Furniture and Boyfriends - Ryo

“We’re here!” She stopped in front of the big furniture store.

“You want new furniture?” She hadn’t told him where they were going after breakfast, so when they stopped in front of the gigantic building, he could not figure out why.

“I don’t. But I don’t know your tastes, so I thought it would be best if we went together.” She smiled at him.

“We’re shopping for me?” Why?

“I can’t have you live in a depressing isolation cell. So we’re personalizing your room.” She chuckled. “I want it to feel safe for you.”

Ever since he got here, he had shared all his things with Hiro. And never once had he minded that. He didn’t need his own things.

So why did her offer make him feel all warm and fuzzy? Had she just offered him something he didn’t know he was missing?

“You want to buy things for my room?” A part of him almost wanted her to laugh and say that she had just teased him. But she didn’t.

“That’s what I said.” She turned her gaze towards the ground. “I thought they would help with the nightmares.”

“Of course it’s for the nightmares.” He chuckled. That made more sense than anything else. It couldn’t be for any other reason. He was letting his imagination run wild.

“I mean, that’s one reason.” She looked up at him and smiled. “I also want you to feel at home.”

How could he not let his imagination free when she said things like this? He wanted to pull her in. He already felt strangely comfortable in her apartment. And not because of the furniture.

They walked around the maze of a store. She stopped and had him try chairs, touch pillows, and decide between different decorations. He followed her everywhere she wanted to go, and she scanned every item he said he wanted.

“How about this one?” She held out a big plush fish towards him. “Do you think it would help?”

Was she suggesting that he would sleep with it in his bed? “I think I’m a bit old for stuffed animals, Aki.” This was the second time he used her name. She had seen a bit flustered last time and he couldn’t help but enjoying it. It played into his delusion of reciprocated feelings perfectly.

“You must’ve had a boring childhood, Ryo.” She was clearly teasing him with the use of her name, and he knew he had started it. But he was not prepared for how it would feel. It was addicting. Could she do it again?

“If you don’t want it, I’ll buy it for myself.” She chuckled and buried her face in the fish. Then she scanned it and took off to the next section.

It was the only thing she hadn’t left for the store technology to pack up for home delivery. He couldn’t help but think that she wanted that one specifically. Damn, he wanted it.

“Do you want me to carry…” His eyes fell on the neon light shaped like a guitar. He used to have one like it back in his old room. Before his father dragged him into his time traveling business and made him get rid of all things music related.

It had been hanging by the door, in perfect view from where he used to sit in his bed. He didn’t remember ever turning it off. It had spread a nice purple light in his room.

The beep from the scanner brought him back to the present.

“What?” Aki looked up at him. “You think I would let you walk away without it after seeing how you looked at it?” She pushed the fish into his arms.

“I wasn’t looking…” Why was he trying to lie about it? He looked down at the fish. It was really soft. “I used to have one just like it. Back when I was a kid.”

“Do you miss it?” He felt her arm brush against his. She was standing really close. It was comforting.

“Sometimes.” He enjoyed feeling her beside him, but he didn’t enjoy the way this conversation would go if he didn’t change the subject. “But mostly not. Where to next?”

She looked like she was about to say something, but instead shook her head. “I’m thinking fabrics. You need new sheets and maybe curtains.”

They continued their trip throughout the store, and when they were done, a few hours had already passed. The pancakes they had eaten for breakfast was already a memory for his stomach. And the huge sign for sweet soft serve didn’t help.

“Do you want some ice cream?” He pointed to the sign.

“Sure.” She reached for the fish plushie, he was still holding on to it. “But you’re paying for that.”

“Gladly.” Despite knowing it was still her money on the card she had given him, the action of paying made him feel less useless. “What flavor do you want?”

“Kiwi.” She smiled at him. “I’ll find us a table over there. And don’t you dare eat mine this time.” She elbowed him and headed towards the tables.

He tried his best to focus on the purchase, while feeling her eyes on him. Was it to make sure the card worked? Or was it something else?

No. It shouldn’t matter. She let him stay with her to prevent her dad from dying. And to keep their nightmares from getting worse. It was to save the world, nothing else.

He shouldn’t get his hopes up. If he did, and it backfired, things would just be awkward.

“Two soft serves.” It was finally his turn to order. “One kiwi and one strawberry.” The card worked and he could return to the table.

But he almost dropped the ice creams when he saw two other men at their table, with her. His chest stung when he saw them talking to her, like they knew her well.

When he got closer he could overhear their conversation.

“Come on, Aki. You can’t still believe that you will marry your person and live happily ever after? If that would happen, it already would,” one of them said, moving closer to her. “You could at least give me a chance.”

She had wanted to marry her person? Sure, he knew many people had dreams like that, but that would mean him. There was no way that she still wanted that now. Right?

“For the tenth time, Yokota.” She pushed the guy away from her. “I don’t want to go out with you. Not even if it was the only way to prevent the world from going under.”

“Don’t get a big head just because you’re a time traveler.” The guy moved closer to her again. Couldn’t he take a no?

Ryo felt his whole body heating up, and not in the pleasant way it did when she looked at him. No, this was a different feeling. It was like his whole body was on fire. What gave this guy the right to disrespect her like that? What gave him the right to be so close to her?

“Excuse me!” His voice came out louder than he had expected. “What do you think you’re doing?” He handed Aki her ice cream. He wanted one arm free in case anything happened.

“Nothing. It doesn’t concern you.” The other guy, the one who had stayed a little bit further away from her, tried to get between them.

“It doesn’t?” Ryo’s eyes fell on Aki. There was a slight smile on her lips as she looked at him.

“Exactly! It’s between Aki and me. Stay out of it.” The guy she had pushed away took a step closer.

“You’re trying to tell me that you flirting with my girlfriend doesn’t concern me?”