Chapter Text
Waking up the next morning for Kazuichi had to have been even worse than the day before. His stomach was giving him pure hell due to the nerves of what was planned for that day, and it seemed the stress of the day before had caused him to have an untimely breakout all over his face. Perfect. Just what he needed. He dragged himself out of bed slowly, making sure to take as much time as possible in hopes that it would lengthen the time he had before the scheduled meeting time. Picking out his clothes was a nightmare as well, as everything he put on his body looked fucking atrocious. It took him nearly an hour to pick out a pair of black jeans and a black shirt and walk out his bedroom door. This day already had him thoroughly fucked up.
He headed into the kitchen with no intention of eating, turning the corner to find both his roommates there dressed for work and eating breakfast. Leon seemed less than happy to be awake, even though it was a little past 9 AM, and stabbed viciously at a piece of toast with a fork. Mondo seemed to be faring better and even greeted Kazuichi with a head nod, moving his feet out of one of the chairs to give him a place to sit.
"Thanks," Kazuichi mumbled out, sliding into the chair.
Leon looked up at the destruction of his toast and frowned, his eyes meeting Mondo's with curiosity before they turned back to Kazuichi. "...Something up with you?"
Kazuichi just sighed and shook his head, "No. I mean, kinda. Yeah, but it's not..."
"Well, which one is it," Mondo grunted out, taking it upon himself to clean up Leon's breakfast mess. It seemed that dating Ishimaru had instilled some good habits about hygiene in him. Leon drummed his fingers impatiently on the kitchen table and looked his roommate up and down before letting out a soft chuckle.
"Dude, you look like some emo kid that's trying to be edgy on Valentine's day," he snorted, an actual smile coming to his face for a moment, "Seriously, tell us what's up. You look like hell."
Kazuichi couldn't help cracking a smile at Leon's comment about his attire, sliding a bit deeper into the chair to get more comfortable. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell his roommates what was up, it was just... It was a bit embarrassing. Not the meeting part, but how nervous he was about it. He wanted to seem cool and collected in front of the two of them. Oh well, it didn't really matter, he supposed. They'd find out about it later anyway.
"It's really nothing, I promise. I just... have a meeting with Gundam today." he finally said, "We're gonna talk and stuff."
Mondo raised his eyebrow from the kitchen sink, "A date?"
Kazuichi knew it wasn't a jab but an honest question this time and shook his head, "No. At least I don't think so. We're just going to talk, really."
"Good for you, bro," Leon said earnestly, balling his hand into a fist to playfully punch Kazuichi in the arm, "Don't be nervous. It's just Gundam. The same Gundam who talks like a lunatic and cries about animals dying in movies."
Kazuichi smiled again at that, feeling thankful that his roommates were being so compassionate today. It really was a rare occurrence. "Yeah, I know."
"If anything interesting happens, text me," Mondo said suddenly, drying his wet hands on a kitchen towel and checking the time on his watch, "I have to get going now, shit. See you later."
He was out of the door before Leon and Kazuichi could even say goodbye, leaving the two of them to soak in the mid-morning silence. Leon was most certainly a talker in every aspect, yet he remained silent as if he was afraid to disturb Kazuichi's thoughts. Kazuichi was thankful for the moment. They hadn't exactly been close in high school but the move to roommates had really been the cause of their closeness. You might even call them best friends.
"You're gonna do great dude," Leon broke the silence as he stood from the table and dumped his remaining breakfast in the trash, "Gundam, more like Gun-dumb. God, what an idiot..."
Kazuichi frowned and tried to ignore the feeling of protectiveness that rose in his chest at the others words. He had to agree that Leon was right about Gundam being an idiot- everyone knew Gundam was an idiot, but Kazuichi kind of wanted to be the only one to call him an idiot. Not in a mean way, of course, more like a playful way. A... boyfriend way.
"Oh, fuck me!" Kazuichi moaned suddenly, slapping his hands over his face at the thought. He must just be tired. Yeah, that was it, he was just exhausted and his mind was running a mile a minute and he was nervous about meeting Gundam and his pants were kind of tight around the thighs-
"Dude," Leon suddenly breathed out, shaking him out of his mindless stupor, "You've gotta stop doing that."
"Do you think I can call in sick?" Kazuichi mumbled out miserably as he dragged his hands down his face.
Leon simply chuckled and shook his head, "To a love confession? Not possible,"
Kazuichi would have snapped at him for that comment if he had any kind of power or will too. Instead, he simply stood from the table and shoved his hands into his pockets, making sure he had both his phone and his wallet this time. He had at least a good two hours before he had to be there, and he really didn't want to just hang around the house until he had to drive himself to their meeting spot. Walking there seemed like a refreshing thought. Or maybe taking the bus? He didn't really care at this point, he just wanted to be outside.
"I'm heading out now, see ya," He mumbled, staying just long enough to hear Leon tell him goodbye and wish him luck.
Okay, maybe Kazuichi should have checked the fucking forecast before he made the big decision to walk to the park. The world apparently wanted to take his already stressful day and make it super-stressful, as evidenced by the fact that it started to fucking pour rain halfway through his walk. It didn't even take moments for his clothes and hair to get literally soaked to the bone, leaving everything sticking to him like wet tissue. The park was also well across town and already an hour and a half walk, so turning back to go home and change wasn't really an option, unless he wanted to be late. Which he didn't. He wanted this over with as soon as possible.
"Great..." Kazuichi looking around the street block as if he might find an answer. An automatic clothes-dryer perhaps. However, his eyes were drawn to the bus stop across the street. Yeah, he supposed that would work. He could get a ride to the park and hopefully dry off a little in the meantime. He made sure there were no cars on the road before he bolted across the street, wincing as a few little droplets of water caught in his eyelashes. The bus bench was open, save for one spot taken by some nicely dressed man with an umbrella. Kazuichi slid into the seat beside him and paid him no mind, instead choosing to fiddle with the ends of his wet sleeves. Hopefully, he could fix himself up a little so that Gundam wouldn't mistake him for some wet homeless man.
Kazuichi had barely been paying attention to his surroundings as he sat there and tried to make himself look more presentable, just feeling the drops of rain hit his face. Everything with Gundam had built up so much, it was almost as if it was threatening to crack and break him down. Everyone had joked and laughed about, and the only compassion seemingly came from Hinata and Chiaki. Everything that had happened was beginning to feel like some kind of sick performance. Like, maybe this was just all a cruel joke and he was just going to get humiliated at the park by all his friends. Kazuichi snorted humorlessly at that.
Suddenly, the water hitting his face stopped, and Kazuichi blinked himself out of his thoughts to realize that there was an umbrella covering him now. The hell...?
"Sorry, was that too... forward of me?" Came a meek-sounding voice from beside him. Kazuichi whipped his head to the side to meet the golden eyes of the stranger that had just been sitting beside him a moment ago. The nicely dressed stranger from before was now right next to him, and Kazuichi found himself staring at his long eyelashes and look of concern. Holy fuck. This guy was gorgeous. He was quite literally one of the prettiest people he'd seen in his life, and here he was just sharing his umbrella with a wet, mopey stranger.
"Huh?" Kazuichi stuttered out in embarrassment, having trouble processing exactly what was happening. Oh geez, he should probably actually say something instead of staring at him like a dog.
"I asked if this was too forward of me," The stranger clarified, gesturing to the umbrella, "You'll get a cold if you get any wetter, and you looked kind of out of it, so..."
"No, no, you're fine! Don't worry, thank you," Kazuichi could feel himself blushing and desperately wished he could hide it, "I'm... Souda Kazuichi, nice to meet you."
The stranger smiled at him and extended a hand, not paying any mind to the fact that Kazuichi was dripping wet, "Shuichi Saihara, nice to meet you."
Shuichi Saihara... Kazuichi liked the sound of that. It sounded comforting. He took Saihara's smaller hand in his own and shook it, taking care to not drip any water on the others nice clothing. He looked like he was dressed for something important, which was odd when Kazuichi considered that they were sitting together at a bus stop. Saihara didn't even seem to care if he did though, simply withdrawing his hand and settling it into his lap once he was done. Fuck. Kazuichi kind of wished he was dressed as nice as this man.
"Can I ask why you're out in the rain like this? I mean, not that I'm judging," Saihara jumbled his words out in a way that let on he was a bit nervous.
"I, um... It's kind of complicated, honestly," He honestly wasn't sure if he wanted to subject this poor stranger to all his issues, no matter how tempting it was. Saihara just hummed out in understanding and twirled the umbrella above them, sending little droplets of water in every which direction. Some of the water hit him in the face, clinging to his thick lashes and running down his cheeks.
"I'm sorry to hear that. I won't force you to talk since we're strangers, but sometimes talking helps," Saihara sighed out, a look of wistfulness crossing his face, "I promise you, it does,"
Well, for whatever reason, that seemed to convince Kazuichi. This stranger was obviously being kind out of his own nature, even if he was a bit timid and reserved, and unlike his friends, he had absolutely no bias or ulterior motive. Fine. What did he have to lose?
"Alright," Kazuichi straightened himself up and took a deep breath. He could do this. Saihara perked up as the man prepared himself to talk, something that comforted Kazuichi. Yes, he could trust this stranger. He could fully trust him-at least he hoped he could-and maybe get some non-bullshit advice.
"So, I kissed this guy that's kind of my friend, but, like, not my friend? I don't know, we were kinda rivals in high school, but," Kazuichi paused to take a breath, "I don't know, but I kissed him, and he freaked, and now all our friends are just... mocking us and making me feel like shit. Plus, now I gotta meet this guy today and I kind of just don't wanna do that at all."
Saihara nodded slowly and shuffled around on the bench so he could face Kazuichi a bit better, his grip tightening on the umbrella. "I see... and you're sure that's all?"
Dammit. Of course, this dude would totally catch on that that wasn't all that he was feeling. Kazuichi groaned and rubbed his face with his hands tiredly, hoping that he'd be in control of whatever came out of his mouth next. Of course, ever since he kissed Gundam he'd been juggling with the issue, but he hadn't wanted to say it aloud. Fuck, he still didn't want to say it out loud.
"Dammit, no," Kazuichi pushed at his temples with his fingers before dropping his hands back into his lap, "When I kissed this guy, I kind of... liked it. And I don't really know how to feel about it. Like, yeah, I don't care that he's a guy, but I never imagined I'd kind of, um, end up..."
"...liking him?" Saihara interjected after Kazuichi failed to finish his train of thought. Even though this stranger was the one to say it to him, it was like a literal weight had been pulled from Kazuichi's chest. Yeah, what Saihara had said was true. No matter how much he wanted to deny it, he... liked Gundam. Stupid, hamster-loving Gundam.
"Yeah," Kazuichi breathed out and settled back against the bench, "I think I like him, but the chance of us ever being together? It's just impossible. Why even try?"
Saihara lips curled into a frown suddenly and he let out a huff of annoyance, surprising Kazuichi out of his stupor for a moment. Shit, had he offended him? He really hoped he hadn't. He should have kept his dumb mouth shut, dammit. Saihara's face was unreadable, really, but it looked like he was debating saying something. Maybe he was going to tell him what a pussy he was?
"My husband is an astronaut," Saihara suddenly spoke, boring his words into Kazuichi with a determined stare, "Well, he was training to be one. When it came down to the final tests and physicals, he wasn't healthy enough to be granted the title astronaut. Something with his blood that would put him at risk in space. I thought it would destroy him after he spent so many years yearning for his goal, but you know what he told me?"
Kazuichi was at a loss for words as he stared at the other's face, wondering if he should even bother replying before Saihara smiled and continued, "He just gave me this big, happy grin and told me 'The impossible is possible!', and went right back to training."
"Don't you think my situation is a little less, y'know, extreme-"
"That's the point though. My husband still isn't healthy enough to be an astronaut, and maybe he never will be! But he's still trying, even if it is 'impossible'," Saihara used his fingers as air quotes for the word, "Why would you say that getting together with this guy is impossible? You like him, don't you?"
"Well, yeah, I guess?" Kazuichi tried to hide how unnerved he was by the other's attitude. Saihara gripped him by the shoulders then, shaking the umbrella so harshly that water flew into his lap and soaked his nice clothing.
"Then tell him and see what happens," His tone was so serious, so demanding, it sent a chill straight up Kazuichi's spine. He had nothing else to say, really. The past three days of his life had been fucking hell, but who's fault was that? Blaming it on his friends helped him cope with this shit, but really he supposed it was his own fault. He was the one telling himself all this confusing shit, his friends had just been telling him what they knew. Fuck. He kind of felt like an ass now.
As if on cue, the bus slowly rolled up to a stop in front of them, filling the awkward silence that had followed Saihara's little outburst. The smaller man suddenly seemed more aware of what he'd just done and flinched, pulling his hands away from Kazuichi quickly with a look of embarrassment. God must have sent him this stranger as an apology for the past three days, he was sure of it now.
"S-Sorry, now that really was too forward of me," Saihara sounded nervous, reaching up to rub the top of his forehead. Kazuichi's silence had obviously led him to believe that maybe he'd crossed a line. Shit, it was actually the opposite, really. This dude had probably just saved a tiny part of his life with his speech, even if it was cheesy as hell.
"No! You're right," Kazuichi assured, snapping the others attention back to him, "You're totally right, shit, fuck!"
Saihara perked up at the others vulgar response and covered his mouth as he let out an amused and adorable giggle. Fucking hell, if this guy wasn't married and if he himself hadn't just admitted his feelings for Gundam, he might have asked for this strangers number. The doors to the bus opened and people began to file out onto the sidewalk, bustling past the two and signaling it was time for their meeting to come to an end. Saihara stood and held the umbrella over Kazuichi as the crowd began to disperse, offering him another smile as the rain began to pelt away at him and soak his clothing.
"Here, you can take my umbrella, I don't need it," Saihara said, reaching to grab Kazuichi's hand and tuck the umbrella handle into it, "I think you should walk to wherever you're going to meet this guy so you can have some more time to think. The bus is pretty full anyway."
"Are you sure? I can get it back to you-" Kazuichi was cut off by the other man shaking his head.
"No need, it's fine. Just think of it as a good luck gift, okay?" Saihara smiled at him again, and turned towards the doors to the bus, "The bus driver is getting antsy, I should probably go. Good luck, Kazuichi!"
Kazuichi was so stunned by the other's kindness, he didn't even find it weird when the other called him by his first name. All he could do was grip the handle of the umbrella and wave awkwardly at the man as he boarded the bus and disappeared out of sight. He stood there for a moment and basked in the afterglow of their meeting, his mind running over every word Saihara had said. The impossible is possible... As cheesy as it was, he wanted to believe in it. Maybe Gundam wasn't helpless, and maybe he was just thinking too hard about this.
"Well... only one way to find out, yeah?" He asked himself, turning on his heel and heading in the direction of the park. His mind stilled mulled over the thoughts of Saihara as he walked, only to realize he'd never even thanked the man for his words. Dammit. Well, he supposed that taking Saihara's advice would be thanks enough.
Kazuichi kind of wished he hadn't let Saihara talk him into walking the rest of the way to the park. Not because of the rain, but really because he hadn't realized how long he had spent sitting at that fucking bus stop. Fortunately, he wasn't officially late yet, but he would definitely be cutting it close at this point. He picked up the pace a little as he briskly walked down the sidewalk, seeing the park just in his sights and letting out a sigh of relief. Six minutes to spare, and he'd made it.
The park was relatively dead due to the rain, save for a few toddlers in bright colored raincoats being chased by their parents around the fountain. Kazuichi couldn't help the smile that formed on his face as he watched the family giggle and play, especially when it was so wet outside. The parent's looked so in love with everything, the weather, their children, each other. Kazuichi was almost jealous, really. He'd never gotten that with his own family, especially since his mother had died when he was so young and his father was a drunk. Maybe, though, he could have that family in the future. Yeah. He liked the sound of that.
Kazuichi whistled quietly to himself as he headed down the sidewalk towards the fountain, looking around the empty park to see if he spotted Gundam. Shit, he hadn't even thought of it, but what if Gundam wasn't going to show up because of the rain? The pink haired man cursed lightly to himself as he took out his phone to make sure the other hadn't texted him asking to meet elsewhere. Thankfully, he hadn't gotten any messages from the other, but he did have a few from his friends.
Leon, 10:45 am: U GOT THIS MAN!!! GOOD LUCK. text me when its over. Sayaka says good luck too!!!
Hajime, 11:12 am: don't freak over this, youve got this. just go with your gut, and like dont throw up on him or cry
Hajime, 11:13 am: just like, have hope or something. idk, good luck. im always behind you 100%. soul friends for life
Komaeda, 11:45 am: eat dirt eat dirt eat dirt eat dirt eat dirt eat dirt eat dirt eat dirt eat dirt ea
"Stupid fucking Komaeda," Kazuichi huffed to himself as he read the last message, clicking his phone off and shoving it into his pocket. Well, at least he had Hajime and Leon's support. As well as Saihara's advice. Yeah, he could do this. He decided to bide his time on a bench nearby the fountain, even though the seat was covered in water. Not that it mattered, even with the umbrella his hair had only just barely begun to dry, and his pants were still soaked. Kazuichi snorted when he realized how ironic it was. The last time he'd seen Gundam he'd been soaking wet from the pool, and this time he'd be soaking wet from the rain.
Kazuichi idly wondered what Gundam would be wear. Probably all black, with his stupid scarf. He kinda wished Gundam didn't have an obsession with hiding his face. When they kissed at the part, Kazuichi had finally gotten a good look at his face up close and it was... not ugly, to say the least. In fact, he was almost sure the other had been sporting some stubble on his chin. The mechanic hadn't put much thought into it before, but he rather liked the idea of stubble. Definitely not on himself, but on Gundam, it looked nice and felt nice. He hummed to himself as he thought about it, his mind eventually wanding on how the other would look with a beard or a mustache.
His thoughts were so consuming and satisfying, he barely noticed there was someone in front of him until he noticed the shoes partway hidden under the umbrella covering his head. Slowly, Kazuichi lifted the umbrella, his eyes traveling up the person's body until he met Gundam's face with his own. Shit, yeah. Why the fuck was he just sitting here daydreaming about him when the real thing was right in front of him? Gundam's expression was totally unreadable to him, but the only thing that Kazuichi noticed was that Gundam wasn't wearing his scarf.
"Are you just going to stare, mortal, or do you plan on greeting me?" Gundam was the first to speak, breaking the awkward vow of silence between them. Kazuichi felt his temple throb and he quickly stood, hoping that he didn't look too bad. Fuck, now he was really nervous.
"You just surprised me, that's all," Kazuichi mumbled out, "Plus, you were the one that approached me, you probably should have said hi first,"
Gundam didn't reply to that and crossed his arms over his chest, looking away from the other as his cheeks seemingly darkened in color. He still looked cute when he blushed, and Kazuichi really wished he could have gotten a picture of it then and there. Especially if this was going to go bad and he never got to see Gundam again. He kinda wanted something to remember his face like that.
Finally, Gundam seemed to compose himself enough again and turned his head back to look at Kazuichi. Suddenly, his eyes went wide and he began to look him up and down frantically. Shit, was there something wrong with him? The mechanic looked down at himself for any bugs or stains on his clothing before he realized the other must have noticed he was soaking wet. Of course.
"O-Oh yeah, I got a little wet on the way here," Kazuichi said, hoping his words came out with some tone of amusement, "See, I didn't have an umbrella when I first left, but this guy at the bus stop loaned me his and-"
He didn't even get to finish what he was saying, because the next minute Gundam's arms were on either side of him, wrapping a black coat around his shoulders. Now it was Kazuichi's turn to blush. He hadn't even noticed Gundam had been taking his coat off, and now the other was standing there clad in a shirt that was just a little too fitted around his chest and biceps. Dammit, he looked nice, and Kazuichi just looked like a wet paper bag. He really should have walked back home to change first.
"You mortals are extremely asinine," Gundam muttered, most likely to himself before he spoke to Kazuichi, "You need to take stronger measures to ensure you do not fall ill in this weather. We can't remain outdoors while you're in this condition, we must find somewhere else to inhabit."
"I'm fine, really, Gundam-" It didn't matter what Kazuichi said because Gundam had already wrapped a hand around his arm and was pulling him along the sidewalk towards the street. Dammit, they'd finally met for the first time since their stupid kiss and all he'd succeeded in doing was causing the other more trouble. There was nowhere near the park to really go either, as it was in the dead center of a residential area. Gundam still wasn't speaking as they walked, and Kazuichi felt his confidence from earlier with Saihara beginning to slip. They eventually reached the street and Gundam released his arm to take his phone out of his pocket and fiddle with it silently for a moment.
It was only a few minutes, but it felt like a lifetime between them as they stood there. The breeder finally finished with whatever was on his phone and tucked it into his pocket, turning to the other and catching his attention, "I summoned a taxicab to transport us to a nearby restaurant cafe,"
"Oh," Kazuichi didn't know what else to say, "Thanks,"
So now Gundam was taking him to coffee now? Kazuichi tried not to smile to himself when he thought about it since the air was already tense between them, but it was hard. Even though they were meeting with each other in such terribly awkward circumstances, Kazuichi couldn't help but feel like them being together like this was right. He pulled the coat tighter around his shoulders and shuddered, feeling the chill of his damp clothes finally start to get to him. The taxi didn't take long to arrive, thankfully, and they both seemed to let out a sigh of relief.
Kazuichi went to reach for the door handle before Gundam beat it to him and opened the car door. At first, Kazuichi thought the other was going to just get in, but he actually stood there. Holding the door open for him. Holy shit, wait-
Gundam raised an eyebrow at him, "Well, Mortal? Get in,"
Kazuichi stared at him for a moment before he fumbled with the umbrella he was holding to get it shut. While there was no pressure, he couldn't help but feel like he was on a time limit and tried to get it closed so they could both get in. Eventually, he was able to get it closed and he scrambled quickly to slide into the taxi, taking the farthest seat so that Gundam could comfortably slide into the seat next to him. The silence was deafening after Gundam closed the door, the only sounds coming from the raindrops on the windows as the driver shifted the car into gear and drove off.
Kazuichi thought they'd stay silent, really, and decided to preoccupy his time by staring out the window as they drove. But it wasn't long before he heard Gundam clear his throat and shift his weight on the seat of the car. Shit. Kazuichi closed his eyes and shifted his own weight, mentally preparing himself for what was about to come. This was it.
"...Mortal, has your... weekend been favorable to you?" Gundam finally mumbled out, almost sounding embarrassed. Kazuichi blinked and looked over at the man, a bit surprised that that had been what he opened with. He was expecting him to immediately go in for the kill and ask about the kiss, but he was actually asking about how his weekend had gone?
"Oh, uh, kinda," Kazuichi replied, "I've had better. Friends are annoying, you know how it is. How about you?"
Gundam didn't seem at all surprised by his response and nodded solemnly as the car slowed down for a stop light, "I apologize for our friend's insolent behaviors. It seems that they suffer from elementary ways of acting. My weekend has been rather favorable to me, though."
The mechanic snorted out of his nose and shook his head, "No kidding. It's like being in middle school all over again sometimes."
Gundam actually seemed to take some humor from that comment and let out a hum of what could have been laughter. It was hard to tell. Kazuichi wasn't sure he'd ever seen Gundam laugh earnestly and not in that over-the-top villainy way. But the smile that had crossed his face when he had attempted to laugh... that was what really got to Kazuichi. He kinda wanted to see it for the rest of his life, if possible.
"I deem those foolish mortals are even more wretched than they were in middle school," Gundam mused, turning his head to look out the door. The car was slowly coming up to the cafe, and Kazuichi was happy about that. Talking with Gundam wasn't turning out to be too bad, but he certainly didn't like how they weren't really alone due to the driver. The car slowly rolled to a stop in front of the cafe and the driver unlocked the doors for them and mumbled out the total for the ride. Since the cafe had been close it wasn't too much, but Gundam wasted no time getting out his wallet and handing the driver a ten dollar bill.
Kazuichi's face flushed in mild embarrassment as the other paid for their ride and quietly opened the door to step out onto the street. He hurriedly moved to open the umbrella for the both of them, holding it over himself and the car door so that Gundam wouldn't get wet as he himself got out. Not that Kazuichi would have minded him being wet. He had an idea that he'd probably look pretty good like that. Finally, the two of them were alone again, standing together under an umbrella in front of a cafe that was probably too tiny for its own good.
"Shall we enter?" Gundam asked, moving to take the handle of the umbrella, "The sooner we dine, the sooner you shall recover from your current state,"
"Oh, yeah, sure," Kazuichi tried not to stare at the other's hand as he took the handle from him, "It is kind of cold."
Kazuichi took the few steps towards the door, inhaling a deep breath once his back was to Gundam. He could hear him messing with the umbrella and struggling to get it shut before he finally followed him inside to the warm restaurant. Shit, he was still really nervous. Especially now that they were practically on a cute coffee shop date. Could it even really be called a date? Or maybe it was just two guys being dudes. Wait, no-
"You go seek us a seating arrangement, and I shall go order us something to satisfy our hunger," Gundam said, passing off the umbrella to the other with a nod. Kazuichi nodded in affirmation and watched as the breeder stalked off to the ordering counter, feeling his nerves settle just a bit. Okay, so food was good. Kazuichi liked food, and eating food meant there were fewer chances for awkward silence. Perfect.
The mechanic searched the tiny cafe for a place that would suit their needs and be plenty private. His eyes eventually landed on a tiny isolated table in the corner with two chairs facing each other. There were no other customers seated around it either, which made it the perfect spot for them to sit and eat. And talk, he reminded himself. This wasn't officially a date yet, and they still hadn't approached the reason why they decided to meet up today. Gundam was still ordering, so Kazuichi made his way to the table quickly and slid into the chair to wait for him. Maybe he should have gone with Gundam because now he had no idea what the other was ordering him. Dammit, hopefully, it wasn't any nasty vegan shit.
He fiddled with his sleeves a bit, pleased to find that his clothes were actually drying. Perhaps it was from Gundam's coat, or the warmness of the shop, but he felt a lot better now. Still nervous, but not like he was about to have the worst time of his life. Gundam eventually finished their order and turned around to search for Kazuichi before he spotted him and headed over. Shit, now the nerves were returning.
"It slipped my simple mind to inquire what you may have preferred, so I requested them to prepare you something on the sweeter side," Gundam said, sounding a tad embarrassed.
"It's cool, I probably wouldn't have known what to order anyway," Kazuichi supplied in response, trying to make Gundam feel less embarrassed, "As long as it's, y'know, edible,"
"I frequent this location often, as it is located close to my business. I assure you, mortal, it's beyond edible,"
That was most likely Gundam's way of saying 'I come here a lot, and it's really good', so Kazuichi decided to just roll with it. Just because he kinda liked Gundam now didn't mean he wasn't still weird as hell. As much as Kazuichi wanted to just keep their small talk going, he knew they had to bite the bullet sometime and get the more serious discussion underway. If they didn't do it now, they probably would stay dancing around the subject all day. Okay, he could do this. No one had ever died of embarrassment before, right?
"So..." Kazuichi started, "This is real nice and all but... don't you think we should kind of talk about, um, Friday?"
That seemed to kill the mood instantly. Gundam's semi-smile dropped from his face like the gravity of earth had taken it and his eyes immediately darted elsewhere. Dammit, maybe Kazuichi should have waited a little longer, enjoyed the moment with him for a bit. But nooo, he just had to open his big ass mouth and ruin it. Gundam's hands quietly tapped at the tabletop for a moment as he prepared himself. The silence was thick between them and the clinking of silverware from the kitchen seemed a lot quieter now.
"I understand," Gundam said, finally turning his eyes back to Kazuichi, "I suppose we should talk,"
"Yeah..." Kazuichi felt awful now, completely at a loss for what to say. He supposed confessing could be the first step, but at the same time, it seemed too quick. Talking about why they had kissed and why Gundam had reacted the way he did seemed the best route. Kazuichi really wanted to know why he had run away, and why he was avoiding talking about the reason they had even met in the first place. Here we go... Kazuichi thought, opening his mouth to start speaking before Gundam let out an uncharacteristically loud sigh.
"I apologize for kissing you like that," Gundam sounded guilty and Kazuichi had no idea why, "It was not appropriate for me to perform such an act, and I did not think of the consequences."
Well, whatever Kazuichi had been expecting, it certainly wasn't a fucking apology. The other had no reason to apologize, especially since he hadn't been the one to initiate the kiss. As far as Kazuichi was concerned, it was his own stupid ass mistake and Gundam the unwilling victim. Not to mention that an apology isn't what they needed; they needed to talk about all the confusing shit surrounding the kiss. Gundam seemed to sense his confusion and Kazuichi was quick to compose himself. No, they had to get some things straight first.
"Hold up, if anyone should be apologizing, it's me," Kazuichi said, shaking his head, "I'm the one that kissed you, dude, so I'm sorry. You were, like, yelling your damn head off at me and I was gonna cover your mouth shut, but I kind of ended up kissing you instead? If that makes sense."
He had expected Gundam's reaction to be... a lot different. Maybe relief or confusion, or surprised even, but the look the other gave him was just plain sad. His eyes went downcast and his hands curled into fists as he listened to Kazuichi. Dammit, fuck, what was he doing wrong? Everything he said to the other seemed to be wrong. Why couldn't life just be a shitty Lifetime movie you'd watch at three in the morning? Kazuichi wasn't sure how much more he could take of this.
"I... see," Gundam sounded just as sad as he looked, "I didn't come to that conclusion, I was certain that I had been the one to initiate-"
"F-Forget who kissed who for a minute, okay," Kazuichi cut him off before he could continue, a little embarrassed with how loud he was. He scanned the restaurant to see if he'd drawn any unnecessary attention to the two of them before continuing, "I'm sorry, I'm just... getting really confused now. Why are you acting so different? And, like, why are we at a cafe? Why is this hard to talk about? I get that it's kind of awkward or whatever, but I really, really feel like I'm missing something at this point."
"You're not missing anything," Gundam said it, but Kazuichi wasn't convinced in the slightest. He groaned and slapped his hands over his face, sinking down in his chair as he tried to process his thoughts for a minute. Maybe he shouldn't tell him he liked him if this was how they were going to fucking communicate. Maybe he was sad that they had kissed and didn't want it brought up? But then why even meet with him in the first place. They had been having such a great time until he had brought up the stupid fucking kiss, so maybe Gundam had brought him here to act like it had never happened?
"Okay, if I'm not missing anything, then like... what's going on with you?" Kazuichi mumbled through his hands. He really didn't want to see the other's face right now. "Please, Gundam, just stop and talk to me. About you! Can we talk about what I'm doing wrong because it's going to kill me if you look at me like that again,"
"You're not doing anything wrong-"
"Then why did you run away! Why are all our friends making some big deal out of this, as if they all saw it coming or some shit? I thought we were going to talk about this, not apologize and dance around it," Kazuichi pulled his hands away from his face only to see that Gundam had that same look on his face, "I just... can you tell me what I did to make you look so fucking sad?"
Gundam didn't reply right away. By now, the outbursts had to have gotten the attention of the staff, but neither of them seemed to care. It was basically a showdown at this point. Gundam's sad face had disappeared and in its place was a look that was so tired, it was surprising to Kazuichi. He took a deep breath and shut his eyes as he brought a hand to his temple, pressing at it before he finally spoke.
"...Kazuichi, have you ever experienced affection for someone who was so utterly oblivious and stupid that it made your head hurt?" he mumbled, keeping his eyes shut. Kazuichi didn't know how to respond, really. What the fuck was the other getting at? The way he had used his first name threw him off as well. It seemed out of character and so intimate for the moment.
Gundam took a moment to open his eyes before he spoke again "You make my head hurt so horrendously, it's incomparable to any poison or ritual I've undergone."
Kazuichi furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, "I make your head hurt...?"
"Yes. You're so foolish and absorbed with your own being that my mind can't even begin to wrap itself around your existence. Why my heart chose you as it's suitor, I have no earthly idea. And now you're here with me, questioning me, confusing me even more. Shall you show me no mercy and make things simple?"
The next thing he knew, Gundam was leaning over the table and pushing his face dangerously close to Kazuichi's. He didn't even have a chance to process the others words before the other bore his eyes into his with a look of frustration. All the other noises seemed to deafen out and it was as if the two of them were alone there, faces barely touching and the tension thick. Kazuichi sucked in a breath and held it, afraid to let it go and ruin the moment.
"I experi- No, I like you, Kazuichi. I always have."
What.
The.
Double Fuck.
Kazuichi was glad he hadn't eaten anything before he came because he would have 100% thrown up all over the other. Gundam simply pulled away from his face and sat back in his chair as Kazuichi floundered over the others sudden confession. No, the apology had been way more expected than Gundam fucking Tanaka confessing to him. Maybe Gundam was right, he really was an idiot if he couldn't tell that the other was acting like this because he had a fucking crush on him, and apparently had for a while. How long exactly was a while anyway? He was pretty sure the dude hated his guts for most of the time they knew each other.
He didn't even have a chance to speak before a waitress suddenly appeared by their table, holding a large tray of what was presumably their food. Her uncomfortable expression said it all- that she had likely seen and heard everything. Gundam didn't seem to mind and nodded as she placed the dishes of food and drinks onto their table. Kazuichi heard her say something about a turkey sandwich as she placed a dish in front of his face, but he couldn't even begin to care. His mind was still reeling from the fact that the other liked him. Oh, shit, wait. That's right.
Kazuichi fucking liked him back.
"I hope you are satisfied with the likes of a turkey sandwich," Gundam spoke like he hadn't just dropped a huge bomb on him, "I recall you claiming an affection for sandwiches,"
Kazuichi shook his head in disbelief, "Wait a minute, wait a minute! You fucking like me?"
Gundam picked at his salad with his fork and took a sip of his tea, "I've felt affection for you since our high school days, but I thank you for noticing now. I presume a mere mortal such as yourself is unable to understand this, so I'd prefer if you allowed us to feast in silence."
"What!? Dude, shut the fuck up," Kazuichi didn't care how rude he sounded, the other was acting so fucking stupid, "You're telling me you've liked me since fucking high school and I've never noticed?"
"Precisely. Now allow me to feast in uninterrupted silence-"
"No! No, no, you listen to me!" Kazuichi said, startling the other out of his depressing little monologue, "I've been kicking my own ass and feeling like shit this whole weekend for liking you, and you're telling me you liked me back the whole time!?"
Now it was Gundam's time to be shocked. His fork clattered loudly against his plate and he looked so uncharacteristically surprised it was almost funny. His mouth had dropped open and his eyes had gone wide, and Kazuichi swore his pompadour deflated just a tiny bit. This was definitely the part of the Lifetime movie where they would share some dramatic kiss, but instead, they just sat there and stared at each other like they had each just muttered the secrets to the universe. Kazuichi groaned to himself and sank back into his seat, unable to believe what was happening. So, that was that? They'd been acting like fucking assholes this whole time for nothing? He supposed they should have just fucked right there and made it official at this point.
"...Dude, this is a fucking mess," Kazuichi shook his head, "So I guess we just like each other now? What do we fucking do now?"
"I... I have no experiences for situations like this, but..." the other trailed off and looked around the restaurant, "I... I did not foresee myself reaching this goal,"
Kazuichi raised his brow at him and straightened himself up in his seat, moving to grab his sandwich. Fucking love confession or not, he needed something in his stomach now. Whatever they were supposed to do next... they'd figure that out after his turkey sandwich was filling his stomach. He took a large bite of the food and chewed, wishing that he had had more of an apetite. It probably would have tasted really good had it not been for the situation at hand.
"Well," Kazuichi mumbled through his bite of food, swallowing it down before he continued, "I guess... this is a date, then?"
Gundam couldn't have hidden his blush if he wanted too, especially since he didn't have his scarf. He simply nodded and resumed picking at this salad, "It appears that fate has led the likes of us to a 'date' as you mortals call it,"
"Dude, if we're on a date, don't call me mortal, please," Kazuichi chuckled so the other would know he was just teasing. Gundam didn't laugh with him, but his lips did curl up just the slightest as he pushed around his salad with his fork. All at once, the sounds of restaurants returned, as if everything had been on pause for the two of them to sort their shit out. Well, they did still have a lot to sort out, but that could wait for another time he supposed. Kazuichi took another bite of his sandwich and watched the other struggle to stab a cherry tomato with his fork. God, he was a fucking nerd, but... Kazuichi liked nerds. Yeah.
He smiled to himself again and sighed. Yeah, he could probably get used to doing this. Especially with Gundam.
The rest of their time at the restaurant ended up being entirely uneventful, complete with lots of awkward small talk and some failed attempts at flirting on both ends. Most of Gundam's flirting was lost in the translation of the over-exaggerated way he spoke, and Kazuichi just plain sucked at it. The matter of the bill also ended in a bit of a feud between the two, both of them trying to one-up the other and pay for it. It seemed that competing with each other was just in their nature at this point, not that either of them minded. Gundam ended up paying for it this time, which Kazuichi swore to that he'd take care of the next one. Gundam ended up calling another cab for them while they waited for their check so they wouldn't have to wait in the rain. Not saying that either of them would have minded standing and sharing the umbrella on the sidewalk.
The taxi ended up arriving just as they got their receipt and they were able to beat the rain as they hurried through it and to the car waiting for them. Gundam still held the door open for the other, much to Kazuichi's embarrassment and they slid into the seats together. Neither of them bothered to speak on the way back home, simply enjoying the moment. Well, that, and Kazuichi was sure that they were both still at a loss for what to say. Where they, like, supposed to hold hands now? Maybe cuddle? Who fucking knew, man.
Eventually, the taxi rolled up to Kazuichi's house, and he was surprised to see that they had made it so quickly. He tried to quell the feeling of disappointment of their meeting have to end so soon already after it had just gotten enjoyable. Yet, he supposed they did like each other now. So perhaps that meant they would be having a second, more 'official' date soon. Gundam opened the door for them again and told the driver to wait as he walked the other up to the door, stepping out and getting the umbrella ready for the two of them as he did so. Kazuichi felt bad that the other would have to pay for the taxi fare again, but he supposed it couldn't be helped.
Together they walked up the sidewalk to Kazuichi's house, the umbrella still hovering over both of them and keeping them dry. Gundam's black coat was now on Kazuichi's body and he wasn't sure he wanted to take it off at this point. God, that sounded gay, but it was the truth.
Kazuichi finally cleared his throat to break his silence, "Uh, thanks for... everything today. Like the food and the taxi rides, and your coat."
Gundam didn't look over at him as he spoke, probably from embarrassment, "Do not waste your breath with simple thanks. I, as a god, take pleasure in treating the ones I have affection for,"
"Oh, jeez," Kazuichi turned his face away so the other wouldn't catch him rolling his eyes, "Whatever, I'm paying for the next date then,"
Gundam was completely quiet then, stopping right in front of Kazuichi's house and gripping the handle of the umbrella a bit tighter after Kazuichi had spoken. The mechanic was worried he may have offended him again before the other spoke again, his voice quiet and almost timid, "So, mortal, you are declaring there shall be a... second romantic rendezvous between us?"
The other didn't even bother to hide the way he snorted at that. Romantic rendezvous... That phrasing of date probably would have pissed him off in the past if they weren't already in the middle of one. Kazuichi shook his head and moved to take his keys from his pocket to unlock the door before he turned back to the other, giving him an attempt at a smile. He was still too fucking nervous to really do anything around him, but he was trying.
"Yeah, there'll be a second day. Now go, before you have to pay a fuck ton for your taxi," Kazuichi teased, hoping it didn't come out mean. The other just nodded, though, and moved to hand back the umbrella before Kazuichi shook his head, holding his hands in front of him to show that he should keep it.
"Just take it. It's not even mine, remember?" Kazuichi pushed Gundam's hand back, "You don't want to catch a cold."
"I suppose you speak some sense," Gundam muttered, taking the umbrella back to his side, "You may continue to keep possession of my coat until fate has us meet again,"
Kazuichi looked down at himself to see he was indeed still wearing Gundam's coat. He hoped the other didn't think he was trying to keep it. Gundam shuffled awkwardly where he stood as if he should do something to say goodbye before he settled on just speaking again.
"I... I must be departing back now," He said, turning back to the taxi, "Goodbye, Kazuichi,"
The mechanic just raised his arm to wave goodbye at him lamely as he left, feeling like a total wuss in the moment. Dammit, should he have fucking kissed him? That seemed like the logical thing to do, but he had been too afraid of making it awkward. He was about to move and close the door when he thought over his meeting with Saihara again. Dammit, he couldn't let the other leave yet. Screw being awkward.
"Wait!" Kazuichi shouted, taking off from his doorstep and into the rain. Gundam was midway down the walkway when he heard him, turning around in surprise at the others outburst. Well, it was now or never. Kazuichi was embarrassingly almost out of breath when he caught up to him finally, but it was mostly just nerves. Fuck, why was he so nervous?
"You, fuck, ah- You forgot this!" Kazuichi swallowed all his pride and reached up to grab the other's face and pull it down to his until their lips were touching again. Gundam seemed surprised by this but wasted no time in kissing the other back. Shit, Kazuichi thought, he really is a good kisser. They continued for a few moments before a loud honk from the taxi driver caused them both to pull away in embarrassment. Way to ruin a moment. Gundam chose not to look at him and Kazuichi didn't take any offense to it. They were both still getting used to this, and no matter how much they liked each other made it any less weird. Especially with the nosy fucker honking his horn at them. Kazuichi had half a mind to give the driver a black eye for his stunt.
"Okay, you can... go now," Kazuichi said, backing away from the other. Gundam just nodded and waved his hand as goodbye this time, presumably too embarrassed to say anything as he climbed back into the taxi. The other stood there in the rain as he watched him, not even caring that he was getting soaked again as he waved goodbye to the other. The car immediately drove off the minute Gundam had shut the door, and before he knew it the vehicle was out of sight. Damn. What a pissy driver.
Kazuichi wasted no time hurrying to get inside once the car was gone, internally screaming his head off for everything that had happened today. He'd expected it to be a trip to hell and back, and yet... he actually got something good out of it. A buzz from his pocket alerted him to an incoming text message and he whipped his phone out to check it, sighing in relief when he saw it was from Hajime. As happy as he was that he and Gundam weren't on bad terms, he definitely needed some more time alone to process all this before he could speak to him again.
Hajime, 3:17 pm: are you done yet with ur meeting
Hajime, 3:18 pm: bc no pressure but im literally about to die if you dont tell me what happened
He snorted at the dramatic content of the message and paced around the floor for a moment, trying to think of a reply that wasn't super long. A lot of shit had happened today, but he didn't exactly want to text it all to Hajime. He mulled over the thoughts for a moment before he opened up the message to reply, tapping out two simple messages and hitting send.
Kazuichi, 3:19 pm: yeah dude
Kazuichi, 3:19 pm: i might just have a boyfriend now?
“Shuichi, where’s your umbrella?”
Shuichi blinked and looked up the tomatoes he was cutting as his husband rounded the corner into the kitchen with a confused look. “My umbrella…?”
Kaito huffed out and crossed his arms, “Yeah, it’s not by the door. Don’t tell me you walked home in the rain again!”
“Calm down, that was one time. I took the bus,” Shuichi hummed out, gently placing his knife down on the counter. The tomatoes could wait. “I gave my umbrella to a stranger who needed it. He needed some advice too.”
Kaito didn’t look pleased, but he also didn’t look angry. More exasperated than anything, like this was something that happened a lot. “Alright, babe, but I really hate how you keep giving away our umbrellas. This is the fourth one!”
Shuichi laughed at that and crossed the kitchen to wrap his arms around his husband's shoulders and press a kiss to his cheek, “No promises. Now go set the table, Rantaro and Kokichi will be here soon.”
Kaito pouted a little and mumbled something about how annoying Kokichi was before grabbing the dishes laid on the counter to head out to the dining room. Shuichi smiled and watched him go as he returned to his own task of cutting up vegetables for their dinner, his mind slowly wandering to the man he had met before.
“Kazuichi…” Shuichi mumbled to himself. Had everything worked out for Kazuichi? He really hoped so. It wasn't as if there was anything more he could do, so he could only pray the other had followed his advice. Well, hopefully, he’d meet him again one day and find out.