"Him?" A skeptical tone. A raised eyebrow. Judgment oozing from every pore. "Seriously?"
Juri looks from Hokuto to the other person in the room.
"This guy hitting on you?"
Taiga just stands there, straight-faced. Regal, without having to lift a finger. A twitch at the corner of his eyes is the only indication that the tone affected him.
Hokuto, to his credit, doesn't immediately laugh. "No."
Juri's eyebrow climbs higher.
"No?"
"He's not hitting on me."
Taiga's gaze shifts to Hokuto.
"I was."
Hokuto sighs.
"You're also about three months too late."
Taiga says nothing.
"I'm seeing someone."
Juri blinks.
"...were you ever planning to tell me that?"
"I was."
"When?"
Hokuto thinks about it.
"...Eventually."
"Hokuto."
"It never came up."
Juri pinches the bridge of his nose. "You've had a whole boyfriend and it never came up?"
"He's private."
"Private?"
Hokuto glances briefly at Taiga before looking back at Juri.
"For everyone's sake."
Juri frowns.
"That is somehow more concerning than if you had explained."
"It is."
"Should I be worried?"
"...Not unless you start asking questions."
Juri opens his mouth.
Hokuto points a finger at him. "Don't."
"I wasn't going to."
"You were."
"...I was."
Hokuto nods once.
"Good."
A brief silence settles over the room.
Taiga inclines his head once.
"I see."
There is no disappointment on his face. No frustration. No apology.
Merely acknowledgment.
"You have my congratulations."
Hokuto studies him for a moment before returning the nod. "Thank you."
"Then I won't trouble you further."
The words are simple. Matter-of-fact. As though a door has quietly closed.
Taiga's attention drifts. Not to Hokuto. To Juri.
Who is still looking between them with the expression of someone trying to determine whether everyone in the room had collectively lost their minds.
"...Is there something else?"
Juri blinks.
"Yeah."
A beat.
"I still think your approach sucked."
Silence.
Hokuto slowly closes his eyes. Oh, no.
Taiga regards Juri for a long moment.
"Would it be inappropriate to ask what, precisely, you think was wrong with my approach?"
Juri looks at Hokuto. Then back at Taiga.
"You're asking me?"
"You seem to have an opinion."
Juri lets his gaze travel from Taiga's polished shoes to the immaculate suit, the watch, and finally back to his face. "...I have several."
"I'd be interested to hear them."
Hokuto exhales quietly.
This is going badly.
Not for him.
For everyone.
Juri folds his arms.
"First, you walked into his studio without an appointment."
"I—"
Taiga pauses.
The words that would usually end the conversation hover on the tip of his tongue.
I own the building.
He has said variations of that sentence countless times.
It has opened doors. Solved problems. Prevented questions.
But Juri is not impressed. Worse—
Juri is waiting.
"Yes?" Juri prompts.
Taiga's jaw tightens.
"...It was not necessary."
"Because you own the building?"
Silence.
Hokuto immediately looks away.
Taiga turns his head slightly. "...How did you know?"
"You have the exact face of someone about to say something annoying.”
Taiga's mouth tightens.
"Second, you sent flowers."
Hokuto points at him. "Expensive flowers."
"Nobody asked."
"I liked the flowers."
"You're not helping."
Hokuto shuts up.
Juri continues.
"Third, you apparently thought sending a car to pick him up was normal."
"It was raining."
"He has a car."
"His car is unreliable."
Hokuto's eyebrows shoot up.
"How do you know that?"
Taiga doesn't answer.
Juri slowly turns his head toward Hokuto.
"Why does he know that?"
Hokuto looks suddenly fascinated by a spot on the floor.
"Moving on," Juri says.
Taiga's eyes narrow. "You're very judgmental."
"I'm a photographer."
The answer comes so quickly that Taiga actually pauses.
"And?"
"And I have eyes."
For the first time, something resembling amusement touches Taiga's face.
Juri immediately distrusts it.
"Don't."
"I haven't done anything."
"You're doing it now."
"Doing what?"
"That."
Taiga's eyebrow lifts.
Juri points at his face.
"Whatever that is. Stop."
Hokuto finally loses the battle and snorts.
Taiga looks at him.
Hokuto straightens immediately. "Sorry."
Juri looks between them. Then back at Taiga.
"You know what? I'm going to make this easy for you."
Taiga's expression settles. "Are you?"
"Yes."
Juri jerks a thumb toward Hokuto.
"He's not interested."
Hokuto opens his mouth.
"Juri—"
"You're welcome."
"That's not what—"
Juri waves him off.
"Anyway."
He slings the camera strap more securely over his shoulder.
"I'm going downstairs."
Hokuto blinks.
"...You're just leaving?"
"You have a meeting."
"This stopped being a meeting ten minutes ago."
Juri shrugs.
"Looks like it's a meeting again."
Hokuto sighs.
"...Five minutes."
Juri pauses.
"Why?"
"So I can end this properly."
Juri's gaze flicks to Taiga. Then back to Hokuto.
"...Five."
"Five."
Juri points a finger at Taiga.
"You."
Taiga raises an eyebrow.
"Don't."
Silence.
"...Don't what?"
Juri gives him a look.
"If I have to explain it, we're both going to be here all day."
For the first time, the corner of Taiga's mouth threatens to betray him.
"I see."
"No, you don't."
Juri turns toward the door.
"And don't send another car."
"I'll keep that in mind."
"Good."
Without waiting for another response, Juri lets himself out.
The door clicks shut behind him.
Silence.
Hokuto looks at Taiga.
Taiga looks at the closed door.
Then—"Who is he?"
Hokuto stares.
"...My photographer."
"I gathered that."
"Then why did you ask?"
Taiga finally looks at him.
Hokuto's expression changes.
Slowly.
"Oh, you've got to be fucking kidding me."
Taiga says nothing.
Hokuto points toward the door.
"Absolutely not."
"I haven't said anything."
"You don't have to."
A pause.Taiga's gaze drifts back to the closed door.
Hokuto groans.
"You're not interested in me anymore, are you?"
Taiga's silence answers for him.
Hokuto stares at him for a long, suffering moment.
"Jesus Christ."
Taiga's eyebrow lifts.
"Your photographer is rude."
"Yes."
"He's judgmental."
"He is."
"He insulted me within thirty seconds of meeting me."
"Technically, he questioned your taste."
Taiga's jaw tightens.
Hokuto's mouth twitches.
"And?"
Taiga looks toward the door again.
A beat.
"He's interesting."
Hokuto stares.
"...You met him fifteen minutes ago."
Taiga meets his gaze.
Neither of them speaks.
Hokuto is the first to break eye contact. He closes his eyes with the quiet resignation of a man watching a perfectly avoidable disaster unfold.
He pinches the bridge of his nose.
"God, I need a raise."