Nowaki had been coming home from his second job. He had worked since 5AM, and by now it was 6.30PM. He dragged his feet towards the small apartment of Hiroki, a bag of groceries in his hands. He had gone out of his way to get them, knowing Hiroki would probably forget about it. He had brought some chinese cabbage, Cha Siu and a couple of beer cans.

Taking his duplicated key out of his pocket, Nowaki opened the door. He was quite surprised to see it was still dark in the apartment. I suppose he had to work late again. That's alright, I'll just start on cooking. Switching on the lights, he sat down the bag for a bit to take off his coat and kick off his shoes. Making his way to the kitchen, he began cutting the meat and seasoning it.

Hiroki stifled a yawn as he looked at the book in front of him. He should have left an hour ago, but he needed to get through this book sometime soon. There was no way he'd be able to read it at home. Way too many distractions. He blinked a few times though as the words started to run together.

He sighed as he stood up, rubbing his eyes to help wake him up some. He pulled his coat on and shoved his book into his bag before heading out. He didn't bother with locking up. It wasn't his job. The air outside definitely helped wake him up and Hiroki shot a glare at some people who were looking at him. Yeah, he knew it was rude. But he didn't care. He wasn't exactly having a great day. All he wanted was to go home, take a hot shower, and go to sleep. With that thought in mind, he headed back to his apartment.

Once there, he noticed that his door was unlocked. 'Guess Nowaki's here..' he thought, pulling his coat and shoes off. He didn't mind him being here. Besides, based on the smell of the apartment, he was cooking. That was good. It meant that he didn't have too... That is, if he was planning on eating anyway.

Nowaki heard some stumbling from around the door. He glanced over his shoulder, then smiled. Hearing the slowness of everything, he could tell it was Hiroki. He smiled to himself, knowing he had almost finished up making dinner. Washing the last things he used, he finished off, walking to the living room. "Welcome home, Hiroki. Dinner is ready. Would you like to eat something now?" He smiled at him, awaiting his response.

Hiroki glanced at Nowaki when he entered the living room. Did he want to eat? The last time he ate was at noon and it was a small lunch... But he wasn't really planning on eating in the first place.. But Nowaki did go through all the trouble of making some food. So he nodded and headed into the kitchen to get some food, since he didn't know if he was going to be served or not. "Yeah. I could eat something." he said.

Nowaki frowned, noticing how far away Hiroki seemed to be. Surely he was there, physically. But his mind seemed to be at another place. He bit his lip, hesitant as it took some time for Hiroki to answer. Surprised he went into the kitchen himself, he glanced down again. Lately he seems so pre occupied... I wonder what's on his mind... He followed Hiroki into the kitchen, grabbing two bowls as he handed one to Hiroki. He knew Hiroki loved Cha Siu, but it seemed he didn't even notice. Something about his posture was off, and it was slightly upsetting to Nowaki.

Hiroki accepted the bowl from Nowaki and served him up some food. He was glad to see it was something he actually enjoyed eating and he'd be sure to thank Nowaki for it when he was done eating. He took a seat at the table and started eating quietly. His mind was going through all the different things he needed to remember for tomorrow and he decided just to forget about it. He didn't like bringing his work home with him, so he pushed the thought from his mind. He'd just get up earlier and look over his books again. After a few bites of the Cha Siu, a small smile formed on is face. "It's good." he complimented.

Nowaki had followed Hiroki's example, serving himself a meal. As he quietly sat across Hiroki, he could tell he wasn't just absent minded, but troubled by it as well. He felt saddened by the sight of Hiroki struggling with himself, yet he didn't want to force himself upon the other. If there was something Hiroki felt like discussing, he would probably bring it up himself. Though he knew Hiroki was a stubborn man, Nowaki kept his questions to himself. He could've just misinterpretated it.

Glancing up when he heard Hiroki speak, it took a while for the words to sink into Nowaki's brains. He smiled, feeling happy. Patting Hiroki's head, he nodded. "Thank you. I tried to make it as good as I could."

Hiroki frowned lightly when Nowaki patted him on the head. That seemed kind of childish, but he said nothing about it or the slowness in the response. He was glad though that Nowaki was happy about it. He continued eating silently for a few minutes, his thoughts still racing about the book he needed to read, no matter how hard he tried not too. So he shook his head once to get the thoughts out of his mind and he looked at the man in front of him. "How has work been?" he asked, hoping that if he started a conversation it would help distract him.

Nomming on his food, everything suddenly tasted better after Hiroki's comment. He could still tell there was something on his mind. He glanced up when he was spoken to. "Work was good. The bloomist is doing quite good. The best flower pieces are leaving the shop, and the income is going up due to the good business. And my new job as a gardener too is paying off well. People too want to pay me more than needed, because they love how I work. I'm so pleased about it. How about yours?" He knew it was the best moment to ask him about his work. Perhaps he'd find out what was on Hiroki's mind. "Did something exciting happened?"

A faint smile formed on Hiroki's face. He was glad that work was going so well for the younger man. But he wasn't really in the mood to talk about his own job. He took a few bites, his gaze down on his plate, thinking over what he should say. Nothing exciting really happens at work. So he shrugged lightly. "Nothing really. I have a lot I need to read for tomorrow though." he said. It was not something he wanted to do, but it needed to be done.

From Hiroki's behaviour, Nowaki could tell he didn't feel like talking about himself or his job. It was the instantly going back to dinner, not glancing up or around, and most importantly: shrugging it off. He was determined to learn something about what was on the other's mind, though. After taking a few bites of his dinner himself, he glanced back up at Hiroki. "What is it you need to read? Paperwork? Or something for a study for the students?" He tilted his head to the side, lacing his fingers together. "Just curious, you know."

Hiroki was silent for a few seconds. Why was Nowaki being so persistent to know what it was he had to read? It wasn't really exciting, so it wasn't that big of deal. He sighed, still keeping his gaze on his plate. "It's a study that I'm supposed to be teaching sometime in the next day or so." he said after one more moment of silence. He didn't add the fact that he had a ton of papers to grade. But he could always do that during his break at school. At least there he had Myagi-sensei to help him out.

Nowaki nodded slowly. He could tell by his voice solely he really didn't feel like talking about it. "So I see..." He finished his meal in silence, not wanting to continue the awkward conversation. Yet the silence too did him no good. After he emptied his cup, he looked at Hiroki, looking at him up and down. "Would you like for me to run you a hot bath? You could calm and relax for a bit while I do the dishes. After that you could focus on your study?" He didn't want to force him. Maybe Hiroki didn't even WANT a bath, yet he didn't think it could hurt to ask.

Hiroki was glad when Nowaki had stopped talking. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy listening to the other, because he did! He's just had a long day and wanted to get to bed. He wasn't looking forward to waking up early in the morning so he could at least get some of his reading done. He chewed thoughtfully on his last bite before finally lifting his gaze to look at Nowaki. "That would be nice." he said. He really did need to relax some. He's been way too tense these last few days. But he knew for a fact that the studying would have to wait until tomorrow.

Nowaki smiled, glad that there was something he could do for the other to help him out, even if it was just a small thing. He almost jumped up grabbing both their bowls and cups as he held them in one hand. "You could go change already. I'll run your bath." Just the way you like it... He smiled at the thought as he skidded to the kitchen. Placing the dishes in the sink, he turned and walked to the bathroom. Once there, he let the warm water fill the tub. Searching in the bathroom cabinets, he found some bathing oil. Vanilla was the scent, and he knew Nowaki liked it. Pouring some of it in the tub, he sniffed the room. "Aaahh... So good!" He felt pleased, knowing Nowaki would probably feel better after the bath.

Hiroki was surprised that Nowaki had jumped up so quickly. He had excepted it to take a bit longer. But he shrugged and stood up. He headed into the kitchen to wash his hands quickly before drying them off and heading to his room. He gathered up his pajamas and some clean underwear before heading into the bathroom and setting them on the counter by the sink. A small smile formed on his face at the scent that filled the room. "That's Nowaki." he said, turning his attention to the man in the room.

Nowaki turned his head, looking over his shoulder as he saw Hiroki. He hadn't even heard him come in, and he almost felt caught. Yet the smile on Hiroki's lips was enough to make him feel happy and overcome the scare almost immediately. He walked over to Hiroki, planting a soft kiss on his lips. "Relax, okay? Cause in the end, everything will be just fine." Walking towards the door, Nowaki turned to smile, closing the door on his way out.

A blush spread across Hiroki's face from the kiss and he didn't even have time to respond before Nowaki was speaking and out of the room. He sighed as he stripped down, mumbling curses under his breath. But once he stepped into the bath, the mumbling stopped and he relaxed. It felt great after a long day. Sitting there really was soothing to him and he leaned back to relax more. After sitting there for awhile, he started growing sleepy and he decided that was a good time for him to get out. So he stood, dried off and slipped his clothes on before draining the tub and exiting the room to see if Nowaki was still around.

Nowaki could hear Hiroki's cursing, something that made him giggle. Sure Hiroki was quite the man, but he always acted so cute, and he probably didn't even notice that. After doing the dishes, Nowaki sat down on the couch, turning on the TV. He put on National Geographic, It didn't take long before he dozed off.

Hiroki paused in the entrance to the living room, a small smile forming on his face. Nowaki always seemed so peaceful while he slept, and he really didn't want to wake him up. So he grabbed a spare blanket from the closet and very gently placed it on the sleeping man before turning the T.V. off. He saw no point in it being on, since he was off to bed himself. He shot Nowaki one more look before turning and heading into this room and laying down. He closed his off and managed to fall asleep quickly.

Early in the morning, Nowaki woke up, slightly startled. He rubbed his cheek as if he had drooled, even though he hadn't. It was dark in the room, and Nowaki was slightly desorientated. He stood up, stumbling a little as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He noticed something drop, and as he picked it up, he realized it must've been a blanket. Knowing he hadn't taken one, he smiled, knowing it was Hiroki that covered him up. He walked over to the light swith, the bright light piercing his eyes. Peeking into the bedroom, he could hear Hiroki sleep. He smiled, closing the door quietly. He didn't want to wake him up, so he quietly started on breakfast for the man. Once he was done, he realized it was time for him to leave for his first job. Quickly making a lunch box for Hiroki, he set it on the table along with a letter.

"Your breakfast is in the microwave. One minute shall do.

Give it your best, Hiroki!

Love, Nowaki"

Taking along his own lunchbox, he walked out of the door.

Hiroki woke some time later after Nowaki had left. He stretched his arms as got out of bed. He blinked a few times to get the sleep out of his eyes as he left the room and headed to the kitchen. He had been planning on just getting a cup of coffee for breakfast, but once he seen the note from Nowaki, he decided he might as well eat. After all, the food was already made and it would be a shame to let it go to waste.

While the food was heating up, he went back into his room and pulled his clothes on for the day. He yawned quietly as he headed back into the kitchen when the timer went off. He took the plate from the microwave and ate quickly, not wanting to be late. He set the plate in the sink, fully-intending on washing it when he got home. He ran a hand through his hair quickly, grabbed the made lunch, and headed out the door. He locked up behind him and headed out to the school. Once there, he saw that he was early, so he took it as a good time to get started on his reading before his first class started.

Walking some dogs for local eldery people, Nowaki walked by the school Hiroki worked at. He noticed him seated behind a window on the second floor, glancing up. He smiled. He seems so focused... I'm pretty sure the meal did it. Walking on with the dogs, he occasionally glanced back up until the school was out of sight.

Hiroki stifled a yawn when Myagi came into the room. But he didn't look up from his book, which of course annoyed the older man. He poked at the brunette, wanting to start a conversation with him, but Hiroki kept moving away from him, all the while looking at his book.

He only glanced up to look at the clock and saw that he had a class in about five minutes. So he apologized to the other teacher, set the book on his desk and headed from the room. He stepped into his classroom before the first student did and went over to his desk to start on papers as one by one, the students came in. Once he deemed it was time to start, he stood and everyone quieted down, not wanting to anger his demonic side. He turned towards the board and began his lesson plan at once.

When it was about noon, Nowaki knew Hiroki would probably forget to eat lunch. He texted him on his phone to remind him.

"Hiroki, please don't forget to eat lunch. You need the energy. Nowaki <3"

He smiled, now moving on to his second job.