"I'm off," said Kanda shortly. "You?"
Daisya swirled the last of his drink its glass, examining it critically under the bar's dim light before looking to Kanda.
"You know, I think I've got another round in me."
"Marie's probably in bed by now," said Kanda, skipping to the next part of the conversation. "Don't wake us up when you get back."
"I won't, don't you worry."
Daisya watched in a tired haze as Kanda slid his empty glass across the bar and stood up, picking his coat off the back of the bar stool and wrapping it around him.
"'S cold," he said absently. "You should button that up."
"Last week you said I shouldn't."
"Yeah, 'cos it looks cooler. But now it's frikkin freezing, so it's best to button up."
Ah! Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Kanda was actually listening for once, quickly slipping buttons through the holes in his thick wool coat.
"Daisya?"
"Yeah?"
"If you're an imposter," said Kanda, finishing the job by tying the coat's belt tight around his waist, "You're fucking good."
"Oh. Thanks? I'm always good at everything, you know?"
Kanda clapped a hand on his shoulder and shoved him back to face the bar.
"If you pass out on the sidewalk on the way back, I'm letting you freeze to death."
"Right back atcha."
The wet sounds of boots along the floor started, and started to fade as Kanda walked away.
Once they were halfway, Daisya glanced back to watch Kanda pass the thin crowd and open the door to the outside chill. Huh. Looked like it was snowing, still.
Snow was good.
He was in the middle of deciding what he should have next—maybe a warm one, something with a bit of spice in it—when the bartender gave him a clip to the back of the head.
"Fuck off, Lavi," he said automatically.
"Dude."
"What," he muttered, turning back to the bar. "I'm paid up, aren't I?"
The smug little ginger bastard just gave him a pitying look.
"Dude," he said.
"I'm having a hot toddy next, by the way."
The door opened behind them, letting in a blast of cold air as a group of patrons shuffled out.
"Dude."
"You are literally not allowed to say anything, to me, about this."
Lavi just started rummaging around for ingredients behind the bar, not bothering to face him. Pshaw. Coward.
"Okay, but at least I actually hit on him," Lavi said, contradicting him as he fished a mug out from under the bar. "Like, proper flirting."
"And you got rejected. Voilà."
"Least I don't spend all my time just staring at him. Now I've got a cute girlfriend because I moved on with my life."
Mmm, yeah, he did have a point there. But it wasn't like that, and he wasn't Lavi.
Daisya sighed, and let his head fall down on his arms.
"Look, I get what you're saying, but I got this figured out. I've got a plan."
"Yeah? Do tell." Lavi slid the finished drink across the counter at him. "One hot toddy. Extra syrup."
"Thanks. So: we're roommates, and we're bros, which means I spend a lot of time with him. I keep going like this, I get to hang out with him all the time, and nothing changes."
"And you're constantly afraid of things changing."
Unhelpful, thoroughly unhelpful, and also true.
"Whatever. I make a move, I get rejected and then I've got to find someone else to chill with."
He started on the drink. Good drink. Lavi may have been a cocky bitch, but he was good.
"You've got me," Lavi teased. "And…uh…Lenalee…"
"Yeah. It's slim pickings."
"Okay, but—seriously—if you haven't already creeped him out with the weird comments and the staring, you're gonna creep him out soon."
"Mm, then I'll stop doing it."
He took another sip of his drink, relishing the warmth as Lavi wiped down the counter.
"Just ask him. Or at least bring it up."
"I told you, that's not gonna. Work. It'll change the power dynamite, dynamic, thingy."
"Or, you get a hot date and you stop making eyes in front of me," Lavi pointed out. "Or you move on and get a different hot date. Don't—"
He made a frantic gesture behind them, but Daisya was too warm and comfortable and pretty tired, actually, to bother looking.
"What?"
"Some guy was about to put plastic in the glass recycling."
"Bitch."
"Anyhow, as I was saying, there are fish out there. In the sea. God, it's been a long night. You know what I mean."
"'S not like that," Daisya said bitterly. "It's not—I dunno."
"You like Kanda, don't you?"
"Yeah. A lot. I don't think it could be anyone else."
"The what's the issue with asking him?"
"Besides all this?" he gestured vaguely to himself.
"Besides everything else."
That was the question now, wasn't it? The noises of the patrons had faded down to nothing, leaving him with his thoughts and Lavi's reedy voice.
"Thing is, I don't know what I want, and I'm not gonna make anyone deal with my stuff for as long as it takes to figure it out. Plus, there's no way in hell something's going to happen."
"Fine. But from where I'm standing, you've got a chance."
"And you're standing over there."
Daisya shoved his mug forward at him, nearly spilling it.
"Exact-a-mundo," said Lavi smugly.
"What? What's so funny? I thought we were having a pity party. I'm even drunk, properly tipsy!"
"Turn around, why don't you?"
"What, so's you can push me off the stool?"
"Nope," said Lavi very unhelpfully.
"Why?"
"Just—fine, don't turn around."
"Thought so," he said, and knocked back a proper gulp. "I'm not leaving 'til this is done."
And that was that. Or so he thought.
"He's stubborn," a familiar voice said behind him, prompting him to spit his drink out all over the counter and also Lavi.
"Dude, easy!" the bartender nearly whined as he examined his apron. "You just about got my shirt."
Oh, no, Daisya's life got frikkin ruined and poor dear Lavi got a frikkin stain.
"First of all," he spat, brandishing his mug at him. "Fuck you. Second of all—"
He turned around to glare at Kanda, hovering near the washrooms.
"—why the fuck are you here? And how much did you hear?"
"Enough." Kanda shrugged. "I forgot you had the house key, so I came back. The bar was empty."
"Oh, you bastards. There wasn't anyone trying to mix up the recycling, was there?"
"Nope," Lavi said cheerfully.
"All right, that's it, you two are officially on my shit list. I am going home, and I am sleeping on mom and dad's couch tonight, since neither you two don't deserve my sparkling presence."
"Are we going to do this in here or out there?" asked Kanda.
"We are not doing anything."
"I meant the shouting match."
"Oh."
"I'd like to see it," Lavi chimed in.
"We're goin' outside," declared Daisya.
"Fine. Finish your drink."
Oh, well that was all very nice to say, after barging in like that! It only took a second for Daisya to get it down while glaring at Lavi.
"Think fast," he said, then tossed the mug at the bartender. "I'll get you for this later."
"Sure," said Lavi. "Have fun out there."
"Fuck off," Daisya snapped, in unison with Kanda. Well. At least they had something in common, and that something was thinking that Lavi was a sneaky ginger weasel of a jerk.
Daisya dragged himself towards the door after Kanda, realizing to late that maybe being miserable in the warm bar might be better than being miserable in the freezing cold on sloppy sidewalks.
The door closed behind them, and Daisya started hiking it. Best move fast before he could get cold.
"You want to say anything?" asked Kanda, as if he hadn't just heard Daisya spill his guts.
"Dunno, I thought you'd already heard everything."
"I didn't hear just heard enough. There something you want to say?"
"Other than 'you let Lavi snitch on me and screw up my life and my relationship with my best friend?' Nah, not really."
He huffed, watching his breath crystallize in front of him, and dug his hands further into his pockets.
"I'm sorry," Kanda said.
"Oh, yeah, that's actually a new one." He almost had to laugh. "I mean, you're not, but it's still weird for you to say it."
"I mean it."
"Why'd you have to listen to him?"
"It's not like it's going to make things worse."
"Aw, sweet, you're trying to comfort me. Not. Working."
"Daisya—"
Kanda placed a hand on his shoulder. For some reason, he didn't shake him off.
Didn't mean he couldn't turn on him and snap. "What?"
"I love you."
They stared at each other for a long moment.
"What?"
Kanda pulled him close, into his chest on the snow-dusted sidewalk.
"I love you," he said.
"Why?"
"No idea."
"Huh."
Kanda turned his head sideways, just pressing his lips to Daisya's hood.
"I just do. Now, are we going to go home?"
"Why wouldn't we?"
"You were screaming that you were going to go to your parents'."
"Oh. Yeah. I'll go home. With you. To our home."
Kanda pulled away, but kept one arm around Daisya's waist to steer him back to their place.
"Good. We still have to be quiet there, so if there's any more shouting you have to do…"
"You know, I think I'm good. Least, there's a whole lot more to tell, but I can tell you in the morning."
"I'll be listening."
"Oh! There's one more thing."
"What?"
"I love you, as well."