Chapter Text
Ryuji
Ryuji grits his teeth and tries his best to concentrate on his work. He only has a few more photographs to categorize and proof from his last shoot. One last assignment before his Christmas holiday can begin. It's a tedious task, made worse by the loud cheering coming from the company break room. Almost all of his coworkers are holed up in there. They're throwing a Christmas party. A final hurrah before the office closes for the season.
He knows that he's lucky to be working for a company that gives him unconditional time off for the holidays. It's the only reason he's able to spend this year's Christmas with his mother. However, he'd be a lot more grateful if there wasn't an eggnog chugging competition ten feet away from his cubicle. He rolls his chair out from his desk so that he can look through the open doorway leading into the lunch area.
A familiar head of messy black hair appears in his line of sight. Akira Kurusu, Golden Boy of the office. Ryuji should have known that he'd be at the center of all the chaos. Akira is judging the Eggnog Chug, strutting about like a proud rooster. He looks ridiculous, Ryuji thinks, dressed in his ugly Christmas sweater. It's twice as bad as the one he wore last year and that one got him permanently banned from future participation. Despite the ban, he still decided to dress up.
Ryuji rolls his eyes and kicks back towards his desk. His chair glides smoothly over the floor, taking him passed the other nearby cubicles. Most of them are empty, except-
“What are you doing?” A familiar voice captures Ryuji's attention. He swivels his chair around to see Ann Takamaki staring at him from the cubicle across the aisle from his. She's his childhood friend and the reason he joined the company in the first place.
After graduating from college, Ryuji had no plans for what he was going to do with his life. A sport's injury had derailed his dreams of becoming a professional athlete. Without a Plan-B, he had been floating from job to job, hoping something might catch his attention. Out of the blue, he received an e-mail from Ann. She had moved to Tokyo to work for a booking and travel company called Metaverse. Ann offered him an invitation to apply for a photographer position. He hadn't expected to get it, but here he is two years later.
“Tryin' to finish my work, so I can leave,” Ryuji says. He slides his chair over next to hers. She's putting the final touches on a reservation for a top-dollar client's destination wedding. He doesn't envy her, it looks complicated. Second to Akira, she's the most requested booking agent and 'Romantic Getaways' are her specialty.
“How much more do you have to do?”
“I have to finalize the hotel and make sure that the flight plan is in order. They want to go straight from their reception to Paris,” Ann tells him, stretching an arm over her head. One of her muscles pops and the two of them exchange a startled glance.
“Turn around,” Ryuji commands, making grabby hands at her. She shifts in her chair so that he can get at her shoulders. He starts kneading the tension out of them. Ann sighs and leans back into his touch. “Can you believe that clown?”
“Who? Akira?”
“Yeah. I mean, he's got the whole damn office riled up. How are we supposed to get anything done with all the noise?”
“It's not that loud,” Ann laughs, glancing back to smile at him. “He's a nice person, Ryuji. You should get to know him.”
“I don't hafta get to know him to know I don't like him.”
Ann hums in reply as Ryuji works out an especially large knot at the base of her neck.
“Go back to work,” She tells him, shaking his hands off of her shoulders. “You've got to finish up so you can go see your mom.”
“I know, I know,” Ryuji sighs, although she's right. He hasn't been back to see his mother since moving to Tokyo. Neither time nor money has been on his side. He's looking forward to finally going home to relax, away from all the stresses of the office. Christmas is only three days away.
“Let me know if you want to go on a coffee run later. I've got a feelin' we're gonna be here till late,” He calls over his shoulder as he slides his chair back towards his desk.
“Get some more work finished first and I'll think about it,” Ann replies, making a shooing motion at him. He spins his chair to stick his tongue out at her. She makes a big show of dramatically rolling her eyes and turning her back to him. He smiles to himself as he settles in front of his computer, ready to get back at it.
Loud applause echoes out of the break room. It's followed by the even louder tone of Akira's voice announcing results. Ryuji sighs.
It's going to be a long day.
* * *
By ten o'clock that evening, everything is right inside Ryuji's tiny world. The Christmas party finally settled down enough that he was able to finish his work. Ann offered to give him a ride home, so he doesn't have to walk through the cold. Now he's sitting at his desk, nursing a cup of hot chocolate to kill time. Ann has to finish up a few last-minute emails, and then they can both leave.
He slurps mini marshmallows off the surface of his drink and sighs in contentment. First thing in the morning he'll be on the train headed back home. Christmas miracles do exist.
“Sakamoto!” A sharp voice catches his attention from across the room. Weaving her way through the maze of cubicles towards him is Kawakami, his boss. She looks angry or perhaps frazzled, it's hard to tell with her sometimes.
“What's up?” He prompts as she comes near.
“You usually don't do anything for Christmas, right?” She asks, coming to stand in front of him. He opens his mouth to answer, but she speaks over him, “Good, because I need you on an assignment. Our photographer has come down with the flu and can't travel. That would be bad enough if our review writer hadn't of drank eggnog at the Christmas party. Turns out she's lactose intolerant. Says she didn't know it had milk in it.”
Ryuji goes to speak again, but she doesn't give him the chance.
“Don't worry about the arrangements. I've already made them. I've got you booked onto a flight and of course, a room will be ready for you when you arrive at the resort. You'll need to pack warm, there's snow where you're headed.” She sets a stack of papers down on his desk and begins to fish through them, pulling a brochure up out of the middle.
“You want me to fly to California?” Ryuji asks incredulously, his eyes scanning the first flap of the brochure. “Tonight?”
“This project is time-sensitive,” She explains. “We need you to go to the resort, take photos, and slap together a review.”
“I don't know anythin' about writing up reviews.”
“I know you normally handle just the photography angle, but writing a review is simple. Besides, I won't be sending you alone. You can have help from-”
“Miss Kawakami,” Another voice calls across the room. Within moments Akira Kurusu is standing next to Ryuji's desk. He's changed out of his Christmas attire, back to business Ryuji guesses. How disappointing. It would have been funny to see him working while wearing an ugly sweater.
Akira glances down at Ryuji, momentarily distracted from whatever it was he came to say.
“Sorry,” He continues, clearing his throat. “Don't worry about finding replacements. I can see if the resort will send us some stock photos. I'll go and handle business arrangements. When I get back I'll write the review and organize the magazine proofs-”
“Even you can't handle an assignment this large by yourself,” Kawakami sighs. She starts rubbing her thumbs in small circles over her temples. “This is a huge overseas deal for the company. I don't want to botch it.”
“I'm not going to screw it up,” Akira replies testily.
“I know, because I'm going to send Sakamoto with you.”
The two men glance at one another.
“What? No way! I got plans!” Ryuji finally gets up the nerve to protest. “I'm not goin' to go on some mission to California. Especially not with him!”
“What do you mean 'not with him'?” Kawakami asks, her eyes wide with surprise. It occurs to Ryuji that he might be part of a small minority of people who don't worship Akira. In fact, he might very well be the only person in the office who doesn't like him.
He struggles to cover up his blunder, “I just-just mean that uh, he and I have never worked together. I don't know if it's a good idea to send us on such an important assignment.”
“He's right,” Akira agrees, with little to no hesitation. It causes a spike of irritation to run up Ryuji's spine. “He's inexperienced.”
“He's all we've got,” Kawakami hisses, lowering her tone in an attempt to keep Ryuji from hearing her words. “You aren't exactly proficient with a camera and I don't want stock photos.”
“There's no one else?”
“No.”
“I'm sittin' right here y'know,” Ryuji grumbles, catching their attention. “I told you, I have plans. I'm not goin' to California.”
Akira holds up his hands in a 'See?' sort of gesture and Kawakami rolls her eyes.
“Sakamoto, I need you on this assignment. The company will pay you four full days of holiday pay. Plus I'll consider you for a promotion,” Kawakami fixes her dark eyes on him, her gaze sharp. “You aren't technically eligible for another year, but I'm willing to overlook that. If,” she says the word with no small amount of emphasis. “You do well.”
Ryuji's head spins with surprise. She must be desperate if she's willing to try hard selling him on a promotion. It's a huge opportunity, one that surely won't come along again if he turns it down. He can see Ann tuning in from her cubicle. Her eyes are wide, a sign that she's as shocked as Ryuji is.
“Could I have a few minutes to decide?” He asks hoarsely. It's a risk, one that might backfire. If he pisses Kawakami off, there's a good chance she'll retract the offer.
“Ten minutes,” Kawakami relents. “I'll be in my office. Exactly ten minutes, Sakamoto. If you don't show, the offer is off the table.”
She turns on her heels to walk off, beckoning for Akira to follow. He doesn't so much as glance Ryuji's way before he takes off after her. As per usual, Ryuji feels his irritation grow. It's going to be a pain in the ass to work with someone as pompous and self-absorbed as Akira. That is, if Ryuji accepts the assignment.
“I've gotta call my mom,” Ryuji says offhand. Ann nods in agreement. He gets up to head out into the hallway. It's hard for him to know what to do. Kawakami's offer is huge, but Ryuji already made plans to spend the holiday with his mother.
The phone line rings, once, twice, then, “Ryuji?”
“Hey, Ma,” Ryuji greets, leaning his shoulders heavily against the wall at his back. “How are you?”
“I'm fine.” She pauses, then asks, “What's wrong?”
“It's about me comin' out to see ya. Somethin' came up at work.”
“Is everything okay?”
“I mean, kinda. My boss wants me to go on this assignment thingy. It'll get in the way of our Christmas plans,” He begins, his shoulders sagging. “She says if I go and do well, she'll promote me.”
“Ryuji,” his mother's voice is soft, the way it always is when they have these kinds of talks. “If you think it might help you further your career, then you need to go.”
“I know but I feel real bad about not comin' out for Christmas. You had been talkin' about cookin' and doin' gifts. I don't wanna blow you off.”
“You're not blowing me off. I understand. This job is important to you.”
“It is, but... So are you.”
“I'm flattered, but you should still go,” His mother halfway laughs and it's a good sign. His mood lifts a bit. “What else is bothering you? If you're not jumping at that opportunity then that means there's a catch.”
“I'd be goin' with Akira.”
“Akira,” She does laugh that time, knowing all too well who Akira is and Ryuji's feelings of dislike for him. “Do you think you can handle working with him on a project?”
“I can if he stays in his lane,” Ryuji grumbles the words, earning another soft rumble of laughter from his mother. “So you think I should do it?”
“Absolutely. We can make other plans in the meantime. We could do a Christmas-New Years.”
“I'm real sorry. I know you're not mad or nothin', but...”
“I understand. You need to do this.”
“I'll call you when I get there. We're goin' to California, I guess,” Ryuji checks the time. He's got to get to Kawakami's office. “Sorry Ma, I gotta go. They're waitin' on my answer. I'll call you back soon.”
“Have a safe trip. Keep me updated.”
The two say their final goodbyes, with Ryuji feeling both better and worse. He hated having to cancel his plans, especially when he had been looking forward to them for so long. On the other hand, he's glad to have his mother's blessing. If it lands him a promotion, it means he'll be making more money. More money means he'll be able to afford to visit more often. Honestly, it's a win-win for everyone.
“I'll do it,” Ryuji says as he enters Kawakami's office. Both her and Akira are back behind her computer, their faces illuminated by the screen. They glance up at him, blinking owlishly.
“You'll go?” Kawakami asks, rising up out of her chair. “Good. You should run home and get packed, your flight leaves in two hours.”
“Two hours?!”
“I'll drive you,” Akira offers. “I need to pick up my things along the way, and then we can go by your place.”
“Sure. I uh, I need to grab some things from my desk,” Ryuji tells him. Akira nods curtly.
“I'll be in the parking garage, second floor, row A.” Akira says, then mutters something offhand to Kawakami. He hightails it out of the office, bumping shoulders with Ryuji in his haste. He doesn't apologize.
“What an ass,” Ryuji hisses under his breath, put off by the other man's hostile behavior.
“You'll get used to it,” Kawakami assures him. “Don't let me down, Sakamoto.”
“I'll do my best not to.”
Ann is waiting for him when he returns to his desk. Her eyes are wide with excitement and as soon as he comes near, she leaps forward to throw her arms around his neck.
“Congratulations~” She exclaims. “You're as good a promoted!”
“Ann, c'mon, let go,” Ryuji ducks out from under her arms and moves towards his desk. The assignment material is right where he left it, though he can see that Ann helped herself to a peek. The papers are out of order. “I haven't even started the assignment. There's still plenty of time to screw it up.”
“You won't! I know you. You're one of the best photographers we have.”
“I ain't worried about takin' photos. That's the easy part.”
“...Wait, you're worried about working with Akira. Aren't you?” Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Ann crossing her arms over her chest. “Ryuji, he's the best in the business. He'll teach you if you let him. This a learning opportunity.”
“It's self-inflicted torture,” Ryuji retorts, shaking his head. What has he agreed to? “Ann, I gotta go. He's gonna give me a ride to my place, so I can get my stuff.”
“I thought I was taking you home.”
“You were, and I appreciate it, but we have to catch a plane tonight. So I have to hurry.”
“I understand,” Ann says in a soft tone. She catches hold of one of his arms, holding it until he turns to look at her. “You're going to do fine. Handle this like you would any other assignment. Focus on taking your pictures.”
“I got it,” Ryuji says around a smile. Ann's pouting out her bottom lip, a tactic she honed during their childhood. It's silly, but it always cheers him up. He pulls her into a tight hug against his chest. “See you when I get back. Have a good Christmas with Shiho.”
“I will. We have the whole thing planned out. It will be romantic and gooey and all the things you hate most,” Ann coos at him. She smacks her hands down against his backside, causing him to jump. “Go on. Don't keep Akira waiting.”
“I'm goin'. I'm goin'.”
“Don't get caught under any mistletoe~ I've heard rumors around the office that he's a great kisser.”
“Ann!” Ryuji ducks his head in embarrassment, heat rising to the tips of his ears. She starts laughing and he shoots her a dubious look. Gathering the last of his things from his desk, he rushes towards the exit, “Bye! I'm goin'!”
“Have a good trip!” Ann calls after him. Her laughter follows him all the way out into the hallway.
Ryuji heads down to the parking garage, 'second floor, row A' he recalls. Akira is waiting for him, leaning back against his car with his arms crossed over his chest. It's a sleek black convertible, with chrome accents that gleam in the overhead lights. Of course, Akira would have a sports car. It's exactly the kind of asshole vehicle that Ryuji imagined for him.
When he approaches, Akira lifts his face up to look at him. His expression is soft, so much so that it gives Ryuji pause.
“I wanted to apologize for how I acted,” Akira says in a low tone. “I wasn't trying to insult you, especially in front of Kawakami. I'm just leery about working with someone I don't know well.”
“Nah, man. I don't blame you. I haven't done a lot of fieldwork,” Ryuji runs a hand back through his hair and scuffs a foot against the ground. “You don't want a rookie to mess up the project that has your name attached to it. I understand.”
“I'll be counting on you to take some good photos.”
“I won't let you down,” Ryuji finds himself saying. Despite his reservations about them working together, he does want to do a good job.
Akira stares at him for a moment or two, then says, “I know you won't.”
Ryuji is still reeling from those words as Akira unlocks the car and climbs inside.
“It's open,” Akira says when Ryuji doesn't move.
“Oh, sorry,” He walks around to the passenger side to get in. The inside is as nice as the outside, leather seats, and perfectly polished consoles. Ryuji tries to be mad about it, but he can't find it in himself. He obsesses over Akira's words the entire drive to the other man's apartment.
“Come up with me. I won't be long, but it's cold out here. Even with the top up,” Akira parks his car and climbs out, waiting for him to follow. Ryuji has to admit to himself, he's a little curious about what Akira's apartment looks like. He imagines it will be as fancy as his car, if not more so.
They head up two flights of stairs and down a long hallway to get there. Akira unlocks his apartment door and says over his shoulder, “Sorry about the mess.”
The two of them step inside, greeted by the lull of music coming from deeper within the apartment. Akira slips out of his shoes and goes on ahead to turn on the lights. Ryuji grabs hold of the door frame for balance as he takes his own shoes off.
When he glances up, he's got a full view of everything, and it's not what he was expecting. The apartment is clean if a little barren. Ryuji isn't sure what part of it Akira considers a 'mess'. He can't see a single thing out of place, what little there is. The furniture seems thrown together, nothing matches anything else.
There are houseplants everywhere Ryuji looks, on nearly every solid surface. They're all green and thriving, a far cry from the struggling cactus he has back at his own place. He never would have thought Akira to be someone with a green thumb.
“Do you live alone?” Ryuji asks.
“Sort of,” Akira says, clicking his tongue a few times. A strange noise comes from the bedroom and moments later a small tuxedo colored cat appears. It trots over to Akira, it's voice rising the closer it gets until it's yowling at his feet.
“Oh! You've got a cat! What's its name?”
“Oh, it's uh, he's Morgana,” Akira says, speaking as if he's surprised Ryuji bothered to ask. He kneels down to scoop the rowdy feline up into his arms. “I'm going to feed him, and then we can go. My bags are packed, I just have to grab them.”
“Will he be okay if you leave?” Ryuji asks. He doesn't know much about keeping cats. Growing up he couldn't have pets, but there were a few neighborhood cats he used to feed. He reaches out a hand, allowing Morgana to sniff it before giving the cat a gentle scratch behind the ear.
“My sister will come by to feed him. You might know her, she works in tech. Futaba.”
“Oh yeah! She's your sister?”
“Well, only sort of.” That's all the explanation Ryuji gets before Akira disappears into his bedroom. He takes Morgana with him.
Alone now, Ryuji awkwardly perches himself on the edge of the couch to wait. He clasps his hands together and begins bouncing one of his legs, a nervous habit he's had for as long as he can remember. He looks around, noting that Akira has a lot of books, there are shelves all over the living room filled with them. There is no TV, but he's got a stereo. It's where the music from earlier was coming from. A woman is singing against a background of slow piano, the lyrics melancholy and sad.
“Do you like it?” Akira asks, causing Ryuji to jump. He hadn't heard the other man come back.
“Yeah, it's good,” Ryuji says with a half nod. “What is it?”
“It's called Beneath The Mask.”
“It sounds kind of lonely.”
“It's definitely that,” Akira agrees, then hastily adds, “I leave music on for the cat.”
“That's a nice thing to do,” Ryuji tries not to smile. It's unexpected to see that Akira has a soft side, though Ryuji tries not to let himself get too comfortable. He might be acting pleasant right now, but it's only a matter of time before the other shoe drops. “Ready to go?”
“I'm ready.”
They stop by Ryuji's place on the way to the airport, and he forces Akira to stay down in the car. His place is clean, but not nearly as nice as Akira's is. Somehow he feels ashamed of that.
His bags were already packed for his planned trip to visit his mother. He removes the Christmas gifts that he was going to take with him. He won't be needing those anymore. It leaves a gaping hole in the middle of his suitcase. He fills it with extra socks, knowing that there's snow and cold weather ahead of him. You can never have too many socks.
Security at the airport takes up most of their time. The line is long and stuffed with crabby adults and their fussy children. Ryuji's not a fan of flying, if only for the fact that the airport stresses him out so much. He taps his foot as he waits for his turn through the ticket scanner.
“Are you alright?” Akira asks, his breath stirring the hair on the back of Ryuji's head. They're pushed close together. Caught in front of a group of noisy teenagers and behind a snooty woman with screaming children. Ryuji turns around so that he can be heard over the smallest child's wailing. He and Akira are the same height, he realizes too late. It's awkward to speak with their faces only a few inches apart.
“Fine,” Ryuji grits out, turning his head down towards the floor. “I jus' hate airports.”
“It will be better once we're through security.”
“I know, it's just the gettin' there part.”
“Do you want me to help you with your earrings?” The question throws Ryuji for a moment, until he remembers all the metal he's got stuck in his head. Since he works in a laid-back office, his piercings aren't usually a problem. He hadn't even considered the fact that they're headed for a metal detector.
“Awww man, I forgot,” Ryuji tosses his bags to the ground and moves his arms up to start the removal process. One of the teenagers from behind bumps into Akira. It sends him forward into Ryuji and Ryuji into the woman with the children. She barely glances at him, too caught up in a phone conversation she's been having. The back of the line has shifted forward, moving into the small space created by their stumbling. Akira and Ryuji are practically chest to chest.
“I swear to fuck-”
“I got it,” Akira lifts his arms up and wordlessly begins to remove the rings lining the outer shell of Ryuji's ear. There's three on each side, plus regular studs. “Why all the metal?”
“I dunno. I like 'em I guess,” He mumbles, reaching up to remove the ring at his right eyebrow. “That and Ann's girlfriend Shiho works as a piercer. I was sort of her guinea pig when she was first startin' out.”
“...Shiho does that sort of work?”
“You know her?”
“I've met her on a couple of assignments I've done with Ann,” Akira explains.
“You don't gotta go to all the trouble,” Ryuji says, keeping his eyes lowered so that he's not staring.
“I don't mind.”
It's hard to hold still. Akira's fingers are cold and the soft brush of them causes a chill to run down Ryuji's spine. His heart races frantically inside his chest, pumping unnecessary adrenaline through his body.
“Your face is red,” Akira points out, skimming his knuckles down the side of Ryuji's left cheek. Maybe it was by accident, but it still causes Ryuji to flinch a bit. “Sorry.”
“S'fine,” Ryuji mumbles, receiving his jewelry from the other man. He takes it and tucks it all away in the front pocket of his bag.
The line continues to crawl until finally, they make it to the bag scanners. It's a scramble to remove shoes and belts. Ryuji trips on his way into the metal detector, in full view of Akira, who rushes over to pick him back up.
“Thanks,” he grunts once they're on the other side.
“Don't worry about it,” Akira says with a reassuring smile. Ryuji finds it hard to look him in the eye after that.
They make it to their gate with half an hour to spare. Some of the gift shops are open, so they kill time by perusing the shelves full of overpriced nick-nacks. Ryuji overpays for a soda and a bag of chips. Akira settles for carbonated water that ends up costing twice as much money.
Airport pricing doesn't make any sense.
“We're in first class,” Ryuji notes with surprise. They're standing in yet another line, waiting to actually get on the airplane. “I've never sat in first class before.”
“It's actually the least safe place to sit,” Akira says offhand, earning a sharp look from the blond. “What? Usually, planes go down nose-first. The closer you are to the front the harder the impact.”
“For real?! You're gonna tell that me now?!”
Akira laughs and Ryuji hates how much he enjoys the sound of it.
They have priority boarding, so there's little fuss when they actually go to get on the plane. First-class is twelve rows of double seats, with extra legroom and no middle chair. Akira graciously allows Ryuji to sit by the window and even goes so far as to put his bags up in the overhead bins for him.
They settle in to await take off. Ryuji pulls a set of earphones from his pocket and hooks them to his phone to listen to music. Akira crosses an ankle over his knee and uses his leg to balance a large laptop. From what Ryuji can see, he's typing something up for work.
“You gonna work the whole flight?” Ryuji asks.
“Most of it. I'd like to get ahead,” Akira glances sidelong at him. “I don't sleep well on flights, so this is easier.”
“Oh. Would switching places help?”
“It's a nice offer, but I'm fine.”
Ryuji is secretly relieved. He didn't want to give up his window seat.
Everything is fine for the first fifteen minutes of the flight. They're in the air and cruising when Ryuji feels the first stirrings of discomfort. His ears keep popping and his head has gone dizzy. He tries to focus on his music, but he isn't processing any of it. His hand reaches up to aim the overhead AC vent directly towards his face. It helps a little, but he still feels like his stomach is churning. He shuts his eyes and tries to fall asleep.
A short time later, he startles awake, at first forgetting where he is. His seat's been laid back and a bag of ice sits heavy behind his neck. When he turns his head to the side, he sees Akira staring at him.
“Are you feeling any better?” he asks, eyes lined with concern.
Ryuji's entire body sings with embarrassment. Maybe he'll get lucky and the glass will break on his window. He'd gladly let himself get sucked out, anything to get away from his current situation.
“I've been worse,” Ryuji reports. “Sorry. I don't usually get sick like this.”
“Sometimes it just happens,” Akira soothes. He taps a finger lightly against Ryuji's tray table. It calls his attention to a can of ginger ale and a tiny pack of two soda crackers. “I have water too if you need it. You should start with those first.”
“Got it. Thank you.” Ryuji hunches over, halfway leaning against the wall. His head is still spinning nebulously, though it's better than it was before. He sips the soda and takes tiny bites out of the soda crackers. Akira glances at him every so often, checking his progress.
He finishes off half of the can and both of the crackers before falling back to sleep. He doesn't wake up again until after they've landed. Akira's jacket is draped over him like a blanket. It's so cozy that Ryuji is loathe to get up.
They have to endure one more flight after arriving at LAX. The next one is only two hours long, a trip on a much smaller and less crowded plane. Ryuji is able to have an entire row to himself, as he and Akira are the only ones in first class. He stays awake to watch the in-flight movie and has no more issues with air sickness.
When they land the second time, Akira picks up their rental car. It's an hour's drive up to their final destination. Though the time seems short compared to what they've already experienced. From start to finish, the entire trip has taken over twenty hours. They arrive at the hotel close to the same time they left Japan.
While Akira checks them in at the front desk, Ryuji waits with their bags by the elevator. The entire ride up the mountain, Akira was nearly silent. It's weird to hear him speak again, and even more so because he's speaking in English.
It's hard for Ryuji to blame him for a lack of good conversation. Akira didn't sleep on either of the flights. He also insisted on being the primary driver for the trip up the mountains. Add that to the fact that he was at work the entire day before. Ryuji can hardly imagine going that many hours without sleep.
“You gotta rest once we get in there,” Ryuji tells Akira once they're in the elevator. It earns him a halfhearted smile. “I mean it, man. Shower and then go straight to bed.”
“I won't argue,” Akira says, leaning his head back to rest against the wall. The elevator chimes to announce their floor, and then they're off again. The suite is at the end of the hallway, one of only four others on the same level. Akira uses his key card to let them inside.
It looks about like an apartment, with a living room, dining area, and a small kitchenette. Beyond that Ryuji can see a patio, though it's covered with a thick layer of building snow. He hasn't seen fresh snow for a while. There was plenty of it where he grew up, but never in Tokyo.
He sets his bags down and crosses the room to open the patio door. The cold air hits him right in the face, but he doesn't mind it. His shoes are back by the entrance, so he doesn't go out, but he does kneel down to run his fingers over the surface of the snow. It's the wet sticky kind that's good for making snowballs.
“We have a problem,” Akira's voice comes from behind him, edged with irritation.
Ryuji stands, “Yeah?”
“There's only one room and one bed.”
“What?!” Ryuji's eyebrows shoot up in alarm. “I thought this was like, a suite or whatever. With more than one room.”
“Do you see a second room?” Akira spits. “It's a honeymoon suite, apparently.”
“Can't we call the front desk? Ask them for a room change?”
“We can try,” Akira goes over into the kitchenette, where the service phone is located. He dials the front office and waits while it rings. It's clear from the start that it's not going well. Akira hangs up and sighs heavily.
“They're booked for Christmas,” He explains, glancing sideways at Ryuji. “We can wait for a cancellation, but it's unlikely.”
“Shit, okay,” Ryuji glances around, his eyes falling on the sofa. Akira needs sleep in a bad way, so he decides to offer, “I can sleep on the couch.”
“I don't want you to have to do that. I can sleep on the couch.”
“No way, man. I've already made up my mind. You need more rest than I do anyway.”
Akira looks like he wants to argue, but he doesn't.
“Go ahead,” Ryuji insists, gesturing towards the bedroom. “Go get cleaned up and get some rest. It hurts lookin' at you.”
It takes a bit more coaxing, but eventually, Akira goes. Ryuji mills about in the main room, pacing to keep himself awake. He knows that if he sits down he'll be out.
Fifteen minutes later, Akira reappears. He's got his hair pushed back away from his face, held into place via an elastic hairband. Ryuji stares, impressed by the other man's striking features. When his hair isn't down in his face, it's easier to see the sharp cut of his jaw or his brilliant gray eyes.
“Your turn,” Akira says as he enters the kitchen and sets about making himself a cup of tea. There's a small basket of various flavors next to the microwave. The room has actual dishes, stored away in cabinets over the sink. Akira pulls down a small black mug and fills it with steaming water from the sink.
“Don't you wanna use the coffee maker?” Ryuji asks. “I'm sure it heats water.”
“How often do you think they clean them?” Akira asks petulantly.
“I dunno. Shouldn't they do it after each guest?”
“They should, but they often don't.”
“For real?” Ryuji comes to stand beside Akira as he lifts the small coffee maker up off the counter. The outside of it looks clean, but when he lifts off the back cover, the inside is lined with water scale and dust. “Well, that's gross.”
“Companies don't think we look for things like that, but we do.”
“I wouldn't have ever thought to look for it.”
“Keep it in mind for future trips,” Akira sets the coffee maker down and returns to his tea. “Go ahead and shower. I'll drink this while I wait to keep me awake.”
“Sure, I won't be long,” Ryuji grabs a change of clothes and heads off to the bathroom.
They're definitely staying in a honeymoon suite. The bed is generously sized for two people. It could easily fit a man and a woman with room to spare. Or two men, Ryuji thinks offhand, though he quickly shies away from that thought. There's no way they're going to share it.
The bathroom is designed for couples. A large tub takes up most of the space. Like the bed, it has room and depth enough for two people. The shower stall is three panes of perfectly clear glass, they leave very little to the imagination. He supposes that for two people on a honeymoon, that might be a desirable feature.
The counter has two sinks and double mirrors. Akira's already set his items out next to the sink on the left, so Ryuji takes the right one for himself by default.
After washing up, he returns to the main room. Akira is nodding off at the dining table. His tea was left long forgotten in the kitchen.
“Go to bed,” Ryuji says gently, shaking Akira awake. He mumbles out a noise that sounds halfway like 'goodnight' before moving like a zombie to the bedroom. It's endearing in a way Ryuji can't describe.
The space of their suite is homey. There's a large leather sectional set against a far wall, where Ryuji will be sleeping. A fair-sized TV sits on a stand across from it. Everything is, of course, mountain-cabin themed. The coffee table looks like rough-cut logs. A plaid throw blanket hangs over the back of the couch, and pieces of real deer antlers form an odd chandelier. It's tacky but Ryuji can't completely hate it. He's never been in such a nice hotel room before. Most of the resort assignments are given to the more experienced staff members.
To Akira. Ryuji thinks offhand.
Akira is... odd. After spending nearly a full twenty-four hours with him, Ryuji has to at least admit that much. He's finicky about eating, always opting for something healthy in reply to Ryuji's choice of junk food. Coffee might literally run in his veins, for the large amount of it he seems to drink. He also seems unable to drink regular water. Everywhere they went, Akira would always buy the carbonated kind.
Ryuji is thinking about how weird that is when Akira appears suddenly from the bedroom. It startles him bad enough to make him jump.
“H-Hey, man, wassup?”
“Blankets,” Akira says blearily, pointing a finger towards the bedroom. “You'll need to come to get them for the couch.”
“Oh, right,” Ryuji hadn't thought of that and if he had, it likely would have been after Akira had gone to sleep. “Thanks for remembering.”
Akira hums in reply. He leads the way into the bedroom and begins stripping the first few layers of covering off the bed. Mumbling about 'sleeping hot' he offers everything over to Ryuji. It leaves him with the top sheet and two pillows. He stacks the pillows and hastily adds them to what he's already discarded.
“I brought mine,” He explains, producing a pillow from an extra duffel bag that he brought with him. It's the only thing inside the bag and it takes everything for Ryuji not to make a joke about it.
“Can't sleep without it?” Ryuji asks instead.
“Yes.” Akira looks at him sharply, like he's expecting Ryuji to say something else.
“I get it. It's cool,” Ryuji offers in a mild tone. Akira sighs and his shoulders drop a bit, a clear release of tension. “Go to sleep, man.”
“Thank you.”
Ryuji takes that as a cue to leave, so he does, taking his bedding back with him to the couch. Once he's situated, he sends off a text to both Ann and his mother to let them know that he made it. Ann texts back right away and the two of them banter back and forth for a while until he falls asleep.