Withering Head Wounds - Soudam

The Blue Stained Tea

The house wasn't the biggest thing in the world, nor the fanciest, but either way Gundham was quite fond of it. The first thing a new guest would notice was the interior didn't exactly feel like Gundham. And he understood why. Considering the house wasn't exactly his and instead a residence the school offered to pay for so he wasn't living so far away, he couldn't decorate it exactly to his liking, even with the income he got from commission work. Despite it, there were still remnants of the breeder's hobbies; tapestry with occult symbols spread over it, shelves of books, and of course cages and toys for the various animals he took care of. Kazuichi was honestly expecting more, though he was thankful the place didn't look much creepier.

Taking off his shoes by the door, Gundham led Kazuichi to a small dining table, searching through a display cupboard in the same room for his nicer set of cups.
"I would like to thank you again for agreeing to meet," he said, soon managing to find and pull out a nicely marbled set of teacups. "I do admit, I assumed you would decline, so I feel quite honoured." Kazuichi was only standing in the place he fantasised about him most, it shouldn't really have been a big deal. But Gundham knew he would think about it quite fondly and all the things they could do together here later. Now was a horrible time to fluster himself with thoughts like that. "Oh, however I must ask, what sort of tea do you enjoy?"
"Eh...thanks for inviting me over. I know ya don't really do that shit..." he replied, giving him a small smile before glancing down at his table, tracing small patterns on it with his finger to keep himself distracted. "I don't really have that much tea..." he replied before lifting his head a little, giving him a small smile. "I'll have whatever, just make sure it's sweet."
"Ah yes, I know of that preference." Gundham chuckled to himself, placing the cups on the table.
Kazuichi raised his brows, a small smile making its way onto his lips. "Ah! How'd ya know?" He couldn't help but laugh at himself. It was nothing he was suspicious of, he just found it interesting that he had picked up on such a minor fact about himself.
"It is not difficult to make note of. I'll just bring the sugar out and you can add it to your liking. I shouldn't be too long." Tanaka gave his guest a polite smile before heading off towards the kitchen to boil some water. Sure, maybe the whole time he was giddy about him and Kazuichi sharing a drink together, but he made sure to get as much of that excitement out as he could before making a reappearance. He was just glad the boy wasn't sitting in his bedroom or he'd really be freaking out.
Gundham came back shortly with a teapot and sugar bowl, setting them down on the table before pouring them both some tea. The liquid itself was a rich blue colour and the breeder seemed to have no problems drinking it without the added sweetness. He did take a moment to enjoy the tea, sipping it with closed eyes as he sat in his own state of serenity.

"It pleases me that you would agree to this activity with me. It's something meant for closeness and connection traditionally, and the fact that I may indulge in such things with you is...peaceful." Gundham's eyes were on his cup as he spoke, tracing around the rim with his finger as a soft smile spread over his face. Truly, he could sit in comfortable silence with Kazuichi for hours and not get tired of it. The fact he was even here right now meant the world to him.
As Kazuichi listened, he made sure to add a decent amount of sugar to the tea, a small look of discomfort crossing his face. He was coming on kind of strong, but he supposed he couldn't blame him. He himself tended to do that as well. Plus, he knew Gundham wasn't all too used to making friends, so he couldn't really judge him. "Well, I hope we can become close then..." he replied, giving the other a small grin as he took a sip.
"Really?" Gundham was surprised for a short while at the mechanic's words. Surely he'd heard him wrong. Kazuichi actually wanted to be around him more? The breeder couldn't help the pink tint that washed over his face at the thought, bringing the teacup close to his mouth as if he were trying to hide behind it. "...I'd really like that." He then took in a mouthful of tea, clearing his throat and crossing his arms over in an attempt to push away his fluster. He needed to keep himself composed otherwise he'd just end up scaring Kazuichi away.
Said mechanic had let out another small chuckle in response to the others reaction. "Yeah, I guess you're not all that bad." He hummed out before taking another sip. In all honesty, maybe just a tiny bit of Kazuichi was using Gundham purely for the comfort he was seeking. If he kept just blaming himself he'd end up horribly depressed, and Tanaka was really the only person that could give him that reassurance. Nevertheless, noticing the other's blush caused his expression to shift to one of confusion. Maybe he was just seeing things or overthinking it. He knew Gundham was one to flush fairly easily, even after a minor compliment, so this was probably just another case of that.