2022-07-17 17:03![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
spaceninja144 in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
the_zone
spaceninja144 in the_zoneWho: Hiyoshi and Niou
When: Evening July 17th
Where: Niou and Hiyoshi’s room
What: Uion and Hiyoshi chat, Niou finally confesses the truth
Niou was extremely nervous and weird, heading to the door to his room. But he had to do this. He’d been guilted enough by the kissing, Yanagi’s weird interrogation and powerpoint, and then Akutsu of all people giving him a lecture about it all… it was time to come clean to Hiyoshi about everything. The fact that he’d organised the talk was probably the only thing stopping him from just going to engineering way earlier than normal to hide.
No turning back now, as he stared at the door. And right. At least for the start of it, he had to pretend he was still Uion. “Hiyoshi, it’s me,” Niou said as he knocked.
Hiyoshi gave the voice command from inside the room to let Uion in. He was sitting on his bed in his workout clothes, reading a book to pass the time until Uion showed up. Setting the book down on his neat and organized side table to mark its place, he gave his friend a nod of greeting and an easy ‘hey’. Despite the sudden nature of Uion’s request to talk to him, Hiyoshi wasn’t worried about it. He had no reason to be.
Niou glanced at Hiyoshi’s clothes curiously as he came into the room. “Am I holding you back from a workout, or have you already done one?” And it was weird being in this space together when they normally just avoided each other when Niou came in to get clothes or shower. Niou hesitated before he sat down on his own bed, looking across to Hiyoshi. And the words died in his throat. “Did you actually get sent the powerpoint from Yanagi?” he asked. Good job, Niou, definitely not the planned topic.
“The gym isn’t going anywhere,” Hiyoshi shrugged. He wasn’t fanatical about schedules, flexibility was a good quality when one had to switch between night and day shifts regularly.
The distaste about the second topic is immediately obvious on Hiyoshi’s face, which should be enough to answer Uion’s question. “I received it. By the way he had it ready so quickly I get the feeling we weren’t the first people he’s sent it to.” Hiyoshi could only assume it worked on others as well as it had on himself, or else Renji wouldn’t still be sending it out.
“True.” And hopefully Hiyoshi could go punch something in there instead of Niou when he finally got around to talking properly.
Niou sighed at the confirmation that Yanagi had been telling the truth. “I also got the feeling that he just sends it out to anyone who the Command cameras catch doing anything.” And sorry to whomever was on duty that Niou was fairly sure was now dead. “He also sent me the video file of the engineering office to be extra helpful.” Niou just dragged his hand down his face.
Now that was actually embarrassing. “So it was being passed around.” Hiyoshi closes his eyes, willing himself to stay calm in the face of the flush he could feel creeping up his neck. Who knows how many people saw that video… no, he wouldn’t let himself worry about it. He had made the choice, and there was nothing wrong with it. It was just kissing. Nothing to be ashamed of.
“I’m pretty sure he only sent it to me.” Niou at least trusted Yanagi to that degree, that he wasn’t just bulk sending it to randoms around the base for a laugh. “He did say he couldn’t do anything about IT or Security having access to it though, so… Byodoin might have seen it. And the weird IT guy. And whoever was in Command when Yanagi saw it.” So, basically a lot of people.
He could feel his face heating up again and Niou stared at the wall above Hiyoshi’s head. “I rewatched a bit of it, when Yanagi first sent it through. It was interesting.”
“Ah.” A light immediately went off inside Hiyoshi’s head. Kirihara was Yanagi’s lackey, it made sense if he just happened to be there when Yanagi saw. That made perfect sense to Hiyoshi, and being able to solve that mystery let Hiyoshi relax again completely. “I don’t care if the Lt Cdr and Akutagawa saw it. It was that Kirihara running his mouth, I knew he was lying but you made me second-guess myself.” He waved the topic off like the silly mistake it was. “Don’t go over-analyzing the video, it wont do you any good.”
Niou frowned at the mention of Kirihara - right, the kid who apparently didn’t like psychiatrists and was easily manipulated. “What was he saying?” Did Niou want to know what Kirihara was saying? Was this something that he needed to gossip to Yanagi about?
But Hiyoshi. Hiyoshi, Niou lived on overanalysis of things. He couldn’t exactly be given a chance to look at things from a different angle and not take it. “I’ll argue against that. I didn’t realise you were quite so close… or exactly what was going on. And now I can match up my reactions and tolerance to the physical contact and see if there’s any patterns. The analysis is actually very useful.”
“That you were my boyfriend and everyone had seen the video. He was trying to get under my skin.” And it hadn’t worked too well. Hiyoshi rolled his eyes when Uion inevitably defended his obsessing over details, because, yeah. It was predictable. “You put up with the touch because you liked it. You didn’t realize how close I was because you liked it. You weren’t sure what was going on because you liked it. That’s the pattern. “
Oh. “That seems like an awkward thing to have a stranger talk to you about. Sorry.” He was glad that his conversation with Yanagi about it had just taken place all over text so he could actually keep a straight face somewhat. Niou huffed at Hiyoshi’s easy acceptance of the ‘pattern’. “Yes okay, but why? Is it an action specific thing? Is it a you thing?” Is it because he’d been in his ‘Uion’ self, who didn’t have as many anti-touch problems as Niou and was that something that he needed to re-evaluate? “I hate questions.”
“It’s fine. He’s an idiot.” Which explained everything. It had nothing to do with Uion or what they’d done together, and everything to do with Kirihara. Anyhow Uion, who was the expert on basic human physical touch again? Oh right, not you. “The video wont help you answer those questions, you’ll have to do the same things with someone else and compare data. One person isn’t a sample size.” …Ugh, Hiyoshi hated that he was actually arguing this on Uion’s weird obsessive level.
“And tell someone else about my sad past and having no friends or physical contact with people?” Niou snorted at the idea. “Not likely.” And the couple of other people who did know that… yeah he wasn’t going to even think about asking them. He flopped back on the bed and stared at the ceiling - it was after all, his assigned bed that he just never had touched. And the mattress actually wasn’t that bad, he realised. “Ah shit, shouldn’t have done it in the first place, it would’ve made my life easier.”
Now that annoyed Hiyoshi. “Sorry for ruining the simplicity of your kissless life.” He was only offended by the implication that he wasn’t good enough at kissing to be worth it. Just that. Totally. “Is that what you came here for? To complain about it?”
Oh, that was an annoyed tone, okay. Niou propped himself up on an elbow to look at Hiyoshi, unimpressed. “You know that’s not what I meant,” he said, tossing the pillow on the bed at him. “I liked it, a lot. I’m not complaining about it.” This bed sucked because it only had one pillow and he was out of ammo to throw at Hiyoshi. “I’m complaining because now I have to go and ask someone else. And it won’t even be a comparable test because I don’t… like them as much.”
Not every bed could be a 26 pillow storage closet, unfortunately. Hiyoshi was sufficiently mollified by the reassurance, but tried not to show it too much because somehow it made him feel easy. “Liking them a different amount is part of the test. That’s the variable.” (The main giveaway that he’s okay again? He’s being helpful.)
Niou flopped back down and smiled at the ceiling. “I think you just want me to stroke your ego and tell you that yours were my favourite,” he waved his hand in Hiyoshi’s direction. “If your whole ‘liking people’ thing is meant to be all it takes.” He tugged at the ends of his sleeves and thought. “I’ll have to do it in places that Yanagi can’t see, or else he might actually fully lecture me.”
Maybe he does a little, now that Uion brings it up. Hiyoshi’s threatening to start blushing again, so he closes his eyes and looks away. “Obviously technique factors into it too, but you’re not going to be able to see that on video.” Since, you know. Most of what they were doing would have required an extreme closeup. Perhaps some sort of mouth-cam. “Anyway, it’s not like it’s hard to stay off camera. The other day was just…” (a mess.) “...unplanned.”
Niou snorted. “Could you imagine, showing someone a video of you and me kissing and going ‘hey can you mimic this technique?’” He dissolved into laughter, pressing a hand against his mouth to try and muffle it. It took a bit to calm himself down and he grinned. “We should work together though, on tracking like a drone or something through the base on the security cameras. Work out all the blind spots around the base in general.”
“Don’t do that. Ever.” It might be a joke, and Uion might be laughing, but Hiyoshi wanted it to be VERY clear that it was never, EVER to happen. There were many things Hiyoshi could tough out and get over, but being used as a teaching aid was not one of them. The suggestion of tracking the blind-spots wasn’t half bad, though. “I think I know where a few of them are already. But if I’ve figured them out, Ensign Yanagi definitely has too.” The Big Brother jokes were real.
“I won’t. Don’t worry.” If Hiyoshi was going to be so serious about telling him that was a bad idea, then Niou would have to definitely confirm that it was just a silly joke. Niou thought back to the conversations he’d had with Yanagi and the hints he’d dropped here and there. “I think that Yanagi definitely knows them, and as long as Command can’t see what people get up to, they’ll turn a blind eye. Which is why they’re still there. Like all the rooms not having cameras.”
“The reason the rooms don’t have cameras is privacy.” Which is very different from just ‘turning a blind eye’, Uion. Once again, Uion’s warped world-view was showing. Hiyoshi sighed. “They’re not just ignoring what people get up to, they’re giving them a proper place to do it. Command can’t just ban sex, people would revolt.”
Niou was about to agree, after all, they’d taken advantage of the lack of cameras to kill the chicken in their room after all. But then Hiyoshi just had to tack on the last bit and he blinked. “I see. Sex must be quite amazing then, if people would be willing to revolt over it on a distant planet with no resources.” He paused as soon as the words were out of his mouth and pointed a finger at Hiyoshi. “And before you even think it, that was not meaning that I want to try it.”
“I wouldn’t just go along with anything, you know,” was Hiyoshi’s dead-pan unimpressed reply. “I’m not supporting it, a stupid amount of people think with their dicks instead of their brains. But it’s a normal thing for people to want, and there’s a reason humans haven’t gone extinct yet.”
“Good. Even if it’s you, I’d probably still panic if you suggested it.” Niou laughed at Hiyoshi’s rather dry assessment of other people. Typical Hiyoshi, really. “And here I was thinking it was human’s adaptability, social structure and intelligence that helped us survive.” He sighed loudly and regretfully. “Ahh, Hiyoshi. Why are you so fun to talk to?” It just made him want to try and hold onto the stupid secret just a little bit longer.
“Half of them were working on society. The other half were working on keeping up numbers.” Completely scientific assessment of humanity right there, ask an anthropologist. Uion’s last comment made Hiyoshi tilt his head though. There was something weird about the tone. “I have a stunning personality?” he offered, not sure at all where this was going.
Niou laughed. “I mean, yes. I like it.” He was pretty sure some people did not, but he found it refreshingly straight-forward and it didn’t make him second guess and question everything. Oh god there was actually no good way to do this. Akutsu’s sentence starters were shit and had evaporated from his mind anyway. “Uion doesn’t exist. He’s just something I made up.” The words tumbled out quickly and oh god he wanted to vomit already.
“What.” What? They were talking and joking about dumb stuff and then all of a sudden, what? Hiyoshi’s face was frozen in a sort of dumb shock, completely unable to process what he just heard. He understood the words individually, but strung together like that? The more he tried to understand it the less it made sense. “Is this a joke?” Because it wasn’t a very good one.
Oh god why was Hiyoshi still here and asking a question. Niou reluctantly pushed himself up to sitting and glanced at Hiyoshi and nope, he was not going to look at that expression. The wall was more interesting. “I’m not a twin. I have a younger brother… somewhere. Uion is the name of my mechanic shop and what I got registered under when I came here.” He was still talking too fast and he could feel the panic starting to set in.
Niou might be looking away, but Hiyoshi sure as hell wasn’t. He was staring holes into the side of Niou’s head, as if somehow his eyes would help him see the truth of the situation. No Uion. Not a twin. Slowly, Hiyoshi’s brows furrowed. “You’re Niou.” He’d been Niou this entire time. Pretending to be two separate people for… what, a joke? The more Hiyoshi thought about it, the angrier he got. “You’re Niou.” What the ever loving fuck.
Words had completely failed him and kept getting stuck somewhere with his heart up in his throat and Niou just nodded. Even if he had been able to talk right now, what was he meant to say? Just … confirm verbally what Hiyoshi already knew? And oh god why had he tried so hard to differentiate the two names in Hiyoshi's mind?
Hiyoshi was on his feet now. Every second that passed meant more things clicking together in his head, and that only made him more angry. “You lied to me. You pretended to be a different person for two weeks straight.” Everything seemed so clear in hindsight, and he wondered how he missed such obvious signs. Of course Niou’s stupid thing with his Great Aunt was a cover for the mission. And then there was everyone else, calling Niou ‘Uion’ the whole time… “How many people knew? How many people were in on this?”
"Only about that," Niou forced out. If anything, his Niou personality had become more stupid and false as the weeks went on. But he couldn't deny the fact that he'd been Uion for two weeks on the stupid expedition and he'd gone to actual efforts to ask other people to help him maintain the lie. Niou just looked miserable. "... everyone? Tachibana, Gakuto, Byodoin, Renji, Sanada… Atobe, Oshitari… Akutsu obviously… Yagyuu…"
Hiyoshi waited in silence as Niou listed out names. Somehow that stung more than just Niou lying. When Niou was done, Hiyoshi gathered all his self-control and spoke. “Get out.”
Niou looked up at Hiyoshi and he knew he should probably try to say something. Apologise. Explain? But the words withered away and his throat was stuck again. Yeah okay. Fuck this. Niou fled.
Hiyoshi stood and stared at the door for a good while after Niou left. Niou. Not Uion. Eventually though, he turned, and flopped back and curled up on his bed. He didn’t feel like going to the gym anymore.
When: Evening July 17th
Where: Niou and Hiyoshi’s room
What: Uion and Hiyoshi chat, Niou finally confesses the truth
Niou was extremely nervous and weird, heading to the door to his room. But he had to do this. He’d been guilted enough by the kissing, Yanagi’s weird interrogation and powerpoint, and then Akutsu of all people giving him a lecture about it all… it was time to come clean to Hiyoshi about everything. The fact that he’d organised the talk was probably the only thing stopping him from just going to engineering way earlier than normal to hide.
No turning back now, as he stared at the door. And right. At least for the start of it, he had to pretend he was still Uion. “Hiyoshi, it’s me,” Niou said as he knocked.
Hiyoshi gave the voice command from inside the room to let Uion in. He was sitting on his bed in his workout clothes, reading a book to pass the time until Uion showed up. Setting the book down on his neat and organized side table to mark its place, he gave his friend a nod of greeting and an easy ‘hey’. Despite the sudden nature of Uion’s request to talk to him, Hiyoshi wasn’t worried about it. He had no reason to be.
Niou glanced at Hiyoshi’s clothes curiously as he came into the room. “Am I holding you back from a workout, or have you already done one?” And it was weird being in this space together when they normally just avoided each other when Niou came in to get clothes or shower. Niou hesitated before he sat down on his own bed, looking across to Hiyoshi. And the words died in his throat. “Did you actually get sent the powerpoint from Yanagi?” he asked. Good job, Niou, definitely not the planned topic.
“The gym isn’t going anywhere,” Hiyoshi shrugged. He wasn’t fanatical about schedules, flexibility was a good quality when one had to switch between night and day shifts regularly.
The distaste about the second topic is immediately obvious on Hiyoshi’s face, which should be enough to answer Uion’s question. “I received it. By the way he had it ready so quickly I get the feeling we weren’t the first people he’s sent it to.” Hiyoshi could only assume it worked on others as well as it had on himself, or else Renji wouldn’t still be sending it out.
“True.” And hopefully Hiyoshi could go punch something in there instead of Niou when he finally got around to talking properly.
Niou sighed at the confirmation that Yanagi had been telling the truth. “I also got the feeling that he just sends it out to anyone who the Command cameras catch doing anything.” And sorry to whomever was on duty that Niou was fairly sure was now dead. “He also sent me the video file of the engineering office to be extra helpful.” Niou just dragged his hand down his face.
Now that was actually embarrassing. “So it was being passed around.” Hiyoshi closes his eyes, willing himself to stay calm in the face of the flush he could feel creeping up his neck. Who knows how many people saw that video… no, he wouldn’t let himself worry about it. He had made the choice, and there was nothing wrong with it. It was just kissing. Nothing to be ashamed of.
“I’m pretty sure he only sent it to me.” Niou at least trusted Yanagi to that degree, that he wasn’t just bulk sending it to randoms around the base for a laugh. “He did say he couldn’t do anything about IT or Security having access to it though, so… Byodoin might have seen it. And the weird IT guy. And whoever was in Command when Yanagi saw it.” So, basically a lot of people.
He could feel his face heating up again and Niou stared at the wall above Hiyoshi’s head. “I rewatched a bit of it, when Yanagi first sent it through. It was interesting.”
“Ah.” A light immediately went off inside Hiyoshi’s head. Kirihara was Yanagi’s lackey, it made sense if he just happened to be there when Yanagi saw. That made perfect sense to Hiyoshi, and being able to solve that mystery let Hiyoshi relax again completely. “I don’t care if the Lt Cdr and Akutagawa saw it. It was that Kirihara running his mouth, I knew he was lying but you made me second-guess myself.” He waved the topic off like the silly mistake it was. “Don’t go over-analyzing the video, it wont do you any good.”
Niou frowned at the mention of Kirihara - right, the kid who apparently didn’t like psychiatrists and was easily manipulated. “What was he saying?” Did Niou want to know what Kirihara was saying? Was this something that he needed to gossip to Yanagi about?
But Hiyoshi. Hiyoshi, Niou lived on overanalysis of things. He couldn’t exactly be given a chance to look at things from a different angle and not take it. “I’ll argue against that. I didn’t realise you were quite so close… or exactly what was going on. And now I can match up my reactions and tolerance to the physical contact and see if there’s any patterns. The analysis is actually very useful.”
“That you were my boyfriend and everyone had seen the video. He was trying to get under my skin.” And it hadn’t worked too well. Hiyoshi rolled his eyes when Uion inevitably defended his obsessing over details, because, yeah. It was predictable. “You put up with the touch because you liked it. You didn’t realize how close I was because you liked it. You weren’t sure what was going on because you liked it. That’s the pattern. “
Oh. “That seems like an awkward thing to have a stranger talk to you about. Sorry.” He was glad that his conversation with Yanagi about it had just taken place all over text so he could actually keep a straight face somewhat. Niou huffed at Hiyoshi’s easy acceptance of the ‘pattern’. “Yes okay, but why? Is it an action specific thing? Is it a you thing?” Is it because he’d been in his ‘Uion’ self, who didn’t have as many anti-touch problems as Niou and was that something that he needed to re-evaluate? “I hate questions.”
“It’s fine. He’s an idiot.” Which explained everything. It had nothing to do with Uion or what they’d done together, and everything to do with Kirihara. Anyhow Uion, who was the expert on basic human physical touch again? Oh right, not you. “The video wont help you answer those questions, you’ll have to do the same things with someone else and compare data. One person isn’t a sample size.” …Ugh, Hiyoshi hated that he was actually arguing this on Uion’s weird obsessive level.
“And tell someone else about my sad past and having no friends or physical contact with people?” Niou snorted at the idea. “Not likely.” And the couple of other people who did know that… yeah he wasn’t going to even think about asking them. He flopped back on the bed and stared at the ceiling - it was after all, his assigned bed that he just never had touched. And the mattress actually wasn’t that bad, he realised. “Ah shit, shouldn’t have done it in the first place, it would’ve made my life easier.”
Now that annoyed Hiyoshi. “Sorry for ruining the simplicity of your kissless life.” He was only offended by the implication that he wasn’t good enough at kissing to be worth it. Just that. Totally. “Is that what you came here for? To complain about it?”
Oh, that was an annoyed tone, okay. Niou propped himself up on an elbow to look at Hiyoshi, unimpressed. “You know that’s not what I meant,” he said, tossing the pillow on the bed at him. “I liked it, a lot. I’m not complaining about it.” This bed sucked because it only had one pillow and he was out of ammo to throw at Hiyoshi. “I’m complaining because now I have to go and ask someone else. And it won’t even be a comparable test because I don’t… like them as much.”
Not every bed could be a 26 pillow storage closet, unfortunately. Hiyoshi was sufficiently mollified by the reassurance, but tried not to show it too much because somehow it made him feel easy. “Liking them a different amount is part of the test. That’s the variable.” (The main giveaway that he’s okay again? He’s being helpful.)
Niou flopped back down and smiled at the ceiling. “I think you just want me to stroke your ego and tell you that yours were my favourite,” he waved his hand in Hiyoshi’s direction. “If your whole ‘liking people’ thing is meant to be all it takes.” He tugged at the ends of his sleeves and thought. “I’ll have to do it in places that Yanagi can’t see, or else he might actually fully lecture me.”
Maybe he does a little, now that Uion brings it up. Hiyoshi’s threatening to start blushing again, so he closes his eyes and looks away. “Obviously technique factors into it too, but you’re not going to be able to see that on video.” Since, you know. Most of what they were doing would have required an extreme closeup. Perhaps some sort of mouth-cam. “Anyway, it’s not like it’s hard to stay off camera. The other day was just…” (a mess.) “...unplanned.”
Niou snorted. “Could you imagine, showing someone a video of you and me kissing and going ‘hey can you mimic this technique?’” He dissolved into laughter, pressing a hand against his mouth to try and muffle it. It took a bit to calm himself down and he grinned. “We should work together though, on tracking like a drone or something through the base on the security cameras. Work out all the blind spots around the base in general.”
“Don’t do that. Ever.” It might be a joke, and Uion might be laughing, but Hiyoshi wanted it to be VERY clear that it was never, EVER to happen. There were many things Hiyoshi could tough out and get over, but being used as a teaching aid was not one of them. The suggestion of tracking the blind-spots wasn’t half bad, though. “I think I know where a few of them are already. But if I’ve figured them out, Ensign Yanagi definitely has too.” The Big Brother jokes were real.
“I won’t. Don’t worry.” If Hiyoshi was going to be so serious about telling him that was a bad idea, then Niou would have to definitely confirm that it was just a silly joke. Niou thought back to the conversations he’d had with Yanagi and the hints he’d dropped here and there. “I think that Yanagi definitely knows them, and as long as Command can’t see what people get up to, they’ll turn a blind eye. Which is why they’re still there. Like all the rooms not having cameras.”
“The reason the rooms don’t have cameras is privacy.” Which is very different from just ‘turning a blind eye’, Uion. Once again, Uion’s warped world-view was showing. Hiyoshi sighed. “They’re not just ignoring what people get up to, they’re giving them a proper place to do it. Command can’t just ban sex, people would revolt.”
Niou was about to agree, after all, they’d taken advantage of the lack of cameras to kill the chicken in their room after all. But then Hiyoshi just had to tack on the last bit and he blinked. “I see. Sex must be quite amazing then, if people would be willing to revolt over it on a distant planet with no resources.” He paused as soon as the words were out of his mouth and pointed a finger at Hiyoshi. “And before you even think it, that was not meaning that I want to try it.”
“I wouldn’t just go along with anything, you know,” was Hiyoshi’s dead-pan unimpressed reply. “I’m not supporting it, a stupid amount of people think with their dicks instead of their brains. But it’s a normal thing for people to want, and there’s a reason humans haven’t gone extinct yet.”
“Good. Even if it’s you, I’d probably still panic if you suggested it.” Niou laughed at Hiyoshi’s rather dry assessment of other people. Typical Hiyoshi, really. “And here I was thinking it was human’s adaptability, social structure and intelligence that helped us survive.” He sighed loudly and regretfully. “Ahh, Hiyoshi. Why are you so fun to talk to?” It just made him want to try and hold onto the stupid secret just a little bit longer.
“Half of them were working on society. The other half were working on keeping up numbers.” Completely scientific assessment of humanity right there, ask an anthropologist. Uion’s last comment made Hiyoshi tilt his head though. There was something weird about the tone. “I have a stunning personality?” he offered, not sure at all where this was going.
Niou laughed. “I mean, yes. I like it.” He was pretty sure some people did not, but he found it refreshingly straight-forward and it didn’t make him second guess and question everything. Oh god there was actually no good way to do this. Akutsu’s sentence starters were shit and had evaporated from his mind anyway. “Uion doesn’t exist. He’s just something I made up.” The words tumbled out quickly and oh god he wanted to vomit already.
“What.” What? They were talking and joking about dumb stuff and then all of a sudden, what? Hiyoshi’s face was frozen in a sort of dumb shock, completely unable to process what he just heard. He understood the words individually, but strung together like that? The more he tried to understand it the less it made sense. “Is this a joke?” Because it wasn’t a very good one.
Oh god why was Hiyoshi still here and asking a question. Niou reluctantly pushed himself up to sitting and glanced at Hiyoshi and nope, he was not going to look at that expression. The wall was more interesting. “I’m not a twin. I have a younger brother… somewhere. Uion is the name of my mechanic shop and what I got registered under when I came here.” He was still talking too fast and he could feel the panic starting to set in.
Niou might be looking away, but Hiyoshi sure as hell wasn’t. He was staring holes into the side of Niou’s head, as if somehow his eyes would help him see the truth of the situation. No Uion. Not a twin. Slowly, Hiyoshi’s brows furrowed. “You’re Niou.” He’d been Niou this entire time. Pretending to be two separate people for… what, a joke? The more Hiyoshi thought about it, the angrier he got. “You’re Niou.” What the ever loving fuck.
Words had completely failed him and kept getting stuck somewhere with his heart up in his throat and Niou just nodded. Even if he had been able to talk right now, what was he meant to say? Just … confirm verbally what Hiyoshi already knew? And oh god why had he tried so hard to differentiate the two names in Hiyoshi's mind?
Hiyoshi was on his feet now. Every second that passed meant more things clicking together in his head, and that only made him more angry. “You lied to me. You pretended to be a different person for two weeks straight.” Everything seemed so clear in hindsight, and he wondered how he missed such obvious signs. Of course Niou’s stupid thing with his Great Aunt was a cover for the mission. And then there was everyone else, calling Niou ‘Uion’ the whole time… “How many people knew? How many people were in on this?”
"Only about that," Niou forced out. If anything, his Niou personality had become more stupid and false as the weeks went on. But he couldn't deny the fact that he'd been Uion for two weeks on the stupid expedition and he'd gone to actual efforts to ask other people to help him maintain the lie. Niou just looked miserable. "... everyone? Tachibana, Gakuto, Byodoin, Renji, Sanada… Atobe, Oshitari… Akutsu obviously… Yagyuu…"
Hiyoshi waited in silence as Niou listed out names. Somehow that stung more than just Niou lying. When Niou was done, Hiyoshi gathered all his self-control and spoke. “Get out.”
Niou looked up at Hiyoshi and he knew he should probably try to say something. Apologise. Explain? But the words withered away and his throat was stuck again. Yeah okay. Fuck this. Niou fled.
Hiyoshi stood and stared at the door for a good while after Niou left. Niou. Not Uion. Eventually though, he turned, and flopped back and curled up on his bed. He didn’t feel like going to the gym anymore.
