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A sugary aroma wafts through the apartment, rousing Kaoru from a deep sleep. He reaches a hand out to the side table to check Carla for the time. 3:43 A.M. Groaning, he puts on his silk robe and tiptoes out to the kitchen. Kojiro is hunched over the counter, piping frosting onto what looks to be a fifth batch of cupcakes.
“Why am I not surprised in the slightest?” Kojiro whips around to face Kaoru’s position in the doorway, a guilty expression on his face. There’s a smear of batter across his cheek and a dusting of flour across his apron and chest.
Kojiro smiles sheepishly, “I made cupcakes?” He offers, gesturing to the massive tower on the counter.
“I can see that.” Kaoru strides across the kitchen, wrapping his boyfriend in a firm, comforting embrace. “You’re stressed about tomorrow, aren’t you?” He traces characters across the broad expanse of Kojiro’s back. Calligraphy to calm the mind.
Kojiro sighs and buries his nose in Kaoru’s hair, inhaling his comforting scent of jasmine and sage. He nods slowly and holds the smaller man tight.
“There there, everything will go just fine.” He presses a few soft kisses against Kojiro’s chest. “Our business model is rock solid, you know that. The hardest part is already over, we’ve bought the drive-in. Now we’ve just got to convince some people to give us money. That’ll be easy, I’m great at that and so are you. Just look at us, how could anyone say no to these faces?” He tugs at Kojiro’s cheeks, stretching them into a smile. “Besides, everyone knows about the skateboarding culture here. It's a perfectly appealing venture to create a space for it that’s stocked with a snack stand and skate shop to capitalize on that scene. The investors will eat it up, I’m sure.” He pulls back, seeking to grab a cupcake off the stand. “What flavors did you make?”
“That top tier is red velvet with vanilla buttercream, the next one down has raspberry puree swirls throughout the cake and white chocolate frosting, the third tier’s chocolate peanut butter, the last one is double strawberry, and I just finished up a batch of your favorite, salted caramel, which I will put… Somewhere. It’s for the best that you woke up when you did, otherwise, I’d have kept baking maybe all night.” Kaoru hums in agreement. He’s woken up on multiple occasions to find a bakery in their kitchen while searching for his morning coffee. At least it’s a delicious way of coping, he thinks as caramel filling flows out from the dessert in his hand and into his mouth.
“Immaculate as always, though I do wish you hadn’t stayed up so late to make them.” Kojiro smiles meekly and plants a quick kiss against Kaoru’s temple, whispering an apology. He removes his apron and hangs it up, then sits down at the counter. He sighs wearily. Exhaustion is evident in the sag of his shoulders, both from lack of sleep and the weight of the burdens keeping him awake.
“It’s so important that we get this right. The way S is now, it’s not okay that all these kids keep coming. It’s not a safe place for them. During that last race, Langa—he almost died. If he didn’t snap out of it when he did, he wouldn’t be here anymore. Even when we were his age, it was already bad. I don’t want to think about all the broken bodies I’ve driven to the hospital before I was even old enough to drink. They were kids. We were kids. This can’t keep going.” Kojiro rakes his hands through his hair, worn out by his worries. “All those young skaters need a better place to go. One where they can make new friends and feel the thrill of skating without potentially putting their lives on the line.”
“You’re right. That’s why we’re going to make it happen. Even if we have to build it with our own hands.” Kaoru holds him once again, letting him bury his face in the silky fabric of his robe. He scratches gently against Kojiro’s scalp, knowing the action melts his tension like ice cream in the sun. They stay like this for a while, holding each other while he gives Kojiro soft reassurances. He watches carefully, waiting patiently for the signs that Kojiro is ready to go to bed.
When the last traces of pressing stress have faded away, he helps him up and leads his tired boyfriend into the bathtub. There he washes Kojiro, massaging his scalp as he shampoos, conditions, and rinses. After he’s cleaned up, Kaoru dries him with a warm fluffy towel and starts on his skincare routine. The pampering and gentle touches across the planes of his face have him nodding off, making Kaoru gently rouse him each time he dips into slumber. After his face, he moves to his body, massaging lotion into golden brown skin and working the tension out of his muscles. With Kojiro’s skin now feeling baby soft and looking like a glazed donut, Kaoru leads him to bed. Kojiro passes out almost instantly, snoring lightly within minutes. It’s cute, not that Kaoru would ever admit it when he’s awake. He pulls up the covers and lays down next to him cuddling into his side. Kojiro shifts in his sleep, moving to adjust himself just right around Kaoru. Even in the throes of a deep slumber, his body knows where home is, knows where their outlines click into place like two halves of a whole.
Just before the clutches of sleep pull him in, Kaoru reflects. He doesn’t feel any nerves at all about their upcoming meeting. It could be assumed that he’s grown used to meetings with important people through his job, but that wasn’t it. He’s always a bit anxious before meeting with a new client, even to this day. No, this unusual calm was because of his partner in this endeavor. With Kojiro at his side, he feels strong, confident. As if he could take on anything so long as they’re together. This level of trust and security stems from their decades-long bond. They make a great team when they’re not competing against each other. It’s glorious the way they work together, a web of unspoken understanding and practically telepathic communication, building off each other to achieve their goals. No matter what obstacles lay ahead of them, Kojiro has his back. He doesn’t have to turn around to know that.