Single Chapter
Mochi
"The truth runs wild
Like kids on concrete
Trying to sedate, my mind in it's cage
And numb what I see"
— Troye Sivan
After having extended celebrations over the final elimination (that had consequently opened the doors for the team to go to the National Championship), weariness had clearly fallen over everyone.
Well, almost everyone.
Sawamura Eijun, a freshman and key player to the match's victory, was far away from able to calm himself. He could still remember each throw, each movement and the vigorous feeling of being in that moment.
In ecstasy, the boy couldn't notice the involuntary movement of his own left arm, which caused him to throw it in the air in complete darkness.
"SA-WA-MU-RA!" Eijun was startled upon hearing Kuramochi's shouting, who should have been sleeping on the top bed. "How long are you going to be shaking the bed?!"
"But, but... that feeling!" Sawamura beamed excitedly, receiving a heavy sigh in response.
"I know! You haven't stopped talking about it since we left the game. Now, go to sleep," Kuramochi retorted. Sawamura could feel the bunk move along with his veteran, who apparently had changed position.
A few minutes passed in silence, but clearly Sawamura couldn't sleep. After all, they were in the National Championship!
"Hihihi! National..." Sawamura whispered, unable to keep in his low laughter, thrilled every time he remembered.
"I swear if you don't shut up, I'll go there and make you shut up." Kuramochi said low, but threateningly. His voice dripped with sleepiness, and yet couldn't get his attention off the freshman. On the one hand, he was angry and wanted to sleep; on the other hand, he understood the excitement of his roommate and admired his high spirits.
Sawamura remained restless even more after discovering that Kuramochi wasn't sleeping. He purposely didn't want to let him sleep, for he had prepared, in secret and anticipation, a surprise. However, the boy hadn't found the right time for it since they returned to school. And, deep down, it left him angry.
"Mochi," started Eijun. He bit his bottom lip in anticipation. His tone wasn't low. He knew that Kuramochi had heard it, and waited anxiously to see if he took the bait.
Nothing was said for a few seconds, but it wasn't long until Kuramochi finally took some initiative. Gradually, he sat up on the bed and yawned, although not as sleepy as before, all because of Sawamura. Still in silence, he climbed down the bunk's ladder and, even in the dark, saw the brightness in Eijun's eyes, who was lying patiently in the lower bed. They faced each other for a short time. Sawamura, for some reason, felt excited but jittery. Kuramochi, on the other hand, was intrigued and confused, but had to stand firm.
Kuramochi approached Eijun slowly, and, as usual, pressed his index finger on one cheek and his thumb on the other.
"What did you call me?" He asked the freshman.
"I …" Sawamura was unable to speak with such pressure. "M-moch…"
"Are you really going to repeat it, Bakamura?"
Sawamura shook his head strongly until Kuramochi set him free. And, as soon as he could, Eijun burst into uncontrollable laughter.
"I wasn't calling you anything! I was talking about mochi, you know... the thing you eat!" Eijun joked, completing the phrase with his best smile.
Kuramochi needed a while to process what was heard, and the fact that he had just woken up didn't help. Initially, he felt angry for being deceived in such way, but as seconds of silence passed, he went from disappointed to frustrated. He could scream, he could kick Sawamura, he could do anything… but, still in silence, he went back to bed.
"Hey!" Sawamura quickly stopped Kuramochi from climbing up the ladder to the top bunk, holding him by the arm.
"What is it, Sawamura?" Kuramochi asked without looking him in the eye, leaving Eijun more confused. All that he wanted was to see was his veteran going crazy and making his signature arm wrenches. Despite his complaining, it was something that made him feel noticed and special.
Though clearly annoyed, Sawamura was enough of an idiot to not give up before trying. After all, he had been waiting for days and given his all in the game for that moment.
"Let's eat mochi together," he tried to suggest, embarrassed at first, but his wide smile soon followed.
"What you talking about? Are you daydreaming?" Kuramochi asked with a belittling tone, freeing his arm from Sawamura's hands, or at least tried to.
"Try to listen to me at least once!" Sawamura angrily screamed, the moment wearing him down.
Kuramochi didn't think twice before grabbing Sawamura and pushing him to the floor, trapping him with an arm wrench.
"Why did you yell at me, Bakamura?" Kuramochi bellowed.
"Because I made mochi so we could eat together if we won the game!" Eijun pleaded.
Kuramochi became paralyzed after the confession from the freshman. He was on top of Sawamura and their faces were extremely close together.
"You what?" Kuramochi asked lowly, still not moving. Sawamura could feel his warm breath and a few strands of his fringe swayed with the weak draft of the room.
"I prepared mochi, so we could eat it together… just the two of us." Now calmer, Sawamura finally said it.
Kuramochi relaxed and got off Eijun, still in deep surprise. He never expected that attitude from Sawamura. He always felt that Eijun had ran away from him and ignored what they felt for each other, which had left him extremely angry and insecure but, obviously, he never would confess such a thing.
This tense and silent atmosphere between the two of them was rare; they had never remained so quiet, even at dawn. Kuramochi was surprised by the culinary ability of his roommate and, in an attempt to use that as an excuse to not talk, devoured candy after candy.
On the other hand, Sawamura was more than restless and even angry. He had taken such an important step and all that happened was… nothing? Amazing! Truly, he felt like shit.
"You're not going to eat?" Kuramochi asked with a full mouth. Sawamura just gave him a "no" with his shake of his head.
Unusual. He was clearly sad and Kuramochi wasn't patient in such situations, despite worrying, he had his own way to "help".
"What happened now, Bakamura? If you're gonna keep making that face, I'll go back to bed."
Sawamura sighed.
"What the hell! What's so hard in seeing that I wanted a more significant reaction than just sitting and eating?" Sawamura couldn't hold his naturally loose tongue.
Kuramochi was left without reaction. After all, what kind of thought should he follow? The one where Eijun wasn't being stupid and saying words with that meaning purposely? Or just keep pretending that nothing happened, as always when it came to the double meaning from Sakamura?
How could Kuramochi know which times came without thinking and which ones didn't?
"Why mochi?" Was all he could ask.
"Because…" Sawamura hesitated as his cheeks reddened "Because it reminds me of you."
In a thousand parallel universes, the silence would have dominated the place again and everything would continue as if nothing had happened, but Kuramochi had decided that, in this universe, things would go differently, at least once.
And it was this impulse of feelings that made him jump into Sawamura's arms, closing it with a warm and prolonged kiss.