Rich Boy

Chapter 14

The Next Evening: Hanamaki's POV

"Do you have your stuff?" I asked Ayumu while trying to help him slide on a shirt. Once his head popped out of the head of the shirt, he nodded.

"Uh huh!"

"Are you excited to see Mr. Iwaizumi?"

"Uh huhhh!"

"And Mr. Oikawa?"

"Yeah!" Ayumu said, jumping onto me in a hug. In any other situation if I were going out, I would have already dropped off Ayumu at Oikawa and Iwaizumi's, but I'm going to make Matsukawa take a detour with me. I'm curious to how much he'll put up with. Besides, if nothing else, it's some annoying payback for all the times he dragged me around to places that I didn't want to go to. When there was a knock at the door, I walked over and opened it.

"Hi Hanamaki. Hi, Ayumu.. is he coming with us?"

"No, I'm gonna drop him off at a friend's house first."

"..Oh, alright."

"You mind?"

"Not at all." Matsukawa said with a small smile. I nodded as we all left the apartment building and got into Matsukawa's car. I gave him the address as he took us there. After I made sure that Ayumu was all safe with Iwaizumi and Oikawa, I climbed back into the car with Matsukawa and told him where to take us.

I'll admit, it was a little bit exciting to get to be able to do something with him. And without his parents here. Matsukawa looked a bit confused when I said that we arrived at the spot.

"Is this is?"

"Yep."

"Huh, alright.." He mumbled, turning the car off and walking out into seemingly just, middle of nowhere spot we were at. 

"It get's better. Come on." I said, leading him over some rocks. I laughed at his attempts to climb anything. Guess that this fancy rich boy never went out and climbed then fell off everything as a kid. Once we were over a mini hill, Matsukawa widened his eyes slightly.

"Wow."

"Told you it got better." I said, sitting with him in the grass. The grass was relatively long now from not being well tended to, but it wasn't bad. Matsukawa looked at the small pond that was in this area. It didn't have any animals or anything, but a lot of aquatic plants seemed to have taken to growing in it. 

I didn't plan on us talking a ton, so it was expected when it was a bit awkward. But, it was a bit difference than the usual no talking we did on all of our other "dates".

"Hey, Matsukawa, you alright there?"

"Huh? Oh, yes, of course.." 

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I was just thinking of something."

"Oh? What is it?"

"My parents had asked me to do something with them this evening." He said quietly. I stared at him a moment before chuckling slightly.

"Oh, I see."

"Huh?"

"You're unbelievable. You're still thinking of your parents while on a date? Look, why don't I just go, and you can go see them or whatever." I said, getting up with a sigh. I headed to where we had descended from to get out of here until Matsukawa got up and grabbed my hand.

"Wait, no... Please don't leave me alone.." 

Matsukawa's POV

It was embarrassing to be asking Hanamaki something like that.. But I didn't want to be left alone again. 

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean it like that. I just, I don't mean that I want to go with them instead.. It's just... Sorry." I mumbled, quietly letting go of Hanamaki's hand.

"Matsukawa?"

"....You can go if you want."

"Well, do you want to tell me what you did mean?" He asked, sounding a bit more gentle. I bit my lip before taking in a breath.

"Even if it comes across as stupid?"

"No offense but that's how you've been coming across since I met you."

"...Hey..!!"

"I'm kidding. What did you mean?"

"I just.. you had told me that I should show love without material possessions, but... I uh, I don't exactly.. understand how to.."

"...Well, for starters, you can stop just offering to buy people things when they're upset at you. Talk with them. Be there for them. Don't occupy all your time to something else when they're there with you. You give them your attention." Hanamaki said as if it were obvious. I felt my face heat up a bit from embarrassment that I didn't know any of this.

"Right.. Got it."

"Matsukawa, are you sure you're alright?" Hanamaki asked with concern now. I avoided looking at him, taking to staring at the grass instead.

"I'm sorry. I just never had anyone to teach me these things."

"...Not even your parents?"

"My parents are the ones who taught me everything I know. I begged for their attention when I was young, but when I never got it... I just, assumed it wasn't important." I admitted quietly. I felt a few tears stinging my eyes. 

Just how stupid was I...? I was always hurt when my parents ignored me.. I never was happy when they'd buy me the latest toy or the newest clothes. What good was any of it when they weren't there for me.. I didn't ask for much from them.. All I had wanted was maybe a bedtime story or for them to acknowledge a picture I'd color. It hurt when they didn't give me an ounce of attention.... So why the hell would Hanamaki like it either.

"Hey.. it's alright." Hanamaki said gently. I snapped out of my thoughts when he reached up and cupped my cheeks. He turned my head so I had to look at him instead of the grass. He smiled gently, using his thumb and wiping a tear off my cheek.

"I'm so sorry I was so awful to you.."

"It's okay, now that you actually talked to me so I know what happened.. I'm sorry that your parents never taught you any of this properly. But hey, I have something to tell you now."

"Yeah...?"

"I'm going to be here. And I'm going to help you learn the right way. Okay?"

"Okay."