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It's exactly midnight when the phone blares.
On the phone, Daigo frequently seemed reduced to that of a hormonal teenager. He was a little clumsy with his words, which stumbled off his tongue with an adolescent gusto. "Mine-san. Are you up right now?"
Ah, well. He hadn't been asleep to begin with, busy with paperwork that always seemed to wind up in stacks on his desk. Talking to Daigo would offer him a nice little break. "At the moment, yes. What do you need, Chairman?"
"Well, I don't need anything, per say," Daigo emphasizes. Mine thinks he can hear Daigo tying his tie. "but I'd like to go somewhere with you."
Mine rubs threatening sleep from his eyes. He couldn't name many places off the top of his head open this late. "Where to?" He asks, and it's as much acceptance as it is curiosity.
"You'll see. I'll be there in a few minutes." Click.
It's a little off putting initially, for Daigo had never been one to beat around the bush like that, but Mine reprimands himself almost immediately for thinking so lowly about Daigo. Who was he to question where the Chairman summoned him? If the Chairman wanted him somewhere, he'd be there, no questions asked.
…
Daigo's a relatively quiet man throughout the ride, beyond the usual polite small talk that Mine knows means he's nervous to some degree. Daigo had forgone his usual suit jacket, leaving him in just his tie and white dress shirt with its sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His forearms were beefy things, dusted with hair and making Mine think about things he had no business to be mulling over. Instead, he mulls over how overdressed he felt, too formal compared to Daigo's casual attire.
Daigo jerks his chin towards the passenger window. "We're here, Mine."
Maybe Mine was expecting the familiar sight of the Tojo Clan HQ, or even the Hakuho Clan's HQ. However, there wasn't a tall building outside his passenger window, much less anything yakuza-like. Rather, a complex—an izakaya, some run down karaoke bar, a building that Mine guesses was previously a pawnshop. The buildings were the last place Mine himself would go, much less where the Tojo Clan Chairman ought to be headed. Mine's tempted to suggest a high class place himself…
"Mine?"
He blinks. Daigo was already out—Mine looked a fool still sitting in the car. "Apologies on keeping you waiting, Chairman," He hurriedly recovers, stepping out of the car in turn. "I just… didn't expect you to choose such a place." A slip of his tongue, something he wants to kick himself for. Saying the wrong thing is enough to get any man killed. Or, in some cases, stabbed in the hand.
But Daigo dares to laugh in reply—a faint, nearly inaudible thing. Heh. "I've got a few more surprises up my sleeve." His tone drops into something that Mine could mistake for something sultry if he tried hard enough.
Mine pulls out his handkerchief with trembling hands, wiping his face to hide the blush illuminated by a streetlight. He was hearing things, is all. Picking up a lilt that surely wasn't there in Daigo's voice. He tucks his handkerchief back into his breast pocket, clearing his throat as he follows Daigo inside.
The izakaya is almost entirely empty, save for a drunken salaryman snoring and the bartender himself. Of course, Mine isn't paying much attention to anyone who wasn't Daigo—who had settled into a booth, eyes glossing over the menu with what seemed to be faux interest.
Mine settles in the seat just across Daigo, watching his facial features. His eyebrows knitted themselves together, lips pressed tight. He wasn't thinking about the menu, and neither was Mine. Mine couldn't tear his eyes away from Daigo's features—honestly, it was criminal to have such nice, full lips like his. How nice it'd be, to rest his own lips on them. Daigo finally looks up through his eyelashes, tilting his head slightly. Perhaps the D in Daigo stood for dog, because he certainly looked like one in that moment.
"I guess I should've told you more about the place before bringing you here," Daigo says, like he was just now having that revelation. He sits up, folding the menu back. "I was the first one in when it opened. It's a nice little bar. The whiskey's cheap and it tastes good."
Mine doesn't get to reply, interrupted by the bartender's abrupt presence. Daigo utters an order too fast for Mine to hear, and it's not much long after when Mine sees the bartender bring a bottle over. A measly bottle of Yamazaki 12. Was that what the Chairman preferred?
Daigo flusters, smiling that awkward smile that seemed to physically strain him. "I hope you don't mind me ordering for us both. I just wanted you to try it."
Mine did mind. He preferred the more expensive whiskeys, the ones that screamed I-have-too-much-money-to-burn to any passerby. But he'd tolerate the cheaper, more humble whiskey if it meant seeing Daigo turn red again. So, he responds with an easy, "Of course not, Chairman," and accepts the whiskey glass offered to him.
The Yamazaki 12 flows easily out the bottle and rolls smoothly down Mine's throat. In all honesty, it wasn't bad—maybe only a little lower in quality than the high-quality whiskey. "Better than I expected." Mine comments, running his tongue over his gums.
Daigo smiles again, less awkward and a little more relaxed. "Hm. I suppose I've been drinking it so long now that it doesn't taste half bad." He offers another chuckle. People laughed so much when they were nervous, Mine noticed.
For a brief while, they sit in silence. It's not uncomfortable by any means—it's a silence that Mine finds he quite enjoys. Daigo was just as charming with or without words. And he was certainly… interested in the window, for whatever reason. Mine squints out of the window himself, but finds nothing out of the ordinary. It was particularly dark out tonight, if that was anything worth noticing.
Unless...
Mine jolts, turning to Daigo again. He grips his glass so hard he's certain he'll break it, flashing Daigo an awfully stern look. "Did someone tail us, Chairman?"
"Hm?" Daigo's eyes flicker back to his, squinting slightly. "Ah—no, I don't think so. What gave you that idea?"
"You're looking out the window often."
Daigo blinks twice in quick succession, like he was only now realizing that he'd been doing that. "Ah, well. It's not over that." He vaguely states, taking a particularly long sip of his drink in an attempt to not have to talk.
"What's it about, then?" Mine carefully pries, squinting. The Chairman seemed awfully secretive tonight—unless this was another 'surprise' up his sleeve.
"I just like the sky." Daigo responds slowly, looking outside again. "It's nice, I think. Calming."
Mine blinks. Was that it? He supposed it hadn't been long ago that he'd been essentially a "teenager" (well, he'd been 30) and a bit of boyishness was to be expected. He looks out himself, squinting. The window was awfully dirty, leaving him unable to see much else beyond a dark sky and a few small white lights. "Quite. I've always admired it." He nods.
"You know," Daigo leans in, like he was sharing a secret with him. Mine can smell traces of the whiskey on his mouth, and he wants to chase it with his tongue. "the roof of this complex is nice. Gives you a good enough view of the sky without just heading to the Millennium Tower."
Ah, so that's what this was. Daigo wanted to stargaze with him. How intimate. Mine wasn't sure how many more "surprises" he could handle if they'd all continue down this road. "I'll go up there with you, Chairman, if that's what you're asking."
"That's exactly what I'm asking, Mine." Daigo responds, finishing off his drink with one final swallow. Given he'd only had a single shot, Mine bargains Daigo had intended to go stargazing with Mine from the very beginning. Daigo rises, pulling out a generous bit of cash that was way too much for their meager order but was probably pocket change for him. He gestures for Mine to follow, waving a brisk goodbye to the bartender.
The stairs up to the roof creak so much that Mine tenses, less in anxiety and more so in preparation to catch the Chairman (somehow) if it collapsed beneath the two. It didn't, but Mine stayed prepared until his loafer hits firm concrete.
By no means had Daigo been lying, not like he thought he'd been. The sky was outstandingly clear up here, seemingly stretching on as far as Mine could see. He turns when he feels a gentle nudge at his shoulder.
"Mine," Daigo says, though his voice had dropped to an all-too-intimate murmur. He points suddenly to the sky, gesturing towards the stars. "look at that one."
Mine was looking, alright. Except there were multiple stars, not just that one. He squints a little harder. "Which?"
"The constellation. There." Daigo gestures again.
Mine squints even harder. "… Chairman—"
"Here, give me your hand." Daigo says with so much disregard for how he came off that it reminded Mine of Kiryu briefly, though Kiryu's obliviousness was downright irritating where Daigo's was charming. Everything about Daigo was charming.
Mind complies, holding his hand out like a dog under the command 'paw'. Daigo's hand is about as rough as his, and he allows for it to be lifted to point at something.
"Those four stars, one's bright. They make a bent line, almost." Daigo elaborates, turning to Mine again. "Do you see it now?"
He did, surprisingly enough. "What about it?"
"It's one of my favorite constellations. It's Aries, and I'm an Aries, so…" Daigo trails off, letting Mine's hand go with the reluctance of a lover saying goodbye.
Mine tilts his head, his eyes tracing the constellation. "Impressive." He utters, more to himself than anything. "Is there any other constellations out?"
Daigo glances over briefly, flustered Mine didn't just wave Daigo's babbling off. "Ah, erm. Probably." He focuses on the sky again, turning his body slightly. He shifts, tilting closer to Mine—knowingly or otherwise—to where Mine could taste his breath again. The alcohol taste was stronger now.
"There's another one," Daigo comments, and it takes Mine a second to realize Daigo's voice is coming from behind him now, not beside him. "To the west…" Daigo's voice trails off, Mine's barely paying much attention to it.
Rather, he's focused more on Daigo's chest brushing his back. They were positioned like some couple in a romantic sitcom, and it made Mine want to bristle and relax back into Daigo's body simultaneously.
"—God, Mine," Daigo says suddenly, the tone of his words sharp enough to pull Mine from his daydreaming. Daigo pulls back from him, announced by the sharp click of his loafer against the pavement. "That—I didn't realize how close I was. That was awfully unprofessional of…"
"—It's fine," It was rare for Mine to cut the Chairman off. In fact, he'd quite literally never done it before until now. He bites his tongue briefly as punishment before continuing, "I didn't mind, Chairman. As long as you're comfortable."
Daigo goes silent, long enough so Mine briefly turns his head to make sure he hadn't scared him away. When Daigo meets his gaze—gosh, his face was so red again—, he leans forward again. "Daigo."
"Hm?"
"You can call me Daigo. We're not yakuza right now."
Daigo doesn't make sense then. They were yakuza from the moment they got their pin and finalized it with their irezumi, and their irezumi would stay with them to the grave. There was no 'break' to being a yakuza. But Mine lets himself believe that pretty little white lie, just for one night. "Daigo-san," Mine murmurs, testing the words on his tongue. "what about this constellation again?"
"Oh—Right. Look." He gestures to the sky, his breath tickling Mine's ear. "This one has a strange shape, it's Taurus. Daigo's pointer finger comes into view, tracing the shape of Taurus in the sky. "It's Latin for bull. Did you know that?"
"No," Was Mine supposed to know that? "I didn't know you knew any Latin either, Daigo-san."
Daigo chuckles, leaning forward further. "Maybe I studied it in my free time. You wouldn't know."
He would. Mine goes back to looking up at Taurus and Aries, eyes flicking between the two. "They look quite similar to me," Mine says slowly, eyes still squinted trying to pick out any differences between the stars. He supposed, as much as he liked looking at the night sky, he hadn't taken it to the extent Daigo had. That was the Chairman in his eyes, always 5 steps ahead—even when it came to something like astrology. He could never resent him for it, not like he ever wanted to.
"Similar, but never the same," Daigo shrugs halfheartedly. There's a smile crossing his lips again, and Mine notices it's audible in his voice, "that's stars for you."
How poetic the Sixth Chairman was. Or maybe Mine was just a little tipsy.
Were his hands on Mine's hips?