The Binding Vow of Lazarus

Chapter 90

But tonight? Tonight was different.

He waited by the door in her apartment he shifted his coat which was loose over a dark button-up and slacks. His sleeves were rolled just enough to show off the rings on his fingers and the fresh slick of black polish on his nails, still sharp and perfect. His hair was tied half-up in that effortless way that said yes, I look this good on purpose. And yeah — he absolutely knew he looked good, but he wasn’t thinking about that.

He was thinking about her.

The door opened. Boe stepped out from her room in a fitted black dress, sleek and elegant, clung to her in all the right ways without even trying. Her long black hair, still catching that faint blue sheen in the light, spilled down her back in silky waves. She had heels on — the black strappy ones — and he couldn’t help the smirk tugging at his lips. Her nails matched his. They were a pair of dark gleaming silhouettes, beautiful and deliberate.

"Wow," he said, pointedly looking her over. “Thats quite the change."

She rolled her eyes with a smile, walking toward him, a slight click of her heels on the pavement. “You’re the one who looks like he’s on his way to a photoshoot. For udon. Are you seriously wearing slacks to a noodle shop?”

He gave her a sidelong glance, sly and cool, mouth tilting into that infuriatingly smooth grin. “Are you wearing that dress for noodles?”

"… Shut up."

He leaned in slightly, his voice dipping low with that smooth-talking devilish charm she’d learned to recognize way too late. "You look beautiful."

And just like that, she was flustered.

He saw it of course, how she bit back a smile and looked away, brushing her hair behind her ear like it could hide the fact her cheeks had gone a little pink. It made something warm flicker in his chest. Got her, he thought, all smug.

The walk to the noodle shop wasn’t long, but he took his time with it, walking beside her like he had nowhere better to be — which he didn’t. He watched her steal little glances at him when she thought he wouldn’t notice. They looked like crows together, black polish and sleek clothes and dark hair shining under the dim glow of neon signs and streetlamps. He liked that. They matched, right down to their shadows.

The udon place was small and tucked away between two buildings like a secret — Suguru’s favorite kind of spot. Intimate and quiet. A sliding door, warm lights, and the smell of broth and green onions wrapping around them.

He held the door for her with a slight bow, just to be dramatic, and she gave him a look that said stop showing off, even as she walked past with a smirk.

Over steaming bowls of udon, they settled into that easy rhythm that had always been there—except now, the air between them buzzed with something new. He didn’t flirt the way he usually did, not tonight. He was too focused on the way she twirled her noodles, the way she teased him and the way she laughed.

“You’re such an idiot,” she said fondly after a stupid joke, and he grinned like it was the best compliment he’d ever received.

The night had turned colder by the time they stepped away from the noodle shop, the pavement glittering faintly under patches of frost and the breath between them visible in little wisps. Boe slipped her hand around Suguru’s arm without a word, looping it through the crook of his elbow and pulling herself closer. He didn’t comment on it, just slowed his pace instinctively and let her hold on, his other hand slipping into his coat pocket like this was all routine.

The moon hung low above the rooftops, barely visible through the threads of cloud drifting over the city. The streets were quiet, only the muffled sounds of late traffic and the occasional laugh echoing from a nearby bar. Boe’s heels clicked on the sidewalk more softly now, muffled by the chill, and Suguru found himself listening for it like it was music.