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Koga waves Souma down from across the garden. "Oi, Zakki!"
Souma feels the familiar tinge of irritation at the nickname, but he can't keep a frown on his face as he draws closer to Koga's grin. "Ogami-dono," he says in greeting. "Do you require something from me?"
Koga grabs his arm and pulls him to sit down on the bench, his canines sticking over his bottom lip in a grin. "Nah. Just sit with me for lunch, alright?"
Souma wobbles in place on the bench, trying to find the optimal degree of physical contact. What's a normal level of contact with a friend? If he leans too close, he may be overstepping a boundary; but if he learns farther away, the side of his arm feels achingly cold. "If that is what you wish, I will gladly remain here."
"Ah, huh, no," Koga says shaking his head. "That's not—you don't have to do it out of obligation or anything, I just want you to sit with me because we're friends." He bumps Souma's arm with his elbow. "That alright?"
"I said gladly, didn't I?" Souma smiles and settles more comfortably on the bench. He unwraps his bento and takes out the chopsticks, positioning them carefully in his hands. "It is a good thing I already delivered the lunches I made to my seniors in Akatsuki."
"Woah," Koga says, his eyes shining. "That looks really good. Didya make that yourself?"
Souma nods with pride. "I make all my own lunches. Hasumi-dono and Kiryu-dono have said they appreciate my cooking." On an impulse, he asks Koga, "Would you like to try some?"
Koga's eyes widen. "Uh, wow. I mean, sure, if you're okay sharing a bite."
Souma carefully picks up a piece of meat and as many vegetables as he thinks he can crush between the chopsticks, and, before he thinks about it, holds it out towards Koga, who opens his mouth and takes the bite, mouth carefully closing over the wooden utensils and tongue flicking out from between his lips to catch the few stray grains of rice. He draws back and makes eye contact with Souma as he swallows, and his entire face goes pink.
“Um. That’s.” Koga coughs a little and swallows again, face returning to a normal color. “Wow. That’s really good. Holy shit.” He sighs, rubbing a hand over his face. “Man, I wish I was better at cooking. Living alone sucks when you’re only mediocre at this kinda thing.”
Souma’s brain feels like radio static. Was that supposed to happen? Was he supposed to offer Koga a bite in that way, or did he overstep? Was Koga embarrassed by it?
He snaps the lid back on his bento and stands straight up. “I have to go,” he says, and sprints away, mind racing.
Souma fixes his stance just in time to block Kiryu’s fist. “Halt,” he pleads.
Kiryu steps back, breathing hard. “I know you’re the one who asked to spar with me, but you’re really off today. Everything alright, Kanzaki?”
Souma stretches his arms while he thinks, turning over the incident from earlier in his mind. “I’m not sure,” he says slowly.
Kiryu grabs a water bottle and chugs half of it down in practically seconds. Souma watches him, but it’s on purpose; the movement doesn’t draw Souma’s eye like Koga’s mouth had. It’s inscrutable. He can’t figure it out.
Kiryu knocks the now empty plastic bottle against Souma’s forehead. “Oy, you’re zoning out again. What’s up?”
“Is it considered acceptable to feed your friends?” Souma blurts.
“Huh.” Kiryu smiles a little. “I mean, sure. Like, just giving them food?”
Souma breaks eye contact. “Er. Like… picking up the food and putting it in their mouth.”
Kiryu exhales. “Depends on how they see it, probably. Some people are more comfortable with that kind of thing, but others might see it like you’re mothering them or somethin’ like that.”
Mothering them?! Souma feels absolutely floored with embarrassment. His face burns. He says a word he really isn’t supposed to say.
“Woah, who have you been hanging out with?” Kiryu teases. “I hope you didn’t get that from me, I’d hafta duct tape my mouth shut.”
Souma gapes at him. “No! While I think you are an exemplary role model, Kiryu-dono, I would not seek to emulate such an uncouth habit.” He suddenly feels like he’s stuck his foot in his mouth. “Not that I disapprove of it, it’s well within your rights of expression to say such things, of course—!”
Kiryu waves a hand, grinning. “Don’t worry about it. It’s only natural for kids to go through a rebellious phase. I won’t tell your father.”
“How would you even tell my father in the first place?”
“I was joking. I meant Hasumi, ya know?”
“Oh.” Souma processes this information, and covers a smile with his hand. He giggles a little, then bites down on his finger lightly to stop himself. It’s unsuccessful. “Pfft… ha! Haha…” He doubles over with laughter.
“There ya go. It’s good for you to loosen up sometimes, Kanzaki.” Kiryu’s expression turns thoughtful. “You know what? I’ll get Danna to cancel practice tomorrow. Both of you need a break.”
Souma settles down finally, clutching his sides and smiling. “Ah, that’s…” He thinks of refusing, but that would be ungrateful to his senior. “Thank you, Kiryu-dono.” He checks the clock; most regular clubs shouldn’t have released yet. “May I be excused?”
Kiryu chuckles. “You don’t have to ask me that, Kanzaki. Go.”
Souma puts his blazer back on and picks up his stuff, stretching his arms as he rushes out into the hall. He hears voices conversing and laughing as he nears the light music club room.
“Shut the hell up, ok? It’s none of your business,” Koga snaps.
“Aw, but Oogami-senpai, you’re our club leader now, so it’s our business if you’re acting weird during club time!” That’s one of the Aoi twins, Souma is fairly certain.
“It’s not important, anyway, so—” Koga looks up when Souma enters the room, and startles, almost dropping his guitar. “Zakki,” he says, surprised, clutching the neck of the instrument. His face is red in spots splashed over his cheeks like fallen cherry blossom petals.
“Oogami-dono,” Souma says, bowing quickly. “I want to apologize for the incident earlier.”
Koga’s face scrunches up. “The huh? Oh, that—”
“I would also like to ask if you would be interested in spending time together tomorrow to cook.” There. Easy and straightforward. He communicated his intentions. He even left out the part about Koga wishing to improve, so as not to embarrass him in front of his juniors.
Koga grins at him, wide and unabashed. “Aw, okay. I’d love that.” He glances at the Aoi twins, watching him with matching smirks, and clears his throat. “So, uh, call it quits about earlier?”
“Earlier, huh?” one of the twins mutters, and the other one elbows him in the side.
Souma shakes the hand that Koga offers him, fingers lingering a bit longer than is strictly necessary.
He wants to properly convey his sincerity, after all.
“The calluses on your hands are an admirable testimony of your dedication to the guitar,” he comments, and then regrets it when Koga snatches his hand back a little.
“Uh, thanks,” the other boy says, fiddling with a few of his ear piercings. He turns to the twins. “Alright, pack it up, club’s over. You snoops can go home now.”
To the accompaniment of whining from the Aois in the background, Souma studies his classmate. Leadership suits Koga, he decides. As does the late afternoon sun filtering through the windows.
He accomplished what he came for. Now he simply has to wait for tomorrow.
When Souma arrives to his classroom the next day, Koga is waiting outside the door, running his hands along his guitar strap.
"Ah, hey, Zakki!" Koga smiles; not a full grin, but a slightly nervous smile, perhaps. It softens his features in a pleasant way.
"Oogami-dono," Souma greets him. "Do you need anything from me?"
Koga briefly tugs at his bottom lip with his teeth. "Yeah, I was wondering if ya wanted to come over my place for this afternoon."
Souma smiles. “That would be perfect.”
Koga gives him a thumbs-up and hurries off to his own classroom.
Throughout the day, Souma attends to his studies as usual, but when he has a moment or two of spare time, he finds his mind wandering to Koga. He finds the other boy… endearing, if such a word could be applied to the fierce rock enthusiast. He’s glad to spend more time with him.
In fact, he finds himself growing increasingly impatient as the school day comes to a close, going so far as to pack up a minute before the bell rings instead of immediately after it. He’s out the door by the time his classmates can organize their bags; he is skilled at navigating crowds, after all.
Koga leaves his classroom with a parting remark and a laugh over his shoulder, presumably to the younger Sakuma, who sticks his tongue out at Koga’s back. He turns and smiles wide when he sees Souma. "Hey, Zakki. Ready to go?"
Souma just nods, suddenly nervous. His tongue feels stuck to the floor of his mouth and strangely dry. Koga doesn't seem nervous, with his hands in his pockets and humming a tune.
"Is that a new Undead song?" Souma asks, after a minute of silence that threatens to squeeze every shameful thought out of him.
Koga startles gently. "Huh? Oh, no, just a song I was listening to earlier. A band I've heard good things about just released a new single." They pass the gates of the school, and a breeze tousles his hair lovingly. "It's not far," he says, and it takes Souma a moment to realize this beautiful boy is addressing him.
"What?"
"My apartment," Koga clarifies. "It's not too far away from Yumenosaki. That's why I moved there, I mean, so it'd be pretty stupid if it was." He runs a hand through his hair. "Have you met Leon before?"
"I'm not sure," Souma answers.
Koga waves a hand. "Ah, well, don't worry about it. He'll like ya."
Souma twists his hands in the strap of his bookbag. "How can you be so sure?"
Koga looks a little surprised at the question. "Well, I like ya, so Leon should too. He's got good taste in people, anyway, and you're pretty neat."
Souma is stunned into a pleasant, honeyed silence for the next few minutes.
The apartment building is well-kept, and Koga leads the way up the stairs to the third floor, where he opens the door. His keychain has a small rubber charm of a corgi that dangles over the back of his knuckles. A brief thought of kissing his hands, all the soft and worn parts, crosses Souma's mind.
Hm. Perhaps there's something going on there. Possibly… the feeling of tenderness and care wrapped up in these brief thoughts, the impossible pull of his gaze to Koga's lips… (He wonders if they're soft.)
It seems like a logical explanation, but he's never had a crush before. The very idea makes him simultaneously giddy and embarrassed.
Koga opens the door, and there is suddenly a much more pressing matter than a potential crush: namely, a barking ball of fluff at their ankles.
Koga kneels down to catch Leon in his arms, burying his face in the dog's fur momentarily. "Who's a good boy?" he asks excitedly. "You waited all day for me here! You're awesome, little man!"
Leon barks and then wiggles out of his arms to circle Souma. Souma shrinks in on himself, standing with his feet as close together as possible to avoid stepping on the dog. He feels wobbly as Leon bounces around his shins.
"Aw, come on, I know you're a fierce predator, but you don't have to make Zakki nervous, y'know?" Koga reaches out to hold Souma's arm and keep him steady, and points inside the apartment with his other hand. Leon whines with big eyes, but waddles inside the door. Koga tugs Souma inside and closes the door.
Souma lets out a breath and slumps against the wall once he's indoors. Leon seems to have calmed down, trotting over to Souma with his tongue sticking out. Souma gasps despite himself at the adorable face the dog presents him with.
Koga laughs softly. "Go ahead. He doesn't bite."
Souma crouches down slowly and reaches out a hand to Leon, who pushes his head into Souma's palm. "Oh," he says, awed. "He's so soft." He lets go of where he was clutching the strap of his bag and leans down further to pet Leon, fingers scratching behind the corgi's ears and rubbing over his back. Leon's tongue falls out of the side of his mouth and he does a silly doggy grin.
"I knew he'd like ya," Koga says. When Souma looks up, his face has an unusually gentle smile, pink blush smeared across his cheeks. He startles upon meeting Souma's gaze, and his face grows redder as he turns away. "Alright, okay," he says, snapping his fingers at Leon. "You're getting too soft," he reprimands his dog. "If anyone tried to break in they'd just have to pet you and you would bring them my shit yourself, huh?"
Leon barks.
"Really, Oogami-dono. How could you mistrust such a face?" Souma says, struggling to keep from smiling.
Koga rolls his eyes, but laughs anyway. “Yeah, okay.” He waves a hand. “Just put your shoes and stuff by the door.”
Souma slips off his shoes and sets his bag neatly next to them; while he does so, he hears Koga opening and shutting cabinets in the kitchen.
He turns around when Souma enters the kitchen. “Hey, I’m not sure if I have enough stuff for any real meals, but…” He gestures to the assortment of ingredients on the counter.
Leon starts barking and skids into the kitchen, pawing at Koga’s shins.
“Ah, shit, I forgot to take the little man out for a walk.” Koga looks between Souma and Leon. “Do you mind if I—”
Souma shakes his head and smiles. “Leon is an excellent creature. He deserves a walk. I will see what I can do with this.”
"Thanks so much," Koga says in a rush. "Sorry about leaving ya here. Oi, Leon! Get your fluffy butt over here." He wrangles the dog into his harness and breezes out the door with another hurried apology.
Souma rifles through his bag and draws out a looseleaf sheet of paper and a pen, and surveys the various foodstuffs on the kitchen counter. There’s a good variety, and he begins writing down ideas, doodling dishes in between paragraphs. Koga’s stove is an older model, one that Souma is familiar enough with to have some confidence, and he starts heating up a burner for broth. Koga had enough foresight to set out utensils and pots and pans, and Souma feels flattered and pleased that his friend appreciates the taste of his cooking enough to leave him alone in the kitchen. He’s determined not to let him down.
After comparing the recipes he knows with the food before him, Souma decides on a simple meal of miso soup and rice bowls with pork and vegetables. The soup is easy, so he sets about chopping up the food for the other parts of the meal. He’s done with the vegetables, having zoned into a small world containing only his hands and the cutting board, when the front door opens again, and Koga and Leon crash in.
Souma looks up, gradually regaining an awareness of his surroundings. Koga’s hair is matted and wet on his head, hood dripping over his shoulders, and Leon shakes his entire body, sending droplets over the wooden floor. He realizes he can hear the pounding of rain on the windows and the roof, a rhythmic drumming bass sound. He turns, slides the veggies into the pan, and retrieves a fresh towel.
“Hey, Zakki, it’s really—”
“Raining out there?” Souma says, holding out the towel.
Koga laughs. “How’d you guess?” he asks teasingly.
Souma shoves the towel on his head and rubs it over Koga's hair to help dry it off. He lets the towel fall back behind Koga's head, still holding the ends, and stares at the water dripping from his eyelashes.
Koga's gaze drifts down. "Uh, Zakki…"
"You can call me Souma," he blurts impulsively. "That is, if you want. Only if you're comfortable with that. It's perfectly alright if—"
Koga blinks at him, eyes wide and close to Souma's face. "Alright. As long as you call me Koga," he says, voice strangely mellow.
“Koga,” Souma says, rolling around the sound of the name in his mouth, savoring it so much he even leaves off the honorific he usually appends. He likes the taste of it, he decides. He wonders if Koga would taste as good as the idea of him.
That’s not what he should be focusing on. There’s food cooking. He drops the towel on Koga’s shoulders and spins back to the kitchen. He cuts up the meat into thin slices while Koga dries off Leon, and by the time he slides them into the pan to cook with the vegetables, dog and owner are equally damp.
Koga takes a long breath in. “Wow,” he exhales. “That smells incredible.”
“It should be done soon,” Souma comments, checking the rice.
“Alright. I’ll set the table.”
By the time Souma gathers all the food into dishes and turns the stove off, Koga has set the kitchen island with bowls and utensils, and is leaning on his hand, staring at Souma fondly. Souma freezes with the bowls in midair, feeling his hands get heavy and wobbly almost instantly.
Koga straightens up, blushing. “Um. Thanks. Let’s eat, yeah?”
Souma nods, not trusting his voice. How is he supposed to react to Koga looking at him like that?
It doesn’t stop, either: Koga compliments his cooking between bites and with his mouth full. By the end of the meal, Souma is flustered enough that he doesn’t even protest when Koga tells him they can get the dishes later and tugs him out to the small balcony off the living room.
“Pretty neat, huh?” Koga gives him a crooked smile, canine sticking over his lip on one side of his mouth. “Sometimes I can’t believe they gave me this prime real estate for such a fair price.”
Souma takes in the balcony. It’s barely two meters wide, and the grey deck paint is peeling under his socks. The view is a stone’s throw from the building next door, concrete looming at them, and the wind whistles through the alley like a knife, pelting them with rain.
“It’s perfect,” he agrees.
Koga’s hair almost blends in with the darkening clouds as he turns to Souma. “I… I wanted to ask ya, while you’re here…” he mumbles something.
Souma takes his hands, fingers clumsily interlacing. He leans in to hear better. “What?”
Koga takes a deep breath. “Will you go out with me?” he says in a rush.
The sky rumbles a beat in time with Souma’s heart, although it quickly skips out of time. He feels raindrops soak into his hair, and feels like he could bloom from the joy in his ribcage. “Yes,” he whispers.
If the lightning flashes soon after the thunder, Souma misses it, as he closes his eyes to take in the feeling of Koga kissing him.