"I don't think I've ever been to a restaurant as nice as this," Yuta's eyes darted around the room.
Toge was uncomfortable as well, despite setting up the date night himself. It wasn't that the people around them worried Toge; it was more about how he would manage to order. Usually, the silver-haired man would go to the same places enough that he could just hold up his fingers to tell them what he wanted that day. The downside was eating the same few foods all the time.
However, this was a monumental occasion. Toge and Yuta were on their first ever official date. Toge had spiked his hair for the occasion, wearing a black turtleneck sweater and slacks. Yuta borrowed Toge's clothes, wearing a button-down with the sleeves rolled up. It was a fancier restaurant, but it was just a steakhouse and not a fine dining establishment.
Yuta ran his fingers through his black hair, "Thank you for making the reservation."
Toge made the sign for, "You're welcome."
"That means you're welcome, right?" Yuta said while fumbling his hands through the sign.
Toge nodded.
"I've been watching some videos online about sign language. I know you use your phone to communicate, and sometimes we talk. But I want to be able to talk to you on your own terms," Yuta said, before raising his hands and signing. "Hello, nice to see you today. My name is Okkotsu Yuta."
Toge gave a small applause.
Yuta blushed, looking down at the menu. When the waitress came to the table, she smiled at Yuta then turned her attention toward Toge. Maybe it was just his imagination, but Toge was certain she was eyeing the man.
"What can I get you two gentlemen to start?" she asked.
Toge couldn't register her face. He was certain she was just an unremarkable woman who probably just smiled out of politeness. Though the thought still bothered him. Was he jealous? It's not like Yuta had mentioned the details of his sexuality in too much depth – then there were their shared kisses.
"Would you like me to order for you? You can just point or text me," Yuta asked, not acknowledging the waitress.
Toge nodded, signing the word, "Water."
"We would both like water. Thank you," Yuta said.
It was then Toge remembered that Yuta worked at a restaurant too. Would it be weird to ask a question like "How is work" when there were bigger fish to fry? Probably, but Toge was still curious if those thoughts ran through Yuta's mind.
Yuta was the first to break the silence after the waitress left, "So, how's work been? You work on the DevOps side of your family company, right?"
Toge blushed, nodding with a thumbs up.
"I remembered you mentioned it in a text once. I had to do a little research into what exactly the company did. I'm not too familiar with telecom," Yuta said.
Toge signed, "What about you?"
"Me? Work has been fine. The owner has been in more recently which is uncomfortable sometimes. But that's a whole thing," Yuta replied.
Good, he was picking up on signs he didn't know. That was something Toge admired about the black-haired man. No matter the situation, Yuta seemed to want to conquer it, even if that was an unconscious desire. At least, that is what Toge thought when remembering the suicide attempts.
"Hey, so. This is a little out of pocket, but for tonight can we pretend that the world isn't in shambles? I want to know all that happened with you, but I also want to just have a normal date night," Yuta looked straight at Toge as he spoke.
Toge nodded.
There wasn't going to be an argument there. As far as Toge was concerned, even if the world restarted at that very moment they would both remember. Gojo still hadn't caught onto the fact that Yuta remembered, but if there was a next go-round he probably would.
"I think I am going to splurge a little tonight. Dinner on me, what do you say?" Yuta smiled.
Toge shook his head violently.
"What? I got a bonus this week. Employee of the month," Yuta said.
Toge signed an exaggerated, "What!?"
Yuta chuckled as the waitress brought the waters, "Yeah, Miguel said the boss wanted to reward me for my hard work. They also want to put me through bartending classes. Wouldn't it be cool to open up my own bar one day?"
The waitress walked away as Toge signed, "Is that what you want?"
Yuta paused, signing the same words, "Is that what you want?"
Toge crooked his head to the left.
"I'm asking the same thing. I never really thought about my future, and doing it now is a little weird," Yuta said.
Toge took a look around the restaurant again. The dim lighting shimmered on the waxed surface of every table. The booth they sat in was upholstered with black leather. A place like the steakhouse would be a lot to manage, but the restaurant Yuta worked at seemed rather small in comparison–it was probably possible.
Yuta laughed, startling Toge, "Heh, sorry. It was just seeing you actually think about it was cute. I don't know if I want to stay in the food industry; it was just a thought, really."
Toge blushed. Yuta was the one being cute. All Toge was doing was trying to think of if it was something that he saw as a possibility. Then, Toge blushed an even deeper red and covered his face. The black-haired man had tricked him into thinking about their future together, not just what Yuta was capable of.
"I'm glad we got to meet. I've never met someone like you before, well, someone like me," Yuta said with a plain smile.
Toge wanted to ask what Yuta meant, but restrained himself, looking over the menu instead.
Yuta's fingers appeared at the top of the leather-bound menu. The silver-haired man stared at them for a moment, wondering what Yuta was reaching for. The silver-haired man glanced at Yuta, whose face had become more of a goofy grin than he expected.
"Hand," Yuta said.
Toge slowly reached up, planting his palm on top of Yuta's. The black-haired man's fingertips were cold. Was he still nervous to touch?
With one hand, Toge signed the letters, "C-o-l-d."
"My hands only feel cold because yours are so warm," Yuta said.
The waitress cut into the moment with a notable frown, "Have you decided what you would like?"
Toge went to pull his hand away, but Yuta gripped it tighter.
The black-haired man studied Toge with his ocean eyes, "Have you decided? Point and I'll order. You can just spell the meat temperature."
Toge pointed to the menu then spelled out his order and Yuta interpreted, "He would like the Tokyo Fillet set medium rare please. I'll have the same but make it rare with a ginger salad instead of the house salad."
Toge signed with one hand as best he could, "Me too!"
Yuta chuckled, "Okay, ginger salad for his as well."
"I'll have that right out," the waitress said, scooping up the menus and leaving.
Yuta ducked down, holding his free hand to the side of his mouth, "I don't know if you realized, but I think the waitress was eyeing me. Maybe I'm being too zealous."
Toge pouted.
Yuta squeezed his grip, "Don't worry. I only have eyes for you, even though this is our first date. It feels like I can channel the other versions of myself in my feelings for you. Or maybe I'm just head over heels."
Toge looked down trying to hide his red cheeks.
"You're blushing so much tonight. Do I really embarrass you that much?" Yuta asked.
Toge opened his mouth as if words were going to come out, but they didn't.
"Is that normal for you? Like attempting to speak?" Yuta asked.
Toge shook his head.
"Just me?" Yuta smiled.
Toge nodded.
"I know you're not just trying for me. I don't want you to be sad when you can't speak because of circumstances. I just want to acknowledge that I know you're not overdoing it. You're just instinctually trying to speak," Yuta said.
Toge nodded, amazed that Yuta picked up on that.
"Does your family have a history of the condition? It's selective mutism, right?" Yuta asked.
Toge waved his hand in the air. It was a lot to explain. His father didn't have an issue speaking to people he knew; it was just strangers. His mother, on the other hand, was closer to his level of non-verbal communication. She was always more protective of him.
"Sorry, that's a complex question. I'll let you have your hand back," Yuta loosened his grip.
Toge shook his head.
Yuta blushed, "Oh, okay."
There weren't too many other conversation topics to note once the food came. Yuta was the first to bow–with a grin–to thank the waitress for the food. The ginger salad was perfectly spiced with a creamy ginger dressing over crunchy lettuce.
However, the steak was more notable, with a crust that held in all of the juices from the meat which flowed once cut. It was a beautiful red-pink rare that sliced like butter. Leading with a strong garlic profile, the first bite of the fillet practically melted in Toge's mouth. The beefiness of the cut was only improved by the salt and pepper that covered the entire exterior.
Toge signed, "So good!"
Yuta chuckled, "I can tell you like it."
They both demolished the steaks on their plates in only a matter of minutes. It was as if neither man had ever eaten. But food was better with good company.
While waiting for the check, Yuta spoke up in a more serious tone, "So, I've been thinking."
Toge bent his finger to form a question mark.
"I know I said all that stuff before about not wanting to... well... move our relationship forward physically. I think I would really like to try, if that's okay with you?" Yuta looked over his nose with his large blue eyes.
Toge froze for a moment. It wasn't out of disgust or anxiety; rather, Toge was stunned. Yuta was more of the quiet type, but this was seemingly out of nowhere. Thoughts of their first kiss rushed back to Toge's mind. The hard floor against his back as Yuta looked down at him–it sent shivers through Toge's hips.
"We don't have to. I just thought... well," Yuta moved his hair to the side.
Toge nodded extremely quickly.
Yuta blushed, "Ya' sure? I know it's not organic, but I put up the boundary. I figured it was my place to extend the offer."
Toge nodded, clasping his hands together trying to convey the message, "Yes, God! Yes, please yes!"
With a snort, Yuta replied, "Eager, huh?"
Toge buried his face in his hands. What a time to act bashful? Begging for physical affection then immediately hiding his embarrassment. In response, he heard Yuta giggle again.
"Tonight?" Yuta asked.
Toge raised his head slightly, then nodded.
"Your place?" Yuta asked.
Toge nodded again before descending behind his arms.
Soon enough, Toge found himself opening the apartment door with Yuta behind. Everything between the conversation and the door opening was a blur. Hopefully nothing significant happened. Yuta was holding his free hand rather tightly, so maybe the black-haired man sensed the situation.
Once the door was closed, Yuta said, "We don't have to."
Toge spun around waving both his hands frantically.
"Okay, okay. But let's relax for a bit, 'kay? Maybe we can watch a movie?" Yuta rubbed the inside of his wrist with his freshly freed hand.
"Y-yeah," Toge stuttered out the word, kicking off his shoes.
They sat down on the couch, and Toge flicked through a few options, remembering that Yuta hadn't seen too many movies. Toge chose to start Spirited Away. As the film began its first act, the silver-haired man excused himself to the restroom.
After a few minutes of quiet panic and some rather gross but necessary activities, Toge returned to the living room. The colors reflected off of Yuta's eyes as the characters moved around the screen. His lips were parted, letting out unconscious deep breaths. His hair was a bit messy from the day but still hung to the side of Yuta's pale face.
Toge returned to his seat. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears. The silver-haired man was aware of every breath that came in and out of his lungs. He turned his head to see Yuta had turned a silent gaze toward him.
"You really did look cute tonight," Yuta said in a hushed voice.
With that, Toge pounced. Yuta's back fell to the leather as their lips connected. The black-haired man was better at kissing than before, biting Toge's lower lip. When they took a break to breathe between each kiss, a string of saliva dripped from their tongues.
"You too," Toge said, inhaling.
Yuta lifted at the base of Toge's shirt, pulling it over the silver-haired man's head. A chill ran through Toge as Yuta's thin fingers slid down his chest. They were just as cold as they had been at the restaurant.
Toge unbuttoned Yuta's shirt, slowly kissing from his collar to his navel. Only a few quiet moans escaped Yuta's mouth. Looking down at his smooth pale body, the words Muta said rang through Toge's mind again. If there was a way to compress all their memories, Toge wanted this to be the time Yuta remembered.
From there, they moved to the bedroom. Yuta plopped on his back, the same way he had been on the couch. Toge turned on the lights, wanting to see every inch of the other man's body. When he did, he saw Yuta had his pants halfway down his thighs with a familiar bulge in his underwear.
The silver-haired man jumped on top of him. Using his feet, Toge pulled off Yuta's pants which fell to the floor with a thud. Toge followed suit, taking off his own and unveiling his shark-patterned boxer briefs. Not long after, they were connected. Yuta was bigger than Toge expected, but Toge was sure that he was louder than Yuta expected as well.