The man is already drunk when he enters the bar.
Aoyagi can see it in his weary posture, his uneven gait, and his unfocused gaze, and even in a room smelling strongly of alcohol, he can pick out the stench of the fresh whiskey stain on the front of his half-buttoned work shirt when he sits down.
Almost immediately, the stranger lays his head on the counter and lets his thick, black curls spill over his arms. From the stools nearest to him, two women give him amused, if pitying, glances before turning back to each other and their conversation.
Aoyagi takes his time wiping clean the spot on the counter he has been working on. It's still pretty early in the evening, and it's a week night. Even on busier nights though, the bar is comparatively quiet and low-key, the way he prefers. He's glad that the stranger, even drunk, is quiet so far.
The man does not lift his head for several minutes, and Aoyagi wonders if maybe he's fallen asleep. Just as he's about to ask if there's anything he wants though, the man sits up slowly and draws a long, gradual breath.
He sighs. Aoyagi watches him wordlessly, and the stranger seems to take in his surroundings for the first time. He widens his eyes - a shade of blue or purple in the dim light - several times, as if to stretch them, then squints at Aoyagi, who only stares back.
"I want...I want whatever your favourite drink is," the man says, surprisingly articulate, but louder than he needs to be.
Aoyagi smiles. Setting down his dishrag, he plucks a clean glass from the overhead rack, pours ice water from the pitcher, and sets it on the counter.
The man drinks greedily, and Aoyagi isn't sure whether or not he realizes it's water. When the glass empties, Aoyagi refills it dutifully.
"You're making fun of me," the man mumbles.
He takes the refilled glass and sips more slowly this time. "I'm not even that drunk yet. I can still walk. I got here fine, didn't I? I can still get home fine. I could be doing much worse, okay? At least I'm outside, right? At least I'm not at home drinking…drinking alone."
He takes another gulp of water. "I could be doing much worse, okay. But I'm fine. Look at how fine I am! I'm fine. Really super fine. Get me a real drink and stop making fun of me."
Aoyagi is a bit taken back by the short rant, but for some reason he's still smiling. "I wasn't making fun of you," he says quietly. "I don't drink much."
The stranger glares at him sulkily. "You're making fun of me," he insists. "There's no bartender who doesn't drink. Why would you work here if you don't drink? That's like a barista who doesn't drink coffee. What even is the point? And bartending's hard! Why would you learn how to bartend if you don't like to drink. You're definitely making fun of me. Your favourite drink isn't water, so you're making fun of me!"
Aoyagi shakes his head, still smiling.
The man chugs the rest of his water, but pulls his glass away when Aoyagi makes to refill it. The movement is sluggish, but he brings his arm out too far and the glass slides from his fingers and off the counter. He cringes and closes his eyes reflexively in preparation for the sound of shattering glass, but while the heavy cup thuds loudly on the wooden floor, it does not break.
Aoyagi walks out from behind the bar counter and picks up the glass. The stranger opens one eye. Aoyagi walks back behind the counter, deposits the glass in the dish bin, takes a new one from the ceiling rack, and fills it with water. The man opens his other eye and turns back to him.
"I'm not drunk," he mutters, then sighs and rests his head in his arms again, sprawling over the countertop. "I'm not drunk enough at all."
Aoyagi tends to other customers for a while, but even as the evening sets in, things remain quiet. When he returns to idly wiping down the counter, the stranger is still there at the end of the bar.
The glass of water is still mostly full, but Aoyagi tops it off anyway.
The stranger stirs to the sound of ice against glass.
"Come on," he says, lifting his head slightly so he could be heard, though his wavy black hair still covers most of his face. "Gimme your favourite drink. Or whatever, someone else's favourite drink. I don't care."
"Why not your favourite drink?" Aoyagi prompts.
He gets a loud groan in response. "I'm trying to forget my favourite drink, okay. It's not my favourite anymore. I don't want it, okay. It was also his favourite drink."
Aoyagi is quiet for a long moment, and the man sits up again. "If you're feeling sorry for me, you should just get me a damn drink okay."
He glowers at Aoyagi until finally Aoyagi asks, "ID?"
"Are you kidding me."
Aoyagi shrugs.
The man pats himself down clumsily, almost falls off the stool trying to fish his wallet out of his pants pocket, then all but throws it at Aoyagi, who catches it easily.
Teshima Junta is five months older and three inches taller than Aoyagi. The man in the picture has his black hair tied back and a very charming smile. He looks a fair bit more respectable than the disheveled mess in front of him, but his smooth face and blue-purple eyes are surely the same.
"You're never gonna give me a drink, are you," Teshima grumbles. "Why did I even come here."
Aoyagi hands back his wallet, then turns to the wall of bottles behind him. He takes his time, considering each ingredient carefully, and pouring slowly.
Teshima rests his head back on his arms but watchs him attentively, his eyes, though half-lidded, following his every movement.
After garnishing it with a sprig of mint, Aoyagi sets the drink down next to Teshima's glass of water without comment.
"What did you put in it?"
Aoyagi shrugs again.
Teshima clicks his tongue, sits up again slowly, and takes a tentative sip. He pauses for a moment, then throws his head back and downs the rest of it in two quick gulps. Coughing, he sets the glass back down and stands. Or tries to stand. He steps on his own foot getting off the stool and falls against the counter, clutching at it to keep his balance.
"Why would you give a drunk guy something so strong!" he splutters.
"I thought you weren't drunk?"
Teshima scowls. "You're making fun of me. You're still making fun of me."
Aoyagi shakes his head, but his smile betrayed him.
"Man, I'm done. I'm so, so, so done. All the cute ones are assholes though right so why am I even surprised. Oh my god just give me my check so I can go home."
"Don't worry about it," Aoyagi says. "Drink your water. I'll call you a cab."
"What, no, I live like... down the stupid block, don't call me a cab. Just gimme my stupid check. I'm going home to drink alone because I guess being out isn't better after all."
"Drink your water."
Teshima pulls himself back into his seat, pulls his wallet out again, then throws several bills angrily at Aoyagi. Instead of going in the intended direction though, the bills flutter backwards and float to the floor.
"Fucking shit."
"Drink your water," Aoyagi repeats. He wipes his hands on his dishrag, then goes around the counter.
He ignores the fallen bills and sits down on the stool next to Teshima. He picks up the glass of water. "Just finish this and you can go."
"What the hell are you, my mom?" Teshima grumbles loudly. "You can't make me!" He jumps off his stool and half shoves Aoyagi, half falls into him. The water spills over them both.
"Fucking shit," Teshima says again, though instead of frustration this time, there is a soft panic in his voice. "Shit, sorry... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to... sorry..."
Aoyagi gets up and goes back around the counter, refills the glass to about where it was, then slides it over once more. "Drink."
And this time Teshima obeys, drinking in huge gulps until most of the water was gone. "Sorry," he mutters again when he sets the cup down. "Water doesn't stain right... I..."
Aoyagi is about to respond when someone comes up behind him and slaps him on the back in greeting. "You're free, senpai! I just clocked in!"
"You're late," Aoyagi says without turning. He picks up his dishrag and tosses it back in the younger man's general direction.
Naruko laughs and catches the rag easily. "Only a little! Seems like it's a pretty quiet night anyway - your favourite, right? Any sad drunks yet?"
"Just this one."
"I said I was sorry okay!" Teshima says, still overly loud. Having picked up the bills from the ground, he slams them on the counter.
"I'll walk you home," Aoyagi says.
"I can make it home fine," Teshima insists, but when he turns around and makes to stalk off, he stumbles and has to grab onto the countertop again.
Naruko starts laughing loudly.
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up!" Teshima barks back at him. "There are walls all the way home okay! I'll be fine. I don't need you! I don't need any of you making fun of me all night! I'm going home and I'm going home by myself."
"How drunk is this dude?" Naruko asks as Teshima starts shuffling away, guiding himself along the counter. "What did he have?"
Aoyagi shrugs. "He was drunk when he got here. I made him a drink without any alcohol in it."
When Teshima reaches the end of the long bar, a large decorative plant blocks his path along the wall to the exit. He hesitates.
Aoyagi, out of his half-apron and in a jacket now, grabs his arm roughly.
Teshima jerks away automatically, but stumbles again. Aoyagi holds him up. "Your ID said you live on Sameicho 3-chome - that's four blocks over. You can't cross the street by following walls."
"I don't need your help, okay." Teshima tries to pull away again, but Aoyagi's grip is firm. "I don't need your pity."
"It's not pity."
"...still making fun of me."
"Come on, Teshima," Aoyagi says, dragging him towards the exit.
"Good luck, sen~pai~" Naruko calls from behind them. "See ya later, drunk~guy~"
"Call a stupid cab if you don't think I can walk home myself," Teshima grumbles once they're outside. "You don't gotta walk with me."
"It's fine."
"Fucking shit," Teshima says, but Aoyagi continues to pull him along and he doesn't seem to have the energy to fight back anymore.
The streets are quiet and they cross them in silence.
"Well at least tell me your stupid name," Teshima mumbles when they get to the entrance of his building. "You know mine and where I live and that's really not fair at all."
Aoyagi lets Teshima prop himself up against the gate.
"Aoyagi Hajime," he says quietly, after a beat. He pulls out the bills Teshima tried to pay with and presses them into his hand.
"You owe me a drink."