He Was Saved

“You gotta start making your own meals, Kakeru. Cooking’s not that hard. I can help you.” Hiroto trailed off, then snorted a bit as Kakeru mentioned his eating habits. He gave a lax shrug, that smile easing into a gentle, carefree smile, “Yeah yeah. And you don’t eat nearly enough. You’re skin and bones!” Hiroto began to walk, leading the way, though he slowed in order to let Kakeru catch up and walk beside him.

“Oh! Cool, then we can hang out,” Hiroto grinned again, then trailed, “only if you want to. You know no one can force you to do anything, right, Kakeru? You get to choose too,”

& Hiroto immediately kept on going, not wanting Kakeru to linger on that for too long and start asking questions,

That grin shifted into a slight smirk, and Hiroto pointed a finger at Kakeru, gingerly poking the other on the tip of his nose, “Which means you get to choose where we eat after school! It’ll just be you and me, okay?”

“Right? I’m hilarious,” there’s nothing smug or self-satisfactory about the words; Hiroto’s just teasing again. Though, he finds himself smiling far more readily as he hears Kakeru’s laugh. The urge to hug Kakeru, suddenly, bowled into Hiroto with an intensity he wasn’t entirely prepared for. As it was, he just stood there stupidly for a second or two, stared.

They’d hugged once before, but that had been an emotionally charged moment! Kakeru had needed it at the time. Right now it was just Hiroto being, ‘weird’. He cleared his throat, hummed. Glanced toward the ceiling, and thought. Thought, thought….

“Are you….” nah. Might be too forward, besides– “busy after school?” real nice save, stupid.

“Yeah, you are.” Kakeru confirmed, he always found Hiroto fun to be around and loved his cheesy jokes. It was easier for him to be happy around him, he didn’t have to worry about the thoughts that plagued him about his Mother and the fact that he felt at fault about her death.

His heart warmed upon hearing his name. Oh. Huh. Hiroto blinked, then grinned readily, “Sweet, that was easy!” he moved, arms lifting upwards, bending as his hands rest comfortably against the back of Hiroto’s hair, “here I was thinking I’d have to convince you, heh.” though, Hiroto sputtered some, a blush rising onto his expression, and he moved, arms now away from his head, flailing just some,

“Weird!? I see how it is! Fine, fine! ‘Suwa’ then – S-U-W-A, and you better add san to it too! Jerk,” Hiroto even stared at Kakeru, looking serious for a second or two. Then, though, he smiled again and reached out, gingerly nudging Kakeru in the upper arm, “haha, I was kidding, promise. I just wanted to tease you back.”

That gained a laugh out of Kakeru as he saw Hiroto’s reaction. He was always pulling Suwas leg and that was the fun part of their interactions. He couldn’t get enough of tormenting him or teasing him at little things.

Hiroto smiled easily at his friend. Stared a bit, then cleared his throat and glanced away, rubbed at the side of his neck. Awkwardly? “…Y’know, uh. You don’t have to do that: call me by ‘Suwa’.” that smile loosened a fraction, brows furrowed, he chuckled which bled into his tone, “I think we’re past that point? Just Hiroto’s fine.”

“Oh no~ I’ve been caught~ Oh my~!”