Chapter Text
The sound of skateboard wheels echoed across the street as someone flew down the hill body bent at an angle through the cool wind.
The only other sound is the soft thud of a shoe hitting the pavement propelling the skateboard forward.
Kojiro was annoyed.
So annoyed.
It had been four months, four.
Not that he was counting or anything… ok yeah he totally was.
Four months had passed since Kaoru Sakurayashiki had left.
Since the love of his life moved away.
And it was all thanks to the blue haired bastard who called himself Adam.
Kojiro gritted his teeth at the thought of that demon of a man, with his stupid flashy outfits and his annoying dramatic personality.
It was all his fault..
Kojiro pushed his skateboard harder, the wind rushing through his hair, his face twisted into an angry sneer, stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
Hitting an incline the green haired man felt himself wobble, quickly he made a sharp turn landing in some grass where his skateboard rolled to a stop, a small sigh escaped his lips.
That was close.
He was going to get himself hurt so worked up, wasn't he.
With another small sigh Kojiro got up grabbing his skateboard, the grip tape rough against his equally calloused hands, the wind blowing against his bare chest only slightly covered by the jacket hanging low on his arms.
If there was one thing that he was good at, it was working out. The addiction had started a while ago when he was a teenager actually, he remembered getting so stressed, nothing would calm him down.
He had always been a little bulky but not like he was now, working out became sort of therapeutic to him.
That brought him back to a memory. One that to be honest he thought about quite a lot..
-----
The bell of the highschool building rang as students shuffled in the constant chatter amongst each other filling up the hallways almost pooling out the door.
Kaoru bumped into Kojiro's shoulder lightly like a tease. "hey are you listening?" The pink haired teen asked, his tone filled with a bite.
"Totally" Kojiro responded very much not listening.
He couldn't help it, how could he focus when Kaoru was in front of him looking so stunning, his long pink hair tumbling down his shoulders in soft locks, random strands framing his pale skin, and his piercing gold eyes which were directed very annoyed at him right now.
Oh he was so pretty when he was annoyed.
At the time Kaoru still had all his piercings in the jewelry reflecting some of the light as Kaoru walked, his slim frame filling up his school uniform and the jacket a little too big which kojiro found adorable.
Everything about him was so perfect, the way he was so good at everything, the way he let down his hair when he was tired, the strands blowing up from his soft breath.
Ah he was just so precious.
He smelled like cherry blossoms and Kojiro always wondered if he tasted like them too.
He could remember when they first started skating in S and how happy they had been. Also how fond of Adam Kaoru was, that thought alone hurt his heart. Like a clench to the beating organ.
Well they had both been pretty smitten of Adam at the time, his interesting way of skating drew them right in.
Kaoru was more interested than Kojiro so it seemed.
It was like one big twisted love triangle, it just kept breaking off.
Kojiro especially remembered the time that Adam ended friendship with the two of them for good, the few tears of shock that had run down Kaoru's face. That was the first time he had seen him cry. Kojiro hated it.
He hated it so much.
Later that day he had taken Kaoru's hand in his own, his small pale hand and his slim fingers just felt so right on kojiro's calloused paws.
The green haired male had looked Kaoru in the eyes and had said something the both of them remember to this day.
"I will never leave you like he did"
Kaorus' face had turned into one of shock as he looked at the taller male. A small sweet smile spread across his pretty face.
"Thank you Kojiro" , giving his hand a squeeze.
Kojiro had never heard his name said like that.. said like. Said like it was the most precious thing in the world, said like it felt so right on Kaorus lips. Kojiro never wanted to hear anyone but him say his name ever again.
Maybe that's why it hurt so bad when Kaoru spat out his name like it was filth. Why the pink haired beauty had broken his heart in two with his words of goodbye.
It was like a wave crashing into his heart, flooding the gates. Why did he like Kaoru so much… he was. He was so annoying, his snappy words and smart remarks had made kojiro's mind boil.
Yet now that he doesn't have them…
Everything felt so empty.
Lonely.
He was alone.
Sadly none of the chicks he met at bars could solve that. Even if they did laugh at all his jokes. All it did was make him miss Kaoru's laugh.
Oh and Kaoru's laugh was the best thing in the world, the way his shoulders shook, no sound coming out at first before a burst of sound, and oh his face lit up so much his long lashes brushing his skin as his eyes closed.
The way small tears formed in the corners of Kaoru's eyes.
He wanted to kiss them away, he wanted to laugh with him to hold that moment forever.
The closest thing Kojiro had to forever was pictures, full albums of Kaoru, whether it was them in their teens or them now, Kaorus face twisted with the words "stop taking a picture of me."
Kaoru had looked so much happier as a teen, the flashy piercings and the way he did his hair still brought a blush to his cheeks. Though he had to admit he liked Kaoru now just as much.
His more mature posture, his glasses which gave him a whole new feel, the dark blue yukata exposing just the right amount of skin. His gold eyes are still the same besides more of a depth to them. Like he now understood what he didn't before.. and perhaps he did
Perhaps this cherry blossom that had captured Kojiro's heart on a whim did know something more. Besides, it seemed Cherry always knew a little too much…
-----
There was a small ding as the restaurant door swung open, a few customers making their way to a booth as Kojiro bandaged up his leg from the earlier fall.
A small hiss of pain escaped his lips as he stood up his knee stretching out the cuts.
He hadn't hurt himself like this in quite a while if he was being honest. It was both memory provoking and very annoying.
As he got up he grabbed a few menus walking over to the table with a greeting as he handed them out.
Business was pretty normal these past few days, the random bursts of people at dinner time or the occasional person who stopped by at lunch.
Of course it was much more common these days that Miya or Reki and Langa came over to give him company. As much as he enjoyed it, it wasn't the same as Kaoru.. it kind of felt like babysitting in some way as they were much younger than him. Especially because Miya kept calling him dad-
Wiping down the counter as he waited for an order or more customers the green haired man sighed, his large frame leaning against one of the counters. Sometimes Kojiro wondered if this was all there was to life. He absolutely loved his restaurant, don't get him wrong but.. ever sense Kaoru left things felt so unfamiliar.
Like he couldn't get rid of them though he had barely adjusted to the new situation. He crumbled up the towel with dirty water dripping on the floor but he didn't seem to mind as he walked to the kitchen, his heavy steps clicking on the floor.
Stop..
Stop.
Stop.
Stop thinking about Kaoru, that's not gonna do anything.
No he wasn't gonna let this ruin his day again.
He picked up one of the plates bringing it to the customer with a charming smile, all forms of earlier struggle erased from his tanned skin.
Kojiro couldn't show such struggle within his own restaurant now could he.
The rest of the day seemed to drag on forever, Kojiro was sure that tomorrow would be better..
Even if it was incredibly hard to get over the idea that Kaoru was gone, and all the girls he looked at didn't match his beauty, as he cupped their faces imagining the long hair brushing his arms was from Kaoru instead.
Oh how many tears slipped out in the safety of his own home, why was it so hard to love someone, why was it so hard to get love back..
Why did Kaoru leave him like that? After they had known each other for so long, life was so quiet and empty. Even when they had sat in silence he could hear Kaoru's breath, the clink of his wine glass.
The soft footprints of Kojiro could be heard as the taller man walked into his room once he finally got there. He stared at his large mattress before plopping down setting his alarm, stuffing his face into his pillow he let out a large sigh, his green hair puffing up as his face smooshed further in. How did he breathe? Not sure.
Much to his dismay he fell asleep a few minutes later, breathing quiet and warm into the pillow.
-----
Kaoru hated this client, the way they kept talking and getting too close to the ink. It was not their place to judge his work when they had never done calligraphy before.
His teeth gritted into a fake smile as he obliged to their command. Oh what he did to keep a good image at work.
Pushing a strand of pink hair that fell into his face away the male blew out a puff of air as the client finally excused themselves for the bathroom. Oh thank god, a few more seconds and the ink was getting dumped on their face so fast.
The last time Kaoru had ever gotten ink on a
client had been Kojiro…
Kaoru pursed his thin pink lips as his glasses slid down the bridge of his nose.
Ah, now was not that time for thinking about kojiro.
It never was a good time to be honest. Thinking about that oversized man made him… sad?
Angry maybe. Probably at himself.
Hm hadn't that been why he had run away, to get away from these confusing thoughts. At least that's probably the reason why, not the fake reason of just needing a fresh start he kept shoving into his brain.
While his head swarmed with distracted thoughts a drip of ink fell on his yukata, oh great just what he needed.
Getting up carefully the pink haired male made his way to the bathroom turning the knob dreadfully.
Hopefully this wouldn't strain. Kaoru hated stains, they were so annoying ruining clothes and there was nothing you could do past a certain point.
Ok and sure it was just a tiny dot on the darker fabric but it seemed every little inconvenience nowadays set him off.
Kojiro deserved better though, much better. And who even knew If he liked Kaoru back.
Mm to many factors in the wrong direction for him to feel confident enough going back.
Besides he had a very cushy job here in France.
Why would he wanna leave that behind just for some stupid handsome man…
Kaoru had never really been good at expressing his feelings. Well I guess the time that Adam had broken his heart and he and Kojiro were laying in the grass.
One of his slim fingers pushed the glasses up the bridge of his nose as he wetted the sleeve trying to wash the ink and memory out. It was too late though.
-----
Kaoru plopped down in the sunny grass, some strands itchy on his bare arms as he spread out starfish position.
Kojiro was next to him, silent, his brown eyes closed. Kaoru looked over at him, careful not to make too much noise and they lay there for a moment causing Kaoru to jump when he heard Kojiro's voice.
"Are" he took a breath.
"Are you ok?"
Sure they had both definitely been affected by Adams bitchy move, but Kaoru more by far.
It was hard to like someone and then all a sudden they were so different.. Maybe Adam had never become different but he was just hiding all along.
"No but I don't wanna talk about him, ever" Kaoru replied with a small sigh, his gold eyes locking with the amber of Kojiro's.
"Ok"
You could tell he was thinking the way his head turned up to the clouds, his lips occasionally moving with an unspoken word.
"Kaoru"
"Yes?"
"I promise to never abandon you like Adam"
Kaoru fell silent, his lips pursed.
"Thanks"
What was he supposed to say to something like that? His cheeks felt warm. Was he blushing?
Kojiro had said something similar the day Adam had cut his ties with them. And despite the similarity he felt his heart quicken just as fast.
He hated it.
He hated feeling this way.
It was too much.
Kaoru had never needed anyone before meeting Kojiro, ok and sure they met at a young age but he didn't really have the impact he did now until about middle school.
Kaoru had always been a smart kid, I think part of him wondered if Kojiro had dragged him down in a way??
No..
Just lifted him up in a different direction was all.
His mother blamed Kojiro for Kaoru's rebellion in his teenage years which was pretty unfair. In a way Kaoru had been the one who had dragged Kojiro down.
Who would think that though?
Kojiro was always seen as a bad influence in Kaoru's family.
It had simply been because they couldn't explain Kaoru's strange acts as a teen, and since Kojiro was his only friend, who else could be making Kaoru like this?
Of course they didn't know it had been their own doing, all the pressure the expectations had pushed down on until he broke like two opposite sides of a magnet being pushed together.
In fact Kojiro had been the one who was there for him when his parents got mad at his piercings. They had never liked the idea of it, especially anywhere but ears. Kaoru, well he wasn't a female. Why would a male get his ears pierced? At least that's the way Kaoru's parents saw it.
They were not very accepting when it came to these things being as traditional as they were and all.
Sweet, dumb, handsome Kojiro with his floppy green hair and lopsided grin. He quickly grew into his looks though which had the ladies all over him.
It made Kaoru feel.. lonely.. even though he would never admit something that embarrassing.
Even if Kojiro still searched for the pink haired male in a crowd or mainly spoke to him he still spent way too much time with ladies.
This was the first time he had felt some much jealousy for that himbo.
How dare a woman try to take away his best friend? How dare he let them? Why did he let it happen so easily? That seemed to be the final click on Kaoru's mind.
The switch that said give up. Give up on liking him. Look at how much attention he likes from women. He's not into you and he never will be.
With that final thought he spent most of their time just shoving his feelings down. That's when he became more snappy, their relationship quickly turning into one that seemed like hate on the outside.
"Stupid gorilla"
"Four eyed freak"
"Uncultured dimwit"
"Robot lover"
Sometimes Kaoru wondered what went through Kojiro's mind. Did he.. did he actually hate Kaoru?
No, that couldn't be true.
If it was true, why was he so willing to let Kaoru into his restaurant after hours?
Pouring him his favorite glass of wine. How did he even remember such a detail?
It made Kaoru happy. He would never say that but.. just having Kojiro as an option made him feel much better.
-----
Scrubbing on the ink a little more furiously Kaoru let out a frustrated groan dropping the damp fabric after he had given up.
It's not like anyone would notice the stain besides him.. he just liked to keep his nice things nice and this upset him.
Closing his eyes for a moment he re adjusted to his fake work personality his lips twisting into a forced smile which he stared out in the mirror.
Kojiro always said his smile was pretty but he obviously didn't mean this one.
Sighing he covered his face with his hands rubbing it slightly.
He didn't care that it ruined his curled lashes or that it made his face kinda blotchy for a few seconds because honestly who thought about these kinda things?
Kojiro also said he was pretty.
Kaoru wasn't sure if he thought of that as a compliment. Anyone with long hair and a small nose and cheekbones was probably pretty to Kojiro.
It had made his heart flutter but Kojiro would never know that.
All he had gotten was an eye roll.
Stepping out of the bathroom he slightly brushed down his yukata.
Pulling up his hair into a loose ponytail he kneeled down at his desk where his pen lay on a paper towel with the ink bleeding on the top of it.
Picking up the pen again he went back to adding details to the thick paper slowly.
Kaoru got very focused, his gold eyes narrowing in concentration.
His lips pursed as his tongue pressed softly in his cheek, a small habit he had.
"Done" he murmured quietly as he set down his pen with a small smile.
Letting it dry he cleaned off his desk before looking around his office.
The office was a decent sized room with a few windows behind his desk which was low to the ground and a few cushions for him to sit on. A small pen holder full of his different brushes and some ink containers next to it. A stack of different types of paper under the desk.
On the other side of the room there was a door that led to the bathroom and a door that led out, the rest of the room decorated with a higher desk with a chair and Carla. Paintings of his hung on the wall in well placed areas and a bookshelf.
The rest of the room was clean, the whole room had a dark color scheme and the sliding door led out to the hallway out of the office, a locked door that led to the stairway in front.
Kaoru got up as he walked over to Carla computer mode typing a few things as he filled out a form calling his client.
"I've finished" his voice mused once they picked up.
"Yeah."
"Mmhm"
"Ok bye thanks"
Setting down his phone he picked up the paper carefully moving it to a waiting area desk which was large and tucked away.
Hearing the sound of Carla buzzing he tapped on the watch once.
"You have a money transfer" Carla said.
Tch. It was strange how money was transferred online now.
Well it was useful.
"Carla transferred it to my account, half savings, half personal" he said in a tired voice.
"Yes master".
Grabbing his keys he greeted his client as they took their paper.
Once they left Kaoru followed, locking his office behind him and walking down to his car.
With a small huff he got in shutting the door and starting his car his forehead rested on the wheel.
Everything was so tiring.
Being his work self was tiring.
Being lonely was tiring.
Working was tiring.
He enjoyed calligraphy but he wished he had gone down a different road.
Straightening up in his seat he drove to his hotel which he was staying in paid for by his job.
It was a very nice hotel.
-----
Once he had changed into some sweat pants and what he would not admit was one of Kojiro's shirts.
He lay in his bed, his hands gripping the blanket.
"Carla?"
"Yes master?"
"Can you play me a lullaby"
"Of course master"
Kaoru listened to lullabies every night to fall asleep. He had been doing it sense as long as he remembered, the soft hum of instruments floated into his head as his eyes fluttered closed.
Sleep.
It was so nice. His slim form curled up against a pillow between it and the wall.
After a few minutes of the lullaby Kaoru drifted off breathing softly as the baggy t-shirt rose and fell with his chest.
Despite his lack of sleep recently he was glad it was easy this time.
Normally his mind is filled with thoughts of Kojiro. He would wake up with a start turning and expecting to see him but he was never there.
He never would be why did he keep expecting it?
Every day seemed the same. He never got to skate anymore and he had to admit he missed the others.
How had he reached a point of life where it was boring without Kojiro? That bumbling idiot who was all muscle.
Nice muscles but still.
Kaoru would leave relationship problems for his future self.
After all he still had a few good 10 or 15 years before his body started breaking.
The small circle of purple light reflected around the room as Carla shut off the lullaby and turned off the lights going back to charging.
His phone buzzed with a few unread texts but neither him or Carla realized.
As the screen faded Kojiro's contact name faded away with the light.
-----
Kojiro bit his nail as he stared at the screen. He knew the timezones where completely different in France, 7 hours behind to be exact.
He stared at the text he sent with a groan. He glanced at the time which was 3:30 pm for him.
Only 10:30 pm for Kaoru, curse him and his early bedtime.
He set his phone down as he glanced up at the redhead staring at him.
"Who you texting?!" Reki asked with a mischievous grin.
Like he would tell him. Besides bringing up Kaoru wasn't the best idea. The boys where quite fond of him and it still sat in everyones minds when he left.
"Oh leave him be" Miya chided him as he pushed what seemed to be random buttons to Kojiro on his switch.
"Says you" sticking his tounge out Miya followed suit, the green haired man sighed as he watched the two of them.
Langa sat next to Reki their hands laced under the table.
They probably thought Kojiro didn't notice which he most certainly did. The way they kept glancing at eachother randomly. It hadn't been a surprise to him to be honest.
When he first met the two he had thought they where dating.
Langa stared at the menu with a hungry look on his face.
He had won his beef the night before and they hadn't celebrated yet. Wasn't very surprising when Langa just wanted food at his prize.
Reki sipped on his water as his legs bounced. He was obviously getting ready to tell another story about well something. Anything it seemed Reki had a lot of stories and Langa would always listen.
Kojiro was distracted by his phone vibrating against the counter twice meaning.. he had gotten a text?
A text.
His heart raced as he thought of the one he had sent to Kaoru. Had he already responded? Taking a small breath he picked up his phone his amber eyes shifting towards the text curiously.
It was from….