[LOG] Tokugawa Kazuya & Hirakoba Rin
Feb. 28th, 2018 08:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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tennis_hellWho: Tokugawa Kazuya and Hirakoba Rin
What: Out drinking and being friendly :^)
When: Tonight!
Where: Bars in Ebisu
Rating: 100% G-rated
It thankfully wasn’t that far of a walk from his apartment to the Tako park, but Hirakoba still huffed as he pulled his coat a bit tighter around himself and buried his face in his scarf. He still hated winter in Tokyo. He was still laughing a bit that he’d somehow arranged to go drinking with someone he thought was vaguely familiar but he still couldn’t quite put his finger on from where…
Perhaps when he saw him in person.
He moved to loiter against a wall, pulling out his phone to tap through his daily games as he waited.
Hirakoba would have to wait long; Tokugawa had no intention of speaking to strangers given his status. While he wasn't a local celebrity, other people might have seen him on TV and he didn't want to start a riot or a chase scene or anything.
He was walking in circles at the park, a hand on his trouser's pocket while his other was fiddling with his phone. To Dreamwidth, he tells himself, trying to play "face and match" with the icons of the account of one Hirakoba Rin with the actual person at the park.
Once he spotted the person he was meeting, he began to walk, not even saying anything as he did. His eyes were just fixed on the blond, hoping that it sent the right message that it was he whom the other was gonna meet, too.
Hirakoba occasionally glanced up to look around at the people passing by, but it really wasn’t enough, particularly as he got a bit distracted levelling up characters. And when he did finally, it was to find a rather intense stare in his direction.
Well then.
“Tokugawa-kun,” he said with an easy smile, covering up his surprise. He laughed a bit as he did one last swipe of his phone and tucked it away. “It usually helps to call out to people when you approach.” Or make some kind of noise to make them look up.
That probably would have been helpful, but… eh. Personal preference. At the very least, the intense stare disappears to mellow slightly as Tokugawa's squared shoulders relax a little.
"I wasn't sure," he finally began. "And I didn't want to be wrong by calling your name."
Then, Tokugawa paused as he gave an approving nod. If they were going bar hopping, they both certainly looked the part. This will (might?) be fun, so long as Hirakoba didn't pass out on him on the second bar. Tokugawa's got a decent tolerance, but he's human and is susceptible to being drunk eventually.
"Let's go."
Well, the relaxing certainly helped a bit, Hirakoba would have been lying to say he hadn’t been a bit concerned with taking someone so… uptight and intense drinking. This was much better.
“It’s just up the road a bit,” he said, touching Tokugawa on the arm to turn him in the right direction. “We can start there and see what happens.” Hirakoba quickly retied his scarf and started to lead the way.
It was just a couple of blocks before they reached the steps of Hirakoba’s particularly favourite bar. “The food here isn’t that bad either,” he said, skipping down the steps a bit. “And I recommend their cocktail menu, they’re quite nice.”
Tokugawa gave Hirakoba a weird and uncomfortable look once his arm was touched, but he quickly reminded himself that this guy was just trying to be friendly and is even giving him the opportunity to go bar hopping. If anything, he owes Hirakoba a favour.
In any case, once they reached the bar and settled down in a nice table for two right by the bar (not too far from it but not too close either), he perused the menu for something to eat and something to drink.
"I'll start light," he said, proclaiming that the intention is to go hard after a few bars. "Whiskey sour. I'll pay for the finger food of your recommendation."
Hirakoba raised an eyebrow slightly at the offer to pay - such a gentleman! - and he hummed slightly as he looked through the menu. “I’ll pay for the drinks, then,” he said, lingering over the page of seafood.
“Do you like oysters?” he asked. They weren’t exactly finger food, but… “We can get pizza if you’d prefer that. It’s up to you. I ate a bit before coming.”
He waved a waiter over to order. “A… Under the ocean cocktail, a whiskey sour, and…” He glanced at Tokugawa to order the food.
It seemed they both thought the same thing because Tokugawa already ate a little before going here. It was to add padding to his stomach because he didn't want to suddenly start throwing up or anything at his fourth drink. That would suck…
"Oysters are fine," he said with a small nod. There might even be a small smile there because of the offer to pay for the drinks. They can probably exchange who pays which later at the second place. Then, to the waiter, he clarified the order.
"We'll have a plate of steamed oysters, too. Thank you."
Hirakoba sat back in his chair as they man left with their order and he continued staring at Tokugawa. “I know your face, but I just cannot place it,” he said, frowning a bit in frustration. He highly doubted it was because they went to school together. Had he seen him around university, maybe? Or while shopping?
“Tell me a bit about yourself and I might be able to figure it out.”
Tokugawa was sure that line was outdated—in this case, nobody used a pick up line like that anymore, so he files it as him looking actually familiar to the blond. With a nod, he places his arms on the flat of the table, crossing them and leans forward.
"Kazuya Tokugawa. I'm twenty-three, and a professional tennis player. I only came back to Japan three weeks ago," he began. He would have continued, but he wondered if that was enough for Hirakoba to recognise him. Most people did once he said tennis player, because… well, that's mostly what he was, anyway! The smaller part of him was just a guy who was trying to be an adult and have fun.
And then it clicked into place. Hirakoba did a quick count and he sighed a bit, resting his chin on his hand. “You were at that Under-17 camp back in Junior High,” he said with a bit of a laugh. “That would explain it.”
He perked up when their drinks suddenly appeared and he smiled at the waiter. The oysters were just a few minutes away, apparently. “So you went on to become a professional tennis player, huh?” Hirakoba mused, more to himself as he sat back again, drink in hand.
A blink, and then another, and Tokugawa opened his mouth slightly. His lips parted to make a soft "oh" sound just as the waiter arrived with their drinks. Carefully, he looked at Hirakoba and studied his features. Wasn't there another guy who looked like him, too? Except that guy spoke English—well, whatever. The U-17 Camp was over now. Both of them have graduated High School.
"It was what I wanted to be since I was younger," Tokugawa responded before he took a small sip of his drink. Of course, things didn't go as planned and he experienced loss and grief and a lot of pain, but here was now. Once the glass was put back down on the table, he added: "But now I'm taking a break."
He decided he rather liked the surprised face on Tokugawa. It was quite charming.
Hirakoba nodded a bit as he drank. “Because of your knees?” Just to clarify things, since Tokugawa had mentioned he couldn’t walk for long periods of time. He reached out a foot to poke Tokugawa in the leg. “Are you going to go back to playing? Or is your injury actually serious?”
It seemed a lot of the Japanese players whose names he caught in the news now and again were suffering from injuries.
Instead of just a glare, Tokugawa scowled at Hirakoba. It wasn't predatory, at least, but it was one of shock because nobody would usually ever do that to him. "Don't," he immediately said as soon as he was able to get his leg out of the way. Hirakoba's foot was well away from his knee, but he didn't want to risk anything.
"I'll play again once this has been healed in half a year," Tokugawa continued; his frown disappeared soon after and he grabbed his glass again to take another sip.
Then, he looked at Hirakoba again, still unable to recognise him. Finally, he gives up. "Tell me what school you were from. White or Black?"
He meant the jackets.
Hirakoba just smiled unapologetically at the glower he was getting. “Sorry,” he said, moving his feet back to tuck under his chair. “I’ll try very hard to keep them to myself.”
And likely fail. He knew himself well enough for that.
He did have to think back for the answer to Tokugawa’s question, fishing out mint leaves from his glass in the meantime. “White,” he said finally, frowning a bit as he thought. “Yeah, because I was with Eishirou and Hiroshi for a while…” He laughed and shrugged a bit. “If you don’t remember me, it’s fine. I stopped playing after that camp anyway.”
"White," Tokugawa repeated. A smirk graced his lips as a chuckle escaped his throat. It has certainly been a while since his mind entered those U-17 gates, and now memories were flooding back of those times when he swore vengeance and trained as hard as he could because of the awful experiences he underwent there?
"I don't know who those are anymore," he paused and looked Hirakoba in the eye, waiting to see if a reaction would come out of him before he continued. "But when I first arrived, I wore the black jacket."
In any case, he waved his glass, not wanting to continue further. It's not a conversation he wanted to continue because reminiscing about the past was gross.
Hirakoba watched the shifting expressions on Tokugawa’s face - much more interesting than reminiscing about time at the U-17 camp.
And what good timing, the oysters appeared and Hirakoba was saved from trying to think about how to reply to that comment - what was he meant to say, anyway?
He picked up a fork and then put it down with a bit of a sigh. “I’m sorry, Tokugawa-kun. I need some kind of physical contact every once in a while. Can I just…?” he reached across the table and made to just pat Tokugawa on the wrist. “It’s a comfort thing.”
And more expressions continued to befall Tokugawa's face. There was a look of confusion at the question but it quickly disappeared and turned into a dry one at the contact. It was just a quick tap on the wrist and nothing more. It's fine. It's not like it was being invasive or anything, and besides, they're sharing a meal and some drinks. They needed to at least start becoming friends.
"Right. Just let me know beforehand," he responded. He took an oyster from the plate and placed it on the small one he had in front of him, stabbing the meat of the oyster with his fork and putting it in his mouth. The food was delicious and it went well with the drink, but he hoped that the next bar they would go to would have some chicken or pork as finger food so that they would have padding again in their bellies.
Come to think of it…
"So, how long do we stay here before going to another place?" Tokugawa asked. Bar hopping was not something he did in France because he was so introverted. If there were any parties he went to there, it was only at one venue.
“That’s easy enough to promise.” At least now. Hirakoba could not guarantee he wouldn’t get significantly more clingy as he had more drinks.
He hummed a bit around the oyster meat, finishing off his drink at the same time as he thought about Tokugawa’s question. He was actually still kind of amused that someone like Tokugawa was… serious about bar hopping, if Hirakoba was honest, he really had thought he’d change his mind.
“It’s usually after a drink or two. No more than that though.” He reached for another oyster and poked at the meat with his fork. “If you want to stay here a bit longer, I can order another.”
At the very least, Tokugawa had his motorcycle parked at the park they met. He could personally drop Hirakoba where he lives if he ever became intoxicated enough that leaving him alone in a cab could be worse than any of the other options that could present themselves.
"I see," he nodded and grabbed another oyster to eat. "I want to see how many places we can go to today." Then he checked the clock on his phone. It was just a bit past 7, which meant there were so many hours before midnight. Even though he seems so expressionless, he actually cares about a lot of things. One would be going home past midnight.
This is his first time out since getting back to Japan. He wants it to be a good one.
"How about a challenge to make things more flavourful?" Tokugawa canted his head slightly in inquiry. He doesn't have a particular challenge in mind yet, but he could just pull a few ideas from ones he had already done before with acquaintances in Paris.
Hirakoba laughed. “Are you now planning on visiting all the bars in the area with me?” Over a span of days, he hoped. He was fine with drinking alcohol, but perhaps not sampling every bar in Ebisu.
He raised an eyebrow at the question but didn’t answer straight away, taking a sip of water first. Since they were going to apparently be going to all the bars in the area, he should probably stop at one drink here. “Alright. I’m quite good at competitions, just as a warning.”
He smiled and reached out to poke a bit at Tokugawa’s hand, pausing just before he did. “Another piece of physical contact about to happen,” he said, as his warning before he tapped a couple of times on the male’s hand
Hm. . . Tokugawa actually gave it some thought as he took a sip—nope, he downed the rest of his whiskey sour now. Anyway, he thought about just nixing the whole "visiting as many places in a night" idea. The idea is to have fun, and he hasn't been in this part of Tokyo before. This bar was a place he hadn't been to before either, but that's mostly because he didn't really drink prior to moving to Paris and hitting the age of 18.
His eyes wandered over to his own hand, and his fingers twitched a little when Hirakoba gave them short taps. It still didn't bother him so much and he tried to move on, moving forward to the challenge he mentioned.
"People normally get numbers at bars," he started, then he looks around. It's still pretty early, but there are some other patrons already. "The first one to get someone's number wins. The loser has to take a shot."
Hirakoba made himself pull his hand back, drumming his fingers on his empty glass.
He laughed at the challenge and he twisted around in his chair to scan the room. Officeworker, officeworker… tourists… Hirakoba glanced at the bartenders briefly before he turned back to Tokugawa.
“I only really accept the phone numbers of people I think are good looking, though.” Although he was already pulling out his phone to open up the new contacts page. None of the other people in here were really interesting enough. “So… Tokugawa-kun, may I have your number?” he asked, holding out his phone across the table with a smile.
It was fortunate that Tokugawa didn't have anything in his mouth at the moment Hirakoba posed his question, because Tokugawa might have either choked on it or spat it out. The former would have been more likely. In any case, Tokugawa visibly stared at Rin, flabbergasted that his challenge had such an opening.
"I didn't think you could look at it from that perspective," he said as he immediately looked away. It took a lot for Tokugawa to show emotions that weren't of shock or happiness; genuine expressions of niceties and softness were not him at all, after all, but now, he looked so confused and flustered.
Still, as his gaze was fixated elsewhere, he grabbed the phone and quickly tapped on the keys to input his phone number.
"You win."
Hirakoba’s smile just widened as Tokugawa stared at him, trying not to feel too smug about it all. Yes, he really did like the surprised expression, it was so amusing.
“Thank you,” he said as he took his phone back and looked at it. He quickly filled in the rest of the details. And then he paused and sighed a little. “And now I feel bad. Here you go, Tokugawa-kun.” He rang the other male’s number, let it ring once and then hung up. “There you go, that’s my number. Now you have one more good looking person on your phone as well.”
He looked around the room again to wave over a waiter again. “You can even order your own punishment shot, since I feel bad.”
Tokugawa scoffed as he fished out his phone from his pocket to save the number. In his phone, it was just "Hirakoba" because… he doesn't know the other man's first name. Oh well. He doesn't want to ask either now that they were being all chummy.
"Conceited brat," he said before calling a waiter. Sorry; now that Tokugawa knew Hirakoba was from the U-17 Camp, he believed he had the right to call him a brat.
When the waiter approached them, he ordered a shot of tequila for himself. What happened to going light at this first bar? Well. . . It's out the window now that he lost a challenge. He was a competitive person and he didn't take losses lightly, after all.
“Conceited brat?!” Hirakoba puffed up a little at that and he stopped the waiter to order himself a second drink. Since apparently they were going to be staying here a bit longer.
“I'm not that much younger than you, Tokugawa-kun.” Three years at most. “I'd be insulted, but at least you didn't disagree with me.” He had to reach a little bit more, but he managed to poke Tokugawa on the forearm this time.
"It doesn't matter," Tokugawa quickly retorted. "I'm still older."
Being in France meant letting go of the whole senior-junior thing that most Asians followed. Respect wasn't given to you because of your age in the Western countries, but because of your connections of your skills. Tokugawa didn't particularly get as much respect at first, but soon got the respect of his soon-to-be friends and colleagues as he eventually proved himself worthy.
But not that he was back in Japan, he wanted the respect that came along with being a senior. It's not homesickness, it's just how things should be naturally.
The poke got a look, though. Hirakoba did not ask permission, but at least it was just a poke and not a slap on the arm or something!
Tokugawa's drink was simple: a shot of Tequila. The rim of it was glazed in salt and it came with a slice of lemon which was perfect. Drinking it went by quickly, too, as if he's done this thousands of times. He moistened his lips, licked the salt closest to his mouth, took the shot, and bit into the lemon.
It was so sour, and Tokugawa couldn't help but grimace!
Hirakoba rolled his eyes a bit - older indeed - but his response was cut off by their drinks arriving. He sat back with his glass of wine and watched Tokugawa take his shot, trying not to smile too much at the look on his face.
“You sound just like my sister about my age,” he said, pulling a face. “‘Rin, I’m the older sibling here, you need to do what I tell you’,” he raised the pitch of his voice to imitate her. “As if like 9 minutes makes a difference.” Tokugawa was a lot older than just 9 minutes, but it didn’t matter, the point was still the same.
He huffed a bit and reached across the table. Oh right, Tokugawa had not looked happy at the no warning before. “I’m about to touch your hand again,” he said, before doing so. Hirakoba purposely left his hand there too and stared at Tokugawa as if daring him to tell him to move it.
The grimace disappeared eventually as the taste subsided. Tequila was always something that burned down the throat but it was a drink that was best for games like these. He couldn't help but continue to look unamused as Hirakoba spoke of his sister, though. . . he didn't enjoy being compared to somebody's sister, but he made no comment about it.
And then there was the touch, which fell on the their hands and then his eyes lifted to meet Hirakoba's. At the same time, he slid his hand away, finding this odd, more than anything.
"First, you get me to meet you from an online conversation. Second, you try to get my number, and now you try to hold my hand," he paused and grabbed an oyster, which was the second to the last on the plate. "Was bar hopping really what you wanted to do?"
Hirakoba had to laugh at the blatant pulling away and he sat back again with his drink. Tokugawa was quite funny and his reactions just made Hirakoba want to prod at him more.
Even funnier was what he was saying next.
“Don’t take it the wrong way, please,” he said, waving a hand a bit and trying not to smile too much. “If I was with a friend, I’d probably be draped naked over them. It’s just what I’m like.” And he reached a nice understanding with them about that.
Hirakoba took a measured drink of his wine and raised an eyebrow. “I did want to go bar hopping. Do I need to prove it to you and take you to the next one now?”
… What kind of explanation was that? Tokugawa did not want to imagine Hirakoba naked, but he was looking at him as if he were and that it was so out of place. What a strange guy. In fact, Tokugawa wanted to make it known.
"You're strange," he began, but he looked at the glass of wine the other held. "We can go to the next one once you're done with that."
And with that, he called for the waiter and asked for the bill.
Hirakoba nearly choked on his mouthful of wine as he tried not to laugh at Tokugawa’s proclamation. “Yes, I’ve been told that.” Many, many times.
It was such a waste to just drink quickly, but he did, tossing it back, and the last oyster before he started to fish out his wallet. “It’s not that far of a walk to the next one,” he said, holding out a 10,000 yen note for Tokugawa to take. “We’ll probably have to stand though. Will your knee be okay with it?”
For a moment, Tokugawa hesitated and it showed with how he let Hirakoba's hand linger in the air for a bit. He looked at his knee and gripped it with one hand, as if willing it to stay find until they finish the second bar.
"It should be, so long as we don't stay there too long," he finally said. Although he sounded very headstrong and firm with his decision, there was a hint of hesitance in his appearance. After he said that, he tried to cover it up by looking away to get his wallet and pay for the oysters. He stood up soon after.
Hirakoba tilted his head slightly as Tokugawa’s reply and took care of paying, taking away Tokugawa’s contribution to try slip back into the other male’s pocket at some point. “Just tell me when we need to head out.”
He covered up waiting for the change by putting on his coat and scarf before he led the way back to the stairs and out onto the street.
The fresh air was nice and Hirakoba sighed, even though it was too cold. “About to touch you again,” he warned, using a hand on Tokugawa’s elbow to turn him around in the right direction down the street to head to the next bar.
And since his hand was already there, he poked the money into Tokugawa’s jacket pocket. Perhaps two drinks ago he would’ve been subtle about it, but not so much now.
Tokugawa picked up his jacket and put it on as soon as he was able and joined Hirakoba to exit the bar. It truly was cold, but it didn't bother him as he was used to it. And this time, the contact was more than appreciated else he would likely have continued walking towards the wrong direction.
The sudden additional weight in his pocket caused Tokugawa to look at Hirakoba. He wasn't irritated but his brow furrowed slightly in worry.
"What are you doing this time?" he asked, but there was no bite to it. Despite only knowing each other for less than a day, Tokugawa doesn't feel particularly as uncomfortable anymore knowing that the spent months in hell together.
Hirakoba gave the money one last poke into the pocket and withdrew his hand, purposely bumping Tokugawa in the side lightly with the back of it on the way. “Nothing you should worried about,” he said, smiling a bit.
He glanced up at Tokugawa and then down to his legs and sighed loudly. “Why are you so tall? This is quite unfair.”
What kind of question was that? Tokugawa scoffed in amusement (because laughing was so not what he did) before he looked at Hirakoba who was marginally shorter. He didn't have a particular answer in mind, but he did wonder if Hirakoba was drunk already because something like that would have be a question drunk people asked.
"I've always been this way," he answered. And for good measure, just so it was clear to both of them, he posed a question of his own. "Are you drunk?"
“I doubt you were that tall when you were in junior high.” Although given that Hirakoba had gone to school with some… very tall junior high students, he probably shouldn’t be so doubtful.
He laughed and patted Tokugawa on the shoulder. “No, I’m fine.” A little, maybe. But he was just at the stage of his fingers starting to itch and, “I just want to hug something. Or touch, I don’t really mind.” Oops, did he say that out loud?
He purposely tucked his hands in his coat pockets and sighed. “Are you?”
"No," Tokugawa responded. What a lie that was, though. Whiskey sour is considered a light drink but it still has whiskey in it and as such, can be hard if taken really quickly. That was what Tokugawa did earlier. Not to mention, he had a shot of Tequila. He was not drunk, but there were oncomings of what would be a drunk Tokugawa already.
"And you should get yourself a teddy bear," he added, going back to the bit where Hirakoba seems to enjoy hugging and touching things. It might be weird to carry around, though.
“What, you’re not going to offer yourself up as a substitute teddy bear?” Hirakoba teased and he nudged his elbow into Tokugawa’s. “You wouldn’t have to do anything, just stand there. For like 15 seconds.”
Like an actual teddy bear.
“Left here,” he said, pulling one hand out of his pocket to steer Tokugawa in the right direction. “And just down here.”
Was that really an attempt at humour? Not that Tokugawa didn't mind hugs. He enjoyed them when the children he coached hugged and thanked him because he helped them out. He enjoyed them from his parents because it showed they loved him. He silently enjoyed giving them to his parents too because he loved them back.
… Tokugawa was silent as he followed. It was only until they were at the door that he asked: "Did you still want to hug something." But it was asked so blandly that it didn't seem like a question at all…
Honestly, Hirakoba had just been expecting no response at all to his teasing, and the question that followed eventually made him actually stop.
Well then.
“Always.” Hirakoba moved a little bit closer and touched Tokugawa on the side. “Do I need to warn you that I’m about to hug you?” he asked, laughing softly. And really, that was all the warning he was giving before he moved in to hug Tokugawa around the middle, happily burrowing his face into the warmth between his jacket folds.
Tokugawa looked up and away as he was hugged, and in his head, he counted the seconds that pass as the hug continued. Three to four seconds later, Tokugawa put both hands on Hirakoba's shoulders to slowly slide him away from him.
"That's enough, but I hope that helped," he said, finding that the hug had gone long enough. People who passed might have something to say, and he wouldn't be able to deal with the gossip if any sports journalists somehow caught eye of him this time of night.
That certainly didn’t seem like 15 seconds, but Hirakoba stepped back regardless, letting his hands linger just a bit longer before he let them drop down to his sides.
“It did help, thank you,” Hirakoba said, patting Tokugawa on the arm. “And as thanks, I didn’t kiss you on the cheek like I normally would with people.” He had a suspicion Tokugawa might punch him or something if that happened.
“Shall we go in? It’s usually quieter at the standing tables in the back.”
A punch would have been an exaggeration but Tokugawa likely would not talk to Hirakoba again if that hug went on for fifteen seconds. Who does that. (Although if they were closer, Tokugawa likely would have allowed it anyway.)
He held out the door to go in and waited for his companion to enter first before he did.
"You probably shouldn't tell people that after hugging them, by the way."
Hirakoba was quite thankful he’d decided to wear a coat with a zipper tonight, instead of trying to deal with buttons and taking the coat on and off.
Even so, his fingers slipped a little as he tugged it down and he looked up at Tokugawa in the entrance way, grinning a bit. “Why? Do you now feel like you missed out?” He pulled off his coat and took Tokugawa by the elbow to steer him towards the back of the main bar to a free table. “I can still give you one if you want, it’s no great difficulty.”
Slowly, Tokugawa began to question his life decisions. He really should have just stayed at home or tried to reconnect with a high school friend instead of meet a stranger. Of course, he enjoyed the night so far—he just didn't intend to show it. Hirakoba was a troublemaker and he would have to watch his footsteps around this guy if he didn't want to get into trouble.
But it was trouble that doesn't seem too bad, truth be told.
"No. Don't do it," was all Tokugawa said. He removed his jacket and and felt something in the pocket; he took it out and saw some Yen in it which he inferred to be Hirakoba's. Whatever. He can bring it up once they're seated. (Or standing, as he was duly informed prior to coming here.)
"This time, I'll be ordering whiskey. Nothing mixed in it," he told Hirakoba once they were settled.
“Just let me know if you change your mind,” Hirakoba said vaguely, resting his elbows on the table.
His eyebrows rose slightly at the drink order and hummed thoughtfully. “Alright. I can order to save you from walking too much. ” Was Tokugawa going to keep drinking things like straight whiskey? Hirakoba was already getting his wallet out to go and order before he paused. “How are you getting home tonight?”
It was nice of Hirakoba to order for them both. Tokugawa filed it in his memory that he really owed the guy; first there was the matter of accompanying him tonight, and then there was paying for the bill. Both were kind gestures and he intended accompany the blond another time, should his schedule permit it and his health be willing.
"I have my motorcycle parked by the park," he said. Although now that he had said that out loud, it sounded dumb. "I'll probably pick it up tomorrow morning and call a cab tonight."
Yeah…. That's better.
He gave Tokugawa a deeply unamused look at the mention of the motorcycle. Which softened a bit at the mention of picking it up later. Well, that was less terrible.
“I live nearby if you want to crash.” And he had just been planning to wander back home at some point. “You just can’t sleep in my bed, clothing isn’t allowed in there.”
But his couch was clothing friendly.
"Thanks for the offer to stay on the couch, because I'd like to keep my clothes on," Tokugawa replied. He would never consider crashing at another person's place because of how he was brought up, but now, in his time of trouble (not really, but he feels pretty awful for being injured), maybe he could live a little. He tried to pretend that the Hirakoba sleeping without clothes on was a normal thing, too. Gotta keep moving on. "I'll think about it."
“If you want to be restricted while you sleep, go ahead,” Hirakoba said dismissively. “Once I tried it, I was never going back.” Clothing was stupid, he didn’t understand why people wore it in the privacy of their own homes. And particularly not when sleeping.
“See how you feel after the whiskey,” Hirakoba said, tapping Tokugawa on the shoulder as he went to go and get their drinks.
It didn’t take too long for him to return, drinks in hand and he slid the whiskey across the table to Tokugawa, settling into his spot with his own cocktail. “So. A motorcycle. I probably wouldn’t have guessed you had one if you hadn’t mentioned it.”
Well, Tokugawa likely didn't look like he owned one, but he has had a motorcycle license since he was in high school. It made him swell with pride now that it's been mentioned, because yes, of course. He would love to talk about his sweet, sweet, ride.
"She's beautiful," he said, then he pulled his glass close to his face to nose the whiskey. It wasn't a bad smell; definitely better than the Tequila even though the alcohol content was questionable at best. He didn't take a sip from it yet either, more focused on rotating the glass ever so slightly as part of the conversation.
"And because I owe you," he finally said. This was an admission that he knew that Hirakoba slipped his bills into his jacket pocket earlier. "I can take you around somewhere some time. When we're both not intoxicated."
That'd be fun, probably.
Well, he couldn’t really agree on the motorbike being beautiful since he’d never seen it…. her, apparently. But he still hummed in agreement and started on his drink.
Smooth and rich and something he’d probably regret later.
“That sounds nice. I’ll make sure to remember it and hold you to it.” Hirakoba stared some more at Tokugawa and… yeah, he really couldn’t see him as a motorbike owner. “Did you bring your bike over from…?” For that matter, Hirakoba didn’t actually know where Tokugawa had been, since he’d apparently only returned three weeks ago.
"Paris," said Tokugawa so the sentence could be completed. He nodded after, confirming that his bike was indeed brought in from Europe.
He actually wasn't allowed to be alone on his motorcycle while his injury was still fresh, but he asked permission from his doctor since it was just a small distance, anyway. Of course, he wasn't going to tell this to Hirakoba. No one needs to worry for him while he was trying to do something he thinks he liked.
“Oh?” How exciting. Hirakoba took a sip of his drink and watched Tokugawa closely. “You used to ride your motorbike around France? That sounds so nice.” He patted Tokugawa vaguely on the upper arm and smiled.
“I’ve never been to Europe,” he said vaguely, going back to his drink. “My grandmother doesn’t really like travelling, so…” as if that explained everything.
The pat earned a look because there wasn't any permission given, but no harm done. Tokugawa proceeded to finally partake of his drink, sipping the whiskey and he was able to properly taste the alcohol as it went down his throat.
"You'll like it if you go there as a tourist," Tokugawa said once he set his glass back down. "Living there is different compared to here."
And the bit with his grandmother did not explain anything at all, but it seemed like Hirakoba wanted to be asked, hence: "Do you live with your grandmother?"
“I’ll put it on my to go to list.” And Hirakoba imagined any place was different from living in Tokyo - hell, living in Okinawa was different.
He pulled a face at the question and fortified himself with a probably larger drink than necessary. “No, I don’t, thank goodness.” Normally he’d probably leave it at that, but alcohol had loosened Hirakoba’s usually quite tightly controlled tongue and he grumped a bit.
“She’s the head of my family in Okinawa,” he explained. “She thinks my friends are trying to turn me into a hooker, and that girls are gold diggers,” Hirakoba said, following it up with another drink. “This is why I started dating guys.”
Oh, right. Higa was a school in Okinawa, wasn't it? Tokugawa hummed in acknowledgement as Hirakoba spoke, not wanting to interrupt him as he continued.
"You aren't a hooker?" was what the dark haired man responded with, though. Despite the seriousness in his expression, there was a lilt of amusement in his tone that hinted that he was merely kidding. And to seal it, he added: "I wouldn't have guessed."
Hirakoba fluffed up a bit at the reply, and though he did vaguely recognise the humour behind it, part of him was a bit insulted.
“Tokugawa-kun, if I was a hooker, I probably would’ve touched you a lot more,” Hirakoba said, sidling a bit closer and pointedly sliding his hand up Tokugawa’s upper arm and over his shoulder. “And I probably wouldn’t have bought you drinks.”
He moved his hand away and held it up as he purposely stepped away again, returning to his beverage. “Although apparently law students do make up large numbers of hookers in some countries.”
"It was just a joke. Don't get your feathers too ruffled," Tokugawa said as raised a glass and clinked it against Hirakoba's without warning. If the blond can touch him without permission, he can finish his drinks without having to ask permission. As the night went on, he was getting used to the random bits of physical contact, too.
And that's what he did. When Tokugawa set his glass back down, the contents had been emptied, whiskey slowly settling in Tokugawa's stomach and setting his throat aflame. But it felt good. Alcohol went down properly and it was delicious.
Although now, Tokugawa knew he had to slow down.
"I'm getting another and a snack. What do you want?"
Hirakoba narrowed his eyes slightly at Tokugawa and he resisted the urge to just prod him again as punishment for a poor joke.
“I want you… to get me another drink,” Hirakoba said, holding his wallet out to Tokugawa. “Just something sweet.” And he’d finish his current one while the other male was off getting that.
Something sweet? Alright, then. Tokugawa took the wallet, but intended not to open it as he walked to the bar to order another glass of whiskey for himself and a Negroni for Hirakoba. It wasn't the classiest, but he ordered chicken fingers, as well, with sour cream dip and it was going to taste delicious.
Actually, at this point, given how hungry he was, he'd find anything delicious.
Tokugawa went back to their table minutes later with their drinks, one glass in each hand before setting it down. He paid for both drinks and their food which was to be served momentarily with his own money and he put Hirakoba's wallet on the table soon after.
"This should probably be the last one," Tokugawa suggested, noticing the how quickly Hirakoba downed his drink. There were still some left in its glass earlier but now that he had gone back, it was empty.
Hirakoba kept half an eye on Tokugawa heading to the bar as he finished up his drink, drumming his fingers on the glass as he waiting for the man’s return.
And he did, with a drink for HIrakoba in hand and got a very bright smile in return as it was put down on the table. “Thank you,” he said, taking the time to tuck his wallet away.
He was definitely feeling the third drink. And the second, actually. “The last one for here? Is your knee hurting, do you need to sit down?” Hirakoba reached down to helpfully pat at Tokugawa’s thigh. He didn’t even know which leg it was, but he was going to guess.
"For the night, if that's okay. And yes, it hurts a little", Tokugawa replied quickly just as he tried to evade the hand that aimed for his thigh. Hirakoba was only able to give it the wrong thigh a ghost of a touch before Tokugawa managed to get away. "I don't want to overexert myself tonight."
Now, Hirakoba might tend to observe Tokugawa's movements often. He'd notice that Tokugawa tended to put his weight on the left side of his body as he stood.
“Fair enough, you’re still recovering,” Hirakoba said, straightening up and resisting the urge to try and touch Tokugawa’s leg again. His evasive techniques were entertaining.
He fished out his phone while taking the first sip of his drink - very nice - to look up his address on the map. “I live here,” he said, pointing at the screen and showing Tokugawa. “You can come visit me whenever you want, I quite like you.”
Whatever Hirakoba wanted out of this meeting, Tokugawa didn't want to misunderstand. The words I quite like you could mean more than one thing, although in a country not Japan (because Japanese people tended to skirt around issues like this until they couldn't take it anymore and that's when they do their wholehearted confession), it meant interest in going out.
It's was why Hirakoba received an arched brow from the professional tennis player as the man gripped his glass of whiskey. "Oh? And why is that?"
He didn't have to crane his neck that much to see where Hirakoba lived, too. Although he would have to ask him later where he lived again because most information that would be processed right now would end up in the trash come the day after.
Hirakoba hummed and postposed his answer for a bit by taking a considered slip of his drink. “You’re very polite. And you try really hard to make jokes, it’s very cute.” Although he was sure they’d be better now that Tokugawa had relaxed around him and when he wasn’t drinking.
He reached up to tap Tokugawa on the head. “And you’re really tall, that’s nice. I like tall people.”
What— That actually earned a soft chuckle from Tokugawa. This time would be the first time he let out what seemed like laughter tonight.
"Being tall has its merits," he began. And he could go on about how he's able to reach things easily or how it makes him faster on the court because his legs are longer, but that would be a nerdy thing to say now that the conversation has shifted in direction.
"I don't try hard to make jokes. I'm probably just not that funny to you. Our senses of humour are different."
Okay, that one, he really had to defend himself on.
Hirakoba’s smile widened as Tokugawa laughed and he patted the man on the head again. “You’ve also got a very cute laugh. You should do it more often.”
He was distracted for a bit by the chicken arriving and Hirakoba’s eyes brightened as he looked at it laid down in front of them. “What a surprise. Thank you. I’ll forgive you for having a strange sense of humour.”
His words were accompanied by a smile though, to show he was just teasing, before he turned his attentions to poking at the food.
Whatever hints of laughter that permeated the air disappeared as Tokugawa scowled for being patted on the head. Do you want me to go home? he wanted to threaten, but it wasn't serious to begin with, so he kept it to himself and instead grabbed a chicken finger for him to eat. No sense in begin shy now.
"That was the first and only time you'll hear it. I'm not going to do it again."
Hirakoba chewed thoughtfully and washed the food down with a sip of drink. “The only time? How disappointing.” He reached out to pet lightly at Tokugawa’s arm, smiling at him. “I’ll work hard to get you to laugh each time we meet up, then.”
Which would be at least once more, since he’d been promised a motorbike ride.
He sighed and drummed his fingers on the table. “Tokugawa-kun, I really want another hug right now,” he said suddenly.
"The only time," Tokugawa repeated, determined that he wouldn't laugh again. It was easy, anyway, with how little emotion he usually conveyed. He'd just continue with his usual icy demeanour.
But it wouldn't be the only time they met. Tokugawa knew that now that they both had each other's numbers, they likely would be more bars than the two they had already gone to.
Now, with his name being called with such urgency, the way he looks at Hirakoba softens by a fraction. He doesn't look around this time, but immediately says "You have four seconds."
Since he’d told Tokugawa originally that hugging him meant he’d have to stand still for 15 seconds, did this mean that his hugs could be spaced out as long as they eventually equalled 15 seconds?
Which meant he had…. 8 seconds left?
Hirakoba hugged him sideways this time, resting his chin on Tokugawa’s shoulder and smiled at him from there. “You’re also not too bad to hug,” he said, patting him on the side.
He also hoped that Tokugawa was counting those four seconds, because Hirakoba definitely wasn’t.
With the alcohol Tokugawa's had tonight and was having (because he was definitely drinking what he would as he was being hugged since he stood still), there was no way for Tokugawa to account for the number of seconds that he said Hirakoba had. It was all a matter of instinct at this point, and what his was slowly going down the brash spectrum the more he drank.
He merely responds with a hum of acknowledgement because what he could say could be taken the wrong way, though. As much as he wants to say that he enjoys hugging his students or the people whom he's helped or his parents, he doesn't also want to look like he's weak. He's got an image to uphold.
"Does this really make you feel better?" was what Tokugawa asked, instead.
Well, he wasn’t being pushed away, so Hirakoba kept hugging, moving to press his forehead against Tokugawa’s shoulder instead. Yes, this was very nice, he decided. And he was also pretty sure more than 4 seconds had passed by this point.
“It really does,” he said, patting him on the side again since it was getting no negative reaction and was therefore acceptable. “I have to sleep hugging something, or someone as well. It’s a habit.”
Hirakoba finally pulled away, stepping back just a bit. “Would you like to try? I’ve been told I’m quite nice to hug.”
Tokugawa's glass was almost empty by the time Hirakoba pulled away, and his shoulders relaxed even more now that they weren't being constricted.
"Sleeping while hugging something is understandable," he began. This however, does not, seems like such a close minded thing to say. He doesn't exactly understand the logic behind why Hirakoba has to have physical contact with people every so often, but they barely know each other. He isn't going to ask right away.
As for the question, he shakes his head and finally downs the rest of the whiskey. He had to pause and take in his surroundings again. His eyes narrowed to refocus on what he was looking at before he looked at Hirakoba.
"It's fine. Another time, maybe."
Hirakoba returned to his drink once he had stopped hugging, although he still stayed a bit closer to Tokugawa that was really necessary. “I look forward to it,” Hirakoba said, poking at another piece of chicken.
He eyed Tokugawa’s now empty glass and he made an effort to drink his own just that bit faster. “I’m nearly done,” he promised. Since, he reminded himself, Tokugawa’s knee was hurting and they needed to head back. “You can finish the rest,” he said, waving vaguely at the food.
Hirakoba rushing was appreciated, but not necessarily needed. If Tokugawa really was in pain, then he'd just excuse himself. Still, he whispered a rather soft "I appreciate it" before he moved to get the rest of the chicken to partake of.
Tokugawa said nothing as he ate, too. Normally, he looked so composed, but he looked like he was thinking about something deep as he ate. He wasn't. He was just having a difficult time thinking about how he should go home. He wondered if he should take Hirakoba home first and call a cab there or call a cab for him and another for Hirakoba or something.
Then, he checked the time. It wasn't so late, but it wouldn't be safe to travel alone anymore.
Alright…
"I'll stay at your couch tonight. Excuse me," Tokugawa said, leaving no room for any discussion or decisions from Hirakoba's side.
Hirakoba tossed back the rest of his drinking, making sure at least to fish out the piece of orange to leave it carefully in the glass when he pushed it away from himself. Done. And he probably shouldn’t have had that last drink.
“That’s fine. I have blankets.” And a very efficient heater. The rather blunt statement had made him laugh a bit though - see, Tokugawa was quite funny.
“You’re just not allowed to put dildos in my fishtank, or I’ll have to kick you out,” he paused and gave Tokugawa quite a stern look before he perked up again, patting him on the arm. “Shall we go?”
What the fuck kind of house does this Hirakoba have and why is there a rule like that. Who did he invite over that his fish tank ended up with dildos?
Tokugawa immediately ceased thinking about it; he found it better to just let things go and go with the flow. Hirakoba seemed like that kind of person, anyway. He should learn to be the same around him.
"Right. Let's go."
Hirakoba kind of regretted moving a bit as he stepped away from the table and swayed a little. Oh dear. Still, he managed to pull his jacket on, and frowned at the zip as his fingers slipped trying to get it together.
Oh well, he could leave it undone.
“It’s not too far of a walk,” he said, moving to try and sneakily link arms with Tokugawa once they got outside. “And there’s just two stairs and then an elevator.”
Tokugawa was almost about to move to grab Hirakoba's arm when he noticed him sway, but when the other man was able to put his jacket on, he concluded that Hirakoba was still good enough to be able to walk home.
He didn't mind their arms being linked together, although Tokugawa tried to look forward as much as possible so that they didn't stumble as they walked on the sidewalk. His worry for his safety only grew at the mention of stairs, but he tried not to show it.
"I see. Alright," Tokugawa finally said. He can do this. Hopefully the flight of stairs were just short ones.
Hirakoba led Tokugawa back to the park and then to his apartment. Thankfully, he’d done this walk many times at all hours, so even while his brain wasn’t quite functioning correctly right now, he was fine getting them back to his place.
It was so much easier walking with the linked arms too and Hirakoba hummed to himself to cover the silence, sometimes bumping into Tokugawa as he walked sideways a bit on his way.
And then suddenly he pulled Tokugawa sideways, heading towards a building. “Here’s the two steps,” he said, helpfully skipping up the two single steps at the front, before pulling Tokugawa to the front door.
Oh. Tokugawa let out a chuckle even though he swore he'd never laugh again. He'd already forgotten what he said earlier at the bar. Up Tokugawa went, letting himself in after they were both buzzed in.
Once the lift opened, he asked: "Do you remember what floor you live in?" He wasn't in a particular rush, but it would be nice to pass out now.
“Eight,” Hirakoba said, reaching out to press the button before he leaned against Tokugawa and watched the numbers on the screen.
All too soon, they reached the floor and Hirakoba pulled him out, awkwardly twisting to get his keys out of his pocket. And it took a few tries, but he got it in the right way finally. “I’ll put the heater on for you,” he said, toeing off his shoes to head in, flicking on all the lights as he went. The apartment was cold and Hirakoba tossed a blanket onto the couch on his way to find the controller. “And get you a pillow…” And move his work off the couch onto the table, so Tokugawa could actually sleep.
“If you get cold, you can come join me in my bed, I’m just through here,” he called out, heading into his room to fetch pillows.
It truly was cold and Tokugawa could feel the chill even in his knee. He believed that he could probably feel at home and it was why once Hirakoba was out of sight, he went to the bathroom to grab a small towel so he could make a makeshift hot compress for his knee.
Once he settled into the couch, he folded up his trousers and put the hot compress on his knee and then huddled himself up in the blanket that he was given.
Hirakoba… never managed to actually get back to Tokugawa with the pillows, it seemed, before he curled up on bed and went to sleep. But he had somehow remembered to take his clothing off, throwing it haphazardly around the room.
And it was to that, that Hirakoba woke up the next morning, with a groan as he got up. He was filled with regret for the night before. And it was probably from long habit that he managed to drag himself out of bed, wrapped himself up with a blanket and headed out to find a cup of coffee, grumbling to himself as he switched on lights and the heater.
A few sips of hot coffee later and he felt less like death and his eyes focused on a lump his couch.
…. Oh. Oh that was right. He’d invited Tokugawa over to his apartment last night.
Hirakoba walked quietly over the still sleeping man and picked up a cushion. He stared at Tokugawa’s face for a long moment before he whacked him with the pillow. “Good morning, Tokugawa-kun,” he said, fixing up his blanket.
Unfortunately for them both, this was not how Tokugawa wanted to wake up. It was why the dark haired man was conscious and was forced to sit up, he was scowling at Hirakoba as if he'd just committed a crime right before his very eyes.
"Don't do that again. It wasn't funny," he said, voice slightly slurred. It's a miracle Tokugawa's head didn't hurt as much as it should given how quickly he downed the whiskey from last night.
Still, he eventually stood up and put his socks back on and tried to make himself look presentable. Tokugawa didn't intend to stay any longer than he already has, partly because his family might be looking for him. (They were, he's just yet to check his phone.)
Hirakoba grinned around his coffee cup as he got a grumpy response and he stepped back to let him stand up.
“I’ll remember that for next time you stay over,” Hirakoba said. He did have the decency though to go and fetch Tokugawa a bottle of water from the fridge, and to keep the blanket wrapped around himself, even though it was warming up quite quickly in the room.
“For you,” he said, holding the water out. “And I’d really love another hug before you go. As payment for letting you stay over.”
Tokugawa still hasn't gotten over being thwacked by a pillow, so he didn't even say thanks to the being given water. He just took the bottle and emptied it straight away before looking back at Hirakoba with another icy glare.
It did not seem to be working.
Internally, Tokugawa debated the pros and cons of being hugged again. There wasn't much pros except that he liked being hugged; there weren't much cons, either. It just didn't suit his image. In the end, he gave a curt nod.
"Two seconds."
Hirakoba did not understand the whole time limit thing - did he actually count the seconds? Still, he wasn’t going to pass on the opportunity, putting his cup of coffee down.
Without really thinking about it, Hirakoba opened up the blanket and engulfed Tokugawa in it and his hug, smiling up at him a bit. “We should do this again sometime,” he said, patting Tokugawa vaguely on the back. “Let me know when you’re free again.” Especially since Tokugawa had his number now.
"Ngghkk—" Tokugawa couldn't help but make an incoherent noise as he was hugged, but he didn't push the man away, either. This guy… seriously, he made a note to be more careful around him because these kind of surprises are going to be the death of him eventually.
"Hopefully with something in between," Tokugawa responded as he rolled his eyes. Then, he turned towards the door, intent on leaving Hirakoba to be alone. He had to go home too, after all, and he didn't want to extend his visit.
"I'll keep in touch" were his last words before he opened the door and stepped out.
What: Out drinking and being friendly :^)
When: Tonight!
Where: Bars in Ebisu
Rating: 100% G-rated
It thankfully wasn’t that far of a walk from his apartment to the Tako park, but Hirakoba still huffed as he pulled his coat a bit tighter around himself and buried his face in his scarf. He still hated winter in Tokyo. He was still laughing a bit that he’d somehow arranged to go drinking with someone he thought was vaguely familiar but he still couldn’t quite put his finger on from where…
Perhaps when he saw him in person.
He moved to loiter against a wall, pulling out his phone to tap through his daily games as he waited.
Hirakoba would have to wait long; Tokugawa had no intention of speaking to strangers given his status. While he wasn't a local celebrity, other people might have seen him on TV and he didn't want to start a riot or a chase scene or anything.
He was walking in circles at the park, a hand on his trouser's pocket while his other was fiddling with his phone. To Dreamwidth, he tells himself, trying to play "face and match" with the icons of the account of one Hirakoba Rin with the actual person at the park.
Once he spotted the person he was meeting, he began to walk, not even saying anything as he did. His eyes were just fixed on the blond, hoping that it sent the right message that it was he whom the other was gonna meet, too.
Hirakoba occasionally glanced up to look around at the people passing by, but it really wasn’t enough, particularly as he got a bit distracted levelling up characters. And when he did finally, it was to find a rather intense stare in his direction.
Well then.
“Tokugawa-kun,” he said with an easy smile, covering up his surprise. He laughed a bit as he did one last swipe of his phone and tucked it away. “It usually helps to call out to people when you approach.” Or make some kind of noise to make them look up.
That probably would have been helpful, but… eh. Personal preference. At the very least, the intense stare disappears to mellow slightly as Tokugawa's squared shoulders relax a little.
"I wasn't sure," he finally began. "And I didn't want to be wrong by calling your name."
Then, Tokugawa paused as he gave an approving nod. If they were going bar hopping, they both certainly looked the part. This will (might?) be fun, so long as Hirakoba didn't pass out on him on the second bar. Tokugawa's got a decent tolerance, but he's human and is susceptible to being drunk eventually.
"Let's go."
Well, the relaxing certainly helped a bit, Hirakoba would have been lying to say he hadn’t been a bit concerned with taking someone so… uptight and intense drinking. This was much better.
“It’s just up the road a bit,” he said, touching Tokugawa on the arm to turn him in the right direction. “We can start there and see what happens.” Hirakoba quickly retied his scarf and started to lead the way.
It was just a couple of blocks before they reached the steps of Hirakoba’s particularly favourite bar. “The food here isn’t that bad either,” he said, skipping down the steps a bit. “And I recommend their cocktail menu, they’re quite nice.”
Tokugawa gave Hirakoba a weird and uncomfortable look once his arm was touched, but he quickly reminded himself that this guy was just trying to be friendly and is even giving him the opportunity to go bar hopping. If anything, he owes Hirakoba a favour.
In any case, once they reached the bar and settled down in a nice table for two right by the bar (not too far from it but not too close either), he perused the menu for something to eat and something to drink.
"I'll start light," he said, proclaiming that the intention is to go hard after a few bars. "Whiskey sour. I'll pay for the finger food of your recommendation."
Hirakoba raised an eyebrow slightly at the offer to pay - such a gentleman! - and he hummed slightly as he looked through the menu. “I’ll pay for the drinks, then,” he said, lingering over the page of seafood.
“Do you like oysters?” he asked. They weren’t exactly finger food, but… “We can get pizza if you’d prefer that. It’s up to you. I ate a bit before coming.”
He waved a waiter over to order. “A… Under the ocean cocktail, a whiskey sour, and…” He glanced at Tokugawa to order the food.
It seemed they both thought the same thing because Tokugawa already ate a little before going here. It was to add padding to his stomach because he didn't want to suddenly start throwing up or anything at his fourth drink. That would suck…
"Oysters are fine," he said with a small nod. There might even be a small smile there because of the offer to pay for the drinks. They can probably exchange who pays which later at the second place. Then, to the waiter, he clarified the order.
"We'll have a plate of steamed oysters, too. Thank you."
Hirakoba sat back in his chair as they man left with their order and he continued staring at Tokugawa. “I know your face, but I just cannot place it,” he said, frowning a bit in frustration. He highly doubted it was because they went to school together. Had he seen him around university, maybe? Or while shopping?
“Tell me a bit about yourself and I might be able to figure it out.”
Tokugawa was sure that line was outdated—in this case, nobody used a pick up line like that anymore, so he files it as him looking actually familiar to the blond. With a nod, he places his arms on the flat of the table, crossing them and leans forward.
"Kazuya Tokugawa. I'm twenty-three, and a professional tennis player. I only came back to Japan three weeks ago," he began. He would have continued, but he wondered if that was enough for Hirakoba to recognise him. Most people did once he said tennis player, because… well, that's mostly what he was, anyway! The smaller part of him was just a guy who was trying to be an adult and have fun.
And then it clicked into place. Hirakoba did a quick count and he sighed a bit, resting his chin on his hand. “You were at that Under-17 camp back in Junior High,” he said with a bit of a laugh. “That would explain it.”
He perked up when their drinks suddenly appeared and he smiled at the waiter. The oysters were just a few minutes away, apparently. “So you went on to become a professional tennis player, huh?” Hirakoba mused, more to himself as he sat back again, drink in hand.
A blink, and then another, and Tokugawa opened his mouth slightly. His lips parted to make a soft "oh" sound just as the waiter arrived with their drinks. Carefully, he looked at Hirakoba and studied his features. Wasn't there another guy who looked like him, too? Except that guy spoke English—well, whatever. The U-17 Camp was over now. Both of them have graduated High School.
"It was what I wanted to be since I was younger," Tokugawa responded before he took a small sip of his drink. Of course, things didn't go as planned and he experienced loss and grief and a lot of pain, but here was now. Once the glass was put back down on the table, he added: "But now I'm taking a break."
He decided he rather liked the surprised face on Tokugawa. It was quite charming.
Hirakoba nodded a bit as he drank. “Because of your knees?” Just to clarify things, since Tokugawa had mentioned he couldn’t walk for long periods of time. He reached out a foot to poke Tokugawa in the leg. “Are you going to go back to playing? Or is your injury actually serious?”
It seemed a lot of the Japanese players whose names he caught in the news now and again were suffering from injuries.
Instead of just a glare, Tokugawa scowled at Hirakoba. It wasn't predatory, at least, but it was one of shock because nobody would usually ever do that to him. "Don't," he immediately said as soon as he was able to get his leg out of the way. Hirakoba's foot was well away from his knee, but he didn't want to risk anything.
"I'll play again once this has been healed in half a year," Tokugawa continued; his frown disappeared soon after and he grabbed his glass again to take another sip.
Then, he looked at Hirakoba again, still unable to recognise him. Finally, he gives up. "Tell me what school you were from. White or Black?"
He meant the jackets.
Hirakoba just smiled unapologetically at the glower he was getting. “Sorry,” he said, moving his feet back to tuck under his chair. “I’ll try very hard to keep them to myself.”
And likely fail. He knew himself well enough for that.
He did have to think back for the answer to Tokugawa’s question, fishing out mint leaves from his glass in the meantime. “White,” he said finally, frowning a bit as he thought. “Yeah, because I was with Eishirou and Hiroshi for a while…” He laughed and shrugged a bit. “If you don’t remember me, it’s fine. I stopped playing after that camp anyway.”
"White," Tokugawa repeated. A smirk graced his lips as a chuckle escaped his throat. It has certainly been a while since his mind entered those U-17 gates, and now memories were flooding back of those times when he swore vengeance and trained as hard as he could because of the awful experiences he underwent there?
"I don't know who those are anymore," he paused and looked Hirakoba in the eye, waiting to see if a reaction would come out of him before he continued. "But when I first arrived, I wore the black jacket."
In any case, he waved his glass, not wanting to continue further. It's not a conversation he wanted to continue because reminiscing about the past was gross.
Hirakoba watched the shifting expressions on Tokugawa’s face - much more interesting than reminiscing about time at the U-17 camp.
And what good timing, the oysters appeared and Hirakoba was saved from trying to think about how to reply to that comment - what was he meant to say, anyway?
He picked up a fork and then put it down with a bit of a sigh. “I’m sorry, Tokugawa-kun. I need some kind of physical contact every once in a while. Can I just…?” he reached across the table and made to just pat Tokugawa on the wrist. “It’s a comfort thing.”
And more expressions continued to befall Tokugawa's face. There was a look of confusion at the question but it quickly disappeared and turned into a dry one at the contact. It was just a quick tap on the wrist and nothing more. It's fine. It's not like it was being invasive or anything, and besides, they're sharing a meal and some drinks. They needed to at least start becoming friends.
"Right. Just let me know beforehand," he responded. He took an oyster from the plate and placed it on the small one he had in front of him, stabbing the meat of the oyster with his fork and putting it in his mouth. The food was delicious and it went well with the drink, but he hoped that the next bar they would go to would have some chicken or pork as finger food so that they would have padding again in their bellies.
Come to think of it…
"So, how long do we stay here before going to another place?" Tokugawa asked. Bar hopping was not something he did in France because he was so introverted. If there were any parties he went to there, it was only at one venue.
“That’s easy enough to promise.” At least now. Hirakoba could not guarantee he wouldn’t get significantly more clingy as he had more drinks.
He hummed a bit around the oyster meat, finishing off his drink at the same time as he thought about Tokugawa’s question. He was actually still kind of amused that someone like Tokugawa was… serious about bar hopping, if Hirakoba was honest, he really had thought he’d change his mind.
“It’s usually after a drink or two. No more than that though.” He reached for another oyster and poked at the meat with his fork. “If you want to stay here a bit longer, I can order another.”
At the very least, Tokugawa had his motorcycle parked at the park they met. He could personally drop Hirakoba where he lives if he ever became intoxicated enough that leaving him alone in a cab could be worse than any of the other options that could present themselves.
"I see," he nodded and grabbed another oyster to eat. "I want to see how many places we can go to today." Then he checked the clock on his phone. It was just a bit past 7, which meant there were so many hours before midnight. Even though he seems so expressionless, he actually cares about a lot of things. One would be going home past midnight.
This is his first time out since getting back to Japan. He wants it to be a good one.
"How about a challenge to make things more flavourful?" Tokugawa canted his head slightly in inquiry. He doesn't have a particular challenge in mind yet, but he could just pull a few ideas from ones he had already done before with acquaintances in Paris.
Hirakoba laughed. “Are you now planning on visiting all the bars in the area with me?” Over a span of days, he hoped. He was fine with drinking alcohol, but perhaps not sampling every bar in Ebisu.
He raised an eyebrow at the question but didn’t answer straight away, taking a sip of water first. Since they were going to apparently be going to all the bars in the area, he should probably stop at one drink here. “Alright. I’m quite good at competitions, just as a warning.”
He smiled and reached out to poke a bit at Tokugawa’s hand, pausing just before he did. “Another piece of physical contact about to happen,” he said, as his warning before he tapped a couple of times on the male’s hand
Hm. . . Tokugawa actually gave it some thought as he took a sip—nope, he downed the rest of his whiskey sour now. Anyway, he thought about just nixing the whole "visiting as many places in a night" idea. The idea is to have fun, and he hasn't been in this part of Tokyo before. This bar was a place he hadn't been to before either, but that's mostly because he didn't really drink prior to moving to Paris and hitting the age of 18.
His eyes wandered over to his own hand, and his fingers twitched a little when Hirakoba gave them short taps. It still didn't bother him so much and he tried to move on, moving forward to the challenge he mentioned.
"People normally get numbers at bars," he started, then he looks around. It's still pretty early, but there are some other patrons already. "The first one to get someone's number wins. The loser has to take a shot."
Hirakoba made himself pull his hand back, drumming his fingers on his empty glass.
He laughed at the challenge and he twisted around in his chair to scan the room. Officeworker, officeworker… tourists… Hirakoba glanced at the bartenders briefly before he turned back to Tokugawa.
“I only really accept the phone numbers of people I think are good looking, though.” Although he was already pulling out his phone to open up the new contacts page. None of the other people in here were really interesting enough. “So… Tokugawa-kun, may I have your number?” he asked, holding out his phone across the table with a smile.
It was fortunate that Tokugawa didn't have anything in his mouth at the moment Hirakoba posed his question, because Tokugawa might have either choked on it or spat it out. The former would have been more likely. In any case, Tokugawa visibly stared at Rin, flabbergasted that his challenge had such an opening.
"I didn't think you could look at it from that perspective," he said as he immediately looked away. It took a lot for Tokugawa to show emotions that weren't of shock or happiness; genuine expressions of niceties and softness were not him at all, after all, but now, he looked so confused and flustered.
Still, as his gaze was fixated elsewhere, he grabbed the phone and quickly tapped on the keys to input his phone number.
"You win."
Hirakoba’s smile just widened as Tokugawa stared at him, trying not to feel too smug about it all. Yes, he really did like the surprised expression, it was so amusing.
“Thank you,” he said as he took his phone back and looked at it. He quickly filled in the rest of the details. And then he paused and sighed a little. “And now I feel bad. Here you go, Tokugawa-kun.” He rang the other male’s number, let it ring once and then hung up. “There you go, that’s my number. Now you have one more good looking person on your phone as well.”
He looked around the room again to wave over a waiter again. “You can even order your own punishment shot, since I feel bad.”
Tokugawa scoffed as he fished out his phone from his pocket to save the number. In his phone, it was just "Hirakoba" because… he doesn't know the other man's first name. Oh well. He doesn't want to ask either now that they were being all chummy.
"Conceited brat," he said before calling a waiter. Sorry; now that Tokugawa knew Hirakoba was from the U-17 Camp, he believed he had the right to call him a brat.
When the waiter approached them, he ordered a shot of tequila for himself. What happened to going light at this first bar? Well. . . It's out the window now that he lost a challenge. He was a competitive person and he didn't take losses lightly, after all.
“Conceited brat?!” Hirakoba puffed up a little at that and he stopped the waiter to order himself a second drink. Since apparently they were going to be staying here a bit longer.
“I'm not that much younger than you, Tokugawa-kun.” Three years at most. “I'd be insulted, but at least you didn't disagree with me.” He had to reach a little bit more, but he managed to poke Tokugawa on the forearm this time.
"It doesn't matter," Tokugawa quickly retorted. "I'm still older."
Being in France meant letting go of the whole senior-junior thing that most Asians followed. Respect wasn't given to you because of your age in the Western countries, but because of your connections of your skills. Tokugawa didn't particularly get as much respect at first, but soon got the respect of his soon-to-be friends and colleagues as he eventually proved himself worthy.
But not that he was back in Japan, he wanted the respect that came along with being a senior. It's not homesickness, it's just how things should be naturally.
The poke got a look, though. Hirakoba did not ask permission, but at least it was just a poke and not a slap on the arm or something!
Tokugawa's drink was simple: a shot of Tequila. The rim of it was glazed in salt and it came with a slice of lemon which was perfect. Drinking it went by quickly, too, as if he's done this thousands of times. He moistened his lips, licked the salt closest to his mouth, took the shot, and bit into the lemon.
It was so sour, and Tokugawa couldn't help but grimace!
Hirakoba rolled his eyes a bit - older indeed - but his response was cut off by their drinks arriving. He sat back with his glass of wine and watched Tokugawa take his shot, trying not to smile too much at the look on his face.
“You sound just like my sister about my age,” he said, pulling a face. “‘Rin, I’m the older sibling here, you need to do what I tell you’,” he raised the pitch of his voice to imitate her. “As if like 9 minutes makes a difference.” Tokugawa was a lot older than just 9 minutes, but it didn’t matter, the point was still the same.
He huffed a bit and reached across the table. Oh right, Tokugawa had not looked happy at the no warning before. “I’m about to touch your hand again,” he said, before doing so. Hirakoba purposely left his hand there too and stared at Tokugawa as if daring him to tell him to move it.
The grimace disappeared eventually as the taste subsided. Tequila was always something that burned down the throat but it was a drink that was best for games like these. He couldn't help but continue to look unamused as Hirakoba spoke of his sister, though. . . he didn't enjoy being compared to somebody's sister, but he made no comment about it.
And then there was the touch, which fell on the their hands and then his eyes lifted to meet Hirakoba's. At the same time, he slid his hand away, finding this odd, more than anything.
"First, you get me to meet you from an online conversation. Second, you try to get my number, and now you try to hold my hand," he paused and grabbed an oyster, which was the second to the last on the plate. "Was bar hopping really what you wanted to do?"
Hirakoba had to laugh at the blatant pulling away and he sat back again with his drink. Tokugawa was quite funny and his reactions just made Hirakoba want to prod at him more.
Even funnier was what he was saying next.
“Don’t take it the wrong way, please,” he said, waving a hand a bit and trying not to smile too much. “If I was with a friend, I’d probably be draped naked over them. It’s just what I’m like.” And he reached a nice understanding with them about that.
Hirakoba took a measured drink of his wine and raised an eyebrow. “I did want to go bar hopping. Do I need to prove it to you and take you to the next one now?”
… What kind of explanation was that? Tokugawa did not want to imagine Hirakoba naked, but he was looking at him as if he were and that it was so out of place. What a strange guy. In fact, Tokugawa wanted to make it known.
"You're strange," he began, but he looked at the glass of wine the other held. "We can go to the next one once you're done with that."
And with that, he called for the waiter and asked for the bill.
Hirakoba nearly choked on his mouthful of wine as he tried not to laugh at Tokugawa’s proclamation. “Yes, I’ve been told that.” Many, many times.
It was such a waste to just drink quickly, but he did, tossing it back, and the last oyster before he started to fish out his wallet. “It’s not that far of a walk to the next one,” he said, holding out a 10,000 yen note for Tokugawa to take. “We’ll probably have to stand though. Will your knee be okay with it?”
For a moment, Tokugawa hesitated and it showed with how he let Hirakoba's hand linger in the air for a bit. He looked at his knee and gripped it with one hand, as if willing it to stay find until they finish the second bar.
"It should be, so long as we don't stay there too long," he finally said. Although he sounded very headstrong and firm with his decision, there was a hint of hesitance in his appearance. After he said that, he tried to cover it up by looking away to get his wallet and pay for the oysters. He stood up soon after.
Hirakoba tilted his head slightly as Tokugawa’s reply and took care of paying, taking away Tokugawa’s contribution to try slip back into the other male’s pocket at some point. “Just tell me when we need to head out.”
He covered up waiting for the change by putting on his coat and scarf before he led the way back to the stairs and out onto the street.
The fresh air was nice and Hirakoba sighed, even though it was too cold. “About to touch you again,” he warned, using a hand on Tokugawa’s elbow to turn him around in the right direction down the street to head to the next bar.
And since his hand was already there, he poked the money into Tokugawa’s jacket pocket. Perhaps two drinks ago he would’ve been subtle about it, but not so much now.
Tokugawa picked up his jacket and put it on as soon as he was able and joined Hirakoba to exit the bar. It truly was cold, but it didn't bother him as he was used to it. And this time, the contact was more than appreciated else he would likely have continued walking towards the wrong direction.
The sudden additional weight in his pocket caused Tokugawa to look at Hirakoba. He wasn't irritated but his brow furrowed slightly in worry.
"What are you doing this time?" he asked, but there was no bite to it. Despite only knowing each other for less than a day, Tokugawa doesn't feel particularly as uncomfortable anymore knowing that the spent months in hell together.
Hirakoba gave the money one last poke into the pocket and withdrew his hand, purposely bumping Tokugawa in the side lightly with the back of it on the way. “Nothing you should worried about,” he said, smiling a bit.
He glanced up at Tokugawa and then down to his legs and sighed loudly. “Why are you so tall? This is quite unfair.”
What kind of question was that? Tokugawa scoffed in amusement (because laughing was so not what he did) before he looked at Hirakoba who was marginally shorter. He didn't have a particular answer in mind, but he did wonder if Hirakoba was drunk already because something like that would have be a question drunk people asked.
"I've always been this way," he answered. And for good measure, just so it was clear to both of them, he posed a question of his own. "Are you drunk?"
“I doubt you were that tall when you were in junior high.” Although given that Hirakoba had gone to school with some… very tall junior high students, he probably shouldn’t be so doubtful.
He laughed and patted Tokugawa on the shoulder. “No, I’m fine.” A little, maybe. But he was just at the stage of his fingers starting to itch and, “I just want to hug something. Or touch, I don’t really mind.” Oops, did he say that out loud?
He purposely tucked his hands in his coat pockets and sighed. “Are you?”
"No," Tokugawa responded. What a lie that was, though. Whiskey sour is considered a light drink but it still has whiskey in it and as such, can be hard if taken really quickly. That was what Tokugawa did earlier. Not to mention, he had a shot of Tequila. He was not drunk, but there were oncomings of what would be a drunk Tokugawa already.
"And you should get yourself a teddy bear," he added, going back to the bit where Hirakoba seems to enjoy hugging and touching things. It might be weird to carry around, though.
“What, you’re not going to offer yourself up as a substitute teddy bear?” Hirakoba teased and he nudged his elbow into Tokugawa’s. “You wouldn’t have to do anything, just stand there. For like 15 seconds.”
Like an actual teddy bear.
“Left here,” he said, pulling one hand out of his pocket to steer Tokugawa in the right direction. “And just down here.”
Was that really an attempt at humour? Not that Tokugawa didn't mind hugs. He enjoyed them when the children he coached hugged and thanked him because he helped them out. He enjoyed them from his parents because it showed they loved him. He silently enjoyed giving them to his parents too because he loved them back.
… Tokugawa was silent as he followed. It was only until they were at the door that he asked: "Did you still want to hug something." But it was asked so blandly that it didn't seem like a question at all…
Honestly, Hirakoba had just been expecting no response at all to his teasing, and the question that followed eventually made him actually stop.
Well then.
“Always.” Hirakoba moved a little bit closer and touched Tokugawa on the side. “Do I need to warn you that I’m about to hug you?” he asked, laughing softly. And really, that was all the warning he was giving before he moved in to hug Tokugawa around the middle, happily burrowing his face into the warmth between his jacket folds.
Tokugawa looked up and away as he was hugged, and in his head, he counted the seconds that pass as the hug continued. Three to four seconds later, Tokugawa put both hands on Hirakoba's shoulders to slowly slide him away from him.
"That's enough, but I hope that helped," he said, finding that the hug had gone long enough. People who passed might have something to say, and he wouldn't be able to deal with the gossip if any sports journalists somehow caught eye of him this time of night.
That certainly didn’t seem like 15 seconds, but Hirakoba stepped back regardless, letting his hands linger just a bit longer before he let them drop down to his sides.
“It did help, thank you,” Hirakoba said, patting Tokugawa on the arm. “And as thanks, I didn’t kiss you on the cheek like I normally would with people.” He had a suspicion Tokugawa might punch him or something if that happened.
“Shall we go in? It’s usually quieter at the standing tables in the back.”
A punch would have been an exaggeration but Tokugawa likely would not talk to Hirakoba again if that hug went on for fifteen seconds. Who does that. (Although if they were closer, Tokugawa likely would have allowed it anyway.)
He held out the door to go in and waited for his companion to enter first before he did.
"You probably shouldn't tell people that after hugging them, by the way."
Hirakoba was quite thankful he’d decided to wear a coat with a zipper tonight, instead of trying to deal with buttons and taking the coat on and off.
Even so, his fingers slipped a little as he tugged it down and he looked up at Tokugawa in the entrance way, grinning a bit. “Why? Do you now feel like you missed out?” He pulled off his coat and took Tokugawa by the elbow to steer him towards the back of the main bar to a free table. “I can still give you one if you want, it’s no great difficulty.”
Slowly, Tokugawa began to question his life decisions. He really should have just stayed at home or tried to reconnect with a high school friend instead of meet a stranger. Of course, he enjoyed the night so far—he just didn't intend to show it. Hirakoba was a troublemaker and he would have to watch his footsteps around this guy if he didn't want to get into trouble.
But it was trouble that doesn't seem too bad, truth be told.
"No. Don't do it," was all Tokugawa said. He removed his jacket and and felt something in the pocket; he took it out and saw some Yen in it which he inferred to be Hirakoba's. Whatever. He can bring it up once they're seated. (Or standing, as he was duly informed prior to coming here.)
"This time, I'll be ordering whiskey. Nothing mixed in it," he told Hirakoba once they were settled.
“Just let me know if you change your mind,” Hirakoba said vaguely, resting his elbows on the table.
His eyebrows rose slightly at the drink order and hummed thoughtfully. “Alright. I can order to save you from walking too much. ” Was Tokugawa going to keep drinking things like straight whiskey? Hirakoba was already getting his wallet out to go and order before he paused. “How are you getting home tonight?”
It was nice of Hirakoba to order for them both. Tokugawa filed it in his memory that he really owed the guy; first there was the matter of accompanying him tonight, and then there was paying for the bill. Both were kind gestures and he intended accompany the blond another time, should his schedule permit it and his health be willing.
"I have my motorcycle parked by the park," he said. Although now that he had said that out loud, it sounded dumb. "I'll probably pick it up tomorrow morning and call a cab tonight."
Yeah…. That's better.
He gave Tokugawa a deeply unamused look at the mention of the motorcycle. Which softened a bit at the mention of picking it up later. Well, that was less terrible.
“I live nearby if you want to crash.” And he had just been planning to wander back home at some point. “You just can’t sleep in my bed, clothing isn’t allowed in there.”
But his couch was clothing friendly.
"Thanks for the offer to stay on the couch, because I'd like to keep my clothes on," Tokugawa replied. He would never consider crashing at another person's place because of how he was brought up, but now, in his time of trouble (not really, but he feels pretty awful for being injured), maybe he could live a little. He tried to pretend that the Hirakoba sleeping without clothes on was a normal thing, too. Gotta keep moving on. "I'll think about it."
“If you want to be restricted while you sleep, go ahead,” Hirakoba said dismissively. “Once I tried it, I was never going back.” Clothing was stupid, he didn’t understand why people wore it in the privacy of their own homes. And particularly not when sleeping.
“See how you feel after the whiskey,” Hirakoba said, tapping Tokugawa on the shoulder as he went to go and get their drinks.
It didn’t take too long for him to return, drinks in hand and he slid the whiskey across the table to Tokugawa, settling into his spot with his own cocktail. “So. A motorcycle. I probably wouldn’t have guessed you had one if you hadn’t mentioned it.”
Well, Tokugawa likely didn't look like he owned one, but he has had a motorcycle license since he was in high school. It made him swell with pride now that it's been mentioned, because yes, of course. He would love to talk about his sweet, sweet, ride.
"She's beautiful," he said, then he pulled his glass close to his face to nose the whiskey. It wasn't a bad smell; definitely better than the Tequila even though the alcohol content was questionable at best. He didn't take a sip from it yet either, more focused on rotating the glass ever so slightly as part of the conversation.
"And because I owe you," he finally said. This was an admission that he knew that Hirakoba slipped his bills into his jacket pocket earlier. "I can take you around somewhere some time. When we're both not intoxicated."
That'd be fun, probably.
Well, he couldn’t really agree on the motorbike being beautiful since he’d never seen it…. her, apparently. But he still hummed in agreement and started on his drink.
Smooth and rich and something he’d probably regret later.
“That sounds nice. I’ll make sure to remember it and hold you to it.” Hirakoba stared some more at Tokugawa and… yeah, he really couldn’t see him as a motorbike owner. “Did you bring your bike over from…?” For that matter, Hirakoba didn’t actually know where Tokugawa had been, since he’d apparently only returned three weeks ago.
"Paris," said Tokugawa so the sentence could be completed. He nodded after, confirming that his bike was indeed brought in from Europe.
He actually wasn't allowed to be alone on his motorcycle while his injury was still fresh, but he asked permission from his doctor since it was just a small distance, anyway. Of course, he wasn't going to tell this to Hirakoba. No one needs to worry for him while he was trying to do something he thinks he liked.
“Oh?” How exciting. Hirakoba took a sip of his drink and watched Tokugawa closely. “You used to ride your motorbike around France? That sounds so nice.” He patted Tokugawa vaguely on the upper arm and smiled.
“I’ve never been to Europe,” he said vaguely, going back to his drink. “My grandmother doesn’t really like travelling, so…” as if that explained everything.
The pat earned a look because there wasn't any permission given, but no harm done. Tokugawa proceeded to finally partake of his drink, sipping the whiskey and he was able to properly taste the alcohol as it went down his throat.
"You'll like it if you go there as a tourist," Tokugawa said once he set his glass back down. "Living there is different compared to here."
And the bit with his grandmother did not explain anything at all, but it seemed like Hirakoba wanted to be asked, hence: "Do you live with your grandmother?"
“I’ll put it on my to go to list.” And Hirakoba imagined any place was different from living in Tokyo - hell, living in Okinawa was different.
He pulled a face at the question and fortified himself with a probably larger drink than necessary. “No, I don’t, thank goodness.” Normally he’d probably leave it at that, but alcohol had loosened Hirakoba’s usually quite tightly controlled tongue and he grumped a bit.
“She’s the head of my family in Okinawa,” he explained. “She thinks my friends are trying to turn me into a hooker, and that girls are gold diggers,” Hirakoba said, following it up with another drink. “This is why I started dating guys.”
Oh, right. Higa was a school in Okinawa, wasn't it? Tokugawa hummed in acknowledgement as Hirakoba spoke, not wanting to interrupt him as he continued.
"You aren't a hooker?" was what the dark haired man responded with, though. Despite the seriousness in his expression, there was a lilt of amusement in his tone that hinted that he was merely kidding. And to seal it, he added: "I wouldn't have guessed."
Hirakoba fluffed up a bit at the reply, and though he did vaguely recognise the humour behind it, part of him was a bit insulted.
“Tokugawa-kun, if I was a hooker, I probably would’ve touched you a lot more,” Hirakoba said, sidling a bit closer and pointedly sliding his hand up Tokugawa’s upper arm and over his shoulder. “And I probably wouldn’t have bought you drinks.”
He moved his hand away and held it up as he purposely stepped away again, returning to his beverage. “Although apparently law students do make up large numbers of hookers in some countries.”
"It was just a joke. Don't get your feathers too ruffled," Tokugawa said as raised a glass and clinked it against Hirakoba's without warning. If the blond can touch him without permission, he can finish his drinks without having to ask permission. As the night went on, he was getting used to the random bits of physical contact, too.
And that's what he did. When Tokugawa set his glass back down, the contents had been emptied, whiskey slowly settling in Tokugawa's stomach and setting his throat aflame. But it felt good. Alcohol went down properly and it was delicious.
Although now, Tokugawa knew he had to slow down.
"I'm getting another and a snack. What do you want?"
Hirakoba narrowed his eyes slightly at Tokugawa and he resisted the urge to just prod him again as punishment for a poor joke.
“I want you… to get me another drink,” Hirakoba said, holding his wallet out to Tokugawa. “Just something sweet.” And he’d finish his current one while the other male was off getting that.
Something sweet? Alright, then. Tokugawa took the wallet, but intended not to open it as he walked to the bar to order another glass of whiskey for himself and a Negroni for Hirakoba. It wasn't the classiest, but he ordered chicken fingers, as well, with sour cream dip and it was going to taste delicious.
Actually, at this point, given how hungry he was, he'd find anything delicious.
Tokugawa went back to their table minutes later with their drinks, one glass in each hand before setting it down. He paid for both drinks and their food which was to be served momentarily with his own money and he put Hirakoba's wallet on the table soon after.
"This should probably be the last one," Tokugawa suggested, noticing the how quickly Hirakoba downed his drink. There were still some left in its glass earlier but now that he had gone back, it was empty.
Hirakoba kept half an eye on Tokugawa heading to the bar as he finished up his drink, drumming his fingers on the glass as he waiting for the man’s return.
And he did, with a drink for HIrakoba in hand and got a very bright smile in return as it was put down on the table. “Thank you,” he said, taking the time to tuck his wallet away.
He was definitely feeling the third drink. And the second, actually. “The last one for here? Is your knee hurting, do you need to sit down?” Hirakoba reached down to helpfully pat at Tokugawa’s thigh. He didn’t even know which leg it was, but he was going to guess.
"For the night, if that's okay. And yes, it hurts a little", Tokugawa replied quickly just as he tried to evade the hand that aimed for his thigh. Hirakoba was only able to give it the wrong thigh a ghost of a touch before Tokugawa managed to get away. "I don't want to overexert myself tonight."
Now, Hirakoba might tend to observe Tokugawa's movements often. He'd notice that Tokugawa tended to put his weight on the left side of his body as he stood.
“Fair enough, you’re still recovering,” Hirakoba said, straightening up and resisting the urge to try and touch Tokugawa’s leg again. His evasive techniques were entertaining.
He fished out his phone while taking the first sip of his drink - very nice - to look up his address on the map. “I live here,” he said, pointing at the screen and showing Tokugawa. “You can come visit me whenever you want, I quite like you.”
Whatever Hirakoba wanted out of this meeting, Tokugawa didn't want to misunderstand. The words I quite like you could mean more than one thing, although in a country not Japan (because Japanese people tended to skirt around issues like this until they couldn't take it anymore and that's when they do their wholehearted confession), it meant interest in going out.
It's was why Hirakoba received an arched brow from the professional tennis player as the man gripped his glass of whiskey. "Oh? And why is that?"
He didn't have to crane his neck that much to see where Hirakoba lived, too. Although he would have to ask him later where he lived again because most information that would be processed right now would end up in the trash come the day after.
Hirakoba hummed and postposed his answer for a bit by taking a considered slip of his drink. “You’re very polite. And you try really hard to make jokes, it’s very cute.” Although he was sure they’d be better now that Tokugawa had relaxed around him and when he wasn’t drinking.
He reached up to tap Tokugawa on the head. “And you’re really tall, that’s nice. I like tall people.”
What— That actually earned a soft chuckle from Tokugawa. This time would be the first time he let out what seemed like laughter tonight.
"Being tall has its merits," he began. And he could go on about how he's able to reach things easily or how it makes him faster on the court because his legs are longer, but that would be a nerdy thing to say now that the conversation has shifted in direction.
"I don't try hard to make jokes. I'm probably just not that funny to you. Our senses of humour are different."
Okay, that one, he really had to defend himself on.
Hirakoba’s smile widened as Tokugawa laughed and he patted the man on the head again. “You’ve also got a very cute laugh. You should do it more often.”
He was distracted for a bit by the chicken arriving and Hirakoba’s eyes brightened as he looked at it laid down in front of them. “What a surprise. Thank you. I’ll forgive you for having a strange sense of humour.”
His words were accompanied by a smile though, to show he was just teasing, before he turned his attentions to poking at the food.
Whatever hints of laughter that permeated the air disappeared as Tokugawa scowled for being patted on the head. Do you want me to go home? he wanted to threaten, but it wasn't serious to begin with, so he kept it to himself and instead grabbed a chicken finger for him to eat. No sense in begin shy now.
"That was the first and only time you'll hear it. I'm not going to do it again."
Hirakoba chewed thoughtfully and washed the food down with a sip of drink. “The only time? How disappointing.” He reached out to pet lightly at Tokugawa’s arm, smiling at him. “I’ll work hard to get you to laugh each time we meet up, then.”
Which would be at least once more, since he’d been promised a motorbike ride.
He sighed and drummed his fingers on the table. “Tokugawa-kun, I really want another hug right now,” he said suddenly.
"The only time," Tokugawa repeated, determined that he wouldn't laugh again. It was easy, anyway, with how little emotion he usually conveyed. He'd just continue with his usual icy demeanour.
But it wouldn't be the only time they met. Tokugawa knew that now that they both had each other's numbers, they likely would be more bars than the two they had already gone to.
Now, with his name being called with such urgency, the way he looks at Hirakoba softens by a fraction. He doesn't look around this time, but immediately says "You have four seconds."
Since he’d told Tokugawa originally that hugging him meant he’d have to stand still for 15 seconds, did this mean that his hugs could be spaced out as long as they eventually equalled 15 seconds?
Which meant he had…. 8 seconds left?
Hirakoba hugged him sideways this time, resting his chin on Tokugawa’s shoulder and smiled at him from there. “You’re also not too bad to hug,” he said, patting him on the side.
He also hoped that Tokugawa was counting those four seconds, because Hirakoba definitely wasn’t.
With the alcohol Tokugawa's had tonight and was having (because he was definitely drinking what he would as he was being hugged since he stood still), there was no way for Tokugawa to account for the number of seconds that he said Hirakoba had. It was all a matter of instinct at this point, and what his was slowly going down the brash spectrum the more he drank.
He merely responds with a hum of acknowledgement because what he could say could be taken the wrong way, though. As much as he wants to say that he enjoys hugging his students or the people whom he's helped or his parents, he doesn't also want to look like he's weak. He's got an image to uphold.
"Does this really make you feel better?" was what Tokugawa asked, instead.
Well, he wasn’t being pushed away, so Hirakoba kept hugging, moving to press his forehead against Tokugawa’s shoulder instead. Yes, this was very nice, he decided. And he was also pretty sure more than 4 seconds had passed by this point.
“It really does,” he said, patting him on the side again since it was getting no negative reaction and was therefore acceptable. “I have to sleep hugging something, or someone as well. It’s a habit.”
Hirakoba finally pulled away, stepping back just a bit. “Would you like to try? I’ve been told I’m quite nice to hug.”
Tokugawa's glass was almost empty by the time Hirakoba pulled away, and his shoulders relaxed even more now that they weren't being constricted.
"Sleeping while hugging something is understandable," he began. This however, does not, seems like such a close minded thing to say. He doesn't exactly understand the logic behind why Hirakoba has to have physical contact with people every so often, but they barely know each other. He isn't going to ask right away.
As for the question, he shakes his head and finally downs the rest of the whiskey. He had to pause and take in his surroundings again. His eyes narrowed to refocus on what he was looking at before he looked at Hirakoba.
"It's fine. Another time, maybe."
Hirakoba returned to his drink once he had stopped hugging, although he still stayed a bit closer to Tokugawa that was really necessary. “I look forward to it,” Hirakoba said, poking at another piece of chicken.
He eyed Tokugawa’s now empty glass and he made an effort to drink his own just that bit faster. “I’m nearly done,” he promised. Since, he reminded himself, Tokugawa’s knee was hurting and they needed to head back. “You can finish the rest,” he said, waving vaguely at the food.
Hirakoba rushing was appreciated, but not necessarily needed. If Tokugawa really was in pain, then he'd just excuse himself. Still, he whispered a rather soft "I appreciate it" before he moved to get the rest of the chicken to partake of.
Tokugawa said nothing as he ate, too. Normally, he looked so composed, but he looked like he was thinking about something deep as he ate. He wasn't. He was just having a difficult time thinking about how he should go home. He wondered if he should take Hirakoba home first and call a cab there or call a cab for him and another for Hirakoba or something.
Then, he checked the time. It wasn't so late, but it wouldn't be safe to travel alone anymore.
Alright…
"I'll stay at your couch tonight. Excuse me," Tokugawa said, leaving no room for any discussion or decisions from Hirakoba's side.
Hirakoba tossed back the rest of his drinking, making sure at least to fish out the piece of orange to leave it carefully in the glass when he pushed it away from himself. Done. And he probably shouldn’t have had that last drink.
“That’s fine. I have blankets.” And a very efficient heater. The rather blunt statement had made him laugh a bit though - see, Tokugawa was quite funny.
“You’re just not allowed to put dildos in my fishtank, or I’ll have to kick you out,” he paused and gave Tokugawa quite a stern look before he perked up again, patting him on the arm. “Shall we go?”
What the fuck kind of house does this Hirakoba have and why is there a rule like that. Who did he invite over that his fish tank ended up with dildos?
Tokugawa immediately ceased thinking about it; he found it better to just let things go and go with the flow. Hirakoba seemed like that kind of person, anyway. He should learn to be the same around him.
"Right. Let's go."
Hirakoba kind of regretted moving a bit as he stepped away from the table and swayed a little. Oh dear. Still, he managed to pull his jacket on, and frowned at the zip as his fingers slipped trying to get it together.
Oh well, he could leave it undone.
“It’s not too far of a walk,” he said, moving to try and sneakily link arms with Tokugawa once they got outside. “And there’s just two stairs and then an elevator.”
Tokugawa was almost about to move to grab Hirakoba's arm when he noticed him sway, but when the other man was able to put his jacket on, he concluded that Hirakoba was still good enough to be able to walk home.
He didn't mind their arms being linked together, although Tokugawa tried to look forward as much as possible so that they didn't stumble as they walked on the sidewalk. His worry for his safety only grew at the mention of stairs, but he tried not to show it.
"I see. Alright," Tokugawa finally said. He can do this. Hopefully the flight of stairs were just short ones.
Hirakoba led Tokugawa back to the park and then to his apartment. Thankfully, he’d done this walk many times at all hours, so even while his brain wasn’t quite functioning correctly right now, he was fine getting them back to his place.
It was so much easier walking with the linked arms too and Hirakoba hummed to himself to cover the silence, sometimes bumping into Tokugawa as he walked sideways a bit on his way.
And then suddenly he pulled Tokugawa sideways, heading towards a building. “Here’s the two steps,” he said, helpfully skipping up the two single steps at the front, before pulling Tokugawa to the front door.
Oh. Tokugawa let out a chuckle even though he swore he'd never laugh again. He'd already forgotten what he said earlier at the bar. Up Tokugawa went, letting himself in after they were both buzzed in.
Once the lift opened, he asked: "Do you remember what floor you live in?" He wasn't in a particular rush, but it would be nice to pass out now.
“Eight,” Hirakoba said, reaching out to press the button before he leaned against Tokugawa and watched the numbers on the screen.
All too soon, they reached the floor and Hirakoba pulled him out, awkwardly twisting to get his keys out of his pocket. And it took a few tries, but he got it in the right way finally. “I’ll put the heater on for you,” he said, toeing off his shoes to head in, flicking on all the lights as he went. The apartment was cold and Hirakoba tossed a blanket onto the couch on his way to find the controller. “And get you a pillow…” And move his work off the couch onto the table, so Tokugawa could actually sleep.
“If you get cold, you can come join me in my bed, I’m just through here,” he called out, heading into his room to fetch pillows.
It truly was cold and Tokugawa could feel the chill even in his knee. He believed that he could probably feel at home and it was why once Hirakoba was out of sight, he went to the bathroom to grab a small towel so he could make a makeshift hot compress for his knee.
Once he settled into the couch, he folded up his trousers and put the hot compress on his knee and then huddled himself up in the blanket that he was given.
Hirakoba… never managed to actually get back to Tokugawa with the pillows, it seemed, before he curled up on bed and went to sleep. But he had somehow remembered to take his clothing off, throwing it haphazardly around the room.
And it was to that, that Hirakoba woke up the next morning, with a groan as he got up. He was filled with regret for the night before. And it was probably from long habit that he managed to drag himself out of bed, wrapped himself up with a blanket and headed out to find a cup of coffee, grumbling to himself as he switched on lights and the heater.
A few sips of hot coffee later and he felt less like death and his eyes focused on a lump his couch.
…. Oh. Oh that was right. He’d invited Tokugawa over to his apartment last night.
Hirakoba walked quietly over the still sleeping man and picked up a cushion. He stared at Tokugawa’s face for a long moment before he whacked him with the pillow. “Good morning, Tokugawa-kun,” he said, fixing up his blanket.
Unfortunately for them both, this was not how Tokugawa wanted to wake up. It was why the dark haired man was conscious and was forced to sit up, he was scowling at Hirakoba as if he'd just committed a crime right before his very eyes.
"Don't do that again. It wasn't funny," he said, voice slightly slurred. It's a miracle Tokugawa's head didn't hurt as much as it should given how quickly he downed the whiskey from last night.
Still, he eventually stood up and put his socks back on and tried to make himself look presentable. Tokugawa didn't intend to stay any longer than he already has, partly because his family might be looking for him. (They were, he's just yet to check his phone.)
Hirakoba grinned around his coffee cup as he got a grumpy response and he stepped back to let him stand up.
“I’ll remember that for next time you stay over,” Hirakoba said. He did have the decency though to go and fetch Tokugawa a bottle of water from the fridge, and to keep the blanket wrapped around himself, even though it was warming up quite quickly in the room.
“For you,” he said, holding the water out. “And I’d really love another hug before you go. As payment for letting you stay over.”
Tokugawa still hasn't gotten over being thwacked by a pillow, so he didn't even say thanks to the being given water. He just took the bottle and emptied it straight away before looking back at Hirakoba with another icy glare.
It did not seem to be working.
Internally, Tokugawa debated the pros and cons of being hugged again. There wasn't much pros except that he liked being hugged; there weren't much cons, either. It just didn't suit his image. In the end, he gave a curt nod.
"Two seconds."
Hirakoba did not understand the whole time limit thing - did he actually count the seconds? Still, he wasn’t going to pass on the opportunity, putting his cup of coffee down.
Without really thinking about it, Hirakoba opened up the blanket and engulfed Tokugawa in it and his hug, smiling up at him a bit. “We should do this again sometime,” he said, patting Tokugawa vaguely on the back. “Let me know when you’re free again.” Especially since Tokugawa had his number now.
"Ngghkk—" Tokugawa couldn't help but make an incoherent noise as he was hugged, but he didn't push the man away, either. This guy… seriously, he made a note to be more careful around him because these kind of surprises are going to be the death of him eventually.
"Hopefully with something in between," Tokugawa responded as he rolled his eyes. Then, he turned towards the door, intent on leaving Hirakoba to be alone. He had to go home too, after all, and he didn't want to extend his visit.
"I'll keep in touch" were his last words before he opened the door and stepped out.
