What If..?

Chapter Seven

Chihiro stepped out beneath the small awning outside the restaurant, clutching his bag against his chest. The temperature had dropped dramatically and the rain was falling heavier than before. He considered walking back to the academy as riding back on the motorcycle would not only hurt, but he would have the burden of awkwardly clinging to his boyfriend while being mad at him. But the rain was heavy and surely he would get sick. He glanced back through the window of the restaurant, seeing Mondo speaking as calmly as possible with the waitress, most likely trying to explain their quick departure. He was visibly upset, his shoulders slumped over heavily as he yanked his part of dinner from his wallet, handing it to the waitress. And then he stood. Chihiro looked away, anxiously clutching his bag. He could run now and maybe make it far enough that Mondo wouldn't see him. He knew an apology was in order from both of them, but for once, Chihiro knew he wasn't going to be able to muster one up. He was too upset. Too angry at Mondo for lying... and so broken up about ruining their first date.

The door swung open and Mondo immediately stormed over, placing a very firm hand on his boyfriend's shoulder, forcing him to face him. "What is wrong with you?" he yelped through the forceful rain just outside the awning. "We were having a good time, then you had to just blow up like that."

"Junko had done my makeup for tonight," he offered quietly, his small body trembling under Mondo's fingertips. He looked up, craning his neck in attempts to keep a stiff glance up at his boyfriend, but every time they met eyes, he found himself trying to pay attention to something else. He hated seeing Mondo's eyes so dark. "And she told me everything."

"She doesn't matter!" Mondo then shot back, shaking Chihiro slightly. The smaller boy pulled away, his fingers pressing deeper into the cushy fabric of his clutch.

"She does matter! She won't leave me alone! And you're too scared to say anything to get her to stop!" the boy yelled as loud as his little voice would carry. Even through the rain and the cars drifting by, his mousy voice was heard loud and clear. Mondo stared at him for a long while with his lips slightly parted, searching his brain for a comeback. But like in the restaurant, he couldn't seem to force anything out as he knew he had been caught and there was no use fighting it. "She harasses me all the time... I tell her to stop, but she won't listen. Because she's jealous of me... or something... for being with you."

The man brought a hand over his mouth and anxiously rubbed at his chin before turning away, crossing his arms over his strong chest. Chihiro stood awkwardly in place, letting his arms fall just a little bit, bringing his defense down. He knew Mondo was angry, but it had been a long while since he had hurt anyone out of anger. Chihiro didn't want to the be the one to spark the violence. "I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want to bring her up. I know how much she pisses you off," he admitted, scratching restlessly at the back of his head, messing up his ponytail a bit.

"It makes me angrier that I found out now when you could have told me before," the boy shot back with a spat of animosity on his tongue. "And that you so actively denied being with her in the first place! Because you hide everything! You're too afraid to tell anyone anything that's important to you!" Chihiro reached out and firmly tapped his finger into Mondo's chest, his big, hazel eyes deepening in bitterness. They narrowed, tears brimming along the bottom lids as he felt his feeble body begin to shake. The rage from being lied to, the guilt of targeting his boyfriend, and the anguish of knowing he just wasn't worth the truth was enough to drive him to the edge. "You can't spend your whole life hiding!"

And with that, he pushed past Mondo and dashed into the heavy rain towards the tall building of the academy looming in the distance. The droplets beat onto his face and he held clutch over his forehead, although it didn't do much to aid his vision. The tears had spilled over and the pavement beneath his feet was just a blurry, wet mess. But he heard nothing around him. He didn't hear Mondo call out. Didn't hear the cars rushing past him. Even the sound of the rain was beginning to drown away. His heart was the only thing he heard. His heart telling him that even though he had the courage to call out Mondo on his faults, he was still running away like it would solve his own.