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It’s painful to watch the one you love try again and again to destroy themselves. To help put them back together, heal them, and then watch them do it again. A painful cycle that Rei is well aware of. Golden locks, knotted from constant gripping and pulling, still look beautiful even in the darkness of night. Opening the front door wider, he gave a smile, wobbly as he knew it looked. “Kaoru, come in.”
The silence of the house only seemed to grow louder as time passed. Hours, days, years, and yet only a few seconds. The echo of the other teen stepping in broke the eeriness and then the door shut, somehow permanent sounding.
(Even if Rei knew it would happen again.)
“Come, let’s go get you cleaned up.” The ebony haired man didn’t pause, even when the blond opened and closed his mouth. A familiar cycle. The cracking within his own chest was ignored. Kaoru needed him.
The older busied himself with the bruises lining his arms first, then the cut on his cheek, red and irritated. As he concentrated on treating the most likely already infected cut, a sob cut through the concentration.
“Kaoru?” Rei’s head whipped up to the other and finally, finally, it seemed the cycle would be broken.
“I can’t…! I can’t do this any longer! You don’t deserve this, Sakuma-san!” He sounded heart broken, distressed, and scared.
“Do what, Kaoru?” He gently asked, trying so hard to keep the fragile hope deep inside, lest he break down too.
“It’s… I can’t tell you where they’re coming from, but I need help… I—”
“Shhh it’s ok. You can stay here, Kaoru. If that suits you ok, that is.”
(They both knew Kaoru’s dad was the one doing this. It was Rei’s fault, all of this was, if only Rei hadn’t hoped, dreamed, spoke--)
Kaoru wordlessly nodded, paused, and then clutched onto Rei.
“My how forward.” Rei’s voice was slightly lighter, less heavy. Relief at the agreement had made him slightly dizzy.
“I can h-hug my p-partner if I want to…!” Boyfriend was still too far, but partner was a good medium. It filled Rei with a fuzziness he couldn’t describe.
“Yes, you can. And this partner will never tire of teasing you back~” They both knew how much joy teasing and banter brought the red eyed teen. Kaoru also was used to it, whether he would admit that or not.
The hug they shared that night was to the happier days to come.