Prompt 9- I'll Be There For You
Screaming. That was the first thing Chitose heard when he left Miri's car.
"You sure you don't want to spend the night back at the room, sweetheart?" Miri asked rolling down the window.
With a sigh, Chitose shook his head. "I'll be fine. Go to your husband before he get suspicious," he says as he pulls a cigarette from his jacket pocket and lights it.
"Careful with those things, sweetheart. They'll only kill you," the blonde said with a smirk.
"Yeah? And who was it who got me smoking them?" Chitose said with an arched brow as he blew the first puff of smoke through his lips.
With that chuckle of her he just couldn't seem to get out of her head, she bid him good night and rolled slowly down the street away from him. Watching her drive away, he continued to puff away at the cigarette until it was done. The screaming hadn't stopped, though. His mother and her current boyfriend must be really pissed at each other this time. Maybe they'll finally break up. Chitose had a hunch that the guy was a drug addict of some kind. More than once he had seen shady figures at the back door talking to the guy and then hopping the fence into the alleyway. With a sigh, he turned away from his house to wander around the neighborhood a bit until they were finished.
"Yo, Yo!" a familiar voice called when he rounded the corner.
Looking up, he saw the bespectacled face of his best and only friend, Masaomi Dewa.
"Hey, Masa," he replied moving closer.
Crimson flared up in the other boy's cheeks and he pouted. "What have I said about calling me that?"
Chitose chuckled for the first time all day. "Sorry, old habits die hard."
"Yeah, like that recent habit of yours?"
"Which one?" Chitose asked with a smirk as they began walking towards the playground down the road.
Dewa sighed and readjusted the hat which was still two sizes too big for his head. "It's gonna kill you one day, you know that, right?"
"Which one?" Chitose repeated as he hopped onto the merry-go-round. "Spin it for me!"
"What are you? Five?" Dewa asked arching a brow behind his glasses and walking past him to sit on one of the swingsets.
"Says the guy who goes right for the swings." Chitose rolled his eyes and hopped down to join his friend.
They sat in silence for a few minutes enjoying the sounds of the city off in the distance. Chitose kicked his feet up and began swinging slowly.
"Why do you keep seeing that woman?" Dewa finally iquired.
At first, Chitose didn't answer. He just continued to swing. "Don't really know," he finally admitted. "I guess cause she makes me forget what I have to live with at home. I can't rely on you all the time, Masa."
Ignoring the nickname, Dewa leaned his head back and stared up at the night sky. "I don't mind you relying on me," he finally mumbles.
"Well... I can't do it all the time," Chitose explains. "You're only one person. A fucked up guy like me can't ask that of his only friend."
"Maybe I can..." Dewa mumbled under his breath.
"What was that?" Chitose asked bringing his shoes down to skid himself to a stop.
"We should head back. See if they aren't done fighting."
"Oh... you heard them, too?" Chitose's head fell. He felt ashamed when people in the neighborhood were able to hear his mother's shrill and angry screaming.
"N-no! I just guessed that was why you didn't go inside!" Dewa amended.
With a sigh, Chitose stood and stretched then stuffed his hands into his pockets and jerked his head indicating it was time to go. Dewa ran to catch up then wrapped his arms around the back of his head after readjusting his hat for the umpteenth time. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Chitose reached out and brought Dewa into a hug.
"Thanks for listening, Masa...," he mumbled.
"N-n-no problem, Yo," he replied shakily.
When he let go, Chitose smiled and continued walking before turning back to Dewa. "Mind if I copy your math notes? My dog kind of chewed mine up."
"You liar! You don't even have a dog!" Dewa exclaimed coming out of the slight stupor he had been in from the hug. "You just plain didn't take any notes."
Chitose let out a chuckle. "Maybe."
