Riku and Oliver pt.2

After the flight, both of them went their own ways and Riku and his father arrived at their hotel.

His father didn't show any reaction at all, as usual when he walked into some new place, but all Riku could smell inside this hotel room was just this fake and disgusting scent, he couldn't identify.

And the most thing he wanted to do right now was to get out of this room out of this building and somewhere into the nature. Even if a park was the best thing he could find.

"I'm going out."

"Riku, at least unpack your stuff first."

"Later, dad."

"Riku-"

The door went shut.

—

After hours of just laying in the grass, aside from everyone else, and birds singing and flying around him, he noticed a new text on his phone,from his so-called-father of course, ordered him to come back to the hotel since it already grew dark outside.

What was his dad supposed to do, Riku thought. He didn't know where he was, just that he's outside.

So it'd be sure to say, he wouldn't come find him and drag him back.

Riku could come back to the Hotel, whenever he wanted to.

A sudden noise appeared and Riku sat up.

An old guy had tripped and his waggon with his guitar on it, his sleeping bag and all of the other things, he carried with, rolled down the street in such a pace that it crashed against a tree and the guitar fell and broke a string.

"Shit!", he cursed loudly.

Riku jumped up.

"Can I help you?"

"Ah, no thanks kid, I got it", the old man said and started picking up his stuff.

"Oh man- my poor guitar.."

His voice sounded sad.

"D-do you have an extra E-string with you?", Riku asked shyly.

The man looked at him weirdly.

"Do I look like I carry an extra string with me?"

"Well I don't know, you have a guitar.. right... do you happen to know if there's a music store somewhere close?"

"Around that corner", he said and pointed east.

"Give me two dollars."

"Dollars? We're in England, fool."

Riku rolled his eyes

"Then two bucks, for christ' sake."

"I'm not giving you any money? I don't trust you."

"Whatever. Just wait here, I'll be right back."

He jogged to the direction, the man had pointed at and quickly found a store that had a big sign "material stuffs, strings and instruments" written on it.

"Excuse me, can you tell me where I'll find an E-string for a guitar?"

"I don't know, kid", a rather young lady said and stared at him with tired eyes and a bored look on her face.

"With all due respect it's your store, wouldn't you know where to find equipment?"

"I'm just the cashier, hun", she said and looked at her fingernails.

Riku held it in to scream at her.

"Thanks anyway", he replied.

Big help, he said to himself.

—

"Mister, wait up! I found an E-string for you!", Riku called as he saw the old man wanting to turn around and leave.

He sat down and grabbed the guitar asking "May I?" at the same time.

"Whatever, it's broken anyway."

With skillful fingers he took the broken string off and wrapped the new one around. After just a few minutes, he said "Fixed."

The old man took his guitar back.

"Why did you do this?", he said with more warmth in his voice.

Riku shrugged his shoulders.

"I wanted to help."

"Thank you."

"No problem", the boy answered and smiled.

"How much was the string?", the old man asked.

"Ah no need sir. Just take it as a gift."

"Thank you, young man."

"Good night", Riku said and waved at him as he left the park.

-

"Riku?! Where have you been? I was worried!"

"Oh please, we both know that's not true."

"You are so disrespectful!"

"So are you, especially to Mom."

"What did you just say?"

"You heard me."

Riku's dad grabbed him by his collar and pushed him against the wall.

"Your mom wanted to marry me, not the other way around. It's her own fault, she's the one responsible."

"Do you even listen to yourself?! Marriage is a relation between two equals, you asshole!"

His father reached out and slapped him across the face.

Riku whined in response.

"Mom truly deserves better."

"She wanted me. And she got me. She wanted you. And she got you. You can be glad you're alive! If we had done it my way, you wouldn't be existing!"

"You are such a douchebag, how do you even sleep at night?!"

"I sleep fine."

"Because you always have another whore at your side you mean?"

Riku's father reached out and hit him again.

Tears filled up his eyes and Riku couldn't see clearly anymore.

His face didn't hurt much, it was bearable, but the fact that his father would say or do something like that caused the actual pain in his chest.

He kneeled on the floor, trying to calm himself down, as he saw the injection laying on the floor.

"You know what? You're a drunk and an addict! You can stop pretending now!"

With that his dad pulled him up with his bare hands and strengthened his fingers around Riku's neck, strangling him.

Just when Riku thought he'd pass out, a gentle knock on the door, made the man loose his grip.

"Room service", a voice from outside the door said.

Riku got pushed into the bedroom with the words "Quiet!"

On the floor he laid, coughing and panting.

What a fucking asshole.

He packed all of his little things in his backpack, including the extra pair of keys from the hotel room, and ran out of the bedroom, right past the lady who was just handing a bottle of whiskey to his biological father.

"Riku! I didn't mean it-"

Without stopping, Riku ran threw the hallway and out of the hotel, onto the dark streets.

Outside, he continued for at least ten minutes, ran past stores and bars and corners.

Finally, he let himself breathe and then he looked around himself.

A big city.

And he had no clue, where he was.

Or where he would go.

In a side alley, he sat down and put his bag on the floor.

What was he gonna do?!

What an asshole of a father.

—

"Riku?"

Someone shook him awake.

"It really is you! Do you remember me? We sat next to each other on the flight."

"Oliver", Riku said and sat up.

His back hurt immensely.

He must have fallen asleep in a very uncomfortable position.

"Yes, it's me! What are you doing here? Aren't you freezing cold?"

It would be silly to lie, every blind person could see that he was shaking.

"I-it's alright, thank you."

"Just take my jacket. Here", he gently laid his own jacket around Riku's shoulders.

"Isn't that better?"

Riku nodded and forced a smile.

"Where is your dad? Didn't you come together?"

"It's complicated."

"Clearly", Oliver said and thought hard.

"You should come with me."

"Why? Where are you going?"

"I'm meeting with a few friends in this bar, right here."

"Okay, sure."

Oliver took his backpack, then helped him up and wrapped an arm around his waist to stabilize him.

"How old are you?"

"23."

"You got an ID kid?"

Riku rolled his eyes and handed his ID to the woman who was guarding the entrance.

"Your name isn't on the list."

"He's with me", Oliver said and he dragged Riku after him, down the stairs to the basement.

"By the way, it's nice to see you again", Oliver said.

"Same."

Person after person introduced themselves, they were all sitting in a big circle and immediately made space for Riku and Oliver to join.

After a few rounds of playing 'Never have I ever' Riku felt his head spinning.

He wasn't used to any alcohol in his usual environment, so of course he felt the power of the liquid almost immediately. And a lot of people hyped him up to join them.

He got handed a cup with alcohol and didn't wait another second to empty it in one go.

His parents would say that they were glad, that he was "enjoying his youth".

"One more for me please."

The bartender nodded.

"Riku, don't you think you've had enough?"

"Nah. Now I'm finally on a little party. I deserve to enjoy myself."

Oliver backed away a little bit by surprise.

"Of course you deserve to enjoy yourself. That's not the point. But you shouldn't overdo it. Trust me- the headache in the morning will make you regret it."

"Guys, I made brownies! And this time, I brought enough for everyone", a young man said and broke Oliver's and Riku's eye contact.

If Riku remembered correctly, he had introduced himself as Johnny.

Oliver took one brownie from the plate and passed it through.

"Someone is calling me, I'll be right back", he then said.

"I still have a few left, does anyone want another? Riku, brownie?", Johnny asked.

"Sure, why not. Thanks."

He took a bite.

This brownie somehow.. tasted.. weird.

Five minutes later, he felt dizzy and found his brain spinning inside.

He excused himself to go to the toilet and locked himself in the bathroom.

Just after he had closed the door, he fell to his knees and vomited into the toilet.

Breathing in and out, he tried to get control over his dazed view and leaned back.

No one would remember his face or his name anyway, so it would be okay if he totally embarrassed himself. It would only be a week, maybe two, until they were going home again.

Home. The word felt weird in his mouth.

It would never be a home with his father in it.

Someone knocked on the bathroom door, Riku was leaning against, and snapped him back to reality.

"Riku?"

"Yes?"

"Oh good, I was worried something was wrong."

Riku didn't respond.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah fine."

"What are you doing in there so long?"

"Enjoying my youth."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"O-okay. ... so are you coming out of there now or..-?"

"Yes, just- give me a minute."

He wanted to go home. Back home in his bed, or just any bad, for all that mattered.

He didn't really feel tired, more like exhausted.

"Glad that you're back! Come sit with me", Oliver said and pulled Riku after him, back to the group and onto a seat next to him."

"Did you puke?", Oliver asked.

"No, I'm fine."

"U sure? You should slow down a bit."

"Don't tell me what to do. You are just a closet!"

"What?"

"You human bird, you. You truly look like an animal, did you know?"

"Are you high?"

"Olli, shush", Riku said and laid his finger on Oliver's lips.

"I don't do drugs", he explained dramatically.

"Riiighhht. Did you have one if these brownies?"

"Johnny gave me one. Is that bad? I'm sorry, I didn't know you wanted it."

"Oh, no don't feel bad, I didn't want it, that's not the point.. it's just- there was weed in them."

"Weed? Weed in like marijuana?"

"No weed in like grass- of course!"

"Oh. Well oops."

———————

Second chapter whoop :D