The next day, Sora woke up to the knowledge that Ray had already left for class. The apartment was quiet as Sora awoke to the ungodly sound of his alarm blaring. And, when he checked in the fridge, there was still a container left for him from two days prior when Ray prepared food for the week.
I should really pay him for groceries, Sora thought as he packed his backpack and took off for class.
When he got to class, though, Ray's usual spot was left empty between Leo and Huey.
Sora paused at the stairs, a perturbed feeling sinking into his gut. Something was off, and he wouldn't realize until after sitting in contemplation all through lecture. It was only after class that Leo would catch up to him just outside of the classroom to say, "Have you heard from Ray?"
Sora paused in the hallway. A few students glanced at them and Sora felt distinctly watched as he said, "Not today, why?" He dragged his eyes back over to Leo, who turned bashful in an instant, looking down at his feet, cheeks flushed.
Huey emerged from the classroom behind them, saying, "Ray sends good morning texts to the group chat and he didn't today."
Of fucking course he does, Sora thought, resisting the urge to snicker. "Yeah, I haven't heard from him today. Sorry."
The three of them walked towards the doors as Leo said, "Are you gonna see him later today? I was thinking about going over to his place—"
"Yeah, I'll see him later today," Sora said, mostly because he still wasn't quite comfortable with visitors. If anyone snooped around his room, he didn't exactly have a safe to store his lingerie for work.
He pushed open the door and stepped out, only to startle at the sight of that familiar Mexican bastard Xavier sitting on the stone ledge. Not only that, but his hands were bandaged up and initially, Sora chalked it off as a pole vaulting thing. If he knew anything about working a pole, it was that blisters were a bitch.
Xavier perked up at the sight of them and glanced behind them. Yet another visitor for the idiot, Sora thought, sighing.
"He's not here," Sora said.
"I just wanted to check in with him," Xavier said, hopping off of the ledge.
Sora rolled his eyes, hands in his pockets. "Is that a new euphemism for 'stalk'?"
Xavier squinted at him and said, "No. After what happened yesterday I figured he might not be doing too great."
"What do you mean?" Huey said. "I saw him when he went to check out the dorms and he looked fine."
Sora's mind screeched to a halt at Huey's insinuation. He glanced at Huey, who's attention was on Xavier. Leo looked between all three of them and, after assessing Sora's narrowed eyes, said, "What do you mean, 'checking out the dorms'?"
"Apparently there's an opening," Huey said. "Someone's roommate left this semester."
Sora didn't have long to process that before Xavier sighed and said, "Fat chance he'll go for it. There was a guy from his old community college that seemed interested in the room. Some guy who threw his guitar out a window."
"What? Here?!" Leo cried, horrified.
"No, not here. Last semester," Xavier said. "It sounded like he had a rough go of it last semester. I got Nick to back off—Nick from discus," he explained to Huey, who's eyes widened.
"Ray knows Nick?" he said, shocked. "He looked rough at practice this morning."
Sora's eyes dropped to Xavier's hands. He looked up and caught the guy's eye and said, "What'd he say to Ray?"
"I can't repeat it," he said, and it certainly didn't take Sora a jump and a leap to come to the conclusion that the fight Xavier got in was worth it.
It wasn't nearly as bizarre to Sora as he might have thought, but it was nonetheless unnerving and infuriating to hear. He was used to snide remarks considering his profession, and he had flagged down Parley on more than one occasion to deal with vocal customers, but he had gotten into the habit of trusting his coworkers to take care of their own affairs. He had spent a good couple weeks nervous for the sake of the other dancers, but after watching Charlie backhand a guy for good reason, he relaxed a little. They could handle themselves just fine.
But Ray wasn't a dancer, and he certainly wasn't equipped with the hardy backbone of a stripper when it came to crude comments, no matter what they were.
"We should check in on Ray," Leo said. "Just to see if he's all right."
"You mean he didn't come to class today?" Xavier asked, and Leo and Huey shook their heads. Xavier looked to Sora, who grew more and more anxious of the fact that he was, quite literally, the last person to suspect that something was off. He was certain Leo and Huey came to that conclusion before class even began that morning, but Sora didn't realize until after finding Ray's seat empty.
He thought about what Huey had said about Ray looking at a dorm room. Is he planning on moving out? he thought, guilt draining the color from his face. Is he really that uncomfortable living with me?
"Will you come with us if we go to Ray's apartment?" Leo said, and Sora blinked, realizing that the guy was talking to him.
"I—Um, yes. I have a key," he said, and Leo smiled and started ahead, catching up to Huey on their way to the bus.
Xavier lingered back for Sora, and as Sora caught up, the guy trailed along beside him, his bandaged hands tucked away in his pockets. They walked in silence until Huey and Leo were farther ahead so Xavier could say, "I find it odd that you acted so surprised about what happened to Ray. Aren't you two dating?"
"We are," he bit out through clenched teeth. "Ray doesn't have to share every little thing with me."
"This isn't exactly 'little'," Xavier said, and Sora wanted to punch something—preferably Xavier's face.
"I know it isn't. But if Ray doesn't want to talk about it, I don't want to make the situation worse," he said, and that was true. Some people coped better by avoiding conversation about it. He and Ray weren't exactly on the sort of terms that warranted transparency anyway, but he at least hoped that Ray would speak up if he really wanted Sora to know there was a problem.
But he never told you that he was planning on moving out so soon, his irrationality reminded him, and the guilt continued to fester.
Maybe he really doesn't like you.
"Maybe he doesn't trust you," Xavier said.
Sora sighed, looking out at the road as he muttered, "Yeah, maybe. Maybe not with this."
"Then what does he trust you with?" Xavier said as they slowed at the bus stop. The bus approached as Sora brandished the keys to his apartment and waved it in Xavier's face. Xavier narrowed his eyes at Sora as the four of them boarded the bus and paid their respective fares.
Sora stood during the ride, his shoulder pressed to one of the poles, arms crossed. Across the walkway, Xavier clasped a hand on one of the handholds over their heads, looking like a total douche canoe with his partially undone button up and bomber jacket. They eyed each other like mortal enemies do in the Wild West at a tavern, preferably with tumble weeds for special effects. Leo side-eyed Huey and whispered, "Geez," to which Huey replied, "Louise."
At their designated stop, Sora tugged on the string and was the first to step out of the bus. He hopped to the pavement and led the march across the street to the apartment.
He let them all into the building, his nerves in a disarray. He always shut his bedroom door out of paranoia, and the toothbrushes were fine now that everyone thought they were dating. What else was he missing? He supposed his name on the prepped meal containers made sense—but would they even look in the fridge?
He shook his head. You're overthinking it, he told himself as he reached their floor. He pulled out the key to their door and unlocked it.
Through the crack in the door, they heard the muffled sound of music playing across the apartment. Ray's bedroom door was open, just a crack, and Ray's limp body was sprawled over the floor with his head flopped off of the stairs. He had Melvin 2.0 in his arms, gently strumming off-beat to Bohemian Rhapsody as he sang, "No escape from re-al-ity... Open your eyes... Look up to the skies and see... I'm just a poor boy—I need no sympathy—"
He glanced back—or rather, upside down—at Sora in the foyer backed by Xavier, Leo, and Huey.
Ray yelped, startled, and bolted upright. His bum lost balance on the steps and he tumbled back, flinging Melvin 2.0 into the air to avoid impact. He hit the living room floor with a thud and a groan, his guitar held at arm's length over his head.
"Uh... hey," Leo said, weakly. He stepped past Sora, slipping his shoes off as he went, and Huey and Xavier followed suit. Sora rubbed a hand against his chin and contemplated the bizarre state they found Ray in. "You weren't in class today and we wanted to check in on you."
Ray laid back on the floorboards and put Melvin 2.0 back to his stomach, his fingers laying flat on the strings. He tapped away a hollow set of notes on the frets and sighed, "I overslept."
"That's okay," Huey said, crouching down beside Ray. Ray stared at the ceiling past Huey's head and, after a few seconds of dreadful silence, his bottom lip began to waver.
Tears bubbled up over his lashes as he turned onto his side, hugging Melvin 2.0 as Huey cooed and patted his hair. "S-Sorry," Ray rasped, taking a shaky breath in as he sat up just far enough for Huey to put his knee to the ground and hug the idiot.
Sora's nerves jolted at the sound of Ray's restrained, muffled breaths against Huey's shirt. He hesitated next to Xavier as his heart shattered into a million pieces on the ground. For a moment, he forgot what his role was supposed to be and lost complete sight of what he was supposed to do in this situation. He wasn't equipped to comfort people. Wasn't it weird for them to all gather around and just watch?
He moved forward just as Xavier did. They both paused to look at each other, and that second of hesitation felt like an invitation for Sora to go first. He was, after all, Ray's fake boyfriend.
He crouched down beside Ray and rubbed a hand across his back. Leo asked where the tissues were, and Sora directed him to the bathroom. As he did, Xavier walked up the steps to where Ray had his bed sheets sprawled out across the wood. He started folding them up and picking up the discarded pillows along the way.
Xavier fetched a pillow from the kitchen where, an hour before, Ray had checked it across the room in a fit of frustration. He set the stack of blankets on the kitchen table and went in search of a glass—crying was dehydrating, after all. Before defaulting to the faucet, he checked the fridge for a filtered pitcher, and when he found none, he shut the door and paused at the flap of paper pinned by a magnet to the fridge.
Xavier hesitated, the glass in hand. He glanced back at the living room as Leo came scurrying in with the tissue box. He looked back at the paper titled "Roommate Agreement" and thought, But Ray doesn't have a roommate?
His eyes stilled at Sora's name under the second rule: "Sora reserves primary bathroom access after midnight". The image of Sora flashing his keys in Xavier's face came to mind.
He glanced at Ray's open bedroom door, and then again several paces over to the closed door at the top of the stairs.
He caught a glimpse of Ray whispering, "I hate crying," and it snapped him back into gear. He went to the faucet and finished pouring the glass, his mind wrapping endlessly around the question, Why is Ray living with his boyfriend? and why would he lie about it?
"I don't think anyone likes crying," Sora said, and Ray laughed miserably against a tissue. "Do you always play Queen when you feel shitty?"
Ray laughed again and moaned, "Aw, stop it. So mean."
Huey cleared his throat and, with one arm extended like he was on stage, sang with progressive dramatics, "Didn't mean to make you cry—If I'm not back again this time tomorrow—! CARRY ON, CARRY—!" Ray shut him up but shoving the tissue box in his face.
Xavier sat on the steps near them and held the glass out to Ray, who thanked him, mostly recovered now aside from the pink tinge to his nose and eyes.
If he has a roommate, why would he move to the dorms just to get another roommate? Xavier thought.
"I, um, I take it you all know what happened then," Ray said, glancing at Leo before looking down at the water glass.
"Yeah, Xavier told us," he said.
"I thought they might have known," Xavier said, and Ray smiled a little. "Sorry—I should have asked."
"It's fine," Ray said. He shook his head a little and said, "Better, actually. I'd rather not talk about it anyway."
"I'd like to ask something else, though," Xavier said, clasping his hands around his knees. Ray looked up from the glass to meet his eyes. "Do you have a roommate?"
Ray blinked, confused. He took a sip of water and said, "No, why do you ask?"
Xavier looked at Sora, who stilled, his hand still on Ray's back. "Then why is your name on the roommate agreement sheet on the refrigerator?"
Ray's heart came to a full stop there in the middle of the living room, staring wide-eyed at Xavier. He felt Huey retract with shock, or maybe confusion, as Sora lowered his forehead to his hand and cursed, "Fuck."
"Wait—What are you talking about?" Leo said, and Ray flinched, glancing back as Leo was already halfway to the kitchen, racing to the refrigerator. He tore the paper off of the door, sending the magnet scattering across the tiles as he turned the paper around and read the list over.
"It's—It's not what you think," Ray started, weakly. He grimaced when Sora gave him a deadpanned look out of the corner of his eye. "O-Okay, maybe it is what you think..."
"Are you two even dating?" Xavier asked.
"Yes," Ray said at the same time Sora said, "No." They both looked at each other, eyes wide. Sora swallowed hard and said nothing, so Ray clarified, closing his eyes. "It's complicated."
"Why... would you lie about being roommates?" Leo asked, holding the paper up for Huey to see. He pointed off to Ray's room and said, "And you two share a bed together?!"
"No, Christ, I have my own room," Sora said, gesturing to the closed door. That seemed to pacify Leo, but did little to stop a tick from forming against Xavier's tightened jaw.
Xavier turned to Ray and said, "Why would you live with him?"
Sora rolled his eyes as Ray hesitated to speak. "Wow, you make me sound like such a great person," Sora said, and Xavier glared at him.
"I just find it interesting that you're living with someone who you're dating—or not, depending on whether you two clarify that bit. Isn't this your first apartment, Ray?"
"Yes, and that's why this is so embarrassing," Ray groaned, slapping his hands over his face. "We were scammed. We both thought we were signing leases for a one bedroom apartment. We didn't exactly sign up to be roommates."
"Okay, and then that other bit... about dating..." Leo prompted.
Before Ray could say a word, Sora put an arm around his shoulders and said, "We're dating as far as anyone's concerned—which it doesn't, concern any of you." With that, he looked pointedly at Xavier, who gritted his teeth, his bandaged hands poised beneath his chin.
Ray turned beet red. "Can we stop talking about the dating thing? It's really irrelevant right now—"
"It's completely relevant," Leo squeaked, eyes wide. "First you don't tell me you're dating Ikeda here, and now you fail to mention that you've been living together?"
Ray looked to Huey for backup, but Huey simply rubbed a hand over his mouth and said, grimacing, "It's a bad look, fam."
Ray's shoulders slumped under the weight of Sora's arm. The warmth from Sora's body only seemed to amplify the scent of his deodorant and cologne, and before he could get too high off of it, Xavier gestured with both hands and said, "When did you two meet?"
"I don't think that concerns you," Sora said through clenched teeth.
"So this semester," Leo concluded.
"I really don't think you should be living with your significant other—especially when you two first met just over a month ago. Am I the only one who thinks this is a problem?" Xavier said.
"Yeah, and tell that to the scumbag who scammed us," Sora said, and he would have, too, if he ever came within spitting distance of Parson Hill again. He hadn't seen the guy since the dinner party, and wouldn't likely see him around the club again after Parley and Ambrose got an earful about what a horrific experience that was.
"I've thought about it," Ray confessed, "but Sora and I aren't really—" He paused, glancing at Sora.
When their eyes met, Sora dropped his arm from Ray's back as he reconsidered everything that brought him back to the apartment that morning. The reason Ray ever crossed paths with that bastard from community college was because of the open space at the dorms.
Ray swallowed hard, looking at his lap. "I... do really like you. I guess I'm just hesitant because we're roommates. And I've never had a boyfriend. I don't want things to change."
"You do realize I'll still be the same asshole when I'm your boyfriend, right?" Sora said. Ray's eyes snapped up to his, and he looked away, rubbing at his hair. "If I'm your boyfriend. And I've... never really dated before."
"WHAT?!" Leo screamed at the top of his lungs, and Sora thought his heart just about flung itself through his ribcage. Leo recovered with a huff and said, "That wasn't me I swear."
"That surprises me," Ray said. Sure, he had a chat with Charlie about it, but he had chalked up Charlie's comments as unconfirmed theories.
"Why?" Sora said.
"Because... you're so good at flirting," Ray confessed, cheeks bright red as he ducked his head.
Sora thought to himself, Does this idiot realize what strippers do for a living? He would have said it out loud, too, if the idiot's friends weren't all staring at them like they were on the stage of some live soap opera. The compliment had his ears firing up as he pushed off of the ground and muttered, "That's because you're easy to fluster."
He grabbed the tissue box and tossed it onto the kitchen table, passing Leo as he went. He wouldn't have been surprised if the guy had his phone out recording this whole affair, but by some stroke of luck, he didn't.
Ray stammered, flustered, and hid his face behind his knees and whined, "That—! That's no fair!"
"Have you guys looked into the landlord to get your lease business sorted out?" Huey asked.
"Yeah, and the bottom line is that this place costs more than we're willing to fork over for a one bedroom. Ergo—" Sora said, trailing off as he gestured to Ray.
Ray sighed. "Ergo, it makes sense to have a roommate here. It's pretty cheap for a two-bedroom apartment, but way too expensive for a single-bedroom," he explained, and Sora shrugged as if to say, There you have it.
"Yeah, but I feel like y'all could take this to the city for that lack of communication about, oh, I don't know, pairing you guys with a complete stranger?" Huey said, only to backtrack and say, "Not that either of you are to be confused with serial killers, but I'm just saying."
"Yeah, and we know now that it was set up specifically for us," Sora explained. "The head honcho of the realtor agency knows my family and knows Ray's dad—"
"He's not my dad," Ray said without thinking, only to wither when he saw Xavier straighten up at the mention of Matías de Lucía.
"Wait—Matías' involved with this?" Xavier said, to which Sora went, "You know Matías?"
"Ray's dad?" Leo repeated, puzzled. He put a hand to his head and said, "I feel a headache coming on..."
Xavier crossed his arms over his chest and shrugged a little, brow furrowed. "I've heard of him. My abue got colorful things to say about the guy, but I didn't realize he was in San Francisco."
"You and me both," Ray sighed. "I haven't met him yet, but Sora had dinner with him."
Sora rolled his eyes and said, "Don't make it sound suggestive. I was merely along for the ride of bailing Matías out of jail."
"Whoa, hold up—Your dad got arrested?" Huey said, twisting around to stare, wide-eyed, at a thoroughly overwhelmed Ray.
Leo slapped both hands onto his face and moaned through his fingers, "I need a drink..."