The night itself is a calm one. The wind whistles through the trees as Takumi leaves his family's house, and the chill of the air is only slight as he makes his way downtown. The stars above him shine down and the moon is a bright crescent in the sky; the sun won't be up for another two hours, so Takumi commits to stargazing as he walks along the empty road. He doesn't get many opportunities to study the night sky; he sleeps too early and wakes too late to fully appreciate the way the stars look against the backdrop of pitchblack space.
He walks the familiar roads quietly, eyes trained on the sky above before he realizes his feet have brought him to the barcade where he spent his highschool years, playing games on the weekends and sharing a couple of drinks with friends. The building itself hasn't changed, all brick and neon lights against the rest of the downtown area.
And when he looks, Setsuna is there at the picnic tables out front, a cigarette between her teeth and hand raised in a friendly wave. There's a smirk hovering on her lips, and she removes the cigarette to bury it in the ashtray. She's clad in a oversized sweater, much like Takumi, with black leggings and snow boots. It's the look that his friends have lovingly called the 'Sexy Setsy', much like her contact information on his phone.
"It's about time you showed up, 'kumi." She says as she stands to meet him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders in a tight half hug. "You got some catching up to do, everybody is already pretty smashed." Takumi groans at the implication.
"You expect me to drink? I just woke up!" He raises an eyebrow as Setsuna drags him towards the door.
"Yup." Her arm tightens around his shoulders as she puts him in a semi-headlock, ruffling his hair fondly. "You're at Orochi's, you've gotta drink."
So Takumi relents, letting Setsuna drag him into the bar by the back of his neck. She smells like smoke and some sort of cologne. Setsuna throws open the doors, only to be stopped in her tracks by a short redhead whose beady eyes feel like their boring into Takumi.
"ID please." He says, and Takumi blanches because that was the one thing he left at home. But here's this little doorman, asking for an ID that Takumi doesn't have.
But Setsuna pipes up from besides him, arm tightening in a move that was no doubt to reassure him. "Oh shoot, I forgot Orochi got a new door boy." Setsuna says. The boy doesn't budge, hand still extended towards Takumi.
"I need to see your ID, or I am legally obligated to kick you out, regardless of how old you are."
"Oh lay off Hayato, 'kumi's a friend of the family." Setsuna really does try her best to convince him, but the doorman just cracks his knuckles. He somehow manages to look intimidating, even when he's just shy of five feet.
There's movement in the back near the bar, a glass is dropped somewhere. He hears a shrill shriek that sounds suspiciously like his name, and suddenly Hayato is pushed to the side to make way for Orochi. She rushes to pull him into a hug, squeezing him tight as she buries her head into his shoulder.
"Oh goodness, it's so good to see you!" She pulls back, a mischievous smile gracing her lips. She rests a hand on his cheek, squeezing gingerly. "Have you grown even taller since I last saw you?"
Takumi frowns, playfully swatting her hand away from his face. "I was here two months ago, Orochi. Y'know, before I left?"
She hums, resting her hand on her own cheek. Her mischievous expression falls away to reveal something more doting, more motherly. "Come on, lemme make you a Mokushu Mule and you can tell me all about your time at college and all the hot guys you've met, and how many you've- y'know." She waggles her eyebrows as she motions towards the bar, but Hayato looks perfectly scandalized.
"But Orochi, he doesn't-"
"Shh, Takumi is family."
"But-"
"Nope, quiet, I don't want to hear anything more from you about this."
"Oooooo, a crush on your roommate! How romantic!" Takumi had only lasted half a Mokushu Mule before he spilled that one. Now he was in serious trouble, because Orochi's closing in, and she won't let it go until she knows the whole story. "Tell me more, tell me more!" She demands, but Takumi doesn't have anything more to say about it, so he takes another sip from his drink and pouts. Orochi seems to understand him though, because she pouts along with him.
"You think he's straight, huh?" She asks, and Takumi nods, angrily taking another swig. The burn of the alcohol is enough to make his eyes water minutely.
"He's got a crush on this girl, and I'm mad about it." He says finally. Orochi raises an eyebrow.
"Is she a bitch or something?" Setsuna asks from his side, but Takumi groans.
"No! That's what makes me the angriest!" He grumbles against the lid of his cup. He contemplates slow swigs, but relents and just downs the rest angrily. The alcohol burns his throat and his cheeks heat up as he slams the copper cup against the bar counter. The sound is loud enough to startle some of the gamers away from their games, but Takumi doesn't care, he's angry, not at Felicia but at himself. Setsuna and Orochi are both staring at him worriedly, but the alcohol is fogging his brain too much for him to care. "She actually seems super nice and sweet and it makes hating her guts so. Damn. Hard!"
There's a puff of smoke from behind Setsuna, and weird laugh pipes up. "He sounds like he's jealous." Someone says, and Takumi leans over the bar slightly to squint at whoever said that.
It's Azama. Of course, Azama said that, and Takumi realizes, albeit slowly, and the weedbrain was actually right. Takumi's been jealous of Felicia since the first time he saw her sitting in his chair.
Orochi frowns at Azama. "Hey, no smoking in the establishment. If you wanna smoke, go sit outside."
"Here." Orochi takes his copper cup from it's resting place in front of him. He briefly hears the clink of metal against metal before Orochi sets a small plastic cup in front of him. "Drink that. I don't want to be the one responsible for any headaches you have later." A glint of light catches Takumi's eye, and he sits, transfixed, as he watches Orochi make another drink.
There's a ring on her finger that he hadn't noticed earlier. A rounded white gem, circled in a ringlet of gold sits prettily on her left hand. Takumi stares at it, only blinking away as Orochi sets another drink in front of him.
She must have seen him staring, because she smiles, holding up her hand for Takumi to see. "Pretty, isn't it?" She twists it around her finger some, and Takumi smiles. She looks so happy, and he's happy for her. "It's opal. Nyx proposed a couple weeks ago." She smiles softly, and Takumi thinks that she must be reminiscing, replaying such happy memories.
"Congratulations!" He says, nursing his second cup carefully. "That's, uh, that's awesome!"
Orochi laughs, reaching over the counter to ruffle his hair. "Thanks kiddo. Wedding's in December if you wanna come." She rests her chin on her hand once more, as her smile turns dopey. "Gods, I can't wait to marry the shit out of her."
Takumi's about to say something along the lines of 'I'll check my schedule and get back to you, but let's be real: I'm coming even if I have prior arrangements.', but he suddenly realizes that he's not sure how they met. "You guys were rivals in college, right?" He asks. "You never told me how you started dating." Orochi's love struck sigh wracks her whole frame as she visibly melts.
"She used to run a medicinal herb stand at campus market on the weekends, with the most vibrant orange calendulas I've ever seen."
"Translation please?" Takumi said, and Orochi pouted, jutting out her bottom lip.
"She sold flowers for medicine. And they were very pretty." Orochi hisses,
"Yeah, but how did you buying things from her evolve into you dating her."
"It was a slow progression I guess, but she eventually started giving me discounts, then full on free stuff. I guess we both started crushing on each other, and then one day I brought her a bouquet of echinaceas to ask her out and she said yes." Orochi shrugged. "I guess the rest is history."
Takumi raised an eyebrow. "Echinaceas? Translation?" Orochi sighed happily at the memory.
"Echinaceas are coneflowers. Super pretty, purple flowers if you ask me." Her dopey grin was back, eyes half lidded in contentedness. "They highlighted her eyes perfectly."
"Talking about me again, darling?" Came a voice from behind the counter, and both Orochi and Takumi looked over to see Nyx resting her chin against the end of the bar. She yawned once, and Orochi frowned, eyebrows knitting together in concern.
"What are you doing up Nyxie-poo? Don't you have to work tomorrow?" Orochi asked, but Nyx just shrugged.
"It was hard to sleep without you."
Orochi softened up immediately. "I'm sorry dear, just three more minutes in my shift, then Subaki's coming in to cover for me." And suddenly her mischievous grin came back, and Takumi inwardly panics. "But get this- Takumi's got a crush on his room-" Takumi slaps a hand over her mouth before she can continue, cheeks burning.
"Orochi!" He hisses, but Nyx just raises an eyebrow, looking between Orochi and Takumi.
"Roommate?" She asks, and Takumi deflates a little. But Nyx, like the literal fucking mind reader she is, makes it worse by saying, "Straight roommate?"
"Please don't remind me, I'm drinking to forget…" Takumi slumps back into the barstool, taking another sip from his second Mokushu Mule.
Nyx is quiet for a moment, tapping a finger on her chin in thought. "Are you sure he's straight? He could be bi or pan."
And, to be quite honest, that thought never occurred to Takumi. When he factors in Leo's reactions to Hero-King Marth and how interested he was to learn that the Hero-King was most likely bisexual, the whole thing seems to make perfect sense. It certainly wasn't a perfect explanation, but it was an explanation.
"Didn't think about that, huh?" Nyx asks, and she reaches over to pat his hand reassuringly. "You're such a pessimist that it's putting me to shame." She took a small glass out from behind the counter and filled it with water, taking a couple of small sips. Then, she pointed at Takumi. "Don't lose hope yet. You could always be his 'gay awakening'." Nyx said, before she pulled Orochi down to kiss her cheek softly. Nyx took a moment to whisper in her fiance's ear, but Takumi missed the blush that tainted Orochi's cheeks because he was too busy staring into his own cup.
Takumi blinked, swirling the alcohol around the edge idly. He hadn't thought about that either.
When he finally looks up from his cup, Nyx has disappeared up the stairs. Orochi stares longingly at where her fiance had gone, a content smile pulling at her lips once more. "I'm so in love."
Takumi couldn't help but snort. "I've noticed. I think everyone within 500 feet has noticed."
A low chuckle rang out behind him, and Takumi flips his barstool around, almost coming face to chest with a smirking Subaki. It takes him a moment, but once he tilts his eyes up, he knows he's done for. "I know I certainly have." Subaki says, and the look on his face is enough to get the blood rushing to Takumi's cheeks. The expression itself was a mix of Subaki's trademarked seduction and his amusement, and he looks away again.
"Finally." Orochi sighs, quickly relieving herself of her apron and placing it on the counter before her. "She's all yours, Subaki." Takumi hears her pat the counter.
His hair is perfect, as it has always been. His skin is clear and almost luminescent, and the way his shirt hugs his body leaves little to Takumi's imagination. Once his eyes make their way up his chest and to his face, he is surprised to see that Subaki is matching his gaze. He can't tear his eyes away. His eyeliner is flawless, and the mascara makes his eyes pop much like they had the first time they'd met in high school.
He's so transfixed on meeting Subaki's gaze that he doesn't notice Orochi sidling up until her arms are around his neck. "I'm going to bed." She says to him, tucking his head into the crook of her neck. "I'm sooooo tired."
"Then go. You got somebody waiting for you." Takumi can feel Orochi sigh into him hair as he reaches up with one arm to hug her back. He pats her arm once, and she releases his shoulders before pressing a wet kiss to his cheek.
"Tell Mikoto I said hi, alright?" Orochi's words are slurring with tiredness, but ruffles his hair nonetheless. He can hear her drag her feet as she turns away towards the stairs, but Subaki dominates his gaze. Now it feels like it's only Subaki and Takumi. He can barely hear everyone else in the barcade. The alcohol makes him feel like he's floating.
"You didn't tell me you were back in town." Subaki says, reaching forward to take the copper cup from him, but the moment their hands touch, Takumi is grounded. The floating feeling is gone, replaced with heated cheeks and some sinking feeling that's buried deep in his stomach.
He turns his barstool around, hiding his face from Subaki's prying eyes with his bangs. "I just got back." And he says no more. He can hear his heartbeat in his ears as Subaki stalks around the side of the bar. His eyes seem to bore holes in the counter in front of him.
There's a clang from the counter, his empty copper cup, the sound of fabric rustling, glasses knocking together, and, finally, his copper cup appears before him once again, full and still swirling.
His bangs are brushed to the side with featherlight touches, like Subaki is afraid he's going to bolt at any second. If he were sober, fully sober, he probably would've, and he knows somewhere, deep down in his mind, that this is wrong on so many levels, but he can't bring himself to care.
"You shouldn't hide your pretty face like that." Subaki whispers, and even though Takumi can hardly hear it through the noise of arcade games and rambunctious, drunken laughter, his face heats up beyond compare. A single wink and his whole entire being lights itself on fire.
"Shut up, Su." He barely manages to mutter, taking a sip from his third drink, and Subaki frowns. But Takumi can't bring himself to care, and Subaki's frown is quickly replaced by another smirk. Takumi has to fight the urge to roll his eyes.
"Y'know," Subaki starts, leaning over the bar to tilt Takumi's chin up with a single finger. "My bed is always open for you, if you would still have me."
Takumi's glare must take him off guard, because Subaki looks confused when he knocks his hand away. "Not fucking likely considering I'm not a dumb high schooler anymore." Takumi growls through gritted teeth. He slams his copper cup onto the counter with an icy glare, one that Subaki meets with knitted brows and a sad smile.
He looks so… well, disappointed is the only word that Takumi's drunk brain can come up with, but he'll be damned if he stays in Subaki's presence longer than he needs to.
So he leaves his cup on the counter and turns on his heel, exiting the way he came. He tries his best to ignore the feeling of eyes roaming his back, but he knows deep down, that that's not the last he's seen of Subaki
He spends another hour sitting at the picnic tables outside the bar, catching up with Azama and Setsuna and listening to all the hometown gossip. But once the light of the morning breaks through the darkness of the night, he says his goodbyes.
The sun will be rising in a couple minutes, and there's nothing he loved more than to watch Hoshidan sunrises. There was a bench in a park not far from downtown, one that sits on the shore of a pond that he used to swim in with his family when he was still a kid. It looks to the east and towards the range of mountains that separates Hoshido from the rest of the continent, and the purples and pink dance vibrantly off the peaks.
So he made his way to the park and quickly as he could, but once he finally made it there, he was dismayed to find someone else had gotten there before him. But he knew that long, dark hair instantly, and smiled to himself.
"Hey Oboro, what are you doing out here so early?" Takumi said as he sat on the bench next to Oboro, but her only reaction was a small grunt of acknowledgement. A couple moments of silence passed, and the sun began to rise above the horizon in the east. Oboro audibly cleared her throat afterwards, and Takumi turned to look at her.
"I feel icky, Takumi. Like, super gross." She said, arms crossed over her chest, face hidden beneath her hair.
"Are you okay? Do you need a hug?" Takumi asked as he stretched his arm over the top of the bench in an invitation. Oboro looked miserable, and on the verge of crying.
Tears finally trailed down her face when Takumi's arm made contact with her shoulders. "Thanks." Her voice cracked when she spoke, and Takumi nodded, wrapping his arm tightly around Oboro.
Oboro buried her face in the crook of Takumi's neck, taking a shaky sigh as she wrapped her arm around Takumi's midsection. "Thank you.."
"You don't have to thank me."
The sunrise was just as beautiful as ever, and the warmth of the sun feels wonderful on his face, He's pretty sure Oboro has fallen asleep on his shoulder, if the snores mean anything, but he doesn't mind. It's nice to have a moment to himself after the crazy last three hours.
At least, he thinks it's been three hours. He takes his phone from his pocket to check the time, only to be surprised to see that he's got one unread message.
leo astarot (6:32 AM): sorry
Takumi doesn't know what he's sorry for, why he's texting him sorry, and, most importantly, why he's awake at 6 o'clock in the morning. He's about to ask Leo why, but Oboro snores so hard that she wakes herself up, and Takumi pockets his phone as quickly as he can.
A/N: whew, sorry this is so late, school really caught up with me last semester, but at least this is something? I'll be hopefully covering hinoka next chapter, and expect orochi and nyx to show up later!
Thanks for all the comments, favs, and follows once again! You guys give me the strength to write this and I can't thank you enough!