Shattering Me

8~ the unexpected roommate

"That crazy chick goes to my school, I think. I've seen her around the drama department," Kyle said as they settled down in the living room to talk. He wasn't entirely comfortable with the two bigger and broader males, but he knew that he'd have to get passed that. They were his only protection at this point, "So, what are the rules around here? Tell me how things work."

Ryan, taking a seat at his desk, glanced over his shoulder and said, "Just don't burn my house down, and you'll be fine Cane." There was some sort of exhausted annoyance in Ryan's voice that he didn't really understand. As far as Kyle knew, he hadn't even started being an asshole yet.

"Well, alright," he smiled and laid back on the couch, sprawling his legs over the side. His body still ached, and he was more than willing to spend the rest of his stay here relaxing.

"No. That's not how this will work," Carman interjected. He stood up and crossed his arms over his chest, frowning impatiently. The man literally had pythons for limbs and it was truly disturbing for Kyle. He heard the red-head growl and then Ryan groaned, but turned to face his brother.

Was that part of some secret African language? He wondered.

"You'll be going to school, Kyle. The chief has filled me in on the details of your situation and if you're going to be living under my roof-" Ryan coughed angrily and Carman rolled his eyes. "If you are going to be living under my 'brother's roof,' then you'll be expected to continue your education. You went to the Kamehameha school on account of gifted dancing, that won't be squandered.

"Furthermore, consider my brother as your weekday bodyguard. You stick with him. You obey the important commands. Most importantly, you keep yourself under the radar."

It was Ryan's turn to widen his eyes in surprise. He'd never agreed to take care of anyone other than his little brother and sister before. In fact, he shouldn't have to do any of the serious 'Krag family' stuff until he finished his own education. "That's not fair. I can't skip school just to take care of him. You agreed to look after him, so don't push it on me," he argued.

Kyle hated being talked to like a child who wasn't even in the room. He had parents for that stuff. Or, at least he used to. He decided to keep his mouth shut while the brothers argued. He noticed that they did look pretty similar despite the difference in color schemes. Carman was bulkier and wore dark red- nearly black jeans and a jacket which was unzipped to reveal a bright red shirt underneath. Even his shoes were a blood red and black combination. Combined with the crimson tips of his long straight hair and scarlet orbs, it was like looking at someone through a red lens.

Ryan on the hand, had no trace of red anywhere on him. Instead, orange shoes, a tight yellow t-shirt, and a black pair of slacks covered him up. He had the same slicked back hairstyle as his brother, but with barely noticeable yellow streaks at the end of the obsidian hair. He returned to the conversation when he heard his name.

"Dad can easily get you an audition to Kyle's university. You'll get in by the start of next week."

"That's not the point. I'm not interested in that crap," he growled. Ryan seemed to do that a lot.

"Come on, Rye. Talent should never be wasted."

Kyle's interest was piqued. It had just seemed logical that the teen's talent was for fighting, but that didn't sound like the topic at hand. He had a hard time picturing the fighter as anything other than a klutz on the dance floor. He grinned privately, playing with the idea of anyone that size pulling off a proper pirouette without killing someone.

"See, look at how much Kyle likes the idea. He's already smiling like an idiot. I'll call dad and have the audition set up for this weekend. Just show them your notebook- no, wait. Just bring your tools and your notebook, I'll take care of the rest."

Kyle perked up at the mention of his name, but his mind was elsewhere. So much so, that he simply nodded politely without even attempting to find out what he was agreeing to. Carman was able to gesture to the boy's smiling face and use it as a trump card in their argument. He left quickly, knowing that Ryan wouldn't be rude enough to throw the kid out while wearing a sweet grin like that one.

Dancing was something that just about anyone could do, but not many could do it right. Kyle could do it right. He could twirl like a top, he could pose for days, he could throw himself into a routine at the first beat of a drum, and every step would be a spectacle. He remembered the anxiety he felt before auditioning for the Julliard school, but he also remembered the stunned looks on their faces when they watched him perform and the confidence that soon followed it.

It was the idea that this six-foot-two berserker thought he'd get into the most prestigious performing arts school on the island with ease which made him grin. Someone would have to look into his eyes closely to find that the boyish twist of his lips hid the wicked glint beneath them.

"Hey, are you listening?" Ryan barked.

"Yeah, of course," he lied through his teeth.

"Then let's call it a night. You can take my bed, and I'll sleep on the couch. I might as well sleep in tomorrow since I'm apparently transferring schools soon. Just wake me up if you want a ride. It's actually a good idea for me to take a look" he said, meticulously rolling himself onto the sofa.

Kyle smirked as he took a good look at the fighter. Even the way Ryan slept made it look like he was prepared to lash out and strangle a stray chicken if it got too loud. There was no way in hell Kyle would risk waking the giant.

It was funny to him, but as he walked into Ryan's bedroom and crashed, he was sure that his new roommate guardian had no idea what he was dealing with.