Work Text:
Almost Close Enough
Kamitani x Ryuuichi
…
“You look tired.”
The only sound that could be heard in the daycare room, apart from the gentle snores of the toddlers, was the careful movement of the two boys, as they cleaned up the mess.
“Just a little, but I’m okay.” Ryuuichi rubbed his eye with the back of his hand, a yawn escaping through his lips. “I was up all night studying for the test next week… and with the kids, they know how to tire me out, you know?”
Kamitani glanced at him through the corners of his narrow eyes, taking in his slow movements. “You need to sleep as much as you study. You’ll fail if you show up exhausted.”
His words were always so blunt, hardly ever cushioned to soften the blow to the listener. To this, Ryuuichi’s response was to simply chuckle at his friend. “You’re right, Kamitani… blunt but always right.”
His eyes came down to the table, as he kneeled on the ground. Usaida-san had given the kids snacks before laying them down for their nap, the remnants of which were littering the surface. As his hand moved to grab one of the kids’ sippy cups, he hadn’t noticed the lid was unscrewed, slipping through his hand and spilling over the table and on his white sweater vest.
“Oh geez,” he mumbled with another chuckle.
Kamitani sighed to himself, rolling his eyes. “Hold still.”
In a few strides, the boy had made his way to the table, grabbing tissues on the way. Without thinking, his hands came to the Ryuuichi, one patting the stain dry and the other pressed against his lower back.
The unexpected gesture caught Ryuuichi off guard, causing a soft pink hue to cover his cheeks. Kamitani was never one to touch other people, unless it was to offer a disciplining blow to his younger brother’s head, so for him to touch someone else in this way…
“It’s-it’s fine.” Ryuuichi stuttered, waving his hands.
Kamitani’s eyes widened, but narrowed again, quick enough that Ryuuichi hadn’t noticed the other boy’s surprise, before handing over the tissues. “Uh, right…here.”
As he pulled back, Kamitani noticed the faint shade on the boy’s face, bringing a bit of color to his pale skin. It was rather…cute.
He shook his head, reprimanding himself. What was the matter with him? Why was his friend making him feel so flustered?
“You’re unbelievably clumsy, you know that…” Kamitani muttered, trying to make the situation less awkward.
He turned his back to face Ryuuichi, busying himself with cleaning the table. A moment later, a laugh came from behind him, causing his shoulders to loosen.
“I promise, I’ll be more careful.”
His laugh was a sound that Kamitani had heard countless times before, but as of recently, it had become the cause of a fluttering in his chest. When had he become so weak to this sound, and why did it have to be so debilitating?
“The first part of your name means ‘dragon,’ right?” He asked, suddenly.
Ryuuichi looked up from his shirt, blinking in confusion. “Yeah, why?”
He had finished cleaning the table and stood, back still facing the other boy, hiding the soft smile that had crept on his face. “Dragons are aggressive and scary… it looks like your parents had the wrong idea…should have named you something like ‘tori’ (bird) instead.”
“Tori?” Ryuuichi watched as Kamitani walked away from him, throwing the trash away. “...I like that.”
…
As time continued to tick by, the two quickly worked to finish cleaning the daycare room so it would be clean and ready for school next week.
Walking to the cabinet to put away all of the cleaning supplies, Kamitani hears a grumbling stomach from across the room, his eyes, first, going to the sleeping toddlers then subsequently to Ryuuichi.
There was a slight pause, as he thought to himself, before walking over to his backpack. From his lunchbox, he pulled out a tuna onigiri that he hadn’t eaten, handing it to Ryuuichi.
His eyes widened, as Kamitani extended his hand, leaning away from him slightly. “Oh no, I shouldn’t—”
“Take it.” His hand reached out to grab Ryuuichi by the wrist, the touch sending a spark through his finger tips.
The contact seemed to frighten both boys, their eyes coming down to look at their hands. Kamitani quickly placed the onigiri into his palm, letting go of him.
His hand had lingered on Ryuuichi far longer than was necessary, his grip far tighter than was necessary. His heart rate had skyrocketed and the butterflies seemed to become more intense. Just a week ago, Kamitani swore that he hadn’t been so flustered around him, but now, something had changed…he just hoped Ryuuichi didn’t notice.
“...Thank you.” His hand closed around the rice ball, feeling the seran wrap against his fingers. “...But I’ll only eat it if you eat half.”
Kamitani sighed, letting out a breath that he didn’t notice he was holding in. “Fine.”
He watched as Ryuuichi unwrapped the onigiri, taking a bite and then another, until half remained. Still chewing, the warmth in his cheeks evident, his hands extended the onigiri to Kamitani, bringing it to his lips.
His eyes flickered between Ryuuichi and his hands.The gesture was innocent; the way that the other boy looked into his eyes, hesitant and with that godforsaken blush, he was sure of this. But even so, there was something that felt so intimate about what was happening between them.
Taking in a soft breath, Kamitani bit into the onigiri, avoiding Ryuuichi’s eyes. As he ate, he had hoped that between the flavors of the tuna and mayo something would distract him from the big brown eyes that penetrated his features, but it had done nothing but make him eat faster.
There was something oddly captivating about watching him eat, his eyes looking in every direction but forward. He was normally so reserved, so aloof… it was fascinating to Ryuuichi to see that their friendship had grown to the point where they could experience something like this together.
“...You like me, don’t you?” He said with a laugh.
Kamitani’s eyes bulged out of his head, nearly choking on the tuna that was rolling around in his mouth, as he squeaked out a strained response. “H-Huh?!”
A sweet smile spread across Ryuuichi’s face, weakening him even further. “You know, when we first met, I thought you didn’t like me. But I’m glad to see now that I was wrong.”
Oh, so he meant it in a friendly way…right.
“...Go finish putting the toys away,” he grumbled, swiftly walking away from the boy, trying to hide his burning face.
“Wait, Kamitani,” he continued laughing, tripping over his feet as he followed, “you didn’t finish the onigiri!”
“Get away from me.”
…
“By the way, I’m not sure if Usaida-san told you, but you’re doing a great job with the kids.”
He gave a soft scoff. “You think so?”
“Of course I do!” He nudged Kamitani’s shoulder. “You’re a little rough around the edges and all… but you take care of them, and that’s what really matters.”
Before a quick witted response could be given, the realization hit that their shoulders had touched, making Kamitani slightly shift in his position on the floor. Feeling the involuntary blush flush over his face, he turned his head slightly. “Right…”
The warmth from the sunlight drifted into the room, through the half drawn curtains, casting its rays across the two boys as they leaned against the wall. Ryuuichi sat with his legs drawn into himself, his eyes half lidded, his lips parted, and his head leaning to the side ever so slightly. His presence felt calm and peaceful, melting into the picturesque scene painted before them.
They had both remained silent, allowing the tranquility to sit amongst them, until Ryuuichi spoke again, his voice a gentle whisper. “Wouldn’t you rather focus on baseball? I’m sure having both clubs can be time consuming.”
In a sense, he was correct; juggling both clubs could be a handful. However, both clubs held something important to him. Baseball meant chasing his passion and babysitting meant… chasing him.
He hummed, eyes turning to the floor. “Maybe. But I…I enjoy both.”
The silence persisted again, Kamitani refusing to look in his direction. It wasn’t until roughly ten minutes later that he gained the confidence to say anything.
“You know, I have a game this weekend…you should come—”
Within seconds, his narrow gaze softened, his shoulders slouching; his lips pressed in a thin line with an expression that showcased a quiet tenderness that he would be too embarrassed to admit.
Ryuuichi’s messy brown hair covered his closed eyes, his breathing almost imperceptible. At the sight, the air had already been knocked from his lungs, but his body had an even more visceral reaction when the other boy’s head gently fell to his shoulder.
It had taken everything in him to stay upright, his face burning bright with embarrassment, but after a moment, he managed to calm himself and his racing heart.
Kamitani’s shaky hand came up to brush the strands of hair from his face. His touch was delicate, as to not disturb his rest, but lingered on his cheek for a moment.
“Tori…yeah, that’s fitting.”
His voice had a tone that he didn’t know he was capable of, so tender that he barely recognized himself. But just when the atmosphere had become so warm, Ryuuichi stirred.
Groggily lifting his head, he rubbed his eyes. “Hmph…oh—sorry…”
Taking in his surroundings, he realized that he had fallen asleep on his friend’s shoulder. He lifted his head, looking bashfully at Kamitani, who quickly avoided his eyes.
“...You fell asleep.”
Ryuuichi rubbed the back of his neck, finding amusement in his actions. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to invade your space.”
The two were still so close, their thighs touching and their faces inches apart, but neither moved away. With this proximity, Kamitani prayed that the other couldn’t hear his heartbeat, his eyes flickering down to his lips. To close the space between them would mean that he could feel the soft kiss of his friend, of his crush; what was even more alluring was that Ryuuichi, oblivious as ever, wasn’t moving away either, even as Kamitani slowly moved forward.
“Nii-chan!”
…Taka had done much to frustrate his older brother; destroying his autographed baseball and running off in public were only small examples of what he experienced in his day to day life. But the frustration and shock that ignited inside of his body, on this day, could not be expressed on his face, even though the flames that raged in his eyes were evident.
“The-the kids are up.” Ryuuichi whispered, the clueless boy taken aback by his friend’s expression.
Kamitani took a slow and deep breath, quickly standing to his feet. “Yeah.”
As he made his way over to the kids, who had begun to roll out of the sleeping mats, he picked up Taka, who was flailing his arms in a groggy outburst, by the legs, carrying him back across the room.
Ryuuichi didn’t know what that expression on the boy’s face was, before or after Taka’s exclamation… but he couldn’t help but blush. His behavior was definitely off today, but for now, neither one of them chose to address it.
…