Chapter Text
“Little Loach, I hope to drink Sober Demon again with you some time.”
Then came the fire that melted skin from bone, fire so hot he smelled his own flesh roasting and heard his own fat dripping onto the coals before his nose and ears burned off too.
They regrew.
The burning started again.
Fu Yu jerked back to reality. The bartender had grown horns. Something with scales and spines twined around him in the air. Fu Yu shook himself, and the bartender was once again a hottie with a trendy haircut and a loud shirt.
“You were behind all this?” Fu Yu asked.
The flask burned coldly against Fu Yu’s fingers. No, not burned. That hallucinatory drink hadn’t stopped with hellfire. Just before the vision cut off, he’d caught a glimpse of pale fire that burned cold. A shudder rolled over his skin. He wanted to scrub the memory out.
The bartender turned away. He smiled blandly towards the door. “Destined guest, welcome to Demon Tavern.”
“What was that supposed to be? Buddhist hells?” Fu Yu pinched the bridge of his nose. How was he getting brain freeze from a drink without a single ice cube? How much had the two of them drunk today?
The wind chime tinkled. The latest victim was some nepo baby asshole with daddy issues. Must be nice actually knowing your parents. Fu Yu rested his aching head on the bar until the kid went away. He could tell Bai… the bartender wanted him to drink. Fuck that. These last months, Fu Yu’s tolerance had shot through the floor. Why drink when it only reminded him his career was in the toilet?
Eventually, the kid left.
“Stinky human?” Bai Qi asked.
“This is nuts.”
“Do you believe in past lives?”
“Only long enough to sneak out the back of the restaurant on a first date.”
What was it about Fu Yu that attracted the crazies? Every time he got stupid enough to respond to a chat, the guy turned out to be broke, bonkers, and not even hung.
Fu Yu peeled his face off the bar. “You don’t expect me to fall for this shit, do you? This is some new party drug, right?”
A bland, fake smile wiped away the bartender’s hopeful expression. “That would take a hell of a party drug.”
Fu Yu ought to get up and walk out of here. Garbled visions swam around in his brain, already jumbling and slipping away. Dreams were like that. He tried to hold onto the details. The bartender’s horns were cute. Fu Yu wondered if his past self had gotten to touch them—his hallucination self, that is.
A woman in an oversize cashmere sweater came in. The bartender talked her into a tonifying cocktail containing traditional herbs.
Fu Yu was honestly embarrassed for Bai Qi. Who was still peddling the pharmacy bar trend five years ater it had died? Not that Fu Yu knew what the hot new bars were doing. He’d lain low after ‘amicably parting ways’ with his previous employer.
After the third guest and the third drink Fu Yu refused, the bartender came around the bar to sit next to him. “I’m closing in ten,” he said. “Can I get you anything else.”
Fu Yu narrowed his eyes. “So I can relive my skin melting off a few more times?”
Something passed over the bartender’s face. “How about some water?” he asked.
It was stupid, but Fu Yu drank it.
🍶
The next day, Fu Yu started reaching out to his contacts. His sense of taste wasn’t quite one hundred percent yet, but he could feel himself inching upwards. He’d learned it all from scratch the first time, and then his talent was just gone. World class to zero. Well, he’d just learn it all from scratch again. People said you had to start young. He was going to show them all.
The proactive career building would have been more impressive if he hadn’t been doing it from his same perch at the crazy guy’s bar.
“What’s this one?” Fu Yu wrinkled his nose. The drink was bitter, and not in a good way.
“You tell me.”
“I’m disabled. You’re bullying an invalid!”
“Pandering to a drunk, more like. You said you wanted to practice. It’s not even high proof.”
Fu Yu pouted at the cute bartender. Broke, he reminded himself. How many customers had he seen this afternoon? Two? How did the big, old building stay in business? No wonder the florist had closed… assuming any of that story was real and not something hottie bartender had set up to mess with him.
“I’m wise to your tricks,” Fu Yu said, shaking his finger. It trailed light streamers. The room was a little unsteady for four in the afternoon.
Fu Yu really needed to stop sending work-related messages. “Water,” he croaked.
Bai Qi laughed at him.
🍶
“Basic feng shui, sure,” Fu Yu said. “That’s just human psychology and sound building practices, but this is nonsense.”
Bai Qi grunted. He stretched further. The vines in question grew part way down a cliffside Fu Yu gripped Bai Qi’s thighs harder. Bai Qi’s pink t-shirt had worked its way up around his ribs. Two cute little dimples showed above his jeans. Mud soaked everything. Fu Yu could feel it squelching inside his shoes. It made hanging onto Bai Qi tricky.
“Got it!”
Bai Qi wriggled back onto safe ground. He held up a red fruit. It almost looked like it was glowing.
“I don’t see how this is going to help your friend’s house.”
“It needs power. This fruit is as good as a battery. And he’s not my friend, just a customer.”
Fu Yu rolled his eyes. “We’ve spent three days out here because some guy occasionally buys a beer?”
“It’s a full service bar.”
Fu Yu began scraping the mud off. He’d need more casual clothes at this rate. He was running out of t-shirts he was willing to subject to Bai Qi’s projects.
“Let’s say I believe you and all of this is real, shouldn’t I be able to see things too?”
Bai Qi paused. “Well… Your powers might be… absent right now.”
Fu Yu snorted. “Convenient.”
“Do you… uh… want them back?”
“I’m sure I’ll work up to it,” Fu Yu said, sarcastically, but Bai Qi nodded like Fu Yu had said something sensible and not the complete bullshit he ended up spewing whenever they were together.
“You should work on your breathing. Internal alchemy requires a solid foundation.”
“Sure, sure, and that fruit is going to make a river flow uphill.”
“Just because a person can’t taste anything, it doesn’t make flavors fake.”
Bai Qi’s eyes immediately went wide like he hadn’t meant to say that. Fu Yu elbowed him.
“Here, the towel isn’t a complete disgrace yet. You’re not getting back in my car looking like that.”
🍶
Fu Yu smoothed his hands over his slacks again. It was better than creasing anything. He’d been out of the game too long. His hair looked great. He felt great. He was going to do great.
Fu Yu’s eyes in the mirror looked like he hadn’t slept.
The bathroom door shut with a soft click. Outside, silverware clinked against plates. A low hum of conversation filled the dim space. Trendy blue lighting zig-zagged under high tables and the undersides of counters. It made the food look disgusting and reduced the color of red wine to black sludge. Fu Yu hadn’t been missing anything during his involuntary hiatus. He couldn’t wait for this particular trend to die.
Tall, chisled, and employed stood up from the table when Fu Yu joined him. In his deceptively casual black shirt and slacks he could have passed for a waiter—if the waiter was a moonlighting CEO. Fu Yu sized up his silk and linen at a glance. In the past, Fu Yu would have recommended him a fifty-year port: something exquisite with a price point to match, but not the overhyped shit he sold to the new money dickheads.
“Sorry I’m late,” Fu Yu told him.
“You’re right on time,” said Meng. That was Fu Yu’s date’s name.
He even pulled out Fu Yu’s chair. Such a gentleman! What luck that Fu Yu had stumbled across him. Most guys on apps were hard to talk to, but it was so easy to text Meng. Fu Yu could hardly remember what they’d written. It was just a feeling, like he suddenly didn’t have to worry about how the date would go. He just had to say yes.
Fu Yu’s phone vibrated as he settled into his chair. He ignored it.
The tasting menu featured fresh lake fish and water dropwort in sixteen preparations. The wine pairing with the steamed cakes was worth remembering. Fu Yu surreptitiously flicked on his phone. Sixteen missed texts from Bai Qi greeted him. Honestly. He jotted down the wine’s name and slid his phone back into his pocket.
“Will you be returning to the restaurant business?” Meng asked him.
“I’m exploring my options.”
This sherry clashed with the sweet soy glaze on the Fish Swimming Upstream. They wouldn’t be swimming far weighed down with sugar like that. The dish needed an acid to balance the sweetness. Leaning into the flavor with a sweet sherry would have been dull but suitable for naive palates. The dry sherry tasted acrid after the sugar, all its subtlety lost, and the fish became cloying in its turn.
Meng was saying something about his work. Fu Yu nodded along. A delicate white wine came with the final course, after both a full-bodied red and the sherry. Who could taste it at this point? That wasn’t just Fu Yu’s tastebuds acting up. Over the last month, he’d regained most of his former prowess. No, this was basic menu planning logic. Fu Yu mentally docked the sommelier a few points.
Fu Yu’s phone vibrated annoyingly against his leg as he tried one more time to get a sense of this wine. He was fairly certain it was good, just underserved by its position in the menu.
“Is that your friend?” Meng asked.
Fu Yu snapped out of his reverie to see Bai Qi advancing across the restaurant. He wore another loud shirt and stood out like a sore thumb.
“You weren’t answering your phone,” Bai Qi said as he approached the table. Then his gaze fell on Meng and he stopped short.
“Uh… Bai Qi, this is Meng—“
“I need to talk to you,” Bai Qi interrupted.
“Now?”
“There’s been a break in the case—“
“Seriously?” Fu Yu felt the telltale crackle of pain in his temples. “The ‘case’ can definitely wait till tomorrow.”
“It’s urgent.”
“I’ll be back in a minute.” Fu Yu looked helplessly over his shoulder at Meng as Bai Qi dragged him away, but Meng just waved him on.
They tumbled through a side door into what looked like an alley. They must be somewhere behind the restaurant.
“What the hell?”
Bai Qi shifted from foot to foot. “I got a strange reading on you, and you weren’t answering your phone.”
“Reading? You planted some kind of tracker on me?”
“Not a tracker. Divination. You’re in danger.”
“In danger of being terminally rude to my date.”
Bai Qi stepped back like he’d been slapped. “Your date.”
“You got a problem with that?”
Fu Yu couldn’t believe this guy. It wasn’t the gay thing, not with the vibes Bai Qi gave off. Jealousy, then? Just because Bai Qi chose to waste all his time playing pretend with his crazy friends didn’t mean Fu Yu should rot in place. You had to put in effort if you wanted to get ahead.
Bi Qi gestured wildly. “Of course I have a problem with it! Who do you think that is in there?”
“The only decent guy on five apps. Do not fuck this up for me.”
“Decent? Decent? He’s a demon.” Bai Qi’s hair stuck up where he was grabbing at it.
“Yeah, yeah, just like you and your friend with the lost whatsit. We’ll go find it tomorrow. I’ve got shit to do tonight.”
Bai Qi caught Fu Yu’s arm before he could go. “He’s dangerous.”
“This is insane, even for you. I told you: I’m busy.”
“Stinky Human, listen. That man in there isn’t what he seems.”
“No, you listen: I’ve put up with enough of your playing detective. I’ve drunk your bullshit concoctions and let you mess with my head…”
Bai Qi really had done a number on his head. It throbbed. A red mist rose inside of Fu Yu. All the depression of the long months without his talent, the misery of those last burning visions, the frustration at finding himself back at the bar when he promised himself he’d stay away bubbled over.
“If tomorrow isn’t good enough, then how about never?”
“Stinky human—“
“We’re barely even friends, and you have the nerve… No, you know what: I don’t owe you an explanation. Don’t call me unless you have something sane to say.”
The door slammed behind Fu Yu. If the damned bartender tried to say anything, it was drowned out by the noise of the diners. Meng was understanding. He didn’t press Fu Yu about his crazy friend, but the mood was off, and Fu Yu called it a night.
Fu Yu’s phone didn’t buzz for the next two weeks. No more errands for crazy guys running failing bars. Fu Yu was relieved about that.
He was relieved.