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389 25 1

by lovejjong

by lovejjong

After finally getting Soraru to fall asleep, Rib stepped out of the bedroom, busying himself with the process of making hot cocoa. He thought about the state Soraru was in- how he is even more fragile than last time, and how easily he breaks, and sighs through his nose. He doesn't think he can take care of Soraru himself, not to mention that he got himself a part time job in helping out with the dance classes nearby his house, and the younger is on semester break.

Rib forced a smile on his lips, placing the mug of hot cocoa and writing down a small note informing Soraru that he will be out buying groceries for awhile. He kissed the younger on the forehead softly, before pulling away and exiting the house.

Locking the door behind him, Rib spins around to be greeted by the one and only, Mafu. Rib scrunched his nose at him, but made no comment as he made his way down the walkway. He could hear Mafu's hurried footsteps dogging him, but ignored it in favour of getting to the lift.

Mafu got into his lift with him, and Rib spins on him with a annoyed expression. "what do you want, stalker?" he spits out, his voice laced with thinly veiled annoyance and Mafu shrunk back a little. Despite Mafu's larger frame, Rib still managed to scare him, especially right now. "I'm not..," he mumbles, his eyes fluttering close.

Rib softens, and folded his arms across his chest. "are you worried about Soraru?" he asks, and Mafu nods. "how's he?" he asks, and Rib shrugs in response. "not good," he answers quickly. "will you let me.. let me see him?" Mafu hesitated at the beginning, but Rib glanced at him. "are you serious?" he asks, and Mafu bobbed his head vigorously.

Rib rapped a finger against the wall, glancing at the screen. Almost there. The elevator dinged rather obnoxiously and Rib walked out. A quick jerk of his head forced Mafu to follow. They made their way to the nearby grocery shop, and Mafu held the basket for Mafu as he shopped. "you wouldn't judge him or treat him badly, right?" his voice is clipped, the words directed to Mafu, who was in the process of unloading the basket onto the counter.

The cashier glanced up at them suspiciously, the shorter boy with dark hair and a dark mood, and the taller boy with puppy-like air and a startled look- almost as if he was surprised that he was being spoken to. A sharp glare from Rib had the cashier looking away, to continue scanning the items. "well?" Rib turned his face to Mafu, and Mafu chewed on his bottom lip.

"I won't," he mutters, his voice timid and small. "you better not break this promise, or I'll break your arm." the words spoken by Rib did not sound like an empty threat. He flexed his fingers slowly, before throwing an empty smile at the cashier. "how much?" he asks, his voice calm and cheery, and she says it softly. Placing the money on the counter, Rib grabbed the bags and Mafu followed him.

"look. I'll be gone for a few days, to the neighbouring town for a while. I want someone to take care of him. So you-" he looked at Mafu, "-better take care of him. Make sure he isn't hurting himself. Make sure he is eating well. Make sure no one bullies him. Make sure he sleeps well, all that." they reached his floor, and Rib gripped Mafu's wrist tightly, forcing his eyes to meet his own.

"make sure you don't fucking leave him alone without any notes. or when I come back and he is crying, I'll fucking end you."

a/n : i hope y'all enjoyed reading this book. As usual, sorry for the slow updates.
-aru