Neko-Hiro

Chapter Thirty-Five: Sedate

Nowaki finished cooking dinner and went to check on Hiro-san. Peeking in through the door he could see the hybrid's form on the bed, buried under the blankets. The neko professor seemed to still be sleeping peacefully. Thus assured, he went back out and sat at the dining table and ate his solitary meal.

It shouldn't have felt so strange to him. Hiroki had only been with him a very few days, and he'd eaten meals by himself for years with no problem. But sitting here now, looking at the empty space across from him, Nowaki could not recall the last time he had ever felt so lonely.

Nowaki picked at his dinner and then finally pushed himself away from the table. He made a plate for Hiro-san and put it with a note in the fridge. He washed the few dishes from the meal and then wandered about the apartment tidying things until it was almost time to go to work.

Before he left he decided he'd better check on the cinnamon catman one last time. Nowaki was surprised to see that the bed lay rumpled and empty. He had not heard Hiroki get up. He glanced over at the open door of the darkened bathroom and knew instantly that Hiroki was not in there. Then he looked over at the closet. A sad smile came on to his face.

Nowaki stepped over and knocked gently on the closet door.

"Go away," growled Hiroki, his voice sounded slightly slurred and still thick with sleep.

"Hiro-san, why aren't you in bed? You should still be sleeping. The doctor said you needed to get as much rest as possible. Is the apartment too bright?"

"No."

"Too loud?"

"No."

"Then what is it, Hiro-san?" Nowaki asked concerned.

"Too humiliating," came Hiroki's mumbled response.

Nowaki slid the closet door open and looked down at the disheveled neko curled up at the bottom of the closet. Hiroki did not look up immediately, but eventually he lifted his head. One large russet eye remained closed against the sudden infiltration of light. The other studied Nowaki. It still looked a bit sleep-glazed, but there was a flicker of fierceness in it that warmed the young medical student's heart. Nowaki still couldn't believe Hiroki had no idea of how cute he was.

"They shaved my ear." Hiroki said miserably as he reached up and touched its denuded edge.

"Oh, Hiro-san, they had to so they could stitch it." Nowaki sighed.

"How many?

"Nine."

The eye that had been scrutinizing Nowaki closed slowly. "Damned brat!" Hiroki growled.

"Yes, Hiro-san, about that…"

Hiroki interrupted Nowaki. "Was I good?"

"What?" Nowaki asked sounding confused.

Now Hiroki was looking up at Nowaki, with both eyes open, his expression earnest. A light blush bloomed, bringing some color back into his pale cheeks. "Was I good… at the vet's, I mean?... Did I conduct myself appropriately? I can't remember… I always get so nervous there…. I remember getting undressed, but that's about it… I don't always do well when people touch my ears, you know. They're uh, rather…"

"Sensitive," Nowaki finished Hiroki's sentence as he knelt down so that he could be on eye level with the neko. He gently traced the outside edge of Hiroki's stitched ear.

Hiroki couldn't help himself. It was almost imperceptible, but he leaned ever so slightly into Nowaki's touch. Nowaki felt this and his heart melted at this display of trust from the battered neko. His sad smile flickered a moment with all the conflicting emotions he felt.

"Yes, Hiro-san, you were very good at the vet's." Nowaki soothed. The young man was glad that his long shirt sleeves hid the gauze patch on his arm that covered the neko's frantic PTSD incited scratch.

"They were worried about how painful in might be for you to get the stitches, so they gave you a shot so you would relax. You got so sleepy, you didn't even notice, so Dr. Ochi did your exam while you napped. I stayed there with you through the whole thing. The doctor said the sedative might make you a little hazy on the appointment's events, but you don't need to worry, you did very well." Nowaki had decided that his conscience could handle the tarnish of one lie if it meant preserving Hiro-san's pride.

"Really?" Hiroki asked, his eyes narrowed a bit as he regarded Nowaki. But from the moment he had met him, Nowaki had struck him as someone who was honest, almost to a fault. He decided to accept Nowaki's description of the events at the vet as they'd been relayed to him and lowered his head down in to his arms for a moment as he sighed in relief. He didn't think he could have handled it if he knew he'd added one more disgrace to the day.

"Now I have to face my students tomorrow and apologize to them while suffering the additional indignity of a naked ear," Hiroki mumbled into his folded arms.

"No, you don't, Hiro-san," Nowaki comforted, resting one of his big hands gently on Hiroki's shoulder.

"I'm not wearing a hat into my classroom, you big goof, if that's what you're going to suggest. That would look almost as ridiculous," the curled up catman growled.

"No, Hiro-san, listen," Nowaki said gently reaching in and taking Hiroki's arms. He tenderly pulled Hiroki out of the closet. Nowaki sat on the futon with his back up against the wall at its head. He moved Hiroki with him so that in the end the hybrid was sitting between hiss bent knees, the neko's back resting against his broad chest.

Nowaki wrapped his arms around Hiroki. At this point he didn't care if Hiroki loved Usami or not, he just wanted to comfort him.

"Hiro-san, Miyagi-san called while you were asleep and he talked with Shinobu-chan. He said Shinobu-chan confessed to what he had done and that the would be calling Dean Takatsuki to tell him what had really happened as soon as possible."

"Really?" Hiroki looked up over his shoulder into Nowaki's guileless blue eyes.

Nowaki looked down and smiled as he nodded. "Also, Hiro-san, Miyagi-san said he would take your classes tomorrow, so you don't have to worry about apologizing to your students just yet."

"Hrummph," Hiroki scowled as he thought about Miyagi's harassment. "He should," the neko professor grumbled, "after all, he's really the one who started the whole disaster with his teasing."

Now it was Nowaki's turn to scowl. Yes, he really was going to have to have a talk with that huge hybrid about conducting himself respectfully around Hiro-san. Then his frown disappeared as Hiroki shifted his position.

Hiroki had turned so he was sitting sideways between Nowaki's legs. Hiroki moved his legs together, bent them at the knee, and draped them over one of Nowaki's slender but powerful thighs. Seated this way, he could press the side of his head with his poor bald ear up against the man's warm and wonderfully solid chest. It was cold in the cool air of the apartment.

Normally Hiroki would be highly reluctant to do something like this, but the shot he'd received at the vet's had not entirely worn off, so in addition to still feeling sleepy, he felt dopey as well and as a result his defenses were down. At least he told himself that was his reason for clinging to Nowaki as he was.

"Hiro-san, I have to go to work in a minute." Still, Nowaki gathered Hiroki up tighter to him as he said this. He wished he didn't have to leave. Especially since this could be their last night together.

Hiroki answered this statement with a very eloquent sigh that expressed a similar sentiment.

"I made a plate for you in the refrigerator."

"Not hungry," Hiroki said into Nowaki's chest, his voice sounding very sleepy again.

"Hiro-san, you need to eat something. Dr. Ochi said you need build your strength back up and he was concerned. You seemed very underweight to him."

"That man doesn't know what he's talking about. I'm built like a tiger and just as strong," Hiroki's words sounded twice as tired and a tad slurred, but even so they carried an obvious edge of pique.

Nowaki couldn't help but chuckle lightly at how adorable the neko was in his sleepy irascibility.

"Please promise me you'll eat something, Hiro-san." Nowaki felt a subtle nod against his chest.

"Will you be in the closet when I come home?" Nowaki asked. Again he felt the barest of nods. Hiroki's breathing was becoming slow and heavy.

"Is the apartment still too humiliating?" Nowaki whispered as he tried to slide gently out from under and around the drowsy neko. He made sure to settle Hiroki into the place he'd just vacated where it would be the warmest for the neko as he pulled the covers up over the cinnamon catman's shoulder's.

"Too lonely," was Hiroki's barely conscious, barely audible whisper.

Nowaki smiled and placed a gentle kiss on Hiroki's bald ear before he slipped out of the bedroom. Closing the door he was reluctant to lose the music of Hiro-san's soft snoring. He tried to commit the sounds to memory so he could carry it with him out into the world.

A few hours later Hiroki woke up again. He drug himself out to the kitchen, his empty stomach rumbling and opened the door of the refrigerator. Inside he found the plate and Nowaki's note. It was very simple. Eat good, Hiro-san. I'll be home soon. Miss you. xoxoxoxo :) Nowaki.

"That guy is a giant sap," Hiroki muttered but he smiled and put the note in his pocket, rather than throw it away. The neko took his plate and sat at the dining table, where he ate his solitary meal.

It shouldn't have felt so strange to him. He had only been with Nowaki a very few days, and he'd eaten meals by himself for years with no problem. He and Akihiko rarely ate together, his first owner's schedule had been so erratic. But sitting here now, looking at the empty space across from him, Hiroki could not recall the last time he had ever felt so lonely. His tail gave a sad flip and then wrapped around one of the legs of the chair he was sitting in as if to provide some sense of anchor: his heart felt unmoored.

Hiroki picked at his dinner and then finally pushed himself away from the table. He washed the few dishes from the meal and then wandered back into the bedroom. He slipped out of his clothes and into Nowaki's nightshirt even though he had his own pajamas now.

Hiroki pulled his pillow off the bed, wrapped himself in the comforter that normally covered the futon, moved into the closet, and slid the door closed behind him. He curled himself into his corner on the floor and buried his nose in the nightshirt, breathing in the sweet smell of Nowaki and trying to commit it to memory so he could carry it with him into his dreams.

Old AN:

For the lovely X ( ) (I loved your gracious response as well as your gracious review) and for ( ), and Anon, as well… so I am still doing a chapter for Misaki/Akihiko, but all your cries for Egoist did not fall on deaf ears, so this chapter was a little treat for you.

Thanks everyone for all the reviews and the great feedback.

Midnight Reader- thank you for joining.

Shimaki-33- good point. I'll have to ponder that and see what I can do to address it.

Kirakrz- wonderful review as always.

Ichigo Kousei- thanks again for joining the party and for the great review. When I locate that neko glue I will give you a holler. Because that is one dance I would love to see.

ASTROZOMBIE8, Liz, Teabags, Madame Masquerade 64, can't thank you enough for your faithful reviews. They fill my day with joy!