Satsuki rolled her eyes, a common occurance when she was listening to Haijime's rambles. He just. Wouldn't. Stop.
"So I was tellin' Leo, he's GOTTA stop hiding away in a hole if he EVER wants to get laid, I mean REALLY..."
A few years ago, she would've snapped at him with some witty remark. But she honestly had become so exasperated with him at this point that it wasn't worth it. At least, that's what she told herself was the reason. It wasn't because she kind of missed having adventures where they could always find something to snap about. It wasn't because Keiichiro wasn't really interested in speaking with her now that he was older. It definitely wasn't because she held any value into anything he said. Not at all.
"...and I was just, 'Dude! That's my MOM!' Haha, isn't that great, Sat...Satsuki?"
Satsuki looked up. Haijime was looking at her strangely, almost like he was concerned.
"Yeah?"
"You good? You've been awfully quiet."
"Yeah. I'm fine, Haijime."
"...okay..."
Now she was looking at him strangely. "What?"
He pursed his lips. His gangly frame leaned against the wall, the orange light of the sunset beaming down on them. "Just...you've seemed really quiet recently. Not really normal."
She looked away. The last thing she wanted to discuss with Haijime was feelings. He'd just laugh, make some innuendo and walk away.
"It's nothing, Haijime. Just leave it."
She continued walking, only to be surprised by his hand grasping her wrist. Her chest tightened.
"Satsuki, please. I know I'm an idiot but I know when you're upset."
She didn't turn to look at him. "It's nothing. Drop it."
His grip tightened. "Satsuki, I don't know what's been up with you." He sounded odd, almost a little strangled. "You've been totally silent. I've been trying and trying to cheer you up or even just get a smile and a punch in the face from you and all I've gotten is nothing."
She swallowed, taking a deep breath before turning around to look at him. His usually carefree expression was replaced by a completely pained look.
She blinked in surprise. "Haijime, it's not a big deal, I've just been quiet, seriously-"
"It's never 'just been quiet', Satsuki, not with you. Something's wrong, and I know I'm the last guy you want to ask for help, but please, if you can just tell me I can try to see if I can do anything without screwing it up." Satsuki saw something flicker in his eyes, but she couldn't pinpoint it.
"...fine. But you have to guess."
"Fine."
They continued walking, silently for a moment before Haijime spoke again.
"Are you on your period?"
"Shut up."
"Okay, okay, I was just wondering." He chuckled quietly. "Do you miss hanging out with everyone?"
Silence. He took that as a yes. The gang had gone their separate ways long before now, and he and Satsuki were a month away from high school graduation. They occasionally still got together, still sent emails constantly, but location had become a barrier.
"Is Keiichiro giving you a hard time...?"
Her head snapped back a little. He thought her eyes looked a bit glassy. "How do you know that?"
He gave her a sad smile. "You used to talk about him even when you were upset and quiet. Now you don't even do that."
She turned away again. "Keiichiro isn't interested in having an older sister. He just cares about looking cool in front of his friends. He's not gonna brag about having an older sister who spends most of her time obsessing over cryptozoology websites." Her voice cracked. "He's not interested in someone who's still trying to hold a group together when they're miles and miles apart. He's not interested in someone who can't even bring herself to sign up for any afterschool activities. He's not interested in a girl who can still wear freaking training bras."
"Um...are we still talking about Keiichiro?"
"No."
He bit his lip. "Who are we talking about, then?"
She whipped her head around, facing him completely for the first time in the interchange. The pointed look in her eyes confused him-but then a small thought dawned upon him.
"...oh."
"Yeah."
"Oh."
"Idiot."
Her cheeks were flushed red. She had gone from looking only at him to anywhere but him. It made him nervous. He was suddenly hyper aware that he had held her wrist the entire time, and could feel a slight sweat begin to break out at his palms, but he didn't let go. He did the exact opposite of what his confused, hormonal brain was telling him to do.
He edged towards her, just a little closer.
"Satsuki, are you sure...?"
"Not even a little."
He laughed nervously. "Well, there's a weight on my mind."
She gave a smile, failing to hide her small panic rising in her throat.
"Satsuki, um...I kind of...really like you...like...I know I make a lot of jokes and keep saying stuff I say about a lot of girls, but...I mean it about you..."
"Oh. Like about how Momoko probably has nipples the size of Tibet?"
"N-no! Not things like that! Andit'sTitbetifyoumustknow. But...um...no. I mean like." He swallowed. "I mean like, I'd tell you I love you. But, minus the running off after I nail you part. OhcrapwhydidIsaythat. W-what I'm trying to say is, you're the only girl I've ever...well, ever truly considered." He fidgeted, his heart pounding in his ears. "N-now who's the idiot?"
"S-Still you."
The two teenagers stood in silence for a few agonizingly long moments, faces closer than they ever had been when they were arguing. He nervously brought his lips closer to hers, tilting his head slightly. Sure, he'd kissed girls before, but...not Satsuki...
"Um, Satsuki..."
"Yeah?"
"I really do think I love you."
"Then you're definitely an idiot."
He took her lips between his, tasting the salty-sweet of caramel. Her lips were softer than he imagined they would be, and she was kissing him back, and he could feel his mind reeling and coming close to collapse. He gingerly brought his hand up and into her hair, tangling her auburn strands in his fingers. They pulled away, far too soon in his opinion. Satsuki let out a soft, satisfied sigh, and he allowed himself a smirk. He knew he would impress her.
He felt a sudden hit to his stomach.
"O-ow, Satsuki!"
"You kissed me!"
"W-well, what did you expect!? A song and dance routine!?"
"N-no! A-and, um, it was good, um, amazing-b-but, um, Haijime, oh my..."
He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her in again, capturing her lips a little more passionately than the first time. "Shut up and enjoy it, Satsuki," he murmured, pulling away again just in case she truly didn't like it either time.
This time, however, she responded by pulling the back of his neck and bringing him into a kiss herself, tangling her hands in his black hair.
They stood for what seemed like ages, lips locked, soft sounds of happiness coming from both sides, before they heard a car pass by with a very audible wolf whistle.
Haijime broke off the kiss with a shout of "Oh, bite me!"
Satsuki laughed, making his eyes go wide with surprise. "Oh man. I made you laugh. I made you laugh!"
She laughed again, planting a soft kiss on his cheek. "Yes. And I think you can do it again, huh?"
He beamed, his almost wicked smile pulling across his face. "Definitely."
"But, maybe somewhere a little less...public?"
"Yeeeeah. At least when it's just kissing."
She elbowed him lightly in the stomach, but it wasn't enough to keep him from kissing her cheek.