Chapter 10: Arrangements

As the time passed before Nowaki's apartment contract ran out, the man ended up spending more and more time at Hiroki's apartment. He'd been moving what little he had over, but Hiroki refused to let him keep sleeping on the old futon. Nowaki had hoped that implied Hiroki was inviting him to just sleep together, but it actually seemed to mean that they went shopping for a bed for him one Saturday afternoon.

"I don't really care, Hiro-san," Nowaki said as a show room extended out before them. Hiroki had tried to get Nowaki to specify the kind of bed he wanted, but it wasn't working. At the orphanage they were given what they were able to get, caring more about blankets to keep them warm than the relative comfort of the beds. Then he'd had that futon to sleep on when he'd lived on his own, not really caring enough to get more.

A salesgirl with a sensible bob cut and wearing a skirt suit approached them. Hiroki had seen her watching them almost right after they entered the store, but she looked like she wasn't sure she wanted to talk to them. Hiroki wasn't sure why; they didn't look any more suspicious than the other people who'd wandered in.

It was about then that Hiroki realized Nowaki had taken his hand. Their fingers were laced together in a rather obvious way between them. Hiroki tugged his hand free as the woman said, "Can I help you, gentlemen?"

"Maybe you can talk some sense into him." Hiroki scowled, jamming a thumb at Nowaki. "He needs a new bed."

"I really don't, Hiro-san," Nowaki insisted.

"You're sleeping on an eight-year-old futon. It doesn't even have a frame!" Hiroki said. He sounded indignant, like Nowaki's bed directly affected him.

"It's not as if we're sleeping together on it," Nowaki said.

It was the truth, but it still made Hiroki blush. "Just go with her. I have some other shopping to do." He turned and waved behind him before leaving the store.

In truth, what Hiroki wanted to get was a cookbook or two. Where Nowaki had taught himself to cook from living alone for years, Hiroki had ended up living off fast food and instant meals. He'd never really tried to cook; it was one of the few skills he hadn't taken a class for growing up.

As he made his way towards the how-to section, he noticed a familiar face over in the shonen manga section. He really should've known better than to approach Takahashi Misaki, but he'd been admittedly curious about Akihiko's state since the encounter in the subway.

"He actually let you off your leash?"

Misaki jumped in surprise, dropping a volume of Za Kan he'd been reading the back of. When he whirled around he saw Hiroki standing there, arms folded and only his eyes revealing that he was at least the slightest bit amused. Misaki, however, didn't seem all that amused at seeing his professor outside of the university, especially on a weekend. "Ah, good afternoon, Professor Kamijou," he said, bowing and doing his best to make his smile not look manic. "Actually, Usagi-san had some book signings in Hokkaido today, so he and Aikawa-san left yesterday morning."

"And he didn't drag you along with him?" Hiroki asked, sounding surprised. Of course he hadn't since Hiroki had had Misaki in his Intro to Japanese Literature class on Friday, but that was beside the point.

Misaki ducked his head as he leaned down to retrieve the Za Kan tankobon. "Aikawa-san pointed out that I still had class, and that I take care of Usagi-san, not the other way around. And so Usagi-san agreed to leave me at home. It wasn't easy."

"You take care of him."

"Yes!" Misaki said, nodding and feeling just a little less uncomfortable. "Instead of paying rent, I cook and clean."

Hiroki had been ready to just leave Misaki there, but he stopped at 'cook.' He glanced towards the front of the store, where he could just see the furniture shop across the street. He couldn't see Nowaki, though. There was no way he'd be willing to ask Misaki for help with cooking if Nowaki was there to experience it. The man probably thought he could do everything, after all, and who was Hiroki to destroy that illusion?

xxx

Nowaki had a shift at the flower shop that day, and he'd texted Hiroki while he and Misaki were looking at cookbooks to say he was just going to head right over. He'd only be there for a few hours, though. Hiroki hadn't asked exactly how long he'd be there, so he was unprepared for Nowaki to show up when Misaki was still there in the apartment.

"Well… you've known him since you were kids, right?" Misaki asked. "He can get into a brooding mood sometimes and then that huge apartment gets really quiet."

Before Hiroki could reply, the door opened and Nowaki stepped into the genkan. It was at that point that Hiroki regretted that he had finally convinced Nowaki that it was going to be his place soon as well and so he didn't need to knock every time he came over. He seemed surprised when he looked up from his sneakers and saw Misaki there in the kitchen. "Oh, hello Misaki-kun. I didn't know you'd be coming over today."

Hiroki looked rather uncomfortable at the fact that he hadn't been able to get rid of Misaki before Nowaki came home. He'd been teaching him about cooking all afternoon, and by then, Misaki had almost forgotten that Hiroki was the demonic professor that all of his classmates feared. He wouldn't tell Hiroki, but he'd been a bit lonely in Akihiko's apartment with the man gone. Sumi-senpai was gone on a weekend trip, and of course his brother lived too far away for a simple weekend trip to be worth it.

"…Akihiko abandoned the kid for the weekend," Hiroki muttered, putting the lasagna Misaki had mostly put together himself into the oven. When he looked back up at Nowaki, the man was smiling. "What?"

"Nothing, Hiro-san," Nowaki said as he put his bag down beside one of the couches. "I'm going to take a shower."

"Yeah, yeah," Hiroki said, looking put-out but at what, even he wasn't sure. Nowaki grabbed some new clothes out of the dresser Hiroki had managed to unearth in the spare bedroom after moving most of the books in there to his own room and went into the bathroom, which Misaki seemed to take as a cue to leave.

"It was good seeing you again, Professor Kamijou," Misaki said, bowing.

Hiroki shook his head. "I know Nowaki would ask you to stay for dinner if he thought he had to," he said, not sounding pleased with it. Misaki paused at that, looking confused. "Do you want to? I won't make you."

Misaki nodded, but he still picked up his bag. "Um, why don't I go out and get some stuff for a salad? I noticed you don't have much around so…"

"Yeah yeah, just go," Hiroki said, waving his hand. Misaki was hesitant, so he added, "What?"

Hiroki could practically see the ellipses over Misaki's head as he just stood there. He knew that look, though; it was the look his students tended to get when they were trying to decide if talking to him one-on-one was a good idea or not. Apparently his self-preservation instinct had gone on vacation, though, because he finally said, "Do you and Kusama-san live together?"

"…we will starting next month," Hiroki muttered. When Misaki gave him a strange look, he said, "We're not actually together, Takahashi."

"You aren't? Usagi-san seems to think differently," Misaki said. "He um, was writing another Junai novel but threw it out and started doing something about you two a few weeks back."

There was silence as Hiroki just stared at him, and Misaki blushed up to his ears.

"Not that I actually read that stuff!" he said, waving his arms in front of him to emphasize his point. "Anyway, I'll go down to the store and be back. I should be back before the lasagna's done but I did set the timer so you can take it out yourself if you need to." When Hiroki just kept staring at him, Misaki quickly slipped on his shoes and ran out the door without another word.

Hiroki would honestly be surprised if Misaki came back.

Hiroki eventually got bored with just staring at the oven timer, so he wandered down the hall to his room. He'd gotten a new bed when he moved into the new apartment; it was a queen size, and while it was nice for when he wanted to sit in bed doing research and needed tons of books spread around him, other than that, he had no idea why he'd gotten such a huge bed. Perhaps it was just that he'd spent so many years in a twin-sized bed, accidently rolling out of it if he tossed and turned in his sleep too much.

He winced as he pushed some books aside and a few fell to the floor, but he didn't bother picked them up as he sat down on his bed. The shower had turned off in the bathroom, so Nowaki was probably almost done in there.

Sure enough, just as Hiroki was getting into reading a book he'd abandoned the other day, Nowaki came through. He'd showered in Hiroki's apartment before and ended up walking around without his shirt, but he'd probably figured Misaki was still there and didn't want to give the kid a heart attack. It didn't take much for Nowaki to realize Misaki was a rather skittish person.

Nowaki went past Hiroki's bedroom door, but then he came back. "Hiro-san, did Misaki-kun go home?"

"No, he just went out to get stuff for a salad," Hiroki muttered, trying his best to make it look like he cared more about his book than Nowaki and his fresh-out-of-the-shower looks. Nowaki, of course, was making it hard as he seemed to have decided that he needed to go into the room and sit beside Hiroki. Hiroki snatched up some books that had been sitting open around him. "Would you watch it? I don't want my books getting wet."

"Sorry, Hiro-san," Nowaki said with a smile.

Hiroki just frowned and went back to his book. "Are you staying tonight?"

"If it's alright with you," Nowaki said. Hiroki just grunted in what he hoped was an indifferent way, and Nowaki smiled. "I do have most of my things here, anyway. And the store said the bed would be delivered tomorrow, since they have it in stock right now."

"Yeah, yeah," Hiroki said. Then he seemed to realize something. "You actually ordered a bed?"

"Yes," Nowaki said. "The sales woman did want to know why, if we're living together, I don't just sleep with my boyfriend."

Hiroki frowned at that, snapping his book shut. "You already know the answer to that, Nowaki."

"I know, Hiro-san," Nowaki said, leaning away from Hiroki as he searched in the pile for something else. He still leaned forward and caught Hiroki's lips with his, though, putting a hand to Hiroki's cheek. Hiroki didn't protest, and Nowaki was the one to break the kiss in the end. "I'd like to eventually, though."

"And waste the money you spent on the bed?" Hiroki asked, narrowing his eyes. Never mind the fact that Hiroki had been the one so insistent that Nowaki have his own room and bed.

"I suppose you're right," Nowaki said, a hint of amusement in his voice. Then he leaned forward into another kiss, and before Hiroki knew it, he was on his back, his head laying on one of the pillows at the head of the bed.

Nowaki didn't go further, though, simply curling himself around Hiroki and sighing contentedly into his neck. Hiroki slowly untensed; he'd been ready to tell Nowaki he still didn't want to do anything more than kissing, but it seemed it wasn't necessary right then.

They suddenly heard a voice in the hall, though, and Hiroki stared at the wall as if that would help him hear better.

"I'm fine, Usagi-san, you don't have to come home early." It was Misaki. He apparently had the courage to return to Hiroki's apartment, and apparently Akihiko had called him on his way back. "I know you're worried but you don't need to be. And Aikawa-san will blame me if she finds out."

"Hiro-san?" Nowaki asked as Hiroki pushed himself out of his arms.

"Hmm?"

"Was Usami-san ever that clingy towards you?"

Hiroki frowned as he straightened out his shirt and went to pick up some books. "No he wasn't."