i need like, a dozen nishii icons /and new ryutaro ones fuuuu/
Title: Like Sunshine On A Cloudy Day
Author: hotfruits
Rating: PG, but idk, could be G?
Pairing: Chiitaro. Morinishii.
Disclaimer: Don't own (but damn, wish I did ;o; ILU NISHII BE MY SON? /shot)
Summary: It’s the first day of school, and Ryutaro takes his assigned seat next to Nishii Yukito.
written for my wonderful sensei boukenrider, who has taught me so many things recently and has also been a really awesome friend. ty for being there bb ♥ and for flailing nishii and yamachii with me XD
It’s the first day of school, and Ryutaro takes his assigned seat next to Nishii Yukito. The boy smiles up at him brightly, his eyes crinkling behind his squishable cheeks, and the word ‘cute’ falls from Ryutaro’s lips before he can stop himself. Nishii giggles and Ryutaro looks away in embarrassment, turning his attention towards their teacher, and pushing the boy’s smile out of his mind.
***
“Ryutaro-kun~!” Nishii calls out to him during lunch, and Ryutaro falters, looking over in surprise, “Come sit with us!” he smiles and waves him over, and Ryutaro follows, taking the seat beside him carefully. The other people at the table look at him awkwardly, as if wondering why he’s sitting with them, and not with Chii, Yama-chan and Yuto. He wonders too, but then Nishii turns towards him and takes a piece of broccoli from his lunch, beaming.
He ends up sharing half of his lunch with the boy, who never asks if it’s okay, but Ryutaro finds he doesn’t mind. He’s used to this behavior from Chii, although when Chii steals his food, he does it because he’s manipulative and he knows he can get away with it.
Nishii seems too innocent for that.
***
It’s his birthday, and after getting a tackling hug from Chii, a pat on the back from Yuto and a not-so-surprising noogie from Yama-chan, Ryutaro stumbles into class, sighing in relief. He doesn’t expect anyone here to wish him a happy birthday, or feel the need to touch him in any way, except maybe Juri, since they’re sort of friends.
Juri just gives him a smile and hands him a DVD, and Ryutaro almost laughs when he sees that it’s Kokuhaku. Tucking it into his bag, he takes his seat beside the star and rests his head in his hands, his elbows on the desk.
It’s weird, when he thinks about it; Nishii is so bright and bubbly in real life, and he wonders how someone so sweet and innocent could play such a dark, complicated role. He almost thinks Chii would have been better for the job; he’s not evil, entirely, but he’s cold at times and harsh, manipulative but able to hide behind his sweet smile. The two are almost nearly polar opposites, and yet every time he sees Nishii, he’s reminded of Chii, of the way Chii smiles and how he clings to everyone, wanting their love and attention all for himself.
Nishii isn’t selfish like that though, it seems. He’s just generally nice, and enjoys making the people around him smile.
After school, Nishii stops him in the hallway by grabbing his hand and leading him away from the school exit. They head to the roof, and Ryutaro blinks in confusion, wondering what’s up when Nishii looks up at him with a shy blush and dodging eyes.
“Happy Birthday, Ryutaro-kun,” Nishii takes a wrapped package out of his backpack and hands it to Ryutaro, smiling unsurely as he says, “Open it up.”
Ryutaro carefully tears it apart and when he sees the gift inside, he grins, taking it out and holding it in his hands. “Thanks, Nishii,” he says, slipping the baseball glove onto his right hand and punching a fist into it; it’s brand new, the leather taut and needing to be broken in.
“Maybe we can play together, sometime,” Nishii is beaming and he rushes forward, wrapping his arms around Ryutaro’s waist. “I hope you have a good birthday, Ryutaro-kun, see you tomorrow!” he says before leaving, and Ryutaro watches him go, a fond smile on his face as he punches the mitt again.
***
When he gets home that night, Shintaro asks where he got the new mitt and Ryutaro tells him, shrugging as he places it on his desk. “Oh, your new boyfriend?” Shintaro teases and Ryutaro responds by chucking a baseball at him, which Shintaro just barely dodges, “Ne, won’t Chii-kun be mad you’ve fallen for another cute boy?”
“Shut up, idiot,” Ryutaro rolls his eyes and throws his shoe at Shintaro, effectively hitting him in the face and Shintaro runs out of the room, screaming for their Mom.
***
Shintaro’s words began to echo in his mind, and he shakes them out, running a hand through his hair as he receives another text from Chii.
Happy Birthday (again) Ryutaro ^^
I promise I’ll take you out this weekend, my treat~
Ryutaro smiles and closes his phone, eyes falling shut as his head hits the pillow. A half hour passes and Ryutaro sits back up, unable to fall asleep. Sighing, he walks over to his school bag and takes out Kokuhaku, heading downstairs to watch it on the big TV.
He falls asleep watching Nishii, and Shintaro wakes him up the next morning with a smirk, until Ryutaro gets him in a headlock and punches him in the side, their sister rolling her eyes as she walks by.
***
It’s Saturday night, and Ryutaro smiles as he waits for Chii to pay for their takoyaki. When he’s done, he joins Ryutaro on the bench and the two share their meal, stealing from each other’s plates.
“So, how do you like Horikoshi?” Chii asks as he grabs a napkin and wipes away at a spot near his mouth. Ryutaro scrunches up his nose and bats Chii’s hand away, still smiling.
“It’s fine,” he says, and then adds, “Nishii is really cool.”
Chii raises a brow and his fists clench in his lap, and Ryutaro realizes he’s said the wrong thing, a minute too late. “I mean, he’s just really nice, it’s good to have a friend in class, right?”
Chii relaxes and his smile is back on as he nods, “Ne, that’s true, it’s good to branch out and make new friends. I remember our first week, I stuck to Yuto and Ryosuke obsessively. I was much happier once I opened up though, and made friends beside those two.”
“Exactly,” Ryutaro sighs in relief, bumping shoulders with Chii as he laughs, “You were jealous there for a second, huh?” he can’t help but tease, thinking that the crisis was averted.
“Well, he did give you a really nice birthday present,” Chii replies, his tone sarcastic as he glares at Ryutaro, “A bit weird, considering you haven’t been friends long.”
“Nishii is just really nice,” Ryutaro snaps back, his defensives up as he says, stupidly, “I wish you were nicer sometimes.”
“Maybe we should break up then, and you can date your adorable little Nishii,” Chii whispers angrily as he stands up, and without another word, stomps away, leaving a surprised Ryutaro sitting alone on the bench.
***
“Hi Ryutaro-kun,” Nishii smiles and waves as he enters the classroom, and Ryutaro nods back, feeling all gloom and doom over his fight with Chii. He had tried calling the older boy, but every time he did, Chii would pick up and then immediately hang up, making Ryutaro frustrated and depressed.
“What’s wrong?” Nishii asked as he sat down, his eyes concerned as he touched Ryutaro’s shoulder.
“It’s nothing, just got into a fight with a friend,” Ryutaro shrugged, giving Nishii a tired smile, “I’m sure he’ll forgive me eventually.”
“I’m sure he will,” Nishii nodded, always so optimistic and Ryutaro chuckled, envying the boy’s cheerful demeanor for a second. “Ne, Nishii, are you busy today?”
He shook his head, and Ryutaro continued, “Well, I need to break in that new mitt, maybe we can play a little ball?”
“Sounds great,” Nishii grinned, just as the bell rang, “Let’s meet up an hour after school lets out, that way we have enough time to run home and get our mitts.”
“Cool,” Ryutaro turns his attention back towards their teacher, his brain failing to pay attention as he thinks about Nishii, sneaking glances at him during class. Even when taking notes, the boy has a small smile on his face, and at one point he looks up and catches Ryutaro’s eyes, giving him a big, cheeky grin.
Ryutaro blushes and looks away, his heart going a little dokidoki, even though he tells it not to.
***
They meet up as planned and head to the park, finding a nice grassy area to toss the ball back and forth. Nishii begins to talk excitedly, telling Ryutaro about his family, his three dogs, the many meanings of the word aloha and more. Ryutaro listens to the boy’s chatterings, interjecting here and there with a tale of his own.
It’s nearly dark outside when they finally call it a day, and Ryutaro walks Nishii to the bus stop, fingering the scuffed up leather of his mitt. “I had lots of fun hanging out with Ryutaro-kun,” Nishii says, his arms around himself as he shivers slightly.
“Just call me Ryutaro, no kun needed,” Ryutaro says, and with a slight moment of hesitation, takes off his jacket and hands it to the boy, who puts it on with a thankful smile. Like Chii, the jacket is too big for him, the sleeves covering up his hands and the bottom of the jacket resting over his thighs.
“You’re really cute,” Ryutaro quietly says, a little more conscious of the words leaving his mouth this time around. Nishii blushes and begins to take off the jacket as they reach the station, but Ryutaro stops him, holding the boy’s small hands within his own, “Keep it for now, you still have to walk home after your stop, right?”
Nishii nods, and looks down at their clasped hands. “Ne, Ryutaro, from now on, call me Yukki, okay?”
“I will, see you tomorrow, Yukki,” Ryutaro smiles and walks away, his heart hammering in his chest as he tries to calm his breathing. He can feel his phone buzzing in his pocket, but he ignores it, knowing that if he talked to anyone right now, his words wouldn’t be very coherent.
Or, if they were, they’d be all about Yukkii and his smile.
***
“Here’s your jacket,” Yukki hands him the jacket with a smile the next day, thanking him once again for letting him wear it, “I hope you weren’t too cold on your way home,” he says with a small pout, sitting down at his desk and taking out his notebook.
Ryutaro grins and shakes his head, following Yukkii’s example and taking out his own notebook, “I was fine, and besides, you looked really cute in my jacket.”
“That’s the third time you’ve called me cute now,” Yukkii says quietly, as their teacher begins talking, “Aren’t you…” Yukkii bites his lip, looking down at his notebook. He begins to write along the top edge, tearing out the small corner and then handing it to Ryutaro.
“You’re dating Chinen-kun, right?”
Ryutaro reads the note and then turns it over, writing on the other side. When he finishes, he hands the piece of paper back to Yukkii, careful to not let their teacher see it.
To be honest, I don’t know. We have trouble getting along half the time.
Nishii frowns and tears out another small piece of paper, glancing up at the teacher as he writes. Ryutaro watches him, staring at the boy’s frown and thinks how out of place it looks on his face; Nishii is so much cuter, more amazing, when he’s smiling that bright smile of his, like a small ray of sunshine on his face.
He never wants to make the boy frown like that again, whether on accident or on purpose.
The piece of paper slides onto his desk, and Ryutaro reads it from where he’s at, noticing that the teacher is looking over at them.
Can we talk after school?
Ryutaro glances over at Yukkii and nods, thankful when the boy starts smiling again.
***
The final bell rings, and Ryutaro follows Yukkii out of the classroom, a smile on his face as they talk about their pets, heading to the park where they first hung out at. When they get there, they sit back in the grass, legs stretched out in front of them as the sun twinkles through the trees. Yukkii becomes quiet, and Ryutaro waits, looking at the boy expectantly.
“So, you and Chinen-kun…?” Yukkii looks over at him, his eyes questioning and brows pulled together.
“I don’t know,” Ryutaro shrugs, sighing a little as he runs his hand along the grass, the blades tickling his skin, “We have trouble getting along a lot, and I think it might be a good idea to end things now, before this ruins our friendship.”
“That’d be bad,” Yukkii hums in agreement, his voice quiet and his eyes unwavering. Ryutaro stares back, wondering what the boy is thinking, because his eyes are speaking volumes and yet he can’t understand a word they say.
Yukkii breaks the contact and looks down, taking his lip in between his teeth as he bites at it, his expression suddenly turning nervous. “Don’t do that,” Ryutaro murmers as he leans forward and cups the boy’s cheek, his thumb running along his bottom lip, and Yukkii releases it without a word, staring at Ryutaro in confusion.
“I think I like you,” Ryutaro whispers, surprised at how easily the words tumble from his lips. Yukkii stares back at him, eyes wide and a little fearful, and Ryutaro hates himself for putting that expression on his face. “Please don’t look scared, you’re so much…I like it when you smile, a lot.”
“Thank you,” Yukkii quietly accepts the compliment, and Ryutaro removes his hand from the boy’s face, letting it rest back in his lap. “You’re still with Chinen-kun,” Yukkii reminds him as he stands up, brushing the grass off his pants.
Ryutaro stands as well, and watches Yukkii as he walks away, the sun dancing off his hair and illuminating the dark strands. Even though he’s scared, hands shaking in his pockets, he can’t help but smile at the small boy, who glances back in his direction, his lips slightly upturned.
He really does love that smile, and he wants to be the person who makes Yukkii smile the most, warm and soothing like the sunshine beating down on his skin.
***
He calls Chii on his way home, and the older boy meets him halfway, his arms crossed over his chest. They break up quietly, without too much dramatic flair, and Chii sniffles a little as he walks away, but Ryutaro knows he’ll be alright.
He’s tempted to call Yukkii next, but decides against it, knowing he’ll see the boy tomorrow at school. He waits until lunch, when they sneak up to the rooftop together and Yukkii is smiling, taking a piece of chicken from his lunch.
“Chii and I broke up,” he says and Yukkii stops chewing, looking over at him. “He’ll be okay, Chii is pretty strong.”
“What about you?” Yukkii asks, concerned as he takes Ryutaro’s hand in his own and gives it a squeeze.
“I’ll be okay,” Ryutaro smiles, pulling Yukkii closer and the boy beams up at him, his head resting against Ryutaro’s shoulder as he steals more of his food. Ryutaro laughs and eats as well, thinking quietly to himself as Yukkii begins to giggle about something Mary-chan did the night before.
As long as he has Yukkii’s smile to look forward to, like sunshine on a cloudy day, he knows everything will be alright.
Author: hotfruits
Rating: PG, but idk, could be G?
Pairing: Chiitaro. Morinishii.
Disclaimer: Don't own (but damn, wish I did ;o; ILU NISHII BE MY SON? /shot)
Summary: It’s the first day of school, and Ryutaro takes his assigned seat next to Nishii Yukito.
written for my wonderful sensei boukenrider, who has taught me so many things recently and has also been a really awesome friend. ty for being there bb ♥ and for flailing nishii and yamachii with me XD
It’s the first day of school, and Ryutaro takes his assigned seat next to Nishii Yukito. The boy smiles up at him brightly, his eyes crinkling behind his squishable cheeks, and the word ‘cute’ falls from Ryutaro’s lips before he can stop himself. Nishii giggles and Ryutaro looks away in embarrassment, turning his attention towards their teacher, and pushing the boy’s smile out of his mind.
***
“Ryutaro-kun~!” Nishii calls out to him during lunch, and Ryutaro falters, looking over in surprise, “Come sit with us!” he smiles and waves him over, and Ryutaro follows, taking the seat beside him carefully. The other people at the table look at him awkwardly, as if wondering why he’s sitting with them, and not with Chii, Yama-chan and Yuto. He wonders too, but then Nishii turns towards him and takes a piece of broccoli from his lunch, beaming.
He ends up sharing half of his lunch with the boy, who never asks if it’s okay, but Ryutaro finds he doesn’t mind. He’s used to this behavior from Chii, although when Chii steals his food, he does it because he’s manipulative and he knows he can get away with it.
Nishii seems too innocent for that.
***
It’s his birthday, and after getting a tackling hug from Chii, a pat on the back from Yuto and a not-so-surprising noogie from Yama-chan, Ryutaro stumbles into class, sighing in relief. He doesn’t expect anyone here to wish him a happy birthday, or feel the need to touch him in any way, except maybe Juri, since they’re sort of friends.
Juri just gives him a smile and hands him a DVD, and Ryutaro almost laughs when he sees that it’s Kokuhaku. Tucking it into his bag, he takes his seat beside the star and rests his head in his hands, his elbows on the desk.
It’s weird, when he thinks about it; Nishii is so bright and bubbly in real life, and he wonders how someone so sweet and innocent could play such a dark, complicated role. He almost thinks Chii would have been better for the job; he’s not evil, entirely, but he’s cold at times and harsh, manipulative but able to hide behind his sweet smile. The two are almost nearly polar opposites, and yet every time he sees Nishii, he’s reminded of Chii, of the way Chii smiles and how he clings to everyone, wanting their love and attention all for himself.
Nishii isn’t selfish like that though, it seems. He’s just generally nice, and enjoys making the people around him smile.
After school, Nishii stops him in the hallway by grabbing his hand and leading him away from the school exit. They head to the roof, and Ryutaro blinks in confusion, wondering what’s up when Nishii looks up at him with a shy blush and dodging eyes.
“Happy Birthday, Ryutaro-kun,” Nishii takes a wrapped package out of his backpack and hands it to Ryutaro, smiling unsurely as he says, “Open it up.”
Ryutaro carefully tears it apart and when he sees the gift inside, he grins, taking it out and holding it in his hands. “Thanks, Nishii,” he says, slipping the baseball glove onto his right hand and punching a fist into it; it’s brand new, the leather taut and needing to be broken in.
“Maybe we can play together, sometime,” Nishii is beaming and he rushes forward, wrapping his arms around Ryutaro’s waist. “I hope you have a good birthday, Ryutaro-kun, see you tomorrow!” he says before leaving, and Ryutaro watches him go, a fond smile on his face as he punches the mitt again.
***
When he gets home that night, Shintaro asks where he got the new mitt and Ryutaro tells him, shrugging as he places it on his desk. “Oh, your new boyfriend?” Shintaro teases and Ryutaro responds by chucking a baseball at him, which Shintaro just barely dodges, “Ne, won’t Chii-kun be mad you’ve fallen for another cute boy?”
“Shut up, idiot,” Ryutaro rolls his eyes and throws his shoe at Shintaro, effectively hitting him in the face and Shintaro runs out of the room, screaming for their Mom.
***
Shintaro’s words began to echo in his mind, and he shakes them out, running a hand through his hair as he receives another text from Chii.
Happy Birthday (again) Ryutaro ^^
I promise I’ll take you out this weekend, my treat~
Ryutaro smiles and closes his phone, eyes falling shut as his head hits the pillow. A half hour passes and Ryutaro sits back up, unable to fall asleep. Sighing, he walks over to his school bag and takes out Kokuhaku, heading downstairs to watch it on the big TV.
He falls asleep watching Nishii, and Shintaro wakes him up the next morning with a smirk, until Ryutaro gets him in a headlock and punches him in the side, their sister rolling her eyes as she walks by.
***
It’s Saturday night, and Ryutaro smiles as he waits for Chii to pay for their takoyaki. When he’s done, he joins Ryutaro on the bench and the two share their meal, stealing from each other’s plates.
“So, how do you like Horikoshi?” Chii asks as he grabs a napkin and wipes away at a spot near his mouth. Ryutaro scrunches up his nose and bats Chii’s hand away, still smiling.
“It’s fine,” he says, and then adds, “Nishii is really cool.”
Chii raises a brow and his fists clench in his lap, and Ryutaro realizes he’s said the wrong thing, a minute too late. “I mean, he’s just really nice, it’s good to have a friend in class, right?”
Chii relaxes and his smile is back on as he nods, “Ne, that’s true, it’s good to branch out and make new friends. I remember our first week, I stuck to Yuto and Ryosuke obsessively. I was much happier once I opened up though, and made friends beside those two.”
“Exactly,” Ryutaro sighs in relief, bumping shoulders with Chii as he laughs, “You were jealous there for a second, huh?” he can’t help but tease, thinking that the crisis was averted.
“Well, he did give you a really nice birthday present,” Chii replies, his tone sarcastic as he glares at Ryutaro, “A bit weird, considering you haven’t been friends long.”
“Nishii is just really nice,” Ryutaro snaps back, his defensives up as he says, stupidly, “I wish you were nicer sometimes.”
“Maybe we should break up then, and you can date your adorable little Nishii,” Chii whispers angrily as he stands up, and without another word, stomps away, leaving a surprised Ryutaro sitting alone on the bench.
***
“Hi Ryutaro-kun,” Nishii smiles and waves as he enters the classroom, and Ryutaro nods back, feeling all gloom and doom over his fight with Chii. He had tried calling the older boy, but every time he did, Chii would pick up and then immediately hang up, making Ryutaro frustrated and depressed.
“What’s wrong?” Nishii asked as he sat down, his eyes concerned as he touched Ryutaro’s shoulder.
“It’s nothing, just got into a fight with a friend,” Ryutaro shrugged, giving Nishii a tired smile, “I’m sure he’ll forgive me eventually.”
“I’m sure he will,” Nishii nodded, always so optimistic and Ryutaro chuckled, envying the boy’s cheerful demeanor for a second. “Ne, Nishii, are you busy today?”
He shook his head, and Ryutaro continued, “Well, I need to break in that new mitt, maybe we can play a little ball?”
“Sounds great,” Nishii grinned, just as the bell rang, “Let’s meet up an hour after school lets out, that way we have enough time to run home and get our mitts.”
“Cool,” Ryutaro turns his attention back towards their teacher, his brain failing to pay attention as he thinks about Nishii, sneaking glances at him during class. Even when taking notes, the boy has a small smile on his face, and at one point he looks up and catches Ryutaro’s eyes, giving him a big, cheeky grin.
Ryutaro blushes and looks away, his heart going a little dokidoki, even though he tells it not to.
***
They meet up as planned and head to the park, finding a nice grassy area to toss the ball back and forth. Nishii begins to talk excitedly, telling Ryutaro about his family, his three dogs, the many meanings of the word aloha and more. Ryutaro listens to the boy’s chatterings, interjecting here and there with a tale of his own.
It’s nearly dark outside when they finally call it a day, and Ryutaro walks Nishii to the bus stop, fingering the scuffed up leather of his mitt. “I had lots of fun hanging out with Ryutaro-kun,” Nishii says, his arms around himself as he shivers slightly.
“Just call me Ryutaro, no kun needed,” Ryutaro says, and with a slight moment of hesitation, takes off his jacket and hands it to the boy, who puts it on with a thankful smile. Like Chii, the jacket is too big for him, the sleeves covering up his hands and the bottom of the jacket resting over his thighs.
“You’re really cute,” Ryutaro quietly says, a little more conscious of the words leaving his mouth this time around. Nishii blushes and begins to take off the jacket as they reach the station, but Ryutaro stops him, holding the boy’s small hands within his own, “Keep it for now, you still have to walk home after your stop, right?”
Nishii nods, and looks down at their clasped hands. “Ne, Ryutaro, from now on, call me Yukki, okay?”
“I will, see you tomorrow, Yukki,” Ryutaro smiles and walks away, his heart hammering in his chest as he tries to calm his breathing. He can feel his phone buzzing in his pocket, but he ignores it, knowing that if he talked to anyone right now, his words wouldn’t be very coherent.
Or, if they were, they’d be all about Yukkii and his smile.
***
“Here’s your jacket,” Yukki hands him the jacket with a smile the next day, thanking him once again for letting him wear it, “I hope you weren’t too cold on your way home,” he says with a small pout, sitting down at his desk and taking out his notebook.
Ryutaro grins and shakes his head, following Yukkii’s example and taking out his own notebook, “I was fine, and besides, you looked really cute in my jacket.”
“That’s the third time you’ve called me cute now,” Yukkii says quietly, as their teacher begins talking, “Aren’t you…” Yukkii bites his lip, looking down at his notebook. He begins to write along the top edge, tearing out the small corner and then handing it to Ryutaro.
“You’re dating Chinen-kun, right?”
Ryutaro reads the note and then turns it over, writing on the other side. When he finishes, he hands the piece of paper back to Yukkii, careful to not let their teacher see it.
To be honest, I don’t know. We have trouble getting along half the time.
Nishii frowns and tears out another small piece of paper, glancing up at the teacher as he writes. Ryutaro watches him, staring at the boy’s frown and thinks how out of place it looks on his face; Nishii is so much cuter, more amazing, when he’s smiling that bright smile of his, like a small ray of sunshine on his face.
He never wants to make the boy frown like that again, whether on accident or on purpose.
The piece of paper slides onto his desk, and Ryutaro reads it from where he’s at, noticing that the teacher is looking over at them.
Can we talk after school?
Ryutaro glances over at Yukkii and nods, thankful when the boy starts smiling again.
***
The final bell rings, and Ryutaro follows Yukkii out of the classroom, a smile on his face as they talk about their pets, heading to the park where they first hung out at. When they get there, they sit back in the grass, legs stretched out in front of them as the sun twinkles through the trees. Yukkii becomes quiet, and Ryutaro waits, looking at the boy expectantly.
“So, you and Chinen-kun…?” Yukkii looks over at him, his eyes questioning and brows pulled together.
“I don’t know,” Ryutaro shrugs, sighing a little as he runs his hand along the grass, the blades tickling his skin, “We have trouble getting along a lot, and I think it might be a good idea to end things now, before this ruins our friendship.”
“That’d be bad,” Yukkii hums in agreement, his voice quiet and his eyes unwavering. Ryutaro stares back, wondering what the boy is thinking, because his eyes are speaking volumes and yet he can’t understand a word they say.
Yukkii breaks the contact and looks down, taking his lip in between his teeth as he bites at it, his expression suddenly turning nervous. “Don’t do that,” Ryutaro murmers as he leans forward and cups the boy’s cheek, his thumb running along his bottom lip, and Yukkii releases it without a word, staring at Ryutaro in confusion.
“I think I like you,” Ryutaro whispers, surprised at how easily the words tumble from his lips. Yukkii stares back at him, eyes wide and a little fearful, and Ryutaro hates himself for putting that expression on his face. “Please don’t look scared, you’re so much…I like it when you smile, a lot.”
“Thank you,” Yukkii quietly accepts the compliment, and Ryutaro removes his hand from the boy’s face, letting it rest back in his lap. “You’re still with Chinen-kun,” Yukkii reminds him as he stands up, brushing the grass off his pants.
Ryutaro stands as well, and watches Yukkii as he walks away, the sun dancing off his hair and illuminating the dark strands. Even though he’s scared, hands shaking in his pockets, he can’t help but smile at the small boy, who glances back in his direction, his lips slightly upturned.
He really does love that smile, and he wants to be the person who makes Yukkii smile the most, warm and soothing like the sunshine beating down on his skin.
***
He calls Chii on his way home, and the older boy meets him halfway, his arms crossed over his chest. They break up quietly, without too much dramatic flair, and Chii sniffles a little as he walks away, but Ryutaro knows he’ll be alright.
He’s tempted to call Yukkii next, but decides against it, knowing he’ll see the boy tomorrow at school. He waits until lunch, when they sneak up to the rooftop together and Yukkii is smiling, taking a piece of chicken from his lunch.
“Chii and I broke up,” he says and Yukkii stops chewing, looking over at him. “He’ll be okay, Chii is pretty strong.”
“What about you?” Yukkii asks, concerned as he takes Ryutaro’s hand in his own and gives it a squeeze.
“I’ll be okay,” Ryutaro smiles, pulling Yukkii closer and the boy beams up at him, his head resting against Ryutaro’s shoulder as he steals more of his food. Ryutaro laughs and eats as well, thinking quietly to himself as Yukkii begins to giggle about something Mary-chan did the night before.
As long as he has Yukkii’s smile to look forward to, like sunshine on a cloudy day, he knows everything will be alright.