Work Text:
“Hey, Kaito-san, you don’t have an issue with being my “partner” do you?”
The man reclining on the couch on the other side of his desk looked up, thumb paused mid-scroll on his cellphone. “Huh? What do you mean?”
Yagami leaned back against his chair, tilting his head slightly as he chose his words. “I dunno, we’ve never really talked about it since you’ve been working for me. And, you seemed way more into being Adachi’s partner than mine.”
Kaito stared at him blankly for a moment, eyebrows scrunching as he thought for a moment then broke out into a sly grin. “Are you mad at me for not giving you a fist bump?”
“Huh?”
“You are, aren’t you?” Kaito sat up now, phone getting tucked away into some pocket as he leaned forward on his knees. “You’re totally jealous that I was hanging out with another friend, no wonder you followed me around all day and kept butting in.”
Yagami could feel his face heating up slightly but he scowled and crossed his arms. “I was just asking a question. And, I followed you around all day because that guy was shady as shit.”
Kaito was grinning openly at him now, “Aww come on Ta-bo it’s okay to be jealous.” His tone was teasing and patronizing, as if he was reassuring a young child.
Clicking his tongue and scowling even deeper, Yagami stood suddenly, pushing back his desk chair and tugging on his jacket as he made for the door.
“Come on man- I’m messing around here,” Kaito turned in his seat to follow Yagami’s path as he yanked the door open.
“Whatever, I just remembered I had to do something.” Yagami glanced over, catching the confused and slightly hurt look on Kaito’s face as he slammed the door behind him and walked down the staircase a little faster than was necessary.
As soon as he made it outside he fished his pack out of his jeans, empty of course, he closed the box and shoved it back into his pocket. Huffing out a sigh, breath crystalizing in the frigid night air, he turned towards Nakamichi Street.
It still didn’t sit right with him, that he had gotten so upset a few days ago at Kaito wanting to work with someone else for a change. It wasn’t like he controlled Kaito’s every move or anything, if he wanted to do something other than chase after lost cats all day, Yagami couldn’t exactly blame him.
As he was about to enter Nakamichi alley, Yagami spotted a group of punks entering from the other side. He groaned a little and turned on his heel to head up towards the millennium tower, not interested in dealing with some stupid street fight right now.
His phone buzzed in his pocket and he ignored it, pushing past crowds of tourists as he made the decision to take the long route to the Poppo up on Park avenue.
He had known Kaito for almost 20 years, but it's not like they were ever really that close. They lived together for a few years when they were younger, and they went out of their way to help each other out here and there, but he couldn’t really say they were best friends. Especially not if Kaito had other people out there he was more willing to work with. Kaito was working for him because he offered, and because it was convenient and he owed him for getting him kicked out of the clan. It didn’t have to be anything more than that. If Kaito wanted to keep their relationship professional now that they were working together then who the hell was Yagami to want to demand more.
Did he want more? He pushed the thought aside as he walked past the Gindaco, his stomach suddenly growling at the smell of fresh takoyaki wafting from inside. He hadn’t eaten all day again, distracted with work and whatnot. He stopped in front of the storefront and stared at the menu, doing some quick mental math and trying to remember how much yen he had tucked away in his wallet.
He had enough to order a six piece takoyaki and still afford a few boxes of cigs, but not enough to get a highball to go with the food. Eyeing the image of a sweating glass plastered on the menu made him really crave a drink, but if he needed it that badly he could always swing by Tender and put a bottle's worth on his ever-growing tab.
Although, his drinks from Tender had started to taste a little less like whiskey recently.
His stomach growled again, and he hopped in line to order the food. Spending more time here would mean more time for Kaito to make himself scarce by the time he got back to the office. It was getting late anyways, and if they weren’t going out for drinks Kaito usually went home around this time.
A few minutes of waiting and trying to ignore the vibrations of his phone in his pocket and his piping-hot takoyaki was ready. Yagami thanked the worker and found a place to lean against the wall and eat. It was hot, and burned the shit out of his tongue as he wasted no time digging in, but tasted pretty damn good.
Soon he was finished, tossing his container into a trash can and brushing his hands on his jeans as he turned to continue on towards the Poppo. His fingers were itching now in his jacket pockets, desperate for a cig after a nice meal. He kicked himself mentally for giving Kaito that advance last week, if not for that maybe he could have gotten a highball or two to wash out the sticky feeling of takoyaki batter from his throat. Or maybe he should have just fought those punks who would have doubtlessly started shit with him in the alley, stolen some yen out of their wallets like he did sometimes when things got desperate.
A second ending flashed through his mind, himself battered and bruised in some dark corner, he tried to forget about how good that sounded.
Either way, he’d be better off now if he had a bit more liquidity. But he couldn’t be mad at Kaito for needing some cash, it was important, probably. He never really asked.
He never really asked about much, he realized. Thinking hard, Yagami couldn’t come up with the last time he had talked to Kaito about anything going on in his life, or his own for that matter. He probably hadn’t at all since a few years back. He guessed that was it, the thing that kept them from being best friends or whatever the fuck you want to call it. They never talked about anything other than work or the Family, less so the Family nowadays.
It bothered him a little, in a way he tried to shove somewhere deep in the corner of his mind, but if Kaito was fine with staying professional then he was too. So what if he wanted more, it wasn’t like there was much going on in his life to talk about anyways.
He walked through the doors of the Poppo, hoping for warmer air inside but not getting much. He didn’t bother perusing the shelves and instead went straight for the counter. He glanced at the array of cigarette brands behind the employee, and wondered briefly if Kaito might need a new box before grinding his teeth together and asking for two boxes of lucky stars.
They weren’t friends, he decided with as much finality as he could muster. It was something he had been feeling for a while, and last week had made certain of where the two stood. If Kaito wanted cigs he could buy his own.
Yagami paid, yanking the offered boxes from the employee's hand a little faster than he meant to before hurriedly making his way outside. He beelined across the street to the ashtray outside the batting center, cigarette already in his mouth, and fumbled in his pockets for his lighter before finally getting it out of his tight pants and flicking it to produce a small flame. The smoke was like a breath of fresh air as it hit his lungs, coiling hot and familiar inside his chest as he inhaled deeply, holding the cigarette tightly between his fingers. He took a long drag, holding it in his chest for a moment before exhaling slowly, already feeling calmer with the nicotine in his blood.
He stood next to the tray, shivering slightly as he finished off his cigarette and lit another, then another, then one more just to round it out before he finally pushed off the wall he had leaned on. It had surely been long enough now, there was no way Kaito was still sitting around in the office, especially after he had stormed out like that.
His legs were stiff underneath him, from the cold as well as from standing upright for so long. As he walked along Park avenue, the image of Kaito waiting for him in the office flashed through his mind. He could still be there, sadly waiting for Yagami to return so he could apologize for making him upset. He grit his teeth as he thought about it, about making Kaito wait around getting more and more upset because he couldn't just use his words and say what had been bothering him. Kaito didn’t deserve that, he didn’t deserve to have to deal with him at all.
He hadn’t been paying attention–or maybe he had–but suddenly he found himself face to face with a group of Keihin thugs in the narrow side street between the tower and what remained of Little Asia. The stiffness in his legs slowed him down, he told himself, as the first guy’s fist connected with his face. That was why he failed to dodge around the widely swung and inelegant punch. He went down hard, air getting knocked from his lungs as the rest of the guys went to town, kicking him from all sides. He could barely get his arms up to protect his head between the constant barrage. A kick landed in his gut and for a moment he thought he was going to lose his takoyaki from earlier before a cry of alarm came from one of the punks and the kicking stopped just long enough for Yagami to glance up and see a streak of orange pass by above him as something large, and very familiar, slammed into multiple guys as the group dispersed and very quickly disappeared down the street.
Yagami hurt all over, shakily trying to push himself up, running through his list of excuses to find one suitable when a large hand landed on his shoulder.
He looked up, not quite making eye contact as Kaito wrapped an arm over Yagami’s shoulders and helped him stand. His legs shook, and his head spun like he had been drinking all night when he finally got upright again.
The man at his side said nothing, asked nothing, and was patient as he slowly took each step forward as they made their way back to the office. Yagami stared at the ground, swallowing down the lump that had appeared in his throat, large and painful.
He practically had to be carried up the stairs, body exhausted by the time they made it back to the office. When they were finally inside, he tried to make a break for the couch, if he faked passing out Kaito would assume he had been drinking and hopefully wouldn’t question him. But, a hand on his shoulder was all it took to hold him back. He turned slowly, readying himself for the chastizing he was hoping to avoid when he was suddenly pulled forward and engulfed in Kaito’s arms.
He was warm, and his chest was soft against Yagami’s face where his head tucked in under his chin. His arms were pinned to his sides, held firmly but not too tightly in muscular arms. A hand landed on the back of his head and held him close against Kaito’s front. The other hand came to his back and rubbed up and down slowly, comforting. His eyes burned slightly as he leaned into the touch, relaxing into the hug.
A few moments later, Kaito was pulling away gently, hands on Yagami’s shoulders. Yagami looked up, seeing a sad smile on Kaito’s face and turned to stare into the ground instead. The hands on his shoulders turned him and directed him towards the couch. He sat heavily and sighed, reaching into his pocket for another cig.
As soon as it was lit, Kaito was next to him again, ice pack in hand as he pressed it to his head and stared at him with those big, sad eyes. This was exactly what Yagami had been dreading, to come back and have to talk about it, have to apologize for being a dickhead and drive yet another wedge between him and Kaito.
“I’m sorry for being a dickhead.” Kaito said, free hand cradling the other side of Yagami’s head as he held the ice to it. “I didn’t even realize that you might actually take it seriously.”
“Thanks.” Yagami spat out, his voice was hoarser than he expected, he bit back the urge to cough as he took another drag. His ribs ached with the effort of taking a breath, probably cracked in a few places knowing his luck.
“Okay, hold on,” Kaito paused, turning to look out at the wall on the other side of the office. “That didn’t sound right.”
Yagami could hear the crackling of his cigarette in the quiet office as he took a breath in. The ice felt good against his head, contrasted by the warmth of Kaito’s palm.
“What I meant was,” Kaito started again after gathering his thoughts, “We shit-talk each other like that all the time, I didn’t realize it wasn’t one of those moments.”
“It’s fine,” Yagami said, taking the ice in his free hand and waving off Kaito. He didn’t want to deal with this right now. It was hard enough thinking about it, but having to have this conversation with Kaito when the dude was practically all over him felt suffocating. “I overreacted, it’s all good.”
“No it’s not,” Kaito let him pull away, shifting on the couch next to him. He settled with his elbows resting on his knees, head staring down between his feet as he thought through his next words. “I… We’re friends. That’s what you were looking for me to say, right?”
Yagami turned his head the other way, sucking on his cigarette.
“We are. I mean that, I… I care about you man.” Kaito sighed, scrubbing his hands across his face. “I’m the one who made it hard to talk about, I know, but… I care about you.”
“I don’t exactly make it easy,” Yagami replied.
“Nah, but I’m a grown ass man, I should be able to tell my friend that I like him without getting awkward.”
Yagami mashed his used cigarette into the ashtray.
“It’s just… It’s easier sometimes to be that way with someone you knew from school, y'know what I mean?”
“Not really.”
“Like, we used to fuck around on the playground and talk about girls we like and kick rocks at each other. We played, it was casual.”
“We used to do stuff like that.” His voice was quieter than he expected it to be.
“Yeah…” Kaito’s response was just as quiet. “I guess something changed when… I got booted last year.”
He ran a hand back through his hair. Yagami spared a glance over and could see the tension in his face, between his eyebrows and at the back of his jaw.
“Like, everything was real all of a sudden. I had just been fucking around my whole life, shooting the shit, and then all of a sudden that shit with the money happened. Higashi almost died and it would have been because of me.” He took a breath, “Then, I got booted and a few days later you were my boss instead of Hamura.”
“I was never really your boss,” Yagami said, he was looking properly now, watching the way Kaito’s face twitched.
“Nah, you don’t get it man, and that’s okay. You were never sworn up, you know what it’s like to have a normal job. It’s just different for me.”
Yagami’s head ached. He moved the ice to the other side of his face, where that first punch had landed on his cheekbone.
“I guess, somewhere along the way we just kind of stopped being friends.”
The ache in his head had nothing on the pain that bloomed deep in his core. Yagami felt his heart pound in his chest, teeth grinding together so hard he felt like he was gonna split his skull in half.
“But-” Kaito hurriedly looked up, catching Yagami’s eyes. The pain he saw there matched his own. “I want to go back to how things were before. I want to get cheesy.”
Yagami scoffed, shaking his head and very immediately finding out that it was a mistake as he swayed in his seat, a firm hand coming out to stabilize him.
“You had to say it like that, huh?”
Kaito’s face broke out into a shy smile, slightly sheepish. “Sorry, guess I still need to work on taking shit seriously.”
“Nah you’re good, man.” Yagami sighed a little, smiling to himself as he felt Kaito pull him into another little hug. “I want to get cheesy too. And, I get what you mean, the past few years have… changed me in a lot of ways.”
Kaito’s smile very quickly dissolved into a small frown, he scooted a little closer, holding Yagami a little tighter.
He appreciated Kaito for not bringing it up.
“Anyways, I wanna apologize too. It wasn’t cool of me to storm out like that, you didn’t know I was feeling that way.”
“It’s all good, I was just worried, especially when you didn’t answer your texts. That’s why I came looking.”
Kaito was smiling down at him again.
“I guess I should thank you for coming to my rescue.”
“You know I’ll always be there to help out.”
He appreciated Kaito for not bringing that up either, both of them knew Yagami could have handled those dudes on his own. Both of them knew why he didn’t.
“You should come home with me.” Kaito said suddenly, dragging Yagami out of that train of thought before he could get too deep.
“Damn Kaito-san, propositioning me already?” Yagami smiled a little and dug his elbow into Kaito’s side gently.
“Now who’s not taking things seriously.” Kaito rolled his eyes, “I’d feel bad about making you sleep on this awful couch after all that, come sleep on a real bed and get some rest man.”
“Why do I get the feeling this isn’t negotiable?”
“You know me too well,” Kaito grinned down at him, infectious in his earnestness. His voice dropped slightly, nearing a whisper, “I know we quit for a reason but, If you want to… do some other stuff that we used to do again…” He trailed off, blushing deeper than Yagami had seen him blush in a long time as he turned away slightly.
“Yeah… I’d like that,” Yagami responded, “I’ve been wondering about it for a while.” He hesitated before adding, “I still feel the same way.”
Kaito smiled shyly at him, thinking for a moment before he turned and pressed a kiss to the side of Yagami’s head. “Glad we’re on the same page with that,” he stood then, offering a hand down to Yagami to help him up.
Yagami smiled up at him, taking the hand offered to him and using it to pull himself to his feet. “Shit- we definitely can’t get to that tonight though,” He clutched at his ribs, grimacing with the pain that coursed through his body.
“No rush, just putting it out there.” Kaito wrapped an arm over his shoulders again, supporting him as they made their way out of the office.
He technically didn’t need the help to walk anymore. His head had stopped spinning a while ago, and the aching in his body was a little less sharp. But, he leaned against Kaito as they made their way down to the street, enjoying the warmth of his body that helped protect him from the cold of the Kamurocho night.