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“How much longer are you going to take, Hibiki?!”
Not paying his troubled friend at the other side of the locked door any mind, Hibiki continued to move his slender fingers through his black, curly locks. When he was sure that all of the black of his hair was covered in a thick layer of white, foaming shampoo, he finally turned his head to the door and gave is impatient friend an answer.
“Twenty minutes minimal.”
“Twenty minutes minimal?!”
As every morning, Daichi’s voice had risen. Since they had moved into the same apartment their relationship had more and more started to take the shape of one of a married couple. They would fight over nothing, make up and find another reason to fight again. It was an infinite loop neither of them ever had thought to get stuck in. And how could they have known?
Moving into the same apartment had seemed like such a good idea, but reality had failed to meet their expectations. Yes, indeed the cost were lower for them and indeed they lived closer to college, but after constantly being in each other’s presence one couldn't help but start seeing the worst sides of the other. Hibiki’s worst side being taking forever in the shower.
Loud banging on the locked door caused Hibiki to be pulled out of his thoughts.
“Are you deaf?! I said that is too long! We are supposed to be at college in less than an hour! How do you expect me to take a shower after you and be on time at college?!”
Daichi had a point. Although he didn't take as long as Hibiki when it came to showering, he certainly wouldn't make it in time if Hibiki wouldn't hurry up. Being a little angry now, Hibiki stuck his head under the hot water and quickly washed the shampoo out.
“I know, I know! Geez, no need to be so loud in the morning…”
The banging on the door stopped and Hibiki could hear Daichi heaving a sigh. The water was still hot, but feeling in run over his body didn't feel that pleasant anymore. Hibiki couldn't possibly still enjoy his shower like this, so when the last bit of shampoo had vanished through the drain he turned the water off.
“Finally done?”
He kept his mouth shut as he stepped out of the shower. Normally he would have taken his time to dry off, but seeing as his dear friend wanted him out of his way that badly, Hibiki quickly took a towel from the rail and put the relatively small cloth around his waist.
Only a few seconds later he had unlocked the door, opened it and stepped into the hallway, blocking Daichi’s path in his butt naked glory. Small drops of water sparkled at the ends of his black, curly locks, while other’s trailed down his bare chest. A little smile played on his lips as he looked down on his somewhat flustered friend.
“All yours.”
Daichi gave him a look he couldn't really put into words. It was closest to a look of envy, but just that word alone wasn't enough to grasp it. He gently bit down his lip as he tried to think of the emotions behind that disgusted look.
“You’re not funny.”
Hibiki’s smile vanished upon hearing those slightly shaking words. Had he hurt Daichi? No, that couldn't be. There was no way the person he called his childhood friend suddenly would start taking his teasing seriously: Daichi knew better than that. Even so, just the thought that Hibiki had actually made his friend upset made guilt struck his chest. He slowly stepped aside, making way for the other. As Daichi walked passed him, they both refused to make eye contact. It was only when Hibiki heard water running that he found his voice back.
“I’m sorry…”
“You have to be kidding me, right?”
That same look Daichi had given him the other day had returned to his face. Hibiki didn’t need to be a mind reader to know what his friend was thinking about his plan.
“What makes you think I’m kidding? I’m dead serious.”
Daichi huffed as he shook his head disapprovingly. Hibiki failed to see why his plan was no good. He had come up with the perfect solution for their daily morning quarrel, yet Daichi refused to cooperate.
“Can’t you see the point I’m trying to make? If we shower together in the morning, there will be no need to get angry at anyone. Every morning will be peaceful again: don’t you want that too?”
“Hibiki, you have to be kidding me. What in the world made you think it’s okay for two dudes to shower together? That and our mornings will be peaceful again if you just hurry up. There really is no need for such… extreme measures.”
Considering Daichi’s words, Hibiki lilted his head slightly to the left. Ah, so that was the problem. To think a grown man still would make a fuss about such a small thing.
“You’re afraid to show me your junk? I wouldn’t worry about that too much. It’s nothing impressive anyways.”
Suddenly, it looked like Daichi’s face had caught fire. What had begun as just a light blush on the cheeks had turned into one of the reddest faces Hibiki had ever gotten the pleasure of witnessing.
“No need to put it that bluntly! And how would you know that?!”
“Ah, so it really isn’t that impressive.”
“H-Hibiki!”
A warm laugh escaped his lips. He really had gotten his friend all worked up, hadn’t he? He better make up with him fast to prevent him from calling him names.
“I’m just messing with you, but I’m serious about showering together. Not only is that faster, it will also lower the cost of our water use. How about this? We try showering together tomorrow. If you still are against it after that, then I shall stop bothering you with it, but if it turns out it really isn’t that bad, we will continue spending our mornings like that. So, what do you say?”
Daichi nervously looked around the living room as if trying to find the best answer somewhere. As Hibiki waited patiently for his friend to come up with an answer he looked around the apartment himself. All the time they had spend together here... He wondered were all those happy days had gone to.
“Alright… But promise me that we will never shower together again if—”
“Understood~! Want to make it a Pinky Promise?”
“Well? What are you waiting for?”
Those troubled brown eyes refused to look at him. Hibiki might as well could have been a ghost, for his friend was more or less refusing to accept his existence right now. He heaved a deep sigh. Why was Daichi still not joining him the shower carbine?
“What’s the problem? You’re already naked, so I don’t see why–”
“You promised, right?”
“Hm? Yes, I promised… Now get in here before my balls freeze off.”
After a few more seconds of hesitation, Daichi finally stepped into the carbine. Happy that they finally got to warm up a bit, Hibiki turned on the shower. He had checked the temperature beforehand, so the water felt exactly as he liked it.
“Not too hot for you? I normally shower when the water is this hot so–”
“It’s okay…”
Daichi sounded like everything right now was anything but okay, but Hibiki paid it no mind. They showered in silence, passing on the soup to each other and standing under the strongest beam of water in sequence. Apart from the running water, not a sound was made. Hibiki closed his eyes as he enjoyed the peace of the morning.
“This is nice… No banging on the door, no angry shouts, just us showering together.”
His companion stayed awfully silent. So silent that it actually got Hibiki worried enough to open his eyes again. Before him no longer stood his troubled friend, but a glorious person with a light blush on his cheeks and whom seemed to have tears shining in the corners of his eyes.
“Hey… Something the matter? You aren’t looking so good…”
A lie. In all honesty, Hibiki never had seen Daichi looking this beautiful before. He thought nothing of those feelings troubling his stomach. He was barely awake yet, that was all there was to it.
“Hibiki, I don’t think we should shower together again.”
To hear Daichi say that was a disappointment. Hibiki had enjoyed this peace and hoped that from now on every morning would be like this, but he was a man of his word. If this wasn’t what Daichi wanted, then they would make an end to it. It was as simple as that.
“That’s okay… I understand.”
Suddenly, Daichi had shoved him against the plastic wall of the carbine. Just as he was about to complain, he saw those burning brown eyes staring at him with such a furious expression that he couldn’t get a word over his lips.
“No! No, you don’t! You don’t understand at all!”
He opened his mouth to say something, anything at all, but closed it again as he noticed there was not a single way to express what he was feeling this very moment. There was something he had missed. Something very important. How could there be something which made his best friend so very upset, yet he had failed to noticed it? He had failed as a friend, hadn’t he? He should have noticed… He should have known… Why was this happening?
“You just don’t get it, do you?! Why can’t you see that I…”
All that fire inside those brown eyes suddenly died out. Hibiki watched silently as Daichi hung his head. He couldn’t tell the difference between tears and water streaming down his friend’s face.
“I love you, Hibiki…”
Hibiki’s mind went completely blank. A confession? Of all the things he could have missed he… Daichi’s most inner feelings for him, which should be most clear for someone you call your best friend: he had turned away from them. But now… Now things were different! He wouldn’t turn away from those feelings anymore, neither would he try to get rid of his own. He too was…
“Daichi…”
He gently took a hold on the other’s chin to make him look into his eyes again. All this time he had wondered why there had been so much tension between them, but it was all clear to him now. They were no longer best friends, they were more.
He leaned forward, taking away the last bit of space between Daichi’s lips and his. It was only a little kiss, but one filled with honest admiration and pure feelings of love. Daichi’s lips were so warm and soft. If only the truth could have been spoken by those lips earlier. They were going to make up for all those painful mornings. From now on Hibiki would do anything to make Daichi and himself happy, starting with being honest from the very bottom of his heart.
“I love you too, Daichi.”