May I Have This Dance?

Naoya stood off in the corner by himself, immensely annoyed at the ungodly amount of people squeezed into one room. He had a tight grip on his drink, gritting his teeth trying to stay calm and put off an aura of don’t fuck with me to keep anyone from approaching him. Naoya had seen how some people let their gaze linger on him before he sent a glare their way, clearly indicating Naoya did not want to be bothered. With a sigh, Naoya took another sip of his drink, hoping the night would go by quickly so he could get home.

The party started off strong and was still going strong. Harlow had to hand it to Angora for knowing her guests so well. She had the best food and the perfect booze, not to mention unlimited. Most buns were holding it together, only a few drunkards were tripping over others and were quickly removed by security. He wondered if the room would be empty by the end of the night with the way the champagne was flowing.

Sighing to himself as he finished making his round of obligatory hello’s to those he recognized, he stood off to the side of the main crowd and enjoyed his drink. He heard another sigh nearby, when he turned his head, his eyes landed on another male who looked miserable to be there. “Parties like these can get pretty crazy, eh?” he said out loud. No one was near either of them, not near enough anyways. Harlow let the question hang in the air between them.

Naoya glanced toward the man who approached him annoyed; he tried to keep the irritation off his face hoping he succeeded. It wasn’t this man’s fault Naoya hated being in these kinds of settings.

“Unfortunately,” he decided to reply.

Naoya watched in disdain as someone who had way too much to drink stumbled by as someone supported them, attempting to keep the drunk upright. He sneered at the sight; it was beyond him how some people could be so comfortable with getting shit-faced in a room full of strangers. Naoya was always way too much on edge to let his guard down in public. At the very least, he was appreciative that this man approached him while still coherent.

“Not a big drinker, yourself?” Harlow pressed, he was curious why the other male had such a sour face, but without being too direct. “I have stopped doing that sort of thing myself a while back,” he added, staring at his drink. “Just a few to tickle the throat, nowadays.” The farmer raised his glass to his lip, watched the crowd mingle before he tilted the glass and let the champagne flow.

He gave a satisfactory ‘ahh’ after his sip, it was the good stuff, alright. Angora could be seen lingering nearby, chatting with some of the guests whom Harlow guessed were VIPs. For a moment, he had forgotten he was standing by another fellow. His attention reverted back to him and waited for any kind of response. If the guy needed quiet, Harlow would give him that, but hell, he wanted to try and at least strike up a conversation.

“Understandable,” Naoya nodded. “I like drinking but only at home. Call me paranoid but I don't feel safe being drunk in public, especially when my partners aren't around.”

Naoya was pretty much the opposite of a social drinker; he was more than happy to drink and play games in the comfort of his own home with his partners. It was the only time he felt he could let his guard down.

“What was your drink of choice back then?” He asked, hoping he was making decent conversation. “Same as now or did your taste change?”

Naoya watched the crowd, mainly out of habit, checking to see if he'd catch a glimpse of either of his partners that were milling around; doubtful he would, but he always kept an eye out for them and their safety.

Harlow chuckled, “I’d drink almost anything back then. Nothing was off the list.” The farmer reminisced about the silly times he had as a younger bun. “I still drink almost anything but I mostly prefer to sip them instead of chugging.” He finished with a shrug. “And that’s good, you have folks who care for you,” his eyes fell back on Naoya, “Did you come here with them?”

“Fair,” he nodded, “I prefer strong drinks but will drink pretty anything as well.”

Naoya looked around once more to see if he could see them so he could point them out but as it has been, they were not within his line of sight.

“I did, yes. One of them is the oyabun I mentioned.” Naoya explained. “I'm pretty much his shadow in public.”

And it was true; where the oyabun went, Naoya was close by even if he couldn't be seen.

“Strong drinks? Give me an example,” Harlow appreciated another bun who enjoyed the strong liquor, he is always willing to find more drinking buddies, but then he remembered that this fella only drank at home or around his partners. I guess not, he thought to himself.

Unfamiliar with the term, Harlow tilted his head at the other, “Oyabun?” Based on the ‘shadow’ description, Harlow likened him to being a bodyguard of sorts. “Are you an assassin?” he half-joked.

“Something like that.”

Naoya did not elaborate for the other's sake.

“My top choice is Sewju,” he answered, “but I like Rum and Smoke, and Gold Fashioned.”

Honestly, Naoya would drink anything as long as it had a good amount of alcohol in it; he wasn't a fan of drinks that barely had any.

Harlow stared at him for a second longer after his response to his assassin question, waiting for something more, but the other bun did not continue.

“Mm, gold fashioned has to be one of my favourites too,” he nodded slowly, his mind still lingering on the assassin bit. Indeed, at these types of high traction parties, you never knew who you may run into. Part of him wondered if he should make this conversation short for his own safety. He was a built bun, but he would not last in a battle. His muscles were used to haul things like vegetables.

The music dragged on the slow part of the current song, it gave the room a drowsy feeling. Sighing, he waved for a waiter to come over, “Could I get a gold fashioned, please?” Then he turned, “Did you want one?”

“That'd be nice,” Naoya accepted the offer.

He could sense the slight shift in the other's demeanor, which hadn't been Naoya's intention; the man seemed nice enough and he didn't want to go into any details that might scare the other.

“You're fine,” Naoya tried to reassure, grabbing his drink after the bartender set both glasses in front of them. “You don't seem like some to start unnecessary trouble.”

Which was true; despite Naoya’s anti-social tendencies, he was enjoying this man’s company. The other wasn't loud, obnoxious, or nosey.

“What do you do for a living?”

Shaking his head, “I am past ‘trouble’, nowadays,” he sipped on his drink, “Just want to live it out.” Harlow briefly thought about his life, how it all led to where he is now. His daydreaming was broken when he was asked about his career.

“I’m a produce farmer. Grow the veggies and sell them to various clients. Some are private, others are stores.” He nodded, as if he were giving himself some sort of approval. “Wha—” he was about to ask the other the same question, only to remember what he had mentioned earlier. Harlow, still being wary, changed the topic after clearing his throat, “Do you think everyone is here by invitation?”

Naoya nodded, listening to him tell him about his job; he wondered if he could convince his partner to look into getting produce from the man. Naoya much preferred getting food and produce as fresh as possible.

“Everyone? Highly doubtful,” Naoya replied. “I'm my boss’ plus one. Doesn't really matter to me if someone was invited or not as long as they don't cause my oyabun trouble.”

Which was quite true; Naoya could not careless what people did as long as it didn't affect his partners, in either personal or business matters.

He respected the bun for not really caring about how others got here. “I suppose that is your main focus. And surely, no one has done that I assume?” It was more of a rhetorical question. His drink was nearing the bottom again. Sometimes he wondered if Angora instructed her staff to fill the cups half full as opposed to the full thing.

“I best be off,” he said placing his glass down on a nearby table, still with some amber liquid within. “Better end my night here or else I may end up in my old troubled ways.” Harlow let out a chuckle, he nodded at the other man. “thank you for the chat and I hope that your night remains pleasant.”