It was a Saturday morning, just before nine thirty in the morning. Most Saturdays, Ichirou would still be asleep in his bed. It wasn’t that he was a lazy young man, it was more so that he was someone who enjoyed the night more and also valued his beauty sleep. So, it was somewhat surprising to see Ichirou bustling back and forth between his bed and his walk-in closet. 

Ichirou sorted through his clothes that were all over his bed, grabbing a cute neckerchief. He laid it atop the shirt, looking at the three outfits he had set out on his bed that he was considering. He was desperately trying to choose which was the best. In the end, he decided that for a first date, something cute and casual like these overalls and a pastel pink, off the shoulder top would be the best. He pulled it on, as well as some fun, patterned tights and a pair of dreamy skater shoes. Ichirou walked over to his vanity, sat himself down, and began doing his makeup. 

A knock on his door part way through his makeup did not surprise him. He figured it would be his sister, and as he called for whoever it was to enter, he was not surprised to see Ichika lumbering into his bedroom. She tossed some clothes into a pile and sat on his bed. She had an unamused, almost concerned look on her face. He knew exactly what she was going to say before she said anything, but he still patiently waited for her response.

“Are you sure about this?” she asked.

“I told you, Ichika, I’m just giving it a shot. Besides, aren’t you and mom always bugging me to find more friends, anyway?” 

“Yes, but not like this!”

Ichirou had told Ichika the day after the party about the offer that Masahiro had put in. Although the siblings implicitly trusted one another, that didn’t mean that Ichika completely had faith in his ability to discern a good idea from a bad one. She was absolutely certain that either Masahiro was going to be a complete creep, or their parents would find out and Ichirou would be grounded for the rest of eternity.

“I’m only doing this as a way to hold them off for a little bit,” Ichirou said, dusting on a bit of blush. “I’ll hang out with him for, like, six months maximum, minimum just this one time. That way I can have some room to breathe.”

“But Ichiroouu, what if he does something gross? What if this is him M.O., and he’s just trying to get you comfy so he can attack you?”

“Then I’ll attack him first! I’ll go for the genitals, and make sure he can never have any kids!”

Ichika sighed and bowed her head. “Just, promise me you’ll be careful. I worry about you so much.”

Ichirou hesitated, then put his brush back into its spot carefully. “I’ll be careful. I know I’m an omega, so I have to be, and I’ve had to be my whole life. I won’t take any unnecessary risks.”

At that moment, his phone began to buzz, with the name “Mom” written on it. There was no way he was here, it was ten minutes early! He sat up and answered it, murmuring out a hello.

“Hello, dearest, the butler is entertaining Yamashita-kun. Please come down as soon as possible, okay?”

“H- he’s early! I need to finish my makeup!”

“That’s why I said as soon as possible, darling. Please hurry, or I might start talking to him!”

With that, Iwa hung up. Looking with absolute horror at his phone, Ichirou suddenly sped up his makeup, no longer caring if it looked perfect. His mom would absolutely tell stories about him when he was younger, stories that he did not want anyone to know, let alone some guy that he wasn’t sure if he was ever going to meet again.

With a quick goodbye to his little sister, he sprinted out of the room, taking two stairs at a time. He ran out to the foyer, and was relieved to see his mother still standing there, along with his father. No embarrassing tales had been woven yet.

“Um, I- I’m head- ding out,” Ichirou panted, his hands on his knees in front of them.

“Glad to see you go on your very first date, darling!” Iwa proclaimed, clasping her hands together. “My sweet baby boy, dating at last!”

Ichirou nodded, standing up straight with his cheeks aflame. “Yeah, so, um, I’ll see you all later…”

“Ah, wait,” Isami said, quickly touching his son’s shoulder. “Before you go, I wanted to ask you something.”

Ichirou felt a perplexed look make its way onto his face. “Uh, sure, Father, what is it?”

“I was wondering… ahm, did you happen to know Yamashita-kun before today?”

What an odd question. It brought him back to that same strange sense of familiarity from a week ago. He honestly couldn’t place the other man anywhere in his memory, though. So, he had to answer honestly.

“I don’t think so.”

“Ah, okay. Just wondering. Go on, son, have fun!” With a bright smile, Isami sent Ichirou off. Ichirou shrugged off the feeling once again, and headed out. His father and mother watched him go, both of their smiles fading after he closed the door to the mansion.

“You thought so, too, huh?” Iwa said, looking up to her husband.

“Yeah, it definitely looks like him, too. Maybe it was too long ago for Ichirou to really remember,” Isami said with a hum.

“Well, then, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see!”

Outside, Masahiro stood at the door, chatting with the Kimura family butler. In the sunlight, he seemed to be even more handsome. He had high cheekbones, and his hair seemed to be extra shiny and well taken care of. His skin was more tan than Ichirou’s, but had no visible blemishes.  He wore a nice, gray sweatshirt with a collared shirt underneath, and some black slacks. His smile continued to be surprisingly soft and genuine, and widened with pleasure when he saw Ichirou. 

“Hello, there, Kimura-san. Shall we head off, then?” He nodded his head towards his car, a deep blue sports car, which was certainly a well known brand that was unknown to Ichirou.

“Yeah, I, um, I guess so!” Ichirou said, quickly walking off towards the car. He was doing his best not to let his apprehension show, and that usually meant he came off a little bit abrasive. But he wasn’t exactly here to win a lot of points in the beginning, after all, it was Masahiro who had to prove to Ichirou that he wasn’t a creep.

Masahiro sped up so that he was in front of Ichirou, and opened the car door for him. Ichirou gave him a somewhat reproachful look, but still sat down and buckled himself in. As Masahiro walked around to the other side, Ichirou took in the car. The car freshener seemed to be some sort of fruity flavor that Ichirou couldn’t quite place, but it couldn’t quite mask the smell of a new car. It was meticulously cleaned, with not a speck of garbage anywhere. He guessed that this car was something he cared for very much.

Masahiro jumped into the car, buckling himself in. He grinned at Ichirou before starting the car. “I’m glad you agreed to this, it’s really gonna be a mutually beneficial relationship.”

“Listen, you’re not out of the woods, yet. If you try anything, I’ll get my dad to sic all of the buff dudes in the world on you,” Ichirou said. He sullenly folded his arms, squinting and pursing his lips at the other man.

Masahiro laughed as he began driving down the long driveway. “I get it, I get it. I’m not gonna try anything, though. To help prove it, I’m adding a third to our date.”

Ichirou’s eyebrows raised. “A third?”

“Yeah. Remember that guy I dated for all of a month? He’s going to meet us at the movie theater. Having him around is the best way I can think of to destroy any sort of romance or flirtatiousness.”

“You’re taking me on a quote-unquote date, with a guy you previously dated?”

“Yeah, I know, it sounds bad, but trust me, it’ll be fine.”

“Easy for you to say, Yamashita-san…” Ichirou grumbled.

“Masahiro.”

“Eh?”

“We’re the same age, just call me by my first name.”

“Ah, well… okay, Masahiro-san.”

“That doesn’t sound right either. Don’t use any honorifics.”

Ichirou was seriously flustered by his lack of politeness. This was the second time they had met, how could Ichirou be expected to speak to him so casually? Being raised in high society had really broken his ability to do something so unexpected.

“I don’t know if I can do that,” he confessed.

“Fine, fine, Masahiro-san if you must… Ichirou-san,” he said with a wink.

Ichirou, somewhat embarrassed, looked out the window. Hearing his name come out of someone new like that was a bit much for him. Ichirou didn’t have a lot of friends, so very few people referred to him by his given name. Everything with Masahiro seemed like it was a bit much for him, but he tried his best to keep up. After all, if he couldn’t do this much, how was he ever going to be prepared to date?

Ichirou looked out the window, watching the apartment buildings, homes, convenience stores, and parks pass by. His home was in southern Tokyo, in a quiet, wealthy neighborhood that was filled with business elites and celebrities. Even among them, his house was incredibly large, which he suspected was only natural since his father’s company was so large and all encompassing. He wondered if Masahiro lived closer to the heart of Tokyo, in a high rise. Something modern and sleek, like this ridiculous looking sports car. 

“So, I bought tickets to an action movie for the three of us. I hope you don’t mind,” Masahiro said.

“Oh, uh, no, that’s fine.”

“For future reference, do you have a preference on what movies to see, Ichirou-san?”

Ichirou thought for a moment. He liked romance movies the most, to be honest, but he was not about to admit that to Masahiro when he barely knew him. “I just hate horror movies. Anything else is fine.”

“Good to know. I don’t really like horror either, so no worries there,” Masahiro said. “What about music? Do you have anything you like?”

“Oh, um, I like pop music, I guess. Like, idol group music for instance. I’m not an otaku when it comes to how much I like them, but I like the sound of their songs,” Ichirou admitted. 

“That’s cute, it suits you. I can’t really bring myself to like that sort of thing. I’m more of an old school rock kind of guy.”

Ichirou felt his face go warm at being called cute. It was what he was definitely going for, but being called it so openly was a bit embarrassing. Plus, it was something in the way that he was so casual in it… Masahiro kept getting to Ichirou with his casualness. It was like he had no idea what he was supposed to do on a date with an omega, and because Ichirou expected him to act like he did, it kept getting to him.

Masahiro pulled into the parking garage, driving himself into an open parking spot. He got out of the car, tugging the passenger side door open. Ichirou grumbled as he got out that he could open the door by himself, and Masahiro laughed. The two young men walked out from the garage into a shopping mall that contained the theater. They walked to the theater, talking about nothing in particular, before Masahiro suddenly noticed someone waving at him. He sped up just a bit, grinning and waving back.

The man in front of Ichirou and Masahiro could be described in a single word: smug. The way he held himself, his posture, and his expression could all be summed up in that single word. His eyes were slanted upwards, a mischievous golden glint in them. His blond hair was full of volume, and flipped upwards at the end. It was longer than Masahiro’s, but it still only just touched beyond his shoulders.

He gave the barest of bows, his smile lifting on one side higher than the other. “You must be Kimura Ichirou, the most infamous young omega in all of Japan. Pleasure to meet you, I’m Oda, Oda Takeru. You can just call me Takeru.” 

He gave a wink at that, and Ichirou shuddered. “Please don’t flirt with me ever again.”

Masahiro laughed at that, and Takeru looked somewhat offended. “I’m a naturally flirty person, you can’t just tell me not to flirt. I flirt with everyone!”

“I told you, romance dies with this guy around,” Masahiro said, pointing with his thumb to Takeru. 

“You’re just jealous that I get more bitches than you,” Takeru grumbled.

“And as I’ve told you a million times, I want zero bitches,” Masahiro countered.

As Ichirou followed Masahiro and Takeru to the popcorn stand, he felt a bit more relaxed. Although Takeru seemed to be a horny bastard, he was definitely mostly in it for the jokes. And Masahiro… well, he seemed like he might actually be nice, which was definitely more than Ichirou was expecting. Although there were little things he did that could definitely be considered flirting, it somehow felt more like he was just being honest and trying to be considerate of Ichirou.

The three of them sat in the theater, each with a soda. Masahiro sat between Ichirou and Takeru, holding the bucket of popcorn. The theater filled up fairly quickly, while the three men sat together and quietly spoke.

“Kimura-san, have you ever seen this series?” Takeru asked, leaning over. “Masahiro has tons of figurines from this series, so please ask him anything.”

“Shut up, I don’t have tons,” Masahiro said.

“I’ve seen the two movies before this one, so I think I’m good,” Ichirou said.

“Good, good. This kid’s a nerd for mecha stuff,” Takeru said.

“I’m not a nerd, cut it out, Takeru.”

“You two get along so well, I’m surprised you didn’t want to actually go out,” Ichirou said with a sip of his soda, looking amused. Masahiro gagged, while Takeru looked absolutely disgusted.

“That was never going to happen. Oh, the movie’s starting. I’ll tell you why after,” Masahiro said.

With that, Ichirou, Masahiro, and Takeru all quieted down and watched the movie. Ichirou figured if there was going to be a moment where Masahiro was going to hit on him, it would be during the movie. He fully expected Masahiro to either do the classic stretch and rest his arm around Ichirou’s shoulders, or placing his hand atop Ichirou’s. As such, he was surprised when none of that happened throughout the entire movie. Masahiro simply focused on the movie, and so, Ichirou decided to focus on the movie as well. 

It was a simple plot, an evil space villain was coming to destroy Earth, so a group of heroes had to come together to pilot a giant robot. There was some infighting among the group, which made it so they couldn’t be in harmony, so they couldn’t pilot the robot correctly. If Ichirou was being honest, it was the sort of thing he would have hated as a kid, but as an adult, it was cheesy fun.

The lights came back on as the credits rolled, and Ichirou glanced up at Masahiro. He was grinning. It seemed like he really enjoyed the film. Ichirou found himself somewhat surprised that something simple like a film could get this guy beaming like that. He really didn’t act much like most of the rich guys that Ichirou had met.

“So, how did you two like it?” Masahiro was obviously trying to hide his joy. 

“It was tacky and lame, just like the other two,” Takeru teased as they walked out of the theater.

“Nobody asked you,” Masahiro said.

“Except you. You just did.”

“Anyway, Ichirou-san, what did you think of it?” It looked like Masahiro really actually wanted to hear his answer.

“Um, it was fun,” Ichirou said as they tossed their garbage. “I did think it was cheesy, but I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing. I don’t regret having watched it at all.”

Masahiro seemed a bit relieved at that. It seemed that he was more worried about what Ichirou thought than what he initially showed. Was it because he valued Ichirou’s time? Or maybe he was into Ichirou… no, hadn’t he proved that he just wanted to be friends by now? No, no, no, Ichirou had to stay cautious, he had no idea if this was just an act to keep Ichirou on his good side for the moment before striking with romantic or sexual dsires.

“So, um, what’s the plan now?” Ichirou asked as they walked into the main lobby of the mall. 

“There is a family restaurant about a block away. I wanted to take you to lunch. Of course, Takeru can come, but I’m not paying for your food.” Masahiro stuck his tongue out at Takeru.

Takeru smiled, but at the same time it looked like he was about to pop a vein. “You invited me out, and you can’t even pay? You asshole.”

“I’m not fake dating you, now am I?” 

Ichirou had to admit, this was not the date he had been expecting whatsoever. As reasonably nice as Masahiro had been when they first met, he really did expect for the first date to be something that rich people do. Boating, taking a plane across the nation, eating at a Michelin star restaurant, and going to some sort of VIP night club all came to mind, but this twenty two year old that had what was likely a thirteen million yen car was taking him to a cheesy mech movie and a family restaurant, with a friend. It was like something he had read in those teen romance novels that he definitely didn’t still read.

The three men walked down the sidewalk, and Ichirou could feel gazes upon the three of them. It was natural for Ichirou to be stared at, as he had been a minor celebrity his entire life. What he wasn’t used to was people looking past him to look at Masahiro and Takeru. The vain part of him wanted the attention all to himself, but he couldn’t find any blame with the others for staring at them. They were both alphas, after all, and alphas command attention. He was pretty, but he was still just an omega.

Remembering this made Ichirou suddenly realize that neither Takeru nor Masahiro had used their pheromones once. Even as Takeru had greeted him with that terrible wink, there hadn’t really been any scent. Maybe it was because they had been in a mall with a lot of different smells that Ichirou didn’t notice.

“What sort of food does this place have?” Ichirou asked.

“Hmm, according to the website, it had a bunch of different kinds of food. Some Japanese, some French, some American, some Indian…” Masahiro said.

“Ah, sounds good,” Ichirou said.

“Do you think they’ll have any spicy food? I’m craving spicy food,” Takeru said, scratching his nose.

“I really doubt it. It’s a family restaurant, not, like, a Korean restaurant.”

“Mm, but it’d be nice if it was a Korean place…”

Although Ichirou did feel more relaxed than he did earlier, he still didn’t feel quite comfortable enough to join in on their banter. However, that didn’t mean he didn’t find it entertaining. Any time they began bickering, he just listened, and occasionally giggled a little bit. For the time being, he was content with that much.

They arrived at the restaurant, which had an open sort of feeling because of the amount of windows. The inside of the building was carefully designed with bright wood chairs and tables, as well as some armchairs and booths for flair. There were several plants scattered through the building, and wine glasses hung from the ceiling. The white ceiling gave the entire place a clean feeling, while the browns of the wood made it feel very comfortable. It had been a long time since Ichirou had been in a restaurant quite like this, and it made him feel a bit like a little kid.

The trio sat down at one of the open seats, with Ichirou sitting on one side, and Masahiro and Takeru sitting on the other. There was a small tablet with a photo based menu waiting for them to go through once they got comfortable. After going through the menu several times, they each knew what they wanted to order; Ichirou got the lobster doria, Masahiro got the hamburger steak, and Takeru got some butter chicken curry. Ichirou considered getting a glass of wine as well, but day drinking was generally not his speed. He was just anxious, and he wanted that edge off was all.

“So,” Ichirou said as they finished ordering. “Tell me, what happened with you two?”

“Oh, god, that,” Masahiro groaned.

“Masahiro here was hoping you’d forgotten.” Takeru patted his friend’s arm. “Let’s talk about it.”

“First of all, neither of us came up with this idea. It was my aunt and your mom, right?” Masahiro said, squinting at his friend.

“Yeah, definitely. You and I met in high school, and you dated a girl for a little bit during that time. We were kind of friends? Like, you hated my guts back then because you thought I was trying to take your girl, but I really just was hitting on everyone. Then, once we hit college, your aunt and my mom met, and all hell broke loose,” Takeru recounted.

“My aunt’s a piece of shit. Takeru’s mom is nice, though. But my aunt, when she saw the name Oda, all she saw were dollar signs. So she suggested setting us up using all of these tactics, and Takeru’s mom totally fell for it,” Masahiro said.

“Yeah, and then they pretty much set us up on a bunch of arranged dates. Which, like, I’ll take it where I can get it, but when Masahiro kept being the way that he is, I started getting irritated,” Takeru complained.

“What do you mean by that?” Ichirou asked, an eyebrow raised.

Takeru hesitated for a second before shrugging. “You asked.”

Masahiro looked pained. “Just, keep in mind there are kids walking around.”

Ichirou looked bewildered, so Takeru plunged forward. “I’m into BDSM, especially sadism. I thought it could be fun to break Masahiro down into my submissive, but he was not into it. He called me gross and disgusting over and over again. We ended up at each other’s throats by the end of the month. People have tried to fight Masahiro before, and as far as I know, he always refused. I think he even got beat up a couple times because he’s such a pacifist! But on the last day of our relationship, he and I just absolutely beat the shit out of each other.”

“To be clear, it wasn’t his sexual preferences that grossed me out, it was the fact that he would not stop hitting on me. That and his disgusting pheromones. Like, god, I got it, you’re a dominant alpha, but I’m just not into that at all,” Masahiro said, his nose wrinkling up in disgust.

Ichirou felt a bit embarrassed about the subject matter, if he was being honest. It’s not as though he wasn’t in touch with his own sexuality, but hearing about BDSM and two male alphas being together… it was a bit much for him. He was naturally a bit shy about this sort of thing, so having such an open discussion made his ears burn. However, Masahiro seemed to notice, and quickly changed the tone of the conversation.

“Anyway, once we beat each other up, Takeru’s mom gave up. My aunt tried to convince her, but she was done with it. Me and Takeru made up after that and became close friends, but we still can’t be together for more than, like, two or three days out of the week or else we get sick of each other. It’s a weird friendship, but it works out for us.”

As Masahiro finished saying that, their lunch arrived. Steaming piles of food were placed in front of them, and they each began to eat. It was nothing like the fancy dishes that Ichirou was used to eating, but something about the rice gratin-like dish felt very nostalgic. Perhaps it did call back to those old days, when he was a little kid and he went everywhere with his parents and his friends. He must have come to a place like this before, long ago.

“So,” Masahiro said after swallowing a bite of hamburger. “I really hope you don’t think poorly of me for bringing Takeru with me, I just figured he would be the best way to make sure that you didn’t feel like this was a date. Next time we can hang out without him, if you want.”

“I could make it more date-like. You never know, I could totally just steal this man from you,” Takeru said, leisurely pointing at Ichirou.

“I’m not into… um, what you’re into, so I don’t think you could ever really win me over,” Ichirou said, his cheeks flaming up once more as he recalled the sort of perverted things that the smug man enjoyed.

Masahiro seemed to have a trace of a triumphant smirk a little bit at that, although he tried to keep that sort of emotion shoved down. “Ichirou-san, don’t worry about him. He just hasn’t had a partner in six months, so he’s getting a bit antsy.”

“R- right.” Ichirou looked down before taking another bite of his meal. “Um, but I think it definitely helped. Oda-san really did make it feel like we were just friends hanging out.”

“Well, good, because that’s the whole reason I came. Masahiro was really concerned about making sure that you were comfortable. I told him that it’d be better if he found a beta or an omega to hang out with him, but since I’m this loser’s closest friend and confidant, I guess it had to be me,” Takeru said.

“I have a beta friend that could hang out with us sometimes. He’s, uh, nothing like Oda-san, but I think it could be nice to have him around,” Ichirou suggested.

“Sure, as long as he’s trustworthy enough. I think it’s best if we try to keep it to as little people as possible that we’re not actually dating, just so we can keep up the charade as well as possible,” Masahiro said.

“Oh, he’s trustworthy. He’s also kind of an idiot, but he doesn’t spread rumors. I believe in him,” Ichirou said confidently. Then, slightly less confidently, he said, “I, um, I did also tell my sister. I know she won’t tell, unless things get out of hand. So, we’ve just got to make sure they stay… within hand, I guess.”

“And I think we can manage that. Just, probably don’t tell any more people,” Masahiro said, an eyebrow raised.

“I won’t,” Ichirou pledged.

They finished their lunches with lighter conversations, mostly containing Masahiro and Takeru bickering and Ichirou chuckling at their antics. Masahiro in the end, did pay for everyone’s food, which Takeru teased him for, insisting that Masahiro was just being tsundere. Although Ichirou did enjoy listening to them, he still felt a bit too out of the loop to join in, and that feeling in the back of his mind that they were still trying to trick him wouldn’t quite leave. So, although Ichirou was not a young man that was afraid of speaking, he kept his mouth shut so as to not reveal any sort of concern for ill intent, as well as doing his best not to make the conversation become awkward.

Ichirou, Masahiro, and Takeru exited the restaurant, walking a fair bit slower than when they had walked in. Having a full belly always made Ichirou feel more relaxed, and it seemed to have a similar effect on the other two men. They chatted idly as they walked down the street about nothing in particular. This sort of small chat was a bit easier for Ichirou than the comedic banter that the two had engaged in for most of the day. When they got down to the parking garage, it was time for them to part. 

“Well, thanks for the date, you two. Hopefully next time we can go to a club instead of this cheesy high school level friendship stuff,” Takeru said, winking at Ichirou.

“You’re such a dick, I don’t know if I’ll ever invite you out again,” Masahiro said, squinting at Takeru.

Walking backwards to his car, Takeru made a gesture like he was wounded in the heart. “What a loving man. Truly, more loving words have never been spoken to me. Kimura-san, if you wanna ever go on a real date, you can always ask Masahiro for my number.”

“He’s not going to!” Masahiro called, sounding irritated. 

Ichirou laughed softly. “You two really are close, huh?”

Masahiro sighed as they walked down the row of parking spots to get to his blue sports car. “Unfortunately, yes. He’s super annoying, but at the bottom of it all, he’s a good guy.”

Ichirou nodded, before speaking what had been on his mind this whole time. “I know this wasn’t a real date, but I honestly thought you’d take me… I dunno, this sounds bad, but somewhere fancier? What made you want to take me here, just to see a movie and eat some food with a friend?”

Masahiro was quiet for a moment while he unlocked his car and opened the door for Ichirou. “I wanted to show you what I’m really like. As much as I could have taken you to somewhere really nice, it wouldn’t have felt real. It’s the same reason why I brought Takeru along. I mean, obviously he broke the tension a bit, which helped, but he also brings out the worst in me. If you were going to hate me because I bicker with my friend, or because I like goofy mecha movies, or even because I like going to eat at family restaurants and not five star ones, I wanted to know straight up. That way, we wouldn’t waste each other’s time trying to be friends.”

He closed the door on Ichirou, who now sat in the car looking at him. Masahiro walked around the front of the car, leaving Ichirou in his thoughts for a brief moment. His answer had surprised Ichirou, who had no idea that he was being tested, just as he had been testing Masahiro. With all the smiles and earnest confidence he had shown, Ichirou had expected that Masahiro was certain in his decision to befriend him, but it seemed as though he was wrong.

Masahiro sat down next to Ichirou, closing the car door. His smile had returned to his face, but there was a gentle sort of atmosphere with it that caught Ichirou off guard. For the first time, Ichirou really got a whiff of his pheromones again. The oddly comforting scent made Ichirou relax despite himself. Masahiro started the car before he began to speak.

“You weren’t rude at all, though. Guarded, yeah, but I totally get why you would be. You never tried to interrupt me and Takeru, you never said that the food wasn’t up to your standards, and you even indulged me in my more… well, nerdy interests. I don’t know how you feel on the inside. Maybe you felt awful the whole time and were just grinning and bearing it. But, if you want to, I’d be happy to have this fake dating thing continue.”

With that, the car went silent for a moment as Ichirou thought. This “date” really hadn’t been awful, it had just been unexpected. He would have definitely preferred doing something else, but that wasn’t really the point. The point was whether or not he’d be okay with this kind of thing, as it came with Masahiro. It suddenly struck Ichirou that Masahiro was, in a way, being vulnerable with Ichirou via this outing.

Masahiro coughed, and Ichirou looked over to him. The blue haired man’s cheeks were somewhat red, as though he were embarrassed. “I mean, you obviously don’t have to. It’s up to you. It’s just, you know, it’d be cool to get my aunt off my back, and you want to get your parents off your’s, so I just kinda thought…”

With a soft smile, Ichirou lightly jabbed his driver with his elbow. “I wanna try to keep hanging out with you, too. You’re kind of weird, but it’s interesting.”

Masahiro let out a breath he had been unconsciously holding at that. “Oh. Oh, okay, cool. That’s good, I’m glad.”

“Yeah, I’m still not sure how long this’ll go on for, because I’m still a little suspicious, to be honest. It’s not that I think you’re a bad person, I just… I’ve been burned by people who said they wanted to be my friends before. So I think we can just say that I’m cautiously optimistic, okay?” Ichirou said.

He had folded his arms mid speaking, remembering all of the times he had friends, only for them to turn out to be using him for prestige and money. He had grown quite good at sussing out who was kissing his ass and who was trying to genuinely be a kind person. And, unfortunately, it seemed like there were many more people in the world that would be happy to use and abuse him rather than honestly friend him.

“Cautiously optimistic is good enough for me. I’m not looking for anything more than that,” Masahiro said.

“Good, because that’s all you’re getting.”

“Oh, and, uh, by the way, when we get to your house, can I have your contact info? It will be a lot easier to set up fake dates that way,” Masahiro said.

“Yeah, just don’t spam me. Like, you can text me, but don’t spam me.”

“I won’t, I promise.”

Ichirou noticed that ever since he had said that he wanted to continue, Masahiro had let out a fair bit more pheromones. He must have been a bit nervous about that, and was feeling better now. Ichirou wondered if he was letting out any pheromones as well. He wasn’t the best at controlling them, to be honest, so he couldn’t be sure.

Masahiro pulled up in front of Ichirou’s house. They exchanged messenger ids and phone numbers. With that done, all they had left to do was bid each other goodbye. Ichirou, personally, was pleased that this little date was over. Although he did find Masahiro at the least fascinating, at most a possible friend, he still found the idea of these dates to be something of a chore.

Masahiro got out of the car and, once again, opened the door for Ichirou. Ichirou would have to talk to him about the fact that he was, in fact, able to open the door on his own. Even so, Ichirou did get out of Masahiro’s car, and gave him a tiny bow.

“See you later, Masahiro-san,” Ichirou said.

“Yeah, uh, I’ll text you later, about what we want to do for our next date, okay?” Masahiro said somewhat lamely.

“Mmhm. Drive safely,” Ichirou said, turning to walk up the path to his front door.

Ichirou walked up the stone path to his home. As he reached the front door, he touched the knob briefly, before feeling an urge to turn around. So, he did so, and saw that Masahiro was watching him. Somehow, he felt reassured in that moment, so he smiled and waved back to the other man. He waited for Masahiro to wave back before he turned back to the door and went inside.