Midnight Hours [PRG Hydra & Bittersweet]

Yushin could feel the tears sting in his eyes and he tried to blink them away, failing miserably. His lips trembled and he tried to shield his face once again, not wanting Riku to see it.

He let out a sob, tears starting to roll down his cheeks. ‘Why, Yushin Kobayashi? Why must you be so weak’ he cursed himself inwardly. Yushin never knew that his emotions could take such surprising turns. It was rather fascinating, how he managed to surprise himself. But the tears were uncalled for.

Yushin tried to wipe them away, but only more rolled out of the corners of his eyes. “That’s probably the nicest thing someone has ever said to me”, he admitted quietly, feeling rather ashamed. It hadn’t been a heartwarming compliment, not at all. But in Yushin’s ears it was just as good.

Riku's eyes widened in surprise once he saw that Yushin had started crying again. What kind of things was he used to hearing if he thought of Riku's words as nice?

He felt a pang of anger; not because of Yushin, but because of the people who hadn't been kind to him. Riku hadn't been that, either, but that was only because he hadn't known better. No wonder the guy was weird if other people avoided him. It didn't seem like he knew how to interact with people (not totally unlike Riku himself, who had trouble communicating with people without getting violent).

"Now, now. Stop crying, would you? Jeez, you huge softy", he said in a joking tone before standing up. He looked down at Yushin, resisting the urge to reach out and dry his tears.

"I will make sure to kick the rude ass Night Class students in the groin, if that's what you want. Just... stop crying, okay?"

He grabbed hold of Yushin's arm. "Let's go to the Sun Dormitory. You can stay there until your douchebag roommate unlocks your room."

Yushin got to his feet, looking down at the hand around his arm. His bottom lip trembled and he wiped the tears of his cheeks. Tears still continued to roll down his cheeks, but not as eagerly as before. “Kicking him in the groin will cause you trouble, Miyamoto-kun. I’d rather not see that happen because of someone like me. It’s not worth it”, he said, voice hoarse and unsteady.

The tone of his own voice made him want to roll down the stairs and slowly surrender to the hands of death. It wasn’t the clear and strong voice of an aristocrat and it made Yushin realize even more how useless he truly was. ‘It truly is, just like father said not so long ago. He should’ve gotten rid of me’, he thought. He was only a mere dust rat in the eyes of his father, and it made sense why.

“The Sun Dormitory? I couldn’t possibly show myself there, it’s disgraceful.”
‘Why does it matter Yushin? Bringing disgrace upon the Kobayashi family name is the only specialty that you possess. Follow him to the Sun Dormitory.’

He could clearly hear his father’s voice inside his head, laughing at him. His only son. Yushin had been told more than once of his ‘disgraceful behavior’. Yushin bit down on his tongue, looking at Riku with an insecure look on his face. “Are you sure, Miyamoto-kun? I can return to the Moon Dormitory and just wait until twilight, when our classes begin. It’s not a problem at all. I'll manage”, Yushin stuttered nervously. He didn't want to argue with Riku, he wanted nothing more than to slip into the Sun Dormitory. If that meant he could spend more time with Riku.

Riku frowned upon hearing his words. He couldn't think very highly of himself when he said things like that. His grip around Yushin's arm tightened.

"Don't be ridicolous, of course I'm sure", he said, looking into Yushin's eyes, his gaze unwavering. "I'm not the type of guy who says lots of stuff he doesn't mean. I only lie when it's necessary."

Biting on his lip, he got onto his tiptoes. Since the idiot wouldn't stop crying, Riku could no longer help himself. He carefully raised a hand to Yushin's face, gently stroking his cheek for a moment before wiping off the remaining tears with the sleeve of his uniform jacket. If someone had pointed out that his hand rested on Yushin's face a little longer than necessary, Riku would strongly have denied it.

"Uh", he said awkwardly, letting go of Yushin's arm. He could feel his face burn, so he turned around quickly and started to make his way down the stairs.

"Come on, Kobayashi, we ain't got all day!"

Yushin was left on the top of the stairs, staring into empty space with eyes open wide and lips parted in chock. He hadn’t expected such a gesture, and the fact that it had been Riku who’d acted it out confused him. Yushin had been rather convinced that the boy tried to avoid psychical contact as much as he could, if it didn’t involve planting his fist in someone else’s face. Yushin brought his hand to his cheek, touching the areas where the feeling of Riku’s touch still lingered.

He got to his senses when Riku’s steps grew more distant and he rushed after him down the stairs. The need to question Riku almost made him grab the other male by the collar, but he managed to keep his cool. If he hadn’t been mistaken, he caught a glimpse of the other male’s reddening cheeks. If the other was embarrassed, he didn’t want to interrogate him. Risking losing Riku wasn’t on Yushin’s list of what he wished to do in the near future. It hadn’t occurred to him that he was so lonely before he’d finally gotten to talk to someone. ‘Don’t leave me alone again, Miyamoto-kun.’

--

After what seemed like endless running and curious glares, they reached the Sun Dormitory. Yushin recognized the tree he’d been resting under, when he first “ran” into Riku Miyamoto. He really had stumbled into the wrong side of campus. It was unlikely that someone could be as unwary as Yushin. Coming to think of it made Yushin feel rather ashamed. Was it Riku who had made him aware of everything he managed to keep locked away before?

With a grimace, he looked over to the other male. “Are you still convinced that this is a good idea?”

"That depends on how you look at it, I suppose", Riku said, not quite meeting Yushin's eyes. He tried to act as casual as possible, but the fact that he had made a complete fool of himself just moments ago was hard to overlook. Riku just hoped Yushin wouldn't bring it up like, ever. "But if you're asking if I have changed my mind then no, I haven't."

He didn't miss the curious stares of the Day Class students they passed on their way to the Sun Dormitory, but since Riku fortunately had calmed down, his cheeks had regained their natural colour. If someone had caught sight of him blushing, he might just had to go on a killing spree.

Entering the building, he led the way to the room he shared with Katsuo. Feeling a bit cautious, he opened the door and peeked in. The room was a mess, just like he had left it this morning; books and clothes were scattered all over the floor and the blankets had been left unfolded, but Riku was relieved to find that it was empty of people.

He cast a glance over his shoulder. "Come right in."

Yushin wanted to say that the room was nice and tidy, but that would’ve been a lie. It was a mess, clothes and books laying around the floor – which made it almost impossible to move around freely. Despite that fact, Yushin walked in after Riku. He was careful not to step on something, and the task was very exhausting. When he got closer to the bed, he sat down on it breathing out.

“Sometime I’ll help you clean this mess, Miyamoto-kun” he admitted, looking at the floor with a small headshake. “How can you live like this?”

Riku closed the door after them before leaning against the nearest wall. He wouldn't apologize for the mess that was his and Katsuo's room, that wasn't his style. He did, however, smile at Yushin in an apologetic manner.

"I just sleep and study in here, so I don't see the point in that", he explained with a shrug. "You wanna sleep? Because I've got to head back to class soon, or else the teacher is going to be pissed at me." He made a gesture at the bed Yushin was seated on.

"That's my bed, you can take that one. You guys are usually asleep around this time of the day, right? So you better rest for a while, or you won't survive attending class later."

Yushin looked up from the floor, clearly spacing out. He eyed Riku as he spoke, but shortly after turned to the bed. The heat rose to his face which didn’t please him in any sort of way. That feeling lingering in the pit of his stomach shouldn’t be brought up or even acknowledged in the first place. He had no idea why sleeping in Riku’s bed made him feel like crawling into the darkest pit and just lay there and slowly starve and wither away, turn into dust.

“I think… I’ll manage one day without sleep”, he admitted, hand fisting in the sheets on the bed. ‘Why must you be so stubborn, Yushin’, he asked himself. He did feel very sleepy and rather dizzy from all the sunlight he’d “enjoyed” just earlier. “Or I’ll just doze off for a while, since you’re kind enough to offer such hospitality. How could I decline?” he rambled, lowering himself onto the bed. It was really warm and cozy and he wanted to sigh in pure delight. “Good luck in school for the rest of the day Miyamoto-kun. I’ll be gone by the time you get back, I promise”, he murmured as he closed his eyes. “Now, if you’re not going to leave come and sit down. You shouldn’t stand over there so gloomily.”

Riku considered it for a moment. He didn't feel like leaving, but if he could avoid getting into another awkward situation by doing so..."Yeah... I should probably leave", he decided.

Glancing over to where Yushin was resting on his bed, he felt his heart flutter in his chest. The other boy had closed his eyes, and the expression on his face looked peaceful. Seeing that brought Riku much relief, but his own reactions worried him.

'This can't be normal', he thought. He had never experienced this strange feeling before, this weird fondness. 'I barely know this guy. Is this a sign of insanity or some shit?'

Feeling distressed, Riku ran a hand through his blue hair. "I'm just overthinking things", he muttered under his breath in an attempt at reassuring himself. It didn't work.

"Well, I guess I'll see you around", he said, before leaving the room without looking back.

-----

"And then she was like: 'Katsuo-kun, not in public!' and I was like: 'Babe, come on' and eventually, she just gave in. She's way too good for me, I'm telling ya."

"Remind me of why I'm friends with you again."

"Ahw! Your kindness is as outstanding as ever, Miyamoto. I love you too, man."

Riku just rolled his eyes in response. Class was over, and they were on their way back to their room. He was tired, extremely so, and Katsuo just kept blabbering on about nonsense like his girlfriend, who Riku honestly didn't give a fuck about.

"Just shut up, would you? I want to bury myself in pillows and not wake up for like, a week", Riku said, stifling a yawn. Katsuo gave a short laugh and pulled open the door.