: The taste of sounds
[This chapter contains drugs. Just a warning here in case you're uncomfortable with this kind of subject.]
• • •
It was past dusk, and Tendou had to head back home. He pulled his shattered phone out of his pocket and remembered he smashed it on the cold, wet ground earlier. The defeated boy sighed as he remembered that he had to walk all the way to his place, in the middle of the night. The low adult noticed that he didn't have his umbrella anymore since he fell this morning. He must have left it there by accident. Life was not too congenial to the exhausted man. He lost the ability to care about almost anything since his family told him to live by himself. Thus forcing him to find a roommate due to the lack of money. According to them, Tendou's appearance was so embarrassing that he could not go out and enjoy nice family dates. Just thinking about his past made him sick to his stomach.
Tendou's house appeared in the unlighted neighborhood. The front door slowly opened, making a high screeching sound. A grey-haired man was at the threshold, waiting for Tendou with his arms crossed, as he scowled at him. He often acted as a mother would act to the red-head, despite being of the same age. Semi, however, seemed more mature. As he approached, Satori looked at him with a guilty smile as if to say, "sorry, mom, I won't do it again." It would be funny enough for Tendou to burst out laughing in his roommate's face. Unfortunately, the willowy man couldn't bring himself to say those words. He had to come up with an excuse and expeditiously.
" Traffic was heavy tonight."
Tendou giggled guiltily, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment as he closed his eyes.
"You don't even drive, nor do you take the bus."
Semi sighed, telling his roommate to get inside before he caught a cold. Once in the house, Semi put his right hand on Tendou's left shoulder and slightly pushed him towards one of the dining room's chairs. He stayed silent, hinting at Tendou to explain himself. Pouting and looking away, Tendou sighed. He disliked the fact that Semi parented him since he informed the latter of the situation he had with his family. Tendou placed his right hand on the tablecloth as he folded his arm to push himself from the seat in an attempt to escape the awkward situation. But a pair of hands tugged on his forearm, causing the latter to sit back on the wooden, brown chair. The graded haired boy stood up to stop his tired roommate. Shocked, Tendou finally talked.
"Oh my God, why do you act like I'm your kid?!"
"I didn't see you in chemistry class today. I looked everywhere in uni, but you were nowhere to be found! And now you come back home at nine of the freaking evening?! School ended five and a half hours ago."
Semi swallowed his saliva before he continued to explain the reason why he scolded his roommate. He felt extremely anxious.
"I was just worried about you. You're not alone, you know?"
Tendou stood up to hug his concerned friend. He knew he cared for him.
Semi Eita. A gentleman who was rather empathic with everyone he met. Tendou never really considered him his first friend; instead, he considered him like a brother. The first day he decided to open up and rant to his apprehensive roomie, he started being showered with affection. Semi's attitude seemed very forced. He wasn't used to people caring about him. The hug stopped as Satori pulled himself out of Semi's arms. He smiled at his friend to comfort him, rubbing both of his hands on each of the latter's arms. He then explained that there was no reason to be worried. Tendou talked about that strange fellow he met earlier. And that he evoked intriguing vibes. Eita chuckled as his anxiety began to vanish slowly. The grey-haired man tapped Tendou's arm and suddenly had an idea.
"Hey, 'wanna escape reality with me tonight?"
Ushijima's face flashed in Tendou's mind as Semi pronounced those words. His sleepy eyes widened, and his mouth was agape before he asked:
"What do you mean by that?"
"You'll see soon enough, come with me!"
[Listen to Mono No Aware - Hammock]
Semi grabbed Tendou's hand and brought him next to the couch, pushing his shoulders down to allow him to sit on the squishy sofa. Afterward, he sat on the mini glass table placed in front of the furniture while pulling a box with "medicines" inside. His fingers opened it, revealing two tiny pieces of paper with a yellow smiley face on each of them. While taking one of them out, Semi gave himself a boost to stand up and walked towards the balcony. He opened the curtains.
" You might want to go outside at some point."
Says the grey-haired boy winking. The puzzled face Tendou expressed started sweating as he had no idea what his roommate was about to give him. He sat next to Satori, crossed his right leg on top of his left one, and took one of the small papers between his thumb and index finger. Sticking his tongue out, he told Tendou to do the same and place the smiley face on his tongue. Tendou looked at his roomie as he was astonished by his actions and repeated his movements at a slow pace. Nothing happened. Forty-five minutes later, Tendou started to see the LED lights waving around the TV and walls. Semi changed the colors in an attempt to set a different mood. Dark blue lights flickered on to form a rather calming atmosphere; yellow made both men feel neutral, green made them feel at peace, and finally, pink set a dancing mood. Semi then stood up and began swinging his arms as he pivoted.
"Know that we are exactly where we're meant to be, even though you may not be where you thought you would be~."
Semi shrank in Tendou's eyes, which caused the latter not to take any of his words seriously. He laughed. Semi grinned and turned on the radio to reveal a piece of nice atmospheric music, evoking a deep aesthetic ambiance in the room. The wind was gently gusting through the curtains. The pleasant smell of autumn calmed the two entertained men, despite their intense acid trip. Satori started tasting the music; the sound waves were morphing into different colors. Suddenly, Semi turned the LED lights into a deep red color, which became highly unpleasant for Tendou. It made him feel very anxious, while it made Semi feel rather hot. The perturbed boy rapidly ran outside, sweating. His roommate glanced at him, following his footsteps at an average pace. While Tendou tried to breathe, Semi placed his palm on his dense body. He put his opposite hand on one of their bicycles' seat, hinting at the sickened man to ride with him. Tendou was perceiving Semi's eyes melting every time the wind blew on his face. Everything was purple to him with traces that blended into each other. Both just took 100ug of LSD, but it didn't stop them from jumping on their bicycles and go on a fun midnight adventure.
The fresh air calmed Tendou down as he was zig-zagging in an attempt to control his bicycle. He was doing a good enough job of not falling over. On the other hand, Semi was riding with no hands, zig-zagging, closed eyes, and a broad smile. The trees were whispering. The sound of the water from the river, not too far away, was delicious. While Semi was having his moment, Tendou took a different turn and found himself alone. Or, at least, he thought he was.
" Are you an illusion?"
Said the puzzled boy while staying still on his bicycle, which caused him to fall off it eventually. Landing on his butt and left hand, Tendou tried to stand up. A tall, muscular man stood in front of him. Ushijima Wakatoshi reappeared before Tendou's eyes that same night. An adorable smile appeared on the fallen man's face as Ushijima reached for his hand to help him go back on his feet. Thanks to this tall gentleman, the redhead could control his high even though these effects would last another nine hours. Wakatoshi pulled Satori out of the dirt, and their eyes met intensely before a conversation occurred.
"Have I escaped reality yet?"
"Is it your dream to do so?"
"Yes, it feels good~."
"Well, you haven't yet."
"Yea... I have to live my life to the fullest before."
They both smiled.
