fanfic by volly
wild adapter (c) kazuya minekura
...
One of the boons of the local 7-Eleven was a shelf full of all the limited-time merchandise. So every time Kubota entered the shop he knew exactly where to find the latest mango cheesecakes and pineapple daifuku.
If Kubota had things his way, they'd visit the place daily. Tokito thought otherwise, however. And as it was, they dropped by once a week.
Today was a chilly Saturday. 7-Eleven had just restocked and had plenty of new wares laid out for sale. Lovely. Kubota peered down the aisle and plucked out snacks like picking fruit ripe from a tree. He took almost a little of everything. Omnivorous shopper, Tokito thought, watching his friend toss in salted sour plums and pizza-flavored potato chips.
So it was rather odd when he bypassed the candy section entirely. Especially since Kubota had such a sweet tooth. Tokito didn't really like candy, but he at least gave the sweets a brief look-over, while Kubota just walked on by, as if all the mouth-watering suckers and jellies and chocolate bars had done him some personal offense.
"Kubo-chan, you don't want any candy?"
"Hm." Kubota hummed noncommittally while examining what seemed to be a tube of cherry-flavored toothpaste. "No, I don't think so. I'm not in the mood."
There was absolutely no tension in his expression, no harshness in his voice. But he seemed annoyed somehow. Tokito glared at the back of Kubota's trenchcoat. If he was having a bad day or something, he didn't have to take it out on his innocent handsome roommate...
With resolution Tokito stormed over to the candies and grabbed one out at random. Lotte's new blueberry-pomegranate gum, he noticed, dropping it into their basket. Kubota said nothing as he paid for everything and walked out of the store without a second glance.
...He was definitely angry. More than before, even. For a minute, Tokito had to wonder if the gum had anything to do with it.
Well, it was too late now. He stubbornly opened the candy and popped a piece in his mouth. It was quite nice, he noted appreciatively. He didn't like overly-sugary stuff, but this was tolerable. Enjoyable, even. He blew up a bubble and snapped it loudly with his teeth, grinning obnoxiously when Kubota gave him an exasperated look.
"Want some?"
A barely-noticeable pause. "I don't like Lotte's."
"Really?" Tokito pondered that for a while. "Why?"
"I wonder," Kubota said, his voice low and nearly drowned out by the traffic. Tokito drew closer to the other man, both to better hear him and to keep him in sight as a large crowd of tourists swept by. "I guess, maybe for the same reason I don't like Ark Royal and the rain."
Silence for a second, as Tokito chewed his gum pensively and Kubota continued to lead the way home. "You're acting weird, Kubo-chan."
"Am I now?"
"Weirder than normal, that is," Tokito amended.
"Huh," a dry chuckle, "I didn't know that was even possible."
"Me neither. You learn something new every day."
Tokito didn't inquire any further or poke any deeper into the subject, for which Kubota was grateful. They both knew that Kubota's history was a touchy topic, just as Tokito's was. Only his was shadier. And while Tokito's past plagued him with those cryptic nightmares, Kubota's made him sharper and darker and irritatingly distant on rainy nights...
And, coincidentally enough, there were storm clouds overhead, Tokito just realized as a raindrop plopped down onto his nose. But they were only a block away from home and Kubota's mood seemed to be lightening somewhat, oddly enough.
"Still," he said, with another snap of bubble gum, "that's no excuse for being mad with me."
"Who said I was mad with you?"
"You! Well, you didn't say it, but, y'know, it's kinda obvious."
"It was? I guess, if you think so, it must be true." They reached their building at last through a heavier shower of rain, and Kubota ushered his dripping cat in the door. "I'm sor--"
He broke off when Tokito grabbed his collar and yanked him down so that their lips could meet in a clumsy kiss, his dexterous tongue pushing the blueberry-pomegranate gum roughly into Kubota's mouth. And for a second even the weight of the rain had disappeared.
Then Tokito had released him and pulled away, walking off to the stairs while saying, "And stop apologizing all the time, it's really getting on my nerves. I'm just telling you, you don't have to say sorry for every tiny little thing, okay?"
"Ah," a moment to recompose himself, to recover from the too-familiar gesture and all the vanilla-scented memories it brought. But the flavor was different and far more preferable to the last. Kubota followed his disgruntled pet, pondering the sweet-and-sour candy. "All right. I'll try."
"Good," Tokito grumbled. "'Cos I had to go through all that trouble making sure you got your new gum and I'd hate it if it turned out to be a waste."
Kubota just nodded. "But I don't like Lotte's."
"Tough."
He was lying, of course. Blueberry-pomegranate beat pear any day.
author's notes - ...it's kinda scary how similar this is to cats and oranges. man, am i unoriginal or what?