kaleidoscope

Redrum’s muscles tensed the moment Maki laughed. His ears flicked back, trying to make sense of it. She wasn’t mocking him—he knew that—but the laugh still threw him off, made him pause. Comfortable. That’s what she seemed. Comfortable. Why? Maybe the bitter drink was making her bolder, but no… Maki had always been like this around him. Never put off by his awkwardness, his twitches, or the way his words stumbled out in fits and starts. She never seemed to mind when he stared too long, either. But why? Why didn’t she flinch from the things that made everyone else uncomfortable? It made him feel exposed in a way that he wasn’t used to, but… at the same time, it made him feel less alone. He never thought she was strange, so why did she tolerate all the things that made him, him? She was a good friend.

The burning warmth from the drink in his throat made him feel better. He took a few more laps from the cup, trying to drown the strange knot forming in his chest. Maki, though, kept pulling his attention. He glanced at her, the way her mismatched eyes seemed to drift apart slightly, as if they were always focused on something far away. She was always like that—head in the clouds, wanting to be somewhere else. He liked that about her. Maybe that’s why she didn’t mind him. Maybe they both found comfort in the space between them and everything else. But…

He furrowed his brow, lapping at the liquid a few more times before stopping to think. Why did that thought feel so weird?

"Murder"