Kazuya can only call it a miracle. The thing about miracles, though, is that they always run out.
Kazuya discreetly puts his books back in his backpack. It's only a few more minutes until the bell rings and school is over, and he's practically counting down the seconds. He tried to like History of Magic, but listening to the monotonous drawl of information he doesn't really care about makes it really hard. It doesn't help that it's the last class on a list of several exhausting classes. Plus, he's got Quidditch practice after this. Thinking about the tiring hours of difficult practice he's going to have to endure when he really wants to take a nap puts Kazuya in a foul mood, but he quickly snaps out of it.
Quidditch won't be fun for anyone if I'm like this. Kazuya thinks. It's true, since when Kazuya is in a bad mood he tends to be crueler than he usually is. Maybe I'll go pick up Sawamura from his class. Picking on him will cheer me up. An unconscious smile graces Kazuya's face as he thinks about what's he gonna say to Sawamura when he meets him. He's so deep in thought he doesn't notice the bell ringing. It's not until he sees students filing out that he leans over to zip up his backpack and that's when he feels a figure towering over him. He looks up straight into blazing blue eyes.
"Kazuya," the voice of doom says. "We need to talk."
Shit shit shit. "What's up, Mei? It feels like it's been awhile since we've talked." Kazuya says while forcing out a chuckle.
Mei glares at him. He opens his mouth to say something when Kuramochi walks up to the two of them.
Kuramochi glances at Mei then looks at him. "Miyuki, we'd better get going. Coach will be mad if we're late again."
Kazuya gives Mei a sheepish look. " Sorry, but Kuramochi's right. I really need to get practice. Maybe another time?"
He drags Kuramochi off without waiting for a response. He can feel Mei's eyes burning into his back.
When they get far enough Kuramochi says, "You owe me one."
"Yeah, thanks for helping me out."
Kuramochi still kicks him in frustration. "But I'm not doing that again! From now on, this is your problem and yours alone! I knew this would happen and I told you all the way back when we were fourth-years-"
"Alright, Kuramochi! I'll deal with this myself, I promise." As if he needed something else added to his mountain of stress.
"Yeah, you better." Kuramochi says ominously. "And fast too. Knowing how that guy works it's only a matter of time before Sawamura becomes involved."
Kazuya stiffens. "Don't worry, I said I'd take care of it."
He'll keep Sawamura out of it for as long as he can, no matter what.
Sawamura looks out the window. All the snow has melted away and the leaves have started to come back. The Potions professor is lecturing about healing potions or something, Sawamura doesn't know. It's not like he hates Potions or anything, but the leaves have more of his attention than the professor.
Five more minutes, Sawamura thinks. Five more minutes till I'm back on my broom. He was itching to get to Quidditch practice. He couldn't wait to get his hands on his broom, to feel the wind in his hair, and the thrill that comes every twist and dive.
I wonder if Miyuki is gonna stop by. he thinks and immediately feels embarrassed for the thought. Most days, Miyuki has been stopping by the Potions classroom at the end of the day so he and Sawamura could walk to practice together, though he hasn't been able to lately. The fact that Miyuki would go all the way to his classroom despite the field being in the other direction makes Sawamura really happy. He knows it's stupid, but it's small things like that that remind him that Miyuki really does like him.
They've been dating for a couple of months now and things have been going pretty well, to the disappointment of all those betting on their breakup. They have petty fights, but that's really no different from how their relationship used to be before. He's discovered that deep, deep, deep down beneath the arrogant bastard front Miyuki puts on he can be really sweet and surprisingly romantic. Annoyingly Sawamura still never knows what Miyuki is thinking. It really does irritate him, especially since the only thing he thinks about is Miyuki. It's always something stupid like Miyuki's smile or his casual touches, or the way he looks in a Quidditch uniform…
His thoughts are interrupted by a sharp nudge in his side.
He turns and opens his mouth to ask Haruichi what that was for when he notices that the whole class is staring at him. And that the professor's face is really red.
"Sawamura, see me after class." the professor says through gritted teeth.
There goes his freedom.
By time the professor is done chewing him out Sawamura has to sprint to practice and throw on his practice uniform, but even then he's noticeably late. He tries to sneak into line and almost thinks he's successful until before dismissing the team Coach says, without turning around, "Twenty laps around the field, Sawamura. Ten for being late and ten for trying to lie about it."
"Boss, I can explain-" But Coach is already walking away, to Sawamura's disappointment.
Haruichi walks over to him and puts a hand on his shoulder. "Sorry, Eijun-kun. I tried to warn you that the teacher was calling on you, but you were completely out of it."
Kuramochi and Miyuki walk over as well. "What happened, Bakamura?" Kuramochi says while snickering. "Fall asleep in class again?"
Sawamura turns to him angrily. "I didn't fall asleep! I was just distracted, that's all!" He looks at Miyuki, expecting him to cut in with a smug retort. Instead, Miyuki says nothing and just looks at the ground. Which is weird considering this is Miyuki, the person that would jump on the chance to insult Sawamura.
Miyuki continues to be weird all practice. He barely glances at Sawamura and even when he's helping out with Seeker training he says the bare minimum. Is he mad at me? Sawamura wonders. Sawamura can't think of anything he's done to warrant Miyuki's anger. Still, it worries him. How is he supposed to apologize if he doesn't know what he did wrong?
Sawamura is so lost in his thoughts that he barely hears someone shout, "Sawamura get out the way!"
Sawamura looks up and dives down, narrowly missing a wayward Bludger that would've knocked him out if it hit him.
"Sawamura, if you don't feel like practicing today you can head straight to the dorms!" Coach yells.
"Sorry, Boss! I'm focused now!" He grits his teeth. Damn Miyuki! That's the second time he's gotten me in trouble! Then he shakes his head. For now he banishes all thoughts of Miyuki from his head and focuses on the one great love of his life: Quidditch.
By the time practice is over Sawamura is worn out. Coach really rode him hard today, but he doesn't really mind. If he's focusing on Sawamura that could mean he might start next game, right? Just thinking about that flares up Sawamura's determination. He shoves his Quidditch uniform into his locker and turns around, and to his surprise there's someone right in front of him.
"Ah!" Sawamura shouts. Then he scowls. "Oh, it's you."
"What's with that reaction?" Miyuki says, amused. "You mad at me or something?"
"Shouldn't I be asking that?" he says heatedly.
Miyuki looks confused. "Huh? Why would I be mad at you? Did you do something bad?"
"No, I didn't! You're the one acting weird! You were really quiet, even when I did something stupid, and you barely looked at me all practice!"
Miyuki looks shocked for a second, then smirks. "I see. If I don't have my attention on you at all times that means I'm mad at you?"
Sawamura flares up in anger. "You know what I mean! You were acting weird and if it's not because you're mad at me then what?"
Miyuki hesitates. It's slight, but Sawamura still notices it. "I'm just tired, that's all. Some of us try to pay attention in class."
"Listen you bastard-"
"Oi Miyuki, Sawamura!" They both turn towards Kuramochi and Ryousuke, who are hovering in front of the exit.
"I'll tolerate it in the common room, but keep your lover spats out of the locker room!" Kuramochi says sternly.
"Yes, this is a safe space." Ryousuke says calmly.
Miyuki rolls his eyes. "Understood."
As they leave Miyuki makes a face. "I wonder if Kuramochi will appreciate me constantly cockblocking them when they get together?"
He turns back to Sawamura. "So, now that we've established that I've got no secret grudge against you, you wanna hang out?"
The offer is tempting, but the professor's mention of his low grades is still fresh in his mind. "Sorry, but I need to do my homework." It's hard for him to even get the words out.
"I can help you. Unlike you, I get top marks in all my classes." Miyuki says smugly.
Sawamura looks away with a grumpy look on his face. "No thanks, you perv."
"What do you mean by 'perv'?"
Sawamura pins him with a fierce gaze. "I haven't forgotten the last time you convinced me to study with you! You said the same exact words, and then instead of helping me you just distracted me even more!"
Miyuki leans in close to his ear. "You weren't exactly complaining, were you?" he says, and the low rumble of his voice makes Sawamura shudder.
He shoves Miyuki back. "I'm serious, Miyuki! If I start failing again they won't just put me on probation, they'll actually kick me off the team."
Miyuki puts his hands up. "Fine, fine. I have to wonder though, which is more important to you: me or Quidditch?" Sawamura starts to say something but Miyuki cuts him off. "How about this? Let's sneak out tonight."
"Tonight?"
"I'll just switch patrol duties with Yui-chan, so it'll fine."
Despite the risk, the chance to spend time alone with Miyuki was too tantalizing to pass up. "Yeah, okay."
"Okay." Miyuki responds, smiling. Sawamura couldn't help but smile too.
They stand there, staring at each other and smiling like idiots until they realize that they're the only ones left in the locker. They break out of their reverie and look away, slightly embarrassed.
Miyuki offers his hand. "Well, let's head back to the common room."
Entwining his fingers with Miyuki's, they set off down the path together.
He can hear Haruichi saying something about Transfiguration but(as usual)his attention is drawn to somewhere else. He sees Miyuki and Natsukawa, one of the Quidditch managers and the other sixth-year Prefect, talking. Natsukawa has a finger in Miyuki's face, and from where Sawamura is sitting it looks like he's getting a good scolding. But then Natsukawa punches his shoulder playfully and they both start laughing. Sawamura feels a flash of irritation. That damn flirt! But then he calms himself down. It's not like he doesn't know what Miyuki and Natsukawa are talking about.
He remembers what Miyuki told him one time. It's not like Yui-chan is exactly thrilled about helping me to something against school rules, especially since we're both Prefects. But we have an understanding. She turns a blind eye to us sneaking out and I turn a blind eye to her sneaking out to see her Slytherin girlfriend. It's a win-win for everyone!
Natsukawa is already in a relationship, so Sawamura doesn't have to worry about Miyuki cheating on him with her. Wait, no that's wrong! He doesn't have to worry because Miyuki would never cheat on him whether the person was single or not! Sawamura shakes his head. He really needs to trust Miyuki more.
"Eijun-kun I have homework too, you know. If you're not going to listen I won't help you anymore." Haruichi chastises, bringing his attention back to the homework he's supposed to be doing.
Sawamura pales. "I'm sorry, Harucchi! I'll pay attention from now on, I promise!"
Later on the way to dinner Miyuki sidles up next to him and whispers, "Yui-chan switched patrol duties with me." He flashes a smirk and then quickly walks ahead of Sawamura to catch up with his friends.
Haruichi and Furuya, who are standing beside him try and fail to smother their laughter. Sawamura yells at them, "Shut up! It's not my fault he likes pretends we're having some steamy love affair!" Still, he can't hide the excitement that rises up in him. It feels like it's been awhile since they last did this.
At night, Sawamura tiptoes out of the dorms and through the common room, leading to the hallway. Like clockwork Miyuki is there making his "rounds".
Miyuki shines his wand light in his face. "What are you doing up past curfew?" A smirk. "Ten points from Gryffindor."
Sawamura wills himself not to shudder at the low quality Miyuki's voice takes on. "Knock it off. Let's go before one of the other prefects catches us."
Miyuki takes his hand and leads Sawamura to one of the secret passageways he had discovered during his third year. Within minutes they're outside and on the courtyard. They settle down on a clear patch of grass.
"Wow, the sky's really clear tonight." Sawamura says as he stares up at the starry sky.
"Yeah." Miyuki simply affirms.
Sawamura is taking Astrology, so they pass the time by Miyuki pointing at different constellations and Sawamura tells the story behind their names. Astrology is the only class he actually likes, so as he explains the history behind each constellation Sawamura becomes more and more animated. It's not until he gets into a particularly lengthy story that Sawamura's gaze moves from the sky just to notice that Miyuki is already looking at him. Their eyes meet, and Sawamura can feel the words die in his throat. The closer Miyuki shifts the faster his heart starts beating, until their lips meet. It's an innocent kiss, close-mouthed and everything, but it still fills Sawamura with sweetness. He wonders if he'll ever be able to kiss Miyuki without feeling like he's going to explode.
Miyuki pulls back but not too far, touching their foreheads together. "Hey, Sawamura? Can I ask you something?"
"...Okay." Sawamura replies warily. Usually if Miyuki wants to ask something he just asks it, and not with such a solemn tone. If Sawamura didn't suspect it before, now he knows for sure something is going on with Miyuki.
"You like me, right?" Miyuki asks.
Silence.
Then Sawamura pushes Miyuki back. "Are you making fun of me or something? And I thought you were actually going to be serious for once!"
Sawamura moves to get up but Miyuki grabs his wrist. "I am serious!" Miyuki whispers fiercely. Then he sighs. "Don't leave, okay? I'm not making fun of you right now, I swear. Just...answer the question.
Sawamura stares at him for a second then settles back down on the grass. "What kind of a stupid question is that? Of course I like you! I like you a lot! Why would I date you if I didn't like you?"
"And that won't change? No matter what?"
Sawamura feels like he's being pinned by the serious look in Miyuki's eyes. It's a heavy question, something that can't be answered lightly. Even so, Sawamura knows his answer.
"You could make me angry, make me sad, make me upset and I'd still like you, Miyuki. There are a lot of times when I think I hate you, but I know deep down that I don't mean it. I don't know how to hate you. Even if you did something really bad, I'd still like you, even if I really wanted to hate you. I can't change that. I don't want to."
Miyuki is silent, eyes filled with awe before he laughs softly. "I guess I'm the one being the idiot this time." He rests his head on Sawamura's shoulder "I feel the same way, Sawamura. The same exact way."
Sawamura rests his head on top of Miyuki's. Who do you think you are, Miyuki, asking me unfair questions like that? But I guess that's because you're an unfair person. You're so unfair, being such an awful person but still making me like you so much.
"Miyuki, you'd tell me if something was bothering you, right?" Sawamura asks.
"Of course. You can trust me, Sawamura." He says it so earnestly that Sawamura has no choice but to believe him.
Sawamura closes his eyes, soaking up the comfortable feeling that surrounds him. He commits this moment to memory, relishing in the thought he and Miyuki have gotten a little closer. He's not ready to let that "l" word to fully cross through his mind yet, but he does make a decision. He's going to trust Miyuki.
Even if he won't acknowledge it, breathing in time with Miyuki's breathes, Sawamura is falling deeper in love with Miyuki each day…
When Kazuya wakes up, he makes a decision.
It really was a miracle, to go this long avoiding Mei and in turn avoid any of the problems he knew would come up once Mei found out he had a boyfriend. But that miracle has run out, and it's time to stop running. Even though he's in Gryffindor, Kazuya isn't the bravest person he knows. But when he thinks of Sawamura, the way his face shines in the moonlight and the way he simply but honestly says that he'll never stop liking him, his resolve strengthens. Sawamura is the only person who gives him the strength to be brave.
So when Mei approaches him again at the end of class with the same menacing glare, Miyuki looks up at him with a smile, and says that he's been waiting to talk to him all day.
Mei drags him to an empty hallway at the far end of the castle, which means that Mei isn't playing around today. Which is good, because neither is he.
"So," Kazuya starts, taking on a casual tone. "What did you want to talk to me about, Mei? We haven't had any time to ourselves in a while."
"You've been avoiding me." Straight to the point. Mei can be scary when he's serious but Kazuya's known him too long to back down here.
"Avoiding you? Why would I do that? I told you, I've just been busy with Quidditch and stuff. I've got my hands full training the Seekers-"
"You can cut the bullshit, Kazuya. That's not even what I wanted to talk to you about. You can lie to me about that, but I won't tolerate anything but the truth on this."
Kazuya lets his smile fade. "On what?"
Mei shoves his hands into his pockets. "A little birdie told me some interesting Gryffindor gossip."
"That birdie must really get around, if it's going out of its way to tell a Slytherin about Gryffindor business."
"It's your fault, Kazuya. I worry about you. If I don't keep an eye on you, who knows what you'll do?"
That just makes him angry. "That's the thing, Mei. I don't need you to keep an eye on me." He takes a deep breath, trying to stay calm. "Look, Mei, I think there's something you're not understanding."
"Really? And what would that be?"
"Our relationship had it's ups and downs but there were always more downs. I've accepted the fact that as much as we like each other, we're better as friends. I thought you accepted that too."
"I have accepted that!"
"Friends don't keep tabs on friends! We're not dating anymore, so there's no reason for you send people to spy on my personal life."
"Get off your high horse, Kazuya." Mei huffs. "Is it that shocking to you that gossip spreads between houses? Or is it more believable to you that I would send out secret agents to report to me about your every step?"
"All I'm saying is nobody has ever just happened to tell me a rumor about you."
"That's because I'm honest with you!" Mei's voice slightly raises. When something new changes with me, you're the first person I tell! You used to do the same but now all you do is lie! For once, I just want to hear the truth from you! Yeah, we aren't dating anymore, but we were still doing things for months after our breakup. Now, you go out of your way not to even to look at me. I wanna know why."
Kazuya narrows his eyes. "What did your little birdie tell you?"
Mei grabs the front of his sweater. "He told me he saw you kissing some guy." he says, fist clenching around the fabric. "And that it was someone I would know, some loudmouth or something. Is this guy your boyfriend?"
Miyuki sighs. He grabs Mei's hand from the front of his sweater and slowly lowers it. "Yes, okay? 'That guy' is my boyfriend."
"Who is he? What's his name? I want to meet him." Mei says in one breath.
"No!" Miyuki curses at himself, knowing he said that too quick. "I mean, this is what I'm talking about Mei. When has it ever been a good idea to introduce your ex to your new boyfriend?"
"What about all that bullshit about being friends? I bet that bastard Kuramochi has met him. So has everyone else on your team. If those people have met him, why can't I?"
Faintly, Miyuki recalls a younger him who asked himself the same question and when he couldn't come up with a sufficient answer eagerly went and told Mei everything time and time again.
He was not that naive boy anymore.
Through gritted teeth he says, "You know why."
Mei crosses his arms and smiles, but there's nothing happy about it. "Oh? Refresh my memory then. What reason is so bad that you have to keep your precious boyfriend within a ten mile radius away from me?"
All of his self-restraint breaks. "Mei, why don't you cut the bullshit? You can stop pretending now, because I know. I know what you to do to people I-"
"Oi, Miyuki! Is that you?" Hearing that voice, Miyuki can feel his face pale and his stomach drop.
Oh shit.
Haruichi told him that while Potions isn't a walk in the park now it could be million times harder if the professor hated him. So when the professor needed someone to grab something for him at the end of class, Sawamura happily volunteered. After all, if being in the professor's good graces is all it takes to keep from failing then he would do whatever it takes. He just wishes that "whatever it takes" didn't include have to look for this obscure, practically hidden, part of the castle to grab some ingredient for a potion the professor was trying out.
Sawamura, after finally his way through this goddamn maze of a school, finds himself in some empty hallway where every door looks the same and there are no labels telling him what might be in the rooms. He's almost about to cry in a frustration, when he sees someone up ahead. He gets a little closer and sees that the person has messy brown hair, like he just got out of bed. He'd know that hair anywhere.
"Oi, Miyuki! Is that you?" The person turns around and it's Miyuki, just like he thought.
He runs up to him. "Miyuki, I'm glad I found you! I need to find a storage section or something, can you help me? Wait, why are you even here? I didn't even know you knew about this-" he cuts himself off when he realizes two things: Miyuki's not alone and his face is really pale. Like sickly pale.
He has the decency to look sheepish. "Oh, sorry I didn't realize you were talking to somebody." He looks at the person and almost flinches. He's never been glared at by someone with such cold eyes. Come to think of it, there was something familiar about that boy.
"Hey, do I know you from somewhere?" he asks the boy.
"I doubt it. I can't imagine what would have to happen for me to know you." The condescending tone in his voice and the way he looks at Sawamura like he's the dirt beneath his shoes really pisses Sawamura off.
"Mei!" Miyuki says so sharply Sawamura jumps. "Don't be rude."
"And why not? He just walks up and interrupts us while we're talking and you're yelling at me?" The fierce look he gives Miyuki jogs his memory.
"Ah!" His sudden yell makes both Miyuki and the boy wince. "I know who you are! You're the Seeker for the Slytherin team!"
How could ever forget? So far, they've only played Slytherin a couple scrimmages and there was only one Sawamura really got to play in. The Slytherin's Seeker may look small, but he was a monster. Hair so blonde it was almost white and aggressive blue eyes...Sawamura could never forget him. When he came in he thought he was doing pretty well. He even managed to get the Snitch away from the Seeker a couple of times. But the Seeker had this strong, overpowering aura around and when their eyes met it made Sawamura do the one thing he swore he'd never do: cower. He hesitated for one second, and that's all it took for the Seeker to snatch the Snitch away from him, ending the game in a Gryffindor loss. Sawamura was torn up about that game for weeks.
"Congratulations, you got it right. You can stop screaming." But then he really looked at Sawamura. "Wait. I know you too."
There was silence for a moment.
"You're the idiot seeker, aren't you?"
Sawamura turns red with anger. "Don't call me that!"
Mei would never say this aloud, but he has only just started to put this idiot out of his mind. To think this stupid fifth-year seeker who's only been on team for not even a year came this close to beating him, it was infuriating. Luckily, like with every Quidditch game it all came down to will. And if it was a battle of wills, then Mei could win easily. That didn't stop him from complaining to Carlos that whole week, saying but not really saying that that idiot could be kind of dangerous in the future.
Something about that memory jolted Mei. "Wait. 'I've got my hands full training the Seekers' you said? And the person is 'someone I would know'?" Kazuya just stares at him with blank eyes. "And isn't your boyfriend a loudmouth, Kazuya?"
Sawamura bristles. "What? First idiot, now loudmouth! I don't even know you and you've insulted me twice! What did I ever do to you?"
Out of nowhere, Miyuki grabs his wrist. He reflexively tries to pull away but Miyuki grips his wrist tight. "Sawamura, this is Narumiya Mei, my...childhood friend. Mei, this is Sawamura Eijun. My boyfriend."
The silence is completely and utterly crushing. For a second, Sawamura gets the urge to run.
"Your-"
"This was a good conversation, Mei, but unfortunately I've got Prefect duties. I'll talk to you later."
Quickly and effortlessly he drags Sawamura down the hallway, and Sawamura is filled with such relief that he doesn't even remember the task he was suppose to do for his Potions teacher.
As they disappear around the corner, Mei feels his mouth form a smile. "The idiot seeker, huh?"
Hands in pocket, he heads back to his own common room.
Sawamura scans the library bookshelves, looking for some books to help with his Transfiguration project. He looks at some titles, but honestly his mind is still on yesterday, whatever yesterday was.
When he tried to ask Miyuki about it he got completely shut down. "I'm sorry about Mei. He doesn't exactly disprove the Slytherin stereotype, huh?" Miyuki said, forcing out a chuckle.
"If he's your friend, why haven't I heard about him before? I didn't think you had friends outside of Gryffindor. Come to think of it, you barely have friends in Gryffindor."
"Hey!" Miyuki said, offended. But then he sighed. "Look, it's really not a big deal. I never mention him because it never really came up."
"What were you even talking about? It looked really serious."
Miyuki forced out another chuckle. "I've been busy with school and Quidditch so I haven't made the effort to hang out with him. He was just chewing me out for being a bad friend."
"That's it?"
"That's it. Really, Sawamura, it was nothing."
Sawamura nodded. "Okay."
Miyuki smiled. "Come on, let's head to the common room. I wanna relax a little before dinner."
These past few months Sawamura has seen many of Miyuki's smiles, each of them meaning a different thing. The one Miyuki gave him yesterday was something Sawamura hadn't seen in a while. It was Miyuki's false smile.
It's been eating Sawamura up inside since. Now he knows for sure that there's something troubling Miyuki. Something that he doesn't want to tell Sawamura about. Doesn't he trust me? Sawamura thinks. Immediately he shakes his head at the stupid thought. Of course Miyuki trusts him. But still, Miyuki is definitely hiding something. Why wouldn't Miyuki tell him if something was bothering him? He wants to be the person Miyuki turns to when he's worried about something. Hasn't he proven that he's here for Miyuki no matter what?
With thoughts like these swirling through his head Sawamura doesn't even notice someone beside him until he feels his fingers brush against his as he reaches for a book. He jumps back in surprise, then his eyes light up with recognition.
"White-haired Seeker!" he shouts in surprise.
"Shhh! God, do you have to yell all time? And my name is Narumiya!"
Sawamura frowns. Miyuki's friend or not, he doesn't like him very much. "Sorry, Narumiya. You can have the book if you want."
Narumiya smiles, but honestly it feels no different from a frown. "Actually, I'm glad I ran into you. I've been meaning to talk to you."
Even an idiot like Sawamura can tell that the likelihood of anything good coming from talking with Narumiya is pretty low. Before it occurs to him to make an excuse he just says, "No way."
"That's rude! You won't even listen to what I have to say?" Narumiya says innocently.
"You've been really rude to me so far. Why should I have to listen to you?"
And of course, Narumiya says the only thing that could sway him. "It's about Kazuya."
Next thing he knows he's being dragged into a room he's never seen before. It almost looks like a common room, with couches and tables and even a fireplace.
"Has Kazuya ever brought you here?" Narumiya asks as he settles down on a couch.
Sawamura sits on the couch across from him. "No, he hasn't. I'm not even sure what this room is."
The look on Narumiya's face is almost smug. "Kazuya's the one who showed it to me. This is the Room of Requirement. It's a secret room, and it changes into whatever the person who finds it needs. I've never seen it like this before, though. Usually when we use it, it's a bedroom."
"Why would it be a bedroom?"
Narumiya just moves on as if he didn't speak. "How much has Kazuya told you about me?"
Sawamura leans back against the couch with his arms crossed. "Not much. He just told me you were is childhood friend, that's all."
He sees Narumiya clench the couch cushion, just a little bit. "Of course he did. That's Kazuya, never telling the full story."
"Is there something you wanted to talk to me about or-"
"Yes." Narumiya leans forward. "Look, there's no easy to say this but...you need to break up with Kazuya."
Immediately Sawamura stands up. "I knew this would be a waste of time! I should've never let you talk me into coming here!" Sawamura turns away to leave but Narumiya grabs his arm.
"Just listen to me!" Narumiya pleads.
"Let go of me!" He struggles against Narumiya's ironclad grip.
"Has he been acting weird lately?" That makes Sawamura stop struggling. "He's quieter and it seems like he's always lost in his thoughts but he keeps insisting that he's fine?"
Sawamura turns to look at him. "What would you know about it?"
Narumiya sighs. "It's the same cycle with him. Kazuya's the type of person who doesn't like sharing his feelings with anyone, no matter close you get to him.
The look in Narumiya's eyes is almost sincere. "Kazuya didn't tell you everything, Sawamura. The truth is, Kazuya is my childhood friend but he's also my boyfriend. Or ex-boyfriend, I guess. Kazuya loves me, but he doesn't want to admit to me or himself. So he goes around dating girlfriend or boyfriend after girlfriend or boyfriend to prove he's over me, then breaks their hearts one after another when he realizes he's not. I'm tired of watching it happen. You seem like a nice person, I don't want to see you get hurt."
Sawamura pulls away roughly. "I don't believe you." he says in a voice so serious it almost scares Narumiya for a second. "If you were Miyuki's boyfriend, why wouldn't he just tell me that? You're a liar!"
Narumiya smiles cruelly. "Ask him then. Ask him, and see if he tells you the truth. And when he tells you that we did date, think about what else he could be lying to you about."
Again he feels the urge to flee. He doesn't want to hear Narumiya's voice. He doesn't want to believe the words he's saying. He turns and runs right out of the room. But that doesn't stop him from hearing Narumiya's voice call out, "If you don't do something you'll be the one who gets the most hurt, idiot Seeker."
Sawamura doesn't stop running.