Chapter Seventeen

Makoto woke up alone. And panicked. He wasn't hungover this time when he woke up in Sousuke's bed but he was alone. And that confused him. Makoto sat up and brushed a hand through his hair, pushing it back from his face and looking around for some clue of Sousuke's disappearance only to have it answered with the sound of a door unlocking and Sousuke himself walking through, coffees in hand.

"I didn't want to wake you," Sousuke said as he walked over to his kitchen counter, putting the coffees down and opening the bag, putting sweet pastries onto plates. He looked up from his task and flashed Makoto a smile. "You're cute when you sleep."

Almost blushing, Makoto just looked down at the sheets and shrugged, unsure how to take the compliment as he heard Sousuke walk over, turning to see his smug smile. "You have somewhere to be?" he asked as he handed over the coffee.

Makoto took it, his palate more used to the black tar like substance that Sousuke called a drink as he thought that he had so many places he needed to be. He needed to go back to his apartment and probably stop Haru from freaking out. He needed to go to work in the evening. And he needed to go to classes. He was pretty sure he was screwing most of them up anyway but he didn't say all that to Sousuke. As he didn't want to be any of those places. He wanted to stay with Sousuke. Even if that was dumb.

"No… you?" Makoto asked, raising his eyebrows as he referenced those moments where Sousuke had left him, turned away and gone.

Sousuke saw the hint and laughed softly, sitting down on the bed beside Makoto, his hand reaching to touch at Makoto's thigh that was only covered by the thin sheets.

"I have nowhere else I'd rather be today. Promise."

"No tattoos?"

Shaking his head, Makoto couldn't help watching how Sousuke's dark hair ended up in his eyes. "No tattoos or anything else crazy. I promised, right?"

Seeing the warm and open look in those eyes, Makoto leaned forward for a kiss before he accepted some food, his stomach growling from the lack of sustenance – he wolfed down the pastry while Sousuke took large sips of his coffee, the moment oddly domestic and it made Makoto feel like they'd been together much longer than they had. Maybe it was because Sousuke did make him feel comfortable, safe even, those calm droopy eyes, that small smug smile… there was something about him that made Makoto feel peaceful despite the chaos of his life in Tokyo.

"I want to…" Sousuke started and Makoto looked at him in the eye, seeing his uncertainty. Makoto didn't interrupt as it seemed Sousuke was finding it hard to form words and he remembered Sei's comments about him being difficult to get to know. How he had baggage and Makoto just reached out, touching him lightly on the shoulder. "You said you felt lost in Tokyo… I want to show you it. My places…if you want."

It seemed Sousuke was trying to be casual and Makoto cocked his head and gave a half smile. "Sure. Show me whatever. Today… I'm yours."

It was only after he said the words that Makoto realised they sounded vaguely sexual and Sousuke leaned over for a kiss, the movement of their mouths slow and sensual and slick. It made him want to fall back into bed and continue from where they had left off the previous night, making Makoto want more than blow jobs and hand jobs but instead he backed off, hopping out of Sousuke's fold out bed.

"Can I shower?"

Sousuke nodded and laid back on his bed, folding his arms under his head and watching Makoto closely, the heat of his stare making Makoto shiver as he walked, naked and slightly hard from the kiss.

He ignored his morning erection as he showered, thinking unsexy thoughts in the cramped space, the water cooler than perhaps it needed to be. Makoto washed his hair and soaped his body, avoiding the tattoo as best as he could, the plastic wrap starting to peel off and then dried himself thoroughly before he walked back into the room, the towel wrapped around his waist. Sousuke gave him an appreciative glance but then cocked his head in the direction of some clothes laid out on a chair.

"For you. We should get going. Lot's to see."

Makoto didn't bother saying anything, only removed the towel and heard a small exhale of breath and then dressed in his own jeans along with a clean t-shirt and a blue hoodie. The t-shirt was clean but the hoodie had been worn by Sousuke recently and Makoto could smell Sousuke on the material and he tried not to bury his nose in it and be an idiot. An obsessed idiot.

With a smile on his face, Sousuke got to his feet and walked behind Makoto, wrapping his arms around him and kissing at his neck lightly.

"Lemme show you the fun side of this city…" he said and the tone was deep and sexy.

Makoto fought the urge to turn around and push Sousuke to the bed… climb on his lap and… He felt the blood in his head dangerously divert southward and stopped those lewd thoughts and instead he grabbed for the cell phone in his pocket.

"Let me text Haru first."

Sousuke left one more kiss on Makoto's neck before he backed off, grabbing for sunglasses and his jacket while Makoto checked his phone to see the numerous messages from Haru and Nagisa. He also noticed his battery was low.

He sent one message to Haru assuring him he was okay and with Sousuke and asked him to tell Nagisa he was sick for work. Haru's response was a blunt okay and Makoto could imagine the look he would be getting from those harsh blue eyes as he put his dying cell phone away and nodded to Sousuke who was ready to go.

Sousuke gave him a smile. "After you," he said as he opened the door gallantly and as Makoto went through, he felt the smack on his ass light and playful and Makoto let a small gasp fall from his lips, the response a smirk as they left Sousuke's old ratty building and tiny apartment to join the quiet streets.

The area at night was busy, bustling and full of life but during the early morning hours there were very few people about. The contrast was amazing and Makoto's eyes took in the signs and the buildings that seemed even more tacky in the daylight. It was a cold day and Makoto wrapped himself into Sousuke's hoodie as they walked side by side, their steps at the same pace, Makoto not having to measure his pace to a shorter companion.

The cold didn't bother Makoto as Sousuke showed him "his" Tokyo, the Tokyo that Makoto didn't see as he travelled between the university campus and his apartment and work. Sousuke showed him plenty that he'd not seen or known existed, Makoto's eyes widened to the parts of the city he'd blocked out. A side that seemed to welcome Sousuke with opened arms.

They went to an arcade with vintage games, Sousuke showing him an old shooting game with zombies. A little scared, Makoto not admitting he didn't like horror games, they played side by side, shooting and beheading the undead horde with some efficiency. Makoto may've jumped a few times and he may've even made some sounds that were high-pitched but they'd gone through a few levels before they were overrun, Sousuke holding his hand up for a high five as they moved on to other games, Makoto glad he no longer had to fight the dead.

The arcade was followed by a visit to an old record store hidden underneath what appeared to be some kind of "adult" club. The record store was dark and small and dingy. And Makoto had wondered where the hell he was at first but then he'd seen the posters, the rows of old vinyl records and he'd seen the guy behind the counter greet Sousuke with open arms. A guy with an impressive beard and multiple tattoos down his arms, almost rivalling Sousuke with their beauty and intricacy. Though no quite. They couldn't be Rin's work. As Sousuke was handed over some albums, some recommendations, Makoto walked around idly thumbing at the CD's and other records when he found something that made his heart beat too fast. Sousuke's band. A copy of what appeared to be some demo on CD. The label was cheaply made but there was a picture of the band and Makoto could see Sousuke stood in the middle – his stance straight and powerful, his body language displaying his dominance over the rest of his bandmates.

He thought about picking it up, about sliding it into the pocket of his hoodie but he didn't have time for something as sneaky. Nor did he have the guts for it – he'd never really been one for breaking the rules, not even stealing candy from a grocery store, unlike many of his peers. But he couldn't when Sousuke was behind him, looking over his shoulder and then grabbing the CD from his hand.

"You still have these? You should burn 'em," Sousuke said as he walked back over to the counter and the bearded guy behind it. "They're not worth anything to you now."

The guy shrugged and took it from Sousuke's outstretched hand. "Someone might want them for nostalgia reasons one day."

Sousuke only snorted. "Naw," he said and then gestured towards Makoto, "we should go."

They left the store and Makoto wanted to ask why he cared so much about the demo still being sold but Sousuke didn't give him chance, kissing away his questions and then grabbing for Makoto's hand, taking him to a small noodle bar and buying him food, distracting him from all the questions he wanted to ask.

He realised, as the day progressed, that whenever Makoto felt like he got close to Sousuke, he dodged and moved to one side, and Makoto remembered Sei and the number that had been smudged in the rain. The things he'd said – that Sousuke never let people in – that Sousuke came with so much emotional baggage, that he wasn't going to get close enough to Sousuke to get through the exterior. But there were times throughout the day, when their hands brushed, when their eyes met that Makoto felt like he could get through and maybe he stood a chance.

The last stop was a sneaker store and Makoto was not really interested – he'd worn the same battered pair for years as his parents had never been ones for extravagant clothing purchases for their kids – after all, there was three of them. But even someone like Makoto who knew nothing was suddenly overawed by the options, the brands, the colours and the trims. The different material choices were staggering and he suddenly wondered how often Sousuke bought new shoes as now Makoto could figure out they weren't just an important part of his "look", they were something he liked and cared about. It maybe wasn't Makoto's thing but in the day he'd seen so many different sides to Sousuke and he enjoyedthis Sousuke who was excited and interested by what was new in the store, looking at them with critical eyes and trying to figure out his next purchase.

Even though they left the store empty handed, the exact pair Sousuke wanted unavailable in his size, it had been fun in its own little way and Makoto liked getting to know a little more about Sousuke, slowly having aspects of his personality revealed.

They were walking back to Sousuke's place when they stopped at an ice cream store, Makoto amused when Sousuke grabbed his hand and offered to buy him something, the flavour choice baffling Makoto as back in Iwatobi there had been the choices of strawberry and chocolate, not flavours like green tea or ginger and plum, and chili and chocolate. Makoto opted for a cherry flavour, brightly coloured and containing candy and as he took a spoon full from the neon little plastic pot, he felt the crackle on his tongue of popping candy.

And with a goofy smile on his face, he grabbed for Sousuke as they walked together, stopping him in his tracks and sharing the kiss filled with the sparks from the candy. When he pulled away, Makoto saw the startled look on Sousuke's face and he smiled.

"Anywhere you have to be tonight?" Makoto asked, fighting the slight heat in his cheeks and urge to look away.

"No," Sousuke answered softly.