Archive of Our Own

“Hey! Get your hands off the goods. I know you didn’t wash ‘em after you took a shit!” 

“Hah! Prove it, human trash!”

“Like you’ve ever washed your hands in your life, poop devil!”

“I cleanse my hands a HUNDRED times…Nay, ONE THOUSAND! You simpletons are merely too idiotic to perceive it.”

“You are such a liar!”

“Tis not me who lies! Ten minutes ago, your disgusting finger was in your nose before you pawed at those pastries!”

Aki sighed from deep within, his soul tired as he listened to what had to be the two worst employees in the world fight over basic hygiene. He should fire them, he should have fired them at least two dozen times since they’d started working for him; in fact, he had fired them both multiple times—each time they just showed back up for their next shifts as though nothing had happened. 

He’d begrudgingly accepted that they were his problem. 

At least they stuck around. 

He’d been the manager of the Crossroads Cafe since his old boss had moved to the country. Said he was done with the noise of city life, that he wanted to enjoy peace and quiet for the years he had left with his family. He still owned the place, checked in with Aki now and again, sent letters around the holidays, but now the cafe was Aki’s responsibility and he took it seriously. 

Aki had started as a dishwasher right out of high school, he’d answered an ad he found online and rode the train to Tokyo just for the interview. He’d applied to about fifty jobs before graduation, and the cafe had been the first to offer one. When the boss said he’d gotten the job on the spot, he hadn’t even bothered when the others had gotten back to him. All he had needed was a steady paycheck, something that would cover his rent, bills and leave enough to put away. He’d meant to only work there until he could save enough to go to university and get a better paying job, but after many years he’d grown attached to it. He even made enough to send back home to his parents to help cover his brother’s medical bills. It was something that he was good at it, and the routine was comforting…even if most of his employees were students that would move on and leave him searching for new ones every semester. 

Until the two idiots showed up. 

They’d been working for him over a year now, since they started as freshmen at the university nearby, the same one he’d decided not to attend. They were more than a handful, they were a headache, but for some reason Aki liked knowing they’d be there. 

He supposed that made him kind of an idiot too.

“What kind of life have you lived where no one taught you how to wash your hands?” 

“I didn’t pick my nose, I swear!”

“Oh, oh, oh—thy pants are aflame puny mortal!”

“You’re one to talk, flesh-bag!” 

“Okay, okay! Go on, wash your hands both of you, then you can each have a muffin!” 

“Reze, don’t reward them for lacking basic life skills.”

His newest employee, another student that had followed Denji and Power in one afternoon a few months ago, just waved her hand at him and laughed. She was a good worker when she wanted to be, and to be fair, when she needed to be. If there was a rush she’d pull more than her share, help Denji with the dishes on weekend shifts, buss tables that Power missed all together in favor of stalking the cats in the alley or prowling in the kitchen for scraps. When she was around, Denji put in noticeably more effort, probably to impress her more than actually work hard but Aki would take it. She was good for overall morale which wasn’t something he was known to inspire. 

Denji whooped, jumped up off the ground with a fist in the air and raced his sister to the staff bathroom through the kitchen. The cook, Galgari shouted after them about the importance of saying ‘corner’ if they were gonna come through like bats out of hell or they might take a hot pan to the face. 

“Oh come on, lighten up, Hayakawa! Those pastries are old anyway, we were just going to toss them at close weren’t we? It’s not like we have a bunch of customers this time of day.”

Aki frowned. She wasn’t wrong, it was slow, but it was the principle of the thing. It was common sense to wash your hands, not to mention the number of signs they had in the staff bathroom just to remind those two of the rules.

“Tell your boyfriend that if he can’t get it together he’s going to be out of a job.”

It was an empty threat and she knew it.  

“Yes, boss, of course!” 

She said it with a wink and started packing the contaminated pastries up in one of the to-go boxes they had; this did not seem like throwing them out to Aki, but whatever, they could eat their own germs. The bright ring of the door-bell broke the spiral of Aki’s thoughts. He glanced at the door, it was post lunch rush, already late in the afternoon but there, walking through the door of his cafe was a man more sweater than person. 

The stranger was short, had to be almost a foot shorter than Aki if he had to guess, but he was wearing a knit sweater that would have been comfortable on himself. It was practically a blanket, a soft brown blob of a person, the color of coffee with exactly the right amount of cream. What wasn’t covered by sweater was obscured by a mess of red hair, so unruly that it looked like he’d just rolled out of bed. Aki knew he was staring, but he couldn’t seem to stop as the human-blanket turned his head towards the counter, locking eyes with Aki. Behind him the golden afternoon sun hit the glass of the cafe door and framed him like he’d just walked out of heaven. 

‘No that’s stupid.

What a cheesy thing to think.’

Still, there was something about the man that made Aki’s pulse pick up as they continued to stare at one another. 

Aki was still warring with himself about how ridiculous he looked as the sweater—no, the man—approached. By the time he reached the counter, looking up through all that hair, Aki’s heart rate felt like it had doubled. His eyes were nearly the same shade as his hair, half lidded like he was bored with what he was looking at. Like he didn’t know why he was standing in front of Aki, like he wasn’t the one who walked in his cafe in the first place. He noted, irritated with himself for it, how long his lashes were as he blinked slowly, the effort clearly to great to keep them open fully. Aki remembered himself, and asked in a tight voice, barely containing his sudden frustration.

“Can I help you?”

Maybe he was lost. 

The stranger hummed thoughtfully and shifted his weight to one foot, leaning to the side to look passed Aki. He didn’t answer his question.

‘What is his problem?’

Before Aki could lose his temper, Reze came back from handing off the box of tainted muffins to the gremlins in the back, and upon seeing the stranger let out a happy laugh.

“Hi! You decided to take me up on my offer, I’m so glad.” 

“Ah, well, you did say to come.”

His voice was just as sleepy as the rest of him, gentle but heavy, like he wasn’t prepared to talk at all. 

“Mmm that I did! So, you’ve met Mr. Hayakawa?”

Reze sidled up to Aki and nudged his arm, nodding her head towards the stranger who’s lazy eyes slipped slowly up to meet his again.

“Oh, hello, Hayakawa.”

Like he hadn’t just spoken to him a moment before. 

Reze nudged Aki again.

“Hi.”

She looked between the two and then clapped her hands, “Mr. Haykawa, this is Mr. Angel.”

‘There’s no way that’s actually his name.’

“It’s just Angel.”

“You’re kidding.” 

It wasn’t a question. Reze shook her head and Angel audibly sighed, sounding incredibly defeated. She wasn’t kidding. Well that kind of made him feel like an asshole, especially after the long moment of silence that stretched between them all afterwards. 

“…Sooo…Angel here works in the library at the University.” 

Reze was drawing out her words, her sentences felt heavy with the weight of something left unsaid and there was a distinct twinkle of mischief in her eyes that made Aki suspicious. “We study there sometimes, a lot more as finals are coming up."

It was hard to imagine Denji and Power in a library, it felt almost sacrilegious. 

“…and?”

Reze flashed a brilliant smile, one Aki had come to understand as dangerous over the last few months. 

“Well, you know how we can sometimes be a little…rowdy?”

Aki snorted involuntarily at the understatement.

“More like constantly without fail.”

With a soft pat on his arm she nodded, “Right, you get it. Anyway, Angel here has been so patient with us and I just wanted to show my appreciation so if you could ring him up for whatever he wants and put it on my tab, that would be amazing!” 

“You don’t have a tab.”

“You can start one!”

With that, she walked backwards, waving at the two of them like she hadn’t just saddled Aki with breaking or honoring her promise. He sighed, closed his eyes and took a breath before he turned back to look down at Angel, who was looking back up at him with that same damn expression. He could just tell this stranger that the agreement wasn’t authorized by him, but it wasn’t like a single drink would break the books. He was sure that if those three were spending their free time in the university library, this man knew more about what he had to deal with daily than anyone else. 

They were the worst. 

“Okay, what can I get you?” Aki asked the question like it pained him. 

Angel raised a brow, or at least Aki thought he did, hard to tell under all that hair. 

“I can pay for my stuff, if it’s a bother.”

“No, it’s fine. Just tell me what you want.”

“You seem bothered.”

Aki felt his face warm. For such a small, cozy looking person this guy was sort of antagonizing. 

“Can you just tell me what you want so this can be over?”

Another moment of silence stretched between them for what felt like an eternity before Angel gave in.

“White chocolate mocha, with a caramel drizzle and extra whipped cream.”

Aki felt his teeth rot in his skull as he stared down like he couldn’t possibly have heard him correctly. After a few of those lash-heavy, lazy blinks, Aki submitted. Couldn’t account for taste.

“Is that all?”

“And one of those cookies, the chocolate ones with the chocolate chips.”

He could feel his own stomach turn.

“Wow.”

Aki grabbed a pair of tongs and nabbed the closest cookie, to be fair they were good.  They were made by a bakery down the block every couple of day along with their other pastries. He couldn’t imagine pairing them with a drink twice as sweet, a waste of good chocolate. 

‘Whatever, not my stomachache.’

After sliding the treat across the counter to Angel, he turned his back to start on the drink. The sweet smell of white chocolate and rich, perfectly brewed espresso filled the space between them. By the time he was done topping the monstrosity in whipped cream, and placing a lid on top of the to-go cup, Angel had finished half of the cookie, a sizable chocolate crumb stuck to his bottom lip. Aki’s nose wrinkled, dark brows pulled tight, not because it was gross…but because he couldn’t help the intrusive thought of wiping it off with his thumb. Before he had the chance to even shake the thought, Angel swiped his tongue out to capture it. 

When Aki managed to stop looking at his mouth, he noticed Angel watching his face just as intently as he’d been staring at his lips. There was a moment that Aki was sure he was being held in place by some invisible hand, making sure he suffered more frustration in the span of twenty minutes than his whole life. He set the hot cup of pure sugar on the counter between them without a word.

“Thanks, Hayakawa.”

Angel dropped a bill into the tip jar, grabbed his free coffee, and left Aki standing there like the idiot he was. 

***

Although inventory was damn near universally considered the worst parts of managing any business, Aki found the task relaxing. Something about the checklists, spreadsheets, and carefully organized supplies was soothing—especially today. It wasn’t even noon and already his world was pure chaos. 

Power had shown up late to her shift and then insisted that it was the schedule that was wrong, not her. Denji had messed up two drink orders and then dropped a plate directly onto a customer’s lap. Worst of all, Galgari had forgotten to mention that their laundry service hadn’t shown up yesterday, so now his very small office in the back was overflowing with dirty rags, aprons, and hand washing towels. Which also meant that Reze had left Denji and Power alone in the front so that she could pick up a clean order of linens. 

His fault for not double checking before closing last night. 

‘Whatever.’ 

At least he has his inventory. 

“Heeey! Welcome back bookworm, what can I do ya for?”

After all this time, Denji still didn’t know how to properly greet a customer. Whoever it was didn’t speak loudly enough for Aki to hear them.

“Hell yeah, that sounds great. You got a sweet tooth, too huh? You know what, I’ll put extra in, no no don’t worry about it! It’s on the house.”

Aki rubbed the frustration inward with the heel of his palm to his forehead. 

“You know that for the longest time, I thought you were a girl, isn’t that craaazy? Well not that crazy you do kinda look like a girl. Your hair is long and your lashes too, and you’re so small, even Powy thought—”

“FOOL! I knew all along that the infomancer was male!”

“Bullshit! You bet me an hour’s pay that he had huge knockers under those baggy sweaters!”

“Dastardly fiend! Scrub the lies from thine filthy lips before I sew them shut!”

Aki ripped back the curtain between the kitchen and the public space of the cafe so furiously that it nearly tore off of the bar holding it up.

“Hey! That’s enough, one of these days I am going to—”

He was silenced by the smack of a wet towel directly to his face, the sound echoing in his ears while time dragged in slow motion. 

It fell with a -plop- to the ground.

For a moment, Aki’s world was static. 

Furious, jaw grinding, hand clenching static. 

Power and Denji cackling like hyenas brought him back to reality with the heat of a thousand suns beating behind his temples. 

“That’s it! OUT! YOU’RE BOTH FIRED!”

They just laughed harder. 

“Oh my, Mr. Hayakawa! Why are you all wet?” 

Aki whipped his head around and saw not only Reze with a box of fresh towels in her arms and one foot propping open the door, but also the customer that Denji and Power had been harassing.

Bookworm.

Infomancer.

‘Angel.’

Aki’s eyes widened a fraction; nearly imperceptibly unless you were maintaining intense eye contact—which unfortunately for him, Angel was. He hadn’t been back, and Aki had assumed the awkward encounter was enough to scare him away. Between his own stony, unwelcoming behavior that Aki had since regretted (a little), or his crazy fucking employees he wasn’t sure why Angel had returned. 

He still wore that unreadable expression that made something in Aki’s brain itch trying to understand it. Despite his current state, damp and enraged, he couldn’t help but notice  the same brown sweater swallowing him up, but this time his hair was pulled back save for those unruly bangs. His big, unimpressed eyes were easier to see this way, even if his lashes shielded his eyes enough that Aki almost leaned down to get a better look at the color. 

Reze set the box down on the counter next to Aki with a dramatic sigh.

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep them busy boss! Denji, could you take this back to the kitchen for me, and Power, be a dear and grab that dirty rag. Lets make sure the laundry is ready for pick up tonight, maybe Galgari has something to snack on!” 

Denji, immediately ready to be a far better employee than he ever was for Aki, grabbed the box as Reze pushed Power’s back towards the kitchen to go be Galgari’s problem. That left him to his staring contest, which he promptly lost once he bowed his head to Angel politely.

“Please, accept my apologies on behalf of my employees. It was incredibly inappropriate for them to talk to you that way.” 

“It’s fine, really.”

Aki lifted his head quickly, tight, high ponytail bouncing at the movement. 

“It was not fine.”

“I’m used to it.”

“You’re used to people talking about your hypothetical huge knockers?” 

Angel’s lips pulled into something Aki couldn’t discern from a pout or a smile, such a small shift, like it might not even have happened. 

“No, I meant I am used to those two. They spend a lot of time in my library.” 

‘Oh.’

“Right…sorry.”

Angel shrugged and leaned a hip against the counter, like it was hard to keep standing in one spot for too long without the support. Aki cleared his throat, trying to shake off the blush he felt creeping up the back of his neck. 

“Let me make your coffee, it’s on the house.”

He raised a brow, it was delicate, fair, and curious.

“Can you make what you did last time? But a little sweeter.”

Aki wrinkled his nose.

“Are you joking? I might as well just stick a straw into the sugar bin and let you go at it.” 

“Is that an option?”

Aki bit back a smile he hadn’t expected, he couldn’t tell if Angel was joking or totally and ridiculously serious. He shook his head instead and turned to make the deadly drink. 

“What kind of trouble did they have to cause for Reze to lure you in here with freebies?”

Angel, apparently tired of holding himself up, took a seat at the counter and crossed his arms to rest his chin atop them like a pillow. 

“Power ripped a page out of a book that Denji was borrowing from the library.”

“You’re kidding…no of course you aren’t. That does sound right.”

“Then he chased her around the study area directly in front of my desk until he tackled her to the ground to try and grab it from her.”

“Checks out.”

“But before he could grab it from her…she ate it.”

Aki hung his head, shoulders shaking slightly with the laugh he couldn’t quite hold in. It came out as a pinched huff of air. It wasn’t funny, he wasn’t laughing, it was childish, and idiotic, totally unacceptable behavior. 

“Reze ended up apologizing for them and Denji did pay for the damages, so no harm really. The most annoying part about it all is that I couldn’t nap.”

Aki set the coffee down in front of Angel’s folded arms, looking down as Angel looked up from where his head was resting. 

“Missing out on sleeping at work is worse than someone eating a page out of a library book?”

Angel shrugged, or did his best to shrug in his current position. 

“If it wasn’t so loud I wouldn’t have even noticed.” 

Aki shook his head, brows pinched, but despite it all he wore a small smile to match Angel’s. With a seemingly herculean effort, the tired man pulled himself upright with a sigh to grab his cup of sugar, then slipped off the seat and nodded to Aki. 

“See you around, Hayakawa.” 

When he opened the door, that little bell rang, and then it rang again when it closed behind him. Aki watched Angel through the picture window until he rounded a corner out of sight. He didn’t hear as Reze came out from the back to stand beside him.

“You know, it was rude of Denji to say what he did. I told him so, but you have to admit, Angel is really quite pretty.” 

He must have still been dazed from taking a dirty dishrag to the face, because without thinking he said. 

“Yeah, but not like a girl.”

***

It had been over a week, and Aki was starting to have a Pavlovian response to the sound of the bell above the door every time a customer walked in. By the tenth time it chimed that day, he considered taking it down. 

Friday afternoons were notoriously slow, so he’d already sent Power home after she’d given him a headache complaining about not having enough to do, like she wanted more work in the first place. Reze was replacing the wilting flowers in the vases that sat on each table with fresh arrangements for the weekend, always their busiest shifts of the week. It wasn’t something the cafe did before she had started working there, and she refused to let him buy the flowers, coming in each Friday with new ones. It was a nice touch that he wouldn’t have considered. While she fussed with the flowers, Denji struggled with his homework, textbooks and notebooks haphazardly strewn atop the table. Aside from the occasional whine from him, it was quiet, nice even.

But his head felt too full.

“I’m stepping out.”

“Okay, boss man!” Denji waved him out of the cafe without looking up from his paper, face the picture of suffering.

Aki glanced at up at the cloudy sky as he slipped out, the little bell rang behind him, teasing him one more time as the door shut. Autumn was turning into winter, it was raining hard enough that puddles had formed in the subtle dips in the sidewalk. He made his way down the block to pop under the awning of one of the shops that had already closed for the day and pulled out his pack of smokes. He tapped on the bottom of the pack until one popped out, grabbed the filter between his lips and pulled it free. He lit it quickly with his zippo and took a long, slow drag with closed eyes as he felt the smoke coil into his lungs.

“Those things will rot your bones, you know?”

Aki’s eyes snapped opened and there in front of him, no bell to warn him to his presence, was Angel. 

He was drowning in a plain looking raincoat, made of a clear material so he could see that coffee brown sweater underneath it. His hair was back to hanging in front of his face and over his shoulders, a little frizzy with the humidity. Right at eye level, most distracting, was a bright blue, translucent umbrella covered in silhouettes of different types of sharks and fish. It was like looking into the ocean, or standing in front of a tank at the aquarium. 

‘Ridiculous.’ 

For a moment Aki just stared down, past the tilt of the umbrella to meet Angel’s eyes, the short silent moment punctuated by the sound of raindrops hitting the plastic and bouncing off. His cigarette burned down slowly between his fingers where his hand hung at his side. 

“Yeah. I know.”

Angel fiddled with the curved handle of the umbrella. 

“So, why do you smoke them?”

Aki broke eye contact to watch the rain slide down in rivets through the sharks. He was answering before he could think better of it.

“I don't know. I started when I worked here. My old boss used to smoke and it just sort of happened…It was easier to take breaks when there was something to do, and I couldn’t go too far from the cafe during busy shifts. Hazard of the service industry, most people smoke at some point.” 

Angel hummed, the sound almost swallowed by the rain.

“Do you like it?”

Aki thought about it and took another drag before he flicked the lit ash off with his thumb so that it fell onto the sidewalk, fizzling out instantly on the wet pavement. 

“Not really.”

Angel hummed again, his eyes cast down to the sidewalk. Aki wanted him to look up again, to look at him. 

“I don’t understand that. Doing things that you don’t like. What’s the point?”

Aki shifted on his feet, sliding one hand into his pocket, the other holding onto what remained of his cigarette to throw away.

“You can’t only do things that you want to do. Life doesn’t work that way.”

Angel shrugged, like Aki wasn’t telling him something he didn’t know.

“Is that why you order drinks that are more sugar than coffee? You know those things will rot your bones too.”

That got those eyes on him, lids heavy yet somehow still so big. 

“At least I like them.”

It hits him right away that that must mean that Angel enjoyed the drinks that he made him. Something about that sent a wave of satisfaction throughout him. Satisfaction that made his face heat up, cheeks flushing pink with the feeling as the rain suddenly sounded as loud as a fire alarm. Aki couldn’t pull his eyes away from studying Angel’s features; round eyes that he was starting to see as more curious than impassive, his messy hair framed the soft curve of his cheeks, the straight line of his plush lips. 

He really was beautiful. 

‘Rude.’

But beautiful. 

Aki cleared his throat and nodded towards the cafe. He turned without saying anything else, headed back to work to try and shake off the want blooming underneath the surface. He could see Angel following him out of the corner of his eye, in the form of a bobbing blue umbrella, sharks swimming in the rain. When he pushed the door open and the bell rang brightly, he took a deep breath through his nose and held it open for Angel. He watched Angel close the umbrella under the awning, and shake it vigorously to rid it of as much rain as possible, then he ducked under Aki’s arm into the cafe.

“Angel! Come and join us.”

Reze waved him over and threw a sidelong glance towards Aki, something mischievous behind her eyes. Angel left his umbrella in the stand by the door before he sat down at the table where Denji was now drooling onto his notes. 

Aki listened to them as he moved to wash his hands, to the rhythm of Denji snoring and to Reze asking Angel what kinds of flowers he likes, she didn’t give him a moment to answer before she launched into which ones were her favorites. Angel hadn’t told him what drink he wanted, and for a moment Aki considered making the same drink he’d ordered the last two times, but the part of him that wanted to impress Angel said, ‘make something new’. He settled on a brown-sugar maple latte as he snuck peeks at the trio over the top of the espresso machine. Angel had his cheek resting in one hand, elbow on the table looking like he was ready to take a nap along with Denji, Reze was happily going on about how Denji asked her out by preforming a magic trick.

Aki had heard the story before.

The kid just spit up a flower he’d eaten, but Reze told it like it was the funniest thing she’d ever seen, throwing her head back and laughing loudly. How Denji stayed sleeping was beyond him.

Aki finished off the coffee with a reluctant, large swirl of whipped cream, and shaved a bit of nutmeg over the mound of sugar. He noted afterwards that he’d made the drink to stay, in one of the large handmade mugs that the owner had picked out specially for the cafe. Each one was unique, he’d grabbed one glazed in a warm copper flecked with gold. He had a brief internal battle about remaking the latte, so that it wouldn’t come off as presumptuous that Angel might be willing to stay. 

He decided that if he really cared he’d say something, and brought it over to the table. He set the drink down gently in front of Angel, and after what felt like an eternity, he slowly looked up through his bangs to catch Aki’s eye.

“…thanks.”

Aki pulled his lips tightly together and nodded once before quickly turning to busy himself back behind the safety of the counter.

“Mr. Hayakawa, how about some nice tea and maybe a couple of those chocolate croissants that we got in today. It’s so rainy out, I wanna warm up before we head home and you look like you could use a longer break.”

“Reze, you’re on shift right now. If you want tea you can make it yourself.” 

“Ooooh come on, it’s not like we’re slammed or anything.”

“No.”

His voice had been stern, but he started to boil the water anyway and pulled down a couple more mugs from the shelf behind the counter. 

“Thank you!” 

“Tell me again why I don’t fire all of you?”

Reze grinned, looking utterly pleased with herself as she went back to asking Angel questions and answering them, which seemed to suit him fine as he took small sips of his drink. Aki hoped he wasn’t too annoyed, but remembered that he Angel said he didn’t like to do things that he didn’t enjoy.

***

It had been snowing steadily for the last few hours, winter was finally in full force covering the streets of Tokyo in several inches of the powder soft inconvenience. Aki had given up on staying open after Galgari and Reze had both called in. They hadn’t had a single customer and he figured it was better safe than sorry getting home before the weather got any worse. As his key turned in the lock, the smack of hard packed snow hit him in the side of the head and fell into the upturned collar of his wool coat. 

“Denji, I’m going to kill you!”

Aki turned, shaking his head, snow flying off.

“It was him, I swear!”

Next to Denji, with a shit eating grin and another snowball already balled up ready to go, was his scapegoat. Aki would have blamed the snow for muffling Angel’s approach if he didn’t know the man walked quietly enough to scare a ghost, still, he was surprised to see him standing next to Denji in such crappy weather. His puffy dark-brown jacket that covered him down to his ankles, coupled with a massive, loosely tied cream knit scarf made him look like a toasted marshmallow. Angel cocked his head towards Denji’s hand.

“Do you really think he’ll believe that?”

“Come on man, play along. He likes you! He won’t do anything.”

Aki could have sworn he saw pink creep onto Angel’s face even at a distance—but it was freezing out, so he could just be cold.

Maybe.

“Don’t blame other people for your bad behavior, Denji. It’s childish. You need to learn how to take some accountability.” 

Aki stalked over towards them while he lectured, ready to teach Denji a lesson in responsibility even if he had to beat it out of him by shoving his face into the snow. 

“You are a grown man and it’s time you start acting like one!”

He reached out to grab Denji’s coat collar but missed as the little shit ducked down and threw his second snowball right at Aki’s face. With a loud curse, Aki gave in. He swooped down to grab a fistful of snow, quickly packed it into a ball, then launched it full force at the back of Denji’s retreating head. It hit him hard, enough to make him stumble as he bent down to rearm, and just like that, he takes a well deserved face full of snow. He wasn’t down long though, and bouced back up to launch a counter attack. 

It lasted a good ten minutes, but felt much longer, the two of them tossing snowballs at one another like they were just kids; like Aki wasn’t approaching thirty and Denji’s boss. Aki even found himself laughing freely as he barely missed a snowball to the side of his face and landed a hit square to Denji’s nose.

“Okay! Okay, you win. I can feel snow in my boxers!” 

Denji shook off, cheeks red and eyes half moons as he smiled. 

“I’m going to catch up with Powy, she hates the cold. Thank me later!”

 With that, the kid stuck his tongue out at him, waved to Angel and took off to chase down his sister. Aki shook his head and watched him disapear into the falling snow with a smile stubbornly stuck on his own face. After a moment, he remembered his company and turned to Angel to bow his head, sheepish about having been so immature. They’d been behaving like they were schoolboys, meanwhile Angel had had to stand there with an layer of snow slowly building up on his hair.

‘He really should be wearing a hat.’

“Sorry about that.”

Angel shrugged his shoulders, “You seemed like you were having fun.”

It had been kind of fun. 

As annoying as Denji was a majority of the time, in his heart, where he wouldn’t admit it with words, he cared for him. He reminded Aki of his brother back home, always ready to look towards what he wanted despite the circumstances put before him. He wanted the best for him and for his devil of a sister, they’d come a long ways despite their total lack of common sense. He knew that Denji was working hard towards his education degree, which was ridiculous, how was he going to teach kids anything if he couldn’t read a drink order? At least he had Reze to help him study. 

“Yeah, he’s an idiot. But, he’s a good kid.”

Aki shifted in the snow, the crunch of it under his boots loud.

“We closed up early, but if you want I can still make you something.”

Angel peeked up at him, hair damp with snow, a few stray flakes stuck to the tips of his lashes. 

“Something warm and sweet would be nice.”

Suddenly, the cold seemed so much less biting despite the icy burn of his fingers. Aki ignored the heat pooling in his stomach and turned to walk back to the cafe, his fingers shook just a bit as he unlocked the door that he’d locked not twenty minutes earlier. He held it open for Angel, listened for the bell, and closed it again without turning the ‘closed’ sign back around. He unbuttoned his pea-coat, shucked it from his shoulders, hung it up on the hooks by the door and then held his hand out to take Angel’s too. For a moment, Angel just looked at his hand like he wasn’t sure what it meant, but then unraveled the long knit scarf and placed it there gently. Aki watched as he unzipped the long puffy coat and slipped it off his slim shoulders, revealing a loose fitting, forest green sweatshirt. On the front was an image of a stack of books and in a very serious looking font read ‘I like books’ over them in a bright red. The sweatshirt looked old, the ink of the print cracked and a little faded, like it was something Angel had had for a long time. 

It was kind of...cute.

Aki hung up his jacket and scarf carefully beside his own.

“What would you like?”

Angel hummed, the sound soft in the empty cafe, and pulled a hair tie from his pocket to gather his long hair into a mess sort of resembling a bun that sagged lazily at his nape.

“Hot chocolate sounds good.”

Much tamer than usual.

“Coming right up.”

He took his time, the cafe quiet as he made it. He grabbed the same copper mug as last time, squeezing out a significant amount of rich chocolate syrup into the bottom. Then he used the whole organic milk that they usually charged up for, frothing the fatty cream carefully so as not to scald it. As he watched the steam rise from the pitcher, he glanced over top the machine to watch Angel. He was sitting half turned at the counter looking out the large window facing the street. If possible, he seemed more tired than usual, his standard mode was already ‘barely tolerating consciousness at any given time’. 

Aki wasn’t the best at asking about other people’s emotions, or what they were thinking, really anything about them outside of ‘what the hell is wrong with you?’, because he figured if it was important for him to know, they would say something. There was something about the way that Angel was watching the snow fall that made him want to know why he looked so sad. He poured the steamed milk into the mug of chocolate and stirred it smoothly until the two combine into a decadent elixir. He topped it off with the usual serving of whipped cream, swirled as high as heaven, then slid the cup towards Angel. The sound of ceramic scraping the polished wood counter was loud between them, it stole Angel’s attention, eyes flicking to Aki before landing on the cup. He turned fully back to the counter and leaned over the offering, letting the steam coil up and wrap around his face. 

Aki tapped his fingertips on the countertop, then gave in to the little voice nagging at him saying that he needed ‘more’, to know ‘more’, take ‘more’.

“So, are you from Tokyo?”

Angel picked up his mug and licked once at the whipped cream, gathering a dollop of it onto his tongue. Fatally, he locked eyes with Aki as he slipped it back into his mouth.

“No.”

Aki’s face warmed again, knowing his cheeks were pink, maybe even red. He pushed through it to listen as Angel continued. 

“I’m from Kyoto, small village—could barely call it a town. My parents died soon after I was born and they didn’t have any family, so, I don’t really know anything about them. I was raised by someone who didn’t have children of her own, so she took me back to her village, she had other kids there too. The others were much older than me by the time she adopted me, so, I didn’t know them all that well.”

Suddenly Aki felt guilty about watching Angel’s mouth and lifted his eyes.

“She was kind, and I was very loved.”

Aki swallowed the breath he’d been holding. 

“What happened?”

“She passed when I was in my last year of high school. I had good grades, nothing to celebrate, but I could always skate by without too much studying by just reading books that I wanted to read anyway. The career councilor suggested that I go into business, since there wasn’t anything I was particularly passionate about—no calling I guess. I figured that was as good a path as any.”

“But, you didn’t go into business.”

“No, after graduating I just stayed at my university job in the library. The idea of wearing a suit and tie everyday, having to wear something just because it’s the right thing to wear…talk the way other people want you talk…that seemed really boring. I liked how quiet it was in the library when I was going to school. I ended up taking a lot of naps, and no one really seemed to mind. If I can get paid to nap, buy the snacks I want, pay my rent…what is the point of doing something that makes me unhappy?”

Aki could relate, in a way. It’s why he didn’t attend university after finding his job at Crossroads. 

“Until my employees found a way to ruin that.”

Angel let out a long-suffering sort of sigh. 

“Yeah that was pretty annoying, at this point I can’t account for the number of times that I was startled up from a nap by Power screaming about injustice or the blood of the unworthy. I considered banning from the library, but it really seemed like they needed to study. That and Reze always did her best to mitigate the volume after seeing that I’d been woken up.” 

Aki shook his head, wiping down a non existent spot on the counter.

“I don’t know why it feels like I should be apologizing.”

Angel set his cup down to fish something out of his pocket. Aki watched as he set his hand down on the counter by his clean rag. When he lifted it, there sat the crossroads cafe business card, a simple logo of a window framed by open shutters, the edges were worn down like it had been handled many times in the last two months since Reze had given it to him.

“The coffee makes up for it.”

Aki snorted, then blushed, rubbing at the back of his neck.

“You mean the sugar.”

Angel smiled then, a proper smile. Even if it was small, it reached his whole face, pushing his cheeks up just enough to crease the corners of his eyes.

“What about you, Hayakawa, where are you from?”

“Hokkaido.” 

Aki leaned onto his forearms, not quite directly in front of Angel but close, and leaned into the conversation. He told him about his family; he had good parents, they loved each other and their sons, and had made sure that they both knew it their whole lives. His brother was younger than him by a few years, he’d been sick since they were kids, but despite his condition that sapped his energy most day, he was definitely the more upbeat of the two of them. He told him about high school, how seriously he took studying so that one day he could go to school and get a high enough paying job that he could take care of his family, as a way of returning some of their kindness. 

“Then I found this job, the first one I applied for. It surprised me that I ended up enjoying it so much, and that I made enough to send home. So, I changed my plans. My parents were just happy that I had found something I liked. By that time my brother was finishing high school, and had gotten into university overseas, he’s actually about to finish up his degree in medicine.”

Angel set his cup down, licking his bottom lip.

“So, you really like this place?”

Aki nodded, trying to not be distracted looking at Angel’s mouth, and pushed off the counter to walk over to the display case to nab a gingerbread cookie. He slipped it onto a plate and then deposited it in front of Angel who picked it up without blinking. 

“I do.”

“Even with the current help?”

“Don’t tell them…but yes.”

Angel took a bite and chewed slowly.

“Where did you even find them?”

He talked with his mouth full.

“They found me.”

“Oh?”

Aki hung his head like he was retelling a tragedy.

“They live in my apartment building, across the hall from me.”

Angel had the audacity to chuckle.

“There’s really no escaping them is there?”

“No, doesn’t seem to be.”

The conversation lulled into companionable silence, it wasn’t awkward, it was the quietest Aki could remember the cafe being in a long time. The light outside had dimmed with the late afternoon sun hidden behind the grey of winter, and the snowfall hadn’t let up as inches crept up along the streets. 

Angel returned to finishing off his cocoa and his cookie while Aki cleaned up the espresso machine for the second time. When Aki looked over, Angel had managed to get crumbs on his chin and lower lip again, this time without over thinking it, he leaned over to drag the pad of his thumb over Angel’s mouth. Only after he’d flicked the crumb off his own finger did he raise his eyes to meet Angel’s, unusually wide and very alert. Aki barely felt like he was breathing as he took in the growing flush of Angel’s cheeks, the drag of his lashes as he finally blinked, and the soft part of his lips that he’d just touched. 

It was Angel that broke the tension, eyes quickly cast down to his empty mug of hot chocolate.

“I should head home before we get snowed in.”

Not the worse case scenario, in Aki’s opinion, but he kept that to himself. He straightened his spine and drew his hands back on the counter. 

“I’ll walk you.”

Angel shook his head, mess of a bun already loose, lost hold of a few locks in the movement.

“My train is just a block away, it’s fine.”

“Even easier to just walk you there.”

Before Angel could keep protesting, Aki was already grabbing his coat off the hook by the door, slipping it on and buttoning it up to the neck. Then he snagged Angel’s off the hook and opened it up as though he were going to put it on for him. Angel slipped off his seat at the counter and made his way towards the door, towards his own coat being held like an offer of something much more meaningful than simply staying warm. Slowly, he turned and pushed his arms into it and shrugged it up into place, then looked over his shoulder up at Aki. 

Aki watched intently, as the blush persevered on his cheeks, his own felt too warm. 

‘I want to kiss him.’

He had wanted to kiss him since the first time he walked out the door of his cafe. 

Aki rarely wanted to kiss anyone. 

He didn’t date, not on principle, it just didn’t interest him. He’d tried it out when he was younger, on the insistence of his old boss who’d told him a handsome young man should be out there enjoying himself, not just working all the time. It wasn’t unusual back then for customers to ask him out, or to give them their number hopefully, he knew people found him attractive. Any time he’d given in, it had never lasted long; a few dates, a few nights in other people’s beds, but nothing really sparked into something that caught fire. 

He wanted to hold onto whatever this was with Angel. 

The anticipation of each ‘next time’ that he came into the cafe, looking for him at the sound of the bell, thinking of him each time a customer ordered something he thought Angel might like. It felt more exciting than Aki had experienced before. He liked the way that Angel looked at him, his eyes lingered as though he were trying to figure him out. He liked that he was direct, straightforward, that he only spent time doing what he wanted to do. 

That that included this moment, quiet and alone with Aki, on a day that any reasonable person would have stayed in. 

Aki grabbed his long scarf off the hook, still a bit damp with melted snow, and slipped the soft knit fabric through his fingers before draping it carefully around the back of Angel’s neck. He took his time to wrap it securely this time, so that he would be as warm as possible on the way home. Angel let him, looking up through his bangs to watch as Aki tucked him into his own clothes. 

Like it was normal. 

“Thanks.”

Aki pulled his hands back, suddenly remembering to be embarrassed. He cleared his throat and pushed the door open, the biting cold refreshing on his relentlessly burning cheeks. 

***

They were pretty busy on Saturdays, but even more so in the weeks leading up to the holidays. They were close to the station and people were out shopping, or meeting up with friends and family. The cafe had been slammed since midmorning, with no slowing down on the horizon. Denji had been working along side Aki at the counter nonstop for several hours, he hadn’t messed up a single order or said anything unforgivable to a customer in thirty minutes. Even Power had been surprisingly helpful all day, even if almost every time she bussed a table she forgot to wipe it down without Reze redirecting her back to it. 

One of their friends from school had taken up residence at the counter, a tall, fairly polite young man with dark hair and way more piercings in his ears that anyone Aki had seen. He was unabashedly flirting with Denji at every opportunity, which was equal parts amusing and annoying. He had a strange way of doing it, but it was recognizable all the same. He’d correct Denji’s form while he steamed milk, and then swiftly compliment him on the way he handled a pump of syrup. At one point he offered to help Denji clean up a shot of spilled espresso, ‘if he didn’t think he could handle it himself’. Denji didn’t seem to know what to do with it, had snapped at Yoshida to shut his mouth or he’d shut it up, to which he’d simply responded ‘sounds good to me.’ He had been taking up a seat for quite awhile, and Aki should really have told him to be on his way but so far Yoshida’s attention on top of Reze’s presence, seemed to keep Denji in line even if he was flustered the whole time. 

“You know, Denji, you look good in that apron but I bet it would look better on my floor.”

Denji bristled and shook his hands in front of him frantically. 

“That’s it! You know, I DO have a girlfriend—She’s here!” 

“That’s fine, I don’t mind. You’re cute when you’re flustered like this.”

Yoshida’s calm, confident tone, like he was truly unbothered by this. Like he’d heard many times before, made Aki think of Angel. He had been coming in more often since the snow day, showing up before work on occasion for a to-go cup, or afterwards when he’d get something to stay, usually until closing. On those nights, Aki would walk him to the station without talking about it. They hadn’t touched again, or rather, Aki hadn’t touched him again. He wanted to, but he wasn’t really sure if Angel wanted the same. He seemed to want to be there, seemed to enjoy spending time at the cafe, and with Aki.

He only did what he wanted.

Still, there was a hesitation on Aki’s part, he didn’t want to change anything. Didn’t want to scare him off. 

“Whatya mean it’s fine! Stop telling me I’m cute, I’m not cute!”

Reze’s laugh cut through the bustle of the cafe as she popped up behind Denji to nudge him on the shoulder gently and peek over at Yoshida.

“Denji, just take it as a compliment! You’re very cute.”

With a wink thrown to Yoshida, that Denji clearly didn’t miss since he immediately dropped a mug to shatter onto the ground, she slipped back into the cafe to continue taking orders. 

“Denji, clean that up and tell your boyfriend it’s time to go.”

“I’m—What—No!” 

Aki didn’t have time to listen to his baffled sputtering as he was finishing a round of drinks, several specialty lattes and a pot of tea that he didn’t want to scald. 

“Oh, excuse me, sorry, um, behind!”

He’d recently hired a new person, Higashiyama Kobeni was something of a fixer upper. His specialty apparently. Galgari had recommended her for the job, a friend from back home who needed a job in the city to go to school in the spring. He’d said that she had experience working in food service, that her family owned a diner, but with how meekly she spoke it was hard to believe. Although, if Aki had had ten siblings to contend with he would probably also do his best to hide. She’d been running food for Galgari along with Reze when she had a lull in the dish pit, avoiding the hustle and bustle skillfully enough despite her quiet call outs. 

Until she ran into Power, or more likely, Power ran into her.

There was a loud crash of dishes on the ground, a shriek from Kobeni as she fell, and a declaration of blame from Power that cut through the cafe like a knife. 

“Clumsy WORM! Ugh, you’ve fouled my shirt!”

“You ran into me, I—I said behind.”

“This isn’t my fault, you ran into me!”

“B-but—”

Galgari popped his head out of the curtain, his usual mask in place covering his nose and mouth. Kobeni was nearly in tears, despair etched into her face as she held her hands up covered in what had been a perfectly cooked curry. 

“Pow, help clean up and leave Kobeni alone, she scares easy!”

“Are you trying to shift blame onto me? T'was this scum that caused the mess!”

She stood with her finger pointed down at Kobeni like a sword, her chin lifted haughtily, ever stubborn. 

“Yeah, yeah, hurry up I’ll have to remake it.”

Despite her protests, Power crouched down and started picking up pieces of broken plate to toss into her bus bin. 

Aki grit his teeth, this is how he is going to die, he’s going to have an aneurysm. He’d die here at work, surrounded by idiots, idiots that he’d hired and couldn’t seem to get rid of.

“Seems more chaotic than normal today.”

He’s drawn away from the disaster by the quiet voice of the one person he’d been hoping would walk in today. Angel’s at his counter, looking like a breath of fresh air in his puffy winter coat, sans scarf, his face upturned with a subtle expression that Aki had come to recognize as amusement at his expense. 

“It’s busy.”

Angel raised a brow and waited, the moment between them streaching time like they had all of it in the world, long enough for Aki to finally feel a sense of peace settle in. He braced one hand on the counter and leaned in, drawn into Angel’s orbit.

“What do you want today?”

He tapped his chin with one finger, a mockery of thinking. 

“Something with caramel, warm, lots of whipped cream.”

“Of course.”

“Sprinkles.”

“Why not?”

“And chocolate.”

Aki smiled, feeling the weight of the day fully lift from his shoulders. 

“It’s going to be longer than usual, take his seat.” 

Aki gestured at Yoshida, who noticed and nodded. He gave Denji a small wave and a bright smile as he left, making idiot #1 trip over his feet and almost drop another mug. 

Despite the line of people waiting to place their order, Aki took his time with Angel’s drink, like he always did. He kept it simple and made him a mocha with a thick caramel drizzle topped with whipped cream and a heavy dusting of chocolate sprinkles, in the mug that Aki had come to think of as Angel’s. He handed it to Reze, who had come to relieve Denji so that he could take a break and get his bearings after having far too much attention on him. Aki saw her sneak Angel a slice of cake that he didn’t order with a cheeky smile, she leaned over the counter with a finger to her lips. 

“Say, Angel. Aki is going to cook a big meal for all of us next week after finals are over. You should join us! There will be plenty of food and I know Aki would love it if you came.”

Aki’s shoulders tensed and he shot her a dirty look.

“I never said I would actually do that.”

“Oh, but Denji already told Power! And Power told Galgari. And Galgari told Kobeni.”

Aki groaned and started working on the next order. 

“Plus Denji worked so hard, he’s probably going to pass every class!”

Its true that the three of them had been working hard on their studies, and still showing up for work, even if having them there was sometimes more a burden than not. Regardless of how small his apartment was, far too small for that many people, he did like cooking and he enjoyed watching people he cared about eat his food. 

“I wouldn’t want to impose.”

Aki looked to Angel, who took a bite of cake with his eyes closed, the fork slowly sliding from his lips. He quickly turned away to finish helping his last customer in line, then cleared his throat to concede. 

“It won’t be. You should come.”

Angel hummed, the light sound calming to Aki even over the steady thrum of the cafe. 

“Will there be dessert?”

***

Standing in front of the bright glow of the freezer section of the grocery store closest to  his apartment, Aki wondered which ice cream might be Angel’s favorite. He seemed to like just about anything sweet, so, there probably wasn’t a wrong answer. 

In the past couple of months, Aki had made him everything from a simple mocha to something Denji had found online called a ‘candy apple pie latte’. It looked disgusting, but Angel had enjoyed it. The drinks he liked the best he always finished slower, like he was savoring them as though he’d never get another one. Aki’s eyes drifted over the rows and rows of different brands, brightly colored packaging, cartoon mascots, an infinite assortment of flavors. 

When Angel ordered his own drinks he always asked for two things. 

Caramel and whipped cream.

Tomorrow evening would undoubtedly be too loud, and too hot from too many people in his small apartment. People that he saw every damn day as it was, but, at this point he would be lying to himself if he didn’t consider most of them family. He couldn’t make it back to his parent’s house until after the new year, and with his brother overseas it was admittedly nice to think of spending some time celebrating with the people that were closest to him.

And one that he wanted to get closer to.

Aki pulled the door open and grabbed a pint of ice cream, hoping it would help his cause. 

***

Hung upon the simple white door, framing the smooth metal numbers of apartment 50, was a simple wreath lit up with warm white lights. 

He’s already surrounded by the sound of the party inside, the rambunctious shouts and ringing laughter that he’d grown quite used over the last few months. First in the library when the kids had disrupted his quiet, and then at the cafe that he’d found himself drawn to more and more. 

It’s handsome manager might have had something to do with that.

Angel hadn’t intended to take Reze up on her offer, but the business card had burned a hole in his pocket the longer it sat there. As though by ignoring it he was missing out on something he would regret. It had felt silly, to think that about a free cup of coffee, but there was something magnetic about the group of rowdy students that made him curious. It’s not like it would hurt to accept an offer of apology. 

They were quite a handful and he enjoyed coffee.

He hadn’t expected Hayakawa.

He was rude, on the surface, even if many would call it polite. There had been a harshness in their first meeting that he seemed to wear like a coat of armor. Knowing most of his employees, it wasn’t surprising that he wore a bit of a frown most of the time, his brows drawn in to pinch the skin there often enough that they’d left leave a permanent crease, but he clearly cared for them. Despite his sour personality that first time, Angel couldn’t deny that he had been remarkably good looking, and very tall. 

It didn’t take a lot to be taller than Angel, but Hayakawa was tall, tall. 

He’d been softer upon their second meeting, and every time after that he just gotten even softer, nearly melting that time during the snow. When he’d invited him in and they’d shared their stories…Angel rarely talked so much about himself, where he was from, what he wanted out of life. People were usually content to let him just exist in his own realm, to the point that he could walk through the world half asleep. Hayakawa though, he was always looking at him with those eyes of his, so blue, deep ocean blue with inky lashes that Angel wanted to touch with his fingertips. He liked the way that Hayakawa watched him, like he was a puzzle to put together, but also like he wanted to catch and keep him. He looked at Angel like he was hungry for him, not just his looks, but hungry to know who he was. 

Hayakawa’s employees also wouldn’t let him be. They asked him all sorts of questions without thinking twice about if they were appropriate. He’d spent an entire afternoon in the library with Power sitting cross legged on his desk while she ranted at him about the long process of socializing feral cats and the importance of spaying and neutering. That she would get to save enough cats as a veterinarian to make up for the unreasonable amount of people on the planet just walking around. It was probably the only time he’d seen her that she wasn’t being a hindrance to society as whole. Denji, after Reze had explained to him why it was rude, had apologized for his assumptions about his gender, although Angel wasn’t all that bothered. Reze, the more collected of the trio, often stopped by his desk to ask him about his day, what books he was reading, and if he’d gotten to know Hayakawa any better. 

It was clear that she had an agenda, but he didn’t mind.

He had one too. 

It had surprised him how attached he’d grown in such a short period of time, because he’d never been all that interested in getting to know someone before. Hayakawa though, such a serious, kind, clearly overworked, caring man….he thought about him often between the days he visited the cafe. 

He wasn’t one for dating, not really, he’d been with his share of people before out of curiosity more than anything. Sex was fine, fun sometimes, often more work than it was worth. He got off on his own just fine, when his libido demanded it of him, which had increased in the past month quite a bit. He wondered if he would have the opportunity tonight to do something about it, despite how crowded he was sure the apartment would be based on sound alone. 

Angel hadn’t been sure what to wear, but the group had always been quite casual in mannerisms and dress, most of them went by their given names and forwent honorifics in general. He figured it wouldn’t be much of a formal gathering. He’d stood in front of his closet for quite awhile, he usually didn’t care about what he was wearing outside of if it was comfortable or not, preferring soft fabrics, large sizes. He had settled on a pair of corduroy slacks, they were soft to the touch but fit him well, and a loose fitted cotton shirt with a royal blue cardigan thrown over top. He’d even bothered to take a shower and brush out his hair, usually not paying the mess of it any mind, but tonight he tried to look a bit more awake and aware. 

Sort of.

The best he could do, anyway.

“CURSE YOU, VEGETABLE DEVIL!” 

The shout that could only be from Power was followed by a crash, two crashes, and a shout of something unintelligible from Hayakawa. Angel smiled briefly to himself and decided that it wasn’t going to get any calmer no matter how long he stalled. He knocked gently on the door, watching the wreath shake just a little. 

He wondered if anyone would be able to hear it over the noise inside. 

As he was about to knock again a little louder, the door opened and the young man he’d seen at the cafe last week was standing there with an easy smile. Angel had noticed Yoshida joined the rest of the kids at the library in the last couple weeks. He was certainly the quietest of the bunch, when he wasn’t humoring Denji in his bad habit of making bets for pocket change for vending machine snacks despite having a part time job. Once he’d seen Yoshida bet Denji that he couldn’t support him sitting on his back for an entire study period, Denji got twenty bucks out of it and Yoshida had seemed quite pleased with the arrangement. Reze didn’t seem put out by it, if anything she had encouraged it. Despite his calm outward personality there was a loudness to his presence that meshed well with the rest of them.

“Welcome to the circus.”

Angel nodded in thanks and slipped inside, letting Yoshida close the door as he peeked inside at the scene in the living room, which was clearly visible from the entryway of the small apartment. 

Denji was dragging Power to sit down with his arms wrapped around her legs while she held up a rather large cat in the air, demanding that ‘Meowy’ kill a moth that was fluttering helplessly about the ceiling just out of reach. Kobeni was hunched over her legs, arms above her head as Power stalked about, holding the cat directly above her. Reze was ready at the balcony door to let it out, the cat didn’t seem all that eager for a snack anyway, content just being held up like an idol. There was a small, fluffy dog running circles around Power and Denji, barking happily, just wanting to be a part of things the ways that dogs do. Galgari’s face was bare for the first time that Angel had seen, his mask pulled down under his chin but still tucked around his ears. He had a nice face with a noticeable old scar on his cheek and thick dark eyebrows bowed up as he laughed heartily. He had a glass of beer nearly sloshing over the rim as he threw back his head, pointing at Kobeni cowering. There were several dishes on the kotestsu in the middle of the chaos, more than half dug into already. A pile of gyoza, steamed buns, some kind of skewered meats,  and a full plate of pickled and tempura veggies. 

It smelled amazing. 

Yoshida passed by to take a seat at the table again, it was a small apartment, so the party was pretty cozy. Angel walked a bit further in, not passing the threshold yet as he took in the space. It was minimal, due to it’s size probably, but there were more than a few personal touches. There was a large calendar next to him in the entry with a traditional painting of mount fuji, a couple framed photos leaned up against a small collection of books on the shelf next to the tv, the quilted kotetsu blanket gave a little color to the room, as did a small Christmas tree nestled into a corner by the balcony door that looked like it was likely decorated by anyone but Hayakawa. There were gaudy tinsel streamers that the rainbow incandescent lights twinkled against, a few over sized ornaments clearly meant for a larger tree weighed down it’s branches, and a wonky star that was half falling off the too small top of the tree. His fingers curled around the handle of the small gift bag he’d brought and considered dropping it under the tree but he didn’t see any other gifts there. 

Maybe he had over thought it.

Despite the mess currently being made, it looked clean and organized, Hayakawa clearly cared about his space as much as the cafe…and his friends.

It was all rather charming.

Angel figured their host must be in the kitchen. Yoshida hadn’t made a big deal out of his arrival and other than a small wave of two fingers from Reze from across the room, no one else had noticed him. He hung his coat that he’d been carrying since the elevator up onto the row of fairly full hooks and sat down at the small bench to untie his chucks, hair falling in front of his face. He pulled his shoes off and lined them up with everyone else’s, there he noticed a pair of unclaimed house slippers. They looked brand new, never worn. They were a rich dark brown, a soft velvet fabric inside and out and on the toes of each one was a single angel’s wing. 

They couldn’t be for anyone else.

Angel picked them up and set the slippers on the ground in front of him, then slowly slipped his feet into them, his heartbeat catching in his throat as he did. The thought of Hayakawa picking out house slippers for him made him flustered, which wasn’t something he was accustomed to. Angel curled his toes inside his socks, feeling the plush of the padding and hoping that it was Hayakawa who had bought them, and not one of the kids. He stood and grabbed the small gift bag and ventured further inside. 

He spared a glance for the crowd, seeing that the cat had climbed onto Denji’s shoulders while the dog jumped up at it from his lap, tail wagging and barking like it was his job. Reze was doubled over laughing at her boyfriend, not helping in the slightest, Yoshida was being equally unhelpful as he snapped a photo or  perhaps took a video on his phone. Power had quieted down some, stuffing what looked to be a second steamed bun into her mouth, cheeks puffed out like a mouse hiding cheese. Kobeni looked more comfortable without the moth hunt going on, and was readily digging into the dishes along side Galgari. 

Now that he was actually inside the apartment, he could see Hayakawa in the kitchen. There wasn’t really any separation from it and the living room, just a counter that doubled as a dining space large enough for two. He was faced away from the party as he worked, which made it easier for Angel to watch him unnoticed. He was dressed up more than anyone else was in a pair of dark grey slacks that looked well made, like the weave would feel soft under Angel’s fingers. They went well with the black turtleneck he had on, not loose but not so tight that it would be uncomfortable while he had to move around cooking. Though wearing a sweater and an apron over top while standing over the stove for what had to be hours seemed like it would break most men. 

Not Hayakawa though, he seemed as cool as ever. 

He was focused on what he was cooking, ignoring everything behind him like it was normal, chopping up a sweet pepper easy as butter into beautiful, even slices. Angel took note of the quick movements, precise and steady like everything else about him. He felt warm as his eyes drifted along the line of his exposed wrist, sleeve of his sweater pushed up his arm out of the way. He admired his broad shoulders, how they moved just barely with each slice of pepper, and stared openly at the bit of skin peeking out above the neck of his sweater, studied the slight clench of his jaw—he was so focused. 

It was unfairly hot, the way this man took everything so seriously. 

Angel waited until he tossed the peppers into a hot pan before he spoke.

“You’re doing this all alone?”

Hayakawa startled then, turned quickly and seemingly struck still he just stared at Angel. It took a few beats, but he looked Angel up and down, eyes lingering at the slippers on his feet while his cheeks took on a touch of pink.

He definitely bought them himself, then.

‘Good.’

Angel knew that silent moments made other people feel uncomfortable, but he’d never really understood why. More times than he could recall he’d watch people bristle at the extended time between comments, twitching, eyes not sure where to go, hands fidgeting. Hayakawa didn’t seem uncomfortable, even when the blush touched the bridge of his fine nose and the silence stretched many seconds too long for most. He had such delicate features for such a tall man. More beautiful in some ways than handsome. Those blue eyes always searching for something, and his dark bangs a little too long so they fell over them just enough to look mysterious…he was lovely. He met Angel’s gaze, finally, and visibly swallowed before responding.

“The kitchen is small and this group not exactly good at listening.” 

Angel stepped further into Hayakawa’s space, peeking around to see what was on the menu. There were breaded cutlets waiting to fry, pork katsu, that was Angel’s favorite, he was sure he’d never said so though. There were also fancy cuts of steak, already cooked but resting as their juices gave them a delicious shimmer under the kitchen light, steam rising like an invitation. 

“Honestly, I’m not much help when it comes to cooking either, but it seems like a lot of work for one person.”

“I don’t mind.”

“I could help taste things, if you’d like.”

Hayakawa looked earnestly confused.

“Is that really helping? You’re going to taste it all anyway.” 

“How will you know if it’s any good before it’s done?”

“Because I taste it.”

“Is that really an objective opinion?”

The pretty blush had been joined by pulled tight brows, that amusing crease between them and what Angel could only interpret as a pout on his lips. Red eyes lingered there, thinking about how cute it was that this serious, cool, confident man pouted.

“Fine, but I don’t have another apron so don’t get to close to the stove.”

“That’s okay, the slippers were enough.”

Hayakawa took a deep breath through his nose and turned quickly around to attend to his task. Angel smiled to himself and leaned against the counter behind him, watching as he worked. The noise behind him was kind of cozy. The kids were laughing, the fluffy dog had stopped barking and Power wasn’t yelling anymore since she’d started stuffing her face. One of them had put on music in the background, something soft on the radio, not too overwhelming as it filled the apartment in a way that felt much more like home than Angel had felt in a long time. 

Maybe ever.

***

It was close to midnight by the time that Reze and Yoshida teamed up to drag Denji and Power out of his apartment. He had Power slung over his shoulder like a bag of flour, snoring loudly, while Reze had an arm around Denji’s waist to hold him up since he was half asleep himself. Pochita and Meowy trailed after them like they knew the drill. 

Kobeni and Galgari had excused themselves hours before. Aki had been surprised at how much Kobeni could talk once she felt comfortable. She’d gone on about her family, what it was like to be the youngest of nine daughters, and forced to take a back seat on her education so that her only brother could go to university. He was glad that Galgari had found a place for her at Crossroads, and that the cafe was successful enough to help her achieve her dream. Galgari kept to himself mostly, he’d been working there longer than Aki and when he’d taken over he was glad he’d stayed on. While Aki enjoyed cooking, and would sometimes help out of a shift got too crazy for Galgari to handle alone, he preferred cooking at home...

...for people he cared about. 

It had been a nice evening, even if the kids were insane, but that was normal. Angel hadn’t seemed bothered by it, which continued to surprise Aki considering what a quiet person he was by his own account. He knew enough to be sure that that collected exterior didn’t mean Angel was meek. He spoke his mind, wasn’t afraid to come off as rude, and held his own with the whirlwind family that had chosen Aki. He was glad he fit in so well, it was like he was meant to be there all along. Before Angel had walked through the door of his cafe, rung that stupid bell, he’d never been bothered by being alone at the end of the day. 

It wasn’t like he had a single moments peace outside of his apartment, not with how much of his life revolved around his employees (and neighbors) these days. Normally he’d have been grateful for a party like this to end, so that he could finally breathe and retain a single thought outside of: loud.

It was different now, he didn’t want Angel to leave.

An unfamiliar, possessive part of Aki wanted to keep him. To touch him again to see if the rest of his skin was as soft as his lip had been. He wanted to push his hair back from his face and hold him by the chin just to look at him, though tonight his long hair looked tamed and silky. His lashes were so long, so light, framed his doe eyes like a work of art. He wanted to feel those too. He was nearly sure that Angel would let him, if he asked, or if he leaned in and just simply did it. . 

Angel caught him staring, because he always did. Not like there was much else to pay attention to; they were the only ones left at the table and Aki wasn’t hiding his open appreciation, leaned back on his hands while he practically mapped out Angel’s face. The radio was still playing in the background, volume turned down, the tempo of the music egging him on to do something about the taunt thread stretched between them. 

He didn’t want Angel to go home yet, he wanted the possibility of him being brave to linger a little longer. 

“Have you ever had affogato?”

Angel leaned forward to rest his cheek in his palm, elbow braced on the table.

“No, but I’m honestly pretty full.”

“Coffee can help with digestion.”

He seemed to perk up a bit at the mention of coffee, which Aki had been hoping for.

“What kind of coffee?”

Aki shook his head and got up to head to the kitchen, speaking back over his shoulder in a tone so low that he surprised himself.

“You’ll see”

He didn’t have a fancy espresso machine like at the cafe, but he had a Moka Pot that did the job just as well. While he waited for the water on the tap to heat up, Aki ground the beans into a fine powder and tamped them into the small filter basket so that they weren’t fully compressed but had a smooth, even surface. With two fingers under the tap, Aki tested the water temperature before he filled up the bottom chamber of the contraption, then he placed the basket in and screwed the top on securely. He flicked the dial of his stove top to medium and set the pot there.

He could see that Angel had moved to the counter to watch him work, it felt familiar and made a tightness swell in Aki’s chest. 

Aki paid close attention to the sound of the water heating up, wanting to catch it before it actually boiled to the point of sputtering out of the spout. He didn’t want the espresso to burn while it percolated, the last thing he wanted to do was serve the sugar-fiend something as bitter as burned coffee. The bubbling sound of simmering cut through the soft music from the living room, and Aki moved the Moka Pot to a cold burner and let it sit while he grabbed the pint of ice cream he’d agonized over from the freezer.

He’d settled on vanilla with a salted caramel swirl, something simple but decadent enough to satisfy Angel. 

'Hopefully.'

Aki scooped a generous mound into a mug, then poured the fresh brewed espresso over top slowly, watching the ice cream melt into a creamy rich liquid. He poured himself a small cup without ice cream and turned to Angel with is offering, setting it down in front of him like he always did. There was a small blue giftbag that hadn’t been there before next to Angel’s hands. 

“What’s this?”

Angel shrugged and pushed the bag towards Aki. 

“I thought it was polite to bring a gift to the host of a party. Not that I go to many.”

Aki didn’t take Angel for someone who felt the need to follow traditions, but it was…nice. He took a sip of his espresso and watched as Angel took one of his own, closed eyes flitting open with surprise at the taste in a way that made Aki want to preen. He quickly took a second sip, a larger one, like he was greedy for the sweetness of it. 

If he wanted more Aki would make it for him. 

Or just feed him the ice cream. 

If he wanted…

Aki pulled himself together and dragged the little bag closer with a finger hooked in its handle, it was heavier than he expected. He could feel that Angel was watching him as he pulled out a small snow globe, the kind that you’d pick out at an airport souvenir shop or something. There was a cherry tree in bloom inside with a layer of whatever they used to make the bits of snow on the bottom. Aki turned it over a coupe of times to stir up the flurries, a shimmer of glitter flitted about the snow as it swirled around the pink tree. It was sort of delicate, something Aki wouldn’t have picked out but found himself touched to have been given. 

“It isn’t much.”

Aki swirled the snow one more time and set it down  to the side so that it wouldn’t get knocked over. 

“I like it.”

Angel hummed that pleased sound that Aki had come to crave.  

There’s a lapse in music as the dj on the radio announced the time, and let listeners know to ‘stay warm’ and ‘make sure they don’t miss their last trains home’. Aki sipped on his mostly cooled coffee as Angel finished off his affagato by tilting his head back and tipping the cup up. When he was done, he set the cup down and licked a slow strip over his lips at the last bit of cream, and then sighed. His cheeks were pink, flushed from the drink, or the sugar, or maybe something else. His blue cardigan, that he looked so good in, was unbuttoned and pooled around his elbows, his loose shirt had slipped down on one shoulder to show a generous amount of his collarbone. Aki wanted to touch all of it, fix or remove his clothing, hold back his hair from his face, pull him into his space and make him comfortable. 

Angel’s fingertips slid down the handle of his mug, trapping Aki’s eyes with the movement. 

“It’s late.” 

Aki swallowed around his hesitation.

“It is.”

Angel leaned in, closer, face tilted up with that curious expression. 

“It’s cold outside, too.”

Aki’s fingers twitched next to Angel’s mug, where his own had drifted to smoothly glide over the wooden counter top, teasing at touching Aki’s own. 

“You don’t…have to go.”

Warm fingers slipped over Aki’s, tracing a line featherlight up the length of them as Angel blinked slowly up at him.

“What do you want, Hayakawa?”

What did he want?

Angel’s fingers slipped beneath the sleeve of his sweater, curving over the bend of his wrist.

He wanted more.

“I want you to call me Aki.”

The teasing fingertips moved down to retreat, but Aki quickly caught Angel’s hand in his own before he could pull back fully and held him there. Angel sucked in a breath and shifted forward, he had to have lifted up off of his seat to be so close.

“Aki.”

He met Angel in the space between them to kiss him, finally. He tasted like espresso and caramel, sweet and rich, normally it would be too much but here, like this, Aki wanted it. It’s nice, it makes sense, Angel should taste sweet, should feel smooth like cream against his lips. Aki cradled his face, hands feeling almost too big a he held his cheeks. The hot, slow press of Angel’s lips quickly stoked the flames of his bravery. As they parted to take a breath, neither moving far enough to ease the tension between them, he asked for what he wanted.

“Will you stay? As long as you want. I…like it when you’re around.”

Angel smiled and leaned in to kiss him again.

***

Aki dropped down to his knees on the futon, long legs caging in Angel’s hips. He didn’t press down to meet him though, he just stayed there on his knees and looked down from above.   

They’d made out some in the kitchen, once Aki had left the protective boundary of the counter fully. It had been so easy to climb into his arms.  Aki was tall, and strong, and he let Angel slip into his lap like he was waiting for it to happen. His lips were still tingling from the way that Aki had sucked on them, could still feel the slide of his tongue against own as though they were still kissing.

They should be. 

Somewhere along the way they’d both lost their sweaters, abandoned in the living room, maybe the kitchen. Angel’s shirt was pushed up over his stomach, revealing pale, smooth skin above the waistband of his corduroys. He’d been half hard since he’d been in Aki’s lap, since he could feel how turned on Aki was too, both in the heartbeat beneath his hand on his chest and his cock pressed up into the curve of his ass. 

Angel looked up at him, hair fanned out behind him on the plush quilt, lids half closed and lips open on a breath that didn’t make his head feel any less syrupy. His hands were thrown above his head, laid where they’d fallen when he’d dropped down to what was basically the floor but more comfortable. It wasn’t surprising that Aki didn’t have a western bed, but Angel did think it sounded like a real drag to roll up your bed in the morning, not that it seemed like Aki did that since it was still rolled out.

Unless he’d prepared for the possibility that they’d be right here tonight. 

Like this.

The idea that Aki had hoped that this would happen, to the point of making sure his bed would be ready, it turned Angel on all the more. He lifted his hips up off of the futon but did nothing to take his own pants off, just pushed up, the bulge of his cock rubbing against the hard zipper. He groaned at the friction and locked eyes with the hungry man above him, eating the sight up like it was sweetest thing he’s ever seen. 

“What are you waiting for, Aki?”

Aki grabbed Angel before he could relax back against the bed, fingertips pressed into the exposed skin of his waist.

“I like looking.”

Angel hummed, he knew Aki liked the sound, could see it in the flash of softness on his face every time he did it. 

“I’ve noticed.” 

Aki squeezed his hips, once, before his hands moved up his sides and pushed his shirt all the way up under his arms, leaving his chest bare. 

“You’re very nice to look at.”

Aki slid his hands over his chest, fingertips catching on his nipples just barely, not teasing, just feeling. Angel pressed up, chased the shiver that followed them. It was fruitless, Aki quickly moved to undo the button of his pants and dragged the zipper slowly down over his eager cock in that precise way that Aki did everything. He tucked his thumbs into his briefs and tugged them down with his pants as much as he could while still kneeling over him, leaving Angel exposed mid thigh to armpit, trapped in a sandwich of bunched up cloth.

It had always been hard for Angel to put on weight, his whole life he’d been short and slim, regardless of how much he ate. To the point where he was used to people mistaking him for a girl, or assuming he was weak, not enough of a man, something fragile. He didn’t feel any of that from Aki as his eyes raked over what they could, hands following, gripping his thighs and squeezing them both before releasing one to take his cock into a big hand, covering him completely. Angel licked his lower lip, a small sound escaped him as Aki squeezed just a little.

“Nice to touch too.”

The sound of Aki’s voice, silky and low, spread over Angel’s skin with a shiver. He hadn’t moved his hands from above his head, palms up to the ceiling, but he wanted to touch him back. He was too far away though, all the way up there. He’d taken his hair down sometime in the heat of the moment, and Angel wanted to know what it would feel like slipping through his fingers. 

Angel squirmed beneath Aki, shifted his hips, arched his back and pushed up into his still fist wrapped around his cock. Such a slight movement, but it was enough to draw Aki in. He leaned down, resting one elbow beside Angel’s head as he pumped his cock, not quite wet enough but he was gentle. He kept his eyes open, just a bit, as Aki leaned in to kiss him again. His lips fell open, loose and soft as Aki led with his tongue. His mouth was greedy and Angel liked giving in to it, he liked the way that Aki sucked on his bottom lip, or licked up over the roof of his mouth so slowly it almost tickled. He felt totally consumed by the time that he pulled back.

He forgave the distance when Aki finally stripped off his own pants, then pulled Angel’s the rest of the way off, who took the opportunity to shed his bunched up t-shirt leaving him just in his socks. 

“What about these?” 

Angel asked and lifted a foot to press at the rather obscene tent in Aki’s underwear, toes curling around the curve of his thick cock. Aki visibly shuddered, one hand immediately gripped Angel around his slim ankle, his handsome face flushed bright red. Angel waited, kept his foot there while Aki collected himself enough to take a breath and let go of Angel’s ankle to strip his sock off. He pushed his briefs down too, tucked underneath his balls to let his heavy cock spring free, the weight of it fighting gravity. Aki was so wet there, it hadn’t been obvious under his dark briefs, but Angel could see the shine of precum at the head, a bead pushed past the slit as he watched. Angel toed gently at the soft skin of Aki’s balls, then slid the pad of his foot up the slickened shaft, pushing Aki’s cock up against his stomach so that he could really get a good look at him. 

He was so big. 

As Angel held his cock up against his abdomen, Aki inhaled sharply but he kept his hands at his side. He liked this too, this strong, serious man, who let him slide his foot up and down his dripping cock, the sound slick and loud. He worked his foot, spreading his toes along the head before he dragged them down just to push up with his heel. He did this until Aki was so flustered that he was rutting against the sole of his foot. It was sexy, the heat of his desire so clear in the hardness of his cock, in the hitch of his breathing, in the push of his hips, and the clenching and unclenching of his hands at his side. 

His face too, was beautiful. 

Flushed cheeks, eyelids heavy, bangs stuck to his forehead with sweat from the effort of holding back. His lips lacked the usual control, slack as he groaned with each slip and slide of his foot. Angel watched a little longer, relishing the way he chased the sensation, before he dropped his foot back to the futon, leg bent at the knee. With the reprieve, Aki finally moved his hand to touch Angel’s knee, gripping hard once before he pushed his leg to the bed, leaving him spread open as much as he could be with Aki still straddling his other thigh. 

He felt so wanted, desired, just as he was. 

Aki seemed reluctant to move off of him, hesitating before he finally got up to reach up and over to his nightstand, covering Angel mostly as he did. There was an ache that Angel wasn’t used to feeling in his gut, he wanted to reach down and touch himself, pull at his cock until he was panting and ready to cum, but the desire to see what Aki would do next kept his hands above his head. 

He was rewarded for it, with the sound of a bottle cap snapping open to pierce the quiet, and with Aki dripping lube onto his fingers. It was mesmerizing, watching how carefully Aki spread the slick around until his fingers were shiny with it. 

“I don’t want to assume anything, but, I’d like to fuck you. If that’s alright.”

Angel answered by spreading his legs further, shifting his hips and turning his head to the side to lock eyes again. 

“I won’t break or anything.”

Aki frowned and settled back between his legs, taking his cock back into his slicked up hand, jerking him off slow but steady. The pleasure that came with the smooth friction made Angel rock his hips along with the rhythm Aki stroked him with.

“That’s not what I meant.”

Angel let out a breathy laugh.

“I’m here, aren’t I?”

Aki tightened his grip and Angel moaned.

“Ah—I want it, Aki.”

That seemed to please him, he let his cock go in favor of cupping his balls and rolling them between his long, careful fingers. Angel felt close to losing his composure, chest rising and falling more rapidly, lips parted as he took in a shaky breath. He didn’t have to wait long before Aki pushed at him, stroking the tightness of his hole with slick fingertips in circles, easing his way in one at a time, adding more lube as he needed it. He loomed over him as he worked his fingers as thoroughly as he had made the espresso earlier, as carefully as he did everything. Angel felt it in the stretch of his rim, it didn’t burn once, it was like being spread open to fit around Aki’s fingers was the most natural thing his body could do. He fingered him like that until the heat between them melded so completely that Aki felt like he’d become a part of him, like he’d melted inside of him and left this soothing warmth behind. 

Until he curled his fingers and dragged them against his prostate.

Angel gasped, the sound caught in his throat and choked off as the feeling rocketed through his nervous system, lighting up every connection just to leave him shaking as it faded. 

Then Aki did it again, and Angel’s hands twitched on top of the quilt, fingers curled into his palms as he moaned loudly, knees closing in on reflex until Aki held one down with his free hand, pressing it back to the futon. By the time he was fucking him with three fingers, Angel’s toes were flexing, his cock wept against the crease of his pelvis, breath labored, eyes nearly closed as he watched Aki try to memorize the sight of his own fingers pushing and pulling at his hole. Finally, when Angel felt like he might not make it long enough to feel Aki actually fuck him, he pulled his fingers free, squeezed more lube onto them, and stroked his own cock until it was shiny, slick and dripping. 

He wiped his hand off on the quilt, a thoughtless action that surprised Angel, but Aki must have been more on the edge than he let on with how much time he’d taken to prepare Angel. Aki pushed his hands up the underside of Angel’s thighs and hiked them up, gripping him under his knees, blanketing him nearly completely with is body as he pushed inside. He felt even larger then he’d looked, bullying his way into Angel’s body with a heady groan, like he was the one being filled. 

***

His hips jerked against Angel’s, the heat around his cock pulsed like a heartbeat as he adjusted to the tightness. It had been so long since he’d been with anyone, and never had he wanted it so badly. He pushed forward, not that he could go any deeper, but because it felt nice to grind against the stretch of Angel’s rim, to feel it flex at the intrusion. The soft sound that Angel made was nice too, breathy and desperate almost. He tightened his grip on Angel’s thighs, lazy as ever, he wasn’t helping at all, which was fine with Aki. He could take care of him. Even the way that Angel’s lips were slack, it was like it would be too much work to close them. His hands had been slung above his head this whole time, unmoving save for a few twitches of his fingers.

Aki wanted to make them grab something. 

Wanted him to feel so good that he couldn’t help it. 

Aki pushed his legs further in towards his chest, lifting Angel’s hips up off the futon, and started to move. He was torn between watching his face, or the drag of his cock as he pulled it nearly all the way free, just to sink back in. Every push, he met Angel’s ass with a hard thrust, watching as his cock bounced against his stomach. He’d wanted to do more first, he always wanted more. If he’d been patient he would have eaten him up, sucked his pretty pink cock until he was grasping at the blankets, maybe even pulling at his hair. But he’d run out of control so quickly, almost cracking in the kitchen at the first touch of Angel’s lips to his own. Even now he was losing what little patience he did have, as he built up a rhythm that had Angel breathing harder, but not out right moaning yet, just little sounds that spurred Aki on. 

“Aki…”

He looked up from where he’d been studying the smooth, tight skin of Angel’s balls contracting to meet his eyes. His face was flushed red, long hair splayed out around his head like a halo, reaching out in tendrils across Aki’s old quilt like streaks of light. 

He blinked slowly and bit down on his lower lip before promising, “I can take it.”

At that, Aki snapped like a crack of thunder, he felt his whole body ripple with the feeling of letting go. He dropped Angel’s legs and leaned over his slender body, bowing over him like a shadow as he kissed him, licked along the flat of his tongue, swallowing down the sound of Angel giving in too. His thrusts got a little sloppy, getting lost in the feeling of being sucked in and pushed out of Angel’s body. As much as he felt like he was devouring the man beneath him, taking what he wanted, he felt just as much like he was being drawn in to do so. When Angel’s hands finally lifted, slim fingers sliding through his hair to hold him down there, to keep him kissing him as they rocked together…it felt an awful lot like love. 

‘Too soon for that’

The sound of their bodies meeting, the wet sh-lick of skin, filled the room to match their panting. Aki was sweating, could feel it slide down his back muscles, drip along his brow, kiss the curve of his cheek to fall onto Angel’s. He wanted to stay this way, rutting into Angel until he was exhausted, until there wasn’t a thought left to think, but the pull in his balls grew tighter each time they smacked against Angel’s ass. He reached one hand between them, grasped Angel’s cock that had been rubbing against his stomach with each thrust, and started to stroke quickly. He felt so perfect against his palm, so hot, covered in precum from weeping untouched for so long made the motion easy. 

Angel’s fingers tightened in his hair as he arched up into him, and cried out against Aki’s lips. It was so loud, it rang in his ears like a bell as he jerked his hand faster, moved his hips faster to try and push Angel over the edge. It didn’t take much more, but when he came, Angel’s legs locked around his waist, the most effort he’d put in so far. His cum pulsed over Aki’s fist and made a warm, sticky mess between their bodies as he shivered through his orgasm. Aki didn’t stop stroking him until he whimpered and pulled at his hair. It sounded like he was muttering between breaths, but he couldn’t make out the words. 

“Hold on, I’m close.”

Angel nodded, barely, with no more than a tilt of his chin as he pressed his forehead up against Aki’s. His legs were still locked in place, holding his waist as he fucked into him, his hole was loose in the aftershock of cumming. Aki groaned as he lost track of how much longer it took to break him, until he was pushed as deep as he could be inside of Angel and stilled like stone as he came. It was as though the universe had condensed to a single point where they were connected, lost in the heat of each other. The wave that ran through his body was so intense that he felt like he was melting, becoming a puddle as Angel clenched around his cock, pulsing around him as he took everything he had.  

Aki didn’t want to collapse onto Angel, regardless of how indelicate he might be, he was still so much smaller, but the arm he was holding himself up with had started to tremor as he came down from the high. He couldn’t remember ever cumming so hard. Carefully, Aki shifted his hips and pulled back slowly until his barely softened cock slipped free of Angel with an obscene sound, his cum quickly following. Angel released his legs as he pulled back, letting them fall to the futon with a very satisfied sounding sigh. With a parting kiss to the side of Angel’s jaw, Aki sat back on his ankles and pushed back his sweaty bangs from his forehead. His head felt foggy, his chest heaved as he caught his breath, his skin was quickly cooling in the air of the room now that he was still. 

He looked down at Angel, his hands slack beside his wild hair, lips parted as he caught his breath, eyes closed and cheeks flushed. He had cum spattered up his flat stomach and dripping down his inner thighs, his cock soft against his thigh.

Everything about him was sleepy and pink.

'Angel...fitting description.' 

***

The bright light of late morning hit Aki’s eyes unfiltered, since he’d forgotten to close his blinds the night before.

He’d been distracted.

Aki turned his head to the side, away from the window, and shifted his shoulders to stretch the muscles there. Angel was still asleep, unsurprisingly, half draped over Aki, hair everywhere it could be. 

He was snoring a little.

It almost sounded the same as when he’d hum to himself.

Aki brushed back some of the stubborn hair so that he could look at the squish of Angel’s cheek against his chest, his lashes fanned out like red feathers agaisnt pale skin. His eyes moved a little behind the delicate skin of his lids, clearly dreaming about something. 

‘…cute.'

The moment of peace lasted about five more seconds before the sound of Denji busting through his front door crashed into it at full force. He shouted something about making french toast for everyone, Pochita barking to match his volume.

He’d need to talk to his landlord about changing his locks.