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HiMERU is such a sight to see… specially when he’s tipsy.
He should have gotten used to it by now: they’ve developed a strange routine of spending their Friday nights together. Drinks and small talk in the pleasant and calm environment of HiMERU’s apartment is the key ingredient to a stress-free life. It’s the safest place to let himself go, and Rinne is proud to say that his unitmate-slash-friend has followed his advice and now looks forward to loosening up once in a while.
The amount of insistence it took to convince him still leaves him baffled. He had expected at least a dozen of rejections, but it took less than five times for him to concede. He can’t stop himself from grinning when he recalls the defeated smile on HiMERU’s lips as he gave in several months ago. That felt like a bigger reward than the promise of visiting his place later on and hanging out with him all night.
HiMERU refused to drink the cheap beer Rinne brought him the first few times he came over. Partly because it didn’t suit his image, and it wasn’t up to his refined taste, though Rinne could tell the real motive had to do more with his fear of showing the torrent of emotions behind his facade. Although he isn’t trying to impersonate someone else, he can understand where that feeling comes from. His upbringing had a similar approach to the subject at hand.
“…Amagi, are you drunk?” HiMERU looks intrigued. Rinne’s alcohol tolerance is off the charts, so it must come as a surprise to him.
He’s wrong, though.
“You’re awfully quiet today. HiMERU has gotten used to your incessant yapping… It feels weird not to have that background noise right now.”
“S-sorry, I zoned out for a bit,” Rinne stutters, scratching his head and looking away. “Won’t happen again.”
“Why are you so flustered?” His confusion makes him slightly tilt his head to the side. “HiMERU expected you to laugh at his remark. You lost a chance to brag about how well you hold your liquor.”
“U-uh…”
He takes in the view: the shades of red tinting his cheeks, his relaxed gaze judging him in silence, and the peculiar shine on his lips… He looks positively endearing, but none of these details drive him crazy as much as his voice.
The dark hues of his timbre have turned into careful, mellow tones meticulously arranged to distract the listener from the truth: HiMERU can’t handle alcohol as someone would expect from a person as careful and skilled as him. It shocked Rinne to learn that one glass of wine could soften up his features and affect his speech, clear signs of his inebriated state. Still, he can’t help but admire him: the variation is almost impossible to perceive, and if somebody outside those walls could hear him, they wouldn’t be able to tell the difference… He’s sure of it.
After all, HiMERU has trained a lot to keep his facade up no matter what.
Even though it seems alcohol won’t make an exception to that rule, Rinne has come to know the man behind the mask these past few years and can firmly say it’s not true. It sounds like a reach when he knows firsthand that HiMERU has only shared bits and pieces of his true self in his subtle sarcasm and irritated expressions now and then… Yet the truth still stands: he’s now able to notice any change in his attitude or his mannerisms, no matter how subtle it may be.
“Guess I’m tired.” He knows he’s full of bullshit and that mid-quality wine he got from the convenience store won’t let him get away with that stupid lie. Even drunk, HiMERU never ceases to be one of the most perceptive individuals he’s ever met. “It’s been a rough week.”
“… It hasn’t finished yet.”
“Yeah, but I don’t have any work tomorrow. We do have that interview on Sunday morning… and that’s it.” The lack of work is a blessing, honestly. Crazy:B can get busy non-stop for weeks, and it’s impossible to take a break in those cases. They’re lucky the workload is lighter nowadays.
“Speak for yourself.” The urge to sigh gets the better of him. “HiMERU’s got many errands to run tomorrow.”
“You could’ve canceled on me, then.”
“…” Silence stretches between them… until HiMERU graces him with a well-thought answer. “It wouldn’t have felt right.”
“Whaaat?”
That’s… something, definitely.
His shit-eating grin makes his drinking partner roll his eyes in silence.
“You really have warmed up to me, haven’t ya~? Gotten used to our dirty lil’ secret?” Rinne winks, proud of himself.
“It’s not dirty… nor a secret.” A sip of his drink, and he keeps going. “Shiina and Oukawa already know we spend time together on Fridays. Besides, a glass of wine once a week isn’t that bad… HiMERU supposes.”
“You couldn’t even stand the thought of drinkin’ before, Merumeru.”
The disgusted tone in his voice when he learned Rinne visited Beehive is still fresh in his mind even after a couple of years.
It’s amazing how people can change so much in so little time.
“What happened? Was my influence too strong?”
“Perhaps, yes. Though HiMERU only agreed at first so he could keep an eye on you.”
“I dunno if you’ve noticed, but I’m not a kid.”
“You do behave like one sometimes.” His free hand tries to hide his sudden giggles, but it’s futile: he slips up, the loudness of his voice betraying his intention to spare him some dignity. “It’s cute. HiMERU could even say it’s part of your charm.”
… What did he say?
“Cute”?
He bets the dumbfounded expression on his face looks downright pathetic.
“Y-yeah… Yer right! One of my many charms, actually!” He hopes HiMERU is buzzed enough to forget everything by tomorrow. His failed attempts to save face are giving him a terrible reputation. “But… Uh… Thanks, I guess. I know ya did it outta worry.”
“Mm.” He nodded with a smile. “HiMERU feared for your safety. He recalled your younger brother telling him once about that time he went to pick you up at an izakaya on his birthday. You were so drunk you couldn’t even stand up straight…”
“That’s…”
It’s the third time he’s going to come off as the most ridiculous man on earth that night.
THIRD TIME.
He really thought he was better than that.
“I wasn’t wasted at all. I… faked it.” The confession comes easy to him. He would have questioned that if it weren’t for the can in his hands and the warmth tinting his face various shades of red.
Yet deep down, he knew the alcohol had no such effects on him.
Certain someone was to blame for everything.
“Huh. Weird. How come?” Sober HiMERU would have caught onto his real intentions in a heartbeat. Guess tipsy HiMERU is getting tipsier by the minute. “Ah. You were embarrassed.”
“Sooomethin’ like that. I wanted to tell him I was real’ proud of him, ya know? Then… I stopped to think about the situation… And, man, I panicked. I couldn’t bear the thought of lookin’ him in the eye the next morning and rememberin’ every single thing I told him. So I acted like I was really buzzed. It was perfect: he never spoke to me about it again, nobody held me accountable for the corny shit I said, and he got the best present ever.”
“Your brother deserves better than that.”
“Aw, c’mon! I was younger and a complete dumbass. Can’t really blame lil’ Rinne for his silly mistakes.”
“You are lucky he thinks the world of you.”
“… Yer right.” A sip of his beer gives him the opportunity to hide behind the can. “ANYWAY… Let’s leave that sappy talk for some other time. We’re here to have fun and relax~♪ And I gotta admit, I’m waaay too intrigued by your new drinking habits.”
“They are not precisely new.”
“Eh? Himerunrun’s got drunk tales to tell? Never pegged ya as an alcoholic.”
“Don’t project yourself onto HiMERU.”
Sarcasm is barely noticeable in his voice by now, yet Rinne knows he’s mocking him. It’s cute, honestly… even liquor won’t change the way he is. “HiMERU is still HiMERU”, he’d say.
“HiMERU said that because it’s been months since the first time you came over with a bag full of mediocre beer and snacks.”
“Can you stop judging me for my past mistakes? I should’ve known ya like wine better. But I’m glad you ain’t as picky with wine as you’re with coffee. You’ve never complained about that mid-quality brand I always get for half-price at the konbini a couple of blocks away.”
“HiMERU has grown fond of that brand.” The Takahata wine sloshes around his glass with the slight tilt of his hand, the deep red hues of the liquid leaving a trail on the surface. “He enjoys a glass of it now and then.”
“FOR REAL?!” Rinne almost jumps off the couch at that statement. If he’d heard it a couple of years ago, he would’ve laughed his ass off at the absurdity of it all. “I really thought you only drank with me! Where do you stash yer wine bottles inside ES?”
“What? No. ‘I’ don’t…” A slip up. Rinne beams at it. “HiMERU doesn't drink at Starmony. It would be most unwise to do so. He’s indulged in a glass here, of course. Hospital visits… can get a bit stressful sometimes.”
“… Sorry. Let’s talk about something else.”
Kaname Tojo is a forbidden topic: a silent pact they eventually made after a few fuck-ups on Rinne’s behalf. The snakey Vice-prez never really gave him many details about the Tojo brothers situation, so if anybody’s to blame, it’s definitely not him.
Behind that immature attitude, though, Rinne knows he should’ve been more careful when he first tried to approach the subject. There are many things he wished he’d done differently over the past few years… and that is certainly one of them.
“Don’t worry. HiMERU knows you didn’t mean any harm. He’s the one who brought it up, so it’s fine.”
“… I’m glad.” He absentmindedly rubs his neck, embarrassed at the words that are about to come out of his mouth. “Uh… If ya ever need to vent, I’m right here. I can lend an ear… or give you a big hug. Even both, if ya want. Whatever ya need.”
“Thank you, Amagi. HiMERU appreciates it.” A genuine smile tugs at his lips and Rinne feels like he’ll go blind any minute now. “I’ll take the hug, then.”
“Really?”
“Mhm.”
HiMERU is the first one to move. He leaves his glass on the coffee table with a swift and careful motion that doesn’t even make a sound, an incredible feat taking his tipsiness into account. Rinne wanted to sing praises of his motor skills, but the warm body right next to him makes him leave that train of thought behind. In a matter of seconds, HiMERU closed the distance between his single sofa and the biggest one of the room, where Rinne had taken a seat a couple of hours ago.
“Lemme leave my—” The words die on his throat as HiMERU takes the can from his hands and leaves it on the table for him.
Rinne has to fight the need to ask him about the sudden urgency in his actions. The internal battle lasts less than a second and comes to an end with one single thought: if he tries to satisfy his curiosity, he’ll scare him away and ruin the mood altogether.
That’s enough to stop him dead in his tracks. He finds the best option is to spread his arms and offer a sincere smile… and so, he does.
HiMERU wastes no time in closing the distance between them. Albeit timidly, he wraps his arms around Rinne’s back and buries his face in his shoulder. Rinne pulls him closer to his body and holds him like the most fragile thing in the world: he knows HiMERU is strong enough to endure anything that comes at him, but he should be able to rely on others. He’s not alone anymore… and he will never be again.
Rinne has been subtly hinting at it for the past years… and it finally clicked, it seems.
His fingers run through soft strands of light sky blue hair while he rubs his back with his other hand. The soothing gesture relaxes him too, and he’s proud of himself: it was indeed a great idea.
“Mm…” A content sigh escapes HiMERU’s lips, slightly muffled by the fabric of Rinne’s jacket. “This feels nice. Thank you, Amagi.”
“G-glad to help a friend out.”
He tries to pull away, but HiMERU stays firmly in place.
“Can we stay like this for a little longer?” The timid request takes Rinne aback. “… If you don’t mind.”
A big smile graces his face as he breathes in his scent.
“…‘Course not.”