Too late. Once his friend, always his friend. Between one passing day spent processing and growing from things that occurred in the past, purely platonic thoughts on the whereabouts of a certain white haired and freckle faced male he once knew guided him to find out if they were still in the area. There was something he had wished to share with the older and wiser male he’d known a long, long time ago. It was wonderful to see them again.
“Hideki-man”, he called out as a way of letting them know that contrary to his remarkable shift in height and physique, that persistent youthfulness still lingered. It would be the only time he’d use his unusual honorific to refer to the other, but ideally it would not be the final time he’d rather impulsively wrap his arms around them to initiate a friendly hug between old peers.
“I’ve been thinking about you. M- more like a lot of things really, but.. What I only really want to say is thank you for always being nice to me.”
It took a few moments for memory to kick in for his sluggish brain — thankfully, he had a penchant for faces and although the other had changed ... well, quite a lot, it was enough for the taller man to recognize him through the combination of his words, voice and appearance put together.
“Muu! Eep —” The hug did surprise him, and Hideki did freeze for a short moment before reciprocating the squishable affection. The ravenette male that was nearby squinted for a short moment before his attention went somewhere else ( it was merely a confused husband, do not mind him ). Hideki patted the other’s shoulder, his words making warmth crawl up through his face; even years later, he still sucked at receiving compliments, especially for things that should just be the norm in the first place.
“Hey — it’s ... no worry, I was just doin’ uh ... well, what ‘d hope people should do. Gods, ya grew a lot! It’s so nice to see ya again though!”
