Odoroki
eighteen.
“I think I’m just coming down with something, is all.” She sank down into the couch, grateful for the returned comfort and support, and sighed a little as she heard him sigh, too. “But I promise you I’m resting and chugging water, so I should be okay in a few days.” She heard him chuckle softly, and she smiled. “If it’s not any better by next week, I’ll see a doctor, okay?”
“Okay.” He was chuckling, and she rolled her eyes- one of his regulars was probably in the back room with him, hanging out and not buying anything. “Just make sure that it’s not some weird virus. You can catch some pretty strange shit over here.” He chuckled again, and she heard someone else laughing, and her previous assumption was confirmed.
“What, like Ebola? Yuu, don’t tell her that shit- she’ll never come back now.”
“Takanori, shut up.” He sighed. “Don’t listen to him- the worst you can get right now is some variation of the flu.” She could hear snickering, and she smiled. Conversations such as these reminded her that not being in Tokyo wasn’t so bad, as long as the two of them could still talk. “…Takanori, for the last time, no. That is my cup of coffee, and if you steal it, I’ll-“
“Yuu, love. Be nice, hm? I’d rather you not end up in prison for murdering a patron, y’know?”
“Yeah, Yuu, listen to your girlfriend, and- you know your coffee’s better than the crap around the corner anyway.”
Natasha giggled as she picked up her glass of water and took a drink, and she could imagine Yuu rolling his eyes, considering throttling Takanori and also considering caving and just letting him have the caffeine. And she thought it was nice that his customers were also good friends of his- meaning he could talk with them and help them out so much more, and even unwind when business got slow on a rough day.
She heard Takanori, muffled, in the background, and she heard him almost giggling as Yuu gave in with a sigh.
“What a hard-ass you are,” she teased, and she could just imagine that he was rolling his eyes. “Being all sweet and sensitive with your girlfriend, and now you’re giving away grade-A coffee for free.” She laughed softly, and she heard him laugh, too. “Don’t worry, though. I won’t tell anyone. Wouldn’t want to ruin your reputation or anything.” She grinned, snickering, and reached for the television remote, deciding that, although conversation with Yuu was great, complete silence in her apartment was not helping her immortal headache. A news station was the first to appear, and she grunted- news would only feed her headache. She flipped through the channels as Yuu and Takanori bickered for a moment, and she thought that it was great that he had a friend like that.
And then she heard sputtering, and she heard full-on laughter. She raised an eyebrow, and she giggled to herself as Yuu fell silent- Takanori had most likely said something that had earned him a glare and expression of disbelief all at once. And then his silence lasted longer than she’d expected, and she could hear Takanori’s laughter continue.
“…Yuu?”
“Hm?”
“Are you okay over there?” She bit her lip, hesitant- either he was angry, or he was at a loss for words, but either way, she wasn’t entirely sure that his silence was anything good. “I can let you go if you two need-“
“No, of course not,” he said, and his voice was as gentle as ever, but she could envision him staring at his friend in disbelief. “Takanori-kun’s just having his fun in his own way.”
“Oh yeah? And what way might that be?”
He sighed. “Do you really want to know?” She smiled a little, responding with a short ‘mhm’, and giggled a little as his sigh allowed her to picture him attempting to hide his face in his hand. “He asked if I was being tense because he was keeping us from having phone sex.” She attempted to keep a straight face, and she tried to keep her laughter quiet, but as she heard Takanori in the background, she couldn’t help but break into a fit of laughter, and she knew that, even if she couldn’t hear him, he was groaning and cursing his friend’s lack of a censor. “Not you, too,” he sighed, and she couldn’t help but laugh- and she had to admit that it felt good to do so, after feeling like hell for the last few days. “All right, fine, have your fun, but-“
“At work, of- of all places!” And her own censor-less sense of humor was beginning to kick in, and images of him on his couch and her in her bed and him trying to be quiet crossed her mind, and the laughter only kept coming. And at some point, he was laughing, too, though not quite as wholeheartedly as Takanori and Natasha were. “I mean- as if you would…how unprofessional would that be?” She was laughing harder now, and for a moment, Yuu felt his heart pang. In that moment, he would have loved to have been there to see her smile.
Then, once that moment had passed and the laughter calmed, Yuu couldn’t help but smile. It’s really nice to hear you laugh like that. “I’m glad you find his immaturity humorous,” he said, and he was chuckling as Takanori thanked him for the coffee and then wandered toward the front half of the shop- either intending to buy something or planning on returning later, letting Yuu have his time alone for now. “Just be careful you don’t crack a rib or anything, hm?”
“As if I could laugh that hard,” she said, and her voice was still a breathless chuckle. “It might make my headache worse, but honestly? It’s worth it.”
“Willing to have migraines over phone sex, hm?”
She laughed again- it was short, and it was quieter, but it could be heard all the same. “To be honest, if phone sex gave me a migraine, I think I’d be done with it for good.” She heard him chuckle, and in the few moments of quiet that passed between them, she glanced at the television, biting her lip, attempting to control her ever-growing smile.
“You’d give up phone sex after just one bad experience?” He chuckled, attempting to sound chastising. “No second chances or anything?” He laughed again, and she rolled her eyes, and she heard him tutting at her as though she was a misbehaving child. “Unbelievable.”
“Though you knew me, huh?” She cracked a grin.
He laughed. “Yeah, I guess I did.” He sighed, and it was the sound of content. “Still love you, though, regardless.”
The words brought a smile to her face, and she bit her lip and pretended that he hadn’t just melted her tense exterior. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Yuu?”
“Hm?”
She smiled. “I love you too.”
“Okay.” He was chuckling, and she rolled her eyes- one of his regulars was probably in the back room with him, hanging out and not buying anything. “Just make sure that it’s not some weird virus. You can catch some pretty strange shit over here.” He chuckled again, and she heard someone else laughing, and her previous assumption was confirmed.
“What, like Ebola? Yuu, don’t tell her that shit- she’ll never come back now.”
“Takanori, shut up.” He sighed. “Don’t listen to him- the worst you can get right now is some variation of the flu.” She could hear snickering, and she smiled. Conversations such as these reminded her that not being in Tokyo wasn’t so bad, as long as the two of them could still talk. “…Takanori, for the last time, no. That is my cup of coffee, and if you steal it, I’ll-“
“Yuu, love. Be nice, hm? I’d rather you not end up in prison for murdering a patron, y’know?”
“Yeah, Yuu, listen to your girlfriend, and- you know your coffee’s better than the crap around the corner anyway.”
Natasha giggled as she picked up her glass of water and took a drink, and she could imagine Yuu rolling his eyes, considering throttling Takanori and also considering caving and just letting him have the caffeine. And she thought it was nice that his customers were also good friends of his- meaning he could talk with them and help them out so much more, and even unwind when business got slow on a rough day.
She heard Takanori, muffled, in the background, and she heard him almost giggling as Yuu gave in with a sigh.
“What a hard-ass you are,” she teased, and she could just imagine that he was rolling his eyes. “Being all sweet and sensitive with your girlfriend, and now you’re giving away grade-A coffee for free.” She laughed softly, and she heard him laugh, too. “Don’t worry, though. I won’t tell anyone. Wouldn’t want to ruin your reputation or anything.” She grinned, snickering, and reached for the television remote, deciding that, although conversation with Yuu was great, complete silence in her apartment was not helping her immortal headache. A news station was the first to appear, and she grunted- news would only feed her headache. She flipped through the channels as Yuu and Takanori bickered for a moment, and she thought that it was great that he had a friend like that.
And then she heard sputtering, and she heard full-on laughter. She raised an eyebrow, and she giggled to herself as Yuu fell silent- Takanori had most likely said something that had earned him a glare and expression of disbelief all at once. And then his silence lasted longer than she’d expected, and she could hear Takanori’s laughter continue.
“…Yuu?”
“Hm?”
“Are you okay over there?” She bit her lip, hesitant- either he was angry, or he was at a loss for words, but either way, she wasn’t entirely sure that his silence was anything good. “I can let you go if you two need-“
“No, of course not,” he said, and his voice was as gentle as ever, but she could envision him staring at his friend in disbelief. “Takanori-kun’s just having his fun in his own way.”
“Oh yeah? And what way might that be?”
He sighed. “Do you really want to know?” She smiled a little, responding with a short ‘mhm’, and giggled a little as his sigh allowed her to picture him attempting to hide his face in his hand. “He asked if I was being tense because he was keeping us from having phone sex.” She attempted to keep a straight face, and she tried to keep her laughter quiet, but as she heard Takanori in the background, she couldn’t help but break into a fit of laughter, and she knew that, even if she couldn’t hear him, he was groaning and cursing his friend’s lack of a censor. “Not you, too,” he sighed, and she couldn’t help but laugh- and she had to admit that it felt good to do so, after feeling like hell for the last few days. “All right, fine, have your fun, but-“
“At work, of- of all places!” And her own censor-less sense of humor was beginning to kick in, and images of him on his couch and her in her bed and him trying to be quiet crossed her mind, and the laughter only kept coming. And at some point, he was laughing, too, though not quite as wholeheartedly as Takanori and Natasha were. “I mean- as if you would…how unprofessional would that be?” She was laughing harder now, and for a moment, Yuu felt his heart pang. In that moment, he would have loved to have been there to see her smile.
Then, once that moment had passed and the laughter calmed, Yuu couldn’t help but smile. It’s really nice to hear you laugh like that. “I’m glad you find his immaturity humorous,” he said, and he was chuckling as Takanori thanked him for the coffee and then wandered toward the front half of the shop- either intending to buy something or planning on returning later, letting Yuu have his time alone for now. “Just be careful you don’t crack a rib or anything, hm?”
“As if I could laugh that hard,” she said, and her voice was still a breathless chuckle. “It might make my headache worse, but honestly? It’s worth it.”
“Willing to have migraines over phone sex, hm?”
She laughed again- it was short, and it was quieter, but it could be heard all the same. “To be honest, if phone sex gave me a migraine, I think I’d be done with it for good.” She heard him chuckle, and in the few moments of quiet that passed between them, she glanced at the television, biting her lip, attempting to control her ever-growing smile.
“You’d give up phone sex after just one bad experience?” He chuckled, attempting to sound chastising. “No second chances or anything?” He laughed again, and she rolled her eyes, and she heard him tutting at her as though she was a misbehaving child. “Unbelievable.”
“Though you knew me, huh?” She cracked a grin.
He laughed. “Yeah, I guess I did.” He sighed, and it was the sound of content. “Still love you, though, regardless.”
The words brought a smile to her face, and she bit her lip and pretended that he hadn’t just melted her tense exterior. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Yuu?”
“Hm?”
She smiled. “I love you too.”