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“Aw man, it’s snowing.” Hinata pointed out the window with a lazy wave of his hand, fingers extending as if they could dance with the falling snowflakes outside, twirling downwards with lazy dances. Nice to know even precipitation didn’t want to put much effort into moving around during the winter. After a few seconds that felt more like hours passed, Hinata turned an unsatisfied look to the boy beside him. “Hey~? Tsukasa-kun, there’s no snow in your notes, it's outside. Looky looky~”
Tsukasa glanced up for a mere 0.3 seconds, made an affirmative humming noise, and resumed writing the details about Pax Romana on his color coded flashcards, the pink ones pulled out and shuffled to the front for his social studies notes.
Hinata knew he would never hold a flame to the persuasive power of most pouting faces, not with the way his cheek muscles stiffen and get sore from exaggerating it out of force- Yuuta and kids like Tori, and even Tsukasa himself, would always have him beat in that regard. Still, as much as his cheeks ached after another day of being the class clown, he pursed his lip out in his best pout. He properly spun around in his chair to face Tsukasa, and so he could spread his arms across Tsukasa’s desk like a cat who had no issue disrupting the triumphant reign of Pax Romana.
“Tsukasa-kun is being so~ mean not paying attention to me. What if Knights found out about this unchivalrous behavior?” His eyes settled on Tsukasa’s ever present frown clouding his face. A dark expression with his eyebrows drawn down and furrowed, creases forming like a swirling storm. Hinata knew a wrinkled face like this would earn him a scolding from that haughty unit mate of his, and he wondered what could possibly be causing the boy such a sour mood.
Usually Tsukasa was so easy to hold a conversation with. He’d never admit to it, as rich people don’t enjoy admitting anything to the fact of how shallow they are, but an heir of Tsukasa’s status loved to hear himself talk. He’d talk to anyone who would listen, and especially those who wouldn’t, which was a character flaw of his, really. Maybe it was good he didn’t have free phone access or he’d be fighting internet trolls all day, sharpening his online blade with well researched facts and figures only to be instantly flamed for a mistyped “bcause”.
So to say him being a grouch was out of character? Not entirely true, because he definitely had his short tempered days. But for a silent treatment?
Hinata tries to give the benefit of the doubt. His eyes are talented in a kinesthetic understanding, and like Yuuta says, as Pisces they’re both adept in their intellectual understanding of others. Sure, okay, whatever that means.
But Tsukasa’s body does reek of stress. Hinata’s sure with how he grew up he was probably smacked with a ruler on the wrists for having bad posture, so for the way he’s hunched now, shoulders curling in on themselves in a completely non-intentional way… Hinata can assume something must be weighing on him.
This was a rare day where Hinata had no after school jobs, and Yuuta was hanging out with all his classmates, sans Tsukasa who had excused himself to study for exams his tutors had prepared for him at home in the next few days. Secret relationship and all, Hinata assumed that isolation from his classmates meant he’d be able to bug Tsukasa for a super secret hand holding session, or if he really needed to study, then a game of footsie under the desk.
He’s done it before, plenty of times of joining Tsukasa after school to flirt as openly as they wanted with no prying eyes around, and he’s never gotten as cold of a reaction from Tsukasa as this. But since he hasn’t been told off yet and to go away, Hinata has accepted playing whatever little game of say uncle this was. He knows Tsukasa has a big mouth, his reservations about cursing be damned whenever he’s agitated, so surely if he hasn’t said anything yet then he must want Hinata here for company.
And if that’s not the case, then, well, Hinata’s used to being unwanted.
Tsukasa brought his eyes back to his pink flashcard, adding more bullet points to the already cramped up card. It was easy to settle into watching Tsukasa make flashcards since he put so much care into them. If he wanted to run an aesthetic social media account of note taking, Hinata would be his first follower among thousands. Though, he was trying to limit his endless scrolling online, so it’d be best to avoid the real life temptation as well.
With a quick movement of his wrist, his hand snapped down like a snake striking to pluck the pencil out of Tsukasa’s hand.
“What a high quality pencil, perfect for a high quality prince,” Hinata said, making a show of holding the pencil up to admire all its smooth, mechanical edges and graying eraser tip.
For a moment, it looked like Tsukasa was ripe to explode, red bubbling to his cheeks like fire, his body leaning inches up from his chair and his mouth open with a demand on his tongue. But the boy took a hard blink, settled back down, and opened his pencil case.
Hinata squashed whatever worry writhed in his chest for this out of character silence, and instead snatched the pencil case before Tsukasa could pull another pencil out.
“What a high quality pencil case! This will look great in my backpack, don’t you think, Tsu~ka~sa~kun~?” He grinned wide and dropped his stolen pencil into the case and zipped it up quickly. No more work for his boyfriend. He can either talk or get up and leave. Simple choice.
The silence weighed heavy in the room, and Hinata wished that it were 10 degrees warmer so that it was raining instead of snowing outside, since at least rain could offer some relief to this quiet. He kept his smile stretched thin upon his face, locking eyes with Tsukasa and trying to understand at all what was going on behind them. His face lost none of the stress from earlier, though it whispered of a different emotion now. Violet eyes squinting in such a way that reminded him of Yuuta when he was a kid, looking at their dad knowing it was hopeless that he’d ever look back.
“Eh? Tsukasa-kun, what’s-”
“What are we doing?” Tsukasa’s question stifled Hinata’s own.
Hinata blinked at him. “Well, you’re studying and I’m watching? Actually, you aren’t studying anymore because I stole your pencils.”
“No, I mean what’s the point?”
“For studying? To get good grades. Good transcript. Go to college.” Hinata shrugged. “You’d have better explanations for why all us good boys and girls should strive for excellence and make our parents happy.”
“My parents are already happy!” Tsukasa’s outburst lacked its regular irritation, and instead his voice cracked with an unfamiliar desperation.
Hinata’s eyes widened as he set the stolen pencil case back down on the desk, willing to try anything to settle the onset of aching in his heart. He’d be the first to understand the constant struggle of striving for the love and attention from a parent, to want nothing more than unconditional love from an adult meant to love you forever.
But this was Tsukasa Suou and he was a good kid that did everything right, so Hinata had to hope the storm brewing in Tsukasa’s head was one of his own doing.
“Tsukasa-kun,” Hinata started, but wasn’t quite sure what to say next. Sure, he understood the feeling and all the angst that came with it, but he didn’t even properly voice that to his own brother. “Parents are overrated.”
“My parents have started talking about arranging dates for me.”
Oh.
“Oh.”
Tsukasa let out a deep breath, chest deflating while his shoulders lost none of their tension. His right hand squeezed into a fist; a thought wandered through the back of Hinata’s mind that Tsukasa would probably love to have his hands on some snacks right now, munching the stress away.
There wasn’t an easy way to continue the conversation. As much as Hinata wanted to get up and run away from this and swear he didn’t have any emotional attachment, the problem was he did and it was a large attachment. Letting go was not something he wanted to do.
Tsukasa made no attempt to say anything else, not even meeting Hinata’s eyes. He gazed outside at the snow Hinata pointed out earlier, maybe thinking the same thoughts his own mind was racing through.
“Well, then I guess I need to throw my hat in the ring. Formally. Officially.” He said the words with purposeful lightness, trying to say it in the same way he’d tease like any other day. He hoped Tsukasa believed the ease of it, that there wasn’t sweat in Hinata’s palms or that his heart had already started skipping beats thinking about the potential of meeting the Suou’s.
To his credit, Tsukasa turned to look at him with the same wide eyes and raised eyebrows he would after any other typical crazy thing Hinata would say. At least he was looking, and at least Hinata could swim in his eyes and yank on the boy’s soul to bring it into this conversation. If Tsukasa’s soul was tangible, Hinata would pull on it if he could, screaming ‘I want you!’, ‘Don’t leave me!’, ‘I love you!’ as loud his own battered soul could manage.
“Hinata-kun, what are you saying?!” Tsukasa squawked. “You want to meet my parents- no, you want me to introduce you to my parents as my-”
“Boyfriend!” Hinata grinned. It was much easier to slip into his regular persona of sunflowers and playful breezes when Tsukasa reacted like he was about to stick ice cubes down his shirt.
Tsukasa’s face grew red as he stammered indecipherable words and Hinata was on the verge of asking him to take a deep breath. He wouldn’t, but only because when he’s done so before it made Tsukasa fumble and sizzle even more.
“I- you seriously think that would be… okay?” Tsukasa’s voice started strong but grew quieter with his final word. His red cheeks and raised eyebrows no longer symptoms of anger or shock, but now showing a rather demure expression. “You’d actually do that? Introduce yourself?”
Hinata tilted his head, pouting his lips out. “Huh? Why wouldn’t I? I said I’d do it~!”
“Yes, however you are the one that proposed the idea of a ‘secret relationship’. Shouldn’t you be the one to finally do away with it?”
“What?! Are you trying to pin this on me?” He leaned across the desk to pinch Tsukasa’s cheek. “Where’d you get an idea like that from?! I only said I’d date you secretly because you would’ve said no if we were open about it! Tsukasa-kun~, don’t you know lying will ruin your skin?”
“I’m not lying! Did I really say that? I don’t recall.” Tsukasa knocked Hinata’s hand away with a light yet over the top shove that only a refined noble could deliver.
“Okay, so you didn’t explicitly say that but it is true. The only way I knew you’d date me, what with your oh so holy heir of capitalism status, was if I told you we could keep it secret.”
“So, you never really cared one way or another?”
Hinata paused. It’d be easy enough to lie and settle this conversation easily, but if he was offering himself up on a platter to be scorned and evaluated by the Suou’s, then dishonest and poor wasn’t really what he wanted to be marked as. And he could only control one of those.
“I did care, just a tiny bit I guess~” Talking about his personal emotions made his tongue feel a bit heavy and he had to take a moment to pause. Tsukasa waited, his usual character flaw of butting in while anyone but his senpai’s were talking on hold, for now. “Tsukasa-kun~ If you be nice I’m just going to get more shy, y’know?”
Tsukasa offered a small smile, it was the first smile he had given Hinata the entire day and it warmed up his chest with a squeaky feeling. “That’s okay. I can be patient…. But, I really am curious about why you would care.”
Hinata sighed and turned to look out the window. No way he could speak from the heart if he had to look at Tsukasa’s perfectly cute smile.
“Y’know… Tsukasa-kun, it’s snowing. That’s a fact, like if you look out right now you can see all the pretty snowflakes dancing around.” Hinata waved his hand to show Tsukasa outside the window, and this time his boyfriend was actually looking and paying attention. “And another fact is I really don’t know how to explain it, why I cared and wanted it a secret, but,” Hinata glanced at him in the corner of his eye. “Once I know the words, I’ll tell you. Pinky promise~”
Tsukasa didn’t move from looking outside, but his hand did meet Hinata’s, its warmth inviting him to hold it. Hinata slipped his pinky on top of Tsukasa’s, curling around it to confirm the promise.
“Cute,” Tsukasa mumbled, face soft as he watched the snow. “But you don’t mind now, right?”
“Nope~ I told you I’m ready and raring to go and meet your parents. Which honestly will go a lot better than telling Yuuta-kun that I’ve had such a well-kept secret all this time~” Hinata laughed a bit, thinking of his brother’s reaction. “I hope you’re a fast runner. Yuuta-kun may not look it, but he can be pretty overprotective~! You either gotta fight for my maidenly honor or run fast.”
“What?! I mean, of course I’ll fight for your honor! Is it sword fighting? I’m better at archery than duels. Or is it perhaps a test of wit? I could smite anyone in chess- or do you mean a duel with cards? I’d still have him beat!”
“Easy there Tsukasa-kun~ I know you’ll do anything, but let’s worry about it tomorrow, kay~?”
Tsukasa made a show of definitely not puffing out his cheeks, but he did quiet down. Hinata laced his fingers together with Tsukasa’s, his heart beating to a soothing melody now that all he had to worry about in this moment in time was the snowflakes dancing outside, and his own sweaty palm.