(a / n) so i lied here's an update

after their awkward meeting, yahaba and kyoutani steered clear of each other. kyoutani had a job to do and yahaba didn't want to distract him; wasn't he the one who had suggested to hire kyoutani in the first place? besides, their first interaction left yahaba wondering why his stomach fluttered whenever he heard kyoutani's name and why his eyes seemed to drift out of the window to the garden like they were magnetically attracted to one another.

it was weeks before they actually spoke again. yahaba had been waking up earlier, due to the fact he no longer let himself go to the garden to watch the sunset. he was too afraid that kyoutani was there. whenever he thought about maybe visiting the garden, his gut twisted into knots. he didn't want to deal with the angry guy, much less the strange feelings he caused. coincidentally, the first time they saw each other again was around lunch time in the kitchen.

kyoutani didn't come inside to eat lunch anymore. he normally stayed on the patio, as yahaba had observed. it was odd when kyoutani came into the kitchen through the patio doors, looking awfully sheepish. he looked awfully defeated as well. "uh.. i seem to have forgotten a lunch," he said timidly, scratching the back of his neck. "is there.. any chance i could have some rice or something? if it isn't too much trouble." yahaba hadn't seen kyoutani so vulnerable in his month of working. he sat there, slack-jawed, wondering what sort of alien could've over taken kyoutani's head.

"i was just about to make lunch for myself," he replied, a small smile gracing his lips. "i hope you like curry." yahaba took to chopping the vegetables while kyoutani stared at him in awe. he glanced over his shoulder at the gardener, a smirk replacing his gentle smile. it was nice to see kyoutani look so out of sorts. it's kind of cute, he thought, before quickly shaking the thought from his mind. it certainly wasn't cute, he corrected himself. kyoutani is not cute.

yahaba could hear kyoutani swallow thickly. "i- you don't have to do that, really. i'd be fine with leftovers or something," he insisted. he looked awfully flustered, the thought almost making yahaba laugh. seeing angry-yet-collected kyoutani blushing so profusely was a dream.

yahaba tsked. "we don't pay you to stand around kyoutani," he drawled teasingly. "i'll bring you your lunch when its ready. for now, get back out there. unless there's nothing left for you to do.." he raised an eyebrow in silent question. kyoutani all but bolted out of the door into the gardens. yahaba chuckled and turned back to his cutting board.

twenty minutes later yahaba took two bowls of curry out into the gardens. he navigated the familiar paths with ease, humming happily and surveying the improvements made to the garden. he sighed. it was good to be back. he turned another corner and found kyoutani tending to a flower. his large hands were glove-clad making them appear even thicker. his fingers worked with a delicacy yahaba didn't think was plausible for a person like kyoutani.

yahaba pretended not to notice how buff the gardener was with his toned arms and muscular back that his shirt did absolutely nothing to hide. he pretended he didn't notice the careful way he tended to the flowers. the key word here is pretended. and yahaba wasn't doing a very good job at that. "what'cha staring at?" kyoutani huffed, catching yahaba off guard. yahaba blushed. he'd been caught.

"just looking at the work you've done," yahaba lied easily. there was a beat of silence before yahaba added, "i used to sit out here all the time. i was never inside like i am now. from sun up to sun down i would sit here with the flowers, even in the rain." he moved to sit cross-legged on the brick path across from where kyoutani was working. "i would read and listen to records... this was my heaven." he placed the curry next to kyoutani and dug into his food himself.

kyoutani slipped off his gloves and looked at yahaba with his piercing eyes. "why did you stop?" he asked carefully. it almost sounded like he was testing the waters with the simple question. yahaba's eyes widened in surprise.

"i, uh... in all honesty, i don't really know," he said, looking down into his bowl. he supposed it was because kyoutani was out here working, but how was he supposed to say that? you make me really nervous and you confuse me because you make me feel things i don't understand so i don't come into the garden anymore. how horrible did that sound? "i think i just wanted to see the entire garden finished and beautiful again, you know? now that i've seen the progress, i have real hopes for this garden. you've done well," yahaba commented. he looked up at kyoutani who was looking down into his bowl. his face was red but yahaba reasoned it wasn't because of his words, but the warmth of the curry.

the silence between the two was anything but comfortable. kyoutani played with his hands, looking anywhere but yahaba. "what's the real reason?" kyoutani asked quietly.

yahaba looked up in surprise. he wasn't exactly expecting kyoutani to ask such a question, nor did he think kyoutani would see through him that easily. "i, uh, i don't really know. i guess because you were out here."

"what's the problem with me being out here?" kyoutani growled, suddenly growing defensive. kyoutani was still staring down at his hands, now begrudgingly picking at his curry.

"that isn't what i meant," yahaba insisted. "i only didn't come out here so i wouldn't get in your way. i didn't want to be annoying or anything."

kyoutani snorted. "that's no valid reason. you're a rich kid. you shouldn't care about anyone who works in your gardens. you should look down on them, not make them curry."

yahaba was seething. of course kyoutani would play the rich kid card, or course! he grabbed kyoutani by the collar and forced him to look up. "i am not some prissy, rude and disrespectful rich kid like you think i should be, alright? i don't think i'm better than you, in fact, i'm worse! i don't have a job, or go to university, and i've never actually spoken to anyone but teachers and my family. if anything, i'm worthless compared to you. you've done a fucking great job on this garden that i love so much," he said, releasing kyoutani and speaking with his hands. kyoutani watched him with wide eyes, saying nothing. "and i can't even grow the balls to come outside while you work on it." yahaba pulled at his bangs, a hand on one hip. he was breathing heavily, not having ever yelled at anyone like that.

"then grow some," kyoutani grunted. yahaba looked up at kyoutani. "because you're going to be in this garden tomorrow with your record player and your favorite record." it sounded more like an order than a request, but yahaba didn't mind. he didn't reply, only nodding and taking the dishes back inside with him. he could feel the gardener's eyes on him as he walked back into the house. he ran up the stairs to his room and fell onto his bed. this gardener was becoming a handful.