𝑻𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒐𝒖 𝑶𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒕𝒔 & 𝑺𝒎𝒖𝒕

(ꜰ)(ʟ) ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅꜱ ᴛᴏ ʟᴏᴠᴇʀꜱ

The demon of Shiratorizawa had crimson hair and eyes to match. He was tall, composed of long limbs and sharp angles. His eyes were perpetually half-lidded and droopy with dark bags. He had a crooked smile made up of pointed teeth and a silver tongue that frequently got him in trouble with the school staff and students alike.

He wasn't actually a demon, a nickname branded to him by cruel children in elementary school. He wasn't a monster either, despite popular belief. Although he had learned to embrace his title as the Guess Monster, even learned to love the respect that came with it from his opponents. In the end, however, Tendou Satori was just tired. Tired of the people at this school, tired of the nicknames that stalked him through the halls, and tired of you.

You, who never stooped to your peers level with half-brained insults and nicknames. You, who had smiled and said hello every time you saw him since elementary. You, who encouraged him to pursue volleyball, the only thing he felt powerful doing. You, who sat through his seemingly endless chatter with an interested smile. You, you, you and your kind smiles, soft words, and gentle curves.

It wasn't until high school that you started sitting with him at lunch. Eventually lunch transitioned into getting coffee every Monday after school. Then the coffee hangouts progressed to going to your house and reading the latest manga he was interested in every Friday.

Each moment with you was a breath held in anticipation for the other shoe to finally drop. When were you just going to get it all over with and stop acting as you cared about him? Enough of the pity, please. No more shared lunches. Stop giving him your notes when he fell asleep in class. He was exhausted for you.

Sometimes he let himself believe you. That you actually cared for him and enjoyed being around him. He convinced himself that your laughter was genuine when he teased you and made sardonic jokes about the world. He could go months relishing in your friendship before remembering it wasn't real.

Being around him certainly didn't benefit you. He had heard plenty of the rumors and he knows you did as well.

I heard that he's so controlling she's too scared to actually leave him.

We aren't even together, he thought viciously.

Well, I heard that she only puts up with him because she feels bad. Seriously, who actually wants to hang around that freak.

He wanted to scream that he knew. He knew you pitied him. He wanted you to leave but you never got the goddamn hint. You stuck by his side all through high school and now it was the last day and you were still here. Sitting next to him, sharing his earbuds. You could've walked home ages ago, but you were adamant about waiting at the train station until he got picked up.

"You can stop now," he said, setting you free.

"Hm?" You looked up from your phone. "Oh, do you want to play your music?"

"No, you can leave," he snapped. "No one is looking at you anymore; no one cares. You don't have to be here with me."

"Tendu-chan, I don't understand," your pretty lips were turned down in a frown.

"I don't need you," he lied. "You don't have to be here to make me feel better. It's over, we move on now and we forget about it."

"What are you talking about?" Your voice was soft, confused.

"I don't need your pity," he said, finally getting the words off his chest after all these years. "I know you only stuck around because you felt bad for me. But I don't need it anymore, high school is over. I don't need you to hang out with me because you feel bad."