The Best of Friends (UltimaCircuit x Manila1)

[UltimaCircuit]

Seeing her point to the can of green tea, he inserted a few coins before pressing the number pad and typing in the combination for the tea. He watched her grab the green tea before replying with a thanks and he nodded in reply. He wanted to say a lot of things but he didn't know where to start. Ever since that night things had gotten slightly awkward. Katomi was about to open his mouth to say something before he heard Nimia say "Um...so..". He tilted his head to the right, wondering what she was going to say next. She seemed to be quite flustered but he couldn't blame her. She then asked how his morning was and he was about to reply before seeing her face go red. His love interest then apologized as she didn't know how to speak to him since that night. He nodded in agreement before speaking.

"I get what you mean, it is kind of weird.... but not necessarily bad to me. And also my morning has been fine. Got better when I saw that you were here today. I honestly thought you would have stayed home to avoid me because I just came onto you out of nowhere..."

He tried to mask his statement with a little bit of flattery. But it was true, he thought that Nimia would have tried to avoid him even more because of what they did.​

 

[manila1]

She looked up from the can and into his eyes. "What?" He thought she would avoid him? What was with that? Well, she could figure out why he believed she would ditch school because of last night but... It had never crossed her mind to do it. She wasn't the type to run away easily. "Why would you...? I mean I kissed you back, didn't I?"

She stood there, watching him. Nimia couldn't help but feel a little upset that he would think she would dodge him out of fear. She ran a hand through her hair and breathed. "Listen, I don't regret it. I-"

"Nimia! Katomi!"

The voice belonged to Luka, and as the footsteps grew louder it could be assumed that she was walking their way. Even so, Nimia didn't
look away from Katomi. It wasn't long before she made it to them. "Eh, what's going on here?" Luka asked, looking between the two.

"Nothing," she replied, turning her attention to Luka. "What is it?"

"The guys sent me to come for you two. They said you were gone for way too long..."

Nimia tossed her now empty drink into the trash, already heading for class. "Well, then. Let's go."

 

[UltimaCircuit]

He had probably used the wrong words to describe what he felt, but he couldn't change what he thought just to please her. The first step to a healthy relationship is being honest. Wait, healthy relationship? The two were not even dating yet but it was pretty close to it in Katomi's mind. He watched her run a hand through her hair before saying a few words but then their conversation was interrupted. As he heard their names be called he turned to his left, seeing one of their friends, Luka. Luka approached and then asked what was going on, and Katomi didn't say anything. He would rather let Nimia handle this. Luka stated that their other friends said they were gone for too long and that was true.

He didn't even realize that he used a bad excuse for leaving the class. The idiot should have said that he was using the bathroom or something of the sort. His train of thought was broken as Nimia said to go, already on her way to class. Luka rushed after her and Katomi decided to get himself a chocolate drink. He inserted the coins punched in the numbers quickly before grabbing the drink, and walked back into the class. Upon entering the class he received awkward looks from Ari and Aoi. He turned away from their gaze before popping the tab on his drink, guzzling it down. Katomi's silence was probably awkward to them since he was pretty talkative but Nimia was the only thing on his mind at the moment.​

 

[manila1]

Nimia was still thinking about his words even after they'd returned to class, which would start in approximately five minutes and that was depending on whether or not the teacher was there. She sighed, resting her head in her hand. She guessed she could see why he thought she would avoid him. Maybe he thought she regretted it and didn't want to see him afterwards. Or maybe... Didn't he say it was because he "came onto her out of nowhere" or something like that? Even so, she had kissed him back, right?

But then that would lead back to him thinking she regretted it. She sighed. She needed to stop thinking about her boyfriend so much. Wait. Boyfriend? They weren't even going out. Were they? She stole a glance over her shoulder. Katomi seemed to sit there as if in his own little world, and she wondered if he was thinking about the same things she was...

"...Mia."

"Huh?" She looked in front of her desk. It was Shojo. Apparently he had been calling her and she hadn't even noticed, being off in her own little world. "I mean, what's up?"

He chuckled. "I was wondering if you're free tomorrow after school," he said, his cheeks heating.

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "It depends. Why?"

"Well, I was wondering if you could come somewhere with me." What? "Can you?" Was he asking me on a date? He looked away for a moment before saying, "Student Council wants me to buy a few things for the upcoming festival."

"Aren't you the president though, Shojo? Why would they make you do that?" She asked. "You could have just had the other members do that..."

"I know," he replied, rubbing the back of his head. "But I didn't want them to do it if I could. I
figured since you're really good about decorating I just thought..."

"Um..." Before she could answer him the teacher entered the classroom. Shojo told her to meet him after school at the gate for her answer before walking away to take his seat. She leaned back in the chair and whispered to Katomi just as the teacher began taking role. "Um... Please tell me the class prez didn't just do what I think he just did..."

 

[UltimaCircuit]

Someone had called out for Nimia and Katomi turned to look at who it was. Instantly his expression turned into one of disgust. Shojo, the class president, was the one who had been calling out for Nimia. The kid didn't even say much but just looking at someone who he didn't know trying to talk to Nimia made him uncomfortable. Maybe he was being overprotective, or was Katomi in the right mind set? He watched as the two exchanged words. Nimia had asked what was up and Shojo asked if she was free tomorrow after school. Katomi quirked his eyebrow as he looked at the class president, seeing his face get red. Nimia had asked why he asked if she was free and he replied saying that he wanted her to go out and buy supplies with him for the upcoming festival.

God, if that wasn't an awful excuse to go on a date with someone then Katomi didn't know what was. Shojo didn't seem like the type of guy to sweep any girl off of their feet. He watched his love interest question more, wondering as to why Shojo couldn't ask any of the student council members. A smile came from Katomi as Nimia kept on questioning him. Maybe she was about to say no? Another mediocre excuse came from Shojo as he said that Nimia had great decorating skills. She replied with an distinct "Um..." before turning back to him. He gave her a frown before nodding. The delinquent then leaned in to whisper into Nimia's ear.

"Yes, indeed he did. Just letting you know if you go anywhere with that four eyed freak... I'll punch him square in the face."​

 

[manila1]

Most girls would wince at Katomi's harsh words, but Nimia found herself laughing. For a good half a minute, receiving odd glances from a couple of people. And then she realized that he could possibly be serious. Her laugh died out, the only evidence left behind was a small smile. "That's a little harsh, don't you think?" Or was it? If the same thing happened to Katomi, would she have also said such words? Probably, but that wasn't the point here.

"I mean, if you continue to threaten and call him names like that, i'm going to assume that you're jealous." Although she was already sure he was. For the most part she found his possessiveness cute. "Punch the class president in the face, that would be... " She trailed off, not sure exactly what to say. "Anyway, why don't you like Shojo? I think he's pretty okay."

Tapping her pencil against her desk she continued on, but not before raising her hand and shouting, "Here," when her name was called for role. She leaned back a little more and whispered, "And if I was to say yes to his... Proposal. What could you honestly do-" She was immediately cut off when the teacher ordered her to stop talking. Of course, it was her natural instinct to argue, but she took a deep breath and calmed the urge. When he turned to face the board, Nimia tore off a piece of paper, wrote down her unfinished question, and dropped onto his desk: 'What could you possibly do to stop me?' It was a harsh question but she wondered what his answer would be. Or would he just not answer?

 

[UltimaCircuit]

Katomi was quite surprised by her laughter because he was being completely serious. Well, only half serious. Him punching Shoji in the face would be an awful decision and he would probably get suspended for a few days for starting a fight out of nowhere. As he heard her say that what he said was a little harsh, he sighed before rolling his eyes. He hated to admit when he was wrong but Nimia was completely right. She then went on to say that if he continued to threaten Shojo, she would assume that he was jealous. His face went a light shade of red from her statement, but not because of infatuation. He was embarrassed that he even thought of going to such lengths against someone who add only asked to go shopping for festival supplies. The delinquent was being way too hasty. His best friend then went on to say that she thought he was OK, and he didn't reply to that.

As the teacher called his name for attendance, he rose up his arm in a sluggish manner. He didn't know that a woman's words would be this effective against him. He watched her lean back to say something, and he leaned in to listen before the teacher yelled at her to be quiet. He pulled back, about to curse at the teacher for not letting her finish but he didn't. He watched a paper get dropped on his desk by her, asking what he would even do if he said yes. He decided to reply with a non clingy response, for he knew that girls hated that kind of behavior.

"I would break his neck..."

He wrote those words down but erased it. What an awful thing to say. He looked at where he erased, seeing that the words were slightly visible. Under the old, erased statement is where he wrote his next sentence.

"I can't stop you, but it would make me slightly uncomfortable..."
​

 

[manila1]

As she waited for his reply she tapped her foot anxiously against the floor. It wasn't long before the paper fell onto her desk. She unfolded it quickly and read the sentence quietly to herself. Once. Twice. Three times. It would make him uncomfortable, it said. But why?

She'd gone out with other guys before. Not dating wise but on an errand. Whenever she told him about it, did that make him uneasy as well? But she supposed this time was different. Ever since last night, things had been different. Ever since the kiss. She picked up her pencil, scribbling down her reply.

"Uncomfortable? You shouldn't. It's just two classmates running a school errand. Nothing special about it..." She passes it back to him. After about a minute Nimia tore out another small piece from her notebook to give him and wrote, "Tell me not to go."

If he told her to deny Shojo's invitation, she would say no because of the way it made him feel. She knew if their positions were reversed, she wouldn't want him to go off with another girl alone. It would, just as he had said, make her feel uncomfortable. So with these thoughts in mind she passed the second note to him before opening her notebook to take notes on the teacher's lesson.

 

[UltimaCircuit]

The short amount of time that he had to wait for her reply felt like the longest time of his life. He was so anxious to see how she would reply on her next note that he couldn't even focus on the oral notes the teacher was giving. Missing these notes would probably screw him over on yet another test. He gulped, realizing that his reply made him sound like an idiot. Men were not supposed to describe their feelings so willingly and he just went out and wrote them down to Nimia. As he saw her next note get passed back to him, he groaned in fear. He read the note before wondering as to how he would reply. Katomi wrote on the little space that was left.

"Well... if I can put my trust in you to not do anything with him then I am fine with it I guess..."

A glance over the note verified his response before he slipped it back to her. In the corner of the room a student conversed with another about how him and Nimia were sending notes to each other.​

 

[manila1]

Why did every second she spent waiting for his response seem like a minute? She bit her bottom lip in anticipation as she waited. She noisily tapped her foot against the hard floor, receiving annoyed glances from other classmates. Once they saw her irritated glare they were quick to mumble their apologies and look away.

When the paper was passed to her, she made sure to breathe calmly before reading. When she was done she couldn't help rolling her eyes. What did that mean exactly? Not do anything?

"Wait a minute. Why would you... Do you think I like Shojo enough to do those things with him?" She sighed, wondering what else she wanted to ask him. "And you don't sound very confident about it being done. If you don't want me to go, tell me not and I won't. Otherwise, I will."

She passed it back.

 

[UltimaCircuit]

The delinquent took a few glances around the class, seeing that more and more students were catching on to their shenanigans. Even Luka gave him an awkward look before shrugging and continuing to take notes from the teacher. He knew that the two would be questioned immediately by their friends as to what their notes withheld that could not be shared after class. Katomi hopped to god that they would not question him or Nimia after class.

He tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for the next post. Seeing the note be placed upon his desk silently, he looked over it. The note asked him if he really thought that she was going to do something with Shojo and that if he truly was uncomfortable with it then she would not go. At that moment he had do decide whether or not he wanted her to go. He obviously did not want her to go but if Shojo truly wanted to get items for the festival with her, and because of her decorative skills, then it shouldn't be that much of a problem. The piece of paper was being filled up and it was hard for him to find a space to write a sentence, but he finally found one in the corner of the paper.

"If it's for the festival then I guess it's for a good cause. And no I don't think you like Shojo that much but the way he blushed annoyed me. Go ahead and do it."​

 

[manila1]

Then she would, she thought as she crumbled the paper into a ball and put it on her desk. She'd given him an opportunity to stop her, and he'd given her the green light. There was really nothing he could do about it now. Trying to place their conversation in the back if her mind, she picked up her pencil once more and began taking the oral notes.

(Break)

"So what was that all about?" Ari asked nosily. After class their friends hadn't wasted any time gathering around Nimia and Katomi. Luckily, Nimia was able to tear the note into pieces and toss it it into the trash just in time.

"What are you going on about this time, Ari?" She asked in her usual neutral tone. When she talked to Ari, she tended to be a little more harsher with her. How else was she going toget her to ask questions? It was Luka who answered.

"We all saw it. You and Katomi passing notes..."

Nimia sighed, getting to her feet. "Why are you guys always directing questions at me? Ask Katomi something for once." Then their friends all turned to him.

 

[UltimaCircuit]

Katomi leaned back in his chair before letting out a light groaning sound. Nimia had given him a chance to prevent her from going out with Shojo but he went ahead and let her. Then again girls did not like someone who was so clingy, and plus in Katomi's eyes Shojo was a pussy who wouldn't know what to do with Nimia. He looked at the window seeing his slight reflection before smiling at himself. The least he could do was reassure himself that everything was OK.

(Break)

Katomi and Nimia were being pounded by questions once again. He really wanted to ignore Ari but he couldn't be that cruel. They were both friends and he couldn't be so mean as to not give an explanation for what he did every time. Nimia pretended to not know what Ari was talking about and he was rather surprised in her tone of voice. Maybe what he wrote to her on the note had been the opposite of what he said? Man, handling his girlfrie- best friend was a hard job. Luka then stated that she saw the duo passing notes and Nimia told her to ask Katomi something for once. He sighed before leaning back a bit, popping it before sitting down in a chair and leaning it back.

"Well... Shojo, the class president, asked Nimia to go out and buy festival supplies with him. All I said on the note was that he would try something funny..."

He gulped before looking away a bit. It wasn't too far from the truth but he didn't want to reveal all of what happened between him and Nimia yet.​

 

[manila1]

All of them looked at Nimia in surprise, who sighed as she realized all attention was now on her. Nimia crossed her arms and waited for someone to speak. It was Luka who broke the silence. "What? Shojo the class president did?" She looked to Nimia for confirmation, who shrugged. She didn't see what the big deal was. So Shojo asked for help. And? When she voiced this thought she said, "Looks like he's going to finally make his move..."

She almost didn't hear her. Almost. Her eyes shot to Luka. "'Finally?'" Maybe she didn't hear her right. "What does that mean?"

"Shojo has had his eyes on you for a while." It was Ari this time. "You didn't know?"

"It's true," Aoi. "I've also heard something like that," he said after she had shaken her head. Aoi never lied so it could be assumed that there was so truth to this.

"Well, I think you guys would make a good couple," Ari chimed in after the long silence.

"He is good looking. As expected of the class president..." Luka.

Aoi patted Katomi on the back and sighed. "Be careful, my friend. If you don't win Mia's heart, she'll be swept away by Shojo. It looks like you have some competition."

As their friends went on and on Nimia said nothing else. She was too busy thinking about the possibility that they were right. She stole a glance at Katomi. The expression he wrote was really intense. Despite how quick the glance was, she made sure to look at him long enough to get her mental message. I told you to tell me not to go, it said.

 

[UltimaCircuit]

He watched all of his friends take glances at Nimia before their friend Luka broke the silence. She sounded pretty baffled that Shojo had asked Nimia to go somewhere, but it was fact. Luka paused for a moment before saying that Shojo was finally making his move, and Katomi quirked an eyebrow to that statement. Nimia questioned what Luka meant by finally and Katomi was wondering the same as well. What the hell did she mean by finally? Ari went on to say that Shojo had had his eyes on Nimia for a while and this made Katomi slightly infuriated. Aoi went on to confirm this statement. How the heck did he never notice that Shojo was into Nimia? Luka went on to say that he was pretty good looking, and Katomi rolled his eyes at this statement. Aoi then patted Katomi on his back before saying that he had competition. He stared at Aoi for a moment, confused before tilting his head to the right. Did Aoi know about him? He looked at Nimia, noticing her glance before she looked away.

"Oh, this is all new to me. Anyways, I am gonna go to my spot. I don't feel so well so I may blow off next class."

Without saying anything else to anyone else he walked out of the classroom and to the vending machine outside. He popped in a few quarters, grabbing two chocolate drinks instead of one for any one of his friends who wanted to approach him later on. He took the steps up to the top of the high school building before leaning on the safety rails. He looked out at the gym class before letting out a sigh.

"I probably should have said no..."​

 

[manila1]

When Katomi got up and walked away she debated on whether or not to go after him. Would it be better if she left him alone? Even if it was, she didn't want to. Her foot tapped anxiously against the ground as she thought of what to do.

"What's wrong with him?" One of them asked. Nimia was so deep in her thoughts that she couldn't exactly place the voice.

"Did we say too much?" It was Ari.

"You always say too much," Nimia muttered.

Aoi turned to her, his arms crossed. "Moreover, what's going on between you two?" Damn, she thought. Aoi is sharper than ever today. "Is it something I should know about?"

Nimia didn't answer. Instead she headed straight for the door with the intent of finding Katomi. The first placed she checked was the usual area near the vending machines. She wanted to be sure he wasn't there before going to the spot. When she got there, she found him leaning on the railing of the roof watching P.E. run laps.

From the stairwell she couldn't help but watch him, the gentle breeze blowing his hair just a bit. After a minute or two she finally stepped out onto the roof. She didn't speak until after she was standing directly next to him.

"I say we go get ice cream." She waited until she could feel his eyes on her before continuing on. She was careful to keep her eyes forward though. "You said you were going to skip right? Why don't we just skip the whole day, and then you can tell me why you left so suddenly." She paused. "Or, you can tell me now and then we go out for ice cream. Either way, the outcome will be like this. We're leaving school for dessert and you're telling me why you're in such a negative mood."

 

[UltimaCircuit]

He yawned before rubbing his left eye with the back of his hand. It was pretty boring up here by himself but it was also quite exhilarating. Katomi enjoyed looking at the sky and making out various shapes within the clouds above. It seemed like a childish activity to most but he found it to be a nice thing to do while passing the time. He was about to vocally describe what he saw in the clouds before he heard footsteps behind himself. The steps came closer and closer but Katomi didn't budge. It was probably one of his friends trying to come closer and console him. As the person finally came close he looked to his right, seeing that it was Nimia. She suggested that the two get ice cream and also said that instead of skipping a period, they should both skip the day and he should describe why he left so suddenly. Or he could describe his issue at that moment before going out to get ice cream. Nimia then concluded by saying that either way, he was going to describe what he was thinking and then the two would get ice cream. He laughed slightly at her statement before placing his extra chocolate drink within her hand. He turned around so that his back was facing the railing. Katomi then leaned against it before resting his arms on it, taking a moment to sip his drink once more.

"Well, it's just that everyone else is getting on to us and the whole Shojo thing... didn't know I would have to worry about so much after we started dat -"

He cut himself off right there. The delinquent had to realize that they weren't a couple yet and she was free to do whatever she wanted. He then felt his bicep on his other arm, rubbing it up and down.

"Maybe I should start lifting weights again..."​

 

[manila1]

When he finished his little confession she sighed. So that's what was bothering him. The matter with Shojo and their friends' constant need to butt into their business. She raised her eyebrows, deciding to take on the amused approach. "The guys are always getting on to us. They have nothing better to do besides tease." Except for Aoi. Whenever he spoke she was sure he was always serious. Nimia thought that he genuinely knew something was going on.

"But," she watched as the class split off into teams. It seemed as though they were about to play a game. It looked like kick ball. How fun, she thought. "I hope you know I'm not going to let that slip up just go by like that. Though I'm sure if I asked you, you probably wouldn't tell me right?"

When he spoke of lifting she smirked. That would be an interesting sight. Katomi with a lot more muscles than he had now? He would be even more attractive then he was now. If that was even possible. "Sure," she replied. "Just don't over due it."

She watched as a girl kicked the ball over the other team's heads before turning around and heading into the building. "Shall we go? If we run we'll be able to make it in time before the administrators catch us. Then, we won't be able to have our first date." Her voice was only have teasing.

 

[UltimaCircuit]

He nodded at her response about their friends getting onto them. If the two kept disappearing and going off by themselves they would eventually realize the truth behind the two. Katomi then listened to her say that she was going to let that slip up just go and be slightly sighed at that. Whenever she said things like that, she usually kept her word. After his statement about lifting she replied with a sure and a don't overdo it.

He was unsure if she was true about those words or only being sarcastic. He saw her eyes look towards the field and it seemed pretty interesting. His gaze was lost in her eyes for a moment before snapping out of his trance as soon as she asked if they should and also that the administrators would make them lose their first date if they didn't. He slightly laughed at those words before nodding. Katomi got off the rail before slapping her behind as a flirtatious gesture.

"Well, then let's go slowpoke!"

He sped down the stairs. They led to the main lobby so they wouldn't have that much trouble getting by. As soon as he reached the bottom he noticed the class president talking to someone. He hid behind the wall of the stairwell before sighing. Shojo would surely report him to a teacher if he saw. All he could do now was wait.​

 

[manila1]

"Hey!" She yelled, running after him. If he thought she would let that go, he was wrong. But she couldn't help the smile playing on her lips. At least he was in a better mood now. She followed him down the main stairs, but was forced to slide to a stop when he suddenly hid behind the wall.

She wondered if there was an adult nearby as she pressed her back against the wall. She placed her hands on his arms so that she could balance enough to see around the corner. It was Shojo talking to the vice-president. He handed her some papers as he talked.

"It's clear that if we stay here any longer we'll be caught," Nimia told Katomi after she'd seen enough. "It doesn't seem like they're going to shut up and leave any time soon." She paused for a second, knowing he wouldn't like her idea. "This is probably a stupid idea but I want my ice cream. I'll distract him while you slip passed alright?" She wanted to test her friends' theory on Shojo's feelings for her. If he really did like her, he wouldn't mind her being out of class right? "Meet you by the front gates."

Was it weird that she suddenly wanted to kiss him? Here they were at a life and death situation, and she wanted to make out. Okay. Maybe the situation they were currently in wasn't that serious, but it felt that way. Her gaze fell to his lips and she bit hers out of frustration. Damn. Damn. Damn. Now was not the time to- Why not? "I'm sorry," she told him. "This is probably going to make it even more confusing between us but... I really want to." Her eyes moved back to his. One of her hands had moved from his arm and to his chin. "Can I kiss you?"