I'm very proud of this reasonably timed update. And I'm also a big fan of this chapter. I tried to capture more of the subtleness of Kiku's and Herakles' relationship here, which is one of the reasons I like this couples so much. Also, cats. Lots of cats. Anyway, enjoy!
Disclaimer: Hetalia and its characters do not belong to me in any way, shape, or form.
Talking on Paper
By IdiotFromOsaka
"Before I met you I never knew what it was like to be able to look at someone and smile for no reason." ~Unknown
From the time he was in kindergarten, a single question had always troubled Kiku Honda:
Why did the school year always start on a Wednesday?
Maybe it was so both teachers and students did not have to deal with a whole week of school as soon as they arrived back. Or perhaps whoever came up with the school schedule held the firm belief that the school year should never start on a Monday.
Or maybe so moments like this could come sooner.
Kiku sighed as he dragged a pencil across his sketchbook. Only the third day of school and the days had already melted into a comfortable monotony. Wake up, go to school, schoolwork, schoolwork, more schoolwork, lunch, much more schoolwork, art class (Kiku did not consider this part of the schoolwork category, as it was more of a break than actual work), go home, homework, dinner, homework, and sleep. Repeat the process 180 times.
And then once more in his Senior year.
Kiku wasn't quite sure if he should feel content in the secureness of routine, or bored and worried that he was growing complacent.
He watched the clock. He wasn't bored, per say, just ready to go home. It was a Friday after all.
The second hand steadily made its way around of the expanse of the clock, and Kiku wondered if watching it move actually made it move slower. However, he forgot the notion as soon as he felt the edge of a piece of paper brush against his wrist.
To his right was Herakles, slumped over the dusty table, with a folded piece of paper in his hand. He motioned with he paper towards Kiku, as if instructing him to open it. Kiku removed the notepaper from Herakles' hand, unfolding it once, twice, three times.
A small note was scribbled in the center, ignoring the paper's lines.
Hey, it said. Would you like to work on our project after school today? We can do it at my house if that's okay.
Kiku contemplated the invitation for a moment, but not much longer.
That would be nice, he wrote. I'll just have to check with my mom. Do you have art supplies at your house?
Herakles quickly replied, Yeah, but it's mostly drawing supplies. Is that okay?
Yes, that's fine. Kiku then decided to pose his own question. Do you prefer drawing or painting?
Herakles' pencil was brought to his chin as he thought. Drawing, he replied. What about you?
Painting.
I see you drawing more often though.
It's much easier to get the supplies for drawing, as opposed to painting.
Touché. (did I spell that right?)
Yes, you did.
Kiku's pencil sat still in his hand as he let his gaze slide in Herakles' direction. He didn't know what to write now, so he just looked. Herakles looked back. Something, some sort of unspoken message, passed between their line of vision. Both laughed, without a reason why.
Herakles cocked his head upward as Kiku saw his classmates stand up in the corner of his vision. Herakles put his pencil to paper.
So, would you like to walk home with me?
Kiku's lips curved upward. I'd love to.
Surely, the school year started on Wednesday for this reason.
oOoOo
Kiku stared upward at the never-ending expanse of blue sky. He decided that he wasn't a fan of summer, and certainly not a fan when it creeped into the nice cool autumn. Luckily, he hadn't carried a jacket with him that day, so he wasn't forced to wear it in this heat nor stuff it in his backpack. He still wished, however, that late September would come sooner.
The soles of Kiku's shoes scraped against an old yellowed sidewalk, moving toward some unknown location that was an unknown distance away. Herakles walked beside him. Every so often, the sleepy boy would point one way or another, directing Kiku closer to his house. Otherwise, the only interaction between the two was an occasional sideways glance, sometimes accompanied by an awkward smile.
Kiku sighed through his nose. He wished it was easier to walk and write at the same time.
Out of the blue, Kiku felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked towards Herakles, who with his other hand was pointing towards the house to their left. For a moment, Herakle's brow creased, his face folding into a puzzled expression. Then, he made a motion towards himself before spelling out H-O-U-S-E with his fingers. Both of them started up the driveway of the Karpusi house, a smaller estate painted a light blue color. The paint had started to chip in a few places, to the point where it did not yet look old and grimy, but instead well-worn and comforting.
Herakles led him inside. The pair dropped their backpacks and shoes at the door before Herakles led Kiku to the kitchen. It was a small, white tiled room connected to the dining room, smelling of spices that Kiku couldn't identify. Herakles pulled our a chair for the smaller boy, fingerspelling out S-I-T. Kiku did as instructed.
Herakles left the room, presumably to get some art supplies, and hopefully a notebook.
Kiku, hands folded in his lap, squirmed in his seat as he often did in new places. One foot tapped against the tile beneath his feat. Kiku's eyes darted around the room, refusing to rest on any particular object. The walls were a nice light yellow color, decorated with paintings of places Kiku had never been. Whether they were Herakles' or something the family had bought, Kiku couldn't tell.
There was a nice vase of flowers in the center of the table, and-
God, why did Kiku care anyway? This wasn't what he was like normally. Normally, he would just sit there, and not squirm as much as he was doing now, and his foot would not tap, and he would entertain himself with one of the paintings on the wall, and he would not care that there was a vase in front of him.
Something was wrong with him. He was far too nervous. He could feel his heart racing in his chest, and with all his might he demanded it to slow. It beat even faster.
Kiku wanted to slap was not because this is Herakles' house, he told himself. This was not because of Herakles.
Because friends do not make each other this nervous.
Paper slid into Kiku's vision, accompanied by two normal pencils and some thicker charcoal ones. Stacked on the table was two sketchpads and one normal notebook. Herakles moved into the seat next to Kiku, opening the notebook as he sat.
Welcome to my house, he wrote. Do you want anything to drink?
Kiku picked up the other graphite pencil; it was a Hello Kitty one. Water would be nice, thank you.
Okay, Herakles replied, and he stood up and made his way toward the kitchen.
Kiku stared, amused, at the pencil in his hand. A Hello Kitty pencil? Really? He knew Herakles liked cats, but still…
Herakles returned to the table, two glasses of water in his hand. Kiku looked back at the silly pink pencil again and laughed. Herakles, he wrote, why do you have a Hello Kitty pencil?
Because it's cute, Herakles wrote, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Kiku let out at a small, airy laugh at the response.
So, Kiku began, turning his attention back to the matter at hand. Would you like to model first, or should I?
Herakles looked to the ceiling, thoughtful. Depends. Are you going to paint or draw.
Paint.
Herakles' eyes danced around the room, landing just barely on each of the art supplies present. Could you model first then? I'm going to draw, and since the supplies are already here, it'd be easier I guess. His pencil trailed off as the sentence finished, drawing a long, squiggly line to the edge of the paper.
Kiku nodded. That makes sense. He shifted in his seat, pressing his lips together. How do you want me?
Straight on, Herakles scribbled. Kiku swiveled his body towards him, taking a sip of water as he went. The wavy-haired boy gave a thumbs-up.
The two sat like that for a while, Kiku doing his best to not move or fidget in his seat and Herakles examining the smaller boy, occasionally making a mark on the paper. Kiku let his eyes follow Herakles' gaze, noting where he looked. He counted the seconds of how long his eyes traced the curve of his jaw, and observed the way he examined his eyes.
It was peaceful. Serene. Kiku liked it.
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, fur brushed Kiku's ankle, startling him. He nearly jumped out of his chair. From across the table, Herakles' expression turned to one of confusion as Kiku ducked under the table. Making sure not to hit his head, he began searching for the owner of the fur.
And there, hiding behind the leg of the table, was a small, tabby cat.
Kiku bit his lip. It was just so… cute! The cat sauntered closer, golden eyes meeting Kiku's. He reached out to hold the creature, and it obviously didn't mind. It let Kiku scoop it up without any hassle. Kiku couldn't help but smile as he felt the cat's warmth against his own hands.
Bringing his head above the surface of the table, Kiku saw Herakles' expression change to one of understanding, and then to one of content. He reached over the table, carefully avoiding the drawing he had been working on, and wrote on the notepad. His name is Zeus, 'cause he always thinks he's in charge.
Kiku, now stroking Zeus' fur, chuckled. He shifted the cat to one arm so he could write. That's funny. Do you have any others?
Yeah, there's 2 others. They're probably just hiding somewhere. They'll be out sooner or later.
What are their names?
Demeter and Artemis.
Kiku smiled. You named them all after Greek gods?
Herakles shrugged, eyes filling with nostalgia. It was my mother's idea. The names fit them pretty well. Artemis always brings me little 'gifts', and Demeter likes to play in the house plants.
Makes sense then. Kiku shifted awkwardly in his seat. By the way, where is your bathroom?
Down the hall, he wrote, pointing, and to the left.
Kiku nodded, setting Zeus down on the floor as he did.
oOoOo
Kiku returned from- er -relieving himself, to find Herakles sitting where he was before, except for this time in the company of three cats. Zeus sat perched upon Herakles' dark hair, while a purely grey cat was nuzzled into his shoulder, and a calico sat in his lap. Herakles, sleepy eyes barely open, had a content smile on his face as he stroked the calico's fur. It was then that Kiku realized how much the house smelled like, well, cat. Herakles did not seem to mind, though.
Slowly, Kiku brought his phone out of his pocket, fumbling with the cool metal in his hands. He finally reached the setting he was looking for: the camera.
Bringing the screen to his eyes, he centered the frame so he found it visually appealing, and then pressed the nicely rounded 'OK' button.
There it was. The perfect portrait.
Luckily, Herakles had not noticed him as he took the portrait, so he slipped the phone back into the pocket. He drifted back to the table, where Herakles finally took notice of his presence. Herakles reached a hand forward. He grabbed his pencil, and wrote, The grey one is Artemis and the calico is Demeter.
Kiku nodded. He tilted his head to the side, reaching out a tentative hand. Herakles turned towards Kiku, reaching his hands under Demeter's stomach as he went. He lifted up the small calico, offering her to Kiku, and Kiku (who was pleased that Herakles had understood what he meant) gladly took her from the taller boy's arms.
He leaned forward to steady the cat in his arms, nearly touching Herakles' shoulder in the process.
Kiku caught his scent.
And even though he quickly backed away, there was that feeling, deep in his stomach, wanting get even closer.
He sat in the chair nearest Herakles, letting Demeter curl in his lap while he stroked her soft hair. He could feel his heart thumping in his chest, his lips curving. upward. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Herakles, perfectly at peace, and silently wished moments like this could last forever.
I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! As a side note, the names of Herakles' cats correlate with their respective gods/goddesses like this: Zeus is the king of the gods, Artemis is the goddess of the hunt, and Demeter is the goddess of the harvest.
I'm going to try to be a good author and get the next update by the end of January.
Oh yeah, and reviewers get internet cookies. Happy New Years!