Ruby (Now Completed!)

[Chapter 7]

Teto woke from an uneasy doze to a quiet beeping sound. She looked over to see Len sit up, messing with his watch, trying to turn the alarm off. Piko was still asleep, though with a warm feeling rising in her chest, Teto realized he still had a tight grip around her hand.

After turning off his watch, Len followed his instinct and turned to check on Teto. His heart lurched when he saw her staring back at him, but it sunk again when he noticed her and Piko holding hands. Hoping his disappointment didn't show on his face, he decided to talk to her.

"Good morning, got a good sleep?"

Teto shook her head.

"Didn't really sleep at all. I'm hungry, got food down here?"

Len sighed, slightly annoyed by her demanding tone.

"Yeah, yeah, wake up your friend there and I'll have breakfast in a few minutes."

While Len got up to tap on the wall for breakfast, Teto shifted to face Piko. He was still sound asleep.

Teto hesitated before waking him.

He looks so peaceful, she thought. His face seemed worry-free, and she even noticed he was smiling slightly in his sleep. She blushed, wondering if it was because of her.

She snapped out of her trance, assuming Len would get angry if she refused to obey him. She contemplated how she should wake him up for a moment.

She reached out with her free arm and tapped his shoulder lightly, rubbing circles with her thumb on the outer palm of his hand with her other arm, just as he had done last night.

"Hey, wake up." She said gently.

Piko squinted and opened his eyes. As soon as he did this, though, his eyes widened in fear and he gasped.

This frightened Teto as well.

"Are you alright?" She asked hurriedly.

Luckily, Piko relaxed as soon as she spoke. His eyes softened and he gave her a big smile. Teto had to smile back.

"Yeah, I'm just fine." Piko replied. "Sorry for frightening you, I guess I've just been used to waking up in fear all the time."

This made Teto want to cry and hug him. Nobody should live their life in fear 24/7, especially not a boy such as Piko. She restrained herself, though, in case Piko wasn't comfortable with that yet. Not letting go of each other's hands just yet, they both sat up.

"So, how'd you sleep?" Teto asked.

Piko shrugged.

"Better than usual, thanks to you. It's comforting, having someone around that understands what you're going through."

Teto nodded in agreement.

"True, true. I'm sure glad we met." She hesitated, hoping she hadn't made a mistake with her words. Fortunately, Piko nodded and squeezed her hand.

"Me too."

Their moment was interrupted by Len yelling.

"Alright, lovebirds, get your butts over here before I eat your food!"

Teto and Piko shared a chuckle before getting up and walking across the room, where Len was sitting criss-cross on a blanket, a plate with a loaf of bread on it sitting in front of him.

"Mmm, what kind of bread is this?" Teto asked, sitting down next to him. She breathed in its fresh aroma, her mouth watering.

Len gave her a small smile.