With a loud huff, I crossed my arms over my chest as I looked between the other two men at the table. If anything, I hated it when people made fun of me, but this was my own fault. Had I not been so consumed with my surroundings instead of paying attention to my companions…
Yasu surprised me by reaching over, laying his hand on my forearm. A warm shock of lightning shot through me at the contact.
“Don’t stress about it.”
Holy shit. Was he being friendly?
It was weird as fuck considering that I’d continued to mess with him. Maybe it would be worth it to see where all of it would go. We were all in the same room without killing each other, so that was a start. More like we were all in the same room and Yasu wasn’t trying to kill me.
Semantics and all that.
It was easier said than done not to stress about it. If I were trying to impress either one of them, this wasn’t the way to do it. Itsuki giggled.
“I, uhm...” I cleared my throat, picking up my cup of tea and taking a sip of the scalding liquid.
“So the conclusion is, I probably shouldn’t get a cat,” Itsuki announced as he got up from the table, pulling a bottle of whiskey from the cabinet, pouring a healthy portion into his tea.
What was even happening here?
We’d gone from coffee, to tea, to now there being whiskey? I’d missed a memo at some point, but when that same bottle of whiskey was tipped into Yasu’s glass, I didn’t have the heart to say no when it was offered to me.
This was a mistake because the more we drank, the looser my tongue got. Before I knew it, I was telling Yasu and Itsuki about the time I’d gotten so shit-faced with my old band that we’d nearly gotten kicked out of the venue we were playing in. It wasn’t one of my proudest moments, and it only bolstered the image that I’d been working so hard to get rid of.
When the bottle of whiskey made its fourth trip around the table, there was no more tea. We were all drinking it straight, telling all of our dirty little secrets. If I had known that it would have been this easy, I would have done it ages ago. Not only was I learning about Itsuki, but Yasu was a lot more human when he wasn’t constantly glowering at me.
“So Reiko was telling me the other day about the new costumes? They were so damn hideous at first. Toshi showed her the drawings—she told him no. There was no way that we’d ever agree to wear them. I thank God that she’s on our side. I couldn’t imagine what sort of shit we’d end up having to wear...”
Itsuki laughed, picking up his cup and taking a long sip.
“You remember that one time they brought out that really long dress for me? While it was stupidly gorgeous, the practicality of performing in that thing wasn’t anywhere near feasible. I would have been getting all that material wrapped around my legs while trying to dance on stage. When I asked Toshi about making the skirt knee-length and leaving the train, he laughed at me. If Reiko hadn’t stepped in...”
The two of them got really quiet for a moment. I had to really wonder about Reiko. Sure, she’d seemed incredibly protective when I’d stopped by Yasu’s place the other day, but she really did a lot for the band if the stories were real.
“What costume is this?” It was stupid to ask, but without missing a beat, Itsuki was standing from the table, walking to the other room.
Like moths to a flame, both Yasu and I followed him. My mouth ran dry as he stripped his shirt over his head, exposing long expanses of creamy skin. Creamy skin that I wanted to trail my fingers down.
Itsuki’s chest was flawlessly smooth with dusky pink nipples that pebbled at the cool air of his apartment. He didn’t seem to mind that we were watching his every move as he opened a closet door, sifting through what looked like hundreds of colorful clothes.
Shirts, pants, skirts, you name it. It all went flying across the room while he looked. I stared in awe at the sheer amount of things he owned. I’d never seen someone with a closet so full before. It wasn’t a bad thing—it all screamed Itsuki, fitting his personality perfectly.
He finally emerged from the mess of ruffles and lace with a frilly dress clutched to his chest.
“For the record,” he started. “This ended up being one of my all-time favorite costumes. I had to fight the label to let me keep it.”
The second he pushed his pants off his narrow hips, my breath caught. Yasu didn’t seem to have the same problem I did seeing the other man standing there in nothing but a pair of snug purple boxer briefs, but maybe that was the benefit of them having been friends for so long. Then again, I’d had the same issue with Hatchi until I’d realized just how much of an asshole he was. It was like my dick had trouble getting hard for him after that.
Part of me wanted to shove the vocalist out of the way when he moved behind Itsuki to help him zip up the dress. While the pink highlights were meant for our new album, they still fit the old style.
After the dress was secured, Itsuki disappeared back into the closet, grabbing a thick petticoat and dragging it up his legs to fluff out the skirt. He moved over to the vanity in the corner of the room, picking up a hairbrush and started styling his hair into pigtails at the sides of his head.
When he headed to his closet again, Yasu grabbed him by the waist, causing him to fall into a fit of laughter. My face heated as I watched the two of them because it was becoming more than a little apparent that maybe I didn’t belong stepping in between whatever was happening with them. But I also wanted to be a part of it. To feel connected to the easy way they touched and communicated. They were so sweet and innocent, but there I was trying to corrupt them with everything I’d dragged along with me.
Chapter 18
Itsuki
My arms wound around Yasu as he held onto me a little tighter. If it weren’t for the fact that my room was so tiny, I would have completely forgotten that Ryosuke was with us. There was something to that as well. Like the thrill of him watching added just another daring edge.
