Rhys felt his cheeks heating up at that, so he buried his mouth and nose into the sleeves of his hoodie to try and hide it, not that it did much. "I… uh, um…." he blubbered. Hideo was too great, too nice, to perfect to be real. No one, not even his own parents, had ever said that to him, or even make as much as an effort as Hideo had to even acknowledge that he was a person beyond his handicap. "I wouldn't say perfect…" Rhys finally managed to whisper, just loud enough for Hideo to hear.
Hideo snorted. He actually snorted at what Rhys thought. "Well, I guess I'll have to prove you're pefrect, then. You're the judge." Hideo proposed. He noticed Rhys's small blush, and couldn't help but bite his lip. He thought it was adorable, and wondered if the other was blushing that much. He chose not to voice his thoughts about it. Hideo then looked at the clock on his wall, and gasped, softly. He hoped it wouldn't alarm Rhys.
"Good luck," was all Rhys said about that matter, flicking his eyes over to the side as if that would separate him from the blush threatening to deepen. He didn't know that Hideo could see him, but he was desperate to calm the beating in his chest and divert the attention away from himself. And the perfect opportunity arrived when he just barely caught the small gasp from the other. Rhys perked his head up and cocked his head to the side. "What is it?"
A quiet sound came from the door, just outside of Hideo's room. "They're here, hold on, this might hurt," Hideo warned the other, before shoving him underneath the bed's blanket. He walked out of the room, and opened the door. "Hideo, son, have you studied? We won't have our perfection making bad grades." Came a feminine voice. "Of course, mother." Hideo replied, simply. "Well, why haven't you made dinner?" Came the other voice. It was hard to determine a gender based on it alone. The night's dinner completely slipped Hideo's mind. "I-I apologize, father," Hideo said, even more softly. Footsteps raced through the hall, Hideo ran to make some food for his parents, who he prayed didn't enter his room.
Rhys yelped as he was shoved under the blanket, but covered his mouth to smother it when he registered Hideo's words. Silently, he waited as he heard the other leave the room and talk to some other people downstairs, likely his parents. Considering he had to be hidden, he didn't think they were very comforting or warm parents, like his own. Rhys uncovered his mouth, but his fingers worried at his bottom lip as he sat in silence. If Hideo's parents were anything like Rhys' then he felt a wash of sadness and sympathy for the other boy. I hope he'll be okay, he thought.
Hideo quickly managed to whip up some burritos. They seemed to be effortlessly easy. He tossed a little bit of lettuce inside of a bowl and topped it with ranch and cheese, a perfect side item. He put the meals at the table. Meanwhile, Hideo's parents went inside of his room. They noticed the bean-bags, sitting as if they were a makeshift bed. "Hideo! Get yourself in here, now!" Came the woman, loudly. "Yes ma'am!" Hideo said, as he rushed inside of the room.
Rhys covered his mouth again when he heard the woman's shout, keeping his breathing even and as silent as possible. The thing about his blindness, he was more observant with his hearing, so he could tell when he was breathing obnoxiously loud or as silent as humanly possible without not breathing. Still, that didn't ease his worry for Hideo. His mother sounded angry. What had she found? If it was him, then surely the blanket would've been ripped off of him.
"What is your room doing, it's normally a lot cleaner. You foolish boy, clean it up. Leave our dinner, clean up and go to sleep." She rambled, before leaving the room, and shutting the door. Hideo sighed. "Okay, mom." He whispered. Rhys could hear him running around, picking stuff up. He cleaned his room a lot, considerably, not even touching his bed. "Better, we're safe now." He whispered, softly.
Rhys let out a sigh and sat up, letting the blanket fall into his lap. His hair was a static mess, but he just combed a hand through it and called it good enough, even if most of the white strands were still disheveled. "Seems your parents aren't much better than mine," he murmured, eyes finding the hazy spot he knew was Hideo. An idea came to him, and his head tilted as he thought it through. "How would they react to you going to someone else's place? Like, not permanently of course, but just to hang out. Maybe under the pretense of studying."
Hideo sighed. "Not at all good, I would assume. I know they allow projects, but they aren't fond of the idea of studying with a distraction." He said, with honesty. He laughed softly as he brushed through Rhys's hair with his hand. "Sometimes I just want to run from this place, have you ever felt the same about yours?" He asked, with a bare whisper. He smiled, though, as if imagining it.
Rhys tipped his head into Hideo's touch without thinking about it, and this time the blush didn't appear as he still didn't even dwell on that little action. Instead, he chewed on his lip and shifted slightly. "I… actually have. I'm on my own, renting a place with support from my aunt who pitied me. I have no support from my parents. They pulled any money I would've gotten from them the moment I walked out the door. Said I'd be crawling right back to them." He shrugged, though a ghost of a smile lingered over his lips as he added, "I decided to stay on my own to spite them, even if I hate the silence." Rhys never spoke louder than a whisper, just like Hideo. It was as if they were sharing secrets with one another.
"That honestly sounds awful, even in spite I'm glad you chose to defy what they expected." Hideo said, with astonishment. "You seem to be a little more kept-together than me, even, from the bare knowledge that I know." He added, with a loose sound of laughter. He thought about the other guy, and how despite his blindness and his issues, he seemed to be doing just fine. It made him proud, though he was too shy to admit it.
((uuuugh, I don't want to draw for two hours))
Rhys felt a soft smile pull at his lips, the small metal hoop lifting with the motion. "Doubtful. I rushed into the decision without any thought. If my aunt hadn't felt bad for me, I'd probably be under lockdown with my parents." He shrugged and pulled his legs up, hugging his knees to his chest. He was practically broke, only getting enough money from his aunt to get through rent and the bare minimum for food. Getting a job was tough. He was too stubborn to want any other handouts from people. He hardly considered himself put-together.
( Do you have to? )
"Maybe I can help you out. You seem to want to be independent, but I'll fight to at least help you out there." Hideo suggested. "I mean, I'm sure I can find somewhere to draw currency from, it shouldn't be too hard for me." Hideo was super used to stealing things, especially when he found them to be urgent needs. He didn't do anything illegal, mostly, despite a few good monetary draws from his parent's credit card. He knew he could assist the other, and didn't wan him to be on the bare end of the money status lines.
(it's what I do every school morning. A two-hour commercial art class)
Rhys tipped his head back in alarm, almost staring directly into Hideo's eyes without even knowing. "You don't have to do anything for me, y'know. We just met, and I'm already a burden to one person." With a sigh, he flopped onto his back and curled his arms just above his head, eyes looking up at the ceiling. "I really appreciate the concern, Hideo, but you've already done more than enough. I should be the one offering to help you in return." Rhys didn't want to sound ungrateful, but in his mind, Hideo has gone so far out of his way to help Rhys in a bunch of little ways. They weren't that bad, but getting him money was an entirely different thing.
( Insane. I wish I had to, trade places with me! )
"If you say so." Hideo replied, curtly. Hideo could literally care less about what would happen if he did it anyways, and he thought for a second about actually doing it. He yawned, quietly, and couldn't help but smile at Rhys. "Also, nah, don't you ever feel entitled to that 'caring for me' stuff. You don't have to do that," He sighed halfway through, but it wasn't one of sorrow. It was a sigh of relief, and bravery. He couldn't help but feel so proud of what he and the other accomplished in the day, it surprised him, even.
((lol. Most times I love the class, but I've been feeling not so in the drawing mood lately. I typically bounce from hobby to hobby. Been in a research and development kinda mood))
Rhys sat up again, hearing the curtness of Hideo's first statement, and blindly reach out for the other's arm. His fingers soon found their target, then gently but surely wrapped around Hideo's arm as Rhys looked up at him. "I'm not trying to be ungrateful, trust me. I just…" he sighed and chewed on his lip ring, "I'm not used to accepting help. I was always on my own, and the way my parents treated my 'condition' made me want to do things on my own to prove I can still be as good as they wanted me to be before I was born." His eyes flitted around Hideo's face. "I–It'll take some time for me to get used to, well, you." He offered a hesitant and slightly crooked smile, hoping the other understood what he was trying to say.
( Ahh I see! )
"Well, I'll allow all the time in the world." Hideo decided, aloud. He noticed when Rhys chewed on the ring, and thought about it for a second. He really wondered what was going through the mind of the other. He couldn't help but fall into some loose laughter, bringing the other into an awkward hug, despite the quickness of it. "Thank you, thank you," He exclaimed, as he was still aware of the volume of his voice.
Rhys let go of Hideo in surprise when he was pulled into a hug, but his smile bloomed some more. He could get used to this, he decided. Hideo seemed like he genuinely cared about helping Rhys with anything he needed, but was willing to wait for his boundaries to allow for that. He let out a breathy laugh and said, "You're welcome, I guess? Not sure what you're thanking me for." If anything, it should be Rhys thanking Hideo for giving him the space to figure things out.
Hideo smiled, and felt relieved that Rhys accepted the hug. He noticed the time, and looked back at Rhys. "When do you normally sleep?" He asked the other, with a faintly sad tone. It was about the time to where his parents forced him to sleep, luckily they didn't trail him and intrude for it. He hoped Rhys wouldn't mind that he had to at least turn the lights off early.
Hideo smiled, and felt relieved that Rhys accepted the hug. He noticed the time, and looked back at Rhys. "When do you normally sleep?" He asked the other, with a faintly sad tone. It was about the time to where his parents forced him to sleep, luckily they didn't trail him and intrude for it. He hoped Rhys wouldn't mind that he had to at least turn the lights off early.
Rhys hummed and tipped his head to the side. "Whenever I feel like it, I guess. Not like I can check the clock," he joked, offering a smile to try and lighten Hideo's mood after hearing his tone. He wouldn't mind it if they went to sleep now, nor would he mind if the lights had to go out—again, it's not like he could see it anyway, save for the lights spots in his limited vision. "I'm guessing your parents have a lights out policy?"
"Yeeeah. It'll be five minutes more of light, then we both won't be able to see a thing." Hideo replied, shyly. He hated having a 'bed time', it made him feel like a little kid. Ignoring that, he was completely alright with it. "So I guess we'll be speaking until then." He added, with a much lighter tone. He reflected on the day for a second, being proud of himself for making a better friend.
Rhys was happy that Hideo didn't seem to be too bummed out about that, judging from his altered tone. He grinned and got on his knees so he could scoot back on the bed, then reached out and grabbed Hideo's arms—first try, queue the mental victory dance—to pull him onto the bed with him. "If I'm stealing your bed for the night, then at least sit with me so you're not completely banished from it," Rhys insisted. Okay, so maybe he had an ulterior motive to wanting Hideo next to him, that being him feeling comfortable near him.
Hideo hopped on top of the bed, and landed messily beside Rhys. He laughed, softly. "Alright then, I just hope you're alright with becoming a human teddy bear by the end of the night." He said, with another laugh. Rhys brought out some fun in him, it was pretty nice. He snuggled himself into the pillow that laid behind him, and moved slightly closer to Rhys.
