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Glass Houses [Closed] - Printable Version

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Glass Houses [Closed] - megs - 09-07-2015

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megs & saronym



Glass Houses [Closed] - megs - 09-07-2015

✿ When will you be home tonight?

    It was as innocent a question as she could make it. She texted instead of called since Cain had been making a bad habit of being defensive, lately. With a short sigh, she clicked off her phone and watched as the screen went blank.

    Akiko and Cain had been together for a long time. Since, high school in fact. She'd been transferred into the convenient academy their junior year, after her 'father' had been 'promoted' to a desk job. It didn't feel like it was that long ago. Where had ten years gone so suddenly? Admittedly, they had lost a few in college. A long distance relationship that she had thought was working as they attended different universities. They had wanted different things, she had thought it was for the best.

    In retrospect, sending an already distant Cain away from her was probably not the way to go about things. She assumed that was just the way he was, quiet and cold, somewhat akin to his father. She didn't know that it was just him pulling away from her. It's not that she could have just followed him around, regardless. The space was supposed to have been good for them. Sometimes, when she watched him in the garage, working out or playing with the dog she didn't recognize him. Didn't know if the man who had come back to her was the same boy that she had let walk away. Well, obviously, he wouldn't have returned completely the same, but she had expected to recognize something about him.

    She was working on her lesson plans, now. Or at least she was supposed to be. In reality she was tapping her pen on the open pages of her planner, staring at the screen of her computer that was informing her that she had no internet connection.

    Akiko pushed Cain into the open door of the empty art room. He stumbled against the weight of her and she closed the door behind them.

    "What the hell is your deal?" he asked, not quite a demand. His voice was cool and confident behind every well-articulated word. "And who are you? Some crazy exchange student? Do you speak English? I'm not going to tote you around like that annoying Finnish girl." He threw up his hands, continuing a rant that Akiko had not been prepared for. She placed her hands on her hips, circling him once as if she were assessing him.

"Holy shit, I can't keep escorting every foreigner just because my father makes me learn every damn language on the planet." He huffed, folding his arms over his chest. "What the hell language do you even speak?"

"I speak English," she replied, stopping in front of him, all smiles as if the situation were perfectly normal. "And no, I'm not Finnish. I might, be a bit annoying, but not too much. I'm a transfer. Well, my dad was just transferred…" she shrugged, stopping short of her tendency to ramble. "Yeah, anyway. What's under the hat?" she asked, pointing to the patched cadet hat he constantly wore to hide his ears. 

    It was not the most graceful of first meetings. Certainly not a story that would go down in the books as love at first sight. She had heard rumors of Cain before she had ever met him. Gossipy girls, and jealous boys that channeled all their strange fascinations with him into bullying. Cain and Akiko had gone from awkward, forced acquaintances, to begrudging friends, and she couldn't even remember the point in which Cain and Akiko, had become Cain and Akiko.

    Cain and Akiko. She kept saying in her head and the words started to sound strange and foreign. It was just such a natural phrase, like they had never been anything other than a pair. But she was beginning to notice that she was just Akiko again. Before Cain had graduated and gotten a job in a new town, they had already been spending less and less time together. Between their working hours and Cain's strange behavior they were rarely seen together. Even on Cain's odd days off, he managed to find a million other things to do.

    After calling the cable company and paying the Internet bill that Cain had apparently forgotten, she placed another call for a pizza. It would have to do for dinner, since most of their kitchenware was still in boxes, and it wasn't like they shopped for anything other than toiletries and dog food. A lot of things were still in boxes, and finding time to dig out things that weren't essential was difficult.Closing her planner, she left her office followed closely by Daisy, the dog Cain had brought home a few weeks prior. An adorable beagle and corgi mix that had been abandoned by owner's that didn't want to pay a veterinary bill.

    Fishing money out of her purse, she set it on the end table near the door for whenever the pizza arrived. She fed the dog and plopped down on her favorite spot on the couch to read while she waited, the dog all snuggled up in the crook of her knees.

    She hoped that Cain would actually come home at a reasonable time, tonight. They really needed to talk.


Glass Houses [Closed] - saronym - 09-12-2015

When Akiko's text vibrated Cain's phone in his pocket, he was in an exam room. He wasn't supposed to be still on shift, but the vet replacing him was late. Still, he failed to reply even when able to check his phone. This was partly because Cain wasn't entirely sure when he was getting home. And partly because he resented her for expecting him to be somewhere at a certain time. It wasn't that he didn't want to be wanted. Like his father, Cain loved the idea of being wanted. But he didn't deal well with the fact that being in a relationship came with some expectations of reciprocity, communication, intimacy. Long distance was just easier for Cain who had always been more than happy to allow Akiko to make up for the effort he didn't put into their relationship. It seemed to him that she was getting much less permissive of his indifference, distance, and absence since they had moved in together. 

Cain's return home was prompted by Daisy, the dog, running to the door to greet him with a furiously wagging tail and excited whining. The keys were tossed with a heavy jingling crash onto the foyer table. A half burned cigarette just barely suspended from his lips as shrugged out of his lab coat. He was more or less struggling out of the coat between rustling plastic bags and patting Daisy's head. Once free of his coat Cain was left wearing his black scrubs, with his ID clipped to the pocket, and a slouchy grey beanie. Except at work, it was rare that he wasn't adorned with some sort of headgear which he wore mostly to cover his feline ears from the curious public gaze. Cain had even taken to wearing hats around the house when he moved in with Akiko. He knew it looked like he was hiding his ears from her. And he sort of was, but he was mostly hiding the ears because they tended to give away emotions he might be trying to hide. He hated that these emotional meters were attached to his head. They would prick to attention when his name was called or he was excited. They would flatten down against his head when he felt guilty, hurt, or embarrassed. They would rotate slightly and point more towards the back when he was angry or frustrated. When he was younger Cain had taken efforts to hide his tail under jackets, he didn't bother so much with that anymore as it took a lot of effort. His tail was also another emotional giveaway, but much less subtle than the ears were. 

"Hey sorry I'm late." Was all he said to Akiko by way of greeting as he proceeded to the kitchen with Daisy trotting happily behind him. He deposited the plastic bags on the counter and ruffled Daisy's fur. His petting the dog and the small smile on his lips indicated that Cain was in a relatively good mood.

He took a few last puffs on the cigarette which shouldn't have been brought into the house in the first place before putting it out in the sink. He waved his hand halfheartedly to dissipate the smoke. A six pack of beer materialized from the gas station bags along with a carton of cigarettes. He began rooting around noisily in drawers. "Where's that bottle opener?"


RE: Glass Houses [Closed] - megs - 10-25-2015

Akiko looked up from her book when Daisy bounded off the couch at the sound of Cain's key in the door. Clawing her fingers through her hair, she stretched her legs, cramped and static from letting the dog sleep on them undisturbed. She couldn't see Cain from the couch, but she could hear the sounds of him trying to come into the house and get settled with a very excited canine trying to get his attention. She didn't immediately get up, because there was no need for her too. No need for her to go bounding to the kitchen to greet her boyfriend - returned from long hours at the veterinary hospital. She used to. Used to do all the cute things that cute girlfriends did for the significant others, but it had quickly started to feel like she had been playing a role. Acting a part that Cain had had no interest in. He would come to her if and when he wanted to.

Too much like a cat that way.

"It's fine," she called back from the couch, closing her book with a muffled thump and setting it on the end table. "I'm sure you were busy," she continued, trying to keep her tone neutral, pleasant. But not too neutral that it sounded like she was accusing him of something. Talking to Cain had always been like scaling a mountain, one wrong move and it was all over, but some days were better than others.

She could smell the cigarette smoke, but she didn't say anything about it. Heard glass clinking before he inquired about the bottle opener, but she didn't say anything about that. She didn't have a problem with him partaking in either, but that latter seemed more frequent as of late.

"It's in the drawer left of the dishwasher." It was one of the handful of kitchen items that had actually unpacked so keeping track of it was still pretty easy. Akiko pushed herself off the couch and padded quietly across the carpet in bare feet. She leaned against the kitchen entrance and crossed her arms. "Find it?" she asked, smiling down at the dog who was waddling short laps between the two of them.


RE: Glass Houses [Closed] - saronym - 10-28-2015

Cain held up the found object between thumb and index fingers for her as an affirmative response. He avoided eye contact and declined to initiate conversation. The only sounds in the room were the clicking of Daisy’s nails on the kitchen floor, rustling of bags, the ‘tsst’ of the beer opening, and clink of the cap falling forgotten to the counter. Cain peered cautiously at Akiko surveying her over the mouth of the bottle as he tasted the amber liquid. He frowned at the bottle, having only chosen the brand solely because of an advertised sale. Not that he needed to save money, but felt compelled to follow the direction of a sign promising tasty beer at a low price. For one who so desired everyone to think of him as coolly indifferent, Cain could be surprisingly impressionable. It was a learned defense mechanism with roots stemming from his history as a bullied child.

Unsure if he liked the flavor or not, Cain tried again and shrugged to himself. It would do. “It’s not terrible.” He said by way of welcoming Akiko to have a beer with him.

Cain then fiddled awkwardly with a pizza box. He was truly disappointed in that particular meal choice. Again.

"Pizza, huh?" He inquired, not trying to sound exactly displeased, but the question surely didn't hide his lack of enthusiasm. As soon as he said it, a rising feeling of guilt in the pit of his stomach made itself evident. The end of his tail which had previously been slightly curled upwards, usually a good sign, went limp. His ears would have flattened against his hair, if they weren't already pressed down by his hat.

He was late again. Didn’t answer her text again. She ordered pizza again likely as a solution for dinner because of his lateness and lack of communication. He nevertheless hoped she wouldn't notice his tone and just ramble at him about her day which would comfort him that she wasn’t angry. Not that he thought that she was, but there was this undeniable tension between them that seemed to come and go. He hadn’t worked out that his labile moods were a large part of those tensions.


RE: Glass Houses [Closed] - megs - 11-14-2015

The corner of Akiko's mouth tugged upwards in some semblance of a smile. It was a placeholder, no real amusement in the expression. "Not terrible is good," she mused, making no move to take a beer of her own despite his implied offer. She stopped petting Daisy, ignoring her puppy-eyed protests as she straightened to her full height, and pulled her sleeves down over her hands before crossing her arms.

She watched him inspect the pizza box with passive interest, eyes dropping to the limpness of his tail before darting to his face once more. She frowned when he wasn't looking, but quickly policed her expression into something more amiable in case he looked at her. The instances of such were few and far between.

"I will get something else tomorrow," she offered, and it seemed like a simple enough solution. There was nothing she could do about it now; everything was likely closed and they had no food in the house. Not that either one of them was a particularly decent cook. She didn’t have to mention that he was late, didn't need to remind him that he didn't text her back because none of these were new issues when it came to Cain, but they were all decent ways to draw forth one of his more sour moods.

"How was work?" she asked, and it was mostly to fill the inevitable silence that would fall between them if she said nothing else. Her choice of topic had been deliberate; she was somewhat tired of being the one to carry on the conversation, as one sided as they were.

There had always been something one-sided about their relationship, and as of late she found herself wondering if it was a relationship at all. Akiko was not the type that needed to hear she was loved all the time, she didn't need gifts and surprises and lavish shows of affection, but she needed something, and though she wasn't sure what it was, she wasn't getting it from Cain.

High school relationships rarely lasted, and Akiko was unsure as to why theirs would be the exception to the rule. She moved father into the kitchen, towards the coffee pot to brew a pot as she waited to hear if he would tell her anything about his day; if he would talk to her at all.


RE: Glass Houses [Closed] - saronym - 11-17-2015

When one hyper vigilantly maintains a defensive emotional posture, eventually almost anything can feel like little attacks, little affronts to one’s person. And so, when Akiko nonverbally declined to partake in beer with him, Cain felt besieged by rejection. If he hadn’t acted like he wanted Akiko to have a beer with him maybe her denial wouldn’t have felt like criticism. Or so went his logic.

As Akiko rose from petting the dog, he inspected her somewhat surreptitiously. She looked defensive or uncomfortable the way she rolled down her sleeves to cover her arms and folded them protectively in front of her. He had the urge to reach out and touch her and ask her what she was thinking, but her glance to his tail ruined the feeling. He then looked away, embarrassed and exposed. It was easier to hide his troubled face behind a long drink than to risk trying to claim the affection he still craved from her. Especially when the sting of rejected beer was still upon him.

When she offered to get something else for dinner the next night, he shrugged. “It’s whatever.” Waffling on his wishes was another product of his assumed indifference and defensiveness. No expectations no disappointment was a mantra of sorts. His ears were beginning to feel uncomfortable under his hat. They twitched in protest to being crunched down. It made his skin crawl to feel them struggling against the fabric. He had no patience to endure the sensation and snatched the beanie off freeing his crumpled ears which sprang back into shape.

“The usual shitstorm.” Came his reply to her inquiry about his day. Cain rarely shared anything about work so he felt the urge to qualify why it sounded like he hated his job. “Indigo had a court date for a speeding ticket. So, I was stuck with the new tech who is pure incompetence.” Cain didn’t elaborate further and fell into silence. He was satisfied with that vague response.

During a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Cain fiddled with his near-shoulder length hair self consciously. He combed at it with his fingers feeling that some static charge from taking the hat off made the finer and shorter stands stand out.

“What are you planning on staying up tonight--?” The question, in reference to her making coffee, came out sharp like an accusation. He cringed and softened his voice. “ --um, do you have some work to do, or something?” He hoped that would suffice as bait to get her rambling at him about lesson planning, the school, other teachers, or anything. He felt awkward filling the quiet.


RE: Glass Houses [Closed] - megs - 11-17-2015

Akiko knew she had fucked up, so to speak, by not accepting his offer. He had put himself out there and she had turned him down, and she was aware of the consequence of her actions. She did not, however, change her mind. She spent almost too much time tip-toeing around Cain's insecurities. She didn't want to, he should know better, he should know that she loved him and that he didn't have to close himself off around her.

He did not touch her, so they did not touch. It had been years since Akiko had made the first move towards physical contact. Too often he would shy away or shrug her off, so she kept her hands to herself. He did not vocalize his desire to be touched, he so rarely vocalized a desire for anything, so just as rarely did he actually get what he wanted.

"It's clearly not whatever," she countered, trying to keep her voice neutral and her eyes on his face, even as his ears popped free from the confines of his hat. She did not comment on how long his hair was getting. Did not offer to cut it. "If you want something specific just tell me and I'll get it for you," she insisted. It was possible that she wasn't just talking about dinner.

"That sucks," she consoled with a monotony that lacked the sounds of actual sympathy. "But at least Indigo will be back tomorrow?" This was supposedly offered as a greater consolation than her previous comment.

He did seem to have a preference for Indigo.

"I have some things I have to finish, yes," she explained without pause in her actions. She did not react to his tone as she pulled coffee grounds from the freezer, and measured them out into a filter. Talking to Cain had always required some delicate maneuvering; watching her tone for harshness, keeping her eyes on his face, like a dance.

She had been dancing very poorly as of late.

"Tomorrow is a 'teacher duty day,' anyway," she continued, her voice inflecting air quotations as she added water to the coffee maker. She didn't go on to explain the indication that she didn't have to work, didn't have to get up early and all the other responsibilities of a typical work day. Neither did she ramble on as he expected.

"Your mother called for you, today," was the last she said as she watched coffee fall into the pot.


RE: Glass Houses [Closed] - saronym - 11-18-2015

Cain’s eyes widened a touch in surprise and fear with ears falling against his scalp at Akiko’s counter response about the food situation. He silently pleaded at her with grey eyes that searched her face for source of her obvious displeasure with him. Why wouldn’t she just say what she meant? Cain was surely a hypocrite in that sentiment. He also felt it wasn’t fair that she could read everything going on with him with his tail and ears acting as emotional metrics, when she got to hide everything behind banal responses and fake smiles. He didn’t engage further with the food discussion feeling that it had become about something else entirely that he didn’t know how to tackle.

He maintained his distance in the confines of the kitchen, the tension Akiko was putting out in the room made him feel like his tail fur would bristle should the mini conflict continue. He sipped at his beer and tried to look as non-aggressive as possible. As agreeable a kitty as he could be under the circumstances.

“I think she said we were on together tomorrow, yeah.” We, because Cain and Indigo typically came as a pair on the schedule. They were inseparable at work. Although their work relationship had its one- sidedness as well. Indigo’s unrequited crush. And on the other hand, Cain’s reliance upon Indigo to fill in for his social ineptitude with the clients and anticipate his every need.

“So I guess you’re going to be busy tonight then? With-- teacher duty-- stuff.” Cain didn’t understand the concept of teacher duty day and was trying to give Akiko the opportunity to excuse him from the conversation by cornering her into saying that he was keeping her from her work.

In anticipation of his dismissal, he even started to shift his weight to leave the room when Akiko brought up his mother. It fell on him like a bomb, like she knew it would. His ears pricked in response. “Oh--. Did she say what she wanted?”

Cain knew. She was returning his call. He nearly shuddered remembering the embarrassing voicemail he’d left her. I miss you. A moment of sentimentality brought on by seeing his father again. A moment of weakness remembering he’d neglected to show even an ounce of personal interest in her after his father died. His family life had always been so dramatic and Cain had been happy to leave it behind for the predictability of textbooks in college. He’d been happy to abandon the woman he blamed for cursing him with the cat features.

He hoped his mother hadn’t mentioned his initial phone call to Akiko. Cain wanted to keep some things to himself. Well, he wanted to keep most things to himself. Most especially the veritable awkward lynx puberty he seemed to have entered into, which he also wanted to speak with his mother about.

“Why didn’t she just call me instead of you?” He asked without actually checking if he had a missed call from his mother. She likely had. Cain just never answered.


RE: Glass Houses [Closed] - megs - 01-08-2016

When Akiko turned to retrieve a mug for her coffee she was forced to lay her sights on Cain's defeated posture. She let her gaze fall away as she briefly moved next to him to reach inside a cabinet. His ability to go from hostile to sad-eyed kitty cat in the event of any opposition on her part was near frustrating. Not to mention, slightly unfair, because it wasn't like he was the only one that was allowed to be negative.

The worst part was how it worked. How she almost instantly felt bad for going all ice queen on him. Made her re-think her position, a flickering of an idea that she might have been in the wrong.

"That's good," she said, noncommittal as the coffeemaker beeped in the background. Akiko did not like Indigo, but the sentiment was something she had so far kept to herself. Indigo's fascination with Cain was obvious. Like a schoolgirl in the way she attached herself to him. It was also possible that Akiko was jealous. A majority of Cain's time was admittedly spent with the other woman, and when Cain bothered to talk about his day Indigo was inevitably mentioned.

Akiko returned to the coffee, to fill her mug and decorate the drink as she preferred it, mostly cream and sugar with just enough coffee to make the slurry lukewarm at best.

"She didn't mention anything, but it didn't sound like an emergency. Probably just trying to check up on you, since you don't answer your phone."

Akiko sipped coffee to hide her frown, leaning against the counter. She had never understood Cain's dislike for her mother, but she had never been privy to all the drama that had occurred when he was growing; wasn't aware of the blame he placed on her for his features. She sighed, holding the mug against her chest for warmth she didn't necessarily need. Her gaze locked on Cain, she watched him, taking in the way he look uncomfortable and ready to flee, but she didn't set him free just yet. She let a silent minute pass, before she pushed away from the counter and moved closer to Cain.

She almost expected him to flinch away when she pressed a kiss to his cheek, like some sort of consolation for her attitude, knowing it wouldn’t do anything to relieve the tension that still lingered. "I'll be upstairs," she explained, with no real insight as to whether she would actually be busy, but she knew he was probably ready to retreat to the garage as was his typical routine.


RE: Glass Houses [Closed] - saronym - 01-13-2016

Cain’s fickle gaze met Akiko’s when she neared him for the mug. The way she looked at him always felt uncomfortably thorough, even her glances. When they first met the way she looked at him made him suspicious of her intentions. Was she another gossipping girl gathering intel on the weird, loner catboy? When they became friends-who-sometimes-kissed-each-other, the way she looked at him made his stomach feel like it was floating. These days her look felt clinical, in a way. Like a physician getting ready to excise an abscess.

And there was that posture of hers again. Before Akiko had hugged herself and now she was clinging to her coffee for the warmth that was lacking between them. Turns out the ice queen could get cold after all. He wasn’t really feeling like doling out physical affection when Akiko seemed to resent him for something.

And then she sort of finally said it: Since you don’t answer your phone. Since you don’t answer your phone. Since you don’t answer your phone.

Her words replayed in Cain’s mind like a forgotten DVD menu theme stuck on repeat. His jaw worked back and forth, in silent contempt, as he massaged the stud piercing in his tongue against the roof of his mouth, before finally replying, “I do too,” rather lamely.

So that was the argument that Akiko wanted to have?

It was just one damn unanswered text, he thought. The same guy with the full voicemail box and who could let a Facebook friend request sit unanswered for half a year.

He didn’t flinch when she kissed him so much as his whole body tensed up. After her accusation, the kiss felt like a guilt trip. Like a reminder of what he was supposed to do: be affectionate, or contrite about his attitude, or just anything somewhat positive.

“I’ll be around, I guess, not answering my phone.” Cain dumped some more toxin into the already poisoned water. Positivity was not happening. And he wouldn't be forgiving her for her attitude.

He imagined the entire conversation like sparring match. She intentionally pestered him, he responded with expected annoyance but when he was willing to abandon his frustration with her (being the good boyfriend he imagined he was), she decided to conclude the one-two punch (cellphone commentary and guilt trip kiss). His mental version of events was far from the truth. He was unprovoked shittiness from the get-go.

Cain pocketed his new carton of cigarettes and turned to leave the room revealing the line of gold fur which had lifted along the top of his bristling tail. The mark of a very beleaguered kitty cat.


RE: Glass Houses [Closed] - megs - 09-15-2016

Hiding in her office didn't feel like the adult thing to do. The adult thing to do would have been to actually talk to Cain about what had actually been bothering her. Instead, she had skirted around the subject, copped an attitude and made vague accusations. She almost regretted kissing him. He'd turned to stone beneath her touch and thinking about it made her chest hurt. She knew better; waiting for him to come to her was half of why their relationship worked.

Had worked.

They weren't teenagers anymore, and she had been more forgiving of his attitude when they were younger. Akiko couldn't help but feel unwanted by Cain, or to assume that their relationship was one stemmed from convenience. He kept her around, because she was always around. Did he not care about her? Or did he just take her for granted?

Leaning forward in her chair she looked down at the desk calendar. A date two weeks in the future was subtly marked with a little pink heart. Their anniversary of sorts. She didn't know if it could count as an anniversary if you were only dating, but she thought it was worth commemorating nonetheless.

With the last of the coffee drained from the mug, she pushed herself away from the desk and stood. Hands nervously traded the mug back and forth between them, until she went downstairs and deposited it in the sink. She found him in the garage, the door partially open so the space didn't fill with cigarette smoke. She eyed the pack he'd left on the chair, and debated having one, not that it would make the conversation any easier. Pulling the sleeves of her henley over her fingers, she concentrated on not crossing her arms. She hit the home button on his phone, the lock screen lit up, but she could still pause on his music.

The sudden silence was brief and she didn't wait for him to acknowledge her.

"We need to talk, Cain."


RE: Glass Houses [Closed] - saronym - 09-15-2016

Cain had lined a portion of the floor in the garage with martial arts mats linked together where he practiced boxing with a bag hanging from the ceiling. He was done with his workout, laying on his back on the mats, sweating and smoking when Akiko entered.

When the music abruptly shut off, he startled dropping ashes on his T-shirt. It was an old T-shirt of his father’s worn only during casual training exercises printed with the Covenant’s seal on the left breast and the letters ‘H A R T’ across the back.

Without giving him a chance to react with annoyance or indignance, Akiko laid the ‘we need to talk’ words on him.

Cain sat up brushing the ashes off and reached for the ashtray on the floor nearby. “Okay.” Was all he said as he balanced the cigarette on the tray. He nudged at the bag next to him nervously with his shoulder, ears pinned to his head, a sinking feeling in his stomach. He dared to make eye contact, staring up at her from the floor.

“What do you want to talk about?” He kind of already knew.

A tendril of smoke made its swaying path upwards dissipating long before it reached the ceiling. It was like a smoke signal warning of imminent attack. Pulling his knees up to his chest, Cain hugged his legs to himself. Hands were occupied with fiddling at the cuffed bottoms of his sweatpants. He seemed content to have the conversation right there on the mat.


RE: Glass Houses [Closed] - megs - 09-16-2016

Looking down at him sitting on the floor, ears pinned to the crown of his head and she felt sixteen all over again. She almost wished he was wearing his hat, so she couldn't see the emotion playing on those features he so hated. Akiko tried not to notice the way he was looking at her, tried not to think about the way his tail curled around her leg when he slept. So many small things came to her mind at once, conspiring to change the tide of the conversation she had worked so hard on starting.

What do you want to talk about?

His question hung in the air as Akiko mulled over the best way to explain what she had on her mind. Swiping his pack of cigarettes and lighter from the table, she walked towards where he sat in the middle of the garage and lowered herself across from him. "I've been thinking…" she started, paused to select a cigarette and light it for herself. She didn't smoke often, but this felt like an appropriate time. She inhaled deep, the smoke was hot in her chest, but there was something comforting about it. Exhaling on a sigh, she flicked ash into the ashtray after moving it between them.

"Something's wrong, Cain," she said tentatively. "With us." She thought back on the passive aggressive argument they'd just had. And the many like it they'd been having over the course of a few weeks. They'd not even been living together very long.

"You're not happy." Her eyes focused on where he was fiddling with the end of his sweats. "I'm not happy. " Another drag off the cigarette. She reached out with her free hand to place it over one of his. "And I think we should…take a break. To think about what it is we both want, and if we can even get it from each other."


RE: Glass Houses [Closed] - saronym - 09-18-2016

Cain left his cigarette burning, slowly accumulating ash. His eyes followed Akiko’s hands as she lit her own. Watching her lips close around the stick, tracking her hand when she ashed into the tray. His stomach was turning nervous flips as he watched her, it made him feel slightly nauseous. He lowered his eyes to stare at the ashes when she started her confession.

His ears pricked to attention when she recommended taking a break, only to fall back against his scalp again. Dejected. He didn’t tense up when she touched him this time. He gazed blankly down at their hands. Why was she touching him when she was saying she wasn’t happy with him? He couldn’t understand what it meant. Why it felt foreign. Perhaps because he so rarely made an effort to be familiar with her. Even so, he turned his hand over so their fingers could link together. He pushed at her thumb with his, fiddling with it like he’d been doing with the hem of his pants.

“But, I am happy,” He insisted weakly. It wasn’t exactly true so he added, “with you, at least.” He was content with Akiko, but not happy in a general sense.

He was staring at her face blankly, not really seeing her, until he sort of jumped to attention when she said she wanted to ‘take a break.’ Shocked. Like he’d stuck his finger in a light socket. “So you’re breaking up with me?” He'd mostly heard 'break' and that's the word he focused on.

He picked up his nearly spent cigarette knocking off ashes into the tray before raising it to his lips and pulling heavily. “I don’t get where this is coming from.” He said smoke spilling out of his mouth. “We’ve been together for … I don’t know. Ever.”

Akiko had been his first and only girlfriend. They’d started dating right around the time Cain’s father had been assassinated, during the most tumultuous and painful time in his life. She became the life raft to his shipwrecked sailor. And they’d been together ever since. He’d sort of just expected it to go on forever, in an unstated ‘we’re together forever’ kind of way.