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Ryusui woke up to a sea of grey clouds cast over the sky and gentle pitter patter of rain that drummed against his window as he stirred awake. His mind still left in a blur as he pulled himself out of an indiscernible dream, Ryusui slowly let the world around him come into focus as he blinked away his drowsiness.
A faint groan escaping him, Ryusui rolled over to his side, reaching lazily for his phone on his nightstand, wincing lightly as the light of the screen flashed through his dark room.
To his surprise, it was just barely eleven in the morning. Although Ryusui had anticipated sleeping in due to having a day off from work, he hadn't expected to sleep in so late. With only a light frown, Ryusui got up in a decisive move and went over to his dresser to toss a shirt on.
He had just barely done up the first three buttons of his shirt, when a dull light flashed in his room, followed by a loud clap of thunder.
Ryusui whipped his head towards his window, faintly stunned by the noise, when a certain thought came into his head.
Ukyo. He hated thunderstorms.
Rushing over to his phone, Ryusui's lips were pressed thin as he shot him a quick message asking if he was doing alright.
Almost immediately, Ukyo read his message, but Ryusui watched his replying text bubble appear and disappear for a few minutes before he received an answer.
With a faint frown, Ryusui read the shaky message he got back from Ukyo. Despite the fact that he confirmed that he was okay, there was an uncharacteristic amount of typos in his message that made Ryusui feel skeptical.
There was something up, he was almost sure of it. A sense of determination filled him as he made up his mind, and without another second to waste, he finished buttoning up his shirt and left his room.
Ryusui quickly ran to his kitchen to grab a washi box of Ukyo's favourite tea, and after shuffling around to find his umbrella, Ryusui stepped outside.
Unfortunately, as François had just taken their car to go visit a friend of theirs out of town for the weekend, Ryusui was left with no other choice than to brave the storm by foot. Taking a moment to open his umbrella and brace himself to the rain, Ryusui took a deep breath before he began to run down the street.
Luckily, Ukyo lived only about a thirty minute walk away from Ryusui's place, and he was sure that in a sprint, he could probably make it in half of the time. As Ryusui raced down the empty streets of the small town, he frowned at every strike of lightning that would briefly bloom across the grey clouds.
A shiver went down Ryusui's spine as the rain seemed to practically bleed through his shirt, making it stick uncomfortably against his skin as he begrudgingly closed up his umbrella. With the strange angle and with how harshly the wind was blowing, the umbrella had completely lost its purpose and had been more of an annoying obstacle than any sort of useful tool.
“ What's a little rainwater anyway, “ Ryusui mumbled under this breath, opting to shield his face with one of his arms as he pressed forward. “ I've been through worse weather at sea. “
It didn't matter to him if he was soaked to the bone. Ryusui knew just how anxious Ukyo would get during thunderstorms due to his sensitive hearing, and if there were anything he could do to alleviate his worries, he would do it.
As Ryusui finally rounded the familiar corner leading to Ukyo's duplex, his eyes lit up as he spotted his address, and in a final dash, crossed the street and practically jumped up the steps. Once he reached the front door, he took a moment to catch his breath before he knocked on the door.
Ryusui waited a couple moments before the door finally opened, revealing a faintly disheveled Ukyo wrapped in a fluffy yellow blanket he had given him as a gift during their first Christmas spent together.
“ Ryusui? “ Ukyo said, his eyes wide as he stared at him in disbelief. “ What are you… where… You're soaked! “
Even though there was a touch of amusement dancing in his expression as Ukyo took in the sight of him, Ryusui couldn’t help but notice how his eyes were faintly puffy.
“ I wanted to make sure you were okay, “ Ryusui said quietly, smiling lightly as Ukyo made a shy smile at him.
Ukyo looked away for a moment as he wrapped himself tighter into his blanket, before he shook his head with a gentle laugh. “ I can't believe… Okay, come inside before you catch a cold. “
Ukyo stepped aside to give him the space to enter and as Ryusui bent down to take off his shoes, leaving the washi box on the ground momentarily, Ukyo ran off with shuffled steps to a different room before returning with a towel. As Ryusui was still bent down, Ukyo playfully ruffled Ryusui's hair with the towel with a light laugh. “ You're actually soaking wet. Did you really run here? “
“ Yeah, “ Ryusui said with a casual shrug, grinning as he stood up. With Ukyo still holding both sides of the towel, Ryusui was still slightly bent down as he stood eye to eye with him. “ It only took what; ten minutes? “
Ukyo let out a breathy laugh as he shook his head, before he suddenly tugged the sides of the towel, and as a result Ryusui, towards him to kiss him lightly.
Taken slightly by surprise, Ryusui hadn't even had the time to close his eyes before Ukyo pulled away. Holding back a laugh at the supposed sight of him, Ukyo had a lighthearted smirk on his lips as he glanced down at his watch. “ Try twenty. …But thank you for coming over. It means a lot to me. “
“ Of course, Ukyo, “ Ryusui said, gently bringing his hand to Ukyo's cheek before pulling him back for another kiss. “ You know that I'd- “
Ryusui interrupted himself as he jerked back slightly and closed his eyes, fighting for a second before finally turning his head quickly to the side to let out a sneeze.
Ukyo laughed as Ryusui sulked and sniffled lightly, moving to ruffle his hair again before letting go of the towel. “ Okay, we should probably get you dried up before you actually get sick. “
After tossing his blanket off to the couch, Ukyo took Ryusui's hand and led him through his house to his bathroom. There, Ukyo pulled a blowdryer out of a drawer and after Ryusui tore off his shirt and pants, Ukyo began to dry him off with it.
As the warm air from the hair dryer began to break the cold seal the rain had left on him, Ryusui let out a sigh as a satisfied shiver ran through his body.
“ I still can't believe you ran all the way here, “ Ukyo said with a disbelieving laugh, adjusting his grip on the blowdryer as Ryusui dried his hair with the towel. Once he deemed one side of Ryusui's body dry enough, Ukyo made a small rotating motion with his index finger. “ Spin. “
With only a faint touch of wordless amusement, Ryusui followed his order and spun around, finding himself facing the mirror in Ukyo's bathroom. He watched as Ukyo dried off his back with an almost humorously intensive focus, and held back a laugh as he looked away.
“ Oh, and Ryusui, I still have some of the clothes that you left here that I can give you, “ Ukyo said suddenly above the loud whirring of the blowdryer as he began to dry off Ryusui's legs.
“ Sure, thanks, “ Ryusui replied, with a similar voice as Ukyo as he spoke over the sound of the hair dryer.
For a moment, Ryusui simply looked at Ukyo through the mirror as the latter occupied himself with his task, and let a smile come onto his face as he watched him. Despite how faint the change was, just from how much Ukyo's shoulders had slackened and how easy the smile on his face was now compared to how he seemed at the door, Ryusui was already glad that he had made the decision to come to him.
Seemingly feeling Ryusui's gaze on him, Ukyo instinctively looked up with a skeptical glance, and after making eye contact with him through the mirror, Ryusui smiled, making Ukyo look away with a lightly embarrassed expression.
After a moment, Ukyo finally shut off the handheld device, and a comforting silence finally settled in the room as Ukyo wrapped the cord around the dryer to put it away.
“ I'll toss your wet clothes in the dryer if you want to head to my room, “ Ukyo said, bundling up Ryusui's shirt and pants as he began to step out of the bathroom.
Deciding to just go along with his instructions, Ryusui made his way over to Ukyo's room, and curiously looked around as he waited for Ukyo to join him. He wandered towards Ukyo's dresser to investigate a new picture frame that had added itself to the few artifacts on it, and smiled lightly as he recognized the picture they took together on their trip to Hakodate earlier in the year.
Ryusui had just barely had the time to check if anything else had changed in Ukyo's room before the sound of the door opening prompted him to spin around, catching Ukyo just as he came in with a shirt that Ryusui recognized as his.
“ Oh, is that the shirt I left here? “ Ryusui said with a light laugh, taking the offered clothes from Ukyo. “ I was looking for this one the other day. “
Ukyo let out a gentle chuckle as he made a soft jab at Ryusui's arm. “ You could've asked me. At this point I have half of your closet here. “
Ryusui tucked his shirt under his arm as he put the pair of pants he was given on, and as he went to unfold the shirt, he smiled lightly at the fact that all of the buttons were undone in advance for him. As he pulled his arms through the sleeves, Ryusui let out a content hum despite himself at the feeling of finally being dressed in dry clothes again.
Ukyo watched him with an amused smile as Ryusui adjusted the collar of his shirt, before he moved closer to help Ryusui button up his shirt.
Ukyo had only done up two buttons when a flash of lightning lit up the translucent curtains of his room, freezing as he closed his eyes and tensed his jaw lightly in anticipation. With a softened gaze, Ryusui brought his hands up to cup Ukyo's ears just before the sound of thunder struck, making Ukyo's eyes flutter open as he looked up at him with a marvelled expression.
Once the thunder clap passed, Ryusui took his hands off of Ukyo's ears, and quickly found himself swept in a hug as Ukyo pressed himself against Ryusui's chest.
“ I love you so much, Ryusui, “ Ukyo said with a choked voice as he let out a breathy laugh.
Ryusui returned the hug as he lowered his head to kiss the top of Ukyo's head, smiling lightly as Ukyo squeezed him just a touch harder at the gesture. “ I love you too, Ukyo. “
Ryusui felt Ukyo smile against his chest before the latter propped his chin up on him to look up, his lips stretched in a lazy smile as he chuckled lightly. Ryusui's jaw gently slackened at the sight, before he felt his lips curl into a natural smile as a warm feeling filled his chest with gentle knots.
“ Oh, I uh, brought some tea for you, “ Ryusui said, strangely flustered as he suddenly remembered the washi box he had left by the front door. “ Do you want some? "
“ Is it sobacha? “ Ukyo asked, his face lighting up in excitement at the thought.
Ryusui felt his heart pinch with joy at the unmasked happiness on Ukyo's face and used every ounce of self-restraint that he could physically muster to not tease him for it as he settled for a simple nod. “ Yeah. That's the one you like right? “ Ryusui said, despite the fact that he already knew for sure that it was his favourite type of tea. “ It's the one that François got from a friend of theirs. “
“ You brought that one? “ Ukyo said, breaking their hug as an even wider smile came onto his face.
God, it was almost surreal that Ukyo was as adorable as he was.
Unable to resist his urges, Ryusui went to kiss his forehead and tucked a strand of hair behind Ukyo's ear. “ You're the most beautiful person I know. Do you know that? “
Ukyo's cheeks flushed red as he looked away with a faint pout. “ Where did that come from? “
“ The bottom of my heart, “ Ryusui teased, laughing as Ukyo's face fell before leaving his room with a satisfied grin.
Quickly going to retrieve the momentarily forgotten box of tea, Ryusui made his way to the kitchen and began to search through the cabinets for a teapot as Ukyo appeared behind him. With a practiced ease, Ryusui found the delicate green teapot that Ukyo had and pulled out a couple teacups that came in a matching set with it.
Ryusui set the electric kettle that Ukyo had to boil and brought the tea set over to the table, making sure to be mindful about how he handled the delicate teaware that Ukyo had told him he treasured.
Ukyo handed him a spoon he had fetched from his cutlery drawer, and Ryusui scooped a couple teaspoons of the roasted buckwheat kernels into the teapot just as Ukyo brought him the kettle.
As Ryusui poured the hot water into the teapot, almost immediately, the comforting notes of roasted barley and a gentle sweetness began to waft through the air, and Ukyo made a delighted hum as he sat down.
“ Sounds like the storm finally calmed down, “ Ukyo began as Ryusui sat down beside him, smiling lightly as Ryusui interlaced his fingers with Ukyo's on the table. “ At least, the thunder seems to have stopped anyway. “
Ryusui hummed at that as he gently pressed at the squishy section of the back of Ukyo's hand near his thumb. “ It's amazing to me that you can hear these things so easily. Though, I guess it's a blessing and curse for you to have such good hearing. “
“ I guess, “ Ukyo said with a quiet laugh, watching Ryusui fiddle around with his hand. “ I can usually tolerate most loud sounds, just like how I was fine earlier with the blowdryer. There's something about thunder that I can't stand though. “
“ That's fair, “ Ryusui said with an instinctive nod. “ I guess it might be the difference between a consistent noise instead of an unpredictable one? “
“ Yeah, “ Ukyo said with a nod of his own, slowly nodding more and more as he thought about it. “ Yeah, that might be it actually. “
Feeling faintly proud at the affirmation his partner gave him, Ryusui snapped his fingers as he let out a laugh. “ Leave it to my instincts to tell! “
“ Sure, “ Ukyo said with an amused laugh as he shot him a playful grin. “ And have your sailor's instincts decided that the tea is ready yet? “
“ Oh, right, “ Ryusui said as he eyed his watch and let out a faint chuckle as he realized that the tea had been steeping for a few minutes longer than necessary.
Ryusui took the teapot and made a delicate pour of the sobacha into both of their cups, and made a pleased sigh at the cozy aroma of the tea that exposed itself to him. Ukyo seemed to be equally as delighted as he wasted no time in taking the teacup in his hands after Ryusui finished his pour, and sniffed at the tea lightly.
After a careful analysis of the hot beverage, Ukyo took a gentle sip of the tea, and Ryusui watched as a smile bloomed across his face while he sunk lightly into his chair.
“ This tea is amazing every time I have it, “ Ukyo sighed, eyeing the tea lovingly before taking another sip.
Ryusui only smiled as he brought his own cup to his lips, closing his eyes to truly appreciate the subtle notes of chestnut and of a mellow sweetness that the tea provided.
He was only brought out of his contemplation when Ukyo nudged his shoulder, and as he turned his gaze towards him, Ukyo set a hand on his cheek as he kissed him gently.
“ I know I've said it a lot already, but thank you for coming, Ryusui, “ Ukyo said after he pulled away, his eyes brimming with a look of love as his smile danced with a faint tremble. “ Just being around you makes all of my worries go away. “
“ It's the same with me, “ Ryusui said with a grin, moving to tuck a strand of Ukyo's hair behind his ear again. “ Just one look at you and the rest of the world disappears. You're like a… beautiful school of fish glistening in the sun. “
Despite himself, Ukyo couldn't resist the laugh that escaped him at Ryusui's comment, and he ducked his head down as he attempted to hide his smile. “ What does that even mean? “
“ What? “ Ryusui asked innocently, despite the grin on his face that betrayed his thoughts. “ You think my love for you is funny? “
“ No, sorry Ryusui, “ Ukyo said, shaking his head. “ It's hilarious. “
Ryusui let out a laugh at his answer and jabbed lightly at Ukyo's shoulder before draping his arm behind his chair and leaning his head down to rest it on top of Ukyo's.
Ryusui shifted his glance down to Ukyo's hands that had gone back to rest on his tea cup as a smile came onto his face. At least from what he could tell, his mission to make Ukyo feel better had been a global success, and he couldn't be any happier at the fact.
As Ukyo began a conversation about his most recent indulgences, Ryusui listened with a warm smile, finding comfort in the gentle conversations that mingled with the lingering smell of tea in the air, surrounding the both of them with a quiet happiness that stretched late into the afternoon.