Oreo

Chapter 6: Observations

Orion's POV~

The shower took roughly ten minutes and when I returned to my room, he was sitting on the foot of my bed.  He had managed to get the television on and had put on an episode of Hetalia.  How many he had watched defeated me, as they were so short to begin with.

I tossed my towel into the laundry basket across the room and sat beside him wearing nothing but grey sweats.  "Do you need to shower or anything?"

He hesitated.  "Um.. yeah.  Probably."

"Okay, well the towel closet is across from the bathroom.  I can lend you a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, if you want, to sleep in."

"Sure.."

I nodded and went over to my drawers, getting out a pair of faded-green sweats and a plain white shirt.  I handed them over to him and he took them out into the hall.  He fetched a towel from the closet before going into the bathroom.  A few short moments later, however, he spoke up.

"Umm... Hey, I don't know how to turn this thing on."

Light chuckles escaped me.  "Of course," I returned to the hall and opened the bathroom door which seemed to make him tense up.  He had already dressed down to his underwear though it wasn't like I hadn't already seen him that way at school.  "Here, let me show you."

He stepped aside and watched as I reached in and got the faucet going before transitioning it to the shower head.

He mumbled what sounded like a thanks, but it was mostly drowned out by the sound of the running water.  My task completed, I left the bathroom and shut the door for him.

I wonder what he's so tense about. I pondered to myself, sitting down on my bed and pressing play on the show.  It almost didn't seem voluntary; more like a reflex... The television turned into a white noise in my head as I tried to solve what could be bothering him.  What has made him so stoic...? That's what I really want to know.  It can't just be the bullying because he seems the same way when he heads home.  That's why I keep inviting him over, I guess.  I want him to loosen up and maybe smile for once.  If he keeps that cold and lifeless expression and continues to worry over every little thing, he'll be having grey hairs before he turns 30.

Several minutes passed as I tried to solve it out that I didn't hear the water stop.  It was then at the introduction of Romano that Romeo walked in carrying a bundle of his clothes.  His still damp hair was a mess and fell in his eyes.  He sat down on the couch, watching the television.

"..Hey." I started.  "Stay the week."

He looked at me in surprise.  ".. What?"

"You heard me."

He frowned a little.  "But... all my clothes are at-"

"I know." I interrupted.  "We can stop by your place after school tomorrow to get your clothes and anything else you need."

There was a bit of hesitance, as usual, before he nodded. ".. Okay."

A short nod myself, I turned my attention back to the show.

"... Hey.. Rion?" Romeo started, drawing back my attention.  "... I just... I'm sorry.  Thank you... for everything."

As he spoke, he seemed to grow a bit more relaxed.  A smile cracked my face and I couldn't help a small chuckle as I ruffled his hair again.  "You're such a little NorwIce~"  My body acting on its own, my hand swept hair from his face and I leaned over, placing a kiss on the side of his forehead.

He looked stunned momentarily but said nothing.  Not wanting to overstep the boundaries, my eyes returned to the TV.  We both continued to watch Hetalia in silence, finishing off the bag of cherries.

~

Romeo's POV~ [The next day]

I can't believe I was hugging his arm this morning!  Good thing he didn't wake up.. That would've been mortifying.  And especially after he kissed my forehead last night.  For some reason, I can't get rid of the feeling of his lips against my skin.  They were so soft.. I don't know why that surprises me.

It was finally 3 o'clock, five minutes after the bell had rang.  I could barely believe I was going through with this whole spend-the-week business.  The both of us were about to walk to my place so we could get my things and tell my folks.  My heartrate felt a lot heavier than normal.  Probably because I feared the inevitable.  I sighed and scratched my head.

Suddenly I felt Orion's arm around my shoulders again.  "You're tense again, buddy ol' pal."

"Uhh... I guess."

"Cool it, man." He said.  "Soon enough we'll be back at my place and you can just relax."

I nodded but my chest overall felt tight.

"Hey," He said.  "Why are you so pale?"

"Let's just get this over with."

He made a confused expression as I lead the way towards my place.  He followed, keeping up with my faster than normal pace.  I just really didn't want to be at my place longer than I needed to.  If I could get in and out with my stuff without being seen, it would be a blessing.  And I'm not even religous.  But of course, it's not like things work out the way I ever want them to.  If only I had the courage like Orion to just move out of that damn house...

"Hey, I didn't know you could walk this fast." Orion remarked.  ".. You okay?"

"I hate that question..." I mumbled under my breath.

"Okay, okay..." He went quiet after that and it pained me to say I almost wanted him to keep asking.  But pushing those feelings aside, I kept walking in the direction of my house.  It was about ten minutes until we finally reached it.

Let's get this over with....

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆