Build Me a Funeral Pyre

Summer Blues

Touya isn't sure if to feel relieved or hurt at the fact that after he had left the house in the middle of the night, nobody has seemed to care. Instead of receiving phone calls from worried parents or at least his siblings- his phone stays eerily silent through the rest of the night. He curls in on himself and glares at his knees, wishing for at least someone to care at the fact that he's missing.

When he wakes in the morning, his phone is still void of any messages or calls. Frustrated, he turns it off and enjoys the day off in brooding solitude- not even moving from his bed until late in the afternoon.

Spring quickly melts into summer and before Touya knows it, it's time to pack up and head back to the house. He wishes that his father would let him just stay at the apartment if he means nothing anymore. Nonetheless, he slings his bag over his shoulder and takes one final look around the sparse apartment. Sighing to himself, he hangs his head and closes the door behind him.

Since that night where he had left to go back to his apartment, Touya had received an icy shoulder from nearly everyone in his family. It's strange; he reflects. Natsuo and even Fuyumi, his own twin, ignore him now. Every time he's forced to go back to the manor, nothing but silence greets him.

He runs his thumb over the jagged teeth of the apartment key and stares at the doorknob for far too long. Touya contemplates if it even matters anymore to go back to his family home. He doesn't think that his heart could take looking his baby brother in the eyes, knowing that he's being trained to the brink just as his father had done to him for the past six years. His throat constricts at the mere thought that his father is stooping so low to even think it's a good idea to train a four and a half year old. Rigorous training that Touya, at sixteen, can barely handle. Closing his eyes, he locks the door and heads down the hallway.

Leaning against the wall, soaking up the sun's hot rays is Hawks. Touya eyes him for a moment, feeling his heart miss a beat and his stomach do flips.

Hawks' blond hair almost looks gold in the bright sunlight, his face is turned upwards towards the sky- revealing a sun kissed and smooth neck. Vermilion wings are tucked closely behind his back. Hawks is wearing a loose tank top and pair of shorts and seeing him in it makes Touya bite his tongue. Sure, he's seen Hawks before without a shirt on in the changing room, but being outside of school and seeing the gentle curves of his biceps really makes Touya wish that they were something more. It doesn't help the fact that underneath that tank top, he knows that Hawks' back is broad with corded muscle- toned from spending so much time flying. Hawks glances over when Touya shuts the front door of the complex building and blinds him with a smile.

"So I know that you're heading back to Musutafu today but wanna hang out one last time?" Touya doesn't need a second to think over Hawks' offer and gives him a small smile, nodding.

"That's what I was hoping to hear."

A cup of hot coffee is placed in front of Touya and he watches as the steam lazily wafts up. Glancing up, he sees Hawks studying him before turning his attention back to the coffee in his hand. Touya looks back down and suddenly finds his hands resting on his lap interesting.

"I can't believe that we're done with our first year already."

"Guess you could say that time really flies." Touya mumbles and Hawks only chuckles.

"I suppose you could say that." Hawks pauses, "Are you really gonna be in Musutafu all summer?" Touya peeks through the curtain of his fiery red hair and frowns, shrugging slightly and wraps his fingers around his own cup of coffee. Feeling the scorching hot ceramic beneath his fingers doesn't bother him as much as it should, instead, he runs a finger along the length of the cup and sighs.