Astrophile

103

She asked if you guys were okay and you vaguely answered her that you guys were talking about something important related to Toman, so you'll be down in a while. Thankfully, she didn't press any further and let you be.

Scratching his scalp once more, you tried calling out to him, "Manjirō..." Slowly, you crooned with a tone so soft that one might not even hear it properly. Although Mikey did as you quietly whispered it near the shell of his ear.

You let him lift his head up, small hands trying wipe his own tears without letting you see. A soft smile made way to your lips as you carressed his head with care.

Noticing the excessive amount of sniffling coming from him, you dug your hands in the tissue box placed on the shelves of the bookshelf in his room and took one out.

"Let's wipe your tears, okay?" You cooed and he subtly nodded, opting to stare at the floor than at you while you smiled kindly at him.

With a gentle hand, you dried his tears a bit, which weren't a lot since he had wiped most of them already. Next, you brought the tissue to his nose which was the reason for his excessive sniffling, "Alright, blow." You hummed sweetly at him and he complied, letting you take care of him as if he were a child.

"That's my boy..." You lilted at him, throwing away the tissue in the nearby trashcan and squishing his face, "Manjirō, if you feel like crying then you should cry. Don't think that the gang will think less of you because honestly, they need you to be their leader, not alexithymiac..."

Although he didn't understand the big word you had used, he had a feeling that you probably meant that he should cry often. Almost in a trance, he mumbled to himself as if he were trying convince his own self, "I'm not... weak..." Frowning at his words, you heaved a sigh.

"I know, Manjirō... You are strong. The strongest, even. But that doesn't mean that you can't cry. At the end of the day, you are human." You chuckled as he kept his gaze low, "-if crying means that you are weak, then I guess me and Takemichi-kun must be absolute losers!"

You tried to cheer him up but he just tightened his grip in the hem of your sweater, "Don't leave me, please..." He begged quietly and you placed a hand on his head once again.

"Don't leave me like she did..." You were confused on what he meant by 'she' but maybe he meant a past lover? No, you'd know if this guy was in a relationship because he cannot keep his mouth shut.

His mother, perhaps? But you never exactly met her so you assumed that she died when Manjirō was young. Not even Shinichirō-niisan mentioned her, so it must have been someone else.

"Manjirō... You feeling better?" He only responded by falling back down onto your chest and snuggling his head in the warm wool of the sweater, "Uh, is that a 'No' or a 'Yes'?"

Mikey then proceeded to wrap his arms around your waist and pull you tighter, "Manjirō, Emma's waiting..."

"Don't wanna go..." He whispered and you smiled softly at him, "Oh, but we have to, right?" You crooned while playing with his hair.

"You'll be sleeping next to me, okay?" He stated, and with no other option, you just nodded.

"Yes, yes... Now let's go!" You cheered while grabbing his arm. You decided to drop the therapist topic as of right now since he was too vulnerable, but you'd be damned if you let him go without getting proper therapy. For now, all you could do was let him lean on you.

"Manjirō." You called out, making sure that your voice was steady, "From now on, I want you to be very honest with me. When you don't feel like yourself, tell me. When you feel like crying, come to me. If you feel like you want to hurt anyone, just come to me, okay?" He stared at you for a minute before a soft smile broke on his lips.