I Can't Fix You

Chapter 9 - Mom

TW /// mentions of suicide

Kyoko preheated her oven whilst waiting for Makoto to arrive. She put the food on the counter and the drinks in the fridge. She grabbed her phone and sat down on one of the bar stools, waiting on her friend. A couple of minutes later, her doorbell rang. She put her phone down and went to open it.

"Hiii.", Makoto said, his usual bright smile plastered on his face.

"Hey. Come in, it's cold." He nodded. He hung up his coat on the rack, in the hopes of not forgetting it this time around. He was wearing that turtleneck of his again, and to be frank, Kyoko was jealous. She didn't have one. "I'll grab some cleaning supplies from the garage, you can help yourself if you want anything to drink." Makoto nodded as she entered the door underneath the stairs.

Rummaging through the mess that was the garage, she managed to find a mop, broom, some cleaning detergents and cloths. That should be good for now. Gathering everything in a bucket, she made her way back to the kitchen and dining area. Makoto was looking at some photos on the wall, while sipping some Panta. He noticed Kyoko come back in.

"Mm, Kyoko." He motioned her to come over. She put the supplies down and did as so. "Where are these photos taken? It seems so familiar."

"These? My dad took them when we went on a holiday to the Caribbeans. These are just some pictures at the hotel pool." A light bulb would have lit up above Makoto's head.

"Oh, that's why they're familiar! We went to the Caribbeans a couple of years back aswell, and I think it may be the same resort!" Kyoko smiled.

"Small world."

"Indeed.", Makoto smiled as he looked at her. And the butterflies were back. "So, chief. I have barely touched a dish in my life I have to admit, where do we start?", he said as he put his soda on the kitchen counter.

"Well first things first, I expect there to be a lot of cobwebs. So we'll need to dust the place and rummage through it. I doubt we'll be able to finish today."

"That's okay!", Makoto said as he grabbed the bucket and elbowed her lightly. "Gives me another excuse to hang out with you."

"Hmm, so eager? Shouldn't we eat something first?"

"Oh, right! I totally forgot." He scratched the back of his neck, whereafter he put the bucket back down. They grabbed everything they needed, and waited as the McDonalds warmed up in the oven. Kyoko noticed Makoto looking at the oven with a strange look on his face.

"Makoto? Everything okay?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah. I just figured I've never seen anyone warm up their food in an oven." Kyoko's eyes widened as she quickly looked away, in an attempt to hide her blush.

"I'm not gonna put it in the microwave. It'll come out tasting like cardboard." He laughed.

"Fair, fair." She looked back at him. There he was again, smiling that sweet smile of his. The timer on Kyoko's phone went off, indicating that it has been a couple of minutes. The food was probably warm by now. The two of them grabbed the food and drinks and sat down at Kyoko's dining table. There was a comfortable silence between them as they ate. There were a lot of things on Kyoko's mind, especially how Makoto and Sayaka made up so quick. She wanted to tell him what was going on, and how Sayaka lied to her. But, to be honest, she was scared. She realised she must have drifted off, when Makoto called her back to reality.

"Kyoko? Are you alright?" She nodded, having a sip of her soda. Makoto frowned, putting his drink down. "Kyoko. I'm not gonna force you to, but I want you to know that you can tell me anything. If I'm honest, I'm quite worried about you."