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It was raining.
Suoh noticed he forgot his umbrella at home when the first drops fell. If he was sensible, he would have rushed to the beyblade club right after his classes, or he would have borrowed one from someone. But Suoh wasn't known for being sensible.
So he was here, standing outside in the rain, thinking. As alone as he deserved to be.
Some students casted weird glances at him as they walked past him. He kind of understood them: what sort of impression was he giving? He was near the beyblade club, he could just walk in and he would be safe from the rain. But then, that would mean facing everyone.
Facing Fubuki.
Now that the whole thing with Aiga's dark resonnance was over, Suoh had all the time in the world to remember what happened… and especially how he acted towards his teammates.
He remembered how he spoke to Toko when he was playing against Ranjiro's friends. He remembered how he acted during Luinor's Cup. He remembered the response he gave Fubuki when he told him he still considered him as his best friend.
He remembered the sad expression Fubuki tried to hide from him.
Suoh had become so untrustworthy that even his dearest friend had to refrain his emotions in front of him, because he felt he would laught at him. And maybe Suoh would have, considering how determined he was to push Fubuki away.
Why did he act like this?
He didn't even know himself. Fubuki was getting stronger, and this created a gap between them that Suoh had no idea how to fill. New people were coming to the club, the scales of the game were changing, everything was becoming so different. It wasn't 'Suoh and Fubuki against the rest of the world' anymore. It would never be again.
So he acted like a douchebag to the person he cared the most about. Now that Aiga didn't need his help to defeat Phi anymore, Suoh had no reason to come back to the club.
Fubuki deserved better than a best friend who treated him so badly because he couldn't handle his feelings for him.
Toko always seemed uneasy when he was here. Nika looked at him with suspicious eyes. Both Ranjiro and Aiga didn't like him. Everyone else never spoke to him more than a few seconds.
Maybe it would be better for everyone if he didn't come back. There was no way they would welcome him like nothing ever happened.
Suoh finally started moving away from the club when a way too familiar voice called for his name.
"Suoh!"
Of course Fubuki had to see him just before he left. He was like some of the wildflowers that Suoh sometimes used when practicing ikebana: present even where one least expected to see him. Like in the ship, when he joined in the middle of the competition.
Suoh could have pretended not to hear him and walked away. But there was a second— just a mere second — when he hesitated, for Fubuki was even more familiar to him than his own home, and it was so hard for him to walk away from him. That second was enough for Fubuki to catch up with him, an umbrella held up above his head.
"What are you doing in the rain?" Fubuki asked, a gentle sense of worry in his voice. "You'll catch a cold if you stay in there."
The Suoh he was back then would have retorted something like: 'stop acting like you know everything'. The Suoh he was now didn't respond.
"Are you okay?" Fubuki worried again. "You look sad. Did something happen?"
"No." That was the only word Suoh had the strenght to pronounce right now.
"… Then why are you just standing here? Are you waiting for someone? Oh, right, sorry, I should have done that before…" Fubuki realised before moving the umbrella so that it would shield them both from the rain.
The raindrops patted against the umbrella; it was the only sound between them for a moment. Fubuki broke the silence first.
"You know, I may be wrong, but… I noticed that since Aiga beated Phi, you're distancing yourself from us. And, you probably have your reasons, I don't want to pressure you to explain them, but… You know that if something is on your mind, you can tell me about it. If you want to, of course."
Here he was again, with that unbearable kindness of his. Eveything would be so much easier if Fubuki could be as harsh with him as he was with Aiga when that idiot arrived.
"Why are you so kind to me?" He didn't mean to ask that. He should have stayed quiet, but the words escaped before he could think.
"What? Why wouldn't I? You're my friend."
Of course it was that easy for Fubuki. It always was. It wasn't him who had been so mean for absolutely no reason and now didn't know how to process his guilt.
Fubuki looked at him, his red eyes glowing with an unknown emotion. "You're dear to me, Suoh." he clarified. "I'm aware of how you are, you know. I don't want you to change or to become a polished version of yourself. Even though I don't always understand you, I don't want you to feel bad about something I forgave you a long time ago."
Suoh froze. "How did you…" He couldn't finish.
"Shu told me I have a good intuition." Fubuki smiled.
A gentle caress brushed against Suoh’s cheek. He only had to turn his head towards Fubuki to see that it was his hand, whilst his best friend – did that word still apply to him? – was smiling tenderly at him.
"You can always come to me when you feel bad or lost, Suoh. I'll always welcome you, no matter what happened in the past."
The next moment, he moved closer, without taking his hand away from Suoh’s face. He kissed him, and when Suoh returned the kiss, Fubuki welcomed it, exactly as he said he always would. Which made Suoh believe him.