Killing Time

“Happy birthday dear Red and Gray who is still asleeeeeeeeeep!”

“I’m awake now! I’M AWAKE NOW!!” I screamed desperately as I quickly sat up from the bed, then hurt my back. I sat back down, then slowly sat up this time.

“Don’t rush it old man, you’ll hurt yourself” Said Evan.

Evan and Aoi were both here, and the room was decorated with balloons, streamers and various kinds of blooming flowers. Right! Today is June 4th, our 21st birthday is today!

“Why’re you crying Gray?” Asked Aoi, her brows furrowed in worry and confusion.

“Huh? I’m crying?” I said as I wiped my hands over my face. Sure enough, they came away wet. Remembering the happy times was great, however knowing that those times will never happen again has left a hole in my heart. Julius, Eiko, and Momma are gone now. What’s passed has passed.

I blinked away my tears.

Aoi and Evan had rolled in a large birthday cake, it was a large two layered chocolate cake, glossed over with chocolate icing, and the surface was decorated with all sorts of delights, wafers, cookies and even pocky sticks. Honestly, it was a mess, however, Red and I always insist on them making this cake every year.

“Brings back memories eh.” Said Red.

“You sound like an old man” I retorted.

“If I’m an old man, then you’re an old woman!” Said Red as he laughed at his own nonsense.

“C’mon you two grandpas, let's get the celebration going!” Said Aoi as she rolled her eyes.

Evan lit up 21 candles on the towering mess while Red and I competed to see who could blow out the most candles. After eating our cake, we joked around and played some board games. Evan had brought out a chess and checkers board while Aoi had brought in her deck of cards.

Evan and Aoi brought in some alcohol, however, Red and I couldn’t drink it since we had just been operated on. We drank chocolate milk instead while we watched Evan and Aoi having a chug contest with the drinks.

“I think Evan is sure to win!” Said Red, who was caught up in the excitement. “I’m sure you’re going to cheer for your sweetheart right?”

Red was right, deep down I was hoping that Aoi would win, even though Evan drinks way more while Aoi barely drinks, I still enjoyed cheering for her.

“Whoa! They’re both on their 4th cup now!” Said an excited Red.

I was amazed as well, both Aoi and Evan were still standing firmly while chugging down their fourth cup. I’m not much of a drinker myself, since I would pass out on just my second cup, however, I’d never expect Aoi to be holding out so well.

“Evan! Evan!”

“Aoi! Aoi!”

Our cheering got louder and louder as Evan and Aoi were both approaching their 12th cup! Evan was starting to sway a lot, he may not last longer, meanwhile, Aoi’s firm stance was still there.

On their 14th cup, Evan passed out while Aoi remained seemingly unchanged. Cheers erupted from the both of us as we were surprised at how much she could hold her alcohol! However, when Aoi turned around, her entire face was red and she started wobbly walking towards me. Suddenly, she jumped on my bed and wrapped her arms around me.

“Grayy! I wuv you so much!” Declared Aoi as she was nuzzling her head against my chest. Sweat started running down my face as my eyes widened in surprise, Aoi was so close to me! I was about to tell her to get off, however I couldn’t muster anything from within my throat, it’s as if someone had stolen all my words.

Suddenly, the door opened and a nurse came in. She was in her uniform and had her auburn hair tied up into a side ponytail, she looked to be around in her early twenties and had a silver ring hugging her right hand finger. On the name tag attached to her chest, the name “Asuna” was written in with black marker.

“Guys please keep it down! You’re disturbing the other…” Her face gets all red as she sees Aoi on my bed, she is now rubbing her face against mine with a childish smile shown on her face.

“I’m sorry!!” Said Asuna as she quickly closed the door and left.

“Gray it’s not fair how back at headquarters you don’t pay attention to me enough!” Complained Aoi.

“There there, I’m sorry I just couldn’t find the courage to get closer to you.” I replied back as I stroked her blond hair.

“Then promise we get to be together more then?”

“Yeah, promise. I won’t wuss out this time.” I comforted Aoi as she fell asleep on my bed, her head was on my chest while she curled up and slept on her side. I couldn’t fall asleep since my heart was pounding up a tantrum. Aoi is on my bed, on my chest, and so cute!! I stroked her hair as I tried to doze off. I had a smile printed on my face, I’m just the luckiest man right now! Meanwhile, Red had tired himself out from laughing at us and Evan was still passed out. I layed there, thinking about a future with Aoi.

There was a saying that people are the most honest when they’re drunk. Their true personality shows, and they say whatever they’ve been bottling up. If that’s the case, then Aoi really does like me, and she finds it annoying how I always keep a distance from her. I felt a bit ashamed and regretful about this, I always get nervous about whether Aoi likes me or not, and I never had the courage to ask her out. It turns out, Aoi has been waiting for me to make a move all this time. I’m sure if Julius were alive right now, he would scold me for not being a man, I can almost picture him frowning at me from the heavens. Sorry Julius! I won’t disappoint you any further. I’ve decided to ask Aoi out during our planned amusement park trip.

Two hours passed and I felt terrible. Aoi turned out to be a restless sleeper, she kept on rolling all over the bed. At first she rested on my leg, making it numb, then her head slammed onto my arm, making that numb too. When I tried to move her off of me, her arm came at my face and bashed my nose, making me sneeze countless times. I stared at Red and Evan with envy, they were sleeping peacefully, with Red on the bed and Evan slumped against it.

I somehow managed to get some sleep, since when I woke up, Aoi and Evan had left already, while Red was sitting on his bed with a giddy expression on his face.

“Hellooo Gray! I never knew you were a heavy sleeper!” Said Red in a cheerful tone.

“You try sleeping with Aoi one night, you won’t be able to sleep at all!” I complained playfully to him.

“Oh, challenge accepted!” Declared Red with a huge grin.

“Never mind! Forget about that!” I said as I realized what Red meant.

I layed back down on my bed, and stared at the ceiling. Sign, we have to stay in the hospital for another week! This is going to be hell. I felt my stomach gurgle in protest. I am hungry now. Yesterday, all I had was cake and some chocolate milk before passing out. I couldn’t have our usual birthday feast since we were told to keep it light after our surgery. Red’s stomach grumbled as well, as if saying hello to my stomach.

“I heard we got our personal assigned nurses today!” Said Red with excitement.

“Why're you so excited about that?” I asked.

“Well, I hope my nurse is cute!” Replied Red.

Oh. Of course Red would be excited about this. For someone who likes women so much, Red still refuses to marry anyone. He would occasionally date, but he would never take his relationships far. Red was still heartbroken from his first love. Before Eiko had died, Red proposed to her and even gave her the ring that Julius had given him. Red is very loyal, which is something that I really like about him. I find it admirable that he still remains in love with my sister, however, I think it's time he should move on from her. Meanwhile, I still have my ring. I plan on giving it to Aoi when I propose to her.

“How about let’s meet our nurses! Since we’re both hungry, why not ask them to bring up some dinner?” Asked Red.

“Sure, but I bet my nurse will be cuter than yours!” I told Red with a hint of competition in my eyes.

“Fine, bet accepted! But the loser has to give half his dinner to the winner!” Said Red, he was also fired up.

“Sure! Let's start then!” I declared as I rushed to press for the dinner button. Red pressed his at the same time, and both buttons lit up yellow. A menu popped up and we ordered what we liked. I ordered shrimp ramen with tempura and sushi while Red went with westernized chinese food, which consisted of fried rice with sweet and sour pork. After placing our orders, the buttons turned red as it told us to wait.

“I bet my nurse will come here with the food before yours do!” Declared Red.

“Bring it on!” I said. I felt like an idiot doing this with Red, however, it’s hard for me to say no when there is a competition involved.

Soon, there was a knock on the door. Both Red and I paused our breathing for a moment as both our adrenaline levels started peaking.

“Come in” We both said in unison.

The door opened, and an elderly lady strolled in, pushing a cart of food. She was wearing thick rounded glasses and had puffy curly gray hair. She was a bit chubby and her face was wrinkled. However, she walked fast for an old lady.

“Shrimp ramen and sushi for Gray!” She said, her voice sounded very grandma-like. I’m not sure how else to describe it.

“That’s me! Thank you!” I said as she rolled the tray over and removed the lid. The aroma of the food quickly spread across the room, making my mouth water. The ramen was freshly made, I can tell it was authentic ramen just from the texture of the noodles. The shrimp tempura was a crispy golden color while the sushi was elegantly wrapped. The food of a fancy hospital is no joke!

As my nurse left, I pumped my fist in the air while giving Red a raspberry. Hah! My nurse was faster! And I already get to eat! However, Red looked happy for some reason.

“Your nurse is that old lady! That’s easy competition, it’s almost certain my nurse will be cuter!” Said Red.

“Old people are cute in their own way” I defended.

“いただきます！”(I’m digging in!)

The ramen had just the right chewy texture, and it had soaked up the spices really well. I used a spoon to scoop up the vegetables and shrimp that were floating around. The aroma of seafood was heavenly, and the soup warmed me up from the inside out. Meanwhile, Red was sitting there looking at me. I made sure to make it look like I was enjoying it a lot. However, Red just turned around with a hmph! He was still hoping on winning that bet on which nurse is going to be cuter.

I had finished my food, I was stuffed! My stomach was still warmed up from the soup, and I patted it in front of Red. Meanwhile, Red was silently waiting for his food. It’s been 30 minutes and his nurse still hasn’t come yet. I was about to tease Red about it when I heard a knock on the door.

“Come in!” Said Red as he perked up.

A cute young nurse came in, her auburn hair was in a side ponytail and she had a ring on her right hand. And on the name tag attached to her chest was “Asuna” written in with a black marker. It was Asuna again! Red’s eyes lit up, he looked at me as if telling me with his eyes “my nurse is the cutest in the world!!” As he stuck his tongue out at me.

Hmph! Like I care! I liked my nurse anyways.

“I’m sorry! I just started work here two days ago, so I don’t know this place well. I ended up getting lost… and your food is cold now” Said Asuna as she bowed to Red in apology.

“It’s fine!” Said Red as he tries to reassure her.

“Is there anything I can do to make up for this?”

“Go on a date with me”

“...”

…

The heck is Red thinking! Asuna has a ring on her finger, she’s obviously married, and Red is hitting on her! I saw Asuna’s face glow bright Red, she’s probably very angry at him now! I was about to scold him when Asuna spoke.

“W-Well, are you sure you want to go out with someone like me? I’m really useless, all I ever do is depend on everyone!” Said Asuna as tears started sliding down her cheeks. “I can’t be useful to anyone! As soon as other men find that out, they dump me for someone else! I can’t take this anymore, I can’t! No one would want me! I’m worthless as my father says!”

Asuna’s legs gave in as she fell to the ground sobbing. The situation has gotten out of hand. I looked at Red and tried to get a message across to him.

Help her out man!

Red’s eyes looked troubled. I get it now. Red had asked Asuna out, but as usual, he doesn’t intend to take the relationship too far. Once he’s had his fun, he would dump her just like all the other women. However, this time, knowing Asuna’s story, Red is conflicted, since he doesn’t want to hurt her.

Suddenly, he hardened his gaze, his Red eyes stared at Asuna, as if they were lasers that would pierce and shatter her.

“Stop the fucking whining.” Said Red through gritted teeth. His eyes were burning with frustration, and I was afraid Red might do something terrible soon. I was about to get up when Red held his palm towards me, signaling to stay put. I was twisted with worry.

Asuna stared at Red, her eyes were wide with fear. She sniffled as she tried her best to stop her tears, however, they kept on coming down. Wails of pure despair escaped her throat as she curled up into a tight ball with her hands over her head.

“I told you to stop the fucking whining!” Said Red as he quickly got up and grabbed Asuna by the collar. I heard it tear as he raised her high, then slammed her onto his bed. All the while, Red’s heart rate monitor kept up a non stop fast beeping. Asuna whimpered and covered her face with her hands.

I got up. “Hey hey hey! Red! The hell are you doing!” My back hurt, however, I had to stop Red!

“Whoever the fuck called you useless has never been more wrong in their life!” Snarled Red. “I may look like I date women for their looks, however, it’s much more than that! That’s the same for you!”

Red had Asuna pressed on his bed, he was on top of her, his eyes were twisted with anguish and rage. However, I also caught a glimpse of an emotion I haven’t seen in a long time. His eyes shone with protectiveness, care, and love. I sat back down, knowing everything would be fine.

“Don’t let what others say about you dampen what makes you shine! When you came in earlier to tell us to keep it down, it was because you cared for how we might affect the other patients! When you apologized to me for being late, it was because you have the humility to do so! When you told us you got lost, it was because you were honest about it! This is the Asuna I know, just from this I can tell you that you aren’t worthless!”

Asuna’s eyes were wide, however, her fear had vanished. Tears came down harder than before, unlike before, they weren’t of despair. Red slowly leaned his face closer to Asuna’s.

“And I know you aren’t engaged. You’re single. You wear that ring so that men would avoid someone like you. You don’t think you deserve to find happiness, but you’re wrong! The people who scorn you, they’re shitheads for all I care. I have my heart set on you, that isn’t a lie. You shine brighter than anyone I’ve met, that isn’t a lie! I ask you to come find happiness with me, that isn’t a lie!”

Tears fell down onto Asuna’s face, they were Red’s. I think he might finally be moving on from Eiko, and I’m sure the words he said to Asuna were actually words meant for himself. I cried as well. Eiko, look at Red, the old man’s finally taking his first baby steps away from you.

Red leaned his face closer and closer. “Would you want to? Come find it with me.” Whispered Red, though his words were soft, the impact they carried filled the entire room and beyond. It's as if he had poured all his emotions into them, and gifted them to Asuna. Before Asuna could respond, Red swooped in and kissed her. Her eyes widened then closed, her lips were connected to his.

They stayed like that for what seemed like eternity. I hope I’m able to do something as cool as that with Aoi. Red then helped Asuna off his bed.

“Didn’t mean to keep you here for long. You have a job to do.”

“Y-yeah” Said Asuna as she blushed. “So I uh, your contact info?” Asuna held her phone out.

“Here” Said Red as he added his contact onto her phone.

“Once I get out of the hospital, let’s go somewhere together alright?” Said Red with a smile.

“Yeah, I’d like that,” Responded Asuna as she left.