Inferiority Complex

                                    

                                          


                          
      "If you're scared, you can hold my hand."
                          
  Soraru raised an eyebrow at him and swatted the albino's hand away.
                          
      "Idiot, I don't need that," Soraru said curtly.
                          
  MafuMafu just laughed. It was such an obnoxious laugh, so high-pitched and loud. It sounded more like a kid's laugh than a fully grown adult's. Soraru tried to ignore him. He knew MafuMafu was just mocking him at this point. Soraru didn't even want to see this movie, MafuMafu knew that. And that's exactly why the albino invited him and some other friends over to watch it. Was it payback for something? It might've been, but Soraru couldn't think of anything he had done recently that could've annoyed MafuMafu.
                          
  The movie started, and it was turning out to be exactly what Soraru expected. Just another cliche horror movie. He really shouldn't have been scared by it considering how predictable it was, but every jumpscare still ended up startling him. MafuMafu didn't even try to hide his giggles, and their other friends would send them amused glances every now and then. Soraru just wanted this stupid movie to end so he could go home and forget this entire night ever happened. It seemed like forever, but the movie finally finished. As the credits rolled, Soraru leaned back on the couch with a sigh.
                          
      "That movie sucked. It wasn't even scary," Amatsuki said.
                          
      "Soraru-san thought it was," MafuMafu started giggling again.
                          
      "I didn't think it was scary. I just got surprised a few times," Soraru argued.
                          
      "You jumped every time the monster appeared on screen," MafuMafu pointed out.
                          
      "People jump when they get surprised," Soraru said defensively.
                          
  Urata chuckled, hearing his two friends' conversation. "Hey, Mafu-kun, it sounds like you were paying more attention to Soraru-kun than the movie."
                          
      "I couldn't help it. The movie was boring, but it's not every day that you get to see Soraru-san get scared," MafuMafu responded.
                          
      "You've got a point there," Sakata agreed.
                          
  Soraru groaned in annoyance and stood up. "Whatever. I'm going home now. It's late and I have work to do tomorrow."
                          
  He heard his friends saying things like "you're no fun" and "come on, we're just joking around" but he ignored them. All he wanted to do was go home. They could all have fun without him. Soraru left MafuMafu's apartment and closed the door firmly behind him. He couldn't hear their voices anymore. It was just the sounds of the city. Cars driving on the streets, bugs buzzing around his ears, and nothing more. It was kind of peaceful in a way.
                          
  Soraru started heading in the direction of his own apartment. He was glad that he lived so close to MafuMafu. Even though he had originally thought it'd be a pain for them to live close to each other, knowing MafuMafu would come by at any opportunity, it worked out in the end. There was always a second opinion ten minutes away, which helped a lot with work. And on the rare occasions when Soraru actually wanted company, the albino was always just a phone call away. But his desire for company was getting less and less recently. He figured this was due to his busy schedule and the stress he felt from all of the work he had to do. That's the reason he decided to go with anyway.
                          
  He was almost home when he realized he didn't have his phone with him. Soraru checked all of his pockets, searching anywhere he could have put it, but he couldn't find it. After a moment of panicked thinking, he realized he left it at MafuMafu's apartment. Soraru was so frustrated he felt like kicking something. Why was he so forgetful? He always left something there. Usually it was nothing important, or something he could go a day or two without having, but he needed his phone. He had important calls to make tomorrow. Soraru really didn't want to, but he knew he had to go back to get it. With a groan, Soraru turned around and began to quickly walk back.