THE SHOT

“The journey of the sun and moon is predictable, but yours is your ultimate art.”

— Suzy Kassem

. . .

Hiro gritted his teeth, “Look, I honestly appreciate the concern but I’m a grown man, Ms. Lunamor. I can look after myself.” ...there’s a reason why I was captain of the judo club back when I was in college, after all.

“I beg to differ.”

“Whatever,” he tried to walk past her again.

But Lunamor blocked his path again, “I’ll go with you.”

“Why?” Hiro snapped.

Lunamor’s face suddenly twisted into a scowl, pinching the bridge of her nose as she silently exhaled for a moment, like she was trying to expel all of her frustrations out into carbon dioxide.

For a moment, Lunamor looked like she was genuinely going to snap at him, she looked like she wanted to rage but obviously decided against it as she leveled him with a cold glare. And when she spoke, her voice sounded clipped and yet just packed with as much frustration as he felt:

“Because of those baseless rumors spreading about in the academy, a bunch of reporters had a field day with it, especially with the kind of story they can make about us.”

What.

What ‘us’?

Hiro’s brain seemed to have shut down then restarted in that one moment, any rebuttal or witty remark he can think of turning into a very eloquent:

“Huh?”

“Reporters think we’re dating.”

Hiro waited for her to take that back.

She didn’t.

“Please tell me you’re joking.”

“Does it look like I’m joking? Does it look like I have the time for that?!” she suddenly snapped, making him take a step back at the sudden volume of her voice, “Some of them were even camping in their cars around my house and around Luna Enterprises–some of them even tried to get in twice if it weren’t for my household security! AND THEY ARE STILL TRYING AS WE SPEAK!”

Hiro suddenly felt a hint of pity. “Are you... okay?”

An almost-hysterical sounding laugh came out of her, “Do I look like I'm okay?”

He winced, “Right, stupid question. Sorry.”

She rubbed tiredly at her face, “I haven't slept properly in weeks. And now, I couldn’t even sleep at night without worrying if one of them would try to climb up in Cyan’s room again!”

“…Is that why you’re absent?” Hiro asked.

A tired groan, deep and true wormed its way out of Lunamor’s mouth.

She furiously rubbed at the space between her eyes, “…Unfortunately, yes.”

Well, that makes sense but…

“Then why didn’t you tell anyone about it? We could have tried to help you, you know! Does your older brother know? Did you even report this to the police or any of the authorities?” Hiro demanded, suddenly feeling a bit freaked out by that. Is someone going to sneak into his place too? What about his sister?! “You should have–”

“Don’t tell me what to do,” she hissed.

Hiro made an affronted noise at that.

“Well… excuse me, you ungrateful brat, I was just trying to help here–!”

“Excuse you. I couldn’t even get out of the front door within two meters without getting a migraine because of their flashing lights and loud, incessant probing–I could have actually been mobbed if Dante hadn’t personally threatened them for trespassing and harassment!”

“Harassment, what are you -?”

“They’re harassing my brother at this point,” Lunamor snarled, “Asking and pestering a little kid about my boyfriend who was said to be a math professor thanks to a not-so-anonymous tip.”

Hiro paused, feeling his face growing pale.

...oh shit the rumor!

He had almost forgotten about that… “Why are they even taking that so seriously? It was just a stupid rumor… we… we’re not even interested with each other,” he can feel his face growing ridiculously warm, “…like that!”

“I know,” Lunamor said, sighing, “I know… but as far as I am aware, they did not know your identity yet, thanks to my…” she imperceptibly averted her gaze, “interference.”

“Uh, thank you?”

Surprise flashed on her eyes.

She stared at him, confusion clearly in her gaze.

...Lunamor clearly didn’t expect to be thanked.

She immediately cleared her throat, “W-Well you’re welcome, I guess… but that’s not going to last for long. And until then, I would have liked to ask you to lay low and keep your doors locked and bolted until this insanity is sorted out.”

“Why can’t you just tell them that we’re really not, you know…?” Hiro cleared his throat, as he shifted his foot from side to side, “In a relationship, I mean? You can tell them you're dating someone else. Let them go crazy over a nonexistent person...?”

“I’m not in a relationship.”

“Ever heard of lying?!”

Lunamor’s eyes flashed angrily against the light as she glared at him, “Why do I have to lie about my status for something like this?! Besides… as long as they got a good story out of the rumor, real or not, do you really think they would care?!”

“Then have a live interview or something about your status!”

She scowled, “You made it sound like they will listen.”

Hiro groaned, leaning against the nearest wall as he ran a hand over his face. He's too old for this shit. He's too old to get involved in a sappy, rom-com plot line! “Oh, for god’s sake. Who spread it, anyways?”

“No one you need to know.”

“Oh, come on, I want to know!”

She spared him a side-long glance as she tugged her ribbon off, her long locks of platinum blonde hair easily tumbling down her shoulders and Hiro glared in turn, trying not to stare.

“Well?” he prompted.

“Does it even matter at this point?” she scoffed, pushing her hair off of her shoulders, “I already dealt with them, the real problem right now are the reporters… and what will they try to say about us.”

“Fine, what’s your plan?” he relented.

She shrugged, “I would have hidden you somewhere safe until this fiasco is all done and over or I would have assigned a bodyguard or two,” at the look on his face, she added: “…just in case.”

Somehow, he didn’t believe that.

“No!” Hiro immediately protested.

“Well, do you have any better ideas?!”

“Lunamor, that’s too much!”

“Cyan has a bodyguard–” she argued.

“He’s a little kid and he’s your brother, of course Cyan obviously needs one!” Hiro pointed out, face-palming. “Which reminds me to ask… why don’t you even have a bodyguard?”

Her lips twitched, “Who says I don’t?”

Hiro blinked, looking around the deserted hallway suspiciously before frowning back at her, “Well, I don’t see anyone. You sure you have one or are you just imagining it?”

“Forget about that. Look, I’m just trying to help. Really, I–” Lunamor fidgeted with the ribbon now tangled in her hands, “…after all, though I am loathe to admit, I… I suppose it is kind of my fault as well.”

“Why is that?”

For a moment, Lunamor looked like she’s bitten and torn through nails as she gritted the words under her breath that suspiciously sounds like: “…perché mi piaci.”

“…What?”

She blanched, glancing up at him.

He cocked his head to the side curiously at her reaction.

She sighed, “…Never mind,”

“Well, I thought you said you don’t care about their opinion, that we should let them think what they want,” Hiro fired back her own words, thinking back on the day he had confronted her about the rumors.

She winced, “I did…”

“Then what are you doing?”

“…helping you.”

He deadpanned, “Oh, I’m sorry but are you waiting for me to go along with that insane plan of yours, Lunamor? Because if you do, this is going to be a long night.”

Hiro raised an eyebrow when she suddenly walked right past him without another word, crossing his arms as he trailed after her. Because well, at least her heart was in the right place… even if her ideas were kind of irritating and a little bit over the top, he thinks Lunamor might have honestly felt kind of guilty for getting him involved in a mess that could have been solved much, much earlier had she not underestimated just how troublesome rumors could be.

Is this seriously how Lunamor had handled her reporters turned stalkers back in Italy? No wonder her brother had wanted her to be away from their home, her safety and privacy had been at risk… but it seems that the problem had just manifested itself yet again.

As they went to the parking lot, they were both silent by then.

Hiro had kept expecting her to bring up whatever she'd wanted to discuss to him about (probably the classes she missed) but Lunamor returned to being mute though even he could tell that she looked both distracted and wary, her eyes occasionally shifting here and there, her entire body stiffening at the slightest bit of sound–as though she’s expecting someone to pop up and pounce on her any moment now.

But by the time they got to the parking lot without further issue, the silence was already so well-established that Hiro couldn't really think of anything to say to break it.

Hiro went over to his car, well-aware that Lunamor was standing not too far from him, her eyes as piercing as ever as she watched over him like a hawk, “Well, this here is my ride,” he said, suddenly feeling silly, as he patted his car nervously, “What about you? Are you staying or do you need me to…?”

Lunamor said nothing to him, simply turning around to walk back silently inside again, back from where they came, leaving Hiro to stand there awkwardly with his mouth still half-open, wondering for half a moment if she had forgotten something and had gone back for it before realizing she just wasn't going to say anything at all in response.

So, Hiro slid into his car and closed the door.

What a weird kid…

While Hiro was starting up his car, he suddenly froze… eyes wide as he stared at the man, partially hidden around the school’s parking lot gate, holding up a camera aimed right at him.

The flash was blinding.