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“Okay, Sakura-San! You better answer your phone when I call you later!” Nirei put his hands on his hips as he stood in the doorway, trying his best to look stern as he watched Sakura. Sugishita stood behind him, trying to add to the intimidation to help the little guy out.” I also want a text from you in a bit! Let me know if you need anything else and keep those bandages on your hand!”
“Okay, okay! I got it! Stop naggin’ me damn it!”
Momijikawa was at least a little relieved that Hakura had a little more life in his eyes currently. He didn’t really know what to expect when he got there but it wasn’t what he saw.
Before even seeing Hakura, the building he was living in was way less than desirable. He understood that Hakura lived on his own, but he didn’t think it would be in these conditions. It almost seemed more like a haunted building more than something a teenage boy should be living in alone.
The inside of his apartment was… something? He didn’t expect much when he saw the outside, so the inside didn’t take him by surprise. The lack of items though? That unsettled him a bit. Besides the pot he knew about and a handful of other things the place was just bare.
He didn’t seem to own anything that was personal to him, besides maybe his clothes. It made sense to him though. If everyone before this town treated him like shit, why would he have anything? He honestly is surprised he had what he did.
It made sense why Hakura never tried to invite him over. Since they had become friends he had Hakura over a few times to his place. He made him a couple of different meals and they mostly just chilled. He was happy to have some company and Hakura seemed happy to just exist in the space. Never once though did Hakura ever bring up his apartment, nor even the idea of him coming over there instead. Which was fine by him, he liked having Hakura at his home. It felt right to him.
Seeing the home he was in when he wasn’t over at Momijikawas, it made him feel some kind of way. Hakura was good, he was sweet, and he deserved more than this. The fact that he had been alone in here while so upset just wasn’t right. There wasn’t any warmth, no one to keep an eye on him.
It surprised him how well he kept it together so far. He watched as Nirei and Sugishita said their goodbyes or made their threats. He made the excuse he couldn’t leave yet till he cleaned all the dishes first. Which it wasn’t a lie, but he could have finished them a while ago.
He turned back to the dishes when he saw Hakura finally ushered them out, shutting the door softly behind them. He acted like he wasn’t listening, but took note when he heard the soft thump against the door.
“You don’t have to stick behind.. I’ll be okay now..”
Ah, there it is. Momijikawa shook his head before he went to look back at the shorter boy. He wasn’t looking at him, his eyes closed as he pressed his forehead against the door. He still looked so small, like he did when they first came in.
Grabbing the only hand towel he could find, Momijikawa dried his hands before he went to make his way over to the other boy.” You know I don’t leave dirty dishes behind.”
”I also know ya don’t wait this long to do them, nor take this long.” He turned his head, his eyes opening a little to watch him. The dark circles under his eyes were really noticeable now that he was up close.
He didn’t like them. They had no place on Hakura’s face. He was supposed to look grumpy and pouty, with big sparkling marble eyes. He could tell he hadn’t showered in a couple days, the way his usually fluffy hair sat flat on his head.
“Okay, you caught me. Is it so wrong to worry about my friend, Hakura?”
There it was, it was small and faint, but he could spot the starting of a blush on his friend’s cheeks. Every time he says his first name he blushes. It was honestly very cute. There was a small part of him that wished he could keep that blush just for himself but he knew there was no chance at that. The poor boy blushed at everything.
“I-It’s not but..” There was a little wobble to his voice as he casted his eyes back down to the ground.” I don’t want you to see me like this..”
“Why is that? You saw me in a pretty low time. Im not going to judge you.”
“B-Because I’m not supposed to be like this!” He watched as he clenched his fist, squeezing his eyes shut.” Im not supposed to…”
It didn’t take a rocket scientist to guess that he was taught he wasn’t supposed to show emotions like this. Whether it was because of the fucked up people he lived with, the bullies at school or just the mindset it was wrong for boys to show weakness, this wasn’t something that would be fixed over night. It didn’t stop Momijikawa from wanting to try though.
“Hakura. Can you face me for a moment?”
“Why?…”
”Just do it and quit being a brat.”
That did the trick. He watched the other’s eyes fly open before he went to turn on him to chew him out. The taller boy didn’t give him the chance though. The minute he was facing him he moved in to wrap his arms around his shoulders, pulling him into a slightly awkward hug.
It’s not like Momijikawa was an expert on things like this. Outside of hugs he got from his family it’s not like he hugs people. He didn’t do comforting. He wanted to for Hakura though.” You don’t have to tell me everything if you don’t want. Im not leaving though. Not till I know you are okay.”
He waited to get yelled at, to get hit or shoved away. He even expected him to just stand there like a rock like when Nirei tried hugging him earlier. Neither came though, instead he felt shaking hands come up and grab onto the front of his shirt. The taller boy was glad he couldn’t see his face, because he probably looked a bit shocked.
“W-Why does it hurt so much?.. i-Im used to being alone but this hurts the most..”
Fuck, why did hearing him like this make his chest hurt squeeze like this.
“Because it’s not the fact that you are alone that hurts, you know you’re not because you have friends. It hurts because you feel like you lost a friend. Thats the difference.”
“D-Did I.. C-Could I not have done something?.. H-He didn’t even say goodbye..”
Momijikawa went to reach up now to card his fingers into the back of Sakura’s hair, trying his best to keep his touch gentle. At least he kind of understood this. He knew loss, even if it was a bit different.” Remember what we talked about with the others? We are going to figure this out. I can tell you for sure it’s not your fault. That asshole has his own shit going on and unfortunately this is how he felt he needed to handle it.”
Hakura pressed his forehead into his chest, gripping onto him tighter.” I feel like everything is a lie..”
“I don’t know what lies he might have told you, but everything you have with your other friends isn’t a lie.” Momijikawa felt a lump form in his throat for a moment. He was out of his element here but he had to force himself to do this. He had to for his friend.” I know for a fact this right here isn’t a lie.”
He felt the shaking slow just a little, the other taking a deep breath.” Y-You wont leave.. will you?”
Momijikawa scuffed softly as he went to pull the other a little closer.” Sorry to tell you this, but you’re stuck with me for life.. Who else am I going to annoy the hell out of?”
He expected the usual snarky response back, or something along those lines. What him, and his heart, weren’t ready for was a soft voice as Hakura loosened his grip on his shirt a little.” You really don’t annoy me that bad.. Im glad you’re here..”
The hot feeling of a blush spreading across his cheeks nearly distracted him from how fast his heart started beating. Did this guy even know what he did to him?
It was easy enough to ignore the crush he had on the other when it came to making sure he was okay. It didn’t make it easy when he said things like that.” Y-Yeah.. whatever.”
The shorter boy tilted his head a bit to look up at him, his eyes widening just a bit when he saw the blush on Momijikawa’s face.” Are ya blushin’?..”
“No!.. It’s just a little hot in here is all!..”
“No it’s not? It’s cold as hell in here..” Almost like he remembered that fact he shivered hard in his arms. Shit, he was just in a long sleeve shirt and boxers wasn’t here. He looked so exhausted when they got there that they hadn’t made him put pants on.
“Whatever..” Momijikawa let him go before going to move his hand to the top of his hair to ruffle it.” Okay, go get back under your blanket. I’ll finish up in here.”
There was a moment where Hakura didn’t let him go, seeming like he was mauling something over. He gave him a moment to get his thoughts together before watching as he shifted his eyes to the ground.” Y-You.. you don’t have to leave after your done if you don’t want too..”
It took Momijikawa a moment to realize what had been said to him before an easy going smirk spread across his face.” Oh I see, you want me to stay don’t you?”
He watched as the shorter one bristled for a second before he turned to look at him, his face red once more.” I-I didn’t say tha-“
Momijikawa stopped him with a raised hand before he went to snicker softly.” Don’t worry, Hakura. I already brought some spare clothes, so I’ll be staying the night actually.”
“W-What?! You are staying the night?! I-I Dont have anything for that!”
The taller boy shrugged before going to grab the other’s shoulders to turn him around before going to start pushing him to his futon.” I’ll figure it out. Now go lay down.”
Hakura let out a huff as he got pushed but didnt stop it either.” Fine fine.. Quit with the pushin’.”
Momijikawa released him when they got over to the futon before he went to point to it.” Done bury yourself either. You need some light.”
Hakura grumbled softly under his breath before he went to get down to climb back into his spot. The taller boy pointedly looked away when he noticed how the other was bent over to get back in his spot. That was an imagine he did not need visiting him later when he is here trying to be helpful.
Once he made sure Hakura was situated he went to turn to head back to the kitchen to finish the dishes. He brought his cleaning supplies as well so he might as well get to touching the place up while he was here.
Honestly it would just be easier if the other boy just moved in with him. This place needed more than just cleaning. It needed new everything and it would take forever to fill it with things to make it feel like a home. His home was ready to go, plus it would be easier to keep an eye on him. Cooking for him would be way easier as well.
Maybe once this shit storm passes he would ask him. Now definitely wasn’t the time. For now, it was time to put in some elbow grease.
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“I could have helped clean ya know?..”
Momijikawa looked over at the other when he heard him talk, currently bent over the table as he finished wiping it down. So far he had gotten the kitchen to as close to sparkling as it probably ever would be, the table was the final piece. He had shred his jacket and scarf a while ago, his long sleeves pushed up to his elbows as he worked.
Could he have had Hakura help him? Sure. He didnt need it though and he was worried he might fall over with how tired he looked.
“It’s fine, Im finishing up in here now.” He went to sit up to stretch, noticing the other watching him closely from where he had sat up in his futon. He noticed a small blush once more but passed it off as him mad he didnt get to help.” Why dont you go shower and I’ll work out here?”
That earned him a huff and a pout.” I can clean out here.. I didnt want ya to stay just to clean.”
Momijikawa smirked ever so slightly as he went to move to the entrance of the room before he leaned on the door way, crossing his arms over his chest.” Sure, but I want to clean. Now quit arguing and go shower. I dont need you stinking up the place.”
He was glad he already was watching the boy, it made it easier to dodge the incoming pillow to his head.” I-I dont stink! Shut the hell up!”
Even with his protest he watched the shorter boy throw his blanket off and get up. Momijikawa suppressed his smirk this time before he went to look around to see what needed done in this room.” Dont forget a change of clothes.”
“…I dont have any clean ones so you’re gonna have to deal.”
Momijikawa shook his head. He should have figured he hadn’t done laundry if this has been taking up most of his time. The taller boy walked over to his bag to grab his spare long sleeve he brought before going to throw it at the other. He snickered a bit when Hakura let out a noise when his shirt fell on top of his head.” Just wear some of mine then. We can go tomorrow for laundry.”
He noticed the blush that crept up onto the top of the other’s ears as he held the shirt close before he went to head into his bathroom.” W-Whatever.. the shower is yours once im done.”
Hakura didnt even wait for a response before he went to shut the door behind him. It brought a fond smile onto Momijikawa’s face as he went to get to work on picking up the room. Picking it up was really an overstatement, he mostly grabbed the clothes that were on the floor and got them situated to get washed later. There were a couple of random items on the ground, but they didn’t seem to have a spot so he left them alone for now.
If only he had brought his mop and duster, he could have really put some work in. If he would have brought them then the other two might have had a fit though.
Wait, there were all the gifts the others brought him. He could definitely put those up for him. He went to make his way to the bags on the counter to look through them before raising an eyebrow. Most of it was snacks or sugary drinks, he did spot what looked to be some sandwiches from Pothos in there as well.
He already knew Hakura didn’t have anything food wise here, and these didn’t count as meals. Maybe he should start meal prepping some and giving them to Hakura when he couldn’t come visit. It would make things easier for his friend and give him some peace of mind.
He must have been lost in thought because he didn’t hear the bathroom door open as he put up the snacks. The sound of light snickering behind him nearly made him drop the drink he was holding.” Should I expect labels on my cabinets next?..”
Momijikawa turned so he could give a snarky response of his own but froze when he saw Hakura. He had seen him in his clothes before, but it had been old stuff that he couldn’t even fit in anymore. Seeing him now in nothing but his boxers and one of Momijikawa’s new shirts, which fully covered the boxers, had him blushing something fierce.
It definitely didn’t help when he lifted up his towel to dry his hair better, the shirt lifting enough to give him a just a peak of his boxers.” Why are ya all red again? If you’re sick I’m kickin’ your ass.”
The taller boy turned back around to face the cabinet, trying hard not to bang his head against the cabinet to calm himself down.” I already told you, Im just hot right now.” He went to put the last drink away before he went to turn so he could head for the bathroom himself.” Im going to hop in the shower now.”
“Okay just um…”
The hesitation in the other’s voice had him stopping to turn around to look at him. The smaller boy was looking down at the ground, his towel covering his face from his view.” It’s not much to look at.. So sorry..”
That shouldn’t have squeezed his heart the way it did but fuck. Before he knew it he was back tracking toward the other before he went to put a hand on top of the towel.” A showers a shower, don’t worry about it.”
The shorter boy peaked up at him from under the towel before going to let out a sigh.” Yeah yeah.. There should be plenty of hot water..”
That brought a smirk onto Momijikawa’s face.” Worried about my comfort? Are you getting soft on me?”
That earned him a kick to his shin that he could tell didn’t have much power behind it. The small blush he got was well worth it.” Asshole! I hope ya slip and fall!”
“No you don’t, but keep telling yourself that.” He went to lightly push his head as he went to walk off, grabbing his shirt and sweats out of his bag along the way.
As he headed into the bathroom he saw that the place was just as bare as the rest of the apartment. He also noticed the lack of steam or condensation on the mirror. He tested the water and after a moment it did come out hot. Did Hakura take a cold shower? When it was already cold in the apartment? This guy was going to be the death of him.
Not wanting the other to dive back into whatever dark thoughts he was having, Momijikawa decided to take a quick shower. He was also hoping with a short shower he wouldn’t linger on the image of Hakura in just his shirt. This was not the time nor the place.
He was pretty proud of himself for keeping a straight head when they first arrived and Sugishita oh so rudely yanked the blanket off of Hakura. It probably helped he was on a mission and the other two were there. Kept his head on straight.
Once he finished he hopped out and went to quickly get dressed. He tried not to pry too much but he couldn’t help but noticed the lack of.. well everything. Maybe he should just invite him over more often, then the idea of moving in wont be so bad.
As he headed out of the bathroom he had a glance around, drying his hair with his towel. He found Hakura back in his futon, but he was at least sitting up and looked to be scrolling through his phone. It was dark out now and the dim light in the room made the dark circles under his eyes look worse.
Momijikawa made his way over before going to sit on the floor next to him.” Anything interesting?”
Hakura glanced over at him before letting out a sigh.” Everyone was really worried about me…”
“I could have told you that much.”
”Yeah well Shuddup…” The other boy ran a hand through his hair before he went to glance at Momijikawa.” Ya really plan to stay the night here?”
The taller boy shrugged before he went to rest his towel over his shoulders so he could lean back on his hands.” I cant make sure you are okay otherwise.”
“Then you’re takin’ the futon tonight.”
”Huh? Thats not happening. This is your apartment, you’re sleeping in your futon.”
“Well you’re my guest, so I’m givin’ it to you tonight!”
“Well that’s too bad, Im not letting you sleep without it.”
He felt a triumphant smirk cross his face when he thought the other was about to give up, but sadly he couldn’t have been more mistaken. The dual colored boy glared at him before going to point a finger at him.” Fine asshole, we are sharin’ then!”
Momijikawa felt like his brain might have short circuited for a split second. Share the futon? Did that really come from Hakura? The guy who gets flustered just from having his hair ruffled?
Hakura seemed to have thought he won, if the small smirk on his face was anything to go off of.” Yeah. If ya don’t want to share a futon then ya better just take it for yourself.”
Oh so that’s how he wanted to play it? Fat chance he was going to let that work. Time to call his bluff.
Momijikawa shrugged before he went to take his towel off his shoulders so he could hang it up.” Fine. Better make some room then.”
“W-What?! Y-You… There’s no way you actually want to share with me!”
”Why not? I already share my clothes with you, I share my cooking with you, what’s a futon at this point?” He went to grab Hakura’s towel off the ground as well before he went to get up so he could hang both up to dry. Surely he will give up here.
He glanced back at him and caught that his ears were bright red in the dim room light. He looked like he was about to explode.” I-If you take all of the blanket we are gonna have a problem…”
This guy was serious? Damn it. He was so screwed. If he backed out now it would seem to Hakura like he was the problem. Okay, he could do this. It was just sharing a futon. If he just kept his back to the other boy then nothing could go wrong.
After he had to towels hung up and turned the lights off he heard the other boy shuffle in the futon.
With one quick deep breath Momijikawa went to turn to make his way over to the futon. Even though the room was darker now he could see that the other was laid on the far side of the futon, his back facing him. Looks like they had the same idea.
He tried not to disturb the other as he got under the covers, also putting himself as close to his edge as well.
It might have just been him but the silence now seemed a little thick, like both of them were waiting for something to happen. What that was? He had no idea. He heard the other shift behind him but stayed where he was. He probably was just trying to get comfortable is all.
“Thank ya for stayin’ Sakae..”
It was said so softly that he almost missed it, fortunately it was so quiet he caught it. This was the first time the other had said his first name, even though Momijikawa had been using his for a while now. He knew it was probably a bad idea, but he turned to face the other boy anyways.
To his surprise Hakura was already facing him, his cheek squished against the ugly pillow he had in the room. He would have thought he looked cute, if it wasn’t for the wetness in his eyes.
Steeling his nerves, Momijikawa moved a bit closer. Maybe less distance would make him more comfortable.” You don’t have to thank me, Hakura. This is something i wanted to do.”
“Why though?.. It’s not like ya owe me anythin’..”
Momijikawa rolled his eyes now.” We aren’t getting into that. Once you have more energy we can argue about this.”
“I ain’t arguin’!… I just don’t know how I’ll pay ya back is all.”
“You can pay me back by getting some sleep.”
“I’d rather not have another nightmare with someone here, thanks…”
Momijikawa went to sit up on his elbow before going to look around the room.” Do you have anything that comforts you here?”
“What like a damn teddy bear? Im not five ya know.”
“Not saying that you are. Maybe having something that brings you comfort will help ward off the dreams. I do that wi-“ Before Momijikawa could finish his sentence he felt a hand reach out and grab the front of his shirt. There was a split second of confusion from him before he felt himself yanked down so he was right by Hakura. Damn, he forgets just how strong this guy really is.
“Hakura, what are you doing?”
“You said to get something that comforts me and have it close. Thats what I’m doin’.” He couldn’t see it well, but he knew for a fact the other boy was blushing up a storm.” So this better work.”
Hakura wanted him close because he brought him comfort? Him? Fuck now he was blushing too. He couldn’t let him down now though hearing this.
Slowly settling back down in case the other changed his mind, Momijikawa went to put his arm around the other.” If it doesn’t you have permission to kick my ass.”
He felt his heart pick up speed as Hakura laid his head against his chest, keep his hold on his shirt tight.” I’ll just settle on more of your cookin’…”
This had to be a dream, surely. No way this was happening currently. It had to be real though, the warmth from the other felt too real for this to be a dream.
Momijikawa went to open his mouth to say something but stopped himself when he felt the moment the other’s body fully relaxed. The soft puffs of sleepy breath he felt against his chest helped him settle down himself. Maybe having gotten no sleep was making him more soft at the moment. This was fine, he could handle this.
Tomorrow was a new day and he planned to spend all of it helping the other out, however that looked. Maybe he could convince him to come and stay at his place till they figured things out. It was better than staying in this place alone.
Maybe he would talk about these feelings he has been harboring as well. For now though he tightened his arm around the other as he buried his face into the other’s hair.” Good night, Hakura…”