the story of bookstore 319 - one
title: the story of bookstore 319
pairing: n/a
rating: pg-13
summary: read a few books and you find the course of true love never did run smooth. though neither did the course of running ryo's bookstore.
notes: some gen-ish ryo/koyashigepi. and because i'm curious, i'd really appreciate some replies to this meme.

memory lane is a dangerous trek
1495~

Shige scrutinises everything.

He looks around as though the bookstore is some disease-ridden filth and refuses to touch anything until pest control have done their job and fumigated the place. At least three times.

Ryo doesn’t mind it too much. It would be nice to walk around without that patch in the middle that felt sticky underfoot. He also doesn’t mind it when that rising damp smell is gone too. No qualms with the riddance of bugs and sticky floors. It’s only when Shige starts talking like an interior designer – of colour schemes and curtains – that Ryo feels as though intervention is a must.

“You should have just said that you were gay,” Ryo hits and Shige stops mid-roll on the topic of ornamental lamps.

“I’m not.”

“But you’re talking about throw pillows and tie-dyed drapes.”

“Well,” Shige begins slowly, “I’m knowledgeable in forms of decoration and interested in women.”

“Right,” Ryo replies and there’s not even a single once of belief in it at all.

“I’ve always thought you were though,” Shige makes a suggestive nod. “Considering all the things you used to do to me when we were younger.”

“Yeah, I did think I was for a bit,” Ryo scratches the line of his jaw thoughtfully before continuing, “Then I found out about all the bright colours and v-neck jumpers. There’s also that lisp thing that could develop too. I don’t want to go around looking like something a clown coughed up, sounding like I’ve bitten my tongue and having limp wrists.”

“What limp wrists?”

“You know, limp wrists,” he demonstrates with one hand, with his elbow against the counter, he shows Shige his palm before having it collapse lifelessly. “Darts players sometimes have it. You know, dangly wrists.”

Shige wonders how Ryo has managed to survive in society for so long unscathed.

---

After having the place redone to look exactly the same (but clean), Ryo commends Shige’s next business move in the employment of Koyama.

Koyama, as well as being a good sales assistant, is the kind of person Ryo reckons he always needed because he does the thing he doesn’t want to do. Washing the windows thoroughly, re-pricing books with the sticker gun, smiling at customers. Indeed, Koyama’s presence is a valuable asset to Bookstore 319.

There is also the addition of Koyama being Shige’s best friend – a mine full of embarrassing moment diamonds for him to explore – for he only knows Shige’s blush inducing stories until the age of twelve.

“A couple of years ago he went to Australia by himself,” Koyama can’t continue for all the laughing, he wipes his eyes, already pricked with tears, and Ryo can’t help but anticipate the rest, “and… and… they have koalas there, right?”

Cute bear-like things, sleeps the day away, Ryo knew what Koyama was on about.

“Well, he went to a zoo and it was one of those that let you hold some of the animals, so he’s holding the koala and he’s posing for a photo,” Koyama heave a breath and calms down the bubbling. “Just before it’s taken, the koala… slips onto his finger with it’s rear eye. I think I still have the pictures on my phone.”

And true enough, there’s a cross-eyed koala with a startled Shige, then looking a bit regretful and almost close to tears or throwing up. Those looks are hard for Ryo to distinguish between though in fairness, it’s a difficult look to interpret.

“You know, you should’ve just said that you were gay,” Ryo says and it’s pure nonchalance coming from his mouth as he presses a button and flicks through the contents of Koyama’s phone.

“I’m not,” Koyama does as Koyama does, and laughs it off casually.

“About ninety percent of the photos in your phone are of guys, ninety-nine percent of those being Kato-kun, and both your mail inbox and sent items are full of messages to and from him,” Ryo looks up and Koyama blinks at him as though he waits for Ryo to say something truly scandalous. “Isn’t that a bit gay?”

“But Shige’s my best friend,” Koyama justifies and he’s clearly got passive aggressive down naturally (so much so it seems like it’s innocence). “There’s nothing in it.”

“You do express your love for him with extensive heart emojis,” Ryo supposes and hands back the phone before he becomes curious about how to do those flashy signature things.

Koyama huffs thoughtfully, hums a bit, quirks his lips as he contemplates what he’s been told, “I guess I am, but, I’m sure I’m not. Maybe, I could be, I guess, let me think, what if I am? The signs do point that way,” he continues to ramble on low beneath his breath and Ryo can’t help but find it all very amusing until Koyama mutters something about getting it up for some girl in university and it becomes too much information.

---

After a hard day’s work in the back of the shop working with receipts and invoices, Yamapi goes out to drink at a bar with Ryo. Usually, the only way he’d be dragged to a club would be by dare or promise and he’d take going to a bar over going to a club. For one thing, there’s something he likes about solemn drinking – just him, the glass, the alcohol and someone to get him more when he’s downed it – though he knows that clubs have theirs pluses too. All the ones he goes to seem to be good meeting places for beautiful people of easy virtue.

So he’s at this bar with Ryo (and the glass, and the alcohol, and the person who gets them more), and they don’t really make conversation. He and Ryo haven’t known each other for long but they are already at a point where they are comfortable enough with each other to let silences grace and words dissipate. Yamapi like this kind friendship, it makes him feel adult-like and for someone who’s still called by his childhood nickname, it’s like he’s acting his age. Somewhat.

Because Ryo, when drinking, doesn’t really maintain that ‘mature as cheese or wine’ aura for long. It gets to a point where he tips over the edge into drunkenness and while that would mean dimmed senses and rationality for normal people, it only enhances Ryo’s observational skill and his tongue becomes loose (not sharp, loose).

“You should’ve told me you were gay,” Ryo says, it comes completely deliberate with each syllable meant. “Not that it’d make a difference to me but it’s nice to be clued up, y’know?”

Yamapi wonders where this remark comes from, it seems out of nowhere since they haven’t talked in fifteen minutes (the last topic being whether or not they should order something to eat). In any case, Yamapi is sure that his surprise doesn’t come across (his reflection in the mirror behind the bar backs that thought up) so he replies in a way he thinks will make him seem as casual about it as Ryo.

“Take it this way,” Yamapi clears his throat as though what he says need some inconspicuousness added to the bundle, he plays with a shot glass, rolls it against the counter by the rim, “I don’t discriminate between who I sleep with on the basis of gender.”

Ryo nods knowingly with his eyes closed like he’s known all along (or perhaps he’s falling asleep, Yamapi’s not quite sure), and he says nothing for a while before clicking at the bartender to come and clear their glasses and bottles.

“I’ve asked everyone that today,” Ryo says and he leans over the bar to a packet of pretzels just a little out of reach.

“Oh?” Yamapi’s interest is piqued. “What did they say?”

“I got a deflect, a conversion and an admittance,” Ryo pinches at the corners of the packet and tugs, the bag bursts and the contents spills; Ryo eats what’s left, “and denial.”

Yamapi doesn’t want to pry, it’s really none of his business but he can’t help but think that the ‘conversion’ was Koyama since he was easily persuaded to reorganise the books for the third time this week under Ryo’s statement that colour coordination would work better.

“Hnnn…” Yamapi hums because it feels as though Ryo was looking for some kind of response but then a question springs to mind, “Is Kato-kun the ‘deflect’?”

“Yeah, how’d you guess?” Ryo chews to one side, Yamapi’s already told him to go see the dentist about that tooth.

“I saw him the other day in a convenience store,” Yamapi recalls and is surprised by how clear he sees things despite knowing they should be cloudy. “He managed to talk his way out of picking up a pile of tins he walked into.”

Ryo can’t help but smile. It’s nice to know that even after growing up and becoming successful, Shige’s still the same made-of-fail kid he used to live next door to.