Morioka wasn't the only one looking forward to their second date.
After adjusting his glasses with his wrist, Minegishi glanced down at his watch, which currently read 6:36pm. A frown crossed his face and he glanced around for any sign of Morioka. Minegishi couldn't help but feel annoyed that he was late tonight of all nights, as they were going on their second date.
As Minegishi continued to wait, he pulled out his phone and scrolled through his text conversation with Morioka from earlier in the day:
From:Hajime Morioka
busy after work?
From:Seiji Minegishi
No, I've got the
night off.
From:Hajime Morioka
same. wanna go out?
still gotta take you to
that pub i was telling
you about
From:Seiji Minegishi
I'd love to. It's a
date.
Minegishi had let slip a chuckle when Morioka responded to that last message with an emoji of a yellow dog wagging its tail and smiling; he was glad that he had been the only one in the hallway at the time. He had never really seen the point in using emojis to text with before, but Morioka had no such reservations, so Minegishi had responded with one of his own: a black cat sticking its tongue out and winking.
It had always been easy to let his guard down and drop his normally stoic, calm outer shell around Morioka. Minegishi didn't know why for the longest time, but eventually he had found the right word to describe how he felt about his longtime friend and coworker: love. He was undeniably in love with Morioka.
It had been a long time since Minegishi had harbored any romantic feelings for someone, but what he felt for Morioka was something that he had never felt for anyone else before. Their close professional relationship had caused Minegishi to develop an unwavering trust in Morioka, and he was able to see firsthand what a considerate and kindhearted person he was. Morioka's pride in his work as the chief of Division 1 was unmatched, and he led with a sharp judgment that Minegishi couldn't help but admire. This was all in addition to the fact that Morioka was incredibly handsome, so it really hadn't surprised Minegishi too much when he had finally figured out that he had fallen for him.
Letting out a long sigh, Minegishi frowned slightly as he slipped his phone back into his pocket and leaned against the building. Normally, he would have no reservations with telling the object of his affections how he felt, but it was different with Morioka.
When they had first started working together, he had told Minegishi that he was a single dad of three girls, and that he had lost his wife in a tragic car accident only a few months after their youngest had been born. Minegishi knew that it was a sore topic of conversation, so he hadn't brought it up since, but he would never forget the sad look in Morioka's eyes when he mentioned his late wife.
That was the root of Minegishi's dilemma: he didn't know if Morioka was even ready to seriously date again, or even wanted to in the first place. Minegishi didn't want to bring up the subject, knowing how much it hurt Morioka to talk about it, so his only option was to wait until Morioka brought up the subject himself.
Minegishi let out a frustrated huff as he pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. That would be easier said than done, because with every interaction that they had, his feelings for Morioka only deepened. He wasn't sure if he could continue to hide his love from him without slipping up and blurting it out, especially if they kept on going on these dates.
Letting his hand fall down his face, Minegishi's fingers brushed against his lips, and his face flushed slightly as the memories of his last date with Morioka flashed through his mind. He could still feel how soft the skin of Morioka's hand had felt against his lips, and even though Minegishi hated the idea of smoking cigarettes, that indirect taste of Morioka he had gotten when he took a drag off of his only had Minegishi craving the taste even more…
"Ah, Minegishi! Sorry I'm late."
Minegishi was snapped out of his thoughts and found Morioka standing in front of him, slightly out of breath as he ran a hand through his wild, unkempt hair. Even when he looked like a mess, Minegishi couldn't help but think that Morioka was as handsome as ever.
"Oh, it's fine. I'm just glad you didn't stand me up." Minegishi's heart went off to the races when Morioka let out a laugh and slapped a hand to his arm.
"I wouldn't miss a date with you for anything," he said, winking as he turned around and gestured with his head while starting to walk down the sidewalk. "C'mon, let's get going. Gotta make sure we get a table before the pub fills up."
Minegishi nodded and made to follow him. "Is it really that popular of a place?"
"Yeah. It's nice and casual, so a lot of people seem to like going there after work."
"Ah, I see."
"Um." Morioka pursed his lips as he rubbed at the back of his head. "That's not a problem right? I know your taste is a bit more...fancy than mine."
"Oh, no need to worry about that," Minegishi said with an amused chuckle, "If you like this place so much, then I'm sure that I will too." A dusting of pink appeared high on Morioka's cheeks, and he mumbled something incoherent. Minegishi smiled broadly when Morioka quickly changed the subject to some small talk. Morioka was usually so confident and sure of himself, so seeing him so flustered was a real treat.
Soon they arrived at the pub, which was indeed starting to fill up rather quickly, but they managed to find a small table towards the back. They ordered some drinks and plates of food to share, and Morioka raised a confused eyebrow when two glasses of whiskey on the rocks were placed on the table.
"Huh, didn't peg you as a whiskey person, Minegishi," he said as he picked up his own glass and took a generous swig. Minegishi just shrugged and swirled the glass around in his hand for a moment, letting the strong liquid mingle with the ice to chill.
"Well, you seem to like it so much, so I thought that I'd give it a try too." Minegishi lifted the glass to his lips and took a small sip, wincing as the alcohol burned on his tongue. Morioka watched him silently, and the way that his eyes followed his every movement sent a shiver down his spine. Morioka didn't seem to realize that he was staring, and a mischievous grin crossed Minegishi's face.
"I seem to be catching you staring at me quite often as of late, Morioka. I do wonder why that is." Minegishi's grin grew wider when Morioka's face flushed, and he cleared his throat as he averted his gaze.
"I, uh, it's just...nothing, really…" he mumbled, quickly preoccupying himself by shoving some edamame into his mouth and chasing it with his drink. Minegishi could only silently hope that maybe it was because he reciprocated Minegishi's feelings for him, but the latter knew that he was probably jumping the gun a bit. Minegishi bit his cheek to prevent himself from chuckling. As much fun as it was to watch Morioka act like a fish out of water, Minegishi would let up on his teasing a bit, at least for now.
They ate and drank in silence for a while, before Minegishi spoke up again. "Ah, I've been meaning to ask you: how are your girls doing?"
"Oh, they're a handful as always. Sayuri's a teenager now, and she really inherited her mom's sassiness. Unfortunately, Kiyoko and Hasumi seem to be picking some of that up from her too." Morioka tried to sound annoyed, but Minegishi wasn't fooled due to the smile that crossed the former's face. He always seemed so happy when he was talking about his family, and that made a warmth blossom within Minegishi's chest.
"You seem like a wonderful father, Morioka. Those girls are lucky to have you," Minegishi said, and Morioka laughed and shook his head.
"Nah. If anyone's lucky here, it's me. They're my pride and joy, and I'd do anything for 'em." A melancholy look crossed his face as he finished his drink. "I know that Akari would be proud of them too." Minegishi's heart clenched at the deep sadness that had appeared in Morioka's eyes, and he regretted bringing up the subject at all.
"Ah, would you like another round?" Minegishi quickly changed the subject and waved down their waitress.
"Heh, of course. I can't have a first time whiskey drinker outdoing me."
They both laughed at that, and after a night of delicious food and drink, Minegishi and Morioka left the pub. Glancing down at his watch, Minegishi saw that it was getting close to midnight, and he looked at Morioka with an eyebrow raised.
"It's pretty late. Don't you have to get back home?"
Morioka shrugged and shook his head. "Not tonight. The kiddos are having a sleepover and grandma and grandpa's."
"Ah, I see." Minegishi went quiet, his heart suddenly pounding hard in his ears. He wanted so badly to tell Morioka that he didn't want their date to end quite yet, but he held his tongue. He knew that such a suggestion would be unwise, considering that he had no idea how Morioka felt about him, and if he didn't feel the same way, Minegishi had no idea if their current relationship would suffer because of it.
Morioka suddenly stumbled beside him, and Minegishi was lucky that his reflexes were sharp, because he was able to grab Morioka by the shoulder to steady him before he could topple to the ground.
"Ah, sorry…" Morioka mumbled, his eyes narrowing as he tried to regain his balance, but his legs seemed to be a bit unstable. Minegishi cocked his head to the side, and a slight smile crossed his face.
"Oh, are you really that drunk, Morioka? You're much more of a lightweight than I thought."
"Shut up."
"Well, lean on me, then. Can't have you falling over and making a fool of yourself, can we? My place is only a few blocks away, I can call you a cab when we get you a bit sobered up." Minegishi chuckled when Morioka slipped his arm over his shoulders without a moment of hesitation.
"Thanks. I guess I did drink a little too much, eh?"
"...Right."
Minegishi took a moment to readjust Morioka's weight against him, before they both began to make the trek to his apartment. Morioka seemed oddly quiet, and Minegishi was worried for a moment that he would be able to hear how loudly Minegishi's heart was beating due to their prolonged physical contact.
"I'm glad you're here to help me, Minegishi." Morioka tried and failed to suppress a snicker. "I feel like you're my knight in shining armor."
Minegishi grinned as he glanced over at Morioka. "Oh am I? Should I start calling you 'Your Highness' then?"
"Heh, I do like the sound of that. Make sure you bow and kiss my hand every time you do."
"Don't push your luck."
Their combined laughter rang out into the night as they continued down the sidewalk. Minegishi wasn't stupid; he had noticed right away that Morioka's drunken stumbling was just an act. Morioka could have easily consumed much more alcohol than he had without feeling anything. However, the feeling of Morioka leaning against him, and his head occasionally brushing against Minegishi's when Morioka wanted to whisper something in his ear, prevented Minegishi from calling him out on it.
When they got to his apartment, Minegishi quickly guided the seemingly-drunk Morioka to the couch and set him down before heading to the kitchen. He filled two glasses with water and went back to the living room to find Morioka lounging comfortably, his jacket thrown haphazardly over the back of the couch. Minegishi tried to keep his eyes from wandering to the exposed skin on Morioka's chest and collarbone, and that was proving to be quite the difficult task.
"Thanks," Morioka said when Minegishi handed him a glass and sat down next to him, "Nice place you've got here. Can't believe you live here all alone though."
"Hmm, yes. I have to admit, it does get a bit lonely sometimes," Minegishi said, but with Morioka here, that loneliness was nowhere to be found, and it was replaced with a desperate longing for Morioka to be the one who filled that particular void in his life. A slightly uncomfortable silence filled the room, and Minegishi was worried that he might have said something too awkward.
"I never did get to ask you this, but why haven't you settled down yet?" Morioka suddenly asked, glancing at Minegishi out of the corner of his eye as he took a small sip of his water.
Minegishi didn't answer right away; he hadn't expected to be asked that particular question, but he just shrugged and leaned back against the couch. "I guess I just...never felt that deep of a connection with anyone before."
'...Until I met you,' Minegishi wanted to add, but he held his tongue. He still hadn't gauged if Morioka was even ready for a relationship yet, given that he had lost his wife. It had been seven years since it happened, but even though Minegishi hadn't experienced that kind of loss himself, he assumed that even an infinite amount of time couldn't heal such an egregious wound.
Minegishi watched as Morioka stared down at his water, gaze so intense that Minegishi wondered if he was trying to burn a hole through the glass. Morioka then took a deep breath and set the glass on the coffee table, before turning towards Minegishi and looking him straight in the eye.
"Hey, Minegishi?"
"Yes?"
"I've...been thinking about starting to seriously date again."
Minegishi had been in the middle of taking a drink, and he choked slightly as he made a startled noise in the back of his throat. He...what? Minegishi had certainly hoped that Morioka would say those words to him someday, but he hadn't expected it to happen quite so soon. A nervous, yet hopeful feeling settled deep within his gut, and he only nodded in response as Morioka spoke again.
"I've raised my kids alone for the past seven years, and I know that my wife would want them to have two loving parents, even if one of them wasn't her." Minegishi thought that he saw Morioka's eyes take on a watery sheen, but Morioka quickly blinked any moisture away and closed his eyes. "I'll always love her, but I know that she'd want me to find someone else to share the rest of my life with."
"Do-Do you...have anyone in mind?" Minegishi blurted out, and he didn't even try to hide the desperation in his voice. Morioka chuckled slightly and nodded as he opened his eyes.
"Yeah." Morioka's voice dropped to a whisper as his gaze locked with Minegishi's, and he inhaled sharply when Morioka reached up to cup his cheek. "Just one person in particular."
The intensity in Morioka's eyes stole the air from Minegishi's lungs, and his face suddenly felt like it had been set on fire. His gaze never left Morioka's as nodded his head slightly, and Minegishi let Morioka gently pull his head towards him until their lips met in a gentle kiss.
Minegishi couldn't believe this was happening. He cracked open an eye to make sure it really was Morioka kissing him, and he smiled against his lips as his eye slipped shut again. Morioka's kiss tasted of whiskey and tobacco, a combination that sounded terrible to Minegishi, but it was, in fact, the best thing that he had ever tasted in his life.
Morioka was a bit too forceful when he tried to deepen the kiss further, and he knocked Minegishi off balance, sending them both tumbling onto the couch in a heap. Letting out a grunt as Morioka fell on top of him, Minegishi opened his mouth to complain, but he was suddenly given pause by the intensity of Morioka's gaze. His hands were braced on both sides of Minegishi's head, and his broad chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath. Minegishi swallowed thickly as his face grew hot, and he could barely hear himself think over the roaring of his heartbeat in his ears.
"Seiji…" Morioka whispered, and hearing his first name fall from his lips in that husky voice of his for the first time caused a flame to ignite deep within Minegishi's gut. Morioka opened his mouth to say more, but he hesitated, a look of uncertainty flashing in his eyes as he averted his gaze.
A soft smile crossed Minegishi's face; this was a side of Morioka that he had certainly never seen before. He was always so confident and said whatever came to his mind with ease, so seeing him freeze up like this was quite a surprise. With his left hand, Minegishi reached up to cup Morioka's face, his thumb brushing gently over his flushed cheek as his gaze returned to his.
"Hajime." He barely managed to suppress a chuckle when Morioka's eyes widened with shock. Minegishi reached back with his right hand and felt around blindly, until he found Morioka's hand. Only when he entwined their fingers together and gave them a light squeeze did he continue.
"Stay with me tonight."
Morioka sucked in a sharp breath, and Minegishi's heart was filled with warmth when a tender smile crossed his face. Morioka didn't respond with words, but instead leaned down and pressed a deep, tender kiss to Minegishi's lips, telling him all that he needed to know.
Minegishi normally woke up on his days off to the sound of birds chirping outside, but this morning, a very different sound roused him from his slumber.
Cracking an eye open, he yawned and tried to stretch his arms, but he found that difficult, as they were pinned to his sides. A small smile crossed his face as he glanced over his shoulder to find Morioka's face pressed against his hair, snoring loudly with every breath that he took. Minegishi was slightly annoyed by the sound, but the feeling of Morioka's chest pressing against his back and his warm arms wrapped securely around him more than made up for it.
Minegishi carefully wriggled his arms free and turned to face Morioka, his hands moving up to cup his sleeping face. Last night had felt like a dream, and Minegishi feared that was all it was, but waking up in the arms of his lover was more than enough proof to tell him otherwise. An overwhelming feeling of happiness welled up inside of Minegishi as he pressed a tender kiss to Morioka's lips.
Morioka let out a grunt as his face scrunched up, and Minegishi chuckled as he watched his eyes slowly open. He kissed Morioka a few more times as the latter blinked slowly at him, before he smiled and lifted a hand to Minegishi's face.
"'Morning, Seiji," Morioka mumbled, gently brushing the hair from Minegishi's face with a fond look in his eyes, "I could get used to waking up like this…"
Minegishi chuckled and rolled his eyes. "It's probably better than my wake-up call. Have you always snored like that?" He grinned when Morioka blushed and averted his gaze.
"Er, sorry. Can't really help it. My girls complain to me all the time about it too. Apparently it's loud enough for them to hear from their rooms sometimes…"
"That doesn't surprise me at all." Minegishi chuckled as Morioka glanced back at him, and the latter smirked as he pushed Minegishi against the bed and rolled on top of him.
"I'm sure I can find a way to make it up to you…" Morioka didn't give Minegishi time to respond as he kissed him again and again, moving from his lips to his jawline to his neck. As he continued to pepper his neck with lazy kisses, Morioka mumbled something that Minegishi didn't quite catch.
"What?"
Morioka buried his face against Minegishi's neck in response to his inquiry and mumbled again, his words still incomprehensible. Rolling his eyes, Minegishi leaned back and placed his hand over Morioka's face, pushing him further away.
"Stop mumbling if you want me to understand you," he said, and Morioka grabbed his hand and pushed it away. Minegishi raised an eyebrow as Morioka's face flushed a deep red in color, and Minegishi was surprised at the uncharacteristically shy look in his eyes when his gaze locked him.
"Seiji...I love you."
Minegishi was stunned for a moment, his eyes wide as he blinked slowly. He then burst out laughing, and he heard Morioka let out an annoyed huff as he tried to contain himself.
"You're not supposed to laugh at that, asshole," Morioka grumbled, pouting as he rolled away from Minegishi. Still chuckling, Minegishi wrapped an arm around Morioka and placed a kiss on his shoulder.
"Sorry, sorry. It's just...this soft side of you is quite adorable."
"Fuck off."
Minegishi didn't have time to react as Morioka rolled over again, whipping his pillow at his lover and smacking him right in the face. He managed to block the next hit with his own pillow, and they both laughed as their pillow fight raged on, ending when Morioka grabbed Minegishi's arms and pinned him to the bed.
Morioka stared down at Minegishi, breathing hard as he tried to catch his breath. When a soft smile spread over his face, Minegishi knew that what he felt for this man was genuine, unbridled love and adoration. Reaching up to cup Morioka's face, he tugged his head down so that their lips met in a tender kiss. Pulling away slightly, he offered a smile of his own, and their lips lightly brushed as Minegishi spoke.
"I love you too, Hajime."
Morioka smiled softly as he wrapped his arms around Minegishi and pulled him close, and the latter did the same as he rest his head against Morioka's broad chest. Minegishi let out a content sigh when Morioka's fingers brushed through his hair and he felt his lips press softly against his forehead.
"This is still a bit surreal," Morioka said, his entire chest vibrating as he chuckled, "You're always such a goddamn tease, so I really couldn't tell if you were seriously flirting with me or not."
Minegishi turned his head to glance up at Morioka. "Oh? But I meant every word that I said."
"Even the part about my hair?" Morioka pouted when Minegishi snorted to try to stifle a laugh.
"Oh, especially that part."
Morioka let out an annoyed growl while Minegishi laughed, but his laughter was cut short when Morioka's lips suddenly captured his in a fervent kiss.
It was past noon when they finally managed to untangle themselves from each other and get out of bed. After getting cleaned up and dressed, Minegishi felt that familiar loneliness start to creep up inside of him again as they stood by the door.
"Well, I guess you should get going-"
"Hey...wanna grab some coffee with me?"
Minegishi blinked slowly when Morioka interrupted him, and a smile slowly spread across his face.
"Don't you have to pick up the girls?"
"Nah, my parents are taking them to the aquarium today, so they'll be busy until late. And," Morioka reached up to cup Minegishi's face, his thumb gently brushing over his cheek, "I'm just...not exactly ready to let you go yet." Minegishi sighed as he leaned into his touch and nodded slightly.
"Alright, I'd love to."
Morioka grinned as he reached for Minegishi's hand, but he hesitated, his grin quickly replaced by a deep frown.
"We...should probably be careful about public displays of affection, right?" he asked, and Minegishi let out a sigh as he nodded. Given their higher-up positions at work, Minegishi knew that their romantic relationship would most likely be frowned upon by their peers. He didn't like the idea of keeping their relationship a secret, but if that's what it took for them to be together, Minegishi would make the sacrifice.
"I think we should be fine, at least until we get down to the street," Minegishi said, and he smiled when Morioka laughed at that.
"I'd better get this out of my system now then."
Before Minegishi could ask what he meant about that, Morioka answered by cupping his face with both hands and kissing him. They both laughed in between each playful kiss, and Minegishi wrapped his arms around Morioka, relishing in the fact that he could now show the man that he had secretly loved all of the affection that he had been holding back for so long.
Minegishi was the one to finally pull away, and he had to place his hands firmly on Morioka's shoulders to prevent him from immediately coming back for more. He chuckled when Morioka pouted at him, and Minegishi lifted a hand to his face to caress his cheek with the back of his hand.
"Oh, don't give me that look, Hajime. If I'd let you continue, we wouldn't be leaving my apartment at all today."
"Hmm...you're not wrong," Morioka mumbled as he reached up to carefully adjust Minegishi's glasses, which had been knocked askew during their passionate kiss. It was such a simple gesture, but yet Minegishi felt his face heat up and his heart was racing.
"Well, let's go." Morioka grinned as he held out his hand. "There's a nice cafe not too far from here"
Minegishi chuckled as his hand slipped into Morioka's, and their fingers entwined automatically like it was the most natural thing in the world. He would have to let go all too soon, but Minegishi was sure that with time, they would be able to hold hands for as long as they'd like; he was very much looking forward to that. Minegishi cracked a smile and he pushed open the door, pausing in the threshold as he glanced over his shoulder at Morioka.
"It's a date."