Chapter 7: Yakiniku with the Boys

Ichirou had quite the week. Despite his best attempts, Ichika had given him zero hints as to what she and Masahiro had spoken about. She also gave none in regards to why she felt that Ichirou should date him. It felt like she was holding something above his head, and because he was so much shorter than her, he just couldn’t reach it. It was an irritating sort of feeling, but if his sister was keeping it a secret, then there’s no way she would tell. She was, unfortunately in this instance, extremely good at keeping secrets.

Next up, Ichirou had managed to get out a reference to Masahiro as his boyfriend, which made his mother weep openly and his father tear up. It seemed as though they really had been worried about whether this “relationship” was going to work out, since they had been seeing each other for nearly two months and he hadn’t referred to him as his romantic partner. It irritated Ichirou that Ichika was right, but she was smart, so she was often right. 

She was not right about the fact that he should date Masahiro, though. Definitely wrong on that.

Ichirou and Yuuhei went shopping together at a large mall on that Thursday evening, which Yuuhei couldn’t manage to fill. Ichirou had been thinking of that cute bracelet that Masahiro got for him, and had decided that he was going to find and get something there. Indeed, after a lot of searching, he found something that he determined to be worthy. A simple silver box chain necklace, with a marquise shaped sapphire pendant. A bit of silver curled around the edges of the pendant, holding it in place with an interesting design. It was just small enough not to be considered “girly,” but large enough that you could see some detail if you were standing in front of him. 

Yuuhei had joked that maybe he should bring a “birthday present,” as well. Although Ichirou insisted it wasn’t a birthday gift, it also did make Ichirou wonder when Masahiro’s birthday was. If they were still “dating” during that time, he would have to get Masahiro another gift. It wasn’t likely that they would still be dating by the time Ichirou’s birthday came around, as it was in February. 

Some part of him felt weird about that, as he had quickly found himself becoming attached to the daily texts that Masahiro would send, his calming pheromones, and even the gentle smile he sometimes gave to Ichirou. If he was this attached a couple days before their two month anniversary, what would it be like to “break up” with Masahiro at the six month mark? Surely they could still be friends, but without the incentive of maintaining a false relationship, Ichirou worried that things would just fizzle out, and he’d be left with his only friend, Yuuhei, once again.

Ichirou decided not to worry about it for the time being in the end. He could not see the future, no matter how hard he stressed out about it. He would make that decision when he needed to. Instead, he focused on getting ready for the gathering at the yakiniku restaurant. He just needed to focus on the here and now.

Ichirou decided that a casual dress might be nice for today, so he grabbed his sailor dress. It was true that he had tried on a sailor uniform and had been too embarrassed to even walk outside his bedroom, but this one was different. It was a desaturated pink, with the white collar going halfway down his ribs. The ribbon on the bow went below the navel, and gentle, small ruffles brushed against his knees. It looked a lot more antique, a lot more classic than the overly sweet sailor uniform. He also had the matching beret, which meant that he had to take his hair out of his beloved ponytail, but for fashion, he would do it. 

Ichirou did his makeup very simply, making his features look soft. Just a dash of brown around the eyes, some blush here, and just a little bit of lip gloss. With that, he put on some ankle length white socks with lace on the top, and grabbed a white bag that was shaped like a cat’s head. He did a little twirl in front of the mirror, feeling pleased with how cute he looked. He looked like any cute Japanese girl, which was entirely the goal.

Ichirou was being driven over today by the family’s chauffeur. He had offered to have them pick up Yuuhei, but it seemed that his pride wouldn’t be able to take it. However, when Ichirou mentioned the name of the place they would be eating and offered to pay for it, it seemed like Yuuhei had no choice but to give in. He couldn’t afford to hang out with a bunch of rich people on his own, after all. 

Ichirou checked his phone for the weather, noting that it said it wasn’t going to rain. With this, he left his umbrella at home and walked out to the chauffeur. He got in the backseat of the black car, put on his seatbelt, and texted Masahiro that he was on the way. It took several minutes, but Masahiro replied with a sticker that said “OK!” on it, before writing that he had just arrived, and Takeru was waiting with him there.

The car soon came to a stop in Shinjuku in front of a tall building that was labeled as a flower. As many buildings are in Tokyo, the first floor was covered in advertisements, while the majority of the rest of the building was clean. Standing in front of the building were two men that boys and girls seemed to watch as they passed by. Ichirou thanked the driver and popped out of the car, walking up to them.

Takeru was wearing a black leather jacket over a black turtleneck crop top. His pants seemed to be leather as well, with gold studding the detail work. Around his neck was a gold chain that went halfway down his shirt. All in all, he looked rather edgy, and definitely cool. 

Masahiro was wearing something a bit more casual than Takeru; a slightly distressed jean jacket with several patches sewn in, a horizontally lined t-shirt with black and white stripes, black skinny jeans, and a black beanie. He looked much less edgy, and maybe even less cool, but he seemed a lot more open and gentle than his friend. Match that with the men’s alpha appearance and their confidence, and heads were turning towards them no matter what.

“Hi guys,” Ichirou said as he walked over to them. 

Masahiro instantly broke into a smile when he heard his “boyfriend” coming, his eyes crinkling with warmth. Meanwhile, Takeru whistled, looking Ichirou up and down. This was his first time hanging out with Ichirou while he was in a dress, so he thought that it might be a bit odd. Still, it did feel a little uncomfortable for Takeru to be openly ogling him like that.

“Damn, Kimura, Masahiro wasn’t kidding when he said that you look good in a dress,” Takeru said, grinning.

“Shut up, you’re weirding him out,” Masahiro said, elbowing him.

“It's not my fault that he cleans up nice,” Takeru said defensively.

Ah, that was right, this was Takeru: eternally flirting. He wondered if Yuuhei would be able to keep up well with this sort of guy. Yuuhei might take his flirtiness too seriously, and if what he had said before was true, he was willing to try bottoming for rich alpha. This sort of alpha, with his sadistic side, would not be a good time for Yuuhei.

Speaking of Yuuhei, Ichirou heard him calling out for him. He turned to see Yuuhei jogging over. As casual as Masahiro’s outfit was, Yuuhei’s clothing was much more so. He was wearing a black set of overalls with a mustard hoodie, his sleeves rolled up to the elbow. It was a very Yuuhei outfit, but in comparison with the handsome alphas and beautiful omega he was going to hang out with, he definitely stuck out like a sore thumb.

He came to a stop, standing next to Ichirou, holding up his hand as a greeting. “Yo. Nice to meet you guys. I’m Akamine Yuuhei.”

Masahiro adjusted his jacket slightly before responding with a slight bow. “It’s nice to meet you, too, Akamine-san. I’m Yamashita Masahiro. I’ve heard nothing but good things about you.”

Takeru gave the slightest of bows as well, grinning lopsidedly. “Yeah, nice to meet you, Akamine-san. I’ve heard basically nothing about you, but I’m glad to meet you anyway.”

Yuuhei scratched his cheek, smiling awkwardly. “Please, call me Yuuhei. It’s way too embarrassing to be referred to so politely.”

Masahiro and Takeru nodded in unison, saying at the same time, “Okay, Yuuhei-san.”

“Can I just say, Yuuhei-san,” Takeru said, obviously about to flirt with Yuuhei… or so Ichirou thought.  “You look like a poison dart frog. Did you know that?”

Both Ichirou and Masahiro looked at Takeru in horror. Did he really just say that?! I mean, it was true, but you can’t just say something like that! Especially not to something you just met. Yuuhei stared at him blankly, a dumb smile still on his face as he attempted to process what just happened.

Masahiro grabbed the top of Takeru’s head and forced him to bow deeply, loudly exclaiming, “I’m so sorry for him! That was way uncool!!” Masahiro then bowed deeply.

“A- ah… it’s okay. He’s right. I really do look that way,” Yuuhei said, awkwardly scratching the back of his head.

“No you don’t!” Ichirou cried.

“No, no, it’s okay, really. I get called worse things at work. Let’s just… move past it and go eat some good meat,” Yuuhei said, awkwardly pointing towards the building.

Masahiro awkwardly agreed before releasing Takeru’s head. Takeru grumbled a little about his hair, but did not defend his actions. The quartet of men walked inside the building and went to the stairs, walking up to the seventh floor. Masahiro had made the reservations, so he checked them in. They were seated near a window, with Ichirou and Yuuhei sitting in the booth and Masahiro and Takeru sitting in the chairs. A couple of built-in grills sat in the table, one for each… couple? If you could call Ichirou and Masahiro that, or even Takeru and Yuuhei.

After ordering the all you can eat option and drinks for the whole table, Masahiro turned to face Ichirou and Yuuhei. “So, Yuuhei-san, tell me a bit about yourself.”

Yuuhei sat up a little, seeming to be a bit nervous in the presence of two alphas. “I’m really not anyone super special. I have a younger and an older sister, and all three of us are betas. I grew up in an average size home with my mom and dad, who are both betas. I only really got somewhere when I decided to be a beautician so that I could help one of my cousins out whenever she needed it.”

“Oh, tell them how many cousins you have. That’s always fun to hear you tell people,” Ichirou said, looking amused.

“Oh, uh, yeah, um… including my sisters and me, there’s fifty-four grandchildren,” Yuuhei said casually, as though he were simply talking about the weather.

Both Takeru and Masahiro’s jaws dropped to the floor. Ichirou let out a snicker, obviously enjoying their shock. Yuuhei looked a bit embarrassed and scratched his cheek awkwardly.

“H- how?” Masahiro asked, eyes wide.

“My grandpa had seven children with his wife, and demanded that each of them use their alpha powers to spread their alpha seed all over.” Yuuhei’s nose wrinkled up in disgust at that sentiment. “Anyway, the only one who didn’t have to do that was my dad, since he was a beta. My dad still wanted a bigger family, though, so he had three.”

The waiter began to set down their drinks as Yuuhei spoke, counting on his fingers. Both of the alphas in front of him seemed more and more baffled as he continued to speak.

“How do they afford it though?” Takeru asked.

Yuuhei took a swig of his beer before answering. “Well, my dad wasn’t just kept out of the family’s commandment to make lots of babies. He was also kept out of the wealth that Grandpa has. My dad has pretty much supported himself and us entirely since he left his parent’s home. All the other families get huge stipends. So, while I grew up adjacent to wealth, I was never allowed to partake.”

“But then they decided to use you now that you’re a beautician?” Masahiro asked, sounding disapproving.

“Nope, it was for my cousin. She and I have always gotten along pretty well, and she’s the prized jewel of the family. Out of all of our family, she’s the only one who’s an omega, and she also is the youngest of the first son. Despite her status, she’s always been great to me, so I wanted to repay her somehow. She’s a good kid,” Yuuhei said.

“I haven’t even gotten to meet her yet,” Ichirou complained. “She sounds so sweet, I wanna meet her.”

“I’m sure you two will meet someday, she just has to stop being busy as the local princess,” Yuuhei said with a laugh.

The waiter came back with an assortment of both Kobe beef and Matsusaka beef. Yuuhei tried his best not to look too excited, but truthfully, he didn’t often get the chance to eat such nice cuts. It was a “once a year” sort of thing. True, he could get it more often if he allowed Ichirou to treat him, but his pride disallowed him from doing that too often. He liked that he was able to support himself, and he was pleased with what he could do.

White marbled meats, vegetables, noodles, rice, and condiments soon filled the table, and the men began cooking their food. Due to the high fat content in the meat, it was easy to char, so they had to keep an eye pretty closely on their food. After some sizzling, they would turn over their meat with tongs, only to find a wet, darker piece of meat that would soon be ready to melt in your mouth.

“God, so yummy,” Yuuhei groaned as he put his first piece of meat in his mouth, chewing slowly.

“It really is super good, huh?” Ichirou said, smiling slightly. “If you’d let me take you places, then you could eat even more good food.”

“I would rather die than rely on a rich person.”

Takeru’s eyebrow rose at that, and after swallowing, he asked, “Why is that?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Rich people are assholes. There’s very few rich people who are genuinely nice. Most of them are consumed by their own greed and self image. In fact, as of today, I’ve only met three nice rich people.”

Takeru blinked several times as he realized that Yuuhei was talking about his cousin, Ichirou, and Masahiro. Yuuhei was not talking about him at all. Yuuhei considered Takeru to be an asshole. While he was willing to admit that he was an asshole, he also felt like he did not enjoy being considered an asshole to Yuuhei. He was a loveable asshole, not a bastardly asshole.

“Well, either way, I wish you’d accept my kindness if for no other reason than I can go to more nice restaurants,” Ichirou said, sighing as he pulled a piece of meat off the fire. “It’s not that I ever dislike where you take me, some of it is really good! But… I mean… I-”

“You’re a princess,” Yuuhei said.

Ichirou flushed and pouted, tucking a hair behind his ear. “I- I guess…” He then noticed that Masahiro was looking between him and Yuuhei with a questioning look. “Wh- what is it, Masahiro-san?”

“Oh, sorry, it’s just…” he trailed off. “Well, have you two ever thought about dating?”

Ichirou felt his face flame up as he almost choked on the slice of meat he had been eating. “What?! No, I mean– I haven’t! Yuuhei is like a brother to me, he’s not a romantic interest!”

Yuuhei’s face did not change color in any form, but simply had a slightly uncomfortable smile. “Ichirou turned me down, and I’ve gotten over him since then. I don’t think we’re that compatible. He needs a prince charming, not a stable boy.”

Takeru rested his chin on his hand, looking at him with curious eyes. “What’s wrong with a stable boy?”

“Nothing, it’s just. Stable boys should know their place, you know?”

“You think a stable boy couldn’t pull a prince or a princess?” Takeru challenged.

“It’s not whether he could or couldn’t, it’s more about should he or should he not. There’s no way a stable boy could handle the pressures of being a king. He just knows how to take care of horses, and that should be enough for him.”

While Ichirou then changed the conversation, Takeru kept thinking about those statements. There was something about them that irritated him. Maybe it was because he had rebuked his family and barely spoke to them, refusing to be fit in their box. He didn’t like the idea of another man forcing himself into a box of what he should or should not do. This wasn’t the age of the samurai, Yuuhei could date any prince or princess he wanted!

“What about you both?” Yuuhei asked. “Tell me about yourselves.”

“Um, well, I’m the heir to a hotel chain. I like video games, mecha anime, and nice food, I guess. I like this type of food the best, especially with a nice beer. I’m trying my best to be a good fake boyfriend to Ichirou-san. I’m also studying business,” Masahiro offered up about himself.

“Any siblings?” Yuuhei asked.

“Oh, no, I’m. Ah, I’m an only child,” Masahiro said in a stuttering voice.

“Your parents didn’t want any more, or…?” Yuuhei took a swig of his beer.

Ichirou had left out the most important detail about Masahiro. Ichirou was aware that Masahiro knew that Ichirou knew that Masahiro’s parents weren’t around. They had skirted around the topic too many times by now not to have made it obvious. And now, Yuuhei was here, his dear friend who he had forgotten to educate on this incredibly important information. He had just been so excited about buying Masahiro the necklace that he had completely forgotten that there were any topics that Yuuhei shouldn’t bring up.

Even Takeru, who was normally so casual and overly friendly, had frozen up, looking towards Masahiro with concerned eyes. Yuuhei slowly began to realize that this was a question that he should not have asked. However, he couldn’t take it back, so all he could do was wait for an answer as their food sizzled. The air hung with awkwardness for a good thirty seconds before Masahiro managed to answer the question.

“Uh, they… they’re not around anymore. They didn’t have the chance to have any more,” Masahiro said.

Masahiro’s fist was on the table, and he didn’t grab any more food. There was silence for a moment, as Yuuhei tried to think of a good response. It seemed to be a wound that was as fresh today as it had been when they died. 

Ichirou couldn’t stand it. He couldn’t stand to see Masahiro look downwards in pain, the blue haired man obviously trying to put together his emotions so he could continue working through the conversation. Ichirou didn’t know why he felt like this was the solution, but he felt like it was the only one. He reached over the table and gently placed his hand atop Masahiro’s fist.

Masahiro jumped a little bit at that, looking with wide eyes between Ichirou’s hand and Ichirou’s face. For a moment, he stayed in that confused state before he slowly relaxed. To Ichirou’s relief, he saw the pain melt away from Masahiro’s face, replaced with the kind, gentle smile that usually rested upon his face. Ichirou pulled his hand away, satisfied that his gut instinct to give him a comforting touch had worked.

“Sorry,” Yuuhei mumbled, pulling a near burnt piece of meat off the grill.

“It’s fine. I just don’t like to talk about it. You didn’t know,” Masahiro said, grabbing his tongs and placing a cow tongue on the grill. “It was just really hard on me. Before that happened, I was living a peaceful, wonderful life where every day was filled with smiles and love. It was the best time of my life, and I honestly can say that I had the best parents in the world. They loved me to no end, giving me attention, affection, and were there for every school event that I had. I think they would be proud of where I’ve gotten.”

Ichirou let out a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding in. There was something nice about finally hearing Masahiro talk about his parents. He had been curious, but had had no plans to talk to him about it. Seeing him smile sadly like that was both sad, but also somehow warming. It was a bittersweet feeling that Ichirou wasn’t sure what to do with.

“I’m sure they would be, too,” Takeru said quietly, giving him a couple of pats on the back.

Masahiro coughed awkwardly. “Anyway, um… Ichirou-san, Yuuhei-san, Takeru, you all have social media, right? What’s your favorite one, and why?”

“I like Instantgram,” Ichirou said, sipping on his wine. He was grateful to take the opportunity to change the subject, because although it ended on a somewhat happy note, the air was still just a little unpleasant from the subject matter.

“Me too,” Takeru said, grinning. “I follow you. You have a lot of cute photos.”

“Oh, what’s your username? I’ll follow back,” Ichirou said, pulling his phone out of his bag.

“Nope, my Instantgram is set to private. You wouldn’t want to follow it anyway. It’s got all of my toys on it, and it’s how I find friends with similar interests,” Takeru said with a wicked grin. Ichirou slowly lowered his phone, tucking it back into his bag.

“Toys and friends, why wouldn’t you want Ichirou to follow?” Yuuhei asked.

Ichirou stared daggers into him. Yuuhei was having a day where he kept asking the wrong damn questions. 

“Oh, maybe we can be friends and play with some of my toys, then. That would be a really good time, I think,” Takeru purred.

Yuuhei looked even more confused, and Masahiro decided to intervene. “Takeru, stop being a creep. Yuuhei-san, don’t mind him. What’s your favorite social media?”

“Oh, I like Twatter. It’s a terrible hellscape of a political nightmare, but there’s some good memes,” Yuuhei said, taking another swig of beer. 

“I’m thinking about joining one, but I don’t know what one to pick. It sounds like I probably won’t be joining Twatter,” Masahiro noted.

“Yeah, good choice,” Yuuhei agreed.

You are reading story The Pink Rose’s Promise at novel35.com

“You should join Instantgram! Yuuhei always demands I scrub his face out of photos and not link to his Twatter, so it will be nice to have more faces than just my family on there,” Ichirou said, leaning forward.

“I’d be honored,” Masahiro said, his eyes crinkling with that gentle smile.

“Oh, speaking of which…” Ichirou pulled out his phone once more, setting it to selfie mode. He held up the phone so they all fit in the photo, and snapped the picture. He turned and grinned at them. “Do either of you want your face scratched out?”

“No,” both alphas said in response.

“Okay, cool,” Ichirou said. 

As he put his phone away, he felt his fingers brush up against the jewelry box. He considered just leaving it in there for a moment, before deciding that now was as good of a time as any. He pulled it out of his bag and placed the box on his lap. He took in a deep breath before speaking.

“Um, Masahiro-san?”

The blue haired man blinked and looked up. “Yeah, what’s up?”

Ichriou felt his cheeks become a bit more toasty. He decided to just place it in front of Masahiro, and after doing so, he simply said, “This is for you.”

Masahiro stared at it blankly for a moment, seeming to not understand what was sitting in front of him. Before he could say anything, Takeru spoke up in a whining tone. “I thought we weren’t doing birthday gifts, dude!”

Now it was Ichirou’s turn to appear confused. “It’s not his birthday, why would I get him a birthday gift?”

Takeru’s mouth formed into an “o” as he heard this. He looked between Ichirou and Masahiro a couple times before he, not very quietly mind you, hissed to Masahiro, “You didn’t tell them that this is your birthday dinner?”

“I didn’t think it was important,” Masahiro replied, not bothering to whisper.

“Wait, wait, wait. It’s- it’s your birthday?!” Ichirou asked, his voice going up a couple octaves.

“Well, technically it was yesterday,” Takeru said flippantly. 

“What the hell, Masahiro-san! Even if I’m a fake boyfriend, you should have told me! I could have gotten you a gift!” Ichirou cried.

“Is that not what that is, then?” Takeru asked.

“No, this was a gift to thank him for getting me a gift. Now I’ve gotta get another gift,” Ichirou groaned, slumping down in his seat.

“You really don’t have to,” Masahiro said, smiling uncomfortably. “I, uh, don’t really like to celebrate my birthday too much. Being surrounded by friends and having delicious yakiniku is more than enough for me.”

“Well, it’s not okay for me!” Ichirou said, folding his arms and glowering at his “boyfriend.” “I’m going to find you another gift, and you’re gonna accept it!”

“But-” Masahiro began.

“Hush up! I’m gonna do it! Now open your damn gift!”

Masahiro’s face twisted in discomfort, but he quietly complied, popping the lid off. His face slowly changed from discomfort to surprise, and finally to that soft and gentle smile. Masahiro pulled the necklace from the box, holding the pendant up close to inspect it. Ichirou nervously coughed as he watched Masahiro, while Takeru and Yuuhei grilled some seafood.

“You, um, don’t have to like it. I can give you the receipt, if you’d like,” Ichirou grumbled, looking off to the side so he didn’t have to look at the other man.

“No, it’s great. It’s perfect, Ichirou-san. Thank you,” Masahiro said. He undid the clasp and put it on right in front of the others. “I actually have a great idea for a birthday present that you can give me, now that I’ve got this.”

“Wh- what? If it’s that robot figurine, I don’t know how to find something like that.”

“No, it’s nothing like that.” Masahiro smiled, waving his hand playfully. “I just want you to call me Masahiro for today. No -san or anything.”

Ichirou looked at him with wide eyes, his eyebrows drawing together. His face had suddenly become bright red, that much he was certain of. Being so casual… he still wasn’t sure he was going to be able to do that properly. But if this was what Masahiro wanted for his birthday… and it was only today…

“F- fine… Masa… Masahiro,” Ichirou managed out, glaring off to the side. It was taking everything within his power not to call him a weirdo or something for asking for such a strange thing.

“Jeez, you two lovebirds, get out of here!” Takeru said, breaking the air of tension with a laugh.

“For real, people are gonna start thinking you’re dating for real,” Yuuhei grumbled, side eyeing them.

“Sh- shut up! You two are dead if you mention this to anyone! I’m just trying to be a good fake boyfriend!”

“Oh no, the lovers, they’re angry at us! Oh well.”

The men continued to chat and laugh, mostly about surface level information. Ichirou learned that Takeru’s family owned a banking company, and he was the sole heir. Yuuhei accidentally admitted that he still slept with a teddy bear. Masahiro revealed that he was actually pretty good at cooking, and offered to cook for them all sometime. Ichirou admitted as well that he would love to be a model for a clothing company someday, but he was way too nervous to do so.

At the end of their ninety minutes where they were allowed to eat as much as they wanted, they had dessert waiting for them. Ichirou and Takeru got vanilla ice cream, while Yuuhei and Masahiro got matcha ice cream. Ichirou paid for everyone’s meal, glad to finally not have Masahiro paying for something. He was only able to because he had insisted that he promised Yuuhei that he would pay, and also that it was Masahiro’s birthday dinner. Masahiro had finally backed down, pouting just a little.

Everyone was full and a bit tipsy as they walked down the stairs, and Masahiro pointed them towards the nearest bar. It was just diagonally across the street from them, and then down the alleyway. They made their way down the couple of roads, coming upon a short building with some lanterns beaming bright light outside. It had a very nostalgic, almost Showa-era look to it. They entered, sitting at the bar and ordering drinks. From left to right, Yuuhei, Ichirou, Masahiro, and finally Takeru sat, and with their drinks arrival, the talk started right back up.

“So, what sort of girls do you like, Yuuhei-chan?” Takeru asked, already three quarters drunk.

“Don’t call me that, that’s so disgusting,” Yuuhei said, rolling his eyes.

“Okay, Yuu-chan, what sort of girls do you like?”

“Oh, god, that’s even worse!”

“Just answer my question, oh my god!”

“I like all kinds of girls. Cute girls, cool girls, sexy girls, funny girls… they’re all good,” Yuuhei said.

“What about guys? You liked Ichirou-san, right? Are cute guys your type, or is any guy good?”

Masahiro groaned, rolling his eyes as he finished his first bottle. “Good lord, you kept bugging me and Ichirou-san about not supposedly flirting, but you can’t keep it in your pants for five minutes, can you, Takeru?”

“He’s a lot cuter in the dim light,” Takeru said with a pout. 

“You horny bastard, don’t make things awkward for Ichirou-san and me by boning his best friend.”

“I’m not trying to make it awkward! I just haven’t had sex in three fucking months! And dammit, he looks like a poison dart frog.”

“Didn’t I tell you not to say that?!”

“Poison dart frogs are seriously cute! I didn’t say it to make him feel bad…”

Yuuhei leaned in again, eyes wide. “Wait, what?”

“Yeah, I love little poison dart frogs. They’re so cute. And when I saw you, I thought of one of those cute little froggies. So adorable…” Takeru grumbled the last part before swigging down the last of his bottle and ordering another.

Ichirou couldn’t help but notice that Yuuhei’s face had gotten quite red, and he didn’t think it was from the alcohol. Once again, Ichirou remembered that Yuuhei claimed he wouldn’t mind getting topped by a rich alpha, and Ichirou wondered if his best friend was about to get dominated by a sadist. Well, nothing he could do about it now. Yuuhei was a fully grown adult who could say no, and Takeru wasn’t a complete asshole. That admission just now was proof of that. 

Ichirou was attempting to drink his cider slowly, but due to his low body weight and short stature, as well as his already having drunk three glasses of wine before he came to the bar, he was certain he was already getting drunk. He could feel his face staying flushed, and he was zoning out a little bit. The world was getting just slightly blurry, and he was glad that he had decided on wearing some low heel mary-janes, because he would probably fall on his face in high heels.

“Ichirou-san, what about you? What sort of guy would you date?” Takeru asked, popping down another drink of his beer.

“Oh… I dunno,” Ichirou mumbled, finishing off his drink.

“Come on! I know you’d never date me, but I wonder what sort of guy would be acceptable for a princess,” Takeru said, grinning widely.

“You’re embarrassing him, Takeru. There’s no need to answer him, Ichirou-san,” Masahiro said, glaring at Takeru.

“I need to be more drunk before I talk about something dumb like love,” Ichirou said, knowing fully well that he only would need to be a bit more drunk to talk about something dumb like love.

“You all are no fun. Hurry and drink up, okay? I’ll tell you about my ideal person,” Takeru said as Ichirou was given another drink. “If I could date anyone, I’d date someone who would be interested in trying new things and traveling the world. Someone who is happy to explore, and who is willing to be outspoken. Someone who has funny reactions, and a most importantly, someone who I can tie up and fuck the shit out of,” Takeru said with an excited sounding sigh.

Yuuhei choked on his drink, looking down the bar in shock. “Excuse you?! What was that last part?!”

Takeru grinned wickedly. “Why? Are you interested?”

Yuuhei’s jaw dropped and his face turned bright red. “No! I’m- I’m desperate, but not that desperate!”

“You’re desperate, too?”

“Oh, n- no, I mean, yes, but I’m not, I mean–”

“You’re so funny, Yuu-chan. I love hearing you talk.”

In the end, Takeru and Ichirou switched spots, at the request of Takeru. He sat down and instantly began flirting with the poor purple haired man. He seemed to be really taken by Yuuhei, who was flustered and confused by the attention. Ichirou watched them down the bar for a bit, blinking slowly.

“H- he gets even more horny with alcohol, huh, Masahiro-sa– Masahiro?” Ichirou slurred, looking up at the slightly spinning Masahiro.

Masahiro, wearing an exasperated look on his face, nodded. “He’s incorrigible. I hope he doesn’t keep this up, I don’t want things to get weird with us.”

“Why would them having sex make things weird for us?” Ichirou asked, already halfway done with his next cider. “We’re all adults.”

“It’s not that part, it’s when they would inevitably break things off,” Masahiro mumbled. 

“Oh, I guess that’s true,” Ichirou said. “But don’t you wonder if they could work things out?”

“It doesn’t work that way. Yuuhei seems like a sweet guy, and Takeru hasn’t kept a partner for more than a month. There’s always gonna be someone who loves the other person more, and unless they don’t prepare themselves, they’re gonna get hurt. Out of those two, I definitely think that Yuuhei would be the one to end up crying.” Masahiro sighed and finished off his drink.

Ichirou stared at him for a while, finishing his cider in silence. While he understood a bit what Masahiro was talking about, the middle part of that sentiment really bothered him. It definitely sounded like he was speaking from experience, but who would hurt Masahiro like that? Who would love Masahiro less than Masahiro loved them? Masahiro was such a nice guy. That other person sounded like a jerk.

Before he knew it, Ichirou had finished two more drinks, and he was truly drunk. He laid his forehead down on the cool bar, trying to cool down his heated face. He heard someone calling his name, but it wobbled around in his brain weirdly. He had no idea where it came from, so he stayed where he was.

Nausea overcame him, but nothing came out and feeling quickly passed. He had three cups of cider and three glasses of wine over the course of four hours, but it was far too much for him. Ichirou squeezed his eyes shut, trying to stop the spinning.

Masahiro pulled Ichirou up, who seemed to be totally out of it. Takeru and Yuuhei had already left the bar, but not before exchanging contact information. Now it was just him and the pink haired man, who was unable to walk without some assistance from Masahiro. Masahiro, being a large man, did not get drunk very easily, but he also had a couple less drinks than Ichirou. As such, he was buzzed, but definitely not drunk.

Masahiro dug around in Ichirou’s purse and found his phone. He tried to use the voice command, “call chauffeur,” and much to his delight, it worked. He let the man know where they were, and, after some apologies for letting Ichirou drink so much, he hung up. Now all he had to do was wait…

Ichirou’s head popped up, and he looked drunkenly at Masahiro. “Hey, hey, Masahiro… do ya wanna hear about my ideal guy nowww?”

Masahiro smiled somewhat tightly at that. “We don’t have to talk about that right now.”

“No, no, I wanna tell you about my dream guyyy,” Ichirou said, sighing flirtatiously. “Y’see, when I was little, there was this boy who came over to play all the time. He was so protective and kind and sweet and, and…”

Masahiro let it hang in the air for a while before he decided to respond. “And?”

“And he always kissed my hand and called me his princess and protected me from bugs and adults and he was my knight in shining armor, y’know? He even promised to marry me when we got older. Gave me this cute pink rose he handpicked and removed the thorns from as a way to promise it to me. I even still got it, I shut it up in a book and I look at it sometimes as a way to remember him…”

Masahiro was quiet, holding him up as rain began to fall. Masahiro noted, however, that Ichirou’s eyes began to fill up with water of their own, the tears slowly falling down his face. He waited patiently for Ichirou to finish the sad love story.

Ichirou’s voice was shaky now, uncertain and sad. “He promised me that, but then, one day, he just disappeared, and I never got to see him again. I don’t know what happened to him. But I bet he just forgot all about me, even though he was so important to me… b- because, because who does that? Who says that they’ll protect you always and then just leaves one day? Even if he didn’t want to be my prince charming anymore, he could have just stayed by my side as my friend… I don’t understand… I don’t understand…”

The rain began to pour. If they stayed out there beside the road, Ichirou and Masahiro would catch a cold. So, Masahiro pulled Ichirou under an awning that was close by. Instead of just corralling him in, however, Masahiro wrapped his arms around Ichirou, holding him very gently. He let out just a bit of his pheromones, which helped calm Ichirou down ever so slightly.

“I’m sorry, Ichirou-san. I’m sorry.”

A vague question rose into the back of Ichirou’s mind, wondering why Masahiro was apologizing. It wasn’t his fault that the boy left all those years ago. Why was Ichirou even still upset about it? After all these years, you would have thought he would have gotten over it. But somehow, it still stung.

“I’m sure that boy didn’t give up on you. I’m sure something just came up and he couldn’t come back right away. I’m sure he still loves you, Ichirou-san. I’m sure he remembers that promise, too. I’m sure he would have been by your side this whole time if he could have been.”

Ichirou, hearing those comforting words, closed his eyes and leaned into the hug. He slowly wrapped his arms around Masahiro, hugging him back. They stood there like that for a while, until a car pulled over to the side of the road and honked a couple of times.

Just like that, the moment was broken. Masahiro helped Ichirou into the car and waved goodbye to him. The car sped away, into the night. He realized he needed to get home too, and went back under the awning, pulling open a ride sharing app. His hands trembled slightly as he requested the ride back to his apartment. Soon, a drop of water appeared on the phone screen. At first Masahiro thought it was raining, but after another fell, he realized that he was crying now too.

Masahiro leaned against the window of the close restaurant he was standing beside. He balled up his fist and pressed it against his forehead, trying to calm himself. Finally, letting out a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding, he answered Ichirou, despite the distance and time.

“I didn’t forget you, Ichirou. I didn’t.”

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