"..Sheesh, what's taking him so long?"
You whispered as you waited outside the nurse's office, strands of hair curling around your index finger. Although you were a bit hard on Seiichiro, he deserved a slap to the wrist. But after a few minute's passing, the male would have exited the room, his expression uplifting. "Oh, you were waiting for me?"
A nod left you, as your index finger now pointed down the hallway. "Let's get going. And by the way.. I hope you don't hang onto my words for too long. Don't feel guilty, or else I'll feel guilty too.." Your indirect sympathy caused Seiichiro to laugh. "I won't, [Y/N]." For a moment, he oddly enough; abruptly went silent. "I guess we should call each other by our last names now... You did clear up that misunderstanding after all."
The sound of noticeable disappointment filled his tone. Of course, falling into the oldest guilt trip in the book, you gulped and shook your head in a frantic motion. "No! We'll keep calling each other like this. Think of it as..." You snapped your fingers. "Ah! An advancement in our relationship!"
He went silent yet again. For you, it felt as though your declaration was wrong, but no, it was the opposite for your friend. Seiichiro's hand would grasp onto his face, concealing his mad blush. "That... would.. be great.." He'd reply softly, inflicted with an overbearing happiness you wouldn't be able to understand.
You smiled. "Good! But in any case.. Let's hurry. I sort of... forgot where the gymnasium is..."
>[Time: 5:00 PM]<
As it was now the end of the day, you had felt sudden lethargy. It was a bit hot, but you knew you could manage. Your gaze would raise up and at the gates, noticing Seiichiro had not been there, nor was he around you for that matter.
"Huh." You'd whisper. Up ahead, you spotted a figure. The shade belonging to nearby trees angled in a way to shield his features, but the more you grew closer; the more you gained closure on the person at hand.
"Iisei, is that you?"
The male turned slightly, lowering the phone in his hand. Almost as if you'd got used to that judgemental gaze of his, you silently allowed him to eye you carefully. "My blazer. Where is it?" He asked you in an icy tone, peering off furthermore in attempts to search for any other faces.
His inquiry lifted your shoulders, while recalling your actions earlier during Physical Education. Shamefully, you released a awkward laugh full of uneasiness about the incoming future. "I.. left it... in my locker belonging to gym..."
Neiji glared daggers, right as you began to reassure him. "Bu-But don't worry! I'll get it tomorrow!"
The male before you pushed up his glasses as he calmly listened. A shrug then came from him, revealing his careless opinion of the ordeal. "It's fine. I mainly just came here to talk, it's so weird how you're gullible and easy to trick."
You felt as though stones collided against your head heavily, earning your knocked figure. And although you were irritated, you didn't want him to acknowledge that, and so you proceeded to keep a steady expression, despite your twitching lips. "You're such a bully.... four eyes...." With a mutter near the end, your lips would purse.
Little did you know, he heard you entirely, and leaned forward with a hand on your head. His expression was as clear as day; noticeably phased in anger by your words. "Say that again and you'd wish you were dead."
Shivers swept down your spine, leading to nervous sweats. "Y-Yes sir." You immediately replied. Your submission earned a playful grin from the other, while he ruffled your head vigorously. Neiji then leaned away, his eyes now behind you as he spotted Seiichiro approaching.
"Oh.. right." Suddenly, both of your heads butted close, it was clear that Neiji wanted to talk to you eagerly. Maybe it was important. "I think you should stay away from Sei. He's not.. acting like he normally does. Be careful." Confusion engulfed your looks. As you were about to reiterate, Seiichiro grasped your attention. His hands kept themselves in his pockets as he upheld a peculiar grin.
"You two sure are close."
Neiji stared at him, meanwhile you cringed at the mention. "Ugh. There's no way I'd be friends with this sour grape-" Suddenly, you felt fists against your temples and then an uncomfortable pain right afterwards. Neiji rubbed his fists against your skin to create painful friction, and he continued this until you begged for his mercy. "Do you mind repeating that?"
"Ow! O-Ok-Okay!! Stop it! I'm sorry!! I'm sorry!!!"
Seiichiro twitched a brow, nonetheless his grin still remained pinned against his features. His mind was in an loop, convincing himself to remain completely calm. It wasn't the best option to drop the act over something so small that it could be considered trivial...
"You two sure are close."
But, watching another person touch you made him sick to the stomach, to the point it was unexplainable. If only you realized how much you've been torturing him.. it seemed the only thing you could do was extort boundless pain.
The both of you stopped your trance, and then looked at one another with confused blinks. "He's repeating himself.. Maybe he's just tired..?" Your explanation wasn't futile... nor was it an convincing one. It seemed like an excuse you gave yourself. Your fri- er, classmate didn't that was the case, however.
"Oh, Sei, I was just talkin' to [L/N] about my uniform. I'll be heading home now." Just as he was on the verge of leaving, Seiichiro quickly grasped onto Neiji's arm, holding him in place. His grip had been firmly tight, it nearly left him feeling threatened.
A long pause occurred, as the young men simply stared at one another. That is, until Seiichiro chuckled, and then wrapped his arm around his neck in a lock. "Don't be like that, we're best buds! Let's all go and walk home together. You live near us, right? But first, let's stop by the store."
He seemed so insistent and started walking with his classmate -- as well as best friend, without his consent. "Well.. alright." Neiji would reply replied, just before looking back at you. "Hey, annoyance, come on."
You dropped your jaw, meanwhile Neiji chuckled discreetly. Your reactions always amused him, at least he found you worthwhile.
"Wait, you're talking to me?!"
>[Time: 5:32 PM]<
While at the store, Seiichiro had gone off for a few things while the both of you waited outside. It was quiet for a very long time, until four eyes finally spoke. "It looks like he's back to normal again. I'm glad. Maybe.. he was just tired. I hate go agree with you, but you were probably right."
He folded his arms followed by a scoff, while you laughed in victory. "Told you! For a guy with specs, you're pretty du-" The male next to you sharply looked into your direction, sending you a stoic ruthless glare that implored for you to continue your sentence. You shrunk.
"I'm back. I bought us popsicles since it's so hot." He admitted, smiling rather toothily as your eyes fixed onto him. He reached into the white plastic bag and handed you a blueberry popsicle, and for Neiji; a cherry.
"Thanks, Seiichiro. I actually love blueberry, who could've guessed!"
With a bewildered look, your friend scratched his cheek. "I'll keep that in mind, then... Let's get going now." Something about Seiichiro's elated demeanor made you smile. While unwrapping your popsicle, you found your way alongside of him and began walking.
Neiji followed. He was very quiet, just how he typically ought to be; enjoying the cold delight with one hand in his pocket. Cherry wasn't one of his favorites, nor was it his least favorite. As long as he could savor the flavor, that was all he needed.
You hummed as you ate, unable to witness a curious glance at you from the one beside you. He had been trying to wonder how to broach this topic to you for a while now. "..[Y/N]. I wanna know if you're settled into your apartment enough to hang out with me this weekend?"
The indirect, and slightly impolite gesture to ask you on a date certainly didn't lead you to feel embarrassed, but when it came down to it; the fact someone asked you out urged a spark of happiness in you. Your cheeks were now an shade of pink. "Oh, I am.. where did you want to go?"
Neiji didn't seem interested in your conversation, and shamelessly bit off half of his popsicle. At least this walk home was better than being alone, however he only tagged along to gain more insight on Seiichiro's behavior. Earlier, he lied to you. He is really unsure.
"I was hoping we'd go to an amusement park together. Plenty of foods, rides... besides," He then mischievously snickered, his eyes shifted away. "I already bought the tickets."
His statement made you feel a bit forced into subjection; as if he didn't want you to refuse at all. Though, the park didn't sound too bad, especially since you loved experiencing thrilling fun. "Okay, I'll go." Your eyes flicked onto Neiji as you gently nudged him in efforts to get his attention. "Iisei, do you wanna come too? It'll be fun for all of us to spend time together."
The silence from Neiji was a bit suffocating. He continued looking ahead with a half-lidded stare, appearing to be pondering about the proposal. Eventually, he'd grunt, this revealed his disregard for you. "No thanks, being around big crowds are not my thing."
Somewhat... you expected this blunt response. Though, part of it had hurt. Knitting your brows together, you understood his mentality. Your head pivoted back towards Seiichiro, who was currently celebrating within. He couldn't hide his excited smile, which was also full of relief.
Had Neiji agreed to go... well, he'd only end up in a body bag.
[Chapter END]