Complete 18+ Private Something Different

[Luthien]

A part of Valeria still couldn't believe how the first day of the Mega Summerfest had developed. When she had decided to simply yeet herself over to NYC on her lonesome the blonde hadn't held the biggest expectations, she'd only hoped to catch the shows of some of her favorite artists and have a good time.

Never in a million years had Valeria expected the day would lead to a chance of hanging out with Dayeon Song herself, not to mention being the proud secondhand owner of the artist's jacket—autographed for Valeria no less! Said jacket was currently being worn to protect herself from the chilly night air of NYC as a pair walked down the sidewalk, the blonde turning her face to look at the person that had managed to catch the jacket for her in the first place as a smile tugged at her lips.

When the time had come to part way for the night in order to get some rest the blonde had waved goodbyes to Dayeon, Kyra, Danielle and Chelsea. Ari had offered to accompany her once he'd heard that Valeria planned to walk back to her hotel, the girl having been quite adamant in the fact that she didn't need a cab for what was essentially a 15 minute walk from Central Park, and the blonde had readily accepted his company—still not entirely willing to part ways with the man.

"That was a pretty wild day, huh? Who would've thought we'd get to hang out with Dayeon of all people~?"

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

When Ari had decided to come out to New York City, it was just to catch a break from the endless grin he'd subjected himself to. Work, school, eat, sleep, game when he could. His life had been consumed by obligation. But this, this had been for himself. Hell, he didn't even like music festivals that much, but he'd figured it was the kind of break from the norm he needed.

He'd never expected it to go the way it had, and he sure as hell didn't regret coming out now.

"That was a pretty wild day, huh? Who would've thought we'd get to hang out with Dayeon of all people~?" The girl next to him said, as they walked along, her pinky curled around his.

"And who'd have thought she'd not only give you her performance jacket, but sign it for you too," the man replied with a smile on his face. He hadn't had this much fun in a long time. But, the fact that the festival had only been a part of his enjoyment wasn't lost on the man. Especially not as he glanced over at the blonde beside him. "I'd say you lucked out today, huh?"

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

"I knooow! Gosh sometimes it felt like I was just dreaming..."

She bubbled with excitement, unable to keep the wide grin from her lips as she thought about the day thus far. "Although I doubt I would've gotten the jacket if it hadn't been for you, Ari." Her pinky was curled around his as they walked, the blonde leaning a bit closer so their shoulders could touch.

"Guess my luckiest moment today was meeting you~"

There was a slight inflection in her voice as the blonde spoke, a rosy coloration fluttering to the surface of her cheeks before Valeria focused her eyes back onto the path they were both taking. The amount of fun and excitement she had felt today was unmeasurable, but even if meeting Dayeon had been a once in a lifetime experience Valeria knew that hadn't been the true highlight of her day.

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

The girl bumped his shoulder as they walked, beaming up at him as she said that she wouldn't have managed to get the jacket without him. The man smiled back at her gently, gazing into her clear magenta eyes, the street lights illuminating them, causing them to shimmer prettily. "Don't mention it," the man said back softly.

"Guess my luckiest moment today was meeting you~"

Immediately, Ari could feel his ears begin to heat up. And then the man began to hope and pray that they hadn't become as red as they felt. "O-oh yeah?" the man said, turning his gaze towards the path ahead. Hang on, this seemed a little familiar...The man unconsciously tugged on Valeria's pinky gently, drawing her closer. "Why's that?" he asked as steadily as he could, hoping that his embarrassment wasn't apparent to the girl. He wasn't used to hearing things like that. As stoic as he normally seemed, even he got caught off guard every once in a while.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

She had stepped away a bit after bumping his shoulder, so when Ari's ears suddenly flushed from her words he'd been lucky to be distant enough where the darkness helped hide the reddened look on them as they walked. "O-oh yeah? Why's that?" He felt his pull on her pinky, bringing Lúthien closer as the girl giggled softly before shrugging her shoulders.

"That's for me to know, and for you to maaaybe find out~"

There was a teasing smile on her lips as she stared at him, their shoulders bumping once more, before Valeria's attention turned towards the red brick building and the sign that jutted outwards onto the sidewalk. The CIVILIAN was maybe a minute or two away from them now, and a faint frown formed on the blonde's face as she realized it meant their time together would come to a close for the day.

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

"That's for me to know, and for you to maaaybe find out~"

"I'll 'maybe' find out, what the fuck does that mean?" Ari laughed as the girl flashed him a mischievous smile. Those words combined with that devilish smile he was quickly getting used to should have probably given Ari a good reason to worry for his own well-being at that point, but sadly for Ari, he only had two braincells, and instead the man only found himself more intrigued.

That intrigue was cut short however as the man looked ahead and spotted the illuminated sign of the CIVILIAN in the not too far away distance.

There wasn't a snow ball's chance in Hell. Right?

The man gazed up at the sign with a blank face as he slowly began to put two and two together, finally managing to get four. "Oh...well this awkward," the man said to no one in particular. "Say, your hotel isn't the CIVILIAN, is it?" the man asked, glancing over at Valeria as he did so.

Naw, there was no way he was that lucky. Lightning didn't strike twice, and the man would've sworn up and down that he'd used up all his luck on winning the lottery last year.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

"I'll 'maybe' find out, what the fuck does that mean?"

A toothy grin was the only response Ari would receive to his question, a few soft giggles sneaking out to join his own laughter. Finally their steps carried to the front of the building, the lobby and reception area easy to see from the sidewalk, before she felt a light tug on her pinky as the man had stopped walking.

"Oh...well this awkward."
"Mmm?"
"Say, your hotel isn't the CIVILIAN, is it?"
"Yeah, it is... why?"

There was a soft tilt of her head towards the side, a look of confusion crossing Valeria's features before she frowned lightly. "Wait, don't tell me... is it a bad hotel?" Granted she had booked it mostly because the prices had been reasonable compared to other hotels, and still close enough to Central Park to be considered walking distance.

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

"N-no, no, it's not bad at all," the man answered with a chuckle. "Er, at least, I don't think so. Had good reviews online." Hell, nearly five stars, and the pictures made it look nice as hell. Ari hadn't really spent too much time looking around, beat from the flight over the first day he'd arrived, and then having left early to get to the festival grounds. But from what he had seen so far, the hotel was well deserving of it's rating.

"That's uh...that's also my hotel," the man said with another soft laugh. What celestial event had to have occurred for them to bump into each other, meet Dayeon, get her jacket, and turn out to have booked rooms at the same hotel. There truly was a god out there.

Well, there was a shot here. And Ari would be damned if he didn't take it. "So...uh...any chance you wanna hit the bar together? We won't have to worry about calling a taxi," he joked, figuring they might as well make the most of the fact that they'd be within a hundred feet of each other for the next few days.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

"Yeah, that's why I picked it when I was looking for a room. The reviews were high, the pics looked good, and the prices were reasonable." Alright, so at least it sounded like the hotel wasn't a trap in disguised, but then what would Yugam say this was awkward? "Why'd you look so surprised then?"

"That's uh...that's also my hotel."

"O-Oh... wait, for real?!" The confused look on her face gave way to one of surprise and, after a few more seconds, one of disbelief as the pieces of the puzzle finally connected together. "No way... you're not pulling my leg, right Ari?"

Her own laughter soon joined his as the pair took a moment to marvel at the possible evidence of a god actually existing somewhere out there in the universe, before the man decided he had nothing to lose as he took a shot... and scored.

"Sure~"

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

"No, no, no," the man laughed, "I'm not messin' with you, promise," the man laughed as Valeria slowly got over her own disbelief. The man could hardly believe it himself. Either they were both just extremely lucky, or this was all some kind of weird cosmic coincidence. Either way, Ari wasn't complaining about it.

Especially not when the woman agreed to his idea of hitting the hotel bar. Ari practically beamed, despite trying to suppress his smile as he gave the girl a small nod. "Perfect, let's go then!" he said. "Do you wanna try and get some food too?" the man asked. It had been a while since they'd eaten after all, and Ari's stomach was already growling angrily at him. The hunger, and also the fact that he needed to put something in stomach if he didn't wanna do something absolutely stupid thanks to the alcohol. "If the bar has some food, we could get some, if you'd like," he offered.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

Valeria wasn't sure what type of cosmic powers were at play out here in New York, or which of the man gods scattered through history she'd managed to charm enough to be granted this opportunity, but the blonde wasn't about to look at a gifted horse in the mouth right now—not when it meant that she could prolong this night just a little bit longer.

"Do you wanna try and get some food too?"
"Mhmm, that's a good idea—some of the Google reviews had food pictures attached to them and it looked delicious~"

Plus if they were about to hit the bar it was prooobably a good idea to not drink on an empty stomach... the last thing Valeria wanted to do was make a fool of herself in front of Ari, especially after the day had been going so well between them. "Yeah, the bar sounds like a good idea—whatever food they have probably won't be super heavy." Besides she was in the mood for fingerfood type of options, something bars often excelled at, over an actual full meal on a plate.

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

"Ohhh, did you see that yakitori place?" Ari asked as they neared the hotel, the brightly lit sign above their heads casting everything in a warm, orange light. "The food there looked so good. And they got tons of sake to try if you're interested in that?" Ari suggested as they entered the lobby, pausing so they could decide on which of the hotel's several bar and cocktail lounges they wanted to hit.

"There's also that wine bar, and like, that other weird bar up on the roof?" From what Ari had read online though, the last two were far less casual than the yakitori restaurant. After all, how casual could a wine bar be? And the other had seemed like a full blown cocktail lounge, and Ari hadn't exactly brought a suit to wear at the music festival. But, at the very least they had the options if they wanted to...what? Go out on a date or something? The man inwardly laughed at himself for even having the thought. Sure, he was having a great time. And Valeria was...well, she was really something else. But too much distance between them in the end. Best not to get his hopes up.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

"Yeah, I did! Gosh all the food from the yakitori one looked amazing!"

Sure, the pictures of the hotel room had been nice and the price decent... but Valeria would be lying if she said her decision to book this particular hotel wasn't swayed by the nice variety of restaurants and food places found within walking distance of the CIVILIAN. The hotel did provide options such as their own wine bar in The Cocktail Room located on the 2nd floor lounge are, not to mention the Starchild elevated lounge experience they advertised on their rooftop... but who could resist the pictures from the Yakitori Tori Shin that their website also advertised?

"Well, the yakitori place isn't too far away if I remember right... it was four, maybe five, blocks away from here?" A free hand reached for the phone in her pocket, unlocking the screen before quickly shifting to the Google Maps app. "Yeah, see? About eight minutes from here~"

The phone was tilted in Ari's direction so he could also look at the screen, the path from the hotel's lobby to the restaurant marked. "Wanna go check them out instead?" A questioning glance was given over to Ari then, a smile lingering at the corners of her lips even as the blonde gave his pinky a soft tug with her own.

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

That yakitori did look good. As soon as the man had started to think about it, his mouth had started to water. The man had actually never had yakitori before, and to be fair, they didn't look that much more impressive than chicken souvlaki, or any other skewer. But it was the glaze that intrigued the man. Ari could only guess at what kind of tasty sauce it was, but man was he eager to try it out.

Valeria tilted her phone towards the man, indicating that the restaurant was only a few blocks away. "Yeah, let's go!" the man said with a smile as the girl tugged on his pinky. Ari shifted his hand to fully clasp the girl's hand in his, intertwining his fingers with hers.

"C'mon," the man said, starting towards the door again, and pulling the girl along with him. "You ever have yakitori before?" Ari asked curiously as they walked.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

The delighted look that crossed her face was indisputable as the man agreed to Valeria's request, the blonde's smiling excitedly in return. His hand shifted then as her pinky was momentarily released, but before Val could shoot him a questioning look she found her hand now fully clasped inside his larger one—his fingers intertwining with her own with a natural ease that caused the blonde's cheeks to flush ever so slightly.

"C'mon."
"O-Okay...!"

A stuttered response was given just as Ari began to lead them towards the door and down the sidewalk in the direction of the restaurant in question. His question caused Valeria to shake her head softly in response, her mind hyperaware of how comfortable and right her entwined fingers felt against his own, before she managed to find her voice once more.

"Unfortunately no, there were a handful of Asian restaurants close to where I live but they never had yakitori on their menu. What about you, Ari?"

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

The warmth of the girl's hand in his was...comforting, to say the least. He most certainly was not the kind of person to shy away from public displays of affection, least of all handholding, but it'd been a long time since he'd had anyone to display any affection for. More than that, something about Valeria felt...different to the man. Familiarity? Was that what it was? Or maybe it was just how easy it was to speak to her, to just exist at her side. Either way, the man wore a secret smile the entire time they walked hand in hand.

"Nope, I haven't tried it before either," the man replied, chatting idly. "Always wanted to try it though. It's always looked good on TV, ya know?" Of course, the extent of that TV experience was also restricted to anime, and while Ari was certain that the animated equivalent was probably a far cry from actual yakitori, it did little to dissuade him from trying to stuff.

"What do you usually get when you go to an asian place?" the man asked curiously. Between all the Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese and Korean places that frequently scattered around urban areas, there was no doubt that Valeria had a myriad of dishes to choose from, but, as with most people, Ari was willing to bet there was one thing or another that stuck out to the girl more than others.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

She hadn't even known him for a day... so why did her hand felt so good held inside his? It cause her heart to flutter, a small smile secretly tugging on her lips as they walked hand in hand down the sidewalks of New York City. "Mhmm, I knooow~ Gosh anime makes all the food from Japan look absolutely delicious, but even in the YouTube videos I've seen of people food-touring in Japan they look amazing." She couldn't help but walk closer to him, her shoulder bumping his ever so slightly as her fingers gave his hand a gentle squeeze. For now she would enjoy his company willingly, relishing in the moment and the memories they were currently creating.

"Ikura nigiri~ Though I also love the mackerel ones." She didn't even had to think twice about her answer, salmon roe was by far her favorite treat to indulge with whenever it was available. "If we're talking about rolls then it's definitely the rainbow one... though dragon rolls would be a close second."

A cheeky grin was on her face as she looked at the man besides her.

"What about you, Ari?"

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

"Mhmm, I knooow~ Gosh anime makes all the food from Japan look absolutely delicious..." Valeria said as she squeezed his hand and bumped shoulders with him.

As soon as Ari heard those words, he couldn't help but smile to himself. She'd read his mind. Lifting his arm, he looped their linked arms around her shoulders, wrapping her in his embrace.

"Ooh, rainbow rolls are damn good," the man agreed with a nod. Dragon rolls as well, although the peculiar texture of the eels sometimes still got to the man. Strangely rough and soft at the same time. It was one of those things where they seemed to conflict irreparably to him. But even still, there was no denying the taste. "My favorite? Hmm, probably a good hot stone bibimbap," the man replied, the image of the sizzling bowl popping into his head as he answered. "Nothing beats a good bowl of rice, meat and veggies."

Just up ahead, the pair could see the restaurant come into view. Releasing Valeria to open the door, the pair entered, where they were met first by the sounds of sizzling meat, dripping juices onto the hot charcoals, and then by the hostess.

"How many?" she asked.

"Two," the man answered, holding up two fingers as he did.

"Please follow me," the woman said, before guiding them to a small table in the corner. As the hostess put the menu's on the table, Ari pulled out one of the chairs and smiled at her, indicating it was hers to sit in.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

Soft giggles escaped the blonde when Ari lifted their arms, looping them around Valeria before pulling her closer to his side.

"Oh those are good," She hadn't had too many changes to indulge in bibimbap, but the few times that Val had tried them she found them enjoyable... almost comforting, even. "The best part is breaking the egg yolk and mixing it with the rest of the ingredients~"

They'd finally reached the door to the restaurant, their hands unlinking as Ari released the blonde before opening the door. Sizzling was the first sound that met them as the pair entered, music to Valeria's ears, before the delicious scent of grilled chicken already had her mouth watering.

"Ah, t-thanks...!"

She hadn't expected him to pull one of the chairs out for her, causing her words to stutter ever so slightly as she sat down. A hand reached for a few strands of hair that were close to her face, nervously tucking them behind her ear as Ari sat down, before her hands reached for one of the provided menus.

"Oh, look Ari, I think they have pretty much every variety of yakitori on this one~"

She had waited until the man had opened his own menu, carefully leaning closer before a manicured finger gently tapped the 10 Skewers Set option.

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

Valeria thanked him with a slight nervous stutter to her voice as she sat down, tucking her blonde hair behind her ear. Taking the seat across from her, they both picked up their menus, each beginning to browse through the offered foods.

Ari first flipped through the menu, seeing what categories there were. Chef's choice, plates, appetizers, meat and vegetable skewers, seafood, rice bowls, desserts. Really, Ari didn't know why he bothered checking. This was about exactly what he should've expected.

"Oh, look Ari, I think they have pretty much every variety of yakitori on this one~" the girl said, leaning forward and tapping her fingernail against his menu. "Wanna start with that?" the man asked, before picking up the drinks menu and looking at both sides. "Get that, some appetizers and some drinks to start? See how we feel after that?" There weren't really that many appetizers, but in terms of other food, there was quite a variety. If anything else, they could always get a rice bowl too, if they just wanted to fill their stomachs as the night wore on.

@Luthien