Chapter Text
A Week Later
Hiromasa stood with his back straight and shoulders squared, on one side of the large work-desk between him and the fierce looking, yet beautiful woman. It wasn’t hard to figure out who she was as the similarity between the two was uncanny.
“Why have you been coming to my house so often? Who are you?” Abe-furen demanded.
Though her demeanour commanded others to look away and dare not make eye contact, he was becoming used to the same look on her son’s face whenever he saw him and therefore wasn’t intimidated...much.
“Please pardon my tenacity, Abe-furen,” he said with a deep bow. “My name is Minamoto Hiromasa. I’ve been trying to apologise to your son for a while now, but he keeps refusing to see me. I’m hoping one day fortune will favour me.”
She had raised a brow at him in curiosity. Either Qingming had impressed upon him the importance of calling her as such, or he was smarter than he looked. Her daughter and youngest’s friends always referred to her as 'Abe-san', despite the children correcting them repeatedly. Hiromasa had simply remembered the butler who led him to this room had referred to her as ‘furen’ and how controlling Tomei had said she was. Clearly, this was her preferred title.
“And what exactly have you done to my A’Qing?” she asked with narrowed eyes.
“I was selfish and my actions have put him in a very compromising situation with our mutual friends,” Hiromasa tried to explain without giving any details.
He could sense that she had only become more suspicious of him and upset.
“Then, if A’Qing has decided not to see you anymore, you should respect his wishes if your friendship meant as much as you’re trying to make it seem. Don’t you think so?”
Hiromasa could take a hint. She was telling him to leave and not return in a polite way. Normally, he was not one to confront his elders, especially not someone of Abe-furen’s status, but he felt he just couldn’t let this go..
“I understand, and I agree that you should protect the well-being of your precious son. However, I made a mess of things and as a man, I have to accept responsibility and try to make it right. Even if Qingming-kun never speaks to me again, I want him to feel comfortable being around his friends again.”
Before Abe-furen could speak, her office door flew open and an angry Qingming burst in.
“Just what do you think you’re doing?”
“Qingming-kun, I –.”
“I thought I already made myself clear. I never expected you to go this far, but fine… you wanted to talk to me face to face, well here I am. Let's say our final words and you can be on your way!”
“A’Qing.”
Qingming shivered. He knew that tone meant his mother disapproved of his behaviour. She always said, 'Yǔ maó wèi fēng' whenever he became like this and he guessed that must be going through her head at that very moment.
“Hiromasa-kun, is it? As you can see, it is obviously not a good time," she said pointedly.
Without being called, the butler entered the room.
“Minamoto-san, if you please,” he said, gesturing to the door.
Hiromasa knew he wouldn't get anywhere by staying. He looked at Qingming. “Let's talk next time. Abe-furen, thank you for your time.”
Then he followed the butler out, leaving an angry Qingming before his suspicious mother.
“Well?” Abe-furen said after a few moments had passed and Qingming said nothing.
“It's nothing, mother.. I'm sorry that he showed up like this, I didn't think he'd go so far as to seek you out.”
Abe-furen made a deprecating laugh. However, Qingming didn't say anything more.
“He didn't seek me out. But is the matter serious enough for him to do so?”
Qingming felt just the tiniest bit of remorse that he'd wrongly accused Hiromasa. “No, it isn't.”
“I expect you to put an end to whatever quarrel you both have. I don't want to see him loitering at my gate again.”
“Yes, mother.”
Qingming bowed and turned to leave.
“I'm not finished.”
Qingming slowly turned to face her once more, his hands curling into tight fists. He was going to kill Hiromasa. Had it not been for him, Qingming would never have set foot in this office willingly! Now here he was, at the mercy of this woman.
“What is your relationship with the CEO of XX Enterprises?”
Qingming looked at her as if he had no idea what she was talking about. Which he didn't.
She called her assistant, who walked in with a large, beautiful flower arrangement. After placing it on her desk, he left and came back shortly with another.
Abe-furen got up and went to look over the bouquets. “Kaneshon, akaichurippu.. these sweet ume petals… Indeed the perfect selection for congratulating you on passing your exam,” she said. However, her tone was anything but pleased.
She picked up a card and read the contents. "‘No flowers can compare to the beauty of watching you dance. Still, I hope this conveys my best wishes for your future. I look forward to seeing you perform on a grand stage one day!’”
Qingming's heart lurched in excitement as he realised who it was from! He'd received this for his exam? His father had ordered a really nice one to be delivered to the academy the day of the exam, but he never expected to be getting one from anyone else.
His mother noticed his face and frowned. “That came in yesterday. This one,” she said, moving to the other. “Came in today.. Do you know what it means to send someone eleven himawari? And to pair it with ajisai.. hmph..”
While Qingming waited for her to tell him what scandalous things this arrangement told her, he was thinking that for the sake of the athlete's kind mother, he would give in and go by Hiromasa's house to have their final conversation. At the same time, he wanted to return the borrowed items to their respective owners. Speaking of which... he slid the phone out of his pocket and his fingers quickly flew across the screen.
His mother picked up something from the flowers. “This doesn't have a name signed, but it's the same monogram. So, what haven't you been telling me?”
“A lot,” Qingming shrugged before he could stop himself. “But as it relates to the CEO of XX Enterprises, I informally met her a while ago, and she happened to see me practise my exam choreo. Even gave me a few pointers..”
“What?”
She honestly thought it had been some trick Qingming was playing to cover up who the flowers really came from: Some no good delinquent who was trying to dupe her son! But despite their disagreements, she trusted that he wouldn't lie to her. So then, he really knew the head of…?
Qingming pointed to the other arrangement after locking the screen of the phone in his hand. He'd swore not to turn it on again, but his mother was clearly on a mission and he needed to have something to get him out of it if needed. He'd just quickly checked what meanings the flowers had in Japan.
“I'm guessing Minamoto-san found out what her son did and is trying to make amends on his behalf..,” he said, feeling a little sorry towards the woman.
They'd only spoken briefly a few times, but he really liked her.
“Her son?”
“Yep. By the way, thanks for helping me to kick him out. I'm sure he'll think twice before showing up here again,” Qingming smirked, feeling that his mom's aggressiveness was finally working in his favour.
But, he saw the look on her face morph into astonishment and realised he just made things worse for himself.
“That boy? That's her son?!”
“I must have been mistaken.. Forget I said anything. I don't really know what she does, I just guessed. Maybe someone at my dance school is related to someone in xx Enterprises and sent this to me.”
But he knew that was impossible since no one knew he took the exams. Then again, he didn't know Hiromasa had seen him either..
“A’Qing,” Abe-furen said in a serious tone that oozed with concern as she approached him. Qingming felt his body shudder. “What exactly happened between you and Minamoto-kun?”
Qingming felt a jolt as she placed her hands gently on his arms and looked at him with piercing, expectant eyes.
‘Fuck..’
🩰🩰🩰
The next morning, while sitting at his desk, Qingming randomly let out a yell of frustration surprising everyone in his class.
“Ok!” he shouted, slapping his palms down on the surface of his desk. “I can do this!”
“Ganbatte!” some random persons shouted and the class erupted in laughter before going back to what they’d been doing.
“Qing-kun! You live!” Fujino cried dramatically.
Qingming almost rolled his eyes. “Come on. Let’s not blow things out of proportion,” he said plopping his butt down on Kaminari's desk and taking his sweet bun.
“Hey!” the poor sucker cried.
“You’ve been completely mia and off the grid for almost 2 weeks, bro!”
“I told you guys the other day I was having a phone issue, right? I just haven’t resolved it yet.”
Qingming covertly threw a few glares at Hiromasa, who looked somewhat anxious whenever they made eye contact. Qingming enjoyed the way he seemed to be on edge, wondering whether or not the dancer was going to blow his secret.
“I guess you’re like me and don’t have enough money to buy a new one,” one of the guys sighed. “I finally have a girlfriend but no phone to talk to her on!”
Qingming chuckled as the guy seemed to have a nervous breakdown. “Who knows? One might suddenly fall into your lap. Right, Hiromasa-senpai?”
Hiromasa’s eyes widened, but the guy reacted before he said anything.
“Huh? What? You don’t mean… No!! I couldn’t accept Hiromasa-senpai doing such a thing!!”
Hiromasa knew Qingming meant giving away the athlete's phone. And while he was worried about Qingming telling Tomei what he did, he wasn't going to let him bully him. As their eyes met again, he saw the mischief plain as day in Qingming's, and a little smirk played on his lips. “I think I have an old phone lying around somewhere, Yamamoto-san. So it wouldn’t be that great of a gift. What do you think, Qingming-kun?”
Qingming was amused and felt a smile tugging at his lips. “Oho! I think that's an inspired idea, senpai. Why don't you go ahead and do that, huh? Let's see what happens after.”
Hiromasa too gave in to a small smile and responded in a low voice. "I just might."
Without meaning to Qingming actually let out a little laugh, as the challenge in Hiromasa's voice and the intensity of his stare ignited a feeling in a familiar place inside.
But as soon as Tomei spoke, they were brought back to the moment and their expressions fell once more.
“What's with you two all of a sudden?” the other dancer frowned.
Qingming's smile had vanished. “Nothing. Anyway, I gotta go. See y'all later.”
And he was gone after taking a milk bun from his pocket and giving it to Kaminari.
Hiromasa's insides felt completely out of sorts and his mood fell even more watching him leave.
🏍🏍🏍
“Qingming-kun?”
Hiromasa's heart sped up at the thought that the dancer had come to finally talk to him. However, the frown on the other's face as he turned around was indication enough that that wasn't the case.
“What are you doing here?” Hiromasa asked, already having a pretty good idea of the reason.
“What are you? The sports centre police? As a student of this school I have every right to be here.”
Hiromasa sighed. It was hard feeling apologetic towards Qingming when he got like this. But then he'd remember why the dancer was behaving this way, and temper his own emotions.
“I didn't mean it like that.. I just…”
Qingming huffed and turned away. “If you must know, I'm here to see a friend.”
And he continued down the corridor without another word.
With a sullen face, Hiromasa also continued walking, at least twenty paces behind the other.
🔹
After training, Hiromasa noisily went about his business, removing items from his locker and shoving them into his duffel bag.
“Taka-san,” Koga said teasingly. “How come you didn't introduce us to your boyfriend? Are you afraid we'll eat him up?”
Yue shook his head exasperatedly as the other guys laughed. “He's not my boyfriend..”
“Yet!” someone joked.
But Yue didn't seem optimistic in that regard.
“We're just hanging out as friends. He was hiding out in the library alone, so we got to talking and he's pretty cool.”
The other guys kept the conversation going but Hiromasa had tuned them out. So Qingming hadn't been as busy as he'd told them. He just wanted to avoid being around him… And because Hiromasa drove him away, he and Yue were getting closer.
“...know I love that stuff!”
Hiromasa sat down to undo his laces and was brought back to the conversation by the yell.
“I guess I forgot. But if you wanna go, I'll ask him.”
Koga grabbed Yue’s arm and looked at him with wide eyes. “Don't make jokes.”
Yue playfully shoved his face. “He said he had a bunch of invites and no one to give them to, so I'll let him know you're interested.”
The guys started bombarding Yue with shouts of “Me too!”
“Ok, ok! I'll ask.”
“Man! What an opportunity this is! I know a few people from our school entered, but they didn't make it through..”
“Do I need to wear a suit?”
“I feel like I'm gonna study before we go.. imagine if I impress one of the college reps and get an acceptance right on the spot?!”
The others thought he was being delusional but showed fake enthusiasm.
“Your not-boyfriend really is cool.”
Hiromasa didn't know what they were talking about, but he was getting more and more agitated. So he hurried out of the locker room, without his usual reminder for them to clean up.
◽🏍◽
Hiromasa had been staring at the gate to Qingming's home for the past ten minutes, but he made no movement to approach it. He'd been visiting the house everyday for over a week, and waiting in the sitting room for long periods of time, because he wanted Qingming to talk to him. But clearly that wasn't going to happen and he shouldn't continue being so defiant after the boy's mother had confronted him.
After deciding, he switched his bike on and made his way home. He didn't know why he was so adamant about this anyway. So, he'll just give Qingming his space.
When Hiromasa entered his house, he noticed the shoes in the foyer.
‘Is Mei-kun here?’ he wondered.
His friend hadn't said anything about coming over, but he wouldn't mind as he needed the distraction.
As he made his way through the house to his room, the athlete heard voices. Now that was surprising! Tomei and the housekeeper never spoke unless it was to ask for something or to give something. But now he heard laughter.
Following the sounds, he made his way to the kitchen, stopping just inside the doorway and peeking around the fridge. He took in the sight of the housekeeper and Qingming in the middle of stirring pots and cutting vegetables.
“I learnt how to cook so I could impress my ex girlfriend,” Qingming laughed. “But it ended up becoming something I do when I'm stressed or need a break from everything..”
“When you put it like that, it seems to have a negative connotation. Instead, you should say it's something you do to ease your stress, or to help you relax when you're having a hard time,” the housekeeper said.
Qingming frowned as he paused chopping the carrots. “Isn't that the same thing?”
The older woman laughed goodnaturedly. “Not at all! The meaning of something can change drastically simply by the way in which we arrange the words. For example, a lot of people like to say ‘I'm sorry you feel that way’ as an apology, and never understand why that frustrates the other party. That's saying you're sorry the person chose to feel offended by your actions, which is not the same as saying something like 'I'm sorry I made you feel that way'.”
Qingming seemed to ponder for a moment, and seemed to have an epiphany as he said in a low voice. “You've just taught me something very valuable.. Not only that, but.. I think I finally understand something my mother has always been telling me.. Thank you, Oba-san.”
His smile was genuine and warm.
The housekeeper patted his back encouragingly. “I'm sure she'll be very happy..”
At the housekeeper's statement, Hiromasa recalled his cousin trying to tell him that saying he loves someone is not the same as being in love with them. After hearing the example, he not only began to see the wisdom in those words but it also made him think of how he'd been approaching the situation with Qingming. He'd been going about it completely wrong!
As he remembered Qingming's words to him the day he came back, Hiromasa felt even more unsettled. He didn't think he could face anyone at the moment as a wave of emotions overtook him, so he stepped back and headed for his room instead.
🔹
After another ten or so minutes, when all the main prep work was done and they were waiting for the meat dishes to finish cooking, Qingming looked at the time.
“I've been enjoying this so much I completely forgot why I came in the first place,” he laughed. “I wonder what time Hiromasa-senpai will be home..”
“He's been home a little while now. Poor thing must have had a bad day.. he usually comes to check what's for dinner.”
Qingming's eye twitched, but he took a deep breath and calmed himself. Hiromasa didn't know he was there so he can't be upset..
“Ok.. l should probably go talk to him and be on my way then,” Qingming smiled.
“You're not staying for dinner?”
“No … I don't think that's such a good idea. Thanks though, I really had a great time. If you need any more tips on how to prepare Chinese dishes or need to get any hard to find ingredients, you can come by my house anytime. Despite living in Japan for so many years, my mom's palate is very…restrictive. Therefore, our house is stocked with a lot more traditional Chinese ingredients than you'll find in a store.”
“Oh my, thank you!” the woman smiled.
She then directed him to Hiromasa's room, instead of going to call him.
It took a while but Qingming found the guy's room and made his way towards the door that stood ajar, with a warm light spilling out from it.
As he lifted his hand to knock, he heard a female voice.
“I don't like this.. I'll talk to uncle tomorrow. You should just come here and finish out the year. It's much too lonely for you in that big house all by yourself.”
Qingming felt a pang. He had actually just been thinking the exact same thing on his way to the room. So many dark, empty rooms… He'd found himself thinking that maybe Hiromasa had gone drinking in the community park that night in order to escape the silence and loneliness.. Despite Qingming ranking extremely low on his list of tolerable people, the guy had chosen to spend the night sharing his bed rather than go home..
He didn't want to eavesdrop on the conversation, so he followed through and knocked on the door.
“Oba-san, come in,” came Hiromasa's voice.
Qingming hesitated only for a moment before pushing the door and looking for the room's owner.
He was surprised by what he could see of the decor. But there was no sign of the occupant.
Qingming was about to knock again, when the door was pulled further open from the inside and a shocked Hiromasa was suddenly before him. His face clearly showed he was not expecting Qingming to come to his room.
They both stood there like idiots, frozen as if they thought they were statues.
Qingming swallowed as he willed himself not to check out the naked torso before him. “I'm sorry to show up like this unannounced.. But.. Can we talk?”
Inside, Hiromasa felt like a jumbled mess because of the conversation he'd just been having with his cousin. But he managed to pull himself together. “Um, sure…” Then he lifted the phone in his hand. “Nee-san, I’ll call you back.”
🔹
Qingming looked across the dining table at Hiromasa and wondered why he’d been so impulsive.
They’d been sitting in the living room for a few minutes, yet to start their conversation, when the housekeeper had shown up to advise Hiromasa that she was serving dinner for him.
Qingming had suddenly thought of what he overheard from the phone, and words were spilling out of his mouth before his brain processed them.
So, here he was, having dinner with Hiromasa because he didn’t like the thought of leaving him all alone in what was obviously a bad mood.. However, as neither of the two were talking, there was nothing but silence except for the sound of their utensils.
The dancer was thinking whether or not he should go ahead and start the conversation he'd wanted to have, when he heard a low “Thank you”.
Hiromasa's tone made him sound small and insecure. It tugged at Qingming's heart, causing the dancer to shout a slew of expletives at himself in his head!
“What for?” he said aloud. He realised his voice had come out harsher than he intended, so he cleared his throat and quickly spoke again, much softer. “I mean, I haven't actually done anything to warrant that…”
The two looked up and held each other's gaze. In that moment, they each had similar yet different thoughts. Thoughts which not only surprised them, but also scared them a little…
Hiromasa was the first to break the silence. “Um… well, I heard that you helped to make dinner… so thank you. And… thanks for staying.. even though you're angry with me.. it means a lot.”
Qingming didn't know why but his stomach was doing somersaults at the simple words of gratitude. Maybe it was because he could feel the athlete's sincerity. He was suddenly aware of how silent it was..
“You're welcome,” he smiled. And this time, it was genuine.
Hiromasa was a little taken aback because he'd been expecting the fierce eyes he's become used to. Not these kind ones. He didn't want to ruin the pleasant atmosphere that had formed between them, so he decided to remain silent.
Qingming also didn't want to bring up what he came to discuss at the table, so they quietly continued eating their meal.
When Hiromasa left the table then came back with two trays to clear the plates, Qingming was surprised. Still, he took one despite the other guy's protests and packed his dishes and utensils on it.
When he followed Hiromasa into the kitchen, he got another surprise when he saw the athlete put on washing gloves and started on the dishes.
“I never would have guessed you're one to do chores,” Qingming said somewhat teasingly.
He looked around and spotted a stack of clean dish cloths. Taking one, he stood beside Hiromasa and started rinsing the washed items that were being placed in the empty side of the double sink then drying them.
“You don't have to do that,” Hiromasa hurriedly said.
“Why not? I do dishes at home too,” Qingming shrugged.
“But you already helped with dinner..”
“And now I'm helping with dishes. Don't make me change my mind.”
Hiromasa took the hint and said nothing more about it. There was a moment of silence before he spoke again. “I guess we're both not so spoiled by our parents that we can't do anything for ourselves.”
Qingming also chuckled. “My mom is of the impression that one needs to be taught ethics and responsibilities from a young age. 'Bù dānɡjiā, bù zhī cháimǐ ɡuì' she always said. Therefore, our home was our first school. Not only did we have to learn about the different aspects of keeping a functional home, but we had to learn how to do the work that went into making it liveable. You've seen my house… it used to take me an entire week just to dust everything!”
Hiromasa let out a small laugh. “Wouldn't that mean it was time to dust again by the time you finished?”
“Exactly!”
They both laughed.
“But, there is method to her madness, I'll give her that.. I became more efficient, learnt how to prioritise my tasks and how to multitask. I learnt how to respect and appreciate the value of each person on our staff and the advantage I've been given in life compared to others.. But the biggest thing for me, was that I learnt the importance of being patient.. Though I can admit I'm still working on that one. I sometimes get irritated very easily..”
“Really? I haven't noticed!”
Qingming only responded with a light shove and a ‘hmph’.
“I would've liked my parents to be more like that. Instead, it's the opposite. They'd rather try to pamper me than let me be independent..”
Qingming remembered talking to the guy's mom. “Maybe they just feel guilty about spending so much time away from you. They clearly understand that it's hard on you having to grow up on your own.”
“Hmm… I know. The arrangement was for me to live with my grandparents, but I returned home within a month.”
“Oh?”
“Yep. It took some convincing but they eventually agreed to letting me continue living at home. Especially after Oba-san agreed to move in. She's my father's aunt who chose to live outside the family, but he an her always had a close relationship." Hiromasa chuckled lightly. "You're not the only one who doesn't get along that well with some family members.”
Qingming would have never guessed that they were actually related. The woman was so sweet and personable!
“Ahh.. I get it,” the dancer sighed. “As much as I liked having some amount of freedom from my mom, I do not miss being in my grandfather’s house. He believes that blood ties means being able to forgive any and all transgressions.. But I’m not the same. I don’t know what happened between my mom and her relatives, but they don’t keep in touch. And the older I get, the more the old man tries to force me to become more acquainted with them. But regardless of whatever grievances I have with my mother, I would not try to spite her by getting close to them.. My dad also doesn’t seem to like them, and his opinion means everything to me.”
“And that’s why you remain ‘tolerant’ of your mom?”
Qingming laughed. “Don't get me wrong, I do love my mom, but .. we just can't seem to get along. My dad says he’s in love with her, so obviously there’s a normal side to her that she’s keeping secret for whatever reason.”
Hiromasa looked a bit thoughtful as he slowly washed the plate in his hands. “She’s very protective of you. I gathered that much, at least.”
“Oh right.. I almost forgot you two met.”
“About that, please believe me. I –.”
“It’s ok.. She already explained you didn’t initiate the conversation with her. But, here’s a tip for the future.. When my mom requests your presence behind closed doors, run!”
“... For the future?”
Qingming huffed. “I’m just saying… in the event you two should cross paths again..”
They finished up in silence, then made their way to the living room.
“Hiromasa-senpai… I came here to return your things and get my phone back so we could cut all ties..,” Qingming started.
He heard the other person’s sharp inhale and saw his eyes widened. How he felt in that moment, and what he said next, made Qingming think he may be a little crazy too.
“But… I’ll give you a chance to explain yourself. I mean, I know you’ve been trying to apologise because you don’t want me to say anything to Mei-kun, but the fact that you actually told your parents about what happened carries some weight..”
“You’re wrong.”
Qingming raised a brow.
“I mean, yes I didn’t want you to tell Tomei. But when I decided to come home early and all the times I came to your house, my only reason was because I felt guilty for what I did and how my thoughtless actions made you feel. At first, I too thought I was driven solely by my feelings for Mei-kun, but..,” Hiromasa paused as he realised what his next words were going to be. Words that he had no idea where they came from. “But after having the chance to think about it properly, I hated that I was such a jerk, and didn’t want you to hate me.. and was hoping you'd give me another chance. I just didn't realise I was going about trying to tell you that in the wrong way.”
Qingming was taken aback by that admission. It was the complete opposite of what he’d expected to hear.
“Oh.. um.. Th-thank you..?” He cleared his throat and tried to speak again. "I guess I was wrong about you.."
Hiromasa sighed. "To be honest, when I looked at the situation from your perspective, even I thought I was just using you the whole time.."
Qingming smiled sadly as the emotions were still fresh in his memory. "Mm... You were mean for doing that, senpai."
“Yeah, I'm a complete asshole. I just…,” Hiromasa sighed again and covered his face as he leaned back into the couch.
It was another minute or so before he continued and explained what led to the conversations. As he spoke, they both felt a little weird inside. They both thought it must have been something they ate…
When Hiromasa finished speaking, Qingming admitted that his actions were understandable. For the most part. But he also shared how it had actually deepened the bond between the two dancers. So in a weird way, Hiromasa helped them.
Hearing that made Hiromasa feel a little uncomfortable, but he couldn’t discern why.
Qingming didn’t share anything that he and Tomei discussed, and thankfully, Hiromasa didn’t ask.
“I’ve actually decided to tell Tomei the truth. I might actually call him after you leave..”
Qingming didn’t expect to hear that. “No!” he practically shouted. “I mean.. There’s really no reason to do so now, right? No one got hurt and we’re already past it..”
Hiromasa looked unconvinced that Qingming was letting it go this easily after their stand-off for almost two weeks.
Qingming sighed. “I just don’t see how this will do any good. Yes, it was wrong. But, I wasn't innocent in all this either..”
"What do you mean?"
Qingming opened and closed his mouth a few times before finding the words he wanted to say. "I mean, I purposely hid the fact that we were getting along from Tomei and everyone.. Even that day.. I was sitting right in front of him, and.." No way was he going to admit to the other thoughts that had tried to needle their way into his consciousness every chance they got. "Anyway, there's no need for us to do so. And it brought about some good, right?"
“I’m not so sure I see the good side..”
“Well.. You and I understand each other a little better now, don't we?" Qingming was just as surprised as the look on Hiromasa's face that he'd actually said that out loud, and in such a manner! Not giving the athlete a chance to comment on it, he quickly added: "More importantly, you can at least be certain that your confession won’t shock Mei-kun! And since he’s had time to think it through, you will get an honest answer. That's better in this situation, in my opinion.”
Hiromasa really wanted to expound on what Qingming said first, but didn't want to push. “Why’s that?”
“Well… Has Tomei ever been attracted to another male? I know I’d totally freak out if some guy confessed to me! Worse, if it’s my friend of many years. I’d be so caught off guard, I might accidentally say something really bad and hurt the person's feelings..”
Hiromasa suddenly thought of Yue and frowned.
Qingming saw the frown and misunderstood. “I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with same sex relationships!”
“No, it’s not what you said.. I just thought of something else, sorry…”
Qingming nodded, but Hiromasa was fidgety all of a sudden.
“But… what if, right now, there is someone who likes you in that way? A guy?”
“Me??” Qingming seemed completely baffled by the possibility.
“What’s with that reaction?”
“I’ve jokingly told people I’ll find myself a rich husband if a woman is too insecure to be with me, but I don’t mean it,” Qingming laughed. “I’m off relationships altogether anyway, so it wouldn’t even matter.. I'll just live vicariously through the rest of you.”
Hiromasa was about to ask Qingming more about that when a ringtone started playing. Out of reflex from hearing his ringtone, Qingming reached for his pocket but remembered in time to see Hiromasa taking it from his instead.
“Hm-hm,” the dancer chuckled. “Does my phone even remember me?”
Hiromasa actually looked a little remorseful. “Sorry… My parents have been contacting me on it when they want to video chat or text. Otherwise, they call the house phone…”
“It’s ok,” Qingming said in a low voice.
Hiromasa swiped the screen and answered. “Hi, mom.”
"Hiro-kun, what’s going on? Are you ok?"
Her voice was heavy with concern, causing her son to frown. “Of course. Why?”
"I just got off the phone with Megumi-chan and she wants to have lunch tomorrow to talk about you. She said it was urgent!"
Hiromasa’s face became flushed as he remembered what he and his cousin had been talking about. He glanced over at Qingming, who was looking across the coffee table at the phone screen.
“Oh, that.. She’s just being over-protective. I’ll call her back before I go to bed.”
"Are you sure everything’s ok? Are you ok?"
Not really thinking about it, Hiromasa looked over at Qingming again. “Yeah.. everything’s ok now.. Right?”
Qingming raised his head and met the other’s eyes. He’d just been thinking of the promise and secret between himself and Hiromasa’s mom.. If the athlete’s cousin were to tell them the boy was depressed and they should move him, it would no doubt make them blame themselves which would probably make them coddle Hiromasa even more. Especially if he was going to be right there with them.
“En. Everything is ok now, Minamoto-san,” he said.
"Qingming-kun?!"
Hiromasa got up and went to sit beside Qingming so they were both in the frame. The dancer gave a small wave to the woman, but his smile was bright.
“Hi, Minamoto-san.. I’m sorry we worried you so much. I only saw your message last night, so my apologies for not responding to it sooner. Oh, and thanks for the flowers..”
Now facing the woman, in a sense, he suddenly felt a little sheepish. Knowing that she was aware of what happened between them left him feeling exposed.. Is that what his mother was always talking about when she lectured him about his lack of conduct?
"No, my dear! No need to apologise. As long as you both work it out, that’s all that matters. I’m sorry the flowers came so late, but my son here refused to give me your address so I had to use other methods to obtain it. To think we’ve been neighbours all this time!"
Qingming was suddenly reminded of the time his mother, still in Japan, sent a car to pick him up from the home of the aunt of the friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend way out in the countryside that time he’d ran away from his grandfather’s home. He hadn't even made it til evening before the car showed up and the driver stood at the door, holding up a phone with his mother on speaker. Money and resources really gave humans super powers.
“Yeah, funny how things turned out that way,” he chuckled. He didn’t know what else to say and noticed the time as he looked at the phone screen. He’d been there much longer than he thought!
“Mom, I’ll text you later,” Hiromasa said.
“Oh, no need. I didn’t realise the time, so I should get going,” Qingming stopped him. He looked at Hiromasa. ”We can finish this tomorrow.”
"No need, boys. I’ll call later, Hiro. I should actually be in a meeting right now with your father and our lawyers."
Hiromasa nodded. “Don’t settle for less than 100% of everything.”
"I heard that. Honey, we need you inside." It was Hiromasa’s father.
Hiromasa’s mom said her goodbyes and ended the call.
The two of them, now sitting side by side, didn’t know what to say.
After a while, Qingming cleared his throat. “Oh, right. I almost forgot. I came so we can return some things to their rightful owners.” He reached for his knapsack and took the phone from inside.
“Thank you,” Hiromasa said as he received it and somewhat hesitantly handed over the other phone to its owner. “Other than messages from my parents, I haven’t gone into any other chats.”
Qingming nodded as he put the phone in his bag and continued feeling around. Then he slapped his forehead. “That’s right.. I didn’t bring the car key because I didn’t wanna risk losing it..”
Hiromasa gave a soft laugh. “That’s ok. I’ll come get it tomorrow.”
“Sorry about that…”
“Really, it’s fine. Besides, what good is having the key if the car is not here?”
Qingming sighed. “Right.. That’s why I was supposed to go home first! I didn’t wanna get cold feet so I just came straight here, not thinking ab–.”
Hiromasa laughed as the dancer stopped abruptly. “Well, I’m glad you chose to keep your feet warm.. So, thank you.”
Qingming’s chest felt stuffy as he watched Hiromasa. He looked away as he reached back into his bag for his phone. “It’s getting late.. I should go.”
Hiromasa’s smile almost completely faded. “Oh, right. I can take you.”
“No, that’s ok. My driver is waiting for me to tell him to come.”
Hiromasa didn’t push. After all, Qingming wasn’t exactly going far away.. He didn’t know why, but the thought made him smile. “Ok.”
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