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Ennoshita sighs.
It's been a hard week and he isn't sure how he is going to survive the next one. The film project he had been working one was supposed to be his source of relief but it turned out to be a nightmare – he is glad to have finished it now. The actors had been so demanding, it had been impossible to relax a second, even though he decided to film in his prefecture, not Tokyo. If he didn't love filming so much he'd go to the theatre (on the other hand actors were actors and learning to deal with them was on the top of his priorities).
Now that he has a free weekend, he is going to spend it at home with his friends and family, or he would be if he weren't currently in Sendai, running some errands for his mother, done with the last thing on his list and on his way to the train station.
Instead of going straight home though, Ennoshita takes a detour, entering a small café where he wants to get himself some coffee (he doesn't really like it, it's too bitter even with the amount of sugar in it and while he feels more awake, he still looks tired and maybe he should just go back to drinking Valerian tea). When he is asked for his order, he sees the cake display and maybe it's on a whim but he decides to sit down at a table; it's full though, so he desperately looks for a free place only to see a person he recognises from high school.
He wonders how small this world actually is.
“Can I take this seat?”, he asks with a cup of coffee in one and a plate with cake in the other hand.
The other one looks up, his eyes slightly widening after realisation hit him but until then Ennoshita doubted for a second that he remembers him, his body language showing him that he doesn't really want to be here in the first place; he was the captain of Karasuno in his third year but he didn't stay in people's mind like Noya or their quick duo (it's his opinion, whatever Daichi or the other's might have said).
There is no verbal reply which he probably would have missed in the first place, just a nod. It's enough for him to sit down next to Fukunaga. He remembers the former Nekoma player from the few times he actually talked to him even if these conversations were verbal on one side only. He had been Nekoma's Vice Captain but he assumes it's only because of his quiet nature, Taketora and his loud personality keeping the team's spirit up while Fukunaga supported them in the background.
“So, how is it going?”
Fukunaga shifts a bit and from the way his shoulders slump and his eyes can't seem to find a spot to rest on, he assumes it's not so good. The young man is aiming to be a pharmacist and it's as hard as he imagined it to be, but he tries his best and maybe this might not be enough though he wouldn't allow this to stop him; Ennoshita doesn't know of these thoughts though, not yet.
“There is always a next day”, he tries to reassure him and there is a small smile tugging at Fukunaga's lips when he nods, so Ennoshita considers it an accomplishment and turns to his coffee.
The taste is as bad as he remembers but he does feel more awake and so he opens the bags of sugar to put it in, asking Fukunaga if he is here to visit his family so that he can cover up the grimace he made; Fukunaga shakes his head, finger pointing on a book's page in front of him.
Even if it hadn't been upside down, Ennoshita wouldn't have understand the complex things standing on the page, but he does get one thing out of this.
“You're studying here? I see. I hope I don't disturb you.”
He shakes his head to reassure him and so they continue with a bit small talk, Ennoshita easily adjusting to him, asking questions Fukunaga could reply to without saying much and he feels like the stress of the past weeks had only been his imagination. And so it's rather obvious that Ennoshita is pretty happy when they exchange numbers as well as emails, even though he wouldn't admit it; he doubts that Fukunaga can read this from his expression so he doesn't worry about it.
(He is wrong.)
The rest of the summer which they spend texting each other and meeting once a month means a lot to Ennoshita and looking at Fukunaga every once in a while he can see that he starts looking better as well, healthier, less stressed and so he feels brave enough to ask him if he could maybe just when he wants to and really definitely doesn't mind act as a model for his photography class.
Fukunaga seems surprised that he considers him, but he looks nervously away, fingers fiddling with his long sleeves and since Ennoshita realises that he isn't really comfortable with his body, he tries to reassure him that the topic is autumn and that there is no need to show his face; he'd take a nice countryside photo in warm clothes so that the layers would hide his body.
“Then why me?”, he wants to know, doesn't ask it, just points at him, like this is a joke and even though he doesn't admit it, Ennoshita is a bit hurt that he assumes the worst.
“Because we're friends?”
Fukunaga's disbelief makes Ennoshita's explanation sound like a question but it's the truth and getting someone different in front of the camera, someone so quiet like him, who even radiates this sort of melancholy, would fit perfectly; at least he would love to film him in such a scene but this is a step he doesn't intend to go yet, after all even a photo looks like a brave one.
(He doesn't know what he is supposed to think of the warmth spreading in his chest when Fukunaga smiles and suddenly it's this what he wants to catch with his camera.)
He doesn't feel like going home during the next weekend even though he has no reason not to, so when Fukunaga invites him and nods when Ennoshita tries to make sure that this is really okay, he doesn't hesitate a second before he accepts.
Fukunaga's father isn't home but his mother is, a really gentle soul who always smiles and from the way she acts around her son he can see that he is clearly loved, fussing over both of them and making sure that they have enough to drink and some snack. Fukunaga seems a bit embarrassed as far as he can tell from the faint blush, but he doesn't seem to mind, especially when Ennoshita laughs lightly and tells his mother that “yes, everything is fine, don't worry”.
The Fukunaga household doesn't have many films they can watch but in the end they find one both haven't seen yet. It sounds a bit cheesy at first, the typical 'girl-finds-her-soulmate-and-they-don't-seem-to-like-each-other' trope, though then it turns a bit darker as soon as the protagonist is on the verge of death and her soulmate is admitting his love but of course there is a happy ending, everything is perfect and Ennoshita feels restless. It's almost a miracle that the topic didn't come up before. Still, the credits roll in silence before they end and Ennoshita is courages enough to ask.
“Found your soulmate yet?”
Fukunaga nods, though he doesn't look at him, knees pulled up to his chest and arms wrapped around his legs.
“Must be a nice person.”
He wants to pat himself on the shoulder for this amazing statement, good job Chikara, he thinks. Actually he wants to ask if he knows said person but thinks it'd be too personal, still, as if he had read his mind, Fukunaga takes a magazine form under his bed, opening it. It's a shot of the former Fukurodani team around Bokuto and he taps on one of the wing spikers Ennoshita vaguely remembers from their training camps.
“Yamato Sarukui? I see. So it didn't took you long to find him, right?”
The description says that he is a year older but in the best chase this means still two years spend together, something not everyone has the chance to. Fukunaga doesn't reply to that, just tilts his head to the side and from the short moment he parts his lips he gets his question.
“Yeah, found mine as well. It's a bit complicated though.”
Fukunaga doesn't ask again.
(He doesn't need to, at least not with words.)
Autumn passes and he first snow is announced for the next weeks, the first days of October.
They are at Ennoshita's apartment, sitting next to each other in his room on the bed and watching a film Chikara already watched more than once and Fukunaga never did but has to, otherwise he will miss some of the best films there is. However one film turns into two and by the start of the fifth the room is dark, only lit by the light of the laptop before Ennoshita moves to turn on a lamp; he suddenly feels the strain of sitting too long on his bed, groaning a bit.
Fukunaga take this moment to stretch himself as well and it's then when the shirt rides up a bit that Ennoshita sees a part of his black mark, the tattoo they never talk about; he wonders how it looks complete. But Fukunaga is a bit ashamed, doesn't like his body so much, so he doesn't want to push him; somehow, Fukunaga wants to show him though. When he catches Ennoshita's glance, he shifts and lifts his shirt so that the other one can see the black panther on his ribcage. It looks gorgeous and Ennoshita tries his hardest not to reach out for it, fingers brushing along the outlines.
It's just fair that he shows him his then, he thinks, pulling his own shirt over his head (it's the only “thank you for showing me, for trusting me with this” he deems accurate enough).
It's smaller than the black panther, a black starfish on the front of his right shoulder; Fukunaga looks equally curious and amazed nevertheless. Ennoshita can see his hand twitching before it hides behind his back as if to make sure that he is going to make something stupid.
(Ennoshita wants to tell him that it is okay but he can't seem to bring any word out.)
They continue to watch the last film for the night, putting their shirts back on, and if either realises how close they are sitting now, neither feels the need to mention it, their hands almost brushing.
“Chikara? Did you already buy groceries?”, Kinoshita wants to know, head sticking in his room so that he could see what his friend is up to.
“It's Narita's tun”, he replies, sitting at his desk and bend over some books though his laptop is open and from time to time the chat lit up with new messages.
“Oh, is it Fukunaga again?”, his friend asks, stepping into the room when he is distracted by a new message flashing up, though trying to stay away far enough so that he can't read it, doesn't want to intrude in his personal bubble.
Ennoshita hums.
“You're really close, aren't you?”
It hadn't been his intention to point it out at first but now he is just too curious about the young man who used to play for Nekoma and caused Ennoshita to randomly snort whenever he looked at his screen and saw a new message, with a joke he doesn't show nor explains them.
This statement causes him to finally look up, turning towards his friend.
“Why? Is there something wrong?”
Kinoshita just shakes his head, laughing lightly, wondering if he even realised it or doesn't want to admit anything like this, in fear of people suspecting something he hadn't realised himself.
“No, I just thought you might have – ah, don't mind me. I guess I'll scold Narita because he forgot the milk.”
He leaves the room and closes the door behind him but before Ennoshita can wonder about his weird wording, the chat drags his attention and he smiles a bit.
>> you still there?
> yeah, sorry, Kinoshita came in.
>> ???
> right you havent meet him yet, one of my flatmates he went to Karasuno as well
>> don't remember him
> he and Narita are good friends of mine, studying in Tokyo as well though at a different school... they are also soulmates.
> But enough of this, what's up?
>> is Friday still okay for you?
Ennoshita turns to his calender, sees the last days of October, calculates how much time he has before his old friends would come over for Halloween and a horror film marathon (“no, Tanaka, we won't go trick and treating here, don't even think about this”) and he can clean the flat as well as buy enough snacks.
> yes. you still sure that you dont want to stay for Halloween
>> yeah.
> see you on Friday then catch some sleep and dont work too late
>> same to you
~
Ennoshita is glad that neither Narita nor Kinoshita are home, so that they can sit and watch in the living room, don't need to go in his room and watch on his laptop; the TV the three of them invested in really paid off for days like these.
The haven't even finished the first film when Ennoshita is reminded of his talk with Kinoshita, but while he doesn't intend to ask this and really, maybe he watched too many wrong romance films so that the thought crosses his mind in the first place, now he can't stop the question from rolling of his lips.
“Hey, you and your soulmate... are you in love?”
If Ennoshita hadn't been slightly offended, he would have been more annoyed by the choked laughter, but now he is just starring at him in disbelief; it is an adorable laughter after all.
“Is that a no?”
Fukunaga doesn't waste a moment to kneel on the sofa, grabbing him by the shoulders and while he looks confident, Ennoshita can still feel the slight tremble when Fukunaga leans forward and kisses him. It shouldn't surprise him as much as it does, after all they were closer than a few other people he knows and maybe more than once he thought about kissing him. With new found confidence, Ennoshita wraps one arm around Fukunaga's waist to pull him closer. They are short kisses, more like pecks but Ennoshita doesn't mind, his happy with every new short contact of their lips.
Every good thing has to end once though, especially as soon as Fukunaga sits comfortably in his lap.
“Yo, Chikara, I'm – oh. Oh, am I interrupting something?”
Worst timing possible, as always, Ennoshita thinks when Futakuchi comes in and sees them kissing, is used to his comments like this; he feels bad for Fukunaga though, so he allows him to bury his face in his neck.
“What are you doing here?”
“My birthday is coming up, so I want to get my early present since I will be away.”
“And you think I got you one.”
“I know you.”
“You shouldn't misuse my key for things like that.”
“Don't be so stern. Next time write a message at the door.”
“Bedroom, lowest drawer of the night stand.”
“Thank you. Be good children.”
At least he doesn't talk too much bullshit, he thinks, though he would still scold him later on, not that Futakuchi would really mind this, just smirk and throw in some stupid comment.
He feels Fukunaga's face move away as soon as Futakuchi left, the warmth gone and when he looks at him, he can read the question from his face, how his eyes just slightly narrow and he tilts his head.
“Futakuchi Kenji, my soulmate.”
The thought is as stupid as it suddenly comes, especially since Ennoshita returned his kiss, but Fukunaga is sure that he can't keep up with someone like that, who is outgoing and says what he wants and it might be unconscious but he clenches his shirt a bit tighter, a tug Ennoshita can feel and interpret without thinking too long.
(It's easier to read Fukunaga now.)
Shifting a bit so that it's more comfortable, he smiles, trying to ease his insecurity a bit; with this small gesture he has his attention.
“We dated for a while in our third year, maybe a few months until we realised that we don't work that way. We're soulmates but not in love, or at least just platonic. Maybe we just wanted to believe that. But it's fine. We still meet up and chat about films and its like dating him didn't change anything. Maybe this does being a soulmate mean. Realising that relationships change and you have to accept that and move on. I'm talking too much again, right? Sorry, normally that doesn't happen often”, only in your presence, he thinks and it's embarrassing but he feels relieved to have told him this now.
The grip on his shirt loosens a bit and Ennoshita uses this moment to lay a hand on his back, a gesture Fukunaga considers a permission to lean against his shoulder. It's warm so he closes his eyes and enjoys the moment, even more so when Ennoshita leans back as well so that they sit more comfortable, his hand still resting on his back; the sound of the still running and forgotten film is the only thing stopping silence from spreading.
“Hey?”, Ennoshita eventually tries to catch his attention, hand resting on his hip so that the other one moves an inch away and looks at him, an inquiring glance directed at the other one.
“I won't be able to meet or text for two weeks because of a project, but maybe you want to come over after that and stay for the weekend?”
Fukunaga makes a small sound but Ennoshita isn't able to look at him as if he fears to see him shaking his head yet he is sure he made out a yes and he can't help but to smile.
(There is a another tug and he is glad to fulfil his wish for another round of kissing.)