Hi! Sooo I wasn't expecting to update at all, but today I was feeling a bit off so I thought I would finish this chapter! It's been sitting on my laptop for a while now, but here it is another long ass chapter yay. I hope you enjoy!
It was quite early in the morning when Rei was pulled out of his slumber by the loud vibrations of his cell phone laid face down on his bedside table. It was six fifteen, to be exact, fifteen minutes before his usual alarm. Rolling over onto his side with a mighty yawn, he reached over and patted around for the cause of his broken deep sleep and answered the call, still drifting in his dreamland.
"Hello?" he yawned again, pulling himself up on his elbow and rubbing his tired eyes. "What is it?"
"I'm gonna be a dad." a hoarse voice at the other end of the line murmured solemnly.
Rei blinked rapidly, unsure on whether he was still dreaming. "What?" he breathed, slowly pulling himself up. "You're... You're what?"
"Gee called me." Rin muttered, his voice laced with bitter remorse and fatigue. "It looks like that kid did nothing wrong after all. I mean, he didn't know who she was, of course he didn't. I met him at the hospital the other day – he was actually all right. I..." he paused, and Rei could hear his aquarium gurgling in the background, his apartment was so silent. "It's OK."
Rei blinked, rubbing his eyes with his forefinger and thumb. "It's... It's what?" he mumbled, the words still not processing properly.
"It's OK. I'm OK. This baby is mine, and that's OK." he let out a shaky sigh. "She told me last night. I would have told you earlier, but... It didn't sink in, I didn't think it was real..."
Rei sighed too, a deep breath being let out from the bottom of his lungs, running a hand through his tangled hair. "Is she... Is she going to keep it?"
Rin was silent for a little while, the question not one he'd really considered. "I think so. I have no say in it anyway. It's her body. I can't make her get rid of it."
Rei and Rin were silent for a long period of time, the two of them lost in their own thoughts. An orange sunbeam forced its way through Rei's tightly shut curtains, stretching itself across the length of his bedroom, dancing across his bare torso and illuminating every mark on his body. He tossed his covers to the side and climbed out of bed, turning away from the sudden light, one that reminded him he needed to get on with his daily life, rather than sit there and think over things that were no concern to him. But they were, in a way. It was his friend who needed supporting, and not matter what he was doing, he had to look out for him, as Rin had done for himself a few years ago. He had to say something to him, but he wasn't really sure what.
"Hey-" they said simultaneously, and Rei smiled.
"You go first."
"Do you think I'll be all right?" Rin asked timidly, a waver in his usually all-too-confident voice. "You know, as a Dad?"
Rei smiled kindly. "I think so. You looked after Gou when your father passed away, right?" he said gently, knowing he was stepping on a sensitive subject.
"I-I suppose. But that's not the same thing... Gou's only a year younger than me. She could look after herself." he sighed.
"I would disagree," Rei laughed lightly. "She kept calling you throughout college, do you remember? And wanted you to come home so you could take her to prom."
Rin began to chuckle. "Yeah, I remember. I looked after Mom a lot too, when she was grieving."
"There, see. I think you'll be great. Gou's turned out wonderfully, even with the absence of her father." Rei reassured, and Rin smiled, the nostalgia of him and his sister's childhood returning in floods of both sad and happy memories.
"Have you told anyone else?"
"I called Sousuke at four AM. He wasn't too happy about it, but he listened to me cry like a whiny bitch for about an hour."
Rei nodded slowly. Rin and Sousuke have had an on and off friendship since they were in elementary school, but as they grew older, their bond had grew stronger, and even these days they seemed inseparable. When they were kids, they lived in the same neighbourhood, their mother's got along well, and it was revealed a year or so ago during a childish game of truth or dare that Gou had had a crush on Sousuke for years, which embarrassed them both, especially when Rin kept poking at her and asking her why.
Rei had become friends with Rin first, as they shared a dorm room in college, and he got to know Sousuke through him. The pair always teased him for being a year younger than them, saying that he'd be showing them up to all their classmates because he'd skipped a grade in high school, but Rei soon learnt it was only friendly banter and they were really just treating him like a little brother, which was actually not too bad, no matter how humiliated Rei had felt to begin with. He would sometimes worry that he would never be a part of their social circle, as all their friends knew each other from High School, and all his High School friends had been left behind in a more local college of his home town. But he soon found he fit in well with them, and it was team effort, but they all eventually managed to pry Rei out of his own little shell, which seemed to be protecting him from the outside world. They took him under their wing and showed him what it was like to be free from the world he had managed to create through his own isolation and introversion. He went to real parties and kissed real people and went on real dates with boys who liked him because he was himself. He drank for the first time, he smoked for the first time, and was persuaded to try pot, which did not go down well.
He got a boyfriend. A proper boyfriend who loved him, spent time with him, took him home to meet his parents and gave him kisses when he needed them. Rei was so in love with him. He believed it would last. But, of course, it didn't. That was no matter. He had the experience, an experience he wouldn't have if he'd never met Rin or Sousuke. In fact, there were many things he wouldn't have done if it were not for Rin or Sousuke.
They managed to influence his life even now. If it weren't for Rin and Sousuke... Nagisa wouldn't be a part of his life. Not now, not ever. So, no matter how many times Sousuke patted his head and called him 'short ass', or no matter how many times Rin would insult him via text message or otherwise, they were still his closest friends, and without them... he would probably be nothing. That's what he believed.
Rei smiled sadly. "At least he didn't put the phone down on you this time."
Rin paused, confused for a second – before he began to laugh. A full, joyous laugh. "Oh, yeah, well, this isn't just a girlfriend, is it?"
Rei stood slowly, stretching out his back. "No." he said simply. "No, it isn't."
Ms. Greene called Rei into her office that afternoon, which was odd to begin with, but Rei didn't expect anything else from his boss, who wore tight dresses with animal print, leather jackets and false eyelashes to work, smoking like a chimney in her office like it was the nineteen fifties, always holding a cigarette between her manicured fingertips, smoke curling off her red painted lips. Her jet black hair finished sharply at her jaw, which stuck out so far her face looked almost skeletal, matching the rest of her body, arms so skinny Rei looked like a giant in comparison, which wasn't hard, because, although she wore killer stilettos, she only came up to his chest, and he himself was five foot eleven at a stretch.
During his interview with her, when he was first after the job, he couldn't help but think how is she the top lawyer in the state of Arizona?, but this was before she told him all her winning cases and how she won back two million dollars for a C list celebrity he did not know of or really care about. After a few weeks of working with her, though, he found that he really liked her. She was quirky, funny, and very generous with her pay, so he was not complaining.
She was smoking when she invited him in for a chat, waving her hand about so she could see him more clearly through a puff of grey smoke that had settled in the air like a thick fog.
"You don't mind if I smoke, doll, do you? Just had a very stressful phone call with some woman who thinks she owns the world." she sighed dramatically, crossing her legs over in her chair.
Rei smiled, although he'd always hated the smell of cigarettes, he could never complain. "No, no, it's completely fine." he said politely, trying his hardest not to choke.
Ms. Greene took a long drag of her cigarette whilst watching him steadily, green eyes boring into his, so much so Rei had to break eye contact, the staring almost too awkward.
She turned her head elegantly and let out a sigh, which released the smoke into the air, curling all the way to the ceiling. Rei cleared his throat politely.
"I've got you a new job." she said finally, flicking ash into a stained glass ashtray with expertise.
Rei blinked at her, lips parted. "I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you right." he began to laugh lightly. "A new job?"
Ms. Greene gave him her signature smirk, the corners of her mouth twitching in amusement and her sharp eyebrows raised ever so slightly, making her look as if she could rule the world if she wanted to. "Yes. A new job. A better job. You're too clever for this junk – some other kid'll need this off me."
Rei swallowed uneasily, watching her bring her cigarette to her lips for another drag. "But... I like this job."
"Trust me," she breathed, winking at him through a grey haze. "You'll like this job more."
The news that Rin was the dad travelled faster than expected, and Momo was more relieved than anything else, thanking the Heavens he did not have to support a child that was his with little to nothing on his part. The night before he couldn't sleep due to worry eating away the corners of his mind – but by morning, after the phone call confirming that he was not the father, he'd never felt so incredible in his life. Neither had Nagisa or Ai, the both of them filled with the anxiety that their mainly irresponsible and immature friend had to raise a baby. He was still pretty much one himself. Once he got the news, he pulled both Nagisa and Ai out of bed and persuaded them to go shopping with him. It took much effort to get Ai out of the house, but eventually he gave in, bored of Momo's prodding and Nagisa's whining.
"Is this really a good idea, Mo?" Ai asked, looking up from his seat at Momo, who was gripping on to a metal pole as the bus they had just managed to catch lurched forwards.
"What do you mean?" he asked, taking a step closer to him as to not get in the way of a mother with a double buggy and three sleeping children.
Ai raised his eyebrows. "You just got sacked! Shouldn't you be saving your money?" he breathed, trying to keep his private life private, but on a public bus full of gossiping old people, that's hard to do.
Momo grinned. "That's what I'm shopping for."
Both Nagisa and Ai cocked their heads, looking like lost little puppies. "Huh?" they said simultaneously, and Momo could just imagine ears pricking in confusion.
He laughed kindly. "I want to buy nice clothes for interviews." he explained, crossing his arms over his chest, before sulkily adding; "That's if I get any."
"And you want us to come with you for what reason?" Ai questioned, not so pleased with being tugged out of bed for this reason, before Nagisa nudged him in the ribs gently.
"He obviously wants our fashion expertise." he cracked, winking at him.
Momo flicked his amber eyes between his two friends, paying close attention to their outfits; Nagisa was wearing a pair of bright blue skinny jeans that were ripped at the knee, his old pair of hi tops and a black pea coat (he was pretty sure he was wearing a polka dot shirt underneath that), whilst Ai was wearing a grey sweater with a floral collar and cuffs that finished at his knuckles, a pair of black jeans that were rolled up at the ankles, and a pair of brown brogue shoes. Even if they were the last people on Earth and Momo needed to buy a new outfit, he would not ask them for fashion advice.
"Sure," Ai snorted. "He wouldn't be seen dead in anything I wear."
They had fun nonetheless. Momo was serious for about ten minutes – until he saw yet another sweater that would suit Ai's personality perfectly and ended up buying it for him instead of what he really needed. Ai was dumbfounded by his gift and insisted that he should pay him back, but Momo wasn't having any of it, refusing any kind of payment. Nagisa tousled his hair playfully.
"If you're not gonna keep it, I will." he beamed cheekily.
"No way," Ai said finally, holding the small paper bag to his chest. "This is mine. Ask your rich boyfriend for one."
Nagisa laughed at his plainly put comment, happy his friend was slowly but surely returning to his old self. It had been a while since the three friends had been on an outing like that, and the friendship the three of them had that seemed so recently to be quacking due to their current situations had started to mend, with a little bit of fun and laughter, which they all needed.
It took a while, but eventually Momo purchased some appropriate clothing for job hunting and the three of them returned home after lunch, Ai so exhausted he dropped off on the bus ride home, the whole outing a little too much for him to handle. Nagisa couldn't help but feel proud of him though, finally able to leave the house without having an undesired panic attack, and he was even able to buy a few things on his own, which was a major step for him. He did falter a few times when walking through crowds, either hanging onto Nagisa's shirt to keep him close, or gripping grimly onto Momo's hand so he did not stray away from him. Other than that, Ai had done a very good job, and as soon as they got home, his friends let him sleep for as long as he needed.
"So... What kind of job are you looking for?" Nagisa asked omo that afternoon, sitting beside him on the couch and peering over his shoulder as he scrolled through different job titles on his phone.
Momo smiled uneasily. "I have no fucking clue. Should I be a... personal assistant?" he tried, side-glancing Nagisa, an amused look on his face.
Nagisa let out a snort. "You're joking." he muttered, raising his eyebrows at him.
"No way," he grinned, sitting back. "I would be amazing at it."
Nagisa could not imagine someone like Momo conceiting to someone's every whim, especially if they were someone of importance.
"Maybe you should start out small." he tried, glancing over at him, eyes watching him carefully. "Like... A waiter, or something."
His friend cocked his head to one side, thinking about it. "I suppose. Especially with my old work..." he sighed, shoulders slumping over as he locked his phone. "God, I didn't think this would be so hard."
They sat in silence for a few moments, the only sound being that of the TV, which was turned way down as to not disturb Ai's nap, the two of them thinking what now? over and over. Momo raised his eyes to the TV, which was playing an old episode of a program he used to watch when he was a kid. "Hm." he muttered, watching as the colourful characters darted across the screen. "Haven't seen this in years."
Nagisa picked his head up, eyes glancing over to what he was looking at. "Huh," he relaxed a little, the childish cartoon somehow calming him. "Me either."
A question came to mind as he watched what seemed like the trippiest thing he'd seen in a while, one that never seemed to cross his jumbled up thoughts before.
"I don't know a lot about you, Mo." Nagisa said gently, finally tearing his eyes away from the screen as the credits rolled, staring at the profile of his softened face. "Why not?"
Momo was surprised to hear something like this come out of Nagisa – usually he respected his privacy, and in return he respected his – but Momo knew all he needed to know about Nagisa, so he thought Nagisa felt the same in return. Then again, if he had, then this question would not have cropped up at all.
Cautious, Momo questioned Nagisa's curiosity. "What do you mean?"
"Like, your childhood." he said gently, blinking slowly. "You never talk about it. How come?"
Momo shrugged. "There's nothing to say about my childhood. I'm the youngest of three, my sister left home before I turned ten, then my brother left high school as I joined, but you know how close we are. My mom's a midwife, my dad's a mechanic, I never knew my grandparents. There isn't much to know. My childhood is so normal in comparison to what you've been through." he said matter-of-factly, eyes to the ceiling as recounted. "My mom is the stereotypical suburban Christian woman, so's my dad. My sister turned out to be queer, and my mom took her to gay pride. My dad wasn't too impressed, but whatever. My brother is another stereotypical straight guy, and I don't know what the fuck happened to me. But, yeah. Relatively normal family, relatively normal childhood."
Nagisa smiled slightly. "I see." he said softly, eyes cast down to the floor. "If that's so, how did you end up here?"
Momo flinched hard, as if Nagisa had just tried to strike him across the face. The quiet that emitted after the question was asked told Nagisa all he needed, and he sighed gently. "Sorry. I shouldn't ask." he smiled over at him, nudging his shoulder. "All right?"
Momo stiffened, uncomfortable with his touch, but managed to smile back, shrugging his shoulders. "Yeah, I am now, at least."
"No baby!" Nagisa grinned, throwing up his hands in mock victory. "But at least you've learnt your lesson."
Momo shrugged again, but his smile was genuine this time, the relief he felt that morning returning to him. "Definitely." he grinned.
Nervous was not the right word to describe Rei's mentality as he cautiously walked through the automatic, sparkling glass doors of the thirty storey building, his throat going dry as he looked around the large lobby, the décor simple yet modern, the colour scheme reflecting that of business. Black and white. Nothing bright or colourful about it. Just straight forward, plain and effortless. He must have looked lost, his eyes wandering aimlessly over the walls and rising staircases, stood in the centre of the lobby on spotless white tiles like a very confused lemon, because a woman at the reception desk asked him if he wanted any help.
"Oh, excuse me," he apologised, slowly making his way toward her. "But I have an interview with someone called..." whilst searching his pants pockets for the paper Ms. Greene had handed to him with the name and address, the woman, who looked as spotless as the room did, with her pearly white teeth set into a permanent welcoming smile and platinum blonde hair scraped into a neat ponytail, tapped something into her computer.
"Ah, yes, Mr. Ryugazaki, is that right?" she smiled warmly, crystal blue eyes watching him carefully.
"Yes, that's me." he replied, fiddling with his glasses, hating to embarrass himself.
She nodded happily. "Mr. Johnson asked for you personally. I believe he has a very good job for you in mind." Rei didn't think she could manage it, but her grin seemed to widen. "He's on the top floor. Good luck!"
Rei nodded at her once. "Thank you." he said softly, and carefully made his way over to the elevator in the far corner, which was made completely of glass. Rei had always had a strange phobia of elevators, and he always took the stairs to his apartment if he could help it, so staring straight at one that was completely transparent and looked as if it would give way at any moment was no comfort to him whatsoever. He dithered at the buttons for a moment, deciding on whether to just take the stairs, yet climbing thirty staircases seemed like too much unnecessary work, and he did not want to be drenched with sweat and out of breath for his interview. So, swallowing his fears down, he reached out a clammy hand and pressed the 'UP' button.
As he the doors began to close, a strangely familiar figure came running across the lobby.
"Hold it! Hold it!" he cried desperately, waving around files of some kind.
Surprised, Rei frantically glanced at all the buttons on the wall of the elevator, before stabbing the 'OPEN' button just as they almost sealed shut. Once the figure began to get closer, Rei recognised who it was immediately, and his face flushed.
Shit, Rei thought, keeping his finger on the button. It's that Johnson. Joel Johnson.
"Thank you!" Joel said, completely oblivious to the personality who had saved him some time. "I thought I'd missed it!"
Rei didn't say anything, thinking that if he didn't open his mouth, maybe he wouldn't recognise him at all.
He was wrong.
"Rei?" his voice was soft at first, as if he wasn't sure.
Rei nodded. "Yeah." he smiled politely at him, when all he wanted to do was get out of there, and get out of there fast. "It's nice to see you."
Joel smiled kindly. "You too! I'm just surprised you're here so early. We weren't expecting you until tomorrow." he said, running a free hand through his sandy blonde hair.
Rei blinked, stunned. "Uh, we?" he questioned, voice tight in his throat. "Who's we?"
Joel grinned cheekily, a smile that reminded Rei so much of Nagisa it was almost ridiculous. "My brother and I." he shrugged, and the elevator pinged, signalling their floor. "I'll walk you there – just to return the favour."
Rei couldn't understand why, but something about him, although attractive, made him want to punch him in the face. He just seemed so... what was the word? Rei glanced over at him, taking in his profile as they walked – unkempt hair that was pushed to the side, sea blue eyes forever upturned, reminding him of a sly fox. His nose was rather large but it fit his personality, Rei supposed. His even lips were curled up into a small smile, and the way he walked reminded him of the way Rin used to walk in college – like a complete dick head.
Arrogant. That was the word he was looking for. Completely and utterly arrogant. Much like his father, a man who knew his way around a business, who knew who he was and who he had authority over. Except, this one was gay.
Joel noticed that Rei was studying him carefully, which caused him to grin. "What is it?" he asked, amused.
Rei pulled his eyes away, flustered. "Nothing," he said softly, fiddling with his glasses to hide his bright red cheeks.
His grin widened, but did not say a word, shifting the files underneath his arms.
During the interview, Rei noticed how it was only his older brother who did all the talking, whilst Joel just sat there, jotting things down in a notepad, trying to look thoughtful, but Rei knew he was just putting it on. What did he say when they first met? 'I just sit there and look pretty'. Well, Rei thought as he waited for his next question. He wasn't lying, I'll give him that.
Once it was all over, and Rei was allowed to ask questions, the air seemed to have become more relaxed, as if everyone had been holding their breath beforehand.
"I'm sorry, I would just like to ask – what am I getting out of this?" Rei asked cautiously, eyes darting between the two brothers.
Mr. Not Joel Johnson smiled. "We know who your father is."
Rei's eye twitched. "Ah..." he said slowly, sitting back in his seat. "So... This wasn't Ms. Greene's doing at all?"
"Oh, no, she helped." Joel smiled over at him, but more sly than his brother. "But we wondered why you weren't working for your father. We know your brother very well too. Mr. Mikio Ryugazaki. Very nice man."
Rei set his shoulders back, suddenly feeling defensive. "If you really want to know, my father and I do not get on very well. We... let's say, disagree, on a few things." he raised his eyes toward Joel, challenging him to say anything else.
He tried his luck. "Like what?" he flashed the same look back at him, eyebrow raised.
"There's no need to get into detail." his brother interjected, laying his palms out on the table. "Let's just settle a deal."
Rei furrowed his brow. A deal? What was he, a cheap bet? "What do you mean by a deal?" he said slowly, clearly unsatisfied with his choice of words.
"The job we're offering is one of management, and we need to discuss exactly whether you should get straight into it, or my brother will give you some training first, just to give you a push, you know?" Mr. Johnson explained, smiling kindly at him. "We know you're an incredibly academic man, Mr. Ryugazaki – we just need to know where to start you off."
Rei swallowed hard. He could not, would not, be taught management by Joel. He would try it on with him, and he knew he would, because of the way he was looking at him, the way he'd been talking to him. So blatantly flirtatious it almost made him sick. But... He has told him he has a boyfriend before, right? So surely he got the message? Unsure and uncomfortable with this, he questioned what this 'training' would include.
"Oh, just some figure talk and what not," Joel said absently, waving his hand around. "Nothing too hard."
No way, Rei thought frantically, staring wide eyed at him. I will learn nothing with him.
"Will you call me if I have the job?" Rei asked uneasily, desperate to get out of there, as quickly as humanely possible.
The two brothers nodded in unison, although they knew their answer already. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Ryugazaki."
Joel grinned at him. "Always good to see you."
Rei pushed away from the desk and stood up quickly. "Uh, yes, yes, thank you, I have to get going now." he stammered, and left quickly, not looking behind him.
Nagisa (new): Cant wait til tomorrow! Hpe ur gonna b rapped up warm its gonna b so cold!xxx
Rei (glasses): I think you should be saying that to yourself. You're never dressed appropriately for anything, Nagisa. Xxx
Nagisa (new): Waaa? Ofc I am rei! Everyone luvs what I wear to work!xxx
Rei (glasses): I meant weather appropriate. It's the middle of autumn and you're walking around in ripped jeans and a hoody. That is not appropriate. You'll get yourself sick. Xxx
Nagisa (new): but I look cute xxx
Rei (glasses): OK, but would you rather look cute or be ill with the flu for a week? Xxx
Nagisa (new): If I evr got sick rei wud look after me! :3 xxx
Rei (glasses): Would I? Xxx
Nagisa (new): Isnt that wat good bf's do?xxx
Rei (glasses): I suppose. But spare me the burden and just wrap up warm yourself tomorrow, OK? For me, at least. Xxx
Nagisa (new): Okie dokie! See you tomorrow!xxx
It seemed that Marty had received Nagisa's message, and called him that night, whilst he and Ai were watching Little Miss Sunshine.
"Yello?" Nagisa answered cheerfully as Ai paused the movie, slouching over his own phone as he waited for the conversation to end.
"Nagi, baby! Am told me all about Rees – like, what's up with that?" she cried, voice loud and full of happiness, despite the subject of the conversation. Nagisa could hear her chewing on something, probably bubblegum, on the other end of the line, a bad habit she'd had since she was younger.
Nagisa shook his head, sighing as he let his head fall back. "I dunno, Marty, it's really weird if you ask me. I can't talk to her though, cos her laptop broke and calls to England are so expensive."
The chewing continued, but somehow more thoughtful this time, before she blew a large bubble, popped it with her front teeth, and spoke again. "Maybe you should have my dad." she laughed.
"I had a conversation about your dad with Am. Apparently he's 'hardly even decent', whatever that means." he rolled his eyes as Marty chortled, her familiar laugh contagious, causing Nagisa to grin.
"She's not wrong! But he helped Dan and I with moving, and he gave me some money to decorate, so, you know, it's cool!" she giggled, her fingers playing with her light blonde hair. "Anyway, how about you! I heard also from mother hen that you got yourself number 90 on your long list of lovers."
Nagisa snorted, his face growing hot in embarrassment at the fact that Amira probably told Marty everything already. "That's a bit of an exaggeration." he mumbled as Marty giggled teasingly.
"Aw, it's cute! I'm happy for you! When will we meet him?" she sang sweetly, and Nagisa sighed deeply.
"Hopefully, never," he laughed, ignoring Marty's whines. "You're all insane!"
Marty tutted, chewing loudly. "Sure, and you're not, Blondie!" she laughed, blowing another bubble. "Maybe I should join your act and we could be called Double the Blonde!"
Nagisa rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Anyway, I've gotta go." he sighed, pulling a face at Ai, who giggled quietly.
Marty let out an all mighty sigh, tipping her head back. "OK! Well, I'll see you soon, baby! Don't work yourself too hard!"
Nagisa snorted. "I'll try not to."
Getting dressed the next day was actually rather difficult for Nagisa – what was he expecting him to wear that was deemed 'appropriate'? The fact that he only owned one pair of skinny jeans without holes in them, and he'd only ever really worn those when he was with Rei, and wearing the same pair of jeans on every date is not a very good idea. Especially, especially, because Rei was had many many outfits and still had enough money to buy other things, like a new phone because his screen broke, or some fancy new glasses because they broke too. He sometimes wished he was one of those strippers who earned one hundred thousand dollars a month and had men kneeling at his feet because of how gorgeous he was twenty-four-seven, but that would never happen, because, A), he's a dude that wears stockings and lacy underwear(although he knows many people, men and women alike, who have a fetish for that kind of thing), and, B), he's been hired by the wrong people.
After throwing a few outfits out on his bed, staring at them for a while, then shaking his head and digging out more things to wear, he let out some kind of cry of frustration, and burst into Ai's room, who was laid on his side, over his covers, head in a book, earphones fitted in his mousy ears.
"Can I borrow some of your clothes?" Nagisa cried, and Ai glanced over the pages at him, still in his pyjama shorts and blue penguin t-shirt, his hair tied back in a pink bobble, then looked back down at his book with a small sigh, pulling out one plug.
"Sure." he muttered, slowly sitting up and placing his favourite kitten bookmark his niece had given him for his twentieth birthday. It was a little ragged around the edges, but it was still one of his most treasured items. "Just don't make a mess."
Ai watched him sort through endless reams of sweaters with odd characters on them, plaid shirts, skinny jeans and cotton shorts, wincing every time a hanger screeched against the metal pole as Nagisa dragged it along, impatient. "Could you do it gently, please." he said quietly, seeing a sweatshirt fall of its hanger.
"Oh, sorry!" Nagisa apologised brightly, crouching down and digging around in the bottom of his wardrobe for the fallen garment. His fingers brushed against the familiar feel of lace, silk, and nylon – until he brushed against something with the texture of a sports bra, and he pulled it out, furrowing his brow. "Hey, is this your binder?"
Ai jerked his head, staring at the back of his head. "What?"
He tossed it at him, grabbing the garment that fell out of its designated spot. "That thing," he said turning towards him. "Why'd you have it still?"
Ai held it up before him, the off-white cotton making him feel slightly uneasy. "I don't know. I thought I threw it out ages ago." he said softly, stretching it out.
Nagisa smiled slightly, hanging the sweatshirt back up. "Huh. Maybe you wanted to keep it. Memories?" he said softly, straightening out the sleeves of the black sweatshirt, then gently moving past it upon Ai's request.
Ai bunched it up in his hands and dumped it in his waste paper basket beside his bed, puling a face. "What memories? They're hardly ones I want to remember." he muttered bitterly, glaring at the crumpled material amongst the tissues and empty water bottles, as if he were blaming it for everything.
Nagisa sighed, stroking the sleeve of a sweater with a blue paisley print, one Ai hardly wore. "Well, you made it, and that's all that matters." he said kindly, plucking the sweater out of his closet and holding it against himself. "How about this?"
Ai nodded with a small smile, holding his book against his chest. "Yes, it'll look lovely on you. You can keep it if you want – it's too big for me." he said quietly.
"Really?" Nagisa grinned, and once Ai nodded again, he skipped over to him, kissed the side of his head, and thanked him loudly, rushing back into his room to get dressed.
To say Nagisa looked cute was rather the understatement – Rei had never had the honour to see Nagisa's wild blonde hair tucked inside a beanie before, and he was glad that he had the opportunity. He never thought that this was one thing he needed in his life, but, now it was, and it was adorable.
Nagisa threw his arms around his neck and kissed him hard in a way of greeting. "Rei!" he laughed at the shock on his face, hanging onto him. "It feels like I haven't seen you for ages."
Rei shook off the surprise and smiled warmly at his excitable boyfriend, his greeting reminding him of a happy puppy. "We only saw each other a few days ago." he chuckled, but he wound his arms around his waist and kissed him back nonetheless, having missed the soft touch of his smiling lips, which always felt like a cherry blossom petal drifting in a springtime breeze.
As they walked into the town centre, the light evening air cool but forgiving as it blew across their faces, Nagisa couldn't help but notice that Rei was acting just a little off. No matter what he was saying, or when Nagisa was babbling on about something, he always looked slightly nervous, twitching his glasses more often than usual, and not replying with the enthusiasm Nagisa was used to. After a little while, the smaller one squeezed his hand. "What's up? You seem nervous." he said, smiling up at him.
Rei shook his head, once again messing with the red spectacles that rested on the bridge of his nose. "No, no, I'm fine. Just... I don't know. Maybe I am nervous." he admitted, not looking him in the eye.
Nagisa began to giggle. "What? Why? Did you lie to me about how good you are on the ice?" he teased, nudging his side playfully.
"No," Rei chuckled, tucking his free hand in his jacket pocket. "I had an interview yesterday. I'm just a little skittish, is all."
"Oh! Well, I'm sure you did great! Who couldn't like you?" Nagisa beamed, bright eyes so optimistic it almost rubbed onto Rei.
He hummed. "Well, many people." he said matter-of-factly, twitching his glasses again. "It would be impossible that I were to be liked by everyone. Even if I was the most likeable person on this Earth, there would be somebody who disliked me."
Nagisa groaned, rolling his eyes. "Rei! Shut up, I'm trying to make you feel better!" he half whined, half laughed, pushing him with his shoulder.
"Sorry, sorry." he said with a small smile, and after a short silence between them, he added with a smile; "But it's true!"
"You know what else is true?" Nagisa looked up at him, eyes narrowed.
Rei shook his head, oblivious to his annoyance. "No?"
"You're a huge smart ass." he grumbled, making Rei laugh out loud.
"I know. Sorry." he lifted his hand and kissed it gently, eyes watching his with intensity. "Forgive me."
Nagisa blushed furiously, yet couldn't help but giggle, stopping him so he had a chance to kiss his cheek in return. "It's OK. It's what I like about you." he grinned, winking playfully. "It's cute."
The pair of black skates stared Nagisa in the face, and he turned to look over at Rei, who was tying up his own. "I can't put these on."
Rei laughed kindly. "What?" he grinned, tightening the knot and leaning backwards, looking back at him. "Do you need some help?"
Nagisa nodded with a shy smile, and Rei sighed, crouching down before him and helping him pull the skates on his feet. "Even Gracie can do this." he muttered, neatly avoiding Nagisa's hand as he reached out to hit him, chuckling lightly.
Nagisa held out his hands and Rei pulled him upwards, keeping him balanced. "All right?" he smiled at him, eyes gentle. "Can you stand by yourself?"
Nagisa shook his head furiously, gripping onto Rei's large hands so tightly his knuckles turned white. "No!"
"We're not even on the ice yet!" Rei laughed, kissing his freckled nose gently, which was cold from the walk there, his slight anxiousness very sweet. "You'll do fine."
Nagisa wiggled his nose, the kiss having left a weird tingle behind, before sighing shakily. "OK. As long as you've got a hold of me." he said cautiously, letting one of his hands go.
"Of course, my dear." he grinned, squeezing their interlocked hands.
The ice rink was all set up outside ready for the winter, when the Christmas decorations where out too early and the town was engulfed in sparkling lights and glittering ornaments, the stars hidden behind dark grey clouds of heavy snowfall, waiting to drift on Christmas Day. Although romantic, it's difficult to leave the families house over the holidays, so when you've had enough, you're forced to stay a little longer because of the four feet of damn snow that seemed to have magically appeared out of no where. Rei had had enough experiences of that description himself, some he would rather not think about.
As Nagisa stepped out onto the ice, his face one of pure terror, he was so concentrated on not falling over, his footing slipped, his knee giving way, almost immediately falling down.
"Don't worry," Rei said gently, stance that of a professionals as he grabbed Nagisa's waist, saving him from embarrassment. "I've got you."
Nagisa's left hand felt around for something to hold onto as Rei held onto his right, trying his best to keep him supported, but even when he had a tight hold of the ledge running around the outside of the rink, he still managed to slip up, which made Rei laugh, grabbing his elbow to keep him steady. "God, you're awful." he chuckled, shaking his head as Nagisa saved himself once again.
"I know, I know," Nagisa muttered, his legs wobbling like Bambi's. "Oh, this is so horrible, why did I suggest this?"
Rei kept a close eye on his stance, the way he was moving, how fast he was moving. He kept reminding him to keep his legs not too far apart, and his feet forward, not out, like a penguins.
"That does not help me-!" he cried, trying to bring his legs back in and almost skidding over, but Rei pulled him upwards just in time, laughing as he did so.
"I thought holding onto the ledge would make you steadier." he smiled, letting him grab it with both hands so he could catch his breath back.
Nagisa closed his eyes, starting to laugh at himself, otherwise he would have to cry. "Oh, man. I remember going skating with Am when I was like ten. I cried the whole time, and the only thing that shut me up was a hot chocolate afterwards." he sighed, looking up at Rei, who was stood there with his hands in his jacket pockets, smiling down at him. Nagisa looked down at his feet, and he was balancing perfectly, not even seeing a single wobble. "How do you do it?" he whined, pouting cutely.
Rei shrugged, pulling his hands out of his pockets and starting to move around him. "I don't know. I had lessons when I was a kid. My mom wanted me to be a figure skater or something along those lines. I always preferred running, though. But I have taught Rosa and Gracie. Rosa's a pro, now, but Gracie's still a little bit wobbly. Much like you, really." he smiled kindly, gliding past him once or twice as he spoke, making Nagisa feel slightly jealous. How could he – his nerdy, awkward boyfriend who was at least six inches taller than he was – know how to skate so well, and even teach his nieces how to do it, and he couldn't? Nagisa tried to stand by himself, slowly letting go of the ledge, a new determination coming from somewhere, but he felt himself wobble, and immediately grabbed onto the ledge again, clinging to Rei's coat with the other hand.
"Are you all right?" he smiled, taking the gloved hand that was holding onto him to him so tightly, interlocking their fingers. "Want to try and make it around the whole rink?"
Nagisa nodded, standing very close him. "Yeah!" he grinned, squeezing his fingers. "I wanna see if I can do it."
As they slowly but surely made their way around the rink, Nagisa holding Rei's hand so tight he was pretty sure no blood was reaching his fingers, a small boy and girl, maybe siblings, shuffled past them at double the speed with little penguins, which acted like supports to keep them upright on the ice.
"Oh, my God, I need one of those!" Nagisa breathed, watching them race each other around the centre, a grin on his face.
"Nagisa Hazuki, a twenty-three-year-old man and his tiny penguin on an ice rink. Sounds about right." Rei chuckled at him. "Just trust yourself, you can do it."
Nagisa refused to let go of the ledge for another few laps, but once he was sure he could support himself, he slowly let go, now relying on Rei to catch him when he falls, which, in all honesty, is what he'd been doing for the past half hour or so. As they slowly made their way into the more centre part of the rink, the small boy who was running around earlier came zooming towards them, now without his little penguin.
"Are you scared of falling, mister?" he asked Nagisa as he watched him throw his free arm around Rei's waist as they came to a halt before the boy, his wobbly balance not helping him in the slightest.
Nagisa nodded. "Yes! How do you do it on your own?" he smiled at him, snuggling into Rei's side, feeling safe as his warmth and confident stance kept him upright.
"It's easy!" he boasted, pushing himself forward a few paces, and then going backwards, which amazed Nagisa. "Look, I can do it, and I'm nine!"
His sister scooted up behind him, penguin still present. "I can't do it. I don't really like it." she said with a sigh, gripping onto the little penguin with all her might. "I like swimming."
"Me too!" Nagisa laughed, moving his arm from Rei's waist, to his bicep, which was surprisingly prominent through his thick layers. "I'm not made for ice. This show off is, though." he grinned cheekily, bumping Rei's hip with his.
"I know my stuff." Rei smiled, and the two kids laughed. "I need to get him to skate on his own."
"Good luck with that, mister!" the boy beamed. "Maybe I could help!"
Nagisa smiled at him kindly. "Well, I-"
"Nia, Tommy, come here!"
Four faces looked towards a short, stout man with unkempt hair, his expression angry. Rei and Nagisa swapped a look, grimacing at one another.
The boy, now known as Tommy, sighed deeply. "That's my grampa. He doesn't like people of your type."
Nia blushed deeply, hitting her brother on the arm. "You can't say that!" she hissed, blue eyes wide with shock and utter embarrassment.
"Oh, sorry," he muttered, rubbing the back of his head. "It's just... like..."
Rei shook his head at them, smile forgiving. "It's completely fine. You can't pick your family, right?" he said sadly, in which the siblings nodded at simultaneously.
Their grandfather came towards them then, his expression furious. All Rei could really say about him was that he was surprisingly good on the ice, despite his size and old age.
"Keep away from my gran'kids, ya hear me?" the old man hissed at the couple, who recoiled slightly at his vicious demeanor. "I'm sick of you faggots, pushing your agenda on us folk."
Rei scoffed. "And it's perfectly OK to say things like that in front of your young grandchildren, right?" he muttered through grit teeth. "Because I don't believe talking to us is any worse than you saying words like that."
"Don't tell me how to talk to my kids. I'll say what I want." he cried, suddenly becoming very defensive. "What makes you think you can tell me what not to say, you fucking homo!"
"Original." Nagisa snorted.
Rei sighed. "Could you please just leave us be." he said quietly ,trying to remain calm, sensing people begin to stare as the man squared up to them. "This is a rather inappropriate place to start yelling, don't you think?"
"What did you just say to me!?" he yelled at Nagisa, who now stood behind Rei, trying to keep his balance as his legs began to shake.
Rei held up his hand, the other keeping hold of Nagisa's, feeling his whole body begin to tremble as his anxiety began to rile up. "All right, all right, no need to get so hostile. We'll just get out of your way so we can enjoy the rest of our evening together, is that OK with you?"
"Don't take that tone with me, you fag, I'll knock those glasses off your fucking toffee-nosed face." he threatened, and it was Rei's turn to take a step back.
"Sir, I would really like to think that-"
His sentence was cut short as the stout man's fist made a harsh impact with the left side of his face, the heavy gold ring cracking something in his nose, the pain surging through his brain, blinding him momentarily as his vision flooded red.
"Oh, fuck, Rei!" Nagisa cried, holding him tightly as he was almost knocked off his feet. "What the fuck, you psycho!?
"Oh, shit." Rei hissed, hand cupping his nose as it began to bleed heavily.
Officials on the site and many others who were enjoying their evening rushed over, some wanting to help, others speculating for the sake of it. A big, buff man with a sleeve of tattoos and a bald head grabbed the old guy who could pack a punch and dragged him off the rink, and a kindly looking woman with soft blue hair knelt down and spoke to his children.
"Are you all right, man?" a short woman pressed a hand against Rei's back, holding out a crumpled tissue for him.
Rei accepted the kind gesture, pressing the tissue against his face and tilting his head forward, feeling the blood flow. "I think he broke my nose." he mumbled, a metallic taste in his mouth.
Nagisa was all shaken up, unable to say a word as he made his way off the ice with Rei and the short employee, gripping his hand tight to steady his trembles. The woman sat him down as she ran to get the first aid kit, and Nagisa stood before him, hands over his mouth. "I can't believe he did that." he breathed, eyes filling with tears. "What if your nose is broken?"
Rei raised his eyes towards Nagisa, his vision blurred, though his glasses had managed to stay fixed on his face, despite the hard hit. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything at all." he mumbled, voice thick.
His boyfriend sat slowly down beside him, taking his hand again. "You stood up for us." he sighed shakily. "I can't believe... What's wrong with people?"
Rei shrugged, removing the tissue from his face and turning towards Nagisa. "Is it bad?" he asked softly.
Nagisa tried his best to stay optimistic, but purple and green bruises had already started forming beneath his eye and over his nose, dried blood was everywhere, and his eye was dreadfully blood shot, water beginning to leak out of the corner of it. "It doesn't look good, babe." he sighed, licking his thumb and rubbing away the dried blood beneath his nose. "You're bruising already."
Rei sighed shakily, slipping off his glasses and wiping his eye. "Guess where I'm not going tomorrow, then." he muttered, wiping the water running from his eyes.
Nagisa pouted. "Oh, no! No party!" he tutted, crossing his arms over his chest. "What a dick. God, I hate people like that so much. I wish they'd all just disappear."
Rei shrugged, hiding his nose as a pulsing pain shot through it. "Me too. I just seem to run into them." he muttered, his whole morale at an all time low. The small employee returned with a ice pack that he could keep pressed against his nose and a cup of water with two Advil pills, telling him there's not much they can do for him, apart from call the cops on the bastard that hit him.
"You weren't even provoking him. He hit you because you were standing up for yourself. It's your choice if we call the cops or not, but, man, I would." she shook her head, arms crossed over her chest.
Rei closed his eyes, thinking about it. It was no use to him getting him put him prison. Although he was both assaulted and beaten, verbally and physically, what good would putting him into prison do? What is he going to do, unlearn his homophobia? Of course not. There was no point. So, surprising both his boyfriend and the woman, he shook his head. "No. It's fine. Don't bother."
Nagisa blinked at him. "What? But, Rei-"
"It's fine." he cut him off, and Nagisa stayed quiet, something about his tone of voice dark and threatening, a sound he never thought would come out of Rei Ryugazaki before.
They had to take a taxi home as Rei's nose had began bleeding again and he didn't fancy walking home with his eyes on the pavement the whole time. It was a very quiet, very awkward ride home, the way Rei snapped at Nagisa earlier seeming to end their conversation for the night. Just as they were getting closer to Rei's apartment building, however, he took hold of Nagisa's hand and squeezed it gently. "Can you come home with me?" he said softly, and Nagisa couldn't deny the poor man with purple bruises matching his violet eyes and dark red blood staining his hanky.
"Of course." he smiled, kissing his hand as he had done, lips soft and safe as always.
After wiping away the dried blood underneath his nose with wet wipes and pressing an ice pack against his nose, Nagisa called Momo.
"Yep?" Momo answered, yawning deeply.
"Hey. I think I might stay at Rei's tonight." he said gently, watching as Rei closed his bleary eyes, sitting forward as the pain continued to pulse throughout his whole head.
Momo snorted. "You finally got him to sleep with you?" he laughed, winking at Ai, who rolled his eyes.
Nagisa smiled. "I wish. Nah, he got punched in the face, so I'm keeping an eye on him." he sighed, tucking his hands in his pockets.
Momo laughed louder. "Wait, what the fuck? Rei got punched? By who!?"
"Ugh, just some bastard. Anyway, how's everything? Found a job yet?" he smiled, listening to Momo groan down the line.
"Nope. Nobody wants an ex-stripper as their assistant or apprentice or even their damn cashier." he muttered bitterly. "Ai said it's because I'm rude. Am I rude?"
Nagisa pursed his lips. "You said to me literally about thirty seconds ago if I got Rei to sleep with me."
Rei raised his eyebrows at Nagisa, who winked at him, a slight flirtatious air about him, making Rei smile slightly.
"That doesn't mean I'm rude!" he cried defensively, and Ai mumbled in the background; "Yeah, it kinda does."
Nagisa laughed lightly. "Ah, well, I'm sure you'll find something soon. How's Ai?"
"He's fine. He's cutting something up at the moment – I dunno what it is. Looks like a vest."
Nagisa bit down on his lip. "Ah. Make sure you don't leave him with those scissors alone, OK?" he said softly, and Momo nodded.
"Yeah, of course. Anyway; I don't want to hold you up. I'll see you later, all right?"
Rei's nose finally stopped bleeding and swelling after an hour or so, and all that was left of the whole fiasco was a couple of bad bruises around his nose and a few beneath his left eye. Nagisa kissed them delicately, careful of hurting him. "You're so stupid. You shouldn't have said anything." he sighed, caressing his face gently and brushing his thumb over the purple marks.
Rei sighed shakily, pressing his forehead against Nagisa's chest, closing his eyes, the sound of his beating heart soothing him, somehow. "I know. I know. But, it's done now, and that's that. I'm going to have to call Rin's sister to make my face presentable for work on Monday, however." he mumbled, holding Nagisa close to him, arms wound around his lower back, hands squeezing his sides. "What a pain."
Nagisa ran his fingers through his soft hair, nuzzling his nose in the midnight blue locks of his lovers, breathing in his lovely smell of shampoo and vanilla coffee which he seemed to live on, this being the first thing he requested of Nagisa when they entered his apartment. Of course, he had no idea how to work his damn posh coffee machine, and after struggling for a little while, he eventually got Rei to do it himself.
"I've got to take a bath." Rei mumbled, pulling himself up. "Will you be all right?"
Nagisa nodded with a smile, about to say he'll just watch TV or something – until an idea popped into his head, one that made him grin cheekily. "Or we could have one together."
Rei blinked at him, eyes wide. "Eh?" he breathed, cheeks flushing pink.
Nagisa giggled, kissing his lips gently. "Come on..." he smirked, eyebrows raised. "Don't you wanna see me nude?"
More than anything, Rei thought, staring at him with wide eyes. "I uh... I mean... Of course I do... I just..."
Nagisa pressed his finger against his lips. "I'll take that as a yes." he winked, before kissing him again, but harder this time, tongue running over his lips.
Rei found himself chuckling. "Is it because I'm all beaten up I'm suddenly very sexually appealing?" he grinned as Nagisa cocked his head to one side, thinking about it.
"Technically, you've always been sexually appealing to me - but now, because you are all bruised and I know it's because you stood up for us, then yeah, you're even hotter than you were before." he grinned, biting his lip.
Rei dropped his head, chuckling. "All right. Fuck it. I want to see your tattoos and all your freckles again." he smiled, pressing his lips against his forehead.
"And I just wanna see what you like naked." Nagisa teased, kissing his jawline.
Well, Rei thought, feeling Nagisa's hands press against where his scar sat. It's not a pretty sight.
Muhahahahahahhahaha you're all gonna have to wait for a while until I officially come back to this loool im not even sorry. Thank you for the people who have been so understanding of my hiatus and it means so much to me that you still, actually want to read this free! bullshit that I fart out of my brain. Idk. I love this story so much though and I hope you stick around with me until the very end! (idek how long this is gonna be lol, probs like 330 chapters long) I love you lots like jelly tots, and a massive thank you! xoxoxo