Coward
It had been a long day… Endless hours of classes at school, the student council meeting had taken twice as long as usual, on his way back home he had run into a couple of hollows and Kurosaki Ichigo, which had been even worse because it had ended in a bout of pointless bickering, then he had remembered the costumes for the drama club were due that day so he'd had to run back to school to deliver them… By the time Ishida got home he wanted nothing more than a hot shower, a tasty meal and to flop onto the sofa with his latest embroidery project. A pillowcase for Inoue Orihime's birthday. Ah, the thought of her always made him smile.
The moment he sat down, however, he heard his father's car pull up. Ishida Ryuuken had arrived home early. In a fraction of a second, the teenager was on his feet, gathering needles and magazines and fabric and threads… Fleeing from the man was something he had done since he was a child so he had a lot of practice. It was pathetic, he knew, but he feared his own father. He feared the scornful look he would receive. A look that would make him feel like a leech. He already did feel like one, all the time, but –for some reason – it was worse when his father caught him sewing or reading or doing any of the things he liked to do to pass the time. So he did all he could and whatever might be necessary to stay out of the man's way.
Ryuuken, much like everyone else, thought his son's hobbies were better fit for women, but that was hardly the worst part… No, the prejudice Ishida could deal with. He was used to ignoring it though it did still sting at times, especially coming from his own father. The worst part was that he made no money from it. He made no money from sewing, just as he made no money from being a Quincy… And not making money meant relying on his family's – on Ryuuken's – money.
To Ishida it was unacceptable for the man to have such leverage over him and yet, with all his activities, he had no other choice. There was no time for a part time job no matter how much he might wish it or how organised and efficient his schedule might be. He felt trapped there, in his own life, in his own house with a father who judged him every chance he got and always found him somehow lacking.
Ryuuken had never really approved of anything his son did and, when the man was around Ishida always had to be on his guard, always prepared for the moment his pastimes would be mocked and his dreams crushed.
He locked his bedroom door behind him, sagging against it for a second in relief, before stashing away anything that might remind his father that his son was a ne'er-do-well who did nothing useful with his time, nothing profitable. Suddenly, he did not feel like embroidering anymore. In fact, his father's mere presence always managed to make him feel ashamed of the things he liked to do. Ishida hated that and hated himself for allowing Ryuuken to make him feel that way. It was scary how much his father's opinions could influence him. It was scary because he knew – deep down – he was seeking the approval of a man he had grown to hate.
Once he had considered turning his handcrafting ability into a job, facing all prejudice to become a designer or a stylist or something of the kind. Ishida Uryuu had been blessed with a keen eye and good fashion taste. His father had snorted at the idea. Maybe because young Uryuu had been no older than thirteen at the time, but that was hardly the main reason. That snort had been enough to express what Ryuuken thought of his son's ambitions. It was the same thing he thought about the boy's intentions of becoming a Quincy. A waste of time and money. Now, Ishida knew he'd probably be going to med school. A final attempt to earn the respect and to please a father he feared and resented, yet still somehow admired.
He sighed, taking off his glasses to massage the bridge of his nose. Normally, he would not even need to think about such things for Ryuuken worked so late Ishida was already in bed by the time he got home and already gone by the time he woke up. This was an unfortunate exception… Resigned, he decided to turn in for the night, there was no other option when all he could feel with his father around was intimidated. Hopefully, tomorrow he would have some time alone with Inoue Orihime so her warm smile could take away his pain and recharge his batteries.