Still running [Naoru]

Unsurprisingly, Naoru had some trouble arranging the little trip back home to visit his family. When their two week break was announced, he had called home to let his family know he will be free from school duties, and while everyone was happy to hear that, his father expressed worry about missing two weeks of possible studying due to a simple break. The phone call at that time ended with Naoru pushing the button a bit too hard after telling his father that yes, he should obviously study right at that moment too.

He admitted that might have been a bit sarcastic and rude. He could not help it. When he was obviously not welcomed at home, he had to wonder for a short moment why he even bothered to get excited for a visit.

It was a few days later when they talked again, and his father – with his brother and sister in the background – invited him over for a weekend. That time, it was by accident that Naoru ended the call, but getting his father on the line again within a few moments, they had arranged the time and duration of the visit. He was content, most of all. He was also incredibly nervous, because that meant he will have to introduce someone to his father, and he was unsure if he was ready for that yet.

He had a few somewhat anxious thoughts on his mind when he was chatting those days, and as if noticing his worry, Kirk had jumped in to give him attention. In a certain way, they both needed it. Kirk had felt lonelier due to the break as most of the older students of the school were off visiting family or spending their vacation time accordingly, while Naoru was nervous in general for the visit that he will have to endure during the weekend. Kirk provided a much needed distraction, as Naoru was also alone with his worry. Sutetchi was somehow, magically unaffected.

The text came just the day before their departure, luckily, so Naoru considered this the perfect opportunity to spend some time with a classmate who he interacted with when it was only necessary. Naoru barely remembered the last time they spent a bit more time together than just going to class and exchanging a few words. Working off a panic attack was all he could concentrate on back then, and he was not even sure if he was polite enough to say goodbye to Kirk that time. He hated himself for never clearing it all up, and leaving the boy confused and wondering. Maybe he will have the chance to change this now.

He pulled on a pair of black track pants, running shoes, and a red zip-up sweater, nothing else. His Aura was a white scarf around his neck, calmly hanging from his shoulders. He chose to wear grey contacts, perfect matches with his pale hair that was pushed out of his eyes. He pulled on his black gloves just as he heard the knock on his door.

Sutetchi was momentarily out, so he was alone in the room. Picking up only his phone and valet, zipping them both into the sweater’s pockets, he opened the door to greet his classmate. “Good morning to you too, Kirk-kun. Although it is quite late to be called a morning now.” He walked out and closed the door behind him, standing in the hallway, and walking down on it as soon as Kirk did the same. “Ready to go whenever. I have to tell you, I was quite surprised to be invited to a jog. I usually do this by myself, so jogging with someone else will feel different. But it makes me happy.”

He comically raised an eyebrow when Kirk mentioned what the perfect time for a morning jog was. “In that case I think I am about four hours late for my jog.” His smirk was joking, as if starting friendly banter, but then his face gained the usual, calm smile he always wore when talking to friends and acquaintances. “Does that mean you woke not long ago?” He wondered, if this was his morning, if Kirk had actually slept longer usually. True enough, it was their break time, but that still did not mean everyone was able to sleep until noon. But he could see just from a glance that Kirk already started his morning jog; he must have ran all the way to the dorms from home.

Without giving an answer he laughed a little when said he should have told him he was also jogging in the mornings from time to time. It would have been a bit hard to explain why that was exactly the case, but as if on cue, Naoru noticed Kirk’s awkward hesitation in patting him in the back. Without reacting much, he just stared at the boy who could feel the pressure under the awkwardness, but quickly waved it away and continued on as if nothing happened.

Truth to be told, he was glad Kirk did not initiate physical contact despite being one of the more up-in-your-face physical-buddy students of the school. But still, it felt like he was handled like glass that would shatter under the wrong kind of care. He could not blame the boy after that meeting at Semper fi. But he will have to right him on that image soon, or Naoru would actually get annoyed at himself for forcing Kirk to hold back his natural personality.

“Did all your friends go on vacation for the break?” He asked outright, just to get a clearer meaning behind Kirk’s words. “I can definitely try my best to keep you company while everyone else is away. I will only go and visit my family for two days, but other than that, I will spend my time here.”

It seemed like Kirk was excited to get down with the exercise, and he decided to start their warm-up for the jog right inside the dorm hallway itself. Naoru followed where his arm pointed to, and nodded, although a bit blankly toward the stairs before understanding flashed through his mind. Oh. Running down the stairs. That made sense. His thighs and knees would certainly get a healthy blood flow from that to get him ready for more. He nodded again, this time more determined, and followed Kirk as soon as the countdown reached zero and he started running down.

Naoru’s body was not actually fast. While he had built up a remarkable stamina, and had the dexterity of an acrobat that spent years in a circus, he was still only average when it came to speed. His quirk was much, much quicker than the rest of his body, and he relied on that in a fight instead. So naturally, Kirk had gained a little distance on him, but Naoru did his best to run down on the stairs with light footing, lighter than Kirk’s. Even if he was slightly behind, he heard what he was asked, and he hummed in response, controlling his breathing to be able to speak while running.

“It was rather busy. A surprisingly big number of guests showed up, civilians and students from other schools alike. To be quite honest, the crowd was a bit too big for my liking.” He let out a little breathy laugh. “But I managed to get in a little training with those new battle drones the school made. So that was something.” The school festival was really badly timed for him, truth to be told. Even if he was more comfortable in a crowd, he could not take part in many of the activities due to some... problems. “And I saw a few of the matches in the tournament. Although I could not witness it all myself, but I heard you made it far into the tournament. Let me congratulate you, Kirk-kun! That is a great accomplishment, and I hope you think so too. How was it, being out there in the ring, being watched by the audience?”

“It is spring break, so it is fine to sleep longer.” Naoru assured him with a smile. He had to remind himself that not everyone had trouble sleeping for long, or well into the morning, sometimes even into the afternoon too. Naoru was one of the few who went to sleep late and woke up early, but he did not quite advertize that he usually slept only about four hours a day.

“They probably needed a little rest after the sports festival anyway.” It was no surprise the student went out for vacations now. Some of them were away from their family for a year, so they all needed to meet with them, or just do and rest away from the school duty. “You can do what you planned when the new school year starts. I am sure they will be more than happy to take part in whatever matches you planned.” He almost laughed when Kirk offered to wake up early to go on jogs together. But only almost. “Well, that would be a bit early, especially since you do not live in the dorms. Maybe it is better to move my morning jogs a bit later, so six or seven in the morning might be better for it, in that case.” He thought, hand raised to his chin, that it was okay to change his daily routine around a bit for Kirk. It would be no trouble anyway.

Naoru kept a bit behind Kirk as they talked while running, though he could see the other boy slowing down and glancing back to make sure Naoru was still following. “The sports club members should be proud of you too. You really were great out there, so there is no reason for anyone to question why you are the leader.”

He reached the end of the stairs too, and followed Kirk towards the door. “Ah, true, you are probably used to that.” The crowd cheering for the winners and the losers alike, it should be no different to the matches the sports club has. Thinking back, the question itself was somewhat redundant. A smile appeared on his face when Kirk mentioned his grandfather. “He must be proud of you too.”

But when they stepped out the door and Kirk mentioned it was a shame Naoru did not take part, the white-haired boy’s face visibly fell. “I do not think I would have done so well...” He had his reason for stepping back during the sports festival. He did not take part in the tournament, nor did he take part in any of the other arranged scenarios made for students. It was not even the anxiety he felt in a crowd either. Toning out the watchful eyes was something that he became better and better at with time. But his quirk... During the sports festival, and even before that, ever since Semper fi, it was uncontrollable. He was afraid he would not be able to hold it back against another student in a fight. He did not want to think about what could have happened to a living, breathing person, if he already demolished battle drones by accident. He had not answered Kirk’s words, but before his silence could have become awkward, Kirk already changed the subject.

“The route to the park sounds lovely.” He nodded with a smile, shaking off his anxiety that the previous topic brought. “I am not particularly hungry yet.” With his agreement, he expected they will be on their way, on the route Kirk originally planned for them. Naoru would follow just one step behind as his speed was not quite at par with the sports maniac’s.

“Do you... live with your grandfather? I am sorry if I am stepping out of line by asking this, but you mentioned him, and I got curious. You do not need to answer if you do not want to.” He always said this. Whenever he felt he asked an overly personal question, he left a way out for the person he talked to. Naoru was curious, extremely so, but he was not pushy. If someone did not want to answer, he always respected that feeling, even though the need for knowledge would bother him for the rest of the day.