Work Text:
“The plane is scheduled to arrive in Japan at 3p.m.”
“See you then.”
“K”
---
…
‘K’??
The hell does K mean???
Tenma stared at his phone screen, his brows deeply furrowed with a look of bewilderment and, frankly, disappointment. He tries to refresh the page once more, reading the message over and over again as if the words will magically change, but to no avail - the text remains just as indecipherable.
It has been four months since Tenma had left Japan for a movie shoot overseas. Four months since Tenma had last seen Juza face to face. Four long insufferable months. The two had just started dating a bit before Tenma went overseas, but the distance between them remains just as excruciating.
Juza was not the most expressive person in the world, and Tenma knew this full well. He was a man of little words, or rather, was one who was bad at words. His replies were often few and far between. With the speed at which Juza replies to messages, it felt almost as if he never owned a phone to begin with. Before, Tenma would have been able to strike up conversations with Juza at school and around the dorms. Now, it all just feels like a distant memory considering how rare it was to catch Juza at the right time to chat in between shoots.
Heck, Juza kept refusing to video call Tenma for the entirety of the four months that he was away. "Why’d you wanna look at my mug…” he would say, his words brimming with so much reluctance that it started to eat into Tenma’s soul.
Tenma knew that Juza meant no harm - he never did. Still, to have gone four months without seeing each other, especially so early on in their relationship, only to reply with such nonchalance and indifference left a bitter taste in Tenma’s mouth.
Was it so wrong for him to look forward to seeing his boyfriend after being apart for so long?
---
Page refreshing…
No new messages
Tenma’s grip around the handle of his suitcase tightened, heart sinking ever so slightly. He forces down a painful gulp, trying to process the situation logically and rationally. Afterall, Juza might just be saving his words for when they meet later. Maybe Juza was in such a rush to meet Tenma at the airport that he was only able to give such a short reply.
Maybe I was the only one who was excited to see him again…
Tenma immediately slaps his cheeks, breaking himself out of the negative thoughts that were spiraling out of control. He ignores the crowds of people looking over, curious about the commotion caused. He had better things to worry about than a few judgemental eyes. He takes a few deep breaths as his finger hesitates over the send button before finally working up the courage to send a final message.
“I’m here.”
Exiting the arrival hall, his eyes immediately scanned the area for a certain purple-haired boy. It didn’t take long before he finally spotted his boyfriend in the crowd, leaning against a nearby pillar while gazing at his phone. He was wearing the black kame bun shirt that Tenma had gotten him from a cafe date a while back. Tenma’s heart swelled with happiness as the corners of his mouth uncontrollably curled up into a smile.
Play it cool , he thought, it isn’t like you to get so worked up over one person.
On the flight back to Japan, Tenma kept contemplating about what he would say when they met later that day. He thought about playing it cool, exchanging simple “hey”s and “how have you been”s and leaving it at that. He also thought about putting on a show of fake confidence and arrogance, boldly asking Juza how much he missed his presence in school and in rehearsals. Still, a part of him wanted to jump into Juza’s arms, holding him tightly and making up for the lonely nights and homesickness of the past four months. The sheer thought of hugging Juza in public made Tenma’s cheeks turn the same colour as Taichi’s hair and it lingered on his mind for the rest of the flight.
Tenma’s pride and shyness would never allow that level of affection in public, but some compromises can be made, right?
“J-Juza!” Crap that wasn’t calm at all.
Juza immediately looks up from his phone, his golden eyes shining even brighter under the halogen lights at the airport. Seeing Juza in person again made Tenma’s heart skip a beat. They make eye contact for a second before Juza quickly averted his gaze from Tenma’s, merely humming in response as he kept his phone away in his pocket. Tenma’s heart sinks even more.
Ahh...I truly was the fool for thinking that-
Tenma’s thoughts were cut off as he felt Juza’s callused fingers interlacing with his. His gaping mouth as he looked up in shock was enough to make Juza’s cheeks burn even hotter. Juza hesitates for a bit before he softly says to Tenma.
“Welcome home.”
Juza’s fingers trembled as they intertwined with Tenma’s, tips turning increasingly colder as the silence continued to hang over them. He begins to panic, re-evaluating his choice of words before Tenma lets out a chuckle. He squeezes Juza’s hand back, startling the other.
“I’m home.”
The feeling was always mutual, wasn’t it?