[YukaKusa/Yukawa × Kusnagi/Yukusa] messages.
oneshot. (eng ver)
A thousand unsent messages. One that finally arrives.
_______
Kusanagi glanced at the unopened bottle of opus one, still sitting in the bag. A strange tangle of emotions stirred in his chest, anger, surprise, or regret? He did not know. After reading the farewell message, he could do nothing but laugh. "Going all the way to American?" Did Yukawa really think he had time, or the heart to do something like that?
He reached for the phone resting on his desk, and scrolled down, searched for the familiar name "Yukawa."
Why didn't you tell me beforehand? Kusanagi typed, and then erased it. Typed again, erased again. In the end, he saved the words to his drafts.
When are you coming back? Where in New York are you staying? What are you doing over there?
Kusanagi had so many questions, so many thoughts running through his head. But in the end, he could never send a single message.
---
Work at the department is exhausting. They threw me a damn complicated case again.
Moreover, I got into another fight with my superior. He kept insisting I'm too emotional. But that's only because he's too dry, don't you think, Yukawa?
---
Utsumi Kaoru was as sharp as always today. Thanks to her, we closed a case fast. Not that I'm jealous or anything.
---
Strange case today, the crime scene was full of physical formulas. I caught myself thinking about how convenient it would be to have some science fanatic around. Annoying, isn't it?
---
Had a day off. The team dragged me into badminton. I won, though you'd just call it
luck anyway. You always said I was lazy with exercise. But now, even if I play, there's no one left who can match me here.
---
Went for a drink at the old bar. The table's still there, but the seat across from me is empty.
---
Utsumi Kaoru is starting to sound like you. She keeps nagging me about smoking too much. But without cigarettes, I can't concentrate.
---
I tried reading your favourite book. Weird, I didn't understand half of it, but it wasn't so bad. Maybe because it reminded me of back then.
---
I finished work early today but didn't know where to go. Somehow I ended up standing at the gate of Teito University. Maybe I really miss that awful instant coffee from Room 13.
---
Went drinking at the usual place. The bartender asked why my 'science friend' wasn't around anymore. I told them you'd gone far away. The way they looked at me, it was like I'd been left behind.
I'm still not used to drinking alone.
---
My mother asked how were you doing. I said you were fine. I hope that's true.
---
Got tangled up in another weird one, Yukawa. The culprit's obvious, but there's no way to prove it. For a second I wished I could ask you just one question... but then I thought better of it. Maybe you don't need me anymore.
---
Saw your project in the news. Must be keeping you busy. Do you ever think of me? Just a little?
---
My Skyline broke down. Took it to the shop, no idea how much it'll bleed me this time. You'd scold me for not taking care of it, I know.
---
With nothing else to do, I picked up badminton again. Just to keep fit. Not because I miss those matches with you.
---
Won another match against the rookies today. Somehow the thought popped up: "I wish he could see I've still got it." Ridiculous.
---
Sometimes I want to send you a message, but then I think you're probably buried in experiments. Better not disturb you.
---
Been working overtime lately. People say I'm overdoing it. But if I don't, I will end up thinking about you.
---
Have you gotten used to life in America yet?
---
Is it cold in New York? Dress warm, and don't work too hard.
---
I dreamed you came back to Japan. Just sitting in a bar together, not saying much. When I woke up, I felt empty.
---
Do you still drink a lot? Every time I think of you, I buy a bottle. If I didn't finish them myself, my apartment would be nothing but wine by now.
---
My sister urged me to get married, again. I used you as an excuse, sorry about that. "Yukawa's still single too," I told her.
---
Had to ask the forensics team for help today. They explained things without mocking my lack of science knowledge. It felt... lacking somehow.
...
Kusanagi slid the key into the lock and stepped inside. The house was as silent as it had been when he'd left, unchanged, unmoving. He loosened his tie, walked straight to the fridge, and pulled out the bottle of liquor he'd stashed away. For some reason, tonight he felt like drinking.
As always, he opened his phone, scrolled to "Yukawa", and started typing out his day. Four years had passed, and not once had he failed to do this strange ritual. He wrote, he saved, but never sent. Tonight was no different.
Sometimes I'm afraid. Afraid you'll stay there forever. And that I'll have to live the rest of my life like this.
His hand shook. He drained the bottle in one gulp.
Four years. I've never gotten used to your absence.
His face flushed, whether from alcohol or something deeper, he couldn't tell. His mind hazy, his fingers moved on their own.
I miss you, Yukawa.
Ting. On the screen: Delivered. Kusanagi slumped forward onto the table.
Four years, 1,461 days, 1,460 unsent drafts. And the one message that slipped through... was this.
---
Somewhere in America, Yukawa was hunched over his desk. The project he'd been pouring himself into was almost complete, just a few finishing touches left. His phone lay facedown beside him. Yukawa was not the type to constantly check his messages or notifications. But he had set one special alert, a sound meant only for that person - so that whenever a message came, he would know instantly and reply at once. And yet, for four long years, that sound had never once played. Drowsy from drafting his project report, Yukawa suddenly heard the tone he had been waiting for day and night. For a brief moment, he hesitated, then turned his phone over.
The sender: Kusanagi Shunpei.
The message: four simple words that shattered his carefully constructed calm.
I miss you, Yukawa.
The world around him dimmed. His chest tightened. The scientist who never wavered, who lived only by logic, felt his heartbeat falter.
Without a moment's hesitation, Yukawa typed a few words in reply, then deleted them. He hurried to finish his final report, leaving the rest to his colleagues. Striding quickly, his mind held only one thought: to return to Japan, to find the man who had sent that message.
---
A week after that humiliating slip of a message, Kusanagi is still a mess, eating poorly, sleeping worse. Has Yukawa read it? The very next morning, he had rushed to delete it, praying that the man was too busy to check his phone. But if Yukawa had read it, why was there no response? Maybe he hadn't. Maybe he had. Either way, Kusanagi tells himself it's better this way.
Lost in tangled thoughts, Kusanagi is about to leave for work when the doorbell suddenly rings.
"Coming," he calls out. Who on earth is bothering him this early? The captain, again?
He opens the door, and freezes.
There stands Yukawa, suitcase in hand.
For a long moment, neither speaks. Then Yukawa smiles.
"I'm back."
Kusanagi's throat tightens, his eyes sting. Before he knows it, he's surging forward, arms thrown around the man in front of him.
"Welcome home."
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