[log] Tachibana & Atobe
Oct. 2nd, 2018 09:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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tennis_hellWho: Tachibana Kippei and Atobe Keigo
What: Tachibana invites himself to help Atobe unpack, and they order pizza and get shitfaced the night before Tachibana goes on his camping trip
When: September 7th, after this post
Where: Atobe's condo
Rating: G
Of all of the things that Tachibana expected to do on a Friday night, admittedly helping Atobe Keigo unpack boxes in his condo after his great return back to Japan was certainly not something he could have anticipated. It was fortunate indeed that he had already packed what he would need for camping the next day with his sister and former teammates, else he wouldn’t have been able to swing it since they were supposed to leave in the morning, but as Tachibana was wont to do he always wanted to help out a friend.
And it had been a fantastic evening. Though it had been many years since they had really spent any memorable time together in person, those times mostly centralized around their time as captain of Seigaku and Hyoutei’s high school divisions respectively, the conversation came easy, the laughter in abundance, and the sheer ridiculousness of some of Atobe’s belongings and trying to find a good home for them entertaining.
As promised, the pizza arrived at a perfect break from actually getting quite a bit accomplished - more than Tachibana expected, even - and Tachibana laid out plates for them as Atobe retrieved the pizza.
Atobe returned to the dining table with the pizza, opening the box and peeking within. Even though it was Pizza Hut, there was something just wrong about Japanese pizza. At least, to a man who had been living abroad for so much of his life. But it had its own charm and its own fond memories that he associated with being young, stupid, and surrounded by friends. But, anything looked appetizing after taking care of all of those damn boxes.
“Can I offer you a drink?” Even as he said the words, Atobe went to his liquor cabinet (admittedly, the first thing he had stocked upon moving in) and started to make his selection. He knew he had that bottle of De Kuyper cherry brandy.
“I would love one, thank you. Whatever you have is fine.” Tachibana didn’t pay Atobe any mind as he wandered off, instead directing his attention toward the pizza. He didn’t order take out very often - as he enjoyed cooking so much, he favored more looking up random recipes online and trying them out for things like pizza. But it was difficult to resist the familiar smell and Tachibana helped himself to a couple of slices.
Atobe brought out the bottle and two glasses with a couple of metal ice cubes from the mini fridge. He poured the brandy and helped himself to some pizza as well. He wasn’t going to spend a moment more worrying if it was edible - now that it was in front of him, he would eat anything. “Pizza has never looked so appetizing,” he said with a laugh and took his first bite.
Tachibana laughed, taking that as an invitation to also dig into the food himself. Despite his foodie ways, when he got distracted by something it was all too easy to forget to do things like eat meals, and so the pizza truly was the best thing that could have happened. “Right? I think I could have snacked on one of the boxes we unpacked if it had truly come to it, but this is much better.” It wasn’t quite the same pizza that Tachibana would have ordered had he been left up to the selection, but it was just recognizable enough to his Japanese tastes and yet foreign enough that it was probably pretty comforting to Atobe given that he had moved so far away from home.
Speaking of those boxes… “Thank you, truly. I probably would have resorted to hiring someone if it had gone on much longer. I’ve had the hardest time getting to bed before 4 a.m.” Normally jet lag wasn’t so awful on him, but something about combining it with moving, not having his dog with him, and the sudden change of schedule with his undergrad behind him just was the perfect recipe for confusion. He hadn’t felt like this much of a wreck in years, and the last time he had was too embarrassing to admit to.
“I can only imagine.” Tachibana paused in his attack on the pizza, wiping his hands on one of the cloth napkin that had magically appeared on the table. He didn’t remember unpacking it, but that certainly didn’t mean that he hadn’t done so. “It’s been my pleasure. Truly. I wouldn’t have blamed you for hiring someone, but I’m always happy to help a friend.”
“I feel like I’ve not been the best friend,” Atobe admitted. “It’s been some time since we have been able to sit and chat like this. I know we’re both the sort to pack our schedule, but that is no excuse.” He found himself mysteriously holding little more than crust in his hand, not entirely sure how he had put back almost a full slice of pizza already. Oh well, might as well chase it down with a bit of brandy. He took a long-awaited sip of the brandy and felt himself already sinking into just a generally happier place than he had been in a few weeks.
Relaxing into the chair, Tachibana thought that Atobe had the right idea indeed, and also lifted the glass of brandy to his lips to take a long sip. It was certainly very different from the tequila he and Kamio had passed back and forth on that particular night, but he could tell even without having much exposure to high shelf alcohol that this was likely very expensive and very well aged.
“Nonsense.” Tachibana tipped his glass toward Atobe in a toast, though they had certainly gone about it backwards. “All that means is that we have more to talk about, and many hours of the evening to fill.”
Atobe tipped his glass in return. “So true. You were going to tell me about all your ridiculous entrepreneurial ventures.” If there was one thing that was true about Tachibana, it was that he was the sort who would start a new project with vigor, see it through to its completion, and then pass it along to a successor before diving right into the next great project. If he were to apply that spirit to business ownership, he really could make a fortune for himself with the right investors.
Ah, right. He had promised that, hadn’t he? Tachibana was all too happy to talk about it, though it would be with fair warning to Atobe that once he got him talking, especially with the help of alcohol, he likely wouldn’t stop.
“A dangerous request,” Tachibana chuckled, taking another sip of the brandy before setting the glass aside and picking up the second piece of pizza. “Let’s see… Well, I think the thing I’m most focused on now is on the food side of things.” It wouldn’t be immediately evident to Atobe, as he hadn’t been around to experience it, but Tachibana had been very liberal in his invitations to friends to share meals with him. Not that he didn’t do so simply to spend time with them - that was the driving factor, after all - but because it allowed him to try out new things, see what worked and what didn’t, and hone on the particular dishes that were best suited for this particular venture.
“I have this idea of something almost like an in-home chef. But, rather than someone who is specifically contracted to serve a particular family, such as the staff at your family’s home, it would be someone who would come in how ever many times a week, go grocery shopping, pick up the necessary supplies, and then cook meals that then need very little preparation to be eaten at whatever meal time.” In particular he was hoping to target those families who worked long hours and didn’t have much time to ensure nutritious meals each and every night.
Atobe nodded thoughtfully, sipping his brandy once more. “A personal chef, of sorts. But I imagine you would be pricing your services as such that the average family of four could afford you?” Atobe himself had grown up with a personal chef in his home, but he was well aware that it was not something that most people had by any means. He could see how it could be valuable after a long day of work in a home with two working parents - it was basically necessary for he and his parents to eat when they had all lived together. His mother traveled frequently and often had conference calls at odd hours to match hours with overseas clientele. His father was married to his work and wouldn’t eat otherwise.
“Of sorts, though the idea would be that you would essentially come in, prepare the food, clean, and then be out of there before anyone got home. But, yes, the idea would be to price it in a way that would be affordable to working families.” Tachibana took another generous bite of the pizza and looked thoughtful as he chewed. “Perhaps not like, say, my own family’s income level, but certainly not much higher than that.”
“If you were clever, you’d work together with Kamio on that.” Atobe suggested, swirling the brandy in the glass as he spoke. “You place your grocery order, he delivers the groceries to the address where you are going to be working, you cook, clean, and get out. It would benefit both of you, wouldn’t it?” He took another drink of the brandy before polishing off the last of his first slice of pizza.
There had been no shortage of hours that had gone into thinking about this particular business venture, but surprisingly, it hadn’t even occurred to him that it would be feasible to potentially elaborate on the idea by the use of his former underclassman’s business. “That’s an excellent idea,” Tachibana said, nodding thoughtfully. “It would certainly be more efficient that way.” It was something that he was going to think more about because it was actually a fantastic idea.
“I suppose this is why you’re the one who’s going to be taking over the big company, one day,” he joked, lifting the glass to take another generous sip.
“Ha!” Atobe shook his head. “No, that’s because I am the fruit of some old rich man’s loins.” He took up his other slice of pizza distastefully. He and his father were not on the best terms, they never had been. His father had squashed many of his passions from birth and forced upon him hobbies he didn’t particularly care for like playing the piano and dedicating every free second to achieving his undergraduate degree early. But he had no need to think of such things right now, he was supposed to be enjoying the company of an old friend. “He has an interesting business model. I have been considering how I could support his venture.”
Tachibana couldn’t help it - the disdain in Atobe’s voice was more than enough to show just how he felt about being the fruit of some old rich man’s loins, but the termination was amusing, and he let out a wry chuckle. It was probably best to leave that one alone, as much as he thought it sounded like a grand old time to start talking about their opinions on old rich men.
He swirled the brandy in his glass, watching it slosh up against the sides. “He’s poured his heart and soul into it - and has proven to be quite successful.” He looked back up at Atobe, watching the new slice of pizza slowly disappear. “It would mean a lot to him if you did.”
“Would it? He thinks I’m sketchy.” Not that they had a particularly strong history of friendship, quite the opposite, but Atobe was still amused that he had been so poorly received by Kamio. “I can only imagine what he must be going through knowing that his sun and stars has been captured in the clutches of such a sketchy villian of a man.” He finished off his brandy, already delving into the second glass. He just had this feeling like it was going to be a second bottle sort of night.
This time Tachibana didn’t even try to muffle his laughter. “You do make a fair point.” And he knew the reason why Kamio felt that way toward Atobe, and of course Tachibana didn’t condone what happened back then to result in that, but it had been very long time since then and Tachibana knew that wasn’t actually part of Atobe’s personality. And he doubted that his sister was really all that particularly fixated on it, either. But, that fierce loyalty was also one of the qualities of Kamio that Tachibana liked most, as it mirrored the way he felt about those he cared about, as well, so he also couldn’t entirely blame Kamio for holding a grudge, either.
“He’ll come around eventually. He’s just a bit… like me in that regard, I suppose.”
There was a reason that they had been a successful pair on the same tennis team, Atobe supposed. Similar to how he and Wakashi had proven to be a compatible pair for both being hard working, and even more importantly, contrary. “I’ll drink to that,” Atobe said as he poured himself an additional glass of brandy. But he was ready to drink to just about anything. “Your sister was kind enough to forgive. I look back on it and can only feel disbelief for how I behaved.”
And this was why Atobe Keigo was truly a man of character.
Tachibana finished off his own drink and wordlessly held it out for Atobe to refill his glass, too. It didn’t burn on the way down the same way as the cheap hard liquor Tachibana was used to drinking - it was quite nice, actually, leaving a happy warmth in his body. “We all do things that make us feel that way,” he concluded, leaning his arms forward on the table, loosely supporting the glass in his hand. “I know you’re not like that as a human being and An I’m sure has seen that, as well.”
If they were speaking to things they had done that were questionable as younger men, Atobe could certainly remind Tachibana of his own transgressions. It was actually insane to lead a violent revolt against school administration over a tennis club. Instead, he wordlessly refilled Tachibana’s glass. “I thought you might find this brandy too fruity,” he said. “I’ve no idea what your typical taste in drinks is. I feel I’ve failed you to have not learned this by now.”
Were Atobe to actually bring up the violent revolt against school administration over a tennis club, Tachibana would most certainly disagree with him that it was anything he felt remorse for as an adult, but it was probably best that Atobe left that particular thought unvoiced so that Tachibana couldn’t further convince Atobe that there was perhaps a loose screw somewhere up in that head of his.
“Not at all, this is great.” That’s what it was - he couldn’t place his finger on it exactly, but the brandy was definitely very fruity. “I’m not too picky, actually. Though admittedly I don’t purchase high shelf alcohol such as this.” Tachibana gave him a warm smile. “Most recently I had a bit of a run in with a bottle of cheap tequila. Shit burns when it goes down, but at least you forget about it after a few direct hits.”
Atobe laughed. “Do I need to send you with a proper bottle of tequila?” He stood from the table and went back to the liquor cabinet to survey his options. He, himself, preferred a blanco, but he did have a reposado that might be to Tachibana’s taste. He pulled out the unopened bottle of Agave Dos Mil and inspected it. It looked a bit like an oversized perfume bottle, but he had been told that it was one of the best mid-range bottles of tequila on the market. “How about this?” He passed the bottle over.
Tachibana collected the bottle from Atobe and inspected it, turning it around in his hands to get a closer look at the label. He didn’t recognize it, but that didn’t really mean anything when he was sure that there were probably thousands if not tens of thousands of different brands and qualities of tequila. “Admittedly, I’m not too good with all the different types, but this looks good.” If it came from the Atobe liquor cabinet, there was no way that it wasn’t good.
“We could always share it when this brandy runs dry,” Atobe suggested with a grin as he settled back in his chair. He finished off his second slice of pizza and looked back at the pizza box to consider another piece. He tossed it around in his mind for a moment before deciding he wasn’t getting any younger and taking another slice.
Not that Tachibana needed any encouragement to drink more even without Atobe’s proclamation. He tossed his head back to laugh. “Sure, what’s another bottle?” Another bottle could have easily turned into three and there was no doubt that they would see to it that they become one with the floor, but really, it was hard to beat pizza and alcohol after a long night of unpacking. “I’m glad you’re back, Keigo. It truly has been far too long.”
“It’s… well.” Atobe stopped himself. He wasn’t entirely sold on the idea that it was good to be back, per se, but it was good to surround himself with familiar faces once more. “It’s good to see everyone, again. Somehow I’ve already set myself a coffee date with Sanada - I hardly thought he would be the first to reach out.” Not that it was entirely unwelcome - they were friends, after a measure.
There was something about that sentiment that Tachibana just truly wasn’t that surprised by. Sanada and Atobe had actually a lot more in common than what they would think of one another - they were well suited to one another, even if their personalities had used to clash horribly. In particular when it came to the simple matter of Seigaku’s former captain.
“I’m not surprised by that. You two have always been drawn to one another for better or for worse.” Tachibana smiled warmly.
“Mostly worse,” Atobe agreed. It probably had to do with the fact that they were both so passionate and both had personalities the height of skyscrapers. People like that often both felt a magnetic pull to one another and also a magnetic repulsion. “But there are others I’d like to see soon, as well.” He didn’t say anyone by name, but they both knew who at least one of those people would be. “It is nice that everyone has a means of keeping in touch.”
“It is,” Tachibana’s smile only broadened as though to show Atobe that he knew exactly who Atobe meant, even if he wasn’t going to say it outloud. “I’ve enjoyed reconnecting with old friends.”
Looking around the now mostly unpacked condo, Atobe did settle into the idea that he was going to be here probably for the rest of his life. Not this condo, per se, but Japan, the company... It was enough to drain his glass of brandy, again. After which he gave himself a generous third pour. He wasn’t going to be done tonight until he was dancing-on-the-table drunk. “To old friends,” he suggested, raising his glass.
Tachibana liked Atobe’s style.
He took a quick second to top his glass off and then raise it up in a proper toast. “To old friends,” he echoed and then took a long sip, draining the glass like a champ. This time it did burn a little, but that was okay - nothing more than the cheap tequila had in the park.
Satisfied, he leaned back in the chair. “And good times ahead.”
“And good times ahead,” Atobe echoed taking a healthy drink of his own glass. Once he felt more settled in, he would be able to feel that sentiment more wholeheartedly. “Perhaps I’ll hire you and your speedy little biscuit to keep proper meals on my table.” Atobe himself was a competent cook, but there was appeal to an attractive man seeing to it for him. Like when you lounge on the beach and an attractive pool boy brings you margaritas.
Tachibana didn’t have any idea why Kamio was a speedy little biscuit, but based on the healthy flush on Atobe’s cheeks he assumed that Atobe probably didn’t know why, either. “It would be excellent were you to become my first client,” he said proudly, with perhaps a little too much gusto. “I do have many talents.”
One of Atobe’s eyebrows shot up and a his signature lazy, “Ah~n?” escaped his lips. He leaned a little closer to Tachibana, clutching his glass near his stomach. “Doesn’t sound like I’m your first client if you’re offering me these talents,” he suggested luridly.
The laugh tore out of Tachibana before he could control it, a deep belly laugh. “Now you took that in a turn that I most certainly did not intend.” He grinned brightly at Atobe. He appeared to hold his liquor much better than Atobe did, but it truly was entertaining. “I mean, if you’re into that, I suppose I would be hard pressed to deny the desirable Atobe Keigo.”
“You know, I am Forbes’ most eligible bachelor,” Atobe responded flippantly, motioning toward Tachibana with his glass. “I guess the only two qualifications are net worth and being unmarried, but we’ll pretend there’s more to me than that.” He couldn’t completely keep the bitterness out of his laugh, but allowed it to be swallowed into another sip of brandy.
If Tachibana were to give it some thought, he really didn’t believe that the only qualifications of net worth and unmarried would shoot Atobe on top of that list. There were so many reasons why the blonde would be an appealing mate, from the way he took care of those he loved, to the passion that he brought into everything he did. It wasn’t a stretch of the imagination by any means.
“I disagree,” he said smoothly, running his fingers over the rim of the glass. “I think there are many reasons why someone would find it appealing to be your significant other.”
Another laugh spilled out of Atobe and he leaned forward, resting his cheek in his palm. He could tell from the heat radiating from his face that he was blushing from the alcohol. Attractive. “Now, see, flattery will get you everywhere. But you are coming on rather strong. At least take me to dinner, first.” He lifted his glass for another sip of his brandy to find it was gone. He swirled it mournfully before reaching for the bottle of tequila.
Before Atobe could grab the bottle, Tachibana had it in his hand and uncorked so that he could fill Atobe’s glass with it. “I’m hurt - is this not dinner enough?” Tachibana gave him a warm smile, topping off his glass. Somehow, the tequila just seemed to be disappearing much like the brandy had, but it wasn’t going to stop him from taking another nice, long sip. “Though, you’d probably like something a little more to your taste than pizza…”
“Oh, yes, love, talk roast beef to me,” Atobe joked, enjoying a sip of the tequila. It might have burned on the way down before the first sip of brandy, but now he hardly noticed it. The glass felt cool in his hand, his vision was a bit blurred in the corners, and he felt warm and relaxed.
“Roast beef, is it? Was that your first love prior to Tezuka?” Of course, the comment came in jest. Tachibana had been more than aware of the fact that there were numerous players on the tennis circuit when they were in middle school who were all quite obsessed with Tezuka. Atobe was who had made it the most obvious, but there were certainly other people to add to that list he would be remiss to leave off.
“Oh, yes. My first love was roast beef, but then I met Kunimitsu.” He laughed mirthfully. Tezuka was the sort of person that was either oblivious to, or annoyed by, all the attention and Atobe wouldn’t stake so much as a hundred yen coin on which it was at any given moment. “But you, sweet thing - you must have a much more interesting first love.”
Tachibana laughed together with Atobe, watching the tequila swirl in his glass in his not-so-steady grip. It was a very pleasant buzz - he could certainly feel the effects of drinking the alcohol quite quickly, but admittedly as it was much higher shelf than what he and Kamio had shared, he did feel as though he wasn’t going to get smashed quite so quickly.
“First love, hm?” If he noticed the rather strange pet name, he didn’t so much as flinch. “I suppose it would depend on the sort of first love you were thinking, whether of the roast beef or Kunimitsu variety.”
“You underestimate my love for one of those things, hard to say which,” Atobe joked, lifting his glass as if in toast before taking another drink. It occurred to him it would be good with a bit of fresh lime. “Excuse me a moment,” he said before stumbling to his feet. He definitely failed the standing test, as he and his friends back in Britain so lovingly called the test for knowing when it was time to leave the bars. He made his way somewhat sideways to the kitchen and returned a moment later with a whole lime and a utility knife. He sat back down, boggled over the two things, and extended them to Kippei for help.
With watchful eyes, Tachibana watched Atobe stumble his way into the kitchen, and watched how it was clear that they had probably passed the point of no return quite a bit ago. Yet that didn’t stop him from refilling his glass once more, though he hadn’t yet drained it, and lifting it to his lips to take a long drink. He wasn’t one to drink excessively by any means - in fact, it really did tend to simply be at key times that he would party - but the high shelf liquor just went down so smoothly that Tachibana couldn’t say no. Even though he knew full well that he had an early start to the day, what with going with his sister and former teammates camping for the week and everything.
Over the rim of the glass he watched as Atobe held the limes out to him like a child who didn’t know what to do. He lowered the glass and asked, “Did you need me to cut them?” He carefully took the utility knife from Atobe’s hand first, then the lime. “I can’t imagine that you want them cut directly on the table, right?”
“...No,” Atobe agreed, rising to his feet once more and returning to the kitchen. He came back with a small, wooden cutting board which he presented to Tachibana in a similar fashion. “I do so appreciate your support in this matter.” Atobe sunk back into his chair, topped off his glass, and took another long drink in Tachibana’s honor. Which is when he remembered he got the lime to have a chaser. Well, perhaps for the next drink.
Tachibana chuckled, amused by the display. It was far from the first time that Tachibana had ever seen Atobe drunk - there had been plenty of Halloween parties in the past that he had been very much present to - but he did forget just how… not-well he didn’t hold his liquor. On the other hand, Tachibana was able to mask his drunkenness quite well, though his decision making was always more interesting. Yes, interesting was a great word for it, in fact.
“Of course, it’s my pleasure.” Tachibana cut the lime up into quarters and then presented them to Atobe on the cutting board. Quite a talented cut, if he could say so himself. “How’s that?”
“Beautiful, love,” Atobe replied in English, not really aware of the words coming out of his mouth. He took one of the lime slices and squeezed it thoroughly into his drink. Then another. He took another healthy drink of the tequila, now with the fresh lime, and smiled appreciatively. It was just the right compliment to the flavor. “You have the best ideas,” he told Tachibana, already having forgotten it was his own idea.
Tachibana laughed and pointed out, “I’m certain that it was your idea first, Keigo.”
Not missing a beat, Atobe shot back, “Of course it was, I am a font of magnificence.” He motioned to Tachibana with his drink, tilting his chin up imperiously. “A toast - to me. The font of brilliant inspiration.”
And all that did was serve to make Tachibana laugh harder. Two could play at this game. “Yes, yes, of course - a toast to you, the great Atobe Keigo, font of brilliant inspiration.” He raised his glass to clink them together before taking a long drink - to celebrate Atobe, of course.
What: Tachibana invites himself to help Atobe unpack, and they order pizza and get shitfaced the night before Tachibana goes on his camping trip
When: September 7th, after this post
Where: Atobe's condo
Rating: G
Of all of the things that Tachibana expected to do on a Friday night, admittedly helping Atobe Keigo unpack boxes in his condo after his great return back to Japan was certainly not something he could have anticipated. It was fortunate indeed that he had already packed what he would need for camping the next day with his sister and former teammates, else he wouldn’t have been able to swing it since they were supposed to leave in the morning, but as Tachibana was wont to do he always wanted to help out a friend.
And it had been a fantastic evening. Though it had been many years since they had really spent any memorable time together in person, those times mostly centralized around their time as captain of Seigaku and Hyoutei’s high school divisions respectively, the conversation came easy, the laughter in abundance, and the sheer ridiculousness of some of Atobe’s belongings and trying to find a good home for them entertaining.
As promised, the pizza arrived at a perfect break from actually getting quite a bit accomplished - more than Tachibana expected, even - and Tachibana laid out plates for them as Atobe retrieved the pizza.
Atobe returned to the dining table with the pizza, opening the box and peeking within. Even though it was Pizza Hut, there was something just wrong about Japanese pizza. At least, to a man who had been living abroad for so much of his life. But it had its own charm and its own fond memories that he associated with being young, stupid, and surrounded by friends. But, anything looked appetizing after taking care of all of those damn boxes.
“Can I offer you a drink?” Even as he said the words, Atobe went to his liquor cabinet (admittedly, the first thing he had stocked upon moving in) and started to make his selection. He knew he had that bottle of De Kuyper cherry brandy.
“I would love one, thank you. Whatever you have is fine.” Tachibana didn’t pay Atobe any mind as he wandered off, instead directing his attention toward the pizza. He didn’t order take out very often - as he enjoyed cooking so much, he favored more looking up random recipes online and trying them out for things like pizza. But it was difficult to resist the familiar smell and Tachibana helped himself to a couple of slices.
Atobe brought out the bottle and two glasses with a couple of metal ice cubes from the mini fridge. He poured the brandy and helped himself to some pizza as well. He wasn’t going to spend a moment more worrying if it was edible - now that it was in front of him, he would eat anything. “Pizza has never looked so appetizing,” he said with a laugh and took his first bite.
Tachibana laughed, taking that as an invitation to also dig into the food himself. Despite his foodie ways, when he got distracted by something it was all too easy to forget to do things like eat meals, and so the pizza truly was the best thing that could have happened. “Right? I think I could have snacked on one of the boxes we unpacked if it had truly come to it, but this is much better.” It wasn’t quite the same pizza that Tachibana would have ordered had he been left up to the selection, but it was just recognizable enough to his Japanese tastes and yet foreign enough that it was probably pretty comforting to Atobe given that he had moved so far away from home.
Speaking of those boxes… “Thank you, truly. I probably would have resorted to hiring someone if it had gone on much longer. I’ve had the hardest time getting to bed before 4 a.m.” Normally jet lag wasn’t so awful on him, but something about combining it with moving, not having his dog with him, and the sudden change of schedule with his undergrad behind him just was the perfect recipe for confusion. He hadn’t felt like this much of a wreck in years, and the last time he had was too embarrassing to admit to.
“I can only imagine.” Tachibana paused in his attack on the pizza, wiping his hands on one of the cloth napkin that had magically appeared on the table. He didn’t remember unpacking it, but that certainly didn’t mean that he hadn’t done so. “It’s been my pleasure. Truly. I wouldn’t have blamed you for hiring someone, but I’m always happy to help a friend.”
“I feel like I’ve not been the best friend,” Atobe admitted. “It’s been some time since we have been able to sit and chat like this. I know we’re both the sort to pack our schedule, but that is no excuse.” He found himself mysteriously holding little more than crust in his hand, not entirely sure how he had put back almost a full slice of pizza already. Oh well, might as well chase it down with a bit of brandy. He took a long-awaited sip of the brandy and felt himself already sinking into just a generally happier place than he had been in a few weeks.
Relaxing into the chair, Tachibana thought that Atobe had the right idea indeed, and also lifted the glass of brandy to his lips to take a long sip. It was certainly very different from the tequila he and Kamio had passed back and forth on that particular night, but he could tell even without having much exposure to high shelf alcohol that this was likely very expensive and very well aged.
“Nonsense.” Tachibana tipped his glass toward Atobe in a toast, though they had certainly gone about it backwards. “All that means is that we have more to talk about, and many hours of the evening to fill.”
Atobe tipped his glass in return. “So true. You were going to tell me about all your ridiculous entrepreneurial ventures.” If there was one thing that was true about Tachibana, it was that he was the sort who would start a new project with vigor, see it through to its completion, and then pass it along to a successor before diving right into the next great project. If he were to apply that spirit to business ownership, he really could make a fortune for himself with the right investors.
Ah, right. He had promised that, hadn’t he? Tachibana was all too happy to talk about it, though it would be with fair warning to Atobe that once he got him talking, especially with the help of alcohol, he likely wouldn’t stop.
“A dangerous request,” Tachibana chuckled, taking another sip of the brandy before setting the glass aside and picking up the second piece of pizza. “Let’s see… Well, I think the thing I’m most focused on now is on the food side of things.” It wouldn’t be immediately evident to Atobe, as he hadn’t been around to experience it, but Tachibana had been very liberal in his invitations to friends to share meals with him. Not that he didn’t do so simply to spend time with them - that was the driving factor, after all - but because it allowed him to try out new things, see what worked and what didn’t, and hone on the particular dishes that were best suited for this particular venture.
“I have this idea of something almost like an in-home chef. But, rather than someone who is specifically contracted to serve a particular family, such as the staff at your family’s home, it would be someone who would come in how ever many times a week, go grocery shopping, pick up the necessary supplies, and then cook meals that then need very little preparation to be eaten at whatever meal time.” In particular he was hoping to target those families who worked long hours and didn’t have much time to ensure nutritious meals each and every night.
Atobe nodded thoughtfully, sipping his brandy once more. “A personal chef, of sorts. But I imagine you would be pricing your services as such that the average family of four could afford you?” Atobe himself had grown up with a personal chef in his home, but he was well aware that it was not something that most people had by any means. He could see how it could be valuable after a long day of work in a home with two working parents - it was basically necessary for he and his parents to eat when they had all lived together. His mother traveled frequently and often had conference calls at odd hours to match hours with overseas clientele. His father was married to his work and wouldn’t eat otherwise.
“Of sorts, though the idea would be that you would essentially come in, prepare the food, clean, and then be out of there before anyone got home. But, yes, the idea would be to price it in a way that would be affordable to working families.” Tachibana took another generous bite of the pizza and looked thoughtful as he chewed. “Perhaps not like, say, my own family’s income level, but certainly not much higher than that.”
“If you were clever, you’d work together with Kamio on that.” Atobe suggested, swirling the brandy in the glass as he spoke. “You place your grocery order, he delivers the groceries to the address where you are going to be working, you cook, clean, and get out. It would benefit both of you, wouldn’t it?” He took another drink of the brandy before polishing off the last of his first slice of pizza.
There had been no shortage of hours that had gone into thinking about this particular business venture, but surprisingly, it hadn’t even occurred to him that it would be feasible to potentially elaborate on the idea by the use of his former underclassman’s business. “That’s an excellent idea,” Tachibana said, nodding thoughtfully. “It would certainly be more efficient that way.” It was something that he was going to think more about because it was actually a fantastic idea.
“I suppose this is why you’re the one who’s going to be taking over the big company, one day,” he joked, lifting the glass to take another generous sip.
“Ha!” Atobe shook his head. “No, that’s because I am the fruit of some old rich man’s loins.” He took up his other slice of pizza distastefully. He and his father were not on the best terms, they never had been. His father had squashed many of his passions from birth and forced upon him hobbies he didn’t particularly care for like playing the piano and dedicating every free second to achieving his undergraduate degree early. But he had no need to think of such things right now, he was supposed to be enjoying the company of an old friend. “He has an interesting business model. I have been considering how I could support his venture.”
Tachibana couldn’t help it - the disdain in Atobe’s voice was more than enough to show just how he felt about being the fruit of some old rich man’s loins, but the termination was amusing, and he let out a wry chuckle. It was probably best to leave that one alone, as much as he thought it sounded like a grand old time to start talking about their opinions on old rich men.
He swirled the brandy in his glass, watching it slosh up against the sides. “He’s poured his heart and soul into it - and has proven to be quite successful.” He looked back up at Atobe, watching the new slice of pizza slowly disappear. “It would mean a lot to him if you did.”
“Would it? He thinks I’m sketchy.” Not that they had a particularly strong history of friendship, quite the opposite, but Atobe was still amused that he had been so poorly received by Kamio. “I can only imagine what he must be going through knowing that his sun and stars has been captured in the clutches of such a sketchy villian of a man.” He finished off his brandy, already delving into the second glass. He just had this feeling like it was going to be a second bottle sort of night.
This time Tachibana didn’t even try to muffle his laughter. “You do make a fair point.” And he knew the reason why Kamio felt that way toward Atobe, and of course Tachibana didn’t condone what happened back then to result in that, but it had been very long time since then and Tachibana knew that wasn’t actually part of Atobe’s personality. And he doubted that his sister was really all that particularly fixated on it, either. But, that fierce loyalty was also one of the qualities of Kamio that Tachibana liked most, as it mirrored the way he felt about those he cared about, as well, so he also couldn’t entirely blame Kamio for holding a grudge, either.
“He’ll come around eventually. He’s just a bit… like me in that regard, I suppose.”
There was a reason that they had been a successful pair on the same tennis team, Atobe supposed. Similar to how he and Wakashi had proven to be a compatible pair for both being hard working, and even more importantly, contrary. “I’ll drink to that,” Atobe said as he poured himself an additional glass of brandy. But he was ready to drink to just about anything. “Your sister was kind enough to forgive. I look back on it and can only feel disbelief for how I behaved.”
And this was why Atobe Keigo was truly a man of character.
Tachibana finished off his own drink and wordlessly held it out for Atobe to refill his glass, too. It didn’t burn on the way down the same way as the cheap hard liquor Tachibana was used to drinking - it was quite nice, actually, leaving a happy warmth in his body. “We all do things that make us feel that way,” he concluded, leaning his arms forward on the table, loosely supporting the glass in his hand. “I know you’re not like that as a human being and An I’m sure has seen that, as well.”
If they were speaking to things they had done that were questionable as younger men, Atobe could certainly remind Tachibana of his own transgressions. It was actually insane to lead a violent revolt against school administration over a tennis club. Instead, he wordlessly refilled Tachibana’s glass. “I thought you might find this brandy too fruity,” he said. “I’ve no idea what your typical taste in drinks is. I feel I’ve failed you to have not learned this by now.”
Were Atobe to actually bring up the violent revolt against school administration over a tennis club, Tachibana would most certainly disagree with him that it was anything he felt remorse for as an adult, but it was probably best that Atobe left that particular thought unvoiced so that Tachibana couldn’t further convince Atobe that there was perhaps a loose screw somewhere up in that head of his.
“Not at all, this is great.” That’s what it was - he couldn’t place his finger on it exactly, but the brandy was definitely very fruity. “I’m not too picky, actually. Though admittedly I don’t purchase high shelf alcohol such as this.” Tachibana gave him a warm smile. “Most recently I had a bit of a run in with a bottle of cheap tequila. Shit burns when it goes down, but at least you forget about it after a few direct hits.”
Atobe laughed. “Do I need to send you with a proper bottle of tequila?” He stood from the table and went back to the liquor cabinet to survey his options. He, himself, preferred a blanco, but he did have a reposado that might be to Tachibana’s taste. He pulled out the unopened bottle of Agave Dos Mil and inspected it. It looked a bit like an oversized perfume bottle, but he had been told that it was one of the best mid-range bottles of tequila on the market. “How about this?” He passed the bottle over.
Tachibana collected the bottle from Atobe and inspected it, turning it around in his hands to get a closer look at the label. He didn’t recognize it, but that didn’t really mean anything when he was sure that there were probably thousands if not tens of thousands of different brands and qualities of tequila. “Admittedly, I’m not too good with all the different types, but this looks good.” If it came from the Atobe liquor cabinet, there was no way that it wasn’t good.
“We could always share it when this brandy runs dry,” Atobe suggested with a grin as he settled back in his chair. He finished off his second slice of pizza and looked back at the pizza box to consider another piece. He tossed it around in his mind for a moment before deciding he wasn’t getting any younger and taking another slice.
Not that Tachibana needed any encouragement to drink more even without Atobe’s proclamation. He tossed his head back to laugh. “Sure, what’s another bottle?” Another bottle could have easily turned into three and there was no doubt that they would see to it that they become one with the floor, but really, it was hard to beat pizza and alcohol after a long night of unpacking. “I’m glad you’re back, Keigo. It truly has been far too long.”
“It’s… well.” Atobe stopped himself. He wasn’t entirely sold on the idea that it was good to be back, per se, but it was good to surround himself with familiar faces once more. “It’s good to see everyone, again. Somehow I’ve already set myself a coffee date with Sanada - I hardly thought he would be the first to reach out.” Not that it was entirely unwelcome - they were friends, after a measure.
There was something about that sentiment that Tachibana just truly wasn’t that surprised by. Sanada and Atobe had actually a lot more in common than what they would think of one another - they were well suited to one another, even if their personalities had used to clash horribly. In particular when it came to the simple matter of Seigaku’s former captain.
“I’m not surprised by that. You two have always been drawn to one another for better or for worse.” Tachibana smiled warmly.
“Mostly worse,” Atobe agreed. It probably had to do with the fact that they were both so passionate and both had personalities the height of skyscrapers. People like that often both felt a magnetic pull to one another and also a magnetic repulsion. “But there are others I’d like to see soon, as well.” He didn’t say anyone by name, but they both knew who at least one of those people would be. “It is nice that everyone has a means of keeping in touch.”
“It is,” Tachibana’s smile only broadened as though to show Atobe that he knew exactly who Atobe meant, even if he wasn’t going to say it outloud. “I’ve enjoyed reconnecting with old friends.”
Looking around the now mostly unpacked condo, Atobe did settle into the idea that he was going to be here probably for the rest of his life. Not this condo, per se, but Japan, the company... It was enough to drain his glass of brandy, again. After which he gave himself a generous third pour. He wasn’t going to be done tonight until he was dancing-on-the-table drunk. “To old friends,” he suggested, raising his glass.
Tachibana liked Atobe’s style.
He took a quick second to top his glass off and then raise it up in a proper toast. “To old friends,” he echoed and then took a long sip, draining the glass like a champ. This time it did burn a little, but that was okay - nothing more than the cheap tequila had in the park.
Satisfied, he leaned back in the chair. “And good times ahead.”
“And good times ahead,” Atobe echoed taking a healthy drink of his own glass. Once he felt more settled in, he would be able to feel that sentiment more wholeheartedly. “Perhaps I’ll hire you and your speedy little biscuit to keep proper meals on my table.” Atobe himself was a competent cook, but there was appeal to an attractive man seeing to it for him. Like when you lounge on the beach and an attractive pool boy brings you margaritas.
Tachibana didn’t have any idea why Kamio was a speedy little biscuit, but based on the healthy flush on Atobe’s cheeks he assumed that Atobe probably didn’t know why, either. “It would be excellent were you to become my first client,” he said proudly, with perhaps a little too much gusto. “I do have many talents.”
One of Atobe’s eyebrows shot up and a his signature lazy, “Ah~n?” escaped his lips. He leaned a little closer to Tachibana, clutching his glass near his stomach. “Doesn’t sound like I’m your first client if you’re offering me these talents,” he suggested luridly.
The laugh tore out of Tachibana before he could control it, a deep belly laugh. “Now you took that in a turn that I most certainly did not intend.” He grinned brightly at Atobe. He appeared to hold his liquor much better than Atobe did, but it truly was entertaining. “I mean, if you’re into that, I suppose I would be hard pressed to deny the desirable Atobe Keigo.”
“You know, I am Forbes’ most eligible bachelor,” Atobe responded flippantly, motioning toward Tachibana with his glass. “I guess the only two qualifications are net worth and being unmarried, but we’ll pretend there’s more to me than that.” He couldn’t completely keep the bitterness out of his laugh, but allowed it to be swallowed into another sip of brandy.
If Tachibana were to give it some thought, he really didn’t believe that the only qualifications of net worth and unmarried would shoot Atobe on top of that list. There were so many reasons why the blonde would be an appealing mate, from the way he took care of those he loved, to the passion that he brought into everything he did. It wasn’t a stretch of the imagination by any means.
“I disagree,” he said smoothly, running his fingers over the rim of the glass. “I think there are many reasons why someone would find it appealing to be your significant other.”
Another laugh spilled out of Atobe and he leaned forward, resting his cheek in his palm. He could tell from the heat radiating from his face that he was blushing from the alcohol. Attractive. “Now, see, flattery will get you everywhere. But you are coming on rather strong. At least take me to dinner, first.” He lifted his glass for another sip of his brandy to find it was gone. He swirled it mournfully before reaching for the bottle of tequila.
Before Atobe could grab the bottle, Tachibana had it in his hand and uncorked so that he could fill Atobe’s glass with it. “I’m hurt - is this not dinner enough?” Tachibana gave him a warm smile, topping off his glass. Somehow, the tequila just seemed to be disappearing much like the brandy had, but it wasn’t going to stop him from taking another nice, long sip. “Though, you’d probably like something a little more to your taste than pizza…”
“Oh, yes, love, talk roast beef to me,” Atobe joked, enjoying a sip of the tequila. It might have burned on the way down before the first sip of brandy, but now he hardly noticed it. The glass felt cool in his hand, his vision was a bit blurred in the corners, and he felt warm and relaxed.
“Roast beef, is it? Was that your first love prior to Tezuka?” Of course, the comment came in jest. Tachibana had been more than aware of the fact that there were numerous players on the tennis circuit when they were in middle school who were all quite obsessed with Tezuka. Atobe was who had made it the most obvious, but there were certainly other people to add to that list he would be remiss to leave off.
“Oh, yes. My first love was roast beef, but then I met Kunimitsu.” He laughed mirthfully. Tezuka was the sort of person that was either oblivious to, or annoyed by, all the attention and Atobe wouldn’t stake so much as a hundred yen coin on which it was at any given moment. “But you, sweet thing - you must have a much more interesting first love.”
Tachibana laughed together with Atobe, watching the tequila swirl in his glass in his not-so-steady grip. It was a very pleasant buzz - he could certainly feel the effects of drinking the alcohol quite quickly, but admittedly as it was much higher shelf than what he and Kamio had shared, he did feel as though he wasn’t going to get smashed quite so quickly.
“First love, hm?” If he noticed the rather strange pet name, he didn’t so much as flinch. “I suppose it would depend on the sort of first love you were thinking, whether of the roast beef or Kunimitsu variety.”
“You underestimate my love for one of those things, hard to say which,” Atobe joked, lifting his glass as if in toast before taking another drink. It occurred to him it would be good with a bit of fresh lime. “Excuse me a moment,” he said before stumbling to his feet. He definitely failed the standing test, as he and his friends back in Britain so lovingly called the test for knowing when it was time to leave the bars. He made his way somewhat sideways to the kitchen and returned a moment later with a whole lime and a utility knife. He sat back down, boggled over the two things, and extended them to Kippei for help.
With watchful eyes, Tachibana watched Atobe stumble his way into the kitchen, and watched how it was clear that they had probably passed the point of no return quite a bit ago. Yet that didn’t stop him from refilling his glass once more, though he hadn’t yet drained it, and lifting it to his lips to take a long drink. He wasn’t one to drink excessively by any means - in fact, it really did tend to simply be at key times that he would party - but the high shelf liquor just went down so smoothly that Tachibana couldn’t say no. Even though he knew full well that he had an early start to the day, what with going with his sister and former teammates camping for the week and everything.
Over the rim of the glass he watched as Atobe held the limes out to him like a child who didn’t know what to do. He lowered the glass and asked, “Did you need me to cut them?” He carefully took the utility knife from Atobe’s hand first, then the lime. “I can’t imagine that you want them cut directly on the table, right?”
“...No,” Atobe agreed, rising to his feet once more and returning to the kitchen. He came back with a small, wooden cutting board which he presented to Tachibana in a similar fashion. “I do so appreciate your support in this matter.” Atobe sunk back into his chair, topped off his glass, and took another long drink in Tachibana’s honor. Which is when he remembered he got the lime to have a chaser. Well, perhaps for the next drink.
Tachibana chuckled, amused by the display. It was far from the first time that Tachibana had ever seen Atobe drunk - there had been plenty of Halloween parties in the past that he had been very much present to - but he did forget just how… not-well he didn’t hold his liquor. On the other hand, Tachibana was able to mask his drunkenness quite well, though his decision making was always more interesting. Yes, interesting was a great word for it, in fact.
“Of course, it’s my pleasure.” Tachibana cut the lime up into quarters and then presented them to Atobe on the cutting board. Quite a talented cut, if he could say so himself. “How’s that?”
“Beautiful, love,” Atobe replied in English, not really aware of the words coming out of his mouth. He took one of the lime slices and squeezed it thoroughly into his drink. Then another. He took another healthy drink of the tequila, now with the fresh lime, and smiled appreciatively. It was just the right compliment to the flavor. “You have the best ideas,” he told Tachibana, already having forgotten it was his own idea.
Tachibana laughed and pointed out, “I’m certain that it was your idea first, Keigo.”
Not missing a beat, Atobe shot back, “Of course it was, I am a font of magnificence.” He motioned to Tachibana with his drink, tilting his chin up imperiously. “A toast - to me. The font of brilliant inspiration.”
And all that did was serve to make Tachibana laugh harder. Two could play at this game. “Yes, yes, of course - a toast to you, the great Atobe Keigo, font of brilliant inspiration.” He raised his glass to clink them together before taking a long drink - to celebrate Atobe, of course.
