*:･ﾟYou Bet I Stare ･ﾟ:*

CHAPTER 30 - crimson and clover

DC !!

SOUSUKE
—❁—

"You gonna be able to live through the night without me?" Kou looks down at me as we make it to the front door of my mom and I's apartment. "I'll be able to, but I can't say the same about you." I smile and softly nudge the center of his chest. "You shatter me.. really you do." He puts a hand on his heart before holding my bags from the drug store out to me. "Your gift is in one of those bags, so be careful." "What is it?" I try to see something through the bags, but there's no luck. "For me to know and you to find out." Kou smiles as I look back up at him. "Will I see you tomorrow?" He turns his smile into a more softer one and nods his head once. "You'll see me tomorrow. If you don't then you can use it against me, I won't mind." I get on my tiptoes and kiss his cheek before watching him bring his head down to reach my level. "Stay safe tonight Sous, I expect to see you in one piece the next time we get together." I exhale and softly kiss his lips before looking up at him, his face making it apparent that I flustered him. "You need that more than I do, trust me." I then open the front door and look back at him. "I love you Kou, now say it back or you'll forever be a selfish asshole." He smiles a wide cheeky little smile before pointing a finger at me. "And I love you Sousuke! Sleep well alright? I'll see you tomorrow!" A feeling of warmth comes over me as I smile and point back, "Same goes for you, Lame-o." I smile widely before walking backwards into the apartment and shutting the front door.

It was quiet, so I assumed my mom had already gone to bed. That makes my life easier, I don't have to explain the neck situation to her in case she were to actually notice anything off. I was just excited to see what Kou got me, but I knew I had to get a shower first or else it never would've been done. After taking a little more than half an hour to do so, I went to my room and started digging around to see what silly little gift Kou got me this time. I know that buying me things is just another part of his love language, I still feel awful for letting him do so. Putting those feelings aside, I eventually found the gift and took it out of the plastic bag the store clerk put it in.

As I start opening the bag, I reach over and grab my phone to call Kou while I see what my gift is, but it oddly just went straight to voicemail. After a few more tries I just gave up and put my phone down so I had 2 hands free to get the gift out of the bag.

A card..

Wait, a card?

I get a confused look on my face as I flip the card over to find my name written on the front in Kous messy yet legible handwriting. He made a huge deal about wanting to buy me something for it to just be a card. It felt slightly heavier than how a card envelope would feel if there was just a card in it, so I grew even more suspicious as I ripped the top bit open. I then grabbed the card with my fingers and pulled it out of the envelope, running the fingers of my other hand over the front of the card as I read it quietly to myself. Aside from "With you beside me" written largely along the top, there was a smaller prompt that ran down towards the bottom.

"When you've got someone beside you—someone strong, dependable.. supportive, and giving—the hard times are easier, the easy times are sweeter, and the sweet times make you feel like the most loved person in the world."

I softly smiled as I finished with reading the front, glancing over at my phone to see if Kou called me back or shot me a message.

Still nothing.. weird.

A soft exhale left my lungs as I opened the card, the sound of something hitting the ground next to my legs as I did so. My eyebrow raised as I looked down to find a ring laying on the ground, a warm feeling flooding through my entire body. "No way his cheesy ass got me a ring," I mutter to myself as I pick up the object off the ground, and sure enough it was a ring. I almost immediately put the card down and looked closely at the ring, almost immediately noticing the heart shaped jewel on it—which was of course pink in color. I slipped it onto my ring finger and picked up the card again so that I could read what was on the inside. First I read the right side, which was what the card already had printed on it.