Treasure tales

Short 14: Watanabe Haruto

"What are you doing here? Did you say you were busy?" Jeongwoo complained as he pointed his fingers at me accusingly.

"Didn't you want me here?" I shot back.

"Who said I did?" Jeongwoo argued. Well he was certainly lying, although I had no energy to try to remember exactly what he had said a week ago.

I raised an eyebrow at him, although I felt no hostility towards the younger boy. I could tell he was the same, for soon after Bang Yedam walked into the room and Jeongwoo started accusing him of 'dying his hair' or something instead, and left me alone. His light bantering with everyone served its comedic purpose in its own way, so I did not try to think too much about this matter.

I sat on Junkyu's moth eaten sofa, quietly watching the rest. I have always had the secret policy of never getting close to more people than necessary, but I realised that for Treasure that rule had been ripped apart. I never quite liked socialising, but something about the boys drew me like a moth to a lamp. There was a sort of jovial ambience, something mystical that enveloped them. Before I knew it, the me who was always socially awkward found myself very much at home just listening to Treasure acting chaotic among themselves. That was why I had come despite what I had told Jeongwoo. Partly because they relieved my mind of stress, and also because I genuinely missed them.

"By the way," I said, breaking the noise between Jeongwoo and currently Junkyu. "Where's Hyunsuk? He basically saved me that one day and then...I've never seen him since." It was true. Even at this moment, the only members of the twelve not around was Hyunsuk, Yoshinori and the boy I've never met known as 'Asahi'.

"Beats me," Jihoon agreed. "He did that to all of us. Gathered us, and then disappeared."

"At least you have me," A deep voice said. I looked up. Haruto had come in from the front door. I wondered if Junkyu still bothered keeping his door locked anymore. "I'm tall, handsome and cool. What more do you want."

"You certainly are a visual king," Doyoung agreed. 

As much as I wanted to snap at him for this brazen display of vanity, I kept my mouth shut. I was distracted by how beautiful Haruto really was, even if his bragging slightly ticked me off. You have to admit, this boy was a real life vampire--an extremely handsome one.

The doorbell rang.

"Oh? My delivery is here," Haruto said, turning towards the door.

"Why did you order delivery to my house?"Junkyu complained.

"Why not? I'm here right now, aren't I?" Haruto smirked. He took a pair of glasses from his pocket and put them on. "Isn't it more convenient?"

"Every delivery man is going to think I'm some sort of hoarder at this rate..." Junkyu complained. "What's with everyone just freeloading here and ordering delivery whenever they want..."

"Haruto looks like one of those oppas who everyone wants to study with! So handsome!" Doyoung piped up excitedly, ignoring the now exasperated Junkyu. As much as I did not want to admit it, I privately agreed with him, although I made sure none of that sentiment showed on my face.

Haruto bowed a few times to the deliveryman before coming back in, a llama plushie in his hand. He cuddled the llama a few times and then poked it's nose. He turned to me. "Do girls like dolls? Cute, right?" He asked as he handed his llama to me.

"I suppose I do, at the very least," I said quietly, reaching out a hand to pat the llama on its soft paw-hooves thing. "It's so cute." 

Haruto, with a knowing smile, gave it to me and I eagerly accepted it despite myself. It was so adorable, I privately thought. The more I looked at it the more excited I became. I cuddled it for a bit, then, in embarrassment, I quietly gave it back to Haruto. He accepted it with a slight chuckle.

"I've got a lot more over at my house. A wide range of plushies, not just llamas," Haruto said. "Would you ever like to come over?"

"Maybe," I said, although it might be weird considering I barely knew him. I looked at him curiously. I realised that although I had already met him a few times, I barely had time to really talk to him one on one or get to know him. He sat down on the sofa beside me.

"You're genuinely very handsome," I told him bluntly, because that was the first thing on my mind, and also because I did not know what else to say. "I will be honest. It's difficult to see such a handsome man around in our world today. And here I was thinking that the rest of the twelve are super handsome, and then there's you..."

Haruto chuckled. "I agree," He said, and looked downwards, smiling shyly. "Still, I'm sure you know this already, but what you see on the outside,beauty..."

"Can only take you so far."

"That's one way to put it," Haruto agreed. "You know that my power is poison vines, right?"

I nodded.

"It actually isn't. Well it actually also is," Haruto explained. Then, upon seeing my look of confusion, he agitatedly rubbed his hands against each other. "I mean, it's a subset of my power. Just one part of it, perhaps. You see, we did not get our powers at random. Powers choose you, to be more precise. Junkyu gets precognitive dreams because...well just look at him. Self explanatory. It would be weird if someone hyper like Jeongwoo is the one who gets that power, right? A power related to sleeping and dreams?"

"I think I see what you mean," I said. "What point are you trying to make, though?"

"I think that I have always been handsome," Haruto said with a small smile, looking proud of himself. "But that isn't all of me. Poison vines are fast, lethal and flashy. In other words, they're cool. My power can be said to be similar to Akutagawa in Bungou Stray--"

"--Dogs," I said excitedly. "Ranpo is bae."

"But I'm here," Haruto raised an eyebrow. Then he laughed and looked away in embarrassment. "But beneath the surface of cool poison vines is something more sinister." His face fell. "I thought you should know that. I'm sorry, I'm not brave enough to say any more."

"Why? So what is your true power?" Then it occurred to me. "A true form, perhaps?"

"You catch on fast," Haruto nodded. He looked downwards. I saw a little bit of his previous confidence ebb away from his darkened face. "I hope that you will be able to accept me then, if it must ever be revealed. You, and the other eleven boys. Whatever the way the true form may manifest, through what is me or physically in itself...is what I perhaps fear the most."

I looked at him passively. "I cannot promise that," I said after a while. "I am nothing like the noble fairytale protagonist you see in TV shows. I cannot guarantee my full support if you ever have to reveal things about yourself. What I can promise, is that I do wish that I can be a good friend, to the fullest of my abilities and will try my very best if that must happen."

Haruto met eyes with me. I saw that they were bright.

"That's enough for me," He said with a tiny grin. I widened my eyes. The amount of beauty on him never fails to surprise me. "To know that you wish to accept me. That's enough to make me happy."