HELLO HI OMG ITS BEEN AGES! Life updates here we come, it's been stressful. I won't lie saying summers been amazing. School has been kicking my butt but I'm graduating! And my parties in a few weeks...like i said STRESSFUL. Then I've been having such a bad block on everything so that sucks. And fire season has been so bad down here so we live in fear. But here you are! New chapter YEAH
"...Why were you smoking last night..?" The room filled with silence. The happy conversation was replaced with uneasiness, concern, and guilt, coming from the elder party.
Didn't I do it so early no one would notice? The thought crossed his mind, but they might as well have been said over a loudspeaker. Shit, look at their faces… they are all upset…
Hatiro's thoughts made his heart start to ache and jump as if it was in the olympics. It hurt. Gripping his chest, he backed up, appalled at what his daughter's question was, but to be frank he had already forgotten it already, his mind racing. His body instantly heated up with guilt as he looked at everyone around him with a panicked look.
And Hizashi took note of this.
"Trinka, hun, go get ready for bed, alright?" Hizashi asked, which only made his lip start to tremble even more and the look on his daughter's face made his guilt even worse.
"But I need to talk to dad!" Hizashi turns away from his friend to give a look to Trinka, which made her turn around and run back-up the very stairs she came from not moments before. Once she left Hatiro could feel his breath instantly let go out of his tight chest, the room feels far away, his surroundings go blurry as his eyes sting and was only brought back to the sinking reality when a soft squeeze was felt on his shoulder.
A sympathetic yet troubled look was plastered on Hizashis face, which made Hatiro feel worse.
"Listen, I swear it was just one smoke." He was able to stammer out before turning away and walking towards the kitchen, not able to bear looking at the disappointment on his friends faces…well from what he could see. He would just assume the look behind Shouta's bandages was one of disappointment.
A hand was outstretched in front of his face, making Hatiro stop in his tracks, surprised. He followed the arm to see it was Hizashi who'd stopped him. Playing dumb, he asked, "What are you doing?"
"Give me the pack." Hizashi said simply, his outstretched hand soon turned, palm-up, waiting on his friend to surrender the cancer sticks.
Hatiro, shocked by his friend's forwardness, backed up slightly towards the wall. "I-I don't know what you're talking about." He could feel his chest grow tight each time he breathed a new lie. "I don't have it." A pang in his chest. "I threw it away, so please don't worry!" He pleaded, the sharp pain never once ceasing. The feeling was already becoming one more thing for him to hide.
If only he could hide himself away from the embarrassment he was feeling at being caught.
"I can tell you're lying, Hatiro." Spoke Hizashi, "Give me the pack. I am worried about you!"
Hatiro scoffed and ran a hand through his hair, trying to shake this whole ordeal off as a harmless situation. "Don't! It was one smoke, one! It was a little something to let the edge off. I am fine, and I won't do it again." He could obviously tell Hizashi wasn't buying anything he was saying and it was starting to piss him off. He didn't understand how much he needed to release a break. He didn't get how stressed he had been lately nor was he going to tell him not right now at least.
"Trinka is obviously upset and blew this way out of proportion, Zashi, so please, just drop it." Which to his despair, he wouldn't.
"Now you know that's a big ass lie. You already know you struggle with this crap and you're spiraling. I've been seeing how your work has been lately and how your attitude changed! And now we know why. Why did you start again? " He asked before holding up a finger, stopping himself, "And I want an honest answer."
Hatiro dug his nails into his palms, nausea filling his stomach and throat as the panic set in. He knew he couldn't worm his way out of this conversation; he felt like a lamb surrounded by wolves..he was at a loss for words. "It's… It's just one smoke, please." His voice is strangled by his own emotions as he now feels helpless. Grabbing the pack from his pockets he tosses it onto the counter like a piece of trash. "It's the only thing…" He pauses, his breath shaky, "...that gives me peace when this world keeps throwing shit my way that I can't handle!" He blurts out with the pressure he was feeling, once he said that he felt himself crumble, the stinging pain of guilt stabbing his heart as he looked back at Hizashi tears blurring the room.
"I'm so sorry." he apologized, "Kairumi was able to call home and–" He choked on his own words as Hizashi took the rag from his hands and knew instantly where his mind was. "What does she want now?
Hatiro closed his eyes trying to wash away everything on his mind before trying to answer calmly, his arms shaking softly as they held him up.
"She uh…She's asking to see Trinka and I didn't know what to say…"
That's when he snaps his mind flooded with memories like a corny movie intro when the wife dies in the beginning as he starts to sob uncontrollably. Hizashi wraps his arms around him as he leads him to the couch though it was a blur to him he sat and leaned on Hizashi who already had the rag in his hand to give to him to dry his face.
Then the questions started.
"What did you say? Please, don't tell me you said yes, Hatiro." With no delay he nods to his friends questioning the guilt now bubbling over and causing him to want to cry harder even though nothing would come out.
"H-How do I tell Trinka…?!" He stuttered out his head shaking at the feeling of his own pity crashing through all of this mess. "I'm so so sorry.." He pleads and sinks into the pillow that is laid on his lap as his world continues to break and crumble around him. Feeling far away as everything fades in and out, Hatiro sleeps deeply for the first time since he received the call.
Counting the lines on the sidewalk, down the dark walkway to the road Katsuki walked a bag of rather disgusting trash down to the bin for the truck to pick up the following morning, it was routine.
1: Wrap bag up
2: Take it down to the curb for morning pick up
3: Be back in my room and continue studying.
It was like clockwork for him, and he repeated that to himself before hearing the grunts of struggling in the distance instantly making his head pick up from looking at the trash bin lid to the houses across the street. One particular house caught his eye, well it wasn't the house, it was the person hanging off the second story deck on the side of the house that happened to face his own.
That person happened to be the girl he had dinner with hours before, dangling from her fingertips that he one hundred percent knew were sweaty from hanging on. He stood, stupefied by the sight, only to watch as she fell like a sack of rice down to the little koi pond under her.
Katsuki hissed, knowing damn well that was painful and uncomfortable as hell… for the fish. He was sure she would be sore, too, but what was she expecting trying climb out her window?
Idiot.
Instead of helping, his stifled laugh echoed through the darkness making Sommoya's head pop up instantly and turn towards him like a deer in headlights which surprised him knowing she was able to hear him.
They made eye contact and it remained that way for what seemed like hours, but in reality it was only a few seconds, before he watched her emerge from the pond shaking off the excess water and algae that was in her hair before slipping and sliding her way out of the water since it appeared the rocks had algae before running her way down the sidewalk.
The snob is running away. Huh. Didn't think she could be capable of such a thing. He thought to himself before throwing the trash to the side and blindly followed her, keeping a good distance but enough to watch her.
The blond had no reason to follow her; he'd rather be at his desk finishing up notes for tomorrow's class, but for some reason, his curiosity got the better of him, causing him to follow her and now he was close to her side.
"So your fall, was that intentional? I expected more grace coming from someone who came in on recommendation. Nice using your ice quirk to freeze the pond, by the way." He remarked as his ruler's mouth curled into a smirk at his comment waiting for any reaction to come out of her, but she only sharply and softly replied.
"You thought wrong." Before walking farther from their neighborhood. He's shocked at her demeanor as he looks over discreetly.
Thin clothes and slippers was what she wore and which were now drenched along with her phone which he could make out from the outline in her pocket, if she was really running away wouldn't she take more than that?
He's confused as they continue to walk in silence; the awkwardness is deafening before he decides to speak again. "Wouldn't your mom or dad mind? And if not them, what about your little brother ?" He watches Sommoya roll her eyes before walking past a sign into the playground that was set near their neighborhood. "PF- My moms not even here! Didn't you get that at dinner? So, no,my mom wouldn't care. In fact, she'd be quite happy with me, and my dad's too busy ruining his own life to pay attention to mine right now." He raises his eyebrow as she snaps back before shrugging and tapping the pole near him. He's confused about this girl.
Why is she just spreading her family drama to me of all people, I should have just stayed home.
"Like! If he wants to smoke and be high all the time go ahead but he doesn't realize how much that hurts his family? How it hurts me? No he is being selfish and it's just so freaking stupid!" She continues to blurt while wringing her hair out onto the play structure, At this point Katsuki was losing his temper from this girl's constant ranting he didn't ask for.
"Woah, woah. Just shut up. Look, I don't know and don't want to know why you're running away from home to come here whining about things you can't change." He pauses as she looks up at him, her face stunned by his forward truthfulness as he continues, "You really don't try and see the other's point of view, do you?" He scoffs and looks at her finally. " You're as self-centered as I expected. Maybe instead of being mad with your dad and your life, try helping him fix it instead of being a little bitch and whining about it."
If there was an award for bluntness, Katsuki would be taking home several. He wasn't planning on helping Sommoya, not in the slightest, he was just calling it like he saw it. Plain and simple. He fully expected her to do anything from yelling to physical violence. "You, uh… You have a point I guess. Thank you." She mumbled so low he almost couldn't hear it. His face froze when she thanked him. He was never trying to help her but she took this as "Him helping her through a crazy breakdown."
Oh, hell no. He's not going to let her go around and tell people he helped her.
"Tell anyone this and you're dead. I'm not helping you because I want to, it's because you gave me no other choice with coming here. " She sat there for a few more minutes, giving him time to think to himself.
At this point he doesn't know what he is to her and what she is to him. I mean one day they are at each other's throats and now…it's like they are growing this bond that he doesn't want. But does he really feel that way?
God why are feelings so hard for me! Can't I just decide what I want and it be so clear so this shit doesn't happen?
"You hear me?!" He asked again, catching her attention instantly as she nodded.
"Yeah… loud and very clear. Thank you."
The second thank you made him think for a moment, it wasn't a passive aggressive 'thank you', but one that felt and seemed genuine. Though he didn't want to continue this conversation, he felt inclined too, but only found himself starting to walk away from the play structure before tossing one last sentence over his shoulder. "Look, just get home. I'd rather be able to kick your ass at the sports festival than learn about you being killed by a rando on the streets."
She finally let out a small, restrained laugh and stood up, looking at him sitting on the small stairs to the play structure. "Yeah? Who says you'll beat me, hmm?" She taunted, "You haven't seen my full potential yet, maybe I will actually beat you."
He scoffs, rolling his eyes not responding to her (playful?) taunts. His mind wandered into what just happened while she walked away from him into the dark.
"Good night. Thanks…again." Is what he could hear before she disappeared, leaving him alone with his thoughts and only that. He's unsure about this whole interaction he just had with her. He saw a new side of her that shined a different light on his interpretation of Sommoya. She seemed…like a genuine person? Just had some really..really annoying flaws. Katsuki sat there for a while, ignoring his phone that would ping with a text while he questioned everything he just encountered and listened too. He never striked himself as a curious person but everything Sommoya said from her mother being "gone" to spilling that her father, a pro hero, has an apparent smoking problem and it upsets her.
It was definitely interesting and concerning, but only a little. That's what he thought at least. He finally walked his way home after having 25 missed texts from his mother demanding him to be home after he was only supposed to be taking out the trash. He reached his house and was about to go inside but something again caught his eye.
Her bedroom window was still open and the lights were still on, which means…either she sleeps with an open window and lights on… or she never went home.
He felt a wave of concern again before shaking it off and entering his dark house the night fading away from him as he hoped this would all pass and he could just go back to being the normal rival to her…but now had another feeling of maybe they weren't just rivals anymore.
So much angst and lore...and only more to come in the future. hEHE
