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You were merely a frequent customer to Survive, you were familiar with the bartender, Iroha, and Adachi. The latter, however, one day caught the rest of you off guard by bringing in two new clients to the place.
You didn't pay too much attention to it at first. After all, all of you were familiar with how empty this place usually was. It could use a little bit more of life to it, so how much damage could a couple of friends do? Nanba and Ichiban Kasuga were their names, fitting for both. Although Kasuga's name did get a chuckle out of you the first time you heard it, leading to the poor man to insist on the aurhenticity of it.
As time passed, there was a whole "party" of them, and apparently they had Ichiban as their "leader" of sorts. You lovingly dubbed them the "Ichigang", since it rolled of the tongue quite nicely. You shared it with the bartender, and he reacted quite positively to the nickname.
The group itself was a jack of all trades. From a bar owner to the damn leader of the Liumang. They were a colorful bunch, for sure. Filling up the place with life, having convesations and blasting the speakers with endless nights of karaoke. There were times you could just hear them from afar, singing the same songs over and over for no reason other than beating a high score. Whatever that was.
As for you, you were a mere expectator. You were just a client at a bar where it just so happened that a very colorful group of people often times would tag along in. And they were acquaintacens of yours, of course. Some talked to you more than others. But the one that caught your interest the most?
Ichiban Kasuga himself.
It was just interest at first. He simply... intrigued you. Him and his powerful imagination. You simply could not be able to grasp whatever was going on in that head of his. It was entertaining to watch.
So when he greeted you, days after his first visit to Survive, you tried to pry him into telling you more about himself. He insisted on lending an ear, amd find out more about yourself instead.
You remember with a smile how flustered you got Ichiban when you told him you'd lend an ear instead. How cute it was for him to make an offer, but you wanted to listen to him instead. Find out who he was, and everything that went through his head.
That is how you slowly understood his nature as a whole. How he came into this world, how he entered the world of the yakuza, his fixation with Dragon Quest, ending up in Ijincho and meeting his friends, and just how much he cherishes the people he loves.
You were weirdly pleased at hearing he cherished you as well. How he simply liked letting every single one of his friends know that he loved them dearly. No hesitantion. He was a fountain of endless support and appreciation.
And your mysterious façade has cracked in realization of what your "interest" was.
You sat on a futon, resting inside the room at the second floor of the place, pondering about your recent realization. The last thing on your mind when you met this man was that you would fall for him. Yet here you are.
One thing was for sure, you wanted to let him know.
There was no way you could simply handle these feelings by yourself, you had to say something.
"Why the long face? Something bad happened today?" Of course. Of course he'd come in to put everything to a pause. Of course he would ask you what was wrong with a terrible quip followed by an endearing question. Of fucking course.
"Nothing, Kasuga. Just been having a lot on my mind lately." Right before he could inteject with the obligatory question that any good friend would ask, you raised your hand to stop him, and continued talking.
"Do I want to talk? Yes. Am I ready? Absolutely not." You ended your sentence with a humorless chuckle. Supporting ypur head with your hand, you sighed. "Don't get me wrong, Kasuga. It's not your fault, it's just..."
I'm afraid. I want to tell you how I feel. But I'm very fucking afraid.
"Childish. It's nothing you should bother with, honestly." You finished with a shrug, taking a sip of your drink. Hoping any sort of typsiness you might get could get rid of the painful pressure of dread residing on your chest. Fuck, you hated that.
Kasuga remained quiet, blinking as he looked blankly at you. It was a weird habit of his, simply sitting there quietly, before responding with something. Somehow, he always managed to say the right thing, regardless of how stupid his answer was. The moment you were brought back from your thoughts, you saw his eyes fill with joy.
Those godamn eyes of his.
"You're not a bother! You never will be! I know that you don't like to talk about stuff, and I get that. I understand that 100%." Although his facial expression turned serious, he held the same amount of passion in his eyes. "However, if the reason you don't ever wish to talk is because you think you are a bother. Knock it off. I'll be here to listen to you. Regardless of how heavy it could be, I'll always be here."
Those eyes, dammit. You could not stop staring. Even without having to portray anything out of his wide range of emotions, they would look stunning always.
Chuckling, you looked down at the table with a deep sigh. Kasuga looked worried for a second, no idea of why you could be acting so strange tonight. Your following sentence did not help.
"Your eyes."
He cocked his head cutely to the side, a single "eh" coming out of his mouth. You could only hide your face with your hands.
Not the ice breaker I wanted. But, once you get in...
"Your fucking eyes. They're so full of... Everything."
Kasuga seemed more confused by the second. But slightly intrigued at the choice of words. He was used to recieving compliments from his friends. He did know he had very glossy and bright eyes.
And being honest, he was afraid of what you'd say after that. He held you at a very high standart. You were cool, collected and this lone wolf attitude of yours was just so... Captivating. He wanted to know more.
You called him many names, he took fondly of the name you gave to his party when he heard of it from the bartender. But calling his eyes everything was a first. He wanted to know exactly what that was.
And as of responding to his inner prayers, you responded.
"They look kind, and passionate... Beautiful, rough. Cute. God, so fucking cute... They are so much like you, Ichi."
You have never called him by his given name.
That's the first thing that was on his mind. It took a second for the rest to sink down. He was aware he wasn't the brightest of all, still he was very, very familiar with issues of the heart.
And this one sent his into overdrive.
"Oh... Really? Th-that- I..." Ichiban audibly gulped, his cheeks warming by the second. After retrieving your hands from your temple, the sight made you soften your gaze. The fact that he gets flustered should mean something, right?
"That's the... I've never heard anyone put it that way, I... Thank you. I-it's so nice to hear that coming from you." The last part caught you off guard. From you? Why?
"...Why? W-well... Uh..." Shit, you said it out loud. Didn't need to make this more awkward than it already was. But there was no comung back.
You were the one who wanted to talk after all.
"It's just... So hard to tell how you feel. You're always this closed off type of person, who watches over me and my party from the side. You always got this smirk, and this look, you chuckle in such a way at everything, it's so fucking cool to watch. Even then, you're this very friendly and nice person. You always check up on me, and I feel bad because I should do the same! And that's always caught my attention. To hear that someone like you... Thinks of me so highly like that, it's..." Ichiban stopped his rambling, looking down at his drink, flushed and flustered in that adorable fashion of his.
"Ichi."
You placed a hand on his chin, lifting his head up to look directly at you. Your expression was unreadable, your eyes focused directly on his. He looked alarmed, very alarmed. But hopefully you were able to ease it down.
"Do you seriously think so highly of me?" Your eyes softened, a small smile tugging at your lips. He gulped, nodding lightly at the question, not talking out of fear for him biting out more than he could chew.
Ichiban audibly gasped as he felt you place your hands on his cheeks, move his head toward yours, and place a very soft peck on his lips. He whispered your name breathlessly, in disbelief of what just happened.
"You're so fucking cute, it's unbelievable, Ichiban Kasuga."