Mornings had become Kyu-nari’s life since he began working at Kosoan teahouse.  It wasn’t quite as bad before he began baking, though his shifts were all over the place; but ever since he’d taken over for Chiyo-san things had changed.  Not that Nari was complaining, he much preferred baking to washing dishes, cleaning, and serving tea; and the new position had come with a substantial raise, enough that he had an apartment of his own for the first time in his life.  It just meant waking up early every day, very early on weekends, so that he could arrive at the teahouse well before opening to ensure that the day’s deserts were fresh and ready to go when guests began arriving. 

On the other hand, an early start also meant and early finish, especially on Fridays; the Katashi’s were kind enough to let him leave at noon, since he would be back at work at 5am tomorrow and they had a University student who did baking for the second half of the day on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.  Nari had already shed his jacket and apron by the time he left the kitchen and entered the main tea room. 

Kosoan was beautiful, the atmosphere and ambiance never failed to sooth him.   The old wooden house was exceptionally well maintained, the gardens were always cared for, and the sparkling glass wall to wall windows allowed one to almost feel as though they were out in nature.  One would never have guessed that it was located in a shopping district as large as Jiyugaoka with how private the views were.  At a glance, Nari noted that there was some sort of business gathering going on in the smaller of the two rooms, while it wasn’t technically ‘private,’ the Katashi’s allowed it to be rented out during the work week for company luncheons and events.  The main tea room on the other hand was larger and more spacious; where guests were seated on dark blue cushion, alone or in groups of two to four, around low tables. The room was decorated with antique kendo swords, wooden closets, and ceramics; along with a tokonoma alcove at the far end -for precious items and small swords that Nari knew had been passed down through the Katashi line since they were in use.

A young woman wearing a kimono set down a serving at one of the tables before bowing graciously and leaving them to enjoy their dining in peace; as she turned, she caught Nari’s eye and gave him a friendly smile.  Emiko was a twenty-five-year-old omega who had relocated from Sapporo to be closer to her aging grandparents in their final years.  Miko was someone who Kyu-nari was grateful to call a friend, not only because she had been the one who initiated said friendship when Nari was still determined to keep himself apart. 

Nari was undoing the braid in his waist-length hair when Miko joined him, nudging his shoulder and letting her scent wash over him.  He always likened her scent to youth, with it’s delicate florals, plum, and currants.  “I hope you brought an umbrella today.”  She added in a soft voice as she glanced at the falling rain outside the window. 

“Ah… no, I did not.”  Nari replied, though instead of looking put out, he had a gentle smile on his face. 

“You’re going to get soaked.”  Miko added with a raised eyebrow. 

He only shrugged, seeming entirely unbothered.  “I like the rain, the way it sounds as its falling, the way it smells of fresh air.  I don’t mind getting a little wet.”  Judging by the look on her face Miko clearly wanted to debate the phrase a little.  He let out a soft laugh and continued, before she could fuss over him some more.  “Honestly, Emi-chan. I will be fine. I promise.”  It had been a long time since people had cared about his well-being the way his co-workers did, the way the Katashi’s did; and while it had made him uncomfortable in the beginning, he had learned to value their concern. 

Miko’s gave him a wry smile and a slight roll of her eyes.  Nari could almost hear the way she sighed internally as if to say, ‘very well, be that way then.’  But all that came out was a simple acknowledgement of his choice and wishes for him to get home safely.  With a last quick goodbye, the young woman returned to work and Kyu-nari took a moment to enjoy the rain before going out in it.   

Honestly, Kyu-nari felt himself a rather observant person; years of looking over one’s shoulder will do that to you.  So the fact that he’d been distracted enough to not see the door opening, and the blond walking in, when they were right in front of him… well that was rather embarrassing. 

At the moment of impact, Nari’s immediate response was to begin dropping into a bow, “oh! pardon me,” spilling from his lips before he’d even fully taken in the scene.  With his body already dipping forward and his eyes already on Ira's feet, he saw the moment the other's foot slipped, threating to send him to the ground.  His reflexes kicked in quickly enough to abort the bow and instead reach out to catch the blonde, one hand on either arm, pulling him a little closer in the process of making sure Ira was steady again. 

“I am truly sorry,” he added sincerely, as his own blue eyes met Ira's -an easy thing to do now that no one was falling- with only an inch of height separating them.  Kyu-nari couldn't help but note Ira's features, the blond hair and eyes a similar shade to his own; nor did he miss just how light the other felt in his hands.  Oh, right, he was still holding Ira's arms!

Nari released him as soon as he realized it, loosening the -surprisingly- firm grip before taking a step back and finishing the bow he'd begun. Long, dark hair cascaded around his shoulders, thankfully hiding the embarrassed look on his face. "I do hope you were not hurt."