[Ruggie had known that, after graduating from Night Raven, things were still going to be rough. He'd gotten a good high school on his resume but it's not like he had the money to keep going to some magic university. Even if he did, it wasn't like he had the time for that sort of thing. Being able to leisurely go to school for long chunks of time before hauling in a solid salary was the sort of thing that only existed in dreams and wishes for him.]
[So, it made perfect sense to get a bit of extra cash from people who were living the dream. He had a part-time job on a college campus and spent a good chunk of time also getting on the good sides of the various future doctors and lawyers out there. If he could find someone to ride of the coattails of success too, there was no shame in that. He knew his physique didn't exactly scream trophy wife so he would have to go for the domestic angle. He could cook, he could clean, he could be a healing fluffy presence at the end of a long work day.]
[It was at that job he'd met Shizuma and managed to lure him into a business relationship with promises of a tidy house and homemade box lunches. He was a kind enough guy, fun to mess with, and a future vet so he wasn't super weird about the whole ear and tail things. If he'd just stop being so shy, Ruggie was sure he'd have a cozy path paved for himself.]
[Well, he could play a few fields, in case he never actually scored... That's what he thinks, letting himself in with a spare key in the morning. A box lunch was best prepared the morning-of, you know! So he makes his way to the tiny kitchen in Shizuma's apartment, covering a huge yawn with his hand.]
Let's see, there should still be some things I bought yesterday...
[he fusses with the fridge. They'd been at this arrangement for about a week now. Ruggie was a natural as adapting quickly so it was second nature now to glance at the clock while retrieving ingredients.]
Heyyyyy, [hey calls out from the counter]
Ikushima~ you're awake, right~? Wake-up fee is extraaaaa~!
[ honestly, shizuma isn't quite sure how his life got away from him like it did. somewhere in between juggling his last semester of graduate school and an internship so grueling it just barely grazes unethical, he found himself in a position that would make even his own mother weep. namely, his complete lack of ability to take care of himself outside of those aforementioned pursuits. he's not really quire how it happened, but he's fairly certain he had moved out of his parents' house two years prior with some sort of domestic skills to get him by... but as his last year in school started, they all just sort of fled from his brain to be replaced by pages and pages and pages of textbooks.
fortunately, he didn't have to live in his own filth and discarded packets of instant noodles for very long. his savior came in the form of a nice young man who, despite seeming to have an affinity for teasing him to the point of getting him flustered, was as hard-working as he marketed himself to be. also? his lunches were divine. so, yeah, shizuma sort of hit the jackpot here. he's not not counting his blessings, for sure. ]
I'm up, I'm up, sorry...
[ his comes first, then the man himself, stepping out of the bathroom to a waft of steam. his hair is still drying, droplets falling over his bare shoulders, but he's already in the process of tying up the pants of his scrubs for the day. he doesn't have to leave for another hour or so, but he's hoping to get some last minute studying done before heading out to his internship. ]
Thanks for coming in.
[ he thanks ruggie every day, as if every day it's still a surprise to him that the man comes. he makes to lift up his hand to continue scrubbing his hair dry, only to realize he'd forgotten his towel in the bathroom... sheepish, he backsteps until he can grab at it, and vigorously tries to do something about all that damp hair. ]
[It would be easy to assume that Ruggie was the type to cut corners. After all, he was a bit of a fast talker and he seemed to take on a bit more than the average person. He was diligent, though, and the early hours never seemed to bother him. He's already gathered the leftover rice from last time and has a pan heating for hamburger steak.]
You're the one in trouble if you're not up, shishishi.
[he has a sneaky-sounding laugh that sort of slips out through his teeth. He glances up over the counter and,]
[Ah, it was kinda cute how vulnerable Shizuma was willing to be. Again, Ruggie wasn't running a con here but he did know cons. On top of that, he got a nice view. It was open in the air that Ruggie wouldn't mind a husband with a nice salary. Then again, maybe he'd never explicitly said he was into guys? Ah, well, if Shizuma wasn't uncomfortable then he wasn't gonna ruin it.]
Yeah, yeah. No one that causes trouble is up this early in the morning.
[He left the chopping knife here, right?... Ah, yeah, yeah. Going about his work casually.]
Besides, Ikushima, this isn't a bad part of town at all. The worst that'd happen to me here is someone asking for directions~
[ maybe shizuma could benefit from being a little more guarded — not just with ruggie, but in general. but he's always been a little too soft where it could hurt the most, and a little too willing to give others the benefit of the doubt. this apparently translates to his physical state, seemingly more than okay to remain shirtless in front of the other... if only because ruggie himself doesn't seem to mind. besides, it's not like he plans on staying like that for long. ]
I told you, you can call me Shizuma... [ maybe it's a little too forward, insisting on such familiarity especially when he's in this particular state of undress, but he's never been a big fan of formality anyway. especially not with people who are doing him huge favors like this. ] But I'm glad you weren't given any problems... I haven't really had a chance to explore this area myself, and I was worried I was inviting you into more trouble than it's worth.
[ he glances briefly at what ruggie's doing in the kitchen, curious, but ultimately decides it's not his forte at all so he pivots back into the living room nearby, picking up one of his discarded textbooks on the coffee table. ]
Feel free to help yourself to whatever, if you haven't already eaten.
[Whereas Shizuma sees a favor, Ruggie sees... a job. An employer. It's not like he was one for formality, either, but plenty of people liked to put up those walls between themselves and "the help." It was probably the fact he was like this that drew Ruggie to him in the first place. He was a sucker. Not in a bad way! In a cute way! In a way that he was pretty convinced if he hung around long enough it would evolve into the sort of "you can call me darling" way.]
Right, right, got it, Shizuma~
[Offering Ruggie food is a dangerous gamble, but... again, Shizuma's protected by the fact Ruggie's on the clock. Even with Shizuma footing the grocery bill, he was a frugal shopper and liked to make things last as long as possible. Still, at the other's offer he does turn and retrieve a small bowl. Rice for him~ rice for him~]
I can tell you explored enough to find the nearest convenience store.
[he teases, referencing all the instant meals he found and was slowly starting to replace.]
But, nah, it's nice. You might think of this place as small an' cheap but I've seen way, way worse.
[and there's the sizzle of seasoned meat hitting the pan. Main dish, side dish, rice... here's the box he made sure to wash yesterday...]
[ is it a bit like feeding a stray? do it once, and you'll never get rid of them...
anyway. despite himself, shizuma can't help the way his ears and eyes perk up at the sound of that sizzling meat. soon enough, the smell of delicious food begins to fill the small apartment, and more and more the idea of studying becomes a harder promise to fulfill for him. he chews on his lips, glancing between the words on the pages opened in front of him and the back of ruggie's head where he stands in front of the stove. ]
The convenience store was the first trip I made after I moved out, [ he answers with a sheepish grin. it's embarrassing, but what's the use in lying about it? there's only so much of his life he can keep from being a mess... ]
But I guess that's true, I shouldn't be so ungrateful...
[ that's probably not at all what ruggie meant, but shizuma will take it as a life lesson anyway.
ah, fuck it. he can't concentrate at all.
standing, he moves over to stand back in the kitchen area, glancing over ruggie's work. ]
Can I do anything to help?
[ it seems silly just standing there and watching... ]
[It depends on which of them's the stray in this situation...]
[Ruggie chuckles a bit again. He didn't talk about his past a lot. Most people looked at him and figured out that somewhere in his past was some rough patch. People didn't get quick tongues and quick fingers without that. Ah, not that he'd ever demonstrated that skill for Shizuma. It wasn't exactly the skill you looked for in a spouse. Generally a person wanted to give their spouse a ring as a surprise, not have them swipe it out of their back pocket...]
Hm? [Ruggie's ears perk up in a much more noticeable way when Shizuma enters the kitchen.]
Ah, you've got points on my old schoolmate~ I'd be cooking like this and he'd come look over my shoulder and y'know what he'd say?
[he glances up while packing some rice into a bento box section.]
Wowwwwww, Shizuma! Make sure you show proper gratitude, alright?
[After all, wanting the food was its own form of praise. He just didn't want it to get taken for granted! Then again, it would probably be impossible for Shizuma to hit Leona's level of entitlement...]
[... and, technically, you know, he's being hired.]
Ah, well, if you really want to do it...
[Ruggie never minded doing it. It was part of what he was getting paid for and, even if it wasn't, it helped him feel like he was equaling out how Shizuma keep letting him eat from the leftovers.]
... Weren't you gonna study, though? [he points a set of chopsticks accusingly]
[ that's right, ruggie, isn't his payment gratitude enough???? or the fact he always texts ruggie how delicious his food is right after eating it......... but shizuma's kind of of a doormat; it's easy enough to mistake his kind gestures as something expected.
but, ah. ruggie's got his number alright. a seemingly selfless gesture has a lot more layers than that, made evident when the younger man's accusation has the redhead grinning sheepishly, pointedly avoiding looking at the pile of books on his coffee table. ]
I wouldn't be able to concentrate anyway, [ he reasons, like he's trying to convince himself as much as ruggie. truth is, he's feeling oddly restless. while doing the dishes doesn't really help, at least it's giving his hands something to do. ]
[It was that kind of kindness that made Ruggie assume that, if he hung around long enough, Shizuma would eventually hit the point he couldn't imagine living without him. Co-dependence was a kind of love. Probably.]
It just seems like a waste, when you already got up this early to hit the books...
[Obviously, it's not his job to keep Shizuma on the right track. He was paid and, if Shizuma ended up in a place where he couldn't pay him anymore, he'd go. Easy as that. Still, he wasn't so cruel as to want to see someone to fail.]
Okay! Clean up what I've dirtied already. I'll finish your lunch... then make you something simple to eat while you read, got it?
[ shizuma had been in love once... not to the point of codependency, but certainly, at the time, it felt like life without yuka was unimaginable... and thus utterly miserable when they eventually broke up. it's not that he isn't willing to love once more, but he'd be lying if a part of him doubts it'll ever happen to him again. but — that's the thing about keeping the door open, right? you never truly know who will walk on it.
ruggie winks, and he sighs, defeated. then, with a familiarity that would make a more with-it shizuma embarrassed, he leans over and gently nudges the other with his arm. ]
Aye aye, sir.
[ ruggie's no taskmaster, but he's made shizuma feel suitably shamed for not being more disciplined. it's fine... it'll all be worth it in the end, when he finally gets his license.
[For being so flippant talking about relationships, marriage, and all that, it's not as if Ruggie really had a depth of experience. He wouldn't admit it, though, admitting that sort of thing never looked good. He could fake it well enough and that worked for most people.]
[... he was thinking that Shizuma could really get suckered by someone, though. It's satisfying to nudge him in the right direction and see him move. When he got that license, well, Ruggie would probably be proud no matter what.]
Alright, this, and this, [he passes along the tools he doesn't need anymore. It's not a lot of mess but, again, it's mainly for Shizuma to feel like he's helping.]
and this, then study.
[... and, as a hunting species, he can't help but want to poke at that exposed side.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
one week in
[So, it made perfect sense to get a bit of extra cash from people who were living the dream. He had a part-time job on a college campus and spent a good chunk of time also getting on the good sides of the various future doctors and lawyers out there. If he could find someone to ride of the coattails of success too, there was no shame in that. He knew his physique didn't exactly scream trophy wife so he would have to go for the domestic angle. He could cook, he could clean, he could be a healing fluffy presence at the end of a long work day.]
[It was at that job he'd met Shizuma and managed to lure him into a business relationship with promises of a tidy house and homemade box lunches. He was a kind enough guy, fun to mess with, and a future vet so he wasn't super weird about the whole ear and tail things. If he'd just stop being so shy, Ruggie was sure he'd have a cozy path paved for himself.]
[Well, he could play a few fields, in case he never actually scored... That's what he thinks, letting himself in with a spare key in the morning. A box lunch was best prepared the morning-of, you know! So he makes his way to the tiny kitchen in Shizuma's apartment, covering a huge yawn with his hand.]
Let's see, there should still be some things I bought yesterday...
[he fusses with the fridge. They'd been at this arrangement for about a week now. Ruggie was a natural as adapting quickly so it was second nature now to glance at the clock while retrieving ingredients.]
Heyyyyy, [hey calls out from the counter]
Ikushima~ you're awake, right~? Wake-up fee is extraaaaa~!
no subject
fortunately, he didn't have to live in his own filth and discarded packets of instant noodles for very long. his savior came in the form of a nice young man who, despite seeming to have an affinity for teasing him to the point of getting him flustered, was as hard-working as he marketed himself to be. also? his lunches were divine. so, yeah, shizuma sort of hit the jackpot here. he's not not counting his blessings, for sure. ]
I'm up, I'm up, sorry...
[ his comes first, then the man himself, stepping out of the bathroom to a waft of steam. his hair is still drying, droplets falling over his bare shoulders, but he's already in the process of tying up the pants of his scrubs for the day. he doesn't have to leave for another hour or so, but he's hoping to get some last minute studying done before heading out to his internship. ]
Thanks for coming in.
[ he thanks ruggie every day, as if every day it's still a surprise to him that the man comes. he makes to lift up his hand to continue scrubbing his hair dry, only to realize he'd forgotten his towel in the bathroom... sheepish, he backsteps until he can grab at it, and vigorously tries to do something about all that damp hair. ]
Did you make it over here okay?
no subject
You're the one in trouble if you're not up, shishishi.
[he has a sneaky-sounding laugh that sort of slips out through his teeth. He glances up over the counter and,]
[Ah, it was kinda cute how vulnerable Shizuma was willing to be. Again, Ruggie wasn't running a con here but he did know cons. On top of that, he got a nice view. It was open in the air that Ruggie wouldn't mind a husband with a nice salary. Then again, maybe he'd never explicitly said he was into guys? Ah, well, if Shizuma wasn't uncomfortable then he wasn't gonna ruin it.]
Yeah, yeah. No one that causes trouble is up this early in the morning.
[He left the chopping knife here, right?... Ah, yeah, yeah. Going about his work casually.]
Besides, Ikushima, this isn't a bad part of town at all. The worst that'd happen to me here is someone asking for directions~
no subject
I told you, you can call me Shizuma... [ maybe it's a little too forward, insisting on such familiarity especially when he's in this particular state of undress, but he's never been a big fan of formality anyway. especially not with people who are doing him huge favors like this. ] But I'm glad you weren't given any problems... I haven't really had a chance to explore this area myself, and I was worried I was inviting you into more trouble than it's worth.
[ he glances briefly at what ruggie's doing in the kitchen, curious, but ultimately decides it's not his forte at all so he pivots back into the living room nearby, picking up one of his discarded textbooks on the coffee table. ]
Feel free to help yourself to whatever, if you haven't already eaten.
no subject
Right, right, got it, Shizuma~
[Offering Ruggie food is a dangerous gamble, but... again, Shizuma's protected by the fact Ruggie's on the clock. Even with Shizuma footing the grocery bill, he was a frugal shopper and liked to make things last as long as possible. Still, at the other's offer he does turn and retrieve a small bowl. Rice for him~ rice for him~]
I can tell you explored enough to find the nearest convenience store.
[he teases, referencing all the instant meals he found and was slowly starting to replace.]
But, nah, it's nice. You might think of this place as small an' cheap but I've seen way, way worse.
[and there's the sizzle of seasoned meat hitting the pan. Main dish, side dish, rice... here's the box he made sure to wash yesterday...]
no subject
anyway. despite himself, shizuma can't help the way his ears and eyes perk up at the sound of that sizzling meat. soon enough, the smell of delicious food begins to fill the small apartment, and more and more the idea of studying becomes a harder promise to fulfill for him. he chews on his lips, glancing between the words on the pages opened in front of him and the back of ruggie's head where he stands in front of the stove. ]
The convenience store was the first trip I made after I moved out, [ he answers with a sheepish grin. it's embarrassing, but what's the use in lying about it? there's only so much of his life he can keep from being a mess... ]
But I guess that's true, I shouldn't be so ungrateful...
[ that's probably not at all what ruggie meant, but shizuma will take it as a life lesson anyway.
ah, fuck it. he can't concentrate at all.
standing, he moves over to stand back in the kitchen area, glancing over ruggie's work. ]
Can I do anything to help?
[ it seems silly just standing there and watching... ]
no subject
[Ruggie chuckles a bit again. He didn't talk about his past a lot. Most people looked at him and figured out that somewhere in his past was some rough patch. People didn't get quick tongues and quick fingers without that. Ah, not that he'd ever demonstrated that skill for Shizuma. It wasn't exactly the skill you looked for in a spouse. Generally a person wanted to give their spouse a ring as a surprise, not have them swipe it out of their back pocket...]
Hm? [Ruggie's ears perk up in a much more noticeable way when Shizuma enters the kitchen.]
Ah, you've got points on my old schoolmate~ I'd be cooking like this and he'd come look over my shoulder and y'know what he'd say?
[he glances up while packing some rice into a bento box section.]
He'd just say "when's it gonna be ready?"
no subject
[ the sheepish grin on shizuma's face seems to imply that question had definitely been one he'd considered asking once or twice before...
he comes to stand by the sink, gesturing towards it. ]
I can at least do the dishes for you, right? Even if I can't really help with the food-making...
no subject
[After all, wanting the food was its own form of praise. He just didn't want it to get taken for granted! Then again, it would probably be impossible for Shizuma to hit Leona's level of entitlement...]
[... and, technically, you know, he's being hired.]
Ah, well, if you really want to do it...
[Ruggie never minded doing it. It was part of what he was getting paid for and, even if it wasn't, it helped him feel like he was equaling out how Shizuma keep letting him eat from the leftovers.]
... Weren't you gonna study, though? [he points a set of chopsticks accusingly]
no subject
but, ah. ruggie's got his number alright. a seemingly selfless gesture has a lot more layers than that, made evident when the younger man's accusation has the redhead grinning sheepishly, pointedly avoiding looking at the pile of books on his coffee table. ]
I wouldn't be able to concentrate anyway, [ he reasons, like he's trying to convince himself as much as ruggie. truth is, he's feeling oddly restless. while doing the dishes doesn't really help, at least it's giving his hands something to do. ]
no subject
It just seems like a waste, when you already got up this early to hit the books...
[Obviously, it's not his job to keep Shizuma on the right track. He was paid and, if Shizuma ended up in a place where he couldn't pay him anymore, he'd go. Easy as that. Still, he wasn't so cruel as to want to see someone to fail.]
Okay! Clean up what I've dirtied already. I'll finish your lunch... then make you something simple to eat while you read, got it?
[he winks]
no subject
ruggie winks, and he sighs, defeated. then, with a familiarity that would make a more with-it shizuma embarrassed, he leans over and gently nudges the other with his arm. ]
Aye aye, sir.
[ ruggie's no taskmaster, but he's made shizuma feel suitably shamed for not being more disciplined. it's fine... it'll all be worth it in the end, when he finally gets his license.
until then, at least he's been fed well. ]
no subject
[... he was thinking that Shizuma could really get suckered by someone, though. It's satisfying to nudge him in the right direction and see him move. When he got that license, well, Ruggie would probably be proud no matter what.]
Alright, this, and this, [he passes along the tools he doesn't need anymore. It's not a lot of mess but, again, it's mainly for Shizuma to feel like he's helping.]
and this, then study.
[... and, as a hunting species, he can't help but want to poke at that exposed side.]