𝗘𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝘇 𝗟𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻 | 𝖿𝖺𝗇𝗍𝖺𝗌𝗒

IX. Epiphany

Eto Yasushi's POV

His eyes paved a way to that innate proclivity to love. To show concern. To provide service. Small acts of love that he knew would decidedly put him in good books. But he had been incognizant of the fact that a single mistake could make his name marked in red.

Yutaka had the eyes of dove feathers, not the albino kind, but the ones with a hue so softly grey that they could have been pencil drawn. They had that shine and quick movement, yet were relaxed, purposeful, at ease. His eyes opened, and the heaven I saw in them had been unfathomable. Maybe that's why people say 'good things don't last long'.

He had woken up with a jolt, his back straight within just a second as he tried to comprehend his surroundings. "Yasushi? Where are you?" His question dripped with edginess.

"I'm right here," I responded with a new-found benevolence, that would've otherwise not tainted my blasé colloquy. "Behind you."

His head snapped back and Yutaka looked as though he couldn't believe his eyes. His eyes heralded the blank canvas that was yet to be painted upon, and he looked as if he'd found just the right color to start with.

"So you're Yasushi," he sighed. With relief or content? I couldn't discern.

"You can see?" There had been a tinge of wonder in the words I let slip, but he hadn't paid any heed to that.

He let his knees buck as he fell to the floor, his knees hitting the grimy soil under him. The pastel pants he'd adorned, festooned with shades of brown - maybe burnt brown, seemed to let go of its integrity. A small rip and the pant had exposed his bare knees.

"I can!" he exclaimed, his hands resting on his knees. Tears came as if, at long last, his accumulated ocean of brine was trickling through. But the smile displayed admist the meandering drops of tears had been shining akin to a zillion stars. "But I thought we'd been in my room?"

An explanation to that, didn't require much time. "You'd wanted to come to the balcony. You said so yourself."

"I did?" His dubiety came as a fog on a sunny day, as his eyebrows crashed down. "When?" he asked again.

"Right before you woke up," I reiterated. A smile formed at the corners of my lips as I held out an arm towards him, nudging him to pull himself up.

"I don't remember that, but... It doesn't matter now," Yutaka smiled, his eyes turning into happy, little crescents.

His fingers wrapped against mine as he pulled himself up, but the smile on his face had been supplanted by something grave. Something solemn.

His movements didn't stop at that. With his legs inching closer to where I had been standing, his arms had drawn me closer, flush against him. The way his lips pulled into a smile at the thought of embracing me had been satiating - almost as if he'd found his relieve.

"Don't ever go, please," he whispered, his words echoing within my ear. I'd been rendered quiescent, as his breath fanned against my neck and all I could do was let him pull me even closer.

"If it takes someone a lot of strength and grit to accomplish something, they truly mean it."