Event time

[rideonmyharley]

Everything seemed the same today, which meant that either the hotel's games had passed him by or he simply hadn't figured out what the game was yet. Kia couldn't shake the feeling that it was the latter, given how much he'd been toyed with since his return. He munched on a hamburger he'd got in the food court section and sat on a chair where he

Comments

[moon_flicker]

"Kii~a!" Have a horned boy suddenly launching himself at your shoulders and clinging, Kia.

"I haven't seen you in forever! Have you been hiding?"

[rideonmyharley]

He smiled, laughed, and shook his head. "I haven't been hiding, Zelkova. I did end up going home for a couple of weeks, but I've been here the rest of the time."

Kia had been here getting himself into one giant, emotional mess all because of one redhead.

[moon_flicker]

"Ooh, you got to go home? Lucky." The boy pouted, letting go and taking a seat beside him. "How have things been going with you? It's been so boring here."

[rideonmyharley]

Kia laughed. "It's been...complicated for me. Things happened that I never expected to." That was a major understatement.

[moon_flicker]

"Oh? You sound sad." Zelkova pointed out, looking up at him with curiosity. "Do you want to talk about it?"

[rideonmyharley]

"I don't think talking will help it make any more sense, but thanks for offering, Zelkova." He smiled warmly then, no trace of the sadness. Kia was good at hiding his emotions when he wanted to hide them.

[moon_flicker]

"I just don't want my friends to be upset, so if anything's bothering you, I'm always willing to listen." He smiled, giving him a tight hug around the middle.

[rideonmyharley]

"To make a very long story stort, I ended up falling for someone I'll never be able to meet outside of this damn hotel," he explained. It wasn't a huge secret; anyone who paid attention to such things had probably seen him with Ran many times over by now.

[moon_flicker]

Zelkova's grip loosened, but he kept his arms around Kia's middle for comfort. "...I think I kind of know how you feel." He spoke, his voice losing its normal cheery tone for a moment. As soon as he realized this, however, he plastered his normal smile on his face.

"At least you can see them while you're here, right?"

[rideonmyharley]

He rested his hand on one of Zelkova's, but couldn't make himself smile despite the boy's cheer. Kia took a slow breath. "I got taken back once. I don't know when that will happen again to either of us. And we're from completely different times - I'd probably be an old man if I lived long enough to see him as he is now."

[moon_flicker]

"..." Zelkova was silent for a moment, thinking over his words. "You know, back in my world, there was someone I really liked, but it was impossible to let him know that. It was fun to hang out and play, but that was all that was possible, since I'm not really real... in that world." His smile slipped, and he looked up at Kia.

"So I can kind of understand how you feel, and it's not worth being sad about. The time you do have is precious, and if you really love him, then spend your time with him; don't worry about tomorrow, or what might happen, okay?"

[rideonmyharley]

Kia wasn't sure what to think about those words. How could Zelkova not be real in the world he came from? He was real enough here, after all. He still looked confused and his mind raced back to Ran.

He didn't deny the word "love", even though he wouldn't say it out of fear of being completely pushed away and never spoken to again. "I don't know how you can think like that," Kia admitted. "I've spent most of my time for the past few months with him and it never feels like enough. I worry because we're both used to having important people taken away suddenly."

[moon_flicker]

If he tried to explain it, it would only end up hurting poor Kia's brain.

"That's why the time you do have is so important. Make it worth it."

[rideonmyharley]

"I'm doing all I can to be with him more since I returned. Whatever time we've got here is strange and different from time in the real world, but it's all we've got. I never would have thought of this if it weren't for the damn game the hotel played on us last week."

Having to admit to secrets he'd wanted to keep that way had made things infinitely more awkward. Kia sighed.

[moon_flicker]

"Oh, when people were saying all those weird things? It was kind of funny, really." The boy giggled, his cheerful demeanor back in full force.

[rideonmyharley]

He sighed. "It's only funny until you end up admitting things that make everything even more complicated. I don't know what it's doing to people this week and I don't think I want to know."