"Tonight's the big party, and where is Gamagoori, as fucking predicted? Sitting in his dorm room, shoving his nose into a textbook and completing unneeded extra credit and being the biggest teacher's pet on the planet." Nonon moaned, stretching out in her rolling chair. Inumuta looked over his laptop's screen, chuckling under his breath.
"What did you expect, Jakuzure? He's trying to get an advance on his double major, so he's spending every minute of free time working."
Nonon moved her rolling chair away from her desk. "I say it's time for an intervention. We're getting him out of the room, tonight."
Inumuta smirked, pulling his jacket collar up. "Hack into his computer, force him out?"
Nonon grinned. "Make it happen, four eyes."
He adjusted his top as he looked in the mirror, trying to shake the unnecessary thoughts against his only option now. With his computer down, holding his only connection to his assignments, and the contents of his books blurring at every line in their usual monotonous collection of reread plots, he was left with nothing to do. Sleeping this early would be out of the question, changing his body's clock too much for him to fix within a single night.
So, on the recommendation and pressure from Nonon, he was going out, partly against his will, to the biggest party on campus for the past fourteen years. The Heist, a dorm-wide party held in K Hall, closest to the criminology and science halls, boasted the best accommodations, the finest alcohol including foreign drinks, and sported the biggest peer pressure event to ever come to campus since the Freshman initiation ritual of locking them in the biology labs.
Knowing that he had no way of avoiding the countless girls who thought he would be interested in them, he picked up his phone and quickly sent a text to his one lifeline in hopes she would join him. After hitting send and sending a short thought to any high power to keep him calm, he picked up his wallet and keys, and walked out of the dorm room, making his way out of the C Wing Dorm Halls and toward the obvious sound of the party, overheard through the silent campus.
By the time the sun finally fell behind the horizon, ten minutes into his hike across campus, he made it to the K Hall, lights and partying students visible everywhere as heavy bass music pounded in his ears, even from afar. How this party has survived continuing for fourteen years, much less a night, still boggled him. He could only assume safely that the college cancelled late night classes, or the hosts had permits or permission to do this much like a fraternity would without a single word. He could bet also on keeping the cops far from the rowdy people despite the illegal activity and alcohol sometimes showing up.
Over the outrageous amount of people yelling, hollering, cat-calling, and music basically blowing apart the ears of about two hundred people, he could hear Nonon screech about his appearance, and he knew that tonight would be the longest one in his life. As he finally joined in to the crowd spread around the front lawn of the building, he tried to move quickly, avoiding any conversation or interruption. He was repeatedly poked at by woman who obviously admired him for his body, the alcohol running through their systems pushing for obvious sexual activity.
He escaped with only a few scares, and made his way to the bar where he was immediately jumped into a conversation once more.
"Ira Gamagoori, what a surprise to find you here!"
Amer Daisuke, of course it was. The campus-known flirt of the century with enough sexual championships under her waist put her on the top of the campus' list of woman with the longest lists of men in bed with them. The ebony-hair brain with a sex count too high to remember had tried to bed him since his run with the school's football team, and her advances did not stop even though the season was long over.
"So, what brings Mr. Booksmarts out of the woods?" she asked, twirling a strand of hair between her fingers blankly, her other hand reaching for her martini glass. He pushed the conversation back enough for him to order a beer, and waited until after he took a long swig to answer her, the alcohol buzzing through his blood.
"I decided to take a break from my studies, and a close friend of mine reminded me that the Heist happened tonight."
Amer took a drink, and adjusted her spot on the bar so she was leaned closer to him, but respecting, at least for now, his personal space. "Glad to see your face unobscured by books. You should do this more often."
Another quick swallow of beer went down the pipes, and Gamagoori knew he would need another soon. "Perhaps, maybe I could if parties like this kept happening."
Amer smiled, eyes travelling over him briefly. "I could arrange that for you, if you'd be willing to spend a night at my apartment for it."
Gamagoori covered the blush on his face with the quick intake of alcohol, finishing the bottle off. Amer ordered his beer against his protests, her hands lingering on the neck of the bottle as she handed it to him. Her blatant attempts of hitting on him were making his situation incredibly uncomfortable, and in his position had no way to get away without statistically starting a scene he did not want to start.
He continued his awkward, rather forced talk with her, dodging what he could as best he could, until a hand touched his shoulder, and his solution finally arrived.
"Sorry I'm late, Ira! Had to finish a quick assignment before I could leave!"
Gamagoori softly smiled, relief flooding his senses. "I'm glad you could make it, Mankanshoku."
"Mako. I've told you twenty times, and I've kept count, this semester to call me Mako!"
Mako Mankanshoku, the darling child of the college's disciplinary committee and the school's underground street fighting champion for two weeks. Although she trailed behind him by two years, she had caught up schooling-wise incredibly fast, now taking classes here as well as working under Satsuki as a unregistered home physician despite late of official training and schooling. Her work ethic and resolve shone brighter than her smile when she let it shine, and it made him incredibly proud to see her take a similar mantle he did in high school.
She had grown a bit after he left for college, now taller than before. Sporting longer, firm legs, longer hair, and her usual puppy eyes that could melt the school's rough football coach, she was the same enthusiastic, fierce Mako with an improved, adult body. One that Gamagoori would not deny it's share of praise from all genders.
Mako gestured to the bartender, but Gamagoori intercepted her, ordering her usual strawberry daiquiri and offering to buy her drinks for the night. She agreed, but put enough money for the both of them on the table to pay for it. Amer cleared her throat and caught their attention, although her stare burned into them like liquid fire. Mako eyed him with an amused glint before looking back at Amer.
"Who's your friend, Gamagoori?"
Mako walked up beside him, setting a hand on his shoulder to calm him. "I'm surprised you didn't recognize me, Amer! I'm Mako, you know...the girl who beat your most recent lover in contact sparring."
Amer hissed softly under her breath, but it did not go unheard, causing the duo before her to start chuckling.
"Forgive her rudeness, Amer," Gamagoori recovered, looking hard at Mako hoping that she got the message, "This is Mako, a close friend of mine."
"Yep!"
"I see," Amer murmured, "So, is it alright if I steal you away for the night, let her have her fun since she obviously came here late and hasn't tried anything yet."
Gamagoori shifted in his spot, knowing that this was her biggest attempt so far, Mako looking up at him and smiling. With her reassurance, he gathered up his confidence, and replied in a calm way.
"I rather not, Amer. I would like to spend some time with Mako, seeing that I haven't spoken to her in a while."
Amer calmed and acknowledged the denial of any more advances, stood up without a word, set a pre-written number near Gamagoori's bottle, and walked off calmly as if their conversation never happened.
"I think she realized that this fish wasn't ever taking the bait." Mako said once the silence settled, chuckling as she took a sip of her drink. Gamagoori sighed in great relief.
"Thank you, Mako. I thought she wouldn't take the cue that I was getting uncomfortable with her flirting."
Mako chuckled. "I thought you would have said no already."
"I couldn't without starting a scene. I've seen her do the same with a few unlucky others who denied her outright to her face."
Mako blew a raspberry. "Good thinking then! Her outbursts can get rather wild. So, you actually do want to spend time with me tonight?"
Gamagoori couldn't tell if his blush was from the alcohol or not, but it helped calm him when he realized that he had the night with her. With the warmth of alcohol in his gut, and his thoughts cleared and easy to read, his answer had no hesitation.
"Absolutely."
"That's the alcohol talking and you know it!"
"A bit, nothing's blurry yet. Maybe I like talking to you like this. Would you like it if I said no and went back to my dorm?"
Mako's smile dropped for a moment before coming back tenfold. "No, so here's to a night you probably won't remember!"
Gamagoori rose his drink with Mako,cheered with her, took one more quick drink before acting on the biggest impulse suddenly pushing him to act. He ordered a few more beers and lead Mako away from the bar and to one of the private booths opened.
"So you are trying to seduce me, I knew you had feelings for me." Mako cooed, starting another red blush blossoming Gamagoori's face.
"I-I do not, how absurd!"
"There you are, out of the alcohol storm. You totally like me."
"Mako!" Gamagoori snapped, only proving to her more his hidden infatuation. Mako laughed in her hand, brushing away tears.
Mako giggled away the last of her laughter, setting her drink down and settling into the leather seats, eyeing Gamagoori. She knew she didn't have the greatest tolerance for the substance, so she knew she was already tipsy. She gently grabbed his free hand, smiling when his blush-covered face looked at her.
"Promise you'll help me out if I vomit or pass out?"
Gamagoori smiled, his hand curling around hers. "Of course. Will you do the same for me?"
"Without a second's hesitation."
Gamagoori raised his beer once again. "To you, Mako, for saving me from a night of horrors."
Mako raised hers. "To you, for inviting me and giving me the opportunity to do this."
She scooted over to him and quickly kissed his cheek, her blush blooming across her cheeks. Gamagoori shuddered and stopped her from moving, giving the kiss back. With alcohol swimming in his system, he couldn't comprehend what he did entirely, but he knew it felt right to do it.
"Ira..."
"I really am going to regret tonight, I know it."
Mako chuckled and smiled softly, scooting up against him. "Okay, Ira, but for now enjoy it. Do I get any more kisses tonight?"
Gamagoori turned away, and tried to fight his embarrassment. "M-maybe..."
