It wasn't until the sun had long set, and PM turned to AM, that Kiera finally returned home. After they had left Pah, Takemichi collapsed running from the police. She'd been too lost in her delusions to notice. Apparently Draken had called Emma, and she'd taken him to the hospital.

After that things began to fall apart. Both Mikey and Draken were upset about what happened, taking it out on each other. Yelling, fighting, doing anything they could to release their pent up anger.

Kiera watched them with dull eyes. Not fully there, because it didn't feel real. They both blamed each other— though both were wrong. It wasn't either of their faults. Why couldn't they see...? It was hers.

Eventually they left in a storm, yet Kiera didn't. She stayed there for a long time. Trying to gain some function back. It was nearly impossible, with feeling that disconnected. When she'd finally picked herself up, it was the roof she went to. She especially liked the roof of their apartment building because there was an excellent view of the sky. That, and there were no railings. So there was where she stayed. Watching the stars twinkle in the night, occasionally covered by grey, fluffy clouds.

Her phone had died, but not before Keisuke, Chifuyu, and Ryoko (her mother) had called ten times each. Texted that much more, asking her whereabouts. The last message she'd seen was from her brother. 

Poindexter 🤓 (Idiot #1)
Today, 12:23 AM

Poindexter 🤓 (Idiot #1)
geet hoem safe
and soon
or i will light ur room on fire
🔥🛏
|12:31 AM|

That wasn't an empty threat.

Which was why, ten minutes later, she found herself standing in front of their apartment. She didn't want to be home right now. Home was the last place she wanted to be. Making the others worry more than they already had wasn't worth it, though. Nor was losing her room.

Slowly creaking the door open, she stepped inside, taking off her boots. She placed them on the rack and made a beeline for her bedroom. As luck would have it, it was far from on her side.

"So. What happened?" She froze. Keisuke sat on the chair in their living room, facing her with a frown. "No one's telling me jack shit."

Swallowing, Kiera clenched her fists, trying to breathe. "Pahs with the cops. For stabbing Osanai.."

"WHAT!?" He snapped, face contorting in rage. "The hell was that idiot thinking!? Why didn't he run? The fuck you guys doing letting that happen?"

Her breath hitched, chest tightening at his words. "I didn't — I didn't let him get taken! I tried my damned hardest to make sure he didn't! He wanted to go with the cops."

Keisuke tch'd. His black hair was left loose, framing his face with delicate strands. He wasn't in pajamas. Instead he wore a black and white muscle shirt with ripped black jeans. His bronze eyes almost seemed to glow in the dark, shining from the moonlight pouring through the window. Illuminating the lines of deep-seeded anger sketched along every muscle.

Her brother was brash, not to mention harsh at times, and a complete airhead. Emotionally at the minimum. He might get bad grades in school, but he was fiercely intelligent in the field. He said mean things; that didn't mean he meant them. Words flowed in his head and he spat them out without thinking. It stung, though she always understood.

"That fucking moron. And why haven't you been home, Screwball? Mom was worried sick. Chifuyu too. I had to volunteer to stay up and wait for you so they'd go to bed. Couldn't you have bothered to at least shoot a text?"

She didn't answer him. Pursing her lips, she held his striking gaze. Even if she wanted to respond, any words choked in her throat. She didn't know how to describe what she'd been going through. She never did. Which was where her...less than healthy coping mechanisms came into place.

Slowly it felt like she was returning to her body. That everything was real again. The wind in her hair, the starlight in her eyes. As it all came back, the worse she began to feel. Her grief; her guilt; her despair. It infested her gut like maggots.

"Do you blame yourself?"

. . . what?

Keisuke's words stopped her heart, blood in her veins going cold as ice. Running her tongue over dry, chapped lips, she quickly looked away. As soon as she unlocked their gazes he tch'd again.

"Dumbass." It looked like he wanted to say something else. The words must have died on the tip of his tongue, because he swallowed, and said, "Go get in comfy clothes. And ready for bed."

Without arguing she turned away. Sucking teeth, she gently closed the door to her room to not wake her mother. Before she'd left, Keisuke had pulled out his phone, typing away.

At first she didn't do anything. She just stood in front of her door, frozen, with tears running down her cheeks

Why?

Why couldn't she have saved Pah?

Convinced him to run?

Why was she useless?

Hiccuping, with helpless hands she began to get changed. Swapping pants for small pj shorts, and her shirt for a loose black crop top, she curled into a ball on her bed. Not only had she fucked up with one of her closest friends, she'd worried everyone. Pah and her might have had their differences but they always had each other's back. No matter what.

Reaching under her blanket she grabbed Chifuyus black and purple sweater. Pulling it up and over her head she tugged at the sleeves, wearing the hood to sink into the material.

Keisuke was more than likely waiting for her to come back out....the thought of facing him right now made bile crawl up her throat. He had to be pissed at her. They all must be. Hysteria began to squirm inside her, bugs that had no escape. With two hands she clasped her mouth, trying to silence the sounds of her sobs.

How could she be so stupid?

So worthless?

I don't deserve to be here right now. I deserve to be with Shin.

In the back of her mind, she heard her mother. Crying to the twins. She heard what she'd said to them like a broken record. That moment was forever engraved in her memory.

I'm sorry mom, I'm so sorry.

Because that was what she was. Always. The disappointment.

I wish I had died.

With one slow, shaky hand, she began to reach for the blade under her pillow.

I wish I was dead.

Her fingers curled around the pocket knife. Soaking in the coldness of the metal.

I want to die.

A breeze drifted from the window. She hadn't noticed it was open. Her brother must have opened it, knowing she preferred her room cold at night.

I... deserve to. I want to. I want to.

BANG!

With a crash her door slammed open. In a panic she released the silver weapon, heart racing. Shooting up, ready to defend herself, her body crumbled almost immediately.

His face was pale, white as a ghost. With wide, terrified eyes, she watched them scan the room before settling on her. Even through the thick white sweater and plaid pajama pants she saw his muscles relax.

In the moonlight his blond hair was a ruffled mess. The kind of bedhead you get when you wake up in the morning. His mouth, once pursed in worry, curled into a soft, thankful smile.

Chifuyu...

As soon as she saw him her body dropped like a rock. He was beside her in an instant, wrapping an arm around her, pulling her flush against his chest. In his hold she began to weep; she simply couldn't help it.

It was pathetic, wasn't it? Mikey and Draken took their anger out on each other. Their sorrow. Got it all up in the air to crash and burn, leaving them with the resolution of apathy and acceptance. That's how it always played out. Not her, though. No, instead she let even the smallest of inconveniences tear herself apart inside. All because it was deserved. It was the truth. Always her own damn fault. Which was the depressing reality when you were never good enough.

Taking fistfuls of Chifuyu's sweater she tried to get as close to him as possible. He pulled her taut, comforting words not reaching her ears. It was white noise. Nevertheless the sentiment helped ease her mind.

When her tears subsided, she was exhausted. The kind of exhaustion that left you numb and barely able to move. "Hey, you feeling better?" The blond boy asked, a comforting hand resting at her nape.

"..Yeah, I'm sor.. I'm okay."

Letting go of her so they could sit face-to-face, Chifuyu softly smiled. He looked so wholesome, yet she noticed the lines of tiredness stretched across his skin. It must have been close to two in the morning by now.

"You should get some sleep.." He hesitated. Looking like he was about to get up, his eyes trailed down to her hand. Holding onto the end of his sweater like her life depended on it. "..would you... like me to stay?"

"Yes please," she whispered back. Collapsing backwards onto her bed, Chifuyu followed suit — more than a little awkwardly. A blush flushed his cheeks, heart palpitating within his chest.

Kiera didn't notice. They both lay side to side, facing one another. She was out like a light. In muffled, mumbled words she heard him whisper before the night took her away completely.

"I'm with you..."

***

Silence enveloped the small, messy room; nothing but the soft breeze and Chifuyu's own shaky breaths to be heard.

Curled on top of the blankets, his and Kiera's heads were mere inches apart. Every time he tried to pull away the grip she had on his sweater tightened. Not that he wanted to leave. He really, really didn't want to leave.

When Baji had texted him saying Kiera was home he'd wasted no time in sprinting out of bed. Many would call it an overreaction. She was out all day, no biggie, right? Of course she'd be okay. Chifuyu and Baji knew her too well for that. For her to not have come home and tell them how the meeting went was a huge red flag. That, and not even texting? He'd been worried sick. What if....what if she'd—

Don't. Don't go there. She's okay.

Was she though..? He'd barged in without knocking. The second their gazes had locked, before he'd even seen her fall, he was running. Bringing her into his arms, needing to be close as physically possible, because god he didn't know what he'd have done if she hadn't been okay.

It took a couple seconds to realize she'd been crying. So he'd comforted her the best he could, trying to give reassuring words. He didn't really know what to say. Hopefully the tone of his voice had gotten through instead.

I wish...I could be here with her more often..

Laying there together was calming, if anything; offering solitary that nothing was going to happen with him by her side. Her room door creaked open, shining a sliver of light over the two. Baji stood against the doorframe, leaning with crossed arms.

"She sleeping?" He asked, a husky sound in his voice.

"Yeah.." Chifuyu responded. "She's holding onto my sweater though, so I figured I'd just stay."

The other boy snorted. "Clingy little shit," he quipped, only to fall into an unsettled silence. Chifuyu waited for him to say something else, trying to keep his eyes open. It was far too late for that though. When flickering green numbers finally read 3:02, he assumed Baji had long since left.

Unknown to him, he hadn't, and he wouldn't until high sunrise. Instead of retreating to his bed, Baji stayed sat on the floor, his back leaning against the doorframe. Watching over the peacefully sleeping pinkettete and faux blond.

A soft sigh left his lips, hitting the back of his head against the doorframe. He was worried. Not just for Kiera, but Chifuyu too.

After all it had almost been two years. 

1, 2, 3, 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒄𝒌,
𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒖𝒎 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒆𝒆,
𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒕'𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒊𝒄𝒌.

1, 2, 3, 𝒅𝒓𝒂𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆,
𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚'𝒍𝒍 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒆
𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒓𝒚.

𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒃 𝒂 𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒖𝒆
𝒔𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒊𝒓
𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒃 𝒂 𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒖𝒆
𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆

.

.

.

❦

"ℍ𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕔𝕣𝕠𝕨𝕤?
𝕎𝕙𝕪 𝕔𝕒𝕟 𝕀 𝕠𝕟𝕝𝕪 𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣... 𝕤𝕖𝕖 𝕠𝕟𝕖?"

A/N: all aboard the angst train! chew chew! 🚂🚂

! Incorrect Quotes !

Chifuyu: *pretending to hold a microphone and stare at a camera, completely deadpan* and here we see the endangered kiera, thriving in her natural habitat.

Kiera: *falls down the stairs, screaming cuss words and spilling her noodles everywhere*

Chifuyu: natural selection really is coming for this specimen.