A really short one-shot for a shoujo cliché.
Kagerou Project belongs to Jin.
"It's raining!"
"I can see that." A part of her rolled her eyes, and another part found his enthusiastic words a little endearing. She looked like she was more than ready to go, and in truth, she was feeling that way. Spending the whole day with the dark clouds looming over them (a clear sign of the rain to come, although she chose to ignore them) was more than tiresome, despite the fact that she was, well, tired all the time in the first place.
She glances at him this time, an eyebrow raised at the boy who could do nothing but stare at the rain in wonder. There was something in his eyes; were they sparkling by any chance? She couldn't find a reason behind that – they've lived in the same town all their life, after all. Rain was pretty common among other things, so what was so good about shivering in the cold?
Even then, she can't help but take in his presence as they continued in the silence (that rhymed, she noted to herself). To put it simply, standing behind him was nothing but frightening. The feelings that had started up in her chest – no, they'd always been there – were acting up again, face heating up as if on cue.
It was just Haruka. Why was she so nervous to be here, all alone, taking cover from the rain at school…?
There's more to it now that I think about it…
"You have an umbrella, right?" A pause as the boy turns to look at her, broken from his rigid stature from watching the weather. A hand of her tightens around the straps of her bag, and a dash of irritation is mixed into her already-obvious embarrassment. "You have an umbrella, right?"
"Haha, about that…" And just like that, he smiled at her, although she could see through the act easily. (It's because I've been around him so much, isn't it?) "I thought it looked cloudy today, but…I didn't think it would rain!"
"Idiot, that's no excuse for…!" She pauses, a fist paused halfway from hitting her classmate. "W – well, I overslept, and even if I checked the weather I was in a rush, so…I guess I have no excuse, either."
"No way! You were tired!" There he goes again, standing up for her terrible, bitter self. His encouragement was tiring; can't he just accept the fact that she messed up all the time?
That was another thing she's noted. Even with all her faults, even with all her mistakes…Haruka stuck by her side. It felt like it wasn't an obligation; it seemed like he wanted to be with her, even when ninety percent of her irritation came from him opening his mouth and saying something stupid.
Even with all of the things that make Haruka so infuriating…she really did like him.
"Whatever." She pouts, looking away so he couldn't see just how humiliated she'd gotten when the thought crossed her mind. It was childish, which was a characteristic he had, not her. "So…do we just wait it out, or – "
She's interrupted with Haruka holding out his sweater, grinning that all-too familiar grin with a reassuring feel. Yet with the comforting notion it was supposed to give her, she had only felt her heart speed up more, changing glances from the sweater to him with every passing second.
"Use it!" He insists, pushing it in front of her with more force. Her hands land on the piece of clothing with no problem, but she jumps at how warm it was. Of course, he was wearing it, but… "I don't mind! Although it's pretty dirty already…"
"Idiot, you need it more than I do…!" She tries to push it back to him, but to no avail. Her face resembles that of her friend's infamous scarf, and even if she couldn't see her reflection right there and there, the rush of warmth was enough of an indication for the conclusion. "You'll get sick, you know…"
Sickness…it eluded both of them, but it was safe to say that she was more concerned about his health more than her own.
"I'm not asking you whether you want to use it or not." His voice is gentle, and now she finds herself looking at him straight in the eye, a feat she could never accomplish most of the time. He's persistent, and it showed in his face more than anything else. "I want you to use it."
"But – "
"Nope!" The sweater was then placed on her head, although bits of her pigtails poked out. "You're going to use it! I don't want you to get sick! We still have a few more days before winter break, right?"
A smile. That's what broke out her face when she finally stopped suppressing everything she's been, well, holding in. Those feelings that continuously swelled in her chest, and those feelings that continuously bugged her very existence…she didn't know she was into that kind of stuff.
"I guess…thanks, Haruka."
