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Semi woke to his phone notification pinging. He ignored it in favour of falling back to sleep because it couldn’t possibly be morning yet. Otherwise he’d hear his flatmate’s violin echoing throughout the apartment. But his phone pinged again. And again. And again.
He growled and grabbed it from the nightstand, ready to turn it off but the name on the screen made him pause and do a double take, just to make sure he’s not hallucinating from exhaustion. He wasn’t. That was definitely Shirabu’s name right there. Then he panicked because it was 1:43 am and Shirabu hadn’t messaged him outside of the group chat in years. He barely replied to the birthday messages everyone sent to him in the chat. (Well, okay, he replied to everyone except Semi in flowery words of gratitude while Semi only got, ‘Thanks’.)
Semi tapped the messages open, fingers fumbling over the screen.
Shirabu: Semi-sam
are yo u awwak?
Texy me bsk
I muss you
Semi blinked at the words, mind taking a moment to decipher them. I miss you. That couldn’t be right.
Semi: Taichi, is that you?
If it is i swear i’ll kill you in the morning
Shirabu: who tf is taicji,
It’d me. Kenij
Semi had tried calling him Kenji once and was almost lit on fire. He could barely get away with calling him Kenjirou on occasion. Wait.
Semi: …are you drunk?
Shirabu: i haf one dronk
It sounded a lot more than that if Shirabu Kenjirou was texting like this in atrocious grammar and spelling. Weirder still was that he didn’t drink, or at least he refused to last time the team got together. He’d called it a ‘sadistic way to kill yourself slowly’ and adamantly turned down the sip Semi had offered, growing bright red and glaring. Semi had been counting on that reaction because Shirabu was ironically cute when he was annoyed.
Semi gave no warning before he pressed ‘call’ and Shirabu immediately answered.
“Semi-san,” he slurred. “You called me.”
“Yeah, you’re very drunk, Shirabu-”
“Kenji. I like it when you call me that.” Then he giggled.
He giggled and holy fuck, did that do things to Semi, mouth suddenly going dry. He had to swallow his heart before he managed to speak. “All right, Kenji. Where are you right now?”
“I’m at home.”
“Okay, good. Is anyone with you? Do you have a roommate?”
“Yes but he’s gone. It’s just me now.”
“Gone? Did he say where?”
“I don’t know. He said we’re done and he went off. He told me to move out.”
Semi got out of bed, turned on the light, pulled on the pants he’d left on the chair and searched for a particular notebook on his mess of a desk. “Kenji, was he your boyfriend?”
“He was. We dated for eight months.”
Semi…didn’t know about that. He found the book and flipped through it, looking for a particular scribble of address. He never really intended to do anything with it. Reon once mentioned it in the group chat and Semi wrote it down on the corner of the nearest book, simply because. “I’m really sorry. Stay put, okay? I’m coming to get you.”
“Yes! Please come. I miss you so much.”
Mother of all things holy, Semi was not ready to hear those words spoken aloud the way Shirabu did and he almost choked on nothing.
“Hey!” he heard someone’s faint voice on the other end of the phone. A female by the sound of it. “Don’t tell him to come now!”
There seemed to be some sort of struggle where Shirabu yelled to give him back his phone. “I’m so sorry!” said the same female voice. “I’m Shirabu-kun’s friend and he wasn’t dumped. He’s just very drunk. We went out to celebrate his birthday and, uh, I didn’t think two drinks would do this to him. He’s been trying to text you all night and I tried to stop him but he’s managed to steal his phone back.”
“Uh.”
“Give it back!” Shirabu whined on the other side. “Eita called me, not you.”
The girl laughed nervously. “I’m sorry he disturbed you so late. I’ll make him stop.”
“No!” Semi said, way too quickly and too loudly. “I’ll, uh- I’ll talk to him.”
“Oh. O-Okay.” And more faintly, “He says he’ll talk to you. Thank him properly, okay?”
“I don’t need to thank him. He likes me. Hi, Semi-saaan.” Shirabu giggled again.
Dear god. “Hey, Kenji. Happy birthday.” Technically it was yesterday but Shirabu was still apparently in a celebratory mood so it counted.
“You already texted me that this morning.”
Semi got back into bed, putting the phone on his pillow. “I did. Did you have fun tonight?”
“I’m having fun now because you’re here.”
Wow, he had to be really drunk if he was flirting with Semi. “Where did you go out to?”
“I went to the arcade and played lots of things,” Shirabu recounted excitedly. “Then I had so much barbeque! But I’m sad because I didn’t win anything good at the arcade.”
Shirabu never did win anything, even back in high school. He wasn’t terrible at the games – he just had the shittiest luck. Semi used to make fun of him so much and Shirabu would sulk until Semi gave him something he won.
“Aw. Did you get presents for your birthday at least?” he asked.
“My roommate got me a book. It’s a nice book but it doesn’t have ferrets in it. I wanted ferrets because they remind me of you.”
“Why ferrets?”
“Their fur is like your hair. They got two colours.”
Semi smothered a smile. “My hair is just black now. I’ve stopped bleaching it.”
“Nooooooo!” Shirabu whined. “But I liked your hair! It was like a skunk.”
“I- What? You just said it was like a ferret!”
“That too. Turn the camera on. I wanna see you.”
Semi looked at himself, currently wearing nothing but boxers because the night was sweltering hot and the apartment was always stuffy. His hair must’ve been a mess too and he probably looked half dead.
“Semi-saaan!” Shirabu drawled. “Where are you?”
His camera was already on, showing Shirabu lying on his stomach with a pillow beneath his chest. His hair was dishevelled like he’d been picking individual strands apart to puff it up and his cheeks were flushed a pretty shade of pink.
Semi took a moment to breathe before turninh his own camera on, holding up the phone.
“You look weird with black hair,” Shirabu said immediately. “Bleach it again.”
“Okay, Sh- Kenji.”
Shirabu giggled once more and apparently hearing it and seeing it were two different things because Semi’s heart did a somersault and he wanted to squish the hell out of Shirabu’s cheeks and smoosh the grinning face between his hands.
“You’re so cute,” Semi found himself muttering before he could stop himself, hands balling into fists to resist the urge to reach into his phone and kneed Shirabu’s cheeks like dough.
“And you’re hot.”
Holy- “You’re going to regret all of this tomorrow, you know.”
Shirabu pouted. “Why would I regret it? I wanted you to come to the arcade with me today. You would’ve won me something.”
Semi shouldn’t indulge in Shirabu or himself but Shirabu was so earnest and happy when he was like this. Semi always assumed he’d be a moody drunk but the unexpectedly pure persona was difficult to resist being nice to.
He sighed. “Is there something you wanted me to get for you?”
“There was a lightsabre there! And an Obi-wan bobblehead. I think I saw Ahsoka too.”
Semi smiled. “That’s a lot of things.”
“Yeah but I’ll be happy with anything you get me. I just really missed you.” Shirabu laid his cheek on his arm, suddenly mellow. “I always think about that birthday party the team threw for me in second year. It’s my favourite.”
Semi remembered that one. The team had decided to prank him that year. They got up at unholy hours of the morning and decorated a common room with Star Wars themed banners and balloons. Shirabu hated Star Wars back then, even though he’d never seen it before. That morning, they made him put on party hats with Yoda on it and he scowled the whole way through. Semi still had pictures of it. That evening though, they did give him a proper party with not just the team but also with Shirabu’s other friends too.
“Is it because you got two parties?” Semi asked.
Shirabu shook his head. “It’s because I sprained my ankle at practice and you took care of me. I liked watching Star Wars with you too. I think that’s the only time I ever fell asleep with you.”
Suddenly this was all too close to home. Nothing that he was saying now, would he ever voice if he was sober. Semi didn’t want Shirabu hating him or himself when he woke up the next day.
“Kenji,” Semi said softly, “I think you should sleep now.”
“But I miss you.”
“I miss you too but it’s really late.” Shirabu’s crestfallen face was a kick in the chest. “If you still want to tomorrow, I’ll take you out to another arcade and I’ll get you something. How does that sound?”
“Will you kiss me?”
Semi breathed shakily. “If you want me to.”
“I want you to.”
“All right. Go to sleep now, okay?”
Shirabu nodded and yawned. “Goodnight, Semi-san.”
“Goodnight, Kenjirou.”
After he hung up, Semi lied awake in bed for hours, phone clutched over the drum of his heart.
~
Semi dropped by a pharmacy before driving to the address on the corner of his notebook. From the little restaurant next to the pharmacy, he also bought two shirasu rice bowls. It was around noon when Semi arrived at the apartment complex and found his way to the correct room.
The one who opened the door was not Shirabu, but a girl – probably the one on the phone last night – and she seemed to recognise him straight away.
“Hi, I’m Semi,” he told her anyway. “Does Shirabu live here?”
“Uh, yes, he does,” she said slowly, still staring at him in surprise even as she moved out of the way so Semi could enter. She turned to yell, “Shirabu, someone’s here to see you!”
Semi took his shoes off at the genkan before awkwardly following the girl into the living room.
“Tell them to go away,” came a response that was a half groan.
The girl gave an apologetic look at semi before yelling, “It’s your boyfriend.”
She probably knew full well that wasn’t true so Semi didn’t waste his breath denying.
There was a bit of swearing and a thump before Shirabu peeked out from around the door. The girl patted him on the shoulder before leaving the two of them alone. A second later, the front door closed with a click that felt like a command for them to sort things out.
Shirabu’s face was already red when he shuffled into the room, barefoot, wearing a salmon coloured tee and a pair of black shorts. He still looked adorable as fuck even when he was scowling.
“Semi-san,” he mumbled, not looking at him. Oh, he definitely remembered the phone call.
“Ken- Shirabu. How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine. What are you doing here?”
Semi held up the plastic bag in his hand. “I thought you might need these after that wild night you had. There’s lunch and paracetamol if you have a-”
“I’m sorry about last night,” Shirabu interrupted, fingers playing with the edge of his shirt. “I was really drunk and I crossed a lot of boundaries. It won’t happen again.”
“It could.” Semi took a step closer, but still far enough away that he could dodge a punch if came to that. “Not drunk calling specifically, just… Calling. I liked talking to you.”
Shirabu looked at Semi properly, mouth ajar. “Really?”
Semi nodded, wanting to reach out and grab Shirabu’s hand but it was a little bit early for that. “I’m also here to take you out on that arcade date if you’re up for it. I still need to get you a birthday present, after all.”
“Oh.” Shirabu stared, swallowing. His face reddened even more as he asked, “You promised something else too last night. Will I get still get that?”
“If you still want it.”
“Maybe.”
“All right.”
Shirabu nodded. They stared at each other for a little bit, waiting for the other to make the first move before Semi shook his head with a smile. He crossed the meter between them and pressed a kiss to the crown of Shirabu’s head.
“That’s cheating,” Shirabu said.
What a little brat. “Date first, then I’ll kiss you properly.”
“Fine,” he huffed, taking the bag, and walked out of the room, Semi trailing behind. “But I have a massive hungover so let’s move the date to another time.”
“How much will you drink then, Kenjirou?” Semi teased, just to rile him up a bit.
“Shut up!”
“Will you call me again after I drop you off?” Semi kept going. “‘Semi-saaan! I missed you!’”
“If it didn’t hurt to so much to move, I’ll be strangling you.”
“On second thought, I think I’d rather take drunk you out on a date. The sober you is no fun.”
“Tragic,” Shirabu deadpanned, heading into the kitchen.
Then Semi remembered- “Should I worry about that ex-boyfriend of yours who dumped you?”
Shirabu finally turned to glare daggers at him and Semi laughed, because as much as he loved a smiling, giggly Shirabu, he loved this side of him with all his heart too, perhaps even more so.
Semi pressed a kiss to Shirabu’s cheek, as soft and as squishy as he’d imagined, and whispered, “Happy birthday, Kenji.”