Aki rests his head against his seat belt as he took in the world surrounding him. He enjoyed every bit of the normality he never got to experience. The air felt so refreshing and also nauseating from the fumes.
"So what's first on your list? Might as well lay it out while we're stuck in traffic." Adkin asked as he looked at the red light.
"Oh! Well– being in a car was already one. I really wanted to see a movie in a theater! It's been so long, I want to experience going to one!" Aki exclaimed as he watched drivers honking their horns and cursing. It made him smile.
Adkin pulled out his phone and was scrolling through it. "There's nothing really interesting showinG, but I'll take you anyway." He set it down and began driving again. "Since I'm not made of money here, I'm not buying you food from there–" he then grinned with a mischievous look. "We're sneaking it in."
Aki frowned at Adkin's expression and sighed. "This better not be illegal, Adkin. I want to do a lot of things here, but a crime isn't one."
"It's not, technically… they just won't be happy. But it'll be okay. We'll hit up a corner store before going there. It won't take long."
Aki went back to taking in as much as he could. People dressed much differently than he remembered. They wore more flashy clothes. Tight-fitting or sagging seemed to be a common style. Besides Adkin cursing occasionally, all Aki could hear was the living outside.
Soon, Adkin stopped at a small store right on the corner of the street.
"A corner store. I get it now!" Aki laughed once he put the two together. With Adkin's assistance, Aki got out and rushed into the store.
There were aisles of snacks and drinks. He was barely able to stop drooling with excitement.
"Hey. Don't go rushing off like that." Adkin held out his hand. "Hold my hand before you go rushing off into trouble."
Aki held his hand and sighed. "S-sorry. But I couldn't help it. I just feel like I'm in a rush and don't want to waste time! I'll try to restrain myself more…" Aki apologized with an apologetic face.
Adkin sighed in defeat. "It's okay. Just stay by my side, okay?" Aki smiled brightly.
"I promise!"
Adkin then showed Aki a selection of snacks and drinks they could easily sneak in. Even though Aki felt bad they weren't doing the right thing, it felt human enough to allow.
"I think I overdid it with the snacks. Maybe I'm a bit excited for this as well." Adkin admitted sheepishly as he looked into the plastic sack. Chips, chocolates, candies, and a couple of bottled drinks. "Do you want to try one now?" Adkin offered as he held out a box of candies.
"Yes! I was actually hoping you'd ask!" Aki held his hand with an eager grin. Adkin chuckled and knocked a couple of color candies into Aki's hand. He ate them with a pleasant smile before it turned sour. He struggled to chew them up and swallowed them quickly. "Wh-what were those?"
Adkin laughed as he ate some himself. "Sour candies! These should be considered illegal with how painfully sour they are!" he laughed. Seeing that Aki was still struggling to get over it, he sighed. "Well, they're for me anyways. You'll eat all the chocolates if I give them to you now." Adkin began driving again towards their next destinations.
Aki finally managed to open his mouth without the need to cringe. "I was trying to say they were good! But they're just a bit too sour for me. Thanks for sharing."
"No prob…" Adkin smiled a bit as he drove with a more calm attitude. "When we get there, I'll do the talking. The people here are kinda… crazy? Like thinking aliens are real and all. Technically they're right, but I don't want you accidentally adding fuel to anything."
"I'll try!" Aki looked out the window and his eyes widened seeing the big glowing sign. "It's so bright! Are we really going there?" he asked.
Adkin scoffed at his excitement. "It might look pretty on the outside, but it's far from gorgeous inside. Trust me…" he mumbled as he parked into the crowded parking lot. He picked up a jacket from behind his seat. Inside were multiple pockets. He opened up each bag of chips before rolling them up and slipping them inside.
"You seem a bit efficient at this, Adkin…" Aki commented. "Are you that cheap or that smart?" he asked.
"I've watched enough cheapskates shows to know what I'm doing is the most sanitary. Just trust me." Adkin slipped on the jacket and got out, followed by Aki who was already holding his hand. "The hand thing was a-… nevermind." Adkin held his hand and walked with him.
Aki looked towards the building and saw other couples holding hands. It reassured him that they weren't weird for doing this. They approached a ticket booth where an unenthusiastic woman sat with a book.
"Hello. What do you want?" She asked in a bored tone.
Adkin rolled his eyes. "Nice to see you too, Meg. I'm showing a friend around but the movie selections are shit. So give me the cheapest showing starting now."
Meg lazily grinned. "Whoops. You were so obviously suspicious, I thought you were dealing drugs. My bad." She then looked onto her computer while Adkin was grumbling to himself. She soon looked back at them and pushed out two tickets from the slot. "Have fun on your date." She then went back to reading.
Adkin snatched the tickets off the table and tugged Aki inside.
"Do you know her, Adkin?" Aki asked quietly. Since he wasn't supposed to talk, he at least wanted to keep from being heard.
"Just someone from my school. We work on projects together, but she's a pain to deal with," Adkin explained while taking a look at the tickets. "Of course she picks the worst one… let's just get it over with…" he walked with Aki close by his side. Walking down a hall with many doors.
They entered into a dark room with people already filling up most of the seats. Adkin sat them in the middle row close by the stairs. Aki could barely stay still as he kept giggling.
"Try to keep quiet. Cheesy movies like this are usually quiet and stuff, so you'll be annoying people around you," Adkin advised while passing out the chips and chocolates. "I'm gonna eat this and try to stay awake."
Aki nodded as he took a few breathes to calm himself.
Adkin was right. The movie was unbelievably cheesy, to the point Aki found himself cringing. But it was still moving enough that by the end he was in tears when the credits started rolling
"She sacrificed herself to protect everyone she loved. I-it's so stupid but I can't stop crying!" Aki whined as he leaned against Adkin's shoulder. Though Adkin remained quiet and still. Aki looked back at him to see he actually fell asleep. "Adkin? Wake up.." Aki shook his shoulder but to no avail.
He sat in silence, knowing it would take something intense to wake up Adkin. He was easily a heavy sleeper, even a dragon's roar would barely make him stir. Remembering the sour candies from before, Aki left back to the lobby to find something that would.
Aki waited in line with the only currency with him were the coins he brought with him. When it was his turn, he ordered the sour candies and handed over the coins. The cashier was too in shock to even stop him as he happily walked back down the opposite hallway.
He searched for some time but struggled to find the room Adkin was in. All the signs had different names and he couldn't remember the name of the movie. His heart began racing as he panicked.
Without Adkin, he couldn't finish his list in time.
"What the hell should I do?" Aki asked as he looked at the candies. "I should've just brought him with me…"
"Excuse me? You're in the way." A man spoke, startling Aki to look up. A man dressed in black and white was carrying Adkin who was still asleep.
"Oh thank the heavens you found him!" Aki smiled. "I couldn't find him anywhere."
The man looked confused as he looked down at Adkin the back at Aki. "You know him?"
"Yeah! We came together to see a movie, but he fell asleep and I got these to wake him up."
"Ya know what? I don't even care. Just take him and leave." The man handed over Adkin and Aki held him with ease. "Adkin normally does this anyways…"
Aki sighed in relief before dropping Adkin on the ground. Adkin suddenly sat up and groaned.
"Is the movie already over?" Adkin asked as Aki stood over him with a pissed expression.