So! This is for JRSIHweek2016, as I haven’t done anything for it, but I wanted to write this because I loved all of the creativity and love for JR and SIH this week! You guys are awesome, and so here’s something for me!
Day 7: Anything you Like! (Romantica Drabble)
Akihiko should have known by now that pulling all-nighters was going to rid him off all the sleep he needed at his age. The author sighed, saving whatever three pages he managed to write before closing his document. Years ago, he would have been able to write hundreds of pages in the span of a few months, but now, he felt like getting ten in one night was a miracle. Being almost fifty years old prohibited him from doing even that, he realized. Regardless, the man was comfortable with his life. His husband of eighteen years would have scolded him if he caught him staying up too late, anyways.
Realizing he needed a smoke, he got out of his office and attempted not to trip over the stacks of paper as he made his way. He walked downstairs and realized the doors were open to the balcony, and he would have been irritated at the fact they weren’t shut if not for the silhouette outside. He looked out to find a young girl, his adopted daughter of seventeen years, lounging by the barrier. Her short, brunette hair was lightly tampered by the breeze, and Akihiko smiled to himself, marveling at how much she looked like his husband. It was mere coincidence that Miku looked so much like Misaki, even with her eyes of forest green, but she acted nothing like him. Akihiko would laugh at how they were almost complete opposites, especially if they were in the same room together.
“Couldn’t sleep either?” Akihiko closed the door as he made his way outside, and the teenager turned her head slightly.
“I tried for a good half hour, but I just kept getting fidgety, and I then I got thirsty, and…well, look where we are.” Miku tilted her head slightly as Akihiko pulled out his cigarette case and lighter. He lit the tip, and she smiled.
“Can I have one?” She asked, and Akihiko pulled another cigarette out from his box. He caught his daughter smoking one afternoon, but he didn’t think too much of it, considering he had started around the same age. Misaki, on the other hand, that was another story.
“I really shouldn’t be encouraging you with this.” Akihiko passed the cigarette and lighter to the girl, who accepted both of them with eager eyes. “I need to quit myself.”
“You say that every time Misaki brings it up, and you haven’t attempted once.” Miku deadpanned, as she lit her own cigarette.
“I did try a few months ago. I made it a week.”
“I don’t remember that,” Miku responded. Akihiko smirked towards her.
“I was in Germany for a business trip. I felt like I could come back and Misaki wouldn’t be so bitter when we kiss, but it failed almost as soon as it started.”
Miku laughed, the smoke drifting over the railing. Akihiko was proud of his daughter, even though he didn’t often point it out. She was an adventurous spirit, and sometimes that wasn’t for the best, but she often would go out and do things no other girl her age would dare do. She was more than Akihiko would ever dream of when he and Misaki agreed to adopt a girl all those years ago.
“Are you doing okay?” Her voice broke through his distractions. She was looking at him with a sympathetic sulk, and Akihiko grinned, leaning over to ruffle her hair.
“When this book of mine finally gets finished, I’ll be better, but for now, I’m pretty content here.”
“God, you say the most awkward things!” Miku giggled, pushing his hand away.
“Why are you really out here, Miku?” Akihiko watched as the girl looked back out to the horizon, crossing her arms over the railing and putting her head down.
“I guess I just was thinking, you know, about graduation. I didn’t really think too much about what I’m gonna do when this is over. Hell, even Naomi knows she wants to become a professor!” Miku scoffed as Akihiko stood closer to her, recognizing the name of the girl’s best friend. “What if I’m completely clueless after this year is done?”
“It’s not typical for someone your age to already know what they want to do. Going to college is all about experimentation, you still have time.” Akihiko said. He learned it was easier to talk to others and be open as he had been a father, and he would be lying if he said Misaki had nothing to do with it.
“I know that, but it still feels like everyone around me knows where they want to go, or who they want to be.”
“And maybe they do, but when does their life have any impact on yours?” Akihiko brought his hand and pressed it against Miku’s back, reassuringly. “I know that you’re going to figure out what you want to do, it all comes with life. You’re already doing an amazing job, so don’t look down on yourself. You’re doing great, Miku.”
The brunette looked at her father and smiled, not turning away as he pulled her in for a quick hug.
“Now, let’s get back inside, and don’t let Misaki see you with that.”
