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[ GN!Reader ] ➜ Moonlight And Tears

╰┈➤ During a moonlit walk with Chiaki to clear your head, you begin to slip into a deep topic about your feelings for him. Before you could resume, Chiaki hugged you out of nowhere... can someone like him truly be insecure?

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        Moonlight sheds her glory upon only the deserving. The nighttime is a blessing that many overlook, but some find comfort and appreciation within. You're no exception. The bitter chill of winter in the dark brought you out of your own skin. For a moment, you felt free. Prior to that moment, you'd been slouched in your office space with your face stuffed in endless pages of papers for idol work. Managing more than one unit was a lot more stressful than you initially expected.

Shadows cast over every inch of land before you. Street lights fended off the looming darkness, yet you wished to be engulfed in shade. If you could see the moon for what she is, maybe then you'd feel a worthwhile rush. Burning yourself out was pointless, so you discovered the harsh way.
You stuffed your hands into your pockets as you walked idly into the courtyard of the Ensemble Square main building. The plants lining the stone gardens dipped and swayed to and fro in a regal bow from the silent breeze as you advanced. It all seemed therapeutic. Somehow, you felt more content while gazing up at the perfectly round moon. There was not a cloud in the sky above. That abyss which was once a blue sky— within it, you could see faint traces of what is thousands of stars. The sight was so gorgeous that you had to stand completely still on the wooden patio just to admire it thoroughly.

"Hey, Producer!" Said a familiar voice, excited though controlled as a figure rushed towards you.
A smile lifted the corners of your lips as you waved eagerly at the figure. "Hey, Chiaki! Look, look, the moon is so pretty tonight." You gestured for Chiaki to stand beside you. He eyed your gesturing hand before stepping towards you, though he maintained an unusual gap. Normally, he'd have already initiated a hug between you and himself. You assumed that he needed space and opted to observe his mannerisms a bit more before proceeding.
Chiaki lifted his head, the lights of the Ensemble Square building far in his wake. His warm, brown hues with so much comfort in them spied the moon with such an enthralling smile. The beauty of it all left you heaving a relaxed sigh as you watched the moon.

Your eyes shifted to fixate upon Chiaki. He idly observed the moon with his arms folded— not crossed. You took a mental note of that. He held his own arms in a way that looked similar to a self-hug, like there was a reason for fear. You never took Chiaki as the type to be afraid of the dark.
"Chiaki," you began with a soft smile. "Do you ever sleep in the dark?" Asked your gentle voice.
Chiaki peeked at you before nodding his head with great enthusiasm. "Yep, I do pretty often. How about you? If you're scared, I'll keep you safe!"
You snorted a laugh through your nostrils. "Nah, I'm good, man. You don't have to be like that around me—" You fell silent upon further inspecting Chiaki's eyes.

The darkness under his eyes was horrible. You could feel his exhaustion just by looking at his face. However, before you could point it out, Chiaki spoke.
"I get it," he said, his tone somewhat sorrowful. "I've turned into one of them. One of those plain, pathetic adults."
Your eyes narrowed a bit as you placed your hands into your pockets. "Not at all. You may not be a hero, but you are the literal light of RYUSEITAI." At that point, you were still studying Chiaki's demeanor. His expression shifted when you said that.

Without uttering a word, Chiaki slowly turned himself around. He advanced towards you, almost expressionless in that moment. It terrified you. Someone like him usually always had a massive smile. It was a rare sight. Chiaki's frame gave in as he tugged you into a tight hug. The sudden gesture surprised you at first, but you soon leaned into his touch. "Are you doing okay, Chiaki?" You softly asked. "You can be as honest with me as you need to." You added.
"Haha, I'm all right. I just wanted to— to hug you. I guess I was just craving this." His confession sounded like he was being stabbed hundreds of times over. His voice was strangled like rose thorns gripping around the fur and skin of an innocent rabbit.
You leaned some of Chiaki's weight into the toe of his shoes, allowing him to give into your embrace as your arms found their way around his sides. "From the way you're talking, that's not all right. You can rest. You've done enough."

That must've been his breaking point.

By then, you could hear the sounds of muffled sniveling. Your dominant hand remained upon Chiaki's back to support him while your free hand found the back of his head. His brown hair seemed to engulf your joints as you hugged him quietly, wishing not to disturb his moment of vulnerability. Such a sight was unusual for him. He always claims to be a hero— that doesn't change. Most people don't realize that even heroes have a breaking point.

Chiaki's exhausted body simply caved into you, nearly knocking you off of your feet from the sudden shift of weight. Your arms secured him upright by his sides, though he heavily relied upon you to even hope to stay up. Chiaki's arms fastened tighter around you. You heaved a sigh. "You always remind the others to care for themselves. They'd be pissed if they saw you like this."
If only you had said the right thing then. That was simply the cusp of Chiaki's breaking point, and your comment simply seemed to throw him off of the more composed side.
He blinked tears as he caved into you even worse than before. You backed into the railing on the dimly lit patio, using it for balance. You could hold him up, and you did, but you felt more secure with your back to the wooden railing.

Poor Chiaki. His irises almost immediately broke out from pure white to blood red. His tears raced down his cheeks in unified globs, dripping down his chin like a monsoon was in the forecast.
You did your best to readjust your position, but thanks to exhaustion, Chiaki was a tad too weak to really move. You could feel his pains through his strangled cries and his palpitating heart. "It's okay, Chiaki," you whispered as you pressed closer to him. "You've done enough. It's time to rest."
It seemed as though your closeness helped console his desperate state. Your hands tenderly dried his eyes as soon as he lifted his head from your clothes. Even though neither said anything more, you could practically hear what he wished to convey to you. Gratitude laced with bittersweet tears of relief glided down his face. You pat his head several times.

Chiaki's lips formed a heartfelt grin. He chuckled under his breath, patting your head gingerly in return. You pat his head a bit more aggressively as a distraction. Chiaki shook his head a bit before patting your head once again, except he remained just as gentle as before. You deadpanned before snorting through your nostrils. You could hear Chiaki beginning to softly laugh as the rest of his tears made their way from his eyes.

Sometimes, all it takes is a little vulnerability to create something beautiful. This moment was unlike any other. Pictures would do it no justice. Only the beauty of the forgetful and emotional mind of a human could do this proper justice.

"Even heroes gotta cry, man." You reminded Chiaki while hoisting his arm over your shoulder. He leaned against your side with a gentle laugh.
He nodded solemnly. "Yeah. Sorry about all of this. I think I need a moment to cool down."
Your head tilted to rest atop Chiaki's. "Got it. We can go wherever you'd like." You said as you closed your eyes to enjoy the moment.
Chiaki snickered. "Haha, I somehow feel more like a hero than before."
"As you should. You're always going to be that kindness in someone's life, even when you need time to be sad. When you're sad, I'll smile, so that you can smile again, too!" You proudly said, showing Chiaki a toothy grin as you tightened your grasp around him.
He leaned further into you, mirroring your massive smile. "Hahaha! Okay, I'm counting on you, Producer."

You and Chiaki marched from the garden to the main building of Ensemble Square together, laughing at Chiaki's every stumble. The exhaustion of his lead him to clumsily trip on his own shoe and occasionally lean into you, practically fast asleep on your shoulder. Either way, you found it fun. The climb up the staircase was taxing, but it once again, fun. Your laughter echoed the stairwell just as much as Chiaki's. The two couldn't help wheezing whenever one flopped up the stairs like a dumb clown.

Either way, you made it back to your office and simply crashed out there with Chiaki. He happily laid his body across your chest, falling asleep immediately afterwards. So, you decided to follow along and have very sweet dreams of what was just Chiaki-filled memories. Your favorite.