With You (Souyo)

Still

Yu's POV:

No turning back. It's now or never. Stop prolonging the inevitable. I can't keep this inside forever. He deserves to know the truth.

The longer I wait, the harder it'll be on him.

Goddammit.

The final bell of the day rings, and I rush over to Shin's desk as everyone else packs their stuff away.

"Hey," he smiles.

"Come with me." I grab his wrist.

"Woah, hey, there," he chuckles, pulling back. "Just let me finish up, okay?"

"Shin," I frown.

"Is something wrong?"

"We're going to talk. No matter what you say."

"Okay, okay," he laughs softly. "Since when did you get so bossy?"

"This is serious, dude."

"Okay, got it," he nods. "But, hey, wanna head into the TV tonight? I wanna show you this new move I've been working on. Ooh! Maybe you could-"

"Will you stop making this about you, for once?" I snap.

"...I- I'm sorry," he mutters.

We've gathered the attention of way too many students at this rate.

"I... I was just really excited, you know? When I found out you and I were similar-" He catches one good look at me and shuts his mouth. Thank god.

~~~

"Follow me," I grunt, dragging him along behind me.

"I kinda don't have a choice," he chuckles. "Where are we even going?"

"I just—" I mutter, looking around frantically to find a secluded space.

"Hey, don't stress." He gently pulls his arm away from my grasp and moves beside me. "You want somewhere quiet, right? Why not your place?"

"No," I say, firmly. "No. Absolutely not."

"H-hey, I didn't mean it in a weird way," he cringes. "Shit... sorry, Yu... Uh, what about the riverbank?"

Double no. No way in hell is he sharing mine and Yosuke's spot.

"Behind the school?" He shrugs, aware that he's running out of options.

I shake my head. "Track team."

"...Well, there's this park near Junes," he offers, sliding his hands in his pockets, moving to stand in front of me.

"Park?" I frown.

"Yeah," he nods. "It's super quiet. Y'know, prolly 'cause it's abandoned." He must see the uneasy look on my face. "Oh, no, no, no... It's not... uh, creepy, or anything. It just... y'know... got shut 'cause it wasn't safe enough for kids, or somethin'." He says awkwardly. "I mean... it's fine if you don't wanna go there, 'cause... it sounds a bit—"

"It sounds great." I squeeze my eyes shut, grateful I am able to stop his rambling.

"Y-yeah..." He scratches the top of his head. "I, uh, guess I'll lead the way, then."

~~~

The swingset he and I sit on creaks loudly as the wind picks us up.

The park looks like it hasn't been touched in years. The slide has withered away in the weather, and the tyre swing lays broken on the floor. The climbing frame looks in tact, but I wouldn't put my bets on that it'd hold someone's weight.