“ stay with me tonight. ” (@digiauthorenergize)
Things had been strange at home since... everything. Taichi still wasn’t himself. It felt like he wasn’t even seeing them when they were talking. And she still hadn’t learned how to forgive him, despite Sora and Koushiro’s interference on his behalf. She knew he wouldn’t ask for it. It was for her. It was selfish, but it was for her.
If only he would look at her like he knew she was right there.
The only time her heart didn’t feel like someone had closed a fist around it and squeezed was when she was with him. Her mind quieted. She stopped fidgeting, and could be still. They watched movies, or did homework together. Sometimes they talked, but often they didn’t. His mother had even stopped reacting to seeing Hikari on their couch when she got home. But she wasn’t there often. The news never sleeps, she liked to say, even though it always made Takeru frown.
She wouldn’t be home tonight, she knew. There was a story on the TV about a truck turning over and toxic waste spilling near a waterway. It was the kind of story that stayed on until every question had been asked six different ways.
So when Takeru asked, it was an easy decision. There were no siblings to worry about or parents to explain things to. It was just her, and Takeru.
And she knew he had nightmares, too. Sometimes even the same one. They would fill in the gaps for each other, like they were telling a story even though their voices shook.
“Yeah, alright,” she said quietly. “I’ll stay.”