heartstrings, semi eita

iv

"i believe so—" he moved to check the tag on the two huge boxes behind him "—yes, it is," he confirmed, giving you a thumbs up.

when you were done signing in your mom's place, you stepped aside to allow the man to push the boxes into the hallway.

when everything was inside, you followed him back outside. "thank you, buck," you smiled. "you've been very helpful."

he smiled back a genuinely warm smile, nodding respectfully. "it was my pleasure."

you watched him walk into the elevator before going back in and closing the door behind you. you stared at the two big boxes, sighing. the presence of these boxes was clear and undoubtable evidence, telling you that semi eita will officially be moving in with you, and is not only staying for a short break. he will not be going back to japan in a few days—he'll be here for months on end.

just as you were about to call for him, semi peeked at you from the corner of the kitchen wall. "what's that?" he asked.

"you know exactly what it is," you grumbled, doubtless that he heard every word of conversation you had with buck just a few minutes ago.

a wide grin spread onto semi's face and he stepped out from behind the wall to come stand opposite you. "this thing's huge..."

"yeah, and you're gonna be putting it all up yourself," you laughed, already starting to walk over to the living room. you were ready to sit back and watch him struggle with his new bed. maybe you'd even be petty and go into your room—where he'd surely be setting it up—sit back on your bed, and watch him from there instead. "i'll go start the popcorn," you smirked.

jaw dropping, semi rounded on you. "you're going to make me do it all alone?"

shooting him a skeptical look, you didn't hesitate to answer with a short and sure, "uh, yeah."

when he continued to stare, expression neutral, you rolled your eyes. "what? since you're so good at everything, i'm sure you'll be fine on your own. surely you don't need me?"

"seriously?" semi rolled his eyes, drumming his fingers on top of one of the boxes rhythmically. "you're still hung up on that?"

frowning, you looked confused. "hung up on what?"

"me being better than you," he answered bluntly, expression imperceptible.

you blinked at him. over and over, you turned the four words over in your head, but you just couldn't stop blinking. "what?" you finally said.

as if growing impatient, semi rolled his eyes. "what, did you think i didn't know? i know you've always been jealous of me, but it's not like i was going to lessen myself just to make you happy," he admitted. "besides, it's hardly my fault that—"

"what? you're the one who—" your nostrils flared as you stopped yourself. irritation washed over your features, you shoved down the feeling of being doused in ice water, which had quickly overcome your body, and continued. "whatever. just bring the box into the room and i'll help you build the frame," you said.

the last thing you wanted was to talk about your unshakable inferiority complex—especially when you weren't as skilled at hiding it as you thought.

another thing to worry about.

before semi could answer, you sped off into the bathroom faster than you thought you could ever. his brows dipped into his forehead and he frowned at the sight of the door swinging shut.

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for the past few hours, tension grew between you and semi until it was so thick that you'd need a butcher knife to cut through it.

aside from the occasional bickering and jabs at each other, arguing about the directions needed to build the frame, you two didn't speak. of course, you thought. it hasn't even been a full 24 hours and we're already fighting.

this is how it was fated to be. you shouldn't have expected anything more; besides, you expected this. but was it too much to hope that these few months would go by smoothly? or at least a few days of peace before the war began...?

you could feel semi sending occasional, curious glances your way every few minutes. you thought you'd be able to handle it, but you'd never been one to favor being stared at with no explanation.

it was that slowly built up irritation that caused you to finally look up at semi from the bolts you were tightening—well, it was more of a glare. "is there something you wanna say to me?" you asked impatiently.

he sat up, setting his hands on his lap. "i just feel like... if you help me do this while you're upset with me, then my bed might somehow, very mysteriously fall apart while i'm sleeping."

"let's hope it does," you responded, trying to hold back a smile at the thought. then you got mad all over again, "let's also hope you crack your skull in the process, that way you won't be able to understand the notes of your horrible songs."

semi frowned petulantly. "ouch. so cruel..." he grumbled.

"yeah, maybe that's something i can finally challenge you at and win."

at that, the boy flinched. the reaction was very elusive, but you noticed it in the corner of your eye, nonetheless.

"you know i didn't mean what i said," semi finally said, after what seemed like forever of him trying to find the right words—the words that would get him out of trouble.

"do i?" you said blankly, standing up when you finished. you walked around the completed bed frame, checking for any missing bolts or parts. "cause you sounded pretty serious."

"i wasn't. i was just irritated and jet lagged... i didn't mean any of it," he explained.

"really? we're using that excuse, now?" you scoffed. he always did this—say hurtful things, then give the most bullshit reasons to justify those hurtful things. you knew he wasn't good at apologizing or holding his tongue, but it seemed that some traits are just really hard to shake off.

"it's not an excuse! you try being stuck in an airplane for an entire day and see how good of a mood you're in." semi tried to explain, but you weren't having it.

through all this...

"you still haven't said what you're supposed to," you sighed, falling onto your bed. you pulled your headphones up from your neck to your ears as semi sat there, thinking.

"i'm sorry for being mean, y/n, i really didn't mean it," he said miserably.

you turned your back to him, wrapping your arms around your body and curling into yourself. pressing the play button on the side of your headphones.

"i don't forgive you."

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ketsu <3