How did we end up here?
As Kojiro left a trail of kisses from his neck down to his waist, Kaoru couldn't help but wonder what he was doing there, lying in his best friend's bed, letting him do these things to him. And sure, maybe he had imagined this happening once or twice before, but never would he have thought that Kojiro had seen him in this way, wanted him in this way.
Kojiro smirked when he saw what his touch was doing to Kaoru. Watching him squirm, growing harder in his hand. How long had he waited to be able to see him like this? How many times did he wish their bickering would end with each other here? Kaoru wasn't one to speak about his feelings, but his body couldn't lie. How long had they both been waiting for this moment?
"K-Kojiro, I—" Kaoru started.
"You're doing it again," Kojiro muttered from between the other's legs, pressing a kiss on the inside of his thigh.
"Doing what?"
"Overthinking. Calculating the risk." He sighed and looked up and into Kaoru's eyes. "Do you really want me to stop? And please don't ask Carla for her opinion."
Kaoru rolled his eyes but shook his head. He was really in it now. "Keep going."
"With pleasure," Kojiro replied before taking Kaoru easily into his mouth, relishing in the sounds he made.
Needless to say, Kaoru avoided his friend—if you could even call him that after what had happened—like the plague. He stopped showing up to 'S'. He stopped answering his phone (despite the constant reminders from Carla). He even avoided his secret spot by the water, knowing that Kojiro would surely find him there.
It wasn't that Kaoru hadn't enjoyed himself. He wouldn't regret giving himself to Kojiro no matter how briefly. No, it was the emotions and memories that had been dug up as a result of their fun, memories that he never wanted to revisit.
Ever since that Langa kid had started making waves, the arguments between himself and Kojiro had taken on a different feeling. It was almost as if they were playing a game of chicken to see who would break first and Kaoru had definitely lost. In those days it was obvious that an attraction was growing but that kind of attraction was one Kaoru rarely felt. At least, not since—he shook his head and returned back to his work.
It wasn't until a couple weeks later that Kaoru, lost in thought about how to improve his board, found himself in front of Kojiro's restaurant.
Don't stop. Don't look. Keep walking.
He did none of those things.
Shuffling over to the edge of the store front to be more discrete, Kaoru allowed himself to peer inside. Sure enough, there he was, chest out, goofy grin on his face, with a hand running through his hair. Although Kaoru couldn't hear anything, he was sure he was laughing with the group of young women at the table.
"Monkey brain," Kaoru muttered under his breath. "Always with only one thing on his mind."
A stray thought fluttered across his mind. Was I just another one-time thing? Kaoru wondered if Kojiro had even given that night a spare thought. Maybe he was blowing it out of proportion, but he couldn't easily forget what he had felt, no matter how hard he tried.
"Carla, calculate the quickest route to—"
A bell jingled softly.
Kaoru looked up to see Kojiro standing in front of him. The door to the restaurant swung shut and they stood staring at each other for what felt like an eternity.
"Please repeat, Master," Carla's monotonous voice demanded, breaking the spell.
"Cancel request," Kaoru responded before turning around.
A heavy hand fell on his shoulder, stopping him from moving forward.
"How long are you going to avoid me for?" Kojiro asked. "You're acting like a child."
Kaoru's hands balled into fists. "Rather a child than a dumb ape."
A warm laugh reached his ears and his shoulders released a tension he hadn't known he was carrying.
"I missed that," Kojiro said, his hand falling down to his side. "Are you going to turn around?"
"No."
"Of course not. Always so difficult." Kojiro sighed, wishing more than anything for the man to turn around and to stop shutting him out. "Listen, I think we should talk. Why don't you come inside?"
Kaoru scoffed. "You want to talk? I'm sure you'd rather be making conversation with those bright, young women. Now if you'll excuse me, some of us are quite busy."
He began to walk away, not knowing exactly where he was heading, when a voice stopped him.
"Beef."
This had Kaoru's attention. He whipped his head around and met Kojiro's challenging gaze. "A beef? Really? And what exactly are the conditions?"
Kojiro crossed his arms and smiled. "You win and we pretend nothing happened. We go back to whatever we were doing before. I win? We have that conversation you've been putting off over a nice glass of wine."
A muscle in Kaoru's jaw twitched. "Don't uncork the bottle just yet. Carla, schedule an appointment for tonight. And Kojiro, try not to be late."
It was the perfect night for a beef. Carla had indicated ideal weather patterns with wind speeds that would undoubtedly help Kaoru easily take the victory. Although the two men had kept the beef a secret it seemed that there were more people at 'S' than normal, as if they all knew something was going to happen.
A hard slap came across Kaoru's back, followed by a laugh. Kaoru stumbled forward slightly.
"Always the punctual one, aren't you, four eyes?"
"Joe," he replied coldly, looking at the other man above his glasses. "I should apologize to the apes. Even they know how to tell time."
Another laugh. God, why is his laugh so beautiful?
"Cherry! Joe!" voices called out from the crowd.
The kids were running toward them as if they hadn't seen each other in years. Although he wouldn't admit it, he had missed them. A little.
"Cherry, where have you been lately?" Langa asked.
"I've been busy."
"That's too bad. Joe has been moping around without you here."
"Have mom and dad gotten into a fight?" Miya asked, taking a sip of his drink and earning a laugh from the others.
Kojiro dropped his skateboard to the ground. "We have," he said before rolling to the starting line. Kaoru not far behind.
The crowd started to murmur.
"Cherry and Joe?"
"We picked a good day to come."
"This is going to be a close one."
Suddenly the crowd went silent.
"Oh ho ho, what do we have here?" A voice rang out. Lights flashed on the stage and the music began to pick up.
Kaoru tensed. What is he doing here?
"Adam!" the crowd cheered as the man made his entrance and slowly approached the two competitors.
Kaoru's reaction couldn't escape Kojiro. It was almost as if he had begun to tremble. From rage or fear he couldn't tell. All he knew was that Kaoru could not take his eyes off Adam who was now standing mere inches from his face, a gloved hand reaching out to grab his chin.
Adam pouted and pushed Kaoru's chin to the side to look at Kojiro. "Are we having a lover's quarrel?" He walked behind Kaoru and threw his arms around his shoulders, lacing his fingers together and bringing him in close. "Little Cherry Blossom, has Joe been bad?"
Kaoru's grip tightened around his board. Kojiro couldn't help but notice the way his body leaned into Adam's. He wanted to look away from their display, yet he couldn't.
"Nothing compared to what you've become, Adam," Kaoru replied, voice steady despite the erratic beating of his heart.
Adam backed away with his hand on his chest.
"Your words wound me," he said before spinning in a circle, arms outstretched to the sky. "Why I just can't wait to see what happens. Although I'm sure it will be nothing less than a bore as always."
To the onlookers he said: "Shall we begin?"
The cheers of the crowd were easy to tune out as the skaters made their way through the course, neither of them saying a single word. This suited Kaoru just fine. If he was going to win he would have to concentrate and he couldn't have Kojiro riling him up.
The race was too close to call. Every time one pulled away, the other would catch up and the dance would continue that way. Through every straightaway, around every bend, they were together until—
"Master, battery level is at a critical low," Carla announced as they approached the final stage.
Kaoru cursed to himself. In all his turmoil he forgot to charge her. The board would still work but he needed to be able to transform it if he were going to clear the last stage. He would have to change it a little early which may cost him some time, but he was sure he could make it up. However, when he gave the command, there was no response. He cursed again as he skated onto the bridge still with his longboard.
"This is what happens when you rely on technology," was all Kojiro said before picking up speed and widening the distance between them. He didn't need any fancy tricks to best his friend. Not now anyway.
It wasn't long until he had crossed the finish line and claimed his victory.
As usual, Joe fans came rushing up to congratulate him, leaving Kaoru to wallow amongst his children. Shadow couldn't stop laughing at the turn of events and Miya kept mentioning something about slime. Kaoru paid them no mind and instead chose to silently fume while watching the women throw themselves at Kojiro.
"Joe! Of course you would win."
"We were always rooting for you!"
"We should go out and celebrate. Just us two."
Whack.
The women jumped back and stared at a stunned Kojiro who had just been slapped by Kaoru's fan. He rubbed his cheek. When did he make his way through the throng of people?
"Upset about the loss, princess?" Was all Kojiro could say.
"Nothing more than a fluke, but we had an agreement, and I am a man of my word. Or did that little monkey brain of yours forget already?" He put the fan away, trying his best not to let anymore jealousy show. "Should I be on my way then?"
"Ladies," Kojiro said while tucking his skateboard under his arm. "I'm sorry but I'll have to take a rain check. I've already made some very special dinner plans."
They hadn't spoken during dinner. They barely looked at each other through dessert. It was well past midnight and all they had done was eat and drink.
Kojiro poured another glass of wine for Kaoru before filling his own. He could tell that Kaoru was reaching his limit. He hadn't wanted to get him drunk. Kaoru just really couldn't hold his alcohol. Kojiro had spent the whole evening waiting for him to start opening up but he should have known it wouldn't be easy. As much as he didn't want to force anything from him, he had to know. A little more alcohol couldn't hurt.
"So a bet is a bet," he announced suddenly, his voice too loud in the empty restaurant.
Kaoru didn't look up. Swirling his glass around, he felt himself becoming sleepy and hoped he would pass out before Kojiro asked his questions.
"Why have you been ignoring me?"
Kojiro watched a red-faced Kaoru drain the contents of his glass. As much as he wanted to know the answer, he couldn't help but think about how cute he looked in that moment. Flustered and vulnerable. Oh how he wanted to take back his question and kiss him right there and then. Maybe then he would know that he didn't need to run away.
"I haven't," Kaoru said has he turned to finally face Kojiro.
"Try again."
"Be a dear and pour me another glass."
Kojiro shook his head and took the wine glass from him, swiftly placing it on the other side of the table along with the bottle of wine. He turned his chair around and grabbed onto Kaoru's to do the same so that they were facing each other. He didn't want him to look away. He rested a hand on his knee.
"Try again."
"If you must know," Kaoru started slowly, doing his best to ignore the warmth of Kojiro's hand through his clothes, "I was embarrassed and confused."
"Why?" Kojiro pressed, taking a sip from his own glass. Kaoru's eye twitch did not escape him, and he tried his best not to laugh at how easy it was to bug him.
"Well, we have never done that before of course."
"That's true. We haven't done a lot of things actually. You've done that before thought haven't you?"
"What do you take me for? When I was with—" Kaoru's eyes darted to the side. He stopped himself before saying anymore.
Kojiro placed his glass down on the table, replacing it with Kaoru's hand. He held on tight despite his efforts to pull his hand free. Kojiro managed to catch his gaze, his eyes gently encouraging him to continue.
"I haven't been with anyone like that—haven't even thought of anyone like that since—"
"Ainosuke."
Kaoru's silence was more than enough confirmation.
"I saw how you reacted tonight. I couldn't tell if you wanted to kill him or fuck him."
"Do you need to be so crude?"
"Well which one was it?"
Another pause. Kojiro steeled himself for his next question.
"Do you still love him?"
His question was met with a laugh, which Kojiro knew to be fake.
"What makes you think I would ever have had feelings for that monster?"
"Kaoru, please. You don't have to lie. I was there remember? So…"
Kaoru tried to move but he was held firmly in place. Why had he made this bet? He had been trying to forget his past, not relive it. Did he even know the answer to the question himself?
"I-I don't think so," he finally said, only to be met with a frown.
Kojiro pulled his chair in closer. "That's not an answer, you know."
Slowly, as not to scare him, Kojiro lifted his hand from Kaoru's knee and pressed it against his cheek, wanting to see something, hoping to see something. Without realizing it, Kaoru pressed himself into his hand, eyes closing for only a moment. Kojiro let out a breath.
"You had me worried for a second," he whispered.
"What was that, Kojiro?"
He removed his hand and Kaoru almost chased after it. He was so tired and Kojiro's hand was surprisingly soft to the touch. The room felt almost colder without it there.
"Nothing," Kojiro said shaking his head. "Maybe you do need another glass after all."
He poured out another glass, hoping that this one would be enough to get his answers. When he turned to present it to Kaoru he couldn't help but laugh. Head hanging low and pink hair loosening around his face, he had fallen fast asleep.
"What a light-weight," Kojiro said with a smile. "Let's get you to bed, princess."
Kaoru awoke on the floor next to a furnace. No. He was on a bed. Why is there a furnace on the bed?
Slowly, he opened his eyes and realized the furnace was in fact Kojiro's naked chest. Surprising himself, Kaoru did not jump off, but kept his arm where it was across his torso. You're always so warm. He sighed softly.
As he got his bearings, he noticed with relief that he was fully dressed and not at all at his own place. I need to learn my limit, he berated himself while recalling the events of the night before. The conversation ran through his mind, finally stopping at the last question he could remember.
"Do you still love him?"
"I don't think so."
What an idiot, he cursed to himself, holding back a groan. He didn't want to wake up Kojiro, if not for the simple reason that he liked the position they were in now. The green-haired oaf could be quite perfect when he wasn't talking. Maybe I could stay like this for a little while longer.
Kaoru allowed himself to close his eyes once more and nuzzle into Kojiro. When he heard him hum in content, he couldn't help but smile. He could stay like this forever and he would have if Carla's alarm hadn't gone off.
He jumped up quickly, pushing the sheets off so that he could go and silence his AI when he found himself falling back into the bed and into Kojiro's arms. He pulled him in tightly, pressing his back to his chest and resting his chin against the crook of Kaoru's neck.
"Tell that stupid machine to shut up," he complained with a groggy voice.
Kaoru did as he was told and let the silence fill the room up once more. A ray of sun peeked through the curtains and created a kaleidoscope effect against the wall.
"Kojiro, I should go."
Kojiro sighed and then kissed him lightly along the jaw. "But do you want to go?"
"Not if you keep that up," Kaoru replied honestly, feeling Kojiro's response against his body.
"Then I'll never stop."
Without missing a beat, Kojiro ran his hand up Kaoru's leg, nipping at his ear as he did so. Kaoru squirmed but did not try to stop him. He would never try to stop him.
In one movement, Kojiro rolled over, bringing Kaoru atop his chest. He threaded his hand through his hair and tilted his head up so that their lips nearly brushed against each other.
"I don't, by the way," Kaoru spoke suddenly, pulling his face away slightly to better look at the man beneath him.
Kojiro cocked his head to the side and held Kaoru by the chin. "You don't what?"
"I don't love him anymore. I, um, haven't for a while." He began to blush. "At least not until I realized how I felt about you."
"Fuck," Kojiro whispered. "I have been waiting to hear you say that for years."
"Years? What do you—"
Kojiro didn't let him finish. Instead, he silenced him with a kiss, reveling in the taste of his tongue and the feel of his touch on his skin. They had too much time to make up for and he was planning on doing just that for as long as Kaoru would let him.
How did we end up here?
I hope we never leave this place.