Work Text:
It’s only just started snowing when Sho walks in the door, shaking his head to rid himself of the few melted droplets and using his free hand to ruffle his hair for good measure.
The first thing that he notices upon arrival is that the entryway is dark—nearly trips and falls on his face when he can’t see that the rug is bunched up beneath him. The second is a soft chuckle from the next room at his undignified yelp as he struggles to catch himself and his bag. Either there is an intruder in Sho’s apartment, or his roommate is home.
Yohei’s family were visiting today, and in the past, Sho has been invited to join them. They’ve gone to several dinners together, traveled to many reunions held in hotels in other cities and schmoozed with aunts and uncles and distant relatives that he knew he’d never see again. He’d been a hit with several cousins in their early twenties, some of the girls giggling and hanging onto either arm.
“What a dreamy smile, don't you think?” they’d pet at the muscles underneath his jacket and hid coy smiles behind their hands, and when Sho had turned his ‘save me’ face to Yohei, his friend had his hands in his pockets, grin spread across his face as if it didn’t matter at all that Sho would get fussed over, and a piece deep in Sho’s chest would ache at the thought.
No such invitation was extended today. That’s why he’d been out, having to find some way to fill the time when he’d been anticipating spending it with them. Coat off and miraculously finding its way onto the table in the hallway—he’d have to remember to hang it up later—Sho stumbles toward the living room, already planning what to make for dinner in his head.
“Hey, you’re back earlier than expected. Did you ea—what is that?”
It’s an easel, his brain helpfully supplies before Yohei can. A large pad of paper and a scattering of pencils are resting on it, his friend sat before it and turned to look over his shoulder back at him. He’s facing opposite the way they typically sit, back to the television and looking toward the large window which affords them an excellent view of the city below. It’s far from the first time Sho has seen him with art supplies—Yoh’s always been fond of sketching the smallest things on anything and everything he can—though he’s not typically set up so formally. “You’re just in time! I need your help for a drawing I’d like to do.”
The words together don’t add up to a lot of sense, but what Sho lacks in artistic talents he makes up in dedication. “Sure. You want me to make food first? Then maybe set something up for you?” He can picture creating a still life scene out of random odds and ends, or perhaps Yoh just realized he doesn’t have a crucial supply and wants him to run out to the store for it? That would have been much better timed a few minutes ago, before he returned home, but nevertheless, Sho can make himself useful if needed.
“I already ordered food for us, should be here soon. Would you mind posing over there, by the window?”
Oh. Yoh’s already motioning in that direction, as if Sho’s agreement was certain, but his desire for dinner aside, he doesn’t have any complaints. It certainly seems like less work than he was anticipating. “What are you going to be drawing?” he asks, peeking over Yohei’s shoulder as if he’ll spy something, though the page is obviously blank. Without waiting for an answer, Sho takes a seat on the windowsill. “Is here okay? I’ve never been a model before.”
There’s some mumble from his friend, though Sho doesn’t catch any of the words, just some paper rustling as its straightened. “Actually, if you could stand up? I don’t have a specific pose in mind, but standing would be better.” While this all seems like a very odd night, Sho obliges, rising to his feet and stretching his arms over his head. The hem of his top lifting makes him think.
“Do you need my shirt off?” he blurts out, not actually planning to ask, but sometimes these things happen. At the questioning look he gets in return, Sho finds himself stammering. “I-I mean, it’s like those figure drawing classes, right? And they’re—they’re nude. So I—I just thought…”
“Yeah, that would be good,” Yoh saves him from himself, an embarrassing mess of words and a hot, red face. But then it strikes him just what exactly he’ll be doing, and Sho blanches. They see each other mostly naked all the time during work. They wear far less than he has on now, and they catch sight of each other in the locker room, as well. Having his pecs and abs on display is objectively no big deal. But pulling his t-shirt over his head, standing there with his chest bare, is more exciting to Sho than it has any right to be. Context painting something commonplace as something scintillating. “Good. Now, just… stand.”
“Do I have to keep still?” Look at him, full of questions tonight. It’s not as if he’s getting much in the way of direction from Yohei, however, so Sho needs to find out what’s required of him in some way. Striking what he thinks might be an enticing pose—half hoping Yoh notices and that he doesn’t—he waits patiently for an answer. Well, perhaps not so patiently. “Does this look good?”
If Sho is fishing for compliments, who could blame him? His heart is beating so ruthlessly against the base of his throat that he’s surprised the words come out at all. When Yoh peeks up to assess the lighting and posture or whatever it is he’s taking in, the look Sho receives only makes the sweet torture worse. It’s not the first time he’s noticed Yoh stare at him so longingly, but he has been terrified to act on it. After all, he’s seen Yoh look at a sushi train in the exact same manner.
“...Yes. Yes. You’re—it’s perfect. Don’t worry about staying in one place, just there in general is good.” It’s almost immediately after that when Yohei starts sketching. He must be very skilled, Sho determines, because he’s barely looking away toward the paper. How can he tell where the lines are? Just as he’s about to ask, Yoh glances at his drawing and squawks to himself, frantically erasing something with a frown. It takes a few seconds before the mishap is corrected enough to have him grinning, some kind of troublemaker smile that has Sho desperate to go back there and take a peek once more.
It turns out to be a little boring, standing in one spot and trying not to cross his arms over his chest. The lack of conversation at first doesn’t help much, either. Shifting from one foot to another, Sho tries to keep still, even if he was told that was unimportant. “For a first time model,” the sound of Yoh’s voice nearly causing him to jump with how unexpected it is, “you’re doing very well! I’ll be done in no time at this rate!” That’s reassuring, at least, Sho attempting to relax a little more in his skin.
It becomes easier, watching Yoh’s eyes as he works. They’ve always had a way of drawing Sho in. From the very first moment he spotted Yohei in the dojo, those eyes, that smile, resonated with him. It was inevitable that they’d end up roommates, tag team partners, really. Something about them was on the same frequency. Though in recent times, Sho believes those feelings might go further than he anticipated.
“Thank you. I have to admit, it’s difficult to feel comfortable being on display like this.” Though his shifting does cease, and he watches Yoh embellish something on the page with a flourish.
“You’re on display all the time. It’s your job. Shouldn’t it be nothing?” Not like this. Not in front of you. But Sho stays silent, Yoh clicking his tongue in response.
It’s a knock at the door that startles him next, Sho volunteering to grab their food, but Yoh jumps up to retrieve it before he can. They both take a break, Yoh where he’d been sitting and Sho on the windowsill, gazing out over the snowfall. The sparse covering will be gone by morning, but the thought of it sticking around longer than that is nice to entertain.
They finish their dinner between conversations about their respective days, Sho putting on his best smile, even if it’s a bit shy. “So, did your cousins miss me today?” He wonders if it’s simply his imagination when Yoh’s eye twitches.
Working through a large bite, Yoh takes his time with replying, though Sho playfully badgers him for an answer. “No. What reason would they have to miss you? Wouldn’t you think if anyone missed you today, it would be me?”
Again, Yoh doesn’t seem phased by the words, but Sho nearly chokes on his food. An overwhelming warmth travels up his face, and he’d like to ask, did you?, but does that matter? When they’re here now?
“Well, it’s good that you’re seeing me now, right?” They’re both finished eating, a silence coming to pass as they both sit and gaze at each other. Yohei has a ridiculous grin on his face, and Sho, with his chin in his hand, is positive that it’s mirrored on his own. “Are you going to finish that drawing, now?”
Pushing the takeout containers across the table next to him and adjusting the various pencils in front of him, Yoh gives a tiny shrug. “Oh, I was finished a while ago.”
“What?” Sho is up in an instant, moving toward him to take a look at what’s covering the canvas. How long had he just been standing there for no reason? Yoh looks very proud of himself, at any rate. Though when he looks at the page of paper, Sho thinks he must have flipped it over by mistake. “Where’s the drawing?”
Not missing a beat, Yoh waves his hand toward the picture. “You’re looking at it. What do you think?” It’s only now that Sho really notices that some of the pencils scattered around are colored, a few greens and reds and a pink…
“You drew Kermit the Frog??!” There’s a small part of Sho that, despite his outrage, thinks it is in fact a very decent piece of art, but he’s more confused and upset than anything else, arms crossed tight as his scowl stretches. “But…why would you do that? I was modeling for you! Why have me do that if you weren’t drawing me?”
The grin on Yohei’s face is conspiratorial, as if Sho is supposed to be in on this joke, should find it just amusing as he does. “Because this is what I can draw better than anything. And, besides,” his entire body turns toward Sho, eyebrows wagging in a way that dispels any tension that had still been lingering, “it gave me plenty of time to ogle you.”
“I can’t believe you—what?” All Sho can do for a few long moments is blink, sure that he’s misheard. While he’s had suspicions, nothing like this has ever been stated so plainly. Yoh’s eyes on him bring back that feeling again, pulling him in, that attraction. It really is more than he wanted to believe, isn’t it? “You wanted to check me out?”
“I always want to check you out,” Yoh chuckling as he says it. He’s so relaxed about the whole thing, as if it’s the way they’ve both always felt, and maybe it is. Perhaps things have always been this way, and Sho was a little too caught up in other things to notice.
Arms wrapped around the back of Yoh’s neck and caution thrown to the wind, Sho leans in for a kiss it feels as if he’s been dreaming of his entire life. He nearly knocks Yoh off his seat, and his back aches from the strange angle he’s bent at, but just the two of them here and nothing on display at all—it’s perfect.
“So,” the question is mumbled against his lips, Yoh’s still connected to them, “you like it, then?”
I like you, Sho really wants to say, but perhaps that’s implied. Instead, he takes a second to eye the drawing critically before turning back to Yoh. “It’s okay. But in the future, you’d better not be drawing cartoon animals if I’m modeling naked for you.”
The answering laugh and Yoh pulling him into a kiss of his own sounds like a deal to him.