[WRITTEN]Aftermath- Suegiku

Three- Surgical Enhancements

[NEXT MORNING]

Tetchō woke up to his alarm with a tear stained face again.
For the past 2 weeks, he'd been having either good dreams with Jōno, or nightmares about his death. But no matter what kind it was, he always wound up crying in his sleep— waking up with tear stained cheeks and pillow coverings, as well as swollen eyes.

Tetchō sits up, rubbing his eyes. God, that dream did a number on him.

He shuts the alarm off, folding the covers off of his body and sliding out of bed. He slides on his slippers, standing up and making his way over to the bathroom for his usual routine after pushing the curtains apart.

Tetchō grabs his hairbrush, and actually brushes his hair out a little more today, styling it with his iron a little more.

Jōno would always complain about how messy it was— so Tetchō tried to make it a little neater today-
Even if Jōno was gone.

He turns on the sink and splashes cold water onto his face, drying it with his face towel.

Tetchō hadn't been doing his eyeliner since the day Jōno had died.

Maybe he should do it today. He feels..
Just a little better.

Tetchō reaches his hand out, grabbing his eyeliner from the bathroom cabinet inside the side mirror, and begins applying it just slightly onto his eye. After being satisfied with it, he places it back into its spot inside the cabinet and leaves the bathroom.

Tetchō's surgery is at 11 AM.

It's 6:00 AM by then. His alarm is at 5:00 in the morning— being in the military police, of course he wakes up early. Even if he doesn't have to.

None of the other Hunting Dogs did.

Before Jōno came into his life (and his room) he always woke up alone early in the morning.

But after Jōno entered, he woke up at 7 with his lover.

So..

Why is he reverting back to his own routine?..

Tetchō shakes his head, feeling disheveled despite having washed his face.

He has a little altar set up for Jōno on top of his dresser.

A framed picture of Jōno— an intricate frame. He got the best one for his lover— even setting flowers around the frame. They're dried and dead, of course, having been there for a while. But it's alright.

He has small candles around it, too, although they're not currently lit.

Tetchō walks over to it, as it's become a part of his daily routine.

He moves his gaze up to the frame.

He can't see Jōno's face.

He can't fucking see it.
Tetchō immediately panics, grabbing at the frame from his dresser and running his hand over it.

What the hell?

Tetchō's pulse quickens— panicking.

It's the thing he feared most after Jōno's death. Forgetting Jōno's face— his touch— his voice, everything about him.

It's only starting to get worse.

"Saigiku.."

He mutters, voice shaky as he tries to just get a little bit of a view.

.....
Nothing.

He can't see anything.

Jōno's face is practically censored on the frame.