It was after school hours.
Most of the staff was in the process of getting cleaned up, removing their Hero outfits or had moved on to other jobs. Elly had showered and changed into a plain, black tank top and jeans with sandals. A black choker with a golden microphone charm adorned her pale throat. She stowed part of her stuff back in the locker in the teacher's lounge, then turned with a sigh. A large potted bamboo plant was sitting there by the windows. It was beautifully adorned with strips and scraps of colored paper, star decorations and ribbons. She walked up to it, a gentle smile on her face and her white tail tips twitching. Elly loved holidays, and being a late June birth herself, felt close to this one. She sighed as she stared at it, her own slip held loosely in one hand. She was so deep in thought that she didn't hear the firm step of a boot behind her.
"I like it," Yamada Hizashi murmured near her ear, causing her to jump. "Tanaba, I mean. Besides it bein' my birthday and all, it's a pretty night. The bar we go to opens up the back and we can sit under the sky. The city lights dull the stars somewhat, but at least there's fewer bugs." His voice was low and pleasant, unlike his Hero persona. His outfit that day was simple as well, she saw when she turned - black jeans, a white cotton t-shirt and his usual necklaces and bracelet.
"I - I didn't know that was today, exactly." She bit her lip, cursing herself for not remembering. She had written the precious day on her calendar, but Eri had smothered most of the month in stickers on her last visit. The carefully recorded day had probably been replaced by a sparkly heart.
<i>Considering how infatuated I am with him, gotta admit that's ridiculous</i>, she thought with an inward groan.
"Pfft, forget about it." He shrugged. "You're comin', right? You can pay for one of my drinks if you want. Or not. Just you being there would be cool." He leveled the full force of his smile at her, and she had to place a hand to the wall beside her so she didn't pass out from his cuteness. In doing so, she dropped her piece of paper and he bent and picked it up.
She froze, her heart dropping in her chest.
<i>Oh no!</i>
He glanced at it, the smile still lingering on his lips. He intended to fix it to the bamboo alongside his, but couldn't resist reading it. When he did his eyes grew wide.
"H - holy shit, did I read that right? Did you wish... for <i>me</i> by my given name?"
"I have to go." Ears low and face burning, she made an attempt to rush past him to the door.
"No, no baby, <i>wait</i>!" Hizashi caught her arm before she could get further. "Look. Ches, look - my <i>tanzaku</i>." He gently pried her hands away from her face with one hand while the other held his slip of paper out for her to read.
She gasped out loud when she saw her name also written on it. He stepped closer as the pretty gold paper fluttered to the floor out of her nerveless fingers.
"We wished for the same thing. That's why you waited until everyone was gone? Me, too. I guess we, uh, we're really dense, though, huh? I mean, how the hell could we have missed it for so long?"
Her ears flicked. "For 'so long'?" She asked in a stunned voice.
He gestured wildly with his free hand. "Yeah! Uh! It... uhhhh. Shit. Ya got me. My mouth runs way ahead of my brain too much. I've been in love with you for a long time."
"Ohhh. Oh my god. I ...me, too. You don't have to be better than you are. I don't think that's possible anyway."
Hizashi stared at her as if seeing her for the first time. "Hey, is that a Mic charm?"
She coughed lightly. "It's, ah, a microphone, yes -"
"Ahh, no Ches. Don't kid around. I bet that's my merch." He grinned, admiring how it sparkled under the fluorescent school lighting. "You were doin' stuff like this right under my nose, huh? And I didn't catch on."
Elly swallowed hard, nodding. "All right," she gave up with a shaky smile. "Maybe I started to get a teeny bit obvious. But - but I really like you."
"Shit. I feel like my heart's on fire," he groaned, pulling her close. "The beat's crazy fast. Babe, you feel it, too? Here..."
Elly's face burned hotly when he pressed her up against his chest. "Oh," she gasped.
Hizashi's eyes widened, realizing the position he had put her in. He yelped softly, yanking his hands away and holding them up in the air. "S - sorry!"
She stared at him, and, holding his gaze, slowly laid back down again, laying her hands on his chest. He sucked in a gasp of air and froze. They sat like that for a few seconds before she felt him sigh deeply. His arms wrapped around her and he bent down to nuzzle the top of her head.
"Can I really have this?" He whispered so softly she had to prick up her ears to hear. "Not a lot of people take me seriously. They think I'm some sort of idiot that yells a lot. Shitty entertainer, sham Hero, I've heard it all, especially on social media. But you understand, don't you? You get me."
"I hope so," she murmured.
"Oh, oh! You <i>definitely</i> get me. But I mean that both ways, babe." Hizashi grinned and patted her gently on the back.
"How much of you do I get?" Emboldened by his confession, she decided to play a little.
His eyes lit up, the spirals seeming to swirl as his gaze grew in intensity. "You can have as much as you want, <i>if</i> you promise that tonight's not just a birthday gift."
"It's definitely not just a one night thing."
"Good." He hugged her happily. "'Cause I wanna keep this gift forever."
No comments:
Post a Comment