Shotgun & Devillic Log: Double Date Under the Sakura Trees
"I'm a little nervous about the band one, actually," Setsuna admits, although not wanting someone to misunderstand him, he clarifies, "Not because of everyone going -- just because Naoto-kun and Yamato-sempai are so recognizable, I can't help but imagine that someone's going to clock us..."
"Tea, or beer?" Mikoto asks, sticking to this mundane topic in the continued effort to not break public decency by kissing the other man in public.
"Oh?" Kaiya asked before Setsuna continued, explaining his nerves. "Oh! Yeah, I guess they do dress a lot like their stage personas, huh?" She agreed with a bit of a frown. "And they probably won't dress differently just for that... And wasn't there some talk about having Shotgun there too?" She asked, kind of remembering hearing something about that, but not sure if there was a *just* Devillic one, and then one with both bands, or if there was just the one party, or maybe they'd reconsidered having both bands together after all.
"Probably tea this time. Maybe I'll have another beer later, but I don't want to drink too much." Keiji replied, being able to get his mind a little more on the words themselves and a little less on the way that Mikoto's lips shaped those words.
"Yeah, they do. And I may not *dress* like my stage persona, but the hair stands out. Put me with everyone else and it gets pretty obvious." part of the reason for Kaiya's confusion is that the plan has been evolving a lot, "I *think* the current plan is for us to hang out first, then Shotgun to join us? But I'm pretty confused about it, honestly. And it all depends on the weather too." Although so far it looks like that's holding. But there are a LOT of schedules to deal with.
"Ryokai~" Mikoto replies in a cute tone, reaching over to the cooler then hanging the model his new drink, then settling back in, leaning on Kenta's side.
"Oh! That's true too!" Kaiya responded. "I know you guys were talking about significant others being allowed to come too... but is that a good idea when the group of you is even more recognizable when you're all together? I mean, with Kaneko-san's long white hair, and Yamamoto-san's black and purple hair, plus all the rest of you, it really would become obvious who you all are..." Hearing that the logistics of the bands meeting up or not was still being worked out made her feel better about being confused about it all.
Gods, why was Mikoto so adorable? "Thanks" Keiji said as he accepted his new drink, then opened it and took a sip to try and distract himself before getting his arm comfortably back around the blond as the other man cuddled into him again.
"Probably not," Setsuna replies, truly regretfully. They have yet to get all of the Devillic significant others together yet. Thinking out loud without planning to, he wonders, "Maybe I should just do a private party at the Traveller sometime..."
Mikoto makes a soft sound of comfort when the younger man's arm slides around him. He's quiet for a time, enjoying the atmosphere of the park, with the many groups of people sitting around, the petals occasionally floating past on the breeze, the background of the trees themselves. It's very relaxing.
That initial response, while anticipated, was still kind of disappointing. Sure, she had met Yuujiroh once before, but that was *before* he started dating Devillic's bassist, and she hadn't actually met Naoto's boyfriend at all, though she had learned a little about Kenta through Naoto's texts. That almost idle wonder made Kaiya smile with some anticipation, though, "Oh! That would be a great idea!" She agreed, thinking that a party at the Traveller where everyone could eat, and drink, and sing, and dance, and get to know each other was a great idea.
Keiji, for his part, closed his eyes and tipped his head back into the gentle breeze, letting his vaguely inappropriate thoughts go with a deep, settling breath. It just felt good: sitting there, Mikoto leaning against him, the gentle sound of the other couple talking, and the general background buzz of other people around them.
Setsuna blinks, accidentally showing that he hadn't entirely been trying to say that aloud, and looks over to Kaiya, "You think so? Like.. the two groups have so much in common, it would be nice to get everyone together, right? And I think it's a very welcoming group."
That look made Kaiya giggle a little bit, but she nodded anyway. "Yeah! And it would mean that everyone could hang out together and just be themselves without worrying about being recognized and stuff. And.... it seems like pretty much everyone in each band already knows at least one person in the other already?" Which, she hoped, meant that there wouldn't be too much awkwardness when the bands were together.
"I believe so; there seem to be a *lot* of connections," Setsuna agrees, unable to come up with someone who didn't have a connection, as he thought about it.
Mikoto has 'phased in' to the conversation, just suddenly starting to pay attention after having mostly been zoned out. "Sounds fun to me; I've met all of the other group already."
Kaiya nodded along with that, then laughed lightly at Mikoto popping into the conversation. "So, the only one you don't know is Naoto-kun's boyfriend?" She asked, pretty sure that no one outside of Devillic itself had met Kenta yet.
Keiji had definitely been spacing out, and he only zoned back in because he heard Mikoto's voice. "Hmm?" He asked, certainly not having picked up *any* of the current conversation.
"I haven't met him, but I know about him; he's staying with the twins right now. Apparently he's Yue-kun's ex?" Mikoto replies. Given the bassist's close relationship with Akio, of course he knows about that living situation. He looks over to Keiji questioningly, not sure what the younger man isn't sure about.
"Oh, really? I didn't know that!" Kaiya responded, quite surprised. Not that this was a topic that would have been likely to come up between her and the violinist, so there wasn't really a reason for her to know. "That's actually kind of weirder. Like.... what are the chances of that?"
Keiji smiled at Mikoto's questioning look. "Sorry, I wasn't really paying attention, so I have no idea what you guys are talking about." He admitted.
"I'm pretty sure," Mikoto insists, although he admits it sounds pretty wild. As for the chances of it, he suggests, "I mean, there are a finite number of young gay men who hang out in clubs and sleep around, there is some extent to which it makes sense, kind of?" He shrugs.
Setsuna smiles at Keiji admitting he'd spaced out, not minding at all, "We were talking about maybe me setting up a private dinner at the Traveller for our respective groups and all their significant others."
Kaiya tilted her head at that explanation, though it did make sense. "So, does that mean that there's a decent chance that you've slept with him too?" She asked with a wicked grin. After all, she wasn't innocent to the idea that Mikoto had also hung out in clubs and slept around before getting together with her brother.
Keiji gave Setsuna a relieved smile for the explanation, since it seemed that his sister and his boyfriend were too far down a tangent to explain things to him. "Well that sounds like fun! And would also be nice to just.... be ourselves all together."
"Could be," Mikoto admits with a shrug. He doesn't like to emphasize his sleeping around habits too much, not wanting to make Keiji uncomfortable.
Setsuna had also done some sleeping around back when he drank a lot, but he's not sure what the age difference is. "Yeah that's the thought. And there seem to be a lot of connections between the bands so just... everyone would know everybody. There was a plan to get the bands together for hanami potentially, but we can't bring out partners in that case since we could be recognized."
That vague response made Kaiya giggle a little. It didn't seem like Mikoto had actually *seen* Kenta, then, since if he had, she would hope he would know whether or not he had slept with the host before. "Well, guess you'll know for sure when you meet him?" She suggested. It seemed like Keiji was more engaged in talking to Setsuna at the moment, so she wasn't worried about her brother potentially being weird about this. But... he also knew that Mikoto had slept around a lot before him too, so it shouldn't be too weird, right?
Keiji nodded along with that logic. "Yeah, with your band being a lot better known, and very.... noticeable, it's probably best if the band hanami party is more business rather than pleasure." Of course, those that were dating people *in* their bands could probably be a little touchy feely, especially if they were popular ships, but even then they would have to be careful.
The blond admits, "Honestly, even that depends? If we've slept together, but he's changed his style, I might not even recognize him." And Mikoto's changed his looks, with the dyed hair. And even then if it was just a one off, the other man might just feel somewhat familiar. He doesn't expect Kaiya to understand though.
"Yeah. So I guess I mark you down for also thinking it seems nice?" Setsuna suggests. He had just had the idea, so things aren't decided yet obviously.
"Really?" Kaiya responded, definitely not having thought about anything like that at all. "Well.... it's not like it really matters, though, right? Since he's dating someone else now anyway." She'd almost added 'and so are you', but... she remembered that that was a no-go for her 'sister' and she left it out.
Keiji actually laughed at that description of his feelings. "Definitely. I think it's a fantastic idea." He confirmed.
"You're the one who brought it up," Mikoto points out, since he definitely doesn't think it matters. He hadn't been looking for relationships so the fact that casual things were just casual doesn't bother him any. If Keiji weren't here, he'd be more open talking about this stuff though.
Setsuna gets out his phone to put the possibility into the Devillic group line.
"Well, yeah.... whatever." Kaiya replied childishly, making a face to match her words. "So..... what were we actually talking about? Oh yeah~ The links between the bands. So crazy~ And so cool if we can all hang out together~" She added, remembering what they had actually been talking about before getting sidetracked with Kenta.
Keiji smiled at seeing Setsuna typing quickly into his phone. "Checking logistics with the rest of the band?" He asked, since this was probably a good idea, Devillic being the busier group by far.
Mikoto giggles at Kaiya's response, since that response clearly means he'd won that exchanged. "Yeah, it would be a lot of fun~ The Traveller is cool but it's even cooler when it's closed to the public."
"Yeah gunna get the ball running. If Takuya likes it I won't even have to plan anything. He's friends with Ayase-san too," Setsuna adds, since those two will take over the organization. The singer would just have to manage the traveller side.
"I know~" Kaiya responded, getting excited now. She had definitely had a few chances to enjoy the Traveller while it was closed since, but the first time, on her first date with Setsuna, was still one of her most cherished memories. "Ooooh~ And maybe we could decorate it some too?" She suggested, thinking that would be fun and make it even more party-like.
Now that made Keiji laugh. "Of course Ayase-kun would become best friends with the leader of your band." He said with another shake of the head. Honestly, Yui was the leader of Shotgun in everything but name, and he was pretty sure everyone knew it, including Rei. "Well, that would definitely take care of everything. I wouldn't even be surprised if they each have band-dedicated calendars."
"I'd be more surprised if they didn't," Setsuna had to admit, laughing. He definitely has a personal calendar now, which he didn't used to, but he has a lot to balance these days. He laughs again, hearing the 'sisters' talk about decorating his restaurant, "If you want to, you can, but I leave it to you."
"Honestly, so would I." Keiji agreed, clearly amused. "If things go their way, I bet they'll eventually have a combined band calendar too." He added, thinking that would be crazy busy, but also very them (at least based on what he knew of the other band's leader).
Kaiya grinned happily at Setsuna saying that they could decorate the restaurant. "Yay~ I think it would be awesome to have some decorations, especially if we can't do actual hanami with everyone the way we might want to." How she was thinking of making the decorations hanami-esque was something to figure out later.
"Just don't damage the walls or anything," Setsuna says, in a tone that suggests that he knew they knew that already. "The only reason they don't already have combined band calendars is the contract - we're still sussing out how much we can do with you guys."
Kaiya tilted her head and asked, totally teasing, "*Is* there a way to damage the walls?" Of course, with enough force you could damage anything, but she was pretty sure that the walls of the restaurant weren't just concrete blocks, so of course damage could be done to the walls if she tried. "Tape is okay, though, right?"
Keiji blinked at that reason. "Oh? Huh, I hadn't thought about that.... I guess when you have a label there are more rules about that kind of stuff..."
Mikoto laughs, asking, "Does Keiji-kun let you do just anything to the walls of your place? nails? screws? pins? There are special tapes you can use to make sure you don't damage the paint on the walls, stuff like that."
"Yeah. But if they get it figured out, and we can do stuff together -- that would be so fun. You and I could do some duets, Shotgun could borrow Naoto-kun if you want a violin. But what I want is for both of us to do Halloween together at the Traveller." That's Setsuna's dream, at this point.
"Ohhh~ That all sounds amazing! That would be.... just so fantastic! All of it! And especially the Halloween lives!" Keiji agreed. Hearing the conversation going on between Mikoto and his sister, though, he ended up chorusing with Kaiya (with sheer horror in his voice),
"Not at all!!"
Kaiya blinked at hearing her brother's horror-laden voice layering with her indignant one. "He says that's not allowed in our apartment." She added. "I can't even put posters up!" Though.... hearing about this special tape.... maybe that would change?
"It's not allowed in like *any* apartment," Mikoto replies, "Damage the walls and they charge for that shit." He'd had one apartment on his own before Setsuna had let him move in - and Setsuna is different than a landlord obviously. "There are special tapes and tabs that can put stuff up and if used right they won't damage the walls."
"They weren't doing Halloween lives because of their ex-employee, so this year will be the triumphant return of that,"Setsuna admits, before listening with amusement to the discussion about WALLS.
Kaiya sighed noisily at the idea that putting little thumbtack sized holes in the wall would cost money later, but she would never do something dumb and rebelious like actually making said holes in her walls. She had a very healthy respect for money, and the lack thereof that she and her brother lived with, after all. Still, hearing about these neat helpful innovations was cool. "Where do you get that kind of stuff?" She asked her very knowledgeable 'big sister'.
Keiji shook his head in disbelief, then gave his attention back to Setsuna more properly. "That's crazy! How does a visual band not do Halloween lives?" He asked, thinking that with a label that would be even *less* possible.
"Home improvement type stores; or amazon," Mikoto replies. Between being lazy and not existing during 'normal' day time hours, he's been using amazon way too much recently. "They have some at Dollar stores but I wouldn't trust them to be as good as the pricier ones, and this is a situation where that kind of matters."
"Apparently, and I wasn't there so this is just what I've heard, but apparently my predecessor felt threatened by fans coming in cosplay as the band -- you know, the thing that everybody does at bands' Halloween lives."
"Oohh.... I see." Kaiya responded, thinking that she probably wasn't going to be availing herself of anything like that for herself any time soon. It was a complete luxury that she had, so far, lived quite happily without, so the thought of spending money on things like that that were apparently pretty pricey, just didn't make sense. She could kind of argue herself into it for the party, though. And she thought that she might be able to convince Mikoto to help her out with that too, so it was probably fine.
That explanation just made Keiji blink. "I..... what? But... but why? Isn't that the ultimate compliment? I just.... don't get it!" He admitted, truly bewildered by this explanation.
Mikoto hadn't meant to give the impression that they were pricey, just that an 800yen pack from a real store is more reliably safe for the wall than a 100yen pack from Daiso. Pretty rare since usually Daiso is excellent. Well, in any case, "I'm happy to pay for the decorations, as long as you come pick them out with me."
"Keiji-kun, the only thing I can say is that the fact that we don't understand is a good thing," Setsuna replies, not wanting to understand anything that the previous vocalist did.
"Okay! Of course!" Kaiya responded immediately, and excitedly. "I hope that we get the okay soon and then we can go shopping!!"
The model just shook his head again in bewilderment. "Yeah, I guess so. I mean, if *anyone* cosplays as me next year, I'm probably going to want to run up to them and have my picture taken with them, because that's honestly so cool!" This just might be one of those few times when Keiji sounded his barely twenty years old, rather than the more mature man he normally seemed to be.
"I mean, we could always go shopping for other reasons while we wait," Mikoto jokes. He doesn't really care what said reasons may be - or whether they have a reason at all, honestly.
"I'm pretty excited for it too," Setsuna replies, since it would be his first time being cosplayed too. He may not sound as excited, but he does get it.
That definitely made Kaiya giggle. "Shopping with you is always fun~" She agreed, smiling brightly. "Let's make a shopping date soon, no matter what!"
"I bet!" Keiji agreed. "And you'll definitely have cosplayers, since Devillic already had them, apparently." Since that had, somehow, been the issue.
"Yes, yes," Mikoto agrees easily, loving shopping even if nothing ends up being purchased, so it's an easy promise.
"I guess I will - though I only have one look," Setsuna has to admit. He wonders if people would show up in costumes from the previous vocalist? Well, maybe to fuck with him but jokes on them cuz he's not going to be bothered by that.
"Yay~" Kaiya further enthused, then glanced at Setsuna, finally tuning in to what the other two were talking about. "Well, technically you have two looks..." She put in.
Keiji glanced at his sister when she made that comment, then frowned as he tried to think of what the other look would be. When he realized, he gasped. "Kaiya! I doubt anyone would come looking naked with just angel wings!" He protested, clearly not knowing that some fans would *totally* do especially during the summer.
"Nobody's cosplaying me naked; I'm not letting them into the Traveller like that," Setsuna protests, knowing exactly what she's talking about. He's never going to live that look down.
Mikoto, being more attuned to drag, points out, "I mean, all you need is a nude body suit, some spray paint, maybe some crystals..."
Kaiya completely ignored both her brother *and* her boyfriend's protests to, instead, latch onto Mikoto's idea. "Definitely crystals to emulate all the glittery makeup that was on him." She agreed enthusiastically.
Keiji, conversely, nodded along with Setsuna's idea. "An excellent idea: no shirt, no shoes, no service... or no live, as the case may be."
Setsuna pointedly doesn't listen to the sisters planning out how to cosplay his nudity because he doesn't want to hear about it. "I mean, that is already the rule, but wow. It is weird thinking so many people have seen me like that though."
"Yeah.... that's true. That is kind of weird to think about." Keiji agreed, not having actually thought too hard about that before. "But.... it was very artistic and tastefully done." He added, hoping that Setsuna didn't feel too embarrassed about it. After all, the video existed, so the other singer might as well be proud of it.
"I'm pretty proud of it, it only feels awkward when someone describes it like... literally. Like if someone points out 'your second look was you in a nude thong' then I want to die, but if it's just like.... thinking about the angel in the cage, I think it's gorgeous," Setsuna explains honestly.
"I can understand that." Keiji replied with a laugh. He certainly had shoots that he was proud of that, thinking about the actual *doing of them*, was near mortifying. "The angel in the cage *is* gorgeous, though. I agree."
Kaiya grinned, catching only the last of the last of that. "I agree too!"
"We know you think so," Setsuna covers any awkward feelings about the situation with a laugh.
After more chatting, teasing, and relaxing; Mikoto suggests, "Is it time to go for a stroll then?" He and Setsuna had planned this, but he makes sure the other two understand, "Starting from this park, it seems there's a boulevard famed for being beautifully lined with sakura."
Relaxing easily with her little family was probably the best thing Kaiya could have asked from the day. But they had been sitting for a while now, so when Mikoto suggested a walk, she (metaphorically) jumped on it. "Oh! That sounds nice! Are we going to come back here later? Or do we need to pack everything up and take it with us?" She asked, not sure about the plans for after the walk.
Keiji just smiled at Mikoto and lightly squeezed the hand that he had taken at some point earlier, this gesture not being visible to anyone but the pair across from them, so therefore 'safe'. "That sounds beautiful. Almost like the walk through the light tunnel back in the winter." He replied, though maybe it wasn't all that similar in actuality.
"Hmm, we're going to have to come back through here to get to the station," Setsuna considers the problem out loud, the 'we' in this sentence being for anyone going back to Roppongi, which he suspects is likely to happen. Keiji and Mikoto probably want alone time, and Keiji is usually happiest if Kaiya's not alone during that time -- and she may as well stay with Setsuna. "But I kind of feel like packing up anyways? We've been here a while, we can give up the spot to whoever wants it next?"
Since by 'coming back here' Kaiya had meant coming back to sit there again, she definitely agreed that it would be nicer of them to pack up and let someone else have their spot if they would only come back to head to the train station. "Sounds good!" She said aloud with a smile, then worked on helping everything get cleaned up.
Keiji also helped get things put away, then asked, "Is there anything I can carry?" He wasn't sure that that would make sense, exactly, but he'd happily carry the leftover stuff that Mikoto had brought, if the blond wanted him to.
Mikoto has that selfish princess side of himself, so when Keiji offers, he does pass the cooler he was carrying to Keiji. It's much lighter than this morning, as they had collectively drank most of what he'd brought at this point, "Yes please~"
Meanwhile, Setsuna is perfectly content to carry his bag, with the containers from the food, and the picnic blanket. He checks his phone to make sure he's oriented the right way, and then starts to lead everyone towards the promenade.
Keiji accepted the cooler with a smile, then settled in for an easy walk next to Mikoto.
Just before they got going, Kaiya switched her footwear from her geta back into he more comfortable sandals, then slid her empty hand into her boyfriend's while they walked. "I can't wait to see the boulevard~ This is already so pretty!"
Mikoto makes sure to walk close enough to Keiji that their shoulders bump occasionally, though given the semi-residential area of Tokyo they're in, he resists the hand holding now that it would be harder to hide. "I wish my hair was pink." He says, seemingly out of nowhere, but really out of an appreciation for the colours around them.
Setsuna smiles at Kaiya choosing practicality, then easily holds her hand. "When we looked only, it was pretty recommended. And it sounds nice too -- a boulevard following the river , all lined with sakura."
That little shoulder bump made Keiji smile, but that non sequitur made him tilt his head slightly. "Like... bright pink, like Setsuna-san's? Or paler pink?" He asked, bypassing the issues with doing either. They both knew that it was unlikely with the other man's job, so why belabour it?
"Ooooooh~ It goes along the river? That's going to be *so* pretty!" Kaiya enthused, looking forward to it even more. And now that she was paying attention... she could actually kind of hear the moving water behind the general murmur of the people around them.
"Either~" Mikoto replies. Once he gets to a point where he can dye his hair crazy colours, he's sure he'll go through lots. He likes the hot pink in Setsuna's hair, but also loves Naoto's cotton candy hair too. Only half-way fishing for compliments, he asks, "Which do you think would suit me better?"
"Yup -- well at least that's the impression I got," Setsuna admits, since he's just going off what he'd read online, and hasn't actually been here before. In that way it's kind of nice, going along with the way he and Kaiya have been going on dates that view Tokyo from the tourist's point of view.
Since his opinion was being asked for, Keiji looked over at Mikoto's hair and considered for a moment. "Well, I do think you could carry off either easily, but with the blond going on right now.... I think a soft pink would be really lovely." He responded, really liking the idea of the bassist with soft, sakura-pink hair.
Probably unsurprisingly, Kaiya was thinking somewhat along the same lines, "Well, guess that means we get to enjoy this as another tourist thing~" She said happily, though they certainly didn't *look* like tourists, dressed the way they were. Didn't matter, though. It was just the fun they had doing things they probably wouldn't normally do just because they lived in Tokyo, rather than actually being tourists.
"Hmm~ That does sound nice. Oh, I could even be the opposite of Setsuna -- pale hair with pale pink instead of black hair with hot pink," Mikoto jokes, thinking that's kind of funny since he all-but lives with his best friend.
Setsuna laughs, and admits, "I was thinking the exact same thing, really. It felt like planning one of our tourist dates, when I was researching where do have our hanami party."
"Oh! I actually really like that idea! Would that, maybe, fly for work?" Keiji asked, thinking that would be really pretty on the other man. He didn't have high hopes that it could happen, but.... there was a possibility, right?
That just made Kaiya giggle, "Well, it's been a lot of fun so far~" She told her boyfriend with a happy smile. "And hanami is something that tourists want to celebrate too, right? So it really works completely as a tourist date~"
Mikoto gets a surprised, yet very pleased smile on his face at how enthusiastic Keiji is about the idea. "Well~ I'll ask 'kaasan'. It took a lot of pestering before I got her to agree to the blond, so maybe if I can keep working at it, I can get something like that~"
"It absolutely does -- although a tourist would probably be renting a yukata," Setsuna replies lightly, not finding that to be much of a problem.
"Maybe start with a pink that's so light that it's almost blond, then slowly brighten it over time." Keiji suggested, not as a way to sneak around the rule, but as a way to present the dyeing to the other man's boss. And he really was enthusiastic about the hair colouring, partly because he thought it would look gorgeous, but mostly because he knew how much Mikoto wanted to be able to dye his hair different non-natural colours.
"Instead of buying them?" Kaiya replied with a bit of a laugh. Since they were both wearing yukata anyway, it wasn't like they didn't *look* like tourists. Well, at least *she* did, from the back, with her curly red hair.
"I have some streaks that I put in some time, so I could also tell her I'm coming in with them and let her see. It just feels *really* old fashioned to not allow anything, especially since I'm being presented as a pop princess," Mikoto whines, although he knows Keiji is on his side.
"Yes, instead of buying them," Setsuna agrees. And a rental company definitely wouldn't've gotten him the yukata he has now, but rather likely a typical plain navy one.
"Oh! That's true too! A pop princess should absolutely have cute pink, and blue, and purple streaks, or a bright blue dip dye with the ends flipped out, or something like that." Keiji agreed, having forgotten that Mikoto had that particular title.
That just made Kaiya smile even more. "Well, it's still fun, so I think it counts~" She decided, as if that had ever been in doubt.
"Right? Like, pop princesses have had streaks since like the 90s so I don't see why it's such a big deal," Mikoto insists, thinking all the way back to xtina's dirrty phase. They exit the park into the boulevard and he forgets what he'd been talking about because it is absolutely gorgeous, almost like a half tunnel of sakura over the pathway.
Keiji nodded emphatically in agreement with Mikoto's words, but didn't say anything more as he was blown away by the area they'd walked into . "Wow.... it really is like a sakura version of the light tunnel!" He said, then smiled at Mikoto as he slowed his pace, letting Kaiya and Setsuna get a little further ahead so that he and the blond could enjoy the walk 'alone'.
When they entered the boulevard, Kaiya's mouth formed a perfect, cute little 'o'. It was so much prettier than she had thought it would be, and the river did seem to be *right there*. She tightened her grip on Setsuna's hand and subtly steered them closer to the side of the path nearest the water. "It's so pretty~" She breathed. "We should take a couple of pictures with the water in the background at some point~"
Setsuna gives Kaiya's hand a squeeze, letting her lead him over to the side nearest the water, and agrees easily, "Sure, that sounds wonderful." He's really enjoying the pink fantasy of what's going on, and seeing Kaiya in full traditional glory (he doesn't care that the hair is red and curly, it's still done up traditionally) is a treat.
"It really does!" Mikoto agrees, happy to slow down and continue on with Keiji, having it feel more like a date than a double date temporarily. There are lots of other couples, but also some parents with kids.
"Yay~" Kaiya responded enthusiastically. She hadn't actually noticed that the other pair had dropped behind, but she was also enjoying the feeling of date-ness, obviously.
Even though they couldn't hold hands or anything overt, just being among all the other couples almost made up for it. Even if others might not think so looking at them, it felt couple-y and Date-y to Keiji just by association. "Are you having fun?" He asked the other man, pretty sure of the answer, but wanting to hear Mikoto's answer anyway.
Given Kaiya's enthusiasm, he looks around to see if the other couple could take their pictures, and that's when he notices them drifting behind. He smiles and leaves them be, "Is it ok as a selfie?"
"I'm having a lot of fun," Mikoto admits, and then since the other couple isn't close enough for Kaiya to hear anything she doesn't want to hear, he adds, "I'm also looking forward to bringing you back to my place after though~"
Honestly, Kaiya had been thinking of a selfie initially, and it was only when Setsuna looked around, obviously searching for someone to take the photo, that it occurred to her that there was another option. Silly, since they'd been taking non-selfie pictures all afternoon, but there it was. "Mhm! Selfie is great! And can be part of our date selfies~" She responded happily.
Keiji smiled at that positive answer, but then couldn't help but chuckle at that addition. "Oh? Are there plans for after?" He asked, partly curious if there was something specific planned, but mostly teasing Mikoto gently. Truthfully, he was also looking forward to some quality alone time later. Dates were great, no matter what one called them, but he was pretty certain that after so much time apart, they were both excited for some physical pleasure.
"Great," Setsuna replies, although if Kaiya had wanted a more proper photo he would have pestered someone to take it for them. As it is, he has the longer arms (for now, he seriously thinks Kaiya may end up taller than him in the end, as the difference has already shrunk noticeably), he holds out the phone.
"We haven't seen each other in person in a week," Mikoto points out, "As if I'm going to let you go after a public date where we can barely even hold hands." Obviously he's expecting Keiji to come over to his place later. And while sex is likely to happen, he just wants any kind of touch, and as much as he can get.
Kaiya let out a happy giggle as they got into position for the selfie, and she threw up a cute little peace sign as they took the photo. When she looked at how it had turned out, she was really pretty happy with it. You could see the water and the pretty pink blossoms behind them, and that was just what she had wanted. "It's going to be hard choosing just a couple of photos from this for new backgrounds!" She 'complained' with a big smile.
"I know." Keiji responded, dropping the teasing entirely. "Truly, I'm looking forward to being able to hold you, and cuddle you, and.... other things I'm not going to say out here." He added, not wanting to take the chance of the wrong ear hearing the wrong thing at the wrong time.
"Is there some app that automatically rotates them, or something?" Setsuna asks. He doesn't have such a thing on his phone, but when he was younger he'd had something like that for his computer, so it seems very possible.
Mikoto smiles, glad to hear Keiji is feeling the same way. Sure they'd been able to text each other, and call a couple times, but it's nothing compared to touching -- especially for the blond who is frustrated by how much better he sleeps when Keiji's in his bed. Frustrated because he can't have that every night. "Good, I'd be pretty sad if you weren't thinking the same thing."
"Ummmmm..... I think so?" Kaiya responded, not having actually thought about that. "If not, I guess it'll make choosing a little easier?" She added, putting a silver lining on it, along with a small laugh for her own ignorance.
Keiji smiled back at the blond. "As much as I'm grateful that Setsuna-san is able to hold back in that department around my sister, I have to say: I have no idea how they manage." He admitted. It felt weird to say, as Kaiya's older brother, but he knew *he* didn't have that kind of patience and restraint. He was just glad he didn't need it.
"Well, whether they're the background or not, you'll still have them to be able to look at whenever you want," Setsuna reasons, since it's not that big of a deal. He gets his arm around her shoulder and resumes walking.
Mikoto shrugs, "You did a good job of holding back when you had to, I think." He replies, since Keiji had been very patient with him when he'd broken down.
"True~" Kaiya agreed happily, then settled in to continue walking, amusing herself for a moment with matching her stride to his. The fact that she could even do this proved that her legs were getting longer. Sure, he was probably taking shorter strides than he could, but the fact still remained.
Keiji tilted his head in consideration of that fact. "Yeah, but I think that was different. Like.... you definitely weren't interested. For them, I feel like they're both interested, but are holding back because of outside forces instead." He replied thoughtfully.
It takes Setsuna a moment to realize what she's doing, and then he laughs, "When did you get so tall, huh? Are you planning on outgrowing me?" It's fully a tease; he couldn't care less if she ends up taller.
"Hmm, I guess," Mikoto agrees. He thinks about it as they continue to walk, and after a few more steps, he points out, "But like. it would be basically illegal? So I could see that making it easier to hold back." Setsuna just needs to wait for it to be more appropriate, after all. "And Setsuna had been celibate for a while before hand."
Neither Mikoto nor Keiji could say that about the period before they got together.
Kaiya grinned at that laugh, then responded with a chipper, "Yuuuuuup~ I'm gonna be 183cm. Just wait and see~" She told him, totally teasing. Even her brother wasn't quite that tall, and she doubted she would achieve his height in the end.
That comment made Keiji clear his throat a little awkwardly. "Ah..... technically it wouldn't be? Illegal, I mean?" He said, but was happy to latch onto Mikoto's other comment. "Ah~ I guess that would either make it easier or harder. I'm glad it's the former, though." Personally, *he* couldn't imagine choosing to be celibate if he didn't have to be, but it did say a lot for the other singer's self control.
That said, Kaiya is getting better nutrition and has less stress as a critical point in development, so maybe she could compete with her brother's height. Setsuna just laughs, and says, "Guess I'm going to need to buy more platforms then."
Mikoto blinks, not quite understanding how it wouldn't be illegal, not knowing the nuances of the conversation the boyfriend and the guardian had had on the topic, but... he's pretty good at reading Keiji now, and he feels he shouldn't ask more. "Meanwhile, as soon as I started having sex, celibacy was never on my mind~"
"Yup! Really high ones, cause I'll still want to wear heels and platforms too~" Kaiya responded with a happy grin up at her boyfriend. Honestly, she wasn't sure how much more she would grow, and while the thought of actually being taller than Setsuna still seemed kind of weird to her, she no longer worried that he would stop liking her because she got taller. The whole him wearing massive platforms thing was just a joke. Though.... she wouldn't mind if he did that anyway. She did like the feeling of him being taller than her, after all.
Keiji was glad that Mikoto didn't ask further about the legality of his sister's and Setsuna's sexual relationship. Seriously, the whole thing had been weird and awkward to talk about initially, and he sure didn't want there to be even the tiniest chance of Kaiya overhearing him talking about approving of the other pair doing certain things with each other. There was about a 98.5% chance of that leading to massive, awful misunderstandings. So, he was happy to continue the other part of the conversation instead. "That I believe." He responded warmly. He couldn't exactly say the same, given his own initial introduction to sex, but he certainly had never considered being celibate for any length of time, especially after his first consensual experience.
"I'll start practicing in them right away," Setsuna assures her, although he doesn't actually care. Should she end up taller than him, that doesn't bother him at all. He's been with guys taller than him, so what's the difference? He does own some platforms though.
"Hehe~" Mikoto replies. Actually the longest he'd been 'celibate' had been when things were starting to work out between him and Keiji, but they weren't at the point of having sex yet. Well, no need to worry about that anymore at least, "So~ You need to come back to my place tonight~"
"Good!" Kaiya chirped with clear amusement. She was curious, though, since it had sparked the height conversation, "Is it weird that I was making our steps match?" She asked, actually still doing it, though she was doing it unconsciously now.
"I think I can definitely agree with that." Keiji responded easily. After all, he was looking forward to holding the bassist in his arms that night.... among other things. "The only way that wouldn't be happening would be if you were coming back to *my* place." He added, since that was also a pretty good option in his opinion.
"Nope; I think it's sweet. Like we're in unison, right?" Setsuna insists, hoping he hadn't made her feel self-conscious about it. It seems like a totally normal thing, really.
Mikoto blinks. He says, "Aa, I'm fine with that if you want; I just -- we've always done it at my place before, so I guess I just assumed." That said, the reason they didn't do it at Keiji's is because Kaiya's usually around, but if she'll be at Setsuna's this evening then there's no reason no to.
"Oh yay! Good! And yeah~ It's like we're in sync, and I like it~" Kaiya responded, glad that Setsuna seemed to think it was nice too. Also, she actually found that it was easier walking this way when his arm was around her than not having their strides match.
Keiji shook his head at that, "No, I'm fine with either. I just meant that I wanted to be near you too. That if it wasn't the one option, I'd want it to be the other. Honestly.... your place has all the things we need. Mine has some.... but not all." He didn't say which 'things' those were, but he was sure Mikoto would understand without him elaborating.
"I like it too," he assures her. Some guys would be embarrassed by the stuff he says and does in a relationship, but that's because they're insecure. He thinks whatever makes them both happy can't be bad.
"Hmmm~ If the only option were to go to your place, even if Kaiya were there, I'd be ok," Mikoto admits, since in that case at least they'd be able to share a bed again, and the blond has been missing that dearly.
Thankfully, Kaiya never even had a chance to date a guy that would be embarrassed or angered by cute, silly things like this, or other things that she and Setsuna enjoyed doing together. She only had the bliss of having a partner that would just participate in whatever thing seemed fun to both of them at that moment, and to hell with what anyone else thought. "I'm glad~" She said aloud, then lapsed into comfortable silence for a moment, just enjoying their walk and the beautiful atmosphere.
"Mhm~ That's how I feel too." Keiji agreed. "But... it seems like we definitely will have options of where to go tonight, so I'm very happy to go to your place, but if you want the novelty of going to mine, we can definitely do that." After all, there might be some kind of extra excitement in being together in a place they normally couldn't be quite that intimate.
"You won't be plagued by the pleasant memories we'll create at your place~" Mikoto teases, not even entirely sure what he means by that. Honestly he doesn't mind either way where they go. Going to his place seems more natural because it's what they've always done and because they could go basically the whole way with Kaiya and Setsuna.
"I'm already haunted by your missing body beside me when I sleep alone in my bed." Keiji responded, sort of agreeing with Mikoto's tease, though he wouldn't pass up having sex in his bed out of fear of such plaguing thoughts. Still, it was most likely that they would go back to Mikoto's place that night. That *had* been the plan in both of their minds from the get go, after all. And, as mentioned before, the bassist's place had all of the things they needed, whereas the singer's might not.
Mikoto blushes at that comment, because he's been very much missing Keiji beside him in bed this last week, although he wouldn't dare to say as much aloud. "Well, I guess we'll just have to share a bed tonight, so you won't be tormented."
Keiji shot a smile at the blond for that, "Was that ever in doubt?" He asked, pretty sure that there hadn't been an option at all where they didn't end up in the same bed that night, no matter what else they ended up doing. However... seeing that blush, he realized he might not have been *as* circumspect with his words out here with other people around as he should have.
"No, it wasn't," Mikoto replies. It isn't the other people around them that has him embarrassed, it was Keiji putting words to exactly how the blond feels. But it also feels kind of nice. If he was the only person feeling lonely at night, that would be worrisomely one-sided so it's comforting knowing they feel the same way.
"Good, because I think that might have been worse this week than.... anything else." Keiji responded, a certain amount of relief in his voice. During the day he could convince himself that it was fine not being able to see Mikoto as much as he wanted, but at night? He was definitely feeling cold and lonely at night. He didn't want to say that anymore strongly than he already had, though, worried that might seem too much like commitment for Mikoto.
Again, the trick is that Mikoto had been feeling the same way, even having trouble sleeping the last couple of days. He looks away from Keiji, although still walking quite close to his side, as he suggests, "Maybe we need to spend some time thinking of how to make sure this doesn't happen again?"
It's a bit tricky with their very different sleep schedules though.
For just a second, Keiji wasn't sure what he had said to make Mikoto look away from him, but when those words came, he understood (or thought he did). "I guess we'll have to look at our schedules, then." He agreed, rather than commenting on the other man's reactions. If saying something so intimate was already hard for the blond, he didn't want to make it any harder. Yes, their sleep schedules might make it difficult, but he was sure it wouldn't be impossible. At least, there had to be a way that would make it so they wouldn't go without sharing a bed for a whole week again.
The blond nods, since that sounds good to him, and also this isn't really a time where they can figure that out. He walks in silence, although it's not too long before he's looking forward, and from time to time at Keiji again.
Eventually, the couples reach the end of the boulevard, and Setsuna admits, "So... now we basically have to go back the way we came to get to the train station." Alternatively they could get a taxi but he doesn't usually offer that with the Tanaka's.
Keiji was just arriving at the end of the boulevard with Mikoto as Setsuna was saying that. "Thankfully, it's a beautiful enough view to warrant seeing in reverse." He said with a small smile. As if 'in reverse' would look much different from the original view. "Anyone want to take pictures here while we're all together?" He asked, not sure if they would end up all walking back together, or splitting up a bit again.
Kaiya looked at the other three, then shrugged at the idea of pictures. "A selfie of all four of us would be fun, if we can manage it?" She suggested, not sure if everyone else would be interested.
"Keiji-kun has long arms, we can do it," Mikoto agrees easily with Kaiya's idea. He moves to the front of the group, since short people go to the front in group photos that's just how life is.
Setsuna laughs, standing beside Keiji in the back, leaving it to the younger man to manage the photo.
Kaiya smiled happily at everyone going along with her idea, then leaned in alongside Mikoto while Keiji and Setsuna stood in the back and her brother held out the phone to snap some shots of the four of them together. "How did they turn out?" She asked immediately after they moved a little apart again.
Keiji laughed at being volunteered, but he couldn't argue with the logic of him having the longest limbs, being the tallest of all of them. Once he'd taken a few shots and pulled the phone back in to look at the results, he was happy to see there were a couple of good shots, one of them just plain perfect as they were all smiling and had their eyes open. "Pretty good. This one's the best." He said, passing the phone around for the others to see.
"Ohh, it's really good," Mikoto agrees, glad he'd voluntold Keiji to do it. It was a good angle, catching a nice background too. It's just the perfect summary of the day, something to post up on facebook and insta for sure. They really do make a comfy little family. They make their way back down the boulevard, on the train and back to the Traveller, where the couples finally part way at the top of the staircase.
Kaiya agreed wholeheartedly with Mikoto's assessment: it really was an image that captured their double date just perfectly.
On the way back, they all mostly stayed together, enjoying easy chatter, and the unspoken knowledge that they'd have a chance to be two separate couples again once they got to the apartments.
Once they got to the top of the stairs, Kaiya looked at Mikoto and her brother and smiled. "This was so fun! Maybe we can do it again some time when we're all free again!" She said, happy with their little family time, but obviously not inviting it to continue right now.
Keiji would have laughed at his sister's obviousness if he wasn't also itching for alone time with *his* boyfriend. "Well, have fun. Maybe we'll see you for breakfast?" He suggested, making it clear that he and Mikoto had plans for the evening that did *not* include other people.
"Of course," Mikoto agrees, since family time, and double dates would certainly happen sometime in the future. He's glad the other couple seems interested in separating as well. The blond waves goodbye cutely to the other couple, then heads into his apartment.
Setsuna gets his arm around Kaiya's shoulders again, playfully squeezing them both through his doorway side by side.
Getting them, Setsuna's backpack, and her bag with her geta and change of clothes safely stored inside, all through the door at the same time had Kaiya giggling happily. Sure, it was silly and they absolutely could have gone through one at a time, but it was fun and she loved that Setsuna would just be silly for the sake of their mutual enjoyment. Once they were inside, she asked, "Were you wanting to stay dressed up for dinner? Or were you going to get changed?" She thought it might be a difference of whether they were going to eat in the apartment, or head downstairs to see if there was a table at the restaurant. Either way she was happy, but if he was going to get changed, then she was going to as well. She did slip off her comfier sandals for now, though, figuring that they weren't going to be eating right away no matter what they chose.
"Seems a shame to change if we don't need to," Setsuna admits -- though that said, these probably weren't the best outfits for, say sitting around on the sofa so it depends, "What do you want to do?"
"Mmmm... well.... I was thinking if you wanted to eat downstairs, we could stay dressed up? But if we're going to have dinner up here, maybe get changed?" Kaiya admitted. This felt doubly like it should be so, since they wouldn't want to possibly mess their outfits up while cooking (though Setsuna would probably do most of the cooking, regardless of Kaiya slowly learning how to do certain things in the kitchen these days).
"Tea, or beer?" Mikoto asks, sticking to this mundane topic in the continued effort to not break public decency by kissing the other man in public.
"Oh?" Kaiya asked before Setsuna continued, explaining his nerves. "Oh! Yeah, I guess they do dress a lot like their stage personas, huh?" She agreed with a bit of a frown. "And they probably won't dress differently just for that... And wasn't there some talk about having Shotgun there too?" She asked, kind of remembering hearing something about that, but not sure if there was a *just* Devillic one, and then one with both bands, or if there was just the one party, or maybe they'd reconsidered having both bands together after all.
"Probably tea this time. Maybe I'll have another beer later, but I don't want to drink too much." Keiji replied, being able to get his mind a little more on the words themselves and a little less on the way that Mikoto's lips shaped those words.
"Yeah, they do. And I may not *dress* like my stage persona, but the hair stands out. Put me with everyone else and it gets pretty obvious." part of the reason for Kaiya's confusion is that the plan has been evolving a lot, "I *think* the current plan is for us to hang out first, then Shotgun to join us? But I'm pretty confused about it, honestly. And it all depends on the weather too." Although so far it looks like that's holding. But there are a LOT of schedules to deal with.
"Ryokai~" Mikoto replies in a cute tone, reaching over to the cooler then hanging the model his new drink, then settling back in, leaning on Kenta's side.
"Oh! That's true too!" Kaiya responded. "I know you guys were talking about significant others being allowed to come too... but is that a good idea when the group of you is even more recognizable when you're all together? I mean, with Kaneko-san's long white hair, and Yamamoto-san's black and purple hair, plus all the rest of you, it really would become obvious who you all are..." Hearing that the logistics of the bands meeting up or not was still being worked out made her feel better about being confused about it all.
Gods, why was Mikoto so adorable? "Thanks" Keiji said as he accepted his new drink, then opened it and took a sip to try and distract himself before getting his arm comfortably back around the blond as the other man cuddled into him again.
"Probably not," Setsuna replies, truly regretfully. They have yet to get all of the Devillic significant others together yet. Thinking out loud without planning to, he wonders, "Maybe I should just do a private party at the Traveller sometime..."
Mikoto makes a soft sound of comfort when the younger man's arm slides around him. He's quiet for a time, enjoying the atmosphere of the park, with the many groups of people sitting around, the petals occasionally floating past on the breeze, the background of the trees themselves. It's very relaxing.
That initial response, while anticipated, was still kind of disappointing. Sure, she had met Yuujiroh once before, but that was *before* he started dating Devillic's bassist, and she hadn't actually met Naoto's boyfriend at all, though she had learned a little about Kenta through Naoto's texts. That almost idle wonder made Kaiya smile with some anticipation, though, "Oh! That would be a great idea!" She agreed, thinking that a party at the Traveller where everyone could eat, and drink, and sing, and dance, and get to know each other was a great idea.
Keiji, for his part, closed his eyes and tipped his head back into the gentle breeze, letting his vaguely inappropriate thoughts go with a deep, settling breath. It just felt good: sitting there, Mikoto leaning against him, the gentle sound of the other couple talking, and the general background buzz of other people around them.
Setsuna blinks, accidentally showing that he hadn't entirely been trying to say that aloud, and looks over to Kaiya, "You think so? Like.. the two groups have so much in common, it would be nice to get everyone together, right? And I think it's a very welcoming group."
That look made Kaiya giggle a little bit, but she nodded anyway. "Yeah! And it would mean that everyone could hang out together and just be themselves without worrying about being recognized and stuff. And.... it seems like pretty much everyone in each band already knows at least one person in the other already?" Which, she hoped, meant that there wouldn't be too much awkwardness when the bands were together.
"I believe so; there seem to be a *lot* of connections," Setsuna agrees, unable to come up with someone who didn't have a connection, as he thought about it.
Mikoto has 'phased in' to the conversation, just suddenly starting to pay attention after having mostly been zoned out. "Sounds fun to me; I've met all of the other group already."
Kaiya nodded along with that, then laughed lightly at Mikoto popping into the conversation. "So, the only one you don't know is Naoto-kun's boyfriend?" She asked, pretty sure that no one outside of Devillic itself had met Kenta yet.
Keiji had definitely been spacing out, and he only zoned back in because he heard Mikoto's voice. "Hmm?" He asked, certainly not having picked up *any* of the current conversation.
"I haven't met him, but I know about him; he's staying with the twins right now. Apparently he's Yue-kun's ex?" Mikoto replies. Given the bassist's close relationship with Akio, of course he knows about that living situation. He looks over to Keiji questioningly, not sure what the younger man isn't sure about.
"Oh, really? I didn't know that!" Kaiya responded, quite surprised. Not that this was a topic that would have been likely to come up between her and the violinist, so there wasn't really a reason for her to know. "That's actually kind of weirder. Like.... what are the chances of that?"
Keiji smiled at Mikoto's questioning look. "Sorry, I wasn't really paying attention, so I have no idea what you guys are talking about." He admitted.
"I'm pretty sure," Mikoto insists, although he admits it sounds pretty wild. As for the chances of it, he suggests, "I mean, there are a finite number of young gay men who hang out in clubs and sleep around, there is some extent to which it makes sense, kind of?" He shrugs.
Setsuna smiles at Keiji admitting he'd spaced out, not minding at all, "We were talking about maybe me setting up a private dinner at the Traveller for our respective groups and all their significant others."
Kaiya tilted her head at that explanation, though it did make sense. "So, does that mean that there's a decent chance that you've slept with him too?" She asked with a wicked grin. After all, she wasn't innocent to the idea that Mikoto had also hung out in clubs and slept around before getting together with her brother.
Keiji gave Setsuna a relieved smile for the explanation, since it seemed that his sister and his boyfriend were too far down a tangent to explain things to him. "Well that sounds like fun! And would also be nice to just.... be ourselves all together."
"Could be," Mikoto admits with a shrug. He doesn't like to emphasize his sleeping around habits too much, not wanting to make Keiji uncomfortable.
Setsuna had also done some sleeping around back when he drank a lot, but he's not sure what the age difference is. "Yeah that's the thought. And there seem to be a lot of connections between the bands so just... everyone would know everybody. There was a plan to get the bands together for hanami potentially, but we can't bring out partners in that case since we could be recognized."
That vague response made Kaiya giggle a little. It didn't seem like Mikoto had actually *seen* Kenta, then, since if he had, she would hope he would know whether or not he had slept with the host before. "Well, guess you'll know for sure when you meet him?" She suggested. It seemed like Keiji was more engaged in talking to Setsuna at the moment, so she wasn't worried about her brother potentially being weird about this. But... he also knew that Mikoto had slept around a lot before him too, so it shouldn't be too weird, right?
Keiji nodded along with that logic. "Yeah, with your band being a lot better known, and very.... noticeable, it's probably best if the band hanami party is more business rather than pleasure." Of course, those that were dating people *in* their bands could probably be a little touchy feely, especially if they were popular ships, but even then they would have to be careful.
The blond admits, "Honestly, even that depends? If we've slept together, but he's changed his style, I might not even recognize him." And Mikoto's changed his looks, with the dyed hair. And even then if it was just a one off, the other man might just feel somewhat familiar. He doesn't expect Kaiya to understand though.
"Yeah. So I guess I mark you down for also thinking it seems nice?" Setsuna suggests. He had just had the idea, so things aren't decided yet obviously.
"Really?" Kaiya responded, definitely not having thought about anything like that at all. "Well.... it's not like it really matters, though, right? Since he's dating someone else now anyway." She'd almost added 'and so are you', but... she remembered that that was a no-go for her 'sister' and she left it out.
Keiji actually laughed at that description of his feelings. "Definitely. I think it's a fantastic idea." He confirmed.
"You're the one who brought it up," Mikoto points out, since he definitely doesn't think it matters. He hadn't been looking for relationships so the fact that casual things were just casual doesn't bother him any. If Keiji weren't here, he'd be more open talking about this stuff though.
Setsuna gets out his phone to put the possibility into the Devillic group line.
"Well, yeah.... whatever." Kaiya replied childishly, making a face to match her words. "So..... what were we actually talking about? Oh yeah~ The links between the bands. So crazy~ And so cool if we can all hang out together~" She added, remembering what they had actually been talking about before getting sidetracked with Kenta.
Keiji smiled at seeing Setsuna typing quickly into his phone. "Checking logistics with the rest of the band?" He asked, since this was probably a good idea, Devillic being the busier group by far.
Mikoto giggles at Kaiya's response, since that response clearly means he'd won that exchanged. "Yeah, it would be a lot of fun~ The Traveller is cool but it's even cooler when it's closed to the public."
"Yeah gunna get the ball running. If Takuya likes it I won't even have to plan anything. He's friends with Ayase-san too," Setsuna adds, since those two will take over the organization. The singer would just have to manage the traveller side.
"I know~" Kaiya responded, getting excited now. She had definitely had a few chances to enjoy the Traveller while it was closed since, but the first time, on her first date with Setsuna, was still one of her most cherished memories. "Ooooh~ And maybe we could decorate it some too?" She suggested, thinking that would be fun and make it even more party-like.
Now that made Keiji laugh. "Of course Ayase-kun would become best friends with the leader of your band." He said with another shake of the head. Honestly, Yui was the leader of Shotgun in everything but name, and he was pretty sure everyone knew it, including Rei. "Well, that would definitely take care of everything. I wouldn't even be surprised if they each have band-dedicated calendars."
"I'd be more surprised if they didn't," Setsuna had to admit, laughing. He definitely has a personal calendar now, which he didn't used to, but he has a lot to balance these days. He laughs again, hearing the 'sisters' talk about decorating his restaurant, "If you want to, you can, but I leave it to you."
"Honestly, so would I." Keiji agreed, clearly amused. "If things go their way, I bet they'll eventually have a combined band calendar too." He added, thinking that would be crazy busy, but also very them (at least based on what he knew of the other band's leader).
Kaiya grinned happily at Setsuna saying that they could decorate the restaurant. "Yay~ I think it would be awesome to have some decorations, especially if we can't do actual hanami with everyone the way we might want to." How she was thinking of making the decorations hanami-esque was something to figure out later.
"Just don't damage the walls or anything," Setsuna says, in a tone that suggests that he knew they knew that already. "The only reason they don't already have combined band calendars is the contract - we're still sussing out how much we can do with you guys."
Kaiya tilted her head and asked, totally teasing, "*Is* there a way to damage the walls?" Of course, with enough force you could damage anything, but she was pretty sure that the walls of the restaurant weren't just concrete blocks, so of course damage could be done to the walls if she tried. "Tape is okay, though, right?"
Keiji blinked at that reason. "Oh? Huh, I hadn't thought about that.... I guess when you have a label there are more rules about that kind of stuff..."
Mikoto laughs, asking, "Does Keiji-kun let you do just anything to the walls of your place? nails? screws? pins? There are special tapes you can use to make sure you don't damage the paint on the walls, stuff like that."
"Yeah. But if they get it figured out, and we can do stuff together -- that would be so fun. You and I could do some duets, Shotgun could borrow Naoto-kun if you want a violin. But what I want is for both of us to do Halloween together at the Traveller." That's Setsuna's dream, at this point.
"Ohhh~ That all sounds amazing! That would be.... just so fantastic! All of it! And especially the Halloween lives!" Keiji agreed. Hearing the conversation going on between Mikoto and his sister, though, he ended up chorusing with Kaiya (with sheer horror in his voice),
"Not at all!!"
Kaiya blinked at hearing her brother's horror-laden voice layering with her indignant one. "He says that's not allowed in our apartment." She added. "I can't even put posters up!" Though.... hearing about this special tape.... maybe that would change?
"It's not allowed in like *any* apartment," Mikoto replies, "Damage the walls and they charge for that shit." He'd had one apartment on his own before Setsuna had let him move in - and Setsuna is different than a landlord obviously. "There are special tapes and tabs that can put stuff up and if used right they won't damage the walls."
"They weren't doing Halloween lives because of their ex-employee, so this year will be the triumphant return of that,"Setsuna admits, before listening with amusement to the discussion about WALLS.
Kaiya sighed noisily at the idea that putting little thumbtack sized holes in the wall would cost money later, but she would never do something dumb and rebelious like actually making said holes in her walls. She had a very healthy respect for money, and the lack thereof that she and her brother lived with, after all. Still, hearing about these neat helpful innovations was cool. "Where do you get that kind of stuff?" She asked her very knowledgeable 'big sister'.
Keiji shook his head in disbelief, then gave his attention back to Setsuna more properly. "That's crazy! How does a visual band not do Halloween lives?" He asked, thinking that with a label that would be even *less* possible.
"Home improvement type stores; or amazon," Mikoto replies. Between being lazy and not existing during 'normal' day time hours, he's been using amazon way too much recently. "They have some at Dollar stores but I wouldn't trust them to be as good as the pricier ones, and this is a situation where that kind of matters."
"Apparently, and I wasn't there so this is just what I've heard, but apparently my predecessor felt threatened by fans coming in cosplay as the band -- you know, the thing that everybody does at bands' Halloween lives."
"Oohh.... I see." Kaiya responded, thinking that she probably wasn't going to be availing herself of anything like that for herself any time soon. It was a complete luxury that she had, so far, lived quite happily without, so the thought of spending money on things like that that were apparently pretty pricey, just didn't make sense. She could kind of argue herself into it for the party, though. And she thought that she might be able to convince Mikoto to help her out with that too, so it was probably fine.
That explanation just made Keiji blink. "I..... what? But... but why? Isn't that the ultimate compliment? I just.... don't get it!" He admitted, truly bewildered by this explanation.
Mikoto hadn't meant to give the impression that they were pricey, just that an 800yen pack from a real store is more reliably safe for the wall than a 100yen pack from Daiso. Pretty rare since usually Daiso is excellent. Well, in any case, "I'm happy to pay for the decorations, as long as you come pick them out with me."
"Keiji-kun, the only thing I can say is that the fact that we don't understand is a good thing," Setsuna replies, not wanting to understand anything that the previous vocalist did.
"Okay! Of course!" Kaiya responded immediately, and excitedly. "I hope that we get the okay soon and then we can go shopping!!"
The model just shook his head again in bewilderment. "Yeah, I guess so. I mean, if *anyone* cosplays as me next year, I'm probably going to want to run up to them and have my picture taken with them, because that's honestly so cool!" This just might be one of those few times when Keiji sounded his barely twenty years old, rather than the more mature man he normally seemed to be.
"I mean, we could always go shopping for other reasons while we wait," Mikoto jokes. He doesn't really care what said reasons may be - or whether they have a reason at all, honestly.
"I'm pretty excited for it too," Setsuna replies, since it would be his first time being cosplayed too. He may not sound as excited, but he does get it.
That definitely made Kaiya giggle. "Shopping with you is always fun~" She agreed, smiling brightly. "Let's make a shopping date soon, no matter what!"
"I bet!" Keiji agreed. "And you'll definitely have cosplayers, since Devillic already had them, apparently." Since that had, somehow, been the issue.
"Yes, yes," Mikoto agrees easily, loving shopping even if nothing ends up being purchased, so it's an easy promise.
"I guess I will - though I only have one look," Setsuna has to admit. He wonders if people would show up in costumes from the previous vocalist? Well, maybe to fuck with him but jokes on them cuz he's not going to be bothered by that.
"Yay~" Kaiya further enthused, then glanced at Setsuna, finally tuning in to what the other two were talking about. "Well, technically you have two looks..." She put in.
Keiji glanced at his sister when she made that comment, then frowned as he tried to think of what the other look would be. When he realized, he gasped. "Kaiya! I doubt anyone would come looking naked with just angel wings!" He protested, clearly not knowing that some fans would *totally* do especially during the summer.
"Nobody's cosplaying me naked; I'm not letting them into the Traveller like that," Setsuna protests, knowing exactly what she's talking about. He's never going to live that look down.
Mikoto, being more attuned to drag, points out, "I mean, all you need is a nude body suit, some spray paint, maybe some crystals..."
Kaiya completely ignored both her brother *and* her boyfriend's protests to, instead, latch onto Mikoto's idea. "Definitely crystals to emulate all the glittery makeup that was on him." She agreed enthusiastically.
Keiji, conversely, nodded along with Setsuna's idea. "An excellent idea: no shirt, no shoes, no service... or no live, as the case may be."
Setsuna pointedly doesn't listen to the sisters planning out how to cosplay his nudity because he doesn't want to hear about it. "I mean, that is already the rule, but wow. It is weird thinking so many people have seen me like that though."
"Yeah.... that's true. That is kind of weird to think about." Keiji agreed, not having actually thought too hard about that before. "But.... it was very artistic and tastefully done." He added, hoping that Setsuna didn't feel too embarrassed about it. After all, the video existed, so the other singer might as well be proud of it.
"I'm pretty proud of it, it only feels awkward when someone describes it like... literally. Like if someone points out 'your second look was you in a nude thong' then I want to die, but if it's just like.... thinking about the angel in the cage, I think it's gorgeous," Setsuna explains honestly.
"I can understand that." Keiji replied with a laugh. He certainly had shoots that he was proud of that, thinking about the actual *doing of them*, was near mortifying. "The angel in the cage *is* gorgeous, though. I agree."
Kaiya grinned, catching only the last of the last of that. "I agree too!"
"We know you think so," Setsuna covers any awkward feelings about the situation with a laugh.
After more chatting, teasing, and relaxing; Mikoto suggests, "Is it time to go for a stroll then?" He and Setsuna had planned this, but he makes sure the other two understand, "Starting from this park, it seems there's a boulevard famed for being beautifully lined with sakura."
Relaxing easily with her little family was probably the best thing Kaiya could have asked from the day. But they had been sitting for a while now, so when Mikoto suggested a walk, she (metaphorically) jumped on it. "Oh! That sounds nice! Are we going to come back here later? Or do we need to pack everything up and take it with us?" She asked, not sure about the plans for after the walk.
Keiji just smiled at Mikoto and lightly squeezed the hand that he had taken at some point earlier, this gesture not being visible to anyone but the pair across from them, so therefore 'safe'. "That sounds beautiful. Almost like the walk through the light tunnel back in the winter." He replied, though maybe it wasn't all that similar in actuality.
"Hmm, we're going to have to come back through here to get to the station," Setsuna considers the problem out loud, the 'we' in this sentence being for anyone going back to Roppongi, which he suspects is likely to happen. Keiji and Mikoto probably want alone time, and Keiji is usually happiest if Kaiya's not alone during that time -- and she may as well stay with Setsuna. "But I kind of feel like packing up anyways? We've been here a while, we can give up the spot to whoever wants it next?"
Since by 'coming back here' Kaiya had meant coming back to sit there again, she definitely agreed that it would be nicer of them to pack up and let someone else have their spot if they would only come back to head to the train station. "Sounds good!" She said aloud with a smile, then worked on helping everything get cleaned up.
Keiji also helped get things put away, then asked, "Is there anything I can carry?" He wasn't sure that that would make sense, exactly, but he'd happily carry the leftover stuff that Mikoto had brought, if the blond wanted him to.
Mikoto has that selfish princess side of himself, so when Keiji offers, he does pass the cooler he was carrying to Keiji. It's much lighter than this morning, as they had collectively drank most of what he'd brought at this point, "Yes please~"
Meanwhile, Setsuna is perfectly content to carry his bag, with the containers from the food, and the picnic blanket. He checks his phone to make sure he's oriented the right way, and then starts to lead everyone towards the promenade.
Keiji accepted the cooler with a smile, then settled in for an easy walk next to Mikoto.
Just before they got going, Kaiya switched her footwear from her geta back into he more comfortable sandals, then slid her empty hand into her boyfriend's while they walked. "I can't wait to see the boulevard~ This is already so pretty!"
Mikoto makes sure to walk close enough to Keiji that their shoulders bump occasionally, though given the semi-residential area of Tokyo they're in, he resists the hand holding now that it would be harder to hide. "I wish my hair was pink." He says, seemingly out of nowhere, but really out of an appreciation for the colours around them.
Setsuna smiles at Kaiya choosing practicality, then easily holds her hand. "When we looked only, it was pretty recommended. And it sounds nice too -- a boulevard following the river , all lined with sakura."
That little shoulder bump made Keiji smile, but that non sequitur made him tilt his head slightly. "Like... bright pink, like Setsuna-san's? Or paler pink?" He asked, bypassing the issues with doing either. They both knew that it was unlikely with the other man's job, so why belabour it?
"Ooooooh~ It goes along the river? That's going to be *so* pretty!" Kaiya enthused, looking forward to it even more. And now that she was paying attention... she could actually kind of hear the moving water behind the general murmur of the people around them.
"Either~" Mikoto replies. Once he gets to a point where he can dye his hair crazy colours, he's sure he'll go through lots. He likes the hot pink in Setsuna's hair, but also loves Naoto's cotton candy hair too. Only half-way fishing for compliments, he asks, "Which do you think would suit me better?"
"Yup -- well at least that's the impression I got," Setsuna admits, since he's just going off what he'd read online, and hasn't actually been here before. In that way it's kind of nice, going along with the way he and Kaiya have been going on dates that view Tokyo from the tourist's point of view.
Since his opinion was being asked for, Keiji looked over at Mikoto's hair and considered for a moment. "Well, I do think you could carry off either easily, but with the blond going on right now.... I think a soft pink would be really lovely." He responded, really liking the idea of the bassist with soft, sakura-pink hair.
Probably unsurprisingly, Kaiya was thinking somewhat along the same lines, "Well, guess that means we get to enjoy this as another tourist thing~" She said happily, though they certainly didn't *look* like tourists, dressed the way they were. Didn't matter, though. It was just the fun they had doing things they probably wouldn't normally do just because they lived in Tokyo, rather than actually being tourists.
"Hmm~ That does sound nice. Oh, I could even be the opposite of Setsuna -- pale hair with pale pink instead of black hair with hot pink," Mikoto jokes, thinking that's kind of funny since he all-but lives with his best friend.
Setsuna laughs, and admits, "I was thinking the exact same thing, really. It felt like planning one of our tourist dates, when I was researching where do have our hanami party."
"Oh! I actually really like that idea! Would that, maybe, fly for work?" Keiji asked, thinking that would be really pretty on the other man. He didn't have high hopes that it could happen, but.... there was a possibility, right?
That just made Kaiya giggle, "Well, it's been a lot of fun so far~" She told her boyfriend with a happy smile. "And hanami is something that tourists want to celebrate too, right? So it really works completely as a tourist date~"
Mikoto gets a surprised, yet very pleased smile on his face at how enthusiastic Keiji is about the idea. "Well~ I'll ask 'kaasan'. It took a lot of pestering before I got her to agree to the blond, so maybe if I can keep working at it, I can get something like that~"
"It absolutely does -- although a tourist would probably be renting a yukata," Setsuna replies lightly, not finding that to be much of a problem.
"Maybe start with a pink that's so light that it's almost blond, then slowly brighten it over time." Keiji suggested, not as a way to sneak around the rule, but as a way to present the dyeing to the other man's boss. And he really was enthusiastic about the hair colouring, partly because he thought it would look gorgeous, but mostly because he knew how much Mikoto wanted to be able to dye his hair different non-natural colours.
"Instead of buying them?" Kaiya replied with a bit of a laugh. Since they were both wearing yukata anyway, it wasn't like they didn't *look* like tourists. Well, at least *she* did, from the back, with her curly red hair.
"I have some streaks that I put in some time, so I could also tell her I'm coming in with them and let her see. It just feels *really* old fashioned to not allow anything, especially since I'm being presented as a pop princess," Mikoto whines, although he knows Keiji is on his side.
"Yes, instead of buying them," Setsuna agrees. And a rental company definitely wouldn't've gotten him the yukata he has now, but rather likely a typical plain navy one.
"Oh! That's true too! A pop princess should absolutely have cute pink, and blue, and purple streaks, or a bright blue dip dye with the ends flipped out, or something like that." Keiji agreed, having forgotten that Mikoto had that particular title.
That just made Kaiya smile even more. "Well, it's still fun, so I think it counts~" She decided, as if that had ever been in doubt.
"Right? Like, pop princesses have had streaks since like the 90s so I don't see why it's such a big deal," Mikoto insists, thinking all the way back to xtina's dirrty phase. They exit the park into the boulevard and he forgets what he'd been talking about because it is absolutely gorgeous, almost like a half tunnel of sakura over the pathway.
Keiji nodded emphatically in agreement with Mikoto's words, but didn't say anything more as he was blown away by the area they'd walked into . "Wow.... it really is like a sakura version of the light tunnel!" He said, then smiled at Mikoto as he slowed his pace, letting Kaiya and Setsuna get a little further ahead so that he and the blond could enjoy the walk 'alone'.
When they entered the boulevard, Kaiya's mouth formed a perfect, cute little 'o'. It was so much prettier than she had thought it would be, and the river did seem to be *right there*. She tightened her grip on Setsuna's hand and subtly steered them closer to the side of the path nearest the water. "It's so pretty~" She breathed. "We should take a couple of pictures with the water in the background at some point~"
Setsuna gives Kaiya's hand a squeeze, letting her lead him over to the side nearest the water, and agrees easily, "Sure, that sounds wonderful." He's really enjoying the pink fantasy of what's going on, and seeing Kaiya in full traditional glory (he doesn't care that the hair is red and curly, it's still done up traditionally) is a treat.
"It really does!" Mikoto agrees, happy to slow down and continue on with Keiji, having it feel more like a date than a double date temporarily. There are lots of other couples, but also some parents with kids.
"Yay~" Kaiya responded enthusiastically. She hadn't actually noticed that the other pair had dropped behind, but she was also enjoying the feeling of date-ness, obviously.
Even though they couldn't hold hands or anything overt, just being among all the other couples almost made up for it. Even if others might not think so looking at them, it felt couple-y and Date-y to Keiji just by association. "Are you having fun?" He asked the other man, pretty sure of the answer, but wanting to hear Mikoto's answer anyway.
Given Kaiya's enthusiasm, he looks around to see if the other couple could take their pictures, and that's when he notices them drifting behind. He smiles and leaves them be, "Is it ok as a selfie?"
"I'm having a lot of fun," Mikoto admits, and then since the other couple isn't close enough for Kaiya to hear anything she doesn't want to hear, he adds, "I'm also looking forward to bringing you back to my place after though~"
Honestly, Kaiya had been thinking of a selfie initially, and it was only when Setsuna looked around, obviously searching for someone to take the photo, that it occurred to her that there was another option. Silly, since they'd been taking non-selfie pictures all afternoon, but there it was. "Mhm! Selfie is great! And can be part of our date selfies~" She responded happily.
Keiji smiled at that positive answer, but then couldn't help but chuckle at that addition. "Oh? Are there plans for after?" He asked, partly curious if there was something specific planned, but mostly teasing Mikoto gently. Truthfully, he was also looking forward to some quality alone time later. Dates were great, no matter what one called them, but he was pretty certain that after so much time apart, they were both excited for some physical pleasure.
"Great," Setsuna replies, although if Kaiya had wanted a more proper photo he would have pestered someone to take it for them. As it is, he has the longer arms (for now, he seriously thinks Kaiya may end up taller than him in the end, as the difference has already shrunk noticeably), he holds out the phone.
"We haven't seen each other in person in a week," Mikoto points out, "As if I'm going to let you go after a public date where we can barely even hold hands." Obviously he's expecting Keiji to come over to his place later. And while sex is likely to happen, he just wants any kind of touch, and as much as he can get.
Kaiya let out a happy giggle as they got into position for the selfie, and she threw up a cute little peace sign as they took the photo. When she looked at how it had turned out, she was really pretty happy with it. You could see the water and the pretty pink blossoms behind them, and that was just what she had wanted. "It's going to be hard choosing just a couple of photos from this for new backgrounds!" She 'complained' with a big smile.
"I know." Keiji responded, dropping the teasing entirely. "Truly, I'm looking forward to being able to hold you, and cuddle you, and.... other things I'm not going to say out here." He added, not wanting to take the chance of the wrong ear hearing the wrong thing at the wrong time.
"Is there some app that automatically rotates them, or something?" Setsuna asks. He doesn't have such a thing on his phone, but when he was younger he'd had something like that for his computer, so it seems very possible.
Mikoto smiles, glad to hear Keiji is feeling the same way. Sure they'd been able to text each other, and call a couple times, but it's nothing compared to touching -- especially for the blond who is frustrated by how much better he sleeps when Keiji's in his bed. Frustrated because he can't have that every night. "Good, I'd be pretty sad if you weren't thinking the same thing."
"Ummmmm..... I think so?" Kaiya responded, not having actually thought about that. "If not, I guess it'll make choosing a little easier?" She added, putting a silver lining on it, along with a small laugh for her own ignorance.
Keiji smiled back at the blond. "As much as I'm grateful that Setsuna-san is able to hold back in that department around my sister, I have to say: I have no idea how they manage." He admitted. It felt weird to say, as Kaiya's older brother, but he knew *he* didn't have that kind of patience and restraint. He was just glad he didn't need it.
"Well, whether they're the background or not, you'll still have them to be able to look at whenever you want," Setsuna reasons, since it's not that big of a deal. He gets his arm around her shoulder and resumes walking.
Mikoto shrugs, "You did a good job of holding back when you had to, I think." He replies, since Keiji had been very patient with him when he'd broken down.
"True~" Kaiya agreed happily, then settled in to continue walking, amusing herself for a moment with matching her stride to his. The fact that she could even do this proved that her legs were getting longer. Sure, he was probably taking shorter strides than he could, but the fact still remained.
Keiji tilted his head in consideration of that fact. "Yeah, but I think that was different. Like.... you definitely weren't interested. For them, I feel like they're both interested, but are holding back because of outside forces instead." He replied thoughtfully.
It takes Setsuna a moment to realize what she's doing, and then he laughs, "When did you get so tall, huh? Are you planning on outgrowing me?" It's fully a tease; he couldn't care less if she ends up taller.
"Hmm, I guess," Mikoto agrees. He thinks about it as they continue to walk, and after a few more steps, he points out, "But like. it would be basically illegal? So I could see that making it easier to hold back." Setsuna just needs to wait for it to be more appropriate, after all. "And Setsuna had been celibate for a while before hand."
Neither Mikoto nor Keiji could say that about the period before they got together.
Kaiya grinned at that laugh, then responded with a chipper, "Yuuuuuup~ I'm gonna be 183cm. Just wait and see~" She told him, totally teasing. Even her brother wasn't quite that tall, and she doubted she would achieve his height in the end.
That comment made Keiji clear his throat a little awkwardly. "Ah..... technically it wouldn't be? Illegal, I mean?" He said, but was happy to latch onto Mikoto's other comment. "Ah~ I guess that would either make it easier or harder. I'm glad it's the former, though." Personally, *he* couldn't imagine choosing to be celibate if he didn't have to be, but it did say a lot for the other singer's self control.
That said, Kaiya is getting better nutrition and has less stress as a critical point in development, so maybe she could compete with her brother's height. Setsuna just laughs, and says, "Guess I'm going to need to buy more platforms then."
Mikoto blinks, not quite understanding how it wouldn't be illegal, not knowing the nuances of the conversation the boyfriend and the guardian had had on the topic, but... he's pretty good at reading Keiji now, and he feels he shouldn't ask more. "Meanwhile, as soon as I started having sex, celibacy was never on my mind~"
"Yup! Really high ones, cause I'll still want to wear heels and platforms too~" Kaiya responded with a happy grin up at her boyfriend. Honestly, she wasn't sure how much more she would grow, and while the thought of actually being taller than Setsuna still seemed kind of weird to her, she no longer worried that he would stop liking her because she got taller. The whole him wearing massive platforms thing was just a joke. Though.... she wouldn't mind if he did that anyway. She did like the feeling of him being taller than her, after all.
Keiji was glad that Mikoto didn't ask further about the legality of his sister's and Setsuna's sexual relationship. Seriously, the whole thing had been weird and awkward to talk about initially, and he sure didn't want there to be even the tiniest chance of Kaiya overhearing him talking about approving of the other pair doing certain things with each other. There was about a 98.5% chance of that leading to massive, awful misunderstandings. So, he was happy to continue the other part of the conversation instead. "That I believe." He responded warmly. He couldn't exactly say the same, given his own initial introduction to sex, but he certainly had never considered being celibate for any length of time, especially after his first consensual experience.
"I'll start practicing in them right away," Setsuna assures her, although he doesn't actually care. Should she end up taller than him, that doesn't bother him at all. He's been with guys taller than him, so what's the difference? He does own some platforms though.
"Hehe~" Mikoto replies. Actually the longest he'd been 'celibate' had been when things were starting to work out between him and Keiji, but they weren't at the point of having sex yet. Well, no need to worry about that anymore at least, "So~ You need to come back to my place tonight~"
"Good!" Kaiya chirped with clear amusement. She was curious, though, since it had sparked the height conversation, "Is it weird that I was making our steps match?" She asked, actually still doing it, though she was doing it unconsciously now.
"I think I can definitely agree with that." Keiji responded easily. After all, he was looking forward to holding the bassist in his arms that night.... among other things. "The only way that wouldn't be happening would be if you were coming back to *my* place." He added, since that was also a pretty good option in his opinion.
"Nope; I think it's sweet. Like we're in unison, right?" Setsuna insists, hoping he hadn't made her feel self-conscious about it. It seems like a totally normal thing, really.
Mikoto blinks. He says, "Aa, I'm fine with that if you want; I just -- we've always done it at my place before, so I guess I just assumed." That said, the reason they didn't do it at Keiji's is because Kaiya's usually around, but if she'll be at Setsuna's this evening then there's no reason no to.
"Oh yay! Good! And yeah~ It's like we're in sync, and I like it~" Kaiya responded, glad that Setsuna seemed to think it was nice too. Also, she actually found that it was easier walking this way when his arm was around her than not having their strides match.
Keiji shook his head at that, "No, I'm fine with either. I just meant that I wanted to be near you too. That if it wasn't the one option, I'd want it to be the other. Honestly.... your place has all the things we need. Mine has some.... but not all." He didn't say which 'things' those were, but he was sure Mikoto would understand without him elaborating.
"I like it too," he assures her. Some guys would be embarrassed by the stuff he says and does in a relationship, but that's because they're insecure. He thinks whatever makes them both happy can't be bad.
"Hmmm~ If the only option were to go to your place, even if Kaiya were there, I'd be ok," Mikoto admits, since in that case at least they'd be able to share a bed again, and the blond has been missing that dearly.
Thankfully, Kaiya never even had a chance to date a guy that would be embarrassed or angered by cute, silly things like this, or other things that she and Setsuna enjoyed doing together. She only had the bliss of having a partner that would just participate in whatever thing seemed fun to both of them at that moment, and to hell with what anyone else thought. "I'm glad~" She said aloud, then lapsed into comfortable silence for a moment, just enjoying their walk and the beautiful atmosphere.
"Mhm~ That's how I feel too." Keiji agreed. "But... it seems like we definitely will have options of where to go tonight, so I'm very happy to go to your place, but if you want the novelty of going to mine, we can definitely do that." After all, there might be some kind of extra excitement in being together in a place they normally couldn't be quite that intimate.
"You won't be plagued by the pleasant memories we'll create at your place~" Mikoto teases, not even entirely sure what he means by that. Honestly he doesn't mind either way where they go. Going to his place seems more natural because it's what they've always done and because they could go basically the whole way with Kaiya and Setsuna.
"I'm already haunted by your missing body beside me when I sleep alone in my bed." Keiji responded, sort of agreeing with Mikoto's tease, though he wouldn't pass up having sex in his bed out of fear of such plaguing thoughts. Still, it was most likely that they would go back to Mikoto's place that night. That *had* been the plan in both of their minds from the get go, after all. And, as mentioned before, the bassist's place had all of the things they needed, whereas the singer's might not.
Mikoto blushes at that comment, because he's been very much missing Keiji beside him in bed this last week, although he wouldn't dare to say as much aloud. "Well, I guess we'll just have to share a bed tonight, so you won't be tormented."
Keiji shot a smile at the blond for that, "Was that ever in doubt?" He asked, pretty sure that there hadn't been an option at all where they didn't end up in the same bed that night, no matter what else they ended up doing. However... seeing that blush, he realized he might not have been *as* circumspect with his words out here with other people around as he should have.
"No, it wasn't," Mikoto replies. It isn't the other people around them that has him embarrassed, it was Keiji putting words to exactly how the blond feels. But it also feels kind of nice. If he was the only person feeling lonely at night, that would be worrisomely one-sided so it's comforting knowing they feel the same way.
"Good, because I think that might have been worse this week than.... anything else." Keiji responded, a certain amount of relief in his voice. During the day he could convince himself that it was fine not being able to see Mikoto as much as he wanted, but at night? He was definitely feeling cold and lonely at night. He didn't want to say that anymore strongly than he already had, though, worried that might seem too much like commitment for Mikoto.
Again, the trick is that Mikoto had been feeling the same way, even having trouble sleeping the last couple of days. He looks away from Keiji, although still walking quite close to his side, as he suggests, "Maybe we need to spend some time thinking of how to make sure this doesn't happen again?"
It's a bit tricky with their very different sleep schedules though.
For just a second, Keiji wasn't sure what he had said to make Mikoto look away from him, but when those words came, he understood (or thought he did). "I guess we'll have to look at our schedules, then." He agreed, rather than commenting on the other man's reactions. If saying something so intimate was already hard for the blond, he didn't want to make it any harder. Yes, their sleep schedules might make it difficult, but he was sure it wouldn't be impossible. At least, there had to be a way that would make it so they wouldn't go without sharing a bed for a whole week again.
The blond nods, since that sounds good to him, and also this isn't really a time where they can figure that out. He walks in silence, although it's not too long before he's looking forward, and from time to time at Keiji again.
Eventually, the couples reach the end of the boulevard, and Setsuna admits, "So... now we basically have to go back the way we came to get to the train station." Alternatively they could get a taxi but he doesn't usually offer that with the Tanaka's.
Keiji was just arriving at the end of the boulevard with Mikoto as Setsuna was saying that. "Thankfully, it's a beautiful enough view to warrant seeing in reverse." He said with a small smile. As if 'in reverse' would look much different from the original view. "Anyone want to take pictures here while we're all together?" He asked, not sure if they would end up all walking back together, or splitting up a bit again.
Kaiya looked at the other three, then shrugged at the idea of pictures. "A selfie of all four of us would be fun, if we can manage it?" She suggested, not sure if everyone else would be interested.
"Keiji-kun has long arms, we can do it," Mikoto agrees easily with Kaiya's idea. He moves to the front of the group, since short people go to the front in group photos that's just how life is.
Setsuna laughs, standing beside Keiji in the back, leaving it to the younger man to manage the photo.
Kaiya smiled happily at everyone going along with her idea, then leaned in alongside Mikoto while Keiji and Setsuna stood in the back and her brother held out the phone to snap some shots of the four of them together. "How did they turn out?" She asked immediately after they moved a little apart again.
Keiji laughed at being volunteered, but he couldn't argue with the logic of him having the longest limbs, being the tallest of all of them. Once he'd taken a few shots and pulled the phone back in to look at the results, he was happy to see there were a couple of good shots, one of them just plain perfect as they were all smiling and had their eyes open. "Pretty good. This one's the best." He said, passing the phone around for the others to see.
"Ohh, it's really good," Mikoto agrees, glad he'd voluntold Keiji to do it. It was a good angle, catching a nice background too. It's just the perfect summary of the day, something to post up on facebook and insta for sure. They really do make a comfy little family. They make their way back down the boulevard, on the train and back to the Traveller, where the couples finally part way at the top of the staircase.
Kaiya agreed wholeheartedly with Mikoto's assessment: it really was an image that captured their double date just perfectly.
On the way back, they all mostly stayed together, enjoying easy chatter, and the unspoken knowledge that they'd have a chance to be two separate couples again once they got to the apartments.
Once they got to the top of the stairs, Kaiya looked at Mikoto and her brother and smiled. "This was so fun! Maybe we can do it again some time when we're all free again!" She said, happy with their little family time, but obviously not inviting it to continue right now.
Keiji would have laughed at his sister's obviousness if he wasn't also itching for alone time with *his* boyfriend. "Well, have fun. Maybe we'll see you for breakfast?" He suggested, making it clear that he and Mikoto had plans for the evening that did *not* include other people.
"Of course," Mikoto agrees, since family time, and double dates would certainly happen sometime in the future. He's glad the other couple seems interested in separating as well. The blond waves goodbye cutely to the other couple, then heads into his apartment.
Setsuna gets his arm around Kaiya's shoulders again, playfully squeezing them both through his doorway side by side.
Getting them, Setsuna's backpack, and her bag with her geta and change of clothes safely stored inside, all through the door at the same time had Kaiya giggling happily. Sure, it was silly and they absolutely could have gone through one at a time, but it was fun and she loved that Setsuna would just be silly for the sake of their mutual enjoyment. Once they were inside, she asked, "Were you wanting to stay dressed up for dinner? Or were you going to get changed?" She thought it might be a difference of whether they were going to eat in the apartment, or head downstairs to see if there was a table at the restaurant. Either way she was happy, but if he was going to get changed, then she was going to as well. She did slip off her comfier sandals for now, though, figuring that they weren't going to be eating right away no matter what they chose.
"Seems a shame to change if we don't need to," Setsuna admits -- though that said, these probably weren't the best outfits for, say sitting around on the sofa so it depends, "What do you want to do?"
"Mmmm... well.... I was thinking if you wanted to eat downstairs, we could stay dressed up? But if we're going to have dinner up here, maybe get changed?" Kaiya admitted. This felt doubly like it should be so, since they wouldn't want to possibly mess their outfits up while cooking (though Setsuna would probably do most of the cooking, regardless of Kaiya slowly learning how to do certain things in the kitchen these days).