Section 8 "First Warmness"
Allen opened his eyes slowly and looked around. Now that he had slept, he felt much better. It was already 5.32 when he looked at the clock that was hanging on the wall. About three hours had passed since he had last slept. Although he looked all around once again, Kaien was nowhere to be seen.
“Kai?” Allen called.
There were no responded. Allen got up from the bed slowly and at the same time wondering where Kaien go. First thing first, he needed to go to the bathroom. He soaked his face with water from the sink as he tried to shake off his drowsiness.
Allen was ready to shut off the water supply when he noticed something that caused him to pause. A red liquid drops from his nostril. He was having a nosebleed.
‘Could it be because of the fever? It was last night when I had a high temperature, wasn't it?’ The words came out in Allen's mind as he wiped up the blood.
When Allen had finished what he needed to do, he went back to Kaien's room. A piece of paper was placed on the table, and he took a look at it. The message was sent to him by Kaien...
‘I'm going to the grocery store to get dinner ingredients. Remember to take your medication as prescribed. I love you, Allen.’
Allen's hearts were filled with reverberations of the final three sentences. The last time someone had shown their affection for him was quite some time ago. Last but not least, there was his mother. He longed to hear his mother's voice. One day, he made the decision to stop grieving. Allen picked up a tiny bag of pills that Kaien had left on the bedside table for him to examine. He swallowed one of the capsules.
He heard the sound of the door closed just as he was ready to leave the room. “Kai?” Allen called as he went to the living room.
“Oh, you're awake,” Kaien remarked while removing his shoes. “How’s your feeling?”
As Kaien placed his hand on Allen's forehead to take his temperature once more, Allen said, "I'm still a little lightheaded, but I'm fine.”
“Alright then.” Kaien agreed. “Please, just let me know if you think anything is wrong, alright?” Allen nodded.
Allen was under the impression that Kaien was talking about his fever. However, Kaien's comments also indicated something else. Kaien was trying to say, ‘you can tell me your problem too, Allen...’ However, it did not come out right.
They later made their way to the kitchen together. Kaien took out a few items from the supermarket bags, including some fresh vegetables.
“What are you trying to cook?” Sitting on the chair next to Kaien, Allen inquired. He peered at the bags that Kaien had used for his groceries.
“Our dinner,” Kaien said with a smile.
“Could I be of assistance as well?” Allen excitedly inquired.
Because Allen was so adorable, Kaien could not help but smile. He had good reason to know that Allen adores the kitchen. It hit him a few days ago when he noticed Allen making him breakfast. “Sure,” Kaien replied.
Allen did a superb job of washing and chopping the veggies. As Kaien chopped the spice and set the stove to high heat. Vegetable soup was being prepared.
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The room was filled with the aroma of vegetables and seasonings that are emanating from the kitchen. It caused Kaien to forcefully swallow in his saliva. The food that Allen prepared was simply irresistible. In the beginning, Kaien had planned on preparing the meal for Allen, but it seemed like everything had turned around from the other way around.
“What’s wrong, Kai? You're staring at the food.” Allen inquired.
“No, no, it's nothing,” Kaien whispered. “Let’s eat.”
While they were eating, they were chatting with joy. Allen was delighted to eat the soup that Kaien had provided for him. Allen musters up the courage to do the same thing to Kaien after he had eaten a few spoonfuls. In the beginning, Kaien was taken aback. He was never fed by anybody else, with the exception of his mother, of course. He smiled as he consumed it, however.
Following their meal, Allen lent a hand to Kaien in clearing the table. After that, they did the dishwashing together.
Both of them grinned and laughed. Allen had disregarded his sobs. This was the first time his burden had ever slipped his mind. He enjoys Kaien's company. It brings him joy that he felt anywhere.
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“Kai…” Allen, who was lying on Kaien’s chest, mumbled.
“Um?” Kaien responded.
“Can I… Live with you here?” Allen inquired. It seemed like he no longer wanted to return home. After such a long time being alone, he longed to be with Kaien, the one who brought him joy and laughter.
It stunned Kaien. Obviously, he was perplexed and taken aback by the news. He was under the impression that Allen had a disagreement with his father, but it was not a very serious one until Allen expressed interest in moving into his home.
“Sure, I'll cover the cost. It's just like... I rent your bed,” a nervous Allen spoke forward. For some reason, he felt he could trust Kaien. Truly, perhaps Allen has also been captivated by Kaien. It was proven when Allen did not fight back after Kaien's kiss.
Just the word ‘bed’ made Kaien giggle. Once again, Allen's word choice can be somewhat peculiar at times.
“Allen… But, how about your fam…” Allen cut Kaien off before he could finish.
“I live alone and I despise living alone…” Allen was being dishonest.
Kaien could not seem to get any reason to prevent Allen from living with him. It made him pleased. Since his brother left him for his studies, he has never felt more alone than at his apartment.
“Sure, why not,” Kaien eventually spoke out as he kissed Allen goodnight, saying, “Goodnight. I'll love you.”
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Somewhere in one of the storage areas in South's Harbor, an unfortunate event was happening. The storage facility gave the impression of being tranquil from the outside, but in reality, it was not. There was a lot of nasty violence going on inside.
“I beg you, please... Please give me another chance!” The voice of an elderly guy pleaded.
“You broke the deal! You deserve this!” one man yelled as he pounded the frail body of the elderly man with a stick.
“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!’ the elderly gentleman pleaded. “Give me a chance!”
“Stop hitting him,” remarked another young man who was lounging on the couch in a relaxed manner. He was dressed in a black shirt. His eyes and hair were brown, and they blended very beautifully with his face. Unfortunately, he was the son of a loan shark. If he had not been, perhaps girls would have already been crazy over him.
“Please… Give me another chance…” the old man begged.
“I will. But, this time, though, the stakes are twice as high,” the young man answered. “He belongs to me now, not just one night…”
The elderly gentleman gave a subtle gesture of approval. After taking so many hits, he counted himself fortunate to be alive. The happiness of his son was no longer important to him; he was just concerned with himself. His eyes, thoughts, and heart have been clouded by alcohol, gambling, and drugs.