Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, own the series of Loveless or the characters therein. …Nope. … -pets Ritsuka's ears and runs- XD
Kio…
Kio: always joking, always making advances, always and forever simply… Kio. He was the kind of guy you'd seen a hundred times, and walked away from a hundred times. He's the type you can always easily recognize and ignore, but… was that all there was? Was Kio just Kio? Soubi thought he knew the student more than anyone else before, and at times, it irritated him to no end.
Kio never really did like Soubi's position as a fighter unit, and he was furious when Seimei's younger brother took up Soubi's reigns again. He tried to blow the kid off, to make fun of him. Somehow, he hoped Ritsuka would give up on Soubi and the blonde would finally be free to live a life for himself! …But he never did. No matter how much it hurt them both, they never broke apart, and it only made Kio upset. But… after a while, he learned to push it down, and the kid didn't bother him nearly as much anymore. Of course, Kio would do anything Soubi asked, no matter how weird it was or how much he didn't like it…
The same went for that day, when Soubi called him on his cell for a ride. Apparently, the two of them had been in a battle- which they won, of course- but Ritsuka collapsed shortly after. So, gritting his teeth, Kio grabbed his keys and drove out to get them. He sort of felt bad for the kid, getting so worn out and all, but he still didn't approve of him. He picked them up, staying silent, and even waited outside Ritsuka's house as Soubi snuck the boy back into his room. When the blonde returned to the car, he sighed and brushed his hair out of his way.
"Thanks for the ride, Kio."
"Sure. But you owe me!"
"Oh? What is it you want?"
"Heh heh… don't get me started!"
"Kio… I told you, I'm not a pervert."
"Psh." Kio shrugged it off. "How about you treat me to dinner, then?" After a minute, Soubi leaned back in his seat, smiling softly.
"Dinner I can do."
Kio was happy to spend time with Soubi. It was like he was his only friend, and so he treasured him deeply. He was really glad he would get to spend more time with him that day, but when Soubi said he would treat him, Kio didn't guess that he'd lead him to a convenient store. He tried to hide his emotions and his fidgeting as he stood stiffly in the isle, waiting for Soubi to pick out what he wanted. But the fighter was taking his damn sweet time.
"Soubi, this isn't what I had in mind, cheapskate!"
"Don't complain. A home-cooked meal is better tasting and better for you…"
"In that case, why not just go to a normal store?"
"This is good enough."
"I don't like it here…" He hadn't actually meant to say that aloud, but it made Soubi raise his head in confusion. It was only then that he started to notice the other student's nervous behavior. As if his wandering eyes and clenched fists weren't bad enough, every time someone came through the door, a bell would ring and make Kio jump.
"Kio… What's the matter with you?"
"I don't want to be here, okay?"
"It's just a convenient store. I'm sure you've been before."
"I KNOW! Don't treat me like Ritsuka! I'm not a child!"
"Well you're acting like one." He said, very matter-of-factly. This made Kio fume.
"Look, I prefer to do my shopping at a normal store, that's all!"
Someone else entered, making Kio jump and whip his head around to look, and though it was strange, Soubi didn't mention any more about it. He hurriedly finished his shopping and paid for the food before leaving the store with Kio. They got into the car but Kio didn't start it right away. In fact, as soon as he closed his door, his hands went to the wheel, along with his head. He didn't even bother putting his seatbelt on. …He just sat there for a long time, pressing his forehead into the steering wheel, breathing heavily. Now, Soubi was starting to worry. This wasn't like Kio's normal behavior. This wasn't silly, annoying, imposing, extroverted Kio… this was someone almost the opposite. After quite some time of sitting and staring, Soubi decided to take action and he reached over to set a hand on his friend's shoulder. He jumped.
"Kio… are you okay?"
"Fine…" He choked out. Kio's voice was giving out, and it didn't go unnoticed.
"Kio, you don't sound well. Maybe I should drive."
"No, I can do it."
"Then… why aren't you?"
"Don't tell me what to do!"
Even after his outburst, Kio didn't move for some time. But, even he knew they couldn't stay there all night, and he eventually sat back up and drove off, apologizing quietly all the way back to Soubi's apartment.
