Ryuusei needed a drink.
The following day would be Monday, and his first lecture was at eight in the morning, but damn him if he wasn't getting a drink after that shitshow. Ryusei couldn't even properly seethe in his own home anymore, since there'd be some stranger hanging around now.
Fuck, he needed several drinks. And about ten cigarettes.
So deeply absorbed in his inner ravings, it didn't occur to Ryusei that his cellphone had been ringing for a while. His first impulse was to decline, thinking it was either his mother or brother, but then he hesitated after seeing the caller ID.
"Shit."
[Jirou.]
This guy wouldn't leave him alone no matter how many times he declined his calls, especially after today. Ryusei would be in for a world of guilt-trips if he even entertained the idea. But maybe if he ignored it…
His cellphone went silent after a while. It didn't even take a minute for the damn thing to pipe up again.
Not today, it seems.
Already dreading the conversation, Ryusei reluctantly answered the call.
"Yo, what's up man?"
"…Benjirou."
"Whoa, full name? Then tonight must've been bad," the man on the other end made a noise of grimace.
"Listen… I'm really—"
"—Really up for a drink? What a coincidence, I just bought a six-pack."
Ryusei didn't respond.
A beat later, "Okay, I bought three of them, but you'll live."
"I have classes tomorrow morning," Ryusei reasoned.
"But you're streeeeeeesed. Come on, man, you need an outlet. I know that dinner was a disaster."
Silence.
"And I know you weren't planning on heading home anyway."
Ryusei cursed this man for knowing him too well. It wouldn't be surprising if Benjirou had even calculated the exact amount of time Ryusei would be able to sit down with his family and enjoy a meal. It wouldn't be the first time either.
"I didn't bring anything with me," he sighed, mumbling as a last-ditch effort to act reclusive.
His friend wasn't having it, of course. "Don't act like this is your first rodeo. There's plenty of stuff for you to change into here."
**
It just so happened that Ryusei lost his apartment key when he stomped out of the restaurant the night of that disastrous family dinner. Great.
He'd planned on making his interactions with the new tenant as nonexistent as possible, but oh well. It'd just be the one time and then they'd continue ignoring each other. Hopefully the guy wasn't the chatty type; he really couldn't stand those kinds of people.
When Ryusei finally decided to leave Benjirou's place and head to his own, it had been four days later. He got home at five pm, not really expecting anyone there but hanging on to a faint hope nonetheless. Still, when he arrived to a locked front door, he couldn't help feeling disappointed. He really hadn't wanted to resort to calling the guy…
And thus, Ryusei had left the building with the intention of coming back at a little later.
*
Ten o'clock found Ryusei standing before a still locked door with no new tenant in sight. The inside stayed completely silent when he knocked, not even the distant shuffling which indicated that someone could possibly inside.
He'd been a little understanding when he came by earlier, taking into consideration that the guy had possibly been on campus and his classes hadn't let out yet. That guy— TakashiorTadashi or whatever his name was— had indicated that he was a senior at Meishin University, which was a grade above Ryusei. Seeing as they studied at the same school, their hours couldn't be that different, right? So, where the hell was that guy at ass o'clock in the evening on a school night? Oh no, was he one of those people who pulled all-nighters at the campus library? Or worse, those who had no sense of propriety and went out partying even during weeknights???
Ryusei decided right then and there to call him.
It went straight to voicemail.
Ryusei released a colorful string of curses.
*
It was a little over an hour later when the guy finally decided to show up, and Ryusei had to physically restrain himself from throwing hands. Yeah, twelve ignored calls might have sucked away all the calm he'd managed to gather at Jirou's place.
The new tenant was… not what'd he expected, to say the least. The person who'd dragged himself down the corridor was tall, had some bulk on him poorly hidden behind the cheap lime hoodie (who wears lime, ew), and wore simple black joggers paired with the most atrocious looking black and green sneakers Ryusei's eyes had the misfortune of coming across for the first time in his twenty-one years of existence. The most prominent feature about the unfamiliar person was his shock of silver shoulder-length thick curls, which… okay, he surprisingly didn't look half bad with that color, with half of them gathered behind his head into a loose bun. Ryusei noted the few strands of undisciplined hair that had fallen out of said bun and framed the guy's face, barely hiding the strong jaw dotted with a bit of stubble which probably needed to be shaved off soon. The hair really was too curly to be natural. Had he gotten it permed?
He noticed about three different pairs of black piercings sporting each of the stranger's ears, a smaller one on the person's left brow, and the last one being a ring piercing adorning the right corner of the man's lower lip. Ryusei didn't spend much time on the black little things since he suddenly grew uncomfortably aware of the other person's stare, and coupled with the fact that he was already in a bad mood, it became the perfect excuse for him to snap.
"Need help taking a picture?"
Startled hazel eyes met cool heterochrome, before this Takashi person snapped into action after a brief nod in greeting. After that, he just sort of started fumbling around for something in his bag. It took Ryusei an embarrassing amount of time to guess that the poor guy was probably looking for the apartment's keys.
I swear if he lost them as well… "Do you usually get home this late?" he spoke, since it was better than just awkwardly standing there in silence.
He didn't know why the other guy looked so confused, it was a simple question. And then he had the audacity to ask if Ryusei was looking for someone.
I'll get kicked out if I start a fight, I'll get kicked out if I start a fight. "Yeah, you."
Ryusei swore that if he saw this person act surprised one more time, he'd probably lose his shit.
"Why?"
Something snapped inside him, and Ryusei couldn't help the sneer that curled his lips. Maybe he should just risk it. This guy wouldn't report him, right? Sure, he looked bigger (though Ryu still had a few inches on him in height), but the guy probably didn't know how to fight. Looks could deceive after all.
In the end though, Ryusei simply settled on curling his fists in his jacket pockets and responding in what he hoped was a very biting, "Because I can't get into my apartment and you're the only other person who has the same key."
He didn't want to hang around anymore after that. Takashi was still talking but Ryusei just wanted him to open the damn door and be done with it. The sooner he'd get away from this person, the better. He'd have succeeded on his mission too, had it not been for what the guy had the gall to say next.
"So, no key, then?"
Those familiar words. Oh, so that's how it was? This guy was obviously getting revenge for how Ryusei had treated him on the day of his arrival. And to think Ryusei had genuinely been caught up that day and couldn't welcome him properly. Maybe he'd even ignored those twelve calls on purpose just to get him back for all the times Ryusei had ignored his texts. Fine then, if that's the game this guy wanted to play, Ryusei was more than honored.
Maybe he didn't have to play nice after all.
~***~