Just this once | Kazuha × Scaramouche

Chapter 4 - The Inn

*Kazuha POV*

"That was... beautiful.", I said, looking at Scaramouche.

He was still staring at the sky, the sun already set.

"It has been so long since I saw such a view."
"Thank you, Kazuha.", he said, looking at me.

He may have been smiling, but his eyes seemed sad.
What's going on in this head of yours, Scaramouche?

"Alright, we should get going before it gets dark.", he said, as serious as ever.
"Sure, let's go. Where do you think the inn is?", I asked him.
"Hmm, let me think about it..."

He frowned, and then made a 'A-ha!' sound.

"The ginger's 'supposedly not boyfriend' was around there I think. I saw it when I visited Liyue.", he finally elaborated.
"So—?"
"Near Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. I'll take you there."

There was a lot of people, so he grabbed my hand for me to not get lost in the crowd. It was warm and almost nostalgic. I looked up at him: he was slightly taller than me. His face seemed calm, but still empty.
Someone pushed my shoulder and I almost tripped.

"Kazuha, are you okay?", Scaramouche asked me, looking concerned.
"Y-yeah, sorry. There's a—", I wanted to explain, but he cut me off.
"Hey, you.", he shouted at the hooded person who pushed me.

The person immediately recognized himself, removed his hood and faced Scaramouche.

"Scara, it's not necessa—". I tried to pursue him to stop, but he wouldn't give up.
"What do you need...?", said the guy, who didn't seem to care.
"You be careful next time you bump into someone, got it?", Scaramouche warned him, mercilessly.

I could've expected any other reaction than the one he had. I heard him scoff, and then laugh.

"So sorry I pushed your boyfriend bro, didn't know someone so merciless was also overly protective.", the man said, grinning.
I could see Scaramouche blushing while gritting his teeth. Yeah, I need to stop him or he'll do something reckless.
He still didn't let go of my hand, so I took it to my advantage and decided to drag him away from the guy before it turned into a fight. Anyways, without Scaramouche to guide me and accompany me into Liyue, I don't know what I would do.
"I swear, if I ever see you again...", Scaramouche whispered while I dragged him away.
"Scaramouche, seriously! I would've tripped because of a rock or something, it's not that guy's fault. Don't be too reckless.", I told him while he got to his senses.
"..."
He didn't listen. Or at least looked like he didn't want to.
"Sorry, I didn't want to snap at you."
"Kazuha."
"Yes?"
He looked at me in the eyes. They were pretty, like the ocean.
"I don't want you to apologize. Not anymore.", he told me, dead serious.
"O-Okay. Yeah."
"And I'm the one who's sorry. He may not have not apologized to you, but that wasn't a reason to pick a fight with him. I understand why you pushed me away from him.", he admitted, looking at the ground.

I didn't want him to feel guilty, but I could hear it in his voice.

"It's not your fault, don't worry about it. We should get going now, it's already dark outside."
"Y-yeah. Let's go.", he agreed.
"Don't get lost in the crowd.", he also warned me.
I nodded, but he already started walking. We passed a street, and then he took a turn. So did I, because he would probably be anxious if I went somewhere else. Still, I had no reason to ghost him. He's nice, and it's fun to have some company.