Agoraphobia

Aggravation

Takemichi was having a crisis. It was a bad day! He had dropped his phone in the sink and it was currently in a pot of rice. He was doing the dishes and had responded to a text from Chifuyu about the new Bunny Senpai and his fingers slipped-- BUT he had acted fast so... things should be fine, right?

He was going to be just fine. At least he would have been if he had been able to connect Mikey's laptop to the internet... he would have been able to use the guest login to skype him to ask if he would come up and try the new recipe he was practicing for Emma's wedding. Takemichi was making Pasticciotti, which were custard filled cream puffs. They were hard to make because if there was too much moisture then they wouldn't fluff up.

He was shaking at the door to the elevator. He... hadn't actually left the apartment or the upper three floors in the last seven months. His chest felt like it would cave in and his hands were shaking so badly that he white knuckled the bowl with the one cream puff in one hand, tucked under his arm, and the cane in the other.

Takemichi was terrified, his breathing was abnormal and he had black dots in his vision when he tried to look away from the door. He was safe here in this tower because it belonged to Mikey, and Mikey would always make things safe. 

The thought of Mikey being only five floors down and knowing how to get there filled him with confidence. He needed to take this cream puff to Mikey. He needed to do it for Emma!

The thought of doing this for someone else made Takemichi reach out, open the door and step into the elevator. He was in there now. The one end had a glass panel that showed the skyline outside with the mid morning sun in the sky and the rest was just classy chrome and silver fixtures. Takemichi pressed the button for five floors down and waited with baited breath, unable to take in air in his anxiety.

He left the house!! Oh no! What if something happened?! What if he died?! The hairs on his arms rose as goose bumps spread up his arms. If he stood rooted in the elevator Mikey would eventually enter and they could go back together. He could wait out the hours looking out the window...

NO! Takemichi shook his head and forced himself to press the button to open the doors. He needed to do this! There were only four days until the wedding and he needed every second he could get to practice the recipe for Emma and Draken.

So he let those names linger under his breath to give him the strength and courage to step off the elevator and towards Mikey's office. He was being brave even if he was scared out of his mind. He licked his lips as he took shuttering breaths, his limp more pronounced in his fear.

He was making it! The hallway was large, the walls white and carpet black. There were a few random pictures on the walls of landscapes in between long windows. There were a few potted plants and Takemichi couldn't resist the urge to stop and study the drooping leaves. 

The distraction was welcomed as he gently lifted a leaf of the plant, "Peace Lily," He mumbled to himself, his soft heart hurting at the sight of its withered ends. "Oh no," His eyes glisten slightly that he sees that the soil was too dry, "When was the last time this was watered? Oh no, I'll have to tell Mikey-kun--" His lip trembled slightly.

Plants were never mean to him they never judged him, they never left him suddenly. However, they had feelings, they liked his voice and they needed him. Plants made him feel happy and it always hurt him to see how someone could neglect them. It made him feel just as neglected since he often felt like a house plant throughout his life.

He had a weak heart when it came to these types of things. He couldn't handle it... If someone was neglecting these poor plants then he'd have to do something about it right? Mikey wouldn't mind would he? But whose job was it? Would they get mad? Would they yell at him? Takemichi was far too stressed to think about that at all so he picked up his cane.