Empath

Chapter 15

The next morning, Al awoke feeling incredibly serene. He had the kind of sleep that left one feeling very well rested, yet so comfortable that getting out of bed was undesirable. At those times, the air seemed cold and uncaring compared to the warm and silky embrace of the bedsheets. It was too tempting to stay there, nestled in comfort.

After he got his bearings, Al realized that it wasn't just the bedsheets embracing him. Yui still had an arm draped over him. The weirdest part was, at some point during the night, Al must have not only flipped over, but also wrapped his own arms protectively around Yui. Al was taken aback by this realization, but he was reluctant to pull away too fast, out of fear of waking his friend. He slowly and carefully pulled his right arm out from underneath Yui.

The younger man looked so beautiful and calm when he was sleeping. It was a much different sight than his usual peppy self. He moved around a lot when awake, so Al never got the chance to really observe him like this. His black lashes cast shadows over his smooth cheeks. His delicate nose and dark brows were so beautiful to Al. His full pink lips curled upward in a smile, as though he was having a lovely dream. When he looked closely, Al could see dark roots in his hair. It was interesting to discover that he wasn't really blonde.

Without thinking, Al's hand drifted up to Yui's face and brushed a strand of hair away from his eye. When the sleeping man made a slight motion, Al jerked his hand back as quickly as possible. He looked at Yui, fearing that he had woken him up and that his actions would be discovered, but Yui was still fast asleep. Al breathed a sigh of relief.

Al went downstairs to get himself a cup of tea. Anabelle had a variety of options, which didn't come as a surprise, after seeing her multitude of teacups on display. Al ended up settling for a simple English breakfast blend, with hopes that the caffeine would wake him up a little. He sat down at the kitchen table. Anabelle had left a newspaper there, so he unfolded it and started scanning the contents. He skimmed over the news stories, raised a brow slightly at the comics, and then ended up at the job listings. He spotted a couple ads for stores and restaurants in the area, and thought he might face his fears and give those a try.

"Whatcha readin'?" Yui asked.

Al nearly jumped out of his seat at the sudden voice. He was used to being able to sense the presence of someone nearby from their emotions, but with Yui, he had to rely on his other senses. It would take some getting used to.

"Don't scare me like that," Al practically yelled. His hand clenched the fabric at his chest, as though fearing his heart might leap from it.

"Too zoned out to hear me comin', huh?" Yui asked as he smirked and raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Al sighed, "I was just checking out the job listings."

"Guess we should get jobs, huh?" Yui pondered, casually, as he lifted the newspaper to glance over it. "I feel bad mooching off Ana like this."

"Yeah," Al agreed. "Besides, I need more clothes and shit. And I can't keep mooching off of you either."

"I need a job too," Yui admitted.

Al gave him a confused look.

"I mean a steady job," Yui clarified. "I take what I can get with this job, but in the end... I wasn't really plannin' to be able to pay bills with it in the first place. I just want to help people out when I can. I'm making far from enough to get by on my own. And honestly, I don't think I can really handle more than a couple customers a week."

"Maybe raise your prices?" Al suggested. "You are working two professions in one, after all."

"Yeah, I guess I could," Yui considered. He finally sat down and ruffled his own hair. "It just doesn't feel right taking so much money from people who are suffering."