Work Text:
mutual reciprocity
Nekomaru Nidai noticed his boyfriend was acting very strange lately.
Due to their jobs, it was true that Nekomaru wasn’t around very often, traveling cross-country or even internationally in order to be with his teams, but Hajime easily busied himself in his absence as the manager of a local store chain.
This didn't stop them from texting or calling each other very frequently, to the point where one of the figure skaters he was training cheekily remarked that “he was two steps away from making out with the phone instead of the actual person.” She easily gained an additional hour of practice for that, much to their dismay.
When you’ve been in love with someone for that long, you start to notice even the little things between you, due to the bond you both share.
Hajime might be insecure of his position in the world because they told him he wasn’t talented, but he was always so sure when it came to Nekomaru, always doing his best to lend a hand or ear if he could do it, always staying by his side. However, when the topic of Nekomaru’s arrival to their apartment came up…
“Hajime, let’s go train the second I’m back! We can run through the tracks again! Or play rugby, or even go for a swim, since it’s so nice outside! I hope you haven't been slacking!”
Nekomaru hears clanking and assumes Hajime dropped a pot. After a second, Hajime resumes,
“A-are you sure you want to do that so soon after returning? You don't want to take a shower, or use the bathroom…?”
“Shit, you're right! Thanks for reminding me, Hajime!”
“Anyway… don’t worry about me. I already have something planned. Just wait, alright?”
“Eh… wait a minute—”
But it was too late. Hajime had ended the call early, which was strange. No matter how sleepy Nanami was on the other end while they played video games together, or no matter how much Komaeda rambled when he needed help with a problem, Hajime would never end the call first. It was a golden rule!
His voice was wavering too, and he never turned down the opportunity to exercise, only cut the timing down sometimes… something seriously was wrong.
Nekomaru shook his head. Rather than worry, it was better to trust his boyfriend. Misunderstandings in teams or relationships quickly and easily led to bad roads, and he sure as hell didn't want to assume things and cause trouble to his boyfriend. Hajime might be… planning a surprise, instead. That might be why his hands were held so close to his chest earlier.
Lifting his luggage seamlessly, he climbed the stairs, set them down, and rang the doorbell.
“C-coming!”
Hajime threw the door open, and set aside the mittens in his apron’s pockets to help Nekomaru.
“H-how was the flight back?”
“It was okay, although… why are these airplanes always so cramped…”
“That’s why I keep telling you to switch out of economy class! We have the money for that, anyway…”
“Nah, it's all good. I prefer to ride with my team anyway. Sleeping together in these conditions also brings us together in… what was the word again?”
Hajime sat him down and gave him a large glass of coconut water. “Camaraderie?”
“Yes, that!”
Nekomaru easily gulped it down, yelling out his refreshed sigh. Hajime watched him with a fond smile on his face as his boyfriend relaxed on the couch like the big, round cat he was.
A spark went off in Hajime’s mind.
“Oh no—the pasta!”
Nekomaru peered up from behind the arm of the sofa. “Pasta?”
But Hajime already tore into the kitchen. “Shit,” he yelled, gripping the pot desperately. “It’s overcooked…!”
Nekomaru stood behind him, surveying the dishes on the stove. There was the rich, tomato-based soup he commonly made for his own weak heart, the salmon, with lightly seared, perfectly crispy skin—and lastly, the overcooked pasta Hajime was holding, with the basil and pesto mixture with cod roe set to the side.
“Hajime… you made all this…?”
Hajime looked up, a blush high on his face. “Well, it was supposed to be better, I just wanted to do something for you…”
Nidai cocked his head to the side and put his hands on Hajime’s shoulders. “Hajime—”
“I know, I know. I don’t have to do this. But what if I want to, Nekomaru?”
“Nonsense. You've already been there for me plenty, and that’s enough! I won't let you talk like that again!”
“It's not about me, Nekomaru!” Hajime was about to tear out his hair from frustration. “It's about you!”
“What about me? Did I do something wrong?”
“No, nothing of the sort! In fact, it's the opposite. You’re such a good boyfriend and coach to everyone, you always take time out of your day when anyone else has a problem… and it's exactly that I have a problem with!”
That took Nekomaru aback. “Huh…? What do you mean?”
But Hajime wasn’t about to stop his tirade. “Even before we were dating, you were always like this! You wouldn't let anybody cheat off you when we were in high school, but don't pretend it was an “accident” when you slid a three-hundred page review sheet under my desk for that Biology final! Or whenever it was going to rain today, whether I brought my umbrella or not, you always managed to sneak one into my locker… and even the last time you were here in the winter, when it was too cold and I was shivering through my letterman, you gave me your coat, and when we both proceeded to get sick because we were waiting for the bus in heavy snowfall for over two hours, you made me soup even though you couldn't stop sneezing without having to go to the bathroom! Honestly,” he sighs, realizing he made himself tired by yelling and removed the pointer finger he kept jabbing into Nekomaru’s chest, suddenly refusing to look at him as he let his arm fall limp. “Would it be too much to ask that I take care of my boyfriend for once?”
Nekomaru’s shock, to his credit, morphs into a full, gap-toothed smile, and a fullbody laugh. “Wahahaha, now that's my Hajime! I suppose I have been a bit negligent of my health these days when I sacrifice myself for others all the time. But even though that's what the “Coach” Nidai is expected to do, I guess things are a little different now, huh. I’m your boyfriend Nekomaru, and I come to you at the end of the day now. Is that so?”
“Then if you get it, stop rationalizing and sit down and eat,” Hajime says, emitting a glare that would put the strictest of parents to shame.
Nekomaru eagerly helped himself to the soup first, not realizing just how hungry he was. Upon taking a sip, he bellowed, “Delicious!” and Hajime looked on fondly, a self-satisfied smile pulling the corners of his mouth. Getting those tips from Hanamura was worth it after all.
Soon enough, the salmon and the cod roe pasta were gone, too, and Nekomaru pat his belly happily. “It was a good meal, Hajime! I appreciate it!”
“You don't need to thank me for that,” he chided gently. “Are you tired? You may want to sleep if that's the case.”
“Now that you mention it, the jetlag is bothering me a little, but I only just got back to you. Are you sure we shouldn't at least walk with the pets?”
“Hana ran around everywhere earlier today, the devil. She tuckered herself out waiting for you. Mi, on the other hand… hasn't moved all day. Anyway, I'm pretty sure if you try to get him to move you’ll just end up dragging the poor cat by the leash and he’ll scratch you anyway. It's okay, he wants to be fat and lazy,” Hajime said, leaning over to pet the sleeping cat on the other couch.
“I’ll convince Mi someday,” he clicked his tongue and leaned back.
“Sure you will,” Hajime said, clearly not buying it. “But if you're not even giving me an argument, that cramped airplane must have given you more trouble than you thought it did. If you don't fix your sleep schedule with a nap, you’ll make yourself feel worse in the long run. Now get up,” Hajime pulled on his boyfriend’s sleeve. “Let’s go to bed.”
Nekomaru sighed. It seemed it wasn't going to be easy to reason with him. When did his boyfriend become so strong? “Make me.”
Hajime rolled his eyes. “Nekomaru, you're not a grade schooler.” But without warning, he climbed into Nekomaru’s lap and leaned in to give him a slow, languid kiss before breaking away and standing back up.
“Well, you won't be getting anymore kisses at all until you come up to bed, so it’s your choice. We have a whole month ahead of us, you know. Can you even wait that long? I bet you can't.”
Nekomaru laughed again. Sometimes Hajime could be such a little shit. “Then,” he said, standing up and picking Hajime up easily, leaning into his face until their lips were ghosting one another, “should I steal one?”
Hajime’s surprise turned into laughter. “You're incorrigible!”
“I know,” he said, even though he didn't know what that word meant. “Anything for you.”
Hajime punched him in the arm lightly. “You dork. If you're going to do that you might as well cuddle with me.”
“If Hajime says so, then I won't complain,” he grins. “Time to get some good rest. A healthy sleep means a healthy body.”
Hajime smiled. “Was that so hard?”
“Not for you,” Nekomaru replied, rather sappily in Hajime’s opinion, but it made him… happy, nonetheless. “Never for you.”