"I'm sorry for being rude before, I've just been having a rough day…er, a rough couple of weeks? Months? I'm just sorry." Haru sighed. The graduate student had heard Haru shout and came back to retrieve the trinket he had left behind. Feeling slightly less irritated, Haru decided he should at least apologize for his shitty behavior.
"It's okay, I've been there before. You're just stressed out." The understanding man replied with his usual smile.
"Yeah, well, I still feel bad." Insisted Haru, leaning against the wall,"you seem like a really nice guy…and…I would really appreciate it if you would be willing to help me sometime..just not right now."
"Of course! I offered, didn't I? I don't just go around offering my precious time to just anyone, you know."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Haru said raising an eyebrow.
"Don't look so suspicious. I'm just saying I would be more than happy to help a fellow overworked student…especially one who is experiencing vehicular difficulties." He added sympathetically.
Oh fuck.
The strange blond's antics had helped him forget that Makoto had all-but momentarily ruined his life, but now the sinking feeling of automobile-related dread came flooding back. Haru buried his face in his hands.
"I forgot about that." He said, completely drained. He slid down the wall and sat on the floor in misery.
"Oh don't be so dramatic," Nagisa teased as he sat down next to him, "I'll give you a ride home if you want."
Haru peeked at the man's kind face through his fingers, "How can you offer that when you don't even know where I live?"
"I wasn't kidding earlier when I said I didn't have any work to do. I don't really have anything to do for a couple days. You could be my entertainment for the evening!" the male said eagerly, lightly grabbing Haru's bicep.
Haru glanced uncomfortably at the hand on his arm, "Your entertainment? I…actually don't live that far away…I was just saying—"
"Then come get coffee with me! Have you eaten? I was just about to get dinner!" His eyes glittered as he got up on his knees excitedly, squeezing Haru's arm more tightly. "Come on, please? You owe me for being a douche before."
"Ah.." the dark haired student started, doesn't this guy have friends? A girlfriend? …okay that's not likely. A boyfriend then? He seems friendly enough to be in some kind of relationship. And…"You smell really good." The unwelcomed words leaked out of Haru's mouth in a mumbled whisper; horrified, he felt the prickle of a violent blush envelop his face.
"Thank you! Now let's go," the blond insisted, seemingly unaware of Haru's mortification. "You look like you're on the verge of death. You need some coffee in you. You like coffee, right?"
Nagisa stood and tugged Haru to his feet by his sleeve. "Okay fine, Jesus. Hold on, let me get my stuff."
"Yay!" Nagisa clapped his hands together playfully; Haru couldn't help but imagine his tail wagging. He staggered a bit as he stood, realizing how physically exhausted he truly felt.
Once outside, Haru stood for a moment enjoying the mid-fall breeze, allowing the fresh air to graze his tired skin and rustle his dark hair.
"Haru-chaaan, come oooon. I'm cold." Nagisa whined.
"Then put your coat on!" Haru griped, eyeing the garment slung over the blond's arm.
"But then I'll be too hoooot. Come on come on!"
"Has anyone ever told you that you're pushy?
"Would you believe me if I said no?" Haru rolled his eyes and quickly caught up to the whiny graduate student. "Where are we going?"
"To my car, which is….um…over there?" he said less-than-confidently, pointing aimlessly at the dark parking lot.
"I assumed we were going to your car, ass, I mean where are we going for the coffee you insisted that I need."
"Some place around the corner. I don't know the name of it, but they make good coffee and the lighting is nice."
"The lighting is nice? What do you mean?"
"Um… I don't know. I'm so cooold." Nagisa whined again. Haru noticed him creeping closer as they walked towards the parking lot. Does he want me to put my arm around him or something? What's with this guy? Before he could wonder further, the blond grabbed his arm tightly and held it to his chest. "Mmmm you're warm Haru-chan."
The sudden contact made Haru's pulse quicken, and he instinctively stepped away from the shorter male. "You, uh," he said nervously, "here." He grabbed Nagisa's coat off his arm and wrapped it haphazardly around his slim shoulders, "Better?"
"I guess so." Nagisa grumbled.
Curiosity and awkward agitation finally got the best of Haru, "How old are you exactly?" he asked, somewhat indignantly.
"Twenty-six," the blond answered while slipping his hand into his pocket to retrieve his keys, "Found my car!" he announced, tail lights flashing as he pushed the unlock button.
"Damn.." Haru whispered.
"What's wrong?" the blond asked, concerned.
"Well...and no offense, you look like you're…not twenty-six. And you act…not twenty-six…"
Nagisa giggled, "How should I act, then? How do twenty-six year-olds act?"
"I…guess I don't know. Sorry." Haru replied, praying that the darkness of the parking lot hid his uninvited embarrassment.
"Let me guess, you're…twenty-one." The man stated matter-of-factly as they approached a black Volkswagen Passat.
Haru knew it wasn't that difficult to guess his age; most traditional college seniors were either twenty-one or twenty-two. "Yeah. I just meant that you're just not like the other graduate students I've known."
"Sorry to disappoint you," Nagisa smirked while opening the driver-side door.
What the fuck am I doing? The younger student asked himself as he slid into the passenger seat. I just met this guy. All I want is to go home and go to bed.
"You're definitely not what I would call a disappointment." He said glancing sideways at the blond as he started the car. Again, troubling words were sliding unbidden past Haru's tongue. His eyes widened and he quickly looked away, flustered, "I mean, I just met you" he sputtered, "It's not like I had any expectations." You're making it worse. "That's not what I meant either, I just… you seem nice." He finished quietly, his gaze trained on his fidgeting fingers.
"Haru-chan," the older man whispered, leaning over slightly to encourage the his embarrassed passenger to look at him, "You seem nice too. And calm the fuck down." He punctuated his words with an amused grin.
"Yeah, sorry." Haru replied, smiling privately to himself as Nagisa pulled out of the parking space.
I guess I'm not bored, at least.
The students sat across from each other at a small booth in the café—Haru with his coffee, and Nagisa with his cup of what looked to be whipped cream with chocolate sprinkles.
"So what are you working on right now? In your program, I mean. In school." Haru inquired after tasting his coffee. It wasn't bad.
"A study on goal-driven resource distribution."
"That sounds…" Haru began.
"Boring?" the blond giggled, waving his spoon dismissively, "yeah, it is. We are pretty much forced to do our mentor's research. Seeing your name in a published journal article is pretty neat, though."
"You've been published!" Haru choked on his coffee, suddenly stricken with admiration, "Anything I would know?"
Nagisa rested his chin on his hand, spooning some of the white cream into his mouth while he thought. "Probably not, you seem to be more neurobiologically oriented. Have you read 'Gender differences in receptivity to sexual offers.'" he raised an eyebrow as slid his tongue along the edge of his spoon.
"Can't…say that I have." Haru averted his eyes from Nagisa's face, wondering if he was being intentionally suggestive. Is he… "I couldn't care less about social psychology," Haru blurted, shit, "ah, crap, I didn't mean it like that. Sorry, I just mean that I am not interested in studying people….like that. I just can't make myself care about those types of things. Like, social relationships… I'm not that great with people…like, face to face. I get annoyed easily. I probably wouldn't do well in that field." He sipped his coffee and stared unseeing into the darkness beyond the window. I'm such a dick.
"Actually," the blond started, obviously unphased, "a lot of my colleagues are autistic lunatics who can't make eye contact or carry on a normal conversation. You'd like them." He said with a wink.
"What..hey! And what is that supposed to mean!" The student asserted, placing his hand on his chest in mock offense. He was beginning to feel slightly less drowsy, and he was actually enjoying talking with this strange, overly friendly man-child.
"Nothing Haru-chan," replied the older male, smirking and licking whipped cream off his fingers.
Haru's gaze settled on Nagisa's pouty lips as he licked them clean. He was a rather attractive man, even if he didn't possess any traditional masculine qualities. Women would murder their children for his long eyelashes and perfect cheekbones, and he was elegantly slender, his movements subtly reminiscent of a dancer. His delicate collar bones added a touch of sensuality to the casual baseball-styled t-shirt he wore, which seemed to have been tailored specifically to accentuate the graceful curvature of his neck and shoulders. His hair held a certain incandescent quality under the dim lights of the café. It looked like it would be light and silky to the touch, yet it hung loose and endearingly unkempt over his forehead, with pieces framing the soft features of his face. His eyes were still a mystery to Haru, who couldn't figure out if he was in fact wearing contact lenses or if he had just never been exposed to this particular color before. It wasn't like he made a point to gaze into strangers' eyes on a regular basis. He actually went out of his way to not look people in the eyes. Either way, the graduate student's eyes glittered beautifully under the soft lighting.
He was right about this place having good lighting. But what a weird thing to say.
Haru never really had a firm grasp on his own sexuality. He dated a few girls in high school, mostly to get Makoto off his back, but they ended things when it became clear that he wasn't emotionally invested. And speaking of Makoto, there was that one night last summer outside a bar when they found themselves drunkenly sobbing and clinging to each other, swearing tearfully to remain best friends forever; Haru may or may not have backed Makoto against the wall, and he may or may not have pressed himself against his taller friend, leaning up to sloppily make out with the brunet in an erroneous attempt to express his fraternal affection. It wasn't until Makoto emitted an embarrassingly loud and needy moan in response to their hips grinding together that the reality of the situation snapped them out of the reverie of their rather public display. Or maybe it was Makoto's girlfriend shrieking and running away crying? The memory was hazy…Of course, then there was his first year of college when he was seduced by his cognitive psychology professor, a beautiful, brilliant graduate student with steely grey eyes, a deliciously athletic physique, and a tongue that—
"Haru-chan, are you alright?"
Haru blinked dumbly, realizing he had been staring at Nagisa's mouth. "Uh yeah, sorry. I was just remembering something." He mumbled before draining the last drops of coffee from his cup.
"Mmhm, anything interesting?" the blond leaned onto his elbows expectantly.
Haru chewed on his bottom lip nervously. You did this to yourself, you idiot. But he was suddenly filled with the pleasant buzz of caffeine-induced confidence—and maybe just a small amount of memory-induced arousal—so he pushed his empty cup aside to lean forward, imitating the smaller male.
"Fucking. Fascinating." he purred in—what he hoped was—his sexiest voice, intensely holding Nagisa's gaze.
For a moment it seemed like the perky blond was taken aback at the younger student's uncharacteristic head jerked back minutely and his eyes widened briefly before resuming their usual luster, sparkling with an added hint of mischief. "Oooh, not just fascinating but fucking as well. That sounds like fun, feel like sharing?"
I feel like showing. The thought whipped through Haru's mind fiercely unanticipated, effectively vaporizing any chance of eloquently continuing his attempt to playfully tease the other man. Fuck, I really am tired. He sighed, defeated, and sat back in the booth. "You win."
"I didn't realize I was playing." His expression didn't change; he didn't move, "Haru-chan?"
"Hm?" the student answered, suddenly engrossed in the glass sugar caddy at the edge of the table.
"You blush a lot."
"Yeah. That sounds about right." He said, flicking a packet of Sweet and Low towards the window.
"So do you want my number or not?" The blond asked, sitting back in his seat with his eyes still trained on Haru's face.
"Sure. Why not."
"Good!" the man beamed, "give me your phone."
Haru frowned a moment before retrieving his cell from his back pocket, unfamiliar with this level of casual intimacy. He handed the phone across the table anyway.
Nagisa snatched the device playfully from Haru's hand—who tried to pretend that the way their fingers touched briefly didn't make his skin tingle—and busied himself with entering his number into the student's contact list. With a satisfied smile, he handed the phone back to the dark haired male, who was trying to be inconspicuous about the fact that he couldn't suppress the urge to rub his still-tingling fingers.
"I texted myself to make sure I have your number too. Don't worry, I won't send you inappropriate photos or anything."
Haru wondered if their ideas of 'inappropriate' aligned at all. He bit his lip to eliminate the possibility of embarrassing himself again.
"So," Nagisa chirped, leaning forward again, "Did you want to get food, too? They only have things like muffins and cookies here. Which, I mean, is fine with me, but we could go somewhere else if you want."
"Ah, no that's okay. I'm not really hungry. I'll wait while you get something though. You said you were going to get dinner before."
"What do you think that was?" the grad smiled, pointing to his empty mug.
"I honestly have no idea what that was."
"Hot chocolate made with heavy cream, topped with whipped cream."
"Well that…somehow makes a lot of sense." Haru said laughing.
"I'm glad you know me so well, Haru-chan." Nagisa winked again, tapping the student's foot under the table, which Haru suddenly and alarmingly realized had been resting on top of the blond's own small extremity; he jerked his leg back in shock; his heart rate accelerating.
"Oh!—Ah, sorry. I um, thought that was the table. I didn't mean—"
"Haru-chan, seriously. Calm the fuck down."
Oh god, what's wrong with me. I'm never like this. This is ridiculous. I have to get out of here.
"Uh, yeah sorry…I should probably get home. If you still don't mind taking me, that is…"
"It would be my pleasuurrre," the man said lowly, drawing out the word 'pleasure' in a way Haru knew was meant to tease, "we should leave before you start trying to take my pants off, too."
Oh god. "Oh god. Yeah. I mean," Fuck! "No! um, sorry, lets just go. I'm…obviously really tired."
The shorter man smiled lazily and extracted himself from the booth, stretching his hands above his head and yawning; Haru's eyes were drawn to the slender waist that peeked out from under the man's shirt briefly before he brought his arms back down and turned to face the flustered student.
He totally just did that on purpose. Fuck this guy.
Nagisa turned to leave and Haru followed a pace behind him, wondering how else he was going to make a fool of himself on the drive to his apartment.