"I got into a fight today."

"Again? You gotta stop doing this, you're gonna get your ass handed to you one day."

"I can't let them get away with saying that shit!"

"You don't have to defend me. Just take care of yourself."

"But-"

"No, Mondo. I don't want you getting hurt because of me."

"Right... I'm sorry..."

"Let them say whatever they want. Their opinions mean jack shit, yeah?"

"..."

"Come on. You look like you could use a hug."

"... Yeah."

"I'm sorry about yesterday."

Mondo shifted his phone between his shoulder and ear, frowning slightly at his words. He was currently picking through the remains of a Chinese takeout he'd picked up on the way home from work. The call time said he had been chatting with Chihiro for just over ten minutes.

"It's not your fault," he said, "we just butt heads a little too much I guess."

Chihiro hummed on the other end of the receiver. "He said the same thing... You guys really are similar."

"Except he's some fancy-pansy rich boy whose parents probably pay for everything."

Chihiro was quiet for a moment. "Actually, his family is pretty poor. I think his dad is a police officer but he never talks about his mother."

"Really? Could've fooled me."

"He works at a convenience store when he doesn't have lessons and then he comes back to finish off his extra credit... Always working. It's impossible to get him to sit down! But he still gets annoyed if I offer to pay for anything. I've told him it's no trouble, my parents don't mind sending me money, but..."

Seeing an opportunity to change the subject, Mondo asked, "How are your parents?"

"Same as always. Mum's off on another adventure. She's teaching in South Korea, sent us a postcard the other day but it got torn a little in the mail. She was asking about you the other day, actually."

"Tell her I said hi."

"Don't worry, I will."

There was a shuffling sound on the other end of the line as Chihiro crossed the room. A light thud indicated him dropping onto his bed.

"By the way, dad said that if you ever need to borrow money, he doesn't mind giving it to you. He'd rather you go to him than a loan shark or something... I mean, if it makes you feel any better, he offered the same thing to Ishimaru so he's not trying to baby you or anything."

"You sure you're dad's not the real loan shark here?"

"That might be his side business! No, dad's too nice to be a loan shark. He'd get someone in a situation like Kiyotaka and just give them the money without asking for it back."

Mondo took a second to finish off a piece of duck before he spoke, "You know, you talk about Ishi a lot."

"Huh?" Chihiro gave an awkward cough. "Oh, I'm sorry, I don't mean to, I just..."

"Nah it's fine. You usually sound happy whenever you bring him up though."

Chihiro squeaked on the other end of the line. "Don't say that, it's embarrassing!"

"What, do you have a crush on him or something?"

"S-Shut up!"

Mondo went quiet for a moment. Well, he certainly hadn't been expecting that.

"Wait, what? So you do have a-"

"Shush! S-So what if I do?! Don't judge me!"

He could almost picture Chihiro's face turning an adorable shade of red.

"Hey man," Mondo said, his voice suddenly much softer than he thought he was capable of, "it's no problem. Even if you do have a crush on mister stick-up-his-ass, I'm always here for you, ya know?"

"Yeah, I know..." Chihiro's voice was gentle, calming. "Thanks, it means a lot."

"I lo-"

Chihiro moved away from the receiver, calling out to someone else, then returned, "Kiyotaka's back so I'm gonna help set-up for dinner. We can meet up at the regular place on Thursday, right?"

"Yeah, sure, that's cool."

"Okay, I'll see you then! Bye!"

After what felt like an eternity of listening to the dial tone, Mondo dropped his phone on the table and stuffed his leftovers into the fridge.

He wasn't jealous. Not in the slightest. There was no way in hell anyone would ever reject someone like Chihiro so they were practically already together. He was happy for him. He wasn't mad. No, no, no-

Mondo violently shook his head and flopped onto his futon, covering his face with his hands and letting out a long, deep sigh.

Why the hell did he even care? So what if Chihiro had a crush on some stuck-up prick? Knowing Chihiro was happy was all he needed. So what if his smile was beautiful and his laugh was the most wonderful sound Mondo had ever heard? It wasn't like he wanted to hold him close and-

He quickly sat up. No, he certainly didn't think of Chihiro like that. That would be a complete betrayal of trust. He'd never be able to look him in the face again.

It wasn't like he had feelings for him-

Oh.

Oh no.

Like any logical person, Mondo decided the best response to the situation was to go out and get absolutely shitfaced.

There was a hotel rather close to his apartment that sold relatively cheap drinks in the bar so within half an hour he was slouched over the counter on his second beer, trying his best to keep his head down.

The hotel wasn't awful, but it wasn't on the fancy side either. Somewhere in the middle. It was clean and the atmosphere in the bar was nice enough so he had little to complain about.

"Mind if I sit here?"

Mondo glanced back at the source of the voice. A young woman with long blue hair and a bright pink dress stood there, a soft, delicate looking hand on the seat beside him. She was pretty, but in an unnatural way, almost like a doll.

"I'm not a doll, you know," she said with a smile.

"Huh? Sorry, did I say that out loud?"

She laughed. "No, I'm just psychic."

"What?"

"Just kidding!" She waved both hands frantically in front of her chest. "I just have really good intuition."

Mondo snorted and took a swig of beer.

"So, can I?"

"Yeah, knock yourself out."

She offered a wide grin as thanks and plopped into the seat. "You looked a little sad, so I felt like I should try to keep you company."

"You didn't have to."

"I wanted to. Besides..." She fussed with her hair. "I don't really feel like being alone tonight."

She ordered a cosmopolitan and took off her heels, pausing to rub her feet. She said her name was Sayaka and was apparently recovering from a recent breakup.

"He just said that we'd grown apart and that he liked someone else," she said as she finished her drink and ordered another, "He tried to be nice about it but..."

Mondo didn't want to be a complete ass and ignore her entirely, though he wasn't really that interested either, so he simply nodded along at the correct intervals.

"Hey," she said, turning to face him, "what about you?"

"What do you mean?"

"How did you end up here? If you don't mind me asking?"

"Where did your good intuition go?" he teased. She giggled. The sound reminded him of those air-headed personas many idol girls were forced to play.

"It gets fuzzy when I've had a few drinks."

Mondo finished his drink. "There's a guy who I like, known him for years, but he's not interested. He likes some other asshole. Same boat as you."

"That sucks."

"Yeah..."

Sayaka swirled her pointer finger around the rim of her empty glass. After a long pause, she asked, "Do you believe in fate?"

"Not particularly."

"Neither do I."

"Then why did you ask?"

"I was curious." Sayaka folded her hands in her lap. "What did you say your name was?"

"I didn't. It's Mondo."

"Well, Mondo-kun, would you like to sleep with me?"

"Excuse me?"

"I'm frustrated because my boyfriend found someone else, you're frustrated because your friend doesn't look at you the way you want them to... We might as well put that frustration to good use."

He coughed. "That sounds like the sort of thing you hear before you wake up in a bathtub with a kidney missing."

Sayaka laughed. "I suppose so."

"What the hell, if I lose one it can be a good conversation starter. Pretty cool scar as well."

They paid for their drinks, booked a room, and hopped into the elevator. They kept their distance the entire way up to the room, at least a metre between them at all times.

Even when they got to the room, Sayaka undressed in the en-suite while Mondo closed the curtains and made sure the door was locked before undressing himself.

"Got a few scars already. The kidney scar wouldn't be very noticeable," Sayaka said as she paced over and sat on the edge of the bed. Even though they were both stark-naked, the way she carried herself was so unfittingly casual for the situation.

"Yeah, but it'll be a big one. Way bigger than most of the others I've got."

They were quiet for a moment, Sayaka brushing her fingers through her hair in thought. "So, how are we gonna do this?"

"Well, I guess I can lie back and you can be on top if you want."

"That sounds fair. Just so long as you don't leave me to do all the work."

She climbed into his lap, shuffled awkwardly for a few seconds, furiously chewing at her lip.

"What's up?"

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, I'm not really into this," Sayaka said, "I keep having weird flashbacks and stuff."

"It's cool. I wasn't really feelin' it either."

"How come?" she asked, tilting her head to one side.

"Just got a lot on my mind."

She nodded, climbing onto the bed and flopping onto her back. "Can't fault you for that."

"Sorry," he said, propping the pillows up to lean against the headboard.

"Nah, it's okay. I think you'd be too big for me anyway."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

Sayaka laughed and pulled up the blankets to cover her chest. "Sorry to drag you all the way out here for nothing."

"Hey, if you're not into it, you're not into it."

They both stared up at the ceiling. A police siren blared past the window and faded into the distance. A couple could be heard arguing in the room next door.

Mondo glanced to the woman beside him, still bright eyed and wide-awake. She met his gaze and smiled. A friendly, business smile, like they had just settled on a price for a house.

"So, what are you gonna do about your ex?"

Sayaka let out a long, deep sigh. "I'm not sure. I guess I'll try to find someone else but..." She nibbled her bottom lip. "I might just take the opportunity to do something totally different. Go hiking for three months or something like that. Get away from it all, you know?"

"Good luck with that."

"Thanks." Sayaka folded her hands on her chest. "What are you gonna do about your friend?"

"I..." Mondo rubbed his face and let out a huff. "I have no idea."

She hummed. "The best thing you can do is be supportive, right? I mean, if it doesn't work out, you can always get the rebound."

"I guess..."

They were quiet for a long while. Mondo though she had fallen asleep when she spoke,

"What do we do now?"

He thought for a moment, then said, "Did you know that jellyfish can evaporate in the sun?"

Sayaka giggled. "No, I didn't. Where did you learn that?"

"Just a random fact, I guess," he said with a shrug.

"I would offer you one in return, but I don't really have any useless trivia like that."

"That's disappointing. I was hoping to learn something tonight."

Sayaka sat up suddenly, a look of glee on her face.

"We could always raid the mini fridge. The code is the same for all the rooms."

Before he could respond, she had already hopped off and was crouched in front of the fridge. "1-1-0-3-7," she muttered as she typed in the code.

"Don't you have to pay as soon as you open it?"

Sayaka grinned. "Don't worry, it's on me."

"Are you okay?"

Mondo looked up from his coffee and frowned. He and Chihiro were at their usual spot, in the corner by the window of their little café. The bitter drink was starting to grow on him and he couldn't bring himself to suggest any different hangouts.

"Huh? Yeah, fine... Just got a hangover..."

Chihiro frowned. "Really?" He sounded slightly disappointed, but offered a sympathetic smile. "We can go somewhere else if it'll make you feel better?"

"Nah, I'll be fine."

"Do you... do this often?"

"What?"

Chihiro shook his head and folded his hands in his lap. "Never mind."

After a moment, Mondo sighed. "Nah, this isn't a usual thing. Last time I had a hangover was month ago."

Chihiro seemed to brighten up at that. "Ah, okay, that's fair."

He swirled his teaspoon around his cup for a few seconds, staring at the empty space beside him.

"Maybe he should come with us next time."

"Who? Ishimaru?"

Chihiro nodded. "I honestly think you two would get along if you just got to know each other."

"Chi, I don't think he wants anything to do with me."

"No, I asked him this morning as he said he was fine with trying again."

Of course he was. He was probably doing it to make Mondo look bad if he said no. Was Mondo overthinking it? He couldn't truly pin Ishimaru's motivation like he could with most people. Was he prioritising Chihiro's feelings or his own ego?

"-but I'm worried, he's never been this distant about it before. Hey, are you still listening?"

Mondo suddenly jerked back to reality, staring blankly at Chihiro for a few seconds. "Urh..."

"So that's a 'no.'" Chihiro smiled sadly. "It's okay, I know I was rambling."

"Nah, I should've still been paying attention."

"But I understand why you weren't."

"Doesn't excuse it. Next time I zone out, you can slap me."

Chihiro's eyes widened as he frantically shook his head. "I would never do that!"

"But you'll fight the guys at your dorm?"

Chihiro suddenly went quiet, leaning back in his seat and staring at his hot chocolate. Mondo was about to speak when Chihiro started muttering.

"I can't hear you," Mondo said slowly. Chihiro blinked once, twice, then met his gaze.

"One of them beat him up the other day," he said quietly, "we stayed up late to patch him up. Mostly just bruises and stuff, but... I feel so useless."

"What do you mean?"

Chihiro wiped his face on his sleeve before tears could break through. "He puts on a brave face but he's suffering and I can't do anything to help him. It's horrible."

Pushing back his own distaste for the man, Mondo leaned across the table and took Chihiro's hand, squeezing it tightly. "You still stay with him in his dorm, don't you?"

Chihiro nodded.

"Then you're helping. He knows that even if he gets a load of crap during the day, he can go back to someone who'll listen to him bitch and not be bored shitless, ya know?"

"Maybe don't become a therapist any time soon."

Mondo gave him a look of mock-offense. "What? Are you saying my techniques don't work?"

"No, they work. They're a little informal though, don't you think?"

"But if they work, isn't that the main thing?"

Chihiro made a cute pout. "I guess you have a point there."

"Doctor Oowada is in the house," Mondo said, folding his hand on the table.

"Doctor Oowada should hand in his medical license."

"That was just cruel."

Chihiro choked on his drink. Before he could respond, a familiar voice at their side cut him off,

"Oowada? Is that you?"

It was Souda, still in his work clothes, complete with oil stains and the stench of petrol.

"Shit man, I knew it was you the second I walked in. Mind if I...?"

Mondo kicked the spare chair out and Souda nodded in thanks as he sat down.

"What are you doing here?" Mondo asked with a frown.

"I should be asking you that. Doesn't look like your kinda place."

Mondo rolled his eyes. "I asked you first."

"Yeah? Well I asked you second."

Seeing no point in arguing, Mondo gestured towards Chihiro, attempting not to sound too annoyed at Souda's sudden appearance.

"We come here pretty often."

As if taking his cue, Chihiro waved as Souda glanced in his direction. Chihiro's face suddenly scrunched up in thought. "Hey, were you ever on a computer science course at the nearby university?"

Souda nodded quickly. "Yeah! I dropped out, but I was on it for a while!" He grinned. "I thought I recognised you. Fujisaki, right?"

Chihiro beamed. "Yes! Was it... Souda?"

Before the two could delve much deeper into their reunion, Mondo spoke up, "Anyway, why are you here?"

Souda's ears went as pink as his hair. "Oh, urh, I'm actually waiting for someone..."

"Oh! For a meetup like me and Mondo?" Chihiro asked.

"I dunno..." Souda glanced at Mondo with a smirk, "Is it that kind of meetup?"

"Depends," Mondo deadpanned, "are you meeting up with Tanaka?"

"M-Maybe! It's none of your business! A-Anyway-!" Souda shot to his feet, "I'm gonna go get a table!" As he scurried away, he added a high-pitched, "It was good to see you Fujisaki!"

Mondo slumped on the table, face down and arms hanging uselessly at his sides. He let out a long groan.

"Friend of your's?" Chihiro asked, tilting his head to one side like a kitten.

"You could say that..."

"Well I hope his date goes well."

Mondo rose an eyebrow. "It probably isn't actually a date-"

"Well, yeah, but he wants it to be one. He's not being discreet, we can agree on that much," Chihiro giggled. Mondo tried not to turn pink. "Maybe the other guy just doesn't want to let him down..."

"Or maybe he's totally oblivious," Mondo suggested.

"There's always that. Though I think anyone would notice a crush that obvious."

Mondo almost wanted to laugh.

Chihiro was quiet for a little while before he said,

"Maybe we should take a day trip together."

"What, like go out of town or something?"

"Yeah. You remember Asahina from high school, right?"

Mondo thought for a minute, then shook his head.

"She went to an all-girls school across town. Super nice, into swimming and stuff, has a girlfriend called Oogami."

"Oh yeah, I think I remember her. Don't think I ever actually talked to her, but saw you hanging out with her a few times."

"I told them about you a few times. Asahina said you seemed pretty nice and Oogami said you looked reliable." Chihiro smiled fondly at the memory. "Well, they live in Atami now."

"Never been."

"It's pretty nice. I've been meaning to visit them for a while now and..." He nervously played with the tablecloth, keeping his eyes down as he picked at the threads.

"You want me and Ishi to come with you?"

"I was just thinking..." Chihiro said, choosing his words carefully, "that maybe you'd... get along better in a less stressful environment? I mean, a school library you're not actually supposed to be in isn't the best place to meet someone new, right?" When Mondo didn't respond immediately, he quickly shook his head. "I-I mean, only if you want to! We can-"

"It's cool. Sounds fun."

"Really?" Mondo could see the stars in his eyes. "Thank you! I know you'd rather spend time with your other friends, but-"

"Honestly? I'd much rather spend the day with you than-" he gestured over to Souda, now sat at the opposite end of the café, "-him and his 'not' boyfriend."

"Are they really that bad?"

"Well, his boyfriend is pretty much furry with an occult fetish, so- Shit, I mean-! No, I'd love to spend the day with you- Wait, not like that, I mean-"

Chihiro covered his mouth to stifle a snort. "It's okay, I got what you meant." He finished his drink and stretched out his legs. "So, you'll come?"

"Yeah... Yeah, that'd be really nice."