recolle | (Closed) Let's see where this goes...

(Closed) Let's see where this goes...

WHO: Iwai and Fai
WHERE: Fai's apartment and Yamazaki's Paris
WHEN: 10/1
WHAT: Two guys go for an adorable dinner together and figure things out...
WARNINGS: Will update as needed but none so far.

Iwai sat in his car for a minute or two as he wondered why he was doing this. He'd pushed people away for so long that it had almost become second nature. Yet here he was getting ready to pick Fai up. For a date. Running his fingers through his hair, he looked at his reflection in the rear view mirror.

Even in this other life of his he'd been a criminal. A former criminal but that part of his life was just something that kept following him. Should he really drag Fai into that kind of a mess?

Guess he really was a selfish guy.

Pushing fingers through his hair again to fix that short mess that wasn't going to be fixed, he got out and finally went up to knock on Fai's door. He was dressed casually but still with slightly nicer casual clothes. It was a date. He could at least look presentable even if he didn't really own nice things these days.

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He had no idea what he was expecting. Really he didn't. Fai had a right to any reaction really but what ended up happening was a kiss to his cheek. His eyes went wide as he stared at the man. At that smile on his face.

At that look of...pride.

He was proud of him?

Damn he wished he had his hat so he could hide his face for a moment. But instead he was here with wide eyes, so amazed by this guy who had heard about his history and was...accepting him. He wasn't running. He was still here and wanting to be with him.

Reaching up, he touched where that kiss had been placed. He could almost still feel it.

Softly, he gave a laugh.

"Guess I'll take that as a sign that I've still got a chance here."

Fai settled back into his seat, careful to smooth his skirt under him, and laughed just quietly enough to not make a scene. Since they were still in public and all.

"You definitely do," he agreed, grinning. "I mean, you'd have to do a whole lot worse than save a bunch of kids to scare me away."

He lifted his wine glass, paused with the glass just at his lips, and winked at Iwai over the rim.

Once he'd taken a sip, he sat the glass back on the table and folded his forearms together again. "Thank you for telling me. I know it probably wasn't easy, but I'm glad you did. And I was totally right about you being sweet, by the way~"

He shook his head. What an amazing guy. He really couldn't help being attracted to him. There was something about people accepting him that just really got to him. All the shit he'd done in the past and yet...

Damn...

"I ain't sweet but thanks."

It was really appreciated. It meant a lot to him that Fai still wanted to see where this went.

"Totally sweet, sorry!" Fai unfolded his arms to reach over and poke Iwai lightly in the chest with one long finger. "That's just how it is, I don't make the rules."

So Iwai had been a criminal, once upon a time in another country altogether. Not exactly the standard first date conversation material, but Fai didn't think they were doing too badly for all of that. And if Iwai was anything like Fai (which clearly he wasn't, he was brave and cool and so many things that Fai wasn't, but at least they were both human) he must have been at least a little worried about spilling his secrets. So it was a good thing that was out in the open now.

(At least someone was capable of being open and honest. Iwai knew about the burlesque, though, so maybe he didn't need to know about the rest just yet.)

(Hypocrisy, thy name is Fai.)

"You said you didn't finish high school, though. Did you ever get your GED? Or have you thought about it?" Sorry Iwai, this sort of thing was Fai's job.

"I didn't. Never went back to school and I'm too old anyway." Not to mention he wasn't legal so he didn't want to figure out how a man in his forties became a student. He didn't even have time anyway. Lifting his wine up, he had a sip of it. Good stuff. Fai was good at this.

"Never needed to finish school to do stuff with my shop so I was fine."

Apparently he was pretty good at being a shop owner too. Which mean it had all worked out in the end one way or another.

"You're not too old, silly, I keep telling you that." Fai stuck his tongue out playfully. "Besides, the GED isn't a class or anything, it doesn't matter how old you are. It's just a set of tests you take to prove that you know as much as a student who's finished high school."

It was true though, Iwai seemed to be getting along just fine at the shop without his diploma. But as a social worker Fai was in the business of trying to give people as many tools as possible, and as a friend(?) he thought it might be a good idea to knock that worry out of Iwai's arsenal. If he'd confessed that he'd never finished high school, surely some part of him didn't like that fact. Why not fix it?

But...

"It's just an idea," he added, shrugging lightly. "If you're ever interested, I can get you set up pretty easily through work. But it doesn't bother me."

It really didn't. Fai was probably the crazy one, going back for his third degree.

"This is the part where I should probably tell you I ain't a legal citizen. With my background the best chance I got for being one is to get married."

That was not a proposal. They'd only just started to figure this out. No way was he going to pop that question this soon. But the reality of the situation was what it was. Sure he'd managed to get himself a shop but he had to keep his nose super clean to make sure he didn't get sent back where he'd only end up dead.

Talk about a rough conversation for a first date but oh well. Cards on the table.

"I've got my shop though. I'm doing alright."

Fai's head tilted slowly to the side a little at that confession--and yeah, so maybe a slight flush of pink crossed his cheekbones and the bridge of his nose at the mention of getting married. He knew it wasn't a proposal, but there were implications there. Iwai getting married.

(Ahem.)

"I.... Hm." This was a puzzle. Fai couldn't really remember his own citizenship process overly well, except for a few hoops he'd had to jump through, but he had to assume that his uncle had been able to smooth things over pretty easily for him at the time. He'd been a kid, it hadn't been his job to worry about that sort of thing. But for Iwai.... Fai would have to make some calls.

"Like I said, the GED thing was just an idea." Fai waved a hand dismissively, grinning again. "If it doesn't matter to you, that's all that matters."

And lo and behold, their dinner had finally arrived!

He thanked the server for the food and took a spoonful of what he wanted. Yep. Delicious. Iwai smiled a bit at that then looked to keep talking with Fai while they ate. Because talking with the guy made him feel comfortable. He seriously liked him a lot for that.

"Guess as long as you don't mind being the more intelligent one of us, we'll be fine." He gave a soft laugh because obviously he didn't have a complex about this. Partners needed to be balanced.

Wow. He was already thinking of them as an item. Time to slow his roll a bit.

"How'd you get into social work?"

"Intelligence has nothing to do with school," Fai said, giving Iwai a fond, slightly exasperated Look. "Going to school only makes you educated, not smart. Besides, one of my degrees is in music, for crying out loud." He laughed; Fai loved music, but he had no illusions about 'talent' and 'intelligence' being the same thing either.

Oh, but. That sure was the $64,000 question, wasn't it?

"I... needed to find something new to do with myself," he began slowly. "I told you I used to do burlesque. I did that until I was twenty-five. I got my degree in music thinking I wanted to be a songwriter or a composer, but it was easier to just dance and soak up all the attention and enjoy my glamorous little life. I'd already been dancing through most of college, so why stop?"

Fai paused. Swallowed. A few of his good friends already knew at least the basic parts of this story, and Iwai was potentially more than that. And Iwai had already shown a lot of trust in telling Fai about his own past. Besides, he hadn't reacted poorly to the knowledge about Fai dancing, so...?

"When I was twenty-five one of my fans started stalking me." Fai kept his voice low, as Iwai had done. "I didn't really realize what was going on until he cornered me outside the club one night with a knife. He... tried to kill me. I spent a while in the hospital, and when I was out I was too terrified to go back to performing, so I had to figure something else out. I decided if I had to do something else, I'd like to try to help kids who were having a rough time like I'd had."

He grabbed for his wine glass and drained the bit that was left in the bottom, then laughed brightly. "Which is probably way too much information for such an easy question, sorry! I needed a new job, and I liked the idea of helping kids."

Like he had it. Fai must have had a rough childhood too then. Iwai watched him calmly, finding the guy more fascinating as time passed. To go through so much and come out where he was... Shit, he really admired the guy.

Reaching across the table, he took Fai's hand in his own. Holding it gently, he paused in eating so that way he could give his full attention to him.

"If anyone ever tries to hurt you like that again I'll do everything in my power to make sure I come for you. I don't care that you have magic and kickflips and stuff that I ain't got. I'm gonna have your back, Fai."

That was all there was to it.

Fai found himself wondering somewhat inanely how someone so tough, with such strong hands, could be so gentle. He stared down at the hand holding his own for a moment, and by the time he looked back up at Iwai his face was flushed again. Not out of embarrassment, but... gratitude? Happiness? Fai didn't even know.

"Thank you," he said quietly. His smile wasn't his usual cheerful grin, but it was full of genuine happiness. How the hell had he lucked out like this? Some of the other guys he'd dated had been pretty great in their own ways--not many of them, but a few--but Iwai was something else entirely. To have come out of such a rough place and turned into someone wonderful like this?

"You don't need magic." Fai just smiled. "I think you're perfect just the way you are."

He chuckled a bit and gave the hand a squeeze before sitting back. Taking a bite of food, he chewed it a bit then swallowed. He had at least had enough class to not eat with his mouth full of food.

"I ain't perfect but I'll do my best for you, Fai."

It was literally the best thing he could promise to him.

"Sooo~" Fai picked at his own meal with his fork; even though it looked and smelled delicious he hadn't even really taken a bite of it yet, he'd been so engrossed in Iwai's story and then wrapped up in telling his own. "Does that mean we're going to do this again?"

He didn't even try to hide the hopeful look on his face as he asked it, although a second later he laughed. "Possibly with less doom and gloom next time?"

Not that he minded how things were turning out. Far from it. But maybe they should actually try to do something fun if there was a second date, instead of scraping at old wounds.

"If you'd like to, I know I wanna."

Because, even with all the depressing talk, this was still...fun. Fai was a good guy and he did good things with his life. Iwai was seriously impressed by him. Really he was wondering what he'd done that had earned him Fai wanting to pay him any attention at all like this.

But he did. Fai was here at this date with him. Wanting another date too.

"I don't know a lot of fun things to do since I don't get out much," which Fai already knew, "But I know there's this cat cafe."

Fai liked cats so many he'd like it there?

As if Fai somehow didn't look happy enough already, his face lit up at both the knowledge that Iwai wanted another date and at the mention of the cat cafe. "Ooooh, I've seen that place! I've never been in there though. That's a great idea, we should try it!" He'd lived in Recolle for years, but the cat cafe was relatively new if he remembered correctly, and between work and school he wasn't likely to try a new place like that without someone else to go with him. It had simply never come up.

Finally he got around to trying a bite of his dinner--which was just as delicious as it had been smelling all this time--although by the end of that one single bite he was smiling slyly at Iwai. "Although if Soel and Larg have to share you with other kitties they might get kind of jealous, you know. I'm pretty sure they've already claimed you~"

"Guess that means there'll be reclaiming done if I get taken back to your place." He left it a little up in the air as to what exactly that meant. Mainly because it was kinda fun to see some of his words could make Fai blush. He just had to look for the right moments to make it happen.

"How's your food?" Mostly to see if he could get Fai to keep eating instead of getting distracted. Guy was thin enough, he wanted to make sure he got some food in him. Because in the end he just had to think about taking care of him.

"Hm, I think the kitties might murder me if I don't bring you home with me. I don't think I have much choice in the matter~" Fai's expression was still mischievous, the tone of his voice teasing, although a faint blush did indeed rise on his cheeks at the thought of bringing Iwai home with him. Again. As much as he was usually gung-ho about moving things along to the physical after a second or third date, and as appealing as that idea was when connected with this guy in particular, the idea of trying to actually take things at a slightly more sedate pace this time was... kind of appealing.

Or maybe it wasn't so much the idea of trying to take things slow, as trying to do things right.

Suddenly reminded that yes, he was still supposed to be eating, Fai nodded and speared another bit of chicken with his fork. "It's wonderful! I haven't bothered to make this recipe in years but I love it. How's yours?" And to prove his point, Fai actually took another bite. He ate like a bird most of the time, but since they were on a date it wouldn't be very polite to waste his meal.

That was better. Now that he saw Fai was eating, he returned to his own meal. "It's good. I had this once when I was back in Japan. There was this French place that I liked a lot once I had the money to eat out."

And Fai knew how he'd gotten that money now. So he didn't even mind talking about this part anymore. The guy had already showed him he didn't care. Besides, it's not like he was one to brag about his past crimes. Likely because he was trying to clean up his life and detach himself from that part of his life.

"So you cook. Do you make only French food or do you like to experiment?" He was curious about him. The things Fai liked, the things that interested him. Those were the things that made up Fai's life so he wanted to know them better.

Hard to make someone happy if you didn't know what actually made them happy, after all.

Fai shook his head while he was finishing up a bite. "Not just French food, I like to cook just about everything! Desserts are my favorite though--which probably isn't much of a surprise~" They'd already covered how much they both liked sweets. "I try to cook everything, really, except on nights when I have class. I save my leftovers for my neighbor, so those nights I get takeout instead."

He laughed, remembering the conversation he'd had recently with Noah. "I'm a little bit of a snob when it comes to food, although mostly I save that for making grumpy faces at the cooking shows I watch. I love Iron Chef, but only the original. The rest of them are poor imitations."

"...and now I probably sound really boring, watching cooking shows!"

"I watch those sometimes when I'm doing some work at my place. Helps me pass the time. Though, I didn't know they'd made other versions of Iron Chef."

He tended to not really pay full attention to the shows honestly. Mostly because he was working when he watched them. Modding guns, even fake ones, took some concentration. He just liked to have the TV on the background for some noise. Probably because he lived alone and it was a good way to have the place not feel so empty all the time.

"Sometimes those shows are pretty good for trying new stuff though."

...yeah. He'd maybe done that a couple times. Because he had a lot of free time when he wasn't at the shop or modding guns and had to do something.

"Oh gosh, don't even get me started." Fai grinned. "There was this really annoying American chef who lost on the original Iron Chef, then pushed for a rematch, then ended up being one of the 'Iron Chefs'--" And yes, he absolutely used finger quotes there. "--on the American version of the show. Which is terrible and I refuse to watch it."

Yep. Fai definitely had Feelings about cooking shows.

He paused to take another bite of his dinner, then perked up at that last part. "Ah, do you cook? So you haven't just been living on cold cereal and canned soup in your swinging bachelor pad~?"

"Huh. Sounds like a dick."

That about summed up his thoughts on that one. Iwai had seen plenty of types like that before in his days as an arms dealer honestly. Of course in the criminal world those types usually ended up shot but that was another matter entirely. No point bringing that up on a nice date. They'd already done enough of the dark stuff already.

Still, Fai had some opinions about cooking shows. He'd have to keep that in mind.

"Hm? No. That stuff ain't healthy for you. I'd give myself a heart attack if I ate all that salt all the time." Look, for a man who constantly ate candy, he had some feelings about staying healthy. Sure the candy wasn't healthy but he still made up for it with a decent diet otherwise. And some light working out too. Just to keep in shape.

...yeah, that was a pretty good way to sum it up. "Yep!" Fai giggled, pausing in his dinner to top up both of their wine glasses. They hadn't had enough yet to get him anywhere near drunk (and half the bottle, over the course of a meal, probably wasn't going to do it anyway) so a little more wouldn't hurt.

His smile at Iwai's answer was warm and, admittedly, a bit relieved. "Good! I know some people who can't cook, who can hardly take care of themselves at all when it comes to things like that. I'm glad you have it better than that. Although~"

Fai made a show of sizing Iwai up, lowering his eyelashes coyly. "You certainly don't look like you're in bad shape to me, so I suppose I could have guessed~"

Hey, Iwai might be good at reducing him to a blushing idiot, but the relentless flirt was still in there somewhere!

"I work out sometimes. It keeps me in decent shape anyway. I need to be able to lift boxes if I'm the only one in the shop. The kids aren't always around."

He likely didn't cook anything fancy like Fai probably could and he certainly didn't go out of his way to work out but he still knew he was doing well despite that. He'd just decided ages ago that if he was going to have sweets all the time he wanted to do so without regret. Which meant doing the healthy stuff to counter it.

That was his theory anyway. So far it was working out. He even smirked as a result of that look Fai gave him.

"Guess now I have to keep it up so I'll be able to sweep you off your feet instead."

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