Author's Note: I thought I was finished these, but I love them!
Misaki
He was walking downtown when I first saw him again. Like me, he was one of the few in the lonely streets. I could hear the bass from some late night club, where all the people who thought they mattered gathered. It was cold. It was so cold clothes didn't help much. I pulled my hat down so my ears could get warm. I could see my breath in front of me. The library had closed two hours ago. Nii-chan still wasn't around. He'd promised to pick me up at nine. It was nearing 11:30. I was crouched in front of the building, hugging my knees. My gloves were almost coated in snow. And there he was, Usami Akihiko. Usagi-san. He was Nii-chan best friend, best man, the only reliable person in his life.
I could see a bag in his hand. It was from the bookstore close to here. I went there sometimes when I was searching for older manga. Like he felt my stare, he looked up. He squinted and then walked over until he was standing in front of me. "Misaki...what are you doing here?" I didn't notice how badly I was shivering until I tried to talk.
"Nii-chan was supposed to pick up at nine." His eyebrows rose. He looked at his watch.
"And you called Takahiro?" I nodded. Maybe ten times already. "Call him and tell him you are coming with me. If he gets the message too late, just tell him you're staying the night. I have a spare room. It's not problem." I slowly got out of my crouching position. My muscles were screaming. I got the answering machine when I called, once again.
"Nii-chan...it's Misaki again...Usagi-san was in the area and I'll be staying with him tonight. Don't worry about not picking me up...it wasn't a problem." I hung up and slid my phone in my pocket.
"It's most certainly a problem." Usagi was pissed.
"Well with the baby and everything...sometimes Nii-chan is busy. I should be able to drive by now anyway..." A glare silenced me.
"Takahiro made an arrangement with you and he broke it. Simple as that." I followed Usagi to his car at a much slower pace than him. I was already short, but now I was almost frozen. The heat blasting as I sat in car. It was a silent ride, mostly because Usagi was filled with rage and I was afraid to talk. When we stopped at his condo I didn't want to get out of the car. I was in the thawing stage, like when I used to play in the snow for too long and the cold became painful. I knew that if I stepped outside again I wouldn't be able to move. Usagi was out of the car already though. He was walking around to my side before I could do anything.
"Come on." He held the door open. Once I felt the breeze I tried to shrink farther into the car. He stared at me for awhile. "What's wrong?" I was shivering worse than I was before.
"It's too cold..." His expression soften. Before I could stop him he had unbuckled my seatbelt and picked me up himself.
"You need a warm bath." I didn't say anything else as he carried me inside. Complaining would be the worst thing to do. Usagi rescued me from the cold and brought me to his house. Flailing about wasn't going to help the situation. It was already awkward enough.
I sat in a bubble bath trying to cool down. Peeling off my clothes had been a challenge. I was the one who insisted I didn't need help once I got my gloves off, but Usagi came back ten minutes later to check on me and I couldn't even unzip my coat. He ended up doing everything for me while I sat there trying not to feel too useless.
The water was going cold when I heard Usagi yelling. I wrapped myself in a warm towel and moved closer to the door. He was talking to Nii-chan. "Honestly Takahiro, just because you have a new family doesn't mean you forget about everyone else. Misaki waited for you two hours! I was afraid he might need to go to the hospital. All because you and Manami made some last minute dinner plans with friends. How could you forget about your brother? Don't bother coming tonight. He's not warm enough to go outside." Usagi sighed. "Yes, it was really that serious. I can't believe you." I heard him slam down the phone, and then I heard a crash. When I peeked out I saw the phone lying disconnected on the ground far from where it was supposed to be. Usagi was sitting on the couch squeezing the bridge of his nose.
I looked down. In front of the door pajamas were folded neatly. They were huge but they were suprisingly warm and comfortable. I didn't bother to roll them up. I walked down the stairs carefully so I wouldn't trip. I was still a bit cold, but I would be fine by tomorrow. Usagi looked up when I came in. "Is there anything I can do to thank you?"
"It's fine." I couldn't settle at that.
"I have to do something." He stared at me for awhile.
"I'm hungry." Something I could do. I made my way to the kitchen. Usagi had tons of food. None of it was even opened. I put together a nice quick meal, but it was tasty. "Isn't this...a lot for just me?" I had already ate. I made everything for him.
"Well you can eat some tomorrow too." Usagi sighed.
"You should eat some of this. You'll feel better." I finally gave in and sat down across from Usagi. We were eating at a weird hour, but it was okay. I knew food would make me tired.
I was lying in Usagi's spare room when I felt incredibly cold and lonely. I crawled to the door and opened it slowly. All the lights were out. He must've went to sleep...
Usagi
I woke up in the middle of the day. Misaki was curled up by my side. It was shocking to say the least. I'd never really experienced anything like that before. I wasn't sure what to do. When I felt his skin, he was still freezing. He must've been so cold he'd decided to come stay with me. It was just noon. I'd slept almost 12 hours. When I heard knocking at the door I realized that's what woke me up. I walked downstairs and opened the door to find a cheerful Takahiro. He was with Manami and the kid. I stepped aside to let them in.
"Where's Misaki?" I looked towards the stairs.
"He climbed into my bed at some point. He still must've been cold." I started making coffee. I was still tired. Probably because I needed to sleep a year to catch up on the sleep I missed.
"I called a couple times..." Takahiro looked and saw the phone still on the floor. "Usagi I'm really sorry about everything. I hope I didn't cause you any trouble."
"The only one you caused trouble was Misaki." I poured some coffee and watched Takahiro out of the corner of my eye. He was sorry...but he still seemed to be taking things lightly. I wanted to yell at him, but then Misaki appeared at the top of the steps. He was rubbing his eyes, and still had my clothes on, which looked ridiculously huge on him.
"Nii-chan..." Misaki stretched. "I should've called you. I'm sorry." I really wanted to punch this kid. He was fine with the situation...it must've happened before.
"I brought you a change of clothes Misaki." Takahiro handed them to him. Misaki went in the bathroom to change.
"Does this happen often?" Takahiro looked shocked by that.
"Once or twice it's happened..." Manami finally spoke up. "Thank you for doing what you did. I'm very sorry." Not sorry enough. How could you go out with friends while someone you should be taking care of was outside freezing?
Misaki walked out of the bathroom looking normal in regular clothes. "Let's get going Misaki." Takahiro was already halfway to the door. He probably had to get back to work.
Misaki walked over to me. "Thank you. I'm sorry for any trouble I've caused." He really was...adorable.
