MiRACLE (KnB Fanfic)

26.

Hiroto walks in on a half-naked Alexandra Garcia and Himuro Tatsuya combing her hair. 

They're in the living room, on the couch, and the TV is on. When Hiroto comes out of the bedroom, freshly dressed, they turn synchronously to look back at him.

He closes the door.

(He spends a long time on the bed, trying to erase that image from his mind.)

(This is America, yes, but casual nudity was not supposed to be that much of a commonplace. Okay, maybe his worldview is just too narrow and this was okay in some part of this world--)

He spots a cellphone on the table-- it chimes with the notification of no less than three messages, so Hiroto stands up curiously to take a peek.

It's Tatsuya's phone, and someone called Tiger is persistently trying to get his attention. Something about respond to me please and I just wanna talk.

Hiroto senses deja vu. He's doing the exact same thing to everyone's messages on his phone right now... blatantly ignoring.

(Taiga... Tiger. So this guy is that other disciple person Tatsuya mentioned? Maybe they had some sort of an argument or something...)

Then Tatsuya opens the door, "look what you did, Alex, he's got trauma now."

In the background, Alex whines, "but this is my house!"

When Hiroto walks out again, Alex is wearing a pair of shorts now, over her white T-shirt. She's pouting. Looks like Hiroto will have to get used to seeing her naked, then. He has a feeling that this will become a daily thing, if Tatsuya's indifference is any indication.

"Good morning, sweetie. Had a good rest?"

Hiroto tucks himself behind Tatsuya, and nods meekly. His mouth opens and closes repetitively, as if he wanted to say something, but really couldn't decide on what to say.

"Well then," Tatsuya interrupts the atmosphere with a clap, "since Hiroto-kun is awake, let's have breakfast!"

-

Hiroto, in all his previously American glory, is happy to have pancakes for breakfast for the first time in this life. Rice was great, but nothing beats something sweet in the morning!

He says a short 'thanks for the food' under his breath, and before he takes his first bite, he notices the other two staring straight at him.

"Did you hear that, Alex?"

"I absolutely did, Tatsuya."

Hiroto pauses-- then he realizes it too. He just said something! Like, on pure instinct! Contrary to popular belief, his voice is working!

He brings a hand up to his lips in surprise.

The tightness in his throat isn't really gone-- but it's smoother now. A little less like an inflamed swell and more like a lump in his trachea. Maybe he was getting used to the company, so he wasn't as tightly woven in.