"You were so ready, so quick to believe," you start but interrupt yourself. "Yuushi, you were scared of love." It sounds strange, hearing you say it. But it's true. You start again, "You didn't honestly think I was still in love with Tezuka," you say, just for the sake of saying it. But it carries the unexpected weight of truth. "Wait a minute. You didn't."
He looks away. "No, but it gave me the perfect out. I could just blame this all on you, on your 'infidelity'." He sighs then rubs his forehead with the heel of his palm. "I was just feeling suffocated by your love, I guess. It was too serious for me; I'd never been in a real relationship before."
You nod understandingly. "Neither had I though. We could've taken it slower, you could've said…"
But he gives you an incredulous look and your words peter out.
"Ask Atobe Keigo to take something slow? No, I didn't think so. And it wasn't even that I didn't want to go all the way- I did. I wanted it so badly. Oh, I don't know Keigo."
You command him gently. "Yuushi, look at me." He does. "Never be afraid to ask me anything. Trust me and trust yourself."
"I know." And his smile, the real one that charmed you in the first place, is back. "I still want you, but you already knew that."
"Yes." You grin widely at him, about to kiss him when he opens his mouth to speak.
"What about Jiroh?" he asks quietly.
"He knows we're not meant to be anything other than friends," you say impatiently.
"Still, you should break up with him officially."
Your eyes narrow suddenly. "You don't have someone else, do you?"
He says no but you stare at him and he concedes. "A few flings, but we never had sex and they were nothing compared to you."
You unbend slightly. Better. Still, you'll be getting those names out of him later.
"It was rather hard to find anyone," he comments, taking your hand in his. "Because they were all afraid of what you'd say. You know, I tried hooking up with Gakuto but he said he didn't feel like getting his head chopped off if people found out he'd taken Ore-sama's boyfriend."
Good to know, you think.
"Everyone at Hyoutei is so loyal to you," he muses, slightly grinning down at you. "They knew we would get back together."
Enough of this serious talk, you think.
"I'll go call Jiroh." You pause. "Then I want to unwrap my birthday present." You gesture at the bow still fastened to Oshitari's neck.
"But first," Oshitari lowers his head a faction of an inch and your lips met in a kiss filled with alacrity, fierce longing and barely restrained lust. Then you're forced to part because you really do owe it to Jiroh to call.
"I'll be right here when you get back." You turn away before he can catch you and kiss you again. You walk slowly, sashaying your hips. But you don't look back because you know he's watching. And it feels good, you think. It feels more right than anything has in a long time.
~Fin