The cat still didn't like him. If the hiss upon seeing him enter the apartment wasn't enough, the deep scratches in his hand when he attempted to pet him certainly made it obvious. It seemed he'd never win the heart of Mr Kitten over.
But being back at number 6, Snowdin Apartments certainly had won Touya's heart over.
"Damn, I really missed this place," he sighed, dropping his bag down on the carpet and taking a moment to reacquaint himself with the space he had called home for the last few months of his time at U.A University.
Not much had changed. Callie's houseplants still decorated the shelves and hung in the windows, Sam's numerous textbooks still littered every work surface and the smell of Russ' cooking still hung in the air; he was making risotto for dinner. Man, it was good to be back.
"You spent a whole year travelling around the world just to pine after this dump?" Sam chuckled, flopping onto the sofa as Callie handed Touya a cup of tea.
"It's not a dump!" She retorted, swatting at Sam's feet. He hadn't removed his shoes before kicking his feet up onto the cushions. Touya smirked as he remembered the way Callie used to chastise them for their bad manners. Well, him and Sam anyway. Russ' manners were always impeccable.
It seemed all Callie needed to do these days was shoot Sam a look for him to know what she was thinking. Their relationship had clearly reached the stage where few words were needed to communicate.
"Well, it is compared to all those places Touya stayed at. You saw the postcards."
Callie pursed her lips as she sank down to sit next to him. Touya had taken the armchair opposite.
"Yeah, those places did look beautiful. You really wanted to rub it in, huh?" She frowned playfully, her eyes squinting at Touya through the steam of her hot tea.
Receiving his postcards and letters in the mail had been one of the roommates favourite events over the past year. Every time they saw his slanted handwriting appear amongst the many utility bills and takeaway menus, they would always gather around the breakfast bar and read up on his latest adventure together.
But it was even better hearing about them in person. As they say around the dining table, they laughed heartily at Touya's theatrical retelling of his favourite events and experiences from his travels. The stories lasted well into Touya's third helping of risotto.
As usual, Russ' cooking was delicious. Despite having eaten out most nights for the last year at fancy restaurants and bistros, there was something about a home cooked meal with friends, accompanied by cheap liquor, that made every other, overpriced dish pale in comparison.
By the time the second bottle of wine was finished, Touya felt as if he'd never left.
Callie still worked part-time at Grillby's. The twins had given her a raise now that she had mastered all the cocktails and knew how to pour the perfect pint.
Sam no longer kept a tab and Touya proudly informed them that his debt to Kuro was finally paid off. The friends joked about how great it was to no longer owe anyone money.
Russ and the rest of U.A All Mights we're having a great season. Their team was sure to go big. The handsome baseball captain still hadn't found love, despite actually having gone on some dates. Touya insisted he'd find him a girlfriend before the summer was over. After all, he'd been Sam's wingman during the whole of his Senior Year.
"Right?" He teased, winking an eye in the couple's direction. And for some reason, he'd never particularly noticed it before, but Callie and Sam sure did make quite the aesthetic couple. With her olive skin, and his fair complexion, her perfect posture and his slouching shoulders, her graceful elegance and his casual slump, their stark contrasts were what made them so appealing. Yup, Touya could pat himself on the back for this one.
After dessert, Touya helped a tipsy Callie clear up and laughed at how giggly the alcohol had made her. He'd forgotten how pink her cheeks got when she drank wine. Despite that, she still maintained her air of grace, even when she swayed a little when they play-fought over the last cookie. Yup, cranberry and white chocolate, of course. Callie still had a sweet tooth.
And a sweet smile, which she cast his way when she bid him good night.
"I'm so glad you're back," she cooed happily, hugging his chest drowsily under the fluorescent lights of the hallway outside her bedroom.
"Me too," Touya smiled, one hand at the back of her head and the other in his pocket. He kissed her crown then, with a final yawn, she disappeared into her room with a lingering touch of her fingers against his.
"She's a good girl." Touya sighed, lowering himself back into the couch next to Sam and taking the beer from his outstretched hand.
Sam's face pulled into a lazy grin. "Yeah. She's the one, for sure."
A twitch of a startled brow. "Oh? Serious talk, right there!" Touya exclaimed, clinking his bottle of beer against Sam's. "You're not thinking of getting hitched, are you?"
Sam scoffed lightly, shaking his head. But Touya saw a sly smile spread across Russ' features and he felt his eyes widen in response.
"Good lord! You are, aren't you?" He guffawed, kicking Sam in the leg.
"No!" Sam retorted, shoving Touya's prodding foot away.
But Russ continued to smirk mischievously. "I dunno, Sam. Ever since dad asked you and Callie when your wedding was going to be, you've been acting a lot more distant."
At this news, Touya could only chortle in triumph. "Aha! Then I guess the battle for Best Man begins, hey Russ?"
And a sheepish Sam could only roll his eyes as he listened to his best friend and his younger brother enter a heated debate about who would make the more suitable best man at Sam and Callie's completely unplanned wedding.
After 15 minutes of playful arguing, Russ declared it was time for Sam's best man to hit the hay. As usual, he had to be up early for training, even though term was now officially over.
"No rest for the wicked..." he declared, patting Touya's shoulder as he passed the couch.
And Touya couldn't help but smirk; Russ was still anything but wicked. The younger Gaster was still such a gent.
As the minute hand of the clock continued its journey through the numbers, Sam and Touya continued their journey through the crate of beer. Talk jumped from playful taunting to serious discussions.
Neither one of them remembered falling asleep.
*
Touya awoke to the sound of bacon sizzling and the smell of freshly brewed coffee. As his body slowly adjusted itself to the waking world, the first thing his brain made note of, other than how hungry he was, was his sore neck. Man, the last time he'd fallen asleep on a couch was at some chick's house in London. He'd swiftly left the place with a little more that just stiffness in his neck; she'd riddled it with hickies that had lasted days.
This time, as his eyes readjusted to his surroundings, he wasn't greeted with a semi-naked woman with a hip tattoo, but a snoring young man with his glasses on wonky; Sam had also fallen asleep opposite him. Honestly, the second image made him far happier than the first had.
Sam's head was lolled back against the armrest and his legs were draped over Touya's lap. Someone had come along and put a blanket over them both. Callie most likely; it smelt like jasmine and honey. And although the scent brought him comfort, the smell of bacon brought him to his feet.
As silently and carefully as he could, he slid Sam's legs from him and crept towards the kitchen. Callie was dressed in her usual, satin loungewear, looking as demure as ever, even as she poked away at the sizzling strips of bacon in the pan.
Smirking, Touya decided to have some fun with her.
Crouching low and stepping lightly, he approached her from behind and called out in his perfect impression of Sam's low, New York twang.
"Mornin', beautiful." He greeted, a hand going to the small of her back in a gesture he had seen Sam do so often.
"Good morning, darlin-Oh!" Callie gasped as she turned her face towards him. Her lips had already been puckered and her chin dipped low in expectation of a much shorter, much less lanky person than the one who sniggered before her. She'd almost kissed his shoulder before she'd caught herself.
"Touya!" She chided, shoving him away with a swing of her hips into his.
He laughed as he rebalanced himself with a hand on the counter.
"Urgh. You're going to get me in trouble one day doing that!" But despite her angry tone, she returned the smirk he threw her as she took a playful swipe at him with her spatula.
"You should really learn to tell the difference, Callie girl." He jibed, stealing a piece of bacon from the side.
"Well, you should stop impersonating Sam!" She countered, eyeing the way he chewed on the hot bacon with a look of discomfort. "Remember what happened last time you stole his name? Now you're stealing his voice too? Despicable."
Touya could only laugh, the ordeal with Dimitri feeling only like a bad dream these days, even with the constant reminder etched onto his skin...
The smell of bacon soon had the whole household gathered at the table. Even Russ, who had recently got back from training, ate the calorific brunch. It was the weekend, so why not?
More to the point, it was the weekend, so what were their plans?
"You still need to see the rest of the group! I messaged them all last night letting them know you're back!" Callie informed Touya, piling more food onto his plate even after he said he was full. It appeared she relished the fact he had gained a little weight after cutting down on his smoking. She said it looked good on him, pinching at his cheeks to emphasise the point. The gesture brought fond memories back of when his grandma used to do the same. The notion came as a bizarre shock to him. It wasn't often he thought back to his biological family, he had grown so used to regarding the three people sat at the table as his kin. Composing himself, he rubbed the area where her fingers had tugged at his skin and replied through a smile.
"Yeah, we should all meet up."
"Well, when Callie stops feeding you, we should head down to Grillby's when she starts work." Sam suggested, smirking as Touya swallowed down another mouthful of hash browns.
And when the plates were finally cleared away, the household fell into it's usual, weekend routine.
Man, did he mention how good it was to be back?
To be continued...