Chapter Text
Love is a great thing, and often, great things come at the expense of even greater prices.
It’s something extreme - it can either kill you or give you life. A double-edged sword, if you may, but one that leaves absolutely no room for negotiations.
Beautiful, sincere, and unyielding is what it is, but in some instances, utterly unforgiving.
Beautiful was how it was in the way his calloused fingertips caressed your skin, his hands rough but attentive and oh so careful in the way he groped your flesh. It’s a word that couldn’t possibly encompass the entirety of what he’s capable of making you feel, but one that best describes the experience if you try to present it in a single breath.
Sincere was how it was in the way he became a friend to you - one that held so much genuineness despite the unusual addition to the dynamics of your relationship with him. It’s how it was, and still is, in how he prioritized your safety and comfort above all else. And it’s how it is in the way he’s been nothing but there, always ready to extend a helping hand, to become a shoulder to cry on, to lend an ear that would listen, and to be the warmth that would chase the cold away.
Unyielding is how it is in the way he assures you that no matter what happens, there will always be a special place for you in his heart.
In all the time you’ve known Bokuto Koutarou, you’ve always known that he’s a star - one that burns bright, especially in your eyes. And when you stood beside him to bask in his warmth, you failed to notice the little significant details being overshadowed by his blinding light.
You weren’t lovers. You were friends who trusted one another; friends who just so happened to also feel other things and acted on them. And as you stand some distance away from your Kou who’s currently wrapped in the arms of another, you’re harshly reminded of that one last thing you perfectly knew could also describe love.
Utterly unforgiving.
It’s what you see. It’s what you feel.
And it’s the consequence you’re facing for allowing yourself to become so deeply in love with him.
When you fell for him, you fell hard. So loved did you feel that you became blinded to the clear distinction you agreed upon.
So smitten by his love were you, that you neglected to understand that what he was feeling was entirely different from what you were feeling - still feeling.
To him, you’re a friend. One he held so dear that he allowed you to see him bare, trusted you enough with his vulnerabilities and confidences to allow himself to be held by you.
Your relationship opened his eyes to how deep friendships could really be with enough faith and trust between two people. But to you, it serves as nothing but a reminder of what you once had, but couldn’t keep holding on to.
It’s a reminder that it was you and you alone who fell for the other and not the other way around.
Now, as you stand some distance away from him - because your place isn’t by his side anymore...
Now, as you gaze at his adoring smile directed upon somebody else - someone who's not you...
Now, more than ever, you’re reminded of how Bokuto Koutarou is the protagonist of his own world.
But too bad for you because in his story, you’re not a protagonist.
You’re merely one of the side characters - the one who had to suffer to make way for the proper narrative; the one who had to be burned to make way for the real relationship.
A mere placeholder, the one who was at the receiving end of his affection before the perfect match for him came along.