"Oh wow! Wasn't that just the best thing you've ever seen in your life Private?" Keroro said laughingly as he zoomed around the hall with his arms flung wide.
"'Course it was Sarge." Tamama said following along behind him slowly. The realization that he loved the Sargent still cast him mind reeling and the lingering warmth from the time they had spent holding hands made his heart flutter unpleasantly.
"Well come on Private, hurry up! I want to grab dinner and hit the dealers room up again before it closes for tonight." Keroro turned and grinned at his friend with a dopy smile, making Tamama's breath hitch.
"Ya, okay…"
"Tamama? Are you alright?" Keroro's cheerful demeanor faded and he lowered his arms back down to his sides.
"Don't be silly Sarge, of course I'm alright." Tamama forced a smile to his lips, feeling it fail to reach his eyes.
"Don't lie to me Private." Keroro said seriously and stepped back closer to his friend, placing a hand on his shoulder. Tamama inhaled sharply, he was nearly pressed against the Sergeants chest. From here he could smell him- an enticing mixture of flowers and musk.
"I… I… I have to go." Tamama said shaking and took a step backwards, starting to run.
"Wait! Don't leave! Tell me what's wrong!" Keroro reached out to grab his friends wrist but it was too late, the wiry youth slipped from his grasp disappearing into the crowds even as Keroro surged after him. "Tamama wait! Come back!" The crowds seemed denser as he tried to run, the frantic pounding in his heart unfamiliar. Why would he feel this way? The Private was fully capable of taking care of himself so why did Keroro's heart ache to see him safe? Pushing the thought from his mind he wandered the halls of the convention center calling, each step weighing more heavily on him that he hadn't noticed Tamama acting strangely before.
Tamama dashed under a stairwell, holding a hand over his thudding heart and struggling to catch his breath. He'd never run so fast in all his life, and all to keep the Sargent from finding out how he felt about him. Dejected Tamama put his back up against the wall and slid down onto the floor.
"I'm such a coward." He said to no one in particular, putting a hand to his head. "Why can't I just tell him how I feel? It shouldn't be that hard." He laughed at himself. "Pathetic, I'm hiding under a stairwell, talking to myself, disguised as a Pekoponian… I think my parents would disown me if they saw me like this." His laughter became manic and he hung his head.
"You shouldn't talk to yourself you know." The voice startled him and he raised his head nearly headbutting a blond haired girl who was only inches from his face.
"Gah! Who are you?" Tamama dropped his hand immediately to his hip, cursing silently when he remembered that the only weapon he had on him was fake.
"No one important really but what's wrong?" The girl moved away and sat down in front of him with a plop.
"Nothings wrong."
"Liar… and not even a good lie. No one hides under the stairs at a convention unless there's something wrong."
Tamama smiled wryly. "Fine you're right- there is something wrong. But why should I tell you? You don't even know my name, you don't know a thing about me… you don't know how awkward it is for me to like him…" The words fell out of Tamama's mouth before he realized what he said and that was it. "It's not fair! Why should I like him, he doesn't even know I exist! I try so hard to do special things for him all the time to get him to like me and he never even notices! It's not fair! And he's my superior! It's forbidden for any relationships to happen between platoon members – it only causes problems! Why did it have to be him? It could have been any of a million other people!"
Tamama began crying and the girl moved to sit next to him, pulling him close in a tight hug as he cried.
"Hey now- don't cry. It could work. Have you even asked him if he likes you? Maybe he's just shy."
"Shy? SHY!? The Sargent isn't shy- he's oblivious. I could probably tap dance naked in front of him with a sign that says "Take me I'm yours" and he still wouldn't get it." Tamama sniffed hard, wiping away his tears with the back of his hand and sat up.
"Here-" The girl handed him a rice ball from her bag and smiled. "I don't know about you but I'm starving."
Tamama sniffed again and took the cup from her hands, a faint smile returning to his lips. "Thanks. We we're just going to get dinner actually… he's probably sitting at a table eating pizza or something right now." Tamama idly rocked the rice ball back and forth in his fingers.
"You know you should just tell him how you feel right?" The girl asked already buried in her food.
"But how? How do I tell him something like that?... and what if he hates me for it?" Tamama's shoulders began to droop again as despair settled into his heart.
"Listen I know it sucks but how can you know how he feels if -"
A shadow loomed in the corner and the pair of them turned to look. Tamama's face barely having time to register any surprise before Keroro engulfed him in a tight hug.
"Don't you ever run away from me like that again Tamama." Keroro said his face buried in his subordinates shoulder. "I was so worried!"
The girl beamed and carefully stood, collecting her things and disappearing back into the halls of the convention.
"Sar—Sargent?" Tamama still stuttered in disbelief, arms pressed tight against his sides, afraid to return the embrace in case it was all an illusion.
The older male refused to budge, clutching Tamama closer to him as though he might fade again at any second.
"Sargent?" Tamama's voice was surer this time and tentatively he reached up his hand, resting it on Keroro's arm.
"Shut up Baka… I …" Keroro swallowed hard and kept his face against Tamama's shoulder. "My heart hurt so badly when you ran away… Why? Why did you being gone hurt so much?" Keroro's fingers gripped Tamama's back tighter.
"Sargent I…"
"Don't leave me again okay?"
"What?" Tamama crained his neck, trying to look down at the older male, staring into a mop of light green hair.
"I don't think I could bear it if you went away from me again." Keroro's voice was soft- almost as though he were scared of what he was saying. "So don't leave me again."
Tamama's shoulders tightened and then relaxed and he hugged the older boy tightly. "I won't Sargent."
Keroro loosened his grip just enough to pull back and look at the other Keronian. The one who had always been there for him. "Keroro, not Sargent." He said softly before pulling Tamama to him and gently kissing his lips.
The sounds of the convention faded into the background as the two of them sat here – time seemingly suspended for the moment as they pressed against each other, arms wrapping each other in a tight embrace.