EDEN | mitsukai

three

the contrasting smell of minty cigar and the earthy scent of autumn leaves whips the air, another round of cigarette puff escapes his lips. lilac eyes with hints of redness stared at the complimentary whirls of orange, purple, and pink in the sky, fast approaching the darkness of night freckled with stars in its furrow. the frigid wind tickles his skin, burning almost as his body weighs heavily on the cold bench. despite the harsh bites on his skin, he found solace in them, mind too occupied with the yearning for rest than what he had become.

his fingers move to deliver the cigarette butt to his waiting mouth, inhaling the nicotine. the warmth fills the void in his lungs in a manner resembling a satin silk touch to the skin. smooth and alluring, quite addicting. his brain coiled, shooting out jewels of euphoria in every cell of his body.

it is common knowledge for everyone in college to work until you die or die without doing your work; mitsuya chooses to die for his work.

he isn't indifferent about the concept of overworking. arched spine crystallized as his project could only pile high. migraine would visit his head to violate the space with the throbbing party they prepare every night. they are not a welcomed visitor, but they are persistent.

soon enough, his works paid their worth. showering in gold praises and the heat of the spotlight, mitsuya could still remember how overwhelmingly tight his chest was, setting foot on the polished wooden stage, like the dense spectators in the auditorium. the sweat on his hand felt sticky, almost sickening, on the cold frames of the glass reward he received that night.

the title the young prodigy of tokyo university is the start of a blessing and a curse. rumors started flying in flocks like a group of migrating birds from students who work their mouths with vile acidity ruining one's name. buzzing bees they were, mitsuya became the talk of the town, ears opened to news and eyes scrutinizing his moves. they're hunters, feeling hunted by the supposed prey.

mitsuya didn't mind them—even more so, finds satisfaction in his significance.

he's an addict, or inui says, to recognition. narcissus of the modern-day fixated about nothing but his facade, admiring his achievements and livid for people to see his beauty. he had a fascination when it comes to people acknowledging him. either like a god, seeing them bow at his mercy, or the devil, satan, gravely hated by people for thousands of years.

"takashi," a familiar voice called for him, and the figure hovers in front of him, casting a dark curtain over his slumped body. inui's face shows no emotion—watching him, feeling bare naked under his scrutinizing gaze.

"you reek of alcohol, you piece of shit," his friend told him, offering a bottle of water, "take this before we go back to the university,"

mitsuya could only scoff, "yeah, sure. i owe you one."

the yellow tint of the lamppost near them illuminate inui's blonde hair, resembling those golden threads he barely touched on his drafting table. mitsuya's face scrunched up, baffled by his thoughts, too intoxicated. he patiently stood there like a housewife waiting for her husband to sober up just so she can carry him home, but they had played that role too many times that it no longer held a foreign feeling.

inui is a close friend, but not the childish babble, superhero plays, and immature dreams kind of friend. their friendship is the tempted bite of eve on the forbidden fruit, sweet and tangy, almost suffocating. they have bonded over powders of coke, blinding lights, clashed teeth, and sweaty bodies. they're friends, sharing interests and murmuring secrets, who find amusement in sodomy and dressing bodies.

after some time, waiting for mitsuya to sober up, their feet dangle with dread, heavily dragging them to meet their pending projects. silence bears its child between the two of them, and the ghost of autumn would kiss their faces from time to time. the road they took was an apocalyptic one, absent of life as the trees loom over them. regardless of its darkness, it was the nearest route to the university.