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Tsukasa’s hands rested on the sides of the bathtub, and once in a while he’d flex his fingers, feeling the stiffness in his joints.
His head leaned to the side, his eyes closed but his eyelids not completely still, twitching to the sounds of the pipes within the walls or the hum of the rickety generator down the hallway. His chest rose and fell as his clothed form relaxed against the cold surface underneath him.
There was an inconsistent rhythm in the sound of a flipping page, sharp and cutting air. Accompanying it was an occasional mumble from under Fujio’s breath.
The silence between them was comfortable.
Tsukasa moved his head a bit, the shower cap on his head responding with a crinkle. He resisted the urge to rest back on the tiles behind him. The air reeked of chemicals and of the bleach in his hair.
His hand itched for a cigarette.
Not that Fujio would have any on him. He hated the stench and the smoke.
Tsukasa did too, but he couldn’t help it.
“How much longer?“ Tsukasa broke the silence, eyes still shut. He heard rustling and a pause.
“Six more minutes.” Replied Fujio.
Tsukasa stifled a groan, displeasure evident on his features. Fujio chuckled.
“Not that long now.” He said.
“My head hurts.” Replied Tsukasa, eyebrows knit together.
“Maybe the bleach is getting to your brain. Did I put too much?” Fujio teased.
“Shut it.”
Tsukasa opened his eyes with a few slow blinks. Looking away from the moldy tiles lining the walls of his shower and bath, he looked up at Fujio. He was seated on the counter of Tsukasa’s sink, magazine in his lap.
“What’re you reading?”
Fujio held up the magazine, palm trees on the cover. “Tourist and travel destinations.” He declared, then leaned forward curiously. “Have you ever seen a palm tree, Tsukasa?”
Tsukasa snorted, throwing his head back a little. “As if. Y’know how expensive vacations are?”
“Yeah, yeah.” Fujio flipped through the magazine, paper flitting before stopping at a page. He sighed, leaning back on his forearms. “I wanna see a palm tree. Visit somewhere real hot. With a beach.”
Tsukasa hummed. “You could swim to Okinawa.”
“Maybe.” Fujio grinned. “You think I’m strong enough?”
“Hm, strong enough to take down Housen’s leader or Todoroki? Nope. Strong enough to swim a hundred miles? Hm.”
Fujio’s jaw dropped, mouth opening and closing as he struggled for words. Tsukasa burst into laughter, his voice ringing throughout the tiny bathroom and bouncing off the walls.
“Geez.” Huffed Fujio. He looked back at his magazine, pouting. They settled back into comfortable silence, a small smile now on Tsukasa’s lips.
A few moments passed before Fujio spoke again. “Where do you wanna go, Tsukasa?”
“Hm? Go?”
“Like a vacation. Or, who knows,” shrugged Fujio. “Somewhere to live.”
Tsukasa thought for a few seconds. “You mean,” he said slowly, “somewhere beyond I dunno, the next city over?”
Fujio chuckled. “Somewhere you’d take a plane to visit.”
“Hm.” Tsukasa paused. “Never really thought about it. But a beach sounds nice.”
Fujio hummed contentedly at that. “Then it’s settled. Someday we’ll pack our bags and move to Hawaii together.”
Tsukasa raised an eyebrow. “Where did Hawaii come from?”
“Y’know, beaches, palm trees. Then we can take a boat to the mainland, make our way touring America.”
Tsukasa sighed. “What’s so good about America? Sounds like a headache.”
“Hey, I wanna try a real American burger. And there’s so many things to explore over there.”
Tsukasa laughed lightly again. “You wanna move to America for the burgers?”
“What, they look delicious!” Protested Fujio, smiling nonetheless.
“Ok, but that’s for vacation. I’m not learning a language just to move for some burgers.”
Fujio’s eyes danced. “So, you’ll come with me to Okinawa?”
“And get away from here? Sure.” Said Tsukasa, smiling warmly.
Fujio suddenly dragged his hands across his face, groaning. Tsukasa raised his brows, startled.
“I wanna kiss you right now.” Lamented Fujio.
“I’ll stick bleach in your eyes.” Threatened Tsukasa, tossing an empty shampoo bottle at his friend, who swatted it away with a yelp. “How much longer?”
Fujio glanced at his watch. “Ah, it’s time. You can rinse it off now.”
“Thank fuck.” Said Tsukasa, practically ripping the shower cap from his head. Fujio chuckled and hopped down from the counter as Tsukasa stepped out of the bathtub. The blond sat down on the floor next to the tub and leaned his head back, Fujio pulling on a plastic glove and picking up the pail that rested next to the sink.
The faucet roared to life as he filled the pail with lukewarm water, Tsukasa closing his eyes at the sound.
Then Fujio’s hand was in his hair, gently pouring water as he ran his fingers through the blond strands. They were neither delicate nor rough in the way they combed the chemicals out of his hair, gentle on Tsukasa’s scalp. The water mixed with the bleach fell onto the bathtubs floor in a steady thrum.
Tsukasa felt his whole body relax while Fujio worked.
“Does your neck hurt?” Fujio asked while he kneaded shampoo onto Tsukasa’s scalp.
“Hm, not too much.” Tsukasa answered. Fujio hummed at the reply.
“Y’know, you’re really pretty.”
Tsukasa opened his eyelids slightly at the words, scowling at Fujio with narrowed eyes. “Where’d that come from?”
“Staring at your face, duh.” Fujio blew on Tsukasa’s face, the latter crinkling his nose at the ticklish action.
“Quit it.”
“Fine, fine.” Giggled Fujio. Tsukasa frowned but closed his eyes again.
———————
Tsukasa had no choice but to let his brighter blond mane dry naturally from the air. So of course, Fujio slid open the door to the cramped balcony of the apartment, urging Tsukasa to join him outside.
“I’ll catch a cold,” said Tsukasa.
“Then I’ll take care of you,” said Fujio.
Tsukasa rolled his eyes, but he slipped on a beat-up pair of slippers before stepping out onto the balcony.
The view wasn’t exactly remarkable, Tsukasa had seen it a million times, when he hung out laundry or reinforced the worn down fence of the terrace with cardboard and duct tape. His apartment on the 8th floor overlooked nothing more than a wide lot rife with cracks in the concrete, thick trees on it’s outer edges. Furniture lay abandoned and scattered across the large space, bags of trash sitting on top of them.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” Said Fujio.
Today, Tsukasa supposed it was. The sunset peeked out from behind the trees, the late summer air warm but the faint breeze of wind sending chills through his wet hair. Everything was dyed in faint orange and yellows, the sky purple and dotted with pink clouds.
“Yeah, it is.” Tsukasa breathed, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his sweats. The fresh air was also a welcome change for Tsukasa’s lungs.
He didn’t notice Fujio’s stare, the black-haired boy lazily leaning over the railing. He rested his head on his hand, smiling as he stared at the blond.
“You really mean it when you say you’d run away with me?” He said quietly.
Tsukasa’s brow knit, but he continued to stare ahead. Slowly, he met Fujio’s eyes, eyebrow raised.
“Are you doubting me?”
Fujio chuckled. “Just wanted to make sure I’m not dreaming.”
“You’re real cheesy, you know that?” Sighed Tsukasa, though there was no bite in his words.
“I haven’t even started on pick-up lines.”
“I’ll kill you if you do.”
“Ooh, that would be pretty hot.”
“Ha?”
Fujio looked out and into the sunset, eyes still jet-black even in the warm rays of the sun. “I mean,” he said slowly, “running away, being killed, as long as it’s you, I don’t really mind.” He stuck a fist out and smiled. “Partner.”
Tsukasa blinked, before letting out a sigh. A small smile graced his lips as he raised his fist. “Cheesy. Where’d you get that, a movie?”
“Nope, but it gets worse.” He yanked Tsukasa by his outstretched arm as he dragged him back inside.
Tsukasa could only roll his eyes as he was pressed up against the glass, Fujio’s fingers cradling the back of his head as they intertwined with his dripping hair.
The blond regarded Fujio with defiant but playful eyes, the sun behind Tsukasa illuminating his bright hair like a halo as Fujio kissed him.