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italicwatches · 5 years

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Megalobox - Episode 13

Whew. Long day. Finally time to get in on it. Let’s see how it ends. It’s Megalobox, episode 13! Here we GO!

-We begin…In the setup room. Nanbu’s showing Sachio and Joe how to dance, trying to prove he’s still got it even without either of his eyes…But when it’s time to get serious, he’s got something for Joe. That betting slip. For a dog named Carpediem. Seize the day. You’ve got to grab it and hold on strong, you two.

-It’s time. Twenty minutes until the match starts…Time to get in there, though Sachio stops long enough to snatch a button off of his bag…Which he uses to scratch Team Nowhere into the backside of a post. Whatever happens, however this goes? They were here. This moment will always have been.

-Opening!

-We lock in hard into the NOW. The single most important moment. The arena is full to the gills, and the commentators are trying to figure out how to even begin commenting on Yuri’s new Gearless state…

-Yuri, who’s starting to understand Joe in a way he never did before. His body’s covered in scar tissue now, laced with it in all the places the Gear mounts used to be. Had he done things gradually, healed slow, it might have gone clean…But he didn’t. And now look at him. Just two scarred up dogs…

-Cut to Yukiko in her car, hearing it’s about to start. She could pull it up on her tablet right now, see it all…but…

-Back to the ring. Nanbu’s right there, hand on the edge, listening. He can hear the footsteps, the grunts, feel the movements…

-As both men push each other to the edge! It’s the fourth round, and they’re a tight match! Yuri is reading Joe better, but Joe’s sheer speed is keeping him on his feet…Even when he’s forced to grapple his way into surviving to the bell.

-Until he can get back in his corner, spit out some blood and gulp down some water, get himself back to zero. Nanbu can easily tell that Yuri’s got the edge…But he’s human. He’s got his limits. You survive, and you win, by finding those limits.

-And while Joe’s trying to figure out a plan, Yuri’s just…Standing in his own corner. Standing. It’s like he’s not even tired.

-But as Mikio watches in his cabin, he knows they’re reading it wrong. Yuri’s body isn’t even done recovering from the removal surgery, and he’s already four rounds in…He’s exhausted. If he sits down even once, he’s not getting back up. He’s got to stay up, until one of them makes the other fall…

-And the match fires back up. Yuri’s running less on stamina and more on fire, on the intensity of getting to face a man like Joe…He wants to face more, MORE!

-Joe ducks under the tail end of a combo, and then he’s up in a flash with an uppercut that Yuri can barely dodge! Yuri comes in to counter…But his body won’t let him, the roughness of being freshly Gearless slowing him down as much as the missing weight speeds him up…

-And Yuri’s forced to make a choice. He doesn’t have the energy to put his full power in, or to go maximum speed.

-But he’s still got his head in the game. Yuri flips his stance and goes southpaw, his punches coming all wrong for Joe’s guards…And he’s able to snap around the wrong side of one of Joe’s strikes, snapping him with a strike right to the jaw that puts him on the mat!

-He’s flipping back and forth in mid combo, able to force Joe into mixup situations so rough they look like something out of Street Fighter…But somehow, Joe manages to get back on his feet, stubborn will carrying him as much as it is Yuri…

-And the fifth round ends. Sachio’s in there in a flash to start putting Joe back together, and as Nanbu’s advice comes out, Joe and Sachio are just…Watching Yuri. He’s already starting to slip up, dropping his water bottle…

-Into the sixth round. Nanbu feels and listens…And there’s one limit to Yuri’s switching games. You need to move your feet with that before you can move your body…And when you’re going in for the kill? You’ve got to plant ‘em. Listen close, and when the feet stop moving, that’s your moment! Yuri plants in, goes for a right straight…

-Joe cuts in, rears ba—

-And takes a left hook square in the head. He hits hard, and Nanbu calls to Joe to take his time, get a couple breaths in! Rise on the nine, kid, rise on th—

-Joe’s rising on the six, staring Yuri down on the seven. They’ve got too much fire in their bellies to do this like reasonable men anymore. They punch and they counterpunch, riding nothing but their sheer fucking instincts…

-Even down in that restaurant, Fujimaki watches, eager to see just how far Joe can take this…

-And back in that ring, Yuri’s ready to go all in. It’s about, damn, time.

-Megalobox, Final Round: Born to DIE

-Hard cut to Yukiko, making her final presentation to a whole set of military brass. Her dream is an integrated Gear system to make cyborg super-soldiers…And they’ve got a question. They want weapons connected directly to the platform. Men with shoulder cannons, arm guns, not just able to carry the weight of three men but put as much lead downrange as five.

-Yukiko tries to counter that Gear isn’t a weapon, it’s a multipurpose enhancer to make people better…But they’re not interested in making better people. And they’re not interested in hearing that from the woman who’s been selling them on this tech by showing off how well her champion could knock men flat on their ass. A man, they’ll point out, that is no longer wearing her designs.

-Him wearing the Gear was no longer needed. Megalo Box was only the first phase. Her dream is not just for boxers to wear Gear, or even for soldiers…Her dream is to have everyone made better by technology.

-Flashback. In his own dressing room, Yuri tore the Team Shirato badge off of his jacket…And in the Now, Yuri drops his water bottle, feeling the sluggishness of his limbs. Things are too sore, too tense, they’re not working right…

-But Sachio of all people is there, passing him one of Joe’s. Yuri insists he needs no pity…This ain’t pity, man. This is respect. You’re doing this all on your own, and that’s pretty ballsy…And you know what? When Joe wins, Sachio doesn’t want a single fuckin’ excuse. So take the water like a man.

-Round eight starts…And round NINE after it. Round TEN. Both men just pouring it all in, until Joe finds himself on the ropes, desperately blocking everything Yuri can throw at him…

-Until the end of the eleventh round has Joe dripping sweat, blood, in agony…The commentators wonder if this match should be called…And Nanbu steps up, and puts his hand on Joe’s glove. Tell him who you are, kid. Say it.

-Joe sees his reflection in Nanbu’s shades. Remembers who he used to be. Who he is now. There’s only one answer left. No matter who he was before…He’s Joe.

-The match is on again, as Joe struggles to stay upright, to find an opening against Yuri’s onslaught… Sachio’s starting to get real scared, as the twelfth fucking round ends…This is the first time they have ever entered a thirteenth round, as rain falls from the opened skylight, dotting the field…

-Yuri’s finally slowing down enough for Joe to get real blows in, but he’s taken such a beating that he’s got openings too…Strike after strike come from both men, as they just tear into each other…And with tears rom the remains of his eyes, Nanbu listens to every step, every punch, trying to sear it into his mind…

-Until, at the end, it comes to a a set of counter punches….Joe takes a nasty hit to the face, staggers back…And everything comes back to center.

-Joe’s mind returns to the desert. To the endless dust on the wind. He can see Yuri there, and he’s so close, so close to Joe’s reach…! Joe catches himself, and both men realize, they’re taking this all the way. Even if it kills them. They race in, both throwing punches on sheer instinct…

-Cut to the meeting’s aftermath. It was after the match the entire time. And Yukiko somehow wasn’t phased by the results…

-But once she’s in her car, once she’s alone she allows herself to silently cry.

-And then, it’s all over. Yuri muses on death, as the ceiling of a hospital hallway rolls by…And when all is done? The bridge of Team Nowhere sits, and is silent.

-Because not far away, there sits a building now. Gym Nowhere. Nanbu is standing in the center of the ring, giving a speech to a fucking carrot. He’s practicing, as the kids watch and laugh…They’ve built something here. Behind the gym is a farm field, and all the street urchins are working it…It’ll never be grand. It’ll never be glamorous. But they can claim a fucking future now.

-Out on the beach, Yuri sits in a wheelchair with Sachio a short time later, while Sachio plays with his hound…It’s been a full year since that fateful day.

-Down in his little shop, Abuhachi works on a fresh set of Gear, listening to the news about Shirato. They’ve distanced themselves from promoting Megalo Box after Megalonia, but Yukiko has just announced a new championship…

-And just outside, a motorcycle hums. Joe’s gotten his motorcycle up and running…And gotten a whole set of basic Gear for the kiddos. They want to get in the ring…

-And what about you, Joe? You done?

-…You said something to him once, about living on belief in yourself, on the faith that you can accomplish something. How it sounded pretty nice. Joe doesn’t know what his plan is, not yet. But he knows he wouldn’t have gotten half as far as he did without the people around him…And he needs to show them what he thinks of them.

-So he’s off, stopping off at the rocks overlooking the ocean…Not the endless desert anymore, not the dry and bitter dust, but the salty-sweet mist of the sea. Whatever comes forward, Joe’s a greater man than he once was. He stops, puts on a little music, and tries to work on those dance steps Nanbu’s been trying to drill into him for the last year. A man who’s whole, has to dance just as well as he fights.

-That night, the Gym’s opening is a big wild party with everyone there, from Aragaki and the vets to the kids in their new Gear, to Joe and Yuri, made physically lesser but spiritually more true by their fateful match…In the very back, with the old Team Nowhere sign, sits Joe’s fraudulent ID, the flower still bandaged right onto it.

-The final results of the first Megalonia tournament? 13 rounds, KO at the 2:51 mark. The winner, Gearless Joe, with a 7/0 record.

God. Damn. That was…

Whew!

I’m not gonna lie, when you’re dealing with boxing anime, there’s always that real likely chance someone’s going down and not getting up. That Joe managed to survive, and managed to find a life for himself outside of the ring…That he and Yuri are on some level content, after it’s all over, and neither had to go in the dirt to find that contentment…

It’s not the life either would have expected for themselves, three months prior to that fateful match. It’s not the happiness any of the people at that grand opening party would have thought they’d be able to grab.

But a junkyard dog managed to run with the hounds. A fraud shed his armor to show he was the real deal. And on one legendary night, he helped change the fucking world.

That was pretty great, you guys.

That said…Damn, after that, I need a breather. I need to look to something gentler. I think we need to go someplace more…Nice?

Maybe a little more… Good.

Wait for it!

#where I watch #recap #anime #boxing #megalobox

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ceallachs-m · 7 years

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In chapter 113 when akashi came late, what do you think that implies about him? Do you agree with the scissors scene introduction? Or do you think there could have been a better way to introduce akashi? Really want your thoughts because you are an amazing writer.

Ahh I’m really sorry about the late reply, but thank you for the comments dsakfj. Putting my reply under a cut!

To answer your question, Akashi came late because, well, he’s the final boss and the strongest among them, the captain of the GoM; I don’t think there is any surprise to that when he was the last player to beat.

AND LOL scissors introduction scene will never not be hilarious to me because Akashi was literally just a black silhouette with one eye throughout the chapter. Furihata even claimed he couldn’t see his face even when Akashi was standing over them on the stairs. (Of course the anime didn’t/couldn’t give the same effect.) He then walks down and gives Kagami the threat of his life and he still stays as that black silhouette UNTIL HE CUTS HIS HAIR BAM THAT FACE LMAO I’m dead. It has been long time since I read the manga and going back on it just makes me laugh.

On a more serious note, this scene has been repeatedly discussed already over the years, and it can be agreed upon that Akashi (Bokushi in this case) had always resorted to extreme means in terms of behavior whenever he was disrespected or his place of victory was threatened. Outside of that, he is considerably normal (as normal as an Akashi can get lol).

I don’t know if I can say there was a better introduction scene for him because regardless of reason, it had made its impact and it was what Akashi was known for. His lines and behaviors were ridiculously over the top, yeah, but it worked. For better or for worse, I guess (coughs at the fics).

My personal experience with Akashi was different though, as I had started reading the manga in 2012 (the latest chapter I caught up to then, I still recall, was the beginning of the Shutoku-Rakuzan match), so I grew up with the series somehow. I had to go through the painful waiting times for weekly updates, as opposed to having it all laid out to binge in a matter of days. I had a lot of time theorizing, ruminating, and trying to understand who Akashi really is and what his motives are with what little content was provided at the time.

Do I agree with how he was introduced? At first I wasn’t, yet this intrigued me enough to explore his character more and it’s why I feel very passionately about Akashi to this day. I don’t disagree with his introduction now, but rather the direction it took in the end. KnB started going downhill for me in terms of Akashi’s character development during Rakuzan-Seirin match and especially in Extra Game; though before then, I would say that Akashi was a very good and complex character. I just felt like Fujimaki-sensei had lost sight of what he wanted to do with Akashi from that point on (lack of time, first and foremost), and all the hype and potential that was built up for him and Rakuzan was lost.

ANYWAY I think I went off course here, but I briefly explained it in some other asks my first impressions of chapter 113 here and here.

I hope the answer was somewhat satisfactory! Please keep in mind that these are only my opinions.

#replies

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t4194 · 7 years

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Aperire Ostium

Kuroko No Basuke - Tadatoshi Fujimaki Aperire ostium - t41g4 Please understand, if: Character in this fanfic could be very OOC, my grammar is very bad, errors of writing everywhere, plot is not clear and confusing, and various other mistakes. .. Fukui's experience in using the Aperire Ostium (fiction) website. .. It's been more than two months since Fukui decided to sign up for a site called Aperire Ostium. It is a new site where members can do anything. When Fukui first signed up, there was a brief hint that pointed out the advantages of this site, where the Aperire Ostium can be a wonderful way of connecting, sharing, and posting anything. The interesting thing about this site is that you do not need to follow each other or add friends to talk, post messages, or anything else, because the program says if you can connect all users without any frills-unless he blocks you. Fukui itself as a new user has never experienced any complaints while using it. This is possible also because Aperire Ostium itself is very easy to use. Not to mention Aperire Ostium is also available in various languages, where when entered into the site will be given the choice of which language will be used. In fact Fukui himself found this site due to his inadvertence. Given if the social networking twitter and tumblr much more global in Japan. Even Murasakibara itself also has a twitter account. Then, accidentally when he decided to surf the virtual world, he also found the site Aperire Ostium, he thought it would be a magical site or something like that-because the background color of the site dominant black and red, but apparently not. It's a site where everyone can make friends and do whatever they want, without fear of being-unless it's outrageous and violating the rules set by the Aperire Ostium. Fukui himself did not do a lot of posts in his Aperire Ostium, most of which he did only read a few stories that someone posted and commented on, the rest he did was watch other user uploaded videos. According to Fukui's experience as a user, Aperire Ostium itself is more like a mix of some famous sites. But, even so, what Fukui sees is the Aperire Ostium user of no more than a few million people, with most users from Thailand and China. A bit advantageous, because the laptop browser is equipped with a translator, which will automatically translate any language into Japanese. But, even so, that does not mean there is not a single person known by Fukui on the Aperire Ostium site, there are some people that Fukui knows to be a permanent resident of the site. Kuroko Tetsuya and Mayuzumi Cihihiro for example, the two shadows decided to make Aperire Ostium a means of channeling their ability to write, Kuroko Tetsuya in the horror novel and Mayuzumi Cihihiro in the field of teenage novels & daily life. And the more Fukui does not believe is the Kuroko beta-reader, he is the ace of Yosen. Yep, your guess is right, it's Murasakibara Atsushi. Fukui would not believe if it was not Kuroko who said it when they sent a message. Fukui also finds out if Wei Liu, is a member of Aperire Ostium when he opened the site via a library computer. Fukui himself was quite surprised to find out if his teammates were a professional user of the site. Wei Liu who came from China mostly posted stories of legends from his country, or the surrounding countries. In addition Fukui also found Takao Kazunari, a joyful young man with black hair split it is one of the many monitors remains an online sale and purchase account in Aperire Ostium. Fukui's own Aperire Ostium activity was not much before. However, since the twitter account of his idol artist on twitter is closed, Fukui decided to go online more at Aperire Ostium. Watching some tasty cooking videos is certainly not a bad idea. What else if he did it at nightfall. It will be very helpful when he is so hungry but also so lazy to move from his room. Not to mention the recent his insomnia increasingly become-so. Makes him almost fall asleep when him fierce teacher's time is underway. And unfortunately, either because of bad weather since yesterday or what, users who usually upload cooking videos have not posted anything since yesterday. So even with a sweet female user from South Korea who usually broadcast live food. Fukui breathed in exasperation while his fingers scrolled the mouse. The clock had shown one o'clock in the morning, and he still had no sign of wanting to sleep. He chating friend has been off since two hours ago, and there's nothing he can do about it. Fukui sighed again, before his dark eye's was interested in staring at a notification at the end of his desktop. Unlike how other notifications come in, the notification is not inside the bar but outside. The shape is a small box with an inverted triangle in the middle, while the outer end there is a red round sign. His notifications flickered trying to attract Fukui's attention. Fukui himself, however, was silent. Takao Kazunari had several times exchanged messages with him saying that it would be a good idea to ignore the strange notification that emerged instead of the usual notification bar-which is incorporated with Aperire Ostium's main features. Because according to Takao it is a bug or some kind of strange links that will lead to other strange links. Kuroko Tetsuya and Mayuzumi Cihihiro once revealed that their data quota was drained to almost exhaust after opening the strange notation. In contrast to Takao, Kuroko, and Mayuzumi, Wei Liu never even experienced anything unpleasant related to the strange notification during his time as a regular user of Aperire Ostium. And now, the weird notification is flickering tempting Fukui to open it !! .. His cell phone kept vibrating under his desk, while he was sweating cold. Afraid the math teacher knows his cell phone. Fortunately his thick books were able to disguise the harsh and repetitive vibrations of his cell phone. Fukui glanced at the clock in front of his classroom timidly, while his hands held his thick mathematical book to cover half his face. He sighs as he sees less than five minutes remaining to be free from his teacher. He wants to cry. Why was the rest time so long when he expected to come. .. In the end Fukui opened his cell phone back home from school. Call it his captain who casually drags him to the nearest cafeteria to help him in irritating tasks. Although Fukui could have refused, he could not bring himself to do so, given that Wei Liu had done so. After all, if you think again, if the value of the captain is ugly, then the whole team can be hit by the death of his coach. The first thing a young man with light brown hair does is check his email inbox, there are quite a lot of incoming emails there. Most is the notification of the accounts that he participated on youtube, though there are also some notices from Aperire Ostium about new posts of accounts he often open. In addition it is an email from Aperire Ostium own, which announced if they have launched Aperire Ostium app for iOS & Android. Then there are also from Takao, Kuroko, Mayuzumi, Wei Liu & other Aperire Ostium users he knows, which almost all contain email notices that they've tried Aperire Ostium app for iOS & Android and are satisfied with the result, plus Fukui's invitation . After Fukui thought about walking home, he finally chose not to install it. Besides the internet connection is quite stable, so even with the browser he uses, which is able to compress data up to half of the original and make the experience of surfing the virtual world becomes faster and easier. So there was nothing to worry about.After all, it looks like he prefers the desktop version of the mobile version. .. After Fukui confirmed that if all his homework was done, he immediately rushed his computer to connect to the internet, to open Aperire Ostium. The first he opened was a mukbang channel, luckily he still had time to watch the Korean girl sweet food broadcasts-though only a few minutes. After that he moved to check his favorite account that often posting cooking videos. And luckily, he found four new uploads. After watching and commenting, Fukui went to see something else. .. One o'clock in the morning, and Fukui is still in front of his computer while trying to find something to read or watch in Aperire Ostium. A few minutes ago he had checked the account tumblr and twitternya. And unfortunately, nothing was really good enough for him to see, except for the exaggerated news he saw on the website, about the grandmothers who forced a boy to do dirty things. After that there was nothing else to attract him. Even Aperire Ostium too. Some site members have not posted anything in this week, and some others have not posted in the last three days. The author of his favorite horror story too, he has not even posted a new story since four months ago. And that's pretty annoying. Although he can not blame the user for not posting yet. Yet it is also his fault, for not making things and just being a bunch of annoying creatures with high hopes for someone to bring something new. Not long after, the notifications flickered back. Cornered desktop, not dibar notification like other Aperire Ostium features. Fukui stared at the sign for a long time, before deciding to try to open it. Even if it really will drain his quota, at least he can a little sigh of relief, because he uses home wifi. .. After he clicked on it using the mouse, the first one appeared was a small dialog box in the middle of the desktop containing short questions. - Hello, are you bored? And that really made her laugh deep inside, meaning how can a message as familiar as this is a torjan or something that can drain its quota. Fukui prefers the option if this strange notification is a bug-like Takao said. So, with enthusiasm he typed in reply. [Maybe] Afterwards he hit the send button and waited for his reply, and the screen returned to its original state before he clicked on the odd notification. Not yet Fukui was about to return to the original activity the strange notification was flashing again. And of course Fukui immediately opened it again. - If so, would you kah answer some questions that we asked? Fukui considered what he had to answer, and a blank line to pour the answer flickered. In the end Fukui wrote 'Yes' because he was bored and was not about to go to sleep. - Have you ever been bullied? [Hem ... no] - Did you ever feel suicidal? [Not really I guess] -Did you ever feel like killing someone? Fukui paused as he saw the question appear on the screen. His intuition started to feel something wrong. [No, not even in a dream] -Even if you paid millions of Yen for it? [Of course] After that strange question a new dialogue box reappears for a bit longer. -Please tell us what you want to do to them. Underneath there are some strange images. One looks like a turtle's picture, the other one looks like an oil-painted eagle, one of which is a black, blurred picture with gray smoke, and lastly a white background. Below each picture there is a point that can be filled. Fukui thought for a moment before deciding to write something down. He had never actually taken any animals before, so he was not exactly sure what he was going to write. The first is the tortoise, because that Fukui knows it is a rare animal, he just wrote to release it. Then to eagle he wrote did not know, and for two strange ghostly images afterwards he wrote beaten. -Thank you for taking the time to answer ^^ After her nothing else came up, so Fukui decided to go to sleep because the hour was two o'clock in the morning. .. A few days later, Fukui heard from her kouhai-Murasakibara, if Kuroko and Mayuzumi had to be hospitalized after being beaten by people who do not know. Even though it was unrelated, Fukui began to feel if it was her fault. Fukui himself was afraid to open the Aperire Ostium site again from his computer after the incident, but seeing how Wei Liu was still so on the site, Fukui decided not to blame the site for what happened, yet there is no evidence either that what happened to the two shadows It's because of him. So after going through various considerations. Fukui finally decided to download the Aperire Ostium app for his cell phone. And he was back to activity again as usual through his cell phone. Watch live mukbang video, watch videos thoroughly, read stories, and more. To. A strange notification flickered back at the screen of his cell phone, making Fukui staring at him for a long time. Hey ~ hey ~ it could be the ones who beat Kuroko and Mayuzumi are the ones who get hurt because their team loses to Seirin and Rakuzan. Anyway abroad such a thing often happens. Fukui touches his notification after assuring himself if it is just a coincidence. But it did not last long. When he gets to the weird questions like yesterday, things get clearer. If the weird notification is really weird. - We will not divulge your answer to anyone, so please let us know, from the people below, who want to get rid forever? And after that, Fukui promised never to touch any strange notifications again In Aperire Ostium for the rest of his life. .. fin ..

#kuroko no basket #kuroko's basketball #fanfic #fukui kensuke #liu wei #mayuzumi chihiro #kuroko tetsuya #takao kazunari

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weirdgrammar · 7 years

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mornings

Series: simple expedient of… (2nd work, one-shot)

Disclaimer: Kuroko no Basuke belongs to Fujimaki-sensei.

Pairing: KiKasa

Summary:- And really, Kise's willing to be a morning person for the rest of his life if he gets to see Kasamatsu being pliant like this.

Rated: Explicit

Warning: Yaoi, sex, LDR

Link: AO3

Kise always thought Kasamatsu Yukio would be a morning person.

It stood to reason, didn't it—the ridiculously well-planned training regime back at Kaijou High. The bizarre efficiency. The punctuality. He's gotta get up at the crack of freaking dawn, Kise thought, back at Kaijou High when he didn't know better, when Kasamatsu was just his captain and nothing more, he could rule the world before teatime if Akashicchi allowed him.

The reality is considerably less glamorous.

"Loud," Kasamatsu slurs into Kise's shoulder, sleep thick in his voice.

Kise grins at the ceiling and runs his hand lightly, teasingly, down Kasamatsu's spine. He asks even though it's obvious what his senpai talked about, "Sorry?"

"Alarm clock," Kasamatsu says, burying his face further. His dark, short hair is tickling the underside of Kise's chin. There's a red mark on the side of his cheek from where he passed out on Kise's hand the night before. If Kise wasn't entirely certain Kasamatsu would kick him for it once he regained his bearings, Kise would say adorable. Kasamatsu huffs out, "Kill it. Smash it. Too loud."

"You won't feel so homicidal after a coffee, senpai," Kise murmurs.

"No," Kasamatsu whines—definitely whines, Kise grins wider at the sound of that coming from his supposedly fierce senpai.

"I'd love to let you sleep longer, senpai," Kise replies, shifting so they end up on their sides, him facing Kasamatsu to pepper some kisses on his face. Kasamatsu makes some protest sound but doesn't turn away from them. Nor does he open his eyes. And really, Kise's willing to be a morning person for the rest of his life if he gets to see Kasamatsu being pliant like this. "But I have to remind you that you have a meeting—"

"I know. Just—urgh."

"Alright, alright," Kise agrees. He turns off the alarm, pulls the thin blanket up to Kasamatsu's shoulder, and rubs an irregular pattern on a patch of skin just below Kasamatsu's ear until Kasamatsu's asleep again. Then Kise extricates himself and makes a pot of coffee (Kise doesn't drink much coffee unless it's Starbucks', but Kasamatsu isn't a human until his second mug), smoking a cigarette while he's at it.

Kasamatsu wakes up twenty-seven minutes later, all bleary and mumbling and having a few close calls of planting his face on the floor due to the blanket tangled around his legs on his way to the kitchen if it wasn't because of Kise, and Kise wants to capture this peaceful moment in a photo before it gets shattered by Kasamatsu's piercing roar once his brain is fully online, aided by three mugs of coffee, screaming, you fucking idiot, Kise! I'm fucking late already, and Kasamatsu storms to the bathroom.

It's worth it, nonetheless, for the way Kasamatsu's brows twitch in annoyance when Kise slips a toasted bread between Kasamatsu's lips, for the way Kasamatsu pauses in his frantic rush to allow Kise a goodbye kiss.

There're times where Kise hates his job. Rarely, because he likes traveling and being a pilot, an international one at that, provides him with a lot of opportunities of seeing new places across the borders. But the flashes of Kasamatsu's sleepy huffs, smiles, and kisses often give him a second thought.

Knowing Kasamatsu, though, he'd say it's pathetic for giving up his dream job for someone else, so Kise doesn't tell him this—the wish that he's sworn to bring it to his grave even if the months of being away from Kasamatsu is getting on his nerves.

The loneliness is diluted by occasional texts and calls. Kasamatsu doesn't like texting if his one-sentence replies are anything to go by. The longest texts Kise's ever received from him are usually murder threats for spamming his inbox—the length of the text measures the degree of Kasamatsu's fury. It helps Kise a lot.

Not that Kise minds much about his lack of texting. Plus, Kise's favorite is morning calls where he gets to listen to Kasamatsu mumble about not leaving the bed in his sleepy voice and if his sleep-addled brain is failing Kasamatsu, Kise gets a chance to aid him through his sleepy haze to go about his morning routine until coffee.

"C'mon, senpai, it's time to wake up," Kise says into the phone, eyes glancing over his shoulder at the clock on the bedside table. It's 2:10 AM in LA, which means it is 7:10 AM in Tokyo. He has only thirty minutes left to talk to Kasamatsu into getting out of the bed so he has enough time to get ready for work.

"Noo…"

Kise can imagine Kasamatsu all curled up under the blanket like a baby, the phone sandwiched between his ear and the pillow as his face is contorted up in a grimace and eyes clench shut. Stubborn, Kise smiles fondly at the imagination, fingers curling around the cigarette, tight. "Senpai, you need to get up now or you'll be late. You don't want to be late, do you?"

"Noo…"

"Then, get your ass out of the bed."

"Noo…"

"Make up your mind, senpai."

"Noo…" and it trails off to silence. Kise's almost convinced Kasamatsu's drifted off already if it wasn't because of Kasamatsu's sudden statement, "The bed's cold."

Kise knows what that really means even if he can't believe Kasamatsu's said it—Kasamatsu doesn't talk about his emotions much, too rational for that shit, he suspects, and now that it happened, Kise can't help but smile at the balcony floor so hard his face hurts and clears his throat.

"It's the blanket, I think, too thin," Kise says, "You need a new one."

"You buy."

"Demanding, aren't we?" Kise laughs around the cigarette between his lips. "Hayama-san asked me to accompany him to the flea market tomorrow. Maybe I'll find you a good blanket."

"'Hayama-san'?"

"Hayama Koutarou, the toothy guy from Rakuzan, remember? I'm his co-pilot," he offers, his mind going to the blonde who's playing games with their other colleagues in the living room. No doubt it'll take them another two hours before they retreat to sleep. The job has fucked with their biological clock worse than they'd have liked.

"Uh, Rakuzan? Toothy, who—no, urgh, thinking, difficult. Stupid mornin'," and then Kasamatsu yawns, "Good night, Kise."

"Wait, senpai! It's not 'good night', it's 'good morning'—hello, senpai? No, no, don't get back to sleep, wake up, senpai. Senpai? SENPAI—"

It isn't until a couple of months after the phone call, in the middle of a spring night, Kise finally returns from the job. Instead of going to his parents' home in Kanagawa, Kise decides to crash at Kasamatsu's place since he has the spare key, and he's never wanted anything so much as to take off his annoying uniform and fuck Kasamatsu's brains out.

As expected, he finds Kasamatsu asleep on the bed. The laptop is still running on the bed, illuminating Kasamatsu's peaceful face with its dimmed light. Some documents are scattered on the floor, some on the end of the bed. Upon a closer inspection, Kise can see heavy circles under Kasamatsu's eyes, and a patch of wetness on the sheet, indicating that either he didn't bother to dry his hair off or simply fell asleep while working on the documents.

Kise'd suspected from the way he'd sounded on the phone that he'd been busier than expected, but he didn't realize they'd run him this ragged.

He stares. For all it is mildly worrisome it's endearing too like he stumbled upon the rarest chance of finding his fierce senpai, the most capable and responsible captain he's seen, who can handle a team of crazy people, in his most vulnerable state. Kise has the brief urge to take a photo, and since he's no saint, he does just that.

Then he proceeds to put his suitcase down, closes the laptop and places on the study table, works his way through the dark room to clean it, not too much because he's exhausted but enough to spare himself from Kasamatsu's grumpy mood in the morning later. After changing his clothes, Kise paws through his suitcase for the new blanket he bought in LA; it's expensive but its thickness is suitable for any season, and it's soft against his skin, so Kise thinks it's a good investment. And the color matches Kasamatsu's eyes perfectly—the main reason why Kise chose it in the first place.

When Kise shifts him around, Kasamatsu stirs a little, eyelids fluttering, and Kise can't help himself. Kise kisses him firmly, working their mouths together, putting a hand on the back of his neck to steady him.

Kasamatsu hums into his mouth, a pleased, half-awake kind of noise. "Kise?" he asks sleepily the moment Kise pulls away to get at his throat.

"Hi," Kise mouths against his neck, feeling Kasamatsu wake up underneath him in languid increments. "I missed you, senpai."

"Uh huh," and there's no further word from Kasamatsu as he's urged Kise to press their lips together. Kasamatsu's hands are on his back now, pulling at his shirt, and he's moved his head for a better angle, and the noises he's making are fewer hums and more desperate moans.

They've been away from each other for months, far too long Kise almost forgets the taste of Kasamatsu's kisses, the harsh pulls of Kasamatsu's grip on his back, and now he's tasting them again, feeling them again; delicious, wonderful and just Kasamatsu, and he needs more and more and more—

Except that he can sense exhaustion slowing down Kasamatsu's movements, and he cares Kasamatsu too much to let Kasamatsu forsake his rest for him. So he pulls away with an ounce of reluctance and regret, and tells him, "Sleep, senpai."

"I haven't seen you in fucking months," Kasamatsu hisses, "Don't you dare stop, I will—"

Kise silences him with a kiss on the lips, and then on the forehead. "In the morning, I promise."

"No—"

"You're tired, senpai," Kise comments, already rolling over to the back of Kasamatsu, pressing him flushed against his chest. He picks up the new blanket, left forgotten at the foot of the bed, with his toes and throws it over them. Kasamatsu probably hasn't realized the difference, brain clouded by drowsiness.

"I'm fine, asshole," Kasamatsu says but it lacks venom, robbed by a yawn. "Well, fine. In the morning."

Kise hums in agreement. He cherishes the solid plane of Kasamatsu's body and his steady breathing against his palm as Kasamatsu's sleeping. Then, he joins him.

In the morning, Kise actually keeps his words by sliding two lubed fingers into Kasamatsu and fucking him slowly with them, enjoying the sounds he draws out. He crooks them slightly and Kasamatsu's whole body spasms, going tight.

"Good?" he asks, just to be sure.

Kasamatsu nods, unable to answer. Whether it's because of his brain fails to function due to sleep or pleasure, Kise doesn't know—doesn't care, either, since he can't afford to be distracted when he has Kasamatsu like this in his arms; beautiful and delicious. He presses a third finger in, adjusting until Kasamatsu keens again. He keeps fucking him like that until Kasamatsu's trashing at the feel of it.

"Kise, Kise, Kise," Kasamatsu says his name like a prayer, tilting his head up to give Kise more access on his throat, hands all over Kise's body, as if he doesn't get enough of him, and his breath hitches the moment Kise's fingers brush over that bundle of nerves.

Kise pulls his fingers free, all slow and careful, going for a slow making love, but Kasamatsu has a different idea. He growls, yanking Kise down for a bruising kiss, and hisses, "Fucking months, asshole. Just get on with it."

And really, he needs not to be told twice, and he's already ripping the condom open with his teeth and rolling it on. Kise smirks at the annoyed look on Kasamatsu's face that says he's considering kicking him if he doesn't move faster, and wipes the look off with a kiss and a single thrust.

Like Kasamatsu claimed, it's been fucking months, and Kasamatsu's so tight around him it almost hurts. Kise nuzzles into his neck, planting kisses there and down Kasamatsu's collarbone, up to his jaw, to his ear, in hopes of relaxing him. "I missed you, senpai. So much."

"Shut up, Kise."

He feels the momentary tensing of Kasamatsu's body, knows the effect his words have. Kise drives down harder into him, enjoying the way Kasamatsu's hands scrabble at his back, enjoying the desperate litany that's escaping Kasamatsu's lips.

His eyes are squeezed shut, but Kise can see the wetness in those lashes, how those words can bring him to tears when Kasamatsu's tried so hard to appear strong to everyone else. It's no secret to him that behind that strong façade, Kasamatsu's no different—he's as sensitive as everyone else, if not more, but good at hiding it.

"Please open your eyes, senpai," he says, driving faster into him. There're times like this that he feels most right in what he's doing, knowing how he can make Kasamatsu feel.

Kasamatsu shakes his head, ever so slightly, still lost in the haze of pleasure, and Kise pleads, "Please, senpai."

His fingers are bruising Kise as they dig into his back. The way Kasamatsu loses control in this and nothing else has Kise cherishing the fact that he can see him in these moments, so beautiful, so much softer without his scowl to push the world away.

"Ki—Kise," Kasamatsu tries to reprimand but it's not convincing in its attempt at menace. His eyes finally flutter open, revealing such a beautiful color; stormy blue, just like the new blanket that Kasamatsu's been clutching without realizing, and Kise holds his gaze, hips shifting, fucking him in a way that's too tender but never fails to make Kasamatsu lose his breath.

A little noise escapes Kasamatsu, signaling him that he's very close. Without preamble, Kise hooks one of Kasamatsu's legs over his shoulder and allows himself to get lost in the feeling of Kasamatsu around him, the smell of sex and sweat heavy in the air. Kasamatsu turns his head to the side, brings up the blanket to bite down on, to silence himself as Kise finally fucks him harder, jerking him off as he does.

Kasamatsu comes first, and it's the sight of him throwing his head back, mouth opening in a soundless howl that does Kise in. He puts his head down against Kasamatsu's shoulder, drinking that feeling of Kasamatsu clenching and unclenching around him, and tips over the edge just a second later.

"I missed you," he says again, afterward, kissing him, sweet and lingering. Kasamatsu glares at him when Kise releases him, but he doesn't protest, only groaning as Kise pulls out to clean them up before he's nudged around and draped more comfortably against Kise.

"Me too," Kasamatsu finally admits, after so long the previous statement could've almost been forgotten.

It brings Kise's head up out of pure surprise, but Kasamatsu's already snoring away, eyes closed. Kise blinks once, and then twice when confusion remains lingering in his mind and lets it slide in favor of catching some sleep.

Kasamatsu wakes up later than him—it's almost afternoon, and Kise's done preparing their lunch, then only Kasamatsu shows up in the kitchen with the new blanket wrapped around him, bleary-eyed and childish-like, asking for coffee.

It should be annoying but eh, Kise doesn't mind at all. It's weekend, anyway.

Relationships are difficult regardless of the type. Coupled with the constant demand of being away from each other and their unspoken fear of labeling their relationship, it makes everything even more difficult.

In truth, Kise doesn't have any problem when Kasamatsu decides to keep everything in the dark. The same-sex relationship remains frowned upon in their society, and Kasamatsu isn't very fond of public affection, anyway. So it's justified.

As for Kise, well, despite his boisterous and flamboyant personality, he doesn't kiss and tell.

But waking Kasamatsu up is his duty, and there are moments where he's so far away from Kasamatsu, even far from his phone to perform his duty. When this happens, Kise delegates although he knows well Kasamatsu isn't going to like it.

Kise's watching as Hayama browses through a selection of colorful fabrics when he receives a text from Kasamatsu.

I'll end you. I'll fucking end you and no one will find your body, you got that? No fucking one – Kasamatsu

Kise grins at the text and decides to call him instead. He gestures at Hayama and steps out of the shop. Kasamatsu answers in two rings with a murder threat, "You hear me, Kise? I'll fucking end you," in a lieu of greeting.

"Hello to you too, senpai," Kise replies, fighting down a ridiculous sort of smile.

"Don't 'hello' me like that," Kasamatsu snaps, "You—little twat, I swear I'm going to end you for this—you asked Moriyama to give me a wake-up call!"

"Oh, that," he says, his mind rewinding to the ridiculous favor he asked of his senpai before the flight. Kise's gotten his number from Momoi—having her number is a must, she's central of intelligence after all. No information escapes her, Moriyama's current number included.

"That's all you've gotta say?" Kasamatsu's voice raises to another octave, or perhaps a few octaves, so high that Kise almost can hear his veins snapping. "Did you know how embarrassing it was? Moriyama isn't going to live it down as long as he breathes."

An imagination of a sleepy Kasamatsu having a conversation with Moriyama floats over his mind. Kise laughs at that, "Senpai, there's nothing to be embarrassed about. It was just Moriyama-senpai."

"You know it wasn't just Moriyama! We—I haven't contacted Moriyama since university and our first conversation was—fucking hell. Kise, I'm going to kick your ass so hard until you can't walk, then I'm going to kill you slowly until you beg for it and bury your body where no one can find it. Ever."

Kise hasn't realized that he's been missing him until an oddly warm feeling fills him after hearing a murder threat from Kasamatsu. It's just… so Kasamatsu. His grin grows fonder. "Feeling homicidal, aren't we? Have you had your coffee today?"

"Fuck you," Kasamatsu says, and then sighs, "It's already evening here."

"Have anything on your mind for your dinner later?" Kise asks.

"Nope. Too busy to give it a thought."

"Senpai," he whines, disapprovingly. Kise glances at his wristwatch—10.54 AM in Istanbul is 4.54 PM in Tokyo, it's time for clocking off. "Are you even planning to go home anytime sooner?"

"Yes—no, I don't know if I could. Too many things need to be done."

"Look, senpai, you're a great worker, you really are. But you're a human, too. You need some rest."

"Does it matter if I get home early anyway? There's no one at home."

Kise checks his sigh—one step forward, two steps back. Another difficulty in their unlabeled relationship. "How about this, senpai, you can stay another hour to finish whatever you can finish today. And then you go home, take a long bath and make yourself a simple meal. So, at nine, we can have a dinner-Skype together. Does it sound like a plan?"

At first, Kasamatsu's silent. And then he chuckles, "Who died and made you king?"

But then he doesn't disagree, so Kise calls it a victory. When Hayama emerges at his side after the call ended, the blonde asks with a teasing, toothy smile, "That special one?"

Kise doesn't answer. Instead, he shoots back, looking pointedly at the paper bag Hayama brought out of the shop, "For that special one?"

Hayama smirks back.

Like most couples (even if they never talk about it), they have stupid fights too. Kise has a tendency to leave wet towels on the floor, which drives Kasamatsu crazy, and Kasamatsu can't for the life of him buy the proper amount of food at the grocery store. Sometimes they fight about what to watch on TV or about Kasamatsu's tendency to stay late at the office, or worse, questioning the amount of time they get to spend together.

The last one is a sensitive topic, prone to erupting into big ones that even Kasamatsu's irritable half-awake grumblings become more annoying than cute. And this one is particularly bad, starts as an irritable complaint from Kasamatsu because Kise delegated his morning duty to Kuroko instead, mutates into a screaming match over the line.

"He's just Kurokocchi, not a stranger! We played against him in the Winter Cup," Kise screams, no longer caring if his voice draws his housemates' attention. He can scream as loud as he wants, for all he cares—America is a fucking free country.

"Yes, we played against him, and that's all to it!" Kasamatsu yells back. "I don't know him."

"He's a friend!"

"He's your friend, not mine," Kasamatsu snaps back, "And I don't like hearing that my private life and quirks are announced all over the world."

"I didn't know we have to register your exclusive friendship club to be your friends," Kise sneers, in a tone that he'd regret later. Had he known better, he would've stopped talking right away, but rage has blinded him, so it's so easy for him to say a number of hurtful things to Kasamatsu, "Perhaps that's why you're acting so cold and strict to other people—to keep your friendship club exclusive. Fuck, maybe you enjoy being alone after all. Say, senpai, have you ever thought about going back to be a lone wolf again? Because frankly, I think that lonely life suits you just fucking fine!"

There's a pregnant pause, so eerily silent that Kise thinks Kasamatsu's hung up on him. Just before Kise can articulate a word, Kasamatsu says, "I see," before he clicks the line dead.

For a moment, Kise stares at his phone. Kasamatsu didn't yell at him—it wasn't even a murder threat, just a simple sentence but it was said in a hauntingly calm tone like there are unspoken words hanging in the air, and it cuts Kise deeper than anything else.

Is he being cruel for wishing that his words cut Kasamatsu just as deep, if not deeper?

For the next three and a half weeks, Kise lives a miserable life. After the fight, Kise is blessed with a new epiphany that his life has been revolving around Kasamatsu without realizing it. His texts, calls, even emails—most of them were directed to Kasamatsu. The number of texts to Kasamatsu has surpassed even to the Kiseki combined. He doesn't know who to talk to, or who to share with when he finds something interesting.

It's like, without Kasamatsu, his world is empty.

And the fact that he's now in Paris—the city of love, of all places, swarmed by couples, makes the ache in his chest more prominent than ever. Kise wonders if a brokenhearted man can be considered as insane so he gets a free pass to kill every happy couple he sees.

Frustrated, he resolves to alcohol to mend his broken heart. The pub is quiet and smells of alcohol and woods. The lights are dimmed, just perfect to hide his sorrow look and stay incognito while drinking himself stupid. He doesn't need to care about his alcohol level at the moment since his flight is pushed forward to the next two days.

Though, his wish to stay incognito is flushed into the drain when Hayama breezes through the door, sighing as he catches Kise's miserable look. But Hayama, bless him, doesn't berate him for it. Instead, he takes a seat next to him and orders the similar drink.

"A rough day?" Hayama tries.

"Weeks," Kise corrects and buries his face in his folded arms resting on the counter.

Hayama downs his drink without so much as tasting it first. Then he says, "That's horrible. Have you tried talking to anyone about it?"

"Do I have to?"

"From my awesome observation skill on your oh-not-so handsome face, yes, you do," Hayama points out, jokingly. "LDR isn't easy, you know."

Kise peers at Hayama's face from the corner of his eye. "LDR?"

"Yep, since we travel a lot and get separated from them for months. Hence, long distance relationship," Hayama explains with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders.

"I see, so that's how you dubbed your relationship with Midorimacchi's senpai," Kise smirks, pulling himself straight. At Hayama's quizzical look, he continues, "Midorimacchi might or might not have shared some stories about his senpais, Miyaji-san particularly."

Hayama gives a laugh, "I hope it's all good stuff."

Kise sucks a skeptical breath between his teeth, just to mess with him. "I'm not sure. All I remember is Midorimacchi's complaint about how his senpai is feeling miserable with his love life."

"That's Miyaji-san for you," Hayama says, dragging the heel of his palm to rub at his forehead but the fond, toothy grin on his face tells considerably more.

"You're happy with him," Kise comments before he can stop himself.

It brings Hayama's gaze to meet his before he looks down at his drink, considering his words. "Happy? Well, Miyaji-san isn't an easy person to deal with, irritating even. Always talks harshly, and is strict with others, even more so towards himself. Sometimes I suspect him abusing his senpai card out of spite, and really, he's annoying as fuck."

Kise lets out a laugh, realizing that Miyaji bears quite uncanny similarities to Kasamatsu. "Maybe it's a senpai thing, or a habit they picked up from Team Strky since they both were on that team."

"Yeah, now you mentioned it," Hayama suddenly erupted like he's offended by the idea. "I bet it's a Strky thing—throwing commands around and threatening to hurt people when things don't go their way. I think they were dictators in their past lives. Too hot-headed!"

"True, true, true," Kise's quick to add more fuel, "Ever suffered Miyaji-san's punishment?"

"Are you kidding me, I developed an ananaphobia because of him!"

Kise blinks. "Anna—anana, what?"

"Ananaphobia—fear of pineapples," Hayama answers, proudly, with a toothy smile and all. As if he just answered a one-million dollar question correct.

It can't be helped—Kise laughs out loud at his goofy expression, so hard his stomach hurts and draws some attention from the customers in the pub. He almost loses his balance on the stool and could've toppled over if Hayama wasn't there to catch him.

When his laughter gradually dies away, Hayama asks, "Feel better, no?"

Then only Kise takes notices of his body—the lack of tension in his muscles, the disappearance of the sinking feeling in his gut that's been nestled there for days. Kise smiles gratefully, "Yeah, thanks."

"Good," Hayama mumbles, giving an encouraging slap on Kise's back. He gets up from the stool and places some notes on the counter for his drink. "I'd love to stay longer, but I've gotta give Miyaji-san a call after badmouthing him. Call me insane, but that guy can sense someone talking bad about him miles away."

"That's scary. I feel bad for you, Hayama-san." Then he asks, curious, "You're happy, though?"

"He's annoying," Hayama grins a mile wide, "But I wouldn't have it any other way."

Hayama takes his leave after that, and Kise stays another hour although he's stopped ordering drinks after the third glass. The streets are devoid of people at night, and Kise's grateful for the privacy.

Paris is undoubtedly beautiful at night, perhaps even more so as it's blanketed with blackish heavens and glowed by the bright lights from the street lamps. Mellowed by the warm atmosphere created by love stories and couples, the city is spectacular, and Kise wants to share this memory with—wants to create a memory with—

A sob slips past his lips.

He just wants to go back to Kasamatsu's side.

No matter how much time he's invested on praying, life simply doesn't go his way. It's only two weeks later that Kise has the chance to go home, to tell Kasamatsu he's regretting everything he said, to tell him how much he missed him. He could've done it over the phone, but life has taught him nothing pretty comes out of it, if not worse.

Phone cradled between his ear and shoulder, dialing to find out Kasamatsu's current whereabouts, Kise raises his hand to hail a taxi. Instead of Kasamatsu's gruff voice, he's greeted with a different voice, "Kise?"

Kise slowly lowers his hand, confused, "Moriyama-senpai? Why're you answering Kasamatsu-senpai's phone?"

"He's in the emergency room. Been an accident, Kasamatsu's getting treated—"

Panic sinks deep, and horrible images flash across his mind. The horrifying thought of Kasamatsu laying in the bed, all pale and hooked up to the machines, prompts Kise to spring into action. He demands Moriyama to tell him the address and steals a taxi from a girl, saying 'emergency, hospital', not really caring about the irritated look on the girl's face.

The whole journey is nerve-wracking. Kise's stupid brain refuses to stop playing the worst case scenarios could happen to Kasamatsu. He stares at the phone in hopes of shoving those thoughts away. He wanted to shoot more questions, but Moriyama's presence was requested so he had to hang up.

As soon as the taxi driver drops him off in front of the lobby, Kise wastes no time to sprint inside. Fortunately, Moriyama's done paying at the counter and catches sight of him and smiles, "Hey, Kise."

Kise rushes over, hands clasping Moriyama's shoulders tightly, barely registering the confused look that's passing over Moriyama's face as his panic thoughts have advanced faster than his rational ones. Words pour out of his mouth, almost tripping over the letters, "Kasamatsu-senpai, where's he? Is he okay, how bad was it—is he, fuck, is he dying?"

"He's fucking fine and considering to kick you all the way to the sun," a familiar, gruff voice drifts from behind.

Surprise, Kise whirls around. And then he stares, long enough for the panic in his eyes shifting into stunned relief. "Senpai."

And Kasamatsu, still in one piece, without any scratch or broken bones or any evidence of getting into an accident, sighs, "I didn't know you were coming home."

"I didn't—" he breaks off his saying because the regret is thick in his chest. Kise swallows thickly, "What happened, senpai? Moriyama-senpai said there was an accident."

"Silly accident, really," Kasamatsu says, looking away. If Kise didn't know better, he'd have said he's pouting and blushing, and gotten a roundhouse kick for his trouble. Then Kasamatsu presents his bandaged right hand. "Four stitches."

"Six, actually," Moriyama chimes in. "Who knew he was so bad in the morning that he cut himself open. Luckily I was sleeping over at his place or he would've bled to death already."

"It takes more than a stupid injury to kill me, asshole," Kasamatsu growls.

Moriyama winks, "Your not-so-manly shriek could've fooled me."

"Lemon, dammit, it was the stupid lemon."

While they're bickering like old friends they are, Kise takes in the bandaged hand with concentrated attention, hands cradling it like he's going to hurt him if he isn't careful. He's deep in his thoughts before Kasamatsu's voice snaps him out of it, "Kise?"

He meets Kasamatsu's eyes, finding confusion and worry in them, and smiles to abate his worry, "It's nothing. I'm just glad you're fine, senpai."

The scowl returns to Kasamatsu's face, and Kise has the slightest feeling that Kasamatsu's going to kick him, or worse, to bring up the fight, the hurtful words he said to Kasamatsu so he can dump him right in front of Moriyama and these strangers.

But then, all Kasamatsu says is, "Yeah, me too. Let's go home."

A breath catches in Kise's throat. He stares at Kasamatsu before his eyes drop on the sweater Kasamatsu's wearing. It's his favorite sweater, the one Kise loves to wear until its color gets faded over time, and Kasamatsu's wearing it. The longer he stares, the more realization kicks in and it takes Kise everything not to act on instinct, not to pepper Kasamatsu with kisses.

He smiles so wide it hurts and his eyes sting, "Yeah, let's go home, senpai."

Moriyama stays another day, just to make fun of Kasamatsu, not forgetting to shoot off an email to Kobori that contains a picture of Kasamatsu getting high on painkillers, while Kise is off duty that week. And if Kise's touching Kasamatsu in more than friendly manners, well, Moriyama's good enough not to mention it.

-fin 2nd work-

#kikasa #simple expedient series #fanfiction #kikasa fanfiction #knb

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