Chapter Text
Nakamura skillfully weaved his way through the sea of people on the sidewalk as he stared down at his phone. The streets of Tokyo were as busy as ever, most offices having let out for the day. After a couple years of living in the city the crowd had stopped intimidating him. Now, it simply felt natural to lose himself within it. At the moment he was too pre-occupied with trying to figure out what he was going to eat for dinner to pay it much mind.
The menu of a nearby gyudon place lit up his screen, and his stomach rumbled in response. He tried to avoid eating out too much, but it was Friday and he was lacking in energy for cooking. The place was on his way, meaning he could pick up food for himself, then eat it at home while he settled in to watch a drama. It was a perfect plan.
He was busy considering what he wanted to order, head buried in his screen, when something caught his attention.
"Nakamura!" The voice came from close by, loud and clear and… strangely familiar. He stopped in his tracks, swiveling his head around until his eyes landed on-
"Hirose?" Only a few feet behind him stood his former classmate. The boy he had been hopelessly in love with all through high school: Hirose Aiki. He had changed a bit, obviously matured, his hair was neater, but it was still clearly him. His smile was exactly as Nakamura remembered.
"Oh my God! I can't believe it's actually you! What are the chances we ran into each other?" Hirose closed the gap between them. Nakamura felt a small smile of disbelief start to bloom on his face. They hadn't seen each other since graduation, had gradually drifted apart once they were at different universities, and yet Hirose seemed genuinely glad to see him.
"Yeah, I can't believe it either." Nakamura felt awkward standing there, people passing them by. He scratched at the back of his neck, trying to find something for his hands to do.
"Do you live around here?"
"Uh yeah, not far. I was actually just walking home from work." There was a slight pause where Nakamura realized he should probably ask a question to keep the conversation going. "What about you?"
"I live a bit outside of the city, but I was picking up my sister from work. This is her office." He pointed at the building they had paused in front of. It was a tall and sleek high rise, towering above them. Workers periodically walked out of the front doors, excited to be done for the day.
"Oh that's nice." Nakamura wasn't sure how to conduct himself. Sure he still followed Hirose on social media, saw his occasional updates, but seeing him in real life was something else all together. Nakamura had resigned to leaving him a memory years ago, yet here he was doing what he did best. Forcing Nakamura to notice him.
"Yeah! She should be out soon, but before she comes-" Hirose dug in his pocket for his phone. "Can I get your contact info?"
Nakamura froze at the request for a moment before it processed. "Oh yeah of course."
"Awesome! We need to catch up sometime soon!" Hirose was so bright. Even years later he still had so much energy.
"I would really like that." And Nakamura meant every word. He wasn't sure how he had been okay with leaving Hirose behind like that. By the time they had graduated high school they had become quite close. How could he forget a friend like that? They quickly exchanged contact info, double checking it was all correct, before Hirose got a notification.
"Ah crap, that's her. I'll text you soon okay? It was good seeing you!" Hirose hurried off towards the building, and all Nakamura could do was wave as he ran off. For a moment he sat there, still in a bit of a daze from what had happened. Then, his stomach rumbled reminding himself of the gyudon he was supposed to be ordering. Soon enough he was wandering back down the sidewalk, menu once again pulled up.
Later that evening as he lazed on the couch he called Kawamura.
"You'll never guess who I ran into."
It didn't take long for Hirose to follow through on their chance meeting. The very next day Nakamura got a notification on his phone as he walked to work.
Nakamura to fought back a smile at the cute sticker. Even if they had changed since high school it seemed Hirose was still himself at his core. They continued to chat back and forth throughout the morning whenever they had a free moment. Conversation flowed naturally between them, when Nakamura struggled to keep up Hirose filled in the gaps. It felt nice to fall back into a familiar rhythm.
Their chat didn't die out after that day, either. For the next week Nakamura would wake up to a notification from Hirose. He seemed to go to sleep a bit later, staying up grading papers or prepping lessons. Every day he had filled Nakamura in on the various happenings of his classrooms, the dramatics of teenagers providing endless entertainment. Hearing about their antics only made Nakamura wonder if their teachers had looked at them the same way.
As they approached the middle of the week, one of Nakamura's coworkers noticed something was different.
"You finally get a boyfriend Nakamura?" Takagi casually asked as she pushed her chair over towards Nakamura's during lunch one day. She was the coworker he had gotten closest to since he had started working at the aquarium, and he had drunkenly come out to her one day during a work event. She could be a bit overbearing at times, but Nakamura was endeared to her regardless.
Nakamura sputtered for a second, almost choking on his food before he could respond. "No! No I haven't. Why would you ask that?" He quickly took a sip of water as his coworker shrugged her shoulders.
"You've been smiling at your phone the past few days." She took a bite of the onigiri she was holding in her hand.
"I've just been talking with an old friend from high school, that's all." Nakamura turned his attention back to his lunch. He could feel embarrassment starting to flood his body as Takagi continued to stare him down.
"Hmm, an old friend?" She leaned a bit closer, a suggestive tone to her voice. Nakamura returned his gaze to her, his eyes sharp.
"Yes an old friend! Just a friend…" He lost some of his fire on the last statement, sinking down into his chair. He shoved a piece of tamagoyaki into his mouth as a distraction.
Next to him Takagi let out a snort of laughter. "Well I'm glad you've reconnected with this friend. Seems like he makes you happy." When Nakamura looked back at her she was giving him a genuine smile. She left him with a hearty smack on the back before rolling back to her own desk. Had Nakamura really been that obvious?
Perhaps he had been, because later that evening when Hirose texted him asking to get dinner that Saturday, he let out an involuntary shriek. It was a casual invitation, just a simple "If you have time, wanna catch up this weekend?" yet he was incredibly excited and nervous to see Hirose in-person again. The rest of the week couldn't pass fast enough.
Nakamura wasn't sure what was making him so nervous. They had been chatting consistently for days, and it was clear that they were still compatible as friends. Yet, as he got ready to leave that Saturday evening, he stood in front of his mirror second guessing everything. Was he dressed too casually? A short sleeved button up and jeans seemed appropriate for an izakaya, but now he couldn't quite tell. He had an instinct to call Kawamura and have her weigh in but he was running out of time. So he just had to hope he didn't look stupid as he rushed out of his apartment and started walking towards the station.
They had decided to meet somewhere in between their apartments. It was easy enough to get to, and soon enough Nakamura found himself facing down the entrance. The sound of people talking and drinking together spilled out onto the sidewalk where he stood. Before he could chicken out, he slapped his cheeks a couple of times to fire himself up and walked inside.
The space was filled with a sizable crowd, the combination of noise and the smell of fried food hitting him like a wall. Nakamura scanned the space desperately searching for a familiar face, and they locked eyes at the same time. Hirose was seated at a small booth in the corner, and as soon as he spotted Nakamura he waved excitedly. A smile tugged at the corners of Nakamura's lips as he made his way over.
The moment he sat down Hirose was sliding a glass over to his side of the table. "Hey Nakamura! I hope beer is fine." A matching glass of amber liquid sat in front of Hirose. Nakamura gladly took it and raised it to his lips.
"Beer is great, thanks." There was a pause as Nakamura took a sip, Hirose joined him so it felt a bit less awkward.
"I'm so glad you could come. I know we've been texting all week but talking in person is just different ya know?"
"Yeah, I agree. Thank you again for inviting me." Another pause. Conversation had never been Nakamura's strong-suit. He had gotten better at it for sure, but at his core he was still quite shy. Now that he was an adult most people described him as "mysterious". Really, he just tended to keep to himself.
"So! What's new? How's adult life treating you?" Hirose, on the other hand, had always been great with talking. He could easily fill silences and recognize when Nakamura might want to listen more than speak. It was nice to see he hadn't changed much in that regard.
"Um, things are going well I think. I've been working at the aquarium for almost two years now-"
"Working at an aquarium… that's just so cool." Hirose seemed genuinely impressed and Nakamura felt himself warming a bit at the admiration.
"It's not that cool. Most of my work is spent in an office instead of with the animals themselves." Nakamura took another sip of his beer. He was straining his throat a bit trying to be heard above the general noise around them.
"But it's still cool! You help make the exhibits right?"
"Ah yeah. I do research on what animals would be fitting, what kind of tanks they would need, sometimes I even help write the little informational blurbs they put up. Mostly desk work."
Hirose sat back into the booth as he took a sip of his beer before responding. "Well, you'll have to take me sometime. Show me what you've worked on." He smiled at Nakamura above his glass, and the room suddenly felt much warmer.
"Yeah, for sure" Nakamura quickly took a swig from his glass in hopes it would cool him down. "So what about you? How's work?"
Hirose leaned forward dramatically, his head almost hitting the tabletop. "Teenagers are so much work Nakamura." A giggle escaped Nakamura's lips in response, and Hirose looked up at him. His hair was a bit more messy today, some of it falling into his face. The color looked particularly warm in the low lighting of the izakaya.
"That sounds about right."
"It's impossible to make them listen! And I'm trying to teach them about history, which can be so hard to make interesting. I swear most of my time is spent keeping them awake." Hirose sat up back up, leaning his head against his hand as he took a long draw from his glass.
"I'm sure you do a great job."
"I try my best, that's for sure." There was a slight lull, though not uncomfortable. "Okay, enough chatting, let's order some food!" Hirose grabbed the menu that had been abandoned against the wall and started looking. They quickly devolved into a discussion of what sounded best to eat.
Once they had settled on food and had put in their order, their conversation started back up. Both had finished off their first beers and gotten another one. Nakamura noticed a slight pink flush starting to rise on Hirose's tanned cheeks.
"Okay, we got all the boring work talk out of the way. So what do you do for fun? Did you become a party animal in college?" Nakamura laughed at that, shaking his head.
"Definitely not. I can count the college parties I went to on one hand."
"Can't say I'm surprised to hear that. You were never one for crowds." The comment surprised Nakamura a bit. He knew he cared a lot for Hirose when they were in high school, had taken notice of everything about him, but the fact that Hirose remembered smaller details about him had never been a possibility in his mind.
"Yeah, I mostly spend my free time in my apartment. Or at the gym I guess." Working out had become a habit of his sometime during college. He had a membership at a gym close to his apartment, and went a few times a week.
Hirose paused for a moment considering something. "Yeah I could tell."
"You could?"
"Your arms are like… huge now." Nakamura suddenly felt a bit self-conscious in his short sleeved shirt. Hirose had been checking out his arms. Sure he was definitely more in shape than he was in high school, but he didn't realize it was that apparent.
"Ah, I wouldn't say huge, but nevermind. I'm sure you keep yourself plenty busy right?" Nakamura said, desperately changing the subject and drowning his embarrassment in a long swig from his glass.
Hirose gave him a bit of a knowing smile before he answered. "Yeah, I mean teaching eats up a lot of my time, but when I'm not trapped in grading hell I try my best to stay out and about. I'm on a futsal team with some of my coworkers, and I go to concerts a lot."
"I didn't realize you played sports."
"Well I didn't but they needed another guy, and it seemed fun so I figured why not? At the very least it keeps me active." He took a sip from his glass. "Though, I'm not sure how much of a help I am out on the field."
Nakamura laughed a bit at that. "I'm sure you could play circles around me."
"With your body builder muscles? Yeah I'm not so sure about that."
"Do you remember what I was like in gym class?" Nakamura challenged him. Hirose looked like he wanted to respond but laughter bubbled up before he could. It was genuine and warm, the kind that Nakamura couldn't help but join in on.
"Okay yeah fair enough." As they caught their breath, the waiter appeared with their food, and the conversation took a back seat. The initial awkwardness had melted away completely, and they fell into a comfortable rhythm with each other. Words flowed easily between them, jumping from topic to topic as the night went on. They shared funny work stories, complaints of recent happenings, and reminisced on high school.
"Did you keep in touch with anyone?" Hirose asked once they had finished eating, both of them now having switched over to water. Nakamura nodded, pushing his hair back out of his face. His bangs were starting to get a bit long.
"Really just Kawamura. Our apartments are pretty close, so we see each other fairly often." Hirose didn't need to know that Nakamura had texted her first thing after they had run into each other.
"Oh nice! How's she doing?"
"Pretty good I think. She's working as an assistant at a manga magazine right now, which she seems to enjoy." Hirose smiled at that.
"Good, I'm glad she's still drawing. I always really liked her art." Nakamura nodded in agreement. Hirose seemed to get lost in thought for a moment, his gaze fixed on something behind Nakamura. The pause in their conversation was starting to stretch on a bit, and Nakamura was determined to keep it from dying.
"What about you?"
"Hm?" It seemed Nakamura's voice had pulled Hirose back to reality.
"Do you still talk to anyone from high school?"
"Oh! Yeah, Oomori and I keep in touch. He lives in the city with his girlfriend now, so we catch up pretty regularly. Takeuchi and Mukai are both sort of off doing their own thing, but we see each other around the holidays." Nakamura nodded. Hirose caught his eye and smiled. They were just as kind as Nakamura remembered. "I'm glad we could get back in touch though. I was sad when we stopped talking." The comment caught Nakamura a bit off guard.
"Me too. I didn't mean to stop talking to you, but just school keeps you so busy and we didn't see each other-"
Hirose let out a soft laugh as he leaned forwards over the tabletop. "Nakamura, it's fine. Life happens, people drift apart, but we're hanging out now and that's what matters." Nakamura's ramble of an explanation stopped cold.
The tension released from Nakamura's shoulders as he relaxed back into the booth. He returned Hirose's smile with one of his own and nodded. "Yeah you're right." Hirose matched his posture and sat back into the cushions behind him.
"Good, because now that I know you're so close I'm gonna bother you all the time." Nakamura laughed at that.
"You could never bother me Hirose." And perhaps the beer was making his lips loose, but he meant every word.
They didn't stay at the izakaya much longer, paying their bill and heading out into the night air. They walked together towards the station, light casual conversation filling the air between them. Now that they were out of the cramped space walking side by side, their size difference was much more apparent. Nakamura had always been taller than Hirose, but with his added bulk he seemed even larger than before. He felt himself wanting to shrink down a bit so he could be more on Hirose's level.
Soon enough they had reached the station, having to part so they could each board their respective lines. They stopped for a moment before they split though, saying their goodbyes.
"Thanks for coming out tonight, I really enjoyed catching up with you." Hirose looked up at him and smiled. Nakamura returned it.
"Of course, I did too."
"And don't think this is the last time! We have to hang out all the time now, okay?" Hirose gave him a playful glare at that. Nakamura couldn't help but let out a giggle.
"Definitely. I'll see you later Hirose."
"See you later Nakamura! Get home safe!" They started to walk their separate ways waving as they did.
"You too!" And then Nakamura was fully turning his back, walking towards his platform, seemingly unable to wipe the smile from his face. Later that night as he changed into his pajamas, about to climb into bed his phone chimed.
Nakamura's dreams that night were filled with bright smiles and tanned skin.
"How's that new exhibit coming along?" Kawamura asked in between sips of her latte. It was Wednesday, and she and Nakamura had decided to meet at a cafe over their lunch break. Their offices were close enough that it worked out, and they had made it a habit whenever they weren't overwhelmed with work.
"Pretty well I guess, we haven't hit any major problems so far. I'm still working on the informational blurb for the octopus tank…"
"Trying to cut it down?" She asked quirking her head to the side.
"Yes! There's just too much I want to say!" Nakamura exclaimed, his voice exasperated. Kawamura let out a giggle in response putting her latte down on the table.
"I'm sure you'll figure it out" She reassured him, pushing her hair behind her ears out of habit. She had cut it short a few years ago, finally leaving behind her twin braid style from high school. Nakamura thought it suited her much better.
"Thanks Hifumi…" Nakamura took a pause to sip from his own coffee. There was no pressure for them to fill the silence, the two of them were more than comfortable to sit in it together. After a moment Nakamura spoke up again. "How's work been for you?"
"Oh it's fine, same as always. Backgrounds, inking, all the most fun parts of making a manga." Sarcasm invaded her tone as she spoke. "But I've had some more time recently to work on personal projects! I'm putting the final touches on a piece for Love-Ben's tenth anniversary." At the mention of her own works Kawamura perked up, her entire demeanor shifting.
Nakamura smiled, sharing in her passion. "Well, you'll have to show it to me as soon as its done. I can't believe Love-Ben is already ten years old…" Nakamura sunk down into his seat a little, the reality of being 25 hitting him. Kawamura barely even registered his comment on the matter.
"Of course! You'll be the first person who sees it! Well after Miyu I suppose…" Her cheeks flushed a bit at the mention of her girlfriend. She tried to hide it behind her mug, but Nakamura could still see. He found it sweet that she was still so shy about their relationship when they had been dating for almost 5 years.
"Well, she always gets first looks. Only fair, girlfriend perks and all that."
Hifumi only flushed a brighter pink at that. Nakamura smiled at his successful teasing. She messed with her hair again, seemingly desperate to shift the topic.
"A-anyways! Speaking of relationships! What about you and Hirose?" Now it was Nakamura's turn to blush.
"What about it? We ran into each other and got dinner. Like old friends from high school do. Nothing relationship-esque about that." He averted his gaze from Hifumi who was studying him across the table. A knowing smile was gracing her lips. He hated how well she knew him.
"Sure, that's normal but don't you think maybe this could be a second chance?"
"Second chance? Second chance at what?" Nakamura was being purposefully obtuse, he knew it, but it was still embarrassing to say out loud. Thinking about himself from their first year of high school just made him cringe. He tried to forget about it as best he could.
"Okuto, you can't play dumb with me. You never got to tell him how you felt in high school, but now you've got a second chance as adults! Maybe this is your moment!" Hifumi was leaning over the table, her voice excited.
Nakamura considered her for a moment before he let out a sigh. "I don't know Hifumi. Yes he's great and I've loved getting to know him again, but…"
"But?"
"It doesn't change the fact he might not even be into guys. And I don't know if I even still feel that way about him! I mean yeah he's really attractive and kind and intelligent and he's been reaching out to me a lot-"
"Okuto." Kawamura was giving him a look. It haulted his rambling, and he felt his face heat up in embarrassment.
"Okay, yes I'm interested, but I want to just spend some time being his friend again first. If an opportunity presents itself later down the line, I'll make sure to take it this time." Nakamura grabbed his mug and took the final sip of coffee from it. The bitter taste grounded him.
"Good, and you can always talk to me about it okay?" Hifumi reached across the table and gave his arm a squeeze. He smiled warmly back at her.
"I know, thanks Hifumi." On the table her phone buzzed, dissipating the warm mood that had enveloped their space. She looked at it and her eyes widened a bit.
"Okay, duty calls, I have to get back to the office. Bye Okuto!" She quickly gathered her things, rising from their table and giving him a wave as she walked out into the bright afternoon sun. Nakamura waved after her, and once she was gone his gaze shifted to his now empty coffee cup.
"Second chance, huh?"
Only a few days later, Nakamura found himself settling in for a comfortable night in. He tended to spend his Sundays catching up on TV shows or indulging in a new manga volume. He had used up most of the afternoon cleaning out the aquarium he kept in his apartment and was excited to spend the remainder of his day off resting. He had loaded a CD of low-key music into his stereo and had just opened up his book when his phone started buzzing.
Reluctantly Nakamura grabbed it fully prepared to ignore it, but Hirose's name looked back up at him from the screen. While they texted consistently, Hirose had never called him before so he quickly picked it up worried something may be wrong.
"Hirose?"
"Hey Nakamura!" His voice sounded cheery enough, which worked to dismantle the ball of anxiety that had started to build in Nakamura's chest. "Sorry to call so out of the blue."
"No it's fine! Is everything okay?" There was some background noise coming from Hirose's end. It was quite muddled, but it sounded like he was somewhere with a decent crowd of people.
"Yeah yeah everything is fine, I was just wondering, are you doing anything right now?"
Nakamura shook his head before remembering that Hirose couldn't see him. "Uh no, why do you ask?"
"You wanna come grab a drink with me?" Nakamura sat up, glanced down at his octopus themed pajamas, the manga volume laying abandoned in his lap, and made up his mind.
"Sure."
"Great!" Hirose sounded genuinely excited and it brought a smile to Nakamura's face. "I'll text you the address, shouldn't be too far from your place."
"Okay, I'll see you soon."
"Yup! See you soon!" Hirose hung up, and soon enough Nakamura's phone buzzed again with a notification. The bar was quite close to his apartment, only a couple of stops away, meaning if he hurried up in getting dressed he wouldn't make Hirose wait too long. Nakamura rushed into his room, throwing on a pair of jeans and the first shirt he grabbed. Within only a few minutes he was out the door and speed walking towards the train station.
It wasn't long before Nakamura found himself walking into a modern looking bar. The design of the space was sleek, with dim lighting and cool colors. He felt underdressed, internally scolding himself for not taking more time to choose a better outfit. His eyes scanned the space eventually landing on Hirose sitting at the bar. He was dressed simply in a button up and jeans, the sleeves of the shirt rolled up and top few buttons undone. He was deeply invested in his phone, his brows furrowed. It seemed like something was bothering him. Nakamura was able to walk right up next to him without being noticed. It wasn't until he started pulling out the stool next to him that Hirose looked up.
"Oh! Hey Nakamura!" The annoyed look on his face dissipated, giving way to a much brighter one. Nakamura returned his smile.
"Hey, I hope I didn't make you wait long."
Hirose waved his hand in the air as he responded. "Definitely not! Sorry for calling you out here so last minute."
"I don't mind, not like I was doing anything anyways." At that moment the bartender walked over, asking Nakamura if he wanted anything. He panicked a bit and asked for the first thing that popped into his head, an old fashioned. Once the bartender had walked away Hirose let out a small giggle.
"You're making me feel sort of plain with your fancy cocktail order." A partially drunk glass of beer sat in front of Hirose on the bar.
"It was just the first thing that popped into my head!" Nakamura panicked a bit, embarrassment causing him to heat up. Hirose only laughed harder.
"I'm just kidding. Though you do give off the vibe of someone who drinks whiskey."
"What does that mean?"
"I mean you were drinking black coffee when you were fifteen. I get the sense you have a more… refined palette." There was a teasing lilt to his voice and he lightly pushed his shoulder into Nakamura's. The bar's atmosphere was intimate, meaning the stools they were sitting on were squeezed quite close together. If Nakamura focused he could feel the heat radiating off of Hirose next to him.
"Refined palette makes me sound cooler than I am. I just like bitter things."
Hirose smirked at him over his beer glass as he took a drink. "Yeah sure." Nakamura was going to argue again but the bartender arrived with his cocktail. It looked nice, expertly presented with a curled orange zest. He took a sip and relished as the subtly sweet taste washed over his tongue.
"Is it good?" Hirose asked beside him, and Nakamura simply nodded in response. Taking another sip before turning his attention fully back towards Hirose.
"So did you just feel like grabbing a drink or…?" Hirose's expression shifted at the question, and he released a small sigh. Words started tumbling out of Nakamura before he could even think about it. "Not that I'm complaining! I always like spending time with you, no matter the reason. Really I-"
Hirose cut him off before he could continue to ramble. "My coworker has been trying to set me up with her friend for a while now. I wasn't really interested but she was persistent so I caved." Annoyance was bleeding into his voice, and his gaze was mostly focused on his glass. He let out another sigh before he continued. "Anyways, we were supposed to finally meet for drinks tonight, but the guy totally flaked on me. I was already here so…" but Hirose's voice turned into background noise as Nakamura's mind started running at a thousand miles per hour.
A date. With a guy. Hirose was supposed to be on a date with a guy. Something so normal to him that he didn't mind casually bringing it up to Nakamura. A preference that apparently even his coworkers knew about. Had Nakamura been oblivious to clear signs? Was his gaydar really that bad? Either way, Hirose seemed to have no qualms about being set up with a guy, his main annoyance coming from being stood up. It wasn't until a hand was waving in front of his face that Nakamura realized how hard he had zoned out.
"Earth to Nakamura!" Hirose was looking at him, a bit of concern in his gaze. "You okay? You totally spaced out." Nakamura quickly shook his head, trying to focus back in on his current situation. Hirose, sitting in front of him, trying to talk to him. Who apparently had been stood up. By a guy.
"You uh- you had a date with a guy?" Damn this alcohol. The words had escaped before Nakamura had a chance to really think them through. And judging by the way Hirose pulled away from him, his eyes narrowing, they were the wrong ones to say.
"Is that a problem?" he spat. The sound hit Nakamura in the gut. He was such an idiot.
"NO! No, definitely not, no problem at all. I just I guess I didn't realize that you were- uh- that you liked guys…?" He punched himself internally, taking a desperate swig of his drink. Wonderful work Nakamura. His plea seemed to work though, as Hirose relaxed again, his face softening.
"Oh yeah! I didn't really figure it out until college, but I'm bi." He smiled at Nakamura, and it helped break up the pit that had formed in his stomach. "Really, it put a lot into perspective once I figured it out." He let out a huff of a laugh as he finished off his beer.
Nakamura nodded on instinct. "Yeah, I get that." Hirose raised an eyebrow at that statement.
"You do?"
Oh well now Nakamura had put himself into a bit of a situation. "Ah, yeah I'm uh, I'm gay…" The words came out a bit quietly from his mouth, and he chased them with another sip of his cocktail. Somehow his glass was already almost empty.
"Wait really? Since when?" Hirose had leaned in a bit closer, his eyes appearing to sparkle in the low lighting of the bar. There was a slight pink flush to his cheeks, Nakamura wondered how many drinks he'd had before deciding to call him.
"Uh, since about middle school. That's when I finally admitted it to myself at least." The condensation on the outside of his cocktail glass kept Nakamura grounded. He knew Hirose wasn't going to hate him or anything, but his sexuality wasn't exactly something he paraded around.
"Woah, I can't believe I didn't notice! Well, I guess I can since I was sort of oblivious myself… but still!" He stopped for a moment to think before perking up again. "Wait, did you like any of the guys in our class?" at that Nakamura felt himself fully relax and let out a laugh. From then on they started swapping stories of realizations, failed dates, and celebrity crushes.
Nakamura managed to avoid exposing himself and the massive crush he'd had on Hirose as the conversation continued on. Though, the more they spent time together the more he wondered if it really was left in the past. Hirose was more than happy to fill the space, talking about the flings he'd had in college and his strange experiences on dating apps. They both continued to order drinks, time slipping by without them really noticing. As they continued to drink, Hirose only grew more touchy, often resting a hand on Nakamura's arm or his knee. The proximity made his face heat up, but he chose to blame it on the alcohol.
Neither of them wanted the night to end, but as the bar began to empty out, reality started to set in. It was still a Sunday night and both of them had work the next morning. The bartender walked over asking for last call, and the two of them shared a bit of a look, finally having to close their tabs and start making their exit. As they stood Hirose stumbled a bit and Nakamura had to grab his arms and steady him. All Hirose did was let out a giggle.
"Nice catch." He smiled brightly and Nakamura froze for a moment before tearing his gaze away.
"Of course," he managed to get out as they walked into the night. The streets were fairly quiet as they walked towards the station. The air was chilly around them, but Nakamura felt quite warm as they made their way to the station together. Hirose seemed to be steady enough on his feet, but Nakamura stayed close, just in case he needed the support. Conversation continued to flow easily between them as they walked. The journey to the station passed quickly, and as they were about to part ways Hirose pulled Nakamura in for a hug.
"Thanks for being there for me Nakamura" Hirose said, giving him a squeeze. Nakamura was frozen in place for a moment before finally returning the embrace. Hirose was comforting to hold.
"Of course, anytime." The hug ended too quickly. They gave each other one final smile before waving goodbye and walking to their respective platforms. Nakamura felt like he was floating the entire way home, though he wasn't so sure it was the alcohol this time.
The next morning as Nakamura walked down the sidewalk, head pounding with every step, he felt his phone buzz. He pulled it from his pocket, squinting a bit to read the screen with his sleep-deprived eyes.
Nakamura ignored the looks those around him gave as giggle escaped from his lips.