Mikado followed Izaya closely out of the train station, it was packed as expected of any station in Tokyo so the teen still felt like he was going to get lost if he even looked away from the older man for a second. It didn't help, of course, that it was now dark and he had no idea where they were going.
I have no idea what he's got planned but why do I feel like it's going to be something really fancy? Mikado thought with a frown. Just from experience, he knew that Izaya preferred restaurants that were very expensive and high class which Mikado didn't have a problem with, he honestly just felt like he didn't belong in such places.
"Where are we going?" Mikado asked, trying to get the man to reveal where they were going to no avail. Izaya smiled down at him,
"It's a surprise." He said playfully. Mikado pouted slightly. He had been trying to get Izaya to tell him all afternoon but it seemed the man was set on keeping it a secret.
Mikado looked around and wondered if it was a seafood restaurant as they approached the shoreline of Tokyo Bay. The cold breeze coming off the water made Mikado shiver slightly. He moved closer to Izaya for warmth which made his boyfriend smile.
Mikado noticed there seemed to be a lot of people standing around as if they were waiting for something. I wonder what's going on? He wondered curiously.
"We're here!" Izaya beamed, dramatically gesturing to something behind the puzzled teenager. Mikado quickly turned around to be greeted by the sight of a large luxury yacht docked on the shoreline before him. There was a ramp leading into the boat where people in wait staff uniforms were bustling around. It clicked rather fast in Mikado's mind and he turned to Izaya in disbelief.
"We're having dinner on a boat!?" he exclaimed, fairly loudly from the displeased looks of the people surrounding them. He hushed his voice when he spoke next. "There's no way they're going to let me in dressed like this!" he gestured to his jeans and jacket.
"Sure they will babe," Izaya reassured him with a bright smile that showed off his pointed canines. A loud voice from the boat drew their attention on as one of the staff announced that they could now board.
Mikado felt nervous and uncomfortable as they lined up to get on the boat. Most of the people around them were wearing at least semi-formal attire, the women were wearing dresses and the men were wearing suits, even children were dressed up nice.
Mikado could feel their eyes crawling over his skin, he could sense them judging him but every time he looked up no seemed to be paying him any notice. He was positive he wasn't just being paranoid, he could clearly feel the instinctive crawling feeling of someone staring at him.
He watched nervously as Izaya took their passes out of his wallet and showed them to the hostess who read over them. "Welcome, Orihara-sama, Ryugamine-sama. We've been expecting you." The woman smiled widely and Mikado blinked. "We thank you greatly for choosing our restaurant tonight. Your personal waitress Nanako-san will show you to your private room." The two attractive women bowed before them with smiles.
Mikado blinked trying to comprehend why they were treating them so differently from everyone else. Izaya must have done something. What though? Did he tell them how rich and influential he is? Did he lie and tell them that we were famous or something like that?
"See, everything went perfectly." Izaya grinned as they were led through the main dining room to a sliding door at the beginning of a hallway which obviously led to the kitchen from the sound of cooking and clinking plates.
The private room itself was rather large with ivory coloured walls and brown carpets. In the middle of the room was a round table covered in a white tablecloth with seated two plush looking cream chairs. The main eye-catching feature, however, was the large window that made up not only the entire far wall but the ceiling too.
"It is even nicer in person than it is in the photos," Izaya commented as they entered the room. "Here babe." The older man pulled out a chair and looked at Mikado expectedly. The teen blinked for a moment before realising that it was for him and sat down.
It took him a moment to register that Izaya had just called him a pet name in front of the waitress. Mikado looked at the woman who was standing next to the door but she showed no sign of disgust or shock, Nanako just smiled at him.
What is going on? Did she not hear him? No, surely she did. Perhaps she's like Karisawa-san? Mikado frowned and looked at Izaya. "What's going on?" Mikado whispered leaning across the table.
"Hm? Oh, I informed the staff it was our anniversary." Izaya shrugged as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Mikado could feel the blood drain from his face and his stomached dropped.
"You did WHAT!?" he exclaimed, his eyes as wide as saucers. He was so afraid of facing discrimination, especially on their anniversary. He didn't want their night ruined by a passing homophobic staff member.
"Relax, dear." Izaya gave him a gentle smile. "It explicitly said on their website that they openly accepted same-sex couples and have a no discrimination rule. I guess they get a lot of different types of couples on board." He explained thoughtfully.
Mikado was bewildered by the idea of being able to tell someone it was their anniversary. I've never been able to tell anyone our anniversary was coming up, talk about how special it is. I've never been able to talk about anything like that, not Christmas, Valentine's Day, Birthdays – I can't gush about it like everyone else does.
I've never told anyone that Izaya had asked me out, that we're dating or that we're in love.
Mikado was always weighted down by those kinds of things. All the little things that people didn't usually think twice about. All the excuses I make, that we make…all these lies we tell everyone – I hate it. I hate it so much…
"Babe, are you alright?" Izaya's gentle, concerned voice broke Mikado out of his thoughts. He noticed that there were tears in his eyes. They burned as he blinked them away and smiled.
"Yeah, it's just…it's amazing how something usually so small, like going out for dinner as a couple…it's really nice." Mikado's words were a bit scrambled as he struggled to express himself but Izaya understood.
Izaya smiled tenderly and reached across the table to take the teen's hand in his. Izaya's hand was so warm in Mikado's. The teen's blue eyes traveled to the large windows noticing the boat had started to move. The pace was slow but Mikado could clearly see the lights of the city on the shoreline passing by.
Mikado turned his attention back to the table to see there was no dinner menu. There was a small drinks menu but nothing for food. He looked over at where the waitress had been standing moments earlier only to see she was gone.
"Does this place not have menus?" he asked, slightly confused. Izaya shook his head seemingly amused at the question.
"No, it's a set menu." The older man slid a single piece of paper across the table and Mikado picked it up. His blue eyes scanned over the expensive paper and elegant cursive writing of the English letters.
He was very proficient in English, he could understand ninety percent of it fluently but most of the meals, even after reading the small translated Japanese underneath the English – he had no idea what they were. There was a small description under each title but none of it made much sense to him.
"They're all European foods," Izaya stated helpfully, noticing his puzzled expression. "From French to Italian." Mikado realised in relief that the reason he didn't understand the English written was because it wasn't English at all but rather a mixture of different European languages.
"Ah, that makes more sense." He nodded, looking up at Izaya and set the paper down. He admired the man before him for a while. He suited the expensive and lavish surroundings, with his good-looks and poised air he could have been mistaken for a celebrity or a member of some important family.
Mikado had grown up in a very traditionally Japanese manner. His upbringing included learning the tea ceremony and calligraphy from his grandparents, learning how to tend to the house and garden and eating Japanese foods at the chabudai. He wasn't used to western things like fine dining as much as most other teenagers his age probably were.
Mikado wasn't entirely sure that Izaya was aware he grew up in such a manner but knowing the informant, he most likely did. Mikado didn't talk about this life back in Saitama very often because simply put, he didn't like it.
He was sure his mother would try and convince him to come and visit during the summer but he didn't want to go back. As much as he loved his mother dearly and wanted to see her, going back to that town, that house – was not enjoyable in the slightest.
"What are you thinking about?" Izaya's voice brought back the teen's focus. Mikado forced a smile on his face.
"I was just thinking about how different my life is now."
"Oh. Do you miss it? Your old life?" Izaya asked curiously, resting his head on his hand. Mikado didn't hesitate to shake his head.
"Not in the slightest, I love it here. If I never moved here, I would have never met you in person. We would never have started dating and we wouldn't be here right now." Mikado's eyes softened as he spoke.
Despite everything that has happened since I moved here, how dangerous it is with yakuza, gangs and even murderers running around…I am so much happier here than I ever was back there.
Life before this…it was like being stuck in a cage. I wasn't allowed to leave, I only got a computer because I convinced my parents I needed it for school… I was basically captive there, I didn't really live… I just went through every day on autopilot.
Mikado lived a very isolated life back in Saitama. He'd never made friends with anyone because he couldn't stand how utterly boring they were. It wasn't that he disliked them because of it, he still got along with everyone and could easily talk to anyone and become friends with them if he wanted to…it just didn't seem worth the effort.
Mikado had always found comfort in watching from the sidelines. He would it so much easier than having to engage with others. He would watch casually and think, he would imagine what was going through the minds of others. Were they happy? Sad? Did they actually like that person? Were they faking just to fit in? Did they hate this place as much as he did?
A polite knock on the door echoed in the quiet room and Izaya called for whoever it was to enter. It was their waitress, Nanako. She stood in the doorway with a smile.
"Entrees shall be served in thirty minutes." She informed them, sounding more refined and polished than Mikado had expected. "Have you decided on what you would like to drink? I must inform you that only one drink per a patron is complimentary." She said sounding well practiced, Mikado guessed she'd said that exact line a hundred times before.
"Sure," Izaya said easily. "I'll have the local craft beer."
Mikado blinked as their attention turned to him. "What would you like, my dear?"
He'd been so caught up in his thoughts he hadn't even looked at the drink menu. He chose the safest option.
"I'll just have water, thank you." He said politely.
Nanako nodded. "Certainly sir, would you like still or sparkling?"
"Still, please."
Mikado focused his attention on Izaya, feeling rude for getting lost in thought so often. It was amazing that Izaya could always keep a conversation, whether he was rambling about something in Ikebukuro, his perceptions on humans or whether he spotted something outside of the window and starts talking about the architecture or history.
Mikado was sure a lot of people would find it annoying but he personally liked it. He loved it when Izaya got excited about things and talked rapidly with a huge smile on his face as his red eyes sparkled. The teen was a naturally quiet person so he liked that someone else could easily keep the conversation going. Of course, he still asked questions and shared his opinions so it wasn't one-sided.
Mikado always learned things when Izaya talked, whether it was about their surroundings, something in psychology, history or literature. Izaya was like a walking encyclopedia of knowledge and Mikado found it not only fascinating but incredibly endearing.
Whoever said that intelligence was sexy was one-hundred percent correct. Izaya, along with being almost unrealistically physically attractive, was disturbingly smart and it only made the teen all the more attracted to him. Honestly, sometimes Mikado felt as if his boyfriend was too perfect to be real, too brilliant and he almost had to pinch himself to remind him that Izaya was indeed real and it made the teen love the man even more.
But Izaya wasn't, of course, all-knowing, once Mikado had asked if there was anything Izaya didn't know anything about and he had admitted that he didn't know much about sports, he didn't really know the teams or the rules of many sports. Which was another thing they had in common because Mikado was terrible when it came to sports.
There was another knock on the door interrupting Izaya mid-sentence. "You can come in," he said after a moment's pause and the waitress entered with two bowls of soup and a plate of French bread.
"Here is your lobster bisque, sirs," Nanako explained as she set the two bowls of creamy orange soup before the two of them. "Would you like another drink, sir?" she asked, Izaya noticing his almost empty beer bottle.
"Yes please, can we please have another bottle of water too?" he asked gesturing to the almost empty bottle of water in the ice bucket. Nanako stated that she would get them one right away.
Mikado curiously tasted the soup with his spoon. He never tried something like it before and he was eager. He found it had a surprisingly flavourful and true to its appearance in texture. It was quite delicious.
He watched as Izaya tried it and smiled, seeming satisfied with it. The informant was a notoriously picky eater only. Several meals came and went all being equally nice, though, Izaya seemed on the fence about a few of the dishes.
"Babe look, it's the rainbow bridge." Izaya stopped what he was saying and pointed outside the window. Mikado looked outside to see they were approaching the famed suspension bridge. His blue eyes widened in wonder as he looked at the lights dying the whole bridge rainbow.
Mikado had never seen it before. It was beautiful, the lights were reflected in the water, making the bay glitter all different colours. Mikado had always considered the city to have a time of magical charm, especially at night but this was something different. The bridge was almost futuristic looking, Mikado stared in awe as they passed under it.
The next thing he caught sight of was Tokyo Tower. Amongst the dark high rise buildings surrounding it, it was a bright beacon of orange, it stood out strongly and dwarfed all the buildings surrounding it.
"Wow." Mikado murmured in complete and utter awe. The city really was so beautiful. Once it was out of sight, Mikado turned back to the table, back to Izaya who was staring at him with the dopiest smile on his face, his eyes shone with adoration. Mikado's cheeks flushed and squirmed slightly under the affectionate gaze.
"W-what?" he murmured feeling self-conscious, his heart was hammering in his chest. The way Izaya was looking at him…it was taking his breath away. He could basically feel the man's emotions pouring out of his gorgeous red eyes, he couldn't take it. He felt like he was going to explode.
"You are just too precious, baby." Izaya murmured, his voice so heavy with warm emotion. Mikado felt like he was going to melt into a puddle right where he was sitting. He squirmed, his face burning as Izaya chuckled and leaned forward before frowning.
"You're too far away." The older man stood up and dragged his chair across, moving it so he was sitting next to Mikado instead of opposite him. Mikado shuffled his chair even closer to Izaya. He had been thinking all night that he wanted to be closer.
Izaya took his hand in his and Mikado's eyelashes fluttered as the older man gently kissed it. The feeling of his lips on his hand made the teen shiver pleasantly. As they met eyes, Mikado saw Izaya's eyes darken and focus on his lips as he leaned in.
Mikado also leaned in, eager to feel the older man's lips on his. His eyelashes dipped and his lips parted slightly.
Izaya…
A knock on the door frightened the teen and he hastily pulled away from his lover. "Relax, dear." Izaya murmured with a gentle smile, he quickly leaned forward to peck Mikado on the lips before telling the waitress to enter. Mikado could feel the blood rushing to his face as he looked at his lap, too embarrassed to look up for a moment. He peeked at Nanako who as always, had a big smile on her face as she set their dessert before them.
"Here is your dessert."
Mikado blinked, it was a singular plate with a half a dozen bite-size version of deserts on it from tiramisu to crème brûlée, they were decorated with real flowers and complicated designs. In the corner of the plate, fancily written in what looked to be chocolate sauce was 'Happy Anniversary.' in English.
Mikado looked up at the waitress with wide blue eyes, a slight blush still on his cheeks. He was completely blown away that the restaurant would happily give them such a dessert to celebrate their anniversary.
"Congratulations Ryugamine-sama and Orihara-sama." She sincerely bowed with a smile before quietly leaving the room. He looked at Izaya and was once again blown away by his expression. His tender and loving smile that reached deep into his red eyes. Mikado met his gaze shyly.
"Happy anniversary baby." Izaya murmured softly before leaning forward to kiss the teen. Mikado tilted his head to accept the kiss, closing his eyes. It was so sweet, his heart hammered against his ribs as he kissed back, their lips moving in an unhurried sync.
Mikado's entire body felt warm when they separated, his chest felt fuzzy. He wanted to cry, he felt so overwhelmed by everything. He'd never be able to understand why Izaya loved him the way he did but he would never be more grateful for anything else in his entire life.
Izaya was his everything. Mikado couldn't even apprehend the words to explain how much he loved Izaya. He was everything to the teen and while they had some issues, he swore Izaya was no doubt, the person made for him- Izaya was his other half, his true love, his soul mate.
Izaya…god I….
"I love you Izaya," Mikado whispered, his voice breaking with the weight of his tender emotions as he looked into the man's eyes. Izaya smiled and the teen felt his heart skip a beat,
"I love you too Mikado." He murmured tenderly before leaning forward to press their lips together once more, their hands tightly intertwined.
I love you so much, Izaya…please…don't ever leave me…stay with me forever...
"It's kind of cold isn't it?" Mikado shivered as he spoke. Once dinner was all over, Izaya suggested they go out onto the deck to enjoy the view and the feel of the water. It was nice but the breeze coming off the ocean was quite brisk, it was enough to make his arm hairs stand on end under his jacket.
Mikado regarded Izaya worriedly. The older man was only wearing a t-shirt under a thin vest after all. "Are you alright?" he asked with a concerned frown. Izaya was quite sensitive to the cold to the point that he often joked he was cold-blooded like a reptile of some sort.
"Yeah, it's worth it." Izaya smiled down at the teen, leaning on the railing, all but huddled against Mikado, sharing the warmth. The teen smiled and moved closer to Izaya until the side of his body was snuggled against the other man's.
They had chosen a rather dark and secluded part of the deck rather than the main area where the rest of the patrons were so they could be alone. They cuddled up against each other, watching the passing city and its reflection glittering on the water like a million stars.
"You know…" Izaya murmured quietly. Mikado looked at him seeing an almost wry smile on his lover's face. "I never thought I would fall in love. I always loved humans… but not in the way everyone else experienced love." The older man looked up at the sky, his voice uncharacteristically quiet and sincere.
Mikado watched him with careful blue eyes knowing that Izaya was laying himself bare before him. He was scared of saying something wrong so he waited for the older man to finish with warm and tender understanding.
"It took me a while to figure out the love I felt was different from everyone else's…but nonetheless I was fine with it, I guess once I figured it out, I thought it was below me." There was a hollow emptiness to Izaya's red eyes as they portrayed his emotions, he looked so lonely, remembering that time in his life.
The words hurt, Mikado found it incredibly saddening that for years Izaya had thought that he didn't need love that the whole idea was below him. He must have been lonely all this time, telling himself that he didn't need love. I wish I could replace all those times he felt alone…replace them with happy memories…replace them with our love.
Mikado still remained quiet, listening to the man. Izaya was talking to him, was talking about his feelings which was so rare for him. The teen wanted to hang on to every word, every glimpse into Izaya's heart and soul.
"I used to laugh in the face of those who claimed they had fallen in love. I found the concept so ridiculous, that someone would happily give everything up in the name of love but…I guess the joke was on me." Izaya met the teen's eyes with a wry smile, his red eyes almost sad and Mikado could feel his heart clench painfully.
Mikado blinked when Izaya wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him against his warm chest. "Because love…this feeling…it's probably the most precious feeling in the world." The last part left the man's lips as a whisper as his forehead met Mikado's.
"Izaya…" Mikado breathed, wrapping his arms around the older man, emotion bubbling in his chest and taking his breath away. I'm so glad, I'm so glad I was able to share this feeling with you. I promise you'll never be alone again. I'll never forget how thankful I am that you love me, how blessed I am.
I'm so happy that we found love.
I'm so happy that I fell in love with you.
The fact that Orihara Izaya loved him was something Mikado didn't think he'd ever be able to understand. Every time Izaya showered him with affections, it felt like a dream. He felt untouchable like he was on cloud nine and everything was right in the world.
"I'm so glad…thank you…" Mikado whispered, tears stinging his eyes. A breathless chuckle escaped Izaya's lips, his hot breath fanning the teen's face with how close they were.
"What are you thanking me?" the man smiled. Mikado closed his eyes,
For loving me…he thought before opening his eyes. "For everything." His smile was warm and tender.
"Yeah…thank you too." He breathed, the corner of his eyes crinkling as he smiled. Their lips met and Mikado kissed Izaya, relishing in the feeling of his soft lips and the taste of his tongue as they pulled each other close until nothing could have fit between them.
In moments like this- it was easy to forget all their troubles, all their problems and just exist in the moment that was so beautiful and precious.
They kissed - in the shadows in the corner between the cabin and the deck, as the glittering lights of city shone like jewels on the waves - they held each other in a way that spoke louder than words and Mikado swore that nothing else in his entire life had ever been so magical.
TO BE CONTINUED.
Thank you for reading! If you spot any mistakes (spelling, grammar, structure, Etc.) please notify me so I can fix them. It would be much appreciated, thank you!
Review Replies:
Rinxlenfan4ever: Haha, what can I say? Exactly Izaya! I know, I just had to help the poor darling out and give him something.
Naw, Thank you! That's good, I hope you enjoyed this one too! ^-^
Bloody Rose 16: Thank you. Yes, it will indeed come in later.
Unknown: Thank you so much! I'm glad you like them ^-^
Oh, that's a good idea, thank you but I've decided to stick with my old name because I went to change it with your idea and it felt wrong (?) it was strange. Well~ we'll have to see what happens in the future!
In this story, Masaomi moved to Yokohama which is an hour away from Ikebukuro but I'm not sure where he moved in canon.
I hope you enjoyed the new chapter and thank you for commenting!
