Archive of Our Own

It's been a week since Yonoi met Jack Celliers at a high-end nightclub in Ni-chome.

That night, upon arriving home, Yonoi finally threw Jack's card - the Host Club card - into the trash. He would never see him again. The man has fulfilled his mission in his life, and he no longer needs to bother with visiting him again.

Maybe some would say that Yonoi is being irrational, but to him it's the opposite: Jack is a host, a companion for profit, and not someone who is in a position to offer a serious relationship or stability to anyone. Yonoi believes that Jack has understood this too, for that kiss at the end, the kiss that still stings on Yonoi's cheeks even after he's wiped away his tears and showered, had an undeniable air of doom on the part of the handsome host.

Yes, it is best to let things stay that way. Despite having a mutual friend in Lawrence, Jack and Yonoi are people who are a lifetime away from each other. Yonoi will respect Jack's position and is sure that Jack will do the same. Of course he will, if the whole event was nothing more than a clever setup by the host to gain some extra time and thus extra money. Surely it is a method that the club itself has urged the hosts to use with the most vulnerable and lost clients...

Though, thinking about it better, Yonoi is not so sure that Jack, sweet fairytale prince that he is, is capable of such machiavellian cruelty.

More days pass and Yonoi does not forget about the matter, not exactly. When he sees Lawrence, although the latter seems to want to discuss it, Yonoi stops him, assuring him that he is not upset, but clarifying that his idea only served to fulfill what Yonoi had originally had in mind: flirting with a man without ties.

Lawrence seems perplexed at first, as if he really believed there was some chance that Yonoi and Jack would find in each other their lost soulmate, their mythical other half, whatever. But, albeit reluctantly, he complies with Yonoi's request not to bring up the subject again, and to avoid talking about Jack at all costs.

The problem, really, is that it is Yonoi the one who does not seem to have the ability to avoid asking Lawrence questions about Jack, totally against his own will and better judgment.

"By the way, how long have you known him?" Yonoi inquires as he practices defensive maneuvers with Lawrence.

"Who?" Lawrence asks cluelessly, throwing himself headlong at Yonoi's 'men', but being blocked in the act. "Ah, Jack? Yonoi-san..."

Lawrence's almost disappointed look wakes him from his childish musings.

"Forget it!" He almost shouts, this time throwing himself in for a hit and almost landing a good one on Lawrence's head, stopping just inches away from his head. They should be using real men with protective mengane, but Yonoi has to be paying attention to what his students are doing around him, in case he needs to correct something in their kata technique, so he needs to be able to see peripherically as well.

On another occasion, as Yonoi, Lawrence, and Hara, the dojo's maintenance coordinator, go out to eat ramen together one afternoon when the dojo closes and Lawrence is off from his college classes, and Yonoi again lets slip a new inquisition about Jack, as he slurps his bowl of food. "I wonder if he likes ramen."

This makes Hara raise an eyebrow at him. “What idiot doesn’t like ramen?” He asks with a grimace of disgust as he spoons more noodles.

But Lawrence places his hands firmly on the table as if he were going to say something utterly serious, while Hara looks at him confusedly, glancing at the two of them at intervals with his mouth full of food.

"Yonoi-san," Lawrence begins, his voice tired but light, "I've known Jack for at least 8 years, having briefly been in the army together."

This comes as a great surprise to Yonoi, who was aware of Lawrence's time in the British Army, but would never have thought that a man like Jack could have been there as well. Yonoi himself was in the JSDF from the age of 18 to 25, when he retired to devote himself to Kendo. This means then that he and Jack have even more in common than he might have first imagined.

"And yes, he likes ramen." Lawrence finishes, "If you like, I can give you his number so you can invite him out for ramen sometime."

"No," Yonoi cuts him out too fast, and Lawrence sighs and resumes eating his food.

However, Yonoi can't stop turning over the latest revelation in his head. "What was he like in the army?"

Lawrence smiles, still stirring the soup with his chopsticks. "He was a real soldier. We had a nickname for him: Strafer Jack."

Yonoi can only nod his head. Thinking back, Jack fits that description perfectly. He can picture him as a loyal and fearless soldier without problem. Strafer. Sounds good, the name matches the image in his head.

Then Hara suddenly slams the table, causing not only Yonoi and Lawrence, but all the diners to turn towards him. "Who is this Strafer Jack you speak of?" he asks, furious, in Japanese, and Lawrence laughs.

Things go on like this for a few months, and those months eventually turn into a year. Occasionally Lawrence makes a comment about Jack, about how he's doing in law school or some anecdote he's shared with him, and Yonoi always tries to keep his cool about the news, hoping his expression and voice don't betray his true interest in matters concerning the man.

Since that night, Yonoi hasn't tried to form personal relationships with anyone. Frankly, no one is even close to Jack's level, though Yonoi hasn't given himself the opportunity to get to know anyone well enough to seriously make such a comparison. Lawrence has offered a couple of times to set him up with some of his students and colleagues, many of whom are around Yonoi's age and have qualities that might be of interest to him, as far as Lawrence knows, at least, but Yonoi always turns him down, and Lawrence keeps his comments to himself, though deep down they both know what's going on.

None of that should matter now, as in a few months there will be a major national Kendo tournament, and Yonoi has been selected to participate, something that was recently announced to him. Yonoi sees it as an excellent opportunity to bring his entire academy to watch and learn, so he tries with all his might to throw himself into preparing for himself and the event, contacting stays in Nagoya and training every day with assistance from Lawrence.

He also tries to practice meditation as much as possible. His goal is to raise his zanshin level and mental acuity, so that he can be at his best on tournament day. So he meditates before and after his lessons, at home before breakfast, playing white noise to focus better, and also during breaks at the dojo and right after the end of the lessons, retreating to his office for a while and putting in earplugs, closing his eyes by standing in a seiza position with his hands on his knees, and closing his eyes, trying to think only about his breathing. He has done this since he was a child, because of the teachings of his father, who was a Buddhist and practiced a more specialized form of meditation. Yonoi has found his own style for doing it, and has never neglected the practice, as he feels it truly makes a difference in his footwork and his kata during combats.

However, he admits that he has put the practice aside a bit in recent months, although he cannot say exactly why. Nothing has changed, really, except for that incessant tickling in his heart every time Lawrence mentions some news about Jack-

Ah, there it is. His problem. He has persuaded himself that he is in love, when in reality that is absurd, how could one fall in love with someone he had only met for one night, 'met' being a generous verb in this context, since really all Yonoi managed to see of Jack was what Jack chose to let him see. Yonoi always sensed that there were things about Jack that the man would never let him see, that the host was not someone who wore his heart on his sleeve... Unlike Yonoi. He had been a fool to bare his heart like that, allowing the man to intrude into the most hidden places and nest there for a whole year. Just one pleasant conversation and a kiss on the cheek and Yonoi already felt like he would never be the same again.

It's so stupid that this is the reason he hasn't been able to meditate again, that Yonoi sighs loudly in the silence of his office, just as someone knocks on the door and makes his heart skip a beat. So much for calming down his thoughts.

“Come in!” Yonoi stands, shaking out his hakama and gathering the mat from the floor into a roll, as the door swings open, admitting Hara with a bouquet of flowers.

“Sir,” Hara has never learned not to call him that. They met, after all, when they were in the JSDF and Yonoi was already a sergeant, so the younger man doubts Hara will ever be able to get himself to stop using such formal terms. "They've brought these for you."

The flowers are mixed hibiscus flowers in pale pink and white, wrapped in a clear plastic shroud with a pink bow. They look totally out of place in the bland, cream-walled office, which looks like an office in a military barracks more than anything else.

"You don't know who sent these?" Yonoi asks, and Hara, who has been standing stiffly in the doorway as if waiting for orders, shakes his head. Yonoi sighs again. "Fine, thank you, Hara. You may go."

Hara leaves, but not before taking a curious look at the flowers. Yonoi doesn't have a vase to put them in water, but he's quick to improvise with a metal pencil holder. Once they're in water, Yonoi sets about examining them for any sign of their origin and purpose. Tucked into a corner of the transparent paper is a tiny note written in clumsy English handwriting, reading "Congratulations on qualifying!" and signed with the initials "J. C." This sends a shiver through Yonoi. What strange initials would those be if they belonged to someone with a Japanese name. What was Jack's last name? Yonoi might as well ask Lawrence, but he doesn't want to embarrass himself any more than necessary. He continues to stare at the note, mindlessly stroking it with a thumb, when he hears a cough from the door.

There's Lawrence, hands behind his back and a wicked grin, swaying back and forth on his feet like a child. It's the attitude he takes whenever he catches someone acting suspiciously, but Yonoi doesn't think he's being suspicious, he's just staring at a gift someone sent him, it's nothing more than that. He has nothing to hide, nothing at all.

“What's that?” Lawrence asks with that irritating smile, staring at the flowers.

“Someone sent them to the dojo, apparently to congratulate us on our ranking.”

Lawrence makes a thoughtful sound. “But, Yonoi-san, it wasn’t our dojo that ranked, but you, so they must be for you.”

“I guess,” Yonoi replies, still looking at the note.

“They’re very pretty.” Lawrence’s voice sounds enthusiastic now, understanding, as if he’s accomplished something. Maybe he thinks Yonoi will want to talk about Jack once and for all.

“They’re hibiscus. You can literally find them on every corner, they’re nothing special.” Yonoi replies, rude and petulant. “Are you ready to go?” And as he says this he takes his car keys and his jacket, forgetting to change out of his sports clothes, but it doesn't matter, because they will go to his house for dinner, and he will be able to change there.

The flowers remain in the dark office, along with the note.

One afternoon, Yonoi trains harder than usual, trying to calm his thoughts, and in doing so he slightly twists his ankle. The doctor tells him to rest for three days and that he'll be perfectly fine in a week, with the warning that he shouldn't overexert himself again, to which Yonoi reluctantly agrees. How can he not try? His mind is a whirlwind between the trip to Nagoya for the tournament and the flowers, which flutter through his mind like pink and white butterflies.

After leaving them at the office for the weekend, of course, they have wilted, but when he returned on Monday Yonoi didn't have the heart to leave them there again and took them home to live out their lives in a more pleasant environment. On the way home he passed by the usual konbini, now staffed by a new clerk, who Yonoi is almost certain has been flirting with him for the past few months. He's not unattractive, with a trendy haircut and clear-framed glasses, but Yonoi just isn't interested. Putting this into words surprises him, because since when was he not interested in a relationship? That was the whole reason he decided to visit a host club in the first place, the idea of practicing to eventually commit to something more serious.

He tells himself that the reason is that the man is a convenience store salesman with no major prospects, but this isn't very convincing either, since honestly Yonoi wouldn't care if the man was a doctor or an idol or a firefighter, he wouldn't pay attention to him anyway, because--

Suddenly he starts to think about the interactions he's had since he came out, and he realizes that this isn't the first time someone has made advances in his direction. Even not long ago, the father of one of his students started having long conversations with him, something that Yonoi was very pleased about, since the man also used to practice kendo in his youth. He is a man a little older than Yonoi, a single father, and the guardian of one of the most talented girls Yonoi has ever trained. The man is pleasant and conversations with him can go on long after the sessions are over, sometimes to the annoyance of the girl, who is always eager to finish so she can go to a meeting with her friends.

Yonoi hadn't noticed, really, but the way the man smiled at him and even made seemingly weightless comments about going out for drinks with him should have been obvious indicators of his intentions. Could it be that Lawrence noticed too and didn't say anything?

None of that matters, anyway, because Yonoi only has room in his mind for one person, even if that person has done nothing more than leave him a broken heart and some hibiscus flowers as an apology.

Since he's going to be home for a few days, he sends a notice to his students, and plans what he'll do now that he'll have to be inactive. He then plans a brief visit to his parents in Sakurazawa, who sound very happy to hear his voice, and then prepares to pack, stopping at his laptop.

Yonoi has always thought that a laptop is an unnecessary distraction when one has a retreat in mind. What good can it do for peace of mind to have a loud, bright device at hand, distracting attention from a peaceful rural environment like his childhood home?

Yonoi decides to check his email one last time before he leaves, and his gaze goes to the spam folder, where for the past year all the newsletters and junk associated with subscriptions and brands from which he has purchased products and services have been arriving. One of those services is Rose Mallow Host Club, which regularly sends him news about its events and theme weeks, among other paraphernalia. Yonoi never looks at these emails, but since he won't see the email for a couple of days, an irrational part of his brain leads him to open the folder, finding dozens of messages with no real content... Until he finds an old email titled 'Jack and Nao show us the inside of the club: Host Club Tour!'

Jack.

Yonoi clicks on it hastily before his brain can object.

The video is from about seven months ago, and shows Jack and another Host - Nao - performing a welcome to the club from the entrance, the same entrance where Yonoi received a kiss from Jack. The two men are dressed in pink-gold suits, and Jack's hair is styled with a straightened bob and layered bangs like an idol's. He looks, for lack of a better word, adorably goofy, and Yonoi can't help but giggle, covering his mouth with one hand, feeling flustered like a maiden. Jack's Japanese doesn't seem to have improved in the months between Yonoi's visit and the video, constantly glancing nervously at the other man and someone off-camera for help.

Yonoi watches the entire video up until the moment the hosts return to the entrance - the entrance where Jack stood before him with his long hands tenderly resting on Yonoi's cheeks- bowing in farewell and blowing a kiss to the camera. If Yonoi didn't have the composure he does, he'd catch that kiss out of the air with his hand.

The visit to his parents goes very well, and it's a welcome respite from all the hustle and bustle of city life. Returning home, his injury healed, Yonoi feels refreshed and ready to face whatever comes next.

But as the weeks pass and the tournament draws closer, Yonoi notices something different: Lawrence seems to be the one who now refuses to elaborate when talking about Jack.

It's not that he's stopped answering his questions, but he's limiting himself to just that, leaving behind his occasional offerings of unsolicited information and causing Yonoi confusion. What's happened? Has Jack left Japan?

No, just thinking about it, about being thousands of miles away from Jack forever, makes Yonoi's eyes want to fill with tears.

Yonoi tries his best to focus on meditation and training, and it occurs to him that perhaps that is precisely why Lawrence has decided to keep quiet about the news about Jack, because he wants to help Yonoi focus on what is most important and urgent. Yes, that must be it, is what Yonoi tells himself when his heart races too fast without any physical effort.

The day before the trip to Nagoya, Yonoi's heart can hardly let him sleep, his mind swirling around all his worries about the tournament and Lawrence's secrecy. Yonoi could very well find out for himself, but he's afraid to find out the answer. But a samurai must know how to overcome his fears, he believes, even when they eat away at him from within like fire. So Yonoi uses his cell phone to access, for the first time in almost a year and a half, the Rose Mallow Host Club website. There he is greeted by the various beautiful faces he saw some time ago, including some new ones. But his purpose is clear, and he heads to the reservations tab, where he clicks on the options counter to book hosts. He tests the availability with different times, but the result is always the same: Jack's name is nowhere to be found.

He then opens his laptop to check the club's newsletters in his spam folder, but there's nothing about a farewell to certain hosts, or about any branch closing, meaning Jack has left the club on his own.

Yonoi shouldn't have seen the email, as his heart is now beating restlessly even more. If Jack left the club, it could have been for any number of reasons. Maybe he got a better job, or maybe he finished his studies - after all, he must have already completed four years of study, and he may have had some courses recognised from his degree in England. It wouldn't be that strange. It's also possible that he was let go due to his age, as 36 years old might be a bit old to continue working at a host club, even with his looks. This seems less likely to Yonoi, as just a year ago Jack was coveted enough to appear in promotional videos, and he was surely the leader of the club's gaijin line, so it wouldn't make sense to make him leave. Most likely he would have found a better opportunity somewhere else, but what if that place is far away from Japan, far away from Yonoi?

Yonoi then remembers the flowers Jack sent him. Was it a farewell gesture? Yonoi hadn't wanted to see it as anything other than a compliment, an invitation, even. One he had stupidly rejected to protect his ego. Jack had waited for him, patiently, without pressuring him or reaching out for him, and Yonoi hadn't taken the opportunity and now everything was ruined.

But he doesn't want to go off and cry like some leading character in a dorama, he has things to do and students to attend to, so he closes his eyes and recites a poem that used to help him sleep as a child. It wouldn't do any good to meditate right now, he knows that, but perhaps some familiar words will help calm him down so he can complete this week.

The next morning finds him still sleepy, but somewhat better. His thoughts are less agitated and he's inclined to be more optimistic, thinking that even if Jack has left Japan, it can't be forever, otherwise he wouldn't have bothered to spend four years studying law on the other side of the world and learning such a complex language. No, Jack is coming back, if he's gone, and if he's not gone, then he must be better off than he was working at the host club, and this cheers Yonoi up. He's sure he'll see him again. He wants to see him again.

As he, Lawrence, and Hara board the bus to Nagoya, Yonoi can't help but glance over his shoulder at the crazy idea that Jack might appear at any moment to congratulate him in person, stop his trip even, like in some romantic flick. A giggle brings him out of his reverie, and he realizes that Lawrence has been watching him and laughing at him as he climbs the steps of the bus. Yonoi glares at him.

"Why are you looking at me like that, Yonoi-san? I didn't say anything," Lawrence teases as they take a seat behind Hara, who hasn't taken notice of anything, happy to put his headphones on and drift off to sleep even before the bus engine turns on.

"You think you're so funny," Yonoi replies with a smirk, "As if you don't blush every time you get a message from Trâm."

Trâm is Lawrence's girlfriend, a lovely Vietnamese woman living in Tokyo, and Lawrence is head over heels for her. Just then, the custom sound Lawrence has assigned to her on his phone rings, removing that bloody smirk from his face and replacing it with a genuine, goofy grin.

And just like that, the bus begins its journey to Nagoya.

The stadium is a medium-sized, yet imposing structure, with its modern, bright and sober metal facade amid the gray concrete, the tall glass windows reflecting the midday sun.

The atmosphere outside is filled with excitement. Large groups of people, some wearing merchandise that surely corresponds to their favorite dojo, gather outside in the June sun, laughing and already cheering for their favorites. Men and women dressed in dark hakama also pass through the front of the building, along with a few cars that are the only real splash of color amidst the ocean of gray and blue.

Yonoi approaches the reception desk to confirm his attendance, where a young woman dressed in corporate clothing greets him with joy. She is a receptionist that Yonoi already knows, and they greet each other with cordial familiarity. The young woman scans the list of names on a clipboard in front of her, and makes a check mark with a blue pencil over Yonoi’s name in the 3rd to 4th dan category - Yonoi thinks that if it weren’t for the years he spent in the JSDF, he would already be 5th dan, but that doesn’t make him any less proud to be 4th, something he has achieved with great effort - and then hands him a bracelet with a barcode. “Don’t lose it, Sensei!” she exclaims enthusiastically, and Yonoi bows and heads back to the entrance where his students have already begun to gather, gradually arriving.

Yonoi is very proud of his students, who look at him with expectant eyes full of wonder. He has reminded them several times that the important thing is not to win in tournaments, but to fight with honour and demonstrate what they have learned about mental strength over physical strength, but he cannot help but feel in his heart a great desire to win the competition for them. When he is about to begin trying to give them words of wisdom, Lawrence chooses that precise moment to call him to one side, lightly pulling his arm. Yonoi tries to gesture that he will just finish speaking to the students, but Lawrence seems full of urgency, so Yonoi excuses himself with the kids to address Lawrence, although apparently, it's already too late.

"Oh," is the only thing Lawrence manages to say before turning towards the entrance with resignation. Yonoi follows his confused gaze, until his eyes land on the person he least expected to see.

Well, maybe his mind did not expect to see him, but his stubborn heart had been yelling at him for days.

There, in the doorway, standing as if it were nothing, is Jack. He is holding a single white hibiscus in one hand, which fits perfectly with his dark semi-formal clothing, which also highlights his otherworldly eyes.

"Hi, Haruhiko-kun" He greets Yonoi with one hand, the other holding the flower without offering it.

Lawrence rolls his eyes and lets Yonoi go. "Ok, I'll escort the students inside. Sensei, Jack..." And then he gestures to Jack, who casually waves back. "You do what you have to do." He says with a dramatic flare that indicates he's everything but done with this situation, before hurrying off to push the confused students toward the bleachers.

"Jack," Yonoi says his name with infinite affection, despite everything, taking a step towards him as if he believes it to be a mirage that will disappear when he gets closer.

Contrary to this idea, Jack stands there, solid and magnificent, and raises the hand holding the flower towards Yonoi. The Kendoka notices that, although he smiles, his hand is shaking a little.

"What have you come here for?" Yonoi asks, hurt but not sure why or how. He still hasn't received the flower.

Jack's smile fades slightly, but he maintains his composure. "If this is invasive for you, I'll leave, but I sincerely wanted to come and support you."

"After all this time..." Yonoi doesn't know exactly what he means. He knows that he could have easily approached Jack on his own, accepted Lawrence's offers to give him his phone. Yonoi often wondered if it was Jack who was asking Lawrence to give him his number, to tell Yonoi about himself, like a schoolboy with a crush passing notes with a friend.

Jack looks at him with a regret in his blue eyes that makes it extremely difficult for Yonoi to remember why he had refused to talk to him and see him for over a year.

"Would you come drink a fruit soda with me? For old times sake." Jack asks in a pleading tone. For old times sake, that being that one interaction they had at the club that night, where they drank oolong tea and fruit sodas for hours.

Yonoi nods, as there are still 40 minutes left until the start of his first set, and Jack's face lights up in that charming way that Yonoi remembers so well. Then Jack does something unexpected: he extends a hand. Yonoi looks around and sees that no one is paying attention to them, except for a few women who pass by and are dazzled by Jack's radiance, and decides to accept the extended hand. Jack's skin is warm and soft, nothing like Yonoi's rough, sturdy hands, macerated from holding and working the shinai.

The stadium cafeteria offers only a few soda options, and both opt for a strawberry and sugar-free one. Yonoi must be careful not to consume anything heavy before the tournament, so he drinks the liquid slowly, taking his time, unlike Jack, who gulps it down so quickly that before he sits down to chat he's already ordering another.

God, he's still as beautiful as the day Yonoi met him. Even without all the production of the host club looks, without the hairspray and the ornaments on his neck and hands and the glitter on his face, Jack still looks like an impossible prince to conquer, like the one who was the Little Mermaid's unrequited love.

Once seated across from each other, Jack lets out a sigh and finally speaks. “Look, Haruhiko-kun, if you want me to leave—”

“No!” Yonoi exclaims, and is surprised at his own outburst, looking to his side to see that he hasn’t disturbed any other diners. “No, Jack, stay.”

“Really?” Jack asks and oh, his personality is so different here, he seems fragile, shy, the complete opposite of his swag back at the club.

"Really." Yonoi says softly, as if not to spook him, and Jack lets a small smile tug at his thin lips. They're not cracked this time, they look smooth and glossy. Kissable, Yonoi thinks, though he's never really kissed anyone on the lips. He wishes he could kiss Jack right now.

"I don't work at the Host Club anymore," Jack reveals out of nowhere, and waits for Yonoi to react.

Yonoi is about to blurt out that he already knows, but luckily manages to stop himself in time. Instead, he asks, "Oh? Why not?"

Jack smiles, more confidently this time. "About two months after our meeting, I realized that it wasn't the same anymore, pretending to be available and willing to all those poor men, when in reality I only had one person on my mind."

Yonoi blushes, not knowing what to say, so he takes another sip of his soda, letting Jack continue.

"I graduated from college." Jack reveals, and Yonoi can't keep pretending not to hear.

"Oh, really? Jack..."

"Really!" Jack is so excited that he interrupts, "I'm a lawyer now. Well, still in training, but yes, I've been working for a firm for my practice for two months now."

"Wow, Jack." Yonoi is almost speechless, genuinely pleased as if Jack is an old, close friend instead of a near-complete stranger he shared a special evening with once during the winter of the previous year. "I really congratulate you, I'm so happy for you."

"Thank you." Jack replies with a smile that now seems almost smug with pride.

Yonoi then realizes that this must be the real reason why Lawrence didn't want to talk to him about Jack anymore. He probably wanted the two to meet again naturally, now that Jack is 'free' from the shackles of his position in the club, and also, as expected, he didn't want to distract Yonoi from his training for the tournament with the good news. Yonoi is happy that his dire predictions about Jack leaving Japan effectively turned out to be just intrusive, paranoid thoughts fueled by his heart's desires and fears.

“You’re finally a lawyer in Japan!” Yonoi exclaims, still in disbelief. “And do you know what kind of law you’ll be specializing in?”

“Labor law,” Jack answers without hesitation. “I think I’d be good at that. I’m interested in workers’ rights and the idea of helping create more ethical corporate environments. I don’t know, it sounds like a fool’s dream, but…”

“Not at all.” Yonoi jumps in immediately, “Sounds perfect to me, and I agree, you’d be good at it.” He doesn’t know Jack that well, but he remembers the way he interacted with his colleagues at the club, always respectful and willing to help and defend whoever needed it. The perfect kind of person to be a labor law attorney.

Jack smiles, not pointing out the obvious that they don't actually know each other. Somehow, Yonoi feels like he's known him all his life, maybe even a previous life. He can see in Jack's mismatched eyes that he thinks the same.

“You know?” Jack comments, again turning shy and looking down at the table. “Last time, I couldn’t stop thinking about you. For months, all I wanted was to see you walk through the door of the club again. But back then my life was complicated. I was running from my past.”

Yonoi had suspected something like that, and he’s pleased that Jack feels confident enough to share this very vulnerable part of himself with Yonoi, as hard as the truth is. Yonoi is ready to hear it.

“I was running from the past,” Jack repeats, “From a betrayal I committed, and against my own blood. And I was so alone. I had Lawrence, but… I was alone.”

Without a second thought, Yonoi places his hand on Jack’s on the table, not even checking to see if anyone is watching. Jack looks at their intertwined hands, pinkish white skin against deep bronze, and as he looks up at Yonoi, his blue eyes sparkle like crystal water.

"And have you resolved those... issues?" Yonoi asks carefully, but Jack looks at him with soft eyes, turning his hand to better hold Yonoi's.

"Not resolve them, exactly, but I'm learning to live with them."

Yonoi would like to share with Jack the anecdotes of his youth, of his own shames and betrayals and regrets, but then a voice over the loudspeakers announces that it is time for the 3rd to 4th dan competitors to line up for the competition, and he is forced to let go of the warm, safe embrace of Jack's palm to go put on his bogu.

Jack continues to hold the flower, as Yonoi cannot accept it, he would have nowhere to put it. Then they both laugh as they look at it.

"Maybe you can give it to me after the competition. I'll put it where I put the others," Yonoi lets out a little white lie, as he had bought a vase in the end which did nothing to save the poor wilted flowers from death, but at least now he has a place to put new flowers.

"Oh, I'll only give it to you when you've won, my dear." Jack teases, with that smile that shows his sharp fangs that make him look more like a seductive succubus than a prince. Yonoi feels butterflies in his chest, and he's sure he's blushing badly.

"This tournament is more than anything a chance to show my students what is expected of them, so they can learn some lessons. It's not about winning or losing," he primly retorts, standing up.

"Still," Jack insists, getting to his feet as well, "this flower is only for winners."

Yonoi stares at him trying not to smile, but then Jack steps closer to him, and Yonoi is sure he will kiss his cheek like last time. Instead, Jack's eyes waver in front of him before he slowly leans in - always giving Yonoi room to escape - until he presses his thin lips against the Kendoka's.

Yonoi is left in shock, not knowing what to do with his mouth or his hands, but it's over as quickly as it started, and now Jack's face is moving away from him, still looking into his eyes. Jack is smiling, a pink color gently clouding his pale, bony cheeks.

"I'll be cheering for you, Haruhiko-kun." He says, and in an instant he's striding away on long, long legs, heading for the bleachers.

Yonoi then makes the decision to win, not only for his students, but for Jack as well.

He will obtain that hibiscus at all costs.

“And now, please welcome Yonoi-sensei, from Hanabira Dojo!” The voice from the loudspeaker announces the moment when Yonoi must step through the curtain that separates him from the fighting area, dressed from head to ankle in his bogu and brandishing his shinai with grace and elegance. The murmur of the crowd turns to a whisper through his armor, and through the slits of the mengane he looks out into the audience in search of Lawrence and his students; once he identifies them, he continues to slide his gaze as he walks, this time looking for Jack. He finds him easily, because the man is sitting in a seat behind Lawrence, shouting loudly and shaking the flower in the air, causing, as far as Yonoi can see, Lawrence to laugh in embarrassment. But their cheers are contagious, and before long all of Yonoi’s students are shouting his name, including Lawrence, and even Hara, who is installed in a seat apart from the rest.

He walks to the center where his opponent, another 3rd dan sensei, is, and they bow to each other. After that, they adopt the seiza position a little more than a meter from each other, and then they stand guard to begin the fight. When they are given the go-ahead, Yonoi is the first to attack, but his opponent blocks his blow; Yonoi mantains then a tight chikama with his opponent, who is shorter than him. The other man attempts to strike with a series of rapid close-range cuts, but Yonoi sidesteps them, keeping his kamae.

Yonoi loves these tension-filled standoffs the most, when both competitors wait patiently to see which will be the first to make another move. His opponent tries again, and Yonoi slides back and protects himself with just the sakigawa, right on time. They stay like that for another while, and Yonoi is sweating under the men, but he keeps his chudan no kamae with utmost poise, feeling tense like a taut, high-strung cord.

The cry of a familiar voice encouraging him only serves to push him further, filling him with energy, and he relentlessly lands one, two blows until he manages to land his partner's kote, and with the next strike, right to the center of his men, thus ending the match undoubtedly in his favor.

The cheers of his students are not long in coming, although Yonoi cannot look at them yet, as he still has to make one last bow to his rival before being able to turn to the audience.

When he returns from the dressing room for a break, his students are waiting in a group to congratulate him, some of them so excited that they jump in place, not caring about looking like dignified and refined kendokas. Yonoi can't help but laugh with them. But as he looks behind the group, he sees Lawrence holding the flower that Jack bought him, and he feels his stomach turn, leaving him cold inside.

"Yonoi-san," Lawrence speaks to him, crossing the crowd towards him. "Jack asked me to give you this." And he hands him the flower along with a note written in gel pen on a piece of magazine paper:

"Dear Haruhiko-kun: I had to leave early, perks of being a junior at work. I'm sure that bastard Inoue wants me to make him some coffee." Yonoi, still full of adrenaline, really wants to have that guy Inoue in front of him, to see if he can teach him a thing or two with the help of his shinai. Not directly, of course, just showing it so the guy knows what Yonoi is capable of...

"Anyway, I'm really sorry I had to go, but as compensation I've left you the flower (Congratulations! I knew you'd win), along with this, if you'll take it this time:" And below it is written a Japanese phone number. This time it must definitely be Jack's private number, and not a company number. Yonoi feels an indescribable emotion, his eyes watering without any sadness that makes them hurt.

Looking up, Lawrence seems about to roll his eyes again, but stops himself. "Call that poor man, Yonoi-san, please. End everyone's torment, including mine." With that, he goes over to pat him on the back and offer him a bottle of water before the next set, and Yonoi thinks he's never felt so wonderfully electrified as he does now.

That night at the hotel room, Yonoi kills time brushing his teeth. He's won every set of the day, and he knows he deserves something for this achievement, although not in the typical way of going out drinking with his friends. Well, he did that too, and he just got back to the room a while ago, but as he gets ready for bed and another day filled with his favourite activity, he counts down the minutes he deems appropriate to cause the right amounts and kinds of tension.

Once his evening ritual is over, he sits down on the bed and picks up his phone, dialing the number written on the piece of paper.

"How did the thing with Inoue's coffee go?" he types, then sets his phone aside, trying to calm his heart. Jack probably won't answer tonight, which is perfectly understandable, given that he'll likely have to get up early in the morning, and his getaway to Nagoya was something special that took some time away from his work. But, oh, how Yonoi wishes he could hear his voice, even if it was in a short voice message...

Just as he closes his eyes to summon that beloved smiling face, his phone's ringtone rings - a shrill music that doesn't fit his current emotions at all and that he should learn to change - and, without looking at the screen, he already knows who is on the other end.

Yonoi answers, but doesn't manage to say anything.

"Horrible!" Jack's warm voice complains on the other end of the line, "You'll see when I become a partner, he'll be the one bringing me coffee then!"

Yonoi laughs with true happiness, just like that night in Shinjuku, the night he met his first love.

"Hello, Jack." Yonoi says sweetly, holding the phone to his ear, feeling lovesick. He is lovesick. He is in love. "It's nice to hear from you again."