Seven Weeks: A Seven Days Fanfiction

WEEK ONE: Sunday (Yuzuru)

I kept stealing glances at Seryou as we walked down the sidewalk. It was hard not to, for many reasons. For one, he looked amazing wearing my sweater. Like a goddamn runway model. There was something about it I couldn't get enough of... as if putting him in my clothes had given me a visible claim to him, or something. Right now that felt super important, because less than an hour ago I'd been certain I'd lost him forever.

That was the bigger reason I had to keep looking—to reassure myself he was really there. After seeing him and Shino together the other night, I was sure he'd chosen her. Today when he showed up at my house, it seemed clear that he'd gotten tired of waiting for me to come out of hiding, and had come to cut things off in person. The fact that he was walking next to me right now felt surreal... fragile, like at any moment I was going to turn and discover he'd dissolved into steam in the winter air.

I still wasn't sure why he was here. It was pretty obvious that Shino wanted to be with him. She'd gone out of her way that night to make sure I knew he belonged to her. And since they were living together, and probably had some arranged-marriage thing going on, eventually I was going to lose him to her anyway, wasn't I? I mean, we were still just high school students. He was only a first year. There was plenty of time for him to be messing around in his dating life before he had to walk the aisle with Shino.

And she'd hurt him deeply, that much I knew. Now that I was thinking about it, dating me was probably the perfect revenge. Nothing said fuck you to a cheating ex-lover like going gay for a while, yeah? But it seemed pretty doubtful that he was gay, he'd dated like a hundred girls already. I remembered how Koike had asked me if I was gay. I still didn't really think so... not because I was sure that I liked girls, but because I didn't particularly like guys. I didn't get hot and bothered over the idea of guys. Only Seryou. He was the only one who did that to me, who made me feel these intense things inside until all I wanted to do was put my arms around him and hold on forever.

I don't know if maybe he sensed my insecurity, but I felt his hand slip into mine as we walked, his cold fingers snaking between my own. Geez, his hand was like ice. It was overcast and breezy out, maybe around four degrees Celsius, and with hands that cold I was surprised his teeth weren't chattering. Maybe he wasn't going to be with me forever, but he was here right now and I was going to take care of him. I tucked both our hands into my coat pocket without comment.

He looked over at me for a second, and then I felt his fingers squeezing mine gently. Thanks. I squeezed back. It did feel better, holding onto his hand. Safer. What would happen if I just never let go?

"What do you want to eat?" he asked me. The tips of his nose and ears were turning pink from the cold.

"Mm..." I thought about it. "Meat."

He chuckled. "Okay, what kind?"

"Any kind." My stomach growled. "All the kinds. I'm starving." Now that he wasn't breaking up with me yet, my appetite had roared back to life... and boy was it pissed at having been tranquilized for so long.

"All the kinds, huh?" He grinned. "I know just the place. Let's go to Chinatown."

I nodded. We were climbing the concrete steps to the footbridge, and an older lady with silver hair and layers of shawls was wheeling a small cart of groceries toward us. Her lips pursed with distaste when she saw how Seryou's wrist disappeared into my coat pocket. I felt his hand twitch in mine, like he was about to pull it back, and gripped tighter. I bowed at our critic with a polite smile.

"Good afternoon, Grandmother. Cold out, isn't it? Please get home safely."

She harrumphed a little, but passed us by without reply. I held on to Seryou's hand in my pocket and we crossed the bridge. Maybe I was imagining it, but it seemed like he was walking a little closer to me. We reached the station and I still wouldn't let go of him, even though it meant riding the escalator side by side. It was polite to stand to one side of the moving stairs, so that people in a hurry could pass you if they wanted. But it was Sunday afternoon, no one was rushing around, and I determinedly stood my ground, blocking off the full step, until we got to the bottom.