pet shop ✰ kagehina

it only took a second

for shōyō to snap out of it.

"i'm sorry."

"sorry?" shōyō stumbled over his own feet in a rushed attempt to reach the boy, "why would you ever be sorry?"

"i just ruined everything. you don't like me like that. i'm sorry, i'll just go, i don't want to-"

"tobio, just shut up for a second!" shōyō sighed, laughing lightly at the boy's rambling. he leaned forward a little bit, standing up on his tippy toes, as if to keep it all a secret, and he smiled that true smile as he said, "i like you, too."

"you're kidding. don't joke around."

"i'm not! i like you, tobio!" shōyō giggled, "like, like-like you."

"like-like?"

"mhm. like-like."

"oh my god."

tobio just stood there, awkward and tall as ever; he blushed red as a fire truck, and shōyō copied the action. slowly they started laughing, until they were happy little messes, sitting down in the grass to catch their breath.

"shō?"

"yeah?"

"have you ever been with someone like this before?"

"no."

"me neither." tobio spoke softly.

"i guess," shōyō shakily grabbed tobio's larger hand and intertwined their fingers, "we'll just have to figure it out together, huh?"

tobio squeezed the hand he'd been daydreaming of holding for so long and replied, "yeah. i guess so."