[ He thought he'd hidden his emotions perfectly behind that smile, that only his closest friends would know what he really was.
So why is Haruki-sensei of all people able to see what others could not? During all the times they've spent together on club affairs he never once let his guard down.
...Did he? He can't bear to look at the other right now. Lowering his head: ] Why are you telling me this?
[Why, indeed? The old Naoshi didn't know what was wrong with him and that was part of what drove him so crazy, trying to understand. But the more he talks now, explaining himself, he's coming to understand it himself, even if Homare hasn't.
He sounds more like himself again, smiling and reassuring. It's no false pretense, though. He's feeling better about the direction this is headed, though what he's realized makes him both embarrassed and excitedly nervous. ]
It's normal, isn't it? To want to be open with someone, when you realize they have the same secret as you? [ It's only half a rhetorical question; part of the asking really does come from inexperience. But there's still that revelation to be shared, too, and his heart races at the prospect as he lifts his head to regard what he can see of Homare's profile from behind his shoulder like this. ] I'm-- I'm confessing.
Normal... [ Of course it is. It's something that he's always wanted for a long time--just someone who would accept him for who he is. But coming from Haruki-sensei--a person who up until this point he only regarded with a friendly sense of professionalism...
Was that why he became so active in the archery club? Because of him? He hadn't really noticed--as far as he was concerned, Haruki-sensei treated everyone the same way. And it would only be normal for them to talk frequently. It was for the good of the club, after all, and he was never unpleasant to be around.
He swallows, his heart skipping a beat at that last sentence. Surely, he couldn't mean, well, that. ] Confessing?
It's... sudden, I know. [ He laughs again, soft and shy, but warmly. ] I'm sorry, but I didn't even understand it myself. I'm a teacher, right? All my students are special and important... but the more I attended the club, the more you stood out, and the more I realized...
[ And he uses the phrasing that could mean 'really like', could mean 'love', but either way admits what's been occupying so much of his mind for so long. ] Daisuki.
[ He stiffens at that, red tinting his cheeks as his heart beats faster. He refuses to look at Haruki-sensei, though for the moment he can't bring himself to respond, to get away. Why is his body acting as if he is happy about all this? It's awful. Even if he realizes that the gesture, the confession is sincere, it's awful. He can't even pretend that it's a prank by a childish teacher. ]
[ He can't help it, he slides one hand up Homare's chest, closer to the beat of that pounding heart as if he might catch it and calm it like a nervously fluttering bird. In his perceptions, growing ever more skewed, that pulse and the color in his student's cheeks are encouraging.
Naoshi nuzzles into his back again, to once more listen as well as feel. Saying again: ] I'm sorry it's so sudden, but it shouldn't have to be secret. Not when I know yours. Not when I want you to know mine.
I'm sorry, Sensei. [ He puts his hand on top of Naoshi's, felt the warmth over his heart and closes his fingers over it. ] But this is wrong. I'm not-- [ He grips it tight and tries to pull it away. He knows it's a cruel gesture, but if the adult here won't take responsibility, then someone has to. ]
So why is Haruki-sensei of all people able to see what others could not? During all the times they've spent together on club affairs he never once let his guard down.
...Did he? He can't bear to look at the other right now. Lowering his head: ] Why are you telling me this?
[Why, indeed? The old Naoshi didn't know what was wrong with him and that was part of what drove him so crazy, trying to understand. But the more he talks now, explaining himself, he's coming to understand it himself, even if Homare hasn't.
He sounds more like himself again, smiling and reassuring. It's no false pretense, though. He's feeling better about the direction this is headed, though what he's realized makes him both embarrassed and excitedly nervous. ]
It's normal, isn't it? To want to be open with someone, when you realize they have the same secret as you? [ It's only half a rhetorical question; part of the asking really does come from inexperience. But there's still that revelation to be shared, too, and his heart races at the prospect as he lifts his head to regard what he can see of Homare's profile from behind his shoulder like this. ] I'm-- I'm confessing.
Normal... [ Of course it is. It's something that he's always wanted for a long time--just someone who would accept him for who he is. But coming from Haruki-sensei--a person who up until this point he only regarded with a friendly sense of professionalism...
Was that why he became so active in the archery club? Because of him? He hadn't really noticed--as far as he was concerned, Haruki-sensei treated everyone the same way. And it would only be normal for them to talk frequently. It was for the good of the club, after all, and he was never unpleasant to be around.
He swallows, his heart skipping a beat at that last sentence. Surely, he couldn't mean, well, that. ] Confessing?
It's... sudden, I know. [ He laughs again, soft and shy, but warmly. ] I'm sorry, but I didn't even understand it myself. I'm a teacher, right? All my students are special and important... but the more I attended the club, the more you stood out, and the more I realized...
[ And he uses the phrasing that could mean 'really like', could mean 'love', but either way admits what's been occupying so much of his mind for so long. ] Daisuki.
[ He stiffens at that, red tinting his cheeks as his heart beats faster. He refuses to look at Haruki-sensei, though for the moment he can't bring himself to respond, to get away. Why is his body acting as if he is happy about all this? It's awful. Even if he realizes that the gesture, the confession is sincere, it's awful. He can't even pretend that it's a prank by a childish teacher. ]
[ He can't help it, he slides one hand up Homare's chest, closer to the beat of that pounding heart as if he might catch it and calm it like a nervously fluttering bird. In his perceptions, growing ever more skewed, that pulse and the color in his student's cheeks are encouraging.
Naoshi nuzzles into his back again, to once more listen as well as feel. Saying again: ] I'm sorry it's so sudden, but it shouldn't have to be secret. Not when I know yours. Not when I want you to know mine.
I'm sorry, Sensei. [ He puts his hand on top of Naoshi's, felt the warmth over his heart and closes his fingers over it. ] But this is wrong. I'm not-- [ He grips it tight and tries to pull it away. He knows it's a cruel gesture, but if the adult here won't take responsibility, then someone has to. ]
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