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"You never do anything for me!" The girl exclaimed, "I'm here for you, I make your food, I fix your mistakes, and you can barely make it home in time for bed!"
She grabbed the keys laying on the counter and stormed out of the house, rage palpable.
"Wait! Hon!" the boy yelled as he chased after her, barely out of his bedwear.
As her eyes began to slowly shut, Amo felt a light tap on her arm. Jolting up, she saw a familiar pair of spiraling red eyes staring back at her, intent as ever. She had nearly fallen asleep watching a camp-y movie with him.
Rudo's eyes shifted over to a clock that hung just behind the Cleaners' television, "Didn't Semiu need you for something right now?"
Fixing herself up, her eyes began darting around in an attempt to wake herself. "Yeah! She did! Amo almost forgot!"
Standing up, she leaned back towards him and nuzzled her face into his. "Thanks for reminding Amo, Rudo!"
He watched her back as she left the room, making sure to pick up various papers she had laid on the table. His eyes stayed stuck on the door even after she had left, as if he were deep in thought.
"You need to step it up, Rudo," said a voice from behind him. He hadn't realized it, but Enjin had snuck his way into the living area while they were busy paying attention to the surprisingly entertaining film.
"Enjin?!" Rudo snapped his neck around, "What- When- ?!?"
After a few seconds, his elder's words clicked in his mind.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"She's practically all over you, and you can't even give her as much as a peck on the cheek!" he playfully scoffed.
Rudo had a somewhat disgruntled, flustered look on his face. It was true, just in a much less objectifying manner than Enjin's description. In the weeks she'd been here, she's been the only one to show physical affection between the two.
"If you take too long, she might just slip through your fingers." He continued, nonchalantly standing up from the couch perpendicular to Rudo and making his way towards the door. "That'd be a damn shame."
Balling his fists, Rudo managed to ask something before Enjin closed the door.
"How?!" He shouted, genuine anxiety in his voice. "How do I find the courage to do stuff like that!?"
"Somethin' tells me you've already got it," Enjin smiled through the crack he had left in the door, "you just need to use it."
As the door shut, Rudo stared at it again, this time in astonishment. Enjin had given him a lot of advice throughout his time on the ground, but that may have been the single least understandable phrase yet. Was he drinking?
Regardless, Rudo sat and thought about it. Rudo does things for Amo, but whenever they're sitting together, he can't bring himself to do anything like putting his arm around her, or even giving her kisses on the cheek. It's not out of a disgust for her or anything, far from it, but it's something deep inside of him. Maybe some kind of... fear?
-
Amo entered Semiu's office (which was really just the entrance area to HQ, the names of areas are very fluid here) and looked around.
"Amo! Glad you could make it." Semiu greeted her with her naturally silky voice. "Sorry to call you out this late, just need some help organizing papers before bed."
"No problem, Auntie Semiu!" Amo smiled with her familiar toothy grin, "Amo's always happy to help!"
As the two sat down at opposite sides of a desk, ordering papers in files, Semiu noticed an odd look on Amo's face. Usually, Amo would be happily bouncing her head as she counted the papers as if they were sheep on a farm. However, this time, her face held a static expression, one with a slight frown.
Semiu had never felt exactly "motherly" before, but this is what she assumes it feels like.
"What's got you down, girl?" She asked, slightly lifting her brows to look at Amo with her eyes.
Amo stayed silent for a second, continuing to count papers, before letting out a little bit of a sigh.
"Do you think... Rudo still likes Amo back?" She asked, lips slightly wavering.
"What's got you worried?" Semiu inquired, actually pausing her organization for a second.
"Lately, whenever Amo gives him a kiss on the cheek or lays on his shoulder, he gets a... look on his face." she replied.
"A look?"
"It's kind of like..." Amo paused for a second, before slightly furrowing her brows, flaring her nostrils, and looking the opposite direction, "like this."
Semiu raised her palm to her chin, deep in thought. She's seen and scanned a lot of people as the Cleaners' receptionist, but nobody's confused her quite as much as Rudo. As much as she'd love to help Amo (and score points with Tomme) she was drawing blanks.
Her lips slowly opened before saying, "I've found that when you don't know what somebody's feeling, it's best to just ask them. It's scary, but it's gotta be done."
She gave Amo a hopeful smile, "And trust me, Rudo's the last person you should be scared of about that stuff. Boy's crazy about you."
Amo slowly nodded as she got back to organizing. She's just got to ask. She's just got to hope. Pretty please still like her, Rudo.
-
Washing his gloves in the bathroom sink, Rudo stared at his reflection. Every time he came in here, he saw nothing but everything he hated about himself. The nasty scars his father left him with. His scary eyes. His baby face. His scrawny arms. Everything that makes him stand out from others, that makes others look at him differently. Why does he have to be so different?
He can push these feelings down during the day, but they get to him the most when he's by himself. It's scary, to be alone.
Gritting his teeth as he pushed his gloves into the sink, he heard a knock on the door. At this hour? It's probably just Enjin letting him know they have a mission early in the morning.
Quickly drying and throwing his gloves back on, he turned the doorknob.
Behind the door stood Amo, anxiously rubbing her hands together. She had already thrown on her own sleepwear and her hair was slightly messier than usual, perhaps she spontaneously made up her mind to come see him.
"Rudo...?" Amo asked, peeking around the door as it opened.
By now, you think he would've gotten used to seeing her around, but he couldn't help himself from slightly reddening in such a setting.
"Could we... talk?"
Instantly, Rudo went from slightly red to a sickly pale. Was Enjin right? Did he take too long? Is Amo not interested in him any more?
"Y-Yeah, for sure!" he replied, trying and failing to hide his fear.
Amo entered and pointed at his bed. "May Amo?"
Rudo nodded, and she sat down. After a bit of anxious hyperventilating, Rudo sat down next to her.
The tension was thick in the air. Nothing bad had explicitly happened, but both could tell there was a lot going on in each other's heads.
"Rudo," Amo spoke first, "do you still like Amo...?" Her eyes slightly glossed with tears under her lowered head, her heart racing from fear.
As instantaneously as he entered it, Rudo snapped out of his fear-induced trance. No matter what was going on in his head, he couldn't sit and watch Amo fear anything like that.
"Of course I still like you." He said, turning his neck to her and lowering his head to try to see her face.
"Then why don't you give her kisses back? Or put your arm around her when we're just walking together? Why is it always Amo initiating?" Her head snapped upwards.
She met his gaze, goat-like eyes wobbling, tears building up.
Rudo couldn't help but feel his heart shatter. What had he been doing? Why was he so stubborn? What was he so scared of?
Before he could sort it out, his mouth began moving.
"I'm scared."
"Of what?" Amo asked, doing her best to keep her tears in her eyes.
"That I don't deserve to feel this, after everything." He replied, shaking his head, moving it to stare at the ground.
Amo paused.
"I'm the son of a murderer. I'm afraid I might lash out all the time. Last time I did, I..."
For the first time she'd ever seen it, tears fell from Rudo's eyes. His breath shortened. Visibly, he couldn't control himself.
"I hurt you. Really bad. And I've never forgiven myself for it."
Amo stared at him. She hadn't even had the smallest idea about any of this. Honestly, it just made her want to know him even better.
His tears slowing down, Rudo removed his gloves to reveal the fresh bandages he had just applied moments ago. Unwrapping them, he stared at his crimson wounds.
"I have no idea what these mean." He said, moving his arm over towards Amo. She held his skin softly, and laid his arm on her lap.
"I'm afraid of what they mean. What did I do to deserve them? Am I even worse than I think?"
He curled his hand into a weak fist-shape, "If I am, I don't want to hurt you."
Amo slipped her hand between Rudo's slim fingers.
"I know you wouldn't." She replied.
He slowly looked at her as she smiled at his hand, now playing with his fingers.
"I don't even think about the first time we met any more, Rudo. Nothing before we made that promise to each other."
Rudo's heart raced. He couldn't tell why. Too many emotions filled his heart hearing these words.
"I've known so many scary things in my life. I used to spend every day in fear."
She looked at him, a dreamy look in her eyes.
"And then I met you. I trust you. When we're together, I'm not afraid any more. I feel brave. I want to go out, see new things, meet new people, try new sweets. I want to do all of it with you."
She held his hand completely in both of hers, slowly caressing it with her topmost hand.
"Even if liking you meant risking getting hurt, I would still choose to like you. Nothing could replace you, to me."
"And, honestly?" She slightly grinned, "I don't care what the 'you' inside of yourself says. I know you're kind, and that you'd never mean to hurt your friends. I know Rudo Surebrec. He's the boy I-"
Before Amo could finish her sentence, she felt an imprint on her forehead. It was a pair of intensely pursed lips.
When he thinks of Amo, Rudo doesn't feel alone anymore. Something about the way she cares for him, despite all of his faults. Or maybe it's the fact that she doesn't ignore them. She loves him, faults and all. That's why he was so scared of hurting her. Of any and everything, he never wants to lose Amo.
Slowly pulling away, he let out a nervous gulp. "Did I... do that right...?"
Amo let out a few exasperated exhales, like a printer that failed to work.
"Was that too much?! Oh man, I'm so sorry-"
"I have dreamed of that for so long." Amo said in a completely monotone voice, "And it was somehow better than anything I had ever hoped for."
She pounced on him and began rolling them both back and forth, giggling the whole time.
Moving her arms under his shoulders and holding him tightly, she buried her face in his neck.
"You do deserve this, Rudo." Her hair brushed against his cheek, "I want you to feel all the love I have for you."
Rudo embraced her back, a newfound courage in his heart.
"Then I'll start letting you know just how much I've loved you all this time, too."
The expressions on his face were always somewhat indescribable, but if Amo was looking at him, she'd describe it as his "determined, happy" look.
She couldn't help but kick her feet like a schoolgirl. Rudo was so gosh-darn cool.
Rudo began, "But don't you think you should get back to your-"
"Nope!" Amo cut him off, "Amo's staying in here tonight! Payback!" she giggled as she pulled up the blankets.
Rudo guessed that was fair.