Midorima hates taking the train, actually appreciates the relative peacefulness of bus rides, would rather walk than find himself more or less squished between random bodies during the evening rush hour, struggling to keep his lucky item for the day satisfactorily unscathed; vows to get his driver's license as soon as he can, preferably before he dies of all the distinct lack of personal space and then some; considers, not for the first time, getting his own apartment just so Kise wouldn't have that particular excuse hanging over his head when he invites Midorima over - not that Midorima wants to actually spend time with Kise, he just could certainly do without all the hellish train rides that would take him from Tokyo to Kawasaki on weekends when the blonde calls and practically begs for his company - because when Kise begs, there is very little Midorima could do except grit his teeth and curse himself for not being able to resist.
Which is why he finds himself stuck between a salary man and a hippie on what should've been a relaxing Friday evening, fighting for his life not to get flattened against the train doors in a most undignifying manner - a duffel bag in one hand, a box of dark chocolate chip cupcakes topped with whipped cream in the other - something he just happened to pick up on the way to the station and had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that they were Kise's favorite from the time when they still actually lived in the same prefecture. And Midorima wonders why in all hells he was going through this just because of Kise when he didn't even like the other boy, in the loosest sense of the word.
So it's an agonizing twenty minutes later that finds Midorima on Kawasaki station's platform - a little worse for wear, the box of cupcakes a bit crumpled though Midorima is fairly sure any damage to the pastries themselves was minor, takes in a few deep appreciative breaths of the fresh, uncongested air, before proceeding out of the station; chooses to walk to Kise's apartment as he usually does, just because he doesn't want to seem overly eager by arriving on time or, heavens forbid, early.
Kise's apartment is a surprisingly nondescript whitewashed four-level building in the middle of several high-rise condominiums but Midorima has never had any trouble finding it, nods at Kise's landlady - a nice, old woman who just smiles knowingly at him when they meet at the foot of the stairs, casually climbs all three flights to Kise's unit, pauses for about five minutes before convincing him that now wasn't the right time to be having second thoughts about this - not after having done this for the past how many months; not after the dark chocolate cupcakes and Chinese takeout dinners and Kise's belated birthday cake that they had shared over the kitchen counter; definitely not after all he had suffered through just to get here - Friday rush hours and hellish train rides and maybe a little bruising to his pride. So he raises his hand to knock, just at the same time the door swings open to reveal genuinely surprised golden eyes and Midorima just forgets all the reasons this - whatever this was - was such a bad idea in the first place.
"I'm here, Kise," he manages to say after a couple of seconds of staring dumbly at each other and Kise simply snorts, ushers him in, one hand reaching for Midorima's duffel bag, the other for his tie, draws Midorima in for a kiss that leaves both of them breathless and flushed and wanting.
"You're supposed to say, 'I'm home, Ryouta,'" Kise says after a heartbeat, an almost, not-quite pout on his kiss-swollen lips. "And I'm supposed to say, 'Welcome home, Shintarou,' and only then do I kiss you senseless."
Midorima allows himself to roll his eyes at that, before extricating himself long enough to close the door. "Well then, 'I'm home, Ryouta'," he drawls flatly, doesn't give voice to the thought that Kise would never make a good housewife no matter how many times he plays the role, watches an attractive blush spread over the blonde's cheeks, doesn't resist the urge to curl an arm around Kise's waist and kiss him senseless - thinks that yes, everything was definitely worth this.
