✔︎ unrequited flowers | nishimura riki

I

Ayano was resting her head on the table. She spaced out thinking about a few activities to do for later in the day. Today felt really off somehow. The girl looked out of the floor to ceiling window, watching as the clouds dusted a pretty gold and faded to orange and pink while the sun set over the horizon. This was one of his favourite places on earth.

Her best friend's house was located on the slope of a mountain, overlooking a large amount of the city they lived in. Ayano could gaze out of this particular window for hours on end. Maybe it was because the city looked so quiet and far away from up on the mountain, or maybe it was because this was her safe place.

Ever since she switched schools when he was sixteen, she had known Ni-Ki. Niki had immediately waved at Ayano to sit at the empty desk next to his when Ayano finished introducing herself in front of the class on her first day, looking around to find a place to sit. Something about the way Ni-Ki smiled like he had never experienced a bad day in his life drew Ayano in. Ni-Ki had felt like a warm spring day, safe and beautiful.

The boy was still just like that.

They had become incredibly close since the moment Ayano hurried across the classroom and shyly placed her bag on the floor next to Ni-Ki.

After so many years, Ayano had finally found someone she knew she could trust because the girl knew for a fact that Ni-Ki was just as invested in their friendship as she was. There was mutual trust and love that Ayano had rarely experienced in her life.

On her first day at his new school, Ni-Ki had already dragged Ayano over to his house and since that day, Ayano had loved the large window that covered the entire outside wall of the room. This was the only place in the world where her damn awful life couldn't get to her. The girl felt safe.

Currently, Ni-Ki was in the shower and Ayano was curled up on the boy's bed by herself, body turned to face the window. The girl had never liked the quiet, so she sang along to a never ending playlist she had playing in her mind.

It was a force of habit, something she had started doing when she was old enough to memorise melodies and lyrics to drown out the sound of her parents fighting in the next room, and later to fill the silence her mother had left behind after moving out.

Ni-Ki was in a t-shirt and sweatpants, currently digging around his shelves, lifting and pulling clothing items out one by one, throwing them in again when it wasn't whatever he was looking for.

"Where is it," he whined.

"Where's what?"

"My hoodie."

Ayano frowned.

"Ni-Ki, you have five thousand hoodies, just pick one."

Ni-Ki turned around, pouting.

"but I want our hoodie."

Ayano's heart might just combust.

They had bought the same hoodie when they were in the city one day and even though they didn't really wear them at the same time when they went out or anything, it was still their hoodie and whenever one of the two wore it, the other would visibly perk up. It was sort of like friendship bracelets younger children made each other, only it was a hoodie.

"J-just take mine, I'll wear one of yours,"

Ayano suggested it because she knew that if Ni-Ki didn't put some sort of piece of clothing on his upper body in the next two minutes, he would start to get cold. He always gets cold quickly at night.

Anyway, she definitely suggested it because of that reason and not because she wanted to wear one of Ni-ki's hoodies and most certainly because her mind would start to conjure up ridiculous scenarios of how Ni-Ki would maybe be going to get a cold in the next few minutes and bitching about it

"We won't be matching then."

Ayano sighed. she would really, really appreciate it if Ni-ki put some more clothes on instead of standing in the middle of the room wearing thin clothes and pouting because of a damn hoodie.

"Mine is already warm, take it,"

Ayano stated as she sat up, already pulling the fabric over her head and throwing it at Ni-Ki.

The boy made a pleased sound, almost a giggle, which made Ayano's heart melt just a bit. It took her a few seconds to snap out of it, realising that now it was her who was cold. Ayano was only wearing a thin long sleeved shirt underneath the hoodie.

Lucky for her, the best friend pulled one of his own hoodies out of his cupboard and threw it on the bed for Ayano.

They exchanged smiles as Ni-Ki crawled onto the bed and under the blanket. Ayano slipped into Ni-Ki's hoodie before she followed the other's lead, pulling the blanket over her body.

"So,"

The boy his laptop onto his lap.

"what do you wanna watch?"

"Uhhh,"

Ayano's brain provided him with absolutely no ideas. After a few moments of silence, she sighed.

"my brain isn't brain-ing right now. You choose."

Seemingly satisfied, Ni-Ki turned his attention back to the laptop, but Ayano continued to look at her best friend. She wished she could stay in this moment forever. The two looked out the huge window as the sky turned dark. Ni-Ki's mother had brought them dinner in the room so they could spend time together. Ni-Ki's parents definitely knew Ayano was Ni-Ki's only close friend.

Ni-Ki chose an anime and placed the laptop on the bed as they began eating dinner that Ni-Ki's mother had set up for tonight.

Their friendship was cute until Ayano accidentally caught feelings for Ni-Ki.