[M] Memory in the Mirror [MashuNeko and AyJay]

[Argon Jaden]

Memory in the Mirror


Base Plot:
It's a mirror world. One character gets pulled into the mirror world where he meets his mirror-equivalent. Now, what kind of trouble will this bring? Wait, isn't it called Narcissism? Not really if your Mirror alternative doesn't even look like you.[/size



[size=5]~♣~♠~•~♥~♦~

The blonde male sighed, peering from under the covers. Many times he has tried to move on his own, but movement was denied, limited only to what the real thing does. At least now, he wasn't in front of the mirror. Antonio sighed, watching the person on the other side of the clear glass. There was something he wanted to say, but he couldn't be heated, nor could he move in his free will, no he can't. Unless someone comes close and notices his reflection. He sighed again, watching the small rays of light peek in through the cracks of his container.

It was morning, he guessed, but he himself wasn't so sure. With the silvers and grays of his world dulling the once bright colors, the young male could only sigh and blink. He hoped today would be the day the mirror would make its appearance.

"I could hope." He said with a slight chuckle, blue eyes looking around.

[MashuNeko]

He was touching the scar on his lip, the one he could always feel. It was a reminder of the incident he'd had so many years ago, starting out doing something he'd really wanted to do. Well, in any case, he found it to be a happy reminder. At least he remembered it. He always felt there was something people had been hiding from him, because there was a huge gap where his past used to be. No one told him anything, and he had no idea why. He couldn't remember anything either. He couldn't help but grit his teeth out of sheer anger. Was it really something so horrible that he couldn't know anything?

He stood away from the mirror in the bathroom, not wanting to get any glares from the sunlight in his eyes. He'd only end up with a headache when that happened. He wondered what he should do today, thinking about all the things he could do. The beach was always open, so there was that. He knew where he could spend a while to keep up on his running, keep his legs strong.He looked into the mirror for only a moment and noticed his blue eyes... What the...? He didn't have blue eyes, he had green! He looked at it closer, and noticed his reflection didn't exactly look like him. Before he could ponder this, he started getting a headache. Maybe it was just the light playing tricks on him, but he fell for it, and now he was paying for it. "Ugh, I should have known better." He said to himself, putting pressure onto his skull to prevent what seemed like an explosion from happening.

He managed to look at his reflection once more, and boy was it a trick of the light. It literally looked nothing like him! It only seemed to make his head hurt more. Why me? He thought.

[Argon Jaden]

He blinked once, twice. Was this a dream? It can't be, right? He blinked, all on his own accord. Antonio swallowed in anticipation. He needed him to cone close. The blonde swallowed, blue eyes uneasy. He cleared his throat quietly. He didn't want to scare him off, no. Sighing slightly he mimicked the other's actions.

"Come close." He whispered quietly, making sure the movement of his lips weren't obvious.

[MashuNeko]

The pounding headache wouldn't let him think straight, and he could swear that the guy on the mirror was saying something, but he couldn't focus long enough to be sure. All he had was this odd illusion of someone on his mirror who he didn't even know! If I'm going to hallucinate... He couldn't finish the thought. This blasted pounding in his head kept getting in his way. What is wrong with me? He'd decided enough was enough. He reached out to the mirror. He knew there was some aspirin in the medicine cabinet behind it, so he figured one or two of those couldn't hurt. Strangely enough, he decided not to try to open the cabinet, but reached out for the man in the mirror instead.

[Argon Jaden]

In a flash, his fingers gripped the boy's hand, intertwining his fingers with his own, pressing their palms together. The boy's hand was warm, much warmer than his cold temperature. He yanked him in, feeling the mirror ripple slightly as he brought another person in his world. Blue eyes scanned the man he had pulled in, scowling slightly. Boy was he vertically challenged. Antonio didn't let go of his hand yet.

The world behind him was covered in a silvery sheen, the bright hues covered by silver, making everything shiny, yet dull. It was a washed out replica of the room the other came from, with the mirror he cane from rippling like disturbed waters. The blonde sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Um, hi." He said with a small smile.

[MashuNeko]

"Wha-!" He shouted as he got pulled into the mirror, quicker than he could imagine. The mirror he was pulled through rippled like water, and his eyes were trying to scan everything faster than he could process. He was still being gripped by his hand, so that helped him to not fall over as his legs began to catch up with the rest of him. He managed to look around, seeing the silvery, dull world around him. He looked behind him at the still rippling mirror he apparently came through, and through it was the room he'd just come from.

A voice from behind him made him gasp in surprise. He'd nearly forgotten this person was here with him being shocked. Wait! He shouldn't even be here! He thought. His mind was racing through all the possibilities. He was dreaming, he was crazy, possibly both. "Hi?" He more asked than said. He was much too confused about what was actually going on than what the other man was doing here. Still, with some sort of subtle familiarity, he couldn't help but stare at this man he'd never seen before. What is going on here!? ​

[Argon Jaden]

"Jeez. Is this the first time you've seen your reflection up close and personal?" Antonio asked, raising a brow at him. It was clear that he didn't like that reaction. Hi was a statement! A greeting, not a question. He huffed slightly and looked at his mirror alternate up and down. This felt a bit strange, but it was a good strange, to actually have someone who could move against their own accord, someone alive and not an evil spirit that is.

"Welcome to the Mirror... yeah." The blond knew that he was uncertain but he cleared his throat slightly. "Remember me?"

[MashuNeko]

The confusion just wouldn't leave his face. Brad couldn't understand what was going on. "No... Should I?" He had no idea who this was. "Wait... Did you say reflection?" He asked with disbelief. There was no way that was his own reflection. "You're not my reflection. You can't be. I have green eyes, not blue eyes." He stated in a knowledgeable manner. He was pretty sure he knew what his reflection should look like. It should look like him, not some stranger.

Regardless of all that, he didn't want to be in this mirror world. "Whatever, how do I get back?" He asked, looking at the mirror. "I just have to go through, right?" He wasn't sure how it worked, but he just wanted to leave and get back. What he wanted even more was for this dream to end. Slowly, but carefully, he reached out to the mirror. He was afraid it might not let him back through, but he had to find out someway.

[Argon Jaden]

"Not so fast!!" Antonio said, rushing in his way and placing his hands on his chest, applying slight pressure to push him back. His blue eyes narrowed and he gave the other boy an annoyed look.

"You're too young to have memory gap. Jeez!! Have you even seen a mirror lately?" He rattled, not planning to force him to leave. Not until he admits that he remembers. "I'm your reflection. Deal with it."

[MashuNeko]

The sudden push almost caused Brad to fall back. The narrowed eyes at him made him wonder if he were really telling the truth or not. How could he not remember? Wait... He didn't have to remember anything, because he didn't know this guy! And he was definitely not his reflection! He was lying, he knew it! "I don't understand what you're talking about, but I do have a memory gap." He told the man in front of him, preventing him from going home. "And you can't be my reflection! In case you didn't know, my reflection is supposed to look like me." He attempted to push past him, wanting to get back home. This was ridiculous anyways. He was arguing with a dream! Or a hallucination. He still hasn't decided what it was yet.

[Argon Jaden]

"Well I am your reflection, so deal with it!" Antonio repeated, sounding more defensive that he should. There was a twinge of pain when the other said that he didn't recognize him at all. That kind of hurt, but he brushed it aside. "For your information, there are different kinds of reflections. I'm the refracted kind." He said, expertly lying through his teeth. A small, sad expression drew on his face but it was gone just a millisecond it was there.

"You forgot me then." He mumbled, almost sadly. Sighing, the blond brushed a hand through his hair and glared at him. "Least you could do is properly introduce yourself to the face you see everyday." He complained slightly.

[MashuNeko]

None of this made sense to Brad. How did he manage to get a refracted reflection? More importantly, since when did that even make sense? It didn't unless the mirror was replaced with one you might find in those mirror fun houses. Even more importantly, how stupid did this punk think he was? "You must be confused. Or in the wrong mirror." He said, as if that even made sense. If refracted reflections made sense on a flat surfaced mirror, then being in the wrong mirror couldn't be much farther off, could it? They were in a mirror world after all. He did notice the hurt expression, as though he really should remember this guy, but Brad felt no remorse. It just couldn't be.

He mumbled something, but Brad was unable to hear it. The next thing that caught by surprise was the glare he received and the comment that followed. "Oh, cut the crap!" He nearly shouted. "I know the face that I used to see in the mirror everyday, and it was mine, like it should be." He looked away from the supposed reflection, finally deciding he was dreaming, and he would wake up soon, realizing he isn't insane. "You can sound as convincing as you want, there's no way I'll believe you are my reflection." Talking to this person was oddly easy for Brad, seeing as he talked to very few people.

[Argon Jaden]

"You should probably get glass then... or a facelift if you hate your reflection that much." He grumbled, crossing his arms. His sky blue eyes were narrowed in annoyance. It was one thing to forget him, it was another to get under his nerves. Why couldn't he be the guy who just nodded in agreement and introduce himself, it really was making him upset; upset because he will refuse to get angry. Hissing under his breath, the shorter blond glared right up at him.

"I know that I'm your reflection." He growled. "At least a part of it." Antonio murmured the last part softly, blue eyes gaining that sad expression before it disappeared and was replaced with an annoyed glare."You'll see this face everyday, even if you deny it. And I'm in the right mirror!! You're the one in the wrong side of it." He grumbled, feeling slightly irritated.

[MashuNeko]

Standing there and listening to the stuff coming out of this guy's mouth was getting old. He met the paler man's glare with a glare of his own. He knew how to make those looks too, he'd even say he became an expert on them! It comes with the aggravation of no one telling you anything about the past you don't remember. He couldn't help but wonder if there was even a chance he might actually know the guy though. Maybe he really did just forget, but then again, this was only a dream anyways. Maybe his headache made him fall unconscious, and now he was dreaming. That's probably what happened.

Enough was enough. He growled back at the paler man for only a moment before he chuckled. "You know what?" He asked, not really looking for an answer. "You can't be my reflection. You have to look like me to be any kind of reflection." He noticed the sad expression on his face before. It mad him feel bad, but why? It was only a dream, so he shouldn't feel bad. Just like that, he had a clear conscience. "It doesn't matter anyways. Soon, I'm going to wake up, and this will all be over." He told the shorter male in front of him. It's only a dream, and I'll wake up in a minute or two. Right?​

[Argon Jaden]

Though the words really hurt him, Antonio kept it in with a slight frown. He swallowed the lump in his throat before roughly shoving the taller male back. He'd had enough pleading for one day, and the blonde didn't like that at all. He roughly shoved the other back, glaring dangerously at him. Two could play that game. "I'm your reflection. Good luck with accepting that."

He ignored the fact that his eyes felt a bit wet as he shoved the other through the mirror. Taking advantage of the disorientation between passing worked, he wiped his eyes and perfectly mimicked the other person in the other side of the wall. That's what he would do for the rest of the day.

[MashuNeko]

Brad was about ready to blow up on this kid until he started getting shoved. It even hurt a little, which was odd because dreams aren't suppose to be able to hurt him. Dreams can't really hurt you, right? Finally, he was shoved back through the mirror and into his own world. He got up quickly, looking around him. He was awake at last. Or he thought so. He looked into the mirror, and he saw the other man standing before him, his so-called reflection. "Stop doing this to me! Let me wake up!" He shouted at the mirror. This needed to stop. He needed to get out, he was clearly very stressed out and needed some fresh air.

With that, he waved to his "reflection" and left the room. No need to be here anymore. No more mirrors either. Brad wanted to avoid all mirrors now. He wasn't sure if it was just that one or not, but he couldn't stand to find out. He decided it would be best to go out and go swimming, since it would probably be the best way for him to relax.

[Argon Jaden]

When he was finally left alone, Antonio sighed and slid down on the floor, pulling his knees to his chest while resting his elbows on top of them. He didn't want to follow the other boy around, but if he didn't, he'd end up reflection-less, like a vampire of sorts. He snorted softly. The blonde knew when and were he wasn't needed. Lifting his head, he gingerly touched the surface of the mirror, feeling it ripple under his fingertips.

He'd follow the real thing, as much as he didn't like it, but he will do that. He has to. Running his fingers through his hair, he stood up, stumbling slightly. He was feeling very drained right now, which was strange because it was the emotional sort of drain, which he hasn't felt in a long time.

[MashuNeko]

As much as Brad wanted to forget the whole incident with the mirror, he couldn't. It was bothering him, lingering there in his mind. Maybe his mind was playing tricks on him? Maybe he really did know that guy, but it was part of the past he'd forgotten. He couldn't figure anything out, none of it made sense. He wondered if other people could see that reflection too, when he stepped in front of a mirror. He didn't want to find out, or else he'd become a weirdo. A freak. If he avoided mirrors like the plague though, then people would think he was still a freak, maybe even a vampire. What else was he supposed to do?

He needed to know if he was truly crazy or not. He went into a nearby restroom. He hesitated for a moment, but he stepped in front of the mirror that was there, almost refusing to look at it. He looked up at it slowly, half expecting to see that other guy again. He finally laid eyes on the mirror fully, seeing the image that was there.

[Argon Jaden]

He had left him. A reflection with his own free will. Maybe it was cruel of Antonio to leave him to see nothing but blank mirrors instead of a reflection of sorts. With the blonde not on the other side, all he would see is a mirror without his reflection, almost terrifying, he guessed. He was simply lurking nearby, resisting the urge to follow his movements, in fact, he didn't appear at all. He sighed softly and looked away. If the other peered closely, he would see Antonio crowded to the side, with a rather down expression on his face.

"... what am I even doing?" He mumbled softly to himself, breathing softly to will the headache away.

[MashuNeko]

The mirror was... empty? Great! Now people would think he was a vampire! Well, it was a better explanation than "my reflection got mad at me". No that was also crazy. He was going crazy. He took a moment to splash some water on his face from the sink. People always did that when they wanted to feel better, right? It was refreshing.

When he looked in the mirror, he noticed the man off to the side. He looked behind him, but no one else was there at the moment. He was convinced it was just him that was going to see this, and then when someone else was about to see it, it would return to normal.

He stopped thinking for a moment, seeing the man off to the side. He looked rather... sad. Brad stood there for a moment, staring at him. Maybe he was crazy, maybe he was hallucinating, but if almost feeling bad for a hallucination was a crime, then sue him.

[Argon Jaden]

Antonio felt eyes on him and he tensed, cursing himself for appearing where he shouldn't be seen. Only spirits do that kind of thing and he was not s spirit of any sort, nope. He is a reflection. End of story. Cursing softly to himself, he pressed backward, hidden in his world. In some way, this position made his chest ache painfully, but why would he care? He should be long numb. Sighing again, he stepped just out of the other's line of sight.

He didn't want to push it right now. Steeling his expression to a neutral one, he winced, scowling slightly to himself. The blonde rubbed his face, letting out a small grunt of frustration seep out. What was he going to do? Ignore it of course! That's what. He's a reflection and he refuses to allow trivial matters to interfere with his purpose.

Standing straight, he walked back into view, faltering again. Another sigh escaped his lips as his head throbbed slightly.

[MashuNeko]

Brad shook his head roughly. He shouldn't be feeling bad, and reflections in the mirror shouldn't be moving when no one else was. That was just ridiculous. He could swear this was all one big dream, and that would make him stay sane, right?

He watched as the man came back, though he wanted to run. He just stared at the image, wondering what was going to happen if he didn't. He could tell the other looked upset, but what about his feelings? How was he supposed to feel about this? Confused, maybe mad. Upset he though he was going crazy. Why did this have to happen to him now?

He saw the sigh escape the man's lips, and by impulse, he sighed along with him. What was he doing now? He wanted to leave, that's what. He didn't want to risk getting pulled back in, but what if this guy could help him remember the past? Maybe it was one of those revelation moments people get when they think they're crazy and it turns out to help them. But did he really want to go through it? Maybe, just maybe, ignorance was bliss?

[Argon Jaden]

It was a good thing no one was around and watching, or they probably would've screamed at the sight. Antonio huffed and crossed his arms, meeting the other's gaze with his own. Two can play the staring game. Scrunching his nose, he walked up to the edge of the mirror, the rippling glass barely five inches between them. His blue eyes fixed up on the taller individual.

"What?" He asked, quite sure that his voice sounded like someone speaking underwater. At least, that's how it sounds like from this side when people speak. He snorted softly and gave him an 'I'm waiting' look.

[MashuNeko]

Staring in disbelief, Brad couldn't help but think that this was more of a nightmare than a dream. The reflection walked up to the mirror to speak to him. He was suddenly questioned by the mirror person, still not used to the fact this was even happening. "S-sorry! Just..." He started, then his eyes went wide. "Wait, I'm not sorry! Do you have any idea how this is on me?" He was sure he was almost yelling by now. He couldn't help it. This was just so frustrating. "I mean, how am I supposed to feel when I look in the mirror, and you're just casually walking around? Not even mimicking me like a reflection should!"

To anyone standing nearby, Brad was just talking to himself, and seemed really crazy. To anyone watching... Well, they certainly wouldn't be watching for long. They'd likely run away screaming, or something similar. "Can't you just go away and let my real reflection come back to me? Unless you're holding it... him... me hostage." Did that even make sense? This was piling confusion on top of more confusion. He didn't know what was going on, but hopefully, he'd wake up from this nightmare soon. He hoped he would.

[Argon Jaden]

"... Do you really think that?" The hurt in his voice was replaced by an angry scoff. Antonio's eyes blazed dangerously. "Didn't you ever consider that I'm also hurting from this side of the damn mirror?" He hissed, growling back with such ferocity that there was a slight crack on the mirror.

"I guess not, you know why? Because you..." The blonde paused, and closed his mouth. He turned around and disappeared. He didn't need to show his face to those who didn't want to see it. He'll come back later tonight, when he was sure his temper was back to normal.

"What would he know? He's just an ignorant... " Antonio sighed in frustration. Why couldn't he insult that person? It was annoying.

[MashuNeko]

Needless to say, Brad felt completely odd during the whole exchange. Maybe he didn't think about what the reflection felt, but why would he? It was just a mirror! He watched as the man just left. "Hey! Don't just walk away from me!" He shouted at the mirror, but apparently he refused to come back. "Fine, I don't need you!" He turned to leave in a hurry, before the man decided to pull him back into the mirror world.

When he did leave, he saw someone standing outside, staring at him like he was crazy. "What? Haven't you ever heard of acting?" He asked angrily, then left. Glancing back, it seemed to work as a good excuse, as the person seemed thoroughly convinced that Brad was just a good actor. Maybe he could be one day, but that wasn't the point. The point was that this reflection is just walking around like nothing matters, and then expects Brad to even try and imagine how a reflection might feel. Reflections don't feel! They just do exactly what he did. And that wasn't even his own reflection. His reflection is supposed to look like him. This whole thing was just getting more frustrating and confusing each passing second.

[Argon Jaden]

He kept out of sight for the whole day, despite the annoying itch that told him to go mimic the other every time he passed a mirror. So what? Why would Antonio care about it at all? He sighed, peering out over the washed out scenery from the balcony. It was a mirror of the balcony of one of the hotels in the real world.

In this world, even the wind has a reflection, and he smiled softly as the cold air caressed his cheek. It felt good to be away for a while and he could feel all his negative emotions ebb away. The feeling of being neglected, forgotten and tossed away. It still hurt but why would he care? The blond ruffled his hair in frustration. "This is really giving me a headache." He mumbled.

[MashuNeko]

The whole rest of the day, Brad made certain to avoid all mirrors as best as he could. It would at least let him feel normal for a while. He didn't have to think about the stupid reflection, or how it seemed to think that it had a harder time than Brad. He was able to be perfectly content with the day. He didn't think so much about the you-know-who in the you-know-what doing who-cares-what. Out of sight, out of mind.

He was just walking back home after a good while. It felt good to have no worries anymore. Well, for the most part anyways. He was able to eat some dinner, relax on the beach, and take a nice swim. The only thing he ever thought about was where he should go for dinner. He completely forgotten about his problem before. He was just walking down the road home, smiling a little for himself. He couldn't remember the last time he'd decided to let go and have a little bit of fun. Then again, he couldn't remember the last time he'd really needed it either.

As he was nearing home, he knew he'd have to brush his teeth before bed. Just because he knew a couple of people that hated hygiene, that didn't mean he didn't. But that reminded him of the stupid reflection issue. He supposed he could just try and ignore it, seeing as that would be the best course of action. After all, if you ignored problems enough, they would go away, right? It sounded good in theory, but he hated to ignore people, even if they were just stupid reflections. Any reason to not have to look in the mirror would be great, even if it wasn't a good reason. Hell, he could pretend to be blind and that'd be a good enough reason to not look in the mirror. He was still deep in thought when he walked into the place known as home, his parents waiting to greet him. He was nearly tempted to tell them about the stupid mirror incident, but they would think he was crazy. Instead, he just headed up, preparing for the worst right before entering the bathroom.

[Argon Jaden]

The washed out evening found him out in the sandy beach, back to the sand, face tilted to the bright moon. It felt somewhat good to have the water splashing at his toes, making him feel different. Always, he wished he was more than the reflection of someone. Why him? Most reflections were simply... reflections. They had no thought, no free will and definitely no emotions. But why? Why him? The blond sighed and softly stood up, only to be stopped by a sharp throb in his head and chest.

He swallowed thickly, scrunching his eyes close as a pained moan ripped through his throat. His hands clutched at the sand in pain and he whimpered, gasping and gagging for the air that he was losing. The pain was growing more and more intense, like there was a mallet hammering down on his head and chest, squeezing the air out of him. It hurt so much that even underneath his eyelids, he could see red splash around.

"Guh..." He groaned, when the last wave of pain ended, leaving his body sore and weak. The young man lay there for a moment, breathing heavily as he tried to regain his breath. There were electrical tingles shooting down his limbs and he shuddered. Reflections don't feel pain, so why does he? Forcing himself up, he saw a few drops of red drip down on the sand. Sighing, he picked himself up and headed to the other male's house.

Blood was dripping down the side of his mouth, and he had a few bruises on his skin, and a few scratch marks. He looked terrible, but what would he know? Passing through the front door, he avoided the mirrors that might expose his condition. His stomach growled loudly and Antonio ignored it. Walking over to the bed, he plopped down on it, exhausted and looking like he was nearly killed. The blond failed to notice how the tip of the bed was visible in the mirror and that Hus bruised ankle was showing. He wanted to rest and that's why he simply closed his eyes and willed himself to sleep.

[MashuNeko]

Thankfully, yet also a bit unfortunately, the mirror person wasn't in the mirror. Maybe Brad was genuinely crazy, and he was willing to accept that. He just wasn't going to let this insanity control his life. As long as he knew that it was just his crazy showing through, and he never believed this was real, he should be perfectly fine. He could talk to this stupid reflection person all he wanted, but as long as he remembered to never listen to what it said with seriousness, he should remain completely sane.

He finished soon, then headed to his room. He was getting ready to sleep before he noticed the mirror. He debated for a quick moment before grabbing something to throw over it so the reflection wouldn't see him change. Even if it was a stupid figment of his insanity, he didn't want this thing looking at him while he was naked. Before he placed it over, he couldn't help but notice the bruised ankle. Whatever this was, he seemed to be injured... "That looks painful." He said aloud, as if to get the other's attention. If he was going to live with this craziness for the rest of his life, he might as well try to be friendly with it.

[Argon Jaden]

"It is. Now go away. I want to sleep." He complained, curling himself up in a fetal position. It hurt more that way so he stretched instead, and then winced. Of all the times the other decides to talk to him, it's when he needed some rest. Groaning in pain, he sat up, wincing slightly. Despite that, he had the energy to frown at the other.

"What is it? Are you going to insult me further?" He asked, going on defensive. Antonio's blue eyes narrowed slightly as he winced and coughed, tasting metal in his mouth. He should be fine by tomorrow anyway.

- - - Updated - - -

"It is. Now go away. I want to sleep." He complained, curling himself up in a fetal position. It hurt more that way so he stretched instead, and then winced. Of all the times the other decides to talk to him, it's when he needed some rest. Groaning in pain, he sat up, wincing slightly. Despite that, he had the energy to frown at the other.

"What is it? Are you going to insult me further?" He asked, going on defensive. Antonio's blue eyes narrowed slightly as he winced and coughed, tasting metal in his mouth. He should be fine by tomorrow anyway.

[MashuNeko]

He should have known better. "Fine, excuse me for trying to be considerate." Brad told the mirror. Maybe he was a little crude before, but he was still trying to adjust. Besides, after this thing claimed to be his reflection, he had to tell him that he was wrong. He wasn't going to accept that, whoever this was, it was his reflection. It was just ridiculous. He could accept that he was going crazy. "I never meant to insult you." He told the man on the other side.

He meant to continue, but he heard the other coughing from inside the mirror. When he got a good look, he looked much more beat up. He sighed, to calm himself down, then looked up at the man sitting on the bed in the reflection. "What happened to you?" He asked, sounding a bit more concerned.

[Argon Jaden]

"...got beat." He said casually, curling in on himself as another cough wrecked his body. Antonio knew that he should probably wash up and eat, but all he wanted to do right now was rest. He shifted and the coughed again.

"You say you didn't seem to..." The blonde mumbled softly before letting out another cough. "But you can't remember me. Isn't that supposed to not insult me?" He questioned, still feeling a bit hurt before sighing. The issue really needs to be dropped.

[MashuNeko]

Brad's eyes began to narrow now. What else could he do? It's not like he could just call back memories like that, especially if there was that chance it was lost in the memory gap. He was sure he would remember if he didn't lose his memory in the first place. "Look, I am sorry I don't remember..." He told this figment of his insanity. "If I could help it, I'd at least try and remember." He started to get a small headache again, but it was just a stress headache, nothing like what he felt earlier in the day, when he first got pulled through the mirror. To him, it was no surprise that his own craziness was causing him stress.

However much Brad wanted to keep talking, trying to make nice with this reflection that was definitely not his reflection, he wanted to sleep much more. "You know what, I'm tired, you're probably tired." Such was him pointing out the obvious. "I'll see you tomorrow." Or hopefully not. He thought quietly as he tossed a towel over the mirror to change into his pajamas, then go to sleep. Maybe going to sleep would make it go away. He refused to believe this was actually happening.

[Argon Jaden]

"I know. Don't stress it. If you get gray hair this early, I sure as he cl don't want to get those too." He returned. The mirror was pretty cold and he was already coughing a fit. Swallowing lightly, he tried to grab at the blanket, only to not have it budge. He grumbled slightly.

Letting out another bloody cough, he finally managed to tug the blanket around him, shivering and sniffing. Reflections should not get sick unless the real thing is sick. He must be coming down with the flu. He forced himself to close his eyes, willing himself to sleep.

It was probably late into the night when Antonio woke up with a sharp gasp. He could feel pounding inside his head again and he whimpered before coughing loudly, choking on his own breath. Twice in a day. Something must be really wrong. He had fallen asleep and his body naturally mimicked the other male's but his choking fit caused him to wake up.

[MashuNeko]

Brad left the towel over the mirror, not wanting any surprises next morning. He wasn't sure what he could expect, but he hoped for something along the lines of normalcy. Other than the knowledge that the other male was likely just this crazy hallucination, Brad was able to sleep rather peacefully.

He was woken up briefly in the late hours of the night by some sharp, loud coughing. He would have liked to assume it was himself, but then he looked at the towel hanging over the mirror, how it reminded him of the free-willed reflection on the other side, claiming to be his reflection. Still not true, but it didn't change the fact that, for some reason, that reflection was getting sick and hurt. He wasn't sure how that could happen to a reflection, unless other reflections beat him up or he got caught in a fight between two people in front of a mirror. Still, it seemed to bother the other, and he didn't feel like talking to his insanity anymore that night. He was still tired and wanted to sleep. So sleep, he did.

He woke up with a rather bouncy start the next morning, feeling pretty rested. He quickly changed out of his pajamas, feeling as though he forgot something. He looked toward his mirror and realized he left that towel on it all night. Other memories of the previous day came flooding back to him as well, including why he placed the towel there in the first place. He at least finished putting on his shirt before he decided to check it out, and hopefully, it would be normal again. His insanity would have passed for now.

He walked over rather quickly, not wanting to waste any time. Grabbing both edges of the cloth, he pulled it away quickly to see what was behind curtain number one.

[Argon Jaden]

Luckily, his little episode lasted for only two minutes, much shorter than the first. He was also in one piece with no extra wounds on his body, which was a good thing. He didn't want to fade yet. However, as the night drew on, he felt himself growing rigid, his spine feeling strange and he lost feeling in his fingers. In slight panic, he clutches at the sheets as his eyesight shifted. There were flashes in his eyes before the ceiling turned dark again. When it finally ended, he was completely exhausted.

The blonde ran a hand through his hair and sat up with a groan of pain. It was nearly morning and he still needed to sleep. Forcing himself to a corner, he lay his head down and curled up, partially visible to those viewing. His body was completely sore from the sleepless night. That and he wanted a shower of sorts.

Closing his eyes once more, he made himself comfortable on the floor, ignoring the dry flecks of blood he shed during his two attacks. Though it was invisible in the real world, the blood pretty much was real on his side of the mirror and frankly, he was feeling really terrible right now that he didn't have the energy to deal with the real thing. He shouldn't be surprised if he has no reflection, Antonio was on Sick Leave.

- - - Updated - - -

Luckily, his little episode lasted for only two minutes, much shorter than the first. He was also in one piece with no extra wounds on his body, which was a good thing. He didn't want to fade yet. However, as the night drew on, he felt himself growing rigid, his spine feeling strange and he lost feeling in his fingers. In slight panic, he clutches at the sheets as his eyesight shifted. There were flashes in his eyes before the ceiling turned dark again. When it finally ended, he was completely exhausted.

The blonde ran a hand through his hair and sat up with a groan of pain. It was nearly morning and he still needed to sleep. Forcing himself to a corner, he lay his head down and curled up, partially visible to those viewing. His body was completely sore from the sleepless night. That and he wanted a shower of sorts.

Closing his eyes once more, he made himself comfortable on the floor, ignoring the dry flecks of blood he shed during his two attacks. Though it was invisible in the real world, the blood pretty much was real on his side of the mirror and frankly, he was feeling really terrible right now that he didn't have the energy to deal with the real thing. He shouldn't be surprised if he has no reflection, Antonio was on Sick Leave.

[MashuNeko]

Brad sighed, wondering if there was a curtain number two he could try instead. He noticed the other man still in the bed, but decided it best to leave him alone. Instead, he decided to take the towel with him to the bathroom to take a nice hot shower. Maybe that would clear his mind. This whole reflection business was getting on his nerves, and he just wanted it to stop. If this ever went south, he could always join the circus. How many people would pay to see the man with the reflection that sometimes wants to be seen, but looks nothing like him? Probably a lot. Getting pulled into the mirror wouldn't be a bad trick either.

He tossed everything aside to take his shower, making it as hot as he could handle. He had to wonder why he felt as though he should remember that guy in the mirror world. Did he even catch his name? Knowing his luck, he'd say it was Bradley, like his own name. He'd have to call that guy a liar if he said that. It didn't matter. All he knew was that he was just insane, and he would get over it soon enough. Right?

It didn't take him long to get out and get dressed again, trying to brush his teeth without looking into the mirror. It didn't do much good looking into it anymore, as of yesterday. That guy was seriously cutting into the normalcy of Brad's life.

[Argon Jaden]

A few minutes after he had curled into himself, his stomach growled at him and he was forced to get up. There was a lot of food in here, but like usual, he couldn't eat anything in here. They were all reflections of the real thing and he can't exactly touch them. Casting a glance at the mirror, Antonio pondered for a while.

"... Just once I guess." He murmured, forcing himself on his feet. Warily approaching the mirror, he hesitated before sticking his hand through it, wincing slightly as a cold sensation rippled through his body. One hand was out, followed by his shoulder, then his head and soon, his entire upper body. Within minutes his body emerged quietly and he padded out of the room towards the kitchen.

He couldn't see himself pretty well. It was like there was a silvery sheen on his body that made him semi-invisible. On every mirror surface, he couldn't see himself and by the time he had decided to get a move on, he was shivering. Naturally, his body wasn't made for this side of the mirror. He was shivering cold, cheeks flushed and nails blue. Reflections shouldn't be out anyway.

[MashuNeko]

Brad had the strangest sensation that he heard footsteps outside the door. There shouldn't be anyone up here just yet, they were all usually eating breakfast right now. He wondered what it was, but decided it was just his new found insanity playing tricks on him. He cut the shower short and decided to get downstairs. There weren't any mirrors down there, at least not that he remembered, so it would make him feel better.

Dressed and dry, he started toward the kitchen, but something caught his eye. He stopped, then looked back for a moment. He could have sworn he saw something. Right, insane. He decided that was it. Was he still technically insane if he knew the person was only a hallucination? Probably partially. He ignored it to keep going down to the kitchen where he found his parents quietly having breakfast. Sort of routine, likely where he picked up being a loner. His parents were usually so quiet at meal times, it made him feel like he was alone anyways.

[Argon Jaden]

Seeing other people quite surprised him since he didn't hear them at all. Swallowing, the semi-invisible blonde male backed up, trying to keep as quiet as possible. Despite this, his stomach complained loudly, making him cringe. Nevermind his hunger; the fact that he must not be detected by others is far important.


He rushed up the stairs, watching the mirrors reach out to him and ripple as he passed. Even they seemed to be intent on pulling him back in. There was throbbing in his head again and he forced himself to keep quiet. By now, he was blindly stumbling about.

[MashuNeko]

Brad was continuing down until he heard the grumbling of something loud. It sounded much like his stomach would if it was growling at him, and he looked around, knowing he wasn't that hungry. He saw something moving, silvery in sheen, almost like a mirror. Mirror? He thought, wondering if, somehow, it was the reflection. It wouldn't make sense though, since he was trapped in the mirror. Although, Brad had been able to go to the mirror world, so maybe what's-his-face could come here too?

He watched it move, being careful to avoid the mirrors it passed by. "Hello?" He called out, hoping to get some sort of answer. "Are you... the guy from the mirror?" He refused to openly call him a reflection, since he wasn't Brad's reflection, but he'd never caught his name either. He didn't listen long enough for the guy to tell him, and he never even introduced himself either for that matter. He put that on his list of things to do, right above reclaiming his lost sanity. That could wait since he at least knew it was a hallucination.

[Argon Jaden]

He was seen, and that didn't bode well. At all. The blond shuddered as the pain his head pounded, forcing him to drag his numbing body up the ground. Glaring at the the bloke, he narrowed his eyes and dismissively waved him off. He didn't need help. "No. I'm a friggin' midnight thief, not your reflection." He snapped, forcing himself to take another painful step.

Reflections shouldn't feel hunger, nor should they feel pain. He knew that. All he needed was a mirror to return him to the world of reflections. A shudder passed through his semi-visible body as he trudged along. "Go along and have a nice day." He grumbled, still struggling. Antonio refused to be helped. That's the last thing he's going to ask from the man who can't even remember him.

[MashuNeko]

Brad's eyes went wide for a moment before he recognized that voice. He watched the silver sheen take another step. He watched as it seemed to be struggling. "Wow! A real midnight thief!" He quietly exclaimed with harsh sarcasm. "And to think that I was able to spot you." He continued down the stairs with ease, but stopped short of the corner to look at him again. He really seemed to be struggling, but he didn't see to want help. That was fine with Brad.

He couldn't help but wonder what he was doing out of the mirror though. "So, mister midnight thief, to what do we owe this visit?" He spoke quietly, so as not to alert his parents to his own craziness. He wondered for a moment if this was really happening, since it seemed so real, but it couldn't be happening. It was just too ridiculous. Unfortunately, if this guy decided it would be a good idea to start messing with him in front of his parents, Brad would be in trouble. He would definitely be classified as insane by them.

[Argon Jaden]

"I grace you with my presence to honor you." He bit back, panting harshly. He may start needing a little help, but Antonio refused it. He will refuse it. He hissed slightly as his eyesight began to blur. His form flickered dangerously as a groan was ripped out of his throat because of the pain. It really hurt, but he should be fine as soon as he gets back inside the mirror. "Now that I-I ha-have graced y-you with my p-presence.... screw o- Ack!!"

A loud thud followed as his body slammed on the floor. His eyesight was blurring and switching between flashing white lights in a white room and his current environment. The blonde didn't move, trying to focus his breathing in the midst of the flashing lights, aching stomach and pounding head. He didn't care if he was on the floor, and anyone not looking could trip on him. He was exhausted…

- - - Updated - - -

"I grace you with my presence to honor you." He bit back, panting harshly. He may start needing a little help, but Antonio refused it. He will refuse it. He hissed slightly as his eyesight began to blur. His form flickered dangerously as a groan was ripped out of his throat because of the pain. It really hurt, but he should be fine as soon as he gets back inside the mirror. "Now that I-I ha-have graced y-you with my p-presence.... screw o- Ack!!"

A loud thud followed as his body slammed on the floor. His eyesight was blurring and switching between flashing white lights in a white room and his current environment. The blonde didn't move, trying to focus his breathing in the midst of the flashing lights, aching stomach and pounding head. He didn't care if he was on the floor, and anyone not looking could trip on him. He was exhausted…

[MashuNeko]

Brad listened with mild amusement as the reflection played along for a while, though probably more to insult him. He really seemed to be in trouble, but was it really a good idea to help him? He thought for only a moment, deciding it might be best to just help him. He didn't have to think twice about it though, because soon, the man fell to the floor with a loud thud. Brad was hoping the reflection man to be alright. Soon after, he heard someone calling out for him.

"Brad? Are you alright?" A woman's voice asked from around the corner. "What happened?" The soft sound of footsteps became evident as someone was approaching. Wait... Someone heard that? He wondered, for a moment, if this was seriously happening or maybe he made a sound without realizing it. Whatever it was, he had to answer.

"Everything's fine! Just tripped up a little." He called back, his face poking around the corner to wave to the older, blonde-haired woman known as his mother. She stopped, smiling and releasing a sigh of relief.

"Alright, just be more careful. Alright?" She said, and he simply nodded in response. She headed back, and quietly conversed with his father as Brad turned his attention back to the guy who just tumbled to the floor.

He walked over, offering his hand. "Hey, do you need help?" He asked, hoping the guy didn't plan on yelling any time soon. "What are you doing out of the mirror anyways?" Well, he didn't think it was insanity anymore. It still could have been, and he just made the noise, but he doubted that. Unless he was truly insane? He wondered about it for only a moment longer before he reached another conclusion; things were getting downright weird!

[Argon Jaden]

"Urgh..." Was the only answer he could come up with at the moment that didn't sound like a moan or a pitiful whine. His body ached and his head spun. Of course he wasn't alright! But why give the douche another reason to insult him? Then again, he was acting pretty bitchy as well so he did kind of deserve the same treatment. He shut his blue eyes, willing the bright, flashing lights to go away. His form flickered slightly as the flashing lights dissipated.

From his place, recovering on the floor, he could hear the guy's mother call out to him. As if it were a trigger, his head dangerously thrived, forcing him to grit his teeth and endure the pain. He forced himself to stand up, rudely ignoring the hand because his eyes were shut tightly while he forced himself on shaky limbs, using the wall as a support. Walls were good; they were sturdy.

"I'll be fine." He managed clearly, wincing at the pain that stabbed at his chest with simple talking. He didn't answer the second question though. There was no way Antonio would admit that he went put because he was starving, despite his growling stomach.

[MashuNeko]

Boy, was this guy a bad liar. It was obvious he wouldn't be fine, especially from all the strange and sickly sounds he made. Not to mention... Brad was pretty sure he was hungry. "Okay, look, go back to the mirror and I'll bring you something to eat." He told the man quietly, suddenly wanting him to stay in the mirror world. He just didn't want his parents to see this, or it would definitely be odd. "What do you want?" He asked, watching as the reflection steadied himself back up.

He knew the guy was having trouble, so he stepped over to help. "Come on, let me help you." Brad was many things, but heartless wasn't one. This guy definitely needed his help, but he couldn't just take him to the hospital. That would be really hard to explain! Instead, he would help him back to a mirror. He tried to take the man's arm and place it around his neck, to help keep him steady and supported. Whether or not this guy would admit it, he needed Brad's help right now. He didn't need to admit it, he just needed to accept the help.

[Argon Jaden]

Luckily, he didn't have the energy to protest more as a sharp pang of pain caused him to gasp. The blonde heavily leaned on him, trying not to put all his weight on the other. His blue eyes looked pained as he was helped back to the room. His prison, the mirror, looked so beautiful right now as it rippled, as if beckoning him to come in, to come back. The soft growl of his stomach temporarily distracted him long enough to stop short of the mirror. He timidly pressed his hand on the surface, watching it ripple before slowly taking him in.

"... Thank you." He mumbled, halfway through the mirror. He was glad the mirror was soothing him, the gateway to the other world cold and soothing. Still, there was a lot of pain in his body. Why did it hurt so much? Wincing, he ducked his head in, pulling his entire body through and collapsing on the floor.

[MashuNeko]

He took this mirror man up to his room, making sure he was steady the whole time. The going was slow, but whatever the man needed. When they finally got to the mirror, he watched at the reflection was being absorbed by the mirror, or so it seemed. It was a slow process, but strangely beautiful. It must have been the way the mirror rippled. A soft "thank you" was heard before the man was finally in the mirror, collapsed on the floor.

He decided now was the best time to go eat, and probably bring something back for what's-his-name too. He went back down the stairs quickly, noticing that his parents were getting ready to leave. He tried to get by unnoticed, but that didn't work out so well. A call from his father made him turn around to face him.

"Brad, we're going out shopping." He more warned than informed. He seemed to be a little cautious. "Remember, we don't like visitors while we're out."

Brad gave him a nod, as he usually did. "Trust me, no one will be in this house that wasn't here when you left." He wasn't lying. Right now, it was Brad, and that guy from the mirror.

His father simply smiled and nodded. "Alright. Was there anything you wanted while we we're out?" He asked before opening the door to leave. A quick shake of of his head let them both know that he would call if he needed anything. He never usually did, but sometimes he did. With that, they left Brad to be alone with the person in the mirror.

He quickly went to work preparing his own breakfast to eat, then some breakfast for the other guy. He really hoped that he didn't mind peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, because that was all the trouble he was willing to go through for someone he didn't even know yet... Or remember. He still needed to decide if that guy was telling the truth or not, and since he didn't seem to be a figment of his insanity, that was going to be a hard thing to decide.

He went upstairs quickly with two of the sandwiches on a plate, placing them next to the mirror for now. He wanted to make sure the guy would be okay, so he waited in the room. He found himself bored just sitting here, so he began to sing to himself. He knew that he was good at singing, so he didn't care who heard. Maybe he wasn't singer material, but he was okay. That's all he wanted to be.

[Argon Jaden]

Collapsing on the floor was probably the best thing that ever happened to him in the last twenty four hours. Unconsciousness drifted in and tugged at him, making him sigh softly as his eyes closed, the pain in his body growing comfortably numb.

"I'm telling you, the Easter Bunny DOES exist!! I saw him last night!!"

"Nu-uh you didn't!! That was your dad in a rabbit costume!"

Two children were loudly debating as they stood face to face on the playground, glaring daggers at each other. Around them, the other children gave them a wide berth, not wanting to get caught in the fight between the two boys.

"Pathetic Shrimp." A shadow bumped one of the two, causing his eyes to widen as he fell forward. Luckily, the other caught him just before he could topple over. Blue eyes glared at the bully who was laughing as he walked off. There were tears forming at the corners of his eyes as he looked away. The boy holding him sighed and helped him right himself, ruffling his hair.

"... Wanna get some cookies Ant?" He said softly. Antonio nodded, rubbing his eyes as he clung to the other, the fight about the Easter bunny forgotten.

Blue eyes fluttered open as he was met with a sideview of the bed. His breathing came out in shallow breaths but he was pretty much fine, at least a lot better than earlier. He slowly pushed himself to a sitting position, body trembling slightly with effort. "What was that..." He thought, shivering slightly.

The soft sound of someone singing caused him to look up, immediately recognizing both voice and song. The blonde smiled and hummed along, his own voice complementing the other male's. It felt a bit nostalgic, but his growling stomach demanded his attention.

[MashuNeko]

Brad thought he was imagining things mid-song. He thought he could hear someone humming along with him, but since it complimented his own, he didn't care who it was. Since there was only one person nearby, he knew who it had to be. He just thought he'd be out a little longer than that, since he seemed so beat up. It didn't matter.

Once the song was finished, he looked over to the mirror. He noticed the smile on the paler man's face, unable to resist a smile himself. He was told in a psychology class once that smiles were contagious. That was to say, what the teacher meant was that when people saw someone smiling, they couldn't help but smile themselves. Maybe it was true.

He could still hear the grumbling stomach through the mirror. He simply shook his head. "I brought you some food." He told the other, pointing to the plate that sat in front of the mirror. He got up, facing toward the guy in the mirror. Since he wasn't dreaming and he wasn't insane, he needed to try and be a little nicer to this guy. Whoever he was. "So, in case you didn't here from my mom earlier, I'm Brad." He said in a much better tone than he'd previously been using with this guy. Since this was really happening, and this guy was obviously real, that meant he had feelings too. Maybe an apology would be in order as well? He could have been much nice in telling the guy that he wasn't Brad's reflection. Although it was true.

[Argon Jaden]

The sound of Brad's better tone caught him a little bit off guard. Antonio couldn't help but tense up visibly until he let it all out in a small sigh. The sight of food made his mouth water and he blushed slightly when he realized that drool was gathering at the corners of his mouth. Averting his eyes, he rubbed the corner of his mouth, feeling a bit embarrassed. He forced himself up and lightly touched the glass, making his form ripple slightly. The blonde cleared his throat.

"Thank you for the food I guess." He said softly, swallowing slightly. His blue eyes shyly looked up at him then back at the food, not really sure if he should just reach out and grab it.

"Brad..." He repeated before looking up again, lips smirking slightly. "Thanks for the food Bradley..." The blonde chuckled humourlessly before a sad smile graced his face. "I'm Antonio." He said, smiling down at the food before his face returned to the impassive look from earlier.

[MashuNeko]

He watched as the other got up to look at the food. He obviously wanted it, but looked a bit unsure. At least he thanked him for it. "Eh, no problem." Brad told him, letting the deed speak for itself. Although, guessing wasn't as good as a pure thank you. He realized it was just like how he sounded when he first said "hi" to the man when he was in the mirror world. It was less of a greeting and more of an inquiry.

He watched as the man repeated his own name before calling him Bradley. His eyes opened wide for a moment as Antonio introduced himself. Although this really shouldn't surprise him, since Antonio said that Brad should have remembered him, he didn't know anyone that called him by his full first name. "Don't call me that." He said, more calmly than he'd intended, but that was good. "Just Brad will be fine." He told the other, looking at him as a smirk crept up. "Or I could call you Ant." He teased as a suggestion. He didn't mean it of course, but Antonio was shorter than him, and so were ants.

Actually, the more he pondered it, the more Brad was tempted to just call him Ant. For one, he already knew too many Tony's, and there was nothing else he could call him. Unless he decided Nio or Onio were good names. And that would be never. It was just weird sounding in his head too, so it couldn't have sounded too pleasing out loud either.

[Argon Jaden]

"W-why you-!!" Blue eyes narrowed and he glared up at Bradley, a blush dusting his face. Just because he was a couple of inches shorter didn't mean that he was an ant!! The endearment kind of embarrassed him at times.

"Call me that and I'll make you regret it Brady!" A wave of panic hit him when the words slipped past his lips. Where did that come from? And if Brad had amnesia... Then of course he wouldn't catch on. He wouldn't rember how Antonio used to slur his L's and R's. No, he didn't even remember Antonio himself.

Swallowing thickly, he averted his eyes, feeling a bit ashamed of acting like he had. He waited for the blush in his face to dissipate while his stomach growled.

[MashuNeko]

The reaction the other gave him made him chuckle just a little. He watched as the shorter man got upset, and a little red in the face. Both were amusing to him. Then Antonio slipped up on his name. He couldn't help but laugh a little more. Maybe being so upset over the nickname Ant made his tongue a little antsy. A wave of confusion hit him as he thought as thought he should remember something like this. No, it was nothing. He didn't know this guy, and he didn't know Brad. Although it was difficult to believe this guy didn't know him since he knew Brad's full first name. If he knew his last name, then it was true; this guy really knew who Brad was and could help him remember.

"I think your tongue's in a knot." He said, dismissing previous thoughts for now. He noticed the man still wasn't taking the food. Maybe he was just hesitant to try because of what happened earlier. He decided that it couldn't hurt to hand him the plate, as long as he returned it. He walked over, picking up the plate and pushing it gently against the mirror. "You gonna take it or what?" He asked, acting as though he might take it back any second. Antonio was obviously hungry, and the food would help. He didn't bother thinking about what sort of other logic a reflection and it's true owner had when it came to food since it would just be more confusing.

[Argon Jaden]

Compared to Antonio easily passing through the mirror, the plate struck it, causing the blonde to wince. Items from that side usually couldn't get in unless in contact with this side. Sighing softly, he reached out and gingerly touched the bread, carefully picking it up and pulling it back in the mirror. Like him, the sandwich was surprisingly vibrant compared to the silvery gray sheened world in the mirror.

"I'm not taking the plate or you won't get it back." He said, casually taking a bite. The taste assaulted his tongue, possibly the first meal he had in a while. The blue eyed male was obviously trying not to scarf it down in one go, but he did finish it quickly. Licking his fingers, he offered Brad a tight-lipped smile.

"Thanks again for the meal." He said politely before raising a brow at him. Giving him a skeptical look, Antonio bit his lip and flicked his tongue, making a tsk sound. "Why're you acting all buddy with me all of a sudden?"

[MashuNeko]

He watched Antonio take the sandwich of the plate, refusing to take the plate itself. The plate itself wouldn't go into the mirror apparently. Brad pulled the plate back slightly after the next comment, although he was fairly certain the reflection wouldn't steal from him. He hoped anyways. He just set the plate down when it was empty.

The way Antonio looked at him was almost as if he was expecting to be poisoned or something. At least he got a proper thanks, even though it wasn't necessary. He pondered the next question, wondering how to answer it. With a sigh, he figured there was only one way to really explain. "Because I realized that I'm not really crazy." He said plainly. He looked up from the plate and at the mirror. "I seriously thought that you were just a figment of my insanity for a while, but then earlier today happened... So, yeah." He felt really bad about saying this to the guy, since he now knew he was real and had feelings. "Sorry about that."

Sorry may not have been the best thing he could do, but he already did the best possible things he could do; he helped him back home and fed him. What more did reflections really need? And how did the mirror world actually work? Were there other reflections like Antonio, who roam around as they please? Brad had so many questions, but he didn't want to ask them all at once. He was debating whether to even ask the questions at all.

[Argon Jaden]

A blonde eyebrow rose at the apology, clearly debating whether or not it was real. After a while, he simply nodded and cleared his throat, trying to get the other's attention. Right now, he was feeling a bit better, though he did need a shower, and it would be really awkward if he wore the clothes Brad was wearing... He'd rather stick to things his size.

"It's no problem. I'm sorry for stressing you out and all." He replied evenly. His blue eyes studied the other's face before he calmly reached out, the mirror rippling slightly until his silvery fingers appeared on the other side, swiftly poking Brad's stomach. "I know that look. What do you wanna say?" He said.

Memory never served him too well as most of his were unclear and a bit blurred, but he'd recognize that look on his face. And despite not being believed in, he wanted to help, after all, he wouldn't be here forever and all that.

[MashuNeko]

Brad was a little hurt that Antonio seemed to question his apology, but it looked like he accepted it. He watched as he seemed to be debating something else before apologizing back to Brad for stressing him out. He just returned a nod to acknowledge he accepted it.

He felt a swift poke to his stomach, looking at Antonio with an odd look on his face. The guy seemed to know him, or it was clear he was wanting to ask questions. He thought about it for a moment. "Guess I just wanted to know how that world works." He said, though a little hesitant. "Like how many reflections just go doing whatever they want and stuff like that." It probably sounded stupid, so he prepared for the guy to laugh at him.

[Argon Jaden]

Ah yes. Those questions. Antonio had thought he was going to ask that. Sighing softly, he shook his head, giving Brad an unreadable look. How was he supposed to answer the second one? The first was pretty easy, but the second was a tad bit harder to explain. He sighed again.

"I'm the only real reflection with a will of my own. There are no others or they would've at least tried to talk to me." The blonde scrunched his nose slightly. "The mirror world is also the realm of spirits, which is why some of the images you see here do not exist in your world." He said before sticking his hand out in the mirror.

"It's pretty beautiful though. I think a first Hans experience would be better." It was true. Though the mirror world WS a reflection of the real one, it had its own state of beauty. The reason why reflections don't have wills of their own is because of the beauty they could manipulate with simple emotions. Through the mirror, it would seem like the same room, but inside, it would be a beautiful silvery place, the colors all shining like gems in the dense light. The silvery sheen was wrapped around most things, and its beauty glowed. The things that didn't have the silvery sheen looked like they were somewhat glowing in the light, though faint, but they do stand out. Like Antonio himself. It may not look like it from the real world but it was completely evident in the mirror world.

[MashuNeko]

He knew it sounded stupid. Brad was sure that Antonio would call him an idiot, or something like that. Then he spoke, and it wasn't exactly what Brad was expecting. He looked at the other with a surprised expression, but listened carefully. The only real reflection? He wondered who's reflection he was. He also wondered what sort of images he would see exactly in the mirror world.

It was as if Antonio read his mind, because Brad wanted to see what he was talking about. He looked at the outstretched arm, slowly reaching out for it. "So, not forcing me to come back this time, are you?" He asked jokingly. He still thought it was rude how he was basically kidnapped the first time, but he let it go. He wanted to be nicer, and bringing that up wasn't a good way of being so.

[Argon Jaden]

Blue eyes narrowed at that. Granted, it wasn't kidnapping if you simply pulled a person close to you. Smirking, he grabbed Brad's hand, keeping a firm grip on it as he glared, mtrying to spook the other by not moving, his expression dark and blue eyes narrowed. And here he was acting all nice and stuff. Well, two can play that game. Giving out an evil smirk, his blue eyes flashed.

"I'll show you forcing." He growled, suddenly grabbing the other with both hands and giving him a surprisingly strong pull, allowing him to tumble through the mirror. Antonio snicketed slightly and crossed his arms, quite glad that his body was a lot better now. "That is called forcing you in. How does the floor taste like?" He taunted cockily, a childish smirk on his face.

[MashuNeko]

In the blink of an eye, Brad was suddenly on the floor in the mirror world. He only had a split second warning, seeing the evil grin on the jerk's face before he got yanked into the mirror. He looked up at Antonio, a glare decorating his face along with an displeased frown. "Tastes like I'm gonna beat your face in if you do that again!" He growled, not amused with his attitude or his sense of humor. And after such an effort to be nicer, the jerk had to ruin it.

He got up, brushing himself off a little. He looked around in the mirror world, and it did hold a certain beauty that the real world lacked. Everything was shiny and pretty, it was almost hard to believe this was really just a reflection of his world. It certainly shined like silver, much like a mirror would. He could really enjoy coming here once in a while. Wait, what about doors and water? Did the mirror world even work like his world? He wondered.

[Argon Jaden]

Antonio stiffled a laugh, turning away to hide his snickering face. He would definitely do that again. It was much too amusing to do, even if he wasn't that much confident in his running away skills. Swallowing the last of his laughs, he turned back to Brad, his fave serious once more.

"Well, its this way." He said, walking out of the door. If there was something he truly loved, it was those parts of the world that mirrors didn't reflect. Water not included. Everything glowed on its own, the colors vibrant against the black backdrop. You would see the glowing outline of things in the dark, but once a mirror reflects it, the glow is overpowered by the silvery sheen.

Stepping into the darkness, the blonde sighed, peacefully looking around at his surroundings. Unlike this, he was wrapped in a silvery glow, reversing whenever he steps i front of the mirror. "Watch out for things on your feet." He said, passing through the room and in front of another mirror.

[MashuNeko]

Brad only growled more when Antonio turned away to hide his laughing. He'd get what was coming to him, eventually. It was only when the shorter male turned serious did Brad give it a rest, leaving a mental note to get back at him for it later. He really had the strangest feeling he should remember this guy, but it didn't ring any bells. Not that he could help it, but it would have been nice if people actually talked to him about what happened. He just wished it didn't seem like he'd done something so despicable, because that's what people made it feel like.

He followed Antonio out the door, then looked around at the mirror world real well. Things glowed, and where there were mirrors reflecting things, they shined. It was incredible. "This is amazing..." He said quietly, more to himself. It was just one of those things he meant to keep in his head, but he said it anyway and he never knew why. It was weird being here, a normal person inside of a mirror world. He felt out of place, strangely enough. still, he pressed on, looking down at his feet. "What things?" He asked, curious as to what might hurt him.

[Argon Jaden]

"It really is... But its pretty lonely sometimes." He admitted quietly. Though it was amazingly stunning at tines, he had often wished there was someone who would talk to him aside from... Well the spirits and ghosts that reside here. They're not very nice. He met a ghost once, and luckily, he played along as the ghost of a boy who died in a tragic accident, fooling whatever that thing was. He glanced at Brad and smirked.

"Things here move accordingly to the real world. Even if you move it away, it would rearrange back to the place it was from." To prove his point, he he kicked a glowing plant over, watching it right itself, nearly hitting the other as it straightened. "Like that." He said with a shrug.

[MashuNeko]

Brad took note of the confession of loneliness. He imagined it had to get pretty lonely, being the only reflection with a will of your own, stuck here without any form of contact except for one person. And not even that frequently, though more frequently as of late. He couldn't help but feel sorry, but what could he do? It wasn't like he could just stay here with the guy, even if he wanted to. After all, he had to survive somehow, and he imagined eating here wouldn't work out so well.

He watched Antonio kick over the plant. Nearly immediately, it brought itself upright again, and it nearly hit him, making him flinch. "Woah." He then wondered about something else, and he had to ask. "What's the water like over here?" He asked, wanting to know about one of the only few things that would comfort him. The other was running, but he would certainly have no problem with that around here. He may run away for a hobby, but he could run fast without hardly breaking a sweat. It was his kind of sport, that was all.

[Argon Jaden]

"Water?" He repeated, a bit curiously before nodding. "It's pretty good. Water here has a will of its own when its not in front of a mirror. Meaning, you can splash in it, drink it and everything else, but once it travels down your gullet, in whichever world you may be, it stays there." He said, remembering that he could pretty much drink and shower, but most bathrooms had mirrors and thus, he couldn't shower at all. The water would follow the path of the real thing when a mirror's around. And bathing in the sea could get pretty sticky.

"I should probably warn you about the other things lurking around here. But I'm sure that as long as you keep away from cemeteries, you're good." Antonio mused, walking a bit further down to curl up on the sofa. "TV's and other devices don't work here unless you've got a mirror in front of you."

[MashuNeko]

Keeping a mental note to not drink or swim in anything here, Brad followed him to the sofa before sitting on the arm of it. "Yeah, I don't go near cemeteries anyway." He told the curled up Antonio. "They're creepy." It was true. Some people, he would hear talking about playing games in the cemeteries, like hide and seek, Ouija, and other things. Yeah, let them go. If ghosts were in his world, then they would learn their lesson. If not, well... It was nice not knowing them.

He looked around the space, noticing the TV that sat there, doing pretty much nothing. "Nothing works here?" He repeated, to confirm. He wondered if he got reception on his phone here. "What about real world stuff? Like, my phone or something." If he could take pictures, then... No, he was pretty sure that no one would believe him still. He supposed he wouldn't try, but it would still be cool to know.

[Argon Jaden]

"I'd keep it in my pocket if I were you." He mumbled softly, rolling around so he was lying on his back. "Whenever something comes in direct contact with its reflection, it gets absorbed by it, and will not exist in the wrld it once existed in. Which is why I could only eat from your world." The blonde answered, brushing his paleclocks out of his eyes.

"Electronic devices don't work here because there's no electricity. It doesn't exist here." He said, extending his hand and pointing his index finger in the air. "You could literally stick your finger in a live circuit and you'd feel nothing." Antonio mused softly, flopping his hand down on his stomach.

[MashuNeko]

Brad immediately let go of the device in his pocket, not allowing it to come out. He was almost willing to test his own question without waiting to know what the consequences would be. He wanted his phone to exist. It was his life, essentially. His life in a small rectangular device. He was not tempted to test the existence of electricity however. It had never been one of the things he would really want to test. He would just take Antonio's word for it. It wasn't worth the risk. Neither was he loss of his phone.

There was one last question on his mind, and though it was probably going to ensue in another argument, he had to ask. "So what happened to my real reflection?" He asked, trying to act as innocent as he could. "I mean, my reflection is supposed to be of me, and clearly you don't look like me. So what's the deal?" Honestly, it was just an innocent question. He couldn't help it if Antonio took it the wrong way, and no matter how much he claimed to be Brad's reflection, he wouldn't believe it. He knew what his reflection was supposed to look like.

[Argon Jaden]

Hearing the question, he realized the tiny slip in his explanation. He harshly narrowed his eyes, glaring at Brad. There was a slight blush of embarrassment on his face, as he glared as much as he could. It was a careless mistake, a slip in his part, and the innocent façade further flared him.

"Have you ever heard of the phrase There's an exception for every law?" He said, tone a bit defensive. He looked away from the other, curling back to his side. "I have my own will. I get hungry. I think. I feel. Surely I am the only exception to that." Antonio quipped, feeling more and more annoyed with every second. He didn't like this at all. He was the reflection, and Bradley completely forgot him too. How else was he supposed to take that?

[Argon Jaden]

Hearing the question, he realized the tiny slip in his explanation. He harshly narrowed his eyes, glaring at Brad. There was a slight blush of embarrassment on his face, as he glared as much as he could. It was a careless mistake, a slip in his part, and the innocent façade further flared him.

"Have you ever heard of the phrase There's an exception for every law?" He said, tone a bit defensive. He looked away from the other, curling back to his side. "I have my own will. I get hungry. I think. I feel. Surely I am the only exception to that." Antonio quipped, feeling more and more annoyed with every second. He didn't like this at all. He was the reflection, and Bradley completely forgot him too. How else was he supposed to take that?

[MashuNeko]

This was just frustrating. This guy knew something that Brad didn't, and the fact that he wouldn't even try to explain was bothering him. He couldn't understand anything. Obviously, Antonio wasn't his reflection. If he was, he would look like Brad, have Brad's name, everything! "I don't think you understand." He said, trying to keep calm. "I don't know what put you here, trapped you here, whatever, but obviously my real reflection left with it. You just can't be mine. You are someone else's reflection." He was adamant in this belief. He wasn't ready to budge an inch on it. The glare he received from the paler man almost made him feel guilty. Almost.

He looked away from Antonio, not letting the heat of the argument get to him. "I'm sorry it's like this, but I know how mirrors are supposed to work, and if you don't look like me, you can't be my reflection." He tried to remain cool, but whatever the other wanted to make him believe obviously wasn't right. He must be confused and maybe... "Have you thought that maybe going back to you're real world person might make things better?" He had no better way to say it, but it was an idea. Hopefully one that could persuade Antonio just a little that he could be wrong.

[Argon Jaden]

"..."

Without pausing to look at him, Antonio stood up and walked out of the door. He felt... Strangely empty, and insulted. Of course he wanted to, but he will never admit that. Sighing softly, he knelt on the floor of the dark, trying to be inconspicuous as he hid. There were tears forming at the corners of his eyes, but he didn't know why hr felt so sad, or insulted. Sniffing slightly, he steeled his nerves.

"I... Damn promises." He muttered at last, hopefully soft enough so Brad wouldn't hear him. He didn't need to. He could just go back to the real worl d because Antonio was not going to answer any more painful questions about his existence. He hated it. He hated being forgotten. "Idiot. Forgot his own reflection." He muttered in annoyance.

[MashuNeko]

It was with that Antonio left to go hide, Brad watching in a sort of guilty expression. Running a hand through his hair, he debated for a moment whether or not to follow the guy. Obviously, he wanted to be alone, but he didn't want to just leave it at that. Getting up, he slowly and quietly followed, feeling just a bit annoyed that this idiot wouldn't even help him remember. Obviously, Brad couldn't help not remembering whatever it was that the other wanted him to remember, but instead of helping, Antonio seemed to run away from it.

Stopping just a short ways away, Brad tried to listen in on what he was saying, but he couldn't catch it. He sighed, leaning against the wall, banging his head as he did so. "You know, not remembering who you are doesn't just hurt you." He told him, trying to think of how to word this right. "No one talks about it, no one tells me about it. What am I supposed to know? Either it's so tiny it doesn't matter, or it's so huge they don't want me to remember." It really hurt Brad, probably as much as it seemed to be hurting Antonio, that no one would even bother to try and tell him why he never remembered or what happened. It was ridiculous. "So could you stop being such a drama queen?" He asked as a joke. Clearly he didn't mean it. Although now may not have been the time, he hoped it would at least lighten him up a little.

[Argon Jaden]

"..."

He hugged his knees to his chest. It really does hurt. Maybe he should've beenore careful, or at least listen more, but he couldn't. It was selfish, he knew, but why?

"Nobody told you a thing..." He said, loud enough for the other to hear. "It wasn't their place to tell you. It was his. Except he couldn't. I can't tell you either because I... I can't." He admitted with a sigh, wiping the tears from his eyes. Antonio will not cry over something so trivial. Breathing out through his nose, he gestured at the mirror.

"Time travels much faster there than it does here. You've been gone for more than six hours already." The blonde said, turning around to leave through the door. If Brad did go back, he'd see what he could do, and how much time he has left.

[MashuNeko]

His place? Who was supposed to tell him? He needed to know. He looked toward Antonio, ready to ask who he meant, but he was interrupted by a comment about time. "Six hours!?" He nearly shouted, trying to control himself. He needed to head back, now. He didn't waste much time, heading toward the mirror. He did look back once more to where the other went. "I'm sorry." He said, hopefully loud enough for Antonio to hear him. He then turned back to the mirror, climbing through carefully, ending up back in his room. He would never get used to that.

The moment he did, his phone went off with a voice message. Answering it, it was just something from his parents asking where he was. He couldn't very well tell them the truth, so he figured it would be a lot easier just to tell them he was napping, and had his phone off so he could. They would believe that, right? He wouldn't offer up any information unless he was asked. If they asked, then he could lie to them. Easy peasy.

[Argon Jaden]

A sad smile crossed his features at the apology. He didn't need to look back, but instead, Antonio walked out into the street, marveling at the sight. Everything was dark, but the glowing outlines of moving things made the place more ethereal than it already was. Quietly walking down the road, he felt the cars pass through him, causing tingles to run down his spine.

The old playground was one of the places that soothed him, despite being home to a few spirits. Most of them were children, and so, he didn't particularly mind them. They were fun to watch, playing around and roughhousing. But more than that, it gave him a sense of nostalgia.

"I miss him." He muttered softly under his breath. A soft chuckle escaped the person he didn't know was standing beside him and he stepped back in surprise. The Spirit was older, possibly around his age, with dark hair and gray eyes.

"Didn't mean to scare you, kid. I was hoping to give your body the chills, but it isn't here." The spirit mused, immediately making Antonio feel uncomfortable. Nodding, he backed off slowly, unconsciously stepping in front of a tinted glass wall. His body glowed slightly as the spirit continued to back him to the pushed him back to the darkness.

[MashuNeko]

Brad stood there, staring at the mirror for a while, seeing his own reflection no where in sight. Although those things that the guy said made him really think about what was going on. He needed to know what happened. He needed to know why he couldn't remember, what went on, who was involved, everything. Soon, his nose caught wind of dinner, smelling the meal of steak and potatoes, likely already done. He decided to go and eat, since he was hungry anyways.

He made his way down the stairs, the smell getting stronger. When he was visible to his parents, they had asked him where he was, and like he hoped, they believed he was just napping. He told them it was just one of those days, and they understood. In just a moment, Brad, too, was sitting at the table and eating with them. Everyone was quiet, as usual.

When Brad was done, he located his parents. They excused themselves earlier since they were already nearly done eating. "Mom, dad?" He asked, getting their attention.

They both looked at him from the TV. "Yes, what is it?" His mother asked, his father quickly returning his attention to the TV.

"Can it wait?" His father interrupted. "You know how I am about my shows." He chuckled a bit, since it was true how everyone knew how he was about his shows. It was widely known among Brad's friends as well as his parents' friends.

He shuffled his feet a bit before answering. "Not really. I'll just forget later. And it's kind of important." Both of them tensed, as if they knew what was coming. The TV was shut off as Brad walked in to take a seat on a chair. "You know about my memory loss, what happened-"

"We told you before, we don't know." His father interrupted. Brad knew better than that. They had to know. Silence remained for a few before anyone spoke again.

"I know that you know." Brad said. "I need to know what's going on, it's killing me that I'm not allowed to know what I did." He was getting upset. Everyone was already getting upset about it. Brad was upset, even angry, that his parents decided to hide this from him.

"We. Don't. Know." His father said, slowly to emphasize that he wasn't going to tell his own son anything. "If we knew, do you think we'd keep something that important away from you?" The funny thing was that he did know, and obviously it was important enough or he wouldn't have said the word.

"Come on, that's BS and you know it!" Brad told him. It was obvious they were hiding something since day one. The only day he could remember after his memory loss. "It's my life, you need to tell me!" He was shouting by now, and it wasn't quiet. He was certain someone next door could have heard him if they had their window open, maybe even with it closed. He didn't care.

"Bradley, what have I told you about yelling at your father?" His mother scolded him, but he wasn't going to have any of that. He wasn't ready to give up on them telling him anything.

Brad remained silent for a couple of minutes, them waiting for his response. "What if I told you I met someone who remembers me, but I don't remember them?" Those was apparently the magic words, since something in them reacted to it. He saw it in their eyes.

The two parents had the silence now, and it was their turn to break it. "Well, I'm sorry about that. If we knew we'd tell you. Now that's enough of this, end of discussion." His father said, getting up to go to his own room. The moment Brad said anything else, his father interrupted him. "I said end of discussion." He left it there before leaving the room, Brad's mother following close behind. This was unfair.

Brad went up to his own room, rampaging on a harmless pillow. He punched it, kicked it, threw it across the room, and finally tossed it on the bed. The fact he wasn't allowed to know anything about when he lost his memory infuriated him. He knew that they knew, and he was furious that they wouldn't tell him. In his frustration, he managed to throw something that made a crack in the mirror in his room. It was significant, but not across the whole mirror. He wondered if that had anything to do with how he'd be able to go across or not. He didn't care for the most part, not now at least. Instead, he decided to lay down to sleep. He'd feel better in the morning, when everything was in the past instead of the now.

[Argon Jaden]

"So... What are you doing here all on your own? Aren't you a wee bit far?" The Spirit said, taunting him as he cramped the blonde to the mirror. Antonio growled and pushed past him, running out into the reflection street. Behind him, he could hear the amused voice of the spirit as he ran all the way back to Brad's house, practically zooming up the stairs before he gasped. Unfortunately for him, he tried on something, which ended up in him passing through the mirror. There was a sharp sting on his arm as he comically rolled out on the floor. He winced and looked up at the mirror.

"Ugh. Why would you crack the mirror?" He complained, noticing his semi-visible form bleed. It wasn't a big cut, but it was a cut nonetheless. Blue eyes studied the red liquid that seeped out and he sighed, trying to steady his uneasy mind.

[MashuNeko]

A familiar voice stirred Brad from his almost sleep. He looked over, noticing Antonio back and rather calm. He sighed and wiped his eyes discreetly, getting up even though he wanted to sleep. "Don't know. Didn't mean to." he told him, standing to look at the semi-invisible man. He was tempted to tell the other man about what happened with his parents, but that was better left between himself and his parents.

He noticed a cut on his arm. "What happened?" He asked, wondering if maybe it had something to do with the mirror being cracked. Likely, it was. Everything he did with the mirror seemed to affect the mirror world. He stared for a moment, his gaze returning up to the shorter man. He hoped his parents wouldn't barge in here just to apologize for the argument. For one, he didn't even want to talk to them. Two, they might notice Antonio and Brad's lack of a reflection. How would he explain that?

[Argon Jaden]

"Mirror. What else?" He replied curtly, covering the wound. He hasn't been wounded through the mirror and this was the first time it happened, quite scaring him a bit. Of course, there were a few mirrors that had cracks, but he didn't kow they could actually slice him. It kind of worried him about his body. Glancing at Brad from his place at the floor, the blonde raised a brow.

"Need I ask why you have that expression? And don't answer that it's because I woke you." He said, tilting his head slightly. His form was only semi-vsible, but he could feel himself flicker.

[MashuNeko]

Brad didn't think he had any expression, or perhaps that may have been what gave it away. He could tell him it's because he woke him, act like it was the honest answer, but telling the truth seemed like it would be much better, like a weight off his shoulders. Sighing, he sat down on his bed next to the pillow he'd ruthlessly pummeled. "I asked my parents... But they still won't tell my anything." He could feel his feeling of rage coming back up, but more like it was just leaving his body rather than building. "I even told them I met someone who knew me, but I didn't remember them." He gestured to Antonio as he said that last part. "Didn't tell them who or how though, or they'd think I was nuts."

He felt significantly better after having told someone about that. It was true that talking about it makes you feel better, but only to the right people. He looked up at Antonio again, quickly speaking. "They know what happened, and they know I know they know. Can't imagine why they'd still hide it from me." Now he just wanted to complain, and complain he did. Seemed better than doing nothing.

When he was done, he looked at the cut, the blood seeping from it on the other's arm. "Let's forget about me for a sec, you need a bandage for that or something?" He asked, knowing he could get a few if they were needed. His mother bought the multi-packs that had different sized bandages for any need.

[Argon Jaden]

Antonio watched him with a small smile. He was glad that at least Brad was trying. The pale blonde man quietly nodded, showing his wound. He was pretty glad that the other was actually curious about it. But honestly, the older didn't question their old relationship, but he guessed that admitting that he was a reflection crushed that thought.

"Just a bandage I guess. Should be fine after." He murmured quietly, closing his eyes. The run from the Spirit had admittedly exhausted him.

[MashuNeko]

"Be right back." He said, leaving with a small smile. He ran to the bathroom, grabbing a bandage from the cabinet. It looked right for the cut on Antonio's arm. He made his way back, silently passing by his parents room as he did. The snoring from within told him that they were both sound asleep. He would have been too if Antonio hadn't come along, but whatever. Maybe it was actually better that he wasn't asleep yet.

Returning, he held the bandage out to the other man, watching him apply it himself, ready to help if he needed to. Taking a seat on his bed, wondering if maybe he should get some sleep, he also began to wonder exactly how much this guy knew about him. It was clear that this guy knew him before Brad lost his memory, so maybe Brad already knew about the mirror world before, and that may have had something to do with his memory loss. Should he ask? Why not, it might help him with his memory. It also might seem insensitive, since Antonio really seemed hurt by Brad not remembering. Close friends? It would be nice to know what his relationship with this guy was at the time. Maybe keep the question simple, and Antonio would elaborate more on his own. Nah, he didn't think it was that important.

Besides, Antonio looked exhausted. "What happened to you?" He asked, referring to his fatigue. He might have been a runner like Brad was, but that would be weird and imply more that the guy really was his refracted reflection, whatever that meant. He still wouldn't believe it, it was just impossible, but he didn't want to give him any evidence against himself.

[Argon Jaden]

He accepted the bandage with a small thank you and quietly wrapped it around his wound. He was careful as he did his work, but the eyes on him made the blonde feel slightly uncomfortable. He never exactly liked it when people stared. Specially the teachers. It was a horrid experience he didn't want to repeat. Antonio sighed softly, refusing to look at him or acknowledge the eyes on him. It always reminded him of a funny memory. He sighed softly to himself, struggling to bandage himself with one hand.

"Remember those things in that world that I told you to stay away from?" He began, gripping at the bandage to apply it properly. Against his silvery form, the bandage looked pretty solid. "Well, one of them was hitting on me. Cool, right?" It was a semi-sarcastic response. After all, he didn't want Brad to notice how scared he was when the spirit approached him. After all, he was nearly called out.

[MashuNeko]

Brad raised a brow in disbelief, almost doubting such a thing even happened. It was the mirror world though, and anything was possible there apparently. He still didn't know the full workings of the place. "So, if I'm hearing this right, you're telling me a spirit was hitting on you?" He sighed, not sure if it was because it happened or because it was hard to believe. "You gonna be alright? Does that happen a lot?" He acted as though their little thing from earlier never happened. More important things were going on. One of his friends was getting attacked by spirits and his parents were hiding his life away from him.

He couldn't imagine having a spirit hit on him. He wasn't even sure anyone had ever hit on him before. He wasn't sure there anything to really like about himself. It almost made him feel lonely. Almost. He didn't mind not having anyone to constantly look over his shoulder, constantly trying to find out where he was, getting mad that he was going somewhere with someone else, or anything like that. He felt like those kinds of things were given in a relationship, that your significant other was always watching you, ready to move in on the slightest mistake. Wasn't something he wanted any time soon. Not like it would be too bad either. He was over-thinking it, taking in too much from the bad experience he'd just heard that someone just dealt with.

[Argon Jaden]

"Let's just say tries something i really didn't like." Antonio said after a while. After all, sarcasm didn't seem to hit Brad well. He sighed softly and flopped on his back, a bit exhausted. His blue eyes tiredly flicked towards the other male and he sighed again. Sometimes, he was curious about the things in his mind. How was he taking everything in and such. But right now, it was plain curiosity. He made a soft humming sound and glared at him.

"You thinking of something weird again?" He asked, tone both soft and rude. The pale boy pushed himself back up into a sitting position, giving him a bored look, one that said he was waiting for an Answer.

[MashuNeko]

His mind snapped forward as Antonio asked him a question. "Again?" He repeated, as if this was something he'd done before. He shook his head at the question, not wanting to answer. "That's for me to know and you to not find out." In other words, yes, but he didn't want to admit it. It was frequent of him to say that to people if they asked him embarrassing questions or questions that would lead to embarrassing answers. Of course Brad didn't want anyone to know that he thought so little of himself. There probably were reasons someone might like him, but he never thought so. Although that was a more common issue among people.

He returned to the thought of Antonio knowing more about him than he thought. He looked over at the nearly invisible man, perhaps a little uneasy about asking such a thing. "How much do you know about me?" He asked. He needed to know so he could gauge exactly what their relationship was. How good was their friendship? Did they even have a friendship? Maybe more along the lines of rivals? Did they only talk once in a while? He wouldn't have asked if such a thing didn't bother him, but for one reason or another, he was supposed to know this guy. He needed to know how, and maybe that would help his memory.

[Argon Jaden]

Antonio snorted. He may not seem like it, but the pale man pretty much reads his expression. It was that easy to guess. "Yeah. If I knew about it, then it would probably be something embarrassing or really funny it turns awkward." He muttered, rolling his eyes. If Brad didn't want to tell, then fine, he could keep his secrets. Antonio won't pry. He flopped back down on the floor, wincing slightly at the hard texture that met his back. That was when the other spoke, the question surprising him slightly.

"Well... What do I know about you?" He murmured, scrunching his nose slightly. There were a few thoughts running in his head, some mild others, too embarrassing to mention, but the slight blush was obvious in his face. He cleared his throat and held up a hand. "O-one, you like candy, but you dislike sour stuff and its hard to make you eat sour candy." He said, flicking his index finger. "Two, you like singing, and you're pretty athletic. And three, for some reason, you don't like green." He replied, three fingers up. His blue eyes were glued on Brad, but with a rather guilty look. "The rest is for me to know and for you to figure out."

[MashuNeko]

Some basic stuff pretty much. Anyone who didn't know that stuff was pretty much new to Brad. However, the blush on his face and the guilty look on his face said he knew some pretty embarrassing things. Probably things he'd rather not be guessing about. He could imagine being close friends with this guy. The only thing they seemed to dispute so far was the part about Antonio being Brad's reflection. Obviously that couldn't be, or they would be exactly the same, save for Antonio being in the mirror world. He considered for a moment if they could be any closer than friends, but he wasn't so sure. Of course, mainly because of himself. He was boring and uninteresting.

He shook his head a bit, coming with a plan to hopefully taunt more out of the other man. "That's it? That's pretty much what everyone should know." He said, an amused look on his face. "I don't think you actually know anything else." He gave it a shrug, as if he didn't really care. Actually, he wanted to know more. "You can tell me the truth; you don't know a whole lot do you?" He taunted, hopefully coaxing a bit more information out of him. What was Brad to him? What sort of things did Brad tell Antonio that he wouldn't tell anyone else? He felt like he was dying to know, but he kept his expression cool.

[Argon Jaden]

His blush deepened even more. There are some things best kept to himself after all. Like... He'd rather not cite examples and kill himself with embarrassment. Suicide was not his thing. But still, he wasn't that brave to explain a few things he knew, like the time they fought over the Easter Bunny and he ended up crying. Or that time with the dolls in the doll house. Definitely a memory not worth mentuoning.

Despite not saying anything, there was a very plain look on his face that said he was thinking about it, like knowing who took the cookie from the cookie jar but is embarrassed to admit it. Blue eyes shifted around and he sighed, draping an arm over his eyes. How was he supposed to say things?

"I-I don't wanna tell..." It's too embarrassing!! Was the unspoken thought. He swallowed and glared up at Brad, not liking the way his face heated up. His eyes narrowed slightly. "But I'll tell you this: You're awkward when it comes to romance like the time you crushed so hard on Natalie Winds from third grade and ended up an embatrassment afyer which you bawled ypur eyes out... and you can be embarrassing a lot of times." It was an honest observation ever since their childhood, or at least, Antonio's memories of their childhood. He threw both arms over his eyes, letting out a deep breath. Great. Now he just remembered the embarrassing trip to the water spa back when they were kids. That moment when he thought the scented hot pools were cooking him for dinner and no one stopped him from thinking that. A blue eye peeked up at him at the memory.

"Just so you know, i still hate you for that." He growled, before shielding his face again.

[MashuNeko]

Brad took note of the deepening blush, waiting with an amused look on his face. He seemed to be debating on whether or not to actually say anything. Maybe he knew Brad was only taunting him? If he knew, he wouldn't say anything, but he might be upset. He watched the arm cover his eyes, as though he were thinking about things to say that wouldn't be over the top. He wasn't sure Antonio was going to say anything, so he was ready to drop it. Until he finally spoke.

He listened to him say he didn't want to tell, then glared at Brad with narrowed eyes. The following story made Brad's eyes widen and his cheeks flush instantly. He told no one of his own awkward romances, and he wished so hard to forget that moment, it killed him for a long time. Nobody knew about that anymore. Except Antonio apparently. He never even spoke of that anymore. At most, people simply thought Brad wasn't interested in anyone at all, but the truth was he had many crushes over the years. Since that incident, he'd always kept his crushes to himself, never telling anyone.

He narrowed his eyes, more in confusion than anything, completely disregarding his ending comment. "How do you know about that?" He questioned, his voice sounding very accusing. "I never told anyone about that! Ever!" He would have tried lying, but he knew what kind of face he was making and it would have betrayed him, along with the heat he could feel in his cheeks, the blush that dusted over them. Just how close was this guy to Brad? Obviously, he had to be close to have known that, since he never spoke of that to anyone, but Brad resolved himself to only ever tell the person closest to him, and only if they asked.

[Argon Jaden]

His eyes narrowed at that. There he goes again! Forgetting him in the picture. Of course he knew. It was a stupid and insensitive of him to not know. Jeeze!

"Who the hell do you think dragged your wailing butt all the way to the beach, unsupervised might I tell you, and nearly drowned just to get you that stupid red starfish tha-" The anger and annoyance flushed out of his body as soon as the words slipped from his mouth. He had resolved not to say anything; to let him remember everything they've been through himself. Not like this. Antonio cleared his throat and looked away with a blush. He could see the said starfish in one of the glass cases in the room, but decided not to look at it. A soft sigh escaped his silvery lips and he glared at Brad

"I-I know a lot. Y-you had to know it f-first hand to even u-understand." He muttered before deciding to keep his trap shut. Revealing any more would end in his undoing. And besides, it was his secret to keep.

[MashuNeko]

Stupified, Brad looked over at the very red starfish that Antonio was talking about. He couldn't manage to say anything else. He was speechless. He didn't know what to do now. Antonio knew things about him that he couldn't even remember. He wondered where that starfish came from before, but he only knew that someone important gave it to him. He had a lot to think about, and not a lot of time to think about it. He really needed to sleep this through.

He looked back at the silvery figure known as Antonio, the red in his cheeks refusing to go away. "I... I'm sorry." Was all he could manage to say, running a hand through his hair and down his neck. He looked over at the mirror, the crack in it apparently very dangerous to Antonio. "I need to get some sleep... You want me to help you to a mirror that isn't cracked?" He asked, hoping he hadn't hurt the guy too much. This guy definitely wasn't Brad's reflection, but he was a reflection of someone he knew and couldn't remember. Whoever that was, he really wanted to remember. He didn't expect Antonio would want his help after how he acted.

[Argon Jaden]

Antonio shook his head quietly.

"N-no thank you." He murmured softly, pushing himself up so he could stand. The pale blonde looked away from him as he staggered back to the mirror. He felt so awkward right now that it was hardly funny. He had slipped, revealed himself and yet, he hoped that partially, he would be remembered. But then, he realized how it would affect them both.

"Y-you just get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow." He tried to smile, before slipping through the mirrt, mindful of the crack. Once he was through, the younger man sighed and fell on the bed, curling on his side.

It was just now that he realized how selfish he was. But at the same time, he felt like Brad was obliged to know. A soft sigh escaped his lips as he curled in on himself. It's torture, and the pain in his chest made him feel cold; like he was swimming in ice.

[MashuNeko]

Brad just nodded to him, watching him go through before laying down, staring at the ceiling with millions of questions running through his mind. What was he supposed to think? What else did Brad do with him that he didn't remember? Who else knew about it? Who else was hiding it? What happened to him to make him forget everything he did with Antonio?

He hardly even slept, maybe catching a couple hours worth of sleep. When it was time to wake up, he was already awake, bags under his eyes. He looked at the alarm, a deadly glare directed straight at it as if that would make it stop. When it didn't, he pretty much smashed it until it was off. It was just difficult to sleep because of the things running through his head. He didn't bother actually getting out of bed until he heard that breakfast was ready. He hated this day already, and it was his fault he was like this in the first place.

Breakfast had a sort of harsher silence than usual. No one smiled, no one looked at each other. Brad was occasionally resting his head in his hand, but managed to stay awake. Not like he wasn't already kept awake but the other five million thoughts running through his head. Seeing his parents reminded him of the argument and the questions as to why they needed to hide something, so he was even more stressed out than before. When he decided he was done, he got up without excusing himself.

They didn't seem to care, but they were worried. They could tell he'd gotten little sleep, and worried it was perhaps because they hurt his feelings. They wondered if they should talk to him, but decided he needed his space, allowing him to leave as he wished. After all, they knew what had happened, and they really didn't need to feel even worse because they wouldn't tell him.

Brad reached his room, shuffling quietly along the floor. He definitely needed more sleep, but could he? He decided to try and find out. Laying down, he tried to sleep, but his eyes hung open. His mind kept racing between each and every thought, which lead to more thoughts. Antonio was so much closer to Brad than he thought, and he definitely needed to be nicer to him. He could start by never bringing up that blasted reflection argument again. Maybe from there, he'd get better. It wasn't like he could argue that he didn't know the guy. All he could say was that he didn't remember, but he wanted to.

[Argon Jaden]

"It's quite tragic. Ho-.... I-... -...n?"

"Three years.... He-... -en up ...-e."

Antonio struggled, wondering what was going on. He was lying down in bed just a few seconds ago. His eyes were sealed shut and his body was stiff. What was going on? There were chills running up and down his spine, but his body refused to move. The scent of antiseptic and alcohol assaulted his nostrils.

BEEP! BEEP!!

There was a loud beeping sound followed by words mashing with voices and sobs. His chest hurt, everything hurt, hr felt like he was drowning again, out of breath. Pale hands gripped the sheets as a soft whine slipped past his lips. The pain was getting heavier and stronger, like someone was sitting on his chest. He grit his teeth, feeling it sear before letting out a loud gasp.

"Ack!!" Antonio's voice caught in his throat as he bolted upright. Everything was spinning and he wanted nothing more than to throw up. The pale blonde coughed and gasped, shuddering heavily.

'What was that?' He thought, breathing heavily as he grasped his throat. He felt like he was dying, and worst, he was terrified, paralyzed. Antonio swallowed thickly, trying to keep his head as he tried not to throw up.

[MashuNeko]

Brad was not even close to sleeping. He couldn't even manage to stay laying down for very long. He sighed, wondering what was wrong with him. He heard a soft whine, but nothing real loud. It was odd. They didn't have pets, so there was nothing to make that sound. Unless it was... Brad got up quickly, but tiredly. Almost tripping over his own feet, he walked over to the mirror to look at Antonio. He looked pretty bad. He wasn't sure if he could pass through the mirror on his own, so he watched from the mirror as he stood there hindered by real world logic of how mirrors worked. "Hey, what's wrong?" He asked through the mirror. "Are you gonna be alright?"

He felt a new sense of panic when he saw Antonio now than before. Before, it was simply not knowing what was going on, not knowing who he was. Now it was not remembering who he was, but knowing he was important. He still didn't fully understand what they shared together, but with some memories already uncovered, he found it a little bit easier to try and remember some things, like how Antonio really almost drowned to get that starfish. He hoped it was only a matter of time now before he would start remembering things on his own. He really wanted to remember what they were.

[Argon Jaden]

He heard the voice calling out to him from the other side and he tiredly lifted his head. His entire body ached again, and he felt really weak, much like how he felt yesterday. Upon closer inspection, he was shivering. The blue eyed male forced himself out of bed and trudged over the mirror, tripping a few times. His head was spinning and he wanted to throw up, which is why he had one hand over his mouth.

"I-I'll be fine." He managed weakly, before extending his hand, the mirror rippling as the limb passed through. He held his shaking hand out to Brad, giving him the choice to either come in or pull him out. His eyesight was getting slightly blurred, but he managed to keep on his toes.

"Y-you look t-terrible. Worse t-than usual." He muttered, trying to joke around, despite his condition. But standing for too long was starting to take a toll on him, and he staggered slightly in place.

[MashuNeko]

Brad watched him stumble over to the mirror and extend a hand through to assist him over. Carefully, he took the hand, managing most of the work himself. He smiled a little at Antonio's attempt to joke around. "I couldn't really sleep much, but I'll be fine." He told him, likely more truthfully than he other was saying. "I'm more worried about you. You look frikkin deadly." He grabbed Antonio quickly as he staggered, nudging him toward the bed. "You should sit. It'd be bad for you to fall on the floor."

He remembered the other day, when Antonio got like this. It was pretty bad, but he seemed much better after some good sleep. Maybe that was all he needed now. He hoped anyways. Although this seemed a bit worse, but he couldn't imagine how. Maybe it was because he was outside the mirror last time, and he assumed being outside the mirror caused it. Being inside the mirror and like this was new. "Does this happen to you a lot?" He asked with a concern in his tone. He hoped this didn't mean Antonio was going to die. If reflections even could. He wanted him to at least hear that Brad had remembered. He must have been Brad's closest friend, so it would only make sense.

[Argon Jaden]

"I'll be fine." He murmured softly, before choking slightly. His head spun and he wanted to throw up. "Glad you think I still look like I could kill. But seriously, have you seen a mirror?" Antonio forced himself to stop stuttering, despite the throbbing at the back of his head. Swallowing down a whimper, he trudged towards the bed, staggering before flopping down on it. He quietly breathed put, rolling onto his back.

"This... Isn't supposed to happen." He murmured softly, closing his eyes. In an effort to be considerate, he patted the space beside him. "What's up? You're so concerned all of a sudden." Having his eyes closed helped a whole lot, though he still wanted to throw up. A loud, raspy cough came out of him followed by a sneeze, and a pained groan. This is gwtting worse and worse with every attack, and simply being awake left him exhausted.

[MashuNeko]

Brad definitely thought Antonio would be anything but fine. He chuckled a bit at the comment, giving the male a glare. "You know I couldn't see myself if I wanted to." He told the other man in a knowledgeable manner. "I see you every time, remember?" Now look who was forgetting stuff. Brad couldn't see his own reflection anymore, it was always that guy. He took a seat on the bed when prompted to. Had Antonio always been like this? ... He was sure of it. Always trying to convince people he was fine, even when he really wasn't. From what Brad knew about this guy, it definitely seemed like something he would do.

Brad looked at him, when the matter of his concern came up. "Of course I'm concerned. You look even worse than me... I think anyways, I haven't seen myself in a mirror in a while." He tried to refrain from using 'reflection' when talking about mirrors. It was obviously a sensitive subject between them two. "What, was I never this concerned about you before?" He asked, curious as to how he acted when Antonio tried to play off being fine.

Even as he spoke, he vaguely began to recall a time when Antonio had the flu. He looked almost as bad as he did now, but he kept trying to tell people he was fine. He couldn't remember anything else, but that was progress. At least he was starting to remember. He couldn't help but smile just a little at the thought of remembering something on his own. Amnesia wasn't exactly permanent, was it? Although, he was sure that last night probably helped jog his memory just a little.

[Argon Jaden]

Antonio let out a weak laugh. Yeah, he knew Brad couldn't see his reflection. He is the reflection and honestly, they look different. As much as he hated to admit it, just by seeing them standing side by side would show the difference. He peeked at Bradley, before letting out a soft groan when a tiny pang of pain traveled up his spine. It was starting to throb again, to get his attention. His body shuddered violently before relaxing, and he let out a soft breath.

"W-when it came to concern..." There was a weak glare from the blonde and he sighed. "You were the worst. L-like that time I caught a cold, or that time I caught the flu." He said, looking away with a wince. The memory was both amusing and annoying, while being embarrassing. "Y-you threatened to carry me to the damned clinic when I went to school and you..." Blue eyes softened slightly as he laughed gently, grinning at him. "You'd go mother hen on me. And even if I kicked you out of the room, you'd steal mom's key and help yourself in. Jeeze."

He recalled the memory fondly, despite the embarrassed blush on his cheeks. He remembered those times because no one liked it when he forced himself, but they had two quizzes that day, and he didn't want to flunk at all. The smile on his face dropped slightly. "I'm guessing you... Don't remember any of that." Maybe it was for the best, after all, he didn't want to open that large can of hurt when he admits that he forgot. With a barely audible sigh, he winced and turned over, yelping slightly when another wave of pain washed over his body.

[MashuNeko]

Hearing the way he really was, it kind of surprised him. He was almost expecting himself to have told Antonio he was fine, just like he said. Although, it made sense more that he worried. He always worried about the people close to him. On snowy days, he'd shovel the driveway without being told because he wanted his parents to be safe. When it rained, he would make sure his parents had their umbrella, so they wouldn't get wet or sick. Mother hen pretty much told it all. He chuckled a bit.

He smiled even more, peeking up at Antonio with a smile that said 'surprise'. "Actually... I do sort of remember that. In fact..." He trailed off a bit as he thought it over. "The whole reason I caught the flu was because I worried over you." He laughed a little, then watched Antonio's expression. Surely, that little bit would make him happy. It made Brad happy as well, remembering something for once. Then a problem with his previous theory occurred; Antonio couldn't have always been in the mirror. That didn't bother him, but it made him wonder what the deal was.

[Argon Jaden]

A harsher blush decorated his pale face and he scowled, glaring at him like he did something bad. Though he was still in a tiny bit of pain, he felt ecstatic that Brad had remembered. Bit by bit, baby steps as they say. His scowl deepened.

"Yeah. And I ended up taking care of your sorry butt." The scowl lightened before a gentle smile graced his face, followed by a wince. His body throbbed. Ignoring it, he closed his eyes and breathed out. "H-how much do you remember?" He murmured, eyes squeezing shut as he convulsed. There were flashes of white in front of his eyes and a shaky groan slipped out his mouth. Antonio felt cold; he was probably cold. Swallowing, he steeled himself to remain passive.

[MashuNeko]

Brad watched with amusement as Antonio scowled at him, a blush decorating his face. "Hey, I didn't force you to!" He told him. Brad noticed the wince, and it slowly made his smile disappear. He was getting more and more worried as a yawn sneakily escaped his mouth. He pondered the next question, trying to actually remember things while worrying about this man who looked totally beat up and being tired at the same time. Juggling all three of these things wasn't easy, especially the bit about being tired.

"Let me think..." He tried to focus on remembering, since that would probably make the other man feel happier than worrying about him. "I do remember the starfish. I remember that I felt horrible because you went through a lot to get it, but I was still really thankful for it." He looked around the mirror world to see if he could find it. Everything had a reflection- with the exception of Brad- and the starfish probably did too. Once he located it, he smiled again. "It's the whole reason I still have it. I also remember that you're a lot nicer than you let on." He said with a smirk. That last bit just came to him. So far, that was it though.

[Argon Jaden]

"I-I'm not s-sugar and sp-spice." He snapped, or at least tried to, but with his teeth chattering, it came out far weaker than it should. His blue eyes flicked up at Brad and he let out a shaky sigh, reaching up and tugging him to lie down. "I'm n-not going to take care o-of you this t-time if y,-you get sick. Y-you b-best be re-resting." Antonio muttered, curling to himself to keep what was left of his body heat in. The painful wave was getting more and more intense, and he could feel his body stiffening. He cast a wary glance at the starfish and sighed, body shivering violently.

"Yeah, you're w-welcome, Brady." He replied with a smirk, ignoring the way his tongue slipped. Of all the things he wanted to outgrow, it was the way he tended to remove or slur his L's and R's. Shooting him a weak look, he huddled closer on himself. "I-I'm really, r-really glad you remember me."

[MashuNeko]

He couldn't help but half smile at the other man. It seemed like he started to remember more and more each minute he hung around him. This certainly was the old Antonio he was remembering. But why didn't he decide to go to his house? ... Where was his house again? That, he couldn't seem to remember. Would he even be there if Brad visited or would he still be in the mirror? He wasn't sure. "I never asked you to take care of me." He said, trying to act a little tougher as he was essentially forced to lay down because he was too weak from sleepiness to resist.

He missed the L again. Brad just chuckled at him, realizing he was trying to call him by his full first name. "Come on, you know I don't like it when people call me that." He said rather defensively. He truly didn't like it, Brad was just fine. Bradley sounded weird to him. Why couldn't the name on his birth certificate just be Brad? "If anyone knows that, it's you." He said, giving him a small poke on the shoulder.

He paused for a moment before looking up at the ceiling. "I'm glad I remember you too." He really was. How could he not be? This was a part of his life he'd forgotten that he really wanted to remember. Now if only he could remember the rest. He looked over to Antonio as he kept stuttering. "You'll be okay after some sleep, right?" He asked. He hoped so. "I mean, that's how it was last time. You slept, then you were back to normal." The last thing he really wanted was for this Antonio to disappear before Brad could fully remember him. One of the most important things he was trying to remember was just how close they were. He knew things about Brad that would never be known to anyone else and they really seemed to take care of each other. Was it possible they were... a thing? A couple? Tears began to form at the corners of his eyes as he tried too hard to remember that bit. It hurt to think that, in the case they were, he would forget such a thing.

[Argon Jaden]

"Never d-did ask y-you to t-take care o-of me. P-plus I'm the o-only one who c-could a-actually stand y-you." He stuttered again, smiling softly. Unlike the earlier, expressove smiles he was giving, this smile was one that portrayed fondness. Yes, he complained about taking care of Brad, but he did it anyway. He liked doing it, despite completely denying to enjoy taking care of him. When the thing about names came up, he snickered, and ended up in a coughing fit. After a few seconds, he settled down, feeling his throat. It was scratchy.

The small poke caused him to pout, before he rolled his sky blue eyes at him. Of course he knew, but it was revenge for the nickname he was given. The pale blonde man contemplated about it for a while before he answered. "Y-your fault I c-call y-you th-that." He replied, before shivering. His nails were blue now, he could tell without looking. He busied himself with keeping his hands hidden. No reason to have an already weak person nursing him. It was obvious to the eye who should get rest. When he was sure his hands were secure, Antonio looked back up at him, biting his tongue when sharp pain slid up his spine. At least now, the lights stopped flashing. He let out a soft grunt.

"Y-yeah. I'll just s-sleep it o-off... Hey." He reached out to quietly force Brad to look at him, quite forgetting that his hands were colder than ice. He only registered how warm the other was, it was almost searing. Concern showed in his eyes, despite wincing slightly. He didn't like the fact that he couldn't read minds. It always made him feel completely helpless at times like this. He didn't like it. Ignoring the throbbing in his head, Antonio gave him a concerned look. "Are you going tp cry or something...?" It took quite the effort to keep his chattering teeth from interfering.

[MashuNeko]

He blinked a few times when he was forced to look at Antonio, trying to get the water out of his eyes before he could see it, but much too late. He didn't want to say anything, but he couldn't very well lie. The evidence was clearly right there. "M-maybe. S-so?" He tried playing it off, but he couldn't manage it. He knew it probably wasn't a good idea to stress Antonio out even more, but this one last thing couldn't hurt, could it?

"I-I guess I w-was just wondering..." He was afraid to say anything, his stomach seemed to have formed a knot, and the words felt like they lodged themselves in his throat. This was so much harder than he thought it should have been. "J-just... How close were we?" He finally said it, but unable to keep acting tough. His face really softened up after saying it, feeling guilty he had to ask such a thing. It was less about remembering and more about confirming his own thoughts. Just really close friends or boyfriends maybe? He didn't really care which, but just knowing would make him feel better.

[Argon Jaden]

"Huh?" His eyes widened slightly at that. How was he supposed to answer? To Antonio, there were some things that he couldn't say that easily. There was a gentle blush on his face as he patted Brad's cheek, like he was reassuring him. "Of a-all the t-things you wonder about..." He snorted.

"T-that's f-for me to know, and f-for you t-to figure o-out. What are w-we?" He said, returning the question. It was unfair of him to do but he didn't want to shove everything at him now that he was starting to rember. Baby steps, bit by bit. He gave Brad a pained smile, wincing as his head pound. "I'm n-not going to f-forceva relationship o-on you is all."

[MashuNeko]

Brad grumbled a bit as Antonio seemed to treat him like a child. He pouted at the answer he was given. That wasn't fair at all. They didn't have to be anything anymore, Brad just wanted to know what they were before. Needless to say he was disappointed. He doubted trying to taunt the answer out of him would work, seeing as he already did that. "You're a jerk." He told the man next to him, looking away. "But I guess I understand." He sighed, thinking he really seemed like a child now. He wouldn't be surprised if Antonio treated him as such a lot.

He looked back, thinking it was probably selfish of him to be just be here, keeping Antonio from sleeping off his little episode. "You know, you can always tell me to leave you alone so you can rest." He wanted to make sure Antonio knew that he didn't have to put up with him right now if he didn't feel like it. Actually, it might have been more comforting if Brad could sleep here next to him. It would put himself at ease at least, and then maybe he could actually sleep. He couldn't suggest Antonio come to the real world, since he probably wouldn't get better that way. And with the time flowing faster out there than it was in here, he couldn't sleep here. That was just begging for his parents to go out hunting for him. In fact, who knew what time it was now. He at least wanted to make sure Antonio was going to be okay before he left.

[Argon Jaden]

"No offense t-taken Captain D-douche." He replied humorlessly, closing his eyes as he willed his shivering body to calm down. Antonio was exhausted now, and he felt like he was coming down with the flu again. He groaned softly and rolled to his side, before peeking at Brad with one eye. Honestly, he really wanted to answer, but he knew that at some point, it might break more than make. He didn't want that. He sighed softly.

"Just go a-ahead and sl-sleep there if you're t-tired." The pale man said, going back to closing his eyes and willing himself to sleep. "I don't m-mind it if y-you sleep there." Antonio muttered softly, shuddering as a chill ran up his spine. Despite the time traveling faster, he simply wanted to be in the other's presence for a little longer. The loneliness was slowly lifting and he liked that. He loved the company. It was sonething very selfish of him, he knew that, but he couldn't help it. It was one of those things that he wanted to voice out, but knew that it wasn't the best.

[MashuNeko]

He had to think about it for a moment, unsure if sleeping here really was a good idea. Sleep won the debate, with Brad thinking it couldn't really do any harm. He stared at the ceiling, trying to sleep now. It was sure going to be a lot easier with Antonio nearby, he knew that. He just wouldn't say it out loud. "Too tired to go back." He said, another yawn pressing outward. "Don't think I could make it." He was just going to sleep here. If he needed to explain it to his parents, he'd say he was just out all day. He hoped it wouldn't be any longer than a day anyways. Not really caring anymore at this point, he began to drift off to sleep, much more peacefully than before.

Brad woke up slowly from his sleep, passing out of one weird dream. Actually it seemed more like another memory really. He recalled it very vividly this time. They went to go a movie, a really stupid one at that. He was never gonna see that again! He remembered telling Antonio about it. He just couldn't recall the movie until he remembered the later details. It was the stupid "vampire" movie where all the hotest guys looked like frikkin diamonds. Worst movie ever, and with a horrible love triangle later in the series. Not one he wanted to remember, but he was at least happy he remembered something they agreed on. He glanced around tiredly, wondering exactly what time it was in his world, before looking over at Ant, as he used to call him.

[Argon Jaden]

Sleep had come quickly after that, and he drifted off to sleep. In all honesty, the extra warmth near him lulled him, but he will never admit that, after all, he loved the cold. Still, this was the first time in a long time that he felt at ease. The pain slowly ebbed away as whatever Brad was saying became lost in his ears. It felt really nice that it brought a tiny smile to his face.

However, warmth was the first thing that registered in him. Scrunhing his brows, he continued to nuzzle into the warmth, quite forgetting things in his half asleep state. Antonio grumbled slightly, like a child being forced yo get up for school before his features relaxed. A small handful of people know that he's a cuddled, usually, only those who have seen the large body pillows on his bed and those who were unlucky enough to roll on his side of the bed. After a while, his blue eyes fluttered open and he sleepily looked at Brad.

".... Hi?" He murmured, completely disoriented as he ducked his head and went back to the warmth. In fact, Amtonio treated this like it was a normal thing, until he froze and rolled away. On their current predicament, there is nothing 'normal' with what he was just doing. "S-sorry bout that. Old sleeping habits." He muttered, ducking his head to hide the embarrassed blush.

[MashuNeko]

It was odd the way Antonio nuzzled into him, but at the same time, it felt normal. He just shook his head tiredly. "Nah, it's fine." He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, watching Antonio the whole time. "Weren't you always like that though? Cuddling your pillows and stuff." He smirked a little, knowing some of the embarrassing things about his friend.

Brad got up, stretching his limbs as he did. He slept well, and he even got another memory out of it to boot. Little by little, he was beginning to remember the parts of his life he forgot. This was great, but it still didn't help him decide their relationship. Right now, he knew that he was always worried the other, they took care of each other, and Antonio did things for him a lot. It wasn't enough for him to make any decisions right away, so he needed to remember a little more, but without straining himself too much.

[Argon Jaden]

He blushed and glared angrily at Brad. Grabbing the Pillow, he chucked it at the other male, only to have it fly back on the bed. He let out a soft 'oof' as the pillow knocked him down. He huffed and glared at him. "Now I feel bad for sleeping with you." He scowled, pushing himself back up. No bruises found.

Grumbling to himself, he stood up, dizzy from his fall. Of all the things he had to remember, it was that. Of all the things, just that stupid fact that he tried to keep secret. If he remembers anymore of the embarrassing things they did together, he'd throw him out of the mirror world. The pale blonde looked up at him, a soft smile gracing his face. If the sitiation wasn't so different then he'd probably...

"Ahem..." He cleared his throat awkwardly and looked away.

[MashuNeko]

Brad laughed, watching the pillow knock the reflection aside. "Hey, you realize how bad that sounds?" He said, a light blush covering his face. It indeed sounded bad, and the only reason he wasn't sporting a pure crimson face right now was because he was fully clothed, and he knew nothing happened. He looked at Antonio when he cleared his throat. "What are you thinking about?" He asked. If he was thinking what Brad was thinking he was thinking, he may have actually regretted saying what he did. If not, then Brad wanted to know. He was going to remember everything eventually anyways.

He walked over to the mirror, looking at his clock on the wall to see what time it was. It had literally been the whole day he'd been asleep. Well, almost. He probably fell asleep around seven thirty or so, and it was currently just after nine. It was really late, and he couldn't imagine his parents were too happy about him being gone. In fact, they were probably worried to death. He thought about it for a moment and thought it served them right. They should have just told him about his forgotten past, and then none of this would have happened. It was their fault he was being this way, so they could stand to be a little worried for a while.

[Argon Jaden]

"Friggin' hell!! Not that kind of sleep!! The other one!! The one that at least involves having your underwear on! You pervert!!" He yelled, face blushing harder. It was a surprise he still had this much blood on his system. He shook his head until the matter of his thoughts came into mind. Oh wonderful. All the blood rushing to his cheeks from embarrassment. Shaking his head, he glared at Brad, before letting out a soft sigh. "Just... Just a memory of stuff we used to do." He said with a soft smile before he gave the other blonde a look. He had a singling feeling that his earlier comment sounded way too wrong for both of their ears. "I meant what we did with clothes on so you can erase that misunderstood comment out of your head."

He noticed Brad looking put and he shook his head. Of course. His parents. "You slept for the entire day. They're probably worried sick." He said. Taking the initiative, he walked through the mirror, mindful of the crack as he stepped into the real world. It was a bit chilly though. He beckoned him over, extending his hand. The playful glint was in his eyes again as he waited for the other to take his hand.

[MashuNeko]

Brad looked at Antonio as he spoke, though his expression seemed uncaring. He followed him through the mirror, his phone basically blowing up with missed calls and voice mails the moment it registered contact with the real world. "Yeah, well... It won't kill them." He said, letting his anger show through a bit. He truly was upset that they wouldn't tell him anything, but he wouldn't hold that grudge forever. It was on and off really. Sometimes, he would ask and they would say they didn't know. It took a merely a couple of days for him to realize there were better things he could be doing other than wasting his time being made at his parents, though this time he may make an exception since they weren't able to contact him at all.

He decided to listen to a couple of the voice mails, only really being about worrying if he was okay, and if he was safe, if he forgot to turn his phone on. In all, he had about fifty or so missed calls. "Ugh, changed my mind. It just might." He said, noticing how worried they were. He'd likely have a good long talk with his father about this, for making them worry and all. A thought occurred to him as he looked up at Antonio. "You probably know my parents pretty well too, don't you?" He asked. This was something he was curious about. "You don't have to say anything specific, but I was just being curious." If he knew them half as well as he knew Brad, maybe Antonio could convince them to tell Brad the truth. Or they would claim the house was possessed, move out, and then never return. Pretty good chances of both.

[Argon Jaden]

"..."

There was a confused look in his eyes before he shook his head as it dawned on him. He can't do that. It'll kill him. He shook his head and raised his hands no.

"Not going to talk to your parents for you. Never worked, never will." He said firmly. This was going to be a disaster if they showed up and saw him. He couldn't be seen walking around like this. If they did, then, they'd probably move away... Or slap his body silly... Or ask his plug be pulled... Or send someone to the mental. He shook his head.

"Look, I really, really can't." Antonio explained, trying to keep his voice even. "I tell you what's my place to tell you and they should be telling you their side." He swallowed. Well, this was going to be risky. "Tell them you remember a bit and... Well... You should know how to use that annoying mouth if yours! Trick them into revealing something, jeeze!!" He ended it with an exasperated note. Knowing Brad's parents, they may not even fall for it, but its worth the shot, right? Or no....

Or maybe he was overthinking.

"Never mind. Yes I do know your parents, but it's been... What? Three four years since I last actually talked to them?" He admitted, flopping down on the bed. That was a stressing thought honestly.

[MashuNeko]

Antonio suddenly freaked out, saying all sots of things before Brad could even get a word in. When he was finally finished, Brad walked over and sat down next to him. "You need to chill." He said, patting the silvery man on the shoulder. "I never said anything about you talking to them. I know they would probably freak and stuff. I mean, a guy from the mirror is weird enough, and then their son not having a reflection that looks like him even weirder." He really hadn't said anything about it, but he had to admit it though... "I was thinking about it, but I'd rather not risk it." But now he was curious as to what the deal was.

"I will talk to them about it again." He said, though he wasn't sure he would get an answer still. Though, with them worried, it might be the best time to ask. It will make them more inclined to answer. "Am I a bad person? I'm seriously considering using my parents' worrying as a tool to get them to answer me..." He admitted guiltily. It was definitely a dirty move to do such a thing, but if his past was on the line, wasn't it their fault in the first place? He sighed, not sure he was even playing fairly anymore.

[Argon Jaden]

"You're a terrible person and you know it." He retorted with a smirk, though his eyes obviously said different. He was simply teasing. With a sigh, he lay down on the bed, and shot the pillow a longing look. Like he'd cuddle a pillow in front of the other. Sighing softly, he studied Brad, blue eyes unblinking.

"If they don't want to tell you..." He looked away, feeling a bit guilty for even going this far. There were so many risks going on, heck, if he woke up, would he even remember it? Possibly not. "... Don't you think that... They're only protecting you from what could hurt you? If... If you lost your memory, don't you think that something really traumatic happened? W-what if you were in pain and they didn't want you to feel that again?" Antonio was rambling, but after mulling over it, he realized that, what if he got hurt? He shook his head and sighed. The atmosphere between them had returned into one where he actually became quite loose-lipped.

"I'm rambling." He muttered. Somehow, he wanted the older man to remember, but the more he remembers, the more he could get hurt. What else did he remember anyway? "Yeah... What do you remember anyway?"

[MashuNeko]

Brad chuckled at the thought of being a terrible person. If he was truly a terrible person, he probably wouldn't have come back. He noticed Antonio looking at the pillow. "Go ahead, it needs a good cuddling anyways." He told him, shrugging his shoulders a bit. "I may have beat up on it when I was mad at my parents." He shook his head, taking a seat on the bed next to the other as he continued to speak.

His smile faded, because Antonio was right. What if they were just trying to protect him. That would certainly be a fair enough reason. It was true, if he remembered something really painful, it would hurt him. He needed to know though, it was so much better than having an empty hole where a good chunk of his life was. "But... Is it really better to not remember some of the best moments in your life? Isn't it better to remember what you had than to give it up just because it hurts?" He looked at his own hands as he twiddled his thumbs. "I mean, I think it hurts a lot more to not remember something important than to experience it." Brad usually wasn't one for words, but he really thought there was a lesson to learn from all of this. "It's a waste of perfectly good time to not remember it."

He smiled a little as he was ready to address the question. "I remember the fight over the Easter Bunny. That was pretty bad." He began with that, since it seemed more impacting. It was one of those times they really seemed to be different, but they were closer than they realized. "And, I should have been calling Ant this entire time. I came up with that name in the first place." He smirked a little as he said it. He thought about it, and lots of memories came up, but not many too significant. He was glad he was remembering the little things too, but he was aiming more for the large scale stuff. "Little bits here and there, but nothing else really exciting."

He thought back to when Brad asked about how close they were. To him, it seemed like they were in separable. Obviously, something managed to separate them, but he needed to know what. Other than that, it really seemed like they were more than just friends, even if only a little. Did he even want to be more than close friends though? They definitely seemed to get along just fine. Was this even his real body? If not, where was it? Not the point here. He could tell he was definitely starting to form a crush on the other man, but they both knew about the awkward romances thing. Had Brad ever even told him about it? No, he couldn't have. He resolved not to. He still couldn't manage to sort this issue out, but he would get it eventually. He just needed to remember the rest.

[Argon Jaden]

He pondered on that for a moment. It was true, on Brad's part at least. After all, satisfaction brings thecdead cat back to life. It was his life, his past, not Antonio's. These thoughts echoed in his head as Brad spoke. Although he had permission to cuddle the Pillow, he was tempted to cuddle someone else. Though he didn't completely understand everything, he knew pain. And the look on his face simply made him want to... He sighed, getting up and crawling behind the other. That's when he draped his arms around his shoulders, in a hug of sorts. "I think you need more cuddling than the pillow." He complained, ignoring whatever heated look he had. Sighing, he discreetly took in his scent, a bad habit he knew. Well, maybe he was allowed a bit more freedom now? "Brad, if you're really intent on getting those back, then you will. Just give it time. You're already starting to remember bit by bit. Baby steps, remember?" Antonio's voice was uncharacteristically soft, much different from the sarcastic tone he always uses. A smile graced his face and His eyes twinkled.

"But I'm telling you, the Easter Bunny does exist." He repeatedd before glaring playfully at Brad. "I'm no ant. Just because you're taller doesn't make me a tiny ant." He grumbled with a pout. He didn't move from his draped position, feeling quite comfortable. After all, it was a nostalgic feeling. Though yes, Antonio himself had his memories slightly blurred, he remembers a lot of things. Noticing the look on the other man's face, he shifted position, body shining.

"What are you thinking of?" The question came out quietly, tenderly even. He was just curious because he hated not knowing what other people wete thinking about. Then he realized that it was probably because he was still draped over him in a hug. Clearing his throat, the blue eyed male coughed. "Um, sorry. Kinda got carried away." He muttered, moving away slightly.

[MashuNeko]

It should have been weird when Antonio hugged him, but really, it felt comforting. It was nice, even if a bit unlike what he remembered. Yeah, baby steps. He'd take it little by little, letting the memories come back to him. He chuckled a bit, letting the other male speak for a bit. "Geez... I never called you Ant because you were shorter." He explained, shaking his head a bit as he looked at the other. "It was always because I knew too many Tony's." That was true. In fact, it was his first thought when he learned, or remembered, Antonio's name.

Brad getting ready to answer with his usual 'that's for me to know and you to not know' thing until Anthony started to move away. "Oh, no you don't." He grabbed Antonio's arms, pulling him back into the hug, regardless of any protests he might have. He even arranged himself so that he had one arm wrapped around Antonio as well. "This is more comfortable." He said, although his cheeks were beginning to blaze with red. He enjoyed being really close with the other man, and he didn't want him to move away. He didn't even want him to go away. He didn't want him to go back into the mirror world, he didn't want him to start feeling sick again, he wanted Antonio right here beside him.

"Anyway, I was thinking about our relationship again." He said, deciding it was best to be truthful. "It's kinda hard for me to decide this alone, you know." He looked at the other man, wondering just what exactly he thought of it. "I don't care what we were before, what do you wanna be now?" He still waned to remember, but it was the present now. Granted, he probably wouldn't be there forever. That was fine. He'd probably disappear when Brad finally remembered everything, and then he could try and find the real Antonio. And if the real Antonio didn't remember any of this, he would probably just say it was all a dream. It sounded better than what actually happened, considering probably no one would believe him.

[Argon Jaden]

"H-hey!!" It was pretty hard for him to keep his expression even. He was getting hugged, and despite their current sitiation, Antonio could feel himself relaxing into the position, maybe a little too much. The pale blonde sighed, closing his eyes. "I'm not explaining if your dad catches us again." He mumbled in warning, snuggling close, despite the roaring in his ears. Wait, that was just a stupid body part that refused to shut up. Pursing his lips, he opened his eyes, but refused to look at Brad.

His face heated up even more as he heard the other speak. What would he say? What would he do? Isn't it too fast? Wait, why was he even overthinking? This isn't his forte. Antonio confused himself more and more, unconscioysly clenching his hands. He chewed on his bottom lip, trying to calm the butterflies and the nerves. How did Brad get past his defenses without him noticing? "Y-you do know how terrible you are at romance, right?" He stuttered, finally looking up at him with a stubborn look. "That... Didn't dampen the mood too much, did it?" He asked with a nervous chuckle. After a while, he cleated his throat, trying to look away. He knew he tended to stare, and right now, that would be a bit awkward.

"W-what I want t-to be n-now..." He nervously licked his lips, and sighed, meeting his eyes with a stubborn expression. "Shouldn't I be asking you? I mean, w-what do you even see me as?"

[MashuNeko]

It was odd, thinking how normal it seemed for them to be doing this. Then again, it didn't seem so odd if his dad caught them doing this once before. It just felt so natural, so right. It was a bit embarrassing that he wanted Antonio to be so close, yes, but that didn't stop it from feeling right. He watched Antonio with expecting eyes, waiting and watching, trying to figure what he was gonna say. Rejection was fine, he didn't care. He just needed to know what Antonio wanted too.

Unfortunately, he just seemed to be making it more difficult than it needed to be. He rolled his eyes, waiting for Antonio's droning to stop. "You really wanna see how bad I am at romance?" He questioned, his eyes being quite serious. A seriousness that told Antonio to be afraid of what was coming next, because what Brad was about to say would scare even himself. He clenched his eyes shut, his one free hand clenching the sheet tightly before he looked at Antonio straight-faced. "Do you wanna kiss me or not?" The instant the words left his mouth, he regretted even saying them. He practically feel the heat emanating from himself out of sheer embarrassment. He wouldn't be surprised if Antonio could feel it too. Unfortunately, that was his best pick-up line. At least it was totally original.

He immediately closed his eyes, not wanting to open them for anything. He could hear his own heartbeat thumping rapidly, as if it were going to explode. His stomach was in knot after knot, on top of the butterflies. His mind was befuddled, his train of thought derailing instantly. His breaths were short lived, each one leaving as quickly as it entered. His nerves felt like they ached the longer he waited for some sort of answer. He felt totally paralyzed in fear of what was coming.

[Argon Jaden]

"..."

His face heated up at that. How many times must they go through this?! The pick-up lines were, are, terrible. Time didn't change that. At all. He sighed, feeling his own face heat up in a blush. There was annoying thundering in his ears, wait that was his heart beating way too loud, and the floating feeling in his stomach. His chest was getting tighter and tighter as he tried to keep his breathing even. He needed to calm down. Swallowing, he tried to keep his voice steady. "How many times must I yell you about talk... Talking like that jeeze!" He complained.

Still, it only took one look. All that emotion he tried to keep locked up flowed out. He nervously chewed his bottom lip, hand reaching up despite his protests. His fingers danced across Brad's cheek, softly caressing his face as Antonio waited for his reaction. Regardless of that, he gently carded his fingers through his hair, feeling it underneath his fingers, before he let go and mercilessly whacked him on the head. His cheeks were red and his heart was going overdrive. "That's for that stupid line!! You could just do whatever and I won't protest!! L-like this-!!"

He swiftly pressed their lips together, feeling a shock run down his spine as he visibly shuddered. The feeling was pleasant, making him feel giddy but embarrassed. A second later, he pulled away, looking anywhere but at Brad. It was slowly coming back; all those emotions. All the blushing made his eyes water and his heart race. Antonio cleared his throat. "A-at least that w-way I won't g-get to h-hear t-those painful lines." He murmured, stuttweing wonderfully.

[MashuNeko]

Well, despite the horrible way of saying it, things could have been going much worse. Brad still refused to open his eyes, even as he felt the fingers of the other man gently racing across his cheek, and then his hair. It certainly could have been wor- "Ow!" Of course. Too good to be true. Besides, if just wouldn't have felt like Antonio if he didn't give Brad a good whack upside the head for that. He finally opened his eyes to complain that it was Antonio's fault, but he found a surprise instead.

Quickly, he found his own lips pressed against Antonio's. This was what he was waiting for. Not necessarily the approval, but the answer. The kiss left him feeling something, perhaps an overwhelming joy. He wasn't entirely sure, but he liked the feeling as it sent a tingle through his lips. It ended nearly as fast as it started, leaving Brad completely red-faced and teary eyed. Apparently, Antonio wasn't much better. "It was your fault!" He complained, unable to look directly at him. "I asked you a simple question, but God forbid you give me a straight answer!" The stuttering, he recognized from back then too now. Antonio always stuttered when he was mad, upset, or embarrassed.

Regardless of it being just past nine, Brad felt strangely tired. He could deal with a little more sleep, but he wasn't eager to. He was still wide awake, and he felt like he needed to go talk to his parents. He needed to know what happened to Antonio, why he couldn't remember anything. His parents were going to tell him, because he was going to tell them he remembered his best friend.

[Argon Jaden]

"My fault?!" He growled right back. "You ask a question and I answer it the way I answer!!" Antonio rebutted, blushing like mad. How was he going to answer to that? He didn't even know if Brad felt what he felt because he couldn't even look at him. It was like his first kiss all over again. It annoyed him. Grumbling to himself, he gingerly touched his lips, the tingling feeling still there. It was good, in a strangecway, one that left him blushing like a lovestruck puppy. What was wrong with him?!

"So... You got your answer." He said, a bit louder so that Brad would hear. "What now?" The blue eyes man asked, still refusing to look at him. Until the tingling fades, he felt like he can't look at Brad. That swift... Touch of the lips had probably revealed more than what he was supposed to; heck his body was still tingling.

He did peek up shyly at Brad though. But this time, he was contemplating on askin him what he was thinking about. Antonio felt that the wall he kept trying
to build up would crash down at this rate, definitely not a good thing. He cleared his throat again, not really sure he could trust his own tongue, before he looked away.

[MashuNeko]

Brad ignored the grumbling, his body still pulsing with heat on each beat of his heart. Antonio may have been annoying sometimes, but he couldn't deny that he really liked him. Maybe even loved him. It was still to be decided, but for now, he was certain they would be a couple. He hoped anyway. More tears began to form in his eyes as he considered what was going to happen to Antonio when he finally remembered everything. Was he just going to disappear? Was he going to go back to his own self? He had no idea what was gonna happen.

He looked at the other man, serious glare in his eyes. "Now, I want you to promise me something." He said, almost a bit offensively. Of course he didn't mean it that way. "Just... Promise me that you'll stay with me. I already lost you once, for one reason or another. I don't want to lose you again." The sentiment of that statement made the tears finally break away from his eyes and stream down his cheeks lightly. It was unusual of Brad to say something like that, but he didn't know if he could handle losing Antonio again.

Then came the issue of talking with his parents. Maybe tomorrow. For now, he just needed to let them know he was home. He was able to do that with a simple text to his dad's phone. He basically just told them he needed some space and that he shut his phone off to help with that. He apologized for worrying them, then said he was home but going to sleep. It was a long message, but rightfully so. "We're free to do what we want up here." He said, deciding to lay down on his bed. "They shouldn't bother me. I'll talk to them tomorrow, since it's already so late." He just really didn't want to ruin what moments that had there, hidden away in Brad's room. He didn't care if those moments weren't the sweetest ones, heck he even hoped they wouldn't be sweet. He just wanted there to be something he could remember tomorrow.

[Argon Jaden]

"Huh..." He murmured, looking confused before a glare graced his features. "Idiot, why do you think I'm here?" Antonio grumbled, snorting at that. Still, he looked up at Brad and groaned, cracking at the sight. He really, really liked Brad, more than that he knew, and though he was the weaker one, physically at least, he knew that he hated seeing him cry. It was a thing. He didn't like it. He brushed away his tears, giving him a look that said 'seriously?'. "Look, I won't leave you, okay? Stop being a drama queen. Youre stealing my title." He joked, quickly letting go.

Following his lead, the pale blonde man flopped down on the bed, grabbed the pillow and cuddled it. If there was one thing in this room that he loved, it was the pillows. They were softer and fluffier and they calmed him down by a lot. Breathing in the smell, he allowed himself to relax, a soft smile gracing his lips. Blue eyes flicked up at Brad as he snuggled closer into the pillow.

"Well, with the parental units out of the way, wgat do you want to do?" He asked softly, the blush in his cheeks fading. He was pretty much recovering now, which is a good thing considering the incident mere minutes ago was forgotten. Usually, they'd bicker a lot when they were alone, often resulting in pillow fights, dares, betting games and sometimes other stuff that he'd rather not mention. He poked Brad to get his attention, repeating it again and again.

[MashuNeko]

Brad wasn't trying to be a crybaby or anything like that. It was just the sentiments that were getting to him, the embarrassment, the heat of the moment. If so much wasn't happening so fast, he probably wouldn't have been crying. When his tears were being wiped away, he urged to move away, but resisted. "Yeah, well... Let's see you remember someone important in your life that you forgot, it'd make anyone drama queen." He argued, looking away finally.

He lay there, staring at the ceiling. "I dunno. What can we do?" He replied, almost unsure what there was to do here alone. He could probably grab some playing cards or something, if Antonio wanted. If he knew Brad's house, he knew they had some around here somewhere. They could talk, but there were several things they could do while talking, so he didn't count that. What was it they used to do? They would play poker for snacks, he remembered that. Brad always seemed to lose. He just had a bad poker face was all. "Remember when you caught me cheating at cards?" He asked, looking at Antonio with an amused look on his face. "I really wanted those chips though." That was only once though, and he never cheated again. That was just a funny thing to remember, or he wouldn't have said anything.

[Argon Jaden]

"My title still, crybaby." Antonio snickered softly. He wasn't the soft, cuddly type of person, that much was obvious, but he didn't want to see Brad cry like this. He just, didn't know how to react. Would it be alright to hug him? Probably not, two hugs was too, much in one day.

When the memory of him cheating at cards came up, the blonde cuddled the pillow harder, rolling his eyes. "Yeah. And I don't even know how to play cards, but I knew you were cheating. You cheat." He said, nuzzling the pillow and shooting him a playful glare. "We used to play truth or dare like little girls back then." He said with a laugh, smiling fondly. "Still remember what a sock tastes like?"

[MashuNeko]

Brad laughed, though he scrunched his nose at the thought of tasting socks. "Yeah, of course I do. I hope you were happy with that, because I refused to wear socks for a week!" He told him. It was horrible when they played truth or dare. They sometimes asked each other embarrassing questions and they always dared each other to do something weird. "I seriously thought socks were the most horrible thing ever for that whole week! My mom and dad thought I was going through a phase." He still never liked socks anymore, and he remembered why. At least he got over it though, and was back to wearing them as needed.

He saw Antonio cuddling his pillow. He kind of wished it was him being cuddled instead, but maybe that was just too weird for one day. So he didn't say anything, but it did remind him of something. "Remember when we first cuddled?" It sounded embarrassing, but it wasn't to him. "It was when we had a sleep over once, and we decided it'd be fine to sleep in the same bed. I woke up, but I couldn't get out of your iron grip." He laughed at that memory. He tried so hard to not wake Antonio up while trying his best to get out of the hold. He was sure it must have looked silly from the point of someone watching it.

[Argon Jaden]

"It was your socks so I'm sure it tasted terrible." He agreed with a laugh. Although Brad eventually got over it, it was fun to tease him about the socks, one of the many things he had 'dared' the other to put in his mouth. Too bad he hasn't dared him to lick his own foot though... hmmm... "Hey. I dare you to lick your own foot. Bet you a ten that you can't do it." Antonio challenged with a laugh. One of the many unsanitary tortures he loved forcing on the other.


The memory made him smile and shake his head. How could he forget such an embarrassing memory. Of course he did, though he couldn't help but tease slightly. "What? You want a hug too? Or would you rather have me put you in that choke hold?" He teased with a laugh, taunting him by hugging the pillow closer, sticking his tongue out.

[MashuNeko]

Brad just shook his head at the dare. "I think not." He said, disregarding the dare entirely. He knew he could lick his own foot, but Antonio just wanted the satisfaction of seeing something so ridiculous. "Unless you're up for kissing the pillows some more." He smirked with the thought in mind, teasing the other man with some kissing noises. Being a cuddler, it was always a thing with Brad to dare Antonio to kiss his own pillows. This time, it was Brad's pillows, but it was the same idea. It was funny no matter who's pillows they were.

Brad just gave him an odd look. "Well, I wouldn't mind..." He said truthfully. He certainly wouldn't mind having another hug. "Except I'm pretty sure you'd kill me before I could escape this time." Antonio had a pretty good grip, even in his sleep. He'd probably make for a good wrestler. "Besides, I think we can both agree there's been enough touching for one night." Maybe. The thought of them cuddling in bed was actually not a bad idea. It was more comfortable, and if made him feel better. That was probably why Brad and Antonio slept so particularly well at that sleep over.

[Argon Jaden]

"Well, at least the pillows smell nice without brushing its nonexistent teeth." He replied with a smirk, sticking his tongue out and making a show of cuddling the pillow like it was a lifeline. Well, this is Brad. He already experienced it first hand, Antonio could care less, and besides, the pillow was soft and fluffy. "Plus its so soft... Far softer than someone I know. And it doesn't try to wake me up when i cuddle it." He continued, wrapping all limbs around the pillow to prove his point. Pillows were good, and cuddly. Why others couldn't see that, he didn't know. "You just can't lick your foot... Or your sock... Or anyone's foot or socks." He chided with a smirk, trying to get under his nerves.

At hearing what he said, blue eyes narrowed and he half pouted, half scowled at the older male. True, he has a death grip, but he didn't mean to go as far as kill him. "If you want to see me kill you then you should know that I prefer torturing my victims rather than killing them." He joked with a low growl. However, the more the blonde studied him, the more he read that expression. He snorted, unimpressed. "You should really brush up on your denying skills. I'm guessing your parents still find out about you taking cookies from the jar, just because you suck at being in denial." Antonio laughed, before rolling so he was facing away from Brad, to grab another pillow, plopping it between them, and getting the remaining two pillows so he was cuddled in between all four pillows.

From the other side of the pillow wall, kissing sounds was heard, followed by a chuckle. His voice rang playfully. "Dare finished. I can't believe you still back out from dares." He taunted. Who's the pillow kisser now? "So? Can you? Can you not? I'm betting that you can't do it." Taunting, it was a pretty annoying move, one he easily cracked under, but he too can use it against others.

[MashuNeko]

Brad just shook his head. He knew how bad the socks were, he wasn't going to lick his own foot. He just watched Antonio with a tired look on his face. "Actually, I got a lot better at taking the cookies." He stated, chuckling. "The key is to wipe the crumbs away." A solution so simple, but he couldn't think of it for a while. It was pretty embarrassing, but still an accomplishment. Most kids everywhere would appreciate the tip. "Oh, and don't drink milk to get rid of the smell. Use water, or soda. No one would ever suspects soda and cookies." Oddly enough, cookies and soda tasted pretty good to him. He continued to use it as a method to this day, but not as frequently as he once would.

Shaking his head, he decided to prove a point. "Alright, the bet is that I can't?" Pulling up his foot, he kept it close enough to lick, but he didn't actually lick it. This was certainly proof that he could, since it wasn't even an inch away from his face. He just decided not to. Releasing his foot, he looked over. "Looks like I could if I wanted to. I just don't want to." That did hurt trying to keep his foot up so long, but that was just a minor detail. He proved his point, but knowing Antonio, he'd still probably criticize Brad for not doing what he wanted him to do. "Besides, the only reason I backed out from dares before is because you always went overboard. Seriously, do you even remember the things you would try and get me to do?" He could annoying with the dares sometimes, but regardless, it was still all in harmless fun, even if Brad didn't follow through with the dares.

[Argon Jaden]

"I can't believe it took you how many years to realize that."He joked with a laugh, remembering the numerous number of times they both took cookies, but only Brad would be questioned. Kind of sad actually. Antonio shook his head, watching his with a soft smile. There were lots of things that he missed doing, and taking cookies from the jar was one of them. Upon hearing the other about licking the foot, he snickered.

"You still can't. You can bring it close to your face, but not lick it." He taunted with a laugh, sitting up to toss the pillow at his face. "And Know what? I've been pretty mild with the dares compared to some that you dared me. You didn't even do my extreme ones." The blonde complained, which in all reality was quite true. He had dared Brad to use the girl's bathroom once, walk to the park with only his underwear on and of course, his personal favorite, try to annoy at least three people with homicidal tendencies. It was fun. For him at least. He snickered. "Wuss." Mumbling to the pillow so the other wouldn't hear, until he chucked the pillow at his head.

[MashuNeko]

"Why would I?" He asked in response to the extreme dares. "Or have you never thought of the trouble I would get in?" He was starting to think Antonio would never grow up. None of those extreme dares were even close to worth the trouble. Besides, only Brad would be getting in trouble, not even Antonio. No one ever believed him when he said it was Antonio's idea in the first place. It was usually just him trying to get out of trouble, or so they thought. Most of the time, it really was Antonio's idea. "Tell you what, you do your own extreme dares, and I'll do them with you." At least then it wouldn't be just Brad getting trouble. They would both be getting into it.

Somehow, he realized that now they were having a memory war. Each one was trying to embarrass the other more than themselves, bringing up things that would make the other seem less cool. Well, they both certainly had things about them that weren't cool, but overall, he had to say that Antonio was winning this one. "You know what? Doesn't even matter." He said throwing the pillow back at him. "I was always more athletic. I could out-swim and out-run you any day." He always knew he could. It was easy, at least later when he had more practice. Although, he had those times when he would let Antonio win, pretending to be out of breath. Sometimes, he just felt bad for winning so badly, and sometimes he just needed to rub it in.

[Argon Jaden]

"You're the one who gets in trouble. It's okay." He replied, catching the pillow. He harshly tossed it at his face. Of course he gets to do his stuff. HE always does. But then again, these dares were designed for someone to embarrass themselves, and Antonio was not one of those. HE smirked. "Do it with me right now. If you forget..." He waved his hands. "I'm semi-invisible." He said with a laugh.

When the topic of Athleticism came up, the paler man scowled. Oh sure he was. "So? I can out-cook you any day. You can have sports, I have arts." He said, smirking at Brad. He brushed his pale blonde hair back and flopped back down on the bed, cuddling the pillow. "And besides, you do all the work anyway." That was quite true when it came to physical subjects. It always is.

[MashuNeko]

Of course that was one minor- actually, major- fact that Brad didn't consider. No one would even notice Antonio, they'd only be looking at the most obvious person there. Then only he would be the one humiliated. Actually, if he hadn't said anything, Brad might have been up to one of those extreme dares that very moment. He needed a cover and fast. "I can see that. Obviously, I didn't mean right now." He scoffed at Antonio, trying to protect his sense of pride. "It would be kind of pointless for us to try it, and me be the only one suffering for it." Decent cover, but it took him a moment. Hopefully, Antonio wouldn't notice.

"I'll hand you cooking, but I haven't seen arts do anything special." He said smiling, looking a bit smug. "Last I checked, it was athletics that kept the bullies and the fat away." Of course, healthy eating also kept fat away, but at least with athletics, you had a little more leniency when it came to sweets, and Brad certainly loved sweets. He couldn't cook to save his life, or he'd likely starve or die of food poisoning. Antonio was the one he would go to when he wanted something sweet, but no one else was in the mood to cook. It was funny how Brad would sometimes sneak into the place in the middle of the night just so he could get a fresh batch of brownies or cookies. Oh, how he really missed those times.

[Argon Jaden]

"Nice save." He said with a haughty smirk. "Although if I didn't point it out, I'm sure you'd walk around the park at this hour in nothing but your batman underwear." Antonio added the low blow with a laugh. If memory serves him right, that certain piece of clothing was given by yours truly as a prank item. He laughed harder at the thought, pretty amused with the scene in his head. The park isn't open yet, so why not?

His blue eyes twinkled as he cuddled pillow,before crawling over to Brad. With an impish smirk, he tugged the other's shirt up and poked at his stomach, a mock thoughtful look on his face. "Well... That exercise doesn't seem to be working. I can feel some blubber here." He joked, poking his stomach again, and again, discreetely attempting to tickle-poke him.

[MashuNeko]

Brad pouted, taking a moment to move his hair out of his eyes. Unfortunately, he was right... Except for the part about the batman underwear. He actually wondered if he still had those. Even though they were a prank gift, they were still more comfortable than anything else he had. Which was sad. "Yeah, laugh it up now short stuff." He said, unable to hide the chuckle he had. He definitely was not about to go parading around in his underwear. "Honestly though, going out sounds pretty good, as long as I get to keep my clothes on." He said, wondering why they didn't. Nobody was up at this time of night, so it would be fun to go out and about with Antonio again. He just wasn't sure if he would.

"Blubber?" He repeated, laughing heartily at the comment. "This is not blubber. This is muscle, even if it's not a lot." He said, almost unable to resist the urge to flex for the other. Pulling his leg up and patting it proudly, he continued. "These are where my real muscles are though." He said proudly. And why wouldn't he? He considered doing a lot of things, but being a track runner wasn't one of them. He just did it and loved it, without even thinking. He placed first in many of the racing games they held when they were both in school and the muscles in his legs allowed him to be a decent swimmer. What possible reason did he have for not being proud of his legs?

[Argon Jaden]

"Hey!!" Okay, so maybe he was a tad bit sensitive about his height. It kind of sucks for him since there are actually girls who point out that he's... On the shorter end. Specially when he's with the guys. Antonio narrowed his eyes. "How about we walk out with only one kind of clothing on? I meant half-naked if you prefer that." He snickered. There are plenty of ways for a semi invisible silvery reflection to tease him. It was a bit cruel, but it was fun, and honestly, what could be the worst case scenario? Bumping into cops? Well, worst case would be bumping into the photography club and that pretty much happened already. Of course, they weren't walking around naked but the images were still equally embarrassing.

When Brad patted his leg, the blonde rolled his eyes. So what if he wasn't that athletic? He only swims freestyle and nothing else, and no, he isn't a fast swimmer at all, but he can manage. He playfully patted the leg, as if testing how strong the muscles were before shrugging. "You should lessen on the cold stuff. It's making your leg fats hard." He said with a snicker. Claim them as muscles all he wanted, Antonio says they're fats. That's that and he can change his mind about it, no matter what the persuasion.

[MashuNeko]

He was pretty intent on making Brad go out into public with little to no clothes on... He smirked, looking at the shorter man as if he were amused. "Wait, I think I get it." He said, pausing for a moment. "You want me to take my clothes off so you can stare at me, right?" He playfully accused. "You know, if you wanna check me out, all you have to do is ask." He stuck his tongue out at Antonio. Maybe that should have been his first pick-up line instead. But no, he wasn't thinking straight and he said something stupider instead.

Pouting again, Brad was becoming dissatisfied with the refusal to admit that he had no fat on him. "You keep thinking that. At least I have muscles." He let his leg back down with a plop. "I think you're just jealous." Of course, he was only teasing. As long as Antonio would keep cooking, Brad was perfectly happy with whatever he was. He really wanted some cookies now. Maybe some cupcakes instead. He'd have to check and see what sort of things they had in the kitchen, and maybe he could convince this jerk to bake something.

[Argon Jaden]

"...!?"

The utter look of surprise, embarrassment and annoyance mixed in with some other unreadable emotion turned the blonde's face bright red. He glared dutifully at Brad. "I wasn't even thinking of it that way, you idiot!!" He protested. Well, he was thinking about it now to be honest. And when his intentions were clean and pure too. A soft groan escaped past his lips as he grabbed the nearest pillow and began to mercilessly beat Brad with it. "Exhibitionist!!" Antonio chided.

The comment about being jealous only earned a few more harsh thwacks from the poor pillow. The shorter male was indeed merciless when it came to pillows. "Just because you're hot stuff doesn't mean everyone sees it that way." He added, whacking him on the head again. It's also not a known fact, but he's pretty good in pillow fights. "Every. Time. I. Make. Something. You. Breathe. It. In. Faster. Than. I. Can. Say. A. Word." He emphasized each word with a strong, yet playful thump with the pillow. Antonio enjoyed it, and besides, payback for calling him short and giving him weird thoughts.

[MashuNeko]

The look on his face was priceless. Brad could only laugh while he was getting pummeled with a pillow. "Totally worth it!" He said between the beatings. He did always enjoy embarrassing Antonio like that. It was pretty easy too, as it was by twisting his earlier statement into something just as bad, if not worse. "I regret nothing." He said as he made an attempt to grab the pillow away from the other man, but it was useless. Antonio was just ruthless when it came to pillow fights. He won every single one of them as far as could be remembered.

Taking in a few more heavy whacks from the pillow, he couldn't take it anymore. As soon as it came down, he grabbed for it while grabbing a nearby weapon of his own. As soon as he had the chance, he started retaliating with another pillow, whacking away and hoping his attacks hit. It was good feeling younger again, not that he was old. He was just happy he remembered stuff and that he was able to play around like they used to. He'd been having fun that he hadn't had in a while, and all because Antonio left. Where did he go anyways? He had to wonder, but it was beyond asking. All that mattered was that he was here now.

[Argon Jaden]

"I'll show you worth it!!" He growled playfully, continuing his onslaught of pillows. Antonio was partially annoyed, but more amused and enjoying himself, so all was well. Despite the very brutal attacks, the pale blonde was soon laughing, expertly blocking Brad's attacks. Though admittedly, the other was far more athletic, he was far better when it came to pillow fights. Yes, he may have quite the rude disposition, but a childish side of him is revealed whenever the two of them are alone. It had been so long that he almost forgot what it felt like to wonder if he'd wake up tomorrow or disappear in the next second. It felt... Refreshing, to say the least.

A lucky shot managed to thump him on the chest and he decided to bring out the big guns. Most people disregard the fact that Pillow Fights are all about evasiveness, persistence and timing. Most just hit and hit, but there's actually a few tricks that works. Grinning, his blue eyes sparked with mischief as he ducked under a swing, letting go of his pillow to grab the one Brad was using, before tackling the other man. His own pillow was back in his hands as he used it to further beat the other into surrendering, taking advantage of the surprise. He laughed. "Regret it and apologize right now!!" Antonio joked, continuing to assault him with the pillow.

[MashuNeko]

Everything was going so well... Well, not really. Brad was still getting beat up, but managed in a hit and felt a bit proud. Though it really wasn't anything to feel proud about, he continued his attacks as far as he could manage. Which wasn't much. Antonio just kept dodging, and then beating in his face some more. Granted, it never actually hurt, it was still bad to lose to someone who was weaker. He tried his hardest, but was unable to win. Because just as he saw Antonio's grin, it was too late.

He suddenly felt a tackle, and his pillow was taken out of his hands. Now, he was being pummeled yet again, and this time with no defense. Maybe this was just the thing he needed though... Trying to cover his face, Brad called out to him. "Alright, alright! You win!" He said among the laughter. He waited for the other to stop attacking him before he went on. "Tell you what. My parents are probably asleep right now. Why don't we go celebrate your victory with a midnight snack?" Hopefully, Antonio wouldn't see through his trap. He couldn't wait to have something freshly backed again, and he really wanted to share something sweet with Antonio again. Those were pretty much the best things he could remember.

[Argon Jaden]

"Good. Glad you acknowledge it." He said with a triumphant nod, not moving from his position. It felt good to look down (literally) after you've won something, but he still kept the pillow close. You may never know when he gets annoying again. Antonio tilted his head to the side, raising a brow at that suggestion. Now, he wasn't particularly stupid, but he kind of knew what they meant, subtley at least. He leaned back slightly, making a soft humming sound at the back of his throat.

He hasn't been in a legitimate kitchen in forever, and he kind of missed it. Plus, he didnt know how long he'd have left. The pale blonde looked at Brad. "Knowing you, you just want me to bake." He deadpanned, before grinning. Getting up, he stretched slightly, unaware of his form flickering for a second, before he turned back to Brad. "What ingredients do you have? And for what?"

[MashuNeko]

A grin crept up on Brad's face as Antonio guessed entirely what he wanted. Well, it was Antonio, and he should have remembered Brad's tricks anyhow. He noticed a sort of flicker in the form of the silver man, which kind of bothered him, but he ignored it. It was probably nothing. Instead, his eyes lit up at the thought of getting something sweet and freshly baked. "Let's go find out." He told the other, taking him by the arm and practically dragging him down to the kitchen. Basically, he got kidnapped, though it didn't really count if he was already in the house. Or if he was in his own house for that matter, which he usually was when he was dragged to the kitchen before. Sometimes not, but usually.

Brad made him wait at the counter while he raided his own pantry, looking for stuff they could bake with. In other words, looking for stuff Antonio could bake with. He dug out a bunch of things for baking and brought them over to the counter. There should be enough here. "I'm feeling like brownies tonight." He said, rushing over to the fridge for the cold ingredients. "And then some milk to wash them down. We have plenty." It was as if Antonio had no choice in the matter. When it came to his baking, it was usually like that. Brad decided what would be made and what they would have with it. If it was argued otherwise, he whined until he got his way. He supposed he was still childish when it came to those things, and perhaps he still would be. He was sure Antonio wouldn't want to find out.

[Argon Jaden]

"H-hey!!" Why did it feel like this happened one too many tines before? He didn't even get a word out as Brad dumped things on the counter... A large quantity of them were completely irrelevant. He picked up a packet of dried fruits and raising from the small pile, give it a look. Fruity brownies... Really?

"... I thought you'd rather have brownies than fruitcake." He said bluntly, setting it down with a sigh. Of all the things he had to get. He decided on making the basic type, one that required barely half an hour.

Whenever he was baking alone, it always took five minutes or less, but with brad here, the preparation of the brownies went a tad bit longer as he ordered the other to beat the eggs, grease the pan, ready the oven, grab some peanuts, abd then some chocolate chips, which he knew was hidden away from the other. Ten messy minutes later, after he decided to stop the other from making a mess while 'helping' him, he placed the pan inside the oven, setting it to twenty minutes. He sighed and glanced at the kitchen, remembering why he shouldn't let this man in here.

"... It's a mess... Remind me to forever lock you out of the kitchen." He added, trying his best to get the sticky chocolate mix off the counter.

[MashuNeko]

Brad didn't really pay attention when he brought stuff out for cooking. He just brought stuff out. He was too excited to care what. Chuckling nervously, he couldn't think of anything to say to his comment. Soon, they went to work making the sweets.

Brad was ordered to do a lot, a lot that he wasn't used to. He made the simplest of things look difficult, which was why he would never be the one cooking in the first place. If he ever had to live on his own, he resolved to surviving on microwave and toaster food. Ramen noodles, macaroni and cheese, waffles, bagels, that sort of stuff. As he started to mix in a lot of the stuff, he managed to sneak some chocolate chips for himself. Antonio thought he was so clever in trying to hide them, but Brad knew better when it came to sweets. He wondered if he noticed Brad "test tasting" some of the mix himself. It was a long ten minutes before the brownies were put in the oven, and he had a real good look around the kitchen.

He looked at the other man as he tried to clean up some of the mix. "Well, you should have known better." He told him, grabbing some paper towels and wetting them with warm water. "I never belonged in the kitchen in the first place." He laughed about it, since he knew what disasters he was capable of. His parents knew as well. He started wiping everything down that was messy, tossing one of the wet objects toward the chef himself, aiming for his face. "You get that side, I'll get this side." And still, his parents would only notice the mess they made if they weren't too busy, which they always were. The only thing left was to wait the long, excruciating twenty minutes for the brownies to be done.

[Argon Jaden]

When the wet tissue landed on his cheek, he narrowed his eye, immediately feeling the chocolatey stain on his skin. He wordlessly threw the wads of tissue before throwing his own was at Brad's face in retalliation. His blue eyes glinted as he smirked. "Missed a spot." He said, before going back to cleaning.

He didn't like messy kitchens, and honestly, he felt bad for whoever Brad was going to end up with, himself included. "At least learn how to cook properly... And stop taste testing things." Antonio gave him a challenging look. He knew that the other would've tasted the mix, plus, he left evidence.

"You have chocolate on your face." He said with a grin, reaching up to wipe at it with the pad of his thumb, and licking the chocolate off. He too liked chocolate, but refrained from eating the ingredients while he was cooking. Right now though, he was done and the bag of chocolate chips was resting on the counter, half empty. Did Brad think he was the only one who snuck food? Glancing at the timer, he nodded to himself. Fifteen more minutes and then it was done, but of course, he wanted to cool it first.

- - - Updated - - -

When the wet tissue landed on his cheek, he narrowed his eye, immediately feeling the chocolatey stain on his skin. He wordlessly threw the wads of tissue before throwing his own was at Brad's face in retalliation. His blue eyes glinted as he smirked. "Missed a spot." He said, before going back to cleaning.

He didn't like messy kitchens, and honestly, he felt bad for whoever Brad was going to end up with, himself included. "At least learn how to cook properly... And stop taste testing things." Antonio gave him a challenging look. He knew that the other would've tasted the mix, plus, he left evidence.

"You have chocolate on your face." He said with a grin, reaching up to wipe at it with the pad of his thumb, and licking the chocolate off. He too liked chocolate, but refrained from eating the ingredients while he was cooking. Right now though, he was done and the bag of chocolate chips was resting on the counter, half empty. Did Brad think he was the only one who snuck food? Glancing at the timer, he nodded to himself. Fifteen more minutes and then it was done, but of course, he wanted to cool it first.

[MashuNeko]

The wet tissue hitting him back was, of course, no surprise. He just let down his guard too soon. He was about to chuck it back before deciding it was best to clean up before they ended up forgetting. Then they couldn't enjoy chocolaty bliss when it was ready. "Oh don't worry, I know how to use a microwave." He said with a smirk. "As long as there's directions, I'll have no problems." Although he didn't address the last bit, it wasn't hard to know Brad would be the sweet sneak when it came to baking. That is, if anyone really knew him, which Antonio did. He was guilty as charged.

Also, he didn't really remember to clean up after himself. That would be another big give away. He went to wipe it himself, but Antonio beat him to it. "Hey, that was on my face, it was mine." He told him, giving a playful glare. "Next time, get your own." He ended by getting a couple of chocolate chips before shoving them in his mouth, then going back to cleaning up the mess, claiming a few more as he went along. He really couldn't help himself, and really, he was just a child on the inside. A child that got excited whenever sweets were involved.

The rest of the cleaning went... as smoothly as Brad would allow. Between occasionally smearing some chocolate chip that had melted in his hand onto Antonio's face, and then receiving whatever retaliation came with it, it had taken longer than he was hoping, but it had gotten done. He checked the timer on the oven, noticing it was just a couple more minutes. He was sure he could handle pouring them some milk. So as soon as he could, he grabbed a couple of small glasses and the milk, filling each about the same. He waited now just for the deliciousness to be done. He was rather anxious, and it shamelessly showed through.

[Argon Jaden]

"Yes, yes, a microwave." He replied casually, rolling his blue eyes. "Now I know that you plan on living with nothing but microwavables for your entire life." With no one to cookfor this guy, he was going to end up with stomach cancer if not ulcer. Antonio vaguely noticed the chocolate disappear bit by bit, followed by some smearing on his face. He glared at the culprit, wiping chocolate off Hus face, licking his fingers, washing his face in the sink, wetting a rag, slapping Brad's face with it and then using it to wipe the counter. He would've liked to wipe the other's face with the dirtied rag, but that would be too unsanitary, so he opted to chuck it at his face instead.

Of course, the other fidgetibg while waiting for the brownies to be done was amusing, he too began to look forward to it. Two minutes left on the clock, abd his blue eyes watched the timer tick. Just ad it rang, he grabbed the oven mitts and took the pan out, setting it aside to cool. The smell was mouthwatering, but he knew better than to lunge at it. It was still hot. "Give it a few minutes to cool... Unless you want tp burn your fingers and tongue." He said, smirking at the other.

[MashuNeko]

He just shrugged it off. "If I have to." He said with an uncaring look. It didn't bother him that he might never actually be able to cook. Still, at least a microwave was better than nothing. "I don't think I'll live just off of that though. Not as long as I can kidnap you at least." A small grin formed on his lips as he stared at the other. As long as Antonio would be around, he'd have decent meals. Even if he was annoying, he knew that Antonio wouldn't just let him starve. It was probably hard to admit, but he liked Brad.

The smell of the brownies just sitting there was tantalizing. He just watched the pan, moving his attention when the other spoke. He pouted, remembering when he first tried to eat before it cooled. "Yeah, don't want that happening again." For a while, there was a heated stinging on his tongue and he couldn't really taste anything. As much as he wanted to just eat them all right now, he had to be patient. He was good at it when he needed to be, but he was still bored when he was being patient. Taking a chocolate chip, he aimed it when Antonio wasn't paying attention. Flicking it with his finger, he watched as it hit him in the neck, snickering a bit as it did.

[Argon Jaden]

"I won't be the good little wife who'd cook for you, if that's what you're thinking." It was a bit true. The pale blonde knew that Brad would at least beg him to cook for him, and he knew that there would be little resistance, but it was fun to burst his bubble anyway. Besides, he wouldn't be here all the time.

He was pondering on this when the chocolate hit him on the back of the neck, making him cringe and glare at the other. He strolled over, grabbed some chocolate and smeared it all over his face. There was a triumphant grin on Antonio's face as he scooted away, licking the chocolate left in his fingers. "That's for flickinh food at me." He smirked.

[MashuNeko]

He was about to do another, but he realized his target was moving. Closer to him. He was surprised with chocolate in his face, and he instinctively shut his eyes as soon as he could. When it was over he looked at Antonio before started to wipe the chocolate off his face. "You say that like this is a punishment." He said between licking the chocolate off his fingers. "I'll have to fling food at you more often." No satisfaction of revenge for him this time. It was more of a reward to Brad, although he might need a shower when they are done with their snacks. He would also have to clean whatever food ended up on the floor again, which included his chocolate chip projectile.

He looked to the pan as he finished cleaning his face as much as he could. Not like he had a mirror anyways. Not like a mirror would do much good anyways. He would have to rely on his shower. "Is it done yet?" He asked, starting to get a bit impatient. As much fun as baking with Antonio was, the real fun of it was just enjoying the food with him and appreciating his arts. "I'm hungry!" Of course, his appreciation was shown by how much he liked it, not through words. He'd be sure to appreciate these brownies a lot.

[Argon Jaden]

When Brad began to get impatient, he snorted, giving him a playful glare. "Be patient. It's not like it'd take a thousand years for them to cool. Just give it another minute then you could gobble it up to your heart's content." He added sighing softly as he leaned back. This feeling was Nostalgia, burning through his chest. Again, his time here nagged him, making him uncomfortable.

"It is a cruel punishment, if I may add." He said , smirking at Brad. The pale blonde male relaxed slightly before moving towards the pan. He grabbed a knife and handed it to the other, making a go ahead motion with his hand. "At least learn how to use a knife." Antonio said, grinning at him. He was sure Brad could at least wield a knife to cut food. He ignored the second comment, rolling his eyes. Of course he would like chocolate on hisface, but at least he didn't get all of it. There was some smeared on his chin and forehead.

[MashuNeko]

He looked at Antonio, his face practically an aura of greediness. "It could take a thousand years! You never know!" He tried to act serious, but it was such a ridiculous exaggertion of time, he couldn't help but laugh at it. It had to have been cool by now, he was sure of it. He watched a little impatiently as the silvery man grabbed a knife. He waited expectantly before the knife was handed to him.

He made his way to the pan, wondering just how hard this could be. "Easy peasy." He said, measuring in his head how to cut it into even fourths. It was harder than it looked though, no doubt. He made cuts into three lines, each just a little crooked. He did the same thing again after rotating the warm pan a quick ninety degree angle. The lines weren't exactly the most even, but he could have done worse if he hadn't taken it slowly. "See? Easy." He remarked before grabbing the pan of the baked sweets and heading back over to the table, where two glasses awaited.

He patted one of the seats next to him, motioning for Antonio to take a seat so they could share. "Come on, I'm not gonna eat these all myself." He said before patting his belly. "I wouldn't want to get too much more flab." He knew he didn't really have flab, but he ate enough sweets that if he didn't run for a hobby, he probably would have a lot more of it.

[Argon Jaden]

"Easy he says..." Antonio repeated with a roll of his eyes. The pale blonde man watched him with a fond smile, blue eyes steady on him as he watched Brad's efforts. He needed practice, lots and lots of practice. Shaking his head, Antonio plopped down beside him, waiting for him to take the first bite.

"How is it?" HE asked after a moment, the same way he always does. He wanted to know if his skills diminished, if he should've added more chocolate, a little bit of sugar, cinnamon, or anything really. He gave Brad a tight lipped smile and playfully patted his stomach, feeling the 'flab' there. "Yeah.. you're getting kinda pudgy too..."

[MashuNeko]

Brad didn't even offer up the first one. He never did, but Antonio would always wait for him to try it first anyhow. "Perfect. Like always." He added quickly, taking the time to be nice since he decided to make these in the first place. He never had to, but the fact that he did meant that he cared. Or that Brad was too annoying for him to handle, but either way, the sweets were always greatly appreciated. Before he even got done with the first one, he grabbed another.

When his belly was patted, he looked at the other with narrowed eyes. "You know, if you really want, I can strip here too." He finished what was in his mouth before continuing. "All ya gotta do is ask." Quickly finishing his first brownie, he took a drink of his milk. That oughta get under his nerves a bit. He didn't mind being naked in his own home. He would really do it too. The first time Antonio tested him about it, within seconds, Brad was almost fully nude. Although he was stopped, it was funny all the same, seeing the reaction on the other's face. In a sense, he had no shame. Maybe he should have had a bit more decency, but it was Antonio. It wasn't like they weren't close to begin with.

[Argon Jaden]

"Glad you think of it that way then." He said, feeling relief flood him. After a while, he regained his posture and cleared his throat. Antonio began to quietly nibble on his brownie testing its taste and texture. It wasn't too shabby, but it was a little of from his usual caliber when it came to treats. He looked at Brad, snorting at his manner of eating. "At that rate, you'll really get fat." He muttered, reaching for a second piece.

Giving the other a glare, he shoved the brownie in his mouth, ignoring the heat creeping up his cheeks. "It's not my fault that you're such an exhibitionist." He added, licking his fingers for the sticky sweets. "This time, I won't even look if you do that so, go and be your exhibitionist self. I'm not looking." He said, trying to rebut that, turning around so his back was to Brad.

[MashuNeko]

He laughed as much as he could with food in his mouth before looking at the other. "I won't get fat. I'll stay fit, because I know how to burn this fat before it sticks with me." He knew of quite a few ways to burn the calories quickly. The two things that burned calories faster weren't even options. He hated dancing, and he wasn't about to just go around sleeping with anyone because he wanted to lose a few pounds. Running was among those top things that would burn his fat, so he would stick with that, making sure to get some good laps in tomorrow. He wasn't going to let the sweets beat him. He would beat the sweets instead.

Watching the other playfully as he scarfed down another brownie, he shrugged it off. Very quickly, he began to take off his own clothing. Starting with his shirt, and stripping down to his birthday suit. He knew it wasn't a big deal for himself, and it actually felt refreshing. He knew Antonio wouldn't be happy when it was time to go back to his room though. "Happy now?" He asked before returning to the food in front of him. Of course, from over the table, one would only notice Brad being shirtless. Once he stood up however, one would notice much more.

He made sure to only eat about half of the brownies in the pan before leaving the rest for Antonio. If he wouldn't eat them all, his parents would have a sweet surprise in the morning. Pun totally intended. He almost felt bad about that thought though, since they would give him credit for making them, and he couldn't tell them who really made it.

[Argon Jaden]

"Do I look like I'm smiling?" He said, eyes squeezed shut and his face a deep shade of scarlet. Even without looking, Antonio can tell that he was down naked, and to retain what was left of his pride, he shut his eyes, and faced the other way. It felt a bit uncomfortable and it honestly stirred things in him that he classified as perverse. but he didn't tell him off about his clothes.

Because his eyes were closed, he couldn't see what Brad was doing, and the mere thought made Antonio shiver slightly. He didn't know what the other was up to, and it made him tense up, shuddering slightly. He knew that with his level of grace while his eyes are closed, he'd have a very rough meeting with the floor. and so, he kept his eyes shut. "Um... What are you doing?" He asked, voice uncertain.

[MashuNeko]

He couldn't resist the smile that was creeping up on his face. "You should be. This is what you wanted, isn't it?" He teased, trying not to laugh as he tried to be totally serious. This certainly was amusing, to say the least. The question sort of gave him an idea. He wasn't actually doing anything, but now, he just might do something. "You could just look and find out what I'm doing." He said as he got up to put the dishes away and the last of the brownies in the fridge. By now, he was usually done, but Antonio just made it so easy to get even. He looked over at the other, his eyes still shut, his face uncertain and red. And also, a bit messy from the brownies. Alas, no sweets were truly mess free.

An idea popped in his head as he crept slowly toward the unsuspecting man in the room. "Now look who missed a spot." He said as he wiped the chocolate from his face to eat for himself. He likely couldn't complain, as he probably missed all sort of spots, but that wasn't his point here. He was half expecting the other to open his eyes at some point during this venture. Maybe he really planned to keep this up until Brad decided to put his clothes back on, but what fun would that be? In any case, perhaps it was better to get going upstairs. It was getting pretty late. "Well, you do what you want. I'm going back upstairs." He said, of course with the teasing in his voice, as he collected his clothes to sling them over his shoulder.

[Argon Jaden]

Despite his eyes begging to open, just out of curiosity, he kept them clamped shut. Antonio chewed his lower lip slightly, pushing the other away with a harsh swipe of Hus hands. He kept his eyes closed, feeling his face heat up. "Didn't want it, you exhibitionist!!" He complained, refusing to even peek. If it takes his will, he would keep his eyes shut. No, he didn't want to see the stupid grin of triumph on that face and knowing himself, he would naturally... Check Brad out. He didn't do it on a usual basis, but this was cruel, and he refused that kind of contact.

Hoeever, at the sound of other moving away and up the stairs, his blue eyes snapped open. The pale blond swallowed, looked away and scowled, grumbling angrily. "Stupid exhibitionist..." He complained, keeping his eyes on the ceiling. His feet walked without guidance and there was a large chance that he'd trip over his own two feet.

- - - Updated - - -

Despite his eyes begging to open, just out of curiosity, he kept them clamped shut. Antonio chewed his lower lip slightly, pushing the other away with a harsh swipe of Hus hands. He kept his eyes closed, feeling his face heat up. "Didn't want it, you exhibitionist!!" He complained, refusing to even peek. If it takes his will, he would keep his eyes shut. No, he didn't want to see the stupid grin of triumph on that face and knowing himself, he would naturally... Check Brad out. He didn't do it on a usual basis, but this was cruel, and he refused that kind of contact.

Hoeever, at the sound of other moving away and up the stairs, his blue eyes snapped open. The pale blond swallowed, looked away and scowled, grumbling angrily. "Stupid exhibitionist..." He complained, keeping his eyes on the ceiling. His feet walked without guidance and there was a large chance that he'd trip over his own two feet.

[MashuNeko]

Of course, Brad was just being mean now. He was allowed to be, since Antonio was mean to him too. It felt good to win this time, and he certainly had the win. Looking back on the stairs, he noticed the other trying not to look while trying to walk at the same time. "You know, you're gonna end up tripping like that." He warned, stifling his laughter at the same time. Sometimes, being shameless was worth it, just to see the other's reaction. It was priceless.

He decided to wait and see if Antonio would need help, seeing as how he wasn't watching where he was going. Standing there, he watched, as if he was expecting him to fall down. He chuckled a bit as the next comment. "Hey, your mouth says no, but your eyes would say yes if you gave them a chance." Now he was being really mean. Maybe he should just get dressed again, considering the silvery man was risking getting hurt trying not to look.

[Argon Jaden]

"That's the point exactly." He grumbled sarcastically. No, he will definitely not fall prey to this. "I'll fall down, bump my head and pass out, and not see your thing dangling like that in air!!" Antonio fumed, eyes up at the ceiling as his feet felt around. He knew that it would be a loud fall if he did come crashing down. It would wake everyone up, and where would he be? In the mirror of course. Best hiding place.

He huffed, blindly reaching out for anything to help him move a rounded aided and without tripping. His cheeks were burning and his eyes felt teary from all the blushing. "You know, you're just trying to get me to jump you. Shameless exhibitionist." He grumbled out, wincing as his foot caught on something, making him stagger.

[MashuNeko]

Shaking his head, Brad couldn't help himself. It was just normal for him to be like this in his own home. Of course, if his parents knew, then he would be in trouble. "Wow. You'd really rather knock yourself out?" He asked in surprised amusement. It was odd how he wasn't really surprised by that. Although he wondered if he might do it on purpose, just to wake up his parents... Would he try to wake up his parents? ... Nah. Antonio wasn't that mean, was he?

He watched the other stagger on the stairs. Sighing, he reach out for his hand that was blindly gripping about. "There, now you can safely make it up the stairs, and you won't fall." He tugged on his hand a little to get him to keep moving. "And you still don't have to look." He had to think about it for a moment, what he had said. When it registered in his mind what Antonio meant, he became a little embarrassed about the situation. "Please. You wouldn't have the guts. I'd probably be the one jumping you!" He made sure to keep his voice quiet, as they were passing by his parents room.

[Argon Jaden]

"Don't tempt me Brad. I wouldnt want to make a ruckus here." He threatened, allowing the other to assist him. Still, Antonio kept his eyes at the ceiling. He can wake Brad's parents up and disappear right after. The mirror was simply in the other room.

At the comment of him doing the jumping, the pale blonde glared at him, directly looking at him despite the red cheeks. "The only thing you'd jump are sweets and chocolate." He commented, a bit bitterly.

[MashuNeko]

Sighing, he decided maybe that was enough for now... Teasing that is. "Alright, just chill. I gotta win sometimes too ya know." He said, letting go once they were clear of the stairs. "All's fair in love and war, but I know when to stop." He made straight for his own room, not giving Antonio any time to even think about waking up his parents before he was safely in there. At least they couldn't be mad at him for being naked in his own room.

Looking back, he smirked a little. "Well, it's a good thing you aren't sweet then, isn't it?" He hoped this wasn't a debate over dominance. Surely, there was no question that Brad was the dominant one here, and this certainly sounded like Antonio was trying to make him believe otherwise. Or Brad was just over thinking it again, and there was really nothing to it. It was hard for him to tell the difference sometimes.

[Argon Jaden]

"Nothing's fair when it cones to you." He voiced out, glaring at Brad to atone for his red face. "And put on some clothes!!!" It was obvious how bothered Antonio was about this fact, fidgeting slightly. Blue eyes darted away as he tried to look at something else.

The pale blonde man looked back at him. Of course he wasn't sweet!! "Do i look like sweets to you? Why would I even be sweet? You only jump sweets." He teased before chuckling slightly. "Im starting to think you're actually sweet-sexual." He fixed hus eyes on Brad, challengung him. After all, he was the one who does most of the jumping.

[MashuNeko]

For a moment, Brad seemed to consider the thought of putting on more clothes. Although, maybe it would be better than having Antonio constantly mad at him. With a sigh, he decided he would. "Alright, fine." He walked over to his closet before tossing his clothes in a dirty pile near the foot of his bed. He pulled out a pair of solid grey pajama pants to wear to bed, if they ever got around to sleep. With the recent sugar intake, he wasn't sure he would sleep that night. Putting on the pants, he turned around. "Better?" Because that was as good as it was gonna get. Brad didn't wear his shirts to bed, usually anyways, and he didn't have anything to go with his pajama pants.

"You know, it's okay to let your sweet side come out sometimes." He said quite seriously. Only to make the other let his guard down though. "Just be ready to get jumped if you do." He teased with a smile. He pondered the thought of what Antonio said, and strangely, some quite perverse ideas began to flow into his head involving all sorts of sweet treats and, of course, Antonio. And yet, to Brad, none of them really seemed like bad ideas. Maybe he was sweet-sexual. "I could be..." He said, actually thinking about it for a second.

As he started to think about the sweets more, he actually remembered the flicker from before they went to the kitchen for a snack. He kind of wanted to know what was up with that. "Oh yeah, I just remembered something." He was really calm as he said it, but the way he said it implied concern. "A while ago, before we went downstairs, I saw something weird. It was kind of like you just... I don't know, faded? Maybe it was more of a flick, but what was that?" was Antonio actually going away because Brad remembered this stuff? He did say he wouldn't leave, but would he lie just to make him feel better?

[Argon Jaden]

With pants on, Antonio seemed to calm down a bit, letting his guard down slightly before bristling at the comment of letting his sweet side. "Maybe if you stood still and stopped being the death of me, you'd see sweet." He grumbled, crossing his chest. Antonio was no sweetheart, that was true, but he does have his unexpected moments. He was just too shy to act them out at most times, covering it up with a brusque comment.

About the flicker though, he stiffened and sighed softly, letting his hands fall. So he was flickering. "It means that..." How was he going to say this? How was he going to say that he was slowly going to slowly fade? "... I... I'm..."

He can't say it. If he flickered, that means his time is coming. Still far off, but coming. Sighing softly, Antonio decided to tell the truth. "It's a timer of how long I have." He murmured softly, looking away.

[MashuNeko]

He stared at Antonio, not wanting to believe him at all. A timer? He stood there, not wanting to think the worst, but no matter how he looked at it, it meant the same thing. He really was going to leave. But... "Wait, seriously?" He tried to act tough through the news, but it had hit him pretty hard. The best time he'd had in years, and now it was just going to be taken away? Like that? "No, no. You said you wouldn't leave. What, you lied?" He sounded more hurt than accusing, but how could he help it? What was the point of doing all these fun things if it meant he wasn't even going to see Antonio again?

All sorts of things raced into his mind. How much longer? Why was he leaving? Would Brad see him again? Would he find the real Antonio? What was going to happen to them? He decided to start with the first thing that entered his mind when he heard timer. "So, how long do you think? Until you're... gone." This was more irritating than anything he'd experienced before. Maybe it really would have been better if he never remembered. Maybe it would have been better if he just forgot, and refused to talk to the idiot claiming to be his reflection. At least... No, he had to stick by what he had said before. It was always better to remember and be hurt than to not remember the good.

[Argon Jaden]

"I didn't lie to you. I never did." Antonio said firmly, walking close to him. He didn't know how hard it would hit Brad, but he still had time. He didn't even feel the flicker, but it was enough a reminder to him. He sighed, chewing his lower lip. "I'll be here for a longer time. I promise. I'm not fading yet and I didn't feel it at all." He said, trying to assure the other before chuckling softly.

Right now, he was scared of touching Brad. Would it be alright? The flicker reminded him of his place. He was to stay as a reflection. Antonio ran a hand through his hair, nervously looking away. "I'm still here, you know. You can still see me and stuff."

[MashuNeko]

He didn't know if he could believe that, but he wanted to believe anything else. It just sucked, knowing he wouldn't be here as long as Brad thought he would. He even hoped that some day, he'd see the real Antonio. He watched the silver figure get closer until he was right there. "I know... I just didn't think it would be over so soon, ya know?" He hated that, but at least he remembered all the things he needed to remember.

He really needed to sit, because he thought he was going to fall over from shock. He tugged Antonio over to the bed to sit. Staring down at the floor for a moment, he took a moment to pull himself together a bit more in his mind. They still had time, so he didn't need to be so broken up over this. More than anything, he figured he was just worried. "So, us. You know, as a thing." He said before looking at Antonio. "Like, is that gonna be the end or would you come around again?" He needed to know whether or not he needed to prepare for that. He wouldn't become distant, to ease the pain like some would. He wanted to get closer if he was never gonna see him again.

[Argon Jaden]

"Im still here." He repeated, chuckling slightly as he was tugged down. He plopped down beside Brad, narrowly missing his lap. The pale blonde sighed and gently leaned his head on the taller male, feeling his cheeks heat up. Antonio took a deep breath, trying to calm his heart down slightly.

Why must it always be like this? His heart beating loudly in his ears and his face heating up like a furnace. "I keep telling you to stop asking things and just do it, right?" He scolded before sighing softly. The smaller male looked up at Brad and smiled. "Yes I guess."

[MashuNeko]

Watching Antonio's silver form rest against him, Brad couldn't help but smile. He wrapped his arm around his shoulders, being certain to hold him tight. It was weird that this was really happening, but it didn't feel weird. "Yeah, yeah. I know." He told him as he saw what he was sure was a smile. So, this time, he didn't ask, or use any horrible pick-up lines. He leaned down to the other's face before planting a kiss straight on his lips. It was quick, but it was still better than before.

"Hey, didn't I tell you?" He asked with a smirk on his face. He waited to see if he would guess before he said anything else. "Better be ready to be jumped if you let your sweet side out." He teased, making his hug even tighter. It was a good relief from their current conversation, but he still couldn't shake the feeling that he might lose Antonio sooner than he was letting on. He just wanted him to stay here. It'd be even better if he wasn't a reflection, but even this was working just fine.

[Argon Jaden]

The kiss took him by surprise, leaving him gaping for a few seconds. He only stared at Brad, mouth agape, blue eyes wide and cheeks flushed. After a while, he looked away, clearing his throat, and allowing himself to relax. "T-that's it?" He rebutted, trying to keep his voice from cracking, and failing miserably.

"I don't do sweet, so that's a guarantee that I won't get jumped on." He said with a smirk, challenging the other to even try. He had regained his posture, snuggling close to the other, breathing in Hus scent. He may have less time, but he'll be fine.

[MashuNeko]

Brad shook his head, going through that embarrassing act just for him to try and shrug it off. Badly, he might add. "You say like you hated it." He raised a brow that nearly demanded him to tell the truth. Still, he needed to relax himself. It was fun to pick on the poor guy, especially when he knew how, but he had to be nice too.

He saw the smirk and the look in Antonio's eyes that dared him. Challenge accepted. "A guarantee, huh?" He mused for a second. In the next second, he pushed Antonio over onto his back, pinning him down by his shoulders and staring him in the eyes. "Where's your guarantee now?" He said with a smirk. Perhaps it was because he was shameless, but he didn't realize how suggestive it was to have the other pinned like this.

[Argon Jaden]

"...?!"

One second, he was sitting up, and the next, he was pinned down on the bed. Blue eyes flicked up at him. Antonio wondered if he should continue taunting the other or shut up. In one hand, if he taunts Brad then he might get more than he bargained for. If he stops, then he stakes his pride. The pale man shyly looked away.

"...w-weak." He teased, deciding on the former. He was betting that the other would roll off once realizes the position they were in. He reached up and playfully brushed the back of his hand against Brad's cheek. "This isn't much of a guarantee, isn't it?" He purred, though deep inside, he was resisting the urge to laugh.

[MashuNeko]

Brad awaited a response, watching the surprised reaction of the person below him. He seemed to be contemplating for a moment before saying something. Weak? He just laughed. "Right now, 'weak' has you down. So what does that make you?" He realized that he should probably get off now, but if he did, that meant he gave in. He certainly couldn't do that. The hand brushed against his cheek didn't seem to make he situation any better. It served to make Brad red in the face.

He could feel the excitement swelling up the more he realized how bad this was. Was this really worth it at this point? Antonio obviously realized how bad this would be, and he's probably testing to see how far Brad would go. Well, he was up for the challenge. "What's the matter? Your arts aren't here to help you?" He teased, feigning concern over his embarrassment. He wasn't going to give up easily, although he probably should have at this point.

[Argon Jaden]

"Just because I'm down here doesn't mean a thing." He retaliated with a smirk. Deciding to intimidate the other into backing off, he hooked his arms around his neck, smirking triumphantly. "See? W-E-A-K"

This would be too easy. Brad wanted to see sweet, he'd give him sweet, though honestly, he was starting to enjoy this, thinking about poking and teasing the other to no end after making him back off. "I don't need my sketchpad or pencils to do art at the moment. Why? Running out of things to throw at me?" He said, inwardly laughing despite his slightly red face. He can take a challenge. He's got nothing to lose.

[MashuNeko]

He didn't hardly budge as he felt Antonio's arms hook his neck. "Pretty sure you're the weak one here." He said, refusing to back down from this fight. "After all, I'm stronger, faster, and on top. What do you have?" With that, he braced himself, in case Antonio tried to turn the tables. He didn't want to find himself on the bottom. As long as he stayed on top, he would be the more dominant one.

He couldn't manage the chuckle at this point, but he grinned. "Oh, no. Course not." He stated, contrary to what he was actually thinking. At least he could buy himself time. "But do go on. Let me see some art, right now." He waited, gazing into his eyes to watch for every movement. He had too much pride on the line to let Antonio win this battle. He was internally nerved by how far they might go, but he was cool on the outside. Whatever they were going to do, he was going to keep this up until Antonio caved in first.

[Argon Jaden]

Blue eyes narrowed as he slowly hoisted himself up. Well, two can play that game. With a smirk on his face, he only stopped until they were nose to nose, steadily meeting the other's gaze, despite his blushing face. "Position doesn't mean anything in this game, Brad." He purred, lips twitching as he held in his laughter. "I thought you knew that."

His fingers began to gently caress the back of his neck, before trailing down his spine. Admittedly, he wondered how long both of them could keep this up. He was practically wondering if he was even working on intimidating the other. A devious grin played on his face as he leaned forward some more, until their lips were a haistrand away. "Well, what kind of art did you have in mind?" He said, trying to keep his "seduction" up.

[MashuNeko]

Unfortunately, he was right, and made things even more difficult. He tried not to falter, but this game was beginning to take a toll. Romance definitely was a weak spot of his, and he was surely going to lose if he kept this up. Or was he going to win? He really didn't know anymore. All he knew was that Antonio was making it difficult to keep his fresh pants on more than anything. "I told you before. Just ask, and you can check me out." He said with a smirk. "These pants are just as easy to get out of as they are to get into." He winked, figuring that should throw him off a little with the double meaning he threw in there.

The feeling of his fingers trailing down Brad's back were tingling. He did want to get closer, but this close was ridiculous. Or was it? He mind was befuddled between trying to keep his end up while trying to make the other feign. "Well, it's clear you have a way with words." He said with a smile. That had always been true. "Why don't you try making art... with me?" He was the one doing the challenging now. With his eyes narrowed, he watched to see what he would do. This game was getting very interesting very quickly.

[Argon Jaden]

"Oh? Are they now?" He quipped, maintaining proximity. It was getting very hard for him, figuratively and literally speaking. No, he will not falter. Keeping the smirk on his face, he swallowed thickly, keeping his voice from cracking. "It kind of looks like you're having a hard time down there as well. I'm kind of wondering if you want to go that far with teasing me." He purred, rubbing slow circles down his back.

However, the next comment threw him off a bit, though the only way it showed was the way his blue eyes widened slightly. His face heated up a bit more before he chuckled, lips barely brushing against each other. "And what kind of art would that be? Aside from the terrible attempts at pick-up lines?" His nails were far from sharp, but he had enough of it to scratch. Smirking, he retaliated by running his nails gently over skin, playfully feeling him up.

[MashuNeko]

Maybe that didn't throw him off just as much as he would have liked, but he wasn't about to give up here. "I was going to say the same about you." He said with a grin, managing to press their bodies together. He could feel the excitement stirring within the both of them. "I can take this as far as I have to." He grinned, as if he was already the winner here. Yet, he knew there was still a ways to go. With the way the both of them were, it seemed unlikely either of them would stop any time soon.

He noticed the way the other's eyes widened, and he figured he had him for a moment. "Come on now, surely you can think of something?" He said with a smirk. "Or am I distracting you?" He made a quick peck on the lips. Small attacks at a time, and surely, he would obtain the title of victor yet. "I'm waiting, mister artist." He just needed to keep up his current strategy, and maybe he would have this.

[Argon Jaden]

"Well, at least you're not the only one." He purred, suppressing a very, very embarrassing sound to slip past his lips. If they keep teasing each other, then this would surely blow out of proportion. A dark smirk crossed his features as his hands played around on Brad's back, a soft hum rumbling out of his throat. "And just how far is that, I wonder... Not too long?"

The kiss was certainly a welcomed, surprise, and though he smirked at that, he still had quite the few counters up his sleeve. "Just a peck? We're not kids anymore, Brad." Antonio said with a chuckle, smirking up at him before pressing their lips together, this time for a bit longer before he pulled away with a smirk. "I can't do something if you won't tell me what to do. I can make a sculpture-" he emphasized his point by shifting his hands so he could run his fingers through the other's hair- "paint, sketch... What would you want me to do?" He purred, despite his hips whining from the awkward position he was maintaining. Still, he showed no sign of this. At all.

[MashuNeko]

Brad was very tempted by now to just strip them both, and see what happened from there. And to think, he was the one that got them into this in the first place with his pinning Antonio to his bed. "You'll see soon enough, won't you?" He asked, his breath becoming a bit heavier. Embarrassing was just an understatement at this point. How far would they go?

He was surprised by another kiss, this time longer. Antonio was too good at this. Ignoring his comment, he maintained coolness for now. "Hm, I think a painting might nice, come to think of it." Dear God, he was starting to make innuendos. He needed to try to break him, and figuratively, not literally. Whatever was gonna happen, needed to happen fast.

[Argon Jaden]

"Mhmm..." Came the reply. His own breath was getting a tad bit heavier and it was really starting to be uncomfortable down there, with his pants still on and such. The pale blonde man purred softly, pecking his lips playfully. "But I'm getting a little impatient here." He said, staring straight into his eyes. Right now, he was wondering how long it would take before they either crack or drop it and honestly, he's hoping for the former.

A soft chuckle escaped his lips. Even in giving out innuendoes, Brad was terrible at it. Smirking the blonde shot back with his own. "So... I'll paint with your bed as my canvas, and your paintbrush inside that place down there..." Oh goodness. He was starting to he as terrible as Brad. Intent on making him crack, he pressed playful kisses on his cheek, nose, lips, anywhere he could reach. After the fifth one, he stopped and smirked.

[MashuNeko]

Brad resisted a shutter, their heavy breaths meeting each other. "What? Am I getting to you?" He asked with a smirk, knowing very well he couldn't hold out much longer himself. He couldn't help but laugh a little at the other. "That was worse than what I said." He told him truthfully. At least he was a bit more subtle about his innuendo. Antonio's was right out there.

He was surprised with a barrage of kisses, but kept up with the other, trying oh so hard to make him crack first. However, he was pretty sure he was at his limit for torture. He reached a hand up the other's shirt, carefully massaging his skin, his hand tenderly brushing up against the other's nipples, trying to make him break faster. Though the feeling of his own skin on skin had quite the effect on him too. He was pretty cracked right now, and he didn't think he'd last another round of this. Unless Antonio didn't have any good ideas, Brad was pretty much broken.

[Argon Jaden]

"Nnnn...." Once he realized the sound that slipped out of his mouth, the blonde male blushed, swallowing lightly. His skin felt feverish to the other's touch, and he was a bit embarrassed to admit that it was stirring something down there. Gulping slightly, Antonio smirked and kept up his facade, purring slightly as he pressed kisses to his cheek.

"That all you got?" He said, goading the other on. Antonio knew that he had a tiny bit of power, which he planned to use on the other man, even if it ended up with him at the bottom. Deciding to be a bit bolder, he kissed jhim again, this time, gently nipping at his lips before pulling away with a smirk.

[MashuNeko]

He smirked at the sound the other made, making sure to massage more. "That was cute." He told him, and the sound actually made it more difficult to resist. The reaction he caused was causing him to break. He couldn't stand it anymore.

After that kiss, he was done. He pulled Antonio as close as he could manage, kissing him more deeply. "I'm about to show you everything I got." He growled as he began to wrestle with both of their clothing. Well, Antonio had told him just to do it, not to ask. Well, no asking this time. Despite being eager to get them both out of those pesky clothes that were in the way, Brad did take care to make sure everything was comfortable for Antonio before continuing.

After all was done, Brad was pretty out of breath. He just lay on the bed, feeling bad that he had caved first, but at the same time, he felt good to get that out of his system. He also felt bad about taking charge in case Antonio didn't want him to, although the way he acted really helped quell those thoughts.

[Argon Jaden]

"S-shuddap..." He murmured, more out of embatrassment as he gave the other a playful glare. Antonio knew that he had dug his grave when he saw that look on Brad's face, making him a tad bit more excited and embarrassed at the same time.

The kiss took him off guard, not expecting the other to be so aggressive. Once the other pulled away and made quick word with his clothes did the blue eyed male realize how deep this was going, no pun intended. He gasped, weakly raising an arm, more of in reflex than actual protest. "W-wait..." He had to admit, he didn't think a little teasing would escalate this much, but after a fraction of a second, he sighed and relaxed, steadily looking at the other as the situation rolled on.

Some time after they had finished, he was still quite the heaving mess, his breath still uneven from all that activity. He took another minute to calm down before looking at Brad, smirking triumphantly despite the slight pain in his lower back. Grinning, he rolled over to him, mindful of his hips, and snuggled up to the other, playfully packing his cheek as he smiled. "I win~" It was a surprisingly cheerful tone, one that the blonde seldom used.

[MashuNeko]

Brad just smiled as he wrapped Antonio in a hug to satisfy the cuddler. His eyes just narrowed a bit at his comment. "Yeah, yeah." He said as he gave him a light smack on the rear. "You win this time." He had to be sure to hold out a bit longer next time and use his hands much more to their full potential. He didn't want to lose that one again.

Honestly though, Brad was tired from the action. The game before hand was exciting, but at the same time exhausting, trying to hold back as he did. He didn't realize it would only get more exhausting from there, but he should have expected it. He drifted off to sleep rather quickly as he snuggled with the other. This was much more comfortable than being alone, that was for sure.

[Argon Jaden]

He yelped when the hand made contact with his sore behind, making him glare and whimper in protest. Antonio, narrowed his eyes at Brad, rubbing his behind again.The pale blonde grumbled at that, but settled into his arms quietly, making himself comfortable.

Despite being tired, he couldn't sleep, and instead, there was a slight ache, not his hips or behind, but there was an ache in his chest. He sighed softly, watching the other sleep. His own hands were starting to become a bit transparent, before solidifying into a semi-visible hue of silver again. They still had some time. Antonio cuddled closer for a while, contemplating on standing up. Brad might get mad if he found out that he was gone... mad or worried... So he stayed there, forcing himself to close his eyes and curl towards the warmth.

[MashuNeko]

Brad woke up pretty late that morning, though still before noon. His parents were awake, he could tell. They seemed to be giving him the space he said he needed. That was good. As he stirred from the covers, he remembered what happened just last night. He could feel his own nudity against the blanket, and as he remembered he immediately looked toward Antonio, but froze for a moment.

When he saw the mass of silver flesh that was Antonio, he was more transparent for a moment. It was like what he noticed the other night, when they went to the kitchen, but it lasted longer before he became a solid again. What was going on? Did he lie to Brad again? What sort of time was this? To have been so close, as close as humanly possible, and then to just end up disappearing the next day? At least that was what it seemed like.

He shook Antonio quickly, but gently, to see if he was awake. "Antonio? It's happening again, you're fading..." He struggled through it, but he couldn't help it. It was hurting him, the pain in his chest. His heart was breaking, he was going to cry if Antonio was seriously about to leave. He couldn't handle that well, not again and actually remember it all. He couldn't lose Antonio again, not now. He wanted to hold him so tightly, and then maybe if he never let go, Antonio couldn't... fade.

[Argon Jaden]

"Huh... What?" His blue eyes blearily blinked as he woke. Seeing Brad, he gave a confused look, before everything crashed down on him. He felt his face heat up and he looked away, that was until he registered what Brad said. In panic, he looked at his hands, finding them fade before flickering back. It wasn't this bad last night. He gulped, breathing heavily. In panic, he chewed his lip, looking at Brad with Fear in his eyes.

"That night. Do you remember it?" He asked, rushing himself. It was too sudden!! He should flicker back to existence and not... disappear like this!!! Panic rose in his chest as he struggled to sit up. It was like his body was being forced into a lying down position. He was going back. For the fourth time in his life, tears formed in his eyes as he looked at his best friend, the one he had liked for a long time.

The beeping of the heart monitor was getting louder and louder as the world darkened. Swallowing, he tried to talk once more, to move, to say something, but he came up silent, unable to even say goodbye as his body disappeared into thin air. Brad's room was back to normal, like he had never been there; even his reflection was back to normal.

But in Room B-13, the doctor sighed, looking at the comatose form lying prone on the bed. The pale body was breathing evenly now, unlike the sharp intakes of breath he was letting out earlier. The good doctor sighed and looked at the young man's parents, who were crying quietly as they watched their only son lie on the bed.

"That was a close call... He would've died if we had been a second later." The doctor said, watching the heart monitor beep slightly. Both of Antonio's parents had pained looks in their eyes as they nodded softly. the father looked at his wife who nodded and pulled out her phone. She dialed a close friend, hoping that the one person who hasn't visited Antonio yet could somehow help him in his brain dead state.

[MashuNeko]

Brad watched Antonio panic, and because of this, he started panicking himself. The tears immediately started forming in his eyes, streaming down his cheeks. "Yes, yes. I remember!" He said quickly, holding Antonio tight. He couldn't let go, never! He wasn't going to lose him again! He could see the tears on Antonio's silvery form as well, and he struggled to wipe them from his eyes. "Stay with me, you said you would!" He said, trying not to shout.

Finally, it had happened. Antonio just started to disappear, and within the short time he'd been awake and panicking, he was gone. "No! Stop, don't leave me again!" He couldn't help it this time. He shouted it loud, his crying persistent and the tears were like a dam had just exploded open. "Come back!" ... He was gone. Unless! Brad got up quickly, running over the the mirror to check it out. All he saw was his messy, bed-head self and his green eyes. It really happened. He was gone. "Damn it, you said you wouldn't leave!" He panted heavily as the tears came and just wouldn't stop. "You said we... still... had time..." He thought he was dying, how painful this was. It was a horrible feeling, and he hated it. But he didn't want to forget again, no matter how much it ha hurt.

He shuffled over to the bed, unable to stop himself from crying. His best friend, and his boyfriend, literally just disappeared in his arms. What else could he do? He heard the sound of rushing as his mother came bursting into the room, worried about her son and not even regarding the fact he was naked still. He looked up at her, the tear still running as she ran over to him.

"Brad, what happened? Are you alright?" She asked, patting him down as he tried to cover himself. Crushed or not, it was still embarrassing for his mother to see him like that.

"Just... a bad dream is all." He said through sobs. Though grateful he was unharmed, he pushed her back a little. He watched as his father approached too, with the phone in hand. "Mom, what happened to Antonio Smith? And don't tell me you don't remember him!" Although, in truth, he remembered what happened. He just wanted to hear them say it. He knew now why Antonio was in the hospital, he knew what had happened to them both, and what Antonio's condition was. He knew everything. He just needed to hear it from them.

Of course they froze. Brad said he couldn't remember, and the doctor's said he had amnesia. It may never even come back to him, the old memories. Here he was now, asking about his dear old friend he'd just lost again. She prepared to explain, though it was clear she was still trying to process what to even tell him and whether or not she was having a bad dream herself.

"They're asking for you." His father said, directed toward Brad. "His parents. They want you to stop by, because he almost died just now." They were both clearly pained by the situation, even more so upon hearing Brad mention the name.

Upon hearing that though, Brad forgot about the question as he pushed his mom to the side to get some clothes on. Of course they both left while he did that. Leaving his room, he rushed down the stairs as his parents also seemed to be prepared to go somewhere. "When I get back, we'll continue this discussion." Brad said adamantly before running out the door, leaving them at home.

They looked at each other, wondering if it would be okay to let him go alone. He would be going through some of the bad parts of town just to get to the hospital, even if it wasn't that far away. However, they decided it was better that way, that he went alone. That would at least give them time to get the story straight. They were going to have to tell him the truth, though they didn't know he remembered that too.

Brad practically ran the whole way to the hospital, despite having his driver's license. He was in too much of a hurry to even remember he had it. He just needed to see his best friend again. If he didn't remember what they did last night, Brad would tell him about all the things that happened. The weird, and yet the good, times they had spent with Antonio's reflection. Even now, he still refused to believe that Antonio was Brad's reflection the whole time. He was still going to stick with the theory that Antonio kidnapped his reflection.

[Argon Jaden]

It was weird to see your body in front of you, in a hospital bed, with tubes stuck in your everywhere to keep you alive. It made Antonio feel helpless. But looking at the reflection of his body in the mirror world...

He felt terrified.

The heart monitor beeped quietly as he sat in the mirror world, head in his hands. He was sad, and terrified. He needed to get back to his body, but his soul stayed trapped in the mirror; the consequence of him breaking the rules of the world. His soul was practically invisible to the human eye, and he couldn't interact with humans... Even his crying parents. He could, however at least touch their reflections.

Antonio could tell by the way his mother sobbed harder when he hugged her reflection. His blue eyes watered. Maybe... Brad would see him. He had to. He had promised he wouldn't leave. When both his parents left the room to get a drink, he sighed, heavily leaning against the mirror. Unlike before, it was a hard surface, not allowing him to leave. A few tears fell from his eyes as he buried his head between his knees. The pale blonde began to cry softly, angry at himself. The lights flickered in rrsponse to his emotions and he looked up at it with a piercing glare.

"I only wanted more time with him!! Is that too much to ask for?!" He yelled at nothing causing the lights to flicker again and the heart monitor race. "Friggin promised!! I promised I won't go!! I still had time!!!" He was yelling loudly now, only for it to translate to the flickering of lights, the temperature dropping and the heart monitor going berserk. Sky blue eyes welled up with tears as he continued to cry.

Would Brad even see him now? Now that he was neither a reflection or a body? He wanted nothing more at the moment, than to cuddle up beside him and feel secure, as terribly corny as that sounds. Outside, he could hear the nurses muttering about B-13's ghost going rampant again... And the blonde had to calm down before he killed his body with all the pent up emotions.

[MashuNeko]

Brad remembered the day vividly. It was as though it happened yesterday, and it hurt. He realized that Antonio being in the hospital in the first place was all his fault. They were arguing about mirrors, because God knows they argue about everything else. Ironic really. Antonio was firm in the belief a reflection was always a version of you that you would want to be. Brad was more realistic, saying that a reflection was who you were, but he supposed he was thinking too literal. He was always like that anyways. In any case, the argument just eventually exploded, and they went their separate ways. And that was why Antonio... That was why he got hurt.

Now, here he was, running as fast as he could to catch up to his friend who lie in the hospital bed. Adrenaline pumped through his body as he knew his friend was still alive. The thought of him possibly being awake, and that being why his reflection disappeared, brought a hope to Brad's heart. Although, being the realist he was, he kept in mind that even if he wasn't awake, at least he was alive. He could at least see the Antonio he knew and loved, even if he couldn't seem him back.

Of course, all his hopes would be dashed when he was tripped. He struggled to get back up, but something else held him. He looked to see some guy grinning maliciously at him. Terrified and worried at the same time, he needed to get out of here, so he tried kicking at the bigger man, but to no avail.

"Oh, got some fight, huh?" He said with a filthy laugh. It was clear he was just after whatever Brad had in his pockets, which was unfortunately nothing. "Don't worry, I just want your money." He began to checking Brad's empty pockets, searching thoroughly.

"I don't have any. I'm broke, now can I go. Please?" He pleaded. He needed to get going as far away from this guy as possible. When he was done at the hospital, he would call for a ride home. This was just stupidity. He should have known better.

Obviously, the bigger man was irked by the fact his victim had no money to steal. The moment Brad said anything, the man had other plans. "Yeah, I'm broke too. That's why I need your money. Where'd you hide it?" He demanded, checking every pocket again, even nearly ripping off Brad's hands to see if he was holding any. Finally, he had enough and pulled a gun on the poor guy.

"I don't have anything!" He said, petrified. He couldn't do anything, he had no reason to lie at this point. He just wanted to get out of this alive. "I swear!" He noticed a mirror. Oh how he willed for Antonio to come to his rescue some how. Even if he just reached out and pulled Brad into the mirror. All he saw though was his own reflection.

"Stop lying to me!" He shouted. However, when it was obvious the kid wasn't going to be able to tell him where the money was, he had no other choice.

All Brad heard as he willed himself to the mirror was a click. However, it took little time for him to open his eyes again.

He looked at the man in front of him, who just grunted with displeasure. Somehow, he was able to get out the grip easily. He wondered what was going on with this idiot, if he even realized that the weapon didn't even fire. Until he looked at the mirror again. "No..." He mouthed the word at the sight of it all. This couldn't be really happening to him. This couldn't have happened.

But, he could still move around. Looking back to the guy in the mirror world- recognizing the silvery place- he touched his shoulder, watching the real life form from the mirror. Obviously, he felt it, as he looked back to see what was going on. When he saw nothing, he continued to frantically search for even a penny.

"No time..." He said as he kept running, the silvery world around him moving as the real world did. He hoped that he could still see Antonio, even like this. He was an idiot, as usual. He would have to try and explain himself, if he even could. He needed to see him.

He ran to the mirror world's hospital, going through the doors as they opened in the real world. He tried talking to someone, but no one could see him. No one heard him. He tried so hard to get someone's attention to try and get someone to escort him to the room until he realized what happened. He must have... died. That disgusting man really did it, killed him, and now Brad somehow got into the mirror world. Unless this wasn't his real body... It couldn't have been, he saw his own body while it was being searched. He needed time to adjust to this new feeling and sensation, but he didn't have time.

Instead, he looked out of the mirror that overlooked the lobby, listening closely to the people there. They mentioned several things, and then a critical condition that was stabilizing in room B-13. He wasted no time in rushing there as fast as he could. It wasn't like anyone would stop him anyways, right? Although it was crowded still. He recognized Antonio's parents on his way, and tried to talk to them, but he got the same reaction out of them as everyone else; none at all. Although, if they were here, that must have meant he was close.

Looking among the signs as he slowed to a walk, he finally managed to come across the room. Room B-13. He stopped for a moment, hesitating, debating on whether or not to actually go in. Would Antonio even be able to see him? Would he be awake, wondering where his friend was that was supposedly coming to see him?

All sorts of things tugged at his mind before he decided to finally go in, surprising himself to see Antonio standing up. Of course, he remembered being in the mirror world, but the reflection disappeared in his arms. Tears softly dripped down his cheeks more as he saw Antonio had been crying too. How to start now? "U-um... H-hey." He said through a struggled voice, walking in and closer.

[Argon Jaden]

"...Stop tormenting me already... Screw it!!" He yelled, tears flowing freely down his cheeks. He thought he heard Brad, his heart flutteribg wildly, but with his closed eyes, he was sure ge was hallucinating. He was probably losing his mind. Selling his soul, only to get trapped in your prison does that to you. There's absolutely no chance of him waking up. It would mean he wouldn't get to see the person he loved, wouldn't get to kiss him, to eat with him, to poke fun with him, to argue with him. No. He was confined here, his body so close yet untouchable.

"I... Promised you'd always see me... I didn't mean anything I said. I'm sorry I yelled at you... I'm sorry I punched you and walked away. I'm sorry for everything..." He was rambling now, letting it all out. He might as well cry it off while his body was still breathing. Antonio felt so alone, and he didn't notice the new presence. "I'm selfish, I know that... I never got to tell you how I feel... I traded my soul for time and I got so greedy with it...."

He huddled closer to himself, collapsing beside his comatose body as the heart monitor beeped loudly, slowing down bit by bit. The price of his life as a living person was slowly getting eaten up. And despite this, he wanted nothing more than to see Brad, his best friend, his boyfriend, his pillow, his taste tester, the only person he trusted with his life.

"..." He couldn't speak now. Just because Antonio broke the law to be with him doesnt mean he'd do the same. The pale man padded at his eyes, still crying. There was a commotion in the ER, about a poor soul who got shot in an alley. Still, he refused to lift his head up, not until his tears stopped flowing.

[MashuNeko]

Brad heard him yell, and seriously considered turning tail. Although, it more seemed that he didn't realize Brad was there in the first place. He waited, listening to the other man speak. It made him cry even more, hearing how bad Antonio felt about leaving him when he hadn't meant to. He was apologizing, for something hat wasn't even his fault. That needed to stop.

Walking over quietly, he placed his arms around Antonio from behind. "It's alright. I never blamed you." He told him, his voice breaking between words. "I always blamed myself. I shouldn't have made fun of you, I should have been more open, you know?" Turning Antonio around to look at him, he wiped the tears from his cheek as they streamed down his own. His smile struggled to stay in place, but it was there.

"I don't care if you're a little selfish, you helped me through a tough time. I couldn't remember anything..." It hurt him to remember that, no matter how much Antonio stuck by him in the beginning of this reflection business, he hurt Antonio back by doing nothing but shouting at him and refusing to care about him. "I'm thankful for that, and the whole time, I guess I realized you were familiar, but it was just too crazy... I mean, what would you have done?" Even Antonio had to admit, if that happened to him, it would be pretty hard to believe.

He swallowed, as he heard about the guy that was shot in the alley, also known as Bradley himself. He needed to explain that now, but it was difficult. "I... I was coming to see you, because your parents called my parents." That was the easy part. Now came the hard part. "I sort of... left on my own. I was too anxious to see you... And something happened, and I guess... I ended up here." Now that he thought about it, it was perfect timing. The fact that someone may have tried to save his body occurred to him, as the moment he went to enter the hospital doors in the mirror world, they seemed to open for him. He might have just missed his own body going in or something.

[Argon Jaden]

The touch made him jerk, and gasp at the sight. Wordlessly, tears slipped out, quickly wiped away by the other man. Still, more tears replaced them as his lower lip trembled slightly. Had he been crying that much. His chest was getting incredibly tight, as he silently leaned forward, nuzzling his chest, hugging him back. The pale blonde sniffed in attempt to hide his tears.

"Geeze!! You're m-making me sound like a girl! Stop it!!" He was just glad they were together, though he wondered how that happened. He didn't have to wonder much longer when the other explained, followed by the familiar wailing of Brad's mom. He looked up at the taller man, giving him a glare despite his puffy eyes.

"Why in the freaking hell would you trade your--" he didn't finish his sentence as it settled for a strangled groan. On one end, he was happy he was here. On the other, he was dead. The blue eyed male whacked him on the head. "Why the hell didn't you take your car?! Did you have a death wish?" Antonio didn't look very pleased with that, though he was happy that Brad was here. He sighed, closing his eyes as he leaned back into the other, breathing in his scent.

"I dont know if I should be happy and say really mushy stuff followed by a few signs of affection or punch some sense into you and drag you to your body..." He complained, nuzzling him. He felt far more comfortable this way, like he was really loved. A smirk crossed his features. "The latter actually sounds more appealing." He teased, trying to recompose himself after that rather embarrassing breakdown.

[MashuNeko]

And just like that, the moment was ruined. Still crying, Brad shook his head. Of course he recognized his mother wailing in the real world. He had so many things he wanted to do in life, and there were a lot of things that he left unsaid to his parents, and they left unsaid to him. It was hard to believe that he ended up trading his soul for anything. He didn't even mean to. It just happened. He wondered if maybe he could pull the same thing Antonio did just to be able to talk to his parents. It would be so much better than just leaving them there...

The smack on the head was just a sign that things would eventually return to normal- or at least as normal as things could be- between them. "Okay, lets see you getting mugged in the alley by some random guy holding a gun to you!" He told him, unsure whether or not Antonio was serious or trying to be tough again. "I mean, I was only coming to see you in a rush when I heard that you nearly died! God forbid I try to be so nice and caring, and when I rush to be by your side, I happened to forget I could drive!" It was just like him though, to forget all sorts of things in the rush of a moment.

He looked out into the real world from the mirror, then to Antonio, and then to his comatose body. Hopefully, in due time, Antonio might at least wake up and then he could live a happy life. "I'll admit, the latter sounds more like you, but..." He continued to hold the cuddler tight, letting all his feelings out. "I think I'd be much happier with some corny and cliche stuff with some signs of affection." It didn't matter what happened now. He was with Antonio, and regardless, he didn't regret anything. He'd probably do the same thing all over again, given the chance.

[Argon Jaden]

"... Has anyone told you that you're an idiot?" He said with a sigh, shaking his head. That was so like him; always rushing in without thinking... It was why they always got into trouble. The shorter male glared at him. "I would tell you that you could've been mugged and died, but it already happened." Antonio continued, feeling his heart beat wildly. Inside, he was ecstatic that the other was here, though he had fought death just to see him. It actually made him want to cry again... Damnnit.

He noticed Brad look at his body and he smiled softly. If he ever thought that Antonio would leave him, then he was mistaken. The pale blonde pulled away from him and approached the bedside reflection. There was a marker there, and it was all he needed. A simple message was written on the bedside, where he wanted to be buried. The beeping of the heart monitor slowed and he winced as his body began to die slowly.

"I had twenty percent chance of waking up... Brad, they were going to pull my plug already." He said with a grin, like this was good news. To him it was anyway. Although he preferred the latter, he decided he could be a tad bit lenient. He walked back to his boyfriend, still having trouble with calling him that... He always felt a bit too embarrassed, and pulled him in for a hug, lightly pecking him on the lips. "Isn't this the part where you either kiss me back and say and do something really stupid?" He asked with a grin, despite the sound of footsteps rushing into his room.

[MashuNeko]

The way Antonio said, so casually too, just made it feel even weirder. The fact that he had died just moments ago. He really couldn't believe it, that it really happened. He was unsure if he was lucky or unlucky that he happened though. Yes, he was gone, and he wouldn't be able to communicate with his parents ever again. In fact, they were even more troubled because they had finally settled on telling him the truth, and they went on without even knowing that he knew. He felt really bad. At the same time, he would be able to stay with Antonio forever now. There wouldn't be anyone getting between them, no real way to get into trouble, and his death was really painless. He decided that this was a good thing.

He watched Antonio mess around with a few things before he came back, talking grimly, but thinking it so great. Really, even to Brad it was good news, but they both missed out on living good lives, and all because of something stupid that Brad had done. Oh well. Maybe if Brad was alive, he could have coaxed Antonio out of it, but that hope was gone now. Even now, Brad could feel them trying to save his own body, but it was useless. Most shots to the head were fatal, and Brad's certainly was fatal if he found himself immediately dead from it. It was an odd feeling, trying to be saved. He assumed it must have been like this for Antonio once too.

Smiling, Brad accepted the peck, but it was unsatisfying. He pulled Antonio in for a deeper kiss before he pulled away. "Oh yeah, because hospital rooms are totally romantic, right?" He said with a laugh. For some reason, it felt good to be dead...

[Argon Jaden]

"With your body on the other side?" He smirked and shook his head. "Definitely romantic." The pale blonde man smiled and kissed him back, practically leaning on the other as he pressed their lips together once more. When he pulled away, his blue eyes glinted happily. Antonio gently tugged him down, leaning in to whisper quietly in his ear.

He swallowed thickly, feeling heat rise to his cheeks as he steeled himself. "L-listen 'cause I'll only say this o-once..." He murmured, hopping from foot to foot. "I love you." Antonio nearly choked on the words but he managed to say it properly before pulling away, looking away with his face flushed red.

"S-so... W-we should probably get out o-of here.." He muttered, trying to smile despite his red face and extending his hand. This setup wasn't bad at all... He could get used to this. . .

[MashuNeko]

Brad just laughed at it. There were a lot of things they could do, but also a lot of things they couldn't. He was brought to attention, by another kiss, and a whisper. The words caught him by surprise, but were happily accepted at this point. "I love you too." He told the other, taking his hand as they left this place.

He smirked before looking at Antonio. "Looks like I win this one." He said proudly, teasing at the same time. "You said the 'L' word first." It was a silly thing, but if things were ever going to be semi-normal between them, nearly everything was going to be a competition or an argument. They would obviously kiss and make up later. "And I bet you'll say it again." He gave a smug look, like he knew it was going to happen. They certainly had all the time in the world now, so it was definitely possible.