Anxiety was creeping in.
Weevil Underwood, eighteen years of age, sat alone in a crowded coffee shop. It was a January, Sunday night in Kingston, located in Ontario, Canada.
A thick sugary smell flooded the room as guests toddled in and out of the estate, carrying steaming drinks and bakery foods. Each person wrapped carefully in coats and scarves, having to lift their feet a bit higher than necessary because of heavy boots weighing down their feet. He sighed drumming his fingers against the edge of the table. He hated crowds, they made him feel claustrophobic. He also hated coffee shops, he could barley stand the smell of the drink let alone have to practically bathe in the aroma. Someone bumped into his chair as they past, he couldn't sum up the energy to shoot them a dirty look. He watched the line quietly and noticed a figure was missing. He scanned the room in momentary panic before he spotted the brunette that was making his way over to him. He straightened his posture, giving a tired smile to the other as he brought over their own selection of treats.
"Green tea and two macadamia nut cookies for the bug-boy and a double double coffee with cream for me," he announced proudly handing out the food and plopping into the seat across from him.
"Thanks Rex," he said absently, taking the drink in his hands and taking a sip.
Rex frowned at him and sat back in his seat, "Aren't you gonna wait till' it cools down a bit?"
He hummed in response, taking another sip.
Rex Raptor, twenty years old was the man who sat across from him. The two of them had started out as friends when they were both fifteen, meeting one another for their childhood passion for duel monsters. The passion burned out into a hobby eventually but the two had stuck together over the years none the less. Now they sat as a to be married couple, both sporting their own silver rings. Weevil gripped the ring between his fingers, toying it so it stretched and pulled at his skin. He could feel Rex's eyes on him, other peoples eyes on him as well. He froze a bit and sunk back into his seat suddenly feeling nervous. A grin spread across his face out of his own control, he was a bit of a psychotic wreck right now, wasn't he?
"Ey'", Rex snapped his fingers by his ear making him gasp in surprise, "Stop grinning like an idiot, would ya'? You look like you're high,"
"Sorry," he grumbled, instinctively reaching for his untouched cookies, "Just got lost in thought,"
"Yeah you've been doing that a lot tonight," his fiancé sighed leaning back into his seat again, tired concern painted on his face.
"Sorry," he repeated dumbly.
"Are you sure you're alright with meeting him here? I mean you've been a bit of a wreck since last week,"
He shrugged in response and sat back in his chair to drown his thoughts in tea. He heard the brunette sigh in defeat of his silence and set his mind to more important things, like how many milk packets he needed to put in his coffee for it to taste good. Or something like that.
A call started all this.
Just a call at three am in the morning when he was home alone. Rex was out shopping as he recalled, left a note on the table saying he was craving junk food and "his lazy ass" had fallen asleep on him. They should have been playing video games all night like he promised, but he had just been so tired. The voice on the phone wasn't familiar at first. Something distant that had crackled a bit from lousy reception. He remembered having to sit down when it was finally made obvious to him who he was talking to. A quick conversation with promises of more details being worked out at seven o' clock that evening. Weevil had punched Rex in the face for not being home with him the minute he returned with bags crammed with sweets. Did they ever eat them?
Seven o' clock just as promised he got another call. With a few tugs and pulls at money and reservation plans two tickets for him and Rex were made for Canada. The two had suffered through sleeping in a cheap hotel for the first night. He'd been suffering from a bit of insomnia since the phone calls. Neither of them really slept that night, or at least not that he could really recall. He took a large swig of his tea, letting it scald his throat. Internally, he promised himself that he'd try to get more than two hours of sleep tonight.
Weevil snapped out of his thoughts again with a start when Rex roughly jabbed at him. Frowning he opened his mouth to respond only be silenced by a worried look from him.
"Hey, he's here,"
Whatever reply he had for him was chocked down when he turned to see the man they were looking for. He was probably sixteen by now, mint coloured hair framing his face with the same black wide eyes. A nose peaked out over a pink scarf that seemed to meld into the matching parka that seemed to swallow his lean body whole. He shuffled uncomfortably at the door, inspecting the crowds with some kind of paranoia. Slowly the ebony eyes caught theirs, he lifted his hand to his scarf instantly walking towards them.
"Weevil, Rex" he breathed, a crooked smile greeting them.
"Hey,"
Rex was talking. Why couldn't he talk?
"It's freezing out there isn't it?" he continued.
"Indeed, coldest it's been for a few months."
Weevil's mind practically melted away as him and Rex small talked, offering him a seat and commenting on the snowy weather. His head was swimming now and he felt guilt knot up his stomach. Maybe they shouldn't have come, he could barley look at him. His eyes felt like they became sticky and heavy with misery. Maybe he should lie down. Was he going to throw up? He couldn't remember. What was he talking about? There was nothing to remember.
"Weevil?"
He shook himself internally and looked up at the green haired teen who stared at him for a few moments before leaning forward looking a bit amused. There was an uncomfortable silence. Weevil toyed with the ring on his finger again.
"You two are married?"
Engaged.
"Engaged actually, since of last year," Rex answered for him, reading his mind.
Realising his mouth was open he shut it again. There was a hum of amusement from the other side of the table and a mutter of something he didn't quite hear. He forced his mind to tune back in as Rex cleared his throat and said something about buying their new table partner something to eat and excusing himself. A warm hand squeezed his shoulder and someone else bumped into his chair. Clearing his throat he tired to speak, but instantly found himself at a continuous loss of words. He took another sip of his tea.
"I'm sorry I dragged you all the way out here to talk to me," the teen sighed still intently leaned forward in his seat, intently studying him.
"It's okay,"
"I was here for work, I moved a few weeks after what happened," he continued in a matter-of-fact tone of voice, "I didn't like having the entire street and a few others crawling around home."
"It's okay,"
"I just got a job here, at one of those storage places. Like a warehouse? You know what I mean, right?" he didn't wait for a response, "Right. Anyways they have a pretty good pay but it isn't the greatest it could be, you know? Hell I don't even know what you're doing. Oh well, anyways, I've been living off of fast food and microwave meals for about two months and honestly I can't take another day of trying to eat the same ravioli shit that I can cook,"
"That's okay,"
Black eyes didn't falter, as he tipped his head and gave him a smile. His response had become automatic, he hadn't heard a thing he just said. He didn't know it would bother him that much. It took him a moment to register in his brain that Rex was standing beside the table looking at both of them obviously clueless and gripping another steaming cup and bag in his hand.
"That's okay," the mint headed teen grinned weakly as he sat back comfortably.
Weevil opened his mouth to say something and shut it again, uncomfortably glancing away and covering his now burning cheeks. He could just barley hear Rex explain what he had gotten for him to eat as he crawled into his seat.
"That's okay," he suddenly repeated again.
Did he just say that out loud? Rex was staring at him baffled, god he was such an idiot. A pink scarf was discarded on the table and he allowed his eyes to draw back up. He was greeted with the same crooked smile and warm eyes.
"Like looking at a ghost isn't it?" he sighed dreamily.
Rex chocked on his coffee a bit.
"The curse of being a Roba," he grinned ignoring Rex," I would assume,"
And that's that I suppose As a note - no that is not Espa Roba they're talking to it's one of his many brothers Also, my apologize if I seem like I ramble while I write - it's a weird kinda.. "stlye" (I suppose) I have (?) I hope you enjoyed this - thank you greatly for reading
So let me know what you guys think so far - right now the rating will be pretty low but this is supposed to be a bit of a horror story so I may raise it later (I would greatly appreciate opinions of rating for my stories so that I dont scare anyone for life)
They'll have names intorduced in the next chapter
have a wonderful day! (or night)