Chapter Text
Kuramochi grunted as he taped off a box of fragile objects. It was hard to believe that he was moving again before even graduating. Wiping the sweat off his forehead, he turned to check on the rest of the group. “How’s the progress, guys?”
“I finished packing the sheets!” Haruichi replied.
“I…” Sawamura panted from the exertion of adding a heavy box of electrical devices to the rest of the box pile. “...have nearly completed my Box Push Training!” Furuya quietly snored from where he snoozed leaning against the pile.
“And I…finished telling Sawamura which boxes to move,” Miyuki announced without looking up from his phone, wearing an infuriating smirk.
“Oi, don’t leave all the work to your juniors! Get off your ass and help!” Kuramochi kicked him in the shin.
“Ow! Okay, okay, I guess I’ll step up and be a good senior. Plus I can’t leave my boyfriend hanging.” He got up and planted a kiss on Sawamura’s cheek, making him giggle.
Haruichi sighed and attempted to shake Furuya awake. “Wake up, Furuya-kun. Please don’t leave me alone with all these couples.” The sleepy boy grumbled incoherently and reluctantly let Haruichi pull him to his feet.
Satisfied with the others’ progress—well, only halfway satisfied really, but he’d take what he could get from this ragtag group— Kuramochi proceeded to check in with Ryousuke, who was bent over some paperwork at his desk, muttering to himself.
“You doing alright?”
“Well, I have to balance the chaos of moving with my impending graduation and full shifts at the bookstore, so I’m just peachy really.”
“Hey, let us worry about packing.” Kuramochi rested his hands on Ryousuke’s shoulders. “You’ve got enough on your plate already, the least we could do is take care of this for you.”
Back at the box pile, Sawamura bounced on his feet and saluted. “We’re at your service, Onii-san!”
“The room was almost completely unpacked when we started, now we’re almost done,” Miyuki added. “Are there any reasons to doubt us?”
Ryousuke massaged his temples. “I can come up with plenty of reasons, but…thanks. I appreciate your help.”
“Wow, a rare moment of straightforward appreciation with no tsundere strings attached!” Miyuki quipped.
Haruichi nodded. “I can’t even remember the last time he willingly said something so nice.”
“Don’t push it, you two.”
Everyone laughed, lightening the mood of the exhausted group. Gently coaxing Ryousuke away from his desk, Kuramochi started brainstorming. “Since there’s not much else we can get done while our brains are overloaded with stress, why don’t we all go out somewhere and have some fun!”
“Like where?”
“Anywhere! Throw out some ideas, guys!”
“We could go to a cafe.”
“How about a movie?”
“Batting cages!”
“Let’s do it all!” Kuramochi exclaimed. “We might not all be able to hang like this again for a while, let’s raise hell while we can! What do you say, Ryou-san?”
“Weren’t you guys already planning a big celebration for after I graduate?”
“Any time of the year is a good time to celebrate you, Onii-san!”
“Wait, weren’t we keeping that a surprise?” Miyuki raised an eyebrow.
“That’s right!! How did you find out?!”
“Just listen to the volume of your voice right now and you’ll know how.”
“Awww! Now we have to come up with a whole new surprise!”
“Eijun-kun, we don’t have time to start all over!” Haruichi chided. “The celebration will be fun even if it’s not a surprise,”
“Fiiine, but I’m picking a new gift!”
Despite the disappointment of their surprise getting spoiled, his friends’ antics kept Kuramochi’s mood elevated. He grabbed his jacket and turned back to Ryousuke. “Ready to go?”
“Ready to ‘raise hell,’ as you put it.”
-
Lit by flashing neon, the streets at night were abuzz with scores of people chatting animatedly on the way to their various activities. Kuramochi took it all in while breathing in the scent of ramen from the restaurant they just passed. In front of him, Miyuki walked with his arm around Sawamura, who was locked into a heated debate with Furuya over which way a dog would wear pants, while poor Haruichi played the reluctant mediator. He and Ryousuke hung behind the others, comfortable simply being near each other without saying anything. Thinking about how the two of them would soon look down on all this scenery from their own apartment, Kuramochi drifted closer and held his boyfriend's hand. “Not a bad spot for future dates, don't you think?”
“Perhaps. Not that we'll have much time for that until we settle into the new place.”
“Don't worry, I won't put even more on your shoulders when you're already working so hard. You spent all that time saving up for us to keep being roommates after your graduation, the least I can do is carry on some of the planning from here. You can leave the dates to me!”
Ryousuke chuckled. “Give it your best shot. I'll be grading your ideas strictly.”
“Bring it on! I'll be the teacher's pet in no time!”
The four in front of them stopped walking. “Hey, why don't we stop in here first?” Haruichi suggested, pointing to a small café tucked between a nail salon and a guitar store. The sign at the top displayed the name The Steam Scene in tastefully subtle lighting.
“Fine by me,” said Ryousuke.
“Alright, everybody into the coffee shop!” Kuramochi commanded.
Impressed murmurs emanated from the group as they filed into the café and observed the atmosphere. A quiet smooth jazz song instantly put them at ease, along with the numerous plants decorating the room. At this time of night, the natural wooden seats were occupied mostly by college students pulling all-nighters (to varying levels of success, Kuramochi thought, noting the group in the corner that had pushed their books aside in favor of filming each other goofing off). A tired barista greeted them from behind the register. It was so relaxing, the complete opposite of Mister Smoothie in almost every way.
Once he and his friends placed their orders, Kuramochi slid into a booth with Ryousuke at his side. He took a sip of his mocha and savored the taste of chocolate on his tongue, refreshing after the cavalcade of mystery flavors he’d grown used to (though he did eventually become fond of the novelty). Without the loud decor, it was much easier to focus on the conversation happening around him.
“Honestly, I wouldn’t mind owning a place like this someday,” Ryousuke mused with a twinkle in his eye. “So nice and quiet.”
Kuramochi nodded. “Yeah, this vibe really suits you.”
“Ooh! If you open your own café, will you let me work for you Onii-san?!”
Snickering, Miyuki wiped a droplet of foam smudged on Sawamura’s lip with his thumb. “Did you miss the part where he said he wants the place to be quiet?”
“H-hey!”
“Indeed. I would make a much better employee,” argued Furuya.
“That’s not true! I can be quiet if I want to!!!”
“Oh, don’t you two start while we’re in a spot that’s supposed to be peaceful!” Haruichi groaned.
Snorting at the ensuing squabble, Kuramochi leaned over to whisper to Ryousuke. “Quite the successful businessman, eh? People are already fighting to work for you!”
“I’ll be sure to put Thing One and Thing Two down as references from now on.”
Sawamura paused the debate to chime in. “I know you are joking, but it is true that even if you do not employ us, we will always be your biggest supporters!”
The table voiced their agreement, and even as he sipped his coffee to hide it, Ryousuke’s smile didn’t go missed by anyone. How lucky Kuramochi was to be able to see that smile up close every day, to even be the cause of it. Thinking back on how they ended up here, he remembered that it all started when he followed Ryousuke to his mystery job. Now, Kuramochi was willing to stay by his side no matter what he went.
“I think I’m quite looking forward to what comes next, after all,” Ryousuke confessed.
“Good.” Kuramochi grinned from ear to ear. “We’re just getting started!”