Chapter 1

"For the last time, Shino, please shut that pretty little face of yours so I can work!"

Koike applied more force than necessary to her keyboard as the last of her words flew out of her mouth, practically slamming her palms down on her keyboard. The loud noise made the addressee flinch.

"But, Koike-chan... I'm so bored..." Shino Yuzuru groused, sliding up and down the thin cubicle wall that separated the two like a child.

The black-haired woman nearly ripped her phone off of the cord just so that she could have something to throw at him. "Oh, yeah?" she said, more as a statement than a question. Her eyes remained glued to her computer screen and her slender fingers continued to type rapidly, punching in the numbers to her spreadsheet. While she continued to work, her voice rose in temper as she addressed her sandy-haired co-worker and best friend.

However, at this time, she was really starting to reconsider the latter part.

"If you're so bored, then maybe next time, don't choose an office job as your life-long career!" she berated angrily under her breath, careful not to distract other workers.

"Ahh... right again, Koike-chan..." Yuzuru sighed in defeat and smiling lightly, letting go of his grip of the partition top and sliding back into his swivel chair gracelessly. He barely let out another fat sigh before an "I heard that" came out from Koike's cubicle. Yuzuru laughed lightly and called back, "Well, that's why I said it out loud!" He didn't hear a response, so he assumed that Koike decided to ignore him and get back to work. Yuzuru sighed yet again before he turned to his computer.

Charting, graphing... nothing made sense. Yuzuru sat back in his seat. He had just graduated from college a year ago before landing a job at Ootori Banks with his two best friends, Koike and Utsumi. Lucky, really, to get a job that quick. He should have been glad to be blessed with such luck, right?

In all honesty, Yuzuru never really did know what he wanted to do. In high school, he took art, but it was only because it was one of those "easy A" classes. His other classes... he was okay in them, but he was by no means a "straight-A student". The only thing he felt good at, the only thing he loved, was archery- and what kind of job requires archers? So he ended up going into accounting as a major in college, which brought him into the mess in which he was in today, along with the rest of the adult population–hating his job.

Actually, it wasn't just his job that made his life a living hell. More accurately, two things contributed to his misery. His job, and his appearance.

Yuzuru was, simply put, gorgeous. He had unique, auburn hair that tumbled down his face in soft, feathery locks. He had fair skin, great complexion, and a slender build. His face was nearly flawless, his nose slightly flat and utterly adorable, his lips full and light pink, his amber eyes bright and captivating. He was fairly tall and he just seemed to give off an air of perfection.

But that wasn't the problem.

A "waste of a pretty face", as he'd been told. The problem was that his appearance gave off a certain vibe–a vibe that he could not fulfill in terms of personality. His face, described as "beautiful", made him look stoic, calm, and mature. However, those traits didn't even begin to exist when it came down to his personality. He was definitely careless, forgetful, and slapdash; impulsive as ever and never thinking before acting. He'd been told these character flaws by multiple people countless times. It wasn't not like he could help it, though. He was who he was, and if girls made assumptions about his "disappointing" personality, then that was on them.

Either way, because of the conflict between his personality and exterior, Yuzuru never managed to hold a girlfriend for too long. Sure, lots of girls went flocking after him, but after they found out that he was nothing like the Yuzuru they created in their heads, it was over. At the moment though, Yuzuru was seeing a certain co-worker named Sanae Fujyou.

Oh, speaking of girlfriends, Yuzuru thought to himself, getting up from his chair, I should go stop by Sanae. Just to see how she's doing. Or better yet, I'll just get up and take a little break. I deserve it, right? I just need to get out of this horrible cubicle and walk around a little. I think it's getting to me.

Yuzuru's favorite times of the day were his breaks. At a dull job like his, who wouldn't enjoy a relaxing break to keep from exploding from all of the stress he underwent? Technically, a lot of his breaks were self-administered, but that didn't matter. He started to walk promptly to his favorite spot for his (unfortunately) short breaks: the water dispenser.

It was funny, really, that such a random item could be seen as his lord and savior. It was obviously nothing special. Yuzuru just patronized it so much because it was an excuse for leaving his cubicle for a few minutes. After meandering around the office, he finally reached the water dispenser.

And he did not expect what he saw.

Since the water dispenser was constantly frequented by his various co-workers to blow off steam and vent, he did not expect the... steamy scene that was occurring in front of him.

Unknowingly, Yuzuru walked right up to a front row view of two of his co-workers sharing a rather passionate kiss–Yuzuru wouldn't have cared less and was in the process of stepping around the couple when he caught a glimpse of short, smooth black hair.

"Sanae?" he whispered, though he might as well have screamed it, because right when he said it, her head shot around to stare at him, wide-eyed.

"Yuzuru, I—"

Yuzuru closed his eyes and held his hand up. "Save it, Sanae."

After that, he simply stuffed his hands in his pockets and strolled out, hiding all traces of emotion.

I will not go back and confront her, I will not, he thought with clenched fists in his pockets and eyes shut just as tight.

When he passed his cubicle, Koike barely looked up. "Back so early?" she asked as she typed on her computer.

Yuzuru grabbed his jacket and slung it across his shoulder. "Yeah," he deadpanned. Koike stared at him as he began to walk away.

"Wait," she called, "where are you going?"

"I'm leaving early," he said over his shoulder. "Hey, can you tell Suzuki? I'm not feeling well."

"Uh..." Koike muttered under her breath. "Sure."

She stared at his retreating back in confusion. "Strange," she mumbled to herself before going back to her bland job of typing spreadsheets on the computer. "I'll have to ask him about it when he's up for it."

How many times has this happened now? Five? Six?

Yuzuru was tired. He wanted to go home. He wanted to be done with everything. The sandy-haired Japanese walked down the crowded streets of Tokyo hastily, pedestrians passing him by. He let out a slow, shaky sigh and jammed his hands in his pockets.

I mean, I should totally be used to this by now, but... seriously, what's it going to take to get at least one girl to like my personality, too?

Yuzuru narrowly dodged a young child skipping down the street, more focused on his current situation than the civilians around him. He mumbled a quick apology to the already-fleeing child, clearly out of earshot. He tossed his head back in frustration.

If there was even one person who'd just love every part of me, I think that would be enough.

The sun was starting to set now, and the neon lights of the shops surrounding him were starting to blind Yuzuru. He slowed his pace to browse the shops in attempt to ease his mind.

Candy shop, pet store, family diner... Yuzuru numbly registered the shops that had been on this particular street for varying amounts of years. Something caught him dead in his tracks though, eyebrows raising with a certain interest.

"...Bar?"

Yuzuru cocked his head. After a good few minutes of staring, he furrowed his brows. "We had a bar here?"

Apparently not. As Yuzuru read the various signs posted on the glass windows, he learned that the bar wasn't opened until recently. Thinking back, Yuzuru recalled that there was an empty space some company was working on. "So that's what they were planning," he mused.

He blinked as he stood there for a few more moments. "Well, I guess checking it out won't hurt," he muttered as he began to walk towards the entrance.

As he reached the door of the new pub, he heard the slight booming of music playing from within. He eased the door open slowly and peeked his head in.

Time seemed to disappear as he looked around the dimmed room free of any clocks. He looked to his left and saw a burly-looking bartender mixing drinks, muscles rippling through his thin white shirt as he shook a drink. Yuzuru fully stepped inside and let the door swing closed behind him with a small thud. On the other side of the bar was a group of drinkers chatting amiably. They each held various drinks in their hands as one of the members of the group said something sardonically. The group burst out laughing, making Yuzuru jump. I think I'll stay away from that side of the bar, he thought with an eyeroll. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and traipsed over to the left side of the bar with the counter. He took a seat on one of the many barstools as the bartender previously mixing drinks stood before him.

"Anything to drink tonight?" he asked in a ridiculously deep voice.

Yuzuru sighed as he settled into the stool. "Anything strong will do."

"Rough time goin' on, huh?" he muttered sympathetically. "I've got just the thing."

Yuzuru rested his elbow on the polished wood bar, propping his chin on his hand. "Tell me about it."

The bartender turned around as he grabbed a drink from behind him. His arm raised above his head to grab a glass from the cabinet. Yuzuru heard the pouring of a drink before the bartender turned around and placed a clear drink in front of him.

"... Water?" he mumbled in confusion. The bartender let out a loud chuckle.

"You, my friend, have a lot to learn. Take a sip."

And so Yuzuru did. He brought the stout glass hesitantly to his lips before taking a shy sip. He recoiled; it was strong and it burned his throat. Still, something about it made him want to taste more. He lifted the glass to his mouth again before taking a bolder drink, tilting the glass a bit more to get a bigger mouthful. Before he knew it, his head was tilted back fully as the last drop reached his tongue. His arm flew up lazily to call the bartender over for another round.

"Hm..." the bartender murmured as he poured another glass. "Maybe go just a tad slower?" he suggested warily. Yuzuru sent him a strained look before swallowing. The bartender sighed and handed over the next glass. In the background, the sandy-haired adult barely registered the sound of the door swinging open and then shut. Yuzuru picked up the glass with a small nod, about to disregard the warning and inhale the poison. However, his alcohol-induced peace was interrupted by the sound of a loud, disgruntled sigh, a newcomer taking a seat a few stools away from him.

Yuzuru was about to turn his full attention back to his only comfort when he heard a smooth voice mutter, "Two shots of tequila to get me started, please." Yuzuru couldn't help but instinctively turn towards a man around his age.

He was wearing typical business-type attire, although one could tell–even from space–that the clothes he wore weren't cheap in the slightest. He had a light blue dress shirt tucked neatly into his charcoal dress pants, held tightly to his waist by some brand name leather belt. A soft lemon tie was hung from the man's neck, aside a pricey black blazer that rested on his right shoulder. Rich boy, Yuzuru noted as his eyes trailed towards his face.

Rough, calloused hands covered the stranger's own face, clearly distraught about some matter. Yuzuru watched the man paw at his face for a bit before the latter must have noticed him staring. He removed his hands from his face and looked at Yuzuru. "Can I help you?"

Well.

Damn.

Yuzuru didn't exactly swing that way, but anyone would have to admit that this stranger was definitely good-looking. Well, mark that down as biggest understatement of the year. He was absolutely stunning. No doubt, this guy had women throwing themselves at his feet. Silky, black locks fell down his face, framing his face perfectly. He had high cheekbones and a prominent nose, both areas dusted a light pink. His lips were of a salmon color, thin and taking an alluring curve upwards as he smiled politely at Yuzuru. His skin was fair–it was unlike any color Yuzuru had seen, some kind of cream or ivory with slight pink undertones. However, it was the eyes that captured Yuzuru the most. Long, black lashes threw off bits of light as he blinked, in deep contrast with his eyes–sunlight filtering through a glass of whiskey on a calm summer evening. Yuzuru could have stared forever if the subject of his admiration hadn't cleared his throat.

"Can I help you?" he repeated, now a bit intimidated. Yuzuru looked away, quickly taking another sip of his drink. He turned back to man, now prepared to speak.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to stare," Yuzuru said with a small, apologetic chuckle. "I just noticed that you were upset about something." That wasn't all that he noticed, but he wasn't going to mention his other thoughts.

The other man blinked before smiling back at him. It was a polite smile, but Yuzuru

could see very well that he was tired. "Oh." He laughed good-naturedly before turning back to his drink. Somehow, though, Yuzuru didn't want to lose conversation with this guy.

"We can talk about it, if you want," he blurted out suddenly. It was a little unlike him, but somehow, Yuzuru felt that he could relate. After all, it was a bar, right? He could afford to loosen up.

The black-haired man turned back to him, eyes slightly wide with surprise. He opened his mouth, paused, and then closed it before smiling gently. He hooked a finger into his tie and pulled at it, loosening it from his neck and letting it hang undone. "Why, you have something on your mind too?"

Yuzuru raised an eyebrow before taking a drink out of his glass, finishing it. "Yeah, well, I caught my girlfriend cheating on me, same old, same old." He turned away from the stranger only to ask for another glass from the bartender with a hand motion.

The stranger's eyes softened. "I'm so sorry," he apologized, shoulder seeming to droop, even from the simple declaration. "That's terrible."

Yuzuru couldn't help but smile at the sensitive stranger. "Well, I shouldn't be too surprised." He heard the satisfying dull sound of a full glass hitting the countertop. Yuzuru reached over to pick up his drink and tilting it towards the stranger as a sarcastic "cheers", then bringing it to his lips. As he took a sip, the stranger tossed back his own shot. "I'm Yuzuru." He introduced himself as he found himself staring at his glass, now mysteriously half-empty. And was his voice starting to slur?

As the stranger swallowed, he set his shot glass down without grace. "Seryou," he curtly replied.

"You look like a pretty, rich boy," Yuzuru purred, amused. "What could have possibly happened to you?"

Seryou scoffed. "I could say the same about you–well, at least, the 'pretty' part."

What did he say? It must have been the alcohol. Well, he was never one to hold back compliments, and this Yuzuru fellow was rather beautiful... He stared into his glass blankly. "Well... it's a long story." He looked Yuzuru dead into the eye. "Have you ever wanted something you couldn't have?"

Yuzuru laughed a strangely out-of-character laugh, dizzy and bubbly. "Whoa, we're getting a bit too philosophical for a bar, don't you think?" He laughed again and knocked back another glass that magically appeared next to him. "I guess, why?"

The taller man took another unrefined sip from his refilled glass as well. "If you want the blunt version, I've been in love with my brother's girlfriend for a while now. And she made out with me today." He covered his eyes with his free hand. "...She's leading me on."

Yuzuru let out a hiccup. Holy shit, am I hiccuping now? "Duuuuuude." He stumbled off of his stool to squeeze Seryou's shoulders. "She's leading you onnn!" He smiled a drunken smile at Seryou. "You don't need her!"

Seryou found his vision blurring as he looked into the eyes of the beautiful male. "...You're drunk," he said, that sentence apparently the smartest thing he could think of to say at the time.

Yuzuru suddenly let out a loud, raucous laugh. He clutched his stomach, doubling over in delight. "No, you're drunk!" he retorted, and then continued to shriek with pleasure like a five-year old.

"People are staring!" Seryou urged, although he felt his own voice drawl on at the end.

Suddenly that phrase was hilarious to the redhead, too. "Because you're so goddamn sexy!" That sent Yuzuru into another round of laughter.

"What..."

Seryou tried to grab ahold of the hyperventilating man. However, seeing as that he was drunk as well, he ended up swatting the air and nearly stumbling out of his seat. "Yuzuru," he slurred to no direction in particular, "please watch your language."

"Don't tell me how to live my life!" Yuzuru yelled, flailing his arms; and in the process, sloshed his drink onto the shirt of his new companion. "Don't tell me you're not tired of this shit these women put us through as well."

Seryou seemed to reconsider. "Well, I-I am tired of it..." he agreed, stammering. He tucked a piece of hair behind his ear, only to have it fall back into place beside his cheek.

The other smiled at him, a sly (or just plain drunk) look in his golden eyes. "Tell you what." He slung an arm around Seryou's shoulder. "Here's the game plan. We invite our subjects of revenge to a trip or a group vacation or whatever. But we pick up these random chicks–" Yuzuru emphasized his last two words, using elaborate arm movements to aid him in doing so, "–and we date them! And then they get all jealous! And then we win!" Yuzuru smiled triumphantly, as if he had discovered the meaning of life. When he received no immediate response, he let out a completely necessary whoop to express his enthusiasm.

Seryou stared at him, eyes glazed over with a light film from all of the alcohol. His cheeks were flushed a dark magenta now. "I... I don't know..." he said sloppily. Yuzuru gripped his arms and shook him in response.

"No, you know, man! You know!" he determined, his auburn hair now a disheveled mess.

"I do?" Seryou asked doubtfully, although it was obvious that he was buying into the nonsense the smaller man was spewing.

"Yes!" Yuzuru confirmed, pushing a palm into his chest firmly.

Seryou shifted his eyes to the side, contemplating. After a short period of silence, Seryou nodded and said hazily, "Okay. Let's do it."

Yuzuru then proceeded to yell the word "yeah" exactly six times at the top of his lungs. After the elaborate ritual, he propped his foot up on a stool and held his hand out firmly. "Let's do this, Seryou!"

Seryou turned to the side unceremoniously and threw up.

Somewhere in the corner of the bar, the bartender rolled his eyes. "Lightweights," he grumbled in annoyance. He called a man from the back to clean up the mess before it stunk up the whole room. The man hastily mopped it up, his nose wrinkled in disgust.

Seryou wiped his mouth with his sleeve and grabbed Yuzuru's hand with a messy grin. Yuzuru couldn't stop laughing. "Yay, deaaaaaaal!" Yuzuru sang. A sudden shift occurred–his light-hearted smile curled into a devious grin.

"Now let's go fuck these bitches over."

A/N: Feedback would be greatly appreciated. c: