Shades Of Pearl (GenMui) - Book 2

8

There was an aching feeling of awkwardness that would embrace the two. Muichiro stood before him, looking as surprised as Genya felt. His cheeks flushed slightly, a stark contrast to his usually composed demeanor. "Genya... it's been a while."

"Yeah, it has," Genya replied, feeling a mix of emotions. The last time they had seen each other had been intense, and now here they were, face-to-face again. Genya almost didn't even want to believe it. After all, he wasn't fully aware of Muichiro's take on the entire situation. Yet, both of them could still recall every touch, every breath, and most especially, every lustrous whisper if you asked them to. They even found it hard to face each other after such intimacy without a title to their name.

There was a moment of awkward silence, both of them unsure of what to say. Genya cleared his throat, trying to ease the tension. "How have you been?"

"Good," Muichiro said, his voice soft. "Just working and... living, I guess."

Genya nodded, feeling a rush of memories and emotions. "I'm in town for a bit, visiting."

"I heard," Muichiro said, a small smile playing on his lips. "Shinobu mentioned you might be staying after the reunion,"

Genya felt his face heat up, realizing that Shinobu had probably known about this meeting before he did. "She did, huh? Well, it's good to see you."

Muichiro looked down, his blush deepening. "Yeah, you too."

Genya abruptly cleared his throat, unable to focus as the smaller one lost his eye contact.

"So, where you heading, anyway?" He asked inquisitively.

"Oh, I was just heading to the bouquet shop around here,"

"That's nice," Genya said as he relaxed his shoulders with a slow nod. "What for?"

"Oh, umm," Muichiro was hesitant, but he would say it anyway. He wanted to feel like he could still trust Genya. "For a funeral. It's my dad's,"

Slightly taken aback, Genya's facial hue significantly deepened in response to the sudden news. He even found it painful to think about it for too long. After all, it hurt him in a way he would've never expected it to. The person he'd admired for so long and accepted as an outstanding male figure in his life was gone before he would ever come to realize it. He even felt guilty.

"Oh wow," He mumbled, looking off to the side in shock. "I—I'm so sor—"

"It's fine," Muichiro reassured with a sigh. "Don't worry about it too much,"

The silence between them was thick, the air charged with unspoken words and past emotions. It was clear the atmosphere had become awkward for the both of them. Something needed to change before they found themselves at a loss for words. Genya took a deep breath, deciding to break the tension.

"Do you want to walk with me for a bit?" he asked, his voice tentative.

Muichiro looked up, surprise flickering in his eyes. "Sure, I'd like that."

They fell into step beside each other, the initial awkwardness slowly giving way to a more comfortable silence. As they walked, the two catched up on their lives and reminisced about old times. That was up until Muichiro had suddenly noticed something peculiar.

Across the street, he perceived an obnoxious Inosuke getting publicly escorted by the employees of a coffee shop. The effeminate male was known to be a very close friend of Muichiro's lover, Tanjiro. It would be a problem if Inosuke took note of Muichiro and whom everyone in town was fully aware was his ex walking together. Without thinking, Muichiro grabbed Genya's arm and pushed him into the nearest shop, a small gift store.