More Izumi x Meroko goodness. Fun fun.

This one…huh. Really no warnings to speak of, unless you despise alcohol with all your heart and soul. Kind of inspired by "If I Never See Your Face Again" by Maroon 5. Enjoy?

Meroko wasn’t a regular customer at Hanamashi Bar. She loved dancing as much as the next person, and alcohol was fine and dandy and whatever, but when it came right down to it, bars were not her favorite places to be.

No, Meroko only came to Hanamashi when she was having a crappy day and she needed to get nice and drunk to forget the pain. Only when life was sucking majorly.

And tonight, it was.

“I’m going to fucking kill him,” she muttered under her breath as she stalked to the counter and sat down on one of the revolving stools. “I’m going to slit his stomach open and insert hot coals into it. And then I’m going to rip out his heart and tear it apart with his bare hands. And then, if he’s still alive, I’m going to hire a group of angry hobos to rip him limb from limb.”

“Forgiveness is divine,” a voice commented smoothly from behind the counter.

Meroko looked up. A blonde-haired man with pale skin and amber eyes was staring at her. Obviously a bartender.

“Not for what he did,” Meroko said darkly.

“I heard some of those. You must really be ticked off at this guy. What did he do, break up with you?”

“No,” Meroko said firmly. “I broke up with him.”

The man blinked. “I…see. And how is he at fault?”

“It’s all his fault!” Meroko wailed.

“Sure it is. Can I get you something to drink?”

Meroko let out an exasperated sigh. “Glass of sake,” she mumbled.

The man nodded and walked off, and while Meroko waited, she glared out at the dance floor. Of course, they were all couples. Well, guys and girls dancing together—you really couldn’t tell who was and wasn’t a couple at a bar—but still! Was Meroko the only single person here? Why did everyone have a significant other but her?

You had a significant other, a voice reminded Meroko. Until about thirty minutes ago.

Just what Meroko needed—voices in her head reminding her how much her life sucked.

“Here’s your drink,” the bartender said, pushing a tall glass of sake in front of Meroko. “Now, then—explain why you’re mad at your boyfriend when you broke up with him.”

“You wanna know why I’m mad?” Meroko snatched the glass and drained the entire thing in one long drink. “I’ll tell you! Because Takuto freaking Kira has liked Mitsuki Koyama for a whole month!”

“Takuto Kira? That singer?”

“Yes! Today I overheard him talking to his stupid coworker, and he was talking about how he was planning on breaking up with me, because he’d liked her for the last month! What the freaking hell!”

“You might want to quiet down. People are staring.”

Meroko shot a vicious glare in some random direction. She caught sight of a few people looking away, clearly thinking something along the lines of She’s crazy.

“Well, what the hell am I supposed to do?” she demanded, turning back to the bartender. “He’s liked someone else for the last month and didn’t tell me!”

“What would you do if it were you? You wouldn’t exactly be keen to tell him, ‘Oh, I’m sorry, boyfriend, but I like someone else,’ would you?”

Meroko thought about that for a minute. “Well…I guess not,” she admitted finally, her voice small.

“So you broke up with him after you found out?”

“Yeah…”

“Well. Could be worse.”

Meroko snorted. “Hard to imagine. Can I get another drink?”

“Sure.” The man took the glass, went off, and filled it up quickly.

“Thanks,” Meroko muttered.

“You know what I just realized?” The man smiled faintly. “I’m standing here listening to you pour out your soul, and neither of us has a clue who the other is.”

Meroko couldn’t help it—she laughed. It sounded so funny the way he put it. “I’m Meroko Yui,” she said.

“Izumi Lio.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“You a regular?”

Meroko took a sip from her drink. “Only when life sucks.”

“So you are a regular?”

Meroko laughed again. “No. I only come when I’m having a crappy day and I need to get drunk to forget about it.”

Izumi smiled. “And is your day getting any better?”

Meroko raised an eyebrow. “Are you trying to flirt with me?”

“Maybe. Maybe not.”

Meroko sighed. “You’re unbelievable.”

“I’ve been told before.”

“I bet you have.”

“So, really. Tell me. Is your day getting better?”

Meroko’s eyes narrowed. “Yes, actually. But not because of you. It’s only because there’s no possible way my day could get worse.”

“Right.”

“You’d better not be laughing at me.”

“Not at all.”

Meroko rolled her eyes and shoved her empty glass toward him. “Whatever. Get me another drink.”

“You drink much more, and you’re going to have trouble getting home,” Izumi commented, picking up the glass.

“One more glass won’t kill me.”

“That’s what they all say.” But Izumi went off and refilled the glass and brought it back anyway. “I hope you have a phone and a friend with a car.”

“I have a phone.”

“You probably shouldn’t drink that, then.”

Meroko shrugged and drank it anyway.

“Has anyone ever told you you’re a bad listener?”

“Once or twice.”

“Well, it’s true.”

“Don’t you have other customers to bother?”

Izumi shrugged. “I’m not the only bartender here. And you’re fun to talk to.”

“You’re just saying that,” Meroko accused.

“No, really.” Izumi smiled wryly. “This is the most fun I’ve had on the job in a long while.”

“I thought I was the one getting drunk.”

“Are you drunk?”

“Not quite.” Meroko put a hand to her forehead. “I think I’m getting there, though.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because I really appreciate you saying that you like talking to me.”

“God, you are drunk,” Izumi said sarcastically.

Meroko laughed. “Looks like it.”

“If that’s the case…”

Meroko started when Izumi’s hand landed on her neck. “What—?”

“If you’re really drunk, you probably won’t remember this in the morning,” Izumi said quietly.

And then he closed his eyes and leaned in, and the two of them were kissing over the counter, with lights and music pulsing all around.

When they broke apart, Meroko’s face was flushed. “Izumi—”

Izumi smirked. “Although I really hope you’re not drunk, because I’d hate to think that that went to waste.”

“Um—”

“Anyway…” Izumi pulled a pen and a piece of paper out of his pocket and wrote something down, ignoring Meroko’s wide-eyed stare. “I should probably go. But if you ever get bored…”

He handed the slip of paper to Meroko, who looked down at it. A phone number.

“Don’t forget about me,” Izumi said lightly. He turned away and walked off, leaving Meroko to stare at his back, stunned, feeling as though time had stopped.

A few days later, Izumi’s phone rang.

“Hello?” he said.

“Izumi?”

Izumi smiled. “Meroko.”

“That night…”

“Yes?”

“I don’t think I was drunk after all.”

“Oh?” Izumi’s smile widened. “And why’s that?”

“I remember last night quite well. And I think we should do it again sometime.”

Izumi chuckled. “I work every night except Sunday.”

Hmm…I don’t think the ending was all that good. I’m just not sure…