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“Ha! I knew we’d get along, you and me!”
The front door to Hitoya’s apartment is slightly ajar; even before entering, Jakurai’s chest feels warm as he hears the voices of friends spilling out. Smiling fondly, he pushes the door open farther to let himself inside.
“Heheh! Always nice to find someone else with a good eye!”
“And what about you, Kannonzaka?”
“Oh, w-well… Honestly, half of what you guys are saying is just flying right over my head… B-But Hifumi’s right in his element—even when we’re just eating at home, he always knows what would go best with our food.”
“Well then, your luck’s not looking so bad after all, huh!”
Laughter rings in Jakurai’s ears when he steps into the living room. There, he finds Hifumi and Doppo standing by the kitchen island, where Hitoya’s showing off an assortment of bottles from his liquor cabinet.
“Oh, sensei!” Doppo perks up, bowing his head a little with his greeting. “Did you have any trouble parking?”
“Actually, I managed to find a very convenient spot,” Jakurai replies. “What have you three been up to?”
“Amaguni-san was showing us his collection!” Hifumi says, leaning to the side so Jakurai can see the bottles lining the counter. “He really knows his stuff! I gotta take some notes for things to order for the club!”
“Heh.” Hitoya puffs out his chest a little. “You should bring your pals around more often, Jakurai—you have no clue how refreshing it is to be around people who can actually appreciate a good drink. Normally I have to lock up the whole cabinet because the brats are always running around breaking my shit.”
“Haha—well, it’s definitely heartening to see that different friends of mine mesh well together.” Jakurai approaches the kitchen, and sees some glasses in different shapes spread out on the counter as well. “Having samples?”
“I was actually thinking about making some cocktails,” Hitoya answers. “I almost never have people around to taste test.”
“Oh, but…” Hifumi and Doppo turn toward Jakurai involuntarily, their eyelids twitching. Jakurai blinks, then settles into a reassuring smile.
You two are as kind as always, to worry that I would feel excluded.
“There’s no need to feel bad for my sake, you two,” he says with a pat to each of their shoulders. “You should enjoy yourselves to your hearts’ content; I’m more than happy simply to watch over my dear friends.”
“Hmph!” Hitoya sighs loudly; Hifumi, Doppo, and Jakurai all startle on the other side of the counter. “There you go jumping to conclusions again,” he scolds irritatedly. “When did I ever say anything about you not enjoying yourself with us?”
“Hm?” Jakurai blinks and tilts his head. “But I don’t…”
“Drink booze! I’m aware!” Hitoya finishes the thought for him, crossing his arms and shaking his head. “So you leave me with no choice! I’ll have to make something special, just for you!” Jakurai’s heart skips a beat.
“S-Special…?” he repeats, feeling his cheeks turn pink. Hitoya lays a forearm down on the counter, then shakes his head with another sigh.
“Exactly. So sit down, all three of you!”
“O-Oh, um! R-Right!” Doppo tenses from head to toe, then nods and hurries to rearrange the stools sitting nearby to bring them to the island. Hifumi brings one hand to his mouth and gives a thumbs up with the other.
“Kya…” he fawns quietly, his eyes darting between Hitoya and Jakurai in turn. “That was kinda smooth, Amaguni-san…”
“Heh. Well, look and be amazed,” Hitoya jokes as the three of them take a stool and sit, Doppo and Hifumi at Jakurai’s sides. “Kannonzaka, you look like you could use a drink the most, so let’s start with your sorry ass.”
“I… I’m sorry…” Doppo’s head sinks like a rock between his shoulders. “It must be burned into my muscles, the pathetic look on my face… I’m really just so, so…”
“See, now this is exactly what we’re trying to work out!” Hitoya scolds, tapping his finger on the countertop like a woodpecker. “The night’s young and you can unwind without a care far from your godforsaken workplace, with good company all around you! So let’s get you something nice to go with it! Right?!” Doppo nods along frantically, then freezes up when Hitoya points right in his face.
“U-Um! Right!” he answers, stiff as a board. Hitoya snaps his fingers and smirks.
“How about this—I’ve got the image in my eye of you hobbling out of the office after sundown and heading for the nearest convenience store to pick up one of those sad little canned shochu highballs…” he says pityingly. Doppo shrinks into his seat a little.
“That might… ring a little true…” he says meekly. Hifumi leans forward to giggle.
“Nyahaha! He’s got you dead to rights, Doppo-chin!”
“Knew it!” Hitoya snorts with another snap of his fingers. “So let’s get you the real deal, made from scratch! What kind of flavor do you want?” Doppo shakes his hands in front of himself deferentially.
“Oh, a-anything would be fine, really,” he insists weakly. “Whatever’s eas—”
“Don’t give me that, Kannonzaka!” He freezes up again when Hitoya shoots a finger back in his face. “You’re not a cowed little corporate yesman here! Show some spine and tell me what you want!” Despite the annoyed twitch in Hitoya’s eyes, his words are nothing but sincere. Doppo straightens his back, still fidgeting nervously, but steels himself a bit more.
“U-U-Um!” he gulps, his face somehow even more drained of color than before. “W-Well, I had! A nice apple-flavored shochu high once, so! If it’s alright—” Hitoya glares. “I’d like—” Hitoya’s snarl deepens. “G-G-Give me your take on that!”
Watching with bated breath, Hifumi breaks into a joyous round of applause.
“Yippee, Doppo-ppo!” he cheers. “Breaking new ground in assertiveness!” Jakurai smiles in turn, patting him on the back.
“Good for you, Doppo-kun,” he says lightly. “See, with a little bit of encouragement, being brave isn’t so daunting.”
“I don’t… feel much braver…” Doppo despairs, his face quickly sinking back into its usual anxious expression. “And, um, Amaguni-san, if—if you don’t have the right ingredients, then it’s totally fine if—”
“You’re already backsliding!” Hitoya snaps, shaking his head curtly. “Don’t doubt my stock! Apple’s no problem, so sit up straight and have some more confidence, man!”
“R-Right…!” He clenches his teeth and freezes up in his seat yet again, while Hitoya turns next to Hifumi.
“Izanami, you’re a simple case,” he says, the tone of his voice leveling almost instantly. “Anything with champagne’s too on the nose because of your work—how about a lemon drop?”
“Ooh! Sounds good, Amaguni-san!” Hifumi chirps; he gives two thumbs up.
“Cool, gotcha.”
“Thankies!”
Hitoya turns around to take stock of his supplies, leaving the Shinjuku trio to themselves. Doppo blinks, processing how quickly the interaction ended.
“Th-That’s it?!” he balks, looking toward Hifumi with bulging eyes. “Why’d I have to get yelled at?!”
“Nyahaha! ‘Cause you need someone to force you to actually chillax a bit, Doppo-chin!” Hifumi teases him. “Good ol’ Hifumin’s as cool as a cucumber!”
“N-No way…”
While Hifumi and Doppo banter about, Jakurai brings a hand to his chin; he stares at the back of Hitoya’s head.
“Um… Hitoya?” he says hesitantly.
“What’s up?” comes the reply; Hitoya doesn’t turn around, and based on the fragrance accompanying the dull sound of a knife on a chopping board, he’s starting to cut up some fruit.
“You didn’t ask me what I wanted to drink.”
“Correct.” Hitoya looks over his shoulder and smirks. “You’re just gonna have to trust my judgement.”
“Oh. I see.” Jakurai’s lips find themselves settling into a smile on their own. “In that case, carry right on ahead; I trust you completely.”
“Ha—of course you do.”
“Psst, Doppo-chin!” Hifumi whispers, about as loudly as humanly possible and while leaning right into Jakurai’s field of view. “Sensei and Amaguni-san are flirting again!”
“H-Hifumi…!” Doppo hisses, mortified. “You don’t have to point out the obvious!” He regrets that choice of words almost instantaneously when Hitoya’s sharpened gaze falls on him. “U-Uh…!”
“Hmph!” Hitoya clears his throat loudly and turns away again before anyone can notice the pink tinge to his cheeks. “I’m in a good mood, so I’m just gonna pretend I didn’t hear you two.”
“Nyahaha, sure, sure! Whatever you say, barkeep!”
“Hifumi!”
“N-Now, now, you two…”
The three of them chat amongst themselves as they wait. Hitoya moves between the counter, the liquor cabinet, and the refrigerator a few times, and smiles to himself when he catches sight of their relaxed faces in the corner of his eyes.
You’re a good bunch.
“Alright, now here we are,” he announces when everything is complete, returning to the island with a tray in hand. The trio in front of him all perk up in their seats and lean forward to take in the sight.
“How pretty…!”
“Wowie, they look great!”
“Oh my!”
“Heh.” Hitoya smirks and puffs out his chest a little at the sparkles in their eyes. “All in a day’s work,” he brags, reaching first for the highball glass on the tray to set in front of Doppo. “Kannonzaka, a proper shochu highball for you.”
“Th-Thank you…!” Doppo bows his head, then leans around the glass to get a look inside. The cocktail fizzes softly against the ice, a slight golden tinge settling at the bottom of the drink. Garnishing the top of the glass are several thin semicircular apple slices arranged to look like spreading leaves, the red and green patches of skin a contrast to the white of the flesh.
“Izanami, you’re up next.” Hitoya takes a coupe glass by the stem and sets it down by Hifumi, who claps his hands together and beams.
“It’s almost too pretty to drink!” he says cheerfully, bringing his eyes to the bowl of the glass. The rim is decorated with a border of sugar, giving off the aroma of the juice adhering it to the glass. The rest of the drink does the same, the fragrance of fresh lemons apparent even from where Doppo and Jakurai are sitting. Placed along the edge of the glass is a single twisted strip of lemon skin, speared onto a toothpick for a simple matching finish.
“And of course, last but not least…” Finally, Hitoya reaches for the long and tall glass left on his tray, putting it down with a soft clink in front of Jakurai. “Something just for you.”
Jakurai’s mouth falls open slightly; he wordlessly leans down to look at the glass from several angles while Hitoya watches with a self-satisfied grin on his face. The drink sparkles with carbonated water at the top, then trails down in a gradation of pinkish orange, lightly clouded with pulp at the very bottom of the glass. A simple black straw pokes out, standing out against the colors of the drink, and as a garnish, a bright red wedge of grapefruit sits atop the rim.
“It’s so…” Jakurai’s eyes sparkle. “Elegant. Almost like I shouldn’t even touch it.”
“You’d better,” Hitoya snorts, leaning over to flick him on the shoulder. “I need to know if it tastes any good.”
“Haha!” Jakurai laughs, before carefully taking his drink in hand. “I suppose you’re right.” He looks from side to side. “Hifumi-kun, Doppo-kun, shall we?”
The three of them lift their glasses and clink them together.
“Cheers!”
Jakurai delicately brings the straw to his lips and takes a drink; his tastebuds sharpen their focus as a sequence of flavors swirls by. Past the bright fizz of soda water, the tartness of grapefruit hits his tongue first, quickly balanced by sweetness and the slightly bitter aftertaste of citrus peel. He pulls away from the straw after his first sip, chewing lightly through bits of fruit from the bottom of the glass.
“What’s the verdict, doc?” Hitoya asks. He’s leaning his cheek on one hand, his head tilted to the side as he grins fondly.
“It’s…” When Jakurai parts his lips to answer, the tiniest hint of spice lingers on his tongue. “It’s really lovely. The more I focus the more flavorful it gets, and it’s all so well balanced.”
“Heh.” Hitoya squints contentedly at the praise. “Good, good. I was pretty much winging it, but I knew you liked grapefruit, so I thought of a few things that should go well.” He gestures toward Hifumi and Doppo’s glasses. “Not sure how strong it came through, but I tossed in a dash of the lemon and apple juices I used for your pals.”
“Oh, you don’t say.” Jakurai leans in and takes another sip, concentrating on the taste. “Now that you mention it, it does come through.”
“Baww, so we’re matching with sensei!” Hifumi points out, bringing a hand to his cheek. “How sweet!”
“Hmph.” Hitoya clears his throat and looks away for a second. “Only because he’s the kind of dork who needs to be reminded that he can have fun with his own damn friends.”
“Haha…” Doppo laughs weakly. “Y-You know, Amaguni-san, that only makes you sound even more sentimental…”
“Hmph!” Hitoya crosses his arms, then shoves his head toward Jakurai to pointedly ignore the two at his sides. “Anyways! I didn’t have any nonalcoholic bitters, so I used a little ginger syrup for a little extra flavor.” Jakurai blinks rapidly a few times.
His ears are red.
“Ah,” he voices after a slight delay, nodding. His own cheeks feel a little warm. “Y-Yes, I did notice a little kick at the end. Just the right amount.”
“Doppo-chin, they’re totally ignorin’ us…”
“Aha… ha…”
As if on cue to avoid an awkward lull in the conversation, the buzzer by the entryway begins to ring. Hifumi and Doppo sit up in their seats.
“Harai-kun and Aimono-kun made it to the lobby, I suppose?” Doppo wonders aloud. “I can go let them in,” he says to Hitoya, standing up; Hifumi quickly does the same.
“I’ll join you!”
“It doesn’t take two people to hit a button and open the door…”
“Nope, but it’ll give the lovebirds a second to themselves!”
“Th-They can hear you!”
“Yeah! I know!”
Jakurai clears his throat softly when his teammates disappear around the corner to the entryway, then looks at Hitoya.
“I suppose we should get ready to head out to dinner, then?” he says.
“At least finish your drinks first—it won’t kill the brats to wait a few minutes,” Hitoya replies. Jakurai smiles and cups a hand around his glass.
“Fair point—it wouldn’t do to let a drop go to waste.” He brings the straw back to his lips for another sip, the flavors rushing anew over his tongue. “Maybe you could jot down the recipe for me, so I can toast to you from Shinjuku from time to time,” he muses after swallowing.
“Hm…” Hitoya hums with a smirk. “Or maybe not, so you’d only be able to get your fill in Nagoya.”
“My, my. The number of incentives to make the trip continues to pile up.”
“Heh. You know it.” Hitoya pauses, leaning his head on one shoulder while his expression turns pensive. It wasn’t that long ago when the idea of visiting each other was completely off the table. Memories of that standstill being broken trickle into Hitoya’s head. “It kind of annoyed me, that one time,” he thinks aloud, his voice dropping.
“Hm?” Jakurai blinks. “What did?”
“When you got a plain old grapefruit juice, that time when…” Hitoya looks away. “When we first met up again, at that bar in Shinjuku.”
“Oh.”
And we all know how well that night went. It goes quiet for a moment.
“So…” Hitoya eventually raises his voice again. “Obviously, I had to show you that you could enjoy something more interesting than that.” His gaze trails further and further away with each word until he’s staring at the wall, but it only makes Jakurai smile more and more fondly.
“And so you have.” He reaches across the counter and puts a hand over one of Hitoya’s. “You’ve opened my eyes to so many new things over the years.”
So don’t hold what happened against yourself.
“You’re being embarrassing again.” Hitoya’s voice is unusually soft.
“But completely truthful, too.” Jakurai laughs gently when Hitoya’s annoyed frown deepens. “Perhaps a taste of your creation will make you feel less bashful,” he suggests, sliding his glass forward. Hitoya squints at the utterly genuine sparkle in Jakurai’s eyes, then lets out a little huff.
Idiot.
“Hmph. Sure, I’ll take you up on that,” he scoffs.
Jakurai smiles, about to turn the straw in Hitoya’s direction, but before he can blink, one hand pushes the glass away while another tips his chin forward. His heart skips a beat when their lips come together, but his expression quickly softens into a gentle smile, leaning into the kiss.
“Hm…” Hitoya swipes the tip of his tongue across his lips when he pulls back. “A little too sweet for my taste.” Jakurai chuckles, putting an elbow on the counter so he can rest his head against his hand; his cheek feels warm against his palm. But before he can open his mouth to reply, a barely hushed squeal comes from across the room.
“Kya…!” They both turn to see Hifumi and Doppo poking their heads out over the side of the hallway. Hifumi has both hands over his cheeks and stars in his eyes. “That was really smooth, Amaguni-san! So that’s why you didn’t have a drink with us yourself!”
“Ngh…!” Hitoya’s spine stiffens, and his expression naturally settles back into a mortified grimace. “Y-You two are just as embarrassing as your idiot leader!” he complains, cheeks red. He shoves a finger in the direction of their seats and starts to storm off from the kitchen; Jakurai watches the back of his head, holding back a little laugh. “Go finish your damn drinks already, I can get the door for the brats!”
Doppo and Hifumi trade knowing glances as Hitoya passes them by in a huff, then head back toward the kitchen to rejoin Jakurai.
“Amaguni-san’s as honest as ever!” Hifumi says, taking his glass by the stem with a cheerful smile.
“But in the end, he still treats us well,” Doppo points out, taking his glass too. “So we shouldn’t push his buttons too much.”
“Nyaha! He makes it a little too easy, though!” Hifumi nudges Jakurai on the shoulder. “Right, sensei?”
“Well… Perhaps just a bit.” They all smile to themselves when they hear the front door open in the distance, a new pair of clamoring voices joining in; Jakurai’s eyes narrow with his smile, and he reaches for his glass before looking toward Hifumi and Doppo in turn. “How about a toast to him, you two?” His teammates’ eyes light up, and they raise their glasses over the table with fond chuckles.
“To his friendship…!”
“And his prickliness!”
“And his heart of pure gold.”
At the start of a lively night, three glasses clink together.
“Cheers!”