"Ugh."

Futaro pinched the bridge of his nose, as his brow furrowed. This was the last of the exams he had to mark today. The scattered yells and whistles from soccer practice making their way into his second floor classroom did nothing to calm him. Nor did the delicate breeze, whispering softly upon his cheek. The serene orange sunlight washing the classroom, warming his right side as though it were draped in freshly washed linen, did nothing of the sort either. "We JUST went over this, and her answer isn't even close!" He seemed angry, so angry in fact, that he was talking to himself.

"You coming home soon? I want to start making dinner" It was a text from Itsuki.

"Just about done. See you soon."

The rails beneath his feet rumbled as the train flew through the city like a bird. Buildings rushed by, towering shadows and homes full of people just like him, reduced to momentary blurs, as the sun disappeared beneath the horizon.

"Welcome back!" Itsuki smiled.

Her eyes were squeezed shut, squinted from her cheerfulness. Her long eyelashes were accentuated through the large rim glasses sat slightly crooked on her face, the ends of which were obscured by her ears, which were tied up in a ponytail. The two ever present strands coming from the top of her head flowed freely behind her back - she must've missed them while tying it up - and she was barely blushing. She wore a white loose-fitting t-shirt which said "Eco!" on the front, and soft silky white pajama pants with frills at the bottom which loosely draped her legs, the kind of loungewear you'd walk by at a mall only to scoff at the price. With her left arm glued to her side and her right hand giving a happy little wave, she looked like she was trying her hardest to be as small as possible.

Hardly a wedding dress, her figure was not emphasized by dove-kissed silk, shining in the summer light through the stained glass windows of a chapel. There were no church bells. Intricate lacing did not wrap up her long legs like the ivy that Futaro wished he was. No veil covered her eyes, reminiscent of the night sky, on a winter night. Tonight, like every other night, the tacky stars she wore did not need to shine in that gentle sky. But they did anyway.

"I'm home!" Futaro's eyes squinted as well, mimicking Itsuki.

She quickly gave him a peck on the cheek, and returned to the kitchen. A savory smell was savored in the air, pork. The apartment was nothing extravagant. It was a large room extending forward, longer than it was wide. The lightly colored wooden floor supported, modern, crisp, white walls. On the far end was a glass sliding door to the balcony where they hung their clothes up to dry in the summer. Along the left wall was the couch, flanked by a nightstand with a lamp, and a photo of five cute girls, slumped on eachother, asleep. They all seemed to have had a particularly long day. The other side of the couch lay a bright wooden bookshelf, consisting of what was essentially eight cubes, four tall, and two wide - Futaro was especially proud of the deal he got on this. Meanwhile, the kitchen was really just an area of the living room sectioned off by an island connected to the wall. On one side of the island, a sink, and on the other, a table.

After washing his hands and doing away with his affairs, he began to help Itsuki set the table, despite her repeatedly telling him not to do so in the past. The table was littered with assorted papers, some with red markings, some not. It seemed as though he and Itsuki were up to the same thing at the same time. Futaro stared at the well organized papers and pens strewed across the table. A warm feeling welled up in his stomach, as he continued to sort them into marked and unmarked folders.

While collecting the last sheet he quickly glanced up to Itsuki standing behind the counter. She was caringly plating steamy rice onto their two plates. A pleasant, content air surrounded her. Through her slightly foggy glasses, her eyes met his. In a moment, Futaro felt the gentleness of the breeze from his classroom window. It's funny how a deep, rather cold, shade of blue could veil one's body like the warmth of the sunset, like freshly washed linen. They shared a gentle smile, and Futaro let out a chuckle.

They took their seats. The meal was a moist piece of tonkatsu deliciously seasoned, with rice on the side. A far cry from the, frankly, horrors Futaro witnessed when they had first begun living together.

"How was your day?" Futaro asked, his mouth slightly full.

"You shouldn't talk with your mouth full!" Itsuki pouted, she would not have someone disrespect her meal like that, "But it was good, that boy, Yuusuke and his friends are still causing trouble though."

"Still? Did you read the booklet I made you?" Futaro was quite proud of the booklet he made. After hearing of the troubles this Yuusuke has been giving Itsuki, he read several books on discipline and collated his findings.

"Yeah… of course!" She broke his gaze and covered her blushing face with a napkin. That booklet was at the bottom of Itsuki's work bag, "But anyway, how was yours?"

The faint mumble of the TV filled the short silence, something about an unforgettable summer.

"It was okay," Futaro took a look out the window, "One of my students, Kousaka, still doesn't understand the latest lesson. I really thought she understood after our one on one session yesterday." His shoulders sagged, and his head lowered, he was dejected. He was always trying his hardest for his students.

"Futaro…"

"Hm?" He peeked up like a puppy, to see her with a smug smirk. A rather confident look for someone with a piece of rice on their cheek.

"You got this! I know you do," The smugness continued. She wiped the piece of rice off her face, smiling brightly.

"..."

"Futaro?" Itsuki asked, concerned.

"You're right."

"Oh?" Itsuki was acutely aware of his change in demeanor.

"You're right! After what I've been through, I can teach anyone!" Itsuki's face turned to that of someone slightly annoyed. The kind of face you make when someone sits too close to you in public. She was only mildly offended. Futaro, oblivious, made a fist with his right hand and looked up, was he speaking to God? Raiha? It probably wasn't Itsuki. "I WILL get through to her! We'll spend more time breaking everything down, I'll learn the way she thinks, until she can answer those questions with her eyes closed!" Futaro was filled with determination.

Itsuki could do nothing but smile. His face may have been on the plain side, and his head hard as a rock sometimes. But there was nothing that could stop him. Those amber eyes could be mistaken for gold, but were mere windows to a priceless soul. Those two goofy little pieces of hair on top of his head, that no amount of product could tame, made him cute as a button.

"You're such a dork," Itsuki could hardly get the sentence out between her laughs.

"Hey! You fell for me," It was Futaro's turn to feel mildly offended.

"Yeah, I did…" Still laughing, Itsuki leaned over the table to give Futaro the most playful kiss on the cheek. He blushed. He had been placated.

"Man, our students… they're such a pain." Futaro beamed.

They both burst out in lively laughter. At this moment, their slates were clean. The noise of the TV faded. The white walls bled onto the ceiling and floor, washing them in a cleansing light. Right then, in this small apartment, was the entire world. Futaro and Itsuki laughed together for a moment that could make up a lifetime.

"Haa," Itsuki calmed down and held her stomach, and began to stand up. "Make sure to finish your food."

"Ehh?" Confused, Futaro looked at Itsuki's plate. She had somehow managed to finish during all the commotion.

…

"Wh- Why me… It should've been-" Futaro's eyes creaked open, like they were an old machine in need of oil.

The room was cool and dark, lit only by the warm tone of the night light in the corner. Futaro silently turned his head over to his right to see Itsuki there. Her dainty left hand was supporting her head, and she faced him. His eyes were irresistibly drawn to her. Her fair skin silken, softer than the blanket that delicately rose and fell with the sound of her breathing. Her petite nose complimented her adorable high cheekbones. Her lips, so delicate, and tender, it felt like violence to look at them. She was beautiful.

After summoning what felt like all of his strength, Futaro lurched up. His mouth was dry. He peeled the blanket off of himself as quietly as he could. The cool air had a piercing sharpness to it, like opening the door to the outside when you're in the mountains. His feet touched the floor, cold. While creeping his way out of the bedroom and into the kitchen he put his diligence to the test, making sure to be as silent as a dandelion in the wind. Although, far less graceful. His silhouette during this stealth mission could only be described as bearing a striking resemblance to a scarecrow.

"Might as well get some fresh air." After pouring his glass of water to the quiet whirr of the refrigerator, Futaro made his way to the balcony. He turned the lock, and slid the door open. Although it was rather loud, he had remembered to shut the door to the bedroom.

When he stepped onto that third floor balcony, Futaro observed a most magnificent sight.

A completely normal city, on a completely normal night. The dark blue view encompassed everything around him, emphasized by the low groan cities tend to make while idle, and the sound of his neighbors air conditioner. "Pfft, They're wasting electricity." Futaro mumbled to himself. The view consisted of mostly houses, with some medium rise buildings here and there. Occasionally a window was lit up, although he stood too far away to make out any detail within them. Surrounding the houses, the roads were empty, despite being well lit by streetlights. Finally, Futaro looked up, the stars glowed dim. A rather ordinary sight at this point. They were always at odds with the lights of the city. Nevertheless, he could not help but get lost in their vastness. Somewhere up there, a supernova bursted, obliterating everything within a radius measurable in light years. Stars were being born, entire suns birthed from dust, lighting up the surfaces of other planets. A breeze blew by. The air was refreshing. It was slightly cooler than the air in the apartment, but just warm enough to be comfortable. The sound of a car driving by brought his gaze back down to earth. He noticed the bakery just outside their apartment building, and thought of his daily walk to the station every morning. The heavenly scent of freshly baked rolls was wonderful. The shutters of the bakery were shut however, they were probably sound asleep.

"That dream…" Futaro's mind continued to wander.

The screech of the opening door behind him cut through the silence, derailing his train of thought.

"Futaro?"

"Oh did I wake you? Sorry, I just wanted to get a glass of water."

Itsuki paused and stared at him for a moment, "It's alright," she moved onto the balcony. The subtle ruffling of her clothes as she stepped was comforting. After taking her place next to him, and gazing into the city, she continued, "What're you thinking about?" She questioned calmly and relaxed, almost as if no matter what Futaro replied, she would know how to answer.

"You ever feel guilty about… everything?" Another car drove by beneath them.

"Ahh, of course," She took a deep breath while the stars twinkled in a feeble attempt to demean her eyes, "at the time, everything I did was for them. Wait, you're talking about my sisters right?"

"What else would I be talking about?" Although annoyed, Futaro still smiled.

"Haha, I was just making sure," Itsuki leaned forward to rest her arms on the railing. "Back then, all I wanted was for us to live together and have fun like always. No matter what happened that day, everything will have changed." Futaro eyed the glass of water in his hand. Condensation had begun to form on the sides. The gleam of the street lights below danced through the crystal that was his glass. Little beams of light chaotically bouncing every which way. He held a chandelier in the palm of his hand. And the bulb? The night. Itsuki continued, "But then you picked me." She collected her thoughts, "I…" Heaven and Hell. "I was so happy and scared at the same time. You saw me cry!"

"You slapped me in the face!" Futaro wouldn't let such an egregious omission be left unmentioned.

"Okay, but I cried after!" A polite smirk inched its way onto Futaro's face. "But anyway, of course I felt guilty. They were standing in their rooms waiting for you, and you were standing in front of me." The reminiscence hadn't had an effect on Itsuki, she was still. "But Futaro," He met her eyes. "They supported us anyway. Have faith in my sisters, they're strong girls."

"Ha. You're right again." The smirk from earlier had grown into a full smile, but not the kind he'd use for a picture. The kind that only she could bring him.

"I think the best thing we could do for them is to live out our lives the best we can. Don't you think" She grinned.

Futaro was playing with his hair at this point, "I love you." He chuckled while saying it.

Itsuki's hand took his. Warm and exhausted, they sheltered each other from all affliction. With the other, she held her long somewhat frizzy hair down from blowing too much in the wind. In her eyes, those eyes as deep as the sky before dawn, the reflection of a shooting star.

"Come inside, let's get back to bed. It's already past midnight."

/

Author's note

Thanks for reading!

I hope I was able to give you a momentary break in the day to day stresses of your life! I come from a writing background of poetry so it's kinda hard to balance that with also trying to be more straightforward, since yk its supposed to be a story that you can actually follow! So, apologies in advance if some of the passages seem flip floppy (cant think of another way to say it).

-i