[𝐕𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐞 𝟐] - 𝟏𝟑𝐭𝐡 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫
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❝𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒂𝒘𝒇𝒖𝒍❞
· ✦────✧◦ 儚き願い ◦✧────✦ ·
𝒀𝑶𝑼 𝑻𝑼𝑹𝑵𝑬𝑫 𝑻𝑶 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑺𝑰𝑫𝑬, watching as Tohru fidgets with one of her pencils to calm herself about the upcoming tests. You noticed that she was wearing a different colored ribbon today. It was a soft shade of blue that had bits of lace on its edges. Did she just buy that? You wondered, leaning the weight of your chin against your palm. Did she get tutored by Yuki often? You heard that she was getting better scores this year. You could feel your heart wince slightly in jealousy, but you dismissed it. Having Yuki tutor you felt more like a selfish desire if you didn't actually need it.
You knew that you were better off leaving your own personal desires behind.
You yawned into your hand, feeling small droplets of tears forming at the corner of your eyes. You watched as Yuki tapped the tip of his pencil against his paper, resting his head on his hand. He was extremely hardworking. You made a small smile, he really is cool, you thought. He smiles so often that it made you ask yourself if he ever got tired of it. You sighed underneath your breath, tilting your head up to stare at the ceiling.
You almost forgot that you had to do your rounds around school today. As you were packing up your belongings, Yuki came to your side, his smile lighting up the room. You suppose that he wanted to walk with you around the school. Usually, when it came to duties, you would split up but he changed his mind this time.
"You look better today (L/n)-san," he comments, your face turning away from him as you shoved your belongings into your bag. "We should walk around the school together for our duties, President Takei said that he would meet us halfway."
"I see. . . Where would you like to go first?" You asked, walking with him to the door.
"We could try the first couple of floors together and then make our way up to meet up with him," He replied, smiling with his familiar grey eyes shining brightly.
You pressed your lips together, "Sure."
Yuki noticed the small pout on your lips during class but decided not to comment on it, finding the situation strange to explain if he were to talk about it. You were looking much calmer on the outside today, but he thought that you might have a whirlwind of thoughts by the way you continuously wrote in your notebook. He wondered if what he said yesterday was affecting your mood.
"Are you bothered by our conversation yesterday?" he asks, "You just seemed a lot more distant today."
You halted your steps. The two of you stood in the hallway as you stared at the ground in surprise, your shoulders tensing up. "Not really," you said, "maybe I'm just feeling a bit fatigued after all the studying."
He gave you a closed-eye smile, sighing in relief, "You should try to get more sleep. It would be a disaster if you ended up falling asleep in class," he joked. You gave him a small smile, chuckling from behind your hand.
"It would be terrible indeed."
The two of you continued to walk through the halls, noting down all the different changes that had occurred. You dolefully stared at each of the classrooms and halls, silently completing your duties as Yuki silently watched you.
You were boring.
You frowned in response to your own comments before glancing up at Yuki. With his beautiful eyes and soft hair. . . Those fluttering long eyelashes. . . It was hard to deny that you were envious of his appearance and personality. You constantly compared yourself to him, the thought making you feel worse by the second. You grit your teeth, the action going unnoticed by Yuki as you both walked up the flight of stairs.
The two of you finally approached the other floor, noticing Tohru being surrounded by a familiar group of boys from the Sohma family. While Kyo stood by her side, scolding Momiji for his poor taste in clothing, Haru was off to the side. You stared at him with a blank expression, finding his blinged-out look to be too out of place in the classroom. You wondered if it was a strange inherited trait in the Sohma family to have poor taste in clothing. The black and white-haired boy tilted his head, noticing Yuki's presence as he walked closer to him, gripping his sides childishly.
"Sheesh, I can't believe you're wearing that Momiji. Haru, you too." Yuki said, the white-haired male staring at him, clearly tuning him out for a moment.
"Yuki-kun, (Y/n)-kun, are you both done with committee work?" You raised your eyebrow, noticing the sudden change in the way Tohru addressed Yuki. She was actually calling him by his given name for once. Perhaps they really did get much closer in the past couple of days. You gave her a forced smile.
The tinge of sadness poked at your heart, but you couldn't understand why.
"We were just doing our rounds at school. It was a coincidence that we met up with you," you replied, watching as she grinned. She still had that typical airheaded nature of hers that distracted her from fully understanding the situation. In a way, you felt a bit jealous of her as well.
"Hey, Tohru! Guess what? I got told not to run around or horseplay at school because I might crash into a girl! So while I'm at school, I'm gonna play it cool!" Momiji added, gathering the rest of the groups' attention onto you, the outsider who heard this suspicious line.
"Cool? Is that outfit cool?" Kyo shouted back.
"Your dubiousness is justified, Sohma Kyo of Class 2-D! Your orange hair bothers me, but a boy wearing a girl's uniform is unprecedented! Brazen! Shameless!" The brown-haired upperclassman with his other council members stood beside him. "The teachers may allow it, but I will not! For I am student council president Takei Makoto!"
You and Yuki facepalmed, trying not to get involved in this strange situation you were both tangled up in. More specifically, Yuki, as this was his entire family being criticized underneath the student council president.
"Another idiot appears," Haru comments.
Takei raised his voice, stepping just a few feet away from Haru's face, "Just what do you think you're doing, Sohma Hatsuharu? Your hair is white! And you're practically jangling with jewelry. The audacity!"
"President Takei, that's his natural hair." Yuki clarified, holding up his hand to create distance between him and his cousin.
"Oh, Yuki-kun! (L/n)-san! How nice to see you both! But more important, natural?! Part of it is black!" Takei's eyes seemed to have grown into hearts as he looked at both of you, finally acknowledging your presence. Your eyes twitched slightly in annoyance.
"Even so. . ." Yuki continued.
"I don't believe it! It goes against common sense!" He retorted, getting even closer to Haru's face to examine his features. "Now what's the meaning of your appearance? Is that your natural self, eh, Sohma Momiji?! Have you no male pride? If you're like this at your age, your life is on the fast track to failure!"
"But. . . but this uniform looks better on me!" Momiji's eyes began to tear up as you pressed your lips together into a frown.
You sighed, walking up closer to the group as you separated him from Momiji with your arm, "President Takei, you shouldn't be making such bold assumptions about someone who just transferred in. This is extremely rude, don't you think?"
Takei seemed flustered at the sudden intrusion but he quickly adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose. Your eyes sharpened slightly as you focused your attention on the upperclassman in front of you.
He began to grit his teeth as he adjusted his glasses frames once more, trying too hard to look cool, "With all due respect (L/n)-san, how could you stand by this rule-breaker? Don't you think he has no sense of pride?"
"I don't think it's much of an issue. If he feels the most comfortable, then that is what matters," You addressed, crossing your arms across your chest, "Our job here at school is to make the students feel safe and welcome, I doubt giving them an earful would help them."
"That is true! But we have specific rules that we all need to follow! I respect your opinion here (L/n)-san, but-"
"Shut up. Quit playing king of the hill, you human trash." Haru interrupted.
"Wh-wh-wh-what?" Takei stuttered as Haru grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.
"Oi, Haru!" Kyo shouted, trying to pull him away from Takei.
"Fine, let me ask you: are guys wearing neckties never muggers? Are guys without piercings never bullies? Do guys with black hair never murder people?" Haru violently shook the poor man around, his brain easily turning to mush as if it was being stirred around like a smoothie, "Who do you think you are, eh? God? Well, ain't that something! Give us a few words! God! Go on!"
Kyo gripped onto Haru's shoulder, stopping him from turning Takei into some sort of drink by the excessive amount of shaking, "Oi, cut it out! He's got no training!"
"Butt out you stupid cat!"
"Don't call me stupid you damn brat!"
"Oh? Don't act like you're so great! You ran from our last fight with your tail between your legs!" The two of them crashed against each other, their forehead grinding against one another as they stared at each other with a heated gaze.
"You're the one who called that fight off!"
"What are you on his side? You think he's right!"
Your eyes began to twitch even more from annoyance, their argument beginning to give you a headache. You clicked your tongue, pulling both boys away with your hands, "What are you two? Children? Knock it off." You unconsciously glared at them, the orange-haired boy silently quivering underneath your gaze before frowning.
It was odd to see Haru not comment against you, but it seemed like even your gaze affected him. He quickly made his way to the other council members who were trying to bring Takei back to life, his body dangling lifelessly in their arms.
"Hey, ladies," Haru greeted.
"Don't drag them into it. . ." Kyo said, his hand on his forehead as his brain started to ache at Haru's nonsense.
"What do you think? Take Momiji there—don't you think he's fine in that uniform? He'll grow eventually. What's the harm in waiting to dress like a man until then? He'll be a real looker, trust me." The other girls turned their heads to see Momiji happily enjoying the candy lollipop he had in his hands.
They quickly imagined a much older boy, his curly blond hair, and eyes becoming more mature as he gave the girls an imaginary wink. "He's fine." The girls responded, holding out their hands to worship the shorter boy.
"Don't let him brainwash you!" Takei quickly stood up, still trying to defend his own point of view against someone as stubborn as Haru. "Wh-Wh-What's the matter with you? This is unheard of!"
"It's always best to wear what looks good on you, huh? It's like (L/n)-san said, whatever makes you comfortable!" Haru patted the top of Momiji's head, the smaller boy feeling content as he continued to suck on the lollipop that he pulled out from his pocket. You sighed, trying to massage your forehead as Yuki silently smiled at you.
"Unacceptable! That's pure selfishness, and unfair to the other students—"
"You just won't quit. Okay, then, what if Yuki wore a girl's uniform?" Haru suggested.
Takei went through a moment of shocking realization, his mind immediately picturing Yuki in the girl's uniform, calling out his name in his girlish voice. "It's fine." He responded, tears streaming down his eyes as he pictured such a glorious image.
"Yikes," You commented, turning your head away from him as you toyed with the ends of your (h/c) hair. The rest of the group stared at you in shock, not knowing that you felt such strong revulsion against the idea of Yuki wearing feminine clothing. Yuki felt the most surprised, hearing you voice your own objection regarding his outer appearance.
"Wh-Wh-What?! (L/n)-san, are you implying that Yuki-kun would look disgusting?" Takei shouted, holding up his hand in a tightened fist, trying to preserve the image of Yuki in a girls' uniform in his head.
"Don't you think putting a boy in girls' clothing is uncomfortable?" You asked, "You need to consider how Sohma-san feels as well. Just because it was good publicity doesn't mean that he enjoyed it. You shouldn't be thinking too much about yourself. I think Sohma-san looks fine the way he does now."
Yuki clutched onto the sleeve of his uniform, feeling a sense of warmth eluding in his body as he heard you continue to bicker with Takei about him in a girls' uniform. At first, he thought you had called him disgusting, but it seems much clearer that you acknowledge Yuki's discomfort in being misgendered. Despite your harsh tone, it sounds as if you genuinely cared about his well-being more than he actually did. His cheeks felt slightly hot as he watched you continue to tell Takei to quit harassing the students.
You tilted your head over your shoulder, giving Yuki a look of understanding and a small, subtle smile. You watched as his cheeks heated up before you turned away. You made him feel as if there was someone who understood him.
"O-Oh, dear. I seem to have gotten carried away!" Takei turned around and adjusted his glasses with his finger.
"You're a formidable opponent, Sohma Hatsuharu and (L/n) (Y/n)," You restrained a yawn as Takei spun around and pointed towards Haru, "Can you prove that's your natural color, then?"
Haru held up his arms as he relaxed his head against them, his laid-back personality starting to frustrate Takei, "Sure can."
"Oho, you have proof? Hard evidence that—" Before he could even continue his sentence, Takei was forcefully dragged into the nearest boy's restroom, "Um. . . excuse me?" He stumbled on his feet, his sense of balance warped as Haru tugged on his clothing.
The two of them disappeared into the bathroom. There was a short period of silence before the echoed screams of Takei bounced off of the walls and into your ears. Tohru squeaked in surprise while everyone seemed unaffected by the turn of events. In a few minutes, Takei stepped out, taking off his glasses as his face was pale with shock.
"Incontrovertible proof. I see I still have much to learn about the world," he commented. Haru shortly followed after, his face showing a smug and cocky smile.
Did he show him? Kyo thought.
He showed him, Yuki responded, almost as if they both had telepathic minds to read each other's thoughts.
What the hell? You stared at the two of them with a confused look.
"You win this time! But I'll get you all next time!" The student council members quickly fled from the scene while Haru stayed smirking, the feeling of pride and victory flowing through his veins.
"Did you actually show yo—" Kyo wrapped his hand around your mouth, quickly silencing you. Your voice became muffled underneath his hand.
"D-Don't say it! Moron!"
"Um. . . how did you prove that was your natural hair color?" Tohru asked, staring at Haru with a puzzled look in her eyes.
Yuki and Kyo went pale as Tohru asked such a strange question in her aloof personality. You wondered how dense Tohru was to not know how to prove one's natural hair color, it was already suspicious enough considering that Haru dragged Takei into the bathroom. You brushed through your (h/c) hair, already feeling used to Tohru's oblivious nature at this point. It wasn't too surprising to hear her ask that question.
"Wanna do it and find out? I'm in if you are. (L/n)-san can join in too if she's curious. I'm always interested in having beautiful girls." Haru pulled Tohru close to him, his hand gently caressing her cheek as he turned towards you, "It fine, we don't have to be hugging each other—"
Before he could even get another word into the explanation, Yuki and Kyo punched him to the ground, the two of them huffing either in anger or exhaustion.
"Dark is the one guy I can't handle. . ." Kyo scoffed.
You pressed your lips together, ". . . Is there something I'm missing?"
"Nevermind. Don't worry about it, (L/n)-san," Yuki responded, turning his head to face you, "you shouldn't listen to what this guy says."
You slowly nod at Yuki, deciding to put some trust in his words as his cousin slowly rose from the ground. "I'm kinda tired now," Haru responded, his hand gripping onto the sore spot of his head. He seemed to have calmed down and his voice sounded emotionless.
"Oh, yeah? You're tired, huh?" Kyo groaned, already feeling exhausted by Momiji and Haru's appearance.
Everyone paused in their conversation, staring up at the bell which began to ring. You resisted a gasp, holding your hand to your lips as you remembered your rounds. You had forgotten that you needed to finish your duties.
"Ah! That's the bell!" Momiji called out.
"Would you be willing to meet my friends before you go home today?" Tohru asked, wanting to invite Momiji and Haru into a game of badminton after school with Uotani and Hanajima. "Ah! (Y/n)-kun you should join us too! It'll be really fun!"
"H-Huh? O-Oh. . . sure," You gave her a small smile.
"Your friends? Sure, of course!" Momiji responded happily, lifting his arms as he expressed his joy in full. "That reminds me—Hey, Yuki, and Kyo!"
"Could you stay behind? I need to tell you something." He added. The two boys turned their attention towards Momiji.
"Then, (Y/n)-kun and I will go on ahead then," Tohru responded, "We'll see you after school!"
"Sorry, Tohru." Momiji apologized, only to be met with her shaking her head as she told him that it would be fine.
You nodded before leaving with Tohru, the two of you silently walking down the stairs, leaving the Sohma family to deal with whatever conflict that may have arisen. You massaged your temple, hoping that your migraine would die down by the time you reached class.
"Ah, sorry for disturbing your duties (Y/n)-kun!" Tohru apologized, bringing her hands to her chest as she clasped them.
You shook your head, "It's okay. I could always do them later."
You both finally approached the bottom floor as you continued walking down the path to your classroom. You noticed that the cherry blossom trees were in full bloom today. You silently admired them while Tohru continued to think about the Sohma family. As you reached the center of the hallways, a voice called out to you.
"You both look like you're having fun."
His dark hair flowed with the wind, the cherry blossom tree's petals falling from the sky like snow. Your eyes widened as you looked at Akito, his appearance looking the same as you last saw him.
"Akito?" You mumbled, tightening your grip, "What are you doing here?" Tohru flinched at your reaction, unsure about what to say or feel. She turned her head at you in surprise, her brown eyes staring at you in shock.
"It's been a while since I saw you (Y/n). How have you been doing?" Akito said, slowly approaching you and Tohru. "It feels like I haven't seen you in forever." Despite the dullness and emotionless look in his eyes, he stared down at Tohru with a focused gaze. The shorter girl panicked on the inside but tried to remain calm.
"I'm. . . Doing fine," You replied, watching as he came closer to Tohru with an amused expression.
"Are you. . . Akito-san?" Tohru asked.
"That's right. . . Honda Tohru." He responded, his voice much dryer compared to when he was talking to you.
Tohru felt a jolt in her body as she quickly bowed down in front of him, "I'm very pleased to meet you!" Tohru looked intimidated by him. Your eyes turned towards Akito, his intimidating figure looming above her. You didn't understand whether or not Tohru had connections with Akito, although her reaction to him seems as if she knows something you didn't.
"Well, you strike me as feminine and gentle." Akito commented, referring to Tohru, "Thank goodness you seem to be a good person. And most importantly, you're quite cute." He smiled.
Tohru straightened her back, flailing her arms around in embarrassment, "What? Oh, no, you flatter—"
Akito laughed, the familiar tune of his voice giving you slight shivers down your spine, something was unsettling about his tone towards Tohru, "Don't get flustered. You really are cute. Sorry, it took me so long to introduce myself. I'm just rather shy of strangers."
You buried your nails into the side of your arm, biting the bottom of your lips. Was he lying to her? You were sure that he wasn't shy when he talked to you. You parted your lips, your voice sounding hesitant, "Akito, what are you doing?" He looked back at you and smiled, reaching out to your cheek to stroke it slowly.
"I only wanted to see the two of you of course. I heard many great things about Honda-san." Something about his tone didn't seem right to you. It made you feel a bit strange on the inside. "I know I haven't kept in touch with you in a while. . . I've been quite busy."
"I missed you so much (Y/n), you should come and visit me sometime." Your eyes trembled underneath his gaze, the touch of his cold hand contrasting the warmth of your skin as you both stared at each other. You still didn't understand why Akito would be here. None of what he is saying made any sense to you whatsoever. Unbeknownst to the three of you, Yuki's eyes widened at the sight of Akito holding onto you, his hand pressed against the window before he sprinted down the stairs.
"It would be nice for you to come to see me," Akito said, pulling himself closer to you as he gently wrapped his arms around your neck, "I missed you a lot. . . My sweet little bird. . ."
"I-Is that so?" You replied, unsure of what to say.
Akito hummed in response, feeling unsatisfied by your words. He quickly stepped back a few feet, "Well, let me formally introduce myself to both of you." You blinked in surprise when he pulled himself away from you.
"I'm Akito, the current Sohma family head. Pleased to meet you." He introduced himself with a small bow. You felt your heart drop to the very pit of your stomach. He's. . . Part of the Sohma family? Your blood felt as if it had been frozen over, the shock coursing through your veins as you looked at him in disbelief.
"I'd like for us to get along well. . . And please take care of Yuki and the others." From the corner of his eyes, he could see the way you looked back at him in confusion. Your brain struggled to rack up any sort of information as you slowly soaked in his words. There was something so satisfying seeing you make a similar face to Yuki, it might even be a better reaction than him.
"Akito!" The sound of Yuki's voice interrupted the tense atmosphere.
"Ah, Yuki!" Akito called out, you spun around to see Yuki's distraught expression, his eyes beginning to tremble at the sight of him. Akito opened his arms out, "I've missed you, Yuki! You know, it feels like it's been forever since I last saw you. You're looking grown-up and taller—"
"What did you do?" Yuki cut him off, "What did you say to them?"
"Nothing. I was just saying hello to an old friend and Tohru-san." Akito turned around to face Tohru, "Right, Tohru-san? Wasn't I just saying hello?"
An old friend? Yuki thought, turning his attention onto your figure.
"Um, yes!" Tohru responded, feeling unsure about what to say in the situation. She could feel the tension in the air, as Akito confronted Yuki while in your presence.
"More importantly, Yuki. . ." Akito went back to Yuki, stepping in front of him as Yuki tightened his fist, ". . . There's something I really want to ask you."
Akito reached out to caress his cheek, similar to the way he treated you as Yuki's hair strands flowed over his knuckles like a stream of water. The look of fear and terror reflected in Yuki's grey orbs, the irises trembling as much as his body was.
"Why did you skip New Years'? Why would you do that? And when I've become so generous lately, too. When you do things like that, it seriously hurts my feelings." Akito stared at Yuki with a menacing glare. "Do I have to reeducate you, I wonder?" The shine in Yuki's eyes completely disappeared, leaving only a dark and dull look in them, "In your special room? Will I be forced to spend long days teaching you proper disposition again?"
Akito traced his finger against Yuki's lips as Yuki tilted his eyes away from him, trying to avoid his deathly gaze. His body was violently trembling as Akito continued to press him further. You clenched the area around your heart, the feeling becoming painful like thousands of spikes piercing through your organ.
. . . The man only grumbled in response, shifting the weight of his wife to bring her closer back into his arms. The woman cried out, struggling against his strength as she continued to pound on his chest, hitting it with the sides of her hand as she cried loudly in the room. You tensed up, your fingers gripping onto the corner as your nails dug into the paint, chipping it slightly. You stared at the woman in terror, your eyes trembling as you felt your heart wince.
"She needs to be locked away!" She cried out, her hands reaching up to grip at her hair. Her husband grabbed onto her wrists, pulling them away from her hair as she tried to fight back against him. The itching need to rip everything out was flooding into her veins, the adrenaline coursing through her body as she attempted to pull another patch of (h/c) hair out.
You bit down on the bottom of your lips, your fists trembling as you dug your nails deep into the palm of your hands. You unconsciously stepped forward, putting yourself in between Akito and Yuki as you stared into the shorter man's eyes. You frowned at him, your eyes narrowing. You were so close to his face that you could smell the familiar scent of incense on him.
"That's enough Akito," you said, lying between your teeth, "We need to get back to class. Sohma-san said he was feeling sick earlier so I'm going to take him to the infirmary."
He hummed at your intervention. "Leaving so soon?" He asked, his smile still plastered on his face.
"Sorry but I don't want the Class Representative to return to class feeling sick." Akito silently glared at you. He hadn't expected you to jump so soon into the conversation, but perhaps that was just another trait of yours that he found so entertaining. The look of despair in your eyes gave him a strange feeling of euphoria, the power seeping through the tips of his fingers as he smiled.
You turned your head to Tohru, "You should go back to class. Could you tell the teacher that I'm taking Sohma-san to the infirmary? I'll join you after school."
Tohru silently gulped, nodding at your request. She felt shivers tickling her spine. Your eyes were no longer the shade of (e/c) Tohru recognized. It was much colder, emotionless, and filled to the brim with grief. They no longer held any semblance of humanity left in them, it was almost as dull as Yuki's. She wondered how much suffering you endured to match the same intensity as Yuki. You gave Akito one last glance before grabbing onto Yuki's wrist and pulling him away from the scene.
"Yuki, I hope you have a fun school life here." Akito called out, waving at him, "It'd make me happy if you came to visit sometime soon."
You slowly pulled Yuki by the wrist, gently wrapping your hand around his thin figure. You avoided looking back at Akito, feeling a bit too ashamed by his actions to even talk to him again. The grey-haired boy allowed you to freely drag him, his energy and motivation already too far gone. His mind was still not able to rid itself of the painful memories that resurfaced. Despite the change of environment, he remained unfocused. His eyes began to water as he tried to blink them away, trying desperately not to cry out in public. You gently let go of his hand, letting him lean against the tree as he slowly slid down.
You slowly raised your hand to your chest, lowering your gaze. You wondered what brought this feeling to your heart. There was something about the look in his eyes, your mind and heart screaming to reach out to him. They were pounding desperately against your ribcage, crying for you to rescue him from something you both wanted to escape from.
You noticed the small droplets of tears on the corner of his eyes, his fists still tightly clenched together. He looked so scared, you thought. You pulled your outermost layer off of your body, letting it rest on the top of his head. Yuki felt the softness of the sweater drape across his head, shielding him away from the rest of the world from his crying. You slowly reached out to touch his cheek, your eyes unable to see his tears. You could feel the wetness of his skin touch your hand. You carefully wiped away at it, your eyes softening as you knelt to his level.
Your hands were warm, Yuki thought. This was the first time you've shown an intimate gesture in front of him. Your body felt nicer against his skin than it was with Akito's cold fingers. It was bringing him slowly back into reality as his eyes continued to fight against the growing tears. You were truly a warm person inside.
Your frown deepened, keeping your hand by his cheek as he leaned against your touch. You wanted to see it. . . You nervously clenched the edge of your skirt as you felt his cold tears drip across your fingers, his hands still trembling. You wanted to see him. . .
But you were terrified.
You quietly slid down, letting your head rest against his thighs as he sat there, unmoving. Your (e/c) eyes began to dull slightly as you stared off into the blue skies, listening to his quiet sniffles. He carefully reached out to you, brushing aside your (h/c) strands of hair. He hesitated slightly. His fingers were trembling in fear but he had this sudden desire to touch you.
"I know that you're scared inside as well. . . " You commented, feeling his leg flinch slightly, "Akito said something to you that hurt you. It sounded scary. . . but I don't understand that much about it."
Before he could open his mouth to dismiss your words, he withdrew himself at the sound of your sharp inhale.
". . . I'm scared too." His eyes widened, your lips parting, "I'm. . . I'm scared of what might happen in the future. I don't know that much about you Sohma-san but I want to try. . . to at least understand you more."
"Maybe scared isn't the right word. . . I'm more terrified than that." You said, your eyes lowering. "I'm worried that. . . things like this would happen again."
"Does it hurt to cry alone?" His hand stopped itself, his body staying still as you continued talking.
". . . I think that it does. . . Being alone feels so scary. I don't think anyone in this world wants to feel alone." You brushed your hand against his knee, finding yourself becoming tired. His grey eyes remained focused on your figure, watching as your breaths slowed down. "I want to understand you."
You smoothly flipped yourself over, grasping onto his pale hand and pressing your rosy lips against his knuckles. He could feel your warm breath tickle the edges of his hand, sending shivers down his spine. You slowly close your eyes, letting yourself relax on his thighs. "That room. . . You won't go back there anymore." You spoke gently, almost like a whisper, ". . . I promise, Sohma-san. . ."
"So. . . is it selfish of me to stay by your side?" Yuki squeezed your hand as you fell asleep on his lap, a slightly more peaceful expression painted on your face. He rubbed his thumb against the edges of your hand, his eyes lowering as he restrained a small whimper.
'Hearing those words come from you. . . it made me want to cry.'
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