side, expecting to land on the armrest on his left, but somehow his head ended resting against something warm on his right. He was just conscious enough to notice the other boy tensing, and he made to remove himself from Arakita's shoulder when he felt a hand lightly place itself against his head, keeping him in place.
"Sorry..." Yuuto drawled. Moving his jaw was a lot of work.
"Just sleep," Arakita repeated, stealing the remote from Shinkai's slackened grasp and turning the volume down near to mute.
OOO
On the last day of his visit, Shinkai double-checked his room and the living room to make sure he had collected all school notes and homework, encouraging Arakita to do the same, especially when he had managed to find a stray sheet beneath the sofa. He would have missed it if not for the little white corner of the paper poking out, and sighed in relief when he had picked it up and realized it was his math homework, not knowing what he'd do if he hadn't brought it back to school.
"I don't need to look for anything when you're doing it already."
Shinkai shrugged. "If you're that confident I'll leave you alone."
"Whatever, if I'm missing something I'll just make you get your kid brother to bring it to me."
Yuuto was standing in the foyer with the two, watching as they put on their shoes, waiting to lock the door when they left. He looked at Arakita after he had mentioned him and said, "For your age, you should act more responsible, Arakita-san."
"See Yasutomo? You're being lectured by a middle schooler."
"Shut up, both of you! I get enough headaches from two sisters at home; I don't need a pair of brothers to add to that!"
Yuuto was leaning against the wall, hand deep into the pockets of his sweatpants, listening to his brother bicker with Arakita, though it was more Shinkai teasing and Arakita getting more irritated than necessary.
When Yuuto had woken up it had been the afternoon. He found himself alone, curled up on the couch with his head nestled against an armrest. His brother had probably awoken first since he was also the first to sleep last night; Yuuto wondered if he saw him sleeping against his friend's shoulder. And when he saw Shinkai, he had already been packing his belongings in preparation to go back to school along with Arakita, who had mentioned nothing about last night. He had gone back to his usual self, talking only to Shinkai after saying to Yuuto, "Oh? You're awake now."
"We're leaving now," Shinkai said, opening the door.
"Bye Big Bro. Arakita-san," Yuuto said, making his way to the door as they stepped outside, not closing it yet but just standing at the open entry. "When's the next time you're coming home?"
"Not for another month or so. Next time, I'll make sure to tell you."
"Alright. Hayato-kun, and you too Arakita-san, good luck on your test."
"Sure." Arakita said, looking at Yuuto. Suddenly his lips curled into a sneer. "You're wearing that stupid clip again."
"It's cute."
Arakita reached out to the side of Yuuto's head, touching the fabric of the bow. "Whatever," he said, retracting his hand. "Could be worse."
Yuuto had locked the door after he had seen them cross the street, making their way to the bus stop that was around the corner. The good weather had continued over from yesterday, but grey clouds were threatening around the edges of the sky. He wondered if they would get back to school before the rain would start up again.
As he watched their retreating backs through the window, when his brother reached into his pocket to check his phone, he saw Arakita turning his head to look back at the house, a few seconds too long for it to be considered insignificant like he was searching, looking for someone – at least, that's what he hoped. Yuuto felt a flip somewhere in his chest.
Crushing on your older brother's friend really isn't good for the heart.
A/N: Cross-posting from my other account. I should have done this ages ago...