I own nothing, as always. Hope you enjoy!
Smell the Roses
When morning arrived, I was still undecided about when or if I would visit the sushi joint. I was intrigued by the idea of meeting someone new in this town before school started, but a nervous anxiety curled around my heart when I thought about walking up to the building. Ah, I'm being silly! Worst case scenario is that he doesn't like me, best case scenario I make a new friend! It's fine, I can do it! It would be rude not to go after his father was so kind to Mama!
…. Ugh.
"Tsu-chan! Are you dressed yet?" Mama called from down the stairs as I was still stressing.
"Hai, Mama! I'll be right down!" I called. Right, she had to leave for work soon, I better see her off for her first day.
"Do hurry, Tsu-chan! There is someone here to see you!" she called up, her voice sounding incredibly chipper.
"Eh?" I said to myself. There was no way it could be him, right? Then again, who else could it be. I got up from my bed and grabbed a sweater from my closet and pulled it on as I descended down the stairs. Rushing at a downwards angle while distracted has never been my strong suit though, and as I reached the bottom step I missed it entirely and tumbled violently forward into the entryway. I young man stood mildly shocked in the doorway while Mama looked mildly exasperated.
"Honestly, Tsu-chan." She sighed. I picked myself up and rubbed the back of my head.
"A-ah. Gomenasai." I mumbled. The boy in the doorway let out a cheer laugh.
"Haha, you're really energetic in the morning, huh?" he said loudly with a smile. Me? He was one to talk. "I'm Yamamoto, Takeshi. Dad said you had just moved into town and sent me over with some food, and to see if you need any help! He also said we would be going to school together Hikawa-san!" he explained. As he spoke I couldn't help but inspect him, it was instinctual really. He was tall and slim, but not lanky. The muscles in his exposed arms and legs showed that he lived an active lifestyle, but he wasn't bulky either. Fast. His face was angular and his smile was guarded. His brown eyes were rather bright and expressive, but sharp. Observant. Kind. His scent was light and pleasant, like dew on grass in the morning, but it held a bitter spice below the surface. Unhappy, but no ill intent. Not a threat.
"Ara? How sweet! Here, I'll take that and put it in the fridge. Thank your dad for me will you?" she said to Yamamoto-san, who assured her she would. Her voice snapped me out of my thoughts. It had only taken a second to notice and process these details. A defense mechanism Mama calls it, to determine friend from foe.
"U-uhm, it's nice to meet you. I'm Hikawa, Tsunayoshi." I said as Mama walked away. Oh god, I was feeling awkward already. I had just picked this nice guy apart, and he had no idea. It felt like I was invading his privacy.
"Ah! Do you mind if I call you Tsuna-san then?" he said throwing a hand behind his head. This guy… was so laid back.
"Eh? Uh, yes, I mean no! I don't mind." I finished lamely. Yamamoto chuckled.
"Great!" he chirped. Mama walked back into the entryway, purse in hand.
"Alright Tsu-chan, I have to go now. I left a list on the fridge and money on the counter, please head down to the store today, okay?" she said as she slipped on her shoes.
"Of course, is there anything else?" I asked. She ruffled my hair and kissed the top of my head.
"No, that's everything. Go out, have fun!" she said, she turned to Yamamoto, "It was nice to meet you, Yamamoto-san. Thank you for brining the food over." She said.
"It was no trouble at all! Dad was happy to make it. Ah, if you're heading to the store Tsuna-san I can show you the way." Yamamoto offered. Mama's smile broadened.
"That sounds like a wonderful idea! Make sure to lock up when you leave!" said Mama. She moved towards the door and Yamamoto stepped into the house out of her way.
"Hai! Have a good day, Mama." I said, and she left with one last smile. Yamamoto-san was still smiling, now standing in the entryway.
"I'll just go grab the list, and then we can go." I said to him.
"Sure thing! I'll just wait here!" he said. This guy was so sunny! It was kind of reassuring though, I think I could get along with a guy like him. I walked into the kitchen and grabbed the list off the counter and pocketed the money. This was actually… kind of a long list. Oh well. I grabbed my keys and walked back to the entrance and slipped my shoes on. "I'm good to go." I said and offered him a small smile.
"Haha! Okay! There's a few stores not to far way, what do you need to buy?" he asked as we walked outside. I locked the door behind us and pulled out the list.
"Eto.." I hummed while scanning the list, "Cleaning supplies mostly, and chocolate!" I said happily as I spied my favorite little word down at the bottom of the list. Yamamoto laughed again and started walking so I followed after him.
"Chocolate huh? Your mom seems really nice!" enthused Yamamoto-san.
"Yeah, Mama is the best." I said. He smiled down at me as we walked.
"You two seem really close." He said kindly. I blinked up at him and smiled.
"Do we? I'm glad. It's always just been Mama and I, and it's pretty rare that we don't get along." I said. Yamamoto's eyebrows raised slightly, it might have been one of the first times I had seen him without a smile today.
"Always? Is your father…?" he asked, and then trailed off as though he regretted asking.
"A-ah. I'm… I'm not sure." I said honestly, the anxiety creeping back into my chest. Was this too much info too soon? I did just meet him, but he asked so…
"Oh. Gomenasai, I shouldn't have asked such an insensitive question." He said, his face looking somewhat… self-depreciating and unsure. It wasn't really a look that suited him.
"No! No- it's fine! It's just, not something Mama can talk about yet, so I don't know, but I think so. I mean, I'm pretty sure. I don't remember him at all." I said. Yamamoto nodded his head and looked contemplative. The bitter spice in his scent was growing stronger as we walked in silence. I wonder if maybe his mother… but I decided not to ask.
"E-eto, have you always lived in Namimori?" I asked. Yamamoto lifted his head, perhaps a little startled by the question. He must have been really lost in thought.
"You bet!" he said with another sunny, but noticeably more forced smile. A-ah… that wasn't really a good sign. I must have really upset him by talking about my mom so highly, and then talking about my dad, especially if his mom.. isn't around.
"Oh. That's really nice. U-uhm… what's it like? Living here, I mean." I asked. Baka… of course that's what you mean.
"Haha! You're an adorable kind of guy, you know that Tsuna-san?" he laughed.
"Hiiieee!?" I croaked. Adorable!? This guy was straight up blunt! He laughed again as I blushed in embarrassment. How was I supposed to take that?
"Hmm, let's see? Living here is nice, I suppose! The baseball team is really good! We have pretty nice equipment, and I pretty much practice all the time! Coach says we are a shoo-in for Nationals this year, so I have to work extra hard!" he said, very enthused. The bitter spice had nearly cleared away, replaced with something sweeter – tangy like an orange but still mild. Ah, he had a really nice scent like this. My throat was drying, perhaps I'd buy the chocolate first.
"What about you, Tsuna-san?" he asked. I blinked up at him.
"E-eh? Pardon?" I asked.
"Do you play any sports?" he repeated.
"O-oh! N-no. I'm, uh, rather clumsy, actually… Haha. Also, we move around a lot for Mama's work, so I've never really been able to join any clubs." I said.
"Ah, that's too bad! I'm sure there's a sport out there for you, you just gotta figure out what it is! What do you do for fun then?" he asked.
"U-uhm, well I like video games I suppose, but I actually really enjoy scents." I said. Yamamoto gave me a confused look.
"Scents?" he asked. I nodded my head.
"Un! I like finding things that smell nice and mixing them together to make new scents, I, uh, I want to learn how to make perfume one day. Right now, I usually make candles or soaps and bath salts for my mom." I quickly explained.
"Really? That's really cool!" he said with a laugh. It was? "Well, there is an arcade in town, I haven't gone in a while! We should go some time!" he said.
"Really? I mean, yeah! That sounds fun." I said with a wide smile. I was really happy that Yamamoto still wanted to hang out with me. I had been worried he wouldn't want to a little earlier.
"Sparkles?" muttered Yamamoto.
"E-eh?" I said, confused. He shook his head with an odd look on his face.
"Ah, nothing, nothing! Just the light. Anyways, the store is just a couple doors up!" he said happily. And so it was. The door slid open automatically as we walked up to it. It was a rather large for a convenient store. It had basic groceries, home supplies, and even small bread and vegetable sections.
"Sugoi." I mumbled as I looked around. Not bad for a small town.
"You should be able to find most things here, it's a really popular store for errands like this. I go here for sports drinks and snacks all the time, or when my dad asks me to pick something up." He said.
"I can see why. Ah, there it is." I said as I spied the shelves holding an assortment of chocolate. Ahh, so many choices, but only so much money. What should I choose?
"Haha! You really like chocolate huh? It's a wonder that you're so small!" Chuckled Yamamoto. I flushed a little in embarrassment.
"A-ah… it runs in the family." I said.
"Your mom likes it too?" he asked. I nodded.
"Un! Probably more than I do." I said. Yamamoto looked impressed.
"Well, if you aren't allergic to hazelnut you should try this one!" he said and handed me a bar. It was a fair size and smelled delicious.
"Un! I will." I said with a smile. I grabbed one more pure milk chocolate bar off the shelf for Mama and pulled out the list. "Hmm, I should probably grab as basket." I said. Yamamoto lifted his arm.
"I actually already grabbed one!" he said with a smile.
"Eh!? Thank you!" I said. He smiled and nodded his head towards the basket. "O-oh, I can carry it, Yamamoto-san." I said. He waved his hand.
"No need. I've got it!" he said. I thanked him again and put the bars in the basket. "What's next on the list?" he asked.
"Uhm… garbage bags." I said.
"Oh! Those are down this aisle!" he said. Shopping with Yamamoto-san turned out to be really fun, and aside from nocking a couple bottles of fabric spray off the shelf I didn't really have any clumsy moments. That might have been because he grabbed all the things on the high shelves after that.
I paid for our purchases and walked out of the shop. It took five bags to pack all of the things I bought, so I was really grateful when Yamamoto offered to help me carry them home.
"Ah, this isn't too far out of your way is it?" I asked. He shook his head.
"Not at all! Pops and I live above the restaurant which isn't very far from your house!" he said.
"Eh? That's pretty neat! Do you work there too?" I asked.
"I help out there sometimes, but not as an official employee, it's more for allowance money really." He said. I smiled at that, he was rather sweet to help out his dad like that. It did confirm that his mother was out of the picture, for whatever reason, and made me kind of sad for him.
"That's really cool." I said and offered him a kind smile. He didn't say anything but his scent prickled with something sweet, so I knew he appreciated the compliment.
The rest of the walk home was filled with idle chatter and lots of laughs. I was really glad I had met Yamamoto today, he turned out to be a really cool guy. The only problem would be the amount of chocolate I would be eating until I got used to his scent. Then again, when was chocolate ever really a problem?
sesoR eht llemS
This turned out light and fluffy. PS: I didn't edit because my eyes are tired now and I just wanted to post this chapter, so sorry!