Trigger warning this chapter and the next few chapters have implied transphobia.
Sheldon
The night started out well enough. The gym was a little too loud but it wasn't unbearable. Voices and the music reverberated off the walls but it was easy enough for me to shrug off as I was still ecstatic over the new outfit.
"Are you having fun so far?" Rudra asked as he handed me a foam cup.
"I mean, I don't really know what to do," I said before I took a cautious sip of the drink. I didn't recognize the taste but it was fruity.
Rudra gave me a lopsided smile. "It's just enjoying good food and good company."
I snorted. "Debatable."
I felt Haresa's gaze staring at me in the distance. I didn't want to look but I caught them staring at me earlier. They probably were worried about me being up to something since we weren't forced to wear the power-regulating bracelets.
"You haven't gotten to know everyone yet. If I hadn't bothered you at the grocery store, I bet we wouldn't have gotten close."
Rudra playfully bumped his shoulder against mine and my other hand shot out to catch one side of my cup.
"Careful, damn." I chugged more of the drink.
"Is there anything else you have to do for the dance, Mr. President?" Rudra jokingly asked.
"Everything is set up. Haresa was being overly paranoid about the whole thing and kept lingering by the speakers. Unless something drastic happens."
"What could happen?"
"I don't know, ask Haresa that."
"Hm," he swirled the liquid in his cup. "I have to ask, are your glasses prescription or what? Don't they get in the way when you fight?"
"No, they don't have a prescription but they have a bunch of tech features." I took my glasses off my face and handed them to Rudra. "Want to have a look?"
Rudra's eyes widened. "You sure."
I gave him a nod and proceeded to put the glasses on his face.
"How do I look?" He asked. Glee seemed to invade every inch of his face and I couldn't help but mirror it.
"Better than me."
He laughed and we fell into a silence. It lasted for a few minutes and I began to panic. Was not talking for this long, okay? I didn't want to seem disinterested, or even worse, boring. I struggled to find any topic my brain could come up with.
"Hey, when we got here, you said that you had something you wanted to ask me," I said. "I nearly forgot since I was helping with the setup."
Rudra stiffened and in the dim lighting, I couldn't see his expression very well. It wasn't as obvious as a smile but it didn't seem like he was upset that I brought it up.
"What was it that you wanted to ask me?"
"Let me give you context first." Rudra's voice wavered for a split second. "I'm not like out to my family yet."
I tilted my head to the side and furrowed my eyebrows.
"But I really like you and I want us to actually date..." Rudra's voice trailed off.
I waited for him to speak more. The music at this point was deafening. Everything was too crowded and someone walked past me but not without a slight touch to my arm. All the sensations were too much now. Nothing felt right. Not even my gut felt right as a dull pain slowly circled through what felt like my intestines.
And when Rudra finally spoke, I didn't let him speak further.
I threw my empty cup to the side and turned to storm to the nearest exit.
"Sheldon?" Rudra grabbed my wrist and I tensed up.
"Don't touch me."
"Sheldon, you don't have to agree if you don't want to. We could just—"
"Are you asking for me to fight you?" I snapped.
"I'm not, I'm just trying to find a solution—"
"That sounds like a fucking you problem."
"Haresa said that it would be okay to ask—"
"They said what?" I gritted my teeth.
"I DIDN'T KNOW YOU WERE GOING TO ASK THAT."
Haresa had their voice at the top of their lungs and they appeared beside us. I saw skid marks on the gym floor and I rolled my eyes.
"Hare, you have shit tastes in friends." I broke Rudra's hold from my wrist and glared at him. "And you, don't fucking talk to me again."
"Wait, Sheldon—"
I ignored him and turned to Haresa. "I'm not staying for the rest of the dance, consider me officially off of my duties for tonight."
They blocked Rudra with one arm and took a step toward me. "Are you going to be okay?"
"Doesn't matter. Just keep an eye on the dance for me."
That was when I officially took off.
It had been so long that I actually had to walk anywhere. The long winding streets that never end, the large skyscrapers that intimidatingly stood over me no matter where I went, and the loud noises of the cars. I wasn't sure where I was going but I couldn't go back to Haresa's house. I didn't want their dad to ask me why I wasn't at the dance still.
The walk reminded me of when I ventured into the city as a kid. The only thing I had back then was my bus tickets and a robot prototype.
My hands went up to my face to adjust my glasses and I cursed when I realized that Rudra still had them.
I stood on the sidewalk for a little just panting. I didn't know what to do with my shaky hands and ended up shoving them into my pockets.
"Sheldon?"
My head snapped up and Reynard stood in front of me with a plastic bag in hand. He was wearing flip-flops and had a baggy t-shirt and shorts on. He stood at the top of a small set of cement stairs and the glass door behind him silently closed.
"Were you following me?" I asked him bitterly.
"No, I was taking out the trash." He held up the plastic bag and I saw a small black strap hanging out of the bin. "Thanks for the surprise by the way."
"You really straight up destroyed it?"
"After four hours of struggling with it, yes." He flicked his eyes to the trashcan. "The person who hired me wasn't happy with the results so he fired me."
"Sucks to be you," I said hoarsely.
"So, why are you outside my apartment in a tuxedo and crying?"
"I'm not—" I touched my face and realized that my fingers were wet. I scowled and turned my head away from him. "None of your business."
The sound of Reynard's hop down the stairs seemed to echo through the empty streets and I heard the bag of trash land softly in a bin.
"Hey."
I don't know when Reynard got so close but he was close enough that I felt his breath next to my ear. I stiffened and he gently put his hands on my arms.
"You don't plan on sleeping outside again, are you?"
More tears ran down my face. "I'm not going to come inside with you this time."
"Okay, up to you."
His hands slowly pulled away from me and as he did so, my eyes caught on something. My brain freezes and all the air in my lungs disappeared.
The ring in all its glory was sitting on Reynard's finger. All of it was intact and I saw small scuffs on the opening part of the ring. That meant he actually opened and looked at it. Multiple times.
In my confusion, my astonished gaze met Reynard's and he immediately took notice.
"What?"
I gestured to his hand. "You have the ring."
"Yeah."
"It was supposed to be a present."
"I know."
"We've broken up."
"I know."
"Then why?"
"Because I know I still love you."
My chest slowly rose and my mouth hung open wordlessly for a few seconds. "You love me?"
His arm looped behind my back and he pulled me closer to him. I didn't know what to do as I let myself get moved around, still unsure about how I felt.
"Yes." His voice was low and his face was close to mine.
My uncertainty slowly went away as the familiar feeling of his arms began to wrap tighter around me. I slowly brought my hands to his face and that was when I noticed that he was crying as well.
"I'm so sorry Sheldon," Reynard whispered. "I was just doing a job and it hurt you so badly. I thought you would catch on it was an act and that I didn't mean it."
"I'm not good at figuring people out. I can't believe that—"
"I know that now, I'm sorry. I won't do it again."
A small frown formed on my lips. "Promise?"
Reynard searched my face before bringing his nose up to mine. "I'll let you judge."
His mouth pressed against mine and all I could do was embrace the familiar comfort.
I missed feeling safe.