Chapter Text
"Stupid, stupid stupid stupid!!" Valt shouted as he smacked his pillow with both fists.
Valt had run home after school in record speed and fell onto his bed, after he had announced that he was back and had taken off his shoes. He couldn't forget what happened earlier, could not forgive himself for staying still and not doing anything after waiting for years to hear those simple words...
"Stupid Shu," Valt murmured into his pillow. "Why did you have to leave...?"
Valt never thought that this would happen.
For as long as the two of them knew each other, he and Shu Kurenai had been attached at the hip. Whenever they were together, Valt was constantly surrounded in warmth: not too hot or cold. It was a good feeling.
Over the past few months, Shu had been acting strange for a while - Valt couldn't pinpoint exactly when it started, but something felt off ever since their last battle in the Beigoma City regional tournament.
Lately, they hadn't been meeting each other as often at school. Valt was surprised to find out that Shu had not been practicing Beyblade on the rooftop as usual; he was never there to have lunch with during breaks either. When he asked the Bey Club about his best friend’s whereabouts, none of them could give him a proper answer. The only time Valt could really see him was during classes, when they sat next to each other as usual.
Shu wasn't the type to give excuses or lie, but Valt knew from years of being close to him that the other boy never asked for help with anything, and would push people away before they found out what was troubling him. Valt began to subconsciously notice little things, like how Shu would avoid his gaze when they talked, how he would excuse himself to go somewhere whenever they were alone together, how he sometimes just smiled faintly and said nothing, sometimes with this pained look on his face...
Valt had heard later from some classmates that Shu was practicing even harder for the next national tournament, and that he was doing this in secret without telling anyone where he was or when he was practicing. Lately the practice hours had gotten longer and more rigorous; there were even rumours that some of the bey dishes had been destroyed during practices.
And then last week, Shu arrived at school with several cuts and bruises across his face and arms, and he had wordlessly sat down in the seat across from Valt's without so much as a greeting.
It felt like Shu was drifting further away from him each day.
And it hurt.
"Shu, what's going on?" Valt demanded.
It was already late afternoon and Valt had cornered his childhood friend in the locker room when most of the other kids had already gone home. Rantarou had wanted to go home together but Valt told the blonde to go ahead without him, saying that he wanted to "sort things out with that stubborn jerk".
It hurt that Valt had to resort to such antics to even get the other boy to stay in the same room as him, and that his best friend since just about forever wouldn't even look at him.
"Nothing," Shu replied curtly as he closed his eyes.
"Don't joke with me. I know you've been acting weird lately, going home without me and avoiding me like I did something horrible to you." Valt said. He wanted to cry but he couldn't - not now.
"It doesn't matter. You don't need to be worried about something like that." Shu replied.
"It doesn't matter," Valt echoed lowly, trembling as his hands balled into fists so hard that the knuckles turned white. "Just who do you think I am...?"
Shu did not respond as he opened his eyes to look down at the shorter boy.
"Do you know how damn worried I've been?!" Valt shouted. "I'm not stupid, Shu. I've seen the marks on your skin lately. Why have you been training so much? The next tournament is only in six months!!"
"It's clear that you're not just training for the sake of winning now," Valt continued. "Because you're trying to distract yourself from whatever's bothering you, and you're pushing people away again before they can help. It pisses me off!!"
Not receiving a response, Valt continued, this time in a quieter tone. "You don't have to tell me what's wrong, but if you're upset because of something I did... I'm so, so sorry. The last thing I want is for you to hate me, Shu..." Valt whispered shakily. He was horrified when his eyesight blurred and - oh God, what was that sound that just echoed in the room? Surely he wasn't... oh but he was...
Somehow the silence turned to sobs, and within seconds Valt found himself collapsed on the floor and desperately wiping at the liquid that just wouldn't stop dripping down. Everything hurt, inside and out, and he was tired - tired of being pushed away, tired of feeling cold and empty and-
"Valt... I could never hate you." Shu said quietly, making the other boy's breath hitch.
"You... you don't...?" Valt asked tearfully.
A small smile spread across Shu's face as he knelt down to wipe some of the tears off the other boy's face with his thumbs. "I couldn't... you're too important to me." he repeated softly.
Valt's face burned at the contact and he sniffed before finally grinning weakly. "I'm so glad..."
Shu smiled back, his right thumb gently tracing over the boy's red face mark. "I'm sorry, Valt, for making you worry..."
"It's okay," Valt replied with a sniff. "But... why?"
Shu remained silent, his hand never leaving Valt's face. They stayed still for several minutes, sitting on their knees in front of each other, before Shu closed the gap and wrapped his arms around the smaller boy.
Another few minutes passed, and neither boy dared to do anything to break the silence. That familiar feeling Valt had of being surrounded by warmth returned, but somehow this feeling was different: brighter... newer, even.
As they remained in the same position, that moment had gradually been ingrained into Valt's mind. Later at home he'd remember the strands of silvery-white hair that tickled his jaw, the familiar arms around his waist, the feeling of the other boy's chin nestled on his shoulder like a perfect puzzle piece, and the warmth that ghosted over the side of his neck as the words were whispered faintly:
“Because I love you. I’m sorry.”
And then Valt would also remember the moment Shu had pushed himself off and walked out of his sight, leaving him speechless and frozen in place.