Over Breakfast (Chinen/Hikaru)
Over Breakfast
Chinen Yuri/Yaotome Hikaru
Notes: I tried to test myself to see if I could still write and failed. This is the result. Continuing the trend of boring fics for unexpected pairings, which hopefully makes me less predictable in one way. Inspired by seeing Chinen holding a paper cup, I doubt they record in the mornings and there's probably no real coffee involved. You can run in the opposite direction now.
--
--
Hikaru catches a whiff of roasted coffee in the air as he walks into the studio. Unsurprisingly, he sees Chinen nursing a cup in a corner.
"You're too young to be addicted to coffee," Hikaru says, dropping his bag onto the nearest chair.
"Don't worry, I still have room for your raw vegetables," Chinen replies.
Hikaru takes off his scarf and shuffles through his bag for space to put it. "Bring your own breakfast."
"I did," Chinen says, sipping his coffee.
Hikaru hates being predictable, but he refuses to be faulted for having a preference. He takes out the box of salad he put together yesterday night, purposely ignoring Chinen's tagging gaze as he prepares the dressing.
They sit back quietly, Hikaru with his breakfast and Chinen with his coffee. Hikaru finds himself listening to Daiki complain about buying the wrong sort of shoes, not really understanding a word the other says. Yabu walks in with a cheerful greeting, following by a softly smiling Keito. The room gradually fills up, buzzing with noise and energy.
When Yuto gets here and continues the conversation with Daiki, Hikaru looks away and notices Chinen listlessly looking at them.
"So do you want some?" Hikaru asks, raising an eyebrow. He picks up a carrot stick and waves it in front of him.
"No," Chinen says pointedly. "But you should eat something besides rabbit food."
Hikaru pops the carrot into his mouth. Before long, someone announces their dance instructor's arrival. While a few other members start warming up, Yamada starts stuffing the rest of his meat bun down his throat. Hikaru packs his belongings back into his bag.
They get down to business.
--
It's still work, but going on location for School Kakumei feels like going on a field trip. Since it's being called one, Hikaru thinks his feeling is justified. He exchanges greetings with Kasuga, who looks half asleep with his hair uncombed; then he greets the staff assembling the equipment. One of them hands him a questionnaire to fill out. Sitting down a folding chair, Hikaru decides to make an extra attempt at being funny today.
He's putting down the pen when Chinen slides next to him.
"I can't think of anything. Let me see your answers," Chinen declares, leaning over Hikaru's shoulders.
"No." Hikaru folds the paper in half and carefully places it out of Chinen's grasp.
"Come on," Chinen says pleadingly, "it's not like I'm going to copy you. I just need some inspiration." When Hikaru doesn't respond, Chinen reaches inside his jacket pocket and pulls out a plastic packet. "I'll give you half my muffin!"
The packet is familiar. Hikaru remembers seeing an exact same one five minutes ago, before he ripped it open and ate the contents. Chinen must have filched that from the dessert tray that's always on set (no matter where they are), because Hikaru had done the same.
Hikaru isn't exactly not laughing when he says, "I already ate one."
"Please?"
Perplexed, Hikaru looks around for the others. Wakabayashi is huddling with himself in a corner, staring off into the distance. Kasuga still looks half asleep, while Yamazaki's already busily chatting with a staff. Mari, Suzanne and Maomi are looking at each other in amazement and sharing information on, well, who knows. Yamada's still concentrating on the piece of paper before him.
"You know, if you asked Yamada, he would say yes," Hikaru points out.
Chinen smiles, standing up and brushing his pants. Hikaru thinks Chinen looks almost evil when he does that, though he knows Chinen's harmless, really. He clutches the questionnaire tighter anyway.
"I know."
"You're weird," Hikaru says, feeling an obligation to state the obvious.
"And you're brilliant," Chinen replies.
Hikaru heaves a deep sigh. It sounds genuine, but coming from Chinen it just isn't worth much. If Yamada had been the one saying that, it would have been an entirely different situation and there would probably be a lot more gratitude involved. He sees the object flying his way just in time to catch it, and finds a packaged muffin in his left hand.
"I'm not showing you even if you say that," Hikaru says.
The right tip of Chinen's lips raises slightly. "Yeah, that was a stupid idea."
Chinen walks away, finds another folding chair and sits down. Hikaru takes a glance at Chinen working on the questions before opening the script to read. Idly, he opens the packet in his hands and takes a bite.
--
In front of him, Kouchi naps on the table. Hikaru eats his onigiri thoughtfully, his thoughts mostly about eating his onigiri. The good thing about regular recordings is that it doesn't take much thought; the bad thing is, he starts forgetting what thought is. Chinen walks in and sits down next to Kouchi, setting down a mug filled to the brim with brown liquid. There's enough white floating about to suggest that someone filled the mug with a lot of milk and cream.
"Don't you have a preference?" Hikaru asks. "I've seen you with dark coffee, light coffee, and everything in between."
Chinen looks down at the mug and shrugs. "I drink anything the staff provides." Picking up the mug, Chinen takes a small sip. "Sometimes I steal my mom's."
Hikaru frowns. That doesn't answer his question. "Which do you prefer?"
Chinen's reaction is delayed, and that makes Hikaru wonder why he's asking at all. If Chinen doesn't care how he takes his own coffee, then Hikaru doesn't need to know, either. Coffee's not a teen idol-like topic, it's not as though the information would ever come in handy. There's no point in knowing.
"Black," Chinen replies. "Plain."
That makes sense. It reminds Hikaru of how Chinen prefers his chocolate--black, plain, and simple. A shrouded sweetness embodied by bitterness.
"You do know that might be why you're not getting any taller."
Unlike Daiki or Yamada, Chinen isn't riled up by the thinly veiled insult. "I don't need it as much as Yama-chan does," Chinen says offhandedly. "By the way, I think Yama-chan gained weight," he continues without missing a beat.
"I don't gossip," Hikaru says, but his mind comes up with a recent image of Yamada of their own accord.
Chinen smirks. "Lier."
Hikaru notices Kouchi listening on their conversation when the boy changes position, eyes alert beneath his arms. There's no harm in letting him listen, Hikaru thinks, and decides in amusement to leave the boy alone.
"...You're right, his cheeks does look fuller," Hikaru says eventually. Their group gossips enough to fill three rumor magazines, but it isn't malicious and it keeps them connected, it gets the group going and that's perfectly fine with Hikaru. He still feels like he shouldn't be fueling it, but it's a good way to keep tabs on his group.
Although by the way Chinen's looking at him, maybe Chinen's the one Hikaru needs to keep tabs on.
"That's a nice shirt," Chinen says randomly, nodding as he drinks from his cup.
Too much milk, Hikaru thinks. He doesn't have a strict preference for coffee, but now that there's a preset image of plain roasted coffee in his mind, the milky brown content in Chinen's cup is jarring.
"What are you up to?"
"Nothing. Can't I compliment another member?"
"Of course you can," Hikaru says. Mischievously, he adds, "I don't have to think it's sincere, though."
Chinen smiles playfully and downs the rest of his drink. "It'd sound better if you help me prank Yama-chan," he says, the ends of his eyes crinkling.
Hikaru nods in understanding. "Ah, I see."
"So?" Chinen demands.
Hikaru doubts Chinen has a plan, but coming up with a quick prank is half the fun. Yamada might come in any second, but that's not a problem for Hikaru, not really. Chinen would probably be disappointed though, so Hikaru starts locating a roll of tape. There's a lot of things a person can do with tape.
There's no need to think about his answer, but Hikaru suspects Chinen knew as such.
"Absolutely."
--
It's cold in the television station. Hikaru hadn't expected to arrive so early, but being as sleepy as he is, he didn't dare go back to sleep when he woke up this morning.
Walking inside the waiting room, he's even more surprised to see Chinen already inside. Chinen isn't much of a morning person either, so it isn't often just the two of them. Though it does seem to happen more often lately, Hikaru notes inanely. He nods in passing.
"You looks horrible today," Chinen says.
Hikaru rolls his eyes at the blunt comment. "And a hello to you too," he says, searching for a corner to sit down. His eyes lands on the only sofa in the room.
"What's wrong?"
Hikaru plops down onto the sofa and rubs at his eyes. If he ignores work ethics and only skims through the script for the day, he could grab about forty minutes of sleep. More if he conveniently forgets setting his hair properly, and it's not that much of an issue if his hair's fluffier than usual.
"Nothing, just tired," Hikaru murmurs, settling into the crooks of the sofa. Nice, soft and warm. Perfect.
He looks up and sees Chinen staring at him.
"What?" he asks defensively.
"You haven't complained about my coffee yet, things must be serious." Chinen waves a paper cup filled with what looks like cheap coffee at him. "Go to sleep, you dickweed."
Hikaru tuts disapprovingly. "Someday, you'll end up swearing on live television."
"The fans would think it's cute," Chinen says, as if he really believes it. Maybe he does. "Shut up and take a nap, I'll get the staff to wake you later."
"Aww, you can't even be bothered to wake me up yourself? I didn't know you cared so much."
Chinen merely smiles at him, so Hikaru sighs and sinks back into the sofa, laying himself down completely. Relaxing isn't difficult when he's this tired, and closing his eyes, he wonders if Chinen's really going to specifically ask a staff to wake him up.
Next thing he knows, he's jolting awake to Chinen's face an arm's length away.
"Your face," Hikaru grumbles, wincing at the light blazing against his eyes.
"Wake up, idiot," Chinen says. A staff behind Chinen produces a bottle of water, but before Hikaru could get his hand to work, Chinen takes the bottle.
Hikaru swats at the finger poking at him, wondering how much time he has to get himself into recording condition. His throat is dry, and he really needs that drink of water, but asking directly from Chinen usually backfires. Hikaru groans as he swings himself upward, noticing a familiar scent in the air.
"Gimme your coffee," Hikaru says, stretching his back against the sofa.
Chinen doesn't even have to think before he says plainly, "I don't share." He sits down in the space now vacant of Hikaru's head.
Hikaru has the perfect witty retort ready, possibly one that can make Chinen let go of that water bottle, but before he says anything the staff--still in the room, how did he fail to notice that--coughs politely. "I can get you a cup, Yaotome-san. Recording starts in ten minutes."
Hikaru looks up, smiling awkwardly as he avoids Chinen's smirking expression. "Uh, no need, thank you," he says. He's not sure why, but Chinen's coffee always fits his tastes better in the morning, and he doesn't even drink coffee before noon. Hikaru loves his coffee, but it's an afternoon drink for him, an incentive to stay awake for the rest of the day.
Chinen snorts against his side, throwing the bottle into Hikaru's lap. "He only steals my coffee in the morning."
--
Walking inside the rehearsing studio almost feels like coming home after a long trip. The other members aren't in yet, there's a slight breeze and he hasn't eaten yet. Hikaru decides to ask their manager to order something for him.
When Hikaru looks up from his cellphone to check if his breakfast is here, he sees Chinen dozing off in a chair nearby.
Hikaru wonders if he should take off his earphones and talk. Chinen's familiar, they meet at least every two weeks and Hikaru thinks he knows too much about Chinen's morning habits, but within JUMP, it's never the two of them. There's plenty of other people to talk to, to joke around with, and any other time Hikaru would have turned to them. But they're all not here right now.
Coincidence. Maybe that's important, too.
A staff brings in the bag of takeout food and Hikaru thanks her properly, taking over the bag. After setting out the bowl, he sees Chinen staring at him with one eye.
"Ramen? For breakfast?" Chinen says, managing to sound curious and look annoyed at the same time.
Hikaru chuckles lightly. "I'm hungry," he says, although privately he thinks he shouldn't have to excuse himself in front of Chinen.
"I am, too," Chinen declares, yawning straight after.
Chinen looks too sleepy for food, but Hikaru tilts his head towards the plastic bag left on the table. "There's a spare pair of chopsticks in the bag. A spoon too."
The whole room smells like ramen. Chinen sits down next to Hikaru and scoots the chair closer, nudging Hikaru with his elbow until Hikaru adjusts his body sideways to accommodate Chinen. Despite his declaration of hunger, Chinen mostly sips lightly at the soup, leaving the noodles to Hikaru. Wondering if Chinen is being considerate for once or if he just lied, Hikaru discreetly pushes the salad plate towards Chinen.
As Chinen dips the spoon into the bowl once more, Hikaru picks up the remaining slice of pork and puts it in Chinen's spoon.
Chinen stares at the spoon.
"We're not dating," Hikaru says, not sure what he's trying to explain. He doesn't look up.
"I'm not cuddling with you," Chinen says with certainty. "Ever."
"Good. I'm not treating you to dinner, ever."
Hikaru can feel Chinen looking up, staring at Hikaru purposely. "I can buy my own meals, thank you very much, although we're both being treated by the agency right now so you shouldn't be one to talk."
Relaxing for reasons unknown, Hikaru sighs inwardly and finally loosens his gaze from the ramen bowl. "I hate you," he says with feeling.
"Likewise," Chinen says, eating noisily.
Hikaru leans towards Chinen and feels the other lean back against him. Looking into each other's eyes, Hikaru decides he smells ramen breathe on Chinen. The distance between them is decisively unflattering.
"The others are going to freak," Hikaru says.
They both grinned.
Chinen Yuri/Yaotome Hikaru
Notes: I tried to test myself to see if I could still write and failed. This is the result. Continuing the trend of boring fics for unexpected pairings, which hopefully makes me less predictable in one way. Inspired by seeing Chinen holding a paper cup, I doubt they record in the mornings and there's probably no real coffee involved. You can run in the opposite direction now.
--
- Over Breakfast
Chinen Yuri/Yaotome Hikaru
--
Hikaru catches a whiff of roasted coffee in the air as he walks into the studio. Unsurprisingly, he sees Chinen nursing a cup in a corner.
"You're too young to be addicted to coffee," Hikaru says, dropping his bag onto the nearest chair.
"Don't worry, I still have room for your raw vegetables," Chinen replies.
Hikaru takes off his scarf and shuffles through his bag for space to put it. "Bring your own breakfast."
"I did," Chinen says, sipping his coffee.
Hikaru hates being predictable, but he refuses to be faulted for having a preference. He takes out the box of salad he put together yesterday night, purposely ignoring Chinen's tagging gaze as he prepares the dressing.
They sit back quietly, Hikaru with his breakfast and Chinen with his coffee. Hikaru finds himself listening to Daiki complain about buying the wrong sort of shoes, not really understanding a word the other says. Yabu walks in with a cheerful greeting, following by a softly smiling Keito. The room gradually fills up, buzzing with noise and energy.
When Yuto gets here and continues the conversation with Daiki, Hikaru looks away and notices Chinen listlessly looking at them.
"So do you want some?" Hikaru asks, raising an eyebrow. He picks up a carrot stick and waves it in front of him.
"No," Chinen says pointedly. "But you should eat something besides rabbit food."
Hikaru pops the carrot into his mouth. Before long, someone announces their dance instructor's arrival. While a few other members start warming up, Yamada starts stuffing the rest of his meat bun down his throat. Hikaru packs his belongings back into his bag.
They get down to business.
--
It's still work, but going on location for School Kakumei feels like going on a field trip. Since it's being called one, Hikaru thinks his feeling is justified. He exchanges greetings with Kasuga, who looks half asleep with his hair uncombed; then he greets the staff assembling the equipment. One of them hands him a questionnaire to fill out. Sitting down a folding chair, Hikaru decides to make an extra attempt at being funny today.
He's putting down the pen when Chinen slides next to him.
"I can't think of anything. Let me see your answers," Chinen declares, leaning over Hikaru's shoulders.
"No." Hikaru folds the paper in half and carefully places it out of Chinen's grasp.
"Come on," Chinen says pleadingly, "it's not like I'm going to copy you. I just need some inspiration." When Hikaru doesn't respond, Chinen reaches inside his jacket pocket and pulls out a plastic packet. "I'll give you half my muffin!"
The packet is familiar. Hikaru remembers seeing an exact same one five minutes ago, before he ripped it open and ate the contents. Chinen must have filched that from the dessert tray that's always on set (no matter where they are), because Hikaru had done the same.
Hikaru isn't exactly not laughing when he says, "I already ate one."
"Please?"
Perplexed, Hikaru looks around for the others. Wakabayashi is huddling with himself in a corner, staring off into the distance. Kasuga still looks half asleep, while Yamazaki's already busily chatting with a staff. Mari, Suzanne and Maomi are looking at each other in amazement and sharing information on, well, who knows. Yamada's still concentrating on the piece of paper before him.
"You know, if you asked Yamada, he would say yes," Hikaru points out.
Chinen smiles, standing up and brushing his pants. Hikaru thinks Chinen looks almost evil when he does that, though he knows Chinen's harmless, really. He clutches the questionnaire tighter anyway.
"I know."
"You're weird," Hikaru says, feeling an obligation to state the obvious.
"And you're brilliant," Chinen replies.
Hikaru heaves a deep sigh. It sounds genuine, but coming from Chinen it just isn't worth much. If Yamada had been the one saying that, it would have been an entirely different situation and there would probably be a lot more gratitude involved. He sees the object flying his way just in time to catch it, and finds a packaged muffin in his left hand.
"I'm not showing you even if you say that," Hikaru says.
The right tip of Chinen's lips raises slightly. "Yeah, that was a stupid idea."
Chinen walks away, finds another folding chair and sits down. Hikaru takes a glance at Chinen working on the questions before opening the script to read. Idly, he opens the packet in his hands and takes a bite.
--
In front of him, Kouchi naps on the table. Hikaru eats his onigiri thoughtfully, his thoughts mostly about eating his onigiri. The good thing about regular recordings is that it doesn't take much thought; the bad thing is, he starts forgetting what thought is. Chinen walks in and sits down next to Kouchi, setting down a mug filled to the brim with brown liquid. There's enough white floating about to suggest that someone filled the mug with a lot of milk and cream.
"Don't you have a preference?" Hikaru asks. "I've seen you with dark coffee, light coffee, and everything in between."
Chinen looks down at the mug and shrugs. "I drink anything the staff provides." Picking up the mug, Chinen takes a small sip. "Sometimes I steal my mom's."
Hikaru frowns. That doesn't answer his question. "Which do you prefer?"
Chinen's reaction is delayed, and that makes Hikaru wonder why he's asking at all. If Chinen doesn't care how he takes his own coffee, then Hikaru doesn't need to know, either. Coffee's not a teen idol-like topic, it's not as though the information would ever come in handy. There's no point in knowing.
"Black," Chinen replies. "Plain."
That makes sense. It reminds Hikaru of how Chinen prefers his chocolate--black, plain, and simple. A shrouded sweetness embodied by bitterness.
"You do know that might be why you're not getting any taller."
Unlike Daiki or Yamada, Chinen isn't riled up by the thinly veiled insult. "I don't need it as much as Yama-chan does," Chinen says offhandedly. "By the way, I think Yama-chan gained weight," he continues without missing a beat.
"I don't gossip," Hikaru says, but his mind comes up with a recent image of Yamada of their own accord.
Chinen smirks. "Lier."
Hikaru notices Kouchi listening on their conversation when the boy changes position, eyes alert beneath his arms. There's no harm in letting him listen, Hikaru thinks, and decides in amusement to leave the boy alone.
"...You're right, his cheeks does look fuller," Hikaru says eventually. Their group gossips enough to fill three rumor magazines, but it isn't malicious and it keeps them connected, it gets the group going and that's perfectly fine with Hikaru. He still feels like he shouldn't be fueling it, but it's a good way to keep tabs on his group.
Although by the way Chinen's looking at him, maybe Chinen's the one Hikaru needs to keep tabs on.
"That's a nice shirt," Chinen says randomly, nodding as he drinks from his cup.
Too much milk, Hikaru thinks. He doesn't have a strict preference for coffee, but now that there's a preset image of plain roasted coffee in his mind, the milky brown content in Chinen's cup is jarring.
"What are you up to?"
"Nothing. Can't I compliment another member?"
"Of course you can," Hikaru says. Mischievously, he adds, "I don't have to think it's sincere, though."
Chinen smiles playfully and downs the rest of his drink. "It'd sound better if you help me prank Yama-chan," he says, the ends of his eyes crinkling.
Hikaru nods in understanding. "Ah, I see."
"So?" Chinen demands.
Hikaru doubts Chinen has a plan, but coming up with a quick prank is half the fun. Yamada might come in any second, but that's not a problem for Hikaru, not really. Chinen would probably be disappointed though, so Hikaru starts locating a roll of tape. There's a lot of things a person can do with tape.
There's no need to think about his answer, but Hikaru suspects Chinen knew as such.
"Absolutely."
--
It's cold in the television station. Hikaru hadn't expected to arrive so early, but being as sleepy as he is, he didn't dare go back to sleep when he woke up this morning.
Walking inside the waiting room, he's even more surprised to see Chinen already inside. Chinen isn't much of a morning person either, so it isn't often just the two of them. Though it does seem to happen more often lately, Hikaru notes inanely. He nods in passing.
"You looks horrible today," Chinen says.
Hikaru rolls his eyes at the blunt comment. "And a hello to you too," he says, searching for a corner to sit down. His eyes lands on the only sofa in the room.
"What's wrong?"
Hikaru plops down onto the sofa and rubs at his eyes. If he ignores work ethics and only skims through the script for the day, he could grab about forty minutes of sleep. More if he conveniently forgets setting his hair properly, and it's not that much of an issue if his hair's fluffier than usual.
"Nothing, just tired," Hikaru murmurs, settling into the crooks of the sofa. Nice, soft and warm. Perfect.
He looks up and sees Chinen staring at him.
"What?" he asks defensively.
"You haven't complained about my coffee yet, things must be serious." Chinen waves a paper cup filled with what looks like cheap coffee at him. "Go to sleep, you dickweed."
Hikaru tuts disapprovingly. "Someday, you'll end up swearing on live television."
"The fans would think it's cute," Chinen says, as if he really believes it. Maybe he does. "Shut up and take a nap, I'll get the staff to wake you later."
"Aww, you can't even be bothered to wake me up yourself? I didn't know you cared so much."
Chinen merely smiles at him, so Hikaru sighs and sinks back into the sofa, laying himself down completely. Relaxing isn't difficult when he's this tired, and closing his eyes, he wonders if Chinen's really going to specifically ask a staff to wake him up.
Next thing he knows, he's jolting awake to Chinen's face an arm's length away.
"Your face," Hikaru grumbles, wincing at the light blazing against his eyes.
"Wake up, idiot," Chinen says. A staff behind Chinen produces a bottle of water, but before Hikaru could get his hand to work, Chinen takes the bottle.
Hikaru swats at the finger poking at him, wondering how much time he has to get himself into recording condition. His throat is dry, and he really needs that drink of water, but asking directly from Chinen usually backfires. Hikaru groans as he swings himself upward, noticing a familiar scent in the air.
"Gimme your coffee," Hikaru says, stretching his back against the sofa.
Chinen doesn't even have to think before he says plainly, "I don't share." He sits down in the space now vacant of Hikaru's head.
Hikaru has the perfect witty retort ready, possibly one that can make Chinen let go of that water bottle, but before he says anything the staff--still in the room, how did he fail to notice that--coughs politely. "I can get you a cup, Yaotome-san. Recording starts in ten minutes."
Hikaru looks up, smiling awkwardly as he avoids Chinen's smirking expression. "Uh, no need, thank you," he says. He's not sure why, but Chinen's coffee always fits his tastes better in the morning, and he doesn't even drink coffee before noon. Hikaru loves his coffee, but it's an afternoon drink for him, an incentive to stay awake for the rest of the day.
Chinen snorts against his side, throwing the bottle into Hikaru's lap. "He only steals my coffee in the morning."
--
Walking inside the rehearsing studio almost feels like coming home after a long trip. The other members aren't in yet, there's a slight breeze and he hasn't eaten yet. Hikaru decides to ask their manager to order something for him.
When Hikaru looks up from his cellphone to check if his breakfast is here, he sees Chinen dozing off in a chair nearby.
Hikaru wonders if he should take off his earphones and talk. Chinen's familiar, they meet at least every two weeks and Hikaru thinks he knows too much about Chinen's morning habits, but within JUMP, it's never the two of them. There's plenty of other people to talk to, to joke around with, and any other time Hikaru would have turned to them. But they're all not here right now.
Coincidence. Maybe that's important, too.
A staff brings in the bag of takeout food and Hikaru thanks her properly, taking over the bag. After setting out the bowl, he sees Chinen staring at him with one eye.
"Ramen? For breakfast?" Chinen says, managing to sound curious and look annoyed at the same time.
Hikaru chuckles lightly. "I'm hungry," he says, although privately he thinks he shouldn't have to excuse himself in front of Chinen.
"I am, too," Chinen declares, yawning straight after.
Chinen looks too sleepy for food, but Hikaru tilts his head towards the plastic bag left on the table. "There's a spare pair of chopsticks in the bag. A spoon too."
The whole room smells like ramen. Chinen sits down next to Hikaru and scoots the chair closer, nudging Hikaru with his elbow until Hikaru adjusts his body sideways to accommodate Chinen. Despite his declaration of hunger, Chinen mostly sips lightly at the soup, leaving the noodles to Hikaru. Wondering if Chinen is being considerate for once or if he just lied, Hikaru discreetly pushes the salad plate towards Chinen.
As Chinen dips the spoon into the bowl once more, Hikaru picks up the remaining slice of pork and puts it in Chinen's spoon.
Chinen stares at the spoon.
"We're not dating," Hikaru says, not sure what he's trying to explain. He doesn't look up.
"I'm not cuddling with you," Chinen says with certainty. "Ever."
"Good. I'm not treating you to dinner, ever."
Hikaru can feel Chinen looking up, staring at Hikaru purposely. "I can buy my own meals, thank you very much, although we're both being treated by the agency right now so you shouldn't be one to talk."
Relaxing for reasons unknown, Hikaru sighs inwardly and finally loosens his gaze from the ramen bowl. "I hate you," he says with feeling.
"Likewise," Chinen says, eating noisily.
Hikaru leans towards Chinen and feels the other lean back against him. Looking into each other's eyes, Hikaru decides he smells ramen breathe on Chinen. The distance between them is decisively unflattering.
"The others are going to freak," Hikaru says.
They both grinned.