Unrequited

Ch. 21 - Requited

"Nothing," he answered quite literally. You pouted as the two of you descended the stairs to the subway.

"Then why say anything?" You whined, coming to a stand still with him while waiting for the train.

"To express my distaste for that behavior," he shoved his hands in his pockets.

You rolled your eyes, "what happened to you that made you so uptight?" He glared at you for a moment, that question not needing answered. "I miss the old Nanami."

"I could say the same," he muttered under his breath.

"What do you mean?!" You took offense. "I've always just been me! Trapped a few times but... You know Naoya ultimately grounded me the last time I saw you. My silence wasn't my fault." Your voice went quiet with that second half.

"Hmpf," he sighed heavily, clearly not knowing that but not wanting to lose.

"You have to admit, thinking about all those years ago gets you worked up. I know it does that to me," you nudged him slightly.
He looked down at you without moving his head, a slight smirk trying to hide on his face.

"You shouldn't have brought it up in front of Itadori," he was grasping at straws at this point. The train then blasted into the station, stirring up wind.

"Please," you chuckled, boarding the empty car together and having a seat side-by-side. "Think about it. We were his age doing all of that. He's probably done it himself!" Kento had his arms tightly across his chest, ignoring you.
"I'm...not married anymore..." you mumbled, changing the subject after feeling rejected.

"You're what?" He quickly looked over at you with concern in his eyes.

"Naoya broke the contract. It immediately nullified the marriage. It was actually pretty simple...and I was all worked up trying to find a divorce lawyer for a minute," you laughed to yourself, not seeing Kento's desperate reaction to your news.

"You're not married?" He repeated.

"Yeah, that's what I just said," you said with an attitude before droning on again about what the last few months were like for you.
Meanwhile, Kento sat face forward - mind racing and barely paying attention to anything new you were saying.
"And so I've been living with my brother for the past few weeks since coming back to campus," you finished your story.

"With your brother?" He repeated to sound as if he were listening. "Does that..." his voice began trembling ever-so slightly, "mean you wouldn't be opposed to stopping by mine tonight?"

"You mean...go home with you?" Your chest fluttered as you shyly asked for confirmation. He gave a single nod that caused a tiny smile from you.

You looked forward at your hands in your lap, biting you lower lip to contain your squeal of excitement. While you silently rode the train with Kento by your side, your mind raced with the kinds of fun trouble you could get into.
For once in a very long time, you felt like everything was okay...

"This is the stop," Kento said, standing tall next to you - one hand on the support strap and the other stretched downward to you.
You blushed and accepted, fully expecting him to let go once you were safely standing. Instead, his fingers maneuvered until they were laced with yours. His expression confident and unchanging, staring straight ahead as you looked up at him.

He walked with you from the station to his home, a short walk but hand in hand the whole way nonetheless.
Nerves began to set in for the both of you as Kento fumbled with the keys to his apartment. Your brain flooded with images of the last time you were there, giving quite the physical reaction as you remembered each little detail.