Disclaimer: The same one from the first chapter applies. Oh, and I hold no hatred for pigeons.
A/N: This chapter contains the following terrifying elements: abuse to and by pigeons, blatant mentions of Candy Land, and sensual groping of backbone vertebrae. It's never to late to turn back, people. Also, anything in between slashes is telepathic communication, unless it's those little divider /-/ things.
Thanks to: SakuraBubbles the Muffin Child, Yuuka Yagami, Caeli Et Terra, ShadowSilence. You guys roxxor. I'm really glad you said my descriptions were simple, because before, I used to go waaaay overboard with describing things until the point it got boring (back before my days here at ). Even my sister commented on it, yikes. XD And ShadowSilence, about that thing with Lilia, I agree completely! I totally think she would support him. And the outfit... Noticed that, too. I was like, "Wow, Lilia even went through the trouble of picking out accessories!" XD
Chapter Two – Waking Up
"I said no," Rita grumbled as she buttered her toast. "No is no, Rainheart. How do you actually expect us to feed it?"
"Us meaning you and me, right?" Cain interjected, sitting down at the table with a plate of eggs.
Rion watched the argument with interest, petting the object of the argument. He had never had a pet before, but he had to admit...
"It's cute." Lilia lightly scratched behind the kitten's ears, causing it to arch in Rion's lap.
It was black with a white chest, face, and legs, and it had to be the fuzziest, most adorable thing Rion had ever seen. Too bad his parents had been sticklers and weren't overly fond of inviting animals into their house. He had always had a soft spot for animals, which was part of the reason he never killed Spider's tarantula. That, and it was innocent.
"Ritaaa," Rainheart whined. "Everyone likes it but you!"
"I never said I liked it," Cain protested, but the corners of his mouth twitched.
"Whatever," Rita muttered. "As soon as that thing pisses on anything, I'm tossing it out the window."
"I think you need thrown out the window," Cain retorted.
"I think you need your food taken away!"
"Mmmf!" Cain swallowed, trying to take back his plate. "It's my food!"
Holding the plate above his head, she snapped back, "Well, I do all the cooking around here!"
"I make some, too!"
"Rita's ramen is better than yours," Rainheart pointed out solemnly.
"Arghhh... Just because I drain out all the water and add soy sauce? That's a lame reason –"
"He's right, Cain," Rita interrupted. "It tastes bad –"
"Well, I like it! Now give me back my plate..."
As Rion had only been with them a day, he didn't have much to say. Lilia seemed to think staying out of it was wise, as well.
Rainheart took advantage of Rita's noticeable distraction with the disagreement and scampered away from the table but not before scooping up the kitten.
And some time later, between Cain's odd ramen cooking sessions, bickering, caring for a kitten (something Rion had never done before but valiantly attempted to help with, anyway), long card games, and many, many discussions, Rion learned to live again.
/-/
Something just hit me. It was the only thing Rion's exhausted brain could register. Probably Cain. Again.
Ever since Rion had accidentally discovered that the couch also doubled as a foldout bed (about two weeks after his arrival, and it had now been a month), Cain had been sleeping next to him. He had begged and pleaded – on his knees, even – and Rion couldn't say no in the first place. It wasn't his home to begin with, and he couldn't blame Cain for not wanting to share with Rainheart, who was quite possibly the worst bedmate ever. He drooled heinous amounts of saliva and snored the loudest Rion had heard in his entire life. Rion didn't mind sharing, anyway. The only problem was that Cain was prone to nightmares.
"Cain?" Rion called out quietly in the darkness. "You awake?"
"Nnnghh..."
"Cain!" he tried again, pitching his tone a little sharper.
The only response he received was harsh breathing and more incoherent mumblings. Rion could see, from the moonlight that gleamed off Cain's skin, that he was soaked in sweat, yet his lips were trembling as if he were cold.
"Cain..." Rion sat upright and crawled over to where Cain was huddled in the sheets, hoping to wake him from the evidently hellish nightmare he was experiencing.
"St...op... Birdman..."
I can't let this continue...
Gripping Cain by the shoulders, Rion gave him a fierce shake.
Eyes flashing, he screamed and tore out of the sheets. "Stop!"
"Shh!" Rion wrapped his arms around him, hoping it would calm him down. "It's me. Be quiet, or you'll wake them up..."
Cain complied. Short, raspy breaths were all Rion heard.
"Rion..."
He was immediately taken aback. Cain sounded so frightened and on-edge...
"Hey, you okay?" he questioned, pulling back and searching Cain's face.
Cain managed a nod.
"You want something to drink?"
"Yeah," Cain answered hoarsely. "My head hurts, too."
"Be right back," Rion assured him, heading for the kitchen. Once there, he filled a glass with water and reached for the bottle of Delmetor.
Even though there was little need of such forceful protection, Rion, Cain, and Rita still took the drugs that they had depended on for so long. It was something that couldn't be helped. An addiction.
Rainheart was the only exception, as his overwhelming fear of "medicine" actually outweighed his need for the drugs. But from what Cain had told him, Rion knew that the period of withdrawal had been hell for Rainheart and everyone around him at that time.
"Thanks." Cain accepted the glass of water and pill from Rion's hand.
Rion climbed back into bed, and without even thinking about it, settled in right next to Cain.
He was shaking.
"Cain..." Rion murmured. "Are you really okay?"
"'S fine," Cain mumbled, plopping down on his pillow.
For only a mere moment, it was quiet. Rion peered up at the ceiling unblinking, thinking. Birdman...? That's what he said...
Almost as if Cain could read Rion's mind, he asked (all traces of sleepiness gone from his voice), "Did I say anything?"
Rion tensed, regretting it as soon as he had done it, because Cain surely felt it. "...No."
"Liar," Cain breathed. "You're a bad liar – You always were when were younger, too."
"Cain... I..." ...didn't know what to say, it seemed.
"Tell me something. Or ask...anything. I need to take my mind off this, and I can't get to sleep, anyway."
Rion turned over onto his stomach and stole a glance at Cain – or intended to, at least – but something froze him in place. The moonlight reflected off Cain's eyes, and they were very beautiful but sad at the same time.
Did I really just think that?
"What?" Cain must have noticed Rion looking at him.
"Your eyes are nice," he blurted out. Ugh... That was...stupid...
Cain blinked. "Wha...?" But in a matter of seconds, his expression had gone darker. "...I don't like my eyes very much." He wouldn't look at Rion.
"Why is that?" Rion was feeling dumber by the minute.
"Her mistake. I couldn't look like Rion with green eyes, could I? So she made you."
Suddenly, Rion understood it all – why he Cain had been so jealous before they fought... "I'm...sorry."
"Don't be." Cain exhaled heavily. "I would've been lonely without you. It was really idiotic of me to turn against you like that."
Rion barely had to time to pass this through his mind before Cain rolled over and – accidentally, Rion thought – brushed his lips against Rion's earlobe where his earring was.
Rion stiffened, expecting Cain to move or apologize, but neither of those things happened.
"Hmm... You still have it. That's cool." Fingers traced the earring and then lightly tugged. "Oh, sorry."
Did I make a noise? He must have. It was just that he felt kind of tingly...
"I gave that to you so that you would remember me, but you still forgot," Cain mused, turning over on his side.
"I wondered about that." He had to say something in this awkward situation. "The real Rion didn't have an earring..."
"Nope," Cain mumbled sleepily. "You were really nervous, though... Heh, heh..."
Rion closed his eyes and urged sleep to take over. It seemed that Cain was already out.
How am I supposed to get back to sleep after that?
/-/
"Cain, I think you should gently feed the birds," Lilia suggested, a hint of laughter in her voice.
"Pfft." Cain balled up another chunk of bread and whacked it into a pigeon's head.
"It... It looks pissed, Cain." Rion frowned as the pigeon's eyes glinted dangerously.
They were sitting on a bench in a relatively peaceful, grass-covered park, with Lilia seated in the middle.
"What, are you scared?" Another ball of bread.
"No, but it might bite you or something. At this rate, I really hope it does," Rion shot back.
Another ball of bread. It certainly couldn't be said that the pigeons were softly cooing anymore.
"Cain, he's right," Lilia agreed, eying the birds apprehensively. "I think they'll attack us..."
Rion was about to reply when a light-haired man wearing ass-squeezing pants and a skin-tight shirt walked right by him. For some reason, he reminded him of Ash.
What he had wanted to say came out as "Uhhnn..."
"Rion?" came Lilia's voice.
"Er – Huh?" Did they see me looking?!
Judging by the knowing, amused expressions they were sporting, he would have to say yes.
...Shit.
"Must run in the gene pool," Cain decided casually, whipping another lump of bread at the birds.
"I – Ah – What?!" Rion stammered. He could feel a hot flush burgeoning on his face. In fact, he was so embarrassed that it was creeping down his neck. Cain had never exactly told him that he was gay, but quite recently, Rion had been taking note of the...erm, interesting comments Cain made about guys.
"Rion, it's okay to admit it..." Lilia giggled shyly.
Her gaped at her, stunned and flustered. "You..." Oh, it figures. "You guys were talking about this, weren't you?" he guessed, keeping his voice low.
"Uh-huh," Cain confirmed, grinning. "It was kind of obvious when you were talking in your sleep at night. 'Oh, Ash,'" he mimicked, high-pitched and girly, fluttering his eyelashes and clasping his hands to his heart.
"Shut. Up." He glared at Cain, boiling with embarrassment.
"'I am in lov –'"
"Oh, that's it!"
Cain was cut off as Rion swiped at him from across Lilia.
Alas, in dodging this maneuver, he tumbled off the bench and right into the crowd of enraged pigeons.
"Aaaahhh!" he screamed. "Noooo!"
The pigeons brutally seized the opportunity for revenge and began pecking the hell out of him.
Despite Cain's torment, Rion and Lilia burst out into uncontrollable laughter.
"My...sides..." Lilia gasped, clutching her ribs.
"My nipple!" Cain cried out, writhing on the ground. "Fucker!"
A mother walking by shielded her daughter's ears and scowled at them.
As hilarious as it all was, Rion knew what they had to do. They had to save Cain from the tyrannical grasp of the infuriated pigeons. And a nipple-biting was most certainly grounds for a saving. So finally, Rion and Lilia bent over the violent birds and shooed them away (though half-heartedly, it must be noted).
"Urrgh..." Cain was covered in peck marks and dirt, and his hair was even messier than usual. "Rion... Come here..."
"What?" Rion hunched down lower.
And received a painful twisting of one of his nipples.
"Aaaagh!" Rion shouted, springing a foot away from Cain and grasping his wounded nipple. "What the hell did you do that for?!"
"That's what it feels like – only not as painful, lucky you – when a pigeon bites your nipple," Cain hissed. He was still lying prone on the ground. "It was your fault."
"Okay, then. Never mind that we just saved your ass," Rion reminded him crossly. "I'm going to leave you there and go home."
"You're the one who taunted the birds," Lilia added.
They started walking away.
"...Guys?" A pause. "Guys, don't leave me here! They're coming baaack!"
Only later did it occur to Rion that he had called the apartment "home."
/-/
This place again. The playground.
"Ash?" Rion called out.
His voice echoed back at him. Other than that, there were no sounds.
At the familiar sight of the swing set, feelings of relief washed over him. At least he wasn't completely lost.
Not that it mattered, anyway. This was a dream after all, right?
He sat on a swing and began swaying back and forth restlessly. This is my dream... If I want Ash to be here, why isn't he? That's right – He did want to see Ash. Cain and Lilia had even kindly teased him about the attraction he felt towards him.
"Ash..."
"Yes?"
Surprised, Rion jumped in his seat and snapped his head so quickly to the right that he got a crick in his neck.
"Nnnh..." He held his neck in pain, waiting out the burning sensation. "Shit, you startled me!"
"My name is Ash," he stated matter-of-factly.
Rion blinked. "Did you just make a joke?"
"Why, yes, I did. Does this come as a surprise to you?" Ash's voice was calm; his face, impassive. Except for one thing. He was smiling just the least bit.
"Hmph." He smiled back.
It wasn't fair, really. To feel like this around someone who he would never see again. And this was only a dream.
"This sucks." It slipped out before he could stop it, and he didn't even think about the impact it would have an Ash.
Stifling quiet.
"I wish you could come back with me..." he clarified, just to make sure Ash wouldn't think he meant that he disliked being with him.
"I don't have a body to return to in the first place, Rion."
"I know." It was kind of difficult to push the words out. His throat felt tight or something, like his own body was trying to strangle him. "Would you still... Would you still want to kill all the humans?"
"They're disgusting," Ash maintained, "but it would be a pointless effort to destroy them all. But if it so pleases you to be with them, I suppose I can't go through with it. Still...greedy, selfish, filthy –"
"Lilia is human, Ash," Rion interrupted, a little more sharply than he had intended. "And you... You say 'filthy,' but that didn't stop you from..." He trailed off, remembering all too clearly what Ash had done to him the last time they had been together here. Something grazed his throat, and he realized with a jolt that it was his own fingertips unconsciously stroking his neck. "Why did you do that?" he asked, keeping his eyes locked on his feet.
"Because I like you, of course."
"Why no one else?" His voice strangely soft, he searched Ash's eyes.
"Isn't it obvious?" Ash let out a low chuckle, sending shivers down Rion's spine. "Because you're you."
Rion noted – as all the blood in his body seemed to rush up to his head – that Ash plainly found nothing odd about openly passing his eyes over his body.
Or reaching out and trailing fingers over his hip.
"Ash... I..." He definitely wasn't going to be able to get past stammering at this time. "Uhhn..." Think of something...! That...feels good – Damnit, something besides that!
Without breaking his gaze away from Rion's, Ash slowly and inched his way under his shirt, feeling up a notch of his backbone, then another –
Rion shuddered. I'm going to die...
"Oh, sorry if I'm interrupting anything! Heh, heh..."
WHAT. THE. FUCKING. HELL.
The chains of the swing rattled violently as Rion whirled around in the seat, ready to send this person into the fiery pits of hell.
Cain was sitting there with a stupid (or at least it seemed to Rion, who was hot, bothered, and now very, very pissed off) grin on his face.
Rion was about to kill his subconscious mind for bringing Cain into his dream. Absolutely obliterate it, in fact.
"What are you doing here?" Rion didn't bother to disguise the murderous intent in his voice.
"You bear an uncanny resemblance to Rion," Ash observed.
"I get that a lot."
"I can imagine," Ash remarked coolly. He didn't seem none too happy about being interrupted, either.
"Geez. Who stuck a stick up your asses?" Cain grumbled.
/Oh, wait,/ Cain told Rion, telepathically communicating with him. (He was the only one Rion knew besides Lilia who was capable of this.) /I bet Ash was going stick one up yours... Hahahahaha./
/When we get home... You. Dead./
/...Technically, we are home./
/Wait... This is stupid.../ Rion realized. "This is just a dream," he thought out loud.
Cain and Ash each sent him a blank look.
"So I could do something like run naked, and it wouldn't matter..."
This time, the looks he received were more on the alarmed side.
"By all means, go ahead," Ash encouraged, smirking.
Cain rolled his eyes. "...Subtlety just isn't your ballpark, is it?" he asked under his breath.
"What did you say?" Ash demanded.
Rion stared at the two of them. He supposed they weren't...going to get along, then. Oh, well.
"I'll tell you what, Rion." Cain hunched over and put on what Rion had secretly dubbed his "I'm-going-to-be-shrewd-with-this-bet" look. "When you wake up, I'll tell you if the dream was real. Then you have to play Candy Land with Rainheart –"
"No way in hell –"
Rainheart wasn't the best sport in the world, yet he always managed to con Cain into playing with him. Conning typically involved whining relentlessly. And he cheated, too. The saddest thing was that Candy Land wasn't the only game they had dug up from the old apartment. (Cain claimed that the games were so aged, they proved that the place was "an ancient piece of crap.")
"You have to play Candy Land with Rainheart," Cain repeated, with a satisfied grin on his face. "And if you win, I'll..."
"You'll do it, no question."
/Okay, now if you don't mind... It's time to get your ass up./
Rion looked over at Ash.
And he woke up.
/-/
Sunlight filtered in through the window, painting the bleach white sheets with its rays. It was so bright that he quickly shut his eyes.
Mrrrmm...
He immediately felt foolish for having such a dream, even if it couldn't be controlled.
"Rion..."
"Mmm?" He wanted to tell Cain to let him sleep a little bit longer, but he was too tired to say anything.
"Heh, the dream was real."
"What?!"
Well, at least he was awake now.