Work Text:
The rain was coming down harder than predicted for the day, ruining the usual after-school skating plans. Kaoru stood under the awning of the entrance as he glared up at the gray clouds as if they had personally offended him. He didn’t want to go home right away, but there wasn’t much of an alternative now.
He continued to glare as if it personally attacked him as he heard Kojiro finally make his way over to him. Took him long enough , he thought. It never failed that he had to wait every afternoon for Kojiro to say his goodbyes to the girls from their class.
He wasn’t jealous he told himself as he watched Kojiro approach him.
“Not going to offer to walk them to the station in the rain?” he asked, his gaze shifting to the couple of girls that were hanging around Kojiro. “I’m sure they would have loved that.”
Kojiro glanced over at the girls as they opened their umbrellas and walked away. “I already have plans,” he said as his eyes shifted to him.
Kaoru ignored how his stomach flipped when Kojiro turned his attention back on him. “Well, it doesn’t look like this will be letting up any time soon for us to skate,” he said, looking back at the sky.
After a beat of silence, Kojiro said, “Hey, want to check out the new arcade that opened? Seems like a good time to try it out.”
It’s not a terrible idea , Kaoru reasoned with himself. And it would be a good way to kill some time. “I suppose,” he said, glancing up at Kojiro.
Kaoru opened his umbrella and took a step forward when Kojiro asked, “Can you share your umbrella?”
Kaoru stopped but kept his gaze ahead of him. Sharing would put them
“Okay, fine. But you’re holding the umbrella,” he said, passing it over to him. “And you better not get me wet.”
“Thanks, Kaoru,” he said as he stepped in close to him.
Kaoru was hyper-aware of how close they were as Kojiro took the umbrella, their hands brushing against each other. If Kojiro noticed his blush, he at least didn’t mention it.
Everyone else had the same idea as them since the arcade was packed when they entered. It was filled with the noise of various games melting into a cacophony. They each scanned the room, looking for an opening on any game.
Kaoru was about to say “Forget it” and they could find somewhere else to go when Kojiro nudged him with his arm.
“Looks like Street Fighter just opened up,” he said, pointing over to their right.
They crossed the arcade to see another couple of teens approaching the game. But as the other teens saw them, taking in Kojiro’s size and Kaoru’s piercings, they quickly turned away.
“I think your face scared them away,” Kojiro said as he inserted the coins into the machine.
Kaoru rolled his eyes. “Anyone would be scared to see a gorilla like you coming their way.”
Once their characters were selected, they were off.
To be honest, Kaoru fighting games were not his favorite and would have preferred a racing game. He didn’t know the fight styles of the characters that well and wasn’t sure which was the best to pick.
So it was no surprise he lost the first round rather quickly. And continued after that.
As each round was played, Kaoru got better at playing but it still wasn’t enough to beat Kojiro. He didn’t consider himself a sore loser, regardless of what others may say, but he really wanted to wipe the smug look off Kojiro’s face.
The next round started and Kaoru did his best to dodge the attacks.
“Can’t keep running away forever,” Kojiro teased.
Kaoru elbowed Kojiro right into the side of his ribs. It was enough to make him jump, making him lose control as his body jerked. It was enough for Kaoru to land a couple of well-aimed attacks, knocking Kojiro’s character off the edge of the ring.
The screen flashed with “K.O” as Kaoru grinned at the victory. Sure it was just one win out of many rounds, but it still felt great.
“I can’t believe you would resort to such cheap tricks to win!” Kojiro said, putting his hands on his hips.
It made him look like a disapproving parent, causing Kaoru to laugh. He didn’t care and based on Kojiro’s laughter, he wasn’t that mad about it either.
“Wanna go again?” Kaoru asked, already pulling out another coin.
“As long as you don’t hit me with your boney elbow again.”
Kaoru inserted the coin. No promises , he thought to himself.
*** 10 Years Later ***
Kojiro exited the restaurant first with Kaoru close behind him. Clouds had rolled in while they ate lunch, chasing away the sunshine. Kaoru glanced up at the gray clouds. The chance of rain was supposed to be small today and he thought they’d be okay going out.
“Where to next?” Kaoru asked, turning his attention back to his boyfriend.
“Nowhere in particular,” Kojiro replied. He glanced down at Kaoru with an easy expression.
Kaoru huffed, “Typical.”
It was their shared day off together and while Kaoru preferred having the day planned, Kojiro was the opposite. “It’s fun to be spontaneous,” is how he countered Kaoru’s complaints. He couldn’t say he was too upset with taking an easy trip around town, stopping here and there. But that didn’t stop him from feeling antsy about where they were headed.
They started down the sidewalk. Their hands brushed against each other before Kojiro slipped his hand into Kaoru’s. Even after all these years, it was Kojiro that had to initiate things.
When the first drop of rain landed on Kaoru’s arm, he didn’t think much of it. But soon what started as a few drops of rain, rapidly grew into a full downpour.
“Damnit, I knew I should have brought my umbrella,” Kaoru grumbled.
Kojiro tightened his hand around Kaoru’s and started to run. "Come on, let’s go in there!"
Kaoru didn't have time to think as Kojiro pulled him down the sidewalk or to see where he was being dragged. Soon they were inside and out of the rain as Kojiro held the door open for him. Kaoru pulled his hand away from Kojiro to dry off his glasses with his sleeve.
Once dry, Kaoru slipped his glasses back on and took in their surroundings. "We haven't been here in a long time," he said. “I’m surprised it’s even still open.”
He gazed around the arcade, crossing his arms to tuck his hands into his sleeves. There were some changes to the games but overall it was still the same little arcade from his youth. It was less crowded and was a little run-down looking than it was in high school.
He wasn’t sure what he expected of the place now though he was happy it was still open. Call him nostalgic. Although, he remembered it smelling a bit better.
Kojiro nudged him with his elbow. “Hey, Kaoru, they still have Street Fighter. Let’s play a few rounds.”
Kaoru looked over at the machine. It was a slightly newer version than what they used to play on, but it had still seen better days. “You’re on.”
After taking a couple of minutes to get some change, they made their way over to the machine and took their positions - Kaoru on the left and Kojiro on the right.
“You’re not going to be up to your old tricks again, are you?” Kojiro asked as he selected his character.
“I don’t know what you are talking about,” Kaoru replied, keeping his gaze on the screen.
“Uh-huh, sure.” Kojiro turned and pointed, “And no using Carla for anything. This is just between you and me.”
Kaoru rolled his eyes. It’s not like he was going to use her anyway. “I can beat you on my own.”
“You keep telling yourself that, babe.”
Without a word, Kaoru’s elbow shot out right into Kojiro’s side.
“Oi! We haven’t even started yet!”
Kaoru lost track of time while they were inside the arcade. The rain had long since passed by the time they left. But that didn’t seem to raise his mood.
Kojiro wrapped his arm around Kaoru’s shoulders. “Aw, come on, Kaoru. Please don’t pout. You did great!”
“I’m not pouting,” he replied. He wasn’t pouting at all. He was just - unhappy with losing all but three rounds. “And don’t patronize me.”
“You did better than the last time we played!” Kojiro’s failed attempt at boosting Kaoru’s spirits earned him another elbow to the side. “I mean, who’s keeping score anyway?”
He was trying to smooth things over, but Kaoru was going to let him sweat it out a little longer. It’s what he deserved for all the gloating he did back inside the arcade.
Kojiro dropped his arm down to Kaoru’s waist, squeezing his hip. “Is there any way I can make it up to you?”
The gesture didn’t go unnoticed. Kaoru brought his hand up to his face, tapping his finger across his lips as he pretended to think. “Perhaps there is something you could do,” he said.
Kojiro tilted his head to lean into Kaoru’s ear and asked, “Shall we return home then?”
“After you.”
Kojiro didn’t need to be told twice as he pulled Kaoru along.