A/N: Wow it's been forever since I wrote fanfiction and posted a chapter on here. It's just been a tough year and didn't really have the motivation to write. But hey, I'm back in it now. Hopefully you didn't hate waiting too much. Plus I think you might like this chapter. Have fun.

Chapter 10

After letting the receptionist at the front of the building know they'd be out for a while, Hawk's led Harry outside of the agency and to the city streets. Arriving at the skyscraper by way of flying, Harry hadn't seen the city from the ground level yet. (Besides the time he was hit by a car after arriving.) It was more spectacular than he had initially realized.

Having grown up and lived in England, and then Scotland, Harry had never really been in a city as urban as Tokyo. Sure, he visited London whenever he needed to go to the M.O.M., but he had never visited the muggle parts of it. So he was unprepared for how…beautiful everything looked.

It was evening by now (the old pocket watch in his vest read 7:53pm) and the streets were lit up by neon signs and fluorescent street lights. The buildings all stood at least ten stories above him and would have been an eyesore, if not for the trees and other foliage strategically planted to provide shade from the light reflections.

It had even rained a bit while the two were inside and it made the colors from all the lights reflect softly off every surface. Paired with the smell of fresh rain and wet plants in the air, Harry found himself momentarily at peace. Enough so that he wished he had a magic camera to store the scene on.

Coming back from his own thoughts, Harry realized he had tuned out the things Keigo had been saying. He was walking slightly ahead of the wizard, wings relaxed behind him as pointed out different shops and sights.

"-and that place there, with the green lettering, is one of my favorite coffee shops. They always have my special ready for when I have morning patrols. They make some of the best espresso shots."

Humming along, Harry noted to himself that Keigo seemed to drink a lot of coffee. This was what…the third time today that he had mentioned coffee? Or maybe Harry was just too much of a tea drinker to understand. Speaking of…

"What about tea? I could go for a good cuppa right now."

Keigo stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and turned his full attention to Harry. Harry stopped as well, wondering why the shorter man was staring up at him so suddenly. Unless he was doing this just to be dramatic. His sons often pulled the same tactics on him.

"Tea? Well, I mean if that's what you like, I know some boba places. It's not on the level of coffee, but I hear they have some good fruit tea."

Harry noted absently that people on the street were whispering excitedly as they walked around the two of them. Keigo seemed to pretend he couldn't hear any of it, though Harry knew that to be untrue. But if he considered it normal, then Harry would do his best to ignore it as well.

"Well, I guess herbal teas will do for now, but I really meant something more along the lines of a classic English black tea. Earl Gray or a breakfast blend perhaps."

Harry's attention was caught midway by a group of girls as they shyly huddled nearby. They seemed to be pointing at him and whispering at each other. He could just make out what they were saying.

'-oh my god, his accent. It's so hot! And he's with Hawks. Do you think he's a new hero from overseas?'

'Do you think if we asked we could get a picture with them? How cool would it be to get a picture with a new hero before they even debuted. Everyone in class will be so jealous!'

A bit confused at the attention, Harry gave them a small smile and a wave. It's not like he was famous anymore, he couldn't understand why people would still be paying this much attention to him. Hawks he could understand. Hawks was the famous one, but they seemed to be paying attention to Harry instead. Turning his gaze back to Keigo, he continued.

"If not tea, then I wouldn't mind having a few drinks to relax. I'm quite partial to whiskey or a good ale myself."

Hawks hummed before grinning and giving Harry a solid thump between his shoulder blades. Harry grunted at the unexpected force. He knew the shorter man was strong, but sometimes it was easy to forget that fact when his attitude was so easy going. Perhaps that was another tactic of his, letting people underestimate him.

"Good idea! There's just the place near here for some drinks! It even has private rooms; a lot of places that cater to heroes have them."

Giving Harry a solid push to get him moving, Hawks grinned behind his back at the still whispering girls. All it took was a grin and V with his fingers to get them to explode. He turned his back on them and ignored the flashes of their cell phones as they went off.

Harry stayed silent as Hawks led them into what he called an 'Izakaya'. It looked nothing like the sit-in diners he used to frequent with his ex-wife and children, but rather a bit like the lobby of an inn? A few people coming out of a hall to the left caught his eye, laughing and joking as they stumbled around obviously drunk. One had arms the size of Harry's own torso, while the other just looked like a normal office worker.

He tried not to be too obvious as he watched the two stumble past them, the smell of beer and fried foods following in their wake. So this is what Keigo meant when he said the place had private rooms. It was a novelty Harry had never experienced before. The magical world had never seemed to understand the meaning of the word 'privacy' from his own dealings with public spaces.

"Sorry for the wait sirs. If you follow me, I'll lead you to your room."

Keigo waved Harry over to him with a smile, and Harry took the cue as he walked beside him. They followed the woman wearing the kimono past different rooms, some with only two or three people, and others so loud Harry wondered why they hadn't been kicked out yet. Another cultural difference he would soon come to understand, Harry supposed.

It wasn't long before the woman slid open a screen door and moved aside to let them enter.

"Here you are. The menus are on the table. Once you are ready to order, simply ring the bell. Have a good stay, sirs." She calmly left the two and disappeared back down the hall.

Keigo used his toes to slide off his shoes before shuffling to a soft pillow inside the room and sitting down on it. Realizing the room was made up of tatami flooring, Harry followed Keigo's example and reached down to slide off his dragonhide dress shoes. The shoes, made up of hungarian leather and detailed with goblin enchanted gold, was an old anniversary gift from Ginny. It had been her way to try and make him look like the Lord of an 'ancient and noble house' that he technically was. Harry hadn't cared too much for the title at the time, but he appreciated Ginny trying to look out for him regardless.

The memory was a bit bittersweet now. Still, he hoped his shoes would be safe waiting outside. It's not like he could enchant an anti-theft spell on them. The shoes selling point had been that they were spell resistant, after all.

Walking into the room with just his socks, Harry slid the door closed behind him. He then settled into the other cushion on the opposite side of the table from Hawks. It took a moment for him to settle on a position that felt comfortable. He had never sat down on the floor to eat a meal, after all. His joints didn't quite bend that freely.

At least not enough to sit in the crossed leg position Keigo was.

One knee up and the other folded beneath him, Harry slid off his robe and folded it before setting it on the floor beside him. He then unhooked the clasps of his bracers and slid those off as well. Once those were off, he slid his wand out of the built in holster and set it on the floor beside him. Lastly, he undid the gold cufflinks at his wrists and folded the sleeves up until they rested just above his elbow.

Last time he got the silk of his dress shirt stained Ginny had berated him for days. Harry may not have had much of a real understanding of the value of money, since he had inherited quite a bit with no real financial literacy, but Ginny had always been there to remind him whenever she thought he was doing something stupid with it. Or with the things he bought with it.

Lost in his thoughts as he was, Harry didn't notice Keigo staring at him as he got lost in memory lane. At first, Keigo had been distracted by the slow, methodical way Harry removed articles of clothing. It was so slow and relaxed, but also deceptively arousing. At least in Keigo's mind.

Or maybe he was just weak for forearms.

But then Harry seemed to fall into some sort of flashback. His eyes lost focus and his hand stilled as it played with one of the rings on his left hand. It was a thick band that was on his pointer finger with a crest of sorts on it. As he was looking, he also noticed the tan line of an old ring on his ring finger. The place where a wedding band would have sat.

Another note to add to the psychological profile Keigo was building of the wizard in his mind.

Feeling a bit sorry for the man, and not wanting to let the mood drop any further, Keigo stretched his wings out with a loud groan, popping his back out as he did so.

"Alright!" Harry's eyes came back to focus and he seemed a bit lost as a hesitant smile slid onto his face. "Let's decide what to eat, yeah? Go ahead and order whatever you want. And order lots! We're feasting tonight!"

Nodding, Harry opened up the menu. While most of it was in Japanese, Harry found there was an English translation beneath each sentence. It was a small little detail, but Harry found it comforting. He didn't quite need the translation, as Harry already knew the language from the translation potion, but it was nice to read something in English.

Chicken Teriyaki, Tonkatsu, Ramen, Sushi, and so much more. There were pages for entrees, appetizers, alcohol, and even dessert. They even had steak; wagyu steak. He didn't know what that was, but the description below it sounded appetizing. 'Famous for its intricate marbling and soft texture.'

Deciding he'd get that, as well as some appetizers in the form of karaage and gyoza, Harry then turned towards the drink pages. While he couldn't find any whiskey on the page, there were many forms of sake and beer. Deciding to be a bit adventurous tonight, he decided he'd get the warmed sake.

"You know what you want yet?" Harry looked up at Keigo and saw that he had removed his jacket. He was leaning back on one of his hands as he used the other to massage his shoulder blades. His wings stretched and twitched whenever he dug into certain spots.

"Yeah, I'm ready to order."

"Cool!" Keigo leaned half his body over the table to reach the button at the end. It only took about a minute after pressing it for an employee to slide open the screen door. Loud background chatter of the rooms around them flew in before it was silenced as the door closed behind the woman. Harry would have guessed silencing spells if he didn't know there wasn't any magic here.

It didn't take long for them to place their orders. And while they were waiting for their food, the waitress had been quick to get them their drinks. As it turned out, the warmed sake came in a large ceramic pitcher kept on a heating pad. With it were small ceramic cups you used to drink out of. Keigo had ordered a large can of chilled beer.

After the waitress showed him how to pour the sake into the cup, Harry took his first taste of the rice wine. It was strong and tasted a bit dry, but went down smoothly. He couldn't place a flavor to it, but it felt warm and relaxing as it settled in his stomach. Overall, it was enjoyable enough.

Keigo took a large few chugs of his beer before setting it back down and leaning forward over the table to Harry. "So, Mr. Wizard, tell me about yourself."

"Me?" Harry hummed and wondered what he should start with. He was familiar with the question; he often used the ice breaker when getting to know new aurors. "Well I'm twenty-six years old, have two children, an ex-wife, and my profession is basically what you would call a magical cop."

"No, no, no." Keigo began, grinning across the table at Harry. "None of the stuff you put in the files. I already know all that. Tell me something interesting; like…what's your craziest scar? Got any risky tattoos? What's your favorite alcohol? Stuff like that!"

Keigo brought the neck of his body suit down until Harry could see down at his collar bones. There was a jagged scar across the right protrusion. "Like this one; got this when I got attacked by a villain on one of my recovery days, when my wings were still regrowing. Had a barbed tail that ripped right through my collar bone. If I was a few seconds slower it would have gone straight through my neck."

Taking a slow sip of sake, Harry marveled silently at how feminine Keigo's bone structure was without his bulky jacket. Sure he had masculine features and defined muscles, but he was also quite petite. A trait of his bird quirk, perhaps?

Coming back to the question at hand though, Harry wasn't quite sure how to respond. Did he say congratulations on surviving? 'Wow, that looks like it hurt?' Was this the normal way new coworkers got to know each other? It was moments like these that Harry cursed his social awkwardness.

Deciding he'd take Keigo's queue, Harry rolled up his right sleeve a bit more to reveal the large scar on the inside of his elbow from when the basilisk fang pierced through it. He set his arm on the table for Keigo to better see. "I got this one when I was twelve, when I was attacked by a Basilisk." Harry paused briefly. "Do you know what a Basilisk is?"

"Nope." Keigo leaned forward on his elbows to look at the scar closer, even going so far as to take Harry's arm in his own hands. It sent…strange sensations down his spine. When was the last time he had let someone touch him? The only times he could remember was when Ginny and he had been intimate. Ginny had often ran a hand up his forearm whenever she wanted to lead him back to their shared bedroom.

It sent confusing signals to his brain. Signals he wasn't sure how to act on.

Harry flexed his fingers as Keigo continued to poke and prod at the skin around his scar. "Do you still feel anything from it? The scar tissue looks pretty deep."

"A bit? It's duller near the center, but near the edges is where the feeling comes back." It was as Keigo moved his grip down to his wrist that he noticed the scar that read 'I must not tell lies'. Even after eleven years, the scar was still faintly visible. But just as Keigo was about to open his mouth and ask about it, their server had arrived with their food.

Glad for the distraction, Harry slid his arm back to his side and rolled the sleeve back down. The food came on a cart that was parked just outside their room. First to be brought in was Harry's steak and appetizers, which the server set carefully in front of him. Then she brought over all of Hawk's dishes; almost all the flavors of fried and grilled chicken the restaurant had, if Harry had to guess. He counted over six different plates.

There wasn't much talk the first few minutes of them sampling their food. As soon as the waitress had left, Keigo grabbed the first skewer of grilled chicken and stuffed his face full. Harry was glad for the distraction. He had a lot on his mind.

Back at the agency Harry had been quite comfortable with the joking and play fighting, it was all something he had done with his mates back home. This though? Whatever that had been when Keigo ran his fingers along the edges of Harry's scar? With another man? It was all too confusing to Harry, who up until a moment ago had been sure he was straight. He had been married to a woman for most of his adult life after all, and even had kids with her.

But as Harry slowly cut through his steak, he thought back on it. As far as he could remember, Harry had never considered his own sexuality. Sure, he had the one crush on Cho Chang, and then the eventual marriage to Ginny, but Harry did slightly remember the confusing admiration he had for Cedric Diggory. He could even remember having a small fixation on the older boy's smile and laugh.

However, any discovery of having a liking towards the male gender had been cut short at the end of that fourth year. The stress of Cedric's death and the return of Voldermort had killed and buried anything not related to the coming war. Any slow budding discovery that he was attracted to Cedric had been left to the wayside. Not to mention how devastated Cho had been over the loss. It had felt…wrong to even consider he may have liked Cedric.

Perhaps he did like men as well and had just…never realized. Ginny's feelings for him had just been so easy to accept. Harry hadn't known how eager he was to be loved by someone until Ginny had gotten bold enough to make the first move. Harry did come to love her, and he still did to some extent, but, thinking back on it now, would he have acted any different if it was a boy who made the first move?

Even more confused than he was before, Harry took another long sip of his sake. The warmth was now spreading pleasantly through his stomach and to his limbs, and Harry could feel the beginnings of a pleasant buzz. He would think about his own sexuality later. It wasn't like it mattered anyway. Harry had no intention of getting into a relationship any time soon. No. Not at all.

"So Harry," Harry looked up as he slowly nursed another cup of sake. Keigo's face was slightly flushed from his third can of beer. From the warmth on his own face, Harry thought he might have looked the same. "...what do you wanna do now that you're here? Any life goals? Plans to settle down? You need something to live for outside of working for the HPSC, trust me. So come on, what do ya wanna do?"

What did he want to do? What would he do if he wasn't an Auror?

"I considered Quidditch for a while. But well…no quidditch teams here."

"Quidditch? What's that?"

"It's a wizarding sport; with brooms and quaffles and bludgers and snitches."

Keigo had a funny look on his face. The confused pinch of his brows was actually quite cute.

That was the alcohol talking, Harry assured himself.

"Okay I only understood half of that."

Halfway into Harry retelling the match of his first year where his broom had been bewitched, Keigo's cell phone started beeping at him. From the timing of the call, Harry knew it was likely from work. Harry couldn't remember how many times he had to bail on a family dinner because the law enforcement department needed him to come in for something urgent.

"Damn." Keigo cursed as he slid the phone back into a pocket. "One of my interns got hurt on a patrol and my secretary wants me to come in to talk to him." Keigo opened another beer and chugged it as fast as he could. He finished it with a quiet belch at the end. "I'm gonna need that. If there's one thing I hate the most about being a hero, it's training the younger ones. It's why I hardly take on new talent."

"What about me? You're training me, right?"

Keigo laughed and nudged him under the table with his foot. Harry frowned but was drunk enough that he didn't try to move the toes that were now prodding at his calf. "Come on, you don't count, you already know how to fight. I'm just here to show you all the technical parts of hero work. So the HPSC can say it wasn't their fault when someone tries to sue ya."

"Is that common? People trying to sue heroes?"

Harry glanced down at the sock covered toes he could see messing with his pant leg. Keigo had a stupid grin on his face that accompanied the drunken flush on his cheeks.

"You have noooooo idea. It's mostly against heroes with more destructive quirks, and most lawsuits never stick, but sometimes a jury will rule in favor of the damaged party and heroes have to pay out huge settlements. Some heroes never recover financially from it."

Keigo's toes were now crawling further up his leg and Harry was having another one of those confusing moments where he was feeling things he never thought he would with a man.

"Keigo."

"Hmm?"

"Didn't you have to go?"

"Give me a minute."

Harry frowned and looked back up at the man in question.

"Aw don't worry, the kid isn't going anywhere. Plus it'd be kind of embarrassing to stand up right now."

It took a bit for Harry's brain to process the meaning before his eyes widened.

"Aw shit, I shouldn't have said that. Sorry, the alcohol makes me a bit loose."

Keigo wiggled his thick eyebrows at him, a drunken giggle escaping him at the same time. The innuendo took a bit for Harry to catch up to. Personally, Harry had no idea how to respond. He had never had a man be this forward with him. The only thing he could compare this too was when an older woman would try to hit on him when he was out in the field.

Even more confusing was his own response to it. Like when he was back at Hogwarts in his early years and a sense of curiosity and adventure took hold of him. Like Keigo was daring him to do something, daring him to take a risk. And Harry, being the stupid Gryffindor he was, acted before he could really think about it.

He watched his fingers reach out and wrap around Keigo's ankle, stopping the man's slow crawl up his calf as he pressed his fingers into the skin, both feeling and seeing Keigo jump at the hold. His eyes were wide and his wings were pressed in tight to his sides. Harry felt Keigo twitch in his hold, but he also noticed he didn't try to free his leg either. Feeling a bit more bold thanks to the alcohol in his system, Harry started running his thumb in small circular motions, testing the man's reaction to his touch.

Harry saw Keigo's eyes flutter closed as he let out a short breath, his fingers curling against the tatami mat beneath him. Wanting to see what else he could do, Harry moved his thumb again, stroking up against the pulse point, and Harry felt his own breath leave him when Keigo let out a loud, unexpected moan. And it went straight to his-

Suddenly aware of what he was doing, Harry let go of Keigo's leg as if it was on fire. For a moment, he had forgotten they were in a restaurant. That Harry had just met the man. That he was probably more than a little drunk. He also felt a bit unsure of himself, as well. Unsure and confused about the attraction he seemed to have to Keigo.

He had only just come to the conclusion that he might be attracted to men, after all.

"I uh–" Harry cleared his throat "-I'm sorry. That was inappropriate of me."

"No uh…" Keigo's face was quite red and he had re-positioned himself so the leg Harry had grabbed was bent up against his chest. "...that was my bad. I can get really flirty when I drink."

Keigo could cut the sexual tension with a knife. Or a feather blade. He hadn't meant to get as turned on as he had. Harry just looked so damn attractive without the robe and his forearms were tight and his hands were big and then Keigo started imagining those hands on him and well…

Keigo could count on more than one occasion when he had slept with someone purely because he had drank too much. It's why he usually drank alone in the comfort of his own home. No one to get drunk with and fall into bed with. Less collateral damage to clean up after.

Not that Keigo thought he'd regret sleeping with Harry. But well, he also didn't want to take advantage of the man. Keigo knew the man was mourning about something and he didn't want to just be a rebound the man would regret later. He didn't want to ruin any chance he had at making a good friend out of Harry.

And that's what he yearned for more than a quick fuck; a friend he didn't have to pretend to be a hero around.

"You know, I should probably go and talk to that intern now."

"Yeah."

"Not that I hated that, I mean I liked that, but uh–"

"Yeah."

"-right uh…"

Keigo could see that Harry's ears were flushed red as he took another sip of sake. He had undone another button near his collar and Keigo could see the small beads of sweat running down the side of his neck. Knowing he'd do something stupid if he stayed any longer, Keigo stood up and was glad for the bagginess of his tan cargo pants.

He threw on the outer jacket and pulled up the collar to hide the red flush of his cheeks. "Don't worry about the check. I have a tab on file. Just let them know when you're done."

Harry nodded but didn't look up at him. Another glance down at him and Keigo had to rush out of the room before he could change his mind. He had only seen it for a brief second as he stood at the door, but clearly Keigo hadn't been the only one aroused.

For once Keigo was glad of his title of the fastest hero around. He didn't think he could stand the embarrassment if anyone asked why his face was flushed all the way down to his neck.

A/N: Honestly this chapter went in a direction I didn't think it would. I was feeling kinda of stuck in the middle, but then God took the wheel and well. That happened. I was trying to go for a slower burn than the raging inferno that seemed to catch in this chapter. But well. The gods have spoken.