Work Text:
A small static danced over the television screen as it was clicked on. Dull colors and pixels appeared, forming into figures, then to recognizable people. Takumi intermittently listened in for the daily weather report as he ran around the kitchen preparing his boxed lunch. Utensils lightly crashed together in the sink and cabinet doors were closed as he zipped up his lunch box. His uniform wasn’t fully buttoned yet and a slight cool breeze hit his chest walking into the living room again. He shivered standing in front of the TV as he waited for the weather section that was up next.
A simply colored map appeared on screen and the meteorologist pointed at the cities displayed. Tokyo having a rain cloud animation below its name, along with the temperature beside it. Footsteps padded behind Takumi and he felt arms wrap around his torso, the warmth engulfing him into a hug. Familiar spiky hair grazed across the side of his face, a chin rested on his shoulder and it made him shiver again. “Goodmorning,” a groggy and raspy voice came from Keisuke, as he kissed Takumi’s cheek. His face heated up and he turned towards his boyfriend, who’s grasp had loosened. “Goodmorning,” Takumi said with a smile, his eyes landing on the bird's nest of blond hair and the baggy t-shirt that draped over his larger frame. His hand reached up to caress Keisuke’s cheek, but faked him out and ruffled his blond hair even more.
“Hey!” Keisuke protested, swatting away his hand and walking away into the kitchen. Takumi only giggled softly and turned his attention back to the TV.
“Conditions are currently cloudy but heavy showers are likely to occur within the afternoon hours. Ranging into the night and early Saturday morning. Temperatures are to be constant with only a slight four degree change come nightfall-” he tuned out the rest and made his way back to the kitchen. He buttoned up his shirt and tucked it into his work pants.
Keisuke was busy perusing the fridge, pushing aside bottles and containers that made enough noise to drown out what his boyfriend had said.
“Keisuke…”
“Huh?” He had his face stuck in the fridge at his point.
“I said, it's gonna rain later today, you probably shouldn’t ride anywhere unless you have to.”
He only huffed in response, “Oh c’mon, I’ve ridden in downpours, a monsoon even! I’m sure I’ll be fine from a little rain.” He took his head out of the fridge, holding a carton of eggs in his hand. Takumi looked at him with a disapproving expression and Keisuke caught on. Placing the carton of eggs onto the counter beside the fridge he turned towards his lover after closing the door. “Listen, if I go out I will be careful, okay?” He reached down to button up the last button on Takumi’s shirt, a smile gracing his lips. Takumi’s ears turned red as he stared up at him, only letting out a breathy “Okay.”
His heart fluttered and he glanced over at the clock on the wall. “You better get moving,” Keisuke commented. “Yeah,” Takumi scurried away into the bathroom to straighten out his appearance one last time before emerging again. The television still hummed in the background, and pans clunked in the kitchen. He wordlessly grabbed his lunchbox from the edge of the counter and threw a light rain jacket from the coat hanger over his shoulder. He pocketed the keys to the eight-six from the key rack and they jingled lightly in his pocket. He stood at the door about to slip on his shoes before a voice called from the kitchen.
“Aren’t you forgetting something?”
He smiled to himself and turned around to see his boyfriend leaning against the kitchen entryway. Takumi strode over to him confidently and pecked his cheek. Keisuke had a blush rising on his face as he pulled away, a rare sight for sure.
“Your name tag…” he stammered, raising it to Takumi. He was taken aback by this kind of boldness from his boyfriend, especially so early in the morning.
“Oh- yeah- um, thanks” he said, taking it from him quickly, avoiding eye contact. Now it was his turn to blush. A sweet chuckle was let out through his lover's lips, “I’ll see you later. Might stop at Yuki’s place for a little though. Dinner’s on me tonight.” Takumi’s eyes met his, and a smirk appeared through his flusteredness. Wordlessly he stumbled back to get his shoes on, slipping away into the cloudy day, off to work.
✦
“Fujiwara-san” Takumi was taken out of the swirling gray clouds. Whenever a front moves in, and the clouds roam on the lower troposphere, they move so hypnotically in their dull colors.
“My apologies Fukumoto-buchou,” He bowed quickly and loaded up the truck with the last crate of produce.
“It’s alright, I heard about the storm rolling in too. Seems like a nasty one.” He was leaning on a broomstick in the back doorway.
Takumi blushed a bit, “Yeah my, uh-, friend only owns a motorcycle and I told him not to get caught in the rain today. Hope he listens.”
Fukumoto-buchou grimaced, “Bosozoku?”
“No sir,” he deadpanned.
“Good. I don’t need those troublemakers associating with my one good employee.” He felt a little bit offended by his boss's opinion. Sure, Keisuke could be a little bit of a hard-ass, and loud, but he’s not like a damn yakuza member! There's a big difference between both of them. He disregarded that compliment on his work ethic, old people really annoyed him sometimes. He only huffed, closing the truck bed. “Better get going before that rain.” Takumi only nodded, getting in the work truck. The engine rumbled to life and he was on his way to the local market.
✦
The roaring start up of Keisuke's motorcycle bounced off of the building walls. As much as it didn’t resemble a sportster, it sounded mean with the first start up. The zippy exhaust is headache inducing but it’s just the bike culture. He adjusted the choke, and it idled smoothly. The wind had started up, blowing his spiky hair around. He could feel Takumi shaking his head at him. He’d be safe regardless, he may be speed thirsty but definitely not in the rain. He threw his leg over the bike seat adjusting his jacket sleeves, and looked up at the clouds. He smirked, they seemed so non-threatening, no way it was gonna rain as hard as the weather had called for. He revved up the bike and kicked up the kickstand with his boot. He shifted it into first gear, letting it coast to the ending of the small driveway. He made sure to look both ways before riding down the road, the exhaust blaring behind him at the high rpms.
The fast moving air stung his face, his cheeks burned red, and so did his knuckles. The way to Shibuya City felt as fast as it always did, the familiar route being etched into his brain by now. Lane-splitting through the afternoon traffic, his peppy exhaust echoed loudly between the close cars. He got into the turning lane that led down to Yuki’s garage. The alleyway seemed so crammed compared to the open and busy road that Keisuke was on. The clouds above only got angrier and he decided to park his motorcycle under an awning before the garage doors. He cut the engine, resting it on its kickstand again.
“Oi, I thought that was you!” Yuki-san came out from the open garage doors holding a blue paper towel that he was using to wipe his oil stained hands with. A big smile plastered on his face, and his eyes smiled too, Keisuke grinned back. “It's been a while Keisuke-san! How have you been? Kinda shitty weather out, I wasn't expecting you to show up today of all days.” Yuki-san gestured for him to walk inside, and Keisuke’s boots clicked on the concrete floor.
“Yeah, yeah. My boyfriend already basically nagged at me to not go out today, but I figured I’d come to see you before getting some takeout downtown.” He stopped to look around the place before continuing. Cars were raised up on lifts and motorcycles were scattered, some with their engines removed. He turned towards Yuki-san, “I’ve been alright though, I can see you’re making yourself busy.” He laughed, and it echoed through the garage, striking up a long awaited conversation with his old friend.
Keisuke found himself sitting on a workbench stool for longer than he had anticipated. He had started talking on and on to Yuki-san about most of the things that he had missed within the months that they hadn’t seen each other. The wind had become a background noise to them, it rattled the now closed garage door. He glanced at the wall clock and his breath hitched. “Oh shit man, I have to get going. Takumi’s gonna be waiting on me.” Keisuke grabbed his jacket that he had taken off a while ago. Yuki placed down his twelve millimeter wrench, readying to get up to let Keisuke out of the door. He gestured to stay where he was, “No Yuki, you don’t have to do that. It’s already rude for me to leave so abruptly.”
“Alright then, safe travels. Glad you stopped by.”
Keisuke offered a small bow and opened the door leading to outside. He was taken aback a bit, he totally forgot about the rainstorm. Luckily, only small droplets had begun to fall.
Shit...
Keisuke was really regretting this, he’d have to bring home some food, while keeping it dry and hot. He grit his teeth, but threw his leg over his bike. He jingled the keys in his pocket and put the right one into the ignition. Turning the key, his bike seemed to hesitate on the start up. The idle was choppier than normal but it managed to stay running. For a second he debated on waiting out the storm but he knew it would only get worse.
He revved his motorcycle down the alleyway, the raindrops grazing his skin. The faster he drove the more it pelted his skin. It brought him back to the times he’s got caught in the rain before. The cold droplets become more consistent and larger in size. It felt like hail as he got onto the main road home.
He downshifted and the bike jerked a bit. The rpms started dropping fast and so did the speed of his motorcycle. He tried giving it throttle but it was no use so he pulled the clutch in and shifted it into neutral. Buckets now poured down from the sky as he pulled over, the engine completely shutting off when he stopped.
He felt a sort of panic rising in his blood, he turned the key off then on again and tried starting the bike back up. It only clicked.
“Son of a bitch!” He cursed at the machine. Repeatedly trying to start the damn thing. He looked at his surroundings, he had just made it on the outskirts of Shibuya City. He wasn’t fully stranded but the busy streets offered no help to him. There was no incline to bump start it and no way in hell would he want to do that in the rain either. He opted to push it closer to the sidewalk, away from the road more. His boots slipped a bit on the wet asphalt, gaining no traction to push the heavy motorcycle. His spiked up hair now stuck to his face and dripped with water. Keisuke put the kickstand down and hoped nobody would hit his bike on the road. The streets provided no shelter from the rain other than the shop buildings which were too far from the road. He settled there and tried one more time to start it up. It didn’t click at all this time. Keisuke mentally cursed to himself. Goddamnit! I should’ve listened to you Takumi…
He wanted to call Yuki-san but came to the realization that the only number he had memorized was his own apartment phone. Keisuke sighed, looking for a payphone along the building walls. His socks slopped in his boots as he walked to one close by. Coins clunked in the machine and he dialed the number. The carbon-copy tone rang in his ear and he hoped Takumi was home. Water dripped down his face slowly, his breathing heavier than usual.
“Hello?” Keisuke was relieved to hear his boyfriend pick up.
“Hey it's me… Uh, I kinda got stuck in the rain… my bike wont start and I need you to bring me some tools.”
There was silence over the line, then a laugh. Keisuke could feel his face getting hot, “Listen you can make fun of me later all you want, I just need my socket set and my battery pack. The set is in that red case in the storage room and the battery pack is black and red. It has two clamps with brass teeth on it, hard to miss. Probably close to each other.”
Keisuke could tell that Takumi had little to no idea what he was trying to describe due to the sound of confusion he let out. “Okay, I’ll try to find those. Where are you at exactly?”
Keisuke looked around in the depleting light, “Kannana-Dori Ave, just after the Ohara light.”
“Okay I’ll be there soon.” Keisuke could hear the smile in Takumi’s voice. It made him feel a little bit better, his irritation subsided for a bit.
Keisuke’s ears perked up at the sound of the familiar 4A-GE engine. The pop up headlights exposed the darker scene and illuminated his bike. Keisuke got up from the cold ground under an awning, walking over to his stranded bike. Takumi left the headlights on and let his hazard lights blink. He got out and walked to the passenger side to grab the tools.
“I didn’t know if I got the right stuff so I brought what seemed like you were describing,” a light blush rested on his face in the dusk light. Keisuke smirked, “Thank you, you could’ve just let me sit here.”
“I wouldn’t do that to you, you may be stubborn but I love you a lot.” Keisuke's smirk turned into a toothy smile “I love you too, now before you get soaked,” he took the tools from Takumi’s hands “I gotta get my bike fixed.”
Takumi followed him, his shirt started to get wet. Keisuke kneeled down to get the right size socket from his kit. He needed to take off his bike seat to access the battery. “Go wait in the eight-six, I don't want you to get drenched like me,” Keisuke commented, not looking away from what he was doing. “No, I wanna watch what you’re doing, I think it’s interesting.”
“Alright, well I’m taking off the seat because the battery is underneath. I’m assuming it's a battery drain or loose cable that caused my bike to not start again.”
Takumi watched him intently, the socket wrench clicked repeatedly as he unscrewed some bolts. The wind blew around them, and the sky became darker as the minutes went by.
“Ah, so it is just a loose cable. See,” Keisuke moved the cable to show Takumi. He tightened the bolt and simultaneously tried to cover the battery from getting more wet. He waited patiently as his boyfriend bolted everything back together.
“Come here,” Keisuke motioned to him, Takumi walked over to him. “Place your hand here, and grip in the clutch, it's basically like a car.” He did as he was told and pulled in the lever. Keisuke made sure the bike wasn’t in gear and told Takumi to press a button that was on the other side of the handle bar.
The bike roared to life and a smile plastered onto Takumi's face. “Yes!!” Keisuke let out. He went in to quickly kiss his boyfriend in the rain, their lips meeting together, the only comfort in the cold . “Let's go home now, you follow me.” He gave Takumi his tools and they both got on their way.
Takumi did as so and followed his boyfriend home, which fortunately wasn’t a long ride. He felt himself shivering in the car with the slight air that the vents brought in, but he knew Keisuke was freezing. The way the wind was whipping his drenched clothes, he was seemingly soaked and cold to the bone.
✦
The shower turned off and Takumi knew Keisuke would be out soon enough. He tried to be as quiet as possible, heating up the can of soup on the stove. “Hey! I told you dinner was on me tonight Takumi! Go sit with a blanket in the living room to warm up,” Takumi almost jumped because of how fast he noticed. Keisuke’s tone, although sounding annoyed, had more of a caring undertone in it. Only Takumi could notice it though, it was just one of those things only a lover would know. Keisuke walked into the kitchen more, a fresh t-shirt and sweatpants situated on his body, He grabbed the spoon from Takumi as he moved over. “Which by the way… I wanna apologize. I should’ve listened to you today, or else we would’ve been having a better dinner than this bland soup.”
Takumi wasn’t mad at him for it, quite frankly he somewhat expected Keisuke to go out today. “No, it's okay. I just hope you learned not to go out in this weather again,” Takumi placed his hand on Keisuke's arm, while his boyfriend only stirred the soup. He chuckled and so did Keisuke, “I’ll try not to.”
Once the soup was warmed up, Keisuke brought two hefty and full bowls to the living room. Some irrelevant movie was playing on the TV and Takumi was snuggled up in a warm wool lined blanket on the couch. The rain outside lightly tapped on the window beside him, deprived of the warmth inside of the apartment.
“Here you go, it’s not too hot,” Keisuke said with a smile as he handed Takumi his bowl.
“Thank you.” Takumi’s cheeks were a rosy warm.
Keisuke had placed his bowl of soup on the coffee table in front of the couch and lifted up some of Takumi’s blanket to get under with him. He scooched over a bit more to get closer to his boyfriend, careful not to bump his bowl.
“How is it?” Keisuke asked, reaching for his bowl. Takumi finished slurping up a noodle, and in between his chewing he answered, “It’s pretty good actually.”
“Good, I promise I’ll get us some good dinner soon.”
“Babe, it's okay, please stop worrying about that. Unexpected things can happen, I’m glad you’re home safe and that we’re snuggled on the couch together away from the harsh rain.”
Keisuke didn’t know what to say about that, it made his chest warm though. He started to blush even. Takumi always knew what to say, but that’s one of the reasons why he loves him so much. And God, did he love him so. He felt like he didn’t say it often either. Keisuke’s always caught up in his own head. His stomach grumbled, and he instinctively spooned some soup. Takumi was right, it was pretty good. He found himself finishing the bowl in a matter of minutes. The flavors only kissed his tongue when he was done drinking the broth.
“Do you want seconds? There’s still a little left,” Keisuke asked, holding out his free hand to take Takumi’s bowl. He shook his head, and Keisuke took his bowl, placing them both in the sink before running back over to the couch. He almost crushed Takumi, going in to basically tackle his very situated and relaxed body.
“Keisuke! Don’t crush me please!” he cried out, under most of the weight of his boyfriend's body. Keisuke only laughed loudly and started to smother Takumi’s face in kisses. They were both a blushing mess but Takumi’s face seemed to be the worst. Keisuke calmed down and held his boyfriend close, wrapping his arms around his waist. He buried his face in his chest, nuzzling it to a comfortable position. He could hear Takumi’s fast heartbeat.
“Okay get under the blanket, I can’t sit with my legs like this.” Keisuke got up just enough for Takumi to get situated. His back up against a pillow on the arm rest and his legs stretched out on the length of the couch. He held the blanket open for his lover and Keisuke got in the same position he was in before. With the blanket over top of them, and Keisuke’s head on Takumi’s chest, they both felt comfortable. Takumi ran his hand through Keisuke's hair which was still a little damp from the shower earlier.
The TV background noise with the light patter of rain was a perfect atmosphere to doze off to. With both bodies immersed in one another's body heat,it seemed Keisuke was the one to fall asleep first. A small snoring was let out through his parted lips.
"I love you." Takumi whispered, craning his neck down to try to give him a head kiss. It was no use, the one-hundred and forty pound man laying on him gave him little mobility. He just held him close and rested his head on the side of the couch, eventually falling asleep too.
✦
The sound of coughing woke Takumi up and the weight from his boyfriend was gone. He inhaled through his nose and immediately noticed he was congested. He tried moving his neck but it shot pain through the sore muscles. He powered through the pain as he looked around for Keisuke. He wasn’t in sight. Another coughing fit ensued, raspy and mucus filled, sounding like he was in the bathroom.
“Are you okay?” Takumi called out, loud enough for Keisuke to hear. There was a silence that fell over the apartment. Takumi scrambled to get up, the sleeplessness wearing off from the concern. “Yeah,” Keisuke finally answered, clearing his throat. Takumi basically ran to the bathroom where the light was on. His voice sounded horrible. Takumi’s heart ached, and he immediately went into a caring mode. A frown had formed on his face seeing Keisuke leaning over the sink.
“Have you had anything to eat or drink yet?” Keisuke shook his head, “I’m not that hungry right now.”
Takumi’s lips formed a flat line, “Okay you stay here, let me run the hot water for now so you can get some humidity.” Turning on the shower faucet to the hottest setting, he let it run and closed the bathroom door so just a crack of light shined through. He padded over to the kitchen to grab the kettle. He wasn’t feeling the best either, it may have been them sleeping on the couch but Takumi’s muscles were sore. Every movement ached.
He flipped the kettle lid open and filled it with water from the tap. He cranked the heat on the stove and placed the kettle there. The tea bags that have been sitting in the original box in one of the cabinets finally came to use. The fresh and spicy scent of ginger lingered in the box and seeped through the bags packaging. The wrapper crinkled between his fingers as he pulled out two. Ceramic mugs clinked onto the counter and he could hear Keisuke coughing again in the bathroom. He only pouted, impatiently waiting for the water to boil.
He grabbed some honey from the cupboard as soon as the kettle started to whistle. Ripping open the tea bags, placing them in the cups. The hot liquid steamed as it hit the bottom of the mug, aroma rolling in the billowing steam. He drizzled in the honey and moved the tea bag around to fully submerge it.
He placed them on the coffee table in the living room then went to get Keisuke.
“C’mon, I made some tea for you.” he said, opening the door, the humidity hitting his face. Keisuke didn’t respond, only walking out of the bathroom with a tissue box in hand. After Takumi had shut off the shower and turned off the bright bathroom light he joined Keisuke in the living room.
“This tea is really good,” his boyfriend voiced softly, almost at a whisper. Takumi smiled at him, sitting next to him on the couch, “I’m glad you like it, my mom used to make this tea for me when I was sick.” His sentence dwindled into a melancholy tone. Keisuke never knew much about Takumi’s family, let alone his mother, so he wasn’t sure what to say instead he changed the subject a bit.
“It’s really helping, thank you.” he went in to kiss Takumi but paused. “I probably shouldn’t kiss you while I’m sick…”
Takumi chuckled, “No, it’s okay I’m congested and sore, so.”
Keisuke took no time, and kissed his boyfriend's cheek. The tea had made his lips warmer than usual and it left a ghostly glow. Takumi felt bold enough to grab the back of Keisuke's head as he pulled away, to steal a real kiss. He smiled into it and Keisuke kissed back. Ginger and honey laced their lips. Both of their faces were rosy from the tea, or maybe from the kiss.
“Love, what do you wanna do today?” He said, meeting his brown sugar eyes after pulling away.
“I wanna have a day with you, maybe play some video games?”
“That sounds perfect...” Keisuke said, leaning his head against Takumi’s shoulder now. “I love you, you know that?”
“To the distant sky and back?” Takumi laced his fingers into Keisuke’s rough hand.
“Forever and always.” He said, squeezing his hand softly.
♨♨