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“Higashi, it isn’t that hard. Just aim for the bullseye.”
“Right, because I’m purposefully avoiding hitting it, shut up.” This time the dart didn’t even land on the board, an utter and complete miss. Higashi groaned and stepped up to retrieve the darts, ignoring the smile Yagami flashed at him on his return.
“It’s because you don’t take your time with each shot, you just throw them with minor pauses in between.” He couldn’t see Yagami’s face as he took his spot, readying his aim, but he could tell it was sporting smug confidence over winning each game so far.
The first dart thrown got a double bull.
“Stop calling me here if you’re just going to criticize my playstyle.” Higashi shifted his stance, darts clacking together with the change in pressure of his hold. He was fine with not winning, but it being accredited to the way he played was irksome, he knew everyone else played the same way and managed some wins. It was solely Yagami that took so long between each toss.
Another dart flew, this time hitting the outer ring of the bullseye. “I’m not, I’m critiquing. All I’m saying is that if you took just a little longer to calculate it would make things easier for you.” The final dart at least landed on a triple three, no doubt a causation of Yagami being distracted by their conversation. That, or he did it on purpose.
Switching out again, Higashi stared at the board, eye narrowing at the displayed scores. Even if he got three triple twenties, there was no way he could pass Yagami’s score and he could feel the spirit to play slowly seeping out of himself.
One, two, three. Triple seven, double one, bull.
He didn’t need to turn to know Yagami was silently cheering for himself, he just went to the board and collected his darts again. Maybe it was the location that made Higashi so bad, the juxtaposition of the street upstairs and the interior of The Bee throwing him off too much. He was better when they played at Bantam.
Yagami brushed against him, leather against polyester, hand not holding darts coming to rest on his lower back. "You think you'll do better at cricket?" He was already inputting it into the machine, what was the point in asking to begin with if he had decided on it anyway?
Higashi sighed and squirmed away from his touch, walking around to one of the tables, taking a seat and resting his cheek in his palm. Watching a bit bored as Yagami stepped back along the mat. "I don't, honestly. Just play against yourself." Maybe he should order something to eat, they've just been going at it in darts for half an hour now. A glance at the counter and he decided not to, the woman there seemed fine with watching Yagami play alone.
Yagami turned back at him, dart hesitating to be thrown. "Promise I'll make it up to you after this game."
"Yeah, fine. Get your damn white horse already so we can go."
His apologetic look was short lasting, smile returning as he turned to face the board again. Sometimes, he made it really hard for Higashi to remember that he liked the guy.
For all his confidence, it ended up taking Yagami a while to actually get the achievement, satisfying Higashi’s need to see him fail at something he liked to brag about being good at. The darts kept nearly missing the triple zones or Yagami would turn to see if he was still watching and miss terribly when he went to throw after confirming. Higashi couldn’t care if the blunders were on purpose, they made him smile anyway.
He waited, watching patiently until Yagami froze up mid follow through and the board lit up. White horse achieved, Higashi pushed himself up from the table. “Was that the last one you needed? You can brag about it this time, Yagami. Maybe I’ll even buy you a drink for your commitment to completing all these.”
“You’ll buy me one regardless, you enjoy treating me.”
He did, but Yagami wasn’t supposed to know that, it made it impossible for Higashi to play these things off as prizes and congratulations. He brushed it off, leading the way to the stairs, giving a short wave to the ladies at the bar. Hand on the door he heard Yagami notice something, interest colouring his exhale.
“Oh wait.” Yagami backtracked, crouching down to grab at something under one of the tables.
“Is it another screw?”
“Screws aren’t the only thing I pick up.” He got back to his feet, joining Higashi at the steps again. “...It was an exquisite screw.” Right, that made all the difference, at least the screws had more uses than when his pockets would be full of mushrooms and leaves.
Higashi pushed the door open, cutting the gentle ambience of The Bee with the noises of the street bustle above. Before he could make his way up to the street, he was getting pushed into the plants housed next to the stairs and in behind the divider. “Yagami!” There was just enough room hidden back there that with a few shifts of the contents, both of them fit.
Yagami smiled at him, screw pocketed. “Making it up to you.”
“By shoving me into a makeshift storage area?” They weren’t all that well hidden, the divider just the right height to keep their heads visible if someone were to walk past and look.
“...Yeah.”
“Not very private.”
“You don’t really care about that.”
Leather against polyester again, steady hands pushing his jacket out of the way to rest on his waist. A few steps back until he was against the wall, an okay view of the stairs, a better view of Yagami right in front of him. His own hands sliding up along Yagami’s sleeves, gliding over the wrinkles in the leather formed from regular wear and getting caught in the rain too many times, up to the epaulettes, fingers slotting into the loops. Keeping a close hold on him.
Higashi pulled him closer, glancing at the stairs one more time. “Only for a few minutes, then we’re leaving.” They could risk it, The Bee wasn’t popular enough in the day to attract too many people…
Yagami smiled, hands stroking the folds in his shirt together and apart. Pulling on him just enough to manufacture intimacy that could easily be turned combative should someone notice them.
A kiss to Higashi’s forehead, to his jaw, to that beauty mark under his eye- glasses pushed up just enough to access it. Another to his jaw, opposite side, down along it with presses that had Higashi tilting his head with a sigh and resting it against the wall to keep steady. When Yagami wasn’t trying too hard, getting someone to swoon over him was like second nature.
A smile spreading warmth along his features, spreading a warming sensation through Higashi. A smile connecting with a much less pronounced one, making it crack bigger, a soft laugh escaping from Higashi.
Kiss accompanied by one hand leaving his waist and catching the back of his neck, fingers threading into the base of his hair. Pulled away from the wall and solidifying the connection with a firm press.
White cotton pressing against purple as Yagami moved closer, keeping him against the wall, paying special attention to his bottom lip. Working it until Higashi let his mouth open, hands tightening their hold on Yagami’s jacket to ground himself as tongue came into play.
Calm sucking, trying to deepen the kiss without being too worked up over it, wet noises from spit building up, scuffling of feet that made Higashi tilt his head to check the stairs, lips straying to the corners of mouths. With no one there he tugged the epaulettes, going from passive to a more active participant.
The hand still on his waist curled, pulling him impossibly closer, denim taking up the gap in polyester. Higashi mindlessly moving against it, earning a snort and a break in the kiss.
“You’re getting excited.” Paired with a smile.
Higashi grunted, leaning his head against the wall again. “You started it, don’t be an ass.” He could feel his face grow warmer, looking toward the stairs again. “Whatever, we’re done here now, I’m not getting charged with public indecency because of you.”
Yagami moved his leg away, then the hand on his neck. “I’ll be your lawyer and get you off.” No way that wasn’t a double entendre.
“Yagami.”
“I’m kidding, we can go… you’re blushing like crazy though.”
“I’m aware of that, just-” He let go of the leather, shoving at Yagami’s shoulders and feeling the hand loosen from his waist. “Just go, give me a second.” He sank a little against the wall once Yagami moved away, watching him maneuver out of the small space. Standing there, letting himself cool for a few seconds before smoothing his clothes and making his own way back out to the base of the stairs. Pausing just after the screen to pick up a shell, Yagami would probably want it for his endless collection of random items.
Not that he was going to give it to him for another couple hours, he’d only just ridiculed the habit.