Home Again (Pigeon and Necrophile666)

[Necrophile666]

Name: Luka Lauaway

Age: Depends on how old you want them to be.

Position: Seke or Seme

Height: 6'0"

Weight: 164 lbs, lean build

Race: Human, white, French

Hair: Very blonde

Eyes: Blue

Occupation: Pastry chef/confectioner

Bio: Luka was born in Nice, France on the coast of the Mediterranean. He hasn't had the easiest childhood, having been born to a teenage mother, he ended up being raised by his grandmother after his mother abandoned when he was four, but not before spending a very short amount of time with the father he still resents. He's known for possessing self destructive habits like smoking or making poor dietary choices. (He has a sweet tooth). Sometimes, to help himself cope with events out of his control he acts as a passive observer. It's difficult for him to keep basic human relationships because he tends to shut people out. His communication skills can be lacking. He is a caring and soft hearted individual, though the way he demonstrates it may not always be obvious.

 

 

It was the in between of spring and summer, where no one was certain which it was, unless they were actually so inclined to commit "the real first day of summer" to memory. Luka wasn't that person. It was hot, enough so that early in the morning, he could stand out on the flat's balcony, in the direct morning sun and have it feel akin to a well tended fire. He drew in sips from his cigarette as he leaned over the railing, looking down on the street below through long, blonde eyelashes. The neighborhood was a mix of houses and townhome style flats. At this point in the day, when he had his morning cigarette, just a little after sunrise, most people were leaving their homes for work or to take their kids to school. It was quiet, but it always had been. Peaceful, perhaps, depending on who you asked. Was their reason to call it unpeaceful? Luka pondered it briefly, taking a deeper breath of nicotine laced smoke into his lungs. No, he decided, but it wasn't exactly peaceful. It was hushed.

 

In their homes, everyone had secrets that they kept closed behind the curtains, swept under their rugs. Even Luka did, even his grandmother did. It wasn't his business to make himself involved in others' lives, but he knew, that the old town homes were not as perfect as the realtors proposed they were. And then there was the bickering. The old hag across the street got into arguments with his grandmother over his smoking off the balcony, even if Luka had never been gross about it, always taking care of the ash and butts himself. Rather than disposing of them onto the ground, between sidewalk cracks. The Old Hag went to his grandmother like he was sixteen, like he'd never gotten older.

 

In some ways, he supposed he hadn't. At 20 he still found reasons stay put in the two floor flat his grandmother had owned for forever. He'd been to college, graduated with an associates, spent his days now working in the family shop. He had considered transferring his degree, going for a bachelors, but no one ever pushed him. He was grateful for that. His grandmother never asked him what he planned to do with his life, and Luka never offered an explanation. Which was nice, because he had no idea what he was supposed to with himself. His friendships and relationships had never seemed to hold up, there were two friends he managed to keep around, and one of them was a crotchety old mutt his grandmother had taken in years ago.

 

Luka was capable of moving out, supporting himself, but he didn't see the reason to. Not now. His dog was here, his grandmother was here, and besides, she liked the help paying bills. He liked the routine, the purpose he felt he had, feeding the dog, going to work a few blocks over, being nagged to take out the trash and do the dishes. The occasional talk of politics or gentle family banter. Certainly, on his own, in an empty space to himself, he'd feel less direction. Or perhaps he feared empty spaces. They'd always made him uncomfortable. Made him feel like he was constantly seeing people out of the corner of his eye, standing in door frames. Only to be coldly reminded that they'd slipped away some time ago. Empty places made him uncomfortable, he decided, stamping out his cigarette, contemplating the need for a second one.

[Kotorichan]

Name: Keito Arashi

Age: 19

Position: Uke

Height: 6'2"

Weight: 143lbs, very skinny

Race: Human, Japanese

Hair: Black

Eyes: Brown

Occupation: None, lives with his grandmother as he recovers

Bio: Keito lived with parents until he was 11 when an incident sent him to a psychiatric ward for 8 years. No one was told what happened to him or his family so to all his friends and neighbors it seemed that he just disappeared one day. He was always a fairly normal child, although very quiet. Luka usually seemed to be the only person that he felt comfortable being around. But now he is always silent and just seems to be stuck in his head.

 

---

 

It was amazing how much a town could change in 8 years. Empty lots turned to towering apartments, shops closed and merged with their more powerful neighbors, old schools had modern extensions stitched on the sides to accommodate the new families.

 

But even more amazing was the places where time seemed to stand still. Keito's grandmother's tea house was one of those places.

 

The older woman had come from a small town in Japan, so the teahouse felt like it was straight out of her home town. Dark wooden walls with paper windows and low tables. The space always smelled of matcha or home baked sweets. Out back was a garden with sweet smelling flowers and benches where the customers would sit. Upstairs was the woman’s home, and now it was Keito’s home too.

 

For the first two months after Keito returned he was not allowed to go out on his own. His grandmother and therapists were both too worried about his well being for that. Finally he was given permission to explore the town alone. Although he had an early curfew and was required to text his grandmother every hour to tell her that he was okay.

 

When he first stepped out on his own Keito was a bit overwhelmed by the possibilities. There were so many places that he could go, memories he could revist… But before he had even decided what to do he found himself wandering towards his old friend Luka’s home. There was no doubt that the other man had moved out by now, probably gone to college, but Keito couldn’t stop himself.

 

Just walking down the familiar streets brought back all the memories of his childhood. Back before anything went wrong. Of course, it was always wrong. Keito had always felt something towards Luka. Something more than just friendship. Even after all these years, and all this pain. He still felt that pull towards the other male.

 

Finally Keito found himself standing before his old friend’s home. He stared up at the house for a few minutes. He wished that he could go and knock on that door, to at least find out for sure. But he couldn’t possibly do that.

[Necrophile666]

It wasn't as though Luka has forgotten about Keito, it was that he'd chosen to push him out of his mind. He hadn't understood why the boy had stopped playing with him, stopped coming around or going on adventures with him. Luka had been drawn to the neighborhood boy shortly after he'd been settled in his grandmother's care; the older French woman had been scared he wouldn't make friends, she was happy to be wrong. Though in someways she regretted it. Luka had seemed a little worse off when his friend seemingly disappeared. He grew a bit more distant. That didn't matter in the present, however, now as an adult, her grandson seemed to actually make the effort into being close to her, having conversations and sharing a bit about how he was feeling. It made her smile.

 

But, Luke certainly hadn't forgot about his long lost friend. While their dog was good at keeping secrets, and Lawrence, a boy he made friends with in high school, was fun to kill time with, it hadn't ever been the same as when Keito around. He had given up on that a long time ago, even if he continued to walk by the tea house every now and again. Even if he kept an eye out in the neighborhood, glancing at each face he passed by. He wouldn't see him again, he reminded himself frequently.

 

Luka's grandmother, Antoinette kept the porch adorned with her plants in the warmer seasons. She grew her own lavender, mint, saffron, oregano, and basil, on mornings like this, she'd set the planter boxes out in their wire baskets holders that held them over the wood railing. It was crowded, the porch small, with enough room for her swinging bench to and some wind chimes, a glass top stride table crammed into the corner opposite the stairs. The screen and metal security door was locked, but the heave wood front door behind it was kept open, the old mutt was visible from it, basking in the sunlight cast through the front parlor window. Antoinette had the same old French aesthetic through out the town home, that would never change. Intricately carved rococo furniture in hues of red, gold, and brown gave the home an oddly warm and antique feel. The carpets were new though, Luka had convinced his grandmother to invest in thick area rugs, floral designed, in similar colors to her furniture. It protected both the antique feet of her furniture and hard wood floors below, from rubbing and scratching together. It was also much nice to walk on in the chillier months.

 

Alerted to a presence at the door, the old dog lifted his head to give Keito a tired, uncaring glance, tags jingling in the process. He'd always been a larger creature, dark brown, wire coated, with grey now present around his muzzle. He was scruffy looking, maybe like a terrier, though he was big, his head would come up to about Keito's hip were they to ever stand next to each other. He'd gotten a bit round in more recent years, and the cataracts had made his eyes visibly foggy, they predicted his vision was poor at best. When Keito made no further movement, the old mutt, Canelé, huffed out a heavy sigh as he dropped his head back down. Maybe in his younger days, he would have barked, gone to greet the boy, but now his memory was as clouded as his vision, more gifts from age.

[Kotorichan]

Keito lightly bit his lip as his eyes fell on the familiar shape of Canele's body. The dog had definitely gotten older, it was easy to see even from here. The inside of the house was also familiar. Again, a few differences, but still recognizable. Which meant that Antoinette still lived there. Keito had no faith that he would find Luka still living here. But perhaps he could ask Antoinette is Luka was doing well.

 

He took a deep breath, trying to build up his courage. It probably wasn't a good idea to be doing this without talking to his grandmother, Aiko, or his therapist. If it went badly then Keito might not be able to cope with it well. He lightly pulled his sleeves down a bit to hide the thick scars on his arms before stepping up onto the porch.

 

The scent of the flowers helped Keito relax a bit. It was so familiar and brought him back to days of coming over to this house to visit his friend. Waiting on this porch for Luka to open the door, or sitting outside during the summer drinking sodas.

 

Finally Keito gathered his nerves and pressed the doorbell. The sound of the bell made him tremble slightly. It was just too loud for him to feel comfortable.

[Necrophile666]

Canelé struggled a bit as he jumped up at the sound of door bell, letting out a huff, something almost akin to a soft bark. He was slow, alert with ears pricked forward as he cautiously padded up to the screen door. He seemed to look up at the young man through the screen, not that he could make much out other than shapes these days. His tail gave a gentle wag as a voice sounded from the creaking stairs.

 

"Canelé?" Luka called down. His voice had changed since the last time he'd seen Keito, developed a deeper timbre to it. He spoke a couple words in French as he came around the corner, into the front parlor room, and then paused, briefly. "Hello?" He asked quietly, uncertain as he came up behind the dog. The man at the door... He looked familiar, but Luka couldn't be certain. He wasn't sure how to act, or what to do, all he could manage was standing there, stunned.

 

Canelé let out a soft whine as he smelled the screen of the door, his tail wagging a bit with the prospect of meeting someone. Luka patted the dogs side a bit, more for his own comfort. "Um, hello." He said agian, feeling more awkward now as he started trying to force himself to figure out what to say.

[Kotorichan]

Keito's eyes grew wide at the sound of a male voice. It couldn't be... Luke couldn't possibly be here, could he? The voice was different, but not completely unrecognizable. Keito realized that he really should have come here without talking to his therapist, this could go very badly.

 

But it would too late for that, he had to at least say something. "I... Um... I-I don't know if you remember me..." His eyes darted away and his body slouched slightly as he tried to hide his fear. "I'm, um, I-I'm K-Keito Arashi, we used to... We used to h-hang out..." He didn't want to go as far as to say they were friends, it would hurt too much if Luka said that he had never thought of them as friends. "I-I'm just... I was just passing by a-and I was wondering how you were doing. I didn't mean to bother you though, if you're busy then I-I'll just go." His voice was shaking with every word, it felt like he couldn't breath.

 

His fingernails dug into the skin his other hand. Keito was too panicked to notice his own actions. If Luka did remember him then it must be out of hate. Who wouldn't hate a close friend who disappeared without a word. Even if it wasn't Keito's fault Luka might blame him for it.

[Necrophile666]

"Keito... I remember you." Luka wasn't exactly sure what to think, he remembered them being a little closer than just hanging out. Though he wasn't going to say anything in protest. He was still a bit in shock as he unlocked the screen door, trying to keep his lost friend there. "You aren't bothering me at all!" He said a little hurriedly as he carefully pushed the door open for the other man. "You can come in if you'd like." Luka offered, catching hold of the old dog's collar with his free hand. "Canelé would also like to say hi, if you don't mind." He tried to offer Keito a smile, as Canelé tried to move forward, sniffing out their nervous guest with an eagerness to greet him.

 

His grandmother would be upset if he wasn't hospitalic to a guest, no matter how surprising the visit. Luka intended to bring our tea and pastries, though he wasn't entirely certain what compelled him to want to. Keito's departure had been so sudden, and it had hurt so much when he was younger. Now he could brush it off easier, facing the reality that he could not hold the other boy responsible for wanting to be somewhere else or just not around him. However, there was still that childish, hurt side a bit, the side that wanted to know why. He had refused to let himself be angry over it though, it wasn't as though his mother hadn't done something dissimilar.

 

The front parlor room hadn't changed much, two chairs, and a couch around a tea table, all that matching gold gold would, and red and brown velvet and silk. There was no television, though there were a few grand book cases with a range of books in a couple different languages. They had always gone to Luka's room to watch TV or perhaps play an old video game. He wasn't sure what they were now though, what one did in this situation.

[Kotorichan]

A soft sigh of relief escaped Keito's lips as he was told that he wasn't a bother. "T-thank you..." He stepped inside, slipping off his shoes before following Luka. His lips twitched into a slight smile as the dog walked up to him. "Hello Canelé... Have you been well?" He asked softly, crouching down to scratch the old dog behind the ears.

 

He straightened up after a few moments and followed Luka to the parlor. For a few moments he just looked around, his chest tightening at the memories. His eyes were becoming wet with tears. If only they could just go back to the kind of relationship they had when they were children, when things were simple. A few stray tears trailed down his cheeks before he snapped out of his trace and wiped them away.

 

"Sorry..." He mumbled, finally taking a seat at the edge of a chair. Keito's gaze dropped to his feet as he lightly chewed his lip. What was he supposed to say? He hadn't even expected to see Luka today. "I... I'm sorry that I d-disappear... I d-didn't want to and I c-couldn't contact you and- and-" He slouched over more, trying to stop himself from crying. "I-I'm sorry"

[Necrophile666]

Luka wasn't sure what to do or say at first. He watched as Canelé went to Keito, placing his chin on the young man's knee. He hadn't thought there was a necessity to apologize, let alone start crying. That entirely through Luke off kilter. He moved after a moment, gently bringing his hand to touch Keito's shoulder, trying to be reassuring as his brain scrambled for something to say.

 

"Oh... um, you don't need to apologize, really. It's okay. I get it, things happen, yes?" Luka hadnt comforted anyone crying in years. It always made him nervous, to a degree. "So, it's alright. I'm not upset or anything, and I don't think I was mad all those years ago either." He moved after a moment to find a box of tissues for his guest. "Can I get you anything? Tea, or sweets?" He wanted to help him stop crying, he didn't want to see him upset like this. He'd never liked seeing Keito upset like this.

[Kotorichan]

"I'm sorry... I-I didn't mean to cry, I just..." Keito hiccuped softly, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. "I-I didn't think I'd see you here today, I thought I c-could just ask your grandma if you're doing well." He looked up at Luka, his eyes watering. "I thought... I thought you would hate me..."

 

He let out a shaky breath, closing his eyes for a moment as he tried to calm himself. "I'm sorry... I'm okay." He took a tissue and blew his nose, blinking away the remaining tears. "Things have j-just been so hard. I-I don't think I could h-handle finding out that you h-hold a grudge against me." He bit his lip, feeling that he was talking too much. This felt just like when they were children. He would always end up crying to Luka while his friend attempted to stop the tears. "Y-you don't have to get me anything, I don't want to bother you."

 

The boy forced himself to take deep breaths and leaned over to stroke Canelé's head. The dog's warm fur was calming, it made Keito wish that he had someone who he could cuddle up to when he was in pain.

[Necrophile666]

Luka didn't have time now to assess and analyze the situation, later he'd have to take time to really pour over this entire situation. "No, you aren't bothering me. And no, I have never held a grudge against you." Luka stated, calm and perhaps a little quiet, just trying to help bring the other man's anxiety down a little. "Mémère is at work now, sorry, otherwise she probably would have answered the door. She usually leaves around six in the morning to open the store. I'll have to leave in about an hour for work, but you aren't bothering me." He wasn't certain what he could do, but perhaps the gentle babbling could distract Keito enough that he didn't start crying again. "I'm sure you know a lot more about tea than I do, but we do have a really nice camomile and lavender tea that might help you calm down." He felt so far from being an authority on tea that he felt like he was trying to give advice on what medicine to take here. Though he was certain lavender and camomile were supposed to have soothing properties.

 

"We were young when it happened, I don't blame you or resent you. Neither does Canelé." Luka smiled as the dog continued to sit there, eye drifting closed in pleasure from the attention. He wouldn't mention that in the mutt's old age he had potentially forgot Keito, that certainly wouldn't help the situation. Of course whether he remembered Keito or not, he was a dog, Luka was certain dog's didn't hold grudges. "We also have a whole sheet of pastries, their a day old now, but I know which ones re-heat well with some butter." Luka's smile had grown a little bit watching the two there. "Besides, I was going to skip breakfast, but now that we have a guest food sounds good." Luka paused briefly before adding, "We also have some hot chocolate Mémère brought back from her trip to Belgium, if you would rather have that."

[Kotorichan]

Keito took a few more moments to calm his breathing, counting the seconds that he breathed in and out to make sure that he didn't hyperventilate. Finally he looked up at the other, forcing a slight smile. "Pastries sound lovely..." He replied softly. "I can make the tea if you would like...?"

 

"I'm sorry that I didn't bring you a gift..." He lightly played with the dog's ears. "I didn't plan on stopping by today... I just... Ended up here..." He slowly stood up, wiping his eyes one more time. "I always thought you would hate me..." He repeated softly. "I guess it was silly to think that, you had p-probably just forgotten about it until now." He bit his lip, trying not to be hurt by his own words. It wasn't Luka's fault that he had moved on, that was the healthy thing to do. Keito should have moved on, everyone told him that he had to keep moving forward. But he was still so stuck in the past.

[Necrophile666]

Antoinette's kitchen was as old fashioned as much of the rest of the house was. In the breakfast nook there was a dining room table and chairs; heavy, solid wood pieces, with vines and grape bunches designed into the molding around the seat cushion and back of the chairs. There were antique cooking utensils lining the space around and above the door way. A wine rack crammed into the corner opposite the breakfast nook. The kitchen itself was L shaped, the fridge had been replaced only two years prior. It went from being a simple fridge and top freezer, to a big, side by side, double door contraption, complete with water and ice dispenser. The rest of the appliances were older though, unchanged since the last time Keito had been there. Above the sink was the only window in the room, a tiny Eiffel Tower on the sill, that over looked a bit of space that existed between the Lauaway's home and their neighbor's. The tea kettle lived on the stove, bouncing between day to day use, it just didn't seem worth it to put it away somewhere, only to have to pull it out again.

 

"I would love it if you made the tea, come into the kitchen with me." Luka motioned for Keito to follow him. "I don't know why you would think you need to bring a gift." He shook his head a bit. "You don't need to give me anything, it's fine." He chuckled a bit at the thought. Perhaps that was Keito's way of trying to make amends, despite how unnecessary it seemed to Luka. "No, I have not forgotten about you either." He admitted after a moment. "I don't think I ever even tried, if I'm honest. Though, I didn't think I'd ever see you again. I figured wherever you had gone, you'd certainly would have moved on, left me in the past as just a neighborhood kid from your childhood or something. But I personally never forgot you, Keito." Especially without any kind of closure. Keito's leave had been just as sudden as his appearance, though, when they were kids, it had taken him longer to realize that the other boy wasn't coming back, or at least not any time soon. Now everything he though was entirely different.

[Kotorichan]

Keito's eyes wandered around the room, it looked almost exactly the same as he remembered. He was pulled from his thoughts as Luka mentioned the idea of bringing a gift. "Because... It's rude to show up at someone's house without bringing anything, especially after being gone for so long." He walked over the stove to get the kettle. "Oba-chan always says so..."

 

He began to carefully clean the kettle, making sure that there was no old water or dust left in it. Once he finished he filled it with water and put it on the stove, carefully setting the proper heat.

 

"I never forgot you..." He murmured. "I always tried so hard not to forget even the smallest details. It must sound so stupid." His eyes shut for a moment as he forced himself to stay calm. He missed everything about those days, he missed Luka, he missed his parents, he even missed the kids who would tease him in class."

[Necrophile666]

"It's not stupid, Keito." Luka replied softly, chewing the inside of his cheek for a moment. "And it's not rude, I was home and I don't mind. It's not a problem, so don't worry." Luka offered him a quiet smile as he took out the butter and began heating up the oven a small amount. He let silence settle there between them as he lined a cookie sheet with some parchment paper. Croissants and danishes reheated the best, though nothing really compared to fresh pastries. He didn't have anything fresh to offer then though. Maybe another time, when Keito could stop by the shop, Luka could offer him on of the many sweets there. Though, he knew that was hopeful, who was to say Keito was even interested in still being his friend?

 

He carefully applied butter to the pastries, which had grown stiff over night. The butter and the heat would help to soften them, and they'd still be flavorful, even if they wouldn't be perfect like they were yesterday. He slipped the tray into the oven, before moving to clean up any mess, putting the butter away.

[Kotorichan]

"You were always so nice to me..." Keito murmured, finally a slight smile crossing his face. He had worried that things would have changed too much and that they wouldn't be able to get along. But it seemed like those worries were for nothing.

 

Without thinking he went into Luka's cupboards to find two mugs and the tea bags or leaves. He began to get the things out before stopping, letting out a soft yelp of realization. "A-ah, I'm sorry. I started going through your things. Is it alright if I get the cups and tea?" He slouched over slightly, allowing his hair to fall in front of his face.