Work Text:
He didn't realize he wanted it until he saw it for the first time.
"Oh, shi–" The door was shut in Ichiban's face. Blinking in confusion, he was trying to absorb all of what he'd just witnessed. The person who'd answered the door was pretty clearly Zhao, but… it definitely hadn't looked like him. In the face, yes. Obviously. Everything else, though? Definitely not.
First of all, their eyes didn't meet the same way they usually did. He stood shorter than expected. Not by a lot or anything, but Ichiban had noticed the fact that he had to adjust how he held his head. Of course, it didn't stop there. His usual shades were nowhere to be seen, too, leading then to the second time in his life that he'd ever seen Zhao's eyes plainly. The first time in normal lighting, too! Not to mention that his hair was completely different. It'd looked freshly washed and completely unstyled. Some of his hair had fallen to lay at the sides of his head, while some practically looked like fringe on him. It was a nice look, if Ichiban would've ever been asked.
And then there was what Zhao was wearing.
Instead of the typical stylish black and gold garb that Ichiban was used to seeing him in, Zhao had been dressed in a black tank top underneath an oversized, cream colored slouch top and black leggings for pants. Hell, Zhao hadn't even had any jewelry on. No rings, no bracelets, no necklace. Even his earrings were missing.
It was all so foreign to Ichiban's typical image of Zhao in his mind. He had to admit, though: Zhao looked super comfortable. And cute.
He wanted to see him again.
Knocking on the door a second time after reflecting on what he'd seen, Ichiban was suddenly wondering what he should've been wondering a couple minutes ago: why did Zhao shut the door in his face?
"Hey, uh… Zhao?" He called out through the door, hoping to hear anything from the other side.
"Just a second!"
Okay. Well, that was encouraging, at least! He was gonna come back. That was a lot better than… just being left out here.
Ichiban wasn't totally sure how long he ended up waiting, but it was all right. He didn't think it was that long. The door opened again eventually, revealing the sight he was used to. Slicked back hair, circular shades, expensive looking jewelry, and such– though, he still didn't meet Zhao's eyes as easily as usual. Glancing downward slightly, it would finally hit him. His shoes. Those were the only things still missing. Right. He forgot that the soles of Zhao's usual kicks were pretty thick. He didn't realize how much they actually added to his height, though.
"You're early, Kasuga-kun," Zhao chided gently, a firm pout gracing his lips before opening the door up further. Ichiban offered a short, nervous chuckle in response. Was he really that early? Pulling his phone out for a moment to check the time, he'd see that yes, yes he kind of was. Thirty minutes early to a date didn't seem like a big deal to him, in truth, but he guessed he should've realized that Zhao might not've been ready for him yet.
Whatever the issue was, though, Ichiban's mind couldn't quite focus on it. Not when that image of a far more casual and comfortable Zhao was quickly taking over the forefront of his mind. While it wasn't the mission objective for tonight, it was definitely being added to his list of side tasks for another day.
-
Fortunately enough for Ichiban, consulting with his friends did actually yield some good results. How could he potentially get Zhao to be comfortable? Sleeping over! Or having Zhao sleep over at his place! Obviously! There was no way he'd seriously wear his stylish stuff all night, after all, right?
With his plan in mind, now just came the attempt to initiate it. Should… should he try to invite Zhao to his place first? He'd been over before, but they both knew that his… uh, bed situation wasn't the greatest. Zhao's apartment was a lot nicer than his, and while he hadn't seen his bedroom yet, Ichiban wouldn't have been surprised if he had a bed big enough for the both of them. He really didn't want to invite himself over to his fiancé's place…
Attempt #1, then, would be the invitation to his place!
Sent to: Zhao😊💖 [3:40 pm]:
(: zhao!! would u wanna sleep over 2night if u rnt busy?
Zhao was usually pretty good with texting back, unless he was working. He was proud to say that he was getting better at timing his texts around Zhao's breaks, though! So he wasn't too worried about getting a response this time around. Barely a minute or two later, he heard the familiar chime from his phone.
Received from: Zhao😊💖 [3:41 pm]:
sleep over? at your place?
there's not much room for me in your bed o(>< )o
Sent to: Zhao😊💖 [3:43 pm]:
u could sleep on me!! (:
but ur right ): it's a cramped fit. i don't want u 2 hit ur head on the bars of the top bunk
Crap. Attempt #2 would have to come at another time. If he tried to ask to go over there and sleep over, it'd probably come off as desperate, right? He didn't wanna weird Zhao out… or even end up encroaching too much into Zhao's personal space. They may've been engaged, but they'd only really been dating for a little over a couple weeks. He was still getting used to all of this, and how Zhao might react to certain things.
Received from: Zhao😊💖 [3:44 pm]:
ikr? o(TヘTo)
oh that means 'i know right' btw
anyway it definitely wouldn't be great to wake up and instantly smack my head
Sent to: Zhao😊💖 [3:46 pm]:
thank you for telling me 🥲
i guess ill have 2 get a new bed before u can stay over 😭
Received from: Zhao😊💖 [3:47 pm]:
wwww yeah (´ ∀ ` *)
but you could come over here?
Oh!
Attempt #2 might actually be put on the backburner, or even thrown out completely, if this ended up working!
Received from: Zhao😊💖 [3:48 pm]:
could order takeout, watch a movie, and see where things go from there?
or i could cook. whatever works. ٩(｡•́‿•̀｡)۶
Sent to: Zhao😊💖 [3:50 pm]:
that sounds amazing!!
maybe takeout this time? i know u ❤️ 2 cook but i kinda just wanna hang out w/ u 🥲
w/o me bothering u in ur kitchen 🥲🥲
Received from: Zhao😊💖 [3:53 pm]:
awww aren't you sweet ♡♡♡
takeout it is then ♡(>ᴗ•)
not free tonight (•ิ_•ิ)? how does tomorrow look for you?
Whatever was on his schedule for tomorrow after work would be immediately thrown out! He needed to see Zhao at his comfiest again! Post-shower, in lounging clothes, without his hair done up! He loved how cool he looked normally, but the thought of him looking so cute and relaxed again was the thing motivating him the most in that moment.
Sent to: Zhao😊💖 [3:55 pm]:
2mrw is perfect!! 😄❤️❤️❤️
ill head ovr after work ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Received from: Zhao😊💖 [3:55 pm]:
good deal (*¯︶¯*)
Plans were made. Now all he had to do was wait until tomorrow night. Already, that sounded like absolute hell. Why couldn't he just go over there now?! Probably because he was busy working at You Tian tonight, but the strong impulse to just head over there to see him now was getting worse by the second. But! He'd stay strong. Good things came to people who waited, and he was confident he'd be able to get exactly what he was hoping for.
-
He'd nearly walked all the while to Zhao's apartment without realizing he hadn't actually gotten a change of clothes or anything. Ichiban was beyond thankful of his brain to actually be reminded of that fact. Who goes over to sleep at their fiancé's house without the essentials?! From the other day's realization that Zhao wasn't actually just as tall as him, he had a feeling that borrowing clothes wouldn't be the easiest thing to do… Not only that, but he'd have to go out early in the morning to buy a toothbrush! –And oh crap! He almost forgot about Nancy, too!
That all could've been a disaster…
On his way back to his place, he shot a text off to Zhao to report the fact that he'd be over once he picked things up from home and fed Nancy for the day. He'd get an affirmative in response, at least guaranteed to him that Zhao had read it and understood. Nevertheless, Ichiban would be quick as he possibly could with everything he had to do in his home.
A fresh set of clothes for after work, clothes for tomorrow, deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste… He could probably share body wash with Zhao, right? That wasn't expecting too much, right? Crap, maybe he should bring some just in case. Oh! His brush! Ichiban plucked his hairbrush and soap both out of their places in the bathroom so he could put them in his backpack.
He ended up waffling on about what he'd need for a little while longer, then made sure Nancy was doing well and fed before bidding her adieu. He felt bad for leaving her off by herself, but she was pretty independent. He figured she'd be just fine on her own until he made it back home tomorrow.
With all of that finally taken care of, the trek toward Zhao's apartment building resumed.
The fact that he'd get to see Zhao like that again had his heart pumping. What he'd seen was such a short, miniscule glimpse, but man if it wasn't one of the cutest sights he'd ever seen. Zhao really was the whole package, wasn't he? A really great guy, insanely skilled in just about everything he put his mind to, and the whole spectrum of cute to handsome. Man… how lucky was he?
He got up to the door and knocked firmly just like how he had just a few short days ago. Zhao had only had the early shift at You Tian today, so maybe he'd already changed. Maybe he was already nice and comfortable.
Ichiban's expression brightened as the door to the apartment began to open.
–Or maybe he was still in the usual leather, stylish stuff he usually wore.
Stood before him was Zhao, decked out as usual. He, too, offered a pleased smile at seeing him. Ichiban took notice of the difference in how he had to adjust how he looked at him again, compensating for the fact that he wasn't wearing his shoes. That was all right. He just got too ahead of himself. After a shower, he was sure they'd get to comfy territory.
"Kasuga-kuuun~ I missed you. I'm hungry, too. C'mon, let's order something." Zhao grabbed his hand, turned on his heel, and led Ichiban into the apartment.
It really wasn't that big, Ichiban had taken notice of it the first time he'd visited. It could probably house two people easily, but probably just that. A pet even might be pushing it. But with just the two of them, oh it was perfect. It was cozy. Whether the bedroom was in a similar state, he didn't know yet. He guessed he'd just have to be patient and find out.
Before they made it to Zhao's sofa, he let go of Ichiban's hand and plopped himself down to sit. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, to look through his phone's apps for the one for a restaurant or food delivery. Ichiban pulled his backpack off to settle down beside Zhao.
Well, if he was gonna be waiting for a while to hopefully see what he wanted, he supposed he should try not to think about it too much. After all, spending time with Zhao was the actual main attraction of tonight.
-
Ichiban hadn't really thought about how uncomfortable it was to cuddle against leather. It was pretty chilly outside, but inside with their body heats combined, it wasn't really that great to feel the beading sweat when he was trying to focus on the movie, or at least Zhao.
The outfit he'd changed into before going over to Zhao's place had definitely been on the more casual side. Not really akin to his work attire or the maroon colored suit he loved to don so often. A loose t-shirt, a pair of track pants, and sneakers. Nothing spectacular, but it wasn't supposed to be. They were just hanging out, rather than it being a more… nice homecooked dinner between the two of them. For this, he couldn't really tell whether he was underdressed for this or Zhao was overdressed.
A small part of him wanted to ask about it, but what if it was rude? Crap, he really didn't know the etiquette for this sort of thing. He didn't wanna accidentally offend Zhao, or embarrass him. It wasn't a big deal, but it really did make him wonder.
"I don't know how you wear leather all day," Ichiban finally mentioned, the words spoken tentatively, as though he planned to eject from the conversation as quickly as it came on, if he must.
"It's not that bad, actually," Zhao hummed, while his mellow grin didn't falter in the slightest. "But, sometimes y'gotta suffer for fashion. …Wearin' the jacket in June wasn't my smartest move, though. I'll admit that much."
"Thought you were about to keel over sometimes while you were wandering the town with us, y'know?"
"Like I said, sufferin' for fashion. At least it's a little cooler nowadays. Easier to get away with it."
"It's comfortable enough to wear when you're just lounging around?"
"Pretty much." Something felt different about that answer. Huh. … Ichiban couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it felt… wrong. Maybe not the best time to point that out, though.
Oh well. While he may not've wanted to change at that moment, Ichiban doubted he'd climb back into that after he had a shower.
-
" So, would you… be up to showering together?" Shit, was that too bold? From the chuckle he received in response, Ichiban didn't think so. They were still sat on the couch after the movie ended, with Zhao still pressed up against him and looking like he was getting a little groggy. Ichiban tried hard not to look disappointed, though, when Zhao shook his head.
"Maybe another time, Kasuga-kun. Y'wanna go first, or should I?"
"Oh, that's okay! I I totally get it… And go ahead! It's your place, after all."
"You're the guest, though," Zhao mused, his voice still light and springy like it so often tended to sound. As though he was just constantly in a playful mood. "But, if you insist." He turned his head, pecked a kiss against Ichiban's cheek, and picked himself up off the couch. Ichiban looked back over the back of the couch as Zhao trotted over toward his bedroom's door.
He heard the shuffling of drawers opening and closing, then watched as Zhao left his room not more than a minute later. He took a quick look at the clothes (wait, he was taking his new set of clothes with him to the bathroom?) he had in his hands and felt a surge of excitement at what he saw. Sweats. Cozy clothes! He would've seen it a bit more as loungewear than pajamas, but oh well. To each their own. Ichiban was just thrilled at the fact that he'd really get to see his favorite person looking, well, relaxed!
Not that Zhao wasn't ever relaxed. The guy practically oozed that laid-back demeanor, but being allowed to see him when he's not made up to the nines felt like a huge privilege. He had to not fuck this up and somehow lose that privilege.
Once he heard the water start running, Ichiban started doing his part. The empty takeout containers were gathered up in his arms and taken into the small kitchen area. It took him an embarrassingly long amount of time to figure out where Zhao's trash bin was, but he figured it out!
Trash in their proper places, washed out beer cans placed with the recycling… Ichiban killed as much time as he could. In that time, the water stopped running in the bathroom. Before he'd come out, though, Ichi took his spot on the couch once again. His eyes stared hard at the door, willing it open so he could get a look at his unbearably gorgeous future husband. Was it weird that his heart was racing? It was, right? It was just clothes!
Man, what if Zhao realized he'd anticipated it all night? Would he think he was a creep? No… no, there was no way, right? The guys didn't act like it was too weird of a thing to wonder about, so maybe it was fine? Even Sacchan didn't seem too weirded out when he explained it to her! So, cleary–
The sound of the bathroom door creaking open snatched Ichiban out of his mind's internal struggle, and he'd focus in on what he saw.
What he saw was better than what'd he seen the last time.
The sweatsuit he wore must've been at least a size too big for him, because it absolutely betrayed how broad Ichiban knew Zhao's shoulders to be. The dark grey sweat set made him look positively tiny. Even his normal attire did a lot to cover up how fit and broad he was from his decades of training, but the looseness of the sweatshirt especially was kind of ridiculous. It looked so great on him that it was almost unfair. It took him way too long to even realize that his signature gold accents were nowhere to be seen. Hell, he wouldn't even remember them until after he was done focusing on everything else.
His freshly washed hair was so much better than he remembered it. Long fringe had been adjusted to at least not be in his direct line of sight, while the rest of his hair lay over the sides of his head instead of it all being uniformly slicked back. That coupled with the distinct lack of shades made Zhao appear even younger than he already did. Like a man barely in his mid-20s, rather than his mid-30s.
He finally noticed that lack of jewelry. No earrings, no necklace, no bracelets, no rings.
It was just… him.
Ichiban had always thought Zhao was unbelievably handsome. It was hard not to when he'd basically shoved himself in his face the moment they met. But there was just something about seeing Zhao like this had his heart soaring. He didn't do this for everyone. Maybe it was jumping to conclusions to say that Zhao felt safe with him, but– … okay, no, it was definitely jumping to conclusions, haha. Given what he already knew about Zhao, maybe it wasn't too weird to think that he might have issues feeling safe around people but…
He was definitely overthinking this. That's a first, he could hear Masato say in his head. It was quickly shaken off. He just… he just wanted to make sure he wasn't being stupid with this. Ichiban wanted to do this right. He never wanted to become a horror story like the ones he'd heard at Shangri-La.
Zhao snorted. It took him no time at all to realize Ichiban was staring at him.
"A sweatsuit really get you goin', Kasuga-kun?" He teased, that familiar, impish grin quirked up.
Ichiban opened his mouth and sputtered out a few incomprehensible words, a pathetic attempt at defending himself. Zhao did little more than giggle at his nervousness. His smile combined with how relaxed he looked was almost too much for him to bear. He was too damn cute, it was unfair! And now he was just supposed to shower like nothing happened?! There was no way!
"I've just–... I've never… y-y'know…" Ichiban stuttered. The words were slow to get out of him, but he would try his hardest. Carefully, he'd rise from where he sat on the couch. "You always… wear such nice clothes, y'know?! I was… I mean… I kinda wanted to see you like this… Like you're comfortable."
Zhao looked a little confused by that. Or was that disgust? No, no, it definitely had to be confusion. Please tell him he wasn't being too weird about this…
"I… guess yer right," Zhao admitted. "Guess I didn't realize that even when I started staying in Survive with the rest of you that I just… didn't have much. And didn't get to wash up as much as I usually do."
"And then the other day, you kinda slammed the door in my face 'cause you had to go get ready." Another short laugh.
"Yeah, I did, didn't I?" Zhao finally stepped further out into the hallway, just a bit closer to Ichiban. "I just wanted t'look nice fer you. I wasn't ready, and you surprised me." Ichiban nodded this time. His gaze trailed down to the ground, but brought it back up no more than a moment later.
"Yeah… that was my bad. 'M sorry, I'll be better about that."
Zhao giggled again, but shrugged his shoulders. It must not've been a huge deal to him, thankfully. At least there was that.
"Well, I'll clean up 'n' let you shower."
"Nope! I already cleaned everything up." Ichiban grinned proudly, while Zhao's eyebrows raised with mild surprise.
"Guess… I'll wait for ya in my room, then," Zhao hummed. "Thanks fer doin' that, Kasuga-kun." He turned toward the door that led into his bedroom.
"Oh, um " He paused when Ichiban spoke up again, swiveling his head back around to give him his attention. "Did you… want me to get dressed in the bathroom too?"
Zhao paused for a moment, but he appeared to quickly attempt to regain his poise. Ichiban got a shake of Zhao's head in response.
"No, no, you don't have to. I just do that sometimes."
That made sense to him. He was pretty sure Zhao did something similar whenever all of them had the chance to have showers. Even cool guys like him deserved to have their privacy, so Ichiban had no arguments there.
"I'll try not t'take long, then. Get the bed all warm for us!"
"Mhm~" With that, Zhao stepped into his room and Ichiban went straight for the bathroom. Time to clean today's work funk off of him so he could spend the night with his fiancé!
-
Teeth brushed and squeaky clean, Ichiban decided on putting his boxer shorts on before leaving the bathroom. He knew Zhao said it was all right, but… damn, the shot of apprehension that washed over him was almost too much to take. They hadn't done anything like that yet. He figured it'd be better to leave that moment for when they were ready, rather than… y'know, just walking straight into Zhao's room with his dick out.
That wasn't how he wanted things to go.
Ichiban grabbed his undershirt from out of his backpack, then finally left the bathroom with both in tow. He set the backpack down beside Zhao's bedroom door before taking a few steps into the unfamiliar room.
It was leagues more clean and put together than his room, but honestly that wasn't saying a lot. He wasn't surprised at all by the fact that Zhao kept things tidy. Though, it also wasn't quite dripping with the style and personal touches he may've been expecting. Then again, Zhao hadn't been living there long. He was probably getting used to living in such a small space compared to his old home. Ichiban imagined it must've been hard, adjusting to such a huge change. He wondered briefly if that was the only place he'd ever lived.
That was a topic for another day, though. Tonight was for them.
"Got your hair all dried, Kasuga-kun?" Zhao asked before Ichiban could say anything. He stuttered for a moment, trying to get the correct words out of his mouth. It didn't help that the sight of Zhao all cozy on his side of the bed was way too cute for him to take.
"Oh uh, yeah! Mostly, anyway. It's just a little damp."
"...Mm, all right. Whatever, come lie with meeee~"
He definitely didn't need to be told twice. Ichiban put his white tank top on quickly and just about hopped into bed with Zhao. Zhao… bounced. A startled laugh escaped him, while Ichiban was immediately relieved he hadn't put more into all of that. What if he'd bounced him off the bed itself?! In a quick attempt to push that thought out of his mind and ignore it entirely, Ichiban instead just turned to lie himself on his side to face him.
It was his first close up look at Zhao's face without all his little accessories decorating his entire being. The way his hair lay on his head was just about the cutest thing he'd ever seen, and part of him wished that Zhao wore his hair like that all the time. Then again, he was also pretty glad that this was a sight only meant for him.
Zhao smiled at him warmly, a lithe hand placed upon Ichiban's forearm.
Ichiban wrapped that arm around Zhao's waist loosely, with the intent to pull him closer to him. As he pulled him over, though, he felt Zhao's body unexpectedly tense. The expression on his face didn't change at all, though his body betrayed the smile gracing his features. Was something wrong? Or was he only misinterpreting all of this? God, this was all so… much. He felt like he was out of his depths, that he was always only a step away from ruining things.
"What's wrong?" Ichiban ended up asking.
"Wrong? Nothing's wrong, Kasuga-kun."
"You kinda… tensed when I pulled you over. I'm sorry if I startled you, or something…"
"Startled me?" Zhao giggled, but shook his head. "I don't get startled, really."
"Doesn't everyone have the capacity to be startled or scared, though?" Ichiban's brow furrowed in confusion. He expected an answer as quick as the last, but there was a moment of quiet before he spoke again.
"Hey, don't worry 'bout it. You didn't startle me, or scare me either." So then why didn't it feel like he was being real with him? He kinda felt like shit for not totally believing him, but he really felt like there was something to it. …But did he really wanna push too much? That wasn't the point of all of this, and… if Zhao didn't wanna talk about it, then he shouldn't force him to.
"So… is it okay if I hold you like this?"
"Yeah, 'course it is. Think I could have your attention 'til I decide to just use you as a personal heater all night?"
Ichiban's expression softened all over again, his smile returning and kissing his forehead. Zhao pressed his head against Ichiban's shoulder, humming with approval when he got another kiss to the top of his head. He could almost feel the tension rolling off of him, leaving what Ichiban had looked for just all about all night in its wake.
If that's what he needed, he could do that. If this was what it took to finally get any amount of ease and relaxation out of Zhao, then he was happy to provide it for him.