Wow, ch. 3. Guess I just keep chugging them out, huh?
Disclaimer: I own...not a thing...damn, the things I could do if I did...
The annoying sound of an alarm clock made Aldrick stir a little, but after a quick thud of something giving it a good whack, it quieted down. Some shuffling around could be heard, along with a door being closed and the sound of a shower being turned on.
The teen sat up; his eyes half-closed and glazed over. Mornings and Aldrick were like cats and water; the two never mixed well. After a few moments, he started to wake up more, and gazed at his surroundings.
A small gasp was followed by a sigh. "So, it wasn't a dream. Well, I guess I could be in worse predicaments..." Lifting the covers off himself, he swung his legs over the side of the bed, finding the small mattress Cid had pulled out the night before. The quilt that had been used seemed to have been chucked to the side in a hurry.
Figuring it was Cid who was in the shower, due to obvious reasons, the teen headed out of the bedroom, towards the kitchen. Kicking some empty beer cans out of the way, he opened the freezer. Inside was about thirty packs of cigarettes, and a pair of frozen steaks. Finding nothing edible in there, he opened the fridge, finding, to no surprise, many full cans of beer. He also found an almost empty carton of orange juice, and a pack of bacon. Grabbing the last two items, he placed them on the counter top.
Next, Aldrick tried to find a frying pan in any of the cabinets. One of the cupboards held random spices, and another held only a half-full pack of cigarettes. Shaking his head, he tried the cupboard above the stove, only to find bottles of liquor. There were quite a few, and each bottle had a different amount of alcohol left in them. Aldrick did note that only one bottle hadn't been opened, and he guessed it was a brand of tequila, seeing the worm in the amber colored liquid.
The next cupboard was the pots and pans, and after some searching, a frying pan was taken out and placed on one of the burners of the oven. After turning the burner on, the now thirsty teen looked for a glass, finding one in another cupboard. He rinsed it out with water from the sink, and poured the rest of the orange juice into it, setting the now empty container down on the counter.
As Aldrick took a sip, he shuddered as the tastes of orange juice and cigarettes mingled on his tongue. He spit the vile tasting juice into the sink, and poured his glass into it as well. /He drinks out of the carton and backwashes!\
Checking the pan and realizing that it still wasn't hot enough, he decided to search for three things after placing his glass in the sink; the trashcan, a plate, and a spatula. The plate and spatula were easy, as they were in the same cupboard as the glasses. For good measure, he rinsed off the plate and spatula, and set them next to the stove as he now searched for the waste receptacle.
So that's how he survives... Aldrick found the trashcan beneath the sink, filled with fast food wrappers. After tossing the empty juice carton away, he reached over and decided to empty the kitchen ashtray as well. He figured that he would pick up the empty beer cans that littered the place, but was interrupted by a loud grumbling from his stomach.
Taking out some of the bacon from the pack, he started to cook them, moving and flipping them with the spatula to let them cook evenly. When the first batch of bacon was done, he used the spatula and lifted them to the plate, and started the second batch.
About halfway through the cooking process of the second batch of meat, a voice came from behind the hungry teenager. "You made breakfast? Great, less for me to do."
Aldrick turned to see Cid, wearing only a pair of black, baggy pants, with a white towel that was around his neck. The teen stared for a moment, as the shop owner's muscles glistened in the kitchen light, his body still moist from his shower. His hair, even though wet, still stuck into the air, as if it was attracted to the ceiling. Cid moved forward, and Aldrick turned back to the bacon in the pan.
Cid came close to his apprentice, and reached around to grab a piece of bacon. His arm grazed Aldrick's, and Aldrick turned crimson, trying block out all of the dirty thoughts he was having at the moment. In fact, he was trying so hard, that he failed to smell the smoke that drifted off the meat in the pan right in front of him.
"Whoa! Let me have that." Cid took the spatula, scooted Aldrick out of the way, and proceeded to put the batch of slightly burnt bacon onto the plate.
After the smoke cleared and entered the air vents into the ceiling, the man turned while biting into another piece of bacon. "Maybe you should take a shower now. I left some clothes for you in there with a towel. Then, come out n' eat. After that, I'll start your training."
All the teen could do was nod as he backed out of the kitchen, still staring at the muscular man in front of him. Once out of sight, he ran to the bathroom and shut the door. Turning towards the sink, he noticed that the clothes and towel were there, and after a glance in the mirror, Aldrick let out a small groan.
His hair, though normally kept down and in control, had the ability to regain it's wild look after sleep, and flew out in every direction imaginable. Does this mean that Cid saw me like this?...What am I thinking? He quickly shook his head, as if to dislodge his thoughts and send them flying.
He turned on the water and stripped, keeping his clothes in a semi-neat pile on the tiled floor by the sink. Once in the shower, he let the hot water flow down his body for a moment, then started to use the shampoo that was in there, which smelled faintly like coconut.
/...What...what happened to me back there? I've never done that before...Am I...gay...?\ Aldrick had usually only focused on school and video games, never wondering who around him was cute or hot. Love and lust never crossed his mind, so being gay was entirely possible. He shook his head, water flying from his hair. /Even if I am...not only do I have to live with him...but I'm his apprentice, too. Doesn't that...technically make him my master? "Gah!" Suddenly, a loud thud was heard as the teenager banged his head into the wall of the shower.
"You okay in there?" Cid's voice came from the other side of the door, and Aldrick's eyes widened as a panicked "Y-Yes!" came from his throat. The shop owner seemed to walk away, and all Aldrick could do was quietly finish washing himself.
With the shower out of the way, he dried himself off with the towel, and tied it around his waist. He wiped the steam off the mirror, and looked himself over. He had a little hair on his chest, and was thin, with only a little muscle tone. A sigh was let out, and he grabbed the clothes, which at least smelled like they were clean. Even though it felt a little weird putting on another man's clothes, especially his boxers, but it was a lot better than going naked. The boxers, a simple black, fit okay, but everything else was a little big. The t-shirt, a cotton one like Cid had on the day before, fit like a large t-shirt, and was loose. If he was as tall and muscular as Cid was, maybe it would be tight on him, too. The pants were green, and almost like pants for soldiers in the army. They were a little big, but Cid provided a black leather belt, which helped keep the pants from falling down to the teen's ankles. The socks, white, fit about as nice as the boxers, but the shoes, a pair of brown hiking boots, were a different story all together.
As Aldrick tried to walk in them after putting them on, he only managed to clumsily take two steps before stepping right out of them. He picked them up and carried them to the kitchen, where his roommate, while taking a sip from a can of beer and having a cigarette in between his fingers, was now wearing his goggles and a gray shirt that wasn't as tight as his white one.
"The clothes, I'm grateful for. However, the shoes...aren't exactly going to cut it." Aldrick said as he tossed the shoes in front of the man, who Aldrick noticed, was also wearing a pair of socks.
A chuckle escaped from the lips of the older male. "I didn't think so, but I tried. Looks like I got to take you shopping before we get to work. C'mon. Grab your breakfast and let's get out of here."
Aldrick grabbed a few pieces of bacon, and headed up the stairs after Cid, who had put on the boots that didn't fit the teen. /Did he plan this? If so, his laughs won't last long...\ Once they entered the store, the wall closed behind them, and the teen decided that he wanted to finally go outside and walk around.
As they stepped out of the shop and into the city, sunlight bathed both males, and Aldrick stood, mouth agape, as he looked on a city that seemed familiar, yet different. /In the game, it was always night...now there's a day?\ There were more people out than usual, especially children. Most of them were chasing a moogle around as it flew in circles above them, while some stayed close to the adults, shy. The adults were talking animatedly, gossiping about random things they heard.
"You coming?" Cid had started to walk off, and the younger male quickly followed, into the second district.
The second district had even more people. The three shops appeared busy, and a few couples were seen sitting on the benches, holding hands and whispering sweet nothings into each others ears. A child played in the fountain, splashing around. There was even an old man by the fountain, throwing out birdseed to a flock of hungry pigeons.
The teen followed Cid into the store that was named Boots and Shoes, and was told to "Pick a pair that fits, and I'll get it for ya." After looking around, he found a pair of black sneakers with white laces. They fit well, and Aldrick smiled a little as he walked out of the store while wearing them after Cid had paid for them.
They headed back to the store as the teen ate his bacon, and Cid went behind the counter once they got back to pull out some a pair of thick gloves and a few materials, ready to show Aldrick a step-by-step process of making a simple chain for around the neck.
Using a lighter, the artisan lit the fireplace, and stuck the small silver strips into the fire. After putting on the gloves and bringing his goggles down over his eyes, he pulled the now softened metal out of the fire, and using a pair of pliers, started to twist the strips and make small circles, wrapping the metal around the previous circle, until he had one silver strip left, which he wrapped around the first and last circles, making a silver chain that was simple, yet gorgeous.
After he placed the chain on the top of the fireplace to cool, he pulled off his gloves and put his goggles back into place at the top of his head. "That's pretty much it, but that's also the easiest thing to teach." A small smile appeared, as if he had high hopes for his new apprentice. "However, you aren't going to start work today. We've got people to meet."
"People?" The teen had been staring at the beauty of the chain, and wasn't really paying attention, but managed to catch the last sentence.
"Yeah. Leon wants to meet you, and so do Aerith and Yuffie. Besides, I have to tell them the news of my new apprentice." Cid acted a little proud at this, but Aldrick only laughed.
"Well, then I guess we should go ahead so you can introduce me." There was a hint of excitement in his voice, as he wanted to meet the others, too. This time, he swore his eyes would be open for it.
"Then let's move out." The man couldn't stop beaming, as he and Aldrick headed off to the sewers to meet with Leon and the others.
To be continued...
Byne: Yay! Leon makes his appearance...or rather, a true appearence... Review please! Do I really need to beg?