Work Text:
It was one thing for Tecchou to receive a simple call from Jouno, but it was a whole another thing to get a distress signal from the man.
Really, Tecchou had already called it a night and was a wink away from sleep when his work phone screamed bloody murder inside his closet— the thing still attached to his uniform and was loud enough for him to get startled and immediately clutch his sword that he kept balanced over his bedside table. It took him a few seconds to decipher what exactly the ringer was before he sprung out of bed to tend to it.
The screen only blinked with an address, so he didn't bother changing his attire, all he needed to do was put on a shirt. He could move freely in it, so it shouldn't prove to be a problem if he has to be on offence on this supposed mission.
Tecchou could really care less about how odd he looked right now: dressed in a wrinkled t-shirt and sweatpants, with a sword. It wasn't all that late, but it was late enough for the public to be back in their homes.
Now, Tecchou had been expecting to meet Jouno stalling an enemy— an ability user...
What he wasn't expecting was to find him slumped over a counter in a hole in the wall bar, drunk.
It was actually the last thing Tecchou expected from the likes of someone as self preserved as Jouno.
The confusion that rode his skin in a wave of goosebumps is still fresh on him, but he didn't stand and stare at the slumped figure for longer than thirty seconds, weapon on his person that the bartender warily eyed which Tecchou simultaneously dealt with, reassuring the poor old man that he is the police here to collect his colleague.
"He's been lounging here for most of the evening." The bar owner had said, wiping the counter where Jouno's drink had spilled over a little the coaster. "Fella had a rough night, it seems."
Tecchou thanked the man and even left a tip from Jouno's wallet since his own wasn't on him at that moment. It wasn't much effort to get Jouno out of the bar, carrying him on his back to take him to his car so he could drop him back home, the real problem was getting Jouno inside the car.
"It smells like someone died in there, Tecchou-san." To Jouno's credit, he could still hold a coherent conversation even while shitfaced. To Tecchou's misfortune, drunk Jouno was ten times more stubborn than sober Jouno.
He had already sustained three slaps to his face, a punch to his gut (which really didn't do much) and a measly kick to his thigh. As his own hands push down the top of Jouno's head to force him into the backseat, he first jolts down at the sudden tug on his shirt, and then hears a prominent rip from where Jouno was pulling at his shoulder.
The both freeze in their tracks at the sound, Tecchou’s eyes widening by a fraction as he snaps his neck to assess the damage.
His shirt is torn from its seams around his neck over his collarbone way down till his chest. A light breeze of air brushes against his bare skin in an unwelcome chill, making his flex his jaw with a sigh and a subtle roll to his eyes.
Jouno snorts and that is when Tecchou successfully pushes him inside the car and flicks on the child safety before slamming the door shut, clicking his tongue at the damage before he hops into the driver's seat.
"What are you doing?" Tecchou asks with a raised brow once he's sure the doors are locked, glancing back through the rear view mirror.
"What ever do you mean?" Tecchou blinks at how innocent Jouno sounds, wondering if he even is drunk right now. There's still the signature tone of mischief in his voice, but it's overpowered by the fact that Jouno is surprised Tecchou somehow miraculously showed up out of thin air, unaware of the fact that it was his drunken self that sent him a personal distress signal on their work line in the middle of the night.
"Why are you drunk?" Tecchou asks again, keeping his voice leveled as he does, a little off put by this out of character behaviour from his most composed peer.
"I'm not drunk." Jouno lies.
"Jouno."
"Yes?"
"Do you know what time it is?"
"It's Saturday."
"It's Thursday." Tecchou corrects, "and you're drunk." He sighs and glances back again, hearing a thump which makes him actually snap his neck to check if Jouno is alright—
He's flopped down on his back with a lopsided grin playing at his lips, though Tecchou doesn't have time to stare since he has to keep his eyes on the road.
"I am drunk." Jouno muses to himself like he had a profound realisation dawn over him. "Hey, I called a taxi ages ago. Where is it."
"You called me." Tecchou feels like he's talking to a child.
"You're...taxi?!"
"No, Jouno. I got a distress signal from you."
"Oh." Silence ensues. "Where are you taking me."
"Back home."
"Yours or mine?" Tecchou has to look over his shoulder at that question, baffled and debating on whether or not Jouno is genuinely asking that question or if he's still holding up to his silly antics.
"...yours." Tecchou answers matter-of-factly.
"Oh." He says again, falling silent.
This time, Tecchou doesn't ask him anything else and just assumes Jouno is too disoriented to provide him with a proper answer.
Now comes the most dreadful part of Tecchou's night: getting Jouno out and up to his apartment.
He thanks whatever deity out there for the lack of people in their vicinity because one: Jouno is basically yelling at Tecchou to leave him alone— which he did for a second, only for Jouno to slam into a garbage can placed against the wall and spill all its contents (Tecchou now has one more thing on his agenda for tonight to deal with) — and two: because now his shirt is torn till the hem and he looks fairly ominous trying to haul a drunk man into a building late at night. He even put his sword back in his car to avoid any possible confrontations with strangers.
Tecchou gives up on being civil and opts to just throw Jouno over his shoulder if that's what it takes to get him up the stairs that lead into the building. Jouno, obviously, is not happy about the manhandling, but there's only so much he can do in his drunken state of mind to protest against Tecchou's comparatively greater strength; which pisses him off.
Tecchou's sure his back is now bruised from the punches Jouno managed to land on him. It doesn't hurt, but this inordinate infantality of Jouno's is toeing the high lines of Tecchou's generous patience.
"Jouno, keys." Tecchou says once he's standing in front of Jouno's apartment, putting him down to let him stand on his own feet, holding his palm out in front of his partner with a huff.
For the first time that night, Tecchou finally looks at Jouno. And he looks terrible.
His cheeks are tinted a pink flush from the alcohol, eyelids wrinkled with his light lashes reflecting the dull ceiling light. His hair is a mess, falling over his forehead and sticking to his sheening skin from both his lack of effort in self maintenence and the forced manhandling to get him back here.
"I don't have your keys, idiot." Jouno snorts humourlessly and leans his back against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest.
"This is your home." Tecchou feels his pulse throb in his temple.
Jouno turns his head, brows pinching together in confusion, "I thought you said you were taking me to your home?"
"No? I said I was taking you to your home, Jouno." Tecchou sighs in disbelief, "where are your keys?"
"Huh." Jouno ponders, making no move to search himself, shrugging indifferently. "I dunno."
Tecchou mentally curses at his predicament— that is Jouno, and thinks once, and then twice about his next move.
God knows he's tried reasoning with Jouno the whole time this night and his patience is running thin by each retaliation, so he opts for his only choice: he searches Jouno's pockets himself.
He'll apologise to him in the morning— that is, if he even remembers what happened.
Tecchou first searches the front pockets of Jouno's jeans, biting down on his tongue at the surprised yelp that leaves Jouno's mouth at the sudden movement. He only feels his phone and a scrap piece of paper in both of them, now venturing his hands for his back pockets.
"Forgive me for this, but you leave me no choice." Tecchou mumbles in a voice that sounds horrified, thumping his forehead against Jouno's shoulder in guilt.
"Hah? What—hey!" Jouno shrieks when he feels Tecchou's fingers dip inside his pockets, blushing almost as red as the tips of his hair and swinging his hand to land a clean and cracking punch to Tecchou's cheek, looking horrified himself when he feels Tecchou practically jump away with a jingle.
Ah, the keys.
Jouno's heart is beating loudly in his chest, surprised at what just happened as he senses Tecchou fumble with the lock of his home, a certain weight on his chest from the semi justified smack he just received.
Tecchou just wants to go back home and sleep, since his muscles are straining from his work today coupled with the excessive hauling he had to do when he was just about to rest...
Instead, he now has a bruise forming on his face and a torn shirt. He could care less about either of those things, but he really wishes to catch a break.
Getting Jouno inside doesn't prove to be as big of a problem as Tecchou had expected, since he just strolled in and kicked off his shoes himself, slipping on the slippers by the door despite the lack of sobriety and stalked somewhere away inside.
Tecchou wonders if he should stick around any longer since now Jouno is safe and home, but his ill-fated night doesn't allow him the relief when he hears something thud in the distance.
"Jouno?" He calls out, concerned, reluctantly standing his ground and weighing the consequences of not investigating the sound and intruding in Jouno's home, uninvited. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, my shirt just fell." Jouno replies, sounding rather strained after a few seconds of shuffling, thankfully sounding uninjured.
"That sounded a lot heavier than a shirt."
"Well, I was in it."
Tecchou drops his head in his hands and aggressively wipes his palms down face, mumbling a string of silent profanities under his breath. He kicks his own shoes off and slips on the spare pair of slippers, deciding that if he is intruding Jouno's home, it's only because Jouno's acting a child.
He follows the sound of groaning and comes to view of Jouno sitting on his couch, head thrown back with a hand rubbing at a sore spot on his clenched forehead.
"Are you hurt?" Tecchou asks softly, eyeing Jouno's figure in concern.
"My head hurts." Jouno grumbles a reply.
Tecchou decides to at least tone down his coming hangover by a little by raiding his kitchen to look for some bread, pouring a cold glass of water for him and then searching his bathroom for some pain killers.
Jouno takes the impromptu snack without a complaint and hydrates, much to Tecchou's relief. It was only when Tecchou was about to leave when he called out to him again. "Tecchou-san?"
"Hm?" Tecchou hums in response, rather exhausted.
"I'm cold."
Tecchou stares at him. "And?"
Jouno clicks his tongue in disbelief, "could you fetch me my blanket, at least?"
"Your blanket." Tecchou echoes monotonously, cocking a single brow.
"Uhuh." Jouno doesn't say anything after that.
Tecchou sighs and heads for what he assumes is Jouno's bedroom, pushing the door open to be greeted with a wave of what smells like lavender air freshener and worn out cologne. Though, he doesn't bother lingering on his surprise since his limbs are practically begging for rest. He swoops the duvet off the bed and heads out of the room, shutting the door behind himself.
"Here." Tecchou speaks, sounding more patient than he feels. "Anything else?"
Jouno turns to face Tecchou, looking in his direction for a few long seconds before he scoots a little to the side and pats the spot next to him with a seemingly harmless smile. "I have something to tell you."
Tecchou's curiosity piques. "What is it?"
"Sit down first, then I'll tell you." Jouno proposes with a shrug, a little more sluggish than he was before, but all the more cunning.
Jesus Christ, what's the worst that could happen. Tecchou thinks to himself and throws his hands up in defeat, coming to sit down an arms length away from Jouno, cautious of if Jouno is planning to land another smack to his face hard enough to leave another mark.
"Closer, Tecchou-san." Jouno says in mild frustration, beckoning Tecchou over with a small wave of his hand.
Tecchou breathes in sharply and does as he's told, digging his knuckles into the cushions of the couch to level himself closer to him.
Jouno leans forward and reaches to grab Tecchou's jaw. Tecchou immediately expects another hit, but he doesn't flinch away. He keeps his eyes on Jouno's closed eyelids, his own blown wide in shock as he feels Jouno's hand creep up his cheek to trace his cold fingertips over the line of his cheek.
He watches the changes in Jouno's expression when the pad of his thumb traces the markings under his eye, bringing his hand down to squish both his cheeks with just one hand.
"Y'know, Tecchou-san," Jouno says slyly, smirking lazily and fully aware of the skip in Tecchou's heartbeat. "I really wanna kiss your stupid face."
Tecchou's eyes widen even more and he grips Jouno's wrist to push it away, not because he doesn't want Jouno to kiss him, but rather because sober Jouno would never want to kiss Tecchou. He just wants to do the normal Jouno a favour and keep his head on his shoulders.
Jouno's hand doesn't budge. He just smiles even wider and leans in to press his cold, wet lips against Tecchou's warm and chapped ones.
He freezes in shock, chest tightening at the realisation that Jouno is kissing him. And he is drunk.
As much as his mind is screaming at him to pull away because of how wrong this is, his body just refuses to comply when Jouno tilts his head to deepen the kiss, brushing his tongue against Tecchou's and leaving the bittersweet taste of whatever alcohol he was having at the bar on his lips.
They break away when Jouno makes a soft muffled sound between the kiss, hand still tight and gripping Tecchou's face in the afterglow of the kiss and his drunken escapade.
Tecchou knows better than to linger there, rendered breathless from just this. He knows better than to feel his heart kick in his chest in excitement, but he can't help it.
He won't deny the fact that he hasn't thought about kissing Jouno before, but he didn't know he was this starved for him. He almost chases his lips to finish off what Jouno started, but restrains himself by pushing Jouno's hand away and springing to his feet.
"I'm leaving." He announces, not even bringing himself to look at Jouno's face. What will he say to him when he meets him all sobered up? It is his fault, right?
"M'kay. G'night, Tecchou-san." Jouno sounds more satisfied than Tecchou would like to admit.
He makes a beeline for the door of his apartment and quickly switches shoes, making sure to lock up before he basically jogs away, eyes blown wide in the after shock.
When he exits the building and is greeted with a fresh breeze of air on the exposed skin of his chest, he brings his fingers up to his lips to chase the feeling of that...kiss.
He's worried about two things: the first is the bubbling guilt in his gut from having his first kiss with Jouno stolen in a drunken experience. The second, is the ever-growing thought of Jouno wanting to do this, on his own.
"I really wanna kiss your stupid face."
The confession echoes around in his head like a broken record on a screeching stereo. He recalls and turns the one thing he once heard the commander dreadfully admit after he recovered from one of his many chaotic hangovers like an artifact,
"Drunk words are sober thoughts."