sweet like honey | bonten x reader

77: not my place

a few drinks later, you were still having the time of your life.

champagne, shots of liquor, and cocktails. someone also brought out some pills and weed, but it remained relatively untouched.

you were still sitting with koko, happily chatting while you got buzzed.

you were itching to go dance, and watching the dance floor didn't help. the energy downstairs was brimming with excitement, rather than the chiller mood that was happening in the vip section.

next to you and koko, kakucho and takeomi were still in the middle of a conversation. you had no idea what they were talking about, but you had a feeling you were better off not being a part of it. knowing them, they were probably discussing work.

when you glanced over at the poker table, you saw the everyone there seemed to be really into it. some people looked like it was taking absolute concentration to play, while sanzu and ran looked like they were just having a good time.

seeing everyone enjoying themselves made you smile, but your brow furrowed in confusion when you only counted 7 men around you.

where's mikey?... you wondered.

if he wasn't there, then he probably either left the club or was on the roof of the building.

"i'm going to get some air." you told koko before you stood up and headed towards the stairs.

after you climbed up the last set of stairs, you opened the door leading to the rooftop, meeting the chilly nighttime air and the sounds of the busy city. you held your shoulders and rubbed them a little to stay warm, but the cold air was nice and refreshing.

as you took a few steps, you noticed a person dressed in all black standing by the railing.

"mikey?" you called.

he turned around, his face lighting up in recognition when he saw you.

"what're you doing here?" he asked.

"i didn't see you downstairs." you said as you walked towards him. "i thought you might be here."

the corner of his mouth lifted up momentarily. "you know me well."

you stood beside him at the railing, both of you looking onto the city streets. there were so many people out, most of them looking like they were commuting home after a long day or going out for the night.

there was a beat of silence between you before you spoke again.

"hey, mikey? why'd you give me that keychain?" you asked as you kept your gaze straight ahead.

"i wanted you to have it for emergencies, but i had a feeling you wouldn't accept that from me if i just gave it to you and asked you to keep it on you." he answered.

"yeah, i probably wouldn't have taken it, at least not without a fight." you agreed. "but i think i would accept it now."

his eyes widened as he looked over at you, wondering whether or not you were serious or just messing with him.

"you would?"

you peeked at him from the corner of your eyes, chuckling at his surprised expression.

"yeah. honestly, i didn't think you had it in you to be caring and not possessive. this is purely optimistic... but i think our dynamic is changing." you confessed, smiling over at him.

"i feel it too. i might be able to care about people or things someday." he said, his tone serious.

"i think we're alike in that way. for the past few years, i just wandered through life in a daze.. but now i have people i'm close to, and for the first time in a long time i'm actually thinking about what's next." you smiled, your heart squeezing in your chest from happiness.