Page 33 of The Arrival
Haruka waves a hand. “It has to do with an old superstition about carrying the weight or burden of the ancestor of their namesake. It is silly but engrained within me.”
Chuckling, Nino lifts his arms to cup his head against his pillow. “Alright, I respect that. How about for your mom, ‘Ai’ instead of ‘Aika,’ or ‘Nami’ instead of ‘Namie’ for mine? I like Nami…”
“I like Nami, too,” Haruka says thoughtfully. “And if it is a boy?”
“You pick.”
“Hm… my father wanted to name me Shota. His intention was to break the tradition of using ‘ha’ as an initial syllable for men named under the Hirano Clan.”
“Right. Your father was Hayato and your grandfather was Hatakemori.”
“Correct. And in doing so, the derivation of the name Shota means ‘prosper’ or ‘leader.’ It connotes a prosperous and grandiose future for a new generation.”
Nino’s brow furrows as he smiles. “But your name is almost the opposite—the kanji reading makes me think ‘springtime long ago.’”
Haruka smirks. “Also correct. This is my mother’s choice. She wanted to keep the tradition of the Hirano Clan and preserve the idea of our family unit. Plus, I was born in the springtime… long ago, at this point.”
“So, your father complied to your mother’s choice, obviously?”
“Not exactly. If you ask Asao to tell the story, he says that my parents were in fierce disagreement about this. My mother only won because they played janken—best two out of three.”
Nino’s laughter bubbles loudly as he slides his knees up to comfortably gap his thighs. “Your parents decided your name from a game of rock-paper-scissors? That’shilarious.”
“Mm.” Haruka looks down the length of Nino’s delectable and naked body, still wanting him very, very much. “My parents were opposites in their temperament, but somehow very well suited for each other. Asao often says that they were like fire and ice, except the crucial link is that ice can also burn when necessary. He used to tell me stories about them—how much fun they had together and the innocuous banter my mother and father would engage in. I do remember a little of this, myself, which is comforting.”
The memories of his parents are always swirled together with a multitude of emotions. Pain and bitterness, but also joy and wonder. Longing. A sincere desire to have had more time with them. To have grown older with them and known them more deeply. And selfishly, for them to know him.
Would they be pleased with the vampire he has become? Would they be proud of him? Would his father tell him that he is too serious and to lighten up, or would his mother tease him for his procrastination habits?
Would his character be very different, had they lived? Perhaps he wouldn’t be as serious, or lackluster about his work, because they would have guided him in a full life—one without the hollow, broken agony of loss and solitude. A life without knowing what it’s like to have the ground completely snatched and dug out from underneath you until you’re standing in a deep hole, looking up at the sky and wondering why you’ve been left there to rot on your own. Wondering why you should bother digging yourself out.
Haruka looks at Nino’s profile and takes a deep breath. In the end, he’s very glad to have been helped out of that hole. To be standing above ground again, and in the sunlight no less.
Lately, he feels that he is even surrounded by flowers. A new, dense family and community ever growing all around him.
“I love hearing Asao tell stories about your parents,” Nino says. “They sound like they were amazing vampires.”
“I am biased, but I think they were.”
Nino grins a little brighter, his eyes sparkling with delight. “Alright, Nami if it’s a girl and Shota if it’s a boy, yes?”
“Yes. Agreed.”
“Was this too easy?” Nino chuckles. “Should we argue a little, like your parents?”
“I love that our interaction is easy.” Shifting, Haruka settles on his side so that he’s leaning into Nino’s hip and chest. “I’ve had enough hard things in my life. You are a much-welcomed relief.” He lifts a hand and places it atop Nino’s tight belly. Haruka caresses the smooth, tanned skin there before sliding it down to wrap his long fingers around his cock.
“Speaking of hard things,” Nino says, his face flushing. “Can I help you, sir?”
Haruka grips him while leaning into the curve of his neck to kiss just beneath his ear. He whispers, “I want you inside me.”
Nino swallows thick. Haruka can hear it as he runs his nose along his jawline. “Mm, round two, then?”
“Yes.” Haruka kisses. “And three, if possible.”
“Alright, we’re having one ofthosenights.”
“You started this.”
