Too Close To Home | Nanami Kento × Trans!Male

Ⅳ. Maybe

"You need to be more careful, L/n." Shoko scolded me while attending to my week-old wounds. Apparently, I'd cut so deep in my state of panic that I damaged certain nerves in my back. It wasn't unmendable but it was going to take some time and a lot of patience. "I know, I know. I just wasn't thinking straight." She scoffed at me, bandaging me up once more "You could say that, yeah." She sighed, grabbing an ointment off of one of the shelves. Before she handed it to me, she asked "You still crushing on that Nanami kid?" I looked away, pretending like I didn't know what she was talking about "No...He's a great guy, but I wouldn't say I'm crushing on him." She simply chuckled while shaking her head, handing me the bottle she picked up earlier "Put a few drops of this on it if it's burning. It should ease the pain." I hesitantly took the bottle, narrowing my eyes at her mockery "Thanks..." "Take care, kid." "I'm only younger by a year!" "Whatever."

I scoffed as I watched her walk off, grabbing my shirt from the table and putting it back on. It was getting late and I needed to get back to the teacher's dormitory. I had to admit, I missed my apartment back in the city of Tokyo. But when duty calls, it calls.

When I got outside, I found Shoko smoking by the door. As I stood beside her, she eyed me curiously. Watching me light a cigarette of my own. "The man could be on death's door and he'd still light one up." I snickered at her remark, shaking my head while bumping her shoulder with my own "You can't really say shit, can you?" She shrugged "Hypocrisy is an art form."

A comfortable silence fell over us again, the only sound being crickets and some rustling leaves in the wind. My mind wandered back to the mission with Nanami. It wasn't the last mission I'd taken on but it surely stuck with me. The injuries played a part in that. But the thought of almost losing him lingered in my mind the most. I hadn't felt such primal fear in years and it ate away at me. Maybe the fact he looks good with his hair down was a factor as well. As a friend, of course. Nothing else.

"You're rather quiet, usually you'd have talked my ear off already." Ieiri's voice pulled me out of my thoughts, looking up at her from the concrete where my gaze had fixed. "Huh? Yeah sorry, just tired." She eyed me in suspicion, taking another drag from her cigarette in the meantime. "If you're sure." Her tone was always so odd to me, rather unique even. I never knew how to describe it, but for some reason, it comforted me. And I was okay with that.

She was about to head back in but halted for a moment and looked at me with a knowing look "Get some sleep alright?" I chuckled softly, nodding obediently "Yes ma'am." With one final nod, she headed back in. Leaving me with my thoughts and a nearly finished cigarette.

When I returned to my dorm room, I almost immediately plopped onto my bed face first. A groan of relief escaped me. My back really was killing me but I was too tired to put on the ointment. I'd do it in the morning, surely it wouldn't do any harm. Soon enough had sleep taken me in its grasp for the night. I hadn't even changed out of my clothes.

"Surely his death won't affect you that much?" Who's voice is this? Who exactly am I looking at? If my vision could clear out that would exponentially improve my time here. "What are you talking about?! That's my brother, Danno! Of course would his death affect me!" Emi? If only I could move... "You have another brother! Think of what we could achieve if our child had his technique!" Is she talking to her husband? Why am I dreaming about my sister arguing with her husband... "Y/n means just as much to me as Harue! I can't believe we're having this conversation." Akemi exhaled in frustration at her comment. My vision finally cleared, showing the two of them standing in the living room. "And you dare call yourself my husband!" Despite how upset she was, Danno was furious. It looked like he was about to strike my sister but then-

"What the fuck..." I muttered through heavy breaths. As I sat up in my bed I realised I was drenched in sweat. Great. I grabbed my watch to check the time, using the moonlight that spilt in through the window as my nightlight. Around 4 AM. Even greater. I laid back with a deep sigh, staring at the ceiling as my mind replayed the dream. I'll call her later today. Just to be sure. Laying on my back really wasn't the move, but alas.