#anhyou

Andy stopped and picked up thescarf. The women turned to him with bright eyes.

“Handsome and courteous,” the first one giggled, retrieving her belonging.“Thank you.”

“What a catch,” the other grinned.“We’ve never seen you before. Are you new in town? We can show you around.”

Andy had the sudden feeling he hadjust walked into a trap.

“Uh…” he stammered. “I mean… Thanks,but…”

“He’s with me.”

Hyoubu stepped to his side, no phonein sight. He looped his arm around Andy’s in a way that was unmistakable andsmiled his good boy smile at the women, the one that crinkled his eyes butstill looked rigid to anyone knowing him. Andy blushed like a fire truck.

“Hyoubu…” he protested feebly.

The women sighed in disappointment.

“Oh, well. Worth trying.”

“You two have a good day!”

They turned with a friendly wave andwalked away, heads bent together.

Hyoubu’s smile turned upside down.He threw an irritated glare at Andy.

“No need to be so stiff. I swear, nobodywould know you’re half-Comerican with how you are with PDA. Are we sure the oldman is not actually you?”

He retrieved his phone and startedtyping away. Andy didn’t answer. Something about the whole interaction wasniggling at him.

Andy hadn’t started being uncomfortable with PDA. But while he admitted he maybe a bit dense sometimes, it hadn’t taken long before he had noticed the waystrangers reacted when Hyoubu and he let slip how close they were.

For all intent and purposes, thosepeople saw Andy, a grown adult, dating a high school student.

Of course, it was ridiculous.Especially when the true age gap was the other way around, and much bigger thananyone would suspect. Still, it had been enough to put Andy off the whole idea.

But those women hadn’t reacted likehe had expected.

Andy scanned Hyoubu’s figure,searching. It was true that Hyoubu had ditched his ubiquitous high schooluniform a little while ago, to the constant ribbing of the other members ofP.A.N.D.R.A (not that he had stepped that far out of his comfort zone, givenhe now wore near identical black clothes). Did it really make that much of adifference?

Or maybe…

Or maybe, Andy thought, stomachflipping like an Olympic athlete. Maybe the new clothes had actually been meantto mask a far bigger change.

Didn’t he use to have to look downfarther than this to catch Hyoubu’s eyes? Did Hyoubu’s new jacket strain thatmuch over his shoulders when he first got it?

Was Hyoubu… aging?

Hyoubu finally put his phone away.

“Let’s go. We’re late as it is.”

He started on their way again.

“Kyousuke.”

Startled by the rare use of hisfirst name, Hyoubu froze. He sent him a surprised look over his shoulder.

The words slipped out with an easeAndy had never felt before.

“I love you.”

Hyoubu’s eyes widened. To Andy’sdelight, an explosive blush spread over his cheeks. He turned away, hiding hisface.

“Decided to prove me wrong?” hescoffed, but his voice was strangled.