Work Text:
-1-
Juza took a deep breath as he stood in front of room 105’s door. He didn’t like having to run to Omi for advice like this but he didn’t really have any other options. He just hoped Taichi wasn’t around, he’d definitely end up blabbing to Banri. After a few more moments of hesitation, he knocked on the door, and Omi opened it with a smile.
“Hey Juza,” Omi’s smile faded as he saw the concerned look on Juza’s face, “Everything okay?”
“Uhh probably…can I come in? Is Taichi around?”
“No, he’s out with Tenma and Yuki right now, come on in.”
Omi stepped aside and let Juza take a seat across from him at the table where he was working.
“What’re the dolls for?” Juza asked, looking at Omi’s handiwork.
“Taichi’s sister has a birthday coming up, figured these would make a nice gift. What is it you wanted to talk about?”
“It’s Settsu…” Juza looked at the floor as he spoke.
“Did something happen? You two seemed pretty happy lately…”
“No, nothing happened…I just…wanted some advice. Figured since you and Sakyo are datin’ now you’d be the best person to ask…”
“Sure, I’ll do my best. I suppose Sakyo and Banri are pretty similar.”
Juza paused and took a breath, then the words came tumbling out like a dam had just been broken, “How do I get him to just calm the fuck down? If I’m even a little late, or don’t reply to his DM’s right away, or forget to tell him goodnight…he just freaks the fuck out like I was breaking up with him. Does Sakyo react like that?”
Omi stared at Juza. Sakyo didn’t react like that…ever. Even when he would get insecure it usually manifested in brooding and grumpiness. “Uhh…no, he doesn’t.”
Juza rubbed a hand over his face then through his hair, “Not to anything?”
“Well…I guess sometimes he gets a bit agitated if we don’t spend a lot of time together…”
“So what do you do?”
“I hug him,” Omi replied with a shrug.
“That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
“All you have to do to calm him down is hug him.”
“More or less yeah.”
“Can we switch boyfriends?” Juza said, leaning forward to rest his head in his hands.
Omi laughed, “Oh come on, it can’t be that bad. How have you been handling it so far?”
“Telling him he’s an idiot and to shut up.”
“And that works?”
“Yeah, but then he does the same shit again next week.”
Omi paused to think, “Banri’s pretty sensitive isn’t he?”
Juza smiled, “Yeah.”
“You know…Sakyo isn’t quite as vocal as Banri but I guess he used to get sensitive like that too…especially early on”
Juza looked up, his eyes full of hope, “And what did you do about it?”
“Told him how I really felt,” Omi shrugged, “I know you guys usually communicate with insults and violence but surely you have honest, open conversations too?”
Juza frowned as his brow furrowed, “When we first got together we had one…and I guess maybe we’ve had a couple since…it’s not really needed though, we both understand how the other feels.”
Omi smiled. Banri and Juza did have a very unique relationship, and he knew they had a lot of unspoken understandings. “Knowing something is true doesn’t have quite the same impact as hearing it, or in Banri’s case, having it shown to you. If he’s acting like that he probably has doubts and they’re being backed up by all those little things you mentioned.”
“So…I just gotta do more to show him how I feel?”
“Yeah, and telling him openly probably wouldn’t hurt.”
Juza sighed. Banri didn’t make opening up easy. At all. He still put up a lot of walls with Juza on instinct. But maybe this would help those walls crack a bit. “Thanks, I’ll try that.”
“Great! Good luck,” Omi grinned at Juza as he stood up and opened the door for him.
Juza turned around as he left, “Don’t-“
“I won’t tell anyone you came to me, don’t worry,” Omi reassured him with a laugh.
“Right…thanks,” Juza smiled back and gave Omi a small wave as he walked away.
-2-
Omi was busy in the kitchen when Juza walked in and started rummaging through the fridge.
“Last I checked there was still pudding in there,” Omi suggested, not looking up from the vegetables he was chopping.”
“Thanks,” Juza muttered.
“Should be enough for Banri too,” Omi added with a giggle. Juza and Banri had only just started dating, and it still seemed a bit surreal that those two had finally given in to the tension.
“Tch- not getting any for that asshole.”
“I feel like you don’t really mean that.”
“He always gets weird when I bring him shit. I ain’t doin’ that anymore.”
“Weird how?” Omi asked, still hard at work with dinner prep.
“Dunno, he just panics. Last time he tried to punch me.”
Omi laughed, “Sounds like he’s not used to you giving him things. Just keep doing it, he’ll get used to it eventually. You could try being aware of how you’re acting when you do it too, if it’s being soft and mushy that weirds him out.”
“So like, throw the pudding at him?”
“Umm, I guess that works?” That’s not at all what Omi had in mind but it did seem very fitting for those two.
“‘K, I’ll try that…thanks Omi.”
“Aha…no problem? Just try not to hurt him too much.”
“He’ll be fine,” Juza snorted, “That stupid fox face can take a hit from one pudding cup.”
“If you say so…” Omi turned to see Juza leave the kitchen, and a few moments later he heard some shouts coming from the lounge. They didn’t last too long though, so he assumed everything had gone as planned.
-3-
Juza and Omi had stopped for ice cream on one of their motorcycle rides, and were looking out over the ocean as they enjoyed their treats.
“Hey…how do you get Sakyo to shut up?”
“Huh?” Omi looked at Juza in confusion. They didn’t usually talk much about their relationships, and if they did, it was usually Omi being curious about Juza and Banri. This was the first time Juza had asked about Sakyo, and the question made everything even stranger.
“Like…when he talks too much.”
“He doesn’t,” Omi shrugged. Sakyo had a habit of rambling on, but Omi enjoyed listening to it. It was almost hypnotic, and Sakyo’s voice had a soothing quality.
“But what if he did?”
“I’d…just smile and wait for him to finish I guess?”
“What if he never finishes?”
“…we aren’t talking about Sakyo anymore are we.”
Juza sighed, “I don’t get how Settsu has so much to talk about. And in the end he doesn’t end up really saying anything anyways.”
“Just be patient, he’ll run out of words eventually.”
“I let him go for 10 minutes once before I punched him. I ain’t waitin’ more than 10 minutes for him to not explain his feelings in 20 different ways.”
“Ah…afraid I can’t help you there.”
Juza paused and appeared deep in thought, “…Guess I could try to just get used to it…it’s kinda cute watching him struggle like that…”
Omi tried to suppress a giggle at Juza calling Banri cute. “And maybe instead of punching him or telling him to shut up you can help him say things more clearly?”
“S’pose,” Juza shrugged, “I can usually guess what he’s trying to avoid saying after a few sentences.”
“That’s sweet,” Omi smiled as he nudged Juza with his elbow, “You really know him well, huh?”
“Yeah,” Juza blushed as he looked down at his ice cream.
“Lean on that, and I’m sure you’ll figure out how to deal with Banri’s rambling in a way that suits you.”
Juza nodded as he finished his ice cream. He hoped eventually Banri would be able to just say things directly. In the meantime, he’ll have to do his best to help Banri get there.
-4-
Omi walked into the lounge to find Juza sitting alone, flipping through a script, presumably for school.
“Are you doing anything special for Valentine’s Day?” he asked, taking a seat next to Juza, "Did you want me to help you make chocolates again?”
Juza looked up from his script, slightly startled by the sudden question, “Uhh, dunno…” he shrugged, “I kinda wanna do somethin’ different this year, what are you and Sakyo-san doing?”
“I’m gonna drive him up to this really nice look-out spot in the mountains and we’ll have a picnic I’m preparing with some homemade cheesecake for dessert. I bought him flowers too. And I knit him a new scarf,” Omi grinned as he spoke, clearly proud of his date plans.
Juza stared at him for a moment before speaking. That was…a lot. “Right…I was thinking of something more like, goin’ to a cafe.”
Omi smiled enthusiastically, “That sounds great! I’m sure Tsumugi could recommend a good one.”
“Yeah,” Juza smiled back, encouraged slightly, “And my mom said she wanted to bake some cookies to give him so I’ll probably give him those after.”
“I’m sure he’d love that!”
“You think that’s enough?” Juza really did want to do something special for Banri. But this kind of stuff was far from his forte.
“Definitely,” Omi’s smile stayed glued to his face as he patted Juza on the back.
“…k,” Juza figured that if Omi thought it was good enough, it probably was. He had been dating Sakyo for a while and elaborate dates were kind of his thing. “I’ll go with that then.”
“I’m sure you’ll have fun!” Omi gave some final words of encouragement before turning his attention to the cookbook he had been planning on reading.
-5-
“Texting with Banri?” Omi asked. He was making a homework-snack for Juza and noticed him smiling gently at his phone. And that really could only mean one thing.
“Huh?” Juza looked up, “Oh…yeah.”
“Guess it’s been kinda hard for you lately, with him staying late at school so much lately.”
“Yeah...but this project he’s working on is important to him,” Juza smiled slightly, then rolled his eyes, “And he still won’t stay outta my DMs so that makes it easier…I guess.”
Omi chuckled, “He still DMs you even when he’s working?"
Juza sighed,”Yeah it’s impossible to get him to stop. If I don’t hear from him for a few hours it usually means something bad happened...is Sakyo-san not like that?”
Now it was Omi’s turn to sigh. “I wish...when he gets busy at work I won’t hear from him at all until he gets home.”
Juza couldn’t imagine going that long without hearing from Banri. “How do you manage?”
“Ehh I try to distract myself I guess, remind myself that he’s probably fine…” Omi looked past Juza, to nowhere in particular. It was pretty clear that he was always worrying.
“At least you don’t have him annoyin’ ya in class and shit,” Juza said, trying to lighten the mood, “One time I was tryna just have a conversation with my mom but my phone wouldn’t stop buzzin’.”
“Somehow I don’t think you really find it that annoying,” Omi said with a laugh.
Juza frowned, “No I guess not…”
“And if Sakyo started texting me like that I’d probably worry even more,” Omi laughed. Sakyo was an incredibly consistent person. Anything out of the ordinary was usually aa huge cause for concern.
There was a pause in the conversation, as Juza seemed to get briefly lost in thought. “Still miss him though,” he said, breaking the weighty silence.
Omi walked over to give Juza a few pats on the shoulder, “Best thing for that is a distraction. Sakyo-san’s working late today too, how about after this snack you ditch the homework and we go for a ride?”
“Sure,” Juza smiled as he nodded, “Thanks Omi.”
-+1-
Juza was walking to the cafeteria with Omi when he turned to him suddenly, “How did you confess to Sakyo-san?”
Omi paused for a moment. He was definitely not prepared for a conversation like this with Juza. “I kinda just...did it?”
“You didn’t prepare?”
Omi smiled, “I tried to but...in the end I just blurted it out while we were coming back from grocery shopping.” He laughed softly as he recalled the fond memory.
Juza furrowed his brow, “I see…”
“Are you thinking of confessing to someone?” Omi prodded.
“Yeah…” Juza replied, looking away.
“Banri?”
“Yeah,” Juza looked up in shock, “How did you know?”
“It’s…kinda obvious.”
“Oh…” Juza’s brow was furrowed again as he considered this, "Do you think it’s obvious to him?”
Omi tried not to laugh, “….probably not”
Juza sighed. Of course it wouldn’t be that easy. "Right…so I should just do it?”
“Yep,” Omi gave Juza a smile and a pat on the back in encouragement, "When there’s a quiet moment between the two of you, just tell him how you feel.”
“A quiet moment…” Juza tried to think of the last time he had a quiet moment with Banri. He wasn’t sure he ever had.
“I’m sure even you two have those, right?” Omi looked genuinely concerned.
“Maybe…” Juza was pretty sure they haven’t. Not for very long at least. The closest would be when they were arguing and Banri would give him the silent treatment. And that definitely didn’t seem like an appropriate time. Still, there surely will be a moment at some point Juza can take advantage of. “Thanks Omi,” he said, grateful that at least Omi had taken him seriously.
“Anytime!” Omi grinned, “And good luck.”
****
Sakyo was walking back to his room when he saw Banri frantically pacing around the courtyard
“The hell are you doing?” he barked.
“None of your business old man!” Banri snapped back.
Sakyo took a deep breath. “If you’re having trouble with something it could help to talk it out you know…”
"Like hell I’d talk it out with you!”
Oh well, he tried. “Suit yourself,” he said with a sigh as he continued walking.
“Wait!”
Sakyo turned around, “Ehh?”
“Uhh…” Banri turned away suddenly, as though he was having second thoughts.
Sakyo sighed, and was about to turn around again when Banri blurted out his words.
“How did you know that you liked Omi?”
This…is not what Sakyo was expecting. At all. “I...just knew I guess?”
Banri seemed desperate, and confused, “But like, how?”
Sakyo took off his glasses and ran a palm over his face. How fucking dense was Settsu anyway? “I had feelings that were more than friendship.”
“But how did you know that you had those feelings?” Banri was downright frantic now.
Sakyo was so done with this shit. “Because I know what feelings are?”
Banri ran his hands through his hair, “YOU’RE NOT BEING HELPFUL OLD MAN!”
Sakyo took another deep breath, “Is this about Hyodo?”
“No!” Banri retorted immediately, then looked away sheepishly, “Maybe…” then he seemed to collapse in on himself as he flopped onto the bench, “Yes…”
Sakyo sighed as he took a seat next to him, “Ok, well what do you feel about him?”
“I can’t fucking stand him! His stupid fucking face always just…being there, making me look at it. The way he always just fucking…I don’t know, lights up? Lights up. Sure. The way he lights up whenever he’s acting and it just…makes me feel shit. His dumbass cute smile he gets when Omi gives him sweets. Who told him he could be cute? He’s Juza fucking Hyodo he’s not supposed to be cute! And then it makes me feel so happy? Like when he’s happy, I’m happy? I’ve even started taking care of Kumon! And it’s like I want to get the fuck away from him but I can’t. Because I actually don’t want to get away from him? Like I’ll be trying to get away but then next thing I know I’ve followed him to a cafe and we’re having lunch together? What the fuck is that? And-"
"So you love him,” Sakyo interrupted, sounding very tired.
“No!”
Sakyo said nothing. He simply sighed deeply and rolled his eyes.
Then Banri sighed, “Yeah…I do love him…But what should I do though? This makes shit so weird...and what if he doesn’t like me back? What if he thinks that cause of my feelings for him we can’t compete anymore? What if he hates me? What if-“
“For fuck’s sake just tell him!”
“But-“
“You’ll regret it if you don’t, trust me, just tell him.”
"And if he rejects me?! It’ll ruin everything!”
“He won’t,” Sakyo said, voice absolutely filled with exasperation.
“You don’t know that!”
“I think you’re the only one who doesn’t know that, just tell him.”
Banri narrowed his eyes as he stared at Sakyo for a moment, “Fine…BUT IF IT GOES TO SHIT ITS YOUR FAULT!”
“Tch- whatever,” Sakyo stood up. There was no way in hell Hyodo didn’t return Banri’s feelings. And it was almost impressive the way Banri was completely oblivious to this.