Reconciliation - Volume 2

The smell of alcohol was so pungent that it immediately hit Natsuo as soon as he entered the western-style kitchen. The tables were littered with bottles of liquor, some of which had been opened and partially drunk.

His chin dripped amber-colored liquid after he popped the cork off a whiskey bottle. He savored the strong, smoky flavor, feeling the warmth of the drink as it slid down his throat.

From the window, he saw Jiro and Rei getting up from the outdoor dining table. Natsuo crouched over the faucet to hide so they wouldn't spot him. His heart raced as he tried to understand what was going on between the two of them.

His plan was to follow them and catch them doing whatever they planned, but a careful glance revealed that they had already vanished.

The bottle was still in his hand as he ran back outside. His gaze darted around desperately, searching for any sign of the two of them, each passing moment increasing his anxiety.

As he rushed behind the corner, he bumped into someone, and their startled eyes locked with each other.

"What's wrong?" Hide asked worriedly as he observed Natsuo's panicked expression.

"D-did you see them? Rei and Jiro?" Natsuo asked with sharp breaths.

"Yeah, they went into the forest," he said in a slightly confused tone.

"W-why did they go in there?" Natsuo gulped.

"I don't know. Did you change your mind about drinking?" Hide asked, seeing his white knuckles around the whiskey bottle.

Hot tears suddenly stung Natsuo's blue eyes. He pushed the bottle into Hide's hand, grabbed his smartphone, and dialed Jiro's number with trembling fingers.

His heart shattered with each passing second as he heard the ringing of the phone without an answer.

"You only live once, right? Let's get drunk," he declared putting on a brave face and stuffing his phone back into his jeans pocket.

(One hour later)

A cloud of smoke escaped from Natsuo's lungs as he smoked a cigarette while sitting by the lake. His stomach was twisted into sickly knots as the fear of Jiro's betrayal seemed to invade his every thought. He had tried his best to drown himself in booze and shallow conversations with Hide, but the flooding anxiety made him reach for his phone again.

"Write him that you can fuck off," Natsuo slurred and handed him the phone, his mind clouded and emboldened by the alcohol.

"I mean it," Natsuo added firmly, his gaze unyielding as he saw Hide's unsure face.

As soon as he had tapped out the phrase, he placed the phone near its owner's ankle.

"What exactly happened?" Hide inquired, his words laced with concern as he pondered Natsuo's inner turmoil.

"I don't know," Natsuo replied, his voice quivering as he tried to make sense of the situation.

Hide watched sympathetically as Natsuo rubbed his temples with both hands and snatched the smoking cigarette so that its smoldering tip wouldn't burn his hair.

"I am sure you two can work it out," Hide assured him, but Natsuo broke into a sad laugh.

"Yeah, right. I will tell you a story..." he said recalling all the times they had come close to death, but somehow the thought of him cheating felt much more painful.

His head started to spin and the world was whirling around him. He closed his eyes, hoping the dizziness would subside soon.

A fog slowly obscured his thoughts and he lost himself in the darkness. His body felt heavier until he eventually leaned against Hide's shoulder to support himself.

Hide glanced at Natsuo as he dozed off, his brown hair falling in front of his closed eyes. His long eyelashes were fan-shaped, and the moon's light cast shadows on his slender features and pale skin.

Natsuo's phone started buzzing in the grass. Hide saw Jiro's name on the screen, but the brunet didn't seem to wake up again.

"Hey, Takuya. He's here with me. We are at the shore."

A moment passed before a figure dressed in a leather jacket strode across the garden to the beach with round sunglasses on his face. He sighed heavily as he saw the empty bottles around the two and a sleeping Natsuo leaning against his classmate.

"Thanks for looking after him," Jiro said as he helped his boyfriend to lie down and lowered his head on his lap.

“Not a problem. He seemed really torn about something," Hide said as he stood up and stubbed out the cigarette, stashing it in an enclosed ashtray in his pocket so he wouldn't leave a mess. He looked at Natsuo with a conflicted expression one last time before walking away.

Jiro gently stroked Natsuo's warm and flushed cheek with his palm. His fingertips lingered on Natsuo's neck, touching an old kiss mark below his ear.

His blue eyes opened and he backed away when he realized Jiro was next to him. A lump formed in his throat as he asked with stuttering words:

"What do you have to explain to me?"

Jiro sighed as he thought about what Hide texted him just seconds before, telling him to come work things out. He looked at his partner with a stern expression, determined to make him understand that what he had witnessed was not what it seemed.

"I don't know what you heard or saw, but it was nothing like that."

"A little relief?! Are you fucking kidding me?!" Natsuo exclaimed as he tried to shove Jiro further away from him, but he just gripped his wrists and leaned closer to his distressed face.

"We were talking about smoking weed," he whispered even though no one was around.

"What...? But it sounded like..."

"I know, but look," Jiro responded and took off his sunglasses so he could see his reddish eyes and smell his marijuana-smelling breath up close.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you, but I didn't want to upset you by telling you the truth."

"Why would I be upset with you because you smoke weed?" Natsuo stammered, contemplating whether the love of his life had really let him down.

"Because you shouldn't use anything and I didn't want you to start craving it."

There was no question in Natsuo's mind that he would rather remain sane and sober than lose himself once again in madness. A feeling of shame throbbed inside him as he wished he had handled everything more maturely.

Jiro scooped Natsuo into a tender embrace, enveloping him tightly as Natsuo snuggled into his chest.

"I fucked up. I should have been honest with you."

"I was going to apologize... I want to be happy for you. I want you to have friends..." Natsuo murmured against Jiro's faintly herbal-smelling shirt, his voice raspy from smoking too many cigarettes.

"Why do you keep thinking I would cheat on you?"

Natsuo clutched the back of his jacket as he sank under the weight of his own fears.

"There is no way in hell that I would ever hurt you in that way," Jiro continued, meeting his gaze with a look of sincere assurance.

"I saw you looking... at the pictures..." Natsuo swallowed.

Jiro thinned his lips and arched his eyebrows in a frown. His face contorted in disbelief, his eyes misting with confusion.

"What are you talking about?"

"The other day when I saw your laptop... I noticed the pictures of the girls... on the beach..." Natsuo said with his lips slightly quivering as he looked away.

Jiro let out another sigh, but he kept his composure and didn't let his frustration get the better of him.

"Those pictures were from Hawaii. I booked a trip for us. We are leaving in two days, but I wanted it to be a surprise," he said with disappointment evident in his tone.

Natsuo was so taken aback by Jiro's statement that he could only stare in amazement, realizing that he had been wrong about his intentions once more.

"Well, now I feel like a fucking idiot..." he admitted embarrassedly, but Jiro's lips curled into a sweet smile.

"You are not an idiot. But you have to trust me that I won't let anyone come between us."

"I never intended to doubt you... but don't keep me in the dark..." Natsuo pleaded feebly as he watched his wobbling fingers when nausea threatened to overwhelm him.

Jiro caught him before he collapsed on the ground, picked up the phone, and lifted him on his back. He let Natsuo's limp head rest on his shoulder while holding the smartphone firmly in his hand.

"You shouldn't drink with your meds," Jiro reminded as he carried him across the dark garden.

"But if you want to stay... we can stay..."

"You were leaning against another guy. It's time to go home," Jiro laughed .

"I didn't mean to... next time I won't..."

"Oh well, I still get to take you to bed every night," Jiro said with a satisfied smile.

Natsuo wrapped his weak arms around his loved one as he nestled against his wide back before falling into a comforting sleep...