Flowershop

Chapter Twenty Eight

He brushed the stray strands of hair from his face, looking at the time displayed on his phone. 8:45 already... They'd need to be getting home soon. "Alfred, get up. We have to go, its already nine and I want to beat them home..." He said, pulling on the other's sleeve. Alfred got up, sighing and shoving his glasses on his face. His speech was slightly slurred and taken off guard. "Woah, it's already...? Dude, I think I fell asleep..."
"Hm, you did," Kiku hummed, getting up and brushing himself off. He held out a hand to Alfred, who took it immediately, complaining soon after.
"I fell asleep? Why didn't you wake me up? I wanted to like, talk more and watch the sun set..." He said, yawning before standing to his feet.
"Well, you looked peaceful and tired, so I let you sleep, you're welcome. You're so lucky you didn't see that kid have a temper tantrum earlier...!"
"What? Holy shit, I slept through that? Man, I musta been more tired than I thought..."
"Yeah, well, I would like to say you slept like a baby, but you were snoring... It went tragically well with the kid's screams!" Kiku said, shoving his arm playfully. "Hey!" Was all Alfred could think to retaliate, as he elbowed Kiku whilst laughing. They walked home from there, their laughter blending in with the background noises of the city.

Throwing his sweater on the couch, Kiku sat down and stared at a blank screen. Alfred sat beside him, looking from the screen to Kiku's face. "Alfred. Can you check if we have ginger? Please?" He asked, a tired quality to his voice. "Uh, sure," He said. He looked at the kitchen, puzzled. Uh, where would you keep ginger?

"Oh! Wait. Never mind. We do," he said. He came up from behind Alfred and reached around him, his arm around him. "Here. Help me make soup, won't you? My parents aren't one to come home early or eat at home in these times. We're gonna have to improvise," he said, smirking a bit.

As Kiku started working on their dinner, Alfred started looking around his apartment. He looked down at the floor as he almost tripped on what was in front of him. Scratching his head, he picked up the box. "Uh, Kiku? Who's are these...? They seem a little big on you..." Alfred said, showing the box to Kiku.

As Kiku saw it, he went red in the face and slapped a hand to his forehead. "Ah, dammit! Those are Leon's... I bought them for his graduation. Well, maybe I'll go over there tomorrow to give them to him?" He said, leaving the stove to take them from Alfred's hands. "I think he'd really like those shoes," Alfred said, gesturing to the box in Kiku's hand.

"Oh, yeah. Totally. He really likes things like this for some reason... They just screamed Leon! I had to get it," he said, Looking down at them. They were glossy red Doc Martens. He had to buy them because it reminded him big time of a play Leon had starred in.

" The first show I've ever attended of his. Haha, I still remember. One thing I do miss in Japan- seeing those plays," He said airily, waving his hand. He put the shoes in the cupboard where they belonged and not all over the floor. His cupboard was actually pretty clean- no cobwebs or bugs, everything was orderly.

Seeing this, Kiku felt truly at home for the first time coming to America. Comfortable. He had comfortable moments- but that did not always mean one was comfortable.

He couldn't even believe it- he had completely forgotten his brother's shoes. Shaking his head at his own memory, he smiled and closed the cupboard. He would have to call Lukas and Mathias to inform them he was going to swing by before he went to work, which mean Leon would either be asleep, or still awake from the previous night still hunched over his phone, or whatever he did in the wee hours of the morning.

Kiku looked at his clock. It was about nine thirty, and his parents were still out. He was tired, but he wanted to see them. Maybe... no. He would just decide to sleep. It was nothing to worry about, right?

"I have to get home soon, Kiku..." Alfred said, taking off his glasses and rubbing at his eyes. He looked quite tired from his nap earlier- it didn't serve him in the slightest. Power naps never did him well. But this made Kiku concerned to let him drive home by himself. "Do you need a ride home? You look tired," He said, getting up. He didn't put on his pajamas yet, so it was okay.

"Nah dude, I'm fine. And plus, Dad would kill me if I get home later. He planned something for me tonight. What, I don't know. But I know its something good," He said, raising his eyebrows in pleasure. His love for surprises still made Kiku happy. Kiku was never one for surprises, but he did enjoy surprising other people. Alfred won the honor of being one of the people whom he surprised the most.

Kiku helped Alfred with his coat and saw him out. Alfred smiled as he walked down the stairs of the apartment complex and swung his arms as he walked. Today was a good day for him. And after it all, he got to top it off with something with his family. Kiku watched him go, reluctant to go back inside the stuffy place. For a moment, he closed his eyes in the moonlight and let the warm night breeze tickle his bare arms. Alfred really had picked the perfect day for this date. Smiling to himself, he changed into his pajamas and got the pullout couch ready. Turning off all the old lights, he laid down in the dark and laid down for a second. With a groan, he got up and turned on the light above the door, for Yao and Ivan when they returned.

He spread out on the bed, something he hadn't done in a while. He wondered about Yao and Ivan and all the fun they were having. Instead of worrying about them in the dead of night, he found himself wishing them to be out longer.
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