Disclaimer: I own everything!

Nowaki: Cheyanne!

Chey: Awe, where'd the cutesy nicknames go?

Nowaki: Tell the truth.

Chey: Oh, that's no fun.

Nowaki: Chey-chan!

Chey: That's better. Okay fine, I own nothing.

Nowaki: That's better.

Egoist Act Two Part Two

"Am I a substitute for Usami-san?"

The pork buns in the microwave beeped loudly but they were completely ignored as Hiroki snapped. "What the hell is your problem?" he roared. "Where the fuck did you get that idea? Or are you just screwing with me?" He stood there, panting hard, wondering what the hell Nowaki was thinking. He was the concerned party, right? Why couldn't he get his feelings across to the medical student?

"Hiro-san, I…even when I was a kid, I never really truly wanted anything for myself. And then I saw you crying and I thought, I want this. I want you. I really want you, Hiro-san."

"What?" Hiroki asked.

"I've never felt this way before. I'm scared. I mean, I'm so happy that I can barely stand it. But I can't help but think that this cannot last. The more I fall for you, the more I think I'm the only one who wants this. And," he looked down at his hands. "And, that's not wrong, I mean, you're only seventeen and you have the rest of high school and college, and you have Usami-san, but…" he trailed off.

Hiroki struggled to put his thoughts into words. In the end, he finally snapped out, "Don't be a moron!" He shut his eyes with a sigh and went on, "Don't make up shit without even asking how I feel." He hesitated and then said, "Would it convince you if I profess my love to you all day long? All night long? Every day for the rest of my life?"

Nowaki looked at him. "It's not about words."

"Then what?" he cried.

"I know you say things like that easily, so I was wondering why you would do something like that?"

"Something like what? What the hell did I do?"

"Well, you keep going to that café and watching me work at the florist."

Hiroki froze, then looked at Nowaki, then turned scarlet. "You…you!" He stumbled back, sweating bullets. "How…how lo-long have you known?"

"Three months, give or take?"

Hiroki's eyes bugged and he shrieked. He immediately started throwing everything in the room. "Go away! Get out!"

"Hiro-san, please calm down."

"Shut up! Go away!"

"Hiro-san!"

Hiroki felt humiliated. Unable to kick out Nowaki, he turned tail and fled to the bedroom. "Tell everyone that I've died. Please dump my ashes into the Caspian Sea in five years."

"Hiro-san," he called. You're not making sense!"

"Quit it. You're just laughing at me on the inside aren't you?" He made it to the bedroom and tackled him. Hiroki pulled a blanket over his head.

Nowaki kissed the back of his neck. "Why would I ever laugh? I was happy. So happy. How could I possibly not know you were near me? But it's not something I thought you would do. I wondered if I was kidding myself, or if you were checking to make sure I was at the job so you could go see Usami-san. I got scared. Really scared. I decided that I would rather hear the truth and be hurt instead of egotistically thinking that you automatically cared." He wrapped his arm around Hiroki's stomach. "Please tell me, did you come to the café to see me? Do you actually still care for me?"

Hiroki was silent for a moment. "Yeah," he finally replied.

Nowaki pulled back a bit to let Hiroki get to his feet. Hiroki stood slowly. Nowaki knew exactly which buttons to push. He could take what little pride the teen had been building since his parents had kicked him out and destroy it utterly. The worst part was that he didn't even care.

Nowaki smiled and tugged the blanket away from Hiroki's face. "You're young, we can take it easy. Just let me love you, please."

"I'll try," he murmured, giving in.

Nowaki touched his face and pulled him close to kiss him. Hiroki felt pissed. He hated that he loved Nowaki so much. The blanked fell away completely as Nowaki wrapped his arms around the teenager and sat down, pulling Hiroki to his knees in his lap.

…

Nowaki looked out across the street at the café where Hiroki usually watched him. He sighed. Hiro-san wasn't coming today. And this would have been the seventh time too.

"Well, this looks beautiful!" his boss's words cut into his thoughts.

Nowaki looked over at him to see he was making a huge bouquet. "Wow, that's great."

"I even added a whole lot more flowers, free of charge."

"That's generous. Is it a delivery?"

"Nope."

"Pickup?"

"No."

"Then what—"

"Here!" He held up the monstrous bouquet. "It says it's for you, from Kamijou Hiroki-san. He says, 'Congrats on passing medical exams.'" Nowaki's eyes bugged out. Then he smiled blindingly.

…

Hiroki stared at the wall, thinking about how lame he was. He just wanted Nowaki to be as happy as he was.

Nowaki threw the door open. "I got the flowers! Hiro-san! I love them."

"Don't get worked up!" he snapped. "You'll still have to pass next term's exams as well."

Nowaki dropped the flowers and tackled him. "Hiro-san, I'm so happy I could die."

"You idiot." Me, too…

To be continued…

Yay, almost done with volume one. Next up is Romantica Act 2.5.

Misaki: Ooh Usagi-san, we get our own half chapter

Usagi: So?

Misaki: So I can show you more sketches.

Usagi: I'm going to school now *walks away*

Chey: Anyway, please review my lovelies!

Thanks for reading:)

~Cheyanne