The sun set bring down with it the warm glow of the day. Like hope getting snuffed out by despair, Nagito could only sigh as he dreaded the approach of the evening. Nagito winced when his sensitive ears heard the shrill noise of an alarm clock go off.
BEEP BEEP BEEP
A hand slammed on the snooze button as a yawn escaped from under the covers. Nagito made himself scarce as soon as he heard the water run in the shower.
Around 7 pm...
Hajime wandered into the kitchen when he smelt a mouthwatering scent. He was just about to dig into his meal when he spotted a letter addressed to him next to a cup of water.
Hajime,
I've headed down to the library. There's a couple of books that you might find interest in if you happen to go sometime. Don't eat your breakfast too fast! You might choke if you're not careful! I'm sorry for making you think such unpleasant thoughts while you're eating breakfast. Or would it be your dinner since it's the evening now? By the way, your parents called again. They say it's urgent that you speak with them. I hope I'm not intruding when I ask if everything's alright. I probably am intruding, so just forget that I said anything.
Please forgive my rambling,
Nagito
Hajime sighed losing interest in the food laid out before him. He opened the refrigerator and opted to take a blood packet. Hajime took a deep breath before dialing the number on his phone. It rung for a few times before picking up.
"Hello?"
Hajime grumbled, "Hey, Dad."
"Hajime!" A bright, cheery voice greeted him, "Good evening! How're y-?"
Hajime cut him off, "What do you want now?"
"Now, is that anyway to talk to your father?" Mr. Hinata snapped, "I thought your mother and I raised you better than that."
"You raised me to sell me off to the highest bidder, not to greet people."
Mr. Hinata sighed, "Hajime, it wasn't like that. You know I'll always look out for you and the community."
"So, marrying me off to our enemy, a werewolf, was your idea of protecting me?" Hajime raised his voice.
"I know you're a little upset and-,"
Hajime scoffed, "A little upset?"
"-furious, but it was the only sure way to prevent further calamities."
"Whatever," Hajime rolled his eyes, "What do you want me to do now?"
"Hajime, don't say it like that..."
"You want me to do something, don't you? Spill it."
"There'll be an event later around midnight. It'd be for the best if you and Nagito could show up."
"Nagito can, but I don't feel like going."
"You may think I'm punishing you, but I'm not. If we want any chance of this bloodshed coming to an end, we must get this alliance to work."
"I mean it's not like I've ever had a chance to make my own decisions about anything that has to do with my life for that matter."
"It'll be fun! You can make new friends and I'm sure that Sonia friend of yours will be there. Such a social butterfly that one is."
"I'm sure having everyone gawk at me will be loads of fun."
"I asked the cater to bring some kusamochi over."
"Fine. But, I'm leaving the moment it runs out."
"Of course you would," Mr. Hinata mumbled, "You're not motivated by the prospect of vampires and werewolves coexisting in harmony, but by treats."
"I can still hear you."
"Hold on, your mother wants to talk to you."
"Wait! Don't put her on!"
The line was silent for a few moments, "Hello?"
"Hajime! I haven't heard from you in ages, dear."
Hajime deeply sighed, "Mom."
"How's your new husband? Are you two getting along yet?"
Hajime opened his mouth to answer, but was quickly cut off by his mother.
"I was talking to our housekeeper. You remember Chisa, don't you? Well, she told me of this nice beach resort where the two of you could consummate your marriage. Isn't that great?"
Hajime's cheeks turned to a furious shade of scarlet, "Please... stop talking. I told dad I'm going to the party, alright?"
He could hear his mother huff on the phone receiver, "There's nothing to be embarrassed about, Hajime. It's perfectly natural. Why, just the other day, your father and I-,"
"Bye!" Hajime screamed into the phone and slammed it shut, 'At least I don't have to live with those two anymore.'
Later that Evening (9:04 pm)...
Hajimeknew something was off when he looked up at the clock.'He still isn't back,' Hajime groaned, 'Nagito must hate me. Who wouldn't after yesterday?'
Yesterday (1:23 pm)...
It was a mostly cloudy day and safe enough for Hajime to go traveling during the day.
Hajime took a deep breath, "Nagito..."
The werewolf looked up from his book, "Yes, Hinata?"
"I told you it's Hajime. Married couples should be addressing each other by their given names."
"Sorry," Nagito bit his lip, "I'll try my best to remember."
"It's alright," Hajime rubbed the back of his neck, "I was just wondering if you'd like to take a trip with me."
Nagito's eyes widened, "R-really? When?"
"Right now, actually."
"It's a bit short notice," Nagito beamed at him, "But I'd love to go."
End of Flashback
They were supposed to enjoy the ocean view on a nice yacht with a picnic basket full of fresh fruit together. It was the one-time Hajime finally decided to do something on his own without his parents' meddling. He knew it might've been windy that day, but he didn't think about how it would affect the waves. Nagito, unfamiliar with the sudden rocky motions, had gotten severely seasick and thus, the date ended in an uncomfortable drive back to the castle.
The castle was actually a summer home of one of Hajime's relatives. The sheer size of the castle made it nearly impossible for one or the other to find each other. If Nagito didn't want to be found, then the castle would gladly conceal him.
Hajime sighed as he took a seat at the large dinning table.
THUMP
"Ow!" Hajime stood up and rubbed his sore behind. He blinked when he noticed about a third of the chairs missing from the set, "What the hell?"
As Hajime investigated more rooms, he discovered sofa cushions, pillows, and blankets missing. 'Did we get robbed?' Hajime immediate slapped his forehead at the thought. Who'd be dumb enough to miss the expensive vase in the center of the table? Hajime thought he heard movements coming from the next room and proceeded to check it out. He could see that the door was slightly open and slowly moved it open.
CREEEAAAK
"Nagito?"
"Hajime! It's good to see you!" Hajime's arm was pulled inside the bedroom, "What do you think?"
Hajime looked at the crude structure Nagito was building, "What is it?"
Nagito tilted his head, "What do you think it is?"
"Umm..." Hajime tried to think, "Is it art?"
Nagito gave off a sweet, melodic laugh, "Is that what it looks like to you?"
Hajime's cheeks were flushed pink and he turned away, "I don't care what it is."
"Huh? You seriously don't know what this is, Hajime?"
"I told you, I don't care."
"Oh, is that so?" Nagito walked closer to him, "Hajime, you wanna know something interesting?"
Hajime ignored Nagito as he continued taking, "When someone lies, their heart beats faster."
Hajime swallowed, "Oh! Your heart rate just shot up. Now, you wouldn't happen to be lying to me would you?"
"Fine! Tell me what that thing is already!"
Nagito gave him an amused smile, "No need to shout, Hajime. I can hear you perfectly clear."
"Well?" Hajime impatiently tapped his foot, "What is it?"
"A fort!" Nagito dragged Hajime into the structure, "Isn't it comfy? And there's enough room for us to roll around in!"
'Roll around? Must be wolf thing.' Hajime eyed the placement of the chairs, "It doesn't look very secure..."
"It's quite stable. And look! We can have lots of fun in it!" Nagito showed Hajime a pile of books and board games.
"But, we can do that outside," Nagito handed Hajime a book that he recognized as the one Nagito had been reading the day before.
"This is a great detective novel. It's the very first in its series!" Nagito paused, "But there's other copies of it, if you'd rather get those."
Hajime raised an eyebrow, "Why would I get another copy if there's one already here?"
Nagito played with the strings on his parka, "B-because I touched it..."
Hajime put the book to the side, "You did wash your hands, right?"
"Of course, I did!" Nagito put a hand over his chest, "I may be a werewolf, but that doesn't mean I'm a savage animal. You can take me to fancy dinner parties without having to worry if I'll embarrassyou."
Nagito glanced over at the book, "It's because that I'm a werewolf that you'd rather burn that book. I'm probably the lousiest one in all existence, too."
Hajime shook his head, "You aren't lousy. And I'm reading this copy because it's the one you recommended me."
"But, you aren't disgusted by me?"
"Why would I be?"
Nagito brought his knees up to his chest, "I threw up during our date..."
Hajime grimaced, "That's mostly my fault. I didn't consider the fact that you might've never been on a boat before. I was just so excited at the idea of getting to share my hobby with you."
"Do you like boats, Hajime?"
Hajime smiled brightly, "Boats are the best vehicle in all of existence. They surpass cars, trains, airplanes, and helicopters. I personally prefer sailing, but my parents gave me a yacht for my last birthday."
Nagito laughed, "I've never seen you so excited before."
"Sorry," Hajime scratched his cheek, "I guess I got too carried away."
"It's not that, it's just that I don't get a chance to see you smile often. I guess I'm partially to blame."
"I'd really like to know you better, Nagito. You seem really great," Hajime sighed, "It's just that it's hard to get to know someone when the first impression you have of them is being woken up in the middle of the morning and told you have to spend the rest of your life with them."
"I'm sorry for putting you in this position, Hajime," Nagito sadly smiled, "I'm sure you could have married a wonderful vampire."
Hajime scoffed and leaded back into a pillow, "Like that could have happened. You see my eyes, don't you?"
Nagito locked eyes onto Hajime's, "They're quite lovely."
"They're mismatched. You're lucky, at least yours are the same color."
Hajime looked deeply into Nagito's eyes. There were different shades of green swirled in. Some parts of his eyes were warm green while some parts had dark shades of green. For a second, Hajime swore those eyes looked almost grayish green.
"H-Hajime," Nagito stammered.
"Yeah?" Hajime felt lost in those green eyes of his.
Nagito blushed, "Y-you're staring at me..."
"You're kinda cute, you know?"
"I think you might be catching a fever."
"Why?"
"Because you called me cute," Nagito mumbled.
'Crap!' Hajime sat up, "I-it's just that I didn't get that much sleep the other day! I must've been sleep talking or something. You know how sleep deprivation makes people crazy."
"D-did you mean it?"
"Mean what?"
"What you said before."
"Hmm, what did I say before?"
"Your heart is racing, Hajime," Nagito pointed out.
"Like I said, I don't know what I was rambling on about."
"Hajime," Nagito whined, "I can't say it. But, you know what you said."
"No, I don't."
Nagito pouted, "You're mean."
Hajime tried to change the subject, "But, you can't tell what colors my eyes are?"
"I'm sort of colorblind. I'm pretty useless, huh?"
"Oh," Hajime realized, "That's probably why you speed all the time."
"I don't speed," Nagito huffed, "It's just that traffic lights are pretty confusing."
"Right..."
"It's true!"
Hajime raised his hands in self-defense, "Okay, okay. I believe you..."
"You're lying again!"
Hajime laughed, "It's fun seeing you all flustered."
"Hmph!" Nagito turned away from Hajime.
"Come on, don't be mad," Hajime moved in front of Nagito, only to have him look away, "I'll give you a treat~,"
"I'm not a dog!" Nagito mumbled, "And to think, I did this for your well-being..."
"If you stop being mad at me for a moment, I'll tell you a secret."
Nagito opened one eye, "A secret?"
"So, you're a gossip?"
"Despite what you may think of me, I don't tell other people's secrets."
"Alright, then I'll tell you mine," Hajime sighed, "I'm not exactly a vampire."
"You aren't?" Nagito pressed his face against Hajime's neck.
"Wha-?" Hajime scooted away from Nagito, "What're you doing? Are you trying to bite me?"
"You're supposed to be the vampire."
"Are you-? Are you trying to eat me?" Hajime grew alarmed, "I thought we were friends!"
"I was smelling you," Nagito stated as if that was obvious, "You smell like a vampire to me."
"Oh. So, you aren't going to eat me?"
"If I get hungry enough," Nagito looked deviously at Hajime, "Are you going to throw onions at me, Hajime?"
Hajime scratched his arm, "It's garlic and I can't even think about that stuff without getting itchy."
Nagito grabbed a nearby bed sheet at hoisted over his shoulders, "I want to suck your blood!"
Hajime threw a pillow at Nagito, "Shut up."
"This is spousal and animal abuse, Hajime."
Hajime groaned, "Listen to the story and I won't smother you. H-hey! What're you doing?"
"Lying on your lap."
"I can see that, but why?"
"Because you have to make up being mean to me."
Hajime started, "A long, long time ago..."
"...in a galaxy far, far away."
SMACK
"Ow!" Nagito rubbed his head.
"Quit being smart!" Hajime coughed, "A vampire met a lovely human woman and they had a half-vampire boy named Hajime."
"That's it?" Nagito pouted, "No drama or raunchy scenes?"
Nagito was hit with another pillow, "I liked you better when you ignored me."
"Do you think we could be an actual married couple someday?"
"Did that pillow hit you too hard? We're already married."
Nagito tugged on one of the strings on his parka, "I mean like kissing, holding hands, and stuff..."
"We can hold hands if you want. But, why're you asking me this?"
Nagito mumbled something incoherent and sunk further into Hajime's lap.
"Don't mumble. I don't have super hearing like yours," Hajime sighed when he saw Nagito starting to doze off, "You said you built this... thing,"
"Fort," Nagito corrected him.
"Why did you make me a fort?"
"It's supposed to keep us warm for the winter," Nagito yawned, "It's going to snow sometime this week."
"I think our parents will agree to move us somewhere warmer before that happens. You don't have to worry about that."
"But, I have to worry about you. I read somewhere in the library that vampires are cold-blooded. If I'm not careful, you could..."
"If I was cold-blooded, I'd have to roast in the sun all day."
"Roasted Hajime..." Nagito drooled on the pillow.
Hajime ruffled Nagito's fluffy hair, "That'sclearly a warning sign."
"Look on the bright side, dear..."
Hajime's eyes widened, "I'm hearing dreadful mother's voice in my head."
"How dare you speak about me that way!"
Hajime looked over to his right, "And I'm hallucinating!"
Mrs. Hinata sighed, "You aren't hallucinating. Have you forgotten your manners, young man?"
Hajime's eyes narrowed, "Why're you here?"
"Geez, it's chilly in here," Mrs. Hinata crossed her arms, "Aren't you going to offer me some tea?"
Hajime pointed at the door, "There's some right back home."
"I was just taking a stroll when I decided to see how you were faring the married life."
"It's dandy," Hajime rolled his eyes, "Did I tell you how we met on our wedding day?"
"You ought to work on being nicer. You'll chase your husband away with that attitude."
"Why are you here?" Hajime tried again.
"I wanted to give you two your tuxedos for later. But, it doesn't seem like you'll be going."
"I'll wake him up when it's time to go."
Mrs. Hinata waved her hand, "No need. He needs his rest after all."
"But, Dad said-,"
"It's fine," Mrs. Hinata rummaged through her bag, "I'll just show them the picture I took of the two of you."
"What picture?"
FLASH
"This one," Mrs. Hinata shook the Polaroid photo, "It's a good thing you still show up in pictures, unlike your father."
Hajime rubbed his burning eyes, "Don't rub them too much, dear."
Hajime glared at his mother, "You took your picture, now go."
"I'm going to go share it with everyone at the gala!"
"Please don't..."
"How else am I supposed to prove that you two are alive and well?"
"You know what? Just leave. I don't care anymore."
"What kind of son tells his mother to leave without an 'I love you' or a hug?"
"I love you," Hajime pointed at the door, "Now, get out!"
Mrs. Hinata made her way downstairs with her voice echoing behind her, "Alright, forgive me for intruding onto your love nest."
"It's a fort!" Hajime yelled.
Nagito stirred in his sleep, "...love you, too."
Hajime's breath caught in his throat, "Y-you know I was saying that to my mom, right?"
No response was given as Hajime was left alone to ponder exactly how many times had Nagito gotten his heart to beat loudly against his chest that day.