Chapter Text
‘‘Amami-kun, you know I can take care of you just fine." Kaede whined and flopped down on the matt that lay by his bed. "My mother always takes care of me when I am sick."
Rantarou started to cough and covered his mouth, wrinkling his nose as his throat began to feel dry. He cleared it before he spoke, "are you trying to act like my mother then?" He snickered.
Kaede blinked and rubbed her chin in thought, actually taking his half-of-a-joke question into consideration. Not that he didn't expect it; he sort of did. But even if he anticipated it, he couldn't help the sloppy smile from forming. "Yep!"
He gave her a blank look and started to rub the side of his neck. He slightly tilted his head to the side, sort of fascinated with the determination she displayed. "You know we are the same age, right?" He raised both of his brows mockingly, his glasses glinting.
"Yeah I know, so what?" Kaede scuffed and picked up the hair tie from the desk. She rolled the sleeves of her school uniform and gave him the thumbs up all while she grinned.
It was quite reassuring, Rantarou silently thought, to have her by his side like this.
"It shouldn't matter. I will take care of you so stop whining already. Auntie herself told me I should if you happened to be sick while she was at work. We run into each other earlier and she asked me to come over."
He sighed, slightly disappointed. “So you’re only here because you were following her request?”
Kaede shook her head and took a couple of strides to stand beside him, dishevelling his hair with her fingers before she gently shoved his head to the side. A little gasp of surprise escaped his lips, sounding a little choked because of his blocked nose. She laughed, ruffling just a little more to feed on her amusement. How childish, he momentarily thought, before he gently shoved her hand away. Which wasn't much because of the cold. “Of course, I wouldn’t be here just because she told me to. Don’t be ridiculous. I would come whether I was asked to or not.” She continued and snorted as she stared at his messy hair. “Anyways," she clapped her hands together. "I will go out to buy some stuff. Anything in particular that you want?”
He shook his head. “Anything will do.” He answered and Kaede grinned, raising both of her thumbs before she exited the room.
“Ah, wait Akamatsu-san,”
The voices were so damn loud.
“Yeah?” She asked, her head peeking through the door frame.
“Did you ever want something more between yourself and a friend?”
She blanched.
"Are you flirting with me?"
“I was just asking, dont’t start making up fairy tales in your head.” He muttered and wrinkled his nose. “I would never.”
“You’re more sick than I thought you were,” she laughed. “Just go to sleep Amami-kun.”
-x-
The second time he’d attempted to subtly transmit his feelings was during recess. The two sat in the empty classroom while most of their friends had gone out to play outside. However, Rantarou and Kaede stayed behind since they were tossing notes back and forth during class and got caught in the end. Kaede sighed and crossed her arms, frustrated.
“Why the long face? He asked, amused.
“I shouldn’t have started this,” she groaned and dropped her head on the table.
“Yeah, maybe you shouldn’t have.” He replied, subtly leaning forward to examine her forehead to see if it had reddened.
She glared in silence and he laughed, lifting his hands up in his defence and batted his eyelashes in innocence. Sighing, she lifted her head to look outside. His eyes followed her gaze and they landed on Tsumugi. She and another person stood by a tree as the person in front of her passed her a piece of paper.
“How cute,” she commented, her fist resting on her cheek. Rantarou tilted his head.
“What’s so cute about passing a paper to someone else?” He asked, curious, his eyes remaining on the two who were now exchanging small words.
“That’s a confession, you know?” She replied, holding back a laugh as if it was weird he hadn't thought of that. “I like it when people confess through their writing. I mean, the fact that they pure all their feelings on a paper is pretty cool. I like it.”
Rantarou nodded his head and nibbled on his bottom lip. “Even if that person was to be me?”
Kaede raised her eyebrows. He thought she didn’t take him seriously and it really showed. Her fingers tapped on the desk and her eyes glistened. Not because she was touched or anything. She looked amused.
“As if that would happen.”
His heart ached. “Definitely not.”
“Just don’t try to pull a prank on me.” She laughed, nudging him.
He smiled. “I wouldn’t.”
-x-
Coming to this conclusion took weeks of contemplating. From backing out to going in. Wrinkled up papers, bad wording, setbacks. But thinking of her — thinking of Kaede, she could only react two ways. That's what Amami convinced himself with. Kaede would either replicate his feelings or would generously decline his confession. Then perhaps things could go back to the way they were, sans mentioning the awkwardness they would have to face in the beginning. A strong friendship couldn't possibly be ruined by making a confession right?
That’s what he’d been telling himself all along, but he definitely hadn’t expected this from Kaede. Of all things.
The once neatly and delicately folded up paper had been crumpled up and the envelope was shredded into little tiny pieces as it covered the surface of the rubbish bag beside the corner of the shoe lockers. Rantarou directed his gaze towards the entrance of the building in hopes of locating Kaede, since they’d normally walked home together and waited for him there. But she was no where to be seen.
Rantarou shook his head, dispersing the cloud that had formed a fog in his head and looked back at the bin, pulling out the wrinkled up paper. He dared himself to scan it one more time with a clenched jaw, then decided to throw it back inside.
Was him confession really that terrible? Would it harm their bond for good? He wondered, biting at the end of his nails.
“Tarou-kun?”
Rantarou started. Of course he recognised the voice right away, but even if he did, he couldn't bring himself to look at her. Not yet. He buckled up his shoulders and walked straight past her shoulders before he could change his mind.
He was willing to give her a listen, however not for the time being.
“Wait Taro—” Kaede stopped herself. Rantarou didn't say anything, but after he walked far enough to reach the entrance of the school, he dared take a glance behind him and sure enough, she wasn't there anymore.