Chapter Text
Yuu plodded along the dirt trail, his scuffed sneakers kicking at rocks and carefully avoiding flowers and any small animals in his path. The cool breeze tugged at his faded t-shirt and made the overhanging branches sway gently. Yuu let out a contented sigh, looking up at the sunlight filtering in through the treetops. Hummingbirds fluttered over blossoms, delicately sipping from their middles and rabbits bounded from bush to bush.
“It’s really dumb that I hadn’t checked this place out sooner,” the short man said to himself. “I mean, it’s literally, what, 5 blocks away from my apartment? Yeah. God, it’s really nice here. Ryuu’d piss himself if he found out I wanna go on walks in the woods to clear my head now.”
Yuu heard a rustle behind him. He whipped around, glaring suspiciously at the offending bushes. He slowly continued walking, shoulders drawn up to his neck in apprehension. There was another soft whisper of leaves to Yuu’s side that time. He whirled around again, catching a glimpse of a figure flitting behind the greenery. The surrounding leaves quivered and Yuu felt a jolt of fear course through his veins.
“Who are you?” he shouted in the general direction of the supposedly culprit tree. “Don’t think I won’t fight you just because I’m little! I’ll kick your ass!”
There wasn’t a response.
“Ok, so maybe you’re a bear or something else that can’t talk,” Yuu continued, trying to hide the tremor in his voice, “but I’ll still fight you! I’m not a pussy!”
The little branches on the sides of the tree twitched and Yuu clenched his fists, squaring his jaw as a pair of hands reached around the rough bark of the tree trunk. A split second later, a head to match peered out next to the hands and Yuu’s mouth dropped open.
The creepy as fuck forest-lurker was a guy. A drop-dead gorgeous guy with stubble and flowers in his hair. The man looked strangely timid for his face and body, with wide brown eyes and a trembling lower lip. He had a killer jawline (Absolutely criminal, Yuu thought,) and broad shoulders, which Yuu couldn’t help but notice were bare. Yuu’s eyes flicked down to the man’s chest and he would have whistled in approval if he weren’t worried that he was going to be murdered and left to rot in the middle of the woods. The two stared at each other for what seemed like forever before the man spoke.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, nervously pushing a lock of hair behind his ear.
“W-what do you mean, what am I doing here?” Yuu retorted fiercely. “I’m going on a walk! What are you doing here? You were stalking me in a bunch of bushes!”
“I wasn’t stalking you!” the man protested weakly. “I’m sorry if I made you think that but practically no one comes out here so I was sort of curious and I wanted to see what was going on and why you were out here!”
With every word, the man’s voice got more and more quiet until it was barely a whisper. Yuu watched the man’s Adam’s apple bob in his throat as he swallowed hard, chewing on his bottom lip.
Alright, so this mega-hot piece of ass is wimpy and shy, Yuu thought. And I probably just fatally wounded his feelings.
“I’m really sorry if I offended you,” Yuu said carefully. “It’s just that people normally don’t hang around in forests.”
The man shook his head.
“I don’t really hang around here,” he said. “I, uh, live here.”
“You live in the forest?” Yuu asked. “In the forest?”
“Yes, in the forest,” the man answered. “The forest where I live.”
Well, this is something, Yuu thought. This dude (who, as I probably, no, definitely already said, is super hot (knockout hot, even 10/10 would bang hot)), and lives in the forest. Maybe he’s homeless. No, he’s way too hot to be homeless. Well, there’s probably hot homeless people out there. No, stop. You’re getting off track. He’s probably got a name. You should figure that shit out.
Before he could stop himself, Yuu found himself suavely saying,
“So, what’s your name, hot stuff?”
Alright, so I sort of fucked up, Yuu thought. Maybe I should learn to control my gay urges.
Or maybe I shouldn’t, he continued, watching with disguised glee as the other pinkened slightly, bashfully looking away. Yuu cocked his head. Did the flowers in the man’s hair just… grow? It seemed like in that moment of flattery, the blossoms expanded a third of a centimeter and 2 miniscule new ones appeared. Who was this guy?
“Asahi,” the man answered softly, tugging a stray piece of hair out of his face.
“Asahi,” Yuu repeated. “That’s really pretty.”
It was almost like Asahi began to shrink, unlike his flowers, which seemed to swell. He managed a, “Thank you,” still not looking at Yuu.
“I’m Nishinoya Yuu, but you can call me Yuu,” Yuu said.
Asahi nodded, biting his lip.
“So… are you gonna keep hiding behind a tree or do you wanna come out from there now that we know a little about each other?” Yuu asked, glancing at the thick tree trunk.
“I’d rather not,” Asahi replied shortly.
“Why not?” Yuu retorted, folding his arms across his chest. Something clicked inside his head. Bare shoulders, lower half hidden… He slowly added with a gasp, “Oh my God, are you naked?”
“No!” Asahi answered, pressing a hand to his face with a mortified groan. “No, no, no! I’m not! Don’t you have a walk to take?”
Yuu sighed and said,
“I’d rather take it with you.”
Dude, what the hell? Yuu thought, mentally slapping himself in the face. Control yourself, you thirsty animal. Would it kill you not to flirt with every attractive human being in sight for once? Why are so you impulsive and stupid? Jesus Christ.
Asahi flushed and bit his lip even harder but Yuu could see that he was smiling behind his embarrassment. The flowers quivered.
“Okay, fine,” Asahi mumbled ruefully. He slowly stepped out to the side, hands reluctantly dragging across the tree trunk as if it was the only thing that anchored him to whatever self-respect he had left.
Asahi stood in front of Yuu, one hand clasped around his own wrist, fingers rubbing little circles against his tan skin.
Holy. Fucking. Shit, Yuu thought, ever so discreetly looking Asahi up and down. Yuu took in everything from Asahi’s prominent collarbones and well-defined abs to the fine trail of dark hair disappearing beneath the top of the leafy green (Skirt? Kilt? Leaf boxers? Yuu thought,) that just barely cleared the tops of Asahi’s thighs, to his long legs and somehow delicate-looking ankles.
Yuu was so very, very fucked. Royally fucked. Beyond fucked.
After a while of admiring the glorious view before him, Yuu realized he’d been full-on staring at Asahi in total silence. Asahi stared back at him, visibly mortified. He shifted from foot to foot, his fingers still playing nervously on his wrist.
“I- uh, oh, God, I just-,” Yuu stammered, his mouth dry and his ears and cheeks burning.
You seriously just can’t keep it in your pants, can you? Yuu thought.
Asahi shook his head.
“It’s fine,” he said softly, dropping his gaze down to the ground with a small smile. Yuu looked at Asahi and he thought he almost looked… pleased? Satisfied? He couldn’t tell, but Yuu knew there was something about the look on Asahi’s face that said he definitely wasn’t unhappy.
“Uh, are you still up for that walk?” Yuu asked, attempting to alleviate the awkwardness so thick he could swear he was breathing it in. Asahi nodded quickly, obviously glad to change the mood.
“You can lead the way,” Yuu added breezily, glad to take the view from behind Asahi. They began to tread along the path in easy silence, Asahi stopping every so often to check on a plant or hold an animal. The man practically radiated a sort of nervous kindness. He reached up to let a swallow land on his fingers, glancing at Yuu as if to gauge his reaction to his bizarre Disney princess powers.
“Okay, how do you do that?” Yuu demanded after the umpteenth time Asahi had stopped to hold an animal that normally would have fled in terror at the sight of humanity.
“I mean, it’s sort of my forest, so I guess they’re comfortable with me,” he replied, looking up from the small deer resting in his lap and at Yuu. Yuu shook his head.
“You keep saying your forest,” he said. “What do you mean, your forest?”
Asahi gently picked up the fawn, shooing it back into the greenery.
“Um, yes,” he said, standing up and brushing off his thighs. “My forest. That. Well, uh, you probably wouldn’t believe me even if I told you so can I tell you later?”
“When’s later?” Yuu countered, crossing his arms across his chest.
“Next time?” Asahi answered, making a face at his own words as soon as they left his mouth. “I mean, if there’s a next time at all! You don’t have to come back if you don’t want to! I didn’t mean it like that! I’m really sorry, I shouldn’t have thought that-”
“Of course I’ll come back,” Yuu said, cutting Asahi off. Asahi gaped at him, mouth hanging open mid-sentence.
“R-really?” the tall man stuttered, relief written all over his face.
“Yeah, really,” the shorter answered. “If you’ll tell me all your deepest, darkest secrets next time, sure I will.”
Asahi gave Yuu another one of those shy, embarrassed smiles, a few blossoms growing larger near his ears. He fidgeted for a moment, then shifted his gaze back to Yuu.
“Do you want to see something?” Asahi blurted, wringing his hands in front of him.
“Something?” Yuu repeated. “If you’re doing the tour, sure, why not?”
Asahi smiled ecstatically, or as far as he could go with ecstatic, and turned around, walking down the path with a whole ton of well-contained excitement. Yuu followed close behind, still occasionally glancing at Asahi’s ass to reassure himself that this was all really happening.
“Where are we going?” Yuu asked. His arms swung leisurely at his sides.
“You’ll like it, I promise,” Asahi answered, completely evading the question. Yuu let out a huff. They continued walking, the forest growing thicker and lusher as they delved deeper. Asahi stopped in front of a thick wall of leaves hanging down from the heavy bough of a weeping willow. He tucked another stray lock of hair behind his ear before pulling the leaves aside with a hand. Yuu let out a gentle gasp. Behind the leaves Asahi had moved to the side stood the enormous trunk of the willow, overgrown with moss and flowers. The ground was covered in soft grass and heavy vines hung everywhere, blossoms sprouting along their twisted lengths. Then there was the abundance of objects scattered all over. Spoons, picture frames, old articles of clothing, was that a phonograph?
“Holy shit,” Yuu said softly. “Is this your, like… I dunno, house?”
“Yeah,” Asahi answered, absently looking around the tree. Yuu made a face.
“Are you a hoarder or something?” he asked bluntly. Asahi made an offended sound.
“No!” Asahi argued. “I’m not- I’m not a hoarder!”
“Then where’s all this stuff from?” Yuu retorted. “Some of it’s old as balls! You can’t have… gone shopping for it or something!”
“I’ve gotten some of it from people who end up in the forest and I find the rest,” Asahi said. Yuu let out a hum as he walked over to a pile of yellowed papers while Asahi sat down, beginning to braid his hair. Yuu picked up one of the papers and started to read it.
Dear Asahi,
I’ll see you again tomorrow. Wait on the West side of the forest. I have a gift for you.
Takashi
June 17th, 1962
Yuu cocked his head. A letter addressed to Asahi from 1962? Impossible. He picked another one up.
Dearest Asahi,
I must admit this while I can. I love you so. I mustn't tell a soul, tho’. I am leaving for sea and this may be the last you could ever hear of me. Please remember me even after I’ve gone.
Ichirou
October 2nd, 1834
There were tear stains marring the fragile paper. Yuu frowned and took another letter.
Forest prince,
I know not your name but I do know that I must see you once more. In hopes that this letter finds you, I’ve attached a drawing of myself in case you’ve forgotten what I look like in face. I miss you so already.
With love,
Hayato
January 29th, 1821
“... How old are you, Asahi?” Yuu asked cautiously. This was weird. This was so weird. Was Asahi a ghost? A ghost that won the hearts of men and waited until they died to collect their things?
Asahi looked up at Yuu with a jolt. A look of horror crossed his features as he saw Yuu by the pile of papers. His hands abandoned his half-done braid.
“Please don’t touch those!” he squawked, voice getting higher and more nervous as he went on. “Please, please don’t! I can explain, just-”
“How old are you?” Yuu repeated. Asahi faltered. Confronted with the question again, he looked like he didn’t want to explain anymore. He shook his head, the loose braid he’d begun falling apart.
“Next time?” Yuu sighed. Asahi nodded. “You know, all this ‘next time I’ll explain all this weird shit’ thing is getting kind of creepy.”
“I will explain all this weird shit,” Asahi said quietly. “Just next time.”
Yuu let out a huff. He sat down next to Asahi. He was careful not to sit too close to the other man.
“Ok, so anyways,” he began, “You live here, huh.”
Asahi nodded, starting to braid his hair again. His long fingers wove through the dark strands as he glanced at Yuu distractedly.
“Where do you live?” Asahi asked. “I mean, you can’t be that far away if you just took a walk here.”
“I’m just in the apartment complex right outside of the woods,” Yuu answered. “It was my first time ever coming into the woods, even though I’ve been living here for a few years.”
Asahi nodded again, eyes unfocused and glassy as he finished up his braid.
“Don’t you get lonely out here?” Yuu asked, frowning. Asahi shrugged.
“Yeah, I guess,” he answered after a while. “I have the animals and sometimes people like you come in.”
They slipped into comfortable conversation, which ended up going on for hours. Yuu found out that Asahi was actually hilarious and had such a dry sense of humor that by the time the sun had set, Yuu was crying in laughter and holding his stomach.
“Oh my fucking God, Asahi,” he groaned, sitting up on his elbows. “You’re so funny, you know that, right?”
Asahi shook his head.
“I’m not that funny, but thanks,” he said humbly. Yuu shook his head, wiping the tears out of his eyes. Asahi glanced up.
“Not to kick you out or anything, but don’t you want to go home?” Asahi asked. “It’s getting sort of late, after all.”
Yuu looked up at the darkening sky, a smattering of stars beginning to appear in the black.
“Oh, I guess it is,” Yuu said. “I didn’t even notice.”
“Do you want me to walk you back?” Asahi asked. “Or you can go alone, obviously. I was just wondering-”
“Yeah, of course, you big doof,” Yuu laughed, leaning over to smack Asahi’s shoulder. The contact made 2 flowers grow in Asahi’s hair. Yuu grinned at Asahi. Yuu stood up and took time to enjoy the view of Asahi standing up and stretching, his toned muscles shifting under his tan skin.
“Let’s go,” Yuu said, letting Asahi go out before him. The forest was beautiful at night, with the stars showing above them through the leaves. Every time there was a sound in the bushes, Yuu would jump, his fists clenched beside him defensively, and Asahi would laugh. They reached the outskirts of the forest where the pavement started.
“Well, I guess I’ll see you the next time I go on a walk,” Yuu said, turning towards Asahi. “I mean, unless you come out of here for… special people, sometimes.” He winked. Asahi flushed and his flowers trembled. He shook his head.
“Next time,” he said softly, waving at Yuu as he left.
“Next time!” Yuu crowed back as he jogged towards his apartment.
He got into his apartment and ran into his bedroom, flopping onto his bed tiredly.
“Man, I can’t wait until I go on another walk,” he sighed, grinning to himself. He fell asleep thinking about tiny leaf kilts, biceps straight from heaven, dark puppy eyes, and wavy brown hair threaded with flowers.