Psync by Zile Elliven
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Eli
Coming to the field was a terrible idea.
The fence was lined with Haruka’s fan club, and they actually cheered when Haruka stepped out onto the field with his bow. That was when it dawned on him that if Eli could see all of the skin Haruka’s outfit displayed, so could everyone else.
He wanted to throw a blanket over him or perhaps find a shovel. Just in case anyone got any ideas.
Eli had started out at the fence, too—enjoying the sun with the rest of the onlookers—but the comments and whistles started getting on his nerves, so when Haruka had come up to him and suggested he sit in the shelter under the shade, he’d taken him up on it.
And if he’d enjoyed the complaints as Haruka walked away without paying attention to his fan club, it was nobody’s business but his own.
Now, he sat perched on top of a table, drawing quick sketches of Haruka as he sank arrow after arrow into the target.
“Those are really good,” Aaron said, leaning against the table to get a closer look.
Eli frowned at his sketches. He only had a very modest talent in art. If his drawings were good, it was more likely due to his subject matter than anything else.
“They’re okay.”
“No seriously. Can I take a picture for our Facebook page?”
“Sure.” There was no reason not to. They were only warm-up sketches. It wasn’t like anyone would be able to tell who he was drawing. He handed his sketchbook to Aaron.
Then he proceeded to stare at Haruka until he realized he no longer had an excuse to do so.
Ugh.
He fished in his pocket for his phone and sent a few TikToks to his sister, so she’d know he was still alive. During his search, he came across a clip about soulmates.
Huh.
It wasn’t particularly well done, or informative, but something in the clip stuck in his head. You’ll know your soulmate because you’ll be drawn together like magnets.
It was a little too close to what Eli was experiencing for him to ignore, so he opened a page in his browser and typed soulmates into the search bar.
He found a link to an article on soulmate myths, scanning through it to see if he could find anything useful. He read several different red thread myths. So many Asian countries had their own version. The one from Japan claimed that each person had an invisible red thread tied to their pinky. The other end of the thread was attached to the pinky of their soulmate.
He stared at Haruka’s hand as it released another arrow, but he didn’t see a hint of red on his pinky. Eli’s either, for that matter. He went back and found another link on soulmates—one about bored ancient gods and how they had a tendency to fuck with soulmates, but it sounded ridiculous, so he didn’t bother clicking on it.
“Hey!”
Eli looked up from his phone to see Haruka snatch Eli’s sketchbook out of Aaron’s hands.
“I wasn’t done posting those yet.”
“Too bad.” Haruka tucked the sketchbook into his bag, then sat on the bench next to Eli’s table and began to unstring his bow. “I’m done.”
Eli clicked his screen off. He could look into it later.
✽✽✽
The next afternoon, Eli found himself sitting in front of Alice, doing something he’d never thought he’d do.
“You are going to be so beautiful when I’m done!”
“I don’t need to be beautiful.” He grumbled. “I’d be more impressed if you made me more masculine.”
“Hush, you.”
It had started out as a silly idea. Alice had brought her makeup kit with her, claiming that, since she was using brushes, refining her makeup skills was technically something that fit in with the club’s motif.
“I’ll allow it,” Raina had shouted from the other side of the room.
And since Eli had been the only person not currently enmeshed in a project, he got to be her victim.
“Are you going to at least tell me what you’re doing to my face?”
“Nope!” Alice chirped.
“Remember I’m washing this off as soon as you’re finished.”
“After I’ve taken a picture for posterity, yes, you may.”
“Just don’t post it anywhere.”
“Oh, I’m posting it everywhere.” She promised merrily.
He pulled away from her brush. “Alice!”
“Don’t move! You’re going to ruin it.” She held out against Eli’s pout for twenty seconds. “Okay, fine. I’ll only post it on the club Facebook page.”
Their club was small, maybe nobody would see it?
Eli presented his face again. “Deal.”
He was proud of himself, actually. Alice wasn’t touching him, but her brushes were. Unlike when he’d dyed her hair—where he also used a brush and only really ever touched her hair, not her skin—this time he wasn’t in control of the touching, so he hadn’t been sure if it would be okay. However, when he closed his eyes and allowed her to do her thing, it turned out to be surprisingly soothing.
He let out a small hum of pleasure as Alice traced a soft brush over one cheek. His phone buzzed, and he ignored it. Whoever it was could wait. This was nice.
“Okay, bear with me here, Eli. I’m going to try not to touch you, but I might slip.”
Eli nodded, not really listening. He was half asleep in his chair.
Until she started sticking things to his face.
Wrong
Eli twitched.
“Sorry!”
Eli felt a few more dots of sticky cold touch his face as Alice applied more things to his cheeks.
Wrong
Eli’s fingers twitched.
Wrong
“I swear I’m not doing this on purpose.” Alice said, there was a hint of panic to her voice. “Do you want me to stop?”
“No, it’s fine. You can keep going.” It really wasn’t that bad. It was only Alice, after all. His internal defenses were barely kicking up a fuss.
“And one more . . .”
Wrong
“I’m finished!”
His phone rang, and he answered it.
“Who keeps touching you?” Haruka asked. His voice was arctic.
“I’ll be right back,” Eli said to Alice and went out into the hall.
“Don’t smear anything before I can take a picture!” She called after him.
“Aren’t you in a class right now?” Eli hissed into his phone.
“Do you need me to come over there?” Haruka was a master of ignoring questions he didn’t want to answer.
“I’m fine. It was just Alice.” Eli smiled softly. Overprotective didn’t begin to describe Haruka.
“Alice? What is she doing?”
“Honing her makeup skills.”
“. . . on you?”
“I thought it would be a good way to test my boundaries. It wasn’t that bad, actually.”
“Your boundaries are fine. I’ll see you soon.”
Eli’s phone beeped, informing him that Haruka had hung up.
What a pompous fuck.
He closed his eyes and tapped the back of his head lightly against the wall behind him. They had such a strange relationship.
Eli took a deep breath and went back inside.
“Okay, Alice, show me what you’ve done to me,” he demanded, reaching for the mirror she held in her hand.
“Be nice, I’m sensitive,” she said before handing him the mirror.
Alice? Sensitive? She seemed so sturdy and unflappable. Whimsical, yes, but not sensitive. Eli looked at Nate, who nodded subtly.
He braced himself. No matter what he looked like, he’d find something nice to say about it. Then he turned over the mirror and looked at himself.
Alice had made liberal use of her eyeliner, making his eyes look much larger than he was used to, but he couldn’t deny it looked good. She’d also gone to town with the color blue. She’d put an asymmetrical dusting of light blue eye shadow over his right cheek and layered it with darker shades of blue. The effect spread up the side of his face and curved over his eyebrow, spreading over most of his forehead. On his left cheek she’d written the work ‘beauty’ in a swirling cursive Eli couldn’t help but be envious over. On top of it all was an artful smattering of sparkling, opalescent sequins.
The effect was stunning. “Wow.”
“I know, right?” Alice clapped her hands happily.
“Holy crap, Alice, nice job!” Kate came over to examine Eli and reached out a hand to tilt his chin. Eli backed away—one more wrong, and Haruka was likely to ditch the rest of his class. “Oops! Sorry, Eli, I got carried away.”
“No worries.”
He took another look in the mirror. His face was absolutely beautiful.
Eli’s fingers crawled into his sleeves. How long did he have to wait before Alice would let him take it off?
Whoof
Eli grabbed his chest. What the . . .? He felt like he’d just been punched.
“What do you think, Haruka? Did I do good?”
Haruka stood next to Alice, his face devoid of all expression. “Hn.”
“He’s going to be beating people off with a stick when they see him.”
“Hn.”
“You know I’m washing it off before I leave this room, Alice.” Eli went up to Haruka. A curl of anxiety twisted in his stomach. He didn’t want Haruka think he looked stupid.
Eli’s fingers found the edge of his hood.
“Don’t.” Haruka pulled his hand away. “I want to see it.”
Click
“Alice! You have to warn people before you take a picture. Haruka might not want to be on the club page.”
Haruka took Alice’s phone.
“What are you doing?”
“Sending myself a copy.”
“No, don’t delete the original!” Eli tried to grab Alice’s phone, but it was too late. “She’s just going to take another one.”
Alice snatched her phone back and snapped three more pictures, then stuck out her tongue.
Haruka huffed.
He still had no idea if Haruka thought he looked stupid or not. Bond or no, he was still a bit of a jerk sometimes. Like . . .
Eli’s mouth dropped open.
“Hey . . . you called me a beautiful moron!”
“Um, Eli, he didn’t call you anything.”
Haruka burst out laughing. It lit up the room like a roman candle—or maybe that was just how it seemed to Eli.
No, he wasn’t the only one who thought so. Everyone in the room turned to watch as taciturn, cool-as-ice Haruka laughed so hard he had to lean on Eli for support.
“You are a beautiful moron.” Haruka wiped a tear from his eye.
“Yeah? Well, you’re a hot jerk.”
Alice snapped another picture, and Haruka and Eli both turned to look at her. “Don’t mind me. Please, feel free to keep providing us all with quality entertainment.”
“That’s enough pictures, I think. Makeup wipes please.” Eli held out his hand and wiggled his fingers.
Alice took one more picture, then handed him the box. “Do you need help?”
“I’ve got it—hey!”
Haruka plucked the box from Eli’s hand and took his chin in one hand. “Hold still.”
“Haruka’s showing off,” someone said from the back of the room.
“What qualifications does it take to get into Eli’s inner circle? Is there a class you can take?” Alice teased.
“It’s an exclusive club. Only one member,” Haruka said as he gently, but thoroughly, cleaned Eli’s face.
Eli wanted to pull his hood down over his entire head. “You all suck. Hey—ow!”
“Sorry.” Haruka frowned at the sequin he’d pulled off of Eli’s cheek. “Is there a better way to get these off?”
“Just time and patience. I’m sorry, Eli. I got a little carried away there at the end.”
“I’ll just—don’t pick at it—try to wash them off in the shower later.” Eli pushed Haruka away to stop him from poking at his face. Then he pulled up his hood and said to Alice, “You owe me!”
“And I appreciate it! Love you!!!”
Eli snatched up his bag from the table seconds before Haruka could take it. Ha! Score one for Eli.
“Bye, Eli!” The rest of the room chorused.
He waved a hand as he made a hasty exit, Haruka in tow.
“Did anyone else see you?”
“I don’t think so, why?”
“No reason.”
“I don’t need any more attention than I already have, thank you. Unlike some people, I don’t need a fan club.”
“I would sell my fan club for a dollar, and you know it.”
“I wonder.”
“Eli . . .”
Eli’s phone rang. “It’s Jace.”
He hadn’t talked to his friend in over a week. The last he’d heard, Jace would be stuck on the farm until harvest season was finished, and that was still about two weeks away. He hit answer eagerly.
“What’s up?”
“I hate to do this to you, but . . . I’m not going to be back until the spring semester.”
“Really?” Eli chewed on his lower lip. Jace’s dad must be doing worse than he’d thought.
“They need me for the Christmas tree season too. There are only a few weeks between harvest season ending and the beginning of the Christmas rush, so there’s no point in going back.”
“What about your classes?”
“I’ve worked it out with my professors. Some of it I can do online, and the rest I’ll just have to play catch-up with in the spring.”
“That sucks.”
“It does, but, hey, at least I’ll get to see you when I come to pack up my things next month.”
Eli smiled. “That’s better than a kick in the ass, I guess.”
Jace laughed. “Try not to get any weirder while I’m gone, okay?”
“I doubt I could get weirder than you, shrink-boy.”
“Whatever, shorty.”
“You’re only two inches taller than me, shorty.”
“If I’m short, that makes your height truly tragic.”
“Shut it, or I’ll shut it for you.”
“Try it, shrimp. I’ll take you down.”
There was a woman’s voice in the background, calling Jace to dinner, so Eli said, “Okay, I’ll let you go. Take care of your family.”
“Thanks, man. Are you going to be okay without a roommate?”
Eli’s eyes flicked to Haruka. “Don’t worry about me, I’ve worked something out.”
“Good. Now I don’t have to feel like crap.”
“Right, you can focus on feeling short instead.” Eli ended the call on Jace’s cry of faux outrage.
“He is literally the only adult male I can do that to,” Eli said. “And he’s still fucking taller than me.”
Haruka pushed the button to call the elevator. Eli had been so caught up in his conversation with Jace, he hadn’t noticed they’d entered their building.
“So Jace isn’t coming back?”
“Not for this semester. I guess you’re stuck with me for the foreseeable future.”
The elevator dinged, and they went inside. No one else got on with them, but Haruka still stood close enough to Eli that he could feel the man’s body heat. He tugged at his zipper. “Is it hot in here?”
“That doesn’t seem so bad.”
“What does?” What were they talking about?
“Being stuck with you.” Haruka leaned over him and put an arm on the wall above his head.
Eli’s throat went dry, and he gave a little cough. “I guess we already kind of are, right?”
“Right.”
Haruka wasn’t moving away. If anything, he was boxing Eli in further.
“Are you going to miss him?”
“Who, Jace? I mean, I guess so? I didn’t know him very well, but he’s a cool guy.”
“Hn.”
Eli was getting lightheaded. Something about the way Haruka smelled was driving his hormones into overdrive.
And he kept getting closer.
If he got any closer, Eli was going to have to start translating furiously—at least until he could get to the shower room to relieve some tension. And Haruka had given him so much material to work with yesterday, showing off all that gorgeous, golden skin.
“I got you.” Haruka’s eyes flared, and in their depths, Eli saw something primal staring back at him.
“Got me? What did you catch me doing?”
The door dinged and opened onto their floor. That was when Eli noticed Haruka’s arm was lightly touching the top of Eli’s head.
“You . . . you were listening?” He shrank back, ready to bolt, but there was nowhere for him to go.
Haruka gripped his arm firmly and hauled him out of the elevator. “Since you don’t like being carried in public, I suggest you come with me.” The glint in his eyes told Eli he fully intended to carry him kicking and screaming down the hallway if necessary.
“I’m coming, you don’t have to pull my arm off.”
“And if I don’t, you’ll escape.”
Escape? From what? Being coldly brushed off like everyone else? If Eli got the chance, you better believe he would.
“You really are a moron.” Haruka opened their door and shoved Eli inside.