Sora never really believed in anything outside of work. Maybe it was because his eyes were always buried in paperwork or stuck on a screen filled with emails that never seemed to end. Every day looked exactly like the last, and at some point, he had stopped questioning it.
What was he even working toward?
Promotion? He got it.
Money? Enough.
Stability? Sure.
Then why did it feel like nothing?
He leaned back in his chair, staring at the blank document on his screen. The cursor blinked, waiting for something he didn't have.
Somewhere across the room, his coworkers were laughing.
"Sora! We're heading out for drinks, you coming?"
He didn't turn. "Next time. I've still got work."
That was a lie. A familiar one.
"Man, you always say that."
Chairs scraped. Conversations faded. The door shut.
Quiet again.
Sora let his hands hover over the keyboard before dropping them into his lap. His eyes drifted to the plant beside his monitor.
Dry soil. Leaves curling at the edges.
Still alive, somehow.
"…Right."
He'd forgotten to water it. Again.
His phone buzzed.
"Sora. this is important."
His sister. The one he had grown distant to, a long long time ago. She wasn't the type to reach out unless she wanted something.
He stared at the message longer than he should have. His thumb hovered over the keyboard.
What do you want.
He typed it. Stopped. Deleted it.
"What is it?"
"Are you free this weekend?"
Sora leaned back slightly and exhaled. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't bring himself to see her.
"No."
He sent it before he could think about it any longer.
The screen went dark. The office felt colder with the lights still on.
By the time he stepped outside, it had started raining.
Not heavy. Not light. Just enough to be annoying.
Sora stood under the building for a moment, watching the rain hit the pavement. People passed by without stopping, umbrellas brushing against each other as they moved.
He waited.
A minute. Two.
It didn't stop.
"…Great."
He opened his umbrella and stepped out anyway.
The city didn't slow down because of the rain. Cars cut through puddles, lights reflecting off the wet asphalt. Everything moved like it always did.
The convenience store across the street was still open. The light shone bright. Too bright.
He headed towards it without thinking.
Halfway there,
something caught his attention.
He almost ignored it.
But it moved.
A figure crouched near the wall, half-hidden by shadow and rain.
Sora slowed down.
Head down. Arms wrapped tightly around their knees. Completely drenched.
Maybe a drunk person? no.
He stopped before he realized it.
The rain tapped steadily against his umbrella. The person didn't react.
Sora shifted the umbrella slightly, just enough to cover them.
He hesitated.
Sora frowned.
This wasn't his problem. He could just walk away.
The figure slowly lifted his head.
Sora froze.
What?
He stepped closer without realising it.
Wet strands of light hair clung to his face.
"....Haru?"
The name felt familiar the moment it left his mouth.
A wedding. Too many people. Too much noise.
And Haru, standing in the middle of it, laughing, surrounded by people like he belonged there.
Sora hadn't needed to talk to him to figure out what kind of person he was.
Or at least, he thought he had.
The guy blinked at him, slow and unfocused.
Then,
"Sora…?"
Quiet. Uncertain.
Yeah. It was him.
Sora stepped closer without thinking. Up close, it didn't match.
The Haru he remembered and the one in front of him felt like two completely different people.
His hair clung to his face. His eyes were red but not from the rain.
Sora tightened his grip on the umbrella.
"What are you—"
He stopped.
"…Aren't you cold?"
Haru let out a breath that almost sounded like a laugh. "Not really."
Silence settled between them.
Sora glanced down.
"…Is that a plant?"
Haru looked at it like he'd forgotten it was there. "Oh." His fingers tightened slightly around the pot. "Yeah."
Another pause.
Sora exhaled through his nose.
"Come on."
Haru blinked. "What?"
"Let's get out of the rain."
"I'm fine-"
"You're not."
Sora didn't raise his voice. He didn't need to.
"There's a café right there."
He turned without waiting for an answer.
A second later, he heard footsteps behind him.
The café was nearly empty. They were about to close.
Sora took the seat closer to the door, leaving the one near the heater for Haru without saying anything.
Haru sat down slowly, water dripping from his sleeves.
He carefully placed his plant next to him.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Sora ordered something warm and pushed it across the table.
Haru stared at the mug for a long time before touching it.
"How long were you out there?"
It took him a while to answer.
"I don't know."
"Did something happen?" Sora asked again.
Haru's grip tightened slightly around the cup.
"…Yeah."
He didn't continue.
Sora let the silence sit this time.
"…Do you have somewhere to go?"
The question landed heavier than expected.
Haru hesitated.
"…Not really."
There it was.
Sora looked down at the table.
He could leave it there. He should.
Sora clicked his tongue softly.
"Haru."
Haru looked up. His eyes were tired, like he was holding something back.
"Can I ask you something?"
Sora already didn't like where this was going.
"…What."
Haru hesitated. Tried to speak. Stopped.
"…Never mind."
Sora exhaled, sharper this time.
"Just say it."
A long pause settled between them.
"…Can I stay at your place?"
Sora didn't react immediately.
For a second, it didn't even register as a real question—just another sound in the room, blending into the quiet hum of the café.
Then it did.
He went still.
Across from him, Haru's grip tightened slightly around the cup. "I'll leave in a few days," he added quickly, words stumbling over each other. "I won't cause trouble, I just—"
Sora exhaled slowly through his nose.
He didn't look at him.
The rain tapped steadily against the glass. Somewhere behind the counter, something clattered faintly before going quiet again.
This wasn't his problem.
It shouldn't be.
He didn't let people into his space. Not like that. Not anymore.
And Haru-
Haru wasn't even someone he knew.
"…You don't have to," Haru said after a moment, quieter now. "I'll figure something out."
Sora nodded once.
"Yeah."
The answer came out easily. Too easily.
Like it had been waiting there.
That should've been enough.
Haru didn't argue. Didn't push. He just lowered his gaze back to the table, fingers loosening slightly around the cup.
Like he expected that answer.
Like he had already prepared himself for it.
Sora's fingers tapped lightly against the table. Once. Twice.
Then stopped.
The silence stretched.
Too long.
He shifted slightly in his seat, gaze drifting—not to Haru, but past him. The window. The rain. Anywhere else.
"…How long?"
The words came out before he fully thought them through.
Haru looked up, blinking.
"What?"
Sora frowned faintly, like he was already annoyed at the direction this was going.
"How long do you need?"
A small pause.
"…Just a few days."
Of course it was.
Sora let out a quiet breath, leaning back slightly.
He should've left it there.
Should've just stood up, paid, walked out, and let this end where it was supposed to.
Instead,
He dragged a hand through his hair, gaze dropping to the table again.
The cup in front of Haru had gone untouched.
Cold, probably.
Sora clicked his tongue softly, more to himself than anything else.
"…Fine."
The word slipped out.
Not firm. Not reluctant enough to stop it.
Just… there.
Haru didn't move.
"Just for a few days," Sora added, like he needed to correct it. "Until you figure something out."
…
"…Seriously?"
Sora finally glanced at him, just for a second.
"…Yeah."
He looked away again almost immediately.
Sora rubbed the back of his neck.
Yeah. This was a mistake.
***
By the time they reached his apartment, the rain had eased.
"Don't expect much," Sora said as he unlocked the door. "It's…messy."
"It's fine."
The space echoed slightly when they stepped in.
Minimal furniture. No photos. No magnets on the fridge. Nothing.
Sora dropped his coat and sat down on the couch.
"Use whatever you need."
The words felt off, but he didn't take them back.
Haru nodded, but didn't move much. Just looked around.
Careful.
Like he wasn't sure what he was allowed to touch.
"…Towels are in the cabinet," Sora added. "Second shelf."
"Okay."
A soft clink caught his attention.
Sora glanced over.
Haru was holding a mug. Chipped along the rim.
"…That one leaks sometimes."
Haru turned it slightly in his hands. "It's fine."
A pause.
"Can I use it?"
"…Do whatever."
Sora leaned back.
"Just don't cut yourself." he mumbled, closing his eyes.
"I'll shower."
"Yeah."
."…Thanks."
Sora shifted slightly.
"mhmm."
The bathroom door closed. Water started running.
Sora leaned back and exhaled.
His gaze drifted toward the window.
The mug. The plant.
It sat there now, leaves slightly lifted.
"…Huh."
The water kept running, filling the silence.
Time passed without him noticing.
The door opened. Warm air spilled into the room.
Haru stepped out, hair damp, towel draped loosely over his shoulders.
He slowed when he noticed Sora looking.
"…I didn't have anything else to put it in."
"…It's fine."
Haru moved closer to the window, adjusting one of the leaves absentmindedly.
"It'll be okay here. For now."
Sora watched the plant instead of him.
"You carried that through the rain?"
"…Yeah."
Silence settled again.
Haru's fingers rested on the rim of the mug.
"…Mochi doesn't like too much water."
Sora's gaze shifted slightly.
"…Mochi?"
"…The plant."
A pause.
"…You named it."
"…Yeah."
Silence settled again.
Heavier than before.
But not the same.
Sora frowned faintly. That didn't match what he remembered.
"…Sleep."
He turned and walked towards his room without waiting for a response.
Haru stood there for a moment before glancing at the couch.
"…I'll take this."
No response.
He sat down carefully, like he wasn't sure how much space he was allowed to take.
The couch dipped slightly under his weight. Not uncomfortable. Just unfamiliar.
Everything was.
Too quiet. Too still. Like nothing here had been disturbed in a long time.
Haru leaned back slowly, eyes drifting up to the ceiling.
It didn't feel like somewhere someone lived.
It felt like somewhere someone passed through.
The bedroom door clicked, stopping just short of fully closing.
A thin strip of light stretched across the floor,
then disappeared.
Haru's gaze lingered there for a moment.
That was the only sign Sora was still there.
He looked away first.
His eyes drifted toward the window.
The plant sat there in the chipped mug, leaves still damp, catching what little light slipped through the glass.
It didn't belong there.
Not really.
The mug wasn't meant for it.
The space wasn't meant for it.
And yet somehow,
it was the only thing in the room that looked… alive.
Haru watched it for a second longer than he meant to.
Then leaned his head back again.
The room still didn't feel like his.
It wasn't supposed to.
The silence stretched.
And this time, he let it.