Chapter Text
The train ride wasn’t that long, though the bus ride was awkward – he was the only one to get off at the small town, and he clearly didn’t belong. His clothes were too nice, despite his best efforts to choose ones he thought would blend in, and whenever he had to stop to talk to someone, it was obvious he lacked the accent they all had. But he didn’t intend to be in this town long, his only intention was to confirm something, and then apologize, if Hiromi was indeed here.
He only hoped that, if Hiromi was not here, if he was truly dead, that he didn’t have to be the bearer of bad news to his mother. Daiji didn’t want to be the one to do that to anyone, let alone the mother of his crush best friend. But even he knew that the chances of Hiromi being alive were… not high, given the cliff and the state he was already in. He also knew that, if Hiromi was, he’d be here, home with his mother. And if that were the case, Daiji needed to apologize.
A nice, if curious and wary looking, man gives him directions to the Kadota home, which Daiji finds without too much trouble. Though as he approaches the front door, he feels this strange feeling in his chest, twisting and almost painful. It gave him pause, frowning.
“You’re nervous, Daiji.” Kagerou said, as though it were obvious.
Really, it was, Daiji had been nervous before. Plenty, really, he had a lot of things to be nervous about. His father, for example, up until recently, the consequences of being found as Fenix’s mole, and… Hiromi. Sometimes, like right now, Hiromi made him very nervous. Nervous he might upset Hiromi, that Hiromi might realize how terrible Daiji really was, and hate him.
Daiji took a deep breath, then straightened his shoulders, “All I have to do is see if he’s here, and then apologize if he isn’t.”
Though there’s nothing for him to see Kagerou through, Daiji just knows that Kagerou is smirking, smug, when he spoke next, “The worst he can do is hate us. But I’m optimistic.”
“That makes one of us.” Daiji sighed, then walked the rest of the distance to the front door. He raised his hand and then knocked. He can hear some shuffling around, then footsteps, and soon the door opened. On the other side was the face he both hoped and dreaded most to see: Hiromi.
Hiromi looked surprised to see him, quickly studying him before he spoke, “…Daiji?”
Suddenly Daiji forgot everything he’d been planning to say. “…Hiromi. Hello.”
“What are you doing here?” Hiromi glanced around, as though he was looking for someone or something else.
It hurt that he was already on edge, just from seeing Daiji. Though Daiji supposed he couldn’t blame Hiromi – Daiji had, as much as it pained him, damaged his trust. “I… wanted to see you.” Daiji admitted. “I wanted to know you were alive and…” His throat tightened and he lost his words.
Frowning, Hiromi asked, “And?” He was wary still, but seemed just a little more relaxed, perhaps feeling more comfortable in the idea that Daiji was alone – or alone as he could be, and as alone as Hiromi knows.
“Just tell him we love him and get it over with,” Kagerou said.
“No,” Was Daiji’s firm response. They were here to apologize, then get out of Hiromi’s hair. Nothing more.
“I wanted to… apologize.” Daiji finally said to Hiromi, “I’m sorry about… everything. About lying, about you falling, about the demon, about how all this ended up. I never wanted any of this.”
Hiromi’s frown didn’t fade, to Daiji’s dismay, “And yet, here we are.”
Looking away, Daiji felt his nerves fade, instead being replaced with just pain. Just the hurt of knowing how badly he must have hurt Hiromi, for this to be Hiromi’s response. “I don’t expect you to forgive me. I just… owed you that apology.” He turned away.
Before he can take a step, they’re both interrupted by who can only be Hiromi’s mother, “Oh, Hiromi, who’s this?”
Turning back towards the door, Daiji can see Hiromi’s mother, standing just behind Hiromi himself. Carefully, Hiromi answered her, “A… former coworker.”
“And he came all this way to visit you? You two must be close,”
Daiji shook his head, “Not… exactly,” He didn’t want to admit that they had been. That just days ago Hiromi had been the single person he was closest to that wasn’t his siblings. But he’d ruined that – it was always going to be ruined, an inevitable fact when so much of who he was had been built on lies and half-truths. But she didn’t know that, shouldn’t have to know that. “Anyway, I was just about to leave.”
She frowned, “Already? Are you in a hurry?”
Though Daiji could see where this would likely go, knew he should just say “yes” and leave… he didn’t want to. He wanted an excuse to stay, to get to be near Hiromi and all his brilliance for just a little longer. “Well…”
“Stay for lunch, at least,” She said, gently nudging Hiromi aside. “Come in, I’d love to hear a bit more about how you two know each other, Hiromi’s never talked much about work.”
He suspected there was a reason that Hiromi didn’t talk much about his time at Fenix – not just because of how that time came to an end, but because he was sure that Hiromi didn’t want his mother to know just how much danger he was always in. Daiji doesn’t think he’d want his mother to know, if she had still been alive and he knew her. Hiromi stepped aside, allowing Daiji into the house.
She hurried ahead, once again leaving Hiromi and Daiji alone, though likely not entirely out of earshot. Daiji glanced at Hiromi, who frowned even still, and he said, “I won’t tell her anything bad,”
“…Thank you for humoring her, at least,” Hiromi responded, staring the way that his mother had went, “She’s happy I have friends.”
“Because she cares about you, I think,”
They don’t speak another word to each other as Hiromi leads him to the table. When Hiromi’s mother returns with lunch, though they speak to her, again, they speak little to each other. She doesn’t seem to notice much, too wrapped up in Daiji’s stories, stories he told mostly at his own expense (she kept scolding him, albeit somewhat playfully, about overworking himself. Hiromi almost smiled).
“You sound like you need to take a vacation,” She said, giving him something of a stern look, “Overworking yourself isn’t going to do you any good.”
Daiji shook his head, “I’ve got too much to do to take too long of a break,” Even now that he wasn’t working at Fenix anymore, he likely had too much to do as Evil. He’d have to face his punishment for defying his father, and if he was still in working condition after that, he’d surely be expected to do even more as Evil.
“Still, you shouldn’t forget to take care of yourself,” She insisted.
Finally, Hiromi spoke, “Truthfully, I think this is the closest thing to relaxed I’ve ever seen him.”
He wasn’t… entirely wrong. While Daiji hadn’t exactly realized it, he’d begun to relax, sitting here with Hiromi and his mother. Hiromi had always helped him relax a little, as much as Daiji ever relaxed, but this was different. This was more. Maybe Hiromi was right, but Daiji couldn’t imagine why he was. What made being here, right now, different from anything else.
“I…” Daiji really wasn’t sure what to say.
“You’re not expected back all that soon, are you?” Hiromi asked, finally casting a careful look at Daiji.
Confused, Daiji answered, “Well, not exactly…”
“Then,” And what Hiromi said next really surprised Daiji, “Maybe you could stay here, for a while?”
“What?” Daiji quickly looked at him, almost giving himself a bit of a headache, “Why would I…? Why would you want me to…?”
Hiromi glanced away, then answered, “You could use the rest, and it couldn’t hurt to have a little extra help here.”
There it was. Help. Well, Daiji would be willing to give it. “If it’s not too much of a bother.”
Hiromi’s mother lit up, “Oh, not at all! We’d love to have you.”
“I’d be happy to stay and help you two, then.” Sure, being gone longer would only delay the inevitable, and ultimately make his father more upset with him, but at this point, Daiji didn’t really care. Not when he was being handed a perfectly good chance to be with Hiromi for longer.
To his surprise, Hiromi gave him a smile, “That’s good to hear.”
The next time that he and Hiromi are alone, Daiji asked, “Why did you suggest I stay?”
He frowned, for a moment, before answering, “Well, as… complicated as I feel about you, I know… you’d never hurt either of us, not when I’m a civilian now. And you do need the break.”
Daiji couldn’t help but laugh a little at that comment, “I guess I do.”