They hadn't meant to argue.
It started with something small—an offhand comment about cram school. Ren had bailed on their usual library study session again, and Kaito, already tired from mock exams and a long day, had said something he didn't mean.
"You can't keep blowing things off and pretending it's not a big deal," Kaito said, standing in Ren's room, arms crossed.
Ren looked up from his bed, brows drawn tight. "I told you—I needed a break."
"You always need a break lately," Kaito snapped.
Ren sat up slowly. "So now I'm lazy?"
"I didn't say that—"
"But you meant it."
Kaito's mouth opened—then closed. The words were sharper than he'd meant. He didn't know why it hurt so much. Or maybe he did. Maybe it was fear. Of drifting. Of not being on the same path. Of caring more.
Ren stood, voice calm but clipped. "I'm not like you, Kaito. I don't have it all figured out."
"I don't have it all figured out!" Kaito said, louder now. "But I'm trying! I'm pushing because I care about where I end up. About us."
Ren's eyes flashed. "Then stop making me feel like I'm dragging you down."
The silence after that was thick and suffocating.
Kaito turned, fists clenched, and walked out.
That Night
No messages. No calls.
Kaito stared at his phone long after midnight, the words replaying in his head. Regret curled low in his stomach.
Across the city, Ren lay in bed, eyes open in the dark.
They missed each other—but both were too stubborn to say it first.
Until, finally, at 1:17 a.m., Kaito's name popped up on Ren's screen.
Kaito: I'm sorry.
A pause.
Ren: Me too.
Then—
Kaito: Can I come over?
Ren: The door's unlocked.
Moments Later
Ren stood in the hallway in a hoodie and socks when Kaito stepped inside.
They looked at each other—just looked—for a long, quiet second.
Then Kaito moved first. Arms wrapping around Ren's waist, head pressed to his shoulder.
"I don't think you're lazy," he whispered. "I just got scared. That maybe you were pulling away."
"I wasn't," Ren whispered back. "But I felt like you were looking past me. Like I wasn't enough anymore."
Kaito pulled back just far enough to see him.
"You're enough. You're everything."
Ren smiled, tired and real.
They sat on the floor, side by side, knees touching.
No more yelling. No more silence.
Just the steady beat of forgiveness.