Chapter Text
A low-lit booth, a fresh beer, a table for eight, four pretty faces in front of him, and Todomatsu was bored out of his mind. He stirred his drink absentmindedly, watching the liquid swirl together, cheek resting in his palm.
Atsushi’s two coworkers were busy talking to the other two girls at the far end of the table, leaving Todomatsu beside Atsushi and across from Yui and Mei, whose names he only remembered because he had repeated them three times in his head when they sat down.
There was once a time that Todomatsu viewed mixers as his saving grace, a chance to claw his way out of the virgin, NEET-shaped hole that he and his brothers were seemingly destined to be condemned to.
It seemed easy enough—be polite, warm, and open in such a way that would encourage women to talk about themselves an adequate amount. Answer questions in a manner that made him seem competent and well-put together. Inconspicuously redirect any questions or topics regarding work. Exchange numbers, social media accounts, and promise to meet up again with a wink. These were unspoken, methodical rules that he replayed in his head and executed with ease, contrasting his five older brothers who would struggle horribly thanks to their respective glaring flaws.
Time and time again, Todomatsu followed these socially appropriate instructions during each mixer that Atsushi invited him to, being certain that one day, his charm and hard-working efforts would earn him a girlfriend.
He glanced at Atsushi. Well-groomed and as proper-looking as ever, the man beside him was engaged in conversation with the two girls in front of them, the movement of his hands adding meticulously placed emphasis to the flow of his words. The women seemed entranced, staring at Atsushi and nodding with any rational point he made, and Todomatsu... well. Todomatsu was also a lost cause.
The conversation at the far end of the table dulled to a mere hum in Todomatsu’s ears as he let himself listen to the rich, velvety tone of Atsushi’s voice, something that he begged Atsushi to let him listen to more when he craved something sweet to fill his senses. Todomatsu couldn’t count how many times he had asked Atsushi to keep talking simply because he liked the sound of his voice, and the silky control he had over his speech—especially when Atsushi would sweet-talk him—made Todomatsu embarrassingly weak.
It wasn’t just Todomatsu’s boredom or Atsushi’s voice making him slowly go stir-crazy. Staring at his lips as he talked, the knowledge that he was wearing the tie Todomatsu chose for him under his usual blazer, and the sensation of their legs subtly grazing each other under the low table only served to strengthen Todomatsu’s urge to get the hell out of there and kiss Atsushi senseless.
You see, now Todomatsu viewed mixers as a way to make out with Atsushi in the izakaya bathrooms.
“Hey, Totty, what do you think?”
Todomatsu snapped out of his trance, seeing three faces looking at him and expecting an answer, and he immediately sat up straighter.
What exactly were they talking about? Meetings? First meetings? Fuck, he should really stop letting Atsushi’s charms captivate him so easily. Stupid Atsushi and his stupid voice and hair and face and stupid everything.
Atsushi looked at him with a knowing glance and smoothly repeated the question Mei—or Yui, he didn’t actually know—had directed at him, “Do you believe in love at first sight?”
“Hmm,” Todomatsu hummed, pretending that he wasn’t just openly staring at Atsushi for the past seven minutes, and put a finger to his chin in thought. “I think it might be possible. But initial attraction is easy to experience, and actually falling for someone is much more annoying and inconvenient.” A dig at Atsushi that was obvious to only the two of them.
He could sense Atsushi’s polished smirk beside him.
The girl directly in front of Atsushi, eyes shining with understanding, bounced in her seat. “I get it, Totty! Well, Mei-chan does. You know, she,” she slung an arm around the girl beside her (who, in fact, was Mei—yes!) and smiled cunningly, “fell for a guy in our senior year of high school for the first time, and she was a wreck. He was all she could talk about for four months straight.”
Mei blushed, playfully slapping Yui as a laugh escaped her. “Wow, just expose all my secrets, will you? But she’s right, it was like I was under a spell. All my thoughts were just about him. My grades crashed so badly. I crashed so badly. And the guy didn’t even know me!”
Before, Todomatsu would have been inwardly celebrating his success of continuing the natural flow of the conversation. Now, he wanted nothing more than to grab Atsushi and get the hell out of there. Second to making out with him in the bathroom, of course.
The excitement that Todomatsu felt at the prospect of attending mixers was like a distant memory, hidden under layers of experiences that he shared with Atsushi. They only attended events like these to keep up appearances, since Todomatsu often posted selfies of each mixer he attended on social media, and Atsushi acted as the “reliable organizer friend” because of his connections with other people.
Somehow that was always the root cause of them actually having to attend one. A coworker would be like, “Can you invite some guys? You always know people,” and Atsushi would oblige.
Todomatsu knew that Atsushi also didn’t necessarily want to go, but if he kept refusing every mixer after previously being known as the guy who organized them, people would notice.
Again. Appearances.
They’d agreed to make their relationship a secret. It was more so for Todomatsu’s sake—he was born with a curse, after all. Five demons with the same face as him roamed around in his house, and they’d definitely bitch and moan about Todomatsu getting into a stable relationship before any of them and make his life a living hell.
Unfortunately, Todomatsu was admittedly easy to ragebait, but his brothers were just so fucking annoying. They’d probably tease him nonstop, maybe add passive aggressive remarks about his relationship as a part of their daily routine, or at worst, try and sabotage his relationship out of pettiness. Then Todomatsu would murder them, and he’d really like to not dirty his pretty little hands if he could help it.
He glanced at the clock behind the girls. It had been an hour since the mixer started, and Todomatsu thought it was about time he and Atsushi made their little escapade to the bathroom.
As the two girls talked amongst themselves, Todomatsu discreetly scooted his leg towards Atsushi’s own. A quick tap with his knee, one that made Todomatsu’s intent clear. Atsushi glanced at him, his lips curled up into a knowing smile, making the butterflies in Todomatsu’s stomach squirm with desire even more. Todomatsu gave him a quick nod, full of resolve, and started to stand up.
“I’m going to use the bathroom,” he announced, mostly directed to Yui and Mei, since the other four at the end of the table were still engrossed in their conversation. He flashed the girls a cute smile, winking as he walked out the door. “Don’t miss me too much!”
“We’ll see about that!” and “Don’t miss us too much!” followed Todomatsu out of the room, their playful words barely registering in his mind as he walked into the bathroom and entered the first stall that he saw.
He knew that in order to be inconspicuous, he had to wait at least a few minutes before Atsushi could join him. But at this point, Todomatsu could barely contain himself.
He sat on the toilet seat and took a deep breath, forcing himself to inhale and exhale. Fuck, his knees were already quivering. If he hadn’t gotten up the second that he did, he would’ve shaken the table and exposed himself.
Six minutes and twenty-two seconds later (of course he counted on his phone), Todomatsu heard the restroom door open, and the sounds of distinctly refined footsteps followed right after. Atsushi’s lavish shoes stopped in front of Todomatsu’s stall.
“Todomatsu,” Atsushi called, his voice carrying a sultry edge.
Hearing his name with the tone that Atsushi used for him alone made Todomatsu all but throw open the bathroom stall. The door closed behind them with a gentle click as Atsushi stepped inside the cramped space with a smile, Todomatsu’s arms wrapping around his neck.
“I’ve been waiting for this,” Todomatsu breathed, nibbling Atsushi’s lips as Atsushi held him close. When they’d first started doing this, he thought he would have been more uncomfortable at the prospect of being in such a tight space, trapped very close to a toilet that people’s bare asses used daily, but the sensation of their bodies pressed together—and feeling the heat of Atsushi’s body so closely—made the world around him fade away.
“I know,” Atsushi said in between kisses, “you started swirling your drink repeatedly around thirty minutes in.” A clear indication that Todomatsu was bored, and of course something only Atsushi would take notice of. “And you had this pout on your face, too. Really cute, by the way.”
Todomatsu felt the heat rise to his cheeks. He knew he was cute, obviously, but it was different when Atsushi pointed it out. It made the weird butterflies prance around in his stomach.
“Shut up,” he said, annoyed that Atsushi could make him blush so easily. Maybe it was the alcohol circulating in his blood, too. He couldn’t tell at this point. “Don’t act like you weren’t waiting, too.”
They switched positions, turning Todomatsu around so his back was against the door. He closed his eyes and tilted his head slightly as Atsushi planted soft, tender kisses along the side of his neck. Todomatsu let himself be spoiled—Atsushi was usually the one who took control in these moments.
“At least I,” Atsushi paused to suck at Todomatsu’s exposed skin, “was being very subtle.” To prove his point, he bit down on a sensitive spot that he knew would make Todomatsu shudder, and Todomatsu let a whine escape him accidentally.
“Fucking asshole,” Todomatsu managed, hands clutching onto the front of Atsushi’s blazer. “It pisses me off how prim and proper you act.” Actually, it was one of his favorite things about him, and it even showed in the way that Atsushi held him and kissed him gently, each movement thought out with careful precision. Todomatsu thought it was charming.
Atsushi laughed, and Todomatsu would’ve complained that he was being louder than him if it weren’t for the vibration of Atsushi’s lips against his skin making him feel so warm. “Mei-san seemed to take a liking to you. She was worried after I said that I was going to check on you and offered to wait outside for you instead.”
Mei was an objectively pretty woman—silky black pigtails, rosy pink cheeks, and long eyelashes complementing warm brown eyes. The type of girl that his brothers would go crazy for. Todomatsu almost giggled at the thought of them crashing out over the fact she liked him rather than them.
Even still, nothing could compare to the soft sensation of Atsushi’s hair when Todomatsu ran his fingers through it, his cheekbones that were just defined enough to make Todomatsu want to press his mouth to them, and brown eyes that turned honey-colored in the sunlight, making Todomatsu get lost in them.
“I’m glad it was you instead,” Todomatsu told his gorgeous boyfriend, tilting Atsushi’s head—his mouth still lingering at Todomatsu’s neck—just enough to plant a kiss on his cheek. “How much time do we have left before someone gets suspicious?”
Atsushi pulled away from Todomatsu’s neck and glanced at his watch. “About ten minutes, probably. They’re nice people.”
“Perfect,” Todomatsu said, swapping them around again so that he was now sitting on the toilet seat. He opened his legs invitingly and looked up at Atsushi with half-lidded eyes. “Do your worst. And be quick.”
It took no more than a second for Atsushi to bend down and start unbuttoning Todomatsu’s pants.
—
By the time they left the izakaya, Todomatsu’s legs still hadn’t fully forgiven him.
It worked out in their favor, though. Todomatsu’s walk was already unsteady, so all he did was hunch over and clutch his stomach, and boom—he played the convincing role of a sick man. They walked into the room with Atsushi’s arm steadying Todomatsu’s body for support, and Atsushi smoothly apologized that Todomatsu drank too much, and he had to bring him home.
They bid their goodbyes, with Mei surprisingly looking a little sad—huh, he supposed Atsushi was telling the truth—and went on their way to the Matsuno household. Now that Atsushi didn’t have to hold onto Todomatsu for their little performance, Todomatsu wasted no time in straightening up and linking their fingers together.
“Every time we have to attend one of these mixers, I swear I lose six years off my lifespan,” Todomatsu sighed.
Atsushi chuckled. “I didn’t think it was that bad.”
“Atsushi-kun, that’s because you were mingling with cute girls the entire time.”
Atsushi frowned. “Stop that. You know I think you’re the cutest there,” he said, and he looked at Todomatsu with such clear fondness that it made Todomatsu’s heart squeeze.
Todomatsu pretended that he wasn’t affected. “Of course. Totty’s always the cutest, naturally.”
“Admit it. You had a little fun.” Atsushi lightly nudged his arm.
He thought about talking to Mei and Yui even though his boredom started overtaking him toward the end, and about his sore legs after walking out of the bathroom.
“I guess so. I mean, you’re here,” Todomatsu said. “And those girls were nice to talk to.”
“And the bathroom sex.”
“And the bathroom sex,” Todomatsu repeated, all too happy to think about Atsushi’s body on his own. Sometimes he couldn’t believe that he wasn’t a virgin anymore.
He didn’t intend for their bathroom escapade to go that far—usually they just made out—but there was just something seductive about this night that made the timing feel right. The universe must’ve been on his side because nobody ended up walking inside the bathroom the entire time.
Atsushi patted Todomatsu’s head with his free hand. “Just imagine, Todomatsu. Someday we’ll never have to go to another mixer again.”
“Yeah, when my shitty older brothers stop being virgin NEETs,” Todomatsu said, pouting. He untangled their fingers in order to clutch onto Atsushi’s arm with his own, letting his head fall on Atsushi’s shoulder. “But it’s whatever. It’s annoying, yeah, but only a small price to pay for being with you.”
“Of course. I have fun with you no matter where we go.” Atsushi placed a kiss on Todomatsu’s temple. “And luckily, we’re going to that café tomorrow.”
Todomatsu’s head shot up. “Oh my god. We are. We are! You’re so right!” He squealed and squeezed Atsushi’s arm in excitement. A café date was heaven compared to going to a mixer. “Holy fuck, how could I forget? Yes! No more shitty mixers!”
Atsushi laughed. “It’s hard for me to forget when you’ve been talking about it all week.”
“Atsushi-kun, please. You’ll see what the hype is all about. I heard their cream puffs are to die for.” According to Aida and Sacchi, they were. Todomatsu had seen their photos on Instagram and knew that if he didn’t go there at least once, then he might as well wither away and delete all his accounts because he was a failure of a social media influencer.
Eventually, the two came close to Todomatsu’s house. Whenever Atsushi dropped him home, Todomatsu made sure they stopped at least a good thirty feet from the entrance in fear that one of his family members might hear or see them. Especially Ichimatsu—curse his weirdly sharp, cat-like instincts.
“Right here is good,” Todomatsu said, easing his grasp on Atsushi’s arm as they stopped at what he felt was a good distance.
Atsushi smiled. “Alright then. Goodnight, Todomatsu,” he said, pulling him in for a quick kiss. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
When he pulled back, Todomatsu couldn’t hide the growing smile that formed as well. “Goodnight, Atsushi-kun. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
And with that, Todomatsu skipped all the way home, going to bed in between Osomatsu and Karamatsu with a smile still on his face.