500 Pages: InuOkko

Chapter 7

 It was the rustling of clothes that woke Toge. Soft sunlight poured into the room at dawn. His neck hurt, and his throat was scratchy. When he blinked away the foggy tiredness from his eyes, Toge saw the naked lower back of Yuuta as the black-haired man slipped on a new shirt.

Why was Yuuta in his room? Then, Toge realized that they were both in Yuuta's room. Toge sat up in bed quickly, feeling himself for clothing, which all remained. The only thing that fell from him was the red fleece blanket that clung to the silver-haired man's shirt.

Yuuta whipped his head around with a smile. "Oh, good morning. How did you sleep?"

Toge was frozen, playing through endless possibilities in his mind, but they were bottlenecking in his waking consciousness. Sweat had pooled in Toge's creases, an unappealing sensation that only exacerbated his overstimulation. He took a staggered inhale before pointing at Yuuta.

"You crashed in my bed before I made it up here yesterday. Thanks for the blanket, by the way, even though you ended up using it," Yuuta said.

Toge pointed to the bed, then at Yuuta again.

Yuuta blushed. "No, no! I slept on the couch! Maki gave me one of the extra blankets from the inn for the night with a lot of vague threats in case I ruined it. You were just so asleep I didn't want to wake you until you usually would wake up."

Toge exhaled, signing, "What time is it?"

"Half an hour until we open. I started the broth pots since we were basically out from yesterday. I also got the grocery delivery that Maki usually runs," Yuuta said.

"You didn't have to," Toge signed.

"It's not exactly like I have a strict job description. If I did something wrong, I won't do it again," Yuuta said.

Toge stood with a stretch. Rather than responding, he reached up and patted Yuuta's head. It wasn't for a few seconds that the action registered in his mind. Yuuta's hair was thick but felt like strands of silk.

"Sorry," Toge signed.

"It's fine. You can touch me." Yuuta blushed, patting Toge's head in return. "As long as I can touch you sometimes too."

The rest of the day was a blur – the rest of the week really. Before Toge realized it, it was Saturday again. That must have been what it felt like for things to progress toward normalcy. At least, that's what Toge thought.

Their schedule had begun to establish itself without any hitch. Yuuta assumed more responsibility than Toge initially asked. He was an early riser, so that meant the groceries and special deliveries could come in the morning without relying on Maki. Every night, after the café was closed, Yuuta would leave for the beach.

It was all so typical. Every day was beginning to feel the same as it had, just with an additional figure. Rather than seeing the coffee pot mostly full, it was half empty when Toge woke up. Instead of staying in the back for two hours doing dishes after hours, Yuuta worked on them throughout the day. Yuuta was supposed to be an agent of change. He was supposed to be the boy that left. But if he hadn't, would everything have ended up the same?

Toge squirmed on the couch next to Maki. That was a position he rarely took. She didn't seem bothered by him. Maki just read her book, some samurai tale that had probably been adapted into a Shonen manga. Toge rustled around again, hoping she would flinch and ask what was wrong.

"Inumaki, you're an adult," Maki said, flipping the page of her book.

"I know!" Toge emphatically signed.