The Sweets Shop
Part 2: Valentine's Day 2012
Kiku was pretty sure that he was dying right now. That any minute now he was just going to pass out and that would be it for him. He wanted to speak, but he couldn't force any words out. All he could do was sit there, his heart pounding in his chest in a desperate attempt to escape, his hands sweating as he clutched at the jean fabric covering his thighs...
"Things really must have changed while you were gone. I imagine it's been difficult re-adjusting."
"I haven't really been out yet." And how could just those words cause his heart to start beating even faster? Kiku wondered if there was any possible way for him to excuse himself from the room before something awful happened.
Why was Heracles here? Kiku hadn't even known that he was moving back; they hadn't really spoken much since his best friend had moved to Greece six years ago. Honestly, Kiku hadn't even thought about Heracles in years... And then he'd just shown up on his doorstep less than an hour ago.
And Kiku had barely recognised him. Heracles had always been around Kiku's own height and he'd left when he was ten... Before puberty hit.
And puberty had been very good to Heracles.
God, he hadn't just thought that. Kiku wanted to hit himself, but he managed to resist. He instead reached out and lifted his teacup to his lips, focusing all of his attention on keeping the cup steady and not spilling tea all over the kotatsu.
At least his father wasn't home. That was honestly the only good thing about this whole situation. His father wouldn't be arriving home for another three hours and hopefully by then, Heracles would be long gone.
Of course, his mother was home right now. She'd been the one to invite Heracles in while Kiku just gawked at him as he stood on their front step. She'd greeted him, asked him if he'd like tea, invited him to sit at the kotatsu, and was now the one who was actually conversing with him.
Kiku hadn't been able to speak a single word yet, too shocked to do anything but blindly follow the two to the table and sit down. Thankfully he had practice in concealing his emotions, since neither his mother nor Heracles seemed to have noticed anything amiss yet.
He really needed to not look at him, but it was hard not to when he was sitting right across from him. He was tall. That was the first thing that his mind had been able to wrap around when he'd first laid eyes on him. He was tall and was wearing a white T-shirt despite the temperature outside. When his mother had asked, he'd said that he hadn't bought a new winter coat yet. They'd only arrived a couple days ago.
And that white T-shirt was thin enough to show pectoral muscles and he watched as the fabric rose a bit to reveal just a flash of skin as Heracles stretched his arms over his head and yawned.
"It was very nice of you to come visit Kiku today when you're still tired from the plane ride."
Heracles was always tired; Kiku was pretty sure that was one thing that wasn't about to change. He'd started dozing off almost as soon as he sat at the kotatsu, only waking up when Kiku's mother returned with the tea. And it was pretty obvious that he was close to falling asleep again.
"Mhm." Heracles now turned his attention to Kiku, who hurriedly sat up straighter in an attempt to look like he hadn't just been staring at his abs. "Wanted to come yesterday, but..." He yawned again. "Slept the whole day..."
Somehow that wasn't surprising.
"Well," Kiku's mother gave him a look like she was expecting him to finally say something. "It's very nice for you to come today."
"Y—yes." And his voice squeaked. Kiku hurriedly took another sip of tea, staring down at the table as he attempted to calm his heart.
This was honestly rather horrifying. Of course he'd figured it out. He was a sixteen-year-old male and he'd noticed rather quickly that his body was rather particular in what it found appealing. He enjoyed drawing women—he found them appealing in an aesthetic sense—but he'd never felt any sort of sexual attraction toward any of them.
Men, on the other hand...
He supposed he was lucky enough. He'd never talked to anyone about his preferences, but he knew that most of his peers were accepting of those of differing sexual orientations. After all, Gillian Beilschmidt, Arthur Kirkland, and Francis Bonnefoy were all extremely open about their own preferences. And while there were those who attended their school who weren't happy about it, very few people were willing to make their displeasure known.
...Mainly because it was common knowledge that Gillian and Arthur could—and would—hold their own in a fight. And that if you messed with Francis, you would soon face the wrath of Gill, Arthur, and Antonio.
The main problem wasn't his peers...
He suddenly startled when he realized that no one was speaking. And that both his mother and Heracles were staring at him, his mother frowning suspiciously as she looked between the two of them. And he could feel his heart start racing again, but now for a completely different reason.
"Ah, I am sorry. I was just thinking about something else." He set his cup back on the table and cleared his throat, turning his body to face Heracles. "I hope that your time in Greece was enjoyable?" Actually, that was something he was curious about. Why in the world was Heracles even back here? He hadn't mentioned it yet and Kiku had been too...distracted.
Heracles seemed to have to ponder this for a long moment. Then he finally said, "The ruins were nice."
"Did your parents return with you?" his mother asked.
There was another long pause. Kiku wondered if he actually had to think about these questions or if he were just that jet-lagged. Although, if he remembered correctly, Heracles had always been a very slow speaker, even as a kid.
"Dad did. Mom ran off with somebody else in Cyprus."
Oh.
Well... That left an awkward silence over the group.
Although Heracles didn't seem to be bothered. From what Kiku remembered about his mother, which honestly wasn't much, she'd never been particularly present in his life. She had a tendency to disappear for days at a time, following some grandiose dream. Kiku had asked him about it when they were much younger and Heracles had just sort of shrugged like 'that's just who she is'.
He suddenly seemed to remember something, though, as he shifted around and reached into his back pocket. And Kiku really wished he hadn't noticed the movement, as now he was finding it hard to look away.
He pulled out a small package wrapped in plain brown paper and held it out toward Kiku. "Got this for you. It was your birthday a few days ago, right?"
"Uh, yes." He slowly reached out and took the offered package.
"There's some other things too." He blinked sleepily. "It was heavy, though..."
Kiku nodded in understanding and slowly began to unwrap the gift, hyperaware of his mother's eyes on him. He couldn't help feeling excited that Heracles had actually remembered his birthday... It'd been six years and he'd actually remembered.
And he was surprised when he unwrapped the paper to find a tiny statue of a cat; it was made of some kind of polished, tan-coloured stone.
Heracles was staring at him, looking relaxed as Kiku turned the little cat over in his hands.
"Th—thank you." It was lovely.
"Also brought you this." And this package came from his front pocket. He held it out. "It's Valentine's Day. I brought you these."
Oh God...
Kiku knew that his face must be bright red now as he stared at the box, shaped like a heart, that he knew had to hold chocolates.
Wh—what?
He lifted his head to sneak a quick look at his mother. She looked a little startled, but maybe this could just be attributed to a culture difference. After all, Heracles had just spent the last six years in Greece.
"Ah, thank you, Heracles-san." He took the chocolates, his hands trembling slightly as he hurriedly set the box underneath the table. Out of sight as quickly as possible. "Ah, why don't I show you around the neighbourhood since you haven't yet had a chance to visit it again?"
Heracles, thankfully, nodded. Not seeming to notice the immediate tension that had sprung up at the gifting.
He, again, was thankful that his father wasn't here. He probably would have responded less favourably.
Kiku sometimes wondered if his mother may suspect. She never said anything, but she often would send him particular looks when his father mentioned young daughters of colleagues who he thought Kiku should be introduced to. Kiku felt grateful that she never mentioned it, although at the same time it didn't help relieve his worries about what his father would say or do if he found out the truth.
He would be angry, but what would he actually do about it...
Kiku stood and walked over to the closet, pulling his coat on over his sweatshirt. One of his father's was hanging up beside it. He hesitated for a moment and then pulled it off the hanger and handed it to Heracles, who had followed him. He wasn't sure that his father would approve, but they'd return before he did and it wasn't like he could let his friend freeze.
"Let's go." A cold walk would probably do him good anyway. It might clear his mind of these not-appreciated thoughts if nothing else.
A/N: So since today (Feb. 11th) is Kiku's birthday, I decided that today's Valentine's Day story should focus on Kiku! It's a bit sad, though. I feel bad for Kiku. Parents being unsupportive of their kids' sexuality sucks, as I know from personal experience. Bleh. =.=
Lots of backstory, though. Backstory is always nice. And I'm sure things will work out okay. Kiku's got good friends who love him a lot and will support him no matter what!
Since tomorrow is Antonio's birthday, that's who tomorrow's story will focus on, so be ready for that! I hope you guys are enjoying these. Please review! :) Reviews make me happy! I like to know what you guys think!