Skin
Here is the largest organ, seemingly unimportant and forgotten in favour of larger meatier cuts of flesh, but it is living and breathing but wholly on the outside. You feel everything so much all the time. You wear everything on the outside, nothing about you is restrained or held back, authentic and truthful, even to a fault, even revealing all the ugly parts you can’t cover. The blows and injuries you take cannot be hidden, so be cautious. Always remember scars do not heal, they can only fade.
Ryuuji doesn’t celebrate a lot of holidays, and finds he often lets them slip by unnoticed. No fanfare. But there are a few that he knows the date for and actively tries to avoid.
As he’s checking out a couple of upcoming appointments on his phone’s calendar, he notices the date. Before he can stop himself, he’s doing a little mental math - not his strong suit.
Three weeks.
That’s how long until Mother’s Day rolls around. It’s not a significant occasion here, thankfully, but if he thinks hard enough, he realizes he’s already started seeing themed little trinkets and gifts in shops. Eugh.
It’s not usually a huge deal. It’s not a big problem for him. Really. In the past, he’s even gone out of his way to get his father a little something for basically performing the job of both parents, despite the man not really deserving it sometimes.
This year, though, maybe... it’s a little rough.
No matter what he does, Dad always gets weird. More reclusive. A little meaner. So the past couple of years, the black-haired boy has spent the day alone instead of trying to reach out.
Ryuuji has never known his mother. She died a long, long time ago - just after he was born, he was told. For most of the year, it doesn’t bother him; he came out just fine without her.
Right now, it eats at him.
As these sentiments race around his mind, he closes the calendar app. He pockets his phone.
The glass of his window feels cool against his forehead as he leans against it and looks out over Domino.
