title: the flavor
series: 好きっていいなよ say i love you
summary: because aiko has experienced every single one
note:sukitte ii na yo is an unlicensed japanese manga by hazuki kanae; the lyric introductions are from various artists


salty
sleek and deep and salty sweet, you open up in me

"My boyfriend..." she sobs, arms wrapped so tightly around his neck that it's almost hard to breathe. It hurts nowhere near as much as the pain in his heart watching her cry like this.

Aiko has always been his friend, he thinks, since the day they first met. She's not a popular girl, some don't even think she's that pretty just because she's a little overweight, but Yamato tends to see things in others that people often overlook. It's not about how she appears on the outside to him, it's what's inside her that matters most. The lifelong struggle of wanting acceptance and being accepted have made her a truly beautiful girl.

It's hard when she's the only who can't see that.

"He cheated on me!" she cries, yelling in a way where it's as though even she still can't believe it. She manages between heaves that she caught him cheating on her with one of her friends Natsu, Natsu-chan of all people! How could she do something so cruel? How could she betray their five year friendship over something so stupid as a date?

"They... they must've been laughing at me behind my back!" Aiko squeezes Yamato tighter. It's difficult to believe that bad people can exist. It's even more difficult to wrap your mind around how they could do you so wrong when they played the role of someone meaningful once upon a time.

"I did so much for Haruki..."

She's right. Yamato has noticed over the past few weeks the loss in weight, the faint traces of acne and pimples that are a direct result from her overuse of make-up, how she won't spend time with anyone because she's always waiting for her boyfriend, for him, that cheating bastard Haruki.

"No matter how hard I try, I'll never win against cute girls."

He brings his hand up to rest on her back and tries to soothe some of the hurt away. She tells him then that all men are the same and that she must be some kind of idiot to expect them to be any less. He asks her why she would say such a thing when they both know that Aiko's anything but foolish.

"You put in your best effort for the guy you liked. Don't punish yourself for that," he moves her away from far enough so that they can talk face to face. "You're very pure," he's referring to her intentions, "compared to other girls, you're better."

He's not wholly wrong, she just hurts so much right now that it's all too hard to believe when the person that she loved most, the person she'd been hoping would love her just as much, went and abandoned her without even a second consideration to any of those qualities she may or may not possess.

Yamato's not a bad person, he gains nothing in lying to her after all... then he tells her that he thinks she's very pretty both because she needs to hear it and because he means every word he's ever said to her.

It angers her. Infuriates her in a way that even the breakup hadn't. She yells at him, tells him to shut up, and then she asks him to sleep with her; the actual request comes out sounding much more crude than intended.

"I'm... I'm pretty, right? So if it's like that, then you should be able to!"

This time she's the one who pushes him away, she needs to see the reaction, his facial expression, she needs to see him reject her in the way her boyfriend couldn't. Yamato's never lied to her before, but she needs to witness it now, to prove to herself that she was right! That bastards are always bastards and-

"Of course," he doesn't even hesitate before saying it. This isn't what she was expecting, this wasn't how it was supposed to be! He removes his hands from her, and asks her one last question before they begin.

"But doing it like this... will it make your heart feel beautiful?"

This person looking at her, Yamato looking back up at her, the emotions in his eyes with everything barred open and accepting, absolutely no trace of pity or sympathy in his words, just real love and honest deep concern reflected on her... she suddenly feels tears beginning to well up again and as they run down her cheeks they catch at the corners of her mouth.

"Yes," she lies and stares at him now completely vindicated, "it will."

That night both Aiko and Yamato lose their virginity in ways that they had not anticipated. There are many regrets they will later have in life, but never will Aiko be angry with herself for taking something so precious, so undeserved from a boy who once truly loved her.