‘Hiro-??? But Hiro what? Kun? San?…’ after a second typed out Hiro-sama(2) as the contact title and closed the contact after hitting save.
Late, maybe ten. he sent.
Before he could put the phone back in his pocket it blipped again.
Where are you?
“Tamaki-chan can you come here for a minute,” Mrs. Seikono called.
“Coming” He clicked on the text and hurriedly texted him back.
In the shotengai(3).
Okay
Tamaki placed his phone in his back pocket and ran over to Mrs. Seikono, she needed him to deliver something and he did so falling back into work and forgetting all about the texts.
Tamaki opened up his phone, dog tired his back aching into his shoulder blades and his wrist screaming at him more than before. It was only once he stopped working and sat down for a quick bite to eat that he felt it all. He looked at the food stomach growling, this really wouldn’t be enough. He bought an Omusubi set(3) from one of the stalls earlier. ‘Luckily Hiro has dinner.’ Tamaki paused at that thought. ‘Were they so casual now after only a day that he could think of dinner with a stranger and feel thankful and safe?’
“Tamaki-kun” Tamaki bristled at the sound of Hiro’s voice, causing him to choke on the mouthful of pork and rice. He coughed, smacking his chest with his fist.
“You bought dinner despite knowing I made you dinner,” Hiro asked, annoyed, walking up to him, a bag of something swinging in his hand.
Tamaki took a big drink of water from his water bottle to help him swallow down the lump.
“No, I bought a snack. I can easily eat this and that and still be hungry. Give it here.” Tamaki said.
Hiro frowned. Tamaki sighed, he stood up and grabbed the bag from Hiro.
Tamaki pulled on it since Hiro’s grip didn’t loosen. He hissed as his wrist ached again. He really had been overusing it.
Hiro let go of the bag, stopping resisting. “You’re hurt.” He asked.
“Just my wrist,” Tamaki said, brushing it off.
“Give me your hand.”
“It’s fine.”
“Give me your hand anyway,” Hiro stated.
Tamaki opened the bag and started eating, ignoring him.
“How did you find me?” he asked, instead.
“I came to the market and then wandered around until I saw you running around like a chicken with no head. Thank god you finally sat down.” Hiro clicked his tongue, disapprovingly. Tamaki shrunk a little in response to the sound. It was something his father had always done, whenever Tamaki did anything at all.
To Mastumori Hiro, Tamaki looked exhausted, and it made no sense why he would choose to do something so taxing when he had been offered a way out.
Their previous conversation from a few hours ago still tugged on his mind. He had even been worried the whole time wondering where he had gone and what he would be doing. He had worried it would hurt his wrist more than before. He had brought a spray in his pocket just in case but wasn’t sure how to broach the subject.
Hiro held out his hand and Tamaki looked up from the food, confused.
‘Why is he doing this now? Does he want a thank you for the food? Money? No, he wouldn’t want money. A high five? What does he want for me to show my gratitude?’
Tamaki’s shoulders slumped with worry. He heard Hiro scoff at him, the sound something between amusement and annoyance. He really couldn’t tell, but he felt too shy and confused to look up. And he was certainly not going to ask him what that sound meant. He would rather dive in front of oncoming traffic.
After a second, Hiro’s hand came into view. Tamaki looked up into Hiro’s eyes. Hiro stared, annoyance tinging his beautiful features.
That sharp gaze shot like an arrow straight into his human core, immobilizing him with his radiant beauty. and just like the first time that gaze had hit him from across the street, Tamaki was cast under his spell. It didn’t matter what Hiro would ask him.
Tamaki didn’t have the right to choose or say no. Whatever Hiro offered him, asked of him whatever it was, he would accept it wholeheartedly, regardless of whether it was a hand or trash he would take it from him willingly. Hesitantly he reached out and grasped and held that beautiful hand. Hiro didn’t dodge away from his touch. As if drawn in by his perfectly smooth skin, Tamaki leaned forward and, without thinking, placed his lips atop Hiro’s hand and kissed the top of Hiro’s skin gently. A numbness spread from his lips and into his body, as though a strong electric current had flowed through him.
Hiro turned just as Tamaki looked up from under his bangs, their eyes locked on each other. Hiro’s eyes narrowed, and he pulled his hand back. “I meant for you to hand me your hand so I could see your wrist.” He said.
Tamaki’s eyes fluttered as his brain caught up to what he had just done.
Hiro extended his hand for a second time, this time he didn’t look away. Tamaki placed his hand in his gingerly, almost scared to do so now.
Hiro pulled some stuff out of his bag he had with him, supplies to rebandage his wrist, and a spray from his pocket. a numbing spray. He sprayed it on Tamaki’s wrist, still flustered by Tamaki’s actions. He glanced around them, a few of the vendors were pretending as if they hadn’t just seen Tamaki kiss Hiro’s hand in the middle of the street. Hiro cleared his throat.
“Aren’t you afraid of people and what they might say?” Hiro asked. Hiro looked as if he were asking this question with more than just his eyes.
“I should be. Before I would have been.” Tamaki admitted.
“And now?” Hiro asked.
“Whatever you want, wherever you want it done, I would do it if you asked,” Tamaki said, hoping his earnest feelings would get through.
‘Why was Hiro asking this? He didn’t regret what he had done, even if he should have since they were in public.’ Tamaki glanced at Hiro from under his lashes just one more time, he resembled an abandoned puppy, with a bored expression on his face. Almost as if Tamaki’s presence made very little difference in his world.
This suited Tamaki as well. He didn’t want to even think about impacting that world. He didn’t belong in it.
“Why did you kiss my hand? What made you think that’s what I wanted you to do? Most normal people would have grabbed it, or high-fived it or something.”
“I didn’t think, to me it just happened, it seemed like there was nothing else to do.” How could he explain how enamored he was with Hiro without it coming off as just plain weird? ‘That point I think you are already past, he would be crazy to think you are normal after that.’ Tamaki thought.
Hiro scoffed and shot a glare at him. One that pierced into Tamaki’s soul and felt equally deserving.
“What kinda person did I invite into my house?”
“I’m sorry if that was gross,” Tamaki responded.
“Are you gay?” Hiro asked.
Tamaki froze, but after a moment nodded very slowly. Things couldn’t get worse unless he lied, and any lie he made up for kissing someone’s hand in the street would make little sense outside of the truth.
“But you don’t like me?” Hiro asked again the same question as earlier.
“No absolutely not! I could never.” Tamaki responded quickly to assure him, so he wouldn’t be upset anymore.
But Hiro just frowned in response. “What does that even mean? How does that make any sense at all?”
“Never mind maybe I don’t want to know after all. Just finish eating and let’s get out of here. You don’t need to hurt yourself like this again, tomorrow we can find something else for you to do instead.”
Tamaki stood up, his little container of pork falling on the ground, he didn’t even notice. Hiro did, but said nothing, instead, he raised an eyebrow, curious why Tamaki seemed angry.
“I said I wanted to do this.” Tamaki snapped.
Hiro scoffed at him. “Why? That’s dumb. I am offering you a way to live comfortably without straining yourself and you would rather run around here like an idiot while you are hurting?”
Tamaki scowled. “I knew it. I knew a person like you couldn’t understand.”
“A person like me? What the hell does that even mean?” Hiro snapped back.
“I was right, you don’t belong in my world… and I don’t belong in yours,” Tamaki said.
‘Your radiant splendor wasn’t made for someone like me.’
“What?” Hiro’s face crumpled in anger, he turned and walked away.
Tamaki groaned, annoyed with himself, there was a better way to explain what he meant. ‘Why did he let his temper get the better of him again?’
Tamaki walked the opposite way, towards the train that would take him to the hostel. He knew that whatever dream he had woke up this morning had come to a crashing halt. Reality had set in. This was life.
This was always his life, finding something good and ruining it somehow.
Something good like Hiro. Like that bed…
He would miss that bed, that bed had been amazing. But he was right, their worlds were not meant to touch.
(2) Sama: right now he is respectfully using Sama almost like to address him as a master, royalty, and nobility, or as a man above him. He does not see him as someone close to him and someone he can be close to in return.
(3) Shotengai: a shop-lined street that links Ekoda Station with nearby Shin-Sakuradai Station. It fills with a night market every 4th Saturday of odd-numbered months between 5pm and 8pm and offers entertainment for kids, with premade food cafes, and stores and lots of grocery stalls.
(4) Omusubi set: a dish that is sold in the night market it includes smoked egg, pork roast and a single grilled rice ball.
Comments (0)
See all