Chapter Text
“Pothos…Pothos….”
Jo glanced down at his phone for the umpteenth time to make sure he was going the right way. He’d had Arima show him how to use the navigation app on his phone three times before he was mostly confident on how to use it. Had quadruple checked that the address was correct. He absolutely could not make a mistake here.
He was meeting Sakura today.
Rather, he was meeting Haruka today. (“One of the other….One of my other friends calls me that now, so I guess you can too…if you want.”).
What a privilege. What an honor. Jo had spent the rest of the day after that feeling lighter than air.
They had seen each other a few times since the festival. They even met up to spar regularly now and to chat in passing, then later to hang out, Jo inviting him for food or just to relax. Haruka had been to Jo’s house exactly once and had spent the entire time fidgeting and with his head on a swivel like an owl. Jo took pity on him and declared that next time they could just hang out at a park or something. But this time. This time. He was going to get to see Haruka’s place.
“Hey…so do you wanna…come over, maybe?” Haruka had asked him the last time they got together. His cheeks had been bright pink and his eyes kept darting between Jo’s and various different points past his shoulders. As if he thought that Jo would ever say no to him.
“You’re always inviting me so that’s how you’re s’posed to do it, right? It ain’t much though so don’t say I didn’t warn ya.”
Jo looked down at his phone again. He had to be getting close.
He looked back up just in time to avoid walking directly into someone.
“Sorry, my bad.”
“It’s fine.”
The guy he’d almost run into didn’t look any worse for wear. Jo took a second to size him up out of habit. They were close to the same height, maybe around the same age too, though his dark hair was shorter, and his drawn down eyebrows gave him a stern kind of look that wouldn’t be out of place on someone twice their age.
He was almost as big as Jo himself, and if Jo didn’t already have a reputation of his own he could imagine being intimidated by his presence alone.
“You’re not from around here, right?” The guy phrased it like a question but it kind of sounded like he already knew the answer, “You look lost.”
Heh, was it that obvious? “I’m supposed to be meeting a friend at a cafe around here but yeah. Not quite sure where I’m going, haha.”
The guy’s expression turned thoughtful for a moment, “Pothos? I can show you, I’m heading there myself. It’s just up here.”
He gestured with his thumb to a building just up the road. It really was dead ahead. That was lucky then.
“Thanks.”
“Sure.”
They fell in step.
The guy was polite enough, but Jo could sense a sort of wariness emanating off of him at the same time. Not that Jo could blame him. He might not be wearing his Shishitoren jacket today but here he was, a big guy with an intimidating aura, wandering around with intent in a place he wasn’t from and constantly checking his phone. Just about anyone with sense would think that was a little suspicious. The war was still a recent memory, after all.
“What’s your friend's name?”
Not wasting any time, huh?
“Oh, it’s –”
The cafe’s door banged open with a cheery little jingle of the bell overhead and a familiar two-toned head came into view a second later.
Jo certainly did not miss the way the guy’s wariness melted away in a flash, raised hackles falling flat as Haruka’s roaming eyes zeroed in on the two of them.
Jo smiled and raised his hand in a warm greeting, quietly thrilling at the little tinge of pink on Haruka’s cheeks.
“Heeyyyy, I made it!”
Haruka's eyes narrowed as they approached, “Thought you got lost or somethin’.” He said by way of greeting.
It was terribly cute how worried he was.
“I almost did actually. He showed me the rest of the way.” Jo pointed to the guy next to him.
Haruka's eyebrows shot up, looking between the two of them. Was that really so surprising?
“So…Haruka's the friend you were meeting?”
The hackles were back up; that hadn't taken long. Seriously, what was this guy's issue? Jo grit his teeth to bite back a snide remark. He couldn't, wouldn't be a jerk to one of Haruka's other friends.
“Sure is.” He agreed.
Black and white eyebrows furrowed. If even Haruka could tell something was up then that meant Jo wasn't completely overreacting.
“Pretty sure I've told you about Togame before.”
Ah, not Jo, then. Well, it was okay if it was just between the two of them. The intimacy of it set something fluttering between Jo's ribs.
Hackles down. It was the guy's turn to look surprised, “The guy from Shishitoren? Right. I remember now.” He gave Jo a sidelong glance.
Jo offered him a lazy grin, “That's me.”
The tension had to break at some point right? Try a different approach.
“You're from Furin too?”
“I am.” The guy said, and then stood a little straighter, if that was possible, “Momijikawa Sakae. Haruka and I are in the same year.”
So this was the other friend who got to call Haruka by name then. It was good to put a name to a face. At least Jo would remember to avoid him next time if this was how he acted. Maybe he was being too harsh though? If he was friends with Haruka he surely couldn't be that bad, and it wasn't really as if Jo could point fingers considering. Well. Everything.
He opened his mouth to respond, but Momijikawa beat him to it. Jo wasn't even a blip on his radar anymore, his attention was solely focused on their mutual friend. More than a friend? What was Jo to Haruka? What was Haruka to Jo? What were Haruka and Momijikawa to each other? What –
“Haruka, are you still coming over for dinner tomorrow?”
So casual. Too casual. Dinner? There was someone out there who could just invite Haruka over for a meal on a whim? What in the hell had Jo missed here? He bit his tongue.
Haruka apparently hadn't expected to be addressed again during this weird little back and forth. He jolted, face instantly turning red.
“Uh! Yeah, s, sure.”
The softest little smile appeared on Momijikawa's face, “Good. I'm looking forward to it. I –”
He cut off, frowning. Jo followed his gaze over the top of Haruka's head.
They had an audience.
Several faces peered around the open door, each one brimming with a mixture of curiosity and anticipation. Jo recognized a few of them; the one with pink hair and all the piercings (Kiryu, wasn't it?), the one with the eyepatch (Suo, he was pretty sure), the little nervous blonde one (that one was Nirei, Haruka told him to watch out for the little notebook he always had), a kinda skinny guy with brown hair (who was that one again?), and a few others he didn't really recognize at all.
He raised his hand in a wave, “Hi Sakura's friends!”
Jo wished he could have caught the resulting chain reaction on camera.
One of them yelled, “Scatter!”
Haruka leapt up like someone had just stepped on his tail. His face looked like someone had just dumped an entire can of red paint on it. He whipped around in the air before he landed, angrily gnashing his teeth and looking like he was about to take off running.
Several of the Furin boys bolted out of the cafe and took off running down the street, cackling the whole time. A few others ducked back inside hollering,
“Look out! Sakura's pissed!”
“I told you we shouldn't have spied!”
“But how else would we get to see who his date is?”
“Hey don't drag me into this! It's against my virtue!”
“I still can't tell!”
Before the door fully swung shut, a girl's voice rang out louder and clearer than any of the others, “All of you! Shut the hell UP!!”
There were at least a half dozen calls of “Sorry!” ranging in tone from sincere to half hearted.
And then there was silence. Over as quickly as it started.
Momijikawa snorted out a laugh. There was a warm smile on his face and the barest hint of colour in his cheeks. He had one arm stuck out and was firmly grasping Haruka's collar to stop him from chasing after his friends and classmates.
“Where are you going?” He sounded so disgustingly fond that Jo almost felt a little bad about doubting him in the first place.
“To teach ‘em a lesson for spyin’ on me!” Haruka strained against Momijikawa's hold, the back of his neck aflame.
“I think Kotoha can handle them for now, besides,” he finally cut his eyes back to Jo, like he had just remembered he existed, “Your friend is waiting for you.”
Haruka froze. Furious growling trailed off. All the fight went out of him and his shoulders slumped. Momijikawa dropped his collar and he turned around, his ears pink and his mouth a crooked line of embarrassment and trepidation.
Jo wasn’t angry in the slightest, but it took every ounce of his currently tenuous self control not to reach out and take Haruka’s face in his hands or envelop him in a crushing hug, anything so he wouldn’t have to see that spark of sudden worry in his eyes.
“It’s fine! Don’t sweat it!” He tried to emphasize every word, fully ingrain it in both of their heads, “They sure can hustle, huh? Don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone move so fast.”
A beat passed, and then another. The tension washed away. Haruka rubbed the back of his neck; he looked a little better for the moment at least, his face no longer at risk of catching fire, “‘cuz they know what’s good for ‘em.” he grumbled, but Jo couldn’t sense even a hint of hostility.
He smiled, “Glad you’ve got some good friends in your corner.”
Haruka’s shoulders hiked up around his ears but he didn’t even try to deny it. The smile that grew on his face was warmer than the first rays of sunshine after a sudden storm.
Jo had never wanted to kiss someone so badly before. He clenched every muscle in his body to keep from making a fool of himself right there in the middle of the street.
“Uh! Anyway!” Haruka’s sudden yelp brought Jo back to the present from where he’d been fantasizing.
Haruka was looking back at Momijikawa again. Right, they weren’t alone. Unfortunately, “I’ll. I’ll see you tomorrow. I’m gonna…”
He trailed off and gestured wordlessly as Jo. The blush was back, which didn’t help Jo’s heart at all.
Momijikawa just sighed, “Yeah, tomorrow. I’ll let you know what time to head over, okay? I’ve got something new I want you to try.”
He turned to Jo and inclined his head. The stern look was back, but at least he wasn’t being antagonistic, “It was nice to meet you officially, Togame. I hope you two have a nice time.”
The bell above the door jingled again, and this time a brown haired girl (Kotoha? That sounded right, and Momijikawa had mentioned her as well) wearing an apron and a deep frown stuck her head out. A sly grin replaced it in seconds when she spotted the three of them standing together, “Oh, there you are Momijikawa! You’re late for your –”
Momijikawa made a garbled noise, cutting her off. His face blanched, “I’ll be right there!”
His mad dash through the door put the others to shame.
Kotoha offered them a cheery wave once Momijikawa’s panicked form had disappeared into the cafe, “Don’t have too much fun you two!”
“What the hell was that all about?” Haruka muttered as she closed the door behind herself. He looked as confused as Jo felt.
Jo shrugged. He was just happy to finally have Haruka to himself. If they hadn’t been interrupted then he might not have been able to keep holding back.
“Is that what every day is like around here? He asked instead.
Haruka rolled his eyes and started walking, to which Jo quickly caught up, “Yeah. You get used to it after a while. Everyone’s always up in your business.” he said, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiled.
Jo found himself smiling too. It was the easiest thing in the world when he was around Haruka.
“Oh, by the way. Everything okay with him? Momijikawa?” Jo asked after a few minutes of walking.
Haruka gave him an odd look, “Yeah. Why?”
Jo shrugged. He wasn’t quite sure how to say it without sounding like a complete dickhead, “Not sure, he just seemed,” he looked at me like I was going after something he pissed on, “a little standoffish.”
Haruka was quiet for a long moment, his face blank.
“Kinda like me?” he asked finally.
Shit. Well, when he put it like that Jo recognized that he was the real asshole in this particular situation, “Ahhhh, sorry. I wasn’t thinking.” You were being jealous and a jerk for no reason is what you were doing.
It was Haruka’s turn to shrug, “S’whatever. You’re good.”
Jo breathed a silent sigh of relief. Haruka was one of the most honest people he knew; if he said that he meant it entirely.
They walked in silence for a while longer. There was still plenty of light at this time of the evening, but there was a coolness in the air that let them know the summer was slowly winding down. They stood close enough that their arms and hands brushed occasionally as they walked, and Jo clenched the opposite fist to remind himself not to reach out and touch more, to take hold of a sleeve or slide their fingers together. This was enough, this was more than enough. He couldn’t push things too fast. He couldn’t. He wanted –
“He’s a good guy,” Haruka said, without any preamble.
He could only be talking about one person. And Jo wasn’t anywhere near stupid. He knew exactly what a person who felt very deeply for Haruka looked like, he saw one in the mirror every day. He couldn’t fault Momijikawa for wanting to be close to the sun, too. For letting himself open before it.
So if that’s what Haruka thought then, well, “I’m sure I’ll like him once I get to know him better.”
If he likes you too then we can’t be all that different. We’ll get along fine.
“Huh, it's uh. Nice.”
That was the first thing Jo could think to say about the nearly dilapidated building where Haruka lived. Maybe that was why he’d wanted to meet at Pothos first.
It wasn't…the best. The overhanging tree branches hadn’t been trimmed in who knew how long, the foundation looked like it was rotting, the stairs were sagging and splintered, the sides peeling. Vines and greenery clung to every spare surface they could reach, buried deep in the various cracks that spiderwebbed across the walls. He knew people back on Shishitoren's turf who lived in similar places; mostly old folks whose children or grandchildren had set them up in the cheapest lodging available out of desperation, or those who simply wished to keep living in the only place they knew to call home. Determined to crumble and turn to ash along with the building itself.
Haruka didn't seem like either of those sorts, but Jo didn't want to badmouth him either.
They had finally reached a comfortable point in their friendship such that they were even using each other's first names now, but Jo felt that they were also kind of moving into a weird sort of nebulous new state. Or rather, it wasn't really anything new for him. Jo had already known for some time that he really, really, really wanted to kiss Haruka, or even hold his hand. Everything that had happened earlier with Momijikawa had only further cemented that. He would settle for a good solid hug if he was being entirely honest, anything that would let him get closer, to touch.
It wasn't as if they never touched. They had their sparring arrangement after all, and they touched outside of that too. Helping each other up off the ground after they were done, fingers brushing when they passed a bottle of water, or showed each other their phones and whatever silly photo they thought the other might like from their respective group chats.
And all through this, Jo had felt a sort of shift. Of course he thought very highly of Haruka, who wouldn't? The admiration never changed, and it had grown steadily into warmth, friendship, affection.
He liked to think maybe, hopefully, please, please, please that Haruka might feel the same. He liked to think that he'd gotten pretty good at reading him over time and could tell the difference between true annoyance and nervous fluster at Jo's actions or words. And he was pretty certain by now that the way Haruka acted around him leaned towards the latter more often than not.
Which is why it was imperative that he remained on his best behaviour around Haruka at all times. He didn't think he could bear not getting to see his adorably blushing face again. To miss any more of those fully open, guard down smiles.
“Hah?”
Haruka's surly tone snapped Jo out of his thoughts, and he looked over to where Haruka was standing beside him on the sidewalk.
The glower on Haruka's face would have withered every single one of Umemiya's vegetable plants.
Uh oh, had Jo already fucked it up? Things had been going so well.
“Your place,” Jo confirmed, gamely trying to salvage the conversation, “It's uh, a little run down maybe sure, but…”
Now Haruka looked at Jo like he had grown a second head. Then he just sighed and reached out to rap his knuckles against Jo's shoulder, seeming to indicate that his little faux pas was forgiven. Jo bit the inside of his cheek to stop from smiling like an idiot at the casual touch. If Haruka was going to start doing that so easily then Jo was determined to carefully treasure every single one.
“It's a shithole. You don't hafta be so polite.” Haruka said.
Well Jo certainly wasn't going to just be an asshole outright, they had long moved past that. Besides,
“Welllll, I mean. It could be worse? And it's yours, isn't it? That's gotta count for something.”
Haruka's expression morphed into something unreadable. His eyebrows shot up and his eyes went wide and his mouth did that weird sort of little quiver that always preceded…Yep. There it was.
The blush started across his nose, then moved to his ears before slowly creeping down his neck. How far down would it travel? Jo was possessed of a sudden overwhelming desire (not for the first time either) to reach out and tug Haruka's shirt down so he could watch it for himself. He dug his nails into the palms of his hands until it stung to stop himself from doing just that.
“Wh-Whatever! Sure!”
Haruka whirled away from him and stomped up the so-called stairs as if they had personally offended him. The back of his neck was alight; Jo could practically see the steam rising off of him.
“You coming or what!?”
Jo stood rooted in place while Haruka had already reached the top of the stairs. Even through all the bluster Jo could see the line of tension in his shoulders, how stiff he held himself, like he expected Jo was about to tell him to fuck off and forget all of this just because he was a little bit awkward. Like they weren’t completely in the same boat in that regard.
“Oh! Coming!”
He was not about to miss this chance. Next time, he would cook for Haruka personally too.