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A stack of newspapers, bound by a string, is clutched to Harumasa’s chest. The loose ends of it flutter in the wind.
The longer he walks, the bigger the houses become. Soon, they’re huge mansions crafted with wood and stone — limestone porticos, ornate porches, and numerous brick chimneys reaching skyward. These are the luxuries reserved for only the richest in society. Yet here is young Haru, trailing from house to house trading a penny for a paper.
He knows he doesn’t belong here. After all, he’s a scruffy, lanky boy. His coat covers up numerous dirt stains and his shoes stopped fitting him months ago. Still, his pale yellow eyes are bright with determination to sell as many papers as possible.
He needs it, if he’s going to afford his medication. His caretaker already has enough on his plate just paying for their cramped apartment. Harumasa took up this job in the hopes of scraping the money together.
Again, he knows he doesn’t belong here.
But he does enjoy seeing you .
When he first started, the job was entirely a way to get the money for his sickness. There was one day, though, where he spotted you. Near the end of his route, it was the beautiful brick mansion with the maple tree in the yard. The memory plays in his mind as he passes out each newspaper.
Nine months prior.
Harumasa was exhausted from a day of trying to convince people to trade him just a penny. It was especially tiring under the blistering heat of the summer, and the symptoms of his illness.
He wiped the sweat from his brow. Only three papers left… he could almost go home. Just a couple more mansions.
The cobblestone pathway seemed to stretch in front of his feet, only making his job harder. He passed under the maple tree, which provided some shelter from the radiating sun.
Under the shade of it, a voice spooked him. “Hey. Newsboy.”
Harmamasa’s head whipped around, trying to find the source of the voice, until he realized it was above him. “Wait— who are… you…”
His voice fell off upon seeing you. You were perched up in the maple tree, some of your figure obscured by the summer leaves. Your H/C hair fell into your face in the wind. A fluffy yellow skirt spilled out over the branches, its ruffles obscuring the expanse of your legs.
Were you one of the home’s servants? Surely if you lived there, you would act much more proper. Girls didn’t climb trees.
Yet you still looked like an angel to Haru, a face so radiant. Beaming there on that branch, your tights covered up an array of bruises, telling the story of rebellion and adventure. You didn’t act the way ought to, but that made you all the more intriguing in his eyes.
As he was trying to process it, your voice called out again.
“Isn’t it hot down there? You look like you’re gonna collapse.”
Tentatively, he nodded. He was wearing way too many layers for such a warm day. “Yeah. I’m burning up down here,” he said with a light laugh. His hand once again brushed through his soaked bangs.
“You should join me.” You kicked your feet, your boots swinging with liveliness.
“Join you? I have a job… I shouldn’t.”
It wasn’t like he belonged here. Being seen with a girl like this might get him in trouble, and he needed all the money he could get for his medicine.
But Harumasa was never a hard worker.
He dropped his remaining newspapers at the base of the tree and reached up into the branches. It was quite easy for him to heave himself onto a limb, then climb up. He plopped onto a branch right next to you.
“You can take off your outer coat, you know. It’s understandable when it’s this hot,” you said.
With your encouragement, he peeled off his coat and dropped it from his seat, letting it fall into the grass by the papers he left. He was left in a white dress shirt that clung to his torso. You made no comment on the quality of the clothing or the poverty that it hinted at.
“Up here, you can feel the wind. And the leaves keep you out of the sun.” Tipping your head back, you could feel the coolness of the breeze.
He considered it for a moment. “You’re right. It’s much better up here. Um, miss… what’s your name? Are you a servant?”
“No, I’m Y/N,” you answered, shaking your head faintly. “I live in that red brick house, the daughter to the L/N family. I just snuck out here.”
“Oooh, rebellious, huh? Climbing up this tree in a dress?” Harumasa tilted his head as he looked up at you.
You chuckled. “So crazy, I know. What’s your name, then?”
“I’m Harumasa. But if you see me again, you can just call me Haru.” And he really wanted to see you again.
“Well then, Haru,” you began, “can I tell you a secret?”
He perked up with interest. What could you possibly doing, especially with that mischievous spark in your eye?
“I snuck out here. I was supposed to be fitted for a dress today, but I don’t want to right now. It’s probably driving my mother up the wall.”
“So you came out here to escape, huh?” Harumasa said, flashing a smile.
“Of course; I enjoy the outdoors. It beats having tea time with my mother. I just get lectured a lot for having dirt and grass stains on my clothes.” You lifted up your skirt as an example. “What about you?”
He looked out over the garden, where every leaf seemed to be in order, perfectly managed by landscapers. This was a completely different lifestyle from his, where he’d worked from such a young age. “Me? I recently started this job. It’s easy enough… as long as it’s not this hot.”
“Does that mean I get to see you more often?” you teased.
“I guess it does. Will I see you each day when I pass by?”
You opened your mouth to speak, but you were interrupted by the sound of an older lady’s voice — your mother’s, from the inside of the house. She called your name a second time before you assured her with an, “I’m coming!”
Harumasa slipped down from the branches of the tree, landing with a small thump and picking up his things. “You better not hold her up.”
You jumped down from the tree without a moment’s hesitation. The sight of it made him all the more interested in getting to know you. Finding a woman so independent, so lively, was unheard of, especially someone this high-classed. Your dress fluttered as you landed and stood up again.
Your next words surprised him.
“My room is the window on the back of the house. If you push the trash bin over to it, then you can climb up to windowsill.”
“Wait… really?” His face flushed red at the forwardness of it. “But that’s… your parents would probably kill me for that. And- you don’t want to be seen with me; I don’t have a dime to my name. Don’t you want someone who could… provide for you? Financially?”
You held up a finger in his face. “First thing’s first, I’ll be providing for myself, thank you very much.”
He raised an eyebrow — it was so hard for women to be hired for jobs outside of teaching. That wasn’t to say that he wasn’t impressed by her determination; he actually found it rather admirable. “What kind of job?”
“I… want to fight for women’s suffrage. I keep hearing murmurings of it from the adults, and I hope it’ll be soon. After that, a job in law would be nice.” It brought a smile to your face to have this boy, Harumasa, listen and take you seriously. But you got back on track. “Second of all, I don’t care what people say if they see us hanging out.”
There was no point in arguing with you, so he conceded with a faint smile on his face. It’s not like he was going to argue, because he wanted to see you more. “Very well then. I’ll be there in the coming days.”
“Y/N!” your mother’s voice rang out even more insistently.
“Remember! The window on the back of the house!” you reminded him as you ran up to the porch.
Harumasa nodded, watching you disappear through the door of the ornate home. The idea of visiting you again was appealing. The risk of it, the potential scandal, made it seem all the more exciting.
The memory finishes playing just as he approaches that same house, and it brings a smile to his face. Over the past nine months, you’ve become closer as friends. Visiting you at your window is the highlight of his day. Plus, he takes it as a chance to jokingly flirt with you.
The boy takes the stairs of the porch one by one, preparing one of the newspapers to hand to your father. Eagerly, he raps his hand on the door and steps back to wait for a response.
An older man opens the door, dressed in clothes that purposefully showcase his wealth. He takes the paper, skimming over the headline before reaching into his pocket. “It appears the city is making bad legislation yet again. How are you doing, boy?”
“Fine, sir. Are you doing the same?” he asks politely.
“I am, thank you.” The man fishes a penny from his pocket and launches it into the air with his thumb. “That should do.”
Harumasa’s hand flies out and catches the coin in a swift manner, tucking it into his pocket. His golden eyes sparkle. “I appreciate it. Have a good day.”
He says a quiet goodbye, the words slipping out naturally, before shutting the door again.
Once the man is gone, Haru takes a few steps onto the pathway before veering off to the side and sneaking behind the house. He pushes the trash bin until it bumps against the brick wall. Then, he pulls himself onto it and stands up. From this height, he can go on his toes and grab the ledge of your window.
You are alerted by the sound and slide the window open. He looks so silly like that, with his black hair falling into his face as he tries to pull himself up.
“Ah, there you are, paperboy,” you say, linking hands with him. He sits down on the ledge, halfway inside your room.
He smirks. “Missed me?” His eyes flit over your belongings. A white vanity on one side, a four poster bed on the other with the softest looking pastel pink blankets. It’s double the size of his own, perfect for cuddling. You would never let him, though… Beside it, there’s a full length silver mirror and a rack of dresses that he’s sure would all look beautiful on you.
“Of course I didn’t.” You answer in the same tone. “But I still enjoy seeing your face.”
“You didn’t miss me? I’m so hurt… you could have hit me over the head with your gemstone-encrusted hairbrush and it would have hurt less…” Harumasa brings a hand to his head as if in pain.
“Oh yeah? I’ll give you something to really whine about.”
“Like what?”
“Like shoving you out this window,” you tease, raising your hands like you’re about to push him.
Going along with the joke, Harumasa shakes his head in desperation, his hands going to clutch the ruffles on your wrist. “No, anything but that! Have mercy on me, my sweet!”
“It’s the end for you, Haru. Goodbye.” You stand just near him with a smile on your face, brushing against him. The two of you are so close.
His mouth opens and shuts for a moment, just staring up at you from where he sits. To him, you’re perfect. A great sense of humor, so energetic and funny and… it doesn’t matter to you if he’s poor. You’re so amazing in his eyes.
So he brings up what he says every day. “About that kiss on the cheek~”
He’d been badgering for it every day for months — always polite, always a joke. But today, with him sitting like that on your window ledge, you had to finally fulfill his wish.
“Maybe I will, then.”
Harumasa goes red, not expecting you to actually agree. “Eh? Y/N?”
“I said it,” you murmur, leaning closer so that your breaths mix. “I’ll do it.”
His eyes flutter when he feels your gentle lips press against his cheek. It’s warm, and it’s real. “I wouldn’t have expected you to actually…”
“Since when do I ever ‘act as I should’? Have you ever known me to be demure?” You lace your hands with his. Some parts are calloused, a physical reminder of how hard he’s worked for what he has.
“So forward… I can’t say I don’t like it, though,” Harumasa says with a grin. His other hand goes to your waist, pulling you to stand between his legs in an attempt to bring you into a full kiss.
You press a finger to his lips. “Ah ah ah, not so fast. You’ve been asking for a kiss on the cheek for months, you think I won’t make you wait longer for a real one?”
“Aw, you are suuuch a tease. Can’t you make an exception?” His eyes flit to your comfy looking bed meaningfully, in a completely innocent manner. Just being able to hold you sounds like a dream.
Chuckling, you pull him by the chin so that he doesn’t look that way. “Pfft, don’t you even.”
“No? Don’t say you haven’t wanted to,” he pouts, mostly joking.
“If I give you a kiss, will you go?”
“If you give me a kiss, I’ll do whatever you want~.”
Your hand drifts to Harumasa’s jaw, using it as a guide as you meet his lips. He is stunned for a second time that day… how do you always manage to do that? The sensation is so soft, so perfect, everything he imagined it to be.
It only lasts a moment, but that’s enough. Enough for him to be completely enamored.
“I guess it’s time for me to go, then…” Harumasa swings his legs over the windowsill. He’s already excited to see you the next time he does his newspaper rounds.
You pause just as he’s about to hop down.
“Haru.”
“Yes?”
“I’ll see you tomorrow. And you better be here,” you say with a faint smile.
Harumasa drops from the ledge and onto the trash bin, then looks up at you again with inquisitive golden eyes. “Of course I will. Like I said; for a kiss, I’ll do anything.”