Work Text:
Juri had been eagerly anticipating this evening off for days. Working at the family-owned ryokan in Kinosaki onsen town kept him occupied, leaving little room for leisure.
Tonight, he wandered through the streets, immersing himself in the tranquil ambiance of the hot spring town he knew so well. A gentle breeze carried hints of the nearby ocean, while yukata-clad onsen visitors strolled gracefully, creating a calming rhythm with the soft clatter of their geta sandals as they moved from one hot spring to another.
Juri barely registered the presence of an elegant man standing near a lamppost, engrossed in a small map that every tourist received so that they would stay on track how many onsens they had already visited. The man was draped in a yukata provided by Juri's family ryokan.
"Can I help you?" Juri asked. He knew his responsibility as a ryokan worker even though he wasn't on his shift.
The man raised his head, and Juri could tell he had a particularly pretty face.
But this was just the beginning, and screw the responsibilities.
Later, Juri would discover that this particular yukata worn by that pretty man looked particularly neat on the floor of room 301, mingled with a heap of his own clothes.
*****
Morning arrived abruptly, and Juri's eyes fluttered open to an empty bed, a lingering trace of the man's scent hanging in the air. Panic surged through him as he hastily got out of bed, only to find a note on the nightstand expressing gratitude for the night. The man had departed, and the checkout slip indicated he had settled his bill before leaving.
Juri dressed as quickly as possible and burst into the ryokan's lobby area, his heart pounding. Spotting his mother, who managed the front desk, he blurted out, "Mom, did you see a man leave? Tall, blonde hair, quiet aura?"
His mother cast an amused smile at him. "Oh, yes. He inquired about my son when checking out. Wait, did you know him?"
Juri's heart raced. "What did you tell him?" he asked.
"I thought he was an acquaintance of Kazunaru's as he always invites new people from their Himeji office to come to visit, so I mentioned that my son lives next door with his wife."
Juri's heart leaped. "And what happened next?"
His mother shrugged. "He just left. Did you forget to tell me about something, dear?"
Juri dashed out of the ryokan with a racing heart, too hurried to explain everything to his mother. He sprinted toward the train station through the small main street.
As he arrived at the station, Juri scanned the small hall for any sign of his companion from the previous night. And there the man stood, wearing a long brown coat and a black scarf around his neck. He was about to step through the gates leading to the platform area.
"Hold on!" Juri shouted, his voice reverberating through the station.
Startled, the man turned, looking surprised as his eyes spotted who was shouting at him. Juri rushed toward him, his chest heaving.
"Wait! Please!" Juri gasped as he caught up with the man.
The man regarded him from head to toe in confusion. "Hey, what's up? Did I leave something behind?"
Juri struggled to catch his breath. "I believe you did," he said simply.
The man raised an eyebrow. "Really?" he inquired.
Juri nodded, his heart now racing for an entirely different reason. "Yes, you forgot to set a date with someone you met and slept with just yesterday. Would you consider staying a bit longer for lunch?"
The man hesitated. "Sorry, I'm in a bit of a rush," he started. "I have music classes starting tomorrow morning and haven't even prepared yet."
"Would your answer change if I told you my mom mistook you for inquiring about my brother?"
"Pardon me?" the man questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"She thought you were asking about my elder brother, Kazunaru. He's the one who lives next door with his wife. I, on the other hand, am unmarried and very much available. Or perhaps I might be interested in someone but--"
The man interrupted with laughter.
"What's amusing?" Juri asked.
The man shook his head, a mixture of amusement and relief on his face. "Nothing much. Forget everything that I said about the classes. I'll stay for lunch," he declared.
Juri couldn't help but smile. "I'm Tanaka Juri, by the way," he managed to introduce himself between his wide grins.
The man responded with a gentle smile. "Pleasure to meet you, Tanaka Juri. I'm Kyomoto Taiga."
In that very instant, Juri's heart wasn't racing anymore. It was fluttering.