Work it Out - KiriKami

21 ~ The Space Between

image cred: marikaaajoy

Time didn't heal all wounds. But it gave them room to breathe.

Days passed. Then a week. Then another.

Things didn't go back to before, but they settled into something new. Something quieter, a little more tentative, but real.

There were no whispered confessions or explosive arguments. Just little moments — private smiles, shoulders bumping in the hallway, long stretches of silence that didn't need to be filled.

Denki still went to therapy twice a week. He never skipped. Sometimes he came back shaken and distant, retreating to his room with a blanket over his head and his phone on silent. Sometimes he came back energized, ready to do all the homework he'd been procrastinating, like confronting himself in that tiny room had sparked something useful.

Eijirou never pried. He watched Denki grow from a respectful distance — close enough to catch him if he fell, far enough not to disrupt the climb.

Denki started getting up earlier. He didn't tell anyone why, and no one asked. But every morning, Denki would wake just after sunrise, tug on a hoodie and sneakers, and slip outside with a thermos of tea. Sometimes he walked the perimeter of the school grounds. Sometimes he just sat by the edge of the courtyard and watched the sky change colors.

It was the only time he truly felt alone with his thoughts — in a way that didn't make him spiral. He'd scroll through calming playlists, highlight passages in The Sexual Healing Journey, and text his grandmother little things like "saw a butterfly today. Thought of you." He didn't always feel strong. But he felt awake.

Eijirou filled his own space with noise. Not the reckless, overwhelming kind — just enough to keep him from worrying too much when Denki needed time.

He dove into training again, often inviting Sero or Mina to spar with him after class. He revamped his gym schedule, helped a few underclassmen with their workout routines, and spent more time researching rescue strategies instead of straight combat.

He also started a personal journal — not the kind with full paragraphs and emotional monologues, but bullet points. Simple things. It helped.

• Denki smiled today during lunch

• He didn't look tired after therapy

• I didn't check his expression every 10 seconds — proud of that

They didn't do everything together anymore. But they still did plenty.

Denki would sometimes curl up on Eijirou's bed while he finished reading manga. They didn't talk — just shared the space, letting the silence be a comfort instead of a void.

Eijirou brought Denki little things sometimes — a snack he knew he liked, a stress ball shaped like a Pikachu, a sticky note that said "You're doing amazing. I mean it."

Denki didn't say much when he received them. But the items always ended up tucked somewhere safe. None ever disappeared.

They studied together again. Slowly. Not every day. But when they did, it felt normal — teasing each other, stealing each other's pens, Denki quietly correcting Eijirou's grammar under his breath.

It wasn't perfect. But it didn't need to be.

They were learning how to coexist again — not just as a couple, but as individuals who cared deeply for one another while still making space to care for themselves.

One night Eijirou was brushing his teeth when Denki appeared in the mirror behind him, holding two mugs.

"Chamomile," Denki said, holding one out. "Couldn't sleep. Thought maybe you couldn't either."

Eijirou wiped his mouth, took the mug, and gave Denki a soft smile. "You read my mind."

They sat in the hallway, backs against the wall, sipping tea in silence. Just like that — no expectations, no confessions, no heavy talks. Just two boys, still figuring themselves out.

『 I'm sorry for the short, filler chapter. I wanted to show how the boys spent the weeks between chapters 20 and 22 with a fun little montage-style chapter, but I didn't want to drag it out and make it boring, either. So, short chapter it is! 』