Work Text:
Morihito thought that he would never live to see the day when the sound of an unpredictable summer downpour would sync up perfectly to the sound of Yamashita Tatsuro’s ‘Sparkle’, which was playing as more or less a suitable backing track over Soushi’s sound system as Sora and Soushi were bickering for about the tenth time over the past five minutes.
“Seriously, are you sure this is the right way?” Soushi asked, still sounding as unconvinced as ever when they first left their shared dormitory building at least half an hour ago.
“Geez, you asked me that, like, five minutes ago,” Sora groaned. “I’ve been to Matsushita’s place before, I know the way, dude.”
Soushi scoffed. “Yeah, says the guy who got lost going from the science faculty to the library, which is just right next to each other, might I remind you.”
“Hey, that was just one time, and I was a first-year, so it doesn’t count,” Morihito could hear the pout in Sora’s voice.
“Okay then, party junkie, tell me why I’ve been driving around here for maybe 15 minutes and I just keep seeing the same few houses.”
“I told you, this is just one of those neighbourhoods where everything just looks the same! Were you even listening to me?” Sora twisted around in the front passenger’s seat to face Morihito. “I did say that, right, Mori?”
“Um, yeah,” Morihito smiled, knowing better not to point out that they did technically make one round around the same area according to the map application he had open up on his phone in favour of keeping the shrivelling peace. “Hopefully we will be there soon.”
“Thank god,” Soushi muttered. “I don’t want to drive until I start regretting coming out here.”
“Oh, please,” Sora rolled his eyes pointedly. “That’s what you say but you’re just going to go crazy and get laid like you always do.”
“At least I don’t get mad wasted and throw up on the host’s shoes.”
Morihito sank into his seat as Sora and Soushi soon went back to squabbling again. Not that he could blame them. It was still the middle of finals with at least four more papers to go and the weekend before the next paper was leaving everyone on the edge. Even Morihito, who considered himself quite apt at keeping on task, got restless from staring at his textbook for the good part of the day, until Sora came in from a convenience store run for drinks and suggested they go take a break before mugging for real on Sunday.
And that was basically how they got on this forty-minutes-and-counting car ride out to this unknown neighbourhood, antsy at the thought of all the studying they could be doing, which could only be erased with the promise of club music and cheap alcohol.
“We’re close!” Sora’s sudden enthusiastic voice interrupted Morihito’s thoughts. “Sou, turn in that way. His house is at the end of this stretch.”
Morihito peered out of the window as Soushi followed Sora’s directions, passing by rows of houses until they reached the last house: a villa that looked way too luxurious to be a party venue for a bunch of stress-crazed university students. But the bass of the loud music coming from inside and the excited chatter of people from the supposed backyard confirmed that they were at the right place.
Morihito followed his friends closely as they made their way up the steps leading to the front door, barely dodging the drizzle the rain had mellowed out into. Sora was the one who rang the doorbell, and a boy around their age who Morihito had never seen before answered the door. He didn’t seem to mind that they showed up looking a little lost and slightly wet from the rain, but that may because he himself was clouded with alcohol, judging from the large can in his hand.
They were quickly ushered in inside, the loud party music heavy against Morihito’s ears. He considered himself alright with dealing with crowds, but whatever was going on here was nothing like he had experienced before. Groups of people crowding and dancing in the spacious living room. Loners and couples alike scattered across the floor and stairs, either a bottle, a cigarette or another person in their grasp.
“Well,” Soushi said casually, not seeming to mind the atmosphere. “Let’s go get what we came here for.”
They managed to find the kitchen not far from the noise and people, where the counter was lined fully with bottles and cans of assorted alcohol and people were hanging around drunk or on their way to getting there. Sora grabbed some plastic cups and the nearest bottle of whiskey. Morihito tried not to wince at the amount Sora was graciously pouring into them, but pushed back his reservation as Sora raised his cup half-heartedly.
“To finals,” Sora sighed heavily.
“To finals,” Morihito conceded with a half-smile. Soushi nodded. They tapped their plastic cups together, before downing the contents in one brave gulp. The whiskey burned down Morihito’s throat and settled warmly into his stomach. He set down his cup to take a breather. Soushi was already reaching for a refill and Sora looked like he was regretting every single decision of his life.
“Man, does the music here suck or what?” Sora suddenly asked, his voice amusingly bordering on slurring.
“It’s just party music,” Soushi replied nonchalantly, Morihito pointedly eyeing the worrying amount he was tipping into his cup. “It won’t matter in two drinks.”
“I think nobody’s manning the sound system,” Morihito remarked. “I guess you could go change it.”
Sora gave an overenthusiastic nod. “Damn right I will. After some more drinks, though. I don’t want to chicken out in front of some hardcore clubbers.”
As Sora turned around and got busy choosing his next dose of poison, Morihito quietly observed his surroundings. The music could still be heard from the kitchen, but at least it wasn’t as loud and blaring. Though tipsy or even more so, the people here seemed more collected as well, choosing to keep to themselves or carrying casual, if not drunken, conversations. It didn’t nail the hyper party vibe, but it was a sort of quiet Morihito was used to.
“Hey,” Soushi tipped his chin, pointing with his index finger. “Sora, isn’t that your boy crush over there?”
“What?” Sora punctuated with a choke. Morihito followed the direction where Soushi was pointing to. There was someone at the fridge, seemingly inspecting its contents.
“Etou Kouki?” Morihito tilted his head. “He didn’t strike me as the kind of person who would come to this... kind of occasion.”
“Shit, same,” Sora visibly gulped. Soushi smirked.
“Chickening out before your second drink?”
“Cut it out,” Morihito gave Soushi a chiding look. “Striking up a conversation while tipsy doesn’t seem ideal for Sora’s situation.”
“Oh, Mori, wouldn’t you like to know,” Soushi barked out a laugh. “Mr Oohara here is a top-tier entertainer when he’s gone as all hell.”
“Shush,” Sora glared at Soushi, his cheeks burning a prominent red, though Morihito couldn’t tell if it was annoyance, embarrassment or the alcohol. “I know you’re trying to be a dick to me, but can you at least try to be subtle about it?”
Soushi shrugged nonchalantly. “Either you go take this chance while the liquid courage is kicking, or I yell his name and ask him to join us.”
“Okay, fine,” Sora puffed his cheeks as he set down his plastic cup in favour of two cans on the table. “But I’m only doing this to get your annoying ass off my back.”
“Whatever, man. You can thank me later.”
Morihito couldn’t help but give Sora a sympathetic look as his friend walked off. He knew Sora had been hopeless in progressing his relationship with Kouki beyond a handful of ‘study sessions’ that went nowhere, so it would be a mixed-feeling kind of outcome if anything came out of tonight.
“Don’t you think you pushed him a little too hard there?” Morihito raised an eyebrow pointedly at Soushi, though his friend didn’t seem to care all that much.
“No,” Soushi took another sip of his drink. “I’ve known him long enough to tell when he really, really wants to talk to a cute boy.”
At this, Morihito chuckled. “The same can be said about you.”
“What?”
“You’ve got that expression on your face when you’re thinking about him,” Morihito explained bluntly. “You and I both know Kouki wouldn’t be here on his own.”
“Mori,” Soushi lowered his cup. “What are you implying?”
“Come on, it’s not such a big secret,” Morihito gestured towards the doorway. “Go and see Ryouta. I think he would be happy to see you.”
Soushi opened his mouth to say something, but stopped himself. He sighed deeply in defeat.
“Not sure if ‘happy’ is the right word to use for him,” Soushi remarked. He grabbed a bottle of liquor with a quarter of amber liquid left inside as well as another cup. “Your perception is scary as ever. Should have gotten more drinks in.”
Morihito smiled. “Good luck, Sou.”
And just like that, Morihito was left by himself.
Not that it was anything new. Compared to his friends, he was the wallflower of any party, preferring to stick to where the designated drivers hung around instead of mingling with the others. Besides, unlike Sora and Soushi, he didn’t have another person to keep him company in this sort of situation.
Feeling awkward hanging around in the kitchen, Morihito helped himself to a can of beer before making his way to another part of the villa. The music was still as loud as ever on the first floor and the couples aggressively making out on the staircase meant two immediate outs, which left the backyard. Morihito ducked past the small group huddled around the doorway leading to the outside, greeted by the humid air and familiar scent of chlorine.
Apparently, the host of the party was rich enough to own a villa with a pool. There were a couple of deck chairs and tables set up, though some people had taken the liberty of bringing a few dining chairs out as well. A few people were seated by the pool, soaking their feet and chatting to each other. Someone had set up a portable speaker on one of the tables, playing some house music.
Morihito leaned against the wall facing the pool, choosing to observe the crowd instead of being a part of it. As much calmer as it was out here, he just didn’t feel right trying to fit in with a bunch of strangers. Besides, these people seemed to be quite entertaining to look at. A small group gathered in a circle, chattering loudly with playing cards in their hands. A couple were sitting by the pool, holding glasses containing colourful liquids. There were even a few guys dancing and trying to sing along to the playlist. Just in front of them, there were two boys and a girl, seemingly talking and gesturing wildly at each other.
Are they arguing?
Morihito watched as the taller of the two boys gestured to the girl, who looked exasperated. The other boy glanced between the both of them, saying something. He must have said something offensive, because the next thing Morihito knew, the taller boy roughly seized the other boy by the collar, hauling him over to the pull and unceremoniously shoving him into the pool.
The action and the loud splash were enough to bring all activity outside to a standstill, everyone frozen in shock. The taller boy shouted something along the lines of ‘That’s what you get, asshole’ at the pool, before grabbing the girl by the wrist and storming back indoors, towing the poor girl behind him. Morihito glanced at them, watching them disappear inside, before turning his attention back to the pool. The boy that had been pushed in resurfaced, and just like that, it was as if a pause button had been pressed again and everyone was back doing their own thing, seemingly not wanting to be involved in whatever spat that had just happened.
Morihito couldn’t help but feel sorry for the boy, who probably had not brought spare clothes with him. He walked towards the pool just as the boy swam over to the edge. Morihito crouched down, extending his arm out.
“Are you okay?” Morihito asked.
The boy shot him a look of surprise, clearly not expecting anybody to even think about helping him. He laughed a little too cheerfully for someone who just got pushed into the pool, and pushed back his dark hair, his aurora-green eyes in full view.
“Wet, but otherwise okay,” the boy took Morihito’s hand, allowing himself to be helped out of the water. He got to his feet, a puddle quickly forming around him as water dripped off his clothes. Despite the humidity and apparent summer heat, it wasn’t enough to keep him from shivering.
“Let’s get you inside and dry,” Morihito said. The boy didn’t object to that, quietly following Morihito behind back into the villa, rubbing his arms in a weak attempt to stop himself from shivering. They went upstairs to look for a bathroom and some dry clothes, but the all the bedrooms were locked for reasons they both knew. At least there was an open bathroom at the end of the hallway.
The boy stepped inside the bathroom—which Morihito found way too big, new and unused to be a home bathroom—without hesitation, making an immediate beeline for one of the cabinets, where he managed to find a bath towel.
“Is there something I can help you with?” Morihito asked, feeling a little awkward as he watched the boy aggressively dry his hair.
The boy turned to him, looking comically bewildered at first with his damp hair sticking out, and then a little sheepish.
“Could you grab some drinks and something to eat from the kitchen? I’m not picky. I don’t really want to go downstairs and make it awkward looking like this and risking bumping into the guy who pushed me into the pool.”
Morihito nodded, promptly making his way back into the kitchen to get the drinks and food. He found a cooler box and grabbed two cans of chilled beer from it, snatching a packet of potato chips from the counter before making his way back upstairs. As he did, he realized he hadn’t bumped into Sora or Soushi. Not that he was worried though, he definitely saved some trouble having to explain where he was going with booze and snacks.
Morihito returned to the bathroom to see the boy standing over the sink, the hair dryer turned on at full blast as he dried his hair. He had taken off his shirt, a bath towel draped across his shoulders instead. He noticed Morihito walking in, turning towards him and giving a wide grin.
“Thanks!” the boy said gleefully, switching off the hair dryer. He roughly ran his fingers through his hair, letting it fall back into the places it should have been and bringing attention to his boyish features. He plucked the beer cans from Morihito’s hands.
“Want to join me?” the boy asked. “I don’t really want to go back.”
Morihito was taken aback, but only for a brief moment. Something about the boy’s grin was warm and welcoming, and frankly a much more appealing option than to go back to the dimmed lights and painful music on the first floor. “I don’t mind, but where exactly do you want me to ‘join’ you?”
The boy gave him a somewhat confused look. “The bathtub. Where else?”
“Excuse me?”
“Geez, lighten up! We’re not going to take a bath,” the boy laughed, as if it was just as a matter-of-fact like the sky was blue and grass was green. “If I wasn’t still wet with chlorine water I would have considered, but let’s just hang out and chill for now.”
Is he trying to flirt with me? At this point Morihito wasn’t sure if it was a tint of alcohol or just the boy’s personality that was making him say such things in a tone that was both flippant and serious, but the boy had already climbed into the bathtub, somehow impressively keeping his hold onto two beer cans, and it would be too awkward to back out.
So deciding that it was a damned-if-I-do-damned-if-I-don’t situation, Morihito clambered into the bathtub and sat across from the boy.
“Before we get too personal,” the boy spoke first, pulling open the tab of one of the cans of beer. It opened with a sharp ‘pop’. “we should introduce ourselves first.”
Morihito gave a wry grin. “We should have done that before we got into the bathtub.”
“Ah, whatever! It’s too late now,” the boy shrugged. “I’m Yaegashi Kensuke, but after bringing me to the bathroom and fetching me beer and chips and all you can just call me Ken. Business major. I’m more of a dog person than a cat person and I think people shouldn’t get bullied for liking pineapple on pizza. Nice to meet you.”
“Arihara Morihito. I’m from the science faculty and as strange as it might sound, I think I’d rather be back at my dorm studying for my finals next week instead of being here.”
“I hate studying, but I couldn’t agree more,” Kensuke shook his head slowly. “Cheers to that.”
Kensuke picked up the second can of beer, which he had let roll around the bottom of the bathtub, and waved it towards Morihito, prompting him to take it. They half-heartedly knocked their cans together, before each taking a swig. Morihito took a conservative gulp while Kensuke might as well have finished half of his at one go.
Kensuke let out a loud, satisfied sigh once his can left his lips, stretching his arms above his head. The towel he kept loosely wrapped around himself slipped backward as he propped an elbow on the side of the bathtub, absently rocking his can of beer back and forth in his hand.
“If you don’t mind me asking,” Morihito spoke. “What was the whole deal with you being pushed in the pool?”
“That?” Kensuke tapped his nail against the aluminum can. “I dated the guy’s current girlfriend—the girl that was with him—for a few weeks before they got together. I don’t know what she told him, but I think he got the idea that I was doing some weird things.”
“Oh,” Morihito frowned. “Sorry to hear that.”
“Don’t be,” Kensuke shrugged. “I mean, he’s kind of a grade-A asshole in my opinion. Do you know him personally?”
Morihito shook his head. “Not at all. Though I might know someone who qualifies as grade-S, so I think I have a rough idea of what kind of person that guy was.”
Kensuke laughed. “What’s this, asshole gacha? More importantly, what’s a nice person like you hanging around that big of a jerk?”
“Hmm… keeping the balance?”
“Sounds dramatic,” Kensuke reached out for the packet of chips nestled between them and ripped it open. He reached for one and popped it in his mouth. “Ooh, lime-flavoured. Want some?”
“I’ll pass, thanks.”
Kensuke fished out another potato chip from the bag, taking a bite. “You do have peaceful vibes though, like you’ve got your life together, and you know how to cook and clean and maybe garden. Am I right?”
“You’ve got the part about the cooking and cleaning right,” Morihito smiled gingerly. “Is this some kind of psych evaluation?”
“Nope, just a wild guess,” Kensuke glanced at the can of beer in his hand. “Okay, maybe a drunken wild guess, but I was mostly right.”
“You were only right about the cooking and cleaning. Somebody who actually has their life together wouldn’t be stuck here in a bathtub with another guy.”
Kensuke frowned, stretching his leg out to gently kick Morihito in the knee. “Hey, don’t bring yourself down. You’re talking to someone who doesn’t want to show face in a rich kid’s party just because he’s wet, in the icky, non-sexy sense.”
Morihito found himself chuckling. “If it makes you feel any better, I’m dry and I don’t want to go see anybody else either.”
“I’m the one with no spare clothes and smells gross and can’t help any of it, by the way,” Kensuke huffed in a fake annoyed tone. “How about you? Do you have any wild guesses about me?”
“Let’s see,” Morihito hummed in thought. “How wild do you want it to be?”
“Just go all out.”
“You’re a nudist at home and you’re into soap operas, the ones that are reruns from the 1900s that broadcast at 10pm. You also can eat lemons without batting an eyelid.”
Kensuke laughed for a good minute before talking again. “Where did all of that come from?”
“But was I right?”
“You’re way off,” Kensuke said. “I stay in a dorm with other people, so the house nudist is out. I watch dramas, but not the ones from before I was born. And I’m more of an orange person than a lemon person. I can’t take straight citrus juice as well as the next person.”
“You said to take a wild guess, so I did,” Morihito gave a small grin. “You didn’t have to say that I had to guess right.”
“Are you secretly one of those glasses freaks who has a dark personality beneath the good-guy appearance?” Kensuke questioned teasingly. “Do you secretly fantasize about people being naked at home and eating unpeeled lemons while watching Summer Snow?”
“I don’t know, do you want to find out?”
“…maybe not.”
There was a stop in their conversation as Kensuke went back to eating his chips and Morihito focused on finishing his beer. He realized that the can he started out with when he first went outside was left forgotten next to the sink, but he reckoned it was warm and tasted sour by now. Kensuke was about a quarter way through the chips when he suddenly stood up, stepping out of the bathtub to wash his hands at the sink. He left the bag of unfinished chips next to Morihito’s abandoned beer, before settling back into his original position in the bathtub. He took a sip of his beer.
“Did you come here alone?” Kensuke asked, absently brushing chip crumbs off his jeans.
“No, I came here with a couple of my friends,” Morihito replied. “One of them drove us here. I didn’t see them just now when I went downstairs, though. But then again, they’re probably… busy, with their companions.”
“Companions? Like what, girlfriends, boyfriends, friends with benefits?” Kensuke tilted his head.
“Hopeless crush and even more hopeless friend with benefit who might actually be a crush,” Morihito sighed deeply, leaning back. He numbly took another sip of his beer.
Kensuke hummed in bemusement. “And you?”
Morihito raised his eyebrow at Kensuke from behind his can, before lowering it. “What are you saying?”
“Anybody you’re interested in?” Kensuke prodded. “Not to boast, but I’m good at keeping this kind of secrets.”
Morihito looked up and down at Kensuke. The chlorine-soaked hair, half-finished can of Asahi Super Dry and low-hanging ripped jeans were anything but a pretty picture.
“Would you be surprised if I said it’s you?”
If Kensuke had been drinking something, he would have done a spit-take. “Whoa, whoa. Are you teasing me? Because if you are, don’t keep my hopes up.”
“You laughed right after you got shoved into a pool by a vengeful boyfriend. Anybody would be at least a little bit intrigued by that,” Morihito pointed out. “And what do you mean by keeping your hopes up? Were you—”
“Yeah, I’ve been trying to flirt with you since, like, you pulled me out from the pool,” Kensuke interrupted, as though trying to defend himself. Though his tone was struggling to keep cool and casual, the darkening pink across his cheeks was a dead giveaway.
Morihito blinked. “I thought you liked girls.”
“Remember when I told you to get the drinks and food for me? I’m not picky,” Kensuke paused to take another swig of his beer. Morihito watched his Adam’s apple bob as the liquid went down his throat until there was none left, Kensuke dropping the empty can right outside the bathtub. “For someone with glasses who wanted to be back at their dorm studying, you’re kind of dumb at this kind of things.”
Morihito didn’t know whether he should feel insulted, because he was too busy trying not to giggle at Kensuke suppressing his pout. It was kind of funny. It was endearing.
“So you got pushed into a pool by a vengeful boyfriend, and your reaction was to laugh and flirt with the guy who helped you out?”
Kensuke held out a hand and began railing off. “You were nice enough to bring me to the bathroom to clean up, bring me beer and chips and sit down in a bathtub with me to talk about random stuff,” He paused. “And you’re kind of cute.”
At this point, Morihito didn’t try hiding his smile. “You’re the only drunk guy I know who ever called me cute.”
“Seriously? Nobody said you’re cute?”
“I said drunk guy,” Morihito corrected.
“I’m not drunk,” Kensuke protested. Morihito gave him a look. “Okay, not entirely drunk. Drunk enough to be sitting here in a bathtub with the most gorgeous guy I met tonight, but not drunk enough to kiss him.”
“…You’re not very good at being subtle.”
“Do you want to kiss me though?” Kensuke tilted his head, a pleading look in eyes. “Can I convince you to?”
“Well…” Morihito hummed thoughtfully. “You have finals this coming week as well, right?”
“Yeah…?”
“I’ll kiss you if you promise me you’ll study for the rest of your finals and score at least an A on one of them.”
“Wait, what?!” Kensuke yelped. “Are you trying to bribe me into studying?”
“While we’re at it, how about I let you take me out on a date if you keep your promise?”
Kensuke heaved a sigh that echoed in the bathroom. Morihito watched on bemused as he ran both hands through his hair before letting them flop in front of him.
“Okay, fine. I’ll do anything to be kissed at this point,” Kensuke shifted closer towards Morihito, closing the little space between them. Up close, Morihito felt like he was seeing too much of Kensuke and yet too little of him, from the dip of his collarbones to how his hands moved towards him, pausing for a split moment suspended in mid-air like he was going to change his mind, but then quickly resting on his shoulder to hold him gently before leaning in to kiss him.
Kensuke tasted like beer and lime chips and his hair still smelled of chlorine. He was everything that Morihito thought he didn’t like about parties and people but at that very moment there was nothing he would rather be doing than kissing him. But once Morihito decided that maybe sitting in a bathtub with a wet tipsy boy was the probably the best decision he made tonight, he felt Kensuke pull away from his lips.
“Well,” A dry laugh laced Kensuke’s whispery voice. “At least that’s one thing off my party bucket list.”
“What is?” Morihito asked. “Kissing in an empty bathtub with a stranger you just met tonight.”
“Kissing in an empty bathtub with a sexy stranger,” Kensuke was grinning from ear to ear, his apparent glee contagious enough for Morihito to find himself mirroring the look. “Were you serious about your promise though? That you’ll agree to go on a date with me if I score an A?”
Morihito folded his arms, pretending to be deep in thought. “Considering the kiss you gave me, maybe I can let you off with a B grade.”
“Really?” Kensuke’s eyes lit up.
“But also taking consideration that you made me bring you beer and chips after I helped you out of the pool and talked me into sitting in a bathtub with you,” Morihito watched as Kensuke flinched at his words, before easing into a genuine smile. “all for meeting you and having the best time I had in a party, what do you think about going out on the Saturday after our last final?”
“Saturday…?” Kensuke blinked, confused at first. Then the realization hit him. “Wait, did you just say yes to going out on a date with me?”
“I just did.”
“No strings attached? No A-grades which I have never scored before in my entire university career needed?”
“Yes.”
“God,” Kensuke murmured. Morihito had never seen anyone so stupefied, relieved and excited, all at the same time. “Are you secretly a very popular guy? Do you actually have hordes of people just fawning over you?”
“No, I don’t,” Morihito assured. “If I was someone like that, I would be the one hosting the party, not hiding away and scoring a date.”
“Touché,” Kensuke got to his feet, grabbing the towel that he had used to dry off behind him before turning to Morihito. “I know you talked a lot about not being a party person, but I just want to make sure: will you be okay if we leave now?”
“Of course,” Morihito nodded. “But how are we going back? Your shirt’s not dry and I doubt that you can go on any sort of public transport looking like that.”
“I drove,” Kensuke explained. “My car’s down the street, so I’ll sober up by the time we get there. Worst case, we’ll just have to come back here and hitch a ride from someone who’s not wasted.”
Morihito pictured them trying to talk to someone from the first floor, where all the loud music and alcoholic drinks were. “Hopefully it won’t come to that.”
Kensuke stepped out of the bathtub first, narrowly stepping on the beer can he discarded on the bathroom floor. He reached for his shirt by the sink, which was still quite wet, seeing as how he left it in a pile. He didn’t seem to care that much, as he nonchalantly pulled the shirt over his head, before wrapping the bath towel across his shoulders. Morihito raised an eyebrow.
“You’re taking that with you?”
“This guy owns a villa with an outdoor pool. I don’t think he’ll care if he has one less Muji towel at home.”
The summer night felt almost unreal and serene once Morihito left the villa with Kensuke without as much as a goodbye to anyone. The evening downpour left the air humid and the pavement riddled with puddles. Crickets were wailing as they walked side by side, the streets barely illuminated save for the warm glows coming from the households that had yet to turn in for the night. Kensuke hummed aloud, his light voice springy and crisp against the occasional breeze, only stopping when they finally reached his car and he had to ask Morihito for his address.
Navigating out of the neighbourhood was quieter and less of a hassle than the ride to the party, which Morihito looked back rather wryly as Kensuke made his way back to the main road without needing to refer to his GPS. But it was still a little too quiet, so Morihito asked Kensuke if he could turn on the radio.
“You can play your own music if you want,” Kensuke said.
Morihito turned to his phone, opening his queue to the last track. “Do you listen to Yamashita Tatsuro?”
“Ride on Time has been on my frequently played playlist for ages.”
Morihito turned his phone volume up and hit the play button. ‘Music Book’ soon filled the comfortable silence between them, easing them back into reality; of the rest of the car ride ahead of them, of the empty dorm rooms waiting for them, of another week of dreadful finals rolling in in less than a couple of days. Kensuke was humming along to the song, singing along softly to the few lyrics he knew. It wasn’t much, but it was enough for Morihito to think he wouldn’t mind another car ride just like this one, before he was lulled into slumber.
It was the first time Kensuke woke up on a weekend before 11am, feeling a mix of being oddly refreshed and like he’d be missing something. He flipped onto his side and reached out for his phone. A flood of missed messages and a new record for a log of missed calls greeted him.
Kensuke braced himself for the slew of messages, knowing that he was going to have to deal with being chewed out over text and in real life for ditching his friends at the party last night when he was the one that was supposed to drive them back. In the group chat with his friends, the last sent message was at 1am. The preview read something along the lines of ‘Ken I am going to kill you’.
Well, he’d better start writing his will soon because he was positive he was not going to be left off the hook easily for driving off into the night, with a cute boy he just met last night no less.
A cute boy whom he had sat in an empty bathtub with half-naked and was pretty sure he called sexy unironically. And kissed on the lips.
Kensuke would have screamed into his pillow if he wasn’t feeling dead enough as he was.
He willed himself to look through the other unread thread chats. Right below his group chat thread, was a new thread from a contact with an unfamiliar profile picture and number. He tapped onto it, opening up the only two messages in the thread.
‘Hey, this is Morihito. Thanks for the ride last night. I hope you’re feeling okay enough to make the best use of the last of the weekend. I just wanted to let you know that I really had fun talking to you last night.
‘Also, we’re still on for the Saturday after our last paper, right?’
Kensuke found himself smiling uncontrollably at his phone.
Maybe just one night of holding onto the reputation of a bad friend who drove off with a stranger was all worth it if that stranger was someone who stole his heart like Morihito.