Happy Birthday Oishi!!!!
Ok, I really wanted to get this done today, but since I'll have to post this in two pieces anyway, here it is.
Title: Blind Date
Pairing: GP
Rating: PG
HAPPY BIRTHDAY OISHI!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was a typical Saturday night in Tokyo, the streets and sidewalks pulsing with throngs of people traveling to their particular destinations, eager to begin the activities of the evening. Pulling out of the crowd, Kikumaru Eiji strolled up to the front window of a store to check his reflection. Long fingers flicked and smoothed carefully styled red hair fitfully for a few minutes before Eiji dropped his hands with a frustrated sigh.
He was not nervous. Kikumaru Eiji did not get nervous over a date.
Unfortunately this wasn’t a typical date; it was a blind date.
A blind date set up by Fuji.
What really made things unusual about this date was that Fuji had decided to take the blind part of ‘blind date’ literally, barely telling Eiji anything about the guy he had set him up with aside from general statements such as ‘he’s nice’ and ‘you’ll like him’. Eiji hadn’t been too bothered by it, long since used to Fuji’s tendencies of fixing situations to his liking, besides he completely trusted his friend.
He didn’t get any useable information out of Fuji until the day of the date. After spending two hours in his closet trying to decide what to wear Eiji had called the blue-eyed matchmaker for advice.
“How do you know this guy again?”
“I met him through a friend.”
“Yeah?”
“Sa, he’s a friend of a friend, actually.”
“Do I know this ‘friend’ of the friend? The friend I’m not going out with, I mean.”
“Oh, of course.”
“Oh yeah, who?”
“Tezuka!”
Tezuka.
Fuji had set him up on a date with one of Tezuka’s friends.
Tezuka and Eiji didn’t get along particularly well; they didn’t dislike each other per-say, but they didn’t ‘click’ either and there was always an air of awkwardness between the two.
So now Eiji was going on a date with a potential Tezuka clone and if that was the case, he was doomed.
Eiji fiddled with his collar; he had dressed somewhat daringly in light of Fuji’s revelation. Black jeans, black boots, grey v-neck long sleeve shirt pushed halfway up his forearms under a ruby red tailored button up shirt, rolled up to his elbows. Silver jewelry, including an impressive watch, accented the intricate design in silver and black thread on the front left side of the shirt, un-tucked and left open at the neck.
Maybe a little flashy for a first date, but Eiji was on edge; Fuji had put him in an awkward position and he didn’t appreciate it in the least.
Glancing at his watch, Eiji took one last swipe at his hair and hurried down the street. At least they were meeting at a familiar place and Eiji had escape plan on stand-by; a pre-made text at the ready to send to his work line, that by default went to his cell, containing a reasonable exit excuse in case things got bad.
Slowing as he neared the meeting place, Eiji shoved his hands in his pockets and attempted to look cool and casual, casting his gaze over the cars zipping by instead of the people milling around him. A few minutes passed and Eiji felt some of the tension leave him as he watched the ebb and flow of traffic.
“Kikumaru, I presume?”
Eiji turned, finding a man around his age approaching him wearing a pleasant smile.
“Yes.”
The other man’s smile grew as he offered a hand to Eiji.
“Oishi Shuichiro, it’s nice to meet you.”
“Ah, nice to meet you too.” replied Eiji. Oishi’s handshake was firm and steady around his own.
“You haven’t been waiting long, have you?” asked Oishi hopefully, his brow furrowing slightly, “I apologize if I kept you waiting.”
“Oh, no, I just got here myself.” Eiji explained and a flash of relief crossed Oishi’s face.
He was quite handsome, this friend of Tezuka’s, Eiji decided. Dressed neatly in a yellow and white vertical stripe oxford tucked into dark blue jeans under a camel colored sports coat, Oishi looked relaxed and unfettered. A clean cut guy all around was the vibe Eiji got from the black haired man and that put him at ease.
“That’s good, are you hungry?” Oishi gestured behind him to the restaurant Fuji had arranged for them to eat at, “Should we go in?’
“Yeah, definitely.” agreed Eiji and the two headed into the sushi shop, “Have you ever been here before?” he asked as Oishi held open the
door.
“Eiji… and Oishi!” a boisterous voice greeted them from behind the counter, “Welcome!”
“Good evening Taka-san.” called Oishi, giving Eiji a smile, “Quite often actually.”
“Me too, hey Taka!” Eiji waved to the sushi chef, “Hmm, the counter’s full.”
“There’s a table around the corner, unless you two want to wait for a spot here.” offered Taka-san over the heads of talkative customers.
“A table sounds good.” Oishi said, looking to Eiji who nodded.
“Ok! Go ahead and take a seat, I’ll be over in a minute!”
The two men wove their way through the restaurant to an empty little table tucked away against the back wall. Eiji took a seat on one side of the table while Oishi shrugged off his jacket and tucked it under his side of the table. Sitting down, Oishi laced his fingers together and looked at Eiji.
“So…” began Oishi.
“So…” repeated Eiji, fiddling with his watch.
“Heads up!” warned Taka-san as he swooped down on them, breaking the awkward moment, “Here you guys go, something to drink and a plate of your favorites to get you started. It’s been pretty busy tonight and I don’t want you guys starving to death back here.”
“Thank you Taka-san, that was very considerate of you.” Oishi said as Eiji reached for his drink.
“Oh, don’t mention it! Not a problem at all!” chuckled Taka-san, scratching the back of his head, “Do you guys know what you want or do you need more time?”
“Well,” Oishi cast a glance at Eiji, “how about the house platter? You can’t go wrong with that.”
Eiji nodded and put his drink down.
“Sounds good to me,” he gave Taka-san two thumbs up, “nothing beats Taka’s sushi.”
“Alright, one house platter coming up!” the chef tucked his tray under his arm and headed back to the kitchen.
“I have to admit, I’m looking forward to a wasabi-free meal for a change.” Eiji commented as he and Oishi started on their shared plate.
“Ah, Fuji?” guessed Oishi.
“Yeah, somehow I wind up with something wasabi on my plate.” griped the redhead, “Typically after I’ve finished my drink.”
Oishi chuckled.
“He does that to Tezuka too.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, but Tezuka’s got such a good poker face that Fuji never gets any reaction out of him, aside from a ‘Hn’ or a cough.” Oishi paused for Eiji’s laughter, “I think it’s turned into some sort of challenge for Fuji.”
“It probably has.” agreed Eiji, downing another piece of sushi, “So how do you know Tezuka?”
“Oh, work.” replied Oishi.
“Do you work together?”
“Ah, yes and no.” Oishi studied Eiji while he spoke, “We work for the same company, but in different divisions. We’re both specialists in our departments and often work together on projects.” he paused, “You and Fuji met in college, correct?”
Surprised, Eiji looked up, wiping his mouth.
“Yeah, we did. How’d you know that?”
“Tezuka told me.”
“He did?” Eiji blinked a few times, “You guys talked about me?”
“Well, yeah, a little.” admitted Oishi with a small shrug, “You know, just the regular stuff; job, interests, appearance. Didn’t you and Fuji do the same?”
“Nope. Fuji decided that since this was a blind date, I should be kept in the dark.” Eiji snickered at the surprised look on Oishi’s face, “I didn’t even know we were meeting here until this afternoon.”
“Really?”
“Yep.”
“So you know nothing about me?” concluded Oishi, slightly baffled.
“No, but that shouldn’t be too hard to fix, ne Oishi?” Eiji asked with a quirk of his eyebrow and a witty grin. Oishi chuckled warmly with a smile.
“No, it shouldn’t.”
The evening’s progression was smooth and relaxed, their conversation flowing easily from one topic to another as countless diners cycled through the restaurant, their own meal secondary to each other’s company.
Over the years Eiji had discovered that he could judge the likely-hood of a second date being worthwhile if he had enough in common with the person he was out with. If there wasn’t anything substantial they had in common, Eiji would deem pursuing a relationship pointless and move on.
As the evening wore on, Eiji realized he and Oishi had barely anything in common.
Oishi was from a small traditional family and Eiji’s family was large and contemporary. The title of eldest son fell to Oishi and he had one younger sister while Eiji was the baby of five children. Raised in a quiet home, Oishi’s father went off to work every day and his mother stayed home and tended to the house and children. Both parents played the role of working parent in the Kikumaru household and with four older siblings, plus his grandparents, Eiji always had someone to yell, fight, or play with.
All his life Oishi had attended small private schools, including a distinguished business university, and excelled in both academics and extra-curricular activities. Eiji went to semi-private schools growing up, never spending more than one year in any sport or club, and enrolled in one of the largest universities in Tokyo with a major of ‘undecided’ for two years.
After a stellar internship, Oishi gained his position at his current job where he oversaw the inside workings of a large financial firm. Numbers, stats, figures and calculations kept Oishi busy at his desk or in meetings with other heads, keeping clients happy and the company secure. It was Eiji’s vibrant personality that landed him his first job and while he was at his third place of employment, the field of marketing fit Eiji quite well. A standout success, Eiji never lacked clients and none of his ad campaigns had flopped in the last year.
Oishi liked to discuss books and politics, watched documentaries and home improvement shows, read the newspaper everyday and belonged to an upscale country club. Popular culture was Eiji’s source of entertainment and he was constantly checking magazines, talk shows, and web pages for the latest gossip on the hottest music, TV, and movie stars, even while logging miles on a treadmill at the gym. Only fairly skilled in the kitchen, Oishi’s take-out menu collection out-numbered his set of dishes and he despised shopping, making all his purchases aside from groceries online. Eiji was a fantastic cook by his standards often bringing lunch to work with him and was always up to date on the latest fashion trends, causing his closet to overflow.
They both enjoyed watching pro events and playing sports with friends and colleagues on a regular basis. Preferences of taking the subway over owning their own car and walking over taking a cab were also shared. Other little things here and there rang true between the two, including the discovery of their inclination of men over women during university.
In the back of his mind Eiji was processing the lack of common ground between he and Oishi, but found that this time he didn’t seem to care. Oishi’s presence was inviting and his demeanor charming, and while his brain contradicted that they wouldn’t work, Eiji’s gut was telling him otherwise.
Next
~ Enjoy!!!