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Rhys sighed audibly and murmured a soft "Oh thank God," as he stood up and trailed after Hideo. He was immensely grateful for the other providing a soft sound for him to follow, even if his fingers lightly brushed over the wall out of habit. When they reached Hideo's room, Rhys came up behind him and chuckled at his statement. "Feels homely already," he said with a smile, falling into a humorous mood.
Hideo looked at Rhys with surprise, and broke into a laugh. Rhys was actually really interesting to him, he had so many different things to know about. "Aw haha, let me get your bed made up," Hideo blurted, as he organized his bean bag chairs. He pulled a different blanket out of his closet for the other, and swapped those on his bed with it. He redid his bed to where he thought Rhys would be most fit, and put the remainder of his stuff in the makeshift bean bag bed. "You get the actual bed, haha."
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Rhys stood off to the side, eyes darting this way and that as he tracked Hideo's footsteps. When he said that Rhys would get the actual bed, his grey eyes widened a fraction. "N-no, you don't have to do that!" he said, hands moving wildly again. Rhys didn't know what to do with himself or his hands, so they flailed wildly helplessly. "I don't want to impose any more than I already have…" His mouth opened and closed as he fought for the right words to protest, but they failed him.
"What if I flipped the situation and said you'd be imposing if you slept anywhere else?" Hideo said, with a feeling of accomplishment. He giggled, softly, before smiling with pity. "C'monnn, Rhys, you just gotta." He whined, with a big time pout. He crossed his arms and couldn't help but wear a goofy smile.
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Rhys found a thing to do with his hands—aka, running them over his cheeks into his hair as he sighed and floundered for a way to not kick Hideo out of his own bed. In the end, however, he couldn't say no to that adorable whine and pout. Even if he couldn't see Hideo's face, he could hear the pout in his voice, and it was hard to argue with that. "You're impossible," he muttered, though a smile was threatening to pull at his lips.
Hideo laughed, beaming with pride at the fact he won Rhys's choice. It made him feel nice, in a different way than usual. He hopped down onto the bean-bag mess and relaxed himself in the folded layers. "You know, I've also got a word for you," He said, with pride. "You're unique. Perfect. I hope this lasts more than a week," Hideo said, with a veiled sigh at the end.
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Rhys looked over to where he heard Hideo's voice, a slight frown on his lips as he slowly walked to where he remembered hearing the bed being. "I doubt it'll end so quickly," he admitted, finding the bed and sinking down to sit on the floor with his back against the bed. "I like you." Okay, perhaps too blunt. He folded his arms over his knees and rested his chin on them. "You're not like my other friends. I can hang out with you without getting fussed over like a kid. We can talk normally." Rhys offered a crooked smile. "It's fun being around you."
Hideo's eyes widened, with surprise. "You really do? You actually think so?" He asked, with complete kindness lacing his words. His eyes glassed over for a quick second, it was so relieving to know that he might have someone super loyal as a friend, and maybe more judging by how that was going. "That's super great to hear from an actual person." He said, strangely. He'd never been called fun, not once in his life, and he never had someone speak to him like this either.
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Rhys smiled some more, showing off his dimples. "Really really," he assured, solidifying his opinion of Hideo. "I'm serious, you're great. It usually takes me some time to warm up to someone, yet here I am, hanging out in your bedroom after a movie." He gestured to the room around them, head tilted and eyes sliding off to the side. "Everyone else just kinda…makes sure I'm fine to be on my own then go off among themselves. You might be insufferable," he teased with a smirk, moving his blind gaze back to Hideo, "but I have a feeling I won't be forgotten."
"Rhys, honestly man, I just want to make sure that you feel like you're more perfect than the whole student body. You'll learn that it's my goal to make sure you're happy." Hideo said, after hearing Rhys's words. Hideo grabbed onto his own shirt, grasping it tightly. His heart was racing, and he didn't have a clue as to why. "Insufferable I may be, but I'll press on until I reap my rewards."
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Rhys felt his cheeks heating up at that, so he buried his mouth and nose into the sleeves of his hoodie to try and hide it, not that it did much. "I… uh, um…." he blubbered. Hideo was too great, too nice, to perfect to be real. No one, not even his own parents, had ever said that to him, or even make as much as an effort as Hideo had to even acknowledge that he was a person beyond his handicap. "I wouldn't say perfect…" Rhys finally managed to whisper, just loud enough for Hideo to hear.
Hideo snorted. He actually snorted at what Rhys thought. "Well, I guess I'll have to prove you're pefrect, then. You're the judge." Hideo proposed. He noticed Rhys's small blush, and couldn't help but bite his lip. He thought it was adorable, and wondered if the other was blushing that much. He chose not to voice his thoughts about it. Hideo then looked at the clock on his wall, and gasped, softly. He hoped it wouldn't alarm Rhys.
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"Good luck," was all Rhys said about that matter, flicking his eyes over to the side as if that would separate him from the blush threatening to deepen. He didn't know that Hideo could see him, but he was desperate to calm the beating in his chest and divert the attention away from himself. And the perfect opportunity arrived when he just barely caught the small gasp from the other. Rhys perked his head up and cocked his head to the side. "What is it?"
A quiet sound came from the door, just outside of Hideo's room. "They're here, hold on, this might hurt," Hideo warned the other, before shoving him underneath the bed's blanket. He walked out of the room, and opened the door. "Hideo, son, have you studied? We won't have our perfection making bad grades." Came a feminine voice. "Of course, mother." Hideo replied, simply. "Well, why haven't you made dinner?" Came the other voice. It was hard to determine a gender based on it alone. The night's dinner completely slipped Hideo's mind. "I-I apologize, father," Hideo said, even more softly. Footsteps raced through the hall, Hideo ran to make some food for his parents, who he prayed didn't enter his room.
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Rhys yelped as he was shoved under the blanket, but covered his mouth to smother it when he registered Hideo's words. Silently, he waited as he heard the other leave the room and talk to some other people downstairs, likely his parents. Considering he had to be hidden, he didn't think they were very comforting or warm parents, like his own. Rhys uncovered his mouth, but his fingers worried at his bottom lip as he sat in silence. If Hideo's parents were anything like Rhys' then he felt a wash of sadness and sympathy for the other boy. I hope he'll be okay, he thought.
Hideo quickly managed to whip up some burritos. They seemed to be effortlessly easy. He tossed a little bit of lettuce inside of a bowl and topped it with ranch and cheese, a perfect side item. He put the meals at the table. Meanwhile, Hideo's parents went inside of his room. They noticed the bean-bags, sitting as if they were a makeshift bed. "Hideo! Get yourself in here, now!" Came the woman, loudly. "Yes ma'am!" Hideo said, as he rushed inside of the room.
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Rhys covered his mouth again when he heard the woman's shout, keeping his breathing even and as silent as possible. The thing about his blindness, he was more observant with his hearing, so he could tell when he was breathing obnoxiously loud or as silent as humanly possible without not breathing. Still, that didn't ease his worry for Hideo. His mother sounded angry. What had she found? If it was him, then surely the blanket would've been ripped off of him.
"What is your room doing, it's normally a lot cleaner. You foolish boy, clean it up. Leave our dinner, clean up and go to sleep." She rambled, before leaving the room, and shutting the door. Hideo sighed. "Okay, mom." He whispered. Rhys could hear him running around, picking stuff up. He cleaned his room a lot, considerably, not even touching his bed. "Better, we're safe now." He whispered, softly.
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Rhys let out a sigh and sat up, letting the blanket fall into his lap. His hair was a static mess, but he just combed a hand through it and called it good enough, even if most of the white strands were still disheveled. "Seems your parents aren't much better than mine," he murmured, eyes finding the hazy spot he knew was Hideo. An idea came to him, and his head tilted as he thought it through. "How would they react to you going to someone else's place? Like, not permanently of course, but just to hang out. Maybe under the pretense of studying."
Hideo sighed. "Not at all good, I would assume. I know they allow projects, but they aren't fond of the idea of studying with a distraction." He said, with honesty. He laughed softly as he brushed through Rhys's hair with his hand. "Sometimes I just want to run from this place, have you ever felt the same about yours?" He asked, with a bare whisper. He smiled, though, as if imagining it.
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Rhys tipped his head into Hideo's touch without thinking about it, and this time the blush didn't appear as he still didn't even dwell on that little action. Instead, he chewed on his lip and shifted slightly. "I… actually have. I'm on my own, renting a place with support from my aunt who pitied me. I have no support from my parents. They pulled any money I would've gotten from them the moment I walked out the door. Said I'd be crawling right back to them." He shrugged, though a ghost of a smile lingered over his lips as he added, "I decided to stay on my own to spite them, even if I hate the silence." Rhys never spoke louder than a whisper, just like Hideo. It was as if they were sharing secrets with one another.
"That honestly sounds awful, even in spite I'm glad you chose to defy what they expected." Hideo said, with astonishment. "You seem to be a little more kept-together than me, even, from the bare knowledge that I know." He added, with a loose sound of laughter. He thought about the other guy, and how despite his blindness and his issues, he seemed to be doing just fine. It made him proud, though he was too shy to admit it.
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((uuuugh, I don't want to draw for two hours))
Rhys felt a soft smile pull at his lips, the small metal hoop lifting with the motion. "Doubtful. I rushed into the decision without any thought. If my aunt hadn't felt bad for me, I'd probably be under lockdown with my parents." He shrugged and pulled his legs up, hugging his knees to his chest. He was practically broke, only getting enough money from his aunt to get through rent and the bare minimum for food. Getting a job was tough. He was too stubborn to want any other handouts from people. He hardly considered himself put-together.
( Do you have to? )
"Maybe I can help you out. You seem to want to be independent, but I'll fight to at least help you out there." Hideo suggested. "I mean, I'm sure I can find somewhere to draw currency from, it shouldn't be too hard for me." Hideo was super used to stealing things, especially when he found them to be urgent needs. He didn't do anything illegal, mostly, despite a few good monetary draws from his parent's credit card. He knew he could assist the other, and didn't wan him to be on the bare end of the money status lines.
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(it's what I do every school morning. A two-hour commercial art class)
Rhys tipped his head back in alarm, almost staring directly into Hideo's eyes without even knowing. "You don't have to do anything for me, y'know. We just met, and I'm already a burden to one person." With a sigh, he flopped onto his back and curled his arms just above his head, eyes looking up at the ceiling. "I really appreciate the concern, Hideo, but you've already done more than enough. I should be the one offering to help you in return." Rhys didn't want to sound ungrateful, but in his mind, Hideo has gone so far out of his way to help Rhys in a bunch of little ways. They weren't that bad, but getting him money was an entirely different thing.
( Insane. I wish I had to, trade places with me! )
"If you say so." Hideo replied, curtly. Hideo could literally care less about what would happen if he did it anyways, and he thought for a second about actually doing it. He yawned, quietly, and couldn't help but smile at Rhys. "Also, nah, don't you ever feel entitled to that 'caring for me' stuff. You don't have to do that," He sighed halfway through, but it wasn't one of sorrow. It was a sigh of relief, and bravery. He couldn't help but feel so proud of what he and the other accomplished in the day, it surprised him, even.
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((lol. Most times I love the class, but I've been feeling not so in the drawing mood lately. I typically bounce from hobby to hobby. Been in a research and development kinda mood))
Rhys sat up again, hearing the curtness of Hideo's first statement, and blindly reach out for the other's arm. His fingers soon found their target, then gently but surely wrapped around Hideo's arm as Rhys looked up at him. "I'm not trying to be ungrateful, trust me. I just…" he sighed and chewed on his lip ring, "I'm not used to accepting help. I was always on my own, and the way my parents treated my 'condition' made me want to do things on my own to prove I can still be as good as they wanted me to be before I was born." His eyes flitted around Hideo's face. "I–It'll take some time for me to get used to, well, you." He offered a hesitant and slightly crooked smile, hoping the other understood what he was trying to say.
( Ahh I see! )
"Well, I'll allow all the time in the world." Hideo decided, aloud. He noticed when Rhys chewed on the ring, and thought about it for a second. He really wondered what was going through the mind of the other. He couldn't help but fall into some loose laughter, bringing the other into an awkward hug, despite the quickness of it. "Thank you, thank you," He exclaimed, as he was still aware of the volume of his voice.
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Rhys let go of Hideo in surprise when he was pulled into a hug, but his smile bloomed some more. He could get used to this, he decided. Hideo seemed like he genuinely cared about helping Rhys with anything he needed, but was willing to wait for his boundaries to allow for that. He let out a breathy laugh and said, "You're welcome, I guess? Not sure what you're thanking me for." If anything, it should be Rhys thanking Hideo for giving him the space to figure things out.
Hideo smiled, and felt relieved that Rhys accepted the hug. He noticed the time, and looked back at Rhys. "When do you normally sleep?" He asked the other, with a faintly sad tone. It was about the time to where his parents forced him to sleep, luckily they didn't trail him and intrude for it. He hoped Rhys wouldn't mind that he had to at least turn the lights off early.
