Chapter Text
3.27.21 - Birthday
What the hell am I doing? was the first thing Kaoru thought as he hailed a cab outside the airport. He slid into the backseat and pulled out his phone to double check the address.
“Where to?” the driver asked in a thick French accent, the words almost indistinguishable. Kaoru was glad he had paid attention in English class in high school, at least enough to know how to understand the guy, and answer him.
“This address,” he held his phone out to the driver, not trusting himself to actually pronounce the street name correctly. The driver nodded and tapped it into his GPS. Kaoru pulled his phone back to himself, glancing briefly at his notifications. There were three missed messages from Kojiro and it made the nervous pit in his stomach grow.
+ Happy Birthday
+ We’re still on for calling later right?
+ Kaoru??
The driver began to drive, and Kaoru chose to ignore the notifications for a little longer. Kojiro would be worried, but only for a little. Kaoru also ignored the fluttering in his stomach at the thought of his friend’s reaction to him showing up out of the blue on his doorstep.
It was an impulse decision, to fly all the way to Paris just to see Kojiro. He had managed to get a few days off work that happened to line up with his birthday. He told Kojiro that he was going to spend the whole time finalizing his plans for his calligraphy studio. With any luck, he’d be able to start his own business in the next year and finally be the master of his own time. He had worked pretty hard on it the first two days, but his focus had waned the day before his birthday, and he found himself sitting alone on his couch and feeling more lonely than he had in a long time. One thing led to another and he had bought a plane ticket and set an early alarm to make sure he was at the airport on time the next day.
Kojiro had been studying at a culinary institute in Paris for the past year, and they still talked constantly, but the truth of the matter was that Kaoru missed him. He missed him more than he’d care to admit, although he supposed the action of showing up unannounced would speak for itself.
When the cab pulled up outside of a row of brownstones on a quieter street, Kaoru felt his heart in his throat.
He paid and thanked the driver, pulling himself out of the cab and toward the door he’d seen only in pictures. He took a deep breath and knocked.
The door swung open almost immediately, and there in front of him, in the flesh, was his best friend.
Kojiro’s jaw dropped. Literally dropped. His eyes went wide and he froze in place, still pulling the door open.
“Close your mouth, you’ll catch flies,” Kaoru teased, but the smile spreading across his face took all of the bite out of it. It seemed to snap Kojiro out of his stupor.
“Kaoru,” he dropped his hand from the door, “What are you doing here?”
Kaoru shrugged, smile only growing wider. Kojiro knew what he was doing here anyway, he knew Kaoru better than Kaoru knew himself sometimes. He let himself be pulled into a tight hug, even deigning to hug back for once, savoring the feeling of his best friend right beside him again.
“Happy birthday,” Kojiro laughed into his ear.
And somehow, things felt right again.
3.28.21 - Childhood Friends
Kaoru was always a quiet kid. His teachers used to always praise him for it, for managing to stay quiet during class when all the other boys were yelling and screaming and being disruptive. Then they realized that quiet didn’t necessarily mean he was paying attention and the praise stopped altogether.
The other boys didn’t like how quiet he was either. When he was eight, the biggest boy in his class cornered him on the playground and yanked at Kaoru’s hair which he had been growing out over the summer. It almost reached his shoulders now, and he had been so excited to come back to school and show it off.
“Why do you grow your hair like a girl?” the boy had asked, and yanked the fistful of his hair again. Kaoru stayed quiet. He had always just stayed quiet. The other boys never liked that, they liked the kids who would scream and yell and try to fight back. But Kaoru never did any of those things. He just kept his mouth shut and stood his ground in silent, boyish defiance.
The kid yanked his hair again and Kaoru tried not to flinch.
“Hey!” a voice snapped him out of his glare and he turned to look just as a small kid with bright green hair and a menacing look threw a massive punch at the bigger kid. By all means, it should not have hurt the kid at all, the boy was so much smaller than him, but it seemed to have enough of an impact to make him let go of Kaoru’s hair. Kaoru stared in shock as the bigger kid rubbed his face and spat an insult at the boy before running back to his friends.
“Kojiro!” the teacher was running over toward them, “Detention. Now. You can’t punch other boys.”
Kojiro just smiled brightly at Kaoru and followed the teacher inside.
Later, after school had let out, Kaoru waited until the boy came out of the school. Kojiro smiled brightly at him again when he thanked him for the rescue.
“No problem,” Kojiro beamed, “I’ll do it again too. I’m gonna get big and strong and always be able to protect you. Besides,” he reached out and tugged lightly at the ends of Kaoru’s hair, “I like your hair. It’s the same color as the cherry blossoms. That guy was just a jerk.” Kaoru wanted to lean his head into the soft touch.
“What direction do you live in?” he asked instead.
“That way,” Kojiro pointed down the street.
“Do you wanna walk together? I live that way too.”
“Well actually,” Kojiro smiled dangerously, “I usually skate home.” He held up a brand new beginner’s skateboard for Kaoru to see.
“Really? Me too!”
Kaoru was less quiet in class after that. He still never screamed and yelled like the other boys did, but he let himself smile as he whispered back and forth with his new friend.
3.29.21 - Rivals
He could tell that Kojiro was grumpy. He knew his best friend well enough to know that, but he couldn’t for the life of him figure out what the cause of it was. He couldn’t ask either, they were out skating with Adam. While the three of them were all pretty close, he knew Kojiro didn’t like to talk about feelings when Adam was around. He could understand that, Adam wasn’t really a feelings person.
He watched as Adam effortlessly cleared a railing and almost seemed to fly. It was always captivating to watch him skate, he was so talented. He and Kojiro had always agreed on that. Now, all Kojiro gave was a grunt of approval, a small, but ticked off acknowledgement that it was a good trick. Kaoru squinted at his friend, this kind of behavior was so unlike him. He would need to get him alone in order to figure out what was up.
The opportunity came much later in the evening, when it was getting a little too late for them to still be out, especially on a school night. They were skating at the back end of a parking lot near the hospital when they heard the telltale shout of a security guard rushing toward them.
The three took off together down a side street, the guard trailing close behind.
“I’ll go left,” Adam shouted, nodding toward the upcoming intersection.
“I’ll go right,” Kojiro added, and at the crossroads, they split off.
Kaoru normally chose center when he could, the more split up they got, the harder it was for the guard to chase them. When that wasn’t an option, he typically turned off with Adam, knowing that he’d see Kojiro a few minutes later when they were all out of breath. Tonight, he veered off with Kojiro, following him closely and panting hard. He glanced back at Adam to see that the guard had chosen to follow him.
He focused back in front of him as he and Kojiro turned a corner. Kojiro, sidestepped into a dark alleyway and pulled Kaoru with him. Kaoru almost lost his footing, but managed to stay upright as he caught his breath. He looked over at Kojiro who still had a grim expression on his face.
“What’s up with you tonight?” He asked.
Kojiro’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.
“Nothing,” he said, but Kaoru fixed him with a flat stare, “Just… it really is nothing, Kaoru. I’ve just been in my head all day, I’ll be fine.”
Kaoru could see through the lie so clearly. Kojiro had been fine earlier at school, he’d been fine all afternoon, he’d been find right up until-
“Adam,” Kojiro hissed toward the entrance of the alley where the other boy was looking around with confusion. He waved him into the alley. “Lost him?”
“Yeah, he wasn’t too hard to lose.”
Kaoru was still staring at Kojiro, trying to figure out what was going on in his mind. They had always been so transparent with each other, it was disconcerting to have his best friend all of a sudden close himself off.
“It’s a good thing I’m fast,” Adam was saying, and dropped his arm around Kaoru shoulders, completely derailing his train of thought. He looked up at Adam with barely concealed surprise and he could feel his heartbeat thumping hard in his chest. Adam wasn’t usually a touchy person, this had to mean something. “Right Joe?”
Kaoru almost missed the way that Kojiro’s frown dipped a little deeper. Almost.
3.30.21 - Calligraphy
Kaoru looked up at the sign in front of him. There was no doubt he was in the right place, this was the building that Kojiro’s new restaurant was going to be in. The name, Sia La Luce, was written in big metal letters over the door. He knew it was Kojiro’s restaurant because Kojiro had been talking about that name since they were kids. He fought the urge to smile at it, and knocked on the door instead.
The door swung open and he watched in amusement as Kojiro’s face went from one of confusion to one of what could only be called delight.
“Kaoru!” he smiled, “You know you don’t have to knock.” He ushered Kaoru into the restaurant and closed the door behind them. “Well, what do you think?”
Kaoru found himself speechless for once as he took in the interior of the place. It was more than he had expected to find. There was a brick wall that added an almost rustic vibe, and the tables were nice, the hardwood floors done neatly and they seemed to shine up at him, the chairs were tasteful and there were plants here and there that looked neat and nice. It looked professional and Kaoru, well Kaoru was a little surprised. It’s not that he didn’t think his best friend was capable of this level of aesthetic, but he didn’t think he’d want to be. It was a new level of maturity in Kojiro that Kaoru wasn’t used to.
“It’s beautiful,” he breathed out and Kojiro beamed.
“Yeah? I’ve worked so hard on it, I was worried you’d think it was overdone.”
“Who cares what I think, you dumb gorilla, this is your restaurant. But for the record, I do not think that. It looks amazing, Kojiro.”
“Did you see the sign out front?” And just like always, Kojiro only became more exuberant with praise, more excitable. Kaoru bit back a smile.
“How could I miss it?” and then before Kojiro could go on a tangent about it, “I’m supposed to be helping you with your menu right? You can point out all the other things later.”
“Right, yeah,” he all but ran behind the bar to pull down a giant chalkboard, brand new, and ready to be used. Kaoru frowned.
“You’re going to make me write in chalk?” He eyed the board as Kojiro placed it on the floor of the dining room.
“I know it's not… ideal for you, but,” and if Kaoru didn’t know better, he’d say that Kojiro looked almost nervous, “it fits the rest of the place.”
“It does,” Kaoru agreed, and heaved a playfully deep sigh as he sat down in front of the board, “I should charge you for this.”
“What’s the point of having a calligrapher for a best friend if I can’t exploit his services for myself,” Kojiro grinned at him, settling down onto the floor next to him. Their knees touched briefly, and Kaoru was brought back to high school when this kind of closeness wasn’t foreign to them like it was now. He’d missed having this kind of intimacy with Kojiro.
“What am I writing?” he asked, taking the chalks from Kojiro’s hand.
Later, when the board was finished and hung up, Kaoru sat down at the bar. He looked up at his work. It looked nice here in Kojiro’s restaurant, it belonged here in a way that he hadn’t felt when he did work for any of his clients. It was like the universe was trying to prove how well they fit together.
“How’s this?” Kojiro came out from some back room holding a bottle of wine and two wine glasses. Kaoru nodded approvingly, and Kojiro sat down next to him, pouring the wine carefully. “Thank you for helping.”
“Of course,” Kaoru blinked at him, “You know I’ll always help.” Kojiro looked up and smiled softly. Kaoru felt frozen under his steady eye contact, and not for the first time, he felt his face heating up a bit. He gratefully took the glass that Kojiro handed him.
“We’re really growing up, huh?” Kojiro observed.
“Yeah, I guess we are.” And they were. They were so far from the little kids they used to be. Kaoru could barely remember all the shenanigans they used to get up to, the things that had felt like the most important things in the world had slipped from his grasp. But Kojiro hadn’t. No matter how much they grew and changed, they had stayed by each other. Kojiro was a steady presence in Kaoru’s life that he could depend on more than anything else.
He smiled warmly at Kojiro and lifted his glass up, “To us.”
Kojiro huffed out a laugh and clinked his glass against Kaoru’s, “To us.”
The heavy static of the moment sat between them for a few seconds longer before Kaoru forcibly shook himself out of it.
“I still can’t believe you spent three years at a culinary institute in France and then opened an Italian restaurant,” Kaoru teased, and Kojiro laughed again. And if Kaoru followed the curve of his mouth with his eyes, neither of them noticed.
3.31.21 - Cooking
Kaoru watched Kojiro move gracefully around his kitchen. It was something he never got tired of seeing. Kojiro always looked at home when he was cooking, comfortable in a way that he rarely was elsewhere. Not that he was uncomfortable elsewhere, Kojiro had a habit of making himself at home wherever he went. But there was a quiet contentment that always radiated off him when he was in the kitchen. Kaoru couldn’t help staring, especially now that he was finally allowed to.
This was supposed to be their first official date, and while they had settled into their relationship in an easy and simple way, this was still a big deal. Kojiro was nervous. He knew he was. He didn’t even need to tell Kaoru for him to know. It was why he suggested this instead of some cliche date out somewhere else. It seemed fitting for them to just stay in, for Kojiro to make them something, to curl up on the couch and pretend to watch something.
In his youth, Kojiro would probably have protested that this didn’t count as a date, that a date was something that should be extravagant and big and not at home of all places. But he had also mellowed out over the years, ever so slightly, and more than that, he and Kaoru were never extravagant people together. That wasn’t the relationship they had ever had, even when they were just friends.
So when Kaoru had suggested the idea, Kojiro had smiled so bright that Kaoru felt like he would be blinded by it. It was a perfect idea. Just them, together.
Kojiro turned to look at him, flashing a bright grin, “Almost ready.”
Kaoru nodded in response and watched as Kojiro turned back to the food. He had always loved watching Kojiro in the kitchen. He loved watching his concentration and his care and gentleness. He loved watching him show off his knowledge, all he had learned when he was away for three years and all he had learned since then, his life’s passion outside of skating. He loved watching the movement of Kojiro’s shoulders and arms as he worked, all muscle and more than alluring. He loved watching the sereneness of it.
In the past, he had always been afraid to pop the bubble of it, afraid to disrupt the peace that hung in the air. Tonight, though, he was feeling bold. There was no longer any distance between them, no more walls or hidden secrets or perceived indifference. It was just them. Just like it was when they skated together, tuning the rest of the world out and tuning each other in. Except now it was like that all the time.
He pushed up out of his seat and ambled over to where Kojiro was standing. He startled a little as Kaoru wrapped his arms around his waist from behind, but settled quickly, melting into his touch. Kaoru revelled in the fact that he could do this now, and placed his chin contentedly on Kojiro’s shoulder. He smiled as Kojiro leaned his head against his. He breathed in and squeezed Kojiro a little before releasing him again, but only enough for Kojiro to turn around in his grip. He leaned up to place a quick kiss on his lips and Kojiro beamed at him, pulling him close again.
4.1.21 - Piercings Tattoos
“Will you hold still?” Kojiro chastised for the third time, “I’ll end up marring your face permanently if you don’t.”
They were kneeling next to Kojiro’s bed and Kojiro was going over the instructions of a self piercing kit. Kaoru had decided he wanted to get a lip piercing on impulse yesterday and during first period this morning, Kojiro had proudly produced the kit, proclaiming that he’d help. Now, Kaoru was feeling more apprehensive about it.
“It says here I have to make sure it’s disinfected first,” Kojiro was saying, digging through the contents of the kit. Kaoru watched him intently as he found the small packet of wipes and tore it open.
“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Kaoru asked.
“I told you this morning,” Kojiro grinned at him, “I have no idea what I’m doing. Now actually hold still.” He shuffled closer to Kaoru so that they were knee to knee and leaned forward, completely invading his personal space. He reached his hand up toward Kaoru’s mouth, and paused briefly centimeters away from his mouth.
“No more talking,” he said with a grin, and Kaoru watched his eyes move down to focus on his lips. He tried not to flinch as felt the cold wipe move across his skin. He felt the pressure of Kojiro’s finger on his mouth and he felt his breath lightly on his face and he was suddenly very, very aware of how close they were to each other. Was Kojiro’s hand moving extra slow or was that just his imagination?
He moved back, putting the wipe down and picking up the piercing tool thing, Kaoru wasn’t sure what to call it. Their knees were still touching and Kaoru could feel it every time Kojiro shifted. He forced his voice to remain neutral as he spoke.
“Have you thought about what Adam said? About S?” Their mutual friend had been talking about starting an underground skating community in the abandoned mine across town, “Have you thought of a pseudonym to go by?”
“I said no talking,” Kojiro reprimanded, and his voice was somehow quieter than normal as he moved back toward Kaoru’s face, softer almost. They were silent for a moment as Kojiro lined up the needle with Kaoru’s lip. This time, his bare fingers brushed against his face, holding it still in his firm grasp. Kojiro was a lot stronger than he used to be, and Kaoru could feel it even with how gently Kojiro was being.
“I think I’m gonna go by Joe,” he said, grinning a little as his eyes narrowed in concentration. Kaoru bit back his retort as he felt the cold metal press against his lip. “Ready?” Kojiro asked. Kaoru rolled his eyes, doing his best to not move his face.
He yelped loudly as he felt a sharp pain concentrated on his lower lip and then it was gone and Kojiro had already pulled the thing away from his face.
“You good?” he asked, brushing at his face with a wipe again.
“Yeah,” Kaoru said, the feeling of Kojiro’s knees still pressed against his own grounding him ever so slightly, “Joe’s a stupid name. It’s too close to your actual name. Also isn’t that what we call you in English class?”
“You come up with a better one then,” Kojiro said, taking the actual ring and lining it up with the piercing hole. It felt strangely intimate to have Kojiro do this part, but Kaoru wasn’t about to stop him. Not with the happy look of determination and pride that Kojiro was wearing. He sat still as Kojiro slowly pushed the ring through the hole, his fingers firm against his face. Once it was in place, he sat back and beamed at Kaoru, placing a hand on his thigh. Kaoru stiffened a bit under the touch but said nothing.
“It looks amazing,” Kojiro said, “It really suits you.”
“Hand me a mirror, you stupid gorilla,” Kaoru felt his face heating up and he’d prefer Kojiro’s eyes were anywhere but his mouth now that he was done.
“Hey!” Kojiro got up to go find a handheld mirror. Kaoru immediately felt the loss of contact.
“I do have a better name, by the way.”
“Oh yeah?” He turned back to Kaoru with a green mirror in his hand. He passed it to Kaoru and sat down again. Kaoru tried not to feel disappointed that he wasn’t as close as before.
“Cherry Blossom,” he said, and he watched smugly as Kojiro’s smile turned somehow even softer.
4.2.21 - Beef
“Hey Kaoru…” Kojiro’s voice came from beside him, tearing his attention away from the route ahead of him.
“How many times do I have to tell you not call me that here, idiot,” Kaoru reprimanded, his mouth curving upward slightly despite himself. They were at S, just like any other night, and in the middle of a beef. Kojiro had publicly challenged him last week, a mischievous glint in his eye. The crowd had been buzzing for it all week. Cherry and Joe, known rivals, going against each other. The secret of their relationship had long since been spread, and it wasn’t really a secret anymore, just something that wasn’t talked about all that much at S. They were rivals, and partners, all the same.
Most beefs they did at S were just ways to skate together, to have fun and be close. Even when they were giving their all, the beefs were always light-hearted. There was something about the way Kojiro had looked at him, though, when he had issued the challenge, that had Kaoru wondering what was different about this beef.
He had spent all week trying to weasel it out of Kojiro, but the man wouldn’t budge. Not even in his sleep talking did he betray anything, which was usually how Kaoru found out about any surprises. Kaoru was stumped, and it had left him wary and distracted right up until he’d jumped on his board and sped ahead of Kojiro with a wide grin. Then, just like it always was, it was just them. No more speculating or worrying or curiosity. No work or stress or clients. Just them. Skating did that for them, it always had.
“Cherry, then,” Kojiro smirked over at him and Kaoru scowled a little.
“What do you want?”
“Remember that beef three years ago when I told you I loved you?”
“Kojiro, what-” he cut himself off, knowing better than to ask questions the second a hint of pleased mirth crosses over Kojiro’s face, “Yes, I remember.”
They were slowing down a little now, much to the disappointment of the crowd around them, but Kaoru couldn’t contain his curiosity and he couldn’t take his eyes off Kojiro.
“You nearly fell off your board.”
“You surprised me.”
“So he admits it.”
“That’s never been a secret, you dimwit. I didn’t expect it, that’s the definition of surprise.”
“You surprised me too, you know.”
“I know.”
“No need to sound so smug about it.”
Their boards have moved closer together as they challenge each other, to an outsider it would just look like their regular bickering but there was a playfulness that Kojiro had in his eyes that was different from their normal bickering. Kaoru stared it down and willed him to spill its secrets, the ones he had been keeping all week, leaving Kaoru to trail after that same playfulness morning and night. He wanted to know what was happening in Kojiro’s mind, what he was planning. In all their years of being friends and then more, Kojiro had only managed to surprise him once, and he was determined to keep it that way.
“I was thinking about that night…” Kojiro plows onward, pulling his board closer to Kaoru’s as he tries to keep his grin in check.
And Kaoru is, admittedly, a little frustrated at not being able to figure out what was going on.
“Carla,” he said, exasperated, “What is this gorilla going on about?”
It takes less than a second for the AI board to respond.
“I believe he’s trying to propose to you, master.”
And this time, Kaoru does fall off his board.
He scrambles into a sitting position and stares wide-eyed at a laughing Kojiro. He’s clutching his stomach and laughing with his full body, head tilted back. He beams down at Kojiro and offers him a hand up, which Kaoru takes begrudgingly.
“Come on, four-eyes,” Kojiro manages to get out between laughs, “We’ve got a beef to finish.”
“One of these days,” Kaoru swore, stepping onto his board again, “I am going to skin you alive.” He could feel his heart in his throat, and he felt staticky and excited. He felt like he could fly.
The rest of the beef goes relatively smoothly. Kaoru is so shaken up that for once, Kojiro wins. Only by a hair. The crowd erupts around them.
This time, it’s Kojiro who pulled Kaoru over to their special alcove in the abandoned mine building. He pressed a warm and lingering kiss to his lips, and got down on one knee.
Kaoru is left breathless by the sight of Kojiro smiling up at him, all love and adoration and giddiness. Kaoru pushes a hand into his boyfriend’s hair to ground himself as he watches, speechless, as Kojiro pulls a ring out of his pocket.
“Kaoru,” he murmurs, “I thought of about a thousand ways to do this, but none of them felt quite as right as knocking you clean off your board.” He earns a tug at his hair from Kaoru. “You, more than anyone else, know how skating is my life. It’s your life too. You and I, we’ve spent our lives skating side by side. At this point, you’re my life too. I want this forever, Kaoru. You and me, and our dumb arguments and our apartment and our businesses and our skating. I want you forever.”
“Kojiro…”
“Marry me, Kaoru,” he held the ring fractionally higher.
Kaoru, really, shouldn’t be blamed for it. Having the love of his life so open and endearing and vulnerable for him like this, there’s only so much he can handle. He tumbled forward in a mess of limbs and hair and grins and pressed his mouth hard against Kojiro’s. In the flurry of movement, Kojiro accidentally let the ring fall out of his grip and they had to scramble across the ground to retrieve it. After a few moments of frantic and breathless laughter, the ring sat snugly on Kaoru’s finger, and they sat in a tangle of limbs on the ground of the mine building.
“You never actually answered me,” Kojiro spoke into Kaoru’s neck, his lips brushing against the skin there. Kaoru let out a giddy laugh.
“Of course, you gorilla. I was always gonna marry you.”
4.3.21 - Free Day
Kaoru loved being at S. Even after everything with Adam, S remained a special place to him, it was a safe place to be himself and to let loose and have fun. It was one of the few things Adam hadn’t ruined for him.
He felt Kojiro closing in behind him, and he stuck out his elbow to keep his friend from getting too close. Kojiro let out a peel of laughter as he dodged Kaoru’s elbow and pulled slightly ahead. Kojiro was another thing that Adam hadn’t ruined.
“You can’t take me out that easily, four-eyes,” he taunted, turning so he was going backwards, facing Kaoru.
“I don’t have my glasses on right now, you dimwit,” Kaoru taunted back, “And I know I can’t but that won’t stop me from trying.”
Kojiro grinned widely and turned back around, skating up a rock face to go into a complicated flip. Kaoru smiled softly to himself as he watched. Kojiro had always been reckless when skating, had been trying to reach new heights since they were eight years old, but Kojiro had also gotten better. He was able to move forward and find technique in the recklessness, there was something almost graceful about the way he flung himself into the air with unconcealed glee. Kaoru felt proud that he had gotten to watch this transformation over their lives, that he had gotten a front row seat to Kojiro’s talent.
“Carla, calculate the angle.”
“Yes, master,” his AI skateboard rattled back at him, “The entrance is 11 degrees in ten seconds.”
He smiled, speeding up just a little as he rounded the corner. Kojiro flashed him a smile as he caught up and they were once again neck and neck. It wasn’t a serious beef. It was in the middle of the day, in fact. They had both taken a day off and instead of using it for resting, they found themselves falling into old habits and came to the unspoken decision to spend the day skating instead. S was clear of most people, only a few people here and there talking to themselves or practicing tricks. A few people called out as they were going by, after all, he and Kojiro were legends here. But for the most part, they were left alone.
“Why did you name it Carla?” Kojiro asked suddenly, glancing briefly toward Kaoru.
“It just felt right,” he smirked, “it was a hunch, if you will.”
“Oh you’re allowed to name your AI board based on a hunch, but it’s always an issue when I have a hunch.”
“Your hunches are horrible.”
“They are not. Your hunches are horrible. What kind of name is Carla? For a skateboard?”
“A great one, you dumb gorilla.” He stuck his hand out to push Kojiro a little and watched in satisfaction as he wobbled a little.
“You’re horrible,” Kojiro gained his balance quickly and moved his board closer to Kaoru’s.
“You love me,” Kaoru retorted.
“Yeah, I do.”
Kaoru stumbled forward, nearly falling off his board. He could feel his heart in his throat as he steadied himself. He looked up at Kojiro with wide eyes.
“You what?” he asked, voice barely loud enough to be heard over the wind.
Kojiro looked as if he wanted the rocks behind him to open up and swallow him whole. He looked somewhat sheepish and nervous and hopeful all at once and Kaoru didn’t know how to react.
“You love me?” Kaoru tried again when Kojiro said nothing. He was really glad that no one was around for this. This was their moment, no one else’s. Kojiro ducked his head, nodding a little. Kaoru felt his breath hitch.
“Actually? Like, as more than a friend?”
“What are you a schoolboy?” Kojiro teased, but it didn’t quite come out right. It was lilted and less than teasing and it dripped with the anxiety that was coming off him in waves. “Yes, as more than a friend, Kaoru.”
“I told you, you need to call me Cherry around here,” Kaoru smiled widely at him as they crossed into the abandoned mine.
“What? That’s what you’re focused on right now?” Kojiro screeched as Kaoru raced ahead of him. It was an easy race to win, with Kojiro so distracted, and he had to hold in his laughter as he crossed the finish line a whole two meters ahead of him.
As they stepped off their boards, Kaoru took Kojiro by the arm before he could even think about saying anything. He hauled Kojiro over to a more private alcove in the building and only stopped when he knew they were truly alone. Then he turned on Kojiro.
“You really are a stupid gorilla,” he said, and then hooked an arm around his neck and kissed him.
Kojiro went stiff beneath him, presumably out of shock, but Kaoru stayed firm against him, patient. After a second, he felt more than heard as Kojiro heaved a sigh of relief and leaned into the kiss. It was both soft and wild at the same time, which Kaoru thought was rather fitting to who they were together. Kojiro dropped his board at their feet, bringing his arms to wrap around Kaoru’s waist, pressing closer to him. Kaoru dropped his own board, and tilted his head a little more, and he bit softly into Kojiro’s bottom lip, earning him a quiet groan. He pulled back slowly and reluctantly, breathing hard.
“You-” Kojiro started, and Kaoru cut him off with another kiss.
“Yeah,” he said, pulling back again, breathless, “I love you too, you idiot.”
Kojiro beamed, pulling Kaoru somehow closer and he crushed him into a tight hug. Kaoru pushed his face into Kojiro’s shoulder, inhaling deeply.
“I love you so much, Kaoru,” Kojiro whispered into his hair, and Kaoru didn’t even try to suppress the smile that was taking over his face. He hugged him tighter.