Love as rich as chocolate ~TodoBaku~

Chapter 22: pour

Akio Todoroki

Waking up in Hiro's arms on a Thursday evening was...probably not as shocking as it should be. He was comfortable, that's for sure! I must've been asleep for at least a couple of hours, since I felt pretty refreshed upon waking again. He had also gone to sleep, head lolling lazily against his will, almost like he would dramatically wake himself up like in movies. I chucked to myself at the thought as I nuzzled my way back into his chest to relax, feeling any and all will to move seep out of me. I noticed out of the corner of my eye that there was a little grey kitten curled up near my legs, and thus, I met Leon.

I felt...really stupid for making moves like this on him. It feels almost as though I'm cheating on Kei and Ryo, as ridiculous as that sounds. My mind still desperately has a part that's clawing me back to them, and I can't seem to shake it off. I wanted to more than anything, but that nagging guilt was the main thing holding me back from saying anything to Hiro.

And I've been close. Walking up to him earlier, I'd planned to just kiss him. But as I closed on him, my confidence tanked and I opted for his shoulder instead, stalling while I mentally scolded my own weakness. In many ways, I met him at both the perfect and the worst possible time. I was playing tug of war with my own mind, and it seemed as though there'd never be a winner.

I felt Hiro start to stir as I cuddled into him, and felt his eyes on me shortly after. He reacted with none of the panic that was present before, instead just mumbling out a quiet "hey..."

"Hey...you doing ok?"

"Yeah...yeah, I feel better now...thanks again for...y'know, coming over, and...stuff"

"Seriously, it's no problem! I'd rather you spoke to me about it than let it sit in your mind forever!"

Heh...that's rich!

"Yeah...yeah, I should probably do that more often"

"It feels better the more you do it, I'll tell you that much"

"Well...I guess there is one more thing I sort of want to get off my chest"

"Ok! Well, I'm all ears!" I said, finally sitting up so I could properly look him in the eyes as I waited for him to speak. He was blushing like crazy, and didn't meet my eyes, but he did eventually take a deep breath and speak.

"Look...I'm not sure exactly how to say stuff like this, but...you're...so amazing. I genuinely feel like you're the most wonderful, smart, kind, funny, caring...beautiful person I've ever met...and I guess what I'm asking is if...if it's not too sudden, I'd...like to go out with you?"

Well.

I guess I don't have to worry about the guilt of betraying Kei and Ryo if I'm not the one who asks, right? Because to be honest, I don't feel as if I could say no to that. It was worded so perfectly, and his face was the most adorable thing. In that moment, it was as if Kei and Ryo had never existed. Hiro was the only one on my mind, and no distractions would get in my way. Still, I didn't want to appear over-eager, so kept myself pretty calm when responding to him.

"...yeah, I'd really like that. I know it's a bit strange given what's happened over the past few days, but I've loved every minute I've spent with you, and...yeah, I think we could be something more"

I think the way I worded it was fair, in regards to him knowing I wasn't fully on board with it yet. In reality, I was, but guilt over Kei and Ryo stopped me from saying that outright. Plus, he might think negatively of me if I dismiss them so quickly after causing trouble for him over them. I liked the fact that he acknowledged that it was sudden, that alleviated a fair chunk of the burden from my back, but I still wanted to be conscious.

"That's...that's amazing. Umm...I don't really know what to say...this is more awkward than it was in my head..."

That admission had me chuckling to myself, and in a sweet but not too far "beyond the realms of our friendship" act, I cuddled into him stood up, leaning most of my weight onto his slender frame. I wrapped my arms around his back and pulled him closer to me, eventually feeling him return the gesture and encase my head between his chin and chest. We stood there for a short while before I stood up and said "still awkward?", to which he chuckled and responded "a little...better though"

"That's good. So...I'm free all weekend, if you've got any plans...?"

I didn't want to be the one to take charge of the first date, since I figured it'd come across a bit full-on after he asked me on a date. I figure it only makes sense for him to decide on the plan.

"Oh! Yeah, um...yes, how's Sunday? I'm working tomorrow, but I have all of Sunday free, so we can go out somewhere then?"

"Great. Just let me know when and where and I'll be there"

"Perfect...um...so...wanna watch a movie or something"

"Sure! If I fall asleep, it's your fault though!"

"I'm almost certain I'll be asleep first"

"Not if I get to use you as a pillow! Who let you get so damn comfy?!"

"...too soon"
————————

I wanted this to be awkward and...awkward, and a little bit awkward.

I think it worked. Awkwardly

Fact of the Day: people are comfy pillows