Work Text:
"Free at last!"
Shouta set his backpack down by the door quietly as he observed Oboro's outburst to his right. He rolled his eyes as his friend practically catapulted himself onto his bed, eyes closed in bliss.
"It's the weekend, not a release from prison," Shouta said flatly, standing in front of him.
"Sure feels like it. With exams coming up, I was worried they were going to lock us in or something."
"Maybe you," Shouta quipped back without any real heat.
Oboro tched at him. "We can't all be nerds. Some of us need to coast by on our charisma."
"Hmm. You better get charisma then. The year's almost over."
Shouta had about three seconds to feel proud of his comeback before Oboro's foot snaked out and wrapped around his knee to pull him onto the bed. He collapsed with a mild shout of surprise— not a yelp- sprawled his legs across Oboro, who had descended once more into a fit of laughter.
Despite the cross look on his face, he relaxed against the comforter. He had always liked Shirakumo's house the most. His own was empty, more often than not.It wasn't that his parents didn't care— they were just busy, practical people, and they trusted Shouta to take care of himself, especially as he progressed through high school. It was rational, and he was too old to need his hand held through basic life skills.
Even if his heart squeezed a little painfully when Shirakumo's mother slid him an extra piece of toast on the mornings he slept over. Or that time when he'd told Hizashi he wouldn't be in class because he had a fever and practically the whole Yamada famuiy was at his doorstep, armed with more medicine and treats than he could have possibly used. These were nice, but they weren't necessary.
Still, as much as he lov- liked Hizashi, and his family, his house could be a bit much. There were always people talking over each other, music playing. When they were alone, Hizashi was usually able to figure out when Shouta needed a break, and Shouta was able to remind him when he wasn't (usually by keeping him in a headlock until he shut up), but Oboro's house was peaceful, without a real need to fill the silence.
"Shame Hizashi couldn't make it, huh?"
Shouta looked up, pulled out of his reverie and a little unnerved at how Oboro has managed to read his melancholy thoughts. "Yeah. I guess."
Oboro snorted. "You guess? So that wasn't your pining face?" he said, wiggling his eyebrows.
Shouta shoved him with his shoulder. "Shut up." Telling Oboro about his stupid crush had been the most idiotic mistake of his life. It wasn't like there was anything he could do about it, not without ruining their friendship.
Oboro groaned. "Are you just going to give me the same speech about not ruining your friendship again?"
"If I do, will you finally get it?"
"No. Because it's not, and you're being an idiot. He likes you. Everyone with eyes can see that."
"It'll pass."
"You make it sound like you have a cold."
"We're seventeen. People don't find…whatever in high school. It's not a movie."
"Sometimes they do. My folks did."
Shouta wanted to spit out something cruel that would end the conversation, something like we can't all be perfect or we can't all live in a fantasy world. But he'd never been able to push Oboro away— not really. Hizashi was easy to brush off, regardless of his feelings, because of how he laughed everything off. Oboro was too earnest for the mockery to feel satisfying.
"I'm not you."
"Of course you're not. You're Shouta. And you're stuck with us." Oboro smiled again. "Being with each other doesn't mean you won't still be best friends. It just means you'll stop making sad wet eyes at each other and actually be able to kiss each other's faces off."
Shouta kicked his leg out, making Oboro laugh. "You're gross."
"I'm not gross! You want to kiss him."
Shouta's cheeks grew stupidly warm as he pushed away the thought of kissing Hizashi. "Are you actually twelve?"
"Doesn't matter. I'm right," Oboro said with another smug grin.
"…shut up," Shouta said, but it was a hollow protest and he relaxed against the pillows, suddenly exhausted from this conversation.
The next morning, they woke early, as they had a busy day at their work study, patrolling Tasomiya Ward. He gave a shy smile as Oboro's mother gave him an extra bento box she had saved for him for lunch.
As they headed out the door, Oboro saying something cheerful Shouta couldn't really focus on, he thought about the conversation they'd had the night before.
Maybe he would tell Hizashi. Maybe after they went home for the day.