A True LOVE [ Yandere-kun X Male Rivals ]

[2] A New Friend

"Have fun at school!"

His mother's words enthusiastically rang through the hall as Ayato put on his shoes and slipped on his coat. Before he left the house, he turned to give his parents a small smile, hoisting his bag on his shoulders and waving them as he walked out. The moment he turned around and heard the sound of the door closing and the lock turning, he dropped his smile, wearing his neutral expression instead.

Whenever his parents weren't in sight, Ayato didn't bother to continue the act. After all, the only person he was pretending to be normal for was his father. As long as he wasn't around, Ayato saw no need to please others by pretending to be normal. Still, it was his first day back at school since the summer break, and Ayato figured he'd try to keep up with the rest of his class to keep his father happy.  He didn't want his parents to find out he didn't attempt to make any friends. His mother continued to nag him for not going outside enough and never bringing any people home. Although Ayato wasn't the type to socialize, he figured getting acquainted with one or two people couldn't hurt.

As he rounded the corner of his street, the high bush blocking his view from seeing any further, he was startled to find himself bumping into something hard. Before he could catch himself, Ayato lost his balance and fell to the floor, landing on his butt. As he let out a hiss of pain, he lifted his gaze, trying to make out what it was that made him fall. 

There, standing before him, was an orange-haired guy wearing a surprised expression that quickly morphed into a grumpy one. Before Ayato had the time to recover, a snappy voice called out to him, taking him out of his trance. 

"Watch out where you're going!" The guy called out, propping his arm on his hips. "Don't you look where you're walking before charging ahead blindly?"

Ayato had to refrain from rolling his eyes at the remark. As he attempted to sit up, he let out a grunt, lifting his arms to see them covered in scratches. Guess the fall did a bigger number on him than he thought. All kinds of tiny wounds covered his pale arms as a result of the impact, and Ayato noticed a bigger gash that was starting to bleed. As he thought over what to do, wondering if he should head to the nurse's office at school right away, a gasp caught his attention. He lifted his gaze to look at the guy before him, noticing him staring at his wounds.

His expression seemed to have changed as his face became increasingly worried, a slimmer of guilt in his eyes. "Are you alright?" The guy asked as he kneeled down, seeming to regret his previous behaviour. He reached his hand out, either to help him up or examine the damage, but Ayato swatted his hand away before he could reach him.

"I'm fine," Ayato curtly responded, turning his head away. "Can you step away? You're preventing me from getting up."

Surprised, the male nodded, "O-okay." He stood up, taking a step back, but not before extending his hand again. Feeling slightly annoyed at the situation, Ayato wanted to ignore him, but upon closer look, he noticed the other was feeling bad about everything. Reluctantly, Ayato decided it couldn't hurt to give in as he grabbed the other's hand, pulling himself up to stand upright.

As he dusted his clothes off, he noticed the other was watching him intently. A quick glance told him that he had something to say. Ayato raised his eyebrow as he looked at the male. "Are you okay? You seem pretty shaken up."

"What?" The man asked in surprise, "Oh! No, I just...It looks like it hurts." His gaze was drawn to Ayato's arms, prompting the man to turn the wounds away from his eyes. "Don't worry about it. It was an accident." Having said that, Ayato began to walk ahead, resuming his walk to school as a voice grabbed his attention.

"Wait!" The man called out, rushing after him. In an effort to stop him, he grabbed Ayato's arm, accidentally gripping onto his wounds. The sensation of pain shot through him as Ayato recoiled, pulling his arm out of the embrace as he hissed. Ayato squinted his eyes, waiting as the burning sensation washed away before glaring at the other.