A Future Without You

Ch 6: AAAAAAAAA

  Atsushi knocked nervously. It was the middle of the night, would he even be awake?...

  The door slowly opened, revealing a sleepy Sigma. "Hm? What is it?"

  Atsushi was holding a pillow in his arms, "I just have a lot on my mind..."

  Sigma smiled, "I'm more than happy to listen..." He let Atsushi in and closed the door. "What is it?"

  Atsushi sighed as he sank onto the floor and covered his face with the pillow.

  Sigma sat down and pulled one of his own pillows into his arms.

  Atsushi mumbled into the pillow.

  Sigma chuckled, "come on, you came all the way here. You might as well tell me."

  Atsushi groaned as he rolled onto his side, "Akutagawa's so nice now..."

  "Oh, are you upset that you aren't rivals anymore?"

  "No, that's not it..." he shook his head. "I'm glad that we can get along... and I want to get to know him better..."

  "Mhm..."

  "I just don't know if asking to see him would be... too much..."

  "Huh?"

  "I don't really know how to make friends!" Atsushi exclaimed, "I was never taught!"

  "Neither was I," Sigma pointed out, "but it seems to me like you want to be more than friends."

  "Like... best friends?..."

  "Closer..."

  Atsushi's eyes wandered away. "I dunno... maybe... He was really kind today..."

  "Mhm..."

  "And I think it's a little cute how dense he is..."

  "Mhm..."

  Atsushi closed his eyes tightly, "but he's a vampire now, so..."

  "And you're a were-tiger," Sigma pointed out.

  Atsushi put his hands over his tiger ears, which he hadn't made go away yet. "Hey... Kyouka said the same thing..."

  "How long have those been there?" Sigma asked.

  "Uhm..." Atsushi looked around, "when we were on our way back, I was showing Akutagwa that I can control my ability really well now..."

  Sigma smiled, "you know, I think Kyouka may have been right."

  "I'm not a were-tiger." Atsushi frowned.

  "Not about that," Sigma chuckled, "about how close you want to be with Akutagawa."

  Atsushi sat up, "I-"

  "Hold on," Sigma held his hand out, "I want you to listen for a second. I'm only going to say that you really missed him and that you want to stay close to him."

  "I know all that... Kyouka just... made me feel weird about it..." Atsushi mumbled.

  "She's just trying to help in the only way she knows how," Sigma chuckled.

  Atsushi sighed, "I just don't know what to do..."

  "You wrote him a letter, right?" Sigma asked, "just wait for him to write you back and go from there. You don't have to rush into anything, you can always just be friends."

  "Right," Atsushi nodded. "Thanks, Sigma... you always give really good advice..."

  "Really? I feel like I never say the right things..." he smiled.