Archive of Our Own

This shift is just as boring as any other. People walk in and out every half an hour, Otoya repeats his same three to four lines, and then he’s back to staring into space. At this point in his shift, his social media timelines hold nothing new for him to see. This is totally not hyping him up. Otoya sighs as he fights the urge to crawl into one of the empty skate cubbies and fall asleep. He’s been working here for a while, Karasu got him the job after he got sick of Otoya complaining that he had no money. It isn’t too bad, despite how mind-numbingly boring it is. Rollerskating is surprisingly fun and he’s good at it, plus the job is easy. Still, when he’s working the counter, the only thing he has to look forward to is seeing pretty women—and today, there is a severe lack of them. It turns out most girls that come into roller-skating rinks are either with their boyfriends or much too young for him. Maybe all the older girls are at the ice skating rinks.

He glances behind him over to Karasu who is leaning against the wall scrolling on his phone. “I’m so bored.”

“Boo hoo,” Karasu says, not bothering to look up. “Why don’tcha make yerself useful and go clean the bathrooms or somethin’ then?”

“Not gonna happen,” Otoya says.

“Then shut yer mouth.”

Otoya groans and looks away. He watches as the seconds on the clock tick on and on, trying his best to tune out the sound of the same ten songs that play on loop every shift. Lavinho has got to change that, seriously, it’s been months. He also has got to stop letting Bachira pick the music, it’s all so corny. His eyes drift back towards the rink when he notices a girl with long pink—or maybe red hair—talking to her friend as they wait in front of the counter. Score.

Otoya practically trips over himself when he starts towards them. As he gets closer, he realizes the girl is pretty tall. Not unusually so, but Otoya’s never dated a girl the same height as him. Her face is turned away for the most part, but her sharp jawline is visible where her hair is braided down on one side. Otoya just knows she’s gorgeous, he feels it in his soul. These things get easier to predict the more you talk to women, after all.

“Hey, sorry for the wait. What can I do for you?” He watches in anticipation as she turns around, eyes wide ever so slightly as if she wasn’t expecting an employee to come up.

“It’s fine. Can I get size 26.5 skates? And he’ll get uhm-”

“Size 27.5, please.” Otoya is too stunned at the sound of the redhead’s voice to speak for a few seconds. This is unexpected. Her—or well his…eyebrows raise a bit at the lack of response and Otoya quickly comes back to his senses, throwing out a quick ‘of course’ before nodding stiffly and turning to get the skates they asked for. If he stuttered when he said it, that’s not anybody’s business. Having overheard the two, Karasu is already prepared with the first pair of skates in his hands. He holds it out to Otoya and goes to grab the other pair once he takes them. The girl isn’t a girl at all! He feels lightheaded. Doing everything in his power to collect himself, Otoya turns to hand the redhead his skates. Behind him, Karasu is already holding the other pair out to the friend.

“Thanks.” The redhead walks away with a polite nod and Otoya’s eyes follow him for far longer than what’s probably considered appropriate. When he gains his senses, he turns to Karasu, mouth agape and face slightly flushed. How can a guy even be that pretty? This might be a problem.

“Karasu,” he says weakly, almost breathless.

“What’s with the dumbass look on yer face?”

“Did you see him?” Otoya raises his eyebrows, nudging his head toward the redhead’s fleeing body incredulously.

Karasu scoffs, “One pretty boy turn ya gay or somethin’?”

“Well no, I’ll always like girls,” Otoya says matter-of-factly, “but that guy is literally the prettiest person I’ve ever seen.”

“And yer attracted to him,” Karasu deadpans.

“No- Yes? I guess that does make me gay…” he says before pausing. “Huh.”

“Seriously?” Karasu laughs, “That was way too easy, man.”

“He’s just…” Otoya turns to search the rink for the other man, quickly landing on his bright pink hair. He’s holding onto the person next to him. Is that his boyfriend? They’re not particularly close or anything, but it could be a first date. Wait, is this guy even gay? He does have long hair and he looks kinda feminine…But that could mean nothing, maybe. His friend—he hopes that’s all he is—has purple hair. Not a good sign. Pink and purple hair is basically matching and if it’s on purpose they’re definitely dating. Ugh, not good at all. It wouldn’t be the first time he’s gone for someone taken before but that guy is way taller than him. Otoya might be a player, but he’s a smart player. He only approaches girls with boyfriends he can take a punch from. He learned that lesson a long time ago.

Karasu elbows him in the ribs. “Stop starin’ ya dunce.”

“Ow.” Otoya rubs the spot he hit, still not taking his eyes off his newfound man crush. “He doesn’t know how to skate.”

“And?” Karasu sends him a skeptical look.

Like it’s the most obvious thing in the world, Otoya replies. “And…I can help him.”

“Pftt, I think the six foot dude next to ‘im has that handled.”

“No look.” Both of them watch as the two seem to start bickering and the purple haired one skates off laughing, leaving the other to clutch at the wall.

“Yer not supposed’ta leave the counter, ‘Toya.”

“I’ll convince Bachira to switch with me,” he says, eyes still locked onto where the other is standing, obviously struggling to keep steady.

Karasu crosses his arms, watching as Otoya quickly toes off his shoes. “Wow, yer desperate.”

Otoya rushes to the back to fetch his rollerblades and starts putting them on as Karasu laughs above him, “Don’t care, this is why I get chicks and you don’t.”

“Not a girl, remember?” he says.

Otoya ignores him as he gets up, waving his hand dismissively, “Same difference.”

“Definitely not,” Karasu drawls. “Do you even know how to flirt with a guy?”

“Can’t hear youuu,” Otoya says, walking off towards the rink. He’d get Bachira to switch with him somehow. It doesn’t usually take much to convince that guy. He watches as Bachira skates around the rink despite the fact that there aren’t too many people here today. He could just be standing around, but instead, Bachira is busy skating and showing off his fancy footwork to a group of kids, even trying to teach a couple. It’s almost impressive how much energy he has, Otoya hardly skates most shifts he’s assigned with rink duty. Usually he stands against the wall only half paying attention until someone either needs his help—or a pretty girl comes in. He likes skating and all, but when he’s here every other day, it loses some of its appeal.

“Hey, Bachira!” Otoya shouts over the shitty music, drawing the other boy’s attention. Bachira's head whips around, a large smile ever-so-present on his face.

“Eita-kun!” He greets. He rolls over toward the wall and leans over to place his arms on top of it. “What’s up?”

He flicks his eyes over to his new love interest and then back to Bachira. “Can we switch assignments?”

“Huh?” Bachira tilts his head, “Why though, something happen?”

“My friend’s here. I told them I’d help them learn if they visited.” Otoya is almost surprised at how easily he comes up with that.

“Oh, okay! We can switch.”

“Thanks man,” Otoya holds his hand out and they exchange a quick high five as he steps in to take Bachira’s place. He finds the striking sight of bright pink hair easily. Even while shuffling stiffly with his hand hovering near the comforting sturdiness of the wall, he didn’t look any less gorgeous. How is it even possible for a man to look like this? He skates around him easily, holding out his arm once he’s in front.

“Want some help?”

“I’m fine,” he snips out, eyes narrowing and flitting to the side. Otoya follows his gaze to his friend, who seems to be having the time of his life. He must be pissed off. Were they on a date? If they were, the dude is a total ass.

“That supposed to be your boyfriend?”

“What?” his eyebrows furrow together. “God no, Reo—he’s my friend.”

“My bad,” Otoya holds his hand out again. “Good news for me, though.”

The other looks him up and down, one hand settling on his hip, decidingly not accepting Otoya’s silent offer. The way the fabric of his cardigan shifts under his hand, Otoya notices the slight curve of his waist. “And what is that supposed to mean?”

“Means I have one less person to compete with,” Otoya says simply. “Let me teach you how to skate and you can show your friend he’s nothing special.”

“Shouldn’t you be watching to make sure no kids get hurt or something?” He scoffs.

Otoya can get behind a guy with a bit of an attitude. This will make things all the more interesting. “Well, I’m making sure your pretty face doesn’t get hurt first, princess. Then, I can do that.”

He clicks his tongue, “Don’t call me ‘princess.’ My name’s Chigiri.”

“Pretty name for a pretty guy. I’m Otoya.” He tries again, offering both of his hands this time. “You gonna let me teach you now?”

Otoya can practically hear the way Chigiri’s eyes roll, but the other finally relents and takes his hands in his own. “If you waste my time, I’m leaving a bad review.”

“Guess I’ll have to make sure that doesn’t happen then.” Otoya tries to ignore how good Chigiri smells as he explains the basics of skating. He wonders vaguely if it’s perfume, or maybe his shampoo. He slowly begins to push himself backwards, encouraging Chigiri to start moving forward.

“Bend your knees a bit and lean forward,” he instructs.

Chigiri says nothing but follows the directions, slowly getting used to the motion of pushing off from one foot and then the other. His steps are small, feet hardly leaving the ground with each push, but it’s better to start with that than nothing at all.

“Spread your legs a little more,” Otoya says. “Should be like shoulder-width.”

Chigiri listens, steps becoming a little more confident when he does.

“There you go. Not too hard, right?” Otoya takes advantage of the fact that Chigiri is laser focused on his own feet, shamelessly staring at his face.

“Are you usually this helpful with all your customers?” He asks, tone teasing.

Otoya shrugs, “Only if they’re as beautiful as you.”

“So you do this for any guy you find attractive then?” Chigiri says, lifting his eyes up from his feet for the first time since they started.

“You’re the first actually,” Otoya says, which is technically not a lie. Usually he did this for girls only.

“Yeah, right.” Chigiri huffs out a laugh. He’s genuinely gorgeous, even more so when he’s this close. His hair is shinier than any girls, his skin is flawless, and his eyelashes—they’re almost unnaturally long. The cherry on top is his smell. Otoya’s never met anyone who smelled so strongly of strawberries. Underneath it all, there’s a hint of something more muted—maybe vanilla? It doesn’t really matter, but it’s intoxicating. He never thought such a basic scent could be so addicting. He watches how Chigiri’s furrowed eyebrows slowly relax and his steps gain balance. He learns pretty quickly.

“Let’s go a little faster,” Otoya says, not waiting for the other’s response as he increases his speed.

“Finally,” Chigiri says. “I was getting bored.”

“Can’t let that happen. My boss will get mad if you leave a bad review.”

“Hah,” Chigiri gives a short laugh. “I’m surprised you haven’t gotten any with your shameless flirting.”

Otoya shrugs, “Just proves I don’t do this too often.”

“What happened to me being the first, lover boy?” Chigiri smirks at him. It’s so different from anything he’s experienced while flirting with a girl. Usually they’d get shy and act all flustered. He’ll have to see what it takes to fluster Chigiri—he’d definitely look cute blushing.

“The first guy,” Otoya supplies simply.

“Oh,” Chigiri raises an eyebrow. “What, you don’t usually swing this way?”

“I’d swing in any direction for you,” he says with a wink.

Chigiri stares at him blankly, clearly unimpressed. “Really?”

“What, don’t believe me?”

Chigiri doesn’t break eye-contact, pupils searching for something in Otoya’s own. He thinks it could be intimidating if his eyes weren’t so beautiful. “If you’re trying to convince yourself that I’m ‘close enough’ to a girl just cause I have long hair and a pretty face you’ll be very disappointed.”

“Happens to you a lot or something?” Otoya tilts his head, “I’m not convincing myself of anything, you’re a guy—I know that.”

“Hm.” Chigiri keeps quiet for a bit.

“Want to try without holding on to me?” If he could, he’d never let go of Chigiri’s hands, but he kind of has to if he wants to properly teach him how to skate. Not that that’s his main goal in the first place.

“Yeah, I’ve had enough of you.”

Otoya raises his eyebrows but takes no offense as he withdraws his hands, "Feisty."

“Shut up,” Chigiri says. “You’re insufferable.”

Otoya continues skating backwards in front of Chigiri. He’s doing well without his support, even going at a decent pace. “But I’m a good teacher, right?”

“It is your job,” Chigiri retorts.

“I’m just an attendant, not an instructor.”

Chigiri huffs, “Could’ve fooled me. Go attend to the people, then.”

“Want me gone that bad?” Otoya smirks.

“I could just go faster without you in my way.”

“Oho~ is that so?” Otoya turns his foot, spinning around and gliding over so that he’s at Chigiri’s side instead of in front of him. “I’ll make sure to see how much faster you can go while I ‘attend to people’ then.”

Every part of his being wants to keep his eyes on Chigiri. Unfortunately for him, he does technically need to do his job. If any kids get injured under his watch, it’d be a problem—especially because he took Bachira’s place when he’s supposed to be working the counter. All he can hope for is that Chigiri doesn’t leave before he gets the chance to get his number.

He sets off and begins to skate around the rink, checking on any kids who fall and helping those who seem to be having a hard time. Still, he can’t help but spare a few glances Chigiri’s way. He and his friend are skating side by side. They look really invested in whatever conversation they’re having and the smile on Chigiri’s face causes Otoya to lose track of where he is and almost crash into several children all huddled together in a group. He leans over to make sure they’re all alright—something he normally wouldn’t bother to do. They are of course, but he needs to make sure Chigiri knows he’s good with kids, just in case he’s into that. Are men into that? This is uncharted territory for Otoya, he’s never had to impress a man before.

He looks up, catching Chigiri’s eyes. To his side, Otoya notices his friend is also turned his way, and he fights a smile. Their brief eye-contact is broken however, as the redhead snaps his head away and not so discreetly hits his friend, drawing his attention away as well.

Well, at least that’s no different than a girl. Maybe he should’ve waited a bit to ask Karasu more about talking to guys. He doesn’t have much luck in that department though, so he doubts anything he could’ve told him would be helpful. When it comes to girls, Otoya can typically sort them into one of multiple pre-set categories. You’ve got the shy girls. They respond best to compliments and light skinship. These are the easiest to please in Otoya’s expert opinion. Then you’ve got the hard-to-get girls. For them, the way to win their affection is to keep up with the chase, which means giving them attention and asking them out even after they brush you off the first few times. Lastly, and probably the hardest to win over, are the high-end girls. They want gifts and a man who can pay for the date and then still take them out shopping after.

Although Chigiri isn’t a girl, he could probably fit into the ‘hard to get’ category. The trickiest part when dealing with this archetype is treading the line between coming off as interested rather than obsessive. No one finds a desperate guy attractive—unless they’re an ultra sadist, but Otoya isn’t into that type.

In the corner of his eye, Otoya notices a flash of pink and purple speeding past him. What the hell? He spins his head around to follow the movement, surprised to see Chigiri and his friend racing across the rink. As they’re nearing the other end, Chigiri starts to lose his balance, stumbling a bit before falling dramatically to the ground. Without even thinking, Otoya’s pushing against the ground to set off in the redhead’s direction. He almost wants to laugh at how ridiculous the scene is, but if Chigiri does fit into the category he’s decidedly sorted him into—laughing would guarantee failure in obtaining his number.

“You goo–” Otoya stops mid-sentence. Below him, Chigiri’s shoulders are slightly shaking as he pushes himself off the ground. Panic bubbles in his chest. Is he hurt? The fall didn’t look that bad. Then, the redhead bursts into laughter. Otoya looks over at his friend, who’s wearing a similarly confused expression before he starts laughing as well. What the hell is happening?

Chigiri grabs his out-stretched hand, still laughing as he pulls himself up. “Thanks.”

“Jeez, Princess. I thought you were seriously hurt for a second.”

“I’m not as fragile as you think,” Chigiri rolls his eyes, stepping back once he’s on his feet. “And didn’t I already tell you not to call me princess?”

“How about my liege?”

He scoffs, “That might be worse.”

Otoya notices Reo roll up beside them, crossing his arms with a shit-eating grin. “How does it feel to lose at your own game?”

“Wow you beat someone who’s never skated before in a race.”

“But now I can say I beat The Chigiri Hyouma in a race,” Reo says. “Plus you had your new man to teach you, I was all alone.”

“My new—shut up, you asshole! Not everyone learns as fast as you.” His face flushes red and Otoya almost wants to turn and thank Reo for giving him the opportunity to see such a beautiful sight.

“Awww, and here I thought you were starting to like me. I was even gonna teach you some more of my skills,” Otoya teases.

Chigiri raises his eyebrow, “Didn’t realize there was more for you to teach.”

“There’s a lot,” Otoya says with a wink. “I can give you a private lesson sometime if you’re interested.”

“Oh, what a generous offer, I’d take that if I were you, Hyouma.”

“He told me he was just an attendant. I don’t know if I believe him.”

“I’m a flexible person,” Otoya justifies.

“Hm,” Chgiri seems to weigh his options. “I don’t know…your coworker seemed a bit more fancy with his footwork. Didn’t he Reo?”

“Hm, yeah that’s true.”

Otoya smirks, “You guys haven’t seen anything from me yet. Unlike Bachira I’m not a fan of showing off on the clock.”

Chigiri and Reo exchange a look. It’s almost intimidating—Otoya isn’t used to meeting the best friend so early on in his courting stage. It’s as if they have a whole conversation in the span of three seconds before Chigiri’s gaze settles back on him.

“Impress me before we leave, and maybe we’ll see about those private lessons.”

“Challenge accepted.” If anything is going to encourage Otoya to go above and beyond, it’s a challenge. Especially when that challenge is practically dangling a date with the most beautiful man he’s ever laid eyes on right in front of his face. “Pay close attention, ‘kay?”

He wastes no time showing off, skating backwards away from them. Despite the fact that he’s not moving forward, he continues placing one foot in front of the other, causing a visual effect similar to moonwalking. He blows Chigiri a kiss, chuckling when the other man rolls his eyes. It doesn’t matter if he acts unimpressed, Otoya knows deep down he thinks it’s cool, the way his eyes follow him and the way Reo’s eyes widen prove that any novice skater would find the trick cool. Especially if it’s their first time seeing it.

He crosses one foot over the other in quick succession, upping his speed as he continues to glide backwards. When he turns, he shifts his weight onto the opposite edges of his skates, performing a crossover and spinning until he's moving forward with both skates in line with each other. He does this move multiple times in quick succession, allowing himself to switch between skating forwards and backwards in a sort of dance. It’s actually a move Bachira taught him. At least that will show Chigiri he can keep up.

With a final spin, he balances his weight solely on the front wheels of both skates, casting a look over to Chigiri as he slows his pace. He smirks at the way the other’s eyes follow him across the rink, switching his stance so that only his heel of his right foot and toe of his left are touching the ground. He strikes a small pose like, staying in place before he brings his legs closer together and spins around a few times.

All that simple stuff is probably already enough to impress him, but Otoya isn’t trying to let Bachira outshine him. He can’t just steal his tricks and settle with that. He has to do something only he can do. He considers his choices for a moment. What would impress him the most? He does a few crossovers as he thinks, carving to turn so that he’s going backwards once again. This might be a little risky with kids around, but there aren’t that many anyway. Otoya looks over his shoulder, making sure his path is relatively open before skating with his back foot balancing on its front wheel and his front foot flat on the ground. He bends his knees until he’s squatting in this position, slowly extending his front leg and leaning backwards. He continues this until his body is as low as it can get, with his head nearly grazing the floor. He feels his shirt ride up and he thanks whatever divine being just gave him a chance to show off his abs without even intending to. Once Otoya deems he’s shown off long enough, he lifts himself back up and stands straight.

Damn, it’s been a while since he’s skated like that. The rush of adrenaline gets his heart pumping, and when he looks around to find Chigiri he notices Karasu shaking his head behind the counter. The smirk on his face proves he doesn’t actually disapprove, no matter how much he’s trying to act like he does. Chigiri, on the other hand, is failing to hide his amazement, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. Beside him, Reo whistles.

Otoya moves to skate back towards the two, but is interrupted by a few kids who have rushed in front of him.

“Woah mister! You’re so cool, show me how to do that!”

“Wait, me first,” another kid blurts, pushing his way in front of the other.

Otoya laughs, ruffling one of the kid’s heads before putting his finger to his mouth. “I can’t reveal my tricks, but how about I teach you how to skate backwards first, then maybe you can figure the rest out by yourself?”

“Awww, okay,” he sighs, but pays rapt attention as Otoya shows them how to position their feet. It takes a few moments, but after a bit, they start to get it. He wouldn’t exactly call what they’re doing skating, still, they were definitely going backwards. Once the kids are sufficiently distracted trying to master this new skill, Otoya sneaks away back to Chigiri who is standing alone near the opening in the rink’s wall.

“Nice tricks you’ve got there,” he says.

“Just nice?” Otoya asks, leaning forward with a smirk.

“It was impressive,” he admits. “Maybe I’ll let you teach me sometime.”

Otoya is almost too overjoyed to function but he reels himself in. He can celebrate later when he’s not in front of the man he’s trying to woo. “I knew you’d come around.”

Chigiri crosses his arms, a pretty smile resting on his lips. “Well, are you gonna ask for my number now?”

“Wh- Yes!” Otoya reaches for his phone faster than he has in his entire life, almost dropping it in the process. Damn, that was totally uncool just now.

“Someone’s excited,” Chigiri laughs, maintaining eye contact as he takes his phone from his hands and types in his number. He drops it back in Otoya’s waiting grasp, looking behind him toward Reo who has already made his way over to the counter to return his skates.

“I’ll see you then,” he waves, stepping out of the rink.

“Don’t miss me too much.”

“Hah,” Chigiri laughs, “I think I’ll manage.”

Otoya watches his fleeing form, completely entranced. His eyes don’t leave him once, not even as he switches into his everyday shoes and walks through the double doors to leave the building. Pink hair and shining eyes linger in Otoya’s mind—the image his brain conjures is completely lackluster compared to the real thing, but he lingers there just to see him for a little longer.

His phone buzzes against his palm, not having left his hand since Chigiri handed it back. He clicks on his screen and sees Chigiri’s name above a short message.

Otoya watches as Chigiri’s bubble appears and disappears a few times. He wasn’t expecting a text this fast—he didn’t even realize Chigiri had sent a message to himself before giving his phone back in the first place, so he thought he’d be the first to start their conversation. Did he want to go out after his shift? That has to be why he asked when it's over. Otoya waits a few more moments, eyes locked on his phone like it will run away if he lets it out of his sight, but Chigri stops typing completely.

He needs to come up with something. Maybe he can just come back here after closing and they can start the private lessons early. That is, if he can convince Lavinho to let him do that. His boss is pretty chill when it comes to protocols.

Well now he has to convince Lavinho no matter what. The universe has to be on his side today. Not only is he working with the two people most likely to deal with his shit, but Lavinho is in office today, rather than one of the other managers. He waves over at Bachira, who perks up and makes a series of hand gestures that Otoya can only assume is meant to ask if he’s ready to switch back, so he sends him a thumbs up. Bachira hops up with a grin on his face, rushing to grab his shoes and settle down on a bench.

“Did your friend leave?” Bachira asks once he walks over, glancing over Otoya’s shoulder.

“Yup, you can take over again. You’re the best, Bachira-chan.”

“Hooray! I was getting bored over there.”

“Whoosh,” Otoya says as he slides past the other boy. He walks back towards the counter and stops in front of it. “I’m gonna go talk to Lavinho real quick.”

Karasu raises his eyebrow and waves him away, “Always anything but doin’ yer job.”

“Not like there’s anything to do,” Otoya throws back, heading towards Lavinho’s office. The door is cracked open, so he peaks his head in. At his desk, Lavinho is tapping a beat with his fingers. The music in his headphones is so loud, Otoya can distinctly hear all the lyrics. Even he doesn’t wanna listen to the shitty playlist he threw together.

“Yo,” Otoya calls out after Lavinho fails to notice him. He watches Lavinho continue to drum away at the desk, completely absorbed in his solo performance. Usually he’s not the type to interrupt someone’s fun, but he does really need to talk to him if he wants to avoid having to cancel the plans, so he walks further in and speaks again. “Heyyy.”

“Woah, ‘sup lil dude,” Lavinho startles, pulling his headphones off.

“I offered someone private lessons and I was wondering if I can use the rink after closing for it,” he explains. Lavinho is about to respond before he continues. “I know it’s a big ask, but I swear I’ll make sure everything is perfect at the end of the night.”

“Private lessons?” Lavinho asks, casting a suspicious look his way. “What, you trying to woo some girl or something in my skating rink?”

“Well, a guy actually but–”

“Woah, that's new.”

“But we’re not gonna do anything weird, please.” Begging is totally uncool. This better work or else he’ll have lost aura points for nothing.

“Hm…” Lavinho trails off. “Why should I let you?”

“‘Cuz I’m your favorite employee?”

Lavinho bursts out laughing, hitting his desk multiple times. He settles down after a second, but when he makes eye-contact with Otoya, he starts wheezing once again. Damn he didn’t think it was that funny.

“None of you guys are my favorite,” he says, wiping a tear from his eye. “But if I had to choose, it’d be Bachira anyway. I guess you can stay here, but you get two hours, and if anything isn’t as it should be tomorrow morning, you’re fired.”

Yeesh…harsh much? Otoya salutes him anyway, if that’s the risk, he’s willing to take the chance. “Ay ay, boss.”

“Now get out of my face. I was in the zone.” Lavinho doesn’t even wait for him to leave before putting his headphones back on, completely absorbed with his performance once again.

Otoya huffs out a laugh and leaves his office. What a weird guy. No matter how many times he interacts with him, he never gets used to his eccentricities. Not even Bachira is that bad. Once he gets to the counter, Karasu is already leaning over it, seemingly waiting for his return.

“So?”

“‘So’ what?”

“Well obviously ya got the number, ‘cause yer not sulkin’,” Karasu starts. “I’m guessin’ that has somethin’ to do with yer conversation with Lavinho.”

“Ding ding ding!” He waves his fingers in the air.

“I can’t believe yer dumbass actually managed that. He’s way outta yer league.”

Otoya smirks, “If you’re jealous I can teach you my techniques, man. I even got Lavinho to let me use the rink after close to give him some private lessons.”

“I don’t need yer sleazy advice. Are ya even plannin’ to teach him anythin’?” Karasu steps back, taking his arms off the counter and crossing them over his body.

“What, you think I’m a liar?”

“Yer a player. That’s what ya are.”

Otoya tilts his head. He’s not wrong. “Well, that’s the plan.”

The rest of his shift couldn’t have gone by any slower. Even with a rush of teenagers coming after school got out, Otoya feels like time moves at half its normal pace. Still, imagining what Chigiri will look like when he sees him again is enough to drive him to get through it, and when 9 o’clock hits, he’s almost vibrating with anticipation.

By 9:15, everyone else has already started heading home, and he has the building all to himself. It’s unnerving to be here when it’s dead silent and empty as hell. He’s gotta put on some sort of music before Chigiri gets here.

After connecting his phone to the speaker, he grabs his bag from his locker and steps outside, standing near the corner of the building, away from the front lights. He glances around, double-checking that no customers or families are still lingering in the area, then pulls out the plastic container he tucked a half-smoked joint into before heading to work. He forgot his damn vape, which means he went his entire shift without even a little bit of a buzz. It was probably the best day for him to have left it though, since he had Chigiri to think about as solace. Still, he’s not gonna pretend he wasn’t dying to smoke, so as soon as he finds his lighter buried at the bottom of his bag, he wastes no time lighting it up.

He breathes in and lets the smoke stay in his lungs before blowing it up toward the sky. It’s a good thing he carries breath mints with him everywhere—and a change of shirt. You have to be prepared to hide the scent of weed on you at any second. Otoya is pretty good at it after all this time. Hopefully Chigiri isn’t too against smoking though, ideally he does too. Well, if they date it’d be ideal, but it doesn’t really matter if they’re just fucking around. He’s never fucked around with a dude before. He hasn’t dated one either. Does he even want to date Chigiri? Yeah, he’s beautiful and flirting with him is fun, but would he be satisfied dating a guy? It’s not like Otoya’s ever been satisfied dating a girl, though.

Shit is he really gay? Is that why he gets bored? But women are hot as shit. Otoya doesn’t wanna think about it anymore. He takes another hit of his joint and pushes his thoughts to the side. There’s no reason to linger. He’ll just have a fun time with Chigiri, hopefully kiss him, and what happens happens.

“You smoke?”

Otoya tries to hide the way he jumps at the sudden voice and keeps his gaze even as he meets Chigiri’s eyes. How the hell did he not notice him walking up? Despite the shitty lighting, he’s still unbelievably gorgeous. His hair is pulled to the side, tied into a cute ponytail that hangs over his shoulder. He’s pulled some strands out to frame his face, and frame it does.

“Yeah.” Otoya snuffs out his joint on the wall behind him and brings his other hand up, twirling one of the loose strands around his finger. “You look nice.”

“Thanks. You smell,” he says, swatting his hand away.

“My bad, princess,” Otoya says as he tucks everything into his bag. “I have a shirt to change into inside, so your precious nose won’t be tainted.”

“Good.”

Guess he’s pretty neutral on it, then. Otoya tilts his head, motioning for Chigiri to follow him toward the entrance. He holds the door open, using it as an opportunity to really soak him in as his frame is bathed in the neon lights of the rink. He’s changed since Otoya last saw him, now wearing a black turtleneck with a light pink long-sleeve over it. Cute.
He follows him through the door and steps ahead to lead the way to the counter where he places his bag and pulls out his other shirt. He tugs the one he’s currently in over his head with zero warning, maybe flexing more than he needs to as he does, but what can he say? He catches the way Chigiri’s eyes trail down his back when he sneaks a glance and says nothing, a smirk settling onto his lips. Then, he pulls the other one on, pops a mint into his mouth, and turns around. Can’t let him look for too long, then he’ll be satisfied, and Otoya can’t have that happening.

“So, what’s first on the agenda, coach?” Chigiri asks, arms crossed.

“Well, first, you’re going to try inline skates. They’re way better,” Otoya says, going behind the counter to fetch a pair. Size 26.5, he made sure to remember.

“Upping the difficulty already?”

“What, you scared?”

Chigiri huffs out a laugh, “Not at all.”

“‘Kay then, sit down on that bench, I’ll lace them up.”

“Don’t think I can do it myself?” Chigiri challenges, but he sits down anyway.

“You gotta do it pretty tight, and make sure the size is exactly right,” Otoya says, kneeling down in front of him and helping him slip into the skates. “Or you might hurt your ankle.”

Chigiri hums in affirmation. They sit in comfortable silence as Otoya works on lacing them up. When he’s done, he looks up at Chigiri and pats his leg. He could definitely get used to this sight. “How does it feel?”

He looks down and wiggles his feet. “Well, they’re definitely tight.”

“Try walking around.” Otoya moves out of the way so that Chigiri can stand but stays close just in case. He watches the other take a few hesitant steps. “Feel secure?”

“Yeah, I don’t think my ankles are moving,” he says.

“Woohoo, time for the fun part.”

Otoya quickly puts on his skates and then takes Chigiri’s hand, guiding him towards the rink. They’ll have to start from the beginning now that he’s using the inlines. From the way Chgiri chose to race as soon as he got the hang of it, he figured that skates that allow him to go a little faster would be something he’d like. Plus, it gives Otoya more time to hold onto Chigiri’s hand and be close enough to breathe in more of his scent. “Be careful when you step inside.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatev–” Chigiri stumbles as soon as he begins to wave him off, grip tightening around Otoya’s hands. “Shit!”

“Told ya,” he laughs. “We’re gonna do the same thing as before, ‘kay? It’s not different, just harder.”

“I didn’t sign up for this,” Chigiri complains.

“You did.” He shrugs, pushing himself backwards and pulling the other along. They glide smoothly over the polished wood. It takes little time for Chigiri to adjust his stance, his knees bend slightly and his legs push apart to shoulder width, exactly as he had learned earlier in the day. With each step, he gets more confident, and they quickly start skating at a decent pace. He takes it as a sign to speed up, pleasantly surprised to see Chigiri adapt easily.

“You learn quick.”

“Yeah,” he says, “So how about you teach me something cool, finally?”

Otoya chuckles, “You gotta skate on your own before I can teach you something cool.”

“Okay, then.” Chigiri lets go of Otoya’s hands, only slowing down a bit from the pace Otoya set for them. It’s pretty impressive. He must have good balance and core strength overall to get the hang of it so quickly. Maybe he’s an athlete of some sort, his legs look like they have enough meat on them for it to be possible.

“You a college student?” He asks, stepping to the side but still skating backwards to keep his eye on the other.

“Yeah, I go to the University of Tsukuba,” he trails off, focused on watching his feet. “I study Japanese Literature but I’m mainly there for track.”

“Woah, smart and athletic…” Otoya says. Yeah, this guy is completely out of his league.

“And you?” He looks up at him, a small smile gracing his lips.

“Tried going, but school totally gets me down,” Otoya says. “I dropped out a bit ago.”

Chigiri hums but says nothing else. Part of Otoya feels the need to explain himself further. He’s never cared about not being in school really, he’s not the type to be embarrassed by that sort of thing. Trying too hard to prove he’s not an idiot would just make him seem dumber, so instead he’ll focus on what he’s good at.

“Let’s try turning,” he says.

“Okay. Uhm, should I stop?”

“Oh, yeah.” Otoya keeps going, waiting for Chigiri to stop.

“...How?”

“Shit, I forgot about that.” Otoya thinks for a moment, it’s been a while since he’d taught anyone and he skates too often for it to be a conscious action at this point. “So you gotta just turn your back foot so the skate is horizontal, but if you’re–”

Before he can get out the whole sentence, Chigiri stumbles forward, tripping over himself the moment he turns his foot. Otoya’s quick to grab onto his arms and keep him upright, both coming to a quick stop.

“Geez, at least wait until I finish my sentence,” he says, backing up so that Chigiri can stand on his own again.

“My bad…”

“Let’s try again.” He encourages Chigiri to move forward and skates with him until they gain enough momentum. “Now stop.”

Chigiri tries again, turning his foot so that it drags against the floor and he slowly comes to a stop.

“Wooo!” Otoya cheers, “Nice job.”

“Hell yeah!” Chigiri grins. His smile might be Otoya’s new favorite thing.

“Now let’s teach you how to turn.”

They spend nearly an hour going through different skills and Chigiri learns each one faster than the last. It’s nice seeing someone improve with his instructions. Especially when Chigiri’s smile only gets wider with each skill he learns, though his taunting also gets more frequent. Apparently, he’s really competitive—guess he should’ve assumed that when he learned he’s a college athlete.

“You sure you wanna race?” They’re standing side by side at one end of the rink, already in position to start. He was basically dragged over here, it was willingly, but still.

“Scared to lose to a newbie?” Chigiri challenges with a smirk.

“Just scared the princess is gonna break,” Otoya throws back.

Chigiri scoffs, “Only thing that’s gonna break is your spirit after I beat your ass.”

“Hah–Let’s go then, we’re doing one lap. On 3.”

1

2

3

They both set off. Chigiri's ahead at first since he started closer to the wall. He’s fast for a beginner, but it’s still nothing Otoya can’t beat, especially when they reach the first curve in the rink. Turning is easy–but turning quickly isn’t. He shifts his foot, curling around the corner with ease and taking the lead. He considers going easy on him, but something tells him Chigiri would notice, and Otoya doesn’t think he’d take kindly to that, so he pushes ahead without looking back.

It takes him nearly no time to reach the starting point, and when he turns around, he gets no warning before Chigiri is barreling towards him. He hardly feels the pain when they hit the ground. All of his senses are too overwhelmed with Chigiri’s smell and the feeling of his body weight completely smothering him. He closed his eyes in preparation for the impact but now that he’s opened them, he realizes just how close their faces are.

Chigiri is breathing heavily above him, forearms propped up on either side of his head, eyes wide and cheeks flushed. His eyes flick down to his lips, and when he looks back at Chigiri’s eyes, Chigiri’s lips are already meeting his own. It’s hesitant at first, but Otoya wastes no time kissing him back. His lips are insanely smooth, soft despite the building pressure they apply and when his speed picks up, Otoya quickly matches his pace. It’s aggressive but not harsh—not at all what Otoya is used to with the girls he’s kissed. He lets Chigiri take control, another thing he’s not used to. It’s thrilling. He might already be addicted.

Otoya settles his hand on Chigiri’s jaw, pressing deeper into the kiss. With him this close, Otoya’s brain is muddied with the intensely sweet scent of his fragrance. He wants to get drunk with it, bury himself inside it so that even after he’s gone, the smell will be etched into his brain and still linger in his nose. It’s dangerous.

Chigiri’s tongue drags over his bottom lip, and Otoya doesn’t think he’s ever opened his mouth so quickly. He’d have half the mind to be embarrassed if he didn’t have the most gorgeous man ever on top of him, pushing his tongue into his mouth and dragging it against his own. He tries to take over, but he’s quickly shut down with ease as Chigiri sucks his tongue into his mouth, making his head spin before pulling away completely.

“Shit…” Otoya pants, completely dazed.

“You’re not too bad,” Chigiri says, shifting back so that he’s sitting on his legs.

“Yeah?” Otoya breathes out. “Not good, though?”

“Hm.” Chigiri thinks, placing a contemplative finger on his glistening lips. Otoya can’t help the way he stares. “I have to get another one before coming to a solid conclusion.”

He props himself up on his elbows and tilts his head, “We can make that happen.”

“Nope,” Chigiri says with a pop as he stands up. “Walk me home first, then we’ll see.”

He can do that. Otoya thinks he’ll do anything he’s asked at this point. It’s dangerous how easily he’s been wrapped around his finger, but Otoya doesn’t care at all as he runs around the building to make sure everything is in perfect condition so they can leave as fast as possible, and within 15 minutes, they’re out the door. After he locks up and puts the key in his backpack he turns to face Chigiri.

“You live close by?”

“Well, once we get to the station it’s pretty close,” he says.

Otoya gestures forward, “Lead the way, then.”

They walk side by side down the street. It’s nice outside, a light breeze easing the chronic summer humidity. Otoya spends most of the time sneaking glances at Chigiri’s face, admiring the slope of his nose and how his skin glows under each streetlamp they pass. It's not busy outside at all—the only sounds they hear come from the little jingles that ring out from the convenience stores when they walk a bit too close to the automatic doors. He likes this, it’s comfortable. Otoya never thought something so mundane would still be so enjoyable. He’s never liked the silence when accompanied by lack of action. Otoya spent all his life moving from one exciting thing to the next, not allowing himself to settle down and enjoy the quiet or the gentleness of fingers brushing with every other step. He realizes he wants to get to know Chigiri. He wants to learn what he likes and dislikes. He wants to be able to read him from the inside out, map his body in his mind and commit his voice to memory. It’s scary how easily he’s fallen, but he’s fallen before, and he knows it could all disappear just as fast as it came. For once, that thought makes him uneasy.

“You–’

“So–”

“Oh, you can go,” Otoya says.

Chigiri shakes his head, “No, go ahead.”

“I was just gonna say that you’re pretty good at skating and that you should come by more often.” Otoya follows Chigiri onto the train and sits beside him. Luckily there’s hardly anyone else taking the line.

“Are you just saying that so you can see me more often?” Chigiri smirks.

“Not really,” Otoya says. “We’ll be hanging out plenty outside of work, I hope.”

Chigiri leans his head on Otoya’s shoulder and hums. “Hm, okay. Maybe I will.”

“What were you gonna say?” he asks. He feels like a kid with the way the contact makes his stomach flutter.

“What made you start working there?”

Otoya starts to play with Chigiri’s hand, rubbing his thumb over the length of his fingers and fiddling with them gently. “Once I dropped out I didn’t really have any money and my friend got sick of hearing about it, so he gave me a recommendation. That’s really it.”

“You like it though?”

“It’s okay. Kinda boring but I think every job would be.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Chigiri admits, interlacing his fingers with Otoya’s own.

Silence settles over them again, and it continues as they get off the train and leave the station with their hands still intertwined. They walk slower now, both aware that their time together will come to an end once they reach Chigiri’s house. Still, it feels like no time has passed once they get there—his front porch light illuminating them in a gentle yellow hue.

“Thank you for walking me home,” Chigiri says, slowly removing his hand from Otoya’s hold.

“Anytime, Princess.”

Chigiri rolls his eyes, but his smile betrays any attempt he’s making to look bothered by the nickname. He leans his back against his door and looks at Otoya expectantly. He doesn’t even need to think before he’s taking the invitation and leaning closer to capture Chigiri’s lips with his. It’s gentler this time. All the intensity now replaced with a newfound tenderness. Unlike before, Chigiri allows him to take the lead, and Otoya wants nothing more than to take his time.