ᥫ᭡ 𝐃𝐈

Hayao Sato quickly moved his son away by carrying him in his arms, putting him down on the floor as he rushed to close the curtains, little Kenji wasn’t quite aware of the situation, staring at his panicked father as his hands roamed around the desk. He would occasionally glance at his son.

Later Emiko Sato, his mother, went inside to pick him up in her arms as she looked at her husband in panic. She quickly brings them out of the room as Hayao erases his equations and writings on the board.

It was raining heavily, the speed of the car making puddles splash around it. Kenji felt confused at the sudden change of situation, his mom patting his head soothingly to ease his confusion. “Mom, where are we going?” He looks up at her.

She felt her heart break as she continued to soothingly pat his head. “You’ll know, Ken.” She slowly kisses his forehead.

As soon as they arrived at their destination, his father carried him, his free hand holding a briefcase. His mother follows behind carrying a bag.

He blinks, watching as his parents talk with his aunt and uncle from the living room. He looks at them confusingly, asking himself what was going on. His aunt looks at him with a reassuring smile, the rain pouring even harder as the thunder start to make a sound.

As soon as they were finished with the conversation, Hayao slowly kneeled at Kenji's level. “Dad?” He looks at his father, feeling sad. “Kenji, you’ll be staying with Aunt Mina and Uncle Ben for some time.”

Kenji felt surprised as he answered rather quickly, “But, I wanna go with you.” His father chuckles, running a hand through his son’s hair. “No.” He shakes his head. He puts his hand on his son’s neck, making Kenji lean forward as his father kisses his head.

His mother was next to bid him goodbye, “Mom…” He says rather quietly, his mother tearing up. “Play for who you want to play for.” She laughs softly, caressing his cheek. “But you like the Tigers and I like—”

“I know, Kenji.” She smiles softly. “I will support you, even if you’re going to play for the Giants.” She hugs him. “Mom..” He says again, not knowing what else to say after. She pats his back gently.

“You’ll be amazing.” She smiles, tears brimming up in her eyes. She slowly moves her hand to brush away his hair, his Aunt behind them and Uncle near the door. “H-He loves baseball.” She smiles sadly, “And— he doesn’t like coconut water.” She laughs softly, feeling tears about to fall out of her eyes.

Hayao quickly moves his wife away from little Kenji, “Emiko, let’s go.” He tried saying firmly, but there was a hint of sadness visible in his voice. “Kenji..” She whispers before standing up.

Kenji’s aunt patting his back soothingly as Uncle Ben stands on the side of the door, watching the scene unfold. Hayao opens the door, the rain still pouring hard as ever, Emiko leaving so she wouldn’t face her son, crying.

Before Hayao leaves, Kenji walks up to him, holding his sleeve. Hayao smiles, walking away after saying, “Be good.” He gives him one last nod before looking away, shutting the door.

Little Kenji watches his parents leave as his aunt puts her hands on both of his shoulders, feeling saddened by the situation. Kenji never knew that, it was his last time ever seeing them again.

Kenji Sato is busying himself by putting on pictures on the wall of champions, which is displayed on the wall with a sliding glass to keep the pictures safe inside.

He looks at the words displayed on the bottom of the photo, “Yomiuri Giants Debate Club.” He blinks, amused.

Suddenly he gets hit by a baseball. He turns his head to see Flash. “Sorry.” He laughs, Kenji unbothered by the situation, “Good morning, Flash.” He sighs. He had been getting this treatment after losing a ton of games recently. Flash is clearly building up his own ego.

Kenji continues to finish his work, sliding the glass to close the contained pictures as Flash replies, “G’morning, Sato.” He says almost mockingly, moving towards him as he tries to play around. Kenji looks at him, unamused, used to Flash’s stupid antics.

Kenji walks away, a skateboard in hand. Suddenly a girl speaks up, making him stop from his tracks, “Hey. It’s Kenji, right?” She smiles, books wrapped around her hand. Kenji nods, letting out a hum. “I really love watching your games.” She smiles, making him nod in amusement.

“Oh, thanks.” He brushes a free hand through his hair, “Oh, well.. uhm..” She stutters, making him turn his attention to her again as he raises his brows in acknowledgement. “Listen, are you busy Friday night?” He pauses before nodding, staring at her in disbelief. He didn’t deny this was the first ever girl that asked him out, honestly. He just wasn’t interested, he already had an eye on someone.

“Cool! Can you maybe sign his baseball bat?” And he was wrong, he wasn’t being asked out. “I just— like he’s such a big fan of yours even if you’ve been losing lately.” Kenji slightly furrows his brows as he forces a small smile. That stung. “It’s for his birthday and I’m sure he wants his baseball bat to be signed by his idol.” She laughs.

“Oh, wow. That’s nice of you. I’ll just,” he pauses nodding his head, “I’ll check my schedule.” He continues. “Okay, thanks!” She smiles before he starts walking away, putting his skateboard down as he uses it to pass the hall. He momentarily picks it up, seeing a teacher.

“Kenji, you wanna keep that skateboard?” He glares, “Yep, sorry.” He walks away, brushing off the words of the teacher as he continues to scold him. After he walks away, he glances to check if the teacher is still looking before using his skateboard again.

He skates to his locker, picking up his board as he notices a couple making out making him look at them in disgust. He awkwardly moves them as he opens his locker, trying not to use all his strength or else they’d be pushed away onto the floor, which he actually wanted to do.

He finally gets to grab a book from his locker, the force of the couple’s harsh movements closing it back. He walks away, going outside. He pauses noticing a girl reading a book. He smiled, knowing who it was as he felt his chest flutter.

[Name] is seated on a table, her bag on the chair as she looks focused on reading her book. He took a camera out of his backpack, he had a hobby of capturing things, too. Especially sceneries that are beautiful like you. He snaps a photo in his camera, looking at it with a smile.

He chuckles, staring at the photo as your features are clear. He noted the serious look on your face. Suddenly a crowd formed from afar, which started to catch his attention.

“Eat it! Eat it! Eat it!” The crowd chants as Flash shoves Gordon’s face on a plate of food. “Eat your vegetables, Gordon, come on!” He laughs, and the crowd of people continues to yell. “Come on!” Flash forces.

Kenji slowly walks through the crowd, the people moving aside to give him space. “Hey, Sato! Join me!” Flash says as he carries Gordon, the poor kid’s face covered in food. Flash notices Kenji holding a camera. “Take a picture of this!”

The crowd continues to chant as Kenji speaks up, “No way man. I’m not gonna take a picture of it.” He says a bit angrily. “Put him down, this isn’t funny.” Flash looks amused, “Come on!” The crowd still continues to chant, “Eat it!” repeatedly, making Kenji annoyed.

“Join me if you ain’t taking a picture!” Flash still continues to convince as Kenji shakes his head, “Gordon don’t eat it.” He commands. “Sato, come on, just take a picture.” Kenji continues to approach them. “Flash, put him down.” He says, voice a bit louder.

“Bro.” Flash says angrily, “Just take the damn picture.” He says, his anger starting to fuel up as Kenji looks at him with disgust. “Just put him down, Eugene! This isn’t funny.” He glares, Flash throwing Gordon on the ground. Kenji quickly moves to check on Gordon, but gets stopped by Flash moving him back.

He suddenly gets punched in the face, falling back. “Come on, get up, Sato! Is that all you’ve got with your failed baseball games?!” Kenji looks up, kicking Flash’s feet, resulting in him falling back, giving him time to stand up. “Oh yeah? Just because you’re the new captain doesn’t give you the right to abuse your power!” Kenji retorts, Flash gets back up, punching Kenji’s stomach.

“Yeah? We don’t need you, stupid captain version.” Flash groans, the back pain coming to him. “Well, this stupid captain version’s gonna make you eat this fist!” Before Kenji hits his jaw, Flash punches his gut. The crowd letting out Ooo’s and Aaah’s.

As Kenji falls to the ground again, Flash kicks him. “Come on! Can’t get up?!” He watches as Kenji groans on the ground, still having the strength to reply, “You’re the stupid caption version, actually.” He smirks, chuckling after, earning another kick on his stomach. The crowd felt concern wash over them, surprised from Flash’s unnecessary attacks.

Flash smiles victoriously, “Really? Who wants to be next?!” He looks around the crowd, them stepping back.

As you were reading the book in your hands, you noticed Kenji Sato walk out, your eyes landing on him instead. He looked handsome as ever, his jacket covering his fit body, his hair neatly sat on his head.

You smile, returning your attention back to the book, unaware of Kenji snapping a photo of you in his camera. Suddenly you look back and noticed that he was walking away, making you eye the crowd from afar.

You didn’t pay much attention but hearing groans from afar made you run to the crowd in concern. And there you saw, Sato was on the ground, getting beaten up by Flash. He circles around everyone, “Really? Who wants to be next?!” He says proudly, looking at everyone in the crowd.

“Flash!” [Name] calls out, running to him, making him turn to her. “We still on for after school today?” She raises a brow, not shy enough to hide the glare. Flash looks at her in silence, feeling a bit nervous. “My house, 3:30?” You continue, “Your tutor sessio—”

“I- I know.” He quickly stops you. “I hope you’re doing your homework, your tasks, practice tests.” Glaring at him as you nod your head, trying to get an answer from him.

Kenji slowly gets up, feeling grateful for your distraction. “Last time I was.. Very disappointed in you.” You make a face, showing disappointment. “Don’t fail next time, okay?” You look at him up and down, giving a small innocent smile.

“Gosh, okay— Move.” Flash quickly cuts off again, about to approach where Kenji is, you quickly move in his direction. “No, enough!” You say slightly louder, “Get to class, okay?” Flash gives you a look of confusion, hiding the glare as he feels embarrassed that a big crowd is watching them.

“Go.” You command, making him scoff as he bites his inner cheek, listening to your order. You quickly glance at Kenji who was having difficulty to get up. You glance at Flash who was walking away, looking back at you nervously before heading straight.

Suddenly a guy kicked Kenji’s camera, “Should’ve listened dude.” He commented, walking away. Kenji glares at him before checking his camera, which had a small scratch on the outside. He turns it on, only to see the photo of you that he captured.

“Hey.” You speak up, offering a hand to him. He grabs it, muttering a small thanks before standing up. “Sorry you had to see that, you should head to class first.” He tries to act tough, feeling the pain in his stomach.

“Are you sure?” You ask, not hiding the fact that you were concerned. “I’m sure.” He replied rather quickly, making you nod. You start to walk away, looking back not once but twice. Each time you look back, you can still see him, staring right at you.

As soon as you were out of his sight, he groans, falling back on the ground as he checked his camera again. He smiles softly, looking at the pretty girl he captured, who just helped him.

The classroom was noisy as some students whisper to each other, some placing their bags and getting their pens and notebooks. Kenji walks over to his seat which was next to the one behind yours, placing his backpack with the skateboard on the ground, camera still on his hand as he places it on his desk, covering it with his arms. He leans his head on his arms, feeling tired from the earlier fight.

You noticed his presence, looking back as you smile at him, “What you did back there was amazing.” He turns his head to you, “Oh, really?” He smirks, making you a bit flustered. “Y—Yeah.” You cursed yourself for stuttering, his smirk not faltering. “It was stupid,” You add, making him raise a brow.

“But it was amazing.” He smiles, nodding his head. “You did great for standing up for Gordon back there.” you continue, earning a wider grin from him, “You’re enjoying yourself a bit too much.” You felt your heart beat a bit faster, “Excuse me?” you say, confused.

“You enjoy complimenting me for doing something stupid but amazing?” He raises a brow, making you nod. “I take it back then,” you say, smirking as you look back at the bored. “Hey,” he calls out, making you turn your head to him.

“You gonna stop?” he teases, making you raise a brow. You scoff, “I think you’re having a concussion.” he felt surprised at your response, “Really?”

“You should head to the nurse.” you smile at him.

He looks at you, still surprised, his mouth agape. “What’s your name?” you question, making him even more surprised. “You.. Don’t know my name?” you laugh, shaking your head, “Oh no, duh, of course I do. I just want to see if you know your name.”

He playfully rolls his eyes at you. He smiles, thinking that you were still talking about the concussion. “Kenji.” he says, “Kenji Sato.” you smile as he replies, nodding your head. “Okay, okay. Good.”

You turn your head back to the bored, fidgeting with your pen. Kenji’s smile never falters, his heart beating faster than ever. Suddenly you look back again, “I’d still go to the nurse though.”

“You’re [Name], right?” he asks, “[First Name] [Last Name].” You continue, smiling at him. He nods, “All right.” You turn your head back to the bored, biting your lip as you try to hide your excitement.

I just talked to THE Kenji Sato! The star baseball player of the Yomiuri Giants!

I love how you guys are showing so much support on this! It warms my heart so much!! It’s so tiring to write so much words, I swear I’m speed running this cause there’s more than just one The Amazing Spiderman movie 😭 I’m not even half way of the story yet 😍

I love reading you guys’ comments so much. It makes me feel so motivated to write. I hope you guys enjoy this series ‘cause it will probably take a while~ 🎀

This tag: #ameijamsspiderken🕸️ is what I will use for this series!

These thoughts get too much sometimes, allowing yourself to at least try and loosen yourself up for the night— attempting to soothe any present aches and other unneeded distractions, especially from deep within.

You just wished that you'd never end up acting on them— hopefully not. Bad days are normal, so to speak. They'll pass, and eventually, everything will be better again. There's always light at the end of the tunnel, after all, so you keep holding on to that no matter how hard it may get at times.

The will to live is still reasonably strong, even when life itself isn't so kind to you. It gets exhausting, but you'll be there even with tons of struggle that you have to endure in the process.

Taking the phone out of your pocket, you glanced down at the clock, which shows it's exactly at two. Your sleeping schedule is unavoidably messed up, and you knew that you'd probably get an earful of scolding later on.

Breathing out ever so slowly, your fingers almost too subconsciously made their way to your contacts folder— which isn't that much, and ultimately pressed on one of the displayed names.

KEN.

Should I call him, or not?

After a fair minute or two of mentally debating whether to make a call to him, despite it being quite late at night— you did it, in the end. You just needed to talk to him for some unexplainable reasons, even when you don't really have any specific topics to talk about this late.

The phone didn't even need to ring twice when it was being picked up immediately, much to your surprise. Like, at this hour too?

"Hey— that was quick."

"Hey too," he chuckled facetiously over your words, maintaining his push-up position but on one hand. "Wouldn't want to miss a call from my favorite lady ever— and you're lucky I wasn't even asleep yet."

This piqued your interest. "What were you even doing?"

"Just doing some workout. Y'know, the usual." Ah, of course, he would. Even if Kenji already has those toned, healthy physique, he will always try to keep his body in a perfect shape.

"At a time like this? Gosh, you're questionable sometimes." A faint mirth could be heard on both sides of the phone call; sharing a laugh with one another.

"But anyway—" Kenji grabbed the towel nearby and wiped the sweat off his face, still maintaining his hold on the phone. "What's up? Couldn't sleep, hm?"

"Kinda. Got distracted, as usual." You couldn't contain the smile from forming upon your face, already feeling some of your worries gradually alleviated just from hearing his voice alone. "Glad that you aren't asleep yet too."

Kenji grins through the phone, even when you aren't there to witness it— eventually taking a seat on the nearby chair to rest for a while.

"Yeah."

"But seriously, are you alright?" His tone turns a tad bit more apprehensive, just in case since it's a pretty late hour too.

"I am, don't worry."

"It's just that— my thoughts are being quite a bother for some reason. But yeah, it's probably because well, it's late past midnight."

He nodded for a bit from the other side, seemingly understanding of your situation as it happens to him sometimes too.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

His simple offer made you think for a few seconds there, not knowing how to reply to him just yet.

"Well.."

"It's just something like— I don't know. Out of all people, you're the only one who stayed the most by my side. I'm so grateful for it, and sometimes, I still can't get used to it for some reason."

"You're too good for me."

He sighs softly, leaning his back slightly against the chair. "Hey, c'mon, don't say that. I did all of this because you genuinely deserved it."

"You deserve nothing less, trust me."

Even when he's unable to catch any glimpse of it, you grin so broadly, feeling touched by his words all over. You're quite the lucky one since it's not really a side he shows to anyone that often, and it radiates warmth; endearing, even.

"You're always the sweetest."

"And so are you, sweetheart."

He asserts tenderly, "That's the least I could do for you. You deserve only the best, and I mean it."

"I'm just glad that you decided to call me, even at this ungodly hour. Even if I'm asleep, just know that I will always try my best to answer."

"I know." You chuckled briefly, before pausing for a bit, contemplating over your next words.

"It's kind of a mess, I just—" Your previous smile drops without a warning, trying your best to remain composed, not wanting to have a sudden mental breakdown on a call with him like this. Why do the emotions have to rush through you like this?

With a quick clear of your throat, you added further. "It makes me confused sometimes, and I just.. Don't know on what to do."

He could notice the hint of shakiness within your voice alone; expression softening ever so slightly yet noticeable— not to anyone but to himself— seemed to understand the internal struggle you're possibly going through at the moment.

"And that's alright. It happens to each of us at times. It's bound to happen in one way or another." Kenji admittedly wasn't really good at giving advice and stuff, but he's willing to try his best to do so, because it's you.

"You don't have to rush things; the world can wait. Sometimes, it's best to let them be, and know that not everything is in our control."

"It's not your fault, if that's what you're wondering."

"I may not get it fully as to what you're thinking and going through right now, but please, remember that you're not alone. You have me."

You allow each of his words to sink in within your mind, making sure to process everything in, and let the deep realization hit you after. You're aware that he's just trying to help you— which you fully appreciated on, and even when it's quite hard to act based on someone's advice at times, you cherish his efforts.

Because no one really did that for you. No one was willing to go that far for you, yet here he is— willing to break through your walls no matter how long it takes and how you've set it up. Taking it slow, he still respected your boundaries despite everything, yet never once gave up on your well-being.

Before you could even give out your own response, his voice came through the phone once more.

"You know what— gimme a few minutes. I'll be there."

Your eyes widened in utter disbelief, like at an ungodly hour like this-?

"Ken, you don't have to do that, it's pretty late."

Despite your attempts of trying to reason with him, it merely falls on deaf ears; rolling his eyes without you knowing. "And you think that's gonna stop me, sweetheart?"

"I'm not gonna let you miss your needed sleep because of your thoughts and inner struggle, okay? And that's final."

Leaving no room for any arguments, he added a few words as his last statement. "I'll be there in a few minutes. Don't fall asleep just yet, love."

You have no choice, but to simply follow along and concede with him, feeling appreciated deep down; unable to suppress the feeling of warmth and solace from resurfacing within you.

"You can't catch me!"

A clear look of obstinacy crosses over his sharp features, his previous pace gradually changes as he starts to rush even more towards your figure without showing any hints of weariness— thanks to his stamina of an athlete.

"Oh, you're challenging me now?" You merely replied with a chortle that reverberates through the empty spaces, uncaring much of your surroundings at this point.

It's quite fun, knowing how the two of you could do much more activities like this instead of rotting away at home without doing anything. But then again, you shouldn't underestimate his speed.

That's gotta be one of your biggest mistakes ever, completely aware as to how he could catch up by any second now—

You secretly loved the chase though, and Kenji feels the same too.

It's becoming like a monthly, or even weekly— you're not even sure anymore, but like a personal pastime between the both of you whenever one is not busy. The competitive line is apparent; determined to win if one is able to avoid the other with ease.

Or more like, you're trying your best to not get caught by him right now. You weren't able to give it a thought for any much longer when it doesn't take long for him to catch up on you, smirking in advance, knowing full-well that he's going to succeed once more.

Nevertheless, Kenji couldn't deny the adorable expression plastered upon your features as you so confidently thought you're going to manage getting away from him this time.

Too bad that he's enjoying this way too much, not planning to let you go away that easily soon— grabbing one of your wrists, which made you instantly stopped within your tracks, panting almost breathlessly.

"Hey, that's not fair-!" You complained while trying to pull your arm away from his rather firm, yet not too uncomfortable of a grasp, but to no avail. Ken's previous smirk turned into a full-blown smug grin as he effortlessly won again.

"But I played fair, darling."

"You can't blame me for easily being able to outplay you."

He teases, before lifting you up and spinning around with your figure gracefully around for a bit, showing on how easy it is for him to carry you due to how strong he truly is.

"Okay, okay, please put me down-!" Kenji merely chuckled over your remark as he pretends to not hear you, the words not affecting him at all, and the view around you slowly becoming into a jumble of blurry colors mixing up together; various shapes that's turning more distinct from one another.

It doesn't take long for him to eventually place you back down after— feeling slightly dizzy as he kept his hold around you, while a devilish grin is evident upon his face. He is clearly amused.

"At least—" You huffed, deliberately smacked his chest with a pout. "Let me win for once, geez.." Kenji elicited a fake, pained-sounding yelp, then practically showing off his fangs with a pretty satisfied expression.

"Where's the fun in that?"

"But well, I hate to break it to you, love, but I will always let you know that I love winning." You merely rolled your eyes over his statement.

"Oh, shut up— hey!" Before you could even continue with your own retort further on, Kenji suddenly peppers your face with small, yet soft kisses almost everywhere possible; prompting you to let a few giggles slipping past through your lips upon the sensation he's offering you, partly because of how ticklish it kinda is as well.

He didn't really let your protests get through him as much, knowing how you didn't really stop him either— having an affectionate onslaught of kisses being placed upon your features because he just felt like it.

Two individuals merely existing within the same moment as the world around them fades away in a blur, drowning within their own personal, loving enjoyment.

"Nope."

Kenji pulls away briefly, simply sending you a mischievous smirk. "I don't think I'm gonna stop just yet."

Why would he stop now if it meant that he could relish within your constant giggles and protests alone?

That guy is something else.

For all the years, you remained by his side; even supporting him in anything he decided to do, and as the star player for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Major League Baseball team. He won quite innumerable number of awards, thanks to his amazing performance on field, and has gained lots of fans all around the world, notably for some of the ladies who swooned over his mere appearance.

You're well-aware of his current popularity and position, but still— you tried your best to be supportive all the time, even when sometimes your thoughts are trying to drag you back negatively about yourself.

As sweet as you can be, you can still be quite of a reclused person than he is; as he ever told you before.

Kenji is always known to be quite the opposite from you— all confident and sociable to others in the public eye, often recognized to be quite the charmer as well. His overall presence has a major undeniable effect to most others without fail.

Yet, despite of all the fame he has, there surely are certain times where he actually felt lonely, even when surrounded by millions of people who actually adored him.

But knowing about your mere existence staying by his side despite everything; it makes him feel cherished and appreciated. Kenji is glad to have you, no matter on what he's doing and wherever he is at that moment.

WITH the random novel in your hands, you have decided to read for a bit while waiting for him to finish up at your usual secluded spot— not too far from where he currently is, and pretty much a spot where only the two of you knew.

A few minutes have passed by, he finally arrives at the said area and seemingly searching for any signs of you, to which you didn't even notice since you're too engrossed with the book at the moment. Being hounded by countless of paparazzi and fans surely can be so overwhelming— he's just glad to be able to make it out from there.

In spite of his somewhat exhausted appearance, a small smile manages to make its' way to his lips once his eyes landed upon your seated figure nearby.

"Finally," he reaches towards closer as to where you are, immediately getting your attention up from the book you've been reading. "I found you."

"Hey too, star boy."

You eventually closed the book and put it aside, allowing him to sit on the vacant spot properly next to you with a grin on your face. "Yeah, you found me."

Kenji may not admit it every so often, but he honestly could never get enough with the way you called him— chuckling while doing some little stretches here and there before sitting next to you.

"Oh man, it's so tiring to deal with those interviewers and people around almost all the time, y'know." He mutters with a weary-sounding sigh, resting the back of his head against the wall behind him.

"I mean, obviously it makes me happy to know that there's quite a lot of people who supported me and stuff, but they can be a real pain in the ass to deal with." He shakes his head slightly over his own words that held the mere truth, which made you feel genuinely bad for him.

"I get you," you responded, leaning your head against the wall as well. "It sounds super exhausting to handle."

"It sure is."

"I guess that's just the way it is, if anything." He then rests his chin on the palm of his hand, which situated just right atop of his left knee while he stares off at the distance.

The feeling of people swooning and admiring him sure sounds so nice, but it doesn't really get rid of the feeling of loneliness that he has to experience at times.

"They just adored the persona I've shown to the world, not the real me."

You somehow get what he's implying, even when he seemed as if he wanted to sound at least a bit jokey, to which didn't really work on you. You could see right through him.

"Well, if it helps.." Unsure on what to say, but this needed to be done because clearly, he looks like he needs one.

"You have me." You genuinely reassured him, "I just hope that you won't ever forget that."

Your words alone have an instant effect on him— managing to draw out an appreciative smile upon his features instead of his usual cocky look that he presented to others.

"Of course I won't. I'll hold onto your words."

He could tell the truthfulness behind every word you've said to him; suddenly shifting his gaze around to face you, before pulling you into a warm hug— keeping his arms wrapped around your torso and burying his face into the crook of your neck unexpectedly, much to your own surprise.

It's one of the usual gestures that you would do with each other, so you don't know as to why this time, it feels a little different somehow, but you didn't push him away at all.

Instead, you returned the embrace while stroking the back of his hair tenderly, accompanied with a quiet hum. Your actions alone have prompted him to smile against your neck further— finding it all soothing and relaxing, nuzzling into your warmth.

"You give the best hugs, I swear." Kenji audibly murmurs, which made the specific area on your neck to feel more ticklish than usual.

"Oh really?" A giggle escaped from you due to the ticklish sensation, which causes him to merely smirk in pure delight. "I feel honored."

Kenji begin to point out, lifting his head slightly and not entirely just yet. "I almost forgot that you're quite ticklish here."

"Shut up, you tease." You huffed with a playful eyeroll, shoving him off backwards from you a bit. "You know damn well I do."

It's easier to act all carefree when no one else is around you both to interrupt any moment you're having.

He simply laughs it off, still remaining on his seated spot despite your attempts of pushing him away from you. "Your reactions are priceless."

The baseball star player swiftly returns into doing on what he previously did— embracing you even more, holding you so delicately within his strong arms alone.

Kenji doesn't even know on what's driving him to do any of this for much longer than intended. His thoughts are going a bit haywire, yet it made him feel comfortable in a way as well. Confused, but unbothered to figure it out himself for now.

You didn't really mind though. It felt too nice, in all honesty; simply reciprocating his actions without any signs of hesitation.

"You did amazing, by the way."

When the moment those words left from your lips, it managed to pull him out of his own reverie; pulling away slightly just so he can face you with an evident grin upon his sharp features.

"Thanks, sweetheart."

"I was thinking of doing a mini celebration tonight."

"Oh?" You returned the expression that he's currently giving you. "Am I invited, then?"

He nodded almost instantly with a warm chuckle out of him, ruffling your hair despite your possible incoming protests.

"Of course you're invited, silly girl. Always will."

"You'd make everything more fun, and you're the only one who knows how to keep this bad boy in check, after all."

You merely and purposedly snorted out loud upon his words— rolling your eyes comically before pinching his cheeks all of a sudden, which caught him off guard.

"Not so bad when I do it to you like this."

"Okay— hey hey, stop that-!" He begins to sputter out complaints due to your actions, pouting as you didn't even try to stop from doing so. His hands are not helping anything either, which makes the situation more funnier than intended.

Despite everything he did, Kenji almost looked like a whiny puppy within your perspective.

It doesn't take long before the both of you ended up, quite literally, falling off from your seats though.

"Ouch.."

"It's your fault, geez.."

"Well, I love you too."

"You’re dating again?" He asks, almost like a prayer, praying the answer is no. — "Mr. Sato-"

"Don’t do that. We’re more than that." He retorts.

"Okay, Kenji. This isn’t relevant to your public image right now." You say calmly, not looking at him.

"So this is how it is? That’s how you’ll handle this?" He says and then proceeds to scoff, baffled at what you said. "There’s nothing to handle-" You start but he interrupts almost immediately.

"Why are you like this?" He asks, still staring.

"Like what?" You stare back.

"You know what I mean. Always running away from this, from us? I mean- you know how I feel about you. Do you enjoy seeing me break over you? Is that it?"

"I don’t understand what you mean." You hesitate, shifting your gaze back to the documents. "Anyway, *cough* let’s get back to-"

"No." He interrupts. "Not again, not this time, no. We’re talking about this." He says, stern and unwavering.

"What do you want me to say, Kenji?" You break. "We ended things, and stopped talking-"

"No, you ended things. You said it wasn’t professional, that was you, not me, never me." He snaps. "How could you move on like that?"

"Kenji, it’s not like you called. I only downloaded it to get my mind away from things, off you." You reveal, and his expression can only be represented as broken mirror pieces.

"How am I supposed to feel about that? You said you needed space, I gave it to you and waited for your call, one that never came. Do you not have feelings for me? Am I overthinking things? Was the real reason you ended things because you stopped loving me?" He delivers, in a tone so heartbreaking the gods might’ve kneeled down and kissed his heart.

"Was it because you felt unappreciated? What is it that you want from me? Attention? Love? Intimacy? Name it and It’s yours, I’m yours." He adds.

"Kenji it’s not-" You try.

"Then what is it? Did you find better? He won’t love you like me. Not half, a quarter, or even an eighth of the love I have for you. Just tell me why, baby." He pleads, his eyes looking for yours, still astray.

Finding his eyes, you no longer possess the built-up resolve you had for letting him go. Seeing him brought you life and nothing could hide that any longer. "I was scared." You state, faintly.

"Of what, baby?"

"You, me, us?" You add, uncertain.

"Us? Why?"

You sigh, not exactly knowing why yourself, I mean it was a combination of things. "The public, how fast it was all going, myself. I didn’t know how to handle it and I didn’t want to be a burden, I thought, you know, let’s just end this so I won’t have to deal with any of it."

For a while, he didn’t say anything, expressionless as if he was still processing what you had said. "So you love me?" He asks. The question was so unexpected, that you could do nothing else but laugh a little. "Yes Kenji, I do." You say still giggling.

"Why wouldn’t you talk to me?" He says, with a look not as soft.

"I thought you might hate me, after all, I did ignore you for quite a bit after that." You sigh.

"We could’ve talked about this, you know? I would’ve told you it was okay, and that you shouldn’t worry about such unimportant details when I love you, and you apparently love me too." He says while caressing your head with a faint smile.

"I know Kenji, but what if it wasn’t okay? Your image also depends on you being single, alluring to the public-"

"That doesn’t matter. I love you." He says so naturally as if the other aspects had never crossed his mind. "You’re all that matters to me, why do you think I come to our meetings an hour in advance when I don’t care about my public image, why do I buy you your favorite lunch every time, despite you telling me to stop, or why I have the hair tie you left at my house a year ago, in my wallet? I love you, can’t you see that?"

Granted, you noticed these things but thought it would pass. Surely he’d move on, hotter, better, so many options are offered to him, but he chose me. "I love you, Ken, but I’m worried."

"Then let’s take this slow. Let me show you how good I can make you feel, forget about the outside noise, let’s focus on us, baby. Let me be who you think of when you wonder about love. Let my embrace alleviate your fears and let yourself lean on me." He expresses, his eyes also full of assurance.

You know this feels right, more than that, it makes you feel whole. Could it work, could we ignore the rest and let our feelings talk for us? I wasn’t sure, but if possible, I wanted to know. "You fill my heart with love." You tell him, completely enamored.

"I couldn’t imagine it any other way." He adds.