A/N: I'm back :) Sorry for not having updated in a while. I hope you enjoy this chapter. As always it took me a lot of time to write it and I'm really sorry for any kind of mistake. Please review to let me know what you like/dislike.
-Thaye
Cry's POV
I woke up to a strange noise in front of my bedroom's window. It was a weird kind of scratching mixed with some rhythmic pecking. I frowned at the unwelcome disturbance but refused to open my eyes. I only fell asleep just half an hour ago after being haunted by nightmares the whole night through, as always. So I tried to ignore the noise and I succeeded for about two minutes until what ever caused that sound decided to work up the volume. I grumbled and turned around in my bed squeezing the pillow over my ears facing away from the window, still not willing to open my eyes and give up the sweet and cozy sleepiness once and for all.
A few minutes later I couldn't stand it any longer.
"Goddamnit" I mumbled as I once again turned to face the window and lifted my lids.
Bad idea as you can imagine. The bright light flashed my eyes and I squeezed them shut once again groaning and pressing my head face first into the pillow. I can be really stupid sometimes, you know? My second attempt was slightly better elaborated. I opened my eyes first giving them a chance to adapt to the light and then I turned around to see...
A bird sitting on my window sill pecking and scratching on the glass with his beak. I pushed myself up into a sitting position and tilted my head slightly just staring at the thing.
It was ugly as fuck! From what I could see it was still a young bird barely old enough to fly. The feathers were a dirty gray, the forwardly tilted head black and bald. I recognized the bird from the one time my schoolclass made a trip to the zoo. It was a condor. Some people really liked these animals and described them as royal but I only think they are very ugly.
"Oh, seriously? Come on, man. Just leave." I didn't really expect the bird to give a fuck about what I was saying. He just stopped scratching for a second, blinking at me and then continued even louder. As I already mentioned, fishes are fine, don't make any noises... but a bird was totally too much for me. I peeled myself out of my blanket and stumbled over to the window. For one short second I caught sight of my reflection in the shiny glass as the sun shone on my face. As always I had taken off my mask in the evening before I went to sleep and hid it in the drawer beside my bed. I shuddered slightly as the warm sun shone on my pale skin. Maybe I should leave the mask on for the night since Pewds could pop in at every moment, although I expected him to respect my privacy.. you never know. My hair stood from my head in every conceivable direction and looked even more entangled than usual. Gosh, I was glad the reflection vanished as I opened the window to shoo the bird away.
Since I couldn't hear any sound coming from the living room (where Pewds had fallen asleep on the couch) I decided to take a quick shower. I quickly scanned my messy closet and finally pulled out a pair of dark jeans and a dark purple shirt with my 'sup guy on it. I also grabbed a fresh pair of boxers and left tiptoeing through the living room to not wake Pewds up.
Without even caring to brush my hair I got rid of my sleeping pants (I hate wearing something on top when I sleep) and stepped into the shower. I turned on the water, switched the controller fully on cold and prepared myself for the thermal shock. As the icy cold water hit my back it knocked the wind out of my lungs for one second and I gasped for air, goosebombs covering all of my skin. My vision went black for a moment as my circulation struggled to compensate the cold temperature. After half a minute I turned the controller again to finally let warm water flooding over my body. I sighed contently at the warmth and slumped back against the shower wall savoring the tingling feeling all over my body. I love to do that, don't know why but I do it almost every time I take a shower. One time I overdid it and passed out for a couple of moments, slamming my head against the tiled wall. It had to be sewed up with four stiches. One could call me a jerk for doing something like that but I enjoy it so yeah... fuck it.
Pewd's POV
I could hear the shower running and opened my eyes. It took me a few moments to remember where I was and what I was doing here. So Cry was already awake, assumed that he was the one in the bathroom but who should it be otherwise. I turned around on the couch and closed my eyes again. No need to get up already. I felt quite comfortable and my blanket was warm and soft, a smile curled my lips. No need to worry about anything. It took another few moment for reality to sink into my mind and the smile faded as my lids lifted once more and I stared against the smooth material of the couch.
What the hell happened yesterday? Everything was just fine, we played games and had a lot of fun until we diceded to got out and eat something. These two guys, what were their names? Dan and Nic? Yeah, something like that. Cry knew them and they knew him, even his real name although he barely tells it anybody. It was rather a heavy act of patience for me and one of surmounting for him until he finally told me. So, who were these guys then?
I racked my brain for about ten minutes. Maybe Cry had mentioned anything in the past that could set me on the right track but I couldn't think of anything, not the slightliest hint. Thinking about it I realized that Cry rarely talked about his private life. I didn't even know if he had siblings or where he lived when he was young. He knew all those things about me (at least I told him, if he remembered them was another question) and I knew practically nothing.
Weird.
I should talk to him about that once he-
My phone laughed.
Yes it laughed. Every time I receive a text message it plays some creepy laughter instead of a normal sound. Sometimes it can be really scary like when you're walking alone on the streets at night and someone decides to text you and you jump like crazy because it scares the shit out of you...
I reached for the device laying on the living room table and unlocked the keyguard.
1 new message from: Marzia
I looked at the writing with a picture underneath. It showed Marzia in a lovely white dress but somehow I felt reather worried than relieved as I touched the pad to open the message.
We need to talk Felix. Please call soon.
Marzia.
That was all. I stared at the phone as if it was some kind of joke where you're not sure if you got it right and if you should laugh or not. I never thought I would hear (or read) this line from her. That is how the trouble starts, Hollywood teaches you. 'We need to talk', the most common words that foreshadow a relationship's end. My frown had gotten to the point were it actually hurt. What was her problem? Since the day I told her I was going to America she hadn't spoken a word to me and now... that. Did I do something wrong? Why wouldn't she tell me about it but ignore me like I was some kind of criminal?
As hard as I thought about it I couldn't come up with a logical explanation. I ended up with a throbbing pain in my head sitting on the couch and chewing my thumbnail. I almost missed the sound of the opening bathroom door as I inspected myself and realized that I wore nothing but my boxers. I hurriedly grabbed my red hoodie as I heard approaching foodsteps. Unfortunately, my hair got caught in the bands of the hood, making it impossible to pull the sweater over my head fast enough, blinding me for seconds.
The foodsteps ceased and so did my struggling against the cloth.
It was an awkward silence only cut by a soft gasp followed by hastily retreating footsteps.
"P-pewds, stay exactly where you are!" His voice sounded strange. I finally managed to pull the hoodie over my head and regained my sight. I blinked a few times and could only just catch a glimpse of a dark purple shirt and curly brown hair dripping with water before the bedroom door slammed shut.
After mere seconds of confusion it hit me.
The strap was missing. The mask's strap.
I didn't just miss a chance to see Cry's face, did I? Maybe the strap was hidden underneath his hair or I just didn't see it because he was moving so fast, but... damnit! Now I was curious.
I never really thought about Cry's face, not until today. Sure I sometimes wondered what he looked like but I expected the mystery to be lifted once I meet him personally. When I realzied he wore a mask in real life to cover his face I was confused but it was okay. But now that I could have had the chance to see him I felt almost frustrated that I missed it.
Cry's POV
I took my time in the shower 'cause I didn't expect Pewds to wake up too soon. He must have been really tired after the long flight so I had decided to let him sleep as long as he wanted. I would go and try to make dinner in the mean time. Maybe I could even produce some pancakes... maybe. My cooking skills were not the best but nobody's perfect. Once I finished cleaning my body and washing my hair I decided to turn the water cold once more just because I had the time to do it and I liked to snuggle into a warm sweater after a cold shower. It surprised me that I was doing so well still pushing my concerns about yesterday evening aside. Maybe my mind wasn't yet up to date. The water was cold as ice one again and instead of letting it float over my shoulders and back I put my head under the stream and for a second it felt like my brain froze. I hurriedly turned off the water and grabbed a towel drying myself and carelessly wiping it over my hair a few times so when I put on my shirt they were still dripping with water. Some of the cold drops ran down my neck and underneath the shirt down my back and made me shiver. I only now realized that I didn't have my mask with me but as long as Pewds was still asleep on the couch I should be able to sneak past him without difficulty.
I stepped out of the bathroom and made my way through the living room. I froze in my tracks as I saw Pewds sitting upright on the couch. Without hesitation, I lifted my hands up and covered my face with them. My eyes were widened to the point where one could barely see my upper lid and my breathing ceased.
I was about to freak out as I realized that Pewds had his hoodie pulled over his face. He couldn't see me like this, could he? I saw him struggle against the cloth and took hurried steps backwards to where the door to my room was.
"P-pewds, stay exactly where you are!" I managed to get out, my throat felt as if someone was retching me. I turned around and ran to my room slamming the door shut behind me. One in the room I pressed my back against the door and slit down until I was seated on the floor. My heart was racing as I tried to calm my breathings. You know, nobody has seen my face for years now. Even I wouldn't if I didn't have to. I had no idea if Pewds saw anything but I wanted to hit myself for being so careless anyway.
I rested my head against the chilly wood and closed my eyes. My heart wouldn't stop beating heavily although I was totally calm now. Felix almost saw my face and it terrified me. At the same time a strange sensation spread in my chest that I couldn't really assign.
Damnit Ryan, you should have known that something would go wrong, why do you think you never invited someone over? I took a deep breath.
"Nothing happened, everything's alright" I assured myself my voice still sounding a little bit shaky but already more solid that before. On my knees I slid over to the drawer in which I had left my mask yesterday and pulled it out. I dug out the mask from under a pile of socks.
That was when I heard a knock on the door.
"Cry, you're okay, buddy?" Pewds asked shyly and through the door his voice sounded almost sheepishly.
"Y-yeah, just don't come in. I'll be right there" I replied huskily and went over to the mirror to put on the mask. Once I was satisfied I went to open the door put Pewds wasn't there anymore so I headed for the kitchen. Passing the living room I saw that he had already folded his blanket and neatly placed it on one end of the couch. He really was the tidy kind of a person, just as I had expected.
I reached the kitchen to see Pewds laying the table. I immediatly smiled at his effort for I never really bothered to eat proper breakfast. Once he saw me enter the kitchen he turned slightly pink and scratched his neck.
"Um, sorry bro." I frowned as I sat down at the table.
"What for?" I asked and he hesitated.
"You know. But I can assure you, I didn't see a thing, I swear!" I grinned. He was kind of cute when he was nervous.
"Don't worry about it. Nothing happened." That seemed to soothe him as he relaxed and sat down opposite me. I picked up a toast and only then realized that my hands were shaking pretty bad and I frowned slightly. Pewds also seemed to have noticed.
"You're sure everything's alright?"
"Yeah, I guess" I replied and smiled assuringly at Pewds although I wasn't sure at all. But soon I managed to push even that thought away and enjoyed my breakfast with Felix. It felt good not to be alone all the times even if it brought difficulties.
Pewd's POV
I watched Cry throughout breakfast. His hands were shaking every time he lifted them up but I couldn't tell why. I asked him once again if everything was alright but he insisted that nothing was wrong so I tried to concentrate on breakfast. Once I finished (I really am a fast eater) I folded my hands on the table and looked out of the window. The sight was beautiful. I could even see a small park a few blocks away and asked Cry if we could go there once. He agreed and I realized that his voice still sounded kind of strange although I couldn't tell what was it that bothered me.
At some point I noticed that Cry was a damn slow eater. His chewing rhythm was soo sluggish that I felt the need to feed him to make him eat faster. We talked about this and that and he even made fun of me for getting stuck in my hoodie.
"So what would you like to do today?" He asked me stuffing the last bite into his mouth and chewing on it slowly. I thought for a minute.
"I want to do something I never did before!" I decided. Cry chuckled.
"You have to be a little more precise, buddy."
"Lasertag! Do you have something like that nearby?" I think my eyes sparkled as I said it.
"Lasertag? Really? Isn't that for kids?"
"No, it is fun for all ages. Come on, please!" I gave him a puppy look and pouted playfully until he gave in once more. Victory. Again.
"Okay, we will do it. I think there is an arcade a few miles drive away where you can play it. But I can't assure you that we will be allowed to play." That was good enough for me. I jumped up from my seat once I saw him swallow this last bite. I rushed ofer to him and pulled him up, maybe shocking him a bit with my sudden enthusiasm.
"We're playig lasertag!" I cheered and half hugged him whilst jumping up and down slightly. I was just so exited. I always wanted to play it as a kid but my mother never allowed me.
"Gosh, I think this was a mistake" I heard Cry mumble.
"I don't caaare!" I answered and pulled him into the living room, where his labtop lay on the table, to look up the opening times. This was going to be fun!
