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Dude, Maki signs to him, bet you can’t climb that tree.
Toge blinks at her, before following her gaze. It’s a Saturday, which is a day Toge reserves for complete shenanigans. They’re at a park right now, walking around in the sun just to feel something.
The tree Maki is looking at is a decently tall tree, perhaps as tall as a two story house. As he studies it further, he notices that there’s definitely enough foot holds for him to get to the top.
Bet, he signs back, I'll do it right now.
Then do it, Maki antagonizes.
I will, he shoots back, marching forward, only for her to grab his arm, pulling him back. He frowns at her.
Put your hearing aids in, loser, she signs. How are you gonna sign when you’re climbing?
Toge’s frown deepens, but she’s got a point. He sighs, grabbing them from his pocket and putting them in his ears. He doesn’t usually wear his hearing aids when he doesn’t feel the need to, not always enjoying the feeling of them in his ears.
When they’re completely on, the noises of other people’s voices actually start sounding like real people instead of a muffled, uninterpretable sound.
“Okay, go,” Maki says, pushing him, and he stumbles. He whips his head back to glare at her, but she just laughs at him.
What are you getting me when I climb to the top? He asks.
Maki tilts her head. “I'll treat you to a meal,” she decides, after some thought.
My choice? he shoots back. He's definitely going to make Maki treat him to expensive sushi.
Maki’s brow twitches. He can tell she’s doing some rethinking, but she’s got way too much pride to back out now.
“Fine,” she grumbles. “Not like you’re gonna make it to the top anyway.”
Toge grins a mischievous grin. He quickly hurries over to the tree, getting to work.
As he climbs, he starts garnering attention, people gathering at the base of the tree with a variety of concerned to amused faces. When he’s about a third away from the top, he grins down at Maki.
“Better start checking your bank account!” He calls down.
“You still got a long way to go!” She snarls back.
She’s right— and Toge will admit his arms and legs are getting tired. Still, he pushes through, and eventually he makes it to the highest branch. He quickly pulls himself up onto it, sitting down and resting his limbs. When he’s steady, he bursts out into a loud laugh that is perhaps a bit maniacal.
“SUCKS TO SUCK!” He shouts down at Maki, beaming. Some people start clapping, congratulating him for his achievement. Maki however, looks far from happy.
“YOU’RE A DICK!” She yells back, arms crossed. Toge however, is unphased.
“GET READY TO PAY FOR MANY PLATES OF SUSHI!” He yells triumphantly.
“YOU GOTTA GET DOWN FIRST, DICKWAD!”
Toge pauses. She does have a point there. He takes a few moments to rest, before attempting to climb back down. As he places his foot on the branch below him though, he hears an awful snap. He holds back a scream, scrambling and pulling himself back up onto the top branch again, heart trembling in his chest.
Onlookers below exclaim in surprise as the branch topples down, people moving away. it lands with a loud thump, scattering dirt into the air.
Toge can hear his heart beat in his ears. He glances back down. The next branch is way out of reach from him, and there are no other footholds.
For a moment, no one moves.
“JUST JUMP!” Maki calls out.
“ARE YOU FUCKING CRAZY?”
They call the fire department.
“They said they’ll come soon!” Maki yells up at him. “Just chill for a bit!”
Toge gives her a thumbs up. To be honest, he’s relatively comfy, up on his branch. He can sit down, and is able to lean back against the trunk. When he glances down, he sees some people whip out their phones, probably recording or taking videos of him. Aw man. He doesn’t want to trend on Twitter again.
After about thirty minutes, the fire truck arrives, lights flashing. Thank god, because Toge’s butt was starting to hurt a little bit. A crew of firefighters hop off the vehicle, and one of them talks to Maki. She points at Toge, and he can’t help but think she’s lowkey shit talking him right now.
The firefighter holds up a megaphone. “Stay calm! we’re going to get you real soon!”
Toge just gives another thumbs up.
Luckily, the tree is close to the street, so the firefighters can use their long ass ladder thing they have on their truck. One of the firefighters steps onto the platform at the end of the ladder, and is lifted up by whoever is controlling it. Toge watches as the man gets closer and closer to him, and, with some horror, he realizes that his knight in shining armor is an extremely attractive dude.
Black hair peeks out from the man’s helmet, and pretty blue eyes watch him with concern. Even in the bulky uniform Toge can tell the man is buff, shoulders wide (and well, aren’t all firefighters supposed to be buff?) In contrast, the man’s face is pretty and gentle, with a chiseled jaw.
Oh my GOD, he thinks to himself. OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY—
“Hi,” the man greets, in a gentle voice. “Are you alright?”
He even has the voice of an angel. Holy shit.
He spends a few moments gaping at the man, long enough to make the man give him a look of concern.
“Sir?” The man asks.
“Are you single?” Toge blurts out in response.
For a moment, no one moves. The man blinks at him with wide eyes, a slight flush spreading across his cheeks. “Um…I— well, yes, I am. But—”
“Are you free after this?” Toge continues.
The man’s flush deepens. “Well… no, I’m still on duty. But um… we should continue this conversation later!” He rushes out.
The radio on the man’s chest crackles, startling both of them.
“Yuuta, you know your radio is still on, right?” A staticky voice calls out from the machine. The person sounds like they’re trying not to laugh.
Yuuta lets out a squeak, hands fumbling to mute himself. When Toge glances down, he sees Maki facepalming, while the other firemen are chuckling among themselves.
“A-Anyways,” Yuuta stumbles out, “We should get you down now, sir.”
“Inumaki Toge,” he says with a wink. Yuuta’s cheeks surprisingly get even redder.
“I-Inumaki-san,” the man obliges. “Can I have you take my hand?”
Toge nods, but then suddenly gets nervous. He’s still pretty high off the ground, and there’s a slight gap between the ladder and Toge’s branch.
Yuuta seems to notice, because he gives Toge a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, I got you.”
Hesitantly, Toge reaches out his hand, and Yuuta grabs onto it firmly.
“Can you place your foot on the platform right here?” The man asks gently.
Toge nods again, reaching out his foot, resting it onto the metal platform.
Suddenly he feels a tug on his arm, and he lets out a yelp. Before he knows it, he’s pressed against Yuuta’s chest, the man’s arms around his waist while Toge clings onto the man’s shirt. He blinks up at Yuuta with wide eyes, heartbeat racing.
“See?” Yuuta says, giving him a grin. “I got you.”
Yuuta’s radio crackles again. “Good to descend?” A voice calls out, and Yuuta reaches up to press the talk button.
“All clear,” Yuuta replies.
The ladder starts to lower to the ground.
“Um,” Yuuta starts, “You can… let go of me now.”
Toge blinks. He kind of forgot that he’s still clinging onto the other man. “Nah,” he says, snuggling closer to Yuuta’s firm chest. As if he’d pass up the opportunity to be in a buff fireman’s arms.
Yuuta blushes again, but doesn’t push Toge away. “Why were you even up on that tree in the first place?”
Toge gives him a sheepish look. “I made a bet with my friend that if I climbed it, she’d have to treat me to a meal.”
Yuuta’s judgemental look is enough to make Toge feel some shame. Still, he can’t say he regrets it. After all, he gets to have expensive sushi, and got to meet a cute as fuck firefighter.
“You’re like a little kitty cat,” Yuuta says with a laugh. “Climbing up trees and getting stuck.”
Toge smirks. “I can be your kitty cat.”
Yuuta gapes at him, and it’s like steam is coming out of his ears. “That’s— I didn’t… um—”
“Yuuta,” a voice crackles out, “your radio is still on.”
Yuuta looks like he’s debating jumping off the ladder. He quickly mutes himself, before covering his face with his hands.
When Toge is safely on the ground, he gets lectured by the chief firefighter, a tall man with bright blue eyes who introduces himself as Gojo Satoru. When he speaks, Toge can immediately tell that this man was the one on Yuuta’s radio.
“No more climbing trees, okay, kitty cat?” The man says with a wink. Yuuta, who’s standing next to him, cringes, covering his face with his hands again.
Toge gives the chief a thumbs up, nodding in understanding.
“Right, well, let’s get outta here,” Gojo says to his crew. He gives Yuuta a glance. “I’ll let you two have a moment though.”
Yuuta’s face matches the firetruck behind him. Toge just gives him a grin as Gojo walks away.
Toge holds up his phone. “Phone number?”
Yuuta takes it, despite his red cheeks, typing in his number. “I’m on duty until 8 am tomorrow,” he says, “but… after that I’m free for the day.”
He practically throws Toge’s phone back into his hands, before rushing back over to his teammates. A firefighter with pink hair smacks him on the back, chuckling at him.
Toge marches over to where Maki is standing with a smug grin on his face. The woman in question is scowling at him, arms crossed.
“I literally hate you so much,” she grumbles.
Don’t be a sore loser, he signs. Now, come on. It’s time for sushi.
There are many benefits to having a firefighter boyfriend.
The first one being that they’re buff as fuck.
“I think you’re enjoying this a bit too much,” Yuuta grumbles, voice a bit breathless.
“Keep going,” Toge urges, body feeling warm.
Yuuta does another pushup. Toge is currently sitting on his back, focusing on the way Yuuta’s arms ripple with each rep. They’re at Toge’s apartment, which is honestly usually where they hangout, since Yuuta lives in the firefighter dorms.
Yes, that’s right. Yuuta and Toge’s first date went extremely well, and now they’ve been dating for about two months. Toge has never been happier, and has never been more smug. He loves bragging about how he was able to rizz up a sexy as fuck firefighter. Maki however, is always grumbling that she was the reason they even got together in the first place.
“If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have even been in that tree!” She’s always saying. Toge knows she’s still just salty about losing their bet. He admittedly maybe went overboard with the sushi.
Yuuta continues to dutifully do his pushups. Unable to help himself, Toge leans forward, pressing a teasing kiss on the man’s ear.
Yuuta stiffens, arms straightening. “ Inumaki-kun,” he warns.
Toge can’t hold back his giggle. “What?” He asks teasingly, leaning in again.
This seems to cause Yuuta to snap. Before he knows it, he’s now lying on the ground, Yuuta hovering over him. Toge takes this time to admire the man’s face, a bit flushed from his work out, and the way his black muscle shirt clings to his chest.
“You drive me crazy,” Yuuta scolds, even as he gazes down at him with desire.
Toge grins. “Kiss me,” he says, and Yuuta doesn’t hesitate, lighting Toge on fire as he presses his lips against his.
Another benefit of dating a firefighter is that they’re surprisingly handy.
“There,” Yuuta says, brushing his hands off, before sliding out from under Toge’s sink. Toge had been complaining that the pipes had been leaking a little, but maintenance for his apartment building always took forever to come.
“Oh, I can fix that,” Yuuta had said, surprising him. Apparently, firefighters have to know a lot of basic repair stuff, to help prevent fire hazards. Toge doesn’t exactly know how plumbing is related to fire hazards, but Yuuta just fixed his sink in no time.
Yuuta stands up, giving Toge a grin. “All fixed,” he says, signing along.
Toge smiles back at him. Even with his 24 hour shifts, Yuuta’s been dutifully studying sign language in his free time, so that he can talk to Toge even when he doesn’t have his hearing aids in. He still has to resort to fingerspelling sometimes, or Toge will have to speak out loud when Yuuta gets lost, but it’s definitely good progress.
Thank you, Toge signs back. My little handyman.
Yuuta blushes. “It was nothing,” he replies. “Shall we get going?”
Toge nods. The two of them are about to head out to hang out with Yuuta's coworkers, Yuuji and Megumi. He’s come to learn that firefighters really do have a tight knit bond— even after seeing each other for 24 hours a day, they still want to spend time together.
“It’s different when we’re at work,” Yuuta explains. “We have to be more serious. So it’s nice to just relax together.”
Megumi and Yuuji are already waiting for them by the time they get to the bar.
“Okkotsu-senpai!” Yuuji calls out with a wave, smiling wide. Megumi just gives them a nod.
The inside of the bar is pretty busy, and music is playing through some speakers. The four of them grab a small table in the corner.
To be honest, Toge doesn’t do the best in places like these. His hearing aids help him catch conversation better, but they tend to struggle when there’s lots of noise around him, amplifying all the noises around him. Panda has been telling him he should get some hearing aids that are better at noise cancellation, but he’s yet to do the research for that. As Yuuta and his friends talk, Toge does his best to try to focus on their voices and read their lips.
“...Been…four… Yuuta… dating?” Yuuji asks him.
Toge pauses. The man is probably asking how long he and Yuuta have been together. “Yeah, four months,” he answers.
Megumi says something, but he speaks faster, and Toge can’t quite catch it. He leans in closer. “Sorry, can you say that again?”
Megumi blinks at him, before repeating himself. Toge can tell the man tries to talk louder, but it doesn’t really help— the issue is more of the pitch. He feels his ears turn red. He doesn’t want to make Megumi feel bad, and wonders if he should just try to play it off and pretend he heard him.
Yuuta taps his shoulder, making Toge turn to him with a tilt of his head.
He’s asking how your interview went, he signs, though he finger spells “interview”.
Toge’s eyes widen, feeling a bit touched. Toge’s been trying to get a JSL teaching job at the community center, and had his interview last week. He’s surprised Megumi remembered, since Toge only briefly mentioned it.
“Oh, it went well,” Toge answers with a smile. “I got the job. I start on Monday.”
Megumi gives him a small smile and a nod, while Yuuji cheers. The group clink their beer glasses together to celebrate.
Throughout the night, Yuuta dutifully signs for Toge whenever Toge misses something. Toge feels warmth rush through his heart from how considerate Yuuta is being—he only signs when he can tell Toge is struggling, but otherwise lets Toge handle it himself.
“Sorry,” Yuuta says later that night, when they’re walking home. “You struggle in those types of places, don’t you? Next time, I’ll suggest we go somewhere quieter.”
Toge feels his heart flutter again. He stretches up on his tiptoes, giving Yuuta a kiss on the cheek. Yuuta doesn’t let him pull away, grabbing him by the waist so he can kiss Toge properly on the lips, making him giggle.
Perhaps another benefit to dating a firefighter is their attentiveness. Or is that just a Yuuta thing?
Another good benefit to dating a firefighter is that they have medical training, and can help you when you’re sick.
It’s just a cold, Yuuta reassures, before placing a cold compress on Toge’s forehead. You have a slight fever, though. Do you have a headache?
Toge shakes his head. He’s laying on his bed, covered in blankets. His body feels freezing, but he’s still sweating buckets, face warm.
Yuuta strokes his cheek. His hand is cold, giving him relief, and Toge finds himself leaning into the man’s touch.
I made some okayu, Yuuta signs, and Toge almost whimpers when the man has to pull his hand away to do so. And I called Nobara. She’ll come over and take care of you.
“Don’t go,” Toge pleads, even though he knows it’s a bit unfair of him. He knows Yuuta can’t just ditch work. Perhaps one of the biggest cons to dating a firefighter is their frequent 24 hour shifts.
He can tell his words make Yuuta almost crumble. I’m so sorry baby, Yuuta signs, before stroking his cheek again. I have to go. But I’ll come back right after my shift, okay?
Toge nods, feeling a bit teary eyed. His mother always says he’s a big cry baby when he’s sick. Yuuta doesn’t seem to mind though, easily indulging him when Toge reaches out his hand. He grabs it and gives the back of Toge’s palm a kiss.
They’ve been dating for almost a year now. Toge’s learned a lot of benefits to dating a firefighter, but what he’s really learned are the benefits of dating Yuuta. The man is sweet, kind, attentive— Toge knows he can always rely on Yuuta to be there for him. And Toge does his best to be there for Yuuta whenever he can.
“I love you,” he breathes out.
Yuuta stares at him with wide eyes, before his expression softens, lips curling into a fond smile.
“I love you too,” he says, signing along. He presses a kiss to the top of Toge’s head, running his fingers through his hair. Toge feels the man’s lips move against his head.
“I love you so much.”
“Hey,” Maki calls out. Toge doesn’t hear her, continuing his way, until she grabs his shoulder, pulling him back. “Hey,” she repeats.
Toge glares at her, adjusting his hearing aids. “What?” He asks.
“Look,” she says, before pointing up. “Someone’s pair of sneakers are hanging from that tree branch.”
Toge follows her gaze. Sure enough, a pair of converse sneakers are hanging high on a tree. Someone must’ve thrown them up there. Toge wonders if it was for fun or if a poor soul was a victim of bullying.
“Bet you can’t climb up and get them,” Maki jabs.
Toge’s eyes narrow, studying the tree. The foot and handholds seem to be a bit tough, but he wasn’t his fifth grade class’s best climber for nothing.
“Bet,” he says, “I’ll do it right now.”
“Then do it,” Maki challenges.
“I will,” he retorts, rolling up his sleeves. He marches towards the tree with a purpose. “You better be ready to treat me to another meal.”
“You won’t get it this time,” Maki huffs, following behind him, “this tree is harder to climb.”
He’s about to start climbing, before he pauses, eyes focusing on the silver band on his ring finger. He slips it off, handing it to Maki. She blinks at it, before taking it, shoving it into her pocket.
“Don’t lose it,” he warns.
She rolls her eyes. “I won’t. Now start climbing.”
Perhaps Toge is really just someone who lives off of spite. Though he has a lot of close calls as he does his best to shimmy up the tree, he pushes through, not wanting to see Maki’s smug face if he gives up.
A crowd of people start watching, some gasping whenever he slips from a handhold.
“Just give up!” Maki shouts. “You can’t do it! Don’t be stupid!”
“Shut up!” He shouts back, gritting his teeth. He feels sweat trickle down his back.
Against all odds, he manages to make it to sneakers. He practically collapses onto the sturdy branch right below them, taking a breather, before reaching up and yanking the shoes down.
“SUCK IT!” He yells, before throwing the shoes at Maki. She barely dodges them, looking pissed, and if Toge weren’t gasping for breath, he’d be laughing his ass off right now.
“I HATE YOU!” She screams up at him.
Toge lets out a breathless chuckle. He glances down, feeling a sense of foreboding. He barely made it up the tree— he’s not sure how he’s going to get down.
A few moments pass.
“You’re stuck, aren’t you?” Maki yells, crossing her arms.
Toge hesitates, before giving a reluctant nod.
“Toge-kun,” Yuuta scolds from his ladder, “I thought we talked about this.”
He gives Yuuta a sheepish grin. Yuuta lets out a sigh, but a small smile is forming on his lips.
“Well, come here, kitty cat,” he says, holding out his hands.
Toge laughs, grabbing Yuuta’s hands, the man easily hoisting him into his arms. He grins, snuggling into Yuuta’s chest.
“Where’s your ring?” Yuuta asks with a pout.
“I gave it to Maki. I didn’t want to lose it.”
His answer makes the man’s expression instantly soften. He leans in and gives Toge a kiss. “You look so cute today,” he says, before peppering his face with more kisses.
“Your radio, senpai,” Megumi deadpans, voice crackly.
Yuuta flushes, quickly pressing mute, while Toge lets out a cackle.
“Inumaki-san,” Megumi starts, giving Toge the stink eye. “I would really appreciate it if you stopped giving us more work to do.”
Toge gives him an apologetic smile. I mean, how else am I gonna see my husband everyday? he teases. Megumi follows his hands carefully. Yuuta’s friends have been learning sign for him, something Toge finds really sweet.
When he realizes what Toge said, his glare deepens. “Please stop climbing trees, Inumaki-san. You could seriously get hurt one day.”
“He’s right, you know,” Yuuta says, making Toge pout at him.
“Tell Maki to stop antagonizing me then,” he grumbles, only for Maki to smack him.
“This is so not my fault,” she denies. Toge holds out his hand, and she reaches into her pocket, placing his ring on his palm. Before Toge can even blink, Yuuta’s grabbing it, sliding it onto his ring finger with gentle touches. Toge smiles at him.
“No, he has a point,” Megumi cuts in, giving Maki a look. She just rolls her eyes.
“It’s impressive you got up there, though!” Yuuji praises, patting Toge on the back, only for Megumi to smack his shoulder. “Ow!”
“Kitty cat!” Gojo calls out as he walks over. “How are you? Impressive climb this time!”
Megumi scowls. “You should be scolding him a bit more, Chief…”
Gojo just laughs, throwing his arms around Megumi’s shoulders. “But it’s always so entertaining whenever he calls in!”
Megumi lets out a resigned sigh.
I’ll see you tomorrow morning? Toge signs to Yuuta, as the other firemen start getting ready to leave.
Yuuta smiles. “Yeah.”
I’ll make your favorite breakfast, Toge signs with a grin.
Yuuta’s smile widens. I’ll look forward to it, he signs back, before giving Toge a kiss. He watches Yuuta bound back to the firetruck, hopping on.
I love you, Yuuta signs, before the truck takes off.
Oh, to be married to a firefighter. The benefits are endless.