[Oneshot] Roses for your soul part two
“You look down.” Yamashita says, brows slightly furrowed, glass of wine dangling in his hand. “You look a bit absent tonight, is something wrong?”
Kato laughs dismissively and tries to make it sound not too hollow.
“I’m just having a lot of exams coming up. How’s the wine?”
Yamashita lets it slip, the way Kato sometimes can’t hide the fake and instead talks about how his grandfather grows wine himself. He tells him about how he once helped picking the grapes and pressing the juice out of them back when he was a kid. And then he tells him when he was in France three months ago and got invited to a wine tasting event.
And while Yamashita gets lost in explaining all the different kinds of wines Kato briefly wonders whether love is really something impossible.
“Shige, you are not even listening.” Yamashita whines and Kato snaps back into reality.
“Sorry.” Kato mumbles and Yamashita laughs.
“Shige, what is on your mind?”
Kato says nothing for a while, worries on his bottom lip, a habit he knows he should stop but finds he can’t.
“It’s just- I’m wondering… How can there be a place where there is no room for love?”
Yamashita gives him an amused look and Kato hates himself a bit for sounding so naïve.
“Who said that?” Yamashita asks and Kato shrugs.
“A colleague.”
Yamashita smiles at him.
“I think there’s always room for love.”
Yamashita keeps on smiling and Kato hopes he’s right when there is silence and all they do is look at each other.
Eventually Yamashita raises his hand and pats Kato’s head.
“Shige, what do they tell you about kissing?”
The smile is gone, Yamashita’s hand now lightly brushing over Kato’s cheek. The university student leans into the soft touch, closes his eyes and shakes his eyes.
“Forbidden towards customers.”
Yamashita nods but Kato can’t see instead enjoys Yamashita’s thumb softly caressing his cheekbone.
“We come here for a little bit of affection and we sometimes forget that affection is what you want, too.” Yamashita sighs and Kato opens his eyes in time to see Yamashita putting his glass away and favour of pulling Kato into a tight embrace.
“I would like to kiss you now but I don’t want to put you into trouble.” Yamashita mumbles, buries his head into the crook of Kato’s neck, hand threading into Kato’s hair.
Kato sighs, mirrors Yamashita’s actions and pulls him even closer. They sit like this for a while, Yamashita drawing circles on Kato’s back, nose softly bumping on his neck, his ear, a touch almost as mind spinning as kissing him.
“Is there a place in this room the camera can’t reach?” Yamashita whispers, hand trailing down to the waistband of Kato’s suit pants.
Kato nods into Yamashita’s neck.
“Directly underneath it in the corner next to the door. But there’s not much room.” Kato answers voice shaky.
Yamashita finally pulls away, smiles brightly at him and Kato is confused.
“Bring me another bottle of wine, will you?”
Kato nods and gets up, a frown on his face.
The moment he comes back and closes the door he almost lets out a squeak when Yamashita pulls him away from the door and into the corner Kato knows doesn’t get caught by the camera. He almost lets the bottle slip out of his hand when Yamashita presses himself against him and pushes him flush against the wall, the doorway digging painfully in his back.
“I’m not going to kiss you.” Yamashita murmurs as he buries his head back in the crook of Kato’s neck and the host nods.
“The bottle.” Kato manages to say and Yamashita pulls away long enough so Kato can put the bottle a few feet away.
Yamashita doesn’t waste time unfastening the belt on Kato’s suit pants, pushes his one hand in as soon as he pushed the zipper down, supporting Kato with the other as his knees suddenly give in as Yamashita gives a first experimental squeeze to Kato’s half-hard cock.
Kato hisses, fists his hands into Yamashita’s shirt as the other as much as softly blows into his ear, making Kato shudder. Two gallant thrusts and Kato is hard, panting into Yamashita’s shoulder.
“Consider this as a small tip.” Yamashita whispers pulling his hand out of Kato’s boxers.
Kato starts whining but Yamashita only chuckles, pulls down his pants along with his boxer and goes on his knees. Kato is about to protest but then Yamashita takes his cock in his mouth and Kato has to press his lips together in order not to moan loudly.
Yamashita delicately swirls his tongue around the tip and Kato jolts forward, needing more of the friction.
“Yamashita, please…” Kato hisses and Yamashita smirks before taking him fully into his mouth again, holding Kato in place by his hips.
He begins to move, sets up a decent pace, tongue working around Kato’s erection as if he’s never done anything else and Kato bites into his knuckles in order not to let a sound slip out of his mouth.
It’s been long, so long someone touched him and Kato knows he can’t last long and then Yamashita starts humming and Kato makes the mistake to look down the moment Yamashita looks up and when their gazes meet Kato hisses, warns Yamashita but the other just seems to suck even eager and that’s when Kato can’t take it anymore and comes right into Yamashita’s mouth, seeing stars all over.
Yamashita delicately licks his lips, helps Kato get dressed again and is about to say something when there is a knock on the door and Yamashita just has enough time to get seated again before the door opens and Nishikido stands on the other side.
He takes in the look Kato gives and immediately his eyes narrow.
“Can I have a second?” he asks and Kato nods but makes no intention on actually stepping forward.
Nishikido turns over to where Yamashita sits and immediately a polite smile grows on his lips.
“Please excuse us for a moment, I will bring him back in no time.”
Yamashita waves his hand in dismissal and continues drinking his wine while Nishikido drags Kato out by his wrist.
He pulls the university student into the empty dressing room and roughly shoves him against the next wall.
“Are you crazy or what? What did I tell you about customer-host-relationships?” Nishikido growls, drawing one step too close towards Kato.
“N-no kissing?” Kato answers, voice shaky.
Nishikido’s eyes darken, if possible, even more and he rolls his eyes.
“If the boss ever watches the surveillance video too closely you are doomed. This is a host club and no fucking whorehouse. I switched off the camera for now but if this happens ever again I’m going to report you.”
“B-But the camera doesn’t…”
“The boss is not stupid. Don’t you think it’s rather suspicious when there is no one onscreen for 10 minutes even though you are nowhere to be seen outside the room?”
Kato gulps.
“And you talked about this love bullshit earlier. I’m disappointed in you. I didn’t train you to become a fucking whore!” Nishikido spits, before turning around and leaving.
Kato gapes in horror.
Kato really considers quitting. He refuses getting out of bed for five days straight, doesn’t turn up for his exams and doesn’t go to work even though he knows he’ll cause more trouble by not going. He ignores phone calls and doesn’t open the door to anyone.
That is until a very persistent person demands attention and constantly rings his bell until Kato can’t ignore it anymore and with a curse on his lips opens the door to reveal a very annoyed looking Nishikido.
“I really hope you are so sick you can’t even answer a fucking phone call. But seeing that you can as much as open the door I figure you have a better excuse for not turning up to work.”
Nishikido crosses his arms in front of his chest, tapping his foot impatiently.
“Erm.” Kato answers.
Then he hangs his head and sighs. “I’m sorry, it’s just that…”
“Well?”
“I- kind of got caught in the moment and… look, I’m sorry, okay? Maybe I’m just not suitable for being a host after all. I- I guess I’m just going to quit after all.”
Nishikido rolls his eyes then ushers Kato back into his apartment and follows him uninvited.
A little confused Kato leads him into the living room and as they sit down Nishikido massages the bridge of his nose.
“Look, this has nothing to do with being suitable as a host or not. If people come for you and pay for you and you keep them entertained so they come back, I guess that’s what makes you more or less suitable.”
Nishikido sighs again, considers for a moment what to say.
“We’ve all started like this. I’m not telling you all this crap because I want to trouble you but because it’s necessary. I’m not telling you there’s no love because it can’t happen but because you have to stay professional. We all make mistakes in the beginning and we’re all humans, affectionate and we want to be adored and loved and could loose ourselves in someone else’s touches and words all the time. But we are hosts, and as a host you have to keep your pride.
There’s an unwritten rule that hosts are not be touched or in any other way to be physically used. We are no sex toys. People don’t come to us for sex but for something that goes much deeper.
You made a mistake, yes. And now it’s up to you to decide whether you want to give up already or if you use this chance as another training session. You learnt what actually happens if you give away the upper hand. Are you strong enough to get it back?”
Kato doesn’t answer for a while, stares at the floor and frowns.
“Why are you doing this? I’ve just been giving you extra trouble ever since I started.”
Nishikido blushes and pointedly looks away.
“That’s because, erm, the boss thinks highly of you and if I not make you stay he might end up blaming me and as much trouble you give me being there, you’d give me even more if you quitted. So?”
“What about Yamashita?” Kato asks, sounding unsure.
Nishikido gets up.
“No more private room sessions. And stop giving him puppy-dog-eyes.”
“Why not?” Kato asks a bit confused as he follows Nishikido back to the door.
“Because- well because they… they don’t have any effect on him anyway.”
For the first time in days Kato actually laughs.
“But if they don’t have any effect why should I stop then?”
Nishikido babbles something unintelligible while putting on his shoes.
“Well anyway. See you tomorrow night.”
Nishikido makes the mistake to turn around to meet Kato smiling brightly and honestly at him.
When Nishikido is halfway out the door, Kato speaks up again.
“Nishikido-kun? Thank you.”
Nishikido just waves a hand in dismissal without turning around again but not because he wouldn’t want to but because he wants to hide his blush.
Yamashita’s face lights up when he sees Kato entering the main room. Another host sits next to Yamashita but he doesn’t even listen to him anymore. Kato gives him an unsure smile, looks around the rest of the room.
When he locks eyes with Nishikido, the older gives him a reassuring smile and Kato smiles back, nods at him and then puts on his brightest smile as he goes over to greet Yamashita.
The other host gets up to go to another customer as he realizes Yamashita being only interested in Kato.
“I’m sorry for getting you into so much trouble because of me.” Yamashita whispers and Kato fights against his blush.
“No, I’m sorry. It was unprofessional. You come here to forget about your daily worries and instead I, erm, burdened you with my... erm… problems.”
Yamashita sniggers.
“I wouldn’t exactly call it a burden though.”
Kato immediately blushes and jumps out of his seat trying to gain back his coolness.
“What about something to drink?”
“Sure. The wine I had last time wasn’t too bad. And maybe something sweet to eat.”
It’s another short exchange of looks between him and Nishikido that focuses Kato again and he sets up a smile again.
“Our fruit basket is highly recommended. There are fruits from all over the world.”
Yamashita laughs.
“Yeah, why not.”
Eventually Kato gains back his confidence, takes a couple of weeks off during exam season and gets back to working part-time for two days a week.
When the summer break rolls by Kato gets hired fulltime for the two months and he quickly gains more customers and regulars. He gets requested far more often and the owner jokes about how Kato will surpass Nishikido as the number one host in no time if he ever decided to work here completely.
Kato laughs it off by saying that he could never compete with someone like Nishikido Ryo but secretly his heart swells upon hearing this.
Kato knows that without Nishikido around he would have never made it this far and when he looks at the weekly schedule and sees that they both will be off for coming Wednesday, he asks Nishikido out for dinner.
“Why should I go out with you?” Nishikido blurts out but can’t quite meet Kato’s gaze with his eyes shining bright and a huge smile plastered on his face.
“I want to thank you for the training and for- well- saving me. I wouldn’t be here anymore without you constantly supporting me.”
“You could just say thank you.” Nishikido mumbles.
But Kato stays persistent, shakes his head.
“This is my gratitude for you helping me no matter how much trouble I caused you over the last one and a half years. It’s about time I get to repay my dues. Unless you are busy…”
“Okay whatever. I will pick you up at 8, I get to choose the restaurant and you pay.”
Kato’s face lights up even more. Nishikido shudders.
“And rub that grin out of your face. It’s creepy.”
If possible Kato only smiles wider.
It’s a nice warm summer night and instead of going right to the station they decide to walk through the park instead, shoulders bumping with one too many beers in their systems. They talk about anything but work, mostly about music, movies or Shige’s studies.
But eventually, in the silence of the park with only the crickets chirping and the city sounds so seemingly far away, the talk gets much more personal.
“I got kicked out of home when I was 16 and since I heard that life is so much better in Tokyo anyway, I just decided coming here.” Nishikido says matter-of-factly, as if he’s reading the weather report. “I tried finding a job but who would hire a kid without any education? Eventually I came across Roses and while I was way too young working their as a host the boss let me help out. I cleaned up when everyone was gone and did all the shitty-work.
But it brought in money and by the time I turned 20 I had learnt enough about hosting that I got hired as a host.”
Kato frowns, worries on his bottom lip.
“Why can love not exist in this business?” Kato blurts out eventually, stops walking even.
Nishikido comes to a halt several steps ahead and turns around.
Nishikido eyes Kato for a moment, the way his face gets lit by the street lamp a few feet away, takes in Kato’s silhouette, the way he has grown broader due to him working out, the way he stands straight now, confident, shoulders not hunched anymore.
“Yamashita says there’s always room for love.” Kato continues and he sounds stubborn and Nishikido can actually imagine Kato also stomping his foot for effect.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Nishikido eventually answers voice bitter. He shoves his hands into the pockets of his jeans, steps back to where Kato is still standing unmoving.
“And you do?” Kato retorts competitive.
“No, but I’ve seen people who did. They fall in love with a customer who promises them the world and once they give in they get conned and get left behind broken.”
“But what if Yamashita was different, what if…”
“They all are different Shige, that’s what you want to believe. That the one you fall for, the one who makes you fall will be the one. But Shige what can you offer him? What can you offer someone like Yamashita who owns the world already? No sooner do you leave this club with him will he realize that there is nothing special about you for him, that there is nothing you can offer him. You are interesting because he has to pay for you but that’s all there is to it.”
The silence between them is heavy now and Kato averts his gaze.
“But it’s lonely, this life then…” Kato eventually whispers.
“You always have a price to pay.”
“So you’ve never loved?”
Nishikido is a bit taken aback but then he smiles.
“Oh I did. But he was no customer and neither a host. But it’s hard, Shige, more than you can imagine.”
“But I don’t want to stay lonely for the rest of my life. I’d rather give up on this. I already have a hard time not telling any of my friends about my second life.” Kato whines.
Nishikido gazes at him again then he does the only thing he can imagine doing and so he steps forward and pulls Kato into a tight embrace.
“You’re not alone, Shige.” Nishikido murmurs into Kato’s neck and eventually Kato hugs him back.
“You’re not alone.” Nishikido repeats and Kato pulls him only closer.
“Do not go.” Kato whispers eventually and Nishikido lets out a little snort.
“I have nowhere else to go anyway.”
Kato chuckles at that and pulls away.
“Way to ruin the moment, Nishikido-kun.”
They still stand close and Nishikido sees the soft smile playing around Kato’s lips, his eyes shining despite the dimness around them. He sees it clearly now, the reason Kato got hired, the reason someone as Yamashita would like being around him and only him, the reason he himself fell so quick and so deep. And for a moment he’s glad he’s the host and not the customer.
And so he leans forward, closes the small distance that is left and presses his lips on Kato’s, pulling him close again in the process.
Kato makes a surprised squeak again but recovers much quicker than before, tilting his head and kissing Nishikido back. It’s slow, almost lazy, as if they have all the time in the world, their tongues shyly dancing with each other, bodies pressing together as close as possible.
When Kato pulls away after a while he snuggles.
“What was that for? Loosing me up again?”
Nishikido rolls his eyes, pulls away completely.
“No jerk, if you don’t even get that than I don’t know how you got into university in the first place.”
Nishikido turns around and stomps away but Kato gets to him quickly, laughter echoing in the silence of the park and when he catches up with Nishikido he grabs his hand and interlaces their fingers.
“Thank you again, Nishikido-kun. For everything.” Kato whispers.
Nishikido only snorts.
Bonus
Yamashita comes back to the host club a couple of weeks later and the bright smile he wears on his face easily competes with the one Kato is greeting him with.
They settle down in one of the booths and Yamashita orders their finest champagne because he has something to celebrate.
“What is the good news?” Kato asks as he sits down next to Yamashita.
There’s a mischievous grin on Yamashita’s face as he shakes his head.
“You look especially happy today. Did you find the answer to your question after all?” Yamashita asks instead.
Kato chuckles, risks a look in the direction of where Nishikido is talking a woman into buying the better champagne and Yamashita immediately turns around to follow his gaze.
He grins and turns back and Kato meets his smile, his eyes shining.
“I found my answer, too.” Yamashita says when Kato’s smile is all he needs to know.
Kato looks confused.
“After you asked me that, I wondered afterwards, whether love really had a place everywhere. I wondered whether there is room for love in my business. I actually doubted it. How can there be love if I have to travel around the world on a regular basis? How could anyone keep up with that?”
“And? What is your answer?”
Yamashita smiles and pulls a picture out of his wallet. It shows him arm in arm with a foxy haired guy, cheesy grins, shining eyes and for anyone who looked at it, it seems like they are the bests of friends. But Shige senses that there is more to it.
“Shige, I won’t be coming back hopefully for a long time. I’m saying goodbye to you tonight. Thank you for everything though.”
They smile at each other and Kato doesn’t even hide that he’s a little sad.
And when Yamashita offers him a glass of champagne, Kato takes it without thinking.
----------
Do not hate me? xD
Kato laughs dismissively and tries to make it sound not too hollow.
“I’m just having a lot of exams coming up. How’s the wine?”
Yamashita lets it slip, the way Kato sometimes can’t hide the fake and instead talks about how his grandfather grows wine himself. He tells him about how he once helped picking the grapes and pressing the juice out of them back when he was a kid. And then he tells him when he was in France three months ago and got invited to a wine tasting event.
And while Yamashita gets lost in explaining all the different kinds of wines Kato briefly wonders whether love is really something impossible.
“Shige, you are not even listening.” Yamashita whines and Kato snaps back into reality.
“Sorry.” Kato mumbles and Yamashita laughs.
“Shige, what is on your mind?”
Kato says nothing for a while, worries on his bottom lip, a habit he knows he should stop but finds he can’t.
“It’s just- I’m wondering… How can there be a place where there is no room for love?”
Yamashita gives him an amused look and Kato hates himself a bit for sounding so naïve.
“Who said that?” Yamashita asks and Kato shrugs.
“A colleague.”
Yamashita smiles at him.
“I think there’s always room for love.”
Yamashita keeps on smiling and Kato hopes he’s right when there is silence and all they do is look at each other.
Eventually Yamashita raises his hand and pats Kato’s head.
“Shige, what do they tell you about kissing?”
The smile is gone, Yamashita’s hand now lightly brushing over Kato’s cheek. The university student leans into the soft touch, closes his eyes and shakes his eyes.
“Forbidden towards customers.”
Yamashita nods but Kato can’t see instead enjoys Yamashita’s thumb softly caressing his cheekbone.
“We come here for a little bit of affection and we sometimes forget that affection is what you want, too.” Yamashita sighs and Kato opens his eyes in time to see Yamashita putting his glass away and favour of pulling Kato into a tight embrace.
“I would like to kiss you now but I don’t want to put you into trouble.” Yamashita mumbles, buries his head into the crook of Kato’s neck, hand threading into Kato’s hair.
Kato sighs, mirrors Yamashita’s actions and pulls him even closer. They sit like this for a while, Yamashita drawing circles on Kato’s back, nose softly bumping on his neck, his ear, a touch almost as mind spinning as kissing him.
“Is there a place in this room the camera can’t reach?” Yamashita whispers, hand trailing down to the waistband of Kato’s suit pants.
Kato nods into Yamashita’s neck.
“Directly underneath it in the corner next to the door. But there’s not much room.” Kato answers voice shaky.
Yamashita finally pulls away, smiles brightly at him and Kato is confused.
“Bring me another bottle of wine, will you?”
Kato nods and gets up, a frown on his face.
The moment he comes back and closes the door he almost lets out a squeak when Yamashita pulls him away from the door and into the corner Kato knows doesn’t get caught by the camera. He almost lets the bottle slip out of his hand when Yamashita presses himself against him and pushes him flush against the wall, the doorway digging painfully in his back.
“I’m not going to kiss you.” Yamashita murmurs as he buries his head back in the crook of Kato’s neck and the host nods.
“The bottle.” Kato manages to say and Yamashita pulls away long enough so Kato can put the bottle a few feet away.
Yamashita doesn’t waste time unfastening the belt on Kato’s suit pants, pushes his one hand in as soon as he pushed the zipper down, supporting Kato with the other as his knees suddenly give in as Yamashita gives a first experimental squeeze to Kato’s half-hard cock.
Kato hisses, fists his hands into Yamashita’s shirt as the other as much as softly blows into his ear, making Kato shudder. Two gallant thrusts and Kato is hard, panting into Yamashita’s shoulder.
“Consider this as a small tip.” Yamashita whispers pulling his hand out of Kato’s boxers.
Kato starts whining but Yamashita only chuckles, pulls down his pants along with his boxer and goes on his knees. Kato is about to protest but then Yamashita takes his cock in his mouth and Kato has to press his lips together in order not to moan loudly.
Yamashita delicately swirls his tongue around the tip and Kato jolts forward, needing more of the friction.
“Yamashita, please…” Kato hisses and Yamashita smirks before taking him fully into his mouth again, holding Kato in place by his hips.
He begins to move, sets up a decent pace, tongue working around Kato’s erection as if he’s never done anything else and Kato bites into his knuckles in order not to let a sound slip out of his mouth.
It’s been long, so long someone touched him and Kato knows he can’t last long and then Yamashita starts humming and Kato makes the mistake to look down the moment Yamashita looks up and when their gazes meet Kato hisses, warns Yamashita but the other just seems to suck even eager and that’s when Kato can’t take it anymore and comes right into Yamashita’s mouth, seeing stars all over.
Yamashita delicately licks his lips, helps Kato get dressed again and is about to say something when there is a knock on the door and Yamashita just has enough time to get seated again before the door opens and Nishikido stands on the other side.
He takes in the look Kato gives and immediately his eyes narrow.
“Can I have a second?” he asks and Kato nods but makes no intention on actually stepping forward.
Nishikido turns over to where Yamashita sits and immediately a polite smile grows on his lips.
“Please excuse us for a moment, I will bring him back in no time.”
Yamashita waves his hand in dismissal and continues drinking his wine while Nishikido drags Kato out by his wrist.
He pulls the university student into the empty dressing room and roughly shoves him against the next wall.
“Are you crazy or what? What did I tell you about customer-host-relationships?” Nishikido growls, drawing one step too close towards Kato.
“N-no kissing?” Kato answers, voice shaky.
Nishikido’s eyes darken, if possible, even more and he rolls his eyes.
“If the boss ever watches the surveillance video too closely you are doomed. This is a host club and no fucking whorehouse. I switched off the camera for now but if this happens ever again I’m going to report you.”
“B-But the camera doesn’t…”
“The boss is not stupid. Don’t you think it’s rather suspicious when there is no one onscreen for 10 minutes even though you are nowhere to be seen outside the room?”
Kato gulps.
“And you talked about this love bullshit earlier. I’m disappointed in you. I didn’t train you to become a fucking whore!” Nishikido spits, before turning around and leaving.
Kato gapes in horror.
Kato really considers quitting. He refuses getting out of bed for five days straight, doesn’t turn up for his exams and doesn’t go to work even though he knows he’ll cause more trouble by not going. He ignores phone calls and doesn’t open the door to anyone.
That is until a very persistent person demands attention and constantly rings his bell until Kato can’t ignore it anymore and with a curse on his lips opens the door to reveal a very annoyed looking Nishikido.
“I really hope you are so sick you can’t even answer a fucking phone call. But seeing that you can as much as open the door I figure you have a better excuse for not turning up to work.”
Nishikido crosses his arms in front of his chest, tapping his foot impatiently.
“Erm.” Kato answers.
Then he hangs his head and sighs. “I’m sorry, it’s just that…”
“Well?”
“I- kind of got caught in the moment and… look, I’m sorry, okay? Maybe I’m just not suitable for being a host after all. I- I guess I’m just going to quit after all.”
Nishikido rolls his eyes then ushers Kato back into his apartment and follows him uninvited.
A little confused Kato leads him into the living room and as they sit down Nishikido massages the bridge of his nose.
“Look, this has nothing to do with being suitable as a host or not. If people come for you and pay for you and you keep them entertained so they come back, I guess that’s what makes you more or less suitable.”
Nishikido sighs again, considers for a moment what to say.
“We’ve all started like this. I’m not telling you all this crap because I want to trouble you but because it’s necessary. I’m not telling you there’s no love because it can’t happen but because you have to stay professional. We all make mistakes in the beginning and we’re all humans, affectionate and we want to be adored and loved and could loose ourselves in someone else’s touches and words all the time. But we are hosts, and as a host you have to keep your pride.
There’s an unwritten rule that hosts are not be touched or in any other way to be physically used. We are no sex toys. People don’t come to us for sex but for something that goes much deeper.
You made a mistake, yes. And now it’s up to you to decide whether you want to give up already or if you use this chance as another training session. You learnt what actually happens if you give away the upper hand. Are you strong enough to get it back?”
Kato doesn’t answer for a while, stares at the floor and frowns.
“Why are you doing this? I’ve just been giving you extra trouble ever since I started.”
Nishikido blushes and pointedly looks away.
“That’s because, erm, the boss thinks highly of you and if I not make you stay he might end up blaming me and as much trouble you give me being there, you’d give me even more if you quitted. So?”
“What about Yamashita?” Kato asks, sounding unsure.
Nishikido gets up.
“No more private room sessions. And stop giving him puppy-dog-eyes.”
“Why not?” Kato asks a bit confused as he follows Nishikido back to the door.
“Because- well because they… they don’t have any effect on him anyway.”
For the first time in days Kato actually laughs.
“But if they don’t have any effect why should I stop then?”
Nishikido babbles something unintelligible while putting on his shoes.
“Well anyway. See you tomorrow night.”
Nishikido makes the mistake to turn around to meet Kato smiling brightly and honestly at him.
When Nishikido is halfway out the door, Kato speaks up again.
“Nishikido-kun? Thank you.”
Nishikido just waves a hand in dismissal without turning around again but not because he wouldn’t want to but because he wants to hide his blush.
Yamashita’s face lights up when he sees Kato entering the main room. Another host sits next to Yamashita but he doesn’t even listen to him anymore. Kato gives him an unsure smile, looks around the rest of the room.
When he locks eyes with Nishikido, the older gives him a reassuring smile and Kato smiles back, nods at him and then puts on his brightest smile as he goes over to greet Yamashita.
The other host gets up to go to another customer as he realizes Yamashita being only interested in Kato.
“I’m sorry for getting you into so much trouble because of me.” Yamashita whispers and Kato fights against his blush.
“No, I’m sorry. It was unprofessional. You come here to forget about your daily worries and instead I, erm, burdened you with my... erm… problems.”
Yamashita sniggers.
“I wouldn’t exactly call it a burden though.”
Kato immediately blushes and jumps out of his seat trying to gain back his coolness.
“What about something to drink?”
“Sure. The wine I had last time wasn’t too bad. And maybe something sweet to eat.”
It’s another short exchange of looks between him and Nishikido that focuses Kato again and he sets up a smile again.
“Our fruit basket is highly recommended. There are fruits from all over the world.”
Yamashita laughs.
“Yeah, why not.”
Eventually Kato gains back his confidence, takes a couple of weeks off during exam season and gets back to working part-time for two days a week.
When the summer break rolls by Kato gets hired fulltime for the two months and he quickly gains more customers and regulars. He gets requested far more often and the owner jokes about how Kato will surpass Nishikido as the number one host in no time if he ever decided to work here completely.
Kato laughs it off by saying that he could never compete with someone like Nishikido Ryo but secretly his heart swells upon hearing this.
Kato knows that without Nishikido around he would have never made it this far and when he looks at the weekly schedule and sees that they both will be off for coming Wednesday, he asks Nishikido out for dinner.
“Why should I go out with you?” Nishikido blurts out but can’t quite meet Kato’s gaze with his eyes shining bright and a huge smile plastered on his face.
“I want to thank you for the training and for- well- saving me. I wouldn’t be here anymore without you constantly supporting me.”
“You could just say thank you.” Nishikido mumbles.
But Kato stays persistent, shakes his head.
“This is my gratitude for you helping me no matter how much trouble I caused you over the last one and a half years. It’s about time I get to repay my dues. Unless you are busy…”
“Okay whatever. I will pick you up at 8, I get to choose the restaurant and you pay.”
Kato’s face lights up even more. Nishikido shudders.
“And rub that grin out of your face. It’s creepy.”
If possible Kato only smiles wider.
It’s a nice warm summer night and instead of going right to the station they decide to walk through the park instead, shoulders bumping with one too many beers in their systems. They talk about anything but work, mostly about music, movies or Shige’s studies.
But eventually, in the silence of the park with only the crickets chirping and the city sounds so seemingly far away, the talk gets much more personal.
“I got kicked out of home when I was 16 and since I heard that life is so much better in Tokyo anyway, I just decided coming here.” Nishikido says matter-of-factly, as if he’s reading the weather report. “I tried finding a job but who would hire a kid without any education? Eventually I came across Roses and while I was way too young working their as a host the boss let me help out. I cleaned up when everyone was gone and did all the shitty-work.
But it brought in money and by the time I turned 20 I had learnt enough about hosting that I got hired as a host.”
Kato frowns, worries on his bottom lip.
“Why can love not exist in this business?” Kato blurts out eventually, stops walking even.
Nishikido comes to a halt several steps ahead and turns around.
Nishikido eyes Kato for a moment, the way his face gets lit by the street lamp a few feet away, takes in Kato’s silhouette, the way he has grown broader due to him working out, the way he stands straight now, confident, shoulders not hunched anymore.
“Yamashita says there’s always room for love.” Kato continues and he sounds stubborn and Nishikido can actually imagine Kato also stomping his foot for effect.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Nishikido eventually answers voice bitter. He shoves his hands into the pockets of his jeans, steps back to where Kato is still standing unmoving.
“And you do?” Kato retorts competitive.
“No, but I’ve seen people who did. They fall in love with a customer who promises them the world and once they give in they get conned and get left behind broken.”
“But what if Yamashita was different, what if…”
“They all are different Shige, that’s what you want to believe. That the one you fall for, the one who makes you fall will be the one. But Shige what can you offer him? What can you offer someone like Yamashita who owns the world already? No sooner do you leave this club with him will he realize that there is nothing special about you for him, that there is nothing you can offer him. You are interesting because he has to pay for you but that’s all there is to it.”
The silence between them is heavy now and Kato averts his gaze.
“But it’s lonely, this life then…” Kato eventually whispers.
“You always have a price to pay.”
“So you’ve never loved?”
Nishikido is a bit taken aback but then he smiles.
“Oh I did. But he was no customer and neither a host. But it’s hard, Shige, more than you can imagine.”
“But I don’t want to stay lonely for the rest of my life. I’d rather give up on this. I already have a hard time not telling any of my friends about my second life.” Kato whines.
Nishikido gazes at him again then he does the only thing he can imagine doing and so he steps forward and pulls Kato into a tight embrace.
“You’re not alone, Shige.” Nishikido murmurs into Kato’s neck and eventually Kato hugs him back.
“You’re not alone.” Nishikido repeats and Kato pulls him only closer.
“Do not go.” Kato whispers eventually and Nishikido lets out a little snort.
“I have nowhere else to go anyway.”
Kato chuckles at that and pulls away.
“Way to ruin the moment, Nishikido-kun.”
They still stand close and Nishikido sees the soft smile playing around Kato’s lips, his eyes shining despite the dimness around them. He sees it clearly now, the reason Kato got hired, the reason someone as Yamashita would like being around him and only him, the reason he himself fell so quick and so deep. And for a moment he’s glad he’s the host and not the customer.
And so he leans forward, closes the small distance that is left and presses his lips on Kato’s, pulling him close again in the process.
Kato makes a surprised squeak again but recovers much quicker than before, tilting his head and kissing Nishikido back. It’s slow, almost lazy, as if they have all the time in the world, their tongues shyly dancing with each other, bodies pressing together as close as possible.
When Kato pulls away after a while he snuggles.
“What was that for? Loosing me up again?”
Nishikido rolls his eyes, pulls away completely.
“No jerk, if you don’t even get that than I don’t know how you got into university in the first place.”
Nishikido turns around and stomps away but Kato gets to him quickly, laughter echoing in the silence of the park and when he catches up with Nishikido he grabs his hand and interlaces their fingers.
“Thank you again, Nishikido-kun. For everything.” Kato whispers.
Nishikido only snorts.
Bonus
Yamashita comes back to the host club a couple of weeks later and the bright smile he wears on his face easily competes with the one Kato is greeting him with.
They settle down in one of the booths and Yamashita orders their finest champagne because he has something to celebrate.
“What is the good news?” Kato asks as he sits down next to Yamashita.
There’s a mischievous grin on Yamashita’s face as he shakes his head.
“You look especially happy today. Did you find the answer to your question after all?” Yamashita asks instead.
Kato chuckles, risks a look in the direction of where Nishikido is talking a woman into buying the better champagne and Yamashita immediately turns around to follow his gaze.
He grins and turns back and Kato meets his smile, his eyes shining.
“I found my answer, too.” Yamashita says when Kato’s smile is all he needs to know.
Kato looks confused.
“After you asked me that, I wondered afterwards, whether love really had a place everywhere. I wondered whether there is room for love in my business. I actually doubted it. How can there be love if I have to travel around the world on a regular basis? How could anyone keep up with that?”
“And? What is your answer?”
Yamashita smiles and pulls a picture out of his wallet. It shows him arm in arm with a foxy haired guy, cheesy grins, shining eyes and for anyone who looked at it, it seems like they are the bests of friends. But Shige senses that there is more to it.
“Shige, I won’t be coming back hopefully for a long time. I’m saying goodbye to you tonight. Thank you for everything though.”
They smile at each other and Kato doesn’t even hide that he’s a little sad.
And when Yamashita offers him a glass of champagne, Kato takes it without thinking.
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Do not hate me? xD