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The moon is high in the sky by the time Banri and Yuki arrive at the park.
It’s far from the first time Yuki’s dragged him along for an impromptu outing at an ungodly hour of the night, but it is the first time Banri allowed him to do so since they reunited (maybe reacquainted is a better term? Either way, it’s probably easier to not think about the logistics of their situation). At some point in Banri’s life he’d gone along with most of these whims easily; no matter how small, selfish, or silly Yuki’s desire, it was always only a matter of how long Banri could hold out before caving. Banri is past spoiling Yuki like that in the present...is what he wants to say, but either Yuki’s knack for working his way under someone’s skin has grown substantially stronger over the years, or old habits die harder than Banri wants to admit to anyone, least of all when in regard to Yuki.
I’m not going on a date with you. Banri recalls all too well the way he’d deadpanned at Yuki for the third time, his head throbbing with the beginnings of the unique kind of headache one got from being caught up in the insouciant storm of a man known as Yuki.
Not even as an early combination-birthday-and-holiday present? Yuki had asked with a tilt of his head, eyebrows furrowed, and if Banri hadn’t already understood Yuki’s quick climb in the acting world, it surely would have struck him in that moment.
He thought about talking his way out of it, of course. Some simple but unavoidable reason like needing to drop off some materials IDOLiSH7 left behind at the office, or having an early meeting the next morning, or, or, or—
You don’t have to give me an excuse, Ban, came Yuki’s voice, tearing him out of those thoughts like he’d tear a bandaid off a fresh wound, I’ll go if you tell me to. I’m happy enough to be able to meet you like this again, even if only for a little bit of time. And even if it hadn’t been Yuki’s intention to give him pause, Banri hesitated.
It was Yuki’s voice, cool and soft and enthralling all at once in that way only Yuki’s voice ever could be.
It was Yuki’s eyes, honest and nostalgic and melancholic all at once in that way only Yuki’s gaze ever could be.
It was Yuki, and there was an open warmth to his sincerity in a way that hadn’t always been there, in a way that compelled Banri to look away as he felt his resistance crumble into dust—just like old times.
Banri sneaks a glance at Yuki now as the two of them stroll along, their path illuminated by street lamps decorated with festive ornaments. Unsurprisingly, even Yuki’s side profile is as handsome as ever, possibly more so with his dressy winter outfit and glasses and his hair tied into a side braid and the—oh. Huh. He’s smiling.
It’s his smile, too, Banri thinks with reluctance as he tears his eyes away and tugs at his scarf. That smile of his has always been the most unfair of all.
“Do you like it?”
Yuki’s question startles him out of an absentminded daze. “Ah, the scarf? I do. It looks and feels pretty expensive, though...” He smooths out the tail end of the soft fabric and presses it against the rest of his ensemble to emphasize his point. “It all does. You really didn’t have to buy me a whole outfit just for this, you know.”
“It’s a gift, Ban. Besides,” Yuki adds, a suspicious glint in his eyes, “I was originally planning to try that thing.”
Banri squints. “And by that, you mean…?”
“The thing I mentioned before about you wearing the clothes I picked, driving up to me in a convertible, and saying, ‘Sorry to keep you waiting.’ I was really looking forward to it.”
...Of course he was serious about that. “And?”
“I tried, but I just couldn’t convince Gaku-kun to let me borrow his car.” Yuki shakes his head with a dramatic sigh, but Banri can’t bring himself to feel too disappointed.
They arrive at a set of stairs and begin to descend, heading for the riverfront. The lights of Zero Arena shine from a distance as if calling them towards it. “Sorry that didn’t work out in the end. But...well, thank you. I’ll have to come up with a way to thank Momo-kun later.”
“How about that photoshoot he wanted? I’d like some new pictures for my album, too.”
“That’s…” Banri clears his throat, incredibly keen on not doing that, not even for Momo. He digs his hands in the depths of his pockets while racking his brain for an adequate alternative when his fingers brush against his phone and an idea strikes him. “How about a picture?” When Yuki glances at Banri with a question mark clear on his face, Banri fishes his phone out and waves it in front of Yuki gently. “One of you and me.”
Yuki pauses mid-step as his eyes widen and his breath rushes out of him in a puff of white air. “...Seriously?”
“Just one, though.”
“Just one?” Yuki repeats, frozen where he stands, and then breaks into laughter. A smile quickly follows—the kind that could win over countless hearts across Japan. In that moment Banri melts just a bit, struck once again by how breathtakingly beautiful Yuki is—when he isn't ruining it by opening his mouth, of course. “You’ve become quite the stingy old man, haven’t you.”
Just like that. Banri clears his throat again. “Take it or leave it.”
The words aren’t even done leaving his mouth when Yuki’s thin fingers wrap around Banri’s wrist. His eyes focus on Banri with an unsettling amount of determination, though Banri notes the smile hasn’t left his lips for a second.
“Come on,” is all the warning he gives before all but dragging Banri the rest of the way down the stairs, hand still wrapped tightly around his wrist, like he’s trying to prevent Banri from changing his mind and running off.
Yuki stops at the railing and uses his grip to tug Banri to his side at a dizzying speed. Banri lets out a laugh despite himself and positions them for a perfect picture with the arena lights shining off in the distance, almost like a replacement for the stars hiding in the sky. Though Yuki is silent as Banri prepares the shot, he scoots in as close as he can without being shooed away, his anticipation palpable and somewhat offsetting his normally cool demeanor.
Well, it might be nice to get caught up in these things once in a while, Banri thinks to himself as his finger hovers over the shutter button, though whether he’s thinking about this picture or this date with Yuki in general, he doesn’t really want to say.
“Three, two, one—”
The shutter goes off at the exact moment Yuki’s lips land on his cheek.
The (understandable!!!) ensuing shock stuns Banri just long enough for Yuki to grab Banri’s phone and fiddle with it before Banri snatches it back to gauge the damage done.
Banri deflates. While the picture is (and he’s incredibly reluctant to admit this) nice , it’s still quite damning. Yuki’s already sent it to his own RabbitChat account, however, so any hope of coercing him into a retake has been effectively dashed; he peers apprehensively over Yuki’s shoulder to see him in another chat room teasing Momo about a risqué present from Banri, so any hope of keeping it solely between them has also been ruined.
But...it was meant to be a thank you gift for Momo, after all, and if the dozen response messages he’s already received from Momo are any indication, he’ll definitely be pleased.
Yuki puts his phone away, smiling brightly as Banri drags his hand down his face. Really, Banri only has himself to blame.
Clearly satisfied with himself, Yuki heads back towards the stairs, asking if Banri’s hungry yet, because of course Yuki is going to give him the fright of the night and proceed to write off the whole thing until it’s time to take full advantage of the situation again.
But that’s Yuki. That’s the way he keeps going at his own pace, the way he laughs even though Banri’s one step from throttling him, the way he moves closer again without hesitation to stand only a breath from Banri and whisk him away on his whims once again.
And, unfortunately, he’s Banri, still weak to it all even after all this time.