°•The Night I Lost Us•°

-°The wrong choice?°-

The atmosphere in the Aoyagi household was tense, Toya could feel himself being crushed the longer he was there with his father. The silence was constant, occasionally being broken by his father's brutal words.

"TOYA, WRONG FINGERINGS! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU!"

"I'm sorry, father."

"If you really were sorry then I wouldn't have to correct you like this! Honestly, if only you'd stuck to classical music to begin with."

"I'm trying, I promise.!"

"Really? Then why aren't you applying any of my corrections?!?"

"I-"

"Enough, Toya. If only you hadn't become friends with that Akito. None of this would've happened."

Toya felt a rush of rage travel through him as soon as his father said that, trying hard to suppress it.

"...."

Toya kept playing
Everytime he pushed down on a wrong note, he could feel his father's glare make its way down his back. He'd never been more anxious in his life.

His chest grew tighter and tighter the more he played on, he was regretting what he did to Akito.
How he betrayed him.

A few hours later, he was finally done.

"Finally, you got it right."

His father's poor attempt at a congratulations irked Toya. His father's empty words didn't feel genuine.

"...."

"I'll let you go off this time, but next time..."

Toya immediately went to his room after, his hands so red and swollen from all the times his father had reprimanded him for any wrong notes.
His chest felt tight, he couldn't breathe.

Waves of regret and emptiness passed through his body, making him feel worse and worse.

He couldn't hold it in any longer. He started sobbing. He missed Akito
He missed Vivid BAD Squad. He missed performing.

All the memories he had of them felt like punches in his stomach. He felt like he didn't deserve to breathe for what he did to his Akito.

"I'm sorry....I'm sorry!!" He whispered
"I'm not meant for this at all, I should've said something to him..he would've cared right? Right....?"

Just then, Toya realised how Akito, in fact, none of them ever sent him a message, or called him or just checked in on him.

"Do they.. really care?"

Toya kept thinking to himself, if they cared surely they would've said something by now. Right?
They would've asked him how he was, right?
They would've talked to him, right?
Even so, they care though, right?

Toyas vision was blurred, tears still escaping through his tired red eyes.

Do they care?
Do they?
.......

"They don't."