Awkward Moment: Part 1 of 2
Struck.
The water sounded hollow, swivelling hypnotically around the sink before meeting its end as it danced down the drain with a low sucking noise. He pushed his hands beneath the running tap over, and over, and over...by now, the pale flesh of his fingers was a rosy red hue, the steam rising from the basin a second testament to this small torture.
What was he doing again?
A sharp tug at the back of his head drew him from his empty reverie, and he lifted one raw hand to finger the base of his ponytail.
"Still with me?" His gaze met Tomoyo's bright green one, lowering the stare to the child resting his cheek against her bosom; Damien blew out his cheeks and raspberried, turning his face away. Despite the child's actions, he found himself smiling, and bobbed his head, glad to keep his mind occupied rather than...empty.
This emptiness hurt just as much as thinking too much. He blinked hard and turned back towards the sink, switching off the faucet and draining the rice that lay before him; white water trickled from the bottom of the weaved bowl.
He did all of this in silence. But not the usual calm one...as of late, he had become so withdrawn...
"Ritchan, are you alright?" The worry was evident in the catgirl's voice. Even her son twitched, eyes lifting to stare akwardly at his mother.
The bowl nearly hit the sink again as Ritsu placed it atop the countertop.
"Hai. Why do you ask?" His voice was too...still. Too frail. Like the last leaf on a tree. There, but...
...Dead.
She touched his arm, and he responded with a smile, picking up the rice to dump it into the cooker.
"Could you get the sake, Tomoyo-cha--"
"Ritchan...you're hiding. Something's wrong." Her lips pressed firmly together, her brows drawn in. "This is unhealthy, Ritchan...I've never seen someone so in love, torture themself this way." Her fingers dug into the silk of his kimono sleeve.
"Please, Tomoyo-chan...not again. Please." He gingerly pried her hand from his arm, holding it for a second before dropping it.
He turned to walk towards the refridgerator, only to walk head first into a mess of blonde hair.
One ouch mingled with one very loud curse. Sukkubus clutched her forehead, one eye shut, though both smiled.
"Cripes, Ritsu, your head is harder than mi -- hey, what's the matter?"
"See! Even Sukkubus can tell and she hasn't been here for but 30 seconds."
"Well something has to be wrong. Normally the monkey would be like...'Gomen nasai! Sumimasen! Angstangst!', you know?" Reaching out, she took his chin and jerked it forward, scrutinizing the young man's face and giving no heed to the phrase 'personal space'; he avoided her gaze.
Sukkubus was good at reading expressions, especially of those under her roof. Letting go, she grabbed his hand with a small grunt, yanking him towards her den.
"W-where are we going?!" he asked, emotion creeping into his voice for the first time in ages. The she-devil didn't answer him, all she said was:
"Yoyoii, I trust you can finish up in here, neh?"
The water sounded hollow, swivelling hypnotically around the sink before meeting its end as it danced down the drain with a low sucking noise. He pushed his hands beneath the running tap over, and over, and over...by now, the pale flesh of his fingers was a rosy red hue, the steam rising from the basin a second testament to this small torture.
What was he doing again?
A sharp tug at the back of his head drew him from his empty reverie, and he lifted one raw hand to finger the base of his ponytail.
"Still with me?" His gaze met Tomoyo's bright green one, lowering the stare to the child resting his cheek against her bosom; Damien blew out his cheeks and raspberried, turning his face away. Despite the child's actions, he found himself smiling, and bobbed his head, glad to keep his mind occupied rather than...empty.
This emptiness hurt just as much as thinking too much. He blinked hard and turned back towards the sink, switching off the faucet and draining the rice that lay before him; white water trickled from the bottom of the weaved bowl.
He did all of this in silence. But not the usual calm one...as of late, he had become so withdrawn...
"Ritchan, are you alright?" The worry was evident in the catgirl's voice. Even her son twitched, eyes lifting to stare akwardly at his mother.
The bowl nearly hit the sink again as Ritsu placed it atop the countertop.
"Hai. Why do you ask?" His voice was too...still. Too frail. Like the last leaf on a tree. There, but...
...Dead.
She touched his arm, and he responded with a smile, picking up the rice to dump it into the cooker.
"Could you get the sake, Tomoyo-cha--"
"Ritchan...you're hiding. Something's wrong." Her lips pressed firmly together, her brows drawn in. "This is unhealthy, Ritchan...I've never seen someone so in love, torture themself this way." Her fingers dug into the silk of his kimono sleeve.
"Please, Tomoyo-chan...not again. Please." He gingerly pried her hand from his arm, holding it for a second before dropping it.
He turned to walk towards the refridgerator, only to walk head first into a mess of blonde hair.
One ouch mingled with one very loud curse. Sukkubus clutched her forehead, one eye shut, though both smiled.
"Cripes, Ritsu, your head is harder than mi -- hey, what's the matter?"
"See! Even Sukkubus can tell and she hasn't been here for but 30 seconds."
"Well something has to be wrong. Normally the monkey would be like...'Gomen nasai! Sumimasen! Angstangst!', you know?" Reaching out, she took his chin and jerked it forward, scrutinizing the young man's face and giving no heed to the phrase 'personal space'; he avoided her gaze.
Sukkubus was good at reading expressions, especially of those under her roof. Letting go, she grabbed his hand with a small grunt, yanking him towards her den.
"W-where are we going?!" he asked, emotion creeping into his voice for the first time in ages. The she-devil didn't answer him, all she said was:
"Yoyoii, I trust you can finish up in here, neh?"
