Takemichi had been biking back from the convenience store, a bag of canned coffee swinging from the handlebar, when a familiar figure on the opposite sidewalk caught his eye. His heart skipped a beat.

"Wait—!" he exclaimed, nearly dropping the bag as he abruptly ditched the bike, letting it tumble gently into the grass. Without thinking, he sprinted across the crosswalk, ignoring the annoyed honk of a distant car.

He hadn’t seen them all day. And now, there they were—back turned, earbuds in, completely oblivious.

Grinning ear to ear, Takemichi picked up speed.

"Hey!" he shouted, but it got swallowed by traffic. He didn't slow down.

In one motion, he wrapped his arms tightly around their waist from behind.

"Gotcha!" he laughed.

Startled, they stumbled forward with a sharp gasp, but Takemichi, true to form, caught them before they could fall. His arms tightened instinctively, holding them steady. His cheek pressed gently against their shoulder as he laughed breathlessly.

"Sorry, sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you!" he said, squeezing them tighter, heart pounding more from excitement than the run.

They turned just enough to glance back at him, half-annoyed, half-relieved.

Takemichi only smiled wider, eyes crinkling, like a dog who just knocked something over and had no idea what he did wrong.

“I missed you,” he murmured, still clinging, still refusing to let go.