Chapter Text
Shuichi clung to their red solo cup like it was keeping them grounded to this apartment’s practically matted carpet floor. They turned to their left to check on their new girlfriend, who was chewing on her bottom lip, even though Shuichi knows she spent time doing her makeup for this. Maki quickly turned to look at Shuichi and Shuichi sheepishly grinned at her, knowing full well how awkward this whole situation was. She leaned toward Shuichi to speak in their ear over the loud music. “Welcome to dating Kaito Momota.”
“What do you mean?” Shuichi asked.
“He’s a very social creature,” Maki explained, “And he will drag you to parties. And if you’re anything like me— and it seems like you are— you’ll be clinging to a wall for a few hours.”
“Oh,” Shuichi was honestly surprised to hear that this is how Kaito behaved. They fell for him because of how caring he appeared to be, but Maki’s been dating Kaito longer than Shuichi. She knows his true colors. Shuichi needed to know more, so they decided to do some digging. “Why do you come? Can’t he come to these by himself?”
“Ask yourself the same question, Shuichi,” Maki replied, “It’s hard to say no, isn’t it?”
Shuichi slumped back on the wall, realizing Maki was calling them out, and she had every right to. Shuichi knew for a fact they don’t like parties, and yet, Kaito made the prospect of attending one seem alluring. “You never know what might happen!” He had said.
“Where is he anyway?” Shuichi wondered, craning their neck past the dining room and its snack table to see if they could see their boyfriend.
“He’s mingling, like he always does,” Maki sighed.
Shuichi saw a flash of purple hair around the corner. Boyfriend? Spotted. He’s laughing in a crowd of people while sipping from a bottle of beer. He looks at home among this group of strangers— well, they’re strangers to Shuichi, anyway. These people are all probably at least friendly acquaintances with Kaito. “It’s cute, right?” Maki asked, bringing Shuichi’s attention back to her.
“Hm?”
“Seeing him happy. It’s cute,” Maki elaborated, “I always watch him and try to guess what he’s talking about. That’s what usually keeps me entertained until Kaito decides he’s ready to go home.”
“And uh, how long is that usually?” Shuichi hesitantly asked.
“Two, sometimes three hours.”
Shuichi muttered a soft “yikes”, which Maki must’ve heard, since she chuckled. They slumped back on the wall and took a sip from their cup, cringing from the burn of the liquor. Maki slumped next to them and said, “At least I have someone cute to talk with this time.”
“Me?” Shuichi asked, quirking an eyebrow.
“No, the rando across the hall,” Maki sarcastically retorted, “Yes, you, idiot.”
Shuichi could feel the blush appearing on their face and nervously smiled. “Thanks. You look cute, too. I like what you did with your makeup.”
“Thanks,” Maki replied, running her fingers through her hair.
The two of them stood together not saying anything for a few moments, just letting the music be the only real thing they could hear. Shuichi leaned forward again to try and see Kaito, and saw him take another sip of his beer, which made them need to do some more digging. “Does he… does he get drunk at these parties?” Shuichi nervously asked.
Maki leaned toward Shuichi and said, “I was worried about that, too, when he took me to a party for the first time. No,” and then Maki softly laughed, “It’s funny, actually, he brings a beer bottle from home, fills it with water, and just nurses that all night.”
Surprised, Shuichi asked, “Really?”
“Really. Alcohol and his medication don’t mix.”
Shuichi smiled, feeling more at ease with the whole situation. Maki spoke again, “What about you? You grabbed a drink. Do you plan on getting drunk?”
Shuichi sighed, looking down at the contents of their cup with regret, “No, no I don’t,” then, they set the cup down on the dining room table. “This doesn’t even taste good.”
“There you are!” Kaito’s voice boomed over the music, making Shuichi jump. “Oh, sorry, Shu; I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Hey, Kaito,” they replied with a wave.
“How long have you two been over here?” Kaito asked, stepping closer.
“Basically since we got here,” Maki dryly answered.
“Seriously? That’s no fun,” Kaito said as he dipped a chip into salsa. “Let me introduce you to some folks!”
The prospect of meeting new people made Shuichi tense up. Social anxiety does not mesh well with socialization. They turned to Maki to gauge her reaction. Maki must’ve been able to read Shuichi like a book, because she was bold enough to ask, “Actually, Kaito, Shuichi isn’t doing so well. Can we head out early?”
“Y-yeah,” Shuichi stammered, “I abandoned my drink because it just didn’t seem to be sitting right.”
Kaito put down his brown glass water bottle and moved to Shuichi. He caressed Shuichi’s face, making their face heat up again, and said, “Yeah, babe, we can go. Let me say goodbye and we can head to the car.”
Shuichi thanked Kaito, Kaito kissed their forehead, and he went back to the living room. Maki and Shuichi could hear Kaito saying goodbye to the other guests and the two of them started making their way to the front door. “Thank you,” Shuichi told Maki as they waited for Kaito.
“Of course.”
“I… I don’t like that we lied, though,” Shuichi admitted.
“You can tell him the truth on the drive back home.”
“And you will, too?”
Maki pursed her lips as she thought, but then said, “Yeah.”
“Ready to go?” Kaito had found his partners at the front door.
Maki nodded in affirmation, and Shuichi muttered a timid “Yes,” and Kaito declared, “Then let’s go home.”
Once Kaito had started the car and started pulling out of the parking lot, Shuichi gathered the courage to speak up. “Actually, Kaito, we have something to tell you.”
“What’s up?”
Shuichi drummed their fingers on their thigh to try and stay calm as they confessed, “I actually feel fine. Maki and I just… we don’t like parties.”
It was silent for a few moments, but then, Kaito started laughing. “Really?”
Maki spoke up from the back seat, “Yes. I’m sorry I didn’t say anything sooner, but I just never have a good time at these things. And Shuichi doesn’t like them, either.”
Kaito was grinning as he watched the road, but as the silence lingered, Kaito seemed to realize Maki was being genuine. His smile faded and he said, “You know… I never really considered… I just figured you’d like something at a party since I tend to thrive at them. I’m… I’m sorry. Both of you: I’m sorry.”
Feeling a bit guilty, Shuichi reached over the car’s center console to give Kaito’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze. Kaito let one hand off the steering wheel to squeeze Shuichi’s hand in return. He was smiling again after that, which made Shuichi feel a lot lighter. “So, what would you guys like to do instead of going to a party?” Kaito asked, putting that hand back on the wheel.
“Honestly, I would love to stay in and watch movies,” Maki seemed very ready to answer that question.
“And you, Shuichi?” Kaito asked.
“Maybe just going out to dinner?” Shuichi suggested.
“Easy! We can absolutely do those things,” Kaito enthused, “Just promise me one thing.”
“What’s that?” Shuichi inquired.
“That you won’t force yourself to keep doing something for me after you’ve decided you don’t like it. I’m happy you both tried going to parties with me, but you don’t have to keep coming to them for my sake if you aren’t having a good time.”
Shuichi turned over their shoulder to look at Maki to gauge her reaction. She was smiling. “Yeah,” Shuichi said as they turned back around, “I can agree to that.”
“Me, too,” Maki added.
“Perfect,” Kaito said, “Then next weekend, we’ll go to dinner or stay in and watch movies. Deal?”
In unison, Maki and Shuichi replied, “Deal.”