愛の嵐が暗闇をかき消してくれるはず
Because 15th_moon had such a good prompt that I couldn't resist. ♥
Best Served Cold
Ariake Koichi/Naruse Ryou | Maou/Ryuusei no Kizuna crossover AU| ~800 words | PG | Written for 15th_moon
When Koichi stops by the window counter to refill a couple's water glasses, he notices that the lawyer is back again, sliding into his usual seat in the middle of the busy main counter.
Koichi knows all of the shop's regulars, knows their usual orders, their likes and dislikes, little pieces of their lives dished out over orders of hot curry. Koichi is good at it, and moreover, he likes it. It's easy to retreat into the easy, warm flow of serving customers and making friendly conversation, watching people tuck into their meals and smile so happily that it lights something shiveringly fundamental inside of him, makes him feel like he wanted to do this forever.
The lawyer wasn't quite a regular - he came frequently, but only recently. He usually ordered the chicken curry, eating slowly, thick spoonfuls. When Koichi had first asked him if he had liked it, he had been on the receiving end of such a bright, sweet smile that he had to clutch at the counter for a minute, a little weak at the knees. Sometimes he read some papers, sometimes Koichi could feel him watching him as he scurried around taking orders and going about the business of feeding the hungry lunch rush.
Koichi hasn't even asked his name yet. Something about the lawyer makes him feel a little nervous. He couldn't be that much older than Koichi himself - scarcely taller and sweetly round-faced with soft, short dark hair.
He carries himself seriously and elegantly, always in a somber black suit and tie. His hands are beautiful, Koichi thinks now, watching the lawyer pick up his water glass and take a sip - slim and strong, even his nails look manicured. There was something so infinitely polished, so untouchable about him that it made Koichi feel scruffy and unfinished, with his barely-brushed bedhead and stained cherry-red apron.
A customer slides into the stool right in front of him and startles Koichi out of his daze. He didn't even realized that he had been staring down the counter at the lawyer until -
Togami Yukinari regards him in iron determination. "Hayashi rice."
Koichi sighs, setting a water glass in front of him. "Sorry, we're out."
Togami stares at him indignantly. "Again?" he practically shrieks, startling the salaryman wedged in on his left.
Koichi shrugs, setting his mouth in a firm line. He's determined not to let Togami get under his skin this time. "Sorry."
"Listen to me, owner." Togami leans on the counter on his elbows until he's practically nose-to-nose with Koichi. "What kind of respectable restaurant doesn't serve hayashi rice? It's the staple of Western cuisine. It's the cornerstone - no, the foundation, the pillar upon which the civilization of curry rests -"
"The chicken curry was delicious." Koichi glances away from Togami to see the lawyer placing a few bills on the counter. The lawyer is smiling at Togami. "Perhaps you ought to try it today."
Togami grumbles something unintelligible about chicken, before giving Koichi one final glare. "I'll be back."
"I'll be waiting," Koichi answers, with all of the false sweetness that flies right over Togami's head. He buries his head in his hands as Togami stalks out of the restaurant, all righteous indignation.
"It really was delicious." The lawyer's voice comes again, and Koichi's head flies up, met again with the lawyer's gentle, sincere smile. "He doesn't know what he's missing."
Koichi snorts. "He's been coming in here every day for three weeks. I don't think he's going to give up." He rubs at his eyes in frustration. "Ah, you'd think he could just go back to his rich daddy and his stupid restaurant chain and leave me alone. Something about him just makes me..."
"Some people are born with things that many would kill for," The lawyer says. "Yet they can never be happy with that. And so they twist the lives of others to suit their desires." He sounds almost bitter.
Koichi hands him his change, feeling a sort of shiver inside him watching the lawyer's eyes darken. "I'm sorry, but I never asked your name...?"
The lawyer smiles gently, clasping his hand over his and curling Koichi's fingers shut over the handful of bills and coins. "Naruse Ryou."
"Naruse-san?" says a stunned-sounding voice from near the door, and Koichi turns, Naruse's hand still covering his. There's a young man, casually dressed with spiked dark hair staring incredously at the lawyer. Behind him are Kashiwabara and Hagimura. Hagimura grins at Koichi, opening his jacket to show him him his ARIAKE-3 t-shirt. "Naruse-san, what are you doing here?"
Naruse smiles, his hand lingering on Koichi's. "I came to eat delicious curry."
Best Served Cold
Ariake Koichi/Naruse Ryou | Maou/Ryuusei no Kizuna crossover AU| ~800 words | PG | Written for 15th_moon
When Koichi stops by the window counter to refill a couple's water glasses, he notices that the lawyer is back again, sliding into his usual seat in the middle of the busy main counter.
Koichi knows all of the shop's regulars, knows their usual orders, their likes and dislikes, little pieces of their lives dished out over orders of hot curry. Koichi is good at it, and moreover, he likes it. It's easy to retreat into the easy, warm flow of serving customers and making friendly conversation, watching people tuck into their meals and smile so happily that it lights something shiveringly fundamental inside of him, makes him feel like he wanted to do this forever.
The lawyer wasn't quite a regular - he came frequently, but only recently. He usually ordered the chicken curry, eating slowly, thick spoonfuls. When Koichi had first asked him if he had liked it, he had been on the receiving end of such a bright, sweet smile that he had to clutch at the counter for a minute, a little weak at the knees. Sometimes he read some papers, sometimes Koichi could feel him watching him as he scurried around taking orders and going about the business of feeding the hungry lunch rush.
Koichi hasn't even asked his name yet. Something about the lawyer makes him feel a little nervous. He couldn't be that much older than Koichi himself - scarcely taller and sweetly round-faced with soft, short dark hair.
He carries himself seriously and elegantly, always in a somber black suit and tie. His hands are beautiful, Koichi thinks now, watching the lawyer pick up his water glass and take a sip - slim and strong, even his nails look manicured. There was something so infinitely polished, so untouchable about him that it made Koichi feel scruffy and unfinished, with his barely-brushed bedhead and stained cherry-red apron.
A customer slides into the stool right in front of him and startles Koichi out of his daze. He didn't even realized that he had been staring down the counter at the lawyer until -
Togami Yukinari regards him in iron determination. "Hayashi rice."
Koichi sighs, setting a water glass in front of him. "Sorry, we're out."
Togami stares at him indignantly. "Again?" he practically shrieks, startling the salaryman wedged in on his left.
Koichi shrugs, setting his mouth in a firm line. He's determined not to let Togami get under his skin this time. "Sorry."
"Listen to me, owner." Togami leans on the counter on his elbows until he's practically nose-to-nose with Koichi. "What kind of respectable restaurant doesn't serve hayashi rice? It's the staple of Western cuisine. It's the cornerstone - no, the foundation, the pillar upon which the civilization of curry rests -"
"The chicken curry was delicious." Koichi glances away from Togami to see the lawyer placing a few bills on the counter. The lawyer is smiling at Togami. "Perhaps you ought to try it today."
Togami grumbles something unintelligible about chicken, before giving Koichi one final glare. "I'll be back."
"I'll be waiting," Koichi answers, with all of the false sweetness that flies right over Togami's head. He buries his head in his hands as Togami stalks out of the restaurant, all righteous indignation.
"It really was delicious." The lawyer's voice comes again, and Koichi's head flies up, met again with the lawyer's gentle, sincere smile. "He doesn't know what he's missing."
Koichi snorts. "He's been coming in here every day for three weeks. I don't think he's going to give up." He rubs at his eyes in frustration. "Ah, you'd think he could just go back to his rich daddy and his stupid restaurant chain and leave me alone. Something about him just makes me..."
"Some people are born with things that many would kill for," The lawyer says. "Yet they can never be happy with that. And so they twist the lives of others to suit their desires." He sounds almost bitter.
Koichi hands him his change, feeling a sort of shiver inside him watching the lawyer's eyes darken. "I'm sorry, but I never asked your name...?"
The lawyer smiles gently, clasping his hand over his and curling Koichi's fingers shut over the handful of bills and coins. "Naruse Ryou."
"Naruse-san?" says a stunned-sounding voice from near the door, and Koichi turns, Naruse's hand still covering his. There's a young man, casually dressed with spiked dark hair staring incredously at the lawyer. Behind him are Kashiwabara and Hagimura. Hagimura grins at Koichi, opening his jacket to show him him his ARIAKE-3 t-shirt. "Naruse-san, what are you doing here?"
Naruse smiles, his hand lingering on Koichi's. "I came to eat delicious curry."