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The reason why Yuu had stayed home today was not because he wasn't ready to go or wasn't feeling well, quite the opposite actually. He was feeling rather nice today. Today, Mika had gone out to fix their car and run some errands. To Yuu's dismay, Mika had left the house that afternoon seemingly in a bad mood. Yuu knew this would only worsen if he got stressed while he was away, and he was out for a very long time.
Yuu was not worried. This gave him the opportunity to shed light on his partner's sour mood. So, he had spent the rest of the evening tidying up the house. He wasn't as good at cleaning as Mika was, but he wouldn't say he was completely incapable. It was an easy task, considering the fact that they were more mature than they were six years ago. Yuu sweeped and mopped the floors, cleared all the dishes, washed the sheets, and made Mika's bed. He made sure that when Mika returned, he wouldn't have to lift a finger doing anything.
It was easy.
That is, until the thought of cooking arose. You see, Yuu was no Gordon Ramsey. Quite far from it, actually. It wasn't that he did not know how to cook, but that he was just terribly bad at it. Anything he attempted to bake would burn, he would get measurements wrong, add too much sugar or salt, freeze cakes for too long, and cut his fingers more times than he could count. He completely and utterly sucked at the activity. Out of the two of them, Mika had always been the chef, even when they were young.
Still, Yuu desperately wanted to cook something. Anything.
Just when he thought he succumbed to this dilemma, Yuu remembered just why all his dishes were failiures. He really only knew how to cook a few things, all of which were rooted in his parents, or more particularly, his mother.
He only just gained a few memories from his distant past, but Yuu had always watched his mother cook when he was young. He still remembered the smell of his old home when she would bake her breads, and when she was feeling particularly nice, she would demonstrate how it was done. On days when his father would give her eloquent praise for her craft, and the windows being torn open to let air in— he knew it would be a good day.
He was only seven, but that memory was clear in Yuu's mind.
He never considered his relationship with his mother perfect, but if there was one thing he got from her, it was her mandazi.
Yuu sat at the kitchen table with a pot of water, his yeast, sugar, and flour. He put the yeast in first. After a few minutes, he added the flour and sugar, and once it was thick enough, he started kneading.
It was a soothing job, kneading. Yuu was sure he had made enough dough for just him and Mika and if there was a surplus, he knew exactly who to donate it to. Shinoa had always wanted to try his failed dishes. He'd prove her wrong soon enough.
When the dough started sticking to his hands less and less, Yuu transferred it to the mixing bowl and set a thin, clear plastic wrap over it to let it sit for a while. He was placing the bowl on the counter when the ring of his phone in the living room made him turn his head.
He had really thought everyone was aware that he hated calls.
Sighing, he made his way to the living room and saw his picture of Mika on the screen. He answered.
"Hey, Mika!"
"Hey, Yuu," Yuu frowned. Mika sounded very tired. "Listen, I know you don't like phone calls so I'll keep this short. But...I think I ran into a problem."
"What's wrong?"
"It's just—" Mika sighed and Yuu was starting to get a little worried. He sounded incredibly exasperated. "When I went to the auto for our brake appointment, I didn't necessarily come prepared. The auto mechanic guy insisted that I needed to bleed the brake fluid beforehand before he could actually replace the caliper. We argued forever and long story short I really only got the bleeding done," he let out another sigh,"he said I could come back in two weeks for the earliest appointment for the actual caliper. I got everything else we needed done but that and I'm really sorry Yuu—"
"Hey," Yuu interjected. "Mika, it's not your fault, okay? We can definitely come back in two weeks, it's no big deal. Don't worry about it anymore," Yuu's voice was gentle, and he spoke to Mika slowly, "just...come home safely okay?"
A pause. "...okay. I'm okay. I'm sorry."
"It's alright, Mika. You've done more than enough today."
Mika sighed again, but this time, it sounded less stressed than before. "Okay. Thanks, Yuu. I'm on my way."
"Good. See you."
Now, Yuu had to make sure not to fuck these mandazis up.
With a turn of a key, the front door unlocked.
Mika stepped through the threshold with bags of groceries on his arms. Yuu was upstairs. He was preparing the bathroom for Mika as soon as he arrived, and when he heard his name from downstairs, he heeded to the call and made his way down.
"Hey."
"Hey."
Yuu blinked. "...you feeling alright?"
Mika graced a small smile. "I have a searing headache."
"Understandable. Here, let me help you." Yuu assisted Mika in placing the bags down and getting them in the kitchen. "I'll put these away, okay? You can go upstairs and get comfortable, I have something waiting for you."
Mika spotted the wrapped dough on the counter. He smiled again. "Is it that?"
"Don't worry about it yet! Just go and get changed," Yuu took him gently by the arm and led him to the stairs. "But don't fall asleep just yet."
"How could I, when my brain is pounding—"
"Just go!"
"Alright, alright!" Mika's laugh was weak. He really needed to rest.
Once Yuu was alone, he put the groceries away in their respective places in the kitchen, and went back to the dough. It was risen enough. He rolled it out and cut it into polygram-like shapes, and brushed only a miniscule bit of oil on the pieces. He took a pan from the cupboard and was about to boil the oil when he remembered it was probably not a good idea to leave oil burning before going upstairs to Mika. So he scratched that idea.
He went upstairs to their bedroom and saw Mika lying on the bed, still in the clothes he came home with. His eyes were shut.
"...Mika, are you asleep?"
"Nope," he opened his eyes and blue met green from across the room. "Still pounding."
Yuu met him at the edge of the bed. "Do you want to take a bath?"
Mika raised an eyebrow. "Hmm...I'm not a real big fan of baths...but considering the state I'm in I think it's my best option."
"You don't have to if you don't want to," Yuu said, "I was planning to wash your hair for you."
"Oh," Mika simply said, "Well, that's fine. I think I'd like that."
"Really?" Yuu's plan was working! "That's great. I'll get the bath started for you, okay? I'll be right back."
Yuu had made sure the water in the bath was comfortable —not too cold, and not too warm, lest it irritated Mika's head. He layed out the shampoo and conditioner that Mika liked, too, the ones with the slightly sweet, airy rosemary scent. Yuu loved that on him. He only left one set of lights on in the bathroom, and once they were dimmed to a comfortable resolution, he met Mika back in the bedroom.
"Ready?"
Yuu had only spent seven and a half years with his parents, but he couldn't say he experienced an adequate amount of domestic care. Even before they had died, Yuu remembered his parents' uneasiness around him, and could hear their prayers from across his room, how they had pleaded with God to rid them of the curse that was their own child. He didn't understand back then, and he probably still didn't now.
So, after Mika had entered the tub and Yuu sat on the stool above it, he reached for the shampoo.
The sound of the opened lid was as loud as ever. They were stuck in a situation most would call an awkward silence.
Seconds passed.
"...Yuu—"
"Yeah, that's what I was thinking."
Still clothed, Yuu hopped in the tub right behind his friend. This, he felt, was much better than the distance they had kept before. Yuu took the shampoo in his hands again, and, with as gentle movements as he could manage, he started to run his fingers into Mika's hair. He lathered it all around, making sure to lightly press his scalp as to sooth his headache, and carefully undoing any knots that appeared along the way. Mika had done this for him once, but it was the result of a life-or-death situation that had nearly ended in a fatality. Yuu wasn't fully conscious then, so he really did not know what he was doing now. He hoped whatever he did worked.
Yuu proceeded to comb Mika's hair with his fingers, and added pressure to the bottom of his skull, as well as under his ears. At this, Mika's breath steadied. He sighed, but not the fatigued sound he had made prior to this bath. It was almost like relief. He was leaning more into Yuu's touch and Yuu could only smile behind him because he loved doing what he did not know only he could do best— take Mika's pain away.
Yuu knew better than to toot his own horn, so he asked quietly, "Is the water fine?"
"Yeah, it's fine," Mika responded. His voice had lost its stressed tune. "You managed not to succumb to habit and make it scalding hot."
"Hey! It's never that that hot! Even so, what's the matter if it is?"
"Not even the heat of summer can stop you from boiling yourself in this bathroom, Yuu."
Yuu scoffed as he massaged the roots right above Mika's forhead. "Whatever. At least I don't keep it freezing cold as to morph myself into a human popsticle. Never understood why you do that."
"Because it's better," Mika laughed softly, and Yuu could have sworn he never heard a sound quite as charming in his life. "Studies to prove that, you know, I can show you."
"Okay, Jack Frost, I'm just going to rinse you now."
Ignoring Mika's mumbling, Yuu reached for the showerhead above them and turned the knob to the desired temperature. Hovering it over Mika with one hand, he used the other to grace his hand along his hair, and watched the suds of the shampoo run down Mika's back. Moving his hand down his neck, Yuu began to massage Mika's shoulders and rid him of the tension that resided there. Mika hadn't said anything since, and so Yuu looked at the side of his face to see that his partner's eyes were closed, with only a relaxed expression.
Then, Yuu had remembered how insanely pretty Mika was. Goodness gracious. How could he forget? The small drops of water framed his face perfectly, and the faint light of the bathroom illuminated just the right parts of it. He was practically glowing. Yuu took the small strands of Mika's hair that framed his face and tucked them behind his ear, and, leaning close, placed two small kisses on his neck.
Yuu only caught a glimpse of Mika's smile before he hid behind his head again, continuing his work of kneading Mika's skull and shoulders. He didn't know why he was acting like a nervous schoolgirl. He had kissed Mika on the lips many times before. They practically do it every day. He just was never the one to initiate it, at least not usually. Mika had always loved to take this as an opportunity to goad him endlessly to receive a reaction from Yuu. Cheeky bastard.
Time passed. Mika was so silent and his breathing so leveled, Yuu almost feared that he'd fallen asleep. Yuu shut the water and combed his blonde hair once again, feeling the firmness of his scalp.
"How's your head?" Yuu asked.
Mika paused for a moment before answering, "Just...amazing. That was so nice, Yuu, really. Thank you."
Yuu was very lucky to have Mika in front of him, because he wore the corniest smile on his face. He didn't have to see it to know it. Yuu was extremely happy right now.
"...Yuu?"
He had just realized he had stopped massaging Mika's hair and was playing with his own hands instead. Yuu blinked and quickly reached for the thin hair tie sitting on the edge of the bathtub to tie Mika's locks with, feigning normality. He cleared his throat.
"We're done now! I'm glad your headache subsided," Yuu stood up carefully, his soaked clothes dripping into the excess water, "I'll let you finish up here...the mandazis are waiting for me..." he stepped out of the tub and grabbed a towel from the edge of the bathroom, and shut the door with a smile, only catching a glimpse of Mika's confused expression.
The apartment's scent smelled of dough and suavity. Yuu had just finished the last of the mandazis after giving the first few that were fried to Mika— he wanted them warm for him. Mika had more of a sweet tooth than Yuu did, so the latter made sure to sprinkle an adequate amount crystallized sugar on Mika's share of the treats. He brought the rest in a tray and headed upstairs to meet him in the bedroom.
Mika was laying on his back against the matress headboard, with a mandazi in one hand, and a book in the other. His hair was long enough to be put into a loose bun at the top of his head, with bangs and stray hairs surrounding his eyes. Yuu could see the pink of Mika's tounge just as their eyes made contact. He had caught Mika in his act!
Yuu sighed. "Are you seriously just licking the sugar off the top? Is my cooking that bad?" He walked towards the nightstand and set the tray on top of it, before joining his friend on the bed.
"No, and no," Mika said, taking a big bite of the mandazi. "I was merely doing the wrong thing at the wrong time. Or as the common youth would say, "it's not what it looks like"," he gestured to the empty plate next to them and looked at Yuu with raised eyebrows, as if proving his point. Yuu didn't want to mention that Mika himself was, in fact, that of the 'common youth', or the fact that he had started licking the sugar again. "I clearly have been eating them."
"Clearly," Yuu rolled his eyes and grabbed a mandazi, moving closer to Mika on the bed. He peeked at the book in his hand. "Whatch'ya readin'?" Mika flipped over the text. The title read:
Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters.
Mika was doing his annual reread. "Hah! I forgot you were one of them." Yuu took a bite of his mandazi.
"Excuse me? What is that supposed to mean?"
"It means you're another one of those fangirls."
Mika scoffed and picked up the book again. "That's rich coming from the local Harry Potter groupie. I can't believe you still haven't read Percy Jackson...at your colossal age."
"I'm only 17. I have time."
"You'll look like a complete loser, Yuu. It's taboo to read these kinds of books for the first time after your highschool years," Mika wiped his sugary hands on the napkin Yuu delivered him earlier. "But go ahead and fall behind with your piece-of-crap series—"
"It is so not a piece of crap—"
"You're only saying that because Dean's actor is fine and Half-Blood Prince Harry gives you gender envy. I see right through you. On top of that, one of the authors. is objectively better than the other, so..."
Yuu pouted in Mika's direction. Mika only made his signature face of condescension that he always did when they were kids.
"...I guess you're right. Still doesn't stop me from wanting to chokeslam you."
"Slytherin through and through, you are. Come here." Mika indicated to the space on the bed between his legs and Yuu shifted so that his head was against Mika's chest, and the latter's arms wrapped around him, now holding the book in front of both their faces. They fit together like puzzle pieces. Yuu prefered it this way.
They lay together in comfortable silence for a while, finishing the mandazis off the tray. Yuu took more than a few glances at the text Mika held, though he'd die before admitting it. All he could feel was the constant rise and fall of Mika's chest and the occasional sound of a page turning as he read. And he smelled so...nice. The rosmary scent was clear—not too pungent, but just enough to tickle one's senses. Enough to put Yuu to sleep, which he tried so desperately to refrain from doing. He didn't want to fall asleep before Mika did.
"Your head is okay now, right?" Yuu asked. "The reading isn't making you dizzy or anything?"
Mika let out a tiny huff. "Goodness, you ask a lot of questions, Yuu." Mika bookmarked the page he left off on, and set the book aside, using his hands to hold Yuu's arms instead. "I'm fine. You worked your magic. I'm sure you knew, but you just wanted to hear me say that out loud, didn't you?"
Yuu refused to look up at Mika. Not when his face was gradually heating up. He wasn't entirely wrong, but not completely right, either. Yuu just wanted to make sure he was okay!
To his embarassment, Mika cupped his hands around Yuu's face and tilted it upwards, so that it was opposite to his own. Mika's stupid blonde hair tickled Yuu's face. Stupid hair that he washed. He wore that dumb smile that made his stupid eyes twinkle, even more so in the dimmed lamp light. Stupid tiny nose and stupid cherry lips.
The truth was, he was so pretty it made Yuu kind of angry.
"Yuu."
"...yeah?"
He took back all the things he said about Mika licking his sugar when soft red lips met his, and all he could taste was sweet.