It wasn't exactly that anything had changed, it was just that now he was feeling a bit better about himself and life, he could see more clearly what was in front of him. And what he saw was the way Kunigami looked at him. If we go down that path, I can't put him at risk. It's time to accept responsibility for the choices I made.

Chigiri stepped through the hospital doors, on his way to see Akemi, she'd been good enough to help him organise things.

What he didn't count on though was running into Kunigami who was on duty and must've had to bring someone in. Damnit. Why can't anything ever go right?

"Chigiri?"

"Hey…"

"What's wrong?"

Of course he's worried. It was fair enough. He really didn't want to have this conversation here, or ever, but he knew Kunigami would want answers.

"Nothing really. I'll tell you about it at home."

"Okay," Kunigami agreed. "I've gotta get back to the truck now, so we'll talk later."

"Hey, Hero…"

Kunigami turned back to face him, every inch the superhero he'd always wanted to be.

"Yeah?"

"That uniform looks pretty good on you."

xxx

Kunigami couldn't contain his worry. And he didn't like being out of the loop, simply because if he didn't know what was going on he couldn't offer meaningful support.

"What were you doing at the hospital today?"

Chigiri levelled a steady look at him. He was definitely stronger and more resilient now than he had been. It was good to see.

"I was there to get some tests done."

"What kind of tests? Are you unwell?"

"No. I… Damn it, this is hard to say…"

"It's okay, Chigiri. I just want to understand so I can support you."

"I know, but I'm not proud of this. Though I suppose you've pretty much seen all the worst parts of me already…"

"Hey," Kunigami said, reaching out and taking Chigiri's hand. "All I've seen is someone who's fighting with everything they have to get better. You're incredible, Chigiri."

"Thanks," Chigiri said, pulling his hand away. "But hear me out first before you decide that."

"Okay…"

Chigiri took a deep breath.

"I was getting screened for STI's. I don't think I've got anything, but I wanted to make sure."

Chigiri didn't need to say anything else for Kunigami to understand. That scumbag debt collector had said as much, and after Chigiri's reaction he'd known it was true. He honestly didn't care, except for the fact that Chigiri had felt desperate enough to put himself at risk like that to get the drugs he needed. It was tragic. Everything I hear just makes me want to wrap him up and hold on so tight that nothing bad can ever happen to him again.

"I'm sorry I'm so disgusting."

He took Chigiri's hand again.

"Hey, no. I meant what I said before. To get yourself to the other side of what you've been through, to own it and do what you can to make it better, it really is incredible."

Chigiri laughed in disbelief and gave him a grateful look.

"You really are something, Hero."

"I try. You'll tell me when you get your results, right? Whatever they are…"

"Yeah," Chigiri agreed. "That seems only fair after imposing on you for this long."

"Having you here isn't an imposition. I like having you around."

"Well, I guess nobody's perfect," Chigiri joked, and it made Kunigami's heart soar to see how comfortable Chigiri could be with him now.

"Hey, you hungry?"

"Sure. What have you got for me?"

"Sweet potato adzuki bean burgers, but only if you help me cook them."

"Okay. I guess I can manage that."

xxx

Chigiri had just taken a call from the hospital about his test results. He couldn't believe it. I managed not to ruin myself completely. Tears of relief spilled down his cheeks.

"Hey Chigiri, what is it? What happened?"

He looked up at Kunigami, beyond grateful for all the support he was providing, and glad too that maybe, one day, he might be able to offer more to this amazing man freely.

"That was the hospital. My results came back…"

"Oh Chigiri…" Kunigami said, pulling him into a hug without hesitation. "It's gonna be okay…"

He thinks I'm sick and he's still willing to touch me…

"The results were all negative. I don't know how, but I'm okay…"

Kunigami leaned back and searched his face.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Somehow…"

"Chigiri, this is great news."

"I know," he agreed, managing a smile. And just this once he indulged himself, snuggling back into Kunigami's warmth, basking in the feeling of those big, strong arms around him.

With his support, maybe one day I'll even be good enough to deserve him.

xxx

They were walking down the street, just enjoying Kunigami's day off, when a familiar head of purple hair appeared.

"Wait, is that..?"

"Reo!" Kunigami called out. Their old teammate turned to them, eyes widening when he recognised them.

"Kunigami? Chigiri? Hey!"

"Long time no see. How have you been?"

"I'm doing good. And you guys?"

"Great! Come grab lunch with us," Kunigami suggested. Reo agreed, so the three of them headed to a nearby izakaya.

They got a private room and ordered a few dishes to share.

"Do you still play?" Kunigami asked Reo.

"Not competitively. But I do still want that World Cup, so I work in marketing for the Japanese team. No way we can win it without cash to back us up. It keeps my father happy too, I'm developing skills that will be transferable to other companies."

"That's great, Reo," Kunigami smiled. "Sounds like you've got it all figured out."

"It works for me. What about you? What do you do?"

"Me? I'm a smoke-eater."

"Huh?"

"He means firefighter," Chigiri explained. "And he's a pretty good one too. Pulled me out of a burning building and saved my life."

"Seriously?"

"All part of the job…" Kunigami said, being way too modest.

"That's amazing!"

"It is," Chigiri agreed. "He's a real-life hero."

"It's impressive for sure. And what about you, Chigiri? What do you do?"

That was a tougher question to answer, and sensing his hesitation, Kunigami answered for him.

"Chigiri's working on building an online presence."

"Like an influencer?"

"No," he said. "I wouldn't say that. I'm just testing the waters at the moment."

"Well if you do get traction, maybe we can use you on one of our campaigns. It would be good to have someone familiar with the sport."

The offer struck him speechless. I can't believe Kunigami's crazy idea might work.

Kunigami's big hand landed on his shoulder.

"Hear that, Chigiri? Maybe you'll get a modelling job."

"Ah, yeah." He turned to Reo. "Thank you for considering me."

Reo smiled.

"Build a following and we'll see."

"Right."

"Guess I better surrender my rights to the bathroom," Kunigami joked. "So you can get to work on those styling videos."

Reo gave them a curious look.

"Do you two live together?"

Chigiri answered before Kunigami could. He didn't want Reo getting the wrong idea about anything.

"Since my place burned down. Kunigami's helping me out until I find a new one."

"Makes sense. Must be fun, kinda like the old days, huh?"

"Kinda," Chigiri agreed.

"Yeah," Kunigami grinned. "This one still takes way too long in front of the mirror."

Reo's eyes raked over him.

"Seems to be worth it though."

"Right?" Kunigami grinned wider. Chigiri felt kinda embarrassed with the way the conversation was heading, so he quickly changed the subject.

"Hey, do you still keep in touch with Nagi?"

Reo's expression instantly darkened and Chigiri was immediately sorry for bringing it up. He should have been more thoughtful, considering how their relationship had been the last time he saw them. He knew better than anyone that people had things they didn't wanna talk about.

"No. I haven't seen him in years."

The statement hung there for a moment. Reo sounded bitter about it, but he also sounded like he regretted it. Chigiri shared a look with Kunigami, they both understood that it didn't matter how many years went by, some things were just part of you.

"I'm sorry. You don't have to talk about it."

"It's fine," Reo sighed. "It's just one of those things. Nagi left Japan. After Isagi was finished with him he skipped the country and ended up in France."

Hearing that from Reo, Chigiri suddenly felt validated in his opinion of the egomaniac, and was pleased to have an ally.

"Isagi's a nightmare, isn't he?"

"You said it. Just chews people up and spits them out. I mean, I know Nagi's good, but he's not France-level good. Maybe he wouldn't have left if it hadn't all gone down the way it did. I guess the whole thing just kinda feels like a waste."

"So many of us had big dreams back then, huh…"

"Hey, come on you two," Kunigami encouraged. "Glass half-full. We're all doing pretty good right now."

"You're right," Reo agreed. "Being a firefighter, you must have some good stories?" Kunigami's face lit up and the rest of the lunch was taken up with him sharing all the funny and exciting stories he could think of.

After their meal, Chigiri exchanged contact info with Reo. Having one more person on his side could only be a good thing. Plus, he wanted Reo to know he had a friend who could understand at least some of what he might be going through.

They said goodbye, and then Chigiri was walking side by side with Kunigami again, so grateful to have him there. It could be so different for me now.

Kunigami looked down at him.

"Hey, Chigiri?"

"Hmm?"

"Just so you know, you can stay with me as long as you want. I'm totally okay with it. In fact, I enjoy it. So no rush for you to leave, okay?" Is that his way of asking me to stay? Well after everything he's done for me, I guess the least I can do is oblige.

"I guess I can put apartment hunting on the bottom of the very long list."

"Suits me," Kunigami grinned.

Later that night, Chigiri was still thinking about Reo. He still felt kinda bad that he'd brought Nagi up. Reo could be prickly sometimes, but Chigiri also knew that there were times when he'd been unapproachable himself and Kunigami had persisted. In the end, it had made all the difference. He pulled out his phone to send a message, just wanting to let Reo know he might not be as alone as he thought.

It was good to see you today. I'm sorry again that I asked about Nagi, but if you do ever want to talk, I'm here.