a therapy fic to comfort myself not of the recent events in the recent episodes
"Arata, you've been staring at your CCM for some time now. Is it okay?" Sakuya asked from behind him. The red haired teenager quickly kept the said device in his bag, sparing Sakuya quick glances. "Nothing's wrong with it," he claimed with a grin afterwards. "It's completely fine,"
Sakuya blinked. "If you say so..." But Arata had been staring at it with a small smile on his face all the while. Was the CCM really okay, or was Arata really okay? They were in no predicament in War Time, so Arata had no reason to be excited over an idea.
Yuno came to their tables. "Arata, a girl from Arabista wants to meet with you on the rooftop after War Time," she said, and added with a smirk, "I think she's going to confess to you,"
"A girl from Arabista?" Hikaru repeated with quirked eyebrows. His eyes went to the classroom's door and saw a girl in said virtual country's uniform, looking very shy and nervous. When their eyes met, the girl was startled as her face turned red and she made a run for it. "Are you sure he's going to be confessed to? Last time we thought that, it was a mechanic who wanted him to try out a new unit,"
"I can't be wrong! She's a player, not a mechanic,"
"Then, what if she confused me for the famous Sena Arata? It happened before when two girls wanted his autograph,"
"Hikaru!"
"Calm down you two," Haruki said from his seat. He was about to say more when Arata cut in. "That's right, listen to Haruki. It doesn't matter anyway, it's not like I'm going to accept her confession,"
"Eh? You're not?" Yuno asked, turning her head from the blond to the redhead. Arata looked at her incredulously. "Well, yeah. I don't know her, for one. And I already have someone I like," he grinned again, seeming happy at his revelation.
"Eh?!" comical gasps came from Yuno, Hikaru, Sakuya and Haruki. Silence fell between the five of them. "Arata... likes someone?" Hikaru muttered. His eyes were wide as he stared at the said redhead. Haruki held the same expression, though without the dropped jaw.
"What? Is it that weird to like someone?" Arata asked with a pout. "No... It's just that... someone like you..." Yuno started, but she seemed unsure how to continue with her sentence.
"Whoever it is that you fell for, she is one unfortunate human being," the blond remarked after he regained his composure and opened his textbook. Apparently, he lost interest in the conversation. "That's way too mean, Hikaru!" the redhead exclaimed, sounding genuinely hurt.
Hikaru paid him no heed and flipped a page while Arata desperately tried to get his attention. Haruki's eyebrows rose at their behaviour. He turned his head to Sakuya, who caught his eye and shrugged in response.
The door to their classroom slid open and Ms. Mito walked in. "Everyone, back to their seats. We'll start homeroom now,"
Yuno shuffled away and Arata ceased disturbing Hikaru with a sigh. He rested his chin on his hand. From his seat, the platoon leader could see the redhead mutter something inaudible. Only God knows whatever he's grumbling about under his breath.
"He already went to meet her?" the blond asked the moment he sat down in the empty seat of the table. Haruki didn't miss the edginess he heard in Hikaru's voice. He made no comment on it though as he wrote a few notes in his book. Perhaps it was better if he watched how things would develop instead. Sakuya answered on their behalf, even if Hikaru's question wasn't directed to anybody particular.
"Isn't this better though? The sooner Arata rejects her, the sooner the two of them can forget it,"
"That sounds hateful, Sakuya..." Haruki decided to comment, not looking up.
The mechanic scratched his cheek. "But if you think about it, it makes sense. It seems cruel, but it's an act of kindness. The girl can stop her wishful thinking early and move on from Arata. She might even be able to find someone who returns her feelings rather than wasting her time waiting for him, who claims to already like another,"
"He has a point there," Yuno said. The girl tapped her chin with her pen. "Come to think of it, who does Arata like anyway?"
The three of them fell into silence as they stared at each other. A few seconds passed before the three of them realized neither had any idea. Simultaneously, they turned their heads to the blond. Hikaru felt their eyes on them and raised his head with an annoyed expression. "What?"
"You're his roommate, aren't you? You must know something," Yuno said.
"I didn't even know Arata was interested in girls until today, so how on Earth would I know who?" he hissed in reply.
Just then, a cheerful voice boomed from the entrance of the café. "One parfait, please!" and speak of the Devil, Arata himself came towards them. "Hey guys," he greeted and pulled a chair out for himself. Despite the table being full, he found space in between Sakuya and Hikaru, who were facing each other.
"So how did it go?" Yuno asked. She leaned forward to hear him better since Hikaru was in between her and Arata. The redhead tilted his head. He looked honestly confused. "How did what go?"
"The meeting with the girl from Arabista!" Sakuya interjected, looking quite eager himself. Haruki could only stay quiet though one could see in his eyes that he was interested.
"Didn't I already say I'd reject her earlier?" the redhead replied.
"Even after meeting her in person you didn't change your mind?" Yuno asked.
"Not a bit," Arata answered.
"Then why don't you tell us who you like?" the girl continued.
"What?!" he shouted, face turning a shade of red. Arata looked into the eager faces of his friends one by one and stopped at the blond, who showed no sign of interest whatsoever.
"Hikaru, save me!" the redhead pleaded, clasping his hands together. Hikaru spared a glance at him before he focused on his work again. "This is your own doing. I don't want to be involved,"
"B-But, Hikaru—!"
The book was slammed shut and the blond stood up, eyes narrowed towards Arata as he did. "I said I don't want to be involved," he hissed. Hikaru packed up his things and left everyone in stunned silence.
"What's his problem...?" Yuno broke the hushed atmosphere with a sweatdrop. "Come to think of it, he's been really snappy today," Sakuya commented. Haruki watched Arata from the corner of his eye. The redhead was still staring at the door where Hikaru just left the building through.
"I wonder... if he's okay..." Arata muttered absentmindedly.
"I can't take this anymore..." Hikaru grumbled under his breath. Everyone else turned their heads to look at him. Feeling their eyes on him, he raised his head again from resting on the table.
"What's wrong, Hikaru?" the platoon leader asked.
It was half an hour after War Time started and Yuno, Sakuya, Haruki and Hikaru were seated together on a table in the usual café since neither of their platoons was sent on a mission. They agreed to do their homework as a group. Hikaru tried to anyway.
"Arata still hasn't told any of you who he likes?" uttered the blond tiredly.
"I'm afraid not," Sakuya replied.
"And it doesn't bother you guys?" Hikaru continued.
The only female of the group said, "We're certainly curious but..."
"We have to respect Arata's privacy," the black haired teen finished her sentence. "He'll tell us when he feels the time is right,"
Hikaru tapped his pencil on his book. His eyebrows furrowed as he thought over his friends' words. They were right; they had to respect his privacy, but...
"We're his friends, aren't we?"
The other three blinked their eyes. Not one of them spoke a word as they exchanged confused glances with each other. What was Hikaru on about?
Before they were allowed any other response however, Hikaru stood up and started to pack his things. That's right. They were his friends. There was nothing wrong in telling them. That's why he's so worked up over it, right?
"I'm going to see him," the blond declared and left them as quickly as he did a few days ago.
"Hikaru... sure is acting strange lately..." Yuno said softly, her brows creased. "He even missed lunch today,"
"Arata's no different either. I don't know how many times I've caught him smiling like a dork at his CCM," Sakuya spoke up, attracting the attention of the other two.
"What?" they gasped simultaneously.
"Whenever no one's paying attention to him he whips out his CCM and stares at it with a smile until we talk to him again," Sakuya explained again. "He even did it during lunch earlier,"
"Did you see what he was staring at?" the platoon leader asked. Sakuya shook his head as an answer. Everyone was silent as they stared at each other, before all three stood up and left, tailing after Hikaru.
It took them a while to get a sight of the blond again, but when they did, all of them found themselves hiding behind the bushes of Gull Park. Haruki squatted, holding a branch of leaves in front of him—the other two mimicked the platoon leader, each of them holding their own branch.
Arata was seated on the bench, staring down at his CCM and Haruki saw the small smile on the redhead's face. The blond walked up to him from behind, seemingly calling out his name because Arata's head shot up. The small smile turned into a wide grin as the redhead greeted his roommate.
The trio behind the bushes watched in silence, even though none of them could hear a word from the duo. Haruki could feel the tension in his face muscles and worked on relaxing them. His eyes, however, never left his two teammates.
The two of them exchanged more words. Arata's eyes widened, his body tensed and he quickly shook his head. Hikaru on the other hand furrowed his brow and tightened his fists, staring down at Arata. More words were spoken between them and Haruki could feel the intensity of the conversation rising. Arata was looking left and right wildly, even wiping his hands on his blazer before hiding them in his pockets.
The blond seemed to have nodded his head at whatever Arata had said and he pulled out his CCM and called for Val Sparos. Arata did the same with Dot Phasor, holding his CCM in a tight grip. The two LBXs stood in their battle stance, facing each other with their weapons drawn.
"D-Don't tell me they're going to have a battle here?!" Sakuya gasped.
"That's crazy, without a diorama they could get injured! Haruki, do something!" Yuno frantically pulled on the black haired teen, who fell onto the ground from the surprise attack. He hushed the two of them, quietly hoping the duo didn't notice the leaves rustle, and said, "They're not children, they know the limits of battling without a diorama. And both of their weapons are close-ranged too, so neither will get shot,"
"But even so this is unreaso—" Sakuya couldn't even finish his sentence before the three of them turned their heads to the duo again at the sound of swords sparring. Val Sparos was being pushed back by Dot Phasor, who managed to jump back from Val Sparos's counterattack. Both of the LBX players watched each other's movements before diving in. Their weapons clashed and their fingers quick with commands.
In a flash, Dot Phasor's weapon was thrown out of its hands and it was pinned onto the ground by Val Sparos. Both players stopped their movements. Hikaru looked up from his CCM and his mouth formed a thin line. Haruki's eyes narrowed. He couldn't be the only one who noticed it; Hikaru should've noticed it too.
Arata wasn't battling seriously.
The redhead sighed before he too looked up to meet Hikaru's eyes. That small smile Haruki remembered from earlier came back as Arata spoke. The blond's grip on his CCM tightened.
Arata held out his CCM, the screen facing Hikaru, and the redhead's smile faded. Blue eyes widened and his jaw dropped slightly, before his eyebrows furrowed and he narrowed his eyes. "Don't joke with me!" he shouted, and Haruki heard the hurt loud and clear.
The white-red CCM kept away, Arata shook his head and walked forward, passing the stunned Hikaru and left Gull Park.
He saw him, on the bench, and looking down at something. "Arata," he called out and his head shot up, a grin on his face as their eyes met. "Hey, Hikaru! You really surprised me when you told me to wait here. What's up?"
"I want to know who the girl you like is," the blond went bluntly.
"W-What?" Arata's eyes widened. He quickly shook his head. "I already said it before, I can't tell you!"
"And why not?"
"B-Because—!"
"You don't trust me?"
"N-No—! Far from that! It's... because of..."
"You think I can't keep a secret?"
"Aaah! No! Tch, damn it. Let's settle this with an LBX battle. If you win, I'll tell you. If I win, you'll stop bothering me about this,"
Hikaru nodded. "Fine, I won't go easy on you," Val Sparos stood ready for commands.
"Same here," Dot Phasor leapt out, wielding its weapon.
The blue LBX went in for the first attack, swinging strike after strike onto Dot Phasor. The red LBX could do nothing but defend itself, unable to launch its own attack. Being pushed back, Arata struggled with his commands, not seeing a way out until he managed to jump out of reach.
Dot Phasor ran forward immediately after regaining its ground. Taken surprise by the counterattack, Val Sparos defended itself just as the red LBX did earlier. The tables had been turned. The intensity of the battle increased tenfold.
Val Sparos swung its weapon at an opening and Dot Phasor jumped back, avoiding lethal damage. The two LBX players assessed their situation, watching their foe's LBX with care, before both LBXs thrust themselves forward.
A red and white weapon flew into the air, landing onto the dirt, away from its owner. Pinned onto the ground was Dot Phasor, Val Sparos on top of it. A sigh escaped Arata and he raised his head, indigo eyes meeting blue.
"A deal's a deal," the redhead said with a soft smile. Hikaru responded by tightening his grip around his CCM.
Arata tapped some commands into his CCM and his smile faded as he said, "Don't get mad at me,"
"What? Why would I—"
He held out his CCM towards Hikaru. On the screen was a poorly lighted picture of someone. Some moonlight illuminated the figure's face and Hikaru could see the untied messy hair. Whoever was in the picture appeared to be sleeping, if the pillow and closed eyes were any indication. Hikaru's eyes widened and his jaw dropped.
"Don't joke with me!" he shouted, swinging his hand in front of him as if to swipe away the CCM and the image he just saw. Arata shook his head and kept the device in his pocket. "I'm not," he said and walked towards the blond. As he passed Hikaru, he whispered into the other's ear.
"You're the one who stole my heart,"
Lying on his torso on his bed, the blond groaned into his pillow before he pushed himself up. He was in a slump. He was in an awful slump. Someone rapped on the door, stopping him in his string of curses, and Hikaru opened it quickly to a concerned looking Haruki.
"Oh, you,"
"Not exactly a warm welcome," the platoon leader commented. Hikaru paid it no heed. Haruki's eyes scanned the room. "Arata's not back yet?" he asked.
The blond shook his head. He quietly went back to his bed and Haruki walked in, closing the door as he did. "I'm still kind of surprised that the one Arata likes is you," the black haired teen leaned against said redhead's bedframe with crossed arms and his eyes landed on the blond, who hid his head in between his knees and loudly sighed.
"And all this time we thought it was a girl..."
"Arata never said the person he likes was a girl. He only said he likes someone. We were the ones who immediately assumed a girl came in and swept him off his feet," the black haired teen explained, looking quite amused. "When in actuality, it was you. So, how will you answer?" Haruki continued, sitting down next to the blond.
"What?" the blond looked up abruptly, sending a piercing gaze towards the leader.
"I'm asking you how you will answer to his confession,"
Hikaru's mouth opened but no sound came out. His brow furrowed and he clenched his fists. Haruki scratched the back of his head with a sigh. "Then how about this?"
The blond's eyebrows quirked as Haruki sent Hikaru his own piercing gaze. "What are your feelings towards Sena Arata?"
"Hah? It's obvious, isn't it? I see him as a rival and—"
"Are you sure?"
"...What do you mean?" blue eyes narrowed.
"Are you sure you just see him as a rival and nothing more? The person who has been with you from the moment you stepped onto this island?"
"You're saying it like we're attached to the hip,"
"I'm saying that because you two are attached to the hip. Think about it, will you? Why were you so determined to know who Arata likes when the rest of us didn't mind either way?"
The black haired male pushed himself off the bed. "It almost looks like you were terribly jealous," he remarked and left the room with a stunned Hikaru in it.
The night breeze chilled him to the bone, but he was able to endure it thanks to his wandering thoughts and blue jacket under his blazer. It occasionally disturbed him, though Arata could care less about the cold right now.
Sparkling dots spread across the midnight canvas above him and he closed his troubled eyes as he listened to the waves clapping. His shoes and clothes were probably infested with sand by then but that wasn't his priority.
"You're the one who stole my heart, huh..." he opened his eyes and stretched out his arm, tracing the stars one by one with his finger. Arata huffed. "Tch, what a lame thing to say,"
His hand landed onto the sand next to him but his eyes never left the lights high up. Wind passed through, wrapping him like a blanket, as he muttered, "I'm such a pervert, taking pictures of him in his sleep. Bet he hates me now..."
"When did you take that picture?"
"E-Eh?!" Arata shoved himself up and turned around to see Hikaru standing a few steps away from him, still in his school uniform like Arata.
The redhead gaped for a while and when Hikaru removed his stare from the waves to Arata's face, he finally answered the blond, despite the stutters. "A-Ah...! A c-couple of weeks... ago...?"
Hikaru sat down beside him, bringing his knees up to his face and Arata froze in place, mind numb and lungs frantically requesting for oxygen. The redhead turned his head away, keeping his eyes in front of him and struggled not to get up and run.
"How long have you... liked me?" the question came softly out of Hikaru's mouth.
"I'm not... sure either. It's just that one day... I looked at you, and it hit me like a boulder,"
"It hit you that you have feelings for me?"
"Yeah..."
The sea continued to play its melody of waves, enveloping the two teens in its sound. Arata's heart began to grow restless in the presence of the blond, it was loud and it echoed in his ears. He examined his fingers, despite nothing really needed examining.
"Um... why are you here?" the redhead managed to ask.
"You left Dot Phasor in the park," Hikaru replied, handing him his white and red LBX.
Arata took it from his hands slowly. "O-Oh, thanks," he had forgotten to take his LBX under all that pressure. The redhead stared at Dot Phasor in his hands. There were some scratches here and there from the earlier LBX battle. Arata tightened his fingers around his LBX and looked into Hikaru's face.
"You know, I'll delete the photo if that's what you want,"
"Huh?"
"And if you want to switch roommates, that's okay, I understand,"
"Hold on—"
"I'll get out of your way as much as possible and I won't disturb you anymore. It'll be kind of hard since we're in the same platoon but maybe we can—"
"I said hold on a moment!" Hikaru held Arata's shoulder, forcing the redhead to stop his rambles. "What are you even on about? Switching roommates? Getting out of my way?" he paused momentarily, "D-Deleting that embarrassing photo of me sleeping? Why would you do any of that?"
Arata blinked, not noticing Hikaru's trembling hands on him. "It's obvious, right? You must feel uncomfortable now, knowing how I feel about you and stuff. I don't want to cause you anymore trouble—"
"But you're not!" Hikaru said firmly. "You're not... making me feel uncomfortable," his hands left Arata's shoulders and he hid them behind his knees. "Not in a dislikeable way at least..." he looked away, his gaze on the sand.
"What?" the confusion rang clear in Arata's voice.
"To tell you the truth, when you said you have someone you like the other day, my chest...hurt a lot," the blond muttered. "I thought it was nothing and ignored it, but then the others kept talking about who you might like and the pain got worse,"
Arata let a small gasp escape him. "Then, that day when you left us..."
"I got really annoyed by it, I guess. I let my jealousy get the best of me and acted without thinking of the consequences,"
A blush crept up Arata's face as his mind chewed over what Hikaru was saying. "Wait—Eh—Um—Ha?" No way, no way, no way. Hikaru couldn't—right? This wasn't happening—this was...
"What I'm trying to say is—even if I'm still not sure about it—I think I... like you," the blond hid his face behind his knees, completely out of Arata's view. The redhead felt all his words stuck in his throat at this confession and none managed to come out of his gaping mouth.
His face burned and he was positive it was bright red by now. It was only his luck that they were currently on the beach in the dark.
What was he supposed to do now? What were they supposed to do now? Arata was positive of his feelings for Hikaru, but Hikaru said...
That's right.
"L-Let's kiss then," the redhead said.
"W-What?!" Hikaru's head shot up and Arata saw the colour in the blond's cheeks. "You said it yourself, you're still unsure of your feelings for me... so let's kiss. And maybe after that you'll have a clear idea," Arata looked away. Did he actually say that? Oh God, just—he could die of embarrassment right here, right now. Hikaru would surely say—
"Fine,"
"Eh?"
"What's with that reaction?"
"It's just that—I thought you'd refuse?"
Hikaru grumbled under his breath. "Well, are you going to kiss me or not?"
"A-Ah—!" Oh damn, oh damn. Was he really going to? Pinch, pinch, he's in a pinch! Pinching him awake from this dream would be saving him... but that's not the point. He had to do this. He wanted it, right?
His hand rested on Hikaru's and he inched himself closer to the blond. "Oi, oi, how am I supposed to do this if you're not looking this way?" Arata said, despite his own hesitance. "Shut up," Hikaru replied and slowly turned his red face towards Arata.
His blue eyes were shut tight and his brow furrowed. The redhead intertwined their fingers together, taking note how nice the warmth of Hikaru's hands were. He smiled at how adorable the other's expression was, but it disappeared immediately after he remembered what he was going to do. His heart was practically a drum set in his chest. He could hear it clear in his ears. Thump thump thump.
Arata leaned in after gathering as much courage as he could and left a quick peck on the edge of Hikaru's lips. He covered his face with his arm afterwards, positive he could explode any moment.
"...That's it?" Hikaru's disappointed voice reached his ears, causing him to flinch. "I... I never kissed anyone before, okay?!" he responded.
"That makes two of us,"
Thump thump thump.
He peeked from his hiding place and he saw Hikaru's blue eyes on him. Arata tightened his jaw. He felt his brow furrow as Hikaru took his arm away and brought his face nearer. "If you're not going to do it, then I'll—"
Arata closed the gap between them and captured the blond's soft lips in his. Their foreheads bumped and he heard Hikaru's voice catch. His other hand went up the blond's shoulder, pulling them closer. It wasn't a matter of time before Hikaru kissed back, the blond's hands in his hair and on his neck.
The redhead pulled away, his heart still beating much to his amazement, and asked in a shaky voice, "So...?"
"... Maybe... One more time... I'm still not—"
"I'll do it again and again until you're sure,"
"Ne, are you going to eat that?" Arata pointed towards a sausage on Hikaru's plate with his fork. The blond spared a glint at the food, and then at Arata, before he picked it up with his own fork and held it out towards the redhead. "You can have it," he said.
Arata ate it immediately, almost seemingly unaware of the fact that Hikaru had just fed him—unlike the other two members of Jenock's First Platoon.
"You two came back pretty late last night," the platoon leader commented as he munched on his breakfast. "It's just your luck it's the weekend," he added next, sending the blond next to him and the redhead opposite of him quick glances.
Arata nearly choked on his sausage while Hikaru had to put his glass down. The redhead of the platoon coughed a few times before a goofy grin stretched across his face. "Well, we got sort of carried aw—Ow! Hikaru, what was that for?!" he whined in pain, rubbing his throbbing foot.
"Nothing," the blond replied nonchalantly, chewing on an onigiri with a stoic face. Haruki and Sakuya looked at each other before they sighed. "You two don't need to keep it a secret, it's obvious. We were there, remember?" Sakuya said and gave a pat on Arata's shoulder. "Congratulations on getting together, by the way," he smiled. Haruki did too.
Arata blushed and so did Hikaru, who very nearly buried his face in his breakfast. "Ahaha... stalking us isn't exactly appreciated, but thanks, you guys," the redhead said for him and Hikaru, since the blond was obviously not going to say anything.
"Oh, I almost forgot," Haruki said and turned his head to Arata. "Yesterday when you were battling against Hikaru, you weren't giving it your all. Why?"
The redhead gasped and his eyes widened. But they softened immediately. "That... That's because I realized something while I was battling. Two things, actually,"
"What are they?" the blond asked, indeed just as curious as Sakuya and Haruki.
Arata looked at him in the eye and smiled. He reached out his hand to hold Hikaru's. "One, I wanted to tell you my feelings. Two, I am actually, honestly, madly in love with you," with a mischievous grin, he lay a kiss on the blond's fingertips.
A gasp came from Hikaru. He attempted to hide his burning face with his free hand. But Arata wasn't making it any easier when he caught the blond's other hand and kissed it too. "L-Let me go!" he demanded. He tried to pry his hands away but the redhead held them in a firm grip.
"You can't run from me anymore," Arata sang.
Defeated, Hikaru resorted to laying his face on the table, away from the view of Arata and the curious spectators of the other Duck Manor residents who were having breakfast as well. He looked up abruptly and decided right then and there he wanted that smug grin off the redhead's face.
With another kick to the foot, Arata yelped in pain. Much to his satisfaction, his hands were released. "Neither can you," Hikaru said. He huffed. It was a pleasurable victory to say the least.
Arata whined like an injured puppy, holding the same foot from earlier and muttered on how mean Hikaru was. But soon enough he grinned again. "I know I can't," he said with a laugh. The blond sighed, smiling gently afterwards.
'I love you too, idiot,'