Playing Games With The Billionaire (KageHina)

10 - His Turn

Two full days he'd had to wait and now, tomorrow was his solo date with Tobio.

Shoyo was lying on the roof, star gazing, having ditched both the other contestants and the cameras.

He was nervous about tomorrow but perhaps, not for the reason most people thought.

Sure, it was intimidating to have so much alone time with the man, especially after what he has heard from the others about their own dates, but that wasn't all.

Each time he thought about the next day, his mind brought up the almost kiss from the beginning of the week before skittering away in nervous embarrassment.

He wasn't very good at the whole 'think before you act' thing and really needed to think of other things.

Like the other reason he was nervous.

There had been some kind of big emergency thing for Tobio at work and he had to leave the mansion for an entire day after their obstacle activity.

The businessman spent the next day with everyone in apology but Shoyo was concerned. Not about the man's work, but about the dark lines under his eyes.

Just how much of a toll did this show take on him? How late did he stay up each night to make sure all the work was completed even while he was away before having a full day with the contestants?

Tobio looked exhausted. He was clearly trying to hide it, distracting everyone and brushing off any queries about it.

Shoyo wasn't fooled.

So he did the only thing he could think of; he went to Koshi and requested to change the planned date.

He had no idea what they had originally planned but now, everyone else was getting kicked out of the mansion and Shoyo would make sure that Tobio ate properly and hopefully even rest a little.

*****

"I have to admit, this was unexpected."

Shoyo glanced over to Tobio who carefully chopped the vegetables he had handed him. He didn't reply at once, choosing to put a few things into a pot and making sure it was at the right temperature before speaking.

"I'm not sure what was originally planned..."

"Sky diving, a nice dinner, then dancing at one of my clubs."

Shoyo paused, that sounded amazing. He sprang back into gear after a moment and packaged up the picnic food he had just finished preparing.

"That would have been fun," he gave a wistful sigh and Tobio shot him a confused look.

"I thought you might enjoy that, but Koshi said that you had requested to change the plans without even knowing them."

Shoyo nodded.

"Why?"

He glanced up to Tobio who had stopped chopping and turned to face him slightly.

Reaching up, Shoyo ran gentle fingers along the lines under Tobio's eyes.

"Because of these," he spoke quietly, concern lacing his voice. "How late do you stay up to get all your work done before having to get up early to take part in this show? Do you get any sleep at all some nights? As fun as skydiving and dancing sounds, I can't enjoy myself if the person I am with- which is obviously you- won't enjoy it because you are pushing yourself too hard. And I can't, in good conscience, ignore the state you're in just because I wanted to go."

He shook his head before continuing. "That's not in me. I was not brought up that way."

Suddenly realizing just how close they were standing, how intimate the gesture of running his fingers across Tobio's face like that was, Shoyo pulled back with a slight blush and returned to the task at hand.

"And why this?" Tobio gestured to the picnic food that they were preparing.

"Because I can make sure you eat something good. You have said before that you often forget to eat when working," Shoyo gently chided.

"I admitted I can barely cook yet I have to help prepare, even if all I'm doing is a slow and shoddy job of cutting some vegetables."

"Mhmm."

"What's the reason behind that?" Tobio sounded genuinely curious.

"Something my mother always told me," Shoyo replied absently. "'Love is in the details.'"

"The act of cooking together encourages cooperation and communication. It gives us the chance to talk freely but without the pressure of always facing each other. We also have to talk to get everything prepared correctly and have the meal completed. So the conversation is always moving, changing, but it lessens the pressure. It's also fun."

"You must always go to these fancy restaurants and go through all the pomp of eating out for work, right? So this will be a nice change. You can relax, have a nap even. There's no pressure at a picnic, just the sun, the grass, the sky, and whoever you are with."

He was quiet for a moment as he packaged up another selection of picnic food before he continued.

"My parents have just had their twenty fifth wedding anniversary so they are the example me and my sister look up to. I mean, they must be doing something right and the 'love is in the details' is the one phrase they live by. They cook together nearly every evening. Well, my father can't cook at all and gets relegated the easiest jobs even after all these years, but he still makes an effort to get home on time to help out. Sometimes, they bring home special ingredients that are in season or on sale to have something different and surprise the other."

"Even if he has to go back to work afterwards when doing overtime, often my father will come home just for dinner and spend an hour or so with my mother. So, while it might seem silly to some, I would rather not have a big extravagant date or expensive present. What does that really show me? That you are willing to spend money on me? Anyone can do that. Not everyone would take time out of their busy day to spend time with me. To me, those details mean far more than anything."

There was silence while Shoyo took over the rest of the preparation and finally loaded everything into a large wicker basket. He grabbed the basket and a large blanket before turning to Tobio with a sunny smile.

"Ready?"

A large hand reached out and plucked the picnic basket out of his grip.

"Love is in the details hmm? Just like how you changed the date today and missed out on something you wanted to do in concern for me?"

Shoyo blushed as he led the way outside, not even waiting to see if Tobio was following. He made a noncommittal sound at the back of his throat instead of replying.

He hasn't really thought that well about why he did what he did. Seeing things as they are, he just doesn't want his companion to be on the verge of extinction while he was enjoying himself.

Tobio's long legs easily caught up the distance. "And what do you have planned for the rest of the day?"

"They have a really nice home theatre system here with comfortable couches and there's a few movies I would like to see. So, I thought that if you didn't like the idea of napping at the picnic, then you could nap while I watch a movie and catch up on some sleep. You're just going to go and work later anyway. You need to rest while you can."

Tobio smiled and damn it looks nice.

He shook his head and shot an admonishing glare at the man who chuckled in return.

"Yes, dear."

Shoyo nearly tripped over his own feet in embarrassment at the endearment and determinedly ignored his own bright pink cheeks.

Still, he hadn't missed the note of affectionate amusement in the man's voice and was secretly pleased at the unusual warmth from Tobio.