Chapter Five

"But, Hiro-san, I don't want you to go."

"It's only for a week. The time will pass before you know it."

"I doubt it. Every day that I don't see you makes me so sad and lonely."

"Really, Nowaki, you'll be fine. I'll return next Saturday, and then we'll have all summer together. One week won't make a difference. Don't worry."

Nowaki cast his eyes down. "I know. But I'll miss you. A lot."

The small man's heart softened. He reached out to rest his hand on Nowaki's arm. "I'll miss you too. Don't forget to lock the apartment door when you leave work and come home. After that one time last month you can't be too careful. I don't want you getting in trouble while I am away."

"Of course not, Hiro-san."

He smiled and leaned down to give him a kiss. Before their lips touched, Hiroki pointed a finger at Nowaki and furrowed his eyebrows.

"Oh, and don't forget that the man from the air conditioning company is coming Thursday morning."

"Of course not, Hiro-san," he repeated. "I thought you were the one telling me not to worry; not the other way around."

His face softened. "I know… sorry… I just can't help it. It's been awhile since you've been here without me."

"I'll be fine. I can take care of myself." Once again, Nowaki leaned down to kiss Hiroki. He held his face close as their lips broke away to whisper, "Although every moment I spend without you will be meaningless."

Red inflamed Hiroki's face as he pushed away from the bigger man. "Don't be so dramatic!" He turned around so that his embarrassment wouldn't be so obvious and stomped away. Secretly, he was pleased that Nowaki was saddened by his departure. He wanted the other man to miss him just as much as he knew he himself would.

"I'll go get your bags," Nowaki called from behind him.

A minute later, he returned with a suitcase in one hand and a briefcase in the other. They walked out the door to where a taxi was waiting. After putting the bags in the trunk, Nowaki turned around to face Hiroki. They didn't have any heartfelt words of departure; all of that had been taken care of that morning. "Goodbye" was the only thing they needed to say.

After Hiroki left, Nowaki went back inside to collapse on the couch. What was there to do now?

Hiroki and a few other select staff members of M University were invited to go to Nagoyo for a conference. They would probably chat about books and grammar and possibly even sentence diagramming— all stuff that Nowaki knew nothing about. The school semester ended two days ago, and the educational leaders of Japan felt a need to call professors from around the country to see which schools were teaching which curriculums.

Soon an hour had passed and Nowaki had to leave for work. Knowing that Hiroki would be leaving, he had called the hospital the week before to ask if he could come in late. He grabbed his bag and went to the door. As he put his hand on the doorknob he realized that he forgot to lock it after Hiroki left.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

Hiroki jumped when a voice sounded behind him.

"Whatcha doin'?"

"Miyagi! You can't just walk up behind people like that!"

"Oh, I can't? I believe I just did."

Hiroki huffed and crossed his arms. "You are incorrigible."

"And that's what you love about me," Miyagi teased, reaching out with a finger to bop him on the nose. Hiroki swatted him away, but the man remained unaffected. "So who are you texting?"

"None of your business," Hiroki said tersely, and turned around to continue his message to Nowaki in peace.

Miyagi, however, had other plans. The taller man loomed over his shoulder and read the text message out loud: "'Plane just landed. We are about to go to the hotel. I miss you already."' He wagged his eyebrows. "When did you become such a romantic? I didn't know you were the I-miss-you type."

He was about to snap a reply when their administration board leader called them over.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

"Goodbye, Hana-san. I'll see you tomorrow!" Nowaki called as he left the hospital. It was late, three hours later than he normally would have left, but he had to make up for the time that he missed that morning to see his Hiro-san off.

Hana-san, the lady who ran the front desk at the hospital, had a special place in her heart for Nowaki. Actually, most of the women who worked there had a small crush on the man. He was kind, gentle, and considerate with his words. He was diligent and serious about his job, but also playful. They could talk to him about their troubles and he would actually listen. Children loved him, parents loved him, and even the janitor loved him. If that wasn't enough, he was undeniably handsome. Dark, raven hair framed his face. Equally dark eyes stared out wherever he went. His stature was imposingly tall, but still soft and almost cuddly looking. Yes, Hana-san believed that he would be the ideal man to marry. She had heard rumors, though, that he was in a serious relationship with another male. It would be a pity if it was true; he would have made the perfect father.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

Nowaki called Hiroki a few minutes after he got home. His lover picked up the phone after only a few rings.

"Hey, Nowaki," Hiroki answered.

"Hiro-san! I got your message." The delight in his voice was apparent even over the phone.

"You did? Great! You didn't reply, so I wasn't sure."

"Oh, yeah, I had to work late today. I wasn't around my phone much."

"You sound tired. You okay?"

"I'm fine. I'm never too tired to talk to you."

"Oh, well you should get ready for bed. It's late."

"I already am ready for bed. I'm all tucked in under the covers. It's lonely though without your warmth next to me," Nowaki said in a low voice. The man had taken a quick shower, brushed his teeth, and put on his sleep clothes as soon as he got home. He didn't want his talk with Hiroki to be disturbed.

"I'm sure that right when I hang up you will be out like a light," Hiroki replied, slightly embarrassed.

"Maybe, maybe not," he said idly as he flipped over to face the side of bed that Hiroki slept. "So what are your plans for the next few days?" He imagined that Hiroki was lying down next to him, talking with him.

"Well, tomorrow I am going to a lab where our meeting is being held. It's called the Kang Institute of Science. One of my bosses majored in chemistry, and when we were being told the different places where the meetings could be held, he jumped when they said the Kang Institute."

"Well, I hope you have fun there. Have you ever been to a real science lab?" When Hiroki replied that he hadn't, Nowaki continued, "It's really interesting. Just be careful not to touch any chemicals. They'll probably be lying out all over the place."

"Of course not, Nowaki. I don't go around messing with things that I don't know about."

"I know. I just had to give you some advice so that in some way, I can feel like I'm impacting your adventures tomorrow."

The next sentence Hiroki said so softly that the big man hardly heard it.

"You impact my every day just by being in my heart."

"I love you too, Hiro-san."

Okay, so yeah, this was boring. But I am leading up to something that will (hopefully) be exciting and tense.

Please, review! It would make me happier than a slice of banana crème pie or a slice of flourless cake (and let's face it: that stuff is delicious).