Chapter Text
May the passing breeze become the wind in your sails.
Rinne’s wristwatch read ten in the evening when he arrived at his destination. A banner hung from the façade of the house, ripped from white bedsheets and graced with a messy inscription: Happy New Year, bitches!
Whoever had sacrificed their home to throw what had to be the biggest New Year’s party of the century seemed to not shy away from any efforts. The huge white mansion was decorated with colourful flickering fairy lights, loud music with a heavy bass spilt from the few opened windows onto the street. Inside, it seemed like all hell had broken loose. Masses of dancing young adults occupied every space imaginable, from outside in the front yard to the sheer endless amount of rooms under the high roof.
Of course, Rinne would never have dreamt of missing such an event.
Adjusting his jacket – in vain, he knew he looked immaculate – he made his way to the front door. The music only got louder as he passed by a few strangers, and he briefly wondered whether any of his friends had arrived already. Somehow collectively, they had been adamant about him appearing; even the usually rather cold and party-averse HiMERU had reminded him to drop by.
He unlocked his phone and opened their virtual conversation as he pushed himself through the plethora of mostly drunk bodies. His last message had been sent twenty minutes ago. Unread. Just in fashion for someone who was focused on partying their brains out, right?
The sounds of a drinking game drowned out his huff, and he decided it would not hurt to get a drink first. Following the whiff of alcohol, he approached the huge open kitchen. A circle of students had formed on the dark wooden floor, playing Truth or Dare or Kiss Cards or some other party game Rinne was unfamiliar with, mostly due to their lack of actual stakes. More acquainted was he with the orange mop of hair he spotted next to the fridge.
“Yuuta! Throw me a beer, will ya?”
At least he hoped it was the younger one of the inseparable twins. Rinne usually had no issues telling them apart, but in the dimly lit room, his eyes could definitely play tricks on him. The head turned at his call – jackpot! – and green eyes lit up.
“Rinne, you came!”
Stalking through the circle, Rinne patted Yuuta’s hair and flopped down next to him. He gratefully accepted the ice-cold beer that was handed to him through the soupy air. The group resumed their game, Yuuta had declined and twisted his body towards Rinne.
“Didn’t think you’d make it, we pressured you a lot.”
Rinne laughed. “Y’all were super ominous about the reason why, of course I was curious. Speaking of which, where’s your brother?”
A pointed finger directed his gaze towards the farther part of the spacious living room where a bunch of people surrounded an unstable-looking table. The plastic bent under the weight of heavy boxes carrying what looked like an entire store’s supply of firecrackers and other pyrotechnics.
Chiaki, he recognised, cheered and raised his hand to high-five a fired-up Hinata. A different brunet he did not know jumped around, yelling something inaudible against the crowd, and Rinne had the short yet intense feeling of doom flare up in his chest.
“That looks entirely too unsafe.”
“Don’t worry,” Yuuta giggled and chewed on his snack, “Sakuma should be around here somewhere.”
Before Rinne could ask about whoever the fuck this Sakuma was, something hit the back of his head. Behind him stood HiMERU and Niki, looming over him until he scrambled to his feet. More or less enthusiastically returned hugs were exchanged. Rinne spread his arms and grinned.
“I’ve arrived!”
HiMERU turned away, phone in hand. So he did know how to text back.
“Glad you’re here,” Niki smiled and patted his back. “We are going to play wingmen.”
A glimmer of excitement lit up in Rinne’s eyes, and he nodded energetically. Though romance had never really been his strongest suit, a party with a mission sounded way better than one without. “Who are we going to matchmake?”
“You.”
Rei had only one goal for the night: to throw the biggest party this sad excuse of a city had ever seen. So far, it seemed like he was on the right track. He had been wise to invite the Aoi twins whom he, upon meeting, immediately had claimed as his children. They appeared to know the whole city and had greatly helped with gathering enough party-goers to fill his entire house.
Well, not the entire house. He took great care of keeping drunks out of his brother’s room. Ritsu had fled to his own affairs, and although Rei was sad that they would be unable to celebrate the new year together, he knew how much big parties annoyed the pathological sleeper. Internally, he was almost a bit glad Ritsu had left, knowing how much fun the other would have with his newly acquired friends.
Elegantly gliding through the dancing crowd in his living room, he checked the state of the kitchen. The rather calm group that had gathered here appeared to be great at keeping the space clean, and with a wave to his guests, he left to assess the situation outside.
Despite having just moved here, a lot of people who passed him greeted him, patting his shoulders and roaring their praises. A December full of paperwork, a move across the country and a rather moody sibling had finally paid off. While most of the drunkards were students, a lot of them had influential parents and guardians; Rei would definitely be able to profit from those connections in the future.
He shot a vague smile towards someone he had met earlier that night and stepped through the back door into the dark.
“Why me? I don’t need some stupid matchmakin’!” Rinne flapped his arms and huffed. He could very well pick up dates left and right on his own, thank you very much. Plus, with his friends and his quite time-consuming job, he had no time for a relationship. He told Niki as much.
Niki only nodded and pulled him towards the back door by his sleeve. “Yeah, that’s the thing. You annoy us.”
Before Rinne could sputter an incredulous response, they pushed open the door to the garden. The lawn stretched quite far, small lamps illuminating the sea of sunny daffodils nestled into the green. Someone had set up a ping pong table next to a well-cared-for Japanese spindle hedge, yet somehow forgot about adding paddles and balls. Instead, a plastic cup had been placed on one side, four players stood on the other side.
A few people introduced themselves to Rinne and invited the two of them to play with them. Niki pushed him towards the gathering and disappeared with a cheery farewell. “I’ll go find your date!”
Suddenly alone, Rinne frowned. What was that all about?
Subaru, he remembered, came up to him and waved with entirely too much energy. “Hi there! I’m here to explain the rules of our game; Niki told us you’d play!”
What followed were at least ten minutes of rambling about the poker chips they used – a lecture entirely useless on a gambler like Rinne, who would have liked to avoid it gladly. He nodded, grinned and pointed towards the cup, “I just have to throw coins in there, and if I miss, I have to drink? Sounds easy enough.”
Subaru rushed to clarify he could use several chips as well if he wanted to, and Rinne nodded. The more, the better, he decided. Playing without high stakes was no fun, especially in such a simple game.
Behind him, a chuckle resounded. “If you denounce drinking, a kiss sounds like a fair stake as well.”
A shiver, which Rinne would prefer to blame the cold air for, pulsated down his back, raising goosebumps on his exposed forearms. The rumble of the voice urged itself into his nervous system and let his heart palpitate.
He turned around to inspect his turn’s interruption. A kiss would not be necessary, he wanted to fire back snarkily, but a look at the young man posing in front of him made him fall silent.
Through his opened dress shirt, Rinne spotted a necklace brushing well-defined, pale pecs, and he quickly averted his eyes. A gloved hand rested on his thigh, the other was buried in the pocket of his tightly fitting leather pants. The monochrome black was only broken up by a few violet accents, a bracelet here, a bit of glittery makeup there. Around his waist, his criminally slim waist, snaked a silver belt. Rinne noticed a little fang peeking from the other's mouth. Was he dressing up for a very belated Halloween or...?
The nuisance smiled at the very obvious inspection. Self-confident bastard, Rinne thought, and concluded that he hated the guy.
“Rei! Are you playing with us?”
Rei agreed on one round. When he passed by him, the light smell of tobacco and cherries clouded Rinne’s thoughts. His head turned to follow the man’s path involuntarily. Traitor, he cursed his mind.
They gathered around the table to finally play Poker Pong. Inebriated as the others were, they missed most of their shots until it was Rinne’s turn. He chose two of the most valuable jetons and held them tightly between his thumb and index finger. Determined not to lose, he knocked onto the wood in front of him twice before kissing his thumb.
“Superstitious?” The low voice rumbled behind him again, amusedly mocking his fortune ritual.
“Just cautious,” Rinne replied irritatedly and threw the coins.
Somewhere in the distance, a church’s bells rang eleven times. One more hour of this year, and Rei would finally leave behind the shitshow that the past months had been. From leaving his home country – his brother in tow – to starting his own business, life had not treated him exceptionally well.
Shaking his head as if to shake away his thoughts, he decided to seek out Hinata. The twins had, very smugly, told him about someone they wanted to introduce to him, and he could not help feeling enticed. Meeting this town’s folks was what this party was all about, after all.
He found both Hinata and Yuuta upstairs, submerged in one of his overly comfortable chaises longues, seemingly debating something serious if their expressions were anything to go by. Carefully, Rei approached from behind.
“I told you, Flash is faster! His Speed Force is faster than death itself!”
“Yeah, but does Sonic need external powers? No! He’s an alien hedgehog, thus faster by nature!”
A third argument introduced itself with an almost insulted undertone, “Neither of you have considered Quicksilver?”
Rei recognised the stranger as the one he had lost two rounds of Poker Pong against. From his position behind the expensive couch, he could only see the black headband the guy was sporting in his hair, but he was pretty certain he could identify those red locks in any crowd.
“You’re so old! Quicksilver already lost like an hour ago!” Hinata complained to the redhead who had claimed his seat in between the two quarrellers.
“Flash might outrun Sonic, but he can’t throw a punch like him. Plus, once he becomes Super Sonic he’d clap Flash’s cheeks easily.”
Rei sighed and clapped his hands, startling the three. “I wish not to see you discussing such geekery at my festivities.”
Three heads turned towards him. Two almost identical pairs of eyes lit up at his appearance, the last one, a pool of ocean blue with a mischievous glint in it, narrowed. Rei circled the couch to stand in front of them, and only then did he notice the carefully applied wings of eyeliner and a curtain of full lashes of the twins’ accompaniment. The stranger did not yield under his scrutinising gaze.
“There you are!” Yuuta interrupted their staring contest. “We were just collecting New Year’s resolutions when Hinata betrayed me.”
Hinata gasped and whisper-shouted something about lies and trust that his brother ignored in lieu of the obvious tension building up in front of them. Finally, Rei averted his eyes.
“Please, do not fight with your siblings,” he reprimanded his friends. Nothing in the world that he hated more than damaged relationships, torn by unnecessary commentary and futile fury. He lightly patted both the twins’ heads and sat down on a stool. From his back pocket, he produced his lipstick and touched up the bloody red on his lips.
“Well, my children? What shall your resolutions be?”
Hinata went on and on about his dream of finally getting accepted as a helping staff at a bakery, and while the others listened, Rei still felt the stranger’s glare hot on his skin. When Hinata finished, he pulled out his wallet and shoved a bill into Rei’s hand.
“I’m gonna get the temp job at the bakery down the street, and I’m gonna bake Yuuta tons of cakes.”
Rei nodded. A solid resolution, an achievement Hinata could complete easily.
“I’m gonna get my preference for spicy food into this oaf’s head,” Yuuta said solemnly before bursting into a giggle. With a banknote stolen from his brother’s wallet, he promised, “I’m going to find a major that suits me.”
Knowing how much Yuuta struggled with deciding things on his own, Rei smiled at him. Last New Year’s Eve, is what Yuuta had told him in private, they had been a lot greener, had settled on a childish little bet only they could understand; he was proud of his kids for coming so far, although he had not taken part in it himself.
Stowing away the money in the depths of one of his pockets, Rei hummed. Of course, he wished for his business to flourish, wanted to work to improve his relationship with his brother; yet he rejected the idea of those affairs becoming part of a silly game among friends. In the end, he opted for a safe, though foreseeable, choice.
“I believe I wish to become closer with the inhabitants of this town. I am new here, after all.”
“What’s this?” The stranger suddenly chimed in. “A bet? I wanna join in, too!”
Hinata beamed and giddily explained, “It’s a game we came up with! We each choose a New Year’s resolution, an objective we have to attain, and put one tenner into the pot. The person who reaches their goal first wins the pot.”
Rei watched as his guest contemplated.
“Fine,” his voice a bit hoarse from the content of his cup, he agreed, “I’m gonna get ma degree, and–”
“You are a student?” Rei blurted out with barely veiled interest.
“Combined Maths and Biology,” the other grinned toothily, obviously delighted he had caught him off-guard. “Stochastics, to be precise. Gambles’ve always been my strong suit.”
Unwilling to look stupid, Rei forced his jaw shut. He had not expected that from the man who had beaten him in Poker Pong by sheer luck.
“You–, apologies, what’s your name again?”
Yuuta raised his voice abruptly, sounding rather incredulous, “Hold on, you two haven’t been introduced to each other yet?” Turning to his twin, he squawked, “I thought you wanted to do that!”
Hinata defended himself with a protective raise of his hands. “They looked so intimate, I thought you had done it without me already.”
Rei appeased the two with a calm smile. “The night is young.”
“This, my dear Rinne, is the star of the evening, the host of this,” Hinata waved to the scene around them, “amazing event.”
Yuuta joined his twin, “We present to you: Rei Sakuma!”
Rinne’s thoughts raced. This eccentric of a man was the host of this party? Even worse, he had beaten him mercilessly in the game they had played earlier. Usually, he would pay the guys who lost against him no mind, only when they were exceptionally poor losers, when they needed a lesson in probabilities. He was no bad guest, though, never overstaying his welcome, never drinking over his limit. Had he known, he might have been a little nicer.
Maybe.
This time around, he might have made an exception.
In hindsight, Rinne should have known. The way Rei was carrying himself, his complacent grin, the manner in which he swished his red wine in his glass. Seriously, who drank red wine at a party? What’s more, from a crystal glass?
His own introduction went over his head. He knew how he had met the twins – two years ago, when they had almost run him over in their typical rush, yada yada – so why bother to listen when he could watch those ridiculous fangs flashing from the stranger’s, no, Rei’s mouth. His gaze drifted over the red ribbon tied into the other’s dark hair to the slight blush painting the tips of his ears pink. A blazing burst of something distinctly desirous heated up his cheeks.
No, no, nonono, not now, not him. Please, don’t let my next crush be this oddball.
Treasonous as they were, Hinata and Yuuta left to collect more betting money from other guests. Discarding the stool with a pervading smile, Rei fell onto the couch next to Rinne.
“You were unable to express your resolution.”
Trying his best (and failing) to ignore the faintest touch of leather against his hand, Rinne coughed. He made the mistake of looking into Rei’s alluring eyes – red and dark and omniscient – and God, he never wanted to look away again. He used to make fun of lovers when they told him about ‘getting lost in each others’ eyes’, what had changed?
And what was it he had wanted to say again? His mind blanked. How pathetic, a small voice inside his mind added. Rei waited patiently, and so clearly amused, the corners of his mouth twitching. His resolution. Right. Maths.
“I’m going to finish my degree… without any romantic ventures.”
Rinne only bet on games he knew he could win, and love had always been an awful gamble.
No romantic ventures.
Rei was quite unwilling to let that statement deter the plans that had started to form in the back of his mind. He would not push further than necessary, but if the way Rinne had undressed him with his eyes earlier was anything to go by, he would not mind a slight nudge into the right direction.
Hopefully.
“There is still time until the New Year,” he started. “The bet only begins at midnight.”
Enjoying the blush on Rinne’s cheeks, Rei regarded his now-empty glass. Languidly, he got up and stretched. Another Château Amour would ease him into the new year just right.
“Of course, I will draw back if,” and he deliberately placed a gloved hand on his stomach and let the soft fabric of his dress shirt ride up, revealing the most immodest sliver of skin, “that is what you want.”
He revelled in the way Rinne swallowed dryly, eyes transfixed on his waist. When he turned around, the gaze wandered over his back up to his exposed neck. Two steps taken in the direction of his kitchen and a warm hand closed around his cool wrist.
Wordlessly, as if he did not understand his own actions, Rinne stared up at him. His lips slowly stretched into a grin. “Are you always this easy?”
“Only for the charming ones.“
With that, he grabbed Rinne’s hand and pulled him to stand entirely too close to him. The thought of his vacated rooftop flashed through his head. From there, they could enjoy the fireworks as well, provided Rinne stayed that long. They wriggled through the crowd until they reached a locked door with a big Do not pass sign, which made Rei turn to his company.
“A blessing, to have the owner of this home at your service.” And then he winked, actually winked, and it looked like a small piece of Rinne died inside him.
The door opened to a small hallway of which three doors led away. Disregarding the others, Rei headed for the one situated farthest from them. The metal door closed behind them with a heavy thud, the music suddenly muffled. It seemed most party-goers had fled into the warmth of the mansion, only a few groups stood in the garden now.
The night had cooled down significantly. A few distant stars blinked blearily at them, barely visible from their location in the middle of an exceedingly lit-up city. The rooftop had been the last concern of the newly moved-in homeowner; only a few unopened packages with outdoor furniture stood on the right side, stored safely under a plastic tarp. His brother had selfishly claimed the room closest to the rooftop, and Rei had let him. That did not mean he would not use the roof whenever he could. They had chosen the unassembled sun loungers together, opting for comfort over anything else, not knowing how much work it was to set them up.
“Excuse the mess. My brother and I both lack the skill to build these by ourselves.”
Rinne nodded and stepped up to the railing. He had lost his drink somewhere along the way, his hands now awkwardly empty. The ring around his middle finger let out a quiet clink when he rested his hands on the metal.
“You have a nice view from ‘ere.”
“I do,” Rei mumbled, unable to avert his gaze from the man before him. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes and shook it in the direction of Rinne. “Do you mind if I smoke?”
The click of his lighter echoed in the silence. Rinne watched the butt of the cigarette light up and the fog Rei blew out disappear into the dark. Leaning against the railing, Rei breathed slowly.
“The clock strikes midnight soon,” he spoke softly. “If you do not wish to lose…”
“Now, I don’t cheat, but you are the only one who knows about my stake.”
“I sure hope you plan to kiss me for the right reasons then,” Rei chuckled, “and not because you feel sorry for beating me in a drinking game.”
The fresh air carried away most of his inebriation. The cold breeze crawled under his dress shirt and through the thin fabric of his gloves, and he could hardly suppress a shudder. Internally, he cursed himself for acting so rashly and not having taken a coat. Hoping that he would appear as slick, he scooted closer to Rinne and closed his eyes. He knew the other examined him closely.
Below them, a countdown was started. Rei’s eyes shot open.
10!
In an instant, Rinne reached out to hold his cheek, bringing his lips closely to Rei’s. His other, incredibly warm hand came to rest on Rei’s waist, plucking at his shirt. The cold had vanished from his system completely.
9!
Rei took in the soothing scent of honey. He realised it had to be the other’s chapstick, and the idea of Rinne applying it swiped the breath from his lungs.
8!
Their noses knocked together. It seemed like every part of Rinne was warm. Rei hoped he did not mind his perpetually arctic skin on his.
7!
Rei closed his eyes again.
6!
He could nearly taste the other’s smirk on his lips.
5!
The world spun around him dizzyingly fast.
4!
All of his pains and fears were drowned out by the imminent feeling of Rinne around him. He could only briefly wonder when had been the last time he had felt so safe in someone else’s embrace.
3!
2!
1!
Fireworks struck behind his eyelids.
Kissing a stranger on the roof of said stranger’s house was not how Rinne had imagined his New Year’s Eve (though he had played with the idea of a romantic smooch), but upon tasting his strong cherry schnapps mix with Rei’s red wine, he found he did not mind. The soft lips on his own made a very convincing argument. He also discovered that the fangs were very real, and very sharp, and very, very hot.
Someone, probably one of the twins, whistled insinuatingly from their place down below in the garden.
He rolled his eyes and blindly flipped off the interferer with his right hand, his left hand occupied with holding Rei’s waist. Perfectly manicured fingers slid across the expanse of his stomach, and a ripple ran through the muscles beneath his skin.
“Behave.” Rei’s chuckle vibrated on the tender skin of his neck as he nosed at it. “It appears I have won our little game already. You lost, Stochastics major.”
Losing never felt so good, Rinne decided. And in a way, he had won much more than just a game.