Takashi's POV — Chapter 2 Party (Part 1 of 2) (Patreon)

Hey guys 👋 So, here's the side story for January. It's a big one with 3.6K words in total, so I'll be splitting it into two posts that will be released at the same time 😄

The winner idea for January's side story is Takashi's POV of Male Rin and Male MC flirting in the Chapter 2 Birthday Party. It's definitely interesting to try getting into Takashi's head and what he's thinking at the time and as you can see from the word count, I got a bit carried away 😆

Anyway, without further ado, here's the first part of the story.

* * * * *

It’s that time of the year when you’re once again reminded of the death of the man you loved—and still do, deep down. The pain has lessened over the years, of course, but it’s still there in the back of your mind, nagging at your peace and happiness. Honestly, you don’t really think it’ll ever truly go away.

Almost every year, you’ll try to make sure to be in Elysium City around this day, not only because you and Rin are usually invited to Mikhail’s more private birthday party, but also because you always make sure to set aside time to visit Viktor’s grave. Sometimes, you’ll be spending the night drinking and moping by yourself, other times Luka becomes your drinking partner if he happens to be free.

This year, though, is a surprise. Somehow, the Morozovs have decided to throw a big party for Mikhail’s birthday, which is such an out-of-character thing to do for them because both Luka and Pavel Morozov are not people who even enjoy attending socialite parties. You wonder if it’s Mikhail’s idea instead.

You check your watch, it’s 6 PM already. If you want to make it in time to the party with the rush hour traffic, you’ll need to leave now, ideally. But, your son, Rin, is still in his room getting ready. He doesn’t usually take this long to dress up for any functions. Has he fallen asleep or something?

You get off the couch you’ve been lounging on and make your way to Rin’s room. You make sure to knock first. “Rin, are you done?”

“Dad?” you hear him calling out from behind the door, voice muffled. “Can you help me with something, please?”

“Alright. I’m coming in,” you warn before opening the door gently and peeking in.

Rin is standing in front of his bed, wearing a crisp white shirt that is tucked into his black dress pants and a black tie settled neatly on his chest. Two different suits are laid out on the bed before him and his brows are furrowed as he stares at them.

“What’s taking you so long, Rin?” you complain lightly. “We’ll be late at this rate!” You walk over to where he’s standing.

Rin hums idly, his attention still focused on the suits. “Which one do you think looks better?”

You inspect the two black, slim-fit suits, both are clearly Armani; one is made out of pure wool and the other is made out of velvet. “How about the velvet one?” you suggest, pointing at the suit on the right.

He grabs it, takes it off the coat hanger, and tries it on, walking over to the nearest full-body mirror by the spacious closet. He purses his lips as he turns around this way and that way, carefully inspecting how the suit looks on his body through the mirror.

After a minute or so of introspection, he makes a soft dissatisfied sound as he takes the suit off. “Maybe I should just stick with the wool one. This looks too gaudy on me,” he mutters, walking back to the bed.

You raise an eyebrow in amusement. “Gaudy? It’s pure black with no ostentatious embellishments,” you point out the ridiculousness of his statement before adding, “The only differences with the other suit are the material and this one is double-breasted.”

“I know,” Rin groans quietly. “But it’s still not really the style I usually go for.” He settles the velvet suit back on the bed and grabs the other suit instead, putting it on in one smooth movement and buttoning it up as he walks to the vanity table.

He then runs his hand over his already neatly slicked-back midnight hair, settling some imaginary stray hairs back into place. Next, he quickly scans the row of expensive colognes lined up on the table, hand hovering between two selections before grabbing the golden-colored bottle instead. Of course, he’s going to pick the most expensive cologne he owns, Clive Christian No. 1. You wonder what’s up with him tonight… It’s almost like… He’s trying to impress someone. Oh… You smirk a little.

“You usually don’t take this long to dress up to any events and social functions, not even for the mayor’s parties,” you start innocently as you watch him spray the cologne on his neck and lower jaw area before moving to both his wrists. “I wonder why you’re taking so long… Is there a specific someone you’re trying to catch the attention of tonight?” You waggle your eyebrows playfully.

Rin rolls his eyes before groaning exasperatedly, “Dad… Can you wait outside, please? I’m almost done here.”

Hey, he doesn’t deny it! Heh…

You raise both hands in a surrendering manner. “Alright, alright. Don’t take too long, okay?” You turn and walk out of your son’s room, clicking the door shut behind you and feeling a bit hopeful. Maybe something exciting will happen tonight. Call it a gut feeling.

30 minutes later…

You’re sitting beside Rin on the backseat of his Maybach. You’re more than halfway to the Morozovs’ Casino, where the party is going to be held, but the hellish traffic of Elysium City is holding you captive for the moment. It is times like this that you’re really grateful for hiring a chauffeur. You can’t really understand why Luka hasn’t really hired one for himself—or how he has not gone insane yet.

The inside of the car is silent except for the soft classical piano music drifting from the radio in the background; it’s like you’re in your personal bubble of tranquility in the midst of the chaotic city around you.

You glance at Rin and see that he’s lost in his own thoughts as well as he looks out the window on his right. He might look perfectly poised as always to most other people, but you know your son really well and you know something’s bothering him from the way he taps his fingers restlessly and fidgets with his hands. You wonder if it’s only general anxiousness from the upcoming party or whether it has something to do with his precognition power. If there’s somebody whose gut feelings you’ll be better off trusting, it’s Rin’s.

“Something on your mind, Rin?” you ask him as you nudge him gently.

“Hm?” He turns to you. “Nothing…” he lies, still looking distracted. You know he doesn’t really want to talk about whatever’s on his mind and you suspect it’s gotta do with Mikhail—at least you kinda hope it is. Maybe it’s a good idea to engage in lighthearted banter to help calm his nerves.

“You think Ash is going to show up wearing his usual leather jacket?” you begin. “If he decides to attend, of course. I think it’s pretty clear that he hates big parties like this.”

Rin chuckles quietly. “It could be the end of the world tonight and Ash would still be attending Misha’s birthday party.”

You laugh at the imagery and you see Rin smiling softly. “That sounds about right. There’s no way he would miss Misha’s birthday.”

“As for his clothes though… I think there’s around ten to fifteen percent that he’s going to show up wearing a leather jacket, ripped jeans, and combat boots,” Rin says thoughtfully. “But it most likely won’t happen because Misha and Luka would make sure he will at least wear a suit and dress pants.”

Time flies as the two of you continue your banter and soon, you finally arrive at the Casino. The chauffeur drives you up to the entrance and both you and Rin step out of your sedan and into the lobby. It doesn’t take long for the manager to greet you, a little breathless as he probably had to power-walk halfway through the Casino’s first floor.

“Mr. Aikawa,” he says. “Welcome, welcome. You’re here for the birthday party? Please, follow me.” He leads you and Rin to the guarded, big, double door that leads to the more exclusive and private area of the casino. Before he opens the door though, he tells you, “Master Luka and Master Mikhail are not here, though. But most of the guests are already waiting inside.”

“Alright, I guess they must be stuck in traffic. It’s okay, we’ll just wait inside,” you tell him.

He nods before pushing and holding the doors open for you and Rin. As soon as the two of you step in, almost all the guests' attention is on you. Oh, great. Here we go again…

You’re not sure how many minutes go by as you and Rin talk to another rich parent trying to ‘subtly’ introduce their children to Rin and Rin basically rejects them. Finally, the double door opens and you notice that it’s Luka, Mikhail, and Ash—and Ash does indeed wear a suit.

Continued to Part 2