"So, how long have you been staying here?" Shoulders pressed against the wall, Arthur let his legs dangle off the edge of his mattress. "Enough to have cleaned the place up, it seems." Now that he thought about it, he probably should have noticed the lack of dust when he first came in.
Kiku nodded, watching his roommate's face as if he'd vanish from Kiku's life again if he stopped. "I can't tell you exactly without checking my calendar, but I've been here about two years." He drummed his fingers on his knees. "Our house had been safe enough, but I had always wondered where you could have gone but here. Obviously you did find safety elsewhere, but there were many more books here to occupy my time, and enough space for my family to spread out a bit."
He shut his eyes for a moment. "I'm glad you've come. I can't say I was as certain as I should have been that you survived, but I never lost all hope." A thin light of playfulness flashed in his eyes. "Nor did you, it seems. Perhaps it does pay off to be a bit less of a realist at times?"
Arthur scoffed. "You watch what you say about me. I'm a realist, through and through." With a grin, he hopped off his bed and poked through one of his drawers. "Please tell me you didn't actually fold all of my clothes."
"I had a decent amount of time to myself, so I found no reason not to clean up your things a bit."
"You old man." He pulled out a faded T-shirt and, furrowing his brow, sniffed it. "Did you clean these, too?"
"As I said, I've had a lot of time..."
Tossing the shirt over his shoulder, Arthur snorted. After picking out the sole pair of shorts, he glanced at the door. The absence of every bolt but the deadbolt in the side of the wood made him think he must not have been looking for signs of life at all when he entered.
"Watch the door, all right?" he started, slipping his shoes off. "I might as well change into something not so sweat-stained, and Belle could be back any minute."
At that, Arthur looked at the late afternoon light and hesitated.
Kiku shut and locked the door quietly. "I'm sure she's doing fine. We should wait another half-hour or so before we start to worry."
"I'm not worried!" Arthur exclaimed, flushing. "Wh-why would I be worried about her? I—" He cut himself off, furiously scrabbling at his shirt to take it off.
Making no further comment, Kiku just nodded as he watched the door. Only when Arthur announced he was done did the swordsman turn.
"Let's go ahead to the front steps," Arthur started, tugging the end of his Abbey Road shirt over his waist.
Kiku nodded, leading the way to the stairwell and then to the front door. The two had just stepped outside when a figure came into view at their left. Attempting to balance three shoe boxes on one arm, she waved with her other before wrapping it around the wobbling stack.
Exhaling, Arthur readied an arrow just in case something sneaked up on her while her arms were occupied, but she made it to the front steps without obstruction.
"Looks like everyone survived while I was gone," she started, setting the boxes on the thick banister. "I definitely wasn't the first to find the store since five-finger discounts became legal, but they still had a couple in your size lying around."
"All right." With a sigh, he put a hand on the first cardboard lid. "Sorry to put you through the trouble..."
"Arthur." Belle put her hands on her hips. "I'm a girl. Shoe-shopping is not troublesome."
Arthur paused. "All right, then." As he investigated the first pair of shoes, he added, "Did you find anything for yourself?"
"No shoes, but these are fine, anyway." She tapped a heel on the ground. "I did grab an athletic shirt. It'll be nice to have a spare—" she looked at Arthur sideways—"without a huge hole in the middle of it."
Seating himself, Arthur laughed weakly and took off a shoe. Belle, meanwhile, noticed the blank look on Kiku's face.
"What, he didn't tell you about our first encounter?" She grinned down at Arthur, whose forehead went a bit red.
"Wh-why would I?" He loosened the laces of a new shoe with a bit too much vigor. "We met—that's the only important part."
Kiku chose to push back his cuticles at that time, looking neither of the others in the eye.
Giggling, Belle leaned on the banister and tried to catch Kiku's eye. "Your dork roommate shot me."
"Ah, is that so?" Kiku responded despite seeming like he didn't want to comment.
"There wasn't much light, okay?" Arthur started, frowning as he tugged the shoe on. "And I, uh, had been under the impression there weren't any humans left, so... Right."
"I see." Running out of fingernails to examine, Kiku watched Arthur's feet.
"Almost killed me, too," Belle added, sticking her tongue out at her friend, who cringed.
Kiku folded his hands. "I'm glad he didn't."
Grinning, she leaned back farther across the banister. "I think we can agree on that."
Finally deciding to let him off the hook for now, she turned to Arthur. "So, how's that pair working for you?"
"Um—" he got to his feet—"all right, I guess." He bounced on his heels a bit. "I'm, uh, not really used to fresh footwear anymore, it seems." He eyed the other boxes. "Any chance either of those is, er, a bit less..."
Belle glanced at the bright orange shoes he was currently wearing. "Another pair is red, and the last one is black."
"I'll, um, check out the black ones, then." He sat and unlaced the eyesore pair, and Belle found the box of black shoes for him.
Setting it next to him, she started, "To match your new shirt a little better?"
"Eh?" He glanced at his chest, immediately regretting appearing so out of it as to forget his first real clothing change in months. "Um, yes, I suppose so." Quickly he put on the black shoes. Tying the laces tight, he stood and bounced on the balls of his feet again.
"Well?" Belle crossed her arms.
"Oh, er—" Arthur looked at his feet—"they seem fine." He looked at the near-setting sun and rubbed his elbow. "Yes, um, I'm done, then."
"Great," Belle replied, peeking at the last pair before shutting the lid again. She looked at Kiku. "You don't need any new shoes, do you?"
"No, but thank you," he replied, dipping his head. Following Arthur's unfocused gaze, he glanced at the reddening sun. "Are you going to be staying here for the night?"
Belle exhaled. "We might as well." She glanced at Arthur, who fumbled with the straps of his drawstring backpack. "Only if it's all right, though."
"No, it's no problem," Kiku said. "I hardly use any of the bedrooms, so you're welcome to whatever we can open." He gave a short bow. "And if you'd like, I would be happy to provide dinner as well."
"Are you sure?" Belle caught a flicker of motion in the corner of her eye, but it was only rubbish blowing down the street. "We still have a few things, and I'd hate to cheat you out of a meal."
Kiku shook his head. "It won't inconvenience me at all." He looked at his roommate. "Arthur? Would it be all right with you?"
Arthur managed to stop fidgeting by putting his hands in his pockets. "Of course. Let me know if I can help."
Belle thought she saw Kiku pale, but his expression didn't change.
"No," the swordsman started, "I believe Yao will be enough help. Thank you, though."
Arthur nodded as Kiku opened the door.
"Yao?" Belle started as they gathered their things and stepped inside.
Kiku glanced over his shoulder at her. 'My... older brother. While the rest of us certainly like to help, he does most of the cooking. In fact, he's set up his living area in the cafeteria."
"Huh." Belle vaguely realized she was being led away from the stairwell but didn't feel the need to comment on it. "It sounds like a lot of your clan made it, huh?"
Kiku nodded. "Thankfully." He looked down. "All of my siblings, at least."
Before Belle could open her mouth to respond, Kiku stopped at a door and unlocked it.
"Please be careful not to let any out," he started, turning the handle. "Feel free to play with them as I see to your meal."
Belle and Arthur exchanged a glance before Kiku opened the door just enough to slip through and gestured for them to follow. They stepped inside quickly, and Kiku shut the three of them in for the moment.
While the room was free of personal belongings, the small beds perched at its sides indicated it had, in a past life, been a bedroom. It probably didn't have any human inhabitants; there was little space not occupied by cages. Its occupants were mostly contained, but a few scampered over the floor and the tinted plastic tubes scatted over it.
With a squeal that Arthur thought may have punctured his eardrums, Belle dropped to her knees to investigate the guinea pig nearest her.
"They don't bite, do they?" she started, going nose-to-nose with a light brown one as it sniffed her.
"No, they shouldn't," Kiku replied, sitting down and stroking a black guinea pig. "Please be careful, though. If nothing else, you're a new sight to them."
"Okay." Sitting up, Belle scooped a guinea pig into her arms before glancing up at Arthur. "What?" she started in a petulant voice. "Our macho man doesn't think anything is cute?"
Arthur blinked. "I mean, I think you're cute..." He coughed, adjusting his cargo so he could lie down. "Er, guinea pigs," he coughed. "We're, uh, talking about them! R-right!" He snatched the closest one and set it on his chest. "Um, nothing wrong with, uh, guinea pigs."
Upon catching Belle stifling laughter, he sighed and thunked his head back against the ground. "I need to learn how words work sometime," he muttered, closing his eyes.
With a grunt, Kiku got to his feet. "I'll leave you with these for now," he started, reaching into a cage and tucking its residents between his arm and chest. "Please enjoy yourselves while I prepare dinner."
He bowed his head and was out the door before Belle could completely register the chain of events. She proceeded to hug the squirming guinea pig tighter.
"We're going to be eating these, aren't we?" she whined.
Arthur shrugged, his shirt bunching up against the carpet. That didn't seem to comfort Belle much, though, so he sighed. "Probably. Although I have to admit I can't imagine Kiku killing a guinea pig." He shifted his arms. "He probably gets one of his siblings to do it."
With a disappointed "ohh," Belle stroked the guinea pig in her arms and watched a few others wandering through tubes, completely unaware of their eventual fates.
Arthur tried to figure out what to say, but he was interrupted mid-thought by his guinea pig burrowing under his shirt. With a yelp, he sat up, sending the little thing tumbling off him as he hurried to pull the fabric back down.
Belle laughed, and his face reddened.
"Stupid thing," he muttered, prodding the culprit away when it tried to walk back onto him.
Belle looked at him sideways. "I thought you said there was nothing wrong with guinea pigs."
"Well, that was just my mouth running." He lay back down, glancing at his supplies to make sure no one had gone beyond sniffing them out. "I'm, uh, more of a rabbit person myself."
He watched a guinea pig wander over towards a darker-furred one in the silence that followed. Then he jolted as Belle burst out laughing.
"Wh-what?" Turning on his elbows, he looked over his shoulder.
Gasping for breath, she shook her head. "I'm trying to imagine you playing with bunnies, and it's just not happening."
Arthur exhaled, scratching the side of his head. "Um, all right, then."
After another moment, her laughter finally trailed off. Arthur relaxed a bit.
Eventually the speechless skittering of guinea pigs got the better of him, and he cleared his throat. "So, um, uh, what kind of person are you? I mean, uh, pet-wise. And all." With a silent sigh, he rubbed his forehead. Words. He'd figure them out eventually.
"Hmm, if I had to choose..." Belle crossed her legs, watching a white guinea pig explore around her shoe. "I guess I'd say I'm a cat person. It's hard to resist anything adorable, but—kittens." She hugged her guinea pig with a grin.
"Ah." Arthur shifted his legs. "I feel like I should have known that somehow."
"Why?" Still petting her chosen guinea pig, she scooted next to him. "Do I act like a witch or something?"
"N-no!" Apparently not registering her smile, Arthur buried his face in his hands. "I'm sorry. I don't know what I'm saying. I'm just going to stop talking, forever."
"Fft." Belle patted him on the back before turning to watch one of the plumper guinea pigs try to get through a blue tunnel. Once it had finished its endeavor, she turned to see Arthur still in the same abashed position.
"You okay over there?" she started.
He opened his mouth but promptly shut it and nodded.
Belle snorted. "Come on, you can't be serious about your little vow of silence."
"It would be better for everyone involved," he mumbled, rubbing his closed eyes.
"Except I wouldn't get to giggle at you," she replied.
"Exactly." He hunched his shoulders. "I don't like looking like an idiot, especially not in front of you."
"Oh?" She let her guinea pig onto the carpet for the time being and lay down on her stomach. "So you don't like me doing things like—" wrapping her fingers around his chin, she tilted his head so his lips almost brushed hers—"this?"
Arthur may have passed out for a few microseconds but snapped to quickly. All he could do was stammer until Belle released him. Sure that all the heat rushing to his face was at the cost of his brain's blood supply, he finally managed to eke out a hoarse, "No, I, um, d-d-don't."
Belle sat back up with a shrug. "Okay, then." With that, she located her guinea pig and proceeded to give it her attention.
Watching, Arthur rolled onto his side. The blood had yet to leave his cheeks, but at least she wouldn't try that again. If she really tried to kiss him, it would be because he had earned it.
Except that was utterly impossible.
"I-I mean," he started, tugging at his collar, "it's, um, it's sort of, er, okay, i-if you want, uh, you know. I, uh, always, er, act like an idiot no matter what happens, so, um, I don't, er, I mean..." He swallowed, turning to face the ceiling rather than see her reaction.
"Well, make up your mind, at least," she said with a grin.
At that moment two distinct raps came from the door.
"Come in," Arthur cried a bit too loudly.
Belle chuckled quietly as Kiku opened the door.
"The first part of the meal is almost ready, so, if you'd like, I can start to lead you over there," he said.
"Sounds good to me," Belle responded, letting her guinea pig down. In the dimming light, it easily blended in with the rest of its companions.
Arthur was already fumbling to get his quiver back on, pushing past Kiku to wait in the hallway. Stretching, Belle followed.