butterfly; tsukishima kei

08

i replaced my soaking clothes with a new and dry one, shoving the old clothes in the paper bag. i thanked yamaguchi after, who sadly have to go now since his mother is already at home. we parted our ways and waved goodbyes to each other.

the torrents rushed forth in a mob-like roar towards the dry, unyielding ground. the atmosphere around me calmed, the soothing sounds of the light rain drumming down on the roofs moved me. i felt the weight of the world lift off of my shoulders.

it was almost night when i fell asleep inside my aunt's house. uncle was home today and i can smell the meat being cooked with fried rice also. i noticed that it was still raining, the raindrops hitting my window and the rhythm pleased my ears.

it was like music.

"(f/n)?"

the door opened and aunt was standing on the doorway, smiling as she saw my awoken figure, "dinner's ready."

"alright." i smiled and stood up, ready to fix the bed as i heard her footsteps faded away.

i quickly walked downstairs to find them already sitting, the plates all organized on the dining table. i sat quietly and later on, we started digging on our food. my aunt and uncle gave me stares after seeing me devouring the foods.

i didn't stop and instead just wiped my face and continued to eat again.

"how's your dad doing?" uncle asked before shoving foods in his mouth.

i stopped eating and gulped down the rice, almost placing down the fork and it made a small clattering noise, "fine." i mumbled.

they didn't seem to bother asking anymore, noticing the sudden change of my mood. i stayed there for a bit more, just talking about school and other stuff they're curious about. of course, i lied about making friends, i didn't want them to see me so weak, i don't want to be a burden.

it's not like they can do anything to change it anyways, it's my own problem so i'd rather like it if i deal with it on my own.

the sky seems to calm down as i walked underneath the heavenly sky. there was no stars seen, just pitch black and the moon barely giving light. i knew that it might rain again soon, so i fastened my pace on walking and decided to get a bus ride back to the train station.

as usual, it wasn't packed on days like this. the train glided silently into the station casting a shadow over platform three and the few waiting passengers. i stepped inside and went on an empty seat. doors finally slammed shut and soon the train chugged out of the station.

i watched the buildings that we passed by, the other billboards lighting up as darkness took over the whole city. i would tap the raindrops that are still on the window and watch it slide down slowly.

the sound of an announcement on the system filled my ears, alerting the passengers that we have arrived in tokyo. i quickly grabbed my umbrella this time with my pouch on the other hand. i let the other people exited first before me, not having enough energy to make a race to the exit.

"done visiting miyagi?"

i was startled by the sudden voice echoing in the station. the other passengers already walked downstairs and i turned around to meet a familiar figure on the other side.

"ah... yeah." i said and stood there, waiting for another question or topic to rise. this scene reminded me of lately, the only difference is that we switched sides.

"done visiting your girl?" i blurted out, surprising me and him also.

he took off his headphones and the image of it wrapping around his neck made him somehow look more... attractive.

"yeah." he replied shortly.

it was so awkward and silent, almost like we're both pushing ourselves to have a decent conversation. it surprised me how he even recognized my figure. perhaps it was because he sees me every week. no matter how much i want this conversation to keep on going even with his short replies, there's always an interrupter.

the lights coming up signalled a train coming on the other side. there was the sound of sharp hisses from the air brakes and heating systems. i noticed tsukishima straightening his posture and reaching for his headphones.

"tsukishima," i called out and his eyes averted back to my figure, "take care."

the train was almost close and i don't want it to block the view once again. the thought of seeing him go further away from me breaks my heart even more. at this point, i knew my admiration has taken a new level of emotions.

he placed his headphones back on his ears and glanced at my way, "you too."

and the train came in a swift motion, blocking us from seeing each other.