Chapter Text
It was too much.
Everything was bothering Isagi. Pressure at work, constant stress and anxiety. He desperately needed relief. He hadn't been out of his house (not counting going to and from work) for what, days? The amount of workload was incredibly suffocating that season, and very hard to manage for our dear Yoichi.
Isagi wanted to run. He didn't know where to, or how long he would run. Probably to a place far away, where no one could find him, just to rest for a couple of days. It would be like a much deserved break. He didn't want to deal with anything. Work problems, crazy exes, fighting with close ones, it was all a hassle to him.
The night was young, so he decided to get out of the deafening silence in his home. Grabbing his phone, wallet and jacket, the boy exited his apartment, locking it as he left.
As he walked through the dim lights, the light breeze hitting him in the face in all the right ways, he looked around. There were eventual sounds of honking cars and people talking on their phones as he walked passed by them. Noise usually stirred him up, but now he couldn't stand silence.
Crickets could be heard around the corners of the buildings. People were dressed up in warm coats, and generally cozier clothes, so he questioned whether he should've dressed up more appropriately. But that didn't matter right now.
He made his way to a place he didn't visit quite often, but was always welcome in it. The bar where his friend worked. The so called "Barcha Bar", one of the well known places in their city. Isagi wasn't much of a drinker, surely, he lead a quite healthy life. But it's fine if it's once in a while, right?
He entered the local, the bells on the door ringing as he walked in. Behind the counter stood no one else but his best friend, Bachira. They hung out almost everyday, and yet they maintained the same friendship even after they would sometimes not see eachother for a while. He was casually cleaning a bottle. As he spotted the ravenette, he immediately grinned
"O-ho-ho! Yocchan! Didn't see you here in quite a while!" Bachira spoke up with his usual cheerful grin present on his face.
A smile tugged in the corner of his lips as Isagi spotted his friend. He took off his jacket, hanging it on a rack. The bar wasn't too crowded, but it certainly wasn't empty. Chatters could be heard around it, some were more subtle, and some people were basically shouting.
"Hey, Bachi. Good to see you too. I'll have a bottle of liquor, thanks." Isagi said, sitting down on a chair.
His friend immediately turned around, grabbing the drink Isagi asked for. The shelf was filled with tens of different drinks, lined up perfectly.
He leaned his head onto his palm, looking around the bar. He was always the observant type. He looked around, spotting men, sitting and laughing their asses off as they drank beer. There were women chatting normally, their delicate hands holding wine glasses. Isagi noticed everything, even the smallest details. Let's say, for an example, he noticed that a man in a prestigious suit, sitting alone in a corner and talking on the phone, had a long, white string hanging off his pants. Yoichi didn't know whether this detail spotting was impressive, or rather concerning.
His endless trail of thoughts was interrupted by a waving hand infront of his face. His blue eyes suddenly snapped out of a trance, looking at the source of it.
"Earth to Yoi??" Bachira giggled, waving his hand.
Isagi looked at him, and then at the bottle infront of him. He pulled off the cap on the bottle, chugging a bit of the drink. The spicy taste lingered in his throat, burning him. But it wasn't the bad type of burning. It was.. comforting? Whatever, he needed to feel something, and he finally had that feeling, so he was satisfied.
"Sorry, zoned off. You were saying?" Isagi asked the other man, looking into his big, yellowish hazel eyes.
"You don't come here often", 'sadly' he mumbled quietly under his breath, "so what brought you here today?"
"Just needed a stress relief, yknow?" Isagi rhythmically tapped his fingers on the wooden counter, avoiding his friend's gaze.
He hated feeling like a burden, so he avoided telling people about his problems. Not wanting to talk about it, he hoped that Bachira would switch the conversation to a different topic.
"Ahh, typical Yoichi! Always so stressed about everything!" Bachira chuckled, ruffling the other's soft, silky hair.
"Hope you'll feel better here now. Anyways, listen, I have soo much to tell you-" the boy continued, but not for long, as he was interrupted by another man's shouting from the staff room.
"OI, BACHIRA! OTOYA BROKE THE WINE BOX AGAIN, COME HELP CLEAN UP!", the voiced echoed through the whole local, making Isagi go almost deaf. Yet, he still slightly chuckled, amused at the careless yell.
Bachira groaned, but his smile was still present. He pouted at his friend, and let go of his hair.
"Awhh, sorry Yocchan! I'll come later, and we'll talk. Promise!", Bachira gave him a final wink as he entered the back room.
Isagi was once again left alone with his thoughts. They seemed to be a bit quieter now, when he was in a noiser place. He decided to tune them out, listening to the music which was playing on a speaker. He slightly bopped his head to the rhythm, taking the bottle once more and chugging it.
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He didn't know how long he was there. All that he knew was that eventually he finished the bottle, and took another one. His mind and vision seemed to be blurred, as he downed the last drop from the bottle. Isagi laid his head down on the counter, hoping to close his eyes for just a moment.
But as soon as he was about to, he felt a presence beside him. A rather familiar one. As Isagi sluggishly opened his eyes, he was met with none other than his ex of 2 years, Michael fucking Kaiser. Considering that Isagi was wasted as hell, his brain didn't really comprehend the situation, so instead, they glared at eachother. Seconds passed, feeling like hours. The weight of their gazes lingered upon eachother. Kaiser decided to break the never-ending silence.
"Yoichi? What are you doing here?"
It was a simple question, really, but there was something much more deeper behind it. The years of unspoken tension and no contact hovered over them, weighing them carefully. The words were left hanging in the air, thick like a fog. Isagi stared at him like a dumbfounded fool. Suddenly, he giggled, leaning in to the other man.
"Ahh, Micha!! 'm soo glad to see ya! Hehe, I missed you so much!", Isagi stated nonchalantly, his speech slurred, but understandable.
Kaiser, in fact, found that amusing. He knew that alcohol usually made people more honest, yes, but the way Isagi was saying that so casually? It thrilled him. He wanted to get as much as he can out of him, while he's still in a drunken state.
"Oh? Did you now?", Kaiser asked with his usual smirk present as ever, even though he knew the answer. He leaned his head onto his fist, and watched the other boy.
"Yess! I missed you sooo much! I honestly forgot why I even left you, but I regret it!!", Isagi ranted, hiccuping a few times during his speech.
Kaiser's eyes widened in surprise. He didn't know why he left him? That was probably the effect of the alcohol influencing his words, but yet, he had to know, right? His mind wandered off to the past, precisely, the night of their break up. He felt horrible and disgusting that day, knowing he was responsible for it after all. But, he quickly snapped out of his thought, returning to present day.
Isagi was now twirling his soft fingers around Kaiser's long, blonde hair. Michael was slightly surprised at the gesture, but smirked nonetheless. Back when they were together, Yoichi played with it as if it was the most precious thing on Earth. He obviously still had the same mindset.
"I also missed your hair. 'ts still so pretty!", Isagi chuckled, his gaze focused on the strand in his grip.
Kaiser's fingers hovered over Isagi's slightly defined wrists, admiring them. Not just the wrists; Michael admired everything about the other boy, from head to toe. His flaws and perfections. Even though, he didn't even pay attention to the former, considering it another one of his features that made him unique.
Suddenly, Isagi stood up, wanting to get a better look at the blondes hair. But, he felt dizzy, like the alcohol had just now fully gotten to him.
"Hah, I'm gonna-"
Isagi couldn't even finish the sentence, blacking out in the middle of it. Luckily, Kaiser had quick reflexes, and easily caught him. Yoichi's head was face first to his toned chest. The taller man sighed in relief, feeling the warmness Isagi's body radiated.
"Stupid idiot." Kaiser mumbled under his breath, as he swiftly pulled out his wallet, paying for Isagi's drinks for the night. What a charming gentleman, indeed.
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A sharp pain rushed through his head.
Isagi hissed, waking up from the extreme aching in his brain. His hand went up to his head, gripping it in hopes that it would stop hurting. It didn't, of course. It was like there were million needles stabbing him over and over again.
He slowly rised up from the comfortable sheets he was laying in. He didn't remember his bed being so comfy. As Isagi looked around the room, he noticed something. This wasn't his room. It was familiar, yes, but nothing came to his mind. His hangover was unbearable, making him unable to think straight.
"Finally awake, Yoichi?"
The sudden words made Isagi freeze. He could recognize that voice in his sleep. His head sharply turned to the source. And, he was right. On the armchair beside the bed, there was sitting none other than his ex, Michael Kaiser. Isagi just stared at him, with a deadpan expression on his face. What in the actual FUCK was he doing in his ex's bed?
"Michael. Give me ibuprofen and start explaining. Now."
That was all he'd been able to say out loud. Michael started at him, grinning, acting a bit shocked at the commanding comment. But, he still complied. He exited the room, not saying a word, leaving a still very confused Yoichi in the comfort of his bed.
After a minute or so, Kaiser came back with tablets and a glass of water. Isagi quickly shoved it down his throat, gulping it all. He placed the glass on the nightstand and stared at the other man. The blonde knew that he should start speaking, so he leaned back in the armchair and crossed his arms.
"I don't want you to think I kidnapped you or something, so I'll be quick", Kaiser said with a known smirk creeping up his face.
"Basically, I was in the bar, and I saw you laying on the counter, completely wasted like a hopeless child. Then, you saw me, and started ranting on about something. In the middle of it, you fainted, and being the gentleman I am, I took you here. End of story."
Isagi stared at him for a brief moment, the memories of last night coming back. He remembered saying something rather personal to Kaiser, but he couldn't quite make out the exact words he said.
"And.. what exactly was I ranting about?" Isagi asked, slightly nervous about the answer.
A malicious grin fell onto Kaiser's face as he spoke up, "Oh, you know, nothing I haven't heard before. Just you saying how much you love me and that, y'know?"
Isagi's immediately darkened, heat rising up his cheeks and neck. Of course. He just had to be the unlucky bastard to casually admit that he still has feelings for his ex.
"That was!-" Isagi immediately protested, "That was the alcohol's effect! We broke up for a reason. I- would never.. miss you."
He blurted the last part too quick, the hesitation obviously showing in his voice.
You were always such a bad liar, Yoichi, Kaiser thought, as he smirked at the other boy.
"Whatever you say, Yoichi, but we both know that you meant it. No alcohol could ever deny your love for me." Kaiser said that way too casually, tilting his head as if to provoke the other boy.
And Isagi was not having it.
He just embarrassed himself in the worst way possible. He could try and deny his feelings to Michael all he wants, but the blonde always figured him out. Isagi was basically like an open book, his to read whenever he'd want. Isagi's once again endless thoughts were stopped by Kaiser.
"I made eggs. Want some?"
Yoichi looked down, at his legs, thinking for a moment. He wanted to fight, to stand up for himself, but he was too tired for this. And the damn hangover wasn't helping at all. Then, he said out words he never thought he would say to Kaiser again.
"Sure. Why not?"