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Karamatsu hadn’t expected to take so long getting ice cream.
Well, okay, maybe he was stalling a little. Just a little. It’s not like it’s almost dark out or anything. He thought that he should probably go home soon, after all, he wouldn’t want to keep his flower waiting for him. Well… perhaps she wouldn’t mind if he stayed out a bit longer. All he had done was wander around aimlessly for a few hours before finally stopping by the convenience store to get the ice cream.
Karamatsu just didn’t know where he went wrong with his flower. Of course, that isn’t to say he didn’t find her beautiful. To him, every woman (and person for that matter) was beautiful in their own way! He wasn’t one to judge someone based on things as petty as appearance or personality.
But… maybe some people he just wasn’t compatible with. Like this one. All of the pushing and harassing and threats… it just wasn’t his style. He didn’t like it at all. But he couldn’t just leave her, oh no. Karamatsu firmly believed that everyone was deserving of love, and to refuse to give that love would go against the Karamatsu Protocol™!
A break was all he needed. Just a break.
As he made his way down the darkening street, he couldn’t help but wonder how things were going with Chibita. Since he got a flower fairy of his own, at least he wouldn’t be alone anymore. Karamatsu felt that he understood exactly how Chibita felt when he heard him talk about being lonely. In fact, he had been on his way to the oden stand to keep Chibita company before he saw the flower fairy was already there.
Despite his outlandish “cool” persona, he really did care about Chibita’s well-being and wanted to help him as much as he could. It was the least he could do after the kidnapping incident. And even though they hadn’t been able to get Karamatsu’s heartless brothers to care any more for him, it still was nice that for once, somebody actually listened to him and, well, cared about him.
But now that Chibita had someone to mingle with, was it possible that he would just forget about Karamatsu?
...No, impossible! Life wouldn’t be that cruel to Karamatsu, right?
He chuckled nervously to himself as he approached the next corner. The street lights above had flickered on a while ago, but he was so lost in his thoughts he probably didn’t notice. Now he was near the park, which wasn’t too far from home, thankfully. The ice cream he was carrying would likely melt before too long.
Karamatsu was about to round the corner when he heard sobbing. The voice sounded painfully familiar, and part of him didn’t want to face whatever was on the other side of the street. However, as Karamatsu, it was his duty to never ignore those in distress. He sucked in his breath, slowly let it out, and rounded the corner.
Sure enough, illuminated in the yellow street light with his face buried in his knees was Chibita. His body trembled with each hiccuping sob, and Karamatsu could see the tear stains on his clothes even from a distance.
Slowly, Karamatsu walked towards Chibita. He had never seen Chibita cry before - not since they were kids - so he didn’t really know what to expect. Everyone cried differently, right? He cleared his throat.
“Chibita, are you alri--”
The words caught in his throat as he got closer, immediately seeing the source of his friend’s sorrow right beside him. There was no mistaking it - the once vibrant blue petals belonging to the flower fairy were now brown and wilted. Chibita’s flower fairy was gone.
“Oh…” Karamatsu stood awkwardly before Chibita, raising his arms and then lowering them again, trying to come up with the best way to offer comfort. Since he never had to deal with the death of a loved one, he wasn’t sure what to do. So, he tried imagining what he would feel like if one of his brothers died…
Oh, man. He felt terrible just thinking about it. Still, even if he knew how Chibita felt, his mind was frantic as he tried to think of ways to give consolation.
“I, uh.. um,” Karamatsu stuttered into the silence (Chibita had quieted down once he knew someone was there,) but before he could say anything else, Chibita sniffled and raised his head, not looking at Karamatsu but acknowledging him.
“J-Just go away, idjit. You don’t.. have to see me like this…”
And suddenly, Karamatsu’s mind clicked. He reached into the pockets of his hoodie and pulled out his sunglasses, swiping them onto his face in a flash and leaning against the wall beside him.
“Heh… and leave my friend to suffer alone?” He smiled a little, thought it was mostly forced. If this didn’t work he didn’t wanna be like a grinning fool.
Chibita groaned and curled himself tighter into a ball. “Karamatsu, please…”
Karamatsu swore he could a hint of amusement in his friend’s voice, and it gave him the courage to continue. He folded his arms and gazed up into the starry sky.
“And ‘tis my faith,” He spoke softly, enough that Chibita raised his head again and this time looked at Karamatsu. “that every flower enjoys the air it breathes.”
Utter silence followed, and Karamatsu was dying inside. Would Chibita enjoy the quote that he conveniently had on hand? Would it make him feel better? He dared to glance down and see Chibita staring at him. He wasn’t crying anymore, but the intense gaze of his puffy red eyes sort of unnerved Karamatsu.
“Where… did that come from?” The softness in Chibita’s voice was the complete opposite of his facial expression and it only left Karamatsu more confused.
“Eh? Well, I um, read it in a book once, of course!” He fidgeted with his sunglasses as he struggled to maintain his composure.
“No, ya idjit! I mean, what did you say that for?” There was the Chibita he knew. Impatient and barking like a mad dog.
“Oh!” Karamatsu decided to stop the act for the moment and he took the sunglasses off, staring at the sidewalk a bit sheepishly. “I just wanted to cheer you up, that’s all.”
“Well, it’s gonna take more than that you know.” Chibita grumbled and tore his gaze away from Karamatsu. “Idjit.”
With a sigh, Karamatsu slid down the wall and hit the ground with a slump, running a hand through his hair. Cheering people up was harder than he thought! And he was all out of ideas…
Well, almost.
“Do you want some ice cream?” He held out the plastic bag towards Chibita with a grin on his face. “It’s Baagen Dazs . I hear the ladies will die without this stuff.”
Chibita huffed. Though he couldn’t quite process his thoughts yet, it meant a lot to him that Karamatsu was at least trying to help him. “Alright, fine. There’s spoons in my oden cart. But after that I want you to leave, idjit!” Of course, Chibita didn’t mean it. He really did enjoy the company in a time like this.
Karamatsu’s smile grew wider and he chuckled to himself. As long as he could make Chibita even a little happy, he didn’t mind getting murdered by his flower girl over it.