Love Blossom

home

Yakumo has three homes.

i.

The first is his Uncle's shrine.

He has some bad memories there. It reminds him of his middle school days. Those were the days when he saw nothing but red because that's all people saw when they looked at him—his eye.

Eventually, he stopped living there, but there was always a warm meal, a soft mattress and concern waiting for him when he came back.

He regrets it now. He should have gone there more often, visited his uncle and acted like the nephew who looked up to him, who wanted to accept all of the things the man offered him.

There are good memories from there though. He and Nao used to play hide and seek. He never did try, but she always had a smile on her face that lit up the rest of the temple. As long as Nao was laughing and smiling, everything else was okay.

He goes there now, a few times a month. Although might have refused ownership of it, he always makes his way back to clasp his hands together for his uncle.

His uncle may no longer be there to stand guard, but his presence never blows away.

ii.

The second is his club room.

His goal when he entered university was to live somewhere else, to separate himself from the bad memories of his previous school years.

He came upon the building and asked around about the rooms. They said it was only used for clubs. So, he made a club. One that he doubted people would want to join, and even if they did, he decided he could always ward them off.

Somehow, he managed to live, sparsely, live at school. He scavenged for food and was able to use the school showers for his needs. His uncle bought him a sleeping bag after he discovered that he was developing a back ache from sleeping on the old couch in there.

It felt like a temporary stay at a motel, but eventually, he grew used to it.

He started scraping some cash together by scamming gullible fools, which was both entertaining and profitable. And he could always use a beaker and a burner to gift himself with tea. He just had to make sure the carbon monoxide alarm was working properly.

Despite that, it used to feel a little gloomy. Gotou never wanted to stay long when he visited because of it. He thinks things changed when he met here there. He thinks she did more to change the place than add a few bottles of tea in his fridge.

He only visits there nowadays, to spend a few hours or when he needs a place to think because although it's not the best place to live, it's the home he made for himself.

iii.

The third is her apartment.

The first time he went over, he was surprised by how bare it was. As the months passed and he found himself over there a few more times, usually to pick something up, he found more and more things filling the space, as though just like the room, more life was slowly breathing into her.

After they began a relationship, she invited him over a few times and soon, he started inviting himself over. She never complained and he took that as permission.

He liked it there. It was nice. He could brew himself a cup of tea whenever he liked and after making extra for her one day, the smile she gave him made him do it more often.

Eventually, one too many of his shirts stayed there and he spent more time lazing around her apartment alone than he did in his club room.

Eventually, it became their apartment.

?

No, not three. He's missing one.

iv.

The fourth is just more mobile than the rest.

She is safe.

She talks to him and he finds himself listening to it, no matter how trivial. She listens to him when he talks and the clear interest in her eyes sometimes scares him but he finds comfort in it now. She greets him in the morning and is always there at night. She wards away his nightmares without meaning to, but he doesn't tell her that.

She is also dangerous.

She makes his skin burn and scathe from a gentle caress. She sends him reeling into the unknown with a touch of her lips against his. She lit a fire within him with a few words, a few moments of care, a few warm looks, and now, it has yet to go out; that scares him because if the fire grows too big, won't he burn?

He lays to sleep in it. His head rests on her lap as she combs her fingers through his hair and smooths back his eyebrows. As she leans down to leave a kiss against the corner of his mouth, his hand reaches out to brush her cheek. His eyes search hers and he can't help but think he's in good hands.

This home is less of a place, but still more of a home than the others.

Here, he loves fiercely and is loved back just as much.

Yakumo has four homes.

A/N: That's all, folks. So tell me—which drabble was your favourite? What are your top five, top seven, top ten?

Thanks for sticking around. I hope you enjoyed yourselves on this journey, even if just once. Have a wonderful day!