We Are Never On The Same Page - Sk8 the Infinity [Joe x Cherry]

5. Visitors

Joe didn't knock when he entered Cherry's studio, as was his custom.
The other man paused to glare at him before turning back to the large swath of paper before him, swirling brushes in ink. Joe settled into one of the plush chairs meant for touring clients, swiping an apple from a bowl of fruit. Dull sunlight poured generously into the workspace, though the sky was becoming darker by the minute. He watched Cherry's careful hand quietly trace out characters.

In the same way Cherry often showed up at the restaurant, Joe would venture to his offices. He used to invent a purpose for his presence, insisting on mooching off the internet connection or demanding that Cherry fix any random piece of tech Joe had totally, accidentally broken. He had long since run out of excuses, but thankfully Cherry hadn't said anything. Joe would probably die on the spot of embarrassment if he did.

He liked watching Cherry write, memorizing each detail of his concentrated face, the dip of his hand. He also liked the peace the studio offered. Sometimes, he would sit back, close his eyes, and enjoy the quiet.
But...only sometimes, because it was too damn fun to bother Cherry while he tried to work.

Joe loudly bit into the apple.
Cherry shuddered. Joe delighted in the color that was rising in the other man's cheeks.
Another crunch.

"Dear God! Has nobody ever in your life told you to chew. with. your. mouth. closed."

Crunch.

Cherry withered, throwing down his brush. He stalked towards Joe, leaning over him, sticking a finger into his chest.
"I'll throw you out of here."
Joe slyly pushed his hand aside, ignoring the touch, "You? With those skinny little arms? Sure, try if you'd like."

Cherry huffed, more red faced.
He paused, as if trying to devise a strategy so he could actually act on the threat.
He looks so cu- no. No. It's no good to think like this.
Cherry extracted a fan from his Yukata sleeve and swatted Joe with it before returning to his calligraphy, refusing defeat.
Sigh.

Raindrops began to slide their way down the window. Bad skating weather. And I don't think I've got an umbrella..
There hadn't been a cloud in the sky this morning. He leaned back, closing his eyes, thinking of the day's earlier events.

This wasn't going to be easy.

The restaurant always closed in mid afternoon, after the lunch rush, before people came in for dinner. He had been rearranging the flowers on the table when the door diiinged.
Joe looked up, "Terribly sorry, we're- oh, hey."

Miya Chinen was unusually small for his age. The young boy still wore his school uniform, skateboard tightly clutched in his hands like a shield. He was incredibly talented for his age, but Joe had been keeping something of an eye on him since he started showing up to S.
Even if he was a phenomenal skater, Miya was still a kid. Joe and Cherry had stayed up late into the night many times debating how the hell a middle schooler was able to sneak out and get all the way to Crazy Rock on his own for S's midnight races.

Sometimes, Joe wanted to shake Miya by his tiny shoulders and ask him where his mother was.
Other times, often, he and Cherry were extremely impressed by his intense attitude and determination.
He married these two instincts by offering help when asked, and watching from a distance to make sure the kid didn't get himself into too much trouble- even if Miya firmly rejected his attempts most of the time.

The young skater shifted in the restaurant's door frame, looking at the ground, looking at Joe, his face screwed up in embarrassment over his own self consciousness.