The next morning, Hiro slept in once again, though not nearly as long as he had the previous day. It was just past eight when he made it downstairs, where his mother was waiting. She checked his temperature to make sure the fever had disappeared and the two were both relieved to find that it was fully gone. They ate breakfast together, and as they headed off toward the family store, Hiro sent Aoi a good morning text, complete with a multitude of random emojis. His mother gave him a knowing smile and asked about the upcoming Orchestra concert, igniting a pleasant conversation between them. XX
Hiro spent most of the day helping his parents and brother watch over the family store. It was a Sunday, which meant the main road was closed to any motorized vehicles, so deliveries were pretty much out of the question. They weren't completely bored, though, as they still had their usual amount of customers. Hiro passed the time tinkering with the strings on his violin and attempting to finish the piano ballad he hadn't touched since seventh grade. The song itself was somewhat fast-paced and filled with abrupt changes in the pitch of the notes, which made it hard to play, especially when the piano wasn't your native instrument. Sure, it had been his first, but Hiro was still much more used the violin when it came to composing an original song. XXXX
If I finish it though, maybe Aoi will play it for me! Hiro loved nothing more than hearing Aoi play the piano - well, except Aoi himself - and took a moment to daydream about how cool his lover would look playing the ballad on a grand piano. Snapping out of his thoughts with new determination, Hiro got back to word composing the song, and didn't move from his place at the piano until another four hours had passed. He tried not to notice his parents' confused and equally amused expressions from across the room. I wonder what kinds of duties Aoi has during the weekend...seems like they'd be kinda boring. XX
"Akihiro! We're about to close up shop, are you coming home now or are you going to stay a while?" Hiro's father asked, waiting patiently by the door. "Ah, I'm coming!" Following his parents out of the store, Hiro read over the scores he'd written as they walked, playing the notes over in his head. The family ate dinner as calmly - or not so calmly, once Akihiko got home - as usual. And afterward, Hiro was holed up in his room with his electric keyboard, adding more to the ballad. He didn't end up going to sleep until rather late at night, but was still awake at the crack of dawn the next morning. XX
As expected, Hotaru was waiting for him when he left his house. "So, your mom told me that Shimizu stayed over at your place the other night. Care to explain what happened after I left on Friday?" Hiro beamed, ignoring his friend's knowing smirk, and started walking down the road. "What happened to your bike?" "I left it behind on Friday. On accident." "Are you going to tell me why you, someone who is all but obsessed with 'speedy transportation', would forget his bicycle on a rainy day, when you would be even more determined than usual to get home quickly?" XX
Knowing he wouldn't be able to avoid the question, and knowing that Hotaru was trustworthy, Hiro explained everything that had happened on Friday and over the weekend. His explanation quickly turned into an enthusiastic rant, and Hotaru listened to his friend's words with an expression that was somewhere between amusement and exasperation. "Well, I'd say it took you long enough. By now nearly half the school is aware of your guys' insanely unconventional love affair. I doubt anyone's going to mention it, but I'm pretty your 'secret' isn't much of a secret when it comes to all our classmates." Hiro sighed dramatically. "I know! And it sucks! I guess it doesn't really matter, just don't tell anyone we're officially dating, 'kay?" XX
"Of course." Hiro and Hotaru continued to make small talk as they walked toward the school, waving to Yuki and Natsuki as they stepped through the front gate. Their two friends immediately started talking about the duet Hiro was to perform in during their big concert, and without a second thought, he suggested Aoi play the part. Yuki stared at him for a full minute, bewildered. "Really? Last time I suggested that, you got all angry and said you didn't want to play with him..." "Its fine now! Besides, no one else can play the piano part of the duet, so we don't have much of a choice, right?" XXXX
Nodding slowly, Yuki shot Hotaru a confused glance, to which she only got a shrug in reply. Meanwhile, Hiro had disappeared inside the building, racing up the stairs with a grin and speeding down the hallway to the classroom. Throwing open the door, he made his way over to Aoi's desk and greeted his boyfriend with a laugh, same as he usually did - well, before he'd been too stubborn to even look at the guy. They chatted about normal topics, and the entire class seemed relieved that the two had gotten rid of all the tension, though no one inquired as to how. Hotaru knew how, but said nothing, and simply dragged Hiro to his seat as their homeroom teacher walked in to start the lesson. Finally everything was back to normal: nice and tension-free. XX
Hiro spent most of the day helping his parents and brother watch over the family store. It was a Sunday, which meant the main road was closed to any motorized vehicles, so deliveries were pretty much out of the question. They weren't completely bored, though, as they still had their usual amount of customers. Hiro passed the time tinkering with the strings on his violin and attempting to finish the piano ballad he hadn't touched since seventh grade. The song itself was somewhat fast-paced and filled with abrupt changes in the pitch of the notes, which made it hard to play, especially when the piano wasn't your native instrument. Sure, it had been his first, but Hiro was still much more used the violin when it came to composing an original song. XXXX
If I finish it though, maybe Aoi will play it for me! Hiro loved nothing more than hearing Aoi play the piano - well, except Aoi himself - and took a moment to daydream about how cool his lover would look playing the ballad on a grand piano. Snapping out of his thoughts with new determination, Hiro got back to word composing the song, and didn't move from his place at the piano until another four hours had passed. He tried not to notice his parents' confused and equally amused expressions from across the room. I wonder what kinds of duties Aoi has during the weekend...seems like they'd be kinda boring. XX
"Akihiro! We're about to close up shop, are you coming home now or are you going to stay a while?" Hiro's father asked, waiting patiently by the door. "Ah, I'm coming!" Following his parents out of the store, Hiro read over the scores he'd written as they walked, playing the notes over in his head. The family ate dinner as calmly - or not so calmly, once Akihiko got home - as usual. And afterward, Hiro was holed up in his room with his electric keyboard, adding more to the ballad. He didn't end up going to sleep until rather late at night, but was still awake at the crack of dawn the next morning. XX
As expected, Hotaru was waiting for him when he left his house. "So, your mom told me that Shimizu stayed over at your place the other night. Care to explain what happened after I left on Friday?" Hiro beamed, ignoring his friend's knowing smirk, and started walking down the road. "What happened to your bike?" "I left it behind on Friday. On accident." "Are you going to tell me why you, someone who is all but obsessed with 'speedy transportation', would forget his bicycle on a rainy day, when you would be even more determined than usual to get home quickly?" XX
Knowing he wouldn't be able to avoid the question, and knowing that Hotaru was trustworthy, Hiro explained everything that had happened on Friday and over the weekend. His explanation quickly turned into an enthusiastic rant, and Hotaru listened to his friend's words with an expression that was somewhere between amusement and exasperation. "Well, I'd say it took you long enough. By now nearly half the school is aware of your guys' insanely unconventional love affair. I doubt anyone's going to mention it, but I'm pretty your 'secret' isn't much of a secret when it comes to all our classmates." Hiro sighed dramatically. "I know! And it sucks! I guess it doesn't really matter, just don't tell anyone we're officially dating, 'kay?" XX
"Of course." Hiro and Hotaru continued to make small talk as they walked toward the school, waving to Yuki and Natsuki as they stepped through the front gate. Their two friends immediately started talking about the duet Hiro was to perform in during their big concert, and without a second thought, he suggested Aoi play the part. Yuki stared at him for a full minute, bewildered. "Really? Last time I suggested that, you got all angry and said you didn't want to play with him..." "Its fine now! Besides, no one else can play the piano part of the duet, so we don't have much of a choice, right?" XXXX
Nodding slowly, Yuki shot Hotaru a confused glance, to which she only got a shrug in reply. Meanwhile, Hiro had disappeared inside the building, racing up the stairs with a grin and speeding down the hallway to the classroom. Throwing open the door, he made his way over to Aoi's desk and greeted his boyfriend with a laugh, same as he usually did - well, before he'd been too stubborn to even look at the guy. They chatted about normal topics, and the entire class seemed relieved that the two had gotten rid of all the tension, though no one inquired as to how. Hotaru knew how, but said nothing, and simply dragged Hiro to his seat as their homeroom teacher walked in to start the lesson. Finally everything was back to normal: nice and tension-free. XX
Well, you aren't missing on anything, I promise! And I'm kind of concerned about how Chiyoko knows what Hiro smells like? That's a little bit creepy... also! This is random, but what if instead of announcing their relationship over the news, Aoi plays Hiro's ballad at one of his concerts and at the end he explains that it was his lover who wrote it? I have no idea if Aoi would actually do that, but it popped into my head and I thought it was a really cute idea~