[Vix] Composing the Songs of Tomorrow
Composing the Songs of Tomorrow
Ryo/Shige; PG13
Remix of htenywg's Making Up Rhymes of Yesterday for jentfic_remix, here, set one year after the original fic.
-
Kato Shigeaki is tired.
He's been staring at the same highlighted paragraph of his textbook for the last half hour, and the words are making less sense than if they'd been written in some ancient Slavic dialect and carved into the page instead of printed on it.
Sighing, he marks the page and slams the book shut, earning a soft murmur from his new roommate, who burrows deeper into his pillow in his sleep.
A few hours rest, then he promises himself he'll carry on. If he was still up when his roommate awoke, he'd be in for it anyway.
-
Koyama's already awake when Shige stirs, the heavenly smell of coffee making his nose twitch before he's even opened his eyes.
"Shige!" Koyama says brightly, and the other man pushes himself upright with a groan, shielding his eyes from the light where Koyama has opened the curtains.
"Do you have to do that every morning?" Shige grumbles towards the window, but takes the hot mug Koyama thrusts into his hands.
"The morning light is refreshing and beautiful!" Koyama grins, oblivious to Shige's discomfort, "Don't you think?"
"No, I don't think," Shige mumbles into his cup, but Koyama's already moved on.
It's been a year since Koyama moved here, and in that time he'd managed to make himself an irreplaceable constant in Shige's life. He'd quickly decided that 'Kato' was too formal and 'Shigeaki' was too parental, shortening it to just 'Shige' because it was easier to remember and sounded cooler, right? And Shige had just nodded dumbly and let him because his enthusiasm was infectious and Koyama had made him lunch that morning. Shige can't count the nights Koyama has forcibly pushed him into his bed in the small hours of the morning and made him promise with bleary eyes to stay there until their alarm went off at seven, or the times Koyama has been there next to him with his textbooks and a constant supply of coffee and gummy bears. Shige wasn't sure what the gummy bears were supposed to accomplish, but Koyama seemed to enjoy talking to Shige through them - before he'd rip off parts of their body with his teeth. Shige thought Koyama might be a little bit S, but he was probably a little bit M, so he was hardly one to talk.
Shige's tucking in to one of Koyama's lunches now, sitting at one of the benches strewn haphazardly across the campus grounds with Koyama facing him and inspecting the onigiri he's holding like he's expecting it to grow legs and climb into his mouth.
Over Koyama's shoulder, Shige can see Nishikido with his guitar cradled in his lap and his bento sat, open but untouched, on the grass next to him. He'll play a few notes every now and then, and scribble something down or rub something out, then hum a few bars or sigh in frustration.
His frown only deepens when a guy with soft brown hair and a full mouth interrupt him.
"Excuse me, um, sorry, but do you know where the, uh, the... this building is?" He holds out a piece of paper tentatively and rubs at his nose with the other hand. Shige thinks it looks habitual rather than because he's in need of a tissue.
"Man, I don't have time for this shit," Nishikido is saying, but he's placing his guitar down carefully and snatching the paper from the other person's hands anyway.
"Ah~ Ryo-chan's so funny," Koyama grins around a mouthful of rice, and Shige chokes on his own as he realises Koyama could see him watching.
"Funny? Are you kidding me? He's such an asshole!"
Koyama smiles like he knows some big secret, "Don't be ridiculous, Shige. He's a musician. He's just misunderstood, that's all."
Shige snorts and ignores him. Nishikido's an asshole.
-
Shige doesn't think anything more of the lost student until that evening. Nishikido had mailed he and Koyama earlier to invite him out - or as close to an invitation as the other man could manage, which normally meant something along the lines of going for drinks later. You'd better show. Koyama thought it was endearing. Shige just thought the musician needed eloquence lessons.
Regardless of what Shige thought about him, Koyama could never say no to anyone, which meant that by sheer association, Shige wasn't allowed to either, which is why just after eight that night they were comfortably ensconced in one of the many still-vacant booths of their favourite bar.
They'd just gotten a round of drinks when Nishikido shows up with, to their surprise, someone else in tow.
Koyama's eyes go very wide as they approach and Nishikido flops down next to Shige, elbowing him to move over and muttering darkly about how it must be Shige's ugly hair making him take up too much space. Sometimes, Shige wondered if Nishikido actually thought he made sense.
"Yamashita-kun?!" Koyama bursts out, and the newcomer bows his head, cheeks flushed obviously even in the dark of the bar.
"It's been a while."
"What are you doing here? Oh my God, this is so great! Shige, Shige, this is Yamashita! You remember, the one I told you about from back home?" Koyama's grin looks about ready to split his face in half, and Shige nods politely with a small smile.
"Nice to finally meet you."
Even if Koyama didn't talk about the famous Yamashita more than anything else - to the point even that Shige wondered just what their relationship had been sometimes - there's a constant reminder of him on Koyama's desk in the form of a short note propped up against Koyama's pencil pot.
Koyama-san,
Happy Birthday! A magic, special day that happens only once a year! ♪~ Sorry, I heard that on a radio song somewhere and it stuck in the most irritating way. I hope you will enjoy your present. It seemed like you would, so I bought it.
Once again, congratulations on your birthday. I, Yamashita Tomohisa, wish you all the very best for your future.
The book it had come in was there too, always within easy reach, and if Shige had been a more bitter person, he might have been jealous that despite only knowing Koyama for a few months, Yamapi seemed to have left a bigger imprint on Koyama's heart than most friends leave in a lifetime.
"Idiot couldn't find the Social Sciences building earlier," Nishikido mumbles gruffly, and Shige can't help but be a little taken aback at how cold the other man is being, especially to someone new. Yamashita, on the other hand, doesn't seem quite so insulted, and just laughs softly.
"May I join you?" He asks, and Koyama nods hard enough that Shige thinks his head might fly off.
"Of course! Sit down, sit down, would you like a drink? What are you drinking now?"
-
As it turns out, Yamashita is every bit as nice as Koyama had made out and, once the alcohol is flowing, funny too. Shige's been around Koyama long enough to know when his friend has a crush, and he can practically see the sparkles in his eyes when the other man looks at Yamashita - which he seemed to spend most of the evening doing, to the point that Shige was repeating everything he said two or three times before Koyama realised he was speaking.
Nishikido gets better with alcohol too, Shige realises, and wonders why he'd never noticed before. While the other man is still just as acerbic as ever, his attentions are directed towards everyone else instead of Shige, and more than once Shige had very nearly choked on his drink.
The next morning, Shige's head feels like it's going to split in two, and Koyama's sunny, hangover-less disposition makes him want to throw things - big, heavy, spiky things - in his roommate's direction until he leaves him alone.
Then, Shige rolls over, hits something soft, warm and decidedly human-shaped, screams and falls out of bed.
There's a groan and a grumble of indiscernible syllables, and Shige's eyes grow to the size of dinner plates when Nishikido's head emerges from the bundle of covers and fixes him with the glare Shige is used to.
"What the hell was that for?"
"What?! I- we- did we- ohmygod please, we didn't, did we?"
"Shut up," Nishikido grouches, rolling over and pulling the blankets over his head again, and his voice comes out muffled, "Like I'd ever do anything with you."
Shige's relief is more than audible in his slightly hysterical laugh, and Nishikido sticks his head up again, "There's no need to sound quite so pleased about it. Plenty of people would kill for this, you know."
Shige tries to look apologetic, but it's hard when he's trying to ignore how much better the other man looks with mussed hair and sleepy eyes. Instead he just swallows and turns away to get ready for breakfast.
-
That night, Shige's dreams are filled with dark hair and smooth skin and a slender body that fits perfectly against his own. He's enjoying it until the other person leans down, and it's Nishikido's eyes staring darkly down at him.
Shige wakes himself up in a cold sweat, with Nishikido's scent lingering on his pillow.
He can't look the other man in the eye for the next week, flashing back to the dream every time and dropping whatever he's holding or stumbling over whatever he's saying. It probably would have been longer, but Nishikido corners him the next weekend while they're all out drinking again and Shige was on his way back from the bathroom.
"What's your problem?" He growls, and Shige presses himself back against the nearest wall.
"E-excuse me?"
"You." Nishikido glares, and Shige feels like if looks were tangible, he'd be a bloody pulp on the floor by now.
"You," Nishikido says again, "You've been avoiding me all week. If you've got a problem with me, the least you could do is tell me instead of ignoring me like a five year old."
"I-I-"
"I-I-" Nishikido mocks, and his eyes harden even more, "Spit it the fuck out already, I haven't got all day."
Shige refrains from pointing out that Nishikido was the one that had followed him, not the other way around, but he's pretty sure it's because the other man is pretty terrifying when he's genuinely angry and not because he's being polite.
"I-I don't have a problem with you."
"Bullshit. You've never liked me, not from day one. What the fuck did I do to make you hate me so much?"
If Shige had been talking to anyone else, he'd have said they sounded hurt.
"N-Nishikido, I-"
"It's Ryo, Jesus, how long have we known each other? You could at least try and pretend you like me."
Shige's heart skips a little and he can't hold Nishiki- Ryo's gaze any more.
"I don't have a problem with you... Ryo." The name feels unfamiliar on his tongue, but very, very comfortable.
Ryo's eyes flicker, and Shige thinks he sees a hint of a smile around the other man's mouth. Not that he's looking at Ryo's mouth.
"Then why have you been avoiding me?" He asks, a little softer now, and that unnerves Shige even more than when Ryo had been angry. At least he was used to Ryo's temper.
"Because you slept with me!"
A patron glances over as they pass, and Shige feels his cheeks burning.
"I-I mean, you, you slept in my bed. While I was in it! Also sleeping, a-and-"
Ryo's full-on smirking at him now, eyes dancing with amusement and he, thankfully, cuts Shige off before he can embarrass himself further, "You're freaking out because we slept in the same bed?"
Shige stares at his toes, "Well, w-when you put it like that..."
"Lighten up, Shige. It's not like we had sex."
Shige blushes even harder, and when he looks up Ryo is smiling - really smiling - at him, a huge grin filled with mirth and straight, white teeth. It makes Shige's heart skip a beat, throat suddenly dry, and it doesn't get any better when Ryo leans in closer, lowering his voice to something deep and primal.
"Yet."
Then Ryo straightens up and laughs, turning on his heel and leaving Shige pressed back against the wall, as breathless as if he'd just had the life kissed out of him.
It doesn't get any better when they return to the table and find Koyama in Yamashita's lap - and his mouth.
Shige covers his eyes with a groan, and Ryo barks at them to get a room, which Shige regrets an hour later because it's half his room too, and he has no desire to stay there with the two of them.
Unfortunately, his only other option at two in the morning is going home with Ryo.
Ryo's couch was clearly never made for sleeping on, Shige muses as he shuffles around to try and stop that goddamn spring digging into him, but he might as well make the most of it because the alternatives are much, much worse. He certainly isn't going home, and when he'd complained to Ryo, his host had flashed him a toothy grin and pointed out that there was a perfectly good bed in his room, if Shige felt so inclined.
No, he's definitely staying here.
-
Two hours later, the bed is practically calling Shige away from the couch.
He can feel sleep hovering just out of reach, exhaustion taking over his body but not his mind, not when this stupid couch feels like it's alive and has a grudge against him.
Fortunately - or possibly unfortunately - Shige's granted a distraction from his discomfort in the form of Ryo hovering in his doorway.
"Will you stop fidgeting and go to sleep?! I can hear you from in there!" He gestures towards the room behind him, and Shige glares even if Ryo can't see it in the dark.
"I would, if your couch wasn't such a death trap."
"I offered you something more comfortable, but would you take it?"
Shige snorts, "Like I'd ever willingly share a bed with someone like you."
"Someone like me?"
Shige's glad he can't see Ryo's face; like this, he can pretend he didn't hear the flicker of hurt in Ryo's voice.
"Yeah, you might try and molest me in my sleep or something."
This time, Ryo chuckles, and moves across the room until he's standing next to Shige's feet, "Someone's got a big head." He flops down on Shige's legs without any preamble and snatches the remote up off of the coffee table.
"W-What are you doing?" Shige splutters, yanking his feet out from underneath Ryo's backside.
"Watching TV. If you won't sleep, then I can't, so we might as well do something instead of lay about in the dark."
Shige can't argue with that. He flexes his toes to check for damage, then curls up on one corner of the couch, blanket around his shoulders for warmth now that the heating was off.
"You gonna share that?" Ryo asks, but it's clearly not a question because he's already pulling at one corner and tugging it around himself, shuffling a little closer in the process until, in the end, Shige ends up getting more warmth from Ryo's body heat than the blanket.
Ryo's choice of television isn't bad, and soon Shige finds himself laughing at Ryo's sarcastic commentary of whoever is on screen, ripping them apart until Shige's never going to be able to see them in the same light ever again.
It's almost dawn when Ryo falls asleep, head lolling on Shige's shoulder. Shige tries to keep his eyes trained on the television, but it just isn't as interesting without Ryo's acidity, and he finds himself watching the other man sleep instead.
Ryo's face is so much more peaceful when he sleeps, none of the frown lines on his forehead or disapproval in his gaze. Like this, with his skin smoothed out and a soft, gentle smile on his lips, he really is far more attractive than Shige had ever realised before. It makes him think back to the dazzling smile Ryo had shown him for a split second before, and a small part of him wants to make Ryo smile like that more often.
He's leaning in closer before he realises what he's doing, only pulling back when he feels Ryo's breath puff out against his lips, and Shige blinks dumbly in the dark, mouth gaping like a goldfish. Snapping it closed, he squares his jaw and closes his eyes firmly - because he can hardly move with Ryo sprawled all over him like this, even if Ryo is only really just using his shoulder as a pillow and Shige could easily escape if he wanted to - and wishes for sleep to save him from himself.
-
Ryo makes them both breakfast the next morning, surprising Shige with his homeliness. The eggs are moist and flavourful, and Shige happily helps himself to a second portion when it's offered. He's also given the first shower, and almost stops to wonder what happened to the Nishikido he'd thought he'd known before, but then Ryo growls that if he's going to dawdle then he'd turn off the hot water, and Shige feels strangely comforted.
His comfort doesn't last long.
Shige gets as far as showering and dressing, and is pouring coffee for two in the kitchen when Ryo emerges from the shower, towel around his waist and hair dripping all over the floor, leaving trails that snaked their way down Ryo's chest and into the towel.
Despite all the water, Shige's mouth goes dry.
"I never asked before," Ryo says nonchalantly, and approaches Shige slowly to reach behind him and snag a mug, "Did you sleep well?"
It takes Shige a few tries, but eventually he manages to get it out, "Y-yes, thank you."
"Really?" Ryo says curiously, and sips at his coffee before putting it back down, "You didn't seem very sleepy when you tried to kiss me."
Shige's blood runs cold, and if Ryo hadn't been blocking his exit, he'd have bolted for the door.
"I-I, Nishikido-kun, I didn't- I mean, I-"
"Haven't I told you already," Ryo says, stepping closer until Shige's backed up against the counter, "It's Ryo."
Ryo's mouth is every bit as soft as it had looked last night, pressing against Shige's gently, carefully, like Shige is a scared animal about to freak out - which is probably not so far from the truth, really. Ryo just hovers there for a long moment, until Shige lets out a breath through his nose, which Ryo takes as an assent, whether it was one or not.
Soon, Shige's wishing he held that breath a little bit longer, because the way Ryo is kissing him now is stealing the last of it away. Eventually, they break away, panting breaths mingling between them, and if Shige had thought Ryo's mouth had looked nice when it was smiling, that's nothing to the way it looks now, bruised and kiss-swollen.
"I still think you should cut your hair," Ryo muses quietly, running his fingers through it, and just as Shige's about to open his mouth to give an angry retort, "It would look hot shorter."
"I... Oh," Shige breathes, realisation dawning on him that maybe, just maybe, Ryo's not as grouchy as he makes out.
He wonders if it's going to take him a long time to begin to understand Ryo's backward way of showing his affection; but then Ryo kisses him again, and Shige decides that so long as Ryo keeps showing his affection like this, the rest isn't really important.
Ryo/Shige; PG13
Remix of htenywg's Making Up Rhymes of Yesterday for jentfic_remix, here, set one year after the original fic.
-
Kato Shigeaki is tired.
He's been staring at the same highlighted paragraph of his textbook for the last half hour, and the words are making less sense than if they'd been written in some ancient Slavic dialect and carved into the page instead of printed on it.
Sighing, he marks the page and slams the book shut, earning a soft murmur from his new roommate, who burrows deeper into his pillow in his sleep.
A few hours rest, then he promises himself he'll carry on. If he was still up when his roommate awoke, he'd be in for it anyway.
-
Koyama's already awake when Shige stirs, the heavenly smell of coffee making his nose twitch before he's even opened his eyes.
"Shige!" Koyama says brightly, and the other man pushes himself upright with a groan, shielding his eyes from the light where Koyama has opened the curtains.
"Do you have to do that every morning?" Shige grumbles towards the window, but takes the hot mug Koyama thrusts into his hands.
"The morning light is refreshing and beautiful!" Koyama grins, oblivious to Shige's discomfort, "Don't you think?"
"No, I don't think," Shige mumbles into his cup, but Koyama's already moved on.
It's been a year since Koyama moved here, and in that time he'd managed to make himself an irreplaceable constant in Shige's life. He'd quickly decided that 'Kato' was too formal and 'Shigeaki' was too parental, shortening it to just 'Shige' because it was easier to remember and sounded cooler, right? And Shige had just nodded dumbly and let him because his enthusiasm was infectious and Koyama had made him lunch that morning. Shige can't count the nights Koyama has forcibly pushed him into his bed in the small hours of the morning and made him promise with bleary eyes to stay there until their alarm went off at seven, or the times Koyama has been there next to him with his textbooks and a constant supply of coffee and gummy bears. Shige wasn't sure what the gummy bears were supposed to accomplish, but Koyama seemed to enjoy talking to Shige through them - before he'd rip off parts of their body with his teeth. Shige thought Koyama might be a little bit S, but he was probably a little bit M, so he was hardly one to talk.
Shige's tucking in to one of Koyama's lunches now, sitting at one of the benches strewn haphazardly across the campus grounds with Koyama facing him and inspecting the onigiri he's holding like he's expecting it to grow legs and climb into his mouth.
Over Koyama's shoulder, Shige can see Nishikido with his guitar cradled in his lap and his bento sat, open but untouched, on the grass next to him. He'll play a few notes every now and then, and scribble something down or rub something out, then hum a few bars or sigh in frustration.
His frown only deepens when a guy with soft brown hair and a full mouth interrupt him.
"Excuse me, um, sorry, but do you know where the, uh, the... this building is?" He holds out a piece of paper tentatively and rubs at his nose with the other hand. Shige thinks it looks habitual rather than because he's in need of a tissue.
"Man, I don't have time for this shit," Nishikido is saying, but he's placing his guitar down carefully and snatching the paper from the other person's hands anyway.
"Ah~ Ryo-chan's so funny," Koyama grins around a mouthful of rice, and Shige chokes on his own as he realises Koyama could see him watching.
"Funny? Are you kidding me? He's such an asshole!"
Koyama smiles like he knows some big secret, "Don't be ridiculous, Shige. He's a musician. He's just misunderstood, that's all."
Shige snorts and ignores him. Nishikido's an asshole.
-
Shige doesn't think anything more of the lost student until that evening. Nishikido had mailed he and Koyama earlier to invite him out - or as close to an invitation as the other man could manage, which normally meant something along the lines of going for drinks later. You'd better show. Koyama thought it was endearing. Shige just thought the musician needed eloquence lessons.
Regardless of what Shige thought about him, Koyama could never say no to anyone, which meant that by sheer association, Shige wasn't allowed to either, which is why just after eight that night they were comfortably ensconced in one of the many still-vacant booths of their favourite bar.
They'd just gotten a round of drinks when Nishikido shows up with, to their surprise, someone else in tow.
Koyama's eyes go very wide as they approach and Nishikido flops down next to Shige, elbowing him to move over and muttering darkly about how it must be Shige's ugly hair making him take up too much space. Sometimes, Shige wondered if Nishikido actually thought he made sense.
"Yamashita-kun?!" Koyama bursts out, and the newcomer bows his head, cheeks flushed obviously even in the dark of the bar.
"It's been a while."
"What are you doing here? Oh my God, this is so great! Shige, Shige, this is Yamashita! You remember, the one I told you about from back home?" Koyama's grin looks about ready to split his face in half, and Shige nods politely with a small smile.
"Nice to finally meet you."
Even if Koyama didn't talk about the famous Yamashita more than anything else - to the point even that Shige wondered just what their relationship had been sometimes - there's a constant reminder of him on Koyama's desk in the form of a short note propped up against Koyama's pencil pot.
Koyama-san,
Happy Birthday! A magic, special day that happens only once a year! ♪~ Sorry, I heard that on a radio song somewhere and it stuck in the most irritating way. I hope you will enjoy your present. It seemed like you would, so I bought it.
Once again, congratulations on your birthday. I, Yamashita Tomohisa, wish you all the very best for your future.
The book it had come in was there too, always within easy reach, and if Shige had been a more bitter person, he might have been jealous that despite only knowing Koyama for a few months, Yamapi seemed to have left a bigger imprint on Koyama's heart than most friends leave in a lifetime.
"Idiot couldn't find the Social Sciences building earlier," Nishikido mumbles gruffly, and Shige can't help but be a little taken aback at how cold the other man is being, especially to someone new. Yamashita, on the other hand, doesn't seem quite so insulted, and just laughs softly.
"May I join you?" He asks, and Koyama nods hard enough that Shige thinks his head might fly off.
"Of course! Sit down, sit down, would you like a drink? What are you drinking now?"
-
As it turns out, Yamashita is every bit as nice as Koyama had made out and, once the alcohol is flowing, funny too. Shige's been around Koyama long enough to know when his friend has a crush, and he can practically see the sparkles in his eyes when the other man looks at Yamashita - which he seemed to spend most of the evening doing, to the point that Shige was repeating everything he said two or three times before Koyama realised he was speaking.
Nishikido gets better with alcohol too, Shige realises, and wonders why he'd never noticed before. While the other man is still just as acerbic as ever, his attentions are directed towards everyone else instead of Shige, and more than once Shige had very nearly choked on his drink.
The next morning, Shige's head feels like it's going to split in two, and Koyama's sunny, hangover-less disposition makes him want to throw things - big, heavy, spiky things - in his roommate's direction until he leaves him alone.
Then, Shige rolls over, hits something soft, warm and decidedly human-shaped, screams and falls out of bed.
There's a groan and a grumble of indiscernible syllables, and Shige's eyes grow to the size of dinner plates when Nishikido's head emerges from the bundle of covers and fixes him with the glare Shige is used to.
"What the hell was that for?"
"What?! I- we- did we- ohmygod please, we didn't, did we?"
"Shut up," Nishikido grouches, rolling over and pulling the blankets over his head again, and his voice comes out muffled, "Like I'd ever do anything with you."
Shige's relief is more than audible in his slightly hysterical laugh, and Nishikido sticks his head up again, "There's no need to sound quite so pleased about it. Plenty of people would kill for this, you know."
Shige tries to look apologetic, but it's hard when he's trying to ignore how much better the other man looks with mussed hair and sleepy eyes. Instead he just swallows and turns away to get ready for breakfast.
-
That night, Shige's dreams are filled with dark hair and smooth skin and a slender body that fits perfectly against his own. He's enjoying it until the other person leans down, and it's Nishikido's eyes staring darkly down at him.
Shige wakes himself up in a cold sweat, with Nishikido's scent lingering on his pillow.
He can't look the other man in the eye for the next week, flashing back to the dream every time and dropping whatever he's holding or stumbling over whatever he's saying. It probably would have been longer, but Nishikido corners him the next weekend while they're all out drinking again and Shige was on his way back from the bathroom.
"What's your problem?" He growls, and Shige presses himself back against the nearest wall.
"E-excuse me?"
"You." Nishikido glares, and Shige feels like if looks were tangible, he'd be a bloody pulp on the floor by now.
"You," Nishikido says again, "You've been avoiding me all week. If you've got a problem with me, the least you could do is tell me instead of ignoring me like a five year old."
"I-I-"
"I-I-" Nishikido mocks, and his eyes harden even more, "Spit it the fuck out already, I haven't got all day."
Shige refrains from pointing out that Nishikido was the one that had followed him, not the other way around, but he's pretty sure it's because the other man is pretty terrifying when he's genuinely angry and not because he's being polite.
"I-I don't have a problem with you."
"Bullshit. You've never liked me, not from day one. What the fuck did I do to make you hate me so much?"
If Shige had been talking to anyone else, he'd have said they sounded hurt.
"N-Nishikido, I-"
"It's Ryo, Jesus, how long have we known each other? You could at least try and pretend you like me."
Shige's heart skips a little and he can't hold Nishiki- Ryo's gaze any more.
"I don't have a problem with you... Ryo." The name feels unfamiliar on his tongue, but very, very comfortable.
Ryo's eyes flicker, and Shige thinks he sees a hint of a smile around the other man's mouth. Not that he's looking at Ryo's mouth.
"Then why have you been avoiding me?" He asks, a little softer now, and that unnerves Shige even more than when Ryo had been angry. At least he was used to Ryo's temper.
"Because you slept with me!"
A patron glances over as they pass, and Shige feels his cheeks burning.
"I-I mean, you, you slept in my bed. While I was in it! Also sleeping, a-and-"
Ryo's full-on smirking at him now, eyes dancing with amusement and he, thankfully, cuts Shige off before he can embarrass himself further, "You're freaking out because we slept in the same bed?"
Shige stares at his toes, "Well, w-when you put it like that..."
"Lighten up, Shige. It's not like we had sex."
Shige blushes even harder, and when he looks up Ryo is smiling - really smiling - at him, a huge grin filled with mirth and straight, white teeth. It makes Shige's heart skip a beat, throat suddenly dry, and it doesn't get any better when Ryo leans in closer, lowering his voice to something deep and primal.
"Yet."
Then Ryo straightens up and laughs, turning on his heel and leaving Shige pressed back against the wall, as breathless as if he'd just had the life kissed out of him.
It doesn't get any better when they return to the table and find Koyama in Yamashita's lap - and his mouth.
Shige covers his eyes with a groan, and Ryo barks at them to get a room, which Shige regrets an hour later because it's half his room too, and he has no desire to stay there with the two of them.
Unfortunately, his only other option at two in the morning is going home with Ryo.
Ryo's couch was clearly never made for sleeping on, Shige muses as he shuffles around to try and stop that goddamn spring digging into him, but he might as well make the most of it because the alternatives are much, much worse. He certainly isn't going home, and when he'd complained to Ryo, his host had flashed him a toothy grin and pointed out that there was a perfectly good bed in his room, if Shige felt so inclined.
No, he's definitely staying here.
-
Two hours later, the bed is practically calling Shige away from the couch.
He can feel sleep hovering just out of reach, exhaustion taking over his body but not his mind, not when this stupid couch feels like it's alive and has a grudge against him.
Fortunately - or possibly unfortunately - Shige's granted a distraction from his discomfort in the form of Ryo hovering in his doorway.
"Will you stop fidgeting and go to sleep?! I can hear you from in there!" He gestures towards the room behind him, and Shige glares even if Ryo can't see it in the dark.
"I would, if your couch wasn't such a death trap."
"I offered you something more comfortable, but would you take it?"
Shige snorts, "Like I'd ever willingly share a bed with someone like you."
"Someone like me?"
Shige's glad he can't see Ryo's face; like this, he can pretend he didn't hear the flicker of hurt in Ryo's voice.
"Yeah, you might try and molest me in my sleep or something."
This time, Ryo chuckles, and moves across the room until he's standing next to Shige's feet, "Someone's got a big head." He flops down on Shige's legs without any preamble and snatches the remote up off of the coffee table.
"W-What are you doing?" Shige splutters, yanking his feet out from underneath Ryo's backside.
"Watching TV. If you won't sleep, then I can't, so we might as well do something instead of lay about in the dark."
Shige can't argue with that. He flexes his toes to check for damage, then curls up on one corner of the couch, blanket around his shoulders for warmth now that the heating was off.
"You gonna share that?" Ryo asks, but it's clearly not a question because he's already pulling at one corner and tugging it around himself, shuffling a little closer in the process until, in the end, Shige ends up getting more warmth from Ryo's body heat than the blanket.
Ryo's choice of television isn't bad, and soon Shige finds himself laughing at Ryo's sarcastic commentary of whoever is on screen, ripping them apart until Shige's never going to be able to see them in the same light ever again.
It's almost dawn when Ryo falls asleep, head lolling on Shige's shoulder. Shige tries to keep his eyes trained on the television, but it just isn't as interesting without Ryo's acidity, and he finds himself watching the other man sleep instead.
Ryo's face is so much more peaceful when he sleeps, none of the frown lines on his forehead or disapproval in his gaze. Like this, with his skin smoothed out and a soft, gentle smile on his lips, he really is far more attractive than Shige had ever realised before. It makes him think back to the dazzling smile Ryo had shown him for a split second before, and a small part of him wants to make Ryo smile like that more often.
He's leaning in closer before he realises what he's doing, only pulling back when he feels Ryo's breath puff out against his lips, and Shige blinks dumbly in the dark, mouth gaping like a goldfish. Snapping it closed, he squares his jaw and closes his eyes firmly - because he can hardly move with Ryo sprawled all over him like this, even if Ryo is only really just using his shoulder as a pillow and Shige could easily escape if he wanted to - and wishes for sleep to save him from himself.
-
Ryo makes them both breakfast the next morning, surprising Shige with his homeliness. The eggs are moist and flavourful, and Shige happily helps himself to a second portion when it's offered. He's also given the first shower, and almost stops to wonder what happened to the Nishikido he'd thought he'd known before, but then Ryo growls that if he's going to dawdle then he'd turn off the hot water, and Shige feels strangely comforted.
His comfort doesn't last long.
Shige gets as far as showering and dressing, and is pouring coffee for two in the kitchen when Ryo emerges from the shower, towel around his waist and hair dripping all over the floor, leaving trails that snaked their way down Ryo's chest and into the towel.
Despite all the water, Shige's mouth goes dry.
"I never asked before," Ryo says nonchalantly, and approaches Shige slowly to reach behind him and snag a mug, "Did you sleep well?"
It takes Shige a few tries, but eventually he manages to get it out, "Y-yes, thank you."
"Really?" Ryo says curiously, and sips at his coffee before putting it back down, "You didn't seem very sleepy when you tried to kiss me."
Shige's blood runs cold, and if Ryo hadn't been blocking his exit, he'd have bolted for the door.
"I-I, Nishikido-kun, I didn't- I mean, I-"
"Haven't I told you already," Ryo says, stepping closer until Shige's backed up against the counter, "It's Ryo."
Ryo's mouth is every bit as soft as it had looked last night, pressing against Shige's gently, carefully, like Shige is a scared animal about to freak out - which is probably not so far from the truth, really. Ryo just hovers there for a long moment, until Shige lets out a breath through his nose, which Ryo takes as an assent, whether it was one or not.
Soon, Shige's wishing he held that breath a little bit longer, because the way Ryo is kissing him now is stealing the last of it away. Eventually, they break away, panting breaths mingling between them, and if Shige had thought Ryo's mouth had looked nice when it was smiling, that's nothing to the way it looks now, bruised and kiss-swollen.
"I still think you should cut your hair," Ryo muses quietly, running his fingers through it, and just as Shige's about to open his mouth to give an angry retort, "It would look hot shorter."
"I... Oh," Shige breathes, realisation dawning on him that maybe, just maybe, Ryo's not as grouchy as he makes out.
He wonders if it's going to take him a long time to begin to understand Ryo's backward way of showing his affection; but then Ryo kisses him again, and Shige decides that so long as Ryo keeps showing his affection like this, the rest isn't really important.