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Description
"What is this place," Koi asked as he looked around the rooftop. It was flat, save for the box of the stairwell, and an adjoining room of sorts that had broken in windows.

"It's quiet, like you said," was Red's reply. Koi frowned, slightly irritated. "I'm sure you know what I meant." At this Red chuckled, then sighed and began.

"This is my 'safe place', if you will." Red made air quotes, "a year or so ago I broke in and replaced the lock with one from my house. I come here every day after school now just to relax."

Koi nodded, then paused. "School isn't over yet today."

Red shrugged, "I skip on occasion."

"That isn't very academic of you." Koi remarked.

"And what pray-tell were you doing, skipping school?" The retort was sharp but without anger.

Koi immediately became fixated with the ground. Seeing him stare at it, one would have thought it the most interesting thing in the world. His hands reached up and fisted nervously in his striped scarf. Like an armadillo under attack, he seemed to curl into himself. Red watched him with a curious expression. He knew exactly what Koi had been doing, of course. He'd asked merely to gain a reaction but Koi seemed rather... sensitive, so he changed topics in what he deemed a favourable direction.

"That's a nice scarf you've got there." He could not have been more mistaken.

Koi looked at him with that sole eye and Red noticed, when actually looking into it, that it could not have been described as onyx. Onyx was flat, lifeless, and opaque. A bland, cold thing that betrayed nothing. The eye staring at him was anything but. It more closely resembled a deep black opal, flashes of colour set in a darkness that had hundreds of hues if one only looked. Koi's eye was murky and at the same time so clear that one could see down to his soul, and it wailed achingly of pain.

The sudden strength of the emotion startled Red and his smile slipped clean off his face, sinking down to the floor along with his stomach. The anguish and despair portrayed in that one lonesome orb was more powerful than anything Red had ever seen or felt before and threatened to bury him. He drew back and shook his head, averting his eyes from the nearly tangible gaze. His hand reached out slowly, unsure of what it was even doing, toward the other boy. There was a deep inner need to reassure him, to help him, to draw him even a fraction of an inch out of those torrid depths. With frightened refusal, Koi stepped back quickly out of Red's reach, fear replacing pain. In just a second the eye became solid black, and Koi replied lowly.

"Nice enough, yeah."

There was a tense silence for the longest of time between the two. Silence seemed to be the prevailing theme in the past twenty minutes that Koi had known Red, and he knew that, should this ever become a friendship, silence would continue to be the prevailing factor. It had the ability to speak in volumes no words ever could; of soft, peaceful moments and lonely, drunken nights. All of these wrapped cleanly into the same blank slate, with meanings left completely open to the ears of the beholder.

After a while Koi seemed to relax a little and sat down against the wall. He frequently looked back at Red as if he wanted to say something, but either wasn't sure of what to say simply couldn't bring himself to say it. Red hopped off the wall and sat next to Koi, who shuffled away from him slightly. Red sighed and rested his head on his hand, looking blankly toward the exit. The day passed in that manner, with the two sitting in the cooling sunlight quietly.

At last Koi rose to his feet, steadying himself against the wall, and began for the exit. Red tagged along.

"Heading home now?" He asked.

Koi gave a stiff, cold nod to which Red frowned. He decided that talking to Koi about his appearance or home life would be taboo. He tried a different direction.

"Are you coming here with me tomorrow?"

The reply was quick and sharp. "Don't you want to be alone? This doesn't look like a place you'd share." Koi's voice echoed in the empty stairwell.

Red tilted his head to the side like a confused dog. "If I wanted to be alone, I wouldn't have brought you to begin with."

Koi stopped, now on the last step of the stairs. "Why did you bring me here, then?" Suspicion trailed his voice.

At this Red grinned. "You look quiet."

Koi frowned, "What?"

"Its lonely up there, but everybody I know is too noisy."

"Oh," he said simply.

That was the end of their conversation. The two of them made their way to the railway and, lacking money, managed to sneak onto a train back to the Bridge. No other person sat in their car, and the two boys sat across from each other staring out the windows and sneaking the occasional secretive glance at the other.

The two parted ways at an intersection, with Red waving and shouting a "see you tomorrow" as he walked down his road. Koi's jammed his hands in his pockets and walked briskly to his house, musing that the faster he could get inside, the sooner the ordeal would be over with. He stopped in the front yard, searching for life, then carefully snuck up to the front door and into the house. With a stealthy silence to rival even the most trained of assassins, he slunk over to the basement doorway and quite nearly managed to make it inside before a cold voice called him out.

"And where do you think you're going?" Koi turned around, knowing he'd been caught. He did not speak.

"Thought you could just sneak past me, hmm?" Mother said from her spot in the living room doorway.

Despite the hell she constantly put him through, Koi couldn't help but admit that Mother was exceptionally beautiful. The only thing she had going for her in his eyes. Long, straight locks of blonde hair framed her long face like golden thread. Her features were sharp but not unbecoming. She glared down at him with eyes like cold black stone that held not a single compassionate gleam. She had the allure of a starved runway model, but nothing that could hold a candle to any homely, loving house-wife.

She walked toward him stiffly, her bright red heels clicking audibly on the tile floor. To accentuate her model-esque appearance, she had a tall and lean figure that featured a slim black dress. Koi had been hard-pressed his entire life to see Mother in anything other than a little black number of some sort. Long, thing fingers grabbed his chin through the scarf and she leant down slightly to look him in the eye.

"Answer me, boy." Her bright red nails dug in. "Tell me the truth."

It was a routine he was completely accustomed to and the lie rolled easily off his tongue. "I was hoping I could sneak past you so that you wouldn't have to look at someone like me."

She released his chin, seemingly satisfied with his answer. "At least you know your place."

Description
"What is this place," Koi asked as he looked around the rooftop. It was flat, save for the box of the stairwell, and an adjoining room of sorts that had broken in windows.

"It's quiet, like you said," was Red's reply. Koi frowned, slightly irritated. "I'm sure you know what I meant." At this Red chuckled, then sighed and began.

"This is my 'safe place', if you will." Red made air quotes, "a year or so ago I broke in and replaced the lock with one from my house. I come here every day after school now just to relax."

Koi nodded, then paused. "School isn't over yet today."

Red shrugged, "I skip on occasion."

"That isn't very academic of you." Koi remarked.

"And what pray-tell were you doing, skipping school?" The retort was sharp but without anger.

Koi immediately became fixated with the ground. Seeing him stare at it, one would have thought it the most interesting thing in the world. His hands reached up and fisted nervously in his striped scarf. Like an armadillo under attack, he seemed to curl into himself. Red watched him with a curious expression. He knew exactly what Koi had been doing, of course. He'd asked merely to gain a reaction but Koi seemed rather... sensitive, so he changed topics in what he deemed a favourable direction.

"That's a nice scarf you've got there." He could not have been more mistaken.

Koi looked at him with that sole eye and Red noticed, when actually looking into it, that it could not have been described as onyx. Onyx was flat, lifeless, and opaque. A bland, cold thing that betrayed nothing. The eye staring at him was anything but. It more closely resembled a deep black opal, flashes of colour set in a darkness that had hundreds of hues if one only looked. Koi's eye was murky and at the same time so clear that one could see down to his soul, and it wailed achingly of pain.

The sudden strength of the emotion startled Red and his smile slipped clean off his face, sinking down to the floor along with his stomach. The anguish and despair portrayed in that one lonesome orb was more powerful than anything Red had ever seen or felt before and threatened to bury him. He drew back and shook his head, averting his eyes from the nearly tangible gaze. His hand reached out slowly, unsure of what it was even doing, toward the other boy. There was a deep inner need to reassure him, to help him, to draw him even a fraction of an inch out of those torrid depths. With frightened refusal, Koi stepped back quickly out of Red's reach, fear replacing pain. In just a second the eye became solid black, and Koi replied lowly.

"Nice enough, yeah."

There was a tense silence for the longest of time between the two. Silence seemed to be the prevailing theme in the past twenty minutes that Koi had known Red, and he knew that, should this ever become a friendship, silence would continue to be the prevailing factor. It had the ability to speak in volumes no words ever could; of soft, peaceful moments and lonely, drunken nights. All of these wrapped cleanly into the same blank slate, with meanings left completely open to the ears of the beholder.

After a while Koi seemed to relax a little and sat down against the wall. He frequently looked back at Red as if he wanted to say something, but either wasn't sure of what to say simply couldn't bring himself to say it. Red hopped off the wall and sat next to Koi, who shuffled away from him slightly. Red sighed and rested his head on his hand, looking blankly toward the exit. The day passed in that manner, with the two sitting in the cooling sunlight quietly.

At last Koi rose to his feet, steadying himself against the wall, and began for the exit. Red tagged along.

"Heading home now?" He asked.

Koi gave a stiff, cold nod to which Red frowned. He decided that talking to Koi about his appearance or home life would be taboo. He tried a different direction.

"Are you coming here with me tomorrow?"

The reply was quick and sharp. "Don't you want to be alone? This doesn't look like a place you'd share." Koi's voice echoed in the empty stairwell.

Red tilted his head to the side like a confused dog. "If I wanted to be alone, I wouldn't have brought you to begin with."

Koi stopped, now on the last step of the stairs. "Why did you bring me here, then?" Suspicion trailed his voice.

At this Red grinned. "You look quiet."

Koi frowned, "What?"

"Its lonely up there, but everybody I know is too noisy."

"Oh," he said simply.

That was the end of their conversation. The two of them made their way to the railway and, lacking money, managed to sneak onto a train back to the Bridge. No other person sat in their car, and the two boys sat across from each other staring out the windows and sneaking the occasional secretive glance at the other.

The two parted ways at an intersection, with Red waving and shouting a "see you tomorrow" as he walked down his road. Koi's jammed his hands in his pockets and walked briskly to his house, musing that the faster he could get inside, the sooner the ordeal would be over with. He stopped in the front yard, searching for life, then carefully snuck up to the front door and into the house. With a stealthy silence to rival even the most trained of assassins, he slunk over to the basement doorway and quite nearly managed to make it inside before a cold voice called him out.

"And where do you think you're going?" Koi turned around, knowing he'd been caught. He did not speak.

"Thought you could just sneak past me, hmm?" Mother said from her spot in the living room doorway.

Despite the hell she constantly put him through, Koi couldn't help but admit that Mother was exceptionally beautiful. The only thing she had going for her in his eyes. Long, straight locks of blonde hair framed her long face like golden thread. Her features were sharp but not unbecoming. She glared down at him with eyes like cold black stone that held not a single compassionate gleam. She had the allure of a starved runway model, but nothing that could hold a candle to any homely, loving house-wife.

She walked toward him stiffly, her bright red heels clicking audibly on the tile floor. To accentuate her model-esque appearance, she had a tall and lean figure that featured a slim black dress. Koi had been hard-pressed his entire life to see Mother in anything other than a little black number of some sort. Long, thing fingers grabbed his chin through the scarf and she leant down slightly to look him in the eye.

"Answer me, boy." Her bright red nails dug in. "Tell me the truth."

It was a routine he was completely accustomed to and the lie rolled easily off his tongue. "I was hoping I could sneak past you so that you wouldn't have to look at someone like me."

She released his chin, seemingly satisfied with his answer. "At least you know your place."