Taki always took notice of his yawns. As much as he tried to brush them off and deflect her concerned crease of the brow with a smile (it seemed a little fake, she realized one day as she watched him leave the kitchen), she could tell there was a reason for it.
More often than not, she would lie awake as night blanketed the city, stretching her stamina in an attempt to ensure that he had returned home safely before allowing herself to drift off into sleep. Only a few times did she actually catch the sound of footsteps entering the house before her ability to keep herself awake failed. Tonight was one such night.
She had spent an indeterminate amount of time struggling to keep herself awake enough to register the outside world when the familiar click of the apartment’s lock brought a little smile to her lips. In the pitch blackness, she somehow got the impression that he was a bit later than usual.
Just as she was about to surrender in her increasingly losing battle, another sound reached her ears. It was one that was so unfamiliar to her that it took a while for her mind to find the proper words for it.
Crying.
Someone was crying, very softly, as if they were trying to muffle the sound. Acting purely on instinct, she disentangled herself from her sheets and moved carefully down the hall, relying on her spatial memory to take her through the unlit apartment.
Trying her best not to disturb him, she opened the door as slowly as she could manage. Listening to her friend sitting alone in the night and crying, not even allowing himself to fully release his feelings by doing so openly, was enough to make her own eyes slightly blurry with tears. Although she couldn’t tell where he was exactly, following her hearing made her able to approach without too much difficulty.
Likely having heard her movement, all sound from Natsume stopped. Taki almost lost her nerve at that realization, considering simply turning tail and pretending that she hadn’t left her room in the first place, but she couldn’t. There was no way she could simply leave him alone when he was clearly hurting.
With eyes that had adjusted enough to the darkness to make out shapes, she located the blanket. Pulling it carefully over Natsume’s shoulders, Taki whispered almost as quietly as his crying had been. “You don’t have to talk about it, but don’t forget that we’re here if you need us.” She felt his shoulders stiffen under the blanket just before she moved her hands away. Knowing that her words had been heard, she made her way out of the room. She could only hope that he took her words to heart.
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