Work Text:
Chiaki really hoped he remembered to record the first episode of the new tokusatsu show that was coming out while he was at work… It looked really good from the previews and he really didn’t want to wait for a rerun of the episode to come on later during the week.
Chiaki frowned slightly, resting his chin on the counter right next to the register. Today was going by too slow for his liking, so it only made him think about the show recording more. The bakery door opened with a ring, causing Chiaki to straighten himself up and divert his attention to the customer who walked in.
He no longer cared about the tokusatsu show recording.
The first thing that caught Chiaki’s attention was his short pink hair. He would say it’s an unusual color, but the people who he often surrounds himself with have abnormal hair colors as well. Maybe it was dyed, but he still thought it suited the stranger. Though Chiaki would say that what mesmerized him the most was the man’s purple eyes that could just barely be seen from behind the shades he was wearing.
There was a tap on his shoulder that startled him, a squeak leaving his lips as he turned around to see Tomoya looking at him curiously. “What are you staring at, Morisawa-san? Is there a customer making a mess or something? Are you feeling sick?”
Chiaki laughed nervously, playing with his own hair as he spoke. “Hahaha! Nothing’s wrong! Seems like I just spaced out for a second!” He smiles at Tomoya in an attempt to dissolve his junior’s worries about him.
It seemed to work for the most part, but Chiaki could still see the slight frown on his face, but the boy only nodded. “Okay, but if there is something going on, don’t hesitate to tell someone.”
“Of course!” Chiaki grinned, ruffling the dirty blonde hair on Tomoya’s head. “But there’s no need to worry! You can relax, Mashiro!” After reassuring him a few more times, Tomoya finally backed off, but Chiaki could tell he was still concerned, but not as much as he had been before.
Chiaki smiled and sighed deeply, turning back towards the counter, only to get scared for the second time today. This time it sent Chiaki to the ground because of the fright. He could feel his cheeks heat up when he looked up and saw who was at the counter.
The pink-haired man’s shades were now put away, giving Chiaki a full - and close up - view of the stranger's dazzling purple eyes. Chiaki had to resist the urge to just stay on the ground and curl up in a ball while he died of embarrassment.
Unfortunately, he was on the clock, which meant he had to work.
Chiaki rose from his spot on the ground, plastering a smile on his face as he gazed at the man. He desperately hoped that the man didn’t notice the redness of his cheeks. “Welcome to Cafe Cinnamon! How can I help you today?”
The man raised an eyebrow at Chiaki, looking him up and down curiously. Chiaki felt like the guy was definitely debating on whether or not to comment on the debacle that just went down before his very eyes.
Chiaki watched as the man closed his eyes and shook his head, seemingly disagreeing with whatever thought he had in his head. As he opened his eyes, amethyst met copper. Chiaki had to hold himself back from shuddering because of the sudden shiver that ran down his spine.
“Just two croissants will do.” He spoke, his voice making matters worse for Chiaki. Said worker opened his mouth to speak, but snapped it shut when the customer held up his hand. He hummed, looking at the display case and behind the counter. A barely noticeable frown danced its way onto his lips. “I don’t suppose you sell any type of candy here?”
Chiaki frowned and shook his head. “I’m afraid we don’t, but there is a shop a couple of streets down that sells candies. I’m sorry about that though, sir.”
“Don’t fret.” He shook his head. “I should’ve presumed that a bakery wouldn’t sell delights such as candy. Though I must thank you for the recommendation.”
With a smile, Chiaki laughed loudly, gaining a surprised flinch from the handsome customer. “It’s my pleasure!” He grinned, eyes glancing down at the register. “Your total will be 350 yen today. Would you like the croissants warmed up?”
“It would be appreciated.” The stranger nodded, Chiaki trying to keep himself from checking out the man even further than he already had. “There’s nothing more disgraceful than cold bread.”
There was nothing Chiaki wanted to do more than put his head in his hands because of the pink-haired man in front of him. Why did he find him calling cold bread disgraceful so cute? Chiaki took a tiny breath in to compose himself.
“Of course! I’ll get that right for you!”
Chiaki practically ran away with the two croissants to go warm them up. He honestly needed to cool down a bit himself. As he was waiting for the pastries to heat up, he glanced over at the counter only to meet eyes with the man. With a quiet squeak, he turned back around and glared at the croissants that were taking their sweet time to warm up. Chiaki lifted a finger and jabbed it at them. “This is all your fault.” Their response was the beep of the microwave. Chiaki didn’t deserve this kind of sass from pastries.
“Here you are!” Chiaki held out the bag that had the delights inside. He tried to keep the flush off his cheeks as their fingers brushed when handing it over. “You have a nice day, sir!”
The man glanced between the pastry bag and Chiaki, nodding faintly. “You as well.” He said before taking his leave, the bell above the door ringing as the door shut behind him.
As soon as he was no longer within Chiaki’s range of sight, the man ran to the back, passing Tomoya on his way, “I’m taking my fifteen minutes!” He yelled as he passed the boy, whose head followed him as he ran to the pantry.
If Tomoya or the whole store heard Chiaki scream as the door shut behind him, they chose to ignore it.
The whole universe must’ve been against him because Chiaki didn’t get to see the man at all within his next few weeks of working, and when he finally did, he was on his break.
Chiaki could only watch in mute horror and devastation as he watched Mitsuru ring up the pink-haired man he had been dying to see again for weeks. Was there some sort of ghost haunting the bakery that had it out for him? Does the universe have plans for him to be single for the rest of his life? All he wanted to do was strike up a conversation with the purple-eyed man.
The only thing Chiaki could really do to savor the presence of the man was to stare at the back of his head, which was honestly kinda creepy of him but he had been deprived of his pink hair for over two weeks so cut him some slack, okay?
Though he tried not to cringe when he moved his head so fast that he heard it crack when the man met his gaze. His fingers tapped aimlessly on his dead phone in an attempt to look like he was actually doing something. Chiaki tried his best to sneak a glance, only to snap them back to look at his phone when he saw he was being looked at. He really hoped that the darkness outside helped hide the redness of his face.
His screen reflection told him otherwise. He held back an embarrassed groan.
It seemed like an eternity before he heard the ring of the bell, signaling the exit of the once again nameless male. Chiaki swore to himself he’d get his name the next time he saw him, but it was not meant to be today.
Chiaki ran his hands through his hair before glancing at the clock that was placed on the wall beside their menu. The store closed in about thirty minutes, so he might as well clock back in and get cleaning. He didn’t want the store to be a mess for the baker or the morning crew.
While he was mopping the floor behind the counter, Mitsuru popped up in front of him, hand on his hip as he gazed up at Chiaki. “What’s up with you today, Chia-chan? I couldn’t help but notice you staring at that customer! Was he someone you know?”
“Unfortunately, I do not know him, Tenma-kun!” Chiaki let out a dramatic sigh as he stopped his mopping, leaning on the handle with a pout on his face. “I have taken an interest in him though! That’s a secret though so let’s keep that between us for now!”
“Eh? Really?!” Mitsuru grinned, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Is there anything I can do to help Chia-chan?!”
Chiaki hummed as he started to put away the mop, no longer seeing a need for it as the floors were clean and dry. Mitsuru walked by his side, waiting for a response from his elder. “Well, this is only the second time I’ve seen him, so I’m not really sure what would help…”
“What’d you need help with, Morisawa-kun?” A new voice from behind him said, the voice startling both him and Mitsuru. The two turned around to see the overnight baker, Niki, looking at them curiously. “Eh? Did I scare you two? Sorry!”
Shaking his head, Chiaki spoke, “It’s alright, Shiina, you don’t need to apologize!” Chiaki grinned, ruffling Mitsuru’s hair who stood beside him. “Just spooked us a bit!”
“Hm? If you say so, Morisawa-kun.” Niki pursed his lips, “What was it that you were talking about? Something about needing help? I’ll try my best to help out!”
“Uwaa…” Chiaki’s face was painted a light shade of pink. “There’s this customer I’ve taken an interest in, but I never work when he’s here! Shiina, please be a hero and help me!”
“A customer?” Niki questioned, smiling slightly at the flustered Chiaki. “What’d he look like? Maybe I know who it is.”
“Really?!” Chiaki exclaimed, grabbing Niki’s hands and getting up close to his face. “Thank you, Shiina!”
Niki made a choked noise, jerking back from the close proximity. “Nahaha, I’m happy to help, Morisawa-kun.”
Chiaki was about to go ahead and give a description when Mitsuru cut him off, “He has bright pink short hair and purple eyes!”
“Oh!” Niki snapped his fingers as his face lit up. “Does he order two warm croissants?”
“Yes!” Chiaki yelled a little too loudly, the baker flinching at the volume. “And he’s got a really nice voice too!”
“Well, there is someone that comes to mind, but I don’t know about his voice.” Niki hummed, his ponytail swaying as he tilted his head thoughtfully. “You must be talking about Itsuki. I usually see him on weekends in the morning when I’m waiting for my boyfriend to pick me up. It’s a little weird to hear that he was here so late. I wonder if anything stopped him from coming earlier today.”
“That’s why I never see him?!” Chiaki lamented over the discovery, tugging at the strands of his hair lightly. “All because I’m usually a night shift worker?!” The man allowed the downward tug of his lips, pouting at the unfortunate revelation.
Niki and Mitsuru stood there in silence, exchanging a look as they watched Chiaki begin to get lost in his thoughts. Unfortunately, Niki had to clock in and get started on his work otherwise he probably wouldn’t finish by the time the openers got there in the morning. He did shoot a sympathetic glance at Chiaki though as he passed by. Mitsuru was about to continue with his closing duties when Chiaki suddenly gasped loudly.
Mitsuru was wide-eyed as Chiaki grabbed both of his hands, the man’s eyes seemingly sparkling as they stared into his. “Tenma-kun, I’ve come up with a great idea!” Chiaki laughed loudly as he squeezed the younger man’s hands. “I can’t believe I didn’t think about this before! Tenma-kun, please talk to your parents about letting me do morning shifts on the weekends!” He requested as he let go of Mitsuru’s hands, clasping his own together.
Mitsuru’s mouth was agape at the sudden request, blinking wordlessly at his senior. “I can ask, Chia-chan! We’re usually really busy on weekend mornings so I’m sure help would be appreciated!” As the words left his mouth, he was pulled into an unexpected embrace.
“Thank you, Tenma-kun!”
Surely, it couldn’t be that busy on the weekends.
Chiaki has never been more stressed out in his life.
He should have never underestimated Mitsuru when he said it was busy on the weekends. He was currently three hours into his shift. The first two hours were fine, but as soon as it hit ten o’clock, suddenly everyone decided they wanted some pastries. Hour three of his shift and he can’t remember the last time he actually stood still. He had probably rung up about thirty people total, and he didn’t think it would end anytime soon.
Unfortunately, he was so busy that he didn’t even realize that he had rung up the one person he was actually here for until he spotted Itsuki’s pink hair from the corner of his eye, leaving the busy place.
Chiaki had to ignore the judgeful glance from the customer that was in front of him when he let out a quiet cry of disbelief.
He could only hope that things would calm down soon.
Things did calm down, though it only took about two more hours of non-stop moving in order to achieve it.
“What’s with the long face, Morisawa?” Arashi’s voice met Chiaki’s ears. He turned to her, the exhaustion clear on his face. “I promise it’s not this crazy every weekend.”
“Ahhh, Narukami!” Chiaki sighed dramatically, ruffling the mop of hair on his head. Things never seemed to want to go his way. “I missed my chance to talk to him again! I didn’t even notice he was here!”
As Chiaki voiced his woes, Arashi looked at him curiously. “Hmm? I didn’t realize you were interested in someone, Morisawa-kun.”
“Only recently!” Chiaki’s mood suddenly took a one-eighty at the opportunity to talk about the guy who had taken over his thoughts. “I’ve never really talked to him, but something about Itsuki just draws me in!”
“Ahh… So it’s him that’s caught your attention…” Arashi hummed, a hand covering her mouth thoughtfully.
“Huh?! You mean you know him?” Chiaki’s eyes lit up like stars, staring into Arashi’s light blue eyes. His coworker sighed a little at the display.
“Well, we aren’t exactly friends, but he is my boyfriend’s roommate.”
“He’s roommates with Kagehira?” Chiaki’s mouth dropped open slightly, “How come they never come in together?”
“Mika-chan and Itsuki have different schedules.” Arashi placed a hand under her chin, leaning on the counter. “Unfortunately, my schedule lines up with his more than it does with Mika-chan.” Arashi pouts, locking eyes with Chiaki who was looking at her with hopeful eyes. She sighed, rolling her eyes humorously. She sat up, leaning against the counter. “He acts a bit like an overprotective boyfriend over Mika-chan at times, but I suppose he isn’t the worst person ever to crush on.” She hummed, biting her lip as her fingers tapped against the counter behind her. “I don’t have his number, but I can ask Mika-chan if I can give it to you.”
Chiaki’s face lit up even more if possible at the idea. This could be his chance to finally talk to the guy who he’s been fawning over for the past month. He couldn’t help the smile that formed on his mouth, but it quickly dropped the more he thought of the idea.
“Wouldn’t that be… kinda creepy?” Chiaki turned to Arashi, who was looking at him with raised eyebrows. “I mean he doesn’t even know me and it would be weird if I messaged him, right?” He glanced around to be sure no one was waiting to get their order taken before looking back over at Arashi. “Let me think about it, but thank you Narukami.”
Arashi smiled, waving off the thanks. “Don’t mention it. That Itsuki could use someone in his life to put a smile on his face from time to time.”
Chiaki smiled lightly, playing with his fingers with a blush on his cheeks. He sure hoped that Itsuki was someone who he could fit into his life.
Fortunately enough for him, the following Saturday at work wasn’t too busy, so Chiaki was able to relax throughout the last thirty minutes of his shift.
At least that was true until Kanata and Kaoru walked through the door of the Bakery.
Upon hearing the bell ring, Chiaki glanced over, his eyes lighting up at the sight of his two friends. Chiaki wasted no time in getting their usuals ready.
“Are you ready to hit some karaoke after work, Moricchi?” Kaoru grinned as he leaned against the counter, bills for the pastries already placed on the counter.
Chiaki grinned as he turned around, handing the two items to Kaoru and Kanata. “I hope they have the theme song of the new tokusatsu show that came out recently!”
“Just don’t try to get us to sing along this time.” Kaoru took a quick bite of his pastry, swallowing before talking again. “Senacchi didn’t react too fondly last time he went with us.”
Chiaki laughed loudly. “Sena just doesn’t appreciate heroes like I do!” The bell of the bakery rang, shifting Chiaki’s attention towards the door. He looked at Kanata and Kaoru, waving them off with a grin. “Go sit. I’ll be off in about fifteen minutes.”
The duo nodded and started to walk away, but not before Kanata could speak, “See you soon, Chiaki.”
It was about five minutes until he got off, and everything was going fine. Though of course, in true Chiaki luck fashion, the opening of the bakery door set him up for at least a day's worth of teasing. The sight of Itsuki’s pale pink hair was not too welcomed at the moment.
“Oh no…”
Chiaki briefly wondered if it was appropriate for him to suddenly run away from his duties. He could honestly get away with it, though he knew he would just feel guilty about it later. For now, he would simply put on a brave face while he tried to ignore his friends' sudden curious gazes from afar.
“Welcome to Cafe Cinnamon!” Chiaki greeted Itsuki as he walked up to the counter. He tried to only make an appropriate amount of eye contact to reduce his chances of ending up tomato-faced. “The usual?” He asked, already starting to ring it up, fingers tapping on the register's screen.
Itsuki raised his eyebrows, taken aback by the question before nodding, already pulling out his wallet. “350 yen, correct?” Chiaki nodded, Itsuki handing him the said amount of money. “I’m fairly surprised that you’ve memorized my order.”
Chiaki felt a sudden wave of confidence overcome him as he said, “Well, it’s hard to forget when you’re one of my favorite regulars.” The brown-haired boy smiled at the customer, who looked at him with wide eyes, Chiaki failing to notice the light flush on Itsuki’s cheeks. “Here you are! Two warm croissants. Have a great day, Itsuki!”
“Y-yeah…” The man muttered, glancing down at the pastry bag before looking at Chiaki up and down, leaving soon after.
As the door closed, Chiaki looked at the clock, happy to see that his shift was officially over. He hummed happily, greeting Tomoya who went to clock in after Chiaki clocked out.
Chiaki felt himself sweat nervously as he approached Kanata and Kaoru, who were eyeing him down with knowing smiles.
Kaoru spoke with a smirk, leaning back in his seat, and crossing his legs. “So, when did this… thing develop with that customer there?”
With a dramatic cry, Chiaki sat down beside Kanata. “Uwaaah, please spare me the teasing… I think I’ve already embarrassed myself enough around him.”
“Seems like Chiaki has a “crush” on Shu.” Kanata giggled quietly, poking at the heated surface that was Chiaki’s cheek. “Don’t “worry”, Shu is a “kind” guy.”
“Mm? Kanata-kun, do you know the guy?” Kaoru questioned, also gaining Chiaki’s attention, who narrowly avoided getting his eye poked out by Kanata.
“Shu? Yes, we went to “school” together.” Kanata hummed. “We were close “friends”, but lost “touch.”” The bluenette giggled, nudging his foot against Chiaki’s. “I’m sure if you mention me, he will “remember”... I mentioned you to him back in high school after all.”
Chiaki flushed lightly at the thought of his high school years. Though he was only there a few years ago, he could definitely say he’s a lot more proud of the person he is today than who he was in high school.
The brunet groaned, his face falling into his hands. “I can barely even speak to him outside of my regular employee-to-customer talk, how am I supposed to mention that I’m his high school friend’s ex-boyfriend?”
“Well, it’s not like you have to straight out say “Hey, you know Kanata, right? I’m his boyfriend from high school but don’t worry I’m very much single now.”” Kaoru smiled teasingly at his distressed friend. “You don’t need to stress out over it so much, I’m sure he’d enjoy talking to you no matter how much you manage to embarrass yourself in front of him.”
Chiaki frowned at Kaoru’s last statement, glancing between him and Kanata, “How do you know I embarrass myself in front of him? Am I that obvious?”
“Well, no.” Kaoru shook his head. “But I went to high school with you and Kanata. I’m well aware how much of a mess you can be at times when it comes to romance.”
“There’s no need to remind me,” Chiaki whined, stomping his feet lightly on the ground. “And besides, when Kanata and I agreed to be friends, you were even worse than me.”
Kaoru looked over at Kanata with raised eyebrows, silently questioning the statement. Kanata puckered his lips in thought as he kicked his feet back and forth, the blue-haired man eventually just settling with a shrug. The not-so-clear answer brought a grin to Kaoru’s lips.
“Oh don’t be so cocky,” Chiaki grumbled, crossing his arms with a pout, looking out the bakery windows. “It wasn’t exactly a no.”
Chiaki couldn’t help but feel like he was a bit obvious about his crush on Itsuki after that.
Another week goes by before Chiaki is able to see Itsuki. The brunet had roughly thirty minutes left of his shift and he was planning on crashing once he got home, but plans can change. In Chiaki’s case, they changed the second Itsuki walked through the bakery doors with another person at his side.
Before Chiaki could even process the fact that Itsuki was here, he heard a loud gasp from his left. Narukami’s eyes were practically sparkling at the sight of Itsuki’s company. Chiaki was able to piece together that the stranger was probably the famous Kagehira that he’s heard all about from Narukami.
The brunet went to greet the two, but before he could even get out a word, Narukami’s declaration filled the silence between the four of them. “I’m taking my fifteen! You can leave as soon as I’m back, Morisawa!” She didn’t give him a chance to respond before she grabbed Kagehira’s hand and dragged him off to a table in the corner. As he was getting dragged, he heard a quiet. “Naru-chan, is that the guy?” To which she nodded, emitting a gasp out of Kagehira. The duel-eyed boy turned around to smile at Chiaki, flashing the man a thumbs up.
Did Kagehira just approve of Chiaki? Nevermind that! Was Narukami gossiping about Chiaki to her boyfriend?
Chiaki sighed, his gaze moving to the left behind Itsuki, his presence making him jump. He had completely forgotten Itsuki was here! Chiaki's lips twitched upward slightly, “Those two sure are something, aren’t they.”
The pink-haired male shook his head, fingers pressed against his temple as he spoke, “Don’t remind me. Those two are even worse of a headache when she’s at our apartment.” Though he spoke of them negatively, there was a faint smile on his usually stoic face. Chiaki couldn’t help the grin forced itself onto his face at the sight. He wants to see that look on Itsuki’s face more often.
Kagehira’s appearance at the bakery reminded Chiaki about something. He visibly brightened, “That reminds me, did you ever get the chance to check out that candy store I told you about?”
Itsuki seemed a little confused as to why the shop was being mentioned. He shook his head. “No, I haven’t. Though I have been meaning to stop by sometime this month.”
Chiaki grinned, leaning on the counter in front of him, a surge of confidence running through him. “Well, my shift ends once Narukami is back, so maybe we could go together? I’m sure you don’t want to third-wheel Kagehira and Narukami.”
Itsuki was definitely not expecting the suggestion to come out of Chiaki’s mouth, for he raised an eyebrow in question. “There’s no need to fret about it. The candy was meant to be a treat for Kagehira, so you don’t have to accompany me.”
“Don’t worry about it!” Chiaki’s nerves were pinching at his skin as he grinned at Itsuki. “Besides, I’ve been meaning to stop by there soon, so why not go together?”
The brunet could only watch as Itsuki looked him up and down with a blank face. “I suppose you wouldn’t make the worst company.”
Though it definitely didn’t sound like a compliment as it left Itsuki’s mouth, Chiaki decided he’d count it as a win. Hell, if he could do a little victory dance without looking like a weirdo to the general public, he definitely would. Opting out of making an idiot out of himself by cheering out loud, he instead diverted the conversation to something they were both familiar with.
“Great, can I get you your usual while you wait?”
“Sure.” Itsuki spoke. He was already taking money out of his wallet to pay when Chiaki stopped the pink-haired man. Itsuki looked at Chiaki with an eyebrow raised in question.
“It’s on the house today.” Chiaki grinned at Itsuki, already preparing the croissants for the customer. As he went to warm them up, he felt as if eyes were boring into the back of his head. Risking a quick glance, Chiaki flinched at the analyzing eyes of Narukami and Kagehira. He felt his cheeks begin to turn pink at their attention. He knew exactly what they were observing.
The microwave's loud beep snapped Chiaki out of his little trance. He took the two pastries and basically threw them at Itsuki, waving him off while also hiding the redness of his face. The brunet chose to ignore the fact that it looked like Itsuki had wanted to say something to him. For now, he would wallow in his embarrassment on the bakery floor.
Why did Chiaki always land himself in these embarrassing situations?
He tried his best to forget how he embarrassed himself in front of his crush for the next fifteen minutes while also trying to mentally prepare himself for the upcoming event which was the trip to the candy store with Itsuki. Basically, he made no progress for his final fifteen minutes on the clock and was still the same bisexual disaster that he was before Itsuki walked through the door.
Chiaki chose to ignore the teasing smirk that was on Narukami’s face as she came back to clock in. He was already freaking out enough internally as is; he didn’t need the teasing look she and her boyfriend were giving them to add to that fuel. Chiaki just sent her a quick smile as he took off his apron and hung it up on the wall, waving at Narukami and Tomoya, who was just walking through the door.
Luckily enough for him, Itsuki was already waiting at the door for him. As Chiaki approached, Itsuki looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “Are you sure you’re good to go? You’re looking a bit flushed.”
Chiaki laughed nervously, opening the cafe door and letting Itsuki walk out first, “I’m fine, it’s just a bit hot out today, don’t you think?”
There was a pause in Itsuki’s step that made Chiaki stop his stride. Itsuki looked at him quizzically, “It’s four degrees Celsius. Frankly, I don’t see how you aren’t freezing at the moment.”
“I tend to run warm!” Chiaki said the first thing that came to mind, not wanting to get stuck in a never-ending loop of embarrassment in front of Itsuki. By the looks of it, he was already failing pretty miserably so far.
Thankfully, the walk to the candy store wasn’t a long one, the sign labeled “Kandy Kingdom” was displayed for them both to see as they arrived. As Chiaki and Itsuki entered the shop, the brunet kept an eye on Itsuki as the purple-eyed man inspected the sweets. He let out a mental sigh of relief as he saw Itsuki nod in approval of the store.
Chiaki trailed behind Itsuki as he picked out some candies, the male already heading towards the register after picking up a few small bags. As he approached the register, Chiaki smiled at Suou but opted out of striking up a conversation with him since Itsuki was his company for the day. As Itsuki was paying for the sweets, the door to the shop opened, gaining the trio's attention. A blond man with a kind face entered the store. Suou greeted them, of course, but Itsuki on the other hand, inhaled sharply. Chiaki looked at the male in question, his eyebrows raising as a scoff left the pink-haired man’s mouth.
“Thank you.” Itsuki said to Suou, who also looked interested in the sudden hostile mood the customer was in. He then turned to Chiaki, his purple eyes boring into his own brown ones. “Let us go. I don’t think I can manage to be in that fiend’s presence a second longer.”
Chiaki was confused as to why the blond man that just came in put Itsuki in such a negative mood, but he wasn’t going to question it. If Itsuki wanted to leave because of the stranger, Chiaki would go along with it because he wanted to enjoy what time he had with Itsuki.
The two exited the shop in a hurry, Itsuki’s strides felt particularly longer than they were earlier. He was several feet in front of Chiaki already and they had only just left. Chiaki quickened his pace, trying to catch up with Itsuki without winding himself in the process. “Itsuki, wait up!” That got the man to stop walking. He looked back at Chiaki and sighed, rubbing two fingers against his temple.
“I apologize for my behavior back there.” He said, avoiding eye contact with the cafe worker. The two began to walk again at a slower pace, just the right amount of speed so they could enjoy each other’s presence. “Though every time I see Tenshouin Eichi, it’s hard to control the feelings of hatred I have for him.”
Chiaki hummed as he listened to the explanation. He had never personally experienced the feeling of hating someone so much that even their presence put him in a bad mood, but he can only imagine what it was like upon seeing Itsuki’s reaction to seeing this Tenshouin person.
His eyes crinkled slightly as he smiled at Itsuki. “No worries, I’m just glad we got out of there.” He said, his gaze then traveling down to the small bag filled with candy in it. “At least we were able to buy the candy you wanted before he got there.”
“I suppose you’re right.” Itsuki nodded, holding the bag up and glancing at the contents in it. He then met Chiaki’s eyes. “Would you like any?”
Chiaki’s mouth opened slightly at the question, his lips then morphing into a small smile. “Sure, but how about we find somewhere to sit down and chat first? There’s a small park nearby.”
The other man looked interested in the proposition, nodding his head, and letting the bag drop back to his side. There was a barely noticeable smile on his face as he spoke, “Lead the way then.”
Chiaki grinned, taking the role of leader in their outing as they walked in a comfortable silence to the park. There were a few times when Chiaki would fill the silence by pointing at different shops and recommending them to Itsuki. He did get a bit carried away in his rambling about the comic book store where he often bought hero figures. He could only hope that Itsuki would ignore it in favor of Chiaki’s ego.
There was a slight bounce in Chiaki’s step as he saw the park enter his vision. Excited, he turned to Itsuki, who only looked at him with raised eyebrows in response. Chiaki grinned at him and took off, leaving behind a stunned Itsuki.
The brunet made a beeline to the swings, sitting down on one of them, his feet touching the mulch on the ground without a problem. As Itsuki walked up to him, there was a slight frown on his face as his eyes observed the swingset. Chiaki chuckled and grabbed the swing beside him and shook it slightly. “C’mon Itsuki, you don’t get to experience this often anymore. Let’s be kids eating candy on the playground for a minute!”
Though Itsuki didn’t look like the happiest person ever, he still sat down on the swing beside Chiaki. While Itsuki opted to push back and forth idly on the ground, Chiaki tried to go as high as a grown adult could go on swings meant for people half his age.
He dug his feet into the ground in order to stop the momentum he had going, and pieces of mulch flung out. Chiaki could see Itsuki flinch at it from beside him. The brunet slowed enough to match Itsuki’s pace. The pink-haired man met Chiaki’s eyes with a hand held out. He was about to reach out and take Itsuki’s hand (even though he was incredibly confused) when he realized there were a few pieces of candy in Itsuki’s palm. Chiaki briefly thanked the voice that was in his head telling him to actually look at Itsuki’s hand.
Excited hands picked a piece off Itsuki’s hand, the sound of a wrapper crinkling filling the silence that overtook the playground. “Thanks, Itsuki!” Chiaki exclaimed as he popped the sweet into his mouth, sighing in the childish bliss that filled his body.
He could feel Itsuki’s eyes on him as the purple-eyed man spoke. “Consider it thanks for the free pastries earlier.” The statement had no romantic meaning attached to it, but Chiaki couldn’t help the blush that painted itself upon his cheeks. Chiaki couldn’t help but think that being in Itsuki’s presence for a prolonged period of time was having an effect on him.
A thought popped into Chiaki’s mind at that moment. His eating came to a halt as he looked at Itsuki, his words slightly distorted due to the treat in his mouth. “‘Hy ‘ere you… hmph… why were you looking for candy anyway?” He asked, pushing the candy to his cheek mid-sentence to make his words clearer.
“For Kagehira of course.” Itsuki was fiddling with his own candy wrapper. He had yet to consume the treat that was inside it. There was a faint but fond smile on Itsuki’s face. “He had been working hard lately and I wanted to get him candy for his efforts since they are his favorite. Expensive candies tend to upset his stomach so I wanted to find somewhere more local to buy. I just happened to be stopping by that day so I thought I’d ask.”
A grin forced its way onto Chiaki’s face. “Kanata was right about you, Itsuki! You really are kind!” The comment caught Itsuki by surprise, at least he assumed so due to the look that made its way onto his face. “Oh yeah, Kanata was at the cafe the other day and mentioned that you two were friends back in high school.”
“I see… So I’m assuming you’re that Chiaki from back then?” The question was genuine, but Chiaki’s given name coming out of his crush’s mouth made his stomach churn.
He nodded, beaming at Itsuki. “Yup! I’m surprised we never met back then, but Kanata said he mentioned me before.” As he spoke, a strange look appeared in Itsuki’s eyes that Chiaki couldn’t properly decipher. As far as he knew, he didn’t say anything wrong, so the reason for the look on Itsuki’s face was beyond him.
“Yes, we’ve never met before.” Itsuki paused, pursing his lips, fingers finally moving to unwrap the candy. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet the boyfriend after hearing so much about you back then.”
Chiaki’s mouth dropped open, stunned at the words leaving his mouth. He let out a nervous laugh, shaking his head frantically. “No no no, we aren’t dating anymore. I’m surprised you never heard it from him, but I guess it was rather late into our third year that we agreed to be friends.” Itsuki looked startled by the frantic explanation, so Chiaki took a deep breath to calm himself down. “He’s actually dating Kaoru now.”
“Hakaze?” Chiaki nodded. Itsuki hummed, then nodded along with Chiaki, in what he assumed was approval. “Not a terrible choice, though I can’t say I’m not surprised that he settled on someone.” It seemed that Itsuki was well aware of Kaoru’s reputation back in high school. There was a short pause in between his sentences. “I apologize for assuming the two of you were still together. It seemed like you two never planned on calling it quits.”
“No worries!” The solid that was in Chiaki’s mouth had long since dissolved, but there were still remnants of the strawberry flavor that had accompanied it. As he savored the fruity taste, he thought about Itsuki’s words. The way he phrased it made it look like he had seen Kanata and Chiaki interact firsthand, but he couldn’t recall ever seeing Itsuki in high school. Though it was very likely that he was just overthinking it, so he decided to push that information in the back of his mind.
A sigh left Chiaki’s lips as he observed the slowly darkening sky. He checked his phone, the brightness of his phone glaring at him as he read the time. It had been about two hours since he and Itsuki left the cafe, which was crazy to him. It didn’t even feel like they had been together for an hour. With a frown, he looked up from his phone to speak to Itsuki but was caught off guard by the soft stare that Itsuki was giving him. The blush that appeared on Chiaki’s cheeks was inevitable, falling victim to the man that was Itsuki Shu. Whatever words meant to leave his lips were suddenly lost, and despite Itsuki quickly breaking eye contact, the face he had made already engraved itself in Chiaki’s mind.
Chiaki’s mouth opened and closed several times before he finally managed to break himself out of the trance he was in. “It’s starting to get dark out, so why don’t I walk you home? I don’t want you alone in the dark.”
When Itsuki shifted to face Chiaki again, he took note of his flushed cheeks. “Yes, that sounds alright. I don’t live far from here.” With a grin, Chiaki stood up and held out his hand to Itsuki, who hesitated momentarily before taking the hand in his, allowing Chiaki to help him up, even though he didn’t need it. The contact between them caused his stomach to flutter. That fuzziness would last long after their hands parted.
Itsuki had said the walk home would only be about ten minutes, which was a lot shorter than Chiaki had hoped, but he was going to make the most of it.
As they walked to Itsuki’s apartment, where Kagehira and Narukami would for sure be there waiting for him, their hands would often graze lightly every so often. As much as Chiaki would love to give in to the urge to hold his hand, he feared the unexpected contact would scare him off. Instead, he settled on making conversation to dull these urges.
“So, how long have you been coming to the bakery?” Chiaki asked about one of the only things they had common ground on. “To be honest, I haven’t really seen you around much until recently.”
“Ah, well I obviously heard about it through Kagehira, since Narukami works there.” Itsuki focused on the path in front of him. “My schedule is a bit more open than his, so I started stopping by after Kagehira got busier. The bakery just so happens to be one of the places where it doesn’t upset his stomach.”
“I’m glad that he’s able to enjoy it!” Chiaki grinned brightly, fist pumped in front of him as if he were celebrating. “And I’m glad you started coming as well. You’re one of my favorite customers!”
“Why you-” Itsuki’s eyes quickly widened, his cheeks darkening at the admission from Chiaki. “Do you have no shame in your words?”
“I’m just telling the truth! I’m pretty sure I’ve told you this before too and it’s just as true as it was then!” His shoulders bounced alongside his laughter. “I’m not really a morning person, so seeing you in the mornings helps energize me! You should really try to expand your palette though, you have to get sick of croissants at some point!”
“ Non! I’d have to be a madman to grow sick of them.” Itsuki scoffed, shaking his head in disagreement. “Though I wouldn’t mind trying out something else sometime, I’d rather make it myself than buy it.”
The statement sparked an idea in Chiaki, his face lighting up as he stopped in his tracks, which resulted in Itsuki stopping and looking back at the brunet with a questioning eyebrow raised. Though he was incredibly nervous to even suggest it, he forced himself to spit the words out.
“Itsuki, how about we bake something together?!”
The purple-eyed man definitely wasn’t expecting that to leave the worker's lips, as his mouth dropped open slightly, speechless at the suggestion. Itsuki broke eye contact with a cough, eyes trained on the concrete below him. “I suppose we could do that, but I will not be making a mess of my own apartment, so if we do this, it’ll have to take place at yours.”
“Huh?! How’d you know I’m messy?”
There was a faint smirk on Itsuki’s lips as he looked Chiaki up and down. “Kagehira often shares with me the gossip that Narukami tells him, but I will admit that you being untidy was simply a guess on my part.”
Chiaki’s mouth was stuck in a circular shape as he listened to Itsuki. After a pause, he grinned brightly at the pink-haired man. “Well, you’d be correct! When I have people over they tend to keep me in check when cooking!”
“Well, then I’m glad to be that person whenever we plan on doing this.” As Itsuki said this, he seemed to have realized something, because he was soon pulling out his phone and holding it out to Chiaki. “Input your information. If we are doing this, it must be on a day when we are both free from our schedules.”
Chiaki took the maroon-colored phone with careful hands, entering his number and handing it back to the other, who took it with a hum and stuck it back into his pocket. Itsuki looked at the building behind Chiaki, a hint of a smile on his lips as he spoke. “This is my stop, so I’ll be taking my leave. Thanks for walking with me.” Itsuki started to walk towards the building but slowed down to turn and look at Chiaki. “I’ll contact you about my schedule, but thank you for tonight as well. I’m sure we’ll see each other soon.” As soon as he was finished talking, Itsuki walked into the building, Chiaki only moving his gaze elsewhere as soon as the pink-haired man left his vision. He looked up at the building, eyebrows furrowing at the two figures who were staring down at him through one of the apartment windows. As his eyes landed on them, the figures were quick to hide from his view, but Chiaki was able to recognize the people as Kagehira and Narukami.
With an amused huff, Chiaki began to walk off in the direction of his own apartment, a slight bounce in his step as his mind began to fill with possible scenarios that involved Itsuki at his apartment. He was looking forward to when Itsuki would text him so they could act upon those plans to bake together.
Chiaki had never been more thankful for Narukami and Kagehira in his life. If it weren’t for them, he likely would have still been stuck in the customer-employee phase with Itsuki. A few weeks ago he never imagined hanging out with him outside work, much less having him over at his apartment.
Yet here he was, anxiously waiting for the knock that would announce Itsuki’s arrival. Yesterday, he made sure to go to the store to buy baking supplies, but it was very likely (since it was him) that he forgot something. He was striding around his apartment, making sure it didn’t look like a complete mess when there was a light knock at the door. There was a pause in Chiaki’s pacing, and then at a totally normal pace, he made his way to the door and took a deep breath, opening the apartment door with a smile.
There stood none other than the man who was constantly plaguing Chiaki’s mind. There was a neutral look that was plastered on his face before the door had opened, one that morphed into a faint smile as he locked eyes with the brunet. “Good evening, thank you for allowing me into your home.” Was the first thing Itsuki said as he walked into the apartment, the man eyeing the decoration of the apartment with raised eyebrows. The hero decorations plastered around Chiaki’s apartment was definitely a brow raiser, so he certainly understood the look, but he could only hope that Itsuki hadn’t had any negative thoughts about it.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I brought along some of my own things.” Itsuki said, holding up the bag of said items. “You come off as someone to forget the little things, so I made sure to come prepared.”
“Hahaha, you’d be right.” Chiaki laughed bashfully, ruffling his own hair, mostly to ease his own nerves more than anything. “I’m pretty sure I forgot something, so I appreciate it, Itsuki!” Chiaki excitedly walked up to Itsuki and interlocked their arms together, already dragging him to the kitchen with a grin. “Come on! We’re gonna make the best cake ever!”
In all honesty, baking didn’t seem all that hard. As long as he followed the instructions, the results were sure to be at least decent. And he supposes that wiggle room with the number of ingredients would probably be okay as well.
Unfortunately, he was one hundred percent wrong, at least according to Itsuki. Being tidy in the kitchen was also a must apparently, but Chiaki didn’t really see the fun in baking without at least getting a little dirty. With a single glance at each of them, you could tell that one cared about keeping clean more than the other. The brunet was definitely going to have to put the clothes he was wearing in the wash after Itsuki leaves.
Chiaki was energetically mixing the batter, the chocolatey liquid splashing onto his clothing occasionally. From beside him, Itsuki let out an amused scoff, causing Chiaki to pause in confusion. Was he doing something wrong?
His thoughts must have shown on his face because Itsuki was smiling lightly as he shook his head. “I don’t think I’ve ever met someone as messy as you in the kitchen.”
“Itsuki, it’s called enthusiasm! It adds energy to the food while baking, trust me!” Chiaki could only grin at the deadpan look that overtook Itsuki’s face. While it may have been a silly thing of him to say, Tenma always said that if you put more emotion and energy into baking, it’d turn out millions of times better than a regular pastry. He’d make sure Itsuki agreed with him by the time he leaves the apartment!
Chiaki opened his mouth with the intention of telling Itsuki exactly that but stopped when he observed Itsuki’s face closer, eyes locking in on his cheek. The pink-haired man turned from what he was doing, raising an eyebrow as he met Chiaki’s eyes. “Is there a reason why you’re staring at me?”
“Oh, sorry!” Chiaki laughed as he apologized, he pointed at his own cheek as he spoke. “You just have some batter on your face.”
“I wonder how that got there,” Itsuki said, but he was eyeing Chiaki with a faint smile. It was obvious that the batter had come from Chiaki’s energetic display of baking. Itsuki wiped at his cheek but missed the spot. “Is it gone?”
The brunet shook his head. “Not even close.” He smiled softly, eyes crinkling as he went to get it himself. Before he could clean the spot on Itsuki’s cheek, Chiaki remembered a conversation he had with Itsuki not too long ago about how the purple-eyed man wasn’t so fond of unprompted contact. “Is it okay if I…?” The rest of the question was left unsaid, but Itsuki knew exactly what he was asking, for he nodded his head in approval.
Chiaki’s hand landed on Itsuki’s cheek softly, his thumb wiping off the sticky substance. With Itsuki’s cheek now clean, the brunet smiled down at him. “There you go!” Though Chiaki’s aid was no longer needed, the man’s hand remained on Itsuki’s cheek. There was a long silence between the two of them, the two men just simply staring at each other with wide eyes. The tension grew thicker with each passing second.
The peace was broken when Chiaki took a deep breath. “I… Itsuki, would i-it be alright if I k… if I kissed you…?” Itsuki’s eyes grew wide at the request but could do nothing but nod.
Chiaki smiled shakily before leaning down and placing his lips on Itsuki’s. The first thing he noticed was that Itsuki’s lips felt nice and smooth against his own chapped ones. There was a passing feeling of panic after he felt how his own lips felt, but it quickly dispersed as Itsuki moved his lips against his. Chiaki’s free hand moved to rest on Itsuki’s side, the pink-haired man stiffening at the feeling, but quickly relaxing. The moment only ended when Chiaki rubbed his thumb against Itsuki’s cheek, the man breaking away with a deep blush, using his arm to cover his face.
“Idiot… You just smeared the batter on my face even worse.”
The brunet’s mouth opened, eyeing Itsuki’s cheek and realizing he did in fact dirty Itsuki’s face more. He smiled, grabbing a towel that was on the counter to use on Itsuki’s cheek. “Sorry, Itsuki! Kissing you just made me forget I had stuff all over my thumb!”
Itsuki immediately turned away from him, his lips pursed. “... Call me Shu…” A blush forced its way onto Chiaki’s face, the brown-eyed man taken aback by the request. Seeing this, Itsuki let out a scoff. “You might as well call me that now, given this new development.”
“Oh… Well, then you can call me Chiaki, Shu!” The name felt foreign coming from his lips, but he knew it would take time to get used to since he had been calling him Itsuki for so long. His face flushed again as he remembered when he used to be so desperate to see Shu at the bakery. “Can I… confess something to you?” He continued at Shu’s nod. “Well… I moved my weekend shifts to the mornings so I could see you more often…” He met wide purple eyes as he finished.
The shorter man fidgeted, uncrossing his arms to move them to his hips. “Why that certainly explains a lot. I had heard you were a weekend closer from Kagehira… That’s why we met one time that night. I really had no need to be out that late for pastries, but I wanted to see you.”
“You wanted to see me?”
Shu nodded, avoiding eye contact with Chiaki, his eyes instead glaring off at something random in the apartment. “I showed up another weekend and you weren’t there, though I suppose that mystery has been solved now.”
“Ahh, Shu!” He smiled at the man, practically jumping at the other man and forcing him into a hug, his cheek pressed against the others. “Did I catch your attention that much that you had to see me again? I’m pretty sure I only said one thing to you.”
The pinket leaned away from Chiaki’s touch. The taller was able to feel the heat that was radiating off of Shu’s cheeks. “Well… I suppose I haven’t been entirely honest with you.”
The statement had Chiaki breaking the tight hold he had on Shu. “How’s that?”
“When you told me you were dating Kanata back in high school, I was well aware of what you looked like already. Finding out you were that Chiaki was no surprise.” The confession had the brunet’s mouth dropping open. “I… I guess you can say I was a bit infatuated with you back during our high school years. You were dating Kanata at the time so there was no point in me saying anything, not that I would in the first place.”
This was entirely new information! If Chiaki were honest, he can’t even remember seeing Shu in school at all. It was hard to imagine that the male had a crush on him when they had never even interacted in the first place.
“Seems fate brought us together, Shu!” Chiaki grinned, leaning forward and pressing his lips on Shu’s cheek. As he leaned back, he took the younger’s hands in his and intertwined their fingers. “To be honest, I don’t really remember you from high school, but that doesn’t really matter anymore when we’re here together now!”
“We were in the same class.” Shu deadpanned, raising his eyebrows at Chiaki. “Quite the forgetful classmate I had, it seems.”
Chiaki raised both his hands, which in turn brought Shu’s along with his and he placed a kiss on the knuckles of the purple-eyed man. “Sorry sorry… I’ll be more attentive in the future.” He smiled at Shu. “But I don’t think I’ll be forgetting anything about my boyfriend any time soon.”
Shu averted his eyes, flushed from the affectionate kiss he received. “Boyfriend, huh?”
“Well, yeah!” Chiaki exclaimed as if it were obvious. “I mean, we’re already calling each other by our first names, so I thought the boyfriend title was kinda implied there!” He paused, letting out a hum, playing with Shu’s manicured fingers. “Though I haven’t been in a long-term relationship since I was with Kanata, so I’m honestly still an amateur at this relationship thing.”
“There’s no need to fret over that.” Shu shook his head, eyebrows furrowed. “I never had any plans on entering a relationship in the future, so you aren’t the only one unprepared here.”
“We’re both in this together then!” Chiaki laughed, his voice seemingly booming in the small apartment. “This is a new experience for us, so let’s make the most of it! What should we do first as a couple, Shu?!”
His partner smiled gently at him, jerking his head in the direction of the mess that was the kitchen. “How about we finish this cake first? We can chat as we wait for it to finish baking.”
“Oh… I forgot about the cake.” Chiaki chuckled quietly, an awkward smile on his lips. “I guess you distracted me so much that I forgot what you were originally here for! Let’s finish it then, Shu! I can’t wait to get a taste of your baking!”
“Yours too, technically.” The shorter of the pair had already resumed working on the batter, quickly finishing it up as Chiaki joined at his side. “Though I must say, I don’t know how you managed to get hired at a cafe with the baking knowledge you have.”
“I didn’t get hired for my baking skills! I got hired for my awesome people skills.” Chiaki grinned and bumped his hip against Shu’s. “It’s how I got you as my boyfriend, yknow!”
“The first time you talked to me, you quite literally dropped to the ground because I frightened you.” There was a faint grin on Shu’s lips as he spoke. He was definitely enjoying the embarrassment that he brought upon Chiaki with those words.
“Awww, c'mon, Shu!” Chiaki whined, resting his chin on the man’s shoulder as he began to pour the batter in the baking pan. “You appeared out of nowhere! I get startled very easily!”
“You’re gonna have to get used to my presence. I have an excuse to be around you more often now.” As the words left Shu’s mouth, Chiaki let out a squeak and buried his nose into Shu’s neck. The action caused a laugh to slip out from Shu’s lips. “Come on, let’s finish this so we can relax. There have been a lot of emotions in the air. We both need to ease off a bit.”
Chiaki hummed but nodded in agreement, lifting his head from Shu’s shoulder and taking the pan from Shu’s hands quickly. A startled sound slipped from Shu’s lips, the man looking at Chiaki with wide eyes as the brunet quickly put the cake in the oven. As he shut the oven door, there was a pause before Chiaki slowly turned to look at Shu.
“How long is it supposed to be in here again?” Shu shook his head and walked up to stand beside Chiaki. The copper-eyed male could only watch as his partner input the time on the oven. “Oh, I could’ve done that.”
Shu looked at Chiaki and raised his eyebrows. “Knowing you, you probably would’ve ended up turning the oven off and we’d be waiting even longer.” He said, without malice. Shu reached up and pinched Chiaki’s cheek when a pout began to form on the brunet’s lips. “No pouting, you know it’s true.”
“Yeah…” Chiaki trailed off, eyes traveling around his apartment. When they landed on his television, his eyes lit up. He let out a gasp and turned to Shu, grabbing the male’s hands in his. “When we wait, can I show you a show of mine? It’s one of my favorites!”
There was a look on Shu’s face at first that made Chiaki think he was surely going to say no, but he was pleasantly surprised when Shu nodded his head. He could only let out a noise of excitement as he dragged his boyfriend off to the living, despite the complaints that they needed to clean up before they relaxed.
Chiaki’s knee bounced excitedly as Shu sat down beside him. The tv was on in an instant and he was already searching for the show. “I think you’d really like this one character, Shu! You and him are a lot alike.”
“Really… and how is that?”
“Well for one, you both are really cute!” Chiaki grinned over at Shu, who seemed dead set on keeping his gaze on the screen. In order to grab his attention, Chiaki leaned over and placed a kiss on Shu’s cheek. When the purple-eyed man looked his way, he went back in for a kiss on the lips instead.
“You’re both also really attentive to those around you,” Chiaki said. “That’s probably how you ended up with a crush on me in high school, huh?”
Shu scoffed and pushed Chiaki’s face away, “You’re never going to let that go, are you?”
Chiaki shook his head with a smile, “Nope! Just like how you aren’t going to let me forget the disaster I was whenever I talked to you!” He leaned back on the couch as the show’s intro began. His attention was quickly split between his boyfriend and his special interest.
It must have been obvious that Shu was no longer the sole focus in Chiaki’s eyes at the moment because he leaned back as well, leaning close to Chiaki. “Why don’t you tell me what this is about before I get too confused?”
Chiaki then went on to explain in extreme detail the plot of the show. He could see that Shu was a bit confused, but he was appreciative that he was even trying to learn about it in the first place. Typically, hero show rambling was something he saved until later on, but the opportunity was right in front of him, so he was taking it.
“So who’s your favorite?” Shu’s question interrupted his rant. He didn’t even need to think about it before he answered.
“Red obviously!”
He watched as Shu glanced over at the show that was playing in the background. He must’ve talked through the intro and first few minutes of the show. “That certainly doesn’t surprise me. I must say, from what little knowledge I have, he does appear to be a bit similar to you.”
Chiaki gasped, a thrilled grin appearing on his face. “You really think so?!”
“You both take on the role of leader in your lives and emit a positive energy that affects everyone around you.” Shu’s words were sincere. “I can speak from experience. You’ve definitely become a beacon of light in my life. I’ll have to thank Kagehira later for telling me where you work.”
The brown-haired man’s mouth was agape, taken aback by the words leaving Shu’s lips. He could feel the heat radiating off of his own cheeks. “I was expecting something a lot simpler than that but… Thank you, Shu.” He grinned and wrapped his arms around the man, burying his nose into his neck, and nuzzling against him affectionately.
“You act as if I just gave you the title of King.” Shu’s lips twitched amusedly, resting his head on top of Chiaki’s. “I could’ve said a lot more, but I don’t think you’d be able to handle that.”
Chiaki pouted against Shu’s neck. “Stop being such a tease…” Before he could say anything else, the oven dinged signaling the cake was done. Chiaki’s head immediately shot up from Shu’s neck, eyes wide as he looked at the oven. “It’s done already?!”
“We were talking for quite a bit.” Shu stood up, already heading towards the kitchen, Chiaki trailing after him. The brunet took the oven mitts that were on the counter and put them on. “I can take it out!”
Before Shu could even get out any protests, Chiaki already had the oven open, the cake pan held in his hands. He placed the hot dish on the cooling pad carefully, only then did he look over at Shu, a proud grin on his face.
His boyfriend could only sigh affectionately. “You expecting a reward or something for being the one to take it out, hero?”
“Hmmm, well not at first…” Chiaki hummed, pretending like he was deep in thought. His hands were still in the oven mitts as he placed them on his chin. “But now that you mention it, I don’t think I’d mind a kiss or two from the loser.”
“How about this…” Shu started messing with some of the ingredients. He showed a piece of paper to Chiaki. “Make this without making a mess, and I can double that reward for you.”
“Just double?”
“I wouldn’t push your luck now.” Shu scoffed playfully, hitting Chiaki lightly with a spatula. “You’ll be lucky to even finish this without dirtying your clothes even further.”
Chiaki huffed and cracked his knuckles in preparation for the victory that would soon be in his future. “You underestimate me, Shu! I have a reward waiting for me now so I definitely won’t mess up now!”
Chiaki then went on to make the cake’s frosting with fervor. There wasn’t a single addition to the mess that was his shirt. He could only grin as he presented the frosting to Shu, who looked slightly surprised at the outcome.
“See? Told you not to underestimate me, Shu!” Chiaki laughed loudly. His boyfriend was watching him with an almost mischievous look in his eyes. Why was he looking at him like that? He made the frosting without making a mess, there was no way he wasn’t getting that reward!
Shu grabbed the bowl of frosting from Chiaki’s hand without a word, dipping his pinky in it and bringing the substance to his lips. His face morphed into a cringe. He set the bowl down while pursing his lips.
“Salt.”
“Huh?”
“You used salt instead of sugar for the frosting.” Chiaki’s mouth dropped open at the reveal. He decided to get a taste of the frosting to be sure, and there was no doubt about it. He had used salt. His figure slumped in defeat.
“What are you sulking for? I never said anything about it tasting perfect.” Shu’s fingers lifted Chiaki’s chin so they were now eye to eye. Right after, Shu leaned forward and placed his lips on Chiaki’s. No matter how many times their lips connected, Chiaki felt like he could explode every time because of how delighted it made him. Shu’s lips moving against his own had him feeling like he was on cloud nine.
Chiaki could feel the nerves nipping at his skin as he ran his tongue across Shu’s lip, the man almost immediately opening up to allow his tongue to infiltrate. Chiaki shook the oven mitts off his hands, not caring that they would get dirtied by the kitchen floor. His right hand moved to grasp at the back of Shu’s neck while his left hand gripped his hip. Their kissing was getting sloppier the more they moved against each other. As Chiaki detached his lips from Shu’s, he shuffled them a bit so they were leaning against the counter. Shu let out a gasp as the counter hit his back, Chiaki’s lips soon finding themselves attached to Shu’s neck. As Chiaki began to kiss and bite lightly at the skin of Shu’s neck, the pink-haired man went to balance himself on the counter behind him, knocking some stuff on the floor in the process. As the items crashed and tumbled to the ground, the couple froze. Their frenzy came to a halt at the pile of flour that was now on the ground. There was no ignoring that mess in favor of continuing their activities.
Chiaki sighed, frowning at the pile on the ground. “Count on flour to be the thing that gets between us…” He trailed off, a grin forming on his lips a moment later as he looked at Shu, who was still catching his breath. “Now who’s too enthusiastic in the kitchen?”
“Still you.” Shu’s flustered voice filled Chiaki’s ears. He was covering his flushed face with his arm like he did earlier. “If I recall correctly, you’re the one who turned it into more than a simple kiss.”
“I didn’t hear you complaining though, did I?” Chiaki grinned as he bent down to attempt to clean up the white powder. “Too bad I can’t claim the rest of that reward.”
“Oh, you think there’s more?” Shu jested, a smile of his own present on his face. He too was down on the ground, helping Chiaki pick up. “I believe that was a bit more than double the reward.”
“So I’m not getting another kiss from you?” Chiaki asked with a mock pout.
Shu huffed out a laugh. “Now, I didn’t say that.” He stood up after picking up a good amount of the pile, throwing what bit he had into the trashcan. “In fact, I wouldn’t mind continuing, but not without getting cleaned up first.”
Chiaki’s head shot up at the statement, eyes wide as he froze in the middle of his task. He looked back down at the mess that was basically gone and started cleaning it faster. He was now a man with a goal to achieve. He ignored Shu’s hearty laugh as he wiped at the ground quickly. He stood up and analyzed the ground, nodding proudly to himself as it appeared spotless in his eyes. His eyes then met Shu’s soon after, rushing to the man and dragging him off.
“I believe you have a promise to fulfill.”
“I never promised anything, but I can indulge you this once.”