Chapter Text
Takemichi wouldn't say he was lonely.
He never did have many friends, excluding the friend group he somehow managed to worm his way into back in middle school. No matter, it's all in the past, it’s been years since then. They had all moved on to college or got jobs and loved ones of their own. Aside from hanging out with them, he didn't have much to do but study. And, whenever their meetings ended, Takemichi was left rather bored. So, powered by his lack of entertainment,he studied until he was able to get into a fairly good college. And after graduating with a degree in computer sciences, he got a job as a programmer.
He had a stable job, an apartment of his own, and no lack of free time. All in all, he was doing fine, great even. So why did he constantly feel so exhausted? Maybe all his late-night reading was finally catching up to him. It was probably fine, though, a little fatigue hasn’t stopped him yet.
On any hand, it was nothing some sugary tea couldn’t handle. However, he needed to be at least somewhat awake due to him recently getting a text from someone he knew back in college. He wouldn't say they were friends, but they often partnered together in two-person projects, even if Takemichi did most of the work. Nonetheless, Baji was a familiar face.
Takemichi didn't think the other party would bother holding onto his number after graduation, much less call it, so his surprise was to be expected. For whatever reason though, he did. And even more surprisingly was that he invited Takemichi to come to a pub with a group of friends.
Baji claimed it was to catch up after having not talked for so long, completely ignoring how they barely even knew each other in the first place. Alas, no matter how odd he found the whole situation, Takemichi and his inability to say “No” made him agree to join the meet-up. Well, that and his want for some good social interaction.
That's the reason why, on the planned day of the meetup, Takemichi was rummaging through his closet. His first problem would be figuring out what to wear. He didn’t want to dress overly formal, this wasn't a business meeting for crying out loud, but he wasn't so bold as to dress too casually. It's not like they’ve known each other for years and years, he wanted to make a good re-impression, sue him! Alongside that, the temperature outside dropped, completely ignoring any forecast. It seemed even the heavens themselves were against him at this point.
In an attempt to not freeze to death in the biting Autumn cold, he grabbed a thick pair of beige pants alongside a slightly-too-big black hoodie. He fiddled with the worn sleeves as he considered what else he needed. He still had 30 minutes to get there and it was only a 10 minute walk, but better early than late.
He had his house keys, wallet, what else did he need?
“Of course!”
He nearly smacked himself from his own stupidity. How could he come so close to forgetting his phone? How else was he gonna get the directions to his destination, it's not like he goes out enough to know the area. He also wanted some way to entertain himself if it all went south, which it hopefully wouldn’t.
He nabbed his phone on the way out the door, glancing at it to check the time. 3:14. He had to be there by 3:40. Not a bad head start if he did say so himself. The only bad thing was that his phone was at 43%, oops. Hopefully he wouldn’t use it much though, so if all goes well it should be fine.
He closed his apartment door behind him, making sure it was locked so that any rogue serial killers couldn't just waltz in, and started down the sidewalk.
Thankfully, the area wasn't very busy at that time of day, so he got to his destination distraction free.
The pub itself was in a relatively quiet area, mostly comprised of neighborhoods and the occasional family-owned restaurant. The worn fading sign hanging about the front door read “Black Dragon Pub”. And, even before going inside, he could tell it was well loved from the homey atmosphere of the whole place. Feeling awkward just standing outside alone, he walked inside.
It took him a second to spot Baji as he was sitting near the back of the pub, but when Takemichi did he knew something was off. The first red flag was how Baji and those surrounding him all seemed to be at least slightly intoxicated. If they invited Takemichi, why not wait for him to arrive before starting to drink? And he arrived nearly 20 minutes early, why were Baji and his group even there?
Personally, Takemichi never pegged him as someone who was always on time, and it seemed like he'd been there for a good few hours already. This was getting more and more suspicious.
Takemichi hesitantly shuffled over to where Baji was sitting. He stopped just a few feet away, trying to catch Bajis eye. He was successful after only a few seconds, but all Takemichi received was a lazy glance before Baji’s attention shifted to something else.
Weird. Baji brushed him off pretty easily for the guy who invited him here. Takemichi scanned the crowd for someone who could give him some explanations. He spotted a man who stood out from the rest of Baji’s company, what with his dyed hair and sober appearance.
Approaching, Takemichi noticed how the man seemed to be watching Baji and, while that in itself isn't too strange, the melancholic look in his eyes was definitely uncalled for.
“Hey, um,” Takemichi rather smartly said, “Did I arrive late or something? I was told to be here at 3:40,”
The man turned to look at him, pausing for a moment before speaking. “Ah jeez, I told Baji to stop doing this.”
“Doing… what exactly?”
The man sighed and ran a hand through his blond hair. “My name’s Chifuyu, sorry about you coming all the way here. Baji recently gained a bad habit of calling people he barely knows to act as his designated driver.”
So, Baji only called him over there to act as a chauffeur. Honestly, he should’ve known better, no one talks to Takemichi willingly unless they want something.
Didn't make it hurt any less.
Chifuyu looked back at Baji, “He wasn't like this a few weeks ago, it's just… some stuff happened. I'll handle it, I suggest you go though. Cant have him bother you more than he already has.”
So, in more simple terms, ‘Get out while you still can’.
“Oh. Well, I walked here anyway so that plan would have been unsuccessful,” He didn't bother giving Chifuyu his name, it's not like they would ever meet again anyways.
Takemichi turned to face more towards the exit. “I'll be on my way then. Good luck, I guess.”
Takemichi did well in keeping the awkwardness out of his voice if he did say so himself. Though, even he himself could hear the underlying bitterness in his tone.
He speedwalked out the pub, not once looking back at Baji’s rowdy, drunken laughter and Chifuyu’s exhausted stare.