MAD HATTER. haitani rindou

O24

AUTHOR

‍  ‍ ‍"we experimented on you for a reason, quit with all the angel act. you're wicked, and i don't understand why you're being soft to rindou, you know full well that you can end him in a minute. i'll give you ten minutes, that's plenty of time for you to reconsider your decision and to decide whether you want to die a slow painful death or come back to us willingly."

‍  ‍ ‍"i will." you paused, biting your lips. "not!"

ෆ

‍  ‍ ‍the moment you found out about kokonoi's condition was the moment everything went upside down. you'd always had some sort of weird sense of foreboding about it, and now there it was— right there in front of your very eyes. you were faced with a terrifying reality, and it didn't felt real. this wasn't something you could comprehend or process in any way, you couldn't find it within yourself to even blink an eye anymore. it was too much. you felt nauseated, like your stomach was twisting itself inside out and making you ill. your mind raced, wondering what was going on. it took you a second to get rid of this uncomfortable feeling of guilt and regret that was eating away at your insides but you managed to push it aside, for now. you needed to concentrate. it was all that was keeping you sane as you forced yourself not to faint on the spot. there were no words left inside your mouth, you couldn't speak properly. you were sorry about the white-haired male, really.

‍  ‍ ‍"it's hard to communicate with him, we tried to pointing alphabet letters for him to cooperate with us but he doesn't want to. he doesn't want help. and i don't think we should force ourselves to interact with him anymore, it might be more beneficial if we stop trying. either way, he needs space and time to heal." rindou's voice was monotone, almost emotionless, he sounded exhausted. you knew that he was trying his best not to cry in front of you and your friends, but he could barely hide the tears welling up inside his eyes. it was difficult.

‍  ‍ ‍all five of them stood behind him, arms crossed as they watched you with a somber and worried expression. "rindou, meet me in the rooftop. i'll head first." there was a pause before he nodded, letting you know that he understood your request.

‍  ‍ ‍walking around was still painful— legs still felt heavy and your whole body was sore and tired but it was better than feeling paralyzed. you could hardly believe that your life had just changed dramatically and without warning so suddenly. when you reached the roof, your hands automatically shot up to rub your palms as soon as the cold air nipped through your skin. without wasting any second, you gently leaned at the railings whilst staring at the ciry below. everything was quiet. the sky was clear and the sun was about to say its goodbye, illuminating your view. you closed your eyes, taking deep breathes to try and calm down your thoughts, your feelings, but nothing seemed to work. everything was so overwhelming and complicated and scary and confusing. you weren't sure how to feel anymore.

‍  ‍ ‍it wasn't that long before the door opened slowly, accompanied by a soft sigh. you turned your head, opening your eyes to find rindou standing next to you, arms crossed over his chest. despite the obvious tiredness and grief etched into his face, his hair looked nice with its short fringe and you couldn't help but stare at it. he was wearing casual clothes, just a black shirt that clung tightly against his muscles, which was a complete contrast from the formal attire he usually wore when it came to business negotiations. you couldn't help but notice that you never used to pay much attention to details like this, before. you liked seeing rindou in simple clothes — it suited him.

‍  ‍ ‍"what do you want to talk about?"

‍  ‍ ‍"just so you know, i've been noticing the facade that you put up since the beginning. you can cry in front of me, just let it all out. i won't judge you for anything." you responded quietly, turning your body to face him while resting your arms on the railing again. your fingers were shaking and the only thing that stopped your trembling was sheer willpower. "you don't have to do it, i'm not forcing you."