A Whale Shark's Ray (Free!)(SousukexOC)(Boyxboy)

Chapter 11

The next morning, I woke up to find the bed empty. Reaching a hand out to feel the other side of the bed, I noted the sheets were still quite warm. He must've only gotten up a few minutes ago. I mutter in Arabic to myself as I get up and change into a thick sweater and sweatpants. The number of Sousuke's things in my room have been steadily growing. It almost seems like the room has been given a more lived-in feel.

A bit like my heart. Though that was different, as my heart was more like a clay bottle that was irreparably cracked. It certainly had a leak.

The sound of water running told me Sousuke was in his own shower. I went in my bathroom and resisted the urge to flinch when I looked at myself. I knew this look. The tiredness, the messy hair, the strained expression. I looked the same way when I left 8 years ago. My blue eyes flickered down to the counter, staring at the bottle of capsuled evil. Pills in the morning, and lotion in the evening. I really hate pills...

I took them anyways.

After brushing my teeth and attempting to brush my hair, which probably just made it worse, I moved to the downstairs couch. I curled up with a blanket, and a warm cup of tea, then began doing a puzzle on the coffee table in the living room. This house could get so cold sometimes... The completed image was supposed to be a child asleep and curled up against the back of his father, who was peering back at him with a sleepy smile. Honestly, the child was me. Granny had made the puzzle using a picture of me and my dad sleeping. I liked it.

After a while, I heard footsteps, but ignored them until they stopped behind me. I glanced back to see Sousuke on the couch, watching me with an odd expression. I blinked at him for a moment, then returned to my puzzle. I'd gotten most of the bodies done, and only had to do the faces and the bed. Sousuke moved down to the floor with me, taking a piece and snapping it into place. I didn't say anything, just smiled a little. He, too, was wearing a sweater, but he had jeans on instead of sweatpants. His was a dark brown, while mine was a light beige. We continued to work on the puzzle together, and it wasn't until he completed the face of the child that he realized it was me. His expression was funny, a mix of surprise and amusement. Unable to really focus on the puzzle anymore, I gave up, just sitting and watching him. My headache wasn't as bad this time, but was still there.

He completed the puzzle by himself, then sat back and just seemed to take it in. Come to think of it, this is the first time he's seen anything of my parents. I was always closer to my father than my mother, as she was a strict dance teacher and didn't like those who slacked off. My father was different, hard-working but a kind of lazy person, always taking naps. Now that I think of it, he may have had hypersomnia himself. I just never noticed it as a child.

My father was built a little like me, but thinner. His hair was black, but his eyes were the same cloudy blue as mine. We shared a lot of the same habits, even walking the same way. Well, we did until I hurt my foot. Now I walk with a very slight limp on my right leg. It doesn't hurt anymore, but it's muscle memory to walk that way after so long.

I was so fixated on the puzzle that I didn't notice Sousuke staring at me until I happened to glance up. Instead of averting my gaze, I just stared back. Well, not exactly. I was just lost in the color of his eyes. Deep turquoise, with a slight darkness to them that beheld an almost predatorial look. Haru had once said that when they first met, he was a little bit scared of Sousuke. I can kind of see where he was coming from.

Eventually, my gaze averted down to the floor, cheeks feeling a bit warm. I could still feel his gaze on me, but it didn't bother me at all. I rather liked it. It was silent, besides the gentle noises of our breathing. It was a comfortable silence.

"Munto."

"Mm?"

"I love you. And I know you love me."

My cheeks grow very warm, and I can only nod. He was right, embarrassing as it was. Not to mention scary. His forehead rests against mine, not a sound escaping my lips. My hands tremble, afraid of what might happen.

"Relax. I won't hurt you. It's okay to be broken."

I lost my control over myself, slumping against him as I tried not to weep. He said nothing more, only holding me against him as I shook. I bit my lip to keep from making noise, silent tears falling one by one. He was warm, arms around me like a protective barrier. A barrier against the world, but not against my own shards. I can feel his own pain slowly slipping away. I knew he was just as broken as I was, though I never knew why. I suppose it didn't matter now. Awkward as we were, we had one another.

We may not be an official couple yet, but we had full trust in one another. After all, what are you supposed to do when your walls come tumbling down? The only thing you can do is let someone else, someone as weak as you, become your fortress.

That's how we humans survive, isn't it?