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To be fair, Chifuyu caught him off guard with his question, and rather than sounding so vaguely ambiguous, Draken just sounded so sincere.
"Well, I guess, I just know Mitsuya that well." The answer was accompanied by a secretive smile, almost like Draken couldn't help himself from smiling at the thought of being the one who was the most familiar with Mitsuya.
Chifuyu gave him an understanding nod. "I get it. It's like the longer you're dating someone, the more you recognize their taste and habits, you know?"
Draken hummed along, picking up more gyozas to devour. He was on his third piece when the words Chifuyu had just said, finally registered to him.
"Wait, what?" He dropped his chopsticks. The sound wasn't particularly loud, but it got Chifuyu jolted in his seat.
"Huh? What?"
Draken looked around to give the other patrons an apologetic smile at the slight disturbance he caused.
And then, he turned his head to Chifuyu.
"You think, we're dating? Me and Mitsuya?"
Chifuyu frowned at that as if Draken babbled in a language he didn't understand.
By the time, everything made sense to him, he shrieked.
Rather loud, rather inelegantly, and definitely made several eyes redirected back to their table.
"Oh my god, is that supposed to be a secret?" He leaned forward, whispering.
"No!"
"Eh?" Chifuyu blinked. He was momentarily disoriented as to why Draken was suddenly panicking. Then, the color drained from his face, just as the realization sank in. "Wait, what do you mean? You mean, no, as in no, it's not a secret, or no, as in no, you're not dating?"
"The last one!" Draken hissed like he was annoyed that Chifuyu was slow to catch up, emphasizing in case Chifuyu didn't understand his words. "We're not dating!"
"Oh, shit, I'm really sorry," Chifuyu bit his lips, and immediately appeared guilty. His voice dropped, just like his gaze. "I didn't know! I swear Baji-san and I just—"
"Baji thinks we're dating too?" For some reason, Draken followed his lead, whispering back.
"Uh well, yeah—"
"What? What makes you think that?"
The way Chifuyu stared at him made Draken a bit uneasy.
Chifuyu wasn't one to pry into someone's business, he might be the least presumptuous person Draken had ever known. He always tried to confirm everything, making sure that he did and/or said the right thing.
And Draken knew this by experience.
He knew Chifuyu would side with Baji in literally every single thing.
But Draken believed that Chifuyu had his own opinions and he would stand up to them, even if it didn't align with Baji.
Yet, somehow, they were both making the same assumptions about him and Mitsuya?
"Well, you looked more couple-y than the most actual couples I know." Chifuyu started. "Like, when we first arrived, you ordered him something off the menu right away, like you've known it by heart."
Draken frowned.
There's nothing wrong with that. He knew several orders from his friend, like how Kazutora always asked for more chicken wings, or how Mikey would prefer tuna over salmon, or how Baji would always pick the spiciest menu he could find.
There's nothing wrong with—
"Maybe tone down the spice a bit? He couldn't stomach this with that many chili oils. And oh, I'll have the beef slices add-on, just put them on the meal, like it's a regular occasion. He always denied himself the treat, but he would enjoy that. Then, I'm gonna have this, and this, and this one also. Two plates each, he's gonna steal from me, so I'm better prepared."
—okay, maybe he did go overboard when it came to Mitsuya's order. Maybe he would be more specific when it came to what Mitsuya might enjoy and not.
But it wasn't something they weren't familiar with.
They always ordered ahead for the other when they went out for dinner. That way, one could straight up enjoy the meal, without waiting for too long. Mitsuya knew his order, what would he enjoy, and what he would avoid, just like Draken did.
To be fair, it was their thing.
"And it's not just that. It's the little things too. Like how you only trust your Zephyr to him—"
What? Mitsuya was the only one who was knowledgeable enough about his bike. He had taken him for a ride since he was young. And to be fair, he was also the only one Mitsuya would trust with Impulse. The two beauts came from the same shop, the one that Masaway took them to, when they were young.
Of course, it would make sense if they took care of each other's ride.
"Or the way, he always made you many knick-knacks since ever. I, for sure, know that Baji-san had begged him to get the same treatment and to no avail—"
Okay, but Mitsuya didn't just make him every knick-knack for free. He did those for the exchange of free check-ups on his bike, or a bit of Draken's time to help him babysit his sisters, or many other things.
To be fair, Mitsuya said that Draken did him more favors by accepting his handmade gifts. Draken helped him practice. And Draken knew not every piece of Mitsuya's creations was without imperfection.
But it was free and it was from Mitsuya, so why not? Nothing's weird about accepting those?
"Also, pardon me for being so intrusive—"
Draken snorted at that.
"—but, when was the last time you dated someone?" Chifuyu coughed awkwardly. "After, um, Emma?"
Okay, Chifuyu had no right to ask Draken that.
And Draken didn't have any obligation to answer.
Everyone knew he and Emma were barely in a relationship. They were not in sync, and both realized that they were better off as friends even sooner than everybody did.
To be fair, Draken didn't think much of dating after Emma. It wasn't like he was eager to build a new relationship or whatever. He was fine being single.
Being single meant nobody got to nag you about every detail of your life. And he got to enjoy the things that he loved (Emma disliked Zephyr, and it was the last nail to the coffin, metaphorically speaking, because really, it wasn't the major reason like anybody would always joke about), with someone that he actually liked.
Mitsuya for example.
Not, in the like 'like' connotation, but still.
"Okay, you crossed the line. Don't ever bring Emma into this," Draken pointed at his chopstick. "We stay friends and she has nothing to do with whatever crazy theories you're making up with Baji—"
"I didn't—"
"Shut up, Chifuyu. You're really reading too much shoujo. I used to think it was hilarious and cool of you, but right now? Not cool at all."
"Draken-kun—"
"I have known Mitsuya my whole life. It's just natural if I've known him better than anyone, just like he'd known me."
"Um, Draken-kun—"
"There was nothing strange or weird unless someone makes it to be and right now you're making—"
"BAJI-SAN, HERE!" Chifuyu stood up, waving his hands with exaggerated excitement, while his eyes darted briefly to Draken. "Oh, you come with Mitsuya-kun, too."
Draken whipped his head.
Mitsuya gave him a gummy smile and Draken couldn't resist returning the grin.
Baji went straight to Chifuyu, reaching for his face to kiss him.
It was brief, but the way Draken couldn't take his eyes off them might suggest otherwise.
He never paid attention to this kind of interaction before (and since Baji and Chifuyu had dated for a while, he should have witnessed a lot of these things).
But it seemed that he just became ultra-sensitive to it.
"Hey," Mitsuya slid next to him, touching Draken's hand.
There was nothing wrong with the gesture either, they did it countless times.
Draken usually welcomed his hand, giving Mitsuya a light squeeze. But he was too hyper-aware of the skinship, so he retracted his hand, masking it by grabbing his glass of water.
Chugging it down in one go apparently got Mitsuya to chuckle.
Draken didn't know what to make out of that melodious sound, so he coughed before he said, "Baji picked you up from work, now?"
Only that it came out a tad harsher, and not as playful as Draken intended to.
Baji who had seated across them, gave him a frown.
Draken knew what he sounded like.
Definitely didn't help him beat the whole dating Mitsuya's allegations.
"I just met him outside," Mitsuya took off his trenchcoat, oblivious of the tone nor Baji's stare, as his eyes wandered to the table.
"I got you covered," Draken said automatically. "Already told them, to bring the food when you arrive."
Mitsuya beamed at him.
Draken pretended he didn't feel Baji and Chifuyu's scrutinizing gaze. Nothing's weird with his interaction with Mitsuya, Draken would stand by it.
"Oh, great, you got the gyoza," Mitsuya picked up his chopsticks, popping one into his mouth. "Gosh, I'm starving." He picked another. "This is so good."
Draken laughed. "Slow down."
Mitsuya shook his head, hogging the plate. "Nope, when the food is as great as this."
To be fair, Mitsuya was the one who made questionable sounds, that could be badly misread by two people sitting across him. And Draken always liked watching Mitsuya savoring his meals. Mitsuya rarely gave himself the opportunity to show how much he enjoyed something. Maybe it was part of his personality, since growing up, he was sort of forced to learn that he couldn't get everything that he wanted.
"Here," Mitsuya said out of the blue, pinching one gyoza with his chopstick right to Draken's face.
Draken leaned forward to capture the food automatically.
"So good, right?" The black-lilac-haired man grinned again, seemed unaware of the cosmical consequence of his action.
Now, that was definitely the weight of Baji and Chifuyu's eyes that got Draken grabbing his drink.
Luckily the server went to their table with Mitsuya and Baji's order, and the weird and strange atmosphere was shifted for a while.
Draken could say that he had done a great, no, a wonderfully amazing job at stirring the conversation away from Baji.
He could tell Chifuyu was more careful with his words, but Baji looked like he was still going at it.
And by 'it', he meant that Baji was adamant about digging more about what he thought to be the true nature of Draken and Mitsuya's suspicious relationship.
Which, to be fair, was just a friendship with a lot more understanding, and comforts, and maybe an excessive amount of fondness—fuck.
Draken coughed.
Rather violently, that Mitsuya instinctively reached for his back, stroking it, as the other hand pushed the glass to him.
"Are you alright?" His concern was so genuine, that Draken felt both guilt and embarrassment interwoven into one.
He managed to empty the glass, wheezing. "Just food going down to the wrong pipe."
To be fair, it was kinda nice to have Mitsuya fussing over him, but Draken couldn't handle the pressure of being judged and stared at.
"Hey, Mitsuya," Baji started, didn't bother to hide his squinting eyes. "Me and Chifuyu are always wondering if—"
"Needing to go to the bathroom!" Chifuyu jumped from the seat. "C'mon, Baji-san!"
Baji frowned. "Huh—?"
But Chifuyu didn't give further explanation as he dragged his boyfriend, and merely mumbled about how they needed to take care of something.
The ominous reasoning got Mitsuya to lean to Draken, whispering discreetly.
"Are they gonna have sex? Like right now?" that got Mitsuya flagged on the server for more water since Draken definitely couldn't handle being Heimlich-ed by him.
To be fair, the rest of dinner was spent quite normally.
Chifuyu had to talk some senses about what he previously chatted with Draken to Baji.
How there was no romance between him and Mitsuya, how they were just close friends, over-friendly roommates, and anything that was nowhere to be a couple.
It was somehow worse now that Baji was in the know. It was no longer teasing, or the whole 'I-Am-So-Done' expression.
The sad glance he sometimes gave not-so-surreptitiously, was not any better.
It made Draken feel pathetic.
He huffed into his drink as he chose to ignore Baji's pitiful look and redirect his focus on Mitsuya and Chifuyu exchanging stories about their workplace.
He let himself be enraptured by the funny stories involving Chifuyu and a Persian cat in the shop.
It was not the first time he heard Mitsuya and Chifuyu talking so animatedly, but it was sure like it.
Draken couldn't take his eyes off the man next to him.
How Draken was drawn to the way Mitsuya's eyes crinkled at the punchline of Chifuyu's joke, or the way he threw his head when he laughed.
The way he would gesture once it was his turn to tell the stories.
How he naturally included Draken in his retelling ("Yeah, remember about that one client, I always complain to you about?" "Draken was the one to tell her to fuck off honestly." "Oh, definitely! Draken, what did you say when I told you about the incident?").
How he kindly let Draken join the conversation, reacting at the perfect moment like whatever Draken said was the most interesting thing in the world.
And Draken found himself unable to tear his gaze away.
To be fair, he had never paid attention to these kinds of things when he was talking with Mitsuya.
Of course, he was aware of how attractive Mitsuya was. Countless women (and several men) had sought their way to the young fashion designer anyway.
But it never occurred to Draken, how he could be attracted to Mitsuya, in the way he noticed the long eyelashes, the appeared soft and pink, chapped lips.
The way Mitsuya's fingers were long and elegantly lean, the nails were neatly manicured that when he used them to gesture something, it just added to the attractiveness.
How the side bangs of his black-lilac always slightly fell onto his eyes, that got Draken brushing them off on reflex, gaining him a toothy grin from Mitsuya and another pitiful look from Baji.
"At this rate, maybe you should invest in a hair clip, Mitsuya," Draken joked, flicking the black-lilac. "Or maybe trim them, before they started invading your eyes."
"Why should I? You're always doing the hair clip's job for me."
It was said so casually, that Mitsuya didn't realize the magnitude of the passing comment, since he jumped back to the conversation he had with Chifuyu rather quickly.
Apparently, it was so much worse, because Chifuyu was now giving him the same look.
Draken stifled the groan that threatened to escape.
Which of course got Mitsuya to notice him on a whim.
"Everything's alright?" Mitsuya touched his hand, again with genuine concern that made Draken unsure whether he wanted to be showered with such attention more, or hoped he wasn't so obvious with his own thoughts and feelings.
To be fair, what he did was something he always did when it was only the two of them in the quiet of their apartment.
The gesture was so natural that it came off more as a force of habit.
Draken flipped his hand, and wrapped itself around Mitsuya's, giving it a light squeeze.
Yeah, don't worry, it said.
Mitsuya didn't say anything, but he smiled discreetly at that.
To be fair, it happened in the blink of an eye, that it should just stay between Mitsuya and him.
But Draken forgot he literally hung out with two people who started off as best friends as well.
Wait, a start of what?
The night crawled almost too slowly in Draken's opinion.
This was probably the most exhausting dinner he had ever done in his whole life, and he did spend a whole night dreading the dinner with Grandpa Sano when he dated Emma back then.
Even that one wasn't this life-draining.
"We should do this again," Chifuyu hugged Mitsuya for the last time, while Baji went to start his bike. "This is such a fun night."
Draken didn't miss the way Baji turned his head to snort.
Mitsuya patted Chifuyu's back.
"Sure, let's schedule more double dates in the future."
Chifuyu's eyes darted automatically to Draken, with no doubt giving him the whole 'It is so painful that you two are not together!' that got Draken to roll his eyes, but also simultaneously 'I know, right?' with an urge to sigh loudly.
"Goodnight, Draken-kun, Mitsuya-kun!"
Chifuyu hopped behind Baji, wrapping his arms around his waist. Baji turned his head as if he wanted to check if his boyfriend had clasped his helmet right.
Chifuyu grinned at him.
"Safe ride!" Mitsuya waved his hand.
The sound of Goki's fading away, leaving Draken and Mitsuya alone in front of the restaurant.
"I have this brand new cocoa that Yasuda-san gave to me as a gift from her hometown, you know," Mitsuya walked towards the Zephyr, and Draken followed him. He didn't bring his Impulse, it was still in the shop for regular check-up.
"Cocoa?"
"I was told that it could reduce stress and apparently induced better sleep."
Draken tossed his helmet to Mitsuya, frowning.
"You got trouble sleeping or something?"
Mitsuya unclasped the helmet. "Not for me. I just think it'll work wonders for you. Considering how tense you were, the whole night. I mean, I know you much prefer coffee but this change could be good. Also—"
To be fair, Draken had tried to restrain himself the whole night.
Having to listen to Chifuyu speculating about his relationship with Mitsuya might have just altered something in his brain, maybe it did more damage than benefits, but right now, he didn't feel any loss, only luck.
Especially when his luck was really, really in his favor tonight ...
... in the form of Mitsuya dropping his helmet, to free his hands, so that he could feel Draken's own on his face.
To be fair, Draken had never thought about kissing Mitsuya, and once he did, suddenly it was the only thing he ever wanted.
When they pulled back, Mitsuya's cheeks were flushed red, although it wasn't as red as his lips, after being devoured by Draken.
Draken was pretty sure, he didn't look any better.
"What's that for?" Mitsuya smiled, though it appeared knowingly, like he had known the secret since a very long time, only waiting for Draken to reveal it.
And like every single thing about him, his smile radiated gentleness and comfort. That Draken couldn't help himself from chasing it once again.
This time, he managed to whisper his answer against Mitsuya's slightly parted mouth.
"For being so fucking stupid."
Mitsuya chuckled. "Then maybe we're both a couple of dumbasses."
Oh, well, as long as it's clear that they are now a couple, Draken would be fine with being a dumbass.
Because, to be fair, being Mitsuya's best friend was amazing, but being his boyfriend might just be another level of fantastic.
And Draken definitely owed Chifuyu for helping him see that.