Darkness Ethereal | K.TH

Same Words, Same Look

"Mm."

The soup tastes fantastic— just the right amount of spicy to wake the remains of lasting sleep in my mind. I'm just hoping that it's enough to soothe V's hangover as well.

"V?" I ask as I quietly knock on the door I'd closed last night. "Are you awake?"

No answer.

"I'm coming in." I announce as I twist the doorknob, pushing the door open. I don't know what I expect when I walk in, but what I find is completely out of my expectations at all.

No V.

No.

My mind goes blank before the waves of panic begin to spill in, crashing and twisting my thoughts apart. The despair that I feel at that moment is tremendous— just terrifying.

How—

Then a soft ringing tears my eyes from the empty, abandoned bed. My phone is vibrating in my pocket, and the caller ID it reads relieves me enough that I could just collapse and cry.

"Hello?" My voice is urgent as I put the phone to my ear, thanking myself for being thoughtful enough to get him a phone. I would've gone through a major panic attack if I hadn't.

"Tzuyu..."

He sounds so dazed it scares me. My fingers go pale around the phone as my grip grows tighter by the second, and I soon find myself violently pacing around the full vicinity of the room.

"What's wrong? V— talk to me."

The moment I hear the soft sentence he breathes next, I rush for the front door. My shoes are barely hanging off my feet as I run down the emergency stairs, not even bothering with the slow elevator.

"Tzuyu..."

"I killed someone."

__________________________

"Where are you!"

His reply is so hushed I hit the speaker button, and even then it's so quiet I need to keep it next to my ear. My heart shatters at how vulnerable he sounds, how weak his tone is.

"I don't know... there's a mess of painting on the walls. When I woke up, I was standing by this river— my hands were bloodstained. I don't know. I just hid."

"I know where that is," I speak quickly, my tone as soothing as it can possibly go. "Stay there, okay? I'm coming for you, V. I'm coming."

Something wet touches my lips, and I find tears trickling down the side of my cheek. I'm thankful that it's early morning— nobody is out in the empty streets to witness both the girl crying or the boy with the bloody hands.

"Are you mad at me?" His soft, quiet voice echoes in my ear, and my breath catches in my throat as I run. "Tzuyu, are you mad at me?"

"I broke your rule."

Tears are now cascading down my cheeks as I force myself to run. My breath comes heavy as I shake my head violently, forgetting that he could only hear me.

"It never was a rule in the first place. V, are you alright? Are you hurt? I'm almost there— just hold on—"

"I killed another. And I don't even know if he did anything to me. If he did anything to you. And I killed him."

"I told you," I whisper. "I don't care about that. You never meant it— and that's what matters. How do you know it's a he? How do you know you killed anyone at all?"

"T-The blood isn't mine. I w-woke up fast e-enough to see this figure disappear into t-the water. Tzuyu, Tzuyu— are you here?"

He's stuttering.

My V, stuttering.

"Shh," I soothe, voice tender. The familiar graffiti wall appears in my peripheral vision, and I quickly tell him that I am before pressing the end button.

"V!"

He's slumped against the spray-painted walls, his white shirt stained with the same red that coats his hands. His eyes are empty and pleading as I fold him into a tight embrace.

"Do you hate me?"

Familiarity crosses my mind as I smile weakly, recalling the identical words before when he'd had his attack. He'd been in this same position, same sheen in his eyes. Said the same words, looked at me with the same emptiness he does now.

Wordlessly, I take a strand of his hair. It feels soft and silky as I twist it around my finger, unravel. Twist, unravel.

"I don't think I'd be doing this if I hated you," I say, and I notice the light of familiarity cross his eyes as well. He looks up at me, and I give him a warm, knowing smile.

"Do you think so?"

A blush colors my cheeks as he crashes my body to his, and my mentality so shaken I don't even notice the soft trembles that rock through his figure until my racing heart calms.

"What have I done to deserve you?"

His voice is silky against my ear as he crushes me even tighter. A soft smile dances on my lips as I try not to think about the mystery person submerged in the bottom of the river, and beg to God that nobody had seen him.

I can't lose him.

"You're lucky, I guess," I joke, and he pulls away, eyes narrowed. Just when I think that I'd said the wrong thing at the wrong time, a light of amusement enters his eyes.

"You're not wrong."

"Come on," I say, feigning a shiver. It isn't hard to pretend— the morning is a fall morning.

_________________________

"Where are you going?"

His eyes look wide and shocked as I sling my backpack over my shoulder, getting ready to leave the house.

"School," I tell him, slipping on my shoes. "Did you forget I'm eighteen? I still have school to attend, you know."

"School?"

A smile blooms on my lips at the sight of his confused face, and I nod.

"So you're going to leave me here for seven hours? Alone?"

At his accusing tone, I make an apologetic face. "I really would take you along with me if I could— but you haven't had education since seven! And besides, you need a record to enroll as a student. How—"

"Not a problem."

"V," I say, wrestling my sweatshirt over my head. "That is a major problem. How are you going to—"

He interrupts me with a kiss as he pulls on his own jacket, eyes genuine and containing zero sarcasm.

"Let's go."