A little white courage
Nearly twenty hours after Taiki’s abrupt angry disappearance, Shuichi receives a phone call. Nanahara Daisuke -Nakao’s newest flame- reports that Taiki has left the hospital. The man adds that Taiki seemed upset when he left and also apparently Taiki and Senri spent nearly two hours alone, talking. Shuichi thanks him for keeping tabs and flips the mobile shut. A sigh and he leans back against the couch, staring at the ceiling while he debates.
Not five minutes later his phone chirps again. Tilting the display, Shuichi nearly jumps at the caller ID. A text message from Taiki: I will be home in twenty minutes. He quickly fires off a reply, letting Taiki know that he will be waiting with a warm car at the Oyama Station.
Taiki holds his breath, blinking against the wind and snow. He’d told Shuichi not to come but, as expected, the message had been ignored. Slowly exhaling, Taiki ducks out from under his bag and slips inside the silver Honda. The heaters are on full power and he angles the window vent away. Shuichi’s aura is a nervous mess and Taiki does his best to alleviate some of the tension by not calling attention to it. He sits quietly as the car pulls away from the curb.
“How is Nakao?” Shuichi’s tone is careful and light. Taiki stares out the passenger window, watching the blond in the reflection.
“Better.” There is a moment of silence before Taiki relents, Senri’s words from earlier reminding him to make an attempt. “They will try to remove the oxygen tomorrow.” Shuichi beams and his aura immediately lightens.
“That’s great! So he might be able t’ leave soon, right?” Taiki nods, shoulders relaxing; the mood shift feels good. He’s exhausted. The car turns the corner onto their street and for several seconds the only sound is the heater and the wipers clearing away snow. Eventually Shuichi can’t help himself and he timidly speaks up. “And, um. You? How are you feeling?” Taiki doesn’t even blink, his reply coming immediately. There are some benefits to knowing Shuichi well enough to predict his thoughts through his aura colors.
“Tired.” There’s a hum from the blond and Shuichi nods. Careful to avoid slipping, Shuichi steers the car into the drive and sighs. Taiki is out and heading for the stairs before the engine is shut off.
By the time Shuichi catches up, Taiki has shed his shoes and coat in the entryway. The psychic doesn’t turn when the door closes, though he can feel Shuichi’s unease.
“So, um. I didn’t know…” The blond begins, pulling at his jacket sleeve. “That is, I should go. I just wanted to make sure you got back and were okay.” Taiki slows and eventually turns, stopping between the living room and kitchen. He considers Shuichi a moment, picking apart the colors while the man stands rooted uncomfortably in the doorway.
“You pay your half. You can come and go as you please.” Defenses are up and Taiki waits, watching. Shuichi drops his eyes to the shoe rack, nervously scratching the back of his head.
“Well… That’s not exactly true.” Taiki doesn’t respond, though he also doesn’t move away. Eventually Shuichi continues. “I mean, I don’t want to make you upset.”
“Stay if you want. I am going to bed.” Readjusting the bag strap on his shoulder, Taiki turns and continues down the hall. Behind him, he can hear a quick rustle and then Shuichi takes both the steps in one bound.
“I cleaned up the glass but you might want to use slippers!” The blond lopes to catch up, guardedly hopeful.
“I will clean the rest up tomorrow.” Taiki stops short, pushing through the first bedroom instead of the master. “Get some sleep.”
When the door is shut -and he’s reasonably sure that Shuichi will not leave the house- Taiki retreats to the bed. A blue blanket folded on the left side of the mattress is exchanged for his bag and he wraps the throw around himself. Still damp from the snow, he pivots and falls into bed; Taiki wipes his cheek against the pillow and closes his eyes.
What a fucking mess.
The house falls silent. Rolling onto his back, Taiki goes over Senri’s words and the news report about Lisbeth from earlier. His mind can’t decide which direction it should move in. First Shuichi lets him down, then things go wrong in Peru, his mind fails him, Senri is nearly killed, Lisbeth is wanted for three murders…
His head falls to the left and black eyes settle on his bag. Reaching out with one arm, he pulls the flap open and digs around inside a zippered pocket. A white bottle rattles; head still against the pillow, Taiki stares at the torn label. Making up his mind, he unscrews the lid and dumps the contents onto the quilt beside him. A menagerie of pills spill out and he sorts through them, finding two identical white stamped tablets.
Twenty minutes later he’s still staring at the ceiling. One arm free from the blanket, it rests across his forehead, pushing black hair aside. A slow, thick swallow and his lips part - low, soft breathing is the only sound in the room.
Inner peace is so much easier when every muscle in your body is relaxed.
Rolling off the bed, Taiki wanders towards the door. The house is silent and dark but he knows he’s not alone. One hand holds the blanket wrapped around his shoulders closed while the other trails along the wall, fingertips scraping over the textured plasterboard. At the end of the hall he leans against the door on the right -- snoring from within. Doing his best to move quietly, Taiki shuffles inside.
Despite his best efforts, Shuichi wakes up as soon as Taiki lies down. The blond turns, confused and still half asleep, to find the psychic curled up next to him - eyes closed, wrapped in a small blue blanket, and still dressed in the clothes he’d stormed out in the day before. Shuichi starts to ask if everything is okay but Taiki interrupts, ordering him back to sleep.