Moonlight By The Sea (Kuroo Tetsurou x Tsukishima Kei)

Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Fear

"How was school today?"

Tsukishima stopped on his tracks to greet his Father. He saw the slight wrinkles that formed on his forehead, as well on the sides of his eyes. Nevertheless, he could still he their resemblance. Although his father's eyes had hued darkly due to age, their both held the same gold color.

"It's fine." Tsukishima answered shortly which made his Father sigh.

"I still wish that you'd change your mind."

Tsukishima wanted to roll his eyes, but he couldn't since his father was one of the many people that understood him. Tsukishima walked towards where his Father is sitting and placed his backpack on a small chair before he sad a few meters away from him.

"You trust Akiteru. He can do it better than I can."

His father only tilted his head to the side and reached for the small cup of tea that was on the table. After a short sip, that was when he replied.

"Its not that I don't trust Akiteru's capabilities in leading, but I really wanted to have you take over the company-"

"I can't do that because-"

"You love art. I know that. Its the one thing that you could never let go of and exchange for anything else. And I understand that."

Growing up, he viewed his father as a person that he could always confide secrets with. His mother would often dote him, but Akiteru was there to keep his mother on his toes. His father was the one who lifted him up and everything, and let him made decisions by himself. Even the fact when Tsukishima told his family that he might like other gender other than girls, his father only shrugged it off and told that whatever makes Tsukishima happy, makes his father happy.

Tsukishima was thankful. He was thankful enough that his father was cognizant of the fact that he had zero interest in taking over the family business. Believe him, Tsukishima tried and enrolled for at least two years in business school, but he gave up halfway because he couldn't find himself doing all of that.

He wanted to be detached from it. Art was his freedom. His father supported his notion of transferring to another program, unlike his mother and brother that almost criticized him in doing so. But now that he is on his third year in art school, he never regretted his decision. He was content.

"Thank you, Father. For supporting me."

His father showed a wrinkly smile before he reached and patted Tsukishima on the shoulder. "Always for you."

A week after that conversation, Tsukishima couldn't believe that the one person who supported him the most died. Heart failure, the doctors said. Tsukishima have always known this fact that his father has a weak heart, but everything just seems so unreal. Its like his colorful world turned black and white.

He graduated. He partied. Hard. There was a time where Tsukishima would never come home without smelling like booze and tears. He considered those as the darkest days of his life. But eventually, art was his savior. Art found him like he was its missing prodigal son. Tsukishima spent his days holed up in his art room, filling up canvas after canvas of drawings and paintings that was embedded with his feelings.

Though there were times wherein he had to attend at the company meetings as representative for his mother, since she still could not get over the their father's death. It was a sad sight to see, but he wanted to at least repay everything with just appearing at meetings like this.

"Excuse me Akiteru-san, but I think it wont just work. We checked, and the amount that the company will be releasing for this project is too high. We cannot profit from this." A board member said, his tone laced with concern.