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With hurried steps, Doppo made his way out of the station. He wasn’t late, but anxiety forced his usual trudge into a speed walk instead. He had actually managed to leave the apartment on time for once with Hifumi out of the house, no need for excuses on his whereabouts for the day. Being on time aided his nerves, if only a little. In fact, he could almost say he was proud of himself.
Jyuto was always the one to arrive first whenever they’d meet up, but today it was his turn. There was something satisfying about that, giddiness working its way through Doppo’s anxious nerves. This time, there’d be no flustered apologies for being late, but instead reassurances as Jyuto himself apologized or thanked him for the wait. It was a simple thought, but Doppo reveled in the idea of Jyuto making his way through the crowd in search of him, walking up to him in a slight haste. It filled Doppo with a sense of excitement. For once, he’d be the one to welcome him with a smile, calm and collected.
As Doppo neared his destination, the flash of his reflection in his peripherals brought him to a halt. He paused for a bit, looking himself over. “Ah, I look terrible…” he muttered, grimacing.
He was more than accustomed to his atrocious looks by now, but in his haste he’d somehow managed to look worse. Did he always look like this when he rushed to Jyuto’s side? How Jyuto ever managed to stay by his side in public eluded him. Good thing I’m early today… Hopefully the extra time would allow him to make himself look somewhat decent, especially after all the effort he’d put into his current outfit.
With a frown, Doppo attempted to fix his hair. It always started out neat in the morning, only to end up a mussed up and haphazard mess halfway through the day. He had a habit of playing with it when he was stressed – which was more often than not. It didn’t help that he’d worked up a sweat from how packed the train had been and how quickly he’d been walking, either. His bangs were slightly matted to his forehead, the hair on the back of his neck in a similar state. His face was flushed and his bags were horrible as well, but there wasn’t much he could do about them at this point.
With a sigh, Doppo gave up on his hair after a few minutes. This is as good as it’ll get. It didn’t look great, but it was better than it looked before, at least. Besides, it wasn’t like this was anything new and Jyuto had told him time and time again he somehow found Doppo attractive. Not that he fully believed it, but it eased his nerves a little bit in the moment.
In a rare occasion, Doppo decided to look on the positive side. While his hair wasn’t the best, at least the flush on his face had started to fade as he cooled down. It made him look less frazzled and more put together where his hair failed, which he was grateful for.
It’ll all be fine! They’d been on numerous dates in the past — he was overreacting. All that mattered was that Doppo was excited to see Jyuto after a long work week and, based off Jyuto’s texts, the feeling was mutual.
With that thought in mind, Doppo felt more encouraged. He inhaled deeply, before he let it rush out of his lungs. “Let’s go!” he said to himself, pressing onwards.
--
Time passed slowly as Doppo awaited Jyuto’s arrival. He fidgeted anxiously as he attempted to distract himself. His fingers pulled at the ends of his sleeves and his teeth worried his lips, his eyes scanning the crowed briefly before he looked back to his fingers.
Doppo couldn’t help but wonder if this was how Jyuto felt as he waited for him, though he doubted it. Doppo’s mind couldn’t help but wander to the negative, the thought that Jyuto would stand him up prominent on his mind. Doppo knew Jyuto wouldn’t do that, but rationalizing things wasn’t exactly Doppo’s strong suit.
Ah, I should’ve arrived later, after all… To think he’d been so excited about being early before, only to loathe it now. Doppo could never win, could he?
His foot bounced anxiously as he stood on the busy city street. They had agreed to meet at outside a coffee shop Jyuto often frequented, the delicious scents of coffee and pastries tantalizing Doppo as he waited nearby. It was the perfect halfway point between the station Doppo came from as well as Jyuto’s workplace and had become their usual meetup spot whenever Doppo was in town.
Yokohama was full of people, the beginning of the weekend off to a busy start. The landscape was much more open compared to Shinjuku and its towering buildings, the air fresh. The crowd would’ve made him feel worse if he wasn’t used to the constant barrage of people he dealt with daily, the train ride to his office a personal form of hell. While the streets were bustling with people, he much preferred this to being packed like sardines into a hot and humid train car.
Like this, Doppo could feel the cool breeze on his skin, the restriction of his tie long forgotten as it lay on the floor of his room. It wasn’t often he was able to enjoy his time outside of the office, so he didn’t want it to go to waste.
With his eyes closed, Doppo let himself focus on the scents and sounds of his surroundings rather than his own paranoid thoughts. Without his sight, he felt himself relax slightly as he melted into the crowd, the city. It made him feel small in comparison, along with the thoughts that plagued him.
It would be fine. Jyuto would show up.
He always did.
A few minutes passed before buzz in his pocket caught Doppo’s attention, his eyes snapping open. He fumbled for the device, flipping it open with haste. His features lit up instantly as his eyes roved over the notification.
“Ah, Iruma-san!” he said to himself, elated. “It says he’ll be here soon...” A small smile pulled at his lips, excitement quick to work its way through him. Soon, he would get to see Jyuto…
I was worried for nothing!
Doppo began to type up a reply when his fingers stilled with the sound of a familiar voice, “Hah! No shit. So, it’s true.”
“It would seem so,” Another voice added. It was much deeper than the first, but it was one Doppo recognized as well.
It can’t be…
Hesitantly, Doppo lifted his gaze to see two pairs of boots in front of him. He gulped before he looked up entirely, his suspicions confirmed as he locked eyes with the two members of Mad Trigger Crew he hadn’t been expecting.
“E-Eh?!” he stammered, confused as well as fearful at their sudden appearance. Why are they here?! Did Jyuto send them over? He hadn’t mentioned anything in his text though, so Doppo didn’t think that was the case. Jyuto was always detailed in his plans, so either it was pure coincidence they were here or something else. With business manners hardwired into him, Doppo began to bow furiously. “A-A-Aohitsugi-san! B-Busujima-san! Good morning!”
“Che, still stiff as ever,” Samatoki scoffed, causing Doppo to wince.
Doppo could never get used to that brashness…
“Morning,” Riou replied simply, to which Doppo was grateful.
“W-What a coincidence to run into you two here,” Doppo said, a troubled smile on his face. “May I ask what b-brings you here?”
Internally, Doppo chastised himself. Who was he to ask the leader of Mad Trigger Crew what he was doing in his town? If anything, he should’ve apologized the moment he made eye contact for invading their territory. Idiot, idiot, idiot!
“Hey, salaryman,” Samatoki said.
“Y-Yes?!” Doppo replied, his posture straighter than ever. “What is it?”
Samatoki let out a huff, glancing off to his side, “Relax, already. There’s no need to be so formal.”
Huh?
“Samatoki is right,” Riou said, “A friend of Jyuto’s is a friend of ours,” he paused for a beat, before he added, “Outside of rap battles, that is.”
“Heh, ain’t that right!” Samatoki said. “Though you got one thing wrong, Riou.”
“Mm?”
With a smirk, Samatoki looked back to Doppo. “He’s no friend of Jyuto’s. I think the term you’re looking for is a fuck buddy.”
“F-Fu–!” Doppo started, only to be cut off.
“I see, my apologies,” Riou said, thoughtful. “So, they’re the same as you and Yamada Ichiro, is it?”
“Hah?!” Samatoki practically yelled the word, anger and surprise written all over his face. “The fuck you hear that from?”
“Jyuto mentioned it the other day. Was he wrong?”
“Hell yeah, he is!” Samatoki spat. “That shitty, bunny cop!”
Despite the drama that unfolded before him, Doppo didn’t hear what they were saying anymore. His mind preoccupied, Doppo’s entire body burned with the sudden accusation. He and Jyuto… They were certainly doing that, but their relationship didn’t end there. It had taken some time – and plenty of reassurances on Jyuto’s end – but they were officially, truly a couple. Doppo still couldn’t believe it himself. Or had he been mistaken and that’s why Samatoki had said they were just fuck buddies? Maybe Jyuto really was just being nice when he’d said those things, taking pity on someone as useless—
“Hey, you listenin’ to me?!” Samatoki called, pulling Doppo out of his thoughts.
“Ah, y-yes! Sorry, that was awfully rude of me, spacing out like that!” Doppo shut his eyes, bowing once more. “It won’t happen again!”
Samatoki let out a sigh, “Seriously, how does Jyuto deal with this? I’m getting stressed just watchin’ ya.”
“I-I’m terribly sorry my horrible personality is rubbing off on you, Aohitsugi-san!” Doppo said, bowing even lower. “I’ll try my best to keep it in check…”
“Perhaps one of my concoctions could help both of your stress levels,” Riou offered, already searching his bag. “I have just the drink.”
“R-Riou…” Samatoki trailed off warily. “I didn’t mean it, I was just – fuck what’s the word – exaggerating! That’s it, yeah. I’m perfectly fine!”
“Is that so?”
“Haha, o-of course…” Samatoki said, sounding more relaxed as Riou stopped rummaging through his belongings. “And you!” he said suddenly. “Raise your head already, dumb ass!”
Doppo quickly did as he was told, standing upright once again, “R-Right!”
The expression on Samatoki’s face was petulant, but he didn’t complain more than that. “Ahh, jeez. That’s not what I meant.” He ran his hand through his hair out of frustration, “Riou’s right. Even if you two are just fucking around, we won’t do anything to ya. So could you quit freakin’ out like that?”
Samatoki said it as though it were simple, but how was he to calm down with an ex army soldier and a yakuza towering over him? “Haha, y-yes. I’ll try my best…”
Despite his nerves, Doppo tried to calm himself down. They both frightened him, but he tried to reason that they had beaten them in a territory battle, so he wasn’t completely defenseless. Even if he was outnumbered… Haha… He really wasn’t helping himself.
“U-Um,” Doppo piped up nervously. Even if he was afraid, he didn’t want to upset Samatoki more by staying quiet. “How did you two know a-about… Iruma-san and I?”
As far as Doppo knew their relationship had been a secret. It wasn’t out of embarrassment, but rather convenience. Jyuto had mentioned how much of a pain Samatoki could be and, while Riou would accept them with ease, Jyuto didn’t want it to come out by accident only to upset him further. On Doppo’s end, he hadn’t told anyone either. While Hifumi had almost found out on numerous occasions, he didn’t explicitly know. On the other hand, he felt like Sensei knew. Doppo always felt so transparent around Sensei, those soft eyes seeming almost all-knowing. Not to mention, he wasn’t the best at keeping secrets, either…
“Ah, that?” Samatoki said as he pulled out a cigarette. Doppo noted it was the same brand as Jyuto’s, the particular scent more than familiar by now. It helped calm his nerves just slightly, feeling like Jyuto was there with him. “That shitty cop was being more secretive than usual, so we thought somethin’ was up. Then, to top it all off, he was actin’ all… weird. Ain’t that right, Riou?”
“Indeed,” Riou nodded in agreement. “It came to my attention a while ago, though I did not press the matter. It seemed like Jyuto was trying to keep it to himself, after all.”
“Eh? Weird?” Doppo asked. Had his negativity rubbed off on Jyuto, as well? He shouldn’t have been so surprised with how much time they spent together, but he felt guilty the more he thought about it. I’m the worst… the worst, the worst, the worst…
“Yeah, like spacing out and sighing all the time, smiling at his phone,” Samatoki said, blowing smoke into the air. “It was annoyin’ and embarrassing to watch. Like a lovestruck idiot, hah!”
What?
Did Doppo hear that right? Had Samatoki said lovestruck?
Doppo’s entire face burned as his heart hammered in his chest. Did Jyuto really act that way? Jyuto was always so calm and composed he couldn’t imagine affecting him in such a way. It made him… far happier than it should have, to be honest.
Unaware of Doppo’s inner thoughts, Samatoki continued, “I’ve never seen him on his phone unless it had to do with business, so I figured it was a booty call or somethin’, but to think it was you...” Samatoki eyed him then, taking another drag. “Usa-chan’s got some interesting taste.”
Doppo knew he should’ve felt insulted, but it was hard when he felt the same way himself. Plus, to hear the way Jyuto acted when they were away from each other made him too elated to care. Even after Samatoki’s explanation, he still hadn’t explained how he’d found out it was him of all people.
“T-That doesn’t explain how you knew it was me, though,” Doppo said, ignoring the heat in his cheeks. “Anyone could make him act like that!”
In fact, maybe it was someone else… Internally, Doppo kicked himself. Jyuto may be a dirty cop, but he would never cheat on him. He was being ridiculous.
“Oh, right,” Samatoki said, as though he’d forgotten. “Riou, you tell ‘em,” He said with the wave of his hand, to which Riou stepped forward.
His response gave Doppo the impression that Samatoki had no intention of telling him how he knew to begin with, but that he just wanted to complain – or embarrass – Jyuto instead. He had heard it from Jyuto numerous times, but Samatoki really was like a kid… It was almost humorous.
“We found out about you and Jyuto by chance,” Riou said. “We spotted you standing here as we were making our way through town and decided to approach you.” Samatoki stayed silent as he finished his cigarette, to which Riou continued, “It was a surprise to see you in Yokohama, as well as so near to Jyuto’s place. It was when we got closer we heard you mention Jyuto’s text.”
Jyuto’s… text? Doppo’s face paled then as realization hit him. Jyuto’s text saying that he’d be here soon, the very one he had read aloud to himself. They heard that?! So, the one who had exposed Jyuto to his division members wasn’t just Jyuto himself, but Doppo as well?
“A-Ah!” Doppo exclaimed, embarrassment further working its way into him. “T-That, I–” he didn’t even know what he wanted to say, his mind scrambling for words. The effort Jyuto put to keep their relationship a secret had gone to waste, all because he was an excited idiot.
I was too careless!
“P-Please keep it a secret from Iruma-san that you know!” Doppo bowed again, his voice desperate. “I don’t want him to get upset. I-If he’s not ready to tell you both yet, then–!”
“Ahaha! Why should I do any favors for that dirty cop?” Samatoki cackled. “It’s his fault for keeping it a secret, anyways. Serves him right.”
Doppo stood back up, his brows furrowed. “B-But…”
“Can’t wait to see his face when he finds out we know,” Samatoki had a grin on his face, before he elbowed Riou. “What do you think, Riou? Should we wait here with salaryman over here for him?”
To Doppo’s surprise, Riou disagreed, “I don’t think we should. It’s as Kannonzaka said, Jyuto kept it from us because he’s not ready to tell us. I think it’s best we wait until he tells us himself.”
“Busujima-san,” Doppo said, thankful. “T-Thank you so much!”
“Mm.”
“The hell, Riou? You too?!” Samatoki clicked his tongue then, irritated, “I’ll do it by myself, then!”
“Samatoki,” Riou said, hand already pulling out a thermos. “As I thought, your stress levels are too high.” The sound of disgust Samatoki let out was immediate, though Riou didn’t seem to pay it any mind as he handed it over to him. “I insist you have a sip.”
“No, uh… That’s not–!”
“Hm?”
Defeated, Samatoki took it from his hand, “T-Thanks. I’ll try it later, haha…”
“Good,” Riou said with a small smile, before he turned back to Doppo. “Well then, Kannonzaka, we should be going. Jyuto said he’d be here soon, did he not?”
“Eh? Ah, y-yes!” Relieved, Doppo returned that smile himself. “Thank you so much, Busujima-san!”
“It’s nothing to thank me for.” With a salute, he began to walk off. “Samatoki, let’s go.”
“Che, who’s the leader here?” he said, but followed suit regardless. “See ya.”
“U-Until next time!” he replied. Doppo felt the tension leave his body with the sight of that back, only for it to all return at once as Samatoki came to a sudden halt. He tilted his head back at Doppo, before he came walking back slowly, a smirk on his face.
“Hey, salaryman,” he called.
“Y-Yes!”
“If I can’t have my fun in this, then there’s a little somethin’ you could do for me to make my silence worth it, don’t ya think?”
There was a playful yet dangerous spark in those eyes, and Doppo didn’t dare disobey. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he nodded furiously. “O-Of course!”
“Heh, that’s what I thought,” Samatoki came even closer still, until he was right next to Doppo’s ear. When he spoke again, his voice was low and it sent a shiver through Doppo’s body, “Then, what you’re gonna do is…”
--
By the time Jyuto arrived, Doppo was a ball of stress ready to unravel. What Samatoki had told him weighed on his mind so much he was more tense than he was in his and Riou’s presence — which said a lot. His nerves calmed down for but a split second when his eyes caught onto Jyuto’s form approaching him in the crowd, a smile on his face as he neared him.
He was in casual clothes, but he didn’t look any less pristine than he did it his usual suit. Jyuto’s sense of style matched his personality perfectly. His style was minimal, typically black with variations in accent colors, ranging from his usual scarlet to even gold like today. While it was simple, it was also sleek and always accentuated his model-like figure. Doppo was always left breathless at the sight of Jyuto, whether he was in his well put-together outfits or in his bunny-print pajamas.
After years of listening to Hifumi harp on about clothing on dates, Doppo had tried his best to come up with a decent outfit for the day. It was harder than he’d expected to coordinate an outfit and, with the help of the internet and his best friend and boyfriend as reference, he’d managed to come up with something decent enough.
Hopefully, anyway.
Like Jyuto, Doppo opted to stick with a mostly black outfit and accent color. It seemed simple enough for a fashion novice like him and… he may have been partial towards it after seeing it on Jyuto so often. Doppo’s outfit consisted of a black blazer and black dress pants. The pop of color he went with was a turquoise turtleneck he wore underneath the blazer and matching turquoise belt. The length was impractical as it reached passed his knee, but Doppo figured it was more of a fashion statement than it was meant to be functional.
Doppo couldn’t help but wonder if it was obvious he’d tried to copy Jyuto, his face red in embarrassment at the thought. His lack of self-confidence didn’t help either, but it was too late to go back now. Doppo rarely put himself out there like this, but Jyuto always managed to pull him out of his shell, intentionally or not.
“Kannonzaka-san, sorry for the wait,” Jyuto called, and Doppo’s heart all but leaped out of his chest.
“I-Iruma-san, good morning! Please don’t apologize, you’re always here before I am.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Jyuto said, voice pleasant as ever. Looking him over, Jyuto hummed. “You look striking today,” he said smoothly. A pause, and Jyuto continued with a playful smirk, “More so than usual, that is.”
Bashful, Doppo eyed his feet. “T-Thank you…” Slowly, Doppo raised his gaze once more to take in Jyuto’s outfit. They were almost matching with how dark their outfits were, though Doppo’s was more colorful.
Jyuto was adorned in a black shirt, bomber jacket, and pants that sat above his ankle. Even his shoes were black, the leather polished with a shine. The jacket had a gold symbol on the sleeves, matching the gold buckles of his shoes. He had grey socks on, which almost left Doppo disappointed.
Like with his gloves, Doppo always reveled in the small bits of Jyuto’s skin that was left visible. Whether it was his pale wrists or ankles, Doppo always felt his eye drawn to it, his fingers itching to feel that soft skin. Even with Jyuto’s ankles covered though, he wasn’t too let down. Today, Jyuto’s hands were bare without his gloves, his long and slender fingers exposed. Doppo’s heart rate sped up as he imagined those soft hands in his own as they went about their date, their fingers intertwining…
Shaking his head, Doppo snapped himself out of it. “I-I tried my best to look as great as you do on our dates, but I’m not sure I succeeded...”
“Mm? My, you flatter me, Kannonzaka-san,” Their gazes locked with the mention of his name. Jyuto raised his hand to his chest, laying his fingertips on the fabric of his jacket. “However, I think you look far surpassed me with how amazing you look. It makes me want to eat you up.”
Doppo felt like steam shot out his ears from the compliment. Eat me up… Well, if that was what Jyuto wanted, Doppo certainly wouldn’t stop him… “Eh?! N-No way!” As happy as it made him, Doppo could never outdo someone as attractive as Jyuto. “You’re the one flattering me, Iruma-san! I just tried my best at imitating you, is all…”
Jyuto chuckled at this bashfulness, the sound music to Doppo’s ears. “Well, I think you did a fabulous job,” he took a step closer then, brushing the stray hair of his bangs behind his ear. “Then, shall we?”
“R-Right!” Excited, Doppo went to follow Jyuto as he turned his back. The sight made Doppo’s breath hitch, reminding him of Samatoki just moments before. He had been so happy to see Jyuto he’d almost forgotten what was asked of him.
I’ll know if you don’t do it, Samatoki had said. It made Doppo’s hands sweat, no longer in the pleasant way they had been in Jyuto’s presence. Doppo didn’t know why Samatoki had asked him to do what he did and, while it seemed silly, it was also menacing. There was clearly a reason Samatoki had told him to do it, but why that of all things?
Doppo’s ears burned at the thought of himself going through with it. What if Jyuto got upset at him? If Samatoki had told him to do it, it clearly meant it was something Jyuto wasn’t fond of…
“Kannonzaka-san?” Jyuto called, concern in his voice. “Is everything alright?”
“Ah, y-yes!” Doppo said, his hands in fists at his sides. He had to do it, even if it embarrassed him and Jyuto got upset. While Doppo could handle Jyuto being angry with him, he wasn’t sure if he could deal with Samatoki. He was already the enemy of a yakuza during rap battles, he didn’t want to become more of one outside of them.
Doppo took a step forward, internally bracing himself. With as much courage as he could muster, he made a reach for Jyuto’s hand, taking it into his own. Surprise flooded Jyuto’s features, but before he could say anything, Doppo spoke up first, “L-Let’s go, my…” A gulp, and Doppo forced the word out, “my b-bunny…!”
Jyuto’s face went blank, before it burst into color.
Eh?
“I-Iruma-san?” Doppo said, worry in his voice. He’d never seen Jyuto react like this. Did I break him?! With no response, Doppo tried once more, “Iruma-san, are you okay?”
Suddenly, Jyuto coughed loudly, breaking out of his trance. He brought his free hand to his face, covering his mouth. “What the hell…” he said, voice low. “Bunny…”
“I-I’m sorry!” Doppo said, panicked. “I didn’t mean to make you upset! I shouldn’t have said that, ah… W-What was I thinking, haha…”
“Kannonzaka-san,” Jyuto’s face was still covered as he spoke, his voice slightly muffled. “I’m not upset.”
“B-But you—!”
“I was just taken aback,” Jyuto cleared his throat and slowly lowered his hand from his face. His cheeks were pink and his lips were pursed, but he didn’t meet Doppo’s eyes. Doppo’s own face heated up at the sight. He wasn’t sure what he expected, but it certainly wasn’t this.
“Cute...” Doppo thought aloud. He realized his mistake as soon as the word was out, his eyes wide as they locked gazes. “I, um, s-sorry! Please ignore what I said!”
“You…” Jyuto trailed off, his pout an even deeper one. Doppo was at a loss at the adorable display. He had never seen Jyuto so frazzled before and it pulled at his heartstrings. For someone who was such a flirt, who would’ve thought something so simple would embarrass him? It was endearing. “Are you trying to kill me today, Kannonzaka-san?”
“N-No!” In a haste Doppo shook his head. “I would never wish any harm to you, Iruma-san!”
“Hm? I’m supposed to believe that, am I?” Jyuto pushed up his glasses, before he let out a smirk. “You’re being quite cunning today, Kannonzaka-san. It’s as if you’re attempting to give me a heart attack.”
“I didn’t think it’d affect you so much! I’d never seen you make such an expression before, I-I couldn’t help myself, but I’d never try to hurt you!” Doppo reassured, before he said in a much quieter voice, “U-Unless, you asked me to, that is…”
“Oh?” The humor in Jyuto’s voice was clear as day from that single word alone. He took a step forward then, tilting Doppo’s chin up as he leaned in closely. “Thinking so dirty this early in the day? What’s gotten into you, I wonder.”
Doppo’s eyes went lidded with their proximity, the urge to press his lips on Jyuto’s own heavy on his mind. “M-Maybe I’ve been spending too much time with you, Iruma-san.”
Jyuto blinked in surprise, before he let out a light laugh. “Mm, perhaps you’re right.”
In unison, their eyes fluttered shut as their lips met in a soft kiss. It made Doppo weak in the knees, his eyes still hooded as they pulled apart.
“Now then,” Jyuto said. “I believe it’s time we went on our way, don’t you think? I have a lot planned for our day together.”
Doppo’s eyes sparkled, reminded that they had the whole day – and night – to spend together. “Yes!” Another peck, and Jyuto pulled back fully.
“Come along, little rabbit,” he said teasingly, and Doppo couldn’t help but break out into a smile.
Doppo was sure this wasn’t what Samatoki had meant to happen, but next time Doppo ran into him, he’d be sure to thank him.