The next few days passed painfully slow for Ren.
Every time he entered the classroom, he would automatically look toward Hikaru's seat — but Hikaru never looked back.
He just stared quietly out the window, smiled at other classmates, or busied himself with his notes, as if Ren was just... air.
At first, Ren told himself, "Who cares? It's better this way."
But when he caught Hikaru laughing softly with another classmate during break time, something inside him twisted.
A sharp, ugly feeling burned in his chest — jealousy.
Ren slammed his locker shut harder than necessary and sat at his desk, restless.
Why does it bother me so much?
He can laugh with whoever he wants. It's not like he's mine.
But no matter how much he tried to push it away, his eyes kept drifting toward Hikaru...
...and every time he caught that soft smile aimed at someone else, his heart sank a little more.
At lunch, Ren usually sat with Miyu and some friends, but today, he couldn't concentrate.
He excused himself, grabbed a juice, and went to the rooftop to clear his head.
That's when he saw it —
Hikaru sitting alone under the shade, quietly eating his lunch with a small smile on his face. The wind tousled his hair, the sunlight framed him like he was something delicate.
Ren couldn't look away.
I hate this, he thought.
I hate that he looks so peaceful without me.
Without even thinking, Ren crushed the juice box in his hand, juice spilling onto the concrete.
He cursed under his breath, feeling something inside him start to crack.
Just when Hikaru thought things might finally settle, a new transfer student entered their class.
The teacher smiled warmly and said,
"Everyone, this is Reo Kisaragi. Please welcome him."
The students clapped politely — except Hikaru.
His hands stayed frozen on his desk, his whole body stiff.
His eyes widened as soon as he saw him.
Reo.
The boy who had once made Hikaru's life miserable at his previous school.
The boy he had left everything behind to forget.
Reo grinned like nothing had happened and took a seat — just two seats away from Hikaru.
He leaned closer and whispered,
"Long time no see, babe."
Hikaru felt sick.
---
Wanting to escape, Hikaru rushed to the old music room after school.
The quietness always helped him breathe.
He sat on an empty bench, closed his eyes, and tried to calm the storm inside him.
Then, suddenly —
A cold juice bottle touched his lips.
He flinched and opened his eyes —
There he was. Reo.
Standing way too close, smiling like a predator.
Hikaru tried to stand up immediately, but Reo grabbed his wrist and yanked him down — forcing him onto his lap.
He struggled, feeling trapped, as Reo whispered against his ear,
"We had so much fun before, didn't we? Why are you pretending you don't like it?"
Disgust. Fear. Rage.
It all exploded inside Hikaru.
He pushed hard, escaped from his grip, and stood trembling.
"We broke up a long time ago, Reo. Leave me alone — or I'll tell the teachers!" Hikaru shouted, voice shaking.
But Reo didn't listen.
He cornered him against the wall, pinning him there.
The pressure made Hikaru's hand scrape painfully against the rough surface — a small wound opened, stinging sharply.
"Breakup? Since when do you get to decide everything?" Reo growled.
The school bell suddenly rang — saving Hikaru.
While Reo got distracted, Hikaru shoved past him and ran.
Down the hallway. Through the corridors.
Heart pounding, eyes burning with unshed tears.
---
When Hikaru stumbled breathless into class, everyone else was still gathering their books.
But Ren saw him immediately.
The fear in Hikaru's eyes.
The red wound on his hand.
Without a second thought, Ren stood up, walked across the room, and grabbed Hikaru's hand firmly.
He didn't say anything — just pulled him out of the classroom, down the hallway, and into the nurse's office.
"What are you doing?" Hikaru protested weakly.
"Class is starting—"
Ren shushed him by placing a finger on his lips.
His eyes, usually cold, were now burning with something intense.
"You idiot," Ren said softly.
"It's going to get infected. Let me take care of you first."
For a moment, Hikaru couldn't move — couldn't breathe.
He just sat there, letting Ren gently clean the wound, his hands careful, almost trembling.
"You're really like this, Ren..." Hikaru mumbled under his breath.
"When everything's ugly... you're still so soft."
Ren avoided his eyes, muttering,
"Stop saying weird things and just rest."
Before Hikaru could argue, Ren gently pushed him down onto the infirmary bed, covering him with a light blanket.
"Sleep," Ren ordered.
Hikaru gave a small laugh but closed his eyes anyway, exhaustion pulling him under.
---
After School
When Hikaru finally woke up, the room was dark and empty.
School was long over.
Beside him, slumped over in a chair, was Ren — sleeping soundly, his head resting near Hikaru's hand.
A warm feeling bloomed painfully in Hikaru's chest.
Carefully, not wanting to wake him, Hikaru slipped out of bed and left quietly —
but this time, with a tiny, shy smile on his lips.
Even though the wound still hurt,
something inside him had started to heal.
Reo wouldn't stop.
Every day, he found small reasons to bump into Hikaru.
A casual touch on the shoulder.
A low whisper right behind his ear.
A smirk when their eyes met.
It made Hikaru's skin crawl.
But no matter how hard he tried to slip away, Reo was always just one step behind.
Across the hall, Ren watched it all with dark eyes, his nails digging into his palms.
The feeling inside him wasn't annoyance anymore — it was anger.
Burning, wild anger he didn't know how to control.
He didn't understand why Hikaru didn't fight back harder.
He didn't understand why he himself wanted to punch Reo so badly.
And most of all — he didn't understand why he couldn't look away.
That evening, Ren caught Hikaru alone in the garden behind the school.
Hikaru sat under a tree, hugging his knees, his head down.
The soft gold of the setting sun kissed his hair, and for a moment, Ren forgot how to breathe.
Without thinking, he stomped over and dropped a canned coffee next to him.
"Drink it. You look like shit," he muttered, stuffing his hands in his pockets.
Hikaru flinched, startled —
then looked up.
That small, hesitant smile he gave was like a punch straight to Ren's gut.
He wanted to be angry.
He wanted to stay cold.
But damn it —
Hikaru's smile was too beautiful.
Their fingers brushed when Hikaru took the can.
Both of them jerked their hands back like they'd been burned, cheeks burning.
Ren turned away quickly.
"Don't make that face," he grumbled, voice tight.
"You're so annoying."
Behind him, Hikaru let out a tiny laugh under his breath — soft and real.
It echoed in Ren's chest longer than it should have.
He hated how much he loved hearing it.
The next day, things didn't get any easier.
Hikaru tried to act normal.
Pretending Reo didn't exist.
Pretending he wasn't scared.
Pretending everything was fine.
But Ren could see the tiny flinches.
The fake smiles.
The way Hikaru's hands shook when Reo walked too close.
At lunch, Ren found himself staring across the courtyard again, watching Hikaru nibble at his sandwich with no real appetite.
Watching Hikaru force laughs with his classmates.
Watching him pretend he wasn't broken inside.
It made Ren's blood boil.
He wanted to protect him.
He wanted to pull him into his arms and tell him it was okay to cry.
He wanted to be the only one Hikaru needed.
But he didn't move.
Not yet.
His heart pounded so loud he could barely hear anything else.
He clenched his fists and forced himself to look away —
but the image of Hikaru's trembling smile stayed burned behind his eyelids.
He knew.
He knew now.
This wasn't just annoyance.
It wasn't just pity.
It wasn't just curiosity.
It was something deeper.
Something scarier.
Something real.
And no matter how hard he tried to run from it —
there was no turning back now.
The days dragged on painfully.
Hikaru kept smiling.
Kept pretending.
And Ren kept watching him break from a distance.
Until it finally snapped.
It happened after school.
Most of the students had already gone home.
The hallways were quieter now, the sun bleeding orange through the windows.
Ren was gathering his things when he heard it.
A soft, sharp sound — a yelp.
It came from down the hall.
His body moved before his brain could even process.
He sprinted toward the noise, heart hammering wildly.
And then he saw it.
Reo had cornered Hikaru against the lockers.
One hand gripping his wrist painfully.
The other hand trying to cup his face.
Hikaru was frozen.
Too scared to scream.
Too scared to move.
That was it.
That was the last thread holding Ren back.
Without thinking, Ren shoved Reo away so hard he stumbled and hit the lockers with a loud clang.
Ren grabbed Hikaru by the waist and pulled him into his chest, shielding him.
"Don't you dare touch him again," Ren growled low, his voice trembling with fury.
His eyes were dark. Deadly.
Even Reo, the arrogant jerk he was, flinched.
Hikaru clutched the front of Ren's shirt, breathing shakily.
He didn't even care anymore if people saw.
He just wanted to be safe.
He just wanted Ren.
Reo scowled, muttered something under his breath, and left — finally defeated.
The hallway went silent again.
Only the sound of Hikaru's uneven breathing against Ren's chest remained.
Ren slowly loosened his grip, but didn't step away.
He looked down — into Hikaru's wide, wet eyes.
And something inside him shattered.
"Idiot…" Ren whispered, his voice breaking slightly.
"Why didn't you tell me…?"
Hikaru didn't answer.
Instead, a tear slipped down his cheek.
Ren caught it with his thumb.
His hand lingered on Hikaru's soft skin.
He couldn't pull away.
He didn't want to pull away anymore.
Hikaru's lips parted slightly, trembling.
Ren leaned in slowly, giving him every second to pull back — but Hikaru didn't move.
When their lips touched, it was gentle.
Painful.
Full of everything they'd kept bottled up inside.
A kiss filled with fear, sadness, longing, and the quiet beginnings of love.
When they broke apart, Ren rested his forehead against Hikaru's.
"You're mine," he whispered fiercely, so only Hikaru could hear.
"I won't let anyone hurt you again."
Hikaru closed his eyes, a few more tears slipping out — but this time, they were tears of relief.
Finally, he was safe.
Finally, someone chose him — not because he was easy to break, but because he was precious.
And this time…
he didn't have to fight alone anymore.