"Plmf!"
The muffled sound of weight on my blankets stirred me to slowly wake up to check what it was. However , I didn't even blink before the said weight jumped on top of me, knocking the air out of my lungs. I gasped and looked up to see my sister Nanami obnoxiously singing the tune that indicated today was the day of my birth, 14 years ago.
"Happy birthday tooo you!" She yelled at the top of her lungs, flashing me her iconic bright smile. She was quite the ray of sunshine.
I sighed, annoyed. I still couldn't help but smile a bit at her pure intentions. Although things were rough, he naive innocence was something amusing.
It's been 4 months ever since my parents announced I was getting moved to a foster home. As said, they were currently being checked to find me a new home. Every day has turned into a constant feeling of paranoia crawling on my skin. When will I be taken away? Will my new family like me? Of course they won't. I've been arguing with my parents a lot more than usual. Screams and insults being thrown back and forth until the crack of dawn became something usual. The growing tension only worsened my situation.. they've kept me updated on the situation but spared me the details. I'm pretty sure they're aware of how much I hate this. I don't want to go somewhere else. I don't want to leave my neighborhood. I don't want to leave my safe space and most importantly I don't want to leave him. My home had turned into a battleground and all my defenses were up and running. I hated that. All I wished was for things to go back to happier times.
I lazily brought my hand up and messed Nanami's hair a bit to acknowledge her. I then pinched her cheek, a slight smile spreading on my lips. "You little rascal, it's 6 am."
Nanami shrugged, not really caring about the fact it was extremely early. She hopped off the bed and grabbed my hand, attempting to pull me out of bed even though she was miserably failing.
"Nanaaa." I complained.
"Get up! Get up!" She chanted.
I eventually gave up and pulled myself out of bed, going on with my morning routine as she excitedly ran down the halls to wake up my other siblings. I could hear the lively chatter outside the door meanwhile I brushed my messy (H/C) locks in front of the mirror. It's been a while since the house has felt so.. alive. A small pang of nostalgia hit my chest before I pushed it away, reminding myself that today was no exception to the fact they were giving me away to another home soon. No birthday celebration could change the fact of that reality.
I opened the door and walked out, making my way to the kitchen. I was met with my mother
holding a tray of my favorite breakfast as my father carried Nanami on his shoulder and my other siblings circled the table. I stood in silence to see what would happen. Nanami quickly noticed my presence. "And a one, two, three!"
"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you!~" They sang to me for the second time today. Sakura lead me to sit down on the table meanwhile she sang. Her hands trembled a bit from being close to me yet she still led me nonetheless. I was impressed how she remained close to me without hiding behind my mother as usual. I laughed a bit at the obnoxiously optimistic scene, it made me feel at home for once.
My mother walked up to me and put down my favorite breakfast accompanied by a muffin with a lit up candle that had the number fourteen on it. "Make a wish." My mother whispered , leaning down to kiss my forehead.
A wish..
I wished to not have this quirk.
I wished to stay home.
I wished to not scare them.
I wished they would love me the way I am.
But most importantly
I wished to be free
Free of this power, free of this weight in my chest that haunted me everyday. Free of this paranoia that followed me every single day from the moment I woke up to the moment I went to bed. I wished I was free from all the fighting and all the arguments. I wanted to be free from this life, free from the stares I got from my old friends back when I was younger and more naive. I wished that I could turn back time and nuzzle myself in my parents warm embrace back when I didn't pose as a threat to them.
Free... that's a good wish.
I closed my eyes and leaned in , blowing the small flame from the candle. I stared at the bright light that went out, taking my wish along with it. A small puff of smoke rose and I smiled slightly. I knew it was childish but a part of me desperately wanted to believe that dreams do come true.
The only thing I could hear was the cheering before biting down on the first piece of my special breakfast.
Maybe today could be a good day after all..
...
I flopped on my bed with a sigh. Today had been quite the long day. My family did a specially good job at celebrating my birthday, maybe because of the fact that this may be the last one we all celebrate together. No.. because this will be the last one we all celebrate together.
I began getting comfortable in my sheets, fluffing my pillows before a subtle knock grabbed my attention.
I turned to see where the sound had come from, noticing a small fist that swung against my window with a few taps. I raised an eyebrow in curiosity and shuffled towards it. My hand struggled with the lock until it clicked open, revealing a smirking Touya resting against the frame.
"What are you?.." I whispered questioningly.
Without answering Touya hopped through the window effortlessly, landing on his two feet. He held a small box and went to flop on my (F/C) bed.
"To wish you a happy birthday of course." He replied, flashing me a warm smile. The glint in his eyes signaled me he was up to something.
"What are you? A cat?" I referenced his graceful landing. I laughed, heading to the bed and sitting down next to him. He held out the box he was holding that was wrapped in (F/C) wrapping paper. A small bow adorned the top, along with some messy handwriting next to it. I grabbed the box and looked up at him.
"I mean it. Happy birthday (Y/N). I'm sorry I didn't show up earlier, I was dealing with some things. But anyways, I have a few things to say" His joyful tone shifted to a more serious one, hinting me that this was important. What did he need to say? I placed the box on my lap and nodded, showing that I was listening.
Touya took a deep breath, and began.
"You've been telling me how you hate your home and how much you want to be free and accepted. I... were both miserable (Y/N) and we both want an escape .. we both want to leave our terrible lives. I have a way (Y/N)! I've been planning for a couple of months now but now I can tell you everything." His eyes sparkled with something I hadn't seen in him for such a long time. Hope.
"First things first. Open your gift dingus. I want to see your reaction."
I scoffed at his words and rolled my eyes. My hand made its way to the paper and tore it slowly. I could tell he put a lot of effort on the wrapping so I wanted to be gentle.It revealed a grey box that seemed to be carefully crafted due to all the fine details it carried. I ran my fingertips over the material and reached for the opening and unlocked it. I furrowed my brow and lifted what was inside in confusion.
"A gas mask?.."
It wasn't the clunky type of gas mask you see in horror movies. It was made from leather and carried a small design. The metal parts were made of stainless steel. The stitching seemed to be top quality and carried small silver details. It was beautiful.
Touya nodded, clearing his throat. "I've been thinking for a while (Y/N). Whenever you complain about your quirk side effects there's always one reoccurring thing. You always get headaches or migraines." The realization hit me, that always did happen. I never understood why.
"Hasn't the idea that maybe your quirk also affects you came up? What if when you inhale too much of your own toxins it makes you feel like that?"
His explanation hit me like a ton of bricks, making me feel somewhat dumb for not coming up with this on my own. Those were some very good assumptions.
"You're a genius Touya" I whispered to myself.
He chuckled and stared down at the mask. He was quite proud of his resolve. "I think this is a good way to start taking control of your quirk. If we eliminate the side effects we can work with actually handling it."
A big smile overcame my feathers , making me feel overwhelmed. I laughed, not believing that there could actually be a way to begin controlling my dreadful ability. It was all I could ever ask for my birthday. My heart swelled in joy at the gift of my best friend.
"Thank you.. thank you so much Touya..."
"Oh but that's just the beginning (Y/N)."
I frowned in a confused manner, tilting my head. "What do you mean?" Beginning?
His hopeful gaze only intensified, smirk growing. "Why should this only be the resolve? (Y/N), we both hate our lives and we both want to be free. I already found places to go and reliable sources of income. I can teach you to control your quirk but you need to trust me with this one thing."
My eyes widened, cold extending on my figure as I stiffened. His gaze was different now. Hopeful, confident. I could tell he had been planning this for a long time. He extended his hand at me, gently picking up mine in his calloused grip. Many emotions swirled through me at the moment. I couldn't quite pinpoint if I was feeling joy, confusion, surprise, fear or all of them mixed. Whatever he had in mind was big. I had never seen Touya so determined. This version of him brought hope to my heart that maybe we could take control of our situations.
"Let's run away together (Y/N)."
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HERE I AM WITH ANOTHER CHAPTER BOIS. I don't know how to quite feel about this one so I'll leave it up to you guys. I might make minor changes in the future though, so heads up!