KIRO’S STORY / CHAPTER 16 OF 36
Wait
by hasira · about 11 min read
Kiro got home with the album under one arm.
The house was quiet.
After spending so much time around Susie, then Rin, the silence felt bigger than usual.
He closed the door behind himself.
Stood there for a second.
Then looked down at the album.
“Okay.”
Nothing happened.
Kiro looked toward you.
“Don't.”
You hadn't done anything.
“Just don't.”
He carried the album into the living room and placed it on the table.
The Halloween wrapping paper Rin had picked was beside it.
Black.
Orange pumpkins.
Tiny bats.
Kiro still thought it looked stupid.
He sat down.
Opened the album again.
Empty black pages.
One after another.
He slowly turned them.
Susie's photographs came back to him.
The forest.
Wet streets.
Concerts.
Her father asleep in a chair.
Pictures layered over pictures on her wall.
Things she wanted to remember.
Things she apparently couldn't bring herself to throw away until someone else did it for her.
Kiro stopped somewhere near the middle.
His paw moved toward his pocket.
The Polaroid was still there.
He took it out.
Him.
Standing beside the old railway tracks.
Not posing.
Not hiding his face.
One ear turned slightly toward Susie because she had said something just before taking it.
Kiro stared at himself.
“...Still weird.”
He looked toward you.
“No.”
Silence.
“I don't hate it.”
That seemed even harder to admit.
Kiro looked back at the picture.
He didn't know why he had kept thinking about putting it in the album.
It was Susie's photo.
She had taken it.
Maybe that was enough.
He opened the album again.
Not the first page.
Absolutely not.
That felt too deliberate.
Too obvious.
Instead, Kiro flipped somewhere into the middle.
He slid the Polaroid between two pages.
Not attached.
Just resting there.
Almost hidden.
He stared at it.
Then closed the album.
“It's her picture anyway.”
You remained silent.
Kiro narrowed his eyes.
“Exactly.”
Wrapping it should have taken five minutes.
It took forty.
First attempt.
Too much tape.
Kiro stared at it.
“No.”
He tore it open.
Second attempt.
Crooked.
“No.”
Again.
Third attempt.
One corner folded wrong.
Kiro sat completely still.
Then slowly looked toward you.
“This isn't funny.”
Nothing.
“I know you're enjoying this.”
He started again.
By the fourth attempt, pieces of ruined wrapping paper covered the floor.
Kiro had tape to one paw.
His ears were low.
His patience was gone.
“It's a fucking rectangle.”
He pulled the tape off his fur.
“Why is this difficult?”
No answer.
“Useless.”
Eventually, it was wrapped.
Not perfect.
Good enough.
Kiro placed it on the table.
Then adjusted one corner.
Stopped.
Adjusted it back.
“...Fine.”
He leaned away from it.
The house was silent again.
Kiro looked at the time.
Still early.
Too early to sleep.
Too late to do much.
He went to the kitchen.
Made hot chocolate.
Came back.
The gift was still there.
Obviously.
He sat opposite it.
For several minutes, he drank quietly.
Then his eyes moved toward the album again.
What if she doesn't like it?
Kiro sighed.
“It's an album.”
What if it's too much?
“It's empty.”
What if she thinks you tried too hard?
Kiro stared at the ruined wrapping paper around his feet.
“...Okay, maybe.”
He had known Susie for barely any time.
That kept returning.
A few days.
And somehow in those few days she had already slept against his shoulder, seen his scars, held him through a panic attack, walked through a forest with him, watched him disappear into something that wasn't there...
Friend.
Kiro looked at the wrapped album.
He didn't use that word lightly anymore.
Not after learning how easily people could call themselves one.
Susie had earned it too quickly.
That scared him a little.
But it didn't make it less true.
“She's my friend.”
The empty house didn't argue.
Kiro looked toward you.
Neither did you.
“Good.”
He went upstairs late.
Sleep didn't come with him.
Kiro lay on his side.
Then his back.
Then the other side.
Outside, wind moved through the trees.
Someone farther down the street had already put Halloween lights around their house.
A weak orange glow reached his window.
Kiro stared at it.
Tomorrow.
Susie's birthday.
Twenty-five.
Halloween.
He had a present.
That should have solved the problem.
It hadn't.
What if she finds the photo?
Kiro's eyes opened wider.
“She will eventually.”
Of course she would.
That was why he put it there.
Wasn't it?
He frowned.
“...I think.”
Why?
Kiro pulled the blanket higher.
“Go away.”
You put yourself in her album.
“It's her photo.”
Of you.
“Fuck off.”
He rolled over.
His eyes landed on you.
Kiro stared.
“You too.”
Nothing.
“I'm sleeping.”
He closed his eyes.
Five seconds.
Opened them again.
“Don't make it weird.”
Then he turned toward the wall.
Sleep finally came sometime much later.
Morning was gray.
Kiro woke alone.
For one confused second, he expected another sound.
A quiet breath beside him.
Maybe snoring.
Sometimes surprisingly loud snoring.
Nothing.
His room was empty.
“...Right.”
He rubbed his face.
His phone was beside the bed.
One message.
Rin.
alive?
Kiro stared.
Then smiled slightly.
He typed:
alive
Three dots appeared almost immediately.
holy shit
Another.
he learns
Kiro rolled his eyes.
go fuck yourself
Rin reacted with a heart.
Kiro stared at that.
“Asshole.”
He got out of bed.
The morning dragged.
Kiro cleaned the kitchen.
There wasn't too much to clean.
He reorganized three minerals on the windowsill.
Then moved one back because it looked wrong.
He made hot chocolate.
Forgot about it.
Found it cold twenty minutes later.
Made another.
Outside, the streets looked normal.
Mostly.
A few houses already had pumpkins near their doors.
Someone across the road was stretching fake cobwebs across a fence.
Another person was fighting with a plastic skeleton that refused to stay attached to a tree.
The skeleton fell.
It fell again.
Kiro watched from the window.
“...Good luck.”
He checked the time.
11:26 AM.
“Fuck.”
Hours.
He looked toward the wrapped present on the table.
Still there.
Kiro walked past it.
Came back five minutes later.
Looked at it again.
“No.”
He went upstairs.
Then came back because he'd forgotten his phone.
The gift was still there.
Kiro glared at it like that was somehow its fault.
By early afternoon, the town was slowly changing.
More pumpkins appeared on porches.
Orange lights were being wrapped around railings and windows.
Someone carried two giant bags of candy from their car.
A father and his kid were trying to hang a ghost from a tree.
The ghost kept spinning around backwards.
Kiro watched for a while.
Then checked the time again.
2:07 PM
“Seriously?”
He dropped onto the couch.
His phone was in his paw.
Susie's chat open.
Nothing new.
Of course.
It was her birthday.
She had a life.
Kiro stared at the empty text box.
He should say something.
Obviously.
He typed:
happy birthday
Looked at it.
Too plain.
Added:
susan
No.
Delete.
happy birthday old woman
Kiro smiled.
Then deleted that too.
“Fucking hell.”
He put the phone down.
Picked it up again ten seconds later.
Finally:
happy birthday
He stared.
Then:
somehow you survived 25 years
He stared.
That sounded like him.
Send.
A few minutes passed.
His phone vibrated.
barely
Then:
thanks old man
Kiro frowned.
3 months
Susie's reply came almost immediately.
ancient
Kiro smiled at the screen.
Then caught you looking.
“What?”
Nothing.
He locked the phone.
“Shut up.”
The afternoon went even slower.
Kiro turned the television on.
Didn't watch it.
Made food.
Ate half.
Forgot the rest on the counter.
Walked upstairs.
Walked downstairs.
Checked the weather even though he wasn't planning anything weather-related.
Checked the time.
3:31 PM.
Then 3:46 PM.
Then 4:02 PM.
He stared at the clock.
“You are moving on purpose.”
The clock continued being a clock.
Kiro looked toward you.
“Don't defend it.”
Outside, the daylight was already beginning to fade.
Mid-autumn did that.
The sky turned from gray to darker gray.
House lights started appearing one by one.
Decorations became brighter as the natural light disappeared.
Still no trick-or-treaters.
Too early.
Just people preparing.
Kiro stood in front of the hallway mirror.
Adjusted one sleeve.
Then the other.
Fixed the front of his sweater.
His hair.
One ear.
Stopped.
“What am I doing?”
He looked away.
Then immediately looked back and fixed his hair again.
Kiro caught you in the reflection.
His eyes narrowed.
“No.”
He walked away.
At five, Kiro was completely ready.
Unfortunately, he still had to wait.
He sat on the couch.
Gift beside him.
Phone in his paw.
The television played something he hadn't followed for the last thirty minutes.
5:04 PM.
“Fuck you.”
He threw his head against the back of the couch.
His phone vibrated.
Kiro grabbed it immediately.
Rin.
outside.
Kiro looked at the clock.
5:16 PM
“Finally.”
He stood.
Then stopped.
Looked at the gift.
Looked at himself.
Adjusted one sleeve.
Then the other.
Kiro grabbed the album.
Reached the door.
Stopped again.
For some reason, he thought about the Polaroid hidden somewhere in the middle.
Nobody could see it.
Good.
He opened the door.
Rin stood near the fence with his hands in his hoodie pockets.
A proper gift bag hung from his other paw.
Kiro stopped outside.
Cold air immediately hit his face.
Rin looked at Kiro's carefully wrapped present.
Then at his own bag.
Then back at Kiro.
“Jesus.”
Kiro locked the door.
“What?”
“You actually wrapped it.”
“That's how gifts work.”
Rin lifted the bag.
“This is also a gift.”
Kiro looked inside.
Snacks.
An old horror DVD.
Something small badly wrapped at the bottom.
Kiro stared.
“That's it?”
Rin looked offended.
“She'll like it.”
“You don't even close the bag.”
“Why would I?”
“So she doesn't see it.”
“She's going to see it when she opens it.”
Kiro stared at him.
Rin smiled.
“How long did yours take?”
Kiro started walking.
“Shut up.”
Rin followed.
“How long?”
“Not important.”
“An hour?”
“No.”
“Two?”
“Fuck you.”
Rin laughed.
At first, the streets were still relatively quiet.
Halloween was there.
Just waiting.
Pumpkins glowed on a few porches now.
Orange lights reflected against the wet pavement.
Parents were finishing decorations.
Children could be seen through windows getting costumes on.
Kiro glanced toward one house where a tiny witch was arguing with someone near the door.
Rin noticed.
“You waiting for them?”
Kiro looked at him.
“What?”
“The kids.”
“No.”
“You keep looking.”
“I'm looking at houses.”
“Sure.”
Kiro shoved his paws farther into his sleeves.
“Shut up.”
They kept walking.
By the time they reached the busier residential streets, it was past five thirty.
Halloween properly started.
The first groups of children were moving between houses.
A witch ran past them.
Two little skeletons followed.
Parents walked farther behind, already looking tired.
Plastic buckets.
Paper bags.
Costumes.
Orange lights.
Voices everywhere.
A tiny vampire ran directly toward Rin.
Then stopped.
Looked up.
“Are you a cat?”
Rin stared down at him.
“I am a cat.”
The kid looked confused.
“Oh.”
Then ran away.
Kiro started laughing.
Rin slowly turned toward him.
“Don't.”
Kiro covered his mouth.
“I'm not saying anything.”
“You don't have to.”
That made Kiro laugh harder.
Rin pointed at him.
“You're also a fucking animal.”
“I'm complicated.”
“You're a fox.”
Kiro stopped laughing.
“Fox-cat hybrid.”
“Identity crisis.”
“Fuck you.”
Rin smiled.
They kept walking.
For a while, it was easy.
Cold air.
Wet leaves.
Children running between houses.
Halloween decorations everywhere.
Rin occasionally reached into his gift bag and stole something.
Kiro noticed the third time.
“Are those for Susie?”
Rin looked at the candy in his paw.
“Technically.”
“You're eating her gift.”
“She doesn't know this was in there.”
“That's not how ownership works.”
“It is tonight.”
Kiro shook his head.
They crossed another street.
Kiro still held the album with both paws.
Rin looked down at it.
“You nervous?”
“No.”
“Kiro.”
“I'm not.”
“You're carrying that thing like somebody's going to shoot it.”
Kiro loosened his grip.
“I don't want to crush it.”
“Sure.”
Another group of children ran past.
Kiro watched them disappear around a corner.
Then looked down at the gift.
“What if she doesn't like it?”
Rin sighed.
“There it is.”
“What?”
“I was wondering how long you'd last.”
“It's a normal question.”
“She likes photos.”
“I know.”
“She has about eight million of them.”
“I know.”
“You bought her somewhere to put them.”
“I know.”
Rin glanced at him.
“So?”
Kiro stared again.
“What if it feels...”
He stopped.
Rin waited.
“Like what?”
“I don't know.”
That was the problem.
Kiro wasn't sure what exactly he was afraid of.
Too much?
Too personal?
Too obvious?
Obvious about what?
He didn't even know.
Rin watched him struggle.
“It's an album.”
“I know it's an album.”
“Good. We're making progress.”
Kiro frowned.
They crossed the road.
After a moment, Rin spoke again.
“You care whether she likes it.”
“Obviously.”
“Yeah.”
Something about the way he said it bothered Kiro.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Don't.”
“I'm not doing anything.”
“You did the voice.”
“What voice?”
“The one where you know something.”
Rin smiled slightly.
Kiro immediately looked away.
“She's my friend.”
The word came out quieter than everything around it.
Rin glanced at him.
Kiro noticed.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“That's not a nothing look.”
Rin shrugged.
“You just sounded serious.”
Kiro's ears shifted.
“I am.”
That was enough.
Rin looked ahead again.
“Yeah.”