Continuation of What Lies Around the Bend.
Maybe Nyanko-sensei likes to damn him. First, it is him announcing a last minute drinking party. (Something about how the area ayakashi have finally acknowledged his reign, but it sounded more like he bullied them.) Second, it is the rain. (Natsume should have expected the invitation too good to be true. Sensei argued that this sake tastes better during certain weathers. As he says for nearly all delicacies.) Third, it is them parting ways in the chaos of the upcoming storm and Natsume getting lost. (He hasn't been in these woods before. The rumbling thunder in the distance warns him to take cover.)
When spotting another figure in the shadows of the abandoned train station, Natsume startles, bringing his arms up in case he needs to defend against an ayakashi. The figure shifts—no billowing waves of cloth or ghostly limbs, but a black suit and a smile both curious and pleased. Natsume instead pointedly pats off the rain soaking into his blond hair and clothes, dragging out his hesitation.
And lastly, it is a damning inopportune moment of crossing paths with Matoba Seiji—and co-occupying the same shelter with him. He is on another job, as he claims, eyeing a blanket-covered birdcage. It is a youkai that appeared on rainy days, and he wants to dispose of a problem. Natsume furrows his brows, not expecting the Matoba clan head to be cutting corners like this. He thought he was a man of rules, but it must be for anything that benefits him.
When the creature appears, the teen's heart shakes, frightened from its size and grotesque appearance. The blanket covering the cage is tossed onto Natsume, and the exorcist orders the other to be quiet during that moment. Natsume nearly protests, but a hand stretches out as a silent beckoning to reconsider. In that moment, Natsume falters with his default defiance. Maybe it is best to watch and listen, instead.
Whatever is in the cage is presented to the youkai with a flash of light. Just like that, Matoba's task is finished.
After the large and scary youkai disappears, Natsume peeks from the blanket, hoping that the rain will follow with it. The storm remains. And so do the two occupants. An enveloping chill causes Natsume to shudder, tugging the blanket tighter around his frame.
"I didn't take you as a slacker," Natsume feels himself mumble out through cool lips. "A youkai that eats others." It is still not ideal, he thinks to himself, looking out through the other side of the rundown station.
Without turning away from the window the youkai passed, Matoba chuckles at Natsume's words. "A slacker? Some might call that 'efficiency.' Exorcism is a business, after all."
Smirking over his shoulder at the boy, Matoba's voice drops a bit lower. "...and do you really find it surprising that there is a youkai that cannibalizes others? If that were the worst thing ayakashi ever did, I'd be out of work…"
Allowing his words to trail off, Matoba begins gathering his things. Seals and scrolls are hastily stuffed back into a disorganized briefcase, then thrown over his shoulder. With his necktie still loose and crooked (clearly not accustomed to western suits and bags), Matoba makes his way past Natsume towards the exit.
"But unfortunately that is not the case. In fact, I have another job to go to as we can keep the blanket, you clearly need it more than I do… oya?" Matoba's teasing is cut short by the crash of a thunder clap, and what was once just a drizzle of rain becomes a violent downpour.
Natsume reactively jumps at the large boom. Quickly he pats down his clothes and blanket, hoping to give the illusion that it was simply to fix himself. Glancing up, he finds that the outside is a heavy curtain of rain. Although he isn't in the downpour himself, the air is sufficiently chilled.
He finds that Matoba hesitates, also looking to the increasing storm. He can't keep something owned by the Matoba. The exorcist may extort or request a favor because of it. Worrying his lip, the teen unsheathes the blanket from his upper half before casting his eyes on and towards the other. He tries, "Are—are you sure you don't want your blanket back?" but his teeth are close to chattering. With another loud clap and resounding rumble of thunder, Natsume makes a small noise and flips the sheet back over him.
Matoba laughs as Natsume takes shelter under the blanket he had just offered to return. Perhaps the cold isn't the only reason the boy needs it? As if on cue, the rain picks up again, and Matoba must raise his voice a bit to be heard through the sound.
"I think you can borrow the blanket a bit longer, it seems neither of us will be going anywhere for awhile."
Nodding his head towards the bench he sat on earlier as he waited for the youkai, he continues, "Shall we?"
Without waiting for the teen, Matoba sits on one side of the bench, setting his bag in the middle between them as he rummages through it. Pulling out a (slightly wrinkled) paper butterfly, the exorcist begins whispering to it when then, he pauses.
"I was going to call for a car but… I don't suppose this method will work too well in the rain."
Natsume furrows his brows at the paper before another realization comes to him. "...do you have a phone?" Fingers bury deeper into the blanket around him. They are still a somewhat new technology to him. It makes sense that a wealthy family like his would be up to date with societal advances.
Then thinking of such a favor, Natsume worries his chapped bottom lip. He doesn't dare utter a word. Instead, he fidgets with the blanket in attempt to get warmer. He can hope that the storm dissipates and can brace the rest of the way home.
The exorcist smiles sheepishly as he stuffs the paper shiki back into his briefcase, producing a black phone instead. "I suppose I should have tried this first, but…"
Pressing buttons on the device as if seeing it for the first time, he sighs in relief as the screen lights up. He'll have to thank Nanase later for always remembering to charge it for him.
Natsume's brows knit in frustration. Even being an exorcist, surely Matoba should have thought to use a phone before a paper shiki if he had one. But his irritation is replaced with surprise when he finds the phone forcefully thrust into his own hands.
"M-Matoba-san?"
"Here. Let the Fujiwara know you'll be home soon enough, and I'll call a car after."
Relieved by the offer at first, Natsume looks down at the device in preparation to call. But in moments his annoyance is back full-force when he recognizes the potential trick. "Wait, I'm not risking giving you my phone num…"
When handing the phone back to its owner, Natsume freezes when he catches a glimpse of the screen: 'Fujiwara,' followed by his home number. It is already entered as a contact.
The exorcist laughs at the blond's expression as he takes the phone back and scrolls to another number. "Well, I suppose I can't force you." Angling his body away from Natsume, he covers one ear to block the noise from the rain, and raises the phone to the other as he waits for the corresponding line.
"Nanase? Yes, I'm fine. Listen, I can explain later, but I'm at the old station by the... yes, that station." Accepting that he's been caught getting a youkai to do his heavy lifting, Matoba laughs as he listens to his scolding.
The easy laugh catches Natsume off-guard. It sounds so friendly. The teen leans forward, listening to what he can of the carrying conversation on the mobile device. There is an exasperated tone that Matoba accepts unphased. No doubt he has experienced this before.
"There aren't any rules against it; it's fine, isn't it? More importantly, I have another job to get to but with this storm I… Wait, you've already sent a car? Thank you, but I need two, actually. Yes, two."
...Two cars?
"Two?!" Natsume shouts, jaw dropping, without thought. What a very well-off family, is what Natsume initially thinks.
With a teasing smirk, Matoba holds his hand out to silence Natsume, angling further away from him as if straining to hear Nanase through the teen's shout.
"I'll explain that later, as well. Thank you, Nanase."
Then a distant rumble shrouded by the rain reminds Natsume. He can't show his worry, or it may come off as anticipation. His hands are getting colder, paler. Natsume considers sitting on them, but the bench is hardly any warmer. Natsume lowers his voice. "Matoba-san, isn't that excessive?"
Ending the call, Matoba turns towards Natsume again. "How is it excessive? We can't ride together because you need to get home and I have a job to go—" Matoba blinks, stopping himself mid-sentence as he grins. "Or perhaps you're trying to tell me you'd like to come with me and see what it's like to be an exorcist? I'm sorry, but you'll have to come along another time, I'm too busy tonight to teach you anything."
Natsume furrows his brows. "No way! Don't let your imagination get ahead of you. I only mean that I can get home by myself." As if to mock him, a crack of thunder sounds and Natsume flinches. It's nothing. "I will just wait. I've done that sort of thing before. My caretakers will understand."
Matoba stifles a laugh when Natsume jolts yet again. "Oya, is that so? Well, I can't cancel the second car now, or else I'd look foolish in front of my subordinates. So I apologize that I must inconvenience you, but please do me a favor and take it."
The thunder finally calms for a moment, and though the rain is still streaking down, its sound becomes a white noise giving the illusion of a silent pause.
Arrangements having been made, there is nothing to do now but wait.
Natsume glances to his hands, noticing their pale color. He rubs them together, squeezing the fingers in attempt to have the blood and warmth come back. Matoba must be looking at him now, bemused about his reactions no doubt.
Smiling at Natsume's flustered expression, Matoba's eyes follow Natsume's to his hands. Without a word, Matoba reaches back into his bag, fishing out a thermos of hot tea. As he pours the beverage into the provided cup, clouds of steam rise into the cold air. But rather than taking a drink himself, he holds it out to Natsume.
"Could you possibly do me another favor and have some tea? It's from my own thermos so you know it's not poisoned."
Golden eyes glue to the rising steam from the hot beverage. The warmth entices, and yet the exorcist's ill-mannered joke resurfaces once again to ruin the effect. The teen tries to contain the chill that rattles his nerves and bones. If it weren't for that, he would (maybe) decline.
'Do him a favor…' Natsume mulls over how Matoba phrases that. He is unsure if Matoba purposely leaves out his own responsibility to return the gesture later on.
"It is a favor for you, then, Matoba-san." Natsume takes the offered cup into his own hands, letting the heat seep into his skin before bringing the tea to his lips.
Matoba smiles contentedly as Natsume accepts his request for another "favor." If that's how he needs to phrase things for Natsume to take something he needs when it is offered to him, the exorcist doesn't mind phrasing it as such.
The taste of oolong spreads warmth throughout Natsume's face and upper half. Drinking more, he pulls away to release a pleasant sigh, not expecting (but welcome) to the instantaneous effects. If he was somewhere warmer, and dryer, Natsume feels like he could nod off.
Matoba watches as Natsume is visibly warmed by the drink and blanket. But this merely serves to remind him of his own discomfort in the cold station. The doorway is open to the outside, and the wind is coming in with an unpleasant chill. Of course, his loose collar and tie aren't doing anything to help his situation. Despite his distaste for the western articles, he fastens his collar to the top and straightens his tie to keep the draft out. Still not quite satisfied, he crosses his arms tight to warm his hands.
"If you want to sleep, you have time, you know. In this weather, our rides won't be here for quite a while."
Thrown off from focusing on the warmth coming back to his body, Natsume angles his head up to the exorcist and reactively quips, "There's no way I would be able to sleep like this."
Once his eyes settle on the other, the blond takes a moment to look over. If Matoba's disheveled, poorly knotted tie and garments look bad before, now it looks as if he were blown by a storm instead. The collar is crooked, the tie lopsided, and sleeves and jacket bunched at the elbows. He looks cold.
Golden eyes flit back down to the nearly gone tea in his hands. There's a pleasant flush on his face from the hot beverage. Unfortunately there is only one cup for the thermos… Natsume pours more of the beverage from the thermos before offering the cup to Matoba.
"Thank you for sharing your tea with me. If you want some, you have to drink from the opposite side though."
Matoba blinks as he looks down at the offered drink. Briefly, he wonders what Natsume could possibly mean by demanding he drink from the "opposite side," when the answer hits him.
Matoba smiles to himself as he takes a sip, carefully avoiding any part of the cup Natsume's lips have already claimed. Natsume really is naive to still be concerned with things like an indirect kiss.
The tea warms him, but its effects are temporary. Glancing out the corner of his eye, Matoba considers a bolder favor to ask.
"If you'd be willing to do me another favor, I don't suppose I could use the opposite side of the blanket as well?"
Natsume flushes at the wording of the request. Matoba took note of the peculiarity and now plays along with it. Looking down and lifting the blanket, Natsume finds there to be just enough room for one other. Being in a much closer proximity to Matoba makes him nervous, but it's cruel to deny something that simple during this treacherous storm.
Natsume furrows his brows and purses his lips into a pout. "This is a favor." A big favor, his mind emphasizes. An arm stretches out to offer the other end of the blanket to Matoba. "The opposite side," is pointedly said, but the tone doesn't carry much authority.
The exorcist moves closer, but just enough to get under the blanket and no more than that. The touch of their shoulders is inevitable, but perhaps Natsume will allow it. Given the blanket's size, there really is no other way to share it, and there's also the benefit of the added warmth the touch provides.
"Thank you."
The presence next to Natsume isn't as intimidating as before. He is conflicted if he should feel relieved or wary about that. Matoba is genuinely courteous. He was relying on past feelings and happenstances again.
When Matoba shifts, he carries a scent, much more noticeable now due to their proximity. It is of sandalwood smoke with fresh soap underlying. Natsume can't help but wonder what his own scent is like…
Now it is much warmer like this. If Natsume wasn't so stubborn, neither of them would have been so cold.
Once settling into place, Matoba pours another cup of tea. As he holds it up to Natsume (suddenly realizing how close they are), he taps one side of the cup as if to remind the boy which side is "his."
"More tea?"
The tap to the opposite lip of the cup wrenches back the blond's attention. He blushes, embarrassed that Matoba is actually following that command. Natsume robotically nods.
As Natsume accepts the offered tea, Matoba rests his chin on his hand as he gazes into the storm outside. The exorcist is always claiming he wants to have a chat with the boy, but now that he has the perfect opportunity with a captive audience, he's finding that he doesn't have a thing to say.
As another draft blows in, the exorcist absentmindedly tugs a bit on his edge of the blanket. Deep in thought, he doesn't realize this accidentally pulls Natsume a bit closer. When Natsume's shoulder bumps into Matoba's, he holds his breath, hands clenching tighter on the cup. Now his face feels way too hot.
"You can take whichever car arrives first, alright? Your caretakers must be worried, and my next client is one I don't mind making wait."
"Thank you, Matoba-san…" the teen mumbles through the startle. It seems like the exorcist doesn't notice or acknowledge the touch, so he will play along as well. Recalling Matoba's offer, Natsume quirks a small smile. Both the Fujiwara and him will be very grateful. The thought warms his chest. If Matoba suspects anything, Natsume quickly hides his lips with the cup to drink from. "You have been really helpful to me…"
Embarrassed, he fidgets in his seat. This is a different sort of tension. It is easier in some aspects. Neither of them are becoming upset or frustrated with the topic or of the other's morality. They both are simply enduring a harsh rainstorm together.
The exorcist smiles at the boy's words. It isn't often they're able to speak civilly.
"Have I been? Well if that has improved your opinion of me a bit, then perhaps you..."
Matoba looks down at Natsume, but the wide amber eyes looking back at him are much closer than he expected, and his breath catches. Before he can continue, the glare of approaching headlights in the window cause him to abruptly stand, placing his side of the blanket onto Natsume's shoulder.
"Wait here a moment."
Matoba reaches the doorway at a quick pace, greeted by one of his subordinates. The older man tries to shield Matoba with a black umbrella, but the younger waves to decline the gesture. Their words are drowned out to Natsume from the rain, but the other exorcist's sudden glance over Matoba's shoulder towards Natsume makes it clear what they're discussing. Matoba turns to face Natsume again, beckoning him to join them.
"Natsume-kun."
Golden eyes flit from Matoba to the other man before nodding. He sets the cup on the bench and shrugs off the blanket. The absence of both causes the chill to come back to his bones. Folding it nicely next to the cup, Natsume looks back to the station's doorway, and approaches. Having both of their gazes on him is unnerving.
Then the older man offers to shield Natsume under the umbrella instead, a gesture that he will guide him to the idling car. Matoba nods for the teen's reassurance. Natsume walks forward beneath the umbrella. The sound of rain pelting against and off the plastic fills his ears.
But before leaving, Natsume turns his head to Matoba, tone a little fierce and scolding. "There better be another car coming for you, too. If there isn't, my favor is for you to do that." Natsume immediately pulls in his bottom lip to gnaw worriedly. Self-conscious of his words, Natsume turns around to be led to the car.
Watching as the blond is ushered into the car, Matoba laughs at his chiding. It seems Natsume hasn't forgiven him for his deception that time in the forest. He waves until the car's tail lights fade into the distance, and he's left waiting in the dim station. There's no telling when the next car will arrive in this weather, so he returns to the bench for the comfort of the blanket to escape the cold. Draping the fabric over his shoulders, he smiles at the realization that it's still warm.
The thermos on the middle of the bench catches the corner of his eye as he sits. There's just a bit of tea left, but Matoba is relieved to find it's still hot as he pours what remains into the small cup. He can't help but chuckle to himself as he observes that Natsume made certain to set it down with their assigned "sides" facing their respective seats.
Bringing the drink to his lips, Matoba pauses. The last of the tea is always too bitter for his taste.
Turning the cup in his hand, he's surprised to find that this time, the last sip is the sweetest.