“You look absolutely ridiculous!” is the first thing his aunt says when he returns to the shop, mud and water dripping off his clothes. Her laughter sends tremors throughout her whole body, the joy almost tangible. Soon enough, the sound of soft squeaking joins in as Xi’a leaps onto her shoulders.
Naoki feels a faint twitch play at his lips.
“I got these,” he says once her laughter has died down, gesturing to the flowers on top of his trailer.
“Naoki,” Laulis breathes. Her smile is as wide as Naoki remembers it to be. “You didn’t have to do that.”
Shrugging, Naoki proceeds to heave the crates off his trailer, eyeing the mud on his sandals for just a moment before leaving the fruits at the front of the store instead of carrying them all the way in. “It was no big deal.”
He can feel her eyes on the back of his head, lingering before they return to the flowers just as he turns back around. “They’re so gorgeous,” she coos, fingers brushing against the petals. The colours are vibrant, shining like a kaleidoscope of different shades. Almost as beautiful as the sight of water sparkling in the waning sunlight, Naoki thinks. Laulis sighs and her gaze turns distant. Naoki feels tension gather beneath his ribcage. “Haven’t had these in a long while,” she murmurs.
Shaking her head, she turns towards the clock above the entrance before Naoki can even attempt to provide any kind of comfort. “They should start glowing in about an hour,” her voice is just loud enough for Naoki to hear, “Perfect for the front.”
Naoki’s mouth opens before he can stop it. “They’re for you.”
Baffled, Laulis’s head swivels around, fast enough for Xi’a to jump off with a squeak. The confusion is clear on her face. Naoki feels his heartbeat accelerate and travel all the way up until it settles beneath the apple of his throat.
“They’re for you to enjoy.” A lump of unresolved tension tightens his throat, “you should take them back home.”
He knows what’s going to happen even before his aunt starts moving. His instincts tell him to jerk away, not to allow the kindness of a gesture that was part of him once and that he lost when he moved away. For all his fears, he remains. His Cytau’s hand grazes his cheek with barely there pressure, fingertips settling neatly against the hair at his nape. For a moment, they stay like this. There’s no expectation on her face, no pressure. And yet, his feelings threaten to rise to the surface, like bile climbing up his throat.
Slowly, he reaches up.
His hand spasms as he feels the heated skin of her cheek against his fingertips. His chest is heavy, full with words that remain unspoken. He doesn’t know if they will ever spill out.
“Takes me back to when he was your age,” his Cytau says, voice soft and soothing. Yet, the words spread like a burn against Naoki’s cheek. With a sigh, he moves out of her reach, walking back towards his bike.
“Are you staying for dinner?”
He doesn’t look back when she asks. “Actually,” he swallows down the lump, “I think I might still have some stuff at home. And also, ” he sniffs, “I could really use a shower.” With that, he pushes himself onto his bike and leaves with a decisive push.
His head light reflects off Xi’a’s eyes as he passes, the bright orange more than just an accusation.
It’s not the right shade.
Dusk falls just as he is climbing up the hillside back to his home. The pedals squeak with each push and Naoki huffs in exertion. It’s been a long day. He watches the last sun rays disappear over the horizon, casting the road back in that half-bright darkness that is so characteristic of the island. Like clockwork the flowers along the road bloom, shades of blue and green illuminating the night.
Naoki turns where the road forks, the trees finally giving way to the one sight he has missed in the ever-hazy sky of the city.
In monochrome do the moons of Kalypso shine upon the earth. Both moving closer to each other every day. “About a Xai left,” Naoki mumbles as he looks up. One Kalypsian week until the waters of the tide become too unmanageable for regular sea travel, he muses. The realisation sits heavy in his gut, brewing within its acid.
He pretends not to know why.
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