"Tatsuya."

"Yoshio."

"Why are we here?"

"To get drunk."

"Have you actually forgotten what happened the last time I was under the influence of heavy alcohol?"

"I'm here to get drunk, then," Tatsuya relented, flashing Yoshio his patented pretty-boy smile (which looked six kinds of ridiculous on his pushing-forty partner). To the bluenette's unimpressed brow raise, he added, "Look, cut me some slack, will ya? I got passed over on a job for that newbie girl; I wanna drown my sorrows. I mean, she's gotta be sleeping with a higher-up, right? I am ten times the investigator she is!"

"You're almost twice her age; does that count for something?"

"...I'd tell you to go home, but I know that's what you want, Yoshio, so - get in there!"

Tatsuya dramatically flung open the bar's door and shepherded Yoshio inside, both hands pressing into his back as though the man was planning to run the first chance he got. Admittedly, it wasn't the furthest thing from his mind; Yoshio only ever went to bars when he was forced to (such as right now), or if he was meeting someone there. But he didn't fight Tatsuya, because - like with so many of his co-workers - it was simply easier to let them play out their desired scenarios.

However, Yoshio found himself stopping before he reached the bar, his eyes zeroing in on a certain pink-haired patron.

"...What a coincidence."

From the looks of things, he'd caught Naoki mid-rant - the bartender currently suffering the host's complaints leaned back slightly from the bar, the glass he'd been cleaning clinking as it settled on the varnished wood. Surprise flickered across the Naoki's features before he smoothed away the expression, painting on a smile that marginally resembled the one he'd been so carefree with during their time together at the club.

"Oh! It's you," Naoki replied.

    "Another of your companions?" the bartender questioned untactfully.

    "Like hell," Koji dismissed easily. "A guy from the club. Came with a bunch of regulars."

    That said, he focused on Yoshio again, cocking his head thoughtfully.

    "Thought you said you didn't hold your drink well, Yoshio-kun. What're you doing in this place?"

    Yoshio glanced pointedly at Tatsuya, who'd already seated himself at the bar, right next to a young woman with admittedly admirable assets. His friend - co-worker - snuck him a smug smile before clinking glasses (Yoshio wasn't sure how he'd ordered so fast) with his new companion, looking very much over his disgruntlement from earlier.

    Seeing no better option, Yoshio pulled out the seat beside Naoki - or, wait. Host's used fake names, didn't they? He looked curiously at the man next to him, head cocked.

    "I didn't have much of a choice," he said in response to the man's question. "More importantly, what's your name?"

    "My name?" Naoki echoed, furrowing his brow. "Ah, right, the club."

    He sat in silence for a moment, appearing to consider the question. Perhaps he wasn't one to associate with his clients outside of the club, and that made him wary about giving out his real name? Yoshio wasn't going to pry if that was the case. He wasn't planning on prying in any case, truth be told. If the host didn't want to reveal himself, it wasn't any of Yoshio's concern. He cared more about biding his time until Tatsuya was sufficiently plastered, thereby giving Yoshio the excuse to take him home and get home himself.

    "Koji."

    Yoshio's attention snapped back to the host - Koji?

    "Taguchi Koji," he said, his lips turning up in another smile. "Almost a host's name on its own, isn't it?"

    "Is it?" Yoshio asked, genuinely unsure. It wasn't like he frequented host bars all that much. Tatsuya might know, if only because he'd had more than his fair share of girlfriends in the past. "In any case, nice to see you again, Taguchi-san."

    It wasn't that nice - it wasn't that anything, really. Yoshio knew how to be polite. That was all.

    "Same about yourself," Koji answered easily, already turning his attention back to the long-since-emptied glass settled before him. Yoshio couldn't tell what he was drinking, the liquid dark and ambiguous in his glass."Hey, barkeep--"
    "Koji, what have I told you about being so--"

    "Two Bloody Marys," Koji interrupted, holding up two fingers. His lips twitched in amusement at the sight of the annoyed look he received in response to his dismissing of what the bartender had begun to say. "One for me, and one for my friend."

    Yoshio studied the red drink the bartender set in front of him apprehensively. There was vodka in this. Vodka did not mix well with him, in his experience. But - he glanced at Koji, who was already downing his own drink. It wasn't that he wanted to match Koji in terms of tolerance (not only because he knew he couldn't; he just didn't care that much); he'd just already been rude to Koji, both here and at the club. There wasn't any reason he couldn't indulge in one drink.

    Probably.

    "Thanks," he said, lifting his glass towards Koji, before taking a tentative sip. Almost instantly, he regretted it. He couldn't taste the vodka, but he could definitely feel it, and God... his head was going to be spinning if he had more than one of these.

    So maybe he was a lightweight. He didn't drink for a reason, after all.

    "No problem," Koji replied instantly. "So, is this a regular thing of yours? Getting dragged places?"

    "You could say that," Yoshio agreed, knitting his brow together as he stared down at his drink. He'd only taken a few sips - he had more than half the glass to finish. "It's actually usually Tatsuya" - he made a vague gesture at where his friend-overly-friendly-partner was busy laughing it up with the woman - "who forces me to go with him; the thing with the girls doesn't happen all that often."

    Internally bracing himself, Yoshio tipped back the glass and swallowed down another two mouthfuls.

    He was going to finish this - and then he was probably going to throw up.

    Koji chuckled, apparently unaware of Yoshio's internal strife. That was to be expected when Yoshio was typically as expressive as a brick wall, so he didn't pay it much mind.

    "I see. You must be good friends, then."

    Yoshio finally downed the last of his glass, and, swallowing hard, set it down on the counter, sliding it away from him. So far so good, he supposed. His head was fairly clear, still, at least.

    "I'm not sure that's what it is," he admitted, shrugging one shoulder. "We work together, and I think Tatsuya sees me as a helpless rookie still, so he tries to take care of me. This is his way of doing that, God knows why."

    "Where do you work?" Koji asked.

    He gestured towards the bartender, silently asking for a refill on  Yoshio's drink as well. He received a raised brow in response, to which he sighed and nodded.  When the bartender took Yoshio's glass to do as requested, Koji downed a good amount of his own.

    Distracted by the second glass being pushed his way, he answered absently - and honestly.

    "I'm an investigator," Yoshio said flatly. "So I suppose you can guess where I work from that."

    There wasn't a rule that forbid him from informing people of his career; it was more of a habit that investigators didn't go around telling everyone their business. Yoshio didn't particularly care if people knew; work was work, he held no qualms about what he did or what people thought of his career choices.

    Biting back a grimace, Yoshio reached for the second drink and started on it.

    "An... investigator," Koji said, slowly, a touch of something other in how he said the word. "You're a dove... That's unexpected," he added after a moment. "You being a dove, I mean."

    If he'd been perfectly sober, maybe he would have picked up on something - how Koji referred to him as a dove, how the bartender reacted. But as it was, Yoshio - after only two drinks - was already inebriated, on his way to being drunk. Which meant his bad habits were coming into play.

    He slid his glass to the barkeep, crooking his finger to indicate he wanted a refill, then spun in his seat to face Koji. His face was a little more open now, the beginnings of a fire being kindled in his blue eyes.

    "Really?" he drawled, just the barest hint of an edge to his voice. "It's unexpected? Is that really something you should say to someone you hardly know? I work hard at my job, Taguchi-kun."

    With the loss of his complacent temperament came the loss of formalities for Yoshio. He'd be calling Koji by his given name soon enough. And in the back of his mind he recognized that as something unpleasant, but at this point he couldn't bring himself to care.

    Just... thank God Natsuo couldn't see him like this.

    "It's as unexpected as your reaction," Koji replied, nonplussed. "Then again, you did say you were a bad drunk."

    Something passed between him and the barkeep - a look, some mutual understanding. Yoshio couldn't tell. His senses were dulling as the alcohol seeped into his system, and his mental energy was being spent elsewhere. Namely thinking up creative curses that he then hurled - futilely, of course - in Tatsuya's direction, albeit silently.

    "I'm sure you do work hard," he added as an afterthought. "You seem like the type whose all work and no play. That's what me, the person who hardly knows you, gets from the way you act."

    Yoshio's brows furrowed further.

    "What's it to you?" he demanded. "We've only met once - twice if you count tonight. You know my name, my occupation, and... what I look for in a person. That hardly qualifies us as friends, Taguchi-kun."

    In the back of his mind, he noted that Tatsuya had looked up from his companion and was now staring openly at Yoshio - likely having overheard the sudden shift in his demeanor. He was probably regretting inviting Yoshio out for the night, and that was great, just great. He should be remorseful; Yoshio never willingly got drunk, he knew himself too well to subject other people to that.

    But, well, it was a little too late for remorse.

    "Ah, I know one other thing," Koji challenged, putting one finger up. His chin was resting against his other hand, stark amusement obvious on his face. "I happen to know a very, very important detail. Can you guess what this other detail is, Yoshio-kun?"

    "Do I care to?" Yoshio threw back carelessly, knocking back half of the next drink the bartender handed him. Oh, he was in trouble now. Incessant fire burned just beneath his skin, having been injected straight into his veins from the alcohol settled in his stomach.

"You should," Koji replied, unbothered. "See, the other detail is an obvious one. It's the fact that you are completely, and utterly, drunk, Investigator-san."

    His own drink long forgotten, Koji raised one, amused palm in the air.

    "And I believe you've only had three drinks. You really are a light weight."

    "I suppose you'd like me to be impressed?" Yoshio asked dryly. "Or shamed, rather?"

    He wasn't slurring his words, but that wasn't the best indicator of his intoxication level; he knew that, he knew that, and yet here he was, drinking to be polite. The weight he put on social cues got him into trouble often enough that he should have forgone them already. How foolish of him to care.

    "No, not really," Koji replied easily, somewhat pulling Yoshio from his darkening thoughts. "Rather, I wished you to be aware." He leaned around Yoshio, waving a hand down the bar. "You there, you know where this guy lives?"
    Tatsuya quickly got to his feet, nodding at Koji. But Yoshio - he wasn't having it.

    He slammed his glass on the bar, glaring at Koji.

    "I'm not a child," he growled lowly. "I'll go home when I want to. And don't drag Tatsuya into this; he found out today how pathetic he is compared to a newbie investigator, let him drown his sorrows like he wanted to."

    Tatsuya rolled his eyes; this wasn't the first time Yoshio's dark side had come out to play, and it wasn't his first time coming under fire like this. He'd been offended the first time it had happened, but he soon learned Yoshio really didn't mean a word of what he was saying; he was cruel for the sake of being cruel when he was like this.

    "C'mon buddy, let's get you home."

    The brown-haired investigator tried to fit a hand under Yoshio's arm to lift him from his seat, but Yoshio slapped him away, his hands curling into tight fists.

    "Get the hell off, you fucking bastard!"

    Koji raised an amused brow, never shifting from where he sat.

"Now, now, Yoshio-kun," he commented, unable to help himself. "Don't be so cruel. He's simply attempting to help you. What would your little brother say if he saw you like this?"

Yoshio's head snapped around to face Koji again.

"Shut your fucking mouth, host-boy," he ground out from between clenched teeth. "Leave Natsuo out of this. And none of this is your fucking business."

He was so out of it at this point. He was angry, pointlessly furious, and everything set him off. And Koji wasn't making it any easier on him - that teasing, condescending smile of his just his all the right buttons.

"Actually, it is," Koji replied, waving his free hand dismissively in the air; the other still supported his cheek. "You see, I did buy you those drinks, after all. Therefore, making sure you get home safely, and don't ruin your work relationships while drunk, is sort of on my shoulders."

As he said this, he turned appraising eyes to Tatsuya, completely dismissing Yoshio for a moment; Yoshio's temper flared at the brush-off.

"I don't suppose you'd be willing to part with that address?" he asked. "I could easily drag his ass back."

Tatsuya looked Koji over doubtfully, comparing his build to Yoshio's.

Well, he thought, blinking, he actually has him beat out in height and weight, if I'm guessing right...

"Uh, sure," he said eventually, then listed off Yoshio's address. "Thanks for this, I don't think I could handle him. Oh, and a word of warning, he lives with his younger brother. It'd kill Yoshio if they ended up meeting with him like this, so... could you try to be discreet?"

"I can," Koji said easily. "He'll never know I was there."

Yoshio glared between the two of them, bitter that they were talking over his head like he didn't understand a word of what they were saying. Scowling, he pushed away from the bar and stood, grabbing Tatsuya by the collar of his shirt and dragging the older man closer.

"What the hell?" he snapped. "Don't go giving out people's personal information for fucking easily! Host-boy's a stranger, asshole! And Natsuo could be home alone for all I know! Ya wanna get him killed, huh?"

Tatsuya just looked helplessly at Yoshio, a sheepish smile stretching his lips.

"You know, Yoshio-kun," Koji drawled. "That's some brother-complex you've got there. I don't think I've seen the like of it."

Yup. It seemed Koji knew exactly which buttons to press.

"Didn't I tell you to shut your fucking mouth?!"

Yoshio spun away from Tatsuya - oblivious to how quickly the man scrambled away, back to his female drinking partner - and lunged for Koji, swinging a fist,  which - and this baffled Yoshio - Koji caught with frightening ease.

"Now, now," he chided. "Don't be so violent. You'd probably regret it in the morning if you really hurt me, you know."

Yosho gritted his teeth, trying - to no avail - to shake Koji off. His eyes narrowed. Yes, Koji was taller than him, and he looked to outweigh him by a good twenty pounds. But that shouldn't have mattered; he'd been trained to take on ghouls, and taking hits from them was no small matter.

Something like this...

But the thought escaped him just as quickly as it had formed as Koji twisted his arm, and he growled out a string of the foulest curses he could think of.

"So, behave," Koji tacked on, clearly amused with how helpless Yoshio was in his grip.

"Bastard," Yoshio spat, trying once again to buck the nuisance off. "So what if I feel guilty? That'll be for tomorrow's me, so what the fuck do I care for?"

Koji sighed dramatically, using his grip on Yoshio to steer the man towards the door, calling out to the bartender that he'd settle his tab next time he dropped by.

"You might not, but since the tomorrow you, will, I'll take it upon myself to save you the guilt," he declared. "I'm just kind like that."

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break Koji's grip on him. Which only infuriated him further. He was too caught up in his anger to rationalize the situation, to think through how it was even possible that Koji was overpowering him. So he focused on the epicenter of his bitterness, and called to mind every vile word he could scrounge up, directing them all at Koji as he was forced down the street.

Some fucking night this was.