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Rosho had gotten used to Sasara's unannounced visits surprisingly quickly.
Sure, it was annoying, but it was kind of expected of Sasara. Even back when they were a duo he was coming over every chance he got. Rosho was slightly disturbed by the fact Sasara apparently kept his house key all these years, going so far as to making multiple copies, but even then Rosho knew it was hopeless to fight back.
What he wasn't expecting was for Rei to start coming over unannounced.
At first Rosho started coming home to both Rei and Sasara being there. Again, annoying, but he hadn’t seen Sasara in years and Rei was a complete stranger, so it made sense they just wanted to bond. If they were going to make it to the DRB finals, the three would have to have at least some sort of strong relationship.
But then Rei started coming on his own. It started a few weeks ago, a little before he had that big fight with Sasara. He barged in, complained about his cheap alcohol, then asked him some vague questions. At the time Rosho was grateful, but when he thanked Rei for his help on navigating his feelings about Sasara, Rei acted totally clueless. Surely he’d asked all of that on purpose, right? Sasara thanked him too, so he definitely said something to Sasara as well. What was his reasoning for it then? Rosho has been trying to wrap his head around it, but Rei seemed to take it as a sign that he can come over more.
So that’s why he’s here now, watching the TV with Rei. Of course, Rosho didn’t invite him. Rei came in using one of the many spare keys Sasara gifted him. Right now the TV was flipped on to whatever variety show Sasara was appearing on today.
“Don’t ya have a TV at your house?” Rosho grumbled. “Watch it on your own!”
“But what’s the fun in watching alone?” Rei slid him a beer can. “Here, drink up.”
Rosho frowned but took the can from him and chugged it quickly.
“Hoo, real impressive, sensei~!” Rei cheered while clapping. “I knew a drink would get you going.”
“Well there’s no way I’m dealin’ with ya sober!” Rosho scoffed and shook his head. “So anyways, why’d you come over to watch Sasara’s show? Are you suddenly a fan?”
“Hm? Oh, I just put the channel on something random. After hearing all the corny jokes that guy makes, I could never be a fan. But it kinda makes it feel like he’s here with us, right?”
“You just said you didn’t want to watch alone!” Rosho retorted.
“Hahaha! Don’t sweat the small stuff, Rosho.” Rei reached over to pat his shoulder. “Does a man need a reason to come see his friends?”
Friends.
Rosho glared at him, trying to read his painfully nonchalant face. It’s not that he didn’t want to trust Rei. He could catch hints of Rei’s sincerity, moments where he was being truly honest. Rosho knew there was more to him than met the eye, but how could he be positive when Rei is shrouded in so many mysteries and lies?
“Friends, huh?” Rosho huffed, grabbing another can of beer. “Fine, you’re lucky I don’t have work tomorrow or I would’ve kicked you out way earlier.”
Rei laughed and chugged his drink as well. “Of course! I’d never bother you when you’re busy.”
What a liar.
Well, it’s not like Rosho disliked drinking with Rei. He actually enjoyed it a lot. It was the few times where it felt like Rei’s shady demeanor melted away, and he was easy to get along with. It was like talking to any normal friend.
A friend. Are he and Rei friends?
Rosho narrowed his eyes. “Well, even then, try not to stay too late, okay? You and Sasara keep stayin’ over for too long. My sleep schedule is all messed up!”
“So cold~!” Rei fake whined, causing Rosho’s eye to twitch. “Fine, fine. I’ll be gone by a reasonable hour, promise.”
And he kept that promise. They watched the rest of Sasara’s show together, making small talk and occasionally laughing at Sasara’s usual antics. The second it was over, Rei got up to leave.
He opened the door, but before he stepped out he turned around. “Ah, real quick.” He fished something out of his coat pocket and threw it suddenly at Rosho. “Here, I got you a present. It’s nothing big but I figured you’d like it.”
Rosho yelped and caught it. “Hey! Don’t just—”
“Now, bye bye~!”
Before he could yell at Rei for throwing things without warning, he was already out the door and gone. Rosho glowered at the closed door and looked down at the object in his hands. To his surprise, it was a pudding cup. Examining it closer, it was one of the fancier brands too. Did Rei go out of his way to buy this for him?
He decided to store it in the fridge, saving it for a special occasion. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t excited to take a bite.
—
“Yo, Rosho! I’m home!”
Rosho looked up from the stack of papers he was grading to find Rei standing at his doorway holding a six pack of beer.
“R-Rei?!” Rosho exclaimed. “This isn’t your home! And what are you doin’ here?”
“Well, you kicked me out early yesterday, so of course I had to come back today!” Rei already made quick work getting over to the table and taking the drinks out.
“...Don’t ya have anything better to do than drink all day?” Rosho deadpanned.
“Hm, don’t get the wrong idea, Rosho. I’m a very busy man.” Rei took his coat off his shoulders and lay it neatly on the floor. “But I have to make time for my teammates as well!”
There it was again, that strange feeling Rosho couldn’t quite shake.
“Whatever, I don’t have time to listen to your excuses.” Rosho went back to looking down at his papers, avoiding eye contact with Rei who was now sitting right across from him. “Can’t ya see I’m busy right now?”
Rei snatched the papers up off the table. “Here, maybe I can help you then!”
Rosho yelled out in a panic. “Wh-What the hell do you think you’re doin’?!”
He leaped across the table to grab them back, but Rei stood up, holding the papers above his head to where Rosho couldn’t reach and dodging all his attempts to grasp him. Rei even made sure to stand on his tippy toes so he was just tall enough to evade Rosho’s arms.
“Hmm…” His eyes scanned over the worksheets. “Math sure has changed a lot since this old man was in high school… Guess I can’t help.”
With that, he dropped the papers. Rosho watched in horror as they fluttered to the floor in a mess. For a second he just stood there, processing the strange set of events that just occurred.
“You— What the hell do you think you’re doin’ barging in here unannounced and makin’ a huge mess?!” Rosho finally barked out.
“Hm...”
Rei surveyed the room in silence before unexpectedly bowing. “Yeah, my bad. I’ll clean it up then get out of here.”
Rosho stared wide-eyed as he bent down and started gathering all the papers up. When he picked the last one up, he set the stack neatly on the table and put his coat over his shoulders.
“W-Wait!” Rosho called out before he reached the doorway.
“Eh?” Rei turned around. “What, you want me to stay after all?” He had a playful smirk on his face, the usual expression one would expect from him.
“No, not that.” Rosho rolled his eyes. “But, I just wanted to ask… Where did you get that pudding from?”
“The pudding? Oh, it’s just from the convenience store.” Rei answered casually.
Rosho shook his head. “No, you can’t find this brand at the convenience store. They only sell it at this specific cafe as part of a collaboration. Isn’t it kinda far from here?”
Rei faltered, smile flickering before returning to the typical lopsided grin.
“Really? Guess it was a special sort of convenience store then. Anyways, I’ll let you get back to your grading, sensei. See you later!” He quickly waved goodbye then walked out the door.
Rosho was left alone, once again staring in silence at the door. He hadn’t imagined that, right? Rei was definitely lying, but why lie about such a thing in the first place? He couldn’t help but think about that first time Rei came over.
“If you think about it… everyone seeks for someone’s approval, don’t they? But for a certain someone to approve of you…”
Even back then he was acting mysterious. Rosho thought he just wanted to help him repair his relationship with Sasara, but what if there was more to it?
Rosho sighed and walked over to his kitchen, opening the fridge and grabbing the pudding. He decided now was a good time to eat it. Taking a spoon, he dipped it into the chilled pudding, finding it was soft yet firm.
For a second, he hesitated to take a bite, spoon hovering just in front of his mouth. It’s not like Rei poisoned it or something, it’s pudding. He’s a shady guy but not that shady. But, what if there was something more to this?
Still, Rosho steeled himself and took the bite. Immediately the sweet taste of caramel melted in his mouth and Rosho found himself smiling on instinct. To the average person, all pudding probably tastes the same. He’d tried to explain the differences to Sasara a thousand times, but he never really understood them. Rosho, however, is no average person when it comes to pudding. He could tell from the firmer texture and slightly bitter caramel on top which brought out the sweeter notes from the rest of the pudding that this truly was a much nicer brand than the usual convenience store pudding.
So, that meant this pudding was legit. But then why would Rei lie about its origins? If it were anyone else Rosho would probably assume he got embarrassed, but does Rei even know what embarrassment is? He walks around with his chest half out and flirts with every person he sees. He even had the audacity to wear sunglasses at night!
Rosho sighed, taking another bite of the pudding. He found its taste had been somewhat soured by his own clouded thoughts. Didn’t he trust Rei? He wanted to, right? But how could he when Rei couldn’t even be honest about the smallest things?
—
The next time Rei came over on his own was a week later. Of course, Rosho came home from work to find him and Sasara waiting there on some days, but it was never just Rei. However, this streak broke today when Rosho came home from work.
It was Friday, so tomorrow was the weekend. That usually meant Sasara and Rei would want to drink till dawn. To his surprise, however, he saw Rei standing outside his apartment door holding a grocery bag.
“Rei? Usually you’d just invite yourself in…” Rosho said slowly, voice laced with suspicion. “What’s up, did ya finally lose all those spare keys of yours?”
“Nah, I’ve still got ‘em.” Rei flashed him six copies of the keys, much to Rosho’s disappointment. “You see, I figured it’s pretty rude to always come in uninvited, so I figured today I’d wait for you!”
“You’re right, it is rude! So maybe stop comin’ over! And tell Sasara that too!”
Rei wrapped his arm around Rosho and pulled him close. “That’s not happening, but today I wanted to ask you an important question, so I decided to be extra nice just for today.”
He held up the grocery bag he had in his hand to show it off. “See? I even brought snacks today.”
Rosho rubbed his temples, already feeling a headache coming on.
“Fine, come in.” He pushed Rei off him to take out his house key and unlock the door.
“Yay! Thank you very much~!” Rei waltzed right in as if he owned the place.
Rosho sighed and followed him in. He should start charging Rei and Sasara rent seeing as they’re practically unpaid roommates at this point.
“So, about that question.” Rei had already gotten to work setting up the snacks. It looked like he’d bought some takoyaki. “Are you free tomorrow?”
“Me?” Rosho tilted his head to the side slightly. “Yeah, I believe I am. Why do you ask?”
“Perfect!” Rei had already made himself comfy on the floor. He grabbed a takoyaki with his chopsticks and took a bite. “Mmm! ‘S good!”
“Oh, really?” Rosho sat down across from him and eyed the takoyaki, suddenly realizing how hungry he was. He did just get off work after all, and they smelled awfully good, plus Rei had kindly offered—
“Wait!” He shook his head rapidly, snapping out of it. “Don’t avoid my question! Why are you asking?”
“Huh?” Rei was about to put another takoyaki in his mouth. “Oh! Right, sorry, I got so excited you said yes that I already wanted to celebrate! If you said no, this would’ve been apology takoyaki for bothering you.”
“I haven’t said yes to anything!”
“Well, I wanted to invite you to the aquarium tomorrow.”
Rosho relaxed himself. “Oh, is that all? You could’ve just texted me that.”
“Nonsense!” Rei pushed the takoyaki towards him. “That’s no fun at all.”
“You’re a real odd guy, ya know that?” Rosho muttered. “Fine, but isn’t Sasara doin’ some big interview tomorrow?”
Rei furrowed his brows. “What does Sasara have to do with this?”
“Wait, you wanted to go with just me?”
“Mhm.” Rei ate another takoyaki. “C’mon Rosho, they’re getting cold! I rushed here just to make sure they’d still be warm.”
“Oh, well cold takoyaki is no good— Wait, stop changin’ the subject!” Rosho banged his hands on the table. “Answer me properly!”
“I did answer. Why does Sasara have to be there?” Rei replied nonchalantly, focus mostly on the food in front of him rather than Rosho.
“Oh, well, uh…” Rosho trailed off. “I guess I’m not used to all three of us not being there.”
Rei nodded. “So, that’s a yes then?”
Rosho had a bad feeling about this.
“What’s with the sudden invite?” Rosho squinted his eyes with suspicion.
“Woah, why are we glaring daggers at me!” Rei raised his hands up defensively. “I just want to hang out with you, that’s all.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously!”
Rosho looked down at the ground, thinking for a few seconds. Part of him still felt wary, but the other part of him felt bad. Maybe Rei really did just want to hang out. Thinking about it, doesn’t he hang out one-on-one with Sasara pretty often?
“Fine.” Rosho conceded at last. “But there better not be anything weird there!”
“Yay!” Rei picked up a takoyaki with his chopsticks and shoved it in Rosho’s mouth.
“MMFF— Mmm…” Rosho chewed. “Mm, wow, these are really good!”
Rei grinned. “Right?”
“Yeah— WAIT!” Rosho swallowed before shouting. “Don’t just do that!”
“Well, it’s like you said. It’s no good cold and you were taking too long!”
Rosho scowled but finally started eating his share of the takoyaki. “Well, thank you for buying it. You know you didn’t have to buy me food just so I’d say yes, right?”
Rei grinned. “Yeah, but it’s funner when there’s a reward, right?”
After that, the rest of the day went smoothly. He told Rosho when they’d meet up tomorrow and acted casually the entire time. After a few hours of idle chitchat, he left, the image of his fur coat trailing out the door still fresh in Rosho’s mind. Nothing out of the ordinary, or so Rosho wants to tell himself. In truth, a mix of emotions was swirling inside him. Excitement, anxiety, suspicion, curiosity.
He examined his table, the mess of beer cans, chopsticks, and empty takoyaki boxes staring back at him. In a way he’d grown fond of the mess that littered his table everyday. It was a hassle to clean up, sure, but it was a physical reminder of the fun Dotsuitare Hompo had the night before. Now, however, that mess carried a different meaning. There was still fun attached to it, but darker intentions as well. Rosho sighed, gathering up the trash so he could throw it out. That half-eaten pudding was still sitting in his fridge, but for once Rosho wasn’t in the mood for it. There was still a sense of nausea lingering from the takoyaki.
—
Rosho arrived at the aquarium exactly on time. Unfortunately, that was a mistake, as Rei arrived half an hour late. Really it was to be expected, but Rosho always thought it was rude to show up to pre-planned events late. He should’ve figured Rei didn’t feel the same way.
“Sorry about that.” Rei walked up to him, holding his hat to his chest in apology. “Work got a bit busy.”
Rosho stared at him with doubt. “We both know you don’t have a real job…”
“You wound me!” Rei feigned pain, holding his hand to his chest as he put his hat on. “Well anyways, shall we go in?”
“Yeah, sure. Is there a specific exhibit you wanted to see?” Rosho questioned.
Rei shrugged. “I haven’t thought about it. But you can’t go to the aquarium without seeing the dolphin show, right?”
“What? Why’d you invite me if you didn’t even have a plan?”
“Fish galleries are just fun to visit!”
“F-Fish galleries? Did Sasara teach ya that one?!” Rosho recalled their duo days when they’d visit the aquarium together. He felt a strange feeling in his chest. Maybe one like nostalgia? Or perhaps it was longing. “Just say aquarium!”
Rei snickered. “Wow, Sasara wasn’t kidding when he said you hated that.”
“I knew it!”
“Well, where do you wanna go, Rosho? The dolphin show isn’t on till later.”
Rosho huffed and opened up the pamphlet they handed out when you walked in. He scanned the map inside until something caught his eye.
“Can we go look at where they keep the octopuses?”
Rei’s eyes grew slightly larger. “Woah, octopus? Are you so hungry you’re still thinking about the takoyaki from yesterday?”
“Of course not!” Rosho fumed. “I read a book about sea creatures recently and octopuses are really interesting! Did you know they’re colorblind? Yet they’re still able to mimic the color and texture of the things around them based on how the light and water bounces off it! How cool is that?”
Rei laughed. “Leave it to a teacher to stay so knowledgeable on all these little things! I think most people come to the aquarium to see the fish or feed the penguins. You might be the first person I’ve met fascinated by octopuses.”
Rosho felt his face grow warm and prayed his embarrassment wasn’t showing on his face. “R-Really? I don’t think it’s that weird. They wouldn’t keep them here if people weren’t interested in seeing them, right?”
“Of course, I’m just joking.” Rei chuckled. “We can go see the octopuses if that’s what you want.”
Rosho beamed widely, eyes sparkling brightly. “Okay, let’s go then!” He led the way as Rei lagged behind.
When they arrived, there weren’t many people around. Rosho didn’t care though. He was enamored by the octopus sitting in the tank. It wasn’t particularly large, but he was fascinated by the mesmerizing way its tentacles moved around as it shifted colors faintly. He recalled that octopus tentacles actually have a small cluster of nerves in each arm, so they’re able to move independently of each other. That explains their strange, hypnotic movement. Also, octopuses don’t have tentacles, they’re just considered arms.
A slimy yet highly intelligent creature capable of hiding anywhere and disguising itself so it can strike at the perfect moment before making a quick getaway; Who did that remind Rosho of? He glanced to the side and looked at Rei, who seemed busy reading the information plaque of the octopus. Rosho snickered to himself quietly.
“What are you laughing at?” Rei abruptly turned to him, causing Rosho to stumble backwards a step.
“Ah, n-nothing!” Rosho answered, stifling his laughter.
Rei narrowed his eyes, unamused, but didn’t continue questioning him on the matter. “Well, are you having fun looking at your octopus?”
Rosho nodded. “I think the way they move is really interesting!”
“Really?” Rei looked back at the octopus. “I see what you mean, I think. What a weird thing to say though.”
“R-Really? Well, whatever.” Rosho muttered, face feeling hot with embarrassment. He gave the octopus one final glance before moving on. “So, where should we go next?”
Rei opened the map and studied it for a moment. “They have a touch pool. Apparently they even have some small sharks you can touch.”
“Oh, really?” Rosho peered over Rei’s shoulder to see the map. “Let’s go there then! And after that we can go see the dolphin show!”
Rosho quickly made his way over to the touch pool while Rei took his sweet time following behind. When they got there, there were mostly children playing at it, their parents observing from behind. However, when they noticed Rei, they quickly grabbed their children and ushered them out of there, whispering something about how they saw a better exhibit to go to.
“That makes sense. I wouldn’t let my kids near a shady looking guy like Rei either…”
Well if Rei was bothered by it, he didn’t show it.
The two approached the shallow pool and peered into it. Sure enough, there were about four small sharks inside. Rosho looked at the information plaque to see what they were. It looked like they were called epaulette sharks. They were a gold color covered in bronze dark spots. Their appearance reminded him somewhat of a leopard.
He reached his hand into the pool, enjoying the feeling of the cool water. One of the sharks swam up to his hand, nuzzling its head against his palm. Surprisingly, it felt much rougher than Rosho had expected. Maybe he should look into these animals when he gets home. The book store probably had an entire book on sharks he could read.
As the shark glided away, Rosho looked over at Rei who had both hands in the pool. However when a shark would approach, he’d splash the water lightly and scare the sharks away. Once again, his usual smile was gone, replaced by a sullen face Rosho hadn’t seen before.
Rosho turned to face him. “Hey, why did you invite me to the aquarium?” he asked quietly, removing his wet hands from the pool. He could feel the water dripping onto his shoes but ignored it.
“Are you asking this again?” Rei raised an eyebrow. “I told you, I just want to hang out.”
“But you don’t seem like you’re having much fun. Do you even like the aquarium?”
“The aquarium is fine.” Rei paused for a second and grinned, removing both his hands from the pool. “Though, I guess maybe I’d rather be in a bar right now.”
“I’m being serious!” Rosho snapped. “Don’t you think… maybe this would be more enjoyable with Sasara?”
Rei’s smile fell. “Eh? Why say that?”
“Because Sasara is, y’know, Sasara!” Rosho was gesturing mindlessly, as if that would help get his point across. The water on his hands was being flung around wildly. “He’d easily be able to make a joke and you’d probably laugh and add onto it then I’d tell you both to shut up and you’d probably tell me I’m—”
“Rosho!” Rei shouted, cutting him off. “Is something wrong?” He looked and sounded scarily sincere, something Rosho wasn’t used to.
“No, there’s nothing wrong! At least, I don’t think there is? Or maybe there is something?” Rosho’s shoulders drooped in defeat. “I don’t know! You’re the one making it confusing!”
“...What are you rambling about?” Rei glared at him. “Rosho, answer seriously!”
Under normal circumstances Rosho would maybe laugh, noticing Rei parroting Rosho’s own words and actions from earlier. However, right now he was only focused on deciphering all of Rei’s words and actions up until this point. It was rare to see him so stern, but it’s not like everything before this was an act, right? Was this perhaps an act in itself?
Rosho took a deep breath, feeling hot under Rei’s worried yet serious gaze. All the fears he felt earlier were rushing back to him, but if there’s one thing Rosho hated, it’s running from his problems. He steeled himself and asked steadily. “I.. What’s your plan here? Like, what are ya getting outta this?”
Rei stared blankly at him. “Excuse me?”
“You want somethin’ from me, don’t ya?!” Rosho spat out loudly, the confusion and anger spilling out like an overflowing sink. “That’s why you keep comin’ over by yourself and bringin’ all these presents and tryin’ to do things I like!”
Rei was stunned into silence for a second. Rosho gazed into his mismatched eyes, searching for some sort of hint as to how he may be feeling. Anger? Shame? Guilt? Instead, however, a quiet laugh escaped Rei’s mouth, until it escalated into a loud cackle.
“Pft, hahaha!” He was bent over laughing, clutching his stomach. “Wait, is that what you’ve been thinking this entire time?”
Now it was Rosho’s turn to stare in silence. “Wha– Yes! Why are ya laughin’?”
Rei let out a few more chuckles before taking a deep breath and wiping a tear. “Hoo! Sorry, it’s just funny. I thought you’d have a little more faith in me.”
“...What are you talkin’ about?”
Rei smiled at him. Not his usual playful smirk, but a sincere, warm smile. “Rosho, let me tell you something. You can choose to believe me or not, but I never try to trick my friends.”
Rosho hit him with a cold stare. “Well that’s a lie. Just the other day you tricked me into thinkin’ you opened your own ramen shop!”
Rei chuckled. “I mean I’d never try to scam you for real! That’s just a harmless prank. Aren’t you accusing me of something more?”
“Well, yeah…” Rosho murmured. “But, then, why would ya lie about that pudding?”
“The what?”
“The pudding!” Rosho repeated louder. “I know you went to that cafe to get it, not a convenience store!”
Rei seemed taken aback. “You’re still thinking about that stupid pudding?”
“Obviously! There’s no reason to lie about such a stupid thing in the first place!”
Rei sighed. “I just wanted to get you a present, but if I told you where it’s from, you would’ve felt like you owed me something, and that’s just annoying.”
“What…?”
“C’mon, I’ve noticed it! Whenever Sasara buys you something nice you always feel the need to get something nice for him in return.”
“I-I just don’t wanna feel indebted to people!” Rosho sputtered out. “There’s nothin’ wrong with that!”
“I never said there was! But you can still accept a present every once in a while, right? I went out of my way to get that pudding because I knew you’d like it. I don’t want anything in return for it.”
Rosho stared at him in disbelief. “B-But, then, why would you invite me to the aquarium?”
“Are we still on this?! I. Wanted. To. Hang. Out.” Rei carefully emphasized every word, the spaces between them feeling like a stab to Rosho’s heart.
“But wouldn’t you rather hang out with Sasara? I mean, you have lots of fun with him. Compared to Sasara, I know I’m a borin’ guy.” Rosho suddenly found himself avoiding eye contact with Rei, feeling a burning feeling on his cheeks again.
“Oh, so that’s what this is.” Rei said under his breath.
“What does that mean?!”
“Look, Rosho, I like Sasara a lot. I have fun when I’m with him, but I think we can both agree he’s really annoying sometimes.”
“Woah, wait—”
“I mean, have you seen how many texts I get from him asking me if his new joke is funny? It’s usually never funny!”
Oh, yeah. Sasara does do that. Rosho sometimes blocked him for a few minutes just to get him to stop.
“I like Sasara,” Rei continued. “And there’s things I like about him that you just don’t have. But in the same way, there’s things I like a lot about you that Sasara just doesn’t have.”
“R-Really…?”
“Sure! You’re a smart and serious guy. You’re honest, a bit of a hothead, and care a lot about your students. Plus you have really funny comebacks!”
Rosho lingered in his place, unmoving as he took everything in. Rei was still smiling, but Rosho could tell there was a strange strain in his face, as if there was something tugging his smile down.
“I’m so sorry, Rei.” Rosho finally apologized. “I wanted to trust you, but in the end I just couldn’t. I’m terrible!”
Rei waved him off. “It’s nothing, Rosho. I know how I present myself, so I don’t blame you.”
“Then why does it seem like you’re upset?”
“Upset?” Rei’s eyebrows raised slightly.
“I can see it on your face, and I’ve seen it before too, like when I asked you about that pudding. If you’re upset, I want to hear about it.” Rosho took a step forward, getting closer to Rei. “If I can trust you then you can trust me too, right?”
Rei’s smile waned. “Is that so? Well…” he paused to find his words. “I guess I’m a little upset. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hurt that you thought I was trying to trick you.”
Rosho hummed an acknowledgement, pausing to see if he’d say anything more.
“Well,” Rei plastered a smile over his face again. “Like I said, I can’t blame ya! My fault for doing things that made you doubt me!”
Rosho narrowed his eyes, silently urging Rei to go on.
Rei took note. He took a deep breath as his face melted into sincerity once more. “You don’t have to fully trust me, Rosho. That’s not my goal here. “I…” He paused, taking his time finding his words. “I have a lot of plans. Plans I can’t tell you yet, but one day I will. Till then, you don’t have to second guess everything I do, yeah? Believe it or not, sometimes I like to just have fun with my friends.”
Rosho closed his eyes, understanding that these cryptic words are probably as much as he’d get from Rei for today. It was a lot more than he’d usually get, so he felt satisfied. “Yeah, I’m sorry. This whole thing could’ve been solved way sooner if I just said something earlier.”
Rei maneuvered himself behind Rosho and shook him by the shoulders. “Well, that whole thing is worked out now, so why the long face? Shouldn’t we be heading to that dolphin show soon?”
“Woah, woah, woah!” Rosho’s voice wobbled. “Stop shakin’ me!”
Rei let go with a laugh. Rosho turned to look at him, seeing that he seemed to have returned to his usual self. He knew that the path to getting to know Rei, the real Rei, would be a long one, but today felt like a big step in the right direction. Rosho simply grinned at him and nodded.
“Yeah, let’s go!” Rosho was already bounding towards their destination.
Rei smiled and followed behind quickly. “Finally, we’re getting to the funnest part of the aquarium! I can’t lie, I was getting bored.”
“I knew it!” Rosho yelled out.
“Sorry, I just wanted to do something I knew you’d like~” Rei mewed out an apology, clearly not sorry at all. “This old man’ll make it up to you later. I love the dolphin show though, I swear!”
The two quickly headed to the outdoors area where they held the dolphin shows, the final part of their long day.
—
“That was fun!” Rosho exclaimed as they left the aquarium.
Rei nodded. “Mhm, dolphins these days can do some pretty impressive tricks! Wasn’t expecting to be seated in the splash zone, though.” He squeezed his bangs, trying to wring the water out of his drenched hair. It was funny seeing his usually bouncy, wavy hair being weighed down with water. The image of a wet cat popped into Rosho’s mind.
“Well we could’ve moved seats. The second you walked in half the parents got up and took their children out sayin’ they can watch the next show.” Rosho’s own bangs clung awkwardly to his forehead. However with his slicked back hairstyle, the wet hair wasn’t too much of an annoyance for him. What he did hate, though, was the feeling of his wet clothes clinging to him. “I didn’t think we’d get this soaked!”
Rei scoffed. “If parents have a bad impression of me, that's on them! Besides, sitting there is the best view.”
Rosho rolled his eyes, though the smile on his face betrayed his true feelings. “I guess you’re right. I don’t agree in judging others based on appearance, after all.”
Rei smirked before shaking his head like a dog, water droplets splashing all over Rosho.
“H-Hey!” Rosho raised his hand to retort but paused. Usually Rosho would yell at him, but it seemed today was a day for hesitation. Maybe it was the conversation from earlier, or maybe it was from all the fun he had today, but Rosho felt as giddy as a school boy. He simply sighed and broke into laughter, the unusual sight causing Rei to look with shock for a split second.
Before he could say anything about it, however, Rosho turned to him and bowed, droplets dripping from his bangs to the ground.
“Thank ya so much for inviting me! I had a really good time today.”
Rei just looked at him for a second. “..What the hell are you doing?”
“Wha–” Rosho jerked his head up and stared at him with annoyance. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?!”
“You’re really giving me this sincere thanks for asking you to hang out with me?” Rei gave him a quizzical look, hands on his hips.
Rosho stuttered through his words while he stalled to think. “W-Well! Uhhh… Y-Yeah, I guess I am..?”
Rei sighed and wrapped his arm around Rosho. It made a squelching noise since the two were still soaking wet. “Rosho, we’re gonna be hanging out a lot more after this little meetup. You gonna go out of your way to thank me everytime?”
Rosho’s eyebrows perked up as his eyes widened. He guessed in all this mess it hadn’t occurred to him that today was normal. Something that would happen over and over again.
“Hm, yeah, I won’t be!” he decided. “In fact, next week, I’ll take you somewhere so we can be even!”
“Sounds good to me!” Rei let go and kept walking forward. “But for now, how about we head out for a drink, yeah?”
Rosho followed behind him. “Seriously? We’re totally drenched right now! At least let us dry off!” He couldn’t help but notice the trail of droplets Rei left behind as they dripped off his wet hair. Would they even let you in the bar with that?
“No need for that.” Rei shrugged it off. “Let’s just go with the flow, right?” Saying that, he had a terribly large grin on his face, like it was the smuggest thing he’d ever said.
Rosho went stone-faced after hearing that terrible joke. “You don’t need to start making jokes like Sasara…”
“Was it really that bad?”
“Absolutely!”
“Well water you waiting for, then? Tell me what was wrong with it!"
“I don’t think I’ll even dignify that one with a response..”
As the two walked to wherever it was they were headed, probably a bar, their banter faded into the distance. Despite his snarky remarks, Rosho left feeling better than when he arrived. Rei was still a puzzle in his mind, but he’s not someone who needs to be solved. In time the pieces will come together, and all Rosho can do is have trust and wait. After all, they’re friends. Maybe next week Rosho will invite him to the new ramen shop he saw opened up recently.