Work Text:
The sun is just starting to set when Hirano gets on the train after work. The train is nearly empty, the hustle and bustle of rush hour traffic just recently subsiding, and so he doesn’t feel bad when he has to dig through his bag to fish out his phone. Hirano taps away at the screen.
I’m going to be near you in about half an hour. Can we meet up?
Heading home from his job isn't really going to put him anywhere on the map that is particularly close to Kagiura, but it’s much easier to pretend like he’s ending up in his orbit by accident. Afterall, the ride to the dorms isn’t really that long or that out of the way from his trip home, and he’s had a long day. Kagiura owes him a little leniency for not wanting to get completely into it right now.
‘ASJSNBKAGJ’, Kagiura replies, and then immediately makes two calls that Hirano has to send straight to voicemail.
I’m on the train.
Then again, a few seconds later.
So. Can we meet up?
‘Yes!!!!!!!!!!!’ Kagiura finally gets back to him, 5 minutes later. ‘ SorryI’mgettingready.’
Hirano laughs softly under his breath and clicks his phone off. He can imagine Kagiura’s expression right now, eyes wide and pouting as he tries to dig through his clothes. No matter how many times Hirano has told him that he doesn’t care, that they spent two years in each other's presence irrespective of presentability, Kagiura always feels the need to try and impress him.
‘It’s not the same anymore, Hirano-san,’ Hirano can hear in the back of his mind. ‘ If we’re only going to see each other for a little bit, I need to make sure you can see the best side of me.’
It’s hard to not instinctively try and argue with the Kagiura in his head – to tell him that he had fallen in love with him because he likes every part of him, and that his favorite sides of Kagiura are the ones that only he gets to see.
Though, of course, there is still appeal in the way Kagiura seems to always want to impress him. Like the same hot passion that he puts into basketball is multiplied tenfold and shot as an arrow pointed straight at his heart.
The train slows and announces the stop, and Hirano mentally notes that he only has one more to go before he has to exit. It's not long before the speed picks up again, gently rocking him from side to side, and then suddenly the doors are whooshing again and letting him know he’s arrived.
He doesn’t even fully step out of the car before he hears a “Hirano-san!” coming from a few meters to his right. It immediately gets his attention, and by the time he turns to face the sound Kagiura is already making big strides towards him. His eyes are wide, like Hirano had imagined earlier, but his mouth is curved into a little ‘O’ as he huffs out air.
“Did you run here?” is the first thing Hirano says when they’re close enough to properly talk without needing to yell across the station.
Guilty as charged, Kagiura shifts his gaze to the floor. “Maybe.”
Hirano brings a hand up to ruffle his hair, exacerbating the already wildly disheveled flow of his strands. He almost wants to make a joke about not running in the hallways – like they’re back in school together and Hirano is just barely enforcing the rules against him. He decides against it.
“You didn’t need to do that. I would have waited for you.”
Well, Hirano is already waiting for him anyways. Every single day. Counting the imaginary tally marks on the wall next to his bed in his painfully empty apartment, waiting for when they can finally be roommates again.
Kagiura just pouts in response, clearly wanting to say something more. If this were a year ago, he’d probably be mumbling ‘ That’s not fair’, but they’re dating now and so technically it is fair now.
“Come on, let’s go.” Hirano reaches out his hand and Kagiura takes it for a moment, tapping gently against his palm, before dropping it all together and trailing behind Hirano as they walk out of the station.
The night air is brisk on his exposed face, but thankfully the rest of his body is mostly covered due to his uniform. Kagiura also looks like he has an adequate amount of layers on, but Hirano suddenly feels the urge to be selfish and get closer and take some of that body heat.
Unfortunately, he has to be much more conservative with his wants now that it’s nearly impossible for them to be truly alone together.
Like Kagiura can read his mind, his next sentence starts with: “So, I asked the dorm head if I can stay out overnight.”
Hirano pauses. “Wait. Like, tonight?”
His apartment isn’t messy , but it's definitely in no state to have somebody over right now. He barely even has food in the fridge. “Don’t you usually need to give them more notice?”
“Not tonight.” Kagiura says, trying to interject but not finding the space to. “Next weekend.”
“Oh,” Hirano says. That makes more sense. “And?”
“He said yes. He said there’s not that many things to consider because I’m a third year now, so I don’t have to worry about potentially bothering a roommate.” Kagiura is looking straight at him, smiling softly. “As long as I give him a heads up, I’m totally okay to stay out whenever I want.”
Hirano knows what Kagiura is trying to imply, so he glares at him with all the performative annoyance he can muster. Hopefully it cancels out the faint warmth he can feel in his face.
“Well, you better not use that as an excuse to slack off on your studies.”
“Of course not!” Kagiura is pouting again. “Besides, I still have practice to worry about too. I just thought…”
The laugh that echoes in Hirano’s chest completely betrays whatever sternness he was trying to show.
“Yeah, I get it. Just knowing you have the option is nice.”
Kagiura purposefully lets their hands brush together, linking their pinkies for just a second before pulling away, and Hirano wishes he had requested to stay out tonight. Morning practice be damned.
They’re just walking aimlessly, basking in the gentle streetlight, and Hirano takes in every curve of Kagiura’s face. How his eyes sparkle when he’s excited, how his brow furrows when Hirano says something embarrassing, how his expression gets comically serious when he’s imitating something his classmate said…
Hirano wants to stay right by his side forever. In the dorms, in his apartment, on this empty street that he doesn’t know the name of – wherever is okay. As long as he’s with Kagiura.
“I love you.” Hirano says abruptly, sometime during a story about how Kagiura’s kouhai on the basketball team tripped over his untied shoelaces yesterday. Kagiura’s face is bright red even under the cool tone of the moonlight.
“I love you too, Hirano-san.”