Through the Years

Other Side

"You need to stop smoking so much."

That was all it took to get Touya to snap.
Maybe it was the pain he was already in that the three zoots he'd smoked earlier hadn't helped with, only knocked him out which led to this entire situation.
Maybe it was embarrassment at being called out like some kind of addict.
Maybe it was just because he was an ass sometimes.

"Look, I'm sorry about the precious counter." Touya sneers. "Not like I meant to fall asleep."

"I don't care about that, it can be fixed." Tomura replies calmly. "For the past week I've come home and nothing's been done because you've been stoned all day. Star-"

"Don't fuckin' bring her into this." Touya interrupts, his voice dangerously cold. "She's safe with me no matter what."

Tomura looks at him blankly and gestures to the burned countertop.

"I came home to a fire, Touya."

Touya wants to slam his fist into something, to rage, but instead he throws his arms in the air in his frustration. Less satisfying, but he refuses to bow down to the traits he inherited from his father.

"So I slipped up once! Fuck me, right?" Touya says, his voice raising a little more. "I swear, Tomura, if you fuckin' bring my parenting into this..."

"Room." Tomura says, putting down the burned tea towel Touya had put over the flames on the hob by accident back down on the counter.

He then walks past him, head held high and confidence oozing off of him despite the fact they're mid argument. Touya hated that sometimes. He wished he could keep his cool as easily as Tomura did, not that he'd ever admit that.
Touya follows behind, silently seething, kicking the door shut behind him as Tomura puts on some music to try and drown out their voices on the off chance Star comes back.

"I go to work all day, I come back and have to then clean up and cook for you both. You currently sit at home all day with Star and Cloud." Tomura says, leaning on the desk in their room.

"I don't get to pick and choose when everythin' hurts!" Touya yells. "Otherwise I'd never be hurting!"

"I appreciate that, but maybe you should look into alternative methods to deal with the pain if smoking weed to cope is beginning to affect your day to day life."

And he knows Tomura's right. He knows he's not being unfair, either.
But he just can't help himself.

"Other meds'll do the exact same to me, makin' me drowsy and shit." Touya snaps. "So what'd you suggest now?"

"There may be other medical procedures that can help."

"So go under the knife, instead of just smoking a little weed to numb it off?" Touya deadpans.

Tomura stares at him in a way that suggests that, yes, that is seriously his suggestion.

"So you want me to be in pain?" Touya asks angrily, knowing it's overly dramatic.

"Touya, lower your voice." Tomura says calmly.

"No! Fuck you!" Touya yells, the request only succeeding in making him angrier.

"Touya." Tomura warns.

"Quit fuckin' calling me that!" Touya fully snaps now. "Gonna fuckin' tell me what to do with my time and body, an' call me Touya while doing it?"

His eyes narrow. "You sound just like my old man."

The comment is petty, and intended to be spiteful towards Tomura, but it only really seems to hurt Touya, because Tomura doesn't even flinch, just looks at him as though he's disappointed in Touyas little outburst.
The silence highlights the sound of scratching at their door, which could only be Cloud, which means that Star must have come back.