🎨Color Me Yours 🏀 RiRen Erotica by ♡DiLo

Coping

"Do you have a minute?" 

Levi shut his history textbook and looked up at his mom who was watching him from the kitchen doorway. It was weird these days to be the only two people in their apartment, but Petra had to eat dinner with her family occasionally and Ollie and Gunn had already left after hours of pretending to do their homework. Levi had taken up residence in the living room, now that his friends could no longer distract him, instead of going back to his room because he couldn't stand looking at the fucking art supplies all over the place. 

"I have all the minutes. What's up, mom?"

She bit her lip and held up a battered makeup bag that she had probably gotten for free with some samples from the Clinique counter at the mall. 

"I was hoping you could help me out...?" 

He smirked and waved her over, dumping out the contents of the bag on the coffee table while she settled down next to him. He sifted through them, frowning.

"What look are we going for here?"

Kuchel frowned, pursing her cupid's bow lips.

"Something understated but still a little sexy...mature, I guess?"

Levi raised an eyebrow and separated out what he would need. 

"This foundation is all wrong. Let me go get mine. We have the same skin tone."

He retrieved the appropriate items and settled down, waiting while his mom tied her hair back to begin. He didn't mind helping her out, he enjoyed playing with makeup, but it seemed weird to him that she would wear it in the first place. His mother was such a uniquely beautiful woman, covering any part of her face seemed like a travesty. Then again, it made sense if she wanted to look older. She looked like more of a high school student than he did. 

"What's the occasion?"

Her china-blue eyes turned thoughtful for a moment.

"I'm meeting someone."

Levi's eyebrows rose at that.

"A date?"

Kuchel laughed softly but there was an edge to it.

"Not exactly. Is it strange to you that I don't date?"

Levi shrugged, but didn't let it disturb the hand that was smoothing foundation onto her cheeks. He knew she was changing the subject, but it didn't bother him enough to address it.

"Not really strange, but I do worry about you being lonely. Loneliness is...dangerous." 

Her lips twitched into a small smile.

"I guess we both worry about each other for the same reason. Dating has always been difficult for me because of this-"

She gestured to herself, no doubt referring to the effortlessly exquisite shell she existed in.

"Men...only want one thing from me...what Haru wanted...but I've never really been interested in that. Never liked it or wanted it. The partner, yes, the companionship...but it's hard to find one without the other, so I've stayed alone."

Levi felt a quiet flush of pride that his mother was confiding in him about things he had only suspected. It felt good to be right, but at the same time immeasurably sad to know how inevitable his mother's loneliness was.

"You know...you're not the only person who feels that way...there's a lot of you out there."

Kuchel smiled mischievously.