"You're what?"
"I just told you, I'm going over to have a few drinks with my co-worker. It's not like I'm abandoning you here or anything, jeez."
"Oi! I'd be just fine here on my own!"
"Uh huh, whatever you say ponyboy."
"Who you callin' ponyboy?!"
"You, obviously. And plus, you'd be in an alien research facility right now if it weren't for me. Have a little gratitude."
Kanoe piped down after I mentioned that, but it was true after all. I did sneak him out of the morgue that night, and I gave him a place to stay.
"Don't be gone too long, or else I'll assume you're dead in a ditch somewhere."
"Alright, I'll probably be back in an hour or so. We're not well acquainted."
I left the building and tried my best to choke down the chills running down my spine as I rode the elevator to the underground parking garage. It hasn't gone away but it hasn't gotten worse over the past few days, so that's good. But I still want to know the reason I'm feeling like I'm being closely observed each time I do anything but binge netflix on the couch.
I typed in Kaito's number and called him before leaving the parking lot.
"Hello?"
"Hey, it's Miyazaki."
"Oh, you need my address right?"
"Yeah."
"I live in the Shiro apartment complex off of main street, type in the code 98776 and I'll buzz you in."
"Okay, I'll see you in a few."
"Cya."
Sounds easy enough, I already know where that is so it's not a problem to get there. Who knew he only lived 6 blocks away?
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What was the code again? 98776? Yeah, it was.
I typed the code into the keypad and waited for Kaito to answer.
"Hikaru?"
"Yeah, it's me. Which room are you in?"
"609, I'll buzz you in."
"Thanks."
The buildings' doors opened and I stepped inside, marveled by the neatness of the design.
The elevator was nice, it wasn't as clunky as the one I had in my apartment building and it had a much more elegant design.
Okay, 609. Here it is.
I knocked once on the door before it opened.
"Hey, come on in. I got beer, hope you don't mind."
"Not at all, I could really use a beer right now anyway."
Whoa, the inside of his apartment is so... huge. It's almost like a modern artist threw up in here and that's where Kaito decided to live.
The walls were a crisp white and the floor was a gorgeous stained cedar wood. In the corner of the room was a black sectional couch with a glass coffee table and a tall bookshelf beside it.
Slightly to the right was an enormous window and glass doors leading out to a balcony and on the other side was the kitchen. It had an island, marble countertops, black cabinets, a microwave and a large fridge.
There was even a modern chandelier in the center of the room, I mean COME ON. This place was practically screaming expensive! If I could see myself right now, I'd probably see my jaw hitting the floor and my eyes rolled into the back of my head.
"You okay?"
"Hm? Oh, yeah. I just didn't expect this place to be so nice."
If we're being honest here, I'd say I wasn't as surprised as I should've been. For a guy as attractive as Kaito, I should've seen it coming. Auburn hair, piercing hazel eyes, gold ear cuffs, fair skin, kinda muscly, girls practically drool over him at work when they see him.
"Here, have a seat. I'll get you a drink."
Kaito went into the kitchen for a minute while I made myself at home on the sofa.
Jesus, even his TV was gigantic. Doesn't this guy own anything moderately cheap?
Kaito sat down beside me on the couch and opened a can of beer, then handed me one.
"Oh, thanks."
I opened it and took a sip. Just as expected, classy beer.
"Has anyone ever told you you're pretty attractive?"
Eh? What kind of question is that?
"Err, no. You think so?"
"How could anyone not? I mean, it's not every day you find someone with lavender eyes like yours. How come you aren't popular with the ladies?"
"Well, my last girlfriend said I was too 'cute' to date anymore and she was looking for a more masculine guy. I guess I didn't fit the description."
"That sucks, are you dating anyone right now?"
"Huh? Why do you ask?"
"Personal curiosity, you don't have to answer."
"No, it's fine. I'm not dating anyone currently, and I don't really have my eye on anyone at the moment so I don't think I'll need a girlfriend anytime soon."
"Have you ever considered trying it with a guy?"
I choked on my beer.
"A guy?!"
"Is there something wrong with liking guys?"
"Wh- No. I just have no interest in them, that's all. I guess I haven't ever thought about it before."
"Then there's no harm in trying, right?"
Now I was confused, this is getting way too personal for comfort. What is it with this sudden interest in gay romance? Was he some kind of otaku or something?
"Kaito, what are you implying?"
"I'm implying you let me kiss you."
Huh? HUUUUHHHHH??!?! KISS ME? KAITO SWINGS THAT WAY?!?!
"I-I don't think that's appropriate-"
He didn't even let me answer before he took his chance to make a move. What's worse, was that I hated it. I had been stripped of my rights and violated by my co-worker, not to mention Kanoe was bothered by the idea at first and didn't want me to go. It's almost like he knew it would happen.
I tried pushing him away, but I wasn't strong enough to. Until before I knew it, I had slapped him across the face as hard as I could.
"I told you I have no interest in romantics, let alone guys in general!" I could clearly see hurt in his eyes when I said that, but I didn't care. I just got the hell out of there as fast as I could and went home.
______________________________________________
I slammed the door shut, kicked off my shoes, and ran into my bedroom, locking the door. I wanted to be alone right now.
"Oi, Miyazaki, what happened out there?! Are you alright?" I heard Kanoe knocking on my door seconds after I shut the door.
"If you want to be alone, that's fine. But I think you should consider letting me in and telling me what happened, it'll get a lot off your chest."
I thought about that for a second, then unlocked the door for him and sat down on the bed.
"You wanna talk about it?" Kanoe asked, peeking his head in through the door.
I nodded, moving over to give him some space next to me.
"What happened? Did he hurt you?"
I shook my head.
"Then what did he do?"
"He violated my rights." I covered my face with my hands and pulled my knees under my chin.
"How'd he... never mind. Do you need a hug, or... something?"
"Mhm."
I straightened my legs and let him wrap his arms around me, It felt nice to have someone who actually cared for once. I haven't had someone like that in a long while, and I felt comfortable with him being there.
I guess I'll just accept you for the time being, it's not like I'm doing anything important right now.
______________________________________________
"What'd you find this time? Anything worth noting?"
"Yeah, he's being sexually harassed by his co-worker and has a soft spot for the target. But I don't know how much longer I can keep following him, he's already started to suspect someone's watching him."
"Good work, keep it up until you find something more solid though. I think I'd like to make his life miserable before we end it."
"Understood, I'll continue tomorrow as planned."