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"You want us to..." Chihiro pauses, tilting his head ever-so-slightly as he tries to wrap his mind around the suggestion Shiba just made. "...Take a vacation?"
Hakuri looks over to Chihiro, the words sound foreign coming out of his mouth. Hakuri's never considered this before: Chihiro on vacation. Relaxed. Not a single worry in the world. Hakuri feels an overwhelming desire to go.
He smacks his hand on the table, startling Shiba and Chihiro into silence. Hakuri feels the heat rise to his face as he realizes what he's done.
He swallows once and stutters out, "I-I think a vacation is a great idea!"
Hakuri doesn't back down despite the embarrassing outburst; he maintains eye contact with Chihiro as he ruminates. Hakuri feels nervous-- there's always a chance Chihiro will say no and Hakuri will have to watch him continue to stress himself half to death. Hakuri isn't below begging to make sure Chihiro takes a moment to relax. He really hopes it doesn't come to that.
Shiba shifts, leaning forward slightly, curious to see what Chihiro says.
A minute passes.
Then, Chihiro sighs. Relenting.
Hakuri smiles so wide he thinks his face might stick.
They manage to convince Chihiro to take five days off. Well, Char manages to convince Chihiro. As soon as Char catches wind of a vacation she gets so excited Hakuri's sure she could have convinced him to take the rest of his life off. It's a miracle Chihiro stopped himself at five days with how hard she was pushing for him to take a longer vacation.
Hinao and Shiba fully lock both Chihiro and Hakuri out of any planning. The Kamunabi aren't particularly happy about their vacation but the Masumi and Azami agree that a break is necessary. With their input, and lots of arguing on Shiba's part, the Kamunabi higher ups agree to let them out for a week to take a break, but if anything goes wrong they're supposed to cut it short. It's annoying but Hakuri understands why they're reluctant to let Chihiro take a week off- he's almost single-handedly taking care of the Hishaku for them.
Hakuri overhears Shiba arguing with someone over the phone as he passes his room, it's hard not to be nosy with how annoyed Shiba sounds, it's a level of annoyance usually saved for Azami. Seriously, how those two stayed friends through the years is a mystery to Hakuri. They argue like an old married couple. He looks up and down the hall for anyone passing by and when he confirms the coast is clear Hakuri puts his ear against the cool wooden door.
"We don't need the Kamunabi's permission to take a break- it's not like we're employees or anything."
...
"Yeah, well, we don't need a babysitter either."
...
"I am an adult. Hinao's an adult. Even, Chihiro's- you- whatever. Fine."
A hand on Hakuri's shoulder makes him jump and he turns to find Chihiro standing behind him. There must be a guilty look on his face because Chihiro just sighs and gestures for him to follow. He leads Hakuri back to their shared bedroom just down the hall. Hakuri sits down on his bed and when the door closes behind Chihiro he spills his guts.
"I was just worried," Hakuri explains, stumbling over his words, "I overheard Shiba arguing with someone as I passed by and- and he sounded really mad and I wanted to make sure everything was okay so I just thought I would-"
Chihiro holds his hand up, stopping Hakuri's rambling in it's tracks. "It's fine." Hakuri relaxes immediately, slumping where he sits. Chihiro continues, "...What did you hear?"
Hakuri perks up, happily telling Chihiro everything he knows.
A beach vacation; Hakuri's worst nightmare.
He likes the idea of a beach vacation. The cool, crisp, slightly salty yet sweet ocean air, warm sandy shores where you can soak up enough sun to last a lifetime, and a vast view of the wide open waters so large it stretches across the curved horizon.
Hakuri loves the beach on paper. In practice he's never been a big fan.
There's hazy memories of an old vacation home shrouded in the early morning marine fog that blocks out the warm sunshine. Hidden under the layers of the salty dew are moments carved into his body to this day. Cold waters sting old and new injuries. Otherwise perfect days spent cowering in fear hidden behind boulders.
This time will be different, though.
This time he'll have Chihiro. He'll have everyone else, too. It won't be the same.
Day one starts out slightly stressful. The vacation was supposed to be him, Chihiro, Char, Hinao, Iori, and Shiba. That's what the plan was-- everyone else was either occupied or declined the invitation. Azami showing up was a surprise to everyone but Shiba and Chihiro. It takes way too long for Hakuri to connect the dots-- of course-- Shiba was arguing with Azami on the phone.
An extra person isn't a big deal, but he shows up just as they're about to take off. Hakuri gets the impression that Shiba was rushing them to leave quickly so they could leave Azami behind.
The car ride takes longer than anticipated since they had to keep stopping to use the toilet, but Hakuri sleeps through most of it. Sitting in a car for too long upsets his stomach and he really doesn't want to throw up all over Chihiro. That would be less than ideal and really really gross.
It's just after noon when they finally make it onto the beach. The sand looks starkly white against the deep blue of the ocean. Soft waves lap against the shore, leaving behind bubbling columns of sand and embedding small shell fragments into the soft ground. The sweet smell of the ocean mixes with the mildly unpleasant stench of rotting kelp on the shore where high tide has left them to bake until they're washed away later that night.
They get set up on a flat part of the beach just above the naturally carved shelf left behind by the changing tides. It's a fair walk from the water but they'll be there long enough to worry about the rising sea taking everything away.
Once all the towels and blankets have been laid out and the umbrellas have been securely buried, most of the group takes off towards the water. Char, Iori, and Shiba race towards the horizon until their ankles are submerged and in an instant Shiba picks up Char and throws her into deeper water, laughing as he does so. Iori tries to escape her fate, but Shiba is too quick, grabbing her quickly and tossing her like he did Char. Char giggles as she pops her head up from the water as Iori flies through the air squealing in joy and fear as she splashes against the brackish waves.
Hakuri stays behind with Chihiro and Azami. Azami sighs, shaking his head slightly as he watches the rest of their group splash around in the water.
"They should have at least put on sunblock," Chihiro mumbles, digging around in his bag for the bottle.
"Their fault," Azami shrugs, pulling off his shirt, "Pass me that will ya?"
Chihiro fishes out two bright bottles and hands one over to Azami silently. Chihiro follows suit and takes off his shirt before uncapping the bottle and rubbing it into his skin. Hakuri tries to look anywhere else (really, he does try) but it's not his fault for staring-- it's Chihiro's. His skin is already naturally tanned save for the lighter scars that crisscross his skin. Hakuri can see Chihiro's muscles flex under the soft fat of his stomach as he stretches to apply sunscreen to his arms and shoulders.
Hakuri sits down and diverts his gaze to the water, keeping Chihiro in the corner of his eye. Hinao has joined the others at the coast, gesturing for the trio to return with her to the blankets. Chihiro rubs in the sunscreen to his chest as they regroup. He takes a step towards Hakuri, holding out the bottle so he can take it.
"Thanks," Hakuri says, taking the bottle from Chihiro and using it to apply the lotion to his face.
"I thought you'd be in the water already," Chihiro observes, "you were excited about this."
Hakuri smiles sheepishly as he rubs the sunscreen into his skin. "I'm not a fan of swimming," he replies, "I like looking for shells though!"
"I'll join you later, then."
Hakuri waves his hand dismissively with the bottle as he passes it back to Chihiro, "You don't have to."
"I want to," Chihiro takes the bottle, then hesitates. He gestures back towards Hakuri with it. "Can you help me get my back?"
"Uh, yeah!" Hakuri scrambles to stand as he takes the bottle again, "Turn around."
Chihiro turns and Hakuri squirts a glob of sunscreen into the palm of his hand, appreciating Chihiro's muscled back as he does so. He tosses the bottle to Iori-- who tries her best to catch Hakuri's awful throw.
A voice in the back of his mind freaks out as he starts to rub the lotion into Chihiro's skin. Chihiro is warm against his palms, his skin is almost perfectly smooth save for a few long, thin scars that adorn his body.
He shouldn't have these, Hakuri thinks to himself as he runs his hands over Chihiro's back. A minute passes as Hakuri looses himself in running his hands over Chihiro's skin.
It takes Hakuri a couple mortifying seconds to realize he's already finished rubbing the sunscreen in and he's just been feeling Chihiro up.
Well... He doesn't need to know.
"You're all good to go!" Hakuri chirps, patting his hands on Chihiro's shoulders once.
"Thank you."
"Chihiro!" Char jumps in between them, grabbing Chihiro by his wrist. She's already drenched from being thrown in to the water once. "Shall we go swimming?"
"Did you put on sunscreen?" Chihiro asks in lieu of an answer.
Char nods, "I got some in my eye, it was incredibly painful!"
Hakuri laughs and sits back down, watching the two of them walk towards the shore. Iori turns around to ask if Hakuri is coming or not and he shakes his head 'no' in response. She gives him a smile and thumbs up before taking off towards the water with Hinao leaving him with Shiba and Azami.
The two men are having a silent argument-- at least that's what Hakuri thinks is happening. There's angry gesturing and overly dramatic eye rolls and Hakuri gets the idea that he should scram. He takes off silently, quickly walking away towards the shore. Just before he's out of earshot, Hakuri picks up the tail end of their argument. It's nothing decipherable, but he can tell they're annoyed with each other. Nothing out of the ordinary.
He stops just short of where the waves lap against the shore and takes a moment to close his eyes and breathe.
It's peaceful.
When he opens his eyes again he starts his hunt for the treasures at his feet. The shells are mostly broken where he stands, but there are a few nice pieces. He leans over and scoops up a handful of sand, scooting closer to the ocean so he can let the water wash the sand away. He examines his haul before dropping it unceremoniously back on the floor. Nothing good.
He knows he has to wade in the water for find any shells worth keeping, so he does.
An hour or two passes with Hakuri focused on gathering shells. He pockets only two of the ones he finds before he decides he should take a break.
Iori and Hinao are sitting at their spot when he approaches, they both greet him and he pulls the shells out of his pockets to offer to them.
"Here, I found these," Hakuri says, passing them to the girls, "I don't really know what to do with them but they're pretty."
"Ooh, this one matches my hair," Hinao gushes, holding up the shell he gave her, "Thanks!"
"No problem!"
"You're not gonna swim today, Hakuri?" Iori asks, turning the shell in her hands as she speaks.
"Nah, not my thing." Hakuri shrugs and sits down with them, "I'm happy just getting my feet wet looking for stuff."
"I really had you pegged for a swimming guy," Hinao comments. Why does everyone think that?
"Chihiro said they same thing... Is it that weird?"
Iori shakes her head, "Nah."
Reassured, Hakuri sits down with them and asks how it's been going. They pick up their conversation where they left off, giving Hakuri context as they continue. He chimes in where he feels necessary but he mostly just listens to what they're talking about- some show they both watch that Hakuri has never heard of before.
He lies down at some point, looking up at the fluffy white clouds splattered across the sky. A few seagulls fly by, squawking as they pass. The line between consciousness and sleep blurs as Hakuri feels his eyes droop-- the warmth radiating from the sand beneath him is too relaxing.
He fights to stay awake-- he's already napped once in the car today- and he's blessed by Chihiro and Char's noisy approach. He starts to sit up but he's tackled back to the ground by a soaking wet Char. She drips water everywhere and Hakuri already feels a little gross from how wet his clothes are getting.
"Char!" He exclaims, trying to subtly push her off him as he continues, "How was the water?"
"The water was frigid," She replies, climbing off of him. Chihiro walks up behind her, holding out a towel for her to grab.
"Sounds fun." Hakuri smiles at her.
She takes the towel and starts to dry off and Hakuri glances up to look at Chihiro-- who is idly drying himself off with the towel around his neck. He's watching Char, but he glances towards Hakuri and their eyes meet. Hakuri averts his gaze immediately, he can feel his face flush in embarrassment. Getting caught looking sucks.
"Did you find any cool shells?" Chihiro asks.
Char perks up. "You went hunting for shells?" She exclaims, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him back and forth.
"Yep," he says. Char stops shaking him, waiting for him to answer further. "I, uh, gave them to Hinao and Iori already..."
"WHAT-" Char shakes him again, more violently this time, "You didn't get one for me? How unconsiderate!" She lets go of Hakuri, turning to Chihiro, pointing back at Hakuri as she speaks. "Can you believe it?"
"It's inconsiderate," Chihiro corrects calmly whilst agreeing with her. "We're going to go look for more soon. I'll make sure he gets you an extra special shell."
"Y-yeah," Hakuri agrees quickly. "I was just looking for the most perfect coolest shell to give you. That's why I don't have it yet."
"Hmm..." Char thinks about it for a second, "I suppose that's okay. You're forgiven, but I want a pretty shell ASAP!"
Hakuri straightens up and salutes, "On it!"
Hakuri lets Chihiro relax and have some water and a snack before dragging him along to find a shell for Char. He's worried that he might not be able to find something good enough for her, but maybe Chihiro and his sharp eyes will have better luck than him.
They take off in the opposite direction he went searching last time, sticking close to the water's edge.
The sun hangs low in the sky behind them as it gets closer to sunset. Hakuri thinks it would be romantic if they were on the opposite side of Japan walking along the beach with the sun disappearing on the water behind them. The warm light would reflect off the ocean and light up Chihiro's eyes-- but they're not on the other side of Japan. The land and trees that boarder the beach soak up the last rays of light instead, casting long green tinted shadows across the beach.
Hakuri keeps his head down, looking for something worth giving to Char. All he can see are broken fragments and small bits of frosty sea glass. He's so locked into looking at the floor he doesn't pay any attention to the water, which is his first mistake.
His second is not paying close enough attention to what Chihiro says because the moment he opens his mouth to ask Chihiro to repeat himself a wave comes crashing into his side, knocking him over and soaking him to the bone.
He lies in the wet sand for a moment, letting the waves lap at his legs, defeated.
"Hakuri?" Chihiro asks, concern sprinkled over his usual monotone, "Are you good?"
He sits up, already feeling the crunch of wet sand in his clothes. "Eugh, I'm fine. Not hurt or anything."
"Here."
Chihiro offers Hakuri a hand, pulling him up with ease. He feels like a wet cat with the way his clothes stick to his body. He looks down at where he landed, his mood brightens immediately.
"Woah! Look!"
He picks up a perfectly intact conch shaped shell about the size of his palm. It's mostly white and orange, but there's a bit of pink coloring in it as well. It's perfect. He shows it to Chihiro happily who nods in agreement- it'll definitely make Char happy.
With that they head back. Hakuri walks with his shoulder pressed to Chihiro this time. It's for warmth, he tells himself.
Hakuri wakes up atrociously early. Well, he doesn't actually wake up himself, Chihiro does it on accident. It's what happens when they share a room, Hakuri doesn't mind that much, though. He just hoped Chihiro would sleep in on his days off, but changing a routine is hard.
He ends up helping out with breakfast, which Chihiro insists on cooking for everyone. Hakuri is not going to argue with him, especially since he's seen what the others consider cooking. Not that he's any better, but at least he makes edible food.
Working in the kitchen with Chihiro is satisfying, especially since Chihiro is clear with what Hakuri is supposed to do. Chihiro tells him to crack eggs into a bowl for him? Easy. Chihiro asks him to grab ingredients for him from the pantry? Done. Wash the dirty dishes? He's on it.
Chihiro cooks with the ease of someone who's done it for his whole life. He moves with purpose and confidence, Hakuri can see him becoming a professional chef if it weren't for, well, everything. Maybe when things have settled down in a few years, after Chihiro's finished with his quest for vengeance, Hakuri can convince him to open a restaurant instead of becoming a blacksmith.
Hakuri takes a break from the dishes once he's mostly finished. He really has to pee and the dishes aren't going anywhere. He walks into the hallway and finds Shiba and Azami in the middle of a heated conversation. As soon as Azami sees Hakuri he smacks his hand over Shiba's mouth and drags him away. Hakuri is shocked Shiba lets him do that, but they've always been a bit odd. He brushes them off and continues his mission of using the bathroom.
The kitchen is alive when Hakuri gets back. Azami sits at the table talking with Chihiro, who has put Shiba to work, making him set the table. Hakuri resumes washing the rest of the dishes, contributing to the conversation when he can from behind the noise of the kitchen.
Food is served quickly once Chihiro's done. Hakuri tries to finish the dishes first but Chihiro stops him and demands he sit down and eat with the rest of them. Chihiro also tells Azami to finish cleaning up since he hasn't helped yet. Hakuri tries to insist he can finish, but Azami agrees with Chihiro and tells him to relax.
Hinao is the next to wake up. She stumbles half asleep into the kitchen and makes her own plate. She doesn't say a word until she's halfway done with her plate. Iori and Char barge in a bit later, impossibly full of energy so early in the morning.
After breakfast they all lounge around for a couple hours. Hakuri, Chihiro, Iori, and Char all play videogames in the living room. Hinao and Azami stay in the kitchen to clean up and make sandwiches to take with them for lunch on the beach. After coming in last place three games in a row Hakuri is saved from further humiliation by Shiba telling them to get ready to leave.
Char cheers and tosses aside her controller before they've even paused the game and runs down the hall to her shared room. Hakuri quickly quits the game for them and they proceed to put the controllers away.
Hakuri lets Char drag him to the water's edge. He doesn't get in properly, but he stands with frigid water up to his knees in the shallows playing with Char, splashing her as she chases him around. Hinao joins in, bringing along a few small water guns with her for them to use instead.
It's fun until he trips and falls into the water.
The water doesn't reach up farther than his bellybutton but it freaks him out anyways. He doesn't freeze; Hakuri's body moves on it's own, scrambling to get to the dry sands just a couple meters away. When he looks up Hinao gives him a concerned look, asking if he's okay. He gives her a thumbs up and a smile.
"I'm gonna go dry off," Hakuri tells her.
After a minute or two or trudging through the sand, he reaches their blanket setup, already slightly less wet from the sun beating down on them. Nobody is there save for Shiba, who is relaxing under the shade of an umbrella, sipping a juice box, and reading a magazine. He looks up and gets a good look at Hakuri and laughs.
"Fell in?" Shiba asks through his fit.
"I tripped, now I've got sand everywhere," Hakuri complains. He can feel the grains grinding against his skin already.
"Yeah, I could fill this bucket as couple times and dump it over you?" Hakuri grimaces and Shiba laughs again. "Yeah that was a long shot," Shiba says.
"You just want to dump water on someone," Hakuri accuses, pointing at Shiba. "Do Azami."
"W-what-" Shiba sputters, "No-"
"Okay," Hakuri holds up his hands in defeat, "You could try to get Chihiro, but I don't think that'll be easy."
Shiba thinks about it, then, "Right, the water bucket thing. I could totally get Chihiro."
"Bet."
"You're on, kid."
Shiba finishes his juice quickly, crushing the box and disposing of it in their trash bag. He grabs the bucket that Char brought to make sand castles and sprints towards the water where Chihiro and Iori are hanging out. Hakuri feels a little bad that he sent Shiba after Chihiro, but it's all in good fun.
Shiba scoops up some water as he approaches the duo- their backs are turned away from the beach as they look out at the water. Hakuri wonders what they're talking about. Shiba lifts the bucket to dump over Chihiro's head and as Shiba tilts the bucket Chihiro steps to the side. A screech pierces through the air as Chihiro knocks Shiba over face first into the water. Hakuri laughs at the scene.
The day passes by too quickly. Hakuri eventually dries off and shakes off most of the sand from his body. Shiba successfully sneaks up on Azami and dumps a bucket of water over his head, causing the other man to chase him across the beach. Char ropes in him, Chihiro, Iori, and Hinao into making a huge elaborate sand castle with a moat.
All things considered, Hakuri has a good day.
The clouds roll in over the horizon, dark and heavy. The sun has already set behind them leaving only a fleeting bit of light in the sky. Hakuri can feel an ache in his chest and the taste of rain on his tongue. He shivers as a cold gust blows through the open window he sits at, the distant sound of crashing waves calms him down.
Chihiro silently slinks into the room, Hakuri only notices him when he feels a hand on his shoulder-- warm and heavy. He looks away from the window and up at where Chihiro stands.
His hair is damp and he's wearing a ridiculous looking T-shirt that Hakuri has never seen before. It's slightly too big on him and the text on it has faded slightly from years of wear. It doesn't even look like something Chihiro would even buy. He finds it endearing.
"You didn't go out in the water much today or yesterday," Chihiro states, there's a question somewhere in what he says, Hakuri can feel it.
"Oh, yeah," he says dismissively, "I just didn't feel like it... I'll join you guys next time!"
Chihiro looks between Hakuri and the window-- did he say something wrong? "I think it'll start raining tomorrow."
That would be lucky. Hakuri tries to put on a disappointed face, he's not really sure how convincing it it. "Damn."
Chihiro doesn't push the subject and instead sits down across from Hakuri. His chest feels warm thinking back to the last two days they've spent on the beach. Hakuri wants to reach out and touch Chihiro again. He doesn't.
Another breeze rolls in and he shivers so hard his teeth might start chattering. Hakuri lets the window stay open a minute longer before he decides it's time to shut it.
Chihiro gets up at the same time, mirroring Hakuri's actions and moving to shut the window. Hakuri laughs once out of shock. Chihiro looks at him weird. Well, not weird, but he looks at Hakuri like something odd happened. Hakuri feels the corner of his mouth quirk up in a shaky half smile.
A quick knock-knock-knock comes from the door.
Hakuri trips over himself rushing to open it before Chihiro even moves. He stumbles awkwardly and opens the door red in the face and slightly out of breath from panic.
"Hey," he gasps out, finding Shiba standing in the hallway. "What's up?"
Shiba raises a brow at the sorry state he's in, his eyes flick inside the room at Chihiro. "Am I interrupting something?"
"Nope! Nothing at all!" Hakuri replies, "we were just, uh, sitting."
"...Right." Shiba purses his lips together, then tells them, "We're going to watch a movie."
"We'll join you," Chihiro says, suddenly behind Hakuri. When did he move?
He nods and they both follow Shiba out to the living area of the rental house they're staying in. Char and Iori are on the large couch swaddled in blankets, upon entering the room Iori waves Hakuri and Chihiro over to sit with her. Hinao and Azami are trying to figure out how to work the DVD player.
He sits on the couch next to Iori, taking the blanket she offers. Chihiro follow Hakuri, squeezing in the seat next to him. The couch barely fits all four of them-- if Char were any bigger they probably wouldn't be able to manage it. He makes idle conversation with Iori, asking what they're watching.
The movie's title sequence starts playing, interrupting their conversation and answering Hakuri's question for Iori. Hakuri is lucky that they manage to figure it out when they do because beyond asking what they were going to watch he has no idea what else he can say to her.
The movie is whatever, it's a fine movie-- Char really likes it and there are some good moments, but it's nothing to write home about-- not that he'd do that anyways. More importantly, over the course of the movie's runtime he and Chihiro drift closer to each other.
At first it's an unconscious choice but after Hakuri realized their thighs have been pressed together for several minutes he makes the decisions to get closer. Just a bit, leaning over slightly so their shoulders touch as well. Chihiro doesn't say anything about it, Hakuri could even argue he moves closer too.
It takes another half hour, but Hakuri justifies his actions by telling himself he's tired. It isn't a lie, but it also isn't why he lays his head to rest on Chihiro. He feels Chihiro tense up for a few seconds but he relaxes and Hakuri takes that as permission to stay where he is.
They spends the rest of the movie like that, Hakuri is slightly uncomfortable but he doesn't mind. When the credits start rolling they both reluctantly get up. They don't say anything about it, nobody else points it out either. Not that it's a big deal or anything, it's a very normal thing for friends to do. He dismisses himself, muttering something about being tired and wanting to sleep before he flees back into their bedroom.
Hakuri hears Shiba and Azami causing a commotion as he gets ready for bed. It doesn't take long to fall asleep.
Soya smiles at Hakuri. One moment he's upright and the next he's not.
Everything dampens. His vision becomes blurry and distorted- the only thing Hakuri can see is the warped smile of his older brother. Everything is quiet for a moment before Hakuri panics.
He opens his mouth to scream but nothing comes out of his mouth but a stream of bubbles. It doesn't take long for his body to follow suit and his limbs thrash against Soya. He doesn't relent, his hands stay securely wrapped around his collar.
It feels like nothing and an eternity before Soya pulls Hakuri back out of the ocean.
He takes one gasping breath before-
CRASH.
Hakuri is back in the water in an instant, the force at which he's thrust back under gives him whiplash.
He panics. Soya holds him under. Then he's pulled back up.
It happens again.
Then again.
And again, and again, and again and--
Hakuri gasps. His face is wet and he panics clawing at the hands gripping his shoulders firmly.
"No-- not again. I'm sorry-- please--"
"Hakuri!" Chihiro's face comes into focus and Hakuri relaxes so suddenly he can feel more tears streaming down his face in pure relief.
"Chihiro," Hakuri sobs, wrapping himself into Chihiro without a second thought.
Chihiro gives him a moment. A nightmare. Of course, it was only a matter of time. Hakuri's been sleeping in Chihiro's room for as long as they've known each other, having a bad dream was bound to happen at some point. Hakuri just really hoped that it wasn't going to be now.
He lets himself cry for a moment, savoring the way Chihiro's arms wrap around him like a safety blanket.
Hakuri takes a deep breath and sits back up, tearing himself away from Chihiro's touch.
"Bad dream," Hakuri explains lamely, "Sorry..."
Chihiro bites his bottom lip as he reaches out to Hakuri, placing his hand on his forearm. Hakuri doesn't flinch away, Chihiro leaves his hand there. "You don't have to apologize, it's normal... Do you want to talk about it?"
"Not really."
"Okay." Chihiro pulls his hand away and Hakuri frowns.
He wants to reach back out and take Chihiro's hand in his own, but he's already getting out of Hakuri's bed. Hakuri swallows; he fucked up. He should have talked it over with Chihiro, then he could have stayed and helped him. Now Chihiro is going to leave him alone-- Hakuri doesn't want that.
"I'll be back," Chihiro states, his eyes meet Hakuri's and he must look so pathetic Chihiro adds, "You can come with, if you want."
Hakuri glances at the clock on the nightstand-- it's almost four in the morning. Hakuri looks up at Chihiro and nods, pulling his blanket around his shoulders as he stands. They walk to the kitchen together in silence, Hakuri keeps his head down, looking at Chihiro's hands while they walk. He wants to hold them.
Chihiro tells Hakuri to sit down at the table and he does. He watches Chihiro move around the kitchen, setting a kettle on the stove to boil and pulling out mugs and tea bags. When he realizes what's going on Hakuri tries to get up and help, but Chihiro stops him. He tells Hakuri to sit back down. He hesitates, but eventually plants himself back in his chair.
Chihiro messes around the kitchen while Hakuri closes his eyes to try and calm down further. He focuses on the hissing of the boiling kettle and the deep crackle of hot water being poured into mugs. Hakuri breathes with the ocean's booming roar of waves crashing into rocky cliffsides.
Chihiro taps him on the shoulder and he opens his eyes.
A steaming mug is being held out towards him and Hakuri takes it; his fingers brush against Chihiro's as he takes the cup. It's hot against his hands, but he welcomes the slight burn, letting it ground him in reality. Chihiro sets his own mug down on the table and moves to pull out a chair but Hakuri holds out his hand to stop him.
"Can we sit outside?" Hakuri whispers, trying not to disrupt the quiet atmosphere they've created.
Chihiro nods and picks up his cup as Hakuri leads them outside to the patio. The cold stings his eyes and cheeks- right, he's been crying. He wipes his face again and sits down on one of the sofas. How did Shiba manage to afford this rental? It's seriously nice.
Chihiro sits down next to him, leaving a bit of space between them. Hakuri hesitates but lifts his arm, offering Chihiro the space next to him under the blanket. Chihiro presses his lips together briefly-- it's supposed to be a smile-- then, he moves so they're sharing the blanket.
Hakuri's grateful for the heat coming off Chihiro. Hakuri looks down at the mug between his hands. Wisps of steam float off the surface and dissipate into the air in a calming wispy pattern. He leans closer into Chihiro, lifting the mug to take a sip.
Chihiro's hand shoots between him and the cup.
"You're going to burn your tongue." He states quietly, pulling his hand back.
Hakuri is left speechless. All he can do is lower his cup and wait for it to cool down. They don't say anything else to each other, it's not necessary. He waits another few minutes before taking his first drink, it's hot enough to warm him but not hot enough to scald, good thing he listened to Chihiro. They spend a long time outside sipping their tea together.
The fog comes in, leaving specks of water on their face, chilling them further, but they don't leave. They sit there, pressed up next to each other until long after their cups are empty. The sun peaks over the horizon passing through the haze of fog that's settled over the coast, Hakuri can just barely see the ocean beyond the lush growth that separates the rental from the beach.
"Shut up, you're going to wake them up."
"You're the one over there taking pictures-"
"Which is a silent activity-"
"For the love of- Shiba, you shouldn't be taking pictures of them-"
"But look how cute they are."
"..."
"Okay. I understand, but if Chihiro finds out he's going to kill you."
"He'd never-"
Hakuri opens his eyes to see Shiba standing in front of them, an unlit cigarette tucked behind his ear, and phone in hand. Even Hakuri can see what's going on.
"Uh, Shiba," Hakuri whispers, trying not to wake up Chihiro, "this is a little weird."
Shiba silently goes through several emotions in the span of a few seconds before eventually settling on being defensive. "I'm his uncle, I can take as many embarrassing pictures as I want."
"No you can't," Chihiro grumbles.
Chihiro sits up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he does so. Azami snickers as he goes back inside, watching from the window instead. Shiba looks like he's seen a ghost. Hakuri grabs Chihiro's hand and stands suddenly, letting the blanket slip from his shoulder.
"Let's go back to the room," Hakuri suggests-- well more like demands. He turns his head to speak directly to Shiba. "Taking pictures of us sleeping is uber creepy." Hakuri tugs Chihiro to follow him as he speaks.
Chihiro does go along with him and Shiba looks visibly relieved that he doesn't have to deal with the consequences of his own actions. Hakuri doesn't stop until the door to their room is closed behind them. He suddenly remembers that he's been holding Chihiro's hand this entire time.
"Sorry!" Hakuri apologizes, letting go instantly. "I, uh..."
Hakuri trails off, trying to figure out why he just did that. Chihiro waits, curious as to what the hell just happened.
"Well, I just panicked and Shiba looked like he was going to die from shock. You can yell at him later if you want-- I think he kinda deserves it, actually, but--"
"Hakuri," Chihiro interrupts him, "You're rambling."
"Right." Hakuri shuts his mouth so quickly he can hear and feel his teeth clack together.
Chihiro sighs, "It's not a big deal. I'll have him delete those later..."
Hakuri nods and they both separate to get ready for the day. The plan is to go to town and walk around the market for a while. Hakuri is looking forward to being touristy and looking at all the fun trinkets.
They have a quick breakfast and gather up out front. The walk to the market is supposed to be fairly short. It's colder than Hakuri thinks it's supposed to be, but it could easily warm up later in the day. The lingering fog makes for a cooler trip, he prefers that over sweating the entire time.
The time they spend at the market is a blur of fun. Hakuri and Iori share a love for stupid looking but cute trinkets and spend their time poking around at different stalls. They occasionally cross paths with Chihiro, Shiba, and Char-- who is on a quest to sample as many food stalls as she can.
Azami and Hinao linger, jumping between the two groups individually. Hinao generally sticks with the food group, but she comes around and Hakuri is happy try on funny looking hats with her.
Hakuri steps to the side to take a minute for himself. It's still chilly out, which sucks because he's not really dressed for the cold. He's also getting hungry. Maybe he should find the others and get something to eat...
Huh?
Hakuri looks up at the sky; still covered by a sea of grey clouds.
He must have just imagined-- wait.
Another couple droplets of rain fall on his face and he holds his arm out in an attempt to confirm his suspicions. A few more rain drops hit his arm and Hakuri can't do anything else but let out a long sigh. They should head back before it starts pouring.
Hakuri doesn't get a chance to tell the others because in the blink of an eye the sparse droplets of rain turn into a sheet of water, drenching him quickly. The shock of the sudden rain makes him laugh as he breaks out into a run back to the rental house. He passes by Shiba standing under the cover of a storefront; he tells him that some of the others are already running back.
His heart is hammering away inside his chest and each breath he takes feels like fire in his lungs but Hakuri makes it to the rental house quickly. He's drenched but at least he's warm from the impromptu sprint. Hakuri kicks off his shoes and socks and tries to get to his room without dripping too much water on the floor.
It's obvious others are already back; Hakuri slips on a puddle in the hallway and nearly breaks his neck, but he saves himself and manages to get away with a bruised butt. He picks himself up and successfully makes it into the bedroom without another accident.
Hakuri focuses on getting out of his wet clothes and into something dry. He pulls off his shirt and tosses it aside for now. He fumbles with his belt for a minute, finally getting it loose after a few seconds of struggle.
The door swings open and in the doorway stands Chihiro, fully dressed in dry clothes with damp hair. Hakuri's freezes, his thumbs hooked under the waistband of both his pants and underwear ready to pull them off in one swift motion. Neither of them move. Hakuri can feel Chihiro's eyes all over him.
The door closes with a quiet 'sorry' from Chihiro.
Hakuri thinks he's going to have a heart attack.
---
It rains until after sunset. They spend the rest of the day inside, playing games together. Hakuri has a good time, but all he can think about is Chihiro. It's hard not to when he stares at Hakuri like he's grown a second head.
Chihiro excuses himself first, disappearing into the hallway. Hakuri stays to watch a movie with Iori and Hinao. Char is already passed out on the couch, but nobody bothers to move her; it would just wake her up.
Halfway through the movie Hakuri gets up to use the bathroom, when he walks past the door to his shared bedroom with Chihiro he hears voices. Hakuri knows he shouldn't but he stops. Just for a second.
"It's nothing to be worried about," Shiba says, his tone is comforting. "He'll talk to you if it's important."
"But I am worried. You didn't see how bad it was."
"You saw what the Sazanamis were like. If he wants to tell you-"
Hakuri steps away from the door. That's... Something...
Hakuri rushes to use the bathroom and re-joins the others to finish the movie. He doesn't pay any attention to the rest of the plot; Hakuri's mind races. Of course Chihiro would have seen his scars. They're very obvious. And very ugly.
He should say something... Or maybe he shouldn't say something? Hakuri feels like he should say something, but he has no idea where he can even start. Is he supposed to just walk up to Chihiro and flash his bare chest, littered with scars, and then what? Apologize? Explain how he got them?
Hakuri decides it's probably easiest to just let Chihiro ask questions.
The credits roll.
Iori is slumped over next to him, fast asleep. He gently shakes her awake and tells her the movie is over and that she should probably sleep in her bed. She blearily shuffles to her room down the hall as he watches her leave.
Hakuri yawns, stretching his arms over his over his head. Right, he didn't sleep well last night. He looks around; Char is still asleep on the couch, bundled up in a few blankets, Hinao is looking through the drawer of movies to figure out what to watch, and Azami is half asleep on the loveseat, his head bobbing up and down as he continuously catches himself falling asleep and jolting awake. He quietly says goodnight to Hinao and escapes down the hall to his room. Where Chihiro is waiting for him... Probably.
He opens the door slowly, hoping when he looks inside Chihiro is already asleep. His hopes and dreams are crushed when he sees the lamp is still on.
Chihiro sits in his bed watching three fish swim around his hands. He holds Enten with reverence, like he's saying a prayer over his blade. There's a faraway look in his misty eyes. Hakuri doesn't want to break the silence. He stands awkwardly in the half-open doorway instead.
"You can come inside, y'know?" Chihiro says. His eyes meet Hakuri's and he feels his face flush with embarrassment from getting caught.
Hakuri steps into the room fully, shutting the door gently behind him. "Sorry."
Chihiro sheaths Enten, setting it to the side. Hakuri doesn't know what to do, so he stands with his back presses against the door. He could just sit down at his own bed, but it feels wrong somehow.
"Look-" "I-" They talk over each other, shutting up as quickly as they speak.
Hakuri swallows the lump in his throat. "You can go first," he says.
"...I wanted to apologize for earlier. I should have knocked first," Chihiro apologizes, bowing his head slightly as he speaks.
"You don't have to apologize, it was an accident, plus..." Hakuri trails off, averting his gaze, "It's a personal issue. I guess..."
The next several seconds are excruciatingly awkward as Hakuri works up the nerve to tell Chihiro anything. They're friends, this is what friend do; tell each other secrets. It should be easy to admit, but Hakuri hesitates, he's scared.
A deep breath in.
And out.
"I, um, have a lot of nasty scars. I think they're really ugly. That's why I've been avoiding swimming... Well it's a reason I've been avoiding swimming-- you were right, by the way. I do like going in the water, but-" Hakuri stops himself from talking more, usually Chihiro does that. "I, uh... It doesn't matter that much."
"I think it matters." Chihiro replies simply, like it's the most obvious thing ever. "I'm always here if you want to talk, but that's up to you... If you want to tell me."
"I do," Hakuri says, and it's true.
Chihiro waits, but when Hakuri doesn't say anything else he says, "It doesn't have to be now."
Hakuri takes those words in. It doesn't have to be now. As long as Chihiro wants him by his side Hakuri will be there. Hakuri hopes that will be a long time, but...
His fingers brush against the hem of his T-shirt.
Chihiro's gaze never lets up. It's reassuring. Hakuri takes a leap of faith and pulls his shirt over his head quickly, exposing his torso.
Exposing his scars.
There's dozens of them, every time he tries to count them in the mirror he finds another one he forgot about. Different shapes and sizes- most are from Soya. Others from the rest of his siblings. A few from his father.
Chihiro's face stays neutral, but Hakuri can see the way he clenches and unclenches his jaw.
Hakuri regrets this already.
He moves to put his shirt back on, but a hand around his wrist stops him. Chihiro moves too quickly sometimes-- his face is so close to Hakuri's he can feel his breath on his lips.
"You're beautiful." Chihiro deadpans.
He lets go of Hakuri and bolts. Hakuri can't move. He stays standing shirtless in the middle of the room staring at the place where Chihiro just was with his mouth open in shock.
It's still raining when Hakuri wakes up.
He doesn't open his eyes right away, savoring the soft pitter-patter of the rain outside and the fresh smell that always comes with this kind of weather.
When Hakuri opens his eyes he's disappointed to see Chihiro still isn't in their room. His sheets are tossed to the side in the same way he left them before evacuating last night. Hakuri doesn't know what's going on.
He gets dressed quickly and walks into the hallway. He pokes his head into the kitchen and finds Azami sitting at the dining table sipping a cup of tea. His head is pointed towards the window admiring the way thin streams of water run down the glass.
Hakuri glances into the living room and finds Iori and Char playing card games. Iori looks disgruntled and slightly flushed in annoyance. She looks like she's losing to Char, which makes sense; Char is very sneakily tucking cards under the pillow she's sitting on when Iori isn't looking.
Hakuri walks into the kitchen, foregoing getting something to eat or drink and instead sitting across from Azami. The man glances at him before turning back towards the window. Hakuri joins him. His eyes follow the hypnotic rivulets.
"You have a good thing going with Chihiro," Azami says, startling Hakuri out of his trance. He glances at Azami, but his head is still turned towards the window.
"We're good friends," Hakuri agrees, returning his attention to the window. "I think I upset him."
From the corner of his eye Hakuri sees Azami pick up his mug. "He left with Shiba an hour ago," Azami pauses to take a sip of tea. "He looked concerned but Shiba was laughing at him before-- can't be that big of a deal."
Hakuri doesn't respond, pursing his lips together in thought. An image of Chihiro from last night telling Hakuri that he's beautiful in a complete deadpan flashes before his eyes. He can feel his face getting hot.
"Oh, so he finally confessed?"
"What--"
Hakuri whips his head around to face Azami, who's smirk turns into an "oh-I-fucked-up" face quickly. Thousands of thoughts floods Hakuri's mind but the only one that seems to matter is: Chihiro likes me. Romantically.
It's something that he's though about, briefly. He tries not to linger on it for so long, after all it's not like Chihiro liked him that much as a friend anyways. They were close, but there was never anything that screamed "I love you!" about his words or actions. Not even in a Chihiro sort of way.
So, he ignored it and moved on.
"You didn't know." Azami realizes. It's not a question, he sounds like he's about to burst out laughing. "Seriously, you two have skulls thicker than the Great Wall of China."
"I'd be offended, but you're pretty spot on there," Hakuri quips, he sounds just a hair too genuine and frowns.
Azami puts the mug to his lips and takes another sip. "You should confess your undying love for him," he says, suddenly serious. "What'd he do to get you to blush so hard anyways if he didn't confess?"
"He--" Hakuri hesitates, then decides its probably more embarrassing that he didn't realize sooner. "Chihiro, uh, told me I was beautiful..." Hakuri trails off as he speaks, mumbling the last bit bashfully.
Azami howls with laughter so loud that Hakuri swears the table shakes. It takes a couple minutes for him to pull himself back together.
"Sorry. I'm sorry. I shouldn't laugh," Azami says, slightly out of breath.
"No it's fine, I kind of deserve it," Hakuri assures. He buries his face in his hands, hunching over in the chair he sits in. "He just left after."
"Yeah, well, he probably got embarrassed-- he runs when he's embarrassed," Azami shrugs, then continues, "they went for a walk at the beach."
Hakuri looks outside. It's drizzling, why would anyone go for a walk in this kind of weather is a mystery to Hakuri. It makes sense for Chihiro, though. Hakuri thinks this weather suits Chihiro perfectly. It's cozy.
He didn't pack a coat, which makes sense, they're at the beach in the middle of summer. A storm was the last thing any of them expected-- a fifteen percent chance of rain-- seriously. Hakuri thinks it's unlucky but it's also fitting, that it would rain on their trip.
He decides more clothes is a hassle, especially if he's going to be drenched anyways. Hakuri wonders what the people living in the neighboring houses must think-- seeing a teenage boy in shorts running through the rain. He totally looks ridiculous.
It takes two breaks and a lot of out of breath cursing from Hakuri to get to the near-empty beach as quickly as he can manage. His heart feels like it's going at the speed of light and he can taste the salt from his sweat as it mixes with the rain rolling down his face.
He looks around and spots Shiba and Chihiro down by the water not too far from where he's stopped. The ocean is turbulent, the waves crash violently onto the beach and up the rocky cliffs that enclose the sandy shore. His legs feel like jelly but he trudges all the way to where Shiba and Chihiro stand.
They don't hear him coming over the chaos of the ocean in front of them. Shiba spots him first, an unreadable look passes over his features, but Shiba gathers himself quickly and says something to Chihiro before walking away.
Chihiro looks up and makes eye contact with Hakuri.
Chihiro starts walking towards him.
Shiba passes Hakuri first grumbling something about Azami and tomorrow which he doesn't really understand.
Hakuri stops when Chihiro is within arms reach-- he doesn't think he can get any closer without compromising his ability to say coherent sentences. They maintain silent eye contact, Hakuri feels like his knees might give out under Chihiro's stare.
"I like you!" They both say at the same time.
A moment passes. Hakuri's brain needs a second to catch up. Oh.
"I had this whole thing I was gonna say..." Chihiro mumbles, he sounds a little disappointed, "Shiba helped me with it and everything."
"Well, you can still tell me?" Hakuri suggests.
"It's embarrassing."
"I don't care!" Hakuri rushes to say. He is really curious now. "As long as you don't bolt again."
"..."
Chihiro opens his mouth as if he was going to say something, but shuts it just as quickly. Hakuri waits patiently, watching Chihiro's face for any minor change that could indicate what he's feeling.
Chihiro steps closer, his hand moves to cover Hakuri's vision. There's the slightest slivers of light poking through the gaps in Chihiro's calloused fingers. His hand is warm on Hakuri's face.
"Can I kiss you instead?" Chihiro whispers.
Every cell in Hakuri's body screams yes but he takes a shaky breath in. "Can you tell me later?"
"Yes."
"Then, go ahead."
Chihiro's lips take his own-- his lips are salty and slightly chapped from the ocean air. Hakuri doesn't mind, he's probably in a similar state. Instead he focuses on kissing back, savoring the experience.
It's not like fireworks going off, like in the movies, it's simpler, better. Hakuri wraps his arms around Chihiro's shoulders, forcing him to get closer. Chihiro moves his hand from over Hakuri's eyes to his cheek, deepening the kiss as he changes positions.
An unsuspecting wave ruins their moment when it rushes by, submerging their ankles in frigid waters. They begrudgingly pull apart and flee to drier (and more importantly less cold) land. Chihiro entertwines his fingers with Hakuri's and gives him a tug.
"We need to get inside, you're going to get sick," Chihiro says, getting a good look at what Hakuri is currently wearing.
Right.
Chihiro is better dressed for the weather, his coat is wet but it's probably doing a better job at keeping him dry than Hakuri's clothes. He nods in agreement and follows Chihiro towards the rental. Hakuri holds Chihiro's hand and presses their shoulders together as they walk. For warmth.
The rain and clouds are gone by midnight. Leaving behind a perfectly clear sky. Hakuri hasn't been able to sleep, maybe it's lingering excitement from the day or maybe he's dreading having to wake up and go back to their normal life. He's ready to go back-- he wants to go back. They all do important things, things that keep people alive. Hakuri is eager to help again.
But, for now, he wants to enjoy their time off. He wants to savor the fleeting time they have here on the beach. It sucks that the rain interrupted their fun, but they still had a good time. He doesn't want it to end, but it has to.
Hakuri sighs wistfully, propping his head on his hand as he looks out the shut window. Chihiro is sleeping soundly across the room where they've put their two beds together. He shouldn't wake him up. He decides to give himself ten more minutes before attempting sleep again. For now, he takes in the quiet night.
The minutes pass and Hakuri looses track of time, trying his best to look up at the sky from where he sits, catching glimpses of the starry night.
Chihiro taps him on the shoulder. Hakuri turns to look at him; his hair is a mess and he looks delirious with sleep.
"Come to bed," he says through a yawn, "it's late."
Hakuri spares one last glance out the window and joins Chihiro.
The next morning is hectic. There's yelling and people crashing into each other with luggage and lots of spilled drinks and food dropped. It's a miracle they managed to get here in a reasonable amount of time, leaving is going to be a whole other issue.
Chihiro gets dragged along to help figure out how to load the car by Azami, leaving Hakuri to figure out how to clean up the kitchen before it's a complete disaster. Hinao made eggs and toast (very simple) but Hakuri has no idea how she managed to make such a mess. Hakuri thinks Char might have had something to do with it.
"I can help, too. If you need it," Iori offers with a smile.
Hakuri looks from her to the mess and then back to Iori. "You're a saint."
She laughs at what he says and they both get to work. They don't talk much, but the others are making so much noise it would be hard to. Its quick work with the two of them. Hakuri is disappointed he couldn't handle it on his own, but he's glad for the company. Plus, this probably went way faster.
"Thanks again," Hakuri says as they finish up the last of the dishes.
"Oh, you're welcome," Iori smiles, handing him another dish to dry and put away. "It's no biggie."
Hakuri smiles and turns to put the dish away, thinking that would be it for that conversation.
"Y'know I've been wanting to tell you," Iori continues, startling Hakuri. "You and Chihiro make a cute couple! I mean you guys were so lovey-dovey this whole trip. It was a shock!"
"Oh, uh... Thank you?" How does she know this? It hasn't even been a day...
"I mean, you guys really aren't super affectionate usually, so it was cute to see you guys relax here," Iori hums, passing him another dish.
"How- how did you know we were... y'know," Hakuri asks, it takes all his effort not to drop the plate he was handed.
"Oh, I had my suspicions when I first saw you two together. And then I asked my dad about it and he basically confirmed what I thought," Iori snickers, Hakuri feels mortified. "How long have you been together anyways?"
Hakuri doesn't know what to say. Have they been dating this entire time? "Since...Yesterday?" Hakuri answers, it comes out more like a question, though.
Iori stops what she's doing and spins to look at Hakuri. There's a shocked look on her face as she tries to figure out if Hakuri is telling the truth or not. He is telling the truth. She must realize because her jaw drops.
"What?"
"I'm just as confused as you are," Hakuri offers in lieu of an explanation.
"So you guys were just like that?" Iori asks, incredulous. "Sorry, that sounds rude."
"It's fine." Hakuri mumbles, "I didn't think we were doing anything out of the ordinary before..."
Iori sighs and goes back to the dishes. "I just thought you guys were already dating. It's not a big deal... I think I owe Azami some money..." Iori mumbles the last of what she says, Hakuri just barely catches it.
"What?"
"Don't worry about it," Iori dismisses, handing him the last dish in the sink.
Hakuri decides to take her word.
Several minutes later they're all loading back into the cars. Hakuri already feels sick to his stomach just thinking about how long he'll have to be crammed in the back seat. He's comforted by Chihiro, who holds his hand the entire time. God he really really hopes he doesn't throw up all over him.
Before they go, Hakuri sees both Shiba and Hinao hand Azami several bills with annoyed looks on their faces. Hakuri points it out to Chihiro who just sighs and shakes his head. Hakuri takes it as a sign to just ignore it.
On the car ride home, between his naps and the nauseating feeling of being awake in a car, Hakuri asks Chihiro something.
"What were you going to tell me the other night?" He asks, tracing the lines along Chihiro's palm.
"...Can I opt out?"
"You said you'd tell me later," Hakuri whines. "It's later now."
"Maybe when we get home..."
"C'mon, please."
"..." Chihiro sighs, then leans in to whisper in Hakuri's ear, "I was under the impression we were already dating."
Hakuri pulls away to look at Chihiro. He's not lying. "Am... Am I the only one who didn't know about this?"
"I thought you were being shy," Chihiro mumbles, the faintest blush covering his features. "I'm your samurai, right?"
"You-- you--" Hakuri feels his face go completely red. "That could be a friend thing." Chihiro levels him with a look. "Okay, look--"
Chihiro smiles. It's subtle and Hakuri just barely misses it, but it's enough to shut him up completely. He huffs and accepts that okay, maybe that's just a little romantic. Instead of verbally admitting defeat he puts his head back on Chihiro's shoulder and closes his eyes. Chihiro wraps their hands together and gives him a gentle squeeze.
Later, Hakuri thinks before falling asleep, I'll tell him about the nightmare.