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 Posted: Sat Apr 29, 2023 8:59 pm
“Maybe… maybe I should stay outside,” Orien said quietly, a little intimidated by the antiques sign. It would be really cool to see inside! He’d never been inside an antique’s store before, but. The idea of walking into a place where everything was so breakable. Maybe that wasn’t such a good idea.
He didn’t like not feeling confident about things. He didn’t like leaving Kaelan’s side. He wanted to stay with him! He didn’t want to stay outside and wait, but he also wasn’t sure. What if they got kicked out? What if he wasted all of Kaelan’s efforts to do something good for them?
Orien was feeling a little better at the moment. The chocolate helped. He had that bit of sugar tiding him over until his stomach settled some more. And walking helped a bit with his increased heart rate, which was really obnoxious. His body still hated him, but other than cramps, he didn’t think he was going to suddenly get nauseous and throw up everywhere. Not that he’d eaten enough to throw up much, but still.
“Have you been here before?” he asked as he anxiously twisted his hands together, eyes darting to the various strange objects in the display window.
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Posted: Sat Apr 29, 2023 9:17 pm
Kaelan couldn’t help the incredulous look that dawned on his face and he squinted at Orien briefly, mostly amused and trying not to laugh at the idea. “I don’t think I’ve been in an antique store in a few years. They’re like thrift stores, except things cost more. They weren’t really my thing when I was young. Book stores, sure, but we didn’t really go to fancy places like this. But it’ll be okay. If it’s too stuffy we can come out. This should be quick, too. Just stay close to me. We can hold hands. If you’re worried about anything, just put your arms around me and hold me, I’ll do all the talking, and then we’ll be out. If you’d rather stay out here, that’s okay, too. There’s a bench if you want to take a break?”
He was trying to be reassuring, he knew this was all stressful for Orien. Truthfully, he was nervous too–not because he thought Orien would get into trouble or accidentally break something, but because he was worried he’d look silly bringing this in. What if it was worthless? Or just a ripoff or something? What if he’d been wrong? He didn’t want to look bad in front of Orien, or anyone, really, but he was anxious about so much these days.
There had been a few times already when they’d taken a break so Orien could sit down, but he’d needed the breaks just as much. He had so much to get used to, still.
He didn’t want Orien to be uncomfortable, though–and it was a nice day. If he wanted to stay outside, at least it was good weather for it. The clouds had only just started to roll in, so there was a nice breeze. It was late in the afternoon so he didn’t anticipate staying out for too long–enough to do this, grab something to eat, and then head home before it got dark.
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Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2023 7:01 am
Orien immediately shook his head. No, he didn’t want to be away from Kaelan, and if it was just supposed to take a short amount of time, then he would be okay. He was completely capable of keeping his hands to himself and just… not look like he’s going to steal things, or something.
“I’m okay,” he promised and reached for Kaelan’s hand, squeezed it, and then let it go because he wanted to make sure Kaelan had both of his to work with.
This would be okay. He’d rested enough. His head was a bit foggy, but he wanted to be there. To support Kaelan if nothing else. Also, this was for their future, so it was important that he participate in it as much as possible.
Orien took in a deep breath and reached out to push open the door, holding it for Kaelan to head inside in front of him. If he stayed in Kaelan’s wake, then there was no reason for him to be worried about breaking anything.
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Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2023 9:10 am
Kaelan did not enter the antique store until he had recaptured Orien’s hand in his own. At least one would be enough, but he needed to borrow his strength, and he felt better to be connected to him, even if just with tangled fingers.
He went first, keeping the bag cradled to his chest as he entered.
The place smelled old, but in a pleasant way that felt nostalgic and welcoming–like an old bookstore. There was an array of different items, too many for him to look at, and the store seemed well stocked, well organized, and well taken care of. There weren’t other customers in the store, but that wasn’t surprising given the hour.
A single employee seemed to be taking care of things, and Kaelan’s heart skipped when the man looked up. It was okay! It was fine! He just still felt a little awkward talking to people. “Hi,” he said quickly.
“Hi,” the man repeated, a little slower and with much less enthusiasm. He was wearing glasses and working on screwing on the plating to the back of a small clock. He’d spread out a few layers of hand towels to make sure the front wasn’t being pressed into the desk. At the top of the stack, it looked like he was using a lens cleaning fabric. He must have been determined to make sure the fibers didn’t scratch up the watch, which immediately made Kaelan worry that this place was too fancy.
The man sat up a bit when they entered, but ultimately seemed pretty comfortable where he was seated behind the desk. “What can I help you two with?”
Kaelan was a half-second away from going off on some random word vomit, but he squeezed Orien’s hand, sucked in a breath, and approached the desk. “I was wondering if you were interested in a piece I have. It’s an old figurine.”
Briefly, the blonde’s eyes darted up to the shelf of figurines behind them, and the area was a bit sparse. He nodded, and then looked at the bag. “Show me what you’ve got, I’ll let you know if it’s something I can take.”
“Oh, right, yes,” Kaelan said, and instead of completely releasing Orien, he adjusted himself so he could keep his arm hooked around Orien’s while he used both hands to carefully unwrap the figure.
While he did that, Jett couldn’t help but glance up; he looked over the rims of his glasses to take in the sight of the two, but his gaze lingered briefly on Orien. “You all right? You look a little pale.”
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Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2023 9:49 am
Orien relaxed a little when Kaelan took his hand again. He followed close behind him, making sure he didn’t get too close to any of the shelves or fixtures as he looked around in awe. There was so many interesting things to look at, and he couldn’t help but feel curious about many of those things.
But his attention was pulled back to the counter when Kaelan greeted the man at the counter. He looked pretty average. Not too old. No one that Orien had seen before, which meant he probably didn’t frequent the sketchier districts, so Orien was at least more comfortable with Kaelan being around him.
He adjusted his hold on Kaelan’s arm when he started going through the bag to pull out the figure--
And then immediately tensed and bristled when the man directed his attention on him.
“You all right?” he repeated with bared teeth. “You don’t seem to know how to mind your own damn business.”
It was probably a good thing that he felt sick. His reaction was more subdued than it could have been.
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Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2023 10:07 am
The man across the counter raised a brow but didn’t look particularly offended. He seemed fairly mellow, and probably difficult to rile up, considering the fact that he didn’t snap back at Orien.
“Orien,” Kaelan said, half turning to him with a worried expression. “It’s okay. We’ll be out of here in a minute.” Less than that if they got kicked out. “Just breathe.” His voice was soft and he squeezed his arm closer, planting a kiss on his shoulder as he tried to calm him down. There was an apology on his lips when he turned back to the man, only because he did not want to have to run to a different antique store after this.
The blonde across from them waved his hand dismissively, like he already knew what Kaelan was going to say. He seemed almost easy going; a bit short, but it was to the point instead of intentionally callous. “I am, actually, minding my own business.”
He gestured to the store around him. “This is my store, I own it. And if you pass out here and get hurt, the liability’s on my end. And if you break anything on the way down,” he shrugged, because there were delicate things all around them, “I’m losing profit, and I have to clean up the mess. And I was thinking I might like to go home on time tonight. So, if you’re feeling okay, fine. If you’re not, there’s a bench about ten feet to your right if you head towards the hallway.”
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Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2023 10:13 am
Orien knew he needed to breathe. He knew he needed to make things easy for Kaelan who had worked so hard for the both of them. Who he was relying on now to help him, when he could barely do anything for himself while he was sick.
He was still tense even as Kaelan kissed his shoulder and squeezed his arm. Orien grit his teeth and glared at the man as if preparing to defend himself in a fight.
Knowing that this store was his only made Orien more frustrated and on edge.
And maybe he would have kept his mouth shut if his stomach hadn’t made a strangled sounding noise. Orien winced from the pain, but he also hadn’t had anything substantial to eat in days. His body didn’t have enough energy to make his cheeks flush, but normally they probably would have turned red.
“No, I’m not ******** fine,” he answered with a growl before the store owner could come back with some other witty response about his stomach.
“I’m obviously sick. We’re both hungry. And if you could just tell us if you’re going to buy the bird or not, instead of wasting our time, we’ll get out and not be a liability any more.”
He would apologize to Kaelan later. He knew he needed to keep his mouth shut, but he was so tired of being looked down on like they were inferior. He was tired of Kaelan being overlooked when he was the one who should be getting the attention. He was the one doing the sale’s transaction! Not Orien! Then again, maybe Orien just made it worse by not knowing when to be quiet.
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Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2023 10:24 am
Kaelan’s face fell; the nervousness didn’t really disappear, but now he seemed to have settled into a sort of quiet resignation. He’d never had the fire that Orien had, and he would never be mad at him or think poorly of him! But Orien was already stressed, it probably wasn’t a good idea to put him through more. And Kaelan was stressed. He didn’t like hearing no, and he was just as afraid of hearing a get out.
Better to get out now before they had to deal with any of that. There were other antique stores, he could try one of them. He had enough on him right now that they could still get something to eat.
And Orien sounded like he needed it! His stomach sounded very unhappy.
Kaelan’s hands faltered and he found it impossible to look up again, so for a few brief seconds he just seemed frozen. And then, he folded the paper back over the bird with light fingers as if he’d changed his mind. He worked uncertainly, and his hands didn’t quite seem to know what they were doing. He’d drawn into himself a bit and, as he worked on the paper, half turned to Orien.
He was pretty sure it was impossible to speak loud enough for Orien to hear him and not also the man across the desk but he tried anyway. “Let’s just go. We can get dinner instead.”
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Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2023 11:24 am
Orien’s chest felt tight. He was frustrated with himself. He felt as though he’d just let Kaelan down. He knew he should have stayed outside but of course he had to be with Kaelan this whole time.
It would have been better if Kaelan had done it without him.
And, there was that voice in the back of his head, wondering how much better off Kaelan would be without him.
It didn’t matter if Kaelan wanted Orien in his life. If Orien was a bad influence or made things difficult for him, wouldn’t it be better if he didn’t have to deal with him at all? Wasn’t that the whole point of cutting toxic people out of lives?
Was he toxic…?
He swallowed, unsure if it was his own anxiety causing the new wave of nausea or if his body was rebelling again.
“Yeah,” he said just as quietly, although maybe not as quiet as Kaelan as he gently tugged on his arm. “I wouldn’t want to keep him from going home on time tonight.”
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Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2023 11:41 am
Kaelan took a small step away from the counter and flashed a brief, empty smile. His eyes met the blonde’s for less than half a second before they’d moved back to ground and stayed there. “Thank you, sorry. Goodnight,” he said, hardly any louder than when he’d been speaking to just Orien.
The man didn’t stop them, but Kaelan was sure that he could feel his eyes on their back as they turned back to the door.
He still had enough energy for the blood to rush to his cheeks, and his ears felt uncomfortably warm. He was careful on the way out; he didn’t want to bump into anything, and he didn’t want Orien to get any more upset than he already was.
The ceramic was wrapped up decently, but honestly he didn’t really care about it anymore. A little voice in the back of his head suggested he just leave it there, or throw it out on the way out. It felt like a cursed object, suddenly. He heard his mother’s voice scolding him again.
Kaelan cleared his throat and tried to focus on thoughts of dinner. Fresh air. Maybe going home and going to bed. He was tired. Orien was probably tired.
He was the first to reach the door so he pushed it open and stepped out quickly; he almost immediately moved out of the way and held the door open for Orien.
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Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2023 12:03 pm
Orien didn’t look back at the man, but instead turned his nose up and held his head high, even though he felt like crap.
He felt like he’d really hurt Kaelan, though. He wouldn’t be surprised if Kaelan really did decide to not bring him along in public any more.
Stepping outside again was a relief, and Orien immediately stumbled his way over to the bench outside so he could sit and wrap his arm around his stomach.
“I ******** up. I’m sorry,” he said, but couldn’t bring himself to look at Kaelan just yet. Maybe if he wasn’t sick. Or maybe he would have just been worse.
“Let’s… let’s just keep it, yeah? It’s pretty. It could add some color to our place,” he suggested. There was nothing wrong with some decorations, right?
He was just going to slump down and rest his head against the back of the bench for a moment though.
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Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2023 12:13 pm
Kaelan sat down on the bench carefully, like he was sitting on glass. He never really wanted to take up much space, and he wanted to make sure Orien had enough room, especially if he was feeling sick. He still held his arm–loosely, so it wasn’t uncomfortable; the bag was in his other hand and he let it dangle over the edge of the bench, between his knees.
There was a cigarette butt on the ground, and his eyes fixated on it. Not because he cared about it, not because he was interested. It was just there.
He laughed softly, but seemed a little distracted. “You think it’s pretty? I guess we never talked about decorations or things before.” Did he even know Orien’s favorite color? Or his favorite animal? “We could take it back home.” It felt heavy in the bag. It had been so light before, but now it felt like a tiny little anchor.
It sort of made him think of home. Well, his old home. He had a new home, now.
“Are you okay? How’s your stomach? I have some water. And crackers.”
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Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2023 12:20 pm
“My stomach wants me dead,” Orien mumbled, although it sounded like he was trying to keep his mouth shut as much as possible because if he opened it bad things would happen. Throwing up. Losing out on an opportunity for some extra cash. Maybe.
“I don’t think either are a good option right now. I can try some water maybe,” he conceded, because he knew Kaelan would just worry if he didn’t try to eat something. Or drink something.
“But yeah, I think it’s pretty. Not something I would normally pick up. I’ve never really had anywhere to put decorations without worrying they’d be stolen. That a*****e would probably have told you it was worthless and tried to get you to sell it to him for, like… five dollars or something, and then mark it up a lot so he could profit. I bet if we hold onto it, we could always try selling it again in the future. Kind of like… an investment I guess.”
Orien opened his eyes to glance over at Kaelan, watching him guiltily.
“I am sorry. Are you mad at me?”
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Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2023 12:37 pm
Kaelan’s eyes didn’t lift from the cigarette until Orien asked if he was mad at him, and then he just had a cold rush of nervousness flood over him. He glanced at him briefly and then shook his head, leaning a little closer. He pulled the backpack into his lap and unzipped it so he could pull out the water. “No, I’m not mad at you. You do look a little pale. I might have pushed you a little too fast. I was hoping to get here before it got close to closing time. Here,” he uncapped the bottle of water for Orien and pulled a paper wrapped straw from a different pocket of the bag. He slid it into the water bottle so he could hold it out for him–not because he didn’t trust Orien! But because he didn’t feel good, and he thought this might slow him down so he didn’t drink too much.
And also because he didn’t want him to spill water on himself and catch a cold and get sicker or something. His left hand was occupied with that; with his right hand, he twisted the plastic bag around the ceramic bird and then slid it into the mesh pocket on the side. If it was deep enough to hold a bottle of water, it was deep enough to hold the peacock.
“I brought some medicine for your stomach, too.” In another pocket, but well sorted because he wanted to be as efficient as possible.
He wasn’t upset with Orien. He was worried about him. Maybe a little disappointed in the whole situation. But he couldn’t blame Orien, who had protected him. Helped him. Looked after him. Given him a place to stay. Who loved him. It didn’t seem fair to be mad at him for this. Especially if he actually liked the little peacock. It was only a dollar, anyway.
He wasn’t sure it was any sort of investment, but he wasn’t really good at thinking about those things. Maybe he could look it up on the internet the next time he was at the library, but he supposed he could probably do something more productive with his time. He wasn’t really even sure he wanted to spend much more time thinking about the bird.
But, it was probably just damaged pride, or nerves, or anxiousness.
He wasn’t mad at Orien.
Rather, he found a way to just be disappointed in himself. He had too many misplaced and confusing feelings, anyway. He’d untangle them later. Maybe. Or just bury them again.
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Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2023 1:28 pm
He sat up a little straighter when Kaelan passed him the water with the straw, and he mumbled a quiet thanks before sipping from it.
Orien didn’t like how quickly Kaelan was to get off the topic of not being mad at him. He thought it was too easy. Not that Kaelan had ever really expressed anger, but… even though he was feeling horrible, he still felt like he knew Kaelan well enough to tell that he was upset. It was just a matter of figuring out what.
“Is it because it reminds you of your family? We don’t have to keep it,” he said with a concerned frown. Carefully, he inched closer to Kaelan so he could slide his hand around his back, his thumb rubbing at his waist. Not light enough to be ticklish! But enough to remind Kaelan that he was there for him.
Even if he ended up causing problems.
“Yeah I think it’s time for more medicine. You’re too good, Kay. Thank you for always looking out for me. I promise I’ll be better soon. I hope. I should be. It shouldn’t last much longer. Maybe,” he finished with a groan, and tipped his head so he could rest it against Kaelan’s.
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