Treat You Better

Chapter 5

Kojiro tossed and turned all night. He couldn't help but think about the way that Kaoru hesitated when asking him to stay. 

God, I messed up. He thought. How could he be so thick to talk about Adam like that, so soon after he slammed Cherry down, breaking his face and his heart. Kaoru was still fragile, he had loved Adam for so long. I just don't understand... How could he want to love and be loved by him? He hasn't respected or been kind to us in years. Why would Cherry put up with that mistreatment? If only...

A moonless night passed and the early morning sun warmed the spare room Kojiro was staying in. He knew Kaoru liked to sleep in, so he took his time getting up. He took a quick shower, then went to see what Kaoru had in his kitchen. Teas, tea set, and a couple pans. No luck in the cupboards. Flour, sugar, honey, a wheat cereal, and some spices. Not much to work with in the pantry. C'mon, fridge. Don't let me down. A carton of eggs, some milk, the untouched pasta from the night before, and not much else...

Kojiro heard the slide of Kaoru's door opening. 

"Good morning, sunshine!" Kojiro said cheerfully. "You're up early."

"Ah..." He replied sleepily. "I couldn't sleep..."

"You neither, huh?"

Kaoru came around the corner and gave him a sleepy smile, before he stood up straight and asked: "What are you doing?"

"Nothing, I was gonna make breakfast, but you've hardly got anything here! Do you ever eat?"

"Honestly, not much these days, I find myself far too busy to cook. I come home from S or work and go straight to bed."

"That's really not okay, you know that, right?"

"Eh, more or less."

The two finished getting ready and Kojiro insisted they go to a local bakery for breakfast, so he could make sure Kaoru got something to eat. They finished their coffee/tea and pastries, and parted ways for work.

...

The day passed by and customers came and went at Sia La Luce, but near the end of the night, a familiar pink head walked through the doors. Only a few stragglers remained in the restaurant, so with little to do, Kojiro abandoned his kitchen duties to check in on his friend. 

"Hey, there, Pinky. Gotta say I'm a little surprised to see you here." He said with a pleased smirk.

Kaoru gave him a tired glace and then looked back down. "I just- I just wanted to get a drink. May I see your wine menu?"

"Uh, of course, but... is everything okay?" he asked, concerned. 

"Of course, everything's fine." He replied quickly, keeping his eyes down. 

Knowing his friend well enough, Kojiro decided it would be best to wait until the other customers had left to further talk to Cherry. He brought out a white wine for him and sat in wait. 

About 30 minutes had gone by and the last customer finally walked out. Kojiro took off his apron and loosened his shirt at the top, then walked over to Kaoru. 

"So, do you... want to talk about it?"

"There's nothing to talk about."

"Okay, if you say so." He let out with a sigh. He knew that was a lie but didn't want to push him too far. "I do have to start closing up shop for the day-"

"Can I stay?"

"Uh, what? I mean, sure, of course. I'll just be cleaning in the back. Holler if you need anything, okay?"

...

Kojiro had finished up cleaning and returned to the eating area to find a gently snoozing Kaoru. He hated to wake him up, but he couldn't exactly leave him here. So, he gently placed his hand on his back and rubbed until he woke up. "Hey, sleeping beauty, I'm gonna walk you home, okay?"

"Mmmh..." He mumbled back and gave a labored attempt to stand before Kojiro propped him up and walked him out the door, locking it on his way out. 

Almost as soon as they stepped out, a frigid shiver ran up Kaoru's spine.

"Oh, here," Kojiro said gently, taking off his over shirt and wrapped it around Kaoru's shoulders.

It helped, but Kaoru was still chilled the whole of the walk home. So, he helped Kaoru fumble his key into the door and walk to bed, letting him keep the shirt for now.

As Joe slowly slid the door closed, he heard Kaoru fumble around the sheets before saying "Good night, dear,".

Kojiro was taken aback- did he hear that right? Maybe Kaoru.... no, they just resurfaced Kaoru's high school infatuation with Adam. There's no way. 

"Good night, Kaoru."

...

The next morning, Kaoru woke up, slightly dazed. He had forgotten what had happened the previous night, only that he went to Sia La Luce, and something about Adam...

He sat up and noticed he was still in his work clothes, and realized Kojiro's chef's shirt was still wrapped loosely around his shoulders. He gently smiled, and all his stressful and painful thoughts about Adam were washed away by the warmth of Kojiro's coat, almost like water. Maybe- no, he's just a friend. Unless...