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"It’s beautiful, isn’t it?"
‘Hikaru’ nodded. It was his first time visiting an aquarium, his first time leaving his village and its surroundings to go to Tokyo, and all of it was with Yoshiki. While the white-haired boy let his eyes wander from fish to fish, Yoshiki couldn’t help but gaze at him. ‘Hikaru’ was like captivated, and the black-haired boy couldn’t contain his slight smile at the sight of him being so eager to discover new things, new forms of life.
They were sitting next to each other, on a bench; their hands were almost touching. The room was dark, as the only light emanating came from the reflection of the water. ‘Hikaru’ was too focused on the fish to even notice his proximity to Yoshiki. However, Tsujinaka did. His cheeks started to turn red, and he suddenly looked away, embarrassed, shy, as he could feel some electricity forming between their hands. He let out a sigh, as an attempt to calm down, but his breath froze as he felt ‘Hikaru’s hand on top of his. He looked at the boy, surprised.
"Hikaru, what are ya doin’-
━ They remind me of ya, Yoshiki. "
Yoshiki frowned.
"What do ya mean?
━ The fish. They’re caught in a cage they didn’t even ask to be a part of. They’re like ya.
━ What are ya saying? I don’t understand, I-
━ I know why ya hate the village so much. I know that ya feel trapped there, and i know that ya feel like a monster. But just because ye’re different from all those people doesn’t mean ya shouldn’t be able to express yerself. A soul as beautiful as yers shouldn’t be locked away, hidden. Ya have the right to be free, Yoshiki. - said ‘Hikaru’, looking deeply into his eyes - And i want to be the one who sets ya free."
‘Hikaru’ stopped facing the aquarium with his body, turning around to fully look at Yoshiki. He held both of his hands, holding them tightly so as to make sure the black-haired boy would really listen to him.
"I’m like ya, ya know. - he said with a smile - I love ya, Yoshiki.
━ Hikaru, we can’t..
━ Just say it. Say what’s been going through yer mind ever since ya got to know the new me. Please, i want to hear it.. I need to hear what you feel about me.
━ I.."
Yoshiki sighed. He didn’t know what to do, nor what to really say. It felt like the words he had in mind were caged in his mouth, unable to come out. He looked around the room, making sure nobody was there to listen to them, to see them; luckily, there was no one. Yoshiki took a deep breath and closed his eyes, fighting his fears, battling against his inner thoughts.
" I have the same feelings as ya. I do, but.. Isn’t it abnormal?
━ Why would it be?
━ Everyone in the village, everyone in my family, they always make me feel like i should be with a girl. It’s like i don’t have the right to be with someone else.
━ It’s all bullshit, Yoshiki. If one thing’s not normal it’s them makin’ ya feel that way."
‘Hikaru’ saw tears forming into Yoshiki’s eyes. He grabbed his face between his hands, slightly rubbing his cheek to comfort him.
"We have time, plenty of time. I want to use it to let ya know that it’s normal, step by step. That what we two have, what we feel.. is natural. I want to be with ya, always. I want ya to keep me company, to be by my side, because i need ya, Yoshiki. It feels like I can’t breathe when ye’re not near, like everything is suffocating. - he paused, looking down - I know that what I say is probably meaningless because I’m not human, but I’ve come to realize that I can’t help but feel that way. And it’s not.. it’s not Hikaru’s feelings. Mine, the monster’s feelings. - ‘Hikaru’ squeezed tighter on Yoshiki’s hands, desperately waiting for an answer - But if ye’re not ready yet, i will wait for ya to..
━ I feel that way too, actually. said Yoshiki, almost in a murmur. I can’t live without ya."
‘Hikaru’ softly smiled, and Yoshiki looked at him shyly. The black-haired boy felt like his heart could burst at any moment due to the intensity of his feelings. He had finally given in, trembling from his confession. All those thoughts about his feelings being disgusting, about him being a monster.. they seemed to have vanished in the water, swallowed by the fish. To seek comfort, Yoshiki reached the hand ‘Hikaru’ had on his cheek, still shaking from the emotion. The white-haired boy blushed, surprised, before he let out a chuckle of happiness.
"I see. Let’s begin this adventure together, Yoshiki."
He leaned in, his lips getting closer to the ones of the boy he loved. He put his forehead against Yoshiki’s, still rubbing his cheek. Their eyes were locked in, both being a reflection of what they felt for the other. It was them, and only them in that instant. Nobody could tell them to stop, that what they were doing was wrong. It felt peaceful, freeing. And within the calm, within the dark place surrounded by fish, Yoshiki got closer to ‘Hikaru’, to the point where their lips met too.