Chapter Text
It was all tight smiles and calculated words that were exchanged over dinner. An ignorant man would confuse your cautious nature for simply being another shy blossom waiting for the brisk breeze of his love to pull you from your branch, but you held fast to your tree. As the banal chatter of your date melted into the din of the white tablecloth restaurant, you allowed yourself a brief moment to sink into your thoughts.
Is this what I’m really looking for? Is this all that I’m worthy of?
He was plain-- not that it was a bad thing. With plainness came stability, reason, economy, and yet you yearned for more than settling for mediocrity. Lips stretched taut over your teeth, you nodded and made non-committal noises indicating your attention was still in the same zip code as his inane droning. For a moment, your smile slipped and the warm sensation of your date’s hand wrapping around your own on top of the pressed linen tablecloth ripped you away from your thoughts.
“I’m sorry, am I boring you?”
You finally focused to meet his stern, yet concerned gaze. His strong fingers continued to tighten around your hand, the question shooting through you. Slowly, you shook your head and worried your lip between your teeth, a habit he loathed. Your cheeks flushed with the fire of your embarrassment. Caught between his plain, constant stare and the hum of flatware scraping against fine china and small talk it was all you could do to shrink lower into your seat and move the steamed vegetables around your plate. He withdrew his hand from yours and settled back into his one-sided conversation. Appetite long gone, you finally dropped your fork and placed your napkin on the table. The cheque was split evenly, gratitude exchanged, and farewells left at the table in abject silence.
Another failed date for the books, you withdrew deeper into yourself during the walk home, insisting you would be fine without his presence to escort you safely. Half-ignoring his cries of, “Call me when you get home!” you waved in acknowledgement and began your trek through the bustling city. Numbly your feet dragged you through the crowded streets on a path you knew by heart. Once inside the safety of your studio apartment, you pulled your smartphone from your purse. Soft mewling and purring greeted you at the door as a lithe tabby rubbed his head against the soft leather of your boots.
“Hey, trouble,” you crooned down to the animal, abandoning your phone on a desk in the passthrough. He chirped in reply and led you to his appallingly empty food dish. “Sorry, Chubs. I didn't mean to forget.” Kibble tinkled through the open space like bells on Sunday morning. Kneeling, you stroked the cat as his purring ramped up, rivalling any sports car on the street. You lingered with your roommate for the better part of ten minutes as he devoured his fill and basked in your rapt attention. The chime of your ring-tone pulled you from the animal, and reluctantly you rose to retrieve the forgotten tech.
When you pulled up the notification, your features softened into the sweetest of smiles. Warmth poured from your eyes to the image frozen on your screen.
Toyomitsu is video calling you…
At the push of a button the world melted away and all you saw was the steady, gentle smile of your childhood friend staring back at you.
"Hey," you breathed, tucking a stray hair behind your ear. He snickered and waved.
"Sorry it's been a while since my last check-in, Y/n. How ya been?" You kicked your heels off and slid down the wall to the floor, expression a mix of exasperation and guilt. "That bad, huh?" You shook your head and scoffed. Wordlessly he read you down as if the past five years didn't wedge between you two.
"It is what it is, Toyomitsu-kun." He winced at his surname rolling from your lips like he didn't inherently know your idiosyncrasies. "I think I'm just destined to be alone. Tokyo isn't anything like home," you sighed. He nodded and gave you another megawatt smile, running a large hand through his messy golden hair.
"Well, home just ain't the same without ya. Should come visit! Make a weekend outta it!"
Chubs rubbed his whiskered cheeks against your knee and trilled at the familiar face in your hand curiously. "Ya don't have to answer right away," he continued. "Just think about it, 'kay?"