Note: Alright, I've decided whether to hurt y'all or not.
┏━━━━°⌜ 赤い糸 ⌟°━━━━┓
"No matter how much
you regret, you can't
change the past.
┗━━━━°⌜ 赤い糸 ⌟°━━━━┛
"What have I done..." Ray groaned, rolling on his bed.
He was tired, yes, once again.
"Ray... I have been meaning to talk to you," Anna grinned, interlacing her hands at her back.
Ray's eyebrow shot up,
"Oh? What is it?"
"Let's break up," she declared bluntly.
His jaw loosened in whammy, eyes expanding simultaneously. He right away straightened his spine, eyes immersed in confusion,
"Huh, why?"
Her eyes crinkled at the end, her signature smile resting on her lips, "Because you love her."
It was a shock, needless to say.
They had broken up in less than a week, of course it was going to be unexpected.
Not to mention, no one was particularly happy with Ray, he had used Anna after all, something only a petty person would do. Disappointing, that's what it was. For a person who was rational and wise, Ray had surely made an imbecile decision.
He snuggled into his blankets,
"What now...? Barbara and Cislo will leave tomorrow. School starts the day after. What a pain."
He glanced at the clock. It was half past ten, not quite late for him. His mind was blank, at the same time not. Yet again, he was left to predict the future all by himself. Now that Sam had given him permission to grow close to Y/n once again, in which direction were things headed? He had no clue whatsoever.
Not only that, there was an enormous air of uncertainty looming over, a never ending one. Did he really deserve all this? After hurting a girl over and over again, being the cause for her agony and misery, did he really have the right to start all over again and pretend like nothing happen?
If the Summer Festival contributed in some way or the other, he could only fathom it as another vexation added to his myriad of worries. In the end, he was back to the day before the festival, back to square one where he was once again pleading for a much needed piece of advice, as well as a bit of reassurance to get himself together. Who knew something as simple as loving someone could turn into something so complicated that it drove him to the verge of just jumping off a cliff; like those years before, though we don't speak about it.
Albeit his frustrations, if anything good came out of the recent occurance was the newly flourishing bond between him and Sam. He had also reached the conclusion that Sam was indeed a kind and honest person at heart and he could see the newly found respect growing towards the male. If this were to continue, they could end up as good friends without the intrusion of Y/n. Not to mention, there was a massive chance of bad blood between the two of them if it weren't for Sam who had cleared of any such possibilities, and Ray was highly grateful for that.
As for Anna, he was surrounded by innumerable questions for he had no idea of how she would view him thereafter and if things could go back to how they were. Besides, Emma and Gilda had absolutely stopped conversing with Ray, always huffing, crossing their arms and looking away when their eyes met. The boys on the other hand, were dismayed but still had his back, which he again appreciated a lot.
It just proved Ray's point evidently, love is way too complex, even for someone who had almost spent his lifetime deducing plans, an undoubtedly lit suicide included. He wondered how Norman and Emma managed to get a happy ending, Gilda and Don too, he supposed since the two had just started dating and Ray bet to himself that their chances of actually ending up married were high.
Everyone really had a happy ending except him.
Alright, Sam really didn't have it in stock for him.
Nor did Ray. At least now they had something to bond over.
Though as of the moment, he desperately yearned for a person just to hear him rant. Yeah, he didn't exactly escape his prior crisis.
He tossed in his bed again, now laying flat on his stomach with his arms spread, messing up the previously crease less bedsheets, "Can somebody please tell me what I'm doing with my life?"
The silent walls' response was all that he earned. Alone in a room, sulking like a highschool girl who was clueless of how to approach her crush, he muffled a scream using his pillows.
He had had it. Just how much did God plan on testing him, couldn't he already see that he was a damned failure? God must be thinking that he wasted his time on creating me. Pardon my rudeness.
He was on the verge of just ranting to himself, like those mothers in TV shows who continuously fulminated under their breaths thanks to their spoilt kids who couldn't do as much as do the dishes. And the comparison didn't make him laugh because he was certainly pissed this time.
"The arousal cycle of anger has five phases: trigger, escalation, crisis, recovery and depression."
Ray had been triggered long back.
And it surely had escalated considering his numerous outbursts.
But right now, he was in a very vicious crisis.
Where's my knight in shining armor?
Right, I don't have a knight in shining armor.
He exhaled loudly, squeezing his eyes shut, contemplating whether to sleep or not. The familiar vibration of his phone's notification pulsed through his mattress. He opened one of his eyes, spotting the device lying dangerously close to the edge of the bed. He grabbed it lazily, typing in the passcode which just happened to be '2048', the year they had successfully made it to the human world. He peered at the notification from 'Poophead'
Poophead
Saturday, 10:42 p.m.
Man
Where r u
Help
I think I just broke gilda's compact
RAY HELP
NVM U USELESS BASTARD
The bOis
Saturday, 10:44 p.m.
Poophead
Guys
I think I just broke gilda's compact
[brokencompact.jpg]
what to do
Santa Claus
How?
Um well
Crap
Toblerone
oof
idk buy her a new one
with more makeup items
as a peace treaty yk?
Obtuse Angled Nose
^ what sam said
Poophead
but what if she finds out before I can
Plus it's so late
Sasuke Jr
just apologise or something
Obtuse Angled Nose
You think that'll work?
On her?
haha no <333
Poophead
shit
shit
shit
shit
shit
shit
Sasuke Jr
Stop spamming
Santa Claus
Yeah
Poophead
GUKDA IS COMING
WHAT RO DO
SHIR SHE SAW ME
HELP
SHES SEARCGING FOR HER COMPACT
UM HELLPXNX
Toblerone
welp
rip
Santa Claus
We're sorry, Don
Sasuke Jr
No I'm not
Obtuse Angled Nose
unfortunate I must say
Oh btw
Did y'all check ur schedules
Sasuke Jr
No whatever bye
Ray put his phone aside, this time sure not to throw it across the room. A sigh escaped him, rolling over to face the pearl white ceiling adorned with a dangling chandelier.
God I feel horrible.
A growl left his stomach abruptly, causing the distressed male to furrow his brows.
And I'm hungry too.
He turned to his side, glaring at the wooden reason for no reason whatsoever. Shutting his eyes once again in hopes for his misery and hunger to disappear, he began counting sheeps.
1...
2...
3...
4...
5...
6...
Three continuous knocks resonated from the door provoking a groan in annoyance from Ray. Just who wants to make my day worse?
He carelessly sauntered to the door, fists rubbing his eyes groggily. He hummed as he twisted the door knob, awaiting the person to speak, the individual who had decided to ruin his desperate attempt to leave the world for some time.
When he was only greeted with silence, he ultimately withdrew his hand and looked around the hallway to find absolutely no one.
Was I hallucinating or some shit?
He remained staring at the thin air, wondering if someone made the horrible decree to dampen his mood further, unaware of the terrible consequences awaiting them.
Guess the stress is getting to my head.
When there wasn't even the lowest of noise heard or any indescribable movement spotted, he exhaled, massaging his temples to keep himself together. Lord was he tired. He was about to shut the door in a rather agressive way when he noticed a piece of neatly folded paper on the floor.
He studied it gingerly, judging it's normal appearance which he found rather peculiar for a stray paper that was just lying around randomly.
He picked it up between his fingers, flipping it around involuntarily. Discovering that it was entirely spotless, he could only blink at it, confused if it had just flown at his doorstep from somewhere else or someone intentionally left it there.
After fastening the door, he discerned the nearly invisible imprint of ink. Cursing under his breath, he flopped onto his bed, unfolding the paper thoughtlessly.
His breath hitched when he perceived the sight of the overly familiar handwriting, messily written letters with neat spaces, unacceptably scribed in a straight line.
______________________________________
From: Y/n
To: Ray
I'll always be here.
______________________________________
He blinked once, twice, thrice but the words never changed instead his field of vision had grown blurry accompanied with eye floaters. His nose scrunched up when he saw droplets smudge with the ink. He hurriedly swiped the droplets away with his thumbs, albeit making the words more unreadable than before. He puckered his lips, annoyance written on his face. His aggression was ameliorated when several more droplets landed on the rectangular cut paper. He rubbed his eyes, completely done with the situation he was stuck in.
Though, he didn't understand.
He didn't understand why his eyelashes were wet and why a warm sensation had rolled down his cheek, leaving a trail of its remains exposed to the chilly air.
He allowed the paper to slip from his grasp and instead clamped his palms against his eyes. A sob wretched from his throat and he felt as if thorns were piercing it, blood seeping through them. Fresh tears were now alighting on the sleeves of his hoodie, his lower body giving out and landing on the wooden floor, a creaking sound following after. He brought his frame closer to him, curling his figure to hang onto his own body warmth.
Oh, he hated crying.
He really loathed crying.
The floor was deadly cold and frigid, reminding him of the ice where he had went ice-skating with the others once and ended up falling on it butt-first. Despite that, he couldn't manage to gather himself and stand up.
He loathed how Y/n had the perfect timing, no matter what it was.
She had really caught him off guard this time, how merely four words, fifteen letters had managed to bring him a sort of peace that he had never felt before, he had stunned himself.
Yes, he was breaking down.
But he felt a massive weight being lifted from his shoulders, one he was exhausted of bearing. And now it was finally gone. Now, he could stand upright without having to bend down to any hurdle anymore.
It was a relief he hadn't felt in years and he couldn't possibly be happier.
In spite of all the impediments, all the curses he had to tolerate, at the end of the day it was quite worth it.
Because he wasn't alone.
It was a new reality indeed. He hadn't even once envisaged for such circumstances to happen but fate has its say. The only choice left for him was to accept it. Hence, it was time now.
He wasn't cowering any longer, he was facing the reality head-on and not turning his back to it and speeding away. Now that he looked back, it really was a childish and eminently immature act for him to run away from his problems. Besides, he knew it wasn't going to happen again.
He had Y/n.
He had Norman and Emma
He had Sam.
Don, Gilda, Anna, Nat and Isabella, all of them were there. Even though they would scold him, criticise him for his mistakes, he understood that they meant well for him.
And never in a million years or a dozen of lifetimes was he going to let go of them, never again.
His cries were soon replaced with pleasant laughs, echoing mildly in his enclosed room.
He wiped the end of his wrinkled eyes, crawling back onto his bed not before picking the paper with smudged words. He slid the paper underneath his pillow, tucking himself as he faced the ceiling once again.
He quilted the back of his hand against his forehead, the grin frisking on his lips not quite reaching his ears. He sealed his eyes shut, exhaling deeply.
I don't want any other reality. This suffices.
• • •
2 years later...
"HAPPY 18TH BIRTHDAY, Y/N!"
The entire living room cheered, multiple claps resonating in the beautifully decorated room. (F/c) and white ballons lined the ceiling, silk ribbons dangling from the roof.
Y/n giggled quietly, shaking her head at their enthusiasm as she carefully cut a slice from the delectable appearing (f/f) cake, topped with pearly white whipped cream. She grimaced as she pulled the slice out, the fluffy cream spreading on her dainty fingers embellished with rings and bracelets.
She peeped through the crowd for the person who rightfully deserved the first bite, "Mama!"
The woman appeared, hushing the kids bouncing around ecsatically. She smiled warmly at her, her smooth, dark hair sculpting her face in a mesmerizing manner. She supported the younger female's hand, drawing the cake towards her mouth as she took a tiny bite, dabbing her mouth with a napkin afterwards.
Ruffling her hair, Isabella's eyes were filled with delight, "Happy Birthday, my dear Y/n. Can't believe you're finally an adult," a lighthearted laugh eluded from her at the end.
The (h/c) haired girl rolled her eyes playfully, planting a hand on her hips,
"Well, duh."
"Go on, feed the others as well..." Isabella ushered the now, matured lady, towards the crowd of others, waiting for their chance.
She contentedly nodded, patting the kids on their heads as she made her way to a certain chocolate-headed male, who was busy conversing with Norman and Emma.
"Whoops!" Y/n feigned shock as she stomped on his dress shoes, the smile never abandoning her face that was decorated with light makeup, augmenting her facial features.
Sam winced loudly, snapping his head behind her to crash his nose with hers, "Ow!"
Y/n rubbed her nose, dissatisfied with his reaction. His eyes yawned when he found her face next to his, a snort erupting from him shortly after.
"Nothing is so funny!" she kicked him, earning her a pinch on her cheek causing her to mirror his whine.
"Okay, okay, enough, where's my cake?" he held her head in place preventing her to hop around like some over excited penguin.
Without a word, she aggressively stuffed the cake in his mouth, muffling his desperate scream. After a few moments, when Sam had managed to actually chew on the piece of dessert and not choke on it instead, he wreathed an arm around her waist, nuzzling his face into her her hair which welcomed him with the familiar scent that he had grown to adore from bits of his soul.
"Happy 18th Birthday, Y/n... I love you so much," he squeezed her tighter when he worded the last part, lifting her off the ground and spinning her, also causing her to wheeze for air but nonetheless wrap her arms around his neck, "I love you too... And thank you for everything, I have said this multiple times but it never really will be enough."
She inhaled his woody scent, afraid that there wouldn't actually be a day when she would get enough of it.
He gently let her heels touch the ground again and pressed a sweet kiss against her forehead, arms still securely encased around her built.
Pulling away, he let his own forehead rest against hers, the tips of their noses fondling together. Her palms slid down from his neck, reposing on his upper arm.
"You do know that I'll always be with you, at all costs, right?" he maffled and withdrew from her, wanting to make eye contact with her.
She gave him a sarcastic smile at first which shortly after moulded into a thin line, eyes brimming with sincerity, "Mhm, same."
He let go of her, pinching her cheek, "Now then, the cake wouldn't feed themselves to others itself, now would it?"
She swatted his hand away, faking annoyance and flicked him on the forehead, "I can see that."
"No need to be so aggressive," he massaged the area of impact, a small pout formed on his lips.
She skipped away, locating each one of her close ones. She started with Emma, followed by Gilda, Norman, Don, Anna and Nat.
And of course, in the end, Ray.
She didn't make eye contact instead just held out the cake to him. His eyes stared back at her dressed up figure, she looked hella pretty if he were to be honest in his own words.
And he would actually admit it out loud this time.
Well not really since he didn't want to inflate her ego especially since they had recently just gotten into a petty argument about who was better, Gojo or Toji.
"What are you waiting for?" she quietly muttered under her breath, still refusing to look at him in the eye.
His brows lifted, a mischievous smile capering on his face soon after.
"Hey," he spoke to gain her attention, successfully managing to do so.
She glared at him as he took the left piece of cake carefully from her hand, studying it for a bit before shoving one of his fingers in the creamy layer. His eyes averted to her, being met with her nictating at him, oblivious.
Swiping some more of the whipping cream on his hand, his grin widened. It didn't take long for realisation to dawn upon her, a bit too late however.
He lightly slapped his hand on her face, faint enough to not hurt her. He gaped at her cheeks that was now adorned with the sweet cream and her face that had grown red with rage. He pursed his lips to keep himself from laughing, his lower one irking to just let it escape, his chest vibrating as he gravely attempted to stop himself from angering her more than she already was.
"RAY! WE AREN'T KIDS ANYMORE, YOU BASTARD!" she shrieked at him, jumping to grab him by his collar but he had already dashed off, pealing of laughter, their voices echoing loudly through the house.