"...Tadashi?", Hiro murmurs, once again finding himself standing in the doorway leading to his brother's half of the room. Except tonight there was no hesitation. Tonight his intention was to wake.
"Tadashi?", he repeats, slightly louder. But the lumps under the sheets don't move, and so Hiro takes the unspoken invitation to enter. There's a slight shift under blankets as the younger brother disrupts the stillness, trailing unsure fingers through the elder's hair. A groan, a swivel, and Hiro knows Tadashi is awake.
"Hey, Tadashi.", he says once again, voice levelling off at a regular volume.
"...huh?", is what Hiro assumes Tadashi asks, but in reality it's just another muffled grumble longing for sleep.
"Are you up?", Hiro continues, watching as the moonlight crawls into his brother's eyes, revealing their reddish brown hue.
"...Pshh, well I am now bonehead.", he taps the back of Hiro's skull lightly as if expecting it to be hollow. The younger chuckles, and for a second he forgets why he's there. But it's only a second, and then his previous motivations come crashing down. He swallows hard.
"...Kiss me."
It's quiet. Hiro breathes in a single deep, shaky breath as a multitude of expressions flow on and off of his brother's face like a film reel. First confusion, then doubt, understanding, wanting...
Then a smirk, and Hiro knows he's in trouble. They stare at each other for a brief moment, and suddenly the young boy is pulled down and covered in blankets. Tadashi's head is leaning against Hiro's chest, and an odd sense of warmth fills the dull void.
"What are you-"
"Your heart is beating really fast.", the elder states with an odd mix of sureness and curiosity.
"Y-yeah.", Hiro replies. There's no denying the evidence rattling around inside him.
"Do I make you nervous, Hiro?", the question is piercing. It makes the other boy shiver.
"G-goodness, no! That's not-"
"Then why do you tense up? And breathe really fast, and shake, and all those other things you do when I'm close to you."
There's silence again, aside from the breathing and rapid heartbeats keeping the moon awake.
"But it's...a good thing.", is the only semi intelligent thing Hiro can manage to say. He knows he'll have to explain himself regardless.
"A good thing?", Tadashi seems even more confused. After all, how can all these physical ailments be "good" in any sense of the word?
"It's...", Hiro stops and laughs at himself to try and ease off some of the upcoming embarrassment.
"...Love is a good thing.", he says quietly, averting his there's silence again, and as Hiro becomes impatient he looks down only to see the confused expression on his brother's face.
God, do I have to spell it out for you?
"...love.", Tadashi re-iterates, as if testing the word 's not a question this time. Apparently neither of the Hamada brothers knew how feelings worked. Tadashi sighs and sinks a tad bit more into Hiro's chest, finally realizing how comfortable it is.
Hiro hates these long pauses. He feels helpless as his torso rises and falls with every exhalation, gently shifting the one on top of him. His heartbeat rings in his ears and shakes his entire body; he knows Tadashi can hear it. But it's also in these moments that Hiro feels incredibly...alive. It's a completely different type of awareness, where he can feel every part of his body with equal energy and resistance. It makes him wonder how he doesn't crumple up and turn to dust when Tadashi's gone. His entire self and being is Tadashi, a terrifying and liberating concept, especially when said individual was willing to show some extent of affection. The kind of affection he wanted. No...needed. But it certainly was never achieved easily. It took some effort to get any results.
His eyes glance at Tadashi to see if his expression has changed. It has, but now it's just kind of dazed, sleepy. Hiro wonders if Tadashi was just going to fall asleep on him. That wouldn't be all that bad if it wasn't driving him crazy. He wanted to touch him, even if just the moon-soaked hair on his head, or his broad shoulders or the hot cheeks sinking into him or-
"Do you love me, Hiro?"
Hiro nods furiously, instinctively. His brother laughs at first, then his face melts into a completely different expression. His brows furrow, almost concerned, but his mouth is stretched out into a smile. There's shifting and adjusting, and Tadashi leans up to kiss Hiro so suddenly, so casually, that it takes a moment for the action to sink in. Hiro blinks a couple of times, face flushed, skin tingling. He feels as if he might throw up from the excitement his heart is pounding so fast. But he can't throw up. He has to kiss Tadashi again.
The older is still lingering there close to his face, twisted around and half leaning on him. His eyes are still closed, and the odd grin still present. Hiro admires him for a moment, then flutters his eyes shut and brings their lips together again. They separate briefly and then sink back into each other, repeating kisses become softer and longer, melting into the strange sensations. Tadashi finally pulls away. Hiro blushes profusely when he accidentally leans forward with him in an attempt to continue their endeavors.
They calm themselves to the sound of their own breathing, staring into each other's eyes and bathing in starlight. That's when Hiro says the unthinkable.
"Do you love me, Tadashi?"
And he nods.
Hiro sleeps like a baby that night, soothed by body heat and hopeful thoughts of the future.
Author's note: This one was super sappy but I hope you guys still liked it! :) Thanks to everyone who's been leaving reviews, it makes me super happy!