Work Text:
Hitoya would've been content to not see Jakurai again until the division battles. They'd gone this long apart, after all.
Jakurai had other ideas.
He asked that the next time Hitoya found himself in Tokyo, they catch up—properly, this time. No hypnosis mic battles, no bad blood. Hitoya wasn't sure it was so easy to leave a long-simmering rivalry at the door. But Jakurai insisted. He wanted them to spend some time together, to ask Hitoya about the life he'd led in the intervening ten years, to get to know each other again. He wanted to take Hitoya out for a nice dinner, and spend time alone where they weren't rapping each other half to death in an alley.
Well, he'd phrased it more tactfully than that.
Hitoya wasn't keen on Jakurai wining-and-dining him—it seemed like more condescension. But, he had to admit, knowing the nice restaurants so that he could impress high-profile clients was a part of his job, and Jakurai knew the Shinjuku fine dining scene far better than he did. He'd let Jakurai pick a place for them to go to, but he wasn't about to let himself be treated. Jakurai seemed more disappointed than he should've been by that. But he agreed, so Hitoya kept in touch and let Jakurai know when he would be in Shinjuku.
It turned out to be a day when Jakurai had some sort of plan with his teammates. He insisted that they could still go out, though—he'd wanted Hitoya to meet his team eventually. All four of them could go together.
As with most things about Jakurai's effortlessly perfect life, Hitoya was bitter that he could invite his teammates out to dinner at a fancy place. The idea of Kuko and Jyushi in an expensive restaurant was… No, Hitoya wouldn't think about it, because he was already going over the theoretical settlement offer for the restaurant's damage suit in his head, and the results weren't looking good.
He was curious about Jakurai's teammates. He'd always had an eye for interesting folks, and the three of them had won the first division battle. Maybe Hitoya could learn a thing or two to get ready for their real match.
The restaurant Jakurai picked was a classy French place. Not the type of place he'd go for himself, but definitely somewhere he wanted to know about. The waitress led him all the way to the back, to the kind of private room even he only splurged on for the most important of clients. Jakurai was already waiting for him.
"Hitoya." Jakurai got up to greet him, taking one of Hitoya's hands in both of his. "I hope you didn't have any trouble finding the restaurant."
"No, none at all. You picked a real nice place." Jakurai graciously pulled a chair out for him, so Hitoya sat. Even if Jakurai insisted that he never looked down on Hitoya, it sure as hell felt like he did.
"I hope it's to your standards. I'm sure in your success you've gotten used to coming to places like this…"
"I'm used to it, sure. You, too. Most renowned surgeon in the country and the winner of the division battles—there's no way you don't come here weekly."
Jakurai chuckled. "You're thinking too highly of me. To tell the truth… I only come to upscale establishments when I'm asked. I prefer places with more character."
"Oh, yeah?" What exactly did character mean to Jakurai? The guy might've had a completely different definition than Hitoya did… "Nothing beats a good hole-in-the-wall, right?"
"Yes!" Jakurai's eyes lit up. Huh, so they did have the same definition. "I love going to family-owned restaurants, learning their idiosyncrasies… They're fascinating."
Hitoya nodded. "Always got the best food, too."
"Indeed. I'll have to bring you to one of my favorite places another time. Hifumi introduced me to it."
He was already getting roped into coming back, huh. Well, if it was to find a nice little mom-and-pop shop, then Hitoya wasn't opposed. "I'll take you up on that. Hm, hey, where is your team, anyways? Didja tell 'em the right time?"
"I believe so…" Jakurai took out his phone. "Ah, Doppo's just texted me. They'll be arriving shortly."
They heard a commotion outside their private room. Someone was… laughing haughtily.
"Ah, that's Hifumi," Jakurai noted. "I hope he's not causing too much trouble for the waitresses."
Maybe Hitoya shouldn't feel jealous that Jakurai had adult teammates if they were like this.
The door opened, and the waitress tried to show the way in for the newly arrived guests as she had for Hitoya. Her professionalism was being tested, however.
"Dear kitten, I simply must spend more time with you," said the man who'd been laughing. He bowed and took the waitress's hand in his. "Tomorrow, if you come to my club, I'll be sure to show you a—ack!"
Another man tugged him into the room. "Stop that and get in here," he spat. "Miss, I'm so sorry. Thank you. I'm sorry for him."
Hitoya turned to Jakurai and said, "You sure know how to pick 'em."
"They make life interesting," Jakurai said, his face never shifting from a serene smile.
The commotion stopped when the short one grabbed the other by the collar and tugged his suit jacket down off his shoulders. He froze, and the waitress made her escape. "There. Now be polite!"
"Jeez, Doppo, if you want my clothes off that badly at least wait until we're home!" he laughed. Doppo glared back at him. "Okay, sorry, sorry." Pulling his jacket off the rest of the way, he turned around. "Oh! You must be the one doc wants us to meet!"
Hitoya nodded. "That's me. Hitoya Amaguni, nice to meet you."
"I'm Hifumi Izanami!" he said with a flourish. "But you can call me Hifumin!"
"I'm… not going to do that," Hitoya said.
Hifumi laughed and sat down. "Yeah, nobody does!"
The other introduced himself, too. "I'm Doppo Kannonzaka. Nice to meet you." He sat down next to Hifumi.
This one seemed normal, but Hitoya knew Jakurai better than that. "Likewise," he said.
"I'm so glad you two could make it," Jakurai said.
"Of course!" Hifumi exclaimed. "We've just gotta meet the guy that you like, Jakurai." He prodded Doppo in the side (harder than he needed to). "We're checking to see if he's good enough for our doc—right, Doppo?"
"Ow, Hifumi, stop that." Doppo pushed him away. "Jakurai is perfectly capable of choosing his own company."
"I dunno about that… He did pick us as teammates!"
Hitoya chuckled under his breath. Hifumi's brash attitude was more annoying than anything, but at least he had a sense of humor about it.
Jakurai smiled at the joke, but was sure to add, "And you two went on to win the division battles. I don't regret my choice one bit."
At that moment, a waiter dropped the wine list off at their table. Hitoya started to decline—"Oh, we won't be needing—"
Jakurai stopped him. "Why don't we get something? On me."
Everyone at the table tensed. The waiter left. The wine list remained.
"Jakurai, I'm not so sure that's—"
"D-doctor, um, maybe you shouldn't—"
"Eheh, c'mon, doc, you know last time you had anything to drink you—"
Jakurai cut off their overlapping interjections. "Relax," he said, "I won't have any. I want to treat you three."
Hitoya and Doppo let out audible sighs of relief. Hifumi had skipped that and already moved on to excitement—"Pass the list here and lemme have a look!"
Hitoya's disbelief must've been clear on his face. Jakurai assured him, "Hifumi works at a club. He's well-versed in selecting fine drinks."
That didn't quite put Hitoya at ease. He was ready to argue his case if Hifumi picked something atrocious.
Hifumi was muttering to himself as he looked down the list.
Doppo eyed him suspiciously. "Please don't just pick the most expensive one."
"I won't, I won't! I'm carefully considering the cost against what I know about the wines," Hifumi said.
"Uh-huh." Doppo wasn't convinced.
"…But also, what's the point of getting wine at a fancy place like this if you're not gonna indulge in some conspicuous consumption!?"
"Hifumi…" Doppo said with a sigh.
Hitoya laughed. Maybe this guy wasn't too bad, after all. "The more expensive it is, the better you feel about drinking it."
Doppo looked betrayed.
"Exactly!" Hifumi said. "Mr. Amaguni, I'm sure you'll appreciate a Syrah reserve!"
"Hifumi!" Doppo grabbed the other's hand and pulled the wine list closer to him. "I knew it, ugh, that wine is thousands of yen—thousands of yen of the doctor's money, and he's not even drinking. Ugh. You can't just spend money willy-nilly like that when it's not yours, you really shouldn't—"
There was a knock at the door, and then a waitress's voice called, "Have you selected a wine for the evening?" She came in and, seeing Hifumi was holding the list, approached him.
Hitoya looked at Hifumi, ready for him to order the wine he'd picked. But he'd gone completely pale. He was frozen.
"Yes, we're ready," Doppo said. He tightened his hand around Hifumi's and grabbed the wine list with the other. Then he pushed it at the waitress, keeping her at arm's length before she could get to the table. "We'll get the Syrah reserve."
He was curt, completely different from the verbose apologizing and complaining just before. The waitress took the hint, nodded, and hurried out. Once she was gone, Doppo turned to Hifumi and muttered, "Hey, you okay?"
The color started coming back to his face. "Yeah, thanks."
Jakurai wasn't concerned, so it must not've been anything too concerning. But Hitoya was feeling out of the loop. "What was that?" he asked. "You suddenly realize your earlier behaviour with her could be cause for a sexual harassment suit, or something?"
Hifumi laughed nervously. "No, no, just a bit of a phobia I've got… It's complicated!" He returned to his earlier energy. "And uninteresting. Tell me about you! How'd you and the doc meet?"
The suddenly-changing personality on this guy kind of reminded Hitoya of Jyushi. "We've known each other since we were kids," Hitoya answered. "I was always following after him."
"Childhood friends!" Hifumi cooed. "Just like me and Doppo, wow!"
Jakurai chuckled warmly. "I can only hope we'll grow half as close as you two. We lost touch for quite a while, but I'm glad we've reconnected. People can change a lot in that much time."
"Eeeh? You're awful sentimental tonight, Jakurai," Hitoya said. "We might've been apart for ten years, but I'm still chasing your coattails. I don't think we've changed that much."
"I've changed. You have, too. You've got a masculine maturity to you now that you certainly didn't have in university." Jakurai was smiling softly at him. "You've always been fiery, but your passion's more directed now, isn't it? At least, directed towards activities that don't involve besting me. It makes me want to stand by your side."
"...Is that so." Hitoya was so distracted by the way Jakurai was looking at him that he couldn't think of a response. Stand by his side? What did that mean? Did Jakurai want to show him up even more? No, that didn't sound right. The moment dragged on.
Until Hifumi unceremoniously ended it. "Wow! Sparks are flying, huh? Do you two need a moment alone? We can leave—"
"Hifumi," Doppo hissed. Hitoya should start counting the number of times he said that name in exasperation.
Jakurai chuckled. "My apologies. Like I said, I'm just happy to spend time with him again."
With the tension defused, the four of them got back to more casual conversation. Doppo asked about his work, his clientele, the regular sorts of polite questions one asked a lawyer. Hifumi pestered him with questions about what Jakurai was like as a kid. They ordered their food and ate their meals and chatted.
Despite their eccentricities, Doppo and Hifumi weren't bad guys. Doppo could hold a polite conversation well enough. Hifumi's oddball comments had Hitoya snorting as often as they had him sighing. They clearly cared a lot about Jakurai—he'd made a good choice in teammates. With the way they got on, it was easy to see how the three of them had won the division battles. Hitoya hoped that his team would come together enough to give them a run for their money.
The food was good, too. And just the right price—expensive enough to impress. Hitoya would have to keep this place in mind. All in all, it was a nice meal in good company.
Doppo and Hifumi excused themselves first, heading out to catch the train home. The group said their goodbyes.
Jakurai offered to drive Hitoya back to his hotel, so he took him up on it. "You can head out," Jakurai said. "I'll join you in a moment."
Outside the restaurant, Hitoya spotted Hifumi and Doppo. They were headed in the opposite direction from the parkade, so he didn't try to stop them. But they were just close enough to hear their conversation.
"So, whaddya think about the doc's new boyfriend, Doppo?"
"Hifumi, come on… They might not be like that."
"Were we looking at the same Jakurai? He's totally enamored with that guy! And they're childhood friends, isn't that so cute?"
"So are we. I don't see how that's cute."
Hifumi put his arm around Doppo's shoulder and pressed their heads together. "It's cute because it matches us! I hope we get to do more double dates with them."
The conversation faded out with the sound of Doppo sighing.
Hm. Hearing that… Was making Hitoya recontextualize things somewhat.
While it was entirely possible that the idea of the night being a double date of any sort was only in Hifumi's imagination, Hitoya wasn't sure that was the case. For one, Doppo would've argued more if it was. Not once in the evening had the guy passed up an opportunity to deny Hifumi's flights of fancy. And two, Hifumi might've been loud and stupid, but he was a host. He had to know a bit about this sort of thing, didn't he?
So was Jakurai into Hitoya? Had he been so keen on inviting him out because he wanted to go on a date? Was Hitoya just stuck in his own head, and seeing condescension when all that was really there was… A crush?
That certainly explained the way Jakurai had been looking at him, didn't it.
"Sorry for keeping you waiting," Jakurai called from the door. "My car's this way."
Hitoya nodded and followed. He wasn't sure how to ask it—so he'd do what he did best. He'd treat it like a deposition, and lead the questions up towards the evidence he needed.
When he was sitting in the passenger seat of Jakurai's car, he asked him, "Your teammates are a couple, right?"
"Yes, I believe so. Though I can't say I've asked them directly," Jakurai answered.
Hitoya remembered something Jakurai had said earlier. More evidence. "And you want us to be 'as close as them,' huh?"
"I do hope so, yes."
Jakurai was giving straight answers, and nothing more. That was exactly what a lawyer wanted. Hitoya would go for the confession. "Y'know, there's two things I hate. One: milk chocolate chunks in ice cream."
"…And two?"
"Two… People who won't ask things outright. Did you want to take me on a date, Jakurai?"
"I believe I already did," Jakurai said. Hitoya tutted at him. He just smiled and kept looking at the road in front of them. "I'm aware that I was vague when I asked you. I was so happy that you reached out to me again, and didn't want to push you away by being too direct. I'm glad you joined us for dinner either way."
It seemed uncharacteristic for Jakurai to be so shy—but then again, maybe he'd changed in the time they'd spent apart.
He looked at Jakurai, the nighttime lights of the Shinjuku streets illuminating his profile as they drove. Physically, he was hardly any different. More mature, maybe. Then again, Jakurai had always been the more mature of the two of them. He'd never looked down on Hitoya, had he? It'd always been affection.
It was petty of Hitoya to keep up this one-sided rivalry. Maybe he should change, too.
He sighed. "Since I was out of the loop for this one, we'll just have to have another date. I've gotta be able to go into these things prepared… Woulda done my hair completely differently."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah. Got a whole different style of pompadour. And I'd wear a better suit, too."
Well, it wasn't that easy to drop a rivalry he'd been holding onto for twenty years. Now he just had a whole new stage to try to show Jakurai up on.
Jakurai laughed. "Then of course, we'll go on another date."
They were coming up to Hitoya's hotel. Jakurai pulled to a stop.
"I'll text you, then. 'Til next time." Hitoya moved to get out of the car, but Jakurai stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Hm? What is it?"
When Hitoya turned around, Jakurai kissed him.
And pulled away just as quickly. "I didn't want to leave anything else ambiguous. Thank you for tonight. It was lovely, even if you didn't know it was a date. And I'm glad you got along with my team."
Hitoya was barely listening. He was thinking about the kiss, and how it had been way too short. What had Jakurai said? His teammates? "Yeah, yeah. They're good guys. Good taste in wine. …But next time, let's have it be just us."
"Of course. Goodnight, Hitoya."
He nodded. "Goodnight."
Hitoya stepped out. It was strange to have come back from a date when he hadn't set out going to one in the first place…
But he wasn't thinking about that. He was already thinking about the next one.