Beneath the Surface: Secrets of an Obsessed Heart
Chapter 61 - 60

Chapter 61: Chapter 60

Hiro was completely stunned. “Raiden...”

He never expected to hear such words from Raiden.

“And you don’t have to endure such pain alone.” Raiden continued. “I am here for you. You can tell me anything. You can trust me. I’ll do everything in my power to arrange an audience with your parents, to make them understand how much you miss and love them.”

A glimmer of hope flickered in Hiro’s eyes, but they were shadowed by uncertainty for he was well aware of Raiden’s behaviour. He gazed into Raiden’s smokey grey eyes. “Tell me the truth, Raiden. What do you want in return for helping me? Another year?”

Raiden was shocked by Hiro’s question. “What do you mean?”

“W-Well, the last time I asked you for a favour, you asked for something in return.” Hiro answered. “You said that as a businessman, you do not make deals that will not bring you any profit. What do you want from me this time? Another year of my life?”

No. Raiden didn’t just want one or two years. He wanted all the years in his life. All the years he was going to spend on earth. He also wanted the years of his next life and the next and the next. He wanted everything. A devilish smirk adorned his lips as he thought of something. “You’re right. There’s something I want from you.”

Hiro’s hope in Raiden dimmed. He knew it. Raiden could be sweet, thoughtful and kind when he wanted to be but at the end of everything, it all came down to business. “What is it?”

“I want you to accept me as your boyfriend and treat me like one.” Raiden announced.

Hiro’s heart skipped a beat as Raiden’s words echoed in his mind. His breath caught in his throat, and his eyes widened in disbelief. For a moment, he couldn’t process what he had just heard. “B-Boyfriend?” He didn’t understand. Did Raiden mean a real boyfriend? He wanted them to be a real couple?

Raiden nodded. “Of course. I already introduced you to everyone here as my boyfriend but it isn’t really true since we both know what is binding us to each other. I want you to accept me as your man and treat me like one. Call me honey or darling or babe. Show me affection. Kiss me when I come back from work. Go on dates with me. Take baths with me. Cook with me. Sleep with me and-”

He paused.

Hiro blinked, wondering why Raiden stopped talking. “And?”

Raiden said the last words in his mind. ‘I want you to love me....’

“That’s it.” He said with a smile. “I want us to do everything a normal couple does. Everything. I know that our relationship is unusual so I want to make it feel as normal as possible. Not only for me, but for you too. This benefits us both and I will also help you find a way to meet your parents so, what do you say?”

Raiden’s devilish smirk remained, but there was a vulnerability hidden beneath it, a vulnerability that Hiro had rarely seen in him. It was as if Raiden had laid bare his deepest desires, exposing himself to Hiro in a way that left him feeling raw and exposed but also hidden at the same time.

Hiro’s mind raced, trying to make sense of the situation. He had never imagined that Raiden would ask for something like this, something so personal and intimate. His mind was a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. All he could do was stare at Raiden, his heart pounding in his chest, as he struggled to find the words to respond. He just couldn’t understand. “W-Why do you want this? Why are you changing the agreement?”

“Oh I’m not changing anything.” Raiden smiled, gently pushing back a lock of stray hair from Hiro’s face. “I’m only making a minor adjustment. Instead of me treating you like my fuck toy and you being all awkward around me, we can just be boyfriends and treat each other as such. Make the agreement a little bit easier. I don’t want us to be distant yet close. Do you understand what I mean?”

Hiro didn’t really get it. “I don’t know...I mean, I can see how this benefits me but I don’t see how it benefits you.”

Even if Raiden explained a thousand times, if he didn’t confess his feelings to Hiro, Hiro would never understand. “You don’t have to worry about that.” Raiden replied. “Just give me an answer.”

Hiro sighed. The thought of Raiden as his boyfriend sent a shiver down his spine, both thrilling in a way he didn’t understand and terrifying in equal measure. Boyfriends...

He was a bit skeptical for he had never been in a relationship before and he didn’t know what people did in one. Was it just all the things Raiden had mentioned or was there more? Was he just overthinking? Maybe it wouldn’t be too complicated. If anything happened that he didn’t understand, he could just ask Michi. Michi knew a lot about everything. Besides, it was just for a year. Only a year and Raiden had saved his sister. He was now offering to help him find a way to speak to his parents.

To be Raiden’s boyfriend and do all those things... wasn’t it worth it?

“What do you say, Hiro?” Raiden asked again, feeling a bit scared from Hiro’s silence. Everything he said to Hiro were things he had yearned for for years. Everything he had dreamed of and longed for more than anything. “Do you agree?”

Hiro’s mind raced with a thousand thoughts, his emotions swirling like a tempest within him. All he could think about was how happy he would be to see his parents again. How great life would be, even if it was just for a year. With trembling lips and a voice thick with emotion, he nodded and whispered the word; "Yes," his gaze locking with Raiden’s. "Yes, Raiden. I accept you as my boyfriend. And I promise, I will try my best to do everything you said. "