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Mikoto, Shidou, and Kazui would all regularly meet up when they weren't busy. Whether it be in a nice restaurant, a bar, maybe drinking a little, maybe smoking a little (a lot), it felt nice to catch up with their friends once in a while, even with just a simple 'How's life?' despite the awkward glances they would give each other at that very question. Today was one of those days, and recently, it felt as if Mikoto had become a tad insecure for being the only single man in the group, suddenly asking the other two about relationship advice as if they had been talking to the love-crazed Mahiru instead. Kazui especially told him not to worry about it, as Shidou profoundly quoted a line about patience and a right time for everything, but apparently, it didn't help how he would act at their table.
Mikoto was uncharacteristically fiddling with his phone while they ate, nervously scrolling up and down on what seemed to be someone's profile with nothing short of awe in his beady little eyes.
"Something on your mind, Kayano-kun?" Shidou was the first to ask, ever the perceptive.
"This girl followed me on Instagram," he replied.
"Mmm.” The other man pursed his lips. “You don't like women," he said simply.
"I don't! But... I checked her profile..." Mikoto slipped his phone back in his pocket, instead watching the ice clink in his glass. "It was mostly business related posts, but one of them- it was just a life update. She tagged her brother in the picture." Heat rose to his pale skin, creating a visible red tinge on his cheeks as he smiled dumbly to himself and the grains in the wooden table. "And I thought he was cute. That's it."
Kazui and Shidou both lightly acknowledged his interest, perhaps somewhat happy or even proud of the development.
"While that's great, I don't think stalking him online is very good, Mikoto." Kazui replied, his tone seemingly scolding, though playful with his words and slight grin.
"I-I know that... There's just something about him that makes me feel like we'd get along no matter how unprepared I am to talk to him.” For someone who found solace in tarot card messaging, he believed surprisingly little in fate. To that very moment, he stood by this belief. Yet, the upward curve of his lips continued, as if he had understood this stranger better than anyone, and could hence tell his future. “It sounds weird but, it's how I feel."
"Can we get a name?" Shidou curiously interjected.
"... Fuuta."
"Futa?" Kazui raised an eyebrow.
"Fuuta. Did you really just misspell my boy's name?"
"Your... boy? Kayano-kun, I'm sorry if this sounds rude, but presently, he doesn't know who you are."
"I don't think you can misspell words in face-to-face conversations."
Not paying any mind to either of their concerns, he fished his phone back into his hands, pointing underneath Fuuta's username. "Okay. Just- look at his bio. He lives in Tokyo... he likes games, and..."
Mikoto's face went dark, suddenly blinking at his screen like it was receiving a call from his chief.
"You know what? Yeah. You guys are right, Futa's not for me."
"We never said you shouldn't pursue him?" Kazui let his empty plate be taken by the waiter, silently noting that Mikoto had barely touched his own. "Also, I thought it was Fuuta."
"Futa, Fuuta, it doesn’t matter! Blocked!”
"Ah." Shidou mused, realizing what it had been. "He's still college age, hm?"
"... What?"
"You don't like men younger than you because you think they are all going to be rash and immature."
"That is so not true." He says, despite knowing better than anyone that those were his own exact words.
"Kayano-kun, your standards are ridiculously high. You'll never find a man unless you're willing to make exceptions and compromise so you can find your love."
"Sorry, I feel uncomfortable talking to you about this a-melodically."
"Wait. Look at it this way, Mikoto." Kazui attempted to placate him with a hand held near his arm, as Shidou quietly excused himself to request a piece from the violinist. "What if you had actually messaged this Futa..."
"Fuuta."
"And you two hit it off."
"Which it would have."
"You find yourselves having a lot of fun on the first date. So much so that you agree to a second."
"Okay."
The smooth flutter of a bow meeting delicate strings filled the restaurant with a romantic hymn, adding to its refined atmosphere amongst the expensive bottles of wine and high quality dishes. The rumble of his baritone floated through the air, almost magically with his vivid narration. "This goes on, and on, until you realize you've been dating for months without any intimate physical contact at all."
Kazui was completely unfazed, blissfully unaware of both Shidou returning to their table, and Mikoto pulling out his phone again.
"You just learned to appreciate the beauty of each other's emotional sides and personalities- and somewhere hidden beneath your insecurities, you realize that this connection you have is something... special."
"What???" Mikoto responds in a very non-aromantic way.
"Then one fateful night, he's cradled within your arms and he looks deep into your eyes as if staring into your soul. So much so that you feel your heart begin to beat faster than ever before."
"Okay."
"He touches your hand… and you grab his waist."
"Okay, Kazui-san."
"You feel as though your insides are on FIRE when he—”
"I just deleted the app."
"What?" The older man had seemingly broken out of a trance, sitting there his mouth gaping in confusion.
"You bummed me out so hard, I'm deleting Instagram forever. I'm already so swamped with work nowadays."
"... Oh."
For a moment, they all sat in silence, until Mikoto loudly stabbed a fork into his pasta, huffing.
"He was ugly anyway."
Shidou reached to pat his shoulder. "Well, don't say that."
Somewhere, at another table, a short redhead overhears this entire conversation and scoffs.
That day, Mikoto fumbled.