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Ren spent three-and-a-half months watching his roommate do nothing but hole up in his room studying all night, before sleeping the day away between classes. He didn’t have any friends or treat himself to fancy dinners celebrating the end of exam season. He wasn’t a member of any extracurriculars, and emptied his mailbox of flyers for trivia nights, movie screenings, and video game tournaments.
Goro did what was required of him, and absolutely nothing else.
Needless to say, Ren, resident social butterfly, did everything he could to try and get him to spread his wings. He’d dig the flyers out of the trash and invite him to dinner with his own friends, but he never took the bait.
One afternoon, Ren made his final proposition.
“Just this once, please. I promise I won’t ever bring it up again.”
Goro slammed his textbook shut, and Ren found it mildly amusing how clearly exaggerated the gesture was. “Depends on what you have in mind.”
“The Crossroads.”
“Never heard of it.”
“Makes sense, it’s kind of an underground establishment. Literally.”
Goro pulled his phone out, typing the name into the search bar. “A gay bar? Seriously? You want me to go to a gay bar, Ren? I’m not sure what gave you the impression I’d be in the business for hookups—”
“It’s not just for hookups! I’ve met some of my closest friends there.” He moved to push up his glasses, before realizing he wasn’t wearing them. “Look, I understand you aren’t super comfortable socializing with people you don’t know, but… stay for an hour, at least. Take in the atmosphere. The drinks are cheap, and the food is decent. Then we can leave.”
Goro never had a stable home life. He didn’t like talking about it much, but from what Ren could piece together, he’d spent his childhood cycling through… “unsupportive” foster homes. He’d only recently started growing his hair out again, once failing to pass was no longer his greatest fear. He deserved a safe space beyond his bedroom, and Ren intended to find that.
“Fine. But if things go south, you’re responsible for getting us home, okay?”
“No need to ask.”
*****
This was a mistake.
“This was a mistake!” Goro shouted over the blaring speakers.
“We just got here!” Ren shouted back.
They approached the counter, where a woman with a camera around her neck drunkenly rambled to the bartender.
“God, I can’t wait to show you the shots from today, Yu-Yu!” she slurred. “Some of them were—hic—like, almost newsworthy…!” The woman made a sweeping motion, and her hand collided with the corner of her glass.
The bartender’s reflexes were borderline inhuman, catching the glass (which was thankfully empty) just in time, then setting it behind the counter. “Don’t sell yourself short, Ohya-chan,” they replied, letting out a relieved sigh. “You’re a wonderful photographer.”
From what Goro could make out in the dim lighting, they were tall, with long black- no, blue hair, he corrected himself as they moved closer to one of the flickering overheads.
The bartender turned around, and he suddenly felt like he’d downed four shots already. They were, without exaggeration, the most beautiful person he’d ever seen.
Noticing the pair, they sauntered over, notepad in-hand.
Goro’s head spun. Let someone else take our orders, please. Go back to being perfect on the other side of the room. He didn’t know which was worse: saying something stupid, or nothing at all. Though Ren often helped him through overwhelming social obligations, tonight was the worst possible night for Goro to get cold feet.
“Have you decided yet…?” they asked, and their voice echoed a million miles away.
“Just- just water for now.” He could not trust drunk Goro to handle this situation properly. Ren ordered, too, but both he and the bartender might as well have been whispering on the other side of the world. Either he was already spiraling, or they’d turned up the music even louder. Judging by the stack of glasses chattering along to the beat, he suspected the latter.
Goro spotted their nametag, barely visible against their white button-up.
Yu-Yu (she/any)
She’d drawn a little cartoon fox in the blank space.
Waiting until she was far enough away, Ren leaned over, saying, “I’ve stopped by a few times during her shift, and I think you two would get along nicely.”
That smirk, that sickeningly sweet tone. He planned all of this, didn’t he?
“You set me up,” Goro hissed.
Ren ignored him. “She’s an artist, you know. Painted every picture you see here.”
Before he could really chew him out, Yu-Yu returned with their drinks.
“Here you are!” After serving them, she stepped back to… frame Goro within her fingers. So she’s a bit of an odd one. Somehow, that made his heart beat even faster. “You must be Amamiya-kun’s roommate! He’s told me a lot about you.”
He lightly kicked Ren’s shin beneath the counter, gritting his teeth. “‘A few times,’ huh?”
“Ow- yep, that’s him!”
Goro inhaled sharply, putting on the smile he carried into every lecture. He hoped that the next time they saw each other—he hoped for a next time, more than anything—he wouldn’t have to force it. “You’re a very talented artist, and so versatile, too. If Ren hadn’t told me, I’d have no idea every painting was done by the same person.”
“Why, thank you. Amamiya-kun has certainly sung your praises as well.”
“Has he now…?”
As they spoke, Yu-Yu scribbled something on a napkin, then placed it in front of him. “I’m busy tonight, but my shift ends early tomorrow if you’d like to talk more.” Softly, she added, “I understand this place is quite overwhelming. We can go somewhere else, instead.”
She left to attend to the photographer again, and Goro stared in disbelief at the napkin. Her number. She’d given him her number. Beneath it, in the same polished handwriting, with a similar cartoon fox beside it, she’d written:
Yusuke :)