Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ unrequited ❯ wednesday ( Chapter 1 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

He always came over.

It didn't matter what Hatori was doing. Mentally, he was always waiting for the door to burst open and and exhuberant snake to dance in.
every wednsday afternoon it was the same story. Ayame always came.

And another part of the most sacred ritual was that Aaya brought banana bread, Hatori's favorite food. Rain or shine, the snake would come
in, dressed as a woman usually, carrying a loaf of banana bread and discussing his day and asking after Hatori's health. You might think that
Hatori would simply lock the door, but he never did.

He never did, for the simple reason that he looked forwards to the snake's visit.

Ayame would always bustle into the kitchen area of Hatori's office, and immediately set some tea to brew on the hot plate. "Really, Hatori," Aaya
said every week. "If we're going to keep doing this, you should consider getting something more formal than a hot plate." But Aaya never meant
it.

This week was no exception. Hatori didn't even stiffen as the door burst open and the sound of off-key singing could be heard. "It is I, Tori-san!"
Cried Ayame dramatically. Hatori didn't even flinch.

"Hello, Ayame," He said calmly. He wasn't worried about the wall behind the door. Aaya was the reason Hatori had installed the doorstop. Without
it, the wall would be crumbling.

"Hello, Tori-san," said Aaya, striking a dramatic pose. "Never fear! I have brought the snacks again!" Aaya was always saying that Hatori should
be the one providing the snacks. But nevertheless, Ayame always brought them. He knew Hatori-san well enough to know that Hatori wasn't gonna
buy snacks. especially not for Aaya. He was famous for eating a lot, especially if he wasn't paying. But he also liked treating people, so it evened out
in the end. Or so he claimed.

"Did you?" asked Hatori calmly. His good eye traveled up, out of habit, to the picture of Kana. She also brought him banana bread. But that was just another
bittersweet memory, and this was real.

"Yes! You should know by now that I can be counted on to bring Haa-san a snack!" cried Aaya passionately. "I'll start the tea." With that, he pranced off
towards the hot plate, singing something that almost sounded like something out of 'the sound of music.' But you never know with Ayame. for all Hatori knew,
it could be 'the underwear song.'

"Has Haa-san been eating alright?" asked Aaya. He carefully poured the hot water and set the kettle on to boil.

"Of course," said Hatori, filling in another name on another form. "hmm, this prescription might not be working so well. maybe I should change it..."

Aaya made a 'tsk, tsk' sound. "come on, Hatori. If you're talking about Ritsu's Mom, you switch her prescriptions so fast she doesn't even have time to feel relief,"
said Ayame. "Lighten up. I brought your favorite." Ayame also managed to insert that into the conversation. Every week, without fail.

"Really?" said Hatori dryly. Aaya seemed to miss this, and nodded enthusiastically.

"Of course, Haa-san. What would a visit be without banana bread?" asked Ayame, as though the world would end if someone forgot the law of banana bread.
Aaya sighed dreamily.

Hatori just rolled his eyes. Aaya did something like this every single week. "That was nice of you," he said, to inform Aaya that he did, in fact, look
forwards to his visits. Ayame just smiled calmly at the teapot. He loved it when Hatori praised him. No, he loved HATORI.

as crazy as it seemed, it was Aaya's purpose. during a rough week, he counted the seconds on the ornamental clock in his shop, thinking of when he would next see the sohma
doctor. It was never mere coincidence that he showed up every wednesday. Aaya spent wednesday morning planning how he would arrive; what he would say. But most importantly,
what he would wear.

All Aaya ever wanted was for Hatori to think he looked pretty. Aaya knew that Hatori didn't love him; knew that they would never be. But all Aaya wanted was for Hatori to
say those three words.

You look nice.

Even if he couldn't say that he loved him, All Aaya needed to hear were those three words. At night, they ran through his head, circling around like a child's lullaby.
Aaya's goal in life, the one thing he wanted, was to hear Hatori say those words. After all, even if Haa-san didn't love him, Aaya still loved Hatori.

Hatori was still flipping through his papers. But this time he didn't see them. Aaya was humming softly, distacting him.

Hatori wanted to slap himself for that thought. He should at lease be able to tell himself the truth. He wasn't distracted by Aaya's humming. He was distracted by Aaya
himself. After all, the fact always was and always would be that Hatori loved Ayame.

Hatori never spoke up, never gave Aaya any hint. Because he knew what would happen if he told Aaya how he felt. Ayame would feel obliged to pretend the feeling was mutual.
And Hatori couldn't ever be that selfish. No matter what, Haa-san had vowed to keep his feelings bottled in his heart. No matter the pain.

It never mattered how cold it was outside. Inside Hatori's heart, it was like ice. Nothing to hold on to; nothing to treasure. Except Aaya. the snake was Hatori's way out of
the snow once every week. Ayame encouraged Haa-san to feel, to really feel. Hatori chuckled dryly to himself. If only Aaya knew. If only...

"What're you laughing at, Haa-san?" inquired Aaya. Hatori mentally cursed. Aaya must have overheard his dry laugh. 'I'm laughing at the fact that I love you more than
anything, and I'll never be with you,' Hatori thinks bitterly.

"Nothing," he says out loud. His standard answer for everything.

"Well, nothing must be pretty funny," said Aaya happily, picking up the loaf of banana bread and beginning to slice it.

such a simple movement. Hatori would never know the love behind it. The care; the precision. All for Hatori. But then again, most things Aaya did were for Hatori.

Haa-san leaned back in his chair. It was useless. he couldn't work. His love for Aaya was keeping his mind busy. Hatori almost wished he could tell him; almost wanted to
speak up. But he caught himself just in time. He couldn't do that. It would hurt the snake too much to pretend to love Haa-san back. And all the things he did; the lies he
told, were for one person. Ayame. Because he meant most to Hatori. Screw Akito. By now, his eyesight was going and you had to shout to be heard. He couldn't eat hardly a
thing, he was coughing most of the time, he was allergic to pretty much everything, and to make matters worse he had arthritis. The good news was that he stopped caring
about the jyuunishi. (A/N: did I spell that right?)

But if there was one person Hatori cared about most, it was Aaya. The snake had helped him pick up the pieces of his life after Kana was gone. He helped Hatori's health
by giving him tea and insisting Hatori eat while he was studying. And more importantly, Ayame would listen. Whatever Haa-san had to say, Aaya would listen to him. no matter
what. And the thought of all that ending made Hatori sick.

So they both kept quiet.

to anyone who passed by the porch of Hatori's office, all they saw were two men staring out at nothing in particular, daydreaming.

But if they could see inside, they'd see the love that each felt would never be returned.