Tori can’t help but LAUGH at his companion’s fumbling. He is so wobbly, so flustered, so very unlike the image of an idol that it’d be embarrassing ( if it weren’t so damned CUTE ). Of course, Hajime’s clumsiness is no surprise, for his so-called teacher is doing less teaching and more aimless spinning. Truthfully, he doesn’t know the first thing about teaching, and frankly, it sounds a little too boring for his tastes.
“ You’re pretty LUCKY! I always have fun when I’m with Shino, so I don’t mind at all. ”
It is a rare and welcome feat— there are precious few people whose company he can tolerate, and fewer STILL who tolerate his in turn. Friendship is an elusive being to him, long overdue and new in every aspect. Exchanging touches and words and smiles— ( who knew a commoner’s SMILE could bring him such indescribable joy? ) Lips curl in turn, painting his cheeks with the sun’s own radiance. He laughs.
It’s blinding, apparently, for in just a MOMENT, the grace of his previous strides is completely obliterated. Diverted attention fails to spot Hajime’s inevitable stumble, and the sheer inertia is enough to knock Tori clean off his slippery skates. They fall in tandem, fingers grasping for a last-ditch attempt at balance. Tori’s instead find the thick fabric of an old coat.
Ice is certainly no cushion, but despite a bruised backside, not a sing complaint flows from his lips. INSTEAD, there is simply more laughter. Soft and sweet, echoing ‘round the rink as his hold around Hajime yet tightens.
“ —TOLD you I’d catch ya! ”
He’s never felt so happy about another’s own mishap.
more, more, hajime had wanted more of tori’s sweet words, they were rare, UNPRECEDENTED as tori had a reputation around school. it was a reputation unfitting for him ( at least hajime believed ), as tori was much kinder than rumors led him to be. sure, tori was ROUGH around the edges, but who wasn’t? it were the rumors that had hajime fearful of his peer, but looking at him now — they were lies.
the TUMBLE was less graceful than hajime had wished ( he probably made a fool out of himself in front of tori ). he had held out his arms to try and catch himself, but instead of them meeting the ice, they ended up tangled around tori for SUPPORT. despite the frigid temperature, his cheeks burned with enough heat to forget about the weather as his mind was only occupied with the thought of tori and how CLOSE he had unintentionally gotten to him.
“i-i’m so sorry, tori-kun, you didn’t need to catch me at the price of your own balance.” uncaring of his own fall, his only REGRET was taking the other down with him, ...although the comforting position of having tori’s arms around him brought joy. NO. what was he thinking? he should be ridden with GUILT, as usual, yet this time he couldn’t bring himself to such the feeling. perhaps it was the fact tori was smiling, or the fact he had kept his PROMISE, but even then, hajime would have felt a sense of guilt, but not now, definitely not now.
unable to FREE his arms from being trapped between tori and the ice, the distance between them had closed considerably and, with no escape, made hajime unable to make eye contact with tori. was it wrong that he felt HAPPY? ecstatic? was it wrong that he felt SAFE in the tranquility of tori’s arms? the lighthearted tone in tori’s laugh did wonders to settle hajime’s nerves as he softened to a small smile. “i guess in a way, you’re kind of like my savior, right?”
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