Chapter 13: Walking in the moonlight..

Hiroki stood at his kitchen counter, preparing himself a cup of coffee. Concentrating in keeping the pot close to his cup. He used the distance between his thumb and the liquid before he stopped. Feeling the heat of the drink at a close distance, he stopped pouring. He heard Miyagi loudly slurping his brew. The man drank it black, no sugar whatsoever. Miyagi bombarded him during his practice. His piano sold him out so he couldn't leave the man in the hall. Last time, he complained outside of his door. Exclaiming his woes over his job with beer in a plastic bag. Miyagi embarrassed him, he overheard his neighbors whispering it the next day he went to take away the trash.

This gave him another reason not to speak to his neighbors. He assumed they spoke on another odd person yelling at his door at such an early time. After all, Kana did the same thing when she first visited his apartment. In his defense, he slept through loud alarms meant to wake him up after a nap. This lead him to leaving his door unlocked. Earning him a lecture from his mother when she visited him. He resorted in giving Kana and Miyagi spare keys. His best friends gained his trust enough to earn them.

Although, he felt they busted inside his home on purpose. With his constant schedule, they knew when he stayed at home or the days when he left on his concerts. Good thing his bedroom had a lock on it. Kana and Miyagi's schedules kept them away from his apartment.

He welcomed Miyagi into his home for once. The dilemma Miyagi stuck himself into with his ex father-in-law brought out his curiosity. Knowing Shinobu, he blurted it out without caring for decorum.

Sitting at the table, Miyagi smacked his lips and placed his cup on his coaster. He marveled at the craftsmanship of Hiroki's kitchen table. The intricate designs carved on the wood was something Hiroki's old table lacked. Hiroki probably felt the whole table when he first got it. Miyagi assumed a family member gave it to him. Considering Hiroki spent most of his time at home, he couldn't imagine him walking through a store for a table.

Turning his gaze toward Hiroki, he saw him adding the right amount of sugar and creamer into his coffee. Hiroki recollected the days when his parents prepared him for this new chapter of his life. On one of their many conversations, Hiroki explained how he managed certain aspects in his life. Areas which stumped him the first year. Nothing readied him for everything.

Hiroki turned around to face him. His opaque eyes, hidden behind dark sunglasses. Miyagi saw those eyes on occasion but Hiroki insisted on wearing them. More like an indicator for his eyes. It reminded him of the cane leaning against the chair he sat on.

"Hiroki?" Miyagi inquired, "You don't have to wear those sunglasses around me."

Hiroki removed them, placing them in his shirt pocket. "Better?" He reached out his hand and pulled out his chair.

"Much better." Miyagi approved, taking another sip of his bitter coffee.

Hiroki planted himself on his seat. "How did your meeting with your boss go?" Miyagi groaned loud enough that Hiroki wondered if a monster replaced the man. "I asked a question. I don't want to hear whatever noises you make. Takatsuki might enjoy them but not me." He set his cup on the table. "He didn't take it very well did he?"

Miyagi scratched the stubble on his face, his eyes downcast on his own mug of coffee. "Yes and no."

Hiroki blew into the cup and took a cautious sip. Thankfully, he didn't burn his tongue. "Explain."

"Well," Miyagi hunched his shoulders as he watched Hiroki drinking his coffee. "It went a little like this."

Miyagi fidgeted in his seat. His hands twitching to snatch one of his cigarettes from his pocket and lighting it up. A stress reliever for his current dilemma. It wouldn't do him any good. Not when his ex father-in-law sat right across from him. A wooden desk separated them from each other. At least, he had a barrier if anything went wrong with a chance to escape. He kept his cane on his lap in case of extra protection. His limp served as a limitation to how far he could run. Shinobu might get in between them to give him extra time to run. Shinobu brought this meeting so he had to defend his life.

His hands curled around the smooth surface of his cane. Tightening his grip while he tried not to stand and bolt out of there. He flinched at the pinch he received on his side. Shinobu muttered at him to calm down. Miyagi glanced at him and swatted those hands away from him. The area throbbed in pain as he rubbed the spot. He almost pouted to gain sympathy but he remembered where he sat.

Dean Takatsuki talked on the phone. When they came in, the man motioned them to sit down and they stayed quiet. Hearing the man discussing something about the university and other topics which Miyagi tuned out. Minutes passed on. The rapid thoughts of his boss firing him on the spot came back full force. Miyagi felt his hands sweating, he released his cane to wipe them on his slacks.

One the dean finished his call, he put the phone on the receiver and addressed them. "I haven't seen you two in a long time. How are you?"

Shinobu arched a brow. "You saw me last week."

Miyagi said quickly. "I'm fine." Shinobu glared at him from the corner of his eyes.

Dean Takatsuki kept on smiling when he asked. "Shinobu, what did you need to tell me? It has to be important if you have Miyagi accompanying you today."

"Father, I'm in a relationship with Miyagi." Shinobu stated, they made eye contact while he kept perfect composure. "He is the one I have spoken about whenever you ask me questions about my social life. I kept out his name on purpose. You might of objected from the start."

The older man's smile disappeared from his face, he narrowed his eyes. "How long have you two kept this secret?"

Miyagi gulped when he spoke for the first time. "A year." He cringed when Shinobu's father glared at his direction. "Technically, eleven months." Shinobu confirmed with a nod of his head. "Although, I'm not sure how to calculate this right-"

Putting up a hand, he demanded. "You stay quiet." He asked Shinobu. "What's the purpose of this relationship? You know he was married to your sister. Is this some way to keep an attachment to her spirit?"

"I'm not thinking of her when I'm with Miyagi. That's just disgusting." Shinobu scrunched up his face. "I'm old enough to make my own decisions and I pursued him." He reached out his hand and placed it on top of Miyagi's trembling pair. "My grades have not dropped and I'm at the top of the class. He has made me strive to improve myself. Besides, you and mom have a ten year difference."

Miyagi turned to him in surprise. He assumed Shinobu's mother was close in age with her husband. From the stories, both of them met in school. Although, Shinobu never went into deep specifics about family history. Risako behaved in the same manner. She didn't disclose personal information unless prompted or asked.

"I see," He leaned back against his chair. "And why did you feel the need to hide this from me in the first place?"

Shinobu narrowed his eyes. "There is a whole list of things you could do just to get me to stay away from Miyagi. Cutting my funding for university for example. Firing him from his job is another one."

"I'm not so callous." He told his son. "You have to complete your education. Miyagi has served Mitsuhashi well for plenty of years."

Shinobu gripped Miyagi's hand. "You didn't react like I imagined. Miyagi was afraid you would fire him on the spot." Miyagi wanted to hit him for revealing his fear. "What's the catch?"

"Finish university." Shinobu's father said, grimacing when he stared at Miyagi. "We will speak about this individually. I'm sure Miyagi won't object to speaking with me when he comes in at work on Monday."

Miyagi couldn't deny his request as he nodded his head. "It's not a problem."

"Do you think you can stay Shinobu?" Shinobu snapped his head toward him to deny him. "We need to have a serious talk between us. There's no way around this." He turned to Miyagi and told him. "No offense but I need to talk to my son."

"I understand." Miyagi stood up from his seat but Shinobu continued on holding his hand. "Shinobu-chin, I have to get going." He balanced himself with his cane, smiling down at him. "C'mon now, I'll see you later."

Shinobu huffed, letting go of his hand. "Fine. I don't like this at all." He frowned as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Miyagi patted Shinobu's shoulder before he walked out. Kissing Shinobu's forehead goodbye wouldn't had made him look good at all.

Miyagi downed the rest of his coffee and slammed it onto his coaster. "I go into work on Monday and I'm afraid he will find something to fire me. Shinobu told me a long time ago that his father really held me in high regard. It's probably why he had no problem telling his father about me. It's not like I'm a stranger to the family."

Hiroki yawned, "Sounds like he accepted this relationship without a problem in my opinion. He said he wanted your brat to graduate university and start working the moment he leaves school. He might be squeamish about it because of his daughter but he'll come around it."

"It seems so but I can't help but treading carefully from now on." Miyagi sighed. "Also, Shinobu hasn't called me in two days. I have no idea what he told him to make him stay away from me for so long. They might still be talking to each other or Shinobu told his mother about us too."

Hiroki's cellphone rang, taking it out of his pocket, he recognized the ringtone. "Excuse me." He answered it with a slight smile. "Hello, mother."

"Hello sweetheart! I was wondering if you can come with me to visit Yuki. She just had her baby a few days ago and I wanted to go see her. I heard from her mother that her son is such a delight."

Miyagi poured himself another cup of coffee. Adding the right amount of sugar before he sat back down onto his seat. He half listened to Hiroki's conversation while he stirred his coffee.

"You want me to go with you to visit Yuki? You have father to go with you right?" Hiroki pushed his coffee cup away from him. "I practice the piano every single day, I can't really skip out on that just for a social visit."

"Well, she asked for you come visit her. You did promise to name her child. Don't chose a ridiculous name."

Hiroki rubbed his temples, he forgot he owed his cousin a favor from a long time ago. "Mother, I really can't go with you. I have something to do."

"Something with Miyagi or Kana?"

"No—I'm going to dinner with someone."

Miyagi grinned big when he jumped out of his seat. "Really?! Why didn't you tell me before?!" He knocked over his coffee and he swore under his breath. "Fuck! I'm cleaning it up don't worry." He got up and grabbed a rag from one of Hiroki's drawers.

"A date?! Honey, you should had said so from the beginning! Alright, I'll tell Yuki you can't come because you're preparing for an evening out."

"Mother, please no. The rumor will spread through the whole family in one day."

"It's not a rumor when it's true. I have to call Yuki and tell her you won't be coming with us. Bye!"

Hiroki stammered. "M-Mother stop!" She hung up on him as he groaned. "This is just perfect. My voice mail will be full of messages by the end of the day." He snapped at Miyagi. "Stop smiling you ingrate."

Miyagi's grin grew even bigger. "What are you talking about?" He cleaned the coffee from the table and wrung it out over the sink. "I think it's great that you're getting out of the house more often. You're going on more dates with the infamous Nowaki Kusama. Such a nice guy. I have to see him in action when he smooth talks you. I wonder if he manages to get you to lose your focus."

Hiroki gritted his teeth. "You're lucky you were in such a foul mood or I would kick your ass out of my house."

"Yeah right, you love me." Miyagi made himself another cup of coffee. "Too bad the other cup of joe fell on the table, I made it so perfectly."

Hiroki rolled his eyes. At least, Miyagi wasn't moping around on him anymore. He sipped more of his coffee and heard Miyagi making a lot of noise. He heard a chair dragged back, creating the most ear cringing sound.

"Sit down and stop making noise."

Nowaki tried not to run toward the taxi when it stopped near the sushi restaurant. He fiddled with his turtleneck and touched areas where he feared the burns would peek through. Hiroki didn't know of his burns. He wanted to tell him and explain their origin. They entered into a deeper level of their relationship after numerous months. A while back, he thought on telling him about the fire but the wrong opportunities rose up. He couldn't find the right time to tell him. This was before their relationship turned more than platonic.

He touched his left side, brushing his hands over the rough areas underneath the fabric. He didn't mean to hold this aspect of himself back. Old memories of classmates commenting on his scars made him all the more insecure. Turning him stealthier in hiding this secret. Prompting him to wrap bandages around his chest whenever he left to school. Even the truth of how he acquired his scars didn't sway his classmates. They just gave him pitiful looks.

He hated keeping his scars from Hiroki. It seemed silly, Hiroki had his own set backs. Visible for everyone to see. He hid his eyes behind sunglasses for the comfort of others but his pure white cane gave away his disability. Pushing it to the forefront whenever he met anyone new. Hiroki confessed on his rough high school years.

Playing with the cellphone in his pocket, he watched Hiroki walking toward his direction. His black sunglasses glinting under the street lights. He moved his white cane around, hitting a bench which Hiroki avoided with grace.

Nowaki gulped, he raised his voice. "Hello, Kamijou-san."

Hiroki lifted his head up, "You are always so early, Nowaki."

Nowaki smiled big as he walked in front of him. "I don't like being late. It's better to leave some space if anything happens." He placed Hiroki's hand on his arm. "We're going to have to climb some stairs to make it up to the restaurant."

Hiroki arched a brow. "It's the rotate belt sushi restaurant isn't it?"

"Yes." Nowaki tilted his head. "How did you guess?"

Hiroki snorted. "You said cheap sushi and I asked the taxi driver before I got off." They slowly walked up the stairs and asked. "Do you know how many people are inside? It's Friday so there might be a lot of people."

"Well, it seems like a good group of people but it's not all full." Nowaki answered him as they made it to the top. "Do you care where we sit?"

"If there is one closest to the back I would like us to sit there." Hiroki told him. "Although, I don't mind sitting anywhere. You just have to guide me through the place before we sit down."

Nowaki nodded his head with a grin. "Of course."

Nowaki pushed open the doors and they walked inside. Inspecting the area, he an empty table closest to the back. He informed Hiroki on the table he found, they made their way toward the table and sat down. Nowaki prepared their cups of tea and skid it toward Hiroki. Purposely making noise so Hiroki got the hint that it was in front of him. Hiroki held it in his hands and blew into it before taking a sip.

After they settled in, Nowaki started picking off plates from the conveyor belt. He asked Hiroki on his favorite type of sushi. Hiroki answered him as Nowaki searched for the ones Hiroki described to him. Finding the ones Hiroki wanted, he placed them in front of him. Nowaki prepared a separate plate for soy sauce and wasabi. They took their chopsticks from the box on the table and started eating.

Hiroki got close to the plate when he took a bite. Almost groaning at the taste of the fish. He craved salmon since his last grocery trip and had it on some occasions. Not enough to fulfill his cravings. He might go earlier in the day with someone to help him pick out salmon for a quick lunch.

Nowaki watched Hiroki eating his share of sushi. Leaving his own share untouched on his plate. He sighed as he poked his sushi with his chopsticks. He shouldn't think about his insecurities while on a date. In his heart, he knew Hiroki would understand without judgement.

Hiroki noticed Nowaki remained silent when he asked. "Is something wrong?"

Nowaki gripped his chopsticks hard enough that the sushi broke into pieces. "I was just thinking of some things. I'm sorry that I haven't really said much. This sushi is real delicious!"

Hiroki agreed with him as he ate another piece of sushi. "Yes, you picked the right ones for me. What are you thinking about? You're unusually quiet tonight."

Nowaki rubbed the back of his neck. "Well...remember how I told you I had a secret. The one thing which has made me push away most people. I want to tell you about it but I haven't found the right time to talk about it."

Hiroki sipped more of his tea. "Then, tell me when you're comfortable." He pushed up his sunglasses. "It isn't anything illegal right?"

"No! Nothing like that." Nowaki said in shock. "It's more...physical. Um...I'll tell you when we're not in public but I just wanted to let you know."

Hiroki nodded his head. "I am the last person to judge you but it's good that you told me. For a moment, I thought you were bored with our meal."

"Not at all." Nowaki insisted. "Thanks for understanding."

"Now with that out the way," Hiroki pushed one of his plates toward Nowaki. "Do you want this one? Tempura sets a bit heavy on my stomach and I'm already getting full."

"Yes." Nowaki slid it toward his own plates with a smile. "But you told me to get it for you earlier."

"I ate so much salmon that it might react badly with it." Hiroki finished his tea and asked Nowaki. "Can you make me another cup please?"

Once they paid for their meal, both of them left the restaurant. Nowaki helped Hiroki down the stairs and made sure he didn't trip on any of the trash left on the floor. Hiroki pushed his hands away, claiming he could walk around just fine. Until, he almost slipped on a flier on the floor. This brought out Nowaki's protective instinct which had him fussing over him. Hiroki reluctantly let him hold him close.

Nowaki interlaced their fingers when he asked him. "Do you mind if I walk you home? Your apartment isn't too far from here. Maybe twenty minutes from here but you don't mind walking at night right?"

Hiroki's hazy eyes darted around in different directions. "Do you mind holding hands with me?" He held up his cane when he explained. "You could always say you're guiding me back home."

Nowaki told him. "I don't mind at all." He pushed down the cane. "I don't care what anyone says. We're having a nice walk back to your place."

"Alright," Hiroki patted Nowaki's chest with the back of his hand. "Will you be able to make it back home? Or do you want to stay over for the night?"

Nowaki's cheeks went red. "S-Stay over?"

"You don't have to go to work tomorrow, right?" Hiroki inquired as he let Nowaki lead them in their walk.

"Are you sure?" Nowaki gulped.

"I have a spare room that I use for visitors." Hiroki informed him, he felt Nowaki trembling under his hand. "Are you alright? It's not that cold tonight."

"I-I'm fine!" Nowaki rubbed his face and tried not to panic. "I didn't think we'd be going this fast..." His scars tingled and fear shot through him.

Hiroki's eyes widened when he exclaimed. "No! We are not going to do anything! I just thought you wouldn't want to go home because it's late." He lightly pinched Nowaki's arm. "I can't believe you would think we'd go so fast."

Nowaki bit his bottom lip. "It's just so sudden that I assumed you wanted to do something more than sleep. I'm so sorry."

Hiroki coughed into his hand. "No, I'm sorry. I wasn't specific when I offered you to stay in my home. I gave you the wrong idea." He lightly pinched Nowaki's arm. "And you automatically thought about us doing more than sleeping."

"You can't really blame me. Like you said, you didn't explain yourself."

"Whatever." Hiroki rolled his eyes. "Are you going to take my offer or not?"

"Sure," He leaned down and kissed Hiroki. "Can we cuddle for a while?"

Hiroki turned his face away with a huff. "Fine, just don't kiss me in public."

Nowaki laughed. "There's no one around. One more?"

Hiroki tilted his head back. "Fine, one."

They shared a kiss before resuming their walk.

TBC