We've always made it work before. Why would this be any different?
[ It's as simple as that. Where Kaoru overthinks, Kojiro oversimplifies; that's probably a big part of why this works so well for them, and why it always has. Balance, symmetry, whatever they want to call it. A perfect push and pull, so that they can find the necessary equilibrium to even everything out.
But Kaoru needs a little more reassurance, and Kojiro's never at a loss for the right words to say. ]
Remember when I went to Italy? Before, I mean. Remember when I told you I was gonna be in Naples for a while?
[He remembers hating the idea, but fighting his own selfishness so fucking hard because he knew how important it was to Kojiro. How it was his future, and that it had been inevitable for a good while before it really became set in stone.
He had really tried to put on a brave face and pretend that the idea of being separated for longer than they ever had been didn’t terrify him. But Kojiro saw right through it, because of course he did. Bastard.]
Well. Every time I feel like something's not gonna work, I just think about that. We didn't want to be away from each other, we were still hurting from Adam, we were worried we would drift apart, we didn't want to feel lonely. Felt like everything about it was gonna suck. I almost bitched out right before I left, because I didn't want to leave you here.
But I called you as soon as I got to my hostel. We texted every waking minute. We had video calls like three or four times a day. You made Carla. I got my necklace. It was still a little lonely sometimes, but we figured it out, and we made it work. We never drifted, and when I got back to Okinawa, we fell right back in like nothing ever happened.
Probably the hardest thing we ever had to do, but we did it. If we can do that, we can do anything. We can be friends. We can be rivals. We can be lovers. We can be housemates. We can be husbands. Whatever we do, whatever we are to each other, we'll navigate it together.
We're never gonna be alone. So if you're ever worried about shit not working out, just think of Italy.
[There are moments where Kaoru becomes suddenly, keenly, drastically aware of his own self-centredness. He remembers so many details of that time, but nearly all of them were turned inward. And that is how he apparently missed that Kojiro was dreading the separation just as much as he was. Kaoru took all of the sighs and pained expressions as sympathy, maybe even pity, for how difficult the whole thing would be for Kaoru. We didn’t want to feel lonely? Somehow Kaoru never even considered that as a possibility. The idea of Kojiro, bright, gregarious, life-of-the-party Kojiro even being capable of loneliness never crossed his mind. But he was worried about all of the same things? So much that he almost didn’t go?
Kaoru hangs on every word like he’s hearing a brand new story, because in a way it is in light of this new information. He’s so immersed that the word “husbands” sideswipes him hard enough to make him choke on his own breath. Fucking shit! Kojiro gives some grand, beautiful speech, and all Kaoru can do is hold up a finger before dropping his phone on the bed to go scramble for a water bottle and get this fun new coughing fit under control. Unbelievable.
When he reappears on camera, he has flopped down on the bed. He just… needs to be horizontal right now, okay.]
[ No need to beleaguer the point, then. Kinda fun to watch Kaoru short-circuit for once, though. Not that Kojiro will attack that particular point of vulnerability, but Kaoru does it to Kojiro all the time anyway. Turnabout is fair play. ]
So, Tuesday? Hey, remember Kobayashi from senior year? She's a realtor now. Maybe we can talk to her.
[Kaoru narrows his eyes for a moment, sifting through data points. Kaoru is suspicious of the majority of their former classmates, by merit of the fact that they mostly did not like him. But he doesn’t remember Kobayashi being particularly rude, and he’s also pretty sure Kojiro never fucked her. His face relaxes.]
Fine. I’ll clear my schedule, but I’m not getting up at some insane hour.
You get 'til noon and then I'm dragging you out of bed whether you like it or not.
[ Kojiro definitely never fucked her. If social media is anything to go by, she's been living with another lady classmate since graduation. Kojiro's probably not an avenue she's ever been interested in pursuing. That's part of what makes this so safe. An added avenue of (just possibly) being a little more out than normal, even with a former classmate. ]
I'll call Kobayashi tonight to get everything scheduled. Maybe she can start looking for us, if I give her an idea of what we want. Want me to send you links?
I have to eat something. Of course I'll be up by then.
[Not that he hasn't slept in past noon before. More than once. In recent memory. But if anything can get him out of bed before the whole day is gone, it's definitely food.]
Sure. I'll look, too. Nothing from that crooked reality group that keeps trying to get me to sell the studio, obviously.
[Kaoru finds that Kojiro's macho act is a lot more tolerable when he's talking about taking out hits on Kaoru's enemies. He doesn't even roll his eyes.]
I don't see why they have to be steel, specifically. Reinforced concrete or fibre-enforced polymer would probably do the job as well, so let's not limit ourselves.
[He rolls onto his side and closes his mind, trying to picture it. A place that's theirs... when he thinks about it in such specific terms, it's really hard to keep his pulse under control.]
I want a balcony.
[Like the one at the place they stayed in LA, where they watched the sunset, and all of the chaos of the day seemed to dim into the cold streets below them.]
[He peeks his eyes open, and gets hit full force with all of that sappy mushy sentimentality. Built like a boulder but all marshmallow inside, that Kojiro. It makes Kaoru want to prod at his soft, squishy centre.]
[He ghosts a finger around one corner of the screen. He feels… impatient. They should be living together right now. They should have done this ages ago.]
[ And truly, he does. He's been carrying Kaoru around the apartment while he's getting ready to head down for dinner prep, and as much as he'd love to drop everything and head right over to Kaoru, it's just not in the cards for tonight.
He props the phone up against a lamp on his bedside table, ostensibly so they can still talk while he's dressing. But they're so comfortable around each other at this point, he doesn't think much of peeling off his shirt and dropping his shorts while the call carries on. Then he's wandering the bedroom in nothing but briefs, collecting clean pieces of his uniform from various bureaus to lay out on the bed. ]
Uhh, what else? You care what it looks like? I don't really care, but I know you lean more traditional. But I want an air conditioner, especially if we're gonna be right on the beach.
What about a tub with jets? ...I guess we can add stuff later, though.
[Once upon a time, Kaoru had built up a decent immunity to seeing Kojiro in various states of undress. He’d had to, as a matter of self-preservation. He became very skilled at channeling nothing but aloof irritation at the sight.
But, well, that was before he had intimate knowledge of what it feels like to run his hands over all that sunkissed skin. Before he associated the sight with mindblowing pleasure.
The irritation is only a low background hum now, and he can easily ignore it by taking a screenshot or two. Or a dozen.]
Right. Sure.
[He has no idea what he’s agreeing to. Something about a jet? That seems like a bit much, but whatever.]
[ Oblivious. Kojiro is oblivious. Right up until the realization hits that A) Kaoru sounds totally distracted, and B) that response answered none of his questions. But he doesn't acknowledge it. Not entirely. Instead, he carefully unrolls his belt. ]
Babe?
[ His forearm flexes around a grip on the buckle, looped once around his hand before he snaps the end against the floor with a sharp crack. ]
You coming over tonight before S?
[ Not really a question either. Not when he's smirking at the camera like that. ]
[He can’t be sure if it’s the sudden loud sound or the word “coming” that snaps him out of his distraction. Neither of those is exactly a non-embarrassing option.
He scowls. Or maybe pouts. His face is definitely doing something.]
[ Absolutely does not realize what he's getting himself into. But he's finally dressing, at least. Slacks first, belt, tee, then coat. And when he's finally dressed, Kojiro leans down to grin into the camera. ]
[He blurts it out before he can really think it through... and then finds that he doesn't really know how to follow it up. So he's just left there staring t the screen, slightly flushed with his brows furrowed in frustration as he searches for any valid reason to keep Kojiro just a moment longer.]
[ Kojiro tips his head a little. Kaoru's all flustered, about to implode. Cute, but sure does look like he could use something to argue about right now. ]
Forget about dinner if you're not coming over here. I'm not bringing bolognese on the bike again.
[Yes, good call. This is exactly what he needed--an excuse to be demanding and focus on something other than the fact that he can't bodily throw himself at Kojiro right now.]
Send me a list and I'll pick up the ingredients. It won't kill you to use an induction cooktop once in your life.
The cans look exactly the same! Someone else's bad branding choices are not my fault!
[Also that was fucking years ago! But he's not about to bring that up and lose the leverage of pulling things from the past himself when it serves him.]
I'll get fresh ones and you can make them into whatever consistency you need.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
beefyspaghetti) wrote2021-05-08 06:09 pm
FOR KANZAN
[ Kojiro shrugs through that easy smile. ]
We've always made it work before. Why would this be any different?
[ It's as simple as that. Where Kaoru overthinks, Kojiro oversimplifies; that's probably a big part of why this works so well for them, and why it always has. Balance, symmetry, whatever they want to call it. A perfect push and pull, so that they can find the necessary equilibrium to even everything out.
But Kaoru needs a little more reassurance, and Kojiro's never at a loss for the right words to say. ]
Remember when I went to Italy? Before, I mean. Remember when I told you I was gonna be in Naples for a while?
no subject
[He remembers hating the idea, but fighting his own selfishness so fucking hard because he knew how important it was to Kojiro. How it was his future, and that it had been inevitable for a good while before it really became set in stone.
He had really tried to put on a brave face and pretend that the idea of being separated for longer than they ever had been didn’t terrify him. But Kojiro saw right through it, because of course he did. Bastard.]
I remember everything.
no subject
But I called you as soon as I got to my hostel. We texted every waking minute. We had video calls like three or four times a day. You made Carla. I got my necklace. It was still a little lonely sometimes, but we figured it out, and we made it work. We never drifted, and when I got back to Okinawa, we fell right back in like nothing ever happened.
Probably the hardest thing we ever had to do, but we did it. If we can do that, we can do anything. We can be friends. We can be rivals. We can be lovers. We can be housemates. We can be husbands. Whatever we do, whatever we are to each other, we'll navigate it together.
We're never gonna be alone. So if you're ever worried about shit not working out, just think of Italy.
no subject
Kaoru hangs on every word like he’s hearing a brand new story, because in a way it is in light of this new information. He’s so immersed that the word “husbands” sideswipes him hard enough to make him choke on his own breath. Fucking shit! Kojiro gives some grand, beautiful speech, and all Kaoru can do is hold up a finger before dropping his phone on the bed to go scramble for a water bottle and get this fun new coughing fit under control. Unbelievable.
When he reappears on camera, he has flopped down on the bed. He just… needs to be horizontal right now, okay.]
All right. I get it.
no subject
[ No need to beleaguer the point, then. Kinda fun to watch Kaoru short-circuit for once, though. Not that Kojiro will attack that particular point of vulnerability, but Kaoru does it to Kojiro all the time anyway. Turnabout is fair play. ]
So, Tuesday? Hey, remember Kobayashi from senior year? She's a realtor now. Maybe we can talk to her.
no subject
Fine. I’ll clear my schedule, but I’m not getting up at some insane hour.
no subject
[ Kojiro definitely never fucked her. If social media is anything to go by, she's been living with another lady classmate since graduation. Kojiro's probably not an avenue she's ever been interested in pursuing. That's part of what makes this so safe. An added avenue of (just possibly) being a little more out than normal, even with a former classmate. ]
I'll call Kobayashi tonight to get everything scheduled. Maybe she can start looking for us, if I give her an idea of what we want. Want me to send you links?
no subject
[Not that he hasn't slept in past noon before. More than once. In recent memory. But if anything can get him out of bed before the whole day is gone, it's definitely food.]
Sure. I'll look, too. Nothing from that crooked reality group that keeps trying to get me to sell the studio, obviously.
no subject
[ Kojiro rolls his shoulders, twists his head a bit to crack his neck. Just to underline his point. ]
So. Three bedrooms. Two bathrooms. Big tub. Decent kitchen. Steel support beams to tie me to. What else are we looking for?
no subject
I don't see why they have to be steel, specifically. Reinforced concrete or fibre-enforced polymer would probably do the job as well, so let's not limit ourselves.
[He rolls onto his side and closes his mind, trying to picture it. A place that's theirs... when he thinks about it in such specific terms, it's really hard to keep his pulse under control.]
I want a balcony.
[Like the one at the place they stayed in LA, where they watched the sunset, and all of the chaos of the day seemed to dim into the cold streets below them.]
no subject
[ Kojiro's smile is saccharine. Just dripping sentiment. But at least he's hopping on the train of thought without Kaoru having to explain himself. ]
Let's just get something beachfront, at that point.
no subject
[He peeks his eyes open, and gets hit full force with all of that sappy mushy sentimentality. Built like a boulder but all marshmallow inside, that Kojiro. It makes Kaoru want to prod at his soft, squishy centre.]
That sounds perfect.
no subject
[ Is he still taking about the house? ]
We actually agreeing on something for once?
no subject
[He ghosts a finger around one corner of the screen. He feels… impatient. They should be living together right now. They should have done this ages ago.]
You’re… far. You’re all the way over there.
no subject
[ And truly, he does. He's been carrying Kaoru around the apartment while he's getting ready to head down for dinner prep, and as much as he'd love to drop everything and head right over to Kaoru, it's just not in the cards for tonight.
He props the phone up against a lamp on his bedside table, ostensibly so they can still talk while he's dressing. But they're so comfortable around each other at this point, he doesn't think much of peeling off his shirt and dropping his shorts while the call carries on. Then he's wandering the bedroom in nothing but briefs, collecting clean pieces of his uniform from various bureaus to lay out on the bed. ]
Uhh, what else? You care what it looks like? I don't really care, but I know you lean more traditional. But I want an air conditioner, especially if we're gonna be right on the beach.
What about a tub with jets? ...I guess we can add stuff later, though.
no subject
But, well, that was before he had intimate knowledge of what it feels like to run his hands over all that sunkissed skin. Before he associated the sight with mindblowing pleasure.
The irritation is only a low background hum now, and he can easily ignore it by taking a screenshot or two. Or a dozen.]
Right. Sure.
[He has no idea what he’s agreeing to. Something about a jet? That seems like a bit much, but whatever.]
no subject
Babe?
[ His forearm flexes around a grip on the buckle, looped once around his hand before he snaps the end against the floor with a sharp crack. ]
You coming over tonight before S?
[ Not really a question either. Not when he's smirking at the camera like that. ]
no subject
He scowls. Or maybe pouts. His face is definitely doing something.]
No. I want you to come here.
no subject
[ Absolutely does not realize what he's getting himself into. But he's finally dressing, at least. Slacks first, belt, tee, then coat. And when he's finally dressed, Kojiro leans down to grin into the camera. ]
Gotta go, beautiful. See you soon.
no subject
[He blurts it out before he can really think it through... and then finds that he doesn't really know how to follow it up. So he's just left there staring t the screen, slightly flushed with his brows furrowed in frustration as he searches for any valid reason to keep Kojiro just a moment longer.]
no subject
[ Kojiro tips his head a little. Kaoru's all flustered, about to implode. Cute, but sure does look like he could use something to argue about right now. ]
Forget about dinner if you're not coming over here. I'm not bringing bolognese on the bike again.
[ That's a lie. He absolutely would. ]
no subject
[Yes, good call. This is exactly what he needed--an excuse to be demanding and focus on something other than the fact that he can't bodily throw himself at Kojiro right now.]
Send me a list and I'll pick up the ingredients. It won't kill you to use an induction cooktop once in your life.
no subject
no subject
[Also that was fucking years ago! But he's not about to bring that up and lose the leverage of pulling things from the past himself when it serves him.]
I'll get fresh ones and you can make them into whatever consistency you need.
no subject
[ Very obviously they're just arguing for the sake of arguing now, but Kaoru looks more in his element, and that's all that matters. ]
Do you even remember what basil leaves look like?
(no subject)
(no subject)