Work Text:
When he walked into the bar, Shogo’s body instantly tensed up by the number of people that had managed to pack into this tiny shop. Being out like this, where so many people - nay, where people are in general - was hard for him… but he’s been working on it. Hell, the thirty-year-old man recently got a job working late nights at a convenience store not too far from his house. It was an improvement, and his friends were happy for him. That, in fact, was why he was here. While most of the Go-Home club were still in school and were not even old enough to drink, a few of them were: Kotono Kashiwaba, Ayana Amamoto, Alyx Miyamoto, and himself.
Kotono, whose mother owned the bar, had invited him out on his night off - and dragged Ayana and Alyx along to celebrate their own personal progresses. While Alyx worked there with Kotono, tonight had also been a night off for her, and thus she wasn’t there when he entered. He was waved over to the bar by a woman with short hair that was dressed in an elegant-looking kimono. She looked just like Kotono did, and if it wasn’t for the short hair and heavy makeup - he would’ve mistaken her for his friend.
“Kotono is out picking some ingredients up. The private room is set aside for the four of you. It’s just down the hallway and the last door on the left.” Shogo opened and closed his mouth, not quite sure what to say as the woman went back to cleaning out glasses. He just ended up coughing slightly and mumbling a ‘ thank you ’ before heading through the crowded bar and into the hallway. The bar’s ambiance was elegant retro, and it was the kind of place that Shogo knew Ichika would’ve loved if she was alive. It took all he could to will those thoughts out of his head, and he pushed forward to the hallway. The private room looked big enough for a small party, and it held two small leather couches, a low table in front of the couches, an ancient-looking karaoke machine, and a small bar. Shogo sat down on the couch farthest from the door and sighed, leaning back to wait for the others.
He heard Kotono before she entered the room, the twenty-three-year-old woman barking something back in response to one of the bar’s regulars from right outside of the room’s door. A moment later, the door opened to a woman that was just slightly shorter than he was, with waist-long brown hair that was currently tied in a low messy bun. She wore a strapless floral dress, opaque blue tights, a blue bolero cardigan, and some bow heels all while carrying a 6-pack of beer and a plastic bag from a convenience store. Upon seeing Shogo sitting on the couch, Kotono smiled widely.
“You’re here!Sorry I wasn’t here when you arrived, my mom needed me to grab a few things for her.” She spoke, setting the beer and bag down on the table in front of them, crossing the room to grab a few glasses from the bar.
“ ‘s fine.” Shogo spoke, feeling a bit more warmed up now that he wasn’t alone anymore.
“Alyx and Ayana are a little late too, it seems. Alyx messaged me on WIRE to tell me that she needed to help Ayana with talking to the landlord… you know how Ayana is.”Kotono spoke up, waving her free hand around as she set the glasses on the table. Shogo nodded knowingly, It took her time to warm up to the guys in the go-home club, and now that she was back in the real world - it must’ve been even harder to adjust and get back out there.
Alyx on the other hand was their former club president and had been around to help everyone with their problems, so they were equally as ready to help her. Kotono and her mom gave her the job at the bar, and Ayana was more than ready to let her stay with her. Before all of this she’d been homeless, and though her trauma was still something of a secret - it was more than enough for her to divulge her lack of living situation like that.
“Talking about me? My ears are burning.” The voice through the open door came from Alyx Miyamoto, a little taller than 5’3”, with tanned freckled skin that came from a teenage-hood of tanning for the gyaru look. She had short black hair, having had most of it cut off in the hospital when she was admitted while in Mobius. Her outfit was utilitarian at best for what little she could afford, with a black tank top, shorts, sneakers, and a letterman that Kotaro gave her when they all met. She smiled directly at Shogo, which caused his heart to clench up in a way that confused and embarrassed him.
Following behind her was Ayana Amamoto who was around the same height as Alyx, but looked vastly different. Pale doll-like skin, mousy brown hair, and wide eyes that looked ready to cry at any moment. She was dressed rather sweetly, with a knitted sweater and a knee-length chiffon skirt. A bow in her hair completed the look, only accompanied by the held-back look of disgust that came when she looked at Shogo - or any other man really. He didn’t take it personally, and neither did the other guys in the go-home club.
“Come in! Come in!” Kotono motioned for the two women to enter the room, with Ayana sitting on the opposite couch from Shogo, while Alyx took a spot next to him.
“Ahh, it’s been so nice to relax like this~” Ayana finally deflated, admitting as Kotono set glasses in front of them as well. “I’ve been so busy lately that I haven’t had time to relax like this.” The young woman worked at a nail salon, often taking multiple shifts in order to keep her mind off of things. Things like finally sitting down with her father, which Alyx and the rest of the club were helping her with.
“Us too, it feels like ever since Alyx got hired on, more people have been coming in than usual.” When Alyx shot Kotono a look, the woman held her hands up in defense. “It’s a good thing! Good thing!” Alyx shook her head and turned to look at him,
“What about you, ex-prez, how are things at your job?” The way she teased him made him sputter slightly, but the question was answered with sincerity. She’d been calling him that nickname ever since she took over his position in Mobius, and still even now in the real world.
“It’s been a new experience. The late-night crowd is its own learning curve, but it’s nice to get back to life at my own pace.” He smiled as he took the glass off the table, cocking his head as he reached for one of the beers. “These look different from the usual stuff you have. Trying something new?” His eyebrow quirked up as Shogo looked to Kotono who shrugged and nodded.
“Trying to get the cafe idea off the ground is taking a lot of work, mom and I figured that getting fresh brands in here might bring in new crowds. “ Alyx nodded to Kotono’s statement as she took a beer of her own.
“I helped pick out some of them. We went around to a few places nearby and are in the process of striking up some deals -” Kotono was quick to reach across to where Alyx sat to pat her friend on the shoulder proudly.
“- Which miss prez here is spearheading.” Alyx’s face turned a bright red, attempting to look anywhere where her friends weren’t. “Alright, alright - we can talk more about how awesome and amazing you are later. Now it’s drinking time!” With her own grabbed, and one handed to Ayana, the group opened their drinks and the rather chill night began in earnest.
It was enough for them to talk about adult things there, the kinds of problems and grievances that the other members of the go-home club couldn’t understand. For Kotono, it was things about getting her son to trust her again; for Alyx, it was slowly getting her dignity back; Ayana was worried because someone recognized her from her old group and asked her things that she couldn’t respond to; and Shogo…
“I’m getting an apartment soon.” The admission from the black-and-white-haired man caused the room to go completely silent. It was big. Bigger than big, it was huge. For him, who nearly a year ago was unable to leave his house without breaking into a panic attack, was now not only getting a job - but also working on moving into his own place.
“Woah.” Alyx broke the silence first, setting her drink down on the table in front of them.
“Wuh- that’s incredible Satake!” Ayana slurred her words a little in the middle of her sentence; compared to the others, she wasn’t that great of a drinker. Shogo wasn’t either, but he paced himself a lot better than Ayana had - and hardly anyone noticed or cared that he was still on his first drink.
“I second that! Congrats Shogo!” Kotono cheered excitedly from her seat, though she kept an eye on the now rather intoxicated Ayana. Shogo blushed at the sudden attention, but that it was coming from his friends made it a lot easier to handle than if it had come from others that he didn’t know as well. He rambled something off about where it was and how much it cost him - his boss from the convenience store was helping him with the logistics. Maybe it was the pity from the Astral Syndrome, but whatever the reason for the help was - Shogo was thankful.
The night calmed down a bit after that, with no one quite wanting to go home just yet as the blue of night deepened into an even darker color. Alyx would have to take Ayana back, Kotono would have to return to her son, and Shogo would go home alone at the end of it all. Rather than feeling empty at the thought of the night ending, Shogo found himself feeling rather satisfied. He was glad to know that he had friends who he could see, people who didn’t ask the world from him and wouldn’t disappear without a second trace. He looked forward to his night job, and slowly building up the confidence to leave the house during the day more and more often.
When Shogo returned to his senses from drifting out into his own head, he realized that Alyx had left the room. Ayana was now fully passed out on the couch, and Kotono had gone to check on her son for a few minutes. Still, Shogo wondered what Alyx was up to - she’d have let him know when she was leaving, and wouldn’t have gone without Ayana.
“Hey.” Shogo spoke softly as he stepped out of the bar and into the cool night air that seemed so separate from the inside world. Alyx looked over at him from where she stood against the wall, a cigarette lit in her hands though it looked like it hadn’t been smoked.
“Hey.” She spoke back, and before he could ask her about it - she dropped the cigarette to the ground and crushed it under her sneaker. “I was just out here thinking. Sorry I didn’t say anything.” When the woman turned to head back inside the bar, he gently grabbed onto her shoulder.
“No. I -I mean please stay out here with me for a bit. I wasn’t.. I didn’t come to grab you or anything.” His words came out all jumbled, though in his head they felt more well thought out and eloquent as she nodded softly and he let go of her shoulder. Shogo leaned against the wall of the bar in the same way she had done, though Alyx made no move similar - standing a safe distance away from him. The air hung with things unsaid, and the two were silent for a few moments before Alyx let out a half-snort and fell into place next to him. Sliding down into a seated position, she let out a long dragged-out sigh.
“I was pretty jealous of Chita, you know.” The name of his Mobius fake girlfriend caught the man’s attention, turning to look down at Alyx who was messing with the laces of her sneakers.
“Jealous?” He asked surprised, she hummed in agreeance.
“I think that’s part of why I gave into aria and came along on every outing. I missed what that clumsy kind of love felt like, and when someone really cared about helping you. Seeing you try so hard to please Chita even though it hurt- I-” Alyx closed her mouth and sighed, running a hand through her hair as she avoided eye contact with him. Shogo said nothing at first as he joined her on the ground, the two of them sharing a small amount of personal space and a large cloud of things left unsaid.
“I like you.” She broke the silence with what felt like a punch with words, “I don’t expect anything from telling you this if that’s what you want to know. You don’t owe anyone a sped-up recovery. You don’t owe me anything. I just felt that I needed to tell you how I felt. That I always thought you were handsome, especially now. Especially now.” The last part was repeated softly as if she was trying to assure herself more than anyone else. She really wished she’d brought her drink out with her, but hadn’t, she’d left it with a passed-out Ayana and a Kotono who left to check on her son for a moment.
“I thought you wouldn’t like pathetic men over 30 who were shut-ins for nearly fifteen years.” Shogo’s words came out of his mouth before his thoughts could stop them. When he looked to Alyx for a response she stared back at him with wide-eyed incredulity.
“What are you saying? I find you so attractive. I was more worried about you liking me. You know, all homeless and ratty - not exactly the same person I was in Mobius.” Though there was a joking tone to her words, her expression betrayed that with its kind of gentle sadness. Shogo couldn’t be involved seriously with anyone- maybe even for years, but he couldn’t let her go on without knowing that he felt the same way.
“Do-don’t say that about yourself Alyx. You aren’t ratty, and you’ve done well. I think-” It took him a moment to will his rapidly beating heart to calm down enough for him to speak again, “I think you’re very beautiful, and I… damn it all-” Shogo cursed himself for doing this, but in the next moment his lips were pressed against hers with such heated passion and ferocity that it took her breath away.
Alyx wrapped her arms around his neck, one hand gently tangling itself into his hair as the other stayed firmly rooted where it was. Shogo wasn’t so sure of what to do first - but he wanted to keep kissing her, and let his hands rest where they felt the most comfortable. On her sides it seemed was perfect for him, and while her body was still considerably thinner than the average person’s, it felt just right within his arms. He wanted to keep kissing her despite how much it hurt. It hurt in his lungs, and his heart and his skin - the searing pain of connection without the consent of a long-dead ghost was agony but the way her lips felt on his seemed to soothe it, if only for a moment. They’d both have to breathe, but even then Shogo thought that he couldn’t anymore.
Neither party was sure of how long they stayed kissing like that, but both found themselves separating only when air was needed. Shogo panted, breathless, his face immediately turning bright red - which he attempted to cover up before anyone else saw him. Through the corner of his eye he saw Alyx had a similar expression, which seemed to strike him as odd - considering the woman’s engagement prior to her entering Mobius. Her right hand gently prodded at her own lips, as if they felt unreal to her - like they belonged to someone else. When she felt his gaze on her, Alyx quickly found her returning it - eyes locked.
“You-” she tried to say something, but the words died before she could finish them, and before Shogo could say anything - they were interrupted. Kotono turned the corner from the alley were the second-floor stairs were to find the two go-home club presidents seated in front of the bar as if they’d done something wrong.
“Uh, did my mom kick you two out or something?” She asked, and despite the feeling as though she’d walked in on something that she shouldn’t have - that feeling had dissipated with her question. Alyx smoothed out her pants and stood up almost immediately, shaking her head.
“No, we were just talking. He kept me company out here while I had a phone call.” Alyx shrugged in a way she hoped was convincing, but Kotono didn’t quite parse what had gone down and brushed it off rather quickly. With a swift exit, the two women had returned into the bar - leaving Shogo to pick himself up off of the ground, emotions and all.
Despite the pain, despite everything - the kiss had felt good. Though Alyx hadn’t asked him to keep quiet - she hadn’t said much of anything really - Shogo knew better than to ask her where they’d go from there in front of the others. That matter of going forward was something he’d have to figure out for himself as well, but for now the man entered into the bar once more to finish out what would be a much better night than he thought it would be.