Work Text:
Tic tac tap. There he was, typing away on that laptop he always seemed to be on. Click, click. That silver mop called his hair was matted down with that boring pair of yellow headphones he still kept from when they had danced the shadows away. She opened her mouth to complain, but preemptively shut it. She was sure that he wouldn’t be able to hear a thing she said anyways. Every once in a while, she’d catch him nodding his head along to a song, secretly hoping he’d be listening to one of her own tracks. She looked at the clock. 5:15 PM. Seven hours.
Click, click. Her eye twitched. Tic tac tap tap. Those sounds. They really pissed her off. The idol threw her legs over the couch at the back of his room, which she was laying on, and pushed herself into a sitting position. This time, she wouldn’t hesitate.
“Senpai,” she groaned. “I didn’t come over just to waste my time like this.” Tic tap. Click, click, click. He obviously didn’t hear a thing. She rolled her eyes as she flopped back onto the couch, “Ugh!”
Rise Kujikawa, or better known as the idol, “Risette,” was spending her free day off at her boyfriend, Yu Narukami’s, house. As an idol, she had a busy schedule to uphold, whether she liked it or not. At times, it was very, very , hard to make time to hang out with friends, let alone her boyfriend. And when she eventually did get an open slot in her schedule, she always reserved it for him.
Lately though, her time’s been spent laying on his couch, sighing and waiting for him to finish up on that damn laptop. Even when he did manage to get off early, they only got around with about thirty minutes to spare. Which was usually spent talking, like they normally did. It was simply repetitive!
It’s not like he was a bad boyfriend, though. He called her every night before bed, listened to her problems, comforted her, came to every concert he could, and asked about her day. All that jazz. At his own house though… for some reason she didn’t know, he blatantly ignored her. It really got under her skin.
Maybe college was a lot? Or maybe she chose the wrong days to visit? Did she do something wrong? What if he wanted to… break up? Rise tried to twist and turn every excuse in her head for an answer. Yet nothing made sense. Wouldn’t he simply tell her he was busy?
“Hmm?” Yu hummed. He lifted a muff off of his ear. “Rise? Did you say something?”
“No,” she grumbled, “nothing at all.” Draping an arm over her face, she waved a hand dismissively at him. “Go back to your typing or something!” He raised an eyebrow at her.
“Uh, okay. Whatever you say, Rise.” He shrugged and turned his attention back to his screen. “Just let me know if something is bothering you.” Click, click. She felt her blood boil. Not just from that annoying sound, but from his simple words. JusT LET mE know iF sOmEtHING is BoTherinG yoU, he says. I’ll let you know something, alright, she thought. I may be an idol, but… it’s the Fiery Fist O’ Pain for you, Senpai!
“Ugh, are you serious Senpai?” Rise sat up, groaning. “How oblivious can you be?” She got off of the couch and stormed towards the door. “I’m going to get a snack.”
She stood in front of the door, waiting for a response. Nothing. Steam blew out her ears, and her hands balled into fists. “Ooh, Senpai,” she started through clenched teeth, an edge to her voice, “at least tell me what you want.”
He lifted a muff up. “You’re getting a snack? Here, I’ll come with you.” Yu shrugged his headphones off and started to rise, but Rise’s exclamation stopped him dead in his tracks:
“No!” she pushed a hand out in front of her. “You just… stay right there!”
“Uh… Are you sure, Rise? I don’t mind, really.”
“It’s fine.”
“Sure, okay.” He sat back down and slipped his headphones back on. “Could you get me those cheesy puff balls? They should be on the counter. Thanks, love you.”
To Rise’s annoyance, he didn’t fight it. He really just sat back down? Ugh… Stomping out of the room and down the stairs, she made her way to the kitchen.
“Oh my God! What happened here?” The place was a mess. She hadn’t noticed it when she first walked in, but now that she was standing there, she was taken aback at the sight. Dishes flooded and threatened to topple out of the sink, bottles and cans were scattered all over the countertop, making it near impossible to find anything, not to mention, the dangerous puddle near his mail that slowly seeped closer and closer with each passing second. It was a stark contrast to his room, which always seemed to be in tip-top order and devoid of anything dirty.
With slow, deliberate steps, she reluctantly stepped into the small kitchen. She edged along the countertop, being careful to mind her surroundings; caution was key to traverse that jungle of pots and pants. “Now,” she whispered to herself, “where are those cheeseballs?” She searched high and low, and all over the counter, but found nothing but more bottles and cans, let alone anything resembling cheeseballs. He said they’d be on the counter though… Rise groaned, and made her way to the fridge instead. With the lack of room, she was forced to crack the fridge open a smidge.
She squinted inside, only to back away with widened eyes. “N-nothing?!” What a shock. Yu was the type of person to eat whatever was lying around though, so she wasn’t sure what she was expecting. With a sigh, she shut the fridge and edged her way back out of the kitchen.
She debated whether or not to pull Yu away from whatever he was doing, so he could navigate through this mess for her instead, but ultimately decided against it. That laptop had to be important enough that he spent every waking hour he had with her on it instead. The thought of that just… made her stew even more.
Her stubborn side practically demanded that she drag him down here and interrogate him, but her more… mature side told her it’d be better if she didn’t. With both sides arguing back and forth, Rise was trapped. What should I do?
Tapping at her nails, the excess energy she had from lazing about all day accumulated into something… productive. Something selfless. As she washed her eyes over the mess that was her boyfriend’s kitchen, she decided…
“Well, I might as well help him out.” Taking a hair tie from her wrist, she tied her loose locks into a simple ponytail. “This may take a while though.”
Rise surveyed the landscape with her hands on her hips, looking for what could be the easiest place to clean. Her eyes glossed over everything until it finally settled on the table, piled high with mail, bottles, and that mysterious puddle.
“It’s a start,” she shrugged. I hope Yu likes it. At that thought, her pulse quickened, and her will to clean increased tenfold.
*
She ran around, to and fro, collecting bottle after bottle and can after can into a large garbage bag she’d found in a storage closet. By the time she’d finished collecting everything from off the table, the bag was already half-way full. And that was just the table! She still had to collect from the counter, and everything that was strewn on the floor. With a tired sigh, Rise dropped the bag beside the fridge, setting aside the task of rounding up the empty containers in favor of drying the puddle instead.
Scrambling to retrieve a paper towel from the kitchen, Rise accidentally knocked over a pot from the overflowing sink. She cringed at the loud crash it made as it fell, and crossed her fingers that Yu hadn’t heard a thing. Frozen in place, she waited for a few minutes to hear his footsteps descend the stairs. Nothing. For once, I’m glad he was wearing headphones.
Breathing a sigh of relief, she dashed over the table and hastily began to wipe the puddle dry. The fact that it left a stain on the wood sent flashes of concern through her, but she still tried to divert her attention away. Next task… mail sorting.
Rise wasn’t actually going to sort his mail though. That’s simply rude, and none of her business. Her task of “mail sorting” meant that she was going to move the stack piled on the table, somewhere else. Say, right next to his landline? Perfect.
Plopping his envelopes on the shelf his landline was on, the table was finally clean. Free to eat on, yet not free to sit at yet. For that, she needed to move back to picking up the bottles and cans. This time, from off the floor. Bending over wasn’t normally a problem, but when it came to cleaning, Rise absolutely despised it. But she needed to walk without worrying about slipping from a bottle, so she sucked it up and worked.
Pluck, pluck, pluck. The bag was now filled up three-quarters. The possibility of fitting every empty bottle and can was getting slimmer and slimmer with each one she snatched up. Oh well. There’d always be more bags, but she’d rather there only be one to throw out.
Now that the floor was clean, Rise was free to walk, twirl even. Even still, there was more to be done. The counter. That bloody counter. Her eye twitched at the sight of it. The final obstacle in making this kitchen clean. Gritting her teeth, she readied the bag and set to work dumping everything into it.
In a flurry of motions, she swept everything off the counters, repeating the action as many times as she needed until finally…!
With the last bottle secured in the bag, the counter was free and spacious. Lo and behold, a container of cheeseballs awaited her, as if they were the hidden treasure in a dungeon. Relieved that she didn’t need to retrieve a second bag for everything, Rise dropped the bag near the front entrance. She was careful though, as it looked just about ready to burst at the seams.
The final task. The mountain of dishes. It was unbelievable how large the pile was, but luckily, Rise was rather skilled with her hands; dishes were never a problem for her. In a glossy haze, the dishes went by in a snap. With the final pan placed away on the drying rack, Rise dried her hands off with a paper towel.
*
“Phew!” she exhaled. “That was… kinda fun.” She silently surveyed the fruits of her labor: the empty sink, spacious counter, and table free to read a newspaper at. A glow of pride spread through her at the sight. Nice. Her eyes flashed to the clock. 8:20 PM . She gawked at the three hours that had passed. And he didn’t wonder at all where I’ve been, she lamented.
“Rise?”
She turned at the voice, seeing that boyfriend of hers perched on the stairwell. “S-senpai,” she exclaimed, “what’re you doing here?”
“Well,” he said as he descended even further, “you’ve been gone for a while, so I was wondering where you were.” As he went down the final few steps and entered the small hall that led to the kitchen, he tilted his head at her quizzically. “What’ve you been doing this whole time?”
“Er, I… Nothing?”
“Lemme see.” Yu brushed past her and into the kitchen, only to stop after taking a few steps. “Whoa, what’d you do here?” He strolled into the kitchen, a nonchalant air about him. His eyes brightened up at the sight. “Oh, nice.”
What used to be an unrecognizable jungle of a kitchen, made of pots, pans, and bottles, was now a place truly worthy of the name “kitchen.” For one, the table and counters were now free to work and create and eat at. The spacious sink could hold dishes once again, and that strange puddle was no longer a risk. And all that trash that was scattered here and there was taken out with ease.
“Senpai!” She quickly latched onto his arm in an attempt to make him stop in his tracks. “Wait, don’t look yet!”
“Too late.” With a grin on his face, he patted her head. “So that’s what you’ve been doing this whole time. Cleaning up for me.” He gave her forehead a small peck. “Thank you, Rise. I don’t imagine that it was easy, so I really appreciate it. After I finish up, wanna go get some dinner or something? I think you deserve it.”
“Finish up? You mean on that… laptop?” The mention of those words only served to fuel the diminishing sparks inside of her. She instantly retreated from Yu’s arm.
“Yeah.” His eyebrows scrunched into a frown. “Why, is something wrong?”
It’s now or never. “Well,” she began, with a pout, “it’s just that… every time you say that, we never end up going out. It’s always the same thing; you work on that laptop all day, and never have time for me.” Scowling, she continued, “You didn’t even notice that I was gone for three hours. Stupid Senpai!”
“Wait what? Of course I noticed…” He awkwardly shifted around as he said that, though.
“You’re just saying that. You would have come to check on me if you did.”
“Well that’s…” After giving it some thought, he asserted, “It was important.”
“Are you serious, Yu?” she said flatly. “I spend my few free days with you all the time, and that laptop is more important?” Rise’s voice rose slightly. “What’re you even doing on it?”
“T-that’s confidential!”
“No way,” she exclaimed, “you’re even trying to hide it? What is it?”
Scrambling for excuses, Yu blurted out, “Uh, school! Yeah, that’s it… I just have a lot of homework!”
“Right,” she sighed. “School. You could just tell me when you’re busy… so I don’t have to bother you.” Crossing her arms over her chest, she turned away from him with downcast eyes. "I… have to go home anyways,” she lied.
“You usually stay until 12, though. What’s the rush?” Concern settled into his eyes. They coaxed an answer from her that she didn’t even want to give.
“I just… don’t feel like staying right now, Senpai. I’m not even sure if you’ll finish up anytime soon. I’m always waiting while you do something that I don’t even know about,” she frowned. “It just seems kinda pointless, you know?”
“Oh… I see.”
Is that… really all you’re gonna say?!
“I better catch a train soon, before it gets too late,” she huffed quickly, in an attempt to change the mood. “I’ll see ya later.” Hastily, she rushed towards the door, her hand clutching the knob. However, before she could even take a step out of the house, she yelped in surprise, as Yu wrapped his arms around her from behind.
“Rise, wait. Don’t go.”
“Don’t… go?”
“I’ll tell you,” he sighed contentedly, resting his chin atop her head, breathing in the strawberry smell of her hair softly. “Just stay with me, please.”
“O-okay.” Rise blushed at the sudden physical affection. It was unexpected to say the least, but she didn’t mind; it was always a rare treat whenever he held her like this, let alone if he begged her to stay. Yu wasn’t one who showed his love through physical expression, but nonetheless, she still felt it. She slowly reached her hands up to rest on his forearms, waiting for him to speak.
“To be honest, I’ve been spending all this time looking for… something . I wanted it to be a surprise for you, but,” he smiled sheepishly into her hair, “oh well.”
“A surprise?”
“Yeah… lately, I’ve been looking at some places. I wanted to find one ASAP, so much so, that I ignored you.” He frowned. “I’m sorry.”
“‘Places?’” Her eyes widened at the word. “As in, a house or an apartment?”
“Bingo.
“No way…” she mumbled to herself as she went limper and limper with each passing second, though Yu didn’t seem to notice. Living together… a dream come true.
“I’ve been working pretty hard these couple of years. As you know, I’m almost done with my degree, and so to prepare, I’ve set aside some money for at least a small apartment for us to share. I’m not sure if you’ll be okay with the size I can afford, but whatever it is, it’ll be ours.” Feeling her body shake, he tightened his grasp on her. She hadn’t even noticed she was shaking to begin with. Was it fear? Excitement? Anger? “I’m sorry if this is too sudden. And I understand if you don’t want to. But,” he held her even closer to his chest as he continued to speak, “I want to be with you. Even if it’s barely seeing you everyday, it’s everyday at least.”
Rise simply gripped his arms harder, lifting them to rest on her lips, at a loss for words. Her eyes fell to the floor as thoughts ran every which way in her head. A place. Where we can be together… like a couple should.
“I’m sorry it’s been taking so long. I’ve been working so hard for this, and when I was close enough to my goal, I was gonna tell you. Are you mad?”
“Stupid Senpai…” she mumbled into his arms.
“What was that?”
“Stupid Senpai!” she exclaimed, bursting out from his grasp to face him, taking Yu aback. “Of course I’m mad! If you needed help, you could’ve asked me!”
“Rise…” He tried reaching out, but she pulled away. Flashing her an apologetic smile, he tried to explain himself. “It’s only right that I take care of finding a place for us. You have to be a great idol, after all.”
“That’s just stupid, Yu.”
“Huh?”
She shook her head exasperatedly. “You can be so dense sometimes. If it’s going to be our place, wouldn’t it be fair if we both pitched in?”
“I can’t let you do that,” he argued, “you’re already busy enough as it is. I can handle it.”
“Oh come on! You’re just as busy, with work and finishing your schooling. There’s no way you could do it by yourself.” With a pout, she reached out to hold his hand in hers. She gazed into his eyes longingly as she locked their fingers together, whispering, “Please, let me help you.”
“Rise, I…”
“Please, Yu. I want to.” Those coffee brown eyes of hers had a pleading glare to them, one that Yu found hard to say no to. And when she said his name so innocently like that, how could he refuse?
With a relenting chuckle, he smiled large and toothy. Lifting their interlocked hands in oath, he stared deep into her eyes with a pure fondness that Rise noticed he always reserved for her. “Fine, fine. You win. Next time you come over, we can look together. And I promise; I won’t ignore you.”
“Yu…” Tears pricked at her eyes, but before she could let any of them fall, she jumped against Yu’s chest and latched onto him in a great big hug. While he was surprised at first, he eventually reciprocated the hug, cherishing their shared warmth. “Thank you.”
They shared no words for a while. They felt each other’s breath against their skin, the beat of their hearts, the rise and fall of their chests. It’d been so long since they’d held each other like this, simply indulging in one another’s comforting presence. Eventually, Rise gathered up the courage to look up at Yu, with a grateful grin on her face.
*
“You look happy,” he said as he released her. Gingerly, he still held her hands. “Is there anything els—”
“Just shut up and kiss me already.” Creeping up to her tippy-toes, Rise wrapped her arms around his neck, bending him down for a peck on the lips. Yu groaned in frustration, as she stopped at just one. Holding her by her waist, he pulled her in for another chaste kiss. One peck turned into another, and then another, until, finally, their needy lips settled against each other deeply— passionately.
Pulling away and panting for air, Rise giggled. “I missed you, too.” He said nothing, as he simply continued to lose himself in her eyes, until finally...
“Wanna watch a movie, or something?” he asked, gesturing to the TV. “My parents won’t be back until tomorrow, as you know, and well… You’re not still planning on leaving are you?”
“No, I think I’ll stay. Besides,” she nudged his shoulder, “I kinda wanna try out those cheeseballs that you praise all the time.”
“You mean, ‘cheesy puff balls.’ And... you actually found them?”
“I’d be surprised if I didn’t after all that cleaning, Senpai,” she giggled.
“Oh, right…” he rubbed his neck sheepishly. “Well, come on then. I’ll go grab a blanket, while you choose a movie. Feel free to eat a few while you wait!”
*
Rise popped a cheeseball— ‘cheesy puff ball’— into her mouth and chewed. As she lay against Yu’s chest with his arm draped lovingly around her, she sighed, satisfied. The TV flashed with colors and sounds, but they didn't catch her attention. The man next to her, sharing the blanket with her, was more than enough for her.
“No wonder you like these.”
“Good aren’t they?”
She nodded. “Mm. I want to eat all of them, but… you know.”
“Yeah, I know. Just enjoy what you can.”
“Mm…” she yawned, fatigue settling into the crevices of her muscles. “Hey, if I get sleepy… will you drop me off at home?”
“I don’t see why not,” he smiled. “You’re already here, aren’t you?”
She smiled back, her eyes drooping. “Yeah, I guess I am.” Shutting her eyes, she laid her head against his chest. Thump. Thump. Thump. The strong beat of his heart was a comforting sound, slowly lulling her to sleep. “Yu… I love you.”
Stroking her hair gently, he gave her a peck on the forehead. “I love you too, Rise.”