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Takeo always looks handsome, but Rinko thinks that he looks especially so when he's fresh out of class. His big, burly frame and energetic presence contrast delightfully with the scholarly air afforded to him by his messenger bag full of books and the ink stains on his fingers.
Is this what they call gap moe?
Her boyfriend squints around the bustling street in front of the campus gates, apparently unable to see her through the crowds of other students rushing around. That makes sense, given that Rinko is shorter than most of their peers. Unlike Takeo and Sunakawa, she hasn't grown all that much since high school.
“Takeo-kun! Over here!”
Rinko hops up and down on her tiptoes and waves. She can see the moment that Takeo sees her. His eyes light up, shining bright before they disappear, crinkling shut because of how hard he’s grinning
“Rinko-chan!”
In three great strides, he’s met her, and he lifts her up into a hug, swinging her around in a wide circle before setting her down.
“Takeo-kun! We’re in public!”
Rinko is red in the face with embarrassment, but she’s giggling, so Takeo must know that she’s not really mad at him, even when she whacks him playfully on the arm.
“Sorry! Sorry!” Takeo says, “But you were just so cute, hopping around like a bunny rabbit! How could I resist hugging you?”
“I-! Well!” They’ve been together for years now, but Rinko is just as weak to Takeo’s affection now in university as she was back when they first met. She presses her hands to her cheeks, feeling like they’re on fire. “I guess it’s fine, since no one else we know is around.”
“Un.” Takeo says with a serious expression on his face. “Only when there’s no one we know around.”
“It would make them feel uncomfortable if we were too lovey dovey!”
“Un. You’re right.” Takeo nods again, but then he pauses, and asks hesitantly, “Does Suna count?”
Rinko blinks rapidly. Eventually, she offers, “I don’t think so. Suna-kun is special.”
They both think about this some more, then simultaneously nod in agreement that Sunakawa lies on a different level of closeness. He's a friend, of course, but he's more than that too.
“Speaking of Suna-kun, where is he? Don’t you have your last class together on Fridays?” Rinko asks, peering around Takeo, as if perhaps Sunakawa is hidden behind him. This is a more logical act than it seems, because it has, in fact, happened before. How embarrassing it was last time to think that she and Takeo were alone, only to notice Sunakawa popping his head out nearly ten minutes after she’d greeted Takeo. He must have wondered if she was upset with him!
“We usually do, but he told me that he was going home early.” Takeo says, waving a hand. ”I guess he had another headache.”
“Oh no! It must have been a bad one if he ended up skipping class.” Rinko frowns, because she hates thinking about Sunakawa suffering alone. “Should we check in on him?”
Takeo is about to agree, then he pauses. “Uh, I don’t know about that. Suna usually wants quiet when he’s not feeling good, you know? And I’m… well.”
He waves a hand at himself, self-aware of his inability to tone himself down when he’s around Rinko. Rinko giggles in response, patting him on the arm in consolation.
“Alright! When it comes to Suna-kun, you know best.” Rinko takes Takeo’s hand in hers. “Then maybe we could visit Albatross Bread? The owner, Kurosawa-san, says that they’ve changed the recipe for their madeleines, and she challenged me to see if I can guess how before she tells me what they’ve done!”
That’s how the two of them spend a lovely afternoon at the bakery. After much thoughtful smelling and chewing and poking at the crumb, Rinko declares that she thinks that the madeleines are crispier than before, and heads up to the counter to present her theories to the owner. Takeo doesn’t contribute much to the conversation, but he stands just behind her, watching proudly as she makes her case. His supportive presence, warm at her back, gives Rinko the courage to speak up about all three of her guesses, instead of just the most likely one.
The owner is so impressed that she breaks into applause and sends them home with a complimentary box of madeleines in hand as congratulations. Takeo praises her the whole way home, delighted by her success.
“I hope you enjoy your reward! You really earned it, Rinko-chan!” He says while he stands on her doorstep, having walked her home. To his surprise, she presses said box into his hands.
“Give them to Suna-kun,” she says. “Maybe they’ll help him feel better?”
“Rinko-chan, you’re so kind.” Takeo says, blinking back tears. The box crumples slightly in his hands before he catches himself and loosens his grip. “I like you so much.”
“I-I like you too, Takeo-kun!” Rinko says, smiling helplessly. She lifts up on her toes, eyes fluttering shut, knowing that Takeo will bend to let her peck him on the lips. “Travel safe! Text me when you get home, okay?”
“Yes! I’ll let you know how Suna’s doing too!” Takeo says, straightening up with a brisk salute.
“Thank you!!” Rinko shoos Takeo with her hand. “Now turn around, Takeo-kun! You’re going to fall down the stairs again if you keep walking backwards!”
Due to her warning, Takeo turns around, narrowly avoiding last week’s incident.
Takeo is in a very good mood when he gets home, excited enough that he almost forgets to keep quiet. But he does. This isn’t the first time that Suna has had a migraine, and they’ve figured out by now that he absolutely can’t deal with loud noises or bright lights when he has one.
“Suna!” Takeo whispers as he tiptoes down the hallway. “Suna, are you feeling better?”
He peeks into Suna’s room, only opening the door the slightest crack, to try to keep the light from hitting Suna’s eyes.
“Rinko sent cookies!”
A low moan from inside the room is all the permission Takeo needs to sneak in, letting the door slide shut behind him. Suna’s black-out curtains have cut all the light from the room, but Takeo knows the layout by memory, so it’s not hard for him to shuffle his way towards Suna’s bedside.
“You okay?” He asks, genuine concern slipping into his voice. Suna never feels great when he’s got a headache, but he’s usually at least able to say hello.
Gingerly, Takeo reaches out to where he thinks Suna’s head ought to be. His hand lands on damp hair, and a forehead that is far too hot.
“Tss!” He hisses, then brushes Suna’s bangs off his face. “You’re burning up!”
Suna grunts, then Takeo feels something batting weakly at his wrist.
“Quieter!”
Takeo sits back on his heels and nods briskly, only realizing after a moment that Suna probably can’t see him. Still, he must know what Takeo’s done, because his friend heaves a breath with what seems like a mountain of effort, then mumbles, “Think I caught a cold.”
“That’s no good!” Takeo pats Suna’s hand where it still rests on his arm. “Did you take any medicine? Have you eaten anything? Or had anything to drink?”
“I got into bed when you left this morning, and I haven’t gotten up since,” Suna says, then he pushes at Takeo’s arm. “You should get out, man, or you’ll get sick too.”
“Wait, you haven’t even gotten up to piss?” Takeo asks, startled. “No way that’s good for you! C’mon, we’re taking you to the bathroom. Take a leak, then I’m gonna sit you at the table with a cup of tea while I run you a bath.”
“Gently or I’m gonna puke on you! My migraine meds wore off hours ago.” Suna whines when his friend bundles him up into his arms, whacking Takeo to get him to pay attention. His hits are far too reminiscent of Rinko’s compared to his usual strength, and it makes Takeo worry even more.
“I’ll get some medication for you while you’re on the pot,” Takeo says, adding another bullet to his mental list. “Close your eyes.”
Suna grumbles, but obeys as Takeo opens the door to his room and carries him into the hall. Takeo hadn’t turned on any of the lights when he’d come in, out of deference to Suna’s condition, but it’s still brighter outside than it was in the pitch black of Suna’s room. When Suna makes an unhappy sound, Takeo tucks his face into his shoulder, scratching at his scalp with his blunt nails the same way he’d do for Maki.
“Mm, keep doing that,” Suna slurs as he tilts his head into Takeo’s hand. “Feels nice.”
“Sure,” Takeo says. After a few steps, though, he adds, “I’m not staying with you in the toilet, though.”
“Fuck no,” Suna immediately agrees.
Makoto is really just not doing well today. His body aches, his head is pounding, and overall, he feels like he’s been run over by a bus. The bath had helped make him feel a little more human, but if he’d started as a 1 out of 10, he’s only maybe at a 2 now.
Oh, hey. Nice.
When he notices that Takeo had left fresh pyjamas at the bathroom door, Makoto amends his calculations. Putting on clean, warm clothes after washing bumps his status up to a 2.5
His original plan had been to roll right back into his bed, but the thought of lying down in his filthy sheets now that he's clean is abhorrent, and Makoto doesn’t have the energy to change them. Plus, there’s a pleasant smell wafting through the air, and his stomach is reminding him that he hasn’t actually eaten anything today.
“Takeo?” He calls out as he shuffles out of the bathroom and into the living area of their apartment.
“Oh good, you’re out! If you’d taken any longer, I’d have started worrying you drowned!” Takeo waves Makoto to the table briskly. “Here, sit down. I made food.”
It takes far too much effort to throw himself into a chair. Drowsy from the bath, Makoto slumps onto the table, pillowing his chin on his hands as he watches Takeo putter around the kitchen. It’s kind of funny how big he is compared to literally everything else around them. Back at home in the Gouda family apartment, the pots and pans had all been Gouda-sized, but when they’d moved in together, they’d inherited dishware from both families. The image of Takeo’s hand absolutely dwarfing one of the Sunakawa family’s bowls is somehow immensely amusing. It becomes even more hilarious when Makoto realizes that Takeo is holding a spoon in his other hand.
“W-What?!” Takeo asks, when Makoto bursts into laughter. “What’s so funny, Suna?”
“You’re holding the spoon like a toothpick, man! Just with your thumb and index finger! What’s with that?”
Takeo looks at his spoon hand, then back at Makoto, then shrugs. “I dunno. It just felt right.”
And isn’t that just a supremely Takeo-like answer?
Makoto rides out a second wave of giggles, at which point Takeo sets a bowl of rice porridge in front of him.
“Alright, alright. Enough of that. You’ve gotta eat, Suna! How can you get well if you don’t feed your body the fuel it needs to get strong?”
“Sure, sure, I gotcha.” Makoto says, dipping his spoon into his food to prove his willingness to eat. “You gonna eat too, or are you just planning on watching me eat, like some kind of creep?”
Takeo plucks at Makoto’s hair and clucks his tongue. “I’m gonna dry your hair, is what I’m going to be doing. You’ll catch a cold if you go to bed with it this wet.”
“Pretty sure I already have a cold, Takeo.”
“You’ll catch another one, then. Or a worse one.” Frustrated, Takeo snags a towel from their laundry basket and drops it onto Makoto’s head. “Either way, it’s bad!”
“Alright, mom.”
Makoto rolls his eyes, and Takeo huffs, but they’re both playful about it. Soon, the atmosphere between them calms into a peaceful lull. Takeo’s hands are gentle as he towels Suna’s hair dry, careful not to jostle him too much while he eats.
When Makoto is halfway through the bowl, Takeo starts to hum under his breath. It’s not anything fancy, just a melody that Makoto vaguely remembers as a lullaby. He probably doesn’t even know he’s humming and is doing it because he’s so used to doing it to keep Maki happy. Still, the low rumble of his voice is soothing. Combining that with the warmth of a full stomach and the gentle scruff of Takeo's hands in his hair, Makoto finds his eyelids growing heavy.
“Woah!” Takeo’s quick reflexes are the only reason why Makoto doesn’t end up face planting into his meal.
“Sorry, ‘m sleepy,” Makoto mumbles, scrubbing at his eyes as if that will make him less tired.
“No problem. You’re sick.”
"And my sheets are gross."
"I changed them while you were in the bath."
"Oh. Okay."
Makoto blearily notices the change in position when Takeo picks him up again, but now that he’s finished eating, his exhaustion has caught up with him. Plus, he’ll never admit it out loud, but it’s nice to feel cared for when he’s feeling this bad.
His bed is soft and comfortable, and his new pillowcase smells like detergent. Takeo is absolutely the best.
I don’t want him to go, he thinks muzzily as he’s laid down on his bed, but then sleep overtakes him completely and he’s gone.
“Don’t want you to go,” Suna mumbles, clinging to Takeo’s arm.
“Uh.” Takeo says, but Suna is now definitely fully asleep.
It’s not that he minds letting Suna hang on to him. If anything, he likes it. Suna isn't a touchy-feely kind of guy, and it's rare that he's the one hugging, instead of being the hugee. The fact that he's reaching out now makes Takeo feel marshmallow gooey in his chest. On another day, he'd probably just shrug and settle in for a nap.
The thing is, he had kind of planned on grabbing some supplies from the convenience store while Suna was asleep.
“Hnn.”
Takeo drops his head into his free hand, brain whirring as the conflict tears at him.
Should he stay? Should he go? Neither option feels right! If he moves, he can get medication, which Suna needs, but then he might wake Suna up, which, obviously, he can’t do. Being woken up out of a comfortable sleep is the worst! Plus, Suna specifically asked him to stay, and his best friend only asks for things when they’re really important!
“What to do? What to do?” he mutters to himself, squeezing his eyes shut, in case cutting off his sight might add a little extra processing power to his brain.
It’s then that he feels a buzz in his pocket.
“Ah!” He breathes when he checks his messages. “That’s it!”
This isn’t the first time that Rinko has visited Takeo’s apartment, but it's the first time that her boyfriend hasn’t been at the door to welcome her. It feels strange to let herself in using the key taped under the welcome mat. As she unlocks the door, a part of her wonders if maybe this might be what it would be like to live together. Dreamily, she thinks about coming home with her arms full of groceries to find Takeo on the sofa, watching TV.
Except that’s not quite right, is it? To have Takeo on his own feels lonely. Her boyfriend does so much better with company.
Rinko wrinkles her nose at this conundrum, but decides that she probably shouldn’t be thinking about this too much. It feels a little naughty to think about living together with a man without being married, especially when she knows that Takeo wants to wait until they’ve graduated to propose.
Having shaken herself out of her reverie, Rinko pushes the door open.
“Takeo-kun?” She whispers, uncertain how loud she should be speaking. The whole point of her coming over was to keep from waking Sunakawa, after all. When she doesn’t hear a response, she sets her bags down to take off her shoes, then pads into the apartment in her sock feet.
She manages to stall a bit by unloading some of her purchases on the kitchen counter, but once she’s done that, she knows she’s going to have to find Takeo and Sunakawa.
To be honest, Rinko is nervous about this part. She knows which room is Sunakawa’s, but she’s never stepped inside of it before. Even on the apartment tour Takeo gave her when they moved in, she’d only glanced through the doorway. But, needs must. She bites her lip, then she peeks her head around the doorframe. The sight that greets her makes her breath catch in her throat.
Takeo is slumped on the floor beside Sunakawa’s bed with his back leaned against the mattress. His head is tipped at an odd angle and his arm is hiked up into an even more uncomfortable looking position, stretched out on top of the mattress. He’s not quite snoring, but he’s breathing heavily, and every now and then he grunts and mutters something unintelligible. Meanwhile, Sunakawa is curled up on the edge of the bed with his face pressed into Takeo’s shoulder. The reason for Takeo’s odd posture is that he’s clutching Takeo’s arm to his chest like a teddy bear.
Cute! Rinko squeaks internally, and before she can stop herself, she’s pulled out her phone to take a surreptitious photo.
I won’t show anyone! And- And if either of them ask, I’ll delete it!
Having assuaged the twinge of guilt in her heart, Rinko tucks her phone away, then realizes: this is what had been missing in her daydream.
Of course Takeo wouldn’t be home alone! And his company would be…
Carefully, Rinko edits her daydream to add Sunakawa to the scene, reading a book beside Takeo and maybe leaning on his arm? No, that’s silly. He’d more likely be just out of arm’s reach, so that he won’t get hit when Takeo flails in excitement at every dramatic reveal. He’s very logical like that.
That seems right.
“Hey.”
Rinko startles, covering her mouth with her hands to cut off her squeak.
“S-suna-kun?”
Sunakawa squints at her from behind Takeo’s shoulder with the bleary gaze of someone who has just woken up.
“What’re you doing here?”
“Um. Supplies?” Rinko hefts her bag-laden arms to show him. “Takeo-kun said you were out of some things, and he didn’t want to wake you up to go get them.”
“Why would he have to- oh.” Sunakawa looks down, then blinks when he realizes exactly what, or rather who, he’s cuddling. “Uh.”
The Sunakawa that Rinko knows is normally so cool and collected. This new Sunakawa, with his mussed hair and a fever flush on his face, is so different. It makes him more approachable, somehow.
Rinko giggles, then walks closer, setting her bags down on the desk as she passes it.
“It’s alright, Suna-kun.” She winks at him as she gingerly eases herself onto the bed. “I also like to hug Takeo-kun when I’m not feeling well. He’s very huggable, isn’t he?”
Sunakawa hums, but doesn’t end up saying anything conclusive.
After a moment, Rinko decides to add, “And I don’t mind sharing him with you. You know that, right?”
“I kind of picked up on that, yeah. And you already know I don’t mind sharing him with you either, yeah?”
“Yes, of course.” Rinko says, then smiles softly. “I’m really grateful that you never tried to push me away.”
Sunakawa hums, deep in thought.
“Takeo is so big and bright. He’s like the sun, you know? Who tries to keep the sun all to themselves?”
“If Takeo-kun is the sun, then you must be the moon, Suna-kun.” Rinko plays with the sheets so that she doesn’t have to look Sunakawa in the eye. “You’re quieter than Takeo-kun, and sometimes we can’t see you… but you're always there when we need you the most.”
“If Takeo and I are the sun and the moon, then what are you?”
“I-” Rinko pouts, tapping her lip as she considers. “I’m not sure! Maybe the stars?”
“No,” Suna says, eyes hazy with fever, but so earnest as he reaches out and takes Rinko’s hand. “If I'm the moon and Takeo is the sun, then you’re our world.”
“I- Oh my,” stammers Rinko as she fans herself with her free hand.
He can't mean what I think he's saying... Right?
Suna looks amazingly proud of himself. “The sun, the moon and the Earth. Can't have one without the others.”
Rinko looks over at Takeo, then back to Suna, chest filling with honey sweet affection.
“No, I don't think you can. We'll just have to stick together,” she says. Tenderly, she smoothes her fingers over Suna's forehead, brushing his bangs away from his eyes. "You should sleep more, Suna-kun."
Suna hums and tilts his head into Rinko's touch. "Don't wanna," he mumbles, but his words trail off into a slurred mess as his eyes drift shut.
Rinko knows that she'll have to talk to Takeo about this. She knows that Sunakawa might feel differently about her when his fever breaks, and she also knows that her anxiety will pull up a thousand more possible worries in the future.
But the future is the future; a problem for later.
Right now, Rinko thinks about about unlocking the door and hearing two people greet her, rather than just one. She thinks about hugging Sunakawa hello, then laughing when Takeo folds both of them up in his arms. She thinks about making a home together, all three of them. She thinks about all of these things, and she smiles.
Then she gets up off the bed, because there are dishes in the sink and dirty sheets in the hamper, and if Suna and Takeo are sleeping, that leaves her to clean up.
"Sweet dreams!" She whispers, blowing a kiss to Takeo. Then she pauses halfway through closing the door. Hesitantly, she blows a second kiss in Suna's direction. She waits a moment, as if watching it float across the air to land on his forehead, then hurries away, her face beet red.