Niji {Mahiro×Reader}

Chapter 17- Relief

This block of buildings was where my family stayed. I had been told to never show my face here ever again, that I was an utter disappointment, that I was useless.

I tried to cover my face as much as possible. Horrible memories resurfaced in my mind, and I unwillingly grabbed Mahiro's arm, fearing for my life. My breath was turning uneven, perhaps even shaky. I closed my eyes, trying to get those thoughts out of my head.

"Little brat! How dare you walk into my field of vision after being such a disgrace to the family!"

I froze. I had wanted to just run away, but my feet were planted and rooted to the asphalt of the road. Tears were beginning to form in my eyes.

I seemed to be able to hear the lashing cane being swung as my mother's footsteps grew louder and louder. I didn't want to turn.

Mahiro sensed something was wrong, clearly, and begun to drag me away.

"Ma'am, I think you may have the wrong person. "

My mother had always been one to focus on reputation. Knowing not to seem like the cruel person she was in front of others, she drew back, with a light chuckle.

"Oh, whoops! I'm sorry for that. Have a safe trip home!"

With that she returned to her estate, and whatever seemed to be holding back my breath was blown off along with the wind.

I pried my feet off the fixed position they were in, and wiped off my tears.

Those days were over. She had no power over me anymore.

"Are you alright?"

His voice seemed so filled with warmth in the midst of such a cold time. Releasing his arm, I apologized and shoved my hands into my pockets, eyes staring down at the road.

"I think."

We continued to walk, and when we reached my apartment, I asked for a simple request. It wasn't exactly my favourite thing to do, but I'd rather it than the risk of that lady hunting me down.

" Could you stay the night...?"

Mahiro's expression, though slightly hidden in the shadows, showed his shock, eyes widening, pulling back a little.

"I wouldn't mind... But why?"

I unlocked the door, pushing it open.

"Could we just go in, then talk?"

He entered after me, and it was pretty clear he wasn't the biggest fan of the place. It was a mess.

Bags of half-opened chips, now sealed, were littering the abode, be it the couch, the floor, or the kitchen counter. The cupboard, near the kitchen, wide open, displayed several cup noodles, and a small supply of eggs. A few boxes of bottled water lay in a corner of the living room, nearly forgotten due to the cartons of soft drinks around the place.

"You could sleep in my room, I'll take the couch. "

"No, I can take the couch-"

"I hardly sleep on the bed anyway. Go ahead. "

Mahiro's shock level seemed to rise by quite a bit.

"It's the only neat place in this apartment anyway. "

He lightly judged the bedroom door open, giving a slight sigh of relief seeing that it was rather well maintained. I heard him gasp slightly though, probably signifying that he had seen my whole collection of band items, majority being Kiryu's items. I had even dedicated a huge section of the wall to printed screenshots, chekis and photo cards of him.

He returned to the living room, suddenly asking the reason for me requesting him to stay the night.

He seemed to have a suspicion, and wanted to confirm it.

I told him I was scared.

He asked me why I was scared.

I mean, he'd already seen part of my past, so there was no point hiding. Besides, he was slowly gaining my trust.

So I told him.

It was when I was young. My family had always been moderately popular in the entertainment scene. My father was a singer, my mother a dancer, my older brother was a well-known actor.

They had all flourished at young ages, gaining their popularity extremely quickly. However, at the age of 16, I was still studying in the talent academy, failing my examination. I began to lose confidence in myself, and turned to drawing to keep my mind off things.

My art was nothing spectacular. Carbon copies of other people's work. I gave up on my dancing.

And I got beaten often for it.

"useless", I'd been called.

"failure", that's how they described me.

"loose screws", it's what I had gotten used to.

I failed the exam again, unsurprisingly. Then was kicked out of my home by my parents, threatened to be murdered if I had ever set foot anywhere near them, and left out to survive on my own without shelter, water, or food.

My neighbors took me in for awhile, letting me go after I turned 18, providing me with the apartment I was still staying in.

The problem being that in order to stop myself crying everyday, every night, I turned to blocking out my emotions. Sounds became buzzing. Colour vaporized into black and white. Taste simply ceased to exist. Smell... What was that? Touch senses seemed to give up on themselves as well.

So I lived like that for several years.

Until Kiryu appeared on TV.

.........

So I shared my story with him.

And he listened. It was comforting. A huge weight lifted off my shoulders, chains holding me in place finally shattered into pieces, setting me free.

He promised to never share it with others. I trusted him. There wasn't any reason to.

The two of us, under the starlit sky, decided to watch some movies together. We laughed, we chatted, we enjoyed each other's company.

[Mahiro's POV]

After about 4 movies, I felt something heavy land on my shoulder. I had my arm wrapped around [Y/N], and without even turning my head I knew she'd fallen asleep on my shoulder.

I didn't really know what to do. I would've panicked. But her soft breathing was rather calming.

The gentle rising and falling of her chest indicated that she was now calm. A near complete contrast from the earlier events.

I switched off the television, now showing a series of end credits.

Had I been keeping myself awake just to watch her? Perhaps.

The dam I had built up to keep my exhaustion at bay cracked and collapsed, as I myself got knocked out.

Today was interesting.
Unique.
Eventful.

Tomorrow would be another day.