This is a modern-day, older Inosuke in which he works as a professional MMA Fighter under the moniker "King of the Mountain."
His fighting persona wears a boar-head mask (not an actual head in this verse) and is loud, rowdy, and prideful. This stage personality also carries into interactions with fans, interviews, photoshoots, and even (to a lesser extent) interactions with his own team members (stylists, personal trainers, etc).
In private, however, he's a lot more reserved, having grown out of the unruly behaviors of his youth. He'll occasionally still show signs of it, and deep down he does still have quite a competitive spirit, but because he's pressured to be in "King of the Mountain" mode so much, time to himself usually shows a strong relaxation in temperament.
Note: This AU Inosuke is paired with alcohol's Lounge AU Zenitsu, and their relationship is endgame, but otherwise, he is open for other kinds of interactions!
Extra details below:
Extended backstory:
Inosuke was born to Hashibira Kotoha who, after escaping an abusive relationship, lived for a while in a women's shelter. Unfortunately, due to extreme mismanagement, the building collapses one day. Kotoha ends up passing away shielding Inosuke from the fallen debris.
He manages to survive by himself on the streets just long enough to be taken in by a homeless woman, Yamashi Shiino. As a former professional boxer, she teaches Inosuke not only boxing, but other martial arts techniques, both for self-defense, and to give him an outlet for his youthful energy as he is growing up.
Eventually, Inosuke begins to earn money by completing in illegal, underground fighting tournaments, building his strength and technique, as well as a reputation on the street as a particularly ruthless opponent. The reputation becomes so strong that he gains the attention of Ryuhei Kintashi, one of the top managers in the world of MMA fighting. He tracks down Inosuke and, upon seeing him for the first time, realizes he's struck gold. Inosuke's raw strength and skill in battle combined with a noticeably attractive set of features is practically a dream come true for an MMA manager looking for some new blood.
Though only 16 at the time, Inosuke signs a contract to work as a professional fighter under Kotashi's management.
A number of years later, he is in need of an escape from the constant pressures of his fame, and he finds himself wandering the city. While there, the music from a local lounge catches his attention, drawing him inside. He quickly becomes deeply intrigued by the performer—Agatsuma Zenitsu—and starts coming to every one of his shows that he can make it to.
Additional characters within the AU:
Ryuhei Kotashi - As mentioned, Inosuke's manager. Quite a charismatic salesman, but has the tendency to put profits over Inosuke's well being a bit too readily.
Emi - The bartender at the lounge where Zenitsu works. Absolutely loves to tease Zenitsu about his relationship. Her wife, Miyo, is a lawyer (so they work very different schedules) and they have a 4 or 5 year old daughter named Shiori.
Yoube Masaru - Inosuke's main 'rival' in the ring, and one of his closest friends out of it. Inosuke had a crush on him for a while, but nothing came of it.
Kio Mina - A model Inosuke is friends with. She will often cover for him when he needs to get away or, later, when he is off spending time with Zenitsu.
as he would watch hashi gather everything up in his arms, there would be a thought that went through his mind--boy how he wished he could be picked up like that. but as quickly as it came, zenitsu shook that thought away, trying to get the blush to go along with it.
hearing the question brought him back to the moment, as he nodded his head a bit too quickly.
"yeah, i'll be fine." he said, already starting the trek back to the entrance of the lake, but stopping after a few steps. you have got to calm down, he thought to himself. he's going to think you're weird if you don't.
after a few moments of letting out a breah, he then tilted his head. "just at the entrance. also, are you sure you got everything?" he held out the one hand that he hadn't been using. "i can take something to help lighten your load.." he really did feel bad that hashi was taking everything on his own.
When Zenitsu nods like that and starts walking off so suddenly, there is a brief look of concern on Inosuke's face. He's not sure how to read that reaction, though, so he simply tries to put it out of his mind instead. It's... probably not a bad thing.. right?
When he hears Zenitsu's question, he looks up. "Yeah, it's everything we had in our spot." He glances back to the ground where they'd been set up, raising the lantern as much as is possible without dropping the blanket. "I'm not seeing anything left behind; do you?" Turning back to see Zenitsu, he finally registers the outstretched hand and offer to take something. He shakes his head in response.
"Oh. I'm alright. Nothing's all that heavy." The heaviest items are probably the chairs, and with those over his back, they're not really a concern. "You're gonna have to get your things all the way back inside once you're home, so let me take care of it for now." He doesn't know if this would be considered overcompensating for having accidentally made Zenitsu carry the full picnic basket here by himself, but he doesn't care if it is or not. He's got a build that makes it easy to do things like this, so he's going to do it.
once the door was closed, he just hoped that having it shut for tonight aya wouldn't be scratching on the door and meowing to be let in. he wanted this night to be perfect, after all.
he would slide into the bed, getting comfortable on his side of it--his side, as if thinking that this bed wasn't just his anymore, it would once again bring warmth to his heart as he felt the bed move a bit when inosuke followed along after him. there would be more than the warmth of his heart now, the warmth upon his face as well as the warmth he felt from inosuke's body.
zenitsu was glad he wasn't going to be sleeping alone tonight.
for now he would turn his whole body the moment that inosuke scooted closer to him on the mattress. he began to move closer himself, wanting to be wrapped up in those arms of his boyfriend's more than anything right now.
and when he felt inosuke's hand reach out for his own, there would be a smile as he grabbed it with both of his hands, bringing it up to his lips to give it a kiss.
"thank you, for everything you've done for me today. this really has been the best christmas i've had in a long time."
Taking Zenitsu's movements to mean it's okay to get close, Inosuke turns onto his side. He's primarily a back-sleeper, but he doesn't mind the side either, especially when the position means being able to hold his boyfriend. He lets the one hand stay held in Zenitsu's, but puts his other arm over the man's shoulders as he's rolling over. He has to shift a little bit more to make sure he's in a comfortable position, but once settled in properly, he thinks he should be able to stay like this as long as Zenitsu wants.
Between Zenitsu's words and the closeness allowing their bodies' warmth to be shared, he's sure his cheeks are a healthy shade of red right now. "Of course. I couldn't leave you alone on a holiday like this." It's their first Christmas as boyfriends, after all. The thought of having to spend such a day apart would be frightening, if Inosuke even wanted to waste the energy thinking about it. But he doesn't have to do that, so he won't. He'd much rather focus on what they do have. A chance to slumber in each other's arms and wake up together on a new, holiday morning.
He leans his head forward to press a kiss onto his boyfriend's forehead. "Merry Christmas, Zenitsu. Sweet dreams."
once his cab was ordered, he would glance over at hashi as he pulled out his phone. seeing the way that it didn't light up the moment he pulled it out--did he shut it off just for their date? there was something inside of him that fluttered because of that thought. that this date was that important to the other man that he would turn his phone off for it when all he had to have done was turn it on silent.
he wanted so badly in this moment to take hold of the other's hand just to say how appreciative he was for that gesture, but seeing as though hashi would probably need both hands to order himself a cab--it would let that go. instead his eyes took in the lake around them, seeing the way that the moon shined upon the water as it's waves were ruffling through, it really was a perfect night.
his sights turned back to hashi as he got up off his chair and started to pack a few things up after turning on the lantern. a smile forming as he nodded his head at the gratitude that the taller gave.
"don't worry about it, i would help packing up myself, but.." he shook his leg. he really did feel bad about having the other clean up. that and the thought of getting everything back up into his apartment when he did get back home.
at least it wouldn't be as heavy anymore.
hearing that hashi felt tonight was special because of everything he had brought, he started to scratch at his cheek with a light laugh.
"i should be thanking you, if you didn't buy the chairs and blanket i don't think we'd have as nice of a time." not with the way that the bugs would be nipping at their skin.
he'd glance back at his phone, seeing that his cab would arrive in ten minutes he started to push off from his seat, grabbing his crutch as he did so.
"my cab should be here soon though, you got everything?"
"I'm sure we would have figured something out." He responds to Zenitsu bringing up the blanket and chairs. "But I'm glad I brought them, if you think they helped." During that talk, he grabs his phone, ignoring the little red notification number for now, so he can call in his own cab before sticking the phone into a pocket.
Hearing Zenitsu's question, he answers, "Well, let's see.." He takes a second to survey everything they have, making a plan to be able to hold it all. He moves the basket, lantern, and chairs off the blanket so he can roll it up, then looks over the pile again. "Yeah, I got it. Just a moment."
He works to put the chairs in their travel bags, slinging them over his back first, both at once. One hand gathers up the blanket and tucks it under the opposite arm, then picks up the lantern to put in the hand of that same arm. With the first hand now still free, he's able to take up the basket too. Perfect. Except for one thing. If only he had a third arm to offer Zenitsu to hold for support. Oh well, he'd just have to let the crutch do its job for tonight. Maybe on their next date, he can escort him more properly.
"Think you can make it up to the road alright?" He asks, glancing at the crutch briefly. "Where did you schedule pickup?"
how long had it been since he had someone sleep with him for a night..it had to have been at least two years, ever since rekka. so zenitsu himself was rather nervous yet excited about the whole situation. getting to sleep with inosuke's warmth beside him, on the eve of christmas no less? holding onto inosuke's hand, there was a smile that formed as he rubbed his thumb against the back of the other's hand.
he couldn't be happier right now as the two of them entered the bedroom. he then thought for a second and stopped at the doorway.
"oh, did you want me to close the door so aya doesn't come in?" he normally kept it open for her since she was the one who snuggled up to him at night, but if inosuke would rather not have an animal in the bed with them--he would understand.
at least for tonight. one day he'd have to get use to it after all.
"Hm? Oh, sure." He hadn't really been thinking about the cat at all, so it's probably good Zenitsu remembered to take that into consideration. Tonight was about them, after all, and taking this step to become even closer.
Once the door is closed up behind them, Inosuke starts to move closer to the bed, allowing Zenitsu the moment to get in first, then following after to lie down next to him. He pulls the covers up over his legs, careful not to let the robe get loose from the motion. Lying on his back, he leaves plenty of space between them at first. Then he turns his head to look at Zenitsu and scoots a little bit closer, waiting to see how quickly or how much Zenitsu may or may not want to cuddle right now. Either way, he does let his hand wander to find Zenitsu's once again.
he had been told time and time again by not only patrons, but family and friends as well, just how well he lights up a stage when he was on it. that the atmosphere changes whenever he takes in that spotlight. but hearing it come from hashi's mouth, it was something else. he felt his heart racing in his own chest because of the kind words that the other spoke, causing his cheeks to flush a deep red himself.
he too was thankful for the darker skies above as he moved a little in his seat just to get out a little bit of nervous energy inside of him.
"there's just something about being able to be on that stage, seeing all those eyes up at you and you get to bring joy to them for just a little while," he smiled thoughtfully, not realizing that the kiss that he gave hashi upon his cheek effected him so. however, he would glance over to watch his hand raise up to press against the cheek and zenitsu's smile never faltered. to think that such a simple cheek kiss would grant such a reaction from the other.
this night was one he would remember for months to come, if not years.
and then the question.
it made zenitsu look up at the stars and see that they had began to stop falling from the sky. there was a light frown that formed on his face, wishing that they had stayed around just a little bit longer. but if hashi was asking something like that--
"we don't have to stay out much longer if you'd rather start packing up," he said as he began to move to get his phone out, seeing that the time was just about midnight anyway. "i'll have to get a cab, and i'm sure you do as well..so it might be smart to get going on that." with them being so far out of the city's limits, it could take a while for the cabs to get here anyway.
he really didn't want this night to end, but he knew it would have happened eventually as he was already starting to order himself a cab to get home.
As much as Inosuke would love to stay out here all night, on the whole, that doesn't seem like it'd be a great idea. They both have things to do tomorrow, and this is still only a first date. It has to end sometime in order for them to have their second date, and perhaps, if he's lucky, a third. Still, he shoots a slightly apologetic glance towards the other man while he nods to indicate packing up might be good.
He lets Zenitsu get his cab ordered first, wanting to ensure that Zenitsu's would come to pick him up before Inosuke's arrived. He wants to be able to send Zenitsu off, to help him get his stuff into the car instead of leaving him to do it all by himself again. While he waits, he scans the area to see who else is still out. He can see one other couple off in the distance, and maybe another small group even further out, but the majority seem to be gone. Inosuke can't help but wonder what became of that guy who'd been flirting with his date earlier.
After he feels a sufficient amount of time has passed to allow Zenitsu's driver to get a head start getting here, Inosuke reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone. He'd turned it off for the night, not wanting to be disturbed on this date, and he knows as soon as it's back on, a whole lot is gonna come through all at once. So he sucks in a deep breath and starts it up. Before it's all the way on, however, he sticks it into one of the cupholders on his chair. That way, all the vibrating it's about to do he can ignore while he focuses on getting the picnic basket re-packed with tupperware and any leftovers. After the first couple items, he remembers it'll be easier to do this with some light, so he reaches over to click on the lantern.
"Thanks for bringing all of this." He says, holding up one of the items he's in the process of putting away. "And for your help with the onigiri yesterday." He gives Zenitsu a big smile before going back to getting everything together. "It really made tonight special, being here with you."
once finished brushing his teeth, he knew that it wasn't the only thing he would do in this bathroom.
his own nightly routine to get ready for bed would be a bit more in the beauty department, he would open up the medicine cabinet that was behind the mirror while inosuke brushed his own teeth. there would be many different products in there from face wash, to face masks and everything in between. for now he would pull out a bottle that was his nightly facial wash and grab himself a hand towel--knowing he was going to need it.
he wasn't sure if it was too much, but he didn't stay pimple free without some work. keeping the faucet running he leaned over to splash his face to wet it down, and began to lather some of the soap onto his hands. within moments he was starting to wash his face from all the sweat and gunk that he had accumulated during his time on stage. that and the bit of makeup he had on his face as well began to wash away.
once more splashing the water upon his face, doing his best not to get any on his boyfriend whilst doing so, he took the towel and patted his face dry.
"sorry if i'm holding you up," he would say with a nervous chuckle as he set the towel down for now to glance down at inosuke reaching out for his hand. there was a soft smile on his face because of it.
if inosuke was ready to get some sleep, he would forego the rest of his nightly routine just this once.
"yeah," he nodded his head, taking the other's hand in his own, giving it a light squeeze. "let's get some sleep." he voiced as he began to lead the other towards the bedroom, turning off the light to the bathroom.
He can't help but watch Zenitsu while he's washing his face, though it's partly because there's not much else to look at in the bathroom. "No, no... you're fine," he tries to reassure Zenitsu he doesn't mind. He wonders for a moment if maybe he should just go on ahead, give Zenitsu the time and space to do whatever he needs to, but he's not actually sure he should be going off and getting into bed first. He doesn't know if Zenitsu has a preferred side to sleep on, after all. And he'd rather avoid any unnecessary awkwardness or discomfort from accidentally taking the wrong side.
The feeling of their hands intertwining has his heart skipping beats. He's really staying over at Zenitsu's house tonight! Not only that, but they'll be sharing a bed for the first time. Inosuke can't help but feel a bit giddy over the whole thing. A bit like... well, a bit like a child on Christmas. Only, instead of a child, he's a 6-plus-foot tall man in a fluffy purple robe. But the excitement is there nonetheless.
His hand holds just a bit tighter onto Zenitsu's as they head for the bedroom. He hopes he's not being too obvious about the butterflies currently assaulting his stomach. He's doing his absolute best to remain as calm and casual as is possible in this situation.
he could see inosuke's eyes take him in and in that moment he wondered if he really should have worn something more loose, but knowing how he was when sleeping in clothes, this was the best course of action for him.
while walking down the hallway to his bathroom, he heard inosuke's footfalls to join him and there was a smile on his face. it was silly really, thinking about how just walking next to this man made him happy, knowing that he was his boyfriend and nobody elses, how could he not be smiling right now?
the question did bring him out of his thoughts as he glanced down at the clothes he was wearing and there was a nervous chuckle.
"i'll be alright, i sleep better like this anyway," though that wasn't the complete truth, he would still sleep better like this than with longer clothes on. and the fact that inosuke was going to be sleeping next to him, the added warmth under the sheets would cancel out the cold anyway.
once in the bathroom, he would walk to the vanity and lean down to open the cabinet to grab out an unopened toothbrush and handed it over to inosuke. "here you go." he'd say as he grabbed his own from the cup on the sink and began to brush his own teeth for the night.
Inosuke nods at the reassurance that Zenitsu will be warm enough in the tank top and shorts. There is still a little residual concern, but they can deal with that once they're actually in bed. Perhaps, if it's cold, they can just grab an extra blanket for him. Inosuke makes a note to monitor for any shivering from the other.
Taking the toothbrush that is offered, he says a quick "thank you," then starts to brush. He looks at the pair of them in the mirror, which confirms his suspicions that fluffy robe next to tank top is a jarring contrast, especially when it's the tall, built one in the fluff. Not that he minds it, as long as Zenitsu's comfortable and he's not sleeping in his day clothes.
He lets Zenitsu finish brushing and rinsing before he goes ahead and does the same himself. All freshened up and ready for bed, he stretches both arms up above his head. He often does a more full stretching routine before going to sleep but he's far too exhausted for that today. Or maybe he's just in a hurry to have Zenitsu in his arms for the night. Both are entirely possible.
"I'm all ready to get some sleep if you are," he says, letting a hand reach over for Zenitsu's.
there would be a chuckle when he heard inosuke's words, for him to say that he'd miss him for just a few minutes, it brought some joy to his heart.
"i'll make sure to make it quick then, don't want you to miss me too much~" he turned his head at just the right moment to catch that wink and there was that smile of his shining through as he shut the door behind him. to think that this night had started off with zenitsu feeling alone, and now he had inosuke here all to himself.
he would quickly find something to throw on, taking some time to take off his suit, he'd hang it up in his closet before grabbing some sleeping shorts as well as a tank top. he might not have as much problems with sleeping if he didn't wear too long of clothes, and the fact that the tank top was more tight against his body than loose, he felt as though he wasn't wearing anything at all.
so, for now, he would walk back out to see that inosuke was sitting atop of one of the bar stools and gave a gentle smile.
"you know, you could have just sat on the couch," he teased a little before ushering him to follow him to the bathroom. "c'mon, let's get you that tooth brush."
Zenitsu walking out in shorts and the skin-tight tank top makes Inosuke's heart skip a beat. With how cold it's been recently, he hasn't seen so much of Zenitsu's skin all at once in a while. The bare shoulders, the way the top hugs the slender physique, the way the shorts make his legs look even longer than they usually do. Taking it all in has Inosuke's eyes glued to the figure in front of him. He does his best to keep a straight face, but he can't do much about the warmth threatening his face.
Zenitsu's tease pulls him out of it, and he forces his glance towards the couch that was mentioned. Tentatively, it moves back to Zenitsu in time for him to see the gesture to follow. He stands up and moves to get to his boyfriend's side. Walking next to each other, with one in a long fluffy robe and the other in tank top and shorts would probably look silly to an outside observer. Thankfully, none of those exist here—it is only the two of them in the apartment (unless you count the cat, but she probably couldn't care less).
Still, the contrast makes Inosuke wonder. "Are you gonna be warm enough in that?"
when inosuke says that he doesn't want anything to drink at this moment, zenitsu would just nod his head and let the order go through. once he gets the conformation that the drinks had been placed, he set the phone down.
"alright, drinks are ordered," he said before he felt the pressure of inosuke's knee upon his own and there was a dust of pink upon his freckled features. if masaru knew about them and was okay with them being a couple, then zenitsu had no reason to be afraid to get just a little bit closer to his boyfriend, right? so, he would scooch his body closer to the taller's just so their shoulders could brush up against each other.
just like inosuke, zenitsu needed the physical contact as well.
when he heard the voice exclaiming that soup was on, however, he would turn his head to see the woman with their drinks and a pot that contained the base of the hot pot. his stomach started growling a little as he didn't realize just how hungry he had gotten.
as she introduced herself to him though, and bowing to him and him alone, he would blink a few times.
"oh um..zenitsu," he gave a small bow of his own head towards her before she began to walk off leaving zenitsu to look between inosuke and masaru. "why..did she just address herself to me and not you two as well?"
"Cuz you're the one she doesn't know." Masaru chimes in, with a slightly mischievous grin. "We're regulars here, after all." He pauses for a moment, letting his grin get larger, then adds, "or maybe she thinks you're cute." There should be just enough of a teasing tone to his voice to make it clear he's at least mostly joking. Returning to his normal speaking voice, he goes on, "I didn't think she had a shift today, though, so I'm kinda surprised to see her."
Inosuke opens his mouth to add an additional, and rather critical, clarification, but gets cut off by the reappearance of Sana at their tableside.
"Okay, here we go!" Sana starts setting each plate down, naming each cut as she does so the meats can all be told apart from each other. "Aaaaaand~" She does a little spin, producing an unordered plate of rangoons seemingly out of nowhere. "Ta-da~ I snuck some out of the kitchen for you guys!" she says with a wink to the table.
Masaru doesn't hesitate even a second before grabbing one from the plate. Popping it in his mouth, he speaks, "Mmm, thanks, but," he swallows the food, "I thought you were off today?"
"I was, but then I heard you n' Ino'd be here. So of course I'd take the extra shift!"
After a long and pointed silence, Masaru narrows his eyes and asks, "Satoshi stood you up again, didn't he?"
Without warning, Sana slides right into the booth next to Masaru, pressing her forehead down on the table inside her arms. "Yeeeeeeeeeeees," she whines, pretend-sobbing for a little bit before she lifts her head up just enough to look at Zenitsu. "Oh, sorry. You're... probably not used to servers doing this, huh?" Stealing Masaru's napkin, the young woman dabs at her eyes, which clearly aren't actually crying, or even teared-up.
as he watches hashi eat the onigiri, there was that thought again that he should have brought more food for them to share. he'd definitely have to remember just how much the man ate if they were going to have more dates like this in the future.
just the thought of having a future with this man gave him those butterflies in his stomach. he knew that this was just the first date, and he wasn't sure what would happen once hashi learned more about him--for all he knew the man would rather have someone with more experience with relationships. still, for now he would be happy with the here and now.
"the fans won't be the only one's who would be happy," he said as his leg lowered back down. "i've been dying to get back on that stage." though having these past two nights being able to spend them with hashi were nice, he was more than ready to sing again.
and hearing hashi speak about coming out to listen, it brought a smile to his face after seeing him go for another drink of the cider. he should really had planned better for tonight, seeing as though the bottle was gone as well.
"i don't mind were you sit, wherever you feel more comfortable sitting is fine with me," he would think for a moment, would it be too much if he gave him another kiss? zenitsu would leave that question behind as he leaned over to give hashi a peck on the cheek for now. "i'd just be happy you could make it."
Inosuke can't help but smile when Zenitsu talks about 'dying to be back on stage'. Especially because it's only been two days. The other man's passion for his work is so endearing, and Inosuke wonders if he'd ever felt that way about his own. He's sure at one point the thrill of fighting had overpowered the strain of.. everything else. But that feels like a distant memory at this point, that kind that makes it seem like it was something that happened to somebody else.
The smile on his face never fades despite his thoughts threatening to take a darker turn. Though he does have to manually push them down to say, "I think it's great you enjoy the stage so much. It's probably what makes you so great up on it. I know I can always feel your energy."
Inosuke doesn't even have time to react to Zenitsu allowing him the option of staying in a darker corner of the lounge. The sensation of lips pressing against his cheek makes his heart race and his face change color like it's trying to glow red in the dark of the night. With less starlight, it really has become much darker. He'd be considering turning their lantern back on if it didn't mean that his flushed face would be more obvious.
He ends up making how he feels in the moment obvious anyways, as a hand subconsciously raises to touch just under where Zenitsu had kissed him. Once more, his mind is racing with thoughts of how he's on a date. A real date with a man he'd been watching from afar for so long. How could any of this be happening?
"How late were you wanting to stay out?" He finds himself asking. Not out of desire to leave, but thinking that if Zenitsu has a show tomorrow, he might need to rest properly.
as long as inosuke spoke, zenitsu would stay quiet and listen. the heart inside of him wept for him, to think that he had been holding so much inside of him. inosuke feeling as though he had to hide himself away from the world because they wanted his persona that was in the ring, the more he heard him speak, the more zenitsu wanted to whisk him away from it all, to show him that he mattered to him, not the one showing off for millions.
zenitsu was about to interject when inosuke spoke about the world not needing him, to say that he needed him, but it would seem that inosuke was already reading his mind. gentle hands would work their way into his boyfriend's hair once again when he spoke, as if trying to show him that he wanted him here, that he needed him here in his life.
and then the apology.
"hey," his words were soft as he lowered one of his hands to cup inosuke's cheek the best he could, wanting more than anything to look into those green eyes of his. "you don't have to apologize for anything, alright?" he tried to move down a little on the bed to actually see the other's face. "if anything i should be the one who's sorry, i didn't know you were going through so much." though he knew that if inosuke didn't want to talk about his past, he wouldn't force him, but having him actually open up to him like this? zenitsu was happy that he trusted him with his feelings.
"i never knew what you were like in the ring at first, i never knew the king of the mountains, who i got to know was hashibira inosuke." there was a soft smile that inched it's way onto his lips. "the man who would spend the time to make sure that i had a blanket and chairs to sit on when we went to look at the stars, the man who traveled through a blizzard on christmas eve just to see me perform and bought both me and aya matching mittens, the man who held me while i cried about my scars when all i wanted to do was disappear from the world, and never judged me for it. i could go on and on about how you're worth more to me than you could possibly know." he would move his body a bit more closer to inosuke, wanting to embrace him with everything that he had right now. "more than anything you deserve to be who you are. you. inosuke. the man i love more than anyone in the world, nobody else but you."
Zenitsu speaking about not knowing his work side makes Inosuke remember the early days of their relationship, even before Zenitsu starts to talk about it directly. There had been a little while that Zenitsu hadn't known his identity as some hot-shot fighter-- only as 'Hashi, the guy who comes to the lounge sometimes'. Even though Inosuke hadn't been able to confess to that other side of himself on his own terms, and it caused some momentary trouble between them, it still worked out in the end. He doesn't know what he would have done if Zenitsu had left him then.
Inosuke in pushes closer too when Zenitsu does, pressing his face into the other man's shoulder. Right now he wishes he was smaller. Wishes he could curl up in Zenitsu's arms and hide away from everything else for a while. From the world. From other people. From his own feelings.
"And I'm grateful for that. You are everything I needed. I don't know where I'd be right now if I didn't have you in my life." He knows he said something like that already, but that was before all of his newer admissions. Now he hopes Zenitsu might have a better understanding of just how much he means it.
His arms readjust around the man he loves to help pull him closer. The way his slender body curves to fit so perfectly against Inosuke's is something Inosuke has always felt fascinated by. Like they were truly made for each other. Leaning his head closer, he presses a soft kiss between Zenitsu's eyes.
"right.." he felt like a bit of a fool that he didn't know about the waters coming out with the food, it would make more sense if that were the case since there wasn't any waiters to really take their order here, it was all done electronically through their phones.
but when he was told to order a lychee black tea, he would give his head a nod as he scrolled through until he found it and placed it on the order.
"oh! i'll have to give that a try then." he'd look for it until it was in his sights and press upon the option before turning to inosuke. "did you want something, dear?" being able to call him that in someone elses presence brought joy to his heart that he didn't realize how much he needed.
"I think I'm alright for now." Inosuke answers with a soft smile. He tends to prefer to wait on getting his drink. Especially at a place like this where every inch of stomach space is held at a premium. Gotta eat as much meat as he can while he's here. "Maybe in a little bit." He says, letting his leg move so his knee bumps against Zenitsu's. It's the sort of thing he typically does to be able to share a little bit of contact when they're out in public together.
Masaru, who had been looking at something on his phone, sets it down now to look up at the pair across the table. There's so much he wants to ask about Zenitsu, but he doesn't want to bombard him too quickly.
After a little while, a young woman dressed in traditional attire comes trotting up to the table, a large pot in one hand and a tray of drinks in the other. Instead of a typical restaurant server greeting, she just says "Soup's here!" as she sets down the pot and reaches under the table to click on the heating system, then puts the drinks down onto the table.
"Oh!" She exclaims suddenly after tucking the drink tray under and arm. "Hi, I'm Sana." She says directly to Zenitsu, bowing her head. "I'll be back with meats and veggies in just a minute," she says, turning on her toes. Masaru makes a gesture like he wants to say something, but she's already left before anything comes out.
when inosuke questioned if he could help, zenitsu was already halfway done washing the second mug, he was just going to let them air dry throughtout the night and take care of them tomorrow morning, but if his boyfriend really wanted to help, zenitsu would lean over and take the drying towel from the oven handle.
“i’d love some help, you remember where everything goes, right?” he asked with a bit of a grin on his face, though the towel might still be a little damp from when he dried his face earlier, he didnt think anything of it as he went back to cleaning up the pot next.
thoughts in his head about inosuke spending the night with him flooded his mind. he himself would need to be changing here soon, and how he’s not going to be able to sleep like he normally does, there was an inward thought that made him dread having to wear more than just boxers to bed. he hated the feeling of clothes on while he slept, but..with it being the first time inosuke stayed over, he didnt want him to fully lose his mind tonight.
“here you go, just set the mugs in the cupboard, the pot goes in the drawer below the oven, i’m going to go and get dressed for bed myself.” he leaned upward to place a kiss on the other’s cheek. “give me a few minutes and i’ll get you a toothbrush as well.”
"Yeah I think I know." He answers, taking the towel in hand and picking up the first mug. He doesn't really register any of the residual dampness of the towel while he goes to work making sure it's as dry as he can get it. Once finished, he sets it aside to work on the next mug.
While washing the pot, Zenitsu seems to go quiet for a little, and Inosuke finds himself glancing down at him to make sure everything's alright. For a second, he wonders if Zenitsu is regretting inviting him over for the night, but that thought is quickly dismissed as ridiculous. Surely he wouldn't have done it if he hadn't wanted to. And the offer to sleep in his bedroom instead of the living room also seems to suggest a preference for closeness.
The kiss given to his cheek helps ease his mind further. He nods his head as Zenitsu goes off to change. "I'll miss you~" he calls after the other man. He adds a wink, though he doesn't know if Zenitsu saw it since he was walking the other direction.
Once Inosuke finishes drying and putting away everything in their places, he moves to take a seat on a kitchen stool, looking out over the apartment while he waits for his boyfriend to return.
he would watch and listen to his laugh after he made the comment, thinking on just how much worse of a thing he could say that would scare him off? still, if hashi was laughing it off, then he would leave it at that.
for now his eyes would take in the way that the other bent over to grab the last two rice balls, taking the one that was offered to him.
“thanks,” he said as he took a small bite out of it, not knowing if he could actually finish it or not, but would do his best to try as he listened to the other. swallowing down the bite that he took, he would speak.
“well, at least you don’t have to worry too much about getting up early,” glad he wasnt keeping him awake. “tomorrow i have to go see my doctor to get the all clear before i go back on stage, but i like my chances,” he then lifted his injured leg for a moment. “it doesnt hurt as much tonight, so staying off of it really did help.”
Inosuke packs away his onigiri pretty quickly while Zenitsu is speaking. While he wasn't still hungry, he's naturally the type who can continue to eat and eat regardless. His body uses up a lot of calories, even when he's just sitting and watching stars.
"I'm glad it's feeling better. Hope you'll get the all-clear." He says with a smile. "I'm sure your fans will be glad to see you're back." There is a slight change in his voice when he says the word 'fans'. His mind wonders whether he can still call himself a 'fan' of the singer after he's been to his home, gone on a date with him, and had already planned another date with him. Zenitsu doesn't seem the type to normally kiss his fans, so perhaps even that meant more.
Thinking about the kiss again has his cheeks warming up, so he grabs for his cider cup to take a sip. Unfortunately, it's empty, so he lowers it back down. Thankfully, the action alone was enough to calm his mind.
"Hope I'll be able to come and listen." He pauses, then goes on, "hey, um... if I stay at my usual table... that's fine, right?"
he was just glad that it wasn't his knee that was giving him problems, he'd take a little soreness upon his neck over the pain of his knee anyday of the week. he just hoped that by tomorrow night he would be alright enough to be able to sing upon the stage again. he had an appointment in the morning just to make sure he was fit to perform, but with how much he had stayed off his leg for these two days, he had a good feeling about it all.
he would turn his attention to hashi when he took a hold of his hand and spoke up, and there was a smile on his face when the words hit him. to think that such a fumble at the start of their talk two nights ago would have formed into something like this.
"i'm just glad that i didn't scare you off completely," he laughed as he would rub the back of the other's hand with his thumb. though he was also hoping that him thanking him was him getting ready to call it quits for the night, for him he could stay out here for hours to come, but with hashi? he didn't know what his plans were for the next day.
"do you have a busy day tomorrow?" might as well get a feel on just how long they were going to be staying out here for.
"Scare me off...?" That's the concern Inosuke had been having. Unless... Zenitsu is referring to their first conversation (if you could call that part of the encounter a 'conversation'). Remembering back to it has him briefly reliving the embarrassment of running away from an attractive singer to splash his face in a bathroom. Certainly not his finest moment, but at least he hadn't decided to leave the lounge early that evening. His reward for staying has been more than he ever could have dreamed of.
But he has to play it at least a little bit cool, so he responds by saying, "Eh, you'd have to do far worse to scare me off completely." Right after he says it, he gives a laugh to show he's not making that claim with much seriousness at all.
Noticing there's still a couple of onigiri left uneaten, he lifts up the container and holds it out to Zenitsu for him to take one of the pair (if he wants it after all those grapes). Then Inosuke takes the other for himself, but doesn't bite into it until after he's answered Zenitsu's question. "Not too busy. Should be able to sleep in a little." The implication should be obvious that he means he doesn't have to rush home tonight. "What about you? Do you think your leg will be better so you can do more stuff?"
at the question, zenitsu nodded his head. he wouldn't have said it if it weren't what he truly thought. to think that he was really spending the night, something he had thought about for a while now, he would have to give some thanks for the weather the way it was. if it wasn't for the blizzard outside, would inosuke still be spending the night? he didn't know, nor did he want to think on that right now.
instead he would look at the watch that was on his wrist and see that it's almost midnight. he would normally stay up another few hours because that was his schedule, but thinking on everything that they had been through tonight, from the duo performances as well as walking through the blizzard(even if it was a few blocks, it still was doing a number on him), he thought it best to get some sleep.
"if you'd rather get some sleep, i can meet you in the bedroom, i still have to clean up from the cocoa." he'd rather not leave the pot and mugs out for aya to get into during the night. he would stroll past inosuke, letting his hand lightly brush against the fluff of the robe upon his arm and collect the mugs to place into the sink as well as the pot.
if he were smart he would have done this while inosuke was changing, but hindsight being what it is, he'd deal with it now as he began cleaning up.
Inosuke stays quiet as Zenitsu looks to his watch. He knows his boyfriend is a bit more of a night person than he is, so he hopes his comment didn't sound like he was trying to rush things. Inosuke himself doesn't know what hour it is, only that he's feeling tired. If Zenitsu was going to be staying up, he probably would too, but he wouldn't be especially lively in his current state.
But then comes Zenitsu's response. So he is alright with Inosuke sleeping in his room tonight. It's hard to hold back the blush or the smile that cross his face at the idea of being able to hold his boyfriend through the night. To wake up tomorrow with him in his arms. Part of Inosuke wants to kiss him right here and now for the invitation alone, but he knows that would be ridiculous. Plus, there's a more pressing matter.
"Ah, right." He nods his head as Zenitsu mentions cleaning up. He supposes Zenitsu did have to dirty a whole pot for their cocoa, and leaving something out with residual milk in it probably wouldn't be great.
"Do you need a hand with it?" He asks, then pauses. A long-sleeved robe is probably not the best thing to be doing dishes in, but he can't not offer. And there is something he can still help with if Zenitsu would let him. "Maybe if you wash, I can dry and put things away?"
