Things were hectic around the house all morning. Haruto was antsy, here and there, seemingly unable to sit still at all. Pix wasn't sure what to do about it.
"What's got you so worked up?" he asked, as Haruto sat at his desk, his foot tapping against the chair wheels repeatedly.
"I have a concert to go to tonight," he mumbled, "but my friend can't go."
"Huh? A concert? What is that?" Pix hovered over the desk, sitting down on it beside Haruto.
"It's like…" He tapped his fingers on the desk. "A performance. With instruments, and singing… Do you guys have instruments in outer space?"
"We do," Pix said, "but I'm sure they're not the same as human ones. And nobody really sings in outer space…" Haruto looked up at him and adjusted his glasses.
"Really? That's a shame. I love singers. I mean, I'm terrible at it, but…" He sighed and ran his hands through his hair, leaning backwards. "This is my favorite band, and I really wanted to go with someone. I have an extra ticket now and haven't been able to sell it yet…"
Pix floundered around for a moment.
"Y– You could take me with you." Haruto looked up, raising his eyebrows, and he seemed to get very bashful. "If you want, I mean."
"I was thinking about asking you. I just don't know if you'd like it. It's really loud, and, uh, scream-y."
"I've never been to a concert. But I like loud things!" He smiled. "I like new experiences, especially ones on Earth. Your planet is my favorite." Haruto couldn't help but smile just a little, too.
"Well… Okay. Tonight we'll go together, then." For a moment they sat, looking at one another, until Haruto flailed a little and kicked Pix out of the room. "We have to hurry up and get ready, because it's really important to get there early! Otherwise, we won't get good spots…!" Apparently, it was something to be very worked up about.
Later in the evening, they set out, taking a bus into the city. Haruto and Pix sat side-by-side, and Pix had his hood pulled over his head. Haruto was still dressed in all monochrome, but it seemed a little fancier than usual– He was wearing a leather jacket over his band tee, and jeans that had chains clipped onto them. He was fumbling with his phone, muttering about making sure he had the tickets ready. For someone who seemed very cool most of the time, Pix had never seen him so nervous. He wanted to help somehow, and wracked his brain for something to say.
"Hey, Haruto, what's this band like?" he asked quietly, his voice muffled by the sounds of the bus. Haruto paused, and when he looked up, he looked very bright-eyed, in a way Pix hadn't seen before.
"Oh, man, they're really good," he said quickly. "They're called Metalboys, and they're a metal band… Here, I'll show you– I have all of their albums on my phone, so we can listen to them on the way there, if you want." He fumbled around in his jacket's pockets for a second, pulling out a jumbled up pair of wire earbuds. "Here," he said, holding one out to Pix as he put the other in his ear.
"Ah… What are these?" He was a little embarrassed. There were a lot of things I really don't know about here, huh…
"Let me show you." Haruto reached over and gently brushed Pix's long hair aside, putting the earbud in. He flinched a little, hearing the strums of a guitar as though it were right beside him. "They're earbuds," Haruto said. "You can listen to music on a phone with 'em, and nobody else will hear it."
"This is…" Haruto was very close to him, and smiling, and it made his heart feel funny again. There was a loud voice singing, and the guitar sounds became much more electrifying. Drums thundered, and the music swelled, startling Pix a bit. It seemed like very angry music to him, but he didn't mind so much– He was more focused on Haruto's pleasant, content expression.
"What do you think?" he asked softly, his voice difficult to make out above the music and the bus clattering along the road.
"I… I like it." Before Haruto could respond, though, the bus creaked very loudly, and then a loud THWUMP! was heard over the soft din. The bus shuddered to a halt, and many cars behind it slammed to a stop, honking their horns. Pix jolted, pressing against the other boy in fear, but Haruto only seemed very annoyed.
"No way… Is there an issue with the bus? Seriously…?" He peered over the seats, and the driver hurried out to figure out what was wrong. There were lots of confused voices, and some groans of annoyance.
"Alright, everyone. The bus is broken down," the driver said, stepping back up the stairs into the aisle. "I'm sorry, it'll probably take an hour to fix…" There were louder sounds of anger and distress, and Haruto cupped his hand over his forehead, shutting his eyes.
"There's no way… We won't be able to see the stage…" Pix felt a pang of sympathy, since this seemed really important to him.
"It's okay," he said quietly. "You'll still be able to hear, right?" Haruto looked at him for a moment, and relaxed a little.
"Yeah. Yeah, you're right. Let's just wait…"
By the time it was 8 o'clock, the bus still wasn't ready to go, and Haruto and Pix had spent an hour looking at things on Haruto's phone. Pix learned a great deal of things about Earth– All you can eat restaurants, clowns and circuses, famous singers, motorcycles, gaming systems– It was the most he had ever learned about the planet, at least in one sitting. But he grew sleepy, and by the time the bus finally rumbled back to life and was on its way yet another hour later, he was fast asleep against Haruto's shoulder, his cheek pressed against the leather. Haruto didn't mind– he turned the music down, staring out the window.
The concert venue was packed with people, and Pix and Haruto had a difficult time getting through the crowd. There was a large space on the grass to stand, and it was entirely full. People were crammed together like sardines, to the point where it was impossible to get through at all. Because the pair was far too late, they had missed two songs already, and wound up at the very back– far, far away from the stage. Though he didn't complain any more, Haruto's disdain was all over his face. The band was on stage, playing their next song, but so many people were clamoring in front of the two that Haruto could not see a thing. He was standing on his tiptoes, squinting and trying very hard to catch at least a glimpse of the performers– but he wasn't very tall, and the people in front of him were effectively blocking his view completely. He stepped back, away from the crowd, in the hopes that maybe some distance would let him see better, but it did no good. Still, he closed his eyes, enjoying the music, and that was enough.
Still though, I would have really liked to see... Suddenly, he felt somebody's arms loop snugly around his waist, and he whirled around to find Pix behind him.
"GIMME ONE SECOND!" he shouted over the music, a huge grin on his face. Just then, Haruto felt his feet lifting off the ground.
"What the– What are you–"
He was slowly lifted up, and within a few seconds, he realized he could see over the heads of the people in front of him. As a matter of fact, he could see over everyone, and straight ahead, some ways away, was the stage. The band was there, playing, and Haruto's heart leapt. That's…! His mouth was open in shock as the finale of the song played and a large wall of fire erupted on the stage backdrop, fizzling out as quickly as it had started. The next song kicked off, but Haruto realized Pix was holding him up, and craned his head to look over his shoulder.
"Aren't– Aren't your arms gonna get tired?!" he shouted over the din. "I thought you said you couldn't fly because your energy was gone!"
"Nah, don't worry about it!" Pix said, smiling over Haruto's shoulder at him. "This is your favorite band, right? You should be able to see them play! I'll hold you super tight, so don't worry!" He hugged Haruto tighter, lifting him a bit higher in the air. A small, curious smile was on Haruto's face the rest of the concert, and Pix kept his word and didn't let him go, not until the final song had ended and the band went offstage. The crowd was roaring and cheering, and not a single person there seemed to notice the floating boy, nor the person he was holding up in his arms. The stage lights dimmed, and Haruto felt himself slowly being lowered, until his feet felt solid ground again.
"Pix, that was–" he started, about to turn around, but before he could he felt Pix slump against him with his full weight.
"Ah… Don't mind me," he murmured, barely audible. "I'm just a… little bit tired..." Haruto carefully turned around, wrapping his arms around him so he didn't topple onto the grass.
"Don't worry. I've got you." Pix didn't respond. A random group of teenagers with piercings and bracelets hurried over.
"Hey, is your friend alright?! We've got some water…"
And so, Haruto ended up in the back of a van with that group, Pix fast asleep beside him. He was dropped off a little ways from his neighborhood, and carried Pix back home, the same way he did when he first found him. He didn't really mind.
He held me up the whole time, huh… There was still that curious smile on his face. I've only known him for a week, but I'm pretty glad we met. It surprised me a lot at first to meet an alien, but now I don't really see it that way. He's just… a nice person. He slumped over onto the couch with Pix, yawning. As he was falling asleep, there were only a few little thoughts running around his brain, fleetingly. But there was only one that really stood out.
That thought then fled, too, as Haruto fell asleep, his head resting against Pix, who was curled up beside him.
Haruto's mom came home very, very early in the morning.
The way Haruto found this out was not by hearing the door click, or her keys jingle, or even her shouting for him to come eat lunch. No, the way he found out was by being yanked unceremoniously from the couch– and his slumber– by the collar of his shirt.
"HARUTO! You've got some explaining to do, YOUNG MAN!" His mother was standing there, tapping her foot against the floor and glaring her son down with the intensity of the sun. Haruto broke into a sweat instantly.
Crap! I didn't figure out how to tell her! He backed away, raising his hands up slowly.
"Uh– L– Look, I can explain…" His mother stepped toward him, placing her hands on her hips.
"I leave for one week and come back to you cozied up with a girlfriend on the couch?" Haruto stood with his mouth open.
"That's– He isn't a–"
"Mmmm?" Pix stirred, rubbing his eyes. "Good morning, Haruto…" He blinked very hard, seeing the woman standing there. "Oh, hi there. Are you Haruto's sister?" His mother was silent for a moment, and put her hand up to her face, raising her eyebrows. She seemed very flattered, and her voice became quite gentle.
"Oh, I see… Is this your boyfriend, then, honey?" He began to sputter, waving his hands frantically.
"NO! NO, MOM. WE'RE JUST FRIENDS. He– He's a cosplayer who likes the same music. We go to the same school…" He looked like a deer caught in headlights, but seemed to relax a little now that he'd finally landed on a good excuse. "I gave him my extra ticket to the concert last night because Bijan couldn't make it. But he– he's crashing here. Just for a bit."
"Oh, I see…" She didn't say more about it, but there was a smile on her face, and Pix noticed how similar she looked to Haruto. They both smiled in a small way, like they heard something really funny and were keeping it to themselves. "Well, you're more than welcome to stay," she said to Pix. "Let me whip up some omelets for you two– Haruto, go wash up, please– and you can tell me all about yourself. I'm sure Haruto's cooking has been a little bit scary."
"Hey!" She chuckled and ruffled his hair before going to the kitchen. He sank back down onto the couch, defeated, as Pix rubbed his eyes some more, half asleep.
At least Mom hasn't found out he's an alien.
"So, Pix," his mom said as they all sat at the breakfast table, "where exactly do you live?"
"Ahhh…" Pix sweated. He had never been great at lying. "Near the beach? I… I like the waves…" She nodded thoughtfully.
"Isn't that costume getting uncomfortable?" she asked gently. "You can clean the makeup off and change into something here. I'm sure it'd be fine for you to borrow Haruto's sister's clothes." Haruto poked at his food nervously.
Uh, he HAS been doing that… He could tell Pix was getting a bit anxious, which in turn made HIM anxious about the whole thing. How would she even react? I mean, how COULD you even react to an alien being in your home…? It was normal to him by now, but any other reasonable person would probably freak out, and his mother most definitely would. Ugh, it scares me a little just thinking about it!
"Ahh, it's okay. It stays on for a few days…" Pix was squirming around in his hoodie. Haruto's mother waved her hands, smiling warmly.
"No way. Go on, clean up! No worries at all." Haruto cleared his throat loudly.
"Okay, thanks for breakfast, but we should definitely get going." She looked at him in surprise.
"Hmm? Where are you going today?" She seemed to entirely forget about Pix washing up.
"The Kadivar's house. Lila's home."
"Oh, in that case, go on, and tell Lila I said hello! It was very nice to meet you, Pix. Take good care of my son!" Pix smiled at her, a small feeling of warmth in his chest. She startled him at first, but Haruto's mother had a very genuine kindness in her smile.
"Yes, ma'am!"