Ayase found himself having a good time in Someya's drag bar.
The first night of his employment, which was a Friday, was a success.
Ayase let himself relax enough to ignore the aching of his hips and the continual skin crawling. The concealment of his skin was a barrier to sudden brushes of fingers or bumping butts. His outfit choice showed none of his legs or his arms. Giving him reprieve from having to answer questions as to why he had bruises on his skin.
Drunk or nosy people were not discreet. Concerned employees and well-meaning Boss' were not easily placated.
He needed to focus on doing a good job, not thinking that someone was looking at his bruised skin.
Someya bulldozed through the introductions to the staff with enthusiasm. He commented that some of his usual weekday employees were not present but would introduce them if they took a weekend shift.
Someya extended his arms as he presented Ayase. "Ayase-chan will be working for us for the weekend for the foreseeable future. Please, give him a warm welcome!"
Ayase nodded his head as everyone introduced themselves using their stage name. Ayase used Sakura, referencing his soulmate mark without outright revealing it, as his name.
"Please call me Sakura." Ayase informed them. "I insist."
"Ah, that's a cute name."
"I'm shocked no one snatched the name before."
"Eh, people don't want to seem basic."
" Basic? Honey, Sakura is a lovely pseudonym."
"I didn't say it was bad. Everyone associates Japan with Sakura blossoms. Most people would choose something unique as their stage name."
"Well, I think it's smart to use a more standard name. A lot of youngins are just starting out and need to get their toes wet. Best to do this with a less unique name or something-"
As the staff members chatted, Ayase couldn't help but laugh.
The introduction to the weekend staff was refreshing. No one sneered at him. He was welcomed with open hearts and given great consideration to his personal bubble. Ayase could tell the bubblier staff members wanted to hug him, but they settled with deep bows and compliments on his style choice. Had Someya not caked his face with makeup, Ayase was certain his face would be hot red.
Compliments to his appearance usually teered on the backhanded variety. Some used it as a means to reveal their creepy intentions. His new coworkers were sweet and genuine in loving his perfect blend of two ethnicities. There was even one employee who was half Russian but showed no European features.
He assumed Someya told his employees of his more conservative nature or hinted at shyness. No one forced him to be as physical as the more seasoned queens. There were no hugs between him and his new coworkers.
The clientele was respectful and encouraging at his apparent newcomer status. Well, recurring patrons were informed of this being Ayase's first day. Someya's introduction and insistence on keeping their hands to themselves was respected . Only senior employees, who were close to patrons or enjoyed touch, were willing to handle the touchier men who wanted to touch their bodies.
This didn't extend to the passerby who was curious about the bar. These men varied according to Someya. Many of them stayed long enough to get their amusement sated before they left for a trendier bar. Other men behaved long enough before they got drunk and acted out. They were promptly escorted out by the secret security Ayase didn't know Someya kept in his bar. They blended right into the clientele, giving no clues to anyone of their true identity.
Ayase was kept far away from the rowdier sorts of men. Someya swooped in whenever one of the men tried touching his hand or sneaking from behind. Ayase was shifted to plenty of older gentleman's tables, but somehow, he got swept to other tables who called him over. Not wanting to be impolite, he responded, wanting to know what they needed.
The employees who attended these tables popped up, reassuring Ayase they were taken care of. Relieved, Ayase returned back to the less rowdy section, but again, was called back by another person. This prompted a repeat of Someya reappearing beside Ayase to put a stop to these clients wandering hands. More than one man attempted to sneak a grope on his body.
Someya's smile chilled as he blocked Ayase from another patron. "Nope. Matsuri-san, no touching the new one."
" Aw !"
"C'mon Someya-chan, we were being polite."
"Yeah!"
"Someya-chan!"
"First day. He needs to get comfortable!" Someya guided Ayase away and settled him with a grandfather type. "Here, stay with Haruto-san. He will look after you."
Ayase bowed his head to introduce himself. "Good afternoon, my name is Sakura."
"A pleasure to meet you!" The older man had wire framed glasses and a thinning white hairline. When he smiled, the laugh lines and wrinkles around his eyes deepened. "Sit, sit. Someya-chan always brings the new employees with me. I don't bite. I'm Echizen Haruto."
Ayase stayed at this table for most of the night.
Echizen Haruto had a warm, calming aura about him. He sipped his beer, ate snacks, and took up a majority of the conversation. He entertained the table with stories of his travels around the world. His favorite cities were ones close to the sea. No matter what continent he stepped on, he always needed to look at the sea. Having grown up in a seaside town, he loved exploring places in different parts of the world. Wanting to compare the differences of his childhood town and the cities he explored.
Ayase could only dream of leaving Japan. He wanted to visit England, maybe even America. He knew English well enough to navigate around without issues. The idea of visiting his mother's hometown was on his bucket list. He wanted to walk on the same streets his mother once did a long time ago.
The one time he asked to travel to England brought on claims of ungratefulness. Tetsuo was allowed to travel anywhere he wished, but Ayase was not allowed. Even though Ayase had the money to cover the costs, he needed his aunt's signature to permit him to leave Japan. She was still his guardian.
Ayase bit the inside of his cheek more often than not during high school.
His mask of compliance almost cracked during puberty. He couldn't take the belittling and lack of respect. University was his reassurance in never having to speak to them often. Scholarships and his part time jobs paid off his tuition costs. They didn't need to talk to him and so far, he received no phone calls from his aunt.
Just as well, Ayase's previous inklings of hope would have brought him to reveal his inheritance to appease them. Had there not been stipulations on his inheritance, his aunt would have taken his money for herself.
Integrating back into the conversation, Ayase caught on to the last bit of Haruto's question. "Oh? Yes, I'm in university." For how long he would stay in his university was left for debate.
"Ah? University?" Haruto inquired as Ayase served him another glass of beer. "What are you studying?"
Across from them, another newcomer, named Hanami, turned to them with interest. Ayase found out earlier in the night that Hanami attended a prestigious university but liked expressing his creativity on the weekends in drag.
Hanami was an honor student, worked a night job, and kept an active social life. Ayase didn't know how he did it without appearing tired. Before his imprisonment, Ayase tuckered himself out quite easily. His part time job, studies, and rare meetups with acquaintances, drained his social battery.
"Yes, Sakura-chan, what are you studying?!" Hanami insisted.
Ayase answered with a soft smile. "I thought about majoring in business or accounting. I was always good with numbers. So far, I'm debating between the two as a major. I might take one as a major and the other as a minor. For now, I'm completing the required classes for my first two years."
Haruto nodded in approval. "Good, good. I did the same, but I had the option of completing those in a public college before transferring. Didn't have the right test scores to go straight into university." He turned to Hanami. "Hanami-chan, if I remember correctly, you're also in university?"
Hanami nodded his head, "Yes, Haruto-san. I'm in engineering."
Ayase exclaimed. "Wow! That's so cool!"
Hanami beamed. "Thanks! A lot of people don't think so. Seems to be a nerdy thing to major in, but I don't care as much anymore. I always had a knack for engineering even if I don't look the part."
Haruto waved a hand back and forth. "Appearances mean little when it comes to work. Of course, you have to appear professional, but no one has the look of an accountant or an engineer."
Hanami snickered. "I am expected to look like a nerd, but I have an ikemen face according to my classmates. To them, it's not fair that I am pretty and smart. Honestly, I have seen many handsome faces in our department, but they chose to tease me about it."
Ayase uttered out. "I have received similar treatment. Then again, I think it's because of my blond hair more than anything."
Hanami snapped his head toward him, shock clear on his face. "Wait…your blond hair is real ?! I thought it was dyed."
Ayase pulled at his strands, chuckled while doing so. "All natural."
In the late hours of the night, Ayase changed back into his streetwear. As the minutes ticked on by, he dreaded having to go back to Kanou's apartment. No matter what daydream he concocted, his return to that prison was inevitable. Kanou would drag him out by his arm if need be.
The employees, unaware of Ayase's inner turmoil, said their goodbyes, exhaustion clear in their voices. Someya's bar might not be rambunctious in the way of loud music and echoing bass acoustics, but the enthusiastic clientele made up for it.
Everyone was tipsy, drunk, or falling asleep on their feet. Someya appeared to be the only one unaffected. He appeared sober, sound of mind, and helped employees into the back shower to sober up enough to go home.
Ayase was in a daze, not from alcohol, but exhausted from life. He couldn't drink alcohol to dull the incoming pain away. Being underage meant he couldn't drink alcohol. Someya bent the rules for him to serve beers, but harder drinks were harder to argue against in case someone came snooping in the bar.
As one of the last few employees left, Someya brought Ayase to his office. Before Ayase could offer to help clean up, Someya claimed a cleaning service arrived in the early morning to tidy up the place.
"The cleaning service will get to it tomorrow morning. Everyone was too drunk to help anyway. Besides, the patrons didn't leave too big a mess tonight."
"I'm not too drunk to help out." Ayase insisted.
Someya chuckled. "Thanks, but no thanks. Sit, decompress."
Ayase sat down on his usual chair, unable to relax. "I…don't think I can. I'm too wired up to relax."
"Oh? Did Haruto bother you?"
"Not at all! He was kind and didn't bypass my personal bubble!" Ayase defended the kind old man. "And before you bring up other clients, they didn't manage to lay a hand on me."
"Because I interfered before they did anything else." Someya rubbed his temples. "My usual patrons are respectful of my staff's bodies, it's the passersby who piss me off. They come around to make fun of us or spew lewd comments to the more innocent looking ones."
Ayase grimaced. "I managed to catch some of what they said. Is it always like that?"
"Not always." Someya sighed. "It would be nice to have one night where there is only fun, but the weekends bring more curious eyes. Money is money. So, it's not like I can stop them from coming in. They spend money on a round of beers before they act out."
"Do they ever return?"
"Some return on their own." Someya collapsed against his chair and let out a deep sigh. "The atmosphere and good company appealed to them to try it out without their buddies present. I learned over the years that closeted and insecure men overcompensate their masculinity in order not to be seen as anything but straight."
"Wow." Ayase curled himself inside of his seat. "People need to learn to look into themselves and not take out their emotions on other people."
"If only it was that easy." Someya peered at the clock.
As Ayase felt himself falling to sleep, Someya asked. "Do you want me to give you your pay now or tonight?"
"What?"
"Payday is on Thursday, but I don't think Kanou will bring you around on a weekday for the money. The fact he allowed you to come on Friday and Saturday was a miracle."
Ayase bit into his lower lip. Even if he accepted the money, Kanou would snatch it away from his hands, claiming it as a payment for his debt . Whatever money he made at the bar would simply make its way to Kanou. Attempting to hide it would only bring Kanou to retaliate against him. Ayase didn't want to risk his soul mark for anything.
Ayase stuttered out. "T-Tomorrow."
Someya grinned. "Alright. If I forgot, remind me before you leave."
Elation overfilled Someya's whole body.
As he fluttered around his bar, he let nothing bother him. There was nothing anyone could tell him that would ruin his joyful mood. After all, his involvement in Ayase's retrieval wouldn't lead back to him. Someya made sure to act as normal as possible on the days leading up to the big day.
Kanou didn't have a clue about anything.
Someya was safe from bruises and a beat down.
Ayase would be protected by his soulmate and kept away from view. Taking away the guilt in Someya's heart over watching Ayase being used by someone he once thought of as a friend.
He even dressed more elaborately for the evening. Someya brought out his pricier set hair pins, styled up an elegant black wig, and a kimono set he hid away for special occasions.
His usual weekend staff appeared one by one or in groups. Every single one gasped and complemented Someya's entire appearance. Of course, he usually dressed elegantly, but that night he wanted to appear more fabulous than usual.
His employees soon went to the back, chattering about Sunday plans or their weekday work life. Loud laughter echoed from the locker room, bringing an air of light heartedness to the incoming staff.
Ayase appeared on time and made his way to the back. Someya followed suit, eager to help him transform into his outfit. Ayase picked a kimono set this time. Inspired by Someya's beautiful kimono set, he wanted to somewhat emulate the elegance. Someya wanted to weep when he heard Ayase's kind words.
He found a small enough kimono set inside of a rack full of dry-cleaned bags. It took time to find it since Someya bought larger sized kimono sets for the most part. Someya paid extra to keep these wrinkled free and in perfect condition.
Once Someya finished dressing Ayase, he was careful in applying his makeup. He went for an elegant fairy look instead of the soft and innocent look from Friday. Using pink shades of eyeshadow to accentuate his eyes and dabs of darker pink lipstick for the appearance of a freshly bitten lip.
Ayase had to look away to keep his tears at bay.
Someya made it a test of his makeup abilities to hide Ayase's tiredness from view. He wanted Ayase to enjoy himself, not worry about someone taking note of his gaunt face.
He dismissed Ayase to go tend to the older gentleman's section, knowing full well Haruto was already seated. Haruto always arrived early to soak in the atmosphere and to greet all the employees. Everyone in the bar loved having Haruto as their welcoming greeter.
Someya took his time to finish last minute work before he got up and left his office. He made his way onto the bar area, greeting happy looking patrons who were engrossed in their conversations with their favorite server.
Looking to one of the other tables, Someya did a double take, registering Kanou's presence in his bar.
Someya screamed inwardly.
Walking up to him, Someya asked. "Oh…what are you doing here? Don't you have work?"
"I finished my Saturday work yesterday."
"T-That's great." Someya stuttered. "Um…I thought you didn't want to stick around my bar. You know…you dislike the very premise of my bar."
"I'm staying here." Kanou locked eyes onto Ayase's stiff form. "I want to see Ayase in action."
The thought to strangle Kanou with his own bare hands echoed in Someya's mind, but he controlled himself. He smiled. A painted smile that Kanou didn't notice was out of the ordinary. He never noticed when Someya was acting.
Someya asked. "Ayase is stationed with the older patrons. Less possibility of them getting drunk for health reasons and are less handsy. You are in the rowdier section. I explicitly made it clear that Ayase will not tend to anyone from here."
Kanou made the move to get up. "Then, I will move over there."
Someya's smile twitched. "Kanou, you will only make him nervous-"
"Does he act in a way I will find displeasing? No ? Then, it should be fine for me to go to his section." Kanou walked over to the older men's area.
Someya watched in horror as Ayase turned a pasty white, bringing a look of concern from Haruto. Ayase was quick to reassure him, but Haruto didn't look convinced.
Someya's staff noticed an immediate change in Sakura's demeanor. The previous warm and friendly disposition of Friday night changed into a somber one. Sakura performed his duties with a tired smile, greeting everyone who entered and exited the bar.
Every single employee leaned close to Sakura's ear, asking if he was alright. Sakura reassured them with a tired smile, urging them to go back to their customers. Most of the employees shrugged their shoulders and went on as usual.
Yurika, on the other hand, was not convinced. Yet, he could only accept Sakura's platitudes and continue on with his night. After all, Sakura couldn't leave the floor unless it was to retrieve beers or to take a break. Surely, one of the employees made this observation known to Someya, they were all too nosy to let this go.
As Yurika scoured the bar, looking for a lonely client,he spotted the one person he didn't want in his presence. '
Kanou.
Someya's friend who debased them all any chance he got.
He sat in the older gentleman's section, sipping a beer with disgusted grimace. His presence soured the mood of the older men who tried their best to ignore him. Those who tried making small talk were iced out by Kanou's glare.
Yurika was not letting this go on.
He made his way through the crowd and went behind the bar. Someya paused in his conversation with a patron to turn to him with a questioning look. Yurika motioned him away from the customers and Someya followed him.
"Someya-san, why is your homophobic friend here?" Yurika immediately got to the point. "I tolerate him because he never stays around for long. He runs off as if we have the plague. But, he is sitting over there .."
Someya rubbed his temples, cursing Kanou for his existence. Yurika was one of the only employees who openly commented on his hypocrisy in barring other homophobic people while letting his friend continue to return.
Someya admitted. "He's here to oversee Sakura-chan."
"Sakura-chan?"
"Yes."
"That adorable little angel knows him ?!" Yurika almost shrieked.
Someya sighed. "Yeah…"
Yurika slapped a hand against his face, groaning out loud. "Fuck. Do we have to intervene or something? Because from the way Sakura-chan is behaving…"
"No…we don't have to intervene." Someya informed him. "I already have a plan in motion to remove Sakura-chan away from him. He will be safe where he is going next,"
"Ah, thank goodness." Yurika patted Someya's back. "I'm glad the blindfold has been yanked off of your eyes. I understand you've known the guy for years, but Kaoruko-san, the rest of us deserve a relatively safe work environment."
Ashamed, Someya nodded his head. "I know."
Noticing the time growing closer and closer to showtime, Someya didn't know what to do. Kanou's eyes were locked on Ayase, making a point to never let him out of his sight. Anytime Ayase left to go on a ten minute break, Kanou waved down Someya, demanding to know where Ayase went. Someya had to retrieve Ayase, apologetically inform him to sit at the bar for his break. Ayase almost cried in frustration.
Someya couldn't blame him.
Kanou's hovering gained the attention of those who cared to pay attention. Haruto and the older gentlemen gave Someya questioning looks, possibly wondering why Kanou wouldn't leave the bar if he hated sitting there so much. All Someya could do was give apologetic smiles and mitigate this tense situation.
It was almost as if Kanou suspected something would happen that night and thought it best to watch Ayase all night . Someya wanted to throw back several shots for this immense blip in the plan.
He originally planned to lead Ayase to the back on the guise of a break. Once they stood in front of the back door, he would open the door and Honda Kazuhiko's men would take him. With Kanou watching Ayase like a predator tracking down their prey, Someya couldn't remove him from the room without Kanou complaining about it.
There was only one way to solve this issue.
Looking around the bar, Someya grabbed random empty bottles of alcohol and informed his employee. "I'm going to get some new ones from the bar."
"Alrighty, Someya-san."
Someya paced his walk until he was out of sight. Running to his office, he anxiously set the bottles on the ground to unlock the door. He entered inside and shut the door. Immediately running to his desk, he picked up his phone and searched through his previous calls, looking for Honda Kazuhiko's number. His nervousness caused his hands to tremble, missing the number a few times before he settled on it.
Like last time, the phone rang once before the call was answered. "Honda."
"Honda-san, it's Someya. I can't take Ayase to the back rooms. Kanou stayed behind. He's watching him."
The brief pause felt like hours to Someya when Kazuhiko said. "I'll provide the distraction." He hung up the phone right afterwards.
Someya placed the phone on the receiver and ran out of his office. He quickly went into the back room to retrieve the bottles needed to replace the empty ones. No one noticed he was gone, well, other than his usual patrons who clamored for his attention. Had this been another night, Someya would have placed all his attention on his clients, but not this night.
The time for the plan passed.
Several minutes passed in fact.
Someya watched the front door, focusing on the faces of the people walking inside. It didn't take long for the door to open, revealing a group of men in suits. Familiar faces entered the bar, intent on their stride as they walked straight to Kanou. Someya shouldn't have been surprised that Kazuhiko found out what Kanou looked like. The man was meticulous in digging up every piece of information he could find.
Kanou looked up, face darkening at the sight of these men. His hand hovered over his hidden holster, unafraid of what they could do to him.
All of a sudden, gunshots rang through the air.
Someya grabbed Ayase's arm, dragging him away from the chaos of the main room. His staff members knew to guide their clients toward the many exits of his bar, making sure to keep them out of harm's way. They didn't need him to direct them anywhere.
"Ayase-san, keep up!" Someya dragged Ayase through the back rooms. "We have no time to waste. Kanou won't be distracted for long."
Ayase exclaimed. "Someya-san, what's going on!?"
Someya gasped in the air when he stopped at the back door. "You're being rescued."
Ayase tried not to get his hopes up. "What do you mean?" He looked back toward the direction of all the chaos. Gunshots were fired again and screaming ensued. "But, you're Kanou's friend. Why would you-"
Someya grabbed onto Ayase's shoulders and insisted. "I may be his friend, but it doesn't mean I condone what he does for a living. I never thought what he did was right. When he admitted what he did to you...I was disgusted ."
Tears filled Ayase's eyes as he bit into his lower lip.
Someya rubbed his shoulders, reassuring him, "Don't worry, the guys who will pick you up will take you to a safe place. Trust me on this."
Ayase sniffed. "Are you sure?"
"Positive." Someya unlocked the back, deactivating the alarm, before he pushed the door open.
Before them was a large white van, undecorated with decorations. The large side door opened, and an intimidating looking man hopped out. He removed a photo from his blazer pocket and looked at Ayase. Seemingly comparing Ayase to the photo in his hands. Ayase's eyes widened, taking a step back only to bump against Someya.
"S-Someya-san."
"I know this looks wrong, but their Boss will protect you." Someya addressed the stranger as he tried looking into the van. "Where is Honda-san?"
"At home base." The man's voice sounded deep and imposing. "He is waiting for his guest to arrive."
"Perfect." Someya squeezed Ayase's shoulders. "Go ahead."
"B-But."
"Ayase-chan, do you want to go back to Kanou?"
Ayase immediately answered. "No!"
"Please, go with this gentleman. He will take you to a safe place. Okay?"
Ayase sniffled before he took several hesitant steps forward. Without a word, the man grabbed his arms and pulled him into the van with ease. In an instant, the van's engine was turned on.
"I'll see you again someday." Someya cried out in between the roar of the engine.
"Someya-san!" Ayase cried out as the van door was shut.
TBC