The Red Vested Boxer

I was telling professorpineapple about this picture and I jokingly said that Aki would do that to Koro and I just

18. What’s their ‘smooth’ pickup line?

This, this is Akihiko's best pickup line. 

[ … ] It’s spring, the winter is gone

Just look at how insanely happy Akihiko looks

"Ah, thanks," Akihiko said, handing Yukine his boxing gloves as well as a pair of gloves that he always wear when working. He's still in his butler outfit, though albeit messy since he's not at work now.

Not that Shinjiro could judge. Most of those six years had been hell on earth, and it was only recently that he had been able to piece together a new life for himself bit by bit. He had an inkling that Akihiko had gone through something similar, but it had been so long since they last spoke that he was uncomfortable with asking about it. Surely Akihiko had closer friends, people he could confide in that weren’t the shaggy-haired, delinquent-in-the-making thirteen-year old he had left behind at the orphanage. He would probably just be prying anyway.

With a sigh, Shinjiro shook his head, maneuvering his free hand away from the pack of cigarettes he kept in his pocket before glancing back over at Akihiko. When the platinum-haired teen retorted with a comment about how it wouldn’t be an easy fight, a small smile flashed across Shinjiro’s face. “Damn straight I still have some tricks up my sleeve… as well as a killer head-butt. That never changed, that’s for sure.”

It was a little embarrassing that Akihiko had caught him unprepared at the bakery—although his old friend didn’t seem to particularly mind,  he knew it probably looked a little odd that the ‘rough around the edges’ kid he had grown up with was now making fancy desserts for a living. With a sigh, Shinjiro gestured towards the entrance of the Holy Ramen Empire, which now loomed right in front of them.

But life have their up and downs now, don't they? I mean they are reunited, so it's up. Akihiko's glad to be finally free from the family's grasp, it left him horribly lacking in the connections department since almost everyone he met is affiliated with the family. It's partially his fault too since the only connections he have are those at Japan, and he lost contact not long ago. He's not gonna let Shinjiro know about it. Neither will let Shinjiro know that he developed drinking problems recently, drinking to swallow his sorrow and loneliness. Sure he have his classmates in the college, but they feel intimidated that it made interaction somewhat uncomfortable. The fact that Akihiko don't do well with interaction didn't help either. As his time protecting the heir of that family, Akihiko was almost silent all the time in public.

"Definitely, you even got a nifty armor for it!" Akihiko said, pointing at Shinjiro's beanie. "Then I think you might win. Boxing isn't too advantageous against street fights and my kicks aren't as good as my punches." Akihiko grinned as he noticed Shinjiro's small smile. The six years between them is beginning to narrow down it seems. That's good, the sooner they share their pasts and present the sooner they can be just like old times again, though this time Akihiko feels like they won't be separated.

Akihiko is really grateful that he met Shinjiro when he isn't drinking or drunk. A reunion with Akihiko being drunk would be the worst, though he worries about Shinjiro's opinion with Akihiko's drinking problems. But Akihiko suspects that Shinjiro have his own habits that could cause problems later on or something that Akihiko really don't like. Smoking perhaps, Shinjiro does seem like the type to smoke, and he smelt a very faint smell of smoke from Shinjiro's breath, not that Akihiko fared any better. He had just drank a can of beer earlier. He did brush his teeth to try covering up the scent though.

"What the hell.." A heavy sigh as he frowned at his butler uniform clad reflection in the mirror. He could not believe that this was happening to him. He wasn’t at all cut out for this. If anything he’d be more than happy to hide out in the kitchen and cook and yet they still insisted on throwing him out to wait on girls for reasons he couldn’t understand. 

After welcoming a few customers, Akihiko begins to worry about that new guy. Did he really faint in the bathroom, or did he leave. If he leaves, Akihiko is not gonna cover that new guy's part of the job if that happens. Oh, another customer arrived. Things have becoming quite lively lately, which is why we need to hire more worker. Most of them are young ladies and tourists on this hot summer, some students too, those preppy ones who are richer than Akihiko can imagine. How can one be that rich, Akihiko will never know even though he worked for a family that wealthy before.

"Tsk... where is he?" Akihiko mumbled as he noticed his side of the cafe are wondering who is going to take their orders. Alibaba is doing well on his side, he hopes Yukine comes soon. Seeing no possible customers, Akihiko left the entrance for a while and takes orders as fast as he could, his side of the cafe is now full with all 8 tables and those 8 tables are fully seated as well. Fortunately, they all didn't place their orders too fussily, even with the ones Akihiko thought would. What a lucky day.

As Akihiko was taking the last order, he noticed something poking out of the staff's bathroom door. So that guy is finally done with the bathroom, huh? By the looks of it he isn't ready to work yet though. The look on his face when he glared at Alibaba certainly proves that Alibaba tricked him to work here. It's certainly for his own good Akihiko supposed, since getting over a phobia requires constant exposure, though this is too much...