Boys For Hire!!

Double! Trouble!

"Spring... Festival...? Ew why would I have to go to this-" I'm hit with a light smack to the back of my head.

"Be respectful, Chi. It's to thank the boys."

"For what!?" Another smack.

"Don't take that tone Chi, those students at school have been leaving you alone school, yes? Be grateful." My mother huffs, spinning on her heel. I hear her slam the door, but then the creak of the door once again. "And wear something nice!" Slam. I groan and trod into the living room, opening the door with a squeak to reveal the boys waiting in anticipation.

"We heard alotta yelling, what's going on?" Haruo turns his head to me, looking in consideration.

"My mum..." I roll my eyes. "Wants me to take you to the Spring Festival that's gonna be held this Saturday." I look at them, expecting them to be jumping at the idea, but surprisingly I'm disappointed when Shiroi says...

"Sorry, Chi... We're only due to be with you during work hours." He looks away from me.

I anxiously tap the flyer in my hand. "Well... I-Its not work hours then, right? Don't you just wanna hang out?"

I look at Naoyuki, who I thought would be most excited about going to a festival. He averts my gaze and looks towards his brother, Naozumi for help. Naozumi shakes his head from the pillow he's lying on. "Sorry, Arian Chiseki. We're not supposed to mix work with pleasure."

"So that's what I am to you? Work? I thought we were friends. I mean, it's not like your..." I stop mid-sentence, my breath catching. Paid to be with me. How can I say that when they are? I swallow and nod. "Sorry guys, just thought'd be fun." I shrug as if it's nothing to me, while Haruo goes to grab my sleeve.

"Don't, Haruo. It'll just feed her arrogance." Masashi looks me in the eyes coldly and I'm forced to turn away. It's as if the bond we formed just last night had been hit by a reality check.

Haruo turns to Masashi in confusion. "B-But we-"

"That's enough bull s**t, you i***t foreigner." Katsu, who had mostly stayed silent his whole conversation, bumped himself off the desk he was leaning on and flicked his black fringe in disgust. "Understand, girl." The boy threateningly walks up to me in stride and I shrink before him. "We aren't your classmates, we ain't your servants, and we certainly aren't ya friends." When I try to turn away he grabs me by the sleeve fiercely, causing the other boys to move protectively until Katsu silences them all with a glare.

"We're your Boys For Hire, you've hired our friendships with you. Don't think for one second, that any of us want to be with you by choice."

***

I'm lying face up on my bed, even my Maki Nishikino body pillow became un-comfy to me. I feel... like there's a basketball in my chest.

"Chii...? What's wrong? Aren't you and the boys going to the festival tonight?" My mother knocks while opening the door, squinting to see through the darkness of my depressively otaku room.

"Yeah, it's just, um..." I fumble for an excuse. "I don't have anything to wear, it would be super weird if I turned up to a festival with actual Japanese people wearing shirts from TV shows in their region." I exhale a sigh of relief when my mother closes the door but get a new year’s fright when the door re-opens.

"I got just the thing for you!"

***

"This sucks." I sigh as I walk through the dozens of brightly lit food stalls. "Now I have a good four hours to kill before I go home, what to do..." I look down at my spilt cheongsam, its gold embroidery glinting against the deep blue patterns of mountains and dragons. "It would look nice on anyone, just not me I guess." I look down at myself, grow jealous of the endless streams of other pretty girls who look beautiful in their cheongsams. I sigh for the fortieth time this evening.

"Could you stop sighing? It's irritating..." I whip around to the voice that spoke, and see Naozumi standing above me in his full half naked glory. His male green male cheongsam wrapped gloriously around his lower half; his upper body half covered by the fabric being draped over his left shoulder. When a girl passes him, they stop to stare, regardless whether they had company or not.

"Y... You said you wouldn't come."

"No, I said I wouldn't go with you. My brother and I are escorting someone else tonight..." He drifts off sleepily and my heart drops little. What did I expect...? They'd never come here for me. "But," He rubs his head. "I'd rather spend my Saturday night with you then some squeaky princess. Let's go, I don't wanna’ time getting away from our client." He grabs me by the hand, and we walk among a countless amount of food stalls and carnival games. I look over at one stall, its prizes catching my interest.

"Pyo-Pyo..." I stare at the little yellow stuffed lion in the corner of the water pistol shooting stall. When I get my head out of the clouds, ready to catch up with Naozumi, he's already passing a dollar to the owner.

"A lion? How like you." He smirks at me, his smile a little lopsided due to his lack of energy.

"You don't have to do this for me."

"I don't but," He aims the pistol at the cups stacked on top of each other. "If I get you the lion, I get to spray you with the pistol."

"HEY!!"

***

"Your so mean!!!"

"Shut your trap, I got you the lion." Naozumi yawns sleepily, as if all his life energy had gone to knocking those cups down. I keep Pyo-Pyo away from my body, since I'm now soaked to the bone.

"Anyway, thank you for- Holy-!!" Naozumi falls to the side, swaying around unsteadily on his feet. Maybe he really did use all his life energy on that!! I try to prop him up on my shoulder, while struggling to keep Pyo-Pyo in my grasp. "Ugh, I'm sorry..." I sadly drop Pyo-Pyo to the ground, so I'm able to lift Naozumi with both hands. I steady him through the crowded alley ways bustling with people and sit him down on a bench just outside the orange glow of the festival grounds. "There..." I huff, out of breath. For a slim guy, he weighs more than I thought.

"Idiot..." I sit down next to him, propping my feet up so I can wrap my arms around my knees. That's when I feel a knock on my shoulder.

"How'd we get here...?" Naozumi exhales sleepily, rubbing an eye drowsily while leaning his head on my shoulder.

"I carried you here, bird-brain. You almost fell asleep in the middle of everything when you shot down the cups."

"Oh yeah... The lion thing. Where is it by the way?" As I feel his head turn on my shoulder I swallow.

"Umm... Look your safety was more important then a stuffed animal ok. It's not like I'm a muscle man, there was no way I could carry you with one hand."

He mumbles some sort of response and shifts on my shoulder again. His auburn hair seems to blend with the soft orange glow of the lanterns, and I stare at him without a care.

"How long are you gonna stare at me?" He mumbles and I look away flustered.

"Tch, could you just be nice like your brother for once." I shift my gaze to the sparkling ocean view, but I can feel his gaze on me.

"I bet you'd like that huh?"

"Like what?"

"If I was like Naoyuki."

I hesitate, realising the extent of my chosen sentence. "No, I wouldn't." I sigh. "Some people just wish for perfection in others they like, therefore they compare."

"That's stupid." I grind my teeth at his quick remark. "But it's ok, I'm used to it. Naoyuki was always more popular, in our family and in work." He sleepily sighs into the crook of my neck. "Everyone liked him, he was polite, well-mannered, gentlemanly you name it. While I was just the laid-back failure who did nothing but sleep."

"But that is all you do."

"Shut up, brat." He rolls his eyes at me. "But thank you for being straight with me. Some times I feel like..." He drifts off. "If I wasn't here, then Naoyuki wouldn't have to suffer with all this Boys For Hire stuff... If I wasn't here maybe he'd be off doing some else having a better life, just if I wasn't his useless brother."

"That's not true." I bump him lightly on the head with my fingers curled into a ball. "Naoyuki always looks at you for help. To be honest, I wouldn't think he'd even be able to make a decision without you around. And you know that, that's why you've stayed with him right?" I'm finally able to look Naozumi in the eye again, and I confidently look into his as he stares up at me. "He relies on you because your his older brother, and well, if you weren't a good one you have to ask yourself, would Naoyuki have become someone you can be compared too, if you hadn't been a good brother to him." His pupils dilate and his eyebrows crease inwards, as if comprehending what I had just said.

"I've been... A good brother?"

"Course," I grin at him. "He's had to get his charm from somewhere, ay?"

"You..." 

"Wha-!?" Naozumi collapses drowsily onto the lap of my cheongsam, tucking his head near my stomach, avoiding the almost drying wet-patch on my bodice.

"You’re really annoying... Stop making everything so confusing..."

"H-" I'm about to retort, but he grabs my hand swiftly and pulls his towards him, caressing each finger before drawing it to his chest.

"But it's a good confusing, if it's with you I like being confused..." He mumbles, before shutting his eyes and drifting off to sleep. I can feel his steady movements of breath on my lap accompanied by his short exhales and inhales.

"Idiot... We can't stay here all night...!" But I clench my teeth and lie back, not feeling cranky enough to wake him from his peaceful slumber.

I'm about to doze off myself, until I hear twig snap under some ones heave footsteps. I whip around, ready to rip into someone, but it's not someone I want to rip into yet.

"Yo, so this is where the work skipper was." Naoyuki trod along and slumps to Naozumi and I's right side next to me. "He said he was gonna’ get a present, you have no idea what a tantrum our client pulled when he didn't come back, silly slacker." The younger brother pats his older brother's head with a sad smile.

I fidget nervously next to Naoyuki and he turns to me. "I heard most of it by the way, you don't have to be so anxious." He sighs. "People tend to be more relaxed around my brother anyway, I don't blame you." I sit up, careful not to interrupt Naozumi's sleep.

"No, it's not that I'm nervous around you, I'd just think you'd find me weird having your brother... On my lap and all."

Naoyuki chuckles light heartedly. "Hahaha, ok, I'm just teasing." The younger brother lies back himself, shutting his eyes momentarily. "He talked about me right? I heard a bit of it. Did he mention leaving?"

Leaving...?

"Leaving? No, why?"

Naoyuki sighs sadly. "He's gonna leave some day you know, he's gonna leave and never come back to this god forsaken service. He's gonna leave me, because of what I did."

"What? What did you do?"

"I..." He swallows. "When my brother proposed the idea of joining Boys for Hire, our mother was outraged, so we never brought it up again. We were poor, Arian Chiseki, you have no idea how grateful you should be for the home and the mother you have." He hiccups in between sentences. "We were desperate, but our mother refused to let us join the Boys for Hire, I guess that was her way of showing she cared. She knew what went on in services like ours. Naozumi invested in a stock with the last of father's insurance money but..." Insurance... So I guess they’re the same. Fatherless... Naoyuki shook his head. "It didn't work out, and in the end, we ended up in more debt than when we started. So, our mother," Naoyuki pulled his neck towards his outstretched hand, signalling... "She hanged herself, she couldn't take it anymore."

I offer him a tissue that I got from one of the food stalls. He gratefully accepts it and dries what's coming out of his eyes. "But my brother stayed with me, even through our shitty foster care. He found work, terrible work, but it was work. He'd come back late and leave early. He'd always be tired and worn down." I look down to Naozumi's sleepy face, which hadn't stirred since he had fallen to sleep. "So, I... Signed a contract with Boys For Hire and started working here. It wasn't long after that Naozumi had found out, so he joined as well." I can hear Naoyuki sniffling under the tissue. "All I did was f**k everything up and let my brother take the brunt of it, the reason we're in this f****d up job is because of me..." He wipes the few loose water droplets off his cheeks. "And now he's gonna leave, I don't blame him... He's gonna leave me-"

"He's not, I can say with full confidence that Naozumi isn't gonna leave you."

"How would you know." I catch a quick glare from Naoyuki. "You barely know us."

"Yeah? Well I know that Naozumi isn't the kinda guy to leave his brother alone just like that. Naoyuki, I don't think you realise that Naozumi literally lives for you, he loves you more than anything in the world." There's a slight crack in my voice nearing the end of my sentence, and I realise I'm crying as well. "To have someone who loves you like that, truly, a-a-a-and to have friends like, Shiroi and Haruo and Shintaro, who even though may just be working with you, want to protect you, do you not realise how lucky you really are...? You’re an asshole if you think otherwise." I let out a throaty half cough half laugh at the end, hoping my humour would brighten the mood.

"You smile, even while being depressed?"

"It's called 'Depressive Smiling', it's a new technique. Super effective when it comes to you guys." We both let out fits of laughter, trying to disturb Naozumi's slumber.

"When I smile through depression, it doesn't mean I'm ok, it's just showing you that I'm strong enough to pull through whatever s**t I'm in so I can get back to kicking your asses again." I smile at Naoyuki, whose silence has returned after my joke. "It doesn't mean you shouldn't not be okay either, if that made sense. Life isn't like a fairy tale where people are constantly happy, there's a lot of suffering in order to gain a happily ever after. If that makes sense." I hold onto Naoyuki's warm hand. "So, the more s**t you get through, the happier you'll be once it's over, yeah?" I squeeze his warm flesh, which seems so be getting hotter by the second.

"Hahh..." Naoyuki's head flops onto my shoulder. "I wasn't supposed to do this, but I've given up."

"Huh?"

He snuggles into my shoulder. "No wonder, Naozumi fell asleep so easily, you’re really squishy."

"What's that supposed to mean!?"

"Just teasing~!" He closes his eyes and starts to drift off like his brother. "And what you said wasn't right, technically... Naozumi isn't the only one I don't want to leave me..." He mumbles in between blinks, and then he's out like a light.

"Oh dear..." I find myself trapped in between two heavy ass boys at 10'o'clock at night on a public bench. But all I do is grin to myself and laugh.

"You boys are just a whole heap of trouble!"

***

"Ok, this feels like a trap. It's a trap isn't it."

"It's noooot!" Naoyuki complains behind me as Naozumi is leading me from in front.

"Where are we going?"

"Not too much farther." Yawns a sleepy Naozumi.

I huff as the twins lead me through the crowd of the Spring Festival blind.

"Alright! We're here!!" I'm released from the blindfold of Naoyuki's hands. As I adjust to the light of the festival lanterns, I'm wide eyed as to what I'm looking at. All of them standing in formation in the middle of an only half busy cobblestone food stall market square, lit by glowing lanterns and lamps.

"OH MY GOD!! OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD!!!" I squeal in excitement.

"Surprise!!!" I see them all, all (reluctant but still there) seven Boys for Hire boys, dressed in...

"Your cosplaying!!"

"Isn't it cool, Chi!! Look at me!" Shiroi zooms around cutely, flicking his cape in the air in a superhero pose. It seems they all came in a group cosplay of Final Reality.

Masashi clears his throat and pushes a grumpy looking boy towards me. "This boy here, seems like he's got something to say." We all eye Katsu as he turns red under the intense stares.

"I-I'm sorry, for saying what I said."

I laugh at his apology.

"What are you laughing at you, you stupid woman!! It's not like I've never apologised before!!"

"Never thought I'd hear it in a billion years!!" We all let out fits of laughter, before Katsu joins in and starts laughing as well.

"I never thought I'd do cosplay, looks pretty good on me though." Shintaro poses in his admiral suit and I giggle.

"Looks great, Shintaro."

"Shut up you sarcastic bitch." I laugh as him and he gives me a high five, my bare skin hitting his gloved hand to create a huge smack.

"Wait but, why're you all here? I thought you didn't wanna’ hang out with me?"

They all look at each other and grin. "There's nothing in the rules saying we can't hang out with a client in our free time, we thought we owed you some time on the house after Haruo's little incident." Katsu bites at Haruo teasingly, making Haruo look as guilty as a boy stealing cookies.

"He's just teasing, Arian Chiseki." I whip around to the recently disappeared Naozumi and Naoyuki, who have reappeared in their costumes as well. "Course we wanna hang out with you, we see you more as a friend then as a client anyway." Naoyuki winks as me and I let out a smile.

Naozumi comes up to me and hands me a small, yellow stuffed animal. "Pyon-Pyon...? How'd you find him?! I dropped him ages ago!" I look up at the tall and sleepy male.

"I bought him, dumbass. It's not like he's the only one in the world. Plus," He whips me around by the shoulders and hugs be from behind in front of all of the other boys. "It's repayment for letting me sleep with you."

"HUHHHHH!?"

"I-I-ITS NOT WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE!!"

I playfully hit Naozumi on the shoulder and he chuckles, but I keep Pyon-Pyon grasped tightly to my chest.

"B-But..." I call out, trying to get everyone's attention. "Thank you... For doing this for me."

They look at me with smiles of admiration, until Masashi pulls out a camera. "I say we take a group photo, to remember today. What about it?"

Everyone excitedly nods in unison. Shiroi plucks the camera out of Masashi's hands and asks an elderly lady to take our group photo.

 We all stand in a group, Shiroi gripping onto my arm like always and Shintaro playfully slinging his arm around my shoulder. Masashi stands next to Shiroi and I, being the giant that he is he still towers over the both of us. Katsu stands next to Shintaro, with a grin on his face, while Naoyuki stands at the right side of the group next to Masashi with his hands formed into a peace sign. Naozumi stands sleepily off to the left side but still included, Katsu having his arm around Naozumi's slumped shoulders. Haruo squats in front of my knees with his signature wink and smile.

"1, 2, 3, say Spring Festival!!"

My friends and I smile for the camera.

"Spring Festival!!"