Sushi

Seiji was sitting at his work desk, typing the last bits of code for a website he was programming.

That was until Ken, popped by for a friendly chat.

"Hey, buddy!" he greeted cheerfully.

Seiji, with tired eyes and even darker eye bags than usual, pulled his head away from the monitor to look at Ken.

His appearance clearly showed his lack of sleep over the past few days.

"Hi, Ken..." His voice sounded more drained with each syllable.

Ken frowned. "Woah, you look awful. Is your roommate giving you a hard time again?"

Seiji leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes for a moment, recalling the events from two days ago - Hideaki haunting him down in the middle of the night with a bloody dagger in his hand.

'I had to protect myself, each night, from this deranged psycho... and still pretend in the morning that everything is normal... Fucking hell...'

He sighed and then replied,

"Something like that... This project is wearing me out, and he's not making it any easier,"

Ken raised an eyebrow "But it isn't that complicated. With your skills, you should do it pretty eaisly!"

Seiji nodded, barely stopping himself from dozing off on the spot.

"But if it's that terrible as you're telling it is... Then you need to do something, or he's gonna wear you down..."

Seiji paused his coding, furrowing his brows. "I've tried. It's not that easy. He's... unpredictable."

"Doesn't he have anything else to do? Doesn't he have a job?"

"No. Unemployed. But uh... he's been searching for one... but let's just say, it's taking a while."

"He better, because you look like you need a serious break..."

"You don't say..." Seiji sighed, rubbing his tired eyes. "Thanks for the diagnosis, Dr. Kiminawa."

"Hehehe..." Ken scratched himself nervously on the head.

As Ken returned to his work, Seiji observed him for a moment

'He is such an idiot sometimes... But he's the only one who tolerates me here, in this shithole.'

He thought before drifting back into his different thoughts.

'Hmm... Speaking about shitholes... Hideaki is from Kyoto. If he cut ties with his family, running from the police makes sense. But that's not the whole picture. Could they have tried to help, and he kept them out to avoid dragging them into his crimes? Or were they part of the problem? Did he leave them behind - or... were they already gone?'

He analyzed between coding and taking sip after sip of his beloved beverage.

'Maybe he's not just running from the law... but from something far more personal. Something worse. Come to think of it, he didn't speak about his hometown with much enthusiasm...'

He stared into his cup, lost in thought.

'Or maybe that's why he's alone. Not because he had to be... but because he wanted to be.'  he took another sip of coffee.

Ken suddenly snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Hey, hey! Seiji, put that down!" Ken looked at him with concern, eyeing his almost empty cup. "That's your third coffee today! You wanna give yourself a heart attack?"

Hearing this, Seiji just chuckled darkly, "Heh... Heheh... You don't know my caffeine tolerance, Ken... Three is just a warm-up. I'll stop when my hands start shaking."

Ken swallowed. "You're starting to scare me, Seiji..."

Seiji just smirked at his friend and took another sip of his coffee.

Then in one moment Toga Iwasaki approached them, but this time not alone, but with another co-worker - Murasaki Ume.

Murasaki had a striking dark violet short hair and a Magic Ability, with which he could hear even the smallest not hearable to human ear sounds. By the order of Toga, he overheard the whole conversation Seiji and Ken had.

Toga grinned widely, ready for another round of mockery.

"Se-ki-gu-chi-kun!!! I heard, you got a new roommate??? Did they live with you out of pity?? Because seriously, who in their right mind would want to live with a loser like you?!"

Murasaki snorted. "You're a pathetic piece of trash. Every time I see your face, I feel like tearing you apart!"

Ken clenched his fists. "Leave him the hell alone! What do you even get out of this?!"

Toga shrugged. "Maybe it's just funny, Kiminawa? Maybe because it's so easy to bring him down?"

Murasaki, noticing the slight hitch in Seiji's breath, leaned in closer with a mocking smirk.

"Or maybe because he deserves it. Look at him. These dark circles under his eyes really suits him! Maybe he'll soon die out of overwork! I'm sure that no one would miss him."

"How dare you say something like that!" Ken flared up.

Seiji sighed heavily.

"Ken, let go. They're not worth engaging with. Just let them be idiots. We know how manipulative they are, especially Iwasaki," he whispered to Ken.

Murasaki leaned over Seiji and whispered to him,

"Oops, did you insult me under your breath again? You don't need to say it out loud, I hear everything anyway." His voice was venomous.

After a moment, he added,

"I hear everything... But hmm... the others? They don't have that pleasure. So maybe I should..."

He grinned wickedly and straightened up in a sharp motion.

He drew in a breath and shouted:
"Did you all hear that?! Segikuchi just called me and Iwasaki-san idiots! Say it again, but louder, coward!"

He stared at Seiji with a challenging glare.

Seiji, however, gave no response, keeping a stone-cold expression.

"Hey! I'm talking to you! What are you, deaf?!"

Ken observing this wasn't having it.

"Back off!" Ken snapped, stepping in front of Seiji. "One more word, and I'm reporting you for harassment."

Seiji sighed and closed his eyes. 'For fuck's sake, Ken...'

Toga narrowed her eyes, smirking predatorily. "Oh, really? And who do you think they'll believe? Us, or you?"

Murasaki stepped closer to Ken. "Think you're tough Kiminawa, huh? Wanna test that?"

Seiji noticed Ken starting to back away.

Murasaki just smiled.

"That's what I thought." Then he yelled once again "Ha! You see that? He can't even defend himself! He just sends his 'friend' to fight for him. No character, no courage. Pathetic coward. Idiot!"

Seiji let out a quiet sigh.
"Screeching hysterically in the office, really? And I'm the idiot? Fascinating logic," he said in a calm, dry tone.

Murasaki scoffed.
"If you think we're idiots, then why do you sit here like a dog, working with us day after day? Oh, I forgot - because no one else wants you. Not here, not at home."

Seiji went back to his code, fingers tapping on the keyboard, sipped his coffee calmly, and then threw out curtly:

"I don't have time for kindergarten games."

"Tch... keep pretending none of this gets to you. But I know better."

Murasaki added, then leaned down toward him again and whispered in his ear,

"And that roommate of yours... he must be an idiot too, if he lives with you. Two losers in one apartment - congratulations."

"Say what you want - Too bad your words are wasted on me." Seiji said firmly.

Toga let out a mocking laugh.

"Ahahahah! Ooooh, really? You think standing up for yourself will change anything?"

Seiji met her gaze directly. "Maybe not for you. But for me, it does. I won't let you decide who I am or how much I'm worth. If you want to waste your time, be my guest. It won't stop me."

Ken nodded. "Exactly. You have no power over us."

Toga narrowed her eyes. "We'll see about that, Sekiguchi. We'll see."

Suddenly, Murasaki shoved Ken, making him stumble into Seiji's desk, knocking over his coffee cup.

"Hahahah! We have no power over you? Then what did I just do?" Murasaki laughed.

'You just spilled my coffee. That was mistake number one.'

Seiji thought irritably.

He closed his eyes for a moment, took a deep breath,

He did all he could to not show how much hurt he was inside. Not in front of others. He wasn't about to give them the satisfaction.

'I'm an oasis of calm... A lotus flower drifting on still water... Floating... detached. Untouched by idiots'

Another breath.

He kept repeating that mantra to himself, then slowly stood up.

His voice was cold and precise.

"Keep this up, and the only thing you'll accomplish is getting us all in trouble." He said and then began collecting his coffee cup from the floor.

Toga took advantage of Seiji's momentary distraction and grabbed him by the collar, making his glasses partly fall from his nose.

"Huh?? Trouble!? No one here will have them besides you! You worthless Magicless! You think you can just walk away from this, huh? Think again."

Before the situation could escalate further, a firm voice rang out.

"What the hell is going on here?!"

Everyone froze. Standing at the entrance was their manager - Endo Yuusuke, looking angrier than ever.

"All of you. My office. Now."

Seiji felt a knot in his stomach. One thought crossed his mind: 'If I get fired, I'll have a serious problem.'

As they followed Mr. Endo, Seiji's heart pounded in his chest. The thought that this might cost him his job crossed his mind.

He was worried -

'Fuck... I can't show that I'm stressed, I have to handle this calmly and seriously.'

He took a deep breath and composed himself.

---

In the end, they all got reprimanded and had to stay overtime.

Seiji exhaled, though the tension still clung to him.

'They won't fire me for this... not yet. But Iwasaki and Ume won't let this go.'

He analyzed, knowing this wasn't over.

***

As everything calmed down, everyone resumed their work.

Seiji's fingers moved steadily over the keyboard, his focus sharp despite the fatigue.

"Ken." Seiji's voice was flat but deliberate as he glanced over.

Ken turned to him. "Yeah?"

"Thanks for earlier."

Ken smiled. "No problem. I couldn't just stand there and let them get to you."

Seiji gave a small nod, acknowledging it without dwelling on it.

A moment of silence passed before Ken, sensing an opportunity, circled back to their earlier conversation.

"So... what exactly your roommate did to exhaust you so much?"

Seiji exhaled sharply.

"Well... he's been constantly haunting for my li-... uh... sleep, at night. Keeps me up half the night, and now I'm behind on everything.
It's messing with my routine.
And on top of that...
I'm hoping he doesn't steal the sushi I was planning to buy to celebrate the boss actually praising me for once."

Ken raised an eyebrow. "Wait, he's stealing your food now?"

"Yeah.... Let's say that he isn't the best if it comes with cooking..."

Seiji sighed, rubbing his eyes but smirked slightly.

"He spends the whole day at my apartment, and when he gets hungry, he helps himself to whatever I made earlier. By the time I get home, he's already irritated because he had nothing more to eat. It's... an ongoing issue."

Ken chuckled. "Sounds like a nightmare of a roommate."

Seiji shrugged "Yeah... Living with him requires patience. A lot of it..."

Ken looked at him with compassion,
"I see..."

"Mhm," Seiji murmured, returning to his work. But in the back of his mind, a thought lingered:
'Glad that I went unscratched from this part.'

Ken gazed back at his own code, but meanwhile, was still mulling over the situation.

Seiji, of all people, taking in a random roommate? Something didn't add up.

"Hey, Seiji," Ken started hesitantly, "I've been meaning to ask it earlier but... how exactly did you meet this guy?"

Seiji paused, not looking up. 'Why is he suddenly so curious about it?' he pondered, but then replied casually,
"By accident. Back in April."

"By accident?" Ken raised his eyebrow.

Seiji shrugged, not taking his eyes off the screen.
"Yeah. Literally by accident. I ran into him on the street, he looked lost. He had nowhere to go, and I figured... it was easier to give him a roof over his head than watch him wander around like a stray dog."

Ken narrowed his eyes.
"And you just took a stranger home, just like that?"

Seiji calmly sipped his coffee.
"I'm not as naive as you think. I paid attention before I made the decision. A few conversations are usually enough to tell if someone's just an oddball or an actual threat."

He paused briefly, then added dryly:
"Besides, if someone can't even make it through the night, it doesn't take much effort on my part to help. I didn't plan it, but... that's how it turned out."

"And you just... decided to live together?" Ken asked, skeptical. "You always preferred living alone. Even when you were in a relationship, you only considered moving in with your ex after a while. So, what changed?"

Seiji knew he couldn't tell the whole truth. He took another sip of his coffee, choosing his words carefully.

"After the breakup, the silence started to bother me. He needed a place, and it worked out. Simple as that."

Ken nodded, though he was still curious. "You know you could've called me, right? I'm always around if you need to talk."

"I know, Ken." Seiji gave a faint sigh. "I appreciate it. But you've got your own life. No need to drag you into my mess."

Ken smiled back. "Hey, it's no trouble. Just remember that."

Seiji nodded softly. "Noted."

Ken watched Seiji for a moment before turning back to his screen, but the unease lingered.

'Seiji taking in a stranger? It doesn't sit right.'

[Later that day...]

Seiji entered the apartment.

"I returned." he said yawning from tiredness, then took off his shoes and walked into the living room.

Hideaki was waiting for him there. He looked rather impatient with his legs and arms being crossed.

Seiji looked at his roommate's stern expression "What is it..?"

"How much longer can you come back from this damn job huh!? You don't even know how boring it is to wait for you every day in this small apartment!"

"Well... I would have come back sooner... But..." suddenly, Seiji took out a pack of sushi from the bag he was carrying. "I wouldn't have bought it then."

"You bought sushi???" At one moment Hideaki's grumpy tone of a voice, completely changed to excited.

"GIVE ME GIVE ME GIVE ME!"

Almost as exciting as a kid that was about to get a candy.

Seeing the juicy red salmon sprawling at the top of a rice ball and a few delicious looking maki rolls, he immediately started snapping at Seiji, trying to take it away from him.

Seiji didn't want to let the whole box of seafood land in Hideski's belly. He held it up, tightly.

"Slow down a bit. Maybe I'll share some with you." Seiji said calmly.

Because that he was taller than Hideaki, he managed to deliver the entire meal to the kitchen counter quite safely... Even despite the fact, that Hideaki did everything he could to tear up the sushi from Seiji's hands.

"GIVE ME! GIVE MEEEE!!" Hideaki started to choke him just to take his food.

"Hey! Stop it! Sit on your butt and wait for me to unpack it..."

Seiji managed to release himself from Hideaki's grip and started to open the box, but at this point Hideaki got even more impatient. The smell of freshly prepared sushi made him go crazy about it.

Seiji couldn't stand how full of energy Hideaki was, so he stopped opening the box for a moment and went to get the handcuffs that he recently bought (in case of an emergency to deal with the killer...)

While Hideaki was focused on figuring out of how to open a box of sushi, Seiji silently got him the handcuffs.

The tight embrace between his hands, made the killer fell out of his trance. He sensed a familiar cramped up feeling, but without a specific "painful ping" to them...

'Huh... these aren't anti-magic handcuffs...' Hideaki said in his thoughts,

--------------------------------------------------------
Adaptive anti-magic handcuffs works by using a special metal "pinch" that digs into the skin and blocks the flow of magical fluid in the veins, preventing the use of magic. There are two types of handcuffs:

1. Type 1: Designed for individuals with weaker magical abilities or thin and fragile veins. The pinch works more gently, blocking magic with less pressure.

2. Type 2: For people with strong magical abilities or thicker veins. It requires stronger pressure to effectively block the flow of magic.

In cases where a person has strong magical abilities but thin veins, the handcuffs must be appropriately adjusted to ensure effective functioning without causing damage.
--------------------------------------------------------

"HEY! RELEASE ME!!!" Hideaki yelled loudly upon noticing the handcuffs on his arms.

Seiji looked at him frustrated.
"No! Enough. You're not going to take all of my today's food! I told you to sit still and wait for it, and you didn't listen to me! Again."

"Shut up!" Hideaki snapped with agitation. "You cuffed me without asking, man!"

"You are so unpredictable with your behaviour, so I'd rather keep you tight..."

Hideaki was boiling in anger and frustration.

"You're going to be kept like that for a while." Seiji stated as he held high up the key to the handcuffs.

Hideaki seeing the little key in Seiji's hand, wanted to get it at any cost.

'This dickhead won't be imprisoning me like I'm some slave!'

He thought as he frantically waved his hands and jumped desperately to reach Seiji's hand, attempting to grasp the key.

But Seiji didn't let him get it - Nor the height difference between them let Hideaki do it. -

Seiji observed Hideaki with a faint smile, amused by his futile efforts to escape. Finding the situation slightly comical, decided to play with him.

"What's troubling you, Hideaki?" Seiji asked with a calm tone, hoping to tease his roommate this time.

"Give me that stupid key!!"

"A key? What key are you talking about?"

"About the one you hold high in your hand you idiot!!"

"Oh... That key... Yes, I see it now... Well, it looks like it's a 'little' bit too high for you to reach it, hm?"

"Tch! Shut the fuck up!!"

Seiji smirked, amused "Well, high or not, depending from what perspective you're at, hehehe, you won't get that key until you calm down."

Saying that, Seiji swiftly hid the key in the back of his pants pocket.

Hideaki growled like a rabid dog "Arrrrgh... RELEASE ME!!!" he roared.

"I told you. I won't let you go until you calm down. You're so volatile."

This comment made Hideaki release his last brakes.

With being full in fury, he rushed at Seiji, and began to bite violently his hands.

His teeth stinged to Seiji's skin so much that it could confused with some big animal that wanted to eat Seiji for his dinner.

"FUCK!!! STOP!!!" Seiji howled in pain, "ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE!?!?"

He tried to push Hideaki away from him.

"I'm going to bite off your hands so you wouldn't eat this sushi either!!!" the murderer screamed

"WHAT!? So now it isn't about getting a key, but about sushi!? You're such a..." And in that moment Hideaki bite off Seiji once again, this time digging his teeth deeper.
"Aaah!!! You fucked up shit!"
Seiji grabbed firmly his head and in one move, pushed strongly Hideaki off his hands.

Then, he felt something dripping from the place where Hideaki bite from.
When he looked down, he noticed a trace of Hideaki's teeth - unfortunately so deep that it started to bled a bit.
"Damn, no way!"

Hideaki licked droplets of blood from his teeth and grinned ominously at him,

Seiji tried to stop the bleeding with the best known ways. It wasn't great, but he didn't want it to get any worse.

"You're like a vampire!" he said and went towards the sink to wash the wound when suddenly, blood began to levitate in front of him.

Seiji froze. Hideaki's hands were stretched towards him, a crimson aura seeping from his palms, fighting against the steel that held his wrists together.

It was him.
Controlling Seiji's blood.

Seiji clenched his jaw.

'I knew that ordinary handcuffs wouldn't be enough to stop him, but I couldn't just buy anti-magic ones.'

'All because they aren't something you can just buy in a regular store - they're specialized equipment for police and military. Illegal for civilians. Buying something like that is too risky.'

'It could leave a trail, records, reports, suspicions... too many questions asked. That's the fastest way to end up on a list myself.'

Seiji thought.

Suddenly, the trickle of blood turned into a sharp arrow that was aimed between his eyes.

Seiji swallowed, "Don't do it. I don't advise..." he said calmly as he remembered what his roommate did last time when creating such a sharp arrow.

This made Hideaki smile even more. The sinister grin never left his face.

"Eheheh! Release me and feed me with sushi or this arrow will be in your skull!!! EHEHEHEHE!!!!" He started to giggle maniacally.

"Hideaki, please... Put that... Thing... Down..."

But Hideaki didn't listen to him.

"Hehe! Why? Because you won't give me food? Or maybe... that you're scared..?"

"No, but I'd rather not want your 'toys' to pierce my body."

"Aww... But I wanna play with them a little bit..." He sneered at Seiji's words.

Seiji moved away from the bloody arrow, but then, the arrow began to follow him like a snake his prey.

A wide psychopathic smile greeted on Hideaki's lips, showing that he went completely mad.

"C'mon, don't be scared! I'm not gonna hurt you that much! Just enough to watch you bleed! Ehehe!"

He started walking closer and closer towards Seiji...

'He goes from one extreme to another,' Seiji analyzed.

Suddenly Hideaki managed to split up the bloody weapon in two, making the second one swiftly drive right before Seiji's heart spot...

"Ehehe! As first one of my arrows will pierce your heart and the other your brain!!! Ehehehe!" He yelled, walking closer and closer towards Seiji.
"Prepare to DIE!!! EHEHEHE! Or... If you changed your mind, and still wanna live... free me from this metal shitty arm holes."

Seiji's eyes followed the blood arrows inching closer with Hideaki. His mind raced, analyzing every possible move.

'He's unstable. Too much emotion, not enough control. If I can break his focus-'

In a sudden motion, Seiji stepped back, reached for the sink and twisted the faucet wide open.
Water gushed out, and in one swift move, he splashed it directly at Hideaki.

The moment the stream hit him, Hideaki let out a sharp hiss, recoiling violently - just like a drenched cat.
"SSSSHHHHHhhhhh!!"

The red aura flickered. The bloody arrows trembled, lost their shape - then collapsed into useless droplets on the floor.

Hideaki glared at him through dripping hair,

"You didn't learn at all..." Seiji's unwavering gaze locked onto Hideaki's fierce, bloodthirsty eyes.

Despite the tension in the air, he remained steadfast, determined to put an end to Hideaki's chaotic behavior once and for all.

Seiji didn't waste a second. He closed the distance with one sharp step and drove his foot forward - straight into Hideaki's groin.

Hideaki gasped, folding over in pain with a strangled whimper.

"I told you something." Seiji said firmly.

Hideaki hissed "Tch! Me too! You got me-" at this point his statement was interrupted by Seiji's hard hitting Hideaki on head.

"AAAAA!!!! IT HURTS!!" Hideaki screamed in beaming pain.

"You'll...be...calmed down. That or other way!"

Seiji towered over him, cold and calm once again.
"Enough games," he said, voice flat. "You wanted to play? Consider this lesson learned."

Seiji couldn't take the risk of letting this guy get what he wanted. Not in such state.

"Tch! BUT WHY THE FUCK YOU KICKED ME IN MY BALLS!?!?!? YOU F-FUCKING JERK!" Hideaki yelled, cursing in his almost every sentence.

"A balls for a balls. If treating you kindly won't work for you, then I have to deal with you differently." Seiji explained.

Hideaki was writhing in pain "I-I'LL KILL YOU!!!!"

Seiji smiled sarcastically at him "You're repeating yourself."

Seeing that Hideaki was still lying on the floor and didn't seem to make any more sudden moves, he decided to continue opening his box of sushi.

At first, he bought sushi because he got praise at work, but now he had another reason to celebrate.

He defeated his killer!

He was proud of his little victory, meantime Hideaki was slowly recovering from the hit.

---

Hideaki carefully sat down at the dinner table. Under it he massaged his hurt parts with delicate moves.

Gazing at Seiji with still pissed off look, he hissed silently "Tch.." but then, seeing the portions of sushi in front of him, his mouth started to drool "Give me some..." he mumbled to Seiji through the wet mouth.

"Hmm.... You were mean to me... Tried to steal food from me... And tried to kill me a lot of times, without my will. I really need to think if I should share some of them with you, you know..?"

"Tch! Damnit! Just give me some sushi you loser!" He said irritated.

"For having such a bad mouth? Forget it." Seiji stated... but then.... He started to consider something...

He looked at Hideaki... Seeing how greedy, selfish and paradoxicaly dangerous, he was if it went with food, he made up his mind at one thing...

'He needs to learn some boundaries... He's such a vicious little gremlin... When he sees something that he wants he stubbornly tries to get it... Even if that means doing terrible things.'

Seiji looked at the delicious sushi that the box contained. The freshness of the fish, coupled with the delightful harmony of the rice and nori, beckoned irresistibly.

"Alright. I made up my mind. I will give you some sushi."

"Really?? I-I mean, tch! Finally!!" Hideaki couldn't contain his excitement as he looked forward to savoring the sushi.

"Only on one condition." Seiji started.

"Huh??" Hideaki asked irirtated.

"You won't be stealing my food anymore." Seiji stated.

"Huh!? But how's I gonna live with an empty stomach!?"

"You'll think about something." Seiji replied unbothered.

"Tch!" Hideaki hissed.

Seiji seeing his reaction sighed "No hissing. And now, you want that sushi or no?" He asked with a pang of irritation in his voice.

"Y-yes..." Hideaki said anxiously, tugging the edges of his shirt with his fingers. The metal handcuffs clanged as they rubbed against each other.

"Then behave." Seiji said and handed him a plate, arranging a selection of rolls, sliced ginger, and wasabi on it. Chopsticks and a small bowl of soy sauce were placed beside it.

Seiji served himself as well. "Enjoy. Itadakimas." and he started to dig into his portion.

Observing the spread, Hideaki's eyes settled on the wasabi with a hint of distaste.
"Ugh... You can have my wasabi. I don't like it,"

Seiji shrugged and took Hideaki's portion of green horseradish, making double layer of it on his rolls.

Hideaki appeared highly concentrated, alternating his gaze between the sauce bowl and the rolls on the plate... Suddenly he took one of the sushi rolls into his mouth, almost like an animal and dropped it into the sauce bowl. Since his hands were handcuffed he had to feed himself a bit differently...

Now he was trying to put them back in his mouth, with his mouth. It wasn't easy since the bowl was much smaller than the plate.

Seiji watched this little show with growing fear and an alarming thought that something will probably go wrong during the process.

'Why he won't use his hands? It shouldn't be hard, even with handcuffs on.'

He took another sushi roll into his mouth and as he chew he analyzed Hideaki's moves.

Suddenly, the bowl of sauce began to tilt. Seiji raised an eyebrow, watching Hideaki struggle. He became worried that all the sauce would be wasted and spilled over the table, floor and Hideaki's clothes.

"Hideaki, stop." he said to him quickly before the worst happened.

Hideaki moved his face away from the bowl.

Seiji sighed and picked up Hideaki's sushi with his own chopsticks.

"Hey!! What are you doing!?" Hideaki asked aggressively seeing that Seiji took his belongings.

"Open your mouth." Seiji said by placing sushi in front of his Hideaki's mouth.

Hideaki looked at him with growing fear and frustration in his eyes "Huh!? Don't tell me what to do, you d-dick!"

"I said open your mouth. You want that sushi roll or no?"

Hideaki looked at the roll that was sinking in soy sauce. The feeling of drooling appeared again. He gulped but remained angry

"This dick... Tch!" he mumbled under his nose. 'He is going to feed me like I'm some kid??'

"So?"

"Tch!" Hideaki gritted his teeth, his face painted red as tomato from all that grumpiness, and without holding it up anymore longer...
"Yes I want sushi!!" he yelled, stomping angrily with feet under the table, looking all pissed as child would be to his parents about convincing them to get a wanted toy.

"Then let me feed you. I don't understand why you can't feed yourself with your hands being handcuffed... But I guess that you are just talented at not being able to handle even the simplest things." He said with dry humor.

"W-WHAT!?" Hideaki angrily stuttered.

"I'm just saying. Watching you flail around almost makes me feel guilty. Almost." Seiji added flatly, hovering the roll just before Hideaki's lips. "Say Aah."

But before Seiji could feed him, Hideaki interrupted.

"Wait. Can't you just free me!?"

"No," Seiji responded coldly. "You need to learn some boundaries. Now, eat."

"Wait... I need to be sure of something... You don't have any STDs or anything, right?"

Seiji narrowed his eyes. "No."

"Really? But you had these chopsticks in your mouth... What if you poisoned them or spiked the soy sauce?"

"Are you serious right now?" Seiji asked, his voice dry. "These assumptions are ridiculous, even for you."

"But I need to be sure! And I don't trust you completely." Hideaki turned his head with a pout.

Seiji's voice remained calm but firm. "I don't have any diseases, Hideaki."

"But are you absolutely sure?"

"Yes, absolutely sure."

Hideaki hesitated, staring at Seiji with suspicion. "Are you 100% sure?"

"Yes," Seiji repeated, his patience thinning.

"You're really telling the truth?"

Seiji's jaw clenched. "For the last time, Hideaki - YES. I do not have a life-threatening disease!"

"O-okay... I'll try to believe you this time... But if you're lying, I'll kill you."

Seiji sighed deeply, rubbing his temple. "Sure. Now open your annoying mouth."

Hideaki slowly with a slight trembling, opened his mouth, still unsure whether Seiji had told him the truth.

Seiji shoved the roll into Hideaki's mouth without hesitation.

Hideaki chewed cautiously, his expression tense as he tried to detect any suspicious taste. But as Seiji had said, there was nothing out of the ordinary.

Seiji smirked. "Good. You're finally calming down. It would be a nightmare to handle you if you acted like a wild animal while eating. Though..." He paused briefly, "you've already done that once or twice."

"Tch!" Hideaki hissed, mouth full. "Shut the hell up..."

Seiji's eyes narrowed, irritation creeping in.

'Ungrateful... After everything I've done for him so far?'

Deciding to have a little fun, he discreetly smeared a healthy amount of wasabi on the next roll while Hideaki wasn't paying attention.

Hideaki didn't notice and quickly ate the second piece of sushi. But soon enough, his expression twisted in panic as the heat surged through his mouth, turning his face beet red.

Seiji's smirk widened. "What's the matter? You look a little... heated."

"S-Spicyyy!!" Hideaki gasped, trying to breathe through the burning sensation.

"Spicy?" Seiji's tone was calm, feigning innocence. "Hmm... That's strange. It's not like I accidentally put wasabi in there or anything."

"HUH!? YOU ASSHOLE!" Hideaki yelled, scrambling out of his seat and dashed to the sink.

He fumbled with the faucet, struggling with the handcuffs, but finally managed to get it on and started gulping down water.

Seiji strolled over and casually turned off the tap.

"Hey! I drank from it!" Hideaki yelled.

Seiji nodded "But you know that water distributes the capsaicin more?"

Hideaki shot him a furious glare as Seiji reached for the fridge and pulled out a carton of milk.

Pouring a glass, he offered it to Hideaki with an unreadable expression. "Milk will help more."

"Stop acting so smug and give it to me!" Hideaki snapped, grabbing the glass and chugging the milk as quickly as possible.

After a few minutes, or rather, few glasses, Hideaki finally felt some relief and slumped back into his chair, exhausted.

Seiji sat back down calmly. "Maybe now you'll learn some modesty."

Hideaki glared at him, his expression dark and murderous, but Seiji remained unbothered, continuing to eat his sushi.

He fed Hideaki another piece, this time without the wasabi, and when he finally settled down, Seiji removed the handcuffs.

"If you act up again, they're going right back on," Seiji warned, his voice flat and serious.

Hideaki didn't respond, just glared at Seiji with barely concealed rage.

Seiji sighed, shaking his head. "You've got it easy, you know. I'm feeding you. Not everyone gets this kind of treatment."

"Shut up! You're gonna put wasabi on the roll one more time, and I'll make sure you regret it," Hideaki growled. "You'll be six feet under, with flowers growing over your grave, if you keep pushing me."

"You done breathing fire?" Seiji asked, deadpan.

Hideaki didn't answer. He just wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve like a stubborn brat, still fuming.

"Good. Because I was about to spray you with a fire extinguisher if you kept coughing like that."

"Maybe you should spray yourself with it, asshole..." Hideaki mumbled, slouching further into his chair, arms crossed.

Seiji sighed again, unfazed by Hideaki's threat, but didn't say another word, focusing instead on finishing his meal.

As Seiji chewed another piece of sushi, he glanced sideways at Hideaki, who was still glaring at him like a wet cat freshly pulled from the rain.

Seiji rolled his eyes, resting his chopsticks neatly on the plate.

'What a handful... And to think that it all led to this...'

Seiji thought.

Suddenly...

"...T-thanks... For the s-sushi... I guess." Hideaki mumbled under his nose.

Seiji raised a brow, slightly amused. "Wow. That nearly sounded like gratitude." He said dryly.

"Shut up."

"You're welcome," Seiji said with exaggerated politeness, leaning back in his seat.

Hideaki grumbled something incoherent and shoved another piece of sushi into his mouth - this time, using his hands.