I'm actually getting back into writing again. I still have chapters in my doc manager for my other stories as well, some stories I need to re-read to refresh my memories.


Chapter 10: Free-range adulting

Lens P.O.V.

5:12 p.m.


I hung my face towards the sky letting the smoke dip into my lungs as I closed my eyes for a second. Exhaling through my nose I glanced over to Gumi as she sat next to me on the bench. "... Was it even worth it?" I tiredly asked.

"Len! He totally blew smoke up your ass and fired you! They can't blame you for reacting based on emotion" She clarified before she rose the vape pen up to her lips to take a smoke. "Like seriously, fuck him. Fuck that company. Fuck their lies, you still got my offer to work at my shop. I may not offer Health insurance but it'll sure help keep a roof over your head since music is always in high demand, along with fan clubs willing to spend a pretty penny for their favorite bands CD and merch."

After she got me from the station she decided it'd be best for me to get a breather and chill at the nearby park. It was mostly just us smoking and eating garlic fries for the most part.

I nodded in agreement. "Yup. No more wearing business casual all the fucking time and being fake-friendly." I pointed out. "But Gumi, I was holding it all in. I know I complain about work and all that shit, but I was sick and tired of getting nowhere. Some days I felt like I was going crazy because I saw the pattern every day. Being put in a hole, struggling and wondering when it'd be my turn to come out, going home by myself to go watch some shitty sitcom and drink, then study for school. … I was going to smack him eventually, I just didn't know when."

"And you have every right to feel that way. It sucks it has to be that way but let this be a breather to get your thoughts together without having to be micro-managed or left in the wonder. This is You time. Do what you need to do during this time. Let it out now, but keep it pushing. You're a strong bitch, and you're not a pushover." She then reached over and pulled me into a side-hug, rubbing the side of my arm in reassurance. "Let's have a animal onesies movie-night at my place. My younger cousin just got a new job at a sushi joint and can give us a hook-up on the food. We'll just need to get a bottle of wine and walk over; and maybe, if you want, we can invite mister Kaito himself and Miki. It'd be a good thing to do after I had them close down the shop for me." She then pipped up.

I rolled my eyes and straightened myself back up on the bench. "I can tell you right now that he doesn't need to be wearing a onesies" I slowly began to crack up the more I thought about it. "But seriously, I think I need a moment to myself for today. I still got fired, went on a tangent towards my boss, and sat in a holding-prison to calm down till someone came and got me. So I think I need a breather." I told her.

She nodded in agreement and continued to hug me.

9:04 p.m.

Ever since I came back home I've been lying on the couch staring at the blank T.V. screen. I took a two hour nap, but now that I'm awake again, it's back to staring. Although Gumi told me she would help me and what not, I still feel messed up about it all. I even still feel mad that I didn't do "More", but how the hell was I supposed to know that I was going to be taken away? If I had known, I'd bust all of his car windows.

"...I won't even dare to tell my mom about this. She'll just try to get me to move back home." I muttered to no one. But right when I was about to sit up someone began knocking on my door.

'What the-...?'

I quickly darted up and checked the time on the wall clock. `At this time of night?' Not wanting to open the door immediately, I walked over towards the window by the door and began to peep through the blinds, only to see a certain bluenette standing on the other-side of the door. `Kaito?' I inwardly thought to myself as I stepped back and came towards the door, undoing the locks to partially open it.

"You know most people give a call or text before popping up at someone's place, excluding family members." I briefly told him.

The bluenette shifted a little before scratching the back of his head, gazing down at me. "Sorry, I just wasn't sure if you would answer your phone." He then said. "... I know it's not my place to do much, but I sort of put two and two together and thought something might have happened to you, so I brought you this" He then held up a six-pack case of beer.

`Beer? ... I know Gumi didn't tell him, so he must've really read the mood. ... Or Gumi was dramatic when I called her from jail and he put two and two together.' I lowly sighed to myself and opened the door a little more to poke myself through. "Err, I can turn my ass around and go home, orrr we can chill on the steps and crack open a can and get some fresh air? You don't have to talk about it. It's just de-stressing." He explained.

The more I stepped out the more I realized how cold it was outside.

I leaned against the doorframe and gazed up at him, then at the case of beer. "... It's cold as fuck outside; you better bring your ass up in here and stop playing. ... For a good thirty minutes though." I sassed right before I slipped myself back inside the house. The bluenette quickly followed behind me and closed the door once the both of us were inside. Before I could walk over to the couch I turned towards Kaito and grabbed the case of beer to bring it over towards the coffee table. "You can take a seat." I muttered.

"Uh, okay" He awkwardly said as he walked over to sit on the end of the couch. "I wouldn't expect you to let me in your home so blatantly." He then said as he grabbed the hem of his hoodie to take it off over his head.

Right when he did I took a moment to notice his outfit. `Checkered pants and a black tank top? Geez, he must've sat in bed and decided to bring his ass here. ... Those pants are pretty thin.' I inwardly thought to myself before I took a seat on the other end, opening one of the beers. "I honestly wouldn't have if it weren't for the weather. But let's talk about you! You just randomly came out to get beer and come to my place this late at night?"

"I was debating all day about it, and this is also payback for waking me up to take you to work at six in the morning; so let's not forget about that before we talk shit." He said with a smirk on his face. I wasted little time to lightly kick his leg as I took a sip of my drink.

My hair was in a sloppy bun with strands of my hair everywhere, but I didn't care. It's not like I expected company tonight. Plus we're both dressed in our pajama's, so I really could care less about me being in my briefs and a shirt.

"Anyway" He then started. "Did you want to talk about today? You don't have to go into details at all if it's too much for you." His voice, for the first time, sounded calm and ... caring. It was deep and silky to the point I nearly choked on my beer.

I peeped over to my left to glance at him and he was already staring right at me.

It wasn't like I could be an ass to him when he's being serious enough to ask me about my day, so I gave a brief sigh and sat the can back onto the coffee table in front of us. "I mean ... to sum up my day, I got fired." I began. I couldn't even look over to him. I just kept my eyes on the case of beer. "Before you can say anything I will say that I overreacted to it and ended up being in a holding cell at the police station. ... I don't usually let things get to me like that, but c'mon now. I've tried my best at that job and was given that news. Being the age I am I don't have time to become angry, but I let it get the best of me ."

He slightly grunted and said, "I'm sorry to hear that. I honestly wouldn't had expected for that to happen to you today, but still, I can only imagine how frustrated you were right then and there."

I shook my head, "No, it was wishful thinking and me lying to myself that they'd let me be a counselor. As long as it has been with me working there I allowed myself to be walked all over and lied to when I could've just found a job elsewhere. ... I honestly think I got myself too comfortable, and now look. Egg-faced as fuck." I scoffed inwardly.

"Hey, you can't blame yourself for that shit. Your boss was a dick and so were your coworkers; simple." He quickly snapped back. "It definitely sucks now but a person with your type of personality, I'm sure you're going to bounce-back better than where you were. You got fire to you." He then said, causing me to break my gaze away from the table and onto him.

I stared at him in awe because I was a little stunned that he was encouraging me.

"O-Oh, uh, thank you. ... I'll be honest to tell you that I don't know how to respond to that." I bluntly told the bluenette as I gave a brief grunt.

He just shrugged as he took a sip of his beer. "Do you really need to? We're just talking and having you de-stress." He then responded. "If it make you feel any better, I'll open up and tell you that when I was roughly 18, I left my family because I couldn't handle the stress they were putting on me at that time and my dad was being a dick all because I told him that I didn't want to go to school politics and shit. My mother slightly resented me for it because she felt like I was trying to ruin my dads image, and my brother, being the kiss ass he is, suggested that I either uphold what they wanted for me or leave."

I took a sip of my beer really quick and told him, "Right when you turned 18? That's a little harsh."

He nodded in agreement. "Hell, I barely knew who I was as a person. It was bad enough with them dictating every little thing I did, who I was able to hang out with, what music I could listen to, and even what the hell I could eat. So it was frustrating making a big decision such as that because that would mean I was going to be homeless. ... And so I decided to become homeless over their mental abuse." The bluenette chuckled.

How can he sit here and laugh after admitting he became homeless that young? I honestly feel for him.

"Before you can say anything to it, I'll just say that life is very interesting because things for me eventually fell into place. Despite me being deliberately kicked out, I continued to go to school till I graduated. Thankfully for my friend, he managed to convince his cousin to let me crash on their couch if I could get a job. I went from job to job, decided to get a tattoo and ended up getting a shit ton of them, picked up poetry as a hobby that slowly turned into me making songs that I would sing to myself, managed to get my own place and a car, explored my music taste and began hopping between rock concerts and the underground music scene; and here I am. Working at a music shop and selling my songs on the side. ... So when I say it gets better once you're out of someone's control, it does." He then stated before cracking a small smile as he gazed over to me.

I couldn't help but stare him a little stunned. 'I can definitely see what he's telling me. And he's right. It definitely sucks right now, but hell. My life will move on.' I inwardly thought to myself as I finally allowed the corner of my lips to crack a tiny smile in return.

"I seriously can't imagine you being clean-cut at all, haha!" I immediately began to laugh.

"Because I have that 'Bad boy' look." He responded.

"And that mouth of yours. Perverted as fuck, sarcastic, the list goes on." I stated to him.

"You love when I talk reckless. That shit gets you hot and having goosebumps at the same time- haha!" I quickly smacked the side of his arm as soon as he said that. "You know it does, so I don't know why you're getting defensive. But hey, I'll admit that your attitude turns me on" And just like that, it was then that his voice became a little husky.

Turning on my side I faced him fully as I rested against the couch cushion, clicking my tongue. "Oh? I didn't notice." I smirked.

His deep blue eyes peered down at me as he gave a smirk in return. "No? You gotta have a few guys trying to be your boyfriend. I can't be the only man texting you."

Right when he said that I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "Please. If a guy tries to talk to me, it's usually them trying to smash. I'm not easy, I'm not sleazy, and I'm not needy. But I know damn well you must get girls on your tail." I said a-matter-of-fact.

He merely shrugged and said, "I'm on the same boat as you then. I do get approached when I'm out and about, but I don't go slingin' my dick around. Granted, I've fucked here and there before, but I stopped because I wanted to feel a connection and desire."

"Mm. So you're saying you feel a connection with me?" I asked. 'We tease each other a lot, but it does seem like he quickly does stuff for me despite us not knowing each other for long. But shit, I want to hear him say it again.'

"I'm saying I want to take you on dates, but at the same time, I want to have sex with you every time I see you. I just need to know how freaky you are, cause I'm into pulling hair and choking" (Cough s.f.x.!) I damn near choked on my breath once I heard the last bit.

'Hell, just imagining him fucking me from behind and having a fistful of my hair, dirty talking; mm~' I bit my tongue to snap myself out of it. "Mm. That depends; when was the last time you were deep-throated?" I then asked him back, this time causing him to widen his eyes. Two can play that game.

"... I think I should get going. If I don't, I won't be able to control myself anymore" He then stood up from the couch, causing me to laugh. I then quickly scooted towards the other end of the couch till I was near him.

He peered down at me after he grabbed his hoodie, but once we made eye contact I teasingly stuck out my tongue and started making gagging sounds near his crotch. This had only made him sigh heavily and put on his hoodie on quickly.

It was then that I decided to get up and walk with him towards the door. "Must be serious if you have to make yourself leave." I teased the bluenette. "And before I forget, I need you to pick me up at eleven tomorrow to take me to your job." I then opened the door.

"I really should start charging you for gas, and I was joking. You told me I could be here for thirty minutes, did you not? Buut, if you want me to stay for the night I'll understand" As he leaned against the doorframe he reached towards the hem of his hoodie and slid some of it up along with his tank top, revealing his tatted abs. "You can definitely have the luxury of waking up next to this- ow!"

I wasted little to no time slapping his arm. "Arrogant ass." I scoffed. "Anyway... I lost track of time because of the talk." I gave a softer sigh as I looked up to him. "I guess what I'm trying to say is; thank you. You really did help me not feel so bad about the situation, other than Gumi. And for you to do that to someone you barely know, it says a lot about you." I admitted.

"Hm" He returned a soft smile before plopping his hand on top of my head, ruffling my hair slightly. 'He's petting my head...' "Len, you're going to be fine. So go ahead and feel what you need to feel now, but you're going to be fine. Okay? Relax and soak in a bath before you head to bed. You deserve that to the very least."

With a brief wink, he slid his hand away from my head and gave me his farewells.

I stood in the doorway watching him walk down the steps till he was out of my sight.

In that moment, it was like my heart climbed up to my throat. '... Its been a long time since I've felt that way...' I sighed heavily before I stepped back to allow the door to close. '