Silence.
Apprehensive
In the living room
Sitting on a chair
The white light
Did no good
To him
It felt like an imminent
Interrogation.
No real reason
To fret
His mind
Playing tricks on him
But foresight tells
Violent reactions.
It should be.
This was a very
Unpleasant situation.
A severe deprecation
Of a serious condition.
It was catastrophic.
He himself
Already
An abominable combination
Cynicism and spite
Any fools guess
What disaster
Wreak havoc
To an already bleak man.
Only now
Did he see
With his own eyes
A simple gesture
Yet
Speaking paragraphs
Of emotions.
Difficult to comprehend
But perhaps
The key
Is not always
Seeking understanding
But placing
Trust.
A concept
Reserved
For the most
Intimate
Relationships
One being
Family.
Footsteps
Looking to his side
From the stairway
This time
Wary eyes
Even more
Lugubrious.
Certainly
Off-putting
Bad mood
Provoking.
An audible sigh
Exasperation
In a way
The two men
Sharing similarities
Both
A dry husk
Cynics
The stubbled man
Dragging towards the fridge
Passively scrummaging
For a beverage.
Eerie silence
Between the two
Yet
Subtle understanding
The saying held true
Fellow cynics
More often than not
Get along
With another cynic
As birds of the same feather
Flock together.
However
It would seem
Ironic
The two
Added together
Simply mixing
Black
With even more black.
There was difference
He knew it
The bleak man
A weary visage
He had certainly seen better days
Telltale signs
He was not always
A cold shell.
The recluse.
He
As all people
Over time
Like flowers
Dry up
Leave
Faded colors
All
Decompose.
Literally. Figuratively.
Passing by
The man handed him
A particular
Canned drink
With that
Immediate change of opinions
The recluse
Another one of his kind!
Like a stone
Drop
Onto an armchair
The two
Sat in relative silence
Sipping the icy liquid
Sweet
Figurative alcohol
For the pain.
Tensions
Like taut string
The obvious
Elephant in the room
Had to be discussed.
"Hikigaya-san. When did this happen?"
In a quiet voice
Yet his tone
Stern.
"Yumiko had run away. I followed her here, only to find her-"
He refused to continue.
He was blunt
But
Lines must be drawn
Especially
Sensitive topics.
At the same time, it was ironic.
Too often
We speak
What we mean
But not mean
What we say.
In his mind
Abhorrent thoughts
Composed by his cynicism
Another reason
Why words
Must be taken
With a pinch of salt.
But if actions
Speak louder
Than the words.
Contradict.
The pen
Is mightier
Than the sword?
"How is she?"
A question from the cynic.
His narrow eyes
Tired
As he swished
Contents of the can
In deep contemplation.
"Yumi-chan lost quite some blood. Severed a vein or two. Hopefully not an artery."
"Should we bring her to the hospital?"
His gaze
Moving upwards
Looking at the young man
To him
It seemed like a mirror image
Of himself.
"That would be unnecessary. It'll stress her even more. Better to let her rest."
Conversation
Marked by lengthy
Interludes
Accompanied
Underlying motives
Between the lines
Skepticism.
Skeptical
The recluse
Looked
The cynic
Right in the eye.
"What does Yumiko mean to you?"
A simple question
With a simple answer.
Only fools
Complicate.
Skepticism
Like a visor
Severely obstructing
Lucency
View
Of truth.
Unfortunately
Cynicism
Answers.
"She means a lot. To me."
To this
The recluse
Raised a brow.
He knew.
Common people
To this question
The answer is.
Everything.
This young man, however.
Meant what he said.
"Thank you."
Different.
"For being there. For her."
