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🐯🎉🎂
Nanjo Kojiro’s twentieth-seventh birthday was nothing like he expected. He thought the day would go like his last birthdays. Meaning that he’d have an early breakfast with his family before the restaurant opened. Then he’d work the whole day, even though his staff would pressure him to take the day off. He’d received several calls or text messages wishing him a happy birthday, perhaps some of his loyal customers would drop by and give him a small detail. Maybe his S fans would also wish him a happy birthday with suggestive offers that he’d kindly decline, not tonight. And it would all end with a private dinner after closing hours with a certain pink-haired man. Even though he’d pretend he didn’t remember it was his birthday, he’d leave a thoughtful gift when he thought Kojiro wasn’t looking. Cute.
The sixth pack skater didn’t expect more than that. After all he wasn’t a teenager anymore that needed to make a big fuss for his birthday. But his newfound skate family always found ways to up his expectations, whether he wanted it or not. He certainly didn’t expect to be forced to close Sia La Luce early to have a private party with the three teenagers that he adopted at some point, their clown-painted babysitter, his recently redeemed high school ex-best friend, the later’s secretary (and whatever it is they’ve got going on), the Nanjo family and, of course, his constant headache also known as Sakurayashiki Kaoru.
Joe didn’t expect to find himself playing board games (that were also drinking games for the adults, except for Kojiro's parents and Shadow the designated kids driver), singing karaoke and dancing to Adam’s party playlist (which was surprisingly appropriate). He didn’t expect to see a clown painted man singing “All by myself” while crying for his manager. And he didn’t even drink this time! He didn’t expect to see the teenage skaters getting along with his niece and nephew. He didn’t expect to drink and eat this much of his favorite meals, which he didn’t have to do this time, or taste the amazing cake his mother made.
And if there’s something he definitely wasn’t expecting was to have his childhood best friend dance “Bad Romance” for him. Fair it was for everyone to see, but there was something in the way that they locked eyes, meanwhile Kaoru passed a hand through his own thick, yet slender, and toned thighs that made him feel like they were the only ones in the room. Wait, what did he just think?
🐯🎉🎂
Kojiro started his day just like any other. He woke up at 7:00 to have his daily work out. Ever since he started living alone in Italy he became an early riser, having to work and study the whole day. It was a habit that stayed with him and became very useful when running a restaurant on his own. It wasn’t hard for him to wake up this early. Not like certain other people that had to be practically dragged out of bed by an AI at almost 11 O’clock.
He had a lovely breakfast with his family. He thought it’d only be his parents and his younger sister Etsuko, but surprisingly his older brother Daichi and his sister Emiko were also there, along with Daichi’s 13 year old twins Haru and Hoshi, and Emiko’s baby girl Kaiya. Perhaps that should’ve been a red flag to his surprise birthday party. But he was so happy that his whole family was together that he couldn’t think of anything else.
He enjoyed his morning while he catched up with his siblings about their lives. They teased each other and remembered the old days. It had been an excruciating long time since he spent this much time with his family. Even though he loves them with his whole heart, as he grows older he has less time for himself. With running a full time restaurant, working out, looking out for the young skaters, going to an illegal midnight skating rink, sometimes he barely had time to breath. So he really cherished these moments. If they’d asked him, that was enough of a birthday gift. Boy, he didn’t know what else was expecting him.
His staff insisted that they could prepare the lunch service themselves so Joe could stay a little longer with his folks. And for once he didn’t protest and stayed to enjoy the company. At some moment he decided to pay attention to the kids, before the conversation veered to when he was planning to get married and have a family of his own. He played with his nephews and learned about their young lives. In exchange he told them about his golden days, without mentioning the stories that would earn him a lecture from his parents, even at 27.
At the eventual mention of his old pink haired partner in crime, his mother piped up asking about him and his whereabouts. Which only resulted in his siblings asking when they were finally going to get together and Joe reminding them that Kaoru was only his friend. When he finally had to leave, his mother still insisted on him taking some food to “Kaoru-kun” and to invite him to the next family dinner.
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“Absolutely no.” Said Joe, already in his Chef attire and organizing everything for the dinner service. He shook his head in disbelief at his sous-chef Ami, who dared to tell him to take a break until dinner service started. “I already left you on your own to stock the restaurant and prepare lunch, I won’t leave again.”
“Come on, boss, we can manage.” replied Nikko, the head waiter. “We already did for the lunch service and everything went smoothly.” That was true, the lunch service was perfect. Not that he was surprised, he knew he could trust his staff. It wasn’t that. Kojiro refused to leave because he didn’t like to leave all the work for them. It simply wasn’t the boss he wanted to be.
“Come on, boss, don’t you trust us?” asked Ami with a feigned hurt in her voice and putting a hand to her chest. She’d been working with him since he opened the restaurant and knew each other even before that. She studied in the same college as him, just a couple of generations below Kojiro.
“I trust you all.” Said Kojiro with a sigh and leaving the pan he was drying on the counter. “But I don’t want to leave you all the work. Not because it’s my birthday means that I can slack off.”
“Don't worry, boss, you earned it. You are always here way before everyone and stay way past closing hours. All though the last one is because you stay to gossip with Sakurayashiki-sensei.” Said Ami and wiggled her eyebrows at the end, which caused Kojiro to roll his eyes. “Seriously, it’s your birthday, go on and rest for a while.” She gave him a sincere smile and Nikko joined her and gave him a thumbs up. Kojiro sighed in relief.
“What am I even going to do?” asked the chef while he gathered his bike keys. He really didn’t want to leave but he supposed it was true that he deserved a break. He had been working non stop for the past week. He didn’t even have time to go once at “S” or see the kids outside the restaurant.
“I don’t know, go eat something that you didn’t do, take a walk, take a nap, visit your boyfriend, whatever you want.” Ami said while pushing him through the door and closed it behind him before he had time to reply.
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At the end Kojiro settled for taking a nap at his apartment upstairs the restaurant. He did think about going to annoy his childhood friend but thought better of it because he was probably teaching a class at the moment. And he didn’t feel like being insulted in front of grade schoolers. Yet again, his staff being so insistent on him leaving the restaurant for a long time should’ve been another red flag for the party. But he had been so tired that again he didn’t notice.
When the time came and Kojiro had to return to the restaurant, he was greeted by a closed back door. He thought that it was strange but didn’t think much of it and simply walked to the front door. That’s when his nerves increased since he was welcomed with a “Closed for the evening” sign. “What?” murmured Joe while he touched the sign. It was written with a very elegant familiar handwriting yet he couldn’t place it. The door was also closed. He nervously started to type his sous-chefs number when he swore he heard laughter inside but he couldn’t see anything since the lights were off.
“Hey, boss, what’s up? Enjoying your break?” asked Ami nonchalantly. He could hear some voices in the distance. Did Ami leave to be with her friends? That’s not something she would normally do.
“Ami, what’s going on? There’s a sign on the door that says “Closed for the evening”. And the front and back doors are closed. Did you guys leave?”. He asked, trying not to sound as confused and angry as he was.
“What? Are you back already?” She asked, louder than she needed and suddenly the background voices stopped. “Maybe you closed the door when you left, let me go check.” And then she hung up before he could reply. He started to make scenarios in his head, trying to decipher why his staff would do this. He's known them for a long time, trusted them deeply, they surely weren’t taking advantage of his trust, were they? No, there must be a reasonable explanation. But what could it be?
“Boss, you are back!.” Said Nikko with a wide smile after opening the door and snapping Kojiro out of his thoughts. The green-haired chef walked through the door before the head waiter could say anything else. He didn’t mean to be rude but he needed to know what was going on with his restaurant. Just like it looked on the outside, the lights were off. He couldn’t really see anything.
Before he could ask for the nth time what was going on, someone turned on the lights. And then all hell broke loose. He was greeted with a crowd shouting “Surprise!” at the top of their lungs, along with blown party flavors and thrown confetti, that gave Kojiro the scare of his life. He jumped so high that Kaoru would eventually tease him to join the olympic jump team. And then he gave the sharpest “Madonna Santa!” squeal, his voice hadn’t sounded that high since he was in junior high. His heart beat like the one of a school girl in front of his crush. Meanwhile his family and friends, being as lovely and carings as they are, burst into laughter.
It was only his lovely niece Kaiya that went to ask if his uncle was okay. She left her mother’s embrace (meanwhile the bastard was almost laughing on the floor) and ran as fast as a 3 year old can and asked to be picked up by the chef. When she was in his arms, she cupped his face with her tiny sticky hands. “You okay, uncle Jojo?” she asked. He held her tight and reassured her that he was okay. And to everyone else he said. “Only Kaiya is invited to my birthday party, everyone else can leave.” The statement was followed by shocked gasps, hurt reactions, and not very convincingly “We are sorry, Joe”. The chef only shook his head, not even trying to hide his smile.
“We are sorry for scaring and worrying you, boss.” said Nikko, the only one that tried (and failed) to hide his laughter. “Your friends and family insisted that we helped to surprise you. Of course, we didn’t leave the restaurant or started slacking off.” Kojiro could notice that the man was worried that the chef was actually angry, so he put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
“Don’t worry, Nikko. I’m not angry at any of you and you are not in trouble.” And then he turned to his family with a sigh. “So I’m guessing you won’t let me open the restaurant again?”
“No.” said everyone in unison with innocent smiles. He couldn’t even fake annoyance. Eventually they all took turns to hug him and congratulate him for turning a year older. The “one year closer to the grave”, “old man”, “careful with the back and knees”, “Ojiisan” comments weren’t missed.
Finally he took the time to look at the whole place. There were birthday decorations everywhere. There was a big banner that said “Buon compleanno, Joe” in a very elegant yet cheerful writing, decorated with a bundle of colors and shapes, mainly in green. It appeared that everyone left their own birthday wishes in smaller handwritings on the banner. In the case of Kaiya she printed her palm with green painting and someone (probably Emiko) wrote her name. Everyone was wearing party hats, even Kaoru, which Joe suspected was only doing it to please his mother. There were colorful balloons on the floor and taped to the walls. There was even a big tiger balloon, which the chef suspected wouldn’t survive the night. There was a fragment of the wall that had another “Buon compleanno” sign, and under it was a curtain of sparkling green paper with golden serpentines and a 27 in balloons, probably for pictures. The tables had sun and tiger decorations. And in the back there was a gift table filled with several boxes and bags.
Now for the people responsible for the early closing of his beloved restaurant. His whole family was there, meaning his parents Shina and Rei, his sisters and brother, along with his nephews, Haru and Hochi, who were at the moment happily chatting with Miya. Naturally his skate family was here. Reki and Langa were at the back, looking longingly at each other, while they pretended to set up the speakers. Shadow, contrastingly to his S persona as always, was dressed in a neat white button up and nicely speaking to Kojiro’s mother about flowers. Tadashi and Adam were also there, a sight that Joe still didn’t believe, it was still a little awkward to talk to the man but they were getting there. Cherry was speaking with his sisters Etsuko and Emiko. He swears that at one moment he saw them point at him and then laugh. They always conspired against him.
Still with Kaiya in his arms, Joe approached his staff to thank them and reassured them again that he wasn’t mad. He gave them the choice to stay and celebrate with them or leave home early. All of them decided to take the afternoon off. Good, they deserved it. Only Nikko and Ami stayed behind to discuss the preparations for tomorrow. Nikko was still a little wary, it appears there had to be a lot of convincing to get him in the gimmick. Eventually he eased up after some jokes and teasing from Ami.
“Come on, Nikko-san, let’s leave so that the boss can enjoy his party with his family and friends.” She said while grabbing said man by the arm. And because she couldn’t leave without teasing him more “Oh and Sakurayashiki-sama.” she said and gave him a light nudge and a wink. Kojiro was glad the latter wasn’t close enough to hear them. Before Joe could reply, his mother came offering Nikko and Ami some food to take home.
🐯🎉🎂
When they left, the party was just starting. Adam had already connected his phone to the speakers and some catchy tunes were blasting through it. Joe wasn’t expecting to revisit songs from his high school era. They danced to old pop songs, which somehow everyone knew the lyrics to, in spite of the wide age range. It was like he was back to his roots. The feeling was somehow freeing and warm, coming back along with the new members of his family. Eventually the kids hijacked the aux cable and changed the music. They chose some songs that the chef hadn’t heard yet or just not enough to care about, but he still enjoyed it and kept dancing.
After that they set up the karaoke machine and everyone took turns to sing while the rest chatted or played games. The adults took the chance to get some drinks, from the exception of the designated drivers. Cherry had to slap Reki’s hand twice with his fan (that came out of nowhere) to stop him from stealing booze. Ha, like he started drinking at 20. At the start karaoke seemed like a fun idea , to sing and enjoy the music coming from others. But Joe wasn’t so sure of it after listening to Shadow’s rendition of “All by myself”, “Forget you” and some other heartbreak songs (Gladly he stopped when Oka came). Or when he had to listen to yet another cheesy love song by Langa and Reki. It was cute what they had, after all they went through, Joe was happy for them. But seriously “Can you feel the love tonight”? Twice?
Even so, Joe had fun. Again they revisited some old songs that he hadn’t heard in forever. Joe got up with Daichi to sing the old tunes they used to listen to together before his brother moved out. Perhaps their best performance was “Snow (Hey Oh)” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Everyone sang the “Hey Oh”s along with them and tapped to the tune with their hands on the tables.
“Tell my love now” finished Joe, with his back against his brother’s and both with their arms folded in what they thought was a cool pose. They received some claps and cheers and then they left their improvised stage after they were pushed by the kids.
“Ah yes, of course you couldn’t end your recital without singing one of the themes of your shirtless friends.” was the greeting Kaoru gave him when he sat down on the table and the pink-haired man drank wine (Kojiro was sure he didn’t grab wine for the party).
“Hey, don’t insult the Peppers. Besides, I thought you liked them, since they are a rock band.”
“Eh, they are not my style. Too straight for me.” he said plainly.
“What’s that even supposed to mean?” he asked annoyedly.
“They reek of testosterone.” was the answer he gave and Joe just chuckled at it.
“All right, then let’s sing something that’s more your style. What do robot boys listen to these days?” it was worth the kick on the shin.
After a lot of convincing, reminding him that it was his birthday, and eventually bribing him with wine and carbonara, Cherry and Joe got on the stage to sing. Joe had to do yet more convincing with the kids to drop the mic, but after they noticed Cherry was going to sing too, they eagerly left and went to their seats. Joe pretended not to see the smug smirk on Kaoru’s face.
They performed a song from one of the punk bands Kaoru made Kojiro listen to in high school. My chemical something was the name of the band and the song was “Im okay” he thinks. Kojiro could hardly remember the lyrics because all he noticed was how the AI skater got so engrossed in the song. He was a little awkward at the start, pretending he didn’t remember the words and that he wasn’t tapping his foot along the rhythm. But by the half of the song it was like he’d forgotten about everything else. It was like their jamming sessions in Kojiro’s childhood room. He sang, reached the high pitches, played with the mic and even danced a little. At some point he put a hand on his chest, while he bent with the mic and practically shouted the lyrics with that deep voice of his. He looked hot, not that Joe would ever admit that, it probably was the beer talking anyway.
“Good job, pinkie pie.” they fist bumped. “Looks like my idea wasn’t that bad after all.”
“Guess even idiots have good ideas once in a while.” Kojiro could see he was fighting a smile. He saw the glint of his eyes that belonged to the old rebel Kaoru. No, not old, he knew it was still there. His punk side was just more subtle now, it was in these rare times that it resurfaced. Kojiro cherishes them. Not that he didn’t like the present Kaoru, it’s just that he liked it when his friend relaxed a little.
With all the dancing around on the stage, Kaoru’s hair got a little messy. Without thinking about it, the chef grabbed a strand of hair and put it behind his ear. Strangely there was no protest from the other side. He could see there was a slight tint of pink on Cherry’s cheeks, guess he also was a little tipsy. Perhaps the alcohol was also affecting his perception of time because he felt like they held their gaze longer than normal. “I’ll go grab another drink.” he said at last and left without waiting for a response. From the corner of his eye he could see the kids went to talk to a frowning Kaoru.
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After their performance, the Karaoke machine went back to the kids. They kept singing more recent tunes that were unknown to the chef. His other family members also had the chance to sing, his sisters sang some Taylor Swift songs, even his parents joined with some old love songs. Joe was surprised when he saw Shadow and Oka singing some “KISS” melody, he could almost see the clown painting and fake piercings on the ginger, and the slight blush didn’t go unnoticed. After them came Adam and Tadashi, with how reserved Snake is, Joe didn’t know what to expect of the performance. It wasn’t bad, an old ballad that he remembers Adam sang to in their younger days. Somehow the kids managed to drag Kaoru into the stage again. They sang a melody that the chef didn’t know and apparently Cherry wasn’t an expert either. But it still looked like he was having fun. He still looked hot. And just because Joe loved pushing his buttons, he had to go back and sing “Cherry Pie” (A roundhouse kick told him it wasn’t appreciated.)
The karaoke machine was eventually abandoned and everyone resumed their chatting, eating and drinking, and playing some board games. Joe knew that his family and friends could be a little competitive, but damn he didn’t expect a UNO match to get so intense. There were betrayals everywhere. Poor Reki had to get 20 cards as punishment at one time. And the worst was that Langa sent him the last +4. Kojiro had no clue how Miya managed to win every single match. Kojiro still thought the kid cheated.
Their last match before they cut the cake was a game of playing cards “widow”. The general dynamic of it was to get poker hands and the one with the lowest lost the round. Everyone could lose three times and then they are out of the game. Having spent many poker nights with his brother and father made Kojiro a really good player, even better than them by now. Naturally Kaoru was also on those nights, which made him as good as the chef (better he would insist).
Only Cherry, Joe and Miya were still playing, all of them out of chances to lose. The other party guests were looking at the match mindfully. Meanwhile the trio looked at each other wordlessly, looking for tells, trying to catch the bluff. They revealed their hands, Miya had two pairs of Aces and kings, Joe had three Jacks, and Cherry had a full house of queens and 10 (with the help of a wildcard). That meant Miya was out of the race.
The air suddenly tensed. It was the last round, with cosmo and wanda against each other. Everybody knew that could mean trouble. If it was against anyone else, if they lost they would matturly accept the defeat. But it was them, which meant that they would end at each other’s throats.
Apparently the calligrapher miscounted or got very distracted, perhaps because of all the wine he’d drank, because he thought he’d already won. So instead of shuffling the cards again, he started answering Langa’s questions about the game.
“I still don’t get it how Miya lost, he had a pair just like you but his was higher.”
“Ah no, I had a full house. I used the wildcard.”
“Wait, what was the wildcard again?”
“In this round it was the 9.” Joe let it play for a while, waiting for Cherry to realize he still was in the race. And that’s when he saw his opening.
“Ha! Cherry lost.” everyone froze.
“...What?”
“You said the wildcard. The rule is very clear, you ask for the wildcard or say which one it is and you lose a life. You had one life left, you just lost, man.”
“I...what...no! Langa isn’t playing anymore, it makes no difference that I told him that.”
“I don’t care, you lost.”
“No. I didn’t lose.”
“Yeah, the rules also apply to you, your highness.”
“It doesn’t count, Langa wasn’t playing.”
“I don’t care. If this was the other way around, you wouldn’t let it go.”
“I didn’t lose, you moron.”
“Don’t be a sore loser, princess.”
At this moment they had stood up from their seats and were grabbing each other's collars. The others watched with amused and/or worried faces. They kept insulting each other, looking intensely at each other's eyes, not daring to let go first. Kojiro could’ve easily said that it was okay and played the last round. It didn’t cost him anything if it was anyone else. But it was Kaoru. After 20 years of knowing each other they were experts in playing this game of chicken.
Before anything could happen, it was the chef’s mother that decided to break the fight. She simply yelled at them and broke them out of their trance. “Boys, stop fighting and come cut the cake”
“Sorry, mom.” “Sorry, Ms. Nanjo” And that was it, the game and the fight were forgotten. Ever since they were kids, Shina Nanjo had a way to stop their fights. When they were little she made them hug and apologize, as they grew older she made them actually talk about it. Right now she knew she only needed to get their attention as it wasn’t something big. Later that night the young skaters would beg her to teach them her tricks to stop them.
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It wasn’t long before Kojiro’s parents left with Kaiya already asleep in Rei's arms. Rei would come back later to pick up Kojiro’s siblings and his older nephews. He felt relieved. He loved his parents, but his mom was giving Miya too much information about his younger days. The kid already had a month worth of teasing. She even showed them embarrassing pictures, and none of them were of him skating! At least he wasn’t sinking on his own, Kaoru also appeared in a lot of those . Kojiro considered maybe he had too much to drink when he saw one picture of them, sharing a bed, with his friend holding a fox plush toy and drooling, and all the chef could think was how cute he looked.
Talking about Pinkie, where was he? Kojiro scanned the room without making it too obvious that he was looking for someone. Daichi and Emiko were chatting at the bar. Daichi wasn’t drinking an irresponsible amount, but it was enough that his kids felt embarrassed at some things that he said. Langa and Reki were at the karaoke machine, singing some cheesy love song while looking endearingly at each other and stealing kisses when they thought no one was watching. Ah, to be young and in love. Then he saw Hiromi and Oka talking, even in the darker lights Kojiro noticed how Shadow blushed every minute. Near them were Tadashi and Adam at the bar. Then Joe noticed his nephews and Miya were at the back of the room. It warmed Joe’s heart to see Miya getting along so well with his nephews, who were actually his age. They seemed to be expectantly waiting for something and occasionally looking at the floor while they chatted. What were they looking at? Joe gave in to his curiosity and decided to approach them instead of keep looking for Cherry.
“What’s going on here?” Haru and Hoshi turned to look at him with happy smiles but it was the pro skater that answered.
“Mom’s helping us set the Carla projector and connect it to the wii so that we can play Just Dance.” said Miya not even bothering to look at him. And that’s when Joe finally noticed the pink haired man that was criss cross sitting on the floor while he worked with some Carla tech stuff.
“I told you not to call me that.” said Kaoru but his voice held no real threat. Even if he’ll never admit it, he had a soft spot for Miya. After some more tinkering he finally exclaimed “There, it’s done.” And then a big Ubisoft logo appeared on the wall.
"Great, thanks, uncle Kaoru" said Hoshi and hugged him. For once Kaoru didn't fight it, not when it was her. Even with the lights dimmed for the game, he could spot a faint blush on the pink haired man. He could be so adorable sometimes. Wait what? He pushed that thought aside, he really was drinking too much.
“Great work, cinnamon stick boy.” he said to get his mind out of his strange thoughts. The other just rolled his eyes at the comment and explained to the kids how to work the controls. After that he left without acknowledging the green haired man.
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He stayed with the kids for a while. He mostly watched them dance and chatted with them. Eventually Langa and Reki joined as well. He wanted to dance with them but he was more tired than he expected (“It’s the old age” Kaoru would probably say, even though the bastard is only 9 months younger). As he watched the younger ones try to choose a song, he was reminded that the game shared the name with a song from a certain singer. A singer that a certain pink haired man loved in their teenage years. Yes, the infamous Sakurayashiki Kaoru was a little monster. He listened to all the songs, learned the lyrics and even memorized some choreographies. That’s when Joe had an idea.
He approached his childhood best friend that was currently talking to the chef’s sisters while they had some drinks. Adam had earlier teased him about how cute it was that Kaoru got along so well with the in-laws. Kojiro had just rolled his eyes and reminded him that they weren’t together nor they wanted to. Tadashi and Adam shared a look that said they didn’t believe him.
“Hey, Kaoru…” he started when he sat across from the man, but was cut short.
“No.” he said flatly.
“You didn’t even know what I was going to say.”
“Based on the collected data, probably something stupid.”
He decided to ignore the comment and try again. “I was just looking at the kids play Just Dance when I thought-
“Don’t hurt yourself.”
He ignored the feeling of his vein popping “-that It would be fun to watch you dance some of the choreographies you know so well, from that singer you liked in high school, you know, Lady Gaga.”
Before he could answer, Etsuko gasped and clapped her hands. “Yes, queen! Please Kaoru, that would be great.” she said while grabbing his shoulders. Etsuko and Emiko had seen him do it several times, when pinkie would come to the Nanjo household but would ignore Kojiro. It was also during those times that they taught him how to do his makeup or dress like a real punk.
“I...I don’t remember the steps.” he tried, so that he wouldn’t upset her with his direct refusal.
“That’s a lie and you know it, pinkie.” Kojiro wasn’t going to let this go. “You know the steps by heart, right Etsuko?” She nodded excitedly.
“I’m wearing a Yukata. What, do you want me to flash everyone?” He tried for another way out but failed again.
“Go upstairs, there’s gotta be something you can change into.”
“What, into your gigantic clothes?”
“I still have clothes from when I was younger in the back of the closet.”
“Yes, Kaoru, please.” insisted Etsuko and even dared to use her puppy eyes. Emiko had returned to the table and was also eagerly pleading him to do it. Kaoru was very fond of the Nanjo family, even if he wasn’t fond of Kojiro himself. And if you add to that he had drunk a lot, the AI skater gave in.
“All right.” he said with an annoyed sigh and left. Kojiro reminded him to be careful with the steps since he had a lot of alcohol in his system. And just because he had to shove It to his face, he climbed the stairs by jumping two steps at a time. With elegance and grace, because that's how Kaoru did everything.
🐯🎉🎂
While they waited for the star performance of the night, everyone kept doing their own thing but eagerly expected the dance. After some drinking games rounds, Kojiro found himself in a hand wrestling match with Daichi, while the others taped them and cheered. The chef doesn’t even remember who won, he was too entranced thinking of his friend upstairs, probably making a mess of his room and not even considering cleaning it. It might have been his impatience, but he felt like the pink haired man was taking forever. Some more minutes later he couldn’t wait anymore and went to see what was the hold up. Again must be the beer affecting him, because why else would he be so eager to watch his friend (not boyfriend, thank you very much you meddlers) dance some odd choreography, right?
“Oi, four-eyes, what’s taking you so long?” he shouted when he reached his empty and very messy room, there were clothes everywhere. He could hear some noises coming from the bathroom and seconds later Kaoru was coming out of it. He was absent mindedly tying up his hair in a ponytail. He had already done his eyeliner, wore a black mesh tank top and under it a purple tight interior shirt, black leggings and black booths. He covered enough so that his piercings weren’t visible but the shirts accentuated his abs. Kojiro could see parts of the cherry blossom tattoo. And those leggings were too tight on his long and defined legs.
At some point the kids must have turned up the volume because Kojiro could hear some suggestive music while he watched (stare some would say) at the man. It’s not that he’s never seen him wearing clothes like this, but it was such an uncommon sight that it still made the chef feel strange, he didn’t quite know how to define it. He knew his friend was attractive, he wasn’t blind, and he certainly couldn’t ignore how his fans praised him at “S” (Seriously, I want to ride that cherry tree?) . Regardless this was something else. He felt that if they’d told him that Kaoru was the son of Venus, he would’ve believed them. Man, he needed to stop drinking.
“Hello.” said his oldest friend and took him back to reality. “Looking to catch some flies?” He smirked while stretching his long and muscled arms. He got distracted by the movement but finally decided to ignore the comment.
“Came to see what took the royal highness so long, everyone is excited to see the princess’ cute little dance.”
“Ugh, don’t make it sound like you’d be watching a child’s recital. And to answer your question, it took me forever to find something decent that would fit me in your clothes.”
“Not my fault you are a twig.”
“Everyone’s a twig compared to you.”
“Nah, just you.”
“I will not waste my time talking to an imbecile.” Because that’s not what he’s been doing for ages.
They stayed like that for a little while. Sitting on Kojiro’s bed in silence. It wasn’t awkward but Joe hoped it would stop because it only took his mind back to the way Kaoru was dressed. He tried not to stare again. He noticed how the man was looking at a video on his phone, probably to make sure he remembered the steps of the dance.
“I was already ready to go back down” he interrupted the silence. “But then I heard the start of “Islands in the streams” and decided I had enough of listening to Langa and Reki singing love songs for a lifetime.”
“Oh come on, don’t you think it’s cute what they have? Young love, you know?”
“I’m happy that they found each other. But no, the first song was cute. I’ll even give them that the second was adorable, perhaps the third. But it’s their tenth time. I’m going to get diabetes at this rate.”
“Right, so you decided to leave me alone with them?” He asked with fake hurt. “I’m hurt, Kaoru.”
“It’s your party, they are your entertainment. It’s what the old man deserves”
He scoffed at the old man's comment “You are just jealous that now I’m 27 and you just turned 26 a few months ago. But don’t worry, I’ll share with you my newfound wisdom when the time comes.”
“Oh yes, I can’t wait for you to tell me what meds you take for your aching back or your knees, Ojiisan.” Kaoru deadpans.
“Ha ha. Thanks for organizing the birthday party by the way”
“Why do you thank me? I didn’t plan it.”
“Right, you are going to expect me to believe that the kids planned it? Dude I love those guys, but the party would’ve been a disaster if they'd done it. And my parents don’t have the time nor did they know everyone else to invite.”
“Still, it wasn’t me.”
“Right. I love you too, Ru.”
“Your old mind is making you hallucinate, it might be dementia.”
“9 months! You are 9 months younger.”
The bastard didn’t even give him a response, just kept looking at his phone. It looked like he had suddenly remembered something. “Did you get the flowers my mother sent you?”
“Oh yes, they were quite lovely. Forgot to message her thou, sorry.”
“She woke me up at 7 AM to call me to make sure I remembered your birthday and to make sure you got the flowers she sent you. I don’t think she even gave me something for my birthday. Not that I care but seriously, 7 AM?”
“Not her fault her baby goes to sleep at 4 AM.”
“I don’t go to sleep at 4.”
“Carla, at what time did Kaoru go to sleep yesterday?”
“Carla, don’t-”
“Master went to sleep at 4:13 AM yesterday”
“Tattletale” mumbled Kaoru while Kojiro smirked.
“Come on, we shouldn’t leave everyone waiting.” The chef stood up from the bed and offered his hand. The calligrapher just mumbled something about waiting for a minute while he kept staring at the phone. To the regular onlooker it would’ve gone unnoticed, but not to Joe, he saw how Kaoru bit his lip right where the lip ring used to be, he was a little anxious.
"When was the last time you did the whole choreography?"
He had to think about It. "In public? A couple of years ago at a party with my college friends."
"Huh, well I’m sure you hadn’t forgotten it. And even so, I doubt anyone would notice if you missed a step.”
“Yeah.” He finally stood up and went to the door. Then Kojiro had an afterthought.
“Wait, what do you mean in public? You've given private dances to someone?" He only received a pat on the shoulder and a wink.
🐯🎉🎂
“Oh great, you are finally here.” Someone had placed a chair in the middle of the room. Adam patted the seat and purred “Come on Joe, let Cherry give you your present.”
“It’s not a lap dance, Adam.” was delivered with an icy glaze and a kick in the shin. Kojiro didn’t want to join the 27 club , so he went to the table with Oka and Shadow.
“Carla, play Bad Romance by Lady Gaga and mildly dim the lights.”
“Okay, Master.”
Oh oh oh oh caught in a bad romance. So it begins. Cherry started by walking slowly (no, parading) , making exaggerated (and sexy, mind you) poses while his hands formed what looked like a claw. Kojiro remembers teasing him about it in highschool, saying he looked ridiculous. Now? He felt a weird tingling in his stomach.
Rah, rah-ah-ah-ah. The rhythm of the music got accelerated and so did his movements. The poses were faster and more accentuated. Then he clapped his hands while they still had the claw shape.
I want your ugly, I want your disease. Kojiro could notice how at first the movements were stiff and awkward. He could see Kaoru’s lips moving, perhaps he was singing low to remember when to start each step. But as the dance progressed, he let loose. He kept walking, twirling, doing exaggerated poses with the claw hands. The rhythm of the song was fast, just like Kojiro’s heart.
Oh oh oh caught in a bad romance. The dance slowed down for a little while, but It just made Joe’s heart beat faster. Kaoru crossed himself and then the rhythm fastened. Joe should’ve done the same because now the dance just got more sensual. The pink haired man started using his legs and hips more. Stretching them and making it impossible for the chef not to look at them.
Love, love, love, I want your love. Wait, did he just palm his crotch repeatedly? And did they lock eyes? He looked at everyone else but nobody seemed shocked by it. They were excited, sure, but Joe didn’t think anyone else's heart was running faster than Usain Bolt. Why did he feel like this? The chef didn’t even react when Adam got closer to whisper “Your boyfriend is hot.”
And you know that I need you (cause I’m a free bitch baby). He went to lay on the floor and crawled a little to the front. If Kojiro had sat on the chair that Adam put, Kaoru would’ve been right in front of him. Now he was regretting his choice.
Walk, walk, fashion baby. Now he started walking like he was on a runway. Not a far-fetched thought, Kaoru could’ve easily been a model. Kojiro wasn’t even questioning his thoughts at this moment. Whether it was the alcohol or something else that he couldn’t explain, he couldn’t deny it anymore, Kaoru looked like Venus.
I want your love, and I want your revenge. He was back on the floor, facing the wall while he showed off his legs and ass. At some point Kaoru’s singing got louder enough for everyone to hear. He even sang the french lyrics, which the chef was sure were the only phrases he could say in the foreign language.
I don’t wanna be friends, wan’t your bad romance. He sang that part louder than the other ones. It was as if he was in his own world. And at times he would let Joe in, when they locked eyes. Just like they did at the moment. He could see the sweat falling from his chest under the mesh, his cheeks were red and he had heavy breaths. Kojiro was finding it hard to breathe too.
Want your bad romance. And then the song came to an end with Kaoru finishing with a pose, squatting with his left leg and stretching the right one in a way that would put a gymnaster to shame. He bowed his head, letting all the hair cover him, even with the ponytail it ended a mess. And his hands were resting on the floor. Everyone cheered, the lights went back on and just like that the moment was over. The song only lasts 5 minutes, yet Joe felt like it was an eternity, not that he minded. He needed a drink.
🐯🎉🎂
What the hell was that? Was it the beer and the tequila shots? He had seen him do that odd dance several times. Granted, he never saw it in such detail, not in such an intimate way. It was always at parties, where he was busy flirting with girls. Yeah, it was that, the detail. Regardless he avoided the man for the rest of the party.
It didn’t take long before everyone left. It was really late, around midnight when his father returned for his siblings. Shadow had already taken the kids and Oka home and Tadashi drove Adam to his mansion.
“Are you okay?” Emiko was looking at him with concerned eyes and a confused face.
“Yeah sure, why?”
“You’ve been acting a little strange.”
“Nothing’s wrong, the party was great, I had a good time.” It wasn’t entirely a lie. He had a great time, he loved his family and friends. But there was something wrong. That odd feeling in his chest hadn’t left.
“Are you sure? I also noticed you’ve been avoiding Kaoru, did you have a fight?”
“What? No, everything’s great between us.” Gladly he was on the other side of the room, chatting with his father and Daichi. She didn’t believe him.
“Come on, Kojiro, I’ve known you since forever. I can see something’s bothering you.”
“I…”
She put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “You know you can tell me.”
He sighed defeated. And then he told her about his weird feelings while Kaoru danced, and also the ones from before.
“I just don’t get what's going on. Why do I feel like this?”
“Because you like him?” she said with a blank face, like she didn’t understand what was the big deal. He had to roll his eyes.
“No, I don’t. Kaoru is just my friend.”
“Bro, you were drooling. You have to admit that at least you find him attractive.”
“I...sure I’m not blind, I know he’s a pretty boy. So it’s a lot of people and I don’t feel like that.”
“Yeah, because you aren’t in love with other people, just him.”
“We’ve been over this, I don’t like him.” She shook her head in disbelief.
“Right and the sky isn’t blue. Listen, just think about it for a moment, you sure? Because if you did, there’s no problem with that, he clearly likes you.”
He almost spat his drink. “What? No way.”
“Come on, haven’t you noticed the way he looks at you?-"
"What, with disgust?"
"-And he’s put up with your idiocy for two decades. He planned all of this for you. You are practically attached to the hip.”
“I...we’re friends.”
“Yeah, friends that love each other.” She patted his shoulder and said goodbye with one last “think about it.” and a hug.
🐯🎉🎂
And then it was just the two, alone at Kojiro’s restaurant. Just him and his oldest friend. The once kid that he befriended since he was four and never let go. His whiny, spoiled brat, kranky, secretly clingy with anger issues friend. The guy that gets along with all his family members. That planned this amazing party. That hasn’t missed one of his birthdays, even when he was in Italy. The smartest nerd he knows. And also the hottest. An amazing skater. The rebellious punk, son of Venus, that doesn’t settle until he gets what he wants and won’t let what anyone thinks stop him. The guy that pushes him to be the best version of himself. That has been in all the highest and lowest, next to him in all the milestones. That knows him like no one else does, even better than himself. That makes his heart race just by looking at him. God, Kojiro was in love with him.
Kaoru stayed the night. They both agreed that he wasn’t in the right state of mind to drive his bike and it was too late to walk home. It wasn’t something new, they did it sometimes after “S”, when he didn’t have to work early in the morning. They got ready for bed, with Kojiro cleaning the clothing mess on his own. They did it in silence and for once it felt awkward, tense, and the pink haired man didn’t know why.
"You are not staying?" Asked Kaoru, already settled on the right side of the bed, sitting there with the duvet covering his lap. Glasses out and wearing a shirt that Kojiro suspected was his.
It wasn't something new for them. They've been sharing beds since they were little kids. And they just never outgrew It. They stopped for a while when they were awkward teenagers and naturally when they were thousands of miles apart. But they always found a way back to it. Regardless of it, It just didn't feel right now, when Kojiro just realized his feelings for the man.
"Nah, I drank too much, don't want to end up throwing up on you." He lied and they both knew It. The chef hardly got a really bad hangover and he hadn't drank that much.
"Is something wrong?"
Yes. I just realized I've been in love with you since forever and I probably missed my chance, If I even had any.
"No, just tired, you know us Ojiisans get tired easily." He tried to joke to relieve the stress, but it didn’t work. Of course, Kaoru noticed how he avoided him at the end of the party and he was doing it again.
"All right, goodnight, Kojiro. Happy birthday."
"Thanks. I'll be on the coach if you need anything." Another night Kaoru would've scoffed and replied that he wasn't a child and wouldn't need anything. But tonight he was too confused and concerned so he only nodded. Kojiro turned off the lights of the room and left.
He laid on the couch with his eyes closed. He reflected on all the times that he had odd feelings towards Kaoru. He always brushed them aside, giving excuse after excuse. “It’s what friends do” “We’ve known each other since forever” “It’s the heat of the moment” and some more. He didn’t last long when he felt a soft weight on his face.
“Get in the bed, I’ll sleep on the couch. I wouldn’t want your old man back to get worse.” Kaoru had thrown him a pillow on the face.
Kojiro took the pillow and threw it back to the man’s face. “I said it’s okay. Wouldn’t want to disturb the princess’ beauty sleep.” Was it normal to call your friend “princess”?
“I’m okay, I’m more worried about you, old man.”
“Your concern is touching, but I’ll pass.”
Kaoru, too tired to keep fighting, took a bold choice. “Okay.” He sat on Kojiro’s back. “Said I’m taking the couch.”
“Oi, Kaoru gett off.”
“Nah”
“Dude you are drunk.”
“Probably”
“Move.”
“No.” It’s a wonder Kojiro hasn’t popped a vein yet.
“Fine.” Kojiro attempted to push him off, but being too tired, too drunk and with the lights off he miscalculated, and they both fell to the ground. Instead of complaining about it, they just burst into laughter. Damn, Kaoru’s laughter always warmed his heart, even when it was aimed at him. And then his sister’s words resonated in his mind “haven’t you noticed the way he looks at you?” Could Kaoru actually like him? It was obvious he did care for him, but was there love? Kojiro’s twentieth seventh birthday was nothing like he expected. But he found that he didn’t mind. It was a new year for him, which meant new beginnings, new hopes, and perhaps revisited relationships.