He'd half expected Aoyagi not to come. He wouldn't have put it passed his boyfriend to be that petty when cut. But thankfully as his blonde head cleared the booth's doorway Teshima's heart jumped. They'd been apart for barely three days and he already felt a sad longing in his heart. Seeing him now brought him joy and confidence, especially as Aoyagi spotted Ashikiba and immediately turned on his heel. He wasn't even subtle about it.
"Wait a second," jumping into action as the smaller boy went to storm out the door, Teshima grabbed his arm as the blonde frowned.
"No," the smaller boy's voice was low, angry and not to be messed with.
Shaking his head, Teshima looped his arm inside Aoyagi's, steering him away from the main company until they were alone in the corner.
"Can you just trust me on this?" Shaking his head, eyes low, the blonde refused.
"No. He's here." Unable to keep from smirking, even as it got him in deeper trouble, the taller boy grinned.
"Don't even worry about him. I'm so happy you came." Listening to his boyfriend tisk and pull away, Teshima held tight, not letting him go. "Just wait a moment okay? Look over there, what do you see?"
Rolling his eyes, Aoyagi glanced over at the crowded table, the current and ex members of Hakone and Souhoku mingling happily.
"Friends and the frost giant." Smiling, Teshima nodded.
"A good start. Look closer." Pulling a face, but doing as his friend bid, Aoyagi stared down at the company gathered. Onoda, Naruko, Imaizumi, Kaburagi, Sugimoto, Danchiku and the new run of first years were gathered at the table. Mixed seamlessly with the Hakone team, including their airhead climber Manami and the frost giant.
"Friends and the frost giant," he repeated sourly. Making a none committal sound, Teshima shrugged.
"Yeah I suppose. He hasn't even noticed you yet."
Glaring at his boyfriend, Aoyagi wondered what he was getting at. So what? Should he be offended that the prick constantly thirsting after his boyfriend's dick was ignoring him... Except that he was usually so high strung he seldom missed anything. Usually Ashikiba would be running scared, something which Aoyagi secretly enjoyed but he hadn't even looked his way yet. Was he offended? Shrugging, he awaited Teshima's explanation, only to receive none. Pulling him towards the group, he only received a wink, making Aoyagi shake his head.
"Aoyagi-senpai" Onoda looked as good as ever, big eyes peering out from behind his thick lenses. "It's so good to see you. Did you watch that shojou I suggested? The one about the detective and reporter? How good was it?" A little overwhelmed, Aoyagi simply nodded. Looking around for space on the bench to sit. Somewhere close to the edge so he could escape quickly if needed.
"Kaburagi can you squeeze in any closer to Shikiba? Aoyagi needs a seat." Frowning as the giant tensed at the sound of his name, finally noticing his presences, Aoyagi was confused.
"If I squeeze in any closer I'll be sitting in his lap," Kaburagi hissed.
"Yup do that. Just move." Using the captain tone on the small redhead worked wonders, Teshima almost laughed at the sudden panic on Ashikiba's features at his words. "You don't mind do you Shikiba? He's pretty small and doesn't weigh much."
Clearing his throat as his face turned a bright red, Ashikiba shrugged, hands stiff at his sides.
"Nope, it's fine," he squeaked. Looking away as Teshima raised an eyebrow at him.
"No stopping it now," the bouncing redhead said, ungracefully collapsing into the giant's lap. "You're actually pretty comfortable Ashi, thanks." Watching him swallowing thickly, Teshima suddenly worried the other boy might expire. Especially with how red he was going.
Taking a seat and beckoning his boyfriend to sit beside him, Teshima nudged him gently.
"He seems a bit too busy to notice you right now." Watching his red-headed riding partner squirm around in his most hated rival's lap, Aoyagi cocked his head to the side, confused.
The frost giant looked different. Usually he felt like a threat, someone that made his hair stand on end as if to say danger danger. Now he just looked like an embarrassed mess with a lap full of over enthusiastic Kaburagi.
Kaburagi...
His eyes grew wide for a moment, his head swimming as he read the signs like the cue taking expert he was. Body language was his strength, his speciality and while people like Teshima managed to make not only a friendship but a relationship around it, he was pretty damn good at reading it as well.
"He..." Frowning Aoyagi looked quickly at Teshima's grinning face watching him nod like an idiot. Inwardly cursing, the blonde looked back to the giant and his lap full, amazed to see he was indeed reading the signs right. The dilated pupils, the tense shoulders, the blush running high on his cheeks. He felt stupid, so very very stupid and by the look Teshima was giving him, his boyfriend would have no issue in telling him so.
Ashikiba hadn't wanted Teshima, not really. Ashikiba wanted Teshima to help him get to Kaburagi. Shaking his head as he flipped through the drink menu, Aoyagi thought over the strange turn of a events with a secret smile.
"I'm happy you came." A sly arm slipped around his waist seconds later. Reading the menu before him, the taller boy leant his chin on his boyfriend's shoulder. "You okay now?"
"How did you find out?" Shrugging, Teshima gave Aoyagi a little tickle around the middle, pleased to see him smile.
"I have my ways."
"I'm sor-"
"I know." Silencing him as Onoda handed them the song book, Teshima flipped through the pages. "I'm not going to rub your face in it, but I think you owe Shikiba an apology. He thinks you're going to knife him or something." Looking down as he decided on a drink and passed the menu along, Aoyagi sighed.
Teshima was right, he had been an ass. But he'd known that. It was just so hard to see the other man so free and close with his boyfriend. It had made his blood boil, needlessly now it would seem as he watched Kaburagi sit up on his knees, bopping the giant on the nose with a sticker peeled off the bottle of his soda.
"I will say sorry." Surrounded by friends, his arm already close linked around his middle, Teshima stole a quick kiss before Aoyagi could protest.
"Thank you." Smiling at each other for a long moment, Naruko's insistent babble brought them quickly back to reality.
"I want to sing first!" Pouting Kaburagi glanced through the song book, Ashikiba looking on over his shoulders. "Will you sing Ashi?" Ashi? Grinning as he keyed in his song choice and picked up one of the microphones, Teshima pushed the youngster's head down into the pages of the book with a grin.
"I organised this, I get to sing first, respect your elders. Shouldn't that be Ashi-senpai?" Laughing at the blush that leaked out across Ashikiba's cheeks as Kaburagi waved him off and sulked about his missed first song, Teshima turned his attention to Aoyagi. His lover never sung at these events. Instead he would sit back happily, watching and listening to everything around him. It was like when they were to a gallery together. Teshima couldn't draw or paint, in fact he found the whole endeavour quite boring. But when he was with Aoyagi, just the look of enjoyment and brief explanation the boy would give was enough for him to enjoy the experience.
He'd chosen this song on purpose. A soft, sappy love song he'd long ago dubbed their song. Teshima knew it by heart and all but ignored the subtitles as they flashed up across the screen in front of him. Aoyagi would know. He knew the song as well, although Teshima had never heard him sing it, he had mimed along with the words enough times that they still held meaning. It was perfect, his boy was perfect and Teshima could not have been happier.
