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“Hey, hey, hey, hold up!” Kaito shouted as he chased after a taxicab that a young woman had claimed just moments before.
“That was my cab! Damn it... “ He tilted his chin towards the sky. He had hoped to see a slight hint of sun peeking behind the dark clouds, but alas, the storm showed no sign of clearing. Several heavy raindrops hit his cheeks. Kaito shook himself like a wet dog and placed his hand on his forehead to shield his eyes from the storm.
“Damn, it’s really raining, isn’t it? I’m already running late but…” Kaito looked at the traffic jam in front of him. He considered calling another taxi, but the chances of one being available during rush hour were next to none.
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Raindrops pounded on the window of the cab Shuichi listlessly observed the world from. Typically, he passed the time by people watching during his daily commute. There weren’t many pedestrians out today due to the heavy rain, but a young man with purple hair caught his eye. He ran past Shuichi’s taxi and seemed to be frantically yelling at something. He wasn’t able to see what the other man was yelling at, but he was able to deduce that he was likely chasing after a cab. It was rush hour, after all. The purple-haired man seemed… unprepared for the weather, to say the least. He was dressed in a well-tailored suit and lacked an umbrella.
“Uh, excuse me sir, could you please pull over for a moment?” Shuichi shyly inquired. The cab driver glanced at Shuichi through the mirror and grumbled something unintelligible. He pulled over to the sidewalk where the man was watching the road from. Shuichi leaned towards the car door opposite of him and opened it.
“H-hello, if you need a ride, we could share this taxi,” Shuichi stated.
“Thanks! You’re a life-saver!” Kaito exclaimed as he jumped into the musty cab that reeked of tobacco.
While the stranger climbed into what was now ‘their’ taxi Shuichi began to question his offer. He doesn’t know this man, and what if he’s headed in the opposite direction? He should have at least asked him where he was going before letting him in. Shuichi continued to berate himself. While he didn’t have anywhere he needed to be, he did prefer to keep to a regular daily schedule, and if this stranger were headed in the opposite direction it’d disrupt his routine.
However, something was strangely attractive about him. Shuichi wasn’t sure if it was because he felt that way because it took an interesting type of person to wear a suit in the middle of a rainstorm, or if it was because the other man was easy on the eyes. Shuichi shook off the thought as he noticed the man staring at him. The stranger was beaming at the bashful young man.
‘Thanks again bro, I really appreciate it. It was raining cats and dogs out there and I was running late for an appointment.”
Shuichi’s eyed widened slightly. He was slightly taken aback by how familiar this stranger acted towards him.
“Um, so where are you headed?” the blue-haired man inquired.
“I’m headed to JAXA, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency’s headquarters.”
“JAXA it is then,” said the cab driver “but I’m not sure where that is, so you’ll have to let me know when we are on the right street.”
“I’ll be sure to tell you. It’s not too far,” the declared loud man.
Shuichi was surprised by the stranger’s destination. He appeared to be a University student, which is a little young to have an appointment with the space agency. His detective skills kicked in as he probed for more information.
“JAXA? What business do you have there?”
“Nothing much, I’ve just got to submit some paperwork. I’m applying to their astronaut training program though, so I wanted to make a good impression,” he stated as both of their eyes drifted towards Kaito’s dripping wet suit.
“So much for that, I guess.”
“Want me to turn up the heat? Might help you dry off,” the cab driver offered.
“I’ll be alright, but thanks. I think I have a spare t-shirt or something in my bag.” he mumbled as he began to dig through his unorganized briefcase.
“My place isn’t far from here. If you don’t mind the slight detour, I could loan you a suit. You’re larger than me, but I’m sure we could find something that would wo-“
“Alright, that sounds perfect! Driver, to his place!” Kaito interrupted. Shuichi panicked, what had he just offered? He doesn’t know this man.
“So to the address you gave me earlier, right kid?”
“Uh, y-yes, that’s right,” Shuichi stuttered.
“You’re talking to the youngest astronaut ever, you know? I’m going to speed through the training program and be on a flight to the great beyond by the end of next year.” The purple-haired stranger’s confidence astounded Shuichi.
“How do you expect to be in space when you had trouble catching a taxicab?”
“Hah! You’ve got me there, but I’ll manage. I’m the luminary of the stars!”
Okay, maybe this man was more delusional than he was confident, Shuichi thought to himself. He started to regret the decision to invite him into his home.
“What about you, man? You’ve got something special about yourself. Don’t try to hide it, I can tell,” Kaito looked at him with anticipation.
“Oh I’m, uh, I-I’m not really special.”
“We’re here.”
Kaito sighed with exasperation, shook his head, and exited the car. Shuichi could tell he was frustrated that he dodged his question. He requested the taxi driver wait here until the other man returned with a fresh suit. He paid his fare, opened the car door, opened his umbrella, and stepped outside. He led the frustrated young man to the front door of his apartment. Shuichi unlocked the door and led Kaito to the living room.
“Please take a seat. I’m going to look for a suit. It will just be a moment.” Kaito complied and sunk into the large leather sofa. He looked around at his surroundings. Surprisingly enough, the apartment had a European style. He would have pegged the kind stranger as the type to have a traditional Japanese home. The apartment was tidy, but the nearby desk was cluttered. On top of the desk there were old books, a pencil cup with pens and a small pansexual pride flag, and dust-covered file folders that look like they haven’t been opened in years. The framed photograph that was facing downwards caught the nosey man’s eye.
Kaito’s curiosity got the best of him and he got up to investigate. He picked up the photograph and saw Shuichi with the chief of police. It looked like the chief was presenting the young man with an award. Shuichi walked back into the living room with an appropriately sized pinstripe suit and noticed Kaito looking through his old case files.
“I was a detective, but I didn’t really earn it,” Shuichi whimpered. The sentence slipped past his lips, but he didn’t regret it like his earlier invitation.
“What do you mean? Spit it out already.”
“I just happened to solve a murder case I was helping my uncle with when I was in middle school. Afterwards, I was praised as a hero, and I worked as a junior detective until I got into University. Since then, I’ve left that life behind, because I can’t help but wonder if I really did the right thing.”
“Where’s your fire? Why did you avoid my question earlier?”
Shuichi sighed, “The victim had driven the killer’s loved one to suicide, so the killer hunted him for retribution. Sometimes it seems it’s better for everyone if the truth remains hidden.”
“The universe is harsh, but you have to be ready for any situation. The truth is always worth facing and it doesn’t matter what other people think. Be proud of who you are and what you do.”
“Oh… Thanks, um, uh, you s-should probably get changed…”
“Changed?” Kaito looked down at the wet clothing sticking to his skin. “Oh right, changed.” The boisterous young man began to unbuckle his trousers.
“Ah, w-w-what are you doing?!”
“Changing. Pass me the pants, will you?” Shuichi averted his gaze and tossed the pants to Kaito. He heard the man’s pants fall to the floor. Shuichi continued to speak as Kaito changed into the borrowed trousers.
“T-these might be a bit small for you, but it’s the biggest suit I own… It was a hand-me-down from my uncle. I apologize if it’s a bit worn.” Kaito removed his moist jacket and unbuttoned his shirt. Shuichi’s gaze shifted back to the shameless man as he begun to remove the undershirt that stuck to his muscular frame.
“I, ah, I don’t have any undershirts that will fit you.”
“That’s okay. I just want to get this thing off. It’s soaking wet and I can’t stand sticky clothing.” Kaito peeled the wet shirt off of his back and unveiled a body fit for an astronaut-in training. He tossed the shirt to the side. His skin gleaned from the residual moisture. Shuichi paused for a moment, star-struck, before handing the fresh-button up to the astronaut-to-be. Kaito pulled the shirt over his rippling shoulders and began to adjust the buttons. The higher the buttons went, the tighter the shirt pulled across his torso. The buttons kept popping open at his chest. Kaito fiddled with the buttons as Shuichi took a step towards him.
“Do you need help?” he nervously asked the boisterous man.
“Sure” Kaito’s arms dropped to his side. Shuichi slowly approached him. With bated breath he slowly began to button up the loaned shirt. When he reached the final button, he looked deeply into the young man’s eyes. Kaito’s bottom lip quivered. After a few moments Shuichi’s hand softly drifted down the other man’s chest. Kaito felt his heart flutter as the detective’s light touch faded away. Shuichi stepped back.
“Well, you should probably head out soon. I would offer to make some tea, but I wouldn’t want you to be late.”
“The universe can wait for me a little bit longer”.
“What about the cab?”
“Right, I forgot about the driver,” Kaito groaned, “before I go, what’s your name, partner?”
‘Partner’, Shuichi liked the sound of that.
“Shuichi Saihara.”
“Thanks for your help Shuichi. I really appreciate it,” he placed his hand on the shy man’s shoulder. His grip was firm, but surprisingly gentle. “I’m Kaito Momota, Luminary of the Stars. If you ever need anything, I’ll be here to support you.” Kaito’s hand trailed down Shuichi’s arm. Shuichi squeezed his hand for a moment before the dashing astronaut removed his grip. Kaito grabbed the dry pinstripe jacket, and headed towards the door. Shuichi called out to him. He dashed towards Kaito, and reached past him to grab a spare umbrella.
“Take an umbrella. I wouldn’t want you to get soaked again.”
“I wouldn’t mind if it lead me back here. Like I said, I owe you one, Shuichi. You can rely on me whenever you need it. Maybe you could even be my sidekick. ”
Shuichi gave Kaito the umbrella and a small smile. The two men bid each other farewell for the time being. Kaito opened his umbrella, and walked out the front door.