When Pix woke up the next day, the whole house smelled faintly of breakfast. He didn't know which breakfast food it was exactly, but when he carefully glided into the hall and peeked into the living area, he was shocked. There was a MOUNTAIN of food set up on the table, so much that it threatened to topple over. Haruto's mother appeared from the kitchen, holding some kind of meal in a tray.
"Oh, good morning, Pix!" She smiled. "You got up a little too late to catch Haruto. He's gone to work."
Oh, yeah, that's right… Pix had forgotten Haruto mentioned that. He worked part-time at the grocery store, but so did a whole slew of other students, so his hours were limited, especially in the summertime. Pix floated over to the food pile. "What's all this? It smells really good…"
"Well," she said, setting the tray down and brushing her hands against her apron, "I thought I should try cooking."
TRY cooking…? He was a little concerned. It looks like a real chef made it! Haruto's mom settled down at the table with a melancholy look on her face.
"It's my day off work. I barely ever get a day to myself now, because I'm so busy trying to find new fashion material to cover…" She sighed, rubbing the side of her forehead. "But of course, the one day I don't have work is the one day Haruto does, and tonight I'm traveling again."
"Ah…" Pix sat down at the table, his eyes full of sympathy. "That's terrible! Having a job must be really awful…"
"Do they not have jobs in space?" He tilted his head.
"I mean, kinda. You have to make money somehow, I guess…" His eyes lit up all of a sudden. "Not me, though! Check this out!" Pix clapped his hands together, startling Haruto's mother a little, and a bright light sparkled in his hands when he opened them. When he opened his hands, a small amount of coins clattered onto the table from them. Haruto's mom stared at them, shocked.
"Wow! Is this real gold?" She picked one up, inspecting it.
"Eeh, probably not. We don't have the same materials in space." He looked bashful, remembering when Haruto had to buy his tower of ice cream. "It's kind of a useless skill here, I guess."
"I don't think so." Haruto's mom put the coin down. "It's something unique." She sighed, resting her cheek against her hand. "I guess space isn't so different from here in some ways." Even though she didn't really explain it, Pix had a feeling he knew what she meant. On his home planet, skills were only good if they were worth something, or useful in some way, and everyone had to follow specific rules. Earth, to him, felt free.
"I think Earth is pretty neat," he said, a cheery look on his face. "I've been around the whole world! I've met many, many different people. I've tried so many foods, and seen so many places!" She lifted her head a bit.
"Oh, my! I wish I could travel…" She looked a bit wistful. "I don't like leaving Haruto alone here, though."
"Ah…" Pix stared at the table. The last time she left him alone here, he found me… She quickly realized what she'd said and waved her hands a bit.
"But I'm glad he rescued you! He's a very sweet boy, you know… I just wish he got out of the house more! I was so carefree when I was his age…" Another sigh. Pix got the idea that Haruto's mother was someone who liked to sigh a lot.
"You like fashion though, right?" he asked. "Why not try making some new kinds of clothes?"
"I've made many kinds of clothes! But I'm afraid I don't have a model to wear them…" She looked so crestfallen, and Pix felt bad for her. He sucked in his cheeks and stayed quiet for a moment, thinking about it.
She DOES feed me, and let me stay here… It wouldn't hurt to be helpful, right…?
When Haruto returned home, the first thing he heard was his mother talking in a shrill voice. He walked into the living room, and immediately dropped his bag on the floor, his mouth open in surprise.
Pix was standing there, wearing a ruffled aqua camisole with a long, white skirt, and platform heels to match. There was a large brimmed hat on his head, tied with a neat white ribbon. A cute braid was draped over his shoulder, and the rest of his peachy hair fell down his back. He had his back turned, but raised the heel, glancing over his shoulder to inspect it.
"Does this look okay?" he asked. He looked up and saw Haruto. "Ah."
"Whoa," Haruto said. Pix's entire face went pink.
"Haruto! Welcome home!" His mother said, clasping her hands together happily. She was wearing reading glasses, and had a measuring tape over her shoulders.
Even on her day off, she manages to find a way to work somehow… Pix was fidgeting, trying to adjust his hat, and Haruto had to hold back a giggle. He looks like someone from those dramas she watches…
"I see my mom roped you into modeling for her…" She tried to get Lila to model for her once or twice, but she hated girlish clothing. His mother meant no harm, but she was the type who was constantly work-driven. So it wasn't too surprising that she sprung the idea on Pix, but he wondered to himself how she managed to get him to actually agree to it.
"You're being rude!" She placed her hands on her hips, glaring at her son. "I didn't even have to ask, actually! He offered." Pix turned, hiding his face in the hat.
"It really isn't that big of a deal," he mumbled quietly, his face red as a beet. Haruto grabbed his hand, making him look up in surprise.
"You're embarrassing him, Mom!" Haruto scolded her. "C'mon, I have a clean sweatshirt you can wear." He led Pix away, who looked kind of like a fish flopping around out of water. Haruto's mom placed her hand on her chin thoughtfully.
He didn't seem to mind at all until Haruto got home, though… She smiled a little to herself. Ahhh, I see now.
Pix was sitting on the couch, watching TV with Haruto while his mom was making dinner. It was some cheesy movie about aliens who were invading Earth and destroying New York City. Haruto pulled a bag of candy from his pocket, holding his finger to his lips with a little grin. They were both wearing pajamas, and Pix was still wearing one of Haruto's sweatshirts, with a Metalboys logo on it. It was soft and comfortable, and something about wearing it made him feel like he was wrapped in a cozy blanket.
"Hehe!" Pix scooped up a handful of candy, smiling. "Hey, this movie is really funny. Is this how you guys think aliens actually are?"
"Well, yeah," Haruto said. "I mean, I thought they were made up." He grabbed a few pieces and popped them into his mouth. Pix seemed to think about it for a moment.
"I guess I didn't know how you guys thought of us," he said. "Nobody from my planet ever goes to Earth." Haruto raised his eyebrows, surprised.
"Really?" he asked, tilting his head into the couch a little, staring at Pix. "How did you end up here, then?"
"W– Well…" He looked back to the TV, but wasn't paying any attention to the movie. "I guess I just wanted to see what Earth was like." Haruto leaned back, watching the TV again too.
"It's probably not as cool as outer space," he said, "but I'm glad you like it."
Pix turned his head just a little, his golden eyes glittering. He opened his mouth to respond when a hand descended onto them, snatching the candy up like a hawk.
"EEK!" He tumbled off the couch. Haruto's mom had her hand on her hip, staring down at the two with a smile.
"Dinner's ready!"
After dinner, the boys were hanging out on the couch again. Haruto's mother was running all around the house, rummaging around.
"Are you SURE I can leave again?" she called from her room, her voice echoing down the foyer. "Are you POSITIVE, honey?"
"Yeah, Mom," Haruto responded from the living room, a plate of homemade cookies on his lap. "We have enough breakfast to last us two weeks, and I can fend for myself…"
"But you're HOSTING someone!" She stuck her head out from the foyer, her sleek black hair falling out of the clip she wore. "You can't feed him YOUR cooking!" Haruto bit his tongue.
HIS cooking is even worse, though…
"Look, we'll be fine, okay?" His mother was going to be leaving to visit with Haruto's older sister for a couple days. She was in Maine, studying fashion design.
"Are you sure you're sure?"
"YES." His mother hurried into the living room, rolling her suitcase along beside her.
"Okay, sweetie," she sighed, ruffling his hair gently. "I trust you'll be alright." She looked at Pix, smiling. "Take care of him while I'm gone!" She reached down and, to Pix's surprise, ruffled his hair, too. "You're free to stay as long as you like, okay?" He was even more surprised. After all, he was basically a stranger, but she was welcoming him into her home with no problem.
Haruto's mom is a really nice lady. He glanced at the boy beside him, a small smile on his face. Haruto is, too. It must run in the family…
Haruto said goodbye to his mother, watching her pull out of the driveway and disappear down the road. Normally he'd feel lonely when she went on trips like this, but when he glanced back into the house, seeing Pix sneakily eat cookies off his plate, he didn't feel bad at all.
I think I'll be fine.