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writetomyheart2021-10-12 01:11 am
yrindor) wrote in writetomyheart2021-10-12 01:11 am
Entry tags:
[Team Three] Roommates?
In which Kojiro tries to move out, and Kaoru throws a fit. Joe/Cherry, T, 850w.
"Move out? What do you mean you're moving out?" Kaoru demanded, his dinner fork coming perilously close to knocking over his wineglass as he stabbed it in Kojiro's direction. "Are you jealous of Carla or something?"
"What? No! Of course not! Why would I be jealous of Carla?" Kojiro replied. One sentence in, and he was already floundering. So much for the dozens of times he'd played out this conversation in his head for practice. Typical Kaoru, really, throwing a wrench in things from the start.
"Then why are you moving out? Are you unhappy? Is something wrong with the atmosphere?"
"Other than you trying to bake us alive all winter and steam us all summer? No, nothing's wrong. Why do you think something's wrong?"
"Because you just said you were moving out!?" Kaoru's face was nearly the same shade of red as his yukata, which was never a good sign. Luckily, the high counter of the bar stood between Kojiro's ass and Kaoru's boot, so maybe he could still dig himself back out of this hole after all.
"Well, yes, but not because anything's wrong. The opposite in fact. The restaurant's doing great. Full house every night this week, and with the latest reviews, that's probably not changing anytime soon. Apparently someone wants to do a TV feature on us for some travel show too; I just got a call from the producer this afternoon. Speaking of which, if that goes through, I might come to you for some media tips."
"If you want media advice, go talk to Ainosuke."
"Hell no," Kojiro said. He could imagine the headache already. "I absolutely don't need that many NDAs and contracts and whatnot. You're better at talking to media without actually talking to them, if you know what I mean."
Kaoru shrugged. "Sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words, but you're changing the subject again. You. Moving out. Why?"
"I wasn't changing the subject," Kojiro protested. "I was explaining."
"That wasn't an explanation, you gorilla. That was a bunch of sentences shoved together without the slightest modicum of though, as one would expect from you, but do go on."
With that, the conversation was finally back on familiar ground. Kojiro cleared his throat and picked up a wineglass to dry. Practicing in front of the mirror had taught him he'd wring his hands like a nervous schoolboy if he didn't have something to keep them busy. "When I first came back from Italy, I really appreciated the offer to stay in your spare room. Starting a restaurant isn't cheap, and neither is rent. Not having to worry about my personal living arrangements, or how I would afford them, was a huge weight off of my shoulders. The restaurant is up and running now though, and she's more than paying for herself, so I don't want to keep imposing on you."
"Imposing on me!?" Kaoru demanded, once again creating a danger zone around him with his fork. "Who says you're imposing on me?"
"I've been living in your guest room for how long now? How is that not imposing?" Kojiro asked. His apartment in Italy hadn't been large enough to have anything qualifying as a guest room, but he'd had a spare sofa. He could barely put of with company for a week before he wanted his space back, and he was supposedly the more laid back and social of the two of them. "And how often do you grumble about this, that, or the other thing I've left lying around or put away improperly or whatever?"
"What if I've gotten used to having you around? And since when has complaining had anything to do with anything? How often does Ainosuke complain to Tadashi, and you don't see Tadashi suddenly deciding he should leave, do you?"
"That's different! Tadashi and Ainosuke are, you know--" Kojiro pressed his fingers together in lieu of trying to put words to the rest of that thought.
Kaoru looked up sharply his glasses glinting ominously. "What is it exactly they are that we aren't? Fucking? Because we definitely do that plenty. Longstanding friends? Living together? And don't try to pull some sort of 'business relations' bullshit on me, because last I checked half the wall decorations in your restaurant were done by yours truly, and my most recent three events were catered by said restaurant."
"What are you trying to say?" Kojiro asked. This conversation had officially gone completely off the deep end. Out of all of the possibilities he'd considered, Kaoru asking him to stay had never crossed his mind. Assuming that was what Kaoru was saying; it was a bit hard to tell around all of the glaring and aggressive cutlery waving.
"How clearly do I have to say it to get through that thick gorilla skull of yours? Whatever this is between us, it's moved beyond casual fuckbuddies. I want you to stay--permanently."
Ziskandra is up next.
"Move out? What do you mean you're moving out?" Kaoru demanded, his dinner fork coming perilously close to knocking over his wineglass as he stabbed it in Kojiro's direction. "Are you jealous of Carla or something?"
"What? No! Of course not! Why would I be jealous of Carla?" Kojiro replied. One sentence in, and he was already floundering. So much for the dozens of times he'd played out this conversation in his head for practice. Typical Kaoru, really, throwing a wrench in things from the start.
"Then why are you moving out? Are you unhappy? Is something wrong with the atmosphere?"
"Other than you trying to bake us alive all winter and steam us all summer? No, nothing's wrong. Why do you think something's wrong?"
"Because you just said you were moving out!?" Kaoru's face was nearly the same shade of red as his yukata, which was never a good sign. Luckily, the high counter of the bar stood between Kojiro's ass and Kaoru's boot, so maybe he could still dig himself back out of this hole after all.
"Well, yes, but not because anything's wrong. The opposite in fact. The restaurant's doing great. Full house every night this week, and with the latest reviews, that's probably not changing anytime soon. Apparently someone wants to do a TV feature on us for some travel show too; I just got a call from the producer this afternoon. Speaking of which, if that goes through, I might come to you for some media tips."
"If you want media advice, go talk to Ainosuke."
"Hell no," Kojiro said. He could imagine the headache already. "I absolutely don't need that many NDAs and contracts and whatnot. You're better at talking to media without actually talking to them, if you know what I mean."
Kaoru shrugged. "Sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words, but you're changing the subject again. You. Moving out. Why?"
"I wasn't changing the subject," Kojiro protested. "I was explaining."
"That wasn't an explanation, you gorilla. That was a bunch of sentences shoved together without the slightest modicum of though, as one would expect from you, but do go on."
With that, the conversation was finally back on familiar ground. Kojiro cleared his throat and picked up a wineglass to dry. Practicing in front of the mirror had taught him he'd wring his hands like a nervous schoolboy if he didn't have something to keep them busy. "When I first came back from Italy, I really appreciated the offer to stay in your spare room. Starting a restaurant isn't cheap, and neither is rent. Not having to worry about my personal living arrangements, or how I would afford them, was a huge weight off of my shoulders. The restaurant is up and running now though, and she's more than paying for herself, so I don't want to keep imposing on you."
"Imposing on me!?" Kaoru demanded, once again creating a danger zone around him with his fork. "Who says you're imposing on me?"
"I've been living in your guest room for how long now? How is that not imposing?" Kojiro asked. His apartment in Italy hadn't been large enough to have anything qualifying as a guest room, but he'd had a spare sofa. He could barely put of with company for a week before he wanted his space back, and he was supposedly the more laid back and social of the two of them. "And how often do you grumble about this, that, or the other thing I've left lying around or put away improperly or whatever?"
"What if I've gotten used to having you around? And since when has complaining had anything to do with anything? How often does Ainosuke complain to Tadashi, and you don't see Tadashi suddenly deciding he should leave, do you?"
"That's different! Tadashi and Ainosuke are, you know--" Kojiro pressed his fingers together in lieu of trying to put words to the rest of that thought.
Kaoru looked up sharply his glasses glinting ominously. "What is it exactly they are that we aren't? Fucking? Because we definitely do that plenty. Longstanding friends? Living together? And don't try to pull some sort of 'business relations' bullshit on me, because last I checked half the wall decorations in your restaurant were done by yours truly, and my most recent three events were catered by said restaurant."
"What are you trying to say?" Kojiro asked. This conversation had officially gone completely off the deep end. Out of all of the possibilities he'd considered, Kaoru asking him to stay had never crossed his mind. Assuming that was what Kaoru was saying; it was a bit hard to tell around all of the glaring and aggressive cutlery waving.
"How clearly do I have to say it to get through that thick gorilla skull of yours? Whatever this is between us, it's moved beyond casual fuckbuddies. I want you to stay--permanently."
Ziskandra is up next.