No Love Today
A Gravitation Fanfiction by T.C.
A/N: I found the coolest song and realized, hey, I haven't written a Gravi fic yet, so, here it is - My Gravi fic. And it's about Hiro, cos I love him^^ It's kind of sad. What it does, it takes a closer look at the differences between Hiro and Shuichi's relationship and Hiro and Ayaka's relationship. More Hiro/Shuichi though. Disclaimer: Maki Murakami owns Gravitation and Chris Smithers owns the song "No love today". Damn, I wish I owned cool things like that.
Ring.
Ring.
"Moshi moshi? Hello? What's going on?" a very tired Shuichi Shindou
answered. "Shu? It's me, Hiro! Can I come over?" Shuichi rubbed his eyes and yawned tiredly.
"Hiro, it's 10:00 P.M. and I was almost asleep and do you really wanna
come over this late?"
Hiro sighed, "What highschooler goes to be that early? I want some
company!" Shuichi smiled.
"I do, and All right. Meiko's at some sleepover and mom's away anyway,
so yeah, come over. Sorry if I sound sorta tired." Hiro smiled faintly. "I'll be right over. We can hang in your room and eat pocky." "Whatever you want, Hiro. See ya soon."
"I don't know much, But when I knew less And I was heartbroken for the first time,"
Hiro arrived at Shuichi's apartment ten minutes later, carrying his guitar. He looked very awake, or at least he seemed like he was trying to - as if he had been planning on staying up all night.
Shuichi let him in with a smile on his face. His pink hair was messy and standing up all over the place. It was cute.
"Do you take that guitar everywhere, Hiro?"
"You know it!" Hiro winked and slid into the apartment Shuichi, his sister and mother shared.
Shuichi made his way to his room, Hiro following closely. They took a seat on Shuichi's bed.
"Shuichi, your hair's a mess." Hiro pointed out, laying his guitar out on the floor.
Shuichi laughed and tried to pat it down, failing miserably.
"Oh well, it feels wild tonight, I guess." He frowned at it.
Hiro grinned.
Shuichi poked his tongue out at his best friend.
"You hentaii, Hiro. Not that way."
Hiro just grinned
"I was drowning in my tears
And I went looking for a lifeline."
"So, what brings you here tonight, anyway?" Shuichi asked, pulling out some papers and pen.
"What, you gunna interview me or something? We're not rock stars yet, Shuichi!" Hiro joked, trying to take a look at Shuichi's papers and also very obviously avoiding his best friend's question.
Shuichi leaned over so Hiro could take a good look at the papers.
"More song lyrics? Don't you ever stop?" Hiro said, taking them into his own hands to get a better look.
"Of course! I just have a lot of ideas!" Shuichi said, taking them back.
"Why bring them out now, did I inspire you?" Hiro questioned. Shuichi grinned.
"Maaaybe." The pink haired boy put the papers on the bed and dropped the pen on top, his grin fading slowly.
"But you never answered my question, why didja wanna come over so late?"
Hiro, realizing he could no longer avoid the question, pondered an answer.
"Because I wanted to see you?" he came up with lamely.
Shuichi laughed.
"I was trying to find some comfort,
Just a simple tender touch."
"You're my best friend, you come over all the time! You see me at school and stuff! You wanted to see me that badly?" Shuichi asked.
Maybe, Hiro thought. He wondered why.
"Well, maybe I couldn't sleep and was in the mood to come over and say hi!" He answered instead.
Shuichi narrowed his eyes.
"But you said no highschooler goes to bed so early as 10:00."
Hiro laughed lamely.
"I was joking! I was in bed, just not sleeping."
Shuichi smiled. Hiro noted that the smile and the pink "wild" hair went well together.
"Well, I was almost asleep, and you woke me up!"
Hiro pouted. "Sorry?"
Shuichi patted his friend on the back. "S'ok, here, lemme get some pocky out and we can share some by moonlight!"
Hiro wondered if that meant romantically or normally. He quickly decided it was the latter.but almost wished it had been the first.
"Searching for some little cure,
That would not cost too much."
Shuichi hopped off the bed to get some pocky from his stash. Hiro picked up the guitar and took it out of its case.
Shuichi turned around to look at him.
"You gunna play that thing now?"
He nodded.
"Don't worry, I brought the acoustic one, the electric one needs to be plugged in and all." He brought it out and set it on his lap.
Shuichi shrugged.
"Not too loud, you'll wake the neighbors."
Hiro laughed.
"Can I wake them, please?"
Shuichi glared a 'do-it-and-you-get-no-pocky' glare right at Hiro.
Hiro shut up and began to play softly, a familiar tune of some sort.
Shuichi dug around in his drawers and found the big box of pocky. He brought it out and dragged it over to the bed. Hiro finished playing and put the guitar down.
"And I could hear that produce wagon
On the street.
And I could hear that farmer singing,
As I cried myself to sleep."
"Here we go!" Shuichi proclaimed and opened the box.
Hiro was too far away to see what was inside and just sorta decided on gazing at his friend instead. His very cute friend.
"You want what you normally have?" Shuichi asked.
It took Hiro a second before he answered.
"Hiro?"
"What?" Hiro snapped out of his thoughts.
"You want Chocolate like normal?"
Hiro pondered this. He watched Shuichi begin to dig around in the box for the chocolate pocky. He looked awfully cute.that concentrated grin on his face and the tired look in his eyes. Hiro smiled to himself.
"Tell me what else you got."
Shuichi looked up. It was unlike Hiro to not want chocolate.
"Ok."
"I've got Bananas,
Watermelon,
Peaches by the pound."
"Uh, strawberry, you know my favorite, tons of that."
Shuichi dropped those onto the bed.
Hiro watched him, a glazed look on his face.
"Some banana and cream flavored ones from last week at Maiko's party."
Hiro didn't hear him.
"Let's see."
"Sweet corn,
Merliton
Oh better than any in town."
"I got vanilla, chocolate, you sure you don't want that? Raspberry ones."
Shuichi dropped more packets onto the bed. He had tons of it.
Hiro ran a hand through his hair. He hated all the fruity ones, why didn't he just take chocolate and be over with it?
He watched Shuichi shake the rest out of the box. It was adorable.
"Walnut, eww, that must be Maiko's almond cream, peach, some other weird looking flavor."
Hiro noticed how cute it looked when Shuichi wrinkled his nose in disgust. He never noticed that before. How tired *was* he, anyway?
"I got okra,
It's enough to choke ya
Beans of every kind."
"And, half of a caramel one. That's all, Hiro. You sure you don't just want chocolate?"
Shuichi glanced up at his friend.
"Hiro?"
Hiro was staring at Shuichi, his eyes looking.sort of sad.
"Hiro, you ok? You don't want any, maybe? I can find some other food."
Hiro suddenly felt the urge to hug Shuichi.
Definitely not enough sleep.
"If hunger is what's eating you,
I'll sell ya a piece of mine."
"You sure you don't want something else, we got sushi downstairs."
Shuichi crawled over to his best friend.
"Hiro, you sick?"
Hiro reached out his hand, and ran it through Shuichi's hair softly. What was wrong with him?
"Um..." he muttered.
Shuichi blinked and wondered why Hiro was petting him.
"Hiro.What are you doing?"
"Oh, but this aint what you came to hear me say."
Shuichi frowned.
Something was wrong with Hiro. Didn't he want some pocky? Was he sick or something?
"You ok?"
Hiro suddenly snapped out of his glazed daydream. He pulled his hand back from Shuichi's hair. What had he been thinking? He shouldn't be thinking Shuichi was cute or petting him like that, after all, they weren't in *that* kind of relationship. It would never happen, Shuichi didn't think of him that way, right? What had he been trying to do?
"Hiro, you feeling all right?" Shuichi asked, confused. "I."
Hiro looked at him.
"And I hate to disappoint you,
But I got no love today."
"Oh! Me! I'm good! I'll have chocolate pocky please!" Hiro snapped completely back into his old self, moving over to grab some chocolate.
Shuichi blinked.
"Well, if you wanted that in the beginning why didn't you say so and make me read all the flavors?" he asked.
Hiro looked up at his pink haired friend.
He sighed.
"Maybe I was hoping there'd be something different for me this time."
Shuichi smiled.
"Sorry Hiro, only the same flavors I usually have."
"I got no love,
No love today."
Ring.
Ring.
"Moshi Moshi, Ayaka speaking, can I help you?"
"Ayaka-chan? It's me, Hiro! Wanna meet someplace for lunch?" Ayaka perked up instantly.
"Oh! Lovely idea, Hiro! It's what, noontime now? Where do you wanna
go?" Hiro sighed, "I don't mind, anywhere you want!" Ayaka smiled.
"Oh, um, how about that new place - the one with the yummy
milkshakes?" Hiro smiled faintly.
"I'll meet ya there. We can hang out and eat a while and talk and
stuff." "Whatever you want, Hiro. See ya soon."
"I could not love to save myself, From a lonesome desperation."
Hiro met Ayaka in the back of the restaurant, ten minutes later, where she had all ready gotten there and had been waiting. Hiro made a mental note to try and be earlier for dates. He carried the guitar behind him. "Hi Hiro! Have a seat, I just got here, so don't worry about being late." Ayaka said, motioning for him to sit across from her.
She took a look at the guitar.
"Do you bring that thing everywhere?" She asked.
"You know it," he winked, and slid into the seat setting the guitar down on the floor.
She frowned, but then perked up again.
"So, how have you been Hiro? Everything going fine with the band?"
Hiro nodded.
"Yep, Sakano stopped spazing about a new CD finally, cos Shuichi said he'd start writing the new lyrics this week."
Ayaka nodded.
"And how is Shindou-san anyway?"
Hiro pondered this.
"I guess he's ok. You know, as ok as he can be living with that Yuki guy."
Ayaka laughed.
"Yeah, Eiri-san can be very cold sometimes."
More like all the time, Hiro thought. He wondered what Shuichi was doing right now, anyway.
"Everything I thought was love,
Was a worthless imitation."
"Well, let's see then." Ayaka picked up a menu and started flipping through it.
Hiro yawned and lazily opened his.
"When is your next concert, eh Hiro?" Ayaka asked.
Hiro looked up.
"Oh um, I think it's around next month or so, or when Shuichi is done with the next batch of songs.I dunno. You gunna come?"
"Of course!" she said, as if doubting her was ridiculous.
"Good, I'm glad," he answered, smiling at her.
She had her hair tied up in a pretty bun thing, and she wore light pastel colors, purples and pinks. Pink like Shuichi's hair.
Hiro fiddled with the menu.
"What do you think you're going to order today, Hiro?" she asked, trying to make more conversation with the longhaired young man.
"Uh, I don't know. Maybe sushi. Or something."
She studied the menu.
"Hmm, sushi might be ok, or maybe some chicken or something, but that might be expensive, though."
"And my concept of commitment was,
To take all you could give."
Hiro smiled.
"Chicken could be good, you can pick anything you like, Ayaka, I'll pay for it."
She brightened up immediately.
"Oh, that's so sweet of you, Hiro!"
He just grinned. He'd brought a lot of money anyway.
"That's what I'm here for."
She laughed happily.
He looked down at the menu. What should I eat, he thought. He was kind of in the mood for milkshakes.
"Hey Ayaka, you said this place had good milkshakes, well, do they?"
She looked up at him.
"Oh yes! The milkshakes here are delicious! I'd recommend one."
"I thought the cheapest thrills I loved,
Were teaching me to live."
"You think they'd let me play the guitar in here?" Hiro wondered a loud.
Ayaka frowned at him.
"I don't think so."
"Aw, why not, eh?"
Ayaka wondered herself.
"Maybe because you would disturb the other people eating?"
"But I'm good! And I have the acoustic one anyway, so I don't have to plug it in."
"Hiro, I wouldn't."
He bent down to get the guitar out, when a waiter approached them. Hiro straightened up immediately and Ayaka gave a sigh of relief. She hadn't wanted him to get into trouble or anything.
"Hello, I'll be you waiter today, can I get you something to drink?" The waiter asked them.
Ayaka smiled.
"But nothing seemed to last,
Or see me through.
Nothing but that little song,
That I still sing for you."
"I'll have lemonade please! Hiro, what would you like?" Ayaka asked him.
The waiter wrote down her order and then turned to Hiro.
Hiro pondered the question.
"I think I'll have one of those milkshakes Ayaka-chan says are so good."
"What flavor would you like sir?" The waiter asked.
Hiro started to say chocolate, but stopped himself.
"Um, What flavors you got?"
Ayaka opened the menu.
"Don't you want chocolate, Hiro, it's your favorite? Never mind then, I'll read them to you, Hiro."
"I got bananas,
Watermelon,
Peaches by the pound."
"Strawberry, those ones are good, my personal favorite."
Hiro stared at her. Strawberry - Shuichi's favorite too.
"Banana cream, that might be good, if you're in to that kind of thing." Ayaka said. Her hair was all shiny today, kind of pretty. Not as pretty as Shuichi's hair though. Most people's weren't though. Which was weird since Shuichi was a boy. Hiro wondered why he thought of Shuichi at a time like this.
It had probably been the strawberry milkshake.
"Uh.what else?" Hiro managed to ask.
"Let's see."
"Sweet corn,
Merliton,
Oh better than any in town."
"There's vanilla, chocolate, don't you like chocolate, Hiro?"
Hiro didn't really hear her.
"Well, there's also a vanilla and chocolate swirl, oh, that might be different."
She turned the page of the menu.
"Raspberry, yum!"
Hiro ran a hand through his hair. He didn't care for the fruity ones, really.
Something nagged at the back of his mind. Something about this was oddly familiar.
"I got okra,
It's enough to choke ya.
Beans of every kind."
"There's some nut kinds, walnut, oh gross.and Almond swirl or something, peach too, I missed that one before."
The waiter waited calmly for her to finish.
Hiro had his thoughts on other things, though.
This was weird. It was like de ja vu.but exactly what was he remembering?
He swore he'd head these flavors read to him before by someone else.
He decided it didn't matter, and snapped out of his thoughts.
"Is that all, Ayaka?"
"Um, there's also caramel or something. Yes, that's all. Have you decided.Hiro?"
He had suddenly remembered something.
Ayaka wondered why he had become so silent all of a sudden.
"Oh, but this aint what you came to hear me say."
The memory of Shuichi faded as quickly as it had come.
Hiro sighed, and looked at Ayaka. He wondered to himself suddenly, why was he here?
Did he love her.is that why he was here? He wanted to be with her? Had he called her up so he could spend time with the one he cared so much about?
"Hiro, did you decide? You ok?"
But love.did she come here to provide him love, or just to spend time with someone?
"I'll have chocolate, thanks."
The waiter wrote it down and left.
Ayaka frowned.
"If you had wanted that from the beginning, why didn't you just say so instead of making me read you all the flavors?"
Hiro could have sworn he'd heard Shuichi say that before.
He wondered.again, why he had come.
"Maybe I was hoping there'd be something different for me this time." he muttered.
"What was that? Oh um, they always have these flavors. I'm sorry Hiro."
Shuichi has said something like that before, what was it again?
"And I hate to disappoint you,
But I got no love today."
Hiro suddenly stood up.
"Ayaka, I just forgot something really important I had to take care of. You mind if I go and I promise I'll be back before the food comes. Or, a little after it does."
Ayaka blinked.
"But, you can't leave! We just ordered drinks! What about food?"
Hiro grabbed the guitar and pushed his chair in.
"Don't worry about the food, order me some nice chicken or something, I'll be back, I promise."
She nodded, but looked extremely confused.
"But where are you going?"
Hiro stopped.
"Just to go do something I should have done a long time ago. Stay there, I promise I'll come back for you, Ayaka-chan."
"I got no love,
I got no love,
No love today."
Hiro left the restaurant and quickly hopped onto the motorcycle.
He quickly scrapped the directions to the apartment out of his memory and hurried off as the light turned green.
Why am I leaving her?
I'll be back, but, I have to do this before I forget.
He wondered if what he was going to do would ever matter. Probably not, but it would make him feel better.
"No love today,
None tomorrow,
Not now,
Not forever."
It didn't matter if he ever got anything in return for this, he would do it anyway.
Hiro pulled up in front of Eiri Yuki's apartment.
He hurried over to the door, hauling the guitar along with him, and rang the doorbell.
There was a moment of silence, and then a very confused looking Shindou Shuichi opened the door.
"Hiro? What are you doing here, you didn't call.or anything!"
Hiro smiled faintly.
"I, well, it was sort of spontaneous. I was actually out with Ayaka."
"You can't see what comes for free,
I'd think you much too clever."
"You left Ayaka to randomly come see me??" Shuichi's eyes popped out of his head. It was sort of cute.
Hiro laughed.
"I promised her I would come back. I just had something to do."
Shuichi chocked an eyebrow.
"Do what?"
"This," Hiro said. And he dropped the guitar, pulling Shuichi into a giant hug.
"You came here to hug me?"
Shuichi asked softly.
Hiro just nodded.
"For your own good I'll tell you,
What's right before your eyes."
Shuichi wrapped his arms around Hiro and hugged him back.
"I never told you this, you know, a long time ago when I came over, do you remember?"
Shuichi laughed.
"Hiro, a long time ago you came over an awful lot."
Hiro laughed a little too.
"Well, it was late and I came over and you offered me pocky and I made you list the flavors off to me instead of just normally choosing chocolate, you remember?"
Shuichi closed his eyes, trying to remember.
They remained hugging, Hiro having pulled Shuichi close to him.
"Yeah, I remember."
"Intelligence is no defense,
Against what this implies."
"Well.I told you I was looking for something different, remember?"
"Yeah," Shuichi answered softly, "You told me maybe there was something different for you this time."
Hiro nodded.
"All you gave me was chocolate. And I think, in reality, I wanted a little more. A hug, like the one I'm giving you now."
Shuichi smiled.
"I would have given you a hug, if you had asked, Hiro."
Hiro smiled right back at his friend.
"I know. But the point is, I didn't ask."
"And you should of?" Shuichi asked.
"Yeah," Hiro said, "I should have."
"In the end no one will sell you what you need,
You can't buy it off the shelf,
You have to grow it from the seed."
"Well, Hiro, if you ever need another random hug, you know where to come!" Shuichi said happily, finally letting go of Hiro.
Hiro smiled back.
"Yeah, I'll come here."
Shuichi grinned.
"Well, to me. If you hug Yuki, I think he'd run you over or something."
Hiro laughed.
"I wouldn't hug Yuki anyway, the bastard. Is he still mean to you?"
Shuichi shook his head.
"Naw, he's fine."
Hiro winked.
"Cos you know, if he ever IS mean, I'll kick his ass so hard he won't know what hit 'em!"
"Sure he will, Hiroshi Nakano did."
Shuichi winked right back.
"Well, I better go back to Ayaka now. I really don't want to make her mad OR sad."
Shuichi waved goodbye to his friend.
"Come back over anytime."
Hiro watched the pink hair as he grabbed the guitar, got back onto the motorcycle, and waved goodbye. The pink hair that he had longed to see. That he lived for, in a way. He wondered why.
"Cos I got Banana,
Watermelon,
Peaches by the Pound."
Hiro rode back to the restaurant in deep thought.
He had fulfilled what he had wanted to do. Give Shuichi the hug he failed to give back then. He had told a friend he cared.
Cared how?
He went back inside. There was Ayaka, eating her food with a sad look on her face and a melted milkshake.
Hiro sighed.
He sat back down in front of her and smiled as brightly as he could.
"Hiro you DID come back! I was going to be very mad if you hadn't! And sad too!" She looked up. He could see the happiness returning to her face.
"Sweet corn,
Merliton,
Oh better than any in town."
"Where did you go, anyway? I was worried! I ordered you food too.I hope its not cold."
She said all this with a very relieved look on her face.
Hiro was still thinking about Shuichi, but he managed to say, "I dropped some stuff off for someone, because I had made a promise, and, " he tasted the food, "It's not cold! Don't worry!"
She smiled even more relief.
And suddenly Hiro wondered, what if his hug to Shuichi had been more than friendship? What if it had been love?
Did Hiro love Shuichi that way?
Hiro looked over at his milkshake witch was melting. He took a sip. Still cold. Chocolate. Pretty good.
"I got okra,
It's enough to choke ya,
Beans of every kind."
Ayaka ate the rest of her meal and so did Hiro, but much more slowly.
Shuichi was his best friend forever. Had he actually fallen in love with him?
When they finished, Ayaka stood up and she walked out of the restaurant. Hiro stopped at the front desk to pay.
"Thank you for coming to see me and having lunch with me!" Ayaka said, after he had met her outside.
He smiled.
"Anytime, Ayaka-chan. I like being with you, you know that?"
She glowed.
Then she hugged him.
"If hunger is what's eating you,
I'll sell ya a piece of mine."
And as she hugged him, Hiro again thought back to the hug he had given Shuichi.
They had been standing at Shuichi's apartment. No, Shuichi and Yuki's apartment. Shuichi loved Yuki. Hiro knew this only too well.
Hiro looked down at the brown haired girl hugging him tightly. What if that was Shuichi?
"Oh but this aint what you came to hear me say."
But then Hiro realized something.
Shuichi would never love him that way, even if Hiro admitted he loved Shuichi. And he wasn't so sure he did.
Shuichi was in love with Yuki. And he was happy. Hiro knew he would always be happy with Yuki.
But here before Hiro was a girl who did love him. Just as much as he realized he had wanted Shuichi to love him for so long.
He smiled.
"And I hate to disappoint you,
But I'm gunna disappoint you,
Cos I got no love today."
Shuichi would never have love to offer him. There would be no love today from Shuichi. No love from him forever more.
But.
Hiro smiled down at Ayaka and hugged her back.
Ayaka had love to offer.
And Hiro wouldn't pass up the chance to be loved.
Be it Shuichi or not.
"I got no love,
I got no love,
No love today."
~Owari~
A/N: Well, didja like it, huh huh huh? I've never written Ayaka before, so I hope that was all right. I don't really hate her like most people do. I guess this wasn't SO sad.like my Yami song fics, but hey. It's the best I could come up with for Gravi. I have an idea, how about you review now? ^___^
A Gravitation Fanfiction by T.C.
A/N: I found the coolest song and realized, hey, I haven't written a Gravi fic yet, so, here it is - My Gravi fic. And it's about Hiro, cos I love him^^ It's kind of sad. What it does, it takes a closer look at the differences between Hiro and Shuichi's relationship and Hiro and Ayaka's relationship. More Hiro/Shuichi though. Disclaimer: Maki Murakami owns Gravitation and Chris Smithers owns the song "No love today". Damn, I wish I owned cool things like that.
Ring.
Ring.
"Moshi moshi? Hello? What's going on?" a very tired Shuichi Shindou
answered. "Shu? It's me, Hiro! Can I come over?" Shuichi rubbed his eyes and yawned tiredly.
"Hiro, it's 10:00 P.M. and I was almost asleep and do you really wanna
come over this late?"
Hiro sighed, "What highschooler goes to be that early? I want some
company!" Shuichi smiled.
"I do, and All right. Meiko's at some sleepover and mom's away anyway,
so yeah, come over. Sorry if I sound sorta tired." Hiro smiled faintly. "I'll be right over. We can hang in your room and eat pocky." "Whatever you want, Hiro. See ya soon."
"I don't know much, But when I knew less And I was heartbroken for the first time,"
Hiro arrived at Shuichi's apartment ten minutes later, carrying his guitar. He looked very awake, or at least he seemed like he was trying to - as if he had been planning on staying up all night.
Shuichi let him in with a smile on his face. His pink hair was messy and standing up all over the place. It was cute.
"Do you take that guitar everywhere, Hiro?"
"You know it!" Hiro winked and slid into the apartment Shuichi, his sister and mother shared.
Shuichi made his way to his room, Hiro following closely. They took a seat on Shuichi's bed.
"Shuichi, your hair's a mess." Hiro pointed out, laying his guitar out on the floor.
Shuichi laughed and tried to pat it down, failing miserably.
"Oh well, it feels wild tonight, I guess." He frowned at it.
Hiro grinned.
Shuichi poked his tongue out at his best friend.
"You hentaii, Hiro. Not that way."
Hiro just grinned
"I was drowning in my tears
And I went looking for a lifeline."
"So, what brings you here tonight, anyway?" Shuichi asked, pulling out some papers and pen.
"What, you gunna interview me or something? We're not rock stars yet, Shuichi!" Hiro joked, trying to take a look at Shuichi's papers and also very obviously avoiding his best friend's question.
Shuichi leaned over so Hiro could take a good look at the papers.
"More song lyrics? Don't you ever stop?" Hiro said, taking them into his own hands to get a better look.
"Of course! I just have a lot of ideas!" Shuichi said, taking them back.
"Why bring them out now, did I inspire you?" Hiro questioned. Shuichi grinned.
"Maaaybe." The pink haired boy put the papers on the bed and dropped the pen on top, his grin fading slowly.
"But you never answered my question, why didja wanna come over so late?"
Hiro, realizing he could no longer avoid the question, pondered an answer.
"Because I wanted to see you?" he came up with lamely.
Shuichi laughed.
"I was trying to find some comfort,
Just a simple tender touch."
"You're my best friend, you come over all the time! You see me at school and stuff! You wanted to see me that badly?" Shuichi asked.
Maybe, Hiro thought. He wondered why.
"Well, maybe I couldn't sleep and was in the mood to come over and say hi!" He answered instead.
Shuichi narrowed his eyes.
"But you said no highschooler goes to bed so early as 10:00."
Hiro laughed lamely.
"I was joking! I was in bed, just not sleeping."
Shuichi smiled. Hiro noted that the smile and the pink "wild" hair went well together.
"Well, I was almost asleep, and you woke me up!"
Hiro pouted. "Sorry?"
Shuichi patted his friend on the back. "S'ok, here, lemme get some pocky out and we can share some by moonlight!"
Hiro wondered if that meant romantically or normally. He quickly decided it was the latter.but almost wished it had been the first.
"Searching for some little cure,
That would not cost too much."
Shuichi hopped off the bed to get some pocky from his stash. Hiro picked up the guitar and took it out of its case.
Shuichi turned around to look at him.
"You gunna play that thing now?"
He nodded.
"Don't worry, I brought the acoustic one, the electric one needs to be plugged in and all." He brought it out and set it on his lap.
Shuichi shrugged.
"Not too loud, you'll wake the neighbors."
Hiro laughed.
"Can I wake them, please?"
Shuichi glared a 'do-it-and-you-get-no-pocky' glare right at Hiro.
Hiro shut up and began to play softly, a familiar tune of some sort.
Shuichi dug around in his drawers and found the big box of pocky. He brought it out and dragged it over to the bed. Hiro finished playing and put the guitar down.
"And I could hear that produce wagon
On the street.
And I could hear that farmer singing,
As I cried myself to sleep."
"Here we go!" Shuichi proclaimed and opened the box.
Hiro was too far away to see what was inside and just sorta decided on gazing at his friend instead. His very cute friend.
"You want what you normally have?" Shuichi asked.
It took Hiro a second before he answered.
"Hiro?"
"What?" Hiro snapped out of his thoughts.
"You want Chocolate like normal?"
Hiro pondered this. He watched Shuichi begin to dig around in the box for the chocolate pocky. He looked awfully cute.that concentrated grin on his face and the tired look in his eyes. Hiro smiled to himself.
"Tell me what else you got."
Shuichi looked up. It was unlike Hiro to not want chocolate.
"Ok."
"I've got Bananas,
Watermelon,
Peaches by the pound."
"Uh, strawberry, you know my favorite, tons of that."
Shuichi dropped those onto the bed.
Hiro watched him, a glazed look on his face.
"Some banana and cream flavored ones from last week at Maiko's party."
Hiro didn't hear him.
"Let's see."
"Sweet corn,
Merliton
Oh better than any in town."
"I got vanilla, chocolate, you sure you don't want that? Raspberry ones."
Shuichi dropped more packets onto the bed. He had tons of it.
Hiro ran a hand through his hair. He hated all the fruity ones, why didn't he just take chocolate and be over with it?
He watched Shuichi shake the rest out of the box. It was adorable.
"Walnut, eww, that must be Maiko's almond cream, peach, some other weird looking flavor."
Hiro noticed how cute it looked when Shuichi wrinkled his nose in disgust. He never noticed that before. How tired *was* he, anyway?
"I got okra,
It's enough to choke ya
Beans of every kind."
"And, half of a caramel one. That's all, Hiro. You sure you don't just want chocolate?"
Shuichi glanced up at his friend.
"Hiro?"
Hiro was staring at Shuichi, his eyes looking.sort of sad.
"Hiro, you ok? You don't want any, maybe? I can find some other food."
Hiro suddenly felt the urge to hug Shuichi.
Definitely not enough sleep.
"If hunger is what's eating you,
I'll sell ya a piece of mine."
"You sure you don't want something else, we got sushi downstairs."
Shuichi crawled over to his best friend.
"Hiro, you sick?"
Hiro reached out his hand, and ran it through Shuichi's hair softly. What was wrong with him?
"Um..." he muttered.
Shuichi blinked and wondered why Hiro was petting him.
"Hiro.What are you doing?"
"Oh, but this aint what you came to hear me say."
Shuichi frowned.
Something was wrong with Hiro. Didn't he want some pocky? Was he sick or something?
"You ok?"
Hiro suddenly snapped out of his glazed daydream. He pulled his hand back from Shuichi's hair. What had he been thinking? He shouldn't be thinking Shuichi was cute or petting him like that, after all, they weren't in *that* kind of relationship. It would never happen, Shuichi didn't think of him that way, right? What had he been trying to do?
"Hiro, you feeling all right?" Shuichi asked, confused. "I."
Hiro looked at him.
"And I hate to disappoint you,
But I got no love today."
"Oh! Me! I'm good! I'll have chocolate pocky please!" Hiro snapped completely back into his old self, moving over to grab some chocolate.
Shuichi blinked.
"Well, if you wanted that in the beginning why didn't you say so and make me read all the flavors?" he asked.
Hiro looked up at his pink haired friend.
He sighed.
"Maybe I was hoping there'd be something different for me this time."
Shuichi smiled.
"Sorry Hiro, only the same flavors I usually have."
"I got no love,
No love today."
Ring.
Ring.
"Moshi Moshi, Ayaka speaking, can I help you?"
"Ayaka-chan? It's me, Hiro! Wanna meet someplace for lunch?" Ayaka perked up instantly.
"Oh! Lovely idea, Hiro! It's what, noontime now? Where do you wanna
go?" Hiro sighed, "I don't mind, anywhere you want!" Ayaka smiled.
"Oh, um, how about that new place - the one with the yummy
milkshakes?" Hiro smiled faintly.
"I'll meet ya there. We can hang out and eat a while and talk and
stuff." "Whatever you want, Hiro. See ya soon."
"I could not love to save myself, From a lonesome desperation."
Hiro met Ayaka in the back of the restaurant, ten minutes later, where she had all ready gotten there and had been waiting. Hiro made a mental note to try and be earlier for dates. He carried the guitar behind him. "Hi Hiro! Have a seat, I just got here, so don't worry about being late." Ayaka said, motioning for him to sit across from her.
She took a look at the guitar.
"Do you bring that thing everywhere?" She asked.
"You know it," he winked, and slid into the seat setting the guitar down on the floor.
She frowned, but then perked up again.
"So, how have you been Hiro? Everything going fine with the band?"
Hiro nodded.
"Yep, Sakano stopped spazing about a new CD finally, cos Shuichi said he'd start writing the new lyrics this week."
Ayaka nodded.
"And how is Shindou-san anyway?"
Hiro pondered this.
"I guess he's ok. You know, as ok as he can be living with that Yuki guy."
Ayaka laughed.
"Yeah, Eiri-san can be very cold sometimes."
More like all the time, Hiro thought. He wondered what Shuichi was doing right now, anyway.
"Everything I thought was love,
Was a worthless imitation."
"Well, let's see then." Ayaka picked up a menu and started flipping through it.
Hiro yawned and lazily opened his.
"When is your next concert, eh Hiro?" Ayaka asked.
Hiro looked up.
"Oh um, I think it's around next month or so, or when Shuichi is done with the next batch of songs.I dunno. You gunna come?"
"Of course!" she said, as if doubting her was ridiculous.
"Good, I'm glad," he answered, smiling at her.
She had her hair tied up in a pretty bun thing, and she wore light pastel colors, purples and pinks. Pink like Shuichi's hair.
Hiro fiddled with the menu.
"What do you think you're going to order today, Hiro?" she asked, trying to make more conversation with the longhaired young man.
"Uh, I don't know. Maybe sushi. Or something."
She studied the menu.
"Hmm, sushi might be ok, or maybe some chicken or something, but that might be expensive, though."
"And my concept of commitment was,
To take all you could give."
Hiro smiled.
"Chicken could be good, you can pick anything you like, Ayaka, I'll pay for it."
She brightened up immediately.
"Oh, that's so sweet of you, Hiro!"
He just grinned. He'd brought a lot of money anyway.
"That's what I'm here for."
She laughed happily.
He looked down at the menu. What should I eat, he thought. He was kind of in the mood for milkshakes.
"Hey Ayaka, you said this place had good milkshakes, well, do they?"
She looked up at him.
"Oh yes! The milkshakes here are delicious! I'd recommend one."
"I thought the cheapest thrills I loved,
Were teaching me to live."
"You think they'd let me play the guitar in here?" Hiro wondered a loud.
Ayaka frowned at him.
"I don't think so."
"Aw, why not, eh?"
Ayaka wondered herself.
"Maybe because you would disturb the other people eating?"
"But I'm good! And I have the acoustic one anyway, so I don't have to plug it in."
"Hiro, I wouldn't."
He bent down to get the guitar out, when a waiter approached them. Hiro straightened up immediately and Ayaka gave a sigh of relief. She hadn't wanted him to get into trouble or anything.
"Hello, I'll be you waiter today, can I get you something to drink?" The waiter asked them.
Ayaka smiled.
"But nothing seemed to last,
Or see me through.
Nothing but that little song,
That I still sing for you."
"I'll have lemonade please! Hiro, what would you like?" Ayaka asked him.
The waiter wrote down her order and then turned to Hiro.
Hiro pondered the question.
"I think I'll have one of those milkshakes Ayaka-chan says are so good."
"What flavor would you like sir?" The waiter asked.
Hiro started to say chocolate, but stopped himself.
"Um, What flavors you got?"
Ayaka opened the menu.
"Don't you want chocolate, Hiro, it's your favorite? Never mind then, I'll read them to you, Hiro."
"I got bananas,
Watermelon,
Peaches by the pound."
"Strawberry, those ones are good, my personal favorite."
Hiro stared at her. Strawberry - Shuichi's favorite too.
"Banana cream, that might be good, if you're in to that kind of thing." Ayaka said. Her hair was all shiny today, kind of pretty. Not as pretty as Shuichi's hair though. Most people's weren't though. Which was weird since Shuichi was a boy. Hiro wondered why he thought of Shuichi at a time like this.
It had probably been the strawberry milkshake.
"Uh.what else?" Hiro managed to ask.
"Let's see."
"Sweet corn,
Merliton,
Oh better than any in town."
"There's vanilla, chocolate, don't you like chocolate, Hiro?"
Hiro didn't really hear her.
"Well, there's also a vanilla and chocolate swirl, oh, that might be different."
She turned the page of the menu.
"Raspberry, yum!"
Hiro ran a hand through his hair. He didn't care for the fruity ones, really.
Something nagged at the back of his mind. Something about this was oddly familiar.
"I got okra,
It's enough to choke ya.
Beans of every kind."
"There's some nut kinds, walnut, oh gross.and Almond swirl or something, peach too, I missed that one before."
The waiter waited calmly for her to finish.
Hiro had his thoughts on other things, though.
This was weird. It was like de ja vu.but exactly what was he remembering?
He swore he'd head these flavors read to him before by someone else.
He decided it didn't matter, and snapped out of his thoughts.
"Is that all, Ayaka?"
"Um, there's also caramel or something. Yes, that's all. Have you decided.Hiro?"
He had suddenly remembered something.
Ayaka wondered why he had become so silent all of a sudden.
"Oh, but this aint what you came to hear me say."
The memory of Shuichi faded as quickly as it had come.
Hiro sighed, and looked at Ayaka. He wondered to himself suddenly, why was he here?
Did he love her.is that why he was here? He wanted to be with her? Had he called her up so he could spend time with the one he cared so much about?
"Hiro, did you decide? You ok?"
But love.did she come here to provide him love, or just to spend time with someone?
"I'll have chocolate, thanks."
The waiter wrote it down and left.
Ayaka frowned.
"If you had wanted that from the beginning, why didn't you just say so instead of making me read you all the flavors?"
Hiro could have sworn he'd heard Shuichi say that before.
He wondered.again, why he had come.
"Maybe I was hoping there'd be something different for me this time." he muttered.
"What was that? Oh um, they always have these flavors. I'm sorry Hiro."
Shuichi has said something like that before, what was it again?
"And I hate to disappoint you,
But I got no love today."
Hiro suddenly stood up.
"Ayaka, I just forgot something really important I had to take care of. You mind if I go and I promise I'll be back before the food comes. Or, a little after it does."
Ayaka blinked.
"But, you can't leave! We just ordered drinks! What about food?"
Hiro grabbed the guitar and pushed his chair in.
"Don't worry about the food, order me some nice chicken or something, I'll be back, I promise."
She nodded, but looked extremely confused.
"But where are you going?"
Hiro stopped.
"Just to go do something I should have done a long time ago. Stay there, I promise I'll come back for you, Ayaka-chan."
"I got no love,
I got no love,
No love today."
Hiro left the restaurant and quickly hopped onto the motorcycle.
He quickly scrapped the directions to the apartment out of his memory and hurried off as the light turned green.
Why am I leaving her?
I'll be back, but, I have to do this before I forget.
He wondered if what he was going to do would ever matter. Probably not, but it would make him feel better.
"No love today,
None tomorrow,
Not now,
Not forever."
It didn't matter if he ever got anything in return for this, he would do it anyway.
Hiro pulled up in front of Eiri Yuki's apartment.
He hurried over to the door, hauling the guitar along with him, and rang the doorbell.
There was a moment of silence, and then a very confused looking Shindou Shuichi opened the door.
"Hiro? What are you doing here, you didn't call.or anything!"
Hiro smiled faintly.
"I, well, it was sort of spontaneous. I was actually out with Ayaka."
"You can't see what comes for free,
I'd think you much too clever."
"You left Ayaka to randomly come see me??" Shuichi's eyes popped out of his head. It was sort of cute.
Hiro laughed.
"I promised her I would come back. I just had something to do."
Shuichi chocked an eyebrow.
"Do what?"
"This," Hiro said. And he dropped the guitar, pulling Shuichi into a giant hug.
"You came here to hug me?"
Shuichi asked softly.
Hiro just nodded.
"For your own good I'll tell you,
What's right before your eyes."
Shuichi wrapped his arms around Hiro and hugged him back.
"I never told you this, you know, a long time ago when I came over, do you remember?"
Shuichi laughed.
"Hiro, a long time ago you came over an awful lot."
Hiro laughed a little too.
"Well, it was late and I came over and you offered me pocky and I made you list the flavors off to me instead of just normally choosing chocolate, you remember?"
Shuichi closed his eyes, trying to remember.
They remained hugging, Hiro having pulled Shuichi close to him.
"Yeah, I remember."
"Intelligence is no defense,
Against what this implies."
"Well.I told you I was looking for something different, remember?"
"Yeah," Shuichi answered softly, "You told me maybe there was something different for you this time."
Hiro nodded.
"All you gave me was chocolate. And I think, in reality, I wanted a little more. A hug, like the one I'm giving you now."
Shuichi smiled.
"I would have given you a hug, if you had asked, Hiro."
Hiro smiled right back at his friend.
"I know. But the point is, I didn't ask."
"And you should of?" Shuichi asked.
"Yeah," Hiro said, "I should have."
"In the end no one will sell you what you need,
You can't buy it off the shelf,
You have to grow it from the seed."
"Well, Hiro, if you ever need another random hug, you know where to come!" Shuichi said happily, finally letting go of Hiro.
Hiro smiled back.
"Yeah, I'll come here."
Shuichi grinned.
"Well, to me. If you hug Yuki, I think he'd run you over or something."
Hiro laughed.
"I wouldn't hug Yuki anyway, the bastard. Is he still mean to you?"
Shuichi shook his head.
"Naw, he's fine."
Hiro winked.
"Cos you know, if he ever IS mean, I'll kick his ass so hard he won't know what hit 'em!"
"Sure he will, Hiroshi Nakano did."
Shuichi winked right back.
"Well, I better go back to Ayaka now. I really don't want to make her mad OR sad."
Shuichi waved goodbye to his friend.
"Come back over anytime."
Hiro watched the pink hair as he grabbed the guitar, got back onto the motorcycle, and waved goodbye. The pink hair that he had longed to see. That he lived for, in a way. He wondered why.
"Cos I got Banana,
Watermelon,
Peaches by the Pound."
Hiro rode back to the restaurant in deep thought.
He had fulfilled what he had wanted to do. Give Shuichi the hug he failed to give back then. He had told a friend he cared.
Cared how?
He went back inside. There was Ayaka, eating her food with a sad look on her face and a melted milkshake.
Hiro sighed.
He sat back down in front of her and smiled as brightly as he could.
"Hiro you DID come back! I was going to be very mad if you hadn't! And sad too!" She looked up. He could see the happiness returning to her face.
"Sweet corn,
Merliton,
Oh better than any in town."
"Where did you go, anyway? I was worried! I ordered you food too.I hope its not cold."
She said all this with a very relieved look on her face.
Hiro was still thinking about Shuichi, but he managed to say, "I dropped some stuff off for someone, because I had made a promise, and, " he tasted the food, "It's not cold! Don't worry!"
She smiled even more relief.
And suddenly Hiro wondered, what if his hug to Shuichi had been more than friendship? What if it had been love?
Did Hiro love Shuichi that way?
Hiro looked over at his milkshake witch was melting. He took a sip. Still cold. Chocolate. Pretty good.
"I got okra,
It's enough to choke ya,
Beans of every kind."
Ayaka ate the rest of her meal and so did Hiro, but much more slowly.
Shuichi was his best friend forever. Had he actually fallen in love with him?
When they finished, Ayaka stood up and she walked out of the restaurant. Hiro stopped at the front desk to pay.
"Thank you for coming to see me and having lunch with me!" Ayaka said, after he had met her outside.
He smiled.
"Anytime, Ayaka-chan. I like being with you, you know that?"
She glowed.
Then she hugged him.
"If hunger is what's eating you,
I'll sell ya a piece of mine."
And as she hugged him, Hiro again thought back to the hug he had given Shuichi.
They had been standing at Shuichi's apartment. No, Shuichi and Yuki's apartment. Shuichi loved Yuki. Hiro knew this only too well.
Hiro looked down at the brown haired girl hugging him tightly. What if that was Shuichi?
"Oh but this aint what you came to hear me say."
But then Hiro realized something.
Shuichi would never love him that way, even if Hiro admitted he loved Shuichi. And he wasn't so sure he did.
Shuichi was in love with Yuki. And he was happy. Hiro knew he would always be happy with Yuki.
But here before Hiro was a girl who did love him. Just as much as he realized he had wanted Shuichi to love him for so long.
He smiled.
"And I hate to disappoint you,
But I'm gunna disappoint you,
Cos I got no love today."
Shuichi would never have love to offer him. There would be no love today from Shuichi. No love from him forever more.
But.
Hiro smiled down at Ayaka and hugged her back.
Ayaka had love to offer.
And Hiro wouldn't pass up the chance to be loved.
Be it Shuichi or not.
"I got no love,
I got no love,
No love today."
~Owari~
A/N: Well, didja like it, huh huh huh? I've never written Ayaka before, so I hope that was all right. I don't really hate her like most people do. I guess this wasn't SO sad.like my Yami song fics, but hey. It's the best I could come up with for Gravi. I have an idea, how about you review now? ^___^