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It was a clear autumn night in Shinjuku, the perfect time to go out into the city with friends, family, or in Doppo’s surprising case, a date. The redhead had absolutely no idea how he got himself in this situation; after all, the only positive experience he had ever had with going out like this with people in the past seven years was with Hifumi.
He, of course, had been on other dates in his life, but either he quickly realized he was not interested in the person he was out with, or the person he was interested in had found him too sad and pathetic to call for a second date. And then, well, he realized he had Hifumi all along, so he simply had no desire to be with anyone else.
That is, until now.
When Hifumi had suggested that he try to “woo” Dr. Jakurai Jinguji, Doppo thought his partner was out of his mind. Jakurai was their team leader and was practically a celebrity in their area, so he probably had tons of people fighting for his affections. And he seemed far too busy to be looking for a relationship, anyway. And even if Jakurai was possibly interested in dating someone, why would he want to date him of all people? Maybe he would be interested in Hifumi, but in Doppo’s mind there was no way Jakurai could have feelings for him.
“And besides, why are we talking about this anyway?” Doppo had asked him after a moment, frowning as a worrying thought crossed his mind. Words began tumbling out of his mouth before he had a chance to stop, breathe, and think things through. “Don’t we already have each other? Are you- Are you trying to get me to be with Doc because you don’t want to be with me anymore?”
Hifumi had been quick to reassure him that yes, they already had each other, and yes, he absolutely one-hundred-percent still wanted to be with him. “I’m just sayin’ that I know you’re crushing on Doc like crazy! You know I like him too, like remember what I said when we had that big talk a few months ago because you felt like you were cheating on me just because one night you had a dream about Doc where he-“
“Hifumi! ”
Hifumi had just laughed at his embarrassment, but didn’t continue that train of thought. He had just told Doppo that he would help him get together with Jakurai, because he and Doppo were a package deal and if Jakurai agreed to date Doppo then he was basically agreeing to date him, too. The blond didn’t seem to care when Doppo informed him that that was very much not how relationships worked at all. He already had some kind of plan, and Doppo knew from a lifetime of experience that when Hifumi set his mind to something, no matter how crazy it sounded, then there was nothing he could do to stop him.
Even so, Doppo hadn’t actually expected whatever Hifumi’s secret plan was to actually get this far. The blond was in charge of keeping track of their team’s schedules so he could plan when they all could next spend time together, and he had somehow talked both Jakurai and Doppo into spending an evening together without him. Jakurai had seemed confused at first but still agreed, which immediately made Doppo feel nervous. He wasn’t even going to be able to chicken out of it by saying he missed the train back from work, since Hifumi had planned that Jakurai would pick him up at his workplace.
The morning of the date, Hifumi had stopped Doppo just before he rushed out the door to get to the station. He handed him a bag with a change of clothes, saying that Doppo probably should change into something more casual after work ended. The blond seemed more excited for his date than even Doppo himself did, but before Doppo could comment on that Hifumi gave him a quick kiss and pushed him out the door so he wouldn’t be late for work.
-
Someone above must have heard the frantic prayers Doppo had made in his workplace’s bathroom for once, because he didn’t make a complete fool of himself the second he left his office after work. Jakurai had texted him when he arrived and Doppo almost tripped over his own feet when walking to the van but he stabilized himself at the last second, so he counted that as a win. He also was able to choke out a, “Hi, Doc!” when Jakurai greeted him and a, “I’m okay, how are you?” when he was asked how he was doing. He felt like quite the conversationalist for someone who was so nervous that he kept forgetting how to breathe. Jakurai had mentioned at some point on the drive that he didn’t need to keep calling him “Doc” tonight, but Doppo barely registered the words since he was trying to keep his heart from beating through his ribcage. After that, the drive was pretty quiet but not uncomfortable.
There wasn’t much to the date; Jakurai had decided they would go out for dinner at a seafood restaurant a colleague had recommended to him. The doctor had joked that the food might not be as good as Hifumi’s cooking, and that reminded Doppo of the many texts the blond had sent him throughout the day reminding him to change into the clothes he gave him, to make sure to smile and actually talk, and to take a mint after dinner. That last message Doppo hadn’t responded to, but he had made sure to keep a little case of mints in his pocket. It was too embarrassing to think about that for too long.
When they had pulled into the restaurant’s parking lot, Doppo realized he wasn’t sure if Jakurai was even considering this a date. After all, Hifumi hadn’t explicitly stated that he was sending the two of them off on a date; that was something he had only said to Doppo privately. For all he knew, Jakurai was just seeing this as an outing between friends and nothing more. That was probably what this was and Hifumi had just gotten the whole date thing in his head.
But either way, he and Jakurai were still out for dinner, and the last thing Doppo wanted to do was get lost in his own head and not talk. So, once they sat at their table and ordered their meals, the two of them spoke about miscellaneous things. It ranged from news about the upcoming DRB, to interesting things from Jakurai’s job, to mess that was Doppo’s entire existence. Doppo tried to keep that last topic to a minimum, though; he didn’t want to dampen the mood like he usually did with his woes. Instead, he found himself mentioning Hifumi whenever he couldn’t figure out what to talk about. It was so much easier to talk about his partner than it was himself, and since they were all on a team together he figured the blond was a pretty safe topic. Plus, Hifumi had a much more interesting life than he did, and he didn’t want to bore Jakurai.
When Jakurai reached across the table to gently take his hand, Doppo lost his entire train of thought. And when Jakurai smiled and told him, “Doppo, I love hearing about Hifumi, but why don’t we talk more about you tonight?” Doppo really and truly thought he was about to die. He knew his face was flushing and he knew his hand probably felt so clammy and sweaty in Jakurai’s hold, and it made him want to curl up under the table. But he knew if he curled up under the table then people would see and then they would think both him and Jakurai were complete weirdos. And, well, maybe Doppo was a complete weirdo, but Jakurai was anything but that and he didn’t want anyone to get the wrong idea. So maybe instead he wanted to go curl up in a ball in a bathroom stall like he would sometimes do at work after his boss yelled at him in front of all his coworkers. But thinking of his boss reminded him that he left work early today- well, it wasn’t actually early but considering he worked overtime just about every day it still felt like he left when he wasn’t supposed to. There was a high chance that in the morning his boss would chew him out for not getting all his extra work done, meaning he would probably have to work through the whole weekend if he didn’t want to risk getting a pay cut again. Maybe after the dinner he would be able to go back to the office and finish up some of his work, but if he did that then he almost certainly would miss the last train at the station and that would be a pain in the ass, so maybe-
“… Did I say something wrong?”
Doppo had completely forgotten where he was as he silently spiraled, and when he met Jakurai’s worried gaze he shook his head. He didn’t want Jakurai to worry about him, especially not tonight, so he tried to look as though he hadn’t been seconds away from sending himself into a stupid anxiety attack for no good reason. His facial expression must have betrayed him though, since Jakurai only furrowed his brows more.
There was a beat of an awkward silence, and then Doppo felt his hand be let go of. Jakurai didn’t move his hand away, but he stared at it intensely. “Ah, have I misunderstood this? My apologies, I must have made you feel uncomfortable.”
“What do you mean, Doc?” Doppo asked. He couldn’t believe he somehow made his team leader feel bad about something when he didn’t do anything wrong. Doppo was the one who messed up, so he really should be apologizing to him. This night seemed to be turning into yet another one of his many failures. How typical.
But then Jakurai spoke and it made another wave of conflicting thoughts rush into Doppo’s head. “Oh, I just… To be honest, I assumed this was a date based on what Hifumi had told me,” Jakurai replied, looking bashful in a way that Doppo had never seen from the normally cool and collected doctor. “But I never asked you beforehand, so it was my fault for assuming that we were on the same page. I fear I unintentionally made you feel uncomfortable with my words and actions.”
Doppo’s head sort of felt like it was spinning so he didn’t quite know what to say immediately, but in the meantime he settled for frantically grabbing Jakurai’s hand before he fully pulled it away. “Um, I, uh…” the redhead stuttered out as he held onto the other man’s hand for dear life. He still didn’t know what to say at all, he didn’t know what to do, and he wished that Hifumi hadn’t put him in this situation without properly communicating to everyone what was going on in the first place. That was so like Hifumi, putting him in difficult situations like that.
But then Jakurai’s words actually began to make sense and Doppo was hit with a new realization; Jakurai thought they were on a date. If Jakurai thought they were on a date, and Doppo also thought they were on a date, and Hifumi had planned it so they were going on a date… then weren’t they on a date?
“Oh shit, we’re really on a date,” Doppo said without thinking, and when he heard Jakurai chuckle at his response he felt the tension start to dissipate. He continued to clutch at Jakurai’s hand as he glanced around, hoping that no strangers were watching their awkward conversation. When he saw the coast was clear, he met his team leader’s gaze again and all of his thoughts began rushing out at once. “Um, yes, I… I also thought we were on a date. Kind of. Hifumi- this is his fault, he told me he was planning for us to go on a date. Did he already tell you about this? Oh, I’m sure you both have talked about it because there’s no way you would’ve done this with me if you weren’t clear that Hifumi was okay with it. So really this is all my fault. I’m really sorry, Doc, I-“
His ramble was cut short when he felt a thumb swipe over his knuckles. “Doppo, your bad habit is acting up again,” Jakurai murmured to him. “It was just a simple misunderstanding. It was no one’s fault, but in the future let’s have better communication, alright? That goes for all of us, including me.”
“O-Okay, Doc,” Doppo nodded in agreement. He still felt like his head was buzzing a bit and he was still trying to comprehend the idea that the Jakurai Jinguji wanted to go on a date with him. And not only that, but the idea that Doppo may not have wanted this to be a date made him nervous. None of that made sense, so Doppo used his free hand to pinch himself on the thigh. When he realized he was, in fact, awake and everything that just happened was very real, his eyes widened. “Doc, we’re on a date,” he repeated in a breathy voice, needing to hear the confirmation just one more time.
“Yes, we are,” Jakurai replied with a charming smile and adjusted his hold on Doppo’s hand so it was more comfortable for the two of them. “Also, Doppo… please just use my name. If we’re on a date, you don’t need to call me by a title.”
Doppo suddenly remembered the comment from in the car. Jakurai had already told him that earlier, hadn’t he? The redhead was sure there was no way he would actually be able to do it, but Jakurai looked like he was waiting for him to say it anyway.
“Ah, right,” Doppo began, suddenly finding that he couldn’t keep looking Jakurai in the eye. He instead stared down at their connected hands, feeling like he was getting clammy palms again. Great… Jakurai really was some kind of saint for having the patience to deal with his, well, everything. “I’ll try to remember… J-Jakurai.”
The weird embarrassment he felt from being so casual with his team leader made him feel like he had to hide, but when he felt Jakurai squeeze his hand and murmur a sweet, “thank you,” Doppo found himself smiling behind the other hand covering his face.
-
Thankfully, after the misunderstanding had been cleared up the conversation flowed easily again. The smoked salmon Doppo had ordered for a meal tasted delicious (though Hifumi’s cooking actually was better, in his opinion), and even though he felt a little awkward about having Jakurai pay for the two of them the other man reassured him that even though he had no issues with paying, Doppo would have plenty of opportunities to return the favor if he so chose.
The drive back to the apartment was quiet but comfortable, and after adjusting the radio to play some music Jakurai had used his hand that wasn’t steering the wheel to take hold of Doppo’s hand again. The action surprised Doppo just a little, and when he glanced over he saw that his team leader was staring at the road a little too intensely. It was almost like he was still nervous, for some reason. That was strange; hadn’t they already figured out the misunderstanding? It made Doppo wonder if there was something else he should be worrying about too. But neither of them mentioned it, and the drive continued smoothly.
Since it was late, it didn’t take as long to get to the apartment as it usually would have, and Jakurai was easily able to find a spot to park in. Doppo turned to say his goodbyes, but noticed that the other man was unbuckling his seat belt too.
“Here, let me walk you to your door,” Jakurai offered.
Almost immediately Doppo shook his head, not because he didn’t want to spend any more time with the doctor, but as an instinctual response. He thought it would be rude of him to make Jakurai feel like he had to walk him all the way up to his apartment. “Doc, you don’t need to go out of your way like that! It’s alright, I-“
“And if I said I wanted to? Then would you allow me?” Jakurai cut him off and swiped his thumb over Doppo’s knuckles like he did during the dinner, something they both were realizing was a comforting action to the redhead.
Naturally, Doppo gave in easily. “… Well, if you really want to, Doc… then of course I don’t mind.”
Jakurai silently smiled at him and squeezed his hand, and then the man stepped out of the van and made his way around to the passenger side, opening the door. “Here,” he said as he stepped to the side, allowing the younger man to get out of the vehicle. “And Doppo, do you remember what I told you?” he asked as he shut the car door.
“Ah, sorry!” Doppo exclaimed after a moment of thought, but Jakurai didn’t seem bothered in the slightest.
“It’s quite alright. There’s no need to apologize,” Jakurai reassured him, and then he placed a hand on the small of Doppo’s back to lead him into the apartment complex.
During the entire walk to his apartment Doppo wondered how they were going to actually say goodbye and end the night. It was late but it wasn’t the middle of the night or anything, so Hifumi probably was out at work already. The apartment was empty, so was Doppo supposed to invite Jakurai inside? That was probably too soon. He hoped he wasn’t asked to pick a day for their potential next date, either. His work kept him so busy that it would be a miracle if he got to spend another night like this for the rest of the month. That thought made Doppo seriously wonder why Jakurai was even interested in being with him in the first place, but he figured he probably wouldn’t be getting any answers on that tonight.
“I’m glad I got to spend the evening with you, Doppo,” Jakurai told him after they exited the elevator and began making their way down the hall to Doppo’s apartment door. “It’s rare that the two of us get to spend any real time alone together… Though, of course I also enjoy the time I get with both you and Hifumi together. I hope the three of us can plan another fishing trip or something similar together soon before the weather gets cold. Would you enjoy that?”
Doppo nodded his head with a little excited smile on his face. “Ah, yes! That sounds like a lot of fun… I’m looking forward to it!” he replied and began to fumble with his keys as they walked so he didn’t look awkward trying to find the right key once they stopped.
When they reached the apartment, Doppo put his key in the door and turned the knob to slightly open it. He didn’t walk inside though, instead turning towards Jakurai so they were face-to-face. He opened his mouth to speak, but found that he still had no idea what to say. He didn’t want to sound like he had been way more excited about their date than was normal, so before he went and did something completely embarrassing he thought through a good, simple sentence.
“It was good to see you tonight,” he settled on saying, but once the words left his mouth they sounded far too trite and boring. So, he quickly tacked on, “I’ll, uh, be sure to keep you and Hifumi updated about when I’m free, though I worry that my boss won’t be letting that happen again any time soon… Sorry, anyway, I hope you have a good night and drive safely!”
Even though Jakurai smiled and wished him a good night, there was something off about it. Doppo watched as Jakurai turned around to leave, and he couldn’t help but wonder if he did something to disappoint him. It was then that the redhead realized where he made his mistake.
As Jakurai walked further away toward the elevators, he found himself calling out to him without thinking. “Um, Doc!” Doppo exclaimed, and when the doctor turned to face him Doppo remembered what he had been told before. “Sorry! I forgot…”
Ever patient, Jakurai simply gave him a smile and made his way back towards him. “It’s okay, Doppo. What is it?”
“Oh, uh… Before you go I, um, just wanted to say…” Doppo began and then cleared his throat in an attempt to help force the words out through his nerves. “I had- I had a really nice time tonight...”
Jakurai let out a light chuckle at his nervousness, but he also looked relieved. “As did I. It was lovely getting to spend the evening with you; I would love to see you again when our schedules line up,” he replied, and then took another step forward. He looked oddly hesitant, as if he was debating something in his head, but then he moved more into Doppo’s personal space. If he noticed the way the other man gasped from their sudden closeness, he didn’t mention it.
“Ah, may I…?” Jakurai softly asked, and the deep rumble of his voice coupled with the large, gentle hand placed on Doppo’s cheek had the shorter man nodding his head before he could even think about what Jakurai was even asking for. But it didn’t matter too much; he felt like he would agree to just about anything his team leader wanted right then.
Though, he didn’t expect Jakurai to lean down and press their lips together in a kiss.
It didn’t last for more than a second, as Doppo immediately felt himself jump back at the contact, face burning hot as he realized what just happened. He was only able to meet Jakurai’s gaze for a brief moment, seeing his team leader’s eyes widen in silent confusion, before his nerves got the better of him and he pushed his apartment door the rest of the way open. Everything felt like it was shaking as he slammed the door shut with his back and sunk to the floor, but Doppo somehow still had the mind to at least say something before Jakurai left again. “HAVE A NICE NIGHT, DOC- I MEAN JAKURAI!” he awkwardly yelled out, hoping the doctor was able to hear him.
When he heard a, “You as well,” through the door Doppo sighed in relief, but then he froze as negative thoughts creeped into his head. He couldn’t believe that he just did that. Jakurai Jinguji kissed him on the lips after being kind enough to walk him all the way into his apartment building and to his door, and he just ran away? He felt absolutely horrible, and he thought that Jakurai must finally be sick of him now. Or, at the very least he had completely gotten the wrong idea again. An image of Jakurai frowning and disappointedly walking back outside to his van crossed Doppo’s mind, and in a second he was back on his feet and yanking the door open with shaky hands.
He peeked out into the hallway, surprised to see Jakurai still standing there. The doctor seemed just as surprised to see Doppo’s face, but he quickly covered his surprise with a small smile. “Oh, hello again.”
Doppo could see the amused twinkle in Jakurai’s eye and he couldn’t help but avert his gaze. “… Hi, Doc,“ he eventually replied, but was met with a silence that quickly made him nervous. That caused him to finally look at his team leader again, and he saw that the other man was staring at him expectantly. Expectant for what, though? He wasn’t quite sure what to do, but then it clicked and his face flushed for what was probably the millionth time that night. “Um… Jakurai.” He didn’t think he would ever get used to saying his name out loud like that. It felt far too intimate for someone like him to be saying, but it had been Jakurai’s request and Doppo wanted nothing more than to fulfill his wishes.
“Sorry… Jakurai, I didn’t mean to hide,” Doppo apologized and fully stepped back out into the hallway. He then mustered up the little confidence he had left and looked back up at Jakurai. “Can we- Can we redo that?”
“Redo?” Jakurai asked, but moved just a tad closer. It seemed he was testing the waters with something.
“Ah, haha… Um, you know…” Doppo stumbled over his words, finding it too difficult to actually verbalize what he wanted. “Um, p-please don’t make me say it, Jakurai… sorry, this is really difficult, but I hope you, uh, know what I’m asking for.”
Almost immediately Jakurai took a step closer and reached out to put a hand on Doppo’s upper arm, soothingly rubbing it. “Ah, I was being a bit mean right then, wasn’t I? I apologize, I just wanted to be sure that I knew what you meant. I understand now, so don’t worry.”
Doppo had been about to reply to him, but then they were kissing again and it felt like he suddenly forgot how to think. It was an innocent kind of kiss, but when Doppo felt himself be gently backed up against the wall it was like the motion restarted his brain and he remembered where he was. It seemed like Jakurai also had momentarily forgotten that they were in the hallway of a public place, because when they parted Doppo noticed the doctor’s cheeks were dusted pink. It was weird to see him look like that, but not in a bad way. It made Doppo feel like something was squeezing at his heart just a little bit, and he recognized it as a feeling he tended to get around Hifumi. He wondered if maybe Jakurai was feeling the same way.
Jakurai turned his head and cleared his throat, and in a moment he once again looked as composed as usual. “It’s getting late,” he noted, even though neither of them had checked their phones. “It’s a weeknight, so I unfortunately should be heading back to my house… but I’m truly glad we got to have this tonight. Send Hifumi my regards, please, and I’ll be talking with you both soon. Take care.”
“You too, D- uh, Jakurai!” Doppo replied, catching his slip up and sheepishly smiling at him. “Goodnight.”
There was another hesitation, and then Jakurai leaned down and pressed a quick peck to Doppo’s cheek. “My bad, I couldn’t resist. Was that alright? Yes? Ah, good… Goodnight, Doppo. Sleep well,” he murmured into Doppo’s ear and then stepped away.
Doppo waited until the elevator closed behind Jakurai before he stepped back into the apartment, and this time when he slid down against the door it wasn’t out of anxiety. He clamped a hand over his mouth to stop the excited giggle from escaping even though no one else was home, feeling like he was a schoolboy again. The last person who had ever made him feel this giddy was Hifumi.
Wait. Hifumi. Doppo was supposed to text him back, wasn’t he? He had his phone on silent the whole time, so he could only imagine the amount of times Hifumi had probably tried to contact him.
As expected, when he fished his phone out of his pocket and opened it, there were a stream of texts from the blond.
DOPPOCHIN GLHF! but not too much fun if u know what i mean hehe ;)
UNLESS THATS WHAT U WANNA DO OFC!!! but just like lemme know before tho~
!!!! hows the date goin bby is doc treating u good
ur leaving me hanging here! im leaving for work soon but text me!!!!!
dont forget the mints!
doppochiiiiiiin!!!
doppodoppodoppodoppodoppo
>:(
ok i reeeeeeeeally gotta stop checking my phone at work. text me when ur home or im gonna wake u up once im back and make u spill all the juicy deets~
Doppo couldn’t help but chuckle at his partner’s impatience, but his face fell when his eyes scanned over one of the texts.
The mints. He forgot the mints.
He couldn’t believe he forgot about that. The little container of mints had been in his pocket all day and he still somehow forgot to take one. He felt mortified, and began composing an anxiety-riddled message back to Hifumi about all of the stupid mistakes he had made that evening.
But just then a notification came over. Doppo read it over; it was a message from Jakurai.
I didn’t mean to text so soon after I left, but I just wanted to inform you of an autumn festival I just heard about from the radio that will be happening next month……If you can get the time off, I would love to take you and Hifumi. I’ll send the details over to our group message chat before I leave for work in the morning…It could be another date, if you wish………Sleep well.
- Jakurai
Doppo read over the message multiple times, once while sitting on the floor against the door, again after he got up and walked into the bathroom, and again after he changed into pajamas and flopped onto his messy bed. Then, after replying and saying goodnight and that he would try his best to get time off, he went back to his half-written text to Hifumi, still waiting to be finished and sent.
Instead of finishing it, he just deleted the whole thing entirely. He wasn’t in the mood to send an anxious rant to the blond. He flicked his lamp off and scooted under his bed covers, and after plugging his phone into the charger he began to compose his new message.
He likes us. And he kissed me. Twice? Kind of?? I’ll explain in the morning; it’s really embarrassing… But somehow he still wants to take us on another date. I can’t believe your stupid plan actually worked… Anyway, please don’t drink too much tonight, Hifumi. I’m going to bed.
There was no response after he sent it, which was to be expected, but it still compelled Doppo to send one more quick text to his partner before his eyes began to droop.
… I’m happy tonight, I think. Nervous, but happy. Come home soon (-ω-`)zzz