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“Hey, have you finished your form yet?” A voice jolted Daisuke from his thoughts and he looked up.
“No, not yet.”
Takeru frowned. “I thought you said you’d decided already.” he said.
“I have…”
“Then what’s the hold-up?”
Daisuke sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Accommodation.” At Takeru’s confused expression, he continued. “All the dorms near the uni are either full or too expensive, and you know how terrible I am at waking up early.”
“Hmm, that’s tough. What about renting an actual apartment?” he mused.
Daisuke shook his head. “If I can’t afford a room in the dorm, how d’ya expect me to afford Tokyo rent?”
Takeru grimaced. “Fair.” he replied. Then, he tapped his finger against his lip thoughtfully. “Ken-kun is also attending a uni in Tokyo, right? Are they close enough that you can find an apartment between them that you can share?”
Daisuke stiffened. “I wouldn’t wanna cause him the trouble of living with me.” He laughed, tried to play it off as a joke. Given Takeru’s unimpressed stare, it didn’t work.
“You won’t know until you ask!” Takeru insisted.
Daisuke sighed; he was way too tense to get into an argument over this. “I’ll think about it.”
Takeru smiled tightly. “Good. You better think fast, though - if you don’t ask him by tomorrow lunch time, I’ll ask him for you.”
“Wha-?!” His complaint was cut off by the bell ringing.
“See ya tomorrow!” Before Daisuke could say another word, Takeru was already out the door.
Daisuke swore under his breath. Now he was in trouble.
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Ken glanced up at his phone, frowning. He had this itch, like he needed to call someone but he wasn’t sure who. The longer he tried to ignore it, the worse the feeling became until it became a physical itch, his skin crawling with unease.
With a huff, he picked up his phone - he’d just have to follow his instincts and hope he ended up reaching whoever he needed to call.
Just then, his phone began to ring, a familiar pop song filling his room. With a smile, he hit answer.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Ken.” Daisuke’s voice sounded off, tight as if he were stressed. Was he stressed? That would explain why he’d been feeling off all day.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah, just… needed to ask something real quick.”
“Okay, shoot.” Ken leaned back in his chair, rolling back and forth.
“You’re going to Tokyo Uni, right?”
“Yes…?
“Have you decided on your accommodation yet?” Daisuke asked.
Where had this come from? “Not yet. Trying to choose between the dorm or staying home. It’s a bit far, but I’m sure I can make it work.” He frowned. “Why do you ask?”
Daisuke was quiet for a moment. “I just… needed advice, I guess? I can’t decide where to go and my place is too far away.”
“Hmm… Did you have anything in mind? What about the dorms?”
“Too expensive.” Ken could practically see Daisuke wrinkling his nose, and his lips curled into a smile. “I had one other idea, but…”
“... But?”
Daisuke hesitated for a long moment. Ken stayed quiet. “...Well, would you be up to sharing an apartment?”
“... In Tokyo?”
“Yeah. It’s the only other thing I can think of to let me attend the culinary school. Otherwise, I’ll have to skip out. I wanna be a chef one day so I really wanna go to this school…”
Ken smiled. Daisuke had been taking school much more seriously in preparation for university. Who was he to get in the way?
He’d just have to ignore his feelings every day, but what else was new?
The constant proximity, maybe? His mind supplied dryly. He mentally shook the thought away.
“That sounds like a great idea! Did you find any good options yet?”
Ken felt Daisuke’s elation even from his home in Tamachi, and he couldn’t help but grin. Hopefully, everything would turn out fine.
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“So,” Daisuke glanced up to find Takeru leaning casually against his desk, examining the tape around his fingers from basketball practice. “Did you speak to Ken-kun?”
“Yep.”
“And?”
“We found a few good places, we’re gonna go and check them out this weekend.” Daisuke grinned.
“Oh! Wow, good job!” Takeru cheered. Then, he lowered his voice and smirked. “So, excited to move in with your crush?”
“Fuck off.” he grumbled, ignoring Takeru’s laughter. He smiled down at his now-complete form. The future was looking bright.
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Daisuke huffed with exertion, lugging a few boxes down the corridor. He heard footsteps ahead.
“Here, let me help.” The load lightened and then he could see Ken smiling at him over the boxes. “These are the last ones, right?”
“Besides one more suitcase, yeah.”
“I’ll get some tea ready. After a break, we can unpack.” Daisuke beamed, pausing to let Ken put his boxes down first.
“Sounds good,” he said. “I’m glad this worked out. I can’t believe I'm saying this, but I can’t wait to start classes!”
Ken chuckled, heading into the kitchen as Daisuke put his boxes down. “I always knew you could get into school if you found it enjoyable.”
“If only my teachers had your faith.” Daisuke quipped, snickering when Ken snorted. “Be right back.”
Stepping into the lift, he leaned back against the wall and placed a hand over his chest. He wanted to blame his pounding heart on all the exertion of moving his belongings, but he knew himself better than that. Bell chiming, the doors slid open and he pushed himself off the wall.
When he got to the car, Jun perked up. “Finally done?”
“Yep, you’re free to go.” She threw her arms up and whooped. Daisuke chuckled. “Thanks for the help, sis.”
“No big deal, I still owed you for covering that cooking disaster. Besides, how many train trips would it’ve taken? I know we don’t get along much, but even I’m not that cruel.” They both laughed.
“I woulda made it work somehow, I’m sure. Wish I could afford driving lessons and uni, but it was one or the other.”
“Maybe I’ll pitch in to buy you some lessons for your birthday this year.” she mused.
“Oh, no, you don’t have to-”
“Look,” she cut him off, expression serious. “I know I just said we don’t always see eye to eye, but you’re my little brother and I’m proud of you. Most everyone talked you down about uni, but you really showed how far your passion can get you.” She smiled, climbed out of the car and wrapped him up in a tight hug. “Well done, Daisuke.”
Daisuke swallowed thickly, eyes stinging. “Thank you, sis. It really means a lot.”
Jun beamed down at him. “Go on, you have a ton of work to do. I wish I could stay and help, but I could only get the morning off. So many people are falling ill.” She sighed and slid back into the car. “I’ll call you tonight, see how you’re doing. If you need more help, gimme a call, yeah?”
“Will do. See ya, sis. Good luck in work!”
She scoffed. “The customers’ll be needing the luck.” They shared a laugh, then Daisuke stepped back and waved as she drove away. He turned back to the apartment building that was now his home. It towered over him. He felt like he should've been intimidated, but it was excitement that was thrumming through Daisuke’s veins. The future was looking bright and he couldn’t wait to face it. With a deep breath, he picked up his suitcase and headed inside.