Rei felt a hand press down on his knee, and he quickly turned his head, smile dropping and blush increasing as his eyes settled on the small blonde who was just on stage, glitter in his hair and smelling of sex and sweat, over-the-elbow gloves stuffed with bills.

"I couldn't help but notice you on stage," he spoke somewhat sexily over the loud music, reaching over with his left hand and brushing his thumb over Rei's bottom lip. "You like me, huh?"

Rei started stammering, unsure of what to say, whilst his friends were wolf whistling and laughing behind him.

"I know quite a few who take a fancy to me – but you're the first I've ever like the look of." he smirked, leaning in closer, their faces inches away from each others. Rei could see his light pink eyes had a crimson hue, and he had golden freckles on his nose. "Especially since it's your birthday... I could make this night extra special..."

Rei swallowed as the blonde ran a finger along his jaw line. "I-I-I... Uh..." he stumbled over his words, blush spreading to his chest as he racked his brain for something to say.

He felt another hand on his shoulder, but this time, it was a familiar one.

"What you got in mind, Blondie?" Rin grinned at him, squeezing Rei's shoulder.

The blonde winked at Rin. "Not much for you, Sharky, but if this one wants something extra there'll be a lot more in store."

Rin blushed slightly when he heard the name the blonde had for him, but still smirked at Rei. "I'd take it."

Rei glanced back at the blonde. The corner of his mouth lifted and his eyebrows raised as he ran his finger back to his lips. "These look wonderful..." he murmured, so quiet Rei didn't think he heard him right, the music so loud and blaring, but his eyes told him otherwise. "I wonder what they taste like?"

Rei certainly heard that. All he wanted to do was smash his lips against his and make him sorry for even coming over here. But he didn't, and he knew he couldn't anyway. He would get thrown out. Sued. Maybe even thrown into prison for sexual harassment, but you never know with this kind of place, these kind of people, this kind of crowd. He wasn't used to it at all, and how he got his friends to bring him here, he had no idea. This was just meant to be a bar crawl, he never expected to be bought to this strip club, he never expected his straight friends to be OK with the fact that it was a gay strip club. The blonde was going to say something else, something sexier than he had done before, but someone called his name.

"Nagisa!" a very big guy in a white suit appeared from a doorway behind the bar. "Get back to work!"

Nagisa stood up straight, hand on his hip. "Do you want me to keep customers or not?"

"You can't touch them, Nagisa, I've told you this!" he yelled.

Rei caught the awful, golden medallion on his chest and the massive Rolex on his left wrist. Whatever these poor guys get paid, he takes most of it. He looked back at who was now known as Nagisa, the dollar bills all stuffed neatly into his underwear and gloves. That's probably the only thing he can keep, Rei thought, brows furrowing slightly in concern. He looked down his body. It wasn't too skinny, and it looked like he kept in shape, his chest and stomach quite muscular. The only thing worrying about him was the bruise on his hip and the large scar on his leg, but who knew what they were from? He could have bumped his hip on the table, or had an accident when he was a kid. Rei just felt a little iffy in these kinds of places, especially if the bosses looked like that.

"Fine," Nagisa mumbled, frowning slightly, looking less like a sex predator and more like a stroppy teenager. "Looks like I'm not allowed to play today."

"What an asshole." Sosuke muttered, finishing off his beer.

Nagisa shrugged. "Pays the bills." he looked down at Rei. "And some nights I get lucky." he winked at him, allure returning as quickly as it had left.

Rei blushed furiously, directing his eyes elsewhere.

"I'm gonna get my butt kicked," he muttered, grabbing Rei's wrist, pulling a pen out the back of his underwear and jotting down his number in red ink. "There. Don't say I didn't try."

He ran his thumb over Rei's lips again, bit down on his own, and walked away, into the darkness, and out of sight.

"You didn't say a word to him." Rin scolded as they left the club – but he was grinning.

"I didn't need to. He did it all." he sighed, pushing his glasses up his nose. "I don't like the look of that place at all."

"I thought it was OK. Sanitary, good drinks, good entertainment, if you like that kind of thing." Sosuke shrugged, hands in his pockets. "Just his boss. Sleazy looking guy."

"They all are though." Rin said, putting his hands behind his head with a sigh. "Greasy hair and a sweaty upper lip, looking shifty as fuck and giving the poor kids only thirty percent of what they earn. It's pretty fucked up, but that's how the industry goes."

Rei looked down at his hand, the number slightly smudged, but readable. "Would it be weird of me to call him?" Rei asked, looking between Sosuke and Rin.

"You're actually going to call him?" Sosuke asked, and Rei nodded.

"There's no harm, right? I mean, he asked me to." he said, staring at the messy handwriting and smidgen of glitter that seemed to be all over the boy.

Rin shrugged. "I would go for it. Unless he does that to everybody."

Rei shook his head, looking forward again. "I don't think he would risk it. Not with a boss like that."

Rei returned home at three AM, drunk and slightly down. He hadn't gotten a call off his brother, which kind of pissed him off, and his father was in Dubai, so, apart from his friends cards through the mail, and Rin and Sousuke taking him out, he felt weirdly forgotten, and kind of alone. His dog started barking like a maniac as soon as he entered his apartment, but Rei was too drunk to care. Instead of feeding Destrey or himself, he slid down the door and pulled out his phone, staring hard at the blank screen.

"What do you think, Des?" he slurred, looking over at his dog, who was sat patiently opposite him, tail wagging. "Should I... Should I call him?"

Destrey barked in reply.

"Right," Rei said, as if he understood him, and began stabbing his number into his phone.

"Hello?" a sing song voice answered the phone, one Rei did not recognise.

"H-hello? I-is this Nagisa?" he stumbled.

Silence. Before a small: "Yes."

"Hello! Hello, hello, I'm that guy you gave your number to -– glasses guy. I had the friend with the shark teeth." Rei explained, leaning forwards.

"Yeah, I remember. I... I didn't think you'd call me..." he said softly, and Rei could feel a kind of nervousness about him.

"Well, why not?" he mumbled, pulling his glasses off his face and sitting them on his head, the way they kept falling down his nose annoying him.

"Because I'm not-!" Nagisa stopped short, and muffled voices and music was heard.

"Hello?" Rei called out. He removed his phone from his ear and squinted at the LED screen. He was still on the line. "Are you OK?"

Nagisa cleared his throat once he was back on the phone. "Look, I'm still at work. It's risky, and I could do with not losing this job. I'll call you back."

The line went dead.

Nagisa lived in a three bedroomed apartment with two other guys who worked at the club, but one of them didn't return home that night, and when the morning rolled around, he still had not returned home, and Nagisa couldn't shake off the nagging feeling that someone had either hurt him, or the Boss had got to him. He didn't know which one was worse.

"I'm sure he's fine," Momo reassured, pulling on a t-shirt over his bare torso. "You know how careful he is."
Nagisa couldn't help but frown, twisting his phone between his fingertips, eyes focussing on the scar on his left leg. "It doesn't matter how careful he is."

Momo collapsed down next to him on the couch, arms thrown over the back. "You're worrying too much. And anyway, you're not usually so skittish after a night like you had." he said, dropping his head back.

"I-I know." he stammered, resting his phone against his lips and staring at his feet. "Did you see that guy I was talking to?"
Momo lifted his head, looking over at him with a smile. "Yeah."

Nagisa shrugged his hoody over his shoulders as the sleeves slipped down his bare arms, the cold of the apartment hitting his skin almost immediately. "Well, I gave him my number, and he called me before I left work."
Momo raised his eyebrows. "Really? What did you say to him?"

Nagisa shrugged. "Nothing special. The usual, you know. But his friend called Boss an asshole and glasses looked worried. His other friend had shark teeth. That's all I remember, really." he sighed, unlocking his phone and staring at the boys number. "But I do remember he had really pretty eyes."

Momo nodded slowly, scratching his cheek. "Well, has he called since last night?"

Nagisa shook his head. "But he was drunk – and I did say I would call him back." he sighed, locking his phone again and throwing it down beside him. "But I don't know whether I want to or not."

Momo had started to say something – but Nagisa pressed a finger to his open lips when he heard the front door click.

"Hello?" Nagisa called out. "Ai?"

Silence. Momo and Nagisa swapped a look, their eyes filling with dread. Nagisa could see the possibilities of who it could be running through Momo's mind, the list becoming darker and darker. It couldn't be their Boss, that's for sure. He has no business with them when they were not at work. It could be the landlord – their rent had gone up, and they wouldn't get paid until the end of the month, so money is scarce. It could be Nagisa's ex, but what would he want? He'd done everything he could to steer clear away from him. So who could it be?

They heard a clatter in the kitchen. Momo slowly began to stand, Nagisa not too far behind him, the both of them treading carefully out of their lounge and padding softly down the carpeted hallway. Nagisa could hear his heart beating in his ears as the sounds of clattering dishes got closer. He reached out and grabbed the back of Momo's shirt for comfort. Momo touched the ajar door and slowly eased it open. The both of them peered around the door to see broken darkness, the blinds shut up tight, the only light peering through the cracks in the shutters, so they could just see the outline of a figure at the counter. Nagisa reached over Momo's shoulder and snapped on the kitchen light.

"AI!?" they cried simultaneously, and Ai jolted in surprise, dropping the mug he was holding, which shattered into pieces as it hit the tiled floor.

"I-I thought you were both asleep!" Ai breathed, kneeling down and beginning to collect the shards of his favourite mug that had scattered about the room.

"No! You scared us!" Momo cried, crouching himself and helping him clean up the larger pieces.

Nagisa's heart was still beating fast, but a wave of relief had washed over him. His friend was OK. Nothing extreme had happened to him. Well, as far as he knew. He grabbed the broom that was leaning against the wall and began sweeping up the smaller pieces, his blood cooling, the repetitive sweeps of the bristles against the smooth tiles almost therapeutic to his close panic attack. Once they'd cleaned up the shattered mug, made coffee and collected back into the lounge, Momo asked where Ai had been last night.

"My sister called me. My Mother's in hospital." he said sadly, misty blue eyes staring into his coffee. "She's very ill. She's not going to live past next month."

Momo widened his eyes. "That's awful, Ai!" he said softly.

"Yeah, we had no idea. Why didn't you call us?" Nagisa asked. "We were so worried!"

Ai shook his head. "I'm sorry... I didn't think about it. How stupid of me. I'm sorry." he repeated, tightening his grip on his mug.

Nagisa sighed, closing his eyes. "At least you're back! That's all that matters!" he opened one eye and smiled at him. "You'll be OK, Ai!"

Ai slumped further into the couch, hugging his coffee to his chest. "I hope so."

Rei couldn't help check his phone throughout the day, the office hours becoming longer and longer at each click of a button. He typed up the papers his boss asked him to do, but that took no more than an hour. He printed them, stacked them, propped them up on his bosses desk, asked about his promotion, was dismissed completely and got told they would talk about it next week. He sat around at his work station doing nothing until one, where he could clock out for an hour. He ended up going to his Mother's, who was happy to see him, as always, and made him lunch. She handed him a few cards which were passed onto her from relatives, talked non-stop about her week, the headache he had very early this morning slowly coming back. The odd thing about his hangover was that he had gotten over it so unusually quickly. A couple of painkillers, a drink of water and a slice of dry toast and he was ready to go. He'd tried calling Rin on his way to work, but there was no answer. He then tried to call Sousuke on his break, but he didn't answer either. The night had hit them harder than it had done for him, which was strange, because very often it was the other way around. His mother sat down to eat with him and asked about the night out he had with his friends, and Rei was very careful about what he said. He did not mention the strip club, the pretty blonde named Nagisa, the heavy drinking or the reckless driving, so he just told her he went out for a few drinks, it was nothing special, in which she responded to very sweetly, and said they were welcome to come to the family meal they had planned for his birthday on the weekend, but Rei declined for them, telling her they were busy with work, that they always took the weekend shifts at the station, and, thank the heavens, his mother believed him. There would be quite a few things that his friends would rather be doing than sitting down at a meal with his Mom, Dad, brother, very young nieces and their own mother. There were quite a few things he'd rather be doing, in fact. He left fifteen minutes before he had to return to work, stopped at a store, bought a bottle of water, and was sat back in his desk with two minutes to spare. He checked his phone approximately 687 times within those first eight hours. Only nine more hours to go.

Nagisa stared at his phone, and he felt as if the phone was staring right back. His heart was in his throat and his stomach was on the floor as he picked it up from his bedside table and began dialling his number. The ringing started, and he felt his mouth go dry. He didn't know why he was so nervous. He'd never been this nervous before.
"Hello?" a bright but deep voice answered, smoother and clearer than the one he had heard last night. "Nagisa?"

Nagisa freaked out when he heard his name being spoken in that wonderful voice of his, hanging up immediately and throwing his phone down onto the bed in one quick motion, hiding his face with his hands, shuddering in embarrassment. He can't do this. He shouldn't do this. Glasses looked like a sweet, clean cut, wholesome guy, with a good job and a stable family, a warm and tidy home, maybe even a pet or two. Glasses doesn't deserve someone like me, Nagisa thought, collapsing down into his bed, rubbing his clammy hands on his jeans. I'm not good enough.

The phone buzzed beside him, and he jumped, heart thudding. It was a text.

Glasses: Hello. Are you OK?

Nagisa gripped his phone tightly in his hand, lowering his eyes, wondering what he should text back.

Nagisa: I'm fine. Sorry I hung up.

He was about to type 'I got scared', but he didn't, not wanting to sound like a fool. His chest grew tight as he waited for a reply, wondering whether he was mad at him for hanging up. But he wasn't. In fact, it was quite the opposite.

Glasses: No problem! Everybody gets nervous. You can call me when you feel more confident. Maybe we should just text first?

Nagisa felt tears well in his eyes, and he didn't know why. The amount of times someone had shaken his confidence was astounding, but for once somebody wanted to build it. He wiped underneath his eyes furiously with a smile.

Nagisa: Yes. Thank you for understanding.

He didn't read his reply until he was ready for work, and walking out of his apartment with Momo and Ai.

Glasses: It's no problem at all. I hope you're well. I was wondering when I'd hear from you again.

Nagisa felt a blush creep across his cheeks and butterflies start to tremble in his belly, a warm rush making the corners of his mouth lift into the tiniest smile.

Nagisa: I'm good. Are you? Did you really think about me?

Momo watched as Nagisa's smile widened, one of which he'd never seen so genuine before. He ran a hand over his head. "All right there, lover boy?" he laughed. Nagisa elbowed him in the ribs, which made him laugh more.

Glasses: Of course. Who couldn't? And I'm good too. Thank you for asking.

Nagisa couldn't reply until his shift was over, but he couldn't help but smile for the rest of the evening, even when the Boss was yelling at him for not doing his job properly, or when somebody touched somewhere he didn't want to be touched. Because this was just a job, something fake, something that didn't really matter until it was pay day. But ever since he saw the brightest violet of Glasses' eyes, he felt he'd found something genuine. He felt he'd finally found something real.

The weekend left as quick as it had come, and Rei was not ready for the Monday shift. He'd just returned home from the disastrous meal with his family, which consisted of questions from his Father about his job and 'what about a girlfriend', which was awful, because everybody, even his nieces, knew that he was ultimately gay, but his Dad refuses to accept this fact and still passes it off as a phase, ignoring that his son turned twenty-three four days ago and that he was past the 'phase' stages of life. His brother's wife was annoying as always, his brother was sensible and satire as always, and his mother was chatty and smiley as always. The only two people who had changed were his nieces, who'd grown since the last time he'd seen them. Rosa was the oldest and Gracie was the youngest, and they held a better conversation with him than his own Father did. They loved how clever he was and how he understood almost everything, so they always asked him curious questions, which he was delighted to answer. He was invited over his brothers for a coffee after dinner, which he politely declined, but promised him next weekend. He collapsed back in his sofa, and Destrey jumped up and lay his head in his lap. Rei sighed deeply, scratching behind the dogs ears. He ran the days of the week in his head.

Monday: work.

Tuesday: work.

Wednesday: Work, then a night out with Rin and his girlfriend.

Thursday: Work.

Friday: work.

Saturday: Over his brothers, probably for the day.

Sunday: Fuck all.

Then the cycle starts all over again. His life regurgitating this awful routine over and over again, and he couldn't take it. He needed something to change. He needed something lively, something bright, something colourful, something beautiful. He needed Nagisa.
He dug around in his jacket pocket for his phone and dialled Nagisa's number, but it went straight to answer phone. Rei was disappointed, but he was not dis-hearted, so he left a message instead, hoping, just hoping, that he would get over his fear and just call him back.

Nagisa sat down at the side of the stage, rubbing the part of his shoulder where someone had grabbed him too hard. He somehow felt winded and a little lost, eyes misting over and becoming oblivious to what was going on around him. He supported his head in his hands, staring at the dark crimson carpet below him, his bare feet standing on a dollar bill, glitter and someone's glove. He reached down and stuffed the dollar bill into the glove, before setting it down beside him, ready to be found by whomever it belonged. The place was already closed, but he had to take a few minutes to himself, as he was the last act that night, and sometimes it takes a lot out of him. The cleaners had already come in, one of them being the Bosses wife, another an ex stripper and the last being the senior of the group. The ex stripper, Roxanne, was the kindest of the three, as she understood how hard it was on them sometimes. She'd shown himself and Ai pictures of herself when she was their age. She used to be quite muscular, and was apparently the most popular with both men and women alike.

"I was a pole dancer, too." she'd smiled at them both, flicking her hair extensions over her shoulder and tucking the photos back into the front pocket of her apron. "I could please the eye quite easily. But, unfortunately, I injured my hip and couldn't do it any more, so I retired. It's a shame really, I quite enjoyed it."

She was walking over to him now, her smile comforting. "Is everything OK, Nagisa?"

He nodded, standing up straight. "Yeah. Just taking a few minutes time out, that's all." he sighed, running a hand through his tousled hair. "Busy night."

She reached out and ran her thumb over his bruising shoulder. "So I see..." she said softly, brow furrowing in concern. "They can't touch you like that. They shouldn't be allowed to. Hasn't Smith said anything about it?"
Nagisa shook his head, rubbing it again. "No. It's different. Bosses treat their women with more respect."

Roxanne raised her eyebrows at him. "You'd be surprised. But still, if they ever hurt us like that, our big guy would have punched their lights out."

Nagisa smiled slightly, dropping his eyes. "Like I said – he treats us different, cos we're men."

Roxanne put her hands on her hips. "That's completely immoral. I may be seen as a whore, but I know a thing or two about respect." she squeezed his shoulder. "You need to talk to Smith, otherwise this could get out of hand. You can get seriously hurt."

Nagisa just knocked it off – he didn't need this right now, and anyway, he couldn't talk to the Boss. He'd just yell at him again. Maybe get hands on, like he did last time he complained. Momo was waiting for him backstage, drinking coffee out of a paper cup and shaking glitter out of his hair.

"You didn't need to wait for me, you know." Nagisa sighed, pulling on his sweat shirt over his bare torso. "You could have just headed home."

Momo laughed. "And left you to walk home alone? No way, it's close to three, there are creepers out and about, and don't take this the wrong way, but I don't trust you on your own." he downed his coffee and slammed it down on the table he was sat on. "Oh, and your phone's been flashing for hours."

Momo pulled it out of his pocket, and before he could even pass it to him, like the polite person he was, Nagisa had already snatched it out of his hand.

"Who was it?" Momo asked, peering over Nagisa's shoulder.

"It's a voice mail off Glasses. Should I... I don't know..." Nagisa stared at the text alert, eyes growing unfocused, trying his hardest to decide on whether to open his message or not. The possibilities of what the short little voice message could hold started running rings in his head, making him grow even more worried than he already was. Maybe he didn't want to talk to him any more? Maybe he found someone else? Someone better? Someone more wholesome, someone more beautiful, someone he could spend his life with? Someone not like Nagisa at all? Maybe he's moving? Maybe he's sick? Maybe he's dead?!

"You're over-thinking this, Nagisa. Just listen to it." Momo interrupted the utterly ridiculous thoughts that were whirling through his mind with a smile. "I'm sure it's nothing bad."

Nagisa visibly swallowed as he dialled voice mail, fingers trembling.

"Hello, Nagisa. It's Rei. You know, glasses guy." The smooth, clear voice began, one of which made Nagisa's throat go dry and heart skip a beat. "I've felt like something has been missing from my life for a long time, and, until I met you, it was pretty bleak. But every message from you adds a small splash of colour to... well, everything. So, I would like to return the favour, and take you out sometime. See you in daylight. Call me back. Thanks."

Nagisa let his phone slip from his fingertips, which fell to the carpeted floor with little to nothing damage, his mouth slightly agape. Momo watched him, eyebrows raised. "Nagisa?" he hopped off the table and picked up his phone. "What is it? Are you OK?"

Nagisa grabbed Momo's wrists and pulled him into him. "Momo!" he cried, squeezing his wrists tight. "He wants to take me out!"

Momo grinned down at him. "I knew it was great news! So... What now? Are you going to let him take you out?"

Nagisa looked up at him, brow knotted in the middle. "I haven't been on a date in two years." he breathed, watching Momo's eyes with so much intensity, Momo couldn't help but break into laughter.

"Don't worry about it." he grinned, reaching up as soon as Nagisa had let go of him and tousling his blonde head, a sprinkling of glitter showering over his chest. "I'm sure you'll do great."

Rei was sat in a coffee shop on his lunch break when his phone buzzed beside him. Without a second glance, he picked up his phone.

"Hello?" he said, putting his tea to his lips.

"Hi." Nagisa replied softly. "Rei."

Rei couldn't help but smile. "Hello, Nagisa."

Nagisa cleared his throat. "I... I would like to go on a date with you."

Rei sat up straight, feeling a blush crawl across his cheeks. "Really? Y-You would?"
"Of course... Unless... Unless you changed your mind. Which is completely OK." Nagisa blurted, feeling the fool.

"No! I haven't changed my mind. When are you free?"

Rei sorted out a dinner date for Friday night when Nagisa was not at work, and Rei wasn't out with anyone. Nagisa sounded very excited, and he told him that he hadn't been on a date for almost two years, because his job usually put people off, and that he was actually kind of surprised that he wasn't put off, but Rei reassured that he was OK with it, and as long as it wasn't hurting him, mentally or physically, it didn't matter what job he did. Nagisa quickly changed the subject, which worried Rei slightly, but he didn't let it bother him. They chatted happily until Rei told him he had to return to work, and that he would see him on Friday.

Rei went to pick up Nagisa at his apartment, which was not too far away from his own home. He unbuttoned his shirt at the top and removed his tie, thinking it was a little over the top. He checked his hair in the rear view mirror, before stepping out of his car and pressing the intercom button for the third floor.

"Hello?"

A male voice he did not recognise answered. Nagisa mentioned something about room mates, so he decided not to get too worried.

"Yes, it's Rei."

"Oh! Yeah, I know you. Come on up."

Rei climbed three flights of stairs and knocked on the door at the end of the corridor, slipping off his glasses and cleaning them with the hankie in his pocket. The door creaked open, and Rei raised his eyes to see a bleary figure standing before him, and all he could really pick out from his poor vision was a mess of red hair and a black t-shirt.

"Hello. You're Rei, right?"

Rei nodded, slipping his glasses back over his eyes, the figure standing before him now clear as day. He had golden iris' and a wide grin, a kind of crazy-but-sexy look about him.

"Come in, come in, Nagisa's still getting ready." he said, holding the door wider so Rei could step inside. "You scrub up rather nicely, if I do say so myself, I am quite jealous."

Rei felt himself blush stupidly. "Uh, thank you." he smiled politely.

"No problem! Oi, Nagisa! Your date's here!" he called down the hall. "He needs provoking sometimes."

"I'm coming!" he called back. Nagisa was panicking. What was he wearing? What should he wear? He was standing in a pair of black skinny jeans and nothing else, desperately digging around in his drawers, sorting through hangers. Was it fancy? Was it not? Who knew? If he were a girl it would be easier. He would just throw on a dress and that would be the end of it. In the end, he settled on a plain black shirt and an off-white cotton waistcoat. He ran his fingers through his hair, pulled on his his black plimsolls and called it an outfit. Grabbing his phone and wallet, he made it out in the nick of time, spraying on aftershave as he left the room. He hadn't seen Rei since he was at the strip club, and he was extremely nervous. This wasn't half naked, half drunk, just-got-off-stage Nagisa, this was I-really-don't-want-to-fuck-this-up Nagisa, who always tried to hard to be sensible and was somewhat awkward. Momo had taken him into the lounge, and as Nagisa approached the room, he could hear his friend talking non stop about whatever was on his mind. Nagisa slowly pushed open the door, eyes fixated on the ground as he stepped inside.

"Nagisa!" Momo greeted him. "You dressed up too! Man, I wish I had a date, I haven't dressed up nice since my Dad's wedding, and that was three years ago."

Rei slowly stood from the seat he'd been slumped in, smiling sweetly at Nagisa. "Hello, Nagisa." he said softly.

Nagisa raised his eyes, and was once again mesmerised by the captivating violet of his iris', which were framed by dark red glasses, the same ones he was wearing when he was at the club.

"I hope you are silent because of how good I look."

Nagisa laughed, feeling himself relax, not realising how tense his shoulders had been. "Of course I am... Rei." he said his name quietly, as if he had to savour it. "Shall we go?"

Momo waved them off as they both left. "Bring home before midnight!" he joked.

Rei looked over his shoulder with a smile. "I can't make any promises."

Nagisa was completely fascinated by everything Rei had, and everything that he was. His car was small but very neat and tidy, the seats made from soft, smooth leather, which made the experience all the more comfortable, and the heating in the car made it ever so cosy. He hadn't gotten very much sleep the morning after his shift, because he was so worked up over this date, so he felt himself get very tired, very quickly. Rei kept him awake by talking about the restaurant they were going to, and about how happy he was about finally meeting him in person after two weeks of constant messaging. Nagisa replied in all the right places, but he found it harder and harder to keep his head up, and eventually dropped off at one point. Rei only noticed his date had fallen asleep when he'd started snoring ever so softly, breaking up his words into silence. The odd thing was that he didn't feel the slightest bit annoyed. If it were his brother, or his mother, he may have been slightly peeved. But somehow, he felt indifferent. He probably works harder in a week than he ever had in his life, and the late nights and the mental turmoil must have a massive impact on how much sleep he must really get. He smiled slightly as he continued to drive on, a warm feeling swelling in his chest. This was him, the guy he's been talking to for days, and he was curled up asleep like a ten-year-old in the front of his car after a long day. Rei chuckled softly. At least this place is a few miles away, he thought, looking over at him. He can get some rest before we get there.

Nagisa was groggy as always when he got awoken by a gentle shake of the shoulder.

"Nagisa..." a strangely familiar voice said softly, a large, protective hand squeezing his arm. "We're here."

Nagisa sat straight up, almost choking himself with his seatbelt. "Oh, my God! I fell asleep!" he laughed, rubbing his eye with the heel of his hand. "And it was one of the best I've ever had!"

Rei chuckled. "I'm glad. Are you awake enough to eat?" he said with a smile, watching him with admiring eyes, desperately wanting to reach out and smooth down the curls at the back of his head.

"I'm starving!" he announced, unbuckling the seatbelt and stretching himself out. "I hope they do big meals."

Rei was weirdly charmed by this new confidence Nagisa had somehow gained from half an hours worth of sleep. "They do really good pasta."

Nagisa grabbed Rei's arm. "I love pasta." he smiled. "Let's go!"

Nagisa was unfamiliar with posh, expensive restaurants. If Rei had just taken him to a Pizza Hut, he would have been happy, because as long as he was eating and talking, he was fine. He followed behind his tall companion like a lost puppy, looking around the place in complete awe. It was very traditional, the walls all exposed limestone, pictures of half-nude women and open fields hanging lopsidedly over the uneven bricks. The tables seated a maximum of six, and were decorated in cute little gingham table cloths, tall candles that melted into the vintage wine bottles that held them upright, and a small jar of flowers in the centre. A waiter shorter than Nagisa guided them to their table, and Nagisa couldn't help but slip his arm into Rei's, slightly worried he may get lost in this place, even though it was about the size of his apartment, if not just a tad larger. Rei felt a rush of blood to his neck at Nagisa's unexpected move, and he looked forward, beginning to feel flustered. The waiter sat them down in a small booth at the back of the restaurant, laid the menus on the table, and said he'd be back for drinks. Nagisa slipped into the booth, collapsing down into the leather seating, disappointed that it wasn't as comfortable as Rei's car.

"This place is wonderful." he said softly, as soon as he got comfortable, watching Rei move the candles to the bottom of the table.

Rei smiled proudly. "It's my favourite restaurant! I'm glad you like it."

Nagisa put a finger to his lips. "It's not all about the appearance, mind." he smiled sweetly.

"I can assure you, the food here his delicious." Rei laughed, handing him a menu.

"Oh yeah?" Nagisa winked as he took the menu from his grasp. "I'll be the judge of that."

Rei smirked at him over the top of his menu. "You're into your food, huh?"

"Damn right I am. 'Good' and 'food' are only one letter away from each other." Nagisa grinned. "Do you think that's some kind of coincidence, Rei?"

Rei laughed lightly, pushing his glasses up his nose in the cutest way Nagisa had ever seen. "You know what? I've never thought of it like that." Rei set his menu down onto the table so he could see him properly. "You learn something new everyday."

Nagisa rolled up his shirt sleeves. "Not at my job, you don't."

Rei looked down at Nagisa's bare arms. He'd never seen them, because they had been hidden beneath the crimson material of his over-the-elbow gloves. He had a tattoo of a lion on the outside of his forearm, and a crossbow on the inside of his wrist. Rei smiled slightly, looking back down at his menu. It was something about tattoos that he found rather distinguishing, but he could not put his finger on why. Maybe there wasn't a reason why. Maybe he just liked tattoos.

"U-uh..." Nagisa stammered, scratching his cheek.
"Is there a problem?" Rei asked, looking back up at him. "You're not a vegetarian, are you?"

"Oh, no... It's just... There's no way I can afford this." he said softly, looking up at him. "It's way too expensive."

Rei blinked, sitting up straight. "Don't worry, I'll pay for you. This is a date, after all." he smiled at him, and Nagisa only saw an angel that had descended from Heaven, the candle creating a halo of golden light around him.

"Are you sure?" Nagisa breathed, almost forgetting where he was. "It's just... So pricey..."

"Of course. I insist." Rei reassured. "Everything is on me."

Nagisa still felt extremely guilty, staring at the menu and trying to pick the cheapest thing on there, but no matter what sounded good to him it was still way too dear. He felt so guilty, that when the waiter came over to take their drinks order, he just asked for water.

"Are you sure? We could get a bottle of wine-" Rei began.

Nagisa shook his head. "No, thank you. I'm not allowed to drink."

Rei just nodded. "That's fine."

The guilt did not stop him ordering a three course meal, though. King prawns on stone baked bread, egg pasta with chicken breast and creamy sauce, and for dessert, he and Rei shared a selection of cakes with the restaurants home-made ice-cream. It was the most beautiful meal Nagisa had ever had the privilege to encounter, and he ate every single scrap of it. Conversation didn't really flow when they were eating their individual courses, as Nagisa was too engaged in tasting every single flavour he could determine from the seasoned chicken and cream sauce, and Rei did not mind that at all. He looked so happy to be eating something so new, it felt wrong of him to interrupt him. But whilst they were eating their dessert, it seemed the conversation had began to flow smoothly again.

"Where do you work, if you can afford this?" Nagisa smiled slightly at him, slipping a spoonful of ice-cream between his lips.

"Well, I've gotten a diploma in law, and I'm working as a lawyers assistant at the moment. I know it's not much, but I should be getting a promotion soon." Rei explained, cutting a slice of chocolate cake into even small pieces. "I would like to become a lawyer myself."

Nagisa nodded. "I can see you as a lawyer. Who would you defend? The victim or the bad guy?"

The corner of Rei's mouth twitched. "Don't you mean the Defendant and the Plaintiff?"

Nagisa smiled, rolling his eyes. "Whatever, Mr. Lawyer. I'm just here for the cake." he said, taking a slice of what Rei was just neatly dividing and popping it into his mouth.

"Well," Rei continued, ignoring his last statement. "Probably the victim. Because it's easier than having a criminally insane character on your hands."

Nagisa thought about this, taking another bit of cake. "I think I would have the bad guy." he said with a half smile. "It would be interesting to see what sort of excuses they could come up with for 'robbing that bank' or 'murdering that guy'. I would find it entertaining, anyway."

Rei couldn't help but smile. "I do see where you're coming from."

Nagisa scooped up a chunk of the chocolate cake into his dessert spoon and held it before Rei's lips. "Eat this before I do." he said with a cheeky smirk, hand supporting his head.

Rei let himself get fed by the small blonde stripper who wanted to talk to criminally insane murderers. He'd tried this cake many times before, but it tasted more delicious off of Nagisa's spoon. Rei cut a piece off the slice of lemon cheesecake and offered it to Nagisa. He opened his lips obediently and Rei deposited of the cheesecake into his mouth. As soon as he tasted it, though, his look turned sour, making Rei laugh out loud. Nagisa took a swig from Rei's wine glass, swallowing it down like a pill.

"What in the world did you give to me?" Nagisa wheezed, having swallowed it to fast, and it was now stuck at the back of his throat.

"Lemon and lime cheesecake. Why? Did you not like it?" Rei chuckled, taking a bite from it himself. "It's my favourite."

Nagisa shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut. "I hate how sour tastes. Yack. That was awful." he took another sip of Rei's wine, the sweet, crisp taste taking away the sticky, sour one. "Crap, now you're making me drink."

Rei continued to eat the slither of cheesecake with a knowing smirk. Nagisa started on the strawberry tart that sat beside it. "Now this is more like it." he smiled, picking up the fresh strawberry between his fingertips and dipping it into his ice cream. "Strawberries are my absolute favourite. Take notes."

Rei laughed. "I think I'll remember that. I'm not really a big fan."

Nagisa took hold of the stalk and sucked the ice-cream off the end of the berry, ever so suggestively, watching Rei the whole time he did so. "You're missing out." he murmured, slowly biting down into the soft skin of the fruit, feeling himself glow as he watched Rei's blush spread across his cheeks.

Rei cleared his throat, looking into his lap. "I-I'm sure I could go without."

Nagisa shrugged, finishing off the strawberry and starting on the tart itself, sighing in bliss as the sweet strawberry sauce touched his tongue. "Are you sure? This is wonderful." he breathed once he'd swallowed. "But it's still not as good as what my grandma used to make."

Rei watched him with a fond smile, wondering how in the world a single person could make him so flustered then so adoring in the short space of thirty seconds.

"I'm so full," Nagisa breathed as soon as the plate of cakes was completely empty, patting his full stomach contently. "I haven't had a meal like that since I was a kid."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." Rei smiled, pushing his glasses up his nose. "I am here to please, not to disappoint."

Nagisa smirked. "Oh, really?"

Rei blushed again, adjusting his glasses. "Y-You know what I mean."

Nagisa laughed lightly. "You look so cute when you blush like that." he said, supporting his head with both hands. "Like a little cartoon character."

The bill arrived after some light conversation, and the guilt hit him like a ton of bricks, having forgotten all about it for such a long time. Rei asked for the card machine, so he never got to know how much the meal really cost, but he knew it was way more money that he could afford at the moment. As soon as the meal was paid for, and they had left the building into the crisp, autumn air, Nagisa grabbed Rei's hands and squeezed them tight. "I promise I will pay for our date next time." he said firmly. "I get paid next week, so we can go out somewhere together. How does that sound?"

Rei was taken aback by his invite, but still managed to smile. "Of course. It sounds wonderful." he squeezed Nagisa's hands in return. "We can organise it over the weekend."
Nagisa nodded happily, a big smile on his face. Rei couldn't help his next move – Nagisa's confidence was contagious, it seemed. He bent down and kissed his cheek gently. "Thank you for a wonderful night."

Nagisa blushed furiously, letting go of Rei's hand a pressing his own against his cheek. "Likewise." he breathed, the fact that Rei had kissed him so gently and so carefully not really processing.

Nagisa was silent on the way back to his, wondering what was expected of him tomorrow night, where he had to go with Ai, what kind of party it was. When parties rang the club up, it was usually a women's party, never a men's one, which Nagisa didn't mind at all. The women were kinder than the men, and all they did was laugh and squeal, and the bride-to-be or the birthday girl would always get something extra, whatever that something would be. No, Nagisa didn't mind parties at all. Especially if he's with his friends. That can be a lot more fun.

"What's on your mind?" Rei asked him.

Nagisa sighed deeply. "Nothing. I just have to go to a party tomorrow, that's all. I think it's a Hen night, but who knows." he shrugged, crossing his arms over his stomach. "I prefer parties to the club anyway. The boss never knows what I do there."
"Do you like your job, Nagisa?" Rei asked, doing his best to keep his eyes on the road.

Nagisa looked over at him, eyes wide. "Why? Did Momo tell you something?"

Rei shook his head. "No! No, nothing like that. I just... I've never personally known a stripper before, let alone date one. I just wanted to know – do you like what you do?"

Nagisa thought about it, scratching the back of his head. "I... It depends on the night." he said softly, looking at his feet.

Rei nodded. "Give me an example of a good night."

Nagisa whistled as he exhaled, sitting back in his seat. "Well... If I get a lot of tips, or if I don't get harassed, that's always good... Uh..." he furrowed his brow, trying desperately to dig something up from the back of his mind. "Oh! If someone buys me a drink, or if I'm on stage with my friends, that's good too..."

Rei nibbled the dead skin on his lip, the same concern he felt when he was at the club slowly returning. "What do you mean by harassed?" he said softly.

Nagisa shrugged. "Felt up, chatted up, you know," he said casually, running a hand over his hair. "But it's all comes with the job. Like a package, you know. It doesn't bother me, not really."

Rei nodded again, but still felt he needed to say something about this. Anything. "As long as they're not hurting you, then it's OK." he said gently, gripping the steering wheel tight.

Nagisa said nothing, glancing out of the window to the side of him with a sigh. "It's started to rain." he said solemnly, resting his elbow against the glass. "Winter's coming."

"It sure is." Rei sighed deeply, relaxing his shoulders. "I like the rain, though."

Nagisa smiled. "Me too." he replied, watching the ripples as new raindrops drip, drip, dripped into old puddles, the reflection of the street lamps above breaking up into only speckles of light. "It's like the world is being washed away of its sins, you know?"

Rei nodded with a smile. "I know."

Rei walked Nagisa to his apartment, all the way Nagisa pointing out who lived where, and explaining how the apartment below them always threw parties, which were loud, but never really bothered them much, because the three of them were always at the club late at night. They had been invited to one a few weeks after they had moved in, but it was basically just a load of kids who'd just graduated from High School that got together to play loud music and get high, so the three of them never went again. Nagisa had invited Rei inside, and after some thought he politely declined, as he had to go to work pretty early the next morning.

"I had a really nice time, Rei," Nagisa said softly, tucking his hands in his pockets. "Thank you – for everything. I know it's not exactly much, but-"

Rei shook his head. "No. Your company was all that I needed." he smiled down at him. "Thank you for being sweet about it."

Nagisa blushed furiously, looking down at his feet. "Yeah, well."

They both stood there in silence for a good few minutes, the sudden quiet awkward and unnerving. Nagisa reached out to knock on the door, because he just knew that Momo would have been crouching behind it since half past ten, with a cake reading 'Congratulations on the first day of the rest of your life'. Maybe that was a slight exaggeration, but he never really knew where the line was between completely insane and completely normal with Momo.

"Wait." Rei said softly, taking the hand that was reaching over in his.

Nagisa furrowed his brow. "What is it?"

Rei tilted his head and kissed Nagisa's lips, softly, gently, barely even grazing them, really. But Nagisa still managed to freak out, jerking his head away and avoiding his eyes with a blush scarring his cheeks. "I-I-I'm sorry..." he whispered, hiding his forehead with the palm of his hand. "I wasn't... I..."

Rei smiled sadly. "It's OK. I understand. We'll take it slow, OK?" he said gently, reaching out and taking his hand in his own, squeezing it.

Nagisa nodded, dumbfounded. Rei squeezed his hand once more, before letting go. "Goodnight, Nagisa."

"Yeah. Goodnight."

Notes: shhh shhh shh yes i know when Rei's birthday is but i didn't want to write about christmas shh shh shh