Kakeru remembers the smell of rain and books and how warm it felt holding Prince in his arms. He remembers his heart pounding and feeling happy. Something he didn't feel very often.
That day when he asked to sit and read manga with him and Prince handed him a romance manga he thought it funny how silly these characters were for falling in love. But this warmth he felt in his chest as he looked up into Prince's eyes who was staring down at him as if reading him like one of his manga.
Kakeru blushed.
So pretty.
Mesmerized he reached his hand up but stopped part way, nervous that maybe he shouldn't touch Prince. Maybe he'd scare him away or break him with how delicate he felt in his arms. But Prince grabbed his hand and kissed the inside of his palm.
Kakeru loved how hard he tried, how hard he tried to run despite not wanting to. He admired his strength and his passion for reading. Prince in turn admired Kakeru for being so passionate about running. He tried so hard to run to become strong to make Kakeru look at him. To not leave him behind.
Yes, Kakeru remembers the taste of tea on Prince's lips. And Prince remembers every line of Kakeru's body like it was from a book. Loving Prince was like running to Kakeru. He'd never forget the night he realized he could feel something more for someone else and for something that wasn't running. And Prince fell asleep wrapped around him like he was one of his precious books.
Neither of them would ever forget that night.