That night was difficult for Aki to sleep through.
It was sweltering hot, his bed was uncomfortable, and the entire world felt endlessly noisy. When he opened his eyes to face another gloomy day, he was startled to see how bright and loud it was.
The sheets he was covered had a pattern of white skulls on them rather than the plain black, and his bed was much bigger than he remembered. Aki looked around the room to see it was not his own. The floor was a beige carpet, the walls had large posters like the ones in Adkin's room, and there was a large black rectangle directed in front of him.
Aki threw the sheets off and rushed ran across the room to see a window. Looking through, he saw something he could only dream about. Cars were whizzing across the streets, people walking along sidewalks, and buildings rather than castles were everywhere.
"These dreams are getting too vivid… this is just cruel," Aki spoke in disbelief. His hands trembled as he struggled to stand. He couldn't bring himself to accept this was real, not after the countless other dreams he had. He kept reminding himself it was a dream until he calmed himself down.
"You probably only got like four hours to sleep. But I promise you, you ain't dreaming."
Aki whipped his head back to see Adkin in the doorway with a smirk on his face. He was wearing white shorts and a red tanktop. They couldn't have left so soon. "This isn't right. I was just at home. How did I get here?"
"If you want an answer: I kidnapped you. Now get the hell out of those clothes. Just looking at you makes me sweat." Adkin gestured to a modern dresser before leaving.
Looking down at his clothes, he was still in his clothes from before. Dressed in layers of long-sleeved clothes and pants. Aki reluctantly went to the dresser and pulled open the silver handle. Revealing a drawer filled with clothes similar to Adkin's.
"I'll just enjoy this until I wake up…" Aki undressed and tossed his clothes onto the ground. He picked out a light blue shirt and a pair of red shorts to go out in. It felt much better than the stuff bland clothes he wore before. "Adkin! Where'd you go?" Aki asked as he left the room. The hallway was much more narrow and had fewer doors.
Adkin appeared shortly after he was called and had the plate from before still in his hands. "Much better. It's not fancy, so I thought you might like it more." He held it out to Aki. It was a stack of pancakes. Like the ones, Silvath would make. "You seem pretty calm. I thought you'd be more excited to finally be back on Earth."
"Oh! Yeah. I've had dreams like this before. I wake up in another room, see out the window to see those sketches you've made come to life, and think I'm awake. But I always wake up before I get to go outside. I'm kinda tired of this happening, so I won't get my hopes up again," Aki explained before taking the plate. Gladly taking a bite out of the pancakes. They tasted as sweet as they looked. Ha hated how real this dream felt.
Adkin only grinned as he leaned against the wall. "Dumbass. You're awake. I totally kidnapped you when you were sleeping! Romantic I know!"
Aki rolled his eyes as he continued eating the pancakes. "Yeah sure. This is new I won't lie. Usually, it's just me in a room, so it's nice to have you in my dreams. It's boring being alone!" He soon finished and saw Adkin now glaring at him.
He placed his arms on both sides of Aki. It forced him to back into the wall. "Your skull must be as thick as pig shit if you still think this is a dream. They say shocking things can wake up people like falling to their death. Then this should work just as well." Before getting to question Adkin's intentions. Aki felt something warm press against the corner of his lips.
The sensation sent shivers throughout Aki's body as he stiffened up. His already warm face felt like it was melting from being so embarrassed. It felt too real to keep denying it.
"Starting to catch on? You're wasting time by refusing to accept this," he whispered before stepping back. "Admit it. Where are you?"
Aki's hands began trembling once more as his stomach felt strange. "I-I'm actually on Earth?" He answered before falling to his knees. Aki became overwhelmed with a mixture of emotions. There were too many running through him to even process. The stunt Adkin pulled only made him feel more emotions. "I-I'm gonna throw up…" he warned as he hugged his stomach.
"You better not do it here then. Silvy's not here, so I gotta clean it up." Adkin held his hand out to him. "C'mon. I'll take you to the living room and fill you in."
Aki reached out to accept his hand, stumbling a bit as he struggled to stay standing. Adkin pulled him into a larger room that was less vibrant than the usual interior royals had. They sat on an ugly green couch with some throw pillows on them.
"This is the best I can afford while attending college. Yeah, it's not as flashy as my place, but I still like it…" Adkin spoke in a defensive tone as he watched Aki take the whole room.
He began laughing with joy as he fell back on the couch. "I love it! It's so normal and cozy! Is this the apartment you said you lived in?" He asked with wide eyes.
Adkin's face became tinted pink as he cleared his throat. "Y-yeah. The one I use commissions to pay my rent. It's only a one-bedroom apartment, but I still enjoy being here whenever I don't wanna deal with the other world."
"One bedroom? So the bed I slept in was…" Aki trailed off as Adkin nodded. "A servant should never sleep in the same bed as a royal! This is unacceptable, Adkin!" Aki groaned as he buried his warm face in his hands.
Adkin clicked his tongue as he nudged Aki with his elbow. "That only applies in that other world. Here, we are pretty much on the same level. Heck, even presidents don't always get treated like the leaders of a country. More likely they get treated like trash to the public. So don't worry about the royalty bull until you get back." He smiled seeing Aki finally looking at him.
"If that's the case, then don't lick me! I'm covered in gross sweat!" He spoke before smiling. "I think I want to scream with excitement! I'm finally here! Earth!" He exclaimed before Adkin held a pillow to his face.
Adkin chuckled. "So that's what bothered you? Just scream into this. I can't risk my neighbors filing another noise complaint." Adkin then leaned over the couch and shouted at the floor. "Even though you're the one always screaming at your cats, ya stupid cow!" he groaned in annoyance.
Aki stared at the round pillow in his hands before pressing his face in the plush fabric. It smelled like honey and lavender. He finally let out his pent-up excitement into muffled screams. Adkin waited patiently for Aki to finish up.
"Okay… I think I feel a lot better…" Aki spoke after lifting his head. Still holding the pillow tightly to his chest. "So, what's next?"
Adkin chuckled with amusement. "Let's go for a ride. I know Yani makes you walk all the time, so that'll be a nice change."
"In a car, right? I haven't been in one for so long! You'll be driving, right?" Aki asked as he smiled.
"Duh. Silvath trusts me enough to not be reckless. I didn't plan the entire day, only a few so you can fill it up with whatever catches your eye." Adkin stood up from the couch and stretched. "Hope you like the smell of coffee and diesel!" He walked over to a door and began putting on his worn sneakers. Beside him were nicer-looking sneakers.
Aki put them on as quickly as he could. "They feel so comfortable! Like I can walk throughout the kingdoms with ease!" He commented while tying the laces.
"You're excited over the littlest things. It's nice…" Adkin opened the door and walked out. Aki followed and stared out.
There were so many unfamiliar scents. Some pleasant, some foul, some were a mixture of both. "It's so normal and imperfect, just like I imagined!" Aki laughed.
"Well, I parked a couple of floors down, so you'll soon get much closer to it all." Adkin walked down the metal starts with visible aging to them. Aki walked down them, not willing to touch the questionable railing.
Adkin led him to the bottom and into a lit room filled with cars of all models, shapes, and colors. He stopped at a red car and pressed a button on a device he held that made the lights flash, blinding Aki for a second. Adkin opened his door with ease while Aki awkwardly stared at it.
"Do you need help?" Adkin asked before making his way to Aki's passenger side and opening the door. "Don't touch anything. I don't want you messing stuff up," he warned before going back to his side and getting in. "You can just look around and call out whatever interests you. If I can afford it, I'll do it."
Aki grinned as he was helped to buckle in. "I memorized a list! I just hope I can cross it all off in a single day…"
All he had was a day on Earth, but he feared he wouldn't have as much time as he would like.