Chapter Text
“A blind date,” Takuma repeated Yuuki’s words back to her slowly, feeling the strange weight of them on his tongue.
He didn’t do blind dates. He didn’t do dates period. Not anymore. His life was now solely dedicated to the basement and everything in it, and it was fine that way. He could read all day, laze around all night. All of his friends were talking about marriage and children and advancing in their careers, but it was good. It was fine.
“She’s perfect for you,” Yuuki insisted, hands on her hips in that way she thought made her more intimidating. It did not. “Just give it a chance.”
Takuma leaned back against the couch, folding his arms stubbornly across his chest. “Why don’t I know her?”
Yuuki’s hands slipped off her sides, her face contorting in a grimace that made him fear the worst. “She’s human.”
Who did she think she was talking to, here? He was part of the first generation of vampires who’d gained a soft spot for humans—
Oh. Oh… Was that what she meant?
“I don’t know if she…” Yuuki snapped her wrist in tight little circles while she searched for the right words – or the right way to say them. “She might want to, um… stay that way.”
“So you set me up on the first date I’ve had since I left school with a woman who may be dead in fifty-something years?” His question came out a lot harsher than intended, but that didn’t make it any less true. He was already gaining a reputation as the lonely hermit, the last thing he wanted was to return to it.
“I know, I know.” Yuuki pressed her palm against her forehead with a frustrated little noise, staring off into the distance for a few long seconds. “Look – she’s always had a thing for you. If I find out she’s open to the idea of becoming a vampire for the right person—” She gestured wildly at him like he was a lottery prize to be won. “—will you please, pretty please just go out on a date with her?” Clasping her hands together under her chin, she gave him the puppy dog eyes Kaname had always been so weak to. “I promise you’ll like her!”
He wasn’t sure if it was the eyes or the persistence or just the idea of possibly not having to spend the rest of his long, long life alone, but he knew the date was carved in stone the moment he surrendered with a sigh.
Yuuki, apparently, did not because her plea turned into the kind of scolding she’d usually direct at… Well, he’d say Ai, but it was Kiryu she scolded more than anyone else, really. “You’re a social creature, Ichijo, you need to go out once in a while! It’ll be good for you. I’ll be back next weekend to pick you up.” Without giving him the chance to say anything, she hurried over to the stairs and shot him that stern look over her shoulder. “If you don’t open the door, I’m breaking it down.”
A blink later, she was gone. Takuma’s arms unfurled all on their own, hands slipping onto his lap as his gaze flicked from the stairs over to Kaname. “Break it down, she says,” he told Kaname with a soft laugh.
Maybe Yuuki had a point. This could be good for him. The basement was a lonely place to begin with, but with everyone off leading their own lives, he was spending more and more time alone with his books.
And one day he was going to run out of things to read.
“I guess I’m going on a date.”
True to her word, Yuuki crashed the basement on Saturday the following weekend. From the moment she ordered him to change into his best suit, throughout the entirety of the car ride (“Stop fiddling with your tie, Ichijo!”), right up until they pulled up in front of the restaurant, it was made abundantly clear she was donning her mother hat. She got out of the car with him, fussed over his tie (“I told you not to fiddle with it.”) and, finally, put her hands on his shoulders like she was seeing him off for his first day at school.
She gave him an appropriately proud smile – if he had in fact been her child. “Just be yourself and you’ll do great.”
“I should hope so, considering this woman has a thing for me.” He looked through the glass front door, into the restaurant, his heart speeding up. This was it. It was really happening. His first date in years. “Did you ask her about, you know… that?”
“I did.” Yuuki’s smile faltered. Oh no. No no no— “She didn’t give me a straightforward yes or no, but she did tell me she was open to the idea.”
“Oh.”
Anything other than a yes made him antsy, but at least a maybe had potential.
“Try not to get too ahead of yourself.” Yuuki’s faltering smile returned to its full, beaming strength. “Just enjoy the evening, okay?”
She left him with a tender pat on the arm and got back in the car, the pit of nervousness in Takuma’s stomach steadily growing as he waved her off. Of course she was right, but if this woman’s answer had been a no, he would’ve turned around and gone home. Even at the risk of a broken-down basement door.
He could do this. Deep breath in… deep breath out…
All right. Now or never.
He went inside, trying to ignore his heart’s desperate attempt at doing a somersault, and waited in line behind a lovey-dovey couple leaning on each other so closely he could barely tell where one ended and the other began. The sight of them doting on each other made him smile.
Maybe that could be him one day. He’d secretly given up hope, but… maybe.
The hostess returned to escort the happy couple to their table and then it was just him. Conversations hummed in the background while he waited, not too loud, not too quiet. Pleasant. He wasn’t one to struggle for topics to talk about, but knowing awkward silences wouldn’t be entirely silent was reassuring.
And he’d already thought of a way to break the ice because he was most definitely overdressed in his three-piece suit. She was going to think he was an idiot – most men here were dressed in jeans and a shirt!
The hostess came back and gave him one of those customer service smiles. “Good evening, sir, do you have a reservation?”
“Yes, it should be under Ichijo.” While she looked him up on her screen, he asked, “Do you know if my date has arrived yet?”
“No, not yet.” She tapped the screen and gestured at the tables behind her. “If you’d please follow me.”
All right, so he was early. He anticipated that. Planned for it. The last thing he wanted to do was be late.
The hostess led him past rows of tables full of couples and families, big and small, to a cozy little table next to the floor-to-ceiling window. He thanked her, ordered a mug of peppermint tea from the server who came up to his table almost immediately after, and turned to gazing outside to keep his nerves under control.
The moon was beautiful tonight. Full and bright, not hidden behind clouds. The perfect night for a vampire.
Did you know you were going on a date with a vampire? Oh – of course, Yuuki asked… Yeah, you knew.
The reflection nearing him in the window made his heart go from a steady thrum to a harried b-bmp b-bmp b-bmp, and then he felt like an idiot because it was the same male server from a few minutes prior with his tea.
Why in god’s name did he get tea? Wine. Wine was the right drink to order in situations such as this. White, red, it wouldn’t matter so long as he finished it before the first course. Something stronger might’ve made it seem like he couldn’t go a day without alcohol, coffee was more of an after-dinner drink, but wine would’ve been good. Ordering a bottle of champagne was much too presumptuous, but a glass of red…
Or water. He could’ve gone with water. Or was that too boring?
But the tea did smell very nice. Fresh peppermint was always a good choice, breath-wise.
He took a sip and set the mug back down on, folding his hands on the table in front of it. Had he been here long or did it just feel like forever? Maybe he should’ve brought a book – or would that come across as too uninterested? But now he was just sitting here, staring at the peppermint wilting in his glass mug, gaze flicking across the crowd every now and then for a sign of a woman on her own who may or may not be his date.
The seconds ticked away painfully slowly. Really should’ve ordered a glass of red instead…
He took another sip. Watched the steam waft off his tea. Rubbed his thumb across the base of the other, quicker, quicker.
Oh god, what if he was being stood up?
“Ichijo-san?”
He jumped up so fast he knocked into the table, spilling tea all over the place. “Ah – darn it.” Glancing at the source of the voice that literally jump-scared him showed the same hostess from before. His heart sank into his stomach. “I’m very sorry,” he said when she dabbed the wet spots with the already ruined tablecloth.
“I apologize for startling you, sir. It’s no trouble – I’ll have it tidied up.” She waved someone over to assist and stepped aside, continuing her conversation with him while the server cleaned and exchanged the tablecloth. “Your date is…” Trailing off, she looked over her shoulder and then back at him, eyebrows drawn together tightly. “Strange, she was right behind me.”
You saw him and realized reality didn’t live up to the memory of him and left. Where else could you have gone?
A new voice joined the fray, spouting off, “Sorry, sorry!” a little too loudly. And then he saw you, scrambling a bit too haphazardly through the chaos of crowded tables and people scooting back, your dress catching on many a chair on the way over.
Not quite a soirée getup, but close. Overdressed, just like he was.
His pounding heart slowed to a stop when you stood in front of him, your lipstick-coated lips curling in a hesitant smile. “You look just like I remember,” you said, nostalgia sweetening your tone, and all he could think was, How have I never noticed you before?
You told him your name, and that did ring a bell or two. Yuuki had mentioned you before, but he didn’t remember the context of the conversations your name popped up in even though he was quite sure it hadn’t happened just once or twice. You were a good friend. Maybe not on Sayori’s level, but definitely more than casual acquaintances.
“I’d—” His voice cracked. Clear it, clear it. “I’d invite you to sit, but I just spilled the tea I ordered.”
“About who?”
Your question left him baffled, blinking in confusion at your entertained giggling. “I’m sorry?”
“Oh – that was a joke. Spill the tea?” You looked at him expectantly, but he had no idea what was happening. “It’s a slang term that means gossip?”
Oh. Huh. Did this mean he was officially out of touch with today’s youth? No, right? You were about the same age. It probably just hadn’t found its way to a dictionary yet—
“And here I thought the guy who reads dictionaries for fun would catch that,” you teased. How did you know that? Did Yuuki tell you that?
Did you ask about him?
He chuckled. “My one weakness: slang.”
Your polite laugh was interrupted by the hostess. “Your table is ready. Would you like a drink, miss?”
“Um, I’ll just have water for now.”
Not boring, then.
“Water.” She nodded. “And you, sir?”
“Water’s fine.”
“All right. I’ll let your server know.”
The hostess walked off, and you were both left with a table that looked as pristine as it did before he spilled the tea. Pun intended this time. You headed for the undisturbed chair still hiding closely against the table, but before you could seat yourself, he swiftly appeared beside you to pull it out for you. You avoided looking at his face while you uttered your thanks, a faint blush dusting across your cheeks as you sat down.
He reclaimed his seat, very much aware of how closely you were watching him. How could something so simple turn into a monumental task with a pretty lady’s eyes on him? “I admit I was worried I was overdressed until you showed up,” he said, nudging his head at you. At the lovely dress that appeared to be more trouble than it was worth, considering the way you were now tugging on the skirt like it had been caught underneath the chair leg.
“I blame Yuuki for this. She told me to show up in formal wear, so I pulled an old bridesmaid dress out of my closet and now I feel like an idiot.” You propped your elbows up on the table with a sigh, lacing your fingers underneath your chin. Gaze flicking down and back up again, you softly said, “Overdressed or not, you put everyone here to shame.”
He was no stranger to compliments. In the past, more than one Day Class student rhapsodized about him, usually at the annual ball. As if the uniform looked better on him during that particular event or something.
But yours came so… easily. Like the words had already arranged themselves on your tongue as the unspoken truth and were simply waiting to be said aloud.
Did dating change? Was it just a show of age, teenage jitters a thing of the past? Or was it you?
He didn’t get the chance to say anything back because it was right then that the server decided to show up with your drinks, as well as the menus. But he didn’t even know if he could’ve found the right words to say back to you.
He flipped the menu open and hid his warm face behind it. Well? Say something! Clearing his throat, he lowered the menu to look at you despite the heat lingering his cheeks. “You look beautiful, by the way. I don’t think I told you that yet.”
Your eyes flicked up to meet his, crinkling in the corners with a smile he unfortunately couldn’t see you wear. “Thank you. Hey, you wanna go halfsies on dessert?”
Dessert? You were already thinking about dessert? That was – that was a good sign, wasn’t it? At least he wasn’t so different from the person he used to be that you wanted to bolt before the first course.
“Sharing a plate? This is all moving so fast.”
You laughed – genuinely laughed at his joke and his poor frazzled heart soared. “I’ll make sure to ask for two spoons, then.”
Alongside your entrée came the bottle of champagne he audaciously asked to share before your water glasses were even emptied. It took a lot to get a vampire tipsy, let alone drunk, but this wasn’t about that. This was about him returning to form, to his usual self who was never at a loss for words, who could talk to beautiful ladies without getting tongue-tied.
Two glasses in, he wasn’t feeling the effects at all.
“So what do you do nowadays?” you asked, taking a tiny nibble of your food like maybe, hopefully, you wanted to stretch this dinner out and not have it be over too soon. “Are you like a bigshot CEO now? Head of the Ichijo Group?”
“Yes – well, technically,” he said, and took another sip of his champagne. When was liquid courage going to kick in and do him a favor? “Others mostly run it for me, since I’m…”
Busy? He wasn’t busy. Busy throwing his life away, maybe.
You nodded, your expression turning solemn. “Yuuki told me about your… predicament. With Kaname, I mean.”
Oh. You really were a good friend of hers, then, if she trusted you with that information.
“I can’t imagine how hard it must be,” you said, your tone warm and kind. Understanding, despite you claiming the opposite. You reached across the table for his hand, your fingertips just barely brushing his. It felt like a zap of lightning struck his spine. “I hope better days are coming.”
A frail smile tugged his lips up. “Me too.”
Better days he felt like he didn’t deserve and yearned for anyway.
And now he was being presumptuous because you obviously meant better days for Kaname.
Resisting the urge to slam his head down against his plate, he opted for another gulp of champagne instead. He was good at making conversation. He was. He was. Just had to steer away from this topic. Couldn’t talk about Kaname. “So…”
Wh… what did he used to talk about on dates? God, he felt old all of a sudden.
You leaned in towards him with an echoed, “So?”
He cleared his throat and returned to the only topic he could talk about at length to anyone. Even you. “Do you read? Books, I mean, not – not menus, or…”
More champagne, more champagne. What is wrong with me tonight?
“Or manga?” you asked cheekily. “Because I swear I’ve never seen you walk to class without a volume hidden between your textbooks.”
You brought another smile to his face with such ease. “Poorly hidden, you mean.”
“I always tried to see what you had on you so I could borrow the first volume from the library.” An embarrassed laugh shook out of you, slipped past your fingers resting over your mouth. “You know, so I’d have something to talk about just in case I ever got lucky enough to run into you. I still don’t know how I saw that happening when I never had the guts to climb the Moon Dorm wall.” You fell silent for a moment, a nostalgic sigh escaping you. “I did manage to give you chocolates one time.”
He slowly brought the glass back down to the table. “You did?”
“Don’t worry; I don’t expect you to remember me. Half my class was lining up for you.”
Half your class? He had to laugh at that. He was popular, sure, but he was no Idol. “Are you sure you’re not thinking of Aido?”
“Nope. What, you really think I’d mix you up with him?”
“If that were the case, it must’ve been really disappointing to find me sitting here.”
He tried not to let the miserable thoughts pounding on his temples in by finishing off his third glass. Not that it helped.
“Honestly, I was a little scared I’d arrive at an empty table,” you said, rolling food around on your plate. “Not because of me, necessarily. Yuuki just warned me you might… chicken out.”
Well, glad to hear Yuuki had such faith in him.
“I was a bit hesitant to go on a blind date,” he admitted. Don’t pour another glass. She’ll think you’re a drunk. Do not pour another glass. “It’s been an embarrassingly long time since I last went out with someone.”
“Because of your circumstances?”
“Pretty much.” He twirled his champagne flute by its stem between his fingers, unable to look you in the eye. “I’d understand if that puts you off.”
“Why would that put me off?”
Lifting his head, he found you frowning at him in earnest. “Oh.” Your curious gaze trapped him, pinned him to his seat, made it impossible for him to look away. “I just thought…”
“I don’t care about anything like that. I’ve been on an embarrassing number of bad dates. Fun how the guys usually wait until after my coffee arrives to show their true colors.” You gave an annoyed sigh, grimacing at what were no doubt bad memories you’d sooner forget. “I know this is still just the first course, but I’m not constantly looking for the exit to make a quick getaway.” You grinned at him. “I’d call that a big win.”
Was that – were you teasing him? So you really thought this was going well despite all his fumbling?
Fluttering heart skipping a beat, his fingers twitching to grab the champagne bottle finally settled on the tablecloth. “I’m glad I could break your streak.”
Your laugh was quickly on its way to becoming a new favorite sound of his.
His tongue had finally loosened by the time the main course arrived, which had nothing to do with the champagne and everything to do with you. You told him about some of the disastrous dates you’d had, from guys who couldn’t stop staring at your chest to guys who sprung the existence of a previously unknown child on you mid-entrée.
You rolled your eyes so hard he only saw the whites for a moment. “They’re always so insulted when I don’t jump at the chance to play Mommy to a kid I didn’t even know existed until they finally decided to tell me.”
They. Multiple. This happened to you several times.
“Well, now that you say it, I do have a confession to make,” he joked, and thank god you took it well, playfully smacking him on the arm for it.
“Seriously, I was ready to take a looong break from dating when Yuuki said she had someone in mind for me. Although it didn’t help that she opened the conversation with, ‘Would you mind dating someone who lives in a basement?’”
Laughter burst out of him at Yuuki’s careless and unfortunate phrasing. He could see her panicking now, gesturing wildly as she tried to rectify her mistake. “And you still heard her out?”
“Well, she slipped your name into the conversation shortly after, and when Takuma Ichijo is mentioned, I tend to listen a bit more carefully,” you said, your tone playful and, beyond a shadow of a doubt, flirty. That thing you had for him? It was definitely still there. “I couldn’t believe no one had snatched you up yet.”
His heartbeat picked up, fingers entwining nervously in front of his plate. “I guess hermits don’t make for appealing husbands.”
“Then they’ve never met you.”
Hot, he was running too hot. He tugged on the knot of his tie to alleviate it, but it did nothing. How many glasses of champagne did you have? Fewer than him, and this was still the first bottle, possibly the only one you’d share for the night. You likely weren’t even tipsy.
“Anyway, you’re not a hermit. You’re a kind and devoted friend.” You picked up your champagne glass and hesitated before you took a sip. “Maybe a little too devoted.”
“How so?”
“Living in a basement? Refusing to date?” Touché… “From what I heard from Yuuki, I don’t think Kaname would want you to spend your days like this.” You winced when he started to frown, and added, “I’m sorry. I know I’m overstepping.”
“No, it’s…” Yes, you absolutely were, but— “You’re right. I know you’re right. It’s just hard for me to hear. Not just from you, from everyone. I’ve made mistakes and…” He unfurled his fingers, toying with the edge of the tablecloth instead. “Well, doing what I do makes me feel like I’m at least trying to atone for them.”
“But you did show up tonight,” you pointed out, “so you do want more out of life.”
He thought about Aido and Sayori, how happy they were together. About Shiki and Rima’s quietly comfortable relationship.
Sighing, he sank a little deeper in his chair. “I definitely do. The past years have been lonelier than I care to admit.”
He couldn’t organize gatherings as often as he used to. Everyone was always so busy with work and love and life in general. Oh – god, his fear was completely justified, wasn’t it? Someday soon, he was going to run out of things to read. Where would that leave him?
You smiled softly at him. “I’m sure the man you regarded as your best friend wouldn’t want you to feel that way. Right?”
He straightened up in his seat, drumming his fingers on the table before laying them flat, spreading them out. Towards you. “Right,” he repeated weakly. There was no real reason he couldn’t have a life beyond guarding the basement. The only thing standing in his way was his own stubborn refusal to accept that he deserved happiness. Despite his grandfather. Despite Sara. Despite him being too weak to overcome their manipulations until it was too late.
“Hey.” Your gentle voice nudged him out of his thoughts. The soft warmth of your palm pressed against the back of his hand sent a trail of goosebumps up the length of his arm. “Do you want to skip dessert? Continue our date some other time?”
“Absolutely not.” His adamant refusal made you flush, yet despite that, your hand tightened around his. “Though…”
Oh god, he had no idea how he was going to say this out loud. It was so unlike him.
But.
“Would you like to take that dessert to go?”