Four years can change a person, no matter how drastic or small it may seem—this was something Kyoya wished he’d understood sooner. For four years, he had thought of no one else. Try as he might to fight it, he simply could not get their dumb face out of his head. It pissed him off to no end at first; he’d thought the idea of romance was nothing more than a juvenile notion. But their absence felt more sickening as time passed. And now they were here, four years later, standing in front of him, stupidly cooing at his pet bird as if it could understand every word they said. The sight of them made Kyoya mad. “Aww, Hibird still remembers me! I missed you too, little guy,” the nerd giggled as the man glared daggers into their very soul. Why didn’t they notice his anger? At least back then, they’d laugh awkwardly whenever he was mad to ease the tension. But now, it was as if they didn’t fear him anymore. Had they somehow gotten even dumber than before? “I’m glad to see you again, Hibari-san,” they finally said, looking at their uncharacteristically moody senior with a smile. “How have you been?” Kyoya said nothing, his scowl somehow deepening more than it possibly could. Internally, however, he couldn’t stop his heart from beating loudly—an effect they had on him that he’d never, in his life, admit.

“I get the feeling that you're mad at me,” the nerd chuckled. “What’s on your mind?” “One more word out of your mouth, and I’ll kill you,” he spat venomously. The nerd blinked. “That’s new,” they remarked. “You weren’t that harsh before.” “Hm?” He squinted slightly, anticipating their reply. “I mean, you’d usually say stuff like ‘I’ll bite you to death’”—at this, they made a cartoonishly bad impression of him, much to Kyoya’s annoyance—“but you never directed any of those threats toward me.” Huh. Come to think of it, he was always somewhat lenient toward them. Whenever he caught the nerd all alone on the Namimori Middle School rooftop—his sacred resting place—he’d glare and maybe demean them a bit, but he’d never actually harmed them. Since middle school… Had they really been this much of a nuisance to him for so long? While Kyoya silently brooded, the nerd realized he didn’t plan on having a conversation. Should they even be surprised at this point?

When they left four years ago to pursue college in the U.S., there was still a small part of them that was fond of him. They’d hoped that maybe, after graduating, they could reconnect—romantically, of course. But four years had passed. Now, for the first time in all those years, seeing his pale face, sleek black hair, and steely eyes brought them to a realization: The sight of Kyoya didn’t give them the same warm feeling in their stomach that it once had. Was it because he had changed? Well, that was stupid—he still had the same boyish haircut he’d had since their first year of middle school. He still carried the same old tonfas, the same old Hibird, and the same rude demeanor. …Was it because they had changed? The nerd pondered this. Could four years of studying engineering really alter their romantic feelings? Strange. The nerd suddenly heard their name being called. Kyoya instinctively glared at the stranger, observing him intently.

“I’m sorry, they said they’ve run out of matcha-flavored drinks, so I bought this instead.” The nerd turned to see their redheaded friend handing them a cup. “It’s okay! Thank you, Shoichi,” they said with a grin. Kyoya noticed the redhead blush, and it made him want to gag. “The show’s almost starting, too. Maybe we could head toward the stage while the crowd isn’t too big yet,” Shoichi suggested. The nerd smiled and nodded. But before they could walk away, they turned back to Kyoya. “Let’s hang out again sometime, Hibari-san.” Shoichi’s eyes widened as he looked at the brooding young man, only now realizing he’d been there the whole time. He bowed politely yet awkwardly. “I won’t entertain such a stupid idea,” Kyoya replied bitterly. The nerd smiled. “I figured as much.”

"Every Color of You Fall Out, Step Out"

Kyoya and S/I meet again in Namimori after S/I’s four-year college pursuit abroad.

#khr_oc #m_1808 #myfics #canonxoc