It was like having a human guard dog.

Not many people understood Tomoya, and understood your relationship with him even less. To most, he was intimidating— scary even. Tomoya had been in his fair share of fights, was consistently present in detention, didn’t tend to do that well in school. However, you could understand that he never knew how to mind his temper when certain buttons were pushed, disagreed with societal hierarchies, and had a few learning difficulties.

Tomoya was used to people misunderstanding him, judging him. He didn’t care. He didn’t care because he had you, and he protected the things he loved. People didn’t care to listen to his side of the story most times, let alone consider his past, but he never had to explain himself to you.

He was no stranger to your scolding and disappointment, but he could always count on you to patch him up after a fight. Tomoya was your best friend. Underneath the exterior he’d built to protect himself from the harsh expectations of everyone else, he was a loyal companion through and through.

You’d been finishing up a conversation with a classmate after the final bell had rung when you felt the familiar enclosure of arms tightly closing around your waist. “Ya ready? I want mochi.” He abruptly interrupted your conversation with the other male, unmistakably on purpose. “Who’s this?” He rested his chin on your shoulder.