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alchemicink ([personal profile] alchemicink) wrote in [community profile] writetomyheart2025-06-22 09:02 pm

[Team four] what's mine can be yours

These opening words were just begging me to write more Ultraman Arc fluff 😁 I didn't manage to figure out the ending yet, but here's a good chunk of it

Yuma/Shu; g-rated; about 800ish words

"You're wearing my shirt."

Yuma hadn't meant to say that out loud. But when he woke up and saw Shu sitting at his kitchen table, unexpectedly clad in a familiar old t-shirt that clung to his shoulders just right, the words just slipped out. He feels his face growing warm, thinking about just how good Shu looks in his clothes.

He's not supposed to be thinking things like that about his friend, but the past few days of sharing an apartment have tested his willpower.

Yuma's only returned from Rution's home planet about two weeks ago, and then -- in some twist of fate timing -- Shu was temporarily displaced from his own apartment a few days ago due to building repairs. Yuma had immediately volunteered to keep Shu from having to stay at a hotel without giving himself time to think about the consequences of living together, however briefly this may be.

He definitely didn't consider the possibility of Shu wearing his old t-shirts to sleep in.

"I didn't realize it was yours," Shu replies, squinting down at the wrinkled shirt emblazoned with the name of some old band Yuma saw in concert once. "I apologize. I wasn't wearing my glasses last night when I grabbed it."

Yuma thinks part of the problem might be that his apartment is too small and their things keep getting mixed up together.

He looks away for a moment, resolute not to start fantasizing about a future where they share an apartment long enough for Yuma's stuff and Shu's stuff become their stuff.

"I should return it," Shu continues, moving to take the shirt off while he's still waiting for his coffee to finish brewing.

"No," Yuma exclaims without thinking.

Shu pauses, looking startled and slightly confused -- he clearly needs some coffee to start processing things at this time of the morning. Maybe if Yuma's lucky, he'll forget this whole conversation thanks to the lack of caffeine in his system.

"I mean, I don't mind," Yuma scrambles to make himself sound less insane, but it just turns into a bit of babbling. "You can borrow my clothes any time. It looks good on you."

Oh that's somehow even worse, he thinks and resists the urge to give himself an exasperated slap to the forehead.

And now Shu's expression has changed to something more contemplative as he looks down and fiddles with the shirt hem. Yuma is still just getting used to seeing Shu in more than just his usual work suits, but he tries not to stare.

"It's a comfortable shirt," Shu admits.

The coffeemaker makes some sort of grumbling noise, saving them from continuing the conversation for now. Yuma remains sitting on the futon he's been using while Shu stays over, not wanting to get up and join Shu in the kitchen just yet. They both have the day off anyway. He scrubs his hands across his face, thinking about how the only thing they have in the apartment for breakfast is a handful of onigiri and melonpan from the convenience store down the street.

When he looks up again, Shu's back is to him as he fixes his cup of coffee. Yuma's eyes trail over the words printed on the back of the shirt -- tour dates for the band, he recalls, even if he can't read them from this distance -- but most of his focus goes to the outline of Shu's shoulder blades, visible underneath the fabric of the shirt.

Yuma had never thought about Shu like this before he left. But maybe those months spent millions of light-years apart made a bigger impact on him than he realized. While he was away, he had spent a lot of time thinking about the people on Earth that he missed. The Chief, Rin, Grandma... but more often than not, it was Shu that was always at the forefront of his thoughts. Yuma missed their walks to work and their conversations about different kaiju and just being in a space together where they were only an arm's reach or two away from each other.

He spent a lot of time thinking about the hug Shu gave him on the rooftop before Yuma left. His mind kept replaying the way Shu pulled him close and wrapped his arms tightly around Yuma, like he hadn't wanted to let go. He can remember exactly how Shu's voice had wavered with emotion as he said thank you.

There are times when Yuma wonders if Shu had wanted to tell him something else, if maybe there was more to that moment than just friendship. But Yuma hasn't been able to work up the nerve to ask yet. When he returned to Earth, Shu had been overjoyed and had hugged him again just as tightly, but then, so had everyone else.

Maybe he's just been reading too much into it.

"Breakfast?"

Yuma blinks, having zoned out so much that he hadn't noticed Shu approach.

Shu offers up an onigiri as he sits down on Yuma's bed. He's holding his fresh cup of coffee and a package of melonpan in his other hand.

"Thanks."

They should probably eat breakfast at the kitchen table instead of here where they sleep, but Yuma doesn't really mind. It's a rare treat to see Shu more relaxed like this than when they're at work together.

Yuma unwraps his rice ball and starts eating, but he steals a glance or two at Shu who is savoring his coffee between bites of melonpan. Yuma's eyes drift to the shirt again, thinking about the band name on the front of it, and suddenly he's imagining Shu in the crowd at a rock concert. The image he has is of Shu, in his regular suit, standing stiffly amidst a bunch of headbanging fans, and the idea is so funny, Yuma can't help but laugh a little.

"What is it?" Shu asks, glancing around with a frown as if he might spot what's so funny.

Yuma shakes his head with a smile.

"I was just thinking about the concert that shirt is from," he replies. "What kind of music do you like?"