There's a golden flash in the crowd, but it's just a girl's birthday tiara. Delic takes a drag off his cigarette, faintly disappointed.
He hasn't been able to get the golden-eyed man out of his mind. It's too intriguing - what would he find if he took Hibiya apart?
(perhaps he would find nothing at all)
"Wah, what's with that face?" Psyche peers up at him. "Is something wrong?"
"I'm just tired." Delic mumbles, which isn't an complete lie. "But it's okay, I can deal with it. I've had worse nights."
"What else? You're not telling me something! Are you still worried about Yuki? I'm sure she'll be fine! She's a strong lady - maybe she's a fairy!" The dark-haired man exclaims with a giggle.
"Maybe. Did she mention any trouble to you?" Delic says curiously.
"No! But she was tangled up with those hunters!" When Psyche gets excited, he waves his hands around and his eyes light up. He's so vivid, it's surprising he's settled with someone like Tsugaru. "Those guys are bad news!"
Hunters? Oh - Hibiya's men.
"What do you think about them?" Delic pauses, notices a ring on Psyche's hand. "Tsugaru proposed to you?"
"Ah, yeah!" Psyche says happily. "I said yes!"
"When were you going to tell me? I'm so hurt, Psyche-chan!" Delic clutches at his chest, crosses his eyes; Psyche laughs, loud and free, and this is one of the things he loves about his best friend.
"I was going to tell you after you told me about Hibiya." Psyche says when their laughter stops.
Delic sputters, taken off guard. "How do you know about that?"
"Everyone knows! You asked the Prince to be with you - that's the most dangerous deal anyone's asked for. Hibiya has blood on his hands." Psyche says. "He can be heartless, Delic. You're my best friend, I don't want you to get hurt."
By everyone, he means the underground.
Sometimes he forgets how sharp his friend really is, how much he likes to poke and pry.
"Heh. I guess you know everything there is." Delic looks up at the sky, putting a new cigarette in his mouth. The gray clouds above them rumble with a promise of rainfall. "D'you think I'm stupid?"
"Of course I do! Ah, Delic, you're going to ruin your singing voice!" Psyche's been saying this since high school, and stopped caring since graduation. He of all people knows how stubborn Delic is, but chastising him has become a habit.
"So the Hunters." Delic blows a smoke ring in Psyche's face. "What do people say about them?"
"I personally think they're fine." Psyche waves the smoke out of his face, pouting. "If you're going to make a deal, keep it. They play fair - until you piss 'em off, anyway. As for your Hibiya, they'll do anything to protect him. They've served his family for ages, but they're not what they used to be, you know?"
His Hibiya. A smile quirks the host's lips at those words. "I'm surprised that Psyche-chan is so smart!"
"Ne, I know everything!"
With a quick look at the sky, they duck into a nearby store to avoid the storm.
Rain reminds Delic of loneliness - something he doesn't like to think of.
Hibiya dreams of pink and white stars. They burn bright even as he awakens with a soft yawn.
"Morning!" Erika Karisawa pokes her head into his room, dark braids tumbling around her shoulders. Her cheeks are flushed - she must've run up here, or met up with Walker.
"Karisawa." He says, fatigue making his voice thick. "Find me everything you can on that man. The one from last night."
"Delic?" She says. "He was cute, wasn't he?"
"I won't lose. Not to him. Who does he think he is, to speak to me so impudently?" Hibiya's words lose their bite as he yawns, pale hands coming up to cover his mouth.
"He thinks he's your future lover." Erika winks, grins. "So so! When are you going to see him?"
"Is that for you to ask?"
"I think he can be good for you." She says softly, and then she laughs, delighted at his red face. Erika Karisawa is one of his strangest, but also the most loyal. "Are you coming downstairs soon, Hibi-chan?"
We're friends, Hibi-chan! I won't leave ya, don't worry!
"I'll be down in a moment." He sighs - he has long ago given up on the 'Hibi-chan' nickname - and closes his eyes again. "Get me that information, ne?"
"Of course, your highness." She sings, kissing the top of his head. He swats her away and goes to take a bath.
His thoughts return to Delic - what an odd man. No one had ever requested such a thing in such a brash manner.
But it came back to that woman, Yuki. It was clear that the man thought he could manipulate Hibiya's feelings in order to help his friend. But there was something else there, as well - a genuine curiosity, the reckless kind that had offered such a deal.
A dark chuckle escapes his lips.
The hot water soon turns cold and his fingers prune, but he keeps sitting until Erika knocks carefully on the door. Then he dries himself, dresses, and goes downstairs.
Heads dip and greetings are murmured.
He walks past them, goes outside onto the balcony. It's still dark, the stars dim and distant.
Delic likes them. He could tell from the way the other's face and posture had relaxed, how his eyes had flickered up to the sky, how a smile tugged at his lips when Hibiya had agreed that the stars were nice.
Standing out in the cold, Hibiya can't understand why Delic thought so, or why he himself had thought they were beautiful last night.
Perhaps it was the way they had reflected off the man's magenta eyes.
It's three days before he sees Hibiya again.
He gets off the stage, grinning, promising Psyche he'll sing again tomorrow when he hears a quiet not bad for a fool.
Delic whips around, startled, and there stands Hibiya, dressed simply in dark pants and a white shirt. He doesn't have his crown.
"Couldn't stay away from me?" Delic purrs, wrapping his arms around Hibiya, who would like to move away but doesn't.
(he won't lose)
"How indecent." The Prince murmurs, breath hot against Delic's neck. He slips out of the host's embrace gracefully, resumes leaning against the wall.
"How've you been, Hibi-chan?" Delic says cheerfully.
"Don't use such names." Hibiya scowls. "Is your work almost done?"
"I'll take off anytime for you!" Delic smiles. Hibiya doesn't, but grabs Delic's wrist and takes him outside. Delic can feel Psyche's gaze burning into his back.
They tumble out the door and into the streets.
"Ah... It's snowing." Delic says, eyes widening. "Since when? I didn't notice!" He lights up a cigarette, watching the smoke mingle with the snowflakes. Ikebukuro has been painted in white, the black outfits of businessmen and woman stark against the scenery as they hurry along.
"Since this evening. I wish it would stop." Hibiya says quietly. "I hate the cold."
"I love it." Delic releases a puff of smoke into the air. "Snow's beautiful."
The snow has settled in Hibiya's dark hair, on top of his eyelashes. His lips and cheeks are red from the cold.
He's breathtaking.
Impulsively, Delic shrugs off his jacket and puts it around Hibiya's shoulders. "Here."
Hibiya's cheeks turn redder, but he pulls the jacket tighter and begins to walk. "Come on."
They walk in silence down the street, and then Hibiya says curiously, "So why work at a host club?"
"I love people." Delic says immediately. "I like meeting them, and some of them turn out to be some great friends. All the personalities are really cool, and their stories and jobs and just about everything!"
Yuki's face flashes in his mind, but his smile doesn't waver.
"That's stupid." Hibiya scoffs.
"It's how I feel." Delic shrugs. "You can call me stupid, it won't change anything. Why get involved with a gang, hm?"
Hibiya frowns. "It's always been that way."
"What, even when you were a kid?"
"Yes."
"Really? That's how you grew up?" Delic raises an eyebrow, surprised. He'd grown up with his cousins, went to public school, graduated, got a job. What kind of life did the Prince live?
Hibiya nods curtly. Story time is over. The silence settles around them with the snow once more. Delic notes with amusement that Hibiya needs to take three steps to match one of his, and slows down. "Hey, Hibi-chan."
"What?"
"Let me take you out tomorrow, alright? When you have time, call me. I'm sure you can get my number, being... you and all. I really do want to get to know you."
"Why?" Hibiya tilts his head to look up at him. His expression is unreadable, and hell, he really, really wants to kiss him.
"You're fascinating, and you agreed to play with me." Delic smirks. Quickly, he stoops down and kisses Hibiya's cold, soft lips.
"... Don't try that again, idiot." Hibiya murmurs when they break apart. "Or I'll cut out your tongue."
"How mean!" If he's serious -
Well, it doesn't matter. He feels more alive than he has in months.
"I'll call you at seven." Hibiya says softly. "Don't disappoint me."
a/n: Feedback would be much appreciated, thank you! I hope you guys are enjoying this!