Title: privileged
Rating: G
Fandom: Tokyo Xanadu
Relationship: Takahata Shio/Tokisaka Kou
Wordcount: 590
Short summary: Kou’s been stressed lately but even with coming home late, Shio still can take care of Kou.
Kou sighs as he pats his hair dry with a towel. July means he doesn’t have to take quite as much care when drying off, but this time of year also means he’s home alone until nearly bedtime. Like it’s already after 9 PM and Shio has yet to return home. Expected but still disappointing…
Done with the towel, Kou is shrugging on his sleep shirt when he hears the front door open. Shio! Kou doesn’t bother to straighten out his shirt before rushing to the door.
“I’m back.” Shio gives Kou a small smile as he removes his shoes.
“Welcome home!” Kou can’t help but throw his arms around Shio as soon as Shio steps out of the entryway.
Shio chuckles as his arms circle around Kou, returning the hug. “Did you eat the curry I left in the fridge?”
“Yes. Thanks, Shio.” Kou had seen Shio’s note earlier and had properly eaten his dinner as instructed as well as washed the dishes afterwards. “Did you eat something too?”
“Yeah. I ate with everyone at the orphanage.” Shio pulls back a little from the hug and frowns as he sees the expression on Kou’s face. “You doing okay, Kou?”
“Eh…” Kou wonders if the smile he tried to put on his face looked fragile. He always wants to greet Shio with a smile but of course Shio can see right through that. “I might just be stressed out about the exams.”
Shio pats Kou lightly. “You seem to stress more about them as a teacher than you did as a student.”
Shio chuckles at Kou’s sheepish look. It is true that Kou spent his years as a student taking on lots of part-time jobs and going about town, but… Following in Towa’s footsteps, he cares a lot about his students and wants them to do well on these exams. So the week or two before the term exams always feels stressful…
“How about I give you a massage?” Shio breaks out of Kou’s hug and takes his hand instead, leading them to the bedroom.
“Isn’t it late?” Kou worries since Shio still needs to take his own bath and change.
Shio smiles. “Well, I’d sleep better if you slept better too.”
Kou sighs. “Fine.” He sits down on the bed. “One day I’d like to pay back the favor.”
It’s not that Shio is any less prone to nightmares or nights where it is hard to sleep. It just seems Shio’s childhood experience at the orphanage made him less of a fidgeter in his sleep in general, so Kou usually finds out about Shio’s bouts of poor sleep after the fact.
“You mean you don’t already?” Shio’s smile widens as he faces Kou with a bottle of oil in his hands, as Kou, putting the scene and the words together, belatedly realizes what Shio is referring to.
“I mean as in give you a massage!” Kou can’t cover the blush that comes up on his cheeks fast enough, even if he rushes to lay face-down on the bed. In preparation for the massage, of course.
Shio chuckles. “I’d like that.” Kou can feel the bed shift as Shio positions himself over Kou. “Someday. But tonight I serve you.”
And when Shio’s oiled-up hands slide underneath Kou’s shirt up to Kou’s shoulder blades and start kneading out small knots there, Kou feels not only the stresses of these recent days melt away from his body, but also how much of a privilege it is to be served by Takahata Shio.