Hirakoba Rin (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
legally_blond) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
tennis_hell2018-05-02 07:53 pm
legally_blond) wrote in tennis_hell2018-05-02 07:53 pm
[log] Kite Eishirou and Hirakoba Rin
Who: Kite Eishirou and Hirakoba Rin
What: Good friends hanging outand they would not shut up omfg :|
When: ... AGES AGO
Where: Rin's apartment
Rating: M for... what they talk about?
With the knowledge that Kite was coming over that afternoon, Hirakoba made half an effort to avoid any of the judgemental looks he is sure Kite has coming. He’s shut the door to his second bedroom/closet and even makes sure to put pants on. And by the time the doorbell finally rings, he’s just finishing up his phone call to his grandmother, still listening to her as he heads to open the door.
“My friend’s just arrived, I have to go now,” he says, waving at Kite as he steps back to let him in, gesturing at the phone and then presses a finger to his lips. “No, don’t worry, it’s not one of the people you disapprove of.” Hirakoba shakes his head and rolls his eyes a bit, heading into the kitchen to turn the kettle on, leaving Kite to close the door. “No it’s not Kite Eishirou and his gang, grandmother, I haven’t seen him lately. Okay, goodbye. I love you.”
He tosses his phone at the couch before he turns back to making tea. “Hi Eishirou, nice to see you. Milk and four sugars as usual?” he teases.
On his walk from the train stop to Hirakoba-kun’s apartment, Kite passes at least five places he’s sure he recognises from realtor photos. There’s the place with the reinforced hot tub somewhere high up an innocuous looking high rise apartment building, a place that advertised a hidden room in the apartment not included on the photos or floor plan in another, and the one with four spare bedrooms, just a block away from his current destination.
Kite rings the doorbell, noting with some amusement that Hirakoba-kun’s front door looks fairly plain, not at all like the family mansion’s gate back on Okinawa.
He hears what he recognises as Hirakoba’s annoying phone drawl before the door opens, and resists rolling his eyes fondly when the first thing he sees is, in fact, a cellphone pressed to his friend’s ear. Then he notices the shushing motion, followed by a tinny, phone morphed voice he can’t hear well enough to make out words but certainly well enough to recognise.
Leaning against the doorway, Kite crosses his shoulders somewhat defensively; Hirakoba-san the elder has never held a very high opinion of him, for reasons he’s never fully understood. Still, his lips quirk at the mention of him and his ‘gang’. He’s never been sure where she got the impression his tennis team was a front for some sort of prostitution ring, but as far as presumptions about him go it’s a creative one.
“I don’t recall having a usual,” he intones dryly when Hirakoba-kun finishes his conversation. “But if you’re wanting to start one, I take my coffee black. I’m surprised your grandmother already knows I’m in the area.”
Oh, Kite was going to have coffee. Hirakoba pulls out the teabag and goes for a hunt for coffee bags instead. “Maybe it was Yuujirou who takes the four sugars, I can’t remember,” Hirakoba says dismissively, dumping sugar into his own tea even as he says it. Milk was to follow.
Hirakoba laughs a bit as he goes to pull out some food to offer Kite, tossing a green apple at him - it’s green and healthy and vaguely acceptable, right?. “I think she actually might like you now, you know,” he says, though he’s smiling a bit too much to take it seriously. “She got this idea that you were doing Okinawa proud at tennis once you started doing okay.” Of course, she’d remembered Kite’s name, after all the abuse she’d hurled around about him. He supposes Kite should take that as a compliment.
“And I told Rei that you were here. Who told our parents. Who told her.” He thinks his ears are still ringing from the lecture down the phone that he got when that news got out. Hirakoba pours the hot water and hands it to Kite, coffee bag still in, for him to steep appropriately. “So don’t be too concerned, she hasn’t suddenly started caring about you or anything beyond you succeeding at tennis.”
“I’m not so certain Kai-kun had that strict a routine. You may be remembering Chinen-kun’s drink preference,” Kite says with a thoughtful frown. He can’t recall if he’d have had a tea routine Hirakoba-kun could have memorised at any point. It’s only hectic scheduling that has made him favor coffee over tea the last few years.
He catches the apple out of the air and rolls it between his hands. “I’m not sure whether that is flattering or worrying,” he tells Hirakoba-kun honestly, looking the fruit over for spots. “ If I somehow end up in a magazine as a former pimp graduating to professional tennis for Okinawa’s honor I’ll have quite some reputation repair to do.”
“If she’d actually tracked my whereabouts I’d be more concerned it was for a hit than any kind of affection.” He takes the cup and gestures towards the couch. “So if I encounter any would be assassins I’ll be sure to thank your sister. You didn’t get into any trouble for it, did you?”
“If you start losing too badly, she might organise a hit on you - to defend the honour of our kingdom and all that,” Hirakoba says, grabbing a bowl of snacks to take over to the couch as well. “So you better keep winning and keep her happy, Eishirou, since I like having you around.” Although, as he says that he’s pretty sure that she would prefer to just talk about how it was expected, given his poor upbringing or his history… Hirakoba shakes his head a bit to push away the thought.
“Have I ever gotten in trouble for anything from her?” Hirakoba asks, raising his eyebrows a bit as he settles on one side of the couch. He doesn’t expect that question to be answered, they both know it’s a definite ‘no’.
“Anyway, enough about my grandmother,” he says firmly, carefully moving his legs to curl up a bit on the couch. “How are you going? Do you like my pants? I put them on specially for you.” And he’s pretty sure he forgot to remove the tag, he could feel it itching him at the back.
With an only slightly exaggerated shudder Kite sits down on the other end of the couch, putting the still steeping coffee and the apple on the coffee table. “Yes, well, I’m sure she’ll have a field day explaining my hiatus as well. I guess I’ll have to look into at least appearing at one or two tournaments during school vacations to avoid being accused of trying to flee my responsibility, or something like that.”
Not that he hasn’t been talking about that with his coach anyway. He gives Hirakoba-kun a flat look, knowing full well that while Hirakoba-san the elder may not be the direct scolding type, her opinion has always held a lot of influence.
“Yes, lets,” he responds, crossing his legs. “I’m well enough for the time being. Nobody is dead yet. I do appreciate the trouble. It must be a great hardship, having to surrender time you could be spending naked for my sake.”
“I’ll be sure to tell her only of your many victories,” Hirakoba says with a smile. Since he knows full well she doesn’t watch tennis, and that Kite tends to feature quite prominently in the local news when he does play particularly well, it all worked out.
Hirakoba laughs and nudges Kite with his foot. “Well, I can always take the pants off, it really would make me more comfortable not wearing them,” he says, one hand already going down to the waistband. It’s not like he needs to wear them or anything, Kite’s seen him naked enough times, and the heater’s turned on high enough that it’s not even for warmth.
His smile only widens as he pulls it down slightly and then lets go, returning to his cup of tea. “Just kidding, Eishirou. ” Hirakoba nudges him again with his foot, leaning sideways against the back of the couch. “You’ll see me naked later anyway, for measuring, there’s no need to rush.”
Humorous tone aside, Kite is grateful for the pseudo-assurance. Hirakoba-san’s opinion, beyond setting the tone in her household, tends to travel across various Okinawan gossiping circles. The last thing he wants is for his next visit home to involve having to set straight random he-said-she-said that somehow made its way to his parents and sister, or worse, his teacher.
Rolling his eyes, Kite reaches out to swat Hirakoba-kun on the knee lightly, more as a familiar gesture than any kind of actual warning. “Who’s rushing here, Hirakoba-kun? You know, most people don’t even bother taking their clothes off for measurements. The kind of difference one or two layers of average fabric makes isn’t actually all that big.”
Then, after a pause. “Do you actually burn through one-wear outfits from your hoard to accommodate visitors, even for just an afternoon?” Then, thinking better of his phrasing after another second, “Visitors who favor actually wearing clothes, that is. Not… the other kind.”
Hirakoba nudges Kite again with his foot in retaliation and he just shrugs as a response. “I like my clothes to be perfectly fitted, thank you, Eishirou,” he says. “And from you, I only expect the very best.” Never mind that he is just getting measurements for a jacket and his top half’s bare already anyway. It’s fine, Kite can use them for later clothing pieces.
He hums around his cup of tea and moves one leg to drape it over Kite’s lap, avoiding looking at him as though nothing had happened at all. “If I know the clothes will be coming off shortly after, I usually just rewear,” he says, pulling a bit of a face. He has to at least pretend to be decent, right? “But for people like you, these are brand new.”
Kite taps the fingers of his left hand, still cold from the outdoor chill and not yet brought to temperature by his warm mug, to the sole of Hirakoba-kun’s foot right before he can pull it away, then pulls his feet up on the couch and crosses his ankles so he can lean on his knees. It’s not a pose he’d generally take on a couch not his own, but considering they’re discussing Hirakoba-kun’s casual relationship with nudity he feels he can at least loosen his standards by this much.
“Form-fitted clothes generally require on-model adjustments. If you want anything completely true to shape you’ll have to sit still while I pin in adjustments at some point,” he points out, critically sizing up Hirakoba-kun’s form and noting his stomach isn’t in as soft a state as he worried it might be. Not that he’d tell Hirakoba-kun.
Rolling his eyes, Kite reaches for his coffee, lifting the bag to check whether it looks strong enough yet. Trust Hirakoba-kun to have strange standards about rewearing even on the short term. “I appreciate the thought. Have you ever heard of concepts like ‘lounge-pants’, or other indoor wear made for comfort over functionality?”
Hirakoba’s foot jerks at the touch and he moves it out of the way to let Kite get into his new position before he rests it against Kite’s leg again. Those hands are cold and Hirakoba glances at the heater temperature to make sure it’s on… it is, clearly Kite’s just taking some time to warm up properly.
“You say that like I’ve never sat still for you to fit clothes to me,” Hirakoba says and just prods Kite in the side with a foot as he gets stared at. “I’m actually the more calm of your teammates, remember, Eishirou?”
He plucks at the pants he’s wearing - there’s nothing wrong with them. Perfectly fine for wearing around the house. Hirakoba does pause though at the question and he twists to put his tea cup on the table. “Actually, yes. Rei bought me something for my birthday. Hang on.” He gets up and heads into his bedroom, emerging a moment later with a bundle of blue fabric in his arms. “It’s a blanket with arms, since I was complaining about the cold here so much.”
Kite doesn’t bother hiding the sly little grin at Hirakoba-kun’s obvious startled reaction, but doesn’t bother pushing the invading foot away again. “One of them,” he corrects. “But not above getting irritating if things took too long for your liking. I remember.”
He’s not sure what he is expecting when Hirakoba-kun actually gets up to retrieve whatever he has suddenly remembered exists, but when he realises what exactly the blue blanket he’s holding is he chokes back a cross between a laugh and a huff around the bite of apple he’s just taken. “Your sister got you a snuggie” he says, once he’s swallowed. “Really.”
“Is that what they’re called?” Hirakoba asks, unfolding it and pulling it on over his front. It was big and warm and definitely better than the blankets that he was using before.
He waves his arms at Kite and does a bit of a spin on the spot to show it off. “It’s very good actually, I’ll use it a lot.” Especially since he was going to be in Tokyo for a least a few more hellish winters and far from the acclimatising that everyone told him would happen eventually, he just seemed to be suffering more every year. “I also don’t need to wear pants with them,” he says quite smugly, moving to push down his pants, still wrapped up in the snuggie. “Since they hide anything you’d find offensive.”
“It’s what the brand is called,” Kite responds, eyeing the blue blanket warily. There’s always the chance that whatever Hirakoba Rei got her hands on isn’t branded, but knowing the Hirakoba family he doubts it is anything but a foreign import.
“Unless you do that,” he points out, referring to the twirl. “And expose your behind like you would in a hospital gown.”
Pushing up the frame of his glasses so he can pinch the bridge of his nose, Kite ‘tssks’. “Of course you would think about it that way. Is there really any practical advantage to such a thing over clothes that would not raise questions when you answer the door in them?”
It’s quite easy to take off his pants and Hirakoba tosses them vaguely in the direction of his room before he moves to sit on the couch again, still wrapped up in the snuggie. He’s sure Kite’s twitched at the treatment of his clothes, but Hirakoba doesn’t really care all that much. “I’m offended that you find my naked ass offensive,” he says, prodding Kite with his foot. “I’ve got a cute ass.”
Hirakoba shuffles over to hug Kite, enveloping him in the blanket and rests his chin on his shoulder. And perhaps for this, the snuggie isn’t the most ideal thing, but oh well. “You know, I think you’re the only person who visits here who is actually bothered by the nudity. I don’t even think the people that deliver parcels care as much as you.”
It takes effort to bite back commentary about at least getting his dirty clothes into the laundry bin, and the only reason Kite swallows the remark is because he already knows there either is no such thing or it isn’t used for laundry the way it would be at any other household. Likeliest scenario, the lady who comes over to clean just gathers any articles of clothing she finds onto an increasingly big pile that has to be shipped to a laundromat by van or something similarly outrageous.
“It’s not the shape of your ass that offends me, Hirakoba-kun,” he rebukes, half-heartedly swatting away the foot prodding his thigh. “I’m not even sure ‘offended’ is the right word. Is it really so hard to believe not everyone shares your casual attitude towar-”
Honestly, for all the years he’s known Hirakoba Rin, Kite should have seen the surprise hug coming. He doesn’t though, and instead falters mid-sentence when he realises he now has a very naked person pressed into his side, even if the blanket does cover it up adequately from outside view. “I’m sure they see worse,” he tries to say calmly, but he’s never been good with unexpected situation and he can hear the unsteadiness in his own voice. “They also get paid to ensure you sign for your mail before they can leave. Why would you not just put on pants before opening the door to receive mail?”
There’s no pushing back, so Hirakoba takes the opportunity to slide his arms out of the armholes to properly hug Kite under the blanket, curling up into his side. He pretends not to hear the change in Kite’s voice, though it makes him grin. “Sometimes I put a blanket on,” he says, shifting around to get properly comfortable, being fully aware that he was probably making Kite more uncomfortable. Excellent.
“And maybe everyone should be more relaxed about being naked. My family doesn’t care, Rei and I were naked all the time when she lived here.” Although, his parents and grandmother certainly remain fully clothed at all times at home. Which… Hirakoba is glad for. He fidgets, plucking at the material of Kite’s shirt on his side and pulls a face. “And clothing is uncomfortable, Eishirou. It just gets in the way and has to be taken off… and some people just aren’t good at undressing others.”
“I’m sure they appreciate the consideration.”
It isn’t the first time he’s been on the receiving end of naked hugs and he’s quite sure it isn’t the last, but Kite is sure that he’ll never completely get used to the bizarre conflicting feelings of the part of his brain that enjoys the contact and wants him to lean into the touch, and the part that detests being touched and screams at him to create distance. But touch is and always has been an important facet to Hirakoba-kun’s way of communication and he would take the rejection poorly, so instead of following either of his warring inner voices he forces himself to stay very still.
“There are entire communities dedicated to that sort of thing,” he says, fingers curling around the hand plucking at his shirt firmly. “And you know full well it isn’t the base concept of nudity I am opposed to, but the. Well. You know I have,-” he makes a face and then shakes his head, wishing away the heat creeping up his neck. “Is this really the kind of argument to use on someone who makes clothes anyway?”
Hirakoba is very aware that Kite doesn't deal well with physical contact, and the fact that he tolerates it regardless… Kind of makes him want to keep pushing at that boundary to see how far he can take it. Apparently tugging at clothes is not acceptable and Hirakoba instead slips his free hand up Kite's shirt to poke at his side instead, keeping his chin resting on his friend's shoulder as if nothing is happening.
“Are you blushing, Eishirou?” Hirakoba can't hide the gloating that's entered his voice and maybe his grin is a little too wide. He wants to poke at his cheek, but maintaining the hug was much more important. “You have awkwardness around sexual content, I know,” he finishes off the abandoned sentence for Kite. “It makes me wonder how you deal with having a roommate.” Especially one who apparently uh, finishes quickly.
On instinct alone Kite tries to lean away from the touch, but between their general proximity and the way Hirakoba-kun is half-draped over him his squirming doesn’t end up making much of a difference. He feels very aware of the hand on his bare skin and tries to remember if Hirakoba-kun’s penchant for touching has always been this brazen and he’s just never noticed before.
“No!” he protests, louder than intended. He can feel his own lie burning on the back of his neck, but he’s quite sure he’s making enough sacrifices for the sake of Hirakoba-kun’s comfort his pride can be left well enough alone. “I’ve had roommates since high school, Hirakoba-kun. The majority of which were harder to deal with than my current one, who I’ve yet to walk in on watching. Things. I deal by leaving them to their things and going to get food, or do something else.”
As fun as it is to see Kite squirm and be uncomfortable, Hirakoba does at least sometimes acknowledge when it's time to stop. Particularly the protest that makes his eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “Sorry Eishirou,” he says, patting Kite on the side. He presses a quick kiss on his cheek before pulling away to the other side of the couch, dragging the snuggie with him to drape over himself. And one leg goes back on top on Kite's lap just to maintain contact.
“Maybe you just haven't been fast enough to see him watching pornography,” Hirakoba suggests, trying to to laugh. “Since he comes quickly, it could be over before the video really even starts.” He stretches out slightly and curls his toes, making a pleased noise as something cracks. “You could have always sat down to watch it with them. Critiqued their clothes… Or lack of. And appreciated their levels of fitness.”
Even though the sudden lack of warmth chases a shudder of goosebumps down his arms, Kite relaxes his posture slightly. He can reason with himself why he doesn’t overly mind Hirakoba-kun’s touchiness, but there’s no shaking the relief he feels at regaining some control over his personal space. Rather than verbally acknowledging the apology, he runs his fingers down the shin on his lap in soothing circles.
“He’s rarely in the room, actually,” Kite says. “Presumably delivery business is booming, in spite of his odd naming choices. And when he is there, well. He doesn’t strike me as the type who would enjoy sitting more or less still to watch videos.” He gently digs his fingers into a spot right behind Hirakoba-kun’s knee, where the muscles seem more tense than elsewhere, while also giving him a stern glare. “I was really not that invested in what sort of fantasies my football player roommate concocted for himself. And one of his girlfriends was very intent on convincing me to join them. It was easier to avoid putting myself in such situations entirely.”
That had been interesting. Mostly horrifying. But interesting, in its own way.
Hirakoba relaxes at the touches on his leg, though it makes his foot twitch slightly at the ticklish feeling in some parts. “Maybe it was actually a good business choice, then, giving it such a memorable name.” Although he did wonder how many phone calls looking for other services cumsquik-kun had gotten.
His leg jerks at the sudden pressure and he makes a sad noise, moving it away slightly. Not okay, Kite. He assumes that’s punishment for talking about watching pornography, which, entertainingly Kite still hasn’t said aloud. “Well I mean, I can’t blame her for trying. If I was going to have a threesome, I’d probably think of asking you too.” He’s teasing, but since he’s not trying to fluster Kite with naked hugs or kisses, he supposes verbal comments will just have to do. “I’m too selfish to have a threesome though,” he says, stretching out. “Unless I can have double the attention on me.”
“Standing out is not a bad way to get business,” Kite agrees dubiously. Standing out for being a walking, talking double entendre doesn’t strike him as a particularly commendable life choice, but whatever keeps Kamio-kun in business. “I’d personally prefer if he focused more on standing out in a positive light through clothing choices, of course.”
“Please don’t,” Kite responds with a grimace. Wrapping his one hand around Hirakoba-kun’s ankle to keep him still, he massages his fingers over the muscle to ease the surprised tension back out. “I do believe we agreed you and I are not cut out for partaking in such things together.”
“And I’m sure you’ll keep encouraging it with passive aggressive post-it notes.” Actually, Hirakoba is pretty sure they’re more just ‘aggressive’ than anything and it makes him laugh. “Poor Cumsquik-kun.” For having to room with Kite.
Hirakoba pulls a face at the start of the massage but he makes himself settle instead of moving his leg away. He snorts at the comment and twists to grab his tea to keep drinking it. “That was years ago though,” he says, waving a hand dismissively. “You could have changed since then.” Although since Kite had apparently turned into a monk in the intervening years, probably not. He still laughs though, prodding Kite in the stomach with his foot. “It was still really awkward though. You were so terrible at coming onto people, I thought you were going to punch me.”
“I’m helping him” Kite stresses, refusing to acknowledge his advice might have been on the harsher side of helpful. “He clearly needed it. And he does have an actual name, though I can see why his business choices thus far have made his handle easier to recall.”
“Well then, against all expectations, America has indeed failed to corrupt me into a life of vice,” Kite says dryly. Feeling reassured we won’t get kicked in the face in protest, Kite continues his massage. Hirakoba-kun in particular has never been particularly prone to injuries, but it’s much easier to accept the casual physical touching when he can write it off as being practical. “And I distinctively remember a mutual agreement that whatever incident you might be trying to refer to never happened.”
Hirakoba didn’t point out that he would have been very offended if Kite at any point, had left post-it notes all over his wardrobe, just humming a bit instead. “It’s just easier to call him Cumsquik-kun,” Hirakoba says instead. “You know who I’m talking about.” Everyone in their community… knew who he was talking about.
He nudges Kite in the leg with his other foot, carefully sliding it onto Kite’s lap for a massage as well. It’s kind of nice, though sometimes the fingers dig into soft parts that make him twitch. “Have you really not done anything with anyone since then?” Hirakoba asks, sitting up a bit to look at him properly. “Not even kissing? You were pretty awful at that too, I remember.”
“I suppose naming his business that does grant some form of blanket permission to be called that, yes,” Kite agrees reluctantly. “It certainly couldn’t be referring to anyone else.”
Without protesting against or commenting on it, Kite moves his touch to the other offered leg. He considers for a moment telling Hirakoba-kun to drop the subject, but he knows the both of them well enough to know it will just resurface elsewhere, in a more embarrassing way. “I’ve had two girlfriends, if it matters so much to you. It didn’t go that far with either of them, but I’ve kissed both.”
Hirakoba sits up quite abruptly in surprise at Kite’s declaration that he’s had girlfriends before. He’s briefly thankful that his tea is nearly finished or else it would’ve gone all over his lap, but he still puts it down on the side to scoot closer to Kite to heckle him.
“Two girlfriends?!” he asks, prodding at Kite’s shoulder repeatedly. “When did this happen? Before or after the thing with me?” Hirakoba is so curious about this and he rests his hands on Kite’s shoulder, propping his chin on top of them to stare closely. “Did they dump you or something, because you were so bad at kissing?”
Glad his own coffee is still safe on the table, Kite flattens himself against the couch cushions to avoid being hit by any flailing limbs.
“I’m twenty years old,” he splutters in response. “It isn’t that unbelievable I’ve had girlfriends!”
Swatting Hirakoba-kun away from his shoulder with a scowl, he crosses his arms. “One before, one after. And we didn’t break up over just kissing.” Not that it hadn’t been part of the equation the second time, but by her own account the problem had been lack in quantity of affection, not quality. Not that he’s going to tell Hirakoba-kun that.
For other people… maybe Hirakoba would believe that. But this is Kite Eishirou and so, yes, yes maybe he does find it a little unbelievable that he’s had girlfriends. Or maybe he just… wants to believe that in that strange period that they weren’t talking in high school, Kite just didn’t change.
Not that Hirakoba will ever admit that outloud.
“So in high school, then,” he says, stubbornly staying curled up next to Kite’s side, still with his legs over the other’s lap as he stares closely. “Why did you break up? Was it because they weren’t pretty enough?” Hirakoba smothers a laugh at that. “Or was your experience with me enough to make you start considering males as the better option?”
He prods Kite in the cheek and smiles at him. “I started dating guys in high school, you know.”
“One in high school,” Kite corrects as he reaches out to resume kneading Hirakoba-kun’s calves. “The other one was a little after graduation, while I was living in Kailua. Well after anything that happened between you and I.”
Kite runs his fingernails over Hirakoba-kun’s kneecap in retaliation. Tickling seems kinder compared to pinching, for the moment. “I wasn’t seeing either of those when... that, happened. The former, she wanted to pursue a long term career in Madrid, and we decided we were not serious enough a relationship to pursue long distance.”
“And just what are you trying to get at?” He asks, eyes narrowed suspiciously.
Hirakoba grumbles and shifts at the tickling of his knee. He reaches down to lightly tap on Kite’s hand - or at least try to - to chase it away. “Stop being mean, Eishirou, just because I’m picking on your really awful relationships…” Hirakoba grumbles to himself and snuggles up closer to Kite, hugging him with one arm.
He also notes with some hilarity that Kite absolutely avoids mentioning in more specific terms that incident. Hirakoba has a feeling that if he says things like ‘masturbation’ or ‘handjob’, Kite might just kick him off the couch and leave, so Hirakoba bites his tongue and leave it rest for the time being.
Hirakoba pats him on the chest instead. “You absolutely ruined me for all females,” he says dramatically, laughing a bit. “Seduced me to enjoying the touch of a man.” He pauses for a moment and turns to look up at Kite. “I’m joking, by the way,” Just in case Kite’s worried.
Deftly ignoring Hirakoba-kun’s attempt at trying to chase his hand off, Kite resumes his earlier massaging like nothing happened. “Being that you’ve known about them for under ten minutes, I highly doubt you have the inside knowledge needed to judge whether or not they were awful.”
Granted, neither had been particularly specular even at their highest points, but there’s no point adding to whatever terrible imaginary scenario Hirakoba-kun seems to have determined his past relationships followed.
I’ll surely rest easier at night knowing I wasn’t the one who ruined you for women with an awkward h-” he cuts himself off and looks away. “And we were not mentioning that.”
“I wouldn’t judge you if they were awful relationships, you know,” Hirakoba says, his legs twitching slightly at the renewed massage. “Apparently people actually expect you to start staying ‘I love you’ at some point, did you know that?” Hirakoba rolls his eyes and reaches up to pet Kite’s cheek, smiling at him.
Said smile that turns into a feral grin as Kite abruptly cuts off. He pets Kite on the face again and moves to give him a hug, laughing a bit. “You can at least say the word, Eishirou,” he says. Thankfully if he buries his face in Kite’s shoulder in the hug, it’s easier to hide that he’s laughing. “You might get another one day, you never know.”
Kite closes his eyes to keep from rolling them. Somehow the thought of Hirakoba-kun having trouble actually verbalising deeper types affection doesn’t surprise Kite in the slightest. “Most people find comfort in such sentiments, Hirakoba-kun. I imagine they make you uncomfortable, more than anything.”
After batting the hand petting at his face away he crosses his arms and squares his shoulders defensively, though he does nothing to push away the obvious laughing hug following it. “Handjob. There. Done. Ha ha. Laugh had. Now we can move on to less immature subjects.”
Hirakoba’s glad that he’s hiding his face into Kite’s shoulder so he can laugh more, his arms tightening around Kite as he tries not to make it too obvious. It is very obvious though.
It takes him a little bit to calm down and not grin and start laughing when he looks up at Kite’s face, and Hirakoba stays still close and hugging Kite when he finally does.
“I’ll have you know, I have no problem saying ‘I love you’ to certain people,” Hirakoba says, going back to the previous topic as if the sidetracking about handjobs had never happened. He still can’t look at Kite’s face properly though, but his jawline is a good enough substitute. “But it just gives people I’m in a relationship with the wrong expectations for everything.” He grumbles and puffs air on Kite’s neck.
Kite waits out the laughter with a burning face and a lapful of a very obvious Hirakoba-kun, feeling dreadfully certain this isn’t by far the last time he’ll be caught in a situation this stupid. He doesn’t move to extract himself from the situation, much like he remembers his fifteen years old self tolerate things like this, but does glower at a piece of wall in the upper left corner of the room until Hirakoba-kun stops shaking with laughter.
He’s thankful when, apparently realising he is pushing a line, Hirakoba drops the subject like it never happened. “At risk of sounding trite, have you actually ever felt ready for such declarations in any relationship you’ve been in?”
Hirakoba pauses at the question and rests his chin on the other male’s shoulder as he thinks. “Maybe once, with a girl in high school.” He smiles knowingly at Kite’s jawline and raises his eyebrow a bit. “But I mean, her family’s from Saitama, it would have never been allowed.”
He shrugs as if to say that it doesn’t bother him and sighs. “But, like I said, I can say it easily enough to certain people. Like, I love you, Eishirou, very much.”
It is a testament to how long Kite has been gone that the more or less expected sappy declaration makes him grimace slightly with unease where he used to be able to take his teammates’ freely given affection without so much as a twitch. “Of course you do, what’s not to love? I’m still not within any position to respond to the sentiment with plans of future, cohabitation or marriage though, so I assume that makes me a safer option to say it to than anyone you’ve been intimate with.”
He considers for a moment asking more about this ex girlfriend and what had made Hirakoba-kun feel so confident in his affection for her, but then decides against it. There were no doubt suitable marriage candidates lined up to choose from even back then, and he’d never quite been in a position to understand the true depth of that kind of familial obligation. “For what it is worth, I’m quite fond of you too.”
“Well, if I was going to tell my family about wanting to spend my future with a man, you might not be instantly rejected.” At least while Kite’s reputation is still good in the tennis world and he was still winning things. And if that eventually stops… Hirakoba just sighs loudly at the thought.
Hirakoba sighs again at the returned statement of …. fondness and he shakes his head a bit. “What, do you not love me too, Eishirou? That hurts.” He clicks his tongue and pulls away from the hug, curling up around his cup of tea down his end of the couch.
Feeling his grimace deepen, Kite throws a wary glance at Hirakoba-kun to seek out traces of jest. He hopes that is idle musing, and not any plan of action he’s been vaguely considering, because even the imaginary scenario of having to petition Hirakoba’s grandmother for the right to spend their future together sends chills down his spine. “I’d say the ship on that particular thought has sailed some years ago.”
With a sigh, Kite reaches out and pats Hirakoba-kun’s retreating back consolingly. “I do have a long-time reputation to uphold,” he says only half-joking, “but I’m significantly more fond of you than I am of the majority of people I know.”
Hirakoba grins at the expression on Kite’s face and bites back a laugh. He doesn’t have to look that opposed to the idea. “I think by the time you became successful enough for it to be an option… you’re so far from my type, Eishirou. I think you even make my libido shrink in size when I’m around you now.”
He stretches his legs out and drapes them over Kite’s lap again, just to maintain contact. “I suppose I’ll just have to be satisfied with your half-hearted fondness,” he said with a disapproving tsk. “We should get up to start measuring soon.” … Maybe. In a bit.
“I’ll take comfort in that,” Kite deadpans, “and will leave the honor of placating your family’s standards to some other poor sap. I might even laugh at the unlucky man when the time comes.”
He lifts Hirakoba’s leg slightly to give himself the space to dig his worn old measuring tape out of his pocket and holds it up. “I’ll have you know ‘quite’ does not mean the same as ‘half-hearted’. I wouldn’t be here offering to make you clothes if I didn’t genuinely consider you one of the more important people in my life. Now, I can take some of your basic measurements while you’re sitting down, but you’ll need to be less covered in snuggie. Without shedding whatever shred of decency you might still possess along with it, preferably.”
It’s worth teasing Kite to get a bit of an ego inflation at the same time and Hirakoba doesn’t make an effort to hide his smile at Kite’s words. One of the more important people in his life, indeed!
And then it’s ruined so quickly and Hirakoba sighs, standing up. He stretches, his back cracking and he makes a satisfied noise as he fishes his pants up off the ground. “We might as well just do the whole lot of measurements. And you can make rude comments about how my thighs have gotten larger since last time.” He does pull his pants back on, discarding the snuggie partway through as he does them up.
Instead of commenting on Hirakoba’s hardly concealed glee at getting complimented, Kite straightens his rumpled clothes and gets up. It’s good to know his opinion is clearly still valued.
“I didn’t need to measure you to find that out,” he says, this time clearly joking. “Why do you think I need new ones?”
“You are so rude,” Hirakoba says back quickly. He holds out his arms impatiently and smiles a bit at Kite. “When we get this done, we can go out for food or something. I’d hate to waste an outfit.” Especially since, with Kite coming over, Hirakoba actually put a fair amount of thought into it.
What: Good friends hanging out
When: ... AGES AGO
Where: Rin's apartment
Rating: M for... what they talk about?
With the knowledge that Kite was coming over that afternoon, Hirakoba made half an effort to avoid any of the judgemental looks he is sure Kite has coming. He’s shut the door to his second bedroom/closet and even makes sure to put pants on. And by the time the doorbell finally rings, he’s just finishing up his phone call to his grandmother, still listening to her as he heads to open the door.
“My friend’s just arrived, I have to go now,” he says, waving at Kite as he steps back to let him in, gesturing at the phone and then presses a finger to his lips. “No, don’t worry, it’s not one of the people you disapprove of.” Hirakoba shakes his head and rolls his eyes a bit, heading into the kitchen to turn the kettle on, leaving Kite to close the door. “No it’s not Kite Eishirou and his gang, grandmother, I haven’t seen him lately. Okay, goodbye. I love you.”
He tosses his phone at the couch before he turns back to making tea. “Hi Eishirou, nice to see you. Milk and four sugars as usual?” he teases.
On his walk from the train stop to Hirakoba-kun’s apartment, Kite passes at least five places he’s sure he recognises from realtor photos. There’s the place with the reinforced hot tub somewhere high up an innocuous looking high rise apartment building, a place that advertised a hidden room in the apartment not included on the photos or floor plan in another, and the one with four spare bedrooms, just a block away from his current destination.
Kite rings the doorbell, noting with some amusement that Hirakoba-kun’s front door looks fairly plain, not at all like the family mansion’s gate back on Okinawa.
He hears what he recognises as Hirakoba’s annoying phone drawl before the door opens, and resists rolling his eyes fondly when the first thing he sees is, in fact, a cellphone pressed to his friend’s ear. Then he notices the shushing motion, followed by a tinny, phone morphed voice he can’t hear well enough to make out words but certainly well enough to recognise.
Leaning against the doorway, Kite crosses his shoulders somewhat defensively; Hirakoba-san the elder has never held a very high opinion of him, for reasons he’s never fully understood. Still, his lips quirk at the mention of him and his ‘gang’. He’s never been sure where she got the impression his tennis team was a front for some sort of prostitution ring, but as far as presumptions about him go it’s a creative one.
“I don’t recall having a usual,” he intones dryly when Hirakoba-kun finishes his conversation. “But if you’re wanting to start one, I take my coffee black. I’m surprised your grandmother already knows I’m in the area.”
Oh, Kite was going to have coffee. Hirakoba pulls out the teabag and goes for a hunt for coffee bags instead. “Maybe it was Yuujirou who takes the four sugars, I can’t remember,” Hirakoba says dismissively, dumping sugar into his own tea even as he says it. Milk was to follow.
Hirakoba laughs a bit as he goes to pull out some food to offer Kite, tossing a green apple at him - it’s green and healthy and vaguely acceptable, right?. “I think she actually might like you now, you know,” he says, though he’s smiling a bit too much to take it seriously. “She got this idea that you were doing Okinawa proud at tennis once you started doing okay.” Of course, she’d remembered Kite’s name, after all the abuse she’d hurled around about him. He supposes Kite should take that as a compliment.
“And I told Rei that you were here. Who told our parents. Who told her.” He thinks his ears are still ringing from the lecture down the phone that he got when that news got out. Hirakoba pours the hot water and hands it to Kite, coffee bag still in, for him to steep appropriately. “So don’t be too concerned, she hasn’t suddenly started caring about you or anything beyond you succeeding at tennis.”
“I’m not so certain Kai-kun had that strict a routine. You may be remembering Chinen-kun’s drink preference,” Kite says with a thoughtful frown. He can’t recall if he’d have had a tea routine Hirakoba-kun could have memorised at any point. It’s only hectic scheduling that has made him favor coffee over tea the last few years.
He catches the apple out of the air and rolls it between his hands. “I’m not sure whether that is flattering or worrying,” he tells Hirakoba-kun honestly, looking the fruit over for spots. “ If I somehow end up in a magazine as a former pimp graduating to professional tennis for Okinawa’s honor I’ll have quite some reputation repair to do.”
“If she’d actually tracked my whereabouts I’d be more concerned it was for a hit than any kind of affection.” He takes the cup and gestures towards the couch. “So if I encounter any would be assassins I’ll be sure to thank your sister. You didn’t get into any trouble for it, did you?”
“If you start losing too badly, she might organise a hit on you - to defend the honour of our kingdom and all that,” Hirakoba says, grabbing a bowl of snacks to take over to the couch as well. “So you better keep winning and keep her happy, Eishirou, since I like having you around.” Although, as he says that he’s pretty sure that she would prefer to just talk about how it was expected, given his poor upbringing or his history… Hirakoba shakes his head a bit to push away the thought.
“Have I ever gotten in trouble for anything from her?” Hirakoba asks, raising his eyebrows a bit as he settles on one side of the couch. He doesn’t expect that question to be answered, they both know it’s a definite ‘no’.
“Anyway, enough about my grandmother,” he says firmly, carefully moving his legs to curl up a bit on the couch. “How are you going? Do you like my pants? I put them on specially for you.” And he’s pretty sure he forgot to remove the tag, he could feel it itching him at the back.
With an only slightly exaggerated shudder Kite sits down on the other end of the couch, putting the still steeping coffee and the apple on the coffee table. “Yes, well, I’m sure she’ll have a field day explaining my hiatus as well. I guess I’ll have to look into at least appearing at one or two tournaments during school vacations to avoid being accused of trying to flee my responsibility, or something like that.”
Not that he hasn’t been talking about that with his coach anyway. He gives Hirakoba-kun a flat look, knowing full well that while Hirakoba-san the elder may not be the direct scolding type, her opinion has always held a lot of influence.
“Yes, lets,” he responds, crossing his legs. “I’m well enough for the time being. Nobody is dead yet. I do appreciate the trouble. It must be a great hardship, having to surrender time you could be spending naked for my sake.”
“I’ll be sure to tell her only of your many victories,” Hirakoba says with a smile. Since he knows full well she doesn’t watch tennis, and that Kite tends to feature quite prominently in the local news when he does play particularly well, it all worked out.
Hirakoba laughs and nudges Kite with his foot. “Well, I can always take the pants off, it really would make me more comfortable not wearing them,” he says, one hand already going down to the waistband. It’s not like he needs to wear them or anything, Kite’s seen him naked enough times, and the heater’s turned on high enough that it’s not even for warmth.
His smile only widens as he pulls it down slightly and then lets go, returning to his cup of tea. “Just kidding, Eishirou. ” Hirakoba nudges him again with his foot, leaning sideways against the back of the couch. “You’ll see me naked later anyway, for measuring, there’s no need to rush.”
Humorous tone aside, Kite is grateful for the pseudo-assurance. Hirakoba-san’s opinion, beyond setting the tone in her household, tends to travel across various Okinawan gossiping circles. The last thing he wants is for his next visit home to involve having to set straight random he-said-she-said that somehow made its way to his parents and sister, or worse, his teacher.
Rolling his eyes, Kite reaches out to swat Hirakoba-kun on the knee lightly, more as a familiar gesture than any kind of actual warning. “Who’s rushing here, Hirakoba-kun? You know, most people don’t even bother taking their clothes off for measurements. The kind of difference one or two layers of average fabric makes isn’t actually all that big.”
Then, after a pause. “Do you actually burn through one-wear outfits from your hoard to accommodate visitors, even for just an afternoon?” Then, thinking better of his phrasing after another second, “Visitors who favor actually wearing clothes, that is. Not… the other kind.”
Hirakoba nudges Kite again with his foot in retaliation and he just shrugs as a response. “I like my clothes to be perfectly fitted, thank you, Eishirou,” he says. “And from you, I only expect the very best.” Never mind that he is just getting measurements for a jacket and his top half’s bare already anyway. It’s fine, Kite can use them for later clothing pieces.
He hums around his cup of tea and moves one leg to drape it over Kite’s lap, avoiding looking at him as though nothing had happened at all. “If I know the clothes will be coming off shortly after, I usually just rewear,” he says, pulling a bit of a face. He has to at least pretend to be decent, right? “But for people like you, these are brand new.”
Kite taps the fingers of his left hand, still cold from the outdoor chill and not yet brought to temperature by his warm mug, to the sole of Hirakoba-kun’s foot right before he can pull it away, then pulls his feet up on the couch and crosses his ankles so he can lean on his knees. It’s not a pose he’d generally take on a couch not his own, but considering they’re discussing Hirakoba-kun’s casual relationship with nudity he feels he can at least loosen his standards by this much.
“Form-fitted clothes generally require on-model adjustments. If you want anything completely true to shape you’ll have to sit still while I pin in adjustments at some point,” he points out, critically sizing up Hirakoba-kun’s form and noting his stomach isn’t in as soft a state as he worried it might be. Not that he’d tell Hirakoba-kun.
Rolling his eyes, Kite reaches for his coffee, lifting the bag to check whether it looks strong enough yet. Trust Hirakoba-kun to have strange standards about rewearing even on the short term. “I appreciate the thought. Have you ever heard of concepts like ‘lounge-pants’, or other indoor wear made for comfort over functionality?”
Hirakoba’s foot jerks at the touch and he moves it out of the way to let Kite get into his new position before he rests it against Kite’s leg again. Those hands are cold and Hirakoba glances at the heater temperature to make sure it’s on… it is, clearly Kite’s just taking some time to warm up properly.
“You say that like I’ve never sat still for you to fit clothes to me,” Hirakoba says and just prods Kite in the side with a foot as he gets stared at. “I’m actually the more calm of your teammates, remember, Eishirou?”
He plucks at the pants he’s wearing - there’s nothing wrong with them. Perfectly fine for wearing around the house. Hirakoba does pause though at the question and he twists to put his tea cup on the table. “Actually, yes. Rei bought me something for my birthday. Hang on.” He gets up and heads into his bedroom, emerging a moment later with a bundle of blue fabric in his arms. “It’s a blanket with arms, since I was complaining about the cold here so much.”
Kite doesn’t bother hiding the sly little grin at Hirakoba-kun’s obvious startled reaction, but doesn’t bother pushing the invading foot away again. “One of them,” he corrects. “But not above getting irritating if things took too long for your liking. I remember.”
He’s not sure what he is expecting when Hirakoba-kun actually gets up to retrieve whatever he has suddenly remembered exists, but when he realises what exactly the blue blanket he’s holding is he chokes back a cross between a laugh and a huff around the bite of apple he’s just taken. “Your sister got you a snuggie” he says, once he’s swallowed. “Really.”
“Is that what they’re called?” Hirakoba asks, unfolding it and pulling it on over his front. It was big and warm and definitely better than the blankets that he was using before.
He waves his arms at Kite and does a bit of a spin on the spot to show it off. “It’s very good actually, I’ll use it a lot.” Especially since he was going to be in Tokyo for a least a few more hellish winters and far from the acclimatising that everyone told him would happen eventually, he just seemed to be suffering more every year. “I also don’t need to wear pants with them,” he says quite smugly, moving to push down his pants, still wrapped up in the snuggie. “Since they hide anything you’d find offensive.”
“It’s what the brand is called,” Kite responds, eyeing the blue blanket warily. There’s always the chance that whatever Hirakoba Rei got her hands on isn’t branded, but knowing the Hirakoba family he doubts it is anything but a foreign import.
“Unless you do that,” he points out, referring to the twirl. “And expose your behind like you would in a hospital gown.”
Pushing up the frame of his glasses so he can pinch the bridge of his nose, Kite ‘tssks’. “Of course you would think about it that way. Is there really any practical advantage to such a thing over clothes that would not raise questions when you answer the door in them?”
It’s quite easy to take off his pants and Hirakoba tosses them vaguely in the direction of his room before he moves to sit on the couch again, still wrapped up in the snuggie. He’s sure Kite’s twitched at the treatment of his clothes, but Hirakoba doesn’t really care all that much. “I’m offended that you find my naked ass offensive,” he says, prodding Kite with his foot. “I’ve got a cute ass.”
Hirakoba shuffles over to hug Kite, enveloping him in the blanket and rests his chin on his shoulder. And perhaps for this, the snuggie isn’t the most ideal thing, but oh well. “You know, I think you’re the only person who visits here who is actually bothered by the nudity. I don’t even think the people that deliver parcels care as much as you.”
It takes effort to bite back commentary about at least getting his dirty clothes into the laundry bin, and the only reason Kite swallows the remark is because he already knows there either is no such thing or it isn’t used for laundry the way it would be at any other household. Likeliest scenario, the lady who comes over to clean just gathers any articles of clothing she finds onto an increasingly big pile that has to be shipped to a laundromat by van or something similarly outrageous.
“It’s not the shape of your ass that offends me, Hirakoba-kun,” he rebukes, half-heartedly swatting away the foot prodding his thigh. “I’m not even sure ‘offended’ is the right word. Is it really so hard to believe not everyone shares your casual attitude towar-”
Honestly, for all the years he’s known Hirakoba Rin, Kite should have seen the surprise hug coming. He doesn’t though, and instead falters mid-sentence when he realises he now has a very naked person pressed into his side, even if the blanket does cover it up adequately from outside view. “I’m sure they see worse,” he tries to say calmly, but he’s never been good with unexpected situation and he can hear the unsteadiness in his own voice. “They also get paid to ensure you sign for your mail before they can leave. Why would you not just put on pants before opening the door to receive mail?”
There’s no pushing back, so Hirakoba takes the opportunity to slide his arms out of the armholes to properly hug Kite under the blanket, curling up into his side. He pretends not to hear the change in Kite’s voice, though it makes him grin. “Sometimes I put a blanket on,” he says, shifting around to get properly comfortable, being fully aware that he was probably making Kite more uncomfortable. Excellent.
“And maybe everyone should be more relaxed about being naked. My family doesn’t care, Rei and I were naked all the time when she lived here.” Although, his parents and grandmother certainly remain fully clothed at all times at home. Which… Hirakoba is glad for. He fidgets, plucking at the material of Kite’s shirt on his side and pulls a face. “And clothing is uncomfortable, Eishirou. It just gets in the way and has to be taken off… and some people just aren’t good at undressing others.”
“I’m sure they appreciate the consideration.”
It isn’t the first time he’s been on the receiving end of naked hugs and he’s quite sure it isn’t the last, but Kite is sure that he’ll never completely get used to the bizarre conflicting feelings of the part of his brain that enjoys the contact and wants him to lean into the touch, and the part that detests being touched and screams at him to create distance. But touch is and always has been an important facet to Hirakoba-kun’s way of communication and he would take the rejection poorly, so instead of following either of his warring inner voices he forces himself to stay very still.
“There are entire communities dedicated to that sort of thing,” he says, fingers curling around the hand plucking at his shirt firmly. “And you know full well it isn’t the base concept of nudity I am opposed to, but the. Well. You know I have,-” he makes a face and then shakes his head, wishing away the heat creeping up his neck. “Is this really the kind of argument to use on someone who makes clothes anyway?”
Hirakoba is very aware that Kite doesn't deal well with physical contact, and the fact that he tolerates it regardless… Kind of makes him want to keep pushing at that boundary to see how far he can take it. Apparently tugging at clothes is not acceptable and Hirakoba instead slips his free hand up Kite's shirt to poke at his side instead, keeping his chin resting on his friend's shoulder as if nothing is happening.
“Are you blushing, Eishirou?” Hirakoba can't hide the gloating that's entered his voice and maybe his grin is a little too wide. He wants to poke at his cheek, but maintaining the hug was much more important. “You have awkwardness around sexual content, I know,” he finishes off the abandoned sentence for Kite. “It makes me wonder how you deal with having a roommate.” Especially one who apparently uh, finishes quickly.
On instinct alone Kite tries to lean away from the touch, but between their general proximity and the way Hirakoba-kun is half-draped over him his squirming doesn’t end up making much of a difference. He feels very aware of the hand on his bare skin and tries to remember if Hirakoba-kun’s penchant for touching has always been this brazen and he’s just never noticed before.
“No!” he protests, louder than intended. He can feel his own lie burning on the back of his neck, but he’s quite sure he’s making enough sacrifices for the sake of Hirakoba-kun’s comfort his pride can be left well enough alone. “I’ve had roommates since high school, Hirakoba-kun. The majority of which were harder to deal with than my current one, who I’ve yet to walk in on watching. Things. I deal by leaving them to their things and going to get food, or do something else.”
As fun as it is to see Kite squirm and be uncomfortable, Hirakoba does at least sometimes acknowledge when it's time to stop. Particularly the protest that makes his eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “Sorry Eishirou,” he says, patting Kite on the side. He presses a quick kiss on his cheek before pulling away to the other side of the couch, dragging the snuggie with him to drape over himself. And one leg goes back on top on Kite's lap just to maintain contact.
“Maybe you just haven't been fast enough to see him watching pornography,” Hirakoba suggests, trying to to laugh. “Since he comes quickly, it could be over before the video really even starts.” He stretches out slightly and curls his toes, making a pleased noise as something cracks. “You could have always sat down to watch it with them. Critiqued their clothes… Or lack of. And appreciated their levels of fitness.”
Even though the sudden lack of warmth chases a shudder of goosebumps down his arms, Kite relaxes his posture slightly. He can reason with himself why he doesn’t overly mind Hirakoba-kun’s touchiness, but there’s no shaking the relief he feels at regaining some control over his personal space. Rather than verbally acknowledging the apology, he runs his fingers down the shin on his lap in soothing circles.
“He’s rarely in the room, actually,” Kite says. “Presumably delivery business is booming, in spite of his odd naming choices. And when he is there, well. He doesn’t strike me as the type who would enjoy sitting more or less still to watch videos.” He gently digs his fingers into a spot right behind Hirakoba-kun’s knee, where the muscles seem more tense than elsewhere, while also giving him a stern glare. “I was really not that invested in what sort of fantasies my football player roommate concocted for himself. And one of his girlfriends was very intent on convincing me to join them. It was easier to avoid putting myself in such situations entirely.”
That had been interesting. Mostly horrifying. But interesting, in its own way.
Hirakoba relaxes at the touches on his leg, though it makes his foot twitch slightly at the ticklish feeling in some parts. “Maybe it was actually a good business choice, then, giving it such a memorable name.” Although he did wonder how many phone calls looking for other services cumsquik-kun had gotten.
His leg jerks at the sudden pressure and he makes a sad noise, moving it away slightly. Not okay, Kite. He assumes that’s punishment for talking about watching pornography, which, entertainingly Kite still hasn’t said aloud. “Well I mean, I can’t blame her for trying. If I was going to have a threesome, I’d probably think of asking you too.” He’s teasing, but since he’s not trying to fluster Kite with naked hugs or kisses, he supposes verbal comments will just have to do. “I’m too selfish to have a threesome though,” he says, stretching out. “Unless I can have double the attention on me.”
“Standing out is not a bad way to get business,” Kite agrees dubiously. Standing out for being a walking, talking double entendre doesn’t strike him as a particularly commendable life choice, but whatever keeps Kamio-kun in business. “I’d personally prefer if he focused more on standing out in a positive light through clothing choices, of course.”
“Please don’t,” Kite responds with a grimace. Wrapping his one hand around Hirakoba-kun’s ankle to keep him still, he massages his fingers over the muscle to ease the surprised tension back out. “I do believe we agreed you and I are not cut out for partaking in such things together.”
“And I’m sure you’ll keep encouraging it with passive aggressive post-it notes.” Actually, Hirakoba is pretty sure they’re more just ‘aggressive’ than anything and it makes him laugh. “Poor Cumsquik-kun.” For having to room with Kite.
Hirakoba pulls a face at the start of the massage but he makes himself settle instead of moving his leg away. He snorts at the comment and twists to grab his tea to keep drinking it. “That was years ago though,” he says, waving a hand dismissively. “You could have changed since then.” Although since Kite had apparently turned into a monk in the intervening years, probably not. He still laughs though, prodding Kite in the stomach with his foot. “It was still really awkward though. You were so terrible at coming onto people, I thought you were going to punch me.”
“I’m helping him” Kite stresses, refusing to acknowledge his advice might have been on the harsher side of helpful. “He clearly needed it. And he does have an actual name, though I can see why his business choices thus far have made his handle easier to recall.”
“Well then, against all expectations, America has indeed failed to corrupt me into a life of vice,” Kite says dryly. Feeling reassured we won’t get kicked in the face in protest, Kite continues his massage. Hirakoba-kun in particular has never been particularly prone to injuries, but it’s much easier to accept the casual physical touching when he can write it off as being practical. “And I distinctively remember a mutual agreement that whatever incident you might be trying to refer to never happened.”
Hirakoba didn’t point out that he would have been very offended if Kite at any point, had left post-it notes all over his wardrobe, just humming a bit instead. “It’s just easier to call him Cumsquik-kun,” Hirakoba says instead. “You know who I’m talking about.” Everyone in their community… knew who he was talking about.
He nudges Kite in the leg with his other foot, carefully sliding it onto Kite’s lap for a massage as well. It’s kind of nice, though sometimes the fingers dig into soft parts that make him twitch. “Have you really not done anything with anyone since then?” Hirakoba asks, sitting up a bit to look at him properly. “Not even kissing? You were pretty awful at that too, I remember.”
“I suppose naming his business that does grant some form of blanket permission to be called that, yes,” Kite agrees reluctantly. “It certainly couldn’t be referring to anyone else.”
Without protesting against or commenting on it, Kite moves his touch to the other offered leg. He considers for a moment telling Hirakoba-kun to drop the subject, but he knows the both of them well enough to know it will just resurface elsewhere, in a more embarrassing way. “I’ve had two girlfriends, if it matters so much to you. It didn’t go that far with either of them, but I’ve kissed both.”
Hirakoba sits up quite abruptly in surprise at Kite’s declaration that he’s had girlfriends before. He’s briefly thankful that his tea is nearly finished or else it would’ve gone all over his lap, but he still puts it down on the side to scoot closer to Kite to heckle him.
“Two girlfriends?!” he asks, prodding at Kite’s shoulder repeatedly. “When did this happen? Before or after the thing with me?” Hirakoba is so curious about this and he rests his hands on Kite’s shoulder, propping his chin on top of them to stare closely. “Did they dump you or something, because you were so bad at kissing?”
Glad his own coffee is still safe on the table, Kite flattens himself against the couch cushions to avoid being hit by any flailing limbs.
“I’m twenty years old,” he splutters in response. “It isn’t that unbelievable I’ve had girlfriends!”
Swatting Hirakoba-kun away from his shoulder with a scowl, he crosses his arms. “One before, one after. And we didn’t break up over just kissing.” Not that it hadn’t been part of the equation the second time, but by her own account the problem had been lack in quantity of affection, not quality. Not that he’s going to tell Hirakoba-kun that.
For other people… maybe Hirakoba would believe that. But this is Kite Eishirou and so, yes, yes maybe he does find it a little unbelievable that he’s had girlfriends. Or maybe he just… wants to believe that in that strange period that they weren’t talking in high school, Kite just didn’t change.
Not that Hirakoba will ever admit that outloud.
“So in high school, then,” he says, stubbornly staying curled up next to Kite’s side, still with his legs over the other’s lap as he stares closely. “Why did you break up? Was it because they weren’t pretty enough?” Hirakoba smothers a laugh at that. “Or was your experience with me enough to make you start considering males as the better option?”
He prods Kite in the cheek and smiles at him. “I started dating guys in high school, you know.”
“One in high school,” Kite corrects as he reaches out to resume kneading Hirakoba-kun’s calves. “The other one was a little after graduation, while I was living in Kailua. Well after anything that happened between you and I.”
Kite runs his fingernails over Hirakoba-kun’s kneecap in retaliation. Tickling seems kinder compared to pinching, for the moment. “I wasn’t seeing either of those when... that, happened. The former, she wanted to pursue a long term career in Madrid, and we decided we were not serious enough a relationship to pursue long distance.”
“And just what are you trying to get at?” He asks, eyes narrowed suspiciously.
Hirakoba grumbles and shifts at the tickling of his knee. He reaches down to lightly tap on Kite’s hand - or at least try to - to chase it away. “Stop being mean, Eishirou, just because I’m picking on your really awful relationships…” Hirakoba grumbles to himself and snuggles up closer to Kite, hugging him with one arm.
He also notes with some hilarity that Kite absolutely avoids mentioning in more specific terms that incident. Hirakoba has a feeling that if he says things like ‘masturbation’ or ‘handjob’, Kite might just kick him off the couch and leave, so Hirakoba bites his tongue and leave it rest for the time being.
Hirakoba pats him on the chest instead. “You absolutely ruined me for all females,” he says dramatically, laughing a bit. “Seduced me to enjoying the touch of a man.” He pauses for a moment and turns to look up at Kite. “I’m joking, by the way,” Just in case Kite’s worried.
Deftly ignoring Hirakoba-kun’s attempt at trying to chase his hand off, Kite resumes his earlier massaging like nothing happened. “Being that you’ve known about them for under ten minutes, I highly doubt you have the inside knowledge needed to judge whether or not they were awful.”
Granted, neither had been particularly specular even at their highest points, but there’s no point adding to whatever terrible imaginary scenario Hirakoba-kun seems to have determined his past relationships followed.
I’ll surely rest easier at night knowing I wasn’t the one who ruined you for women with an awkward h-” he cuts himself off and looks away. “And we were not mentioning that.”
“I wouldn’t judge you if they were awful relationships, you know,” Hirakoba says, his legs twitching slightly at the renewed massage. “Apparently people actually expect you to start staying ‘I love you’ at some point, did you know that?” Hirakoba rolls his eyes and reaches up to pet Kite’s cheek, smiling at him.
Said smile that turns into a feral grin as Kite abruptly cuts off. He pets Kite on the face again and moves to give him a hug, laughing a bit. “You can at least say the word, Eishirou,” he says. Thankfully if he buries his face in Kite’s shoulder in the hug, it’s easier to hide that he’s laughing. “You might get another one day, you never know.”
Kite closes his eyes to keep from rolling them. Somehow the thought of Hirakoba-kun having trouble actually verbalising deeper types affection doesn’t surprise Kite in the slightest. “Most people find comfort in such sentiments, Hirakoba-kun. I imagine they make you uncomfortable, more than anything.”
After batting the hand petting at his face away he crosses his arms and squares his shoulders defensively, though he does nothing to push away the obvious laughing hug following it. “Handjob. There. Done. Ha ha. Laugh had. Now we can move on to less immature subjects.”
Hirakoba’s glad that he’s hiding his face into Kite’s shoulder so he can laugh more, his arms tightening around Kite as he tries not to make it too obvious. It is very obvious though.
It takes him a little bit to calm down and not grin and start laughing when he looks up at Kite’s face, and Hirakoba stays still close and hugging Kite when he finally does.
“I’ll have you know, I have no problem saying ‘I love you’ to certain people,” Hirakoba says, going back to the previous topic as if the sidetracking about handjobs had never happened. He still can’t look at Kite’s face properly though, but his jawline is a good enough substitute. “But it just gives people I’m in a relationship with the wrong expectations for everything.” He grumbles and puffs air on Kite’s neck.
Kite waits out the laughter with a burning face and a lapful of a very obvious Hirakoba-kun, feeling dreadfully certain this isn’t by far the last time he’ll be caught in a situation this stupid. He doesn’t move to extract himself from the situation, much like he remembers his fifteen years old self tolerate things like this, but does glower at a piece of wall in the upper left corner of the room until Hirakoba-kun stops shaking with laughter.
He’s thankful when, apparently realising he is pushing a line, Hirakoba drops the subject like it never happened. “At risk of sounding trite, have you actually ever felt ready for such declarations in any relationship you’ve been in?”
Hirakoba pauses at the question and rests his chin on the other male’s shoulder as he thinks. “Maybe once, with a girl in high school.” He smiles knowingly at Kite’s jawline and raises his eyebrow a bit. “But I mean, her family’s from Saitama, it would have never been allowed.”
He shrugs as if to say that it doesn’t bother him and sighs. “But, like I said, I can say it easily enough to certain people. Like, I love you, Eishirou, very much.”
It is a testament to how long Kite has been gone that the more or less expected sappy declaration makes him grimace slightly with unease where he used to be able to take his teammates’ freely given affection without so much as a twitch. “Of course you do, what’s not to love? I’m still not within any position to respond to the sentiment with plans of future, cohabitation or marriage though, so I assume that makes me a safer option to say it to than anyone you’ve been intimate with.”
He considers for a moment asking more about this ex girlfriend and what had made Hirakoba-kun feel so confident in his affection for her, but then decides against it. There were no doubt suitable marriage candidates lined up to choose from even back then, and he’d never quite been in a position to understand the true depth of that kind of familial obligation. “For what it is worth, I’m quite fond of you too.”
“Well, if I was going to tell my family about wanting to spend my future with a man, you might not be instantly rejected.” At least while Kite’s reputation is still good in the tennis world and he was still winning things. And if that eventually stops… Hirakoba just sighs loudly at the thought.
Hirakoba sighs again at the returned statement of …. fondness and he shakes his head a bit. “What, do you not love me too, Eishirou? That hurts.” He clicks his tongue and pulls away from the hug, curling up around his cup of tea down his end of the couch.
Feeling his grimace deepen, Kite throws a wary glance at Hirakoba-kun to seek out traces of jest. He hopes that is idle musing, and not any plan of action he’s been vaguely considering, because even the imaginary scenario of having to petition Hirakoba’s grandmother for the right to spend their future together sends chills down his spine. “I’d say the ship on that particular thought has sailed some years ago.”
With a sigh, Kite reaches out and pats Hirakoba-kun’s retreating back consolingly. “I do have a long-time reputation to uphold,” he says only half-joking, “but I’m significantly more fond of you than I am of the majority of people I know.”
Hirakoba grins at the expression on Kite’s face and bites back a laugh. He doesn’t have to look that opposed to the idea. “I think by the time you became successful enough for it to be an option… you’re so far from my type, Eishirou. I think you even make my libido shrink in size when I’m around you now.”
He stretches his legs out and drapes them over Kite’s lap again, just to maintain contact. “I suppose I’ll just have to be satisfied with your half-hearted fondness,” he said with a disapproving tsk. “We should get up to start measuring soon.” … Maybe. In a bit.
“I’ll take comfort in that,” Kite deadpans, “and will leave the honor of placating your family’s standards to some other poor sap. I might even laugh at the unlucky man when the time comes.”
He lifts Hirakoba’s leg slightly to give himself the space to dig his worn old measuring tape out of his pocket and holds it up. “I’ll have you know ‘quite’ does not mean the same as ‘half-hearted’. I wouldn’t be here offering to make you clothes if I didn’t genuinely consider you one of the more important people in my life. Now, I can take some of your basic measurements while you’re sitting down, but you’ll need to be less covered in snuggie. Without shedding whatever shred of decency you might still possess along with it, preferably.”
It’s worth teasing Kite to get a bit of an ego inflation at the same time and Hirakoba doesn’t make an effort to hide his smile at Kite’s words. One of the more important people in his life, indeed!
And then it’s ruined so quickly and Hirakoba sighs, standing up. He stretches, his back cracking and he makes a satisfied noise as he fishes his pants up off the ground. “We might as well just do the whole lot of measurements. And you can make rude comments about how my thighs have gotten larger since last time.” He does pull his pants back on, discarding the snuggie partway through as he does them up.
Instead of commenting on Hirakoba’s hardly concealed glee at getting complimented, Kite straightens his rumpled clothes and gets up. It’s good to know his opinion is clearly still valued.
“I didn’t need to measure you to find that out,” he says, this time clearly joking. “Why do you think I need new ones?”
“You are so rude,” Hirakoba says back quickly. He holds out his arms impatiently and smiles a bit at Kite. “When we get this done, we can go out for food or something. I’d hate to waste an outfit.” Especially since, with Kite coming over, Hirakoba actually put a fair amount of thought into it.