[fieldbox="Koshi, azure, dashed, 10"]Koshi held onto the branch as May struggled into the window, reaching out with one hand to try and help her keep steady - yet his cheeks heated up, and his hand faltered becasue May was facing away from him, and dat ass. He patiently waited until May was on her feet, and inside of the room before inching out towards the window, and reaching out to rest a hand on the pane.
He glanced back, checking to make sure Kaito hadn't decided to go outside. The pizza man was pulling away from the curb on a small scooter - a pale-colored Vespa. It was safe, the coast was clear, and May was reaching out to him. He took her hand with some slight uncertainty, and carefully climbed into the the window, and lowered himself into her room, grateful for his lengthy legs. "Phew... That was crazy... You're a really good climber." Koshi uttered to May, while glancing around her room.[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Kaito Nagamine, darkred, dashed, 10"]Kaito hummed in the back of his throat for a moment, before sighing and shaking his head. "I can tell him to fuck off, if you want." He really didn't want anyone coming between him and Hisao - Kaito would much rather chill alone with the other male. Even during parties, they were often seen together, either sitting on the couch and talking, or drinking.
The male turned towards the door, ready to head out with their food.[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="May, green, dashed, 10"] May held on tightly to his hand and helped him in. "Well," she glanced around her room before giving him a smile,"this is my room." It was fairly clean and organized with the exception of her desk, which was a completely cluttered with art supplies and such. A couple of blank canvases were leaning against the wall. A few canvases that were painted on, hung on her walls, except for one wall, since it was a complete mural. "Sit down." She motioned for her bed or the desk chair.
[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Hisao Tachibana, blue, dashed, 10"] Hisao only shrugged in response at Kaito's words. "I don't really care, tell 'im whatever you want." Following after Kaitto, he reached out to stop him and pulled out the money. "Here, I forgot to give you the money." He said while holding it out to him.
[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Koshi, azure, dashed, 10"]It was exactly what he imagined May's room would look like - her natural habitat, full of canvases, and art supplies on the desk near-by.
It seemed that a large portion of her time was devoted to her hobby, and that was something that Koshi admired. It was the hobby-less that retreated into a strange, quiet state that perpetuated them as an enigma until they opened their mouths, and revealed a disappointing lack of depth and understanding. Those that allowed their higher mental capacities the proper exercise - artists, writers, creators alike, were often the most interesting people. He was none of those things, and could not fathom why May wanted to keep spending time with him - especially not after how ridiculous he was... After that scene in his room, cast in vital-red from the yellow bulb in his closet. Something stuck to the inside of his throat, and Koshi tried to swallow to make it go away, but it didn't work.
A mural caught his attention, and Koshi tilted his head inquisitively, but sat down on the edge of her bed, absent-mindedly gazing at the mural. "That... That is amazing... You're so talented..." He muttered, turning his attention to May for a moment. "How long did it take you to paint this?"[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Kaito Nagamine, darkred, dashed, 10"]They exited the house, and Kaito looked down to type Stephen an eloquent, 'dude, i'm busy,' but stopped when he noticed the motorcycle parked in front of his house.
"Shit, he's already here." Now, Stephen was an interesting case. Their group acted friendly towards the male, however, Stephen had such an insufferable lack of self-awareness that it was difficult not to insult the jock behind his back. He spent an hour fixing his hair in the morning, as he stated once during a party, only to ruin his effort during football practice after school. Stephen was the kind of guy that assumed everyone liked him, no matter what he did. He was also a rich, entitled asshat that did nothing, yet still had everything he ever wanted handed to him on a silver platter.
Stephen was just like Kaito, and Kaito was a hypocrite.... Needless to say, Kaito didn't like Stephen very much.
He glanced back at Hisao, and shook his head. "No, dude it's fine. My treat." It was about time that Kaito payed for something.[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="May, green, dashed, 10"] Everyone, besides her family, that had ever entered her room was always rendered stunned by it all and the girl had grown accustomed to it. However, Koshi was a completely different story. She actually sought for some sort of positive reaction from him as she watched him look around until his grey gaze settled on the mural. "Thanks. It took me about a month, but because I was a bit busy." May answered his question with a small smile before moving to go sit besides him on her bed, making sure to keep a small but existent space between them. The brunette couldn't help herself though and she was quick to reach out to hug him. "P-please don't ever try something like that again." May murmured, referring to the fact that he tried to bring his life to an end.
[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Hisao Tachibana, blue, dashed, 10"] Hisao looked up when Kaito announced that Stephan was already there. Sure enough, the male was walking towards the front door. Hisao frankly didn't care whether Stephan was around them or not, the male was a nuisance. "Are you sure, because I can pay for it, if ya want."
Hisao felt drained both mentally and physically. All he wanted was to chill with his best friend while having a good time that will surely help him forget what happened with May.
[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Koshi, azure, dashed, 10"]There was a moment of silence between them as May settled down beside him, and something seemed to be gathering inside of her. Koshi glanced down and twiddled his thumbs, blank as an unwritten page, unsure of what to say. She had brought him here to pull him away from that closet, and in return, he was doing nothing but being awkward, and wondering when he'd be pushed to try again. It was nothing to look forward to, and he already felt stupid for even making that noose. But, the hurt Kaito's words had brought him, coupled with years of repressing those thoughts of his, had taken their toll. Now, in this room... He was in this hospice - a hurricane thunderclap, listening to the sound of his morphine alarms singing out of tune. He let out a breath through his nose, dislodging the scent of closet mothballs, hoping he could forget the odd, perpetual murk hanging in the air around his room. He was pleased that May recieved his complement well, and a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
All of a sudden, May reached out and threw her arms around him. It caught Koshi off-guard, but he immediately melted into the gesture, holding onto May tightly. Almost too tightly, in fact. "May..." He mumbled, shutting his eyes. He loved her name - it was a promise of something warm, and pleasant. Who knew what that thing was... Their embrace - it was like spring, a gentle clash of winter and summer, a soft breath of air as she uttered her words, and the blossoming of pinkish flowers in Koshi's chest, killing all the brambles and nettle.
He would have said something more, but his phone buzzed, and the feeling of it in his pocket cut him off. Who could that be...? He didn't darre think that it was Kaito.
Koshi pulled away from May to look down with an air of confusion - he didn't get texts often anymore, and it threw him off.
'Hey, where'd you put the spare bedsheets? Hisao's staying over for a while.' It bore an off air of indifference. Clearly, Kaito hadn't considered the effects his words had on Koshi, who was much, much too sensitive for his own good. He let the phone drop, and it fell onto his lap, bearing the screen to May.
"... Unbelievable." Koshi whispered, reaching up to press his fingers to his lip, biting back the waterflow. "... I don't want to go back there. What do I do?"[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="May, green, dashed, 10"] There were so many words that May wished to tell the male. Words that would surely bring him comfort and confirm that she was a genuine friend. The kiss...A part of her wanted to take things further with the male, but they've only just met. It seemed to early, yet...it seemed like they had known each other for so much longer. They had kissed for crying out loud! Surely that showed that they connected very well.
Suddenly the male pulled away from the hug to glance down at his phone, before letting it drop. May cautiously picked it up his phone, read the text, and looked up at the male. If Hisao was staying over then..."Stay here." May blurted before a shade of pink dusted her cheeks. "Hisao is staying over, so we won't have any trouble and I'm sure my parents won't mind." May murmured as she reached out to hold his hand. "That way you won't have to see them."
[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Koshi, azure, dashed, 10"]He was so busy thinking about the text, that he hadn't noticed the way May's thoughts had drifted - when he looked up, she was bright pink, and her eyes dodged his gaze for a moment, before she suddenly blurted out an idea that triggered his own bright blush.
Suddenly, Koshi was met with the impulse to... He dodged May's attempt to hold his hand, and reached out to pinch May's cheeks, half-smiling as he squished her face between his fingers. He tried to downplay his own embarrassment by being silly, but of course, everything was laid out clearly in his shy gaze. There was immense hesitation there, pooling in his pupils.
"May, but..." He uttered, letting go of her cheeks to cup her face in his hands for a moment, as he paused to think. The obvious good part of the suggestion was that he wouldn't have to suffer seeing Kaito and Hisao everyday. The really bad part was that May lived with her parents - what would he say? How weird would it be...? Noticing how close he was to May, Koshi let go of May's face, and let his hands fall into his lap. "I'm a guy - won't your parents mind?" He asked, tilting his head to one side in confusion. "What will you tell them? What if Hisao stays at my place for longer than a day?"[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="May, green, dashed, 10"] For a second, the brunette thought that he was rejecting her touch, but instead, he reached out to pinch her cheeks; which embarrassed her further. She dropped her gaze and gave him a shy smile. Normally she wasn't so shy, but around Koshi it was like he afected her in a different way. He held her head in between his hands but pulled away once he began to question her suggestion.
"I'm not sure..." She answered honestly as she averted her gaze. "What if we just...don't tell them. I mean, Hisao and I have a shared bathroom so you won't have to go to the other bathroom where they could see you." May murmured and she looked back up at him. "Plus they're gone early in the morning."
[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Koshi, azure, dashed, 10"]Koshi paused, considering her words with a nod of his head... And then a shake. "No... Too many things could go wrong. Why don't we just make something up?" He said, putting a finger on his chin as he struggled to come up with a good reason for his stay.
He couldn't admit that the reason was Hisao - he needed something nearly life-or-death to warrant his presence in May's home. The trouble was that May's parents likely knew that he lived next door, so he couldn't make up a story about a house fire, or something over-the-top like that. He really hated lying. He needed to come up with something that was at least halfway true, to be convincing... "Maybe... We could tell them the truth... At least half-way? I had a serious disagreement with my brother... And we could add in that he owns the house, and he kicked me out. I had nowhere to go, so you being a good neighbor, took me in..." Koshi furrowed his brows and glanced down at his hands. It disturbed him, how quickly he was able to come up with the lie. Being convincing would be a whole other issue- but he was willing to do it if it meant getting away from Kaito and Hisao, and hanging out with May non-stop for a few days.[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="May, green, dashed, 10"] The male had a point: there were several things that could go wrong and the most possible outcome was her parents finding Koshi and kicking him out. The last thing she wanted was for her parents to view Koshi as some troublesome boy when he wasn't. The brunette tapped her fingers against her thigh as she tried to think of a possible excuse that would guarantee his stay, until he gave out his idea.
"I think that could work." May murmured as she thought it through. "We just need to make it convincing." That excuse could possibly work and May was more than willing to give it a try. "They'll obviously make you sleep in our guest room, so I'm pretty sure it'll turn out okay if they believe it, which they should since it's a bit of the truth. "
[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Koshi, azure, dashed, 10"]Good - they had found a way around Koshi's inability to lie. Even better, it was also a way that would keep May's parents from reacting negatively if they found out. He found great relief in that, as he desperately wanted to continue being friends with her. "I'll try my best to make it work..."
Koshi was so relieved that he wanted to cry. It was clear in the way his shoulders grew less tense, as if May had picked up one of the anvils on his back to triumphantly throw it off. He sighed at the feeling - he was finally free from Kaito, at least for a little bit... Only a few moments earlier, he had wanted to approach his twin and brave his fear - yet surely, it would have never worked out to benefit him. Especially not when Hisao was there. May had been a hundred percent right - he had been at the craggy edge of a cliff, and he had rounded on his tormentor out of desperation. But with his heels over the ocean, fighting would only result in a fall, a collapse right into the mouth of the sea.
He glanced up at her, stars in his gaze as gratitude overwhelmed him. "I'll make breakfast for you everyday... I'll help you with everything. I'll do your homework for you, too," he uttered in a fit of glee, reaching up to place his hands on May's shoulders. "Ah, I need to somehow get my stuff... Maybe I can climb up to my balcony somehow..."[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="May, green, dashed, 10"] May was praying that her parents would believe their story so he could stay here and not have to face her brother and Kaito and she secretly wanted him there. Suddenly he reached out to place his hands on her shoulders while stating that he would basically do her bidding a and she shook her head with a chuckle. "That won't be necessary, Koshi." She responded before reaching up to take one of his hands in both of hers and giving it a reasurring squeeze.
"I'd say we should go a little later, maybe when they're asleep?" May suggested as she looked up at the male. She rose from her feet and pulled him up with her. "You want to go get something to eat? You must be hungry."
[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Koshi, azure, dashed, 10"]He immediately agreed with May's idea with a nod - later would be better. If he was lucky, they'd both be so drunk that whatever he did wouldn't even stir them from their slumber. He still couldn't believe that he had been pushed so far off the edge by Kaito - May had been the little bit of root sticking out of the cliff side, that had managed to catch him just in time. But he was still dangling, all the scrapes and childhood sunburns still stung. His eyes watered from when Kaito had thrown sand at him. And he was tired, remarkably tired of overthinking, and feeling so very raw. The past was the same as the present, and vice-versa. Neither of the twin had changed very much, and that was the worst part. It was sad that Koshi had to sneak into his own house, for fear of his own brother waking up and strangling him or something.
May stood up, and as his gaze followed her form, he caught sight of the mural again. It really was lovely... The sakura blossoms were most beautiful to him only when they gathered in the wind as they fell during the festival of Hanami, from the end of March, to early May. The expertise of her brush strokes... It made Koshi want get up, and reach out to see if he could touch the blooms and feel them on his fingertips. "Ah, I can help you make something..." He was hell-bent on repaying May for her offer, that was clear. Koshi stood up after her, uncertainty in his gaze. For some reason, he felt a bit weird about the whole thing. While Koshi really, really wanted to stay over at May's house and spend more time with her, the idea of her parents seeing this worried him greatly. What if they kicked him out? It would be so embarrassing...
"May, maybe you should call your parents to let them know about me? After a long day of work, I'm sure the last thing they want is to encounter a surprise guest while they try to relax..." He looked down, nervously playing with his fingers. "I don't want to be bothersome..."[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="May, green, dashed, 10"] May only shook her head at his persistence in trying to help her in whatever he could. "It's okay, I got this." May chuckled as she continued to walk forward, however, she stopped in front of her door and turned to look at Koshi. For a second she stopped to think about it. Maybe it would be a good idea to give them a heads up. "I'll call them and you're not bothersome so don't think that."
The brunette pulled out her phone and immediately dialed her mothers number. She kept a hold of Koshi's hand while she leaned against the door, hearing the ring on the other end. Finally, after the third ring, her mother picked up.
"Hello, mom." May answered brightly. "I umm...you see Koshi, our neighbor, he got into an argument with his brother and got kicked out. Koshi goes to my school and he's my friend, so I told him that he was welcomed to stay here." There was silence on the other end and May only tightened her grip on his hand. "May, honey, I'm a bit busy right now, but when your father and I get home, we'll talk about this. For now, be careful and don't do anything you shouldn't." The woman on the other end answered before bidding her daughter farewell.
"Well, she said that we'll talk about it when they get home, but for right now you're welcomed to be here."
[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Koshi, azure, dashed, 10"]He stood a little bit too close to May as he watched her dial her mother's phone number. A pit of uncertainty formed in his stomach, and to keep his spirits up, Koshi glanced down at May's hand, tightly holding onto his. Mindlessly, his thumb made small circles into the back of her hand, moving gently over the velvety span of her skin. It was so nice to feel so unconditionally connected to somebody... The warmth of her dainty hand around his seeped into Koshi's heart, and warmed him from the inside like warm tea.
She was so familiar... Her voice was so kind, and warm-sounding... When it was finally directed at him, Koshi lifted his gaze to meet her's, and listened closely. "Ah... I really hope that they don't mind. I don't want to go back there..."
He'd enter his room, and the closet door would still be open, and the noose would be laying, still and useless on the ground. He'd have to clean up, sweep the floors, dust the furniture... But thr smell of mothballs would never leave his nose again while he stayed in that room, listening to the same old insults from both Kaito, and Hisao. "I'm glad you took me here, by the way. I feel a lot better now."[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="May, green, dashed, 10"] "I have a feeling that they won't. They're very nice and I'm glad that you feel better." May responded with a warm smile and gave his hand another squeeze, before she stopped leaning against the door and turned around to open the door. "Now, don't worry so much over it and for now let's just get something to eat." May lead him out of her room and down the stairs, towards the kitchen. "Do you want me to make you something specific? I think we still have that oreo cheesecake, I had made." May offered as she let go of his hand to go check in the refrigerator.
[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Koshi, azure, dashed, 10"]Koshi followed May down the stairs, worrying despite what she had just told him not to do. Once again, the fear of her parents kicking him out surfaced again. What if they didn't like him, for whatever reason? Koshi knew that he needed to act almost too polite - if they let him stay, he would owe them that much. Ah, well, that sort of thing came naturally to him anyway - he really didn't need to think about it.
"Do you want me to c-" He stopped abruptly, only just registering what May had said. "Oreo cheesecake - definitely." He answered, lips quirking up in a smile. He leaned against a cabinet, watching May as she approached the refrigerator to take a look inside.[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="May, green, dashed, 10"] May pulled the refrigerator opened and looked inside. "What the hell?" She murmured under her breath as her brows furrowed in annoyance. There was only a small slice left. Maybe Kaito and Hisao had gotten some earlier. "Well, there's not much left, but I want you to have the last slice since I had made it for you when we're suppose meet." May said with a small smile as she placed the remaining piece in a plate and handed it to him with a fork. "Do you want some milk?" She questioned while motioning for him to take a seat.
[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Koshi, azure, dashed, 10"]Koshi's eyes widened at May's words - "Thank you... We need to share it, in that case." He strolled over to where May had designated for him to take a seat, and sat down with the plate in his hand, being careful to keep the slice of cheesecake steady. At May's suggestion, his nose unintentionally crinkled up from apparent dislike - it was an automatic response, and Koshi was barely aware of the fact that he had pulled that kind of expression. "No, thank you. I don't really like milk."
He waited for May to sit down with him, before glancing down at the delicious-looking cake on his plate, and lifting his fork to carefully cut it in half, making sure both parts were perfectly equal. Next, Koshi took a bite, taking a moment to savor the flavor before blurting out, "This is amazing... It's perfect." He was a stickler for perfection, yet at the same time, he loved imperfection. Art could never be perfect anyway, and modern, straight-edge geometric designs were largely disliked by him. Quick, graceful brushstrokes were the best at capturing what true beauty was, even though he didn't quite know what it was either. Perhaps it was the fragile curl of a blossom's pink petal, or the blurry waves on top of arctic seas, or perhaps it was in the curve of May's brow, in her slender neck, and graceful shoulders. He wanted to touch her hair, or hold her hand, and in that moment of madness, Koshi stabbed a bit of cheesecake with the fork, and held it out to her, directing the piece to her lips.
"Try some," He gave her a silly smile, and his cheeks began to heat up as he wondered what she would do.[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="May, green, dashed, 10"] May lightly smiled when Koshi's nose wrinkled up, an expression of dislike coming forward. Well, now she knew that he didn't like milk, so she moved over to take a seat next to the male. "Why not?" She questioned quietly, while she watched him slice the piece in half in equal parts. Then with a bit of anxiousness, waited for his reaction to the taste of the cheesecake and much to her relief, he liked it. "I'm glad you like it. I'll make another one tomorrow so we can eat it while we paint." She stated before he lifted the fork, filled with cheesecake, up to her lips.
A light blush danced across May's cheeks and she shyly leaned forward and took the morsel into her mouth and happily ate the piece. "Thanks." She murmured after she swallowed the desert. "I'm sorry there isn't more. I didn't think that it would be eaten so quickly."
[/fieldbox]
