Storm (G/T)

Sushi and Sleep

"So..." I shakily inhale, trying to smooth things over. "What do they put instead of fish?" It's vegan. Reminding myself that he's a vegetarian calms my nerves for many reasons.

"Just tofu," says Austin. "Many people seem to have something against it, but it's really good in sushi."

"Cool." I chew into rice soaked in soy sauce. It gets better in large proportions, surprisingly.

"Yeah, but vegan sushi is a lot more expensive here since anything fish is kind of a staple. There are lots of rivers, so lots of fish, lots of fishing, lots of seafood. Pretty much everyone here's into it, seafood's just never been my style." The chopsticks rise to the giant's mouth and he chews softly, awkwardly trying to make things quick so I'm not as uncomfortable.

"More of you," I murmur to myself, making him pause halfway through grabbing a roll. He heard me. "I mean, not that it's a problem!" I chuckle half-heartedly, then sigh once he breaks eye contact.

"It's fine, I can't imagine more humans either. A whole civilization of you..." We both kind of collectively shudder, then make eye contact again for a split second. He smiles, returning to the sushi. I crack a small smile myself, but he doesn't see it. "Anyway... I got you the rainbow, then black, white, pink and brown. I also got thread that shows white on the spool but is clear by itself, so stitching shouldn't show up."

"That means a lot, thank you." I think about how I'm going to pry the top off the thumbtack, I just need the needle part.

"What's on your mind?" He must've been staring me down.

"Just making clothes."

"Will you need any help?" He asks. "I know how to sew."

"I can't imagine you being able to help much. I need them to be a good fit," I repond. "But you can try if you want."

He says, "Might as well. I don't want you to be cramped up all day making yourself clothing."

"I've done it in the past." Fabric on its own is cheaper than most clothes.

There's a pause. "Oh." There's no good way to reply, I guess.

"Yeah, so are you done?" His plate is empty and my rice is gone.

"Yes, and you are too I assume." He stands up to toss away the tray, then comes back. "It's getting late, maybe we should go to bed. Can I carry you there?"

Well, my fate's decided. Guess I have to stay here now and sleep. "That's fine." His palm swoops down to the side of the table and I step on, latching into his skin immediately. But before anything happens, my leg pops again, causing me to screech.

"Christ, okay. Is everything alright?" the giant asks me.

"Yeah," I lie. "Just my leg."

"Is it dislocated?" I look up and his eyes are filled with worry, eyebrows drawn together.

"I think so, but it's fine."

"I can try to... you know..."

"Absolutely not," I reply, trying to regain myself. It's no use. My leg is absolutely messed up. "I can do it myself."

So I sit on his hand, hitting my thigh repeatedly with no dice. If anything, it's making things worse, intensifying the pain. I look up and he simply holds his head on his free hand boredly. "Anyway, as I said, I can-"

"I got this." I haven't got this. One more punch to my thigh sends shock waves through my entire leg, making me let out another scream.

"Alright, this is painful to watch. Probably more painful to endure, but I can't keep watching you suffer through self infliction." He dumps me back into the table, and I narrowly avoid my leg. "Sorry," he murmurs promptly. "Okay, just hold still."

"I'll stab you again," I threaten. He shifts his eyes up and over to the main area, where my coat, backpack, and most importantly, my blade, lie.

"Good luck then, I'll be on my way while you retrieve it, I hope you catch me in time." He smiles fakely and backs up, allowing me to leave. The table is so high and the main area's even further away, and I'd never be able to reach him-

"Fine, do it."

"Great!" The volume shift still sends me into paralysis. He doesn't notice. "As I said, hold still. I've never done this before."

"Then how the hell are you supposed to-" before I know it, his index finger is against my leg. It's terrifying. Something pops even harsher than the rest, and I belt out an involuntary holler of pain. "YOU FUCKING BROKE IT YOU- wait, it's fine."

"You're welcome," he smiles and holds his palm out again. Sly bastard. I board and we make our way to his room again. Right away, he notices the tape all over by the door.

"I see you used your resources to their full extent." I lean over his fingers to get a look, and he does the same thing as last time, dumping me back to the middle. "I promise you that you'll be spilled back whenever you do that." He closes the door with his leg and carries me to the bed.

"Oh, where do you want me to sleep?" I ask, noticing that there are no normal sized-well, small beds anywhere. Not that I expect him to have any.

"You can just sleep on this bed with me," Austin suggests. "There's plenty of room, and you don't take up much."

"Yeah, but what if you roll over and like... kill me?" My stomach drops a little when I ask it.

"I won't do that. I'm the most peaceful sleeper ever. Once I'm out, I don't move a zent." A what? "Do you snore?" he asks.

"No," I reply. "Do you?"

"No."

"Good. I'd never get sleep with your volume."

"I'm not even that loud when I talk!" he retorts a little loudly, making me flinch. "I suppose your ears are just sensitive."

"I guess so."

"Well, we should get some sleep then. We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow. You're probably tuckered out."

"A little bit, maybe," I reply.

"I'm keeping the door closed and taped up at the very top, and I'm also keeping all tape far out of reach. I wanted to let you know that so you don't have to wait for me to fall asleep. Well, sleep tight." He reaches over to the switch and turns it off while setting his glasses on the stand. I pull part of the comforter over myself while he gets himself situated, and though I can't help but be upset about him not letting me leave, my lack of energy overcomes me and we're both soon fast asleep.