He was about Munakata’s height, and had unruly red hair. The man didn’t seem very talkative, and Munakata only really saw him here and there, usually when the redhead stepped out onto the balcony for a smoke.

Munakata often sat out there after work, reading a good book while the noises of the city faded into his ear. The soft sounds calmed his mind after a long day of work, and though the balconies of the apartments were close to one another, Munakata often felt as though he sat in a bubble when he was out there.

At least until his neighbor started hanging out on the porch, smoking. The two of them would occasionally acknowledged each other. At first, Munakata would glance over his way and nod his head, the redhead grunting in return. However, they both would turn back to their own activity, happily sitting in silence.

It was strange though, even in the silence, Munakata often found his eyes flicking over towards his new neighbor, observing the other as he stood on the porch, smoking his cigarette. His balcony was empty, no patio furniture, and it made Munakata wonder about the state of the inside of his apartment. His body was slouched, his foot pressing against the balcony railing. Every so often he would shift, his arms lazily draping over the edge, letting out a sigh. Was he such a troubled man? He seemed perpetually tired, from what Munakata had witnessed, though he could never quite pinpoint why. Mostly because he knew next to nothing about the man.

Still, Munakata found it difficult to rid his brain of thoughts of the man. Sometimes at work he imagined him, standing there on the balcony, the wind blowing through the wisps of his pointed red hair. It’d been so long since he’d been so fascinated by a person, though he knew it was foolish. The man was his neighbor, nothing more, and Munakata saw no reason to further their relationship beyond that point.

Until the red-haired man decided to break the invisible wall which separated their two balconies. Leaning over the railing one afternoon, after their daily nod of acknowledgement, he offered Munakata a cigarette.

“You smoke?” he asked, tapping the box on the side railing.

Munakata stared, his purple eyes darting between the proffered item and his neighbor. He used to smoke, hadn’t in quite awhile, though he supposed one couldn’t hurt.

“Ah, yes, thank you,” Munakata said, gently placing the book on the small table as he stood to take a cigarette from the man. He placed it between his lips, and borrowed the lighter, smoke rising up towards the sky. “It’s been a long while.”

“Ah. Sorry if you were quitting,” the red-haired man mumbled.

“No, no. It’s quite alright. I enjoy indulging from time to time,” Munakata admitted, leaning against the railing.

The man nodded, turning back towards his regular post, staring out onto the world, looking bored as he watched the bustle of traffic from on high.

Pursing his lips, Munakata let out a grunt. “I am Munakata Reisi,” he said. “Thank you for the cigarette, and for being a much better neighbor than the people here before.”

“Hah?” the man replied, quirking his eyebrow. “Suoh Mikoto.”

“Nice to know your name after all these weeks of seeing you on the balcony,” Munakata chuckled. Suoh nodded, glancing away yet again. Munakata supposed Suoh wasn’t much of a talker. He found his inability to speak infuriating, if only because Munakata wished to know more.

After a long bout of a silence, Suoh finally spoke, putting the cigarette out on his balcony. “What was wrong with the people here before?”

“Ah, they were a couple,” Munakata explained. “But they were quite loud. When they weren’t arguing loudly, about to tear each other’s throats out, they had extremely loud…intercourse. I could always hear them through the wall.”

Suoh snorted, stretching up. “Glad I can be quiet for ya’ then,” he chuckled.

“Oh yes, you’re much better thus far,” Munakata began,“I haven’t heard so much as a peep from you-” And as his sentence trailed off, Munakata realized Suoh had already gone back inside.

Frowning, Munakata pressed the cigarette out on his own balcony. “You may be quieter, but you certainly aren’t politer,” he scoffed.

~~

Though Munakata had begun to find Suoh insufferable, he had taken a liking to smoking with him every afternoon. Instead of reading, the two would stand, leaning against their respective balconies as they enjoyed a smoke together.

Rarely did either of them talk, or if they did, Munakata would lament about his job and Suoh would simply listen, not saying anything of significance in return. In fact, after about a week of their normal back and forth (or one-sided conversation) Munakata mused silently that he didn’t actually know anything about his neighbor. All he had gathered was that Suoh enjoyed smoking and not speaking.

There weren’t many clues for Munakata to go off of either. He had no furniture or decorations on his balcony, and Munakata hadn’t been able to see inside the interior of his apartment at all.

He wasn’t sure why he wished for more information about the man, he had never taken an interest in his neighbors before, and yet he couldn’t stop pondering, daydreaming even, about what Suoh’s life was like. He looked forward to seeing him, waiting for his tall figure to emerge from his apartment so they could share a casual hour together.

“You know,” Munakata said finally, after almost two weeks of their shared time. “If you wish to speak about your job or life, or anything, please feel free,” he urged.

Suoh took a long drag on the cigarette, blowing the smoke out into the cool air. He grunted, and rolled his shoulders back. “Eh. Don’t have anything to say,” he said.

Frowning, Munakata huffed, “nothing?”

“Nope.”

“Where did you live before this?” Munakata asked, deciding asking direct questions would yield a bit more information.

“Downtown, above a bar.”

“Did you work there?”

“Nope.”

Munakata let out a small, exasperated sigh, his gaze falling upon Suoh’s lips, which curled around the end of his cigarette.

“Well, I suppose I’ll leave you to it then,” Munakata finished, making his way back inside, noting Suoh didn’t seem bothered by Munakata leaving at all. He was probably relieved since speaking was damn difficult. Such a strange man.

Munakata gave up after that, assuming Suoh would offer up any information when he felt ready, which would most likely be never. The most frustrating part was Munakata didn’t quite understand why he cared so much. He didn’t know why he wanted to know so much about the red-haired neighbor who had moved in and consumed his thoughts. He didn’t know why he looked forward to their nightly smoke. He felt no need to share his enjoyment of it with anyone, especially not Suoh.

Neither of them expressed much of an interest in it, but both of them always ended up there, same time same place. Though it had bothered him at first, he had come to enjoy the comforting silence which hung gently in the air between them. Of course Munakata wanted to know more about the attractive male he’d come to spend his evenings with, but he supposed he could be satisfied with this.

~~

That was, until one evening where Munakata saw a whole new side of Suoh.

Munakata was waiting on the porch, his back dipped ever so slightly over the corner of his railing, the blue locks of his hair brushing against his ears in the breeze.

It was odd, Suoh was usually here before him. Munakata had no idea what Suoh did all day, but perhaps he was getting held up at his job, even if Munakata had absolutely no clue what that was. After what seemed like an eternity, Munakata finally heard the slider door opening behind him.

“You’re late, Suoh,” he chided, the teasing hum apparent in his tone.

“Ah…Munakata,” Suoh muttered, and he turned around, faced with shocking sight; Suoh, dressed only in a towel tied around his waist.

Munakata swallowed, the back of his neck feeling hot. Suoh was…incredible looking, especially for someone who seemed so damn lazy. The towel sat tucked just over his defined hip bones, and Munakata felt his mouth dry up. He knew it was wrong to stare at his stomach muscles.

“Suoh,” Munakata said, finally catching himself. “Is…there a reason you are coming out here without clothes on.”

“Ah…” he muttered, his golden eyes glancing downwards. “Can I borrow your shower?”

“My…shower?” Munakata asked, raising an eyebrow at the man in front of him.

“Yeah, mine’s only running cold water, and I have to get ready for this date I have tonight.”

Munakata froze. It was the most personal information Suoh had ever given him, and yet…

His heart sank. A date? Suoh was going on a date? It only made sense, with how attractive the man was that he would go on dates. Just because Munakata had never heard anything like he had with his last neighbors, didn’t mean Suoh wasn’t partaking in such…activities.

“Right, yes, of course. A date. Need a shower for that.”

“…Great,” Suoh grunted. “I’ll come around.”

Munakata didn’t even have time to fret that Suoh hadn’t seen his apartment before, (not that it was messy in the slightest), no, instead his mind was filled with so many more questions. Was this an early date? A first date? A date farther into a relationship? Swallowing, he opened the front door.

“Thanks,” Suoh said, stepping inside. “Your place is so clean. No surprise there.”

“Oya?” Munakata asked, his gaze curious as he shut the door, his eyes staring at the lower curve of Suoh’s back.

“You seem like a neat freak.”

Munakata frowned, changing the subject. “The shower is to your right. I assume you know that though, since our apartment layouts are most likely quite similar.” He had to get Suoh into the shower, and out of his apartment, or his mind would go crazy.

What the hell was it about this man that made Munakata lose his mind? He was normally so poised, and in control, and yet his heart was throbbing, pounding out of control.

“Thanks.”

Munakata heard the shower turn on, the water rushing down the drain. Suoh was naked in his apartment. His body stood naked, in his shower… and all because he was about to go on a date. Munakata began to pace, wishing this wouldn’t be the case.

It only took Suoh about 20 minutes to finish showering, a surprisingly short time, Munakata thought.

Suoh let out a sigh, keeping the towel wrapped around his waist as he came back into the living room. “Thanks again.”

“First date?” Munakata inquired, swallowing yet again. It was impossible not to stare, especially with the few droplets of water rolling down Suoh’s bare chest.

“Yeah. Ex-roommate set it up,” he shrugged. “He’ll be pissed if I don’t go meet this guy.”

“I see…” Munakata said.

“Yup,” Suoh groaned, rolling his shoulders back, the movement pushing his muscles forward as they rolled under his skin. “See ya tomorrow, thanks,” he shrugged, shutting the door behind him.

Munakata sighed, finally breathing like a normal man now Suoh was no longer in his apartment. Silently, he hoped the date would go poorly.

~~

Suoh didn’t mention the date, but Munakata couldn’t let the burning question in his mind go. He decided that not knowing anything was better than finding out Suoh planned on moving forward with this person. Who knew what moving forward would mean? Probably no more smoking on the balcony. So really he had to know.

“How was your date?” he asked the next evening as the two of the stood outside, the crickets beginning to chirp for the evening.

“Eh,” Suoh grunted, lighting a second cigarette.

“Oya? Not good?” Munakata asked, more cheerful than he should’ve been.

“Nah. Not my thing, not really interested in that. Kept thinking ‘bout other things, other…people,” he said. He paused awkwardly, their eyes meeting. Suoh’s golden, tired eyes locked with Munakata’s purples, the setting sun hitting Suoh’s eyes just right that it almost looked as though they held a playful, teasing twinkle, as though he wanted Munakata to ask who he was thinking of.

“I see,” Munakata said instead, finally speaking after an awkward silence. There was no way he meant him. They were casual friends, nothing more. Right?

“Yeah,” Suoh shrugged, glancing away. “No loss, no gain.”

Munakata hummed in agreement, but kept how very pleased he was to himself.

~~

And as happy as Munakata was Suoh’s date had gone poorly, it hadn’t changed much. He was still awkward, and frustrated by his consuming thoughts. He thought about telling Suoh how he felt, but the idea of it made his face heat up more than he enjoyed, so he often pushed the thought away. The worst part about all this was the image which was forever burned in Munakata’s mind of Suoh being shirtless and standing in his apartment.

Sometimes his eyes removed his shirt when they stood outside together, and sometimes Munakata would imagine him standing in his living room, standing only in that damn towel. He flopped down onto his couch, sighing heavily. What the hell was wrong with him? It was times like these that he wished he could smoke outside with Suoh, but he knew that wouldn’t solve the problem, only make it worse.

Showering, though it reminded him of the incident, did seem like a good idea however, since his mind had begun to wander yet again.

It was hot, and Munakata undressed, grabbing a towel as he made his way towards his shower, only to be stopped by the loudest, most unpleasant noise; the fire alarm.

His eyes widened, glancing down at his naked form. He couldn’t very well go outside naked, and yet if there actually was a fire, (which was a high possibility since the building manager hadn’t emailed about any upcoming drills), Munakata didn’t want to waste time getting dressed. Grumbling, he wrapped the towel tightly around his waist and made his way outside where many of the tenants gathered.

A few children pointed, laughing, and Munakata simply smiled, not wanting to give them any satisfaction. He wasn’t ashamed of his body, in fact he knew he had quite a nice figure. However, he did not enjoy being indecent in public, though he supposed the situation called for it in a way.

“Guess we’re even,” A voice came up from behind him. Suoh stood, grinning, as he placed a cigarette to his lips.

“Even? What ever could you mean?” Munakata growled, glaring at the redhead. His face, he could only assume from the heat rising on his cheeks, was bright red. Something he didn’t wish for Suoh to witness.

“I mean you got to see me like this a few days ago, and now I get to see you.”

“Wonderful,” Munakata said. “I was caught mid-shower when the alarm went off.”

“You coulda put clothes on,” Suoh shrugged.

“If there was a real fire, putting on clothes could’ve been the deciding factor in whether I made it out alive or not,” Munakata explained.

“Pretty sure it’s just a drill,” Suoh sighed, but a small chuckle left his lips, amused by Munakata’s very typical response.

In the end, it hadn’t been a drill. A tenant on one of the lower floors had left the stove on for far too long, causing the alarm to go off. No one had been hurt and it had been more of an inconvenience mostly.

“People really should be more careful!” Munakata sighed, quite annoyed at the situation.

“Yeah,” Suoh muttered, which was about the only thing he had had said during the entire walk back up to their respective apartments.

“Anyway,” Munakata sighed. “I will meet up with you later, as per normal.”

“Mmm. Right, later,” Suoh sighed.

“Is something wrong? Are you going on another date?” Munakata asked, folding his arms over his chest.

Suoh rolled his eyes, stepping forward as he ran his fingers down one of the blue locks of Munakata’s hair. “You’re pretty dense for a smart guy.”

“O-Oya?” he stammered, his eyes flicking back and forth between Suoh’s fingers and his face. Had Munakata actually been right? Had the twinkle in Suoh’s eye been real the other night? It was so difficult to read the other man. He swallowed trying to maintain his composure. Suoh was touching his hair, and his fingers felt nice… but there was no way Suoh could…

“Yeah.” Suoh smirked, leaning against the wall, his hand falling away from Munakata’s face. “About that shower…”

“My shower?” Munakata asked.

Suoh grinned, leaning forward a bit. “Maybe we could finish it together?”

Together?! What was Suoh saying?!

Munakata’s eyes widened, his face flushing even harder. Perhaps the other person Suoh had been thinking of…

There was no way.

“You…”

Suoh nodded. “I don’t spend time with people I don’t like,” he shrugged.

Munakata couldn’t believe it. All this time…all this time he’d spent wondering and questioning. If he had just spoken up, he would’ve saved himself a great deal of frustration.

He chuckled, shaking his head. “How about you take me on a date first, then we can use my shower.”