putting down the last box on the ground Kindaichi found himself sweating more than he usually would. of course, this could have been because of the fact that he had walked up and down the stairs the whole day, carrying boxes and placing them in various rooms - he had never moved places before so this was a rather exciting and new experience.  he dropped to the floor, breathing heavily, glad that this day was coming to an end. of course, tomorrow he will have to put everything into its respective places, clean, decorate, look at local animal shelters for a cat... lots of stuff to do - so, for now, he just wanted to rest.

the apartment he moved into was your typical modern japanese apartment, it had everything a young person could want or need. there were grocery stores nearby, a bar, a cosmetics store, and a clinic. the building itself had 20 floors and he just so happened to get a room at the top floor. the entrance to the building had a good security system and overall this was a newly renovated 3 room apartment. a spacy living room with a balcony was perhaps his favorite out of all, there were a bedroom and an additional workroom, not including the kitchen and bathroom of course. how did Kindaichi afford it? well, he saved up and also his parents and friends pitched in as much as they could so Kindaichi could follow his Tokyo dream. he was a fresh graduate, already scouted by a marketing company - it almost seemed like fate had laid down a clear path for him to walk on, there was only one issue.

his path never seemed to cross with anyone else.

Kindaichi rubbed his sleepy eyes before sitting up and looking at his watch. not even 10 PM... he was so used to going to sleep late that going to sleep at a reasonable time like this felt weird and even a bit disgusting, then again it could just be insomnia or his messed up sleep schedule. upon realizing just how stuffed the air was, Kindaichi went to open up the balcony door. the apartment building sat on the outskirts of Tokyo, there were plenty of bus stops for public transport too. the air was not as dirty as it was in the center of Tokyo. the cold early spring breeze hit Kindaichi in the face and he sighed in relief. the balcony was spacious enough for a small table and two chairs, maybe so additional stuff and plants. the lights from Tokyo illuminated the sky in a beautiful golden color, yet the stars were so visible here. all the doubts he had about moving here suddenly disappeared, yes, this was the start of something new.

his attention was interrupted by a noise coming from his right, he turned his head and saw what he could only describe as an angel. a man stood in his balcony, wearing a cozy hoodie and holding a cup of coffee. he seemed to be lost in thought as he gazed the night sky, a smile playing on his lips. he couldn't describe the emotions he felt at that moment even if he wanted to. it seemed like all his fatigue washed away just by looking at this stranger, his neighbor.

"hi", Kindaichi said finally getting the man to turn to him. it was that moment, a mere speck of time that made Kindaichi question his entire sexuality. he had heard before all that stuff about how a gaze of a person can petrify another and make them freeze, and oh boy did he believe it now. 

"I haven't seen you before," the man said, curiously eyeing Kindaichi who was trying to fish out some words from his throat.

"I just moved in today... My name is Kindaichi, it's nice to meet you" 

"Kunimi. Nice to meet you"

and so their story started.

Kindaichi got used to the apartment quicker than he had imagined, yes, at first he struggled to find the bathroom at night or find where he had put all his stuff. but soon the space was filled with everything that he had ever wanted. his living room was spacious and minimalistic, he had a couple of bookshelves lined with books he bought for either decorations or because they looked cool, like that one book about plants - a pop-up book. it looked cool, so he bought it. his office was his little sanctuary, full of plants and whatnot. his balcony had a nice chair and a small coffee table.

speaking of his balcony, for the past month he had been talking to his neighbor every night. to say that he was infatuated by him wouldn't be a lie - Kindaichi felt a connection to him that he couldn't explain. the odd thing was that Kunimi would come to the balcony at the same time every night - it was like a ritual. every night at the same time he would be there, drinking a cup of coffee and staring at the sky. from what they talked about Kindaichi found out that he was an editor working with manga and such, which is why he always came back so late and left so early. they both found many shared interests such as: playing various games like Terraria for hours, they both liked the same genre of anime and manga, they both liked coffee and both would spend many sleepless nights meeting at the balcony to talk and joke around.

it felt so natural to talk to Kunimi, and so what if he was yet to touch him physically - he felt comfort talking to him and listening to his endless rants about his authors and their mistakes in the mangas. he was dedicated to his craft and so was Kindaichi. they played Terraria together many times, they even exchanged recipes - if that what being married is like then Kindaichi might as well propose to Kunimi now.  

days, weeks, months passed and every day Kindaichi would learn something new about Kunimi. his favorite color is indigo, he loves Thai cuisine, he has rewatched Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid at least 372 times, plays Mystic Messenger for no damn reason, is currently editing a manga about heroes, has seen all seasons of RuPaul's Drag Race and Hell Kitchen, listens to Michael Jackson when stressed out - all these things made Kindaichi fall for Kunimi even harder than he already had.

perhaps Kunimi's favorite thing was looking at the night sky and learning constellations. now that he had someone to talk to about them he couldn't get enough of it. the night sky now was not only the source of endless possibilities and inspiration, but it was also a reminder that he has someone who listens to him and talks to him, someone who understands and never fails to show up on time.

"Kindaichi, say, don't you feel weird talking to me? I feel like you're the only person I know who has the patience to listen to all my rants..." Kunimi said one night while standing in the corner of the balcony, closest to Kindaichi.

"no, I love listening to you", Kindaichi said, he was so close to Kunimi, only a meter apart. at this proximity, he could almost feel his warmth. the warm breeze of the summer night felt almost too perfect for this occasion. as Kunimi turned to Kindaichi he held out his hand for the first time, Kindaichi reached out and squeezed it softly, smiling like an idiot at this small yet meaningful gesture.

"I was actually quite skeptical when you first moved in and started talking to me, but now..." Kunimi trailed off. "now talking to you is just an important part of my day. thank you Kindaichi"

the two of them stood in their balconies for a while just enjoying the warm night and each other's company. it didn't take Kindaichi a long time to realize that he was slowly falling for his neighbor and his silly likes and antics, but it took Kunimi quite some time. yet, even though they both knew how they felt, they still kept it to themselves, afraid of ruining the companionship that they had.

summer rolled over, fall came by and suddenly it was winter again, almost a year since he met Kunimi for the first time. by this point, he felt so in place in this neighborhood. he knew the two old ladies on the first floor who always gave him some fresh vegetables or freshly baked bread since Kindaichi would help them run errands. he adored the two youngsters living on the fifth floor - Kageyama and Hinata. the two of them were so in love that Kindaichi sometimes found himself wincing at just how cheesy they were. he would always check up on Akaashi on the eighth floor - he was a manager at the local store and was the definition of stress. he could always depend on the cute ladies on the thirteenth floor, they were all coursemates - Kiyoko, Yachi, Alisa, and Hana. they helped him with various tasks that he had no idea how to do, such as taking care of specific plants or fixing his laptop.

Kunimi and he were even closer than before, holding the hands of each other every night, talking about nonsense and laughing about anything and everything. they way Kunimi's laugh would echo would put a smile on Kindaichi's face.

oh, how in love he was.

he was inspired to write by Kunimi.

inspired to draw by Kunimi.

inspired to wake up his suppressed hobbies because of him.

he was in too deep, there was no going back now. even if he wanted not to love the man living next to him he couldn't. at times it would feel like a long-distance relationship considering that Kunimi was never at home during the days and the two could only hold hands, sometimes it would feel one-sided - but Kindaichi could feel it. Kunimi felt something for him too.

"Kunimi, I have something to say," Kindaichi said one evening, it had been over a year since the two first met, Kindaichi felt that it was around time. "just don't get mad at me"

"you're scaring me. what is it?" Kunimi asked. Kindaichi fidgeted in his seat, trying to gather up every last ounce of courage he had. he practiced this so many times, he played this scene out in his head a million times with all the possible outcomes. it was now or never.

he turned to him, his cheeks red. "I'm... I'm in love with you"

Kunimi froze in his place, he couldn't answer. the words were stuck, not because he was surprised, but because he felt the same and this was the first time someone else loved him as well, this was mutual.

"feel free to think about everything and answer me later, okay? I just couldn't keep it in anymore. I think about you every day and night, I always look forward to meeting you here in the balcony, you've helped me grow and I just can't help but love you. I'm not sure how you feel, but please consider it, okay?", and with that Kindaichi vanished back into his apartment, leaving Kunimi in his balcony. the other felt a smile forming on his lips as he covered his mouth with his hands.

Kindaichi waited patiently the whole day until the next evening. during the day he thought about all of the experiences they both had. they've always been just one meter apart, yet they never met face-to-face. it bothered Kindaichi, he was distracted, he wanted to go home quickly and hear what Kunimi has to say. but fate seems to work in mysterious ways.

as Kindaichi stepped out into his balcony, he saw that Kunimi's apartment was dark and he was nowhere to be seen.

one evening passed.

then another.

then a whole week.

heartbreak does not feel as bad as not knowing where the person you love is and if they are okay. what if Kunimi was kidnapped? what if he couldn't deal with Kindaichi's feelings and moved somewhere else? what if Kunimi just hates him so he stays at work at night?

all of these were wrong.

Kindaichi avoided the balcony for a couple of weeks, he simply had yet to come to terms that Kunimi was not there to greet him and ask him how his day went. he missed his face. he missed his dark brown hair. he missed his hands, his long slender fingers. he missed his voice. he missed his rants. he missed his everything. Kindaichi drowned himself in work to avoid his thoughts. until one evening.

his doorbell rang late at night while he was still working on a project. he thought that it could be akaashi, perhaps asking for some advice. Kindaichi opened the door and felt the stone roll off his chest. he was standing there, in front of him, one meter apart - Kunimi.

"Kunimi---", Kindaichi couldn't even say anything as Kunimi grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer into an embrace.

"I love you too damnit" Kunimi said, making Kindaichi practically drop to the floor.

"you disappeared, I thought you hate me"

"some family troubles came up at the worst time, but I waited in my balcony for the last two weeks, for you to show up and you didn't. I had no choice but to come here myself."

"i... I'm such a dumbass"

"Yeah, but you're my dumbass"

Kunimi smiled at Kindaichi before leaning in and pressing their lips together. the two of them melted into the kiss feeling the sparks, no the fireworks go off inside of them. yes, this was fate. it was no longer Kindaichi's way of fate that had crossed Kunimi's. it was one road now. their road of fate.

Kindaichi pulled him closer, wrapping his arms around him with no intention of letting go. Kunimi didn't mind, felt safe, he felt warm, he felt loved...

fast forward to the current moment, and it seems like fate really wanted them to end up together. 

"the stars above us are beautiful, but they dim in comparison to you," Kindaichi says as holds Kunimi in his arms.

"Stop making me blush, c'mon let's go inside and warm each other up" Kunimi winked at Kindaichi.

there was no longer any distance between them.

the stars above them are witnesses to the beautiful love that has blossomed in a balcony one faithful spring night.

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HELLO HI WELCOME

This is, as usual, my 6K gifts for all of you!!! I hope you enjoyed it cuz I sure had a blast writing it. It's 6:43 AM and I spent the last 5 hours on this.

Anyway, special shout out to my "gaykyuu" group on Instagram for encouraging me and putting up with my bullshit while I was writing this. Also thanks to them I wrote KinKuni.

So, I hope you all found this nice, I sure did. Thank you again for 6K followers. I will never understand why so many of you follow me.

Love you all!

Tari.