Notes: It's September 17 HAPPY KUZUHINA DAY!

So... I could write 70k words just explaining everything that's been going on in my life that's had me unable to write for the past half a year, but I'm not gonna do that. Instead, here's a new chapter, and I'm so sorry it took so long!

Well, I say "chapter," but it's actually just three short side stories. I had planned to finish and post these last year before the winter mini-arc (which is chronologically when they take place, except for the first one), but that didn't happen... and I think they turned out better for it anyway!

In any case, I hope you enjoy!

Ruruka Andoh

When Hinata hung out with Kuzuryu, they tended to head further into the city. Kuzuryu had made it no secret how little he thought of Kibougaoka, after all—and besides, it was true that there wasn't much in the way of things to do in the sleepy neighborhood. Every once in a while, though, if they were short on free time or if taking the inbound train was too much of a hassle, they would simply spend time walking around Kibougaoka, Hinata pointing out the local businesses and landmarks as they went.

On one of those days, they had taken a different route than usual, strolling down a street closer to the high school and residential area than the other businesses. During a lull in conversation, Hinata was walking in comfortable silence with Kuzuryu by his side... until he realized that he wasn't. Puzzled, Hinata stopped and turned around to see that Kuzuryu had paused a few paces back. "What's up?" he asked.

The shorter man didn't answer immediately, his brows slightly furrowed as he stared at the storefront next to him. "You never mentioned that there was a sweets shop around here," he said finally.

"A swee—" Hinata trailed off as he walked over and noticed exactly which store had caught Kuzuryu's attention. "Oh. Right..." Internally, he knew he should probably drag Kuzuryu away as soon as possible—Hinata had suddenly remembered why he didn't usually venture along that particular street—but he found himself held back by a question he found more pressing at the moment. "You like sweets, Kuzuryu?"

Kuzuruyu glared up at him. "You got a problem with that?"

"Not at all!" he responded, holding his hands up defensively. "I just— That's just something I didn't know about you, so..."

"Oh, Hinata!"

Suddenly there was a weight thrust upon his side, his arm captured in a hold, and Hinata tried his best not to groan. Instead, he turned to greet the woman who had just latched herself onto him. "Hi, Andoh."

"It's been so long since you last came by!" the confectioner cooed, her tone dripping with a sweetness punctuated rather aptly with the distinct scent of bubblegum on her breath. "Are you finally going to offer to walk me home tonight? It's getting so dark out so early now, surely you won't just leave a poor thing like me to fend for myself?"

"This is your home. You don't need an escort to the second floor."

"I meant walk me home from Kagayaki! It's been a while since I dropped by there, so I was thinking of heading over tonight."

"I'm sure you'll be fine, Andoh," Hinata smiled, extricating himself from her grip as quickly yet politely as he could manage. "It's only two blocks away, and you know there's really no crime to speak of here..." He glanced in Kuzuryu's direction then, remembering with some irony that, oh yeah, there was technically a criminal in their midst... but the yakuza's comically bewildered expression was candid enough to convince anyone otherwise. Hinata shot him an exasperated grin. "Kuzuryu, you haven't met her yet, have you? This is Ruruka Andoh, she owns this confectionery..."

"Oh, who is this?" Andoh leaned towards Kuzuryu to study him critically, her strawberry-blonde bob cut shifting with the motion. "Hmm... Are you new around here?"

"Uh, yeah," Kuzuryu answered, looking somewhat apprehensive in the face of her attention—which was a perfectly reasonable reaction to have to Ruruka Andoh, Hinata thought. She had a tendency to try to take advantage of any single guy she could latch onto. "The name's Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu."

Andoh hummed thoughtfully, blowing a bubble with her chewing gum as she stood up straight again. "Well, why don't you both come inside for a bit? Take a look around!"

"Uh, thank you, but I think we'll be heading on..."

"Wait." Kuzuryu grabbed Hinata's sleeve, causing the cop to stop on a dime. "I want to— I mean..." He frowned sourly, but the light dusting of pink across his cheekbones betrayed his bashfulness. Hinata tried not to stare. "Why the fuck shouldn't we take a look, right? I mean, just because we're here and shit. That's all."

It really wasn't necessary for Kuzuryu to try to make excuses, though, because when faced with that expression, Hinata found himself willing to do whatever Kuzuryu asked of him at that moment.

"Yeah, okay," he answered easily. "Let's go on in, then."

He didn't even care that Andoh could be hard to take, because somehow the discovery that Kuzuryu had a weakness for sweets was enough to make it all worth it.

"Well, come on in, boys." Andoh opened the door to the bakery and they followed her inside, the sweet scent of freshly-baked goods wafting over them as they crossed the threshold. Hinata watched with a tinge of amusement as Kuzuryu looked the store over, inspecting displays of cakes, candies, and sweet breads.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Andoh keeping a careful eye on the blond from her place behind a chilled display of eclairs and macarons, and a sudden wave of some unidentified emotion urged Hinata to step between them. Andoh raised an eyebrow at him, but Hinata didn't respond, instead pretending to be particularly interested in a jar of brightly-wrapped caramels.

"You make mostly western pastries?" Kuzuryu asked after a few moments.

Andoh turned away from Hinata with a roll of her eyes. "Something like that," she answered, cracking her bubblegum thoughtfully. "I mean, they're just cuter, you know? I do make some wagashi just to meet demand—" she jerked her head in the direction of a shelf tucked off to the side, displaying a small selection of manju, monaka, and dorayaki "—but Japanese sweets are just so bland and earthy. And red bean paste is just boring."

"I'm not sure you should be talking that way about your own culture," Hinata laughed nervously.

The confectioner only shrugged. "Whatever. But anyway," she turned to address Kuzuryu again, "you got something you're looking for in particular?"

The yakuza bristled visibly. "What makes you think I am?"

She rolled her eyes at the defensive reaction. "Oh come on. Look, if there's something you like, I'll consider making it. Like I said, I cater to demand." She jabbed her thumb in Hinata's direction. "I mean, I've started making kusamochi when mugwort is in season, just because it's the only way I can get this kid to come around."

"Wha—" Hinata flushed. "What do you mean you— I never asked that of you!"

Andoh grinned sweetly, the very picture of innocent curiosity. "So spill it. What's your poison? Dango? Daifuku? Yokan?"

Kuzuryu didn't answer immediately, his cheeks growing pinker as he frowned at Andoh. As he watched the yakuza's flush deepen, Hinata found himself needing to know exactly what Kuzuryu's favorite sweet was, too.

"So?" Andoh needled.

Kuzuryu huffed, glanced in Hinata's direction, then sighed. "How about... Look, I really like karinto, all right?"

"Oh, gross." Andoh's face fell. "Yeah, sorry, but I'm not gonna make food that looks like dog shit."

Kuzuryu instantly bristled, piercing the woman with a fierce glare. "What the fuck did you just say about karinto?"

Suddenly Hinata wasn't comfortable at all being between the two of them, directly in the path of their mutually combative auras. He floundered to try to find some way to alleviate the situation, but nothing was coming to mind.

"I said it looks like dog shit," Andoh repeated matter-of-factly. "It's probably the worst pastry in terms of aesthetics, and I'm not gonna taint my reputation by making something so vile. Sorry, hon."

"Who gives a fuck how it looks?! It's the taste that matters!"

"I mean sure, it tastes fine, but I'm not gonna spend my time making a food that I'd be ashamed to put on display. I'd feel bad for my customers having to even look at such an eyesore of a sweet."

"Why you—"

"Kuzuryu!" Hinata stepped towards the gangster, blocking him from advancing on the woman. "Look, it's not that big of a deal—"

"The fuck it isn't! Do you hear what she's saying about karinto?!"

Hinata tried his very hardest not to laugh at the sheer absurdity of the situation—a yakuza getting incensed over an insult towards his favorite dessert. "Yeah, I get it, I like karinto too," he said in a rush, afraid of letting a chuckle escape. "So let's just go get karinto somewhere else, all right?"

Kuzuryu glowered up at him. "That's not the issue here! The issue is that this bitch—"

"Excuse me?!"

"I think it's time for us to leave!" Hinata announced, grabbing Kuzuryu by the shoulder and swiftly guiding him towards the door. "Thanks for letting us take a look around, Andoh, we'll see you— er, I mean... bye!"

After scrambling out the door and further down the street, safely out of ear-shot, Hinata stopped and sighed, glancing down at Kuzuryu. He gave a weak grin. "So, uh... Andoh can be pretty hard to take."

"Yeah no shit," Kuzuryu scoffed, removing his shoulder from Hinata's grip with a swift jerk. "Like... fuck, I'm still pissed."

Hinata laughed. "Sorry about that. Um... wanna go to the convenience store, then?" He pointed in the general direction of the store the next block over. "I'll buy you some karinto there if you want."

The yakuza's gaze flashed dangerously. "You better not be making fun of me, asshole!"

"I'm not!" Hinata insisted, raising his hands defensively. And really, he wasn't making fun of Kuzuryu.

But maybe his choice of favorite food was kind of cute.

Teruteru Hanamura

"So, you and Kuzuryu-kun are an item now, hmm?"

Hinata nearly choked on his beer and looked wearily at Hanamura from over the rim, eyes watering slightly. Kuzuryu wasn't able to make it to Kagayaki that night, so Hinata had opted to sit at the bar with Hanamura again, and apparently the cook was taking the opportunity to grill him with questions. "How did—" He coughed a bit to clear his windpipe, then began again. "What gives you that idea...?"

"Oh come now, Hinata-kun." Hanamura flipped his hair back, grinning haughtily. "Surely you didn't think you could keep such a thing from a connoisseur of love and passion such as moi?"

"Right, sure." Hinata sighed and placed his beer back on the counter. "Fine, you got us. Just don't go telling everyone, all right?"

"Oh, but a love such as this should be yelled from the rooftops!"

"Hanamura, seriously." Hinata leaned over to grab the cook's shoulder, trying not to panic. "Just think about it. I'm a cop, in a relationship with—" a yakuza "—a man. That will not go over well. Please."

"Really? You know there's that stereotype about gay cops..."

"Please."

Hanamura frowned, clearly upset about a damper being put on his fun, but he didn't argue any further. "Fine, my lips are sealed. But you better let me in on all the details!"

"Details?" Hinata drummed his fingertips against the beer glass nervously. "Uh, I'm definitely not promising anything, but what do you mean exactly?"

"You know, details," Hanamura supplied helpfully. "This is your first relationship in a while, right? Keep me updated on how you're doing! So how long have you two been dating now? A week?"

"A... little over a week, yeah," Hinata confirmed, somewhat unnerved by how accurate Hanamura's guess had been.

"And how far have you two gotten?" The cook waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Hinata felt his face flush. "Um, we've been going out for a week," he retorted in a harsh hiss.

"Ohoho?" Hanamura smirked up at him. "Now what might you be thinking of, Hinata-kun? I didn't mention anything specific, did I?"

Cheeks warming further, Hinata pointedly turned his attention back to his beer. "Oh, shut it. I just know how your mind works is all."

"Well, I can't deny that," Hanamura responded, giving an exaggerated shrug. "I'm a truthful man! But don't worry, I know you wouldn't move that fast. Not without a significant amount of alcohol in you, at least."

Hinata buried his face in his hands, mortified. "Please don't remind me of that."

"Right, but for real..." Hearing Hanamura's voice dip into a more serious timbre, Hinata peeked through his fingers to see the cook leaning against the counter again, looking directly at him. "I just wanted to make sure you're not stuck in such an awkward haze of bliss that you haven't even bothered to do more than hold hands like a pair of schoolkids."

Hinata dropped his hands, mild irritation creeping up on him in response to Hanamura's needling. "Are you kidding me? Do you really think I would..." He trailed off as he thought back over the previous week; he and Kuzuryu had gone on a few "dates," but thinking on it now, they really weren't that much different from their outings as friends. The only real difference was the comforting cloud of acknowledged mutual attraction surrounding them, and that change was significant enough that Hinata hadn't really concerned himself with—

Oh god Hanamura was right.

Having apparently read Hinata's expression, Hanamura clicked his tongue. "I was afraid of that." He sighed and shook his head. "Don't tell me that you two haven't even kissed yet?"

"We have!" Hinata protested—then, noticing he was speaking louder than was entirely necessary for the situation, lowered his voice. "I mean... we kissed when I asked him out. So there's that."

"And since then?"

Hinata pointedly focused his attention on ingesting more beer into his body.

"Hinata-kun..."

"Look, the opportunity just hasn't come up, I guess." Hinata placed his empty glass back on the counter and shrugged. "Or rather, I guess I haven't really gotten the sense that he wants to kiss me again... Maybe I'm just a bad kisser?"

"Oh no, you're pretty decent."

"Seriously, stop."

As Hanamura grinned cheekily, Hinata mulled over the situation in his head. He hadn't really given it much thought, which was strange, since he had realized his feelings for Kuzuryu precisely because of a fiercely strong desire to kiss the yakuza heir. But once they were officially together, just as the cook had suggested, he was content just to be with Kuzuryu, to have him by his side.

Though some kissing would definitely be nice...

"Hinata-kun, how tall were you when you went out with your high school girlfriend?"

Hinata looked up and blinked owlishly at Hanamura, taken aback by the unexpected question. "How... tall was I? Uh..." He wasn't honestly sure. How was he supposed to remember his height at a specific given point of adolescence? His mom had marked his growth on a doorjamb at their home, now that he thought of it, but... had he even bothered to record what was on there before selling off the apartment?

He swallowed back the melancholy of lost family history. Either way, it wasn't going to help him answer the immediate question. "Well... I passed Nanami in height a year or two earlier, so I guess I was in the 160s around then? Maybe around 170 centimeters by the time we broke up... why?"

Hanamura nodded pensively. "I see. So this is the first time you're significantly taller than your partner..."

"You're losing me here, Hanamura."

The cook sighed and gave an exaggerated shrug. "I sympathize with him, you know? It's tough when your partner is freakishly tall. Of course, unlike Kuzuryu-kun, I have the skills and experience to overcome such an obstacle."

"I'm not freakishly tall, I— hold on!" Hinata struggled to keep up with Hanamura's train of thought. "What does my height have anything to do with this?"

"Just think about it," Hanamura chided. "You say you haven't gotten any sense that he wants to kiss, but is that true? Or have you just been missing those signals because you haven't gotten down to his level to see?"

Hinata gaped at him. "That's ridiculous."

"It's logical," Hanamura countered. "What is ridiculous is that you even need it pointed out to you."

Hinata covered his face with his hands and sighed. What Hanamura was saying did seem to make some logical sense—and it was true that Kuzuryu had needed to tug him by the necktie to kiss him before. And it was also true that Hinata shouldn't have needed someone else to point it out.

Which basically boiled down to Hanamura being right all-around. God, that made it even more mortifying.

"Remind me not to talk to you about my relationship ever again," Hinata finally groaned.

Hanamura chuckled. "So does that mean I won't be getting the juicy updates later?"

"No way in hell."

The next day at the koban, Hinata couldn't keep his mind off of what Hanamura had said.

Usually, when Kuzuryu dropped into the koban to hang out, Hinata didn't find it terribly distracting; on the contrary, it was rather calming to have his boyfriend sitting across the desk, the comforting silence broken only by the occasional small talk as Hinata worked on paperwork or whatever tasks he had to take care of.

After what Hanamura had said, though... Hinata glanced up from his work at Kuzuryu, who was sipping from a cup of hot chocolate he had brought in. His eyes followed the line of Kuzuryu's mouth, watching as he pulled the cup away and his tongue darted out to lick away a few lingering drops of cocoa. Hinata's eyes lingered on his lips, imagining what it would be like to meet them with his own.

It was unbearably tempting to lean out and see for himself.

Kuzuryu's gaze caught his own then, and the yakuza raised an eyebrow quizzically. "What?"

"Oh, uh...!" Hinata shook his head to clear it of any impure thoughts, though he could feel his face heating up despite the action. "Nothing, I just... nothing."

What was he doing? Kirigiri might be out on patrol, leaving him alone with his boyfriend, but he was at work. It wasn't the place nor the time for those sorts of thoughts.

He noticed with some degree of horror that Kuzuryu was still staring at him, those golden eyes boring holes through his resolve. Hinata stared resolutely down at the paperwork before him and forced himself to comprehend the words written there.

He pushed on with his work, signing forms where needed, and only jumped a tiny bit when Kuzuryu's fingers found his left hand sitting idly on the desk. He smiled gently and let their fingers twine together, enjoying the warm, familiar contact. Moments like these were some of Hinata's favorites; intimate, but casual and nonchalant. It was usually enough to mollify all the burning emotions he felt for the yakuza heir—which was probably why he hadn't gone out of his way to kiss him. This time, though, it was doing the opposite, making Hinata crave for more.

He glanced up at Kuzuryu again, and their gazes met by accident. Kuzuryu started, his cheeks growing a soft pink, and he looked away self-consciously. "What are you staring for, dumbass?"

"You were the one staring," Hinata laughed, rubbing a gentle thumb against Kuzuryu's hand. He watched, enamored, as Kuzuryu's cheeks grew redder.

God, he was adorable. Hinata could never get away with saying that out loud, but it was all he could think whenever he saw Kuzuryu with such an expression.

Entranced, Hinata reached out his right hand and softly placed it along Kuzuryu's jawline, and the blond started, looking back at Hinata with eyes wide.

Hinata hadn't even realized he had put down his pen; the touch had been completely on instinct, but after pulling it back slightly, second-guessing himself, he returned it to Kuzuryu's cheek, cupping it gently.

Kuzuryu, for his part, relaxed into the touch, and leaned forward just the tiniest bit. His gaze seemed to speak volumes, and Hinata had to wonder if he had been missing the message all that time. Had he really just not noticed?

Had Kuzuryu been wanting this from the start?

He hesitated for a moment, studying Kuzuryu's face as he moved forward slowly. Their faces had been this close several times before, their breath mingling together, but sure enough, Hinata had never really taken the time to look at Kuzuryu like this; he had always been too flustered, or too out of it, to think of really drinking in the view.

Gosh, he had a lot of freckles. Kuzuryu had youthful features to begin with, but the dusting of freckles across his nose and cheeks only served to accentuate it all the more. Hinata rubbed his thumb gently against the side of Kuzuryu's cheek, right where the speckles began to fade away, and moved in...

...and placed a light kiss atop a lone freckle on the tip of Kuzuryu's nose.

Kuzuryu's eyes snapped open, bewilderment and a little bit of aggravation reflected clearly in the golden depths. "Seriously?" he said, his voice lilting with an unmistakable twinge of anger. "You finally make a move, and you kiss my nose?!"

"Uhh..." Hinata gave a sheepish half-smile and leaned back slowly.

"No, stop." Kuzuryu grabbed Hinata's hand as he tried to move it away from his face, trapping him from escaping their proximity. "What the fuck was that, Hinata?"

Hinata could feel the heat rising up his neck to his cheeks, and in lieu of moving away physically, he averted his eyes. "I'm at work, Kuzuryu, we shouldn't—"

"Oh, bullshit." Kuzuryu let go of Hinata's hand only to grab onto his shirt collar, lightly jerking him back to face him. "We're alone for at least another hour, I think we can fit in a kiss or two."

"Right, uh..." Hinata glanced around the room nervously, feeling too embarrassed and ashamed to look Kuzuryu in the eye. It wasn't that he had chickened out of meeting Kuzuryu's lips, really, he had just found Kuzuryu's freckles so endearing... but it did seem like a ridiculous move to make, in retrospect. "I mean, since we're in this position anyway, feel free to move in and kiss me if you want..."

Kuzuryu's frown only deepened at those words, though Hinata noted a slight reddening of his cheeks. "Be a fucking man, Hinata. You're the one who started this, now you better follow through."

"... Right, okay." Hinata sat up straight and released his shirt from Kuzuryu's grip, taking a moment to smooth it out before facing Kuzuryu directly, fighting down the butterflies in his stomach. "Okay. Here goes."

He raised his hand to cup Kuzuryu's cheek again and leaned forward, watching as Kuzuryu's eyes drifted closed, his cheeks flushed a deep pink. It didn't feel entirely right to Hinata, kissing Kuzuryu in direct response to being ordered to. It was too calculated, too scripted. This wasn't really how he wanted to kiss Kuzuryu.

But he definitely didn't want to not kiss Kuzuryu.

So at the last moment, he dipped his head slightly and placed a light peck at the mole at the corner of Kuzuryu's lips.

The glare Kuzuryu pinned him with in the next instant was just a shade softer than positively murderous, and Hinata breathed out a quiet laugh before shifting and capturing Kuzuryu's lips in his own.

Hinata couldn't help but smile when the yakuza froze in surprise before melting into the kiss. Kuzuryu reached up and grabbed at Hinata's lapels, pulling him closer—which resulted in Hinata bumping somewhat uncomfortably against the desk, but he responded by shifting slightly so that his head was angled to allow better access, less bumping noses together.

Hinata's breath caught when he felt Kuzuryu's tongue experimentally trace the line of his mouth, and after a moment's hesitation, he parted his lips to allow him entrance. Kuzuryu tasted faintly of cocoa—which totally made sense, he had been drinking hot chocolate after all, but wow that was a sensation Hinata hadn't thought to be prepared for, and it nearly set him reeling, his head swimming, and he had to consciously remind himself to breathe through his nose before he fainted.

Oh god. Oh wow.

It was a completely different kiss from the quick, insistent one they had shared the night he had confessed. This one was slow and playful and full of need, and it was absolutely intoxicating.

Hinata had to be careful or he might get addicted. (Maybe he already was.)

Kuzuryu was the first to pull away, and Hinata was mortified to hear himself make an involuntary sound in his throat that sounded dangerously close to a whine. The yakuza smirked and clapped a hand against Hinata's shoulder, pushing him away. "Get back to work, you slacker. The fuck are you doing, kissing a yakuza in your koban?"

Hinata wanted to bite out a retort that Kuzuryu had been the one to insist on it, but when he opened his mouth all that came out was a laugh, and he shook his head, returning his focus to the faintly crumpled paperwork in front of him.

As he worked, he ran through the route to Kagayaki in his mind, trying to figure out the most secluded spot where they could kiss each other senseless later that evening.

Makoto Naegi

Sometimes, Naegi couldn't help but bemoan his rotten luck.

The video rental store had been a pretty good job. It hadn't been the most exciting, of course, but at least it was rarely stressful, and above all, it fit into his schedule well. It was a nice little gig to fill his weekends.

But after accidentally knocking over an entire display of difficult-to-replace VHS tapes one too many times, he had found himself less one job. Again. He couldn't really afford to not have a third job, especially with the winter holidays quickly approaching, so after a few days of interviews he took the first offer he got.

Which was how he found himself working at a karaoke complex.

Naegi wasn't one to complain about the jobs he could manage to get, but he really didn't like working karaoke.

It wasn't his first time working at a such a place, and with his track record, it probably wouldn't be his last. He was used to the poor lighting, the stuffy hallways, and the constant low hum of bass tracks reverberating through the walls. None of that was why he didn't like karaoke.

The worst part of the job, by far, was all the makeout sessions he had to break up.

Naegi had very little experience with romance, but he supposed he could understand the allure of making out in a karaoke booth. The private rooms, the dim lighting, the relatively small space requiring physical closeness... Considering the human psyche, it made sense that a couple would want to forgo singing in favor of more sensual activities.

But just because he understood didn't mean he was allowed to turn a blind eye to it, and it certainly didn't make it any less humiliating and awkward for Naegi to come between a couple. If only it got easier with experience, because it certainly did happen frequently enough—the only upside was that he had gotten quite good at pretending to be calling a room simply to offer more services.

Naegi sighed as he stared blankly at the surveillance monitors, and out of the corner of his eye he spotted the telltale movements of a pair of people whose mouths were busy with each other, not the music. He groaned, deciding to keep that monitor just barely within his peripheral vision for the time being—he had to keep track of the situation, sure, but he was not going to watch any more intently than he had to. Honestly, he was barely even ten minutes into his shift, and already—

Was that Hinata?

Naegi whipped his head back toward the feed in question, inwardly cringing at how quickly he had gone back on his decision not to stare, but he could have sworn that he actually recognized one of the people and curiosity got the better of him.

He couldn't really tell from the camera angle; the other man (was it a man? ...yes, despite the person's slight frame, the broad shoulders and lack of curves definitely indicated male) was mostly obscuring view of his partner as he pressed close, moving to climb half into the taller man's lap. Naegi could definitely see some familiar spiky hair peeking over the shorter man's head, though. Upon closer inspection, in fact, Naegi found that he recognized the curled lines shaved into the smaller man's short hair. That was definitely the guy that he had seen hanging around the koban whenever he stopped by lately. He and Hinata had certainly seemed to be on good terms, but...

Were they dating?

Hinata had a boyfriend?

Guilt suddenly started to claw at Naegi's insides. He hadn't known that Hinata had a boyfriend—and that must have been because Hinata didn't want him to know. He had no business prying into his friends' private lives, yet here he was very possibly watching one of said friends make out with his significant other.

Naegi could feel his face turning beet-red, and he let his eyes wander nervously. The situation was becoming uncomfortably voyeuristic, and he wanted nothing more than to separate himself from it entirely, but… he was at work. And it didn't seem like the couple planned to get back to singing any time soon.

Steeling himself, Naegi spun his chair to the side and picked up the closed-circuit phone, hastily dialing the room number. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the couple jump apart in shock on the monitor, and after a brief pause, the taller figure stood up and answered the phone.

"Hello?"

The sound was tinny through the cheap internal connection, but it was unmistakably the voice of Hajime Hinata.

Naegi had no idea what to say; his mouth flapped uselessly as he tried to formulate words, before finally falling back onto one of his business-manner presets. "Good evening, sirs, did you want to order refills for your drinks?"

The line fell silent, and after a moment Naegi glanced at the monitor to see what was going on. It didn't seem like much was happening; the blond man was straightening his shirt, looking somewhat miffed, and Hinata was still holding the receiver to his ear, though with his back turned to the camera Naegi couldn't tell his facial expression.

Finally, Hinata responded, voice sounding strained.

"Naegi...?"

Naegi's cheeks burned and he hurriedly hung up the phone, fumbling with the receiver as he tried to place it back in its cradle. Oh god, breaking up a makeout session was definitely way more awkward when they were people Naegi actually knew.

He peeked back over at the surveillance feed; Hinata was staring blankly at the phone receiver in his hand, only hanging it up and turning back around when the blond said something to him. After exchanging a few words, Hinata pulled out his cell phone and began to fiddle with it while his partner turned his attention to the song request remote.

Seconds later, Naegi felt his own cell phone vibrate in his pocket.

Oh.

He hesitated for a moment before taking it out and unlocking it to read his new text message from one Hajime Hinata.

-Did you just

Naegi briefly considered whether it would be better for all parties involved if he played dumb and pretend that he didn't "just," but he quickly decided against it. He wouldn't be able to feign ignorance for long, and besides, he didn't want to lie. Grimacing, he tapped out a reply.

-yeah… sorry. but if one of my coworkers catches you doing that youll be hit with a nuisance fee and a cleaning fee so please just stick to singing like youre supposed to!

He peeked at the monitor after sending the message, and felt a bit guilty to see Hinata's face melt into mortification.

-A cleaning fee?! Oh my god Naegi we were just

-Naegi we weren't!

Feeling his own face flush in embarrassment, Naegi hurriedly composed a reply.

-i saw plenty of what you were doing for myself, so you dont have to explain!

Two seconds after sending the message, he realized that probably sounded really bad.

-wait i mean. theres a camera! i was just watching because its my job!

-but just. youll be fined regardless, sorry!

He hit send on the message, thought for a moment, then quickly tapped out one last reply.

-i have to get back to work but i can point you to some karaoke places that dont have security cameras in the rooms later

-NAEGI

Deciding the conversation was over, Naegi put his phone to sleep and shoved it into his jeans pocket. For once, he was actually grateful to have such a boring and tedious job to focus on instead.

Thirty minutes later, when Hinata and his boyfriend's rental time was up, Naegi seriously considered ducking behind the counter and hiding. That would have been silly, though; they already knew he was there, and besides, he had to process their bill.

As the two men exited the hallway into the front lobby, Naegi offered an uncertain smile. Hinata approached the counter and stood there silently for a moment, tapping his fingers against the countertop anxiously before breaking the awkward silence. "So, uh… what job did you lose this time?"

Naegi grimaced, but was grateful that the conversation topic was less uncomfortable than it could have been. "Video store," he said simply.

"Really? Damn, you were only there for a couple months."

"Yeah, well…" Naegi laughed bashfully as he pulled up their invoice on the computer terminal, then paused. "Um... so are you two splitting the bill, or...?"

Hinata's friendly grin faltered, and he exchanged a glance with the blond man for a moment before turning back to Naegi, a bit flustered. "Ah... I'll just pay for both of us..."

Naegi nodded mutely as Hinata fished a couple of bills out of his wallet, then looked over at the blond man, bobbing his head in greeting. "Um... I'm Makoto Naegi. I don't think I've gotten your name before..."

"Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu," the man answered, peering at him warily. "You're the delivery kid, aren't you?"

"And the convenience store kid, and now the karaoke kid." Naegi laughed hollowly and slid Hinata the small tray with his change. "Um... so if you don't mind me asking, how long have you two...?"

Hinata sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Almost a month now? And, uh, if you would mind not telling anyone..."

"Of course not!" Naegi raised his hands defensively. "I mean, I feel bad enough finding out myself, since you obviously wanted to keep it secret."

"No, it's fine," Hinata assured him, then paused. "But just so we're clear... please don't say anything about this to Kirigiri either, all right?"

"Kirigiri-san?" Naegi blinked at him. "You mean she doesn't know? She hasn't figured it out herself?"

Hinata made a noncommittal noise in his throat, and behind him, Kuzuryu shrugged. "Not that I know of," the cop said. "And, well... I think she'd say something if she did."

Naegi furrowed his brow in thought. "I mean, sure, I won't tell her anything. But I don't think she'd have a problem with you dating a man," he said, dropping his voice low enough so that any other passersby wouldn't be able to overhear.

Hinata chuckled wryly. "I don't think that would be the problem, either."

Unsure of what exactly the problem could be, then, Naegi watched in silence as Hinata pocketed his change and backed away from the counter.

"I'll see you later then, Naegi," Hinata called over his shoulder as he and Kuzuryu headed for the exit. "Don't get fired from this one too quickly, all right?"

Naegi grinned and waved them out, and once they were out of sight, he turned back to the line of surveillance monitors.

Hopefully the remaining seven hours of his shift wouldn't be nearly as difficult to deal with.

Notes: Fingers crossed for me to be able to get the next chapter out in a timely manner...! Heh.