The next evening, Subaru woke up a few hours before sunset. Junya wouldn't wake up until at least sundown at the earliest. For someone who was usually so aware of his surroundings, Junya slept like the dead.

"Ha, I thought a joke," Subaru said to himself, grabbing some jeans and a t-shirt and slipping into them. He half-sleepwalked to the genkan, stepping into his boots and forgoing lacing them. He double checked he had the elevator key before he called it, shuddering to himself as he thought about the night before.

The local teishoku place served him the daily special. Rice, miso soup, horse mackerel and pickles. It wasn't inventive, but it was enough to deal with his encroaching hangover.

Once he was done, he stepped out into the street. The air was starting to cool, not quite as muggy as it had been the previous week. The streets of Roppongi were packed with tourists and salarymen ready to start their business parties.

Subaru even caught sight of a few of Sai's men slipping in and out of the bars. He could only identify them because of the thunderstorm tattoos that peeked over the collars of their shirts. No doubt they were collecting protection money from the bar owners.

"Excuse me, sir? Do you have a moment to take part in an art project?" A woman jumped in front of him, startling him. He frowned at her, trying to walk around her.

"Not interested," he said. She didn't look deterred, following him.

"All you have to do is read a poem," she said. Subaru stopped.

"Which poem?" he asked, suspicions rising. The woman withdrew a stack of papers, each one with the title Tomino's Hell written on the top. Subaru sighed, his suspicions confirmed, and grabbed the whole sheaf.

"H-Hey!" the woman protested. Subaru scrunched up the papers into a ball then crushed them beneath his foot.

"You don't mess with summoning Tomino. Just let her rest rather than calling to her with every bored kid in Roppongi," he said. The woman shot him a furious glare but Subaru paid her no mind. He walked away from her as she shouted abuse at him, stooping to pick up the ruined papers.

He got back to the apartment, taking the elevator. The smell of cigarette smoke greeted him as he stepped through the door.

"Some woman tried to get me to read Tomino's Hell. Like I'm that dumb," Subaru called in greeting. Junya was on his laptop, but he looked up as Subaru took off his shoes. Despite his expression being impassive, Subaru was sure Junya was happy to see him.

He padded over to the couch and sat down beside him, kissing his cheek. Junya pulled Subaru into a deeper kiss. His hand rested possessively against the collar around Subaru's neck before he pulled away. Subaru tried to follow him, to turn it into something more, but Junya leaned back. His hand remained at the base of Subaru's neck though, stroking absently.

"I'm glad Tomino didn't get you. It would have been awkward to bargain with her again," Junya said. Subaru shuddered as he remembered the last time.

"When did Tokyo get so dangerous? I spent nearly the first twenty years of my life with the only supernatural experience being a close shave with Hanako-san. Now it's happening every few hours!" Subaru said, pouting. Junya continued to stroke him soothingly.

"Things are... changing in the world," he said. Subaru leaned against him.

"Anything I need to worry about?" he asked. Junya's hand stilled briefly.

"I will protect you from anything, Subaru. Even if it means leaving Tokyo," he promised. Something warm filled Subaru's chest.

Of course, Junya would protect him. Subaru might be a spoiled pet, but he was the only one Junya had.