The Night We Met (KamiShin)

Yours Before You Knew It

The smell of food filled the large room as Hitoshi made his way over to a table. A lonely one, at the very back of the cafeteria. No one ever sat there. Cobwebs coated every nook and cranny around the area, and the graffitied bench stood lonelier than an empty cave.
He slouched down over the seat, setting his tray of food at the very corner. As he sat, a feeling of vacancy overtook his stomach. An emptiness so grand, he felt more than full. Frowning, Hitoshi moved around some of the food with his chopsticks, not knowing what to do with them. He seemed to have forgotten how to eat. It's not like he wanted to anyways.
Someone approached as he fixated his blank gaze upon the bowl of rice at the center of his tray. A delicate hand touched his shoulder lightly. He didn't bother turning around. The figure sat next to him after noticing he was being ignored. He placed his hand over Hitoshi's forearm.
"Shinso, wanna come sit with us?" Izuku asked.
Hitoshi adverted his gaze tiredly, staring at Izuku's hand. The other moved it away, seeing he was making Hitoshi uncomfortable. He let out an airy sigh before pointing to a table at the very center of the dining room. What he identified as Denki's classroom friends stared back at Hitoshi's secluded table, waiting for Izuku to return with him.
"You can sit with us if you want," he said shyly. "You shouldn't be alone at a time like this. We're your friends."
Hitoshi scoffed, shooting up from his seat.
He climbed over the bench, abandoning his food and Izuku. Furrowing his eyebrows, he turned his hand into a fist, gripping tighter until it turned paler than white.
"You don't know anything," Hitoshi growled through gritted teeth.
With that, he stormed off as his eyes began to water. Nobody knew everything that happened behind the scenes. Hitoshi wasn't one to cry for no reason. In fact, he barely shed a tear. But it was just too much. He couldn't hold it back anymore. Not if that stupid boy kept making him remember everything he wanted to forget.

-o-

It was a sunny day. Strange climate for the rainy season, but no less enjoyable. Hitoshi felt especially hungry on that day. His stomach had been roaring all throughout class. He'd eaten a lot for breakfast, but it still didn't let his hunger rest.
He paced quickly, eager to get first in line to get some lunch. He shoved past some kids in his year, almost sprinting to the front of the line. At last he'd be able to enjoy some lunch without anybody bothering him. Or so he thought.
Having gotten his food, Hitoshi made his way contently over to a lonesome table at the very corner of the room. Nobody ever sat there after all those rumors about the bench started to spread. But he wasn't superstitious, nor did he care for what any of his peers had to say. He wanted peace, and he would get it his way no matter what.
Just as he was savoring the first bite of his meal, the loud slam of metal against the table pounded into his ears. It came from the spot next to him. He shifted his attention, only to find a bright-looking Denki Kaminari, already making himself comfortable next to the other.
Hitoshi's chest began to thump, as if his heart were to beat out of it and tear through his skin. Denki let out an innocent chuckle before scratching the back of his head.
"You looked pretty lonely! Can I sit here with you?" Denki asked, lashes fluttering with every giggle.
Hitoshi couldn't help but grin a little. He tried to hide it as best he could with a roll of his eyes.
"You're already here. Do I have a choice?"
Denki went red.
"Ah, right, sorry!" He chuckled.
Hitoshi expected the conversation to fade into an awkward silence until the blond smiled curiously, moving his hand over to the other's bowl of rice.
"Is that chicken? I didn't know they served that! Can I have some?" Denki asked as he picked out a small piece of meat from Hitoshi's bowl.
Hitoshi sighed, slightly irritated.
"You've already taken some," Hitoshi mumbled.
Before Denki could bite into the piece, he giggled in embarrassment and shrugged. Hitoshi watched him enjoy the bit, wondering what Denki could possibly be doing, sitting next to him. He didn't complain, though he felt quite out of place with the other's presence.
Denki placed his hand atop Hitoshi's forearm, lightly tapping his fingers atop the other's extremity. Hitoshi tried to pull away his arm. He felt surrounded, like there were multiple eyes watching his every move. Denki grinned, cheeks turning pink with glee as he looked at his peer.
"You and I are going to be great friends!" He announced.
He didn't know what it was, but something about Denki's positivity made him sick. He'd witnessed the other sobbing his eyes out the other day. And now the blond acted like he'd never shed a single tear in his whole lifetime. Hitoshi was a great observer. He was quiet and reserved, but not ignorant. He was aware that a rupture existed behind that perfect smile. A big one.
Because behind the summer warmth brought by the other's joy, hid an endless winter. A hell of ice and cold. But cracking the surface wouldn't be the only challenge. There were many layers to young Denki Kaminari. Contradictions and twists. It wasn't obvious, but if one payed enough attention, a fragment of the truth would reveal itself.
"Why don't you sit with your friends?" Hitoshi asked.
Denki began to eat his own food, taking a sip of his yoghurt.
"Because I felt bad, seeing you alone," he replied between mouthfuls.
Hitoshi crosses his arms.
"So? I like sitting alone," the taller answered.
"But it's not fair. Nobody deserves to be alone..."
Hitoshi took another bite of his food and rolled his eyes.
"Life isn't fair in general," Hitoshi mumbled.
Denki shrugged.
"Perhaps. But what we make of it is what counts. As much as life may screw you over, there is always a way to move forward."
Hitoshi stopped himself, taking a small peak at Denki. He was staring at the table with empty eyes, much different than how he'd been just seconds ago. He should've known from the beginning. But as he stared at the blond, he noticed just how similar they really were.
"Anyway, are you heading to the station after school? Or do you ride the bus?" Denki asked.
"Today I'm taking the metro, why?" Hitoshi asked.
"I take the metro too! Wanna go to the station together?"
Everything froze again. Hitoshi was too late. He was already in too deep. Strange feelings made his insides twist with anxiety. He couldn't learn to cope with everything. It was all go much all at once; like a speeding train colliding into another. Like a neutron star merging violently.
"Fine."