Lance pulled the car around to the front of the restaurant, where a valet sat at a podium, wrapped in a soft velvet coat. He took off his beanie, stepped out, and handed her the valet key, which he kept in the glove compartment of his car. Now, this is a setting that I am much more comfortable in. He took Inari's arm lightly, not quite brave enough to take Inari's hand as he had done earlier. "Ready?" He asked in an encouraging tone and led the other man inside. As soon as they entered the door, the atmosphere completely changed. The cars driving by on the nearby road were silenced, covered by some very quiet elevator-music type tones and the various customers deep in conversation, as well as the clamoring of dishes from the distant kitchen.

Inari took in all the details as soon as they arrived, noticing the reviews and pictures had been accurate, except for one detail.

Lance took a look at Inari, to try to read his initial impression of the place, only to find him staring at the back of the room.

"Oh..." Inari said softly. The moment he set eyes on the black, grand piano in the center of the room, everything else disappeared. It was just him, the piano, and the shortest path there.

Lance couldn't help but tilt his head, trying to find what had caught his attention. When Inari pulled free of his grasp, Lance noticed that he was making a straight line for the grand piano in the back of the room. The piano? Maybe he's never seen such an expensive one. It's very similar to the one in my parents house. . . I wonder what the make and model is. Maybe that's what he's going to find out?

Inari absentmindedly walked there, somehow moving faster than Lance, not bumping into anything, and not hearing anything anyone told him. He sat down at the piano bench, and began playing a beautiful song he'd been practicing.

Lance was a little confused when Inari sat down, but then his eyes widened as he lifted his hands to the keys. No! Lance couldn't shout, not across the room, but he couldn't bring himself to move forwards. Inari's fingers danced over the keys so effortlessly and the music from the piano played out so much louder than any of the other noises previously described. Or maybe it just seemed to play loudly because it was the only thing Lance could focus on.

Inari had such an innocent look in his eyes, in his own little world. It was a moment of joy and peace for him.

It was exquisite.

Perfection.

Bliss.

During his weekly piano lessons, he’d only ever gotten to use a keyboard. He'd suffered through the stiff, electronic sounding notes. The notes that did not reward him with the rich, divine sounds he had fallen in love with in the current moment. The notes that did not give back no matter how much heart and concentration he poured into them.

After about a minute went by, Lance noticed one of the staff members approaching Inari. Oh no, I was supposed to protect him from moments like this. Lance blinked a couple of times and rushed forward, stepping in front of the staff member.

"I'm sorry about him, he's never been here before and-"

"He can't touch that." The man said coldly.

Lance nodded, having a difficult time finding the right words. "Yes, sir, I understand that-"

"Stop him."

Lance didn't move, he only stared at Inari, who was still playing as if no one else was around.

"Stop him," The man repeated, "Or you'll both be asked to leave."

He groaned and tapped Inari's shoulder carefully.

As Inari neared the end of the song, few teardrops fell onto Inari's lap; he had never cried tears of joy before.

When he didn't get a response, Lance tapped harder and leaned down, hissing in his ear. "Stop that. Inari, come on!" Lance frowned and looked at his face. He's crying?? What has gotten into him?

The taps Inari felt from his tears were the only thing that brought him back to the current moment. His hands seemed to have been bewitched, playing on their own as all the other details faded back into his consciousness. His hands finished playing the last few notes as he stood and excused himself with the softest voice Lance had ever heard. It was like Inari was looking through Lance as he walked past him. Although Inari was now paying attention to his surroundings again...that only included inanimate objects.

Frantic, Lance was about to place his hands over Inari's and grab them away from the keys, but the song ended, and Inari stood. Lance took a couple steps back to give him some space. Lance looked around. There were many eyes on them. Oh brother. Mind your own business, would you, people? He grit his teeth and quickly followed after his friend.

Meanwhile

"Now." Louis said. He left Sarah's side to go get a table for them somewhere discreet. My fox was so cute...He thought dreamily, replaying the scene in his mind of Inari playing music in that adorable trance, in his own little world. I want to be part of that world...

Sarah accidentally bumped into Lance as he weaved through people to reach Inari in the bathroom, sliding his phone out of his pocket with sleight of hand, and heading into the women's bathroom. While Lance was busy with Inari, Sarah used a cable to connect his phone to her own, and installed the spying software. Come on come on come on.... "Go faster." She groaned.

That took five minutes.

Damn. I can't very well slip it back into his pocket now, he's probably back at the table. Hmmm. She left the stall, and found the women's bathroom attendant cleaning up some water another customer had spilled on the floor. Slobs. Heyyyyyyy, that's a good idea. She left the bathroom, approached the first waiter she found, and said "I'm..."Shy people stutter a bit, or maybe repeat some words out of...hmm...anxiety from talking to other humans? "I'm a bit shy, s-so I'm a bit nervous about this...That...that young man over there dropped his phone...while...heading to the bathroom-" she nodded in Lance's direction. "-could you please make sure it's his, and...return it to him?"

The waiter took the phone, gently replying. "Of course, young lady."

"Candace." Sarah replied.

"Thank you, Candace." The waiter promptly made for Lance's table, asking "Is this yours? A young lady claims you dropped it while you were heading to the bathroom."

Hopefully, Sarah thought as she headed to Louis's table, he won't think it's too strange, since the frantic look on his face at the time and his mind being in another place would've nearly guaranteed he wouldn't have noticed it actually drop...so this isn't too unbelievable, I hope. They were both wearing wigs of dark brown hair, and with such a discreet distance from Inari and Lance's table, they probably wouldn't have any problems being noticed at school after today.

"You went off script." Louis glared.

"What was I supposed to do? The upload speed was a pain in the-"

"Alright, alright. But didn't you think to simply leave the phone where it was?"

"Why, so someone else could steal it?"

"Who would steal a phone in this place?"

"I don't know, but there are still kleptomaniacs out there, whether they need the phone or not." Sarah argued.

"Whatever. Just stick to the script." Louis said.

Sarah sighed in irritation. We are not circling back around in this argument.

"That's right. Stop arguing because you're wrong." Louis insisted.

"I'm just not arguing with stupid." Sarah replied. "Now cut it out or I'll stop helping you no matter what you pay me."

"Fine." Louis sighed. "What do you want to eat?"

Sarah ordered the most expensive salad, a large steak - medium raw, a strawberry sorbet, and potato lyonnaise.

"That's not your favorite salad." Louis observed. She'd gone with the theme of her favorites, with the exception of the salad.

"You're paying as an apology, aren't you?" Sarah snapped.

"Mmm." Louis nodded. "Yes, I'm so sorry." His posture slumped, and he looked up at her with puppy eyes.

Sarah laughed softly. "Alright."

"Did you see how cute fox was? It makes me want to give him a grand piano, but I know his apartment doesn't have space for it. You know what? I'll get one for our house, ooh, and I'll plant some of his favorite flowers as well for when he visits. Hopefully, it will make him want to stay for longer." Louis replied, using the most lovey-dovey eyes Sarah had ever seen him have. He only used this tone and expression when talking about Inari.

Simp. "Sure, why not. Will it be a white piano, or a black one?" Sarah asked casually.

"Black pianos are everywhere. Even this place. Let's do white." Louis replied excitedly, pulling out his phone. "We'll put it right under the stairs..."

Ten Minutes Earlier, In the bathroom

Inari splashed cold water on his face, then dried it off. Wow, the bathrooms are so clean here. He thought in surprise. He looked down at his hands, smelling them. They smelled like oatmeal and almond. This is a wonderful soap... "Mmmm." He hummed. I...don't think this counts as going outside my comfort zone. He thought, hiding his face in slightly parted fingers to enjoy the scent. So comfy... He accidentally slipped back into daydream mode.

When Lance entered the bathroom, his hair a bit out of place from the wind of weaving in between people to get there, he looked to his left to find the bathroom attendant with a very bewildered look on his face, staring at no other than Inari.

"Inari," Lance said sternly. His blue bangs shadowed his eyes, which held shock. "What are you doing?" He asked, approaching him. He used one hand to grab Inari's wrist and pull one of his hands away from his face, and the other hand was placed on the small of Inari’s back.

Inari felt Lance grab his hand, pulling it away from his face while another hand was on his lower back. "Lance?" What is he doing? Inari thought, taking a few steps back to get away from him.

"Did you sniff too much nail polish in that salon, buddy?" Lance threw in a bit of humor to break up the tension in his voice, but his broken smile gave away his blatant concern.

"Did you?" Inari replied, wondering why on Earth Lance had suddenly touched him that way, especially with that concerned face.

Lance looked over his shoulder at the attendant, who was staring at them still.

"Your friend seemed to like our soap. . . would you like a bar to take home?" The man offered, holding out a small box.

"W-what?" He asked, bewildered.

At the same time as Lance said "What?", Inari said "I can?" with a mix of hope, and pleasant surprise.

"No." Lance gave the attendant a glare.

Why...not? Inari wondered. Is it a thing about pride or something?

Lance then closed his eyes to recompose himself, and turned back to Inari. "Come on. Please." He tugged at his sleeve. "I'm going to get us a table, and you're going to tell me what that was all about." He huffed and turned his back to exit the restroom.

"Oooh." Inari sighed with a single, slow nod. "Alright." Did I sound that bad? It sounded lovely to me...He wondered, watching Lance leave. "Sir," Inari approached the bathroom attendant, unzipping his backpack "may I please have a bar of that soap?”

The attendant was hesitant at first, a bit confused by the entire interaction, but he straightened his tie and nodded. "Why of course, monsieur." He dropped two boxes into his backpack that he pulled out from a drawer beneath the sinks.

“I don't know why my friend said no like that, it really is a remarkable smell.”

"It's no trouble at all, I am so glad we could accommodate you to your liking."

“Could you also...tell me where you got it from? I'd love to buy ten bars and use them for a while, but I've never seen those in the supermarkets before. Does this place use special soaps like some hotels?"

He blinked, momentarily stunned by the request, and then opened the drawer again. "We just get shipments delivered to us, I'm not sure where they are from. . ." He pulled out a large box, which contained the smaller individual boxes of soap, and looked at the label. "It is Caswell-Massey, manufactured in New Jersey." He showed Inari the label with a proud smile, then gently placed the box back in the drawer and shut it quietly. "Good evening, sir," He greeted another man who entered the restroom, then turned his attention back to Inari.

"Thank you. . . very much." Inari replied, zipping his backpack back up and slinging it over his shoulder as he made for the exit.

The attendant gave a short bow and a polite smile remained on his face. When Inari simply took the soap and exited, the man's shoulders slumped a bit in discouragement.

Meanwhile

"Table for two. Outside." Lance told the hostess at the front desk. She nodded and tapped on her computer. He looked around the restaurant. Luckily, it seemed as if everyone had erased the piano-fiasco from their memory, and the peaceful atmosphere remained intact for the time being. He followed the hostess outside and Lance took a seat. He stopped her before she left and said, "If a black-haired male about my age comes out of the restroom, please direct him to me. He won't know how to find me otherwise." She curtseyed in acknowledgment of his request and hurried back inside. Lance took a deep breath and picked up the wine menu. Though he wasn't really in the mood for such drinks, he felt obligated to at least try a glass at an establishment like this.

Lance had only had a few moments to peruse the menu before a waitress came up to him. "Just a few more minutes, please, I'm still waiting for someone," he said, holding his hand up a little bit to tell her to wait.

"Yes, sir, of course, but uh. . ."

Lance's eyes left the menu and he gave her a cold look. "I'm not interested."

The waitress' demeanor changed and she grew embarrassed, pulling down her skirt in the process. She then held out a sleek, black object, and it took Lance a moment to realize that it was his phone. He patted his pocket and, sure enough, it was empty.

"Is this yours? A young lady claims you dropped it while you were heading to the bathroom."

Lance's lips parted, but no words came out. He sucked in his breath and nodded. "Yes, that is mine. I must have dropped it when Inari- Thank you. I didn't mean to- Well, I apologize if I came off as rude. You see, this visit isn't going exactly as planned and therefore I am a bit. . . distracted, so please understand that I meant no harm-"

The waitress cut him off, shaking off any appearance of unease, and simply said, "I'm so sorry your visit is not satisfactory, is there anything I can get for you?"

I am such an idiot. Lance cast his eyes down and shook his head. "No, thank you." The waitress hurried away. I'm such a huge idiot. He stared at his placemat, holding loosely onto his phone. She wasn't flirting with me. And if I could just get my head out of the clouds, I would have realized that! I'm not in high school anymore, the world isn't some 'cest-fest, and I'm not the guy everyone drools for. I can't just snap my fingers and get laid, it's time to actually form relationships and find someone I have the desire to be with! But here I am, making a fool of myself at restaurants and making petty bets on whether or not I can get the lone wolf of the school to go to a party with me and-

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the chair across the table being moved, and he turned his face to see Inari taking a seat. Lance returned his phone to his pocket and wiped the troubled look from his face, but only for a moment.

As soon as Inari had left the bathroom, he had made for the main area, prepared to approach the hostess and ask where 'the blue haired boy' had been seated. She should know the seating arrangements. It's her job. But even if she doesn't, I'll find him eventually. Before he could move two steps away from the bathroom area, however, the hostess had come to him.

"Your friend asked me to help you find your way." The hostess had said with a polite smile, leading Inari to Lance's table.

Does he think I'm stupid? Inari had thought, following her. No. No, if he thought I was stupid, he wouldn't have left me alone in the bathroom if it wasn't to storm out and stop wasting time with me. His face was concerned, but why? Did he see my tears and think there was something wrong with me? Has he never heard of, or never experienced tears of joy before? Did my piano playing sound bad? Is that song some cursed meme I'm unaware of? Going back to why he asked the hostess to approach me directly...if he didn't know I would go directly to her, then he's probably assuming...I don't know how tables are chosen in a fancy restaurant. Which, considering what he knows about me, my living arrangements, et cetera, makes sense. But I still don't know why he was so concerned. "Thank you." Inari said to the hostess before he took his seat.

"Lance," Inari said, taking in every detail of Lance's posture and expression to try and gauge what he was thinking "what's wrong? Did I embarrass you with my bad piano playing?" He guessed. Hopefully, one wrong guess will be enough for him to explain why he would...His mind wandered back to when Lance had him in that position, grabbing his hand and touching his lower back. What is wrong with me? He thought, pushing that thought away.

He narrowed his eyes and then closed them as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "No. Hell no, Inari. You. . ." He sighed and reached out to place his hand on Inari's in a reassuring manner. "You played phenomenally," he said sincerely and gently, giving him a patient look.

Inari brushed aside the compliment, leaning in a bit with a serious expression, paying attention to every movement Lance made.

Lance then took on a more serious tone and explained, "I'm embarrassed because you ditched me for a piano." He paused for effect, staring him straight in the eyes.

Inari blinked a few times. "What do you mean?" A slight furrow in his brows alluded to his confusion. We just met. I'm completely overthinking this if I think he's jealous that I. . . cried tears of joy for a piano and not him? Or...had a peaceful moment with the piano? We just met. I've been practicing on trashy keyboards since I could pay for lessons. The last time I played on a real piano was...Oh wait, was Lance joking? But he's not laughing. . . His lips aren't even twitching upwards like he wants to laugh...

Lance clenched his jaw. What do I mean? How else does he want me to say it? "Do I need to paint you a picture?" He said in a dull tone before continuing with his lecture.

"And then you didn't even seem to hear me when I tried to stop you.”

"Nn." Inari made a slightly surprised noise with his expression - part incredulous, part surprised. Is he trying to gaslight me? But why would he do that? I don't recall him saying anything to me while I was playing, but...He recalled how Lance had needed to get his attention back at the salon while he'd been deep in thought. . . .this could be another case like that. Lance...I didn't take you for someone who would gaslight me for something like this, but I could always be wrong...Is he the type of person to get angry if all the attention isn't on him? Inari tried to think of a situation where he'd been with Lance and hadn't been giving him his full attention. He usually just brings me back to the present moment once he notices. Mmm, so many unproven theories. This is irritating. It's either romantic, self-centered, or something else I haven't come up with, yet. There's always a possibility that I'm missing something...For the present moment, he decided not to settle on either one just yet.

“You can't just. . . play the piano at a restaurant like this. They hire people for that.”

"But what if you're not terrible?"

"You still can't." Lance said simply. "You have to get recognized for your skills and gain connections in other places. At the very least ask before sitting down at someone else's piano. And what possessed you to completely ignore everyone around you?" He spoke with a tinge of reprimand, but was mostly trying to desperately understand what had been going through Inari's head. "You can't do that, either." He said.

"I..." Inari caught himself. It's not that I can't control it...it's that I don't want to. The idea of being mentally present at all times seems overwhelming. Why not get lost in thought every little while, or start daydreaming, or-

"People are going to think you're rude." Who am I to talk? I'm so glad he did not see the way I treated that poor woman. I'm going deep to hell.

A waitress, thankfully a different waitress, came to their table. I wonder if that other girl is now purposefully avoiding me? I can already hear her complaining to her supervisor, "That guy is a creep, please don't make me talk to him again." Lance sighed internally.

"Can I get you something to drink?" The waitress asked.

Inari sighed, looking away.

Lance noticed when Inari turned his face away. Is he ashamed? Well good, he should be. That thought, however, made him feel dirty. No, I'm getting ahead of myself. Damn, what is with me? He probably doesn't know any better. He's never been to a place like this. Lance's expression softened.

Inari’s eyes panned over the flowers and grass. I don't think he gets it...but how could I explain it without revealing anything? For an extrovert like him, it's probably easy to be in the moment, be nice to everyone, and just act without tons and tons of thinking first. Mr. Right Brain. I can't be rude to someone unless I intentionally act mean, or neglect something that is usually customary, like a 'please' and 'thank you', or a tip to a waiter after a meal...I hardly think anyone would look down on me too much about accidentally getting too deep into thought, or-

"A bottle of 2016 Chateau D'Issan for the table, please. . . Assuming red wine is fine with you?" He directed his question at Inari.

"Water." Inari replied absent mindedly, eyes on the flowers. I just heard 'wine' and then his voice went up a few pitches like he asked a question. Hopefully, he was actually offering me wine and I just assured him I won't be having any.

"And water, thank you." Lance said to the waitress. While the drinks were being ordered, he noticed Inari was still avoiding eye contact and still seemed to be lost inside his mind.

Once she had confirmed their drink orders, she curtseyed and walked back inside. Lance redirected his attention back to his friend, giving him an expecting look.

I think I'm safe on that end. And now...an expectant look. Inari sighed, finally looking from the flowers to Lance's eyes. Raise your head...you're not a child being reprimanded. He raised his head, not realizing he'd been indulging a posture of slumped shoulders with his head hung in doubt. He straightened his posture as well with this realization, then took a deep breath, the words forming in his mind as he adjusted his clothing a bit; straightening his tie here, smoothing out a wrinkle there...

Lance straightened up in his seat as well. What does he have to say? He observed as Inari took a moment to change his posture and straighten up, as if trying to compose himself for the conversation.

A second later, Inari began in a defensive, determined voice. I won't let this moment pass without explaining myself. I could just apologize and act sorry, but then what is the point of calling each other 'friends'? "I don't regret what I did.”

Twerp. A spark of anger ignited in Lance when he didn't receive the apology he was expecting, but he had to give credit to Inari for one thing. He's got me listening now. . .

“I apologize for shutting you out. . .”

There it is. A moment of satisfaction in Lance's mind.

“. . . as that's what I believe I did based on what little trust you've earned from me. . .”

What? What does any of this have to do with trust? Lance was confused again, and then concerned. Was I too stern?

“. . . but this has been the highlight of the year, so I do not regret it. I entered a place in my mind that I do not expect you to understand. . .”

At that moment it clicked with Lance. Well, not whatever Inari was trying to explain. None of that clicked in his mind. But something else did. We. . . are not communicating well. We are just presenting information to each other and not receiving any of it. That's why he was asking me what I meant.

“. . . but it is the perfect merging of reality and the daydream world I find myself so often escaping to, except this time there was the added bonus of nostalgia.”

A daydream? It was more than that, I feel. It must have been the so-called "nostalgia". If anyone should understand how important nostalgia is, it's me. . .

“You have no idea how long it's been since I've touched a real piano, and not some cheap keyboard with stiff, electronic notes in reply to all the time and hard work I put in.”

Ah. . . I can imagine that would be frustrating. I've only ever played the most expensive instruments. As a musician, I can see where he is coming from. I wonder. . . if he'd like to practice at my parents’ house? I can offer that to him later.

“I won't promise that I will not repeat today in the way of losing myself in thought, however, I will move forward with the knowledge that no matter how good you are, public places do not condone the playing of their pianos, and for that, I am sorry. I did not mean to break the rules or be rude to the other customers and/or staff." Inari took another deep breath, exhaling slowly with the feeling that he'd delivered this entire rant in one breath. He hadn't. He was now looking at Lance with a slightly uncertain expression, visibly unsure what kind of reaction that rant would earn.

Lance had to take a moment to process his recent revelation, the fact that they were not communicating very well, and had to figure out how to move forward. He was visibly trying to think of what to say next, his gaze falling to the surface of the table and fixating on the most minuscule scratch, right near Inari's placemat.

"I do appreciate your apology, Inari.”

Inari sighed in relief, but didn't look away or change his attentive expression. He knew there was more coming.

“You are correct in saying that I do not fully understand, but," Lance tore his eyes away from the table and gave Inari a look of longing, "I would like to understand better.” 

How do I explain something like this? Inari thought.

 “If this feeling that you experienced is as great as you say it is, then I don't want to keep that from you, but I do ask one thing.” 

Well, at least he doesn't want to keep me from it. That's...a good thing. Inari felt a small wave of positivity rush through him, still hesitant to fully embrace it since there was still more of the explanation to hear, but he was happy for it all the same.

“Can we come up with a way for me to pull you out of that headspace if I need to? I promise to do my best not to abuse that power, but if I find myself in another situation where I'm getting overwhelmed because you won't listen. . .” Lance trailed off. 

Overwhelmed? Was it really that bad? Or...Inari went back to wondering if it was one of the three: attention-seeking, romance, or a mystery reason.

“Well, is there a way that I can get you to come back to me? Think, a code word, or a touch, or maybe you already know of something that removes you from that world inside your head?" Lance tried to present his desire in a mature fashion, in a way that Inari would understand how desperate he was and how dire the need seemed to be through Lance's mind.

Inari's expression took on an analytical feel, as if he was racking his brain to try and figure out something that would pull him out immediately.

"I don't mind if you zone out, honestly. I just. . . can't have another situation like that." Lance gestured toward the inside of the restaurant, where the piano was. "Do you understand my request?"

"Yes." Inari replied. "But I would also like to understand the why. Because when you said 'overwhelmed', I was wondering, 'why did it make him feel overwhelmed'?"

The waitress returned with drinks, placing a bottle of wine, two wine glasses, and two cups of water on the table in front of them. She then left them to their conversation, not yet prepared to take their meal orders.

Inari poured his water from his cup to one of the empty wine glasses, then sipped it casually, still racking his brain for ideas. Cold. He thought pleasantly as he drank the water. Cold! He mentally exclaimed, realization dawning on his face.

Lance tipped his chin up slightly at the question Inari had asked. That's a reasonable question. And he's trying to understand me as well. This is working. He smiled in satisfaction, and watched with curiosity as Inari poured water in his wine glass. So, he's not going to drink the wine? I'll see if I can get him to try some. He replied after a brief moment of hesitation, "Well, I suppose that overwh-"

"Cold!" Inari exclaimed, barely letting Lance begin his explanation. In a calmer tone, he added "I meant to exclaim 'water', but the water is cold. See?" He pointed to the side of his glass, which already had condensation on the outside.

Lance's face showed perplexity. "Yeah. . .? And?" He pulled the tab off the wine and poured himself a glass. He lifted it to his lips and took a sip. Mmm, not bad. The blackberry is the strongest sensation. . . I like it.

"If you need to reach me in that state, use cold water. Pressing an ice cube onto my cheek, or flinging the contents of a cup, depending on how angry you are." Inari laughed with a cheerful expression that surprised even Inari.

Inari's spout of laughter caused Lance to give a hearty chuckle as well. The tension felt gone for a moment, and Lance was happy they had been able to fall back into a state of ease so quickly. He was paying attention to what Inari was explaining, though also observing his carefree side. It's good to see you like this. 

"I'm sure that will work. Because, I was feeling really warm and fuzzy, so cold water should deliver enough of a shock to bring me back, right?" Inari asked.

"Warm and fuzzy, eh? What if I just lick you," Lance teased with a charming wink, "That would bring most people back to reality."

"Don't." Inari deadpanned. He reached across the table, taking one of Lance's hands in his for a moment. He let go the moment he felt the warmth of Lance's hands.

Lance lifted his eyebrows when Inari took hold of his free hand. "What-" 

Inari let go before Lance could even question it. "Well, your hands were cold earlier." He shrugged.

"Oh. . ." Lance turned his palm upward to take a look at it. My fingers are often cold, I suppose. But would they be cold enough to pull him back to me? I'll try to stick with water, as he suggested. Lance took another sip of his wine and placed his free hand in his lap.

"So just something cold on my face. Don't slap me." Inari added with a serious expression. There was a warning glance in his eyes for a moment before his expression relaxed again.

This made Lance snicker, but he quickly stopped when he saw how serious Inari's expression was. "Alright, alright," He held his free hand up once more in an innocent fashion. "I won't slap you. Promise." The smirk remained on his face, but he was speaking honestly.

"I'll hold you to that. Promises are very important." Inari said with the same serious tone and expression he'd used to warn Lance against slapping him. "Now, problem solved, and. . . back to why you were feeling overwhelmed? Didn't mean to interrupt you." He added in an apologetic tone. I was just excited to share my solution with him. I'm surprised we fixed the first problem so quickly! First step, 'a way to break through', second step 'why, if it wasn't me breaking the rules, did you feel overwhelmed'?

Lance shook his head. "Don't worry about it, I'm glad we resolved that.”

Inari nodded deeply once. He agrees we've resolved it. This feels nice. To have a problem, talk about it, then resolve it. This is how friendship is supposed to work, I believe. And the thought made him happy. He felt as if they'd grown closer somehow during this conversation, even though he'd be the last person to admit it.

“As I was saying, I suppose the word 'overwhelmed' is a bit strong. I'm not very good at putting my feelings into words, so, I'll just describe it. I did not appreciate all the people staring at me - at us - with such judgmental looks. And there was a waiter on his way to chew you out, but I stepped in front of him and directed his attention at me, because I knew you didn't really mean any harm and I didn't want you to get in trouble. But then he expected me to fix everything and when I couldn't get you to stop playing, I got frustrated. Then I saw you crying and that made me concerned for your well-being." Lance gave a pathetic shrug of his shoulders. "So maybe overwhelmed wasn't the correct phrase, but I did not find the experience as pleasurable as you did by any means."

"Yes, it wasn't the right phrase.” Inari agreed. “That must've been why it confused me. Thank you for describing what it was like for you, and for the last apology in this conversation, I'm sorry you had to go through that. Thank you for...stepping in." I still find it sweet how he stopped the staff from intervening...he let me finish that moment up all on my own. How kind of him.

Lance smiled in a way to let Inari know that it was no trouble, a protective glint in his eyes. "Of course." He then held his glass up to Inari's lips in a sudden change of topic, saying, "Try this." I'm not drinking this entire bottle by myself, Inari. I still have to drive. 

"Oh, we get to move on now. Excellent." Inari smiled, speaking his thoughts. He looked down at the glass, politely replying, "No thank you." Even though I know you haven't messed with it...the bottle was sealed, and even so, I just saw you take a few sips...I'm still not interested in alcoholic beverages. 

Lance looked at him stubbornly, not moving his glass away from the other's face. As he waited, a wave of Déjà vu washed over him and he thought back to yesterday afternoon when trying to get Inari to take the ibuprofen, as well as earlier today when he gave him some pasta salad. He's not going to just take it. He's already seen me take a couple sips, but the way I shoved the drink in his face will make him suspicious. His hand wavered a bit and he pulled the glass away from his face. "Sorry, that was a little sudden. I just wanted you to have some wine, I like it and want your opinion. So. . . try some?"