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Momo padded softly down the steps, hands clutching the straps of her bag. Her mind was a jumble of thoughts and feelings, and try as she might, she couldn't seem to stop herself from thinking of one thing in particular.
Him.
It seemed that no matter where she went, he was always there. Always waiting, always ready to transform in an instant and save her no matter the cost to himself.
She shook her head, hoping that the motion could somehow expel the image of his face hovering next to her's in concern. Or smiling sheepishly at the ground, blushing and nervously adjusting his glasses.
Stepping out onto the street, she was momentarily blinded by the bright neon lights adorning the shop fronts. The colours were a sharp contrast to the dark of the staircase and pitch black of the night sky, and they swarmed her vision, little dots of light dancing behind her eyelids.
Momo blinked slowly and glanced to the right, looking for any obvious creeps prowling the street at this time of night. It was quiet, with only a few people wondering about, but they seemed harmless. Glancing to her left, she was met with the same results.
She stood there for a few moments, breathing in the crisp night air and allowing her mind to finally settle, the thoughts of Okarun blisssfully drifting from her conscious at last. I'll just head home, she thought, turning to walk down the street, staring down at her shoes.
But after only a few steps, the sound of laboured breathing had Momo lifting her head to find Okarun running towards her, still in his unifrom despite the late hour. Momo paused her step, silently cursing. This was supposed to be a calm walk home, where she could center herself and get him of her mind. But clearly Okarun had other plans.
He came to a stop near her, bent over with his hands resting on his knees.
"Did you have fun today?" he asked between hurried gasps for air.
Despite her annoyance, and slight humiliation from the events earlier that day, Momo laughed. "What? I guess. I thought you went home." He should have. There was no reason to wait for her.
Okarun stood up and walked toward her. "I can't let a lady walk home all by herself at this hour," he said, and Momo felt a slight blush begin to creep up her neck.
"Come on, let's go," Okarun told her, his hand reaching forward for hers, and damnit, Momo wanted him to take it. She had the sudden horrifying thought that if he took it, he would be able to tell how heated she was, and that would just be the worst, but it would also be OK because he would be holding her hand and-
He froze, fingers outstretched, before retracting his hand and turning away from her. "Boy, it's cold," he mumbled, and now Momo's face burned for a whole other reason. She was mad. Was she that repulsive? So elusive that he couldn't even take her hand? And now, he wouldn't even look at her. And that hurt more than she cared to admit.
Screw it. She wouldn't let him make her feel this way. If you wanted something in life, you had to reach out and take it. This was no different.
Striding forward, Momo clasped Okarun's hand in hers. She pulled them forward, eyes downcast, hoping this wasn't a mistake.
From the corner of her eye, she could see Okarun turn his head toward her, the light from the street reflecting in his glasses.
Momo's next words slipped out before she could stop them. "It ain't so cold now," she whispered, the words thick on her tongue. And it was true; while the night air was cold, the breeze almost frigid against her bare legs, she still seemed to be burning up.
"Oh…" Okarun stammered. Momo turned her head away quickly. Okarun's hand was cool and slightly clammy, and she was sure hers was as well. This was a mistake, she thought. She shouldn't have done this. She moved her wrist, just slightly, with the barest intention of pulling away. But Okarun just wrapped his fingers tighter.
"Yeah. It's real warm now, huh?" he said, and Momo felt his eyes on her. She forced herself to turn and look at him. His eyes were wide through his glasses, and if she turned her head just so she could see herself reflected in them. Her hair was tousled, the strands tangled from that stupid headband she had to wear for work.
"It is…" she trailed off. Words abandoned her. Momo always had something to say. Some witty remark, or shockingly insightful statement. Words flowed from her freely. So why was she freezing up now?
God, why was everything so awkward. Couldn't she have just walked home alone?
"I… it's such a nice night, right, Miss. Ayase?"
Nice night. Good. This was a simple question. She could answer it. She could make her words work. "Yeah." Speak. Say something. Anything! "I like the breeze." Not that, you idiot! Something cute or funny!
As she spoke the words, a gentle wind whipped up around their feet, stirring the edge of Momo's skirt. With her free hand, she hurriedly pushed the fabric down.
Momo was saved from saying anything else when her stomach let out a loud rumble. She winced. Could the night get any more embarrassing?
Okarun was quick to fill the silence. "Are you hungry?"
Yes. She was. Starving, in fact. She almost spoke when her stomach answered the question for her, making another horrific sound.
Laughing, Okarun reached a hand up to fidget with his glasses. "We can stop somewhere. Oh, look!" He pointed across the street to where a bright sign reading 24/7 hung in the window of a conveniance store.
Momo shook her head. "It's alright. I'm sure you're exhausted and just want to get home. I can wait, I'm fine-"
Her protests were to no avail. Okarun dragged her towards the light of the store, and Momo followed.
The moment they stepped inside, Okarun must have spotted something he wanted because he dashed off to the back. Momo felt the moment his hand slipped from hers, and her arm dropped to her side. Standing there alone felt wrong. Why couldn't he just stay by her side?
Before she could begin to mope, he returned, a bag clutched to his chest. "Look what I found!" He held it up. Cheery illustrations of crabs covered the bag. The label said Crispy Crab Snacks. "You should try them!"
Momo smiled. She was always jumping to conclusions. Okarun had let go, but only to get something he thought would make her happy. Stupid, stupid, stupid. She would never deserve someone like him.
She grabbed the bag and thanked him. Okarun immediately rushed off again, pointing to some vibrant display at the back of the store. Sighing, Momo began to peruse the isles. There were all kinds of snacks and sweets, from onion chips to green apple lollipops. She traced her finger along the packages, wondering which one Okarun would like most.
"Hey."
Momo turned around to find a guy about her age staring down at her. He had wavy brown hair that framed his face, and a sly grin. He leaned down, placing his hand on the shelf next to her. "You alone out here?"
Momo narrowed her eyes. "Not interested." Where was Okarun?
The boy didn't seem to take her not so subtle hint. He snatched the bag of crab chips from her hand. "I can get these for you, if you give me your number."
"Nice try, but no." Momo tried to grab the bag back, but he tucked it behind his back.
"Woah, I mean no harm. Just interested in a pretty girl, that's all."
Scowling, Momo reached for her powers and slapped the bag from his hands. He turned around with a shock and she bent down, picking up the bag.
When the boy turned around, his grin was replaced with an angry snarl. "You rotten whore-"
Momo blinked, and Okarun was standing in front of her, suddenly transformed. The bright red streaks in his hair reminded her of the lights outside.
"No one speaks to Momo like that," he said, voice calm and even. Momo shuddered.
The boy squared his shoulders. "Who the hell do you think you are-"
Okarun grabbed his wrist, twisting it at an uncomftable angle. He leaned in close, eyes narrowed. "You leave now, got it?"
Shaking now, the boy nodded feebly and raced out the door. Okarun shifted out of his turbo form, turning to stare at Momo, eyes wide with concern. "Are you OK? Did he hurt you?"
Momo shook her head. "No, I'm fine… thanks."
Okarun began to pace. "I hate jerks like that. Jerks who treat you badly. I should go give him a real scare!"
Laughing, Momo placed a hand on his shoulder. "Okarun, calm down. I'm fine, really! He didn't hurt me. If you didn't show up, I would have kicked his ass myself."
Okarun placed his hand over hers, the motion natural, comforting her soul in the way no one else's touch could. "I know. I know you can handle yourself. But I still hate it."
Momo smiled at him. How lucky she was, to have a friend like Okarun. "I know you do. But hey, I don't want this to ruin my night. Let's get some snacks!"
Okarun cheered up instantly. "Yeah!" he shouted, a little too loud. He covered his mouth and squeaked, "sorry."
Momo was compelled to reach out, wrap her arms around him. Hold him close, and let him hold her. Keep her safe from everything in their twisted world. Maybe if he held her close, even for just a minute, everything could be OK.
"Momo?"
Snapping back to reality, Momo turned away quickly. "Snacks! Snacks! Snack!" She headed down the aisle, hiding her beet red face from Okarun's eyes.
She picked up a few things that looked interesting. The sounds of Okarun shuffling about behind her brought comfort. By the time they made it to the register, her arms were full of more snacks then she needed. In her frenzied state, she had grabbed way too much. Okarun placed his own armful on the counter beside hers.
The cashier scanned their items and placed them in a bag, handing it over. Momo pulled a few crumpled notes from her bag to pay, but by the time she looked up Okarun had already bought everything. He flashed her a grin. "My treat, for being such a bother earlier."
Momo turned her head to the side and mumbled, "you weren't a bother." I always like seeing you.
Okarun picked up the bag and they left the convenience store. Chilly night air blasted her face and she shivered.
Take my hand, idiot, she thought. Keep me warm.
But it seemed like their earlier closeness had vanished. Okarun walked several steps away from her, holding the bag in the hand that was between them. "So…" he began. "Should we find somewhere warm to eat?"
Momo nodded. "Yeah. It's only getting colder."
The two of them scanned the street for anyplace still open, but most places had closed. "We could go back to the store," Momo suggested.
Okarun shook his head vehemently. "No. I don't want to risk that guy coming back."
"But I'm hungry," Momo whined, clutching her stomach dramatically.
"Well…" Okarun glanced around, fiddling with his glasses. "The station should have somewhere to eat."
Momo sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right."
The train station was only about a ten minutes walk away. She supposed she could hold out until then.
They continued down the street in silence. There were so many things Momo wanted to say, but she just couldn't bring herself to form the words.
By the time they made it to the station, she just wanted to go home and hide out under the couch or something. But Okarun found an empty table in the corner and beckoned her over, so she took a seat next to him.
He opened the bag, dumping out their plethora of snacks. "We went a little overboard," Okarun chuckled.
"Uh-huh," Momo agreed, reaching for the bag of crab chips. She ripped it open and breathed in the delicous savoury smell. They were a little broken from her scuffle with the guy, but still tasted delicous. She devoured the whole bag in seconds, then wripped open a pack of seaweed. Okarun followed, though with slightly less vigour.
When she'd finally had her fill, she leaned back and patted her stomach. "Much better." It was true- the food had brought new clarity to her muddled mind. She felt like she could maybe face the world now.
"I'm glad," Okarun said. He glanced up at a clock on the wall. "It's late. We should get home."
Momo noddded and stood up, stuffing the few remaining snacks back in the bag. As they walked to their platform, she held the bag in her outside hand, so that maybe if he wanted to, Okarun could be the brave one this time. He could take her hand. If she could do it, why couldn't he? All he had to do was reach out. Her hand was right there.
But Okarun's arms remained glued to his side. When they stepped onto the train, they found seats and sat down next to eachother. The train was blissfully quiet, and Momo placed the bag in her lap. Her hand was still free. It was right there. Come on, Okarun!
The train ride passed in an awkward silence. The high Momo had been on after the food quickly faded, and she was left grumpy and a little embarrassed. Clearly Okarun didn't like her like she liked him. Which- what was the way she liked him? He was her friend, of course. But Jiji was also her friend, and she didn't want Jiji to take her hand. What did that mean?
She knew deep down what it meant. But she was too much of a coward to admit it.
So they would just have to keep on going like this. Close, but apart. Friends, but nothing more. Just two people who found eachother at the right time, who trusted eachother and depend on eachother. Nothing more, nothing less.
But in the corner of her mind, Momo still found herself wanting more. And that scared her more than she cared to admit.
The train jolted to a stop. Her and Okarun stood up and disembarked. She kept her gaze downcast, both hands gripping the snack bag this time. When the light of her house appeared in the distance, she shook herself. Get it together, Momo.
At the door, she stuffed the bag into her backpack so her grandma wouldn't see it. She took one last look at Okarun, then slid open the door.