He swallowed hard, his hand steadying Akira by the shoulder as he helped him rise. The boy’s chuckle and fond tone stirred something in Maruki, something that felt both achingly distant and too close for comfort.
Some things don’t change, Akira had said. But Maruki wasn’t his dad. He wasn’t anything like the man Akira was remembering with such affection. The thought made his stomach twist.
Still, he was quietly thankful for the shift in topic. The earlier tension—Akira’s trust, that overwhelming, undeserved gaze—was more than he could handle for another second.
no subject
He swallowed hard, his hand steadying Akira by the shoulder as he helped him rise. The boy’s chuckle and fond tone stirred something in Maruki, something that felt both achingly distant and too close for comfort.
Some things don’t change, Akira had said. But Maruki wasn’t his dad. He wasn’t anything like the man Akira was remembering with such affection. The thought made his stomach twist.
Still, he was quietly thankful for the shift in topic. The earlier tension—Akira’s trust, that overwhelming, undeserved gaze—was more than he could handle for another second.