Work Text:
Sunday morning, Tokyo, Japan.
Kuramochi Youichi heard the sound of the steaming coffee machine scream behind him. His coworker, a tired fellow college student, nodded at him as he sauntered inside the shop. With beautiful white-painted brick, cherry wood tables, and a fair share of (fake) vines and flowers, the little cafe sat nestled between a bookshop and a sporting goods store. It was prime real estate for Kuramochi’s boyfriend, Sawamura Eijun, who made a point of shopping in all three establishments on the regular.
After picking up new socks and manga, he always stayed in a seat close to the window, so that he could pick up the sunlight that filtered through the glass in the morning and afternoon - and so that he had a crystal clear view of Kuramochi.
Once, Kuramochi bothered to ask why Sawamura was always studying in the exact same spot when he was on shift. All the pitcher did was smile at him as bands of sun made his eyes glitter with amusement.
“I just like seeing you!”
Even though Kuramochi acted like it was just another sweet thing said in passing, the phrase repeated in his mind like a song whenever his mind started to wander.
Kuramochi Youichi went from idly watching over his high school roommate to “yeah, I’d marry him if he asked” in only two years. He wondered when posters of cute celebrities started to wane in their persuasiveness, and his brain space began to fill entirely with Sawamura’s smile.
He cleared his throat and turned to face his first customer of the day instead of entertaining his squishy insides any further.
The hours passed just like they always did: customer, coffee machine noise, serve coffee, glance at Sawamura studying (or not studying), and repeat. As it was, Kuramochi actually rather enjoyed the smell of coffee and being on his feet. He loved the sensory overload from all of the sweets and goodies the cafe served, and the energy he got from brief interactions with customers. It was an amiable compromise so that he could pay rent and buy nice things for his partner.
And buy nice things he did - Sawamura was always blown away by how Kuramochi demonstrated his love. He wasn’t very big on words, and needed some sort of outlet for his affection. The shortstop ended up with gifts as his solution, and started to pour on the manga, snacks, merch, and foodie adventures like his life depended on it. Kuramochi did it exclusively to see Sawamura smile as much as possible.
That smile did something to his heart that he couldn’t get enough of, and couldn’t describe if he tried.
At the thought of gifts, Kuramochi took a pause in activity as an opportunity to visit his boyfriend at his table, and deliver one of their newest specialities: a cinnamon crunch muffin, which was the best with their standard coffee blends. He set the plate down with a soft clank, and sat across from Sawamura while his co-worker took over the storefront.
Kuramochi eyed Sawamura as the pitcher moved his notebooks around. It was one of the rare times that he was found genuinely focused on his study materials, because this particular class counted big time. His brow was furrowed in concentration, and it was clear from the slight buzzing noise that his music was far louder than half volume.
Huh.
Wake up sweetheart by Vickeblanka.
Kuramochi sat there instead of interrupting, and let the sunny warmth soak into his skin - as much as he didn’t mind his coffee shop gig, he couldn’t wait for practice later.
Baseball was still their top priority, after all.
Eventually, Sawamura looked up, took out his earbuds, and grinned at the sight of Kuramochi and his sleepy expression.
“It’s a cheetah, moving slowly for his afternoon nap!”
Kuramochi pretended to swat at the air in irritation. “Piss off and eat your muffin.”
Sawamura’s soft laugh made Kuramochi’s cheeks turn rosy, and he turned away as he heard Sawamura munching in order to preserve his sanity.
Still, he sighed as a sense of peace washed over him.
Something simple like this was all that Kuramochi’s soul needed to power through the rest of the day.
Sawamura also seemed to really like the food, because he poked Kuramochi’s arm as he sipped on the coffee with bulging, excited eyes.
“Can I get more? I really like the crunch, it’s like you baked it extra or something! The sugar, hehe, it’s so sweet, but it’s the good kind! I really think you should sell more of these, they’re amazing! Speaking of food, what are you eating for dinner? Can I invite Harucchi to go with us to McDonald’s?”
How he managed to say that much between sips of piping hot coffee was beyond his partner’s understanding, but it was the cutest thing ever nonetheless.
“Sorry, today I need to eat leftovers.” Kuramochi murmured.
But before Sawamura could look adorably disappointed, Kuramochi reached out and brushed a crumb off the corner of Sawamura’s mouth with a grin of his own.
“But… uh. I wanted to ask you something today, anyway. So if you want to wait until the end of my shift, I’ll tell you my question.”
Sawamura tilted his head in curiosity, and finished off his coffee with a satisfied sigh.
“Sure! And your coffee is the best!”
“Huh? It’s the same as everyone else’s coffee!”
The pitcher flushed as he played with the corner of a notebook page, his gaze fixed on it.
“Yeah… but you made it for me.”
The silence was palpable as Kuramochi felt his face heat up.
He raced through his memory and tried to remember just how important his leftovers were.
He could change his plans if he didn’t have to eat it yet.
Kuramochi stood after a bit more loving chatter, and returned to his work station with the vague feeling of nervousness in his periphery.
His question was the scariest thing he could possibly think of, and he was a horror movie junkie.
But… he steeled his will and continued on with his day until he finally got the end, and took his sweet time with his walk over to Sawamura’s seat.
He was desperate, and counted every single step.
Sawamura, the sweetest partner alive, gazed at him with concern and touched his cheek and forehead with a warm, calloused hand.
“No fever. You were still moving slowly... are you ok?”
The way his brow furrowed with worry made Kuramochi want to kiss him on the spot.
Damn,
he was pretty.
But the shortstop cleared his throat and gingerly moved Sawamura’s hand down to the table.
It only took a second for Sawamura to register that Kuramochi was not planning to let go. He started to rub Sawamura’s finger idly, and stared right into his eyes.
“Eijun.”
Ahem.
Sawamura Eijun couldn’t help but laugh a little.
And that…
that was pretty, too.
“I have my water bottle, do you want some? It’s fancy water!”
Kuramochi felt his heart lurch up in his chest as he politely declined the drink.
He knew he only had a small window before he chickened out.
It had to be now.
“...Hey, will you move in with me?”
The pitcher promptly froze, dropped his bottle, and felt hot tears start to pour down his face as his bottle poured onto the floor.
“Woah!” Kuramochi panicked. He rushed over and doted over Sawamura with urgency, but…
He realized soon enough that Sawamura was smiling.
“I— uh, sorry! Um… uh…”
Kuramochi caressed his cheeks and kissed his forehead. “Don’t worry about talking right now! Relax! Take a deep breath. Alright?”
Sawamura nodded, and his hair tickled Kuramochi’s skin with a pleasant softness. The two of them just stayed there, close together, until Sawamura’s breathing evened out. Kuramochi, still a bit worried, took a step back to assess how his boyfriend was feeling.
All he could sense was a sincere, shy, beautiful happiness.
“I’d love to move in!”
Sawamura’s eyes were puffy and red, and yet, he seemed to glow like a summer sun on blast.
“I’m happy… that you asked… hic!”
That moment in the cafe started it all: a cascade of joyful, overwhelmingly stunning memories of living together that Sawamura and Kuramochi kept close.
That evening, Sawamura Eijun followed Kuramochi Youichi home with a box full of cinnamon crunch muffins and two piping hot to-go coffees.
It was not a particularly surprising occurrence, of course - Sawamura was with Kuramochi almost every day at some point, and their friends learned that they always had an idea of where the other was. It proved particularly helpful for group assignments and lunch invitations, and… it was a sign of just how much they wanted to stay in each other’s orbit.
Kuramochi flicked on the light to his bedroom,
and immediately flushed.
Oh, yeah.
I kind of fucking asked my boyfriend to live with me for the foreseeable future.
He did everything but look at the bed as he took off all of his outer layers and flopped right into it like a starfish.
When he glanced at the doorway, he saw Sawamura as he unpacked the snacks and took a huge single bite of the cinnamon muffin near the dining room table.
Kuramochi suddenly craved his warmth in that moment, and turned onto his side.
“Hey! Eijun!”
Sawamura glanced up and wandered over with a shuffle. He still had crumbs on his face, and he let out a loud whoop as Kuramochi playfully pulled him into his arms. The couple tumbled until Sawamura settled against Kuramochi, his face pink with surprise.
“Uh… I can help you move boxes this weekend.” Kuramochi muttered, his voice soft.
Sawamura nuzzled into his t-shirt. “Mhmm.”
“You probably need to talk to the school since you’re in a dorm, huh?”
“It’s ok. The term is ending so I can probably just talk to them, and my mom!”
Kuramochi couldn’t help but blush. “Right. Uh. Your mom.”
About us.
Moving in together.
The couple seemed to sit on these realizations for a second too long, because they both shot up and started to scramble for the bedroom door.
“I-I’m hungry as hell! How do those leftovers sound, Eijun?”
Sawamura tried to fix one of his socks as he held onto Kuramochi’s arm. “Sounds perfect! More than perfect!”
The two of them laughed as they shouldered their way through at the same time - and, naturally, the chaotic couple fell in a flurry of waved arms and wide eyes once more.
Kuramochi had just enough time to support Sawamura’s head as he fell, and Sawamura hovered over Kuramochi to check for injuries as soon as they could think again. They shouted and fawned as their faces continued to burn, and eventually stood up and brushed off their sweatpants without a word for two entire minutes.
“About the, uh, leftovers…”
“Yeah?”
“It’s just rice and fish, is that alright with you?”
It was Sawamura’s turn to clear his throat, and he stuffed the rest of the muffin in his face with a pointed nod. “I love fish!”
Kuramochi, whose head was finally clear, smiled to himself.
I know.
On mornings after Sawamura slept over, the two of them would stand side-by-side in the kitchen as Sawamura prepared their meals. Kuramochi hovered every time, both to sneak (huge) bites of the sizzling dishes and to flirt and chat with his partner. They always did love their fish and rice, as well as sweets from the bakery.
Kuramochi could envision the happy look on Sawamura’s face perfectly.
That’s why, in his mind, he felt so compelled to ask him to stay.
The shortstop left him daring kisses as Sawamura giggled and started to warm up their food.
They paused for a moment to start up their music, and this time, they couldn’t help but grin over the song that came up on shuffle.
Flower by Orange Range.
Kuramochi Youichi fell in love with Sawamura Eijun to that song.
And, if he had it his way, every second…
would be just like this.