A/N: Picture is of Ren.

Koji groaned, long limbs hanging across the break room couch. Ren laughed, earning himself a one-eyed glower as a result. Ren seemed far from upset by this response as he laughed yet again and hooked a single finger beneath the tag of his suit jacket and tossed it over his shoulder.

"Aw, c'mon, it's not that bad," Ren teased.

"It is!" Koji protested. "You try having three drunks hanging off of you!"

"They were pretty well endowed," Ren retorted, cocking a brow. "It couldn't have been that bad.

"It was. If you want them, you can have them. I'm exhausted and the night isn't even near over," Koji said.

"Sure, sure," Ren sighed. "You just keep that in mind for our next double appointment. No doubt you'll steal all the attention like you usually do."

"Tch. Not my fault you can't keep them on you."

"Hey!"

Koji grinned, letting the eye fall shut as Ren launched into a rant explaining how it wasn't his fault the ladies that booked the two of them tended to prefer Koji. The pinkette was content to listen, viewing his job as Ren's self-proclaimed best friend fulfilled the moment the good-natured Ren got this riled up. Seeming to note this, it was only minutes before Ren gave a heavy sigh and stepped towards the door.

"I swear, Koji," he warned. "One of these days I'll just have to drop the name of your apartments when we're talking. That'll smarten you up."

Koji snapped to attention. "You wouldn't."

"Watch me," Ren retorted as he offered a playful smirk. "Now, if you'll excuse me."

"Wait, Ren, you can't ju--" Koji's protest fell on deaf ears and he cut himself off as Ren escaped through the door.

He dropped himself back down on the couch, throwing a hand over his eyes. Ren was one of the few people at the club Koji had known since he was young. He was a handful of years older than Koji himself and honestly on the verge of reaching retirement age for a host. The only reason he hadn't was that Ren carried the years as good as any other ghoul-- barely any of them showing on his face. Koji quirked a smile, thinking over how the rest of the hosts-- humans as they were-- would be horrified to realize that the top two workers were both ghouls.

Koji was torn from that line of thought the second the door suddenly swung open again.

"Oh, Naoki~" Ren chimed. "You've got a guest!"

Koji instantly swung into a sitting position once again sending a frown towards the door. "Why the hell would you--oh."

He stared blankly at the figure visible behind the green-haired host. That was... Yoshio. Unexpected to say the least. Ren's expression deflated at the sight of Koji's irritation disapparating. He sighed, then side-stepped Yoshio to move back out into the hall.

"That was boring. I'm out. Got ladies to impress."

Yoshio glanced back as Ren disappeared from view, then stepped fully into the room. This gave Koji time to run his fingers through his hair and put on his usual, charming smile. Meanwhile, Yoshio stood in front of the now-closed door in awkward silence. After a few seconds passed-- Koji about to make an inappropriate joke to break the ice-- Yoshio cleared his throat.

"It's come to my attention that you were quite helpful to me the other night. I thought I should repay the favor. First, though..."

Yoshio folded into a bow, one hand tucked before him, the other tucked over his bottom as if hiding something.

"I'm incredibly sorry to have caused you so much trouble, Taguchi-san."

Koji simply stared at the apologetic figure before him. It was certainly a start contrast to the last time he'd seen the man. A short laugh escaped him a second later as he climbed to his feet.

"No need to apologize, Yoshio-kun," he said. "I did give you those drinks after all."

Yoshio straightened up, running a hand through his hair.

"Regardless of that," he sighed," I acted inappropriately in front of you, and you even made sure I got home. I'd be heartless if I wasn't grateful for that."

Koji found himself shocked once again as Yoshio followed this words by bringing his concealed hand to the front, revealing a brilliant flower bouquet.

"Natsuo suggested I bring something to make it up to you."

For a moment, he stared. Then he started laughing, covering his face with one hand. It was one of those hard, full-body laughters, the type that couldn't be easily choked back. When he'd almost started to recover, his mind recalled the mental image of the seriousness in Yoshio's expression upon offering the bouquet and he was sent into yet another bout of laughter.

"That's... that's... thank-you, Yoshio-kun," he managed to get out eventually, taking the flowers with his free hand as he slid the other from his face. "They're beautiful."

Yoshio blinked, furrowing his brow.

"Are you sure?" he asked. "Natsuo didn't know what to get, so I just went with something simple. If you'd prefer something else..."

"No, no. Don't get me wrong, it's a great gift," Koji replied, his amusement still plain. "Just... you looking so serious as you handed this over," he held the bouquet up, "One could almost mistake it for a confession."

Keeping an eye on Yoshio as the other man's face heated, Koji took a sniff of the flowers. They weren't bad. He supposed he could keep them around. He wouldn't be suffocated by the scent, at least, as they weren't too strong.

"A... confession?" Yoshio echoed. He rubbed his arm, somewhat sheepish. "Right... that would be the natural conclusion, wouldn't it? It's good that I'm fairly straightforward, then."

Koji laughed once again.

"It is indeed," he agreed. "And lucky that I wasn't drunk, so I remember the situation pretty well. But, you can understand my amusement, right?"

While he spoke, he turned his full attention away from the flowers, studying Yoshio's reaction with interest. Koji couldn't help but find the heat in Yoshio's cheeks to be rather cute. Who knew a dove could blush? As if noticing Koji's object of interest, Yoshio drug a hand down his face.

"Yeah, I can understand," he said and cleared his throat once again. "Well, that's that, then, I suppose. Thank-you again, Taguchi-san, and I'll wish luck with your... hosting."

He turned to leave.

"What's the rush?" Koji called out, settling the flowers on the couch. "You have somewhere to be? Hot date?"

The words came with the slightly impulsive idea that had begun to bloom in his mind. There was some fun that could be had here and it wasn't as if Koji would be seeking Yoshio out after this. He'd be foolish to pass over the chance to tease even more color out of the man's cheeks.

"No," Yoshio admitted reluctantly. "I was planning to go home and make dinner, since Natsuo's out for the night."

"Then stay," he declared. "Have a bit of fun. You know, I bet you could fit right in... yeah, why don't you stick with me for a bit?"

"I thought you figured out that my fun and yours are two very different things," Yoshio said.

Koji grinned, moving forward to link arms with Yoshio. "Aw, give it a shot. I bet you've never tried to have my brand of fun, eh, Investigator-san?"

"Somehow, I think your brand of fun would get me arrested should I ever try it," Yoshio replied dryly, regarding their linked arms with a raised brow.

He didn't try to pull away, though.

"Only on occasion," Koji declared with a laugh. After all, Koji was a ghoul. Some of the fun he had was very much illegal. "Anyways, tonight's fun is completely legal, as long as that's your wish~"

That said, he lead him out of the room, then gestured towards a position just inside the main room of the club.

"Stay right here," he instructed. "I'll be keeping an eye on you, Yoshio-kun. I gotta go verify the fun with the boss."

Afterall, it wouldn't be much fun if he got fired. This in mind, he left Yoshio where he was and went to talk to the man, giving him a long spiel about how "close" friends are an attraction to ladies, too, and how there's a whole genre of manga for that purpose. After a few moments, the owner slowly nodded his agreement, laying the condition that the guests agreed. Pleased, Koji spun on a heel and returned to Yoshio's side.

"Well, that's that," he announced happily. "You've got yourself a fun evening... Yo-kun. I'd give you something better, but I bet you'd be bad at responding to something that's not your name, huh?"

"Yo-kun... that's fine, I guess. What... do I even have to do?" Yoshio asked, crossing his arms.

"It's simple, you just have to stick close to me!" Koji announced, a mischievous grin flitting across his face. He linked arms with Yoshio once more, and tugged him over to Yoshio's usual table, currently void of customers. "My next customer should be here, soon. So, make yourself comfortable, Yo-kun!"

He tugged him down onto the couch.

"Actually, that won't do. I'll just call you, Yo. Yeah, that's better," he mused aloud. "They'll like that."

"I have to be that intimate with someone?" Yoshio asked, raising a brow.

"Well, of course," Koji said. "Of course, if you don't think you can manage such a thing..."

"No," Yoshio said bluntly, "I really don't think I can. So unless this club advertises for the... awkward type, perhaps I should just go..."

Koji sighed. "No, you shouldn't. I was actually hoping that you'd rise to the bait. Anyways, that's not the type we're going for," he paused for dramatic effect, "Forbidden love is the word of the night."

Hopefully, this would at least elect a response.

"...You're joking."

"Nope," Koji replied, using his hold on Yoshio's arm to tug him close. "Not a bit!"

"How, exactly, is that appealing to women?" Yoshio asked, now unquestionably staring at Koji's hand on his arm, and the disappearing space between them. "And more to the point, how would this be believable? I'm clearly not your type."

"Actually, you are," Koji answered simply. "You're interesting. That's my type."

It was something Koji had difficulty explaining when his friends questioned him on it. At the end of the day, they blamed his vague type as the core reason-- beyond his lax take on relationships-- for how often he got dumped.

"As for the girls... if they didn't like it, why would yaoi manga exist?" he questioned bluntly. "You know, the majority of sales are to girls, right?"

It was his job to know what girls like, and a lot of girls liked it. It was the main reason his boss gave in for the night- it actually wasn't that uncommon for a couple of the hosts to team up every now and then- although Koji tended to man the girls on his own.

"No, I honestly thought they marketed those for men," Yoshio answered truthfully, then frowned. "You're doing this to make me blush again, aren't you?"

"Yup."

Koji snuggled close as Yoshio pointedly looked away. He only chuckled in response, a rather smug grin playing on his lips. When Yoshio said nothing else, Koji's eyes flickered towards where the owner was greeting a couple of girls. Mainly his attention had been attracted by the familiar scents. The owner seemed to be taking time to explain that they were getting two hosts for the same price of their appointment. The girls only looked moderately put out-- after all, they were getting double the attention.

Eventually, they started towards the table. Koji blinked in surprise.

"Oh. I forgot."

Kimi. She's Yoshio's co-worker, isn't she?

The confirmation came when Yoshio tried to pull his arm away from Koji, shooting him a glare.

"I'm leaving," he said lowly. "If I stay and Kimi starts on me, I can't promise you won't be fired, Taguchi-san."

"Nope," Koji answered, staying latched onto the man's arm, aware that there was little chance he could actually be shook off given the difference in their natural strengths. "Have a little fun~. Besides, they can't fire me, I'm number one. They'd lose a lot of income."

He grinned at the ladies as they joined them. Yoshio covered his eyes, prompting a chuckle under Koji's breath. Kimi sat down at that moment, her eyes utterly drawn to Koji.

"Welcome, princesses!" he greeted. "As you see, today Yo is gonna join us! I hope you don't mind."

When he mentioned a second host, Kimi shifted to greet them with a cheery smile - only to gape in shock.

"Mizuno-san?" she gasped.

"Uh... it's Yo... princess..."

Koji chuckled, offering the ladies one of his more convincing smiles.

"You see, Yo wanted to see how the club works," he lied. "He was worried, what with me being around the ladies all day. I hope you don't mind."

The bait laid, he cocked his head "cutely" to the side.

"You don't, do you?"

Yoshio glared at him again and Kimi sat very, very still for a moment. She looked between Yoshio and Koji, digesting the latter's words.

"You... you two... you're... like that?"

Koji put on his best, innocent expression.

"Like that...?" he asked, cocking his head, then shifted his expression to an understanding one. "Oh, I suppose you may be right... See, I can't help it. He's cute! Of course, though, he's no competition for you ladies."

He released Yoshio's arm and leaned forward, lifting his finger to flick beneath Kimi's chin. He then changed his expression yet again, this time to what the other hosts had dubbed his "heart-throbbing smile."

Kimi melted; Yoshio looked incredulous.

Koji-- internally smug-- settled into his adopted role of the caring, love-filled host following that. He shared his attention between the ladies and Yoshio, expertly handling it as only the number one host could. His grin- which he was careful only to allow Yoshio to see- appeared any time he managed to make the man uncomfortable. He was having, far, far too much fun.

That was, until Yoshio abruptly stood, shoving his hands into the pockets of his vest. Koji was rather certain that the way the fabric drew taut over the skin meant Yoshio had most likely curled his hands into fists. Well, he couldn't say he was surprised. As the evening had progressed he'd sensed Yoshio slowly growing more and more tense; Koji'd figured it meant his temper was beginning to boil.

"Excuse me, ladies," Yoshio said stiffly, "but I think it's time for me to go. I'm not an official host, after all; you're in much better care with Naoki than with me."

He gave Koji another sharp-eyed glare and added, "Have fun, Naoki."

Koji, more amused than anything else, put a face on that was somewhere between a pout and a hurt frown.

"You're leaving, Yo?" he asked. "We didn't push you too far, did we?"

"Naoki," Yoshio said, the words sounding barely above an angry hiss, "you know where my house is, right? I'd really appreciate it if you forgot the address."

Koji's face genuinely lit up.

"That's right, I forgot!" he said, slapping his hand down on his knee. "I guess if you're leaving early, it just means I should drop by later!"

Inwardly, he questioned whether the implication that left the ladies with would be too much, but the majority of his attention was focused on Yoshio at this point. After all,the anticipation of Yoshio's coming reaction was the main cause of the words.

He received his reward almost instantly; Yoshio snapped.

Disregarding the high-pitched gasps of the women, he grabbed Koji by the front of his shirt and hauled him up to eye-level.

"Shut. Up," Yoshio growled. "I don't particularly care if you're only doing this because it's your job, but I'm tired of your shit, Naoki. I shouldn't have even bothered coming here; once again, we're not friends. So do me a favor and leave me alone, alright? I won't visit here again, and it's not like you'll look for me."

Shutting his eyes for a moment, Yoshio released Koji and turned on his heel to stalk towards the entrance, all the while running his hands through his hair. Koji guessed it must have been an attempt at calming himself down. Himself, he straightened his collar as eyed Yoshio's exit, debating the response on the tip of his tongue. Then, throwing caution to the wind, he made a decision.

"I will visit later, Investigator-san!" he called back, before dropping comfortably back on the couch and begging the girls to comfort him.

Yoshio's muscles went taut and he held up a hand behind, extending one particular finger. Koji only laughed as Yoshio followed the action with a swift escape into the night.

This might become even more interesting than I thought.