Milo brushed his teeth methodically , up down , up down and in a circle . His mind was trying very hard to focus on brushing his teeth . Because there was -
" Are you done yet ? " A voice said outside the door and Milo groaned .
Why me ? He wondered as he spat out and rinsed his mouth .
He went and opened the door , to find Ryo shirtless and holding his showering gear . For a guilty moment , Milo looked at his abs but just as soon lifted his eyes .
When he looked up , Ryo was smirking down at him . Bastard , Milo thought , I wish you'd cut your lip . And speaking of which .
" Are you sure about showering with your cuts ? " Milo asked , looking at the bandages on Ryo's hand . Bandages , he had put on himself .
" It's just a bit of pain . " Ryo said for the second time that night ," You can just apply some disinfectant when I'm done. Now out of my way . "
Milo moved aside as Ryo went into his bathroom , inside of his house , to take a shower . Why was he there ? Why didn't Milo kick him out ? How did he cut his hands ?
.....
Milo had dozed off in his room after coming back from his dat- his day out with Ryo . He'd been exhausted , mentally and physically , deciding to finish his homework tommorow .
He didn't know how long he slept , but when he woke up , he heard laughter . His parents often made each other laugh and that would have been no surprise but he heard a third voice laughing .
He got up and went to the dining room ... finding Ryo sitting with his father and his mother . They were laughing so hard , that they only noticed Milo when he was inside the room .
" Oh Milo , "Mrs Saki said , " You're awake . How was your nap ? "
" It was fine . " He answered ," Ryo ... why are you here ? " The word ' again ' hung silently in his sentence .
" Oh , I came to spend the night with your family . " Ryo said like it was nothing .
What ? Milo thought indignantly , not again ! Why was he barging into his life like this ? What he done for Ryo to be trying to bother him so much ?
His eyes showed all these questions but Ryo acted like he didn't see them . Instead he turned to Mr Saki .
" What happened after he tripped on the banana ? " He asked Mr Saki but Mrs Saki answered .
" He fell down , cried like he'd lost a leg and then after I calmed him down , do you know what he asked for ? " She said , " He wanted a banana split ice cream . "
" Wait , " Milo said in horror , " What is going on ? "
" Ryo wanted to know more about your naughty side and we decided to tell him stories of when you were a kid ." Mr Saki said with smile .
" I've learnt alot about your naughty side . You stole a piece of pie from your grandmother's kitchen and blamed it on your dad who was eating a piece of pie ! " Ryo smiled wickedly , " I never knew you could be so naughty ."
Milo blushed with embarrassment . These were personal and very close things they were talking about . Why were his parents sharing this with him !
" I better get back to cooking . " Mrs Saki said and Milo thought of taking Ryo to the side and telling him to GET OUT !
He didn't get the chance .
" I'll help Mrs Saki ." Ryo said getting up , he'd seen the look in Milo's eyes , " I can cook very well . Just had me a knife . "
" Oh , " Mrs Saki smiled happily , " It would be nice to have someone help me for a change."
The two Saki men knew they were on the receiving end of that sentence . Milo wasn't a good cook , he didn't eat much and as for his dad ... he was scared of fire . So Mrs Saki often cooked alone .
He's playing this game unfairly , Milo thought as he took a seat , using my parents and knowing I can't argue against them . The bastard .
" Milo , you're frowning ." Mr Saki said softly , " What's wrong ? "
" Dad , " Milo said thinking to get his dad on his side , " Ryo is not my boyfriend . He's my bully , he's been my bully for nearly ten years . Since the first day I went to school . "
" Really ? " Mr Saki said softly . He wasn't one to say much and when he did, it was often long .
" Yes , today he insulted my Chess captain . " Milo said angrily .
" What else did he do ? " His father asked .
" He hits me , he taunts me , he always pesters me and - "
" No , " his father cut in , " What did he do today ."
" Well , he insulted my Chess captain ." Milo said again , didn't his dad hear everything else ?
" And what other bad things did he do today ? " Mr Saki asked and Milo opened his mouth ... only to close it again .
" So , he insulted your chess captain and suddenly he's no longer your boyfriend ? " Mr Saki asked with a smile but Milo wouldn't hear it .
" He's been bullying me for years . We're always in the same schools . " Milo said , " He may not have done alot today but he will always do something bad later ."
" How do you know he will always do something bad ? Today he only did one bad thing , according to you ." Mr Saki said softly , " People are like water in a river , Milo . No one stays the same because the bed is always different and it's important to know where the river began before you judge it's worth. "
" What ? " Milo asked , He never understood his dad when he was all cryptic .
" Do you know why Ryo bullied you ? " Mr Saki asked and Milo bit his lip .
" Because ... he thinks he's better than me ." Milo said thinking back on Ryo's words .
" If he thought he was better than you , he wouldn't bother with you . Kings don't play with garbage collectors ."
Did he just say I'm garbage ? Milo wondered but his dad smiled at him , letting him know he was joking .
" Milo, " Mr Saki said in a serious voice now , " People who hurt people are hurt themselves . Only broken glass can cut you . Your mother was having problems with her mother and decided to take her frustrations on me . That's how we began our relationship , her lashing out at an innocent victim , just to let out her own pain . If Ryo's been bullying you for so long , then he must have alot of pain . It's your choice on whether you will help him deal with it or just stay the victim and let him hurt you whilst hurting himself . Do you understand ? "
" Yes , dad ." Milo said complicitly , " But how do you know Ryo had problems ? What if it's just the way he is ? "
" If he hurts people just for fun then you can walk away . He'll have to realize he needs help eventually . " Mr Saki and narrowed his eyes , " But if he's hurting you because of his own pain ... then you're the only person who can help him . I talked to your mother everyday she bullied me until she finally told me her problem . I couldn't help with it but I became someone she could lean on . She had the emotional support she hadn't known she needed and I ... met the woman of my heart . "
" Okay , " Milo said with chuckle , His dad was right . He'd be willing to help anyone who was in pain if they reached out to him . But Ryo ?
He still wasn't sure if the guy was a sadist or hurting . How could he know ! The guy never talked about himself . He didn't know anything about him and couldn't build an idea of -
" Milo ," Mrs Saki called , in a voice louder than normal and Milo got up . His mother never raised her voice unless it was something serious .
He walked into the kitchen and found his mother trying to stop Ryo who was on the floor ... picking pieces of glass with his bare hands .
" What happened ? " Milo said getting near Ryo .
" I asked him to pass me the carton of milk but then he tipped over a glass cup . I told him not to worry , I'd grab the broom but then he just went down and started picking up the glass . He's hands are already bleeding ! "
Milo saw his mother was right , Ryo's hands were blood stained already. The boy was putting the shards on the side , his face anxious and drawn . His lips were moving and Milo heard some words .
" I'll clean it ... don't leave ... I'll clean it ."
Milo didn't understand what he meant but anymore pickling and he'd get lacerations that would lead him to the hospital . Milo put his own hand on Ryo's wrist and held it firmly .
" Ryo , " he said softly , " Stop it. You're hurting yourself . Please stop . "
It took a moment for the words to filter through but eventually Ryo got up and looked at his hands as if waking from a dream .
" I'll get the first aid ." Mrs Saki said and went to look for it .
The two boys stood in the kitchen , without saying anything . Ryo was silent from self-loathing and anger whilst Milo was quiet because he knew words wouldn't help right then .
" I'll fix him up ." Milo told his mother when she came with the first aid kit , " You finish cooking. Ryo's probably hungry , we only ate ice cream at our date . "
Mrs Saki understood the message and went back to cooking . Milo led Ryo to the bathroom and tended to his hands . They didn't say anything for a full two minutes .
" I would have bought something more than ice cream if it had been around ." Ryo said with a frown .
" Like what ? " Milo said whilst applying disinfectant , Ryo face winced .
" Does it hurt ? "
" It's just a little pain ." Ryo said .
" Okay , " Milo said adding more disinfectant , " What would you have bought ? "
" We could have eaten out or something . But you decided to leave . " Ryo said accusingly , " You'd rather be with that chess player ."
Milo took a calming breath . Hurt people, hurt people , he told himself .
" Not really , he's actually pretty boring . " Milo said , " He likes flirting with me though , but I know he has two girls he's dating in the club ."
" So he's an asshole ." Ryo concluded .
The kettle calling the pot black , Milo thought but didn't say out loud . He instead started putting on bandages on Ryo's hands .
" Why are you sleeping here ? " Milo asked him , " Is your dad okay with that ? "
" He won't know I'm gone ." Ryo said darkly and then a brighter note , " I'm sleeping here because I want to be with you early tomorrow . "
" What's happening tommorow ? " Milo asked him as he finished his bandages .
" I have a surprise for you . A really good one ." Ryo said and Milo rolled his eyes .
" Another dog park ? Or doggy treats ? " He asked dryly .
" No , maybe later if you want ." Ryo answered wryly, " What I've got planned is going to make you love me ."
" Why do want me love you ? " Milo asked putting his hands together , " You've always been hell bent on making me hate you , what's changed ? "
I died , Ryo thought but instead he just looked into Milo's eyes . So black ... Like ink in the night sky , he thought and then he shook his head .
" Let's go eat dinner . I'm starving for good food ." He said and Milo nodded his head thoughtfully .
When they came to the dining room , everything was set and ready . The aromas were so delicious to the nose and Ryo couldn't resist it . He sat down , with Milo next to him . No one brought up the incident in the kitchen though and Ryo was glad for it .
He would prefer his demons stayed hidden .
The dinner was instead spent with jokes , stories and happy moments . Milo was surprised to discover he liked Ryo's sense of humor . Ryo was even more surprised to find himself having more enjoyment than he'd had in a very long time .
.....
Ryo jumped onto Milo's bed and the other boy gritted his teeth . He'd told him not to do that in the hallway and he'd done it anyway !
" Hey , let's watch a movie . " Ryo said taking out his phone , " I downloaded one earlier today ."
" Okay . " Milo said resignedly , " What's it about ? Is a horror flic or action ? "
" It's an action romance . " He answered and Milo shrugged and sat next to him on his bed .
He would watch out of courtesy , he thought , he could just sleep a few minutes after it sta-
" No way , " he said out loud , " Is this - "
" Love made a promise , " Ryo said the name of the movie , " Played by Xian Puin , the guy on your poster ."
" How did you know I - how did you know it was available ? " Milo asked, " I didn't know it was released yet . "
" It's not actually released yet . " Ryo said and Milo frowned .
" Did you , " Milo asked , " Get it from an illegal website ? Is this piracy ? "
" It's going to be released next month . " Ryo said boredly , " There is no problem if we watch it now . You'll know what happens before anyone else does ."
Milo felt his indignantion rise like a storm ... But it dissolved .
He's trying to be nice , he told himself , even if he's going about it the wrong way . Milo sighed , dad wouldn't have gone through this with mom .
" Fine , click play ." Milo said and Ryo smiled . That smile is less annoying now , Milo thought before turning to the movie .
Unfortunately he fell asleep halfway through and Ryo had to put him to bed . He tucked him in and even fluffed his pillow .
Devi , who had been watching all this time , gritted her teeth and glared at him . You will lose , she thought , and I'll make sure of it .