That day especially, was the day I had got to know Kankri a little bit more. Every day after, it was the little things I noticed, like the way he would scrunch his nose up when he got frustrated, how unusually punctual he spoke even when angry, and the little bursts of enthusiasm when he answered a complicated question correctly in front of the class. I thought he was such an interesting individual, but I never openly discussed these small actions, due to the fear of him rejecting me as a friend.
Though it was enjoyable to get to know someone new, everybody has their weaknesses, their abnormalities, their faults. I had not looked further into these problems before, nor did I think that an exceptional student like Kankri would ever have any personal issues involving anything... But those factors are being saved for later on in the story. - C.A
_____
A few weeks had slipped passed with the same routine. I get ready, labor for school, come home, go to bed, but luckily this week is the start of all the school clubs. That means the beginning of a social activity as a senior and to claim the captain tag this year on the swim team.
Though it was the weekend, I woke early that morning to get on my laptop. I couldn't resist excitedly bragging about the situation of becoming captain in a group chat consisting of some friends at school. My fingers were going a mile a minute as they lightly tapped the keys.
- Welcome to Chatroom! [MC], [DM], [FP], [RN], [KM] are in this Chatroom! -
[CA]: ive been waiting for this moment since I was fresh meat!!!
[CA]: I mean, nobody can surpass my abilities. It's like I was suppose to be born a fish or something.
[MC]: You have some serious aquatic/psychic powers.
[MC]: Even when you were a freshman, coach took a quick interest in you like he SENSED potential
[RN]: you're an asshole for stealing the spotlight but I love ya cronus π€
[DM]: It's not like he'll go play in the olympics, he's too shy to show that tiny thing of his in a speedo. ππ
[RN]: wtf damara, cro don't wear no speedo
[CA]: I'm not going to wear a speedo EVER, unless you wanna private package show babe π
[RN]: OHHHHH BOI WAT
[DM]: Show me what.
[DM]: A pocket size package of tic tacs?? Already heard what you have from Meenah. Not interested.
[RN]: OOOHHHHH CRO GOT BURNT YO π₯π₯π₯π₯π₯
[MC]: I'm in literal tears πππ
[CA]: go suck a dick Megido. Oh yeah, ya already dried up the whole school.
[DM]: DAMARE! FAKKU DΕSEIAI-SHA!!!
- [DM] left the chatroom -
[MC]: she left πππ
[RN]: can't take the heat, don't need to be here
[KM]: If all of you wouldn't be such immature assholes, we would be apart of this mother fucking group chat.
- [KM] left the chatroom -
[CA]: oh come on, we're not THAT bad
[CA]: shit he left.
[MC]: His loss dude
[RN]: im gonna add him back in later just to piss him off
[MC]: omfg, Rufioh you're asking for trouble
The screen of my laptop went blank as I pressed the little side button to turn it off, ignoring the notifications that still took place after. The friends in that chat was a bit immature, including me, but when someone pisses off a Makara? Let's just say I'm not dealing with a death sentence following graduation.
Though the swim meet was in about a week in advance, I was well over excited to finally be a leader in something. I knew the only one that qualifies is me, but there is this sense of nervousness inside. It was probably just a little flaw in my thoughts, but nothing could stop me from achieving my dreams. If everything goes the way I want this year, being the team captain will place me into the big leagues, even possibly start training for my Olympic goals. Now that's a thought I'm very ecstatic about.
I shifted my weight to the side of the bed, before hopping onto my feet. Grabbing some holey jeans and a plain tee, I decided to take a break from the electronics and maybe make breakfast if there's anything in the kitchen. Stopping by my brothers room, I slowly opened the door and saw him on his phone. He quickly glanced up, placing the phone down. "W-What do you want Cronus?"
"Hey buddy, ya wvant some breakfast?" I asked right before a buzz was heard from his phone.
Eridan checked the message real quick, "Uh, yeah hang on."
Rolling my eyes at the younger boy, I left the scene and made my way into the kitchen for some scouting. Checking the fridge first, there was a few beers and packets of ranch in the side drawer, nothing really edible for the two of us. The freezer? No, not even those amazing frozen waffle things. The last place to check was the pantry, so I searched there. It only took a glance or two before realizing the responsible adult of this house didn't pick up any food for this week and left his sons without a meal.
"So w-what's for breakfast?" Eridan was leaning on the entrance frame of the kitchen with his arms crossed. He obviously didn't expect there to be anything, but I had some hopes of dad changing.
With a long sigh, I weighed down the options and decided on something. "Get dressed, cause wvere gonna go out an' eat today."
This perked the boy up as he quickly spun and ran the opposite direction. I smiled a bit at his reaction, but it quickly faded once it came. It doesn't seem fair that our dad does this, more frequently than he thinks, and I have full responsibility of my younger brother most of the time. I don't mind it, but it's not suppose to be like that. A father is suppose to provide for his family and make sure everyone is taken care of, but the father we have is the exact opposite. Even the thought of this happening again made me pissed off at my unapologetic bloodline. At least I worked all summer, so I have a good amount of cash saved up just for these kinds of emergencies.
The trip to town is about a good thirty minute walk, passed the empty school and maybe a few short-cuts through other peoples yards. This is when a car would be very helpful, but unfortunately I have my license yet don't have enough money to afford a car myself. The lucky high schoolers with those necessities don't know the true struggle. There was a diner just a block away that the two of us always go to and enjoy ourselves. There were mostly just bitter-sweet memories with our family, the old fashioned cafΓ© being a slice of home really.
With an outstretched arm, I opened the door for my brother and walked in behind him. The familiar black and white checkered tiles were clean, along with a few tall bar stools at the little kiosk just to let you see them cook the food. Small booth-like tables were back to back, lining the wall perfectly in a symmetrical way that's pleasing to the eyes.
I let Eridan pick where he wanted to sit before we both started drawing with the paper and cup of broken crayons they offered as entertainment. Purple was my favorite color, so I snagged that right out of Eridan's reach before he could get to it.
"H-Hey! Gimme that!" Eridan gave a glare as he tried to reach for the crayon I had.
Dangling it above me, I shook my head with a glare right back at the purple haired kid. "I got to it first, so ya havwe to wvait until I'm finished wvith it."
"But you only use that color and nothin' else, it's goin' to take forever!" He whined, crossing his arms in front of his chest with a pouty expression that wasn't going to work on me.
As soon as I was about to say something, a waitress was heading our way with a pen and small booklet in hand. It was the older woman of the establishment that occasionally worked here on the weekends. Her brownish-graying hair was tied up in a messy bun and her uniform was a bit dirty from possibly a spill earlier in her shift. She greeted us with a smile that could always brighten up a room. "Hello boys, how are you doing this fine morning?"
"Wve're doin' great Betty. Eridan ovwer here is just havwin' some sharin' issues wvith the crayons." I gestured over to the still pouting sibling.
The woman only gave a laugh before reaching into her appron pocket and pulled out a hand full of crayons that contained a new purple one. She gave it to Eridan and placed her hands on her hips. "There, I hope that problem is solved?" We both nodded as she smiled. "Now what y'all growing boys need is some breakfast. Let me take care of that, I know just the thing."
Watching her walk off, I turned to face my brother. "So howv's school treatin' ya?"
Eridan gave a shrug, more focused on the sketch of a purple and black seahorse. "Fine I guess, not really what I was expectin' though."
"Anyone givwin' you trouble?" As soon as I asked, a sigh came from him and his head nodded. I furrowed my eyebrows, "Wvho?"
"It's these three guys, they alw-ways stop me at the gym entrance and make fun of my fuckin' stutter." He mumbled and glared down at the paper before dropping the crayons into the cup. "I can't help it."
I cleared the table from the rest of the crayons and crossed my arms over my chest. "Wvhat's their names? Maybe I can havwe a little chat wvith 'em for ya."
"Kurloz Makara, but that's the only one I really know." His eyes seemed to be pleading me now. "Cronus you better not tell him I said anythin', he'll kill me!"
A bit of anger made it's way to my emotions. I knew this was going to happen sooner or later, but I wish it wasn't a problem to worry about for him. With a sigh, I tried to keep my cool for the frightened kid. "Don't wvorry, him an' I go wvay back. I knowv howv his gang functions so this'll be a piece of cake."
My words seemed to let Eridan relax a bit, but I knew he was still thinking about it. What my brother doesn't know, is that I barely associate myself with his click and I have reasons on my own terms. Kurloz is bad news to the school, but yet each allegation that's thrown at him is denied as false claims and rumors. Of course that's what happens when his parents practically own the town and have the principle wrapped around their manipulative fingers with money. If he keeps messing with my little brother, his privileged, rich kid ass will be served on a gold platter to the Makara residents.
"Alright! I hope you boys like it, my treat." Betty sat the food down in front of us, snapping me back to reality with the whiff of some amazing bacon, eggs, and pancakes.
This washed away the anger I once had, my impaitent stomach calling for some grub. "This looks delicious, Betty."
"Thank you!" My brother piped as he dug right into the pancakes.
With a nod and friendly smile, the waitress started making her way to another customer. We ate in silence after that, little conversation in between, but nothing important other than food getting digested into our hungry stomachs.
Once Eridan finally finished, I fished out what we owed and left the dinner home bound.
"Hey Cro?" My brother said, looking up at me with a more complexed expression as we cut through the same yards as before. I gave him a glance as a que to speak, "There's... This g-girl and... I was w-wonderin' if you could help me get a date with her."
A slight smirk made its way upon my features as I slung an arm around the smaller male, pulling him into my torso before releasing. "Hell yeah, my little brother is gonna attract all the pretty gals wvith these strong Ampora looks!"
He rolled his eyes before signing, "Yeah right, with this stutter I'm probably going to end up being forever al-lone."
"Eri," I could sense his self-confidence was low, most likely from the bully situation he was having to deal with. The itch on my palm was begging to just walk over to the Makara residence and confront the devil man himself. "The right gal wvill lovwe you for wvho ya are. Wvho knowvs, the one you're crushin' on nowv might be. Ya havwe nothin' to lose, but to gain experience."
Those words sounded about right, but I could still feel Eridan second guessing his decision to ask the girl out. Before I could say anything else, my phone let out a notification. I quickly pulled it out of my pocket and checked to see what it was.
Kankri V messaged you.
Kankri V: Hello Cr9nus!
Kankri V: Cronus** I have no idea where that number came from, please ignore the nine.
I gave a smile and decided to reply back now.
You: Hey Kan, suprised that you remembered to text me!
Kankri V: Yes... Well... I was just needing a distraction for a while and you're the first person that popped into my mind.
You: I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or...
Kankri V: It's a compliment. Don't let it feed the egoistic jock lying dorment in that thick cranium of yours.
You: Already too late
Kankri V: Dear god what have I done...
With a small snicker, I shook my head and unlocked the door for Eridan to enter. I followed behind the small boy and sat on the couch with my phone in hand. Eridan was giving me a weird look, but I ignored him and waited for another text from my friend.
"Is that a girl?" Eridan was now peeking over my shoulder from behind the couch. I moved the phone from his vision and gave a glare.
"No Squirt, it's just a friend." I spoke up, giving a sideways glance towards him.
His eyebrows knitted together and glared back a bit more aggressive than my liking. "Then why the hell are you smiling like a c-creep?"
"Hey! I'm not doin' anythin' but textin' a guy friend back, there's nothin' else goin' on." I defended in a tone equal to his own, placing the phone back into my pocket for safe keeping from any unwanted eyes.
Eridan quickly dropped the topic before walking around the corner, most likely going to his bedroom. "Whatever."
That kid and his assumptions is going to be the death of me. Was he implying that I liked Kankri in a more... 'non-bros' fashion? That would be abserd, me gay for my guy friend. I don't even think Kankri is into guys to let that be a possibility. It's not an unorthodox crime to smile and laugh at a friend's text-backs, at least to my knowledge.
The phone made a noise again and I took it out once more to look.
Kankri V: I was also wanting to know your plans for attending Homecoming? I have a few questions to ask you.