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“Here, you can borrow it.” The man with the dark hair casually throws the large, long object to his companion, who awkwardly catches it with both hands.
“Whoa!”
The other person sighs, taking a glance at what he held in his arms. “Your umbrella? I don’t need your charity! Like I really want your stuff, Crazy Knife—“
“Just take it.” He says sternly, giving an expression of ‘we are not talking about it.’ It's enough to make the man unnerved, zipping his lip shut before finishing his sentence.
“... Fine.” There is silence for a brief moment before the same voice speaks up once more, pink eyes peering over cautiously. “Are you sure it’s okay?”
The roar of thunder echoes out in the distance from where the two stood on the steps of the high school, the pitter patter of rain now rushing down harder than before. The man reaches a hand out from underneath their shelter, letting the water run down his palm. He grins, lifting up a brown briefcase to hold over his head. “Yeah, don’t worry about me. Make sure you have enough room under that umbrella for your boyfriend when he gets here!”
Said object nearly slips out from the other man's grasp, a very bright blush blossoming over his face. “S-Shut up!”
He’s been told time and time again that he needs to stop teasing everyone, but how could he when it was so easy to get a reaction? With a light chuckle, he steadies himself, as though beginning a foot race. “Well, I’m sure you know what they say about two people under an umbrella~! Say hi to the kid for me!” He shouts before stepping off, unable to hear the man’s shrilly reply back.
The rain hits harder than he anticipated, immediately soaking him from the tips of his short hair all the way down to his burgundy socks, his lab coat sticking to him like glue.
The briefcase does little to actually stall the rain in its tracks, only good enough to help him see where he was going with the wind thrashing about. The feeling of water all around him wasn’t bad, and honestly he doesn’t mind the rain. Sure, he’d prefer to watch it while indoors with a cup of hot coffee, but being out in it feels nice; it was almost refreshing in a way.
Besides, he won’t have to run for long. Not when he knows a certain someone was waiting for him a only few blocks away.
Hurriedly dashing across the street corners, he almost completely slips once or twice, quickly catching his balance before continuing on. As he rounds the next corner, he finds exactly who he was searching for standing next to a local grocery store. Exactly where she had said she'd be in her text.
With a pink umbrella in hand and staring up at the sky was a young woman. Her long, cream-colored hair was tied up in a ponytail and she wore a brightly-patterned raincoat with matching boots. The wind had died down some, but he could tell even she couldn’t fully escape the rain as the teal ends of her hair were damp. She must be worried about the plants back home as she was biting her bottom lip with a puzzled expression. Lighting struck somewhere nearby, illuminating her body as the sky trembled.
She was beautiful.
And if he wasn't standing out in the rain getting colder and colder like a fool, he would have liked to watch her from a distance for a little longer.
He takes a second to simply admire her before rushing off, nearly running right into her as he leaps under her umbrella. She must not have heard nor seen him, the rain too heavy and loud accompanied by thunder, as her first reaction was to recoil with a fist in the air while shrieking. As she moved back the umbrella hit him in the head, causing the man to groan at the impact while rubbing the sore spot with his hand. She looks up, her eyes finally meeting his.
“A-Amane-kun!?” She yells, moving closer so that they were both protected from the storm. Her maroon eyes studied him from top to bottom, no doubt filling up with worry at his state of being. It took a lot of self restraint to not pinch her cheeks in how adorable she was.
"Hi, Nene!" He replies cheerfully.
“Where’s your umbrella?! Didn't you have it this morning?” She chides him with a concerned voice.
Amane pretends to think for a moment. He knows Nene will only find out in due time, but right now he doesn’t want her to know he helped Mitsuba out. Besides, the kid will probably text her later about it. “Ah... I must’ve forgotten it back at the school.”
Immediately she dons a skeptical look on her face. “How could you have forgotten it when seeing this weather after school was over?”
He shrugs, not offering any more excuses. It takes Nene a few seconds to reach down into her pockets before taking out a blue handkerchief, reaching up and over to gently help dry his face. “You’re not a little kid anymore, you’ve got to be more careful!” Nene reprimands as she dabs the piece of cloth all over him, eyebrows knitted together.
She doesn’t realize it, but when she attacks like that he can’t help but stare at her with wide eyes. It catches him off-guard.
Never had he imagined that someone would come to care for him with as much love as Nene does, that he would ever find a place he wants to return to and keep coming back to for the rest of his days.
His whole life had been nothing but pain and misery until she appeared before him, not unlike a supernova. Her bright light enveloping him as his heart explodes with emotions and feelings he wasn’t familiar with. And before he knew it he was orbiting around her, selfishly seeking her out as often as possible. What Amane didn’t anticipate was that she would follow him right back. That she paid as much attention to him as he did to her. Wanted him, of all people.
The handkerchief makes contact with his cheek and he tenderly captures her hand in his, keeping it in place. He leans into their joined hands, smiling softly. He’ll keep gravitating towards her for as long as she’ll have him, and in return he’ll do everything he can to protect the light she emits.
“Thank you.” He says genuinely, enjoying how flustered she became.
However, it is in his nature to twist things suddenly, changing the course of the conversation before she's able to say something in return. “Though I don’t think I mind it if it means you get to take care of me.” He offers suggestively, raising an eyebrow.
Nene has been getting quicker with his actions and words when he starts to tease her, only missing a beat before saying with a straight face, “You’ll be taking care of yourself if you get sick.”
He knows she doesn’t mean it, understands that while she can and will put a foot down if he crosses a line, that she is far too kind and compassionate. Knows that she would probably be the one most distressed if he came down with an illness, forcing him to lie in bed as he has trouble staying still too long while sick. Despite everything, even though he doesn't deserve anything of what she gives, Nene would be right there with him.
And he loves her so, so much.
“Eh~ you’d be that mean to me?” He tries to sound hurt, bringing their hands down while reaching his other one holding his briefcase to his chest as though physically hurt from her words. Nene huffs, clutching their joined hands a little harder. “I will if I have to!”
She stops the fake act and smiles at him. Another flash of lighting brightens her features, the colors around them blurring together from the water raining down around them. He laughs, letting go of her hand to effortlessly take the umbrella. “Ahh, Nene is so scary~!”
They stand side by side as Nene replaces the briefcase with her own hand and slides next to him. It felt so warm compared to the cold, dark world that surrounded them as they slowly made their way home.
Amane couldn't be more content.