(no subject)
haruto/koyomi. childhood friend au
She was crying, he thought, even as she kept her lower lip firmly between her teeth to keep it from trembling.
"You're hurt," he mumbled.
She shook her head. "You're the one bleeding," she pointed out - and as if to prove her point, she pressed her handkerchief to the side of his mouth, making him cry out softly.
"I'm sorry," she said quickly, withdrawing the offending piece of cloth. "But, Haruto, you shouldn't have... promise me you wouldn't do that again?"
"They were teasing you," he said simply, rising to his feet. "They pushed you, Koyomi." He refrained from glancing at her dirtied, muddied skirt. If only he'd come sooner; they wouldn't have any chance of attacking Koyomi. If only he'd fetched her earlier--
It was ultimately his fault, he knew. Haruto was furious with himself, but kept silent.
"But what if-- what if they punched you again?"
He shrugged, threw a carefree smile at her. "I'll just fight back - like I did now."
"Don't be an idiot," she said, glaring at him. "They always outnumbered you--"
"You don't trust me to protect you?" Somehow, that ended up stinging more than the punch did.
"I just wish that you don't have to," she said, looking down at her feet.
Haruto smiled at her. "Well, even if I don't have to - I will."
"Haruto," she admonished him, even as she fought to keep herself from smiling.
"Hey," he said, taking her smaller hand in his. "I promised you, didn't I?"
She was crying, he thought, even as she kept her lower lip firmly between her teeth to keep it from trembling.
"You're hurt," he mumbled.
She shook her head. "You're the one bleeding," she pointed out - and as if to prove her point, she pressed her handkerchief to the side of his mouth, making him cry out softly.
"I'm sorry," she said quickly, withdrawing the offending piece of cloth. "But, Haruto, you shouldn't have... promise me you wouldn't do that again?"
"They were teasing you," he said simply, rising to his feet. "They pushed you, Koyomi." He refrained from glancing at her dirtied, muddied skirt. If only he'd come sooner; they wouldn't have any chance of attacking Koyomi. If only he'd fetched her earlier--
It was ultimately his fault, he knew. Haruto was furious with himself, but kept silent.
"But what if-- what if they punched you again?"
He shrugged, threw a carefree smile at her. "I'll just fight back - like I did now."
"Don't be an idiot," she said, glaring at him. "They always outnumbered you--"
"You don't trust me to protect you?" Somehow, that ended up stinging more than the punch did.
"I just wish that you don't have to," she said, looking down at her feet.
Haruto smiled at her. "Well, even if I don't have to - I will."
"Haruto," she admonished him, even as she fought to keep herself from smiling.
"Hey," he said, taking her smaller hand in his. "I promised you, didn't I?"