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Many would say that Inupi was not the most patient person in the world, and by many, he meant his sister, Akane, and his own boyfriend, Kokonoi.
Those were enough to prove his point, considering that they often had to deal with Inupi's grumbles and complaints when he had to wait for them to get ready, or when they took too long when they were shopping with him, or even as simple as when he had to act like a good listener to them. Inupi was fine with people dumping their problems and hoping to get some relief, but he hoped they could be less obnoxious and just go straight to the point.
Inupi wasn't some heartless asshole that would ignore you when you were in trouble. He prided himself on being a great problem-solver, much to his sister and his boyfriend's dismay upon Inupi urged them to 'get to the point' faster.
He wasn't the most patient person in the world, but Inupi was a good brother, a wonderful boyfriend, and—
"It's not like we're strangers, okay?"
—a very tolerant friend.
There was a brief pause, but Inupi didn't even bother to fill the momentary silence, because he knew, whatever sentence that had been spoken, it hadn't finished yet.
"I don't understand why Mitsuya even had to lie," Draken masked his annoyance by rubbing the gear in his hand rather violently. Inupi wasn't fooled. "It's clearly a hickey, did he think I'm stupid enough to believe it's from hair iron? Did he think I would just buy that crap?"
Inupi deliberately moved his stool so that he didn't have to work and watch Draken pacing, or worse, trying to reroute his frustration to his poor tools and spareparts.
The man didn't even notice that Inupi had not said a single word.
"You know, me and Mitsuya, we've known each other for the longest time. Like, we're best friends even before we're best friends with anybody else. And yet, he told me nothing about whoever he dated? It doesn't make any sense. Is he embarrassed about his girl or something? Am I not worth getting introduced to her? I get it if he wants to stay private, but c'mon. I'm his best friend, why the hell he didn't tell me?"
Inupi reached for the wrench and purposely let it slip from his hand, so that it could fall with a loud thump, and yet, still no reaction from Draken.
As if he was too wrapped up with the issue he was currently experiencing, he had just become deaf (and definitely blind, didn't he see the exasperation on Inupi's face? The ultimate signal of 'please just shut up or I'm gonna go insane' that Inupi currently sporting? Clearly not).
"Did he not tell me because he's hiding it? I mean, Mitsuya is a reasonable person, and he's a good guy, I don't think, he will do anything illegal or something. He's got sisters, so dating anyone on their age is definitely out of the question. But, who knows? Love finds its way, love is love, yadda-yadda. He's not doing anything stupid, right? What do you think, Inupi?"
Inupi muttered something under his breath, akin to 'I wish you would just shut up and just ask Mitsuya himself about any of those theories' but Draken didn't even address his intangible response, and still managed to continue his monologue.
"Who's the girl? Do I know her? Why didn't he say something? Is it just a casual fling? Is that why he didn't wanna say anything? But, that's not like the Mitsuya I know. He would never do a one-night stand."
Draken huffed, snatching a towel to wipe his face. Inupi stifled his snort. Funny that Draken looked so worked up over the possibility of Mitsuya's getting on with someone, rather than being worked up over the bike that had to be done by tomorrow.
The particularly fussy client would be so pissed if Draken hadn't finished the job.
Maybe it would serve him right.
"So, here's the possibilities," Draken didn't just abandon his bike, he now went to Inupi's side and leaned on the front fairing of the motorcycle Inupi was working on. "First, I might know the girl, so he didn't wanna say anything to observe my reaction. It seems unlikely, but not entirely impossible."
Inupi rolled his eyes. He was even confident enough that Draken didn't know that many girls unless every girl in the brothel was counted. And Inupi meant well, when he said, that Mitsuya was definitely not interested in any of them.
"Second, the girl is so much younger than him. Maybe it's his junior in the firm or an intern. I saw a pretty lady once when I had to pick him up from work. Looks like a model. Maybe Mitsuya is dating one of the models too! Having to work with so many pretty faces, I won't be surprised that he hooked up with one."
Sometimes, Inupi wondered how someone could be so stupid and oblivious.
"And third, I can't rule this out because it's still plausible, so yeah, we (Inupi's eyebrows shoot up at the 'we?' to which Draken was unaware of) are back to everything's just a whole one-night stand thing. Maybe after one too many drinks, he gets lured to the hostel or something. He's lightweight, Inupi. Did you know that one day, I had to carry him on my back because he was too drunk to get back home? He only drank three glasses and he was already incoherent."
Draken prided himself on being Mitsuya's longest friend, and yet, how come he did not know? Inupi himself hadn't befriended Mitsuya for that long, but even he knew how ridiculous all those possibilities Draken enlisted.
"So, Inupi," Draken got himself off the bike, turning his body to face him. "What do you think?"
Inupi hadn't even gotten any chance to open his mouth when a voice interrupted them.
"I think it's stupid."
He craned his neck over the seat of the bike and he saw Mitsuya standing by the doorway, with an unreadable expression. Draken almost tripped on Inupi's toolbox when he realized, Mitsuya had to hear everything he said.
"Mitsuya—" He started, but Mitsuya merely went to the nearest table, to fetch, what Inupi recognized, as the furoshikis of the bentos he brought to the shop today. Mitsuya had left without taking them with him, so he had to come back to get them.
And Draken—Draken and his dumb theories and his unhinged, overreaction upon Mitsuya having a small bruise over his neck—might have just made the biggest mistake of his life.
"If you want to know about something, there's this thing called, asking. Ever heard of it?" Mitsuya threw an almost murderous glance at Draken.
Inupi didn't know whether he was impressed by the fact Draken had quickly returned to his know-it-all demeanor or, rather be embarrassed that Draken didn't want to cave in even after getting caught red-handed with his silly theories.
"I did and you lied," Draken schooled his expression to his passive, almost in an I-don't-care way. "I'm just bouncing ideas with Inupi about what really happened since you're being so cryptic and didn't even want to tell me."
Okay, that's it. I don't get paid enough for this.
"Mitsuya, I'm one inch from cutting off my ears so that I could save myself from listening to his uneducated guesses on you, for hours," he shook his head tiredly in Draken's direction. "Please don't ever get me involved."
After putting all the tools he had used back into the toolbox, Inupi stood up.
"And you know what? You two really need to talk." He grabbed his backpack from the sofa.
Ping-ponging between Draken and Mitsuya who looked like they would rather be anywhere but in each other's close proximity, Inupi dropped the last bomb.
"Mitsuya, Draken's jealous over your hickey," he didn't do the quote-unquote but he made sure they caught the mocking tone of the one particular word. Based on the change of expression on their faces, Inupi was sure they got the point.
"And Draken," Inupi very deliberately looked into his eyes. He was satisfied that Draken gulped down nervously at his scrutinizing stare. "just man up and tell Mitsuya the truth."
With that, he left the two of them alone.
Inupi was not the most patient person in the world, and he clearly wouldn't want to turn into one, getting caught in the middle of something, that if he could help it, he would choose to avoid.
At least, he was free from—
His phone vibrated. Inupi rummaged through his jumpsuit pocket, having his own guess about who might have messaged him.
Draken wouldn't have time to text. And I already have my fill of someone's testing my patience, who else would—
"[Image attached] Saw these cute heels. What'd you say to browse for more? ;)"
Inupi groaned. But, as he walked to his bike, he typed his reply almost instantly, nonetheless.
"I'm off work early. How about snatching them right away?"
Maybe, Inupi was always the most patient person in the world.
Just only for the right people.
Many, many, many, many shops and neverending rows of shelves, later.
"What do you think, Inupi? Do you think it's prettier than the last time? These colors are bold enough, but I don't think I can find many ways to mix and match th—"
"You're looking good in everything, Koko."
"I know! But I want more, like—"
"Wait, hold up, I gotta text."
"Oh! Is it—"
"..."
"Inupi, what did it say—"
"Thanks, dude? That's it? I'm enduring hours of him ranting about his stupid jealousy for hours and all I got is just a freaking Thanks, dude?"
"Inupi—"
"Oh yes, sure, go talk my ears off about his stupid theories and stupid accusations and give me a whole power point about them like it's a freaking history class—"
"Inupi, calm down—"
"—but didn't he think that I deserved a conclusion? That he could, at the very least, elaborate on what freaking happened, instead of just sending me a freaking Thanks, dude?"
"Inupi, please stop yelling—"
"Screw thanking me, what happened after I left, asshole?!"
Maybe, Inupi was never cut off to get the title of The Most Patient Person of The Year, much rather The Most Underappreciated Third Wheel.