pure petals || k. tsukishima

01 | 🌙

Snowdrop

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Daylight peeked through the door as you swiftly opened it to reveal a painted sky. Branches of sunlight intruded your house, lighting up the dim hallway. You stopped for a moment to admire the early morning hues, before closing the door and stepping foot outside. The clouds dispersed away from each other, letting the sun wake up, yawning with color. And as the colors flowed from the sun's rays, they painted a new sky, allowing the chromatic hues of blue and orange fabricate into the sky. A small breath escaped your lips, and you felt the soft spring air kiss your cheeks. The spring breeze entangled you, with the faint aromatic hints of the flowers dance into the air.

Despite the growing allergies in the air, Spring was a season you've always been fond of. The messy flowers decorating the once, gloomy and plain terrain was something you've yearned for since the cold winters. It was never too warm or too cold, just the way you liked it.

The occasional rain didn't bother you too much, it brought you comfort knowing that the sky also has to cry every once in a while. Though, what you liked the most about Spring was that it was a new beginning - a fresh start for you. You've longed for something new, something that would distract your mind once more. Just for a couple more months, Spring would keep you company. Until then, you planned to make the best out of it.

In the past years, your allergies had gone away, and since then you made every effort to sniff the season's aroma. The soft scent of blossoms in the wind, and the breeze that dared to blow harsher made the days better. Patches of grass had grown back their lost hair, always having different shades of green strands. It was always fun watching the grass turn into a canvas for the artists of spring, even if there were weeds that tainted the canvas. Perhaps there was some sort of beauty hidden beneath the roots. Besides, art doesn't have to be perfect for it to be considered art. Like most flowers, they all have their own flaws and beauties. And without these elegant blossoms, the world would be so dull. In a way, we need these weeds more than we realize.

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You forced your heavy eyelids to creak open a bit more, letting out a gentle yawn. On the uneven pavement, you fidgeted with the fabric of your sleeve, adjusting your focus to the path to school. Walks to school were quiet and peaceful, and you enjoyed listening to the occasional chatter the birds would have. They were like an early morning alarm, enough to keep you from falling asleep. You looked up at the sky once more, as the sun had changed position since you left the house. Sunlight fell in between the cracks of each neighborhood house that you failed to differentiate. You thought, this could be the year that you'd pay better attention to your surroundings. The only thing your eyes grasped was the scenery, whilst your legs moved along to the sound of chattering - both from birds and the lousy students.

The air was serene, though upon arriving at school, you abruptly stopped to gaze at the handful of students, chattering about who knows what. It's strange though, even while in this area of loudness, you still manage to keep your attention on one thing.

The sea of flowers in front of the school gate captivated your attention, and you kneeled to admire them. Your bag fell with you, but you didn't care much. Your eyes never tore away from them, and the soft breeze that carried the elegant smell. You reached down to marvel about the flowers, fingers dancing over the soft petals. Oftentimes, you found yourself reading books about brightly colored flowers, and how they seemed to communicate with people in so many different ways. How one rose, daisy, or sunflower could easily change someone's day. And silly as it may sound, you've wished countless times you had someone to give a flower to or to receive.

Flowers required effort, love, and care. If not cared for carefully, a flower will begin to wilt as a result of neglect, and that's something you'd never wish upon anything or anyone. You slightly frowned at that thought, and gazed once more at the bed of flowers, before looking up to a pair of golden eyes that belonged to a tall, lanky boy with disheveled hair. He stood there, head bent to look at you.

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The gentle breeze grew into a sudden harsh one, and his messy hair caught onto even more tangles and curls. Accompanying the wind, petals flew into the air leaving behind their stems. And when you caught his eyes, they narrowed and ran away, a certain emotion hidden deep in his irises. His composure seemed to wobble slightly as his voice failed to keep itself faint. He turned to walk away, but you were too focused on his failed effort of mumbling.

"It's just flowers, what's so special about them.."

He carried a distressed expression on his face, and glasses that only sunk deeper into his eye bags. A pair of wired headphones hugged his neck, and his tired eyes always seemed detached.

Tsukishima Kei, a cold and impassive boy. You've spoken to him, maybe once or twice in the past school years, and he never seemed like the social type. You hardly knew him, and he wasn't popular amongst the students. He was closed off to the world. You've only ever seen him with one student, but after some time, Tsukishima Kei was left alone again. You wondered how he endured the loneliness.

It seemed like an endless winter in his life, despite the air being warm in this time of year. All the rumors were like frostbite, sharp and cold. Constant gossip was always in the school and in any classroom. It was never truly quiet anywhere. And for Tsukishima Kei, his world was often loud. Rumors here spread like wildfire, but you knew better than to believe them. They were stupid, to say the least - it was naive of students to believe rumors, it angered you. Students who knew nothing about him, yet act foolishly based on assumptions and rumors. It was all stupid to you. Were their views so easily influenced by one single whisper they heard in the hallways?

Although you barely knew him, and you weren't even sure if he knew your name, you couldn't help but feel envious of him. Indeed his presence wasn't welcomed at school, nevertheless, him still standing here was just proof of his strength. That's something you couldn't see in yourself. It's something you want to see in yourself.

Your eyes followed his back as his tall legs carried him, the only thing on your mind was what he had said.

"Wouldn't you like to know, Tsukishima?"

You softly mumbled, before heading to the school gates, but not before stealing one more glance at the bed of flowers, a white snowdrop flower.

hope.

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i hope this is the last edit/change i make to the first chapter, lol.

thanks for reading!

word count: minus the a/n