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Tanaka filled the mug with espresso and glanced back up at the customer. She was young and cute, the kind that only had to smile and she lit up a room. He hummed as he finished steaming the milk and brought it toward the mug. Swirling the milk inside and tipping the mug, he created a delicate flower made of froth.
“Here ya go!”
“Oh, it’s so cute! Thank you!”
“My pleasure. Have a good one!”
As she walked away, Tanaka was relieved to find no one else in line. Ever since he came in that morning, there’d been a constant flow of people and he’d hardly had time to take a breath. He sighed and took the chance to wipe off the counter and all the equipment.
When he graduated from high school, he had planned on going straight to a local university although he wasn’t entirely certain what direction he wanted to take. He worked his ass off during the application process and managed to be accepted, but he never had the chance to try college out. His great aunt Miyako passed away and her remaining family was left with the responsibility of her greatest treasure; her charming cafe.
Tanaka had worked in it occasionally during school breaks, but when none of his cousins wanted to take responsibility for it, he and Saeko stepped up to take it over. Together, they fixed it up and to their surprise, the cafe was making great business. There was only one catch: their great aunt Miyako never left.
Tanaka sighed once everything was wiped down and straightened up. He blinked when he saw most of the patrons staring at the menu board above his head with confusion and apprehension. Craning his head up, he squawked when he saw a piece of chalk scrawling across it, moving entirely on its own.
He glanced back at the patrons and laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. “Amazing technology we have, right? A little unsettling though, so I’ll just—”
He quickly ran into the back of the cafe, snatched up a step ladder, and went back to the front. Luckily, most of the customers had gone back to their coffee and paid him little attention as he ran up the steps until he was even with the menu board. He paused as he watched the chalk finish a perfect rose amid a sea of hearts, one of his aunt’s specialties when she was alive. Decorating for the passing seasons was always one of her favorite things to do, and none did she love more than Valentine’s Day.
“Oba, can’t you do this after we close?” he whispered, pinching the piece of red chalk between his fingers. He scrunched his face as he tried prying it away from the chalkboard, but Miyako was as strong as a ghost as she was stubborn. “Please let go, Oba? I’m going to fall and break my head!”
At that, the chalk finally came loose, and Tanaka rolled his eyes as he made his way carefully down the step ladder. When his feet finally landed on the floor, he heard someone behind him clear his throat.
“Sorry! Be with you in a minute.”
“That’s fine. Looks like I caught you at a bad time, Tanaka-san.”
Tanaka froze, immediately recognizing the teasing voice. It was a bit deeper than the last time he’d heard it, but there was no mistaking it. He turned around and gawked at the tall, handsome blonde standing in front of him. Instead of wearing a school uniform or volleyball kit, he was dressed in a gray Henley that fit snugly over his broad chest and long waist with a hooded jacket over top of it. Perhaps he was staring a bit too long because Tsukishima’s smirk was growing with amusement.
“Sorry,” Tanaka laughed, running his hand through his hair that he was wearing a little longer on top than he used to. His cheeks warmed as Tsukishima’s eyes followed the action and lingered on his new hairdo. “How ya doin’ Tsukki?”
Tsukishima’s eye twitched at the nickname but he didn’t bother correcting it. “I’m doing well. I’m at Sendai University. Weren’t you going somewhere?”
“Oh, my aunt passed away, so Saeko and I took the business over.”
“I see… that apron suits you,” he leered as his eyes traveled down to the frilly pink apron with the coffee shop’s logo on it.
“Ha ha. It was my aunt’s. We haven’t updated a lot of the decor yet, but the business is doing well, so hopefully soon. Then we can get new aprons as well.”
“Aww, that’s a shame. I like those ones.”
Tanaka scoffed and was about to respond when he felt something poking at his leg. He glanced down and found that it was a whisk moving on its own, nudging his shin.
He was teasing, Oba, he thought, wishing she could also read minds.
Turning back to Tsukishima, he cleared his throat and leaned forward on the counter. “So, what can I get for ya?”
Tanaka frowned when Tsukishima failed to answer, seeming a little distracted. He tried following his line of sight, but it seemed like he was staring at his biceps that were flexed as he rested his forearms on the counter.
“Tsukki?”
Tsukishima flinched. “Huh?”
“I asked what I can get for ya? Unless you came in here just to poke fun at my fashion choices.”
“Oh, well as fun as that was, I did come in here for a coffee and maybe uh…” He craned his head down to peek at the pastry and baked goods case.
Tanaka chuckled. “We’ve got a great strawberry shortcake if you’d like to try it.”
“Why did you suggest that?”
“It’s your favorite, isn’t it?”
“You remember that?”
Tanaka shrugged. “Sure. I remember most people’s.”
Tsukishima narrowed his eyes. “What was Ennoshita-san’s?”
“He prefers chocolate pudding.”
“And Nishinoya-san’s?”
“Anything with sprinkles. He’s not so picky.”
Tsukishima relaxed and snickered. “Yeah, that sounds about right. I guess I’ll have a coffee and strawberry shortcake.”
“Coming right up!”
Tanaka quickly rang him up and while Tsukishima counted out some bills, he opened up the case and wrapped up a little shortcake. “You eating it here, Tsukki? Or do you need it to go?”
“To go.”
“Aww, shame. I thought maybe we could catch up.”
He glanced up from placing the packaged shortcake into a to-go bag. Tsukishima’s lips were pinched tight and his cheeks had a slight pink tint to them. He was always a good-looking kid but seeing him older and more mature was making Tanaka’s heart pound in an uncomfortable way. Even the severity of his teasing was softer, even borderline affectionate. Tanaka craved to hear more of it.
“I might come back another day,” Tsukishima said finally, handing over the bills. “I have a class to get to soon.”
“Gotcha. Here’s your shortcake. Let me just whip up your coffee.”
He turned around and began filling one of the take-out cups with coffee when he felt something pulling on his pant leg. Tanaka winced and looked down, wondering what Miyako would want now. He blinked, seeing a message written out on the tile floor with the chalk he had already confiscated from his dead aunt.
Ask him for his number! He’s cute.
After the words were several intricate hearts blossoming like a flower and Tanaka glanced up to make sure Tsukishima didn’t notice. Quickly, he scuffed his shoe against the tile to erase what he could while trying not to spill the coffee. Once it was full, Tanaka quickly put a lid on it and handed it across the counter to Tsukishima. Not that he wanted to get rid of him, but his aunt was particularly ornery that day for some reason.
“Here it is! Our specialty coffee. Don’t be a stranger, Tsukishima!”
Tsukishima huffed out a laugh. “I won’t. I need to come back to get a picture of you to send to Yamaguchi, otherwise, he wouldn’t believe me.” He paused as he turned around, taking one last gander over Tanaka. “Hmm, maybe I’ll send it to the rest of the old team as well. I’m sure they’d appreciate it.”
Tanaka rolled his eyes and waved him away. “Ha ha, get outta here, ya bastard.”
Tsukishima laughed and walked away. Before he went through the doors, Tanaka got a good look at his long legs in his dark jeans and resisted the urge to whistle. When Tsukishima was his kouhai, he always tried hard not to check him out, although he always had a thing for long legs.
Well, technically he’s not my kouhai anymore.
The pull on his leg started again, hard enough to jerk his foot back.
“What?! Oh, sorry,” he apologized to the other patrons who were still in the dining room. He looked down and groaned at the cutesy chalk scrawl on the tile.
Coward.
Tanaka sighed and looked around. Most of the customers had gone back to their coffee and conversations, so he bent down to pretend like he was restocking the shelves.
“Listen,” he whispered so only his dead aunt could hear, “he’s my underclassman from Karasuno. It’s complicated.”
Why? She wrote out.
“It just is. If he comes back, I might turn up the flirting, but I couldn’t just straight up ask him for his number.”
I’ll talk to Saeko.
“You will not! Don’t involve her in this.”
Don’t speak to your aunt like that, she scolded, picking up a spatula and whacking him on the arm with it.
“Ouch! That’s enough,” he growled and wrenched the spatula away, putting it back where it belonged. He marched into the back to fill up a mop bucket and lugged it back up to wipe away all evidence of her romantic meddling. He knew that it wouldn’t stop her from talking to Saeko when she came in for her shift, but at least he wouldn’t see the evidence of their own conversation. He didn’t want to be reminded that perhaps it was a little cowardly of him not even to ask for Tsukishima’s number or flirt a little bit. After all, what did he have to lose?
For a week, both Miyako and Saeko heckled him over Tsukishima because of course Miyako told her all about it. Even then, his sister wouldn’t have poked too much except she noticed his blush when she first mentioned it and couldn’t resist making him miserable over it. It seemed that he was a masochist for wanting to be teased more but only from Tsukishima. Everyone else could go take a hike.
During his weekend shift, he thanked his lucky stars that not only did Tsukishima pay him another visit, but it was when Saeko wasn’t working. He knew Miyako would still be a pain, but maybe after he flirted a little bit, she’d chill out. But flirting was easier said than done, especially when Tsukishima sauntered toward him with his smirk already rising as he checked Tanaka’s apron out again.
“I thought you looked bright in our orange uniforms, Tanaka-san, but I need sunglasses to look at you in that outfit.”
“Ha! You’re one to talk about being bright, blondie. You look like a neon sign with that scarf of yours.”
Tsukishima frowned and looked down at it. He squinted and immediately looked away as if it burned his retinas to gaze at it.
“I needed a new scarf and unfortunately I mentioned it to my brother. He thought it would be funny to get me this,” he said, nodding down at the lime-green scarf.
Tanaka laughed. “That’s older siblings for ya. Mine would have bought me a rainbow or a frilly one.”
“At least you already know how well you look in frills,” Tsukishima sneered as he leaned forward. Tanaka’s cheeks warmed from his embarrassment, but his stomach flip-flopped at seeing Tsukishima’s face up close. He had changed the style of his glasses since graduating high school, opting for thinner frames instead. It allowed Tanaka to see more of his eyes than before and for a moment he lost himself in the light brown that shimmered like gold under the cafe lights.
“So,” he said, leaning in closer and giving Tsukishima’s scarf a little tug, “you have a thing for frills, Tsukki? I didn’t think you’d be so open about your kinks.”
Tanaka cheered internally as Tsukishima’s face flushed and he quickly backed away.
“I didn’t— it wasn’t, oh whatever. Can I have a cup of coffee?”
“Sure. You drinking it here?” Tanaka glanced up from his register to find Tsukishima contemplating it. When he finally nodded, Tanaka grinned. “Great! You want something sweet to go with it?”
His tone may have been a little thick with suggestion and Tsukishima definitely caught it as he narrowed his eyes.
“I’ll have something but maybe not so sweet.”
“Fair enough. This one’s nice,” he said, gesturing toward the baked goods case. Once Tsukishima had one picked out, he handed the pastry over on a plate and poured the coffee into one of their house mugs. For some reason, Tsukishima was quiet as he handed over the money. It was almost as if he didn’t trust himself to say anything, but it was disappointing for Tanaka. He was thankful Tsukishima was staying to eat so he could peek at him occasionally, but he sat in a booth across the dining room and was too far to talk to Tanaka while he worked. For the first time, he wished Saeko would come in so he could take a break.
More than anything, he was thankful that Miyako didn’t bother him during the entire exchange. It was humiliating enough last time but perhaps she wanted to see if he’d push the flirting a little more. He tried but he felt like Tsukishima wasn’t open to it. It stung a little, but he wasn’t going to hold it against him that he didn’t go for rough, muscular guys bedecked in a frilly apron. Everyone had their type.
It was the slow time in the afternoon, and it gave Tanaka a chance to restock a few items while he stole glances at Tsukishima in his booth. He snickered at the large headphones he had on, happy that he hadn’t changed too much since he’d last seen him. In between sips and bites, Tsukishima was staring down at his phone as he passed the time. Occasionally, he’d glance up, but Tanaka was quick to look away, pretending like he wasn’t obsessively checking out his old kouhai.
A couple of girls walked through the front door, giggling as they approached the counter. Tanaka turned to them with a wide grin, relieved to have something to distract him. They both ordered flavored lattes, each requesting their favorite patterns. He laughed and chatted with them as he created their concoctions, focusing hard as he poured the steamed milk into each of their mugs. When he presented them on the counter, the two girls squealed and thanked him over and over.
They both took a seat nearby and while he went about his busy work, he noticed them glancing back at him and whispering to each other. He smiled but mostly ignored them. It was always a boost to his ego when cute girls seemed interested in him and usually, he’d be interested in them right back. Unfortunately, there was something far more eye-catching in the dining room that day and Tanaka pouted that Tsukishima hardly looked his direction.
When Tanaka felt a pull on his pants leg, he sighed and looked down.
You should go talk to him!
Tanaka frowned and knelt below the counter. “I can’t,” he whispered back. “I’m working and besides, I don’t think he likes me like that. He just likes to tease.”
It took Miyako a bit to answer back as she wrote out the words on the tile. When she finished, Tanaka felt his pulse race.
He was watching you when you were with the girls. He looked jealous.
“He did not.”
Yes, he did. I have eyes.
“Do you? Ouch!”
“Something wrong, Tanaka-san?”
Tanaka straightened up so fast, he nearly bonked heads with Tsukishima who was leaning over the counter. “Sorry! Uh, no, I’m fine. Just, um, hit my knee on the shelf.”
Tsukishima raised one of his eyebrows. “I see.”
“Can I get you something else?”
“I was just curious what those two girls were so excited about. You know, besides you.”
Tanaka’s eyebrows shot up in surprise and Tsukishima cringed, knowing exactly how that sounded. The urge to tease him was overwhelming but Tanaka kept it refined to a smug grin.
“They ordered one of my lattes and I usually do art with the milk. Did you want one? I can put a flavor in it if you wanted just a bit sweeter.”
“Fine, maybe a caramel one,” he said, shrugging.
Tanaka nodded and rang it up. While he took the money from Tsukishima, he glanced at his button-down shirt that had been hidden before by his coat and scarf. His sleeves were rolled up to just below his elbow, showing off the swell of his arms.
He bit his lip as he counted out Tsukishima’s change. He had already made the decision to back off a little bit with the flirting, but Miyako had given him an extra dose of confidence.
Maybe a little bit more couldn’t hurt.
Dropping the change into Tsukishima’s palm, he made a big show of looking him over. “I still can’t believe how big you’ve gotten.” He chuckled as Tsukishima’s cheeks brightened but his expression remained cool as he smirked back at him.
“Does it make you sad that I’ve grown so much and you’ve just… stayed the same?”
“Stayed the same, my ass! Look at these muscles,” he said, rolling up his sleeves and flexing. Tsukishima looked away immediately, rolling his eyes. The two girls at the other table murmured with excitement as they watched him, but their view was cut off as Tsukishima stepped in front of him.
“Yes, you’re very impressive, Tanaka-san,” he droned. “Want to put those muscles to good use and get me my latte?”
Tanaka winked and picked a clean mug off the shelf, not bothering to roll down his sleeves. “Just for you, Tsukki.”
“And me being a paying customer has nothing to do with it?”
“As soon as I extend my repertoire of latte art, I’m going to give you one with a giant middle finger. For now,” he paused, steaming the milk up until it was hot and frothy, “I’ll give you something pretty that you don’t deserve.”
“If you can successfully make me a middle finger in a latte, I would be very impressed.”
“Oh yeah? I better work on it then.”
He knew a flower would probably be too pretty for Tsukishima to appreciate, so he stuck to a delicate leaf design. When he was finished, he hummed, impressing himself with how well it turned out.
“Here you are. What do you think?”
Tsukishima twisted his lips as he looked over the art critically. The very corner of his lips, however, were already pulling into a smile.
“It’s not bad.”
“Tastes good too.”
“I guess I’ll find out.” Tsukishima remained at the counter as he tipped the mug back against his lips. Tanaka’s eyes lingered on them, getting all sorts of tantalizing thoughts in his head. Tsukishima glanced up at him as he drank, his lips curling up around the rim of the mug. He pulled back and ran his lips over them, collecting every drop with a satisfied hum.
“Not bad.”
“Great.” Tanaka’s voice was strained and raspy, so he coughed into his shoulder to clear it out. “Great, I’m glad you like it.”
Tsukishima seemed pleased as he took his mug and went back to his booth. Tanaka exhaled slowly, trying to steal a glance at Tsukishima’s back without anyone noticing. His pant leg began pulling again and he tried ignoring it. Miyako must have gotten annoyed because she yanked so hard, Tanaka lost his balance and fell down behind the counter.
He heard the girls cry in alarm, so he yelled out a quick, “I’m okay!” to make sure they didn’t investigate. “Oba, calm down!”
You’re doing better, but you should turn up the heat.
“You’ve been watching too many soap operas.”
I haven’t been watching any, you foolish boy. You’re my only entertainment anymore.
“Gee, thanks,” he said, rolling his eyes. He felt a twinge of guilt, however. It was a surprising comfort having her spirit remain in the coffee shop, but sometimes he wondered if she’d be happier moving on to the afterlife. He patiently waited for her to finish writing out her response, fiddling with a piece of lace on his apron that was beginning to fray.
I care about you and want to see you with a clever hottie. Indulge your aunt and get him, will ya?
Tanaka chuckled. “I’ll do my best.”
Over the next month, the cafe saw Tsukishima as a regular patron, coming in at least two or three times a week. He claimed it was because it was so difficult finding a decent cup of coffee close to campus, but Tanaka knew better. He’d met Ennoshita near Sendai’s campus many times and the area had plenty of cute cafes with good coffee.
Soon all their initial testing and awkwardness had faded, and every interaction was thick with flirtatious teasing. The flutter his heart gave when Tsukishima wandered through the doors was becoming familiar and he was noticing slight tells of Tsukishima’s excitement as well, like nibbling his lip or avoiding Tanaka’s gaze as he dug his hands deep in his pockets.
Then one week, Tsukishima’s visits completely stopped. Every day would pass by and Tanaka’s gaze would lock on the door whenever he heard it open, only to be disappointed when it was never him. He wondered if he’d done something wrong, but he couldn’t think of anything. His last visit he had even made Tsukishima spit out his coffee from something he’d said. Even after all of that, he still hadn’t asked him for his number, something Miyako liked to remind him constantly. He just figured Tsukishima would keep coming and they’d get closer, but he hadn’t planned on him disappearing entirely.
It was the seventh day Tsukishima hadn’t made an appearance and the minutes were ticking closer to closing time. Tanaka sighed, wiping the already clean equipment. Every movement of his was sluggish and even Miyako backed off her teasing, leaving him little encouraging notes and pictures in random places. He smiled at them and tried humming along to the songs playing over the speakers, but nothing really made him feel better.
He checked the time and it was only a few minutes before it was time to close up. The coffee was too old to give out anyway, so he picked up the urn and shuffled into the back to dump it out. He set it over the sink and flipped the switch down to let it drain out into it. As he watched the leftover coffee spill out, he sighed, wishing that by some miracle he could see Tsukishima soon.
Since his third year of high school, he’d thought Tsukishima was hot, but it was never anything more than that. What started off as an unexpected reunion and a little crush had quickly developed into something deeper. The banter he shared with Tsukishima was always the highlight of his week and the withdraws were hitting him hard.
Tanaka flinched when he heard the cafe door open and checked his watch. There was only a minute left to closing and he groaned at the nearly empty urn. He tipped it back up even though it wasn’t even half empty so he could go up front and wait on the customer. Reaching out to flip the switch up, he yelped when the coffee suddenly spurted everywhere, soaking him completely.
“Tanaka-san? Are you okay?”
He had his shirt halfway up his torso when he heard Tsukishima’s voice in the next room and immediately froze. “Uh, yeah! I’m okay. Just a little accident.”
Slipping his shirt back down, he grimaced from the feeling of the wet cloth against his skin and shuffled through the kitchen door. Tsukishima’s eyes widened when he saw him but despite his tired and haggard appearance, he immediately smirked.
“Do you love coffee so much that you bathe in it, Tanaka-san?”
“Ha! You know me. I was just about to close up, what are you doing here so late?” he asked as he moved around the corner to enter the dining room. Tsukishima followed him with his gaze, watching as he wandered to the front door to lock it and turn the Open sign to Closed.
“I was in the area and I thought I’d stop by. I don’t really need anything, so you can continue closing up.”
“Thanks.” He finished pulling down the shades and turned back to Tsukishima, feeling a bit bashful with the intimacy of the closed cafe. Still, he missed Tsukishima and couldn’t resist coming closer. “You look exhausted,” he said, noticing the circles under Tsukishima’s eyes.
Tsukishima winced and ran his hand through his hair. “It’s been a hard week with finals. I’ve spent most of my time in the library and my roommate doesn’t believe in sleep, playing his music loudly all night.”
“Bastard.”
Tsukishima snickered. “Yeah, definitely. Sorry, I’m keeping you from…”
“No, no! Honestly, I’m really glad to see ya. I was worried.”
“Oh, sorry.”
“Nah, it’s not your fault. I keep forgetting to get your number and then I could have checked on you. I should get back to cleaning up. Do you want to come back and keep me company?”
It may have been Tsukishima’s exhaustion or Tanaka’s hopeful imagination, but Tsukishima’s smile was the warmest he’d ever seen him make. As much as he wanted to gaze at it forever, he also wished he could hop up into those long arms of his and kiss the smile from his lips.
“Yeah, I’d like that. At least then I can make fun of you when you pour more coffee all over yourself.”
“Ugh, speaking of which—” Tanaka groaned as he pulled the sopping material over his head and wadded it up in a ball. When he glanced up and saw Tsukishima’s mouth hanging open, he burst out laughing. “What the hell is with you? It’s not like I’ve never stripped in front of you.”
“Well, yes, but that was a long time ago.”
“I guess. So, what do you think now, Tsukki?” he asked in his deepest voice, stepping forward into Tsukishima’s space. “Have I gotten bigger?”
Tsukishima narrowed his eyes down at him, his lips twisted to the side. “Maybe a little in the hips,” he snickered, reaching down to pinch his side.
Tanaka gasped and hopped up to wrap his arm around Tsukishima’s neck, pulling him down to rub his knuckles over his scalp. “You bastard, take that back!”
“Tanaka-san, your chest— you’re not wearing a shirt!”
“Enjoy it while you can! Not many get touching privileges.”
Tsukishima clicked his tongue and reached up to pinch his pectoral. Tanaka squawked and released him, rubbing his tender skin with a pout. He wanted to scold Tsukishima for doing it but when he straightened up, he looked like he had been completely debauched with his flushed cheeks and hair ruffled. The vision filled Tanaka’s brain with nasty thoughts and he quickly shuffled to the kitchen before he started popping an obvious boner.
“I think I have an extra shirt in the back. You can come too if you wanted.”
“Alright,” Tsukishima responded softly.
Tanaka pressed his lips tight. He was happy to see Tsukishima again, but his feelings were already taking control of his actions. If he didn’t keep himself busy, he was liable to attack Tsukishima and that wouldn’t be good when the poor guy was so tired. It was amazing enough that he came into the cafe so late and as much as Tanaka wanted to read into the implications of it, he forced his excitement down.
“So, yeah. This is the kitchen,” he chuckled, gesturing to the space.
Tsukishima smirked. “It’s nice.”
It wasn’t the largest kitchen in the world, but it was big enough to prep their baked goods throughout the day. He opened his locker and unzipped his duffle where he usually kept clean gym clothes, humming as he rummaged through it.
“That’s weird.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I always keep extra clothes in here and I can’t find my shirt. I wonder if I forgot to put it in, but that wouldn’t—”
“Um, Tanaka-san?”
“Huh?”
He glanced up at Tsukishima and startled at his shocked expression as he stared past him. Tanaka turned and flinched at seeing one of the cafe’s T-shirts floating in the air next to him. He snatched it away quickly, but the damage was already done.
“Oba! You know not to do that with guests. Um, Tsukki, did I mention that the cafe is haunted?”
Tsukishima gulped as he looked around warily. “No, you failed to mention that.”
“It’s nothing scary! This cafe belonged to my great Aunt Miyako, but my sister and I took it over after her death. Of course, Miyako stuck around and normally she’s quite sweet although sometimes she can be as ornery as a genuine poltergeist. Ouch!” he yelled as a large wooden spoon knocked him across the head.
To his great relief, Tsukishima relaxed with a soft laugh. “Well, she seems fantastic to me. I’ve never met a ghost before, um, nice to meet you, Miyako-san.”
A cool breeze rushed through the kitchen and then blew back as a piece of red chalk floated in the air and began writing on a nearby wall.
A pleasure to meet you Tsukishima-kun. You’re very handsome and I like the way you handle Ryuu. Please take care of him for me!
“Oba, stop! You’re embarrassing me!”
“I’ll do my best, Oba-san,” Tsukishima answered, giving Tanaka a wink.
Tanaka was certain that his face couldn’t grow any hotter if he had doused his face with hot coffee. They both turned back to the wall when they heard the chalk scribbling again.
Wonderful! Ryuu, go ahead, I’ll clean the rest up.
“Oba, you’re dead!”
A towel floated up in the air and smacked him across the face. Tsukishima collapsed against the counter in his laughter and as irritated as Tanaka was at his meddling aunt, he did enjoy the sound of Tsukishima’s laughter when it wasn’t stifled or held back.
“Fine, you win! Thanks, Oba.” He finally took the shirt she had given him and started to pull it over his head. Immediately he could tell that it was a size or two too small and suddenly many pieces of a puzzle flew into place. The coffee spilling on him, his missing T-shirt, a tight new one… his aunt was a mad genius for increasing sexual tension, but it didn’t stop it from being humiliating. Especially when he finally got the shirt on and Tsukishima laughed even harder.
“I’ll kick your ass later when you’re not so tired. Come on, I’ve got more clothes at my place.”
“I should hope so,” Tsukishima snickered, wiping a tear from his eye.
“You know what I don’t have?”
“What’s that?”
Tanaka paused in front of the kitchen door as he reached to the side where the light switches were. “No annoying roommates. A peaceful apartment just for me and anyone else who wants to hang out there.”
Even as he shut the lights off one by one, Tanaka could see Tsukishima’s smile widening.
“Is that an invitation?”
“What do you think, smart ass?”
Tsukishima chuckled and stepped closer, his hand resting gently against the kitchen door above Tanaka’s head. His cool fingers slipped underneath the hem of Tanaka’s shirt, causing his breath to hitch.
“I think you need me to go with you,” Tsukishima whispered, his breath tickling into Tanaka’s ear. “You’ll need help getting out of this shirt.”
Tanaka shivered. “If you’re volunteering, I’ll gladly accept the help.” He tipped his head back, giving Tsukishima as much access to his lips as he’d want. He grinned as he tightened his fingers around the edges of Tsukishima’s jacket, pulling him closer until their stomachs were pressed together. “I can even return the favor if you want.”
“Maybe. I do get cold easily.”
“I can keep you warm.”
“That would keep you busy, trying to keep me warm. Aren’t you tired after your shift?”
“Are you going to fight me on everything? You’re such a pain in my ass.”
In the faint light, Tsukishima’s smirk widened as it crept closer to Tanaka’s own lips. “Not yet, but I hope to be.”
Tanaka’s laugh was loud, but it was muffled immediately by Tsukishima’s kiss. For being such a cold bodied person with a cold-hearted persona, his lips were warm and supple, drawing Tanaka in like a cozy, plush comforter. His fingers, on the other hand, were still cold and nimble as they snuck further underneath the hem of Tanaka’s shirt and stroked over his abs.
Tanaka hummed and wrapped his arms around Tsukishima’s shoulders, sinking deeper into the kiss. He tickled Tsukishima’s lips with his tongue, coaxing them open. Tanaka relished the soft moan that passed into his mouth. Already he was thinking of all the things he could do to elicit more sexy noises out of him.
But he never got the chance as Tsukishima started to pull back. Tanaka opened his eyes and was surprised to see Tsukishima frowning as he looked at something behind him. He turned and squawked at the transformed kitchen door, the stainless steel covered in red chalk hearts and exclamation points.
“Shit, let’s get out of here. I promise that my aunt is restricted to the cafe.”
Tsukishima snorted. “Good, because I’d hate for her to witness what I plan on doing to her little nephew.”
“Pfft, I’d hate for her to see the things I’m going to do to you.”
Suddenly two different towels came out of nowhere and began snapping at them, shooing them out of the kitchen. They laughed and rushed out of the cafe, neither anxious to get on Miyako’s bad side. After Tanaka locked it behind him, he shivered in the cold air, realizing that he’d left his coat inside.
“Aww, poor Tanaka-san,” Tsukishima’s sly voice tickled his ear. “Not hot enough apparently that your skin resists the elements?”
“The fact that you just admitted I was hot is enough to keep me warm for days. Still,” he paused, opening up Tsukishima’s jacket to slip his arm inside, snaking around his slender waist, “thanks for the offer!”
“I didn’t offer,” Tsukishima pouted but didn’t resist Tanaka’s embrace.
Tanaka snickered and led him away in the direction of his apartment which was thankfully not far. Slowly, Tsukishima’s long arm wrapped around his shoulders and held him close. Tanaka grinned and leaned against him, sighing with contentment. He had to admit that even if his aunt was dead, she sure knew how to help two stubborn idiots get together.