#escapril2020

is anyone listening? || transcription below

They romanticize the fullness of the moon,

Celebrate her symmetry and light

But the moon is not always whole.

Sometimes she spends a whole week fading,

And a day refusing to show her face at all.

I love her best when she's just

A small sliver of herself:

There's a promise in that slice of light,

And a bravery in showing the world that

One does not need to be perfect

Ryuji wasn't ready. That much is clear.

He thought it would be fun, a subtle way to mark their bond together, you know, it could be a bro thing, like "hey dude, you should get an earring so we can match, cause that totally isn't the same thing as a friendship bracelet cause we aren't girls."

Yet here he is, unable to look away as he stands behind Akira, checking out his shiny new red cartilage earring.

"Be honest," Akira says, turning his head sideways to see himself in a better angle. "Too much?"

Yeah man, he thinks. In fact, it's so goddamn much that I might just blow my load right here and there isn't anything you, me, or that depressed piercer can do about it.

"Makes you look like a punk," is what he wheezes out instead.

Akira turns to him and gives him a soft, sweet smile that is such a contrast to the rebel red that's now etched into his ear. "We match then."

Ryuji feels his breath get stuck in his throat. How can he look so cute while looking like that? It’s like the physical manifestation of all of Ryuji's late-night thoughts coming to life just to say it's time to punish Ryuji today. How a single piece of metal can ruin Ryuji within two minutes is, frankly, astounding.

He touches his own cartilage earring—thankfully black and not red. It makes Ryuji look cooler, yeah, but if he had gotten the red one instead he would've looked like a clown in a trash can whenever he stood next to Akira. The worst part is that it was Ryuji’s idea in the first place.

How is this fair?

As Akira goes to the counter to pay, Ryuji grabs his phone and tries to type, only to realize his hands are too sweaty. He hastily wipes his hands on his jeans before tapping frantically on the messenger app. How embarrassing.

Ryuji: ann im FUCKED

Ann: you shouldve known better than to make him look hotter than he already is where are my pictures

He shakes his head before answering.

Ryuji: no fuckin way, you gotta see it in person

"Ready to go?"

He jumps and looks up at Akira, eyebrow raised. "Uh, yeah, yeah just uh..." Ryuji scrambles for a normal answer, any answer. "Can't wait to jack it tonight."

If there was any way he could pull off grabbing the piercing gun and shoot it directly into his brain without Akira stopping him, he would've done it twelve times in a row.

It's a true testament of their friendship that Akira only laughs and gives him a thumbs-up before making his way to the door, a worryingly red Ryuji right behind him.

Sunlight hits Akira’s cartilage earring, shining directly into his eyes as if to further mock Ryuji.

so i downloaded stardew valley...

s.c. || to professor k || transcription below