Work Text:
You couldn’t believe yourself.
You quit your job. In the face of your boss. Granted, there was a good reason you did.
The company you worked for had just reached their 20th anniversary, and your boss was insistent on everyone celebrating the occasion. Although you usually weren’t a fan of parties, you figured that attending would be a good and loyal image on you. You were aware of office parties being a mainstay in Japan, where even drinking at work was formal and institutionalized.
However, when you had arrived in your rarely-worn pink dress and heels, you were simply not prepared for what had happened. The party started off rather innocently with speeches, though all formal pretenses dropped as soon as they were finished. Every guest in the room were served beers, which alarmed you a bit since you didn’t drink. After a toast, people began milling against each other from table to table, making sure that their glasses never went empty. You would overhear blatant complaints about co-workers in certain chat circles (none that were about you, thankfully), where the typical reaction would be knee-slapping laughter. The drastic shift in atmosphere almost gave you whiplash— it seemed that virtually everyone turned into social bees as soon as they finished a bottle. Being probably the only sober person present, you were much more comfortable being an observer who sat near a wall, anxiously waiting for an appropriate time window to exit the party as to not appear rude. Only a few co-workers came to you to chat, which was fine— you were decent at small talk.
But things would take a turn for the worst as soon as your hammered boss asked you to come inside his office alone. You honestly didn’t remember what happened all too well because the series of events that played escalated mind-bogglingly fast. He first said something about how wonderful it was to have a foreigner working at his company, and that you were apparently his favorite employee. Coming from your boss, it should have been a compliment that one would be ecstatic to hear. Though the praise took on a dark meaning when he suddenly leaned uncomfortably close to you for a kiss, even trying to hook his arm over your waist so that you didn’t leave. Disbelief and shock held you in place at first, but you pulled away from him, desperately hoping that he was either joking or just drunk. Your hopes were squashed when he threatened you with a poor performance review if you didn’t “relax.” Realizing what was truly happening, panic swept you in a current. In that intense moment, there were no immediate answers to get you out of the situation except for one: boldly announce that you were quitting and just bolt out of the building.
Anxiety stiffened every movement you made as you walked away from the block where your former workplace lied, your feet taking you to no destination in particular. Your mind rang with questions. How could this happen to you? Why would he do such a thing? He had a wife and kids! He seemed like a totally normal guy at a typical day at work… Did drinking bring that kind of side out of him? Were your actions too hasty in this context, then? His inhibitions were gone; maybe he won’t remember what happened tonight. But then what if he remembered what happened? Would you be getting a call later? How would you get your paycheck for the week? Speaking of which, what would be the money situation be from here on out? You didn’t have a job anymore, and finding a new one might be hard because your old work would refuse to be your reference because you quit so suddenly. Wait, no! You should make a complaint! What he had done was completely unethical! But then… that complaint would be set against the CEO. The original founder of the company! A hopeless situation! The power struggle would—
A splash of water harshly interrupted your frantic train of thought. The suddenness of it almost made you scream, as though yet another threat came to throw your life into hell. Realization sank in when you noticed that you stood near a puddle of water that settled near the curb that separated the road and the sidewalk. It actually was raining earlier when you were at the party, so a passing car nearby must have driven over it. You let out a dismal sigh as you could feel your partially wet dress and hair settling uncomfortably onto your skin. You felt like some cosmic plaything; the most unluckiest human being in the world for the day. Actually, this might have been your worst day ever since moving here.
You began walking again, mind blank and defogged of panic. Your nerves weren’t as frayed as before, but you could feel your heart slowly cracking.
After trudging through several streets, your stomach growled loudly. Oh, and now you were hungry! Did you happen to piss off every god in existence? Was karma trying to kick you in the butt for all the times you’ve littered in your life or something? What did you do to deserve this?
Anyway… You had absolutely nothing appetizing to eat at your home, you remembered. While your gloomy mood pushed nearly all your instincts to withdraw yourself in your room, you refused to go to sleep on an empty stomach. You had a decently full wallet in your purse… What was open right now? You were in the mood for something warming…
Warming… Wait, oden! Chibita’s oden, to be specific. He wasn’t lying when he said that he made his the best. Remembering that his cart wasn’t too far from your location, you picked up the pace as you tried not to cry.
After passing a few blocks, you let out a sigh of relief when the cart was within your sight, emanating warm lights that indicated open hours. The seats were empty beneath the flaps, assuaging your fear of being around yet more crowds. As you approached the cart closer you heard clatter that undoubtedly came from Chibita doing his work. You lifted the flap and revealed yourself to him, breaking his focus from cooking. He looked up and his face instantly broke into a grin when he recognized you.
“Oh, hey! It’s you, idjit! Welcome back,” he greeted with his characteristic zest. “I was just thinking about you today. Come on in! Help yourself to anything!” Your lips twitched into a weak smile as you seated yourself.
“Hi Chibita. Glad you’re still open.” You flinched when you heard your voice coming out raw. You were too embarrassed to meet his gaze.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” you heard him ask, and you lifted your head to see that his face fell slightly by your obvious low spirits. “It looks like something just happened. I’m here if you wanna talk… I’m a good listener, y’know.”
It was those kind words that finally opened the dams. You weren’t the type of person to freely talk about your problems, but tonight was an exception. Tears began to roll out off your cheeks as your voice strained out in a sob.
“Chibita… Oh, it was so awful…!”
You burst forth with today’s story. All from the party that you desperately wanted to leave, when your boss made unwanted advances on you, your hasty announcement of quitting, and when a car inadvertently splashed water all over you. You sniffled all the while, and Chibita was so invested in your troubles that he would sometimes leave the rear of the cart to come over and rub your back in soothing circles. You also made it quite apparent about your fear of unemployment.
“Well, you wouldn’t be the only unemployed person I’d know, damn it,” Chibita remarked, crossing his arms. “Just look at those NEETs! At least you have experience behind you, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find another one!”
You sighed. “You’re right. It’s just… I can’t believe what happened. It’s all so crazy.” Not wanting to think about it further, you helped yourself to more bites of the oden you ordered not too long ago. It was delicious, but didn’t quite hit the spot the way you were hoping it would. Even though you felt yourself relatively calmer after venting, you still ached inside. You itched for an immediate method of relief that you hadn’t felt in a long time.
“Chibita,” you began slowly, a corner of your mind still unsure about your idea, “Could you… serve me some sake? I’m making an exception for tonight.” The oden expert quirked an eyebrow at first, but did as you requested.
“I don’t blame you one bit, idjit,” he said as he placed a full ceramic cup on the counter next to your now-empty bowl. “I still can’t believe what your boss did to you back there. I’d be red with anger!” You laughed mirthlessly while you gingerly held the tiny cup with your fingers.
“Y-yeah. I’m still processing that,” you said before tentatively sipping your drink. The citrusy flavor overlapped the alcohol in a pleasing blend. “Thank you for listening to me, Chibita.”
Chibita laughed through his toothy grin, obtaining the bowl you finished to place it in his sink. “Not a problem, idjit! Wanna hear something crazy that happened to me today?”
The two of you had light conversation for what seemed like an hour. After your second refill, your senses reached that sweet, sweet dullness that you yearned for. You were frugal with your sips, but kept the frequency steady as to not give invitation for anxiety to return and dig its claws into you. The only noticeable difference in your behavior is that everything seemed to be funnier, where you would giggle at pretty much every little thing Chibita said. It probably made you look like a dumb ass, but it certainly helped. For a moment, you had completely forgotten the catastrophe from earlier.
When the moon began to rise, you would find yourself with more company. The air around you stirred when your ears picked up the sounds of chattering in the distance. Chibita let out a frustrated growl.
“Damn it. Must be those NEETs again,” he grumbled as he washed his dishes, his scrubbing motions suddenly turning rough. “Better make sure that they don’t make your day even worse.
Earlier, when you were sober, you probably would have left instead of staying. But the drinks you had indulged yourself with made you too relaxed to care for the complexities of social interaction, and your seat felt so snuggly. One of the brothers might walk you home later anyway. Drinks plus a damp dress that clung onto your body wasn’t a good mix whenever walking alone in the streets at night.
“HUSTLE!”
A shout from your left nearly made you jump. Turning your head, you saw that the source of the noise was Jyushimatsu, coming through the flap with his typical exuberance and gaping smile. He quickly regarded your presence and seated himself near you, almost toppling the bench with his abrupt movement.
“_____-chan! Hi!”
His energy and optimism was definitely refreshing, especially on a day that took away all of yours. You laughed, the buzz from the sake removing any filter on your amusement.
“What's up, Jyushimatsu? Are your other brothers coming?”
“Yeah,” he answered, his legs absentmindedly bouncing in the air, “but it’s just Ichimatsu nii-san and Todomatsu nii-san right now! My other brothers are out to buy kerosene!”
A shudder ran through your body as soon as there was mention of the cat lover. You weren’t sure if you were excited or dreading to see him. Your frazzled hair, slightly wet dress, and the fact that you were drinking for the first time in years wasn’t a flattering sight, you thought.
“Jyushimatsu! You shouldn’t run off ahead of us,” a beleaguered voice called out nearby. A figure passing through the flap revealed them to be Todomatsu. He was rather dressed up compared to his older brother, perhaps for an occasion that you didn’t know about. When his eyes settled on you, his expression morphed from one of frustration to pleasant surprise.
“Oh, it’s _____!” An endearing smile formed on his lips as he waved at you, which you returned. He seated himself next to you, opposite of Jyushimatsu. He briefly eyed you up and down. “You look absolutely cute tonight! What’s the occasion?”
You vainly resisted an impending blush from his comment while you answered, “Oh, thank you. And, uh… Well, my work had a party today. It was their 20th anniversary and business was at its peak. It wouldn’t be a good look on me if I refused to go…”
Just as you were done talking, the fourth brother torpidly entered through the flaps. You could have sworn that his eyes briefly narrowed when they caught sight of you, but they went to normal he seated himself next to the baseball-loving brother. The three visitors helped themselves with some food and drinks.
“Don’t you idiots get any wrong ideas,” Chibita said dourly. “She had a bad day today. Give her some space.”
Your ears burned with embarrassment when you felt three pairs of eyes settling on you. Why did he have to come and announce it like that? He may have been a bit protective for his own good.
“Ehh?!”
“_____! What happened?! Are you okay?”
The two youngest brothers gave you looks of concern as they questioned you. The sudden spotlight made you wilt a bit. Swallowing thickly, you decided that you might as well be honest and get to the point.
“I, uh… I quit my job.”
“EHH?!”
“What?! You quit?”
“… Why?”
The last question in particular shook you, since it came from the person you least expected to speak up. Quickly, as to not make it obvious, you looked at Ichimatsu, who appeared visibly shocked by the news. Your exchanged glances made him flinch before he looked downward at his hands that were pressed against his lap. You wanted to ponder about it more, but in the end you shoved your curiosity aside as you regarded the other brothers to explain what happened.
“My boss, uh… Well, I guess he had too much to drink and he kind of invaded my personal space.” Your passive wording underplayed the severity of the event, but you really didn’t want this to be a big deal. You already had enough drama for the day, and you wanted this to be behind you as soon as possible. “He—He tried to touch me, uh… well, you know. Touch me. I told him to stop, but then he said that he’d fire me if I didn’t give in.”
Everyone gave you full attention as you spoke, the atmosphere becoming tense. Knowing that your story was incomplete, you forced yourself to finish.
“In the heat of the moment, before it got worse, I-I told him that I quit. And I just… ran out of there. I was too scared to see his reaction. I didn’t want to go back…”
Silence stretched out for an uncomfortable moment as the brothers took time to fully absorb your tale. As though it could buffer against the awkwardness that ate at you, you downed the rest of your sake without meeting anyone’s gaze. It really hit the spot, too. You hoped that you wouldn’t make this develop into a new habit after tonight, especially since that you were now unemployed.
After a swig of his drink, Jyushimatsu was the first to react. “Wow, that sucks, _____! Glad you made it out okay, though! You got guts and muscle!”
Todomatsu nodded vigorously with knitted brows. “Yeah! I think you did the right thing! The nerve of him, though! Sleezy men like him deserve to di— I-I mean, uh… Yeah! Absolutely terrible!”
Their assurances, no matter how odd, gave you some relief. Even though your decision certainly lead to your wellbeing intact, sometimes you couldn’t help but doubt, especially when the incident was still fresh. Your lips cracked into an eased smile as you thanked them for listening.
“Yeah! Now ______-chan is a NEET like us!” Jyushimatsu started to bounce on his seat, voice thick with excitement.
“Don’t say that, Jyushimatsu nii-san! That’s not how it works!”
While Todomatsu scolded his older brother, you couldn’t help but gauge Ichimatsu’s reaction to your tale. He was hunched over the counter where his barely-touched food was in his direct line of sight, and you could see the subtle quivering of his arms and hands that were pushed against his lap. He eventually simmered down to his usual languid posture, but you could still see that his hands were enclosed tightly, pale from the pressure of his grip. Was he angry at what happened to you? Upset by your misfortune? Before you could start feeling flattered, his eyes flickered over you. In an instant, your gaze snapped away from him. You didn’t want to be caught staring.
You were buzzed, but not inebriated enough to evade awkwardness. You requested a refill from Chibita, which he attended to quickly. At that, Todomatsu’s attention shifted to you. The unpleasant frown he wore when bickering with his brother switched to a benevolent smile.
“Actually, I don’t think I’ve ever really seen you drink before.” His brows lowered sympathetically. “I guess today really was rough, huh?”
You turned your head to him as you lifted your refilled cup near your lips. “Um, yeah. I guess so. I-I won’t be doing it again after tonight.”
He canted his head in contemplation as you took another sip. “Well, it wouldn’t be a good idea if you walked home by yourself. It is a Saturday night…”
“Ichimatsu nii-san can walk her home!” Jyushimatsu chimed in.
“Huh?!”
Everyone including yourself snapped their heads to the baseball fanatic, who resumed to smile nonchalantly. Looking past Jyushimatsu, you can see that the fourth brother was utterly baffled, not sure how to handle this task that was suddenly thrusted upon him. Detecting his mood, Jyushimatsu turned his face away from your direction to see him. Some nonverbal interaction must have occurred between them because you noted the way Ichimatsu’s shoulder’s eventually lowered with acceptance. Again, you looked away, not wanting to be caught staring.
Todomatsu’s surprise was evident as well, though the there was a vicious edge in his voice as he protested, “Huh? Why just Ichimatsu?!”
“You’re going to a mixer, remember? And you invited me to come! You said that we’re here to pre-game!” The youngest Matsuno grimaced as realization hit him.
“Oh… right,” he grumbled, sinking into his seat with crossed arms. Meanwhile, you were staring down at your lap, your fingers fidgeting with the lace of your pink dress. You were slouched over more than usual, the sake coming in full effect. The chatter around you was background noise as your thoughts drowsily swam in your mind. You dully noted how heavy your head felt and how close it was to slamming on the counter below you.
“Honestly, _____?” Chibita’s voice brought you to the surface. You lifted your head, the simple action dizzying you for a brief moment. Your head nearly rolled to the side as you tried to initiate eye contact with the cook. He gave you a worrying look. “I think it’s best if you left for home now, idjit. It’s almost ten.”
“What?!” You heard Todomatsu startled shout beside you. Your ears then picked up the sound of fumbling, most likely him trying to retrieve his cellphone from his pocket. “Oh no, it’s almost time! Jyushimatsu, we can’t be late!”
“BWAOH!! Let’s go! Mixer!” You felt two presences lift themselves off the bench. Looking to your right, you see two heads peeking out from the flaps of the cart.
“Sorry about what happened to you today, _____! Let’s talk about it together soon, okay?” Todomatsu’s cute smile was full force as he winked at you.
“Let’s play baseball some time, _____-chan!!”
You giggled as you waved at the pair. “Bye guys! Have fun!”
Jyushimatsu’s head disappeared though the flaps, though you can see his feet hopping excitedly not far away. Todomatsu shifted his attention to the moppy-haired brother with a glare. “Make sure she gets home safely, alright?”
Ichimatsu clicked his tongue, not meeting his eyes. “… Fine.”
Jyushimatsu’s loud farewell to his brother was heard in the distance. “Bye Ichimatsu nii-saaan!!”
The air was distinctly still and quiet when they left. Chibita released a long and heavy sigh. “I forgot to ask them to pay again. Damn it…”
What he said made your eyes widen, remembering something quite important. You dug through the contents your purse, retrieving your wallet that you began to unzip. “H-hey, here’s this before I forget—“
“Don’t worry, idjit,” Chibita cut you off. You looked up, seeing his grin. “It’s on the house for tonight.”
“Th-that’s— You don’t…” Your voice shrank when he shook his head.
“You had a bad day. Plus, consider it a discount for being a swell customer all this time!”
Your heart swelled as you stared at him like he was an angel, overwhelmed by the joyful tears that threatened to come out of you. “Chibita— Y-You… Oh, thank you so much!”
“It was nothing, idjit,” he said through his chuckling, retrieving his dishes from the counter. “Now get up and let this NEET take you home.”
Looking to your right, you saw that Ichimatsu had already stood. He looked at the ground in his usual brooding manner, his hands stuffed into his pocket. After lazily sliding yourself to the edge of the bench, you rotated your legs until your feet met the ground. Gathering all of your focus into not falling, you rose from your seat, balancing yourself on the heels you still couldn’t acclimate yourself to. After a moment of steadying yourself, you put the wallet you still held back into your purse.
“… Ready?” Ichimatsu asked you so quietly that you almost had to request to repeat himself.
“… Yeah.” That probably wasn’t the truth, but whatever.
You and Chibita exchanged farewells before the two of you finally embarked on the journey home. You weren’t sure if Ichimatsu knew the way to your complex by heart already after escorting you several times in the past, but you decided to take the lead anyway.
Your heels were such a pain to walk in. Every so often your feet would wobble around whenever you took a miscalculated step. The fact that you were buzzed only made matters worse. It was kind of embarrassing to know that Ichimatsu had a clear view of you stumbling like a deer on ice. He was patient about it, at the very least. He would always slow down his pace whenever you needed a moment. However, it got to a point where you heard him sigh behind you.
“You…” he began unsteadily, “could just… take them off…”
He’s right… you totally could. His ingenious solution made you giggle out of nowhere, like he had just performed a comedy routine. “Y-you’re right…! You’re so smart Ichimatsuuu~…” You drawled out his name as you bent your back forward, not hearing his nervous gulp.
Simply removing your shoes was an exponential effort as you came to find out. You tried to lift one leg over your knee, lazily reaching for your heel. Gravity did its work as blood rushed to your head when you leaned over to undo the straps, and you were failing to focus on your task. Losing control, you squealed as your body tipped backward, your back hitting against something soft as you met the ground.
Geez… Your brain was pulsing against your skull, the impact leaving you stupefied. Defeated, your whole body went boneless, and your eyes were completely taken by the night sky above you. It was actually kind of nice… The plush material underneath you was incredibly warm, and you couldn’t really will your body to tear yourself from its comfort. You soon began to laugh at the absurdity of your situation. One of your heels was a good two feet away from you. How did that even happen? Were you really that drunk? However, your laughter shriveled when you felt the cushion beneath you going frigid.
Oh no. Shit. You fell on Ichimatsu. You fell. On him. And stayed there. All the while just giggling your ass off.
“Ich-Ichimatsu!” Panic settled into your voice as you lifted yourself off of him. Blood pooled into your cheeks from your embarrassing gaffe. “I-I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”
You turned your head to check on him. His body was completely stiff as a board and his normally half-lidded eyes seemed to have nearly popped out of their sockets. His face had gone completely pale, which concerned you. Oh god, this is all my fault. After worriedly calling out his name, he flinched with a gasp and raised his upper body forward with his shaking arms supporting him. His eyes looked everywhere but you and his mouth quivered with unsteady breaths. You felt awful for subjecting him into being so uncomfortable. Definitely no more drinks after tonight.
Not wanting to make him even more nervous by staring, you focused on removing your other shoe, apologizing profusely all the while. His only response was a choked grunt before you heard him moving to stand. After collecting your other shoe, you did the same. A sudden and sharp pain was felt from your right foot as soon as you put weight onto it. Your back leaned forward as you hissed, the sensation sobering you up. You awkwardly shifted your weight so that it wasn’t distributed to your sprained ankle.
Ichimatsu’s sudden voice nearly made you fall over again. “Y-you’re hurt…?”
He sounded a bit breathless; most likely still reeling over from that spectacular collision you two shared on the ground. “It’s— It’s not that bad,” you replied quickly, preparing yourself to move. You quickly regretted giving fake assurance when the pain returned after taking one step forward. Sucking in a breath, you stayed immobile to wait for the pain to subside.
“It’s bad.”
His blunt comment made you turn your head to him, your blush quite obvious. You weren’t able to see his expression since his gaze was planted on the ground, hiding his eyes behind his messy hair. His frame was stiff again, and it seemed like he was preoccupied by a thought had looped in his mind a hundred times over.
He mumbled, “I’ll… I could… help…”
You gaped at him. You weren’t sure what he meant exactly, and you hadn’t even expected him to step up with a plan.
“Uh… How, though?” You asked lamely. He didn’t reply for a while, his mind clouded in uncertainty. You felt your mouth starting to go dry.
“I can… help you walk…”
You processed what he was saying just as slowly as the way he spoke. You watched Ichimatsu blankly as he walked over to your side. He stood next to you with his back hunched over more than usual, and the glow from a nearby street lamp helped you see a few drops of sweat cascading off his face. What was he so nervous about? Your inaction caused him to give out a weary sigh. You were about to ask what was wrong, and then…
… Oh. Oh!
I must have been really freaking drunk to not pick up on that. Your face flushed in realization as you leaned against his side. He had looked away from your general direction, no doubt more embarrassed than you were. You made no comment as you hooked your arm from under his left one until your hand met his shoulder from the opposite side. In one painful moment, his left hand shakily hovered over your waist until it finally rested. The warmth of his curled, hesitant fingers was felt through your dress, and you could feel your stomach doing somersaults. Your efforts to not blush at his unexpected charity were in vain, and you were thankful that he wasn’t looking at you.
Your first steps forward were awkward and prone to stumbling, but his idea worked after both of you were able to walk slowly in tandem. Both of your bodies were stiff against each other, with you still reeling over the fact that you were essentially sharing a prolonged half-hug with a guy that you may or may not have a crush on. That was something that you were still figuring out.
You spoke when the silence grew too long. “Thanks, Ichimatsu. I’m sorry for dragging you into this. I-I must look like a mess…”
He remained quiet, opting to watch the moving scenery to his side. The only sounds your ears could pick up were the symphony of crickets in the distance and your friend’s soft breathing near your face. Slowly, your body relaxed against him, but not to the point of smothering him with your weight. The soft material of his hoodie was so warm that a part of you almost wanted to snuggle your face into it.
“… sorry…”
A small murmur of words evaded your attention except for one. You angled your head to see him, unsure if you were imagining him speaking up.
“‘Sorry?’”
His head tilted slightly to your direction, only so that you could barely see him looking at you from the corner of his eyes. “Sorry… that you had a bad day…”
You blinked. Today’s events had totally eluded your memory until he brought it up again. The moment you were having right now was so tranquil that if felt like it had occurred as far as yesterday. His sudden concern for you made your lips curve upward.
“Don’t be sorry,” you said softly, “It… It all turned out okay in the end, right?”
Comfortable silence stretched out as the two of you walked through the sleepy streets of your neighborhood, the occasional street lamp protecting you from the dark. It suddenly struck you how perfect this moment was. Your favorite person in the city (your first friend in your new life) was walking you home at his own volition, during a time where you were at your most vulnerable. Over the times that you two had bonded, it was clear to you that Ichimatsu was more thoughtful and caring than he let on. Or at very least, he would subtly display these qualities so as long as he held trust for a person. His considerate actions tonight spoke measures about how comfortable he was with you now. Back when you were new to the city many months ago, you wouldn’t have even imagined this highly introverted man to go out of his inner bubble to this degree for you. Emotions swirled in your chest as you ruminated, and you were aching to speak. You just had to let him know.
“H-hey. Can I just say something?”
Your request was met with no objections. You inhaled deeply.
“You… All this time, you’ve been so patient with me and my silly life… You don’t say much, but I think you’re honestly the best listener I’ve ever met. Seriously. The best. Plus, you don’t judge me no matter what I say, y’know?” Words were just spilling out your mouth, some that were laced with slurring, and you really didn’t know if you had a point with them. You just appreciated him so, so much at that moment. He came to your rescue on your worst day. How could you not shower him with praise? You continued, a grin slowly growing on your face.
“I know you say you’re trash all the time…” You bit your lips mid-sentence, nervous for what you were about to say next, “But when you’re trash, you’re inconveniencing people. No one wants you around… But with you, I really do love your company. I want you around all the time… How can trash make my life so much better? You’re awesome, Ichimatsu…”
Your rambling ended when a giggle escaped your mouth. It wasn’t like anything was funny, but it was a nice feeling to be honest for once. You’ve never really commented on the relationship you two had this much in depth before, but it was something that you had been meaning to convey for a while. When your inhibitions had mostly fleeted, it was easier.
Though you may have laid it on a bit thick, you thought when you looked Ichimatsu’s way. To say that he appeared surprised would be an understatement. The red hue painted on his face was probably the darkest you’ve seen on him, and… were those rolling beads of sweat that you saw? You felt him trembling, full of nervous energy, and the hand on your waist was losing its grip. Noticing that you were watching, his face completely turned away from your sight. You grew fretful, certain that you had overwhelmed him somehow.
“S-sorry. That kind of got sappy,” you said vainly in an attempt to calm him down. You felt your own face warming up too, but you brushed off your nerves to add, “But still, I mean it. I’m just really glad that I’m not alone in this city. … S-stop worrying so much. You really do make me happier. Learn how to accept compliments better, y’know…?”
You chuckled sheepishly, afraid that your advice came across too stern. After a moment of uncertainty, you felt the trembling fade. Ichimatsu’s strides returned to its normal sync with yours, and you could feel the side of his body comfortably molding with yours. In one blissful second, you felt his hand gently squeeze your waist. Heat ignited in your cheeks, so lost in awe that you nearly fell again when you felt your legs suddenly turn into jelly. You were just as confused as you were on cloud nine.
Was that a hug? Maybe. You hoped that it was because it was so rare for him to initiate those. His body language was at distinct ease as he walked and held you, and you became certain that your words made him happy. Maybe that was his own little way of conveying that. He was always more skilled with his actions than he was with his words, after all. With this as your belief, you relaxed your head on his shoulder and wholeheartedly took in what the moment was giving you.
Today isn't so bad, actually...
The trek home ended so quickly that you almost wanted to whine, or at least it felt really quick from your perspective. Your buzz had long since eroded and was mostly replaced with fatigue. After stopping in front of the lobby of your complex, you forced yourself to peel off of Ichimatsu. The absence of his warm hoodie on your skin was sorely missed, but you were determined to not give your friend any more trouble.
You turned to him with a beaming smile. “Thank you so, so much. I won’t forget this.”
He dipped his head in response, awkwardly shifting his foot. You’ve known him long enough to know that he was likely having an inner war with himself to utter out the words You’re welcome. In the end, the side where he wanted to say it lost, but you couldn’t manage to mind.
He rested a pondering gaze on your foot. “… You can walk now?”
Your leg bearing the previously-injured foot raised daintily in the air, aware of the sudden attention. “Um… yeah? I guess moving around helped it get back to normal. Thanks for that, by the way.”
You noted the glint of relief in his eyes, despite the otherwise frozen expression on his face. You began before silence could lapse again, “Hey, so, um… As thanks for escorting me…”
Your eyes trailed away from him to your nervously wringing hands. “And as thanks for you being my super awesome friend,” you added affectionately, “w-wanna go out for a bite to eat tomorrow? I’d be happy.”
There was a still pause after your question, likely him mulling over your idea. His voice held a noticeable measure of surprise when he answered, “S— Sure…”
Your smile brightened even more. Your feet took you to him until your arms circled around him in a loose embrace, careful to not hit him with the heels that dangled from your hand. His arms twitched at his sides at first, but they gradually lifted to awkwardly hold you. It barely met the criteria of what a hug was supposed to be, yet you cherished it anyway.
You pulled away before it turned prolonged, hoping to not overwhelm him. “Cool! Thanks again, Ichimatsu. Heh, wow… I’m thanking you a little too much tonight, aren’t I? N-not that I’m not grateful or anything. Anyway, um…”
Your lips froze for a moment, sheepishly aware of your babbling. Forcing a calm smile, you looked at him one more time before your courage faded. A lamplight nearby glowed warm on him, and it revealed the ease that glimmered in his half-lidded eyes ever so slightly.
Your voice came out softly and sweet even to your own ears, “Good night.”
You turned and walked past the entrance to the staircase that lead to your floor. You felt his careful eyes following you until you disappeared from his sight.
The last thing you recalled before falling asleep was the way you delightfully waltzed to your bed.
Meanwhile, as he was leaving your block, there was a distinct skip to Ichimatsu’s steps as he walked home.