Grey. Rima looked through the small window pane at the end of her desk as was met with nothing more than a thick layer of dust and an even thicker layer of disgust. Cleaning it was more or less out of the equation, all the cleaning products being in the war zone of kitchen she simply didn't have the energy to deal with. While it was true she hadn't heard any shouting in at least twenty minutes, it still wasn't a chance she was willing to take.
"If I do something uncivilized for cleanliness sake, does that cancel the other out?" She muttered to herself, picking up an old shirt out of the hamper and beginning to scrub away the grime. She would have to figure out her moral standing after the matter was settled. Afterall, there was no point in starting something only to stop and ponder halfway through.
"Yo."
"Jesus Christ!" Rima yelled, quickly clamping her mouth shut before she could yell any more expletives. She already had an unwelcome guest outside her bedroom, the last thing she need was her parents catching wind of it. Ikuto waited in respectful silence, catching wind of the fear on Rima's face directed towards her bedroom door. AFter what felt like eons, they heard her parent begin to yell again and they both let out breaths neither had realized they were holding.
"Can I help you? Is there something you need?" Rima hissed, gingerly opening the window all the way so as to avoid the squeaking of the hinges. Her father hated her opening the windows. No matter if it was summer or winter, it was always wasting electricity in some way.
"Scoot over, princess. This window is going to be somewhat of a tight squeeze and I'd rather you not get caught in the crossfire of my squirming rage." He said, resting his hands nonchalantly on palms, elbows placed lazily across the pane.
"I don't remember inviting you into my home. Isn't that vampire rules?"
"And when did we establish I was a vampire?" He asked, brow slightly lifted.
"Oh, my bad. You just suck so much, I'm sure you can see how easy it would be to make the mistake." she said, her voice almost a laugh. Despite the overwhelming bravado in the room, she cared about him quite a bit, and he knew it. He wasn't above using that as a ticket in.
"Love. Pretty please?" Ikuto drawled, taking care to bat his lashes just the right way.
"God, that's disgusting. Get in here before I puke." Rima giggled, rolling her eyes as she moved out of the way. She cleared her bed of throw pillows and blankets, making a haphazard pile on the floor. . Ikuto only came when he wanted to talk, and she had a feeling this was going to be a long one. She might as well make sure they were comfortable.
"Should I turn around and help you, or would you like to keep your dignity intact?" Rima asked, her ears met with grunting and the soft clattering of the contents of her desk falling onto the pillows below.
"I'm good, kid" he croaked, somewhat muffled by the pillow he'd landed onto face first. Despite his inaudible protest, Rima bustled over to the crash site, grabbing Ikuto's hand and helping him up.
"Just wanted an excuse to hold my hand, huh?" He grinned, gripping just a little too enthusiastically onto her small fingers. She scoffed, but surprisingly said nothing else. Usually she was a fountain of quips, but something was different about today. Despite all the joking, there was something unmistakably sobering in the air. She sat down criss-cross on her bed and patted the spot next to her, gesturing for him to for the same. Ikuto supposed she was all business tonight.
"What's wrong." She said, the words unmistakably a statement instead of a question. She really wasn't playing tonight.
"Why does something have to be wrong? Why can't I just visit my good old friend Rima?" Ikuto asked, gently punching her shoulder. Her face stayed as still as stone, not even the slightest twinkle lingering in her eyes. Well fuck.
"Because it's 10:30 and you never come after 8:00. Because it's Saturday and you spend Saturdays in the city unless it's raining, and unless my eyesight has gone to hell it appears to be a lovely night out there. Because you always call before you show up and I've heard hide nor hair from you for two weeks" Her voice had been steadily climbing in volume in pace before she caught herself, realizing where she was and just who was downstairs. Rima looked him in the eyes and whispered, but her voice still managed to crack "Because I know you. What's wrong, love?"
Ikuto paused for a brief moment, blinking his eyes in disbelief, or what he would later tell himself, to get some dust out of his eyes. "You've never called me love before." he remarked, slowly reaching for Rima's hands.
She quickly snatched them away, never breaking eye contact no matter how hard Ikuto tried to avoid it. "You're deflecting the question. What's wrong." She asked again, her jaw clenched. He couldn't tell if she was holding back ears or rage, and he honestly didn't want to be met with either.
"Rima, I'm...I'm not doing too hot. I need your help."
A/N They're not dating, it's a...flirtationship. Rima is 18 and Ikuto is 22 in this story.