#sunbathing with: umemiya

[helios-writings]

Umemiya knows he’s going to marry you from the moment he meets you. Whether you think the same, he doesn’t know, but he knows that you’re the one he wants, one hundred percent.

You do not think Umemiya is the man you’re going to marry. In fact, endearing as he is, you don’t see the two of you together at all. But he never pushes.

“In your own time,” he always tells you; like he knows something you don’t. Like he’s omniscient.

But still, Umemiya never gives up. He walks you home, carries your things, texts you every morning. When you ask him why, all he does is grin: wide and crooked, taking over his whole face.

“Because I like you.”

And then he continues walking, like he hasn’t just verbally knocked you on your ass with four words. Like this is something he knows and has accepted. And while you knew the truth of his affections before he stated them, he had never said them aloud before.

You start being kinder to Umemiya after that, the change so gradual that you don’t even remember when it happened. It's soon that Umemiya is at the top of your contacts list; at the top of your messages. You find yourself waiting for him after school, instead of him hunting you down to walk you home. You even start inviting him out, when he doesn’t seem too busy, though he claims he’s never too busy for you.

On one of these outings, you get hurt. It's an accident, truly, nothing more than a shove, but you hit the ground a little harder than you should, your wrist spraining under the force. Umemiya goes pale as he fusses and frets over you, eyes filled to the brim with regret and worry; as if it was his fault you toppled to the ground.

You don’t know what comes over you in that moment, not really, but one minute you’re trying to calm him down, and then the next, you’re kissing him. It’s soft; barely there in terms of kisses. But it’s enough to make Umemiya pause in his ministrations, enough to make his cheeks burn red. He takes your hand in his and kisses the tips of your fingers before helping you off the ground. You hold hands on the way to your house, no need to speak about what each other feels.

You start thinking that you could marry him, too.

[helioswritings]

The first time it happens, it’s almost subconscious. You’ve always loved the way Umemiya smells, you chalk it up to some weird omega thing you can’t explain and that must be what leads you to shove the shirt into your bag. You don’t tell Ume about it, because frankly you’d rather die but more than that you couldn’t stand for him to say it was alright, like you knew he would.

The second time is intentional. The sweater is just sitting there, beckoning you like a siren would a sailor. You shove it into your bag, knowing it would join your nest along with the shirt you’d purloined a week before. He enters the room a beat later, oblivious to his missing sweater.

The third, fourth and fifth times happen similarly. A shirt, a jacket, a blanket. They all rest on your bed in a pile, like a horde of treasure. Your treasure. It makes you preen, almost. You slept on it almost every night, even though your ill gotten gains made you feel a bit creepy most days, downright stalkerish others.

You’re almost certain that it’s because he smells nice and not at all because you have a crush on Umemiya. Definitely not that. Not that he’d know or care, you could probably go right up to him and plant a kiss on him and he’d grin and tell you how good of a friend you were. Could’ve had a crush on any man from Furin but no, you chose Umemiya.

It all comes to a head on accident. The two of you are sitting on your shitty couch in front of your equally shitty tv, when he asks where the bathroom is. You point him in the direction of it, trying not to look like you're inhaling his scent of pine, fresh rain and wood.

It's when you get up to get a cup of tea that you hear: “oh I’ve been looking for these!”

You rush into your room in an instant, seeing Umemiya standing at your bed, gazing into the halfheartedly built nest that sits in the middle.

“That's my favorite blanket, y’know.”

“I-uh, sorry?”

“The shirts you can keep, but I think I’d like the jacket back, at least. That one, anyways, but you can keep this one.” He takes the jacket he’s currently wearing off, setting it on top, grabbing the jacket you previously stole instead.

“What are you….what's going on?”

Ume grins at you. “I don’t mind, you know. I mean, I would’ve preferred you ask, but I don’t care.”

He kisses your cheek. “Let’s finish the movie, yeah?”

And all you can do is follow him, dumbfounded.

After the film, and when he gets ready to leave, it all comes rushing out and he just laughs.

“Well, to be honest, I knew it had to be you. You’re the only one I let in there, but I didn’t want to embarrass you. I thought it was cute.”

“Cute.”

He rolls his eyes. “And everyone tells me that I’m oblivious.” It's teasing, but genuine.

You build up the courage to kiss his cheek as he leaves, the smell of him so strong it nearly suffocates you.

He grins. “See you.”

You stare at the door even after he’s gone.