Snapdragon - Ritshou

Chapter 4

He sees the red of his hair reflected off of the blue water. His eyes blend right into the ripples, making his reflection appear as if he doesn't have any features on his pale face like a blank canvas. He bends down to pick up a small pebble and hurls it at the water. The pebble sinks.

Shou frowns, "Lame." he mutters under his breath and picks up another pebble. He winds up his arm and throws it again, trying it at a different angle. The pebble sinks again. He kicks the dirt with the front of his shoe, picking up a cloud of dust around him. He glares back at the water, blaming it for not letting his pebbles skip over its surface.

Hanazawa had asked Shou to meet up earlier in the day. He mentioned having something important to say and that he really needed to see Shou as soon as possible. Shou wanted to say no but he couldn't keep avoiding him forever. He is his friend after all.

In the end, he agreed to meet up with him. Shou suggested the local lake because well, why not? It is close to his college and far away from Hanazawa's place. Secretly, he was hoping that the distance would perturb Hanazawa from meeting up with him. He felt disappointing, anxious knots at the confirmation coming from the other esper. Guess he didn't mind coming all this way. Maybe it is something serious.

He takes a quick selfie and sends it to Ritsu. Ritsu immediately reacts to the selfie with a thumbs up emoji.

In Ritsu's world, that's basically like flirting. Shou chuckles at that idea. He's contemplating sending him another text when the sound of crunching dirt and leaves from approaching steps pulls his attention away from his phone. He pockets it away and turns to see Hanazawa.

Subdued and shy, Hanazawa smiles, "Hey." He's carrying two iced coffees.

He raises three fingers in greeting, "Yo." And lets the other walk up to him. Shou guides them to a nearby bench. They sit quite a distance from one another, on purpose on Shou's behalf.

Hanazawa hands one of the coffees to him. "I brought this for you." he says, looking unsure of himself.

Shou eyes the coffee, "I'm lactose intolerant."

Hanazawa pauses, "Well, I thought of that and ordered oat milk."

"I hate oat milk."

"No you don't."

Shou takes the drink and sips it. Shit, it's so fucking good. Damn Ritsu's brother's boyfriend and subsequently Ritsu's crush. Damn him.

"Do you like it?" Hanazawa asks eagerly, turning towards him, probably already knowing the answer.

Shou shrugs, "It's whatever."

Hanazawa beams at the lukewarm response. "I'm glad!"

Shou takes another sip, "So what's up? You said it was something important."

There's a sheepish smile on his face, "About that. I think I was being a little dramatic. Ah- for good reason!" he quickly adds before the other could say anything.

Shou sips his drink again, "Caramel?" he asks.

Hanazawa nods, "Yeah. Your favorite, right?"

Shou takes off the lid to pour some ice into his mouth. He chews loudly. God, why did Hanazawa have to be such a good friend? He ignores Hanazawa's question in favor of returning to the topic, "Alright," he says through the crushed up ice, "Shoot."

Hanazawa smiles tightly. Geez, he has a hundred different types of smiles. "Shou I'm worried about you."

Shou closes the lid, "If it's about Ritsu, I don't care. I'm over it."