Ooh, He Got Money

The Same Day - Thursday - 11:10 PM - Tomakomai, Hokkaido

As to not disturb Miyuki who was currently dozing off on his shoulder, Furuya gently removes his vibrating phone from his pocket and answers the call from Kuramochi. The latter, although it was greatly appreciated, was worried sick about him and demanded to know how his journey with Miyuki was progressing so far.

Furuya skillfully omits the tumultuous ordeal between the father and son, because it was clearly a personal affair and not his story to tell, and focuses on his fever. Kuramochi instantly reprimands him for not taking proper care of himself, but is soon calm when told that Miyuki nursed him back to health.

Furuya is surprised to learn that Eijun had rebounded and was now in a relationship with Sanada. Don't get him wrong, he is pleased to know that Eijun fought his way out of his slump and returned to being the ball of sunshine he once was, but it was the speed at which it occurred that caught him off guard.

Months of living and playing with Eijun was enough to gather that the southpaw was his own worst enemy. He gets into his own head and drowns out everything around him when he's in a funk, taking almost forever to recover.

The fact that Sanada, a person they had scarcely interacted with besides an earlier practice match, had the ability to heal Eijun's broken heart so quickly leaves him wondering…but that was for another time.

Furuya glances at Miyuki. From the outside, one would never be able to fathom that he endured such emotional trauma as a child and was still dealing with the repercussions of it today. He was sleeping peacefully, something he rightfully deserved after confronting Kazuhiko and reliving his past.

Using his free hand, Furuya places it on Miyuki's knee and squeezes softly. It's reassurance that everything's going to be alright, but it's also conviction.

Now that Eijun was dating Sanada, there was no need to hold back regarding his desires.

Kuramochi pulls him away from that impending string of thought with a lighthearted conversation that lasts until the taxi reaches the front of Furuya's home. The recent shenanigans of the baseball team make Furuya laugh quietly as he pays the taxi driver. While the driver retrieves their bags from the trunk, he nudges Miyuki awake as he says goodnight to Kuramochi and hangs up the phone.

Miyuki groans, pushing himself off of Furuya's shoulder and sitting up straight. He slides his hands behind his glasses and rubs his eyes groggily. He does that for a few seconds then sighs. He's been drowsy throughout their entire journey from Tokyo to Hokkaido.

The train seats were extremely comfortable, granted Furuya had purchased Green Car passes, but he had trouble falling asleep in them. It wasn't until they boarded the taxi and he made Furuya his makeshift pillow that he was finally able to get some shut-eye.

Maybe that was something he needed to do more often. For the sake of bonding, of course.

The driver returns with their belongings and they step out of the taxi and watch it drive away.

Miyuki turns around and whistles at the sight of Furuya's house. It was a large traditional home with two stories and a gated front. Though it was all he could distinguish in the darkness, it definitely put his little old home to shame.

He follows Furuya to the front door and watches him search for a spare key underneath the welcome mat.

The door opens and by the lack of light, no one seems to be home. Furuya quickly explains that his mother was probably still at work and should be in within the next hour or so.

The pitcher flicks on the living room light and sits on the edge of the sofa, "I know it's late, but would you like something to eat? We've been traveling for almost eight hours with only snacks and prepackaged food to sustain us."

Miyuki shakes his head as he inspects his surroundings.

On the wall to his left was a rather expensive-looking entertainment system. A glass table sat between it and the sofa, a vase of fresh roses and a picture frame on its surface.

Miyuki doesn't dwell on those particular details for long. He continues to look at the modern furniture, the neatly painted walls that were adorned with paintings, and the overall atmosphere of the room he was in.

It radiated more positivity than his entire childhood.

"Nice place," he mutters defeatedly, eyes glued to the shiny wooden floors.

"Thank you," Furuya says, "but you didn't answer my question."

"What? Sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

"I asked if you wanted something to eat."

Miyuki shakes his head again. He was exhausted, his convoluted trip down memory lane rendering him done for the night. However, he still has enough energy to take a jab at Furuya.

"Nah," he responds, "I'll eat in the morning. Besides, I'm pretty sure your diet consists of nothing but crab omelets, so there's probably nothing good in the fridge anyway."

Furuya rolls his eyes as Miyuki sports his infamous shit-eating grin, "Remind me to never be nice to you ever again," he says as he grabs his bags and begins heading upstairs, "I'm not looking forward to spending the rest of this week with you, in my house, insulting my favorite cuisine."

Miyuki tails him, eager to continue pressing his underclassman's buttons, but with a more heartfelt approach, "Unfortunately, that's something you're going to have to deal with for years to come. With our child on the way, we're in it for the long haul."

Evidently, it works, as Furuya suddenly pauses on the stairs. He doesn't have to turn around for Miyuki to see his ears reddening and it makes him grin even wider.

At the end of the hall is Furuya's room and his grin is wiped clean off his face as he's once again swarmed with feelings of inferiority.

It's atrociously huge.

The walls are painted sky blue, matching the carpeted floor, the window curtains, and the bedsheets of his king-sized bed. To the right of it was a stark white vanity with baseball memorabilia and sports magazines decorating the top. To the left of the bed was a life-sized polar bear, and Miyuki doesn't think it's out of place or peculiar at all.

It was rather…appropriate.

Furuya is busy setting their belongings aside and rightfully ignores another tease from Miyuki as the latter plops down on the bed.

"As punishment for being annoying tonight," the raven-haired teen begins, "my hospitality ends here. I'm taking a shower first and you're sleeping on the carpet."

"What?" Miyuki laughs, "That's no way to treat a guest. I let you sleep on my bed while I practically slaved over a hot stove at your beck and call and didn't complain about it."

"Didn't ask. You should've thought about that before you decided to wind me up."

"All I said was that with a room this nice, you should at least have some sort of personality."

"I said what I said."

"So you're saying you don't want to sleep together?"

Furuya's heart skips a beat as he registers those last two words, but he refuses to succumb to Miyuki's clever wordplay. He grabs his toiletries and heads for the door.

"I would word that differently if I were you," is all he can say before leaving for the bathroom.

--

Miyuki's head barely gets to touch Furuya's mound of pillows before his phone vibrates. He fishes it out and groans upon reading the Caller ID and reluctantly answers it.

"What?" he says curtly.

"Don't what me, what ever happened to saying hello like normal people?" Mei's pout is audible through the speaker, "I haven't talked to my man in almost three days and you're already being so rude!"

"First of all, I am not your man, so you shouldn't even be entertaining such a ridiculous idea. Second of all, this week is about Furuya and me. Your presence is insignificant."

"Okay, fine! Before you break my heart any further, I just wanted to know how you're holding up. Have you told your father about the situation yet? How did he respond?"

Miyuki knows that Mei means well and that his concern was genuine, but he was not in the mood to recount the events of that afternoon. It happened eight long hours ago, but he still feels his father's heavy gaze and tastes his bitter words as if they were still sitting there, face to face. The sensation sends trepidation through his exhausted body, but he's strong enough to let exhaustion consume him this time.

He tells Mei that he's just reached Hokkaido and will fill him in tomorrow. He's met with disappointment and resistance but insists that he'll be refreshed and definitely not as crabby in the morning.

Mei agrees and sends Miyuki off with a kiss through the phone.

"I still have your hickeys all over me; I don't need any more kisses," Miyuki says.

"I can give you more than kisses next time if you catch my drift."

"I'm gonna stop you right there. Goodnight."

"Night. I love you."

Miyuki sighs, "I know you do."

--

'I told you to sleep on the carpet,' Furuya thinks as he removes Miyuki's glasses and sets them on the bedside table. He leans back up, cautious not to let any water droplets from his hair fall onto his face, 'I was only joking, yet it would've been quite amusing if you took me seriously.'

He extends his arm and combs his fingers through Miyuki's hair. He zones out as he does this, sinking deeper into thought.

'I wonder what hair color our child will have…Miyuki-senpai's is nice. I truly hope they don't inherit his twisted personality, though. I wouldn't be able to tolerate a mini version of him. I'll save that for when the time comes, but for now…I'm proud of you, Miyuki-senpai. You relived your past in front of me, digging through those dark memories that you've sealed away for all those years.

'You trusted me to accept your scars without judgment. I'd like to believe you haven't told Sawamura about your childhood. It's contorted, but…it makes me feel special knowing something about you that he doesn't. You've been through a lot today, so I'll let you have my bed. Goodnight.'

Furuya closes the door and sleeps in one of the guest rooms for the night.