The last bell sounded, and the seats creaked as the students cleared off. Ryuzi had slipped his books into his bag and was halfway to the door when a hand caught hold of his sleeve.
"Wait for me!"
The smile of Suki came out next to him like sunshine through clouds. Ryuzi attempted to pull his arm back, yet Suki merely clung even more.
"What?" Ryuzi muttered.
"Let's walk home together."
"No."
"Yes."
Ryuzi narrowed his eyes. Can you not listen?
Innocently Suki tilted his head. "Oh, I listened. I just chose not to."
Kenji and Aoi went past laughing before Ryuzi could even snap back.
"See? He is a stubborn man, I told you, Aoi teased.
Kenji whistled. Takeda, man, you got yourself a shadow.
Suki puffed up proudly. "Not a shadow--a friend!"
Ryuzi grumbled as he pulled a hand through his hair. "You're impossible."
The stroll back was silent, save to the incessant prattle of Suki. He indicated clouds, grumbled about cafeteria curry, and laughed at his own jokes. Ryuzi did not say a word but looked directly forward. But his pace slowed when Suki's shoelace came undone, giving him time to catch up. He would never confess that it was on purpose.
Suki suddenly gasped halfway along the park shortcut. "Hide-and-seek!"
Ryuzi blinked. "What?"
Suki had mischievous eyes. "Let's play! You will get melon bread tomorrow, if you can find me.
"I don't want melon bread."
"Too bad!" Suki laughed--and before Ryuzi could prevent him, he ran away into the woods and disappeared among the trunks.
Ryuzi sighed, rubbing his bridge of his nose. This idiot... But still his feet were moving forward and they searched the bushes and the benches.
No one was in the park, except a little way off, some distant bird. Ryuzi was muttering to himself, I have no time to lose on this, after a couple of minutes of searching.
But then--
"Boo!"
Suki came out behind a tree, and grinned. Ryuzi flinched, scowling. "Tch--"
"You should've seen your face!" Suki doubled over laughing. And so frightening, yet in fact--pfft--so simple to fool.
Ryuzi scowled and his ears were aching. "You're ridiculous."
Suki continued to chuckle and pulled on the sleeve of Ryuzi. "Come on, admit it. That was fun, right?"
"...No."
"Liar."
Ryuzi turned his head aside and suppressed the twitch with the corner of his lip. Damn him.
Suki repeated the story at dinner that evening at the Aoyama house.
So, there I was hiding behind a tree, and Ryuzi looked so serious as a detective--but then BAM! I sprang out, and he had really flinched!
His sisters broke out into laughter.
Oh, the Ice Prince was frightened with our Suki? Hana teased, smirking.
Emi sighed and applauded. Our sunshine crashed through the ice with hide and seek!
Rika wiggled her brows. You'll melt him next week--at this rate.
With a groan Suki buried his red face in his hands. "It's not like that!"
Yet though they laughed, and teased, he could not contain the feeling that was rising in his heart. Due to the fact that this time he felt that Ryuzi had not merely tolerated him, he had played along, even though he had never confessed it.
Ryuzi was sitting on his bed scrolling through his phone across town. There was a message to receive: a picture message.
It was Suki, with his peace sign smile before the park tree, the title saying: Rematch tomorrow?
Ryuzi looked at the photo, his lips twitching upwards and threw the phone aside.
"...Idiot," he muttered. But there was no bite in the word this time.