1 Intro || Lights of a bar

It's ten past eleven when Aki comes up with the spontaneous idea of visiting his friends' bar. Haruki glances up, from where he was binge-watching one of his favourite TV shows, and sighs at the sight of Aki dressing himself up.

"What time will you be coming home?" He asks, his voice filled with concern and worry. Haruki was always too much of a worrywart. When Aki first thought about getting his ears pierced, Haruki hadn't let him do it for a good few months. It took a lot of convincing and bribing, to get Haruki to allow him. "Or at least tell me if you're going to be coming home."

Aki chuckles at how well Haruki knew him and smiles. "Don't worry, I might come in a while depending on how many people are out."

Haruki eyes him suspiciously before pointing to his hair. "And what about your hair? You're fine with walking around with your head looking like a silver mop?"

"Hey," Aki frowns, bringing a hand up to his freshly-dyed hair. "My hair looks fine, I get you're upset that you would never be able to rock this hair colour, but that doesn't mean you have to insult me."

Before Haruki can say anything in return, such as the fact that he likes to keep his hair healthy and not burn it, Aki ducks away and hurries over to the door. He pulls his shoes on and checks himself in the mirror one last time before going. It was a Friday night, meaning a lot of people were going to be at the bar, so Aki had to make sure he was wearing decent clothing. Haruki pops his head around the corner of the hallway, his jet black hair poking out in all places as he stares at Aki, who turns to look at him and smiles. He looks better than Haruki and that was all that mattered.

"I'll be back," Aki nods his head at Haruki, who nods back before disappearing into the apartment. Aki shuts the door behind him and takes a deep breath. He was glad his brother didn't ask too many questions this time. Normally he would question who he was going to meet and for how long. As much as he loved Haruki as a brother, sometimes he was far too over-protective.

It made some sense, as he had spent many years taking care of Aki when their parents had been too busy dealing with the family business, but the fact that Aki was an omega only burdened his shoulders further. When Haruki was born and had revealed to be an alpha, many responsibilities had been thrown into his hands at a young age. It forced him to grow up faster than others, so there were times when he displayed childish behaviour. Aki didn't mind it. He deserved a break sometimes as well.

The moment Aki enters the bar, after making it through a large crowd of people who were gathered at the entrance, he hears a loud and exaggerated groan from his friend behind the counter. "Here again?" Levi asks, rinsing one of the cups by the sink. Levi was surprising pretty for a beta. He had wavy shoulder-length black hair, long eyelashes, and plump lips, which were all typically found in omegas. At first glance, Aki had assumed he was an omega, but then when he didn't smell any particular scent emitting from him, he realised Levi was a beta.

"It wouldn't be a Friday if I didn't come to visit my favourite person," Aki smiles brightly as he takes a seat by the counter. A few people to his left take second glances at him, boosting his already high ego.

"Sure, so this visit has nothing to do with the fact that you can't keep it in your pants for more than a week?" Levi scoffs, rolling his eyes and pulling out a drink for Aki. He pours in the exact one Aki was in the mood for and slides it over.

"You know me so well," Aki teases, chugging his drink down in one go. He wasn't lying when he said Levi knew him far too well. They had only met less than half a year ago and were already so comfortable with each other. Aki had been wanting to visit a bar for the first time and Haruki had suggested he came here. It wasn't much of a surprise to Aki when he entered and saw how quiet and empty it was. Only Haruki would recommend such a decent place. But then as time passed and more people found out about the place, the standards quickly dropped and Levi tried his best to regulate the area.

"Haruki was thinking about coming over," Aki says, lying as if it was his second nature. Levi's ears immediately perk up and Aki can already see his imaginary tail wagging at the thought of Haruki. It was slightly strange when Aki had caught on to the way Levi looked at his brothers, hearts practically being shot at Haruki every time he passed by him. When Aki questioned Levi about it, he didn't bother hiding anything and revealed his feelings. "But then remembered how the last time he came here you had yelled at him, so didn't want to come over and annoy you."

"It wouldn't annoy me!" Levi quickly says, his cheeks reddening at the memory of when he yelled at Haruki out of embarrassment. Levi grabs his hands and jerks him towards him. "Invite him over and I'll hook you up with someone."

Aki smirks and nods slowly. "Tempting, very tempting." He's only dragging it out to feel superior over Levi and finally agrees, enjoying the way Levi brightens up and rushes to the other side of the counter. Aki pulls his phone out and scrolls over to Haruki's chat. It's already filled with questions of Haruki asking him if he was going to eat food outside or come home and get some snacks. There were a few reminders that Aki swipes past and quickly writes up a text, saying something about how he needed Haruki to come over. Not even a second passes and Aki's phone vibrates, indicating that he had already replied.

By the time Haruki arrives at the bar, panting and exhausted by how quickly he had come, Levi returns to Aki. He reaches for Aki's collar and pulls him close. "The guy sitting a few feet behind you in grey apparently is new." He doesn't say anything else and instead turns to Haruki, who frantically looks between the two. Aki ignores his older brother and instead focuses on fixing his clothes up, straightening his top and patting down his jeans. Plastering a smile on his face, Aki stands up and turns around to see what his target looks like.

A few seats down, Aki spots a guy in grey. He was blond, already getting a tick in Aki's checklist, and had his hair slicked back. There was no sign of a grin on his face and Aki already knew it was going to be a challenge to get this guy to relax. As Aki got closer he got a clear view of the guy's legs, long and neatly tucked beneath his chair. He seems like he was a decent guy, surprising someone like him was here. But now that he was here, Aki was ready to devour him.

"Hey," Aki says, sliding into the seat beside him. The girls that were trying to catch his attention take one look at Aki before scurrying away. His reputation, as bad as it was, helped him out at times like this. "Want me to get you a drink?"

"A drink?" The guy questions, holding up his half-empty glass. His voice was deep and slightly raspy, reminding Aki of his favourite singer. The guy doesn't spare him another glance and turns away. "No thanks, I already have one."

It was clear rejection, not even trying to give Aki a chance. The guy's eyes were locked onto something in the distance. It was as if he was watching someone he was already interested in. If he was new, he shouldn't know anyone here, right?

"Are you here with someone?" Aki asks, trying his hardest to bring the strangers attention back to him. There was something familiar in his scent. It was so prominent that it was all Aki could smell in despite the many different scents lingering around him. He had never felt this way before.

The stranger looks at Aki before glancing back to where he was staring. His expression hardens and he frowns. "No," he says, averting his eyes to Aki, the frown on his face disappearing as his expression suddenly became softer, completely different to how he looked before. "Let's get out of here."