" hmm .. sit still for a second , " and reaches over to fix daisuke's ribbon , smoothing out anything else on his uniform . ' how cute , ' mafuyu thought to himself . it was a good fit on him , considering their similar height , and with the wig ... well , daisuke blended in quite smoothly with the rest of the students .
then he rests his head against the other's shoulder , letting out a sigh of relief .
" thank you .. for coming to see me , even like this ... " masked , strained smiles , and without much of a moment's peace because of his running around . daisuke's presence as a whole was mafuyu's breath of fresh air , no matter where they settled . he's considered mafuyu's well being so much since they'd met , even going as far to put a disguise to visit him during lunch ... mafuyu can't help but think how undeserving he felt of it most times — had he been doing enough for daisuke in return ?
still , it put a restless heart put into peace , and left to think maybe today wasn't so bad . " .. is it okay if i stay like this ? " despite all his opposing thoughts- mafuyu wanted to cling close as always , no longer paying attention to his lunch .
oops . had things ended up getting a little out of place ? ( it's summer , and it's sweltering , but that still hasn't stopped him from coming all this way , changing clothes as he sprinted . ) mafuyu's kinder with his frumpy hints than his mother ; the niwa can still feel himself wince a little as the echo of old scold-and-chidings fast haunt him --- ( minus five points , daisuke ! a phantom thief must always look stylish and impeccable ! )
... but that was different here , wasn't it ?
the other's hand comes close and he wants to hold it ; imagines himself gently snatching and halting mafuyu's glide over borrowed clothes so that he could indulge the impulse to kiss the back of that palm once more --- ( what the ... what was he thinking ?! wasn't a hello just fine ?! ) instead he quietly watches as mafuyu straightens out the ribbon and frees any wrinkles with a delicate touch .
' i'm sorry , ' he can't help but say at first with a flush , ' i should have taken better care of it ... ' even if he too was always trying to never let anything catch or snag and unravel due to dramatic acts like vaults over stone walls , steel gates with sharp points , or even the far more ordinary jutting twigs and sticks of passing branches .
for mafuyu , daisuke thinks , the sight of his uniform being tousled and left sloppy must have brought out complicated emotions for as long the idea of perfection was so important --- if not to mafuyu himself , then his own mother , who no doubt might have turned to all sorts of interrogation , assumption , and demand over the damage on an otherwise should-have-been spotless uniform .
mafuyu's head soon sets onto his shoulder , and daisuke feels his heart jump . he tries to quash the sensation , missing the empty sekai's morphing freedoms but filling up with warmth over the other's gratitude nevertheless . a small , sincere smile sets onto the niwa's expression , and it only grows until a hand lifts , hesitates , then gently rubs the top of the other's head .
' it's nothing , ' nothing to worry about , anyways . ' i was so excited to have someone to go to ... something to look forward to in the first place , that i was really scared i'd end up transforming on the way . ' he laughs a little , awkward yet still sweet , trying its best to lighten any airs . ' even though your uniform fits me really well , that only means it'd never fit dark --- and being stuck in a skirt that's too small is probably even worse than being stuck in swim trunks or gym shorts . '
but he's managed to spare himself any front page press over the great phantom thief's bunny briefs so far . the air softens , the sunlight shines and shimmers in between the gaps of tree leaves and blowing winds , and just for a moment , daisuke wishes that things like this could've lasted forever .
' it's okay . ' he says this even though what he means is he couldn't have asked for anything more . except for mafuyu's good health , a simple wish and something he too considers as he gingerly plucks a berry from the inside of mafuyu's now becoming-untouched bento , offering the fruit up cool and sweet-smelling to the other's mouth . ' ... here , say ah . your lunch is still important , ' but he'd happily stay , for every second of it . ' if it's alright , i'll feed you . '
all the other had to do , in the meantime --- was stay close beside him .
