Chapter Text
I open my eyes to the pale ceiling of my room, it’s rather bland compared to Saki’s star sticker covered ceiling. I remember the first time I had friends over, they were surprised how boring my room was, but I’m not a huge fan of accessories. A clean room with lots of space serves more value in my opinion.
I shuffle to a sitting position, yawning into my hand as I try to wake myself up. I’ve got to be alert because today is a very important day.
Today is the day I quit performance arts, after approximately five months of consistent attendance.
I thought about it for a while, and logically, acting is a pitifully low paying occupation. Low paying isn’t how I see my life going, in fact, it’s the opposite. Poverty and Tenma Tsukasa aren’t compatible.
As much as the audience’s cheers are nice, they pale in comparison to the hundreds of thousands I could make in Law. It’s a no-brainer, I need to focus on my academics instead.
I slowly get out of bed and open the blinds. Adjusting my eyes to September's rising sun, it’s not as bright as summer but sunlight is sunlight at five in the morning.
I yawn a little louder than usual before grabbing my uniform, towel and heading for the bathroom. I can feel another wave of sleepiness wash over me and pinch my cheek to keep myself awake.
Perhaps a quick shower is all I need, I’m a bit sweaty anyways.
I make my way downstairs with as little noise as possible, after all, mom is asleep and the doctors said she needs as much rest as possible and to take her pills in the morning.
She's been through far too much stress, so much it’s harming her health. It must be from my little sister Saki’s medical situation because I’m certainly not the child with problems.
Or maybe it’s dad, he’s not exactly an outstanding husband considering I’m the first face she sees when she wakes up.
But she’s certainly not planning to divorce him anytime soon with the amount of money she receives monthly.
The money he makes is definitely his defining quality in my opinion (As if I know any other qualities he has), we have three large bathrooms, a huge kitchen, a big living room and games room, and since Saki’s not around anymore and mom’s, well, mom, it’s more or less my house.
It’s like no one else lives here. What’s not to love? If anything, having my dad around all the time would be annoying, he’s certainly never been a good enough father for me to miss him.
I open my favourite bathroom and the door opens with a creak and closes with a similar one. I lock it behind me and I begin stripping out of my pajamas, I catch my reflection a few times in the rather large mirror and I can’t help but feel a surge of pride of how well puberty’s treated me. I mean, it’s not often boys my age look this good.
My feet hit the cold marble of the modern shower and I turn on the warm water and I begin to rinse off.
I'm pretty sure I’m not that dirty after having a shower last night but you can never be sure. I think I was sweating while asleep and I might smell, plus, sixteen year old boys aren’t exactly famous for their wonderful smells.
All the bad odours usually come when you start getting lazy with hygiene at this age, and bad odours keep people away. While I’d love less people nagging me, being smelly is certainly not the ideal method.
It takes less than five minutes to finish my shower, I’m not in love with the shower enough to stay longer than that.
Wrapping a towel around my waist I contemplate changing here or giving my mom her medicine first.
I did bring my uniform, but she could wake up soon and my mom has a way of pushing herself the moment her eyes open.
She’s just as proactive as I am so she really gets moving the moment she wakes up.
My dad neglects her just as much as me. Being that she’s approaching her forties' now, he most likely found the idea of having an old wife rather unpleasant. It’s not like my mom’s growing unattractive so I suppose he’s just into college students, a pedophile, really.
But I think she has to see some kind of man on a daily basis, I’m sure it says somewhere that being around the opposite sex is good for you. Well obviously not if said person was a piece of shit like my dad but I’m very different.
I’m taller, better looking, more charming, more charismatic. I always knew I’d be an eye catcher and I know I'll only get better as I get older. I can look in the mirror and see that, In fact, I can look in the mirror and see I’m better than my father in every way.
Waking up to me over that piece of shit should be better in every way, I’m the type of person who makes you happy you woke up at all.
So I grab my moms pills off the kitchen counter, still in just my towel, and head over to her room. I don’t feel any way about it, what’s inappropriate about seeing your son topless? I’m sixteen, not twenty six. She should be glad her handsome and good looking son is still so comfortable around her, I could be a home-body with no future or a brooding prick who bad-mouths her every chance.
I open her door and her room is as dark and quiet as ever, it’s a bit stuffy so as I open the blinds I also open the window.
I can hear her groan as the sunlight hits her like a brick to the face and she wriggles around in bed a little. I crouch by her distressed figure and put a hand on her shoulder. The material of her pyjamas is quite itchy, perhaps wool? It’s making her sweat and that can’t be good, she probably needs some water.
Good thing I refilled her water bottle yesterday. If she dies from suffocating in her wooly pajamas in over twenty degree heat I admit I’d be annoyed.
“Mom, hey mom, it’s time to wake up now.” I gently shake her shoulder as yellow eyes finally peek open. “Mmm… Kasa..?”
“Yeah, it’s me. I have your paracetamol, you start work in three hours so take it now, ok?” I say in a gentle voice, gently running my hand through her hair.
She blinks sleepily before yawning right in my face and trying to sit up, she ends up giving up and laying back down. I don’t care all that much though, I smile as I get two of the paracetamol pills out the packet, handing them to her as she adjusts to the light. “Ah… thank you.” She mumbles, before swallowing them all in one.
“Do you need some water? You don’t want to choke.”
“I’m fine honey, you go get ready for school.”
“Are you sure—“
“Tsukasa. I’m fine. I don’t need you to worry about me, ok? If you want to worry about someone, worry about your little sister.” The rasp in her voice only emphasises the frown on her face, her jaw is tense like she said something painful and she can’t meet me in the eyes anymore. This always happens, she’s so loving before she registers that I’m the one waking her up.
“Alright. Well, I better get going then.” I say with the wrong amount of cheer. She just looks more irritated at my tone, so I lower it again. “Also, I’ll visit Saki today. You should rest after work, I don’t want you getting too sick.”
My face looks sincere enough for the crease in her eyebrow to soften. “Fine… you have a good day, ok? Be nice to your friends.”
“I’m plenty nice to my friends. I have lots of them anyways.”
“Tsukasa…”
“Okay, I will.”
“Good, just remember to be… gentle, ok?”
“Like I am with you?”
“No, no of course not. More like… a pet. You wouldn’t be judgmental of a bunny rabbit would you?”
“But they aren’t bunny rabbits.”
“I… nevermind, have a good day.”
I nod as I get up out of my crouching position, waving to her subtly as I leave the room. Adjusting the towel around my waist as I head back to the bathroom. I do have a huge window as a wall so I can’t ever change there, wouldn't want anyone spying on me whilst I change. I need to be quick so I eat breakfast and get to school early, not to mention I need to make breakfast as well.
As I enter the bathroom and begin dressing properly, I can’t help dwelling on my mothers words.
No, no of course not. More like… a pet. You wouldn’t be judgemental of a bunny rabbit would you?
Be nice to my friends, as if they were pets, huh? Bunny rabbits, interesting. Well, bunny rabbits are rather social creatures so that cracks up, but I would describe them more as dogs. Feeble minded creatures in need of 24/7 care and attention that’ll take any crap you give to them if you're nice enough about it.
But, If friends are like bunny rabbits, then I suppose the frequent bowel movements of a bunny parallel how they’re constantly dumping their emotional whims and woes on me. For me to clean up and ‘help’ with, as if I care.
I make my way to the kitchen and grab my pre-made lunch out of the fridge to put in my bag. I always make my lunches the night before, but never breakfast. I prefer a healthy smoothie for breakfast so that being said I usually make it the same day.
I grab the frozen fruit out of the freezer and dump a generous amount of fruit in the blender before adding some protein powder and yogurt. I remember the first time I made these, I was still cooking eggs every morning when Toya sent me that video detailing simple smoothie recipes. He said it’s ‘very me’ and, well, I’ve been making smoothies for breakfast every day since I started high-school, so yes I suppose it’s indeed very me.
That being said, for my birthday earlier this year he bought me a smoothie cup I can drink from on the go. I've used it every day since he bought it and it’s still in tip-top condition. Toya’s got great recommendations.
I pour some lemon juice into the blender and click start, I don’t really care about the way it blends so I basically click any of many buttons on our fancy blender until it’s not clumpy. Which takes two minutes today, I pour the purple smoothie into my smoothie cup and take a swing at it. It’s sour, just as I like it.
I lean against the kitchen counter and take another gulp, really I need to get going soon. So I’ll probably have to pour this down the sink, maybe I’ll pick up some fruit on the way back from school.
But today’s going to be an eventful day and visiting Saki makes my cheeks hurt from having to smile for so long. I'll be tired by the end of today, and that’s hoping mom doesn’t have another episode.