Chapter Text
By all means, it should have been a perfectly normal and productive day.
“Normal” meaning Nakamura should have gotten a healthy amount of alone time, as usual. Lonely it may be, but dipping into his fantasies is a lot easier than running his social battery dry trying to figure out how to navigate the “productive” end of his new life.
Because he and Hirose are friends now. Or, they have been for a while, according to him. So Nakamura’s daily productivity now involves getting at least one smile directed to him by his new friend, like a plant that needs the sun to photosynthesize.
Their tentative friendship has been a slow-building thing. Being as popular as he is, Hirose isn’t always hovering around Nakamura, but occasionally, he’ll feel a presence stop just before his desk or a figure catch up to him in the hall or a shadow fall over him at lunchtime, and Nakamura will know just from the smell of sweet, perfect oranges that Hirose’s come to see him.
It’s not nearly as much as his fantasies involve, but at the same time, it’s more than enough for Nakamura! Just being able to see the other boy laugh or smile because of him causes an elation like no other to burst in his chest like firecrackers. Despite the science behind exposure therapy, the more frequent encounters also did nothing to improve Nakamura’s poor heart palpitations.
Since presenting (rather late) as an alpha in his last year of middle school, he’s heard it all. People say omegas and alphas tend to get too attached to the opposite dynamic all the time, but that the attraction fades once people start getting to know each other past just their scent compatibility.
And yet, for Nakamura, his hopeless attraction to the omega has only grown in spades.
His scent is one thing, but his kindness, his cute face… rosy cheeks with such wide, thoughtful eyes… Even if he were a beta or another alpha, nothing would change the fact that every aspect of Hirose Aiki seems to have been carefully curated to send Nakamura’s cardiovascular system into overdrive!
It’s too much to handle for one day, see.
So even if it does get lonely, Nakamura chooses to relish the moments he has away from Hirose. They’re valuable planning time! Time that he sets aside to carefully orchestrate his next move! The backstage crew is just as important as the actors on set, you know!
…And Nakamura’s found it’s much, much easier to speak to Hirose in his fantasies than it is to try and seek him out, anyway.
Today, though, seems to be quite the outlier.
“Mm, Nakamura, do you know the answer to this question?”
“Nakamura! Did you hear what Sensei said just now?”
“Ehehe, I lost my eraser. Do you have one I could borrow, Nakamura?”
And, finally, fatally—
“Nakamura, do you mind if I sit here today?”
Nakamura stiffens, eyes darting to the boy currently smiling sheepishly down at him across the table.
The cafeteria is just as packed as usual, and as such, Nakamura’s table is completely deserted. Except, Hirose’s in front of him. Nakamura’s eyes bug at the sight of the bento in his hands.
Lunch! With Hirose! He’s had Hirose come up to him before, but he’s always eaten with his friends before going to see Nakamura!
Something’s in the air today. No doubt about it. Hirose’s been practically glued to him the whole day. His luck wasn’t even this good when Aokiyama passed that bloody holy water concoction off to him. He hasn’t gotten the smell of citrus out of his nose since the first time Hirose walked up to him today.
Realizing he’s taken too long to respond, Nakamura quickly smiles up at Hirose and shakes his head. “O-of course not! Help yourself!”
“Great! Thanks.”
As Hirose settles in the seat right beside him, Nakamura focuses extremely hard on choking down his bento, hand shaking as he lifts his chopsticks to his lips.
Like this, with Hirose sitting right beside him, Nakamura’s close enough that his scent is practically wrapping around him.
Ahh, he smells like a summer yuzu treat… I bet he tastes like one too… Nakamura chews aggressively on a piece of cabbage. Crazy! He’s crazy for having these thoughts right next to Hirose!
And even the thought of him tasting like citrus is absurd, anyway. Has he even ever seen Hirose eating an orange? Nakamura imagines he’d taste like the potato chips he’s so fond of, or maybe melon juice boxes. Neither of those things leave very much of an aftertaste, though, so if it’s been a couple hours then he’d probably taste of chemicals from his lip balm. Or maybe even sweat—
Ow. His thoughts spin to a halt as pain erupts in his mouth. He opens his mouth to reveal the chewed-up end of his chopstick, running his tongue between his teeth to extract the splinter.
He glances up discreetly to see if Hirose noticed, and—
Why is he looking straight at me?! Nakamura quickly looks back down, face burning.
Nakamura can hear Takeuchi some ways behind them, chattering on and on about something or other, occasionally interspersed with the exasperated voices of Hirose’s other friends.
But Hirose’s not looking at them at all.
Nakamura throws a glance at the wall beside him just to make sure, then looks back at Hirose, swallowing. He is staring at him!
Do I have something on my face? He wonders hysterically, a hand creeping up his cheek. Or, did he see me chewing on my chopstick and decide I’m a total weirdo—?!
“Ah, sorry.” Nakamura glances Hirose’s way just as he looks away, sheepish. “I was staring, right?”
“It’s fine,” Nakamura says hurriedly. “Just, is there a reason? You’ve been…” Attached to his hip seems a little blunt, so he instead gestures lamely.
He gets the privilege of seeing Hirose’s cheeks pinken with embarrassment.
“I just…!” His hands flounder every which way. “I don’t know, today I just don’t feel like hanging around the others, I guess?”
Ah. Nakamura’s mind flashes back to that day in the aquarium.
“That’s fine,” he says, surprising himself with how quickly he says it. “I don’t mind it.”
“But I probably made you feel weird, huh,” Hirose laughs nervously. “Sorry. Some part of me just really wants to be around you today, Nakamura. Is that weird?”
Nakamura’s heart does a funny little flip in his chest. It’s not for the same reasons, probably, but the wording Hirose is using is dangerous. “N-no. It’s not. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t feeling bad.”
“I see,” Hirose hums, relieved. He leans his cheek into his palm, smiling fondly at Nakamura. “You really are a kind guy, Nakamura.”
Ah… is it possible to pass away from a compliment? Those words, in that tone, combined with that look… it’s a triple threat! A deadly combo! Total knockout!
“I guess.” He looks away frantically, shoveling rice and pork into his mouth before he can say anything stupid.
“I wouldn’t like you if you weren’t though, huh.” Is Hirose trying to kill him? He must be. “I’m glad you were free for lunch. You really are easy to be around.”
“I’m always free for lunch,” Nakamura blurts, immediately cringing. He meant to make that sound cooler, in a “You can come to me anytime, Hirose” kind of way, but it just sounds sad.
“Oh yeah, I guess you are. Whenever I come up to you at lunch…”
Hirose trails off, looking troubled, eyes never leaving Nakamura’s face. He imagines this is what it might look like when Hirose comes across a lone dog outside in the rain.
“I don’t mind it,” Nakamura clarifies. “I don’t do well with other people.”
“Mm…” Hirose hums, thoughtful. “That’s funny. You’re always alone, and I never am. Makes me feel kind of scummy for brushing everyone off like this, heh.”
“Scummy!” Nakamura scoffs. “As if.”
Hirose blinks. Nakamura turns bright red. He said that out loud.
A sly snicker slips out of Hirose’s lips. “I didn’t know you thought of me that highly, Nakamura. Can I do no wrong in your eyes?”
He doesn’t even know the half of it! If Hirose spat on him, Nakamura would thank him just for his attention. What’s the right answer here again? “N-n-no. Of course not.”
“Ah, well, it still sounds really nice to hear from you,” Hirose sighs. “You said it so confidently, Nakamura. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome,” he mumbles faintly.
A pause passes between them, during which Nakamura takes the time to celebrate his victory of another successful conversation with the love of his life.
“Hey, Nakamura, when we’re done with this, can we drop by the classroom?”
“Huh? Oh… sure.” Score!
⊹ ࣪ ﹏﹏𐂠﹏﹏ ࣪ ⊹
“Oh? Looks like Otogiri-sensei’s on break.”
Nakamura peers out over Hirose’s shoulder at the empty classroom.
“Well! It’s probably for the best.” Hirose hums as he skips through the threshold into the room, walking over to his desk. “It would be kind of embarrassing if he caught me coming back for this.”
“I didn’t know you read shoujo manga,” Nakamura observes, eyes flickering over the cover of the book that Hirose has in his hand—a dark-haired girl and boy, surrounded by a sea of sakura petals. Hirose being a secret romantic… what a secret cute side to him! I’m supremely glad I got to witness this!
“Ah, well!” Hirose barks, seeming flustered. “I don’t, usually. Not that there’s anything wrong with it, it’s a fine genre, but I’m just borrowing this from my sister.”
“Oh.” If Nakamura ever asked Kana for something, he’s sure she’d kick him. “Like a sampling?”
“Yeah, I guess!” Hirose laughs nervously.
Love♡Ben is pretty close to most shoujo, right? “H-how are you finding it?”
“Oh.” Hirose looks down at the cover in his hand, and his smile falters. Nakamura immediately regrets asking the question. “Well, I don’t know. It just seems a little unrealistic, is all.”
Critical hit! If he finds some generic high school romance unrealistic, how would he ever react to Love♡Ben?! Nakamura can never, ever tell him. “Unrealistic?”
“W-well, the romance.” Hirose shifts his feet awkwardly. “My sister said it was an easy read because of how easy it is to project onto the characters, but…” He smiles ruefully. “I really can’t get into the guy’s head, you know?”
“...Mm. I think I get it.” Makunouchi has never been an ounce similar to Nakamura. Where’s the market in BL for loser protagonists who are utterly awkward and unattractive? “From what I’ve read, I can’t relate to anybody either. I think I read more because I want to be like the characters…”
Hirose tilts his head, thoughtful.. “…I guess I don’t really want to be like any of the characters, then. That’s probably why.”
Well, Hirose’s perfect as is, so that’s a given. Still, the idea of a character Hirose would admire… it piques Nakamura’s interest. Very subtly, he asks, “You didn’t like any of them?”
Interestingly, Hirose blushes. Nakamura watches the color blooming on his cheeks with rapt interest.
“Well, the male lead… he was really, really cool. Mature and quiet, but also sweet. But I didn’t want to be like him.”
Nakamura thinks about Taku, and it’s his turn to flush. “W-well, you don’t have to want to be like a character to like them, I guess.”
“R-right! It’s kind of like having a villain as your favorite, right?”
“Mm.”
The two stand in awkward silence for a moment. Nakamura gets the distinct feeling that he’s spoken way too much, even though they were just talking about manga.
“W-we should probably get back to the cafeteria, right?” Hirose pipes up, sheepishly holding up his manga. “I got what I was looking for.”
“Well, there’s only about ten minutes left until next period,” Nakamura clears his throat, eyes flicking up to the clock. “Will you have time to do anything?”
“What?” Hirose follows Nakamura’s gaze and promptly deflates. “Bummer. I really wanted to show it to—” He cuts himself off, coughing.
Nakamura’s heart constricts a little bit. Hirose was going to read a shoujo manga with someone? “Sorry… it looks like you’ll have to wait.”
“Ahaha, no, it’s fine, I can probably find some other time!” Ouch. So they must be close, if Hirose talks to them so frequently. “I think us talking was more important, anyway.” Oh. Nakamura—one! Unknown friend of Hirose’s—zero!
They stand in amicable silence, Nakamura taking the time to revel in Hirose’s attention, when, suddenly, Hirose’s voice breaks through the quiet.
“Nakamura. I actually wanted to ask something.”
“Hm? Ask away.” He’s so at ease right now, reenergized by Hirose’s words, that the words come so casually.
“Just…” Hirose glances away, picking at the collar of his gakuran. His scent is cloying with anxiety in Nakamura’s nose. “You didn’t put anything on today, did you?”
Nakamura blinks. “Huh?”
“Like, cologne,” Hirose says, “or deodorant? Something like that.”
“N-no?”
He’s heard putting on too much cologne can make people’s heads hurt… is that what’s bothering Hirose? Nakamura raises a sleeve to sniff at himself. Of course, there’s nothing but the faint smell of his detergent.
“Oh. I… guess it’s just your scent, then.”
Nakamura looks up. Hirose is staring again, gaze unreadable. He has to focus hard on standing completely still to keep from shuddering under the weight of those eyes.
“I guess it must be,” he mumbles, feeling faint. Then: “W-wait, my scent?”
It’s only natural that a person can’t smell their own scent, but Nakamura’s in particular has always been rather weak for an alpha—faint and forgettable, just like Nakamura himself. Kana hasn’t even presented yet, and he’s too embarrassed to ask his parents, so he has no idea what exactly Hirose is smelling right now.
“Yeah,” Hirose hums. “It’s pretty unique, is all. Like… seaweed, I guess?”
Nakamura chokes. Seaweed?!
Does he actually smell like a fish?! Or, no, worse than that; seaweed smells like sulfur! He must stink! Hirose is smelling a stinking fish right now! Just my luck that the first time I find out what my scent is is when Hirose’s with me—
“Sorry,” he mumbles.
“What?” Hirose blinks.
“I would’ve put on blockers if I knew.”
“H-huh? No, it’s—!” Hirose flushes, looking away. “No, don’t… it’s not, like… I was just…”
He inhales deeply, then exhales. “Nakamura, your scent is fine. It doesn’t bother me, so don’t worry about it.”
Ah… Nakamura looks away, trying not to feel too disappointed after seeing that expression on Hirose’s face. Trying so hard to mask his discomfort… It reminds him of back then, when other kids would offer awkward smiles while shrinking away from him.
A hand suddenly grasping his wrist promptly breaks his line of thought with a pitiful little fizzle.
“H-Hirose?!” Nakamura barks, bright red. The other boy’s palm is warm through his uniform sleeve, the scent of citrus sharp in his nose.
Hirose, meanwhile, is staring up at him with an intent look in his eyes. “I meant it. Sorry, but I really didn’t like the look on your face just now. Your scent is great, Nakamura.”
Nakamura swallows, hand shaking in Hirose’s grasp. Is this really happening?! “You don’t have to… I mean… if it isn’t, you don’t have to—”
“Are you kidding?” Hirose interrupts, brow furrowed.
“N-no! No, I mean, it only makes sense that—that it would be bad—” Uh-oh. He’s rambling. Hirose’s proximity has completely broken his brain and, subsequently, the filter that separates his thoughts and insecurities inside from his words outside. “It’s faint, so I-I never noticed, but you just seemed like you really didn’t—I mean, why would somebody—?”
“Nakamura,” Hirose huffs, and Nakamura freezes, words dying in his throat, when all of a sudden the other boy leans in close, sharply inhaling his scent.
What. What. What.
What is happening? Nakamura feels as if he’s going to faint just from the proximity alone. Hirose, so close to him, soft lashes fluttering over softer brown eyes. What did he do to deserve such a heavenly sight?
And his scent too, it’s dizzying. Summery citrus wafts around Nakamura, and he has to actively fight the urge to bury his nose right into the very inviting gap in Hirose’s gakuran—has he always worn his uniform like that?!
The sound of Hirose’s voice in his ear brings him back. “I mean, really. You… you smell so, so…”
And, as attractive as the breathlessness is, enough to make Nakamura swallow hard… the feverish tint to his cheeks and the dazed look in Hirose’s eyes is distinctly wrong. There’s no hint of that smile that Nakamura loves, just a Hirose on him that’s completely and utterly out of it. The discrepancy is enough to pull Nakamura out of his trance and realize the compromising situation they’re in.
“Hirose,” he says, flustered, before forcing himself to step back, gently (as if holding glass!) moving his hands to the other boy’s shoulders to move him off. “Hirose, I think something’s up with you.”
“Nothing’s up with me,” the other boy groans. “Nakamura, you just smell really good, sorry… can I…?”
He moves to nuzzle back in, but Nakamura holds him fast, pulling an honest pout of the brown-haired boy. Nakamura takes a moment to shelve the sight in his brain to preserve for the rest of his days before observing Hirose more clinically.
Dilated pupils, sluggish, flushed… Nakamura moves his hand up to Hirose’s forehead, only to flinch, cheeks bright red, as the other boy leans into the touch.
Get it together, Nakamura! he thinks fiercely, steeling himself before moving in again.
This time, the way Hirose sighs and leans into his touch is less startling, if no less enticing, but Nakamura isn’t the type of alpha to take advantage of an omega who’s potentially…
“…Hirose, you aren’t in heat, are you?” Nakamura pulls his hand away slowly, ignoring the whine that the omega lets out in response. The back of his fingers tingle from the lingering warmth; the fever basically confirmed it.
“Ah. I…? I might be?” Hirose blinks slowly, a brief moment of lucidity. “I’m… yeah, probably, right? But Mukai didn’t smell like…”
“H-Hirose!” Nakamura outright yelps as the boy promptly drops his head onto his shoulder, inhaling deeply. This is wrong! It’s wrong! It’s so, so wrong! He’d want this when Hirose is completely lucid, but his traitorous heart is almost desperate enough to settle for this.
Almost. He still has enough presence of mind to shove the other boy back and hastily fix his uniform as if it would conceal his pounding heart. If Hirose can still smell him, Nakamura’s probably reeking of panic.
Another attempt to lean in by Hirose is aborted as Nakamura gently pushes at the boy's shoulder again, and this time the omega pulls back.
“Sorry, Nakamura,” Hirose mumbles from in front of him, looking sheepish now. It’s a devastatingly cute look, combined with the flush. Another for the collection. “I’m probably being a total creep right now, right? My bad.”
“N-n-n-no, no, no, it’s—it’s just your heat, right! So it’s fine!” Nakamura forces a too-wide smile, trying to reassure the other boy.
Now that he knows the cause of Hirose’s heart-attack-inducing behavior, he feels a bit of sympathy. An alpha’s rut is similar to an omega’s heat, somewhat, but it tends to be more about fixating on things that one owns than an intense craving for just anyone. Possessiveness, territoriality, irritability, all of that… it’s certainly not fun for others, either, since the scent of an alpha in rut is enough to send an omega or beta dizzy from the urge to lower their chin and look away. But they’re irregular, and usually happen only thrice a year at most. Nakamura himself has only had two in his whole year-and-a-half of being an alpha.
An omega’s heat, on the other hand, happens once a month! And it involves being incredibly needy, so overwhelmed by one’s own instincts that they feel the urge to cling to whatever familiar scent they can find! Nakamura can’t imagine the stress Hirose is under; no wonder he’s latching onto him like this. Even if some part of him is giddy with the knowledge that he was able to see this side of him, he feels ashamed for being the one left alone with Hirose, when he probably should have been with one of his friends that he seems so much more comfortable with! The thought of Hirose nuzzling into Oomori or Mukai or Takeuchi causes his stomach to churn uncomfortably, though. Perhaps Nakamura ought to thank fate.
“God.” Hirose’s groan breaks Nakamura out of his thoughts. He’s pressing a palm to his forehead, looking feverish. “I’m really out of it. More than usual, whoa… probably because we’re in school, yeah?”
“Probably,” Nakamura mumbles, worriedly eyeing the unsteady set of Hirose’s shoulders. He doesn’t look good at all. “D-do you have heat suppressants on you, Hirose?”
“Mmn, no,” Hirose mumbles, removing his hand from his face to blink dazedly at Nakamura. “My mom… she probably has some at home, but I don’t really use them that often. Usually not this bad.”
“I-I see.” If Nakamura wants to help, his best bet is supporting Hirose out of the room to the nurse’s office. The thought of Hirose’s arm around his shoulder, hugging him as he leans his whole body weight into his side… He’d probably pass out trying to support his weight, but it would be so, so worth it!
“Hirose, we can’t stay here, you know.”
They’re in the hallway, and up until a moment ago, were making steady progress across the tiles to the nurse’s office when suddenly Hirose had stopped to take hold of Nakamura’s collar and drag him in to nuzzle into his neck.
Nakamura looks down at the boy in his arms, adjusting his grip to hold him up more firmly. “You’re hot to the touch. We should get you to the nurse.”
“Sorry,” Hirose mumbles. His breath is warm through Nakamura’s shirt, where he’s leaning his chin as he inhales the scent along Nakamura’s neck. “Sorry, Nakamura… I couldn’t help myself.”
“It’s fine,” Nakamura says. “Don’t apologize for trying to be more comfortable. That’s what matters to me.”
“Nakamura…” Hirose murmurs, eyes wide. “I’m not bothering you? But I’m probably heavy, right?”
“Not for me,” Nakamura says coolly, shifting Hirose in one arm and taking hold of his chin with the other. “To make you comfortable, I’d carry you for hours.”
“Nakamura…!” Hirose looks away, a rosy blush high on his cheeks. “Y-you’re so shameless.”
“Hehe. I can’t help it when your blush is so cute, Hirose—”
“A-ha! There you are!”
Nakamura screams at the voice, practically jumping in the arms of Hirose, who pulls back to fix the figure in the doorway with a twitching smile.
“You guys found me, huh,” Hirose says, and the adorable irritation in his eyes is a look Nakamura wants to place in a little capsule forever. Wait. Irritation?
Outside the room, Takeuchi and Mukai stand, the former with a triumphant pose and the latter next to him frowning. A little ways behind them is Kawamura, who’s bright red, which of course means Yuuka and Masako must be there too, just out of sight.
“N-Nakamura too?” Takeuchi yelps at the sight of him, jumping as if Nakamura’s presence had actually startled him. Is he that forgettable that it takes several seconds to notice him? He hasn’t even moved! “Hold on, what the hell are you guys doing in here? It’s way too early for class to start!”
Both Nakamura and Hirose flush and quickly scramble apart.
“No way…” Mukai, being an alpha more sensitive to scent, wrinkles his nose. “Hirose, are you in heat?”
A soft squeak escapes Kawamura, and she promptly faints. Voices of alarm can be heard as her friends scramble to catch her.
“Eh, kind of,” Hirose says, rubbing his arm. “It’s probably good that you guys came in right then, huh.”
Nakamura’s eyes dart Hirose’s way frantically. That sounds so bad! So, so bad!
“Hahaha, as if,” Takeuchi scoffs. “You’re Mr. Unfazed on your heats. I’ve never seen you out of sorts. If Mukai doesn’t tell me when you smell, I’d never even notice!”
“Oy.” Mukai elbows the beta, eliciting a yelp. “Honestly, how insensitive can you be?”
“It still sucks to be in heat, Hirose-kun,” Yuuka pipes up with a sympathetic hand on her cheek. She looks at the boy as if he’s a sad hamster. “Do you need to go to the nurse? I can walk you… I know it can feel a little less overwhelming with another omega.”
Right. Nakamura’s eyes dart back to Hirose. He was completely out of sorts just now, so surely he’ll take Yuuka up on that offer. The idea of him staying for class with such bad symptoms—
“Actually, I’m feeling fine,” Hirose says with a cheery shrug. “Honestly, I can probably go the rest of the day—”
“No.”
Everybody looks Nakamura’s way as the word escapes his lips. Immediately, he wants to crawl into a corner and shrink into himself. But he has a priority right now.
“I mean,” he says, willing his flush not to show too much, “Hirose, you seemed really out of it just now. I think, for everyone’s sake, it’d be better if you went to the nurse.”
“Huh? What?” Takeuchi pipes up again, looking befuddled. “You mean Hirose was acting up? But he’s always pretty normal when he’s in heat!”
“Takeuchi,” Hirose mutters, citrus scent spiking. Nakamura notices his ears are bright red. It’s cute.
“No, really, I don’t believe it.” Takeuchi’s eyes narrow. “Though, you’ve been acting kinda weird all day, I think. You asked Nakamura for an eraser even though he was three seats away from you and Mukai was only one, you didn’t even sit with us or Oomori for lunch today, and…” He squints, stepping closer and cocking his head. “...and what’s that in your hand?”
Nakamura feels an irrational amount of annoyance fill him as the boy reaches out for the manga in Hirose’s hand. Thankfully, Hirose acts for him.
“I-it’s nothing!” The boy outright screams, and a smack promptly resonates throughout the empty classroom as he slaps Takeuchi’s hand away, cheeks steaming pink.
Silence.
“Ookay,” Takeuchi says with a whistle, drawing his hand back. “Maybe Nakamura has a point.”
⊹ ࣪ ﹏﹏𐂠﹏﹏ ࣪ ⊹
The silk of his uniform feels chilly against his hot skin as he pulls it over his head and tucks it into his pants. Gym had been about as drab as it usually is, and without Hirose there, Nakamura’s mind had been elsewhere. There’s a saying that sometimes things come more easily when one isn’t trying, but it must be a myth. He’s sore all over from all the times he’d been hit by a shuttlecock in the past hour.
But he can’t even focus on the pain.
Nakamura feels his skin practically buzzing with nerves as he emerges from the locker room. His heart is restless; it’s been so ever since Hirose leaned into him in that empty classroom an hour ago.
He keeps thinking back to it, rotating that moment in his head over and over. No Love♡Ben chapter could even compare to the sensation of Hirose’s nose buried into the collar of his uniform, the heavenly scent of orange surrounding Nakamura, the warmth of Hirose’s hand around his wrist…! And even before that, they talked. So, so much. He could never have anticipated that this would happen today. As soon as he gets home, Icchan is going to hear all about it—
“No way, you get to be walked personally by Sensei?”
“Lucky, Hirose-kun…!”
Nakamura’s head snaps up at the clamoring voices and the sounds of footsteps rushing past him. He turns, steps faltering as he catches sight of a crowd of students forming around Otogiri’s exasperated form.
“It’s just to the front office,” the teacher is saying to the students that flocked his way, but Nakamura’s eyes land on the boy next to him.
Hirose looks as radiant as he always does, smiling sheepishly at his classmates. Any sign of his previous dishevelment is gone, leaving just the boy Nakamura sees every day. Of course, just that alone is enough to get his heart racing in his chest.
“Aw, come on, you guys, don’t be jealous! I’m sure if any of you got to be sent home, Otogiri-sensei would also walk you!”
“‘Got to be…?’ Watch it, kid.”
“Ehehehe…” Hirose’s eyes drift away for a moment, and it’s then that their gazes lock.
Nakamura swallows, feeling heat creep up his neck at the reminder of the last time they made eye contact like this. He looks away before his flush shows on his face, taking a few steps back and hiding behind his bangs.
“…Otogiri-sensei, can I make a quick detour?” He hears.
“Huh? You know, your mother seemed pretty impatient over the phone. Make it quick.”
“Thank you, Sensei!”
Uh-oh. Nakamura doesn’t know if he can handle talking to Hirose right now.
But the footsteps coming up before him are getting louder, and he forces himself to lift his chin and sweep his bangs aside.
Hirose stops in front of him, eyes bright. He must have blockers, because his scent isn’t present— which Nakamura knows should be relieving but instead causes a little disappointed pang in his gut.
Spoiled, he chides himself, embarrassed. A few months ago, he’d never even spoken to Hirose, and here he is, getting so attached to his scent.
“Nakamura!” Hirose says firmly. He’s breathing hard from jogging over, taking a moment to catch his breath. Then, suddenly, he dips into a bow, thrusting his hand out. “I wanted to apologize!”
Nakamura stares, bug-eyed, at Hirose’s bent form. “Apologize?” He repeats, incredulous. For what?
“I didn’t have a right to get all up in your space like that earlier,” Hirose mumbles, peeking up at him but not rising yet. “I figured, before I left, I should at least apologize.”
Nakamura blinks rapidly. Does Hirose even realize the gift he’d given him today?
No, of course not, he reminds himself with a spiritual click of the tongue. He has no idea how besotted I am with him. He just thinks I’m Nakamura, his funny friend. Cockroach boy. Octopus freak. Or something.
“Hirose, you don’t need to apologize… it’s really alright,” he coughs into his fist. It’s more than alright! I’d let you do it again! “I mean, like I said earlier, you were in heat.” But I wish you would do it even if you weren’t! “It doesn’t bother me. We can put it past us.” I’ll probably lay awake thinking about it for the next year.
Hirose finally straightens, fixing Nakamura with a relieved smile and withdrawing his unshaken hand.
“You really are just too forgiving, Nakamura,” he sighs. “Alright, well, at least let me treat you to something next time I see you! For my sake.”
And an excuse to hang out with Hirose again?! Nakamura feels like he’s just won the lottery. What is going on with his luck today?
“N-next time, then,” he says aloud, returning Hirose’s smile with a wobbly one of his own. “Feel better soon, Hirose.”
Hirose beams. “I will! See you around, Nakamura.”
And with that, the other boy turns away, waving at Nakamura as he jogs back to their teacher.
Nakamura, meanwhile, can only watch Hirose’s retreating back with a dreamy sigh. As soon as he’s out of sight, his poor body finally gives up on him. His knees, already wobbling like jelly, give out completely, and he collapses to the ground with a loud fwump!
“H-hey! Are you okay?!” An alarmed classmate shouts.
I’m fantastic, Nakamura thinks giddily, grinning hard into his hands, cupped around his face. I don’t think I’ve ever been better in my life.