The Devil In You

Sencha Tea

Suggested listening: Conception - Angel (Come Walk With Me)

-I don't want to wake up, get dressed and do stupid things today. I want to stay here with you, Jin.

-Well, I don't have much to do today either, so that's a deal if you want to.

-Really? No Zaibatsu shit?

-No Zaibatsu shit. The only activity I had planned for today was training. You could use some of that too, I suppose. It looks like you've neglected your schedule in my absence.

-Don't shame me. I was in mourning. Guess whose fault was that, mmh? I'll give you some training, Kazama.

Hwoarang rolled on the bed and landed on Jin, blocking his feet with his own, and his wrists with his hands.

-Like this? I call it, "The helpless maiden". I've called it after you, of course.

With a swift and powerful move of his feet, Jin got free of the other's hold and pushed him away pressing on his chest.

-And I call this "Let's have some tea before crushing the bed".

-Okay, okay, you win this round, you won't be as lucky in the next. Let's have some of your tea.

For Jin, preparing, serving and drinking tea was a real ritual. He enjoyed it immensely, which Hwoarang could never understand, "It's just some tea", he would say. But for the Japanese it was a moment of serenity and peace, of hospitality and sharing. He fetched a black teapot from the cupboard - his favourite one, Hwoarang thought; they had bought it together, he couldn't keep his eyes off of it - and the Sencha Tea he loved so much. He added two teaspoons of it in the teapot and when the water was near boiling, he poured it in the cups he tidily put on the table where the tatamis where. He then brought the teapot there as well, and when the water had cooled down a little, he added it to the pot. 

-A couple of minutes, and it's ready. Come, sit down with me.

-I haven't had the time to prepare the rice, but I have warmed up some ohitashi and natto, that will have to do. And, some mochis to the side, you know I have a sweet tooth.

-It's perfect, Hwoarang, don't worry. Everything is perfect once again with you here. I want to savor this moment, its perfumes, the rays of lights coming from the windows...

-You're a true romantic, Jin, one of the reasons why I love you this much. Here, give me a kiss, will you?

The two kissed voluptuously for what seemed like an eternity, each caressing the other's hair, or holding the other's chin, until the Japanese opened his eyes, interrupted abruptly the kiss and said -The tea!

Hwoarang rolled his eyes, laughing, and returned at his place on the tatami.

-If it brews for too long, the flavour becomes unsatisfactory and wrong and it can't be wrong, let's hope it's still okay to drink...

-I'm sure I won't die from poisoning, Jin. And it's us, it's not like you have Queen Elizabeth to serve your tea to, even though it's not perfect we'll survive, you'll see.

-I know, I know. I'm just a bit anxious. It's our first breakfast together in what, a month? I don't want to screw up.

-And you won't. Let's eat, you pour our tea, and we drink, and it will all be fine.

And it all was. The two talked and laughed together, like they used to before the breakup, and it was as the month apart had never happened at all. The tea was good, by the way.

-So, we have our bellies happily full of a fantastic breakfast and it's definitely too early to train, at least for my messed up internal clock, what do you want to do now, Jin?