Chapter Text
A few hours passed. A heavy atmosphere had woven into the air, with Saki, Tsukasa and Touya all sitting on the sofa together. No eye contact and no words spoken. Yet, with a clock going tick tock tick to the tune of racing hearts, words seemed necessary to stop the silence.
Sometimes silence is the most deafening sound of all. It’s definitely not one you need when alone with such dreadful thoughts.
“So, Touya-kun…” Saki mumbled, aware of the silence she’d receive in response. After his emotions became too much and he broke, Touya now found himself to be a statue. Many heated blankets embraced him, with his usual coffee in his hands - not too much milk and one sugar. On one side of him sat Tsukasa, who lay a hand on the arm his father had left a mark on, and on the other sat Saki. Saki took the speaking role; Tsukasa feared if he spoke, he’d start crying. By this point, a storm had brewed outside, matching the growing storm in everyone’s minds.
After a pause, Saki tried again to reach Touya, for she feared his mind had snatched him away.
“Touya-kun… We’re happy to have you stay overnight, if that’ll help?” Her voice, nothing more than a whisper, eased the tension consuming him. As he lowered his shoulders from his ears, Touya gave a small nod. “That’s good. You don’t have to talk if you’re not ready to do so, okay? Take it easy, and rest for now.” With a pointed gesture towards the stairs, Saki went to grab pillows. A pause. Unsure about what to do, Tsukasa stroked his thumb against Touya’s arm, trying to offer affection. In response, he rested his head on Tsukasa’s shoulder, who nearly gasped from shock.
No words spoken, yet thousands heard.
Tears began to sting at Tsukasa’s eyes. Desperate to sob and scream his adoration for the younger boy, he adjusted his arm so he was holding Touya.
This young man who had withstood so much, yet always ensured his senpai and his family were okay. This young man had woven himself into Tsukasa’s heart, making him view Touya like his dear younger sister. He had always been a part of Tsukasa's family, to a point he referred to him as such to his friends. But, he had no idea how the other boy felt about this, so he tried not to mention this feeling to him.
At this moment, Touya needed a family. Even if the familial feeling was not reciprocated, Tsukasa would happily take him in as one of his own.
He had wanted to for years, after all.
“Touya…” A shaky voice unlike Tsukasa left his mouth, making the other boy's head perk up out of worry. “...I’m sorry, it might not be my place to ask, but… was this involving your father?” For a moment, Touya paused, processing the intuitive question with an unreadable expression. He then leaned forward, and sharply exhaled all his prior dread. As Tsukasa furrowed his brow, trying to decipher this behaviour, he sniffled and nodded a few times.
Oh, would you just look at him. Crying, again.
His father would call him unsightly.
Well, he always called him unsightly… rather than a perfect student in classical music, he had diverged his path to become a street musician alongside his partner Akito. Divergence, not due to lack of talent, but rather disinterest, would always be frowned upon. His father just couldn’t process the fact that his children were not all duplicates of his childhood.
How sad, how his father still remained so vocal in his mind, despite all the attempts to run away from him. Ghosts of your past will always haunt you, huh? Especially those with an agenda to drag you down with them.
“Oh, Touya…” After shuffling closer to the younger boy, Tsukasa gently rubbed his back. “It’s okay. I told you so many times in school, didn’t I? I’m your senpai - you can rely on me in these situations.” His voice wavered, and he covered his mouth with his spare hand to try and muffle the incoming sobs. “You can trust me.” After the reassurance set in, he nodded a few times and sat up, wiping his eyes to look into Tsukasa's. With their eyes meeting after a beat, Touya found himself questioning if he were drowning.
Surely he was, as the waterfall in Tsukasa’s eyes drew him into a point of no return. Seeing his saviour cry, the one who always put on a brave face and claimed to protect Touya like a knight…
Well, the tears returned quicker than they’d ever left.
“Hey, guys, I’m ba-” Saki returned through the doorway, only to witness the unfolding scene and drop her collection of pillows in shock. “Oh, geez guys, I was gone for 5 minutes at most!” She rushed to shove tissues in both of their faces, only to have Tsukasa angrily shove them back at her.
“Oh, stop you! You.. you’re meant to be looking after your health, such sudden movements are dangerous! Hey, stop, stop!” He protested, only to have his face wiped like a child. Touya noticed how he squealed like one too, and chuckled slightly. This laugh prompted the siblings to freeze, turn to Touya at almost the same time, and stare wide-eyed. Worried about what to do in response, he just stared back.
“Hah, oh Touya!” Saki’s laughter filled the room, engulfing everything in a warmth that freed Touya’s soul from its pain. “You’re so silly. C’mon, it’s late, let’s get you to bed.” She hummed as she approached the pillows she’d so carelessly discarded. As she dealt with those, Tsukasa got off of the seat and pulled the many blankets back over Touya.
All the blankets were patterned or colourful, like something you’d expect from a young child’s bedroom. Then again, this was the Tenma house, with a theatre troupe leader as the eldest child. Yet, all the patterns and colours, so reminiscent of youth… it felt as if he were glimpsing into the childhood he never had. His childhood was black and white. That was the truth. But this? These things were so needed throughout his growing years that he found himself clinging to the edges of the blankets. Maybe if he held onto them long enough, his inner child would be appeased.
“Touyaaa, choose a pillow! I know you’re not fond of some textures and stuff as they can majorly stress you out, which is why I grabbed as many as I could, so you could be as comfortable as possible!” Returning with an armful of pillows, Saki thrust them into Touya’s arms, as he picked through them all.
“...Saki, are those mine and our parents' pillows too?”
“Yeah! And mine too! Gotta treat our guest well, y’know!”
“Well, as much as I adore you Touya, you are not having my pillow!” Tsukasa snatched an orange pillow from Touya’s grasp; theatrics bled into his everyday behaviour, which added to his charm. Though, the ‘charm’ would certainly be questioned by some people, like Akito or An. Eventually, after a while of indecisiveness, he chose a pillow and rested his head on it. Tiredness quickly snuck up on his weary soul, and he succumbed to slumber swiftly.
Not even a second after the siblings left the room, they both looked each other in the eye.
A burning question upon both of their lips.
If telepathy were real, it would explain the upcoming situation far better than any logic.
...well, it would have done.
“Saki, can we keep him?” He whispered. While he meant to prompt a serious conversation, what ended up leaving Tsukasa’s mouth was something completely idiotic. An unsurprising turn of events for the world's future star.
“...what?”
“I didn’t mean that!! Well, I did, but not worded like that, and, and…. AAAAAA-” Consumed by shame, Tsukasa acted on reflex, and decided to scream to release the stress. Once again, unsurprising when you remember this is Tsukasa Tenma… theatrics certainly did bleed into his everyday life.
“...would you like to try again now that’s out of your system, onii-chan?” Unspoken prayers echoed in Saki’s brain, practically begging that Touya lay undisturbed.
“Yes, let me try again! What I meant waaaaas… do you think he can stay for a while? Just a little while?”
“Oh, god, I thought I was the only one hoping that.” Her eyes flickered to the front room once more, as she sighed and ushered Tsukasa closer to the stairs. “We could ask him in the morning, but I have no idea about most things. I mean, our parents are out and unaware, and we don’t know the full story…”
“But he clearly needs somewhere to go! Why else would he be at our door with a bag, so late at night?!” Tsukasa protested, desperate to keep Touya close. To keep Touya safe. As the siblings began to walk up the stairs together, Tsukasa started waving his hands around to communicate his feelings of worry.
“I want him to stay too, but we will need to ask our parents, okay?” Saki stopped at the top of the stairs, staring down at her panic-stricken sibling. “I know you’re worried, onii-chan… I am too! Let’s just wait til morning…” Shuffling over to her room, she mumbled one final thing about the topic, only for herself to hear, “I really hope he can stay.”
Although his worries left him restless, Tsukasa followed in his younger siblings steps, and approached his room. He hoped Touya would sleep well, and he hoped Touya would be able to stay. A deep sigh left his lips as he opened the door, and turned to his younger sister.
“Rest well, Saki. I love you!”
“I love you more, onii-chan!”
As the moon reached its place in the sky, the chaos of the night came to a close. Everyone in the Tenma household fell asleep under its watchful gaze, hoping the moon would protect them from future chaos.
The storm would be long gone in the morning, right?