Gift fic for pinkpapyrus
Gift fic for: pinkpapyrus
From: newsficcon
Title: With Love
Rating: PG
Pairing: RyoPi, TegoShige
Warnings: Should I warn for traces of magick? And also some fluff and sap >_>
Summary: AU. Love is hard enough to come by without a little nudge, even for those that do the nudging.
Notes: News owns a magick bakery AU. Sorry for the fail summary, the idea for this came out of nowhere, I do sincerely hope you’ll like it, pinkpapyrus! It was a pleasure to write for you :) Big thanks to my beta and everyone else that I bothered while working on this. <3
Things had never really been routine at Avec Amour, their little shop was always in motion, each of them trading responsibilities as the wind blew. It wasn’t easy running the only pastry café that served love warm from the oven- or chilled, if you liked it that way. It was an old technique, one that was nearly lost as people evolved and emotions changed, but they had managed to preserve it and share the ancient art under the guise of muffins with the perfect amount of blueberries in each bite.
There were six of them, each as dedicated to their work as the next- Masuda with the smile that warmed the coldest of hearts, Yamashita with his simple charm and concentration (despite not liking cakes, himself), Koyama’s caring nature, Tegoshi’s impossible sweetness, even Ryo with his poison tongue could make treats to lift your spirit. And then there was him, Shige, who could only cook fish and was the master of fake smiles.
In truth, Shige hadn’t perfected the way to properly serve love, most times finding the end result stale and flaky. He was the apprentice, usually charged with the task of handling the presentation when he wasn’t soaping up the dishes. His was the one task that didn’t differ while the other five alternated gathering, mixing, and creating new recipes, depending on where their moods took them. It was a sensitive practice, one they were all sensitive to, in return.
He could still remember when Tegoshi was an apprentice along with him, only recently finding his place among the others that month. It had hurt his pride a bit when the youngest had taken the step up before he had, but he held to it that if the youngest of them could do it, he would find his way in no time, as well. It was only a matter of time before the opportunity revealed itself- that was what he constantly reminded himself, if only to keep his chin up. He searched every day for his chance, but each day ended the same and started the same over and over again.
The only thing that changed was that the shop slowly gained more attention as time went on, the emotions being carried in and out the door were almost in the coming days, lingering even after closing hours when they were all cleaning- or in Massu’s case, packing up the leftovers for a late-night snack. It often left him with a strange feeling buzzing through him as he rode the train back, Tegoshi following along, to his apartment.
It had taken him a while, but he’d finally noticed the change was not in the patrons or their pastries, but between two of his coworkers. At first no one had really noticed the change in behavior. The shop was busy and there was usually too much going on to notice the little things going on behind the counter or in the back rooms.
The two of them had always been close, apparently they were childhood friends and rarely spent much time apart- like a more perverted version of he and Koyama, he'd thought. They even had their own secret handshake, so it hadn't really struck any of them as strange to see Yamapi with an arm over Ryo's shoulder while Ryo was sleeping on his. He’d actually attributed it to the general atmosphere of their little shop rubbing off on them- it wasn’t too far-fetched to believe so, not when their cakes and pastries brought new meaning to the phrase “made with love”. He'd only begun to really take notice when they shared looks over the counter that lasted too long and meant too much.
Even Tegoshi could tell that something had changed- only after he'd mentioned it to him, but Tegoshi would always claim to have been the first one to see it (Tegoshi liked to believe he had some sixth sense for love vibes or something).
They tended to be discreet, most of the time. There are still instances when it's crystal clear, like a reminder to the rest of them that makes Koyama smile and Massu look away sheepishly from the obvious display of affection. A kiss on the way out the door or clasped hands through the hallways. It makes him wonder if they do it on purpose. He'd never had thought that the two of them would come together that way, but seeing them now, it's a wonder that no one saw it coming.
Sometimes he thinks he's jealous, or at least that's what Tegoshi tells him, though Tegoshi seems to be just as fond of watching them as he is. He can't exactly disagree, they seem perfect together, and he wishes he could have that. Neither of the others seem very worried about his lack of love life, he's not sure if he should be flattered or offended. He likes to think they simply have faith that his opportunity will come, but there's always a voice in the back of his mind that asks ”What if they're wrong?”
The topic comes up on a day that Ryo and Yamapi are pressed together on the loveseat outside the kitchen, the rest of them have already become used to the sight. Koyama and Massu are taking turns whisking whipped cream and chopping almonds while he is plating individual strawberry cakes for a wedding that weekend. Next to him, Tegoshi is practicing his own version of being helpful by taking the cakes and adding a cherry on top of the little Hershey kiss-shaped dots of frosting he’s been adding.
“They didn't ask for cherries, it's a strawberry cake:”
“Then it'll be a bonus for them!”
He throws a look at Koyama on the other side of the room for help, but the taller man just gives him a smile that says he's not going to do anything about it. He's frustrated for a second before he busies himself with icing and falls back into rhythm. It’s rare for him to receive such a responsibility and he focuses on enjoying the moment, feeling awfully giddy as he does.
Of course it’s Ryo that speaks up next and breaks through his concentration, “Shige, you’re too high-strung,” and then going on to say “maybe that’s why you don’t have a girlfriend.” Ryo always speaks boldly. Shige stops what he's doing long enough to shoot Ryo a glare, probably doing nothing more than proving Ryo's point, and then Tegoshi's taking the frosting pipe from him to finish what he'd started. Shige lets him as it becomes obvious his mood has left him no longer fit to continue.
There's nothing more for him to do, knowing he won't be let to help while he runs the risk of contaminating the food with negative energy, so he just sighs and excuses himself to wash up and hang his apron in the corner. Out of the corner of his eye he sees Yamapi giving Ryo a scolding look and he feels a little better. He knows Ryo didn't mean it in the way that he took it, but it still feels good to see the little guy suffer once in a while.
That night on the train ride home, Yamapi texts him an apology- it's from Ryo's number, but the excessive use of cute emoji's gives him away immediately. The next text actually comes from Ryo himself, telling him to take a few days from the cafe to relax (the text had actually read “chill the hell out, you're making things weird”). It's clear what Ryo really wants him to do; it's been the only thing on his mind, as well. Love- in order to become more than just an apprentice, he needs to find it. As he drags himself to bed that night, he finally devises a plan to do just that instead of waiting around for it to strike him.
Step one is obvious: ask those that have already found it. The first person that he approaches is Koyama, his best friend and really the only person he doesn’t feel horribly awkward asking about such a personal topic.
“Ah, it must have been when I met Shige all those years ago,” was what Koyama told him, making a face that seemed less embarrassed than he would have expected, but then he wasn’t exactly looking for it when he was too busy being shocked, himself.
He sputtered a few moments until Koyama’s eyes squinted even further in laughter, waving a hand in the air that he could only dumbly stare at. Regaining his composure, Koyama elaborated quickly, “It’s not that kind of love, but you should have seen your face!”
He attempted to scowl, though it was hard to do when Koyama was smiling so widely. “What kind of love, then?” He asks with an annoyed tone that Koyama ignores.
“Mmm, I guess I’d call it brotherly love?” He nods, though how Koyama could have found that link while he was still looking left him with more questions in mind than answers. As if sensing his inner turmoil, Koyama continues, “Not everyone has to find their true love in order to share the wealth, Shige, but some do,” and Koyama's eyes twinkle in a way that makes him wonder if Koyama knows something he doesn't and just doesn't want to share. His words are the same as what he’d set out thinking, but they somehow weigh his spirit down. Koyama blinks and that sparkle is gone, “You should ask Tegoshi, he’s good with these things.”
Shige leaves Koyama’s house with his phone in hand, scrolling through his contacts and pausing at Tegoshi’s name. He scrolls past- what could someone with the least experience tell him about love that the others couldn’t?
He texts Ryo to tell him he’s coming over and seconds later comes the reply, “I’m busy, some of us have lives to attend to on our days off.”
He frowns deeply and fixes the tiny screen with a glare that lasts through the next text message that reads, “Sorry, Shige-chan, we’re both busy ^-^;; Why don’t you ask Tegoshi to help you?” He rolls his eyes, this time and throws a look back at Koyama’s house over his shoulder, certain the other was to blame.
So far his plan was failing, three out of five turning out to be useless, at this rate he might actually have to ask Tegoshi. The thought makes him feel uncomfortable and sort of like he’s been spinning around for too long. He shakes his head clear and makes a bee-line for the home of the only other person he can rely on for help.
While Koyama was his best friend, he’d known Masuda for a bit longer. Massu was easy to be around with his uncanny ability to make those around him feel at home no matter where they were. He suspected it might have something to do with his dimples.
Massu invites him in warmly and Shige's mood immediately improves. It's not as easy-going asking Massu the same things he'd asked Koyama, so he doesn't. Instead, Massu speaks first and it's clear he's already got a grasp of what Shige wants.
“Koyama called a bit before you got here,” and then he knows he's not going to be learning much of anything from his friends. “We all know you're smart, Shige, so we're not worried that you won't figure it out on your own.” He can only nod and try to accept what he'd known from the beginning, ready to stand and leave Massu be for the remainder of his day off.
“Could you tell me how you found it, at least?” He tries at the last minute.
Massu purses his lips that eventually break out in a grin, “I guess everyone has something in them to love, don't they?” It's not quite an answer, but it's exactly what he expected from him.
He smiles in return- the dimples at work- and gives a nod before heading out the door, but Massu doesn't let him get far without calling out to him, “But you know, you haven't asked Tegoshi yet, have you?”
He doesn't.
He isn't completely blind, he likes to pride himself in being the smart one of the group, though that reputation seemed to be failing him as of late. He can see that everyone else is cooking something up and he's not sure whether he likes that or not- it's not exactly the help he'd been looking for, in the first place.
Because he is who he is, he takes another day to himself, this time staying at home and trying to work through exactly what the others had told him. It wasn't much, but he had to work with what he had. By the time night rolled around, he'd gotten nowhere- brotherly love obviously hadn't worked for him, and despite what Massu had said, he wasn't sure he could see what Massu saw in people. Ryo and Yamapi were still something of a mystery, they'd both obviously had the skill before getting together, so that couldn't have been the catalyst.
He spends too long making notes and trying to weed through old books on how to find love- most of them are falling apart at the spine and have weird references to movies he's never seen. There's also an hour or so he spends groaning and pitying himself, sure he'll never upgrade from the level of a lowly apprentice. Though short-lived, she still feels like an idiot for it ad is eternally grateful he hadn't actually sent that grief-stricken message to Koyama.
After a dinner of salted smelt and plain rice, he crawls into bed with a headache, wondering if it would even be worth it to take another personal day and try to figure anything more out. In the end he sets his alarm, anyway. It's not until he's half-asleep that it suddenly clicks and he realizes that the others are pushing him to see that Tegoshi could be the key to helping him find his answer. He drifts off wondering if annoyance is another form of love and ends up waking with the faint taste of cherries on his tongue.
He loiters around his apartment while he thinks about how he should approach Tegoshi at work, already having taken a shower and styled his hair (and then messed up his hair again because he didn't need to dress up nice for the brat). He's nearly late to his train because of it and he takes that as a bad omen.
Koyama's in his face as soon as he opens the door, “You didn't talk to Tegoshi, did you?” He suppresses the urge scream.
“No, and why was everybody telling me to do that, yesterday?” He feels the need to be a little avoidant, not wanting to admit he was maybe a little bit afraid to talk to him. Koyama just rolls his eyes and backs out of Shige's personal bubble, beckoning him to follow as he walks through the back to the kitchen. On the way, he sees Ryo with his arms crossed, watching Pi slide trays into the oven sullenly. He feels bad for him for the moment before he's noticed and fixed with a glare, made even more Ryo-like with an added scowl. Koyama takes him past the kitchen into one of the small rooms and now he feels worried and a little claustrophobic.
“Shige, didn't you think that if we all told you to talk to him that it might have been important?”
Shige scoffed, as though he could have missed that, “Of course.”
“Then why didn't you? Didn't you think that maybe he was waiting for you?” Koyama looked truly exasperated by that point, obviously trying not to get too frustrated. He takes a breath and looks considerably more tired as he does, “Did you figure out yet, why you should talk to him?”
He doesn't know the exact reason, but he nods, anyway and Koyama gives him a look that says he knows he's lying. “You haven't noticed anything while you're around Tegoshi?” He presses on despite how Shige quirks an eyebrow. “Okay, Shige, how did you feel when Tegoshi became a chef?” Koyama speaks slowly like he would a child and Shige is only mildly offended before his answer rolls off his tongue like on reflex.
“I was jealous,” Koyama's features visibly light up, but Shige is quick to follow up, “I mean, of course I would be, he did it first.” A shake of the head, “Were you jealous when any of the others did?” Shige narrowed his brows in thought, but he couldn't think of a single time he'd felt real jealousy towards anyone else for becoming a chef before he had. It feels like he's piecing together a puzzle, but some of the pieces are in the wrong place. “What does that have to do with anything?” Koyama continues, “And what did you feel when we asked you to talk with Tegoshi?” The puzzle starts to come together the longer he thinks about it, little by little, he starts to see the full picture undistorted. Koyama smiles, claps a hand on his shoulder, “Tegoshi's in the cafe up the street, you should go see him.”
He has no reason to doubt what Koyama and the others have been trying to tell him since day one, but there is still hesitance in his step as he crosses the kitchen to go out the front door, trying not to notice how Ryo is still glaring daggers into his back- sometimes he forgets what a weird bond those two have. He can see Tegoshi through the large glass window near the back of the cafe, still dressed in his apron and looking nothing like the usual peppy and overly sweet Tegoshi he was used to.
He approaches his table quietly, “Shouldn't you be at work?” Nervousness wells up in him as Tegoshi looks up and there's something foreign in his eyes. Tegoshi just shrugs, but he looks equally as nervous. Somehow that's comforting, so he goes on.
“The others keep saying I should talk to you,” he starts right into it, seeing no need to beat around the bush, especially not with Tegoshi. He knows the other knows what he's talking about, made even more evident in the way Tegoshi tries to flippantly avoid his gaze.
Tegoshi isn't one to avoid the topic, either, “I'm supposed to help,” though he does have a way with being vague.
He's still standing in front of Tegoshi's table, but he doesn't move to sit, “I've asked everyone else the same question, so I should probably ask you, too. Where did you find it?” He still couldn't quite bring himself to say the L word, but he did chance a glance up to Tegoshi's face.
The look on his face is unfamiliar, but he recognizes it immediately as he's seen it on the others countless times, just never on Tegoshi and never directed at him. There is also trepidation present there, and that's also something he's never seen on Tegoshi's face, at least not in years. He thinks back to the Tegoshi from then, sweet and cautious. He was afraid of stepping on toes, back then, getting in the way. Looking at him now, so much has changed, but then so much hasn't.
He feels that dizzy feeling well up in him, again, the same feeling that lingers around him as Tegoshi helps him decorate the special cakes, that follows him on the train ride home every night from the bakery, and at long last the pieces come together and he realizes he's been faced with love for all this time.
And then Tegoshi tells him, “I didn't it found me.” And that sounds like the best answer he's gotten so far.
No one else notices the change in atmosphere until they come into the kitchen to find Tegoshi watching with a smile gracing his lips as Shige holds a large bowl under his arm and stirs. There's a moment of panic and Ryo starts to bark about wasted materials until they all see the grin on Shige's face and slowly it spreads to each of their faces, as well. In an hour or so, there will be fresh cherry tarts to be had, made special with love.
From: newsficcon
Title: With Love
Rating: PG
Pairing: RyoPi, TegoShige
Warnings: Should I warn for traces of magick? And also some fluff and sap >_>
Summary: AU. Love is hard enough to come by without a little nudge, even for those that do the nudging.
Notes: News owns a magick bakery AU. Sorry for the fail summary, the idea for this came out of nowhere, I do sincerely hope you’ll like it, pinkpapyrus! It was a pleasure to write for you :) Big thanks to my beta and everyone else that I bothered while working on this. <3
Things had never really been routine at Avec Amour, their little shop was always in motion, each of them trading responsibilities as the wind blew. It wasn’t easy running the only pastry café that served love warm from the oven- or chilled, if you liked it that way. It was an old technique, one that was nearly lost as people evolved and emotions changed, but they had managed to preserve it and share the ancient art under the guise of muffins with the perfect amount of blueberries in each bite.
There were six of them, each as dedicated to their work as the next- Masuda with the smile that warmed the coldest of hearts, Yamashita with his simple charm and concentration (despite not liking cakes, himself), Koyama’s caring nature, Tegoshi’s impossible sweetness, even Ryo with his poison tongue could make treats to lift your spirit. And then there was him, Shige, who could only cook fish and was the master of fake smiles.
In truth, Shige hadn’t perfected the way to properly serve love, most times finding the end result stale and flaky. He was the apprentice, usually charged with the task of handling the presentation when he wasn’t soaping up the dishes. His was the one task that didn’t differ while the other five alternated gathering, mixing, and creating new recipes, depending on where their moods took them. It was a sensitive practice, one they were all sensitive to, in return.
He could still remember when Tegoshi was an apprentice along with him, only recently finding his place among the others that month. It had hurt his pride a bit when the youngest had taken the step up before he had, but he held to it that if the youngest of them could do it, he would find his way in no time, as well. It was only a matter of time before the opportunity revealed itself- that was what he constantly reminded himself, if only to keep his chin up. He searched every day for his chance, but each day ended the same and started the same over and over again.
The only thing that changed was that the shop slowly gained more attention as time went on, the emotions being carried in and out the door were almost in the coming days, lingering even after closing hours when they were all cleaning- or in Massu’s case, packing up the leftovers for a late-night snack. It often left him with a strange feeling buzzing through him as he rode the train back, Tegoshi following along, to his apartment.
It had taken him a while, but he’d finally noticed the change was not in the patrons or their pastries, but between two of his coworkers. At first no one had really noticed the change in behavior. The shop was busy and there was usually too much going on to notice the little things going on behind the counter or in the back rooms.
The two of them had always been close, apparently they were childhood friends and rarely spent much time apart- like a more perverted version of he and Koyama, he'd thought. They even had their own secret handshake, so it hadn't really struck any of them as strange to see Yamapi with an arm over Ryo's shoulder while Ryo was sleeping on his. He’d actually attributed it to the general atmosphere of their little shop rubbing off on them- it wasn’t too far-fetched to believe so, not when their cakes and pastries brought new meaning to the phrase “made with love”. He'd only begun to really take notice when they shared looks over the counter that lasted too long and meant too much.
Even Tegoshi could tell that something had changed- only after he'd mentioned it to him, but Tegoshi would always claim to have been the first one to see it (Tegoshi liked to believe he had some sixth sense for love vibes or something).
They tended to be discreet, most of the time. There are still instances when it's crystal clear, like a reminder to the rest of them that makes Koyama smile and Massu look away sheepishly from the obvious display of affection. A kiss on the way out the door or clasped hands through the hallways. It makes him wonder if they do it on purpose. He'd never had thought that the two of them would come together that way, but seeing them now, it's a wonder that no one saw it coming.
Sometimes he thinks he's jealous, or at least that's what Tegoshi tells him, though Tegoshi seems to be just as fond of watching them as he is. He can't exactly disagree, they seem perfect together, and he wishes he could have that. Neither of the others seem very worried about his lack of love life, he's not sure if he should be flattered or offended. He likes to think they simply have faith that his opportunity will come, but there's always a voice in the back of his mind that asks ”What if they're wrong?”
The topic comes up on a day that Ryo and Yamapi are pressed together on the loveseat outside the kitchen, the rest of them have already become used to the sight. Koyama and Massu are taking turns whisking whipped cream and chopping almonds while he is plating individual strawberry cakes for a wedding that weekend. Next to him, Tegoshi is practicing his own version of being helpful by taking the cakes and adding a cherry on top of the little Hershey kiss-shaped dots of frosting he’s been adding.
“They didn't ask for cherries, it's a strawberry cake:”
“Then it'll be a bonus for them!”
He throws a look at Koyama on the other side of the room for help, but the taller man just gives him a smile that says he's not going to do anything about it. He's frustrated for a second before he busies himself with icing and falls back into rhythm. It’s rare for him to receive such a responsibility and he focuses on enjoying the moment, feeling awfully giddy as he does.
Of course it’s Ryo that speaks up next and breaks through his concentration, “Shige, you’re too high-strung,” and then going on to say “maybe that’s why you don’t have a girlfriend.” Ryo always speaks boldly. Shige stops what he's doing long enough to shoot Ryo a glare, probably doing nothing more than proving Ryo's point, and then Tegoshi's taking the frosting pipe from him to finish what he'd started. Shige lets him as it becomes obvious his mood has left him no longer fit to continue.
There's nothing more for him to do, knowing he won't be let to help while he runs the risk of contaminating the food with negative energy, so he just sighs and excuses himself to wash up and hang his apron in the corner. Out of the corner of his eye he sees Yamapi giving Ryo a scolding look and he feels a little better. He knows Ryo didn't mean it in the way that he took it, but it still feels good to see the little guy suffer once in a while.
That night on the train ride home, Yamapi texts him an apology- it's from Ryo's number, but the excessive use of cute emoji's gives him away immediately. The next text actually comes from Ryo himself, telling him to take a few days from the cafe to relax (the text had actually read “chill the hell out, you're making things weird”). It's clear what Ryo really wants him to do; it's been the only thing on his mind, as well. Love- in order to become more than just an apprentice, he needs to find it. As he drags himself to bed that night, he finally devises a plan to do just that instead of waiting around for it to strike him.
Step one is obvious: ask those that have already found it. The first person that he approaches is Koyama, his best friend and really the only person he doesn’t feel horribly awkward asking about such a personal topic.
“Ah, it must have been when I met Shige all those years ago,” was what Koyama told him, making a face that seemed less embarrassed than he would have expected, but then he wasn’t exactly looking for it when he was too busy being shocked, himself.
He sputtered a few moments until Koyama’s eyes squinted even further in laughter, waving a hand in the air that he could only dumbly stare at. Regaining his composure, Koyama elaborated quickly, “It’s not that kind of love, but you should have seen your face!”
He attempted to scowl, though it was hard to do when Koyama was smiling so widely. “What kind of love, then?” He asks with an annoyed tone that Koyama ignores.
“Mmm, I guess I’d call it brotherly love?” He nods, though how Koyama could have found that link while he was still looking left him with more questions in mind than answers. As if sensing his inner turmoil, Koyama continues, “Not everyone has to find their true love in order to share the wealth, Shige, but some do,” and Koyama's eyes twinkle in a way that makes him wonder if Koyama knows something he doesn't and just doesn't want to share. His words are the same as what he’d set out thinking, but they somehow weigh his spirit down. Koyama blinks and that sparkle is gone, “You should ask Tegoshi, he’s good with these things.”
Shige leaves Koyama’s house with his phone in hand, scrolling through his contacts and pausing at Tegoshi’s name. He scrolls past- what could someone with the least experience tell him about love that the others couldn’t?
He texts Ryo to tell him he’s coming over and seconds later comes the reply, “I’m busy, some of us have lives to attend to on our days off.”
He frowns deeply and fixes the tiny screen with a glare that lasts through the next text message that reads, “Sorry, Shige-chan, we’re both busy ^-^;; Why don’t you ask Tegoshi to help you?” He rolls his eyes, this time and throws a look back at Koyama’s house over his shoulder, certain the other was to blame.
So far his plan was failing, three out of five turning out to be useless, at this rate he might actually have to ask Tegoshi. The thought makes him feel uncomfortable and sort of like he’s been spinning around for too long. He shakes his head clear and makes a bee-line for the home of the only other person he can rely on for help.
While Koyama was his best friend, he’d known Masuda for a bit longer. Massu was easy to be around with his uncanny ability to make those around him feel at home no matter where they were. He suspected it might have something to do with his dimples.
Massu invites him in warmly and Shige's mood immediately improves. It's not as easy-going asking Massu the same things he'd asked Koyama, so he doesn't. Instead, Massu speaks first and it's clear he's already got a grasp of what Shige wants.
“Koyama called a bit before you got here,” and then he knows he's not going to be learning much of anything from his friends. “We all know you're smart, Shige, so we're not worried that you won't figure it out on your own.” He can only nod and try to accept what he'd known from the beginning, ready to stand and leave Massu be for the remainder of his day off.
“Could you tell me how you found it, at least?” He tries at the last minute.
Massu purses his lips that eventually break out in a grin, “I guess everyone has something in them to love, don't they?” It's not quite an answer, but it's exactly what he expected from him.
He smiles in return- the dimples at work- and gives a nod before heading out the door, but Massu doesn't let him get far without calling out to him, “But you know, you haven't asked Tegoshi yet, have you?”
He doesn't.
He isn't completely blind, he likes to pride himself in being the smart one of the group, though that reputation seemed to be failing him as of late. He can see that everyone else is cooking something up and he's not sure whether he likes that or not- it's not exactly the help he'd been looking for, in the first place.
Because he is who he is, he takes another day to himself, this time staying at home and trying to work through exactly what the others had told him. It wasn't much, but he had to work with what he had. By the time night rolled around, he'd gotten nowhere- brotherly love obviously hadn't worked for him, and despite what Massu had said, he wasn't sure he could see what Massu saw in people. Ryo and Yamapi were still something of a mystery, they'd both obviously had the skill before getting together, so that couldn't have been the catalyst.
He spends too long making notes and trying to weed through old books on how to find love- most of them are falling apart at the spine and have weird references to movies he's never seen. There's also an hour or so he spends groaning and pitying himself, sure he'll never upgrade from the level of a lowly apprentice. Though short-lived, she still feels like an idiot for it ad is eternally grateful he hadn't actually sent that grief-stricken message to Koyama.
After a dinner of salted smelt and plain rice, he crawls into bed with a headache, wondering if it would even be worth it to take another personal day and try to figure anything more out. In the end he sets his alarm, anyway. It's not until he's half-asleep that it suddenly clicks and he realizes that the others are pushing him to see that Tegoshi could be the key to helping him find his answer. He drifts off wondering if annoyance is another form of love and ends up waking with the faint taste of cherries on his tongue.
He loiters around his apartment while he thinks about how he should approach Tegoshi at work, already having taken a shower and styled his hair (and then messed up his hair again because he didn't need to dress up nice for the brat). He's nearly late to his train because of it and he takes that as a bad omen.
Koyama's in his face as soon as he opens the door, “You didn't talk to Tegoshi, did you?” He suppresses the urge scream.
“No, and why was everybody telling me to do that, yesterday?” He feels the need to be a little avoidant, not wanting to admit he was maybe a little bit afraid to talk to him. Koyama just rolls his eyes and backs out of Shige's personal bubble, beckoning him to follow as he walks through the back to the kitchen. On the way, he sees Ryo with his arms crossed, watching Pi slide trays into the oven sullenly. He feels bad for him for the moment before he's noticed and fixed with a glare, made even more Ryo-like with an added scowl. Koyama takes him past the kitchen into one of the small rooms and now he feels worried and a little claustrophobic.
“Shige, didn't you think that if we all told you to talk to him that it might have been important?”
Shige scoffed, as though he could have missed that, “Of course.”
“Then why didn't you? Didn't you think that maybe he was waiting for you?” Koyama looked truly exasperated by that point, obviously trying not to get too frustrated. He takes a breath and looks considerably more tired as he does, “Did you figure out yet, why you should talk to him?”
He doesn't know the exact reason, but he nods, anyway and Koyama gives him a look that says he knows he's lying. “You haven't noticed anything while you're around Tegoshi?” He presses on despite how Shige quirks an eyebrow. “Okay, Shige, how did you feel when Tegoshi became a chef?” Koyama speaks slowly like he would a child and Shige is only mildly offended before his answer rolls off his tongue like on reflex.
“I was jealous,” Koyama's features visibly light up, but Shige is quick to follow up, “I mean, of course I would be, he did it first.” A shake of the head, “Were you jealous when any of the others did?” Shige narrowed his brows in thought, but he couldn't think of a single time he'd felt real jealousy towards anyone else for becoming a chef before he had. It feels like he's piecing together a puzzle, but some of the pieces are in the wrong place. “What does that have to do with anything?” Koyama continues, “And what did you feel when we asked you to talk with Tegoshi?” The puzzle starts to come together the longer he thinks about it, little by little, he starts to see the full picture undistorted. Koyama smiles, claps a hand on his shoulder, “Tegoshi's in the cafe up the street, you should go see him.”
He has no reason to doubt what Koyama and the others have been trying to tell him since day one, but there is still hesitance in his step as he crosses the kitchen to go out the front door, trying not to notice how Ryo is still glaring daggers into his back- sometimes he forgets what a weird bond those two have. He can see Tegoshi through the large glass window near the back of the cafe, still dressed in his apron and looking nothing like the usual peppy and overly sweet Tegoshi he was used to.
He approaches his table quietly, “Shouldn't you be at work?” Nervousness wells up in him as Tegoshi looks up and there's something foreign in his eyes. Tegoshi just shrugs, but he looks equally as nervous. Somehow that's comforting, so he goes on.
“The others keep saying I should talk to you,” he starts right into it, seeing no need to beat around the bush, especially not with Tegoshi. He knows the other knows what he's talking about, made even more evident in the way Tegoshi tries to flippantly avoid his gaze.
Tegoshi isn't one to avoid the topic, either, “I'm supposed to help,” though he does have a way with being vague.
He's still standing in front of Tegoshi's table, but he doesn't move to sit, “I've asked everyone else the same question, so I should probably ask you, too. Where did you find it?” He still couldn't quite bring himself to say the L word, but he did chance a glance up to Tegoshi's face.
The look on his face is unfamiliar, but he recognizes it immediately as he's seen it on the others countless times, just never on Tegoshi and never directed at him. There is also trepidation present there, and that's also something he's never seen on Tegoshi's face, at least not in years. He thinks back to the Tegoshi from then, sweet and cautious. He was afraid of stepping on toes, back then, getting in the way. Looking at him now, so much has changed, but then so much hasn't.
He feels that dizzy feeling well up in him, again, the same feeling that lingers around him as Tegoshi helps him decorate the special cakes, that follows him on the train ride home every night from the bakery, and at long last the pieces come together and he realizes he's been faced with love for all this time.
And then Tegoshi tells him, “I didn't it found me.” And that sounds like the best answer he's gotten so far.
No one else notices the change in atmosphere until they come into the kitchen to find Tegoshi watching with a smile gracing his lips as Shige holds a large bowl under his arm and stirs. There's a moment of panic and Ryo starts to bark about wasted materials until they all see the grin on Shige's face and slowly it spreads to each of their faces, as well. In an hour or so, there will be fresh cherry tarts to be had, made special with love.