Just Off The Key || Lizrei

Chapter 7: We Need Umbrellas on the Inside

Rei was just getting ready for her show the next day when her phone buzzed. She smiled when Liz's name popped up.

L: REI

R: LIZ!

L: ARE YOU BUSY RIGHT THIS SECOND?

R: WHY ARE YOU YELLING AT ME?

L: THERE'S A BIRD IN OUR APARTMENT!

R: OH MY GOD LIZ, GET RID OF IT! D:

L: I CAN'T CATCH IT, I DON'T LIKE BIRDS...

R: OKAY, stay in a different room or something Q, and don't let B eat it! I'm about to go on.

L: :( GOOD LUCK. HURRY.

R: aww :D I'LL BE HOME SOON

Rei didn't know what to expect as she trudged up the stairs in the apartment building. What if it was a fucking vulture? There could be a vulture in her apartment. Bald eagle. Chicken. Toucan. Goddamned emu. Liz had not been specific enough. She squinted when she caught sight of two figures sitting in the hallway as she came out of the stairs. Liz and Barnaby.

"Liz! How long have you been out here?"

Liz scrambled up and looked sheepish. "A few hours." She mumbled. "The bird was making me really nervous."

Rei looked at the door apprehensively. "So, what kind of bird is it? Because I was picturing geese and seagulls and..." God, what was the plural of albatross? Albatri?

Liz just stared at her and Rei shook her head to clear her thoughts. Not the time for that, Rei. Focus. She set her shoulders and put her hand on the knob. "You coming?"

Liz swallowed and nodded slightly, one hand clinging tightly to the back of Rei's coat, the other gripping Barnaby's leash. Rei couldn't blame her; Barnaby would most likely want to catch and 'play with,' or 'accidentally kill' any live thing that might be in their apartment.

Rei opened the door, stepped inside, and was dive-bombed by a pigeon. She shrieked and rushed through the apartment to the main bathroom, dragging Liz and the dog along behind her. Liz was holding her nose and blowing air out her ears as they locked the door behind them. "Rei! That was-that was like sonar. Like-like a bat. I think you damaged my ears."

Rei tried to calm her racing heart. Barnaby looked overjoyed at all this damn excitement. "I'm sorry." Rei breathed out. She was much more focused on the wild fucking animal in her apartment than Liz's temporary hearing loss. Crap. Crap. Crap. What to do. Rei whipped out her phone to call Jay, who didn't answer, of course. She sighed and dialed Yujin, yeah, oh God, as Liz watched.

"Naoi, you ask her out yet?"

"Shut up Yujin!" Rei hissed, glancing at Liz, who was rubbing absentmindedly at her ears. Barnaby had gotten in the bathtub.

"Geez, what's up your ass?"

"There's a feral pigeon flying around our apartment."

There was silence for a moment, and then Yujin burst out laughing.

"Leave a window open?" Yujin choked out.

Rei looked pointedly at Liz. "Obviously someone must have left a window open." Liz flushed and stopped messing with her ears. "Come catch it for us."

Yujin stopped laughing. "What am I, some avian expert to you? I'm not a freaking bird-catching zookeeper Naoi. Do it yourself."

Rei sighed. "Yujin-"

"Oh, and get it on video please." Yujin interrupted, before laughing again and hanging up.

Rei and Liz sat in silence for a minute; there was no sign that the bird was even out there anymore. Of course, that's what he wants you to think, Rei. He's really hiding in your bed, ready to fly into your hair and peck your eyes out when you least expect it.