Comfort

Mitsukuni Haninozuka x OC (Mai)

"Are you in there?" A gentle voice sounded muffled from the other side of the door. She took a few deep breaths and searched for the strength to open her eyes. When she found it, she instantly shut them again. Even the little light in her room was enough to burn her swollen eyes.

"Are you crying?" She recognized whom the voice belonged to, yet she wasn't bombarded with the warm sensation she was so familiar with feeling whenever he was nearby. Quite the opposite, the thought of her senpai seeing her like this sent uneasy spikes to her stomach.

She knew he wouldn't be leaving anytime soon because she knew him. Honey-senpai was just too nice for his own good sometimes.

She dug her nails into her palm, reveling shortly in the distraction from the pain emanating from her chest. She took her time rising from the bed, reaching out to adjust the volume of her music to a lower setting.

She cringed at the sound of her sniffles, roughly wiping at the irritated skin around her nose and eyes.

"No." She knew he would be able to tell she was lying, but the weak answer tumbled out of her mouth anyway. She watched as the doorknob turned from one side to the other, firmly locked in place.

"Mai-pyon." She could almost picture his frown. The sad tone of his voice was enough to force her body into motion, stopping just short of her bedroom door. She pulled hopelessly at the sides of her lips, straining her mouth to form a smile. When she thought she got it, she opened the door.

"Don't do that. Don't smile when it hurts like this." The look on her face actually pained Honey. He had never been so upset that his body hurt, but seeing the pain on her face was infectious to the boy.

He didn't miss a beat, enveloping her body with strong arms.

"Honey-senpai, what are you-?" She shifted uncomfortably in his hold, gently positioning her arms between the two of their chests. She attempted a laugh, but the noise caught somewhere in the back of her throat. He only squeezed her tighter, rubbing her back with small fingers. His hands came to rest on her shoulders, leaning back just enough to see her entire face.

"This isn't a smile." He reprimanded. He lifted a hand to place it awkwardly atop her cheek. He kept his movements slow, worried he'd upset her even more than she already was.

"If you need to cry, then you better just cry. Be nice to yourself, Mai-chan." He spoke as his eyes desperately tried to meet hers. She was staring blankly behind him and the silence was absolutely unnerving.

As tenderly as possible, he brought her chin closer and prayed she'd just look at him. And she did, with tears already leaking from the sides of her eyes. She looked tired, and Honey felt all of his energy seep out of him to match.

She swiftly hid her face in the crook of his shoulder, tears soaking through his nightshirt. He honestly thought he couldn't feel worse than this. And then, he heard her sobs. Sharp and needy, she gasped for air between each one. And his chest ached.

He was vaguely aware of one of his hands detaching itself from her lower back to fiddle with her hair.

"Honey-senpai, I give up on love. I don't think it'll ever work out for me." She choked on the words.

"Mai-chan." He didn't know if he said her name to comfort her or himself. He didn't think either worked.

Harsh sobs and heavy breaths filled the room, making the storm raging outside seem insignificant in comparison.

They stood there for ages, and Honey never complained. His hold on her never even waivered.

When she was done, she didn't feel good, but she was better.

Her voice was quiet and sleepy when she spoke.

"Senpai… Have you ever liked someone before?"

Honey felt an intense heat blossom across his cheeks. He released her out of instinct, attempting to distance himself from the question. His mind tripped over possible answers.

He turned to face her door, where his prized plush sat forgotten on her television stand. He hurried over to snatch it up.

"U-usa-chan!" He smiled as he clutched the bunny tightly to his chest.

"Ah, right. Senpai likes Usa-chan a lot, right?" She couldn't help but chuckle. She met him on the other side of the room, completely overlooking the embarrassment on her senpai's face.

"You're one lucky bunny, Usa-chan. Be nice to senpai, okay?" She wiped at some of the drying tear tracks on her cheeks, giving the plush a toothy smile. Honey's heart constricted harshly at the sight.

"Sleep with him tonight! He'll protect you from any scary dreams, I swear!" He shoved the bunny into her arms without much thought. He wasn't worried that he couldn't sleep without Usa-chan. He doubted very seriously that he would be getting any sleep tonight worrying over Mai.

With one look at her, he decided Usa-chan looked undeniably better in her arms than in his. He swallowed three times before his throat was able to function properly again.

"Goodnight, Mai." He wished her a quiet goodnight. He offered a final reassuring smile for the night, before turning and opening the door to the hallway.

"Wait—" Mai called after him, holding Usa-chan loosely in one hand. She reached out to catch Honey's arm with the other.

She felt it again after he left. The warmth that he always brought her. She felt empty and full at the same time, and definitely tired.

"You're going to protect me, huh?" She asked the plush in her arms, twiddling with one of its paws.

"Senpai's the best." She hummed contentedly to herself. She nestled Usa-chan between her chin and her shoulder, flicking off the light switch to get ready for bed.

Honey rested his back against her bedroom door, sluggishly sliding down until his bottom hit the floor. His fingers pinched at his cheeks, failing to contain the raging blush spreading to his chest.

"Mitsukuni?" Mori's tired voice came from down the hall. Honey shot up to his feet.

"Ah, Takeshi!" The boy wiped falsely at his eyes, hoping he looked as exhausted as he felt. He rushed to take Mori's hand in his, pulling him towards their room in the vacation villa.

"Are you tired? Let's go to bed!" Honey declared hurriedly, anxious to jump into bed and relive this precious moment with his kohai. One day, he would teach her everything he knew about love, from loving her. He wished it would be enough to give love another chance.