The most obvious place to go was your house. You didn't stay your pace until the familiar tawny-coloured roof of the semi-detached had ascended the hill, dappled amber in the faded evening sun. You jammed the keys into the door and collapsed over the threshold with thundering pants, neither of you speaking a word. Tsukishima's face was flushed with a rosy glow, his hair a dishevelled tangle of golden threads.

"Are you... okay?" You asked, using the wall to support your weak legs. Perspiration tickled the back of your neck, and you used your sleeve to wipe it away.

Kei didn't respond, focused on his oxygen intake as he too propped an arm against the wall. Your throat ran dry as you struggled to find the right words. "Tsuki-"

"What the fuck did we just do?" You flinched at the harshness of his voice - a sharp hiss, not unlike the tone your mother used under the influence of alcohol.

Tsukishima laced his fingers through his hair and tugged in frustration, face gritted in pain. "That was a mistake. A stupid, stupid mistake," he said, each syllable corresponding with a harsh tug. "I need to go back."

Wide-eyed, you reached out and removed his hands from his hair, keeping them nestled against your own sweaty palms. He didn't seem to care - perhaps he'd grown accustomed to your sudden acts of physical contact. "Going back is a stupid mistake. Why can't you see that?"

"You don't get it," he pleaded, his eyes a glistening pool of gold. Somewhere, deep inside, he was drowning in those very waters. "The longer I stay here, the worse it'll be when I go back."

"You're not going back."

"Then where the hell am I gonna go? They're my family, that's my home. Everything I've ever known is within those four walls. I can't just leave it all behind like that. I have nothing else, nowhere else."

You could see the truth in his words. The cold, hard truth. Maybe this whole thing really was a mistake. You'd dragged him out of his home without a plan, and now he was even more lost, even more confused. "I... Don't you have any other family? Friends?"

Kei shrugged, finally pulling his hands from yours. His eyes lingered on the top of your head, not quite able to meet yours. "Not that I know of."

You chewed on your lip until, after a long silence, you padded forward until you were barely inches away from him. "Please don't go back."

His brows furrowed, glasses sliding down his nose. He finally met your eyes, and your heart thrummed like someone's fingers had pulled on it's strings, creating a melody in your ears. "Like I said, I have nowhere else-"

"But you're not alone anymore. It's not as if you don't have anyone else," you reminded him, your voice lulling into a soft murmur. You were so close to him. So close.

He swallowed, his throat bobbing, but didn't back away, or take his eyes off yours.

You were the first to look away, peering down at your feet as you shuffled them against the carpet. You'd never seen a boy look so helpless, so lost, so lonely. Trapped in the darkness, looking for a way out. He needed someone to light the spark that would lead him home.

"Please stay here until we figure something out. Just tonight, so that I know you're safe." Tsukishima didn't respond immediately, and you wondered if he'd even heard you. You just stood there, listening to his soft, fluttering breaths, feeling them shiver against the top of your head, until he emitted a huff and said, "Fine. Whatever."

With a jaded sigh, you lead him into the kitchen. "Would you like anything to drink? Eat?" You were glad your mother had finally picked herself up and gone to work. It would make sneaking him around much easier.

"No I'm good," he declined, the second his stomach emitted a low gurgle.

"It seems your body disagrees."

"Seriously, it's fine."

You scowled at him over the counter, soaking in his physical features. He really was very thin, almost gaunt-looking. "Tsukishima, how often do you eat?"

His gaze deflected off yours as he fiddled with his hands. "Often enough."

Your heart sank at his response, reading between his words. They starved him too?!

Breathing heavily to soothe your itching frustration, you rummaged through the cupboard for something to cook. They were sparsely populated, a few packets of rice and grains that had been sitting there far too long. The fridge was no more promising. "You like Omurice? Egg on rice? Tea on rice? Or I can just whip up some ramen. We don't have much in at the moment."

Tsukishima let out a strangled sigh as you studied him over your shoulder. "I told you, I'm fine."

"If you don't eat, you'll get sick. The whole point of this is so that you don't get hurt anymore, so you're not starving on my watch," you told him firmly, like a mother lecturing a child. He fell silent, apparently lacking the energy to argue.

"I'll have anything. Whatever's easiest."

You felt his eyes on you the entire time you worked, calculating, studying, as if he was trying to see inside your head and navigate the workings that were driving you to do all of this for him. But did you have to have a definite, set-in-stone reason?

His sudden 'thank you' caught you off guard as you were leaning over the stove, and you accidentally chafed your fingers against the hot pan.

Half-wincing, half-smiling, you tossed him a glance over your shoulder, trying to ignore the throbbing of your hand. "Hey, it's Yamaguchi you should be thanking," you said, dismissing his puzzled frown. "Is it okay if I invite him over? I think he ought to be in the loop with this too."

Tsukishima's face softened as he shrugged again. His face looked ragged as the sun slunk behind the rooftops with one final, dazzling grin. "You go lie down on the sofa. I'll bring this to you."

Without protest, he stirred himself from the tired stupor he had unwittingly slipped into and, pausing in the doorway, dipped into a hasty, clumsy bow, before disappearing around the corner. You stared after him wide-eyed until the smell of burning food returned you to the task at hand.

After leaving Tsukishima with his food and a pot of tea, you retired to the kitchen alone and sent Yamaguchi a text - brief and vague, merely asking if he was free to come over. Waiting for his reply, you let your head fall back against the cupboard, casting your thoughts over the eventful afternoon.

A lot had happened. A lot had changed. And in a very short space of time. You merely hoped it was all for the better, rather than the worse.

The sharp ping of your phone made you jump - you seemed rather on edge today - and knock your arm against the handle of the door. You muttered a quiet curse, inspecting your arm and losing a breath over the dried blood smeared along your forearm. The small cuts from the smashed bottle had closed up quickly at least, and with relatively mild pain, leaving you with a few ugly scratches. The blood made them out to be much worse than they were.

Your phone flashed on the counter, impatient, and quickly opened up Yamaguchi's chat streak.

Has something happened? are you okay? i'll be over as soon as I can. Need to think of an excuse to tell my mym.

Always the worrier, you thought with a chuckle, making a mental reminder to clean yourself up before he got here. Tapping out a simple reply, you pocketed your phone and went to check on Tsukishima. Poking your head around the doorway, you found him curled up on the sofa, his long legs tucked against his chest, eyes closed, chest rising and falling slowly. The usual creases in his face had eased into a smooth complexion, the corners of his mouth upturned just the slightest. This was probably the first time he'd felt at peace in a long, long while.

Clearing away his empty dishes, you retrieved the blanket from your room upstairs and draped it over him. He stirred, his brows twitching as you gently slid the glasses off his nose, but didn't wake up. You took a solitary moment to appreciate his bundled form, until a tentative knock drew you to the front door. Yamaguchi was fidgeting with his coat as you opened the door, appearing startled when your ghostly face peered out.

"[Y-Y/N]."

"Hey Yama-Kun," you said, stepping aside to let him in. He hesitated, before gingerly stepping over the porch, untying his shoes and placing them neatly to the side. "Tsukki's in the living room. He's asleep at the moment."

Yamaguchi blinked up at you, wide-eyed. "What? How'd you get that to happen?"

You couldn't really believe it either. Everything had happened so fast you'd barely had time to comprehend your actions. "I'll fill you in," you promised, leading him into the kitchen and sparing a glance at the sitting room on your way past.

Settling Yamaguchi at the table with a cup of tea, you began to fill him in on the details of the past hour. His emotion was expressed through his varying skin colour - an ashen gape at his family's violence and a rosy smile at your apparent rescue, his freckles growing faint and then bold as colour washed through his cheeks. As he stumbled over a response, someone coughed behind you. Tsukishima was propped against the doorway, rubbing his eyes sleepily. He looked different without his glasses - younger, somehow.

"Hey," you said, knocking the table with your elbow as you turned in your seat. "Have a nice nap?"

The boy's cheeks dappled pink. "Uhm, yes," he mumbled, adding a quiet 'thank you' as he smoothed his hair out of his eyes. "Is it okay if I use your toilet?"

"Of course. Up the stairs, first door on the right," you directed him with a swinging gesture.

"Gee, I can't believe how quickly this has all happened," Yamaguchi exclaimed, shaking his head as if trying to rouse himself from a dream. "But he can't stay here forever right? What's going to happen now?"

You sighed, slumping forward against the table. "I'm letting him stay over tonight, but afterwards - I don't know. I didn't really think that far ahead."

Yamaguchi chewed on his bottom lip - a nervous habit you'd picked up recently, most likely from him. "What if his family call the police?"

You shook your head firmly. "I already considered that, but they'd never resort to the police. The second they stepped into that house, they'd deem it unsafe for Tsukishima anyway. But... I don't know. I'm starting to wonder if maybe I shouldn't have acted so rashly. If he does have to go back, I've just made the situation a hundred times worse."

"Don't blame yourself." At first you thought it was Yamaguchi who'd spoken, until Tsukishima moved into view. He looked down at his feet, blinking lazily without his glasses. "It's not your fault. None of this is. Guilt and regret won't solve anything anyway."

The muscles in your jaw clenched. "And it's not your either, Tsukishima-Kun," you reminded him as he sat down. Yamaguchi gave him a tight smile, fidgeting with his hands. You figured he must be feeling awkward - it was the first time he'd really been this close to his ex-friend. "Nobody's at fault except your family."

He tipped his head back and rubbed at his face again. "Ughhh."

"I know it's all a bit much to take in at the moment," you said carefully, shifting your weight from foot to foot as you considered how to approach the situation, "but for now, let's focus on what's going to happen now. I know it seems a bit, uh, sudden, but you'll be staying here tonight, Tsukishima-Kun."

His brows dipped at this, but he didn't say anything. As he caught your eye, you had to wonder if you'd imagined it, or if there was something hinting at relief in his clouded gaze. "Yamaguchi, you're free to stay too, if you want. There's a spare room you could both sleep in. You'll just have to be careful when my mum comes home, but she usually sleeps in quite late so you should be fine."

Yamaguchi's cheeks darkened at your suggestion, his stammer quickly resurfacing. "Oh n-no, it's okay. I-I'm not sure what my mother would think about m-me staying at a g-girl's house."

You smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I just thought I'd better ask," you said, easing a hand through your hair, disentangling the knots. If only you could do the same to your thoughts - they'd gone a bit hay-wire since the whole incident. You didn't know what was right anymore.

"So, Tsukishima, uhm, I know you'll probably feel uncomfortable-"

"It's fine," he muttered, waving his hands nonchalantly. "I don't really have much of a choice anyway."

You forced yourself away, chewing the inside of your cheek. You couldn't feel guilty about this - you had to convince yourself if was the right thing to do. Unconventional, reckless, completely out of character for you, but you had still done it because you believed it to be right. It would help Tsukishima. It would cease the pain he'd been enduring all this time, if only for a little while. The rest of the plan, you'd yet to figure out. That was the worrying part. Who could you tell? Who could you confide in and rely on for help? It wouldn't take long for your mum to discover a boy had been living in her house, but would she understand? Would she listen to reason?

"Uhm, [Y/N]-San?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry, lost in thought. So what now?"

Tsukishima's lips quirked into a sarcastic smile. "You're the one who dragged us both here. You tell us."

You scuffed your feet in exasperation. Did he have to make you feel so pathetic, so responsible for this whole mess? Did he really want to stay there, under the red hot iron of his family's 'love'? Ignoring his remark, you smoothed back your fringe and said in a quiet voice, "I think we all deserve some rest. It's been a long day."

Yamaguchi stirred then, stretching his long arms across the table. "Uhm, thank you for inviting me over. I guess I'll get going now." He clambered off the stool with a clumsy smile, turning to face Tsukishima. He hesitated, looking unsure of himself, then- "I know it seems like nothing's going right and things are spiralling out of your control but, uh, I think [Y/N]-San did the right thing. She just doesn't... we just don't want to see you suffer anymore. Okay, uh, yeah, I'm sorry. Please take care of yourself. I'll be going now." Your heart did a little stumble in your chest - the sincerity in Yamaguchi's words struck home in both you and Tsukishima.

"You're lucky to have someone like him," you said simply, before hurrying after the freckled boy.."Thanks for coming over. And what you said just that - it was exactly what he needed to hear. What we both needed to hear. You're a good friend, Yamaguchi. Tuskki knows that too," you reassured him as he slipped back into his trainers - the ones with red stripes that were a little too big for him. "You take care of yourself too. I'll text you tomorrow so we can figure out what to do next."

"Okay. I hope you have a good night," he said, before his cheeks turned target-red. "I mean, not because Tsukishima's here. Just... I mean I hope you sleep well. And don't worry too much."

You chuckled, cheeks dimpling. "Gotcha."

"Y-you're a good friend too, y'know. To both of us."

"Awh," you cooed, turning sheepish,"I know. Have a safe journey home!"

"Arigato, [Y/N]-San." With another mousy smile, he slipped through the doorway and left you in silence. You felt suddenly ragged with exhaustion, your leaden feet almost refusing to budge as you dragged yourself back to the kitchen. Tsukishima was still sat at the table, his hands bridged beneath his chin, lost in thought.

"Uh, I'll show you to the spare room," you said once he'd noticed you stood there. He nodded, his eyes soft but weary, a pale gold, and followed you upstairs after collecting his glasses from the sitting room. You walked in silence, aware of him close behind you, his breath barely grazing the back of your neck.

You nudged open the door and flicked the switch. The room was austere, minimally-furnished, untouched for years. "My mum will be home around midnight. She doesn't wake up until about ten, so you're free to move around between those times, so long as you're quiet. If you need anything, I'll be in the room opposite. I promise I'll sort something out by morning."

Unable to say anything else, you closed the door and slipped into your own room. Without changing, you fell between the covers, burrowing your head under the pillow, and released the bung of pent-up frustration and confusion and regret that had been bursting you to the seams these past few weeks. Oh how things had changed. You'd changed, matured. You'd found a purpose, a goal to strive for. You'd given your year meaning, even if it wasn't the kind you were searching for. Maybe you were in a bit of a mess, an entanglement of unpredictability and uncertainty, but that was the essence of living. Nobody knew what the future held. But there was certainly no point dwelling on the past - use it to shape your future. Don't regret your actions - work on them. If something goes wrong, make it right. And that's what you were going to do tomorrow.

You were going to make things right.

Welp. What a long, weird chapter. And now even you are acting OOC ;-;