Work Text:
He didn’t really understand why he was going here in the first place. Dating sites never really appealed to him, mostly because of the endless stream of scammers and unpleasant people. But yet he found himself unable to resist clicking around on the Internet until he came across a website that had often been broadcasted on his television. Granny would always make jokes about getting millions of matches, and that she was irresistible. Though it was obvious she held discomfort towards dating sites as well.
Maybe it was boredom that took him to the front page of eHarmony. Or pure curiosity. It was kind of stupid, to be perfectly honest. It was two in the morning and he had work in a few hours. Yet he found himself staring at the screen, sitting cross legged with his blanket snugly wrapped around his shoulders.
There wasn’t much on the first page. He didn’t really understand why he was expecting success stories of couples who had found ~true love~. There was a simple form, prompting him for his name, address, email… It felt a little invasive. What if some hacker could track him down and kill him or something? Though he supposed there was always a little risk in trying something new.
Aoba filled out the form, sighing. Why was he doing this again? It wasn’t like he was desperate, craving for an intimate touch, a kiss… It had been months since he last dated anyone of importance. All the others had been frivolous flings and drunk one night stands. Aoba didn’t see any purpose in shaming himself over it now. Letting out a long, drawn out breath, Aoba clicked on the ‘Find your matches!’ button.
Aoba clicked on various profiles, laughing to himself as overly desperate people wrote overly sappy introductions. It was ridiculous, but humorous nonetheless. Aoba’s computer froze, making the male sigh in frustration. He began clicking again, knowing it wasn’t helping. But his insomnia held him back from thinking rationally. As a result of his erratic clicking, a profile popped up on the screen. Aoba’s tired eyes skimmed the short bio.
Mink.
Hobbies: Reading. Birds.
Dislikes: Troublesome people.
I am a male seeking a male.
Do you want to send this user a request? Yes [ ] No [ ]
Aoba hesitated. This Mink character didn’t seem like his type… If Aoba even had a type to begin with. Something about him seemed like he didn’t talk too much, and didn’t make friends easily. Aoba studied the profile picture, which looked like someone snapped it while he wasn’t paying attention. The majority of the other profiles he had browsed had displayed pleasant pictures of people, who looked as if they had hired a professional photographer. Or they had just used an old picture from their high school graduation.
Do you want to send this user a request? Yes [x] No [ ]
He knew it wasn’t going to be instant reply, so he stood up from his kneeling position and decided to get some rest. Crawling into bed, Aoba wrapped himself up in his blanket. As he drifted off to sleep, Aoba thought about the odd vagueness of Mink’s profile.
--
The morning rays were merciless as they flooded into Aoba’s room, nearly blinding him when he opened his eyes. Groaning, he buried his face into his pillow and yawned. He blinked, trying to get the sleep out of his eyes.
The alarm on his coil went off, startling Aoba. Sitting up straight, Aoba swung his bare legs out from his blanket and stood up. Lately he had been going to bed in just his boxers. The house got unusually warm at night, and Aoba had suspected Granny turned up the heat so that she could sleep without shivering. She did always complain a bit more when it was cold.. Looking towards the lump of fur on the bed close to him, Aoba moved towards it and gently pressed his fingers to the allmate’s forehead.
“Good morning, Aoba,”
“Morning, Ren,” Aoba smiled, standing up and heading towards his dresser.
Pulling on some clean clothes, Aoba hopped down the steps to the kitchen. He could hear Ren’s pawsteps follow him down the stairs, the pads on his feet softly making contact with the wood. The duo strolled into the kitchen, not surprised to see that Granny was already awake, cooking breakfast.
“Aoba, have something to eat before you leave,” her voice was tired and groggy. Did she not sleep well last night? Aoba trotted into the kitchen, opening the fridge and pulling out one of the many donuts she had made last night. He leaned down and kissed her cheek, walking to the entrance where his shoes were.
“Aoba! You’re going to get fat if you keep eating--”
“I’m going to be late for work! I’ll see you when I get home!”
Quiet citizens wandered the streets, idly talking about the day’s weather. Aoba walked with hands concealed in his pockets.
“Aoba, you should have had the breakfast Tae-san was preparing. That donut isn’t going to do you much good.” Ren stated, his dark eyes watching as his companion chuckled.
“Yeah I guess,” Aoba shrugged, grinning at Ren. The allmate trotted beside him, tail wagging happily.
A sudden ringing pulled Aoba out of his morning blissfulness. Aoba lifted his wrist, looking at his coil.
“Aoba, do you think you could go buy some milk and bread after work? We’re running low,” Granny asked.
“Yeah, no problem.”
--
The work day had been relatively slow. A routine visit from the three siblings had Aoba stay late to clean up the shop, but it was a quiet day nonetheless.
“Aoba, if we take the shortcut down the alley, we can reach the supermarket quicker.” Ren informed, sending a map to Aoba’s coil.
“Thanks Ren, you’re the best.”
Walking down the alleys of the Old Resident district always felt nostalgic; the rowdy people who would whistle at him as he walked by, the stink of trash littered on the ground filtered into Aoba’s nose, making him cough. He really wished someone would take care of this litter problem. Lengthening his strides, Aoba soon reached the end of the alley and stood in front of the local grocery store. Sighing out of relief, Aoba strolled inside with Ren following behind him.
As Aoba checked the list Granny had sent him, and picked up a basket. Resting it in the crook of his arm, the young man browsed the bakery aisle, examining the freshness of bread loaves. Granny had a preference for whole wheat, though it appeared that the store was out of stock. Aoba figured she’d have to settle for white bread this week. Placing it in his basket, Aoba then proceeded to the dairy.
Aoba almost choked on his spit when he saw him. His back was facing him, but Aoba didn’t doubt it for a second. It was most definitely the same Mink from eHarmony. The butterflies in Aoba’s belly fluttered wildly as he found himself approaching the other man. Reaching up to tap him on his shoulder, Mink whipped around quickly. Jumping back, Aoba held his hand to his chest.
“Can I help you?” Mink’s voice was low and gravelly, and slightly intimidating. Aoba opened his mouth, but closed it. His eyes averted Mink’s golden gaze, feeling a hot blush creep upon his cheeks.
“Uh, I saw you on eHarmony, and I sent a request but-”
“The dating site?” Mink raised an eyebrow. He wasn’t aware of being on anything like that.
“Yeah…” Aoba twiddled his thumbs, looking down at Ren for the courage to speak up.
“I’m sorry, but I didn’t make an account. You must have the wrong person.” Turning around, he picked up a carton of almond milk and placed it in his basket. Aoba watched, speechless as Mink walked away, heading for the self-checkout. Reaching for the same brand of milk, Aoba scurried along to catch up to Mink.
“Haha, I didn’t think we both liked almond milk,” Aoba said, placing his groceries on the scanner. Mink was ahead of him, scanning his own goods and pulling out his wallet. He looked at Aoba, then pulled out a few bills and slid them into the machine.
“Lots of people drink almond milk.” Mink put away the shop’s basket beside the machine, and grabbed his bags. Getting a comfortable grip, he put his wallet back in his pocket and exited the store.
Aoba bit his lip as he payed for his bread and milk. Tapping his fingers against his thigh, Aoba grabbed his bag and headed out of the store. Following people had never been a thing Aoba had done before, yet he found himself trailing behind Mink for a few blocks. Suddenly Mink had ducked into an alleyway, as if he was trying to throw someone off his tail.
“Aoba, I don’t think this is a great idea,” Ren voiced his concern, trotting beside him as Aoba continued to walk in Mink’s direction.
“He doesn’t seem like he has a lot of friends…” Aoba trailed off, peeking into random alleyways. What was the point of all this stalking anyway? Mink didn’t seem like he wanted to associate with Aoba in the first place.
“Maybe he’s just shy…” Aoba said to himself. He gripped his coat tighter around him as a breeze blew by him.
“I highly doubt that, Aoba.” Ren replied.
Ignoring Ren, Aoba continued to trudge through the streets of the town.
“Aoba, you should go home and put away the groceries that Tae-san asked for. You can continue your search tomorrow.”
Aoba sighed, accepting Ren’s suggestion and headed for home.
--
Aoba didn’t expect a reply to his request after the grocery store incident. Mink had sent him a message via eHarmony, inviting him out to coffee later that evening. It was strange, this didn’t seem like Mink. Then again, Aoba had spoken to Mink for a whopping five minutes, which wasn’t really enough time to get a firm impression. Perhaps this was a friend of Mink who was just looking to pull off another good prank. However, Aoba found himself sitting at a table in the local cafe, a cup of black coffee steaming in front of him.
Taking a sip from his drink, Aoba searched the cafe for Mink. It was a slow evening, the last few customers talking in quiet voices. Sighing, Aoba stood up from his seat, the chair creaking loudly. Coffee in hand, Aoba headed towards the exit. Pushing the door open, Aoba bumped into a solid chest. Luckily, he didn’t spill his coffee.
“You’re impatient.”
Aoba looked up, jaw dropping in surprise.
“Well, I didn’t think you’d show up, so…” Aoba sipped his beverage, looking away from Mink.
“Then why did you bother?”
“I wanted coffee!” Aoba defended, taking another drink. Unfortunately, his hastiness had resulted in him burning his tongue, choking on the hot fluid. He heard Mink chuckle, a low rumbly sound deep within his chest.
“Mm. Let’s walk.”
For the most part, the two walked in silence. Aoba had to walk a bit faster in order to keep up with Mink’s quick strides, though he didn’t mind. He supposed it gave him time to wonder about him; what he did, what he liked, whether he prefered television or reading. He wondered what he thought about on those sleepless nights, what genre of music he listened to and what type of person he falls in love with.
To any observer, they’d say Mink and Aoba looked like a couple. They managed to keep a comfortable pace with each other, quietly talking about themselves. The atmosphere they gave off was quite romantic.
“So, how did you end up on a dating site?” Aoba finally asked, his eyes studying Mink’s profile. He seemed to be older than him by a few years, probably in his early thirties or late twenties. There was evident stress lines that decorated his face, adding to his aged appearance.
“Ah, I believe it was a joke by one of my clubmates.. I don’t think they expected anyone to actually respond.”
“You’re in a club? You didn’t strike me as the type of person who’d do something like a club.”
“It’s more or less a literary club,” Mink explained, smiling fondly. Aoba grinned back, finding Mink’s joyful expression contagious.
--
It had been six months since their first date. Aoba had learned quite a bit about him; Mink didn’t like cigarettes (though he did smoke a pipe every now and then), he liked classical music. He could do repairs on his own motorbike, and he liked to read. Unlike Aoba, Mink took his coffee with cream and sugar.
Sometimes Aoba stayed the night at Mink’s apartment. The nights that they spent together were filled with light kisses and discussion about current events; like who was guilty of the recent bag thievery, or about the recent raise in gas prices. Sometimes they would try and watch a film; though Aoba would end up falling asleep near the end and Mink would carry him to his bed. Mink and Aoba never went farther than kissing.
Though they had been dating for some time, Aoba was still unsure about Mink’s opinion on more… Intimate activities. It felt too awkward to ask outright, so he decided to wait until the opportunity presented itself.
Tonight Aoba had insisted on a movie. Mink was reluctant, knowing that when they started Aoba would eventually grow tired and doze off right when the good stuff was happening. But he didn’t argue against him. Sliding in a DVD they had rented earlier that day, Mink took his place beside Aoba on the couch.
Feeling ambitious, Aoba moved so that he was placed in Mink’s lap. He adjusted himself, leaning against the warmth of Mink. Aoba could feel his heart rate increase as Mink placed a hand upon his thigh. Tilting his head, Aoba was met with Mink’s calm and placid face. His golden eyes shined in the dim lighting of the apartment. Slowly, Aoba leaned in and brought Mink’s lips to his own.
The kiss was intended to be short. But Aoba couldn’t help himself as he slid his arms around Mink’s neck, holding him close. Straddling him, Aoba kissed him again, gently nibbling on Mink’s lips. They were soft and plump, did he use chapstick? Sliding his tongue against Mink’s mouth, Aoba could taste the distinct flavour of cinnamon. He pulled away, looking into
“Can we…” Aoba asked shyly.
“Can we what?” Mink teased, pecking Aoba’s collarbone. Aoba shuddered at the feeling of something wet licking up his neck. He blush, embarrassed that he’d have to explain the most obvious thing…
“You know what I’m talking about.”
“No, you’ll have to be more clear.”
“I wanna… do it…”
Suddenly Mink’s lips attacked Aoba, his tongue dipping into his mouth and gliding against Aoba’s teeth. Aoba moaned, tangling his hands into Mink’s hair. Mink cupped his large hands under Aoba’s ass and stood up. Gasping at the sudden movement, Aoba wrapped his legs around his torso.
Soon he found himself being gently placed onto a bed. Mink crawled onto the bed with him, hands groping Aoba’s thighs. Mink placed himself on top of Aoba, holding his arms above his head as they continued to kiss. They were drooling and messy, but they didn’t care.
Aoba grinded his crotch against Mink, sighing as the hardness in his pants pressed against his jeans. They breathed in each other’s scent, lips smacking against one another. Mink’s hands probed Aoba’s sides, slowly gliding on his stomach.
“Hahaha! Mink~” Aoba laughed, ceasing his grinding movements.
“You’re ticklish?” Mink smirked, holding his hands just above Aoba’s shirt. He gripped the cottony material and peeled it off, removing his own as well.
“Shut up…”
Chuckling, Mink’s fingers grazed over Aoba’s nipples. He shivered beneath him, sweat clinging to his body.
“I didn’t think you were so sensitive here,” Mink teased, lowering his head and tenderly grabbing a perked bud between his teeth.
“Don’t…”
“Don’t? Do you want to stop?” Mink released him, sitting up. His hands remained glued to Aoba’s body, and he could feel his erection against his leg.
Aoba shook his head.
“Don’t stop.”
Mink’s skilled fingers pulled down Aoba’s zipper, revealing a pair of baby blue boxer briefs. Underneath those briefs, a straining desire was trapped within the material. Reaching over to his bedside table, he grabbed a bottle of what appeared to be lube and squirted it onto his hands. Rubbing the creamy gel between his fingers, Mink wrapped his hand around Aoba’s cock.
“Shit…” Aoba gritted his teeth as he stared at himself being caressed by his lover. His tip was flushed, almost as pink as his cheeks, a glistening bead of precum decorated the head. Aoba thrusted into Mink’s slick hand, gasping when he moved a thumb over the slit. Mink gazed in wonder at the aroused man beneath him.
Slipping a greased finger past his balls, Mink gingerly rubbed Aoba’s hole. He looked into Aoba’s hazel eyes, seeking the permission to move further. Aoba simply nodded, too flustered to mutter a word.
The warmth was incredible. His finger thrusted into him, stretching him out and preparing him for the next course of action. Aoba squeaked as Mink inserted a second finger and began to scissor him. Aoba lifted his hips, trying to take in more of the pleasure.
A third finger. Aoba arched his back, gasping loudly as Mink stroked against the spot.
“Found it.”
It was reckless, the way Mink thrusted into him with vigor. Neighbours were bound to complain about the noise coming from the apartment during late hours. But the two lovers were too wrapped up in their euphoria to notice.
“Mink~... hurry,” Aoba’s voice tightened as Mink penetrated him.
“You’re sure about this?”
“If you’re going to… keep asking questions… I’ll finish myself off,”
“You’re impatient,” Mink’s voice was husky, eager. He removed his fingers and reapplied the lube to his own length. Prying Aoba’s legs farther apart, he placed himself at his entrance. Inhaling, Mink entered him, watching Aoba’s face twist in bliss.
“Try…” Mink huffed, “to relax.” He moved again, completely enveloped in Aoba. He stayed still for a few moments, letting Aoba adjust to the feeling.
“Mink…”
“Mm?”
“Move!” Aoba cried, rolling his hips. Wrapping his arms around Mink’s shoulders, Aoba tightened around him.
“Oi,” Mink startled at the sudden constriction.
“I didn’t say you could stop moving… dammit,” Aoba breathed, locking eyes with his lover. Mink laughed at that, and continued to drive into him.
--
Aoba had eventually ended up releasing first. Mink came soon after. Collapsing beside Aoba, Mink ran his fingers through his hair. He smiled as he watched Aoba struggled to keep his eyes open.
“Sleep.”
“Mink…”
“What is it?”
“I love you.”