TW: mild domestic violence, bullying, seizures

"Wha-?" The boy responds sleepily.

I take off in a sprint, nearly tripping over my own feet and crashing into several trees.

I need to find Ryu.

"Wait!" The boy calls from somewhere not too far behind me. I focus on running faster. 

But if he did something to Ryu, shouldn't I be running towards him? The thought crosses my mind but I push it away. My social anxiety wins this one.

"Yuki!" The boy yells, surprise causing me to skid to a stop. He crashes into me, sending the two of us tumbling until he's sitting on top of me.

I make a mental note to ask my sister if it's normal for my heart to pound like this. I expect it to stop, but if anything, it gets worse as the boy looks at me, his gaze somewhat intense, as if he's pondering something important.

I gulp.

"H-how do you kn-know my name?" His eyes sweep over me once before moving to my face. He... smiles?

The grin lights up his whole face. Why can't I look away?

And for the love of all the sheep in Lorden, why does it make my heart flutter?

This boy has no right to be adorable and handsome at the same time.

"It's me," he says slowly, tilting his head like a sad puppy.

Wait a second...

"Ryu?!" I gasp.

The boy nods triumphantly. "Yep!"

"H-how...?" "No idea!"

Why does he sound so cheerful? 

"Okay... um, do you mind...?" I motion at him to get off me.

"Oh! Yeah, sorry." He gently slides off of my stomach and offers me his hand.

My face goes bright red. 

"Cl-clothes," I manage to whimper.

Ryu glances down at himself.

"Yeah, I figured this was better than being butt-naked," he says, pointing at the blanket tied around his waist.

He holds out his hand to help me up. I grab it and he yanks me upward. Suddenly our faces are only a couple of inches apart.

I stumble back, my face and ears hot. Hopefully, he didn't see.

"I don't live too far away. I can get you some clothes from my house." I fidget with the hem of my shirt.

Ryu nods and gently takes my hands. 

Trying not to blush, I look up at him. He breaks into a grin. "I'm glad we met, Yuki!"

I nod awkwardly, then back away and start walking in the direction of my family's cabin.

I as get closer, I notice my sister Vexleigh hanging clothes onto the line that runs between the only two trees in our yard. 

Vexleigh smiles at me, her eyes tired. "Adam's inside." She nods at the house. 

"Is Belinaa here?" I ask worriedly. 

"No. Thank the Great Goddess, yeah?"

I nod earnestly. Belinaa is Adam's girlfriend of... two months? Or is it three? I honestly don't care enough to remember. 

I quietly creep through the front door, glancing around to make sure Adam isn't around. 

My brother isn't exactly the nicest guy--especially when he's mocking me. 

I walk down the hall and into his bedroom. He and Ryu are around the same size, and thankfully he won't notice if one or two of his shirts suddenly goes missing. 

After picking out a couple of outfits, I make my way into the kitchen to nab some fruits. 

Thick fingers clamp around my hair, spinning me around to face my brother. 

"Hey, shorty." He smirks, showing off some of last night's dinner still stuck in his teeth. I struggle to free myself from his grasp, twisting and punching his arm. 

He just laughs. 

"I hate you," I mumble under my breath. Adam doesn't notice. Nor does he pay any attention to the bundle of clothes under my arm. 

He pushes my head and I stumble forward, catching myself on the table. Taking the opportunity, I sprint out the door. 

Ryu greets me with a wave and takes the clothes and food gratefully. 

"Are you okay?" He asks between bites of an apple. 

I pause the consumption of my banana and sigh. 

Wiping my moth with my sleeve, I reply "It's nothing, really. Just my brother, he... he likes to, ah, joke around." I nod and give Ryu a strained smile. 

He raises an eyebrow but doesn't say anything. 

And then suddenly...

"Argh!" Ryu doubles over in pain, his apple falling to the dirt. His body jerks and his eyes roll back into his head. He twitches and his limbs flail, flinging dirt into my eyes. 

And I just... watch. What am I doing?

"Ryu!" I rush forward and take his hand. "J-just breathe, o-okay?" I advise weakly, keeping tears from falling down my face. 

As quickly as it started, the jerking and twitching stops. Ryu breathes heavily and lightly squeezes my hand. The tears I'd tried to hold back come rushing down and my body shakes with my sobbing. 

"I'm okay," Ryu says comfortingly. No. I should be the one to help him. Not the other way around. 

I wipe my tears away and gently touch the boy's face. He closes his eyes and leans into my hand, causing me to exhale sharply as heat rises in my cheeks. 

Exhaustion takes over me, and despite what just happened, I'm drifting off to sleep.