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Gero felt the rain before he could see it. Tiny pricks of cool ghosted over his skin, and in the next moment, they began to fog up his glasses, too.
“Ah, Kinosaki, it's raining.”
“Oh,” he said, lightly reaching up and making a cupping motion with his hands. Gero absentmindedly noted he had a fresh manicure which he more than likely paid for. “Hmm, well that sort of puts a damper on the outdoor drinking event then, doesn't it?”
Gero nodded, checking his watch.
“It's late, anyway. We should probably just call it—”
“You just want to get out of socializing!”
The rain began to come down harder, striking against the pavement.
“Kinosaki.”
He tugged his friend beneath the roof of the bus stop by the sleeve of his dress to prevent him getting soaked. The latter giggled, blond hair swaying a bit when he did.
“You and those quick reflexes.”
Suddenly, Gero's phone buzzed with an alarm. He tapped the screen and was greeted with the sight of an emergency weather warning for the next few hours in their area. Rain, lightning, hail—the whole nine yards.
“Aren't you far from home tonight?”
“Well, I'm far from the place I'm staying, I suppose. I'll call a cab,” Kinosaki replied with a dismissive wave of his hand. His gold bracelets jingled together on his wrist. Just as he reached for his phone, the wind picked up rather viciously, sweeping leaves down the sidewalk and a few pieces of trash as well. Evening was coming on quickly, the storm hot on its heels, and Gero didn't like the idea of leaving Mei alone on this street corner.
He really didn't like leaving Kinosaki to solo travel anywhere these days, not that he'd ever say that aloud.
“Why don't you just stay at my place tonight? I have a spare room, and I can get a driver here sooner than you can.”
Mei squinted at him with a sly smile.
“Oh, using that Poison Clan nepo baby status?”
“I– I wasn't– I was just–”
He snickered.
“That move will definitely be popular with the ladies, but don't invite her back to your place until after she's your girlfriend, ‘kay? It's classier if you do it in that order.”
“Are you going to let me help you or not?” Gero huffed. His driver was already on their way.
“Yeah, yeah, you can be chivalrous.”
He peeked at his bag with a sudden interest.
“Oh, I don't have a change of clothes with me.”
“I'm sure I have something that'll fit.”
Kinosaki made a face.
“It's just to sleep, Kinosaki. Life's not a constant fashion show.”
“Correction. Your life isn't a constant fashion show, and that's part of your problem.”
He laughed again, bright and airy, and Gero distantly wondered what his life would sound like one day when he didn't get to hear that sound anymore. Presumably it'd be replaced by his wife's. The driver arrived only two minutes later, car tires sloshing through the streams of water which were rising at an alarming pace despite the storm drains. The driver moved to get out and open the back door for them, but Gero discreetly waved him off.
He opened the door and carefully offered his hand to Kinosaki to help him step off the slick curb into the car. Mei accepted without hesitation, chattering away about a new sushi place he'd seen on social media. His heels clicked on the concrete, and Gero ensured they cleared the ledge of the running board before he released his grip.
“Thank you~,” Kinosaki said in a sing song voice, sliding over to make room for him. Gero nodded and quietly closed the door behind them.
“Good evening, Master Gero. Ms. Kinosaki,” the driver greeted with a courteous nod of his head. “Nasty night, isn't it? Came all of a sudden, too.”
“Oh, yes! I should've checked my phone. Before I knew it, a terrible cloud was rolling in,” Mei replied sweetly, and soon the two were swept away in a stream of amicable chatter. Gero was content to relax and listen to their voices mix with the pattering of the rain on the window.
They reached his apartment a little after nine, and thankfully they hadn't gotten too wet. The air was chilly when they walked through the door, so Gero immediately moved to flip the thermostat over to heat. He knew Kinosaki was cold blooded by nature, hence his favoring of long sleeved dresses. He hadn't ever outright told Gero that, but he'd observed his friend shivering on several occasions when the weather was perfectly nice.
“Do you want to shower while I make dinner?” Gero asked, opening his fridge to assess the contents. He quickly surmised he had enough ingredients to make a perfectly passable meal for two despite his impromptu hosting. Behind him, Kinosaki hummed in reply.
“That'd be great, thanks. Um…”
His voice trailed off rather shyly, which was an unnatural occurrence. Kinosaki said everything with utmost confidence ninety percent of the time, even when he was bluffing.
“What?”
“Uh, do you have something I could wear while my hair's wet? I don't want it to get on this blouse.”
“Oh, sure,” Gero replied, perhaps a bit too quickly. Why was this awkward? He and Kinosaki had tackled plenty of situations more challenging than this. “Just a second.”
Gero walked to his bedroom and moved towards a back closet, knowing that nothing he currently wore would fit Kinosaki's small frame. He slid open the closet door and clicked on the overhead light, rummaging through some neatly packed boxes until he found some clothes from when he was a teenager.
It was only a silly graphic t-shirt and some red athletic shorts, but hopefully Kinosaki would deem it acceptable for pajamas.
“Will these work?” he asked when he re-entered the kitchen, passing the clothes over. Kinosaki glanced at them and then nodded with a smile. His expression changed without warning, a mischievous twinkle gathering in his eyes.
“Is this a DIY candy kit merch shirt?”
Against his will, heat rose to Gero's face.
“I wasn't allowed to wear anything but professional clothes during the day, so I kept some merch as sleepwear. Sue me.”
Kinosaki laughed.
“No, no! It's cute! Thank you, Gero.”
His voice dropped into a whisper at the end, folding around Gero's name in that personal way which meant they were friends. He hadn't yet discovered why that tone made his heart feel a little funny.
“ ‘Kay, I'm gonna shower. Please tell me you actually have decent shampoo.”
“It's not three in one, if that's what you're thinking.”
“Oh, good,” Kinosaki replied seriously, laying a hand across his chest. “That's one thing I don't have to teach you, at least.”
Then he took his leave, hair swishing slightly as he went.
“The bathroom's on the left.”
“ ‘Kay!”
Gero noticed that Kinosaki had left his nice, black heels set neatly next to his own shoes in the genkan. A smile crept across his face for an unknown reason, and he quickly chased it away by busying himself with dinner. Kinosaki was perfectly familiar with his cooking skills, but he still felt compelled to make something impressive. He needed to treat his guest well, after all.
Outside, the rain drummed persistently against the window, turning the neon skyline into a mosaic of colorful blobs. Gero allowed himself to get lost in the soothing action of cooking. Growing up, it had been one of the few ways he could express his own tastes, since he only cooked to feed himself. Now, though, he found himself considering what Kinosaki might like.
Not too spicy, but not unseasoned, either. Plenty of meat. Rice plated in a cutesy fashion. Without really thinking about it, Gero made a cat face on the plate with soy sauce. It stared at him unfeelingly, as if asking why its existence was important. Truth was, he didn't know.
Was this what cooking for his future wife might be like one day? Gero tried to imagine a sweet girl waiting on him to finish, chattering on about her day with her pretty, delicate fingers wrapped around the stem of a wine glass. Disturbingly, the only face he could picture at the moment was Mei's.
The only thing left to do was plate the vegetables when he heard a noise behind him. Surprisingly, he didn't snap his head around on instinct, since he knew who it was.
“Smells good,” Kinosaki said, his tone thick with want the way it always was when food was involved. Gero smiled to himself.
“Almost done,” he promised. When he grabbed the two plates and turned towards the table, he had to rely on every ounce of self-discipline to keep the dishes in hand.
There, hair still slightly damp from a shower, stood Mei Kinosaki. Gero hadn't seen him out of his usual attire since the night they met, and frankly he'd been too keyed up by the day's events to truly appreciate it (Appreciate it? Why did he need to–? Nevermind).
He'd lost the extensions, obviously, so now his blond hair stopped at his chin, though the ends were still slightly pink. His freckles weren't drawn on, because they remained on his face despite the lack of makeup. A few drops of water stubbornly clung to his clothes, causing them to fit snug against his frame.
His clothes. Gero's clothes.
The pink, cutesy logo of the DIY candy kit company stood out boldly on the white fabric, which totally clashed with the neon red athletic shorts. Kinoskai would surely view the outfit as a crime against fashion, but he managed to pull it off effortlessly.
Then he looked up, right into Gero's eyes, and asked, “Something wrong?”
And what was wrong, exactly? Gero had seen Kinosaki dressed up in full feminine glam dozens of times. Seeing him dressed in a slightly more masculine style should affect him even less, and yet…
He didn't really have the words to describe what he was feeling at the moment.
“Nothing, sorry. Let's eat.”
“Yay~!” Kinosaki chirped, giving a little fist pump. Hopefully, he hadn't noticed Gero's brief moment of astonishment. “Thank you!”
“It's nothing,” he replied quietly as he took a seat.
“Ah, ah, don't say that. Girls like it when a man can securely take a compliment.”
“Oh, um, then what should I say?”
“A simple thank you would be perfectly appropriate,” he replied cheekily.
“Ha ha.”
“Seriously, though, you are a great cook,” Kinosaki added as he thoughtfully chewed on another bite. “That's a big thing you have going for you.”
While Kinosaki was occupied with his food and phone, Gero admired him. Okay, he watched him.
His cheeks always grew chubby whenever he ate, like every bite of food he got might be his last. Briefly, Gero wondered if he ate like that for a reason. His sunset-colored eyes would practically sparkle when he found something exciting on his social media feed. He had a particular way of handling his silverware, too, probably to account for his nails. Tonight, they were a cherry pink, and suddenly Gero found that he didn't mind paying for them at all. In fact, he was happy to.
It was strange, but he didn't find Mei any less attractive without all his extra feminine charms and flair. He should, as a straight guy. Mei certainly looked more boyish, not that he looked anywhere as masculine as your typical Japanese man his age, but still. And yet, Gero couldn't tear his eyes away. It was as if some magnetic force held him captive, or maybe it was a spell.
Poison, perhaps?
“Gero? You okay?”
“Hm, oh. Yeah. Sorry.”
Mei propped his chin up on his hand and peered at Gero intently.
“Are you nervous?”
Crap.
“Wh–what?!”
“About finding a girl, I mean. Don't be. She's out there; I'm sure of it.”
Kinosaki gave a self-assured nod, but Gero couldn't help noticing the tiny bit of soy sauce by his lips. Without properly thinking it through, he reached up with his napkin and wiped it away. Kinosaki stilled, eyes going wide and sparkly.
But what if my person is right here?
“S–sorry, you had, um, something on your face.”
Gero's hand felt warm despite having made no actual contact with Mei's skin.
“Th–thanks.”
They ate in relative silence after that, but it wasn't uncomfortable. The rain continued to fall, providing a backdrop of noise alongside the heater periodically cutting on and off. Occasionally, Kinosaki would check his phone and a pop song would play very faintly. It was nice, peaceful.
Honestly, it felt too good to be true. Gero had coveted meals like this for as long as he could remember, way back when he was introduced to the concept of family dinners at the Human Zoo. Back then, he'd simply assumed nobody outside his immediate family would ever be able to share a meal alone with him without trembling in secret fear.
Mei didn't seem afraid, though. Even when Gero had almost killed him, he'd been able to see right through him. Gero had always wanted someone to really, truly see him.
He'd always envisioned that someone being a woman, but well…
“You okay?”
Kinosaki pinned him down beneath his gaze, and for a moment, Gero wondered if he'd somehow been caught. But then Mei looked away, blowing a strand of hair out of his face.
“Y–yeah.”
“Wanna watch a movie before bed?”
Gero paused, blinking.
“Huh?”
“A movie? Come on, I know you're socially stunted, but you weren't raised under a rock! Let's watch Legally Blonde. Girls adore that movie!”
“I… I think I can get it?”
Kinosaki sighed and stood, peering down at him with what was probably a look of sympathy.
“Just give me your remote.”
So half an hour later (after Gero had done the dishes and started the laundry), they were seated on his couch while the intro to the movie played. The main character was a blonde, bubbly, shopaholic college girl who reminded Gero of a certain someone. Kinosaki's eyes crinkled in amusement whenever he found a joke especially funny, even though it was obvious he'd seen the movie before.
“See,” Kinosaki whispered, leaning over in the darkness. He drew the blanket a little tighter over his knees. “That's her boyfriend, Warner. He's a jerk. Just… just watch.”
“I'm trying to,” Gero thought but didn't say, a small smile tugging at his lips. Kinosaki had an interesting habit of delivering his own commentary every time the movie's pace slowed. Most would've found it annoying, but Gero didn't mind. The movie continued, and Gero could see why so many people liked it; he even caught himself almost laughing a few times. Several memories from long ago came to mind, evenings when he used to be allowed to watch movies with Akari before training took over his life.
He really wanted to watch more movies in the future. Maybe he'd even get lucky enough to watch them with his future family.
Just as the film reached its climatic court scene, Gero felt a weight slump into his side. Honey blonde hair spilled onto his chest, surprisingly long even without the extensions. The blanket shifted over, too, pressing against his ribs.
Mei had fallen asleep.
Gero froze, fingers flexing uselessly. This close, he could see the shadows that Kinosaki's eyelashes cast across his face in the glow of the TV. Kinosaki's breathing rose and fell rhythmically, and the outline of his collarbone was visible beneath the t-shirt's neckline. Rain drizzled against the roof; thunder rolled in the distance.
He's so beautiful.
The thought popped into his mind unbidden and lodged like a parasite. The more he tried not to think about it, the more persistent it became. Had Kinosaki's freckles always been this cute? Did he smell like Gero's shampoo now, or was that just his imagination?
When had he gotten so perfect?
Heat climbed up Gero's neck and ears, mocking him. What on earth was he thinking? He was a straight man. He'd never, ever considered himself as anything but. He had always been interested in women and women only.
And yet…
A part of him wondered what it would be like to put his arm fully around Kinosaki and pull him close. To gently reach over and adjust the blanket to ensure his legs were fully covered. To comb his fingers through soft strands of gold which smelled like an expensive foreign perfume woven together with Gero's own practical mint hair products.
It didn't make sense, but he found himself asking how Kinosaki managed to get his lips to look that soft even after a shower.
Wait… what?!
Gero wasn't rude enough to wake Kinosaki, so he focused on the technique he'd learned over the years to slow his breathing and heart rate. This was probably a proximity thing; he'd never had a friend as close as Kinosaki, and that was messing with his head. Still, the thought of Mei being in this exact situation with someone else right now set him on edge.
And what was he supposed to do with that emotion?
Kinosaki shifted in his sleep, and Gero stilled as if a rifle had been aimed between his eyes. Since he couldn't see a way out of his current predicament, he decided to divert all his attention to the movie in hopes that by the time it finished, Kinosaki would be awake.
The washing machine shut off, and the heater came on. Lightning lit up the sky on the other side of the curtains; thunder followed around ten seconds later. There was a certain laziness in the air, like there wasn't any expectation for the foreseeable future. It made Gero's shoulders dip and allowed his lungs to fully expand in a way they hadn't in ages. He could barely feel Mei's heartbeat thumping against his right side.
He closed his eyes to rest them, just until the movie was over.
When Kinosaki woke, it took him a few seconds to remember where he was. At first his heart rate spiked, because he could tell he was snuggled next to someone, and judging by the weight it was a man. He didn't remember taking on any unsavory jobs recently, and his clothes were still on, so why would he be waking up next to…
Oh, it was only Gero.
Immediately, the tension bled out of Kinosaki's body. It was probably naive, but he never felt as safe as when they were together. Gero's dark hair was swept across his forehead, and his face looked younger in his sleep. Catching him without a crease between his eyebrows was a rare sight indeed.
He really was handsome despite his rough edges. Secretly, Kinosaki thought any girl would be insane to turn him down. He recalled the previous night, how Gero had helped him into the car, cooked him dinner, loaned him clothes, and bought a movie just because Mei wanted to watch it. It was textbook gentleman behavior— Kinosaki was proud.
Soon, he'd find the perfect girl for Gero, and then their arrangement would be over. He refused to pay any mind to the twinge in his heart when he had to think about that future. Kinosaki leaned back a little, careful not to wake the man sleeping next to him. Then, he noticed that Gero hadn't remembered to remove his glasses. Slowly, he reached up and wrapped his fingers around the slim frames before delicately placing the glasses on the low table in front of them.
Gero stayed asleep, yielded and vulnerable. Mei knew it must take an immense amount of trust for a Master to allow themself to rest in the presence of another person. Kinosaki smiled, watching as the sunlight began to paint Gero's face in a tangerine gold.
“Any girl would be lucky to have you,” he whispered, hand coming up to skim Gero's cheek but ultimately stopping just short. He didn't want to disturb him.
Kinosaki knew in his heart he could never be that girl, but oh, it was a nice thought.