Reita/Ruki - Pantophobia: A Fear of Everything - PG - Chapter 07
Silence hung between them for a few seconds until Reita mumbled, “I’m sort of in love with him Aoi-san,”
“I thought you might be,” Aoi said as he smiled gently at Reita.
Reita gasped, “How did you know?!”
“You take the time to walk him over here every week, Reita!” Aoi laughed. “Kai doesn’t even do that! Plus you get that stupid happy looking face anytime he says nice things about you… or when he’s happy… or when he looks at you… Come to think of it, you’re always looking at him, too.”
Blushing even deeper, Reita said, “Oh… well, the thing is… I can’t touch him. I’ve asked about holding hands to cross the street before, and he just yells at me not to touch him. And if I try to pat his shoulder or something, he does the same thing,” he explained sadly. “And then there was the whole thing where he ran away after I hugged him… I don’t understand.”
Aoi sighed. He paused before answering, “Ruki is haphephobic.”
“Too many big words!” Reita groaned. “What does that even mean?”
Aoi looked at Reita for a few seconds before he finally said, “Ruki’s afraid of being touched, Reita.”
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“He’s WHAT?” Uruha shouted. As soon as Reita had come home from the tattoo parlor, he sat on the couch to talk with Uruha about his discovery.
“He’s afraid of being touched,” Reita repeated.
Uruha leaned forward as he asked, “Is… this a good reason? Or does this make you feel worse?”
Shrugging, Reita mumbled, “Dunno. He can’t help it, though.”
“I’m sure you can help him get over that! Eh? Eh?” Uruha said as he nudged Reita’s side with his elbow.
“Shut up,” he hissed, shoving Uruha’s arm away as he blushed. He really hadn’t given much thought in terms of an action-plan. Reita hadn’t talked to or seen Ruki for four days, ever since the hugging incident. Bottom line, though, he knew he should stop moping and focus more on Ruki’s wellbeing. Ruki hadn’t meant to hurt him. He had just been scared. At least the reason for rejection hadn’t been any fault of Reita’s, right?
“I’m going to call Ruki,” Reita announced and then left the living room and went into his bedroom instead. Lying down on his bed, he dialed Ruki’s number and waited for an answer… an answer that never came. He laid there for maybe fifteen minutes, doing nothing but thinking of Ruki, and then tried calling him again. He tried calling Ruki for the rest of the night, but he never got an answer.
The next day, Reita tried calling Ruki again… and again… and again. Ruki never answered and Reita had started to get worried, thinking something might have happened to him. So he hurried over to Ruki’s apartment and rang the buzzer, hoping Ruki would answer and he’d know he was okay.
“Hello?” Ruki asked.
Sighing with relief, Reita said, “Ruki, It’s Reita. Can I come up?”
“Go away,” Ruki demanded.
“Ruki! I just want to talk to you! Let me up!” Reita pleaded, but he never got a response. What was this? Was Ruki avoiding him? Sighing, Reita sat down by the door of the apartment complex, lost as to what he should do about Ruki.
Reita had no idea how long he was sitting outside of Ruki’s apartment complex, but it was early evening by the time he stood up and decided he should stop loitering. As he was trudging down the sidewalk, he noticed Aoi putting a closed sign on the door of his tattoo parlor. Aoi helped him once… maybe he could help again? There was always that hope. So Reita made his way over to the parlor. He saw Aoi moving around behind the counter through the window and knocked on the door to get his attention. Aoi looked up at the sound of Reita’s knocking and, as he realized whom it was, he walked over to the door and unlocked it.
After opening the door wide enough for Reita to walk inside, Aoi asked, “Reita, what’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry to bother you Aoi-san,” he said as he walked inside. “But I’m having some more Ruki problems.”
Aoi chuckled knowingly and gave a short nod as he closed and locked the door again. “There’s someone else who might be more helpful in that area than I would.”
“I have no way of contacting Kai, Aoi-san,” Reita responded with defeat.
Chuckling again, Aoi said, “Had neither of them told you I’m friends with Kai?”
Gasping with realization, Reita exclaimed, “I totally forgot! Aoi-san! Can I talk to Kai?!”
Aoi simply smiled and pulled out his cell phone. He called and talked to Kai for a minute or so and then when he closed his phone, he said, “You’re not busy right now, I’m assuming.” Reita shook his head. Aoi continued, “Hang around here for a while with me, because Kai said he would be here soon."
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A/N: So, I didn't give you a daily update XD I'm sorry. I got caught up in my busy and exciting life. LMAO I'm SO joking. I was doing math homework V.V Omg, have I ever mentioned the insane amount of love I have for Reita?
“I thought you might be,” Aoi said as he smiled gently at Reita.
Reita gasped, “How did you know?!”
“You take the time to walk him over here every week, Reita!” Aoi laughed. “Kai doesn’t even do that! Plus you get that stupid happy looking face anytime he says nice things about you… or when he’s happy… or when he looks at you… Come to think of it, you’re always looking at him, too.”
Blushing even deeper, Reita said, “Oh… well, the thing is… I can’t touch him. I’ve asked about holding hands to cross the street before, and he just yells at me not to touch him. And if I try to pat his shoulder or something, he does the same thing,” he explained sadly. “And then there was the whole thing where he ran away after I hugged him… I don’t understand.”
Aoi sighed. He paused before answering, “Ruki is haphephobic.”
“Too many big words!” Reita groaned. “What does that even mean?”
Aoi looked at Reita for a few seconds before he finally said, “Ruki’s afraid of being touched, Reita.”
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“He’s WHAT?” Uruha shouted. As soon as Reita had come home from the tattoo parlor, he sat on the couch to talk with Uruha about his discovery.
“He’s afraid of being touched,” Reita repeated.
Uruha leaned forward as he asked, “Is… this a good reason? Or does this make you feel worse?”
Shrugging, Reita mumbled, “Dunno. He can’t help it, though.”
“I’m sure you can help him get over that! Eh? Eh?” Uruha said as he nudged Reita’s side with his elbow.
“Shut up,” he hissed, shoving Uruha’s arm away as he blushed. He really hadn’t given much thought in terms of an action-plan. Reita hadn’t talked to or seen Ruki for four days, ever since the hugging incident. Bottom line, though, he knew he should stop moping and focus more on Ruki’s wellbeing. Ruki hadn’t meant to hurt him. He had just been scared. At least the reason for rejection hadn’t been any fault of Reita’s, right?
“I’m going to call Ruki,” Reita announced and then left the living room and went into his bedroom instead. Lying down on his bed, he dialed Ruki’s number and waited for an answer… an answer that never came. He laid there for maybe fifteen minutes, doing nothing but thinking of Ruki, and then tried calling him again. He tried calling Ruki for the rest of the night, but he never got an answer.
The next day, Reita tried calling Ruki again… and again… and again. Ruki never answered and Reita had started to get worried, thinking something might have happened to him. So he hurried over to Ruki’s apartment and rang the buzzer, hoping Ruki would answer and he’d know he was okay.
“Hello?” Ruki asked.
Sighing with relief, Reita said, “Ruki, It’s Reita. Can I come up?”
“Go away,” Ruki demanded.
“Ruki! I just want to talk to you! Let me up!” Reita pleaded, but he never got a response. What was this? Was Ruki avoiding him? Sighing, Reita sat down by the door of the apartment complex, lost as to what he should do about Ruki.
Reita had no idea how long he was sitting outside of Ruki’s apartment complex, but it was early evening by the time he stood up and decided he should stop loitering. As he was trudging down the sidewalk, he noticed Aoi putting a closed sign on the door of his tattoo parlor. Aoi helped him once… maybe he could help again? There was always that hope. So Reita made his way over to the parlor. He saw Aoi moving around behind the counter through the window and knocked on the door to get his attention. Aoi looked up at the sound of Reita’s knocking and, as he realized whom it was, he walked over to the door and unlocked it.
After opening the door wide enough for Reita to walk inside, Aoi asked, “Reita, what’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry to bother you Aoi-san,” he said as he walked inside. “But I’m having some more Ruki problems.”
Aoi chuckled knowingly and gave a short nod as he closed and locked the door again. “There’s someone else who might be more helpful in that area than I would.”
“I have no way of contacting Kai, Aoi-san,” Reita responded with defeat.
Chuckling again, Aoi said, “Had neither of them told you I’m friends with Kai?”
Gasping with realization, Reita exclaimed, “I totally forgot! Aoi-san! Can I talk to Kai?!”
Aoi simply smiled and pulled out his cell phone. He called and talked to Kai for a minute or so and then when he closed his phone, he said, “You’re not busy right now, I’m assuming.” Reita shook his head. Aoi continued, “Hang around here for a while with me, because Kai said he would be here soon."
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A/N: So, I didn't give you a daily update XD I'm sorry. I got caught up in my busy and exciting life. LMAO I'm SO joking. I was doing math homework V.V Omg, have I ever mentioned the insane amount of love I have for Reita?