Chapter Eight: Almond
A hot, roasting aroma wafted mouth-wateringly through the Hazuki house, warmly splashing against the fogged windows like seafoam, and settling steamily in the five o'clock sunshine of October 31st. Sugar sparkled along the countertop, in the fine dips between tiles, and in its tray beside the windowsill, soft, molten butter lapped against the ridges of its container. The oven released an orange glow, though it was obstructed by the tray of gradually toasting pecans, glazed with a sweet sauce recipe that Nagisa had received from his roommate many years ago. The young man himself was too preoccupied, however, to take note of the blissful autumn surroundings.
"Rei," he sighed into the phone tucked between his ear and neck, "everything's going fine. Of course, I haven't put anything off." He caught a whiff of the sweet, burnt smell and popped off of the couch. "Shit, they're burning," he muttered, and his partner caught it.
"I told you not to procrastinate," came the brunet's staticky voice from the wobbling phone. Nagisa rolled his eyes.
"And I told you not to worry about it," was his sassy reply. Without allowing the lawyer to point anything else out about their joint preparations, he interjected, "See you later!" and effectively cut him off by hanging up. He dashed over to the oven and, without a second thought, shoved his hands in and grabbed at the pan. A most unwise idea, he was sure Rei would think. He dropped it like it was hot and whipped his stinging fingers away. "Fuck!" he howled, hopping over to the sink and flicking the cold water on. Instinctively, he withdrew at first, but forced them to stay under as the icy water faded from painful to soothing. Patting his hands dry, he forced himself away, slipped a pair of oven mitts on, and pulled out the roasted, if not slightly burnt, nuts from the oven, frowning down at them in an irritable manner. He left the rattled tray upon the unused stove to cool, cheap little jam jars sparkling emptily beside and waiting to be filled, while he checked on his drinks in the refrigerator.
Nagisa had forgotten until the last minute that it happened to be Halloween, tossing together a black tulle skirt, popped-collar white shirt, and orange corset ensemble, completed with a candy-corn colored witch's hat. It had been a simple, last minute idea of his, as most of his party had been.
A knock on the door sounded, and he danced over to open it, perfectly aware that it wouldn't be any kids. He was greeted with a rowdy, "Trick or treat!" and, alcohol in hand, Gou and Hana tripped into his house.
"You guys are early," he informed them critically, though he had a watery smile. Gou, who looked like she'd already had a bit to drink (and judging by the fact that only Hana's Prius was outside, planned on more), shrugged and joked, "Be grateful we brought booze." While his friends made themselves at home, Nagisa took the drinks and set them on the counter before turning to pour cups of the booze and setting them out beside the wine, from Gou, and an absurdly large bottle of pricey whisky liqueur from Hana. As he was finalizing his preparations, he took the time to admire Hana's masterfully crafted stapled paper Wonder Woman crown. Nagisa and Gou turned to each other to share a grimace as she took an impressive swig of some whisky.
"At least my hair's down," Hana stated unenthusiastically before either had a chance to speak. They giggled appreciatively.
In fifteen minutes' time, Ms. Amakata and her fiance, Goro Sasabe, a businessman specializing in marketing (a happy accident for the magazine, for when they met it had been young in the country, struggling amid popular names such as Vogue and Elle ), bringing with them cute hors d'oeuvres. He, however, turned to the door and eagerly awaited the arrival of Rei. His heart thumped against his bound-in-black chest, causing his ribs to turn sore. Within the office only Gou had caught a glimpse of him, but she hadn't had the chance to speak to him. He was certain beyond any doubt that his friends would adore him. The blond hoped he'd arrive soon - Rei was hesitant to accept the invitation, even when the blond promised he could bring a friend. Maybe he didn't have any?
Nagisa hardly had the time to think about it, however, as more and more people from the office flooded in, treats and alcohol mostly in hand, as Gou found his speakers and plugged in her iPod, fully stocked with dance music. He attempted to wait by the door, but ended up getting pulled away to chat with Goro, then Ms. Amakata, then Michael from public relations, then a tipsy Hana herself, who had decided she was quite fond of Michael tonight and had her arm in his, though he now seemed quite baffled. Every now and then, he glanced apprehensively at the clock.
Finally, at 8:30 on the dot, precisely when the party was scheduled to begin, a firm knock sounded over the festive din. The writer dashed to the door, leaving behind a winded Ami and Rachel, two fellow columnists, and tossed open the door with a bang. Just as he'd thought, it was Rei!
It was Rei dressed in a suit gray enough to rival the morning's sky. He raised an eyebrow. But of course, it was also Rei holding a bouquet with autumn flowers, and it was this that made him huff and smile.
"Am I, erm... late at all?" he asked, uncertainly glancing over the blond's downy head at the full house.
"You're right on time!" the writer replied enthusiastically, wrapping his arms around the tall brunet. He was beginning to think he wasn't going to come, but it was so like him to arrive exactly on time. He was just beginning to relax into Rei's arms when from behind the pair came a politely gentle cough - and Nagisa remembered that he'd let Rei invite someone. He leapt back from the lawyer, grabbing his hand instead and refocused his attention on the guest.
Immediately, the blond wondered how he hadn't noticed him straight away. He was several centimeters taller, broad-shouldered, and had a pretty pair of green eyes. He wore a white-button down, but the jeans he chose to accompany it gave him a considerably more casual look than Rei's. Finally, he had somewhat of a messy, bedhead hairstyle in a lovely shade of brown. With his sweet smile, he was positively, adorably handsome.
"Sorry!" he apologized, his voice soft and his grin easy, "I just wanted to introduce myself." He reached out a hand to a dumbstruck Nagisa who barely remembered in time to grab it. Rei spoke next, reminded of his own manners.
"Nagisa, this is Makoto Tachibana - he works in the office next to mine. Makoto, this is Nagisa Hazuki," he continued, absurdly formal in his speech, "my -" And for just a moment, he paused, catching himself. It was just enough time to make the blond wonder just what exactly they were to one another. He'd always been okay with casual relationships that ran their own courses, never quite garnering a label, but the thought of a break-up only caused him to cling to Rei's large hand tightly.
"Boyfriend," he supplied determinedly. It didn't matter if they hadn't talked about it - clearly, it was what the brunet had intended to say. Besides, they'd been dating since the beginning of September, for nearly two months now, and there hadn't been an inkling of a problem between the two of them.
"Right," he agreed quickly, giving Nagisa's left hand, the one he'd been holding, a thankful squeeze.
"It's nice to finally meet you," Makoto said, kindly refraining from mentioning the awkward pause. "Actually," he laughed handsomely, and Nagisa wondered what type of fairy tale prince he was dealing with exactly, and continued, "we've met before."
"We have?" he questioned, releasing Makoto's hand. He nodded, a gentle blush crawling onto the bridge of his nose.
"I accidentally called you after that meeting," he admitted with embarrassment as the trio walked into the house.
"You're the one that talked about overfishing?" Nagisa giggled and the tall man nodded. "Well, let me introduce Rei to some people so he can entertain himself and then you and I can chat a bit, okay? I'm interested in what you were talking about," he continued charismatically. "I'll just be a second." And mercilessly, he grabbed his introverted partner and tugged him to the thankfully sobered-up Gou. "Gou! This is Rei, my boyfriend!" She rapidly downed a drink - maybe not so sober as he'd hoped - and stuck out her hand.
"Charmed!" she chirped happily over the sounds of Coldplay's "Ink".
"Gou works for the magazine's blog," he informed the man, copying his style of introduction, "she does stuff like... social media and stuff, right?" The redhead waved him off.
"Close enough." Rei took her hand and gave it a properly firm shake.
"I'm happy to meet you. I work as a lawyer -"
"For murder cases and whatever, right? Nagisa never shuts up about how impressive you are." For a moment Rei was taken aback, but he cracked a wobbly smile, pleased with the attention and the blond grew hotter than his burnt almonds in the face. Rei gave a chuckle as Nagisa rolled his eyes, too happy and eager to pursue the topic. The blond located the significantly drunk Hana and now incredibly bemused Michael in a corner.
"Hana!" he called out. She lifted a glass and, at last releasing her prey, trotted up to her friend.
"Who this?" she asked, straightening herself to her full height. In those heels, she was almost as tall as the brunet. The fact that she could stand on them was stunning enough.
"This is my boyfr-" Nagisa began, but she held up a manicured hand instead.
"Nevermind, don't finish - I'm gettin' some wader, meet ya lader, kay? Kay." And she whirled away to sober herself up. Rei glanced at Nagisa with confusion.
"Well, that was Hana," he stated. "She's a photographer for the magazine, but on special occasions, she gets kind of... excitable. Don't worry though, she gets herself under control pretty quick. And this poor fellow is Michael, from PR. Well, I'll go put these in a vase." He kissed Rei on the cheek and waved to his coworker. "I'll leave you two to one another!" he announced with a happy-go-lucky turn. He pranced to the kitchen, leaving the awkward pair behind, pouring water into a particularly tall cup (close enough to a vase, right?), and let the flowers rest beside a cup of nuts. The blond noted with pleasure that his homemade treats were fast disappearing. After a moment of admiring his work, he at last dashed back to Makoto Tachibana, who awkwardly shifted his feet side to side near the door. "Sorry I took so long!" he said, dancing up to his side. "I'm gonna make this quick - are you straight?" Taken aback, he glanced over to Rei, who chatted lightly with Michael, and replied, "Well, no, but erm - I don't think - I mean, you're with Rei -" Nagisa was confused and nodded lightly, eyes narrowing, before he understood exactly what the gentle man was trying to say.
"Oh no, no that's not what I meant at all, it's just that you're just my friend Gou's type, but I guess if you're not straight, then forget about it - you're handsome and all, but you're definitely not the kind of guy I go after. Sorry, I didn't mean it like that."
"I didn't mean to misunderstand!" he apologized, tangling a hand in his hair. "Shoot, I always mess up when I meet someone that Rei likes. I get nervous!" Nagisa laughed and proceeded, "Well, since that's out of the way, what is it that you do exactly, again?" Makoto relaxed visibly, searching the counters and checking the labels of the copious amounts of alcohol. "Oh, the soda's not alcoholic. You probably have to drive, right?" The blond handed him a cup and the taller man gave him a thankful smile.
"I'm an animal rights lawyer," he informed the writer, rubbing his neck in a rather silly manner. "A lot of people think it's not a really important thing, but..."
"I think that's really cool!" Nagisa cut in quickly. It explained why he asked about the fish, at least. Encouraged, the other man continued,
"I also do environmental law, too - I'm actually working on a big case right now! We're having trouble finding witnesses, though. Ones that have actually seen crimes happening in the past couple of years that are willing to come forward. It's a pity, too - this case is why I was transferred to London." The blond murmured his sympathies before inquiring curiously;
"Transferred? Where from?"
"Barcelona - I'm actually from Seville, though." That explained his well-tanned face, at least, but the columnist hadn't noticed an accent! As he continued, however, he picked up a lovely lilt in his deep, musical voice. "I was assigned to work on a case against large fisheries primarily associated with cosmetics - their overfishing has caused severe damage to the ecosystem, particularly concerning their natural predators, dolphins and whales. It's been going on a few years now. I've been in London for that time. I'm glad I found a job so soon after graduating!" For a moment his green eyes softened even more so than they had been. "Rei's been a big help. He did extra research on his days off a lot - since animal law is very particular, it's likened to criminal law a lot, which is Rei's practice. But frankly, I've been worried about his workaholic tendencies!" he rambled peacefully. At mention of his concern, however, Nagisa perked up and, ready to ask if he could help, was cut off by the brunet's voice. "I'm really glad he met you, though - he's finally using his days off and his lunch breaks and sometimes leaves work early!" Makoto laughed. "I couldn't believe when he actually made me cancel our dinner meeting last month! He was so frantic, I've never seen anything like it!"
"He made you not go?" the blond interrupted incredulously. Rei had told him that 'his colleague had to cancel'.
"You didn't know?" Makoto asked with concern. "Maybe I shouldn't have said..."
"No, no!" Nagisa laughed, "He told me you cancelled! That's funny, the image of him all bothered like that - I wish I could have seen!"
"I think he was kind of desperate for a break without realizing it," Makoto said with a sympathetic grin. They both glanced at their subject, who had somehow managed to land himself between a more or less sober Hana and Michael. "I'm glad you met him when you did." Nagisa felt himself relax into an easy, sweet grin. He felt fortunate, holding the affections of such a well-loved and respected man.
"I am too," he agreed contently. "He's been so great." He was certainly the diligent type, it seemed, even now holding his own in a conversation between a half-drunk woman and an almost silent man. "But God, what a dork. I hope you'll excuse me - he needs some rescuing. You should go talk to Gou over there, though. See her, with the red hair? She's a friend of mine. Careful, though, you're her type. Break it to her early on." And so, the host dashed off once more to valiantly save his hard-working boyfriend. Not before dropping by his restroom to grab a little something, though...
"Being as its Halloween," the blond stepped in, resting his hands on Rei's high shoulders, "there's way you're gonna be in my house without having a little fun." And from behind him he plucked out some devil horns on a headband that had originally come with his skirt, and shoved them onto Rei's short, inky hair.
"Nagisa!" he protested, a red blush matching the crimson horns quite well spreading all over his face. "These are completely ridiculous!" He attempted to take them off, but with a playful grab at his wrists, the blond prevented him from it.
"Nu-uh, I don't think so! You wanna stay, you have to wear them!" He tossed his arms around Rei's neck and though his hands were now free, Rei now wrapped them around his boyfriend's waist.
"I don't think you'd kick me out, but I'll go along with it," he informed him with a scolding tone.
"Well, now that I've got you back, I have some more people for you to talk with, come on!" He tugged Rei away, though the other man stuttered in protest, gesturing to the pair behind them. "They'll be fine," Nagisa stated.
"All right, but let me have a breather first, before you drag me off to talk to more people. I'm not nearly as social as you." He flicked his wrist away from the blond's grip and leaned against the wall in the hallway, taking a deep breath. He seemed slightly irritable, so he took one of Rei's hands in both of his own, rubbing it with his thumb.
"Sorry," he said sincerely, kissing the top of his hand.
"It's fine. I wouldn't want to ruin your party." Nagisa leaned against the wall opposite of him.
"No way! You made it a hundred times better!" Rei flashed him a grateful smile and for a minute, they sat in the relative quiet, excusing the hum of chatter and the gentle clink of glasses.
"So," the brunet began peacefully, "boyfriend?" Sensing the reference to the earlier introduction to Makoto, Nagisa grinned bashfully.
"That kind of looked like what you wanted to say. I don't know, though - do you want to be that committed? I'm okay without a label." Rei shrugged.
"I prefer to know where I'm headed," he told Nagisa in his usual systematic tone. "To be honest, I'd been wanting to ask about it for a while now, but I guess I was worried that you wouldn't feel the same." They smiled at one another.
"I don't really plan on letting you go any time soon." Rei flashed him a grin and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
"Neither do I." After a heartbeat more of comfortable quiet, the brunet proceeded, "So you and Makoto got along, did you?" The blond nodded enthusiastically.
"I like him! He's kind of like, too handsome to be true though, to be honest." Rei rolled his eyes.
"I was worried you'd think that. Forgive me if I felt a little jealous." The writer pushed himself off of the wall and directly into the brunet's arms, kissing him somewhat sloppily on the mouth.
"Nah, you're much more my type. I feel sorry for Gou, though, I saw her checking him out. You haven't got any straight friends that look like that, do you?" Rei gave a wry grin.
"Afraid not. I'll ask my brother if anyone on the basketball team is interested." They laughed together, emerging from the corner arm-in-arm. They chatted happily for a moment until -
"Oh you've got to be kidding me, Gou," Nagisa moaned as lo and behold some song he didn't know evolved into 'Spooky Scary Skeletons'. The redhead, who'd been wrapped in pleasant conversation with Makoto, whipped around sassily, drink in hand, and dramatically sighed,
"Oh, my poor Nagisa - it's vintage ," came her voice through the crowd. She placed her drink on a nearby table and, too quietly for the writer to hear from his distance, asked something of Makoto. He gave his handsome chuckle and took her kindly by the waist in the standard position for a dance. Beside him, Rei murmured, "She's right, you know. The original was made in 1929." He gave what was likely his most impressive pout yet and released his boyfriend, one hand on either of his hips now, proud, and mocking an irritated expression.
"You're taking her side now?" he protested in a whine, hoping to get some sort of placating gesture from the tall brunet. He was never one to pass up the opportunity for a tease.
"Now, now," Rei muttered in an attempt to calm him, "don't be childish about it." He took the young man up gradually in his arms, holding him as Makoto did Gou, in the standard ballroom position. "You see, it actually makes quite the fun dance, and what's a get together without one of those?" The blond took liberty enough to snuggle considerably closer than the nearby platonic couple and hummed his agreement. Around them a few others joined - Ms. Amakata with Goro, Hana with Michael, and a handful of others - with varying degrees of seriousness. The brunet held him well, keeping the dance nothing short of proper, but his boyfriend rolled his shoulders and spun to the xylophone. It was a short dance, anyhow; more for fun than anything of any consequence. Rei begrudgingly allowed himself to have a little fun - maybe it was the alcohol; the blond thought he'd seen at least one drink go down the hatch. After the few minutes spent dancing, the writer's boss approached, her fiance having gone off to talk with a couple other columnists.
"You must be Nagisa's new beau," she began, holding a poised hand out for a shake. The lawyer accepted it gladly, Nagisa swinging over to his side.
"That I am. My name is Rei Ryugazaki," he introduced himself, his voice crisp and kind. He took her hand.
"I'm Miho Amakata. Do take of him, he does his best work when he's happy." And with a mutual smile and wave, they parted, the older woman grabbing ahold of her fiancee before saying a goodbye to her employee. Booze began to run low and cabs were called as gradually, the party began to dissipate. Hana and a significantly drunken Gou being the last pair to leave - save for Rei and Makoto. The three of them sat and, for a half hour, shared a drink and an easy chat, ending when Makoto yawned and announced that he had a big day of work to follow. His colleague and newfound friend both accompanied him to the door and, like a gentleman, he disappeared 'round the corner to 'bring the car from around the block', leaving the pair with a few moments alone. The clock struck 11 inside and the lovers stood under the doorframe.
"Thank you for inviting me," Rei began quietly, keeping a tight hold on his boyfriend's hand. "I really enjoyed myself - as did Makoto, I'm sure." Sympathetically, his hand brushed golden bangs away from Nagisa's face. "I'm sorry to leave so soon." The writer, sensing his chance, wrapped either arm around Rei's neck in thanks. The brunet patted his head and used a free hand to place upon the small of his back. They shared a long kiss and when they broke apart, the blond whispered in his ear:
"Makoto drove you, right? You're welcome to stay, you know, we could, ah, have another drink, just us two." The attorney leaned away slightly, looking the smaller man in the eye through his red-framed glasses. His navy-as-the-sky eyes analyzed Nagisa's so seriously that he found his heart beating deep and achingly within his chest and his breath hitched unevenly.
Rei stepped away. "No... No, I don't believe I can. Not now." And when Makoto brought the car around, the brunet got in it and they drove away together.
Nagisa was irate. The following days, whenever he though of the incident, his cheeks prickled hotly with crimson humiliation while his contrasting heart grew cold and cringed like a brown, fallen leaf. He'd been as clear as a cloudless winter day when he spoke, and his newly dubbed boyfriend hadn't had any justification for rejecting him like that. He'd even worn his cutest undies, suffering through itches all through the night. It was clear to him at least - though he'd never admit it - that he was channeling all of his embarrassment and anxiety about the rejection into misconstrued anger toward the one who caused him harm.
While the blond had been left with plenty of alcohol, his supply was fast dwindling due to the incident. His friends seemed uncertain as well. While the problem didn't seem to be affecting his work life this time, they urged him to talk about it with Rei for the sake of his emotional well-being. Every time he brought it up they would do this and, soon growing tired of hearing the sensible action to take, he began eating lunch alone instead.
All the while, he'd been spending less and less time with Rei, inventing excuses for not meeting on weekends, jogging later in the day, and remaining quiet - if not slightly rushed - while they had coffee and finished crosswords together. The blond noticed with great annoyance that this seemed to suit the eternally busy attorney anyhow. He certainly didn't make any move to start a conversation, seeming to prefer sitting there in the relative silence, completely content to ignore his huffy boyfriend. When they did speak, it was never about themselves, but about their friends. He made it a point to discuss that handsome and gentle Makoto, and it gratified him when the brunet's feathers were clearly ruffled by jealousy. He could endure that discomfort, as the writer coped with his humiliation in kind. Apparently, a little sympathy was too much to ask for, even from his father.
"Princess," the colonel started uneasily, "hasn't it been nearly two weeks since that incident?" The blond was sitting in a chair beside the bed within his room, watching the November rain patter along the windows. His shoulders sagged dead and limply, and his rosy eyes were shadowed by lifeless purple circles underneath them. His temple throbbed like an eternal hangover and Ken Hazuki guessed that, judging from the vague smear of eyeliner and sparkle of mascara on his cheek, it had been a mixture of tears and no sleep more than alcohol. His throat tightened in sympathy. So the phrase went: love is a battlefield.
"So?" he answered dully, his eyebrows creasing and his chin dimpling slightly. "It's him that isn't talking to me. It's not like I'm avoiding him." Lie. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his father give him a pitying glance.
"Please speak with him," his father requested softly, rolling his chair beside Nagisa and placing a hand on his shoulder. He ignored it in favor of staring at the raindrops on the sill. Ken removed his hand.
"I ought to have that closed," he rumbled absently. "Do you mind?" The blond complied, almost slamming the jammed thing shut. His father regarded him cautiously, not wanting to set him off or cause him to leave, but this loneliness he displayed was uncharacteristic and worrisome. "You know, your mother and I used to fight all the time," he began, assessing Nagisa's reaction.
"You guys got divorced," he pointed out dryly, but Ken proceeded. The blond tilted his head slightly towards his father, trying to appear disinterested, but it didn't quite work.
"I remember in the early years of our marriage, she only wanted one kid, but I wanted at least three! We compromised on two, but our second turned out to be twins! What a surprise. And then," he spun to face Nagisa taking his soft cheek and pinching it. "And then, you came along. Kathy compromised then, too - she knew how much I'd wanted a little boy." His voice faded and with the next heartbeat, the blond recalled something he thought he would have forgotten a long, long time ago.
Once, when he was no older than three or four, his father took him shopping for a new toy. They were holding hands and as Ken picked up a toy bat and ball, Nagisa, with all the might in his little body, reached to the very tip of his fingers for the pink baby doll on the shelf. His father faced him, loosening his hold, and the little boy dashed over and picked it up.
"Is that what you want?" his father had asked, his voice fading wistfully like something lost. The boy glanced up and shyly nodded, but all the same those grabby, chubby fingers began to replace it. He didn't know it then, but when he looked into his father's face next, he witnessed a deliberate decision. As unconditional as the sun shines at dawn, the man smiled, took up the frilly doll and stated simply, "Then that's the one we'll get."
Ken's gentle chuckle pulled him away from the memory and he placed a calloused, war-torn hand upon Nagisa's plump cheek. The rough fingers brushed against his eyelashes and absently, he realized he must have been crying. "And you're the best son I could have asked for," he stated simply. The blond looked into his father's eyes, searching for something, but what he found was that same easy smile from that memory so long ago. Whatever he looked for, he was glad not to have found it. "You still have plenty to learn, though. I made the mistake of ignoring a problem like that, thinking it would just disappear, and look where I am now. I'll be damned before I see my son break his heart the same way." Nagisa sniffled slightly and said to his father half-heartedly:
"Thanks for listening. And being, you know, concerned and all." He huffed and lied, "I'll try to work it out. But I gotta go now." He leaned over the colonel's chair, kissed his forehead, and left him looking after his son with worry.
As he stepped out of the building, he put his hood up, and, as a chilly wind blew, thanked his lucky stars that he thought to buy some jogging pants while he'd been out last week. He checked his watch - it read eleven in the morning - and, as he pushed off of the front step and began a brisk jog, he hoped he wouldn't run into Rei. He seemed like an early riser, anyways. Not that he knew, of course, he remarked bitterly.
He was lucky. The rain pelted his jacket noisily, cold, thin drops slapped his face, but he did not run into his boyfriend. He stopped on the bridge, recalling that the brunet had been so fond of it, and glanced down into the turbulent, swelling water. Its color was murky and dark, its movements, rapid. So much for a reflection of calm thoughts. Nagisa spurned it, running on and stubbornly wishing that Rei was feeling the same way that the creek looked. The more he thought of it, the harder he slammed his aching feet onto the ground, the anger spurring him forward through the park until at last he came to the tree he liked so much. Seeing it just made him think of the damned attorney and that day they made out in its now-naked branches, but all the same he stopped at the bench in front of it and stretched his sore, pained leg muscles.
Nagisa thought he was alone, but as the rain eased up, he could hear the soft kiss of feet upon the damp ground. He dared not look up lest it be the man he was dreading, and focused instead on really stretching those thighs as he bent over them, one leg on the bench. The pose was attractive and just to spite him, he made it deliberately moreso, arching his back downward at the same time. The steps continued and did not stop until they were directly behind him. The blond bit his lip, sagging downward in a resigned fashion and waited for him to speak. The body behind his bent over until its lips were at his ear and he could feel the warmth upon his wet back.
"Nice ass," whispered the distinctly American, sharply disinterested voice of his university roommate, Haruka Nanase. The blond flew up like a bird, hitting the other man's torso in the process, and spun like a dancer into Haruka's arms. His nails dug deeply into his cotton hoodie and he buried his raining eyes into his chest. Startled by the passionate reaction, the black-haired boy did nothing at first, surprise only registering as the blink of an almond eye, but ever so gradually patted his head, then his back, and then loosely wrapped himself around Nagisa, burying his face in the crook of his neck. He had no way of knowing that he'd come just in time to comfort the lonesome blond, but he was glad he managed it somehow. The writer did not let go, preferring to quietly choke and snot on the American's clothes instead. That was so until an uncomfortable, uncertain voice rang out behind the pair.
"Erm, Nagisa? What - what are you doing?"
It was Rei.