Much Needed Time Off

"Pick out anything that you like, Hiroshi. My treat."

"Is this you being generous, or you trying to make up for all the times you've held a gun to my head?"

"Pick one."

Hiro sighed, and K grinned.

They'd stopped at a sushi restraunt/bar not to far from the club, about two blocks away. The place was a nice change from the noisy, crowded, smoke and liqour filled club. A few men sat in a booth, eating what looked like barely dead shrimp, and the man wiping the bar looked up at the two of them as Hiro and K walked in. A smile instantly came to his face, and with a bow-legged little walk he stepped out from behind the bar and walked straight up to K. "AH, K-san, hello. It's been a while, where have you been?"

"Enh," K shrugged, "Working as always. Thought I'd stop in and get my usual, and whatever else my friend here wants." K pat Hiro on the shoulder, putting the bar man's attention on the young guitarest.

"Uh, Hi...." Hiro made a small wave as he watched the bar-man give him an up and down examination.

"I'm just going to go to my usual booth, okay Hanio-san?" K pointed a finger towrds the back of the store, and made his way towards what Hiro assumed was the 'regular' booth- the only one in the back period under a lamp that was only dimly lit. The seat cushions were cracked and splitting in some places, and Hiro wondered for a brief moment if they were even still padded. K took a seat, motioning for Hiro to sit opposite him when the younger man looked at the seat like it might bite him. "I assure you, Hiro, the cushions are quite tame." K watched Hiro sit down across him and smirked. "They only bite when they don't like someone."

"Great...K-san...I take it you usually come here?"

"Every time I can. Hanio-san is actually a rather good cook, not to mention he imports stuff for me if I pay him the extra yen for it. Speaking of, I'm going to go grab a few drinks for us. What do you want?"

Hiro shrugged as he watched K stand up. "Whatever."

"Alright. If I come back in five and you're gone, I'll figure you either ran away in fear or the seat ate you." K flashed Hiro a wink as he walked towards the bar, his long blonde hair flowing behind him like banner. Hiro shook his head at the comment, smiling and watching K walk off despite himself. It was amazing- in the NG building K seemed like such a tyranical dictator, but outside of work he was actually a relaxing guy to be around...at least for now, he supposed. Hiro took the opportunity to look around the restraunt at the rest of the people that were eating there. Aside from K, the two guys up front, the bar man Hanio-san and himself, it was pretty much empty. He looked at his watch; it was already almost ten. Wow, had time flown by that fast? "Beer?"

Hiro looked up from his watch at K who stood there beside him, holding out a bottle of beer for him to take. "Oh, uh, thanks." He smiled up at his manager before he looked down at the strange labled beer in his hands. "Budweiser? I've never heard of this before."

"This is the 'import' I told you about." K sat down and uncapped the beer, taking a long swig. "Stronger than the weak stuff you Japanese have."

"Hmm." Hiro shrugged and uncapped the bottle, taking a swig. K almost laughed as the guitarest almost spewed it back up, finally choking it down with a grimace. "This is strong!"

"Told ya. So tell me, Nakano." Hiro looked up at the mention of his last name. K sat there staring at him with a lifted eyebrow. "What impulse made you invite me of all people to meet up with you tonight?"

Hiro figured it would come around to this eventually. "I don't know. You don't seem like that bad of guy despite what everyone says. I mean, you can't be THAT bad, right?" Hiro waited for the sarcastic response, or at least something that confirmed the opposite. Instead, K sat there, staring down at the dimly lit surface of the table top.

K sighed and shifted a bit. "The way I act at work is only something I do in order for stuff to get done. All of the goofy shit that happens every now and then is just improb. I wouldn't have to be so mean if Shindo would just get his head out of Yuki's ass and back into his work. I mean...I don't mind the guy having a relationship he's really into, male or female, it's just that I don't like it when it interferes with MY job, ya know? If you notice, I don't have a single gun on me. I only carry them at work for...encouragement, I guess you could say."

Hiro nodded, looking over K's body for the usual gun holster the blonde usually wore. K was right- he didn't carry a single gun. It took Hiro a moment to realize he was looking at K's body TOO much, and for way too long. He darted his eyes towards the bottle he held in his hands. "Yeah...Suichi wasn't QUITE that much of a scatterbrain before he met Yuki-san, and he's not that much different now. I guess it's just that...he's never been head over heels in love with anyone before. It's enough to distract anyone." There was a longer than normal pause, and Hiro lifted his head to look up at K to see what was the matter. Bright blue eyes caught his own and held there for a moment before Hiro cleared his throat and changed the subject. "So tell me, K. What made you come to Japan to be a band manager anyway?"

"I took Japanese as a course in college, persued it, liked it enough to come on over and get a job."

"But how'd you manage a job like a band manager?" Hiro always wondered about it, how someone like K could land a job like that.

"Through Tohma, of course. He came over to America a long time ago and met me when I was a manager of a local band in my home city. The band members were all friends of course, and I'd always had good connections there as it was. I guess Tohma liked the way I ran things, and that's how I became the manager for Nittle Grasper. It didn't hurt that I was also a professionaly trained body gaurd. This was all AFTER I'd gotten done with basic training and had married Judy."

Judy? Oh, right, Judy Whinchester, his wife. "but if you were married, why did you decide to come all the way over to Japan?"

"Can we not talk about this?" A small frown met K's face, and he picked up his beer with a slightly aggressive jerk of his wrist.

"Uh..okay....gomen..." Hiro blinked, deciding NOT bringing it up anymore would be a safe bet for sure by the way K looked. "so...how..long have you been in Japan?"

"How long have Nittle Grasper been around?" K lifted an eyebrow, CALMLY putting his beer back down. "But I'm not just here for the job; Japan's become my home away from home, so to speak. I like my job and the people I work with and work for, which helps. I like the atmosphere and the people, and so far they seem to like me...somewhat. At least parts of me, like my hair and eyes."

"Yes, they are unusual in Japan, but it makes you easier to spot in a crowd." Hiro smiled slightly, and was about to speak when Hanio-san walked over to the table and set down two HUGE plates of sushi.

"Didn't know what you wanted, so I made you what K-san usually gets. Gomen." Hanio ddi a small bow to Hiro before he looked back at K. "Everything alright, K-san?"

"Yep, as always Hanio-san. Arigatou." K smiled up at the bar-man before he turned back to the plates on the table, Hanio making his way back to the barside. "Hey, Hiro, I just wanted to warn you I'm probably going to try and get trashed tonight. That a problem?"

Hiro blinked at the upfront comment as K dug into one of his sushi peices. "No, shouldn't be." the guitarest leaned forward and smirked. "I might even join you."

"That's what I'm talking about." K picked up his Bud and toasted Hiro quickly before he took a swig from his beer, and returned back to his Sushi.
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"So then so then so then...Suichi was all like 'heeeeeeeeey why'd you invite K, right, and I was like 'WHHYY the hell NOT?!' I mean, he's making you out to be some sort of big EVIL thing.."

"Wow Nakano, it doesn't take much to get you drunk, does it?." K looked down at the three empty bottles of Bud on the table, then back up at a very drunk and red faced Hiro Nakano. He himself had had the same amount, but was only suffering from a small buzz. K looked at the neon-lit clock on the opposite wall and sighed. "Hey, Hiro, we need to go, it's closing time, alright?"

"Oh sure...what're we gonna do about all the leftover sushi?" Hiro lifted his eyebrows as he swept an arm over the table top. K looked down at empty plates in front of them, and decided, YEP, it was time to leave. He stood up and looked down at Hiro with a smile.

"Hey...you need a hand standing up?"

"NAH, I'm fine..I got!" Hiro turned and planted his feet on the tiled floor, and with a heave stood up, only to sway and plop back down on the cushion. "Okay, maybe I need a LITTLE help." Hiro stood up again, and let K drape his arm around the blonde's shoulders.

K sighed inwardly as he made his way out of the restraunt, thanking Hanio for putting up with them until three in the morning. He walked (Hiro stumbled along) outside, and met the cold chill of the dropped temperature. K looked at Hiro- the guy had rode his motorcycle here, but K was sure he wouldn't be riding it back. Oh well, he figured. At least the blonde's apartment was only a short train ride away.

One not-as-short-as-he-remembered-it-being-train ride later, K stood outside of his apartment. He still had Hiro in one arm and fumbbled with the keys with his free hand. The night was freezing, and he wanted to get inside A.S.A.P. Hiro's heavier than he thought it could be body wasn't helping either, and with a curse and a thanks to whatever he finally got the door opened and stumbbled inside. The shut the door as quietly as he could, seeing he was sure any loud noise would disturb the all but sleeping Hiro in his arm. "Alright Nakano, I'm gonna need your help on this one..." K figured, since Hiro wouldn't be able to go anywhere until the morning, he'd just stick Hiro in his bed and he would sleep on the couch.

Opening the bedroom door didn't prove as easy as he thought it would, and he all but fell on top of Hiro was he was partially dragged down by the guitarest on descent to the bed. Hiro groaned and opened an eye, looking up at K who was hovering above him. "Ugh.....where am I?"

"My place. My bed to be specific. I'm gonna let you stay here til the morning...there's no work for a week so you won't miss any." K stood up and turned to walk back out into the living room. "If you need anything, just let me know, alright? I'm staying on the couch."

Hiro watched through blurred vision at the tall, blurry, blonde man walking away from him. "What, no goodnight kiss?"

K sighed and turned back, walking to stand beside Hiro laying on the bed. Alright, he figured, the guy WAS plastered and probably was just joking. Oh well- he'd indulge the kid just this once. K leaned down, pushing his head back as he landed soft kiss on Hiro's forehead. "Happy now?" He was about to stand up and walk away when all of a sudden he felt Hiro wrapped his arm around his neck, and K's face was brought down in direct kiss to Hiro's. It seemed like for-EV-ER before Hiro broke it, and buried his face in K's neck. K was sure his face was as red as Hiro's, and he stuttered a bit as he talked. "N...N..Nakano?"

"I like you, K-kun." Hiro muttered into the soft skin below his neck, nuzzling it softly as he inhaled. K smelled good, like something musky and spicey at the same time, and his hair was soooooooooo soft, as soft as it looked.

"Uh, I, uh, like you too, Hiro...kun?" K wasn't quite sure what was going to happen next, but got a vague idea as he felt Hiro nuzzle deeper into his neck. Hiro was, as he was told by Suichi, as AC-DC as anyone could be, but as far as K knew he himself WASN'T. He figured this hypothesis might be prooved wrong if Hiro kept up his ministrations, seeing as the boy beneath him was wriggling against him as mmuch as he could and had moved from nuzzling his neck to licking and sucking on his earlobe. What was a band-manager to do, especially when it was his own CLIENT doing so?

His mind vaguely wondered back to the large vanilla envelope sitting on his table, and his mind was pretty much made up.
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AN- :D