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Story Short: Rue and Baqi Practice |
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Bright light and the smell of flowers.
The slight figure, barely dressed, turned away from the light source half conscious.
It was then that he noticed another smell. It was very familiar yet so strange all in the same.
Opening his eyes, a slight feeling of dizzy confusion came over him as the disorientation of waking up in a strange place hit him. He struggled to sit himself up, pushing himself up and away from the extremely soft melt of pillows and blankets to get a better look at the room he was in.
Peonies were the first things he noticed. Vases of the beautiful flowers strewn throughout the small studio flat. Bouquets hardly able to warrant the name by their messy nature. They had no arrangement, no anything; just peonies haphazardly placed in vases and tall drinking glasses...
It was then that slim brunette realized where he was.
"Baqi..." he let out quietly as the events of the night before began to fill his mind.
Another small rush of panic suddenly came over him.
He got up out of the bed, still dazed from his slumber, making his way to look into the bathroom. Finding nothing, he stumbled to the entrance and opened the door, looking out into an empty hall. Turning around, he went back into the room with a feeling of worry when he noticed a small plate and a glass of water on the counter of the kitchenette.
A ripped portion of a loaf of bread was left on the plate, with a glass of water filled two thirds of the way standing to accompany it. A single peony was placed almost neatly on the dish. It seemed to be the only thing in the room that had a purpose or a meaning. Seeing the haphazard excuse for a meal brought an odd sense of relief and realization, easing the young man's mind.
Taking the bread from the plate, he ripped a off a small piece and ate as he took another look around the small flat as if only now waking up.
Everything was so barren; a queen size mattress on the floor with a few white pillows and thick comforters on one side of the room; a gray locker, a gray set of drawers, and a laundry basket sat in the corner by the balcony, and the vases of messy peonies placed all over: on top of the few pieces of furniture and along the wall in spots that didn't seem to be too much in the way.
The young man could easily imagine the resident of the apartment living in this warm but lonely space. He imagined the towering statue of a man eating some bread like he was right now. He imagined him sitting on the bed, imagined him sleeping; imagined him coming out of the bathroom from a shower, picking a random piece of plain clothing from inside those plain drawers....
A piece of dirty laundry hanging from the basket suddenly came into focus.
Rue started to blush and feel a bit ashamed of himself as another part of his body responded to his imagination.
'I should leave...' he thought to himself as he put the bread down in a frustrated manner.
Upon walking toward the bed to find his clothes, all he found was empty space. He tried to remember what had happened the night before but couldn't recall anything past Arzu's assault at the club, and then Baqi carrying him away. The last thing he could remember was the odd familiarity of the man... of his smell... of his broad shoulders and back...
Rue looked around again in frustration as he felt himself blush once again. He peered into the laundry basket.
'Only whites...' he told himself in a despondent tone. Once again his eyes lingered toward the small piece of cloth hanging off the edge of the white basket....
A sound of frustration filled the room as he turned away dramatically and sat back down on the bed. He felt so ashamed of himself.
'What's wrong with me?' he whispered in frustration, as he laid down and covered his eyes with his arm. The soft blankets and pillows, the smell of the flowers, and the warmth from the sunlight shining through the balcony doors put him at ease once again. This feeling of complete safety and comfort was something he had never felt before. The feeling scared him.
There was a time when he would've thrown himself at the man who saved him; a time when he trusted everyone and loved freely. There was a time when he would just let himself get wrapped up in all the good of the moment and live without any rules. But Rue was scared of happiness now. He was scared of himself... A knot built up in his throat as he thought of the things he'd lost.
The young man got up suddenly at the feeling of something warm brushing against his skin.
Dark, worn pools of longing and concern stared into him.
The imposing figure stepped back a couple meters until he was up against the wall, not once breaking eye contact. The tall man was as he always looked; tall, towering, intimidating, and unkempt but at the same time vulnerable and confused.
The two stared at one another, both a bit confused, both a bit startled.
"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in. You startled me." Rue finally let out in a soft tone. It was odd, but the boy was always so careful around the bigger man. He always felt as though the slightest wrong move could break the towering statue into a thousand small pieces.
Baqi readjusted himself, relaxing his shoulders, looking down, turning his head to the side, and finally turning his head to once again face the soft creature that was sitting on his bed staring back at him. It was as though he was afraid of the boy in front of him. Baqi stared again at Rue in a different way that made it almost feel as if he was waiting for what Rue had to say next, as if nothing else existed or mattered.
The tall man then suddenly and quickly turned away and and opened one of the small drawers. He turned toward Rue and stepped toward him with great purpose, handing the boy a gray towel.
The slim brunette was taken aback by the quick and sudden actions that just took place, composing himself once again as he looked into those longing eyes.
"Can I take a shower?" the boy asked as he gently received the offering from the man into his hands. "I'll be back in a bit." he assured, getting up from the bed and heading into the bathroom.
Baqi let out a heavy sigh as the door eclipsed the shining figure. His insides shook and his eyes trembled. It was as though his being and sense of self wanted to leave his body, pushing forward to where he last saw the light bouncing off pale skin. The draw was so intense, like a moth to a flame. He felt something within his wide chest pushing against its confines toward the door.
'No.' He struggled as his body sat itself down on the bed as if to anchor the feelings inside him.
Staring, he could clearly see the imprint the delicate creature left in the soft material of the bed coverings. The feeling inside his chest eased, stopping it's forceful push, and beginning to radiate. A large, worn hand placed itself down where the boy's heart would have been.
G4L_fe · Tue Mar 09, 2010 @ 05:03am · 0 Comments |
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