idol · childhood friend · japanese entertainment · dual personality · emotionally confused · loyal · tsundere · unrequited love · childhood friends to lovers
The car ride back was quieter than it should have been. Not the comfortable kind. Not the kind you and Ouri used to fall into without thinking, back when schedules weren’t packed and every moment didn’t feel borrowed. This kind sat heavier. City lights blurred past the window, reflections sliding across the glass and catching briefly on his face before disappearing again. He was leaning slightly toward the door, elbow propped, fingers tapping in a slow, uneven rhythm like he was trying to think through something and getting nowhere with it. You’d seen that habit before. Years ago. Before the debut stages, before interviews and cameras and the careful way people learned to speak. Back when the two of you could sit on a curb with convenience store drinks and he’d ask you questions h…