Two Months
Disclaimer: Dang, I wish I owned Hana-Kimi. But I don't. Boo hoo. (
When I wrote this, it was super-short chapters. I'm gonna break the story into two parts. It's yet another AkixHoku fluffy tail. There's no huge climax, but the title has relevance.
Pt. 1May 25.
Birds were chirping outside, and sunlight was streaming in through the curtains. Hokuto Umeda awoke and listened to the early morning sounds. He rolled over slowly to face the man lying next to him. Akiha Hara was still fast asleep. His sandy lashes cast shadows over his angelic face and his lips were parted slightly. His golden hair fell all around his face, neck and shoulders.
Umeda smiled; he could stare at Akiha for hours when he was like this, but what he needed to do was get up before his alarm clock went off and woke up his lover. Silently, he shifted out of his bed, gathering his clothes from the previous night to throw in the hamper. All he had to do was shower and head off. Of course, he did none of this before softly kissing Akiha's forehead.
"Bye." He whispered.
D P
"Ebi! Grab Renge-san's jacket, we'll be using it after all!"
"OK!"
"Kentaro, lessen up the lighting, OK?"
"Sure."
"Hinata-chan, I need another dough nut ASAP!"
"Hai!"
"Renge-san, give me that look you did before! Yeah!"
Akiha barked orders while snapping away, taking pictures to endorse a new car. A young model leaned against a black Mercedes, posing. Ebi, his co-worker and ex-wife handed the girl her jacket. Apparently, Akiha had decided the ad would be better with it on. Then again, he tended to change his mind every ten seconds when behind his camera. The model, a young girl named Renge Haruno, slipped it on and looked into the camera. The tall blond photographer nodded and took the dough nut his other co-worker, Hinata handed him without looking away from the display.
"Domo arigato."
The shoot continued for a few more minutes almost silently, save for a few random orders shouted by Akiha seemed to take on an alter-ego as soon as he stepped foot into any professional studio. It was almost 6:30 pm. when there was a loud SLAM! as the door was kicked open. Umeda stormed in, red hair falling haphazardly around his face, caramel eyes glowing, and a cigarette between his lips.
"AKIHA!" he snarled, "Do you have any idea what time it is?"
For a moment, the studio fell silent as everyone stared in shock at the sexy school doctor that could pass as a model himself if he weren't so disgusted by the thought. He was dressed in the usual black turtleneck, black slacks, and black boots. They looked like leather, just as his jacket did (Although they probably weren't). His messenger bag was still flung over his shoulder from work.
"Hokuto?" Akiha asked. Everyone in the room sweatdropped. No shit, Hokuto! What other spirited, chain-smoking megane would have the audacity to interrupt a shoot without even a simply 'sorry?"
Akiha turned back to the model. "Thanks, Renge-san. Let's call it a night. If I need you again before Wednesday, I'll contact your manager." She nodded and began to gather her things while the photographer turned to smile affably at his boyfriend. "Hey, Hoku—"
"YOU BASTARD!" the smaller man screamed, "You promised 6! At 6, we were gonna meet and have dinner! Instead, I find you shooting pornos with a hooker! She's more attractive to you than I am, isn't she? I HATE YOU!"
In the time it had taken him to get through with his accusation, Akiha had walked over. He placed his hands soothingly on the doctor's shoulders.
"Inside voice." He reminded. "I'm extremely sorry I'm late. We had trouble getting the power for the lights to work, and I suppose I got carried away. Renge-san is an experienced model, not a hooker, and please be less…unfaithful, shall we say? You know I only have eyes for you." He kissed the doctor. Umeda pouted.
"They canceled our reservations." He said.
"I'll make us something nice. Something you like. What'll it be? Something traditional, I suppose—"
"Pasta." The megane responded bluntly.
"I thought you didn't like Italian food?"
"I like pasta."
"Pasta it is. 3" he agreed, kissing Umeda's forehead.
Ebi made her way over, shooting them a tentative smile. "Is everything all right?" she asked.
"Yup. Never better." The blond chirped. The redhead merely turned away and exhaled a breath of cigarette smoke.
"I can take over from here, Akiha. You and…Hokuto-san go home."
He nodded gratefully. "C'mon, love." Umeda trailed behind leisurely, glancing back at Ebi. She caught his glance and held it for all of one second before turning away, a strange look on her face.
He rolled his eyes and dropped what was left of his cigarette, stepping it out in the middle of the studio floor.
D P
April 27.
Umeda stared at the calendar on his cell phone, unbelieving. He had marked the date a while ago. When he first started dating Akiha, he hadn't believed it would last. A dinner, a lay or two…what more could result from the photographer? He had started dating Akiha in March. In his dark humor, he had marked one week on his calendar to see whether or not they'd be able to stand each other for seven days. When a week came and went, he looked at his cell's calendar.
Have you dropped the blond fool yet?
No, he hadn't. He placed the same message one month away. He never dated anyone more than a full month.
April 27 came and went.
Today's date was May 25.
"Two goddamn months. Holy crap." He murmured, lying back in his bed. How had it happened? Maybe because unlike other boyfriends, Akiha wasn't so obsessed with screwing Umeda. Slept together comparatively often. Of course, if one wasn't up to it, they didn't. Tonight was one of those nights. After their dinner, Umeda had been tired, so Akiha drove him home. He always did thoughtful crap like that, without even realizing it. Visiting during lunch break so they could share bentos, complimenting him on different things whenever they spoke, holding his hand and massaging his neck when he wasn't feeling well. No one had ever been so…caring. He buried his head in his pillow.
"What do I do?" he asked himself. Did two months hold any significance to the photographer? No, probably not. But it did to him! After all, he loved Akiha.
Umeda gasped and jolted up. That was it. It was time to tell the photographer. "Two goddamn months." He sighed, drifting off to sleep, "how did that happen?"
D P
May 26.
The next day, Ebi walked with Hinata through the studio. There were no shoots today. All that had to be done was setup for the next shoot and creation of the actual ad.
"Renge-san was a pleasure to work with, don't you think, Ebi?" Hinata asked.
"Uh-huh." She responded, looking across the room at their guest. Umeda sat on a bench, looking around at the setup and lights. He had accompanied Akiha to work, and Ebi was bringing tea to him. Hinata looked at her friend's face quizzically, then began to make her way down the other corridor.
"See ya." She called.
"Uh-huh." She repeated.
She walked over. Umeda smiled faintly. He steadied the cup as she poured the hot tea into it.
"Aren't you going to have any?" he asked.
She shook her head. "Um, if that's all you need," she began, looked back the way she came, "I'll just—"
"Actually," he cut her off, "there is something I need."
"Name it." She replied, turning back to face him.
He leaned against the wall behind him, thick orange hair flowing over his neck. He really looked like on of the models Akiha took pictures of. "OK. You don't like me. At all. What's your problem?"
Ebi blinked. Annoyed, she shook her head. "Don't say things like that, Hokuto-san. I do like you. I mean, you're Akiha's…boyfriend."
"Lies." He drawled. "And Akiha has nothing to do with it. Why don't you like me?"
"Akiha has everything to do with it! He's dating you! He was married to me!" she cried.
"Oh. I see." He responded. "Now I understand." He looked her in the eyes, something he had no problem with but made her uncomfortable. "You hate me because you think you're better than me. Why should Akiha date me when he could have someone like you? You're the one he has the nude photo of, right?"
Her jaw dropped. "Excuse me?"
"Yeah," he persisted, "You are. When you were married. It's in his book. You think you're better because—"
"You have it all wrong." She interrupted.
"Oh? Do I? Enlighten me." he challenged.
She hesitated. "Well...I don't...I don't understand. Why did Akiha divorce me so he could date a... a..."
"Fagot." Umeda finished, rising.
"That's not the word I was looking for." she insisted.
"No. But it was the word in your head." he countered bitterly.
Just then, Kentaro walked through a set of doors carrying several large boxes stacked on top of one another.
"C'mon, Akiha!" he called.
"R—right!" the familiar high-pitched voice called. He stumbled out carrying double the amount of boxes Kentaro had. Both Ebi and Umeda watched wearily. As they both predicted, he stumbled, sending the boxes flying. Hinata dashed out and caught two, straining under their weight. Akiha steadied two more, so only one hit the floor with a THUD.
"That's why you don't bite off more than you can chew." she scolded.
"Gomenasai!" he whimpered, smiling sheepishly. Both Ebi and Umeda exhaled their held breaths. Their hyperactive clown was unharmed. He looked up and beamed to see two of his favorite people. "Hi! Be right over!" he sang. Everything he said seemed to end in exclamations points. For the time being, he returned to Kentaro.
"Tell him I decided to wait outside." the doctor requested, voice thick with anger.
"Don't do this--" she started.
"Tell me," he spoke slowly so he wouldn't explode on her right there, "what's so wrong—so disgusting—about loving another man?"
She stared at her feet. "To choose that over marriage to a woman? I can't understand him." they both turned to the blond. Hinata said something funny; Kentaro chuckled and Akiha tipped his head back in a full-out fit of laughter. "And of all men, correct me if I'm wrong, but... Hokuto-san, you were quite promiscuous before you were dating him, weren't you?"
Without a word, he turned and hurried out before he strangled her right there.
Less than a minute later, Akiha drifted over, having completed his task with Kentaro. Ebi grimaced at how his bright smile faded the second he noticed his boyfriend wasn't there.
"Where's Hokuto?" he queried. She turned away. "Ebi...?" his hand clamped over her shoulder. She felt like crying. "What's wrong?"
"I'm sorry!" she cried, leaning into his chest, do to the incredible height difference. "Please believe me—I'm sorry!"
"What happened?" he asked, frowning deeply.
:( :) D P
Umeda lit yet another cigarette. He inhaled deeply, trying to calm his nerves. A pair of arms grabbed him from behind, gripping his waist.
"Sorry, Akiha."
"No more apologies. I'm not angry with either of you." he said. He was trying very hard to speak calmly, but it was in vain. The doctor heard the distress in his voice. He turned so he could face the photographer, who still held him around his back.
"I could have been kinder to Ebi-san. Then you wouldn't be upset."
"Who's upset? Hokuto, I'm fine."
Umeda sighed. He reached up and playfully tugged Akiha's ponytail. "Liar."
The blond smiled and rested his head on top of his lover's. "Hey...did I ever tell you about my mother?"
Umeda fell into inner turmoil. Almost 2 months, and he didn't know a thing about Akiha's family! Was that bad? Uh-oh! How terrible!
"No." Calm. The usual hint of sarcasm.
Akiha shifted slightly. His cheek pressed against the crown of the doctor's head. "Well, my mother left my father and me when I was very young. I later learned she was involved with another man. I was left without a mom to raise me, so I raised all the money I could. When I was a little older, I used the money to visit her. But when she saw me, she just slammed the door. She told her boyfriend I was just some strange kid. Her own son!" he sighed. "I remember wanting to die at that very moment. If I just disappeared, then she'd be sorry."
"Akiha..." Umeda spoke into his chest. "Are you...are you...AN IDIOT?!" he released his grip on his lover, stepped back and kicked him with all his might. The photographer went flying back and hit the concrete hard.
"Ow..."
"ASSHOLE! If I were you, I'd do something amazing!Become famous and rich! Make that bitch regret it that way! Make her wish she never abandoned you! She should've died, not you!"
Akiha blinked. Once. Twice. Then, he began to laugh.
"You know what, Hokuto? I wish you had been there to tell her that!" he chuckled.
OK, end of Part One. Please review. I like opinions. Were they OOC! Was Akiha too happy? Yes? No? Maybe? Do you like waffles? ...What?
RRRREEEEEEVVVVVIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWW! Domo Arigato!