Work Text:
“I had a fight with my girlfriend, I wanted to get her something as an apology.”
Flowers always seemed to be the go-to for situations like this. Also for holidays - Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, birthdays, you name it. So needless to say, he was never really short on customers at his little flower shop.
Chinen was getting better and better by the day at helping the customers. Even though the empathetic responses didn’t always come naturally to him, he was better at making the customers feel understood and cared for more than when he first started. Because of his growth, Inoo was comfortable leaving him alone with that disgruntled looking customer as he tended to the flowers that needed watering.
“I see the new guy is doing well.”
Daiki’s voice was always pretty loud even when he wasn’t trying to be, so it always drew attention. Inoo rolled his eyes with an amused sort of smile.
“He’s been working here for three months already Dai-chan, he’s not the new guy anymore,” he answered with a laugh. “But I’m glad you’re approving of him. Finally.”
Daiki had been a bit jealous when he hired Chinen, even though he didn’t want to admit it. He skulked around and asked why they needed a third staff, the two of them had been doing just fine. One particularly stressful Christmas and Valentine’s season was the point in him deciding they could use the extra help. Even as the busiest season ended, Chinen remained and Inoo enjoyed having him around.
“That does look like one pleased customer.”
The guy in question now looked relieved as he walked out with a bouquet of flowers that would hopefully lead to making up with his girlfriend.
“See? It’s nice to have extra help, especially now that we’re gaining more popularity,” Inoo smiled brightly and handed the watering can to Daiki, who continued on with the task of watering. “Put them outside after too, okay? They could use some sun.”
“Roger that, boss!”
-
“Good afternoon Inoo-san! Would you like your regular for today?”
The same bright and chipper voice greeted him as usual. Inoo was a regular at this cafe, it was cozy and well decorated, and even better, it was next door to his flower shop.
And it didn’t hurt that the barista was a piece of eye candy.
Nakajima Yuto, almost the perfect example of tall, dark, and handsome. Minus the dark, because he had a smile that could light up the whole room.
“Yes, thank you, Nakajima-san.”
“Coming right up!”
Watching him work behind the counter was pretty enthralling too, he had to admit. Even if he was just preparing Inoo’s usual chai iced tea with a hint of vanilla. Usually Inoo wasn’t big on sweets so it was surprising that he liked it so much, but Nakajima really made it well.
“Oh, you’re here!” A firm hand on his shoulder startled him which was soon followed by a laugh when he saw the guy it belonged to - the guy who practically towered over anybody due to his height. “How’s my favorite cousin doing today?”
“I thought I was your only cousin?” Inoo smiled, head lifting to look at him. “Hi, Jesse. Everything is great.”
“Nah, I have some cousins in America but you’re my favorite.”
“It’s probably because you see me almost every day. You got a job right next to me too after all.”
Jesse placed a finger to his lips in a shushing motion as Nakajima glanced at the two of them, amusement coloring his expression.
“I got this job because I love coffee, obviously. No such other reason.”
“Of course,” Inoo rolled his eyes, though still smiling. “Shouldn’t you be getting back to work then?”
“I do. We’ll talk later?”
Jesse grinned and Inoo nodded, going to retrieve his drink from the counter and putting down the payment for it.
“Thank you. How has your day been going?” He asked, taking a careful sip after blowing on it.
“It’s been great! I’ve had a lot of customers coming and going, plus Matsumura-san came by, he opened a little cafe not far off too and he came to greet me. We even swapped a couple of recipes!”
Matsumura, huh. He’d never heard that name before so he figured he must be new around here.
“That’s great, I’m glad it’s been a productive day. For us too, Chinen is getting better and better so I’ve definitely had more of a chance to get other things done.”
The two of them shared a laugh.
“I’ll come by and visit you soon too. I’ve been meaning to get some new flowers for my mom.”
What a good son, giving her flowers just because.
“You’re welcome to come anytime. Maybe I’ll even give you a discount.”
It was more of a tease, and Nakajima’s laugh told him he understood that.
“Soon then!”
“Sounds good. I’ll see you around, thanks for the drink!” Inoo lifted the cup with a smile, waving to Jesse who was cleaning a table before heading out, his break was almost over and he had to relieve Daiki. Luckily it was only a short walk back so he didn’t have to worry about being late, even though he was the boss he liked to keep everything timely.
As soon as he walked back in, Daiki looked up from arranging bouquets for display. He eyed the cup in Inoo’s hand, smirking a little.
“What?”
“Nothing, I just noticed that you went to see that cute barista again.”
Inoo was glad he wasn’t drinking it at that moment, because he definitely would have choked a little from such a blunt comment.
“Hmm? I just like the drinks and food there. It’s not that deep.”
Daiki snickered, setting the bouquet perfectly with the others. “Really, because I could have swore I saw you blushing just now.”
“You did not. Now go home, your shift is over.”
“Oh, is it that time already? Sure. I’ll see you tomorrow, Chan.”
An affectionate nickname that just kind of came about and stuck, random but he liked it.
“Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Inoo waved him off to get his things as he admired the work the other had done. He took out his phone and snapped a photo to post on their social media account before going to check the earnings for the day.
-
“Hi, um, I need some help.”
Inoo looked up when he heard the timid voice, smiling kindly when he saw a young man - maybe five or six years younger than him, if he had to guess. He had dark hair and a baby looking face though, it was honestly pretty adorable.
“That’s what I’m here for! What can I do for you?”
The boy bowed his head and Inoo could tell right away that maybe he was a bit nervous or shy, or maybe both.
“I have this actor friend who is debuting in a stage show tonight and I wanted to get him some flowers to say good luck and congratulations. I was hoping you might have some suggestions, my friend recommended this shop and said it was really good.”
“I appreciate your consideration of my shop,” Inoo began with a bow of his head, smiling wide. “And as for that, I can definitely help you. If you wouldn’t mind waiting, I can prepare it now or if you have something to do you can come back later and I’ll have the bouquet ready for you.”
The boy seemed to ponder the options for a moment before responding.
“I’ll wait here, I don’t have any pressing commitments right now. Thank you very much.”
“Very well,” Inoo nodded, smiling. “May I ask what your friend's favorite color is?”
“Oh, sure, um…” He seemed like he had to think about it for a moment. “Pastel types, and he likes red and blue.”
“Alright. I won’t be long, but if you want, there is a nice cafe next door that you can visit while you wait.”
Inoo smiled kindly to him, which the young man returned before heading to the back to start arranging the bouquet ideal for a congratulatory gift. There were plenty of options that meant congratulations in a friendly way - so he began with yellow roses, a combination of daisies and daffodils and red carnations, arranging it nicely with a few strands of heather too before wrapping it up nicely in the paper and tying it.
Honestly, he loved this job and the creative aspect - he just simply loved seeing the smile on his customers faces when he created something that they liked.
A little bit later, Inoo emerged with the bouquet properly wrapped up. He noticed that the young man held a cup with the logo of the cafe on it, and he felt pretty pleased that he was able to give Nakajima a customer too.
“Thank you so much for waiting, I hope this will be to your liking.”
Inoo believed in professionalism more than anything, but seeing the bright smile the other gave him made him feel that rush of warmth.
“Wow! Thank you so much. I think my friend will be thrilled to receive these.” He stepped forward to first pay for the flowers and then take them. “I’ll come again if I have flower needs.”
“By all means! I’d be happy if you came back,” Inoo presented him with a card with the shop's contact information. “Please use this too if you want to order in advance. Have a wonderful day.”
The young man accepted the card with a bow of his head before he headed out. Chinen, who was coming back from his break, caught a glance of the guy and greeted him briefly as they passed each other at the door.
“Do you know him?” Inoo asked curiously.
“Oh, yeah. We have some friends in common but we don’t really talk. His name is Jinguji.”
“Ah~” Inoo hummed, resting his elbow on the counter and his chin on his hand. “He’s pretty cute, isn’t he?”
“I haven’t really looked at him that way, but I guess so.”
“Okay, back to work. Can you water the flowers outside, please?”
Chinen gave a small salute. “Got it.”
-
“Woah! It smells so good here!”
The familiar voice brought Inoo’s attention to the door, a wide grin brightening his features when he saw the taller man.
“Nakajima-san! I’m so glad you came!”
“I told you I would come by soon, didn’t I?”
Seriously, that smile could light up any room.
“You did, what can I do for you?”
“I just want to give some fresh flowers to my mom as I mentioned before, maybe a colorful bouquet. She likes bright things.”
He adjusted his round glasses on his nose, and Inoo just stared for a moment.
“Yeah sure! Coming right up. I can have it ready for you later, or if you wouldn’t mind waiting it won’t take me too long.”
“I can wait, I was just on my way home anyway!”
“Okay, then I will be right back. Please feel free to look around if you’d like,” Inoo encouraged him with a smile and slight bow of his head before heading to the back, hoping the warmth in his cheeks wasn’t too obvious. Nakajima was definitely an attractive person, but he also had that charm to him that was undeniable.
“You’re totally smitten by him, aren’t you? It’s all over your face.”
Inoo jumped, surprised as he hadn’t heard Daiki come in. Inoo cleared his throat, turning his attention back to the flowers as he did his best to select a perfect array of bright colors that still complemented each other.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. He’s just this nice guy who runs the cafe next door. I don’t really know him that well…”
“But you want to, and that’s okay. I mean, I’m straight but even I can admit that he’s pretty damn hot.”
“Sh! Keep your voice down, he could hear you,” Inoo shushed him, face probably more red than before by now with Daiki teasing him and making comments like that.
“I’m just calling it as I see it, Chan. You two would make a cute couple!”
“Would you stop?” Inoo let out an incredulous laugh, throwing a ball of paper at him. “Go see if Chinen needs help alright? Let me finish this for him.”
Daiki snickered and left him to finish the bouquet, feeling very hot in the face. There’s no way he could ever think that anything could happen with him, right? Even if he thought it was in the realm of possibility - Nakajima’s sexuality was a mystery to him and he was way too shy to ask the questions like that.
It was fine the way it was.
-
A new day, a new customer.
It wasn’t always like that, but whenever a new customer did show up it was pretty exciting.
Inoo seemed to have the type of personality that the people he met always wanted to open up to him, and even though it was socially draining sometimes he loved meeting new people and seeing the smiles on their faces when he could help them out.
Inoo had always been the shy kid growing up, but he had managed to overcome that over the years - to the point where he was confident enough to open up this shop with the help of someone he had been friends with for a long time. Daiki was one of his only friends, but now he was making more of them. Whether it was being contacted by the customers he met or meeting new people over at Nakajima’s small cafe that seemed very friendly. His life was full in a way that he never thought possible.
“Welcome, let me know if I can help you with anything.”
It was a standard greeting but he meant it of course. The new customer was a guy and he definitely had a very beautiful face with defined features, wearing a pair of headphones around his neck.
“Ah, yeah hi. I’m here to pick up some flowers for my sister and niece, she’s going through a flower loving phase and I promised I would get her some.”
Wow, this guy really had a charming smile.
“I’d be happy to help you with that, you’re a good uncle.” Inoo offered him a smile, which the other man returned.
“I try.”
There was a bit of a squeak behind him, followed by a flash of movement that caught Inoo’s eye but he couldn’t really decipher what happened.
“What’s her favorite color? I’ll put something together right now if you wouldn’t mind waiting.”
“Oh, okay. She likes pink and purple.”
“I’ll be right back then, please feel free to look around,” Inoo bowed and dismissed himself to the back to get the flowers and hopefully figure out what just happened.
It didn’t take much, he saw Chinen leaning against the back wall looking rather flustered.
“What happened to you?” Inoo questioned, amusement clear in his tone as he gathered a few child friendly flowers in pink and purple to make a small bouquet. “I thought a mouse had gone by or something.”
“What? How are you not freaking out right now? Don’t you know who that is?” Chinen’s voice had a bit of an excited yet nervous edge to it, and Inoo was surprised because he had never seen the other like this before.
“No…? Should I? Is he a celebrity and I didn’t realize?” Inoo was a bit nervous upon seeing this reaction, if this guy was a celebrity and he didn’t know, it was a bit surprising. Inoo thought he was pretty well versed in pop culture.
“He’s only one of the most famous YouTube streamers! That’s Yamada Ryosuke out there!”
Ah. Right, Chinen liked gaming. A lot of what he talked about kind of went over his head but with how excited the younger man looked, it must be a big deal to him.
“Then you should go say hi to him, you like gaming too so you have something in common.”
The way Chinen looked at him made it seem like he suggested that he run naked through the streets or something.
“I can’t just go up and say hi to him, he’s too big of a deal.”
Inoo shrugged as he finished up with the child sized bouquet. “Suit yourself, then.”
He flashed the other a small grin as he headed out, handing the man - Yamada - the small bouquet and accepting his payment with a bow of his head. The interaction ended without Chinen re-emerging until after he had left with a thanks and a smile.
“I swear he’s even cooler in person…”
Inoo suppressed his laugh as he put the money away in the register.
“Maybe he’ll come in here again and you can say hi.”
“Never going to happen!”
Inoo rolled his eyes with a small smile.
It was really never a dull day in his flower shop.
-
Some days Inoo liked to leave the shop under Daiki’s care so he could take an extra long break or even a day off. Daiki didn’t mind, and as much as he loved what he did, he recognized the importance of taking time to rest once in a while.
Even then, he found himself stopping in Nakajima’s cafe during an outing to do some errands, deciding to get a little ‘pick-me-up’ before he went out.
“Welcome,” the warm voice called out as soon as he entered, and two familiar faces greeted him instead of just one.
“Good morning, Nakajima-san, Yabu-san!”
Yabu was a regular at this cafe too, he had a kind face and a nice smile, the kind that made it seem like his eyes were disappearing when he laughed.
“Inoo-san, it’s nice to see you.”
“You too,” Inoo smiled as he approached the counter, nodding to Nakajima that he’d like his usual once asked. “How is Yaotome-san doing?”
The two of them, Yabu and Yaotome had been a couple for as long as Inoo could really remember. They had become friends when they visited his flower shop for the occasional anniversary present or just for no reason at all, it was really sweet honestly.
What was especially sweet too was the way Yabu’s eyes lit up when Inoo asked.
“He’s doing well, thank you for asking. He went on a camping trip with one of his friends actually, since the weather is nice. The apartment has been empty for a couple days.”
“Ah, that sounds like fun,” Inoo nodded with a smile as he soon took his order from the counter, putting down a few bills to pay for it.
“I can’t imagine going camping for that long,” Nakajima scrunched his nose, and Inoo almost had to look away because it made his heart do funny things. “I need a shower and comfy bed or I’m not a very pleasant person to deal with.”
“Really? I can’t imagine that,” Inoo commented with a laugh. “You mean you’re not always a pleasant person?”
“Not in the early morning,” Nakajima confirmed with a laugh.
“I find that hard to believe too,” Yabu agreed, eyeing him.
“Well you’re free to keep that opinion of me,” Nakajima quipped with a small grin, causing the two of them to chuckle. Inoo checked his phone for the time, noting how much time had been passing already.
“I should get going soon, I have other errands to run. I’ll be by again soon, and Yabu-san, I hope to see you again soon.”
“You got it, I’ll come pick up some flowers for Hikaru soon,” Yabu agreed with a grin, which Inoo matched as he took his drink and left to get his shopping done.
-
Days passed and the weather was getting warmer, their selection expanded with more seasonal flowers and he even noticed Nakajima added a few new drinks to the menu - he made a mental note he would have to try them.
“I’m going out for food,” Chinen announced as he was getting ready to take his break. “Do either of you want anything?”
“I ate already, but thanks for offering,” Inoo smiled.
“I want food,” Daiki announced. “Is it okay if I go with him? Things are pretty quiet right now.”
Inoo leaned his elbow on the counter, placing his chin on his hand as he looked between the two of them.
“Sure, that’s fine. Enjoy your lunch.”
He didn’t miss the smile they exchanged as they both left, leaving him a bit puzzled but not thinking too much of it. He was fine with being alone for a whole anyway, the summer months didn’t tend to be as busy. It wasn’t always great for business though.
For the few years that his shop had been open, it never turned into a bigger issue but that didn’t mean he didn’t worry about it. There was never too big of a struggle, and whenever there was Inoo picked up an event here and there - weddings, birthdays, etc, to make floral arrangements for and that always helped him out.
The door soon opened, catching his attention and when he looked up, he could have sworn his breath stopped for a moment.
Why?
Because the most gorgeous man just walked in. Hair long to just below his shoulders, brown eyes and a tentative smile on his face that was mixed with a look of anxiety.
Inoo had to pick his jaw up (in a figurative sense) before greeting him.
“Hi there,” Inoo said in his best polite and professional voice. “Is there something I can help you with?”
“I sure hope so,” the man replied with a small laugh, and goodness even his voice was sexy. “I’m in way over my head here.”
“I’m here to help you however I can,” Inoo smiled. “I’m pretty well an expert when it comes to flowers so you came to the right place.”
The other exhaled a sigh that sounded like relief.
“Perfect, you see… my sister is getting married soon and for some reason my family put me in charge of flowers even though I know absolutely nothing about them,” he explained, his fingers running through his long hair - Inoo was almost mesmerized by the gesture that for a moment, he forgot to reply.
“Alright, yes I can help you with that,” Inoo managed to reply, offering him a bright smile. “Leave it to me, but I will need some information from you.”
The other man seemed to slowly get a bit more comfortable and came further in.
“Okay, yeah what do you need to know?”
“Your contact information for one,” Inoo told him, and when the other raised his brow he stammered to continue. “So I can contact you about the flowers, when the arrangements are done and such.”
Ugh, shut up already.
“I got it,” he laughed, and it seemed like he was teasing him. Inoo could feel the heat creep up on his cheeks. “My name is Takaki by the way. Takaki Yuya.”
“Well Takaki Yuya,” he began as he handed him a card and a pen to write down his contact information. “I’m Inoo Kei and I run this shop. Is there any specific color scheme for the wedding?”
Takaki made a face, fingers combing through his hair again.
“Um… white?”
Inoo let out an amused snort despite himself and his usual attempt to be professional.
“I’m sorry about that, I just meant with the theme of decorations, if there’s any specific color your sister wants to focus on, or a variety is okay.”
Despite his brief moment of unprofessionalism, Takaki didn’t seem fazed. In fact, he could sense something like amusement from him beneath the initial anxiety of having no idea what he was doing.
“Got it. Well, I’ll likely come back soon so I’ll tell you then. Thank you again,” Takaki told him as he handed back the card and the pen. A brief glance at it told him that the other had messy penmanship, which he found kinda cute.
“Alright, I’ll look forward to hearing from you,” Inoo smiled and bowed his head, which Takaki returned before heading out the door again. He couldn’t help but let out a breath once he left, feeling the heat creeping up his face.
It was the first time that a customer had made him feel this way, but he knew he had to shake it off and get back to work.
-
Early the next morning, Inoo was working the front, Daiki was tending to plants in the back and Chinen hadn’t arrived for his shift yet. A couple of customers had already come and gone with arrangements, which was nice for it being so early.
Inoo really liked helping people with what they needed, this little business of his easily became his passion and it was nice being able to do what he loved every day.
Was he ever stressed? Did he every second guess his decisions and wonder if what he recommended was correct? Of course, but that didn’t stop him from thoroughly enjoying what he did. Especially because he was able to make a few new friends in the process too.
The door opened again, and the vibrant hair was the first thing that caught Inoo’s eye as he then smiled at the new customer.
“Good morning Hikaru-san,” he greeted him with a grin. “How was camping?”
“Kota told you, huh?” Yaotome’s sunny grin was pretty contagious, it always brightened a room when he walked in. He had a really soft and gentle personality too, and despite his dislike of cats which Inoo loved, they got along pretty well. “It was great, the weather was perfect. You should really join me sometime.”
Inoo scrunched his nose at the suggestion.
“Thanks, but I don’t think I’d be the best company. I need a comfortable bed and a shower.”
After he said it, he realized it was the same exact thing Nakajima had said when they were talking about camping the other day and he couldn’t help the smile that tugged his lips.
“It’s not for everyone,” Yaotome agreed, seeming to miss this moment as he leaned his elbows on the counter, peering at him. “But now I’m here to get Kota some flowers, and I always trust your arrangements so I’ll be in your care.”
“I can definitely do that for you,” Inoo agreed as he came around the front of the counter, starting to gather a few flowers for the bouquet.
“So, what’s been going on with you?” Yaotome asked, and Inoo felt his gaze on him as he worked. “Anybody special in your life worth giving flowers to?”
If Inoo had been drinking anything at that moment he would have done a spit take. He turned a little to face him after a brief moment to compose himself, eyebrow lifting.
“Not in particular, no. I’ve been busy running the shop.”
“Really, I see.”
For some reason, Yaotome didn’t sound too convinced. Inoo resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he picked out a couple of different colors of roses for the arrangement.
“Why are you asking me like this suddenly?”
“No particular reason~” Yaotome shrugged, but Inoo could easily tell that it wasn’t totally honest. He gave the other a pointed look, who then raised his hands with a grin. “It’s an innocent question! Besides, I was just thinking about the cute barista that Kota noticed you making eyes at the other day.”
Inoo’s face heated up almost immediately, enough that he knew he was blushing. He tried his best to be nonchalant as he turned back to the flowers.
“I don’t know what he’s talking about.” Of course it was a lie, it was probably easy to see that he was attracted to Nakajima. But that’s all it was, a physical attraction. The guy was super-model handsome for goodness sake. It didn’t go further than that.
Did it?
“Sure, sure. But your blush tells me otherwise.”
“You better stop that if you want me to finish your arrangement!” Inoo quipped in response. He was only comfortable enough to talk like that because he was comfortable with Yaotome, they had become good friends.
“Is that any way to talk to our paying customers?” Daiki’s voice was full of laughter as he emerged from the back, obviously having heard the exchange between them.
“Yeah. I might not come back after this!” It was obviously a joke because his shoulders were shaking with laughter. Inoo rolled his eyes this time, smiling.
“I’m almost done here. Dai-chan, ring him up please.”
Daiki nodded, gesturing to Yaotome to the register so he could pay.
“I know what you mean though, he definitely has the hots for Nakajima.” Daiki spoke in a stage whisper, loud enough for Inoo to hear him. He let out an exasperated sigh as he wrapped the flowers in paper and handed them over to Yaotome after he paid.
“Nice doing business with you, but please just go home to your partner.”
Yaotome laughed, nodding in thanks.
“I appreciate the kind patronage as usual, Kei-chan,” he used the first name affectionately, grinning at him pointedly before heading out. Even without having to look at him, Inoo could sense Daiki’s amused expression from beside him.
“Don’t even say it. Get back to work.”
“You got it, boss!”
-
Inoo couldn’t stop thinking about what Yaotome said, basically insinuating that he had feelings for Nakajima.
Physical attraction? Sure. Inoo had been attracted to both men and women for pretty much as long as he could remember. Yes, he got crushes on people pretty easily too but nothing that ever really lasted that long.
Nothing as substantial as what he was feeling for Nakajima.
Needless to say, Inoo didn’t really get a lot of sleep that night which automatically made him grumpier than usual. He definitely needed his caffeine fix before going into work.
And where better to get that than the cafe run by the man himself? Maybe it wasn’t his best idea but he needed a dose of happiness, and maybe reassurance that he was overthinking it and his feelings for Nakajima weren’t actually that deep.
“Good morning Inoo-san!” The normal sunshine voice greeted him and he couldn’t help but smile. “Will you be having your regular today?”
“Morning, today I’ll actually need something with a bit more caffeine. So I’ll have a mocha with an extra shot of espresso.”
Nakajima looked surprised but smiled at him anyway and nodded. “Coming right up, will that be all?”
Inoo bit his lower lip in thought as he looked at the display case with the pastries.
“I’ll take one of the chocolate chip muffins.”
Nakajima’s smile brightened.
“Nice choice! Actually, that’s Hokuto-kun’s recipe that he shared with me. I did make it my own by tweaking the recipe a little bit so I wasn’t copying him, but it really is very good.”
“Hokuto-kun?” Inoo asked, trying to keep his air of nonchalance.
“Yeah, I’ve mentioned him to you before haven’t I? Matsumura Hokuto.”
Ah, so the two of them were on a first name basis already.
“Right, I remember now.”
Nakajima busied himself with finishing his drink and putting the muffin in a small to-go bag for him when the door chimed behind him.
“Ah! Speaking of the devil himself,” Nakajima’s smile turned brighter if it was possible, which caused a weird twisting feeling in Inoo’s stomach. Nonetheless, Inoo put on his best professional smile as he turned his head.
And wow, he had to admit that this guy was gorgeous, with light brown hair and features that looked masculine yet feminine at the same time and Inoo didn’t really understand how.
“Hokuto-kun, this is the guy I was telling you about!”
They both shared a polite smile and a dip of their head.
“I’m Inoo Kei and I run the flower shop next door. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Likewise. I’m Matsumura Hokuto and I run a small cafe not far from here. Yuto-san has been very helpful to me.”
That’s who he was, Nakajima Yuto. He loved to help people and be useful. He usually liked it, he thought the other was a really good person but for some reason this time it was making the twisting feeling turn into a knot.
“That’s great, I hope you’ll continue settling in well here,” he offered a brief smile and hurriedly paid for his order. “I have to get going so if you’ll both excuse me.”
“Have a great day, Inoo-san!”
He only nodded and headed out after grabbing his order and making his way over to the flower shop. Maybe he was reading too much into it, but there was definitely something in the way that those two were interacting and looking at each other. He was sleep deprived and having some very confusing feelings so he couldn’t trust his state of mind and the thoughts that came with it.
In any case, he plastered his usual smile on his face and greeted Daiki and Chinen before getting to work for the day. The bouquets would not arrange themselves.
-
Inoo was glad to have a project to keep himself occupied from his personal dilemma, and that was doing the flower arrangements for the wedding that he was approached about for the Takaki family. He always loved weddings, and it was his first time to do such a large event so he was pretty excited. He had something in mind already and he was looking forward to seeing how it would look.
Since Takaki hadn’t come back yet with the information he needed, Inoo just spent some time drafting up a few proposals he could pitch, mostly the color schemes since he couldn’t plan the specific flowers until he got more details.
Chinen was on his break and Daiki was in the back when the door opened again. Inoo’s gaze lifted and he smiled when he saw the familiar face with the long hair and dark eyes - somehow he looked more handsome than he did the last time he saw him.
“Good morning Takaki-san,” he greeted him kindly. “What can I help you with today?”
“Hi. I came with that information you wanted. When I asked my sister she just gave me this look and told me I might want to write this down,” he chuckled as he showed Inoo a notebook that seemed to have a few pages filled already. Inoo’s brow raised with an amused smile tugging his lips.
“I see. Thank you for bringing that, I’m sure I’ll be able to do something that’ll please everyone.” Inoo extended his hand and Takaki handed him the notebook, and Inoo felt the warmth of his hand when their fingers brushed together. He managed to shake it off pretty quickly though, putting his professional face back on.
“I don’t know, you might have your work cut out for you.”
There was something in Takaki’s gaze that was teasing, but still warm at the same time and Inoo could feel the tips of his ears warming. He willed it not to show on his face.
“You’ll see that I’m pretty good at what I do.”
Was this flirting? Inoo felt like he was in some sort of daze because this very attractive man was smiling at him like they’d known each other a lot longer than a couple of short visits.
“I’ll trust you on that,” Takaki nodded before his expression shifted to something a bit pensive looking, thoughtful. Inoo tilted his head slightly, waiting to see if he wanted to say something else. A long moment passed between them before he spoke again. “Actually, I was going to tell you as well… I work at a small joint a few blocks down. I make drinks and sometimes I cook and I was wondering if you’d want to come check it out sometime. I’ll make you a drink on the house, as a thanks for this.”
Oh.
“I could definitely go for a free drink,” Inoo agreed, hoping his expression didn’t give way to how flustered the invitation made him. “Just let me know the name and the address of the place and I’ll be there.”
Takaki’s expression melted into something lovely, a relaxed sort of smile.
“Actually I already wrote it down in there,” he admitted, gesturing to the notebook with a soft chuckle. It made his heart race.
“Okay, great. I’ll see you there then.”
They both shared a smile as Takaki dipped his head in a small bow before he left, leaving Inoo leaning against the counter with a heavy exhale and gripping the notebook in his hand.
That all felt surreal, but he also felt pretty excited.
-
“What’s your favorite flavor of cake?” The question came out of the blue a few days later from Chinen as Inoo was still going through the notebook Takaki had given him, eyes lingering on the address for the bar he had mentioned.
“Uh, I’m not that picky but I guess I like strawberry. Why do you ask that so suddenly?”
“I was thinking about bringing a treat so I was going to ask what you and Dai-chan like,” the explanation almost seemed too fast to him, too rehearsed but he just shrugged it off.
“Sure, be sure to bring drinks too.”
Especially because Chinen wasn’t known to pay for much, if anything, Inoo wouldn’t question it.
“Sure,” he chuckled as he tied his apron tighter. “How’s the planning for the wedding order coming? It seems like they have a lot of specific asks.”
“It’s going okay, it’s not actually as bad as you’d think.” It was just very wordy, but it seemed like the gist of what they wanted were arrangements with hues of pink, purple and white that were animal friendly, and they also wanted Inoo to design the bridal bouquet which he found a little bit more daunting. He was confident he could do it, though. “The guy who came to place the order is really nice too, he even invited me to come to the bar he works at for a free drink.”
Chinen let out a low hum.
“Does that offer extend to all of us who work here?”
Inoo had never considered that possibility, he had a one-track mind thinking that Takaki had been flirting with him.
“Probably,” he just shrugged it off, feigning nonchalance as he wrote down a few options for the wedding flowers.
“Cool, maybe all three of us could go together this weekend or something.”
“Yeah, that sounds like fun.”
Even though he kinda wanted to spend more time with Takaki one on one. There was something about him that really made Inoo want to get to know him better but he couldn’t put his finger on what it was.
But then there was a moment that his thoughts drifted back to Nakajima, and he knew his mind and heart both were in a confused state, which was frustrating.
A few moments later Daiki emerged from the back.
“Did I hear something about free drinks?” He asked brightly as he nudged Inoo, taking a peek at what he was working on.
“The guy who wants all the flowers for a wedding invited us to a bar he tends to and he offered us free drinks.”
“Well technically he offered it for me,” Inoo pointed out. “I’m not sure if it stands for both of you too.”
“Buzzkill,” Daiki pursed his lips but it seemed more playful than anything, which brought an eye roll from Inoo.
“If it means that much to you I’ll treat you for drinks next time.”
“Not the point, but I’m never going to deny you the opportunity to buy me a drink.”
Inoo let out a short laugh at Chinen’s response, thinking about how just moments ago he was offering to buy treats and drinks. It was typical Chinen behavior so he wasn’t surprised.
“Yeah yeah, we’ll go out together soon. Even though we see each other almost every day,” Inoo said with a teasing sort of sigh. He and Daiki went way back, and well, he was really getting along with Chinen. They vibed together in a way that was hard to explain but he definitely enjoyed his company.
“Good. We will.”
This time Inoo didn’t miss the conspiratorial look that Chinen and Daiki shared, his own brows raised as he shook it off.
“You guys are weird. Let’s just get back to it okay? We’ll make our plans later.”
“Roger that, boss.”
-
“Hello, I come bearing drinks.”
Friday had quickly approached and Inoo had been buried in work, which he was grateful for because he didn’t have much time to think about his conundrum with Nakajima and Takaki. He hadn’t even visited the cafe since that day he had met Matsumura, but he definitely did not expect Nakajima to show up at the flower shop. His expression must have shown his dumbfounded surprise because Nakajima just smiled as he continued.
“You haven’t come by for a while. I thought you might be buried in work or something. I wanted to come check in on you and offer some sustenance.”
Inoo eyed the coffee and the small bag in his hand which probably either held a bagel or a pastry that Inoo liked.
“Yeah, I have been.” It wasn’t quite a lie either. He had been busy with that arrangement and with everyone else who had come in for gifts or congratulations or anything else. Business had picked up a lot. “I really appreciate you doing that, thank you.”
“Of course!” Nakajima said brightly, sliding it over the counter towards him. “I’ve missed seeing you around the cafe. And I think Jesse does too.”
The face Nakajima made when he said that made him stifle a laugh. He knew what Jesse was like, he knew that his cousin could be charmingly insufferable at times.
“I’ll go visit him soon once things settle down here. What do I owe you for this?”
“It’s on the house,” Nakajima dismissed him, smiling warmly with a hint of something else that Inoo couldn’t really place. It made him feel a bit unsteady but he smiled back. “I’ll let you get back to it then, but come by soon okay?”
And with that, he was gone again leaving Inoo feeling confused as ever. Nakajima excited him, he was interesting and kind and often did thoughtful things like this for people. But he was also really hard to read in a way that made him feel unsure. Inoo opened the bag and did see that it was a loaded bagel, taking a bite and frowning down at the coffee. He really felt like he needed to get a hold of these feelings before they wound up affecting the friendship they had started to build. It hadn’t made a whole lot of progress as of yet but Inoo was confident that it could be.
But not if he messed it up with these confusing feelings of a crush that was very likely unrequited.
Maybe he needed to talk to somebody about this.
-
The weekend always went by too fast. The mid-June days were hot and it made Inoo want to stay at home with the comfort of the AC but he decided to go out and take up the offer for drinks from Takaki. Inoo figured it was overdue for him to be able to let loose and have a good time. Neither Daiki nor Chinen were free that day to go with him, which he didn’t necessarily think was a bad thing because he wanted a chance to chat with Takaki and maybe get to know him a little bit better without the watchful eyes of his friends. They would definitely tease him if he got flustered and he could really do without that.
And he did fuss over his appearance a little more than usual. But eventually he settled on a casually fitting white t-shirt and knee length denim shorts with sneakers and a black cap. He decided to walk there from his apartment since it wasn’t too far and he liked walking anyway. It was a good way to wind down and relax his mind after busy and stressful times.
It only took him about an hour to find the place - he had basically memorized the address with how much he was looking at the notebook. The joint didn’t look too fancy with its hole in the wall vibes, but as soon as he walked in and heard the gentle piano music and the chatter of voices, he was immediately put at ease. It was welcoming and cozy, the vibe was pretty incredible.
“Inoo-san! You came, I’m glad you’re here.” The warmth in Takaki’s voice made something inside him feel gooey and warm as he offered the other a smile and came to take a seat at the bar.
“I found some free time,” his answer was nonchalant but he knew his grin was nothing but. “Thanks for the invite, this place seems great.”
“Thanks. I’ve been working here pretty much since it opened. I guess you could say I kinda co-founded it with one of my friends.”
Wow, Inoo was already learning more about him.
“That’s pretty great, it seems like you’ve been pretty successful.” He looked around to all the customers drinking, chatting and enjoying their time.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Takaki agreed with a smile. “What can I get you to drink?”
“Do you have any of those specialty cocktails?”
Takaki grinned at that, nodding. “I have just the thing in mind for you.”
Inoo was pretty enthralled as he watched Takaki work on his drink, a look of focus on his face and almost expert movements. Not to mention he had beautiful hands, which was also easy to admit.
Soon enough, Takaki set a glass in front of him that had a pleasantly fruity aroma with ice and garnished with fresh raspberries.
“Raspberry sake tea cocktail,” Takaki explained with a rather proud smile. “It’s one of our most popular ones, please enjoy. Can I get you something to eat with that too?”
Inoo hummed in thought, taking a small sip of the cocktail before responding. The flavor was really nice and the balance between the raspberry and the sake was great.
“Do you serve yakitori?”
“We do, coming right up.”
Takaki headed through a door in the back that was presumably to a kitchen before he returned with a smile. “That’ll be out for you soon. How’s your weekend going?”
Inoo wasn’t expecting Takaki to take a seat across from him behind the counter, and he also didn’t really expect him to take an interest in making small talk. Inoo wasn’t that great with small talk but it was good to start somewhere.
“It’s been fine, I caught up on sleep yesterday,” he admitted with a soft laugh. “And today I was just doing some cleaning around my place, nothing too exciting. I don’t actually like cleaning all that much and I’d rather spend my weekends free doing other things but it needs to get done sometime.”
“I hear you,” Takaki agreed with a kind smile. “I also just want to spend my days off relaxing. Ordering in instead of cooking, or I’ll take my bike on a drive down to the beach.”
“That sounds really nice. I’ve become more of an outdoor person lately too. I even got my motorcycle license.” That made Takaki grin.
“Yeah? What kind of bike do you have?”
“I’ve mostly rented them so far, I haven’t made a decision about what kind I want to get.” Inoo’s statement brought a thoughtful nod from the other.
“Fair enough, when it comes to something like that you want to make sure you’re making the right choice.”
Wow, it was really easy to talk to Takaki. He felt at ease as they settled into a conversation that flowed naturally even after his requested food came. It seemed like they had more in common than he initially guessed, he was really fun to talk to and he had the best laugh. Inoo was fully enthralled with this person in front of him that he didn’t know how much time had passed. Something about talking to Takaki was easy and his smile was unlike anything Inoo had ever seen. It made his heart race.
Before Inoo could reply again, Takaki’s gaze went to the door when it opened and he waved.
“Hey, welcome back!”
Inoo was taking a bite of his yakitori, nearly choking when he heard the familiar voice that responded. He would recognize that voice anywhere. Surely enough, when he turned his head to look, Nakajima was coming in all smiles, wearing stylish glasses that made him do a second glance. He turned again to take a sip of his drink, letting the sake burn more than his ears were.
Why did it feel like he got caught doing something?
He didn’t think Nakajima had seen him yet, but he was approaching the bar to join them. After a moment of collecting himself after being surprised, he offered the other man a smile.
“Fancy meeting you here.”
“Inoo-san!” Nakajima grinned when he noticed who it was. “What a small world, what are you doing here?”
His gaze went to Takaki, who was looking between the two of them with curiosity in his gaze.
“I was invited so I thought I’d come check it out for some good drinks and good company,” with that he directed his gaze towards Takaki.
“I didn’t know you two knew each other,” Takaki spoke, offering Yuto a beer. He must be a regular if he didn’t even need to ask.
“We work next door to each other,” Nakajima explained, thanking him and taking a drink of the beer. “He comes to buy coffee and treats, I come to buy flowers, we made a beautiful friendship out of it.”
Inoo wasn’t quite sure why that made him blush.
“I want to know how you two know each other,” Inoo asked, quickly recovering from the moment of fluster.
“I’m also a friend of the friend he opened this place with,” Nakajima smiled, setting his beer down. “So I come when I can to give them some support. I have to say I was a bit surprised to come in and see you guys looking so cozy.”
Inoo was resisting the urge to hide his face because it was surely red by now, meanwhile Takaki just smiled.
“We were getting to know each other better. He’s doing the arrangements for my sister's wedding and we hit it off.”
Inoo pretty well felt like his face was on fire with this attention from both sides, and he knew he was in some sort of confusing situation.
“Right. I’ve been having a lot of fun tonight,” Inoo commented, finally looking up from his drink to Takaki.
“You deserve it, you work really hard.” His gaze was drawn to Nakajima who was looking at him. He felt warm under that gaze. Inoo wasn’t sure how he didn’t spontaneously combust with these two incredibly handsome men giving him such attention.
“I guess, we all work hard here so let’s toast to that.” Inoo raised his glass, mostly just wanting to take the attention off himself. Takaki took a beer too.
“Cheers to that,” he agreed as their bottles and Inoo’s glass clinked together.
-
“I have a request.”
Daiki approached him right as he came into the shop that day since it was his turn to open. Inoo blinked slowly.
“What did I tell you about asking me something before I’ve finished my coffee?” He held up his cup, feigning a serious expression but he couldn’t keep it up long, breaking into a smile.
“Not to,” Daiki agreed with a chuckle. “But seriously, remember this. Come over to my place on the weekend okay? Saturday at five, we’re going to have dinner.”
Inoo couldn’t help the soft laugh that escaped at how insistent Daiki was, telling him what to do and of course it didn’t escape him that it was his birthday this week.
“Dai-chan, it’s only Monday. What are the odds that I’m going to remember that?”
It was fun to tease Daiki with the banter like this, Inoo enjoyed the way his brows furrowed even though his friend likely knew he was joking.
“Well, write it down on your hand then. Or I’ll stamp it on your forehead,” he joked, stepping aside now so Inoo could come further inside and go to the back to set his things down and put on his apron.
“No thanks, that’ll affect my beautiful face.” His retort was met with an eye roll by Daiki.
“As long as you remember to come over, or else I’ll come drag you.”
Knowing Daiki, this was no exaggeration.
“Okay, okay I’ll be there.”
Even though he usually didn’t like making a big deal out of his birthday, he was looking forward to it. And if it was just the two of them, maybe he could get Daiki’s insight on his current situation with Nakajima and Takaki. Sometimes an outside perspective and advice could be the most helpful.
-
Over the course of the week Inoo was busy creating samples for Takaki and bouquets for others, including a special anniversary piece for Yabu and Yaotome that honestly made him so happy to do. His birthday was during the week so it wasn’t that eventful other than Chinen bringing him a cupcake and the two of them singing to him, which made him smile despite it being cheesy. He also got a call from his parents and his sister which was nice.
Saturday approached and Inoo was pretty sure Daiki was throwing him a party based on hints dropped here and there, and he was pretty nervous because even though he had gotten over his shyness he still didn’t know if he’d feel comfortable in a social situation like this.
Still, he got himself ready so he could go over to Daiki’s place for five o’clock like his friend had requested. He was buzzing with anticipation and nervous energy as he checked his phone one more time before knocking on the door, scratching the side of his nose which was a bit of a nervous habit for him. He wasn’t exactly sure what to expect since Daiki hadn’t been super forthright with the details other than dropping hints that it was going to be more than just the two of them.
Soon enough the door opened and on the other end was Daiki’s beaming face. “Chan! You made it on time, good job. Happy birthday.”
Inoo was about to protest that because he didn’t have any tendency to be late for their meetups or anything but before he could say anything Daiki was pulling him inside, where before he could process anything he saw in front of him when a chorus of voices rang out in an exclamation of “surprise!”
Ah, a surprise party.
Inoo was a bit frozen at first as his eyes scanned the familiar faces in the room, all smiling back at him before he broke out into a slow grin of his own. Sure, parties and gatherings with attention focused on him made him feel a bit anxious but at the same time he was really happy that these people were here to celebrate him. Some of his and Daiki’s friends from school, Yabu and Yaotome, a few regulars from the flower shop and - his gaze locked on one person in particular.
Takaki.
Inoo didn’t know how he was there right now but he was definitely happy.
“Wow, I have to say… I’m surprised. I can’t believe Daiki managed to keep this a secret,” Inoo spoke after finding his voice, which caused a few chuckles throughout the room. “Thank you everyone for coming. Please enjoy yourselves tonight.”
There were already drinks and food out so Inoo went to help himself to a drink in hopes of calming his nerves, especially because Takaki was at his birthday party. He wondered how that came about - did Nakajima mention it to him? Or did Chinen or Daiki figure that he should be invited? Inoo figured that maybe they’d need to have a conversation later but for now he needed a second to prepare himself for all of the socializing he would be doing for the next few hours.
“So, what do you think?” It was Chinen who came up to him, looking a little bit nervous almost. “I knew it was your birthday soon so I pitched the idea of a party and of course Daiki agreed and we planned it together.”
To be honest, that surprised him to hear that it was Chinen’s idea. It had Daiki written all over it. He smiled kindly and took a sip of his drink before answering.
“It’s unexpected, but I’m happy, especially that everyone here wants to celebrate with me. I love it.” He paused then, considering if he should ask. “But… which one of you invited Takaki-kun?”
Chinen’s face looked confused for a moment before a look of realization dawned on him. “Oh, right. Actually it was Nakajima-kun who told us we should invite him and we just took his word for it.”
Huh. That was indeed one of the thoughts that had crossed his mind but for some reason it felt weird to hear it out loud. Still, he nodded and Chinen excused himself to play host and offer any guests who needed it drinks, which Inoo found a bit amusing since it was Daiki’s house.
Inoo decided to mingle after that, greeting and catching up with a few mutual friends between him and Daiki, thanking them for coming before moving onto the next. It was a relatively small party compared to some of the ones he had begrudgingly attended in college but he liked that. He didn’t really like crazy parties anyway so this was honestly just his speed, now that he was more used to it.
From across the room he heard a small squawk sound from Chinen which gathered the attention of a few people, and Inoo saw that his face was red. Inoo followed his gaze to the door where he saw Nakajima walking in, laughing at something his companion was saying. That companion was familiar, and it didn’t take him long to place it.
It was Yamada, the man who was supposedly a pretty well known game streamer that Chinen adored and was apparently friends with Nakajima based on the way they were bantering with each other about some sort of gaming session that had gone on. His gaze turned to Daiki who had a brief look of annoyance - probably because of the newcomers being late - but then plastered on his best host smile and went to welcome them. It was then that his eyes drifted down to the box in Nakajima’s hand - a fair size that made him curious. Was it a gift for him?
“Sorry we’re late everyone, my plus one over here was finishing a game,” he gave a pointed look at Yamada who shrugged. “And I was finishing up with this.”
Everyone drifted a little closer as Nakajima opened the box from the top, revealing a very beautiful looking cake with blue frosting and written on it was “Happy Birthday Inoo Kei!” In a fancy looking scrawl. Inoo looked up at Nakajima’s face, which had such a big smile.
“You made this for me?” It seemed like there was a lot of thought put into it.
“I did! I wanted it to be special, you deserve it.”
That caused his stomach to do some kind of weird backflip, which he didn’t like because he had already been determined to get past his little crush on Nakajima that he was pretty sure was unrequited. He thought that, but then Nakajima did something really caring like delivering him food and coffee, making him a beautiful cake and smiling at him like that, it really made him question everything.
“Thank you so much,” he finally found his voice again, offering him a soft smile. “It’s lovely, I can’t wait to try it.”
“You’re welcome! I hope you enjoy the party.” With that and a bright smile, Nakajima excused himself to put the cake in the kitchen for later and left Inoo watching after him.
-
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t know anybody was out here.”
Inoo looked up from his spot perched on the balcony chair where he had escaped because he needed a moment to himself, he definitely wasn’t expecting to see Takaki coming out too.
“Ah, no it’s alright. I just wanted to get away for a moment.”
“At your own birthday party?” Takaki’s voice held a slight teasing tone that made Inoo smile.
“Yeah, believe it or not my social battery isn’t the strongest,” he chuckled, noticing that Takaki was still standing there a bit awkwardly before inviting him. “Come, sit. You can join me if you want.”
Takaki nodded and went to sit down on the chair across from Inoo’s, leaning back and pushing his long hair out of his face. “It’s a beautiful day, it’s nice to spend some time outside.”
“You’re right,” Inoo agreed, leaning back on his seat and gazing out at the view. “I’ve spent a lot of time here over the years.”
“Yeah?” Takaki’s posture was relaxed as he smiled almost like he was inviting Inoo to say more. If it was anybody else he might feel a bit awkward to just be sitting outside like this together but with Takaki, he felt comfortable in a way that was calming and refreshing at the same time.
“I’ve known Daiki for a long time. Our families essentially adopted each other into them because of how inseparable we were.” He chuckled softly with the fond memories of them playing together and growing up together as well as with his sister and Daiki’s brother.
“That’s really nice,” Takaki nodded with an easy smile. “I didn’t have anybody like that until after college. I didn’t really make friends easily when I was a kid.”
“Was it lonely?”
“A bit, I guess. I grew up with a lot of siblings so that helped. I think part of me knew that having friends would be good but I was the type of teenager that was angry at the world.”
Inoo’s lips tugged into a small smile but only because he could relate a bit, but he also figured that all people could in some way or another.
“If it helps, I don’t see that in you now.”
That made Takaki laugh, which was a beautiful sound that made something deep in his stomach feel warm.
“Well that’s good, because I think I outgrew that phase quite a few years ago.”
Inoo smiled at that and they fell into a comfortable silence for a few minutes, Inoo nursing his soda and the both of them gazing out. Inoo thought it was rare for people to understand how nice it was to be with someone and just…be. To not worry about making small talk or filling the silence with anything just for the sake of it not being uncomfortable.
There was absolutely nothing uncomfortable about being with Takaki and he was realizing that more and more as they got to know each other better. And somehow, this knowledge would do well to help him with the flower arrangements for his family. It was nearly done and the August wedding was approaching, so all he had to do now was wait for the right timing to get the arrangements ready so they’d be fresh for the day.
The bridal bouquet would mostly contain roses of pink and white since they wanted a more subtle color combination, while the arrangements would contain hydrangeas, lisianthus and orchids since they were animal friendly. He was excited to put them together.
“How’s the wedding planning going?” Inoo asked after a bit longer of their silence, gazing towards Takaki.
“Everything is going smoothly, the venue and caterer are booked, they wanted live music so that’s booked too. I think she just needs to get her dress altered and other small things.” Takaki scratched his head as he spoke before looking right at Inoo as if he wanted to ask something. For some reason, it made his heart race.
“Want to come?”
Inoo blinked a couple of times, confusion settling over him for a brief moment.
“To the wedding? I mean, I’ll be there the day of to help set up the arrangements won’t I?”
Takaki gave him a sheepish smile that Inoo felt in his toes.
“Yeah, I meant… Do you want to stay after that? You could be my plus one. There’s going to be great food and music and stuff.” His expression turned pensive after that as if he read the confusion on Inoo’s face. “You don’t have to say yes, I just thought it would be fun for us to maybe spend more time together and maybe go for shaved ice afterwards or something.”
Hold up.
Was Takaki asking him on a date? Because that’s what it sounded like.
This incredibly kind and attractive man was interested in him? Inoo almost felt like he was dreaming.
“Can I think about it and get back to you?” He asked after a moment, offering him a small smile. “But I can honestly say that I would also like to spend more time with you.”
Takaki’s face broke into a wide grin that he was sure would make him weak in the knees if he were standing.
“Absolutely, take all the time you need. I appreciate that you’re considering it.”
There was something so endearing in his tone that Inoo was inclined to say yes right away but he knew there were some things he needed to sort out first.
-
Nakajima wasn’t at the cafe when Inoo visited the following week, hoping that they could set aside time to have a conversation. Inoo knew he needed to get everything out there before he even thought about accepting Takaki’s invitation, because it was only fair that way. He had to make sure the air was clear.
Maybe Nakajima only thought of him as a friend and he was just overthinking the latest gestures, but he wasn’t a mind reader, and the only way he could find out was by asking and having that conversation. Of course it made him anxious but he wanted to do it. Even though he knew Nakajima was a nice person and it would probably go well and he wouldn’t make Inoo feel embarrassed about it, but the thoughts of his mind could be his worst enemy sometimes.
After a few days of mulling this over time and time again, Inoo decided he needed a drink before Daiki and Chinen could catch onto his mood. He hadn’t really decided what he would say to Takaki either if they met but it was fine, he was confident that they could spend leisurely time together without needing to talk about going forward.
When Inoo walked into the bar, greeted by the smell of fruity drinks and the french fries which seemed to be on most of the tables. The person behind the bar was not Takaki though, it was another man who had shorter hair that complimented him well and wore a name tag that said Okamoto. He was smiling and laughing with a guy at the bar, which he recognized immediately as Nakajima.
Oh.
He should have expected he might see him here considering he was a regular, but somehow he was still surprised. Without giving it much second thought, he went to sit beside him, nodding to the bartender named Okamoto.
“Could I just get a beer, please?”
Nakajima’s gaze turned to him then, eyebrows raised in surprise that mirrored his own that was felt moments ago.
“Inoo-san. I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“The feeling is mutual,” his lips tugged into a small smile as he thanked Okamoto for the beer, taking a swig from the bottle. Liquid courage, he supposed. “Actually I’m glad you’re here though, I wanted to talk to you about something.”
Nakajima’s head tilted slightly before giving a nod to the bartender who excused himself to probably go tend to other patrons. Inoo was glad because now it felt like they had a semblance of privacy despite being in a very public place.
“What’s up?”
“Um, well… This isn’t really easy for me to talk about,” he started out, keeping his gaze on his beer and peeking at Nakajima who was giving him his full attention. “So lately, I don’t know, I’ve been feeling this kind of vibe between us? I don’t know if I’m completely off base but I did have a bit of a crush on you but I had no idea where your head was at or anything, but now I’m spending more time with Takaki and… I just wanted to know, you know? Where you were at because I thought I did get some sort of vibe from you.” Inoo let out a sheepish laugh after, realizing how much he was rambling. “Sorry, this must be weird for you.”
When Inoo looked at Nakajima again, his face was tinged with a bit of red but he was smiling kindly.
“Honestly, I do think you’re incredibly attractive and the thought did cross my mind before, but I think you’re a great friend first, mostly… I didn’t think you were interested in me that way, and recently I’ve been hanging out with Yamada, so…”
Inoo blinked.
“The guy you brought to my party that Chinen idolizes? Huh.” A thought occurred to him then. “But what about Matsumura-san? I was thinking you might have a thing for him.”
Nakajima shrugged, playing with his glass. “Nah, he’s cute and all but it’s really obvious that he likes Jesse and that’s why he keeps coming back.”
Inoo let out a surprised laugh. “Really? From what I’ve seen, Matsumura-san seems… really different from Jesse.”
Nakajima chuckled, nodding in agreement. “Yeah, Hokuto-san is more of a quiet personality but he seems to get brighter when he’s around Jesse.”
He had to admit that he was surprised by this information, but he was happy for his cousin if that were the case. Inoo took a long swig from his beer before asking the next question on his mind.
“So… Chinen mentioned it was you who proposed inviting Takak-kun to my birthday party,” he started, and Nakajima’s expression shifted to something more playful.
“Well, to be honest that time we were here together I thought I saw something between you two so I thought you might like it if he were there.”
Wait, Nakajima was trying to be his match-maker? That’s why he wanted to invite Takaki? He wasn’t quite sure how to feel about that but he did get a sort of warm buzz. Some things were put into perspective for him now that he hadn’t seen before, and he realized again how kind of a person Nakajima was.
“You’re right, I did really like having him there and actually…” He paused for a moment, smiling a bit giddy. “He invited me to his sister’s wedding that I’m doing the flowers for, and it seems like it would be a date.”
Nakajima smiled wide and nudged Inoo with his elbow.
“Good for you, and yes you do have my full support. I’m glad you came to talk to me since you were feeling complicated. I hope you feel better now.”
Inoo grinned now.
“I do, thank you.”
Nakajima reached out and squeezed his shoulder with a warm smile.
“I’m glad.”
-
Inoo felt a lot better after their conversation. He wanted to go straight to Takaki after that but it was already late that evening and the next few days wound up being quite busy because apparently, a lot of people had summer anniversaries and birthdays. By the end of the week he was exhausted and he was happy to leave early on Friday and leave Daiki in charge for the rest of the day so he could leave, grab an ice tea from Nakajima’s place before heading out.
Inoo walked around the area for a while, debating whether he should go visit Takaki. He wasn’t even sure if the other was working that day, but he hadn’t gotten his contact information or anything yet so he couldn’t text and ask him if they could hang out. It was quite regrettable, but now that they were starting to get closer on a personal level, having basically been asked out, he figured it would be alright to ask for his number. He would have to find him first, though.
It was no surprise that his walk led him to the small establishment Takaki worked at. It wasn’t as busy during the afternoon but there were still a few people around just chatting over some food and drinks. Inoo deflated a little when he saw it was Okamoto behind the bar and not Takaki, but he still gave him a kind smile in greeting and headed towards where the piano was, bench empty and itching to be played. It had been a while since he played but he figured that it would be nice to give it a try since it wasn’t that busy around.
He sat down at the bench, smiling as his fingers drifted over the keys. The piano was in good shape but definitely showed its wear over the years, he loved these instruments that had this type of character.
The tune that came felt natural, fingers gliding over the keys with ease that surprised even him. He could feel gazes on him but he didn’t really care. When Inoo played, he got lost in the music. Even if he didn’t play often, it was still a comfort for him, even though he messed up on a few of the notes. After playing through the song, his fingers paused on the keys before his hands lowered beside him on the bench and sighed, feeling more relaxed now. He had needed that after the busy week.
“I didn’t know you played.”
Inoo startled and spun around, letting out a sheepish laugh when he saw Takaki standing there. His hair was tied back today and he was wearing glasses, which added about 100% to his attractiveness level.
“A little bit, I took lessons when I was younger but I haven’t played for a while.”
“It sounded really nice,” Takaki complimented him with a smile, and it felt like it sent his heart into overdrive.
“Thank you. Actually, I’m glad to see you.”
“I do work here,” Takaki pointed out with a chuckle, which made Inoo blush for real this time.
“I - I know, but last time I came and you weren’t here and…” He trailed off, sighing a little again as he gathered himself and stood from the piano bench. “I wanted to talk to you and maybe get your phone number or something.”
Takaki let out a laugh that sounded so happy and amused that he felt his entire body grow warmer now.
“Come to the bar, I’ll pour you a drink.”
Inoo nodded and followed him to the bar that Takaki went behind, mixing him the same drink he did the first time and writing something down on a little note card he pulled out.
“Here’s the drink and here’s my number,” he said with a charming grin. “Does that mean that you’re going to accept my offer?”
Inoo eyed the number and smiled as he took a sip of the drink that was once again perfectly made, a good balance between sweet and bitter.
“I am. I had to figure some things out first, but now… I would love to go to the wedding with you. As a date.”
They shared a smile, something that held excitement and a feeling of infatuation that was completely obvious between them, and he could even feel the gaze of a few of the patrons on them. Inoo didn’t mind it that much, but he did feel his face grow warm.
Takaki glanced at his watch before looking at him with a smile. “I could take a break now, want to go grab a cup of coffee or something? I don’t want to have to wait until the wedding to hang out with you more.”
Inoo let out a soft laugh, trying to keep his reaction subtle even though he was feeling absolutely gleeful on the inside. It was still early on, but Inoo was already confident that they might be able to build something good.
“I’d like that.”