Dinner was... a blast.
Izuru had never eaten with someone so lively before! As soon as they had sat down at the table, Gin was spewing stories, and he had a knack for extravagant exaggerations and flamboyant hand gestures. And at the end of the night, he had even helped Izuru pay the bill.
As they left the restaurant, cheeks tinted pink from the cup of sake they had each had, Gin snaked an arm around Izuru's shoulders. "Let's do this again sometime, ne?"
Izuru leveled his gaze on Gin's ivory face. "Yeah," He said, and yawned. "It was tons of fun."
They strolled down the sidewalk to the metered spot they'd parked in, the chill night air cooling their heated faces. Gin's phone rang from his pocket, and he pulled it out, staring at the caller ID for a moment. "Hello?" Worry strained his voice.
A moment of silence. "No." Izuru whipped his head up, and choked on his question. Gin's aqua eyes were spread wide open. A tear rolled down his cheek. "Thank you," He mumbled, and returned his phone to his pocket, his hand taking up a fist of Izuru's sweatshirt.
"Gin-san?" Izuru asked, his voice breaking. "What happened?" Gin's pale lips trembled.
"My dad- he-" Gin's voice died in his throat. He untangled his fist from Izuru's jacket, and covered his face with spidery hands. "Gone," he murmured into his palms.
"Gin?" Izuru repeated, putting a hand on his shoulder. Gin shook his head. "Gin, are you all right? Tell me what ha-"
"He committed suicide." Gin crouched down in a ball, his slender frame shaking.
"He-" Izuru echoed. "Oh no, Gin, I-" He swallowed his words, kneeling beside the quivering Gin. "Is there anything I can do?" Gin shook his head again. He drew in a staggered breath, and still curled in on himself, rubbed his face with his wet palms. He lifted his blotchy face.
His freakish smile was back, ghoulishly soldered to his milky face. It made Izuru want to retch. "Let's go home, ne?" He said, rising. Izuru followed, anxiety chewing at his gut as he unlocked his truck.
The sun was setting as Izuru pulled onto the motorway. His thoughts were flying faster than the cars were driving, and they were threatening to crash into each other. It was so unexpected, and Izuru didn't even know what Gin's father's ailment had been. And the way Gin had handled it... disturbed Izuru. He pulled into the cemetery parking lot, and shut off his truck. Silence settled around them, the cicadas chirping obnoxiously outside. "Gin-" Izuru began.
"Would ya mind staying with me tonight?"
Izuru blushed. "I- um, no."
"Good. I'm... I'm gonna need someone here with me." Gin stared out the window at the rows of headstones. "I don't know what I'd do."
Izuru looked down. "I understand."
"Thank you." Gin opened the door and got out, slamming it forcefully behind himself. Izuru stared after him. It's hard. Izuru thought. Losing a parent. I don't blame him for being upset. He got out and locked his Toyota, running to catch up to Gin. As Izuru shouldered up to Gin, Gin threw a cutting glance at him in spite of his wide grin.
"I understand more than you might think," Izuru uttered, very softly.
"Oh yeah?" Gin remarked, folding his arms.
"Yeah. The reason we met is because I lost my parents. I don't know what your dad was suffering from, or what caused him to... off himself. But I know that it's you who's suffering now. And I get that feeling. My parents, they... they died suddenly. It was a hit-and-run, and I didn't know until the next day." Izuru sniffled. "I barely know you. I don't know what your situation is like, or if you have any relatives, or even if your mother is still alive. But sometimes- sometimes I think maybe- Oh, I don't know. I'm babbling, aren't I? I-"
Gin pulled him into a tight hug.
"Gin?"
"Ya stopped usin' honorifics." He whispered into Izuru's hair.
"Is that bad?" Izuru's voice was muffled by Gin's jacket.
"No," He breathed.
"Oh. Okay.
More silence.
"Don't you think this is weird?" Izuru asked, still buried in Gin's arms.
"What is?"
"Two men... hugging each other. Rather intimately, don't you think?"
"Nah."
Izuru tried to pull back a little.
"I like ya, an' that's all that matters ta me," Gin said.
"Is that so?" Gin was smooshing Izuru's face into his chest.
Gin nuzzled the top of Izuru's head. Izuru stiffened, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. He pushed away, placing his hands square on Gin's chest, and Gin's skinny arms fell to his sides. "Yeah." Gin stated with a frown.
"Oh."
They started walking to Gin's house again, this time with some distance between each other. Silence was like smog between them, and you might've needed a machete to get through it. Gin slid open the genkan, and stepped inside, taking off his shoes, Izuru following suit. The sun had gone down by now, and it was dark inside his house. Izuru tripped stepping onto the tatami. Gin caught him by the the upper arm, and righted him, then let his fingers slip away. What's happening with Gin?, Izuru wondered, watching Gin shuffle to the oshiire and bring out two futons. Gin lay out the futon in an area by doors that opened to the outside. There was a small stream running by, gurgling and whispering quietly. Izuru stood shock still, wanting to help somehow as Gin brought back blankets and pillows. Shit, I made things awkward. The futon lay side by side. Gin sat on the futon that appeared to be his, and patted the one next to him, encouraging Izuru to come and sit. Izuru sat.
"He had heart cancer."
"Huh?" Izuru stared stupidly at Gin.
"My dad. Thought I'd tell ya. An' my momma- she died in a plane crash, comin' home from a business trip."
"Oh." Izuru stared at the bubbling stream that now glistened in the moonlight. "Thanks for telling me."
"'S nothing."
Silence seemed to be a popular ordeal for the two.
Gin stretched out on his futon, staring despondently at the ceiling, eyes wide open. Izuru watched him, as discretely as possible. He was a handsome man, really. He was strong, and muscular -as Izuru had noticed after being crushed in a bear-hug- and tall. But then again, Izuru was slightly shorter than average. And Gin had the most stunning blue eyes, like cut aqua marine set into his skull. It was really too bad that he was squinting all the time. When Gin looked at Izuru, it felt like his soul would melt into a pool of butter- or maybe mercury. Yeah, mercury.
"Do ya wanna borrow something to sleep in?" Gin aksed.
"Yeah." Izuru admitted.
"Okay." Gin pushed himself up, and wandered into another part of the house, returning with a pair of flannel pajama bottoms. Izuru set them beside his futon, and Gin dropped down again. "I dunno what I'm gonna do now. There ain't that much money in the bank, so any sort of grandiose funeral is outta the question. 'M prolly gonna get evicted soon, 'cause dad was the one who paid the mortgage. Hmm..." Gin trailed off.
"You don't have to tell me all of this, Gin."
"I know, I just need someone to talk to. Keep myself under control."
"I understand."
The rest of the night went on much like that.
At some point they had fallen asleep. Izuru was tucked neatly under his covers, and Gin was sprawled out, blankets and pillow tossed aside. The cicadas chirped late into the night, close to the sleeping pair. Gin rolled about in his sleep, muttering and twisting off of his futon and closer to Izuru.
Which made waking up most definitely awkward.
Izuru's eyes cracked open when the break of dawn peeked over the horizon, and he gasped silently at Gin's arm draped over his side. His face turned the color of a fire engine.
"Gin, what are you doing?" Izuru asked the drowsy Gin, who was laying behind himself.
"I dunno, what are you doing?" Gin slurred in a sleepy tone.
Izuru mentally slapped himself. "I'm trying to get up."
"No yer not." Izuru was pulled closer, and he blushed harder. "We don' have ta get up, dad's dead."
"Gin, you-"
"Shh," Gin hushed Izuru. "I like ya where ya are."
Izuru scrambled to flip over under Gin's arm. "Gin, you must be delirious or something, because-" Their lips brushed. Gin was so much closer and awake than expected. Izuru squeaked and covered his mouth with his hands, his face reddening to a deeper red.
"Hmm, your idea is so much better than mine." Gin stared him down with wide, soul-melting ocean eyes, a devious grin gracing his lips as he pried away Izuru's hands.
"What? That wasn't an idea, it was an acciden-" A kiss.
It was chaste and tasted sweet.
"What the hell, Gin?" Izuru shouted. Gin flinched from the noise in his face.
"Ne, it was your idea." Gin's lips curled in a nasty smile.
"I told you it was an accident!" Izuru wouldn't ever tell Gin that he was secretly so very pleased. Ever.
"So ain't you gonna push me away like all the rest of them did?"
"What do you mean?"
"Everybody else I've ever known has pushed me away when I did something wrong. You're the first friend I had in a long time."
"Friends don't..." Izuru strained to say it- "kiss each other, Gin."
"So what?"
"So what? It's weird, that's what!"
"Hmm."
Izuru slapped his palm to his forehead. The man was clueless. "I won't push you away."
"Awesome." Gin pressed their foreheads together.
"But," Izuru continued, putting a finger to Gin's smiling lips. "I'm not your lover. Or any other sort of synonym or equivalent of that. I'm not even close."
"Okay."
More of that oh-so popular silence.
"I'm serious." Izuru poked Gin's lips.
"Yessir." Gin continued his painful-looking smile. "Are ya gonna make me let go of ya soon?"
"I'm considering it."