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Hisame loved the rain. He would always hide away in the small gazebo he found by the outskirts of their camp. He’d have tea and pickles and watch the rain all by himself, lonesome. But when Shigure came along, he didn’t mind the company. He didn’t mind it one bit. In fact, as the rain dragged on, Hisame decided that he liked Shigure’s company.
He liked Shigure in particular.
One day, Shigure came by early, his pegasus by his side and his smile wide. “Hisame,” he started, “I found a great place to have tea.” Hisame concluded that since Shigure had his Pegasus in tow, it meant they had to fly there. Hisame got up and placed the ceramics back into his small basket. “Have you grown tired of our gazebo, Shigure?” He asked with a small smile; it grew wider when he heard Shigure’s soft laugh. “No, I could never get tired of our little piece of heaven. I just wanted to bring you somewhere else today.”
Shigure got on his pegasus first, hushing the winged horse softly as Shigure took the basket from Hisame’s hands. “Hello, girl,” Hisame greeted softly, patting her head before he sat behind Shigure. “She likes you. Hopefully she likes you enough to not throw you over while we’re up in the air,” he teased. Hisame gasped softly and furrowed his eyebrows. “W-would, she really do that?”
Shigure gave him a soft smile and shook his head. “I’ll make sure she won’t. You’re safe with me.” Hisame did feel safe, especially around Shigure; he always made the air feel light and his chest warm.
When the pegasus started to flap her wings, Hisame was caught off guard and he quickly wrapped his arms around Shigure’s waist. His face heated up when he heard Shigure laugh. “Are you scared? Hisame, you’ve rode with me before!” He had to make his voice loud, since he was battling with the wind at this point, the ground far from reach. “This is different,” Hisame insisted, hiding his face in Shigure’s soft back, his heart was beating so fast. One was because of the nervousness. And the other was because, he was so close to Shigure.
He never got to appreciate being so close to him during battle, because his main priority was taking the enemy down, keeping them away from Shigure. Gods forbid what Hisame would do if Shigure got hurt while he was around.
“During battle, I have other things on mind.” Hisame replied.
“Well, now, you should just think about me.”
“Wha-what?” Hisame asked, he looked up a bit, seeing that Shigure looked just as flustered as he was.
“Before you told me I calmed you down, right?”
Hisame nods. “Yes.”
“So I just thought you should just think about calming things while you’re nervous. I do that all the time.” Shigure started, smiling a bit as he felt Hisame’s grip on him loosen, though he wished he held on a bit more to him.
“During battle, when I’m nervous or frightened, I think about things I love.” Hisame kept his head pressed against Shigure’s back, his fingers intertwined with each other in front of Shigure’s stomach yet he wished they were intertwined with Shigure’s hands.
“What do you think about?”
Shigure stayed quiet for a bit, like he was searching for the right things to say to Hisame.
“You.” Hisame is taken aback by Shigure’s answer, furrowing his eyebrows a bit. “Shigure, that isn’t a good joke.”
“ I know. But it’s not meant to be a joke, Hisame. You’re my will to live, my drive to fight in this wretched war.” Shigure hated the war, Hisame knew that. He hated how many of his friends it took away, how much blood was on his hands. Shigure often confided in him when they were in their small gazebo. Soft secrets and confessions were whispered every now and then.
“I think about things I love to calm me down, Hisame. It just so happens that you’re all that comes up on that list.”
“Y-you…?”
“I love you.” Shigure bit his lip and let his Pegasus land down to a small clearing in the forest. The small clearing was encircled by a ring of flowers.
Hisame knew the names of all those flowers because they were his favourite. “I planted these,” Shigure said as he helped Hisame off his Pegasus and everything just started to click. Shigure planted those flowers for him, he prepared the small clearing for them. It slowly sank in that Shigure meant what he said; he loved Hisame.
Hisame loved Shigure too. With all his heart, with all his body, with everything.
I love you too, was what he wanted to say; he wanted to hold Shigure tight and never let go, he wanted to kiss his lips. He wanted to do so much but his body couldn’t move from the shock of it all.
Shigure didn’t take the silence all too well. He thought it was a bad sign and bit his lip. He set the basket down the middle of the clearing and looked at him. “I-is this too much too soon?” he asked, eyes watery as he looked down at Hisame. “Hisame, if you don’t feel the same, ju-just say so. Say something at least.”
“I…I don’t,” Hisame couldn’t say much more and Shigure thought I don’t meant I don’t love you. He shook while he cried, he was still hoping for something better. But all Hisame could do was look at him with wide eyes as he cried.
And then the sky cried along with Shigure.
The rain poured heavily on them; Shigure’s pegasus neighed and covered her master with her wing, stretching it out to cover the two boys.
“I’m sorry, I knew I didn’t have that much of a chance. I’ll bring you home as soon as the rain lightens up a bit.”
Hisame furrowed his eyebrows and took a step forward. “Shigure,” he hesitated for a bit before he lifted his hands and wiped away the tears on Shigure’s face with his wet hands. “Shigure, I love you too.”
Gods, it felt great to say that.
His hands were cold against Shigure’s warm face; his whole body was cold and Shigure provided him with so much warmth. The taller boy pulled him in and Hisame felt his whole body warm up. “I love you,” Hisame whispered again. “ I love you. I love you, Shigure.” He looked up, seeing Shigure’s eyes tear up again. “I love you too.” He felt Shigure’s warm breath against his face. He wondered if Shigure’s lips were warm too.
He leaned in to find out. They are.