(Somewhere in a remote location)
The man opened the glass door and calmly stepped outside. He was dressed in a white button down shirt and blue jeans, unlike his typical formal attire. He stepped his bare feet in the grass and admired the view of the lake behind his family's house. He walked out to the dock and sat on the edge. He rolled up his pant legs and began wading his feet in the water below him. He leaned forward to see his own reflection in the softly rippling water and began chuckling at his curly black hair being particularly messy. The man pulled a box of cigarettes from his pocket and opened it, sliding a cigarette out with his teeth. He was just about to light it when he suddenly heard footsteps on the dock running toward him fast. He jerked his head around in surprise only to see a purple haired young girl charging at him with her arms open and the biggest smile he'd ever seen. "Hey, what the hell are you trying to-?!"
The girl tackled him, sending the both of them into the lake water with a splash. The man popped his head out of the water with his curly black hair drenched and his unlit cigarette floating just beside him. He growled at the girl, who daintily paddled through the water like she was having the time of her life.
"What the hell was that for?" He hissed as he climbed out of the water and back onto the wooden dock. "What's got you so excited, Road?"
The girl giggled and pulled herself from the water as well, only to wrap her arms around his waist, since she couldn't reach his neck. "You've been mingling with those filthy sub-humans for too long, Tyki! I never get to see you anymore!" She whined.
"That's no reason to shove me in the lake." He said blankly. He made his body intangible and the water fell onto the dock, drying his soaking wet clothes and hair completely. "Now I have to buy a new pack of cigarettes." He complained, noticing the pack had fallen out of his pocket into the lake.
"AW!" A new voice came from behind Tyki and Road. "Why'd you have to dry yourself off like that, Tyki-pet! You looked so sexy all drenched in water in a white shirt! ~"
Tyki's eye twitched with irritation. "I thought I asked you not to call me that, Lady Millennium…"
The woman tipped her hat and did a curtsy. "Nice to see you again, Road. Have you invited the others?"
Road curtsied in return. "Of course, Lady Millennium! I've invited all the family to the Lake house as you instructed."
"Speaking of which," Tyki interrupted, "What did you want to gather us all here for, anyway?"
The Millennium Countess strutted over to him and pressed her body against his chest in a flirtatious manner. "All in good time, Tyki-pet. ~" She whispered with a wink.
The man backed away from her and began walking back to the house.
"Tyki-pet! ~ Where are you going? ~" The woman asked.
Before stepping inside, he answered, "To take a shower." He shut the door behind him and leaned his back against the glass door with a sigh. He looked down at his hand and admired his skin being white rather than grey. He thought back to where he was just before Road had called him to the family Lake house: He was with his friends, Clack, Momo, and Eez. It was hot and he'd been mining as usual while Eez sat on the sidelines wearing the same surgical mask he always wore. Tyki had just found a shining silver stone and tossed it to the young boy. Eez would always nod and say, "Thanks, Tyki!" with his weak, young voice muffled. Tyki always loved hearing those words and watching as the boy's cheekbones would become more prominent, indicating that a smile was hidden behind the white mask.
He brought himself back to reality as he realized that he himself was smiling at just the thought alone. He remembered what Road had just called Tyki's friends a few minutes ago: Sub-humans. He hated the word. It was degrading and segregating and insulting and…overall, plain old rude. He didn't want to think of himself as being any different than one of them. No matter what family you come from, everyone is capable of being happy and smiling, even the young boy with asthma and the two men living on the streets. Over the years, he memorized all of their individual smiles. Especially the smile of a young girl he once knew. Her smile was one of his favorites. Up until a certain day…
"Oi, Tyki!" A voice resounded in the building.
He glanced over to the hallway as he noticed two figures pointing guns at one another. "Hello Devit, Jasdero. I see you two still haven't decided to kill each other yet."
"Look who's being a smart-ass!" Devit hollered as he and Jasdero aimed their golden guns at the older man.
"Hee hee! Shoot him in the mouth!" Jasdero chimed.
Tyki started walking away, as he remembered why he'd come inside in the first place.
"Oi, Oi! Where do you think you're going?" The black haired twin yelled.
Tyki stuck his pinky in his ear to plug it. "Would you lower your voice? You're in a building. Go outside if you want to yell. I'm going to take a shower."
Jasdero stomped his foot. "He turned his back to us! Can we shoot him? Pretty please?!"
Devit lowered his gun as he looked out the glass window to see the Millennium Countess watching them with her hands pressed against the window like a creep. "Nah, Dero. Lady Millennium is here."
Tyki stepped in the large bathroom with a towel tossed over his shoulder. He locked the door behind him and hung his towel on the curtain rod. He took off his white collared shirt and disregarded it onto the floor. He undid his belt and gave it the same treatment. Once he'd completely stripped naked, he stepped into the shower and turned the water on. The water hit his skin cold, giving him chills, before slowly warming, filling the air with steam. As the steam washed over his pores, he began to think. About the girl. The girl whose smile he admires so much…No, used to admire. Now he hated her smile, right? He tried to sort out his feelings as he lathered up his black locks with shampoo. *"I do not care for that girl. She's in the past. I'm over it."* He thought. He remembered the way she used to care for Eez. She used to sit with him and sing songs that she'd heard on their crappy radio. Oh, how he loved her voice… *"No. She's nothing special. She's the enemy."* He remembered her goofy smile; the way it was always just a little bit crooked, the way she'd squint her eyes and try to cover her face…He thought it was really cute. *"There's nothing to like about her. She's no different than any other girl."* He remembered the first time their lips had locked. How soft her lips felt against his, the way she'd always melt into his arms at the sensation. He always closed his eyes and savored the delicious passion between them. Oh, how he loved her… *"She's in the past…I do not love her…I do NOT love her!"*
"Want me to scrub your back for you, Tyki-pet? ~"
The voice shocked him beyond belief as he quickly pulled the shower curtains to cover his private areas. "WHAT THE HELL?! How'd you get in here, Lady Millennium?!"
The sassy woman giggled devilishly and winked at him. "Oh, Tyki-pet! ~ You look so sexy! ~ It wasn't fair that I didn't get to have a good look at you by the lake, but now you're not only soaking wet, but you're naked and blushing! ~ Oh, you look so cute and sexy at the same time! ~ You're not the only one who's wet. ~"
"GET. OUT." He demanded.
"Oh, but the fun's just begun! ~" She teased.
Tyki reached up and grabbed the towel that was still hanging on the curtain rod and hastily wrapped it around his waist, careful not to expose himself in front of the flirtatious woman. He was NOT about to let her put those tainted hands of hers on ANY part of his body. Without warning, he became intangible and passed through the wall behind him, leaving the shower water running. He was now in the kitchen wearing nothing but a towel, right in front of Road, Devit, and Jasdero.
Immediately, the three of them began laughing hysterically. "Did Lady Millennium sneak a peek, Tyki?" Devit managed to say between laughs.
"SHUT THE HELL UP!" He hollered, his face as red as a beat.
"Oi, were in a building! Go outside if you wanna yell!" Devit replied sarcastically.
"I SAID SHUT UP!" Tyki grasped the towel tightly as he stomped up the staircase to go and get himself clothed. "Screw the shower…it's not even worth it."