The buzzing of overhead lights droned on as the scent of alcohol and cigars wafted through the air.. Drunk laughing and the sound of shot glasses slamming down sloppily onto tables were scattered throughout the bar. Kaisuke shifted uncomfortably in his seat for the hundredth time.

"I just don't get it," Yamagata grumbled, leaning his head into his palm, ignoring the pain of his elbow digging into the hardwood table. A glass of beer was grasped in his other hand, empty save for the pool of foam at the bottom. "Tetsuo's been gone for days, an' it doesn't seem like he's coming back!" His glazed eyes scanned lazily over Kai, making their way up to the ceiling before falling back down and resting on the table.

"Who knows," Kai shrugged. He glanced up at the television hung above the front bar. It was some recording of an idol concert from who knows how many years ago. "But it is odd." He slouched in his seat in the tiny, cramped booth. His knees brushed against Yamagata's.

"Tch," Yamagata crossed his arms. "You sure you don't want anything more to drink?"

"Nah," Kai replied nonchalantly, stuffing his hands in the pocket of his jacket. He only had one glass of ale but was already feeling a little lightheaded. "Don't wanna get another DWI. And 'sides, someone's gotta drive you home." He flashed a grin at the man seated across from him. Yamagata laughed.

"I'm not drunk," He asserted. Kai rolled his eyes playfully

"Sure, Yama," the smaller man replied. "Keep tellin' yourself that."

If there's one thing Kaisuke hated about Neo-Tokyo, it's how damn cold it got in the winter time. The second he stepped out of the bar, he could feel his balls shrinking back into him.

"Damn!" He exclaimed, his breath coming out in puffs of condensation. He approached his bike, parked neatly next to Yamagata's in the alley. He was already cringing at the thought of having to sit on it, his junk pressing against the freezing leather seat.

The door slammed shut behind them, ricocheting off the walls. Kai jumped as he felt Yamagata rest his hand on his shoulder.

"Stay safe, alright?" Yamagata looked down at Kai, compassion flickering in his eyes.

"Yeah," Kai replied. He raised his hand to place it over Yamagata's. "What about you? You're drunk."

Yamagata puffed air out of his nose and looked ahead at the brick wall in front of them. He shrugged.

"You know," Kai turned around so he was face-to-face with the other. "I could always, u-um," his mouth went dry and he felt his face heating up against his will. "D-drive you home, and you could, uh, stay at my place…" his voice trailed off to a mumble.

Yamagata locked eyes with him. Kaisuke shivered. Damn, it was cold out.

"Sure," Yamagata finally replied, the corner of his lips tugging upwards. "I'd love that."

Kaisuke grinned. His chest felt tight and giddy, and he clenched his fists tightly to resist pumping them. "Cool! Alright! Um," he paused to think a minute, tapping his finger against his chin.

"I don't know where you live," Yamagata interjected. "I've never been to your house before."

"O-oh, right," Kaisuke could feel his cheeks burning. "Just, uh, ride behind me? I'll show you the way."

He mounted his bike and yep, his balls felt frozen to the core. But he didn't care. His mind was reeling. He successfully asked out his crush!

"Don't get too excited," his conscience reminded him as they drove off into the night. "He's just staying there so he doesn't get in a drunk driving accident. He'll be puking it all out tomorrow!"

"I know," he thought. "But I...I get to spend time with him! Alone!" He felt himself smiling and fought back an excited giggle.

Eventually, they arrived at his home. It was a small house tucked away in the suburbs of the city. Kai fished his house keys from his pocket and quickly opened the door. The two men hopped inside, escaping from the frigid air.

"Hey, your place isn't that bad," Yamagata commented as he looked around. It was true. The floor was clean and the furniture well organized.

"It's only because I live with my foster parents," Kai shrugged it off. "They do all the cleaning. I could care less about it," he locked the door behind them and slipped off his shoes. "Uh, make yourself comfy, I guess. But keep it down. If my parents wake up and see I was out late and drinking they'll kill me. Anyways, follow me. You can crash in my room."

He led Yamagata down the hall and around the corner, internally sighing in relief as he heard the snoring of his parents from their room as they passed it. They reached the end of the hall and entered into a small, tiny bedroom.

It wasn't much; there was a small bed in the corner, a clothes drawer, a tiny bookshelf with hardly any books on it, and a closet. Posters of motorcycles and rock bands were plastered on the walls. "Coooool," Yamagata drawled as he stepped inside and looked around.

"Nothin' special," Kai muttered, closing the door. He saw Yamagata reaching out to touch a small, porcelain maneki neko figure that sat on the bookshelf.

"Don't touch that!" Kai gasped, rushing over to him and pulling his hand away. "That's very delicate and special to me."

"Hmm?" The taller one gave a confused look. "What happened to it?"

"It's from my birth parents," Kai looked at the figure sadly. "They gave it to me before I was adopted."

A stiff silence spread over the two. Finally, Yamagata gently placed his hand on Kai's shoulder.

"'M sorry," he mumbled. Kai shook his head.

"Don't be, you didn't know." He replied. "Anyways," Clearing his throat, he placed his hands on his hips. "We better get to sleep. It's late." He glanced at the clock on the wall above his door. It was well past midnight. Now that he thought about it, he could feel his eyelids getting heavy.

"Right," Yamagata nodded. "Uh, where do I sleep?"

Kaisuke grinned. Now it was time to put the final step of his plan into action. Although they did have a couch in the main room, it would be rude to make his guest sleep there while he basked in the glory of his comfortable, soft bed. They didn't own any spare mattresses, and sleeping on the floor was definitely not an option.

"We'll share the bed." Kai said confidently.

"Wh...really?" Yamagata looked at him, eyebrows raised high.

"Yes!" Kai fought hard to keep it cool. He didn't want to become a stuttering mess in front of his crush.

"Allllright…" Yamagata said. "I'll just sleep in these clothes I guess," He motioned with his hand. He was still in his jeans and biker jacket.

"Y-you don't have to!" Kai said. "I have spare pajamas, I think. But uh," he chuckled. "They might not fight you." He rubbed the back of his head.

"'S fine," Yamagata replied, kicking off his shoes. "'S fine. Just one night."

"I'll sleep in my clothes too, so you won't be alone!"

"You don't have to," Yamagata politely objected. The smaller man shook his head.

"No no, I insist! Now let's get to bed," he took Yamagata's hand and quickly pulled him to the bed. He gave Yamagata a happy smile. "You can get in first."

He crawled into the bed, surprised at how soft and clean the mattress and blanket were. Kaisuke went in after him, pulling the blanket up tight over them. It was quite cramped; the two were pressed against each other a bit. But neither complained.

"What if your parents see us like this in the morning?" Yamagata whispered.

"They never check on me," Kai replied in a murmur. "As long as my door is closed, nobody enters."

It was silent except for the occasional sound of a car passing by outside and the soft breathing of the two. Kaisuke prayed that Yamagata didn't snore and vice versa.

Kai couldn't sleep. He tried hard to, but his mind was wide awake. It felt so nice to be next to Yamagata; the two had never been this close before. His heart was beating fast and he wasn't sure why.

"Are you still awake?" It was Yamagata.

"Yeah," Kai replied.

"Thanks for letting me stay here. I...really appreciate it."

"Oh, you're welcome."

"...Hey, Kai?"

"Huh?"

"I like you. I really like you."

Kai felt his cheeks heat up instantly. He turned to face Yamagata but couldn't see him in the darkness.

"H-huh?"

"I'm in love with you, Kaisuke. I mean it."

It felt like Kai's chest would explode. He was dreaming, right? He had to be! He pinched his wrist and winced in pain. He wasn't waking up. It was real.

"You're drunk," he denied. This couldn't be happening. Crushes never work out.

He felt Yamagata's calloused hands take hold of his own.

"I mean it," Yamagata repeated.

Heart going a million miles an hour, Kaisuke smiled and laughed softly.

"What's funny?"

"I'm laughing because, well...I'm in love with you, too."

"Why would they ignore me? Kaisuke always answers my texts," Kaneda complained.

"Maybe they got sick of you and decided to leave," Tetsuo said with a chuckle as the two approached the house. Kaneda scoffed.

"Fuck off," he said, playfully slapping the back of Tetsuo's head. They approached the door and Kaneda knocked loudly on it. A few seconds later, a middle-aged woman answered it.

"Hey, we're Kaisuke's friends and we're wondering if he's home?" Kaneda said politely with a blatantly fake smile.

"Yes, he should be inside. I think he's still asleep, though-" the woman replied.

"Can we come inside?" Kaneda interrupted. She gave him an annoyed look.

"Don't worry! We just wanna talk to him, we wont wreck the place." Kaneda laughed.

"Fine," she sighed. "Take off your shoes, though."

The two teenagers entered and did as they were told.

"He has a pretty nice place," Tetsuo murmured as he followed Kaneda down the hall.

"Yeah, my place is shit compared to his. Lucky bastard," Kaneda replied jovially. They stopped at a door on the end of the hallway.

"Hey, Kaisuke! You in there?" Kaneda called, knocking on the door. No answer was given. Kaneda knocked louder, practically banging at the door.

"He's obviously not awake," Tetsuo snapped. Kaneda ignored him, grasping the door handle and turning it. He grinned when he saw it was unlocked and pushed it open. The two peered inside.

Huddled in a bed in the corner was Kaisuke and...Yamagata? They slept side-by-side peacefully.

"See? I knew Yamagata would be here. I told you that was his bike I saw parked outside," Tetsuo gloated.

Kaneda looked at the two for a few more seconds before stepping out of the room. "Let's let them get their rest," he motioned for Tetsuo to step out. The younger one did, silently shutting the door behind him.

"Was he there?" Kai's mother asked them as they walked back out.

"Yeah, we decided to let him sleep," Kaneda told her as he slipped his shoes back on. "Thank you." The two teens left and ambled back to their bikes.

"Ah ah ah," Kaneda grinned at Tetsuo and held out his hand. "Pay up. I won the bet." Tetsuo groaned and rolled his eyes before slipping out 5 yen from his hoodie's pocket. He handed it to Kaneda, who laughed victoriously.

"See? Told you they were gay."