Nothing Is Impossible || Soukoku

34|| Shadows Of Hope

Welcome to the 9th update of today ^-^!

Make sure that you didn't skip the previous 8 chapters >~<!

There is no need for warnings in this chapter, but I will give my usual warning.

I won't tolerate any hate comments or insults! You can, of course, criticise me, and you, of course, don't have to like my story, but respect is the key.

Anyway, enjoy ^-^.

Chapter song: Slow Dance in a Parking Lot by Jordan Davis. You can listen the song if you want to! 

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The morning sun filtered through the curtains of the small apartment Akutagawa and Chuuya shared. The room was filled with the smell of freshly brewed coffee, mingling with the faint scent of oil paints and turpentine. Akutagawa, still in his pajamas, sat at the small dining table, staring into his mug of coffee as if it held the answers to the universe. Chuuya, already dressed for the day, stood at the counter, his back to Akutagawa, fiddling with the French press.

"Do you have any plans for today?" Chuuya asked, breaking the silence.

Akutagawa glanced up, surprised by the question. "Not really. I thought I would stay in and work on my painting." He paused, then added. "What about you?"

Chuuya shrugged, pouring himself a cup of coffee. "I was thinking of going to the gallery. There is a new exhibition."

"Oh," Akutagawa said, looking back down at his coffee. "That sounds nice."

The silence that followed was heavy, filled with unspoken words and hidden feelings. They had been together for a relatively long time, but recently, it felt as if an invisible wall had grown between them. Both of them had their secrets, and it was slowly tearing them apart.

Chuuya took a sip of his coffee, leaning against the counter. He studied Akutagawa's profile, the way his black and white hair fell over his eyes, the slight frown on his lips. He wanted to reach out, to bridge the gap between them, but he didn't know how. His feelings for Dazai, his stepbrother, complicated everything. He couldn't tell Akutagawa, couldn't hurt him like that.

"Do you want to come with me?" Chuuya asked, hoping to reconnect, even if just for a moment.

Akutagawa looked up, surprised. "To the gallery?"

"Yeah, it might be fun," Chuuya said, forcing a smile.

Akutagawa hesitated. He wanted to say yes, to spend time with Chuuya like they used to, but the thought of his own feelings for Atsushi made him wary. "I don't know, Chuuya. I have a lot of work to do."

Chuuya's smile faltered. "Right. Of course. Maybe another time then."

The disappointment in Chuuya's voice was like a knife to Akutagawa's heart. He hated seeing Chuuya hurt, but he didn't know how to fix things. Instead, he just nodded and took another sip of his coffee, wishing the day would just pass quickly.

⊱ ───── {.⋅ ۵♡۵ ⋅.} ──── ⊰

After breakfast, Chuuya grabbed his sketchbook and bag, giving Akutagawa a quick kiss on the cheek before leaving. Akutagawa watched him go, feeling a pang of guilt. He spent the next few hours in his studio, trying to lose himself in his painting, but his thoughts kept drifting back to Chuuya.

By midday, Akutagawa had made little progress on his work. Frustrated, he decided to take a break and went for a walk. The city was bustling with life, people rushing to and fro, but Akutagawa felt disconnected from it all. He wandered aimlessly, his mind replaying moments with Chuuya over and over.