What happened!?
"N-Nakamura-kun..." Kei says gently, "Why do you want to do that?"
"..."
"It's okay Nakamura-kun." Kei adds, nodding understandingly. "I'm sure everything will be fine."
"...Going to get something to eat." And with that, Shin left the classroom.
"..."
"Yuuji, we have do something." Kei says, a little panicked. "Nakamura-kun looks so sad now and Suzuki-san is acting so strange."
"I know you want to help, Kei...But whatever it is, its their business." Yuuji replies regretfully. He too wanted to do something, but Shin made it clear he didn't want to talk about it at all. "I'm sure you understand why with how Nakamura acted..."
"We don't have to help directly." Kei proposes, "We just have to..."
"Have to...?"
"Think about it Yuuji. Why does Nakamura-kun want to scream? Clearly to express something, right?" Kei speculates. "We don't know if Suzuki-san is the main source of problem, but he's a large factor and I believe that Nakamura-kun wants to express something to Suzuki-san, but doesn't know how to!"
"..." Yuuji stares at Kei in awe.
"So we just have to create an opportunity for them talk it out and time it perfectly in a way that isn't forced. You get what I'm saying?" Kei continues, clasping his hands together.
"What if we make things worse?" Yuuji asks, frowning.
"You're right..." Kei exhales dejectedly.
"..."
"I have another idea."
"What is it?"
"Let's go talk to Suzuki-san!"
Yuuji couldn't even say anything as he was dragged by Kei out the classroom. Their first destination was Haruto's classroom, but he was nowhere to be found. Kei decides to go the rooftop next with Yuuji, the place being a frequent spot visited by Haruto. They didn't need to search long as they found Haruto sitting on the stairs alone.
"Suzuki-san..."
"Suzuki..."
The pair calls. Haruto looks up, his face dull.
"Oh, hey you two. What's up?"
"What happened between you and Nakamura-kun?" Kei gets straight to the point.
Haruto stiffens for a moment and looks away. "It's something we'll deal with ourselves. He just needs time to cool down."
"You'll talk to him, right?"
Haruto nods. "Of course I will."
"You know Suzuki..." Yuuji suddenly joins. "Nakamura said he wanted to scream."
"..."
"Did you do something to him?"
"It's none of your business, Takahashi. Sorry, but Shin wouldn't like me to talk about it." Haruto replies coldly, stunning the two.
"So you really did something!?" Yuuji snapped.
"Y-Yuuji?" Kei comes in between the two, hoping to stop whatever storm will cross.
"I swear if you did something to Naka-"
"Why are you reacting like this?" Haruto asks, standing up to face Yuuji properly, hands in hidden in his pockets. "I would never and will never hurt Shin."
"..."
Haruto sighs, waving his hand off dismissively. "I appreciate that you guys want to help, but Shin and I will figure it out ourselves. I don't want to argue with the both of you. Please just leave us alone."
Those were Haruto's final words as he walked up the stairs. Yuuji clenched his fist, looking down. He felt Kei's hand on his shoulder. "Yuuji, are you okay?"
"Let's go with your plan Kei."
"E-Eh?"
"Nakamura would most likely listen to you. Tell him you want to meet up with him right now."
"Y-Yuuji!? We should listen to Suzuki-san and let Nakamura-kun calm down first."
"...Okay." Yuuji bit his lip and turned away, walking back to the classroom. Kei follows closely behind, downcast. Yuuji secretly grits his teeth, recalling the events two days ago.
--
"Woah! Thank you so much Nakamura-kun, Suzuki-san!" Kei says, receiving a box of souvenirs gratefully. He quickly inspects the items, completely content with the snacks and items he received. "I'll share this with my family! They've been wanting to eat snacks like these recently!"
"Did you get styled there too, Suzuki?" Yuuji asks, eyes settling on Haruto's hair. He was quite surprised with Haruto's cleaner look.
Haruto grins. "Shin styled it for me!"
"You know how to style hair Shin!?" Kei beams at Shin brightly, amazed.
"It's nothing..."
"Shin is so caring!" Haruto sang while Shin looked away, hiding the bottom half of his face with his hand.
"..."
There was a faint smile on Yuuji's face, his words unheard. "He is..."
--
When Yuuji and Kei returned to the classroom, Shin was back on his seat, eating curry bread silently. Yuuji took a deep breath through his nose and marched up right in front of Shin's desk, leaving Kei behind. Yuuji looks down at Shin, eyes narrowed and Shin looks up at him, tilting his head slightly.
Yuuji's lips part, imparting a small message to Shin.
"..."
Shin's eyes widen as he jumped from his seat, not caring about the desks he hit with his body as he rushes out the classroom. Kei shouts out Nakamura's name, looking out the classroom to see Shin sprinting towards the stairs. Kei shakes his head in disbelief and shouted. "Yuuji, what did you say to him!?"
"..." Yuuji doesn't reply.
The only response Kei received was a weak smile.
Kei contemplated whether to run after Shin or not, but Yuuji could tell what was on the boy's mind. "Don't run after him. Didn't Suzuki tell us himself? It's their business."
"Yuuji..."
Yuuji says nothing else and plopped back down on his seat, looking out the window.
Even Yuuji himself didn't understand his actions and why he said those words to Shin. Did he make the right decision? Is what he asked. He doesn't know what the outcome will be. He has a few guesses and a few hopes, but unlikely to happen.
But Yuuji could only hold onto hope.
Meanwhile, Shin ran up the stairs, panting. He didn't care if he was exhausted, he had to get to the rooftop no matter what. He drags his aching legs up the stairs with no stop and he finally reached the rooftop door.
Without even a second of delay, he bursts through the door.
"WAH!? SHIN!?" Haruto was sitting on the floor. Just before Shin busted through the doors, Haruto was staring out into the sky.
"Haruto!" When Haruto saw Shin charge towards him, he quickly reacted out of fear of Shin getting hurt. He twists his body and opened his arms, receiving Shin's tackle. Haruto wrapped his arm around Shin's waist, his other arm managing to stop them from completely falling over by using it to stop their fall.
"What the hell are you thinking!?" Shin yells, cupping Haruto's face firmly.
"E-Eh!?"
"We need to go to the nurse's office!" Shin pushes himself off Haruto and attempts to carry Haruto, failing miserably. Shin looked like he was on the verge of tears and it caused Haruto to panic. What the hell was going on now!?
"Wait, Shin!" Haruto interrupts. "Why do we need to go there?"
"You're..." Shin's eyes slowly trail from Haruto's face to his legs. "..."
"Shin?"
"...That fucker lied to me." Shin exhales his pent up fear and anxiety, falling to his knees. Haruto scrambles closer to him, rubbing Shin's back as the boy breathed heavily. Haruto frowned, who lied to Shin? Putting that matter aside for now, he had to focus on Shin and calm him down.
After a while, Shin finally stabilized.
"..."
The two look at each other momentarily before Shin looked away.
"So..can we talk now?" Haruto asks, his voice so little.
"..."
"Shin, I'm sorry." Haruto apologizes, "I didn't mean to hurt you."
"...I know you didn't." Shin replies. "But you won't get it through that thick head of yours."
"Shin, you matter most to me-"
"Then what about you, huh!?" Shin yells, facing Haruto angrily.
"..."
Haruto inhales sharply and stood up, offering his hand to Shin. Shin looks at Haruto's hand carefully, but nonetheless, he took it and he was pulled up from the floor.
"Scream it at me." Haruto suddenly says.
"Huh?"
"NAKAMURA SHIN, I LIKE YOU!" Haruto shouts, "THAT'S WHY I WANT TO TREAT YOU VERY WELL AND CHERISH YOU!"
"I WANTED TO HELP YOU, YOU STUPID IDIOT!" Shin screams back, "STOP PUSHING ME AWAY!"
"I WASN'T PUSHING YOU AWAY, I WAS ONLY TRYING TO-"
"Haruto, what the fuck does our relationship mean to you!?" Shin grabs Haruto by the collar strongly. "You're not alone! I'm here!"
"Shin..."
Shin's grip on Haruto's collar weakened, slowly sliding down and rested back on Shin's side. Shin looks down, hiding his expression. However his trembling voice did not go unnoticed. "Haruto, I'm here..."
"..."
"Haruto, I want to be there for you...help you...take care of you too...I hate how it's always one-sided..."
"Shin, what are you talking about? You do a lot of things for me-"
"It doesn't compare to what you do for me!"
"Shin, you don't have to do anything special."
"Haruto, you don't get it."
Shin looks at Haruto desperately.
"Y-You take care of me so much and I want to pay you back." Shin weeps, "And it hurts me when you say that I don't need to do that because it makes me feel useless! I want to be able to do something for you too!"
"Shin..."
"You're giving me too much of you..." Shin cried, "It's too much..."
"Shin, listen to me." Haruto holds Shin's arms, "As long as I'm by your side, I will continue to give you all of me. My feelings for you are not half-hearted and I want to show that."
Shin shakes his head. "I don't deserve you, Haruto! I haven't paid you back enough for all the things you've done for me-"
"Shin-"
"Haruto, I like you!"
Haruto gasps, his heart stopping.
Shin cries softly. "Stop pushing my feelings away...I want to show them to you too."
"..."
"Haruto, I won't leave you." Shin sobs. "So please don't sacrifice yourself like this."
Haruto reaches out to Shin, wrapping his arms around the shaking body. Haruto could feel his shoulder getting wet, but that didn't matter at all. He didn't care about that, he only cared about the person who he considers the most precious to him. Haruto wanted to slap himself multiple times for making Shin feel this way. He thought that he made Shin happy, but he also hadn't realized that he hurt Shin in the process.
As for Shin, he was terrified. He was scared of Haruto's selflessness, and that it may hurt Haruto in the future if he continued to sacrifice himself. Haruto barely even knew what self-care was anymore and that hurt Shin. He couldn't bear to see Haruto like this. He knew Haruto was happy giving Shin so much, but Haruto didn't know the consequences like Shin, who had experience.
Shin cares too much for Haruto to let him experience pain.
A few minutes pass by before Shin stopped crying, rubbing his swollen eyes with his fist. However Haruto helps him tenderly, wiping Shin's tears with his thumbs. "I'm so sorry, Shin."
"...Do you understand what I mean now?"
"Yes, I do."
"..."
Shin was still sniffling and looked fatigued, so Haruto coaxes him to sit down with him on the floor. They take a seat together and quietly converse. Haruto bows his head down sincerely, reassuring Shin that he will try his best. Though he cannot guarantee that he will stop being protective and giving to Shin, he will try his best for Shin and his own sake.
Shin nods and moves closer to Haruto, wrapping his arms around the taller's body.
"..."
"..."
"Shin...um..."
"What is it?"
"...You confessed..."
"..." Shin turns red, but he decided to not care about how he looked and face Haruto properly. "Y-Yeah, I did. Want me to take it back-"
"Don't joke like that!" Haruto panicked.
"Haha..." Shin laughs warmly. "We're...together now."
"T-Together...?"
"...Un." Shin nods, burying his face on Haruto's chest. "We're...dating. Officially."
"We're...boyfriends now?"
"Yes, you idiot."
"Like, we're actually lovers?"
"H-How many times do I have to say it!? Yes, we're dating! We're lovers, boyfriends, together, whatever!"
"WE CAN HOLD HANDS NOW!?"
"WE'VE BEEN DOING THAT FOR WEEKS NOW!"
Haruto is still in a mix of a panicked and blissful state. He didn't even know what words were coming out of his mouth anymore. He knew that Shin could hear his heart so clearly, fast and loud. Haruto didn't know what to do, he was just so elated.
The two sat in silence for a while, digesting everything that happened today.
Haruto was the first to break the silence.
"Shin, I'm so sorry for making you feel the way you did. I never meant to make you feel useless and hurt your feelings. I know what I did wrong now, I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry too. Things got way out of hand..."
"Thank you for worrying and caring about me Shin." Haruto smiles.
"You don't have to thank me, it's natural for me to care about you..."
"Shin, the reason why I do these things for you is because I like you, but...there's also another reason. I was scared that you'd leave me...just like the rest."
Shin presses his forehead against Haruto's gently. He reassures his one. "Haruto, I don't like you just for the things you do for me, but also because you're Haruto. I like you because you're you and my feelings are genuine. Just like you always tell me, you don't have to do anything special..."
"..." Haruto closes his eyes and held Shin tightly. "Shin, thank you for accepting me."
"Thank you for saving me." Shin says back with a smile. Haruto opened his eyes and looked at Shin in confusion. Shin chuckles and caresses Haruto's hair. "I'll tell you soon."
"I'll wait."
"So patient."
"Only for you~"
"Haruto."
"Yes, Shin?"
"Please don't exchange your happiness for mine..." Shin whispers. "I love what you do for me, but I don't want you to get hurt in the future. Please take care of yourself too."
"Mm, I will." Haruto smiles.
"Good."
"Because if I don't, how will I be able to pamper my precious Shin!?" Haruto beams.
Shin looks at him darkly and Haruto flinches when he feels Shin's nails digging into his back.
"Shin! I was just joking!" Haruto quickly says. "But I do love to spoil you-"
Shin laughs, cutting off Haruto while loosening his grip. "I was joking too."
"Wha-"
Haruto felt a warmness on his cheek. It took him a few seconds to realize that Shin had given him a kiss on the cheek. "We have a lot to talk about when we get home..."
"..."
"Eh? Haruto?" Shin looks at Haruto, not realizing that he sent the poor boy into a trance. "Haruto!? What's wrong?"
And before Shin knew it, Haruto also returned a kiss on his cheek.
~~~~~~~~~~~
:D
How are you guys?
Did I fool ya?
Stay hydrated everyone!
As for the hint, the answer was me. Fluffball. I'm in every chapter. I fluff tf outta things.
ANYWAYS!
Seriously, how was the chapter guys?
Also here's a beautiful meme to end our chapter!
Thank you for the meme!
The future looks bright. *Author stares into the vast sky*
I would also like to say thank you for everyone's hard work. Despite going through things like exams and IRL circumstances, thank you for your hard work and efforts! All of you are amazing! I would also like to share that I will be having exams this week too! So no matter what obstacle are on our path, let's do our best!
Thank you so much everyone for the support, views, votes and comments! I want all of you to know that I really appreciate it and it makes me more motivated to keep writing and share this story!
Thank you so much and I'll see all of you in the next chapter!♡