Holiday
Holiday
Of course plans rarely go right, but when they did it was a mini blessing and a breath of fresh air. What was the point of international travel if one didn’t get to enjoy the destination? Being cooped up in an airport or a hotel room got old very quickly and really just made him hate his job—he didn’t even particularly like this life style anyway. However, a job is a job and it was one that paid very handsomely.
So, while that allowed him to live comfortably and lead a lavish life style, it lost its luster quickly. There was only so much expensive whisky to try and restaurants to dine in. What good was having all that money if it didn’t bring any type of joy to the host? He donated to charities or picked up random tabs here and there, but even after a while the feeling good that came along with such generous deeds felt bland. Thus quickly led to him having a rather adulterous life style.
While he thoroughly enjoyed the few short lived relationships he was in, it was exceedingly hard to maintain a stable relationship when you didn’t know when you were going to be home, for how long, how often, and it was hard to keep the flame alive when you were together for barely a month and then after to travel clear across the globe for three months; fire needs kindle in order to burn.
Quietly he flipped through a pamphlet, Japan was full of things to do and see and he had two weeks to kill. The deal was currently in a pending stage and he couldn’t leave until it was a solid yes or no, thus granting him a rare chance to actually explore the area. He wanted to be out and about to enjoy himself, not cooped up in his hotel room with a temporary partner.
Osaka sounded nice, but also very crowded being a beach in the middle of summer. Hokkaido sounded nice and cool but it was so far away. Itsukushima Shrine sounded elegant and picturesque, but also sounded like a good way to be reminded that he was alone. He chewed on his lip in thought; where to go? What to do? He chewed on his lip, eyes quietly dancing across the page as he tried to process what he wanted to do. There was plenty of options, just what sounded good.
Secretly he was a bit of a history buff. His family was old and researching them when he was younger just led him getting into history and architecture; it was very interesting to see how things had changed over time and to see how things looked when they withstood the test of time. Some blended very nicely into today’s society, while others stuck out like a sore thumb. This was why he had decided on Kyoto. It would be nice to see the temples and shrines; they looked intriguing enough in the pamphlet so surely they would look even better up close and in person.
He shuffled off the train with the sea of people who dispersed upon hitting the platform. He quickly made his way up the stairs just to get out of the way and find a little nook to tuck himself into while he figured out where he wanted to go first. He brushed his hair over his shoulder; he was in need of a haircut as it was getting to long for his likes. He examined the streets to try and figure out his location as to find out where he wanted to go.
One temple in particular caught his attention. They didn’t offer the standard wishing and fortune telling that the others offered. They had sword fighting demonstrations, offering sowing on a day to day basis along with apparently renting out rooms. He wormed his way through the busy crowd and flocks of school students to work his way to his destination only stopping here and there to examine some small shops along the way as he was determined to enjoy his trip this time. He wanted to see whatever he could and not be hindered by having to make a plane or a cab. He was tempted to sit down and eat but opted to grab a scone instead as he made his way through the ever moving crowd.
After several minutes and a few detours here, he made it to the temple of his desire; just in time to. Over the heads of the crowd, who he noted was mostly female was two figures in the center of a ring of small stones along the ground. Both wore light enough armor but their visage was still hidden from view. A young woman stood in the center and began speaking rapidly while pointing to either figure earning a series of cheers with each motion. He was versed in Japanese, not very much, so much of her sentences were lost to him as he could not translate well enough but she seemed to be announcing the contestants; he took note that was set was far more beat up than the other. The figure of the left seemed more focus on making sure all their equipment was secure while the other was waving happily to the crowd.
As the match began, he swiftly learned why one set of armor was far more worn than the other. The figure on the left was swift. Their blade whirled through the air, smacking angrily against the other who stumbled, parried and ducked to the best of their ability. He nearly dropped his bite of takoyaki when the figure on the left suddenly left the ground, petite legs wrapping around the neck of the other, twisting them quickly and throwing the other to the ground while they rolled to their feet. He stared in awe while the rest of the crowd jeered. His mind suddenly went to a dark place of ‘what else can those legs do?’
He was rather tall man, coming in at six foot four, but regardless he stood on his tiptoes a bit just to get a better look as the figures were removing the armor pieces and handing them to the young woman that announced them. By his guess, their victor was female since it was such a petite, lithe body compared to the opponent who was obviously more muscular. He glanced around, there was surprisingly not a lot of men here; he raised an eyebrow in question, chewing slowly on his food before turning his attention back to the figures as they both popped their head guards off. He choked—that was man.
He loitered and waited for the crowd to die down, keeping an eye out but he never managed to spot the mysterious man again. At first he was concerned he had overlooked him in the crowd but there was no mistake his appearance. Average height with an odd haircut with black and white peppered hair, literally. The top of his fluffy head was perfectly white, like fresh snow while the bottom half that was closer to his face was as dark as night. There was no way to overlook that. He peered around and finally noticed the young woman who had done the announcing. He slowly made his way over, not wanting to startle her by a sudden advance; gently he cleared his throat, catching her attention. She glanced over and then up, slowly putting down her potato peeler as she blinked in surprise. He began to try and stumble his way through the language where she just smiled, trying not to laugh.
“I speak English if that helps.” He sighed heavily in relief.
“It does, greatly. I wanted to inquire about the match this afternoon, who…were they?” He didn’t want to just flat out ask as he didn’t really care too much about the other; he wanted to know the name of the flower that caught his attention.
“Degani and Ikani. They’ll have another match tomorrow at about two.” She stated, motioning with her hands which had been which on the battle field. Such an odd name-Degani.
“I see and I take it you must be the wife to one of them?”
“Huh? Oh! Nononono! I just help out around here since there is a lot to do. Neither of those two are married.”
“I see. Tha-“
“You’re interested in one of them, aren’t ya?” He blinked and floundered. She was a sharp little thing.
“How..”
“We, well I get a lot of people asking about them. Mostly girls but a few guys have asked as well. You’re the first guy to ask me face to face though.”
“A-ah..”
“I know Ikani has a girlfriend so I’m pretty sure he doesn’t swing that way. As for Degani, well…I uh…I don’t think any of us knows what goes on with Degani.”
“What do you mean?”
“Never see him leave with anyone other than Ikani or family and nobody ever goes back to his room.” He nodded; so he would be a tough one to crack. All he needed was an evening, possibly two. A few drinks and just some alone time.
“You all rent out rooms, correct?” She shook head, muttering something under her breath that he caught as ‘a stubborn one.’
“We do but we only open booking in the morning. Gotta buy the groceries for the da-
“I’ll pay double. Triple if need be and supply my own food.” She blinked, her eyes darting back and forth as if she was thinking it over in her head. Were they really that strict that they would turn down that much money?
“Ikani!” After a few short seconds did the blond from the afternoon match peek around the corner. “Can you get a room ready for….um..”
“Tyki.”
“Tyki. Get a room ready for Tyki.” Ikani raised an eyebrow before squinting in confusion.
“Booking is closed?”
“It’s alright~ Just go get a room ready.” The blond shrugged, wandering off.
“Follow me to the front desk for the paperwork.”
After he got settled in and phoned for his luggage to be brought there did he settle down and look over the floor plan for the temple just to avoid getting lost as it was a rather large place. He would take a quick trip to the kitchen to see what all they had there, supply wise, before he went and bought anything to cook. He honestly didn’t mind that part as he didn’t get to cook very often due to his job. Then in the morning he would start on trying to woo the petite samurai. He softly whistled happily to himself as he made his way down the hall, taking in the old structure of the building. It looked to be mostly stone from what he could see. Most stone was worn down by time and weather but this place appeared to be standing quite nicely.
He turned the corner and nearly tripped over his feet; there was his little samurai. He raised an eyebrow in question, even after hours he still wore the traditional wear? Tyki quietly stepped in, not wanting to alarm the other man who was rapidly chopping at vegetables; he was quite skilled with a knife. But then again, that much should have been obvious from earlier in the day. He got within at least two arm lengths away and just as he was about to gently alert the other he was there. The knife stopped suddenly.
“Dinner is severed at six and brought to your room. Please leave the kitchen.” Tyki blinked, floundering for a few seconds to regain his thought pattern.
“I was merely scoping out the area as I am preparing my own food this evening,” Tyki stated calmly. Degani glanced over his shoulder with a slight scowl. That wasn’t a welcoming looking.
“You’re the one that weaseled in a late booking.”
“I wouldn’t say weaseled..”
“Double. Triple the cost of a room.” Tyki fell quiet; so maybe that was weaseling—just a bit. Degani turned around, grabbing another carrot to resume his chopping. “Make sure you clean up your mess when you are done. If you need anything, Ikani is right down the hall from you and Lana will be here in the morning.” Tyki could practically feel the door slam on him. This was probably not the best time to try and woo the man before him. He silently showed himself out and backed out of the kitchen to retire to his room for the night.
His phone chirped at him in alarm. He groaned, grabbing it and angrily tapping at the button to silence it for another five minutes. Despite the futon being on the floor it was extremely comfortable and he was enjoying his rest. With a grunt he rolled over, stretching and running his fingers through his messy hair before sitting into an upright position. Might as well get up, five minutes really wouldn’t make that much of a difference, plus a shower sounded nice. He dug through his bags, which had arrived late last night for his toiletries and a change of casual clothes; no sense in business attire today. He was going to relax and try his hand at once again wooing the petite male.
After a cool shower and checking his plethora of e-mail did he finally make his way outside. The air was crisp and cool. Being still early the crowd had yet to get too think and the temple was still fairly quiet. He guessed the crowd probably really didn’t come until time for the demonstrations. He spotted a few older woman here and there wandering into the temple but he remembered something about sowing classes. He wandered around, just taking in the simplicity of the place before rounding the corner to find Degani talking to the woman who booked his room for him last night. Degani looked up, waving his hand in a dismissing manor. The woman tilted her head, looking back then bounced forth with great energy, grabbing Tyki’s hand to yank him closer.
“He can go with you!”
“Pardon?”
“Degani needs to go to the next town over to grab some stuff and he really isn’t comfortable-“
“Lana that’s enough.” Degani stated suddenly, crossing his arms and averting his gaze.
“I can go by myself. He’s a customer, it’s not his job to assist us. You can’t just volunteer people like that..”
“I don’t min-“
“No.” The pepper-haired man turned sharply on his heel, walking away at a brisk pace and Lana sighed heavily.
“Is everything alright?” Lana nodded, motioning for Tyki to join her on a nearby bench so that she could explain that Degani really wasn’t a rude person, he just wasn’t good at dealing with people or asking for assistance. He was just stubborn and hated going into town.
“I just, we, we worry about him. He never goes out; he stays here and works constantly. I thought I would ask you to go since you were curious anyway.”
“I don’t mind really, I wanted to get out and explore the area anyway. Having a guide would be helpful.”
“I mean…I guess if you just happened to head that direction he really couldn’t tell you no…” They both pondered it over muttering softly to each other before a shout caught their attention.
“I’ll be back as quick as I can.” Tyki blinked; that was an odd sight. He had already so quickly become accustomed to seeing Degani in the traditional wear. However now he sported a pair of dark, faded jeans and a simple black t-shirt with a thin, open sweater that flowed gently when the wind blew; he certainly wasn’t the fashionable type but in a way it was nice and fit him perfectly. Degani turned to walk off and Lana gave Tyki a quick nudge. He stood dumbfounded for a second before hurrying after the other man, who for being on the short side, had a rather quick stride.
Tyki’s long legs quickly carried him to the hurried figure who seemed to be trying to out walk him.
“Please wait!” “Go away.” Degani quickened his pace and so did Tyki. Both finally came to screeching halt, Tyki nearly running into him as they stopped at the crosswalk. “What do you want?”
“Show me around.”
“I’m not a tour guide.”
“Not like that. Just, let me tag along. I want to see the area but my Japanese isn’t very good so I fear I may get lost.” Tyki explained. “I have no destination in mind I just want to see the area. You won’t even notice that I’m here.” Degani groaned, rubbing his face and promptly resumed his walking as soon as he was able to with Tyki in tow.
The train ride was quiet and awkward. Tyki wanted to make small talk as he was getting nowhere with this silence and his days were limited. However, it was rude to talk or text on the train—Degani wouldn’t even make eye contact with him and instead opted for staring at the floor. Instead he twiddled his thumbs trying to think of something that could possibly be a conversation point. Something that would get the male to open up to him. When the train screeched to a halt, Tyki quickly followed the much shorter male off and it was quiet obvious that they were far from the ‘tourist’ trail.
They had arrived in a small, quaint town. There were nearly no large buildings that Tyki had come to be accustomed to and there was nowhere near as much foot traffic. This was a little village compared to the town that had just come from; he would have to remember the name of this tiny town and come back once his main goal had been accomplished.
“This seems like a quiet little town,” Tyki stated, trying to drum up some form of conversation. Degani instead just gave a brief nod and began walking. Tyki blinked, moving to catch up to him. There wasn’t a lot of English on the outsides of the buildings which made it much harder to Tyki to find something to discuss. He could smell food and while it smelled lovely, he had no idea what it was. “What is that?”
“Takoyaki.”
“That’s…the octopus balls, correct?” Degani once again nodded. “Are you hungry?”
“No.” Tyki felt his eyes narrow slightly; he was not getting any openings. Usually playing hard to get was a turn on for him but this was aggravating. Least the others would sneakily flirt back or turn around do exactly what they said they didn’t want to do. This guy was just rebuffing everything. The thought crossed his mind that maybe this man truly just did not like men, but Tyki had heard that many time; they would be screaming different by the end of the night. They walked for a bit in silence and Tyki chewed angrily on his lip, this was a tease. The man was right in front of him and he couldn’t do anything; if he at least had some openings he could probably coheres the man into what he wanted. If he tried now he would more than likely get his neck broken by those powerful thighs; which wouldn’t exactly be a bad thing, but Tyki wanted to live.
“Perhaps you would like to go out and get a drink later.” Perhaps a more subtle invitation would suffice. Going out and getting drinks was a perfectly mutual thing that led to loose mouths and lightened spirits.
“I only drink on special occasions.” Tyki felt his eye twitch.
“It’s my birthday.”
“I don’t really know you.” Everything he threw just got tossed to the cold and lonely ground.
“You and the blond, are you brothers?”
“No.” How was he going to break though? He was getting nowhere, Tyki Mikk did not back down from challenges but this was just annoying.
“You’re good with a blade. Have you been doing Kendo for a long time?” Degani slowly nodded.
“Since I was little.” That was a better answer; that could be something to work off of.
“That’s impressive, it shows,” Tyki stated. “Your parents must be proud.”
“His parents died when he as little.” Ikani stated as Tyki groaned and ran his hands down his face. He went forward an inch and went back a mile. After he had made the comment, Degani had refused to talk on the rest of their little outing. Nothing. Not a mumble, grumble, snarky remark. Nothing. When they got back, Degani stormed off to his room and nobody saw him once the door closed. Which then led to Tyki and Ikani going out for drinks.
“Why didn’t you tell me that?!”
“I didn’t expect you to bring up parents! You’re tryin to get into his pants not his heart!” Tyki sighed heavily, downing his whiskey and making a face at the burning sensation. “Look, I’m not trying to get you or him laid. I just want my friend to open up to someone and you’re the only person who is determined. Ulterior motive or not.” Tyki moodily motioned for the waitress to bring him another drink while lightly tapping his empty glass on the table. Now what was he to do? The boy was obviously cross at him, he honestly didn't know. He mumbled a soft thank you to the waitress before eyeing the man across from him.
“Anything else?”
“What do you mean?”
“Anything else I need to know? Dead relatives, dead girlfriend, boyfriend, Crush?” Ikani chewed on his lip, tapping his fingers on the table as he leaned back in his chair. Tyki nearly spit his drink out in surprise when the legs of the chair met the ground.
“There was a friend of ours he liked and she pretty much flat out rejected him. Married some other guy and now they have two kids.” Ikani stated, swirling his drink around. “Well..not really flat out rejected him. I don’t think he ever said anything and she never really seemed to show interest, but you could tell he liked her.” Tyki made a sound in the back of his throat and requested Ikani to elaborate on it more; surprisingly enough, he knew who the woman was as a family member of his had shown interest in the woman as well—small world. He rattled his brain, he genuinely felt bad for bringing up parents; he honestly didn’t know. He clicked his teeth together and sighed heavily. Gift giving was a big thing in Japan. Money or sweets. Tyki could do both honestly.
“Is there a sweet or something he likes?” Ikani blinked, raising an eyebrow in question. “For an apology gift or would money be a better option? I’m really not sure what the terms and conditions are for apology gifts in Japan.” Ikani made a sound and kinda bobbed his head back and forth as he mulled it over.
“Well, when it comes to death, normally money is the preferred gift but that’s like if you are responsible for it so…sweets or something may be best.”
“Does he actually have a sweet that he likes? Or perhaps a cologne?” Ikani made a sound and once again wiggled his head uttering that if he told Tyki that the pepper-haired male may come after him. “He won’t find out.”
“He likes chocolate cake.” Tyki raised his head from his palm.
“Like Castelle?”
“Nah, nothing that fancy. I don’t know if you’ve noticed from you mentally stripping him, but Degani is a man with simple tastes.” Tyki nodded. He had noticed that quite early. His cloths were quite simple, he wore no jewelry, Tyki noticed that the hair band that held back the pepper locks was faded and starting to fray.
“How about cologne?” Tyki questioned. Ikani shook his head stating that he didn’t think Degani owned anything like that. Tyki chewed on his lip, maybe he had imagined it; he knew he had smelt some sort of fragrance coming from the male on their trip into town. It had been exceedingly faint, Tyki only caught it on the wind on occasion but he knew it came from the man. It was ever so slightly floral, soft and whispy. Delicate. He wasn’t sure if it was maybe a shampoo or maybe a laundry detergent if the blond claimed his friend owned nothing of the sort. He finished his drink and paid their tab as he headed off to find a bakery or someplace open late that had the sweet he needed.
After about an hour of searching and wondering through shopping aisle did he finally find a nice cake to present as a gift and headed back to the temple with fingers crossed that Degani was still awake; part of him feared that if knocked on the door he would wake the man and thus anger him further. If that was the case, Tyki had decided that he would swallow his pride and move on. Finish out his stay since he had paid for it and then head on home. The building was quiet, the few other guests in their rooms, relaxing for the night or already asleep. He wandered down the hall, silently praying that the man was awake or maybe even wandering around somewhere as that would hopefully make things less awkward.
Upon reaching Degani’s door he glanced down to see a thin strip of light peeking out from between the cracks; he was still awake at this hour? Tyki double checked his watch. 2 Am. He double checked his breath for he had chewed on mints the entire time he was searching to try to rid himself of the smell of liquor and had sprayed himself to make sure he didn’t smell like smoke as he had done such while searching. He checked himself over once more and took a shaky sigh. Why he was so nervous all of a sudden was beyond him. Was it because he knew he was about so swallow his pride? Admit defeat? Perhaps it would be best to leave the cake with a note and quietly admit defeat. Plenty of apologies in history were made in secrecy. He shook his head and silently scolded himself.
Gentlemen did not do that. Yes, he was a playboy, but he was still a gentleman. He raised his hand and softly knocked on the door, not to loud as to disturb any neighbors if there was any and just 2 quick raps incase the pepper-hair man had been asleep. He waited patiently, chewing lightly at his bottom lip before sighing heavily. He began to pat himself down in-search of a pen. The cake had a spot to write a note, he could at least do that if Degani wasn’t going to answer the door. But alas, he had no writing utensil on him as he had left his coat in his room and he hated putting pens in his pocket due to the fact he had busted one awhile back and got ink all over his thigh that lasted for days. Just as he was about to leave the cake in front of the door he head a soft click of the door unlocking and tilted his head upwards to see Degani standing there, rubbing a towel behind his ear as water gently plopped from his hair.
He felt a gentle heat creep to his face which was a rarity. He wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol in his system or the serene atmosphere of the tiny temple. But something about Degani seemed different now than it had earlier in the day. His deep blue almond shaped eyes seemed softer, he appeared to be calmer. The tenseness was gone from his shoulders. Tyki stared, unmoving from his crouch; Degani raised an eyebrow in question.
“Can I help you?” Tyki blinked, the voice of the other man bringing him back to reality. Tyki quickly stood up, floundering as he tried to form a coherent sentence before bowing slightly; he wanted to do this right. It wasn’t deep, just a slight bend at the waist as he present the box.
“I wanted to apologize for my behavior.” Degani rested his towel on his shoulder as Tyki stood upright, towering over the Japanese man. “As well as my comments. I apologize for bringing up your parents and I realize my desire to tag along may have interfered with you work as well as my…underlying intentions.” He heard Degani make a sound in the back of his throat. “I will not lie but I will apologize. I had other intentions with trying to befriend you..I often enjoy the company of men and thus was trying to-“ He paused trying to think of a more polite word. “Bed you. After talking to your friends I realize that I have done nothing but make an ass of myself; I’ve been…rude.” He paused. Degani was leaning against his door frame, his countenance highly unamused. “I…will leave you alone and I shall be gone in a few days. I appreciate your hospitality as well as…squeezing me in.” Degani sighed, standing up right and motioned towards the inside of the room. Tykie raised an eyebrow and the man sighed in an irritated manor.
“You look like you have more to say I don’t feel like standing in the hallway in my night clothes, get in,” He stepped slightly to the side and Tyki hesitantly stepped in, fresh waves of nervousness sweeping over him. Why he was so nervous he wasn’t sure. He had been invited into plenty of rooms. He had been with plenty of people, no sense in getting flustered now. Degani locked the door behind him and stepped around him to move into the center of the room and kneel at a small table that was in the corner of the room; he motioned to an adjacent spot and Tyki numbly walked over, gently sitting the box down on the top before sitting himself.
“I’m not naïve to your intentions. You’re not the first person to approaching me unabashed for that,” Degani stated and Tyki felt slightly ashamed. Lana had said that but at the time he didn’t really care and had joined in on the harassment. “However, you are the most persistent. Most give up after an hour or two. Then you worm your way into a room. Then you insist upon following me into town.”
“I re—.”
“I could report you for sexual harassment.” Tyki froze. That would not be good. That would look bad on him, his brother’s company. His career; he bit his lip and slowly nodded in understanding. Degani rested a slender elbow on the table and then his head in his palm. “But, I won’t. I don’t see a point in ruining your life when nothing drastic was done.” Tyki nodded, uttering a soft thank you and he felt a sigh of relief leave his body; the pepper haired man did not play.
“I plan to halt my pursuit. I wanted to apologize, truthfully,” Tyki stated, motioning towards the box. “I know it doesn’t nearly make-up for what I’ve done and how I’ve treated you, but I wanted to start somewhere. I can offer, provide whatever you want as an apology.”
“So I’ll keep my mouth shut.”
“No,no nothing like that. I honestly never thought about it until you said something and that just makes the situation worse. I want to prove that I am sorry.” Degani nodded. “Um…your shoulder.” Degani raised an eyebrow and quickly pulled up the shoulder to his yukata that had begun to slowly slip down and Tyki did his best to keep his eyes at face level.
“…What did you bring anyway?” Degani glanced at the white box that continued to sit unopened on the table and Tyki motioned towards it, telling him to open it. “Cake?”
“I wasn’t sure what to get really…and I know sweets are a popular gift.” Ikani was right, Tyki could see the faint look of enjoyment that was in Degani’s eyes and he looked the cake over before sealing the box once again stating that he would have some later in the day. Tyki nodded, pleased that the other man accepted his gift. “If you don’t mind me asking…why are you still awake so late?” Degani blinked and rubbed his neck. “I..technically have the day off I guess you could say..I could ask you the same thing.”
“I went out for a drink and to think.”
“Was it really our birthday?”
“Huh…oh! Nono, its not.” The tanned man responded, tilting his head. “What do you mean technically?”
“I usually wind up spending the day fixing or repairing something.”
“Why don’t you just hire a handy man?” Degani shook his head.
“Can’t afford it. We make enough to do upkeep and buy food for ourselves. The food customers get is bought with that they pay for the room.” Tyki cringed, that’s why Degani had gotten so mad when he found out about Lana giving him a room.
“I’m sorry….what if I pay for handy man?”
“I can handle it.”
“Let me help. If I help maybe you can get done early and take the day off.” Degani clicked his teeth together and sighed heavily. “Consider it part of my apology.”
“Fine..fine. But if you get under foot or get hurt, it’s not on me.”
“Perfectly understood.”
Tyki awoke with a groan and grabbed his phone. The usual morning text from his brother but it was just barely 8am. Yet there was a knock on the door. He had gotten to bed late after dropping off the cake to Degani, bathing and he had to check his e-mails for any of importance, he didn’t lay down until almost 4. He stiffly rose, stumbling over to the door to crack it open expecting to see a confused guest and instead was met with almond shaped blue eyes.
“Sleeping in instead?”
“Hm? No,no…give me a minute.” He gently shut the door, grumbling quietly to himself. He had completely forgotten but he didn’t expect the man to get up so early after having sat up late himself. He quickly dressed, splashing water on his face to attempt to wake himself up. Upon opening the door again, he discovered that Degani was gone. He looked around before venturing outside. Lana was at the desk, Ikani in the midst of a tour. Where was the pepper haired man? He stepped out onto the grounds and looked around to find the man crouched by the fence with a pile of wood, hammering away. He hurried over, apologizing for being late and Degani shrugged.
“I didn’t think you would actually join.”
“I promised to help. I don’t go back on promises.”
After replacing the weather worn boards on the fence did they move to checking the horse stables and gates. Then they did a walk of the temple outside to make sure nothing needed to be fixed or replaced which led to them replacing several roofing tiles. Then they had to de-weed the garden and sweep out the common areas where guests would be. By two, Tyki was ready to drop. He was exhausted, he was hungry, and Degani was overheating him by doing all this while still wearing hakama. The pepper haired boy dusted off his hands and looked around; Tyki could see his lips moving and he mumbled quietly to himself.
“I…think we’re done,” He uttered. Tyki had to stop himself from expressing his joy at this news; he had agreed to do it. He couldn’t complain. “Thank you.” “Pardon?”
“Thank you. Normally I don’t get done till five or six.” Tyki nodded, expressing that it was the least he could do. “Do…you want lunch?” Tyki blinked, an inquiry but he slowly nodded. He knew the male didn’t like going out into town but he wouldn’t turn it down if the man was offering. Quietly he followed Degani, more curious than anything and grew even more confused when the man led them to the kitchen. “Sit. Relax.” Tyki hesitantly sat at the table that was in the kitchen and watched as Degani began to gather various stuff.
“Do you want me to cook? You’re supposed to have the day off.” Degani shrugged saying that he always did the cooking so it really didn’t bother him. Tyki scowled slightly and shooed the other man away from the counter and ushered him stiffly to the table. “You, relax.”
The tan man began to cut and dice, he could work with what Degani and pulled out to cook. While he worked a thought began to nag at the back of his mind. Why was Degani the one fixing everything, cooking everything?
“Degani, what does Ikani and Lana do?”
“Hm? Lana has school and works here part time. She assists with the cooking when she can, but technically she’s not old enough to do it. Ikani…” he sighed heavily. “Ikani is usually out of sight or napping somewhere. I can usually get him to do the chores when I have the ‘day off’.”
“So…you do all the work?” That thought burned at Tyki a bit; it wasn’t fair. He understood Lana’s situation but Ikani lived here as well.
“Kind..sorta. But I mean..I technically own the temple…” Tyki blinked and looked over his shoulder that was an interesting fact. Degani noticed the look and nodded that Tyki had heard right. “The man who adopted me after mom died…he and his wife, she does the sowing lessons, retired and he gave me the temple. He helps when he can but he has to keep an eye on her because Aisuru is sick…”
“Which is why we went to go pick up medicine.” Degani nodded.
“Kaibutsu didn’t want to leave her side as it was a rougher day than normal.” Tyki nodded, not wanting to push the subject further, but it kept eating at the back of his mind.
“Why don’t I help you?”
“Huh?”
“I still a little over a week. Why don’t I help you out around here till I leave?”
“I couldn’t ask yo-
“You’re not asking, I’m offering.” Degani frowned, averting his gaze.
“You’re a guest. Its not right.”
“Neither is you doing all the work around here.”
“…Maybe.” Tyki nodded, finally letting it stay at that as he finished up lunch.
Later that evening, Tyki was sitting in the tiny common room, tying away on his computer to respond to an e-mail from his brother when he spotted Degani out of the corner of his eyes dressed in normal clothes rather than his usual traditional attire. He raised an eyebrow and question then turned his attention back to his computer; it was none of his business, he told himself he was going to stop before he got himself in trouble. Degani was being friendlier now and he wanted to leave on a good note. In fact, he wanted to scold himself. He found himself rather drawn to the Japanese man and that was something he told himself he wouldn’t do. It was just too hard to hold a relationship with his job, besides Degani didn’t like men. He stopped mid keystroke and stared at the screen. He never said no. He blinked. Degani didn’t reject him, he just said he wasn’t the first to try and woo him. Tyki shook his head, trying to regain focus on his e-mail.
“Drop it Mikk,” he mumbled to himself, scowling at the vivid screen before slamming the laptop shut with a bit more force than needed. He couldn’t focus. His mind kept wandering back to those thighs, that slim shoulder that peeked out from the yukata. He gathered up his things and marched to his room; he just sexually frustrated. That was it. Had to be it; he had never givin up before and that’s what his problem was. All he needed to do was go find a quick screw and he’d be fine. No more pining. He dropped his laptop on his bedroll and switched out of his lounge about clothes to something a bit cleaner, fresher looking and pulled his hair back. That was better, much better. He grabbed his coat and wallet, spritzing on a fresh round of musk before heading into town.
He wandered the streets in search of a bar or club, something that caught his attention yet nothing did. Everything seemed bland or boring or the selection of people just didn’t tickle his fancy; usually he wasn’t too picky. He stood outside a club, watching people go in, nothing. He glanced at the people on the street and in the surrounding area; he scowled in irritation. It shouldn’t be this hard to find a quicky. He grumbled moodily to himself as he wandered into a bar. Maybe a few drinks would change his mind.
Later he found himself slightly stagger out. He wasn’t drunk, perhaps a little over tipsy, but he wasn’t drunk. Had he gone a little overboard? Yes. Normally he was quite well at judging his liquor. He grumbled at his phone as he responded to his brother’s goodnight text before he headed back in the direction of the temple; his mood was soured and his frustration worse. He spotted Degani wandering back inside as well with a bag in his hand.
“Where did you..venture off to?” The male turned, mouth open to respond before he shut it and gave Tyki a questioning look.
“Are you drunk?”
“Mm..? Nono, perhaps a bit tipsy…”
“Uh huh..” Degani turned and wandered into the temple and Tyki frowned, he never answered his question but he made his way inside as well.
The next morning, Tyki slept late. His head hurt, his body ached from all the maintenance done the day before. He bathed and checked his e-mail. His mood still felt soured and he honestly wasn’t sure why. He shouldn’t be getting this upset over this. Degani never said he didn’t like men but he also didn’t say that Tyki had a chance. He browsed through his e-mail before a faint sound outside caught his attention. Shouting? Cheering? He peeked out the window; Ikani and Degani were sparing again. Tyki sighed heavily. Perhaps it would be best if he were to go find another hotel or just tell Degani what was going on. Maybe getting it off his chest would make him feel better and just put an end to his whole dilemma. Just hear the rejection out right instead of letting his mind tell him that he had a fighting chance. He mulled it over in his head as he shut down his computer. Perhaps going out for breakfast would better. Get him out and away from the root of his problem.
He quietly made his way out and past the crowd, stopping for a moment to watch before hurrying on his way. He found a little bistro tucked away on a side street and he was grateful. It was quiet, not the least bit crowded and allotted him time to think as he slowly picked at his food. He was hungry but his mind was rattling with too many thoughts for him to focus on the dish in front of him. He would eye people momentarily when they passed or came in. Nobody was interesting; nobody was appealing or spurred any sort of feeling in him. But the image of those almond eyes dewy with pleasure and back arched—he shook his head rapidly and ran his hand across his face. It wasn’t even the lewd thoughts anymore. Just thinking back to that little hidden happy look at the cake made him feel giddy and he wasn’t even a sweets person. Degani somewhat opened up when they were eating lunch the other day, told him about the people who raised him after his parent’s passing.
Solemnly he paid his bill and headed to a nearby park. He sat on a bench far from the others before grabbing his phone and tapping the little green phone next to his brother’s name. Perhaps Sheryl could offer some advice. He didn’t dare call Steven with him being so close, he would come and just blabber everything. He waited patiently while the phone rang and after a minute or two Tyki debating on hanging up and just calling it quits, obviously his brother was busy. Just as he went to tap the hang up option and voice broke through over the line.
“Hello?”
“Sheryl, you have a moment?”
“Tyki? Was there an update?”
“No…this is…more of a personal problem..”
“…Did you get someone pregnant?”
“No, what do you always assume that?”
“Cuz you’re a little heartbreaker and you’ve probably broken three or four on your little break.”
“No..not this time..its uh,” he sighed heavily, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his thighs. “The other way around.” There was what sounded like a laugh on the other end followed by a jostling of the phone
“Karma finally came back to bite you~!”
“Shut up.” He rubbed his head and grumbled. “I knew I shouldn’t have called.”
“Wait! Waitwaitwait! Tell me about them. What’s the problem? They married?” Tyki began his long spiel about everything that had happened and was currently happening. Sheryl scolded for nearly getting charges pressed on him and clicked his tongue in the end. “You’re in love.”
“Don’t say that.”
“I don’t know what else you want me to say. This little modern samurai has you wrapped around his little finger whether either of you realize it or not.” Tyki groaned. “I feel like you need to talk to him and get this all off your chest.”
“I don’t want to scare him away..besides there’s no point to me getting into a relationship.”
“Why do you say that?”
“I’m never around Sheryl. You’re there with your wife. I’m constantly traveling. I haven’t seen my own apartment in a year.”
“You don’t have to go.”
“….what?”
“You never said you wanted to stay somewhere. Tyki you can network, you have a laptop.” Tyki stared off into space before angrily hanging up and resisting the urge to throw his phone. He headed back to the temple, running his thoughts and words through his mind. He wanted to be clear. Make sense and not sound like a creeper who couldn’t take no for answer. Tell Degani, take the rejection, and get on with life, simple as that. He just needed to hear the no outright. He made his way to the room of the Japanese man and gently knocked; Degani should have been in his room by now. He waited patiently and the lock clicked and the door slowly opened. While it didn’t look to be his sleep one, Degani was now clothed in a simple yukata, probably just to lounge about in his room since his duties for the day were done.
“Yes?”
“I…we…I need to talk to you.” Degani raised an eyebrow in question before hesitantly stepping aside to let the other man in. “Thank you.” They sat at the little table and Tyki stumbled over how to begin. He had never had to do something like this before; he never did confessions. Least not real ones. He did his best not to ramble and mutter but to make his words clear. He apologized several times as he went and he could slowly see Degani’s face get a look of annoyance. He truly wasn’t sure what was wrong with him, he was never like this. He hung his head at the end, waiting patiently for the rejection.
“How do we get this out of your system?”
“Huh?”
“You…seem nice. I don’t want a reason to hate you. People get hung up on people sometimes..I..know that,” Degani mumbled the last part and Tyki understood what he meant. “So, how do we handle this?” Both sat in awkward silence and Tyki finally shifted slightly to turn towards Degani more.
“I…have an idea..but you have to promise not to hit me..or at least not hit me in the face.” Degani raised an eyebrow but hesitantly nodded in acceptance. “Close your eyes.” Cautiously Degani let his eyes close and he patiently sat still. Tyki shifted closer, holding his breath, waiting for Degani’s eyes to snap open and a fist to collide with his body. He leaned forward slightly, then slowly till his lips met with the pepper haired-man. He felt Degani flinch and he waited for impact. Gradually he leaned in more, pressing their lips together firmly and leisurely he moved them. Going slow and relishing in the feel of the velvety lips against his. Gently he taught Degani what to do, waiting for the man to pull away and banish him. Yet it never came and he felt the tenseness finally leave his own shoulders and as they progressed he felt Degani slowly relax into their kiss.
Uncertainly, Tyki reached a hand up to place it on the side of the other man’s cheek to gently cradle the side of his head, the tips of his fingers nesting in soft black locks. He felt a shy pair of arms slowly come up and rest timidly on his shoulders and he leaned more into the kiss, deepening it slowly before they toppled unceremoniously back onto the wood floor.
Bright sunlight darted across his face and he groaned, turning his head towards the source to stare out the window. He raised a slim brow in question as he knew his room had curtains and he kept them drawn so that he could sleep in. He shifted slightly as his arm felt to be quite asleep and heavy; a slight tickle on his bicep caught his attention. He shifted his gaze in confusion and had to stop himself from bolting up right. Degani. Degani was asleep on his arm. Tyki quietly looked around, his memory foggy of the night before but as he glanced around the array of discarded clothes did his mind refresh himself of what had occurred. He ran a hand through his hair; he felt better, but not in the way he wanted to feel better. Cautiously he ran a hand through soft, peppered locks and Degani shifted slightly, nuzzling into his arm and attempting to curl up more and Tyki caught to slight wince that graced the man’s face in his sleep.
Carefully he got up, pushing his shirt under the males head so that he could slip off to the bathroom to clean himself up before running a hot bath for the other. Quietly he returned, kneeling down to gently nudge the Japanese man who continued to sleep on their makeshift clothing bed. He took time to quietly take in all the little scars and knicks the man had on his shoulders, most likely from years of his kendo training and maintenance mishaps. Softly he placed his lips on those soft, pale shoulders and pecked the sleeping man’s cheek.
“Degani.” That sounded so nice falling from his lips in an after morning husk. It felt right. This in general just felt right. “Degani.” The male shifted slightly, deep blue eyes opening to groggily look around before glancing over his shoulder at Tyki who warmly smiled.
“Tyki..?” he seemed confused at first, just as Tyki had and the man held his breath as he could see the expressions change on Degani’s face as he pieced together what happened. He was waiting for the fist. The scream, the accusations, anything that the man was ready to throw at him. A bright blush quickly spread across pale cheeks as the realization fully sank it and he moved to try and cover himself more, flinching as he did so.
“Easy, easy, you’re going to be tender for a day or two,” Tyki brushed his hair back, waiting for Degani to say something, anything in regards to their act.
“…you were gentle.” Tyki blinked and Degani averted his gaze, blushing profusely. Smoothly Tyki picked him up, being sure not to jostle him to move him to the bath and helped the timid man bathe. After Degani was clean and re-situated on his actual bed did the two sit in a thick, awkward silence. Neither would look at each other nor speak. Quick glances were quickly averted and honestly, Tyki hated this. He didn't regret what happened, but perhaps Degani did. The samurai shifted slightly, wincing so that he was leaning up on his forearm to look at Tyki. “Was that your plan.”
“Not all of it...honestly. I had just planned the kiss,” Tyki admitted. He honestly didn't even expect the kiss to go well. That was more than what he had bargained for. Degani blushed and averted his gaze. “If I ov-”
“What happens now?” Tyki raised an eyebrow in confusion and tilted his head. He could see the slight look of what looked to be dejection creeping onto Degani's face. “You leave in a week, right? You got what you wanted.” Tyki felt a flinch go through him; that hurt. Did..Did Degani feel like he was used? Or did he feel like he caved to easily after just a kiss? That was honestly all Tyki had wanted last night. Tyki scooted closer, turning the other man's face towards him who averted his gaze.
“That's not at all what I wanted last night, Degani. I truthfully just wanted a kiss, the other, I'm not going to lie, I enjoyed it immensely, was not my goal. I did not use you, promise,” Tyki explain but yet the man still would not look at him. “You're not easy Degani if that's why you're thinking.” The man huffed, lightly swatting away Tyki's hand.
“I caved after a kiss..”
“It happens. I know you didn't do it without reason so tell me, why me? After all the people who have tried.” Degani shifted, rolling to turn his back to Tyki.
“You were sincere in your apology and statement. Maybe not so much the start of the apology, but your statement,” Degani mumbled. “You didn't see me as an object.” The tanned man blinked before hesitantly lying down behind the other man to wrap an arm around his waist to gently pull him back against him. He placed a soft kiss on his shoulder, nuzzling him slightly. He could feel the tension in the petite man's shoulders slowly melt. They lay there in silence for some time till finally a growl made itself known from Degani's stomach. The male flushed, gathering his blanket around his stomach as if that would stop it. Tyki chuckled against the back of his neck and that sent little vibrations through his body.
“I'll go make lunch.”
Tyki made his way to the kitchen and startled Lana who was in the midst of dishing out customer's food to deliver. She looked at Tyki in alarm and curiosity as he pulled items out of the fridge to cook. She watched him for a bit before finally breaking the silence.
“Have you seen Degani? Nobody has seen him since last night. Ikani knocked on his door this morning but got to response,” Lana mumbled. “I know he gets up early but he usually leaves a note if he goes somewhere.”
“He decided to sleep in this morning,” Tyki simply stated, slicing up vegetables and Lana blinked, then slightly flailed.
“Y-you...did you-”
“Hm? Did I what?” He glanced at her and she went quiet but the surprise was still evident on her face. While he cooked, Tyki pondered over his options. Did he want to stay? Could he stay? From the way Sheryl talked, he could. True he did have his laptop and it was a good one so using Skype and other video meeting applications would be no issue. But did he want to stay because he truly wanted to or because it meant he didn't have to travel more. He liked it here. It was relaxing, calm and Degani grew on him more and more; it honestly just felt right. Degani... did Degani want him to stay? That was an important factor as well, it wasn't all about Tyki. He chewed on his bottom lip as he finished up cooking so that he could take it back to the room.
Degani was leaning up on his forearms, scrolling through his phone. Tyki raised an eyebrow, that needed an update. He gently set the plates down, earning the Japanese man's attention. Degani put down his phone and softly thanked Tyki for cooking. The ate in silence and Tyki's phone vibrated, earning their attention. He grabbed it and quickly responded to Sheryl then texted him again before looking at Degani.
“Degani, tell me...if I was able to stay, would you want me to?” The pepper-haired man blinked and averted his gaze.
“That's..up to you...I don't want you to stay on my account,” Degani mumbled, shifting his gaze away. “I know..you have work to do and I'm probably not your type.”
“Not my type?”
“I'm...inexperienced. I've never been in a relationship...I honestly...don't know what to do,” Degani stated, “I'm nothing to look at. I have no money or connections.”
“None of that matters.” The almond eyed man blinked as Tyki scooted closer. “We all start somewhere. Social status means nothing to me. This is most at ease I've felt in awhile.” The tall man scooted moved to sit beside the younger man and placed a kiss on the top of his forehead.
“If you would allow me to stay, I would love to stay.”
