Moral of the Story {Lights down Low part 2}

Vespertine Bloom

              The news hit him like a train. A car accident? And the possibility of it being set up was so high, that it almost seemed like something out of a fanfiction. The video of the 18 wheeler crashing into the Honda Accord was on replay, and the corner of collision seemed to make more sense each time he saw it. The large truck slammed into the car, sending it careening into the corner of a building. As if that wasn’t enough, another car, a navy Lexus, slammed into the front just for overkill’s sake. Somehow sensing the mood, fat droplets fell onto their heads as they sat on the balcony. It wet their hair and froze their skin, yet they made no attempt to get out of it. The rain sped up as their faces, wrought with sadness and red with blood, relaxed and tensed in a pattern. Condensation caught on their lashes, making faux tears. Slightly sharp nails scratched at faint scars, feeling the goosebumps that arose with his scratching. Her own tan hand moved on its own, feeling for a faint scar that was no longer there. Muscle memory brought them back to their scars with the familiar feeling of sorrow. She wanted to rot away at that very moment. It wasn’t her lace to tell him, yet she did.

                 The feeling of numbness spread inside of him like an ailment, poisoning his brain into madness.  “I’ve lost everything. The family I once had, my friends; will they leave me too? Are they going to desert me and let me rot all alone?” He clutched his hair. Zodiac looked up, concerned. As he started to pace, his ramblings got louder, louder. Until he couldn’t take it anymore. He gripped, he tugged, he pulled! And yet, it seemed as if his seething wasn’t working; as if some entity was keeping him from destroying the strands that brought people close to him. Zodiac stood in front of Shoto, her own hands gripping his forearms, holding him back, He thrashed. “Let go! You wouldn’t know! You don’t know! How could you! Are you betraying me like them?!” The patient look on her face contorted into one of fury. “How would I know? How would I know?! I’ve lost everything! I've lost things you haven't even had yet! My family, my lover, even something of my own creation! My own child!” She screamed back, and it was like medicine. His head cleared, and he looked at her. The rain’s faux tears had mixed with her own as if to savor the upbringing of old memories. He hesitated to make eye contact with her, but when he did, he regretted it. Her eyes, thoses honey golden eyes that he knew he could always look to and see hope, were crushed. It was like something inside her shattered. A barrier that none of them paid attention to. She was a beacon of hope, but who would be her beacon of hope when all was lost? Her hands, which were still holding onto his arms, quivered with each intake of oxygen. Shoto let go of his hair, slowly, and brought a pale hand up to her cheek. She had been suffering too. He had recklessly brought her back to Japan without remembering her own trauma, and how she might be fragile in this place. The mood became somber as the rain pelted down on them. Now that he had a real look at her, white hair in a wet , frizzy mess on her head, usually immaculate skin scratched up, he could see how she’d been affected. “Let's get back inside.” He looked at her, and she seemed surprised at his reaction. ‘I don’t need to burden her any more than she already is, and now isn’t the time for her story. Not yet.’ He thought, as he extended a hand towards her. Zodiac paused, as if she wasn’t sure. Then she was. “Yeah.” And for the first time since they met, she truly smiled.

They took out the blow dryer and did each other's hair, getting dry before dressing themselves  in warm clothes. They sat in silence for a few hours, neither saying a thing, yet relishing the obstinate silence. As dawn struck and the sunlight filtered through the curtains, Zodiac finally spoke. “I…I was doing some digging and; I think you should call your brother.” Shoto flinched. He hadn’t planned on speaking to his family members until a few months later. This was unprecedented. “I hadn’t planned on talking to them until later.” He confessed. She was obviously unimpressed. Zodiac handed him his phone, then walked out of the room to give him privacy. His finger hesitated over the ‘Contacts’ app. He pressed it, and scrolled through the names before he stopped on his brother; which was aptly named ‘Crunchy Eggplant’. He had kept him safe through all these years, and yet… And yet, he still hesitated to even call him. It shouldn’t be this difficult, but 2 years of ghosting and ignoring calls was a lot. Not to mention all of the ignored texts from Himiko. Mustering up all of his courage, he hit the call button. Placing it on speaker, he paced the room before he heard the iconic beep of someone picking up. “...Lil’ Bro? Is *hic* Is it really you?”

Dabi had a rough year. A rough 2 years, actually. His brother had run away with no trace as to where he went, these fuckin’ whores took over his business and customers were leaving, and now;...and now, Big Sis Magne was dead. But when he got a call, he originally planned  to ignore it. Reluctantly he looked at the caller ID and gasped. Tripping over his own rug because of his heavy ass boots was embarrassing, but it was worth it if he could at least hear his brother's voice again. His sausage fingers tapped the answer button. He could already feel the tears welling up in his eyes. His throat clenched at the thought of having someone, especially his brother, to talk too. When he asked his question, there was no answer. He started to worry if that was really him. A short intake of breath was heard on the other side, before one word was said. “Touya-nii?”

1054 Words