Chapter Text
Madara found travel tiring. Well experienced with travel, the novelty had completely worn off and all that remained was simply a waste of time. The process of traveling took far too long and staying inside unfamiliar locations, while not something he wasn’t used to, was uncomfortable at best and disturbing at worst. Madara had stayed in enough seedy locations to know the unpleasantries one could find in a hastily booked motel room. From the typically harmless unidentified stain to the sound of a gunshot two doors down, Madara was all too familiar with the dangers that came with overnight stays.
However, to Kohaku, it was all new. He had little to no experience with travel, so the entire process was new and exciting for him. He looked outside the car window with wide eyes, stunned to see how much bigger the world is than the internet could ever convey to him. As much as Madara didn’t want to admit it, being in the car beside Kohaku made the ride more enjoyable. His soft gasps and frequent genuine questions made everything Madara had taken for granted feel infinitely more special. Time flew by much quicker when he was not bored out of his mind. He often found when he glanced at himself in a mirror that his lips were curved into a small, soft smile.
Double Face was scheduled for a live show out of town, and Madara had opted to drive the two of them there himself. Their unit still did not have the same reputation as other idol units, and Madara had no desire to allow someone he did not know to hold his fate behind the wheel. He preferred to have complete control in most situations anyway. He knew they’d have to stay somewhere overnight, but luckily the agency had booked them a nicer place to stay. Madara didn’t care for the atmosphere of expensive hotels, but it was safer than trying to find some place that took walk-ins. Besides, he wouldn’t dare put Kohaku in any danger.
The two sat in relative silence, save for a few jokes and general small talk. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence, it felt familiar and safe. Madara didn’t feel the need to perform in front of Kohaku as he did around most other people. The pressure to be over the top excited and happy melted away when he was alone with Kohaku, knowing that Kohaku was one of the few people who preferred to be around him when he was quieter. Sometimes they would both sit outside, independently doing their own tasks, simply enjoying the comfort of having someone else there. Madara hated awkward silence, but it was never awkward with Kohaku. The stillness and quiet between them was briefly interrupted by a telltale growl coming from Kohaku’s stomach.
“Hungry?”
“No, I’m doin’ fine.” Kohaku’s stomach disagreed and let out a louder rumble. Madara chuckled lightly.
“Don’t lie to me, Kohaku. I can hear your tummy!” He flicked on his turn signal.
Kohaku sighed and shook his head. “There’s no need t’worry ‘bout me. No sense in goin’ outta the way. I can eat when we get to where we’re headed.”
Madara turned off the main road regardless, surveying the area for somewhere they could stop to eat. He could hear Kohaku start to protest, but it was cut off again by a loud grumble. They had been on the road for a few hours, but Madara was used to going long periods of time without eating. However, he did not find it right for Kohaku to needlessly suffer. The sun was just starting to set; they were making good enough time to take a detour.
“You have any preference where you wanna eat?”
“Nah I don’t care where we go. I’d just like to go somewhere quick so we don’t lose too much time, y’know?”
Something about hearing the word ‘we’ from Kohaku’s mouth never failed to send a shockwave through Madara. It was obvious they would go somewhere to eat together, and yet hearing it out loud made a certain feeling run through him. A feeling he dare not name. He shook it off and kept looking around for somewhere to stop. Everything around looked either too dingy or too expensive, and god knows Madara’s pockets could not take too big of a hit right now. He finally noticed a cute little place on the side of the road. Pretty empty, very simplistic, and most importantly, not too expensive looking. He pulled into the small lot and turned his car off, angling his head to try to see what kind of place it was.
“No idea what this is but it’s worth a shot, eh?” Madara laughed, opening his car door.
The two wandered inside and as soon as they crossed the threshold, Madara could smell his mistake. They were immediately hit by warmth and the ever present scent of sugar and confections. They found themselves in a bakery, brightly lit and covered wall to wall in sickeningly adorable decorations. Every sweet within the glass case looked like something straight out of a children’s cartoon, sculpted into the shapes of animals with little smiles. Madara knew this was no place to have dinner at and turned to leave the way they came, but Kohaku was no longer next to him. Kohaku’s eyes were wide and sparkling as he stood in front of the glass, marveling at all the sweets in front of him. Madara’s normally dignified, mature partner was reverted to a childlike state of wonder as he gasped and pointed at various treats.
“Look at this! It’s incredible! How’d they get so many details on a lil mochi?? It looks just like a duck! And this one like a lil pig!! Look Madara, isn’t this amazin’?” He turned to Madara, his eyes twinkling. Madara’s heart swelled and he put his keys back in his pocket, abandoning all thoughts of leaving. It certainly wasn’t dinner, but there’s no way in hell Madara could leave now.
“Well pick out whatever you want! It’s my treat.” He smiled softly at Kohaku, knowing full well he was about to spend more than he planned. He did not have the adequate funds to keep recklessly spending like this, but all rational judgment was out the window when he saw Kohaku’s smile. His smile was like the yearly bloom of cherry blossom trees, rare but breathtakingly beautiful.
Kohaku picked out a few treats, clearly practicing restraint so as to not bleed Madara’s wallet dry. He excitedly unwrapped his taiyaki before they were even out the door. He held it in two hands, nibbling at it like a small animal. Madara chuckled and unwrapped his own, taking a comically large bite. Kohaku rolled his eyes and muttered something about how he should be savoring the taste. Madara did not typically indulge in sweets, but the warm, sweet flavor turned out to be satisfying all the same. The two ate in silence, enjoying the surprisingly delicious treats. Madara looked at the sky as the sun disappeared beyond the horizon, painting the sky a beautiful pink and purple gradient. He found himself enjoying those colors more and more every day.
“I can never get tired of it.”
Madara raised his eyebrow. “Of what? Sweets?” He laughed, but Kohaku shook his head.
“Nah…the sunset. I’m sure it sounds silly to someone like you, but t‘me…it’s one of the most amazin’ things I’ve ever seen. I went so long never seein’ anything like it…I’d watch it every evenin’ if I could.” Kohaku stared at the sky and absentmindedly played with his hair.
“I wasn’t locked away like you were, but I rarely ever take the time to watch the sun go down. I’m always on the move. You’re right, I never really appreciate what’s right in front of me... It’s beautiful.”
His gaze lingered before turning to look back at the sky.